Justicia
“Oh, wait a minute. You need an exo bracelett. I was almost forgetting.”
Jellia stared at the bracelett. “What does this mean?” she asked. All children on Ephemera had a horror of bracelettes, especially brightly colored ones.
“Well, its good news and bad news for you. You will get physically chastised more easily, as everyone will be watching for mistakes. But you will also not offend if you greet a ska as a kesh or some such. The kesh-u will all give you a wide birth.”
“Why?”
“Well, they have no desire to be executed.”
“Well… so… nothing else, not last minute quibbles? Very well, let us go see your new house.”
-
Jellia’s heart beat as the daughter led them out of the room. This was it. This was going to be the first time her feet had set foot on an actual new planet… she not counting the shuttle station, as it was all cement and skydome and she couldn’t really see anything.
They went out a rather boring door and started walking across a skimmer lot, but she had eyes only for the planet. The sun… it was a subtly different color. The thought just a touch more yellow and red. Of course, she had read about that.
And then she stopped and spun around. There it was! The bright blue ‘star’ that was so close, and so bright, that you could see it even during the day! Apparently it meant that when it was up at nights, which was more during the colder season, you could see outside as well as you could see inside with the lights on.
She stared… she had read that it was safe to look at, and then spun around and looked at the hills. Or small mountains. Apparently there was a long running argument about which they were. They ran in a line… she ran to the edge of the building to look… a line all along this city. Just imagine, whenever you went outside you could look and see the hills and know where all of the directions were at once. Toward the hills was the west… no, East, and then looking toward the hills to your left was north…
She suddenly realized what they had been doing and turned around, her face flaming, to see her Mother… who she would have to start thinking of as ‘ska-drek-a’ and the introduction daughter sitting leaning against a skimmer, grinning at her. Oh, good, they weren’t mad. She hadn’t violated some code or custom or command or something…
And she turned back to the hills. Oh, what pretty hills!! The trees, the bigger ones, were all kind of corkscrewy and had needles growing all over them. Bright blue green needles. But the undergrowth had some dramatic tones of red.
And then she noticed the smell and breathed in. Oh, what a delicious tangy smell. The trees, the ocean, oh, this was wonderful!
She ran to the skimmer, her ugly new skirt flapping at her knees, and shouted, “Oh, I’m going to love it here!”
And then she noticed the skimmer itself and almost giggled. It was round! It was an enormous circle with a big bench around most of it except where the driver sat and, oh, it was round! The sons and daughters back home! They would find that such a scream. So inefficient and whatever but she thought it was wonderful. Open to the air, which was kind of zoomy… altho she was sure it had a bubble that would close it if it rained or snowed or something.
She climbed in first and went to the far bench and threw herself flat on her back and stared at the sky, at the new blue star which they called “Justicia”, and dreamt of what her new life would be like. And she had so much to snip her friends!
Mother sat on the bench and the woman programmed the skimmer and sat next to her. As the skimmer rose off the ground a good six feet, which was way higher than they would have been allowed back on Ephemera. And it started going faster too… racing along the short grassy strip that led away from the shuttle port and banking to make a right turn after only about two hundred yards, turning toward the mountains.
The two ska-u started talking, but Jellia just lay down on her stomach and watched the scenery fly by … watching as they passed fields, then houses, then some kind of factory, then some more houses…
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.
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 // Podcast Version
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 // Podcast Version
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 // Podcast Version
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! // Podcast Version
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.
Fertilit // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother are taken off birth control by an odd doctor.
Decon
Jellia and her mother arrive on their new planet, go through an awful decontamination, get sent to a briefing, and receive their first kiss/greeting!
Briefing
Jellia and her mother are warned that the laws on Libertas can be very serious.
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.
Look at the Young Hero // Podcast Version
The young hero comes in, and greets Eukles and Meriones… and announces his intentions.
Target // Podcast Version
Tom, Leader Cladin Tomirosh, sets his sights on the governors daughter. She isn’t impressed.
Fuming // Podcast Version
Tom and Illoia dance, while she desperately tries to get him to go away!