by Lyn Gala
“What do you mean?”
Liam wasn't even sure where to start. By the time he was in a relationship with Ondry, he had read so many storyscrolls that Rownt psychology was all there, waiting for that one keystone that would make all the pieces fit together. But Zach tried to understand Rownt rationally, through explanations. Sometimes Liam suspected that Zach would develop faster if he would stop doing the linguistic work of a Grandmother and lock himself in his room with a stack of storyscrolls. But it wasn't Liam’s place to say that. “I want you to imagine that instead of being two spaceships that we were two towns that stood a short distance from each other, and one town encountered a situation that was so stressful and difficult that they had to ask someone else for help when that is antithetical to anything in Rownt psychology.”
Zach nodded. “So the Rownt in the first town would be under a lot of stress. And the Rownt in the second town could choose to ignore the request, but if kids are involved, they won’t.”
“Exactly. The Calti can't fly away knowing that children are in trouble, even psychological danger. So Grandmothers feel the need to get involved, but they can't get too involved.”
Zach frowned. “I see a moral coming.”
“It's a potential outcome. Many storyscrolls that talk about what happens when a town is under so much stress that even the Grandmothers can't chart an ethical course. That’s a favorite in Rownt literature.”
“And?”
“As tuk and ka-ranked individuals travel to other towns that are more settled and that feel less conflicted, they may choose to settle there.”
Zach tilted his head, and Liam could practically hear the gears turning. If these were two towns, the situation would be easier to resolve, but not any less messy. “Ship-Rownt can't travel that way.”
“No, they can't,” Liam said, “but a shuttle between our two ships is a pathway that they could walk. And if those lower-ranked Rownt saw a large, old, settled Grandmother walking that path—”
“They’d be tempted to follow her back to the Calti,” Zach finished. “If too many of the crew decide to abandon the Degsa, the ship could flounder.”
“And there wouldn't be room for all of them here,” Liam said. In storyscrolls, the chaos of a town collapse often gave the hero a chance to shine; however, that made a good story because most Rownt caught in that sort of social upheaval suffered. Rownt were not built for change. “Most of the Rownt would lose some status. And that's why some of the Rownt, including the Grandmothers, would never come over here.”
A slow horror crossed Zach’s face. “But if there aren't enough people to run the ship, the systems would fail. The ship would die.”
“And some of the Rownt would choose to die with it,” Liam said coldly. He needed Zach to understand this. “If you invite your Grandmother to get involved, she might think she has to go in order to protect the children.”
Zach rubbed his face. “Fuck. If she does, Rownt could die.”
“They will die; I just don’t know how many,” Liam corrected him. “Rownt don't handle change or stress well.”
“So what are we supposed to do about this?” Zach threw his hands up in frustration.
Liam wasn’t sure. “Comfort the children. Distract them with a pretty dog. Give the Desga Grandmothers lots of options so they can make an ethical choice. Beyond that, I don’t know. I'm making this up as I go.”
For a time they sat in silence. Liam suspected the Grandmothers in the upper level of the temple were equally at a loss. Rownt children were orphaned. If Ondry hadn’t been so precocious, he might have still been in his mother’s home when she was killed while traveling between towns. However, mass numbers of orphans were less common.
Eventually Zach asked, “Do you think officers who got their promotions the traditional way ever feel this useless?”
“Maybe? I don't know.” Liam thought back to his days on Landing when the sound of weapons’ fire and bombs had punctuated his nights. At the time he’d thought the officers were calm, self-assured. Powerful. Now he suspected only one of those three was accurate. Maybe they were in the same spot Liam was in now—facing a situation with no good outcome and moving forward only because there wasn’t any other choice.
A Guilt of Orphans Part Five
Ama pressed her fingertips to her solar plexus and imagined the color yellow surrounding her. The warm glow she wanted kept drifting toward the wilder energies of fire and solar flares, but that was likely her fear driving the visualization, not some warning from a universe that didn’t notice her.
“We’re here,” Tyce said, his voice clipped and tense.
Ama unfastened her harness and stood. “You will wait here.”
“I should go with you,” he protested.
He was a good man, but she worried about his tendency to believe that action was the path to every solution. Sometimes one needed to be silent, and from what Ama had read about the Rownt, silence was the most powerful asset she had—one that Tyce would shatter.
“The Rownt have asked for guidance from Amali Ahinza, not from fighters.”
“They didn’t ask for help at all, and we can talk on video screens,” he argued. Technically, he was correct. And he was the captain, fairly elected by the crew. However, he understood the limits of his power. In her role as a spiritual advisor, Ama was not constrained to listen to his edicts and she had chosen to interpret the vague call as one requiring spiritual rather than military response. It was more likely that the Rownt had some economic interest in their ship. They were a rather mercenary species, as she understood it. However, if they wished to trade, it was still best to start from a place of the spirit than the weapon. She turned and walked to the shuttle door without answering. As she suspected he would, Tyce sighed and settled into the pilot seat.
The door opened, and Ama got to see a Rownt. This was the species that was providing ore to Command, giving them an even greater advantage in battle. Ribelo had managed to finish their preparations before Earth had landed fighters on the surface of home, but the timeline had been tight.
The battle being lost, they were focused now on the war. That meant Ama had to release her anger at the Rownt for interfering.
Gods and goddesses above, but they were ugly. They had a humanoid face, but it was drawn and reptilian. The one standing in the enormous corridor touched a computer and a mechanical voice said, “Come to see the Grandmothers.”
“Ama,” Tyce said behind her, his voice full of worry.
She walked out of their shuttle without looking back. If she had, he would have recognized the fear in her expression and then he would have insisted on coming with her. The Rownt led her down passages that were not anything like the human ships Ama had lived on or the Cy ship her crew had appropriated. Like a Cy ship, the corridors were dangerously large. If the ship were subjected to unexpected gravity, there was enough room for a human body to get some serious velocity before hitting a wall. However, unlike the Cy ship where the walls were organic and yielding, this ship was made of metal and was closer to a human ship in aesthetics.
Focusing on the décor was her way of avoiding the fear that grew as she followed her guide deep into the Rownt ship. Her guide led her into a room with three Rownt so large that Ama couldn’t help but feel like prey when she stepped into the room. She had to force her gaze away from their still bodies, but her mind kept screaming about predators crouching in the grass, watching an oblivious deer. Ama didn’t discount the warning her subconscious sent her, but she couldn’t focus on it, either.
Instead, she noted the smaller Rownt in the room, one standing near a remarkably tall human. There was also a second human man in the room—a young one. The room was the largest Ama had ever seen, but given the size of the Rownt, that was not surprising. It was divided into a larger front area and a smaller back one by use of light beams that simulated curtains. That implied a psychological need for privacy. The back area was dim with stairs as the only visible feature.
/> The front area had a number of pieces of art, most featuring alien scenes. However, she was shocked to see an ancient Aizen Myo o in a place of honor. The sight stole her breath. She always advised others to avoid looking to the universe for signs because those reflected the feelings of the person, not a universal truth. However, she could not find a way to explain that symbol on an alien ship. The great king taught people to release passions that could turn into obsessions.
“Welcome to the Calti,” the tall human said. When he spoke, she recognized him. Liam Munson. This one had risked his life at Landing. John and the crew from Command nearly worshipped this one. Ama had read the book of his life because understanding a person’s heroes was the best way to understand the person. It spoke well of them that they admired Munson and his fight to improve himself, but faced with Liam, she did not see the wounded soul described in that book. Perhaps the author needed to update the biography.
“Thank you,” she said after taking a second to catch her breath from the revelations. “The Imshee sent a message suggesting you needed our assistance.” She chose that word specifically because the actual message had been more ambiguous. Imshee had a questionable habit of using a half dozen words in place of one, making their messages vague.
“We do,” Munson said.
Once again, Ama was surprised. She had expected him to correct her language. “I find it interesting that you would send a request via a species that has already proved itself antagonistic to my ship,” she said. John and Tyce had both argued against coming because the message had come from Imshee.
The largest Rownt touched her computer, her fingers moving with surprising speed. Then again, Tyce told her that the ship remembered the Rownt as dangerous predators—fast and vicious fighters. The Rownt’s computer spoke. “Imshee track the location of every Cy ship, particularly those without Cy in them.”
Ama found it interesting that the Rownt didn't feign ignorance or ask for clarification. It was such a small difference from what a human might’ve said, but significant enough that Ama felt almost unbalanced. Sometimes her people assumed that her position as a spiritual leader meant that she was wiser, but most days she felt as though she was simply more aware of her own ignorance.
“Why are they concerned about ships without Cy? Given that the Cy enslaved others, I would expect them to worry more about them.”
The younger man jerked. He hadn’t known the Cy were slavers, although Liam Munson did not appear surprised.
The largest Rownt again entered her answer on her computer. “The ships lose all reason if they are empty long enough. They become like diseased kawt, willing to attack any ship in the area.” She looked at Liam Munson.
He then spoke, taking a step forward in either a calculated or unconscious effort to command the attention in the room. “We do need your assistance in an area that is uniquely human in nature, but many of the Grandmothers wonder if you are safe to trade with.”
“Many of my crew question the intelligence of Grandmothers who choose to trade with Earth,” Ama countered. Technically, her people questioned the morality of that choice, but she doubted that term would translate well.
The Grandmother and her computer answered. “I had thought your extended period of battling with Earth was at an end.”
“From Earth's perspective, I'm sure it is.” Ama offered the Grandmother the same smile that generally sent Yoss and Tyce running for cover. “However, Earth tends to plan in terms of decades. My people prefer to plan for centuries.”
The Grandmother widened her eyes. “Are you not the same people?”
That was a loaded question. “In many ways we are not. My people believe we will be born again and again, and that if we wish to obtain happiness and enlightenment, we must ensure that the world we return to five hundred years from now is the sort of world that will support our quest. But I see you already display the Aizen Myo o. So perhaps I am a fool who is telling an elder that which she already knows.”
The Grandmother stood straighter and looked toward the wisdom king’s statue. “I understand the art is related to a belief system on Earth. Is your belief system the same?”
“No,” Ama said slowly. Some of her people would disagree, but they were wrong. “However, my belief system was born from the one on Earth. There are many similarities just as a child may look like a parent.”
The two humans exchanged glances, and the younger shifted from foot to foot, as though he had too much energy and no place to direct it. So they had some concern centered on parents and children. Tyce was from Earth, so it was possible that one of his family members had contacted the Rownt. However, she could not imagine why they would. Tyce’s people dismissed him as a traitor. She pressed her fingertips unobtrusively to her solar plexus and tried to settle her thoughts before she could fidget. Around the room, Rownt watched her. Silent. Still. Even Munson had the same quiet energy as the aliens around him.
She studied, and after a second, he said, “The Rownt value children.”
“In that we are agreed, even if I question their tactics in other areas.”
Munson glanced toward the Grandmother before focusing on Ama again. “They value them enough that they are unwilling to send human children to an orphanage.”
Shock hit Ama like a blow to her chest. “Are you saying there are children on the ship?”
“No.” Munson was unflustered, but the younger man shifted.
She narrowed her eyes.” There are human children on the other ship,” she said, sure of her statement. “Where are the parents?”
“Dead,” the Grandmother said bluntly.
“Did you kill them?”
This time the younger man responded. “Of course they didn't. Rownt aren’t monsters. The humans were traveling in an old ship that had no business being in space, and they had a massive mechanical failure. They shoved the kids into a shielded nursery, but the adults all died trying to get the engines back online.”
None of the Rownt had responded to the man's anger, but they had remained calm in the face of Ama’s accusation, which implied they did not find it as monstrous as their human companion did. Perhaps it was because Ama lived in a living Cy ship that had its own morality that rarely matched that of its human crew, but she did not think it so impossible that a Rownt ship would kill a human crew and then save the human children.
“Why did you send a message asking for a meeting?” She pressed harder on her solar plexus. This was the danger point. Either these Rownt would trust her to assist, or she would learn that they had been lured here because the Rownt hoped to take their ship. Ama wasn't sure which was more likely, but if the Rownt killed her, she hoped she would have another lifetime to come back and make them regret their precipitous choices.
Munson spoke up. “The Rownt don't have the ability to emotionally care for the children. Some of the older ones saw their friends and family die horribly. But at the same time, the Rownt can't send the children to earth knowing that many might end up in orphanages.”
“You want us to take them,” Ama said. Again, the Rownt shocked her.
Munson shook his head. “They hope they can hire you to find any family members and protect the children until either you can reunite them or until they are adults.”
That was a more complex issue. “You assume we can do the sort of genetic scanning that would require.”
“I know you can,” the young man said. “Command thought for a while that Ribelo had folded-space technology because their analysis had the same person thousands of astronomical units apart within a short period of time. Then they figured out that Ribelians used foreign DNA to create chimeras that would be harder to track.”
“Not foreign DNA,” Ama protested. “Mothers choose which DNA to introduce into their fetuses using prenatal genetic treatment equipment. We do not like to be tracked using our DNA.” If Command knew, then telling the truth cost nothing. Besides, as long as Ribelians had two or three different DNA sequences in them, it
still made it impossible for Command to take individuals to court. “We would happily take in the children, and for the right trade, we would be willing to spend time tracking down potential relatives, but this is not a small favor you’re asking. This would take considerable time and effort.” And since they still did not have their ship in order, they had all the time in the world. This would give the crew an objective to focus on and might help unite them. It bothered Ama that the crew still tended to think of themselves as being either Command or Dragon crew, ignoring that they all now belonged on Wolf.
“We can discuss trade,” the Grandmother said.
A Guilt of Orphans Part Six
Liam had never met a Ribelian before. He’d seen them through the scope of a weapon when he’d been shooting at them, and he’d seen public trials of those arrested for terrorism, but Ama was the first actual Ribelian he’d talked to. She wasn’t what he had expected. She had driven a hard bargain, accepting the mission to reunite as many children as possible with their families only after the Calti had agreed to a number of supplies, including live algae for ship scrubbers, food stuff, garden supplies, cloth, and repairs for a number of ship systems.
By the end, even the eldest Grandmother had respected her.
“The Desga is preparing the children for transport,” Liam told her. Ondry walked beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed. No doubt he was curious about these humans who had been on the opposite side of the war.
“They should wait until we’re there,” Ama said. “A grandmotherly face can calm children, at least when the grandmother in question is human.”
“True.” Liam nodded. There was another issue to discuss, which is why he had volunteered to walk her back to her shuttle. However, he wasn’t sure how to open discussions without being rude. Well, a statement of fact was always safe. “You have taken control of a Cy ship.”
