The Preacher's Daughter

"I wish I could take full credit, but it's mostly from a computer program I wrote as a teenager. The code found a pivot point that unwinds the helix."

"It did, huh? And what should I do, accept or decline?"

"You should decide Commander."

"Ah, right. No mercy, yes..."

Eliana studied the board intensely. Declining the counter gambit looked even more terrifying than accepting it. She decided to take the plunge, and it wasn't until forty moves later that she resigned. "Time to put myself out of my misery Basel."

"Excellent game Eliana." He offered to shake hands. "You walked into my one strength. I think in most games you'll have me."

Eliana accepted the handshake. "Oh, I don't know about that. You could easily compete with the ranked players. Basel, your counter-gambit, will you tell me now? Should I have declined?"

"No."

"Uh, no what? No, I should not have declined, or no you're not going to tell me?"

"No as in don't decline the counter gambit. That path is a quick suicide."

"Then my position was hopeless even at move 53?"

Basel frowned. "I'm not sure. There's a place five moves later where you can make a very non-obvious move and push the position into something incredibly chaotic." He looked at the board. "Want me to show you?"

Eliana yawned. "Oh, that's very kind of you, and I do want to know. But perhaps..."

"Another time?"

Eliana yawned again and nodded.

"Want to sack out?"

"Well..." Eliana suddenly felt herself blushing. "Almost... Want to listen to some music first?"

"Sure!"

Eliana stood undecided for a moment as Basel fiddled with the sound system, finally remembering her favorite motto, "When in doubt, be bold!" and chose the two-person sofa rather than the separate lounge chairs. Her boldness was rewarded by a beaming smile from Basel as he came and sat by her side. A beautiful and famous melody softly filled the room, mournful yet profoundly relaxing.

"Recognize this?" Basel said playfully.

Eliana chuckled. "Abdul Hadi and Hadassa, one of their last ballets, Evening's Loneliness. It was written a month after Dodi's death."

Basel nodded and closed his eyes. "It's an original recording by Hadassa. I love her flute. She floats above the harp like pure air."

Eliana nodded and closed her eyes too and lost herself in the music. After a while she rested her head against his warm shoulder and sighed happily when he rested his head lightly against hers. She felt him tremble, and she sighed again and murmured, "A perfect ending to a perfect day..."

"Hmm..." Basel sighed in agreement and then brushed her soft hair against his cheek and kissed the top of her head.

"A kiss!" Eliana thought. "He kissed me!" She snuggled her head into his shoulder in appreciation.

"Eli..."

"Yeah?"

"I feel so many emotions, excited and happy and nervous, all at the same time."

Eliana let out a long ragged sigh. "It's the same for me..."

"And I'm feeling so embarrassed... How I worried..."

"Hmm? Worried about what?"

"Well, when we first met, back in Cairo."

Eliana lifted her head and kissed his cheek and then returned her head to his shoulder, her eyes open. "Yes, I remember. You were okay Basel, just a little nervous. I had forgotten... What were you nervous about?"

"Well, you I guess."

"Me?"

"Well, you know..."

"Huh?"

"Well, you know..."

"Basel, know what?"

"Oh Eli, I'm so embarrassed about the fears I had."

"You don't have them now, do you?"

"Oh no."

"Do you trust me?"

"Now? Yes I do. Completely."

Eliana nodded and pressed her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes again. "And I trust you completely. I want to lower all my defenses Basel. Let you see the complete me, the strong and the weak."

"You have no weaknesses Eli. You're wonderful."

"No weaknesses?" she whispered back. "Basel, that's not possible for anyone. But I promise, I will have no defenses with you. I will let you see the complete me, all my hopes and fears. I will show you the shy Priestess who gets knots in her stomach when you ask her for a date. I will show you the flirting militia girl who likes to tease and work out in front of you in sexy leotards. I will to show you The Holy's child and all the warts on her soul. We all have them, and I will keep my defenses lowered and let you see mine. I promise."

The time passed, the soft music filling the room. After a while Eliana realized Basel was crying and she put her arms around him and hugged him. "Basel, trust me. What were you afraid of?"

"Oh, this is so embarrassing... G.R." he whispered.

"G.R.?"

"Yeah..." A huge sigh. "G.R."

Eliana giggled. "No, I didn't mean it like that! I don't know what G.R. means."

"Oh... I was afraid of... our age difference. So many months went by! None of the other Ranger cadets would accept me as a candidate partner. And then I heard a woman Commander had selected me. I was terrified! I don't know how you got passed the age requirement..."

"Huh?! Basel! How old do you think I am?"

"Oh, I don't know. Two hundred?"

"My gosh! Basel, I'm so sorry! This is my fault! I should have told you before. I'm twenty-seven."

"Huh? WHAT?!"

"Twenty-seven, that's me."

"Impossible!"

Eliana giggled, trying to make light of his disbelief. "Oh, this is a fine way to show that you trust me!" She then leaned over and kissed his astonished face to show she was just being playful. "Here! Let me show you!"

A few moments later she ran back from her bedroom with her laptop and pulled up the Class distribution on her age group. "See? See that bump at the end of the chain? That's me!"

Basel stared for a moment and then whispered, "My gosh Eli..."

"This was all my fault. I should have told you, but I don't like to boast and a good time to mention it never came up. Forgive me?"

Basel blinked and was silent for a moment. "Forgive you? There's nothing to forgive. But there's so much I don't understand. Six promotions in a row?! Has that ever happened in recorded history?!"

Eliana laughed. "A few times, yes. But I'm the first person to do it straight from CL2. My grandmother Naysa says I haven't fallen off my lion yet."

"Wow... Wow, wow, wow... Eliana, I'm more puzzled than ever. What's the world's greatest achiever doing signing up to be a lone Ranger?"

Eliana nodded and yawned. "We should have done this days ago. Let's take tomorrow off and tell each other about ourselves."

Basel nodded thoughtfully. The music had ended and he realized this was a very good time to call it a night. They shared a brief chaste kiss and headed to their separate bedrooms. Basel thought he would think about and review the evening in his mind for hours, but he was in a deep peaceful sleep moments after his head hit the pillow.

Chapter 6. First History

The next local day the two Ranger candidates both felt the need to back off and have some quiet time alone. So they spent time with different projects. Eliana spent hours familiarizing herself with the operations of the CAT garage, and Basel worked on clearing all the storage out of the Level-4 observation dome. They had agreed to turn the entire top Level into a combined observation / exercise / recreation area, and move everything else to the extra storage lockers on Level-3.

At 6 AM sharp, Eliana rode the elevator adjacent to the ladder well up to the dome from Level-1. In her hand was a small picnic basket. She found Basel standing at the southern end of the circular room, staring at the horizon. The outside weather was clear and much warmer than when they had arrived. It was currently -31C and the dawn looked seconds away from becoming reality.

Eliana stood by Basel's side for a long moment and admired the pristine countryside. "This is spectacular. And it's all real, not a hologram, right?"

"Oh yes. The Holy's truth, in all its beauty."

Eliana nodded. "How close?"

"The sun's due south right now, less than half a degree below the horizon."

"And how long?"

"Three more days." He pointed with his hand almost touching the transparent wall. "Right there. On January 16th, you'll see the very thin tip of the top of the sun from 6:02 AM to 6:08 AM. Assuming good weather of course..."

"Let the games begin..."

"Yeah..." Basel turned to her, nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "Have a nice morning?"

"Okay I guess. The CAT garage is laid out a bit differently than what's described in the texts. The Guild really should update their documentation."

"Not their strongest point. So, what's for lunch?"

"A cornucopia of vegetables and frozen fruit shakes for dessert." Eliana looked around. "You did a nice job here." She turned to the picnic table Basel had set up nearby and began setting up their meal.

They ate their lunch mostly in silence. Near the end, Basel looked up at Eliana and said, "It's amazing how much you and I are on the same wavelength. You feel it too, don't you?"

Eliana nodded. "It is amazing. I ask you very terse questions, and you know what I'm talking about. And now we're about to agree on something we haven't even verbalized yet. And yes, I do agree, we should slow down. Not change course but slow down. The isolation here could kill us if we rush headlong into something and then realize we feel trapped. Basel, I still mean everything I said last night. Let's just take it slowly."

Basel nodded his head. "So, who goes first?"

Eliana stretched and thought for a moment. "I feel like being a listener now."

"All right. Let's see, my life history, where to begin.... I was born in Baalbek, near the west coast of North America. My parents are double-shifters and just moved there before I was born, so I spent my whole childhood there. I moved to Aleppo in 9555 when I turned 21. I registered for double shifts too, so Aleppo's been my township residence ever since. Been spending a lot of field time at Cairo of course. I haven't been back home in over a year."

"Aleppo and Baalbek huh? So you grew up with the photonics Guild. No wonder you're so good with holograms."

Basel stiffened and looked a little nervous. "What do you mean?"

Eliana paused for a moment and finally said, "Basel, don't worry. I'm just trying to show you one of the warts on my soul. Did you have anything to do with the Aleppo octopus prank of 9566?"

"How..." he whispered, "did you ever know?"

"Your body reaction when I casually mentioned it. I read your guilt." Eliana sighed. "I'm a trained Priestess Basel. That means I hold a doctoral license for reading and counseling people's emotions. I'm not bringing this up to embarrass you, and I have no intention of ever mentioning this to anyone. I just want you to understand the warts on my soul. Most men would find my reading ability to be a very ugly wart for a wife to have."

"Be afraid of it you mean?"

"Not just fear. Resentment and hatred. People don't like having their emotions read and understood so clearly. All my defenses are down Basel. I'm not going to hide anything from you. I can't bear to."

Basel stared at Eliana until he saw her lip quiver. He reached over and held her hand. "I understand what you're saying. My precious Eli. I still see only beauty."

"My love," whispered Eliana in return. "And I've never called anyone that before. I've been an awkward duck in dating my whole life."

"So have I. Maybe that's why this mallard finds your tail feathers so attractive."

She smiled. "Ah, thank you for telling me. Now all I have to do to keep your interest is to remember to bend over and shake my tail feathers for you."

Basel nodded playfully. "That'll do it; five to ten times a day would be nice."

"Basel, may I take you to the mat?"

"Another wonderful example of our rapport," thought Basel. "There are so many slang ways to interpret that request, yet I know exactly what she's asking."

He said out loud, "Eliana, I accept you as my counselor," giving her formal legal permission to practice. Eliana nodded in gratitude and stood up and offered Basel her hand. She led him to a thick Judo mat a few meters away.

"Here," she said, "take your shoes and socks off, like me." Eliana sat on the mat, backbone perfectly vertical, knees splayed out, the two heels of her feet almost touching her pubis. "Now lie on your back, use my feet as a pillow. That's right. Now close your eyes, relax your mind and body."

Basel nodded. Eliana thought his clean soft hair felt wonderful against the bottom of her upturned feet, and she started to pet his head affectionately.

Basel sighed with the pleasure. "Wow. If I had known counseling was like this, I would have sought help years ago."

Eliana laughed. "Right! My review board would probably go ballistic if they saw me practicing medicine like this. I'm allowed to touch my patients, even caress them under some well-defined circumstances. Touch is an extremely important tool for a Priestess. But here I'm expressing that you're being counseled by someone who loves you."

A quiet minute passed. "What are your thoughts Basel?"

"Oh, just drifting. This is the first time in my life I've been petted like this. It feels so good... And I'm thinking of the dichotomy. Your feet! So soft! You have them in a perfect position to support my head and neck. I could lie like this for hours in the pleasure of it. And the dichotomy! I've seen you work out, practice your punches and kicks. These wonderfully soft feet can kill, can't they?"

"Yes. Military aviators receive extensive martial arts training. But don't think of me that way now. Think of me as a Voice. I want you to think of yourself in a box, a box without boundaries, warm and dark and secure. You are floating there, and my Voice is a trusted friend you want to talk to. Take all the time you want."

The silent minutes flowed by. Basel reached the point he was asked to seek, warm and loved and profoundly secure. He was totally unaware that the loving hands at his cheeks and neck and the feet beneath his head were giving Eliana a very intimate window into his physical and emotional states. "I'm here," he said quietly, "floating in the peaceful darkness."

"And I'm here with you," The Voice replied. "Last night, I looked up G.R. on the web. A slang expression, local to the men at Aleppo."

Basel nodded in the darkness, able to be explicit with The Voice in a way that he was too embarrassed to be with Eliana. "Yes, Grandmother Rape. The Aleppo rape trial of 9563, Sameh was my roommate."

"Oh Basel," The Voice cried and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"It was a clear case of rape," Basel said in the darkness. "The Upper Commanders raped Sameh. The women were both over two-hundred years old, and Sameh was even younger than I was."

"Yes, I remember the trial," agreed The Voice. "Yes, a clear case of rape."

Basel grimaced. "The Commanders even holographed their attack for their amusement. The recordings were played at the trial."

"Yes," agreed The Voice. "I know. And for a while the Commanders were convicted."

"I saw the recordings, watched my friend being raped! And then the world voted..." Basel sobbed.

"Their awful, horrible, ugly, female vote," whispered The Voice.

"Yes," agreed Basel. "A carve-out was petitioned for the law. Women could not be convicted of raping a man if he maintains an erection and orgasms! Sameh was calling out the word NO! And now it didn't matter!"

"I remember. I am a female Voice, and I am so deeply ashamed of what my gender did. I was furious when I heard of the vote, furious and ashamed and disgusted."

"The damn law! The Commander on top was riding him! Of course he was maintaining an erection! And he was calling out NO!"

"I remember, and I'm so ashamed."

"Any man would," sobbed Basel, "being stimulated like that! And the other woman! She had her finger up his butt! Of course he orgasmed! She was pumping him! And he was calling out NO!"

"I remember," cried The Voice, "and my heart is breaking in the shame of it."

"The women claimed they were just playing, and that Sameh didn't fight them," sobbed Basel. "But Sameh had a very gentle soul. It wasn't his nature to fight. And then the world voted."

"A great weakness in our government," cried The Voice in reply. "The petition for the carve-out reached its 40% goal almost entirely from high Citizen-Level women. They represent an incredible concentration of voting power."

"Sameh was raped!"

"Of course he was!" cried The Voice. "The vote was an abomination! Basel?"

"Yes?"

A deep sigh from The Voice. "Sameh's suicide served a purpose. It shamed a female world that was Unholy. The females were in great need of shame. And when a law is purged, the State can put it back six years later. I've talked about this with a Stateswoman who loves me. She expects the vote to be unanimous to put back the law this year. And the world has recognized its former ugliness. The law will be put back, and the law will stand."

Basel nodded in the darkness. "It's taken a long time."

"A very long time," agreed The Voice. "And you struck out against the ugly world, didn't you?"

Basel paused. "Well, it started out that way, right after the suicide..."

"Was it only you?"

"Yeah, only me."

"Impressive," said The Voice. "Everyone thought the Aleppo vandals were a team, and they looked for a team, not a single angry man."

Basel sighed. "It was just me, an unhappy man with a lot of expertise and a lot of technical ideas and a lot of free time on my hands. And the plan took months to design and execute. But the anger disappeared soon after his death. Sameh had such a gentle soul. I felt I was dishonoring his memory by holding onto my anger, so I pushed it away..."

"And yet," asked The Voice, "the octopus still came to be?"

"I did it as a memorial!" cried Basel. "Sameh loved monster hologram movies. I did it in his memory, for all the good times we had together enjoying monster movies!"

"Oh Basel," cried The Voice, "I understand! How sweet of you!"

"The people injured in the evacuation," cried Basel. "I never meant to hurt anybody!"

"No, of course not! It's okay Basel! What you did was very sweet... Do you think Sameh would have approved?"

"Sameh? Oh yeah. That monster had class! Sameh would have been pleased..." Basel imagined yawning in his box without boundaries. "I still miss him. He was my best friend, and now he's gone. I can't talk to him any more, and I'm tired, and I'm feeling so sleepy."

"Then you should rest. If you want to talk again, remember that I'm here, and I'm a Voice who loves you."

Basel yawned. "I won't forget... ever... Promise..."

"Basel, let me guide you. Remain in your nice box, keep your eyes closed. You'll have to move your feet, just a bit. I will guide you to a nice place to take a nap. That's right, very gently. You feel like you're standing up now, but you're still inside your box. Imagine moving your feet now... That's right... Good..."

For a while there was peaceful nothing, floating in a security he had not known since childhood. And then Basel was dimly aware he was waking up from a nap. A moment later he opened his eyes.

He was in his bedroom on Level-1. Like Eliana's, his bed was large, designed to let the two cadets sleep separately or together as they chose. The bed was being used in its second mode now, their bodies not touching except for a feminine hand chastely resting on top of his. Basel turned slowly and stared in wonder.

Chapter 7. Second History

Time: January 15, 9570 6:03 AM

Their meeting was the reverse of two days ago. Basel rode the elevator up to the observation dome carrying a picnic lunch and saw Eliana standing by the southern wall.

"Weather report is clear for tomorrow," he called out. "One more day till sunshine!"

"Basel! You're just in time! Come take a look at this!"

The pale blue sky and the landscape at the southern horizon suddenly appeared to be deeply tinged in green. It looked as if someone were shining a bright beacon of green light right at them from the distant horizon, a tiny oval of diamond bright green light floating just above the interface line between the distant greenish snowy land and the greenish sky.