Galatzi World (Galatzi Trade Book 2) Read online

  Galatzi World

  Robin Roseau

  Table of Contents

  Cast of Characters

  Strangers

  Congress

  Forgiveness

  Offer

  Discussion

  Part Two

  Troubles

  Comfort

  Trades

  Raids

  Home

  Sobs

  Part Three

  Maddalyn

  English

  Preparations

  Arrival

  Family Welcome

  A Little Walk

  Late Night Visitor

  Trouble In Paradise

  Breaking Up

  I Can Fly

  Tranquility

  Last Night

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Cast of Characters

  Sudden

  Chaladine Eldest daughter of Baardorid, vendart of Sudden. Important character from Galatzi Trade and the main character of Galatzi World.

  Baardorid Vendart of Sudden. Chaladine's father.

  Valtine Baardorid's wife. Chaladine's mother.

  Rordano Chaladine's younger brother.

  Margotain Chaladine's younger sister.

  Mordain Sartine's little sister. Galatzi trade to Sudden (see Galatzi Trade).

  Indartha

  Sartine Vendart of Indartha.

  Hilopid Sartine's younger brother.

  Other Locations on Talmon

  Luradinine Vendart of Beacon Hill.

  Wenolopid Luradinine's son.

  Darratine Luradinine's daughter.

  Kalorain Luradinine's daughter.

  Reannaine Resident of Beacon Hill.

  Riardarn Reannaine's younger sister.

  Cecilia's Family

  Cecilia Grace Imperial Governor of Talmon, galatzi wife to Sartine.

  Christianna Grace Cecilia's mother.

  August Grace Cecilia's father.

  Savannah Grace Cecilia's younger sister.

  Arthur Grace Savannah's son.

  Delilah Savannah's granddaughter.

  Ashlyn Savannah's granddaughter and Delilah's sister.

  Shawn Cecilia's son.

  Corinne Cecilia's daughter.

  Amirah Shawn's partner.

  Jamie Amirah's partner.

  Kayleigh Cecilia's great-granddaughter.

  Others from The Empire

  Madge & Jim Gleason Two members of Cecilia's delegation.

  Sunny Wilson Member of Cecilia's delegation.

  Danver Leed Member of Cecilia's delegation.

  Erica Mickem Member of Cecilia's delegation. Sociologist. Partnered with Mallory.

  Mallory Member of Cecilia's delegation. Psychiatrist. Partnered with Erica.

  Aston Danes Member of Cecilia's delegation.

  Blaine Jerrod Member of Cecilia's delegation.

  Maddalyn New member of Cecilia's delegation. Niece to Anna White.

  Anna White Regional Secretary of State. Cecilia's boss.

  Colonel River Blue Commander of Darkstar.

  Talmonese Words

  The Talmonese name their children using a suffix to indicate birth order:

  Birth Order

  Daughters

  Sons

  1

  -ain

  -dano

  2

  -ain

  -orid

  3

  -arn

  -opid

  For example, Baardorid is the second son. Chaladine is the eldest daughter and Margotain is the second daughter. Hilopid is the third son.

  For pronunciation, in my head, I say Sudden with an ooo sound like in food. I pronounce Baardorid as Bear-door-id. I say Chal-ah-dine with the accent on the third syllable.

  Strangers

  As we measure on Talmon, it has been 11 years since other humans descended from the stars above, settling their spaceship in a large field south of Sudden. Cecilia Grace once tried to explain to me how a year on Talmon was not the same as a year somewhere else, but none of it had made sense to me. All these years later, I still didn't understand.

  But so, understand that is has been 11 years since the strange men and women descended in their very frightening spacecraft. It has been eight since Cecilia Grace arrived on our planet, presenting herself at my father's home. Talmon had been a member of Cecilia's empire of the stars for two years.

  I was now thirty-two years old; I was twenty-one when the first spacecraft had appeared in the skies over Sudden, frightening everyone. But I was to become the future vendart after my father, and while I had been just as terrified as everyone else, I had traveled throughout the city, cautioning everyone to remain calm. Then the ship moved away, heading south, but we all watched it descend.

  Father and I led a small delegation to meet the visitors, warning the rest of my family to remain behind and to be prepared to flee if the visitors should prove to be warlike. There were only 20 of us who mounted our horses and rode south.

  When we arrived at the edge of the field where the craft landed, we found the door open and the occupants, wearing the most unusual clothing, waiting for us. Some held objects we knew were weapons, but they weren't pointed at us. And that was when father said, "Daughter, these people are as afraid of us as we are of them."

  "I find that unlikely," I replied, only loudly enough for Father to hear.

  "We must conquer our fear," he replied. "We must see what they wish. Let us dismount and greet them."

  He and I were the only to approach the strange craft, and we did so with no weapons, not even a knife tucked into a belt. We drew close, our hands visible, and then we each turned slowly, showing them we had no weapons with us. We came to a stop and waited.

  The strangers were dressed in three separate fashions. Those holding weapons were dressed in one style, and we would learn over time they wore weapons of their military, a concept unknown on Talmon. Others, the workers, dressed in a fashion not dissimilar to workers on Talmon. The leaders were dressed in a third fashion. I couldn't have described the differences, not really, but it was obvious when we saw them that there were three groups.

  Two leaders, a man and a woman, although we didn't know they were the leaders at the time, issued orders, words we didn't understand. Two of the workers disappeared into their craft while Father and I waited, 40 yards from their strange and great ship. And then the workers reappeared with several others, all of them burdened.

  Two set up a table. Two others carried oddly folding chairs, and they placed two on one side of the table and two on the other. A last one bore a tray with a large pitcher of water with ice floating in it and four clear glasses. The pitcher and glasses found their way to the table, and then the five workers backed away, stopping at the edge of their spacecraft.

  "What do we do, Father?" I asked. "What do they want?"

  "I do not know, Chaladine," he said. "Remain brave."

  "I am so scared," I said.

  But he turned to me and smiled. "Tell me. Does this arrangement before us look familiar?"

  "A table and chairs," I said.

  "And refreshment, as well," he added. "If someone from Fessen comes to speak with me, how do we meet?"

  "They are here to... to talk?"

  "I believe so," he said, "but we shall wait and see."

  Their leaders did not move quickly, but when they finally approached, they also showed they had no weapons. But we had no illusions about the people waiting behind them. As I said, there was a man and a woman, and as they drew closer, I saw they were young, only a few years older than I was, no more than ten, and far, far younger than Father. They cam
e to a stop beside the table with nothing between us. And then the man spoke. His tone was gentle, even welcoming, but I didn't understand a word.

  "What does he want, Father?"

  "I believe, Daughter, he wishes to say 'hello'."

  Father didn't wait. He stepped forward, and I remained at his side. We closed until there were only two meters separating us from the strangers, and we stared at each other.

  It was clear from the way they looked at us that they were just as curious about us as we were about them. They smiled, and then the woman held out her hand.

  Father and I stared at her hand, and then he stepped forward and took it gently. "Welcome to Talmon," he said.

  If they understood, they gave no sign.

  Father shook the woman's hand, and she smiled again. And then he offered his hand to the man. I stepped forward and exchanged my own handclasps with each of them. I echoed Father's words as I did so, and they each spoke in their own words, not understood by Father or me.

  The man gestured to the table and moved closer, stepping behind and setting his hands on the back of one chair. The woman moved to the other chair on his side, and then she gestured towards our chairs.

  Father glanced at me. "Does this look familiar, Eldest Daughter?"

  "Yes, Vendart," I said. "They wish a conference, but I do not believe they understand our words, and I know I do not understand theirs."

  "Then I believe this will be a very long conference," Father said with a hint of a smile. Then he led the way to the table, but he pulled my chair out first.

  I was surprised. He was Vendart, but by his motion, I knew I was to sit first. So I moved into place, but then I waited. The two strangers smiled then moved into place in front of their chairs. Three of us sat together, and then my father took his seat.

  The woman smiled then picked up the pitcher and poured into all four glasses, moving them into the center of the table. The man immediately picked the closest one, pulled it to himself, and drank deeply before setting it down, making a satisfied sound.

  "What do we do?" I asked Father.

  "Pick a glass," he said, "but let your father drink first."

  "Do you fear poison?"

  "I do not believe they need poison if they wish to kill us," he replied. He took his glass and then matched the stranger. Then he cocked his head. "Very cold water," he said. "It tastes odd."

  "Poison!"

  "No," he said. "Water from different places can taste different. But wait before you drink from yours."

  And so I waited.

  The woman took the last glass and drank before setting it down. Then she leaned forward on the table and spoke briefly. Again, we didn't understand a word. But she gestured to Father, then to me, and she made talking motions without sound.

  Father cocked his head, but I understand. "They want to hear more of our words."

  Father nodded and began speaking. He welcomed them to Sudden, then gestured behind us and repeated the name of our town, speaking very clearly.

  "Sud-den," the woman repeated. Father said the name twice more, and when she repeated it again, she pronounced it more correctly.

  Her accent was quite odd.

  Father introduced himself. He introduced me. He explained he was the vendart. And then he asked them what they were doing here. Then he stopped talking and leaned back in his chair, waiting.

  The man spoke to the woman, frowning. She replied to him. They both sighed and then turned back to us. The woman put her hand on her chest and said very clearly, "Martha." Then she spoke even more slowly. "Mar-tha."

  "Martha," father said, stumbling over the name once, then repeating it, gesturing towards her.

  She smiled and nodded, and so then I practiced her name. She grinned. Then she pointed to the man. "Everett." That name was harder, but she said it several times, slowly, and we each repeated it.

  Then Father held his hand to his own chest. "Baardorid." He then said it several times, slowly. They both stumbled over it, so he taught it to them one sound at a time, opening his mouth widely as he did so.

  They pronounced it poorly, but it was understood.

  "Chaladine," I said. That was a little easier for them than my father's name, but it was clear they had never heard either name. But we hadn't heard theirs, either, and so perhaps that was expected.

  Not that there were many Baardorids on Talmon. My father was the only one I knew of, and I was the only Chaladine. But that didn't mean there weren't others, somewhere.

  They smiled. The woman dipped her finger into the glass and used that to drop water onto the table. It collected in a small puddle. She tapped the table next to it and asked a question.

  Father and I stared at her, then I smiled. "Drop of water."

  She stumbled over the phrase.

  "That's too many words," Father said. Instead, he swirled the water with his own finger. "Water," he said. He tapped the pitcher. "Water." He tapped the table near the water. "Water."

  They both learned the word.

  The woman fished an ice cube out of her glass and set it on the table. They learned the word for ice. Then she set her entire glass in front of us, and we taught her glass. Then once they had that, Father said, "Glass of Water" to them, and they both understood immediately.

  The woman put more water on the table and tapped near it.

  "Drop of water," I said.

  "Drop of water," she said. She tapped her glass. "Glass of water." She tapped the pitcher. "Pitcher of water."

  "Yes," father said. And so we taught them yes and no.

  The woman laughed and clapped her hands. The man spoke over his shoulder, and a moment later, one of the workers approached. He moved quickly, which was startling, but the woman barked at him, and he slowed down, approaching slowly.

  "They are trying not to frighten us," Father said. "Daughter, return to Kilorodano. Tell him to bring fresh foods. We must feed our guests. Tell him to calm the city before he returns, and your mother should plan for dinner guests." He eyed the spacecraft. "Tell her it might be two, it might be ten. After you have spoken to Kilorodano, return here. Leave slowly and return slowly."

  "Yes, Vendart," I replied.

  I got up from the table, and the woman said, "No."

  I froze.

  Father spoke to them, explaining I would be back. Then he pushed me away, telling me to follow my orders.

  I don't think they were pleased, but I did as father said, backing away slowly. They didn't say 'no' again.

  I relayed Father's orders to his top advisor, who promised to handle everything, but then he asked questions. I answered briefly, but then I took my leave. I hurried, but then as their worker had, I slowed as I approached. The woman had been focusing on Father, but as I drew near, she smiled broadly and gestured towards my chair.

  "Yes," she said as I approached. "Yes."

  I took my seat, and they both smiled.

  Spread upon the table were a number of coins. "They offer to buy something?"

  "They are learning our numbers," Father said. "They speak slowly, but once they learn a word, they don't seem to forget."

  We taught them our numbers, and then they had pieces of paper in different colors, so we taught them the words for colors. They learned about table and chair, and then they went through various parts of the body: eyes, hands, fingers, arms. We taught them sit, stand, walk, run. We taught them sky and ground, up and down. We taught them big and small and so many more words.

  Kilorodano returned and approached. Their eyes snapped up to look past us as he approached along with several others, but Father held a hand up. "Come no closer," he said. "Daughter, bring the things."

  And so I went back and forth several times, piling the food upon the table. Martha and Everett calmed once Kilorodano retreated, and Father said, "I told you they were as nervous as we were."

  We taught them our foods. Then Martha called out, and one of the workers approached. Our language lesson was suspended as he used a small k
nife to take samples of everything we had brought to them, placing each sample in a slender glass jar. The man dictated to him, offering the names. And then the worker backed away before hurrying to the giant ship.

  "What is he doing, Father?"

  "I don't know," my father replied. But the woman collected our attention and asked for the language lessons to continue.

  It was some time later when the worker returned. When he did, Everett interrupted us, and then he and Martha spoke to the worker for some time. They both smiled, and then the worker presented a plate and knife. Everett set both on the table and then turned back to us. He pointed to one of the garleens.

  "Garleen," he said. Then he made a motion as to cut a piece and place it into his mouth.

  "Show him," Father said. So I reached for the fruit and then pointed to the plate.

  "Plate," I said. "Knife."

  They learned each word, and then I reached for the plate and pulled it in front of me. Working carefully, I cut the garleen slowly, showing them it had a large pit, and how to cut around it. They watched avidly. I set the pit to the edge of the plate then divided the fruit into multiple slices, arranging them on the plate as my grandmother once taught me.

  "We should show them it's safe," Father said. "Offer me the plate, and we'll try to teach more words."

  And so I offered the plate to Father. "Thank you," he said. He took the plate from me, then took one of the pieces of garleen. "Thank me when you get this back," he said very quietly, then he offered the plate.

  "Thank you," I said, taking it back from him. I took a slice of fruit and set the plate down on the center of the table. Father gestured, and they each took one piece of the fruit, eying it carefully.

  "Go ahead," Father said, and he and I both popped the slices in our mouths. I closed my eyes and smiled. I loved garleen; it was my favorite fruit.

  When I opened my eyes, I saw they had both taken small bites from their slices. They were eyeing each other, and I couldn't tell if they cared for it.