The Project Gutenberg EBook of Thakur-na, by Ann Wilson
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
** This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg eBook, Details Below **
** Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file. **
Title: Thakur-na
A Terran Empire story
Author: Ann Wilson
Release Date: June 9, 2008 [EBook #25745]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THAKUR-NA ***
Produced by Al Haines
It was midafternoon before Dana's hunger overcame her excitement at being on Sandeman, hiking with her chosen lord—her thakur, in the Sandeman term she preferred—and trying to track a balik. She hadn't gotten within two hundred meters of the wolflike predator, and had finally realized she wasn't going to, so the two found a small clearing with bare rocks which made decent seating. Jason dug hot-cans of trail food out of his hiking pack, Dana did the same with cold-cans of fortified milk, and they sat eating and drinking in silence. They were putting the empty cans back in their packs when Dana began looking around, frowning.
"What is it?" Jason asked.
"I thought I heard something … brushing against branches, snow falling … but no other predators would invade a balik's territory, and it's probably kilometers away by now."
"Other tourists, maybe. Clan Torrance is supposed to have a hunting party in the area, but they aren't due till tomorrow noon."
Dana made a face. "I was hoping we wouldn't see anyone else till we got to the pickup point."
"So was I—but not even I can have everything my own way all the time."
"No," Dana agreed with a chuckle, "you just come close. Maybe if we leave now?"
"I think it's too late." Jason stood as half a dozen men entered the clearing. "Good afternoon, gentles."
"Not for you it isn't," the obvious leader said. "You don't go anywhere without a couple thousand credits petty cash, Mister Jason—hand it over."
"In the mountains?" Jason laughed. "Not even I carry cash where there's nothing to buy and no bodyguards."
"Like hell," the leader said pleasantly. "Hand it over, Jason, or we take it out of your hide."
"I told you, I don't have anything to hand over."
"Then we'll take what you don't have." The leader gave a hand signal, and his men surrounded Jason. He grunted and swore at them, his voice holding a mixture of disgusted anger and pain.
"NO!" Dana shouted, jumping on the back of one man and wrapping her left arm around his throat, her right hand against the back of his head, her left reaching for her right elbow for a neck-breaking hold.
She was pulled off before she could complete it, held securely despite her struggles while the attackers gave her thakur a fast frisking.
"Hell, he was telling the truth," the leader finally said in disgust. "No trace of a wallet or anything that'd hold that kind of cash." He backhanded Jason, almost casually. "You've been one hell of a lot of trouble, Jason, for no return. Want to try convincing us we shouldn't kill you for it?"
"You can't kill him!" Dana exclaimed, horrified. "He's— You just can't!" She took a deep breath; these men would need more than her emotions to discourage them. "Jason Interstellar's Security people wouldn't quit till they found you, and they'd make sure you were punished."
One of the two holding her fondled her roughly. "Maybe have some fun with the fem before we kill both of 'em, Ca—Boss?"
Dana was too angry to be frightened; she twisted to give him a scornful look, then glared at the leader, who gave her a frightening smile before he pointed to two of his men. "You, you—knock him out, then tie him to a tree; he'll be found before he starves."
Dana took comfort in the knowledge that he would be; the Torrance hunting party should find him the next day, before he even got really hungry. Then the designated ones did as they were told; Jason slumped under an expertly-applied baton to the base of his skull, then was secured to a small tree.
Dana had time to wonder at the use of a baton—criminals didn't normally use that sort of weapon—before the leader approached her, holding another one. He looked at her consideringly, then nodded. "I've seen better, but you're not too bad. I like redheads, they tend to be spunky." He grabbed her jaw, forced her mouth up for a rough kiss.
She took advantage of that; as soon as he was within reach, she bit him.
He swore, backhanding her, then signaled the two holding her to let go. "Spunk's one thing, lady, but you've just bought yourself more hurt than you've ever had. Fight if you want to; that'll just make it more fun."
Dana moved back, licking blood from a split lip as she dropped into an awkward protective crouch. She really should have paid more attention to the unarmed-combat lessons Chief Hanson had insisted she at least watch … but it was too late now, facing the leader's feral grin and twirling baton. Fear was a coppery taste in her mouth, and sweat trickled down her back under the enviro-suit.
The leader could obviously tell he had an inexperienced opponent, because his grin became a laugh. Then he moved with smooth, deceptive swiftness, and before Dana could back away or defend herself, his baton lashed out, seeming to do no more than tap her forearms—until she tried to move them.
She gasped with the pain, somehow managing not to cry out, trying to focus on the use of batons by thieves. The pain did have an advantage, though; it helped her distract herself from what took place next. She kept fighting, but it was by pure reflex, and she couldn't keep herself from being stripped, or ignore the sudden cold air against skin no longer protected by an enviro-suit, or the other pain and humiliation as six men took turns using her body. Neither the pain nor the odd weapons were enough, though. She couldn't concentrate on them single-mindedly enough to block out everything the attackers were doing to her, and before they were done, she heard herself whimpering. By the time they finished the rapes and began a general beating, she could no longer control her reactions; she fought and screamed and wept, to no effect, until she felt consciousness starting to depart, and welcomed it.
Shouts and weapon-fire interrupted her descent into peace, something she resented even as she knew it meant safety for her thakur and perhaps for herself. Then someone knelt beside her, and even with pain blurring her vision, she could tell it was a Sandeman; that dark skin and blond hair didn't belong to any of their attackers. "Warrior…" she managed to whisper.
"Yes, Garvey DarTorrance. And you?"
"Dana Manfredi, thakur-na to Richard Jason. He's all right?"
"Unconscious, but not hurt."
"Good." Dana sighed, relief letting her outraged body take over; she passed out.
The time Dana spent unconscious was less peaceful than it should have been. She dreamed, bits and pieces of her relationship with Richard Jason, from meeting him shortly after her college graduation, to swearing fealty, to the mountain hike that had ended so disastrously.
She woke slowly, realizing as she did that she had been reliving a dream become nightmare, that she was actually in a hospital; the smell was unmistakable. Her next awareness was that she was blissfully free of pain, and she spent several minutes enjoying something she had taken for granted before.
Then she heard the room's door open and stirred herself to look toward it. The one who came in was a Sandeman, a warriors'-woman from the gold-gemmed ring she wore; Dana inclined her head in the closest she could come to a bow.
"Good afternoon, Dana," the w'woman said. "I am Mona, a warriors'-woman of Clan Lewies and your doctor. How do you feel?"
"Better than I would've thought possible when the warrior Garvey found me," Dana said. "Thanks for everything you've done for me."
"My pleasure," the w'woman said. "Fortunately you were found before your attackers did anything life-threatening to you, though some of your injuries could be classified as moderately serious for a Terran. I do have you on rapid-heal, since there was no infection. Except for your broken bones, you should be recovered in two weeks; those will take three to four."
Dana nodded, the reference to her broken bones bringing the casts on her arms to her attention, and she wondered again about their attackers. "How's my thakur? And what about the ones who attacked us?"
The doctor frowned. "Your thakur is fine, and wants to see you. I will permit that tomorrow morning; right now you still need to rest. As for your assailants, they are dead. Clan Torrance is particular about the safety of its guests, and the warrior Garvey caught them in the act. Two were kept alive long enough to question, and—" She broke off. "Garvey is an honorable man and would report what he was told accurately, but his prisoners might easily have lied to stop the interrogation."
Dana felt a sinking sensation. "What … what did they say?"
The doctor hesitated, clearly unwilling to tell her, but honesty was
too deeply ingrained in Sandemans for her to avoid it. "They said your
thakur's chief representative here had hired them to ambush you, do ...
what they did, and worse, then leave you to die of your injuries and
exposure."
Dana swallowed past the lump that had appeared in her throat. That fit in all too well with her earlier feeling that they hadn't just been criminals. One starting to call his leader what sounded like "Cap," their avoidance of names, the leader's expertise with the baton… "Were they carrying any ID?"
"No."
And that fit the theory she was starting to evolve, too. They sounded like a mercenary commando team—but her thakur wouldn't do such a thing! He wouldn't set her up for a particularly unpleasant death … would he? Suddenly she wasn't sure. One of the less pleasant things she had done for him was to set up a—well, not a frame, the man had been guilty—but a trap for someone who had gotten in Jason's way. It had, indirectly, led to the man's death…
"I'm disturbing you," the doctor said. "And that is something you do not need. A tranquilizer, if you permit, would help."
Dana felt a brief flash of amusement at a doctor asking permission for a treatment—but this was Sandeman, where medical treatment was kept as unintrusive and respectful as possible even with an unconscious patient, and never went beyond that permitted by a conscious one. She nodded. "I think I'd like that, Doctor. Thank you."
"None needed." The doctor went to a wall cabinet, prepared an injector, and used it, then left as her patient fell asleep again.
Dana didn't recognize the w'woman who was in her room the next time she woke, but she didn't have time to ask for an introduction; she saw her thakur sitting beside her bed, scanning a tape.
Monitors apparently alerted the w'woman; she turned to Jason. "Your 'na is waking, Mr. Jason. If you wish to speak to her alone, I can monitor from outside."
"You needn't bother, Nurse," Jason said, putting down the tape-viewer and standing to look down at Dana, his expression mildly regretful. "It's too bad we had to be rescued early, thakur-na. I did try to give you a heroic death; sorry it didn't work out."
"Thakur?" Dana didn't want to believe what she was hearing, even though she'd half-suspected it. "I don't understand. Have I done something wrong?"
"No, at least nothing you could help," Jason said calmly. "You've simply outlived your usefulness. I thought I owed you the satisfaction of a trip here, then the belief that you were dying to save me; you were worth that much effort. Still, the fact remains: I wish you to leave me. I no longer need you."
Dana was stunned by the cold finality in his voice. He knew what he was saying, too, what he was doing—he was condemning her with an Imperial English paraphrase of the High War words that were a thakur's way of telling his 'na, "Thou hast dishonored me."
But maybe he didn't know exactly what that meant. "Thakur—what am I supposed to do?"
Jason shrugged. "That's up to you. Whatever a Sandeman 'na does when @'s no use any more, I suppose. Mentally you've always been more Sandeman than Terran anyway … yes, that would be best. Imitate your Sandeman idols again." He started to turn away.
"Yes, Thakur." Dana went as cold as his voice had been, wishing she had died back in the mountains, never had to hear this.
"Mister Jason!" the w'woman snapped.
He turned back. "Yes? You don't approve?"
"I do not, but I cannot interfere between thakur and 'na. So long as you both live and she wears your mark, however, she is yours; no one else may be involved in what you order for her."
"Oh? All right." Jason took a folding knife from his pocket, opened it, and bent over his 'na.
Dana felt cold sharpness against her cheek, and she gasped. Then the knife bit, four quick shallow slashes, followed by a tugging, and she cried out more in loss than in pain. By the time the tugging stopped, she was sobbing quietly, the salt of her tears accenting the pain of her missing tattoo. When she was able to see again, Jason was gone and the w'woman was standing over her, cleaning her cheek.
Dana raised the head of her bed, trying to think. Her thakur—her former thakur—had admitted seeking her death, but he had that right; a 'na's gift of @self was absolute. She had even imagined circumstances where she would welcome death at his hands, or give him his own—but those had been honorable circumstances, where death was preferable to the alternative. This was… She shied away from the thought momentarily, then forced herself back.
Her thakur had ordered her to die, in humiliation and agony, even as he had said she had done nothing to deserve such a death. Then he had told her to do whatever a Sandeman 'na would do under the same circumstances. And she had absorbed enough of their ways to think that a proper response—except that, as far as she knew, similar circumstances had never arisen.
For the moment, at least, she was too stunned to be really afraid. She turned to the w'woman. "Lady—can you help me?"
"Help you how?" the w'woman asked.
"To do what's needed—except that I don't know what is needed!" She hesitated. "I mean … I've been dismissed, but he said I haven't done anything wrong!"
The w'woman shook her head slowly. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. All I can tell you is that custom says a 'na who has been dismissed must make atonement for allowing @'s thakur to accept one who proved unworthy."
Dana was silent for a moment, absorbing that, then she nodded. In her
misery, it didn't seem too unreasonable that she should have to die
just for being of no further use. She had tried to live by Sandeman
custom; she couldn't change that now, simply because it became …
inconvenient. "You're right, of course. But I can't do it myself
right now, and I don't have a clan-chief to help me."
The w'woman looked at her with what seemed to Dana like approval. "Perhaps a clan-chief can be found for you."
"I'd … appreciate that." Dana licked her lips, fear beginning to emerge from her stunned misery, but her mouth was so dry it was little help. "I should talk to them myself, I suppose—at least if they'll talk to me—but I can't dial the phone. Would you, please?"
The w'woman nodded. "What clan?"
"I don't think it matters that much," Dana said. "Alanna first, if I have to pick one. If their chief won't help, just keep going until we find one who will."
"A good choice." The w'woman dialed the bedside phone, obviously a familiar combination, then spoke to the warrior who answered in High War Speech. Dana could understand only an occasional word of that variant of Classical Russian, though she could read and write it fluently; all she could gather was that the w'woman was asking for the Alanna.
A few moments later, a man wearing the arms of Alanna's chief appeared on the screen, introducing himself as Killian. The w'woman started to speak, but before she'd said more than a few words, Killian frowned and interrupted with a question. She answered with a "Da, Glavniy," then there was a brief conversation Killian closed with a decisive statement. The w'woman stepped aside, and Dana found herself confronting the image of a stern-faced clan-chief.
He let her wait a few seconds, then spoke in Imperial English. "The lady Arden tells me that your thakur has dismissed you and that you require a clan-chief's aid to atone."
"Yes, Chief, to both." Dana turned her face so he could see the raw spot on her cheek, and raised her cast-enclosed arms. "As you can see."
"The lady Arden mentioned extenuating circumstances."
Dana hesitated, but she had spent so long trying to be Sandeman in all but body that her response was more by reflex than by thought. "I claim none, Alanna," she said formally. "Custom says none exist."
"True." Killian's expression became remote, almost frightening. "Very well, I accept the responsibility of acting for the clan-chief you do not have. Alanna warriors will be there as soon as I can contact ones nearby, and they will bring you to our clanhome. You will be treated as befits the oathbreaker your thakur's actions proclaim you; if you do not understand what that means, ask the lady Arden. I will see you in approximately six hours."
Six hours, Dana thought as Killian's image disappeared. That meant she might live seven or eight, depending on how badly the beating had weakened her.
"Do you understand?" Arden asked.
Dana turned to the w'woman, fear growing as her shock faded. "What's in the text-tapes, yes. Not the details of the … execution."
"Those can vary; they depend on the clan-chief." Arden looked almost sympathetic, Dana thought. "You know, then, that you will receive no more pain medication, that no one will speak to you unnecessarily, and that when your escort arrives you will be placed under restraint."
"Yes." The restraints were a formality, especially in her case—a sign of condemnation, like the silent treatment—but the lack of medication would have her uncomfortable, at least, even before the execution began.
"Chief Killian has granted one concession, since you were hurt before
your thakur dismissed you. If you wish, I can give you a stimulant to
compensate for your injuries."
Dana thought about that offer briefly before she spoke. "Let me try to stand and walk. I'll take the stimulant if I can't."
"Reasonable." Arden moved to help as Dana sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. That brought on a wave of dizziness, and when she cautiously slid off the bed, her knees gave way. Arden caught her and helped her back onto the bed.
"It looks like I'd better take it," Dana said shakily. She hadn't realized she was so weak—it wouldn't do at all for her escort to have to carry her! "A strong dose, please."
"A twelve-hour dose, as strong as you can tolerate," Arden agreed. "Are you allergic to energine?"
"No, that'll be fine." Dana would have refused such a dose if she'd expected to have to go through the aftereffects; energine would keep you going through almost anything, but you paid the price later—and she was also on rapid-heal, which made demands of its own. But both would be academic in a few hours. She watched Arden prepare an injector, her thoughts going to what would be happening to her shortly. She didn't know the details, no, but she was fully aware that it would be at least as painful as the attack—and more humiliating, because she cared about the Sandemans' opinions as she hadn't about the attackers'.
Arden gave her the injection, then said, "It will take effect in a few minutes, and once it does, I will also have to start treating you as an oathbreaker. However, I told the Alanna that there was more to this than appears on the surface, and he has agreed to contact Torrance for the interrogation reports, then watch a copy of the monitor tapes from here that I will send with his warriors. That will probably have no effect, but this is an unprecedented situation; it could make a difference." She hesitated, then went on in a low voice. "I break custom by saying this, but I don't think you dishonored. I pray the gods will grant you a swift death, then rebirth as a warrior-caste Sandeman to you can earn a place in their ranks." Then she turned away, leaving the room before Dana could frame a reply.
As the energine took effect and her strength returned, Dana clung to Arden's words. They meant there was still a trace of hope for her … if Clan-chief Killian agreed with the lady Arden.
But that trace of hope wasn't all good; it was easier to hold fear at bay if you had no alternative to what you were afraid of. That trace of hope, tiny as it was, let the fear start to grow again. She began practicing one of the pre-combat calming exercises she'd come across in her studies of Sandeman, pleased to find that even with her lack of experience it helped.
The next time she tried to stand, she felt almost normal. She had no idea how long it would take the Alanna warriors to get to her—she had no idea where she was, other than in a hospital—so she decided she had better get dressed.
Doing so replaced what fear her exercises had left with sheer frustration. To begin with, bandages made clothes that had fit comfortably before so snug they would have been hard to get into even if she'd had her hands free instead of in casts. As it was, the effort of just getting them on, not to mention closing the buttons and zippers she preferred to magseals, was more of a challenge than she appreciated right then.
Not too long after she managed to make herself presentable, four warriors wearing Alanna arms on their drab coveralls—and more heavily armed than usual for peacetime—entered her room. She bowed to them, acutely conscious of the scab forming on her cheek. They didn't return the courtesy, of course; instead, two of them secured her arms behind her back. They weren't especially gentle, but she was obscurely pleased that they also weren't as rough as she'd expected them to be with an oathbreaker.
And during the flight to the Alanna clanhome, she was both pleased and a little puzzled by the warriors' continuing lack of overt hostility. Even given the ingrained politeness of a Sandeman, she would have expected some jostling, or unpleasant comments.
The flight also gave her time, and energine gave her strength, to think back on the attack and Jason's dismissal of her. She still didn't want to believe that the man she'd chosen to devote her life to had set her up for such a painful, degrading death, even to give her the illusion of dying for the best reason a thakur-na could have. But she couldn't avoid the truth: from all the evidence she had, that was precisely what he had done. And then when that had failed, he had deliberately sentenced her to the death of an oathbreaker.
She shifted in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position with her arms fastened behind her. She failed, and that discomfort combined with the wearing off of the painkiller to make her begin to resent her former thakur. Maybe she did deserve to die, she thought bitterly. Not for the dishonor he admitted she wasn't guilty of, but for her misjudgment of him—when it came down to first causes, that was why she was being flown to her death. While Jason would live, as wealthy, comfortable, and influential as ever…
Dana wasn't able to appreciate either the crisp autumn weather or the functional beauty of Alanna's clanhome when the plane landed and her guards, their weapons drawn, escorted her into the warriors' hall. The mixture of fear about what was to come, anger at Jason, and the ache of her injuries had her irritable, wanting to get the whole mess over with so she wouldn't have to think about it any more.
Killian was waiting for her, sitting at the judicial-looking Chief's Bench at the far end of the hall. Some clans had theirs ornamented, to varying degrees, but Alanna's was plain: glossy jet-wood, the only color on it the arms of Alanna's chief.
Dana's heart sank as she realized that Killian was clad in leather as black as his Bench, again relieved only by his arms, rather than the usual warrior-drab. She hadn't known he'd earned that—been acclaimed by his peers as having honor so uncompromising it couldn't be questioned. So much for the lady Arden's—and her own—hope of some clemency, Dana thought. Yet Arden must have known the Alanna was entitled to honor-black…
Urged forward by one of her guards, Dana approached the Bench and, before she could be prompted, knelt. A Sandeman knelt only to the gods and to @'s thakur, if @ had one, but this was a special case; Killian was acting on Jason's behalf, so she had to show him the same degree of respect. She heard a quiet sound of what seemed like approval from the warriors and w'women beginning to gather in the hall, but didn't dare let it reawaken her hopes.
She returned Killian's silent gaze. She would continue to abide by the customs she had tried so long to observe—she still didn't see how she could change that now, whatever the circumstances—but she had decided during the flight that she had done nothing to be ashamed of, and wouldn't act as if she had.
Killian nodded once, then accepted the tape her senior guard handed him and slipped it into a viewer in the Bench. Dana could hear only a murmur from the speaker as he played the tape, but she could see Killian's face clearly, and she had seldom seen such an expression of revulsion. Surely she hadn't done anything disgraceful enough to merit that!
When Killian looked up from the Bench screen, his face was set and grim enough to make Dana shiver. He looked at her steadily for several seconds, then rose and came around the Bench to stand in front of her, gesturing to one of the bystanders.
"Da, Glavniy?" the w'woman who approached said.
"Speak English," Killian said. "Contact the Miklos for me, please, and tell him that a serious question of custom has arisen that must be dealt with immediately. I would like him to call a conference of all available on-planet clan-chiefs as soon as possible, for that purpose."
"May I give him details?"
"Show him the tape I just watched; that will be more than enough."
"Yes, Chief." The w'woman went to the Bench and took the tape, then left.
"Please stand, Ms. Manfredi," Killian said, startling Dana—and startling her even more when he took her shoulders and steadied her as she obeyed. "I regret that I must continue to observe the formalities of treating you as an oathbreaker for the moment; custom, as you have shown you understand, should not be broken easily. But I want you to know that I believe you acted honorably and should not have the kind of death he sentenced you to. I do not feel that honor would permit me to carry out that sentence."
Dana was as stunned as she had been when Jason spoke the formula of dismissal. "Chief—"
He raised a hand to silence her. "What to do about your situation cannot be decided by a single clan-chief, even the chief of the First Clan. But I doubt that you—or I—will be left in suspense long, once the Miklos sees that tape and has called the conference I requested. It should be an hour, perhaps a little less, and in the meantime I will have you made as comfortable as your status permits." He nodded to the senior of her guards. "See to it, Bowie, and bring her to the com room as soon as the conference convenes."
Dana spent most of the next hour wondering what in Chaos was going on, even as she appreciated Killian's actions on her behalf and the way her guards managed to observe the letter of treating her as an oathbreaker while at the same time wordlessly letting her know they didn't think she could be, after Killian's endorsement.
Eventually they got word the conference was convening, and took her to Alanna's com room, where she recognized Miklos' arms on the screen. As far as she knew, the last time that communications-specialist clan had agreed to call an all-planet conference was just before Sandeman was brought into the Empire; it was difficult to believe she was the reason for calling another. But it was impossible to disbelieve, especially when the Miklos arms on the comscreen were replaced by Clan-chief Hurley's face.
"Thank you all for your time," the Miklos clan-chief said. "This conference was called at Alanna's request, concerning a situation for which no custom exists, and for which Miklos agrees that one must be established quickly."
He paused, then gave the background: Jason and Dana's vacation and the Torrance interrogation reports, then he said, "The next part consists of monitor tapes from the Shangri-La Continental Medcenter. At this point, it still seemed that Jason's actions, peculiar as they were, might have had some justification."
With that, the picture changed to show a hospital room, its only patient a red-haired Terran woman. Dana recognized herself, wincing at what the Sandemans must think, but she remained silent.
The hospital room was replaced by Hurley's face again. "That took place this morning, medcenter time. Dana's situation has no precedent; only clan-chiefs can decide the proper way to deal with it, with her, and with Jason. Chiefs, Miklos awaits your responses."
As chief of the First Clan, Killian was entitled to speak this morning, medcenter time. "Dana's situation has no precedent; only clan-chiefs can decide the proper way to deal with it, with her, and with Jason. Chiefs, Miklos awaits your responses."
As chief of the First Clan, Killian was entitled to speak first; he used the coder combination that opened the conference for discussion.
"Killian of Alanna," Hurley recognized him.
"Is this 'cast going to the screen in Jason's suite?"
Hurley looked off-screen for a moment, then nodded. "It is. What is Alanna's word?"
"None, yet; first, Alanna wishes Vader's opinion of what we have all seen."
"As Alanna wishes. Donovan of Vader." Hurley recognized the chief of the first clan founded after Sandeman overthrew the Shapers, named for the figure in the Saga who had regained his and his family's honor by overthrowing his oppressor. The most delicate questions of honor were referred to Clan Vader, and their decisions were considered final. "What is Vader's word?"
"Vader says this." Donovan's face held grim determination. "Dana Manfredi has acted in full honor at all times. Although it has never happened, Vader says the proper procedure for a thakur to release a 'na without dishonor to either would be for the 'na's tattoo to be barred, exactly as if honorable service had been ended by the thakur's death. In attempting to have her killed, especially in the way he did, and then by dismissing her to seek the death of one who has hurt or dishonored his thakur, Jason has forfeited all claim to honor."
The two men in Jason's hotel suite looked at each other, and the head of Jason Interstellar's Sandeman operation said feelingly, "Oh, shit. That tears it, boss. We won't do a centi's worth of business here for a year."
"They'll get over it, Gunter. We'll make up the loss elsewhere, and you can keep things going until business picks up again here. I'll see to it that your pay doesn't suffer—though you'll probably have to cut staffing for a while."
"I can live with that, I guess. Not that I'll have any choice."
Killian spoke again. "Alanna thanks Vader, and Alanna says this." He hoped Jason could read Sandeman expressions better than he could their way of thinking. Obviously he didn't realize that Miklos controlled two-way access to any set tuned in to a conference call, and that his conversation had been heard in all the clans. "There is precedent for a clan to give countenance to an off-worlder, and others have adopted our customs; our Earl Klaes and his family even use the clan-prefixes offered them by Shona."
He paused, turning to Dana and smiling. "Dana Manfredi."
Dana was startled to hear herself addressed, but she responded quickly. "Yes, Chief Killian?"
"Will you accept Alanna's countenance?"
Would she accept the First Clan's countenance? Dana could feel tears welling up, though she managed to keep her voice under control. She had been rejected by her thakur, had a planet-wide conference called to discuss her fate, been commended by the arbiters of honor, and now offered membership in the First Clan! Thank the gods they didn't consider tears a sign of weakness… "I would be honored, Alanna."
"Good." Killian smiled at her, then sobered. "The Terran woman known as Dana Manfredi has accepted Alanna's countenance. Be it known that she is henceforth Dana, a clanswoman of Alanna. As chief of her clan I say her actions deserve not punishment but praise; the honorable service she gave was to one unworthy of it, and he had no right to order her death. It is my personal belief that Dana merits the black and a place in the warrior caste, but that decision is not mine alone.
"It is my decision, however, that Clan Alanna take appropriate action against Richard Jason and every thing or person associated with him. To that end, I claim Chief's Right on behalf of my clanswoman Dana." He paused, and when he spoke again, it was to one man.
"Jason. That means that anything of yours on Alanna property will be destroyed, anyone who serves you will be killed unless they renounce that service, and your life is forfeit if you enter Alanna territory. I find myself hoping you do; I would enjoy making you suffer the fate you ordered her to seek."
After a brief interval, Hurley began recognizing other clan-chiefs. "Odell of Leras."
"Leras agrees that Alanna's clanswoman Dana should wear black. Leras also concurs and will cooperate with Alanna in other respects; Jason is currently in Leras territory, and as an off-worlder, we must give him time to leave. But his property will be destroyed, and should he remain here after one standard day, he will be delivered to Alanna for Chief's Right."
"Shona concurs and will cooperate."
"Lewies concurs and will cooperate."
"Vader concurs and will cooperate."
"Miklos concurs and will cooperate."
As the litany came to an end, Dana realized Killian—her clan-chief!—was behind her, releasing the restraints and easing her arms into a more comfortable position. "Welcome to Alanna, lady," he said gently, removing the heavy woolen cloak that was part of his ceremonial black garb and draping it around her shoulders. "The true oathbreaker will do no more business in this sector, or in any where honor is more valuable than greed, even if he manages to get offworld. You should be starting to feel the aftereffects of the energine, so Meara, our senior w'woman, will care for you until you wake—and when you are recovered enough, we will have a party to welcome you into Alanna, the warrior caste, and the ranks of those who wear honor-black." He smiled, and Dana could almost feel the lightening of the clan's mood. "You have done something as unprecedented as what was done to you, did you know that?"
Dana's strength was ebbing as the energine wore off, and she wasn't quite sure what her clan-chief meant. "I'm sorry?"
Killian laughed aloud. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Dana, you do need rest now—but try to remember you were able to force a change in one of our most sacred customs by strict adherence to that same custom!"
END
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Thakur-na, by Ann Wilson
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THAKUR-NA ***
***** This file should be named 25745-h.htm or 25745-h.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/7/4/25745/
Produced by Al Haines
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be
renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one
owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and
you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission
and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the
General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and
distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the
PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a
registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks,
unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything
for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may
use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative
works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and
printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING with public
domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license,
especially commercial redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
http://www.gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
This particular work is one of the few copyrighted individual works
included with the permission of the copyright holder. Information on
the copyright owner for this particular work and the terms of use
imposed by the copyright holder on this work are set forth at the
beginning of this work.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at http://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit http://pglaf.org
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed.
VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
new filenames and etext numbers.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
http://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
are filed in directories based on their release date. If you want to
download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
download by the etext year.
http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext06
(Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
filed in a different way. The year of a release date is no longer part
of the directory path. The path is based on the etext number (which is
identical to the filename). The path to the file is made up of single
digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename. For
example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234
or filename 24689 would be found at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689
An alternative method of locating eBooks:
http://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL
*** END: FULL LICENSE ***