Her Brother's Keeper: A Story of Alpha Centauri

Christiana kept looking at the chronometer on her com’. Every time she did, only a couple of minutes had passed.

When she got to the teachers’ room and found out that Mrs. Parker had yet to arrive, she hadn’t known what to do. She had never met with her science teacher before school, so she had no idea when the instructor usually showed up. That was why she had gone to the office as soon as the van dropped her and Haruhi-nee off.

The dark-haired girl had wanted to tag along with her, but she had told Haruhi-nee to play with the other kids in the gym. There was no reason for the older child to be bored out of her mind while waiting for Christiana’s meeting to end. ‘I’m really glad she didn’t come now,’ she reflected as she looked at her com’ yet again.

Since she did not know what to do until Mrs. Parker came in, she had waited for her there at the teacher’s desk. However, she had only been idling there for about five minutes when the vice principal approached and asked the child why she was there. Upon learning the reason, the administrator had guided her to a small meeting room and had Christiana sit and wait there.

‘At least I have a chair now,’ she realized as she glanced at her com’ once again. ‘I need to look on the bright side of things.’

Normally, waiting for such a short amount of time would not have bothered the girl. However, the thought that she could be playing with her Sister and their friends instead of sitting in a little room kept nagging at her. Of course, Christiana’s body hurt so much from practice that she couldn’t join in even if she had the chance. It was the principal of the matter that was bugging her so badly.

‘I really don’t want to talk to her,’ she yhought. ‘In fact, I’d prefer to forget all about the problems she’s caused with my training. It also upsets me that one of my patMothers is probably behind it all.’

Like most upper-class families, her House’s Marriage had a smaller female to male proportion than was common. Since males only made up thirteen percent of the population, the mathematical mean suggested that there should be roughly nine Wives per Husband.

However, things rarely worked out that way. Members of the upper-class typically possessed a lesser ratio, while the lower-class had a higher proportion than average would dictate. Christiana had heard whispers of fourteen women to each man in the working-class. She also knew that Senators and Presidents were usually part of four females to one male Marriages.

The Washington’s House consisted of six Wives and their Husband. Two of those spouses, patMother Sydney and SecMother Karen, were both young and thus had tiny matFams of their own. In fact, patMother Sydney currently had no children while secMother Karen only had a single child. Her Mother, being senior Wife, had already produced her required number of offspring while the others all had mid-sized matFams.

These patMothers were named Patricia, Karla, and Morgana. PatMother Patricia was the eldest of the trio and had four girls and a son. Meanwhile, patMother Karla had birthed quadruple daughters and patMother Morgana had three.

‘One of them has to be behind all of this,’ Christiana thought while clenching her fists. ‘Knowing this makes me very upset because I get along with all of them really well.’

With her broad knowledge of history, she knew that the family positions of patMother and patSister were roughly equivalent to Old Earth’s “aunts” and “cousins.” She and her siblings visited their patSisters and their patMothers regularly. The other members of the House would also come to visit at their dwelling as well. Then, while the children played together, their Mothers would usually retreat to their chambers to do whatever adults do when in private.

While Christiana had less contact with her patMothers than her patSisters, she enjoyed the encounters she had with them. For instance, patMother Karla liked to bake and decorate cakes for the children all by herself. Then she would eat the cake with the kids. She always had a big grin on her face as she watched the youngsters enjoy her creations.

Meanwhile, patMother Morgana grew up in a House that really valued physical fitness. Unfortunately, two of her three offspring were too young to run around outside with masks on. Because all the members of Christiana’s matFam were older than her own, their patMother used it to her advantage. She would engage in games like ball and tag with her patDaughters whenever they visited. The youngster loved the fact that her patMother would take the time to play with her since her own Okaa-sama would not.

PatMother Patricia was very different. While she was more standoffish than the other two, she had a very special memory of her. A few colonial Years ago she and her womb-mate were playing with patMother Patricia’s daughters Rei-mouto, Hina-mouto, and Mina-mouto. Meanwhile, their brown-haired patMother was sitting on the other side of the large parlor and talking with Christiana’s older siblings and her daughter, Sakura-oneechan. Hina-imouto, who was always a prankster, suddenly snatched Haruhi-nee’s doll away from her and ran off with it. The black-haired youngster had hopped up and chased after her, only to trip over her own feet.

Unfortunately, she slammed her knee into the edge of a nearby table and scraped it badly. Surprised by her sudden injury, she let out a loud yelp before falling face-first onto the carpeted floor.

Even before the other girls could react, the brown-haired woman had sprinted over to check on the injured youngster. With a worried countenance much paler than Haruhi-nee’s own, she talked gently to the child while checking her over quickly. As soon as she noticed the bleeding scrape, she ordered a maid to get their medkit. Then she yelled to the security members waiting just outside the chamber to notify their Mother about the girl’s injury.

All the while, the matriarch of the home never left Haruhi-nee’s side. Instead, she talked quietly and calmly to the girl. She asked the injured youngster about how badly her knee hurt and if she could move it without pain. Upon hearing that the child could flex her joint with little trouble, a look of relief washed over the patMother’s face. Then, after the servant finally brought the first aid kit, she disinfected and bandaged the black-haired child’s wounds herself.

Christiana would never forget how tenderly the typically distant woman had taken care of her womb-mate on that day. It was this event that taught her that adults sometimes mask their genuine feelings. After all, the normally standoffish patMother had looked very, very anxious when Haruhi-nee injured herself.

‘She must really cherish her patDaughters,’ she thought.

Just then the door opened, and Mrs. Parker entered the room. “Good morning, Christiana,” the instructor began as she closed the portal behind herself and then took the chair facing her student. “I hope you haven’t been waiting very long.”

“Only about half an hour,” the youngster responded in a very factual tone of voice. The girl did not want to show Mrs. Parker her irritation. Before Mrs. Parker had started holding her late, she had been one of Christiana’s favorite teachers, after all.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the sensei replied sincerely. “I didn’t know that you got here so early.”

“It’s okay,” she answered. “Haruhi-nee and I get dropped off first since the elementary school is closest to our home. Then they drop Amelia-neechan at the middle school and the rest go to the private high school on the south side of town. “

“So they pick you two of you up last in the afternoons?” the older woman inquired.

“Nope, we usually ride one of the school’s chartered vans,” Christiana replied. “Unfortunately, they don’t run in the evenings after my practice is over. That’s when I normally take the bus.”

A look of surprise immediately appeared on the instructor’s face. “Doesn’t your House have employees who could pick you up? ”

“Yes, but it is a family tradition to live as simply as possible,” she said in response. “So we try to act like normal people whenever we can.”

“If that’s the case, then why does your matFam have such a large security contingent?” the dark-haired teacher asked.

While this was a rhetorical question, the naïve child answered with a shrug. “I don’t know. None of my patMothers have defenses the way we do. Of course, most banks do not have the level of protection that our home does..”

Mrs. Parker furrowed her brow in surprise upon hearing this bit of information. Then she pressed forward by saying, “Let’s move on then. Do you have any idea why I wanted to talk to you?”

“It probably has to do with why you kept me late after class so many times,” the student said.

“Yes, it does,” the older woman explained. Then, much to the youngster’s amazement, the teacher rose to her feet and bowed deeply. “I am very sorry, Ms. Washington. I did not understand that keeping you after my lectures would cause trouble for your family. I implore you, could you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“What the heck?” the girl wondered. “Why is everyone suddenly treating me with this much respect?”

“Please, sit back down,” Christiana pleaded. “I accept your apology. Besides, it didn’t bother me at all. It was my Mother who was upset.”

After hearing this, the instructor returned to her chair, a look of relief apparent on her chocolate features.

“Even so, I owe you an explanation,” the sensei began. “First, I need to tell you a little bit about my Mother’s matFam so that you can understand the motivation for my actions. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” the youngster replied.

“I am the oldest child in that family. That is why my youngest Sister has barely reached the age where she should marry. Julie-mouto just turned twenty-five Colonial Years old last month.”

“Why didn’t she arrange to enter a Marriage when she was still in school?” the girl inquired in all innocence.

When Mrs. Parker heard this question, the frown returned to her face. “Actually, she did. In fact, despite our humble backgrounds, my imouto has a contract to join a middle-class union, and that is a tale in and of itself.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” she replied, confused by the teacher’s statement.

“To make a long story short, Julie-mouto has a lot of positive and negative characteristics which impact her marriageability. On the favorable side, she did well academically, and she finished a three Year degree from a community college with honors.” Then, after a brief pause, the teacher continued, “Furthermore, she had a daughter while in High School.”

“She had an Opportune?” Christiana said in awe.

“Yes she did,” the sensei acknowledged with pride. “The gene trace showed that the father was also a student at the same academy.”

“No way!” Christiana responded.

Opportunes were extremely rare. They only occurred when a woman was able to gain access to a mature male for an extended period. Christiana had heard that the two had to be alone for at least ten minutes for this to happen. However, she didn’t know the exact process needed to make a child.

Only the smartest and most resourceful young women could slip by the guard that always accompanied a boy at school. As a result, society valued ladies who gave birth to Opportunes. These girls were extremely rare and highly desirable. Most individuals would jump at the chance of Marrying such a person.

“So why is your sister having Marriage issues,” the bewildered girl inquired. “Aren’t people lining up with proposals?”

“Normally, they would,” the teacher answered. “As I said, she has several negative qualities.”

“What qualities are those?” she asked, genuinely confused.

Mrs. Parker sighed before responding. “Julie-imouto is the third in her Geneline. Her first Forerunner did extremely well during her lifetime. She excelled financially and academically. Also, she served on her local town council. Heck, the woman even ran for her Prefect’s House of Representatives, although she lost to her opponent.”

“Julie-mouto’s second Forerunner was the exact opposite. Despite having a similar upbringing and education as her Initial, this woman was lazy. Her school grades were below average. She made just enough creds to feed and shelter herself and her children with the help of government assistance. The woman never lifted a finger for anyone else, much less do any public service,” the teacher explained.

“Wow, that’s a rough Geneline to be part of,” she stated, with feeling. “It’s amazing that your Sister was born at all.”

“The Geneline would have ended after the second try if the first member hadn’t been so outstanding.” Mrs. Parker then continued, “That’s where the problem lies.”

“What do you mean?” Christiana asked. “How does your Sister’s Geneline have anything to do with her getting married?”

“While her initial Forerunner lived an impressive life, the next one was such a screw-up that she almost became a Terminus. Because of this, people are leery about Marrying her. Having a Terminus in the family would tarnish that House’s reputation for generations,” the teacher explained.

“Despite this, Julie-imouto’s colleague on the student council invited her to be part of a Marriage that she was founding. The two were friends and worked closely together, so the young lady wasn’t worried about my Sister’s Geneline. However, this changed after they asked another girl to join the nuptials,” the teacher-related. “Since there have to be a minimum number of women to start a new contract, they needed a third member.”

“Yeah, there’s no way to have a ceremony without at least three Brides,” Christiana replied with a giggle. “How would that work? Would a two-person union even be legal?”

“No, it would not,” the sensei answered. “That’s why Julie-imotou and her friend couldn’t just pay a Dowry to a man’s Mother and have the rite performed. If they could do that, she would have gotten Married right after her college graduation.”

“So how did the third girl create problems?” Christiana said, urging the teacher to continue.

“The young woman examined every aspect of my Sister’s life, looking for flaws. Luckily, she couldn’t find anything to cause issues with the Marriage contract. However, she got the others to agree to a two Colonial Year engagement before the ceremony. They also agreed that if something happened to my sibling’s personal honor that she would pay the other girls for ‘damage to their reputations.’ The amount specified was ten percent of Julie-imouto’s total Dowry. Needless to say, this was a hefty sum. After they wrote this into the agreement, they set the Wedding date for the Spring of this Year,” Mrs. Parker revealed.

“So what happened?” she inquired.

“Three months ago the company that my Sister was working for shut down. Since it was a sudden closure, she didn’t have another job lined up. Besides, she had already sunk all the creds that she had saved into her Marriage Dowry fund. So, to keep her and her daughter fed and sheltered, she had to apply for unemployment and temporary community benefits. This caused the third bride to be to go into a rage,” the lecturer explained.

“Why was she so mad?” she naively asked. “Public funds are there to help Mothers in need.”

The teacher sighed when she heard the girl say this. “There is a certain stigma attached to being on unemployment and using government assistance. The young woman said that by receiving aid Julie-mouto had tarnished her reputation and the honor of everyone involved in the Marriage. She also demanded that my Sister hand over the additional ten percent immediately.”

“So she was trying to get her to pay creds that she didn’t have?” Christiana responded. “If she had enough funds to settle the fee, then she wouldn’t have needed help with food and shelter. That doesn’t make sense.”

“Unfortunately, it makes perfect sense,” Mrs. Parker retorted. “The third girl wanted to be with my Sister’s friend and not my Sister. If she could force my imouto to break the contract, then she would be expelled from the Marriage. Meanwhile, the two other girls would be bound by the agreement and would be forced to Marry.”

“That’s mean!” the student exclaimed.

“Yes, it was very mean,” Mrs. Parker agreed. “Luckily, they negotiated a three-month payment delay after talking to a lawyer. However, that required Julie-mouto to raise a large sum in a brief time and while unemployed.”

“Oh… so that is why you suddenly needed funds,” Christiana realized. “You were trying to help your Sister.”

“Yes. A woman I did not know came to me and offered to pay me a lot of creds. All I had to do was to keep you after class four or five times a month. She also wanted to give me cash, with half upfront and the remainder after three months. It seemed like an incredible stroke of luck. Without thinking it through, I jumped on it. I immediately took the offer,” Mrs. Parker confessed.

“The next day, the woman approached me again and gave me a handbag. When I opened it at home, it contained more cred’ chits than I have ever seen in my life. I then went straight to my Sister’s apartment and handed the bag to her. When she unlatched it and saw what was inside the purse she started jumping around like a kid. Then she hugged me, crying in happiness. I think that was the happiest she has been in Years,” the teacher revealed with a wistful smile.

“While it wasn’t enough to cover the entire amount, it was adequate to put her over the top. Between what she and the rest of the family could scrape together, it was just sufficient to make the payment. Now the wedding is back on.” the sensei declared, tears clearly visible in her eyes.

“I’m glad that you could help your Sister,” Christiana revealed with all seriousness. “I think I would do the same for Haruhi-nee if I were in your position.”

“Thank you, child. You really are a good girl,” Mrs. Parker said with a smile. “I am sorry. I did not know that you were in training, so I didn’t realize the impact of my actions. I was just thinking of my Sister and not my student.” After mentioning this, the instructor bowed her head to her protegee.

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad. I am glad that you did not do it with ill intentions,” Christiana revealed with a grin. “You’re a great teacher and I like your class.”

“Thank you for saying that after all that I have told you,” the sensei replied with a cheerful smile. “Although I do ask that you do not get angry at me when I give you homework.”

Christiana simply laughed as she left the room with Mrs. Parker.

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