Ellie brushed a tear back thinking of her mother and decided not to wear any makeup. When she righted herself, she closed the mirror and went downstairs to the Left Terrace to meet Valentin for breakfast.
After they had eaten, Valentin’s guards met them outside One and they took a transport to what Valentin called the ‘Memorial Hall’ in Lina. When they arrived a lot of people were already there. Ellie was surprised that even though most of the people looked Alliance, there were a few humans and some other species of humanoids that she didn’t know the names of, among all the grey faces.
Valentin told Elloisa to stay with him and his guards would guide her to her place inside.
She trailed right behind him as he greeted other people by locking forearms strongly and saying, “Together we are strong.” Ellie assumed this must be the Reima Two way of conveying condolences.
The Memorial Hall was made of different shades of grey stones that created a pleasing pattern. A design than was repeated throughout the skylights in the ceiling, mirroring the same sequence on the floor. Ellie couldn’t help but be impressed with the simplistic attractiveness of the large room. Unlike Imperial temples, that were dark and lit only by candlelight, this room was light, open and free. Also, unlike Imperial temples where the dark walls would have been lined with statues of the gods and goddesses of the Empire, there was only one large statue in the front of the massive stone room. The statue was of a man standing strongly but in reverence, wearing a long cape, his head cast slightly downwards so it was hidden and holding a sword by its hilt into the ground. Ellie was struck by the beauty of the sculpture, although it was easy to make out exactly what the statue was, parts of his body were purposely missing, so it created a sculptural outline. Ellie didn’t know what the symbolic meaning of that was, maybe that everyone is mortal but that being part of the Reima Two community would mean their lives were not lived in vain. She pondered this while everyone took their seats around her. Valentin’s guards were on either side of her and she was in the front row while Valentin and his first officer Lon were standing in front of the massive bare feet of the statue. What was also unique about the statue was that not only could you not see the man’s face, meaning that it represented any man, but that it was a man, not a woman. In the Empire this would have been a woman, if they were to choose to have just one statue. Ellie also contemplated this while she waited for the memorial to begin, were women equal on Reima Two?
The hall quieted down as Valentin stood patiently at the front, Lon at his side. Once it was completely silent Valentin said confidently, “We walk together.”
Ellie almost jumped when everyone around her said in unison, “Or not at all.”
Valentin then began talking about the how important Reima Two was to balance the galaxy between the Empire and other important civilizations. He talked about Reima Two citizens oath to always hold up humanoid morality in accordance with the GC rights of all sentient beings. These were things Ellie had never heard talked about before but judging by the nods and mutterings of agreement around her, she guessed this was nothing new to these people. She felt ignorant then of the galaxy that she lived in and understood now why Valentin had called her uninformed. Both on Earth and in the Empire she had been given the human or Alliance version of propaganda about what the galaxy was, no one else’s voices could be heard in either place, but here there was room for more voices and the voice of the GC which she had never really considered before.
Valentin then began talking about the individuals that were lost. The people who had worked with him the longest, their valor and the people that they were leaving behind. Ellie was surprised to find out that the Captain of the ship that was lost, his entire family also worked in the Nage Hord. And she was also surprised that no one was crying. She assumed that Reima Two people, just like Imperial people, were stoic.
By the end, Ellie thought, judging from the mood around her, that Valentin had done a good job in remembering and honoring people he had lost over the last two hours. She wondered how many times he had done this before as it ended with another set phrase she had never heard before. Valentin said, ‘We are not Outside,’ and the set reply was, ‘We are inside with each other.’
The rest of the day, Ellie spent at an arm’s length from Valentin while he talked with people. Throughout the day thought, he would randomly take her arm and whisper in her ear something like, “Thank you for understanding that I must do this today,” or “It means a great deal to me and everyone around us that you give us this time, especially since you must also attend because of our bracelets.”
Ellie would always respond with a nod or a smile and tell him that it was the right thing to do. She could see in his face expression and body language that this pleased him. She did know enough about Imperial culture to know that no Imperial woman would put her own needs or wishes below a man’s and so she did question herself throughout the day if she was doing the right thing or if this made her look weak. In the end, she decided she did the correct thing for her and that was all that mattered. She told herself, I’m not an experienced enough woman to know what the exact right response should be. My future self must forgive me if I’ve muddled this today as I knew no better. She was clever enough to understand that her actions today would be what formed the citizens of Reima Two’s first real impression of her.
By supper, Valentin was relieved to be finished and have a quiet meal alone with Elloisa. Afterwards, they talked on the Left Terrace about the day and their own fears about life and death.
8
Life again
Admiral Jei nodded to his numerous guards as he entered the Capital City Hospital. They all knew the plan. He was going in and they would secure the building until he had completed his business there. This wasn’t unusual for anywhere the Admiral went. He was always protected by his guards and so this didn’t raise too much suspicion at the Capital City Hospital. People could excuse this visit as well as it was publicly known that he struggled with his ward, so no one thought it odd that he would seek out professional help from Doctor James, a very competent human doctor. However, those who didn’t want to give Admiral Jei excuses thought, He is trying to reanimate Jane Johnson.
Jei looked at Doctor Rea, “Do you think it will work this time?”
“I’ve looked over Doctor James’s work and to be honest I don’t know why she thinks your being here will make a difference this time. But I must also admit, that this now, might be beyond science. Jane was made a goddess after all,” Rea replied. He could feel the anxiety coming off Jei and for good reason, but he didn’t want to interfere.
Once they reached the top floor and Doctor James private rooms they entered. Doctor James’s own guards were there too. They nodded to Jei and Rea as they passed.
As they entered, Jei was surprised to see Mir there, “What are you doing here?”
“May the gods be blessed Admiral. I owe Doctor James a favor. I’m here to bring the goddess of humanity back to the mortal world,” Mir answered.
“May we walk in their light,” Rea replied when he saw that Jei had nothing to say. “You sound as if you intend on dragging her back against her will.”