And Fly!

The spaceship, when they boarded, was rather a disappointment. Mother’s company was paying for their transport, but obviously not eager to spend too much money. Their compartment was one big room, with bunks all around it. No chairs, no screeny, or anything. 

Other people stood around the compartment.  Mostly men and no one her age. Ugh. This trip would be annoying. She didn’t suppose they would even let her see out or anything. A whole trip exo and she would be stuck in this little box with these boring people. It was probably too much to hope that there would be a daughter her age.

Each of the bunks, which covered the whole wall except for the door they had come in, had a name on it, and, when she saw her name, she went over and climbed up to look in. There was the bunk, a very small area with a fold down table at the end of the bunk and, on the other side, a very austere toilet/fresher. Well, everything she needed, anyway.

She crawled in and found the door controls. Mother could snip her if she needed her, but she was too overwhelmed with, well, everything. She spent the next hour replying to replies of her replies until, finally, the snip pile stopped growing. Teacher must have given the class free time to snip her, but now they were back to class. Charlie had even written her a rather nice snip thanking her for a wonderful time and wishing her well.

Then she freshened. She had read the briefing, and there was no water allowance; everything was recycled, so she spent a long time in the hot water. Then she crawled back into her bunk and opened the packet from Libertas.

Libertas Immigration Agreement

Required reading and signing before leaving Libertas exo lounge. Read and sign every page. Do not sign any page you have not read and understood. Further information is available for every section, linked in the section.

Well, this was interesting. She began reading…

She woke up, startled. Where was she? The light was out, and she couldn’t see anything! She flailed around until she finally figured out where she was and pushed the light pad. How had it gone out?

She freshened, dressed, and crawled out. She saw Mother across the room, sitting cross-legged on the floor reading her wristcomp. “Oh, hello, Daughter. Have a nice nap?”

“Yes, but, Mother, the light went out!”

“Oh, I did that. My pad shows your activity, and when I saw you were asleep, I turned the lights out.”

“Oh, well, it startled me to wake like that. What are you doing?”

“Studying my trade packet. Well, alternating that with the Libertas packet. I assume you have seen it?”

“Oh, yes, I’ve read and signed several pages. Mother?”

“Yes, Darling?”

“Is there anything you are worried about exo? Your work?”

“Well, certainly not my work. Libertas is a dream to work with. It always has been, even from Ephemera. Except for some rather heavy checking by the lawyers, any contract with Libertas is a dream. Almost no regulations, a very high standard, and quick delivery. Oh, Darling, we are going to do so well there.”

“Job wise.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll get used to the rest. In fact, I think you will be in heaven. Have you read the section on ‘Minority Laws’?”

Jellia thought back… “No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, you make sure you look at it, and I think you will be thrilled.”

“How do we eat, Mother?”

“Oh, it’s on your pad. Just order what you want, and it will come to that slot over there. We won’t be eating together; they only want you to use the table in your compartment, so just order what you want. Tomorrow I scheduled your lights to start shifting you over to our new time on Libertas, so we will have less adjustment once we get there, but otherwise, you can eat, sleep, and freshen whenever you want. No water allowance!”

“Yes, I know. I’ve already had two gloriously long freshens. Well, I’ll get back to that packet.”

They exchanged kisses, and she climbed back into her bunk, closing the door. She opened her wristcomp and the packet from Libertas and tapped on the table of contents. She read through the entire table three times before she finally admitted to herself that she must have misunderstood Mother. There was no section on ‘Minority Laws’. There didn’t even seem to be a subsection.

She gave up and typed ‘Minority Laws’ into the search bar. One hit. She hit the link and saw that it had taken her to a footnote! No wonder she hadn’t found it.

Unlike on many other planets, kesh-u on Libertas are not limited by the law. By custom and code, parents are required to allow minors to engage in all activities that are physically possible for them, and this includes a very wide range of activities, including travel, shopping…

She scanned down the list. This was incredible.

One exception is the en-drek laws. See those sections for the legal restrictions on kesh-u. Also, see the section on pre-contract for the severe restrictions on anyone dealing with kesh-u or anyone else of diminished mental, moral, or psychological capacity.

Diminished moral capacity? What on Earth did that mean? Then she remembered a mother in a park; Mother had taken her to the park last week as one of the ‘last’ things they were going to do, who had yelled at her son, “Didn’t you know that was wrong?” Of course, kesh-u might not know some things were wrong, so it was wrong to try to get them into a contract involving those things.

Links

Contract Marriage

Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.

Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.

My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).

Introduction

In which I lay out the themes that I intend to explore in this light Dystopia, and ask others to participate.

Trade Master: First Chapter

In which Fenestra, our heroine’s mother, puts in her application for the job of 'Trade Master’ on the planet Libertas, and finds out that it isn’t that easy.

En-Drek Contract

In which Fenestra finds out that, on Libertas, everyone must be in an ‘En-drek’ contract… a long-term, live-in, heavy date between a man and a woman for the purpose of producing one child after the other with one date after the other.

Disappointment and Meditation

In which Jellia, the daughter and our heroine, finds out about her mother’s job opportunity, including its difficulties, and commits herself to meditating on the situation. (And internally commits herself to encouraging her mother to take the job.)

Decision Reached

Jellia tells her mother that she thinks she should take the job, and so her mother puts in her application… and gets the job!

First School

Jellia goes to school and gets to tell everyone about her new adventure.

First Work

Fenestra goes to work, and tells her coworker about her new opportunity.

Writing Class

Jellia writes a poem (a limerick) and tells her classmates more about her new adventure.

Trader Galloway

In which a man comes over for a ‘date’ (Ie to sleep over with her mother) and to tell them all about his time as Trade Master for their company on Libertas. And as how he was almost executed for asking a woman out on a date.

Shopping

In which Jellia and her mother go shopping for the last time, and we explore some of the nature of the planet she is leaving.

Language

In which Jellia starts using some new words at school, and everyone gathers round to find out what they mean.

Kesh-i Cooking Class

In which Jellia finds out that children (Kesh-i) on Libertas are expected to cook.

Trade Master Training

In which Fenestra begins her training for her new role, with an old enemy.

Two Week Date

In which Fenestra and Alex decide to date for the next two weeks.

The Facts of Life

In which Fenestra brings Alex home, and Jellia isn’t impressed. Although she is interested in how dating works for boys.

Snips

In which Jellia spends time snipping with a boy, and brings him home.

Kissing

In which Jellia and her mother both have a sexual ‘last fling’ before they leave, and Jellia practices the new kisses she will need for her new planet.

Off Ephemera

In which Jellia and her mother arrive at the shuttle port, go through some annoying formalities, and take off!

Article 17

Intro

She was pretty, popular, snobby, and a planetary governor’s daughter. He was the son of shopkeepers, a social misfit, and a decorated hero. She thought she was there to dance. He had other ideas.