Crusdae, page 14
William took in this information in particular, and it sent him into a towering rage.
“What have I to do with that brainless chatterer?” he growled. “By the Glorious and Blessed Virgin Mary, there’s no fat glutton courtier of His Holiness going to tell me what I’m going to do. These worlds are mine and 111 allot them to whomsoever I like! Ah! Td laugh if somehow the Baphomet fleet turned toward Earth. Sure, they’d be praying to me then and begging me, if I let that pernicious horde go. When I think that they never even sent me reinforcements... I”
“Good sir,” the Templar of Tyre broke in, “it’s not fitting for a servant of Christ to say such things. Anger has gotten the better of you. His Holiness is the representative of our Lord in this world and nothing escapes his authority.”
“You forget the prerogatives of our order!” William returned, red-faced. ‘‘We constitute an independent power which enjoys the protection of Rome without accepting its guardianship. Who has worked more than I for the Glory of Our Lord? Thanks to me, the Holy Faith will be spread from one end to the other of the Earth and of the universe. I laugh at papal bulls and I account for my actions only to the Master of the World, the God of the Cosmos who created all the stars and those among them. But after all,” he noted, sweetening his tone somewhat, “I am very wrong to give such importance to cowards who came to feast on my conquests. We’re heading for Eth. Then we’ll go force those demoniac Baphomets out of their lair. Now let me alone.”
All those present, far from eager to run afoul of the Grand Master’s temper, retreated at once.
William went and knelt before a shrine and submerged himself in his meditations.
Surely, if the Grand Master's faithful could have read into his thoughts, they would have been dismayed, wondering if their leader had not fallen prey to a demon.
Happily, only Houen-Lun could enter minds, and the Tibetan stayed mute as the grave.
Plunged into an abyss of desolation, William felt his faith waver. Lately when he was still on the sweet Earth, had he not stated to John of Villiers that the power of Christ was sufficient so that He could incarnate on every planet, bringing about the redemption of sinners? Well, on Oddh and on Orph—Sonz had assured him—no native had ever been moved to die to assure the salvation of his brothers' souls. It was for that reason, rather than for military motives, that the Templar wanted to go to Eth. There, finally, he might discover the traces of a local Christ If he did not what must he think? That beings of such demoniac aspect as the Orpheds might never have known original sin? Come nowl What would man be the only bearer of that stain? Surely even on Earth, quite a good many nations had not known Christ and it was precisely his role, as servant of the Faith, to spread it among them. But why did the Son of Man not manifest Himself to give him a mark of his power? After all, the business at hand was worth it. Never since Moses had any human had so much effect in increasing the kingdom of God. Why would he not also have right, to a message? To tablets of the Law? On Oddh and on Orph, soldier-monks already worked to convert the infidels, but could the rules of the Ten Commandments and the Gospel be applied to creatures as different from men as the Orpheds, who laid eggs like serpents, or even to the androgynous Baphomets? William did not know what to think. His brain was overwhelmed. For the first time since his childhood, the proud soldier felt tears flow over his seamed cheeks. The Templar wept for himself, for the shattering of his universe, for after all... If this multiform pantheon discovered on Earth and in space implied that beings rampant over the worlds created gods at their own need, and if, in fact... He did not exist...
Little by little, the Grand Master felt his reason totter, for these problems were impenetrable, and he hardly had the gift to resolve them.
Gradually he slid into a deep sleep.
The soldier-monk rested long in that state, his head on the rail bench of the prie-dieu. During this time, the ships lanced through the infinity of space, tiny dots carrying aboard them weak creatures driven by insatiable pride to desire unfathomable secrets that their tiny souls could scarce conceive.
William was not the only one who plunged himself into esoteric meditations. The wise lama also had his problems.
Of another sort, of course, but still painful. Convinced that beings reincarnated after death as other living creatures, Houen-Lun saw no obstacle that Temps should not reincarnate as Orpheds, Ethir, Odeous, Baphomets, and vice versa. That increased the stretch of the cycle each must run before reaching supreme felicity. Again, his benevolent inaction regarding the world and its inhabitants found itself in shabby state by now. Houen-Lun had succeeded in unifying the mysterious supernatural power which manifested itself in nature; he had now added to that the stars and planets, but how to excuse his acting in complete contradiction of the maxims which bade him kill no living thing, not to do harm to any, neither to birds nor to beasts, not even to flowers and plants?
Once, he had acted to kill the Baphomet who had come to Earth, by telling himself that these pernicious creatures abused the world's harmony. He had held the same rationale then in agreeing to help the Grand Master of the Templars in his crusade against the Baphomets. But were not these perverse creatures too bom of the Master of the World, Adibuddha? Then why destroy them, since the mountain tiger too has a right to exist? The world, surely, is only illusion, but where is reality in the immensity of the universe? Was it necessary to give up helping these western warriors, these rude-mannered folk and their primitive faith? Such an abandonment meant, pure and simply, their min. Without the psychic activity of the lamas, they would only be playthings in the claws of Baphomet tigers. In sum, which was the greatest risk of disturbing world harmony? The Baphomets, to be sure. But the proud Templars, the Hospitalers, the Teutons, were they not also greedy and despicable as these filthy beings?
Houen-Lun, tom, realized that he was very far from realizing his supreme disinterest, for close ties still bound him to this vile world he thought he had rejected.
His heart thrust him toward aiding his fellow humans.
His reason told him that by doing so he would intervene still more in the disturbance of events, flagrant contradiction of his doctrine.
Powerless to make a decision, the lama drove all thought from his mind.
So the time rolled past rapidly.
The Templar and the Tibetan were both surprised to learn that the fleet was approaching the world of the Ethir.
William leapt to the command post, forgetting his problems to plunge himself into action.
Houen-Lun waited and watched.
Chapter IX
☆
The planetary system of the Ethirs had ten planets. Notable fact, two of them were capable of sheltering living thing, but they were vastly different The first, nearest the while star, enjoyed a tropical climate. Covered with jungles of luxuriant vegetation, it sheltered an abundant wildlife, often dangerous, somewhat like that which existed on Earth in the Cretaceous period. The Ethir had only arrived there recently, having constructed ships capable of space travel only within a mere hundred years. That world had served primarily as a hunting preserve. Only a few posts had been put there. Since the conquest of the second world by the Baphomets, it was completely abandoned.
The civilization of the birdmen was widespread in the temperate and serene climate of Eth. It was far from advanced compared to the Odeous. The Ethir still lived in fortified cities girt with high walls, and covered with a transparent roof. The castles, the houses in which they lived, still had an access mechanism high above, pierced through that sturdy roof.
Their owners had easily flown great distances. They had sometimes used balloons to transport heavy weights, dirigibles drawn by powerful birds, petrels. Animal evolution had followed a special course on Eth. Almost all species were capable of flight
Besides their powerful wings, the Ethir had thin arms ending in a slim, four-fingered hand with an opposable thumb, which let them do all manner of work.
To prevent these unfortunate folk from flying, the Baphomets had broken the humerus, which healed crooked and prevented the wings from extending; but these cruel masters took great care not to damage their hands, which were indispensable in the playing of musical instruments.
The Ethir, of a peaceful disposition, had let themselves be conquered almost without striking a blow. They had been slaves for only about thirty years, gentle and graceful slaves, with their downy, almost immaculately white plumage, remarkable musicians.
William had learned all these details through Sonz, but for the moment he had no concern for them, for he was only looking to know if Eth had been provided with defense systems.
The detectors had found no mines, and as for the three moons, they proved deserted. Evidently the Baphomets had not had time to fortify them.
Examination of the planet showed that it had been evacuated. There was only a garrison of robots charged with watching the slaves and taking care of rebellion.
The summit of the hill supporting the fortress was protected by a vast shining dome.
This time, however, the Baphomets had not indulged in systematic destruction. Eth, the flower planet, produced heady essences much prized by these demoniac creatures. They had left intact those vast plantations with specimens lovingly selected over many years. Only the factories near the cities had been leveled.
All that pleased William considerably, for he did not even have to worry about attacking the enemy fortress. His troops knew the tactic to use backward and forward, and they had quickly eliminated fort and garrison.
When that was accomplished, the Grand Master went to Ethor, the planetary capital, in order to deal with the lord of these lands.
He then had leisure to admire the delicate architecture of the city, flying at low altitude. The streets, useless before the coming of the Baphomets, were teasing with an awkward crowd. Only a few despised collaborators had kept their wings unbroken.
As a priviliged distinction, the collaborators had also had the right of flying the transport dirigibles. Since the arrival of the fleet, the majority of these cowards had fled into the planet’s desert regions. Without weapons, they represented but a small danger and they would be quickly obliged to surrender.
Sonz assured the Templar that it would be easy to heal the unfortunate victims of the Baphomets. A very simple surgical operation would let them recover the use of their wings.
William was welcomed on the platform covering die palace by musical trills of an orchestra and a choir singing the praises of the liberators of the planet Then he was led into immense high-ceilinged halls, the walls of which were decorated with silver perches and soft nests of velvet now unused.
Arros, the venerable Ethir who had once been governor of the planet welcomed him with the greatest marks of deference. He and his ministers cast themselves at the Templar’s feet kissing his hands in token of thanks. William gave himself over to this effusive welcome for a moment then lifted Arros impatiently to his feet and asked Sonz to translate what he said.
“Don’t abase yourselves so,” he ordered. “Such acts are for gods alone, and I am only a humble creature of the living God, Master of the universe. Don’t you have any god, that you worship his work in this fashion, like as you are to the angels of our religion?”
“Of course we do,” answered the old Ethir through the Odeous’ translation. “We believe in a supreme creator who reigns over all the universe, but we do not deny him in any way by thanking him for his grace through your agency, for you have chased away these monsters who oppressed us.”
‘Tell me, old one,” the Grand Master pursued, “has your God sent onto this world the incarnation of His beloved son who, taking your carnal form, came to set you free from original sin?”
“Assuredly I” Arros replied with an astonished look. “How could you know that, coming from a distant planet? Dhret took on flesh several centuries ago, to give our people the teachings of religion that conformed to the desires of his Almighty Father.”
This time William felt himself seized with joy. Finally he had found the proof he searched for so hard. Earth had not been the only place chosen for the Incarnation. A Christ existed on this planet. All his doubts were wiped out in an instant Neither the Odeous nor the satanio-looking Orpheds had yet reached the stage of their evolution when God judged it right to send His Beloved Son to bring them His Holy Word, but these angel-like Ethir were, like Terra ns, redeemed by Christ, who had taken on the form of the inhabitants of this world.
“And how did He die?” the Templar asked anxiously.
“Covered in years and revered by our people,” replied Arras. “How could it be otherwise? We owe him great gratitude, for he gave us the Holy Precepts, the models of all our life, which will let us pass after death to supreme happiness.”
William suddenly went white. Without the pain of a shameful death, how could this Christ be able to redeem these creatures?
“And what are these teachings that He gave you?”
“Never to kill those like us, never to eat flesh, only grains and vegetables, to leave the family nest to make our own at the age of fifteen, to rear our children and care for them, to receive those whose parents have died, to marry our brother’s widow, if perchance he should have left this world untimely, to despise wealth and abandon the quest for material goods save as we need them, to praise the God of the universe twice weekly by our songs, and to gather on the anniversary of Dhret’s disappearance to glorify him, to take only from the rich, to charitably smother our brothers when they grow old...”
“What?" gasped William. "That impostor preached euthanasia and polygamy, by Christ! You’re making fun of me, old one. Take care!”
“Don’t get so angry, my friend. Each race finds appropriate a different moral code. What is good for us birdfolk would not necessarily be suitable for you other folk, you warriors come from the stars. So it is forbidden for us to fight to take the goods of other folk, while your God surely orders you to fight without mercy against the peoples of the universe to increase your domain. For I have no illusions, stranger, we have simply changed masters and we thank you for it, for you seem much gentler and kinder than the foul Baphomets.”
An amused light shone in Sonz’ eyes as he translated these words and William almost choked. “You are completely mistaken, old one,” he assured him. “The Templars never enslaved anyone. They limit themselves to teaching the universe the True Word.” “Under constraint, for it in no wise corresponds to what we follow."
“Your doctrine, true, does differ markedly from ours, but you venerate a Redeemer and it will be easy to explain to you the errors in the Dogma that your people have followed until now. For example, it’s not at all right for you to marry a brothel's widow when you’re already married, for it’s forbidden to have more than one wife."
“In your world, perhaps, if your race were prolific, but we, who only lay a single egg, hatching after an incubation of two years, how could we perpetuate our race if all the marriageable females were not fertilized?"
William gave a vast sigh. *The ways of God are inscrutable. I see now how an alien could differ from a human. His needs, his moral code, his soul... are not like ours, so how could a religion be universal? Already on our Earth, there are numerous ways of worshiping the Lord, and how to know which has the Truth and, especially, if there exists a Dogma applicable to all . . . you appear moved by good intentions when you preach polygamy. Among other peoples more prolific than either of us, there Is a selection of births they call eugenics, which is I believe the case of the Orpheds, who smother all the subjects that have flaws or deformities. All that is forbidden by our God. But how to know if we must impose His Laws on peoples like yours?"
"You are surely understanding and good and you realize that any intervention in our ancestral inheritance would amount to a new slavery. Yet you must decide and you seem torn."
"Certainly, I am facing formidable problems, but I pray God to enlighten me to act according to justice and according to His desires. For the moment Tm going to leave you a little garrison on your planet You’ll be free to practice your religion your way. Later, when the war against the Baphomets is finished, well have time to reflect soberly on the attitude we should adopt Go.”
The Ethir withdrew, his great wings trailing behind him. He looked clumsy and awkward, but what must be his lightness and his grace when he glided through the sky on his immaculate wings!
Wiliam went back to his flagship without delay. He wanted, before leaving this solar system, to take a look at the neighboring world to be sure that no enemy troops had taken refuge there. The squadron then made a rapid turn and the Grand Master stepped out on this new world of a luxuriance and savagery unimaginable.
Voracious lianas had already invaded the precarious Ethir installations, breaking the walls with their weight
The Templar and his escort perceived monstrous trees whose trunks and branches were covered with foot-long spines. According to Sonz, the Ethir had used these sharp darts as daggers in preference to better steel, for they contained a deadly poison which killed in a few seconds. Men-at-arms gathered a great number of them, in spite of the trouble they had detaching them from the trees. In this woods also lived countless plants with saps that intoxicated, irritated or poisoned, of which the Baphomets had made once an ample harvest
There also he found strangling vines the quickness of which defied imagining. Countless skeletons of animals, hung above the ground, marked the presence of these implacable green killers.
William quickly understood that no garrison could survive in these places, at least without having major means to fight against the vegetable assault that each night regained the territory of the clearings made the day before.
