On their last day in the ravine, the stream saw almost constant use.
Everyone wanted one more bath before taking the road across the dry prairie toward the desert.
After a stew made from fresh eggs and vegetables, Ilika was savoring a tasty peach when Buna sat down in front of him.
“I have something important to talk to you about.”
“Okay. Here, or in private?”
“Here is okay. Some of them already know.”
Ilika finished his peach and then gave Buna his complete attention.
“Every time I go into that town — which has been a lot recently — I stop and look at the slave market . . . and wonder what I can do about it. I know I’ll never have the money to buy them all.”
“I went through the same feelings back in the capital city,” Ilika admitted.
“So you know what it does to me to see people up there bought and sold
. . . young people like me, and even children.”
“I will never know as well as you, because I have not been a slave. But I can try to imagine how it makes you feel, and I certainly respect your feelings.”
Buna blinked several times, then remembered her train of thought. “So
. . . every time I go into town, I try to think of something I can do. And the only thing I can ever come up with . . . requires your help . . . or at least . . .
your bracelet . . .” Her face twisted into its unique squirrelly expression as she
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let her thought dangle in the air.
Ilika remained silent so Buna could fully express her idea.
“Your bracelet is perfect for the job, because it doesn’t hurt anyone . . .
unless they fall off a cliff or something. You . . . or whoever you trusted with it
. . . could just put everyone to sleep, we could carry the young slaves to a safe place, and when the slave traders and people woke up, the slaves would have just vanished into thin air!”
Ilika remained silent and attentive.
“Isn’t it perfect?”
By now, everyone else had gathered around to listen. Most of them felt very sympathetic toward Buna’s idea, but weren’t ready to make bets on Ilika’s response.
“It’s very tempting,” Ilika said in a kindly voice. “But it has some tactical problems, and an ethical problem . . . at least for me.” He took a moment to look around at their expectant faces. “The tactical problem is that you might have to put the whole town to sleep. If you just did the people at the slave market, then what happens if someone across the street sees everyone on the ground? If you put him to sleep, what about someone a stone’s throw down the street who sees him?”
“I see what you mean,” Buna said, the excitement draining from her face.
“And of course, if you do the whole town, then you have to watch all the roads and trails.”
“I understand,” she said, looking at the ground.
“Please tell us about the ethical problem too,” Rini begged.
“It’s actually much more important. My bracelet represents power, at least here in this kingdom. If I wanted to, I could put all the soldiers and guards to sleep, take their weapons, walk into every money changer and take all the money, steal any art work or sacred relic I wanted, kill the king and his court, take his symbols of power, and soon everyone — of those I let live — would be groveling at my feet, begging to serve me.”
The campsite was so quiet, the leaves of the trees could be heard rustling in the breeze.
“But you’d never do that,” Rini finally said, breaking the spell.
“That’s right. I come from a place where everyone has great power, by
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your standards, and they steadfastly refuse to use it for self-aggrandizement
. . . anywhere . . . ever.”
He let his words linger for a few moments.
“So that brings us to the next question. Is Buna’s proposal self-aggrandizement? Is it for her own personal gain?”
Buna was on the verge of tears and wished she could run away. But since she was sitting directly in front of Ilika, and several people sat behind her, she didn’t move a muscle.
“No, not really,” Ilika said with a slight smile. “Buna’s heart is pure, and her intentions are good. If this task could be done using tools that were native to your kingdom, I would not be opposed to it.
“But since she is asking to use something of mine, that I brought from my country, I have to apply the ethical standards of the Transport Service. These are the standards you would be subject to if you became members of my crew, so think about this carefully over the next few weeks.”
Buna began to recover from her momentary crisis of feelings, and everyone else was paying close attention.
“In the Transport Service, we have to be able to move between many different countries and among many different . . . kinds of people. We have to do this, as much as possible, without interfering with the lives of those people.
We can protect ourselves, and anyone under our care, but we must always use the least possible force. That’s why my bracelet only puts people to sleep. I’m not trying to hurt or kill anyone. I’m just trying to stay alive and do what I came to do.”
He took a deep breath. “It’s nothing terrible to help an individual now and then. We’ve done it many times on our journey. But even that comes close to interfering, and there are times and places it isn’t allowed. Luckily, right now, in your kingdom, it’s okay.
“But trying to help an entire group of people, in most cases, would be crossing the line. In many countries, people live in terrible conditions for one reason or another. Slavery, famine, economic collapse, military rule, ecological imbalance, natural disaster, resource depletion, and many other things, can befall a land and its people. Your kingdom is pretty lucky. Of all those things I mentioned, you only have one right now — slavery.”
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After a moment of silence, Ilika took Buna’s trembling hand in his. “I want you to know something before I take a nap. Your idea is good. You are a good person. Slavery is rotten. The ethics of my profession don’t allow me to help you, but I think highly of you for having the courage to ask. Thank you.”
Ilika curled up on his bedroll and Kibi put a blanket over him. Buna headed up the ravine to walk and think, and Misa ran after. Everyone else filtered away to think about what had been said, and to start packing, knowing they were breaking camp the following morning.
Around the evening fire, most everyone had thoughts about the slave market issue.
“There’s a part of me that will always hate slave traders,” Boro said. “But I want to be able to work around all kinds of people. I remember when Ilika told us he had to have dinner with the slave master to make the deal for us. I bet that was hard.”
Ilika nodded. “I got out of there when they started smoking!”
Everyone chuckled. They associated smoking with slave owners who had way too much money in their pouches.
“I’m glad I don’t have a bracelet like Ilika’s,” Neti said. “I’d never hurt anyone, but I couldn’t resist freeing slaves, helping mistreated children, and letting caged animals go.”
Ilika looked at her. “I understand. There’s a part of me that would be right beside you, helping to cut the ropes and open the cages.”
“Don’t you wish Kibi had never suffered through all her years of slavery?”
Buna asked in a touchy voice.
Ilika looked at Buna. Then he looked at Kibi. They exchanged tiny smiles.
“No. Kibi would not be the person she is today without those years. She would not have the strength she has. And I would probably never have met her.”
Rini and Mati nodded understanding.
“Hardship is a funny thing,” Ilika continued. “You can’t wish it on someone you care about. You can’t plan it. But without it, people are weak. I know of a country where the people were rich enough to let their children grow up without any hardships. In the end, it destroyed them.”
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“How?” Sata asked.
“A series of natural disasters came along. No one knew how to take care of themselves. They just kept asking their leaders for help, but the government was powerless because the problems were so wide-spread. There was a huge die-off, and the civilization regressed several thousand years, back to little tribes of desperate, hungry people.”
A thoughtful silence lingered as the students tried to imagine the situation.
“My parents could have let me play all day,” Sata said softly. “But I remember my father telling me that if I didn’t learn to work, I’d be nothing.”
“I wouldn’t have tested you if I hadn’t glimpsed your strength and self-discipline,” Ilika admitted. “Those years of working at the inn were the price of getting this education and a shot at the Transport Service.”
Sata smiled and looked up at her teacher from the other side of the fire.
“It’s been worth it . . . even if I don’t get onto your crew.”
Sometime after midnight, but before moonrise, a shadow crept toward Ilika. It was careful to not step on any twigs.
It had watched carefully on several occasions to know how to do what it was about to do. Now Ilika and Kibi were both fast asleep. It could get what it needed and do the job before anyone was awake. Then it would put back what it had borrowed.
The little cover on Ilika’s bracelet opened easily. The shadowy figure touched three tiny keys in the right order and the bracelet snapped open.
A moment later, a loud beeping sound began that instantly woke Ilika and everyone else in the camp.
Ilika instinctively grabbed at the shadow and caught a slender arm. A word spoken in his own language caused the bracelet to pour out a bright light that revealed all.
Toli’s face twisted with guilt and shame. “I’m sorry!” he burst out as he crumpled to the ground, a crying, shaking little boy, caught in the act. “I shouldn’t have done it! I’m sorry!”
Kibi was quickly on her feet, ready to pound anyone to pulp who was trying to hurt Ilika. Boro and Rini, both with knives out, ran over from their bedrolls. Others quickly gathered to see what was happening.
NEBADOR Book Three: Selection 118
Seeing that Toli wasn’t going anywhere, Ilika released him and snapped the bracelet back onto his arm. The beeping ceased.
“I’m so sorry . . .” Toli kept saying through his sobs. “I’m so stupid . . .”
“Yes,” Boro spat out, sheathing his knife. “Very stupid. Do you know what you just threw away?”
Mati leaned on her crutch. “I think Toli just threw away at least three great gold pieces.”
“Toli, how could you?” Sata moaned. “We were becoming such a strong team.”
Buna shook her head. Rini wore a frown.
“Creep!” Misa spat.
“I’d like to speak in Toli’s defense.”
Everyone looked. Kibi was the last person in the world they expected to defend someone who had just violated Ilika’s trust.
Ilika, now sitting up, motioned for everyone to relax. They found places to sit around the scene of the crime.
Kibi waited until Toli’s sobbing died down. “I agree. Toli probably just lost any chance of being on Ilika’s crew. That’s up to Ilika. But I know why he did it.”
Toli was still shaking and sniffling, but his mouth opened in surprise.
“He did it for love. Toli is a lonely boy with a lot of love in his heart. He did this foolish thing to try to impress Buna by freeing the slaves in Cattle Town. He has a lot to learn, but he’s not a bad person.”
In the silence that followed, Buna moved over next to Toli and put her arm around him.
“Toli . . . you are a good person. I’ve never given my heart to any boy, although I was thinking about it for a while with you. But I’ve discovered . . .”
She stopped, and several shades of doubt visited her face. After a deep breath she went on. “I’ve discovered that boys just aren’t right for me. They’re okay as friends, but not for . . . close personal relationships . . . for me.”
After a moment, Kibi went on. “I believe Toli is harmless. He knows now that what he was trying to do is impossible. I think he should be allowed to stay with us as a student, and earn his three great gold. He will probably remember more of what Ilika taught us than anyone else.”
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Several people chuckled.
Kibi fell silent and snuggled against Ilika.
Ilika looked around. “Although I am not ready to make any decisions, I agree that Toli is harmless. Let’s all get some sleep. Tomorrow we will walk a little, find somewhere to camp, and I will listen to anyone who has opinions about this. Good night.”
Ilika kept the light on for a minute so everyone could find their bedrolls.
He shared a kiss with Kibi, curled up under his blankets, and was soon asleep.
Toli lay on his bed, alone, trembling, wondering how he could have been so stupid.
About an hour later he was still awake when a shadow appeared and someone laid their bedroll beside him. A soft hand found his, and a moment later he heard a gentle voice he knew.
“Good night, Toli,” Neti said.
Deep Learning Notes
Although there is much we don’t yet understand about human nature, one of the things most students of human nature agree on is that power usually leads to corruption, the evil use of that power. By stating that he and others from his civilization refuse to use power for self-aggrandizement “anywhere ...
ever,” Ilika is clearly placing himself (and Nebador) outside of human culture.
Ilika describes the Transport Service as needing to move among different people without interfering, and protect their charges with least possible force.
What professions in our culture have the most similar ethics?
Could you work in a profession that was sometimes allowed to help people, and sometimes was not because it would be interfering too much?
Of the problems that Ilika lists that can befall a country (slavery, famine, economic collapse, military rule, ecological imbalance, natural disaster, and
NEBADOR Book Three: Selection 120
resource depletion), which have happened to your country? Which do you think might happen to your country in the future?
Tobacco smoking was an upper-class activity throughout all of human history, because of its cost, until the 20th century. What other activities can you think of that were too expensive for most people until just the last century?
Wanting to save a loved-one from hardship, as Buna suggested, seems to be instinctive. Most parents try to give their children the easiest life they can afford. However, we know from long experience that easy lives create soft and spoiled people. Since the slavery that Kibi experienced is not currently an option, what other “character-building” experiences are available for young people in our culture?
In our culture, in what ways have people lost the ability to take care of themselves, in your opinion? Which of these lost abilities have been taken over by government? Which by our highly-specialized economic system?
Sata’s father told her that if she didn’t learn to work, she’d “be nothing.” What definition of the word “work” would make that a true statement for you?
What definition would make it untrue?
Have you ever done anything stupid for love? If so, you have lots of company.
When Buna declared that boys weren’t right for her, which person from her past was inspiring her? Can you spot the words Buna used that were a direct quote from that person?
What, in your opinion, was Neti thinking or feeling that made her decide to sleep near Toli and hold his hand?