Farm twenty-two, the quarantine rooms, a leaving…
“Deirdre, for the last time you cannot see Sarita.” Morianan was becoming more and more annoyed with the whinny, simpering woman.
“But we have little to do in the packing plant right now. It would release one of the Healers to their own duties.”
“Sarita is suffering from a severe headache due to late manifestation. She needs to be alone and quiet.” Morianan would not lie to the woman but would not tell her the whole truth. “The last thing she needs it the mother of one of her rejected suitors sitting with her.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have this problem if she’d just realize what a wonderful man my son Fergus is!” Deirdre snapped. She started to say more but realize she had said more than she should, so she quickly turned and stomped out of Morianan’s office.
Morianan went down the hall to the storage pantry. She took out two woven baskets Sarita would take with her. They would meet Tony’s ship at the old pier at the Darkest hour. It was the ideal time for them to slip Sarita out to the tunnel and down to the ship. She wrapped some clothing in fish hide sacks and sealed them. Morianan walked down to the quarantine building and knocked softly on the door of the sickroom.
Sarita answered her sleepily as she entered the sickroom. “Mama, what is all that?” Sarita pointed to the partially loaded hamper.
Morianan handed her the empty hamper. “There are some special things for you. Things I don’t want to lose to the central warehouse during the clearing if you must know. I have the embroidered tabard for the bonding and there are some other things, so you don’t arrive empty-handed.”
“Oh, my going will cause trouble for all of you, won’t it?”
“Don’t worry, Sarita. Take at least three changes of clothes from stores. I expect Rita will have other things for you to wear. I don’t imagine the Regals wear coveralls like we do. I have fish-hide packets to seal your things inside the hampers. You have your reading cubes and a travel kit?”
“Yes, Rhonda brought them to me when she and Nathan coached me on the trance state and mind techniques for bonding. She says she feels guilty about not coming with me, but I think she is actually relieved. She did cry when they left me.”
“Newly pregnant women tend to be emotional.”
Sarita and her foster mother slipped out of the room and back to the main building to the clothing supply closet. They gathered the clothing, then pulled weather cloaks from the central closet. The spring night was cool, especially near the sea’s edge. With the woven hampers packed and tied, they slipped out of the side door into the shimmering half-light of Higgins’ night where Simon awaited them.
***
Tony arranged passage for the three of them on a fast, private ship. It was a Port vessel but came highly recommended. He had Alam’s diplomatic flag assigned to it, so they would not be bothered by customs leaving or arriving. Alam’s assistant was distressed Tony was leaving, but when Tony gave him full authority to sign papers in Alam’s name, no more questions were asked. Tony wondered how much the man would steal before he returned, but decided it was for the best. The man would not talk if he knew he was in charge, and they had to have Sarita away from Farm Twenty-Two before First Day and the inspector.
The ship was a small vessel that traded with farms along the coast but was equipped with sails. It was able to make the run across the Wild Sea to Refugio. Tony suspected it was involved in smuggling, but it was fast, and the captain didn’t ask about why they were stopping to pick up Sarita. They slipped down the coast to the hidden dock just south of the main dock for Farm Twenty-Two.
Simon, Morianan, and Sarita waited in the mouth of the tunnel. Sarita pulled her cape tighter around her in the brisk wind off the sea. It was Darkest and the sky was only lightly scattered with stars and a few flashing meteorites. It was the only time of the night that the residents were able to see the stars.
“There is the ship, I think,” Sarita said, pointing toward the headland where the ship’s running light bobbed high above the water. The ship drew closer and the sailors on board threw bags out to cushion the side of the wooden vessel against the dock. Tony appeared on the deck as a sailor shoved a long plank out to the dock and crossed to take Sarita’s hampers. Sarita hugged each of her foster parents, and suddenly emotional, whispered thank you and fled up the plank to her waiting uncle.
Simon hurried back with Morianan to the darkness of the tunnel but turned to watch the ship slip away on its small electric motor. “I am still uneasy about this. Does the child realize what she is getting herself into?”
“I really doubt it, but it’s like any of the children. She has chosen a different and difficult path, but you know as well as I do there is no one the discerners have been able to match her with. If she stayed, it was certain she would be forced to bond with someone of lesser power. Those bondings are so sad. I can’t think of even one that lasted as a loving relationship. Like Decoman and Ethel. They work well together but when the work is over, they are screaming at each other.”
“I wouldn’t wish that on the child.” Simon sighed. “Tony will keep us up to date. I am more worried about that inspector. I think we had best get back to the house and get some rest.” Morianan tucked her arm into her husband’s, and they walked back through the tunnel to the main house.
***
Sarita settled into the small cabin with her mother quickly. The ship rocked heavily through the surf at the bay’s entrance. Sarita felt a bit queasy, but Rita gave her some ginger candy to chew, and she was soon enjoying the motion of the ship. The narrow bunks were comfortable, and she and her mother were soon fast asleep.
The next morning, Tony explained to Sarita she would have to remain in the cabin with her mother. Women of Refugio would not be wandering around on deck like she asked to do.
“We have a lot of work to do on your trance state,” Rita said. “A woman of Refugio would never be seen on deck of the ship by herself. This will be your first lesson. Never venture out alone. You must always have a chaperon or a servant accompanying you.”
“Never? Even if we are at home or on the family lands?”
“At Casa Morales you will have an enclosed garden where you can walk or exercise with the other women, but you must not be seen outside the harem unless you have an escort. Of course, most of the High House women have never been outside the harem. There are some dependent women who are allowed out because they never showed any sign of power damage, or they are trained to do certain jobs. Among the Unspoken, you will occasionally see women out and about, but they are not treated well by the men. Most men assume a woman walking without escort is a prostitute and will treat her as such.”
“What are the Unspoken?”
“We sometimes call them Unspoken, simply to be more kind. Unspoken are settlers whose family leaders were killed at landing or died of the fevers in the first year.” Tony said. “Some asked and were received into other families, but many stayed as freedmen in the settlement. They are never referred to as Unspoken in polite company, so don’t say that except among family. Our house does business with many of them, and my wife Leah was from one of those families.”
“There is much shifting and negotiating that goes on in Refugio society that is never acknowledged, Sarita. It is a very complex and sometimes dangerous place.” Rita said.
“Dangerous? Then I had better go see the sea now, while I can! Would you go up on deck with me, Mother?” Sarita said mischievously. “I’m supposed to be a Utopian servant, aren’t I?”
“She has you there Rita!” Tony laughed. “It would be better if you did not go up. This is a small ship, and I don’t want the sailors talking when we get to Refugio. Having you appear on deck would cause talk.”
“Another thing to adjust to,” Sarita sighed. “I guess let’s begin the training.”
“I will leave you to that, ladies. I have a wonderful book that I have not had time to finish. I will see you again at midday meal.” Tony was chased out of the room by their laughter.
Sarita and her mother spent the next several hours working on Sarita’s trance state. Her mother would try to break the trance by physically striking Sarita or distracting her with gentle massages. As the lesson progressed, it was clear Sarita was able to hold her trance in spite of the assaults. Rita warned her if Megal was gentle and passionate, it would be very difficult to maintain the trance. In that case, they could only hope their powers would be complimentary. Tony joined them for mid-day meal, and after eating, he announced his intention to nap for the rest of the day. Sarita again requested time on deck but was again gently denied.
She was frustrated with the lack of exercise. This was much more restricting than she had anticipated. She was able to see out a small window in the side of the ship, but it was so often splashed by the swells that there was not much point. Rita began telling her about the life she had led in the harem of Casa Pesch.
“I don’t understand why you have kept this so secret,” Sarita said as the story unfolded. “Wouldn’t the men be glad the women aren’t brain damaged?”
“No, among the Humanos Verdaderos, tradition is honored to the extreme. Because they have arranged life this way to accommodate for the power, they don’t want to change it. Men have their world and women have theirs. They seldom meet or mix. It is a bit different among the dependents and the Unspoken. But even there, a man wants to look like he is High House, so he pretends his wife can’t do anything.”
“Another thing I don’t understand,” Sarita said. “How can the men overlook the women servants aren’t brain damaged and function just fine? Don’t they see that all women aren’t hurt?”
“Women servants are sometimes kept virgin just so they aren’t damaged. It is similar to a custom on old Terra where men were castrated so they could work in the ruler’s harems. But that barbarism was never adopted, thank the Three.”
“Don’t some of them have problems if they don’t manifest their power? I know my headaches are getting worse and I can’t imagine what it might be like to never fully manifest.”
“There are ways, Sarita. Not happy ways to manifest your psy power. But if a woman is going to be a very strong user, other women can bring her to a sexual climax and help her gain her power with little or no brain damage. We all show some minor manifestation of our power as we mature, but only possibilities.”
“Oh, we were warned about self-manipulations,” Sarita blushed. “I thought it was only a problem for boys.”
Rita laughed. “Some women are attracted to other women, but the manifestation is the same. Because there are no children, the church has discouraged it. The same with men who are attracted to other men. It was common on Terra, but because of the need to support numbers, here it is discouraged.”
“This feels so limiting.”
Rita’s voice rose. “Do you understand what I want to see happen in Refugio? What I dream of? I want to see this ridiculous idea that women do not have psy power exposed and women freed from the harems and the stupid practice of arranged marriage.” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply to calm herself.
“Mother, I have read that even before the migration, the Humanos Verdaderos insisted on arranged marriages. The marriages were based on genetic matches, and once they had two replacement children, they were free to find love with others, but not to have children. Isn’t that why they still arrange the marriages?”
“Partly. Tradition is far too strong, but Sarita, you understand we have become something different. The whole point of the migration was to preserve the genetic stock of Terran humans. Just like every other group that has migrated into the universe, we have changed, and the time has come to face that.”
Sarita and her mother sat quietly after that. Rita took out some needlework and Sarita found herself very sleepy and dozed until Tony knocked to tell them the evening meal had arrived. Sarita felt lethargic even though she had slept. Her mother and uncle also seemed tired and all three made it an early night.
Should you want to read the whole story…
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