Memoirs of Kitty Siam Ch. 41

Memoirs of Kitty Siam -- Twenty Three Men and a Priestess.

The village had no need for a police force or constabulary since violence like this was unheard of in this village. When things out of the ordinary like this did happen it fell to the Chief, the Alpha, and the Monk to sort everything out. It did not take long for this trio to be assembled around me on the shrine's plateau. I was ready to face a flurry of questions as to what had happened when Jobu tapped me with his cane to arouse me from my meditation. Instead of being bombarded with questions about the dead sailors, I was simply asked if I was ok.

Once out of my trance I was quickly able to get caught up on the conversation between the Chief and the Alpha, Their theory was that the three drunken men had fought over something of importance, most likely who was going to have me first as I sat before the alter in prayer. Since there was no blood or marks on me and the position of the bodies indicated that there was a fierce battle, the logical conclusion was that they fought and killed each other. The Chief insisted that this was how the deaths had occurred as none of the Pa'u villagers would sully the shrine with such violence. Rakku the Alpha added that a slender and demure Priestess such as myself could ever take on three armed ruffians and survive the encounter. Of course these were theories that I did nothing to cast doubt upon. I maintained that I was deep in meditation and did not hear or see anything throughout the night. The three village leaders were more than happy to accept their theories. In all the excitement I had failed to retrieve my steel spike from the throat of one of the victims and from that day forward as long as I stayed in the village I used wooden pins instead of the ones made of steel.

I made an effort to assist with the removal of the bodies but the Alpha and his men would have none of that and I was quickly escorted away and into the company of Jobu who offered to escort me to breakfast. This was an offer I did not refuse because it got me away from the scene of the crime, and I was famished. Jobu and I enjoyed our typical breakfast with the villagers and of course the major topic of conversation was the dead sailors at the shrine. I had said earlier that there were about three to four hundred people living in the village... well, I think about three quarters of them stopped by our table to check on my health and try to find out more about what had happened. I was so happy to get away from the breakfast table and return to the shrine to continue my work on repairing the healing beam.

Jobu, and I made our way back to the shrine followed by the six men from the village that had been tasked with helping us. It was after midday when the statues and the benches had been cleared away from the back wall of the shrine. Using a crude ladder I made my way to the top of the wall then used a sonic spanner to uncouple the stone panel covering the electronics. The stone cover was heavy and in modern times would have required a crane to move but seeing as how no such device was available, thirty men were summoned from the village, and using an A frame along with many ropes the stone cover was removed and laid carefully to rest on the floor of the shrine. With the electronics fully exposed I was able to get my first actual look at the technology behind the functions of the alter. I had gone over the schematics many times before the cover was removed and it was easy to pick out the systems that ran the medical scanners and healing beam, but to my surprise there were several other systems there that I had not expected to see. I made a note to explore those at another time.

I thanked the men that had come to help us then dismissed them for the day. I needed some privacy and some time to myself to trace out the electronics and find the problem. Jobu also thanked the men then took a seat behind me out of the way to watch as I worked. My eyes and fingers darted from circuit to circuit and after several hours of troubleshooting I found twenty seven areas in the circuitry that had scorch marks on them as if from a power overload or short circuit. It only took me a few seconds to send digital images to Maintenance Command and arrange for replacement modules to be fabricated. The only problem was going to be getting the modules to the shrine without the villagers seeing them be delivered by a maintenance bot or hover drone.

I checked the maintenance logs and found that the tunnel repair project was moving right along and was about 90% complete. I estimated that it would be a day or so before the bots would reach the complex under the shrine. Checking once again with Maintenance Control I found that the parts I needed would be finished about the same time as the tunnel repair so with that in mind I ordered that the parts be delivered by tunnel. I also directed that once the tunnel was serviceable that a few bots be tasked with cleaning the facility below the shrine and giving the electronics and other systems installed there a good once over to make sure that everything was in working order.

When evening came I stayed at the shrine going over the other systems I had found in the wall. Noticing that I did not show up for dinner Diya was kind enough to prepare a plate of food and brought it to the shrine. She kept me company while I ate and questioned me on what I was doing. I did my best to explain it to her, and though she had never seen electronics before, she was able to understand my explanations. Seeing her desire to learn I went into teaching mode and did my best to help her to understand.

After I had finished my dinner Diya excused herself and returned to her aunt. I was hesitant to leave the exposed circuitry unguarded during the night so after Diya was out of sight I undressed myself and switched back into feline form where I spent the night guarding the shrine and going through schematics in an attempt to identify the other systems installed in the wall behind the alter. I also pulled up the "owner's manual" for the alter's medical system and read through it. Since I was going to be the Priestess of this shrine I thought that it would be a good idea to know how to use the installed systems.

When morning came I quickly changed back into human form before any of the villagers arrived to snuff out the torches and such that lit the shrine at night. I was closer to understanding the other systems in the wall and was able to identify nine damaged modules to these systems as well. When I contacted Maintenance Control for replacement parts I requested the full schematics to go along with the replacement modules and in a few seconds I had the diagrams transmitted through my internal wireless system. I had received three separate diagrams labeled, Deflector Array Node Six, Village Weather Control, and Defense Grid Node Six.

Diya once again brought me food and after breakfast I spent the rest of the morning working undisturbed until I was contacted by Maintenance Control and informed that the parts and pieces that I had requested had been delivered to the base of the steps below the alter. Diya had gone to the river along with the rest of the villagers, as it was the day of the bathing ritual. I was beginning to smell a bit ripe and vowed to bathe as soon as I was done with my work for the day.

It did not take me long to remove and replace the damaged modules and once that was done I contacted Maintenance Control and inquired about putting full power to the shrine so that I could test out my work. I was informed that there would be a delay as the maintenance bots were now working on the equipment installed in the facility below the shrine and needed the power turned off while they made repairs. I had a few hours to kill while they went about their work. The hold up was due to degradation in the main power coupling due to corrosion. The area of the tunnel that had collapsed had allowed water to enter the tunnel and the humidity had gotten into the power coupling. It was also this humidity that caused the blast door between this facility and the subway tunnel to become rusted shut.

I used the time I had to once again go over my work and rescan each module that I had installed. By the time my scan was completed, Maintenance Control informed me that full power was available on my command. It was then that I ordered that the power be brought up slowly so as not to cause a massive surge on a system that had been non responsive for a few millennia. As the power came on the circuits began to emit a slight glow. I connected wirelessly to one of the consoles under the shrine and monitored the power flow through the system and was impressed with my work, and equally impressed that the whole damn thing did not explode in my face.

When the power up was complete several quick flashes were observed from the crystal obelisk behind the alter. The flashes ran through the entire color spectrum and as each color was display in the crystal, the alter was bathed in the same color light. Even in daylight the light show from the obelisk was visible from the village below and as word spread the villagers began to flock to the shrine to pray. Jobu was carried to the alter where he took his place and led the chant. The chanting continued until the light show from the obelisk ceased, and once the lights stopped flashing, the console I was monitoring indicated a successful test.

There was one more test that I wanted to conduct but that would have to wait for another time when there were not so many villagers around. I needed to test the system on a human, and that human would be Jobu. Since he was in poor health I was determined to scan him, identify the malady and repair it, but for this I did not want an audience in case something went horribly wrong. I also did not want to villagers to know if I found something seriously wrong with my friend. It would be better for me to tell him and then let him decide if and when to inform the others.

After the light show ended there were several rounds of prayers to be chanted then once that was done I organized our original work party and had the stone cover reinstalled to hide and protect the sensitive electronics. Once the work was finished the workers were dismissed for daily prayers and dinner. Once again I stayed behind to tend to the shrine's installed system and Diya was kind enough to notice my absence and bring me dinner. She watched as I worked and was curious as to what I was doing and asked me many questions, which I gladly answered.

I was getting impatient and itching to give the medical scanner its first test. I had expected Jobu to return after dinner but instead he made his way to the river for a bath, this left Diya as my only test subject. She looked to be in perfect health, but I thought it would be a good idea to scan her and find out for sure. Diya did not resist when I escorted her to the alter and asked her to lay flat on her back. Once I had her in position I cautioned her to remain still as I went through the activation sequence that I had watched Jobu run through a few days ago.

Once the correct symbols were pressed on the wall behind the alter the crystal obelisk turned blue and a drawer in the alter slid open to reveal a keyboard covered with Annu symbols and next to the keyboard was a flat panel display that awaited the results from the scan that was about to be performed. Referring back to the owner's manual I allowed my fingers to work over the keyboard and with in seconds Diya was bathed in an electric blue glow as the beam lanced out from the obelisk and began the scanning process. The beam moved slowly from her head to her feet then moved back up to her head as it performed a secondary scan.

A few seconds after the scan had been completed the monitor in the drawer flashed to life and displayed a representation of Diya's body with several problem areas indicated by red, yellow, and green symbols. First I tapped the green symbols with the tip of my index finger and was shown a small list of minor injuries found on Diya's feet, hands and wrist. This was nothing serious, just a few minor scrapes, a bug bite and a slight sprain to her right wrist. I guess I should have started with the more serious items first but I wanted my first test to be something simple.

Once the items in green were selected it took only a few taps on the keys to deploy the healing beam which was more of a teal color than the bright blue of the scanning beam. In a matter of seconds the beam had passed over the areas indicated on the monitor, then the healing beam disappeared and a new scan was conducted. After the scan was complete the results on the monitor were updated and the green items were missing from the readout, which indicated a successful test.

Next I touched my finger to the yellow symbol and only one item was displayed on the yellow list. My understanding of ancient Annu medical terminology was limited but with the help of the UT I was able to figure out that the problem displayed in yellow was an intestinal parasite that if not treated could cause her to make a few days worth of quick trips to the outhouse. It was nothing serious and from the information listed on the screen, her body would remove the parasite on its own but I decided to spare her the discomfort and remove the little beastie myself.

After the parasite was neutralized I went and had a look at the only item listed in red. I was afraid that it would be something serious so I saved this for last. I tapped the red symbol and the display changed to show a view of Diya's brain. It seemed that the treatment rendered by the emergency medical kit was incomplete, and there was still some deep bruising that had not been properly healed. I was guessing that it was probably from my lack of experience with the equipment or perhaps said equipment not being fully charged could have contributed to the incomplete treatment. Whatever the reason, it only took a few seconds for the healing beam to reach under the skin and bone protecting her brain and solve the problem.

After the repairs were completed the scanning beam activated once again, and this time Diya was given a clean bill of health by the shrine's medical system. The whole process from start to finish was under seven minutes, but my explanation to Diya as to what I had done took over twenty minutes. While I was explaining everything to Diya, two young men had brought Jobu to the top of the stairs where he politely thanked them before making his way over to the alter. I quickly explained to the elderly monk what I had just done with the system then asked if he would mind if I could do the same for him. He was delighted to volunteer and cooperated fully as Diya and myself helped him onto the alter. The young men that had carried Jobu up the stairs observed what we were doing and knew what this meant. They quickly moved to the front of the alter and dropped down to their knees and began to pray for Jobu.

I really did not want an audience, but there was no way I could tell these young men to leave now. Diya made an attempt to join the men praying at the alter but I caught her arm and pulled her back to me with the instruction to watch and learn. I also cautioned her to tell no one about what was about to happen or what she was about to see and hear. She smiled at me and agreed, I then directed her attention to the keyboard and display. The medical scan began and repeated itself thirty two times over the course of twenty minutes. Each time the beam passed over Jobu a few more red items would be listed on the monitor. By the time the scan was done there were nine pages of red items listed for Jobu. Seventeen of those items were listed as terminal, and four of those were listed as untreatable.

My friend the monk was suffering from cancerous tumors, most being untreatable due to their advanced stages. There were many other items listed but the cancer and the arterial issues were the most serious. The onset of dementia was also a concern for me as it would be sad to watch a friend lose his mind over time. However, that time would be very short as the readout indicated that he had perhaps a month or less to live given the advance stages of his afflictions.

I consulted the medical database to see what sort of treatment would be available for such this long list of maladies, and what I found was disturbing. The indication was that trying to treat so many issues would probably kill the patient faster than the diseases due to his already weakened condition and advanced age. The only help that the database could provide is to tell me how to treat his body to lessen his daily suffering. As Jobu lay on the alter I discussed my findings with him and he confirmed that he knew that he was ill and that it would not be long before he joined the Great Maker. Diya and I listened to him as he told us of his long and happy life. As he took on the role of a bard, I kept looking over the data that the scanner had compiled and noticed that his age was listed at one hundred and fifty four years old.

While Diya and I conversed with Jobu I activated the healing beam and did my best to treat his most severe symptoms and lessen his pain and discomfort. After we were done he was able to walk the stairs from the shrine without assistance but once at the bottom of the stairs he admitted that he should not have done this, as he was feeling very weak. The three of us had dinner with the Chief and the rest of the elders and Jobu informed them what we had discovered. The group as a whole was saddened to learn that they would be losing their friend and their monk and the conversation turned to who would replace Jobu. The obvious answer was that I would be his replacement as having a Priestess was much better than having a monk. I knew that I could not stay here for the rest of my days so I had to come up with an alternate solution soon.

Over the next week I worked on fine tuning the medical system of the shrine and had it working well. I had made arrangements with the village elders, the Chief, and Jobu to allow Diya to remain at my side as I worked on the shrine's systems and they agreed. There were still no families in the village that were willing to donate their teenage sons to take up the saffron robes of the monkhood. My intent was to teach Diya as much as I could about the shrine's systems so that at least someone in the village would know how they worked after Jobu and I moved on.

Diya was quick to understand which symbols to press to activate the beams but was having trouble comprehending the theory behind the buttons and the actions that the healing and scanning beams were performing. It seemed as if there was a disconnect between her learning and retaining the higher level aspects of the job that I was trying to teach her. Several times I broke each task and operation down into its basic parts and yet she still could not understand it. This caused me to believe that there may still be some damage to her brain that the scanner did not detect and correct on her last brain scan.

With that theory in mind I asked Diya to recline on the alter and remain perfectly still. I explained to her that I was going to conduct a deep scan of her brain and produce detailed schematic to determine if there was any lingering damage from the injury that she had sustained. Of course she agreed as our relationship had progressed to the point that a deep bond of trust existed between the two of us.

Once she was in position I adjusted the settings on the scanning beam and the obelisk came to life. The blue light lanced out and made contact with Diya's head and proceeded to make many passes between the top of her head to the top of her spine. Each pass was slow and deliberate and the full scan lasted over fifteen minutes. When the scan was complete Diya slipped off the alter and joined me at the control console and watched me work. The monitor that her scan was displayed on was small and it was hard to read though the data and locate each point on the map of her brain. Referring to the owner's manual that I kept on file in my PDA I ran through a few key sequences and shifted the display from the monitor to a six foot tall holographic representation of Diya's brain that was now being projected in front of the alter.