by Laurel Night
“Lulu, I don’t think that’s how they handle things. You saw Todd’s face, he was as shocked as anyone else that Jakob called for a vote. That’s not normal for them. From what Todd told me, they typically have a polite discussion of all sides of an issue, and then leave the queen to make the final determination. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Jakob is setting the stage for a coup.”
“Oh, come on, Em,” I scoffed, “That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“Is it?” She countered. “He’s challenging the established power structure and trying to change the way they do things.” She ticked items off on her fingers as she listed them. “He’s treating the majority as if they are the minority and using fear and misinformation to limit their free will. He’s making this issue less about free will and more about the survival of their race, basing it off of theory as opposed to fact. With calling for this vote, he’s placing Shaline and Shanii in a difficult position—now that the people have voted, overwhelmingly, to force the Lost Bachelors to wait, she either has to do what she knows is in the best interest of her people, or what they want. Shaline doesn’t have a good choice now. If she goes against the wishes of the people, she doesn’t come across as a benevolent ruler and opens herself up to censure. If she agrees with them, she knows she’s arbitrarily punishing three-quarters of her people. It’s impossible.”
I mulled that over for a while. Was it possible? “But, why would Jakob want to do that? What is his motivation?”
“What is the motivation of anyone who has ever done a coup? They want power,” Em stated with confidence.
I shook my head. “No, that’s not how it works. Mick told me they’re a matriarchal society. They’ve always had a queen. It’s the way they are happy, it’s how they’ve always been.”
“Oh, and you really think everyone has always been happy with that arrangement? You can’t imagine that there may have been a few that wished it were different? Even if you didn’t want to use humans as an example, you have to admit it’s far-fetched to assume they’ve never had anyone who had an issue with their government. Even the happiest of societies have their issues.”
She was right. It was naïve to assume everyone was perfectly happy and content with the way things had always been. It seemed benevolent to us, through the filter of Mick. Mick was part of the ruling family, afforded special privileges and holding family loyalty for the leaders of the Vimpiri. Even if there was unrest it was possible he didn’t know, or just didn’t feel the need to air his dirty laundry to me. Who knew how much there was that he just didn’t tell me. The disgruntled feeling resurfaced.
Also, I knew they treated the males with respect, but they were definitely treated differently than their mates. I recalled how Shaline and Shanii spoke to Emily, their eyes focused on her and barely taking notice of Todd. Benjamin and Drake followed in the shadows of their mates everywhere they went, always a step behind. They held higher positions than most males, but they would always be second place. Benjamin seemed to be content with his position, but something about Drake continued to set my teeth on edge. He always seemed to hold back. Maybe he wasn’t as content as he seemed.
I refocused my eyes on Emily. “So, what do you think the plan is? Jakob is no one in this society. He can stir everyone up, but he’s not going to lead. He has no position.”
“Well…” Emily started slowly, “What if his plan is to promote Mick?”
I scoffed. “Mick would never go along with that.”
“Just hear me out. Jakob seems intent on the Lost Bachelors, right? Mick is one. The Lost Bachelors are the majority of vimpiri here. If they want to recreate their society into a patriarchy, where better to start than with the overwhelming population of young males?”
“But you forget, they just voted to put off their own freedom in favor of waiting to see if a ship full of females, warriors no less, is on its way. They don’t want to stage a coup, they want mates.”
“That’s what Jakob’s convinced them they want, now. He’s painted his argument in the colors of what’s best for their society and ‘Vimpiri pride’ and the continuation of their species, to suit his own needs. Maybe he just needed an excuse to put the people at odds with Shaline? You know Mick doesn’t believe that rumor. I’d be willing to bet a lot of vimpiri don’t believe it, but he’s turned it into a matter of loyalty to their species. He’s trying to paint Shaline as some race-traitor if she does what is best for her people; she risks angering three-quarters of the population by trying to appease them.
“Point being: What if it’s not really about the potential females at all? What if that is just an excuse to start some kind of war?”
I sipped my wine slowly, my mind churning. I hadn’t heard all of Jakob’s argument, but if he had twisted his words in such a way that most of the Lost Bachelors vote in favor of waiting over 100 years when they might find mates tomorrow, he was persuasive. And he had to have a reason for pushing this agenda. It made little sense to be so argumentative for no reason when for all intents and purposes the Vimpiri were a rather peaceful society. I wasn’t sure I one hundred percent bought into Emily’s explanation, but I also didn’t know what other explanation there was.
Em was right about one thing, though. Mick not telling me about the possible spacecraft that would reach Earth in a hundred years was not as big of an issue as finding out what Jakob’s motivation was. If he was planning something, it would happen in days, maybe even hours. The mystery of the spacecraft could wait.
EMILY'S REVELATION
MICK
When Todd and I walked through the door to my apartment, the girls were on the couch, speaking seriously together. They stopped talking immediately and turned their heads to us, surprised, before exchanging a silent look that communicated more than I understood. Todd settled himself on a chair and cast his eyes to Lucy then back to me, as if to say, go on.
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry when my eyes met Lucy’s. Her expression was solemn, but she didn’t look angry. Just seeing the gleam of her hazel eyes ignited the sensation of relief that radiated through me. The tingle behind my eyes echoed Todd’s assertion of Lucy’s place as my mate. I crossed the room to her, intent on the apology that sat on the tip of my tongue.
“Lucy, I’m sorry,” I said in a rush. “I should have told you, even if I didn’t believe it you should have heard it from me, I don’t have an excuse, I just—”
“It’s fine, I understand,” she held her palm up, cutting me off cooly. “Mick, Emily and I have a question for you, and I need you to be open to the idea, however… unlikely it may seem. Okay?” Her eyes challenged me to trust her.
“Of course,” I replied. “What’s on your mind?”
“Do you think it’s possible that Jakob might be trying to stir up unrest among your people?”
“Unrest? Why would he do that?”
“Well, what if he was trying to push your mother out of power?”
A snort escaped my nose, and I sat in the chair next to Todd’s, shaking my head. “You two have been reading too many political novels. We’re not a South American dictatorship, Lucy. We’re a tiny fragment of a society that escaped a dying planet. There’s nothing to overthrow.”
“But your mother makes all the decisions for everyone, right? About what happens or doesn’t happen with, and for, your people?”
“Along with Shanii, and my father and Drake, yes.”
“So what if there are people unhappy with the decisions she’s been making?”
“What would they have to be unhappy about?”
Lucy groaned. “I don’t know, Mick, I don’t have all the history of your people. But what if something she decided rubbed Jakob the wrong way?” She cast her eyes around, trying to think of something. “Like, maybe he had a business venture she shot down, or he wanted to move somewhere and she said no?”
“The queen doesn’t concern herself with those kinds of things,” I answered, my tone unintentionally sharp.
“Well, again I don’t know all the details here, it’s not like you tell me everything,” she retorted, her tone icy. “My point is, maybe there’s something she decided that angered him, and now he wants to see her gone? Maybe just out of power? Maybe he just resents that as a male he can never hold a position of power?”
I chuckled despite myself. “Now I know you’re pulling this from a novel. Lucy, that’s not how our society works. We have always had queens, the rule passed down from mother to daughter, and there has never been unrest about it. We’re Vimpiri, not animals.”
The stare Lucy turned on me could have frozen lava. She crossed her arms and asked, “So human beings are animals, is that it? You think I’m an animal?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I backtracked quickly. I glanced at Todd for support and he shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, you’re on your own, man.
Emily was staring at me, her lips pursed and one eyebrow raised. This was not good.
“What I meant was… our males have always understood the importance the queen holds to our society. There’s never been unrest, no one questions it because it is a perfect system to manage the needs of our people. The queen ultimately decides, but it is really the four that decide together; the queen and her mate, and the future queen and her mate. It is understood that these decisions are in the best interest of the entire society, males and females.”
Lucy’s arms remained crossed and her jaw bounced as if she were chewing on my words. “You seem to have assumed quite a lot. You assume everyone understands how benevolent your mother is. You assume everyone is always happy with her decisions and sees them as the best decision for your people. You forget that since you landed here four centuries ago, your people have witnessed how many societies work, particularly democratic and republican governments that elect their leaders, and even patriarchies that are led by males. And you assume that in four hundred years no one has once asked, ‘what if?’”
She was angry, and I didn’t want to push this disagreement into a full-blown argument. “You’re right, I have assumed all of those things,” I admitted. “I have no reason to assume any different. I suppose you might consider me naïve, given how volatile governments can be in the human world. Our lifetimes are so long, the rule of our queens last for what amounts to millennia here on earth. A sudden change of the type you’re suggesting is a radical idea for us.
“That said, I will confer with my mother about it. She should be done consulting The Records soon, and I wish to know the results. I will bring your concerns to her, to assist in her decision-making. Is that acceptable to you?”
Lucy glanced at Emily, who shrugged. Finally she sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead as if it pained her. “Fine, if that’s the best you can do. I’m going to lie down.” Without another glance, she rose and walked directly to her room, the walls lighting rapidly down the hallway until she reached her door. Once it closed with a soft click, the lighted walls slowly faded to darkness again.
Emily and Todd exchanged a look.
Abruptly feeling awkward, I rose. Their eyes flashed in my direction at the sudden movement. “I will talk to Mother. I’ll be back shortly.” I held Emily’s gaze. “Will you check on her, please? Just make sure she’s okay.” Emily nodded. I nodded in Todd’s direction then walked to the door without glancing back. I felt their eyes on me until I was through the doorway.
***
LUCY
I don’t know how long I paced in my room; I just kept going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. My constant motion kept the room lit, although the bathroom lights seemed confused by my repeated approach and retreat. They lit and dimmed smoothly at such a frenetic pace that it looked like a slow-mo strobe light. It was distracting, but not enough to pull me away from my train of thought.
Mick didn’t get it. He didn’t see how anyone in his society could be unhappy to the point they’d try to depose his mother. Was he naïve? Was he right, that Emily and I were just making stuff up? Seeing things where there were none? Should I trust him to understand his own people? Or should I assume he was biased and blind because of his position? If we were right, was he Jakob’s target? Did Jakob intend to make him some new-age vimpiri leader, the leader of the Lost Bachelors? Would that person be free to pair with me?
Would he still want to?
The questions swirled around in my head, every one leading me to another question instead of a solution. I caught myself gnawing on my fingernails and crossed my arms over my stomach instead, to save what was left of my nail beds.
A soft knock at the door drew me from my frantic thoughts. “Lulu?” Emily’s voice came through the door as it cracked open. “How are you?” Her expression was more curiosity than concern.
“I’m fine,” I answered. Her raised eyebrow told me she didn’t believe it. “Seriously, I’m just trying to think through all this stuff, see if I can force it to make sense. I mean, maybe Mick is right. Maybe we’re reading too much into it and he knows his own people better than we do. Maybe we should trust him?”
Em slipped all the way into my room, allowing the door to close behind her. “Yeah,” she sighed, “Todd isn’t a hundred percent on board, either. He thinks we’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“What did he say?” Now I was curious. Todd wasn’t exactly the political type, so I didn’t expect something profound. However, he wasn’t part of the head family, and maybe he had more perspective.
“Well, basically he said that Mick wasn’t wrong in anything he said. Or something like that. It was super passive, but I think he was trying to avoid confrontation,” she smirked. “This whole male/female dynamic with vimpiri is really taking some getting used to. I get that vimpiri females are the leaders, but it didn’t really make a difference for me until we got here. Todd and I always just agreed on everything. I mean, now that I think about it he did let me choose where we ate a lot…”
“Em,” I interrupted, “Focus. What else did Todd say?”
“Just that the voting thing was weird, but he didn’t think Jakob would be up to anything. He said Jakob has always been close to Mick’s family, so it didn’t make any sense for him to try something like that. Oh, and that Mick was right that everyone was content with the way things are. I tried questioning him about it, but he said he’d never really heard anyone complaining or grumbling about any of the decisions Shaline has ever made. He said they generally see her as an excellent leader, and everyone loves her.”
“Doesn’t that sound suspicious to you?” I countered. “Seriously, when have you ever heard of a society that was completely happy and supportive of its leader? A monarch, by birth, no less? Doesn’t that just seem a little too perfect?”
“Well, Lulu, I know it was my idea in the first place, but you’ve gotta remember—they’re aliens. We may learn and understand some things, but we’ll never truly understand everything. Maybe there’s a part of their brain that is wired differently than a human’s? As rational as they seem, they may just not see things the same way as us. Or maybe the secret is in the matriarchy? Who knows how many millennia they have had queens, compared to how recently we stopped living in caves. Maybe there’s a lot more there for us, as a society, to learn? Maybe their society is so far advanced that they’ve already worked through all the unrest and rebellion stuff we’re still dealing with.”
I nodded, drumming my fingers against my sides where they remained safely tucked away from my teeth. “I hear what you’re saying, but I’ve got that feeling, Em. You know how it is.”
She sighed. “Yes, I do. It’s part of what makes you a great reporter. You’ve always been able to feel it when you’ve gotten your claws into a story. To be honest, I’ve never really felt that way. I enjoy talking with people and working on those fluff pieces Fred always gives me, but I’ve never had the urge to dive into a story and rip it to shreds the way you do. I’ve tried, but to be honest, I’d rather just do editorials or something.”
I stopped mid-pace and stared. Em was leaning casually against the door, no sarcasm evident in her expression. “Dude, you’re joking right?”
She shrugged. “No, not really.”
I shuffled to my bed and dropped on it heavily. “Em, I had no idea. I thought you and I were always on the same page with journalism? Why did you get this degree? Why did you take this job, for that matter?”
Em walked over and sat next to me. “Lulu, there are parts of it I like, and I’m not saying I hate journalism. I just don’t think I’m as passionate about it as you are. We see it differently, and I’m not afraid to admit you’re a better reporter than I am.”
“Em, that’s not true,” I replied instantly. “You are every bit as good a reporter as I am. We got the same grades in practically every class!”
She smiled softly. “Sweetie, grades don’t mean squat. A wink and a smile for the teacher’s assistant and I got bumped up from a C to a B-. It wasn’t skill in journalism.”
I felt like the earth had just re-polarized and settled two degrees off from where it should be. “If you didn’t like it, you should have just switched majors into something more interesting. What on earth did you do that for?”
“Honestly, I didn’t care that much about the degree. I probably would have ended up with something useless if I didn’t go with journalism, so it was just as good as anything else. The job—I did that for you, Lulu. I loved you so much after freshman year, I couldn’t imagine having a different roommate, pursuing a different degree, living in a different place from you. I never had siblings growing up, you know that. I was always a spoiled only child. But I was lonely. When I met you, I got to feel what it was like to have a sister for the first time in my life. Lu, I’d do anything for you. Clearly, after your little performance a few months ago, you feel the same.” She smiled. “We’re in this together, Lulu. Whatever it takes.” Her arm wrapped around my shoulders and she squeezed, pulling me against her. I rested my head on top of hers and slid my arm around her waist, squeezing back.
