'Or make them live forever, its your choice.'
'Why, that is the work of the Devil!'
'No Anna, no it's not,' said Greaves. 'It's the work of science. Don't you see? You could create a new Eden. You could rid the world of all those who want to oppress others and enslave them. You could reward the just with life everlasting. There are enough natural resources left on the planet to turn it into a paradise. One that we could enjoy for all eternity.'
There was silence for a long while after this. Linda, Cortez and, especially, Anna simply sat and tried to process everything that Greaves had told them. Tried to comprehend what it meant to their tenuous alliance and the outcome of their journey.
Anna looked more terrified than Linda had ever seen her. She crawled to the back of Bertha and curled up on her bunk. Her frightened prayers could be heard for the rest of the night.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Two miles south of Lame Deer, on the North Cheyenne reservation, Ahiga motioned for them to reign in their horses. They were on a rise covered with Ponderosa pines. To their right and below the Tongue River rolled through the valley. Up ahead of them was the site of a sacred burial ground reserved for Chiefs. It was this that Ahiga had taken Hiamovi and the two other braves to see.
The burial ground was in a clearing on top of the largest hill in the area. Through the binoculars Ahiga handed him, Hiamovi could see there were about a hundred or more white men and women on the hallowed ground. They had already erected makeshift dwellings and seemed to be engaged in constructing a large metal tower.
'Do we know what they're up to?' said Hiamovi.
'They're Neo-Clergy,' said Ahiga. 'That's some sort of a television transmitter they're building.'
'Why was I not told of this sooner? This is happening on my tribal territory.'
'You've been travelling great Chief. The affairs of the UTN have demanded all your attention. The Neo-Clergy only appeared a week or so ago. They brought the building materials with them and set to work straight away. This is the first chance we've had to show you.'
'I thought both television and the Neo-Clergy were dead.'
'They're making a come-back. The Neo-Clergy never lost Colorado, now they're moving out across the south and Mid-West. There are pockets of resistance among the white man, mainly in Utah and Wyoming. Seems not everyone was that happy when they were in charge. They're gaining control of most towns and settlements in Kansas and Nebraska though, mostly without a shot being fired.'
'Why are they building a transmitter so far from their territory?'
'They are hoping to restart their television broadcasts,' said Ahiga. 'I don't know if you ever saw it great Chief, but they used to send out a broadcast called The Tomorrow Show for an hour every week. It was a big part of the strength of their organisation. My sources tell me that they hope to use it as a propaganda tool to overcome resistance in areas holding out against them.'
'But why are they using our land?'
'Two reasons. First, they're testing us. They want to see how much of a threat we might be in these early days when they're vulnerable to attack, when they don't have the kind of network and resources they used to. My sources also tell me that they don't have the manpower to take Wyoming and North and South Dakota by force, not to mention Montana. With this signal booster they can reach most states west of Wisconsin and Mississippi. As soon as the white man knows about the broadcasts they'll be able to tune in on just about any workable television set, as long as they've got a generator.'
'Tell me brother, these sources you mention. I've been hearing mutterings about them. Some of our brothers and sisters are suspicious.'
'Great Chief -'
'It's flattering that you want to call me that Ahiga. But most people in the UTN just use my name.'
'Doesn't Hiamovi mean Chief of Chiefs in the language of the Tsistsistas?'
'It does,' Hiamovi said. He was impressed Ahiga knew the name his people gave themselves. It meant 'like hearted people', Cheyenne came from the Sioux's name for them: Shahiena. 'Let us get back to your contacts.'
'Great chi… Hiamovi. Many in the UTN have a past they're not proud of, I'm no exception. The fact that you overcame your past was a big part of why I joined, like a lots of members. You showed us how we could be Native Americans and powerful with it. To be proud of our heritage without slinking back to our reservations with our tails between our legs. My contacts come from the days before The Cull. I lived in Boulder. In my teens. I used to run with one of the gangs that formed the Neo-Clergy when they took over Colorado. I know some of the guys involved and from time to time I get in touch. It helps to find out what they're up to.'
'And what do they want from you?'
'The same thing, information. I don't give them anything real, that they can use. I just make stuff up that they want to hear.'
'How do you know they don't do the same?'
'Because I check everything they tell me,' said Ahiga. 'I don't bother telling anyone the stuff we can't use. I know these guys, I know how their minds work. So do you Chief.'
Hiamovi nodded and turned back to the men and women on the burial ground. Through the binoculars he could see about twelve armed men. They were all wearing a uniform of white robes with a red 'O' on them, which was the Neo-Clergy symbol, and hats that looked like a cross between a beret and religious 'kippah'. These were soldiers.
'They've deliberately chosen a burial ground,' said Hiamovi. 'They must know we're going to be outraged. Those are the noblest of our ancestors they're desecrating.'
'I think they chose that site for it it's height and the range it'll give the transmitter,' said Ahiga. 'These men care little for our ways and customs. I don't think it crossed their minds to check if we held this land dear.'
'I'm not so sure. Do you think they could be drawing us out? Are they trying to lure us into a trap?'
'I have scouts out combing the surrounding area. None of them have reported reinforcements. I think this is all there is in the way of any troops. They just have those men there to protect what they're doing, not to incite an attack.'
'And you think we should attack. Am I right?'
'This is the perfect opportunity to unite the tribes behind the UTN. To show them what a threat the white man is becoming to our way of life. If we let them march onto Cheyenne land and take whatever they want, where are they going to stop? Nothing unites people like a common enemy.'
'Or destroys them.'
'You're right of course. But only if that enemy is stronger than us. The Neo-Clergy are vulnerable and won't be expecting a full scale retaliation. We could strike a blow for the cause and inspire many to take up arms alongside us. Once they know what a threat the white man's becoming, and once they've seen how bravely we vanquished them, they'll flock to us. They'll have to for their own protection. Nothing brings safety like large numbers.'
Hiamovi was silent. So Ahiga pressed his advantage. 'I know your people, the Tsistsistas, fought for this land. When all the other tribes were accepting the tiny reservations given them by the white man, you were still fighting. Time and again they tried to take you down, to capture your people and move them back to land they'd designated for you. Time and again you escaped their clutches and beat them back. You forced them to give you this land. That's the only reason there's a Cheyenne reservation in Montana. You beat General Crook, General Custer and the whole of Fort Robinson. It's time for the Cheyenne to show the rest of our people how to hold back the white man again. To finish what our ancestors started and to make this whole land ours once more.'
Hiamovi liked what Ahiga had to say. There was undoubted wisdom in his words and this did seem to provide an opportunity to increase their power base. 'What the white man does here is an outrage,' he said. 'Don't think it doesn't sicken me. They will have to be stopped. What did you have in mind?'
'Let me take a hand-picked team of our best braves and make a surgical strike. We'll take out the soldiers, destroy the transmitter and chase the rest of the interlopers off our land.'
