Break

© 2018 by Walter Reimer

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ConfedCiviNet
411924JJI6423
From: 1872900 D’Estcourt, Meredith
To: 2131982 D’Estcourt, Javid, Marie and Thea

Copy simultaneous transmission:
ConfedCiviNet
411924JJI6423
From: 1872900 D’Estcourt, Meredith
To: KSI198275555 G’Raf, Varan

Dear Moms and Dad,

Things . . . aren’t going well. You three already know that Varan and I became lovers before I had to transfer back to the Rani Anitra, but the other students here at the Academy have found out. Being mainly from the coreworlds, they already didn’t like me. Tariano spread the word so fast I thought he had a hypercomsat in his pocket.

It started with silence. No one would talk to me and they would avoid walking near me or sitting near me. Childish, yes, but it did hurt a bit.

I had to use a public terminal to send this to you, because I’ve been hacked five times since I told Tariano and I’m not going to give them any more ammunition. Most of the insults are what you might expect, accusing me of bestiality (their opinion of the shlani) and of being a traitor both to the Confederacy and to all Terrans everywhere.

A few offered to “rape the alien out of me,” whatever that meant. I mean, I’ve had three medical examinations since leaving Imperial space, and nothing was found even on a molecular level. Honestly, though, the death threats were actually easier to put up with.

I did have one ‘fellow student’ try to attack me one night at the amusement center. The opossum was much shorter than me, and I think I broke his tail by stamping on it with both hooves. I haven’t seen him since.

Coming back from class to find my rooms destroyed – well, the constabulary weren’t very sympathetic. From their smirks, I imagine they’d heard too. I went to see my advisor again (I had tried when this all started, and couldn’t get an appointment).

She was blunt. I could either try to keep on until something very bad happened, or make a public admission of my error and submit to whatever discipline was ordered by the students (not the faculty), followed by an entire quarter-year of political indoctrination. The third option was to simply resign my commission and return to This Far.

I’m taking the third option. With my experience in the Navy, I’m sure I can get a job on a merchanter or something. I do have a secured and authorized copy of my service record, so I can’t have that taken away from me.

I’ll be back home in about a week. I look forward to seeing you all again.

Love, Merry


***


TRANSLATION (94% certainty)
Imperial Civil Communications Network
Classification: Y
FROM: Varan g’Raf
TO: Meredith d’Estcourt

Those miserable racist [untranslatable / pejorative] morons. You did a wonderful deed, Meredith, reaching out to another sophont who needed companionship, and this is the [gratitude?] they show? I am so [apologetic] that this happened to you. I can almost [visualize] that you need an [embrace], and I wish I was there to give one to you.

I am astounded at the attitude of the [core-world-inhabitants?] who were with you at the Academy. A race that has achieved warp drive and expanded out into the galaxy should have developed beyond that attitude.

I hope that we may still be friends. There is a game [module] attached to this, but please inform me if you are able to continue the game. I want you to continue to write to me, my love.

Varan


***


ConfedCiviNet
730000AAW1758
From: 2131982 D’Estcourt, Thea, Javid, Marie
To: 1872900 D’Estcourt, Meredith

Dearest Merry,

Come home. They don’t deserve you, and it’s their loss. Javid’s so angry that he went and spoke with the Planetary Administrator about it. I’m not sure what Mr. Ukwehe can do about it, but he did assure your father that he’d at least talk to the local Navy representative.

It’s a good idea to look into joining a merchant company. There’s a new freight hauler starting up here, Transcosm it’s called, and they’re hiring crew for their ship Kiss Me in the Dark. If you like, please transmit your service record and I’ll find out for you if they might be interested.

We all look forward to having you home. Stay safe.

Your loving mother,
Thea


***


The palomino mare had opted for a pale gray jumpsuit with a vest that matched her golden fur color, hoping to be as nondescript as possible as she left the hostelry block just a short distance from the Academy gate. She’d moved into the small single room – with a shared bathroom - as the alternative to staying another minute where she obviously was no longer wanted. It was dingy and there was a suspicious stain in one corner.

But it was all she could afford after paying for passage to This Far.

At least the liner would have slightly better accommodations, at least a decent shower. Meredith shouldered her carryall and took a seat in the maglev that would take her to the spaceport at Solis Lacus. While the car sped silently along, the mare scratched along her jawline and thought.

She’d been doing a lot of that since tendering her resignation.

One of the first things she’d done was take her comppad and other equipment to a licensed hacker. The wolf had found a rather interesting variety of viruses and other inimical programming, and it had cost her a fair bit of money to have the pad cleaned and encrypted to ensure that it couldn’t be hacked easily. Purchasing a few inexpensive civilian outfits followed before she found the hostel.

Solis Lacus was the primary port for Ares; crowded, busy and confusing, with an overall air of exasperated impatience. Her identification and ticket were confirmed and she was scanned before being waved forward to board the shuttle. Meredith paused at the threshold and looked down at her hooves.

Carefully, she shook the red dust of Ares off her hooves before stepping aboard.

Once she was cleared aboard the liner and in her cabin, Meredith reopened her pad and accessed her mail. Her birth mother’s offer to lay some groundwork for her with this new haulage concern was very appealing, and while a merchanter’s life wasn’t as exciting as a Navy career it certainly paid more.

And she could still communicate with Varan, and maybe coordinate a meeting somewhere like Downtime Station. Ships moved back and forth across the border on a regular basis, so it was at least possible.

Touching a certain point on the edge, the pad stiffened into a flat plane, and she began to write. She’d play the game attachment later, and then write back to her lover.