by Juliet Sem
"These have been programmed with all the Autocracy language and writing files Prince Dinus provided us. Your scanner is capable of optical character recognition of not only the main Autocracy script, but also that of the Rillul and Triker, while the voice recognition software will translate the three main languages of the Autocracy, which are Phaet, Laringo, and Multana, and in addition will translate Rillul and Triker. Our linguists say all three of the Autocracy languages are very closely related, so much so that they would classify them as dialects of the same language, though the Autocracy insists they are all unique languages in and of themselves. However, as there are many subdialects on their planets, there will be gaps in communication. We have been assured by Prince Dinus that our entourage will always be accompanied by locals fluent in both their local languages and any non-standard scripts as well as Unity so we can avoid any misunderstandings."
Vahin worked the controls at the station and several images appeared. Keestu leaned forward to scrutinize an almost flowery arrangement of rounded figures. She saw that some figures were drawn larger than the others, and as a whole, while there were several lines of apparent text, there were no spaces to indicate word or sentence breaks. The image to the right of it was a series of lines and dots arranged in regular formations, and Keestu noted the lines used were vertical, horizontal or slanted diagonally in one direction only, grouped together in regular formations that had to be letters or words. Finally, on the far right was a much longer image showing a flowing vertical cursive script. Vahin tapped the rounded figures on the left. "This is the main Autocracy script. It is used throughout the major cities on every planet regardless of dialect, so while the locals may not speak Unity, all the major cities have signs posted in Phaet, Laringo, or Multana that your cuff will be able to read. There are no word or sentence breaks in written Autocracy, but a larger character is used for the first letter of every word." He pressed his lips together in consideration. "I'm not a linguist, but I'd swear many of these characters look quite similar to the script used on Uriel before the Sandarian printed script was voted into use to write Unity."
He moved on to the lines and dots script. "This is the script used by the Triker. You will see it featured prominently on Autocracy Station and on displays at the major ports the Triker call on."
He finally turned to the vertical script that had caught Keestu's eye. "This is the script of the Rillul. It's a vertical cursive script that is read from top to bottom, left to right. Again, you will see it in displays on Autocracy Station and on the port displays on the rest of the Autocracy's planets."
Keestu, knowing she would recognize each of the unique scripts now, stepped back to give everyone else a chance to study them. Rue, Gontu, and Tenget all took their turns before the crew of the Jewel took theirs. Keestu realized that the Jewel's crew would be on an extended furlough on Autocracy Station while her delegation was being escorted throughout the Autocracy.
"Captain Nebo," she asked, "Are you planning on visiting any of the other Autocracy planets while I'm away?"
He frowned. "None of the crew will be allowed to leave Autocracy Station on this trip. With many days of negotiations ahead, King Ismer thought it would be best for us to remain there. It's assumed Your Highness should always be able to make your way back to Autocracy Station, and we need to be there in the event you need to quickly leave the Autocracy."
"Sorry," Keestu apologized. "I know you must be as eager to explore the Autocracy as the rest of us!"
Nebo smiled in a paternal manner at her, then admitted, "A little, but I agree with King Ismer that it's the prudent thing to do. If all else fails, the Jewel has a full complement of weapons at her disposal."
Keestu gasped, her eyes going wide. "You mean, the Jewel can hold Autocracy Station hostage?"
"Only as a last resort, Your Highness. King Ismer wants to insure the safety of all his people, and should our regular reports cease, he will know it's time for action."
Tenget turned to Keestu, "All this is merely for the sake of caution."
Keestu eyed her trainer shrewdly. "Is this trip why you suddenly went from training me with a plasma rifles and projectile weapons to focusing more on improvised weapons and hand-to-hand combat the past few months?"
Tenget grinned at her. "Yes. Your father thought it prudent to train you in each of these techniques so should all else fail, you can fight your way free and find a way to evade them long enough for a rescue team to come get you."
"Considering how much emphasis the Autocracy places on combat, I don't think getting away would be easy. Prince Dinus did see me fighting with a staff."
"Yes, but he has no idea just how intense your training with it has been, nor does he know how exacting your exercise routine is. You are more likely to outpace and outlast any pursuers if it comes down to it; many military exercise programs your grandfather studied before he designed the one the royal family uses tend to place too much emphasis on techniques of brute force, not a comprehensive overall physical and weapons training program like the one your grandfather designed for all members of the royal household."
"But the nobles make up their military force," Rue put in. "They are bound to be formidable adversaries."
"Yes, but the element of surprise should be on your side," Tenget said.
"Considering the delicate nature of this mission," Vahin said, "I think it fortuitous that Prince Dinus mistook you for Princess Keestu."
"I know I'm looking forward to it," Keestu said. "It's nice to think that my every move won't be analyzed in the infocom. Vahin, do they even have an infocom here?"
"Yes, their system of news and entertainment dissemination is very similar to ours. We suspect that some time in the past, the Rillul passed on the concept to them since they used to trade extensively at Weegai for fish and other items, including Uriel's electronics."
"Hmm, too bad the Rillul didn't set up a kiosk at the Hub," Keestu said. "I'd like to know more about them, since Princess Shina told me you can learn a lot about a world by examining what goods they offer for sale to others."
The information session was over, and Keestu and Rue went to their quarters. Since the Jewel was only used for short trips, the guest accommodations were scanty; Keestu and Rue shared a tiny compartment filled mostly by the three bunks it held. The bulk of their luggage was stowed in the Jewel's cargo hold, as only a single suitcase for each of them could fit in the narrow closet near the compact shower cubicle.
So tiny was the room that the narrow bunks themselves did not fold into the wall but were fixed in place and doubled as seating with the walls being padded to form the backs, and small tables could be pulled out of the walls on adjustable frames. On the wall between two of the bunks was a single console that was shared by all occupants of the room.
Tenget, Gontu, and Vahin shared the Jewel's other guest quarters, which was an exact duplicate of this one. The crew, of course, all had their own assigned private quarters, and in addition there was a large common room that served as both the mess and recreation hall. Since the Jewel was a royal liner, it also had a small gym.
Keestu sat down at the bunk with the console and pulled up the information Vahin had shown them earlier, enlarging the images of the writing systems used in the Autocracy. Rue sat on the other bunk and watched Keestu as she reexamined the scripts, and then went on to specifics about each of the two races she was unfamiliar with.
"Well," she said after several minutes of reading, "What Vahin didn't say is that the Triker script is called 'Za-Magra' which in literal translation means 'Stab-Slash' and the dots are called 'stabs', the straight lines 'slashes', and the diagonal lines 'strikes'."
Rue nodded. "I read that over your shoulder. I wonder how war-like they are if their script has such a name and description?"
"According to the Autocracy's info, there is no evidence of them being war-like," Keestu said. "There's been no mention of any major conflicts on the Triker world or of them causing problems on Autocracy Stat
ion. Our records also have no mention of any aggressive behavior on their visits to the Hub."
"Maybe there is another reason it's called that, an outmoded cultural reference we are missing that would explain it, then," Rue commented.
"Yes, you're probably right," Keestu said.
Keestu reread the data on the Rillul. "The Rillul are mentioned as being rather gregarious in bars and restaurants, but again, no overt violent tendencies have been observed."
"Well, it would not be good for trade agreements if the trading parties got into fights or wrecked space stations and ports they were visiting on their trips," Rue said wryly.
Keestu smiled at that comment. "Yes, I'm sure you're right. I just have to wonder how human the Rillul are? They certainly look human to me, except for their green skin."
"Too bad we don't know what living conditions are like on Rillul. We have no records of anyone from the Union going there to trade, and apparently the Autocracy is content to let the Rillul come to them. I know we are white on Sandar because we have more clouds, rain, and snow on the eastern continent, which we know is the second continent permanently settled on Sandar, and we therefore are lighter skinned to give us better vitamin D absorption, while the lack of substantial year-round weather changes on the main equatorial continent of Weegai means they have black skin to protect against skin cancer since they all get plenty of vitamin D with all that sunshine but must protect against too much UV radiation. Biology taught us that."
"Right," Keestu agreed. "But I'd really like to know what conditions are needed to produce green skin!"
They laughed, and then continued their studies.
"The story of the Autocracy's foundation sounds more apocryphal than factual to me," Keestu commented as they read it. "I mean who's going to believe, 'Rentham remained at her new home, but sent the other twenty-nine of the "Perfect Thirty warriors" out to populate the rest of the known universe after the final defeat and banishment of the white demon Othna, and twenty-five of them found the Autocracy star sector to their liking while the whereabouts of the other four warriors has been lost to time.'"
"Isn't it funny, though," Rue said, "That we have myths that Rentham founded Sandar? I mean there is that really popular story about your line being descended from 'children of the companion of Rentham'."
"Yes, I've heard that one," Keestu said. "I think that dates back to the religious times, when it was important for leaders to be considered of divine origin, though I have no idea whether it's from the superstitions of the people or the vanity of the rulers. I've read that scholars argue it was important for people to believe in a divine right to rule, and that's partly why they set their leaders on a pedestal."
"Well, I've read religious theory, and the books I've read all state that more often than not truth gets twisted into legend, and embellished by subsequent generations until the story grows so fantastic as to be unbelievable to the point of be considered nothing but myth. It's akin to that game of passing a story around the room and seeing how close it is to the original one when it's done being passed. Oral storytelling is especially prone to change, which is why the advent of writing was so important, because one could put down in words the story as one heard it, and subsequent generations would read it as it was known at that particular time, not through the filter of many more generations who may embellish the tale or leave parts out because they forgot them."
"So you think there is truth behind all the Rentham stories, then?"
"Well, not that she is a bona fide Goddess with magic powers, but yes, some scholars have studied the stories that permeate the Union and beyond and concluded that a single woman is responsible for the diaspora of the human race to the known Union worlds, though the location of the so-called Motherworld that she came from is not currently known. Her name is probably not actually Rentham, but that's the oldest one known since the advent of human writing, and therefore Rentham she became and has remained for nearly two thousand years. As to whether I believe that she fought a demon named Othna by using secret languages with her followers the demon couldn't understand and vanished at the end of their war, taking him with her to fight on her new home in another dimension after their last battle, leaving her warrior leaders behind to found our civilization: of course I don't believe the fantastic parts; there is probably a much simpler story about what that woman did that got embellished into mythic proportions before it was finally written down. Plus, there is some confusion regarding the end of the battle. It's said in some stories she vanished, never to be seen again, while the Rillul stories say that she sent the 'Perfect Thirty' to populate the known worlds after she founded Rillul, which she could not have done if she had vanished from our universe."
"I'd like to read those books you've got when we get home," Keestu said. "I like that they put science behind religion and feel truth has somehow turned into legend and from there into myth; from an analytical point it makes a lot of sense. Still, I have to admit it would be something; me descended from 'the companion of Rentham'! Okay, so I suppose that answers my earlier question. It is probably royal vanity behind the claim of a divine origin."
Rue chuckled, and then insisted, "According to one book, there is a very good likelihood you are the descendant of someone who knew the real Rentham, whoever she was. No other stories of Rentham throughout the Union make that particular claim, so it's felt there is truth behind it due to its uniqueness. I even read one theory that states since the translation of "companion" is ambiguous, that it means the royal family are direct descendants of Rentham herself along with her companion, who would of course be her spouse or consort, though why they would say you came from the companion and not from Rentham herself is confusing. One writer insisted that it was considered uncouth to write about Rentham doing ordinary domestic things like giving birth, hence the reference that you came from the companion instead, though of course both a male and female are needed to propagate all known humanoid species, and Rentham is always described as being female and therefore would have to have been the one giving birth to your line."
"Well," Keestu said, "Whether or not it is true is something we will never learn, so I suppose we should concentrate on learning more about the Autocracy."
Chapter ten
The subjective hours of travel passed quickly, and Keestu set an alarm to make certain she was on the bridge for their emergence at Rillul. Their route had been arranged so that they would do a fly-through of the Rillul system, making a wide sweeping turn through the outer system, but Keestu wanted to make sure she didn't miss an opportunity to see the homeworld of this interesting species.
She was disappointed when she was unable to see anything because of their entry angle and direction of travel, as Rillul and its star were invisible to her. Buoys pinged at them, and the only oral contact they got was when they approached the Rillul's ring system.
"Myr hyava Rillul. Shala tópan bet min glé én arin rotúäl. Rifalmi!"
"Translate and play that back," Captain Nebo ordered com.
"Aye, Captain," Surra said, her hands busy on her board. "It says, "You're leaving Rillul. Fly straight until you come to our ring. Farewell!' I interpret that as maintain our present course until we encounter their outbound ring."
"Well, despite your confidence in the translator, I'd rather be certain," Captain Nebo was saying, when a live Rillul voice interrupted him, speaking over the open com in accented Unity.
"Attention Union ship Sandar's Jewel. You are cleared for exit through the Rillul outbound ring to Autocracy Station. Maintain your present course and speed and you will enter the ring on target and on schedule. Please feel free to stop at Rillul on your trip home; our atmosphere will not harm your anatomy. Have a pleasant journey and stay at Autocracy Station. Rillul Outpost One out."
"Copy that Rillul Outpost One. We thank you for your courtesy and invitation and look forward to stopping at Rillul at a later time. Sandar's Jewel out," Surra replied.
"Okay," Captain Nebo said
, mollified. "I guess they are a little more informal with their own kind, but they aren't taking any chances with us. However, I want a visual on their ring as soon as you can give it to me."
"Aye, Captain," Paxi said, busy at her board.
Keestu stayed riveted in her seat, only to realize that when you've seen one ring, you've seen them all. She sighed in frustration, knowing no more about this species now than she ever had.
Rue leaned over to her. "Angry, Kee?"
"Not really. I just wish we'd gotten more of a visual on Rillul or their station."
"Maybe we can stop here on the way back," Keestu said, looking at Captain Nebo questioningly.
"Unfortunately, Princess, I have my orders to only dock at either the Hub or Autocracy Station for this trip. No side trips are allowed, so we can't stop here despite the kind offer of the Rillul."
"Well, that's just great," Keestu grumbled, "My first trip on my own, and I'm all but grounded on the ship."
Rue grimaced in sympathy. "We will be touring the Autocracy planets. There's bound to be lots of interesting things to see there!"
"Oh I know, but the Rillul are a different kind of humanoid, and I guess I'm like my brother Kang in that I'd like to better know the ones who are less like us."
Captain Nebo spoke up. "We have gotten a long distance visual of Rillul on our cameras. Paxi, shunt that image over to screen two."
He gestured, and Keestu looked where he was pointing. Rillul was shown on the screen, magnified so many times that most of the details were lost, but Keestu saw that it appeared to be a blue-green on blue planet when seen from this distance. She found it an enigmatic image.
"What is that? Large seas, meaning the continents are grouped on the far side of the planet, in a just broken up pangaea-like formation, like they are on Sandar?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Captain Nebo said. "Our equipment is not powerful enough at this distance to resolve the image any further."