Celebration
Captain Magno stepped to the top of a low mound beside the pond and faced the assembled crew. She wore her dress uniform, much fancier than her working uniform, her hair flowed behind her, unbraided and brushed out, and she wore more makeup than usual. 'Dolled up for the cameras', she called it. There was a small audio remote on her collar, and several video/audio remotes hovered silently around and above her. Her image appeared in the huge holo-display above the bridge, on screens all over the ship, and was encoded on signals sent out to the entire star system.
"Thank you all for coming here. I know you're wondering what this is all about, so I'll get right to it."
She looked out over the crowd for a few seconds.
"A ship's captain has many duties, many responsibilities, and a few privileges. I have invited you here this evening to bear witness as I perform one of the most solemn and joyous of these. It is my privilege to announce the wedding of our friends and crewmates. Attention to orders!"
The crowd had gone nearly silent for her announcements. Now a low murmur of talk started.
"Hibiki Tokai. Front and center!" Hibiki marched out from behind a row of bushes, neat and elegant in his best dress uniform, and stopped in front of her. The murmur spread and grew louder.
"Dita Liebely. Front right!" Dita emerged from the same place, a smiling vision in white, walked up and took her place beside Hibiki at the Captain's right hand, and Hibiki's left.
"Barnette Orangello. Front left!" Barnette stepped out, equally beautiful and smiling, and took the matching place on her left.
The talk became a low roar. Dita's smile got just a little bit wider as Hibiki reached out and took his brides' hands. BC and Korai walked out from behind the bushes, their job of keeping the curious away done. Magno got out a small notebook, opened it and looked at it for a few seconds, then looked up and began to speak, referring to the notebook from time to time.
"Tonight we bring some old traditions to this star system for the first time. We set a precedent, establish a guide for those who may follow us. That is an important duty, but there is another, much more important. Today three of our shipmates, our friends, our family, begin a journey that will last the rest of their lives. We owe it to them to give them a good start. I ask you to join with me in giving them our support, and our best wishes for their future."
"We spent some time choosing which traditions to use, which to leave out. I was honored when they asked for my help, and I have done my best. We all have. Time will tell what we have done right, and whether we have made mistakes despite our best efforts."
"There will be those who believe that this wedding is entirely a mistake; that it is wrong for a man and two women to be husband and wives. Who would oppose their marriage, even though this is what they all want, even though no one can explain why it would be wrong, or show that they are doing any harm to anyone."
"We choose to establish the precedent that a marriage should serve the needs of its members first, and that they are best suited to decide what those needs are. That the only cause outsiders can have to interfere is to prevent them from doing harm to others, and that they must first prove the harm."
"If anyone present knows any reason why Barnette Orangello, Hibiki Tokai, and Dita Liebely should not be joined in marriage, speak now, or not at all."
Captain Magno looked out over the gathering as the sound nearly died out, giving them plenty of time to think about it. She checked her notebook again, then put it away.
"There are no objections. I will proceed with the wedding."
She looked at Hibiki. "Do you, Hibiki Tokai, affirm that you understand the duties, obligations and responsibilities of marriage? Do you give your solemn vow that you will accept these, and perform them to the best of your ability? Do you take Dita Liebely and Barnette Orangello to be your wives? To love, honor and care for them, never placing one before the other? To cherish them both, to share their joys and hardships, to help them at need, and accept their help in turn, as long as you live?"
Hibiki stood to attention. "I do."
She looked at Dita. "Do you, Dita Liebely, affirm that you understand the duties, obligations and responsibilities of marriage? Do you give your solemn vow that you will accept these, and perform them to the best of your ability? Do you take Hibiki Tokai and Barnette Orangello to be your husband and wife? To love, honor and care for them, never placing one before the other? To cherish them both, to share their joys and hardships, to help them at need, and accept their help in turn, as long as you live?"
Dita smiled radiantly. "I do."
Magno turned her head to Barnette. "Do you, Barnette Orangello, affirm that you understand the duties, obligations and responsibilities of marriage? Do you give your solemn vow that you will accept these, and perform them to the best of your ability? Do you take Hibiki Tokai and Dita Liebely to be your husband and wife? To love, honor and care for them, never placing one before the other? To cherish them both, to share their joys and hardships, to help them at need, and accept their help in turn, as long as you live?"
Barnette smiled. "I do."
Magno looked into the active video remote. "By the power granted to me by ancient tradition as captain of the Nirvana, I pronounce you husband, wife, and wife. Congratulations, all of you. You may seal your vows with a kiss."
The crew cheered wildly as Hibiki and Dita put their arms around each other and kissed. They separated, he turned to Barnette and they did the same. They parted, then Barnette and Dita shared a quick kiss. They all turned to face the assembled crew. The cheering went on.
Dita made sure one of the remotes was facing her and waved her flowers. After a few seconds, her image appeared on the screens as somebody switched signals.
"We spent a lot of time researching old traditions to prepare for this wedding." Her voice sounded throughout the ship.
"I would like to bring another of those traditions back today." She threw her bouquet high over the crowd. "Catch!"
Hands stuck up, and after a brief confusion of grabbing, it wound up in one of them. Barnette threw hers a few seconds later, then made a beckoning gesture to another remote. Her image replaced Dita's.
"The tradition is that whoever catches a bridal bouquet will get married soon. I doubt that a bunch of flowers can cause you to get married, but it's a nice thought, and now we don't have to carry them around all night!"
The crowd had quieted down; now they broke out laughing and cheering again.
They had discovered another tradition, but there wasn't a 'garter' to be found in the entire star system, and since there were so few men aboard anyway, they decided to leave that one for somebody else to revive.
Captain Magno tapped her audio remote. The screens switched back to her.
"If any of you would like to say a few words to our newlyweds, start forming a line there along the shore, behind BC. And, Commander Rheingau, would you have your people start bringing out the tables and food?"
She nodded and turned away, signaling that she was done. The main display switched to a view of the two wives with their husband standing between them. Other screens showed various views of the park and people.
Magno walked around in front of them. "Congratulations again, all of you. If there's anything else you need, let me know." She grinned. "I've got this other job to get back to now, something about commanding the ship. I'm sure you understand."
Barnette chuckled. "Thank you, Captain. Thank you for everything. I think we can face the rigors of this party without much help."
Magno laughed, nodded to them, and turned away. BC waited until a line formed and stabilized, then stepped forward and took both of Dita's hands.
"I never got a chance to welcome you back aboard, Dita. We're all glad to have you back, and safe. And now you're married. These last two days must have seemed a bit…hectic."
She smiled. "Thank you. It feels good to be back. The Nirvana, Hibiki, Barnette, all our friends, I really feel like I'm home. And, it's been a lot, but this is the happiest day of my life. Thank you for all your help, making it happen."
BC stepped in front of Hibiki and shook his hand. "Congratulations, to all of you."
"Thank you. Thanks for all your help, too. None of this would have been possible without you and the Captain. I hope you don't get in too much trouble."
BC shook her head. "It was the right thing to do, for you, and for everybody. Eventually, even Grand-Pa and Grand-Ma will have to see that. Unless they actually are so stubborn that they'll die before admitting it. I just hope we were right, and they can't un-marry you."
BC moved to Barnette and took her hand. "Congratulations, Barnette."
Barnette looked just a little guilty. "Thank you. I'm sorry I caused so much trouble."
BC smiled. "Well, you didn't actually hurt anybody or damage the ship, and it looks like you'll be pretty busy from now on. If you can refrain from creating any more disturbances we'll call the matter closed, and forget it. I'm glad everything worked out so well, for all of you."
Meanwhile, Korai was next in line behind BC. She was a little shy when Dita took her hand and thanked her for her help. "You're welcome, Dita. It was no trouble; it was interesting, and fun, and I learned some things."
She moved to Hibiki, he thanked her, and she stepped in front of Barnette.
"Thanks for your help, Korai, including what you weren't allowed to tell me about this morning. You helped Dita, and that helped us all."
"I was glad to do it. And you were really nice to me. You all were." She looked at Hibiki and giggled. "Maybe I should look for a man."
Barnette took her hand. "If you decide to, I'll help. We all will. You have to find a good one, one who's right for you. I was with…someone who wasn't right for me, for a long time." She looked at Hibiki and smiled. "When you find the right one, it's like nothing you can imagine."
The next few people were casual acquaintances, including some Dita had just met since returning. Generic congratulations and thanks, all around. Meia was next.
She held her hand out. "Congratulations, Dita. This was quite a surprise. Especially when Barnette joined you!"
Dita impulsively threw her arms around Meia and hugged her. "Oh, thank you Meia. Sorry we didn't tell you. I wanted to, but we weren't telling anybody. We were afraid if the Firsts found out they'd try to stop us. We're still a bit worried about what they'll do, but Barnette and BC and the Captain all think they can't break our marriage apart now. Too many people know. We broadcast it to the whole system! It was Barnette's idea."
Meia seemed a little overwhelmed. "I hope you're right. You all look so happy, I wouldn't want to see that taken away from you."
Dita let her go. "You're a good friend, Meia. Hibiki says you've been a good friend to him, too. I'm glad he had a good friend, when I couldn't be there." Acting on another impulse, she gave Meia a quick kiss. She looked surprised, then smiled and stepped in front of Hibiki.
"Congratulations, Hibiki. I always thought you and Dita would get married, some day. I just didn't know it would be today, and with Barnette too."
"Thank you, Meia. We didn't know it either, until a couple of hours ago. Like Dita said, we wanted to tell you, but the only way to keep a secret is not to tell it."
"It's all right. There was no need to tell me, it was a great surprise, and I'm happy for all of you."
He smiled. "Thanks, again. She…my wife, Dita, is right. You're a good friend. You were always there for me, even if I barely noticed. I wasn't noticing much of anything for a while there. You helped me, more than I knew."
She stepped forward and put her arms around him. "I'm glad I could help." When he returned her embrace, she gave him an experimental kiss. After a few seconds, she smiled and stepped back.
"Meia. That was a surprise."
"I wanted to know what it's like. It's…nice."
She moved to Barnette. "Congratulations, Barnette. I know you had some problems the last few days. I'm glad it's over, but I never expected it to end this way."
Barnette laughed. "Thank you, Meia. It's not something I expected, either! It was all Dita's idea. I opposed it at first, but they both got me to see that I was wrong. I really think we're all going to be happy together."
She turned more serious. "I hope Jura will be all right. She came to see me this morning, and I apologized to her. Several times. I never meant to hurt her, and I hope she can understand. We were never right for each other, and I finally found that out."
Meia said, "She seemed better when I saw her this afternoon. She wanted to go out on patrol, and I moved her up the roster."
Barnette nodded. "Dita told us. The Captain used the command priority protocol about half an hour ago, to inform her about the wedding, and tell her that you didn't know. That might technically be considered misuse, but we prefer to call it essential to maintaining a good officer's morale. She won't think she was sent off to get her out of the way."
Meia looked relieved. "Good."
"In a way, it's a good thing we didn't tell you. That could have made the situation…complicated."
Meia made a half smile. "You think it's not complicated?"
Barnette made one back at her. "Compared to yesterday? No. Dita solved almost all our problems." She looked at her new wife. "We don't appreciate how smart she is, because we don't understand how she sees things. We go and make things complicated, and think we're being smart. Dita shows us how simple they should be. I'm going to listen to her, from now on."
"I never thought about it that way."
Meia moved away, and more casual friends greeted them, just quick congratulations and thanks. Some of Gascogne's ladies set a table and chairs behind them, on the mound where they had been married. Six of the Taraak crewmen came through in a group, as if seeking safety in numbers. They warily shook hands with Dita and Barnette, and examined Hibiki carefully, apparently looking for symptoms of…something. All three of them tried not to laugh.
The bridge display suddenly faded out, then filled with a new image. Magno Vivan the First gazed down on them with a huge smile. "Dita, Hibiki and Barnette. My, this is a nice surprise. I didn't even know you two were dating! And Dita, my dear, words can't tell how glad I am to see you back with us. Congratulations to all of you, and my best wishes for a long and happy future. I hope you'll all come and visit your old Captain tomorrow." She gave them a sly chuckle. "I expect you're going to be kind of busy tonight."
She stopped briefly, a wave of laughter swept through the crowd, and Dita took the chance to say, "Thank you, Boss. It's great to be back!"
Magno didn't hear her, of course. The signal wouldn't reach Avalon for more than five minutes. She started in again, "I'll be visiting the ship myself in a few days. We can all have a grand reunion then, but I want to see our newlyweds, and especially Dita, as soon as I can." Her image turned slightly. "That was a fine wedding, Captain. You did us all proud. And BC, I'm sure it couldn't have gone that smoothly without your help. It's good to see the Nirvana's in such capable hands."
She beamed down at them for a few more seconds. "Well, I guess I've gone on long enough. Thank you all for bringing my old ship home. Avalon Base, out."
Hibiki and Barnette added their own "Thank you, Captain"s, then turned back to their physically present well-wishers.
Paiway stepped out of the line and took pictures, then returned to her place. A minute later it was her turn.
Dita was delighted to see her. "Paiway! I still can't get over how much you grew up while I was gone. You're almost the same age I was when this all started."
She laughed. "Hi, Dita. You finally got your alien! Are you happy?"
"We got each other, anyway." She looked at Barnette. "Plus an unexpected bonus. This has been the busiest, craziest, most amazing day of my life, and I'm very happy."
"Good. I'm glad." She stepped in front of Hibiki. "You make sure you keep her happy. I'll be watching!"
He snapped to attention, grinning. "Yes, Miss Underberg! I'll do my best, to keep both my wives happy."
She flung her arms around him and kissed him. He was too surprised to say anything else.
She moved to Barnette. "You're not going to be mean to Dita any more, are you?"
Barnette smiled. "No. We're married now, and we're all going to take care of each other."
Paiway smiled back. "Good. You know, everybody will be watching you, to see what happens. If you're happy, there might be more weddings."
"We thought about that. We tried to set a good example."
"Oh, you did. Almost everybody's happy for you. A few of them acted like you're committing a crime, but they're just being nasty."
Barnette shook her head sadly. "There are always people like that. Nothing you do will ever please them."
"What do you do about them?"
"Ignore them. If they get in your way, tell them to go to hell. If you give them anything, they'll make your life completely miserable."
More women greeted them, mostly Dread pilots and mechanics now. Almost everybody had been watching the screens and seen Meia and Paiway kiss Hibiki. A few of them decided to give it a cautious try. Afterward they gathered nearby with those less curious, talking, giggling, and looking at the new husband and wives. The group grew by ones and twos until it reached equilibrium as people drifted away.
Mata stepped up and took Dita's hand. Behind her were Fione and Amayo, also from The Barnette Incident.
"Congratulations, Dita! I'm a little confused, though. Yesterday you two were about ready to tear each other to pieces, and now you're married."
Fione looked from Dita to Barnette, and back. "You look indecently pleased with yourselves, too."
Dita smiled. "We solved our problems."
Barnette turned from thanking the preceding well-wisher. "We were fighting over Hibiki. I tried to take him away from Dita because I thought she was taking him away from me."
Hibiki smiled fondly at Dita. "Dita found the answer. I'm pretty sure it's the only one. We tried to find other ones, but we all came up empty."
Dita added, "Now we're all married, so there's no reason to fight."
Mata took Hibiki's hand. "So, you look mighty pleased with yourself, too. I bet it's a relief they're not fighting any more."
He tried to explain. "The hard part was seeing how much it hurt Barnette and Dita. Trying to help without hurting either one even more. That's why I'm glad it's over. Now we're all going to take care of each other and be happy. That's what matters."
She smiled. "I think I see why they both want you so much." She stepped forward and kissed him, a little hesitantly at first.
After a while she stepped back, still smiling. "I'm starting to understand the appeal."
She turned to Barnette. "You'll have to tell us all what it's like, being married to a man." She giggled. "Besides what you already told us!"
Fione stepped up to Hibiki, put her arms around him, squeezed her body tight against his, and kissed him. Unlike the others, she went all out. She was very good at it, at least as good as Barnette, but there was something missing — or, rather, he felt something extra when he kissed Dita or Barnette, something that just wasn't there with Fione. Or anybody else, he suspected. Even so, he found her exciting. She moaned softly and twisted her body against him.
Finally, she tilted her head back. "So, Hibiki. Have you thought about my offer? You seem to be…interested."
He was uncomfortably certain that she could feel his 'interest'. Apparently she'd been doing some reading. He thought she was only teasing him unmercifully, but…
"Uh, Fione, that was just a joke, right? Anyway, I'm married now. I'm not, um—"
She gave him a saucy grin. "Hey, you've got two wives. Why not three?"
He laughed nervously. "There has to be a limit. We can't marry everybody! Besides, I think my wives might have something to say about it."
Barnette chuckled. "What if we said yes?"
He looked at her. "You're supposed to be on my side," he said reproachfully.
She returned an expression of complete innocence, obviously enjoying his discomfiture. "Maybe we want to marry Fione."
Finding no support there, he turned to his other wife. "Dita? Help?"
Dita was laughing, but decided the joke had gone far enough. "We married Hibiki because we love him, and he loves us. Do you love him? Will you love him all your life?"
Fione made a show of pondering the question. "Hmmm. All my life? Maybe not."
Barnette was still having fun. "Well, that looks like one definite 'No' and a probable. It would have to be unanimous. I'm afraid your proposal is declined. Try not to take it too badly."
Fione loosened her hold on Hibiki. "Actually, now that I think about it, Hibiki might be spread a little thin already. I'm not sure I'd be happy with a third of him. Even though I'd get both of you, too!"
They all laughed again, although Hibiki's might have been just a bit forced.
Fione stepped back and looked at all of them. "Oh, well, looks like the end of that idea, but you gave me another one. Maybe I should look for two husbands!"
That got a much bigger laugh.
Dita turned her attention back to Amayo, who seemed to be uncertain about something.
Amayo looked back and forth between all three of them. "But…which one of you is the Ohma? Barnette? Are you the Fama?"
Dita felt flustered. The question was wrong in so many ways it couldn't even be answered.
"No. Hibiki is our husband, and we're his wives. It's a much older tradition, the one they got Fama and Ohma from in the first place."
"So, is Hibiki the Ohma? Are you both Famas?"
Dita started to correct her again, then thought for a second. "That's…about as close as you can get, for something that doesn't apply to us."
Amayo seemed to understand now, a little. "So…you can have babies? With a man."
"Actually it's a lot simpler with a man and a woman. All it takes is sex. After you get your OVS implants turned off, of course."
She thought about that, then asked, shyly, "Are you going to?"
Barnette smiled at her. "I'm sure we will, some day. Right now we're in the middle of a war. I don't think the enemy is going to take a few years off so we can start a family."
They moved on, other guests spoke briefly. Within another minute, four of the five women Dita had borrowed their wedding outfits from greeted them. The first one took both of Dita's hands and looked her up and down.
"Dita! You look beautiful in my blouse."
The second one added, "And my skirt. At least I think that one's mine."
Dita smiled. "It is. Thank you all for loaning them to me. They're perfect!"
She looked at them. "Where's Rona? Barnette will want to thank her for the skirt."
The third one answered. "Out on patrol. She'll be back in a couple of hours." She looked at both brides. "Neither one of you is wearing my top."
Dita smiled at her. "I borrowed extras, we did some mixing and matching, and this is what we wound up with. It doesn't mean there was anything wrong with the ones we didn't pick. Thank you again for helping us."
"You didn't tell us you were getting married!"
Dita laughed. "Well, I told you it was 'something special' for Hibiki. What could be more special than our wedding?"
All four were now spread out in front of the three newlyweds. Hibiki addressed them. "Thank you for your help, everybody. Your contributions kind of, well, made our wedding complete. We'll always remember."
Dita put an arm around him and squeezed him tight. "See, I told you he'd be happy."
Barnette added, "Thanks from me, too."
One of them showed Dita a humorous pout. "But you didn't tell us! I thought we were your friends."
Dita gave them all a conciliatory smile. "We only told the few people we had to — the Captain, BC, a couple of others. We didn't even tell Meia."
The other two almost chorused, "But why?"
Barnette answered them. "We knew the Firsts would stop us if they found out, so we kept it a secret. We're setting a precedent, one they never considered and we don't think they'd approve of. They'd spend half a year jawing about it and in the end, their answer would be NO. We can't accept that. Nobody has any right to tell us we can't love each other and be together. It's none of their damn business! So, we took advantage of the fact that there are no laws yet and got married before they could do anything about it. We're pretty sure they can't un-marry us now, and we did everything we could think of to make that harder."
She favored them all with her evil grin again. "We broadcast our wedding to the entire star system. Our signals have almost reached Mejere by now, and they'll get to Taraak about seven minutes later. When they see me walk out they'll know what we're doing, and that it's way too late to stop us. They'll yell at each other for a while because we're too far away, and then see there's nothing they can do. We hope."
That got a general laugh. They were still pirates, after all, with a certain lack of respect for the 'proper authorities'. The thought of them scrambling to catch up with the clever pirate crew, and failing, appealed.
There were only a few more people waiting to speak with them when Parfet rushed in to join the dwindling line. Soon it was her turn.
"Dita! I loved the wedding. I was watching it all."
Dita grinned. "Wasn't it the greatest? And thank you for all your help. But, aren't you still needed in Engineering?"
"No, my job's done. We're going to shut down the broadcast in a few minutes anyway. I don't think everybody wants to watch the whole party. It will all be available on the system net in case anybody's interested."
Hibiki smiled at them. "We'll probably watch it a few times. Maybe a few dozen times."
The notion seemed to appeal to Barnette. "Oh, yes…"
Three of Gascogne's ladies stepped up to escort them to their table. It had already been set with salads and drinks. As they took their seats, one of them gave a quick rundown of the menu and asked what they wanted.
"Tonight you're the guests of honor. You just stay here, and we'll bring everything you need."
Hibiki looked slightly embarrassed. "That's not…I mean, we can get our own—"
She shook her head. "Oh, no. It's Miss Gasco's orders. You don't want us to get in trouble, do you?"
Hibiki looked like he still wanted to protest.
Dita grinned and put her hand on his. "Everybody's happy for us, and I think they'll get a kick out of pampering us for a while. We wouldn't want to ruin their fun."
He thought about it, then relaxed. Barnette chuckled. "Hey, we get to be treated like Firsts! I'm up for it."
They made their choices and started on the salads. Two of their temporary waitresses departed while the third stood nearby. All seemed perfectly content with their assignments. They found that they were hungry enough for the food to hold most of their attention, with only quick glances and smiles at each other.
Hibiki looked at their remaining waitress. "Aren't you hungry?"
She smiled back. "We already ate. Wouldn't be fair, all of us serving food with our bellies growling!"
They all laughed. As they were finishing their salads, three different ladies brought the next course. It seemed they were taking turns. Two took the salad plates away and the third relieved the original waitress. Dita waved her fork to get her attention before she left.
"Wait! Um, what's your name?" Dita had never met her before.
She stopped, then came back, stood in front of Dita and smiled. "Chyan."
Dita smiled back. "Hi, Chyan. Could you go find BC and Miss Gascogne? We'd like to talk to them for a minute."
"Of course, Dita."
The duty comm officer's face appeared on one of the smaller screens. "Captain? I've got Grand-Ma, for you."
Captain Magno gave a resigned sigh. She'd been expecting this. "I'll take it in my office."
The comm officer looked uncomfortable. "She, um, insists on speaking to you immediately, Captain."
Magno looked even more resigned, and mentally cursed the hypercom, just a little. "All right. Make the connection."
"Lady Grand-Ma. It's an hon—"
She stopped, then squinted a little, and leaned her head to the right, as if unconsciously trying to get some distance from her earbug. It went on for a while. She turned toward the exit and started to move in that direction.
"I don't understand, My Lady. Have I done something wrong?"
She listened through some more input, apparently still painful.
"I still don't understand. None of us have violated any regulation, disobeyed any order, or broken any law. I can't think of one thing we could be charged with."
Her half of the conversation continued, with long pauses, as she slowly worked her way through the crowd.
"My Lady, if I or my officers are to be charged with some offense, we have a right to know what we are being charged with, and under what authority."
"I was never told not to perform weddings."
"I can hardly be held responsible for what other people didn't think of."
"I'm just a simple ship's captain, My Lady. I don't have anything to do with politics."
"I mean it. My only concerns are defending the people of this star system, and taking care of my ship and my crew."
"They are all members of my crew, and they asked for my help, as their captain. I considered their request, and granted it. That's all I have done."
"Well, this is a historically significant event that had to be recorded, and also a joyous occasion we wanted to share with everyone. Much better than another war report!"
"If somebody else wants to play politics with this, I can't stop them. But that has nothing to do with me."
"No, that would be my sister. You'd have to talk to her."
"Hah! You know she would have done exactly the same thing. My Lady."
"Effect on the crew? My Lady, I've never seen morale this high. They'd face the end of the universe, and laugh."
"I still don't see the problem. We all knew there would be marriages, some day, between men and women. That day is here."
"One bride, two brides, it's still a marriage. It's what they all want. It's the right thing to do, and there's no law against it."
"No, there isn't. Not on Mejere, or Taraak. We checked, most carefully."
She had almost reached the exit when she grimaced at a fresh blast from the earbug.
"Lord Grand-Pa. Good ev—"
It seemed the leader of Taraak had quite a bit to say, too. He'd been impatient enough to hop on the channel with Grand-Ma instead of opening another one.
"My Lady, My Lord, forgive me but I am unable to continue this discussion on an earbug in the middle of this gathering. I am already on my way to my office, where I will be able to give you both my full attention. I'll be there in about a minute. If you would grant me your patience?"
By her expression, their patience was in short supply tonight.
They were finishing the second course when Chyan returned with Gascogne and BC. Ship Services had thoughtfully set the table with extra chairs so other people could sit with them. They both smiled and sat down.
Gascogne looked around. "Quite a party you've got here."
Dita agreed. "Isn't it? Thank you, and all your people, for setting everything up. You did a great job! I think it's the best wedding ever."
Barnette and Hibiki echoed her thanks.
Gascogne demurred. "Maybe not the best ever, but I think we did pretty good. Especially on such short notice."
Barnette looked just a bit guilty. "We're sorry about that, but we thought we had to do it that way. If anybody had found a way to stop us—"
She waved at them dismissively. "I know the reasons now, and I think you were right. Anyway, the gals need a challenge once in a while, to keep 'em sharp." She looked around again, with a fond smile. "They did us proud tonight."
They all looked around, too, and agreed with that.
BC looked back at them. "So, what did you want to talk to us about?"
Dita seemed a little uncertain. "Well, um, living arrangements…"
Buzam replied, "Yours, I presume. What about them?"
Dita started to explain. "It's a long walk from Hibiki's room to Barnette's, and I don't even have a room any more."
BC nodded understanding. "So you want to swap around, get adjacent rooms."
Dita had a kind of calculating look. "Maybe, if that's all we can do, but I was really wondering, do we have any quarters for three people?"
Barnette broke in. "With a really big bed, or room for one, anyway."
Dita, BC and Gascogne all gave her curious looks.
"I don't want to sleep alone." She looked at Dita. "Neither will you, after tonight. Hibiki's bunk isn't big enough for two people, much less three."
Dita chuckled. "Sounds like you tried it anyway!"
Barnette smiled at a memory. "Well, we fell asleep, um, after, kind of by accident. It felt really good. And it was even better when we woke up!"
Hibiki grimaced. "Aside from me being mashed against the wall and you almost falling out."
"I don't remember hearing any complaints."
They all laughed. In fact, everybody laughed. There was cheering, too. None of them had noticed the crowd sounds dying out.
Hibiki looked up. "Oh, shit."
They had forgotten. There they were, up on the ship's biggest video screen, larger than life. At least they had stopped broadcasting, but the channel was still going all over the ship. Everybody aboard had seen, and heard, everything. He felt a dreadful certainty this was destined to be as famous, or infamous, as The Barnette Incident. He got a sudden urge to hide under the table. It must have showed on his face, because Dita and Barnette — and everybody else — laughed harder.
BC recovered first, and looked into the video remote. "Cut the feed from this table. We have some personal business to discuss. I'll let you know when we're done."
The main screen switched to a general view of the party, only showing their table in the background. Everybody could see that they were talking, but not about what.
BC said, "Good." and made shooing motions. The remote glided away.
She turned back to Dita. "What did you have in mind?"
Dita was still catching her breath. She picked up a napkin and dried her eyes. "I was thinking at least two rooms, a bedroom and a kind of general-purpose room."
BC nodded slowly. "Each about the size of the rooms you have now?"
Dita nodded back. "It could even be two of them, just joined together somehow. Maybe, remove the wall."
Barnette said thoughtfully, "No, we'll want a door in between, that we can shut. We won't want to share everything, all the time."
After a few seconds she added, "There should be a place for somebody to sleep in the general room, too."
Dita asked, "In case we have company?"
"Well, that. But I'm pretty sure once in a while, one of us will be on the outs with the other two. Packing us all in one bed would be a bad idea. No matter how big it is."
They all agreed that she had a point.
Hibiki looked concerned. "What if all three of us get pissed off at each other?"
Barnette gave an ironic chuckle. "It probably will happen, at that. I guess we either sort it out, or somebody gets to go sleep in the ready room."
Dita turned to her. "Of course. You've been through things like that, with Jura."
She sighed. "Everybody gets that, occasionally. But it's worth it, for the good times. And there were a lot of good times." She looked seriously at both of them. "We'll have a lot of good times, too. Don't give up, when we hit bad times. They pass."
Gascogne had been thinking. "How big would your 'big bed' have to be?"
Barnette replied, "At least two meters square. Maybe a little more."
She nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. It would fit, but it wouldn't leave much space. I see why you'd need another room."
BC mused, "Joint quarters would take up less total space, so we'd actually save some cubic. I think we can work something out. See me tomorrow."
Gascogne chuckled. "Maybe we should encourage more marriages!"
BC echoed her chuckle. "Let's give everybody at least a few days to get used to this one, first."
Hibiki joined the chuckles. "I think they're dealing with it pretty well. Everybody we talked to seemed happy about it."
Dita added, "The Captain would be tickled. She didn't let on much, but I could see she was having a grand time."
Buzam smiled at her. "You're right. The wedding thrilled her almost as much as you turning up out of nowhere."
Gascogne put in, "She gets to be Ohma for a day, and she's playing it up to the limit. She's visiting with everybody."
Hibiki asked, "Speaking of the Captain, where is she?"
Dita looked around the park, then up at the screens. "Where did the Captain go? I don't see her anywhere."
BC frowned. "She got a priority comm from Grand-Ma. She's taking it in her office."
Barnette looked worried. "Uh-oh. This is what we were afraid of. I hope we're not in trouble. I hope our marriage is not in trouble."
Hibiki tried to be reassuring. "Let's trust the Captain. She's smart, and she's on our side. Besides…"
Buzam finished for him. "We've done everything we can, and fretting about it now won't help. Enjoy your wedding, and leave Grand-Ma to the Captain."
Barnette was still worried. "I guess you're right. It's just hard to sit here while somebody else decides our future."
Hibiki put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm here. We're here, no matter what. They can't keep us apart."
"Thank you. Husband. Both of you." She looked relieved, a little. She leaned in and kissed him. Cheers and applause swept through the park.
Dita waited until they were finished, then put her arm around him. "I could use some comfort, too. Husband." He turned to her for another kiss. More cheers and laughing.
A crowd had drawn around them while they'd been talking, about four meters away. The next three waitresses didn't quite have to fight their way through, but it took them a while.
BC stood up. "I'm going to get some dessert, and send the vid remote back before you're completely surrounded. I'll see you later."
Gascogne stood, too. "Dessert sounds good. You three have fun, now."
They were served, their empty plates taken away, and the video remote floated back. They ate, spoke of small things, and enjoyed each others' company as the party continued around them. When they finished, a waitress took their plates away. Two more waitresses brought them a knife, three forks, three plates, and a round white cake. It had 'Best Wishes' spelled out in blue frosting, then 'Barnette' in green, 'Hibiki' in dark brown, and 'Dita' in red.
Barnette looked at the cake, then at them, and laughed. "You gotta admit, we do make a pretty festive-looking trio."
Hibiki cut three pieces of cake, placed them on plates, set one in front of each bride and took the last one. They had found another tradition that involved the newlyweds feeding each other pieces of cake, and usually mashing them into each other's faces. They all agreed it was pointless, silly, and a little abusive.
They picked up their forks, smiled, and started eating. Somebody might bring that tradition back some day, but not them. The remaining cake was carried off to the dessert table.
They finished their cake, the plates were taken away, and they tried to relax, but their gazes kept straying to the various screens. After a few minutes, they abandoned all pretense of doing anything besides watching for the Captain's return.
Barnette finally broke the tension. "What's taking so long?"
Hibiki took her hand. "I don't know."
Dita added, "None of us do, not even BC. She's waiting, too."
Barnette squeezed Hibiki's hand, looked around again, and shifted in her chair. She tilted her head, left, right, forward, back. She looked at all the screens again, around the park, at the empty table, then back at the screens.
Hibiki chuckled. "I'm beginning to suspect that patience is not one of your strongest attributes. Hang in there."
She shot him a suspicious look, but he didn't seem to be mocking her.
He shook his head. "There's nothing I can do about it either. We're all just going to have to wait for the Captain."
Dita said helpfully, "You could kiss him again."
Barnette made a sound between a laugh and a cough. "Thanks, but I'm too keyed-up for even that to do any good."
Several more minutes dragged by, then Dita said, "Look! BC's coming this way."
They all watched attentively as BC walked to their table and looked up at the remote. "Private business again."
After a few seconds the main screen switched back to overview and the remote departed. BC sat down.
Barnette demanded, "What did they say?"
BC shook her head. "The Captain didn't tell me. I think she wants you to be the first to know."
Barnette looked ready to say something very disrespectful about the Captain.
Hibiki squeezed her hand, and Dita asked quickly, "How much longer?"
"Just a minute or two."
Barnette somehow gave an impression that she was both pacing and fidgeting while sitting absolutely still. They waited. Finally the Captain entered the park and walked to their table.
She took a seat. "Well, I just got an earful from Grand-Ma, and Grand-Pa. Actually, after he got on the circuit they spent most of the time arguing with each other."
Barnette took great care to keep her voice calm. "What did they say?"
Magno smiled. "It looks like you were right, Barnette. They both started out practically foaming at the mouth, but when I insisted on specifics they wound up having to admit there's nothing they can actually accuse us of doing wrong. For some reason, that didn't make them any happier."
Barnette squeezed Hibiki's hand, hard. "Are they letting us stay married?"
Magno nodded. "Yes, they've decided to allow it as another 'experiment' between men and women."
They all looked relieved, but Barnette the most by far. "Thank you, Captain. Again. Thank you for everything."
Magno added in a low voice, "I'm sure they're just saving face, but as long as you get to keep your marriage I don't care. Do you?"
They all agreed that they didn't care either, and thanked her again.
Magno gave them a satisfied grin. "I got them to see that this wedding benefits them, too. Those in favor of your marriage are happy the Firsts allowed it, and the ones who don't like it are mad at you for not getting permission. We can't be punished, because nobody told us not to do it, but the Firsts can't be blamed either because we did it without asking."
Dita asked hesitantly, "So, uh, how many are in favor?"
Magno kept grinning. "Preliminary results showed public opinion over seventy percent positive. The Firsts may not be elected, but they can't ignore it completely."
Barnette asked, "How do the planets compare?"
"Mejere is about eight percent higher. Partly because we never got as much into propaganda as Taraak, but mostly, I think, because of the way our two brides were smiling. The groom looked like he was enduring some sort of ordeal."
Hibiki said defensively, "Hey, I was just being careful not to screw up."
Dita asked, "Screw up what, 'I' or 'do'?" Hibiki shook his head and they all laughed.
Barnette said, "I think our parts were made really simple for a reason."
Magno tapped her audio remote, then stood up and moved just past Dita. A video remote floated in, and their image appeared on the main screen. Magno moved over a little more so she didn't block Dita.
She looked into the camera and announced, "I have just finished speaking with Lady Grand-Ma and Lord Grand-Pa. They have informed me that they officially approve the marriage of Dita Liebely, Hibiki Tokai, and Barnette Orangello."
That prompted deafening cheers and applause; it started at 'marriage' and grew to practically drown out Barnette's name. It went on for a long time. Magno nodded and smiled patiently until it died down.
"It looks like everybody has finished supper. Commander Rheingau, would you have your people move the tables out of the way and prepare for dancing?"
This prompted more applause, but nothing like her first announcement.
Magno sat back down and set a bottle none of them had noticed on the table. "I remember you found that tradition of giving a wedding toast with something called 'champagne'. Well, we don't have any, but I do have some good peach brandy. Not enough for everybody, so it will have to be a private toast, just you and your closest friends. Who else would you like to include?"
Dita immediately said, "Meia."
Hibiki added, "Gascogne."
Barnette smiled, a little sadly. "Jura, but she's out on patrol, and I don't think it would make her happy."
Dita smiled, too. "We can include her in our thoughts, even if she's not here."
Barnette turned to her. "Thank you, Dita. That's very sweet."
That started them on a new round.
Hibiki led. "Gramps. Well, I know he's really my uncle, but I still think of him as Gramps."
Barnette smiled. "Boss. Captain Magno, the first. Your sister."
Dita concluded, "Misty. She wasn't really part of the crew, but we all miss her."
Barnette chuckled. "Didn't she try to take Hibiki away from you?"
Dita smiled. "Only at first. When she saw how much I love him, she helped me."
BC waited to see if anybody had any more ideas, then looked into the remote. "Gascogne, would you find Meia Gisborn and bring seven glasses to our table?"
They watched the dance preparations while they waited. Ship Services had laid down interlocking panels to form a floor on a level section of the park. Now they consolidated the remaining food onto a few tables and moved them to the surrounding grass. Soon, Meia and Gascogne walked up to their table carrying glasses, set them down and took seats.
Dita looked at them. "Thank you for joining us. It means a lot to us, you being here."
Hibiki and Barnette added their appreciation. Captain Magno poured a small amount of brandy into each glass, and they each took one.
Magno raised her glass. "To Dita, Hibiki, and Barnette. We hope you have a long and happy marriage."
BC, Gascogne and Meia echoed, "A long and happy marriage."
They all sipped the brandy. Barnette, Meia and Dita looked surprised. Hibiki held the glass away and stared at it.
Magno grinned. "Maybe I should have warned you, it's a little strong."
"Huh? No, back on Taraak some of the guys used to brew up alcohol, but it was really horrible stuff. This is good."
"Oh. Well, thank you."
BC held the glass up again. "To friends who can't be with us tonight, but are still in our thoughts."
Barnette raised her glass. "Jura."
Hibiki lifted his. "Gramps."
Dita joined them. "Captain Magno, the first."
Meia raised hers, and looked into the remote. "Misty, from your big sister."
Magno and Gascogne smiled and raised theirs. They all sipped.
They watched the preparations for a few more minutes, then Gascogne finished her brandy. "I'd like to stay, but I'm sure there's a dozen things that need my attention. Enjoy the evening, all of you."
She stood and walked toward two ladies struggling with a table. "You two! Get some help if you're having trouble."
They all finished their brandy as preparations were completed. Lights dimmed, except a few over the dance floor. Dita raised her gaze to the remote, and the crowd grew quieter.
"There is an old tradition that the newlyweds should begin the first dance, before the guests join in."
Dita, Hibiki and Barnette stood up and walked to the center of the dance floor. Music* started, and Hibiki found that dancing was harder than it looked, plus the added complication of trying to figure out how three people could dance together. Onlookers laughed and shouted advice, then took to the floor about halfway through the song. They managed to complete it, then moved off to one side.
As they recovered, Meia walked over, laughed and shook her head sadly. "Hibiki, you need help. Let me give you some lessons before you hurt yourself."
They all looked at her in surprise.
"I was a child celebrity, remember? Of course I learned to dance."
She led him out on the floor and got their hands positioned. "Okay, with me. Left, right, back…"
He paid attention, and picked up the steps well enough. She guided him through a few turns and other moves.
Bart approached BC, determined to get a dance with her no matter what he had to do, and was taken a little off guard when she simply said, "Yes," and led him onto the dance floor. They were surprisingly good. Nobody could quite figure out what their relationship was, including them, except that neither had any other romantic interests.
Duelo turned out to be an excellent dancer, and Parfet…managed. When she could get a dance. He was practically besieged after everybody watched him.
It took three dances before Meia declared Hibiki passable, kissed him and returned him to his brides. They looked at each other, Dita nodded, and Barnette took the next dance. He had greatly improved, and dancing with one wife was much simpler.
Dancing wasn't big on Taraak, especially among the lower classes. Meia found herself surrounded by crewmen bashfully asking her for help. She prevailed on some of the better dancers among her friends, and soon one end of the dance floor was full of stumbling beginners, volunteer teachers and much laughter.
Dita danced with Hibiki, then Magno claimed the next one, reminding them that the Captain did have a few privileges. They all laughed.
Then it seemed that everybody wanted to dance with them, but they made sure Hibiki and Dita or Barnette got every fifth or sixth dance, and all the slow ones. A few of the Taraak crewmen danced, nervously, with Barnette or Dita.
It was during another slow dance that Hibiki and Barnette were startled by Fione's shout: "Way to go, BC!" They looked around in time to see BC and Bart pull back from a kiss, both flustered. Talk and laughter started immediately. "Woah, Bart kissed BC?" "She's gonna kill him, stand back!" "Didn't know he had it in him." "It's been sorta nice knowing you, Garsus."
Fione's laugh rose over the rest, and her gleeful shout, "No, BC kissed him!" brought a brief lull, then a still greater commotion. Buzam pushed through the crowd, dragging a rather dazed Bart off the dance floor.
Hibiki turned back just as Barnette moved in and kissed him, inspired, no doubt, by BC and Bart. He returned it after a moment's surprise, surrounded by more laughter and good-natured abuse. The dance ended, and Paiway claimed the next one, although she knew barely more about dancing than he did. They only stumbled a couple of times. The third song after that was slow; Dita slipped into his arms and led him into the increasingly familiar steps before she smiled and kissed him. He'd half-expected this one, and kissed right back. They both laughed with everybody else.
Time passed before they knew it. A dance ended, and as the next one started Dita grabbed their arms. "Look!"
Rika was walking around the dance floor, Celise was talking to one of the volunteer teachers, and Jura stood beside the farthest food table. The 1600 Dread patrol had returned.
Dita let go of them. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
She walked away from the dance floor to Jura and they began to talk. Barnette found Hibiki's hand and held tight. Jura's expression and body language had started out a little hostile and defensive, but she slowly relaxed. They talked for a couple of minutes, then Dita stepped forward and put her arms around Jura. Dita said something in her ear, Jura returned her embrace and they stood like that, brilliant red hair against gold.
Barnette pressed herself against Hibiki. "I wonder what they're saying."
"I don't know, but it seems to be going okay."
They watched until the two separated. Dita said something, and Jura nodded and smiled a little. Dita walked back toward them, Jura picked up a plate and started loading it with food. The music ended just as Dita reached them.
"What…what did she say?" Barnette asked with some trepidation.
Dita gave her a reassuring smile. "First, she accepts your apology. She's done a lot of thinking, and she understands what happened, and why you fell in love with Hibiki. She's not ready to talk to you yet, but she's not mad at you any more."
Barnette let go of Hibiki's hand and hugged Dita. "Thank you, Dita. You…oh, thank you."
Dita returned the hug. "I was happy to do it, for you and for Jura. You're my wife, and she's my friend. I'm glad to help both of you."
Barnette squeezed her tighter, and nodded. Words seemed to have escaped her for the moment.
Dita continued, "She was really touched when I told her how you included her in the wedding toast. She added her best wishes for a long and happy marriage, for all of us."
Barnette nodded again, then let go. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "I didn't only marry Hibiki, did I?" She reached for Dita's hand. "May I have this dance, Dita?"
Dita smiled again. "Of course, Barnette."
Hibiki watched them move out onto the floor, then felt someone take his hand. He turned to see Rika standing beside him, grinning.
"Looks like they've gone off and left you all alone. Let's dance!"
He smiled, and they danced. When it ended, a slow song started, and Barnette rushed over and caught him before anybody else could. She sighed and slipped her arms around him.
As it ended, she murmured in his ear, "I love you, and I'm so happy. This is just the first night of our lives together."
He answered, "I love you, Barnette, and I know we're going to be happy."
They parted, and found Dita standing beside them. "My turn!"
"So it is." Barnette laughed, and made a show of handing him off to her. A slow song started, and Hibiki looked confused.
Dita held him tight. "I requested another slow dance."
They enjoyed their dance, then were swept away by more wedding guests.
Eventually, any entertainment palls, and they had…other things on their minds. All three of them were standing together when Barnette asked, "Are you ready to leave the party?"
It was obvious that they were. Dita said hesitantly, "What do we…"
Barnette understood what she wasn't quite asking. "You two are going to Hibiki's room. I'm not."
They both looked at her, a little uncomfortably.
She smiled at them. "I meant what I said. Hibiki and I have other nights. This one is for you. Unless you want to wait?"
Dita instantly declared, "No!" then looked a bit embarrassed.
Barnette grinned at her. "Well, good." She got more serious. "It's what's right, for all of us. For…balance."
Dita said, "Then…you don't have to leave."
Barnette shook her head. "I'd rather spare Jura and I any more of awkwardly avoiding each other."
Hibiki looked concerned. "Where will you go?"
Barnette looked a little wistful. "I think…I want to go look at the stars for a while. Remember. Think about the future. Our future." She chuckled. "All that deep philosophical crap. Let's go."
They walked past the dance floor and stopped between it and the exit. A video remote tracked them. Barnette looked into into it and waited for them to appear on the main screen.
"It's time for us to bid you good-night—"
That brought laughter, whistles and raucous cheering. She waited for it to die down.
"Thank you for your support, and good wishes. You've helped make this the happiest evening of our lives, and we'll always remember."
Applause, more polite this time.
Hibiki was next. "Thanks, everybody, for…everything. We really appreciate it."
He laughed. "Hey, the party doesn't have to end just because we're leaving. Have fun with the rest of the night!"
There was more raucous cheering.
Dita finished. "You are all our friends and family. We might argue sometimes, but in the end we all love each other. No matter what happens, let's never forget that. Good night."
Author's Notes
*The song for Dita, Hibiki and Barnette's first dance is 'Himegoto', by SiLC.