The Book of Ominiue: Starborn (16 page)

Lionmen were rational, but they did have flaws. As a race they were logic and law dominated, but they were known also for their ferocity and merciless nature to those that broke their laws, an action that could become so intense that they might be overcome by irrational behaviour to see the return of order, even if it meant complete destruction to themselves. Once there were two dominant religions in Dífrun that opposed each other: The Lions of the Kéaran and the old religion of Jahaarah. For the lionman species the war was so deadly that the other religious faith was wiped out amongst their kind in early history and they have had a unified faith ever since. The human and Afradian side of the religious wars were a lot more complicated, but the remaining lionmen tribes continued on and proved a loyal and strong force against their ancient enemies; a loyalty that they still held today.

‘What about
equality
?’ Shayne finally asked after a short pause. ‘Is there equal rank between men and women, Fa’Orian and Ta’Orian, and I guess from the Afradians, and between the Varda’s and the common people?’

‘As far as I understand you, there are no issues. Some people are greater than others; these people lead and create; teach and do, and they are rewarded for their hard work. They may receive more than someone who is not considered as important, but none are disadvantaged in anyway. I can tell you that from working in the remote villages, they may not have much compared to a lord, but they are happy and they are well looked after.’

‘What about women?’

‘I am Fa’Orian, I do not understand why it seems to be such a problem for Ta’Orian’s, but that it is, and it seems to be for the Sky Ta’Orians too by the way you speak.’

‘No it isn’t,’ Shayne said thinking of the many females in the colony, including full military battalions who were considered better and more reliable soldiers than men. The Astronauts were considered an equal society, though positions of authority were more likely to be fronted by women than men, ‘but it has taken a long time for us to reach that position, I am just curious because with many Ta’Orian peoples and at your technological level it is generally a problem, it is rare to have them equal.’

‘In countries where Fa’Orian are, female Ta’Orian’s are treated just like Ta’Orian males, though very few choose to be warriors; Ta’Orian men tend to be warriors, their women spend their time trading and in politics. The countries outside of Fa’Orian kingdoms are different from each other, to tell you their roles would require me to talk about many different places and customs.’

‘What about Fa’Orian females?’

‘Them?’ Kíe laughed. ‘I am not sure if you have noticed but the Nida Kushnalor who is accompanying us is female.’

Shayne did not appreciate this obvious statement. ‘I was hoping you would be more
descriptive
, there seem to be a lot of females that are in the military, but from what I hear there are not many who are in any other high ranking roles.’

‘Arh,’ Kíe said. ‘That is just the will of the Kéaran. There are many female rulers and leaders, including Pan’arden. You just managed to hear and see ones that are male; you are fortunate to witness that.’

‘Why?’ Shayne regarded Kíe on his proud horse.

‘Well, because unlike Ta’Orian who have an even amount of men and women, Fa’Orian have one male to three females.’ Shayne had observed this discrepancy after his exposure to their towns and cities. 

‘In all Fa’Orian nations except for Kérith-Árim the rule goes to a royal child elected best to rule, there are many factors one would consider: there is the firstborn choice, war, sickness and the discretion of the parents, they all play a role. In the end the ruling Varda can choose which child to take the throne. Most nations have their own defining rules for ascension. Here in Bohaníde and in Nakáda it usually falls on the firstborn; that title can be given to two children, for Fa’Orian are likely to birth twins whereas Ta’Orians are not.’

‘Is that so?’ Shayne interjected.

‘We have more twins than single children, and sometimes they will take up the throne together. It is not uncommon. Na’káda has two female Varda’s, tribal descendants of the great warrior, Tain. Kérith-Árim is different, they have the “
UeVarda
” the successor is carefully chosen and can be anyone, even a commoner from another nation, the heir apparent to the UeVarda does not often come from the same family; it is a model adopted from the Ta’Orian nation of Isradia, except for in Isradia the new ruler is a holy oríde
[10]
and the title cannot be passed to another family member in a single generation.’

‘Then how is it that the next successor is the young daughter of the current UeVarda?’

‘She is the selected one and the only candidate chosen so far, to choose someone is a great affair and to test them is a greater one still, it does not happen very often. The current candidate cannot be coronated, and she may not be able to take the throne if the UeVarda is to die prematurely. She must first prove herself. The Board of Chancellors have chosen her because she is great of mind and a natural leader, but she still needs to establish herself as a worthy heir. It is very rare to select someone so young; usually the selection is of an adult who is already accomplished. Even the current UeVarda is young by typical standards. It is definitely an interesting time to live in.’ Kíe smiled broadly.

‘What about your armies? Why so many females compared to males?’

‘I thought that to be self-evident,’ Kíe frowned at Shayne.

‘I do not see a three to one
ratio
.’ Shayne scratched the side of his beard with his free hand, there were far more women warriors present than men.

‘A male must have a male heir before he is allowed to fight. It is the law for all lionmen.’

‘So I am guessing you cannot join then?’

‘No,’ Kíe admitted, ‘but Kérith-Árim does not have an army to join, so even if I wanted I could not.’

‘Kérith-Árim does not have an army?’ Shayne said displaying a hint of shock in his otherwise steady voice. ‘How do you defend yourself?’

‘There are defences: we have the loyalty of our neighbours and the watchmen who guard the villages and cities. Instead of an army we have the UeVarda and we are the home of the largest and oldest teaching house. It is considered important, it means that even though our Varda rules over the external affairs of other countries in Dífran, he cannot enforce his decree with his own might, for the UeVarda to be successful he must have cooperation of many countries. It is a measure to keep the ruling nation fair.’

‘And does it work?’

‘For the most part, yes’ Kíe admitted. ‘Sometimes the other nation representatives do not agree, but overall I think it is the best for Dífran. Not all are a part of it, but they are still subject to it, I do not think I can explain it any deeper than that.’

‘Our system is very similar to yours,’ Shayne informed, ‘in that rulers are elected. There are only few differences and they vary from nation to nation.

‘So I am assuming that if Kérith-Árim requires assistance then other nations are
obligated
to help?’

‘We are not completely defenceless. We have what we call
shytarda
. One could define them as an army of guards, and each village and city has their own trained shytarda’s. They are not like the guards of other nations, they are taught like armies, but they are also given roles in guard-ship and maintenance. They are highly trained and skilled in the art of war, but they are not allowed to march beyond the border. Finally, every Fa’Orian and Ta’Orian in Kérith-Árim are required to learn the ways of the sword and the bow. Once a week, on any chosen day, each civilian puts down their tools and picks up a weapon and trains for the entire day, then the following day is a day of rest.

‘If violence is brought upon our nation each town is prepared to defend themselves. In desperate times they can be summoned to fight, each township representing a unit within the armed forces.’

‘And are you trained also in this way?’

‘Yes, but if you were to put me up with one of these warriors here I believe that I would not last too long,’ He gave half a laugh, ‘but I have also spent almost a year in Bohaníde and barely trained with a blade in that time. I am still well skilled with the bow; the Bohanese villagers love their bow craft.’

As they rode on and the discomfort of hours riding began to overcome Shayne again, they saw tree clad mountains slowly rise again in the south as they approached the Wayel-Éaa forest; their horses slowly veering closer as they continued south-east. They had ventured a long way, but the expanse of the forest was so great it would continue on for days, reaching down to mark the northern border of Kérith-Árim, always accompanying them on the journey. The flat plains gave way to winding tracks that followed the contours of least resistance. They traversed around increasingly higher country where ancient volcanos had once erupted, leaving behind gentle rounded hills and rocky lava fields. The occasional grass covered mound towered over the rest and between them herders roamed with their flocks. This time of the year wildflowers covered the hills and as one species was ending its season and another two were just beginning, covering the rock crops in patches of blue and white. Shayne looked long upon the landscape which was strange to him; thinking about the small confines of Astronaut life; he understood why many of them were afraid to be planet-side, even the largest of space stations could not compare. He remembered all too well the awe he experienced when he first stood upon Iraquis.

***

‘Finally! About time we were cleared to board!’ A very excited and impatient palaeontologist cried out while virtually jumping up and down. ‘Come on and hurry up!’ she called out to the doors of the transporters. Shayne and the other Starborns that the
Oxford
carried stood in formation at the loading bay. They were to be the first to land, along with other soldiers suited up in exoskeleton battle gear. The precautions were over the top and everyone knew it, but procedure must be followed regardless of practicality. The leading scientists and some politicians were also in the first human landing party; they insisted upon accompanying the military down. The scientists were often first because they were always eager to begin their work, even with the robots already planet-side creating a proximity catalogue, and the politicians wanted to be the first because even though the mission is basically under military law they still felt compelled to exert their authority, or so the military let them believe.

‘Why’s it taking so long?’ complained one of the bureaucrats. He looked increasingly impatient as he crossed his arms and looked about the large hanger. The soldiers stood at attention; their military training keeping them motionless while the civilians shuffled uncomfortably.

General Thorn Hendingson and the Air Vice-Marshal Danto Williams walked passed. The Brigadier was on the Manhattan with another high ranking officer, there was also another Star-Officer on the Eureka. Every ship had cross specialists in case of disaster. Williams glared at Shayne as he walked by. The Air Vice-Marshal never tried to hide his hatred for Shayne; the fact that he was given partial Earthman rights angered him all the more. He was a well-loved character to those who fitted the correct profile; it all depended on who you were lucky enough to be.

There were many other people in the bay, most of which were made up of members of the military force. They all waited to be loaded onto the five transport ships ready for them, but it would take many trips to transfer everyone. The two star officers and two other high rank soldiers proceeded to do a role check of the first transport; they looked in disdain at the undisciplined nature of the civilians accompanying them. After the check they were ordered according to position onto the transports before they went to the next ship to watch over proceedings. The Starborns were the second last to enter, followed by the
exoskeleton-armoured suit
soldiers.

The transporters were multipurpose vehicles, made to shift anything from people to heavy land and sky craft to their destination. Automatic seating folded out when people were the cargo. Rows of chairs filled the cargo space; facing the front of the ship, the seating looked much like a metallic theatre room minus the movie emersion equipment. The sides of the craft were lined with harness seating, where the battle-gear soldiers sat; hooked up to the walls as their suits were too big for passenger seating. The seating itself was not particularly comfortable, designed to shift hundreds of people over a short distance; each person was strapped into the harnesses so they could not move, even the head was fixed, but the head brace would not activate until the ship was near the atmospheric entry point of the planet.

The
astrodroids
helped hook up the last armoured soldier before they left the transport; the doors slowly closed behind them. Shayne tried to turn his head to see the closing airlock but he could not move it that far. The room filled with the sounds of excited civilians, those that did not talk looked rather ill and pale and in need of the disposable bags provided. The excitement was growing with each passing minute, Shayne did not enjoy the experience, the noise steadily grew louder with the sound of people talking and laughing over each other. His desire for the quietness of his quarters grew with each passing moment as his resentment for his companions evolved into loathing.