by P F Walsh
“Despite that, you seemed remarkably poised and dealt with it in a most satisfactory manner. I am told by security that the accomplice who threw you the javelin was arrested and is being questioned. It is possible certain elements of power might oppose your membership and be behind this, but I expect it will be difficult to prove. They are powerful and have deep resources.” She said.
“I have spent most of my time aboard the Seeker learning about your world and, like my world, I can see that power and wealth are often at odds with what is morally right, and please call me Sean.” He answered as they all sat down near a small serving table.
“Mr... Sean, permit me to go over a schedule I have arranged for you while you are here.” She picked up a folder from the serving table and after opening it began to read.
“Eventually, in a week or so, there will be a large reception held here in the Council Tower for you to meet the Councilors who sit on the Council of Worlds governing body, certain members of industry, business, military, and of course the Media will be pressing for a chance to interview you. You may refuse interviews, if you wish, but the reception is required and that is an opportunity for you to begin to influence your acceptance into membership.” She said,
“Tonight, you both may retire for the evening either here in the tower, in our visiting diplomatic suite, or on the Seeker as you wish. The next week will be filled with various tours of some of our industries, our arts, and any items of interest you would like to see.”
“This will give you a better understanding of what we as Hhearnians have, and what you might bring to our membership to enhance or improve our worlds. Trade of course, is always a factor since every world has unique items to be offered, but primary is your world’s ‘worth’ in the sense it adds some dimension we as a collective membership do not have. I know this is difficult but becoming a member is just that, difficult.” She paused and looked at Sean.
Sean responded,
“To those of us in my world’s circumstance, we could see this easily as predatory, we didn’t ask for membership, nor did we invite you to our solar system. This is not only thrust upon us, but as the membership grows, it becomes statistically more difficult for a newly found world to have something of worth. This supports the view that your Council is engaged in a process of plundering other less developed worlds and forcing them into indentured servitude which is just a fancy word for slavery. Now, that may sound blunt, but nevertheless it is true from my perspective.” said Sean in an even, non-confrontational tone.
Nasht-Mer thought about how to respond to Sean for about a half minute and said,
“I believe in honesty and honor so I will say, I concur with your assessment, but I am unable to either change it or to reveal my opposition to it. I would prefer a world that welcomes membership on a basis of sharing and trade, not subjugation. But, once again, I am powerless to change what is written into governing law and it places me at huge risk to share that belief with you now. I must ask for your pledge you will not reveal the opinion I have just shared with you.” She asked in a pleading tone, wondering to herself,
“Why did I tell him all that?”
Sean replied immediately, “Madam Director, you have my word your opinions will be held in total confidence. Allister, please place the entire recording of this meeting in classified filing under Captain’s seal.”
“Acknowledged and sealed.” Spoke Allister from the medallion.
Nasht-Mer looked relieved when she realized the ship would log this whole conversation in a sealed file, she wasn’t expecting the ship to be monitoring. “Of course,” She thought, “He’s Captain, none of the other applicants were given that benefit and power. He will have greater resources to advance his case.” She thought gladly.
“Thank you, Sean, and please in private, call me Nasht.”
“In public, I will introduce you as Captain of Seeker 18 and Applicant for Membership. A bit long but it drills into those who may be opposed”
As she finished, she felt a warm flush come over her throat and face, surprising and unsettling her. She thought Sean noticed, but he thankfully said nothing. She continued going over the schedule and the rules of application for membership as they drank their tea and talked. The shadows began to creep into the room and it was time for them to retire after today’s excitement and they chose to return to the Seeker. Sean and Doris left accompanied by a large security force.
Nasht-Mer stood by her window wall in her office looking down on the illuminated, empty Platza below and the small section of the enormous hulk of the ship she could see from her window wall. She saw the group walk across the walkway and two tiny figures enter the ship which promptly closed its ramp. The Security group dispersed; their work done for today. She reflected on this strange man who had stood fearless in the face of a death threat, excited the whole planet, put the Senior Councilor in his place, and... and what? Did he make her blush? She sipped her glass of Mek a local form of liquor she preferred, it slid down her throat warming as it went, reminding her of the blush.
Chapter Twelve
Book One
That evening, after leaving the arrival following his embarrassment, Tamn-Kar paced around his grand office raging and screaming at what had happened right in front of the cameras,
“That rotten fish of scum, to invite me to challenge him, the arrogance, by the damn gods, the embarrassment! Curse that primitive outworlder!”
Beztl-Tor, owner of the largest industrial conglomerate on Hhearn sat in the Senior Councilor’s favorite chair laughing at the Councilor’s hysterics as he sipped on an expensive liquor from Kilhaven, a vassal planet.
“He certainly did Tamn, not much you could do with a laser port aiming at your head now, was there? Not to mention his security guard. Your mistake was underestimating him. Clearly, he is used to command, and may even be an experienced warrior. He had those ribbon bars on his chest. I suspect they may be honorariums for military achievements. The records brought back by the Seeker seem to indicate they are warlike as a people, but curiously did not include a file on him. Perhaps, after we subdue them, we could use them in some of our messier conquests, after all they are expendable, are they not?” He paused, and then continued,
“Look Tamn, our little plan, or I should say your plan, didn’t work. But now, he has to face a membership application which is almost never granted. What could they possibly have that we need, other than their resources, and labor which we will just take.? Let the process go its usual way, he will lose, they usually do.” Beztl-Tor returned to sipping his drink with a smile that was likely to scare children.
All week, Sean had been ferried from one location to another, noting areas where Earth had a better approach to what he was being shown. That was certainly true with regard to building and interior design. All of the buildings that Sean had visited were all industrial in appearance. None had any qualities of uniqueness, basically, they all looked the same. If it were not for the required large address plate on the front, one would have difficulty in finding where they wanted to go.
He discovered that many of the advances where they had moved beyond Earth’s level of solution, had come from other members rather than native to Hhearn. This served to underwrite the wisdom of forming a consortium of worlds invested in trade and sharing. Somewhere along the line the system had become predatory, as Sean thought it was now; but so far, he hadn’t come up with something where Earth was ahead, or had a primary skill set that the Hhearn Council of Worlds did not have. Sean was becoming discouraged and fearful of failure.
One example was where he saw Hhearn’s long distance air travel from one continent to another was done by airship, very large dirigible style ships that carried people in comfort but were slow. He wondered what they would think of a Boeing Dreamliner shaving days off such travel, and yet there seemed not be any pressing demand to alter the method being used. This was similar to most circumstances he viewed. Great opportunity for trade, but as yet, he couldn’
t identify a critical area where Earth excelled materially. He was looking at a society that had interstellar travel, anti-matter particle slings and still used dirigibles. It was bizarre. Part of it he wondered might be the element of harmony. Maybe where there was perceived a harmonious need for advancement, it happened. Where there was none, it didn’t?
Doris was as perplexed as Sean and saw the same things in areas where she was familiar. Law enforcement didn’t use fingerprints but rather used retinal eye scans for identity, but it left that critical investigative technique of fingerprinting unused. The liberal use of ‘truthmed’ was a tool they used effectively which would be prohibited on Earth, so there was an offset. She was not sure this was true on all the other member worlds,
Sean wondered the same thing about the anomalies he viewed as well. Indications in conversations were that most worlds, with the exception of the Zakar and the Ring-Makers, were similar after hundreds of annuals of membership. The Zakar were severe non-conformists and were an early member when the Council was formed because they had a large supply of a rare element used in antimatter systems and transition drive assemblies. Fully realizing this, they pressed their aggressive behavior on the other worlds and avoided sanctions.
The Ring-Maker planet was also unusual in its fanatical devotion to all things circular. Their homes, appliances, and buildings were all circular. No one could attest that their bearings were not the finest in the known worlds and they were used in all of the orbiting stations, vehicles and airships across the Council of Worlds. Practically every motor of any importance contained their product. The unmatched longevity of all their products was related to exotic additives they added to their steel. They were in the main, congenial, eager to do business, and never straying from the Council Trade rules. Each of the worlds had their unique character and contribution. What was missing was how those worlds gained membership except for the obvious ones. There was no information on how most of the worlds gained admission. To Sean’s disappointment, that information was the privy of the Council meetings and was not publicly made available, so there was no opportunity for hints there.
He had invited the Director General to the ship for an Earth-based meal. He planned the dinner for just the two of them. He met the Director at the cargo ramp used for their landing ceremony, and welcomed her aboard. She had never been on a Seeker before and during their pre-dinner cocktails where he served her an Earth Prosecco, she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it. As they sat and talked, she was able to tell him that many parts of the ship were built, on different worlds that had particular expertise, and were also fulfilling a contribution requirement by doing so. The ship was assembled at a Hhearn orbiting shipworks though, and its software was written here. Since the technology was shared, there was no technological advantage of one world over another, at least in this regard.
She described there were mutual inspections and regulations that were in place to control military advantage within the members. No suspicions of secret weapon development were ever raised she knew of, notwithstanding the Zakar which resisted every attempt to inspect with obstructions and delays. They claimed their cultural paranoia compelled them to be that way. Nasht-Mer didn’t believe them, and Seeker’s recent conflict with a Zakar ship supported her suspicions. She said no word had come back yet in the search for the missing section of the Zakar ship the Seeker had dismantled, but considering the possibilities of where it might have gone, didn’t think it unusual. Proof of the event was without doubt when the officials had reviewed the logs and vids sent over from the Seeker. Diplomatic protests to the Zakar world remained unanswered.
They sat down to dinner in the upper lounge where Allister, after consultation with Sean, had set an Earth type table with a white linen tablecloth, elegant china and glassware from Earth stores, ivory candles in gold colored candle holders, and fancy linen napkins in gold colored napkin rings. Sean had discovered that the Hhearn Food Service Centers provided ready-packaged meals in cardboard-like containers with disposable utensils. He hoped to see how Nasht-Mer would respond to Earth style dining.
The dinner meal was Italian style and began with an Earth salad tossed with Italian dressing, not from the fabricator, but from an Earth stores bottle brought from Earth. The main course was Fettuccine Alfredo with roast chicken breast chunks and small green peas mixed in.
A generous supply of buttered garlic bread sat in the middle of the table. Sean chose a smooth Earth red wine to accompany the meal. Nasht-Mer started timidly until the flavors began to cross her palate and then, with a huge smile, finished her salad and couldn’t wait for the main course to arrive.
Nasht-Mer took a first bite of the Fettuccine and with her eyes wide said,
“By the Gods Sean, this is amazing, I think it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. Is all your food like this?” as she continued to twine her fork on another serving after watching how Sean wound the noodles around his fork using the spoon. She was obviously amazed at the flavors and asked what it was called. She tried the wine with another expression of surprise. The meal progressed like that until they were finished.
“Sean, I am exhausted after that meal, it was emotional to savor those flavors and wonder how anyone could create such a meal. Do you eat this dish often?” She asked.
“Nasht, I have this once in a while, it is just one dish out of thousands in the Italian regional style of cooking, but there are hundreds of regional styles all different, and all exceptional. He said holding his glass of wine before taking a sip.
“Truly? That would mean hundreds of thousands of different dishes, how can you possibly choose if they are all this good?” She asked excitedly.
“Well first of all, everyone is born in their own regional area and of course, is raised on the preferred local recipes and cooking styles. Then, as a person grows older and begins to visit restaurants of other styles of cooking and recipes, they find favorites, but I think it would be impossible to try them all, there are so many.” He told her.
“Restaurants, what are those?” She asked, “Here we have Food Service Centers where people who are not preparing food at home go to eat. The choices are limited.” Sean could see her question was earnest so he replied,
“Restaurants are individual businesses that offer their expertise at providing their skill and style of food preparation, usually in an attractive, relaxing setting, often romantic in interior design.” He recalled his visits to the food centers and how they struck him as cafeteria style without imagination and very utilitarian in design.
“Would you like to see an assortment of images of some?” He asked.
“Yes, of course.” She said.
“Allister, could you display some of the photos you have of Earth Restaurants?”
Allister began a projection on the nearby wall of various restaurants as Sean called out the regional type of food that each one was offering. After several minutes Sean told Allister that was enough and the images disappeared.
“I think you can get the idea that our food and dining choices are widely different and comprehensive. Dining in a restaurant on Earth is considered a prime pleasure” As Sean began to mentally home in on something that Hhearn did not have, and would obviously enjoy if Nasht-Mer’s enjoyment and surprise was any judge.
With excitement in her voice Nasht-Mer said,
“Sean, I think you may have found something very valuable to offer in your application.”
Sean replied,
“Thank you Nasht, but while I am certain it has great value, I am left with a feeling it is not quite enough yet. Let’s move over to the couch and enjoy our wine.”
They moved over to the couch and Sean continued asking questions about the social customs, and a host of low priority subjects to continue their conversation which he was thoroughly enjoying. She fascinated him more than any other woman he had met in decades. He wasn’t sure yet if it was her beauty and grace, her position of power, her intelligence, or all of it? Whate
ver it was, he liked it a lot and wanted to keep the conversation going.
Sean recalled his arrival and while the most exciting part was being challenged, he remembered another thing he was curious about and asked Nasht-Mer,
“After our arrival while we were walking along the walkway to go to the Council Building, there were two strange figures alongside me in Black robes with hoods edged in red. I could not see their faces, but really did not look closely. They seemed to float along rather than walk. Who were they?”
“Oh yes, here on Hhearn we tend to ignore them, most people don’t even notice they are there. Those were Sister of Mak’am. No one really knows much about them since they never speak, do not associate, and never appear alone, always in two or more. There is no information where they originally came from. It is believed by many that they are not even corporeal but rather an elemental since no one has ever seen one under their robe and hood.” She said.
“They demand nothing, but seem to hover near normal people and it is said they absorb your thoughts as they get near. Some believe that is the food which sustains them. They never are seen carrying anything. I know this sounds strange, but they seem to be able to read thoughts or mental imagery which depict your state of mind. They appear able to tell whether you are good intentioned, or harbor thoughts of criminal, deceptive, or hateful intent. When they detect any of those bad thoughts, their robes turn red.”
“It was good that they were there, and their robes did not change color. This showed the people nearby, and on the vid, that your thoughts were wholesome ones and that you harbored no ill will for Hhearn, despite our demands on you. A lot of important Hhearnians will have noticed that.” She finished.
Sean had listened carefully since there was nothing like this on Earth and he was not able to decide whether her assessment of them was accurate or not, since she was not even sure it was. Somehow, he knew they might be important in the scheme of things to come.