4
The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall – Che Guevara
The trip was, as promised, done in less than two days. When they were within range, the Communications stations on both ships got mighty lively.
"Captain, I've got, well, it's not just hails," Hoshi Sato said, "but it's also, well, there's entertainment programs, news, military broadcasts, even a cooking channel."
"Well, I think I just want to talk to the, what do they call their leader?" Jonathan glanced over at Malcolm.
"The Alpha, sir."
"Alpha, then, uh, his name is Arnis. Maybe we'll take in the Daranaean late box scores later."
"Of course, sir," Hoshi smiled, and then got the communication on the main viewer screen.
"I am Arnis, the Alpha of the Daranaeans." He was tan-furred, greying a bit, and was sitting in what appeared to be a Council Chamber with what seemed to be other Daranaean dignitaries, all male.
"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship Zefram Cochrane. You, uh, Admiral Gardner informed us that you would be expecting us."
"Ah, yes, excellent. There is a second ship arriving as well, we see it on our screens," said Arnis, "we are very pleased that you are here! You may have seen, as you were coming in, the issues with the farthermost planet in our system. There is a modicum of construction going on, and I assure you that it is not of our doing. It is the Klingons, and while we are unsure of their intentions, well, it is not their planet to conquer or build upon, even if all they are adding are small settlements."
He paused for a moment. "I see your counterpart ship is hailing us as well. Split screen, please," he said to a male Communications specialist nearby.
"This is Captain Erika Hernandez of the USS Excelsior."
"We have heard of you," Arnis said, "for Elemus, who met you and your doctor – he is now a member of our Beta Council. He informed us that your people are very interesting, and your technology is impressive."
"I'll, I'll tell our doctor that we saw you again," Erika said, swallowing a little when she spotted Elemus in the Council Chamber.
"We hope you will come down to our planet's surface," Arnis said, "For we are asking, we know, a very large favor. We hope that we can show you some hospitality. I will combine my household with Elemus's for the evening, so that we may most properly welcome you."
Jonathan turned away and surreptitiously motioned to Hoshi to cut the sound. "I didn't think we'd be breaking bread with them."
"Well, sir, perhaps it could be both ships' captains, doctors, science officers and first officers," Malcolm suggested, "so, four of us from here and three from the Excelsior. At the very least, we could get scientific readings, even if the rest of it goes pear-shaped."
Jonathan nodded at Hoshi to get her to restore the sound. "We'd love to. Thank you for extending such a warm invitation."
=/\=
Doctors Phlox and Nguyen had some medical scanning equipment with them. "I suppose I'll see them again," An sighed, "I'm not so sure I can face them." They had gotten out of their shuttles at nearly the same time, just outside of a stone dwelling with large windows. Lots of little furry heads of various colors, and pairs of brown or blue eyes, watched from the many windows.
"Well, from what you've told me, and what I've read, I don't think that Elemus's two lower-caste wives will bear you any ill will. For them, unfortunately, this is all somewhat business as usual," Phlox replied.
Hamilton Roget and Lucy Stone had scientific scanners. "I hope it's not considered impolite to use one of these," he said.
"Maybe after dinner," she suggested.
Malcolm just stood with Jonathan and Erika. "At least it's a beautiful day," he finally said.
Arnis and Elemus came out to greet them. "Come in, come in!" Arnis exclaimed. "We would have used my home, but I am only down to one wife."
"Oh, uh, that's fine," Jonathan said, already feeling the odd vibe.
A greyish rust-brown woman came out first. "I was very, very expensive," she said. "I am Dratha, Prime Wife to Arnis."
Just behind her was another grey female. An recognized her – she was Elemus's Prime Wife, Thessa. "I was very expensive," she said, before adding her name, "Please come into my home."
An enormous raft of children ran by – tan, brown, brindle, reddish and even two were off-white. "Are these all yours? You seem to have had more since we last saw you," Erika said to Elemus.
"Oh, only fourteen of them are my younger ones. The others are Arnis's. He is down to only one wife, and he cannot leave them all alone at his home."
There were three women putting out food. An recognized two of them – Libba, Elemus's secondary wife, and Cama, his lowest caste wife. They both looked older, and tired, and pregnant, weary with the weight of the world. The other one was brindle and seemed considerably younger.
"I thought you only took three wives," An said to Elemus.
"And we do. Oh! You must mean Cria here. She is Arnis's eldest daughter, the child of his, his secondary," Elemus stated.
"I am hoping to sell her for at least eight hundred Stonds once the time is right, a few years from now," Arnis said, "once the scandal blows over."
"Scandal?" Malcolm asked, touching the metallic cuff on his wrist just a little bit.
=/\=
On board the Cochrane, Hoshi was in command but the detail was a bit slow. Travis turned back to her and said, "The captain said maybe they had late box scores."
"You do realize that was a joke, don't you?"
"Well, sure, but we've got a chance to learn about a culture from its own transmissions. It might be more telling than what they're doing down there on the surface."
"Hmm, I guess it won't do any harm," Hoshi said. She went to the Communications station and toured around the broadcasts until she hit one that sounded really interesting.
=/\=
"Doctors, would you care to speak with some of our physicians?" Elemus asked Phlox and An.
"That would be good," Phlox said. An nodded.
Elemus took them to a small private room and helped them to get a Communications link to Doctor Rechal. "He is our foremost physician," Elemus explained.
"I am willing to answer any medical questions you have about us," Rechal said.
They spoke for a while, and then An asked, "What's your average life expectancy?"
"It depends. For males, it is one hundred and seven years. For Prime Wives, it's ninety-three years. For secondaries, it's sixty years. For the last caste females, it's forty-five years."
"Is there a reason for the disparity among the castes?" asked Phlox.
"Yes, it's due to the large number of pregnancies sustained by the two lower castes. Plus last caste females are always euthanized when they are fully menopausal."
An and Phlox looked at each other a little nervously. "Do you have any questions for us?" An asked.
"I do, actually, if you don't mind," Rechal said, "I have a major illness I have been studying, called thylacine paramyxovirus. It crosses both genders and all caste lines. I do not wish to have you find a cure for me – please don't misunderstand my intentions! We value our independence as a people. But I do hope that there will be some ways to exchange information and ideas. The deaths that the paramyxovirus causes – we do our best to replace our population by having many children but we are not quite perfectly keeping up these days."
=/\=
In a small cell in the Security Office, Mistra lay on her side. She had been given two mats – most prisoners only got one – because of the boy child she was carrying. But she only had one blanket. At home – a word that made her sniffle a little – she would have had a big blanket and a little baby blanket. The smaller blanket would have been put around her shoulders with the big one on her legs. She had to keep her belly bare because of the baby in her pouch. Covering her belly could mean possibly suffocating the pouchling, so she was very careful.
A security officer came in. "You have not been eating," he said.
"I have not hungered," Mistra sat up on the mats.
"You must eat for the sake of the boy child," he said, "If you refuse another meal, we will begin to force-feed you. So I advise that you eat this meal."
"Y-yes." She began to eat, slowly. For the boy child, she thought to herself, and for the girl pouchling.
"We have determined that the boy child is innocent," said the security officer.
"Oh! That is good news, yes?"
"For him, yes. As for you, we will have a trial but it does not look good for you," he said.
"But I am innocent. I know this."
"Your testimony is worthless, you must understand. Not even Prime Wives are allowed to simply testify in open court. No female's testimony can be authenticated without corroboration from a male. So when you are convicted, you will be allowed to live until the boy child is born. And then you will be executed."
"Executed?! But you said I would have a trial!"
"Which I am certain you will lose," the security officer said, "for the Alpha has said that you are to blame."
"But my pouchling! What will happen to her and the boy child?"
"The boy child will be given to your husband and his Prime Wife to raise."
"And the pouchling?"
"That is an accomplice," said the security officer.
"How is that possible? This is a pouchling, less than half a year old!" Mistra cried.
"I do not make the laws," he said, "but the pouchling is a witness who did nothing to stop you from committing your foul deed. Our laws are that witnesses to foul deeds must try to prevent them, or risk being accused as well. The pouchling did nothing to stop it."
"She's a pouchling!"
"Are you questioning my interpretation of our laws, things that you, a secondary, cannot possibly understand?"
"But I could – could I give her to my husband and his Prime Wife? Please?"
"And let an accomplice get away with murder? I hardly think so."
12
