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When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right – Victor Hugo

Dratha came home to a house in disarray. The children were either crying or aloof, all with sad eyes. Only Cria was doing anything. She was trying to start dinner, which would be a simple dish of meat with vegetables and gravy. "Where are Mistra and Inta?" Dratha asked her, "This is their job."

"I, Dratha, I don't …." Cria turned away, so as not to show the Prime Wife her sad eyes.

Arnis came into the kitchen. "Greetings, my priciest one! I desire you this evening."

"Arnis, what is going on? The children are upset for some reason. Only the eldest secondary daughter is helping with anything. Even my own are overwrought and showing sad eyes. No one will tell me what is happening. Where are Mistra and Inta?"

"They are at the Security Office."

"Security?" asked Dratha, "What has happened?"

Vidam came in, and he, too, had sad eyes, but he was lured by the smell of cooking food. He was in time to hear his father say, "Mistra has murdered Inta. She was taken into custody, and the body brought there for evidence. It is very shocking."

"Husband," Dratha said, "that is so very strange. Mistra is flighty and a little dumb, perhaps, like all secondary females," she said this even though Cria was standing right there, "but she is not – at least, I have never known her to be, to be violent. I have known her for over ten years."

"Are you questioning me?"

"No," Dratha backpedaled, "I am merely pointing out how very strange it is."

"Vidam, you will explain that I speak truth," Arnis said.

Vidam swallowed hard and shifted his weight from foot to foot, "I, uh, I did not see it."

=/\=

Doctor Rechal had come with Mistra and the security officers. "You will determine whether she is carrying a boy child," one of the security officers had commanded him. He plucked a leaf from a nearby common plant and brought it to her.

"Put this in your mouth and get your saliva on it, then take it out and give it to me."

Mistra was still too shocked to do more than what she was told. She presented the wet leaf to him. It had turned to an ashy grey.

"She is carrying a boy child," Rechal said, "This is incontrovertible proof."

"Then she is not to be executed immediately. We will appoint an advocate and a guardian for the boy child," said the other security officer, "Her trial will be in a few days, if we can get a judicial panel together quickly enough."

There was a noise at the door to the Security Office. "The damned press!" swore a security officer. "What the hell do they want?"

The door opened, and four Daranaean males came in, with small cameras and PADDs. "Are you the secondary to our Alpha, Arnis?" one of them asked Mistra.

"I, I am."

"What are you being charged with?"

"I, I'm not sure. Inta …."

"The last caste one's body, I see it over there," said one of the reporters, "you must be charged with her killing."

"I suppose so," Mistra said, "but …."

"You will leave now, and give the Alpha his privacy," Rechal commanded.

"There is a story there," said one of the reporters as he left.

=/\=

"What do you expect us to do?" Erika asked.

"We'd like you to go there. It should take less than a day, we figure," Admiral Gardner said, "and then go to the surface, make friends and see what they really want. I'd like to know just how bad these incursions really are – are we talking about a misunderstanding that maybe can be resolved diplomatically, or are they on the brink of an all-out war?"

"We could study them a bit more medically and scientifically," Phlox said, "I realize that's not the mission, but this is an extraordinary species. We don't know of any other sentient marsupial species anywhere in the galaxy."

"Can I speak freely?" An Nguyen asked.

"Of course," Erika said.

"They aren't easy to be around. It took me over a year to stop feeling guilty about leaving the two; I guess you'd call them lesser wives to their fate. I found it jaded me a bit, as both a doctor and an explorer. Just, just be prepared. I am happy to pass all of the data, every scrap of a report I've got about them, to everyone in this meeting, but I want you to know that this might be emotionally draining."

=/\=

Lucy read over the reports, the medical logs, everything that had been given them. Then she read them again. She sighed. An Nguyen had been right – it was taking something out of her to read about the plight of the Daranaean women. She contacted the Communications Officer. "Hoshi, I'd like to call Ben Collins, on Europa."

"Sure thing, here ya go."

"Thanks. Hi, Ben, how have you been?"

"Pretty good. I'll get Gina," Ben said, looking uncomfortable.

"Look, Ben," Lucy said, "I know things between us aren't always great, but you have been such a wonderful father to Gina. I can't imagine anyone who could have ever done better."

"What's bringing this on?" he asked.

"I just, I just wanted you to know. I know I don't say it often enough. I know we haven't been in love with each other for years, but you have made it possible for me to be out here. I don't know if that's an act of love, but it's definitely an act of kindness."

"Without you," he said, "there wouldn't be a Gina. So I owe you," he said, and then he turned away from the viewer, "Gina! Your Mom's calling!"

=/\=

Jonathan and Malcolm sat down together in Jonathan's Ready Room. Porthos, the captain's beagle, lay on a dog bed nearby.

"Are you comfortable with this mission?" Jonathan asked.

"I am prepared for anything you need for me to do."

"I know that. I am talking about the specific fact that you are a father. The report said that their treatment of female children isn't exactly nice."

"I'll make sure I'm all right, sir. Have you gotten a chance to look at pictures?" Malcolm asked.

"They're very furry."

"They seem to resemble Porthos here a bit," Malcolm said, "I wonder if their hierarchy is what a wolf pack evolved into."

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