5 In the Court of the Crimson Prince - Part I

Prince Crimson Arc

23rd April

For the third day in a row, I venture down into the tunnels. A few hundred people live down here in the dimly lit and maze-like system, and all of them give me a wide berth, and a scared look. I wonder if that's because I'm ten-foot-tall, or because of the guard with me. Whilst I had insisted that I go alone, both Kyle and Commander Gallagher had been adamant that I needed to go with guards. I talked them down to just one, but they were clearly still unhappy with the situation. Gallagher has assigned a different officer to protecting me each day. Today my protector is Centurion Ella Maynard. She tells me that she was born in Glasgow, though all that tells me is that she's from Earth. Apparently, she came to Ceres four years ago, and she's returning to Luna onboard the Proserpina when it leaves in two weeks' time.

Joining the two of us today is Zayd, who I've asked to come with me. At first, Zayd didn't want to come. I had to plead to convince him. He still doesn't want us to be seen together in public, if possible, but apparently most of the people down here don't even know who I am, so that shouldn't be too problematic. Or at least that's what I'm told by Maya. Maya is who me and Zayd are going to visit today – Ella will be remaining outside as Maya isn't fond of the soldiers here, to put it lightly. Maya is an old lady, the oldest on Ceres, who came here after her son. Her son came to Ceres nine years ago aboard the Persephone, and she joined him up here just two years ago. Unlike most of the other Palestinians here, she speaks English. She told me that she learnt it at an International College in Cairo… wherever Cairo is. It seems sad that she has travelled so far, and yet now… she's dying. She's sickly – you can smell it. She says she doesn't regret coming to Ceres, after all she enjoys seeing her last living relative again, but when she speaks of Earth its' always with a tone of longingness in her voice. All Earthlings are like that. Until recently, I never understood that feeling of theirs. Homesickness they called it. But I do understand it now. If I had to leave here on Ceres forever, I think I would come to hate it. Luna is my birthplace, and my home. It is the only world that I've ever known. Even if Ceres seems similar to Luna in a lot of ways, it doesn't make the distance home feel any shorter.

Maya greets me cheerfully, and yells at us to come into her home. As I enter with Zayd close behind me, I see her sitting in her usual chair. Even though the Palestinians live in poor conditions here in the tunnels, the one thing they do have is that their apartments are far larger and homelike than the ones in the settlement proper. The apartment that Maya shares with her son is about three times the size of my own.

"It's good to see you again, Akira," Maya says, a delighted tone in her voice, "and you must be Zayd. You really are handsome, just like Akira says."

This is the second time I've come to see Maya. I met her the first time I came out to the tunnels, and before I realised, I'd been listening to her talk for two hours. She's probably not what you would expect from a wizened ancient Muslim woman. I notice that Zayd is staring at me, looking unsettled. Oh, I forgot to mention that…

"Sorry, I should've said. I told Maya about us the day before yesterday."

"Don't worry," Maya chimes in, "my own son was in a relationship with a younger man up here. A boy named Petr. I'm not going to judge you for it. In fact, there's plenty like that here. Men in a relationship with other men. Probably because they became lonely, being so far away from their wives for such a long time."

"I see…" Zayd looks at me, still clearly upset.

"Come sit. Sit! Both of you look ridiculous standing in the doorway like that. Especially you, Akira, your far too tall to stand up straight in this place."

Indeed, I am too tall to stand up properly in Maya's home. There's far less than three metres of space between the floor and the roof within this small hovel. The two of us sit down next to each other on a couch across from Maya.

"So, what did you want to discuss, Akira?"

"I was wondering if I could ask what you thought of the Imam."

My business in the tunnels for the past three days has been to ask the people living here, the Palestinians, their opinion of the Council, specifically the Imam. The Imam's position on the council comes from his authority as a representative of the Palestinian population. Therefore, it is important before deciding whether I want him back on the council, to listen to the opinion of the people that he's supposed to be representing. I've asked many people the same question already, however, and have almost unanimously been given the same answer each time.

"The Imam… he hasn't done anything for us. He abandoned us for a comfy apartment up in the compound. Since he was given the position on the council, he's stopped caring or fighting for us here in the tunnels."

As I thought. Maya gave me the same answer as everyone else down here: the Imam abandoned us, he does not represent us.

"I see. Then, who would be a good representative for the Palestinians?"

Maya thought about it, "I probably shouldn't say this since my son works for Medano rather than them, but the leader of the ICMU might be a good choice. He's well regarded in the community, and has managed to build the ICMU up from nothing. I don't know whether that would make him a good councillor…"

She continues rambling on as Maya does, but none of her other suggestions come with half as much validation. The ICMU, who's leader she has recommended, is the Independent Ceres Miners' Union. A group of independent Palestinian miners who broke away from Medano to form their own business and give themselves a more equal share of the profits. They formed around the time Governor Montague stepped down. The miners seized the Medano owned mining ships, and began operating independently. Eventually, they were forced to return all but one ship to Medano, however they've been able to increase the size of their fleet since then, back up to three. Most of the miners, however, left the ICMU during this time, as they needed the money their jobs at Medano gave them, which are more stable than the ICMU.

"… there's also Sayyad bin Osman, though I don't know if he would be suitable…"

"Sayyad bin Osman? Who's he?" I ask. The name sounds familiar for some reason, but I don't remember any of the Palestinians that I've talked to mentioning him before.

"I don't know much about him personally, but he's well known throughout the community. People respect him, whether they like him or not is another matter… oh! I heard that he used to be on the council at some point. Years ago, under another governor."

Maya's last two sentences make me remember where I recognize that name from. Sayyad bin Osman served on the council under Seine Montague for a time, resigning shortly before she stepped down as Governor. I don't know much else about him, but if he used to be on the council, I'll be able to find out more from records of old council meetings. Coming here turned out to be worthwhile after all.

The three of us, myself and Zayd, with the Centurion trailing behind us, make our way back toward the settlement proper. I would've liked to visit a few more people out here in the tunnels, but Zayd has to get to work, and, anyway, I think I now have a pretty good idea what the Palestinians want from the council, and how I may be able to achieve those wants.

"What did you think of Maya?"

"She seems like a nice lady," Zayd responded, "not what you would expect though."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"Why did you bring me with you to see her?"

"Huh?" Zayd's tone throws me off. He seems angry for some reason, "I wanted to get your opinion of her. I'm thinking about making her a member of the council."

"Oh, I see. Well, I can see why you'd want to choose her, but I don't think that's a wise decision. The Palestinians will think they're being mocked by you if you choose a woman to represent them."

"Because their sexist?"

"Because that's how they've grown up, Akira. It's their way of life. It wouldn't surprise me if she refuses a position on the council for that exact reason – because it isn't her place."

Zayd and I go back to walking in silence. The two of us walking side by side, Ella continuing to trail behind us. For some reason, Zayd still sounds upset, though I don't know what it is, the reason why he is upset, that is. Do I ask him? I feel that it perhaps is something that might be better left unsaid, but I don't understand, I have to know.

"Did I do something to upset you?"

Zayd shakes his head, "it's nothing. It isn't important."

"Come on, tell me…" I say to Zayd, "I want to know."

Zayd sighs, and contemplates my request. He purses his lips, continuing on for a time without replying.

"I just thought… I thought maybe you got me to come see that lady, Maya, because you wanted me to hear what she said about her son. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought that might be why."

"Why would I do that?"

"To convince me that it would be fine for us to be more public about our relationship. It just seemed like something you would do, but if that's not the case, then it doesn't matter."

It wasn't my intention to do that. I did know that Maya's son had been in a homosexual relationship, but I had not meant for Zayd to think that that was the reason I had brought him with me. I truly only wanted him to see what Maya is like as a person. I already have an idea, a shortlist if you will, of who I want on the council, but Maya is one that I'm still unsure of. Unsure whether she would be willing, capable, and useful, to have on my council.

"Well, whether it means anything to you, that wasn't my intention. I wasn't meaning anything else by it."

"Okay, I believe you."

That's what Zayd says anyway, but I don't think he really believes me. What Zayd says, and what he does are not always necessarily the same.