by David Winnie
Annika changed back into her customary white outfit and joined her new husband in the medical laboratory. Ui arrived, led her into a side room and closed the door. She emerged a few minutes later, nodding.
“She is ready.”
Tahn and Doctor Reynolds entered the dim theater where Annika was waiting. She was lying on a firm but comfortable bed, raised to Tahn's waist level. Coverings lay across her chest and low at her waist. A light was focused on her exposed abdomen. A soft towel covered her eyes.
Tahn patted her bare shoulder. “This won’t take long, Daughter.”
The two men lay a thick beige mat over her exposed belly. It was slightly warm and remarkably light. Doctor Reynolds connected the pad to a handset. He tapped out instructions and the pad on her abdomen began to vibrate softly. “The extraction pad is a more comfortable, less invasive method for extracting live, human eggs,” he explained. “The eggs in your ovaries are being accelerated to maturity, then drawn through your skin into the pad.”
Tahn and the doctor worked in hushed tones. It was odd to Annika to think they were probing about inside of her. Once or twice she thought she might have felt…something. The feeling was fleeting
After an hour, Doctor Reynolds announced the twenty-fourth egg had been extracted.
He and Tahn lifted the pad and delicately laid it on a cart. An attendant entered and took the cart from the room.
Tahn removed the cover from Annika’s eyes and brushed her forehead. “It is over. You are free to go, Daughter. Ui has asked that you and Yuri join us tonight to celebrate your bonding.”
“We would be honored, Master.”
Tahn nodded. “As will we.”
Annika dressed and returned to the lobby. Yuri joined her minutes later, red faced.
“Are you all right, my husband?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He stomped out of the room. “Traditional, my ass!”
Holding back a laugh, Annika followed.
The newlyweds spent the day exploring the temple complex. It was elegantly simple and functional. Openings in the cliff walls allowed sunlight in, which in turn reflected off carefully placed, shining surfaces, cleverly disguised in art work and statues. Other openings brought desert-fresh air into the facility constantly. Well-hidden heating coils, powered by concealed solar panels, warmed the air in the evenings.
The couple was surprised and pleased at the number of gardens in the complex. The inhabitants grew their own food and provided for the local tribes with their bounty.
They joined Tahn, Ui and two other couples for supper. It was a wonderful evening; all present enjoying a good meal and light conversation. Ui and Tahn had the party laughing at their antics over seventy years of marriage.
It grew late. The couples returned to their chambers. Annika changed into her nightgown and was staring out the window at the stars. Yuri joined her, wrapping her in his arms.
“What do you see out there?” he asked her.
“There is Vespa,” she said, pointing, “The next step to my Becoming. And there,” pointing at another star, “is Cadeau, where the Galactic Council meets. One is a pathway, the next is a gateway. That is where I see my future taking me,” she spoke with resolve.
He nuzzled her neck. They kissed under the open window.
“Time for bed, my love,” he whispered.
Nervous, she stood beside the bed, a golden-haired statue.
“Yuri, a few months ago, when I got upgraded, you saw me naked. You said I was beautiful.”
She untied her gown and let it pool at her feet.
“Am I really beautiful?”
She was pressed back into her seat as the orbital lifted off from New Moscow spaceport. Annika was glad she didn’t have a window seat. It had been hard enough to say good bye to Yuri as she boarded the ship.
Grandmother Annika’s stationery was tucked in her bag. Annika removed a sheet and placed it on the table in front of her.
My dearest Yuri,
Today I have boarded a ship, leaving our home on Terra. Home is a word I’ve never thought about while growing up. There were the palaces my brothers, sisters and I lived during our childhood. But never a place that I thought of as home. When you and your family took me in, I found such a place. Such a precious thing you and your family has! I am honored you have brought me into our family.
Family.
I miss all my brothers and sisters. Anja most of all. We grew apart the closer we got to the Naming Day. After all of what has happened this past year, I find there are a million things I want to tell her…
The alarm screeched. As she had all her life, Annika was out of bed, racing to the bathroom to get ready for her day.
Marianne Wallace, her roommate, pulled the pillow over her head. Annika saw one foot uncovered. She grabbed the ankle and shook it as she hurried by.
“C’mon Mari, you’ll be late again,” admonished Annika.
“Not going!” came the muffled reply. “I’m quitting school.”
“You can’t. You quit yesterday. And the day before.”
Marianne rolled over and glared at Annika. Her roommate had already donned her unitard and was pulling up her running shorts. “I hate you,” Marianne hissed. “When are you going to learn to sleep in and be late once and a while?”
“When you learn to wake up and be on time occasionally,” Annika retorted as she pulled on her shoes. “You could get up on time just once and go work out with me and the boys.”
The boys. Annika’s euphemism for her body guards.
“Gods, save me from me from motivated roommates with bodacious blokes chasing her around the campus,” moaned Marianne.
“Slacker!” Annika was out the door.
It had taken the other dorm residents a few weeks to get used to the guard at Annika’s door. It became a joke of sorts, a soldier protecting the Vault of Virtue.
Annika had tried to explain. Her family were wealthy industrialists; her father had insisted that she have around the clock bodyguards. The lie was believable enough. Many of the students at the University were from wealthy families.
No one bought her story. She was too well known.
The four soldiers were waiting. It wasn’t just an honor to work out with the young princess, it was a matter of pride to be able to keep up with her. Following her experience last year with letting up on her training, Annika had become determined to outperform anyone who joined her workout.
During her first semester, some of the male students trying to catch her eye had attempted to work out with the fit, attractive young woman. They all fared poorly.
The quintet ran a 10-mile course around the classic brick buildings that made up the campus of Saint Francis College of Vespa. The buildings were a gothic mix with slate roofs and narrow windows. The priests and nuns lived at opposite ends of the campus, in a rectory to the east, the gated convent at the west.
The campus chapel charmed her the most. The spire soared seemingly forever and used real bronze and copper bells, rung by hand on the quarter hour. The interior was classic, naves running to either side of the main altar under the spire. The ceiling depicted the life of the Pope for whom the campus was named. Pope Francis the Fourth had been a Jesuit who opposed the Democratic Revolution of the Eighth Khan. For that, he had been martyred.
Tall stained-glass windows created a dancing kaleidoscope of color on the marble floor as the sun made its way across the sky. The pews were ancient pootawood, harvested from local forests, and had absorbed centuries of the odors of polishing oils, candle wax and incense.
She would lead her entourage to the gym on the post and would then either swim another five miles or weight train. She was thrilled with the way she looked and felt.
After a shower and change of clothes, she would have her morning electrolyte and light breakfast with Major Campion. He had let his hair grow out a little and Annika enjoyed teasing him about it. “Careful, Major, someone might confuse you with a civilian!” she
would say.
“I have to look this way, Ma’am, to blend in with the large number of civilians on campus,.” he always responded, albeit knowing full well there was no way anyone would ever believe the heavyset, scarred veteran was a college student.
Following breakfast, Anika had just had enough time to be driven to her morning classes. In the first two semesters, she had managed to complete all her required classes, leaving this semester for only electives. Philosophy and comparative religions were her favorite. She had also joined a class for choral singing. The structure of the chorus, the careful teamwork appealed to her.
Annika settled in the lecture hall for this day’s Philosophy class. The classroom was intimate, holding twenty-five students in wooden benches and tables. The tables were ancient, naturally rubbed smooth by centuries of scholars. Looking under the tables, though, revealed the graffiti from hundreds of years of undergraduates who had studied in this room.
Annika was seated with two of her friends. Beck Riddle was from a LaGrange colony in the Vespa system. She was attending on scholarship. She was a pretty Terran girl who worked hard at both her studies and friendships. She had gravitated toward Annika out of curiosity, hearing rumor her classmate was a royal. She was happily surprised to find Annika was warm and friendly. They became immediate friends.
Louisa “Toady” Hanson was boisterous, athletic. She was from a high gravity world, rich with minerals. Her father owned several mine interests and paid her tuition himself. Toady enjoyed being the center of attention, surrounding herself with as many people as she could. Annika was sure Toady hung around her with the thought of becoming the confidante of a princess.
The three were waiting on Marianne. They had started a betting pool on Annika’s roommate, who inevitably showed up late, eating an apple.
The bet was if Father James would notice. Eating in his lecture hall was forbidden.
The first time he caught her, he simply took the apple away. The second time, she protested. “But Father, it’s a very good apple and it’s a sin to throw away good food.”
Father James took a bite from the apple and agreed it was a good apple. “But did you bring enough for everyone?” he asked. He discarded that apple, also.
The next day, Marianne brought in a bag of apples. Everyone agreed, including Father James, they were very good apples.
Today, Marianne arrived with a minute to spare. She was chewing the last bit of the core.
The campus bells tolled. On the echo of the ninth bell, the door to Father James office opened and he hurried in, his cassock furled around his legs. He pushed back the grey hood attached to his stole, the garment worn by the inhabitants of Mithrandir. It exposed his steel colored hair and pale blue skin. Students were fond of the eccentric Jesuit, although they wondered about a member of the Mithranderar race on Vespa, much less as a Jesuit priest.
Father James began the lesson, writing on the overhead display. He underlined each word as he read it aloud. “That which lives, grows. That which does not grow, dies.” He clapped his hands together. “Origins? Meaning? Mr. Hilden.”
“Origins, Terran Bible. Corinthians,” answered the young man.
“Incorrect. First Corinthians: ‘You fool, for does not the seed you plant die before it grows?’ Miss Kohler?”
A studious girl in glasses stated, “Terran novel, late twentieth century. John M. Ford. A minor work from that period.”
“Correct.” Father James raised an eyebrow. “What about the statement? Valid or invalid? Miss Raudona?”
“Valid,” declared Annika. “When something stops growing, it begins to die.”
“Really?” Father James clasped his hands behind his back, “Please stand, Miss Raudona.”
Annika rose. “How tall are you, exactly?” inquired the priest.
“I am four foot ten inches.”
Father James nodded, “Four foot ten. Now, state your age.”
“I will turn twenty this month,” she answered.
“Indeed! Well, happy birthday, young lady. Back to the topic at hand. So, you are four foot ten inches tall and for all intents and purposes, twenty years old. Might I ask when you reached your present height?”
“I recall I stopped growing at sixteen.”
“Ah,” explained the priest, “So, if the statement is valid, then you died four years ago. You appear to be mighty lively for a woman dead the last four years.” The class laughed.
“So, you are telling me that the statement is invalid?” queried Annika.
“I did not say that either, Miss Raudona,” Father James responded. “I am merely pointing out where your reasoning may be invalid.”
“I believe my reasoning is valid,” Annika argued.
“Why?”
Annika’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
The class laughed again.
“The three hardest words to admit in any situation,” responded Father James, “Miss Raudona, are there any ways, other than physically, that you have grown since you achieved your stature?”
“Certainly,” she responded confidently. “I have learned more about the Universe around me. I am academically smarter than I was at sixteen. My body, while no taller, has matured.”
“There! Right there!” the priest said, announcing it to the room. “That is the validation of your argument. While you assumed I was talking about physical growth, you neglected to consider the other kinds of growth. Age and wisdom are forms of growth. Particularly wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge. Mr. Ford could have put it simpler, yes? When we stop learning, we start to die.”
“I think I understand,” Annika said.
“Most students fail this class trying to find perception,” Father James spoke again to the entire classroom. “I am not asking any of you for understanding. What I want you to do is to think.”
Annika tapped on the door to Father James’ office. “Enter,” he called.
His office was neat, organized. She liked that. Other professors she had visited had messy, disorganized spaces. Father James’ office would have pleased Miss Norris to no end.
“Miss Raudona. I’m pleased to see you. Have a seat; how may I help you?”
She fidgeted for a moment, then stated, “I’m still not sure I understand today’s lesson. Was the statement valid or not?”
Father James steepled his fingers. “You were educated by Proctors using the direct download method, yes?”
“Why yes,” she responded, surprised. “How do you know of this? I was told it is a secret.”
“Amongst government and military departments, it is a big secret, yes,” he told her. “But educators have been discussing it with your Proctors for years. Imagine, loading all the information anyone needs for a lifetime directly into a subject’s brain, thus eliminating the need for a formal education. I believe you are experiencing the fault we found in educating this way.”
“I can access the information and utilize it. But without direct experience, I have trouble understanding it,” Annika said.
“Precisely. Consider Miss Wallace’s apple,” he suggested. “I could show you an image of the apple and I could show you the apple itself. I could describe how the apple tastes and the texture of the apple when I bite it. But how will you understand any of these things if you don’t taste the apple yourself?”
“My education is inadequate, then?” asked Annika.
“Heavens, no!” exclaimed the priest. “I daresay most of the university’s staff would love to have your knowledge! What we must achieve here for you is what can’t be downloaded. The ability to process and utilize the information, even if you don’t have direct experience. Today’s statement, for instance. You can’t grasp when I say there is no right or wrong answer.”
“But there must be a correct answer,” Annika insisted. “Every question must have a correct answer.”
“Not always,” the priest said. “Once you have achieved your throne, you will find that
there aren’t always clear-cut answers to every problem. There will be many times when the best answer is the first idea that comes to you. Other times, you will simply have to do what seems most right at the time. But you will be wrong, more than once. In those times, you must learn from your wrong decisions and not repeat the same error.”
“You don’t understand, Father,” Annika argued. “As Empress, whole worlds, even of whole species will depend on my every decision. If I am wrong, beings will die. I was raised to be perfect and I must make perfect decisions.”
“No, Crown Princess. You have to be human,” he said kindly.
Chapter 22
Dearest Yuri,
The spring quarter has finally finished! Everyone is celebrating, as you might imagine. I received your last letter about the offer to accompany Dr. Stevens on his fall tour of Imperial Military medical facilities at Valarius. I think that would be wonderful, as Valarius is adjacent to Vespa. We could spend more time together that way. Please do come to visit, Husband!
More exciting news! Marianne and I have decided to get an apartment for the fall quarter. Major Campion is objecting, of course. But I really want to do this, get out and live like an ordinary student.
I received a letter from my sister, Teresa. She has an invitation from the witches on Scarborough. I understand it involves her healing talent. Sadly, it is out near the rim, so she won’t pass by here on her way out. Hopefully though, we will soon have a chance to see each other.
My friends and I are going camping this weekend in the mountains! Unlike when I was a child, we must carry all our own supplies.
After we return, my love, I will be eagerly waiting at the spaceport for you to arrive. Hurry, my love, I can hardly wait to be with you.
With all my love,
The view from the ridge was spectacular. Annika paused to admire the endless green forest spread across the rolling slopes below her. The air was perfumed with the sweet scent of the pootawood. The still air was broken only by the buzzing of insects and the occasional rustling as one of the hikers disturbed a bird or some other woodland creature. She sipped from her canteen. The water, fresh and cool, was taken from a stream further back on the trail. There was a crisp bite to it, so clear and clean. She almost regretted having to use some tomorrow to mix her electrolyte.
