“Her Majesty the Empress is of the House of Clybh. If our house doesn’t produce another emperor for a while, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I guess, but, I dunno...”
“I’d be too worried to let you go by yourself. When I didn’t know whether you’d survived, I... I just don’t want to go through that again.”
“I’m honored, really, but it’s my home planet. I’ll be all right. Probably.”
“Oh? But weren’t you deathly afraid of your home planet?”
“Urgh... If I’m being honest, I’m afraid. But it’s also something I’ve got to face at some point. On the other hand, it’s not really your problem, and I’m worried that I’m dragging you into a whole big thing.”
“Just be straight with me. Do you want me to be by your side, or don’t you? Be straight with me, Linn Ssynec Raucr Dreuc Haïder Ghintec.”
“...I want you by my side.”
“I can’t hear you.”
“I would be overjoyed if you could be by my side, Lafier.”
“Then it’s settled,” she said, her voice triumphal.
Sercruca still in her arms, the two humans made for the exit of the Cats’ Refectory. Gazing at their backs as they strode away, Dyaho felt unfairly neglected. His tail upright and wagging, he paced their way with dignity in full. Yet the humans simply would not look back to face him.
Once again, Dyaho protested.
“Would you look at that? So you are coming, Dyaho,” said the former housemate, crouching.
This time around, Dyaho jumped into his arms willingly. The former housemate’s arms were oddly relaxing.
Dyaho’s eyes met the eyes of the cat the other human was carrying, the eyes of Sercruca.
But before he could even contemplate what this eye contact portended, the sandman came for him. Dyaho felt as helpless as a newborn kitten, and then, succumbed to sleep.
Appendix: On the Feudal Sovereignty System of the Humankind Empire of Abh
It is a well-known fact that, during the dawn of what would become the Abh Empire, Abhs dwelt together on the city-ship Abliar, roaming through space as a mercantile race. In those times, they constituted the thin and delicate thread that connected a human race that had spread across an area of the cosmos one light-century in diameter. What’s not nearly as well-known is the fact that Abhs traded amongst each other within that city-ship as well.
Unlike what some believe, Abh society before the founding of the Empire was not primitive communist in nature. Granted, the remuneration for the complex work that accompanied interstellar navigation was nothing more than the guarantee of food, clothing and shelter, and there was no disparity between occupations. The only real differences revolved around living environments, based on the respective required skill levels of the vocations in question.
Yet at the same time, the Abh owned property through family units, and through the loose groupings that constituted clan units. Abhs strove to increase their own personal fortunes by exchanging these family properties. It was as good an activity as any to kill time during long voyages.
What makes inter-Abh commerce more difficult to understand from the outside is the fact that that property existed in the form of information. Valuable information could be sold for handsome prices to the outside, but Abhs would trade for information with information, so ultimately, it’s difficult to pinpoint who was the wealthiest figure in the period before the Empire.
Eventually, and in concurrence with the establishment of planar space navigation, the Abh set about the construction of their empire. It was very natural that the basis of the Empire had to do with trade.
The first ones to accrue large amounts of holdings were the Abliar clan, who inherited the position of Ship’s Captain. The head of the Abliars became Emperor, and came to own all ships equipped with planar space navigation functionality. Some objected to this, but those words of protest had to be withdrawn once persuaded that unity in the Empire was necessary to ensure its permanence.
Additionally, the Abliar clan would go on to keep eight portals for themselves. Ships that passed through portals (the ruined husks of groups of yuanons, the particles that once propelled the city-ship Abliar) had to pay a toll to their custodians. Yet more objected to this, but the process that led to broad consent was a series of events too complicated and bizarre to get into here.
In any case, the military force of arms accumulated to protect the city-ship could now turn toward the outside via planar space navigation. Immediately, three star systems were conquered, forming the Abh Empire’s first territorial possessions. Emphasis on the word “possessions,” for the Abh had no interest in exerting full governmental control over the landworlds from the very outset. Instead, they were more than satisfied establishing exclusivity of trade rights. To the Abh, “governance” entailed making their presence known to the autonomous administrations of the populations of their fiefs, thereby impelling a desire for interstellar trade, and wangling increased trade profits.
A principal clan was appointed to each of the three star systems, monopolizing space trade. That being said, there was some friction during the Empire’s foundational period, as the lords’ style of reigning was not yet refined, and the general rule not to interfere in the politics of the landworlds lacked consistency in implementation. The feudal sovereignty system would be streamlined alongside the Empire’s expansion.
The lords would be categorized into three categories.
The first category consisted of the eight monarchs who managed the eight portals to the imperial capital of Lacmhacarh. Because the Emperor always emerged from these monarchies, one could not simply leave it at calling them “lords and ladies.” However, their professional duty to oversee the portals would lose substance as the ages wore on, and the royal thrones became honorary posts.
The second category consisted of the grandees, Abhs with grips over star systems with inhabited planets. In days of yore, they were all called counts, until such time that creating a hierarchy was felt necessary. Thus were born the ranks of duke, marquess, and archduke. The title of “archduke” was established specifically for the heads of the lines directly descended from the 28 Founding Clans.
Moreover, cases whereby lieges were appointed to uninhabited planets caught the eye more and more. That category of liege was further subdivided into two. Viscounts owned star systems that could be made habitable via terraforming (which they were expected to make happen), while barons owed star systems that could not. Barons were expected to provide mineral resources and antimatter fuel.
Thanks to the existence of viscounts and barons, the Empire could swell to enormous size in peace and harmony. That was not to say the Abh had abandoned the business of conquering. Though they didn’t go out of their way to spring wars, once war was declared for one reason or another, the Empire refused to cease battle until the enemy was totally absorbed.
Naturally, this called for operations to facilitate the incorporation of former enemy nations’ star systems into the body of the Empire. Eventually, those who succeeded in military campaigns were installed as Emperors, but the newly annexed star systems proved to be not-so-submissive, ushering in a raft of thorny problems. Since the governing of the new domain was too burdensome, it was customary for the Emperor to serve as a liege as well. Of course, the Emperors themselves could not rule, so a magistrate would be dispatched. In times of war, however it was often the case that even those formalities were insufficient. In such times, liege agents were appointed instead.
There was no set of qualifications to be a liege agent. Many times, starpilots were appointed, but more out of necessity than because they were thought to be fit for the role of liege agent; after all, it was the very fact that the Abh war machine was still rolling along that allowed that phenomenon to occur. The fact that aristocrats and their heirs came to fill these positions was due to the general sentiment that heading up this tedious and unrewarding duty was a part of their “noblesse oblige.”
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The liege agents were said to be temporary stopgap figures, there to tide things over until full-blown imperial rule commenced. It took a great deal of experience to effectively govern a new domain. As such, what was desired of liege agents was to do as little as possible (save for niceties and etiquette) until accomplished magistrates were appointed in their place.
But there have been exceptions in the Empire’s long history — pressing emergencies wherein, before magistrates could arrive, young people without much life experience, let alone experience as lords or ladies, had to cope without any help.
Some of those cases ended in tragedy. The Empire’s official stance chalked those unfortunates up as “unlucky,” and its views on the feudal system have not appreciably changed to this day.
Afterword
I don’t eat breakfast right after getting up. I warm up with some light stretching and take a shower first.
I brew some coffee and play some chords on the keyboard. It’s around two hours before the coffee pot runs empty. And that’s the cue for brunch.
After a hearty brunch, I do some shopping at some bookstores while taking a stroll. Exercise is indispensable for people in my profession, so I deliberately go roundabout ways.
I brew myself yet more coffee, and face the display. Then I spend six hours working, with one or more breaks for tea.
Preparing dinner takes a measure of time and effort. I try not to go out to eat.
After mealtime, I watch a video I prerecorded. When I turn off the TV, I put on my nightcap and peruse my freshly purchased new publication.
At the end of the day, I check the cable TV program guide and pick a show to record.
Ah, it’s already morning. It’s another nice day, too. Laundry time.
......And that has been the kind of everyday lifestyle that your humble author, Morioka, aspires to.
Speaking of which, when I was kid, I liked writing up plans for what to do during summer break. I always thought it would be sweet to go through summer break with just a grand plan. Alas, I was the type who would never follow through, even when it was my own plan, so the end of August was invariably hell.
How does the expression go? “As the child, so the man.” A lazy kid would never grow up into an industrious and diligent adult. Actually, let me amend that statement, as there may just be some of you who’d respond with “I was a lazy kid, but now I’m a fine hard-working grown-up.” So, I can’t speak in generalities, but at least in my case, I never shook the laziness.
That is why I say to you, I’m so, so sorry, please forgive me, it took this long to get BANNER OF THE STARS II to you. I must confess, I never thought my pen would ever get this lethargic. To think, I’d been under the impression that I was slightly above average in terms of writing speed. How wrong I was. And I must keep myself from wondering, “Hmm, well, I still can’t help but think it strange. How could you be this slow?” Because no answer will come, and it’ll draw out the penning of this afterword, too.
A lot has happened since the release of BANNER I. CREST OF THE STARS received the Seiun Award, and I was even thrown a party for it. Even during that joyous occasion, I got asked variations on “when’s the next book coming out, though?” but that’s just me reaping what I’ve sown.
Out of all of it, what left a big impression on me was how a reader treated me to tirec nomr at an establishment named Nanatei in Nishiogikubo. Tirec nomr is Baronh for peach juice, but at Nanatei they warmed the juice and made a lemon wedge float in it.
That’s what Lafier said she enjoys in CREST II. I’d written that thinking “if she likes something like that, something must be very amiss with her palate,” but it’s actually quite tasty. What I’d thought was a weird beverage for Lafier to like turned out all right after all. Goes to show you, you ought to give anything a try.
Now for an announcement: CREST OF THE STARS is going to be made into an anime, airing nationwide via WOWOW. It’s scheduled to premiere in January of 1999, but the exact date and time slot aren’t clear yet.
I’ve heard there’s speculation going around that I’m now too focused on the anime to write the next novels, but that is false. I’ll only be truly busy with things regarding the anime sometime down the road. Up to this current point in time, I’ve done little of note anime-wise besides attending meetings and voice actor auditions. I don’t know how much time I’ll need to spend on it, but the fine folks of the production staff will be far busier than me.
Lastly, one other thing: Regarding BANNER OF THE STARS III, the last volume in the Dyaho Trilogy (what, you didn’t know the first three Banner books were the Dyaho Trilogy?), I would love to put it out there as soon as possible, but I’m suffering a lapse of confidence at the moment, so I can’t say for sure when it will be ready.
I hope we meet again in the afterword of BANNER III, and that that reunion occurs sooner rather than later.
10-Jul-98
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Copyright
Banner of the Stars: Volume 2
by Hiroyuki Morioka
Translated by Giuseppe di Martino
Edited by Brandon Koepp
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 1998 Hiroyuki Morioka
Cover illustration by Toshihiro Ono
First published in Japan in 1998 by Hayakawa Publishing Corporation
The book is published by arrangement with Hayakawa Publishing Corporation
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: February 2020
What Needs Defending Page 22