Crown Colony 1

Chapter 1: Learning

Part 1: Kuz

I am the second son of the Great Chieftain, Darshan Subah Ka Taara. My name is Dev Bari Ka Taara. At the age of sixteen, my father told me that a strange light communicated with him and said he should select three people to learn the ways of the magisters. Magisters were powerful beings who first ruled over our ancestors and then sent them to the planet we now inhabit. All our knowledge and technology were remnant teachings of the magisters. Therefore, when we heard that we would learn new things from magisters, we could not refuse the opportunity. I was one of three my father, Great Chieftain Darshan Subah Ka Taara, wanted to select from among the Küz; he was not sure about the other two at that moment, but he was sure I was the most suited son for the training. With the knowledge we would learn from the magisters, it was expected that we would bring the Küz to new heights.

When my father communicated his encounter with a magister at family dinner that night, my mother at first thought he was joking. When he said he wanted to send me to learn from them, she then began to question him – as if he had dreamt the incident. Finally, when he said that he would approach two loyal clan chiefs to ask each to send one of their sons, she reminded him of the great impact that act would have on his status as Great Chieftain. After being reminded of the impact his intentions would have on his status, he stopped relating his stories and intentions during dinner and remained quiet.

I was relieved that my mother intervened. My father constantly sent me into rigorous training. My mother would agree to the training but choose the teacher. My father’s logic was that he needed to prepare me to be a general while he prepared my brother to be a ruler.

The Küz Tribe consisted of many clans, and within each clan were several subclans. The Küz was led by a Tribal Council, which had sixteen seats. Each seat was occupied by an important chief within the tribe, known as a Tribal Council Chief. At the head of the council was the Great Chieftain. The council selected a Great Chieftain from within its Tribal Council Chiefs when the current Great Chieftain either died or resigned. The immediate clan that a Great Chieftain controlled was called the Grand Tribe, while their chief served as the Great Chieftain.

Each clan contained several subclans. Each subclan resided within a village, which contained longhouses, workshops, barns and stables, and storehouses. The number of inhabitants in each longhouse depended upon the prominence of the families living within it and the number of people within the clan: prominent families occupied a whole longhouse, while less prominent ones had to share a longhouse. The prominence of the families living in the longhouse determined the types and number of rooms.

My clan specialised in metalwork. My family occupied a whole longhouse. The second most prominent family within my village was our subclan’s Senior’s longhouse. He shared his longhouse with the most skilled artisan in our village. Each Senior oversaw a subclan, while each chief oversaw a clan. Clans who had no representative on the Tribal Council had to convince council chiefs to take their matters to the council. In all the Ka Taara clan’s villages, all Seniors’ longhouses were made of brick. My subclan’s village had five brick longhouses. While most of the Ka Taara’s subclans had wooden palisades protecting the village, my village had a stone palisade protecting it.

Three days later, at dinner, a being of light appeared to all of us and corroborated my father’s tale. I looked across at my mother, and her expression was like how I felt: fear. On the other hand, my father had an expression of joy, while my brother, Kamal Bari Ka Taara, had a wry smile.

My mother, Padmini Bari Ka Taara, was my father’s first wife and the most respected woman in the Ka Taara clan. She was the daughter of Kabir Iyengar Bari, chief of the second most powerful clan in the Küz Tribe. The Bari clan was very skilled in animal husbandry and doddification, while the Ka Taara clan excelled in metalwork and commerce and practised some other crafts common among other clans.

Doddification was a process where rearers (or breeders) used rituals and chants to create new creatures. Good rearers could get their modified animals to produce offspring with similar traits; however, traits produced through doddification lasted for at most four generations. After the first generation, the doddified trait diminished in each successive generation. The worst rearers produced doddies that could not make offspring with similar traits. The best rearers could produce animals whose traits could be passed on for four generations. Another skill the Küz were famous for was taming. Tamers understood and could somewhat communicate with animals, including doddies. The better a tamer’s ability, the more animals they could understand and communicate with. All rearers were tamers, but few tamers were rearers.

My father decided not to reveal the request of the magisters openly but only to a few clans who were his close supporters. As he did, he had two other Tribal Council chiefs select who were to be trained by the magisters. The three people sent were me, my cousin – from my mother’s family – and a third chief’s son. We were given a sending-off party where only our immediate family members were informed and welcomed. Four days after the party, a being enshrouded in light appeared when I was alone in my bedroom. It told me it was time to go. When I asked if I could say goodbye to my family, it said only to my mother and father, then teleported me to them, one at a time, where I had a brief conversation with each.

When I spoke to my father, he praised me for being brave and that I would be the greatest general Küz had ever seen. He warned me to keep ahead of the other chiefs’ sons in my education so they would not surpass me when I returned. When I appeared before my mother with the being enshrouded in light behind me, she looked at me and cried; we hugged each other. She asked the magister if there was a way she could communicate with me while I was gone; the being responded, “No.” She then asked how she would know I was safe. The magister responded that it was up to each civilisation to decide if they wanted to send someone to be educated and whom they would send. She pleaded that education went better if those being taught could communicate with people they knew. The magister responded that if her civilisation had shared that mindset, my brother would have been a candidate, along with a close cousin. At that response, she hugged me again and went away crying.

I immediately appeared at the bottom of a huge tree, which appeared to have a large building within its dense crown. From the tree’s base to its crown were floating landmasses scattered throughout its length. At the tree’s base were also human-like beings with grey, smooth skin. All of them appeared to be busy. When I looked at the magister, it appeared male and no longer enshrouded in light. It had grey, smooth skin like the beings I saw. For some inexplicable reason, all three of us who came from Küz and the magister who brought us were floating. We floated to another grey being – whom I now assumed were all magisters. Afterwards, we were teleported to a large marble hall.

The hall and tables were all marble. Each table was longer than wide and was heavily laden with prepared food. At the top of the hall sat another magister who was larger than the other magisters present. The magister who brought us led us to one of the tables. Like us, three other groups of humans were led to the three other tables. After all the humans had taken a seat, the large magister at the head of the hall addressed us,

We have brought you here to impart our knowledge so that you may improve your way of life and the lives of your respective cultures. All of you will be taught for three years. At the end, neither you nor your respective cultures are to use your education for any of the following:

1.Do not enslave anyone within your society or another society.

2.Do not doddify any creature that has level five sentience.

3.You must never take more than fifty per cent of the land of any of the cultures represented at the dinner. Furthermore, you must not wipe out any of the cultures represented at this dinner.

Our table had food that I recognised, but the other tables had several dishes I was unfamiliar with. While eating, a couple of individuals from two different tables approached us. We learned that they were from Vinci and Okkan, respectively. Both introduced themselves as lords within their respective societies. They asked if they could try some of our dishes and invited us to try some of theirs. After that, they went to another table to greet the individuals there. My elder cousin, Abhay Mamman Bari, told me I should have the third Küz representative do as the Vinci and Okkan who visited us: he should seek information about our opponents. I responded that since the only Küz we are likely to see over the next three years is each other, building trust and camaraderie rather than hierarchy was more important. After that, the three of us ate in silence. We had no other visitors for the duration of our meal.

After the last person from our group had finished eating, a magister appeared at our table – by this time, I realised I couldn’t tell them apart. Additionally, either all were male, or I could not distinguish gender. It wanted to show us to our sleeping chambers. Like the third Küz representative – whose name I had yet to find out – I took some of the meal to my sleeping area. We were given one well-furnished chamber to share with three very large beds. The sleeping area had three separate bathrooms attached. All bathrooms were prepared identically. Abhay protested that he had to share a bedroom and had an identical bathroom with the third Küz delegate. The magister asked if I objected to sharing; I said no. It then responded to Abhay, telling him if the accommodations were fit for a prince of Küz, then his objections held no grounds, and it left us. We then went to bed and said nothing to each other.

The next day, a magister woke us up early and instructed us to get dressed quickly; we were to get prepared for our first day of instruction. The wardrobes in each of our sections of the main bedroom were stocked with clothes. The night before, we learned that when we picked a bed, the furniture and items associated with that region of the sleeping chamber modified themselves to suit the person sleeping in it. When we were finished dressing, we were teleported to the marble dining area, except this time, the tables were laden with breakfast items.

No one from the other cultures visited us during breakfast. Abhay asked what I hoped to gain by having camaraderie irrespective of Küz norms. I told him our goal here was to learn, which was best done as a group. He then asked if I was willing to share Ka Taara traditions and if he would be expected to share Bari traditions; he even went further and asked if Khalsa, whom he identified as the third Küz representative, planned on sharing his family secrets. Khalsa responded timidly that his family was not as knowledgeable as the Baris or the Ka Taaras. I then asked the two of them how could our knowledge compare to that of the magisters. If the stories of the magisters were true, then clinging to what we knew would delay our understanding of what the magisters had to teach. Abhay then asked what I would do if our hosts were not magisters. I responded that if they weren’t magisters, we were in a very bad situation, and it was unlikely that we would be able to return home. It was in our best interest to assume our hosts were magisters. For the rest of breakfast, I asked Khalsa who he was and about his background. I learned that his tribe specialised in mining. Their tribe was a key ore provider to the Ka Taaras; my tribe refined, modified, and even enchanted the ore that the Khalsas sold to them. Abhay jokingly quipped that with the knowledge of magisters, the Khalsas could refine, modify, and enchant their own ore and then sell it to the Ka Taaras. I responded that if I tried to limit Gautama Sule Khalsa, not only would I make an enemy of the Khalsas when we returned, but I would also deprive Küz of whatever he may have learned had I not interfered.

Just as with dinner, when the last person finished eating, a magister appeared and asked us if we were ready to head to class. When we responded yes, we were teleported to a classroom setting. While we used a blackened part of a wall and wrote on it with white or coloured chalk to instruct groups of people, magisters used a clear surface that looked like glass but was stronger and thinner. When they pointed at the surface, writing and moving pictures appeared on it. We asked the magister if, at the end, we would be able to create such instruments. It responded that what we left with depended on how quickly we could complete each lesson. The lesson today focused on agriculture. We would learn to detect Vita and then connect with elements of it found within plants. I learned to connect with it first and then explained what I did to both Abhay and Gautama. By the end of the lesson, only Abhay and I could connect. We then took a short break, during which we visited the fields surrounding the great tree. Our instructor taught us about various plants there, their benefits and associated Vita components.

After our lesson in the fields, we were teleported back to the great hall, where we were served lunch. While in the fields, our instructor gave each of us a tablet similar to the teaching surface we used in the first class; the only difference was that the tablet was far smaller. For each of us, all we had to do was think of something that we had seen earlier that day, and an image of it, as well as information, appeared on the tablet. We could even see narrated moving pictures that taught us how to feel Vita. During lunch, Abhay joked that if Vita components were required for refining, then the Ka Taaras had a clear advantage over the Khalsas – Gautama didn’t laugh at his joke but only studied his tablet more earnestly.

The other students sat at their respective tables, most studying on their tablets as we did. At the Okkan table and at the table that did not introduce themselves, one individual demonstrated something on his tablet while the other two answered and viewed information on their tablets. At the Vinci table, everyone studied their tablets like our table was doing.

Vita was an unseen component of nature. It was an invisible thing that connected living and non-living components of nature. When we learned about Vita, we learned that we lived on Planet Maliesse, and that the Goddess Maliesse controlled the flow of Vita on the planet. Living things that connected more to Vita had more Vita flowing through them. We learned about the five levels of sentience. Organisms like protos and humans were at the fifth level and could be cognizant of Vita. Plants had the lowest level of sentience, yet some species had more connection to Vita through their inherent makeup. Our first group of lessons would focus on using and modifying plants using Vita.

When the last person, Gautama, was finished eating, a magister appeared before us and asked if we were ready to return to our lessons. Abhay hastily responded yes; I nodded in agreement, and we were teleported back to class. Today, we were the last group to leave the marble hall. While Gautama ate and studied his tablet, Abhay called to the other magisters who appeared in front of the other groups. When Abhay called the second magister who appeared in the hall, it teleported to our table and asked if we were finished; Abhay responded yes, but I responded no. Abhay was visibly angry at my response and protested that Gautama was slow not only at comprehending what the magisters were teaching but also slowing us down. I reminded him that we only had each other for the next three years and that learning would be better if we helped each other. Abhay was still angry but silenced other protests he had during that meal.

In a month, we could distinguish plants based on the Vita that flowed through them and even modify them by injecting Vita into them. Abhay’s knowledge as a rearer contributed greatly to our progress. Gautama was never able to feel or modify the Vita within plants, but he developed a keen eye for distinguishing plant species and even plants within species. He shared his observations with us, and Abhay and I were able to link Vita with physical traits we otherwise would not have noticed.

When we were finished with plants, we moved on to studying insects and worms. As we moved to animals, the feeling of the flow of Vita was more important. Plants were continually eaten by animals, but the whole plant didn’t die. Plants formed relationships with animals when part of the plant was used as food, used as a tool, or removed to give the animal shelter. It was only when many plants were destroyed or gravely harmed that Vita was disturbed. Animals, on the other hand, were not so lucky. If an animal was consumed, it did not live afterwards; if it was used to house eggs of another organism, it suffered a slow, painful death. Fewer numbers of animals needed to be harmed or disturbed for there to be a disturbance in the flow of Vita.

When we started to learn about the doddification of animals, we also started to learn about the use of machines to enhance doddification outcomes. Our knowledge of Vita within plants was very important for wand creation: the more Vita a plant had flowing through it, the better the wand it created. Wands were important because they allowed you to cast spells. Spells were far more efficient than rituals and enchantments: they took a shorter time to cast and could have a more powerful outcome.

When we learned about tools, we studied non-living parts of nature. The magisters also taught us how to build machines and a special form of magic called alchemy. Alchemy involved manipulating non-living parts of nature to form tools and machines. The most basic form of alchemy was simply enchanting items – a practice my clan was renowned for. More complex than enchantments were manipulating ore and using magic while creating an item. It was impossible to use rituals and chants to manipulate ore; only spells could be used. I excelled in this part of our instruction within the Küz delegates since I was the most proficient in manipulating Vita among us and had some previous knowledge about enchanting items. Abhay was keen to learn from me since he was told that creating alchemic machines could greatly improve his ability as a rearer. Abhay even taught me what he knew about being a rearer, while I, in turn, taught him how to use Vita in creating tools. Gautama was still unable to use Vita, and there weren’t small differences for non-living items that you could use as cues. I helped him as best I could, but without the ability to feel Vita, his pace was slower than ours. Abhay looked at him with a smug smile during this part of our lesson, and our magister never waited for him to comprehend or reach our level. He would practice earnestly at night to catch up; I would even help him then.

Using runes on crafted items was more powerful than using spells to manipulate ore while crafting. An alchemist who created an item using spells and then applied runes to the created items had a very powerful result. Although Gautama was inefficient in using spells to craft ore, runes were governed by rules. He learned those rules to increase his ability to use runes. Knowing the rules of rune use and using Vita also gave you an advantage.

A key item we learned to create after we completed alchemy was the staff. Wands were useful for quick, powerful spells that covered a small area, while staves had a clear advantage for spells that covered a large area with a long effect. Using a staff to create items made more durable items than if a wand was used. In wand and staff creation, a part of your body needs to be used to connect your Vita to the item. The preferred part was hair. There was a maximum amount of hair that could be used, and it needed to be freshly cut – or at least before the hair began to decay. Using wood with a high Vita flowing through it resulted in a powerful wand/staff that could be easily broken. If a caster’s wand/staff were broken, it would weaken the caster’s strength by half. Using alchemy, we learned to mix wood with metal, creating staves and wands that were not easily broken. We could integrate and hide it as a tattoo to further protect our staff and wand. When we were learning about wand and staff creation, I wondered what parts of their bodies the protos use to create staves; when I asked my teacher, he said that information was irrelevant to my lessons.

We learned about genes as we moved from the second to the third and fourth levels of sentience. We learned to create tools to look at the genes and create doddies by manipulating genes. Manipulating genes using spells was difficult: it required focus and connection to Vita. Without connecting to Vita, killing the animal or having no outcome were the two most likely results. Abhay freely shared information on doddification with us while seeking my guidance on using Vita. While Abhay shared information on doddification, he smiled maliciously every time he looked at Gautama. Gautama didn’t try to learn doddification but focused on improving his ability at tool and machine creation.

After just over a year, things changed when we ate in the large marble hall: I could feel Vita in the representatives from the other societies. The Vinci looked at me intensely, and I could feel Vita in all three of their delegates. Abhay also stared at them, probably because he felt Vita in them as well. After an additional nine months, all individuals who felt Vita were intensely staring at others whom they felt Vita emanating from, who were not in their contingent. No one spoke to anyone outside their contingent.

When we learned about medicine and healing, Vita was important in creating antidotes. It not only greatly improved your chances of creating a doddified plant or animal to cure or improve healing, but it increased the likelihood that the procedure you used to heal the person would be effective. Vita alone would not allow an individual to heal someone; knowledge about the function of the organism played a far larger role than Vita. Abhay could not silently ridicule Gautama as much as he did during doddification since Gautama ensured he was astute on the structure and function of organisms – what he lacked in Vita, he made up for in knowledge.

For the remaining year there, our instructor gave further instruction on whatever we wanted to know – except for weapon creation and fighting. We focused on doddification, machines that enhanced doddification, and machines that enhanced our way of life. Gautama asked about medicine, and I would pay keen attention to the instructions he was given, while Abhay never bothered about what Gautama asked or the answers he received.

At the end of three years, I was teleported to my chamber in my father’s home. It was night, and everyone was sleeping.