Happiness in Numbers

by Nicole Field

  Jacob was sixteen when Malcolm had tried to suggest he could be successful if he joined the military. Before he could begin listing off all the benefits, Jacob claimed he would never be a part of any war and walked away. His father hadn't known it at the time, but Jacob had already participated in several protests. He'd never made a secret about how he felt.

  "Jacob."

  There was so much disappointment in that one word.

  Jacob didn't move or say anything.

  Malcolm sighed. "That was certainly a lively event, wasn't it?"

  "I had nothing to do with that," Jacob growled, glaring at the ceiling.

  "I'm aware. That doesn't change anything, though."

  Jacob scoffed. It came out before he could even stop it. Sighing in defeat, Jacob sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He glared at his father through the bars.

  He looked far more like his father than he cared for. They shared the blond hair, though Jacob's was a bit longer than his father's buzz cut. He also had Malcolm's blue eyes and tall frame. As far as Jacob knew, those were the only similarities they had.

  His father didn't look angry, however. Just concerned, maybe a little regretful. Jacob didn't care to see any of that. He didn't need anything from his father now. He thought he'd already made that clear.

  "Am I being punished for standing up for the injustice those workers were dealing with?" Jacob scoffed again. "I guess community service is the best I can ask for, even if I didn't do anything wrong."

  "I had a talk with the prosecutor and judge."

  That grabbed Jacob's attention.

  "They will only drop the charges if you are released into my custody."

  Okay, Jacob could do that. He'd go along with his father for now and slink away at the first opportunity.

  "And I'm to keep you under lock and key until we go off-world."

  Jacob felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him. "I'm not joining the military!"

  Malcolm shook his head. "Lucky for you, that wasn't part of the deal. I just have to bring you with me."

  "Where are you going?" Jacob was almost afraid to know.

  "Thone 31S."

  One

  Three weeks later

  After spending time in a locked hotel room with guards, Jacob was finally on a courier overlooking Thone 31S. He wondered if the natives of the planet called it that, or if it was named by the Cardinal Space Federation.

  According to the protections in place on the planet, only aircrafts with permission were allowed into the planet's atmosphere; visitors had to dock with the orbiting space station and change ships. The ship carrying Jacob and Malcolm, along with the rest of their party, waited amongst the others to get to the station. It seemed to be a popular place to visit.

  The Juek, the indigenous peoples of the planet, were protective of it and the resources it shared. Strict restrictions had been placed on their most prized resource: Iodalurium. The stone was found naturally in the oceans, which accounted for 90% of the planet. It was used as a source of fuel and powered most everything; ships, electricity, irrigation.

  The war between Thone 31S and C.S.F. had started when a Juek child had been kidnapped and tortured for information. The Juek attacked, to reclaim the child and to get the interlopers to leave. C.S.F. couldn't allow members of its military to be attacked, even if it was wholly justified, and sent troops to the planet. Thus started, the war had been ongoing for decades.

  Little was known about Thone 31S and the Juek. Images of the planet and the people had been sparse, propaganda aimed more toward how much the Cardinal Space Federation needed Iodalurium for survival, making the greed of others their cause for ongoing war. They were likely also afraid the populace would become sympathetic toward their adversaries without such propaganda.

  What was known, however, was the majority of the planet's population lived underwater. How they breathed, how they gained food and other necessities, was unknown. It also made the war a hard fight. Humans, and those they employed, were not made to be underwater for long periods of time. If they were able to make it into the atmosphere and successfully navigate to an isolated location without being shot down, the floating islands they created became their bases. These had been made of materials brought from off world; steel and concrete crafted in ways that allowed the structures to float. From there, the soldiers quickly gained the capability to build underwater vehicles and weapons.

  After that, losses on both sides increased. The Juek still had an advantage, but as years went by, it became less of one.

  Now, after decades of fighting, it would seem there was finally hope for peace. Jacob's father, Malcolm, was part of the group sent to make negotiations. All fighting had been put on hold, allowing soldiers some much needed rest and contact with their families.

  Jacob had been informed by Malcolm that he was to take no active role while on the planet. Any hint of a protest, and he would find himself in the brig for the duration of their stay. Jacob was quick to agree, knowing he was outnumbered there. He was content, just knowing there was peace here at the moment.

  *~*~*

  Jacob's ship had to wait another two days before they reached the space station. With only Malcolm and the other ambassadors for company, he was ready to get away from everyone. He hadn't had a moment of peace since his first step onto the ship. All the rooms were shared, including the bathroom.

  His father had tried a couple times to initiate conversations but, after Jacob rebuffed him on both occasions, he gave up and resorted to silence. But Jacob couldn't help but notice even his father seemed out of place with the other dignitaries. They were all much older than Malcolm and had an air of superiority about them.

  Jacob felt a little bit of sympathy toward his father at times, but squashed the thoughts before they gained much ground. He didn't want to have sympathy for him.

  Paperwork was checked, baggage was claimed, and they were finally in a shuttle heading down toward the planet. Jacob was grateful to have at least gotten a window seat. The view was spectacular. All he could see was the ocean, a beautiful bright blue-green color just like on Unides. He noticed dark shapes under the waves and wondered if those were the cities. There were shuttles flying along the surface of the planet, but none went under or came up.

  This trip was short, taking little more than an hour. The base they landed by was the biggest on the planet, they were told. A floating island like the others, it sprawled for roughly three kilometers and only had two floors. Jacob couldn't see if there was a third floor under the water. Perhaps they kept prisoners in another section. Did they still have prisoners with the peace treaty?

  A group of soldiers met them as they came down the ramp leading off the ship.

  "Ambassadors." They were greeted by a soldier, someone of a high rank from Jacob's guess. "I am Commander McKinty. I hope the trip was pleasant."

  One of the more obnoxious dignitaries, Peterson, said, "As pleasant as one could be on a tin box."

  Commander McKinty kept the smile on his face. "Corporal Dallas will show you to your rooms. You'll have a few hours to get settled before dinner begins. Normally we fend for ourselves here, but as it's your first night, I set something up so that we could all get acquainted. We can prepare for the negotiations starting tomorrow morning. Then the Juek ambassadors have called a meeting for the day after that."

  Someone sniffed, probably at the mention of food. Jacob wouldn't have been surprised if everything ended up not to their liking. They certainly hadn't enjoyed any of the food on the ship, and that had all been cooked by a professional.

  When no one said anything, Malcolm stepped forward. "Thank you, Commander. We appreciate the help."

  McKinty dipped his head in acknowledgement, executed an about-face and strolled away. A soldier who was standing a few feet away cleared his throat and stepped forward.

  "I am Corporal Dallas. If you would please follow me."

  Jacob and Malcolm grabbed their own bags
, while the others had their assistants carry theirs; the poor things having trouble with the obviously overweight of the luggage. The corporal led them down the corridors, where he explained that all visitor housing, shopping and restaurants were on the first floor.

  One by one, Corporal Dallas dropped each of the exhausted passengers off at their door, Jacob and Malcolm being the last ones. Before he could grumble about sharing, they stepped inside where they were greeted by a living area, a kitchen and two doors.

  "I hope you don't mind we put you both in a suite," Corporal Dallas said. "We were told you two were family and, as the others demanded their own rooms, we quickly ran out of space."

  "This will do. Thank you," Malcolm said.

  Opening both doors revealed two bedrooms. Jacob gave a whoop, excited about finally having his own space again. He headed straight for the shower, ready to feel totally clean for the first time since his liberation from the jail. While showers had been provided on the courier, the water was recycled. He had been assured the water was properly sterilized, but even the idea of it having been previously used by someone else continued to make him feel dirty.

  Feeling fresh with some clean clothes on, Jacob stepped back out into the living area of the suite to see his father sitting at the dining table, looking over a data pad. He glanced up when Jacob came closer. "Now that we're here, free to come and go as you please," Malcolm stated. "However, please keep in mind what we talked about."

  "I know, I know," Jacob said, stopping himself before he could roll his eyes. "I promise I won't step a toe out of line."

  The look on Malcolm's face said he believed otherwise, but all he did was nod and look back down at his work.

  Energized from being somewhere new and wanting to see everything, Jacob made sure he had his ID, money and the key to the room. Then he headed out to explore.

  He didn't know where to begin. They hadn't been offered a tour, but he was confident he could figure it out.

  The majority of the people that Jacob saw were human and in uniform, which was to be expected on a military base. Surprisingly, there was also a good number of human civilians living on the base. Curious as to why, Jacob periodically stopped to talk with others, asking questions about the base and the people who occupied it.

  He learned that only a few of the civilians were part of the families who'd followed the soldiers here. The others had come as time progressed and a need for restaurants, booze and shopping among the enlisted rose. It proved to be a lucrative place to open a business, the soldiers desperate for the familiarity of home.

  After wandering, browsing the shops and stopping to appreciate the views out the observatory windows, Jacob finally stopped to get dinner. He picked a restaurant where the food was familiar, placed his order, then sat at a booth to wait. After the first few bites, he looked up and noticed someone had been looking at him from another booth.

  It was the first being he had seen on this base that wasn't human.

  Their skin was a blue-green color that reminded him of the ocean, a flat nose and high cheekbones. The only hair he could see was on the alien's head, which was a deep black done up in a brain that disappeared down their shoulders. Jacob was in the dark about their gender; he didn't even know what kind of alien this was. But he'd learned long ago not to assume with humans. He made a mental note to check with the local sellers to see if they had any information about the Juek and their gender identities, especially given he was likely to come across at least a few of them as long as he was on Thone 31S.

  Jacob blushed when he realized he had been staring for longer than was appropriate. The object of his attention didn't seem to mind. They even gave a little smile before Jacob looked away. He went back to his food before he could get himself into trouble. Deciding he needed a distraction, he pulled out his data pad and caught up on the news he missed while in transport.

  A few minutes later, he felt a presence near him. Looking up again, he was caught by bright green eyes. The alien had come over.

  "Hello," the stranger said. "I could not help but notice an unfamiliar face."

  While they had an accent, it wasn't so thick Jacob had trouble understanding the words.

  "I just got here earlier today," Jacob replied. He held out his hand to shake. "My name is Jacob Green."

  "Hello, Jacob Green. My name is Yaro." The alien shook his hand. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

  Jacob shook his head, gesturing toward the empty seat across from him. "Please do."

  Yaro placed the drink they had been carrying on the table before sitting down, giving Jacob another smile. "Is this your first time here?"

  "It's my first time off my home planet."

  "Oh? Where was that?"

  "Unides, on the fringe of the Cardinal Space Federation territory." Having finished with his food, Jacob pushed the plate closer to the edge of the table. "Where are you from?" Jacob hadn't seen anyone who looked like Yaro before, even with access to the datanet.

  "I come from below," Yaro stated. There was a look of expectation in their eyes.

  It took Jacob just a few seconds to understand what he meant. "Below? Like below the water? As in you're…?"

  "Juek, yes."

  "Oh, wow. You're gorgeous," Jacob blurted out. Then realized what he said and tried to retract it. "I'm sorry, not that I thought the Juek wouldn't be attractive. In fact, we hadn't been shown any pictures or anything, so none of us had any idea what you all looked like. Not that that really matters, looks aren't everything. And here I am rambling. I'm sorry."

  Yaro just chuckled. "It is alright. We just started coming to this base recently."

  "Of course, with the truce and all."

  "Precisely," Yaro said with another smile.

  "Then how did you know I was new?"

  "Because I spend a lot of my time people watching. And if I had seen you before, I would have remembered someone who was likewise gorgeous."

  Jacob blushed again, but there was a pleasant feeling that accompanied the blush, something that Jacob was quite interested to investigate. "Can I buy you a drink?"

  "I would love a drink."

  Jacob had walked past what looked like a bar earlier, so that's where he took Yaro. Upon arriving, Jacob noted it was just called Baker's Bar, and it was owned by the wife of a soldier who had followed her husband across the universe.

  Walking up the bar, Jacob ordered a beer for himself. Turning to Yaro, he asked, "What are you drinking?"

  Yaro turned to the bartender. "I will take the same thing as my friend here."

  Once they received their drinks, Jacob led Yaro to a table in a corner. The noise wasn't too loud, most everyone being on duty still. Jacob was curious about Yaro and his people. He had figured any information he would gain would be from the sellers on base, but here he was, with an opportunity to speak with one of the Juek. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if asking a direct question was offensive, but took the chance anyway.

  "May I ask you a question?" Jacob started. "About your people?"

  "Of course you may," Yaro replied, taking a sip of his beer.

  "Um. How do your genders work? With humans, we have a man, woman, non-binary, intersex. Just a wide range of identities. And I'd hate to unintentionally insult you or any other Juek I'd meet."

  "I appreciate the question." Yaro reached out a hand, running their fingers over Jacob's hand before gripping "Most Juek do not claim a gender identity, preferring to use neutral terms to indicate themselves, like myself. There are a few who will use such pronouns as 'her' and 'he.' It is not so much about society norms as it is about personal preference."

  "We seems to struggle with that," Jacob said with a sigh. "Thank you for explaining it to me. Now I can make sure I am accommodating to everyone."

  Yaro's fingers were back on his hand, moving back and forth. "You are most gracious."

  Two

  Once the negotiations started in earnest, Jacob rarely saw his father or anyone else he'd travel
ed to Thone 31S with. Which was perfectly fine with him.

  He quickly made other friends on the base, mostly the human civilians. Frequently, he visited with the shop owners and workers, trading stories. Jacob shared the more interesting of his protest stories, which were many. Their stories were fewer, not wanting to just talk about the war that they'd lived through. Jacob had been afraid he would have been bored from the moment he got here, but thankfully that was proving not to be the case.

  When he inquired about books or how to obtain information about the Juek, Jacob was disappointed to learn that none were available on base. All that had been learned came from personal encounters and what was gained from meetings between the leaders. Taking a chance, Jacob had decided to ask Yaro about their gender. Instead of being offended, Yaro was pleased with being asked, and readily explained.

  The Juek were similar to humans when it came to sexual reproduction and gender identity. There were male and female terms for reproduction. But far more common outside of reproduction purposes was the universal they/them pronouns. A large number of Juek identified as having no gender, similar to the use of 'nonbinary' in humans. It took Jacob a little bit to get his head around that being the default for a species, rather than the more binary 'he' and 'she' pronouns he'd grown up around. But he'd meant it when he'd wanted to make sure he properly understood and respected the gender identities of the Juek he met.

  The soldiers on base weren't friendly. Even when off-duty, they never seemed to fully relax. He supposed that was normal, living where they had just been fighting. When Jacob was with Yaro, their eyes always followed them closely.

  But Jacob never got a sense that Yaro was dangerous. He found himself trusting Yaro easily, even while still suspicious of his own people. He had obviously been a protester for far too long.

  The two of them spoke about everything. Jacob told him about his childhood, how he ended up being a part of the ambassadorial group without actually being an ambassador. Yaro told him about their family, how they were the youngest of five. Yaro lived in the capital city of Osisa, located several kilometers away from the base, and even further down in the ocean. They were also a part of a negotiation team, but wasn't needed just yet. They had been relaxing when they first met Jacob and decided they much preferred relaxing with someone so beautiful.