A meeting is called and fails…
“The emergency meeting of the Council of Houses will come to order.” Francos was annoyed. Emiliano Pesch had invoked an ancient rule to call this meeting less than a full day after the announcement of the betrothal. Romerie Malfe had somehow regained his position with the family and stood behind Emiliano in the family area.
“Lino, you wanted this meeting,” Francos said. He deliberately used the mocking nickname the men tagged Ser Pesch with back in the gymnasium days. Emiliano hated that name, and it got just the rise Francos expected. “What is so important that you invoke the dire emergency rule?”
“You are the cause, Fran, you and that woman of Port you attempt to foist on the Humanos Verdaderos as a proper wife for the First Successor.” Emiliano’s face was red and he was having trouble speaking as loudly as he wished.
“So, House Pesch denies that Sera Rita Pesch is a member of the family? That Alam Nanna Pesch is not also a recognized member of your family? We have genetic validation that Sarita Nanna Pesch Kearney is the true natural daughter of these two people. Do you deny both of them?”
“Rita Pesch was committed to the ancestors by her husband years ago,” Romerie Malfe said. “We have reason to believe you have been misled.” He rose while placing his hand on the older man’s shoulder as if to calm him.
It only succeeded in angering him more as he turned to slap the hand away. “I did not give you permission to speak, you fool. I warned you not to say a word until I called on you.” Emiliano snarled at the cleric. “Now, give your reasons and do not add anything beyond what we agreed to in the written statement.” Malfe bowed, then stepped to the speakers’ stand.
“The family Pesch has learned that this woman who has been betrothed to your son is not a virgin, as is customary among Humanos Verdaderos. She was raised among the pagan non-believers of Utopia and has had sufficient sexual contact with men as to have accumulated considerable psy power. Her brazen immorality will permanently damage the blood lines of the Humanos Verdaderos, contradicting the cause for which our people fled Terra. We demand a virgin woman of a Council family be found and this woman be sent back to Utopia along with her mother who claims to be the long-dead Rita Pesch.”
Francos sent a quick mental word to Serept and the small door behind his throne swung open. Rita stalked into the room wearing her Utopian coveralls with her hair wrapped like a crown around her head.
“So,” she said, “because my lamentable husband assumed I was dead, you declared it factual. I believe you should have checked more closely rather than write me off and give my credits to him — or did you keep them for yourself?” She turned to Francos and bowed as to the head of the family. “Ser Francos, I thank you for your hospitality toward myself and my daughter. As is customary, she remains sheltered in the family quarters as we plan her wedding.”
She moved to the center of the gathering. “I ask you, priest, how do you come by this information of my daughter sexual status? Have you violated the sacred vow of the confessional? On whose authority do you claim this? It is true she has manifested her psy powers, but only after a brutal rape by a pirate of Port. Ser Megal finds this as no impediment to marriage, nor does the newly installed Poh. Have you no empathy for a victim of such brutality? And why does it matter if she is a virgin?” Rita stepped to Francos’ side, looking down disdainfully at the priest.
“I have asked Ser Roblies to explain,” Francos said, “why this demand for virginity originated among humankind.” Francos wanted this custom to be ended since having women move more freely would possibility solve the growing problem of unbalanced genders. He had read that sexual freedom was highly valued among the Humanos Verdaderos before they left Terra. He motioned to the elderly scholar to join him at the dais.
“Ser Morales, thank you for this opportunity. This should be well known but is not. In ancient days, on Terra, humans believed that the material for the child that came from the father and the mother was like a field or a seedbed,” Francos watched Malfe’s face. He knew this speech would likely humiliate the Keeper. Malfe had frequently preached on the “purity of male seed” before the young men. He extolled the necessity of virginity among the women while misrepresenting the whole process of fertilization.
“The male would deposit his seed and it would germinate and be grown into the infant with no genetic input from the mother. Any physical resemblance to the mother was considered a sign the father was weak and the mother’s humors, as they called it, had overpowered his seed. Since they also believed both personality and virtues were inherited, care was taken that only the husband’s seeds be deposited in the wife. This led to centuries of suppression of women among the societies of Terra.”
“Unfortunately, it has become a common misunderstanding on this planet. Our emphasis on virginity was due to the reaction of our females to the manifestation of psy powers. Women react differently to the sexual act. This issue was solved by Utopians, and many of our women understand how to avoid damage. While avoiding sexual contact without control is dangerous, this emphasis on demanding virginity for the reasons given misstates the entire process.” His lecture was met with anger from the younger men in the audience.
Enrico Pesch rose behind his father. “Keeper Malfe, your teaching of the fertilization process follows what Ser Roblies just explained. All your classes in the gymnasium stressed how important our semen was and downplayed the genes of our wives. I never questioned it. But if we are like our livestock, part from the female, part from the male, all you have taught us was unscientific rubbish. How dare you!” Other young men in the group began yelling at the priest who cowered behind Ser Pesch. Francos let the uproar continue for a several minutes. He was enjoying it, but he realized it had to stop.
“That is enough,” He augmented his voice to overpower everyone in the room. “What we observe among our animals applies to us also for we too are animals created by the Three in One. May they bless us all.” He made a mental comment to Serept. The nature of the education system for all the people needed to be examined. How deep had this foolishness been embedded?
Francos wanted this finished. “Ser Pesch, you called this emergency meeting. Do you call for a vote of the Council Houses on this issue or shall I call for a vote?”
“I demand that the representatives of the families be allowed to speak.” Emiliano was certain he had the support of the other families. He looked around in amazement as no one stood to be recognized.
“Who is willing to speak in support of what Ser Pesch has implied?” Francos slowly attempted eye contact with the representative in the room. At last, one of the oldest members present, and no friend of family Morales, rose.
“As for the objections raised by House Pesch, were they reasonable, family Rodriquez would support them. They are not reasonable. This woman is truly Sera Rita Pesch. The prospective marriage has been blessed by the Poh. To deny joining because of a brutal rape is inhuman. I call for a vote on the charges of impersonation raised by Pesch.” Francos called upon the Poh and his staff to conduct a vote. It was overwhelmingly in favor of Morales. The new Poh rose and stepped to the front.
“We are all gifted with reason by the Three in One, may they bless us all. We must realize this planet, while not the one our ancestors envisioned, is now our home. We must adapt to this place or cease to exist. What this young woman brings to our people is the possibility of change, a much-needed change. Most of you know full well most of our women are not brain damaged by their first sexual experience. And with techniques developed by the Utopians, and known to many women of Refugio, none should experience that damage.”
“I thank Ser Emiliano for calling this meeting. My office has begun an investigation of many practices sanctioned by the church. We as a people have changed, and the Iglesia Humanos Verdaderos must also change. I ask for your prayers and cooperation as we begin.”
***
Emiliano staggered into his office. “You fool! You assured me you have support from most of the families. No one spoke for us, no one!” Keeper Malfe kept to the edge of the doorway behind Emiliano’s eldest son and his brother. Emiliano chided his son. “You did not help matters, Ricky, interrupting like that. So what if Malfe has taught it wrong? He supports us. Do you not want to be First Successor?”
“Father, you really think you could be elected Overlord,” Ricky said. “You really believe what Romerie Malfe preaches, that this is true? I know how much work goes into being Overlord. Marianel hated the idea he was going to assume the job. He wanted it to go to his little brother, but his father would not hear of it. I prefer to work on building up the herd. Breeding a better milk animal is more interesting than trying to get the families to agree how much credit they will give to support Refugio.”
Ricky had never confronted his father, and the effect was immediate.
“You ungrateful perro, I do all of this for you. Pesch led the Board and contributed more than half the funds for the space mining expedition. We should be the rulers, not Morales. They worked for us on Terra. They should still work for us.” He collapsed into his cushion and motioned for his servant to pour him a glass of wine. “Out of my sight, all of you. I must consider what I will do next.”
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