Look at the Young Hero!

“Look at the young hero!” Eukles said, under cover of the hymn, as the lad snapped a return honour salute and arms all over the room snapped down.

“Three Dictators own medals!” Meriones whispered back as the music returned to its bland, canned, dance rhythms. The room had gone mostly silent on the young leader’s entry, but now was abuzz in whispers. “One might be luck, but three?!”

“Full of himself, is what I hear!” Eukles said.

“With three awards from the Dictator, he can afford to be,” Meriones answered. “And I hear he does well with the lower ranks. Practically an idol with the Rankers and Middys, and even many of the Top Rankers.”

“Well, he’s closer to their age, so that’s hardly any surprise. And he keeps his alive, and the ranks like that.”

“Not the brass, though,” Eukles said. “You know how some of the brass feels about jumpers. Three jumps! It’s practically unheard of!”

The music came to a halt, and the two leaders, along with the rest of the lads, recognizing the standard signal for prayer, bowed their heads, the lasses covered theirs, and the chaplain prayed: a long winded prayer which included a blessing on the food, upcoming marriages, and an almost graphic request for fertility for couples marrying; followed by a request for safety and success in military operations.

“Well,” said Meriones, turning back to Eukles after the prayer, “Certainly I don’t believe anyone else has ever gotten three dictator’s own… What is he doing? Is he coming…?” Meriones asked, having glanced at the subject of their discussion, noticing that he was moving through the crowd, greeting many of the Middys and Top Rankers, but with his eyes and his steps in their direction.

 “Ummm, hello,” Euckles said, his voice breaking, as the young hero arrived.

“The party is just getting going?” Tomirosh, the lad in black, asked, gripping each man’s wrist in turn in the standard casual army salute.

“It… it’s been a hard go,” Eukles said, hardly believing that he was being spoken to by this semi-god of a hero. Three months they had been traveling together, with their rooms just down the hall from each other, and the young hero had hardly said ‘hi’ to any of the other officers: spending his whole time on his comp or down in the dorms with the lower ranks who all idolized him. “We were all taken by surprise that we were having a 17 dance at all, I’d never heard of such a thing on a transport. I didn’t know they even did them on shipboard. Presentations, yes, obviously. But a full blown 17 dance?

 Anyway you have us, over here, the married ranks in the middle, and then all of the young lasses over there, and it is on us to cross the gulf. The party just started, and none of ours have worked up the courage.”

“What do you think of them?” Tomirosh asked, turning in the direction of the unmarried young lasses, many of whom blushed and turned away when he and the other two leaders did so. “Do you have one picked out? You know the saying, “All ranks may marry, but leaders must marry. We’re lucky to have this chance. This looks like a fine crop to choose from.”

“I, umm, there is one that I think I like,” Euckles said, trying to make his tone sound as determined as his words. “I’ve been watching her the whole trip.”

“Well, why haven’t you articled her yet? Have you at least danced with her tonight?”

Dancing with a young lady put a temporary claim on her, according to the unspoken rules of an Article 17 dance, just as bringing her a plate in a banquet. After that the officer must at least be asked before any other officer could dance with, or claim, his chosen.

“No, I, umm… the party just got started, really, we arrived just before you did. And I’m not sure what her guardian will say.”

“You’re both decorated officers,” Tom said, pointedly glancing down at Meriones’s decorations. “He can hardly offer any serious objection, unless the young lass already has a liaison back home. In which case she would hardly have been willing to come to this dance. It might even be considered an Article II violation.”

“It is hard,” Meriones said, fingering his decorations nervously. “They are all dancing attendance on the mighty one, the governor's daughter, and no one dares get close. It is said that her tongue is sharper than a laser scalpel. I can’t imagine what she will do to a lowly Army Leader who dares to come near.”

“I hear,” Tomirosh said, “That she is extremely intelligent.”

“No one doubt that,” Meriones said, “I read her article Implications of New Colony Formation in Economic Development and I found it extremely insightful…” and then he stopped, suddenly realizing the implication of Tom’s comment… “You aren’t thinking of…?”

“She is as Article 17 eligible as any of the rest of them,” Tomirosh said. “And cuter than most, at least in my eyes. And she looks like she’ll be a good breeder. I hear her mother did well.”

“You can’t really be thinking of Article 17’ing the governor of Tarreno’s  daughter?” Euckles protested

“Why not? She needs a husband, and I can’t imagine she would enjoy breeding for one of those pampered aristo’s on Tarreno.

The other two officers blanched at the term. No one used the word for living people… some of whom were actually in the room! It wasn’t against the articles, but still seemed like a dangerous and foolish idea…

“But, can you imagine?” Meriones asked, “Someone from her… background, coming and living in a dorm with one of us?”

“My wife would not be living in a dorm,” Tom said, dryly.

“Our quarters aren’t that much better!”

“Rich and powerful young men have to make the adjustment all the time,” Tom said. “Why not rich and powerful young lasses?”

“Not many rich and powerful young lads,” Meriones said, quietly. “Not with paid draftees.”

Tom eyed him, “Were you one such?”

Meriones nodded. “My family was very excited when my draft number did not come up, and my father had me on the auction list in minutes. It was a good year, and we made up well.”

“Auction list?” Tom asked. “I am not familiar with that term.”

“I guess not all planets have them, but ours did. If a lad does not get drafted, he can put his name on this list. Officially the list has nothing to do with drafting. But everyone knows what it is for. There is this auction, which depends on how much a rich father is willing to pay for his son not to be drafted, and how many lads there are, and all that; it’s cool mathematically, and it ends up paying out equally to everyone on the list, while all the rich father’s pay a different amount, but, anyway, at the end all the lads on the list get assigned someone, and they go down to the auction house, and pick up their payment and the draft card for some rich lad that did get drafted.”

“Then you just go down to the drafting center, sometime in the two month window, present the card, and say, just as you would anywhere else in the Empire, ‘I am presenting myself in his place’. Then, bang, you get ‘drafted’.”

“Ah,” Tom said. “It sounds like an efficient system, and one that is good for all parties… as long as it is done carefully.”

“Yeah, it works pretty well.” Meriones answered. “I mean, it kind of makes you mad at the men who don’t have to get drafted, but my family really did make a serious amount of money. The lad had the grace to come and thank me, too. And he still writes me. Married a few months ago, wife expecting.”

“Which is what we need to do,” Tomirosh said. “Marry, that is, and get her expecting. All three of us have been shirking our duty, working so hard on making leader that we have failed in our basic duty to society, and so tonight we need to get ourselves wives. Much better tonight than tomorrow at Presentation.”

“Well, I guess I will have to break the ice,” Tomirosh said, making as to start across the room after a few seconds silence, when neither of the other lads moved. “The other ranks are all waiting for us leaders to lead.”

Meriones gripped his arm. “You aren’t really going to Article 17 the sector governor’s own daughter!” he said. “Her dad will have you…”

“Have me what?” Tomirosh asked, grinning. “He is a loyal servant of the dictator, is he not? Do we not all serve at the pleasure of the dictator?”

“Article 9, but…”

“The Dictator who gave me these, personally!” Tom said, fingering his medals and ending the argument.

Tom started across. Only a couple of steps separated him from the group of officers by the door and up to a Commander’s wife, who was talking to a Top Ranker's wife. He stepped behind the Top Ranker’s wife, and the Commander’s wife smiled at him, watching his progress toward the marriageable young lasses. “Now that’s bravery,” she whispered to her companion. “I don’t care what he did on the battlefield.”

“He shouldn’t have a hard time 17’ing,” she responded. “Half the lasses are talking about him.”

“But who does he want?”

“I guess we’ll see.”

[Full Disclosure: I am not yet happy with Meriones dialect. Feel free to suggest improvements. Please.]

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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

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Links

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.

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.