FALAHA'S JOURNEY: A Spacegirl's Account in Three Movements

Episode #34: Baro's Bane (Interlude)

"Uncle, what a dump," she says, holding my hand.

Not that I don't know that. Of course I know that. And now she looks at me with those dark eyes full of suspicion. I try to smile at her with my best kid-friendly smile possible. What's this? Disgust? I think she hates me.

We then enter my tiny and not-cleaned-too-often, single-male's apartment without saying a word. The silence is getting too heavy, so I'm trying to be nice.

"You can have the bed then." I present my sole piece of furniture to her and put her bag there. "I'll sleep on a mat on the floor."

"Can't we get a bigger place with separate rooms?" My niece looks at me with despair. I guess her mom never told her about the true state of affairs in kennar Kljvk.

To put things bluntly, we are poor.

Not like we are denied any basic need—we can go anywhere and free apartments, food, medical care and jobs for other benefits are available everywhere—but we are nobodies. We don't own anything; we are too small to produce things of value for bigger kennar to enter into equal exchange and gain power. All we can do is work for them. Bow down and serve them, as Tarry puts it. No, we aren't exploited. Their work opportunities are quite fair and flexible. But weak, somaless kennar such as ours only exist in the shadows of bigger ones. There are always ways out of this blank state, like the one my sister used when she entered another kennar where she could live a luxurious life. Maybe she was right and I should have done the same, applying for introduction to a nice regna in some powerful kennar.

But I didn't. Like our parents hadn't. And their parents. Am I too arrogant to keep my ancient name of the Klia system's true owners?

Now my sister and her spouse are both dead, along with their kennar, leaving behind their ten-year-old daughter, Leru, for me to look after, since she hasn't any other place to go.

Welcome to the bottom, kid.

"I'll see what I can do about it first thing in the morning," I tell her. "I'll ask my Command for options."

But we wouldn't be staying on Medas for long, kid. Bad time.

Well, she only has to tolerate me as a caring family member for five years, before making a choice to enter someone else's kennar. As for me, there is only one nation's kennar in this world that I would overcome my pride to join. But if any of them would accept me, I would consider myself extremely lucky.

"I'm hungry, Uncle," she says.

"I don't have anything here except for dry snacks," I tell her, scratching my chin. "Let's go out. It's late now, but I know a good place." She nods. But she isn't happy about eating somewhere else and not at home.

The place we are going to is our Base's canteen. Nothing fancy, just plain and simple dishes at any time of night or day. But the food is good. Really good, only not home-cooked good. It isn't made by people.

We enter a large hangar-type building. The dining hall is truly enormous. It can fit over fifty thousand people, and there are a lot of them here at any time. Leru looks around surprised, excited and frightened. She hasn't been to such a place before. I pat her on her white head and show her to a table. She looks at me and smiles faintly.

We sit down and study the menu. I make my usual order. She makes hers. Then she stares at my plate and asks, "You like spicy food, Uncle?"

"I do."

I can't possibly tell her the reason I adopted this habit. It's true; I hated spicy dishes at first. I couldn't swallow any at all.

Aiming too high, I'm probably an idiot.