Part VI, Renaissance

"Fear
And panic in the air
I want to be free
From desolation and despair
And I feel
Like everything I sow
Is been swept away
Well I refuse to let you go.”
-Muse, Map of the Problematique

Sometimes the stars just align perfectly.

The largest celebration in Gor was happening in Tharna. The dust had cleared and the city was ready to celebrate its new Tatrix, Fine. All the heads of state throughout the world were to descend on the city to commemorate this event: Fina, Rovere, Cardonicus, Treve, Tyros, Saphronicus, Midgaard and a host of others. It was the event of the year. And the Tatrix was sitting at the Umbra Tavern, hiring Aashe's company to provide all the drink for this event.

The woman's face. The silver coin. It was all beginning to make sense. The only question that remained was...what did it all mean? What was he supposed to do?

A man can live in mediocrity for only so long. He was the royalty of Treve; he was one of the most important people in the world, but he was tending to a garden out in the middle of nowhere. If there is lesson in the world of Gor, it is that a man cannot outrun his destiny. There comes a moment in time where a man sees his chance and a decision needs to be made. When that moment came, Aashe chose.

The plot was simple: with the recent earthquake in Argentum, Tharna was the only city in Gor that had silver deposits rich enough to mine. The Tatrix was the key; she owned the mines outright. And if he pulled out what he planned, no one would challenge. No one would expect a lowly brewer to pull off a kidnapping the middle of broad daylight in front of thousands of Warriors. It would be madness.

So they had to prepare. He drilled his people over and over again. Every detail was planned out; every contingency was thought of. What type of poison could be added to kalana wine to make it odorless and tasteless? What dosage would need to be given so it only made people unconscious instead of lethal? How could brewers smuggle in weapons through the gates? Would the guards think to check to see if a switchblade was hidden inside a kalika? Over and over. They counted the number of steps between the stage and the gate. There would be diversions planted around every corner of the congregation. They had two escape routes planned. Ships and alternate wagons were waiting at checkpoints so that they could not be traced. It was complicated, but it was doable. He could do it. No one would expect it. In one stroke, he could bring Gor to its knees. Bowing to him. So he did.

When the guests all raised the goblets of kalana to their lips, chaos erupted. Ubars fell to the ground, shouts were raised, warriors summoned their tarns. Weapons were drawn, people ran around. No one noticed a small group of people advance to the stage, take the prone body of the Tatrix and whisk away on an awaiting wagon. It could have not gone more perfectly. No one suspected a thing. No one was hurt or captured. It was the perfect crime.

They took her to Bloodstone Isle, an abandoned island far in the south. No one would think to look for her there. She was stripped of her mask and caged. There, she and Aashe sat, just staring at each other. A contract had been prepared, awaiting her signature and seal. The condition was simple: deed control of the mines to Aashe and she would be free to go. Otherwise, she would surely perish.

She protested, cussed and screamed. He would not get away with this; the Ubars of all those cities would not allow such a deed to go unpunished. It would create a dangerous precedent. They would know Aashe was behind it. It would only be a matter of time.

Of course, he had thought of this eventuality. He was sure that the cities would go looking for the Tatrix, but they would not punish him over it. After all, cities were not friendly. There were no principles or blood that bound them together. The Ubars of the world had no obligation to save her; they would do so only if it were in their interest. And he would make it in their interest to keep him alive.

Time and pressure solves all problems. It took several days and several beatings. But she relented in the end. The contract was signed, affixed with the seal. Goreans, those brimming with honor, would have to respect the contract.

Now came the issues of logistics: how could he keep the silver for himself? He had no army, only a handful of men. He didn't have the manpower to extract the silver AND hold off any raiders. Of course, he had thought of this already. The messages had already been sent to all the heads of states. He would auction off the Tatrix and the contract. The holder of the contract would have the legal right to all the silver of Gor. And Aashe would collect a percentage. He knew they would accede to his demands: he offered them a way to possess the mines without having to resort to war.

He was right. Not everyone came, but the major power players were there. What was not expected was that the Ubar of Tyros and the Captain of Port Kar would have struck a deal to share the proceeds of the mines. With the might Karian navy protecting the seas and the formidable Tyros' infantry (headed by who else? Aashe's father Malice), they would be an unstoppable force. Aashe had done it: for one brief moment, all the eyes of the world had turned to him.

* * *

Of course, Kar and Tyros were not content with simple occupation of the mines. Their reach expanded northward. They established an effective blockade of the Thassa entering and leaving the Vosk Delta. All goods passing through were taxed heavily or not let in at all. Silver prices rose 10,000%. The surrounding cities of the Vosk Delta region began to grumble. They did not like this new partnership between these two cities. They were becoming too powerful. Arrogant. Something had to be done.

The Tatrix of Tharna approached him one more time. She was desperate; she had no outs. She was a prisoner in her own city, a puppet of the Tyros-Kar regime. Her information was incomplete, but she knew she had some potential allies in some of these disgruntled cities. They had something to gain by warring against the emerging hegemony. She also thought Aashe to be an opportunist. So she came to him with an offer: talk to the cities on her behalf. Bring war to lands. And she would reward him. Silver, power, whatever he wanted.

He should have said no. He should have walked away and been content with his moment in spotlight. War was coming and he was standing on the sidelines with his pockets lined with silver. He could not do better than that. But he had an obligation to his mother. He had ignored her for so long that perhaps he owed her something. She had never pressured him; she let him live his own life and make his own decisions. She never forced obligations on him. Perhaps this could be his way to repay her: keep her and Tyros out of harms way. Of course, if were being honest- that was not the reason he accepted the Tatrix's offer. Power is a curious drug. In small doses it can be controlled; but he had tasted in its most pure form. It made his head grow. He was invincible. If he wanted, he could own the world. If he got involved, he could control the outcome. So he boarded his private boat and slipped through the Karian blocakde to send his message.

Rovere. Saphronicus. Fina. Others were also sympathetic to the Tatrix's request. They had already thought about the option of war. Perhaps now was the time. They never consulted him directly, but Aashe was a powerful man. He had contacts in each of these cities. From his tavern in Umbra, reports would come in daily about the troop movements. He could see everything. He tried to maneuver the new alliance into attacking Port Kar. But his plan backfired; the Silver Alliance threw in their lot with Port Kar and agreed to crush Tyros.

So he was not invincible after all.