The World of Tom Stafford by D.A. Sanford - HTML preview

Chapter 16: Something fishy in Seaden

The citizens of Seaden were still on the coronation high. Things on the surface are happy but after a few days, I start to notice things. Subtle things like people gathering in small groups but when my carriage is spotted, they immediately turn their faces and

scatter. A comment about the surface people that is not nice. Postings on the town square public bulletin board on my usurping the role of king when I am not even one of them.

The news of the revolt in both Pacifica and Tridinia is now the subject of unrest. The fact the royal couple along with the queen of Alandia have been given asylum has caused some murmurs to spread that Tom is inviting trouble into their peaceful life.

Tom starts to realize that most of this is fear but a part of it is being deliberately pushed to stir up the people. To get them to fear. To give them something to blame the impending doom on. Someone, some group to point to and say,

“You are the cause of this trouble. If it wasn’t for your existence, we would still be enjoying our wonderful life. Why don’t you go back to where you came from. Why don’t you just die.”

Tom calls for a council meeting. The members he has on the counsel are Nadean, Chamberlain Gartage with his second Jim, Doris, Public relations Karzanku, Charles and Susan as medical.

“I just know that this is the usual pattern that is a prelude to a revolt.” I tell the counsel.

“In all the wars and revolts on the surface, this is the pattern. Someone gets the people come down with the poor me syndrome. It’s all someone else that is at fault. I wonder if the exiles that the undersea people have sent to the surface over the centuries have been some of the greatest evil surface dictators.”

Like suddenly turning a spot light on yourself, I stop talking and walk over to a window.

Isn’t this the same thing that I am indignant about? Trying to affix a person or group for the troubles we are experiencing?

“Tom,” Nadean sounds worried “What’s wrong?”

As I stare out the window at the town below, for the first time since I came to Seaden my eyes are open. I realize that, even though it is a pleasant sight, it’s not familiar. I don’t know how to put it. I feel welcome but also unwelcome.

The vista shows a sandy appearance to the roads. The houses all are different but also seem the same. Most single story with a few scattered two story. The colors are all muted due to the surface light of the sun being filtered by the depth of the water. It is always twilight at best during the day. At night, total dark. No stars in the sky, no moon.

To him every sensory input induced the feeling of gloom. He realized that he is someone who enjoys the warm sun on a spring day after a long winter.

Tom thought back to his trucking days. He had a long haul that took him through Oklahoma City. It was the end of his legal driving limits for the day so he stopped there.

He decided that he wanted to visit the Oklahoma City bombing site memorial. Walking through the memorial he saw the glass chairs, large ones for each one of the adult victims and, what tugged at his heart, small ones for each one of the children lost.

There are sections of the foundation that have the iron re-bars protruding at bent angles. Still with chunks of concrete hanging on. He saw the birds walking on the water in the reflecting pond and then the weeping Jesus statue with its back to the memorial.

It survived the destruction.

It was at that instance that he knew, deep down in his soul, that he did not belong there at that site. It was the cemetery feeling. That it was the home of all those who perished there.

That is the feeling that he got looking at the scene that was his kingdom. I don’t belong here in the underwater kingdoms. I really know that Seaden really is not home.

For the first time he really felt that he was the invader in Seaden. I know that I cannot uphold my oath I swore to at the coronation just a short time ago. In the end, I must leave, I really have no choice.

“Tom, you’re scaring us”

Turning back from the window, he focuses on the elephant in the room.

“This was going to happen,” I say “whether we surface dwellers came down here or not.

We are faced with the possibility of all-out war.”

I ask both Gar and Kar what war is like down here.

“There are all those things that your wars dropped down here. Explosives designed to operate in the water. Other than those, we have used biological warfare. Most of the time a red agent that kills life in a limited area just as a warning to the remainder of that kingdom.”

“Red tide” I say “That is what we called it on the surface. Anything else?”

“Only the occasional sonic challenge where we use a sonic sound generator to stun, confuse or kill using sound waves.”

Now we know the reason for some of the mass die offs of fish we’ve seen on the shores.

“Is there any face to face fighting?” I ask.

“Very little.”

“Clean and tidy hands free mass destruction.”

With that I gather my thoughts then,

“We need to make them get their hands dirty. Any war where there is just remote fighting is only a game to the ones fighting. We need to make it so that they no longer have the gamer feeling. No reset when there is a killing.”

“Gar, Kar, is there any sea wide log as to where the surface war wreckage is?”

Gar answers “There are maps to show where we should not go because disturbing those old wrecks could cause the ordinances to explode.”

“Good. Get those maps and we will review them in the war room.”

Jim asks, “What do you have in mind?”

“What would happen to the new leaders of those two kingdoms if some of those wrecks exploded and the rumors surfaced that the leaders were trying to harvest those weapons? That they were trying to get them so that they would have a strangle hold over, not only the other kingdoms but their own so that they could not be removed from the leadership?”

Gar tells me that the native residents would not do that because it would have an effect on the ecology of the kingdoms. It would be abhorrent to most.

I then say, “That is the reaction that I want. War, insurrection, revolts are not to be pretty.

They are not victimless, not painless.”

For the first time since I met him, Gar was visibly disturbed.

“This is how we handle conflicts here. If you are talking about setting off those munitions, I will not be a part of it. If that is the direction you will take, you can have my resignation.”

I now know where we stand.

“Then it is off the table, I will not risk losing you.” He now looks relieved.

“What is an acceptable response to this situation?” I ask.