by David Dos Pasos and Dexter Mt. Sinai
For the first months I saw very little of the Embassy or Residence. What I remember most about those days is loneliness. I was always watched. During the daytime I had my own guard. The Brothers called him or her a 'warden.' Robots did most of the menial chores. I had very little to do. No one talked to me.
For a long time I only lived on my days off. On those days they would take me to Kreeðajjay's office. In these early days the minutes before Xiasa showed up were silent. It was awkward silence. Kreeðajjay made a short statement or two. His statements were awkward. Xiasa would come in. Kreeðajjay and Xiasa would say a few formal things. They might talk a little business. We would leave.
On the way back to my apartment Xiasa chattered constantly. (My apartment was at the Ministry of Alien Affairs.) I felt like a silent confessor.
In contrast to the Embassy, my day off was hectic. I had to shop and see to personal needs. All of us uplift rejects would then go out on the town. After a week with aliens any mammal was a friend. Another ape was a brother.
It sounds like I was locked alone in a cage for months. That is not quite true. In this time I was not mistreated--except sometimes there were low grade threat displays. The Brothers would reach just the first stage of an Ebony Shadow threat fugue. It happened when I was where I should not be. In the first stage a Brother lowers its head. It opens its outer mandibles a tiny bit. It also growls quietly and sways from side-to-side a little.
I did have a cell. It was perfectly comfortable. I did not have my own Santa Claus machine. I think they worried about security. I spent a lot of time learning Gal-Ten and watching Brethren entertainment.
But really you never just watch a Brethren hologram. You play with it.
The Ebony Shadows play a lot. They play more than Neo-Dolphins. They probably play as much as a Tytlal. It took me a long time to figure out how much the Brothers play. The Brothers of the Night play very seriously. They also never play without rules. I think most games are actually about the rules. Family, games, and rules--I bet these are the most important things for a Brother of the Night.
Besides learning Gal-Ten better, I also usually helped serve VIP's at receptions. Too bad the Ebon Shadows don't like strangers. There weren't many events for me to work.
Later I learned it was very odd for me to be the only sapient server. TgMAA friends sometimes took me to diplomatic receptions at other embassies. There were usually lots of junior clients and A4P servants-of-honor . They might even ship in staff from other places. The idea was to show off your clients and your clan mates' clients and how generous you were in hiring locals. The Gello can throw quite a party. Even Soro show up.
The Brothers had stiff formal 'meals' or receptions. I was always the only sapient waiter. All the rest were robots. You never saw more that a hint of Brotherly play lust at these events.
There was one other part of the regular mission routine that I started helping on pretty early. I would go marketing.
No embassy can bring everything from home. Sometimes they have no choice but to buy local. The adaptable Brothers of the Night didn't bring in much. They could use the local stuff. They just hated dealing with strangers to get it.
The Brothers never did seem to get shopping down to a pattern. They might use anonymous bids with delivery specified. They'd use catalogs or go through Xiasa or the Ministry when they could. Kreeðajjay might go out with a sole body guard--or with a dozen. They might send out nearly every adult on a hunt for some knickknack. Two or three times they all went to the market mall like it was a safari. These were great adventures.
It did not take the Family long to figure out that I could go buy stuff. I could also go help shop. We bought a lot of arrowhead displays, whale song records, Neo-Fin pop music, and batik. Ornamental tropical fish were really popular. This stuff went to creche-mates living in other communes.
I learned to keep a collection of postcards on hand. Postcards were curiosities themselves. I had to teach the Brothers to write or draw on the back. By that time they were used to me. When they learned about writing on paper they had to learn all about it. I had to buy art supplies once or twice a week for a while.
Early on the whole commune went on safari to the Art Museums of Alpha Colony. One or two members of the mission became fans of Earth art. Some of the children even wheedled their elders into letting them go out for art classes. They went to the all-species school. Two went on to the Luna Conservatory.
Artimissa even had a gallery hanging. She had to have two receptions. Artimissa is a borrowed name. Most of the children born on Luna had borrowed names.
John says it was three years before I made my first friend. All I remember is being really lonely for a long time. My first Brethren friend was one of my wardens. She was one of the lowest 'ranking' members of the commune. She was not happy in it. Imniiriðazhiin was not the most gifted of Ebon Shadows. She would have been happier in another work unit. Imniiriðazhiin should have been in a combat unit or maybe an outdoorsy commune.
She spent every furlough away from our commune. That was a little bit eccentric. She would go hiking-swimming. Often she went alone.
I think she was given embassy duty because she looked like a Brother of the Night. I mean she was perfect. Our embassy Marines are the same. They are perfect Humans.
Imniiriðazhiin didn't like being inside. On the Moon you are always inside.
Imniiriðazhiin also didn't like strangers. Of course no Brother likes strangers. Imniiriðazhiin didn't like strangers a lot. If she had to staff the check-in desk, she would immediately sleep after duty. Most others could unwind with a few minutes of exercise-play. Also, when inspectors or Brethren VIPs would visit Imniiriðazhiin would often loose her self-control. She would lower her head. She would only look at a stranger who was talking to her now and then. She would start to sway from side to side, just a little bit. She might mumble. It was very rude. She couldn't help it.
She also got used to new things more slowly than the others.
They did not make fun of her. Brothers can't do that. They didn't leave her out; Brothers don't do that. But she was not popular. She was not high-ranking.
I think she had to make me her friend. "A good Brother speaks no ill of the Family." I was a silent confessor. Brothers of the Night have dreams. They don't dream at night, but in the day they desire. Imniiriðazhiin wanted to belong. For a Brother belonging is happiness.
She also wanted to be groomed.
She was a low ranking, not-popular Shadow. She didn't get groomed much, and then by children.
It is a good thing Brothers of the Night cannot tease. They would have made fun of her "boyfriend."
After a long, long time Imniiriðazhiin was sent to an amphibious combat Family. John says it took about fifteen years.
I hope she is happy.
Imniiriðazhiin was not popular. But, she could bring me inside the commune. If a member of the Family likes you, then you can't be all bad.
e4v0r0 Draft