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Von

Mar 14, 2025

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“Scholars, I believe that one of our own has an introduction to make?”

Everyone looked around except Farsten, who was blushing, and stood up.

“Li-kesh Farsten Carter,” he said, and everyone cheered. Altho a couple of the males looked a bit jealous. Pretty much all of the females had announced, most more than once, but this was their first male.

“And have you registered?” Elizabeth asked.

“Oh, yes,” he said, even brighter red. “I, umm, I had already submitted my resume before I recieved word that I had passed out of kesh. You spend a lot of time talking with the med tech and they have you do that, so you’re ready first thing. If you are wanting to become and en-drek right away, that is.”

“Good for you, Farsten,” Teacher said. “We will hope you will snapped up quickly. You are certainly worth it. Now, class, we will be working on a landscape today.”

—

Note: One of the problems of posting so many stories at once is that you can can get a bit confused. Or I can, anyway :) Apologies for getting some of my stuff our of order and re-posting earlier scenes. This should be in order, I hope. Have I mentioned I don’t have OCD?

—

“Well, are you ever going to tell me?” Gregory asked, rubbing his hand over Jellia’s belly.

“Tell you what, Love?” She asked. HEr brain was busy with a set of equations for soil samples and she had even been distracted while he was bedding her, but I was doubly distracted now they were done.

“About the baby.”

She snapped her gaze over to him. “Baby?”

“Well, its been 45 days since your last monthly. I’m kind of ignorant, but I have noticed that.”

“You aren’t ignorant,” She said, sitting up. “Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. I had just gotten back from that trip down the coast when you finished last time, and that was 44 days ago so… pretty sure.”

“I’ve been so busy! I totally forgot to even keep track. Oh, my. Well, the med tech at school will be able to test me. Oh… oh, its so exciting!”

“I certainly think so. Although I understand it is a hard time for women, being pregnant.”

“Oh, Love!” she said, and kissed him.

—

“Well, my dear, how is our Bobbin doing?”

“Crawling simply everywhere! Eating everything I give him. I have to keep my eye on him or he will eat everything I don’t give him.”

“And are you often nursing him?”

“He doesn’t really want it much, anymore. Just before bed… sometimes. Sometimes he falls asleep over in Jellia’s room.”

“So… is it time we began to discuss his weaning?”

Fenstra froze. Did he… was he wanting…?

“What are your thoughts on the matter?” she asked, temporizing. She didn’t like the man… well, she liked the man well enough but she hated what he represented… but she wouldn’t be merely getting rid of him, she would be replacing him. And who knows what the next en-drek would be like! And he would still be a ska-drek… indeed he would become Bobbin’s ska-drek! How would he react…?”

She suddenly noticed that Illoh wasn’t speaking but was staring at her, with that half grin he so often had that seemed like it could just as easily be half of a frown.

“This is hard for you,” he said.

“Well, yes. I have no… no… I have never done this before, or known anyone that has done it! Well, not known them well, anyway. Bethany just changed en-drek’s the other day, and she would talk about it for decas. She wanted me to advise her, of all things.”

“Did you?”

“Well, I did my best, but I told her that I was as naive as a puppy in this area. I think she did well, though, so it turned out all right.”

“Well, you asked me for my thoughts. Selfishly, I would prefer you put off the announcement of his weaning. I have greatly enjoyed it here. You and your daughter have been a wonderful blessing and, of course, the physical environment has been pleasant. I am enjoying working with Gregory despite his unpronouncable name… although that relationship will continue.”

“But for you I think the time has come. If you continue too long then you risk being unable to make the change at all, and the kesh-u will grow too attatched. Despite my own desires I am afraid I must counsel you to set a date and start your search.”

“Well… I suppose you are right. How long… no, I know that, Bethany was clear on it. Shall we say three decas then?”

He came over and kissed her and she didn’t get to put in the announcment for a good hour.

But when he finally left her to go down and play with Bobbin and she filled in the form and snipped it off, she felt good. He was quite right. It was already awful that he had stayed so long and the kesh-u had gotten so attatched. Longer would be worse; even if it meant some new en-drek . She scrolled through the list and wondered what kind of ska she should choose. Different from this one, anyway!

Indeed. The exo bureaou had picked him because he was sooo good at teaching. The last thing she wanted was to continue to be taught. But she needed to have an excuse, some other reason to pick an en-drek. What could she… kesh-u!

She had two kesh-u, although her daughter was technically now an ska, and being exo she would be assumed to be not at all good at managing kesh-u. And of course her daughter would be having her own kesh soon. So if she searched on that, then she could go through that list and find someone that was very good at kesh-u but, at the same time, didn’t have all sorts of entries about how good they were at teaching and the like.

That turned out to be rather easy to look for. Apparently it was a popular qualification. Mostly lo-ska, obviously, as very few li-ska would have much in their file about how they dealt with kesh-u. But she would prefer a li-ska, less confident and willing to ‘teach’. There… that one!

Name: Ben’nin Korvau

Status: Li-Ska

Former Contracts: 2, both direct to Endrek

Contract expires: 3 days

Current Salary: 50 hex/day average.

Years at current job: 3

Donation Percentage: 80%

Code and Custom General knowledge: Good

Commonly listed qualities (see individual reports below): Good with Keshu, Respected at work, Organized, a bit serious, rather intense

Hobbies: Rock Climbing, Fenneta Music,

Food Preferences: Spicy food, meat,

Sexual Preferences: Early morning, shower, all over the house

Good with kesh-u, organized, serious, intense… those almost seemed to be listed as negative but she didn’t see why… good at his job… which would hopefully mean he wouldn’t be always hanging around her… hobby was rock climbing, of all things which, too, would mean he was often gone, no?

She went to choose him and then found out that she had to officially list Bobbin’s date of weaning. She did that, saw that would mean her new en-drek would be scheduled for the next day, chose him… and saw that the exo bureau had to approve.

Well, he was at least listed as frozen while they worked on it. She went back and scrolled through his stats. Not bad. Not too bad, anyway. They didn’t include his picture but his weight and all were there… nothing to complain about. Food preferences… well, she would have to adjust: he liked spicy food. And woe betide them if all his food wasn’t spicy, she imagined.

She could only stare at his file for so long, so she wandered downstairs and sat in the great room. Illoh was there playing with Bobbin, and he nodded at her… with a significant look. Oh, of course, his comp would have told him that she had finalised the date. Well, she had, too.

“Dinner!” Jellia said, coming in an hour or so later, her hair still wet. “Cold in the kitchen… had to work.”

—

So, this is a rather important part of this culture. When the child is weaned, the ‘husband’ moves on. The culture doesn’t want the couple to grow bored of each other, so they put in these mandatory changes.

Obviously my readers will think this system insane, and immoral, and why would anyone do this? But remember, this is a dystopia, written to bring forward some of the issues from today’s culture. We have a fifty percent divorce rate and our demography is dropping off a cliff. Libertas decided to solve these two things by forbidding divorce until you had produced your child, then mandating it.

—

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!

If you get lost, check out my ‘Table of Contents’ which I try to keep up to date.

Von also writes as ‘Arthur Yeomans’. Under that name he writes children’s, YA, and adult fiction from a Christian perspective. His books are published by Wise Path Books and include the children’s/YA books:

The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid

The Bobtails and the Cousins

The Bobtails go to France

and

No Ordinary School

As well as GK Chesterton’s wonderful book, “What’s Wrong with the World”, for which ‘Arthur’ wrote most of the annotations.

Arthur also has a substack, and a website.

Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,

Von