“You obviously haven’t heard,” Jane said.
“What?” Mara asked but not wanting to hear what came next because she knew by Jane’s tone, she was not taking House Human back.
“The High Priestess has forbid me from taking any roles in a House or High Council. I cannot reclaim my position as Head of House Human,” Jane saw Mara’s face crumple and felt sympathy for her. She remembered all the times that Mara had prayed to her as the goddess and all the times Mara had cussed her out as the goddess, the latter making her almost smile. She didn’t blame Mara she would have felt the same. Being Head of House Human was an impossible task to balance both the needs of the Alliance and humans at once.
“No, Jane you are back, and you are Head of House Human,” Mara stated as if she could change the High Priestess’s decision just by saying what she wanted emotionally.
Jane shook her head, “I’m sorry Mara. You’ll have to continue as Head of House Human. But I think you are doing an excellent job, especially considering what I left you with. And before we go any further, I must apologize, I’m so sorry about the children…” Jane trailed off.
Mara wiped some tears, “The children were a surprise but in many ways a bonus. That is how we managed to get some leverage in the Empire and acquire this compound among other things. I’m not upset about that. I think for most of us it was exactly what we needed to push us into finding our true and rightful places here. I’m angry that I must continue to shoulder this burden I don’t want. I can’t do this. I’m no good at this. Every day I receive some kind of news from the High Council. So much political scandal, backstabbing and deceit and all alien. We are in House Zu’s pocket and I don’t see a way out. We cannot remain there. We must be independent.”
“I understand your disappointment, “said Jane remembering how she felt about being Head of House Human. “But you are doing a better job than I did, and these women need you. They trust you. They wouldn’t trust me after what I did. You were the one that turned that around to get something from it. Use House Zu, they are not a threat as long as Kara rules that House.”
Mara waved her hand away and then just blurted out what she had been keeping secret, “I read all the files you marked in the High Council Library. You know the Empire used to keep us as pets on ships and send back the children who could pass for Imperial as their own?”
Jane went completely still and nodded.
Mara continued, “They were doing it to manage the gene pool.”
“But why would they need to do that? Their population is enormous.”
“I know,” said Mara, fear in her eyes now. “I did some more investigating. I asked some friends on Earth who knew something about genetics, without asking too many questions you know, everything is monitored. And one of my new acquaintances said the only time they’d seen anything like it was when there had been a massacre of one sex on Earth.”
Jane let that sink in, but then shook her head, “No, what is affecting Alliance women wasn’t a massacre. There’s no record of it. And like you said they’ve had this problem off and on for centuries.”
“There’s no record of it but I think we both know enough about the Empire to know that they don’t write down everything especially things that make them look bad. They really have a culture of, ‘You know what, no one will want to remember this, so no one write it down.’ Now I’m asking you, goddess of humanity, wife to the Admiral of the Fleet and best friends with Captain Kara who is married to Admiral Tir, what is going on? What should I be preparing for? Something is going on and whatever it is it’s going to happen fast and take a lot of women’s lives,” Mara looked at her very seriously.
Jane thought for a minute, she even closed her eyes trying to concentrate on her time in the Afterlife. She recognized some of what Mara was talking about and she knew she knew this answer, but she couldn’t remember exactly, “You are correct. This is a continuing loop of terror that the Empire is trapped in. I can’t remember everything,” Jane closed her eyes again. “I do remember that this is how new elements get added to the Contract, the compromises making men and women equal. And I know that Mir the god of peace has a lot to do with maintaining those compromises.”
Mara got out her IC and brought up a picture of an ancient circular stone table of sorts with a hole in the middle and one line through the center, “Do you recognize this?”
Jane looked at the ancient stone table, “No.”
Mara brought up more pictures of the same thing, “Any of these?”
“No,” Jane said honestly, her blue eyes meeting Mara’s blue eyes.
“They are, in what looks like, abandoned temples all over the Empire. Like a god or goddess, they suddenly stopped worshipping but didn’t bother to make the buildings into something else or demolition them.”
Jane looked at the pictures, “I agree with you something is afoot, but I also know,” she touched her hand to her chest in the human way, “this won’t affect any of the humans in the Empire. We are clear of this. I feel it.”
“I expect you to help me if you can no longer be Head, you owe it to me for leaving me in the mess you did and you owe it to me as the goddess of humanity. What do you want House Human to do in return? Build a separate temple here for you? We have the space. We could grow some peach trees as well, maybe.”
Jane laughed at the idea of peach trees, “Yes, build a small temple to worship just me on the compound and give some of the peaches from Jade’s greenhouse to all who worship there on the sacred seventh day. House Rega will fund it. Now would you show me around? I’ve heard that Jade keeps a goat and chickens here.”
“Oh goats, plural. We will have a regular farm near her house soon and I’m not kidding, but it’s good. The children like the goats and it reminds us all of Earth, for better or worse.”
“Mara don’t ever doubt yourself. You’ve done much better than I could have ever done. When the history is written about House Human you will be the one who is remembered as bringing human women equality in the Empire, not me. I know you can’t see that now, because you are in the middle of this struggle, but it’s true. And I know you are lonely,” Jane continued remembering everything Mara had said to her statue as the goddess in the House Human shrine, “but your sacrifice is what allows this House and all its members to thrive in a place where they might otherwise be taken advantage of.”
Uncomfortable with the praise, Mara just nodded understanding and stood, “Let me show you our goats. This one is my favorite, I call him ‘Vincent van Goat,’ you see? He is missing an ear.”
From House Human, Jane took the Kzi’s transport and Jei’s guards escorted her to the Shopping District and more specifically to Human Food. Inside she was escorted by the male maître d' to the back into the kitchen. Jane was surprised that Jade hadn’t married him as by all accounts he was a very good-looking and successful middling-class man. Jane wondered if the slave Ko had not wanted the competition of a man who would always be with Jade. She thought, If I were sharing my wife with other men in a marriage the last thing I’d want would be one of the husbands to be constantly with her at work.