The First Day

MY FIRST DAY ON KEYTASH
CONSTANZA JARUFSKY

 

I was awoken to a brilliant shining pouring into the empty room. Wrapping myself in the pelts used as blankets, I moved to the sani.

 

Familiar with ZerShaz customs, I understood the functions of what I saw and the difference in how they deal with wastes and how we do.  Their methods on planet differed only slightly from that used on ersavi . Waste is recycled; used as fuel.

 

I bathed in what I assume treated rain water, using sponges, saturated with a kind of soap which would not cause ecological response. I felt clean and revitalized.

 

I put on a gown that had been left for me. Refreshed, I came down the ramp, for ZerShaz did not use steps, into the front room.

 

My house mates, four other human women, were not present. There was a ZerShaziemnini who sat on a set of cushions reading something, which she put away when she saw me. She greeted by showing me the backs of her hands, then directed me to the table.

 

"I speak Shaz. Lady." I told her. "Where are the others?"

 

"Visiting."

 

I ate and drank, then pointedly stepped to the small fountain to wash my hands and face, as was necessary for good manners. I then entered the day to survey our quarters.

 

I'd used the term pueblos to describe the nature of the habitations of the ZerShaz people. The buildings appeared part of a cliff, hundreds of years old, but were freshly built.  That is one of the remarkable features of the ZerShaz culture. An ancient method of building by hand, despite the myriad mechanical and robotic machines available.  It is not that they do not possess the technology it is that they prefer to do what they can by hand.

 

Viewing these pueblos from the distance, they appear a massive line extending about a kilometer. Viewing them close range, one could note the deviations. For separate ini had built them.

 

I reentered my house, up to the top balcony. To the horizon I could distinguish the outline of a city.  I'd never been on KeyTash, any ZerShaz planet, and did not know where we had landed, so could not determine if what I saw was the capital, a major city, or minor one.

 

It was a city of high buildings exploding from behind the forest. Between those spires and where I stood I could see no other buildings.

 

I noted the dry brown clay of the balcony, the impulse was to label it 'primitive'. Yet, this culture maintained war for approximately two hundred years, against the 'advanced' humans; and defeated them.

 

If proof was needed; the ZerShaz had technology every bit as advanced as ours, but their utilization far less.

 

I viewed women in the fields working, no men. On Xenos, machines did this work, supervised by Tricoyna. Here, women did the work, assisted by machines.  This was the clear difference between what had happened on Xenos and what would never happen on KeyTash.

 

This is the difference between developing a culture in harmony with nature and one which sought to conquer nature. This is the difference between those who saw manual farm work as good and important, with spiritual status and those who saw working in the earth as beneath human dignity.

 

I watched women planting with reverence and gentleness, and I knew what they planted was no doubt the proper crop for that soil and the soil they used was carefully nourished.

 

While I stood gazing, I heard my 'room mates' returning with the ZerShaziemnini. I came down and was greeted by one who wore a version of an oRain's uniform.

 

"Where's Crya and the children?" I ask.

 

"The mother and children are with the father in a dwelling. I did not discern the mother's mate alive, else I would not have denied her the comfort of her mate."

 

"I meant to inform you, the fault is mine." I apologise.

 

To them, marriage was absolutely sacred. The relations between a husband and wife greater than that between a mother and her children.

 

"Yes, it was imperative I be informed." She speaks not only with the feeling she had been led into a grievous error, but with an air of conceit not usually evidenced by ini.

 

"I am Constanza Jarufsky." I offer. "Called Connie."

 

"I am oRaini seFranchay, Sakari Shazi." She announces with a very real pride.

 

"It is the first I have encountered ini warriors." I reply.

 

Before she could speak there was a terrible sound; I thought Ground Quake! Then realized it was the sonic boom of a very fast air craft, flown without proper concern for inhabitants.  It was the first, not the last arrival of heTalya.

 

There was some commotion outside, then three male Warriors entered, in their midst, Sharon heTalya, the Sakari.

 

"Irie, Connie, you alright?"

 

I stared, for that was her effect, then nodded; "Well, Sakari."

 

She neared, seFranchay close upon her. Gesturing we sit, there was some flurry with the cushions, and softly she revealed; "Connie, only about sixteen thousand have been found--."

 

"So few?"

 

"The erssavis picked up a portion, and I went out last night with some of my Shazi searching. It was pitiful. One of the Cruisers blew up or hit something, I'm not sure, and broke in half--other craft had tried to find Earth and ran out of fuel and somehow having screwed around with the engines to gain more speed, ate life support--."   

 

She lit a smoker.

 

"Some fell apart trying to enter Earth as if they hadn't been told about the 'Last Resort'. Others went on their follies in clumps, so if we found one dead life boat in the Mars ellipse we found others same place. Some were just out of fuel so we could take them aboard. I have many young pilots still searching---."

 

At that moment a Warrior entered. He was lithe and very handsome. Remarkably handsome. He strode to The Sakari with presumption and as is their custom, he'd whisper to her ear. Surprisingly, seFranchay spoke;

 

"What is your business umRain? I am First Aide!"

 

In their culture, a person of rank as the Sakari can not be spoken to, save by her First Aide. If seFranchay was correct, if she was First Aide, this male warrior had shown her disrespect and disrespect to the Sakari.

 

He glared, flared his nostrils, turned to the Sakari. seFranchay immediately stood. With intent, he straightened from his crouch.

 

"You have insulted me, umRain. I am oRaini seFranchay."

 

He sneered, clearly evidencing he thought her a fool. Without warning, she punched him in his face. Her blow knocked him across the room, to hit the wall.

 

He was over 2 meters tall, compact muscle. She was a head shorter, probably half his weight. Yet her strength, the strength of Zershaziemnini, is greater than the males.

 

"Kitama!" Shouted heTalya jumping to her feet as the umRain rose.

 

He glared at seFranchay, but did not move. Surely he would kill her. seFranchay stared at him as if expecting to die and not caring. I saw in her eyes a love for that warrior.

 

"What is the purpose of this?" Sharon asks in Shaz.

 

"He insulted my honour, Sakari."

 

"As you observe, she dishonoured me." The Warrior replied.

 

"Before further action taken, you, umRain iKhyarm and you, oRaini seFranchay are to go outside, stand five steps apart and you are to advise him how he insulted you and you, iKhyarm, are to tell her how she insulted you. Do it now. And you Tev and you seMali, be witnesses."

 

When they had gone, she turned to me.

 

"I knew this would happen."

 

"How?" I ask.

 

"iKhyarm fancies himself zychothesha for me, and she fancies herself zychothesha for iKhyarm."
She sat, explained.  "He's been my first Aide from the beginning. And I, trying to honour her as the first woman warrior, told her the other teka that she was my First Aide. I've shown her too much favour, he's no doubt jealous and wishes to maintain his privileged place."

 

"He will have to kill her, Sakari." I advise.

 

"I don't know, must be a way to prevent this." She reasons. "I can't let it happen. Those two are perfect for each other."

 

"What is zy-co--" Sara began, and I was afraid.

 

Sharon was a psychopath, and she may feel the remark an insult, as she wasn't speaking to Sara.

 

"Guess Connie didn't give you her lecture yet." Sharon tossed, which surprised me.

 

She shoved her wild hair out of her face. This hair, nearly a meter long and uncombed gave her a savage appearance, which matched her nature.

 

"Um--" I began, for Sara was staring at me. "The Zershaz people only fall in love once. If it's impossible for them to marry the person they love they suffer a hopeless love until they die of it."

 

"At least they say so."

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 08.11.2021
ISBN: 978-3-7487-9890-3

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