Location: Lava Plains, Outskirts of Rosebush City
Sol 13
Josh and his party, all weary and fatigued after a whole day and night of hard travelling, had finally reached their destination. Up ahead was Rosebush City, the capitol of the Rats' empire, and, from Josh's point of view, the most weird-looking city imaginable: mostly subterranean, it was built in caverns deep within the bowels of a hollowed-out rocky hill poking out of the lava-strewn plains at the foot of an ancient volcano. Surrounding the city was a moat filled of purposely-grown rosebush hedges, hence its funky name, a tangle of branches thick as telephone pylons, all lined with razor-sharp thorns like barbed wire, blocking the way to any hostile outsiders. A crude but effective stronghold for Nicodemus and his people.
From afar, it would have been difficult for anyone to notice the city was even there, had it not been for the many illuminated windows dotting the hillside, the interior of which was honeycombed with a network of caverns, housing the Rats' subterranean dwellings – an entire underground city, much like an ant colony, housing the heart and soul of this planet's civilization.
Disembarking from their rabbit-drawn chariots, Justin, Brutus, Elizabeth, Mr Ages and Josh made their way towards a raised drawbridge, which formed the only way across the moat of rosebushes and into the City. By the light of flaming torches mounted on watchtowers of either side of the drawbridge, he could see the outlines of lookouts with battle-axes and crossbows patrolling the perimeter of the city on high, catwalk-like platforms on the other side. An uneasy feeling swept over Josh at the sight of all those Rats, armed to the teeth. Maybe setting foot in that place might not be such a good idea.
Justin walked over to the edge of the drawbridge and called out to the guards standing watch up on the towers on the other side, where, Josh noticed, a massive winch that lowered the drawbridge was mounted.
"This is Captain Wilson and Sergeant Stanton, loyal subjects of King Nicodemus and soldiers in the Rosebush City Garrison, returning with a foreign visitor. Open up!"
There was a short delay, while the guards on the other side reported Justin and Brutus' return to their watch officer it seemed, who it turn passed the order to several strapping Rats manning the winch. The wooden drawbridge was lowered, controlled by two sets of pulleys which held it up. From beyond, a set of iron gates were opened up for them to enter. Josh saw the guards line up on either side of the drawbridge to salute the returning officers. He broke out in a cold sweat; the instant he stepped into the light of their torches, his presence would be known, his fate hanging in the balance.
Noticing his uncertainty, Justin whispered to him, "All right, Josh, remember: stick close to me and Brutus at all times. I imagine there will be certain unrest once they see what you are, so don't talk to anybody unless we say so and, above all, don't try and resist, no matter what. We'll shield you from any attack, but if you display any signs of aggression whatsoever, they will take us all down. You understand?" Josh nervously nodded, feeling as if he were about to be sick at Justin's warning. Once those Rats realised what he was, there would be mayhem. Would Justin and Brutus be able to keep those guys under control once all hell had broken loose?
Their hearts in their mouths, the group slowly made their way across the drawbridge, through the gates and into a large cavern that led deep into the hillside. Elizabeth held Josh's hand reassuringly, yet he could tell she was as nervous as he was. Although it had been due to dire circumstances that they had come here in the first place, the sheer madness of what they were doing was only now beginning to become apparent. Maybe coming here would do more harm than good?
Josh nervously fingered the Taser in his pocket, feeling very vulnerable without a proper weapon. Brutus and Justin too, he noticed, also had their hands on the hilts of their swords, expecting things to get out of hand at any moment. He pitied them; being faced with the prospect of having to draw weapons on their own comrades to control a panic he was about to stir up, must no doubt be putting them in a most difficult position.
The cavern led down into a massive cave system deep in the bowels of the hill, where the City was. Judging by the bitterly cold winters of Nimh-Beta, it made sense to Josh why the Rats would choose to build their civilization underground. As they stepped into what looked like a plaza where the City's entrance was, he noticed some kind of reception committee hurrying over to meet them.
A tall figure in a sweeping cloak, apparently a figure of authority sent to welcome their 'visitor', flanked by several escorts carrying torches, marched up to them. Although too far away to see his face, Josh instantly realised there was something horribly familiar about that Rat, which was causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. Had he seen him somewhere before…? Brutus, in particular, seemed to recognise him as someone they absolutely didn't want to meet right now.
"Damn, it's Jenner! If he sees we're bringing in a human before we can explain to Nicodemus, he'll have us all arrested!" He turned to Elizabeth, "Quick, woman, take off that cape and give it to him, so he can cover his face with!" Elizabeth looked shocked at his request; stripping in public obviously wasn't the most dignified thing to ask of a lady, even a mouse. Before she could oblige however, the damage was done. The light of the guards' torches fell upon them, revealing Josh's human face to the whole garrison.
For an instant, there was silence; anyone present could have heard a pin drop as the Rats stared wide-eyed at this human that had appeared out of nowhere, petrified with fear and confusion. Josh's own fear however wasn't so much of the consequences for the dramatic entrance he'd just made, but of the identity of the Rat Brutus called Jenner, whom he finally recognised in the torchlight. This Jenner, he realised too late, was none other than the same murderous scoundrel who had attacked him down by the lake that day when he'd first set foot on Nimh-Beta! Then, the explosion came.
"It's the NIMH human! He's here!" Jenner bellowed, "Seize him!" In an instant, all hell had broken loose. The soldiers all drew their weapons and, screaming Jenner's alert loud enough for every soldier in the City to hear, fell upon this intruder dropped-out-of-hell for the kill. And death it would have been for Josh if Justin and Brutus hadn't stepped in.
"Halt! He's with us! Hold your fire!" shouted Justin, using his own sword to block the drawn blades of several soldiers that came charging towards Josh.
"You heard your Captain, boys, now break it up!" bellowed Brutus, brandishing his battle axe in such a threatening manner, Josh felt sure the burly Rat wouldn't hesitate to actually strike someone dead to preserve order. The soldiers hesitated, muttering in confusion to each other. There was a damn human standing right before their very eyes and their Captain and his aid-de-camp were ordering them to lower their weapons? What was going on here?
Jenner apparently had some idea as he fixed the two soldier Rats with a sinister gaze, "Justin, Brutus, explain this outrage! We have the whole garrison on alert due to the sighting of a NIMH human and now you show up from your little errand, attempting to smuggle the enemy into the city? Do you realise this is treason?"
"Spare us your 'going by the book' lectures!" snapped Mr Ages, "This is a matter of the greatest discovery of our time…!"
"We have to see Nicodemus at once, Jenner," said Justin, "We've brought back with us a special visitor, who might be the key to the Plan…" Jenner however didn't seem the least interested in talking.
"My Uncle is not to be disturbed with such paranoid fantasies," he retorted coldly, "As General of the Garrison, I hereby charge you all with heresy and high treason. Guards, seize this foul creature and arrest these traitors at once!"
"You have no authority to pass judgement without Nicodemus and the Council's approval, Jenner," said Justin firmly, crossing his arms with a smug smile. No doubt he and Jenner were long-time bitter adversaries, "I must insist that you let us report to Nicodemus immediately!"
Jenner looked furious; he knew the law and there wasn't much he could do about it at this point, not with so many witnesses around, yet Josh could tell by his hateful expression that if there was any way he could keep this confrontation private, they would all be dead now.
"Very well then, I'll assemble the Council for a meeting, while you go sucking up to my Uncle as usual," he sneered, turning away, but not before giving Justin a nasty smile, "And I really look forward to seeing you tried and punished for this heresy, Justin, once I've told the Council about this! Just you wait!"
"How very refreshing, Jenner," retorted Justin sarcastically, throwing his own taunt back at his nemesis, "Usually, you're screaming about us to the Council like a cat with its tail on fire!" Several Rats couldn't suppress their smirks, despite the seriousness of the situation. Jenner gave them all once last look of pure venom and then strode away.
With several escort guards flanking them, the group slowly made their way along, what Josh could only describe as, the main street of the subterranean city. Situated inside a massive cave towering several storeys high, the walls of which were lined with platforms, where the Rats had built their homes in alcoves cut into the rock. Illuminated by flaming torches hanging from brackets and ventilated from narrow skylights high up in the cave ceiling, the cobbled-stone road twisted and turned in many directions.
Still clutching the Taser in his pocket, Josh looked nervously over his shoulder and saw the drawbridge being raised again and the gates slammed shut, sealing off the exit behind them. There sure wasn't any turning back anymore.
By this time, the commotion had attracted a large crowd, Rats and Mice alike, who had left their homes and were crowding on the street, staring in utmost amazement and, in most cases, fear, at Josh, easily noticeable because of his human face and alien spacesuit bearing the foreboding NIMH crest. Although the soldiers made sure everyone stayed at a safe distance, Josh could hear the people's tense chit-chatting as he walked along. Nobody in the City would be getting another wink of sleep tonight.
As the guards led them along, Josh was able to get a better look at the Rats' civilization. Although still in its infancy compared to the technologically advanced human world he came from, he could tell the Rats of NIMH had had made great progress over the last two thousand years.
The area they had just entered seemed to be a neighbourhood for the working class, judging by the many shops and establishments: Bakeries, butchers' shops, inns, tailories, blacksmiths and carpenters' shops, all of the simple medieval trades which had formed the foundations of great civilizations back on Earth could be seen here.
The houses were likewise a plain and simple design, alcoves mostly, which the Rats had hollowed out themselves and added front walls to, yet very effective against the freezing cold of winter, when their planet entered aphelion. Safely inside this spectacular underground world, insulated by rock and earth, the Rats could comfortably brave the many months of the annual freeze, without the need of any of the fancy life-support technologies Josh was accustomed to.
Further down, the street formed an incline, leading up a flight of stone steps to a pair of large wooden doors. Judging by the majestic woodwork and golden handles and hinges, Josh figured this had to be Nicodemus' dwelling. On Justin's command, the doors swung open and the procession entered, leaving a bewildered and nervous crowd staring after them outside.
The interior of the 'palace', which originally seemed to have been another cavern that had been built into, closely resembled the interior of a medieval castle: with bare stone walls, lined with flaming torches for light, the place had a rough, gothic look about it with its rough, carved wooden furnishings, tapestries depicting battles and other major events of the Rats' history, portraits of past noblemen and kings, and suits of armour standing on pedestals along the walls.
"Stand by to surrender all weapons!"
Before Josh knew what was happening, two thickset guards suddenly seized him from behind, patting him down, as if attempting to frisk him. He struggled, thinking for a moment he'd walked into an ambush, but Justin stopped him.
"It's only standard safety protocol," he explained, "No visitors are allowed to see Nicodemus whilst armed. All weapons stay with the guards and all personal items are inspected before being returned." To set an example, he removed his own sword, sheath and all, and presented it to the guard who bowed politely and took it away for safekeeping, while Brutus did the same with his axe.
Following their lead, Josh half-headedly surrendered his survival kit, sword and Taser, making sure it was turned off first, not wanting to end up in hot water by some careless guard accidentally stunning himself. Brutus destroying his gun had been one irreplaceable loss and he couldn't afford another.
But the guards were not finished with him yet and ordered him out of his space suit next. Apparently they thought this peculiar "suit of armour" might have some concealed weapons. Not in the mood for making a fuss, Josh complied and unfastened his life-support pack, visor, HUV and even the thermal, leaving only his jumpsuit and sneakers he wore underneath. All of his belongings were taken away in the arms of several guards, presumably to be inspected.
With him literally frisked clean and the guards finally satisfied that he was in no position to pose any threat to their King, the procession marched on, up a broad staircase and down several corridors until they came to a set of carved oak doors, which Josh figured, led to Nicodemus' quarters.
The escort guard entered alone. They heard him conversing softly with someone inside before returning, informing them that Nicodemus was expecting them, "He requests only the human and the Brisby woman go in first, Captain," he told Justin, "The rest of you will have to wait."
"What? Excuse me, this is unacceptable!" snapped Mr Ages incredulously, "We have the greatest discovery to report and we all need to be present…!" But Justin put a hand onto the old scholar's shoulder, "Cool it, you old goat. You know Nicodemus always has his reasons, and good ones at that. They'll be plenty of time for you to give him another headache with your reports later on."
With Josh and Elizabeth nervously holding hands, the guards ushered them inside, closing the doors behind them. The room beyond came as quite a surprise to Josh. He had been expecting a room similar to the rest of this gloomy, stone palace. Instead, there was much, much more to be seen here.
A single glance at the elegant study told him Nicodemus was much more than just a leader with a title; the walls were lined up to the ceiling with bookcases, housing a library so impressive it would make even the most serious of scholars green with envy - something, Josh knew, was only available to the wealthy and the privileged of this world.
Several tables stood around the room, displaying an assortment of interesting ornaments and instruments, probably made by Nicodemus himself: what looked like an astrolabe, an armillary sphere containing a rotating set of painted bronze globes representing Nimh-Beta and Nimh-Alpha orbiting Centaury-A, a planisphere chart on the wall edged with calendar markings and zodiacs, a 13-hour sundial facing the window, and even a table of familiar game boards, including chess and mu-torere. And seated in a massive carved chair at the far end of the room, resembling a throne, was the legendary King of the Rats himself.
His first impression of Nicodemus came as quite a surprise to Josh. Being a native of the last country on Earth where royalty still reigned to this day, he'd been expecting a see a figure of intimidation and power; but Nicodemus was nothing of the sort. Although frailly thin and ancient-looking, with withered hands and a long snow-white beard, his gleaming yellow eyes shone with fierce intelligence and wisdom, contrasting his advanced age.
Josh and Elizabeth stood side by side in silence as Nicodemus surveyed them, his luminous eyes making Josh feel like his was being x-rayed down to the very depths of his soul. Finally, the old Rat spoke in a kind voice.
"Come closer, my friends. Don't be afraid."
Josh and Elizabeth complied, the former, remembering his coaching in royal etiquette from when he'd met with the King of England to be congratulated for being chosen for the NIMH-One mission, removed his cap and knelt respectfully, Elizabeth following his lead.
"Your Majesty, I'm Captain Joshua Anderson, the last survivor of the NIMH-One mission…"
"Ah, yes, the group of human explorers from the stars who built the Temple of the Great Owl," exclaimed Nicodemus, much to Josh's amazement, motioning to him to rise, his face forming into a content smile, very unlike that fearful mob that had greeted them down by the drawbridge. His gaze shifted to Elizabeth, "And of course, Mrs Brisby, Jonathan's wife. What an honour this is."
"How do you know about me?" asked Josh, wondering if this ancient oddball had some kind of psychic powers that allowed him to read minds, "OWL – I mean the Great Owl – told us how your people came to be, and how humans were considered a terrible threat…"
"The secret to our true beginnings has been an intriguing mystery for many generations, young man, but, unfortunately, has always been suppressed by those who fear the truth coming out, to suit their own selfish ends," said Nicodemus his face falling in disappointment. Josh's mind flashed back to that sinister Rat called Jenner and his less-than-welcoming reception of him and his friends, getting the idea. Nicodemus went on speaking.
"For years, Horatio Ages, Jonathan Brisby and I - the only ones who shared my firm belief that our beginnings held more that what met the eye - have laboured frantically to unlock the secret of our ancestors, to prove the legend of Thorn Valley. Unfortunately, that meant breaking an ancient taboo."
"I don't understand, your Majesty," said Josh, feeling perplexed by what he was hearing, "Why would someone want to taboo the secret of your beginnings? Has it got something to do with my ship's Rosetta Stone I've been hearing all about…?"
"That, young Joshua, is a long story which will have to wait for later," said Nicodemus patiently but firmly, "Right now, I believe we ought to focus our attention on the more pressing matter at hand, namely your friend Mrs Brisby's unfortunate plight…"
"My children!" gasped Elizabeth, remembering what had happened back at her farm and holding back tears, "Your Majesty, please, I need help! The Exiles have killed my Aunt and kidnapped my children. I've already lost my husband. I can't lose my children too…!" But Nicodemus calmed her.
Don't worry, my child, I promise we will do everything within our power to bring your children back safely," he said, "But first, I believe the Council is waiting to meet Captain Anderson." As if on queue, there was a knock on the door and a stern-faced Rat entered. Judging by his posh uniform, Josh figured this had to be Nicodemus' personal aid or major-domo, definitely someone of high standing in the palace.
"The Councilmen are all assembled and ready, Sire. There're expecting you and the human, prompt if you please," he said, casting a weary glance at Josh for being all alone with his master, not knowing what to expect of this human, despite the fact that there were several guards standing watch just outside the door. Nicodemus, however, appeared unconcerned.
"Thank you, Arthur, tell them we'll be along shortly," he said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. Arthur bowed respectfully and left. Josh rounded on Nicodemus.
"What's going on, Nicodemus?" he asked in alarm, remembering Jenner's threat earlier. Were they going to lock him up and have his friends prosecuted for heresy? Nicodemus, however, smiled encouragingly at him.
"Never you fear, we tend to take ourselves a little too seriously around here," he said, giving Josh a friendly pat on the back, "Human or not, they will not harm you unless you give them a legitimate reason to think you're dangerous. And it just so happens, Captain Anderson, you might be the key to my people's future and I, for one, don't intend on keeping you here as a prisoner."
Josh didn't have time to inquire about what Nicodemus was talking about, or how it would help Elizabeth's children, before the escort guards entered and ordered him to follow them. With the help of a carved, gem-headed staff, Nicodemus rose from his chair and followed right behind, along with Elizabeth. Justin, Brutus and Ages also joined them at the door. They set off, the guards leading them downstairs to the Council chamber.
Although his confidence was momentarily restored following his meeting with Nicodemus, whom he was satisfied was indeed an caring and fair leader, Josh still walked in anticipation of the upcoming hearing. Would it really turn out to be just an introduction, to reassure the public that he wasn't an enemy, like Nicodemus had promised? Or would it be a vote of condemnation for him and his friends, like Jenner had threatened?
With that vindictive Rat pulling the strings, Josh couldn't help but feel the odds were not in his favour. What if they ultimately decided to have him locked away, even kill him outright, just so the city could sleep peacefully at night? He knew he could expect little to no fairness in such a medieval, superstitious society, where those in power had the final say in everything. He could feel his insides turning to jelly, yet managed to keep a straight face of dignity, as they marched him along. He could only hope that God or any higher power up there was smiling on him, and would grant him his slice of good fortune now when he needed it the most.
Author's note: As usual, my apologies for the long delay, but my army duties leave me precious little writing time. Hopefully, my military service ends in another week and I will have the whole of August to make up for lost time! Coming up next, the Council hearing… The Plan and the search for the children will be discussed pretty soon too. Enjoy and please review!