Claimings 5, chapter 7

I finished grading the final essays and the essay rewrites. I swear. Why do they not fix their shit the first time around. Every year, more and more kids think they can get away with half-assing things. But that is done, and now I only need to get through finals.

I've been playing with titles on this one. What do you think of Procreation, Propriety and other Cultural Folkways?

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Ondry could see the weariness in Liam as they returned to the ship. Seeing Liam’s brother made Ondry infinitely grateful to the Imshee who had modified Liam to maximize his genetic potential.  The ephemeral nature of human life was never so evident as when Ondry had seen Liam and Luke together. 

Liam looked much the same as he had when Ondry had first seen him on Prarownt. He was taller due to Imshee medical engineering, but without the white hair or spotted skin or stooped shoulders of his younger brother.  While Ondry knew that seventy-six was elderly for a human, seeing Luke as he approached the end of his life had shaken him.

But as much as he did not envy Luke his short lifespan, Ondry was a little envious that parents maintained a strong enough connection to children that Luke got to care for his grandchildren. Maya and Seth had four years of life, and like Emiliy, they had been fascinated by Ondry’s tail.  Never before had anyone been interested in his tail unless they wanted to engage in sex.  

“You appear weary,” Ondry said.

“Exhausted,” Liam agreed.  “Every time I talk to Luke, I feel….” Liam sighed.

Ondry put a hand on Liam’s shoulder as they walked up the ramp to the ship.  Tuk ranked traders wandered the lower corridors where they had no business being, so Ondry suspected the dilemma with the children had spread through the ship. Many Rownt were likely to want to take action, and they would look to Liam to see what could be done.  

“Your brother has many wonderful egglings within his nest.” That was the only way Ondry could describe it since Rownt did not have extended family, and the idea of reunion with those who shared genetic material was so illogical that it had no name.

Liam huffed. “The Munson genes are in no danger of dying out, that’s for sure. I just wish he didn’t feel so much like a stranger. I feel like I want something I shouldn’t want or maybe that I don’t want something I should.”  He paused before adding. “And that makes no sense to Rownt because you don’t maintain family ties at all.”

Ondry considered his answer. “I left my parent’s nest too early, so I imagine you feel how I did when I was alone and regretting my impetuousness, even though I never would have admitted it or relinquished my adult status.”

Liam stopped and leaned into Ondry.  “You clearly understand far better than I thought. I don’t want to fit in with Earth anymore, but being around Luke makes me wish I could wish to fit in, and the more time I spend around him and his family, the more uncomfortable I get. It doesn’t make sense.”

“It does,” Ondry assured him.  He felt this conversation would best be held in private because it was far more personal than the color of their pillows, but he would not delay reassuring his palteia. “But I would not want you to assimilate to a social structure that allows children to go hungry, so I am selfishly grateful for your discomfort.”  Hungry children was a far more appropriate topic for the tuk-ranked traders who made little effort to hide their interest.

Liam huffed.  “Humans would say that Rownt are just as bad for not caring for the elderly.”

“Rownt disagree. But I am pleased the children were willing to steal from our table.”

“We shouldn’t call it stealing.  Words have power, and any human that hears that we encourage children to steal will think that we are corrupting the children. Stealing is wrong in human judgment.”

“Even when it is children and they are taking food?”

Liam took a deep breath. “Judges might give children a lighter sentence—one focused on teaching the children to act in a moral way. However, for humans stealing is always wrong.”

“Then what word should we use? We should program the computer to apply a different word if human listeners will take offense to the application of the word to egglings’ actions.”  They had a number of words that had multiple English definitions depending on context.

“Claim would probably be the best word.  Children can claim food from our plates.” Liam said that in English and seemed to think about it for a moment.  “That works.  Saying that children have to learn to claim food or resources makes it sound like we’re teaching them to stand up for themselves.”

“We are,” Ondry said.  “Those who came to take food from our table learned to seek their own profits. If many Rownt eat in the area near the embassies, I believe the egglings will learn confidence in such claiming.” Ondry saw a number of twitching tails around them still as the listeners understood how to assist the young ones. That would go far to soothe overwrought Rownt. Ondry led Liam toward the lifts. The Grandmothers had sent them to inspect the charity shelter, and he did not want to return to their nest without reporting that such facilities were not appropriate havens.

A person in dire need of assistance might lose status by appealing to the temple, but at least they were placed to regain status because they were at the center of town. Human charities were not well designed to ensure those families recovered. The door of the lift closed and they started to rise.  

“You were telling the traders to eat in town, weren’t you?” Liam asked.

“I told them how they could assist the egglings.”

“Our foodsellers are going to hate us,” Liam said softly.

“The tuk-ranked foodsellers are most likely to lose customers, and they feel the same need to provide food; they simply do not have access. They will support any trader who chooses to eat in a place where she can provide for the young.”  Ondry knew that not all Rownt felt appropriate instincts or at least they did not feel as strongly as they should; however, the food servers he and Liam patronized valued the community.

“I hope so because I would dislike having to find new food preparers.”

“They will not refuse to prepare food for us.” Ondry was confident.  “To suggest they would value profit over egglings is to dishonor them.”  His words were spoken mildly, but Liam winced, so the warning struck true. A food preparer would not reject them as customers for choosing another place to eat or even for encouraging others to eat outside the ship under these circumstances. However, food preparers would reject them if they believed Liam thought them capable of valuing profit over egglings.

The lift opened, and Ondry led the way to the temple. The main floor of the temple dominated a large portion of this level of the ship. Normally the space felt cavernous and empty. Grandmothers on a ship had many tasks and obligations. However, every Grandmother on the Calti appeared in the public temple. Some were Grandmothers Ondry had not met after fifty years of living on the ship. More significantly, no one else was present, not even tuk-ranked individuals, who were part of any ship debate.

“Tuk-Ondry. Tuk-Palteia Liam,” Eldest Grandmother said.  “May good health stalk you.”

Ondry darkened at the complement. “May the day bring opportunities,” Ondry said.

“Good trades,” Liam offered.

“Is the place of charity appropriate for egglings?” she asked without preamble. All the Grandmothers watched, eyes wide.

“It is not,” Ondry said. “It is too far from opportunity for a parent to improve the situation and egglings are held behind locked doors.”

Liam spoke, “The locked doors are intended to keep egglings safe because the area has poverty and some humans will prey on children. Those who run the charity do their best, but by Rownt standards, it is not appropriate.”

Eldest Grandmother paled and her lips thinned into a thin line.

“What should we do?” a much younger Grandmother asked.  Her nostrils were closed tight.  Most of the Grandmothers controlled their emotions at least a little better.

Another Grandmother spoke. “Rownt and humans have different instincts. We decided not to act fifty years ago when we saw their hospitals. Nothing has changed.”

“Do we ignore egglings?” The new Grandmother flashed a tooth, and Ondry put a hand on Liam’s shoulder, prepared to pull him to safety if the threat of violence turned into action.

“A wise farmer plants seeds, not trees. We decided that we could plant only seeds among humans, and we could not change how they interact with one another,” the first Grandmother said.  That caused a few tails to twitch.

Eldest Grandmother trilled, and the temple quieted as she walked through the room, passing within an arm’s reach of every other Grandmother before she circled the room and returned to stand near Ondry. Never had he felt danger from any Grandmother. Grandmothers were the calm center of a town or ship. They saw a millennia of life and so they were unbothered by circumstances that drove other Rownt to fury. But now he felt the Grandmothers’ anger in the air as if it were lightning ready to strike the ground during a storm.

“We plant seeds, but a farmer tends what she plants. She does not scatter seed to the wind and assume the tree will grow without shade or water or weeding.” She scanned the temple, but the other Grandmothers were all silent.  “If a lek-ranked parent struggled to provide for a child, tuk-ranked and Grandmothers would purchase her trade goods or sell her goods without taking  a profit. We would encourage the child to steal from our carts or orchards. We will not do less for these egglings.”

Liam looked at Ondry with confusion in his gaze, but Ondry remained silent. He could not reassure Liam when he was startled at the Grandmothers’ fervor.

A younger Grandmother said in a hesitant voice, “We push no carts and purchase no goods from these parents.”

“Then perhaps we should consider starting to do both,” Eldest Grandmother said. Around the room, Grandmothers huffed and nostrils flared and eyes widened.  Ondry paled as he watched a temple full of elders all display their shock and confusion. He disliked seeing confused elders. These were the females he trusted to keep the ship safe in the cold of space, and he preferred to focus on their ability to navigate any problem. Seeing how they struggled left him disoriented.

“How can we do that?” a Grandmother asked.

Eldest Grandmother turned her gaze toward Liam, and he straightened, a human gesture that Ondry associated with needing to feel stronger.

“Rownt cannot interfere with human children,” Liam said, his voice firm despite a small tremor in his hand. “Humans form patterns in thought. Fifty years ago, Rownt left Earth because humans remembered how Anla betrayed the government and stole children. If Rownt act, even if it is to protect, humans will see a pattern where none exists.”  The words verged on insulting the Grandmothers by comparing them to the eggless Anla.

“We conduct business. If such business leads us near children, that is ancillary.” 

Protecting children was never ancillary, and from the look Liam gave him, he understood that as well as Ondry did.  “Ancillary to what business?” Ondry asked.

Eldest Grandmother spoke. “It is time for us to have a temple here.”

Ondry’s eyes widened, and around them, Grandmothers huffed and faces paled and complexions paled.

Eldest focused her gaze on Liam. “Decide how we can accomplish such a thing.” She turned and headed toward the stairs that led to the upper temple leaving behind two dozen confused Grandmothers, a wide-eyed and startled Liam and Ondry.