by Ezra E Manes
Counselor Largena held up a Zilan cookbook and indicated that Smara Trunia and her staff had brought along fresh fruit, vegetables, and spices and would prepare dishes in the Zilan fashion for the team’s pleasure. She indicated that an excellent cook was a member of the support staff, one who was also anxious to learn how to prepare Earth cuisine.
Carlos in turn presented the gifts his team had assembled. The first item was a bound book containing the condensed history of Earth, a carefully edited edition. The book, as were all documentation presented as gifts, was in the Zilan language. In addition, he provided a book containing summary descriptions of the major religious orders on Earth, and one containing a summary of the similarities among those religions. He was well aware this information was something the Zilans had expressed strong interest in receiving early in the diplomatic relationship. As with the condensed history, this book was an edited version to minimize concern and controversy when scrutinized by the Zilans. Another book contained information about Earth’s solar system.
As the Zilans prepared to depart, Counselor Largena turned and addressed the group again in English. “I compliment you on the excellent command of the Zilan language you have demonstrated today. It is another example of your commitment to making our relationship work, which we greatly appreciate. Several of us in the Office of Diplomatic Affairs have endeavored to learn your language as well, using information provided from Earth. We hope we can someday demonstrate the same fluency in yours that you have demonstrated in ours. Once again, welcome to Zilia!”
After the Zilans departed, all Carlos could do was turn to the team and say, “What an experience! For me, this made all the effort so far worthwhile.”
The others agreed, and all except Gloria turned to peruse the gifts more closely.
She took Carlos’s hands in hers and said, “I am proud of the way you represented Earth. And I believe we are all going to get along famously with our Zilan counterparts.”
She paused, and then added, “I can see that you and Counselor Largena relate very well, and if our love for each other weren’t so strong, I would be jealous.” Then she laughed as he blushed, and gave him a quick poke to the ribs before pulling him along to look at the gifts.
It took him a few moments to catch his breath after her playful jab. Had it been a little harder than necessary to make her point?
ELEVEN
RELATIONSHIPS
The Earth and Zilan diplomatic teams did in fact get along well and were soon on a first-name basis. Carlos got along especially well with Ceripe, whose demeanor encouraged him to get to know her better. Gloria picked up quickly on their mutual interest and couldn’t help but show growing jealousy.
Gloria’s reaction meant Carlos would have to work hard to keep his relationship with Ceripe on as professional a basis as possible. Perhaps he was being too friendly with Ceripe because of his confidence in the relationship with Gloria, but then, he shouldn’t take her for granted. In spite of this self-caution, he still had difficulty controlling himself around Ceripe.
He and the others quickly became engrossed in investigating all facets of the Zilan civilization open to them. Their sources of information were daily contacts with Zilans, primarily those of the Office of Diplomatic Affairs, monitoring of electronic and printed news, personal visits throughout areas in and around Zilerip, and research of public-domain information available in libraries.
Carlos was mildly concerned that team members were shadowed by their Zilan counterparts when out of the embassy, which was purportedly to assist with any access or citizen interface problems. Instead of making an issue of this, he decided it was best to give the Zilans the benefit of the doubt.
Carlos was reluctant to engage in political-social meetings with Zilan dignitaries, in spite of his training before mission launch. It was his nature. However, he found the series of meetings with senior Zilan officials, including the Supreme Leader, Pteleg Bnethem, to be less trying than he had feared. The first meeting took care of formalities, though most of the senior Zilans remained somewhat aloof, except for Pteleg Bnethem. He engaged Carlos in extensive discussion regarding how governments worked on Earth. Carlos was thankful he had been required to study that subject at the Messier Colony. They signed the treaty formally establishing the Earth Embassy at the end of the meeting.
He learned from Ceripe that it was rude to hasten meetings, whether meeting for business or personal reasons. Zilans placed great importance on taking time to get to know one another, to establish relationships. It was common courtesy to exchange a few personal observations before beginning any business discussion and to end the meeting likewise. It was the same when shopping in the spacious markets throughout Zilerip, although the name “market” was one the team applied. The people staffing the numerous product outlets were friendly and cooperative in explaining everything, and all wanted to pass the time of day with the people from off world.
It was easy to like Ceripe and her staff. They were always positive and open, and their support strengthened as time went on. By mutual agreement, the only areas off-limits to the team’s probing were internal government and detailed technology information. This latter was of high interest but not of immediate concern; the team initially believed they understood the Zilan technology base well. Carlos suspected that in the near term, Earth would be more interested in how Zilan technology had evolved and how closely this evolution mirrored that of Earth.
Even with information access limited to the public domain, it soon became clear that Earth and the Messier Colony had misjudged the sophistication of the Zilan technology base. This was particularly true in areas of physics, mathematics, energy conversion, and automated processing systems. But it was going to take considerable time before the team could gain access to detailed information in these areas; doing so would require giving information in return that Earth did not want to disclose just yet.
The religious commitment of individuals wherever encountered, and the positive effect this had within their society, was nothing short of amazing. It was strange to see a society not driven by the search for something better, faster, or more distinctive, as was the case on Earth and to some extent at the Messier Colony. Carlos finally understood why no one from the Zilan church was on Ceripe’s staff. All on her staff were devout followers of the core religion.
This realization prompted Carlos to assign Sharon and Maxwell to learn all they could about the evolution and role of religion in the Zilan society, and to inform the team weekly of their findings, which were somewhat remarkable. The principles espoused by their religion guided almost every facet of a Zilan’s life. The principles were similar to those common in most major religions on Earth but without the hellfire-and-brimstone threat evident in many of them.
The Zilans had gone to great lengths to compress their personal religious tenets to seven, to match the seven-year religious cycle set by the orbital period of the outer moon. Practicing the seven personal tenets blessed you; if you did not, you became an outcast in society.
However, the seven tenets were more complex, integrated tenets than simply compressed tenets. For example, the first tenet was “Honor the family structure and your elders, for they are cornerstones of a stable society.” This tenet actually contained two subtenets. And the second tenet contained three: “Treat thy neighbor as thyself, neither taking that which is not yours, nor giving that which will create offense; it is more honorable to give through good deeds than to receive, for in doing so you will prosper likewise.” In total, Sharon and Maxwell identified fifteen subtenets contained within the structure of the seven formal tenets, including values very closely resembling the Ten Commandments of many religions on Earth.
They also learned from the Book of Zil that a core general tenet was the belief God would return to provide salvation for all the faithful. A manifestation of God would appear physically, shining brightly as a third moon, overshadowing the other two moons in the night sky. Zilans believed this coming wo
uld initiate an extended period of well-being for the faithful.
Furthermore, the Zilans had come to believe the reappearance of God would occur during a Holy Seven-Year Two-Moon Phase, thus fulfilling a religious prophecy recorded eons before in the holy Book of Zil. This prophesied event was the “Holy Third Moon Rising.”
The concept of a large third moon suddenly appearing around Zilia amused the Messier contingent privately. They knew the impossibility of such a moon suddenly entering orbit without imposing severe physical strain on the planet. It would cause horrific land and ocean upheavals that would certainly spell the end of life as currently known on Zilia.
Carlos had a more pressing worry than this Zilan end-of-life scenario. His attraction to Ceripe was real and growing, as was hers for him. Ceripe appeared comfortable with this, but it certainly was a problem for Carlos in his relationship with Gloria. Gloria had a very understanding nature, but she wasn’t blind to what was happening. His growing friendship with Ceripe caused Gloria to become increasingly upset, and she was not bashful in letting him know.
The last thing he wanted was to create friction with Gloria, and it took extraordinary effort to rein in his emotions with respect to Ceripe. He was modestly successful but became moody and a little confused emotionally. How could he even think of another woman, considering his intense feelings for and strong commitment to Gloria? Maybe it was time for another round of “brainwashing” in the New Horizon’s medical clinic.
It helped that Ceripe sensed his turmoil and tried to be more businesslike. Carlos was unsure if this was because she didn’t want anything interfering with strengthening diplomatic ties or because it was causing conflict between him and Gloria. She knew how dedicated Carlos was to his relationship with Gloria. As hard as it was, Ceripe stopped encouraging Carlos on a personal level, and their relationship matured even more quickly along professional lines. Even so, what evolved still included a strong personal friendship that helped advance relationships.
In spite of their resolve, Carlos and Ceripe still teased one another occasionally as they became better acquainted, as happened on Harvest Day. This annual holiday occurred each year at the start of the early summer harvest on large, communal farms outside the metropolitan areas. The normal harvest used automated techniques developed over a millennium before to expand the farms to feed the growing population. This harvest began as crops matured in late spring. Still, people in the cities went into the countryside each Harvest Day to commemorate how their ancestors had brought in the harvest.
It was not feasible to have all Zilans go into the fields, so each family chose representatives to participate. Ceripe invited Carlos to go with her, and he readily accepted. It would give him better insight into what went on in the farm collectives. What he did not expect was leaving the city well before daylight and at the other end walking an hour from the transit station to their assigned farm. He had brought along a change of clothes per Ceripe’s instructions.
The walk down the country road to their designated farm was enjoyable, although carrying the heavy backpack was trying for Carlos. He breathed deeply the cool air and smells of crops freshly cut. A steady stream of people traveled the road ahead and behind them, and lighthearted banter revealed the underlying excitement of being out in the country. The other people walking nearby looked curiously at the man from Earth, but no one intruded on their personal space.
Ceripe was all smiles and very talkative, pleased that he had come with her. She provided a running commentary about the farms they passed, identifying the produce and farming techniques on each. Carlos had many questions about the farms and people tending them. Being that he was space born and had grown up in a space station, walking among the farmlands was quite a novel experience for him. His curiosity fed her enthusiasm.
Ceripe also teased him with her eyes and body posture, as if they were on a true date. After a while, Carlos began responding likewise, without consciously thinking about it.
He was surprised when Ceripe pulled him to a halt near a large field already harvested. Other walkers nearby also paused and bowed their heads. He recognized the traditional ceremony in progress of honoring those who had died recently. A small procession weaved through the field, spreading the cremated remains of deceased loved ones in preparation for plowing the field. This approach in disposing of remains had been followed on Zilia throughout recorded history and probably much longer, according to Sharon Ling, and was a major reason it was so difficult to research Zilan evolution.
Carlos relaxed even more as they passed several additional farms, although the backpack was starting to chafe his shoulders. The stream of people thinned out as they passed each farm and walkers stopped to join others gathering there for the harvest.
“I should have asked what was involved in the harvest,” Carlos said, shifting around the backpack. “My poor performance will embarrass you.”
Ceripe laughed. “Do not worry. This is not a contest but an act of commemoration, remembrance, and celebration. I am sure you have noticed there are people of all ages walking with us. It is unimportant how much you harvest, just that you participate.”
“All right, but I am counting on you to show me what to do.”
“Relax; it will be easy. We are going to the next farm, which grows tuchera, a plant producing a tender vegetable pod. I am sure Smara has prepared dishes for you using this vegetable, although you may not have known it was tuchera pods at the time.”
They joined a line of people waiting to enter a long warehouse building at the next farm.
“We are fed a hearty breakfast before going to work in the fields,” Ceripe said. “And we come back here at the end of the day to take showers and change into clean clothes.”
Then she chuckled. “This is a communal farm. You will enjoy the communal showers.”
They entered the barn before he could ask about this. A holiday atmosphere prevailed around the long tables, and soon he was laughing and going on with Ceripe as if they had been on several such outings. The food was excellent, with abundant fresh fruits, pastries, and cereals. They joined another line at the other end of the building after eating and picked up baskets having loosefitting shoulder harnesses. Inside were two knives that had stubby blades with curved points, and ointment for protection from the sunlight.
Carlos studied the tuchera plants as they approached the field. He had to figure this out quickly so he wouldn’t be too embarrassed. The plants were a little below waist high, with vegetable pods growing out of the top third of the stalk among thick, green leaves. He worried needlessly, for Ceripe smoothly demonstrated how to walk between two rows while cutting pods off plants on each side, collecting them in the basket. She had a knife in each hand, and it looked easy when she did it. She cupped a pod between thumb and knife blade, and then pulled firmly to cut the pod’s stem, leaving the pod gripped between the thumb and index finger.
“The secret to making good time,” she said, “is to locate a pod to cut, grip it with one hand against the knife, and then look for another pod on the other row while cutting the pod already held. Someone on the other side will also be harvesting pods from the rows, so it is not necessary to cut all pods from each stalk.”
OK, easy enough, he thought. They started side by side, a row between them, but she soon pulled ahead. He was slow in getting the knack of handling the two knives. It did make a big difference if he proceeded to look for the next pod once he had a hand on the first one. Finally he started to get a rhythm going, and it actually felt good to grab, cut, and basket the pods.
After a while, he looked up to see how Ceripe was doing. She was a good four meters ahead in the adjacent row and certainly had a rhythm going. The sway of her hips as she moved to the right and then to the left, cutting pods from one row of plants then the other, was very distracting. She bent over slightly as she worked, causing her trousers to pull tight across her behind as she swayed back and forth. In fact, it was downright stimulating. For a moment,
he forgot where he was and stopped to enjoy the sight of this beautiful woman working.
Ceripe looked over her shoulder and caught him watching her. She smiled mischievously, wiggled her hips slightly, and went back to picking pods.
Carlos flushed in embarrassment for getting caught admiring her from behind. He lowered his head and worked vigorously to speed up his rhythm, trying to suppress his feelings. The next time he looked up, Ceripe was about six meters ahead and dumping a full basket into the large carrier a stout young man had brought alongside. She stepped over into his row and began cutting pods from the plants on either side, heading back toward Carlos. He went back to cutting pods as well, bothered that she found it necessary to help him catch up.
She worked back to him and stood up, face flushed and breathing fast. They were close, and she suddenly pulled him against her. They looked each other in the eye for a few moments without speaking, and Carlos became more than a little aroused.
Then she broke the silence.
“Carlos, you looking flatters me. There is no reason to be embarrassed. It is normal in our society for two people to flirt if the man has only one wife. It is a natural way to start relationships. I only wish you were faster at harvesting so I could admire you from behind.”
She laughed and pulled away. “Relax and enjoy. How much trouble can we get into in a field full of people?”
He did relax and thoroughly enjoyed the day, but he was thankful when the harvest activities ended in early afternoon because his back was aching and his hands were red and stinging. Remembering what Ceripe had said about communal showers, he was a little uneasy when they went to take showers. He was relieved to find that males and females showered separately.
