Twenty-Seven Reasons

Dec 09, 2024

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Illoia was sitting in a dorm, watching several children play, and working on her reports, when her wrist vibrated and she looked down, shook her head, and touched, ‘Accept’. Seconds later the dorm door opened and Ranker Vladin walked in, and walked over to her.

“Ranker Vladin, Ma’am,” he said, in a very different tone than he had used with Tom, yesterday.

“It says you have a report for me?” Illoia asked.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, his eyes ranging nervously around the dorm. “Ld Tomirosh texted me, I was working on my report, Ma’am, and he asked me how much I had done. I said I had a basic outline. He told me to bring it to you. I asked where you were and, when he told me, I asked if he wanted me to wait until… until later,” he finished, awkwardly, his eyes still ranging around. “He said, no, he wanted me to bring it to you, here.”

He made to hand her the notepad, but she declined and waved him down to the bed opposite. She was coming to learn the ways of her husband. If he wanted this report delivered in public, it was because he… wanted the report delivered in public.

“Summarise it for me,” she said. “Start with the title.”

He blanched, but finally managed, “Twenty seven ways our society has become more free under the dictator.”

The room grew silent, except for a few children playing in a corner, and almost everyone gathered round, their faces ranging from curious to hard.

“Very well,” she said. “You say you have your outline done. What part did you find easiest to come up with?”

“Well, umm, I’ve written some already about Article VII.”

“Article Seven… that’s interesting….”

“Yes, ma’am, altho not maybe in the way you’re thinking.” His voice grew excited, “It’s the silent code, ma’am. I learned a lot of things I hadn’t known before. Before, before it was not usually legal for regular people to go around armed.”

She cocked her head, “Regular people?”

“Yes, ma’am. You see, there were… maybe you knew this already… there were people who were responsible for ‘keeping the peace’, and they were expected to be armed. And there were those who had a lot of money, or were…” his face flushed slightly… “were considered more important than other, and they were allowed to be armed. But a regular person, like a shopkeeper or… well, not a farmer, cause they were often armed cause they lived near wild animals… but like a street tech, they weren’t usually allowed to be armed.”

“Or, even if they were allowed, people would look at them funny, and stores wouldn’t let them in, and that sort of thing.”

“I had heard about that,” Illoia admitted. Indeed several of the older nobility had been known to complain about the change. Quietly.

“So it was a real burst of freedom, ma’am, when somehow the silent code for seven came to give everyone the right to wear weapons all the time.”

She noticed several rankers staring at Vladin, open mouthed. “Do most people wear weapons where you come from?” She asked.

“Wear weapons… why of course!” He blurted. “Lads especially. Other lads won’t think much of you if you aren’t armed.”

“So… so that was an easy one for you. Which one has been hard?”

He turned slowly white, and turned back to his notes for a few very long seconds. Finally he managed, “I found it harder to work on such issues as Article IV. It seemed to me… ummm… at first… that the articles were limiting the action of certain people, well, umm, of course they limit action, but I mean…” he took a deep breath, “The way that they *increase* freedom is much more general and less specific than some of the others. But putting a limit on, say, how one can dress or act around the opposite sex, which are limits, one frees up the society at large to act in a consistent way, a good way.”

There was a general sigh from the audience, as if they had been holding their breath.

“Well, it sounds like you are on a good start,” Illoia said. “Send me a copy of what you have so far and I will go over it and forward it to my husband. And you can return to your work.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, and, nodding at her, he went off.

The audience broke up except for one mid-ranker and his wife. Illoia looked up at him.

“Hard road,” the middy said. Illoia looked at him, not understanding.

“Raised the wrong way,” the middy tried again. “Thinks the world owes him a living… that everything can come free without anyone standing in the gap. Law, army… all doing the same thing if done right. Best thing that ever happened to us, Dictator. He’s got a lot of learning to do, or some dying to do.”

“Do you think he’ll make it?” Illoia asked, looking at the door the Ranker had just left through.

“Reckon so,” the middy said. “But a hard road.”

He came next to Tom, but Illoia was there.

“Come in, Son,” Tom said, and the ranker came up and started to give an honor salute, but Tom held out his hand, and they exchanged a casual salute.

“Sit down, Son. What have you been learning?”

“I have been working on mostly economic freedom,” Vladin said, glancing at Illoia, “Since I met with your wife.”

“An important freedom,” Tom agreed. “And how did the dictator help?”

“In several ways,” the lad said. “Article Five, of course. The tax burden before the dictator in some areas was getting really out of hand.”

“And yet the dictator and regional governments get more taxes now then they did then,” Tom argued.

“That’s because they take less, but they get to take it from more,” the lad said, excitedly leaning forward. “Most areas went through a huge economic boom when the tax burden… and other issues… took off. Article 14 was a real blessing…”

“Well, I think you’re doing good,” Tom said, “but I think you need to take the bull by the horns. You’re going to live or die by Article 3, and Article 1. We have lots of people watching us.”

“I already have those in outline, Sir,” the lad said, getting up. “I won’t fail you.”

“Those are powerful words,” Tom said. “Glad you put it that way. Working not to fail me… that’s not the lad I called to my office.”

“No, Sir,” the lad agreed. “I haven’t really changed much about what I think is right and wrong, not at the bottom, but I realize I was wrong about a lot of the details.”

Tom stared at him, and he shuffled nervously. “It’s kind of like the preacher said, the other day,” he said. “Before you came on ship. He said as how the church… but I think it applies to everything… is like a body.” He held up his hand, “It seems like my arm is kind of bound… like it doesn’t have ‘liberty’, cause it is attached to the rest of the body, and the head bosses it around. But its an arm, and this is a hand, not much good if it isn’t attached and,” he added moving his other hand over to grab the first one, “If it can’t work with the rest of the body to do things.”

“A good lesson,” Tom said, “We’ll have you preaching in a few weeks.”

The lad's eyes widened, and then he grinned, saluted, and left.

Tom hummed for a bit, and then glanced at Illoia. “I wasn’t kidding. I think he’ll make a good preacher, if he doesn’t get killed.”

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!

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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 include:

The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid

The Bobtails and the Cousins

The Bobtails go to France

and

No Ordinary School

Arthur also has a substack, and a website.

Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,

Von

Links

Article 17 is a military science fiction story with aliens and romance. It is set in a future reminiscent of Napoleon era Britain. The war was going very poorly until the military installed a dictator. This story follows one of the dictator’s great men: Cladin Tomirosh, Leader, and thrice decorated hero.

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.