Barry Longyear - Enemy Papers

Nicole sat back, stunned. "The Tsien Denvedah? That little child?" Did I pull its narrow yellow ass out of the flames to provide fodder for the Drac meatgrinder? To hit the dirt in a little red suit and kill humans? "Sin Vidak has to be too young!"

"Joanne Nicole, Dracs reach adulthood in approximately a fifth of the time it takes humans."

"I know, but still…"

"Sin Vidak is an adult now." Pur Sonaan paused. "It has been a long time since you were in V’Butaan." A long time.

"How long? In my time?"

Much later, Mitzak was sent in with the information. It had been twenty months since V’Butaan. Twenty months.

How could… how could I have lost almost two years?

She felt folds of cloth placed into her hands. "Here is your robe. Do you want me to help you put it on?"

"No."

Mitzak left the room to be replaced by Pur Sonaan. Nicole used the palm of her right hand to wipe the wetness from her face.

The Drac spoke. "There is something I must say. Joanne Nicole, your life is your own property, and ending it is your right and your choice. But should you choose to end it, you must realize that the exercise of such a right is your own task. Never ask another to perform it for you."

Pur Sonaan’s heavy footsteps left the room, and Joanne Nicole placed her face upon the bed.

She damned herself for her tears. But there was a little yellow child who was earning the right to proudly wear the red of the Tsien Denvedah, and there had to be tears.

The next day on the floor, as Nicole tried to exercise, she listened to Mitzak reading the news.

"This is strange."

"What’s strange, Mitzak?"

"The Ninth Quadrant study committee voted down the invitations-"

"Just as you said they would."

"-but the vote was very close. Much closer than I expected. And Hissied 'do Timan-delegate from Timan-was the only abstention." Mitzak was silent for a long time.

"What are you thinking about?"

A pause then the sounds of Mitzak rearranging himself in his chair… I don’t understand the reason for this abstention."

"Who can figure a Timan, Mitzak? Most of them are so wrapped up wheeling and dealing I doubt if they know themselves what they’re doing half of the time. After straining herself to do another situp, Nicole flopped flat on her back. "Mitzak, is there any news on the war?"

"Always."

A silence, then he continued reading. "This day Het Kraakar, First Warmaster of the Dracon Fleet, announced through its representative that the Planet Ditaar has fallen to the forces of the United States of Earth. Figures on military and civilian casualties…"

Nicole heard him stand. "Excuse me." His footsteps left the room.

Alone, listening to footsteps. It was cleaning. Nicole sat up. "Are you allowed to speak to me now?"

"Yes. Yes I am." The voice was quiet, nervous, meek. "I would have talked much sooner-I have so many questions-but silence here is the rule."

"I understand."

"Joanne Nicole?"

"Yes-what is your name?"

"Vencha Eban. Joanne Nicole? Could you get up on the bed so that I can clean?"

"Of course."

Nicole nodded, reached to the bed, and pulled herself to her feet. She retrieved her robe from the bed and pulled it on over her head, letting the cape wrap around her left arm. Sitting on the bed, she pulled up her feet.

"Vencha Eban, where can I take a shower? Clean myself?"

"There is a place attached to this room." More footsteps, going to her right. "The door is locked. Perhaps you are not to wash until the healing of your skin is complete."

"I would still like to stop using the bedpan. I can get around sufficiently."

Nicole heard a door open. "The waste room is open for you."

"Good."

A series of bruises and barked shins had discouraged her from exploring that portion of the room very far, and all that she had found was the door that was locked.

"Jetah Pur Sonaan said it was very important that I talk to you, Joanne Nicole. Is there something is particular you wish to hear?"

"No. Anything." She thought for a moment about Mitzak’s self-righteous attitude concerning talma. "Do you know anything about The Talman?"

"Of course. Reciting it is part of the right of adulthood."

"Reciting it? The entire thing?"

"Yes. Would you like to hear a recitation?"

"Yes."

"Is there any particular part you would like to hear?"

"No, Vencha Eban. Pick whatever you want. I just want noise."

"It is not just noise."

"I know. I meant no offense. Go on."

"I will recite The Story of Shizumaat while I am cleaning. It is one of my favorites. You must remember that I speak this story as Namndas, the narrator of Shizumaat’s story."

"I understand."

As the tinny hum of cleaning continued in the room, Vencha Eban recited:

"I speak these things of Shizumaat to you; for I am Namndas, the friend of Shizumaat; the one who stood and waited at the mark.

"And this is my teacher’s story: The firstborn of Sindieah Nu was Sindieah Ay. After its parent had retired from the servants, and during Sindieah Ay’s rule of the servants of Aakva, the Temple of Uhe was completed.

"The cut-stone walls of the temple were as tall as eight Sindie and they enclosed an area of sixty by ninety paces. The roof of wooden beams and slabstone was supported by square stone columns arranged in six proportionate rectangles.

"At the center of the smallest rectangle was the great stone tomb that covered Uhe’s ashes. The eastern wall of the temple was an open row of stone columns. Northern and southern walls each had center doorways only two paces wide. The wall facing the Madah had no opening…"

Madah, Nicole thought to herself. What is the Madah? "During the day, light was provided by Aakva. the Parent of All; during the night, light was provided by the nine hundred oil lamps that were suspended from the temple’s great ceiling.

"The shelters around the temple were separated by narrow streets, and were made of both stone and wood. In one of these houses, covered by the afternoon shadow of the temple, a Sindie shaper of iron that was in Butaan to perform its duty to Aakva through labor gave birth to a child.

"The shaper of iron’s name was Caduah; and Caduah named its child Shizumaat.

"On the beginning of Shizumaat’s third year, Caduah entered its child in the temple to perform before the servants the rites of adulthood. Shizumaat recited the story of creation, the laws, and the story of Uhe; and then Shizumaat recited its family line from its parent, Caduah, to the founder of its line, the Mavedah hunter called Limish…"

Madah, again, thought Nicole. Except this time it is not vemadah; it’s Mavedah. The same name used by the Drac terrorists on Amadeen.

"And when the rites were completed, Caduah applied for Shizumaat to become a servant of Aakva.

"Ebneh was the servant who had heard the child’s recitation, and Ebneh was sufficiently impressed by the performance that it enrolled Shizumaat into the Aakva Kovah.

"The nights Shizumaat would spend in its parent’s house; the days Shizumaat would spend in the temple learning the secrets, signs, laws, wishes, and visions of the Parent of All.

"I, Namndas, had entered the Aakva Kovah the year before Shizumaat, and was placed in charge of Shizumaat’s class. I drew this duty because the servants of the temple considered me the least worthy of my own class. While my companions sat at the feet of the servants and engaged in learned discourse, I would chase dirt-"