"Secret of the Planet of the Apes"
AN-This story is something I've had in my head for a while, and I've finally decided to write it down. I've always wondered if the joint ape-human civilization seen at the end of Battle for the Planet of the Apes, could work, and this is my answer to that question. Constructive criticism is welcome, flames are not.
Disclaimer-Planet of the Apes and it's associated characters do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for a while. Please don't sue, I have nothing you would want.
Chapter 1
"But as I look upon apes and humans, living togeather in friendship, harmony and at peace, now some six hundred years after Ceasar's death, at least now we wait with hpe for the future. "
The orangutan's name was Aristotle, but most called him The Lawgiver. He looked up from the scroll he had been reading from to survay his class, which was made up of both ape and human children. One human girl, who in another time and place would have been called an African American, raised her hand. "Lawgiver, who knows about the future?"
"Prehaps only the dead." Finally he closed his scroll and rose from the large rock on which he had been sitting. "That will be all for today. You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Lawgiver." Tha class said in unison as they began to decend the small mountain ledge on which The Lawgiver held his classes to return to Central City. The Lawgiver gathered his suppliesand as he began to head for home he saw a young chimpanzee comming up the cliff to meet him. It was Felix, one of his older students. "Lawgiver, you must come quickly. Its an emergency."
"Is it Cassius?"
"I'm afraid so. The doctors don't think he has much time left. Cassius wishes to speak with you before he passes on."
Aristotle nodded without saying a word and the two apes returned to Central City. It was the very city Ceasar himself had founded six hundred years earlier, and the city that his decendants had ruled ever since. Only now it was much diffrent then it was in Ceasar's time. It was much larger now in order to accomidate the larger population, and the apes had long ago abandoned building they're houses in the trees in favor of larger and more stable stone houses on the ground. Allthough apes and humans were technically equalls undetr the law, human houses were made of wood and were generaslly smaller then ape homes. It was just one symptom of an ever growing social problem, Simian Supremisists. Apes who wanted revenge for they're ancestor's slavery at the hands of the human race six centuries earlier. Apes whop could not stomach the notion of a scoiety where ape and human lived as equals. And unfourtunatly Markus, Cassius' only child and heir, was one of them.
Cassius' house was a large two story structure in the center of the city, and today it was crowded with council members, millitary leaders, and even a few members of the public who wished to pay they're last respects to Cassius before he died. Aristotle found Cassius laying on his bed in his sleeping chambers surrounded by his wife Hellen and two doctors, one human and the other an orangutan. Cassius was still relitvaly young, only fifty years old, but the stress and pressures that come with being a ruler had aged him horribly and he looked far older then he really was. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was asleep, but when he heard Aristotle enter the room he slowly opened his eyes. "Hellen dear, will you and the doctors be so kind as to leave the room for a moment? I want to speak to Aristotle alone."
"Of course. We'll be right outside if you need us." Hellen lightly kissed her husband and she headed for the diir along with the two doctors. As the orangutan doctor was leaving the room Aristotle placed hir had on his arm to stop him. "How much time does he have left? And he honest."
"Not much sir, I'm afraid. His heart is extremly weak and his organs are beginning to shut down. Death is not far away, and frankly I will be amazed if he survives the night."
"I see. Thank you, Galen. I'll call for you if you are needed."
"Yes, Sir." Galen left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Cassius and Aristotle alone to talk.
Aristitle took a seat in the chair next to Cassius' bed. "What is it you want to speak to me about, sir?"
"Aristotle, everyone knows that you are by far the wisest ape in Central City. You're wisdom has brought us through many crisis and threats, and you are responsible for overhauling our law system. You were my own teacher when I was a child. I may be this citie's ruler, but you are it's leader. And now that I am dying I fear for our citie's future. If Ceasar saw how bad things have gotten..."
"You're venerable ancestor would, if he could soeak to you from beyond the grave, would tell you that he approves of the way you have conducted your'eself as ruler. All you're life you have worked tirelessly towards Ceasar's ideals."
"Yes and just look at the end result of all my work. The Simian Supremisist faction contiunes to grow in number and in power, and as a result an increasing number of humans are fleeing the city. And since my son is a Simian Supremisist, I can only imagine what kind of policies he will inact as ruler. He has even sopken to me about wanting to take away the human's equal rights and reduce them to the status of slaves."
"That would be truly terrible. Where is Markus, by the way? I thought he would be here with you."
"I wish I knew. I summoned him here because I want to speak to him once more before I die, but I haven't seen him.I heard that the ape supremisists are holding a meeting in the council building, I'm sure he is with them."
Aristotle sighed and shook his head. Cassius had inacted laws restricting the ape supremistists ability to meet and assemble, but he was far too weak to enforce them, and Markus ceartainly couldn't be counted on to do so. Cassius, short of breath from the effort of speaking, closed his eyes and took several slow, shallow breaths. Finally he had the energy to speak again. "Markus wasn't always like this, you know. He was such a good, obedieant child. And he had no haterd for humans. One of his best friends was even a human boy. I was sure he would make an excellent ruler one day. But then one day, against my explicit orders, he went into the Forbidden City. I have no idea what happened to him there, but when he returned he had changed. I just don't understand it. What could have happened to him, Aristotle? What could have changer him so drastically?"
The six hundred year old ruins of the Forbidden City, the city where humans had kept apes as slaves and the city in which Ceasar had led the ape rebellion, was strictly off limits to all the residents of Central City. Ceasar had declared it forbidden six centuries ago, and it had been so ever since. Markus had gone there at the age of seventeen when Carla, the young female chimpanzee he had fallen in love with, fell ill. Central City's relitivly primitive medical technology wasn't able to help her, but Markus had heard a rumor that before the apr revolution the humans had devoloped extremly sophisticated medical technology but, like most human technology, it had been lost in the atomic war that had taken place in the revolution's aftermath. Markus believed that that medical technology could help carla, abd he surmised that some of it must still exist in the ruins of the Forbidden City. So he asked his father for permission to go to the city and bring that technology back, and when Cassius had denied him permission he had gone anyway. He had never told anyone exactly what had happened to him there, but when he returned to Central City he had devolped a veiment hatred of humans. "Aristotle,"Cassius continued. "I know that Markus is my only child and that makes him my lawful heir, but you are The Lawgiver. Tell me, would it be lawful for me to deny Markus his birthright and pass the succession on to someone else of my choosing?"
"Sir, you are the ruler. Than is you're choice alone to make."
"But even the ruler must follow the law. Would it be lawful for me to give the sucession to another?"
Aristotle sighed. "If you feel that for whatever reason Markus is incaple of assuming the leadership, then yes you may then pass on the sucession to another of you;re choosing. But Cassius, you have no other surviving family. Who would you give the sucession too?"
"That is what I wanted to speak to you about, Aristotle. I want you to lead. I want you to temporarily rule Central City, at least until you find someone you see fit to assume the rulership premanantly.Everyone in the city looks up to you and respects you, even Markus." Cassius once again had to stop to catch his breath. "If you don't do this I fear that our city will degenerate into anarchy. If you do not agree I will order you to do this as you're ruler. What is you're answer?"
"Of course I agree, sir. But it would be only temporary untill I choose a permanant ruler. And of course you must put you're order in writing to make it official. Do you have the energy to do that?"
"Take that parchment on the table and I will dictate my order to you and sign it afterwards." Aristotle picked up a charkol stick and a piece of parchment off the table by Cassius's bedside and prepared to write down Cassius's order. Since it was taking ever more effort for Cassius to simply speak it was short, but to the point.
"I, Cassius, decendant of Ceasar and soverighn ruler of Central City, declare that my son Markus, also a decendant ceasar, is not fir to rule after my death. So now on this, the day of my death, I make my last decree that Aristotle, teacher, mentor and Lawgiver to all Central City, shall temporarily rule after my death until he can find one who he deems worthy to be permanant ruler. This is my decree. God help me."
With much effort Cassius managed to sign his name to the diccument, and Aristotle, sensing that his death was drawing near, called Hellen and the doctors back into the room. Cassius died there about a half hour later, leaving Aristotle with the unenviable task of telling the tempermental Markus that not only was his father dead, but that his birthright had been taken from him.