Divine Deception: The Will Traveller Chronicals by Robert James Page B

for food and clothes, and
they farmed crops, so they were no drain on their host locality.
The Aklodyte they mined, from huge, open cut quarries nearby, had
no known benefit to the local environment.
    “You have come to
stop the wild people have you not Lord Robert?” The four legged
female giant on my right asked somewhat boldly. I had to silence
the many creatures who admonished her for that, before I could ask
her what she meant.
    “Well Sire” The
female elephant telepathed “When the pipeline was first laid,
several decades ago, the Supreme One sent ships like yours to move
all the wild people away” She told me.
    “How was that
done?” I asked, cringing at the likely answer.
    “They were all
killed Sire” Was the predictable reply.
    “And now they have
returned?” I asked her silently.
    “They have
returned tenfold Sire” The big male elephant answered “And they
have sworn to drive these gentle people away” He added, his
sympathies obvious.
    “They killed all
the wild people, yet you say they are gentle people?” I asked
him.
    “The wild people
kill us, these people care for us” He replied.
    “The wild people
kill every living thing they find” The female on my right added
“These people do us no harm” It was clear that she too had little
time for the local natives.
    “But you are
captives?” I asked the huge elephant “Wouldn’t you rather be free?”
I asked her, not expecting the answer I got.
    “No Lord Robert,
only you command us” The big male replied “We could leave if we
chose to; they have no means to stop us” The giant pachyderm
assured me. Our procession halted in front the State Government
Headquarters, and the clock tower was the only part of the
structure above my Dias.
    The large town
square and all the streets leading to it were totally packed with
brightly dressed clapping and cheering men, women and children. The
five men in safari suits came out onto a kind of rooftop garden,
just a metre or so below where I stood, this time there was a
megaphone, and one of the ‘he’, turned out to be a she. No doubt
she was Miss Proust’s counterpart, out here in this ‘frontier’
State. The two female elephants hooked their trunks onto steel
rings below a cleverly designed walkway and pulled it into place. I
now had a golden hand rail and plushly carpeted path to the five
who were waiting respectfully on the rooftop below. Again, no-one
spoke until I did; I was running out of original opening lines! The
five of them bowed deeply as I approached.
    “I’d really rather
shake all of your hands for doing such a good job” I began
brightly, holding my hand out to the tallest one in the middle. He
looked up at me like a frightened rabbit caught in headlights, he a
fearless leader! Such is the power of blind belief.
    “I’m Chief
Administrator Carpenter, Lord Robert” The leathery, clear eyed
leader said nervously, taking my hand quite firmly.
    “Why not Governor
Carpenter?” I asked, shaking his hand.
    “We are really
such a small State your Excellency” He answered “It seemed a little
early for such expensive self glorifications” Carpenter added,
looking me evenly in the eyes and speaking with a matter-of-fact
tone. I liked him immediately. He then introduced me to his three
male and one female associates.
    “This is Bligh of
production and Egan from community affairs” Carpenter introduced
two bookish types “Potter is from agriculture and Miss Lois is my
right hand in administration” He continued. Potter looked weather
beaten sixty and she was a classy late twenties lady, the other two
looked like tough working types. I got them all to shake hands with
me, then signalled to my T.T.V. pilot to come on up. There was an
appreciative gasp as the sleek craft silently glided up to our
rooftop. I introduced Susan, as Miss Proust of course, and Zoran,
as my chief councillor, as they alighted from the silently hovering
T.T.V. We three followed our hosts back into