Page 57 - An Evening with Maxwell's Daemons

Aquifer Virginalis

treasure they zealously guard, not even allowing strangers inside
their compound; those outsiders would see the source of water and
covet it. So the village deals with the rest of the world in forays
outside its fortified walls. Barter continues, as the only real
economic activity left on Earth. The Starkers and their followers,
numbering fewer than a hundred, have not been established long
enough to worry about bringing in fresh blood; they may even have
lost the knowledge of in-breeding’s hazards. They grow their own
food, have a small herd of goats and trade produce for those needs
they cannot provide for themselves. This isn’t utopia: simply a
precarious stability enjoyed by a small group of surviving humans.”
“Into this setting come two small bands of searchers desperate
for fresh water. The Dowsers have with them the remnants of
remote-sensing data preserved by the great-grandson of their
founder, a university hydrologist now regarded as a magician by the
group. His dog-eared and fading printouts are carried around the
countryside in a leather pouch strapped to his descendant. That
superstitious leader of the cult also has a wagonload of drilling
equipment kept under wraps until they find an aquifer virginalis
concealed beneath one of the spots indicated on the sacred charts.
They identified Starkerville as one of those locations, and are
disappointed to find it already tapped.”
“The second group is a gang of Clepsydras, water thieves. Their
modus operandi is to drive out anyone trying to control a well or
natural spring. They have weapons and tactics, ready to lay siege if
necessary and to kill anyone opposing them. They arrive on the
scene outside Starkerville about the same time as the Dowsers,
drawn by rumors amplified by retold tales of a hydrated Eden.
Now, before any of you object that a clepsydra is really just a water
clock, consider its etymology. At any rate, both of the groups,
invaders from the Starkers’ viewpoint, are initially stymied by the
compound’s defenses. A stand-off ensues, with each of the
increasingly desperate parties determined to triumph over the other
two. I can imagine various peaceful and violent resolutions to this
conflict—which, of course, cannot result in a situation any more
stable than obtains in the first place. But I wonder what you think.”

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