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Who Prays for god? Sample Chapter Ariel awoke to the sound of raindrops splattering on the window, gentle, tapping

tentatively from the seaside drizzle that often accompanied the rising of Delta Eridani. A coastaleddy lingered offshore tossing moisture and clouds landward, but the effect was cooling and

pleasant. By the time the ceremonies began the sky would clear and the amphitheatre would be

dry, but the debate would have started hours earlier.On this exceptional day the rikka would be preceded by a rare period of report,

instruction, and discussion. Many of the learned of Lanta had been in frequent consultation with

shehama since the arrival of the humans, absorbing what they could of the data offered by the

dark life. As different as the Terrans were from other bright life the Kaalysti had encountered,

shehama was vastly more inscrutable, but in the millennia since communication was first

established understanding had evolved to the point where some hard facts, but not abstract ideas,

could be transmitted with little loss of accuracy. Part of the difficulty was the fact that concept of

what constituted knowledge was vastly different for the two forms of life. There was nothinglinear about the way shehama stored information, nor was it holistic; the closest analogy was,

strangely, fishing. Fishing where every cast produced a catch of the exact species, weight, and

size required. This made it extremely difficult for the Kaalysti and shehama to draw connectionsand conclusions from their correspondence. Everything from the distribution of galaxies to the

nature of space inside atoms was understood to many decimal places; however, why someKaalites chose to couple, or what shehama referred to as ixqatarli could not be remotely

translated. Nonetheless, bright life learned from dark life, and dark from light, and the exchangeswere often satisfying, always equitable and benign.

Months of collation had been brought to Lair-house Delta for dissemination and debate,

remotely by the other houses or kreska via their infinity rooms, and in loco by the participants of

the rikka, particularly by one who might teach them about the aberrant behavior of their uninvitedvisitors. Samthe, Mother of Delta, was up early, preparing for the unprecedented dialectic and

rite. Soon after the night was banished by a struggling sun she stopped by Ariel's residence to

introduce herself to the one who had come so far.

“Arrreilll,” she began, doing her best with the human sounds, “I am your host. Allow me to

extend welcome. Have your needs been met?”

“I am pleased to meet you. Yes, Mother. I find your lair-house beautiful and restful. Conducive

and invigorating for the tasks to come.”

Samthe briefly closed her eyes in satisfaction.

“We await with anticipation your input. After you eat please join us in the chamber adjacent to

the amphitheatre.”

Ariel wondered what breakfast would be like here in Delta. She bowed and said, “I will bethere. Mother, may I pose an inquiry?”

“Of course.”

“When the rikka begins, my Lair-house Mother will stand for me, correct?”

Samthe replied without sentiment.

“ Yes.”

“Is this standard procedure?”

Again without emotion, and not seeing the discomfort in her guest.



“No.”

“I have abilities in this area.”

“ You are untrained.”

“Untrained by the Kaalysti. I was trained by huumaan masters on Earth.” She worked hard

on the „H‟ sound: it was difficult to pronounce in her new language, but she didn't want to resort

to trilling.Samthe considered. She of course had read the dossier Moraine's instructors had compiled

on their guest and knew something of her alien education.

“Trained with different tools in a different form. You are changed.” Defiantly Ariel stated,

“Correct. I am better, improved!”

Without impatience or reprimand:

“Still, untested.”

“What better place to test me?”

Samthe considered. The decision had been made weeks ago, but the Kaalysti were

nothing if not open-minded.

“This rikka is consequential.” “Of that I am certain, and I am in agreement. However, if I am to become a dylan of Lair-house

Moraine, should I not stand for myself?”

“True, but it is not your binding to Vhong that requires defense. It is the disposition of those who

brought you to us, their intentions if any, and how to proceed in the light of their actions that will be

defended.” At that point Ariel had to acquiesce. To persist would be in bad form for an apprentice,

even though Samthe would never point that out.

“I understand Mother. Will you join me in my morning meal?”

“I have already attended to that need,” she said, but then added, remembering something

she read in the dossier, “but I am honnorred.”

With that she bowed and left Ariel to her grooming and preparation. They really have

taken to that phrase she mused. Even though honor is well understood, they must find something

appealing in the English sounds. In the months with her people Ariel recognized that a

contemplative life doesn't exclude simple pleasures, or even humor, but like everything here

subtlety reigned. Ariel would not let a morning go by without her exercises, and she calculated that she

had time for an abbreviated routine. Her precision and reflexes improved noticeably every day

she practiced. Back on Earth she had hit a plateau years before her exodus, but her rebirth hadshown her a path to the higher peaks of martial arts. Besides, today a good workout would ease

her frustration over being excluded from the combative part of the rikka, so Ariel concentrated on

a short but intense routine. Nunthe had burned the coastal fog away by the time she had worked

up a good sweat. Satisfied, she took a quick shower, air-fluffed dry and put on a fresh robe, then

strolled over to the dining building, just a few hundred meters from her residence. The walk wasrefreshing in the sun-cleansed air, through a well-manicured jungle of tropical foliage to the

squat hall. Other dylans of Lair-house Delta, as well as visitors distinguishable by their attire,

were eating and talking quietly. She heard music playing softly; her ears guided her to twomusicians performing unobtrusively in the corner. In honor of the ceremonies these local artists

had composed a piece specifically for the rikka to come.

During her studies Ariel had learned something of the arts Kaalites enjoy, from theimpressionistic holographic painted sculpture to their speculative fiction to their extraordinary



music. Typical of the culture the music was a mixture of delicately shifting harmonies and

implied rhythms. It required a split attention from the audience as it drifted in and out of focus.Conversations would periodically stop when a cadence closed a section, then musicians and

listeners alike proceeded to the next movement. Ariel recalled an Earth composer of long ago,

John Cage, who considered that all random sounds occurring during a performance were part of

the composition. His ideas never caught on, but in Kaalite music this was the norm, the soundsfrom the instruments influencing the listeners who were in turn directing the musicians: a far

greater harmony than the mere superposition of pitches. The fact that the concert was taking

place in a dining hall did not diminish the performance. In fact, it augmented the experience.Ariel wasn't sure how to participate in the concert — it seemed to be something requiring

years of observation — so she took some food and went to eat outside, au fresco. This was not

unusual: others we also taking their meal in the morning air. But she could still hear the music,and it sang volumes of the expansiveness of the Kaalite culture, knowledge, and investigation. It

stretched so far beyond what humans had ever achieved that, even if they weren't different

species, the chasm between them would be too great to bridge. The gulf between cargo cults and

space-faring nations on Earth paled in comparison. No wonder her dylans were completely

nonplussed by the actions of Fitzroy, so few were the points of contact between theoreticalphysicist and Neanderthal shaman, and the concert inside drove this home. The sounds from the

musicians came from an instinctual, almost racial, appreciation of the scale of the Universe, thepacing of geologic stretches of time, the contrapuntal nature of both the depths and limits of

knowledge. The inexpressible expressed by the wordless tones of the composition. A primate's

grunt said nothing to them, or her, anymore. Their collaboration with shehama alone gave theKaalysti a view of time and space that permeated their society and every fiber of their being,

seen in their dispassionate appraisal of problems, their lack of prejudice, and their devotion to

learning. Not that their lives were cold, passionless, devoid of pleasure — their arts refuted that

notion. It was that the long view of the universe provided by their intellectual pursuits soenriched them that the mundane pastimes that Ariel knew on Earth held no appeal. Millennia ago

their superior technology and command of vast energies freed the Kaalites from the prosaic

necessities of life, and also freed them from mindless, escapist pursuits. Everything in their

extended lives was satisfying, from the bonding of ceremonial hunts to the discourse with dark life. The Kaalysti experience was rich and diverse beyond any Terran comprehension. For the

changeling, this expanse beckoned stronger than any siren's call.

Her meal over, Ariel walked over to the site of the rikka, about half a kilometerbeachward. Nunthe had triumphed, breaking through the morning coastal fog, and as the sound of

gentle breakers grew louder Ariel's excitement grew. She had learned so much, so much more

than she had ever thought possible, learned things that she had never imagined were learnable.As the waves spoke with increasing urgency her cerebration and steps quickened.

Now I can demonstrate what I've be taught, she thought , show them the connections I've

made, show them that I am worthy to be accepted into the Lair-house . Ariel remembered

something Vhong had said to her, near the end of her training:The rikka can give an account only of your understanding. Your adaptation, if it exists, will be

self-evident .

The Kaalysti prized adaptation, synthesis over rote-memorization, studied response overreaction, as evidenced by the ceremony to come, testing her and using her abilities to solve the

problem of their apparently dangerous visitors. She had the chance to prove herself, and it

excited her.



I can help, I really can. And when this is over there's so much more to learn; I can't wait.

I've never been so hungry for knowledge. Insatiable, really. Is this what true freedom is, the

freedom to pursue your intellect without some kind of thought control? She wondered as the riba-

lined path led her to the pebbly beach.

S'linda, the name given to the amphitheatre by Lair-house Delta, emerged from the

vanishing mist, its rock sides speckled with the sun-scattered dew. A single word, cokke, wasetched into the landward wall; the Kaalysti were not much for sloganeering. Cokke meant “relish

the hunt”, but by that the architects didn't mean a p'trrr. The way the letters were spaced indicated

that those who entered were to vanquish the unknown through study. Ariel was now completelyliterate in the written language of the Kaalites, wherein the spacing of the characters carried as

much detail as the characters themselves, like the empty spaces in paintings or the rests in music.

The engraved word encouraged her as she drew near.An unerring instinct of time passage brought Ariel and all the other participants to the

sea-sprayed amphitheatre virtually at the same moment. S'linda was not a huge structure; neither

was it restrictive in size. Its concavity was open to the Sea of the Red West and it arched

gracefully outward, embracing the foam. The horns of its sweeping crescent shape were capped

by two magnificent globes, adornment enough in their geometric perfection. Dylans of manyhouses filed in through many lentil-capped gaps in the gray-black basaltic walls that made up the

space, surfaces intricately laced with detail work, the ubiquitous art/technology that transmittedand received information and power.

Positioning themselves in the tiers of seats in predetermined ways steeped in history,

fraught with implication, and heavy with import, the assembled denizens of lair-houses near andfar prepared for the rigors to come. Anticipation was in the air; not the chatter of a tribe of

monkeys waiting for a referee‟s pistol, but a low meditative hum. Resolving a contradiction the

multitude of staunch individualists would work as a finely tuned single unit, wringing out one

aspect of the problem after another without the intrusion of ego. Points would be taken withoutaffront, superior observations and intermediate conclusions accepted by the recognition of their

veracity. Then, when all the evidence and arguments had been presented, the rikka would

culminate in the ritualized ancient combat that signified, not alpha stature in the group, but

preeminence of one idea. Yet despite the time-tested virtue of the technique, all knew it would bea dialectic like no other.

Ariel took the position assigned to her by Vhong; the Mother herself was only a few steps

away. The two's proximity indicated that they would present their case first, called the loej. Othermembers of Moraine were scattered about the amphitheatre, but their positions would change as

the debate progressed. Initial grouping depended on argument, not house, and as the discussion

points waxed and waned people would move, their new relative location as much of thereasoning process as their words. The combat stage was empty.

Damn! I should defend myself! she thought for the hundredth time. Listening to those

attendees near her, she had the distinct impression that people of Lair-house Delta were a tiny bit

more loquacious that her dylans of Moraine. Not that they could be called talkative, but there wasa difference akin to regions in the United Holy States of America: think Mainers compared to

citizens of the Boston/Philly/Richmond megalopolis. And she had noticed the flatterzunge of

Kaalite laughter back outside the dining hall and sporadically elsewhere. Not that her people atMoraine were somber, just subdued compared to the residents of and visitors to Delta.

Ariel suddenly felt eyes on her. She turned to see Lree about 25 meters away, up two tiers

at 224.7 degrees anti-clockwise, watching her. He closed his eyes briefly as she returned his



gaze. Lree had taken his “southwest” position as assigned, but true to his nature he set himself a

little bit off mark, not enough to be insubordinate, just enough to be “distinctive”. His larger stature physically cast him apart, and Ariel decided it was he who chose to put a small distance

between himself and others; he was not being censured by his dylans.What's his deal? she wondered as she turned away, not wanting to stare.

Just then Samthe walked to the komba, the moderator/host/referee's position and the arenawas silent. Without obvious amplification her voice filled the space:

“This rikka commences.”

Ariel knew from her training and observations how things would proceed, yet she wasfascinated by the unfolding. Her participation in the process would go far in joining her to Lair-

house Moraine. She knew that this historic word-challenge would be recorded and preserved for

study, but Ariel wanted her own personal archive. She still carried her antique personal recorder,mostly out of habit, in a pocket in her robe but as during that first instruction she didn't want to

appear inadequate by using it. Therefore using new skills learned from the Kaalites she

committed to memory the whole rikka which she would later transcribe into her digital device.

As Vhong began her testimony it was plain to Ariel just how keen the debate would be. It

would definitely not be a series of negotiations, give and take, favor for favor. Facts would beintroduced, connections noted, theories advanced and discarded in favor of better theories.

Everything was testable, both during the debate and ultimately in the ritual combat where flawsin reasoning would be brutally excised. It was a consequence of their expertise in the physical

skills of parry and thrust that the Kaalites mental skills were honed to the finest of edges. Ariel

vowed to herself to keep up.

Vhong: “Review. Shehama confirms: the unsolicited visitors are arboreal descended.” Sheshifted a few centimeters to her right.

Ariel: “Genus primate on their planet,” their planet she thought, “Specifically species

human.” using the new word uman. The „hew‟ sound proved to be a difficult leading consonant.She moved back, as trained.

Vhong: “Physical data distributed. Large cranium above the eyes. Slow response time, reflexious

and cognitive. Binocular vision. Significant: incisors and molars.” She turned to her protégé, eyes

narrowed to indicate an intermediate conclusion was required.

Ariel: “The presence of diverse dentition indicates omnivorous. This is true: umans both kill and

graze. Proto-umans may have also scavenged.”

Vhong: “Therefore their progenitors were possibly vulnerable. Not only predator, but prey.” The arguments shifted about three meters to their right, to a dylan from Sky Plateau

named Tan. Tan provided more background information garnered from shehama, then concluded

with

“Synopsis: weak arboreal species, possibly prey, few individual defensive abilities. Implication

one: herd inclinations.”

“Further synopsis: arboreal predator. Weak individual hunting skills. Implication two: pack

inclinations.” This from a Speaker two meters behind Ariel. Back to Vhong, who twitched her ears in concurrence:

“Contradiction: a herd is not a pack ”

At that there was a rearrangement of about 30% of the attendees. Ideas were exchangedone-on-one during the process. Ariel stayed put while Vhong moved farther, indicating her

student will display more independence and self-reliance. Ariel saw Lree move more behind her

but radially, not closing the gap between them.



After everyone had coalesced into a new configuration Lree spoke, his voice deeper than

the females who had been the primary Speakers, a voice appropriate to his physical dimensions.Ariel noticed that he spoke more slowly than the others.

“Dichotomy: aggressive yet easily led.”

An Inquirer spoke instantly:

“Unsubstantiated. Resolve.” This opened the discussion and Ariel jumped in quickly. “Earth,” she said using the human word, “has a population of well over six to the two times

sixth power.”

Even though this number had been circulated the sense of a planet so crowded stoppedthe debaters short. Ariel paused to let this sink in, a human forensic tactic that she hoped would

work in this extraordinary situation.

“This vast group is controlled by a relatively small number of leaders, and ultimately by only one,

a person known as the Reverend Pater, a male.” Also known. I'm being verbose! No matter. Her

listeners were rapt.

“ A large population controlled with little opposition. Truly, most umans prefer being led.”

“Herd inclinations in a predatory species,” confirmed Tan. “But how does this transpire?”

Ariel twisted her ears.“Individuality exists but is manifested in superficial ways. It is called collectivism, meaning that

deep individual uniqueness is sacrificed for the larger group. Productivity belongs to the group, positions

and attitudes are taken from the group leader without reservation or inspection.”

If the Kaalysti had had a word for barbaric they would have used it. Tan conjectured.

“Conclusion. Undeveloped mental capacity. An inability to think independently. Easily controlled.

The dullness of a herd animal, apparently a consequence of evolution. Yet they have the cunning of apredator. They commanded large energies in building a great vessel and traveled here.”

Contradictory,” an Inquirer from Delta posed.

Lree interjected, fairly growling.

“Evidence. I observed Ariel —” He said my human name correctly! she exclaimed to herself.

—”being hunted by the umans as if she was prey, yet it was not a p'trrr. Hunted by a pack,using technology. Killed if discovered, using technology.”

A scent of disgust soiled the air, provoked not just by the idea of hunting a sentient being,

but using technology in the process.

Vhong, quiet for so long, spoke.

“We are honored by Lree. He transported Arrielll to safety.” Many in the crowd bowed with

Vhong towards Lree. “Inquiry: the energy that destroyed the Speaker to Shehama at Steppe was also

used in a form of pack hunt?” Ariel reported.

“No communication with the umans has been forthcoming. No data on the purpose of that

energy release. It may have been unintentional.”

Bullshit! It was an attack. Why has Fitzroy been silent? To inject fear, uncertainty, and doubt? Well, he's doing a good job of it.

For further discussion, this time about 50% of the assemblage rearranged themselves with

new significance. Small group exchanges ensued for about fifteen minutes. Ariel was quiet; she

had moved to the center of the second tier, and now was far from Vhong. Not engaged indiscussion and waiting for something to happen she thought There's that niggle again at

something knocking at the door of remembrance. What is it?

Finally Tan nearby said,



“We are compelled to accept the postulate: herd and pack instincts. Prey and predator.

Contradictory but factual.”

“Hyper-social predators,” Vhong added. “Unique in our experience.”

The group hummed with that thought for a few moments; repositioning was not yet

required. Then from a young female dylan of Steppe:

“Extension: they achieved a numerical superiority for survival. More pack/herd members, moreterritory, more safety, more resources. More advantage.”

Many in the tiers twitched their ears in agreement.

“Corollary: procreation is second priority after sustenance.”

“Postulate sufficient food sources. Consequence: at some stage all competitors will be

overwhelmed by birthrate. Predator/prey species will dominate.”

“Evidenced by the vast population of humans on Earrth,” added Ariel, trilling her formerplanet's name with difficulty.

J'na-el, one of Ariel's first teachers, spoke.

“ Yes. However, I see difficulty. In a pack of predators the most aggressive leads. The homeworld

of these creatures possesses far too many for a single most aggressive to emerge. A superior controlover a vast herd is required. The question stands: vast numbers of aggressive predators prefer to be led.

How and why?”

“Conjecture: a factor in their evolution provides control,” posed Szan from Moraine.

“Conjecture: rapid unrestrained reproduction leads to volatile family groups,” added a femalenamed Juude from a distant lair-house.

Ariel thought for a moment then said,

“I concur with Juude.” Maybe she had something, even though her own family life had

been very calm. She looked at Vhong.

Vhong:

“ A combination of evolution and environment perhaps.”

Her statement prompted another rearrangement, minor this time indicating new ideas tobe analyzed, not a shift in argument. It was during this break that many chose to rest and attend

to their personal needs. The deliberation plus the rikka would stretch on into the night, still a timeaway at this latitude, although Delta Eridani had passed its zenith.