Galatzi World (Galatzi Trade Book 2)

by Robin Roseau

  "That's terrible!" I said.

  "Yes, it is. War between planets doesn't happen. It would be far too expensive. And most planets are very peaceful. But sometimes there are uprisings." He had to explain that, too.

  I shook my head. "That's terrible, too."

  "Sometimes the people uprising have legitimate complaints that have festered for a long time. Sometimes planets are run by corporations, not the people. The situation for the average person can be very poor."

  "You had to be in the military to fight the uprisings."

  "Yes. I am very happy I never had to fight on what I thought of as the wrong side. I was involved in a few missions to rescue people."

  "Like Colonel Blue rescued Cecilia from Sartine." We both smiled at that.

  "Yes, although I understand that mission was amazingly peaceful."

  "Yes. This is Talmon."

  "I am starting to understand what that means. I was hesitant about coming here, but I love it. Now if I can just stay here at the resort until there's full power in Sudden, I'll be happy."

  I laughed. "Talk to your aunt about that."

  "You could talk to her for me."

  We grinned. Then I said, "So. Military at twenty-one. Flew missions. Rescued a few people."

  "Eventually became a flight instructor." He smiled. "Colonel Blue was one of my first students."

  "Really? Wow!"

  "I haven't seen her for forty years. She looks quite different, as you can imagine. In spite of the size of the galaxy, in some ways, it's a small world. I teach a young ensign how to fly. Five decades later, that ensign, now a colonel, rescues my aunt from a tricky situation."

  "Five decades. Shouldn't she be like a general or admiral or something, running the military?"

  "She -- like me -- turns down promotions. She loves what she does. If they take Darkside away from her, everyone knows she'll retire. In some ways, it's a shame, because she would be very good. But she does important work, and she does it in a fashion someone younger might not."

  "So you're still in the military?"

  "No. I took one too many promotions, and I stopped enjoying it. I loved being a flight instructor. It was okay when I was the lead pilot for the base. But then I became a base commander, and I hated it. But then I took one more promotion, and I really hated it. But you can't really go backwards."

  "So now you're here on Talmon, teaching a few people to fly again."

  He nodded. "It's nice here. The weather is comfortable. The people are amazingly friendly. I'm starting to learn Talmonese."

  "Arthur, if you were a flight instructor for the military, this seems like a, well..."

  "Step down?" I nodded. Arthur smiled. "Aunt Cecilia asked me to find a flight instructor willing to stay for a while. She told me what it was like here. And she told me how important it was. How could I say no?"

  "Do you have kids?"

  "I do. They aren't on this trip. And I have one grandchild, a girl. She's very cute."

  "Won't you miss them?"

  "Sure, but it's not forever, and I'll go visit. They might come here. I like it here. Everyone is so friendly."

  "You said that already."

  "It's just so strikingly true." He paused. "I want to ask you something."

  "Of course."

  "I don't want you to tell my aunt I asked."

  "Then I won't."

  "I'm going to give it a year or three," he said. "I want to be sure how I feel about it. I might miss the conveniences."

  "You're thinking of staying."

  "For a decade or three, anyway," he said.

  "Okay. You know you're welcome."

  "I know. But this is awkward. Um. How does dating work here? I mean, I know about the galatzi thing. Is that what everyone does?"

  I managed not to laugh. "No. Galatzi trades are between villages so we're not all marrying our cousins."

  He did laugh. "All right. Should that have been obvious?"

  "Not if we didn't explain. You are more likely to see someone close to the vendart involved in a galatzi trade, because we lead by example. It's easy to trade away the daughter of a merchant you don't know, but if you do that, you better have traded your own daughter first."

  "Another reason I like the people here."

  "There are vendarti who don't act that way, but they aren't the norm. Did you want a galatzi trade? I can arrange one for you. Pick where you want to live. I can have a trade in a heartbeat. Of course, you would belong to your new wife."

  He laughed. "I think I'll hang onto that offer for now. Is there something that more closely represents what I think about in dating?"

  "You're talking casual, getting to know someone? Or are you talking about companionship for an evening?"

  He colored. "I'm not looking for a-" and he used a word I didn't know. I admitted that. His color deepened. "Um. When you pay her. For. Um." I looked at him blankly. "When someone -- usually a man -- pays someone -- usually a woman. To. Um."

  "Pays her what?"

  "Money."

  "To do what?"

  "Spend time with him."

  "You have to pay women to spend time with you? I'm spending time with you. I suppose you're paying me with flying lessons."

  "That's not what I mean."

  "I'd spend time with you anyway, though, even without the flying lessons. You're Cecilia's nephew, and you tell good stories."

  "Well, I don't have to pay a woman. And I don't mean spend time with me. I mean. Um. Spend time in bed."

  I stared, finally understanding. "You have to pay women?" I asked in a small voice.

  "Well, I don't," he said. "Well, I never had to."

  "But now you're worried you have to?"

  "No!"

  "Because we don't do that here."

  He buried his face in his hands. "Just shoot me now," he muttered.

  "Is that what normally happens?" I asked. "If I go to Centos Four, are men going to offer-"

  "No!" he said. "Absolutely not!"

  "But you just said-"

  He sighed. "There are women who make a living that way."

  "They make a living that way?" I shook my head. "Why would you pay them when another woman would enjoy your company? Or maybe you pay them to help them out."

  "I don't pay anyone," he said. "But-" He sighed. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

  "Oh no," I said. "You wanted to know how it works here. It doesn't work like that, though."

  "It doesn't work like that for me, either. But there are women. And there are men who can't get a woman other ways, or who want a woman to do things he wouldn't ask his wife."

  "Wait! There are men, men in exclusive relationships, who pay other women for sex?"

  "Um. Yes."

  I narrowed my eyes. "Have you ever-"

  "No! I told you."

  I took a breath. "All right. Well, that doesn't happen here. Also, people leave a relationship if it's not working. They don't... I don't know what word to use."

  "Cheat."

  "Right. They don't cheat."

  "Okay. So... If I wanted to go to dinner with someone I like..."

  "You ask her to dinner."

  "Just like that?"

  "Yes. What else would you do?"

  "Well, I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

  "Discounting this entire paying women thing, what do you do normally?"

  "If I meet someone I find interesting, I try to figure out how she feels, and if I think she might be interested, I ask her to dinner. Sometimes we just go for coffee."

  "What's coffee?"

  "Um. It's a hot beverage, a little like tea."

  "Arthur, you're an attractive man, and you seem very nice besides. You are polite, and not once have I seen you act superior because we don't have the things you normally expect."

  "I've lived a lot rougher than this. You've taken good care of us. I appreciate it."

  "Thank you. So you're all that, and you're exotic besides. You don't hav
e to worry about this. You don't have to do a thing, if you don't want to. The women are going to ask you."

  "What?"

  "Women don't ask men on Centos Four?"

  "Well, they do, but-"

  I shook my head. "You're used to doing the asking."

  "Right."

  "Well, you can ask. You can also expect to be asked. If she is in a relationship, she will find a way to tell you. If you know she's in a relationship, of course, you don't ask."

  "What if... I have dinner with one woman one night and a different woman two nights later."

  "Did you invite an exclusive relationship with the first woman?"

  "No."

  "Then no problem. Is that what you're wondering?"

  "Yes. Will she be mad?"

  "If you scheduled a date with her and then cancelled, possibly. Possibly not. If you made promises to her, then possibly. But we're pretty blunt. If we haven't discussed an exclusive relationship, we don't assume one. There are people in very steady relationships that aren't exclusive. We also have three-way and four-way relationships."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. This is unusual?"

  "Yes."

  "One man, one woman. This is most common. Two men or two women is next most common. Then two of one gender and one of the other. It's not common, but it's not a source of gossip. Or two and two. Or three all one gender. That's rare, but again, it's not a source of gossip. Nothing prevents more than that, but it would be considered odd and might be talked about." I paused. "You're going to be talked about whatever you do. Aston and Blaine certainly are. They're very popular with the ladies in Sudden."

  "Should I have talked to them?"

  "If you only want to visit one woman one night, a different woman the next night, yes. If you want a lasting relationship, you're better talking to me."

  He laughed.

  "Now, here's the bad news. Other than my sister, I don't know of any available women on the planet who speak English. Well, there's me, but you would need to go get rejuvenation and come back with far different curves to interest me that way."

  He laughed. "You know, I thought about that once."

  "I find it hard to believe."

  "I didn't do it. But I've always wondered. I'll probably try it sometime. But for me, I'd be stuck for five years. I could afford the extra costs, but I couldn't afford to have it reversed if I hate it, and I'd have to wait for my next treatment five years later. If I could try it for a week or two safely, I'd have done it. You know, just for something new."

  "I don't think I'd ever try switching," I said. "But Cecilia warns me that words like never and forever are dangerous words to use."

  "Yes. You won't hear those words used very often." He paused. "So... I need to learn Talmonese."

  "If you're staying, it's only polite."

  "Yes, of course."

  "You know what we should do? We should go out."

  "Didn't you just say I'd need to be a woman first?"

  I laughed. "Not like that. We need a mix, so it doesn't look like a date." I shook my head. "We don't have an equivalent word. Hmm." I began to smile. "We'll go after dinner."

  * * * *

  We used a ground vehicle. Maddalyn and Kalorain were waiting for us at the embassy, and we took a carriage into Sudden. We went to the Green Sparrow, which was my favorite inn for a few drinks and dancing. There was dancing on the main floor, or one could go upstairs, where it was a little quieter.

  Miratine and her sister, Galain, met us, and soon the six of us were seated with our drinks. I was drinking cider, and I saw Arthur did as well.

  "Arthur is going to stay on Talmon for a while," I said. "We're showing him a little about how to get along as a local, and he's going to start learning Talmonese."

  "Really?" said Miratine with a glance to her sister. "And you're giving him to us?"

  Everyone laughed except poor Arthur.

  "That's up to him," I suggested. Then I turned to him and switched to English. "You have choices."

  "Oh?"

  "You can wait for someone to ask you to dance, or you can ask her. It might be polite if you're going to ask anyone if you started with me. After that, you can ask anyone you like."

  "I don't know your dance styles."

  "You know yours. Can you make it work?"

  "I can try. Chaladine, would you care to dance?"

  "I'd love to."

  It was a lovely night. I danced a few times with Arthur but also danced with everyone else. Arthur did some of the asking, but he was also asked -- and not just by the people at the table.

  I may have had something to do with encouraging the other women in the room about that, but I wouldn't admit it.

  In the few breaks they gave him, everyone tried to teach him Talmonese. I'm sure he found it quite overwhelming, but he smiled a lot, laughed frequently, and if he was uncomfortable with the amount of attention he received, he didn't show it.

  He was very charming and gracious, and I knew he'd be popular on Talmon.

  Later, out in the street, he seemed surprised by the hugs he received. Then Miratine pulled me to the side. "So, are you claiming him?"

  "You know he's not my type," I said. "Are you and Galain going to fight over him?"

  She laughed. "No, but we might take turns." She grinned. "He's gorgeous."

  "Yeah. They all are. And he's very nice."

  "Well, can you ask him if he's free tomorrow night?"

  "He's not. There's an event." I paused. "Did you want to polish your best dance shoes?"

  "Sure."

  "Arthur," I said. He pulled away from Maddalyn. I spoke in English. "Are you attending the dance at my parents' tomorrow?"

  "I had planned to."

  "It is possible that Miratine is free if you wanted to invite her."

  He laughed. "Matchmaking?"

  "It is likely that her sister is wondering what you are doing the next day. And if we go back inside, it is likely half the women are wondering about your schedule next week. You're under no obligation, however. Perhaps you don't fancy her."

  He turned to Miratine. She looked up at him and smiled. "Miratine, there is an event tomorrow evening. Perhaps you would like to accompany me."

  She didn't even wait for the translation. "Yes." He knew that word.

  "I thought she didn't speak English."

  "She doesn't. But she's not stupid." He laughed.

  From that point, I didn't worry about him. From time to time, he would ask to practice his Talmonese with me. And he frequently warned me he had invited a date to an event. I just began to plan for that, as it was easier to make room for one less than to scramble to make room for one more. Sometimes it was Miratine; sometimes it was Galain; sometimes it was someone else entirely.

  It was nice to see him fit in.

  * * * *

  Colonel Blue returned. I didn't ask about Delilah, and no one offered information. I hoped to never see her again; whether I will or not, well, we shall see.

  But one day when I showed up for my flight lesson, it wasn't Arthur waiting for me. It was Colonel Blue. I stared at her.

  "I'm not ready."

  "That is not the report I have received," she said. "Sit. Tell me the requirements for flying in the clouds."

  She questioned me for two hours. I didn't get everything right. Sometimes she asked me if I was sure of my answer. Sometimes I was sure, sometimes I wasn't. So she asked me how I was going to be sure, and then she waited while I searched for the information on my tablet.

  I was wrung out long before she was done asking questions. "Congratulations," she said. "You have passed this portion of your exam. There are some areas you need to study, and I will outline them for you. But you have done well. I will give you a short break to collect yourself, and then we'll see how well you fly."

  I passed. And when we were done, Colonel Blue said, "If you were in the military, you would have been prepared to a higher standard. But for a civilian, especially a
civilian on a remote location like Talmon, you did exceedingly well." She then gave me a new set of restrictions and told me, "Once you have one hundred total hours of flight time, either Admiral Grace or I can remove these restrictions."

  "Admiral Grace?"

  "Arthur."

  "He's an admiral?"

  "Retired."

  "So... I'm now a pilot?"

  "You're now a licensed pilot," she said. "You've been a pilot for weeks."

  "I can go flying, any time I want-"

  "Within the restrictions I gave you."

  "And take whomever I want with me."

  "Yes." She grinned at my excitement.

  And then from behind me, I heard Cecilia. "And you will begin by providing a ride for me."

  I turned around, and she was smiling at me. I ran to her and hugged her. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome." Then she spoke up. "Colonel Blue, which craft may she fly?"

  "She requires a checkout in anything beyond the trainer, and she's not qualified on any transports over ten thousand kilos gross weight."

  "Does it require you or Arthur to perform a checkout?"

  "Or anyone you authorize, Governor. They're your craft. She's licensed to fly them, but it's foolish to not receive a few minutes of orientation."

  "Is it foolish for me to provide the checkout? I haven't done one before."

  "Did you want me to ride along?"

  "Would you?"

  "Of course."

  Cecilia turned to me. "Well. Pick one."

  I stared at her. "Pick one?" She smiled and waited. "Is it your intention for me to fly us when we go somewhere?"

  "Absolutely. You need flight time, and then I can sit back and relax."

  "Then perhaps we should start with your personal jumper."

  "Oh, ho," she said. "Ten thousand gross weight. One kilo over and you couldn't fly it."

  "Somehow I believe that isn't a coincidence."

  "It is not," Colonel Blue said with a smirk. "I would prefer you fly smaller craft when you don't have Cecilia with you, for now. But it is legal."

  "I should pick something smaller."

  "Oh no," said Cecilia. "You're stuck now. Come on."

  For the checkout, Cecilia didn't actually do much. Instead, she told me to explain everything I knew. I went over the craft's systems. Some of the things were in a different configuration, and so once we were strapped in and started up, I spent a few minutes making sure I knew where everything was.