A Mech's Life

Chapter 10: Farewells

Usually, the elder and council members make most day to day decisions for the tribe, however the council called for a referendum.

To put it in simplified terms, the tribe is essentially like a company that has shares. Every member of the tribe owns shares. These shares encompass everything the tribe owns. If someone wishes to leave the tribe, they sell back their share to the tribe.

An attack like this where people have died causes uncertainty and fear, scared people don't act rationally. A large influx of people leaving would cause devastating financial hardship as they'd need to be bought out or the tribe would have to be dissolved.

A grand meeting is a way to alleviate this. During a grand meeting, all shareholders can speak and vote.

The whole tribe gathered around the main campfire as no tent was big enough to accommodate all of them. Many were tense and on the edge, the violence from a few hours ago still fresh in their mind.

The council members stood nearest to the fire and tried getting everyone to quiet down but to no avail. Yojen cleared his throat and spoke loudly to grab everyone's attention.

Yojen: "Everyone, a moment of silence! I know that this hasn't been an easy day but let us proceed in an orderly manner."

Everyone took their turn voicing their concerns and thoughts on the current situation. Many were unhappy with the current turn of events and wanted to be rid of the Sentinel, saying it caused more problems than it solved. Others thought it best to hang in there until they managed to sell it, as they felt the reward would outweigh the costs. From eldest to youngest, everyone listened when someone spoke and soon it was near Sonjo's turn. A few weeks earlier, Samar had gotten his share and Sonjo would be next after him.

As Samar finished his speech, Sonjo stepped up to go next. However, a senior tribesman restrained him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

Senior Tribesman: "Hey, you don't have a share yet. You can't address the tribe."

Sonjo's grandmother picked up on the conversation and joined it.

Meredith :"Really? Sonjo does not have any shares?"

Senior Tribesman:"Not that I'm aware of, no. Let's get to voting now, everyone with shares has spoken."

Meredith: "Just a moment dear."

She leaned over and whispered in the ears of her fellow council members seated next to her, eliciting a mix of reactions from astonishment to fear. They in turn whispered to the others next to them and their faces dropped at what was said. Sonjo wondered what she could possibly be saying to make them react that way. Paori even turned white as a ghost and nearly fainted.

Yojen stood up and cleared his throat, a confused crowd looking to him for answers.

Yojen: "It seems we have a bit of an...issue. As Meredith pointed out to us, the tribe's charter states that in order for someone's salvage to belong to the tribe, they must be a shareholder. As Sonjo hasn't yet been attributed any share in the tribe...what he has salvaged technically belongs to him only."

The crowd began murmuring among themselves, arguments erupting between the older more traditional members and the younger less stuck to the old ways members. This was unprecedented in tribe history and they had no similar examples to base their thoughts on.

As shouting began to overtake the room, Yojen bellowed loudly to grab everyone's attention.

Yojen: "This is a matter for the council to decide on, as it deals with the charter!"

The council members looked dejected and out of it. Paori was first to speak.

Paori:" This is quite a unique situation to say the least. From a legal standpoint however, if we dispense with following procedure and were to take possession of the Sentinel without Sonjo's authorization, it would be a slippery slope to authoritarianism. What weight would the charter have in the future if we can dispense of it when we wish?  My vote is that Sonjo's salvage is his."