Chapter 2

Less than ten rotations after Tira had learned that she was to be an acolyte, something even more exciting occurred. However, this news was not only exciting, but terrifying as well.

One of Pector's Followers wished to visit Piiri.

The announcement had been a shock to all Piirian citizens. Pector and his Followers had left Piiri nearly one thousand orbits ago, and as such had passed into something of a legend amongst the Piirian people: a story so often told it had become more fiction than reality, even to the Priestesses and Record Keepers whose task it was to maintain the integrity of all historical lore.

Yet here was this legend about to meet them face to face. After some discussion, the men of the Piirian Council and the Governor himself had unanimously agreed to receive this unexpected visitor.

Only one Follower of Pector had requested to visit Piiri, and preparations had been immediately made. The man had relayed the information that he would be arriving at Ira City, the Piirian capital, from the west. This only made sense, of course, because Pector and his followers had vanished to the west all that long time ago.

On the exact date and turn of the glass announced, the entire population of Ira City waited anxiously for the Follower of Pector to appear. But it wasn't the man they saw first; it was his vehicle.

The machine was long and gray, and made of metal. Unlike Piirian vehicles, it had no windows, and appeared to have been constructed for adverse conditions and rough terrain. The strange vehicle approached slowly, and from her position with her parents atop the gallery of the apartment building in which the Family Reva lived, Tira could see that this mode of transportation had no wheels: only long, oval treads that circulated like a moving belt, one on either side of the vehicle.

Throngs of people lined the streets, yet all was silent as the Piirian citizens witnessed this historic approach. The vehicle moved straight into the center of Ira City and onto the Great Square, where the Governor and the Piirian Council (who ruled the people under the guidance of the Temple) waited, along with the High Priestess, the Head Record Keeper, and the Chancellors of the University. The crowd collectively held its breath as a small, circular hatch opened and the man appeared.

For a moment, Tira thought that the man was ill, as he appeared to have no hair on the top of his head, and his skin was green. But as he emerged from the vehicle, she realized that he was wearing some kind of hat, like a skull cap, which was long enough to cover the entire top half of his face. At the back of his head, below the strange hat, a wealth of bushy, brown hair hung down the man's neck. More hair dropped from beneath his masked nose onto the lower half of his face, in an unfamiliar style.

Now Tira could see that the man's clothing was the same green color as his hat: a matching shirt and pants in an unusual style. Between this strange attire and his hat, Tira thought he looked something like a green plant stalk.

The man looked around, confidently taking in the Piirian citizens who had gathered to meet him. Slowly, he stepped down to the ground and turned in a slow circle, raising his arm in greeting. The Piiri laughed and cheered.

The man walked up the steps nearby, to the platform upon which the Piirian dignitaries were standing. When he reached the top of the dais, he bowed elegantly, then shook hands with each person present there.

Although everyone was excited to see this Follower of Pector, it was boring simply watching this exchange of courtesies. Tira could not hear anything, and could only watch from afar.

After each dignitary had had a chance to personally greet the Follower of Pector, the man turned to address the crowd. A technician rushed to turn on the amplifier, so that all present could hear the words of this special visitor.

"Greetings, citizens of Piiri!" the man said. "My name is Lothar. I am very pleased to see you all here. I had been informed of the distribution of men and women in your society, but I admit to being unprepared to be met by so many beautiful females. I have been told that most of the infants birthed here are female, but where I come from, most of our infants are male."

An excited murmuring broke out through the crowd. Imagine! A society of mostly men! It seemed strange, yet at the same time, wondrous. Not nearly as strange, but still notable, was the manner in which Lothar was speaking. His voice was formal, almost stilted, as if he were speaking with great reverence.

"And where do you come from?" asked the Governor politely, bringing Tira's thoughts away from Lothar's speech and back to the momentous events taking place before her. The amplifier increased the volume of the Governor's question so that everyone present could hear. "Where on this world have the Followers of Pector been living?"

"We have not been on this world." Lothar replied, seemingly amused by the gasps of shock that this statement elicited from the crowd. "The Great Spirit took us away to another world… not far from here, cosmically speaking. We inhabit the brown 'star' you see in the night sky. You call our planet 'Umber', but as its inhabitants, we have named it after the Great Spirit and our first leader, Pector." He took a breath, smiling genially at everyone present.

"We call our planet, Spectra."

88888

For the next few rotations, Lothar spoke constantly, telling the Piirians everything they wanted to know about the Followers of Pector, and their strange planet, Spectra, the celestial object the Piirians had previously thought was the brown star, Umbra. Apparently, Spectra came under the full glare of all three Suns, which was why it appeared to glow in the sky. Its brown color was accurate, as Lothar explained that the planet was hot and dry, almost completely devoid of vegetation, save for the small, carefully tended agricultural areas that were used to grow food for the Spectran people.

The actual numbers of Spectrans were few. Since most children born were male, there were a limited number of females to bear young. By law, all Spectran women were required to bear at least one female. Since the odds of this were low, most Spectran women spent their entire lives bearing children, as long as they were biologically capable of doing so. It was only in this way that the Spectrans were able to maintain their population levels.

The High Priestess told Tira that this situation was right and just, and was the burden Spectran women had to bear, as penance for deserting Piiri to follow their false god.

But was the Spectran god truly false? Lothar constantly spoke of the Great Spirit, sometimes calling it the Luminous One. He made it seem that Pector's false god had a personal relationship with the Spectrans, speaking directly with them, and providing them with advice, guidance, and knowledge. According to Lothar, it had been the Great Spirit who had shown them how to irrigate the desert landscape, build dwellings that withstood the harsh, dry winds, and extract metals from the ground.

All this talk of the Great Spirit troubled Tira. How could a god be so close, so intimate, with its people? The White One had never directly communicated with the Piiri. The Priestesses only saw visions of her, and of her companions. Tira felt an inexplicable sadness when such thoughts crossed her mind. Until now, she had not realized how much the Gods meant to her, and the idea that they were not as close to their people as the Spectrans were to their god was almost… devastating.

Lothar continued to speak with the Piiri, and nothing was denied him. He ate the best food, stayed in the best homes with the most prominent families, and enjoyed the favors of any woman he desired. He was respected and revered, yet there was something about him that made Tira uncomfortable. She had never before questioned an adult, even in the privacy of her own mind, in quite this way. Lothar just seemed so smug, as if he had a right to be treated this way… as if everything on Piiri belonged to him. Tira wasn't the only person who had such feelings. Her mother was leery of Lothar as well, and so was the High Priestess. Other women murmured similar thoughts in small groups, and yet none of them spoke out against this historic visitor. There were two reasons for this. First, the men of Piiri adored and respected Lothar absolutely. And since the Governor was male, and the Council was made up of men, the administration's support for the Follower of Pector was strong, while the Temple refused to state a position on the matter. Second, and most important, all people of Piiri were fascinated by Lothar's stories, whether or not they liked him personally. Lothar's tales of the Planet Spectra, its society, and the people's relationship with their god were compelling, and the Piirian citizens lapped up every word with the eagerness of starving animals offered a bowl of milk.

Lothar told of a dry, barren planet, covered with deserts and mountains, a barely habitable environment, few natural resources, and the hardy, determined people who lived there. Of course, the Piiri had many questions for Lothar, and he answered them all.

After Lothar had been in Ira City for ten rotations, he announced that he was inviting more Spectrans to visit Piiri. Although he had not asked permission for such hospitality, the Piirian citizens were nonetheless accepting of this news. At least, they were accepting out in the open. Privately, the whispers had begun to grow.

Tira dared to ask the High Priestess her opinion of the matter, and upon hearing the question, the Lady shook her head sadly.

"I have not had any visions to enlighten me about this development," she replied, "yet I cannot help feeling that this bodes ill, my child. Why are these Followers of Pector returning now?"

Tira had no reply, and the High Priestess did not seem to expect one. The Lady sighed, staring out the window at Ira City, but not truly seeing the view.

"They must want something from us." she said finally, as if coming to a sudden realization. "This is no longer something that can be passed off as idle curiosity. There is a reason that these Followers of Pector wish to return, after nearly a thousand orbits. I am almost afraid to find out what it is…"

"The White One will know."

Tira was so surprised by her sudden outburst that she nearly clapped her hands over her mouth. What had possessed her to say such a thing? But it was true. The White One was their protector, and she would know if there was any danger to Piiri from these Spectrans.

"Yes…'' the Lady agreed, nodding slowly. "I have not had any visions, but this matter is too important to wait. I will meditate, and actively seek out anything that can be of help to us."

"I will assist you in your preparations." Tira said, already moving to the familiar task.

"I appreciate that assistance, my Child." the High Priestess replied, "but once everything is ready, you must go. I must seek the White One alone."

"I understand, my Lady." Tira said. While she was disappointed, she knew that the High Priestess was right. If the White One was to speak to the Lady, there could be no outside interference.

One turn of the glass later, Tira was walking slowly home, following her path by pure memory, as her mind was focused on other things. She desperately wanted to know if the High Priestess was having a vision, and what such a vision might hold. Deep inside, something bothered her about Lothar, and Tira was eager for a justifiable reason for such dislike. She hoped that her feelings were not just the result of some misguided xenophobia.

Yet again, Tira could see that she was not the only one who felt this way. Clusters of women gathered together in the streets, the parks, and in the cafés, whispering anxiously, their eyes looking about to see if anyone else was paying attention. Such 'discussions' were becoming more and more commonplace, and Tira wondered where it would all lead. Things were becoming more unsettled, and the only resolution would be the removal of Lothar's presence. Instead, Lothar was going to bring more Spectrans to Piiri.

A few revolutions later, these Spectrans arrived.

Again, the citizens of Piiri turned out to greet these visitors. Yet it was clear that the crowd was not nearly as large as it had been for Lothar's arrival, and the cheers were more one-sided, coming mostly from the men gathered in the streets of Ira City. Tira had not wanted to watch at all, but her father had insisted.

"These people are our brothers." Dantar had lectured her. "One thousand orbits or ten, it makes no difference. They are our people, and we should get to know them, resolve our issues…"

"For what purpose, Dantar?" Jana had asked. "Clearly, these Spectrans still think of their 'Great Spirit' as a god. This is what drove Pector's followers from Piiri to begin with. If we are truly to resolve our issues, then they must give up their claims to this false god."

Dantar's face had turned red, and he had looked as if he wished to say something, but with uncharacteristic control he had swallowed his words.

"Regardless, we are all the same people." he had reiterated. "Our brothers deserve respect, even if their religious views are… misguided."

Jana could not argue with that, and so the three of them had gone to greet the new Spectrans.

Once again, the Followers of Pector approached Ira City in a long, metal vehicle that was strange to Piirian eyes. This vehicle was similar to the one in which Lothar had arrived, but as it drew nearer, Tira could see that it was significantly larger. As it passed through the main gate and toward the Great Square, an emotional shockwave ran through the crowd. From her vantage point on a rooftop high above the Square, Tira could hear men gasp and see women grow faint. All eyes were on the massive vehicle as it moved into the heart of Ira City.

Lothar walked up to the vehicle, raising his hands in some kind of greeting. A panel opened on the side of the great machine, and a long ramp lowered down to the ground. At Lothar's signal, men began marching down the ramp. Not five men, or ten, as most Piirians had expected, but hundreds, perhaps even a thousand. Tira tried to reconcile the number of green-uniformed men emerging from the vehicle, but eventually had to give up. There were far too many Spectrans to count.

The Governor moved forward, an amplifier carrying his words to everyone lining the Great Square.

"Comrade Lothar, we are… surprised… to see how great your friendship is, that you have brought so many men to visit us."

"Oh, no, Governor," Lothar shook his head, his self-satisfied smile taking in the Governor, and all of the civilians in the crowd, "you misunderstand. My friends are not here to visit. They are here to stay."