NAAN (The Rabanians Book 1) (41 page)

Kashir sighed. "You are right sir," he said. "I guess I am frustrated by the situation." He stood up and walked to the door.

“Kashir,” called the Doctor after him. “Don't despair.”

Kashir nodded his head. He turned to the Doctor and looked at him.

"Was there something else?" asked the Doctor.

“Sosi was here,” eventually he said uncertainly.

“Sosi?” wondered the Doctor.

“A few days ago.”

“What did he want?”

Kashir shook his head.

"What did he tell you?" asked the Doctor in anger.

“He said he had a solution.”

The Doctor opened his eyes wide. “Really? What solution?”

“I don't know. He… he asked to look again at the paragraph from Shor and then we started to talk and he asked what if I had a solution to the plague. He spoke as if he had one. It sounded like he thought it was pointless since no one will use it because of the current situation in Naan."

"Maybe he was playing with you," said the Doctor.

"Maybe, but I am not sure, sir. I have a feeling he was trying to find out if I would cooperate with him."

"What do you mean?"

Kashir nodded his head as if he was trying to assess something. "I think he was trying to see I would be willing to help him try the cure he had in mind. Now, on second thought, maybe I should have agreed. I mean, only to give him a feeling I am willing to do something with him. I guess he would be more open then."

"So he got to you," said the Doctor.

"Sir?"

“Why didn't you tell me this at the beginning? Why all these hypothetical questions.  Do you doubt me?”

“I don't know. I am not sure that was what really happened and I don't want anyone to get hurt.”

“You mean nothing happened yet,” said the Doctor.

“I’m sorry, I know I should have told you, but if it was something he could do by himself he wouldn't have come here to talk to me.”

“Of course,” said the Doctor. His mind was already far away. An idea had come to him that might solve many of the problems that had been haunting him for quite some time. "Don't talk to anyone on this. Not even the lab people."

"Yes sir," said Kashir quietly nodded and left the room

We slowly got used to our new home. Daio drove into the city for meetings, accompanied by a policeman, and Su-thor and I took care of the house. We didn't have a housefather. Daio didn't want to even consider it. That didn't bother me and it seemed like Su-thor enjoyed the new routine. From time to time we saw people far off in the fields, and one time a few people stopped by to take care of the trees in front of the house. They were escorted away gently by the policemen.

The house was smaller. The dining room was part of the kitchen and the living room was only large enough to hold one long couch, two small armchairs and an unstable, low table. The second floor had four rooms, two small and two larger. Su-thor and I took the smaller rooms. There was just one toilet and one bath in the house. The Doctor promised he would send people to add on a new bathroom, although I didn't know where exactly he planned to put it.

A few days after we arrived Su-thor and I decided to go exploring. We slipped through the trees in front of the house and crossed the fields using the dirt trails that separated them. Beyond the fields the road became rougher.

“Come on, let's check out that mountain,” I said pointing to the towering peaks to our left.

Su-thor stopped and looked around.

“I could get used to this kind of life,” she said.

“Yes, me too,” I said.

“If the desert of Mampas bloomed like this maybe the rebels would have been happy to be settled there and the war would have ended.”

“If the desert of Mampas looked like this place it wouldn't be deserted in the first place," I said.

"I guess you are right," she said and giggled. "Still maybe things would have been different. If they had a place to live and grow food their lives would be richer and they would have much more to lose if they continued to fight.”

“That’s an interesting thought,” I said, still looking at the mountaintop. “Come let's do it,” I said and we started climbing.

“You understand our situation here is different?” I said after few moments of climbing.

“Why?”

“Don't you find the reality we live in strange?”

“Are you talking about the plague?”

“No. I am talking about the fact that we don't need to do anything for our living.”

“I always supposed this was only temporary,” she said.

“I’m not sure.”

“We are here because of Daio. I mean, because of the role he took upon himself. He and Dug,” she said.

“You mean we live at their expense?”

“I wouldn't put it like that.”

“So how would you put it?”

“I think you did a lot for the people here.”

I shook my head, “I think you are alone in that way of thinking.”

“I’m sure that Daio agrees, and so does the Doctor. As for Dug, I have no doubt that deep inside he understands your sacrifice.”

I chuckled.

“If the cure had worked, if what you did had ended the plague, I’m sure you would have become the governor of this place. You and not Daio.”

“Well, the medicine didn't work. Even if it had I’ve never been interested in any such position. Also I disagree. I don't think Daio is the governor of Naan.”

“Not formally, no. But without him many things that are happening here wouldn't have happened. He is pushing the House of Commons in directions they have never considered in the past. He has a gift. You cannot deny it.”

“Naan will not change as long as the plague is here,” I said.

“It will happen. Give it some time.”

I shook my head. “It won't happen if we don’t make it happen. These people are suffering from blindness. Blindness to things that are right in front of them.”

“The solution to the plague is not right in front of anyone. You needed to go to Mampas, and to risk scrambling into the network on Seragon, to find out how hard this thing is to solve.”

“That is exactly what I mean,” I said in low voice and stopped to catch my breath.

She looked at me and took a deep breath. “I don't understand what you are saying.”

“Blindness, Su-thor. Blindness to things on the tip of your nose.”

“You are not making sense. I am not good at this. Not in this language. If you want to tell me what's on your mind, I will be happy to hear you. But please stop speaking in riddles.”

“I not sure I know myself Su-thor. I have ideas, but I don't know what to do about them.”

“You need to see a psychologist for treatment.”

“We all need one.”

She smiled, “Yes, that is completely right.”

We finally reached the summit and collapsed onto the ground. I opened my pack and found the food we had brought along and we settled in to eat. The fields were spread out to our right. Far behind us was a small dark green spot that I thought were the trees in front of the house. In front of us, close to the mountain, was a deep canyon that stretched all the way to the horizon on our left.  Beyond the canyon, on the horizon, was a chain of mountains. They were very much like the ones I remembered from my voyage.

“The view from here is different in every direction,” she said. I nodded in agreement.

“This is a small and diverse planet,” she said in Mampasian. “I wonder if anyone has mapped it,” she continued in Naanite.

“From what I have learned there isn't a full map.”             

“The Desertians know every hole in the desert,” she said.

“You are a bit more developed than the local people here,” I said.

“We?" she said and looked at me. "Are you insinuating something?"

“No“

“Liar“

“You are Desertian. You grew up in the desert of Mampas. Mampasian is your native tongue. You are not required to erase all this from your head.”

“I don't think differently, it’s just that I…. I am not there. I will never go back there.”

“But you still know every hole in the desert of Mampas and you can use the word
we
.”

She lay down and closed her eyes. I looked at her quietly. I wanted to insinuate much more. I didn't want her to forget Mampas because I didn't know what our future here would be like. This place looked like heaven, but under the ground I felt it was burning. I couldn't tell her more than I did. I knew she was already angry with me for what I’d said.

We rested a while then started walking back down the mountain. We took the same trails. This time there was a machine cutting the tall leaves in a field to our right. A pleasant smell drifted to my nose and I inhaled deeply.

“That smell,” she said quietly.

“Yes, I really like it.”

“Do you remember our talk? The last time we went for a trip?” 

“Yes.”

“We talked about farming.”

I chuckled.

“I think I traveled nearly everywhere on Mampas. They had lots of small farms, but they were not as developed as here.”

“You mean their economy is much more developed and that it doesn’t depend on farms as they do here.”

“No, I mean to say that maybe it could work," she said and I thought she was still referring to the discussion we had on the mountaintop. "When you breathe in this intoxicating scent you simply enjoy it. It’s not something you have to learn. It’s something that comes from your soul. It’s something that the progress you admire so much, seems to forget."

I chuckled again, but when I thought about the things she said, I remembered that this was actually how I felt when I first came to Naan. I loved the simplicity and the connection to the land. Somewhere along the way I’d lost that feeling. We kept walking. Just as Dion started to set we came to the trees in front the house. The Doctor's car was parked next to Daio's.

“The Doctor is here,” she said and took a deep breath. I stifled mine. That the Doctor was here meant business. I understood her, and in spite our argument, this was a great day and I too didn't want anything spoil it.

When we walked in the three of them sat at the dining table in the kitchen and talking.

“Sosi, Su-thor,” called the Doctor as we walked in. “How was your trip?”

“Amazing,” said Su-thor and wiped away the sweat that had started to appear on her face.

“Naan is a pearl,” said the Doctor. “A pearl just waiting to be discovered.”

“I’d prefer that no one else discover it,” said Su-thor. “Leave her to us.”

The Doctor laughed. I didn't remember ever seeing him laugh. His big head bounced over his body as if it was to break loose and roll onto the floor.

“Come, sit with us,” said Daio.

“I’d rather take a shower first,” said Su-thor.

Daio kindly waved her to the second floor. Su-thor turned, raised her eyebrows as she glanced at me and walked towards the stairs.

Reluctantly I walked into the kitchen. Daio waved at a chair next to him but I ignored him. I didn't want to stay there for long. “How are things in town?” I asked.

“Calm,” said the Doctor. “How do you like this house?”

“It’s excellent,” I said.

“Kashir sends his regards,” said the Doctor.

I looked at him. “Nice fellow," I said. "Tell him I said hello and that he is invited to visit us anytime.”

The Doctor chuckled, but his face became serious. “I doubt he will be able to. He is working very hard these days.”

“Something new?” I asked surprised.

“You know, we always check everything. We try to be prepared for any chance that comes our way.”

“A chance of what?”

“Fighting the plague of course.”

“Are you expecting such a chance soon?”

The Doctor shook his head as if he was weighing my words. “You never know. As you well know Naan is not a simple place. The events of the last few days have been very unusual. People here love their routine and I believe that it won't take long before we'll be able to try again.”