Flight Of The Anasazi
By David Billiot
Copyright 2026: All rights reserved
Chapter 10: Frozen Nitrogen
The Anasazi was closing in on the landing area and Mark saw the group of people on horses some distance from the village. The locals looked up in amazement as the Anasazi passed them overhead and then returned to the landing area. When the ship landed, the small structure that Buba had made for offering gifts to Mark was pushed over by the wind. Mark winced when he realized it.
“Sorry.”
“It is not your fault, Captain. I was flying the ship.” Al said.
“I’ll still have to apologize to him.”
“We are fortunate to make it back in time for you to keep your promise.”
“You don’t suppose that man out there has any answers for us.”
“I doubt he was alive at the formation of the planet, sir.” Al said.
“Good point. Good point.”
Mark got up but before doing anything else he went up a level to the second deck and went to the containment freezer. The artifacts were in there. Bruce had scanned them and as far as the onboard systems could tell they were of human make but thousands of years old.
Mark exited the ship and saw in the distance a party of people coming to greet him. Mark started to walk out to the small structure and tried to get it back up.
“Please, please. Do not trouble yourself.” the man named Jaton said, much friendlier this time meeting Mark than the previous time when Jaton had held Mark at spear point.
Buba, Gol, Nolo, and several others all came out to welcome Mark back.
“What news do you bring to us from the sky?” Gol asked.
“I have news, indeed.” Mark said. “But it may be difficult to tell. I saw men on horses several kilometers from the village.”
“The king comes. His messenger has arrived ahead of him.” Gol explained.
Mark went with them to the village, now known to Mark by its actual name of Wood Meadow. The region was called Cafona and their word for the whole of the world was Meica. The village was now decorated with banners and ropes tied connecting the buildings. On the ropes were many triangle and square colored pieces of fabric.
“We expect the king to arrive before nightfall but if he is delayed, expect him tomorrow morning.” Gol said.
“I could go get him and bring him in my ship.” Mark offered. “But maybe he would be too surprised to come with me.”
Mark saw that the circle with the colored stones had been completed and he wondered at the significance of the pattern.
The tables were again brought out and set up but no one was serving anything. The whole village seemed to be in a state of waiting.
“The king comes.” a man shouted as he ran into the village from fields in the south. “He makes haste. Quickly. Quickly.”
Everyone rushed to stand orderly and there was tension. Mark was told to come and stand next to Buba and Gol. The dust from the road was rising and then in the distance Mark could make out men on horses pushing the animals to cover the distance at a gallop.
Mark could tell from their manner of dress who was the important one. The soldiers dismounted first and yelled. Everyone among the villagers stood still and at attention. The king then dismounted and one of the soldiers took the reins. The king walked over to Gol and Buba.
“One people, not divided.” the king said. And then heard the voice of Al provide the translation to Mark. The king looked very puzzled. “What is that?”
“Al, maybe just translate by text on my phone.” Mark said.
“Please, great father.” Gol said. “He means no offense.”
“How does he speak without moving his lips?”
“This is the man from the sky. But all in due time.” Gol explained.
The king repeated what he said earlier. “One people. Not divided.”
“With freedom and right judgment for all.” Gol responded.
The king came to Gol to hug him and then after that Gol formally introduced Mark to king Ragon.
“Was that your shining terror we saw in the sky?” the king asked.
“My ship.”
“Ship?”
“Not for water. For the sky.” Mark explained.
“You speak our language through some magic. What is that?”
“I have a friend on my ship who has learned your language. He can talk to me through this from a great distance.”
“The Maditona is great indeed.” the king said.
“Great father, we have prepared to make you comfortable.” Gol said.
“Comfort can wait.” the king replied. “A man from the sky has come to visit us. We must celebrate.”
The king was welcomed into the village and the villagers began to disperse. Mark was informed that this night was to be a banquet and the festival would take place the next day. All was well and cheerful.
The king’s party trickled in behind him. Mark watched from his place of honor seated next to the king that wagons arrived and then men from the king’s party summoned villagers to come and help them unload and set up tents.
The king was busy greeting many people who formed a line to come and speak with him. Then the king summoned some of his men. A group of men lined up behind the king facing away from him and Mark turned in his chair to look over his shoulder, curious as to what would happen. The men of the village came with young women and lined up and then each man took his turn speaking.
“Many greetings.” the first man started. “I am Owang of Wood Meadow. My wife is Seeing Red Flower of Fishing Town. This is my daughter Sitting On Blue Rock. She is accomplished in singing, cooking, sewing, reading, and math. She will be a good teacher of children. Thank you.” The man and his daughter then did as Mark remembered them doing with him. They stepped to the side and the next pair stepped forward to have a turn.
“Many greetings. I am Pulling High Nest of Wood Meadow. My wife is Tona of Sand. This is my daughter Tona of Wood Meadow. She is accomplished in cooking, sewing, weaving, reading, reciting, and history. She will be a good teacher of children. Thank you.”
Arriving a little late, Lalia seemed annoyed as her father rushed her, brushed off her clothes, and made her stand up straight. Lalia stood last in line and was taller than all the other girls. Mark turned his attention to the other things happening as the fathers introducing their daughters were all pretty much saying the same things over and over. Mark only turned his attention back to what was happening behind him when he heard Lalia’s father speak. Mark looked at his phone to read the text of the speech.
“I am Jer of Wood Meadow. My wife was Singing With Birds of Low Bridge. This is my daughter Lalia of Wood Meadow. She is accomplished in cooking, weaving, sewing, singing, dancing, reading, and math. She will be a good teacher of children. Thank you.”
As Jer was speaking Lalia had been looking forward, similar to the other women. It seemed her eyes weren’t gazing on anything in particular but in an instant her eyes focused beyond the line of men her father was speaking to. Her eyes locked onto Mark’s but he didn’t look away. He looked at her and she looked at him. Mark wondered if that was the start of a smile on her face.
In due time the food was brought out and the tents were raised. The shaman who came with the king joined Buba to give a prayer and Mark noted that the Christians again did not participate in that. There were also some in the king’s party who also did not participate and Mark wondered if they too were Christians.
An odd thing Mark saw during the banquet was small groups of people leaving the dinner table to go in private to speak and then later return. This happened quite often but Mark could not guess to the meaning of it. Yet still, there were many interactions going on. Some of the food for the meal was local to the village and some had been brought by the king’s party.
“Tell me, Maak, of your homeland.” the king requested. “Is it as beautiful as Meica?”
“They are very similar indeed.” Mark replied. “To my eye your sky is more vibrant. But I remember running through the trees of the forest as a boy with vivid green and brown.”
“What is it called, your home?”
“I am from Florida.”
“It is a good name. And who is your king?”
“We have not had a king for a very long time. We live a different way. We come together to choose a new leader every few years. The one who cares for the people now is a woman. Her name is …”
“The people choose the leader?” the king interrupted.
“We do.” Mark confirmed.
The king looked disturbed. “We too lived by the choosing in the dark times before when we were not so enlightened. Sam, please, recite the history to the man from the sky.”
The king’s shaman stood up and those nearby became silent.
“The time of the choosing. The people did choose. They came together on a day in Nobeba to write on bala the name of the leader. Everyone said it would unite the people but it did not. The choosing made enemies of countrymen. Brother fought against brother. Neighbor fought against neighbor. East fought against west. North fought against south. The dark fought against the fair. The rich against the poor. Children against their parents and wives against their husbands. It was the end of peace and war without end. The people rose up to tell those chosen to stop the madness. Let the people heal and come together again. But the chosen could not hear them. Only on the day of choosing did they open their ear and the rest of the days the ears were shut. The people demanded change so then women could be chosen. But this was not change. It was more of the same. And the day came when the people had suffered enough. The chosen fought each other debating about money and rules while the people have no food to eat. The soldiers save us. Threw the chosen to the ground and took the power for themselves. The people shouted. No, we want the choosing. The army would not listen. The people shouted, we want the choosing. The army relented. But they said it could not be as before. There is not enough food for foolishness. So the people can have the choosing but at the end of the time, the one chosen must die. The people trembled in fear. Who will want to be chosen? Then Maloto raise his voice. I will stand to be chosen as the great Washitona did before. He was a man condemned to die for terrible crimes. From prison he raised his voice, I stand for the choosing. Let my life finally mean something. Bring me the glowi. Let my blood renew the colors. Maloto is chosen and from prison wearing chains he goes to the place of power. He works for the people. If you want food there must be workers in the fields. If you want workers in the fields there must be children in the home. If you want children in the home, men must take wives. Maloto say this. Washitona give us good land. But every man must work. No work, no food. And the people finally eat. And when the time is finished, Maloto goes to the place of execution. He readies himself with Glowi laid out before him. He rejects all other banners. The people weep. They beg him to pardon. But he says no. He is condemned to die so he wants to die for his people. He wants to die for the Glowi so the spirit of constitona will again live in the hearts of the people. No more separation. One people not divided with freedom and right judgment for all. The man with the sword raised it up but looked down at Maloto and he wept. He threw down his sword and said he would die so Maloto would live. The people need Maloto. The people shout. Four more years. Four more years. So Maloto gets up. He returns to the place of power in chains. The soldiers want to take the chains from him but he says NO. He says I am a man condemned to die. He wears his chains. And every time when the time of power is over he carries the chains to the place of execution. Again the people shout, four more years. Finally, when Maloto is old he can no longer carry the chains. He drags them to the place of execution. He struggles. The Glowi is brought before him. He reaches out for it and falls and dies. Since that time we have not had a choosing. We are one people.”
The people at the tables cheered and raised their cups.
“Thank you, Sam.” the king said. Then the king turned to Mark. “As king my ear must always be open. Not just on one day but every day. We have a good land. But it is not ours by right. It owes us nothing. The locust does not care for my words. Nor the storm, nor the bear. Just as in the days of Maloto, every man must work.”
“There is dignity in work.” Mark replied.
After the meal there was drinking. There was a lot of drinking. There was also music with some wooden instruments and ad hoc choirs singing a cappella.
Mark took a moment to walk and be by himself for a bit. He felt haunted by the idea of that planet with the nitrogen ice. He looked up at the night sky and sat on … something.
“Are you troubled?” Lalia asked him.
He turned and was surprised to see her. He hadn’t even known she was there. “A bit tired.”
She sat next to him with a small gap between them. She didn’t say anything. She just sat near him.
“Aren’t you going to ask me if I want to talk about it?”
“You’ll talk if you want to. My father is like this sometimes.”
“Like what?”
“He had to fight under king Cando. And now, if the music is too loud he has to sit in silence.”
Mark slowly nodded. He breathed in and out and realized. “The atmosphere of this planet is nitrogen and oxygen.”
“I don’t understand.” Lalia said.
“It’s ok. Can you just sit with me?”
She nodded and sat there as Mark thought. If Meica was suddenly pulled to a much higher orbit, like perhaps over five hundred million kilometers away or however far that other planet was, the atmosphere would freeze, and so would the people.
Mark sat thinking. Lalia just sat near him and for some reason he appreciated that. As other people happened to walk by, or more often stumble by, they would greet Mark and Lalia with a cheery laugh and then carry on. Mark expected Lalia to get bored of him but she didn’t.
“Thank you for sitting with me.” he told her.
“I don’t need thanks. I am waiting.” she replied.
“For what? You know, if you don’t mind me asking.”
She had a small laugh. “The bathhouse will be busy. They will ask me to carry wood for the fires. Then there will be cleaning to prepare for tomorrow. If my father drinks too much I may have to launder his clothes.”
“Can’t he help you?”
“He will be busy too. The men have to set the poles. They might ask my father to climb up and fasten the ropes.”
“So, everyone is busy.”
“The only one who isn’t is the king but he has to sit and hear the petitions. I guess that means he’s busy too but it’s not the same.”
“Work is work. He has a different kind of work. My work right now is to pilot my ship. My other work was to be a teacher.”
“You are a teacher?”
“Not for small children. I taught adults about … the rules of the universe.”
“The universe?”
“It wasn’t so mystical. Just, if you throw a ball up, it will come back down. Physical rules.”
“Oh. I see. I heard of some men who argue with numbers. They have a competition every … I think five years. They tell each other riddles and from the riddles they can write out sentences using numbers to find a solution. None of it interests me. I have no time for such things.”
“Maybe one day you will.”
“And maybe one day the dust will sweep itself and the baths will heat themselves, and laundry will wash itself.”
Mark laughed. “Bring your laundry to my ship and I’ll have it washed for you.”
…
The training for this day was full on search and rescue. It was lieutenant Martins who was the stand in for Adakai. The Taylor was sent to an undisclosed location to wait rescue. The mission of the Roanoke was to find it and rescue Martins.
Adakai’s mission profile called for him to orbit the red dwarf at 300 million kilometers. That specific orbit would mean a specific speed for the ship. So the Roanoke knew the likely distance and the likely speed.
Roma was in the conn in the captain’s seat. Stormer was in the first officer’s seat. The communication’s officer was in the conn as well as an officer at the navigation station.
“We just passed the four hour mark, Captain.” Stormer said.
“There’s more chatter here than there will be on the actual mission.” lieutenant Hower said. “We may have passed him. Wait … Captain, I have a distress call.”
“From the Taylor?” Roma asked.
“Negative. This is from a ship called the Good Day. They’re venting and they have a medical emergency.”
“Who else can get to them?” Stormer asked navigation.
“Uh … They’re too far out for Scorpion station to help. Ambulance ships can’t go that far.”
“Who else?” Stormer said.
“They’ll have to call by radio.”
“They’re venting. That’ll take too long.” Roma cut in.
“Captain?” Stormer asked.
Roma hit the button for the all ship comm. “We have a new mission. This is not a drill.” She got off the comm and then addressed the communications officer. “Tell the Good Day we are on the way. We need more details about their condition.”
“Uh …” the communication’s officer hesitated.
“You heard the captain. How many souls aboard? How many injured? Why are they venting? Get on it.”
“Aye, sir.”
The Roanoke matched speed and vector with the Good Day and then inched closer to dock. Modern docking design meant they could dock to any other modern docking port. The ports on much older ships had a male and female variant so there were times when certain ships could not dock with each other. However, the Roanoke and Good Day had the same dock design. The metal locked down but the hatch could not yet be opened. Once the Roanoke was docked to the Good Day the pressure could be equalized on both sides. The medical crew went in first to get the crew of the Good Day off the ship. Only after everyone was evacuated could the engineering crew go over and see if there was anything they could do for the Good Day.
Roma was in mission mode but secretly she felt satisfied watching the displays as her crew did their jobs. She remembered back to an argument she’d had with her ex husband. If only he could see her now. Even he would have to admit saving lives was real.
The expanded medical bay proved very useful. There were six injured who crossed over from the Good Day.
“Captain, the Good Day can be towed and repaired but it might be best to wait until we have another ship that can help us.” Jameson told her.
“Tell Martins to get the Taylor here.”
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