Chapter 5: Chapter Five. Ma and Da. Cami meets someone new.

The care worn face of Jarmel sis Nep was followed by that of Yives, his wife. A tall man with grey eyes, he was somewhat bowed by the need to provide for a large family. He had hazel eyes and sported the same brown hair as his wife. Unusually for the people of the planet, most marriages were made with an eye on status, the two were a love match and were happy together.

Jarmel was the first to speak as he left the bedroom. His “Good morning children,” came quite naturally. Yives also gave her good morning. Both had been awake ever since they had heard the rest of the family moving about in the apartment. If they knew of the spat between Dar and Cami, they gave no indication of it, instead they both went to the breakfast table. As this was the last day of the weekend off for Jarmel, the breakfast was in the proper formal style.

In this style, the family first took their paces at the table and all bowed to the table then to each other. The mother and father with some weariness and the children with several degrees of enthusiasm. Dar, Cami noted, bowed with indifference while she and Tremma took a certain amount of formal pleasure in the ritual. The two younger girls bowed with youthful enthusiasm as did Damma who enjoyed such doings.

The ritual completed, Jamel sat down at one end of the table while his wife took the seat at the other end. Dar sat to the right of his father while Cami sat to the right of her mother. Seats for the rest of the family followed this pattern with Tremma sitting beside Dar and Damma beside him. The girls followed the same seating arrangement with Koral sitting beside Cami and Kinna beside her. So Kinna ended up seated at the left of her father and Damma to the left of his mother.

As she took her seat, Cami wondered once more, who first did this, this manner of families taking their seats in this complex and formal manner. They didn’t do this at school, or in other public places, so why do it at home. These thoughts went into the long catalogue of questions that had puzzled her and that she wanted answers to. When young, Cami had carefully broached the subject with her mother once, just once. She was told that was how things were done and not to ask again. Later, when she was older Cami had seen in school what happened when a student in her class showed rather more inquisitiveness and much less common sense then was wise. Cami had taken the lesion to heart.

*********

Madam Reter, the teachers were all women in this school for girls, had just finished conducting a review of an ancient but relatively peaceful period of the planet’s history when student Jil ses Anouk asked what, to Camis way of thinking, was a reasonable question.

“This is when we had to start wearing the hats and coats, wasn’t it Madam Reter?” Jil was an ordinary looking girl with shorter than normal black hair. Slightly overweight, she wore the standard school smock, long socks and what are called sensible black shoes. Cami and Jil weren’t friends as they came from different areas of Libus Re. They didn’t know each other except to exchange a nod or two.

“Yes that’s right.”

“Madam, I’ve read over the material and I don’t see anywhere why?” Jil continued. “I’m confused!”

“How can you be confused, child. All you need to know is there!” The teacher snapped.

Jil flushed and stuttered a reply. “I was just wondering …” she started, “Why we all had too ...”

“Have too what? Ask stupid questions?” Madam Reter was clearly getting angry. “Stand up girl!” The class watched in hypnotised fascination.

Slowly and clearly embarrassed, Jil did as she was told. “Now girl, do you need to know what the peoples leaders were thinking back then so that you can question their motives?”

“No Madam!”

“What about their intelligence?”

“No Madam.” Jil whispered, now frightened with the direction of the questions. No one in this society wanted to be accused of questioning the planets leaders in such a manner.

“So why do you need to ask why?”

“I don’t Madam.” Jil was now staring down at the floor.

“What did you say girl? Get your head up!” Jils head snapped up, eyes wide with fear. Cami felt sympathy for Jil even though she barely knew her, but even now at age twelve she knew better than to show any emotion, especially at a time like this. She also knew that no one would now talk to Jil at all. Any friends she may have had were gone. By raising such questions, even as innocent as they were, the teachers’ reaction had clearly branded her as a possible trouble maker and someone to avoid.

“No Madam.” Madam Reter glared and Jil swiftly continued. “I mean I don’t need to ask.”

Madam Reter’s sharp eyes scanned the class. “Sit down girl.” She said, a little kindly now. “We have wasted enough time.” She turned to another student, to Camis relief. “Nanna, read the next passage from where we were up to. Quick now,” Madam Reter urged as Nanna fumbled at her comm.

“The peace of The Ostia Resources held all through the following century …” Nannas droning voice filled the room. Jil sat quietly, not moving, head down.

*********

As the family enjoyed their breakfast, Cami ruminated once again on Jil and her old indiscretion. Surely it had not been as bad as the teacher had made it to be, but the effect on Jil had been extreme. While she had come back the next day, the last school day of the week, she was still subdued and silent, not even trying to talk to anyone. When school resumed the next week, Jil was gone and Cami never saw her again.

To Cami, the lesion was clear, don’t ask any questions that the teachers might interpret as questioning the leadership of the planet, the content of what was being taught or the teachers themselves. The trick was deciding on whether a question that you wanted to ask was going to fit into one of these categories.

Cami was wondering about this when she suddenly became aware that a question had been asked of her.

“You are very quiet, little girl.” Dar repeated his question, half-jokingly, half mockingly. “What’s occupying that pretty little head of yours?”

Giving Dar her usual glare for speaking to her in that condescending manner, Cami decided to revel part of what she was thinking about. 

“Last year we had that girl, Jil, who got into trouble when she asked a teacher a question. She was gone by the next week and I was just wondering what happened to her.” Cami finished with a shrug.

“Was she a friend of yours?” Yives inquired gently.

“What questions did she ask?” Dar sat up and asked sharply.

They had both asked at the same time and Cami decided to answer her mother first.

“No mother, I hardly knew her. She lived near the catchment area I think.” That was an area with a large number of apartment blocks and a strong patrol presence.

“I see.” Her mother said thoughtfully. The rest of the family was listening attentively now. “It must have made an impression on you.”

“Not really mother.” Cami gave a rare smile. All smiles are rare in this society. “I think that taking lunch to you then serving the Madam and her guest that jug of chilled water sort of brought it back for me somehow.”

“So why was she in trouble?” Dar interjected. Dar had recently left school and was working as a cleaner in commercial buildings. The hard work and low pay, combined with not being able to get a recommendation to get advanced training of any sort, had built a sense of grievance in him. While he was intelligent, he had an aggressive attitude that weighed against him, and that, as it often did, made him angrier.

Cami hesitated, as much as enjoyed baiting Dar, she didn’t want to start something that could end up disrupting the family.  She decided to compromise and tell just a little more of the story, not the whole story. That way she hoped to keep Dar from going off on one of his rants which would end up upsetting her parents.

“Well, we had just finished going over the Long Peace when she asked a question about what we had to wear. Madam Reter got mad at her and kind of told her off. She came to school the next day, but after the two days off, we never saw her again.”

“She went to another school?” Jarmel asked with a frown. Dar was also frowning.

“She must have da.” Camis slim left shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. “As I said no one as far as I know saw her again.” Her father gave a non-committal grunt as Cami continued. “We were all afraid to ask, at least I was.”

“You were afraid?” Dars question was framed in tones of disbelief.

“Well, the teacher came down on Jil pretty hard and none of the rest of us wanted to be treated the same way.”

Koral and Kinna nodded in agreement. “I bet no one talked to her afterwards either.” Koral put in.

“That’s it, that’s the way they control us.” Dars hand smacked down on the table hard enough to shake the dishes.

“What is?’ Kinna asked, puzzled.

“Fear, fear of being different, fear of being singled out!”  Dar sat back and shook his head. “It is so simple, I never saw it.”

Jarmel gave his son a sideways look. “Care to explain yourself, Dar?”

“Yes da,” Dar was happy to be the center of attention for a change, especially as he wasn’t in conflict with anyone, especially his oldest sister who could be such a pain in his side. He wasn’t angry at Cami, he just found her annoying and with his current frustrations at the work situations he had to endure, he just boiled over at times. A fairly normal situation for a member of the servant class. “Fear of being different, of standing out as I said, but most of all, of losing status.” Dar felt happy and important now that all the family listening to him for once.

“I don’t understand.” Kinna said a puzzled look on her face. “Everyone knows that status is important.”

“It is only important because someone, hundreds or thousands of years ago said that it was and everyone went along with him.”

“Him?” Camis gave Dar a look, one that showed her skepticism. Koral giggled, a display of emotion that had their mother frowning at her.

“Yes a man, Cami.” Dar smiled, “Unless you think that a woman is responsible?” The smile grew broader. “I am quite ready to shift the blame.”

As Cami stiffened and opened her mouth to respond to Dars challenge, their father stepped into the breach.

“Well Dar, I don’t think that it matters who thought of the idea but I also don’t see why it matters or what could be done about it.” Jamel frowned in thought. “The only way we could change now is by a huge popular movement and I don’t see that happening soon.” He looked at his oldest son. “Do you?” Jamel didn’t mention either that any such movement would be accompanied by a lake of blood.

“I don’t know da, I haven’t talked about this with anyone.” He looked down at the table. “I guess that I am afraid too.” He finished, raising his head and glancing at his oldest sister. Cami gave a tentative smile back. Tremma nodded in silent agreement while the two youngest girls were now looking rather bored at all this political talk.

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Jamel grunted. “Good, don’t talk to anyone about this. You never know who is an agent of the Grays!” Dar nodded, he also was aware of the dangers involved and was not, at this time, prepared to risk the families’ status. New to working life, he was still uncertain about his standing with his coworkers. Satisfied that his oldest son was not about to do anything reckless and so jeopardise the family name, Jamel turned to his oldest daughter. “Cami, I take it that you still want to go to girls group with your friends?”

Eagerly, Cami nodded, “Yes da, with Leda and Ava. We will be going to the Middle Club at the Girls Room in the Collective Hall.” The Hall was a collection of buildings offering activities for various groups, including young women. They were monitored by men who had completed a course known as the Student Volunteer Service Corps. Of course, the men were not directly involved with the young women, they oversaw the older girls who were employed as mentors and trainers to the students who joined the group. The particular group that Cami and her friends Leda and Ava belonged to were involved in an athletic program designed to give confidence to the girls and so assist them in achieving their goal of getting a good contract placement.

Along with status, contracts are the heart and soul of business and personal life on Ti Lepus. Most of the workers are secured by a contract from certain members of the high class down to all the lower classes.

This especially applied to suitable women who, while young, fourteen is normal, are taken from their homes to work in special establishments called salons, and displayed for effective sale to the wives of high class men and their families. This is very important to them, as it can affect their whole future lives. Securing a contract with a high status family of good reputation is something that all girls with lower status wish for.

Approval given, Cami danced off to her room to change as the boys cleared the table. Her mother watched in disapproval at this unwonted display of emotion. Koral and Kinna followed rather more sedately.

“You are going to wear that again?” Koral asked with an unspoken challenge in her voice. She watched Cami pull out the athletic clothes in the style that was customary for girls. These were tighter and rather more revealing that the school uniforms that they usually wore, but not by much!

“Of course, but only when racing, I will change in the girls changing room.” Cami replied. “It’s like school, we have a whole building to ourselves. No boys allowed!” Koral grunted, not satisfied.

“I don’t think that it’s fair, I should be allowed too!” She complained as Cami removed her smock to change into suitable outdoor clothes. Although the program that the athletic club ran was approved by the school, it was not strictly part of the school curriculum, so the school uniform was not worn. However Cami did not wear her best outdoor clothes, they were reserved for special occasions approved by her parents. While all people of Ti Lepus wore much the same clothes, they were decorated differently for different status levels. Generally the higher the status, the fancier and better decorated with lineage signs, which could be read by most citizens.

Ready, her gym strip, along with a towel and soap in a bag, Cami said her goodbyes and left her parents apartment. Her brother Tremma accompanied her to where she would catch the transport to the Collective Hall. He or Dar would also meet her when she returned. This was a common feature of life in this society.

As she boarded the transporter, Tremma called to her. “Be careful Cami!” She smiled and waved.

*********

Several periods later, a tired girl sat, slumped on the transporter, she had been worked hard all day. After changing, she and the other girls had been formed into groups then warmed up with stretching and calisthenics followed by short sprints. Then each girl worked on the activity that they enjoyed and were best at. After a period of individual work, the girls were formed into groups and heats began

Leda was fast, she was a sprinter and was particularly anxious to improve her starts. Time and time again she got down into her crouch and, on the whistle, lunged out of her stance. On the other hand, Ava, slim and compact was a natural gymnast. On the floor, she twirled and bounced in the defined performance area, showcasing her natural talent.

Cami like Leda, was a runner, a middle distance runner with a speciality in jumping over hurdles and other obstacles placed in the way. These ranged from those that would fall if touched to others that were solid and needed to be cleared. One, particularly disliked, was made of branches tied vertically and these would whip the runners’ legs if not cleared properly. It was bad enough for girls but the senior boys’ and adults version had branches that were longer than the girls. That meant that the boys’ had to jump almost twice as high if they didn’t want their legs to be struck!

She had completed the race, nicknamed ‘the jump’, three times. For her age group, from thirteen to fourteen years old, this was once around the track and earned its name by jumping over five obstacles. The next age group, fifteen and sixteen years old, would have to make one and a half circuits, while the senior girls had to complete the circuit twice and adults’ three times. Today, each race was a competition against a different group of girls in the same age group with the final race composed of the top finishers of the races. Cami had finished in the top three in her last race, and her times had steadily improved during the day. While not totally satisfied, she still knew that she was much improved since joining the Girls Club and today she had her best finish yet. Her two friends had also improved in their own disciplines. The trio had been very excited in the changing rooms after.

“We watched your last race Cami, we really thought that you were going to win until that long-legged girl passed you on that last turn.” Ava consoled her friend.

“Yes, you seemed to just run out of wind right at the end, so that red shirted girl just caught you.” Leda said. “Well,” She continued, “they are both high service class so they get more training then you do. That’s an advantage to them.”

“I know,” Cami said. “That is what the trainer wanted to talk to me about. She said that she could arrange some additional training for me, but I don’t think that ma and da could afford it although I was told that there was some kind of funding.” Cami sounded wistful. “I mean, I like running the jump but I am not sure, there is so much at home I have to do.”

“And we do the self defense training as well.” Ava commented. “That takes away training time for you.”

“Yes it does but it’s good to have, I think.” Cami wrinkled her brow in thought. “Some of it anyway.”

Her two friends looked on in sympathy as they changed. Like at their homes, all showering was done in private stalls but they dressed communally, in small groups or singly, depending on whether or not there were friends present.

“You really are getting fast, Leda, and I watched you do your routine Ava. I wouldn’t be surprised if you are picked for special training!”

“Oh Cami, don’t say that. It’s bad luck, like, You Know.” Ava emphasised the last part. Her friends nodded. They knew who and what she meant. Everyone considered that it was bad luck to talk about the Dark Lord!

With ‘see you tomorrow’s’ the three friends separated and went to their respective transporters and on to their homes.

*********

On the transporter, Cami unobtrusively looked arounds. Everyone on the vehicle seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, including a man sitting a couple of seats back. This man wore a morose expression on his face so deep that Cami wondered if he had lost his contract. As he was wearing a cap rather than a broad brimmed hat, this meant that he was a member of the worker class. But it was the man sitting in the seat across from her that bothered her. He was throwing sideways glances at her and appeared to be drinking something from a container he had partially concealed in his right hand. Hoping that he was going to get off at the next stop, she had several more to go, Cami sat back and tried to ignore the man.

“Hey, little girl, want a drink?” A couple of stops later the man sitting across from Cami, suddenly spoke up. Cami froze, out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the man was leering at her, the metallic looking container openly displayed in his hand. He was wearing the same type of clothes as her father did, showing that he was of the same class.

“Talking to you, little girl, not polite to ignore people when they talk to you.” The man’s florid face indicated his degree of intoxication from whatever he was drinking. This was very unusual for any inhabitant of Ti Lepus but that did not reassure Cami at all. Glancing around she could see looks of disapproval, but no one seemed ready to come to her aid. The look on the face of the man wearing a cap now seemed to be annoyed rather than morose. He also seemed to have something that Cami could not quite make out in his hand.

“Let’s party little girl.” The man had moved so that his feet were in the aisle, blocking any movement on the transporter. Cami cringed back in her seat as the fumes from the noxious brew that he had been drinking floated towards and around her. She wanted to hit him with her bag but knew that there was nothing in the bag that was heavy enough to stop him. Her self-defence training had not prepared her for this.

“Why don’t you sit back” The man with the cap suddenly spoke. His voice was quiet but firm.

“You stay out of this!” The drunk snapped back surprised at the intervention but not at all intimidated.

The man with the cap stood and stepped forward pushing something into one pocket and taking something out of the other at the same time. “I said, sit back and stay quiet.” The man smiled while Cami watched almost in a trance, too frightened by the situation to wonder at the smile. “That way, no one gets hurt.”

The drunk snarled, staggered to his feet and swung clumsily at the man. The attempted blow was easily blocked and the response came too fast for Cami to really see what happened. All of a sudden it seemed to her that the drunk was now laying back in his seat and apparently asleep. Looking around Cami saw that some of the other passengers were nodding in approval, including the darkly dressed man at the back and his female companion.

The transporter had by this time pulled over at its next stop. Two members of the patrol who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere boarded the vehicle, batons in their hands.

“Where’s the trouble-maker?” The first asked somewhat truculently.

Stepping to meet them, the man wearing the cap showed them something in his hand. The two patrol officers looked startled, gave the man a long look but nodded as the man said something too low for anyone to hear and pointed back at Cami, then the drunk. Ignoring Cami, the two patrol officers lifted the drunk none to gently and dragged him to the front of the transporter.

“I know this one.” The younger of the two patrol officers laughed. “The Master Judge won’t be happy to see him again so soon, he’ll get a good vacation this time I bet.”

“And a few stripes as well, hopefully.” The older one responded in a bored tone while the two pulled the drunk of the transporter, passed him over to two other patrol officer who were waiting. Somewhat awake now but still drunk and confused, he was pushed into the back of a waiting police van, which left straight away.

One patrol officer spoke to the driver, pulled out his comm unit and fiddled with it for a fraction, then left. The door closed and the transporter pulled back into the road. The man with the cap walked back and took the seat in front of Cami. Glancing at her he saw how shocked and upset she was. Yet, he also noted with hidden interest that there was a hint of defiance in her eyes as she looked up at him although she kept her head somewhat bowed. The other passengers on the transporter ignored them in the Ti Lepus way.

“You can relax now miss.” He said speaking with a calm voice. “The patrol will be taking good care to see that he doesn’t cause trouble again.”

Slowly Cami raised her head to look at the man directly, but didn’t answer. That was not the way she had been taught. Young girls did not talk to strange men.

“Your stop is soon, Cami?” The man asked quietly.

Cami froze, how did he know her name? The man’s lips twitched, he could see her sudden fear.

“When you boarded the transporter, it read your name as well as the drunks. I am with the police and used my comm to identify both of you. Don’t worry, you won’t appear in any police report, they already have enough on the man who was bothering you.”

“Oh,” Cami said. “I won’t get into trouble?” A look of relief now showing clearly.

“No Cami, you won’t” The man smiled. “You don’t even need to tell your parents.”

Surprised by the man’s smile Cami was emboldened to ask his name. “You know my name sir, but I don’t know yours.”

The man’s lips twitched, he was surprised by Camis way of asking. This girl had depths, he could see. “Dark gen Wattar, Cami, that is my name.” he replied.

Looking outside as the transporter pulled over Cami saw that Tremma was waiting at her stop. Standing, she faced the man who had helped her. “Thank you Master Wattar, you have been of much help today.” A small bow accompanied the formal words.

The Gray nodded in reply. “I only did what any man of Ti Lepus would have done, Miss Nep.” Dark watched the young girl leave the transporter. That girl could go far, he thought. I hope that someone picks up on her soon. With a shrug he sat back in his seat, she was not his problem. His partner of the day joined him.

“Good thing you are heading back today, sir” The junior agent remarked. “I think that you may have blown your cover.” He knew better than to say anything directly about Cami.

“Nothing local that you and the squad here can’t handle. No, the real problems are back in the capital. I am needed there.” The secret policeman sat back in his seat, the call had come from the Chief Minister. He was to report to Minister Trem de Markus on arrival. Cami sis Nep was all but forgotten.

They both paid no attention to the man in the cloak sitting in the back of the conveyance. The Dark Lord remained expressionless but nodded slowly. Dark gen Wattar, He thought, I will have work for you. His companion just gave Him a speaking look.

 

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