Jewel’s mouth dropped open.
“There were significant problems between Ebe and her husband. There was a scandal. She chose the path of honor.”
Jewel’s mouth opened wider. “You’re saying she killed herself because of a scandal and you approve?”
The Empyreal nodded gravely. “She learned something of honor from us during her marriage.”
Jewel stood up. “If you’re trying to scare me out of marrying Kole, you’re succeeding.”
“Sit down, Jewel,” the justiciar general said. His voice was firm but not unkind. “You are not like either Amisi or Ebe. Your recent history proves that. Why don’t you tell me what your concerns really are and we’ll see if I can help you?”
Jewel wasn’t certain she wanted to sit back down, but she did it anyway. She was trapped and running from her problems wouldn’t resolve any of them. “I want to maintain my freedom of action and part of that freedom depends on my keeping control of my finances. Is there anything in Armenite law or custom that would limit my movements or interfere with my control over my wealth?”
The Empyreal shook his head. “We are not barbarians, Jewel. We are not buying you. We expect you to live with Kole and try and produce children. This may not be possible—as you know, we are not the most fertile people and we do not approve of artificial means of procreation—but we expect you to try. Failure to do so could result in breach of contract actions.”
Since Farl had raised the important issue of offspring, Jewel decided it was time to explore the subject with him. “You keep mentioning children. They’re obviously as important to you as they are to us. Who is responsible for raising them?”
“As the mother, you are,” Farl confirmed.
Jewel relaxed slightly.
“Until they reach five years of age,” Farl concluded.
“What?”
“Armenite children enter boarding school at the age of five where they learn everything they need to be productive citizens. Until that time they are the mother’s responsibility to raise and instruct.”
“You’re going to take my children from me?” Jewel asked. She couldn’t believe her ears. “And at five years old?” A strange thought entered her head. She would have liked to query spy but as the bioware was still shut down she had to ask her question aloud. “How long is an Armenite year anyway?”
Farl knew the answer without having to stop and calculate it. “Point two-five standard years, but the age for enrolling in school that I gave you was in standards. We believe that it is important that children not be overly coddled by their parents, so we get them out of the home right away. Your people do the same thing, except that you are softer than we are.”
Jewel reflected on this for a moment. It was true that elite Cartelite children spent a significant portion of their school years traveling through a series of exchange programs throughout the Cartel Worlds, but that began at ten, not five, and it wasn’t year-round.
“How often will I see my children once they’re in school?” Jewel asked.
Farl smiled, clearly intending to put her at ease. That was not an easy thing to do with the swirling tattoos on his face. Those dark tribal markings prevented her from reading him properly. She couldn’t tell if his effort was genuine or contrived.
“We’re not monsters, Jewel. We don’t want to steal your children from you. Indeed, that would be counterproductive as we hope that those children will be able to aid us in bridging the differences between our two peoples. We just want them to understand what it is to be Armenite.”
“But they should be Cartelite too,” Jewel argued. “They need to understand business and the economy, how to estimate value, and how to negotiate. If they spend all their time in your Armenite boarding school, how will they learn these things?”
The justiciar general frowned. “You make an interesting point. Perhaps some combination of the two regimens will be necessary, although this runs the risk of putting them behind their classmates in critical testing. Let us agree to defer this matter for now. It is distinctly possible that there will not even be any children resulting from this marriage. Surely intelligent people of good faith can work out a plan of education for them that satisfies all of a child’s needs.”
That was far more reasonable sounding than Jewel had frankly expected the Empyreal to be. She felt like there was a subtext to their conversation that she simply didn’t understand—and she needed to—but she wasn’t certain how much more she could get out of Farl now. “So long as it is understood that both Kole and I have to agree to the program, I guess I can agree to table the issue for now.” She didn’t like tabling it, but frankly she had so many other matters to discuss and she wasn’t certain this could be resolved until she knew more.
“The Hegemony can agree to that,” the justiciar general said. “And as I said before, it may not even be an issue. What else is on your mind?”
A new question bubbled out of Jewel before she could suppress it. “Why are you being so reasonable? The Armenite reputation is one for forceful demands, not quiet compromise.”
Farl actually laughed. “And the Cartelite reputation is one of lawyerly tricks and very fine print on their contracts.”
“Too true,” Jewel agreed. “Which reminds me, would it be possible for you or your staff to write up my agreement with Nefer Reneb in very straightforward language? If I leave it up to her, I will lose everything I just won through negotiation.”
He laughed again. “Of course, we can do that. In fact, we’ll make it clear that disagreements between you and the Cartelites will be arbitrated in Armenite courts. That should resolve many of your problems right there.”
Jewel suspected she was being foolish, but she began to relax a little more with the older man. He was much more personable one-on-one than he had been in the company of the other two Empyreals.
“All right, I have some questions about how Armenite households function. What will my legal status be if I marry Kole, and will that impact my control over my fortune?”
“I thought I answered that already,” Farl told her.
“No, you avoided the question and deftly turned it into a discussion of the education of children.”
“Hmmmm,” Farl mused. “I guess I did at that. The digression was unintentional, but the question you are asking is a complex one. While Armenites recognize personal wealth and use it to achieve our ends, we do not flaunt—or even respect it—as you Cartelites do. The greatest accumulations of wealth are generally concentrated in our Houses which have some of the features of your corporations. According to the analysis my staff completed just before this meeting, you have just negotiated yourself a personal fortune that places your wealth among the top two or three hundred Houses in the Hegemony.”
Jewel thought about that. She knew more about the ways in which the Armenites ran their economy than she did about other aspects of their society and she needed to understand the implications of bringing a substantial fortune such as her own into the Hegemony. “I am under the impression that the state dictates how the Houses invest their capital and owns a stake in all of their ventures. Would the state attempt to assert any control over my share of Khaba?”
The justiciar general’s mouth twisted in an uncomfortable grimace. “The short answer is no, the state would not touch what you already have. But if you try to invest in the Hegemony, it would play a role in planning your venture and own a share in its outcome. The term dictate is probably too strong a word. We do not have a command economy. On the other hand, we definitely do not embrace the laissez faire philosophy that dominates the Cartel Worlds. We feel strongly that industry must serve the needs of society, not the other way around.”
Jewel had never been completely comfortable with the near total hands off government policies which her peers and parents took for granted. There were areas such as economic safety nets and safe work conditions where their less competitive neighboring powers like the League and the Confederation were mor
ally superior to the Cartel Worlds. But even so, Jewel contradictorily shared the essential Cartelite distrust of government intervention in the business sectors. Nothing outperformed the free market in the efficient development of the economy. As a result, the average employed Cartelite enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the galaxy.
“So what does all of that mean in practical terms?” Jewel asked.
“It’s important that you understand that I am not a specialist in the economy,” the justiciar general told her. “My field is what we term societal law—the basic codes of conduct which govern the interactions between the layers of Hegemonic society. Mostly this means that I prosecute criminals among the helots. But occasionally more subtle and interesting cases such as yours and Kole’s arise and I get to stretch my mind a bit.”
The way the justiciar general had phrased that last sentence felt odd to Jewel, but before she could frame the question in her mind and interrupt him, he had moved on to answer her original question.
“So with that caveat, I feel confident in saying that to start a new business requires a license from the state. To obtain that license, you would find it helpful—although not technically necessary—to gain the support of the Empyreals of your house. If they believe in your concept, they have the influence to cut through several layers of the bureaucracy and make things happen more quickly.”
He smiled wryly and shrugged. “I wish it weren’t the case, but even a society as advanced as our own continues to suffer the curse of the bureaucrat.”
Jewel made herself smile in response to his jest, although she certainly didn’t agree that the Armenites sounded advanced as either a culture, a people or a government.
“Empyreals are another thing I don’t understand,” Jewel told him. “Would it be rude to ask exactly what you are and how you fit into your society? From the outside we understand that you have high status and rank, but…” She let her voice trail off. Everyone knew that Empyreals were decision makers among the Armenites—experienced men and women with the clear authority to decide things apparently independently of their high rank. Yet that couldn’t be the whole story because her father had often explained that he had forged his initial relationship with House Delling by heroically saving a damaged starship which included among its passengers eighteen Empyreal children. The children had ranged in age from five to fifteen, with even the youngest already beginning to receive the tattoos that set them apart from the rest of their society. So Empyreal status wasn’t simply a reward for superior service or performance, it was a distinct subset of Armenite society, perhaps akin to a caste.
The mirth seemed to bubble out of Farl’s body as he instantly returned to his somber ways. “That is another complex subject that you will need to understand better in the coming days and weeks, but today is not the time to provide that explanation. It can wait until after the wedding. For now, let it suffice to say that those of us marked,” he gestured at the swirling tribal tattoos that covered his hands as they emerged from his shirt sleeves, “with the sign of the Unity have been given opportunities to better serve our people.”
Jewel found his words vaguely unsettling. The Armenites were a very insular people despite their expansionist policies. Every revelation Farl provided her proved she knew even less than she had believed about their nation. “Does this mean that there is a religious component to your status?”
“I believe that spiritual aspect would be more accurate. We are not a society obsessed with churches.”
He made a blatant move to change the subject. “Now my time is not infinite, much as I might like it to be. What other questions do you have for me?”
Jewel wasn’t yet ready to bring up the big one—the only truly important one—so she reviewed her concerns in her mind and returned to the subject of finances. “How does tax policy work in the Hegemony. What little we know about it comes from conquered worlds like Ymir where it is quite damaging.”
Damaging was an understatement. Defections from among the conquered peoples—helots and the loyalists, as the Armenites termed them—painted a picture of what many believed was a purposely injured economy. Taken together, the helots paid about seventy-five percent of their income in what were clearly punitive taxes—with most of that going to their Armenite conquerors. The loyalists, those who had sworn loyalty to the Armenite Hegemony, were rewarded with a lessoning of the tax burden to just over fifty percent. Jewel found both of those numbers oppressive. She had no intention of simply turning her wealth over to the Aremenite government.
“As the wife of a free Armenite citizen, you would be expected to tithe ten percent of your income to the House, and pay twenty percent of your income in taxes to the state. Since you will have dual citizenship, the state income tax would only apply on income you generate in the Hegemony.”
“So the House expects ten percent of my money regardless of where I make it?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
That didn’t seem reasonable to Jewel. While it could convincingly be argued that the Khaba Cartel could not have risen without Delling, the House had already been paid for its raw armenium. It had nothing to do with the development of the Khaba refineries or its extensive distribution networks. They didn’t deserve one solar of her profits from the Khaba shares or the interest and dividends on her other assets. “We’ll have to discuss that. It’s not unreasonable to ask me to tithe out of profits generated within the Hegemony but I see no reason to do so on my Cartel Worlds wealth. I’m not going to pay taxes twice on my money and I’ll already be paying similar amounts in the Cartel Worlds.”
“Why don’t I make a note of your concerns for your House Empyreals to consider,” Farl suggested. “Your circumstance is truly unique and we are not an unreasonable people.”
That was a matter of opinion, Jewel thought, and she felt strongly enough about the issue to push the point. “I don’t think that making a note is good enough. And I don’t think this is an issue we can leave for later. You’ve already admitted that Rear Admiral Delling doesn’t like me. How can I trust a man biased against me to do right by me? Why can’t you and I resolve this now. What exactly would the justification be to make me pay double taxes?”
Farl actually looked uncomfortable with her question. “The tithe isn’t technically a tax as it is not collected by the state. It’s a duty.”
Jewel didn’t try and disguise the disdain she felt for that statement. “Is the payment required or voluntary?”
“I’d say the tithe would technically be termed expected,” Farl told her. “No good scion of a House would fail to share his wealth with his cousins.”
Jewel thought that was a lot of nonsense. “Well said, Justiciar General, but since none of my cousins are actually members of the House of Delling, let us write up that it is our expectation that in recognition of my dual citizenship, it will be expected only that I will tithe from income generated in the Hegemony.”
Farl continued to prevaricate. “There’s really no precedent for me to include such a provision.”
Jewel leaned forward and touched the Empyreal’s tattooed hand. “Justiciar General, did either Amisi Lisht or Ebe Nuri bring enough assets to the marriage for this to be an issue?”
“No,” Farl admitted.
“Then make some precedent now,” she suggested, “because otherwise the House of Delling is going to look quite greedy and I’d hate for that sort of shame to be attached to my husband’s family.”
Farl was clearly not amused by Jewel’s words, but he gave in. “Perhaps we can be flexible on this issue. I’ll make it clear that only your Hegemony-derived income is eligible for tithes and taxes.”
Jewel sat back carefully keeping the smile off her face. “Thank you, Justiciar General, I appreciate your willingness to accommodate my concerns. You know I’m really quite surprised that capital gains rates are so low in the Hegemony—only five percent above Cartel World rates. I didn’t expect your people to be so enlightened on this is
sue.”
“Yes, I was surprised by that as well,” Farl agreed. “Of course, we charge twenty percent on everything, and you do so only on capital gains. For some reason, you find working for a living less noble than letting your money work for you, and so you charge more on honest income.”
Jewel was not going to allow herself to be diverted into a discussion of the true value of capital gains to an economy. She kept her focus on more practical things. “So you pay this thirty percent too? Are there any deductions?”
“No, there are no deductions,” Farl told her. “It’s a genuine flat tax which helps us limit the number of accountants we need to employ. And no, I’m an Empyreal. I pay the ten percent tithe, but not the twenty percent state tax.”
This did not surprise Jewel. It was very common for the elites to have better tax deals than did the ordinary citizens. Certainly her parents did.
“Empyreals pay thirty percent to the state,” Farl concluded.
“Wow,” Jewel exclaimed. “That was not what I was expecting you to say.”
Farl understood exactly what she had been thinking. “We Armenites believe that our leaders need to do more than the average citizen does as a sign of our commitment to our people.”
Once again, Farl had unexpectedly impressed her. “That’s a beautiful notion. How in the galaxy did your people get mixed up with mine? Two more different cultures probably don’t exist anywhere.”
Farl smiled again. “It is a strange match. When we first discovered the armenium, we were simply not in a position to expand our industrial base rapidly enough to become the primary refiners of the mineral. Armenium mining is an exceedingly dangerous and costly venture. We quite underestimated the extraordinary demand that the fuel instantly generated on the markets.”
Jewel wondered if the man could possibly be telling the truth. “But it makes faster-than-light travel possible. Of course, everyone wanted it. To stay competitive, they absolutely needed it.”
Farl nodded. “Yes, we realized that but we still expected the transition from slower-than-light travel to faster-than-light ships to be more gradual. Unfortunately, no major nation in the galaxy was willing to risk being the last to convert to the new vessels, which meant they needed our fuel. And they needed it immediately. Our analysts determined that there was a significant risk of invasion, and in those days we were not certain we were strong enough to hold the invaders back. So we chose to do business with the Cartelites, who not only would need vast quantities of armenium internally, but whose immense love of profits would shield them from the temptation not to distribute the fuel to the rest of the galaxy.”
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