Briefing
Jellia and Mother were directed to a room and Jellia, rather nervously, followed Mother. It was all very well for her to have told Mother, repeatedly and with great gravitas, that she was prepared to come here to Libettas and follow their bizarre code, custom, and command… but it was slightly different to actually be here.
And this room. It was stark. A table with two chairs on one side of it and one on another. And a daughter, wearing a blue uniform skirt, white shirt, and a very serious look, sat on the far side and she and Mother sat on the near.
“Good morning. I am Ska Clarette Jones, and this is an official introduction and warning mandatory for all persons who are immigrating to Libertas and who plan to leave the port lounge.” She made a fist and touched the top of it, mouthing her kiss. Authority to one under authority.
“Ska Fenstra Drendin,” Mother said, touching the inside of her palm… ‘instructed to authority’ they called it, although back at home Jellia would have translated it as ‘willingness to be obedient’.
“Kesh Jellia Drendin,” she said, making her own kiss, glad for the table between them.
Warning: This story is a light dystopia, specifically addressing issues of marriage and sexuality, as well as other issues, such as corporal and capital punishment, different dress codes, etc., which might be offensive to some readers.
“This briefing is specific to the two of you, Ska Fenstra and Kesh Jellia, we have your files as they were sent ahead. It is official, formal, and serious. A failure to speak the truth during this briefing can and will be seriously punished, up to and including death. For the ska. For the kesh, the punishment is physical chastisement. Do you understand me?
“They both nodded and she looked at Mother. “This is a repeat of the earlier warning. I will be asking a series of questions. A failure to answer truthfully will be punished by death. Not ‘may be’ punished by death, ‘will be’. Do you understand?”
Mother looked very serious and nodded.
“Now, you, kesh,” the daughter said. “I will be asking you questions. You need to tell me the exact truth as well as you can. If you don’t understand, we can go back over it. If you only know part of the truth, tell me that. If you don’t know, tell me that. But always answer truthfully, no matter what question I ask.”
“If you don’t do so our enforcer will take you out on the square and physically chastise you bloody, and everyone in the town will watch the blood running down your legs as you apologise. Do you understand?”
“There is no reason to scare the girl…” Mother objected.
“There is every reason!” the daughter snapped. “I will have to witness the chastisement myself, and I have done that far too often. Now, kesh, do you understand?”
Jellia nodded.
“Now, I will give the third warning. Your punishment will only happen *after* you leave this room. Any time before that you may choose to go back… you are required to have a return ticket so that won’t be a problem. And any time before you leave you may say, “Wait, something I said earlier wasn’t right, let me go back and fix it. Anything. It doesn’t matter if you lied a dozen times, we will just go back over it all. We have all day. Now, do you both understand?”
Mother and daughter nodded.
“Now the context of my warnings. Unlike many planets… although a bit less so than some… Libertas has a very… shall we say ‘streamlined’ judicial system. If you are accused of a crime then twelve older male Ska with a good reputation will be convened as your jury. They will be advised by several other men, and will make a determination on your guilt. It is hard to find someone guilty; there must be at least two witnesses either of which would be convicting on their own, but once they have decided, the punishment takes place immediately. We use physical and financial punishments almost exclusively. It isn’t like we have the means to keep all sorts of people in prison or something. Quite often the physical chastisement or execution is held the next afternoon after the crime is committed.”
“Not after the criminal is found?” Jellia asked.
“Oh, well, if he has run away they try him anyway, and he is executed wherever he is found, as soon as a crowd can be assembled to witness. There must be witnesses… usually their family, the family of the victim, and their coworkers or the like.
“Now, do you both understand that?”
Jellia and Mother both nodded.”
“And, knowing this do either of you wish to leave?”
“No!” Jellia said. “We read all that in the packet… although I guess I didn’t understand that bit about. ‘When he was found’. There was a lot to read.”
“Ska?”
Mother took a deep breath and looked at Jellia. “No. It is scary, some of it, but… no.”
“Well, good,” the daughter said, leaning back. “That is the hardest part of this interview. I have read the briefing for Ephemeral, and will try to use language that you understand from your planet. If you do not understand anything I say feel free to ask. I know you have studied our language so, well, anyway, feel free to ask.”
“Now, I am going to start with the kesh and then move up to you, ska. Kesh, I have here a packet. At the bottom of each page of this packet someone signed your name. Did you sign this?”
“Yes…” Jellia started to say.
“No,” the daughter said. “Your first rule of life on Libertas, never, never, never agree to something like that. You take the packet from me, and you look at every, single page. Reread it if you need to . Every single page. Then you look at your signature, and sign next to it. If you have any questions, any questions at all, you stop and ask me. Do you understand?”
Jellia nodded and the daughter handed her her packet. In the background she heard Mother being given her packet and there was silence for a while. When Jellia was done… it was the exact packet she had signed… the daughter took it and nodded.
“Very good, kesh. Now, I will repeat the most difficult part of the packet, so I am sure you understand. You understand that your ska-drek-a. your mother, will contract with an en-drek ?”
Jellia nodded.
“And this en-drek , his word will be law for your ska-drek-a in several areas… the ones mentioned in the packet. How she dresses, and several other things?”
Jellia nodded again.
“His word will also be law for you in some of those areas until are ska and have your own en-e-drek?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t believe it, but she understood it.
“And he will physically chastise you,” the daughter said. “I do not say he *might* physically chastise you, he *will* physically chastise you. His job will be to teach you code and custom and he has our briefing packet on what your planet is like, the one you came from, and he will train you in how we do things here. Do you understand?”
She nodded. It was barbaric! But it was for Mother.
“Good. You obey your ska-drek and your teacher in all things and you will be fine. They will physically chastise you, but I am sure you will learn quickly. Now, ska, are you done going through your packet?”
“Yes, Ska,” Mother said.
“We will not discuss the more intimate details unless you have questions, but you have read them, understand them, and will obey?”
“Yes, Ska,” Mother said.
“Good, now one more thing that is very, very important for both of you. Here on Libertas we have a lot of liberty in a lot of areas, much more than most planets. However we take our contract law very, very seriously. Both for en-drek contracts and other contracts. Never, ever sign anything or hold out something for someone else to sign until you have recieved expert advice. A teacher, a ska-drek, an en-drek, a good friend. Always read every single part of the contract.
“And even more important is the pre-contract. Violating a contract can only be punished by the code set down in the contract. But violating a pre-contract can be punished by death, if you are ska. Do you both understand?”
Mother and daughter nodded.
“Now, my final warning. And more exos died from this than from anything else, by far. You both understand that you are to have no sexual contact, of any sort, at any time, for any reason, with anyone except a contracted en-drek. We allow a great deal of physical affection, but any sort of sexual contact, suggesting sexual contact, or the like, is severely punished. Do you both understand?”
They nodded, Jellia thinking back to Charlie. What they had done could have gotten both of them executed, here, and they hadn’t even gone all the way! She would have to put all thoughts of that kind of thing out of her mind. She shouldn’t have been with Charlie, it would probably just make the next few years harder. What a barbaric planet!
“And I will ask again, of both of you, you are not contracted with any en-drek or any similar position anywhere? You haven’t listed anyone in your packet.”
Mother and daughter shook their heads. As if. The very idea of having an en-drek contract was pretty stupid, if you asked her. But it would be interesting to learn how they would have reacted if they had had one. Could Mother have avoided…?
A reminder: this story is not only a dystopia, but a dystopia intended to start discussions about the various issues involved in our society, and sexual issue sin general. Sexual and marriage issues.
So this chapter is really emphasising a couple of things. One of them is sexual faithfulness. They both reject marriage, but on Libertas sex is tightly limited, on Ephemera… it is differently limited. Neither one are correct, neither are Biblical. But both reflect issues in our culture today.
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
If I don’t write you back it is almost certain that I didn’t see it, so please feel free to comment and link to your post. Or if you just think I would be interested in your post!
Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von
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 // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother arrive at the shuttle port, go through some annoying formalities, and take off!
And Fly!
In which Jellia and her mother board their spaceship, and Jellia starts doing her homework.
Abstinate // Podcast Version
In which Jellia gets bored, rejects an older gentleman, and rejects her mother’s idea of dating.
Older Kesh-u
In which Jellia learns more about what Kesh-u (children) are allowed to do on Libertas.
Fertility
In which Jellia and her mother are taken off birth control by an odd doctor.
Article 17
Intro // Podcast Version
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.
A Dance // Podcast Version
As a governor’s daughter, Illoia usually avoided such events, but when the captain made the announcement that there was to be an Article 17 dance, she, too, was forced to attend. If only the scum hadn’t been there too.
The Unbridgeable Chasm // Podcast Version
Eukles and Meriones, brave military leaders, quail at cross the gulf between themselves and asking a lass to dance.
There He Is // Podcast Version
The young hero comes in, and Aleshia and Illoyia gossip about him.