by Taki Drake
Many of the people that arrived were dressed in mourning clothing. Black was everywhere. The color of sorrow, the color of loss. The somber men and women took their seats quietly and sadly. Quiet and subtle music played in the background easily covering up the soft murmurs of the few that spoke. It reminded Ruth of the time before a funeral ceremony back on Earth. She had hated them there and avoided them wherever possible. It didn’t seem that there was going to be any reason to change her feeling about their equivalent here either.
Pawlik appeared to be lost in thought. His eyes were half closed, staring off into the distance. No one wanted to interrupt him or take him away from his thoughts. He roused to attention when he saw Ruth greeting four unknown people and sending them to chairs along one side wall. She had told him a few days ago that she wanted to supplement the traditional death gift with another option. Her ideas always had merit to him, so he had not inquired any more into the details. He vaguely remembered her saying that she wasn’t sure if the people that came to the meeting would be comfortable with something so nontraditional, but he had agreed that each of the gift recipients would have a choice between the two options.
The quiet, mournful atmosphere of the meeting was broken abruptly by the sound of a cheerfully off-key voice. The owner of the voice entered the room in a flurry of motion. She was a big girl, tall and exuberantly voluptuous, crowned with windblown hair. As she came into the chamber, the impact of admonitory eyes changed her expression from mild pleasure to intense embarrassment. She backed up a couple of steps and would have fled the room, but her reversal had slammed her into another person entering the room, and she had come to an abrupt halt. Her embarrassment increased, and she moved forward with a muttered apology. No longer meeting anyone’s eyes, she scuttled over to crouch down onto a chair on one side of the room and resolutely avoided looking at anyone.
The girl pulled out a tablet, bent her head over and started to read. Focusing intently on her reading, she seemed to lose all sense of where she was. When a woman in a hat and black veil attempted to sit next to her, her startlement was so great that she jumped up and screeched in fear. Once again caught in an awkward position, the embarrassed young woman stammered out a confused explanation, “I was reading a scary story, and they had just gotten to the part where the person walked into an empty theater where there were all sorts of possessions and food scattered and flung about. There was blood on the seats right by the stage, and the curtains were ripped and torn. The drapes were even partially yanked off the side of the stage and look like there was a body hidden underneath…” In the middle of the explanation, she stopped abruptly and said, “Oh, you want to get in the seat! Okay, fine!” and jumped up to allow the person to go past her.
The room was filled with people. Among the last to enter was a woman holding a toddler in her arms and a slightly older child by the hand. She was shaking and looked at the edge of tears. Ruth noticed her distress and motioned to one of the Marines by the door to find out what was wrong. Murmuring with the woman for short period of time, the marine carefully seated her and the children and went outside. Something in the way that he walked told both Ruth and Jenna that he was angry. When Ruth cocked an eyebrow at Jenna, she got a response of, “I will deal with it.”
A few minutes later the guard reentered the room. He was holding two bags of possessions, including what appeared to Ruth’s eyes to be a diaper bag. The young woman took them gratefully but still seem to be close to tears. Moving away from Ruth, Jenna slipped down the side of the seats on the outside wall. She quietly walked over and listened unobtrusively to the discussion between the guard and the woman. Apparently, the Marine was doing well with whatever he was saying because Jenna did not need to get involved. The Marine seemed to convince the woman that she did not have to keep her possessions with her and he moved them off to a chair against the side of the room, well within her sight. Jenna walked past him, stopped briefly to talk, and headed back to Ruth.
“Mage Marine Declo took care of the taxi bill. It is traditional for taxis to not charge people going to Death Gift Meetings, but this driver decided to change that when he saw how desperate the woman was. He was holding her possessions ransom for payment, including her children’s food.”
Ruth gasped in outrage but before she could speak Jenna continued, “Declo paid the taxi and sent him off of the property on his own authority. The man didn’t want to leave, but he had no choice when more of the inner keep guards surrounded his vehicle. Declo also got the taxi permit number and the man’s ID. I promised him we would register a complaint after the meeting.”
Promising to see to it after the meeting, Ruth turned her attention back to watching the people in the room. It was an interesting cross-section of the type of people that comprised the majority of Arkken’s population. There were merchants and craftsmen, women and children. Almost everyone was quiet, somber, and waiting.
The subdued noise and tone of the gathering made the fussing of the young woman’s baby sound even more disruptive than it was. The poor woman looked even more distraught, caught between wanting to remove her child from the area but needing to be there when Pawlik started the ceremony. The soft clip-clop of hooved feet heralded Mary’s approach. Moving slowly as did not startle the young mother, Mary wordlessly reached out her hands toward the baby. The woman stared at Mary in fright and confusion. Things seem to be at an impasse until Troyer joined them. The young boy patted the woman’s knee and said, “Mary will watch your baby while you’re in the meeting and maybe he,” pointing to the little boy clutching his mother’s sleeve, “would like to come with us because Cook is making cookies.”
The little one looked up at his mom with beseeching eyes, and said, “Mommy, I would really like to have a cookie again, because it’s been a long time.” The woman flushed red with embarrassment and looked at Mary, consideringly. Seeming to reach a decision, she relinquished her son’s hand to Troyer and gave her baby to Mary. As the small parade left the room, Mary reached out a free hand and grabbed the bags of possessions to take with her.
The very last person to enter the room was a man in rough clothing that had seen better times. There were few open seats left in the room so he was urged toward a chair which happened to be in the front of the chamber and almost directly in front of Ruth. He seemed to be muttering to himself, but no sound could be heard over the muted music and the soft texture of sound from the quiet conversation. Ruth was amazed to listen to a new voice in her head. Damn! How did I end up in a place like this again?! I thought I had learned enough to avoid dealing with the powers-that-be until I could leave!
Apparently, she just had met an unknown telepath. Resolving to follow it up at a later time she turned her attention back to Pawlik just as the clock struck the hour. The Death Gift Meeting was starting.
Pawlik began the meeting. The other survivors of his crew were lined up across the front of the room, all of them dressed in mourning clothes. Recounting the story of their voyage and what occurred, Pawlik was visibly affected and had to stop and gather his composure several times. He spoke of the value that each of the dead had to him and to the crew. Some of the survivors also contribute anecdotes that make their last voyage more real to the mourners.
After all of the crewmembers had been named and mourned, Pawlik announced that the traditional death gift of 60 stellars would be paid to each of the deceased spacer’s next of kin. He also said that there would be the usual wake meal served after the meeting and that his consort had something to add.
Ruth stood up, allowing her cloak to fall away from her face and body. The room was filled with a murmur of reaction as people got a good look at the woman standing there with the circlet of a Mage on her brow.
After giving them a moment to look their fill, Ruth explained that if they wished, there would be an alternate way of getting paid for their death gift. Immediately, several people interrupted her, accusing Pawlik of trying to get out of paying his death gift. Pawlik started
to stand in anger, but Ruth stopped him with a gesture. Turning to the woman that was shouting at her, the Mage said, “You may collect your money in the traditional form. If you wish to do so immediately without hearing what I have to say, please go to that table. We will wait while you get your money and leave.”
About half the people in the room choose to follow the woman and collect their death gift. Ruth waited patiently while they completed their transactions and left the room. Most of them could be seen as they exited the ballroom and hurried toward the funeral feast.
To those that remained, Ruth explained that she wished to create an ongoing fund that would provide a longer-term support for the survivors and for the kin of those that died. She told the group that the four people along the one side of the room were lawyers and that anyone who entered into an agreement for this fund should choose one of them. There was a fund with the Auditor Guild that would pay for the necessary legal representation. Furthermore, there was no further connection with either her or Pawlik after the establishment of the fund so any further responsibility was between the lawyer and their client.
The offset is a contribution of their death gift where five of the stellars would be invested, and they would immediately receive the other 55. She would contribute a percentage of funds from ongoing endeavors into that investment pool and each year the participants would get a payout. The amount that the lawyers would be paid for ongoing management had already been set and would come from the Auditor fund, not the investment fund.
Many in the room did not care for the idea. Ruth was asked by several people in slightly different ways why she did not just give them the extra money. Ruth response was, “I am not part of the crew that was involved in the formation of this death gift pool. However, I do believe that the sacrifice of the men deserves recognition in the same spirit of their care for their crewmates. This is purely my decision and entirely separate from the payment that Lord Pawlik is making. I’m only making this offer once, and this is your only chance to say yes or no. Once you say no, there’s no going back.”
A full two-thirds of the people in the room moved toward the immediate payout table, many involved in spirited discussion as they walked or stood in line. Receiving their funds, those people also joined the others in the banquet area. The remaining people were engaged in either single or group discussions with the attorneys and with each other. There was one heated argument going on between a pair of siblings and another among a small group comprised of a mother, daughter, and son. In the latter group, the son was ordering his mother and sister to get their money and leave with him. His mother agreed with him, including his insistence that he was the best person to manage their money. The girl refused, reminding her mother and brother that she was of age and that she was not willing to turn her money over to her brother. He told her that she would then have no place to live because he was not going to put up with a freeloading sister. Dashing tears from her eyes, the girl looked at her mother, but the woman avoided her gaze.
The girl stayed stubbornly in her chair as her mother and brother went over to collect their money. Her eyes followed them all the way to the door, but neither of them looked back. The big girl at the end of the row of chairs came over to sit by her in an attempt to provide comfort. Ruth couldn’t hear what the taller girl was saying, but she saw that the abandoned sister started to look a tiny bit more cheerful and even managed a tremulous smile. The room was getting a little quieter, the sound reducing enough to allow the Mage to hear the first one say in a cheerful voice, “I’m gonna go for the new plan, but I don’t know what to do about a lawyer because they all look scary!”
Suddenly looking a bit more sure of herself, the younger girl offered to help her new friend with the lawyers. As the two of them got up and started walking over to the side of the room, the bigger girl turned to the other one and said, “Well, we could always be roommates!”
As they went off together, all of the people around them could hear the younger girl say, “I don’t know how you came up with that idea but it’s awesome.”
Ruth was surprised to see the beaten-down looking young woman, whose two children had gone off with Mary, in the line to speak with a lawyer. The woman had avoided the one female lawyer and instead was talking to an older- looking man. He talked with her for some period of time and then patiently assisted her with the paperwork. Just before signing the last document, the young woman looked around the room and spied the Marine that had helped her. Excusing herself from the lawyer’s table, she carried the paperwork over to the guard and whispered to him urgently. He regarded her with an inscrutable gaze before answering her briefly and nodding his head emphatically. Looking resolute, the woman went back to the lawyer’s table and signed her agreement.
The last of the people had left the room. The lawyers told Ruth how many had joined in the new program and she found out that a total of 51 of the 530 people that came to the Death Gift Meeting have chosen her alternative program. She was both surprised and saddened that there were so few.
Ruth asked for a short meeting with the auditors and the lawyers which convened in a small attached room. Ruth handed the auditors an electronic document that contained a number that made their eyebrows rise when they glanced to the tablet and back to her. She said, “This is the immediate contribution to the disbursement fund. I expect that it will be paid out in the agreed-upon manner.”
One of the auditors asked, “What proportion of this is going to be put into the fund?”
“That is the amount that was transferred into the fund as of 15 minutes ago.”
The lawyers glanced at each other in astonishment because none of them had ever seen an auditor look so disconcerted. The female lawyer, who went by the name of Mara and was possessed of a strong personality and assertive manner, asked straightforwardly, “What is the per-person disbursement.”
The more senior auditor looked at her and said, “584 stellars per-person.” The youngest lawyer exclaimed, “If you would’ve told them how much the fund was, they would’ve all gone in on it!”
Ruth answered him, saying, “I only wanted the ones in the fund that were willing to take a chance. And that is exactly why I made sure that everyone who received their funds signed an agreement that their decision was final and acknowledged that there was no going back.”
“But, but, but…””
“Remember lady and gentlemen that I am not from your culture, and I am not constrained by your traditions and laws.”
The auditors stood up and issued small bows to Ruth. One of them said, “You are absolutely correct Lady Ruth. Mages are above all law. I want to thank you for the generous act of setting up this fund. The Auditor Guild remains at your service.” Gathering their papers and electronics, the auditors left, their guards trailing them.
Ruth looked at the four lawyers and asked them collectively, “How and when are you going to inform your clients?” The oldest one looked at her seriously for a moment before breaking into a huge grin. “I think we should tell them at the end of the wake party.”
Ruth smiled back mischievously, “I agree.” She continued, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think it’s time for us to join the party. I am sure that my Anchor could use the moral support.”
The feast had been exhausting. Traditionally the funeral meal lasted for three to four hours. This one was no exception, although it was notable for the abundance and quality of the food provided for such a large group. Ruth was very pleased with the performance of her inner keep team, reminding herself that she needed to complement the cook especially.
Snatches of isolated scenes would forever stick in Pawlik and Ruth’s minds. For the Mage, the most prominent memory was when the brother and mother tried to gang up on the daughter that had chosen to be in the fund. The brother kept insisting that she turn over her money to him for management. The girl adamantly refused which infuriated her brother. Trying a variety of bullying tactics, which got him nowhere, the egotistical brat
of a man finally was reduced to telling her that she would be no longer welcome in her mother’s home. The crying girl asked her mother, “Is this true?”
Her mother whispered weakly, “Men are better at managing money, my dear. I’m sure your brother is right. I don’t understand why you just won’t let him do what’s best for us.”
Ruth felt a tug on her arm and looked around to her left to see the large woman who had befriended the girl in the Death Gift Meeting. She looked angry and worried. She asked Ruth, “My Lady Mage, is there any way that someone can drive us to Carla’s house to get her belongings before her mother and brother return? Her brother is an absolute asshole, and he will probably lock her out once he gets back to the house. I know people just like him!”
Ruth motioned for one of the guards and explained the situation. She requested that her Mage Guard provide transport and protective support. After checking with Jenna, the guard escorted both girls out of the room unobtrusively, on a mission to retrieve Carla’s belongings. Her mother and brother did not even notice their absence.
Another isolated memory - Ruth would also always remember the look on the young mother’s face when she saw her baby in Mary’s arms, clean and wrapped in a new blanket, her small son laughing as he rode on Mary’s back. Troyer stood to one side of the boy, with a protective hand on his leg, while Techla leaned against Mary’s foreleg in contentment.
The little boy went over to his mother and offered her his cookie. Tears welling in her eyes, the young woman thanked him but refused, telling him that there was lots of food for them to eat and that he should keep it for himself. He responded that he had already eaten soup and bread and lots of cookies. Cook had given him this cookie to share with his mommy. Wrapping her arms around him, the mother closed her eyes as tears trickled down her face.