by Robin Roseau
I laughed. “You wanted me for your charity.”
“I might want you for more than that. May I retrieve your contact information and call you? Or are you and Serenity steady.”
“You could call me,” I said. “I’m dating all of them, but I only have so much time. Push me.”
She did, and my bracelet turned green.
* * * *
Of my friends, I was first to turn green, but I continued to dance. Serenity was next and Tranquility was third.
But Pippa was in trouble. Talitha was trying to help her, but her bracelet was angry with her. Then Talitha caught me again and said, “Offer five hundred points to me.”
“Why?”
“If I get enough points from all of you, then I can bring in one more helper. Otherwise Pippa isn’t going to make it.”
“She over-offered.”
“They all did. But she let Tranquility and Serenity push her skill level one point too far. She’s a seven when following a very good leader, but she’s only a five when leading a strong follow.”
“She’s much better than I am, and I can’t lead at all.”
“Yes, and she’s a six with a weaker dancer, but she doesn’t know how to let a strong follow perform well.”
“Take my points.”
“Done.”
I opened my eyes, and my bracelet was back to blue. “You might not make it now, Maddalyn.”
“Do you really intend to call me?”
“I have to if I am going to arrange your service hours.” The she laughed. “Yes, Maddalyn. I intend to call you.”
“Then I don’t mind,” I said. “Push me.”
She did.
* * * *
It didn’t look like I was going to make it, but Talitha brought in another of the professional dancers, a woman named Luciana. The two of them left Tranquility and Serenity to work things out themselves, but every two or three partners, I found myself with one of the two professionals, and I made progress to my goal.
With the extra help, Pippa’s bracelet turned green ahead of mine. But then I found myself with Talitha, and she said, “This is the last song. You won’t make it if you don’t take a risk.”
“That’s okay.”
“Play it safe?” she asked.
I thought about it. “No.”
She immediately spun me towards Luciana, who spun me about twice before sending me back to Talitha. Then Tranquility was there, and she intercepted me on my way back to Talitha. Serenity actually stole me from her sister, and Luciana from Serenity, and Talitha took me and put me into a complicated pattern I didn’t think I could keep up with.
The song ended. I opened my eyes and looked at my bracelet just in time to see it turn green.
I hugged Talitha tightly. “Call me,” I said, kissing her cheek.
She did, and it was my only date on Tarriton that didn’t involve dancing.
Training
My first classes were in the morning, two days after my first date with Pippa. My first appointment was with a man named Jersey Keegan. I presented myself at his office in one of the academic buildings, arriving several minutes later. I knocked at the door, but there was no answer.
Herr Keegan arrived perhaps five minutes late. He saw me outside his door as he bustled up. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You are Maddalyn Herschel?”
I held out my hand, then realized his arms were full. “Yes.” I wasn’t sure what to call him. He palmed the pad after juggling his load, but I pushed the door open and then helped him divest himself of everything he was carrying. “All right, Maddie. Have a seat.”
I bristled at the diminutive to my name, but I took the seat then wondered if I should correct him. He settled into his chair, and I still hadn’t decided, but I thought, “What would Frau Langenberg do?” And I decided to take her advice.
“Please, Herr Doctor Keegan,” I said in careful English. “I prefer if you name me Maddalyn.”
“Oh, of course,” he said. “Frantzland, right?” He didn’t wait. “Do you know why we’re meeting this morning?”
“Because Dean Horn told me to.”
“Ah, yes,” he said. “Do you know why she told you to meet with me?”
“No, Herr Doctor Keegan.”
“You are not on Frantzland, Maddalyn. You should call me simply Dr. Keegan.”
“Of course,” I said. “I only offer respect.”
“Yes, I understand. Maddalyn, our time this morning is to give you an introduction to your studies, and to make sure you know you have someone to talk to if you have questions. Did you review the material you were given?”
That was too much, and I said, “My English is poor.”
“You didn’t understand me.”
“Understand some. Not everything.”
“Right. Well. One point at a time. Today I will introduce you to your studies.”
“I understand.”
“If you have questions, today or in the future, you may ask me.”
“I understand.”
“Did you review the material you were given?”
“My schedule?” I clarified. “And the books? So many books, and all in English.”
“Let’s start with your schedule.” I nodded. “Do you understand it?”
“I understand where I am to go,” I said. “I do not understand why I am taking these classes.”
“All right. That isn’t surprising. Let’s go through it.” He produced a tablet, manipulated it for a moment, then set it on the desk so we could both see it. “Your classes are three types. Do you see?”
“No.”
“You will work for the department of state. Do you understand?”
“For Anna White.”
“And you understand what they do?”
“Help new worlds.”
“Well, help newly discovered worlds,” he corrected.
“Yes. Sorry. English.”
“Right. I understand,” he said. “About half your classes are training specific to your job.” He highlighted those classes one at a time.”
“Oh,” I said. “I see now. History?”
“They say those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. That is an important concept. Do you understand?”
“Say again slowly, please.”
He did, and I asked my implant to help. “Ah,” I said finally. “Understand. Yes. Important concept.”
“This class will teach you about other planets. You’ll learn about things that were done well, and things that went poorly.”
“Copy good and avoid bad.”
“Exactly so,” he said. “Most of your other classes are to help you improve your English.”
“Still need much help.”
“I understand you arrived speaking no English at all.”
“Say slower.” He did, and I said, “I knew some words but couldn’t talk.”
“You’re doing much better then.”
“If you speak carefully, I understand,” I said. “I cannot understand people on street, or entertainment channels.”
“You’ll get there,” he said.
I pointed to the tablet. “This class English? Learn protect myself with poetry?”
He laughed. “No. Self-defense. We do not allow advanced weapons on low technology planets.”
“Not understand.”
“No guns.”
“Guns?” I shook my head. “No guns!”
“Right,” he said. “But you need to be safe. We try to teach you.”
“Oh,” I said. “This class fighting.”
“Or avoiding a fight,” he said. “Or escaping from a fight.”
“Learn kill with pencil?”
He laughed. “Perhaps.”
“Oh.” I made a face.
“I know,” he said. “The sort of people who go to new planets to help them are not the sort of people who want to face these conflicts.”
I caught enough to understand them. “Maddalyn lover, not fighter.”
He laughed. “Good for you,” he said. “Do you have athletic clothes?”
“Not know word.”
“The clothes for your self-defense class. Hmm.” He played with the tablet for a minute then showed me photos.
“Oh. No. Do I need?”
“You’ll ruin the clothes you’re wearing,” he said. “And… Um.” He gestured to my chest. I reflexively covered it. “I’m told they bounce.”
“Bounce?” I thought about it. “Oh.” I made another face. “What do I do?”
“Well, you have time after your morning classes and before your afternoon classes to go to a store and buy something.” He pulled the tablet to himself and worked with it for a moment then said, “I am sending you the address of the nearest store that can help you.”
“Is it far? I do not have a vehicle.”
“You can summon one,” he said. “They are free for students, for local use.” He used his tablet to show me, and I nodded. “It will take you where you are going, and when you are done, you summon another to bring you back.”
“I understand. Thank you, Doctor Keegan.”
We talked for a few more minutes before he said, “You should get going. Do you know where your first class is?”
“I do.”
* * * *
I had my two classes in the morning, struggling to understand. Each class was small. The first had only four of us and was about policies of the state department. The second was the history class, and there were twelve students, including the other three students from my first class.
I stayed after each class and made sure the professors knew I was working on my English. Each of them offered to email me class assignments to ensure I didn’t misunderstand in the heat of class. I thought that was kind.
After the second class, I summoned a ground vehicle and gave it the address to the sporting goods store that Dr. Keegan had suggested. Once there, I went to the first person I saw and said, “Do you work here?”
“Yes,” he said. “May I help you?”
“I am to take a self-defense class. I do not have proper clothes.” He summoned a woman to help me, and she led me to the appropriate area. I bought the things she suggested and then made it back to campus with just enough time to get something to eat on the way to the gymnasium. I changed clothes in the locker room, presenting myself promptly at 13:00, just on time for class.
The instructor was a tough-looking woman. I knew from my schedule her name was Lea Turner, but I knew nothing more than that. The class was a mix of men and women, twenty of us in total, and there were two assistants for Frau Turner.
She called us together then said, “We have a new face today.” She looked at me. “You must be Maddalyn Herschel.”
“Yes.”
“Welcome to the class,” she replied. “What do you prefer to be called?”
“Oh. At home, we are formal. But here, I am Maddalyn.”
“All right, Maddalyn. Most people just call me Turner. That’s Rollins.” She gestured to her woman assistant. “And Ayers.” That was the man. “You are not from Tarriton?”
“No. Frantzland. Learning English.”
“If you have trouble understanding, we’ll work it out,” she said. I nodded. “This is an ongoing class. Do you understand?”
“I think so.”
“We start with stretches. Rollins will help you.”
We did our stretches. Rollins quietly told me, “This helps prevent injuries.”
“If we must fight, we won’t stretch first.”
“No, but if you pull a muscle in a fight, but live through it, a pulled muscle is small payment. But there is no reason for a pulled muscle every other day.”
I didn’t know what a pulled muscle was, but I nodded.
And so we stretched. A flexible body was part of my rejuvenation, and so the exercises we did were easy. Still, I felt more limber when we were done. Then we stood and faced our instructor, who was looking at me.
“Maddalyn,” she said. “I am going to put you on the spot.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I am going to ask you questions.”
“Oh.”
“These are the same questions I ask every newcomer.”
“They all know answers.”
“Yes. You will know some, but you won’t know them all.”
“I understand. What questions?”
“Why do we learn to defend ourselves?”
“Because the galaxy is a dangerous place.”
“All right. True. Can you be more specific to your personal situation?”
“I am going to Talmon,” I said. “Anna White says it is a good place.”
“Talmon,” Turner echoed. “Yes. Good people there. Criminal activity is almost unheard of. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I said. “But ‘almost’ is not ‘never’.”
“True,” she said. “Can you think of three distinct dangers on Talmon?”
“I have not had time to study very much yet.”
“I’ll tell you this. Talmon is a low technology planet. They are metal poor, but the people are good and welcoming. Three dangers.”
“A man who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“All right. Good. Well, not good, but you know what I mean. Two more.”
“Someone who thinks I have technology he can take and use.”
“Good. And that’s one reason we are very, very careful what technology we bring. One more.”
“Someone who wants my purse.”
“I consider that ‘theft’, and the same as number two. Think of something quite different.”
I thought about it then shook my head.
“Marsha?”
“Kidnapping for political influence,” said one of my classmates. I spun to her, my jaw dropping. She looked at me calmly.
“Really?”
“It happens with too much frequency,” Turner said. “When that happens, the Empire always sends the marines. Always. What happens if the marines arrive?”
“They find the person.”
“They do. What happens to the planet?”
I thought about it. “I don’t know. It is bad?”
“It is bad,” Turner said. “We do not want to send the marines. To the marines, there is no problem that can’t be solved with a suitable application of high explosives.”
I cocked my head, but then Marsha said, waving her hands. “Boom!”
“Ah. Yes. Understand.”
“Mark, another?”
“Fear,” said one of the men.
“Explain more,” Turner said. “Speak carefully for Maddalyn.”
The man nodded. “The Empire represents change.” I nodded. “Change is scary.”
“That is not a problem on Talmon,” Turner said. “But it has been a problem on other planets. Someone else. David.”
“Local politics,” he said. “We could be between two factions.”
“Factions?”
“Groups of people,” Turner said, and so I nodded. “Kari.”
“Marriage customs.”
“Marriage customs?” I echoed. “Marriage is wedding? Man and woman.”
“Or some other combination,” said the woman. “Different worlds have different ways to start a marriage.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Stealing a bride is common.”
“Or a groom,” said Mark. “But that’s a lot less common.”
“Wait. Someone could want to marry me, and would steal me?”
“Yes,” Turner said. “That is a custom on many of the planets.”
“That is against Empire law.”
“The Empire allows local customs if they are well recognized on the local planet,” Turner explained.
I cocked my head then nodded.
“Good,” she said. “We can play this game all afternoon. Maddalyn, what is the best way to survive a fight?”
I smiled. “Run away.”
“Good. Give me more answers that might be similar.”
“Make the fight not happen.”
“Good. Break that down further.”
I considered. “Make the angry person not angry.”
“Good,” she said. “And something very different?”
I mimed pulling a gun and pointing it at her.
“Okay, yes. Obviously superior firepower, or lots of friends.”
“Or one friend with big muscles,” I said with a smile.
“Yes,” she said. “This class isn’t about any of those choices, but you will have other classes that address this.” She moved closer to me. “Imagine I am angry with you. The reason doesn’t matter. What is your goal?”
“To avoid a fight.”
“And once it is clear a fight is going to happen? What is your goal?”
“To get away.”
“Good. What is even more important than getting away.”
“Living.”
“Good,” she said. “If you and I fight, who will win?”
“You.”
“If you run, do you think I can catch you?”
I looked around. “They are your friends, not mine. Yes, you can catch me.”
“You have to decide for yourself, Maddalyn, but if you can’t win, you can fight, or you can surrender. What are the risks?”
“If I fight, and I cannot win, I can get hurt. I can make you angrier, so you are more willing to hurt me or even kill me.”
“What are the risks if you surrender?”
“I could give up my chances, however small, but if I am going to lose, then not fighting might be better.” I paused. “If it’s a man, I’m not going to surrender, Turner. Would you?”
“No. Some women would. Luckily, I have never been in that position. Well, I have, but I was far better than they were. I believe I would fight, even when it was hopeless.” She paused. “Maddalyn, your goal is to get back to help while still alive. If you make it back to the Empire alive, we can heal anything that happens to your body. But you have to get to us alive.”
“I understand, Turner. This bad topic.”
“Yes, it is,” she said. “But it is better to think about it now than to react when surprised.”
“I understand,” I said.
She looked me up and down. “You took a small body for rejuvenation.”
“My natural body,” I said. “Only hands different, but Anna White made inside changes. Stronger. Healthier.”