Torl's Journey

Torl awoke to the smell of yorel eggs and plox strips. This was not the den of a captured Witch, he thought. So, he opened his eyes. He was on a float cot, near the wall of a middle class dwelling. Opposite him was the Vid center with an oversized screen and three luxurious sit stations. At his feet was a simulation screen. And on the screen display were fields of golden earth wheat blowing in the breeze. He sat up and looked to his right, the direction from which the wonderful smell of food came. Jelru was sitting and talking across a plate of eggs and strips to an elderly gentleman who wore the uniform of a class four Med Spec.

“...just overcome with fear I guess.”

“Yea, these inner world types aren’t used to such excitement Jelru. Are you sure that you don’t want me to take him down to the Visitor’s quarters? I’m going right by there on my way back to the Center.”

“No, I will take care of him and see that he comes out of it okay. No one there will care if he comes back to us or not. We wouldn’t want to let a good comp spec waste away...

Say, have you heard anything about that Witch? Last I heard, the Hunters were still mourning the loss of the Master Hunter. It’s a shame the way she got zapped by one of her own. A crying shame.”

“Not much.” he sipped his caf. “I think that they are planning to close the Space Port till the new Master arrives. But you can be sure that some of them will never hunt again. The new Master will be very careful to sort out those that panicked before starting a new hunt. Six dead,“, he slowly shook his head, “including the Master Hunter and on full Vid record to boot. It’s more than a shame. Heads will roll over this farce, that’s for sure! No doubt the Senior is too busy figuring out how to save his own hide to be hunting for some little Witch. Besides, with the Space Port closed, where can she go? Everyone knows what she looks like. She will have to hide until they are ready to go get her. And with the Persona Readings the Master Hunter took, the new Master will have no trouble finding her...”

“That’s true. Well, you had better go.” Jelru stood up. “Papa will lecture me well enough for the Med bill we have already accumulated on Torl there.”

Torl chose that moment to speak. “Doc, bill my account. Jelru has done enough already. My account is N7B6539128-Comp-5. I think you will find that my credit is very good.”

They both jumped. The Med Spec recovered first.

“I see you’ve recovered. Looks like my work is done. Charge enter: N7B6539128-Comp-5. Diagnosis: fainting, level three. Treatment: administered 3cc Tracline. Additional two cc units left with patient,” the Med Spec said looking disgustedly at Torl, “to be swallowed if lightheadedness reoccurs. Charge close: Torl, Comp-5. Well, I had better go. There are others with greater needs.“, he scowled at Torl as he stood to leave.

“Well, Jelru, it has been pleasant. If you need anything else, please buzz Fleeting and request my services. I would really enjoy seeing you again.“, he winked at her.

With that said, he turned and left.

“Torl, how do you feel?“, Jelru sloughed off the Med Spec’s advance and turned towards Torl. “Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”

“I’m okay. Just a little weak.” he inhaled deeply, “Hmm...Some of those eggs and strips would go very well right now... What happened?“, he asked, pushing himself off the cot.

Jelru smiled sweetly and insisted on helping Torl over to the table.

“Let’s do first things first. You eat then I’ll fill you in.”

With that, she proficiently coded up the eggs and strips and presented them to him along with some caf and ener juice.

Torl decided that it was best to play the game of a panicked foreigner who needed nurturing for now, so he obediently ate the offered food. When he was finished he asked again what had happened. Secretly, he really wanted to know if anyone suspected that he had been involved in the events.

Jelru started in just like the concerned little mate Torl suspected she hoped to become. Oh well, he thought; best to play the game a little while longer...

“The Witch disappeared and Hunters started to zap anything that moved. Then I looked at you and you had gone all pale. Next thing I know, you fainted.”

She caught her breath.

“Are you alright? Things were real crazy for a while but I finally got Rester and Jardon to help me bring you home.

The Doc said it must have been all the excitement. You’ll be okay here; we got a Witch Lock on the door. She can’t get you in here.”

She smiled.

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m feeling much better. You said something earlier about a new Master. What happened to the old one?“, he asked as he rubbed the stubble on his face. Continuing the imitation of panic he asked, “Is a new one coming? When will the new one get here?”

“The old one got zapped by one of her Hunters as she came to the scene. They were zapping anything that moved. I guess they were really shook up when the Witch disappeared. I’ve never seen anything like it. She just...disappeared. One minute she was there, the next she wasn’t. Guess they really got spooked. Anyway, when it was all done, they had zapped five of their own and the Master. Two of them made it to the Med Center, the rest passed on right there on the spot.“, she flipped her hand down. “Today they announced that the two survivors were being sent to Base Four for parts. They’d be better if they had passed, too,“, she nodded her head, “if you know what I mean.”

“Anyway, the new Master is supposed to be here in one full month. Looks like you will be stuck here until then. They already closed the star port. And prices already jumped sky high at the Visitor’s quarters. Lucky for you I have an extra sleeping space.”

Her hopeful smile was not wasted on Torl. He figured that it would be much safer for him in her dwelling than in the Visitor’s quarters. The Hunters would probably not bother the dwelling of a farmer’s daughter without very good cause. And, Jelru was pleasant.

All he had to contend with here were her lustful desires, which could be almost fun in other circumstances, and a Witch Lock on the door. He had experienced both before. The Witch Locks barred all the powers and made one feel as if they were suffocating. Not pleasant but definitely not as effective as they were advertised to be. He returned her smile but remained deep in thought.

How would he get to Seala? She was more than ten parses away and travel outside the city would be cause for strong suspicion. Especially for one thought to be deathly afraid of witches. Well, he would just have to hope that she could take care of herself for a while until he could figure or finagle some way to leave the city.

With the Master Hunter dead, and the others trying to find some way to save their hides, it was certain that no one would be looking for a second Witch for a while. If all else failed, he might even be able to chance using the colors a little. It wouldn’t be totally safe, but with care, he could probably fool the average Hunter. From the sound of things, only a Master could use the tools of the trade effectively here. This definitely put things in a different light.

Well, he had better take care of himself first. It would do Seala no good at all for him to raise suspicions about himself right now. Jelru was obviously waiting for some kind of an answer to her proposal.

“They don’t have Witch Locks at the Visitor’s quarters?” he asked with a puzzled face.

“No, I don’t think that they do. But I have one.” her smile becoming more certain.

“I won’t be a bother for you?”

“No! No! I would love to have you stay here. We could get better acquainted.” she smiled again.

He returned her smile. “I would like that. It is settled then, I can stay here?”

“Wonderful! Yes, it is settled...” she patted her neck with her handkerchief. “Oh darn, I nearly forgot... I have to take some new seed to the farm in a couple of days. You could come with me if you’re feeling up to it.”

Torl almost fell out of his chair. Seala must be charmed, he thought. Jelru had just offered him a way to get out of town. If Seala could just wait that long... But he had to be careful how he answered the question.

“Hmm...I should be up to it. I’m beginning to feel better already. Where is the farm?”

“Twenty parses north, north east of town.” she watched his face. “But we could travel with a Witch Lock on the Traveler. Would that be okay? Would you feel safer?”

Okay? Torl almost jumped for joy. Twenty parses north, north east. That would go right by where Seala was. And by Traveler they would have to stop every eight parses for a disposal break. He could hardly conceal his excitement.

“If we have a Witch Lock,” he said carefully, “I guess it will be okay.”

“Sure it will. It’ll be fun.” she flipped her hand down again. “You can see our farm. We even have a comp unit, with individual control systems. You will love it, you’ll see.”

Torl didn’t miss the tint of hope in her voice as she talked about the comp unit. Indeed, it was quite impressive that a farm should have individual control systems. But she was not just proud of the system; she was obviously hoping that he would want to stay.

At another time, this too could be very interesting. He had often thought that he could do a lot if he had an independent to work with. And the fringe benefits were not exactly distasteful. But now, even the thought of leaving Seala to the Hunters for any reason, left him feeling sick and frustrated. And, after he helped Seala, he doubted very seriously if Jelru would want him around. Nor would it be safe to be anywhere near here. Well, he thought, some people chose to experience a life of hardship. He would have to continue his quest to find Aleron.

He wondered if it could be possible that witches lived in peace and harmony on other planets. Could he find them, if they did exist? And more importantly, how could he get off Earth with Seala, without being caught?

One thing was certain, once he was known to be with Seala, he would not be able to use his hard earned credit marks, or even his own name. This created a serious logistical problem. If he could get to a terminal, he could probably create new ID’s for them both, but transferring credits would be very risky.

He would have to withdraw as much as he could before they left for the farm. Then they would almost certainly have to deal with the pirates to get off Earth. It was definitely not a good idea to carry credit marks when you were dealing with pirates. If they thought you had any, they might just dump you in space and take the marks as payment for their effort. Well, he would have to figure something out when the time came. Meanwhile, he could create an identity with a regular pay cycle. He’d have to be careful to set the salary appropriately so no one would get suspicious...

Jelru was still talking with pride about her farm. It seemed that she had claim on a very large sector that her godparents had owned in addition to that which her parents now owned. She hadn’t been home in five full years and was just certain that the hired help had let everything go to weeds. She could hardly wait to get home and put things to right.

But it was so hard to leave the city now, what with witches on the loose and no Master Hunters to find them. The transport people didn’t want to risk meeting a Witch outside of the protection of the city. There were so few transports with Witch Locks, which really made no sense. She had found one though and was going to get to her farm to put things right.

She would grow some new strains of soy plant and figured that production would be at an all-time high within two full years. So much to be done and so little time to do it. And, by the way, could he spare some time to look over the credits program? She was just sure that someone had tampered with it in her absence. The profit reports were much lower than usual these last two cycles. There appeared to be a thirty percent profit loss. She could not locate any errors in the calculations but thirty percent had just disappeared.

Torl thought about it for a moment and decided that this could be the way to get access to the main system, if she had an access terminal here. He could check the system and at the same time develop a background program to set up two new identities. Using her code, would put her at risk, but would significantly reduce the risk of discovery after they realized that he had helped Seala.

“If you have an access terminal, I could start now.” he hedged. “That would help me keep my mind busy while we wait to go to the farm.” that was good, he thought. Then in an empathetic tone, “Besides, you will have a lot to do when you get home and it would be best if this was resolved before we get there.”

“But I have an independent system. How can you get to it?”

Oh boy, Torl had forgotten that. He rubbed the stubble on his face. Well, he could search the Public Records on the surface and access her system through the back door. modern communications systems were all interlinked and he could access even an independent the same way that the Central Authority did. She would never understand this and he could go to a work farm for even mentioning that it was possible. Well, the Public Records would probably be enough to find an error on the order of thirty percent anyway.

“I will need to start with the Public Records anyway. Those can be accessed from here, if you have your ID code.” he stated matter-of-factly. “I may even be able to cross reference them and identify the error even without your system. Do you have a terminal? I’ll show you.” he stood up.

“Of course, the Public Records.“, she exclaimed as she covered embarrassed cheeks with her large earthy hands. “This way...” she stood. “I forgot that you were a class five. That’s right; you probably can detect the error from here. Do you suppose we can recover the missing amounts?”

“I won’t know that until I figure out where they went. You will have to show me your records and explain how you know that there is a thirty percent variance.”

“Of course, of course. The terminal is right over here. I don’t know if it works...I have been gone a long time.”

Jelru went over to what appeared to be a closet. She pressed her thumb to the security lock and it opened into a rather large room. As the lights came on in response to their entry, Torl could see that this was her office away from the office.

The walls were lined with Library cabinets, containing the production and profit records for her farm he presumed. In the center of this large room was a mammoth size desk with an executive console and a form fit exec chair.

All around the brown toned room were terrariums. Each containing different agricultural products in various phases of growth. The room was already adapting to the number of occupants. A second exec chair was emerging from the floor and the refreshment console was whirring with activity. Torl knew that there would be caf and snacks ready to share by the time they walked over to the desk.

He was impressed. Torl had heard of these rooms on Earth, but they were all reserved for the wealthy and the company executives. He supposed that in this backward sector, Jelru might just be classified as the latter, based on her sole ownership of a large farm and her rights to a second. He looked over to see her looking at him with a very pleased look on her face. She obviously appreciated how impressed he appeared to be.

“My godparents left me executive rights and this control center. I haven’t used it much. I used to come in here to just sit and dream of being a big time corporate executive.“, she smiled and regally walked over to the desk.

“Everything here is old. The terminal voice module is so old that it probably doesn’t work, but there is a Manual Interface Board on the desk.”

She took possession of the exec chair and snuggled herself in. “The chairs don’t have the new null gravity form fitting features. They are the old liquid chemical type. And the storage cabinets are filled with electromechanical storage devices. But,” she inhaled deeply, “the room is impressive and reminds me of my godparents. I probably will not change it until I have to. Let’s check out the terminal.”

Torl walked over to the desk as Jelru pressed her thumb to the system lock in a complex series of positions. The terminal came to life. Then she placed her large earthy hand, palm down, on the desk top and the Manual Interface Board appeared. She typed in a series of codes and the Vid screen came alive with information.

“It works!” she exclaimed with a face as lit up as a child with a bag of candy. “Now let me show you what I mean about the thirty percent.”

Her fingers flew across the Interface and a series of numbers began to appear on the screen. Torl got the distinct impression that she was no stranger to either the type of Interface or the methods of accessing information. It seemed that the computer illiterate farm girl routine was an act. How much of her personality was for real, he wondered.

But his attention was drawn away from speculation by the problem at hand. He was beginning to see the complexity of the problem he was facing. Someone with significant skill had quite masterfully hidden the information she was seeking. It was amazing that she had even noted the discrepancy. Torl was now forming a new respect for this farm girl, who was not just a farm girl. She had the eye of an accomplished accounting tech.

She had also demonstrated more computer skill than he had seen in many level two techs. He was beginning to understand why she was a significant land holder on this planet and had spent years planet hopping to learn more about her business.

He was also very suspicious of the person who had created this discrepancy. This could not have been done so well by anything less than a level four tech and probably was done by a level five. This would be a real challenge, in light of the fact that he wanted to attempt to run another very complex subroutine in the background.

“Well, you’re right Jelru.” he looked up from the screen. “Someone with considerable skill is hiding a thirty one point two three percent discrepancy from you. The work that was done looks like that of a highly skilled comp tech or accounting tech.“, he combed his fingers through his hair then looked at her. “Are there any level fives or fours in your employ?”

“No, no. I don’t know of any fives, except you. Well... The Master Hunter would have to be a level five systems tech, but that doesn’t equate to a comp tech or accounting tech, does it?”

“No.“, he answered thoughtfully. “But I think that this was done by someone in one of the specific growing fields... You’ve been gone a long time, is it possible that one might have come here while you were gone? Without your knowledge, I mean.”

Jelru cupped her chin in thought. “I suppose it’s possible. Let me check around with the other farmers. They will know if someone of that skill was or is here. Meanwhile, why don’t you cross check the system and see if you aren’t over estimating the skill level?”

With that, she stood up, turned on her heals and left the room.

Torl got right to it...I may not have much private time, he thought. I had better focus on the new ID program first. Jelru may be too good to fool into thinking that this type of work is related to the research. In one quarter of a hour he had the code built and tested. Then he started the subroutine and began the task of tracing the discrepancy avoidance routine. Someone had to break security to hide the transactions from the owner of an account.

Late that day, Jelru came back into the room with a distinctly sour look on her face. She had obviously found out something that she didn’t like. Torl had some information, too, but wasn’t sure that she was ready to hear what he had found. So, he waited for her to speak first.

“There is a level five here!” she spit out. Jelru spoke with such vehemence that Torl could plainly see the reds and blacks oozing from her words. “He works for the taxation bureau and arrived with the old Master Hunter.” Wow, Jelru was really fuming.

“Damn it!” she roared and slammed her fist on the desk, “There is a twenty-two percent tax levy on all production. The other farmers all report thirty percent seepage.”

Beginning to pace the floor, Jelru turned towards Torl and continued. “By my estimates, this...this...thief has become a very wealthy man on my and my neighbors’ productions. Even if we could prove it though, the bureau would take everything we have and put us in a Work Camp before they would admit anything. There must be a way to stop him! There has to be... What did you find?”

Torl stood very still for a moment, contemplating her words, nearly mesmerized by the swirling reds and blacks. If they were being monitored, bureau collectors would be here in minutes to take them away. Jelru glared at the wall then turned her face towards Torl.

In a split second, Jelru understood Torl’s silence and a pale mask of terror covered her face. Quickly she crossed the room to her desk. She pressed another Thumb Seal that had completely eluded Torl’s notice. In just a fraction of a second, Jelru’s face regained its color and she began to relax. “No monitors exist in this room.”

Torl stepped into the doorway and passed his hand in front of the Operation Panel. He waited until the door was completely sealed before he spoke.

“The work is good, very good, but not expert. I traced the seepage through twenty five false expenditure accounts before the seepage split. Twenty-two percent went to a bureau protected account, presumably the taxation collections account. Eight percent went through two more false expenditure accounts, then into an account bearing the Master Hunter’s identification.

The other one point three two percent went through sixty eight accounts of one type or another and then settled into an Off World account I have seen before. This account appears to be an under-bureau account for Payroll augmentation...

With the Master Hunter dead, her account has been experiencing a significant seepage; it will amount to about three point five percent per Sol quarter. All transactions are being re-dated to times just after previous deposits.

I traced this seepage through two hundred and fifty one transaction accounts, back to an account registered to a level five tax and comp tech by the name of Feril. Now, the credits that went Off World are probably gone forever because the taxation bureau has too much control.” he rubbed the stubble on his face.

“However,” he hesitated, “with your permission, I can double enter the seepage system, reroute it, and make it available in cash form at any location you wish. When I do this,” he hesitated again, “if you agree that is, I need to set system traps to make Feril appear to have been stealing from the bureau.“, he nodded his head as if agreeing with himself.

“I will make some of them obvious enough that he will find them when he starts to trace his losses. This will make him very reluctant to bring any attention to the transactions.” he looked Jelru in the eyes. “I will first reroute the seepage, then when it is all gone, we will perform the same seepage process on his account.” Torl smiled.

“In this manner, he may not notice until all the shifts are complete. In addition, I can correct the seepage process so that it removes the taxation percentages from the Off World planet account instead of the farmer accounts. This, too, needs to be traceable to Feril.

You must know, however, that this process is not without risk. Taxation will notice the seepage, eventually, and trace the transactions. I will have to count on their knowledge of the skills of Feril to keep them from noting what I have done.

If all goes well,“, he pushed his hands into his pants pockets, “you and your friends will get several full years of tax free profits and a return of some of the lost seepage. If the process is noted, you will be sent to a Labor Camp and your land will be confiscated. And I, I will be summarily reprogrammed. I know the weight of the risk is based on my skills, but you must decide for yourself.”

Jelru sat down at the console. She was quiet for a very long time as her fingers flew over the Manual Input area. Finally, she stood again.

With her back straight, head high, and a look of solid determination and confidence, like the Land Queen she apparently was, she stated matter-of-factly, “By my estimates, I will be the only private land owner on Earth in less than two full years.

Within three, I, too, will have been reduced to poverty by this seepage. Already seventeen percent of the farms on Earth have been confiscated for tax debts and another thirteen will be gone this cycle. Do what needs to be done, Torl, and to Hell with the consequences!” she commanded, flipping her hand to the side, as if flipping off any concern.

Wow! Was all Torl could think. Again he was mesmerized by the swirling colors around Jelru. Only this time, they were the earthy browns of determination, the blues of peace and the greens of healing. Hmm...she must not know she has the power, he thought.

“I must sleep for a period and refresh myself.” he said and rubbed the back of his neck. “I will begin the process at daybreak. It will take nearly one point five days to accomplish.

You need to speak to the other farmers. Have them go to the cash stations on this list at one hour intervals, starting at 20.3. If all goes as scheduled, seepage will be complete in three days. But it will be all automatic within two.” He was beginning to tire.

“I estimate that Feril should begin to get suspicious at around two point five days. Therefore, for safety sake, no one should go to the same cash station more than once after two point zero days.

Also, no one is to deposit the cash credits while Feril is on Earth. When they take him away, wait two full years before depositing any of the credits. If possible, the cash credits should be used first. This will reduce traceability.” he rubbed the back of his neck again. “If we are caught, your friends should stash the credits for ten full years before doing anything with them.

When we get to your farm, I will need an outside connection and the security codes for all the planet farmers. I will access their credit accounts and protect them from further outside seepage systems. Now I must sleep.”

Torl handed Jelru the list and waited for her affirmation of his instructions. Upon receipt, he went back to his bed and smoothly drifted to sleep. The next several days would be very demanding.