by Alma Nilsson
Kis had no doubt her handsome son would find a wife even with the demographics issue the Empire was facing, it was his destiny. He had been born lucky. Every part of his life had had some luck attached to it. He was good-looking, smart, and charming. When it had become time for him to be trained and he had insisted on joining the fleet rather than continuing in the slave class, and the maximum members in House Rog had sponsored him to do so. However, switching classes in the Alliance was not an easy feat, and it came with substantial consequences. First, he had to leave his House and live without a House. This meant he was only allowed to visit his family and former House once a year. No other personal contact was allowed. Second, there were no assurances that he would be allowed back into his original House. If he did not prove himself worthy of being a maximum member of the House he came from, they did not have to offer him anything. And finally, he could not marry, or rather no one would marry him if he remained Houseless as all children from a union would be Houseless, which would mean those children would be more or less invisible in the Empire. However, she knew Mir had high hopes for his future, and so far, everything was going to plan. He had done well in the military academy and then as a squire to the Admiral of the Fleet, Jei of House Rega, and now he was a junior officer quickly working his way up the ranks. “It’s good that you were able to come home now.”
“I would have liked to see Earth,” he admitted.
Kis had been happy Mir had been sent for his annual visit now rather than later. She believed the rumors that she had heard about human women using witchcraft to seduce Alliance men. In her mind, it was the only way that she could justify their next Emperor marrying a brown and pink human. “You should be wary of the Lost People. Something is not right about all of this.”
“Yes, I agree whole heartedly, Mother. Something’s not right. We have a serious problem, and until we figure it out, lovely human women are here to help.” He knew his comment would irritate his mother, but he didn’t mind. He felt very strongly about not wanting to share a wife, which had been the preferred solution that women had come up with to the demographics issue.
“It’s mainly the maximum class that has the issue,” Kis countered. “They should be the ones to all start sharing wives and identify the problem. It’s not our problem. Not a slave problem.”
“It’s the entire Empire’s problem. We’ve been affected too and the middling class as well. It all indeed began in maximum class, but it is spreading, so we must all carry the burden of this problem.”
Kis wanted to change the subject. She didn’t want to talk about this when she actually had time, face to face, with Mir, “How’s your new position on the Fira?”
“Good.”
She looked at him and sighed, “That’s it? Good?”
He smiled at his mother, “What else is there to say? It’s fine. It’s not our flagship the Kzi, and I’m no longer squire to the Admiral, but I’m an adult now. And I’m still in a fleet headed by an Imperial.”
Kis knew that Mir was doing well as those with promise were kept at the top with the most illustrious of their leaders. She was proud of him, but it was difficult for her to say so because she also missed him so much. The one benefit of being born into the slave class was that you were always together. “Good. And have you made any friends?”
“You know I always make friends. What’s this?” Mir looked at his mother and wondered if she was feeling okay, she was never this emotional. Not as far as he had ever seen anyway.
“Yes, that’s what I’m afraid of. Too many friends of the maximum class. And too many women.” His mother paused and then asked, “And since you’ve been back, no punishments?”
He smiled, “It really bothers you that you can’t know what I’ve been up to, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not right that a young person should be wholly responsible for themselves,” Kis said. “You need someone to check your behavior to make sure you aren’t getting yourself into too much trouble. Too many fines or trips to the High Priestess at the Capital City Temple for punishments. It’s not good for your reputation.”
“One minute you are talking about me marrying soon and then the next I’m too young to take care of myself. Which is it?”
“Both. I worry about you. You’re all alone with no one to look after you.”
“That’s not true. My commanding officers are looking after me.”
“You know what I mean. You’ve no House to guide you and to be responsible for you. You know all this freedom is what has led so many to failure in switching classes. It’s too easy to give in to temptation.”
Mir laughed, “Gods mother, there are no temptations. I’m working all the time, and when I’m not, I’m in the dormitory or here.”
Kis reminded him, “What about the Assembly you attended and that woman you kissed?”
Mir smiled, “It was nice.” He had attended his first maximum class assembly last year and had found himself in a shadowy part of the garden with a beautiful woman whose lips had been begging for a kiss. He had been fined for the pleasure as well. Not only for kissing a woman in public that he was not courting but also for being at the Assembly without a House.
“This is exactly what I’m talking about. You know better than to break the rules.”
“And I was punished for it,” Mir defended himself. He was punished quite harshly too. As he didn’t have the UCs to pay the fine outright, he had had to receive physical punishment from the High Priestess at the Capital City Temple, and it had hurt a lot.
Kis threw up her arms and said, “You must not break the rules in the first place. It’s no wonder that the maximum family keeps your father late today to serve you at their meal. They’re already displeased, and no doubt, it’s from exactly this kind of behavior. Even though no one else is there to receive the notifications of your fines for these indiscretions doesn’t mean that no one knows about them nor that you should not feel the same amount of shame in receiving them. Don’t throw away everything you are working for over some kisses.”
“You worry too much. I know what I’m doing. And even the Head of House Rog had her share of romantic infractions before she married. You know that.”
“That’s different as it was a long time ago, and she wasn’t trying to switch classes. I doubt she would give you the same leeway.”
He nodded to his mother and wanted to change the subject, “How are my brothers?”
“Fine. They’re looking forward to seeing you. Tomorrow is the Goddess of Illumination Festival. I think they are hoping you will join them.” Kis looked at Mir, trying to discern whether or not he would really attend. The Illumination Festival was a time when young people of the slave class could mingle without the watching eyes of their families. And many young men and women would find their husbands and wives under the light lanterns of the festival.
Mir hoped he didn’t give anything away with his face expression. Of course, he and his brothers had already discussed it, and they would sneak him into the party in a disguise. As he was of no House now, he was not supposed to attend any functions. However, this didn’t stop him attending maximum class assemblies or slave festivals, as he was trying to move classes to forward his chosen career, people tended to look the other way as long as he didn’t make too big of a deal out of it. “I’m looking forward to seeing them too.”
“How long will you stay? Your last message was vague.”
Mir smiled, “Yes, it seems as if Admiral Tir is going to take the long way home. I’ll be here for a few weeks. I will, of course, have to do some work here, and I’ll stay at the dormitory, but a few weeks.”
“Well, this is the first thing that I can honestly say Admiral Tir has done right with his new wife, bless the gods,” Kis said and then asked, “Did you see her at all?”
“Captain Kara?”
Kis nodded.
“No, of course not. I have never set foot on the Refa, and she has never been on the Fira. And the other human women only l
eft the Refa to go on a supply ship. You’ve more of a chance at having seen them here on planet than I had in the fleet, as I heard more than 20 humans are living here now.”
“They don’t go out. They are being educated, and people are trying to figure out what kind of jobs they can have. I wonder if they are all really dim. There are plenty of maximum class jobs here, but it seems only one of them, Madame Drusilla, has any kind of useful female skill.”
“Mother,” Mir said, insulted by her comment.
“I’m sorry, but you must wonder what kind of women choose to live on a starship? That is men’s work. And it’s no wonder their government is a shamble, men are not fit to rule and women risking their lives. I just don’t understand what humans are doing.”
Mir just sighed. He knew his mother would always see men as inferior. “Humans see themselves as equals,” Mir said, but the words sounded hollow to him. He had never been treated as an equal by a woman, so he couldn’t even really begin to understand what that really meant, what that would feel like. He only knew it in theory. Mir thought it must be a rumor though, he could not imagine Admiral Tir marrying a woman who acted as his equal or inferior. To an Alliance man, that would be the most unattractive trait. How could he be attracted to someone who wanted him to take the lead? Men were led.
“Alliance men are equal through the Contracts,” Kis commented.
Mir nodded, “Of course we are.” The Contracts gave men some rights but were nowhere near offering complete equality. But he was not going to discuss this with his mother. Mir had done that once before, he suggested that it wasn’t fair men had minimal choice in occupation and hinted that men might be able to do more on the Alliance planets. She had dismissed him instantly, saying, ‘men aren’t emotionally stable enough to make such important decisions for the Empire.’
Mir was lost in thought then thinking about human women and wondering what was going on on the Fira and wondering who was in his quarters. He had heard that humans didn’t mask their scents, and then he wondered if his quarters would forever smell of adorable human woman.
Kis asked her son a question again.
“Sorry?” Mir looked up at his mother.
“You should go soon and pay your respects to the maximum family. May we be thankful to the gods for allowing you home safe from the war and for such a long stay.”
“Thanks be to the gods and to the Lost People who provided this long stay,” he could not help but add and was pleased when his mother gave him a little smile for it.
Mir left the slave’s neighborhood of the House Roga Estate and walked up the path and through the gates to the maximum’s neighborhood. It took him about ten minutes as he was walking fast. On his way, he passed a couple other members of the House, all of different ranks who greeted him warmly. Mir felt that it was so good to be home.
Soon he approached the highest of the maximum family’s residence. He waited at the front door, and a slave he knew well came to open the door for him and escort him in as if he was maximum class already. The first time Mir had done this, it had felt like a charade. Now it had been more than a decade, and he really felt as if he no longer belonged to the slave class, yet at the same time, neither the maximum class either. Not yet. In his mind, things were moving along just as they should. He was transitioning to his new life. And although he felt guilty to admit it, especially after just seeing his mother, he did feel closer to the maximum class than the slave class. His childhood began to seem like something that happened to someone else. It no longer lived with him or affected his choices or long-term goals. That was all maximum class now.
Mir was shown to the drawing-room. It was always the same. The family came in. They had one daughter about his age. Her name was Tes and she and Mir got along reasonably well. She followed his ships on the military channel and always made pleasant conversation with him about that. Her parents were a different story. They were very strict and formal with him, even after ten years of doing this, and every year, they still made his father cook for them all. The last bit annoyed Mir the most.
As they finished dinner, Tes asked Mir, “Did you meet any of the humans?”
Mir expected her parents to hush her, but they didn’t, so he answered, “No, they only left the Refa to be taken to a supply ship. But there’s a human woman in my quarters right now.” He couldn’t help but add it. He had had some zota with his mother and now, here at the maximum house. His guard was down.
Everyone laughed at his comment.
Mir was stunned. This was the first time he ever felt a part of the people here. That they had really let him in.
“I know we are supposed to be grateful for these women coming here, but I just can’t imagine having to marry an alien,” Tes said.
“Tes,” her mother said, trying to get her to stop talking.
“It’s fine,” Mir said. “I know my prospects aren’t good. Who wants a man with no House?”
Tes frowned, “But you wouldn’t marry an alien, would you?”
Mir saw the concerned look on her face and felt this had been something she had thought a lot about, and suddenly his mind was racing with all kinds of ideas. “No,” Mir said, shaking his head. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of aliens, and I just couldn’t imagine.”
Tes smiled, “Good. I don’t think this House could ever stand to have an alien here. We aren’t as modern as some Imperial Houses.”
Mir put his finger over his heart and said, “I would never marry an alien.”
Koiu Nebula
Babette had been on the Fira for two weeks. During this time, she had learned a lot about Alliance culture, what was expected of her, and she had gotten to know the other women she was traveling with for better or worse. She didn’t expect to make many friends among them and was even more happy that she had just clicked with Jade from the moment they met.
Commander Daz had them on regular daily routines consisting of eating meals together, cultural classes, praying, and exercise. Commander Daz prioritized the latter the most of all. So, Babette and the other women had sword lessons in the dark and creepy side-gymnasium, which was lit only by flickering artificial candlelit and had shadowy statues of the Alliance deities lining the walls. The lessons were necessary as Commander Daz explained, they needed to be able to defend themselves, if necessary, in duels as they were of maximum class. Babette tried not to smile at the idea of her wielding a sword when he first mentioned it, let alone being involved in a duel. She thought it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. However, Commander Daz put the utmost importance on this skill, so more than their cultural or religious studies, they spent a lot of time in the gymnasium training. Babette still grinned at herself every time she came back from their gym class and looked at herself in the mirror. She had been given a sword and would hold it up with her reflection and say, “Ahh,” then laugh. This was definitely an aspect of the Alliance culture; she just couldn’t believe was real. She assumed that maybe the men liked to fight duels sometimes, but she could never imagine women fighting each other with swords, no matter what Commander Daz told them. And she certainly couldn’t imagine herself ever being involved in a duel with her little sword.
Their religious classes took place in the small communal shrine onboard. The Alliance had a pantheon of gods they worshipped, but only a handful of these gods were represented on ship because as Commander Daz explained, they were a war ship so there was no need to pray to the goddess of fertility or harvests. Babette and the other women memorized the short prayers and learned how to bow and light candles to the gods they were praying to. They were required to do this once a day and Babette enjoyed the little walk from her quarters to the shrine as it usually allowed her to get a good look at some of the officers as they passed, however, they never made eye contact with her.
And before Babette went to bed every night, she read her required reading, every Alliance citizen’s required reading apparently, The Day. It was a summary of the day’s im
portant events in the Empire according the High Council. Babette had been amused that the first time she read it; they were featured in it as almost the saviors of the Empire. Babette didn’t feel like a savior. She felt that this was a deal where both parties were winning, nothing more. However, when she asked Commander Daz about it, he reprimanded her with the myth of the Lost People and Babette was reminded of how religious the Alliance was and by her making light of the article she was being offensive. From that moment on she realized she needed to keep these secular opinions to herself.
None of the human women realized that Commander Daz had decided after only a few days of cultural and religious studies with them that he was not qualified to teach them about Alliance culture. He had read through the handbook Madame Bai had written and was not comfortable talking about courting, sex and marriage with these women. Therefore, he decided that it was better for Madame Bai to fill in their gaps rather than have to reteach them his mistakes. Because he knew that as a man, he was bound to make mistakes and teach them the wrong things. The book was so strict and he himself had been surprised by some of the ancient rituals she had cited, so he gave up and concentrated on what he knew that he could confidently teach them correctly, swordplay. And he further justified his decision by telling himself that it was good for these human women to learn some physical discipline, as unlike Alliance women, they were unaccustomed to exercise every day and utterly inexperienced in any defensive arts. He made it his goal for the next two weeks to keep their physical bodies so occupied with swordplay that they would not have time to think about more than their prayers and news from The Day. And hopefully keep their minds away from the male crew, who kept bothering him to at least meet some of the human women. Every time he returned to his quarters off duty, there would be young men stopping by to ask if he needed any assistance.
Commander Daz and Squire Ter had been faithful to their word and for the most part, had kept the crew of the Fira away from the human women. However, as the trip wore on, both sides were impatient to meet, and a few women were rumored to be seen with men, alone, in places they shouldn’t be. Finally, one woman was caught in the act and so Commander Daz had them all punished, by denying them two of their meals in one day. He didn’t say who was responsible for the punishment. Everyone guessed though, that it might have been more than one woman given the rumors from the night before. Everyone suspected that at the least, a woman named Charlene was one of them, as she had mentioned before she was already in love with an officer onboard. The women thought the punishment was fair, as they had been warned and it had been going on for some time. Also, every eligible man was punished. It was after that incident, Commander Daz decided that they would have a proper Assembly onboard while they were passing the Koiu Nebula so that the human women and the men could interact in a civilized manner.