Earth Flight

  ‘I appreciate that,’ said Drago. ‘It’s why I’ve portalled back from Zeta sector to talk to you in person rather than just call you.’

  I forced my brain to start working again. ‘How could you do that when you’re commanding the search of Zeta sector?’

  Drago grabbed a cushion from the corner of the room, tossed it on the floor, and sat on it facing us. ‘I’ll only be away from Zeta sector for an hour or so. I’m travelling on a Military pre-empt, with my portal signal relayed straight through the system, so I don’t have to wait in queues at all the Off-worlds and Sector Interchanges.’

  I suffered a moment of pure jealousy. Drago could step into a portal in this dome and instantly reappear in a Military base in distant frontier Zeta sector. I couldn’t even travel to Adonis. I thrust my envy aside, because Drago was still talking.

  ‘I’m here to consult both of you about the arrangements for the ceremony, but first I need to explain what’s been happening in Beta sector. The prejudiced are scared that Jarra joining our clan will set a precedent for others.’

  I nodded. ‘Our classmates, Lolia and Lolmack, have a Handicapped baby. Their alliance council say if there’s enough public acceptance of me joining the Tell clan, they’ll acknowledge Lolette’s birth. Lolia and Lolmack are glued to every news report. One minute full of hope that Lolette may even be made a clan member, and the next in total despair.’

  ‘We believe a lot of clans and alliances are secretly on our side,’ said Drago, ‘but only the Military alliance clans are openly supporting us. We have to fight and win this battle before the rest will risk their clan status by taking a public stand.’

  He smiled. ‘Well, we’re good at fighting battles, and if no alliances are committing themselves to supporting us, none are saying they’re against either. In the past, any clan considering granting clan membership to a Handicapped child has been subjected to huge social and political pressure. In the end, they’ve all backed down, so only a few have even acknowledged a Handicapped birth.’

  His smile widened. ‘The usual tactics couldn’t really harm us, but the fact nobody is even trying them is highly significant. This isn’t about an unknown Handicapped baby. The whole of Beta sector has seen you on the vids, Jarra, and knows you’re descended from their hero, Tellon Blaze. People are rethinking their old assumptions.’

  I shook my head. ‘If public opinion was really on our side, there wouldn’t be demonstrations against us.’

  ‘The people with deeply ingrained prejudice don’t want things to change,’ said Drago. ‘They’re a minority of sad people who can’t feel good about themselves unless they can smugly look down on someone else. The skunk juice attack didn’t just delay our ceremony, it started furious debates on all the newzie channels. One side calling it a cowardly and shameful attack. The other saying everyone was over-reacting to a harmless joke.’

  ‘Harmless joke?’ Fian spat out the words. ‘What’s harmless about pure skunk juice burning someone’s eyes and skin? If we hadn’t instantly portalled Jarra to hospital …’

  Drago raised a hand to stop him. ‘I totally agree, and so do a lot of other people. Let me show you something.’

  He tapped the Military lookup on his arm, and projected an image on the room wall. It was the same picture I’d seen on Earth Rolling News, showing the two contrasting versions of me. One happy, the other a beaten wreck. Beneath it was a line of text. ‘Has Beta sector abandoned Fidelis?’ I stared at it blankly. What was Fidelis?

  ‘The day after the attack, this image started appearing on Betan shopping centre publicity boards,’ said Drago. ‘A few hours later, all the major Betan vid channels started showing a vid clip in their promo slots.’

  He tapped his lookup again, and the image on the wall changed to a picture of Tellon Blaze. A voice started talking.

  ‘We gave Tellon Blaze a hero’s welcome. We gave him the right to found a clan of the gentes maiores. We gave him a majestic clan hall on Zeus.’

  The image abruptly changed to the one of me with lank hair, and my face blotched lurid green and purple. The voice spoke again. ‘We gave his daughter a face full of skunk juice.’

  Drago tapped his wrist and the vid clip stopped, with that image of me still projected on the wall.

  I shook my head. ‘That’s nardle. I’m not Tellon Blaze’s daughter.’

  Drago’s left hand made the horizontal, air-slicing, Betan gesture of rejection. ‘In Beta sector, the terms son and daughter have a wider meaning. Both the image and the vid clip were hammering home the same point. The attack on Jarra was a disgrace to the honour of Beta sector, breaking Fidelis by rewarding faithful service with a violent assault. The people behind this are throwing vast amounts of credits at their campaign, but they’re staying carefully anonymous. Clan council know it isn’t the Military, they know it isn’t our alliance, and they can’t work out who the chaos else it could be.’

  Drago shrugged. ‘Whoever it is, they’re getting their message across and bringing more and more people on to our side. The prejudiced responded last night by sending a mob to paint insults on the walls of our clan hall. They knew they were asking for trouble attacking a Military clan hall, so the cowards ran for it seconds later. The newzies arrived suspiciously rapidly after that, and took vids of the hall before we could clean it up. All the newzie channels showed the coverage, and there was a full blooded fight between two rival parties of demonstrators outside our clan hall at dawn this morning.’

  He laughed. ‘Officially, the clan all stayed quietly indoors during that, but I’m betting some of the younger clan members sneaked out to practise their unarmed combat on the enemy. Now the newzies are asking clan council for a public statement about the ceremony, which is why I’m here to discuss plans with you.’

  I’d no idea what there was to discuss, so I waited for Drago to explain.

  ‘Clan council are furious about pathetic bigots throwing skunk juice at you and painting insults on our clan hall. Normally, a presentation ceremony is a private clan affair, but council want to invite all the clans of the Military alliance to witness this one. Their idea is to make a spectacular vid of the ceremony, with all the Military banners flying, and hand it over to the newzies so everyone can watch how we made you a clan member.’

  Drago paused for a moment. ‘That’s what clan council would like, Jarra, but they understand you may not want to invite further attacks by making yourself the centre of a political storm. We can have the quiet ceremony we originally planned, or even hold it in total secrecy and not tell anyone it happened. The decision is entirely yours.’

  I thought of those terrifying moments when I was blind and helpless from the skunk juice. I didn’t want to go through anything like that ever again, but … ‘Having this ceremony in secret, as if it’s wrong and shameful, wouldn’t help people like Lolia, Lolmack, and their baby. Let’s invite the Military alliance, and put it on the newzies!’

  Drago grinned. ‘When I saw the image of you after the attack, I was worried by the defeated look in your eyes, but that’s the real Jarra talking. The Military can’t get involved in Beta sector politics, but we’ve got permission to hold the ceremony at Military Base 79 Zulu because you’re under Military Security protection.’

  His eyes flickered towards Fian and back to me. ‘We need to discuss some other details now. Our opponents know they’re losing their real argument, so they’re resorting to personal attacks. If they can discredit you, Jarra, they’ll make the presentation ceremony a hollow victory because no other clans would follow our example.’

  Fian frowned. ‘What sort of personal attacks?’

  Drago’s face had an oddly wary expression. ‘Please remember neither I, nor the clan, are criticizing Jarra. I’m just explaining the enemy tactics.’

  If people had found out about some of the stupid things I’d done as a kid … ‘Tell us.’

  ‘They’re attacking Jarra’s moral standards because of the relationship between you two,’ said Dr
ago.

  ‘What?’ Fian was suddenly on his feet.

  Drago raised both hands in surrender. ‘Never hit a superior officer, Fian, especially when he’s on your side.’

  Fian slowly sat down again. ‘But … how can they possibly criticize us? We’re sharing a room, but everyone knows Beta sector is permissive. Their sex vids and …’

  Drago sighed. ‘People make ridiculous assumptions about Beta sector because of those vids. When other sectors brought in prudish rules about showing certain body areas, the sex vid industry naturally moved to Beta sector, but only nameless gutter clans and outlanders have anything to do with it.’

  He paused. ‘The truth is that Beta sector is just as strict, or even stricter than other sectors, it just follows a different set of rules. In Beta sector you’re perfectly free to have whatever casual sexual relationships you wish, but you give up that freedom when you make a commitment to a partner or partners. Since Exodus century, Betan culture has been based around the extended family groups of its clans, with Fidelis as its central principle. Fidelis is about mutual obligations and keeping faith, about love and loyalty to your partner or partners, to your family, to your clan, to your planet, and to Beta sector.’

  He paused. ‘Let me give you an example. Clan council was told your classmate, Lolmack, helped defend Jarra during the attack. Now Lolmack’s clan cluster have a clan of the gentes maiores willing to speak in support of them being officially recognized and granted a true clan name. That is Fidelis.’

  I was grazzed. I knew how desperately Lolmack and Lolia’s clan cluster wanted official recognition as a clan.

  ‘Other sectors are suspicious of Beta sector because it’s different from them,’ continued Drago, ‘but that feeling goes both ways. Jarra is being criticized because she has a Twoing contract with a non-Betan. Since she was abandoned to be raised on Earth, it’s unfair to blame her for following Earth customs, but …’

  I was the one angrily standing up this time. ‘I’m not splitting up with Fian!’

  ‘Clan council aren’t suggesting that,’ said Drago.

  Fian frowned. ‘So what are they suggesting?’

  ‘There are two possibilities. One option is you stay together but cancel your Twoing contract. Jarra is perfectly free to have any casual relationship she wants.’

  I shook my head. ‘I don’t understand what’s wrong with having a Twoing contract.’

  ‘Twoing contracts are made without including your clan, which is considered furtive and dishonourable, an insult to both your clan and your partner. They’re also only for a limited time, and that’s …’ Drago waved his hands. ‘Betans don’t approve of term relationships, especially term marriages. A marriage may fail and the partners decide to end it, but we feel it’s wrong to begin one by cold bloodedly setting what’s effectively a future divorce date.’

  ‘I totally agree,’ said Fian. ‘I don’t like end dates even in Twoing contracts, and I’d never accept a term marriage after seeing the effect of one on my mother.’

  ‘I suppose we …’ I let the words trail off. I wanted to join my clan, set a precedent for other Handicapped kids, but this would still be very difficult.

  ‘Jarra’s a nice contract girl,’ said Fian. ‘She wouldn’t be happy if we were together without a Twoing contract. What’s the other option?’

  ‘A Betan betrothal,’ said Drago.

  I sat down again. ‘What’s the difference between a betrothal and a Twoing contract?’

  ‘A Betan betrothal is where the partners declare their intention to marry in the future, and their clans give their consent to the formal contract,’ said Drago. ‘The betrothal continues until you marry or petition your clan councils to break it. When Beta rejoined the other sectors at the end of the Second Roman Empire, the recognition of all Betan betrothal contracts and marriages, whether for duo or triad partnerships, was a key condition in the reunification treaty. Earth Registry, like every Registry outside Beta sector, just ignores the clan contract side. They treat betrothals as a continuous series of three month Twoing contracts, automatically renewing them until the partners tell them to stop.’

  I didn’t have any problem with a continuous series of Twoing contracts. I looked at Fian and he nodded his agreement, so I spoke for both of us. ‘Yes, we could do that.’

  ‘There’s just one small complication,’ said Drago. ‘It’s not socially acceptable for a member of a clan of the gentes maiores to be betrothed to a non-Betan, because they’re effectively clanless and have no social status.’

  Fian looked puzzled. ‘But you married Marlise, and she isn’t Betan.’

  ‘Yes. We’re a Military clan, so we regularly have marriages with non-Betans. There’s a standard way of dealing with this situation.’ Drago paused. ‘Fian, how would you feel about being adopted?’

  11

  Our line of sleds drove along Gap 19. I was sitting with the rest of team 1 and Raven at the back of a transport sled. We had our impact suit hoods down to enjoy the sunshine, while Krath checked newzie channels on his lookup and babbled at us.

  ‘Still no news from Alien Contact. I suppose the Isolationists are happy about that, but all this waiting is really frustrating me.’

  ‘Think how Fian and I feel about it,’ I said bitterly.

  ‘My nardle dad has joined the Isolationist Party,’ added Krath. ‘He keeps messaging me, ranting on about how human culture shouldn’t be polluted by alien influences. Oh and he wants me to talk you two into appearing on his stupid vid channel.’

  ‘The answer’s no,’ said Fian.

  ‘I told him that and …’ Krath broke off and stared at his lookup. ‘Totally amaz!’

  I frowned. ‘What’s happened now?’

  Krath grinned and used his lookup to project a holo image in midair. I watched in horror as miniature figures of Fian and I madly kissed each other.

  ‘It’s practically Betan sex vid standard,’ said Krath in a gloating voice.

  ‘Oh nuke!’ I buried my face in my hands.

  ‘That’s a vid of us kissing after we sent the message to the alien sphere.’ Fian’s voice was impressively calm. ‘We were at the Military quarantine post. It’s not surprising a Military vid bee recorded us, but how the chaos did the newzies get hold of the vid?’

  ‘I don’t know and I don’t care,’ I moaned. ‘What will your father think when he sees it?’

  ‘Nuke my father,’ said Fian.

  The vid clip ended, but Krath promptly started replaying it.

  ‘Krath,’ said Dalmora, ‘turn off that vid clip.’

  ‘But I’m studying Fian’s kissing technique,’ said Krath.

  ‘Turn it off!’ said Amalie.

  Krath sighed and turned off his lookup. ‘I wish we could all go to the Tell clan ceremony instead of just watching it on the newzies afterwards. What’s a Betan betrothal like, Jarra?’

  I groaned. ‘I don’t know yet. I haven’t dared to ask, but it’s bound to be horribly embarrassing.’

  ‘The clan said I could invite my family and Jarra could invite her ProParents,’ said Fian. ‘My mother’s coming, my sister said she’s too busy, and my father said I was out of my mind.’

  ‘Candace is coming,’ I said, ‘but I didn’t invite my ProDad. Technically, he isn’t my ProDad right now anyway. After the Military found out he’d sold our secret mail addresses to the newzies, Hospital Earth suspended his ProParent status pending a hearing.’

  ‘Your ProDad can think himself lucky you talked Colonel Leveque out of pressing charges against him,’ said Fian.

  Raven grinned. ‘SECOP tell me Rayne Tar Cameron’s still complaining about that. She wanted him locked up for life, or preferably executed, for creating extra work for her team.’

  ‘Was your ProDad involved in the skunk juice attack as well?’ asked Krath.

  I shook my head. ‘No, thank chaos. I’ve always known he cared more about getting paid than about me, but it would be horrible to think my own ProDad helped s
omeone attack me.’

  Dalmora tactfully changed the subject. ‘As clan members, you’ll automatically become Betan citizens. Will Fian’s name change to Fian Tell Eklund?’

  Fian shook his head. ‘Clan custom is that only descendants of Tellon Blaze use the clan prefix.’

  ‘When do you have to actually get married?’ asked Krath.

  ‘No fixed date,’ said Fian, ‘but if we haven’t got married by the time we’re thirty, we have to appear before clan council every year for a social responsibility lecture.’

  I laughed. ‘Drago says his father gives him that lecture every few weeks anyway.’

  Krath shook his head. ‘But what if you hate each other and want to split up?’

  Amalie hit him.

  ‘Ouch,’ said Krath. ‘Raven should stop Amalie hitting me.’

  ‘I’d stop her hitting Jarra or Fian,’ said Raven, ‘but she can hit you all she likes.’

  ‘We can petition clan council if we want to break the betrothal,’ said Fian. ‘If I’ve been a clan member for a year and a day, I’d still keep my dual Deltan and Betan citizenship afterwards, but I’d be thrown out of the clan because my adoption depends on my relationship with Jarra.’

  I was grazzed. ‘I didn’t know that.’

  ‘It’s in clause 8 of the betrothal contract,’ said Fian.

  ‘I gave up trying to understand that after clause 3,’ I said. ‘I hadn’t realized Betan betrothal contracts had so much legal stuff. Drago said ours was simple compared to the ones linked with clan business mergers and property transfers, but …’

  I broke off my sentence because our sleds had stopped moving. Playdon jumped down from the lead sled, and spoke over our suit communications units so everyone could hear him. ‘We’re excavating two residential buildings today. Team 1 will work on this one.’ He pointed at the closest building. ‘They’ll use the team circuit for their communications, and team 4 will be their relief. Team 2 will work a little further along the gap. They’ll use channel 1, and team 3 will be their relief. Team 5 will just be watching.’