A Galaxy Unknown 10: Azula Carver (14 page)

"Yes, but we believed we could dredge the lake and use filtered sediments to enrich the land."

"That lake has already been dredged and the sediments were used to create fertilizer for the farms. All you'd get now is sand and rock."

"We didn't know that."

"In time, wild grasses, bushes, and trees will take over the unimproved land and continue the restoration process of the soil there through normal, seasonal plant decay."

"So you won't sell us any land?"

"No— but I do have fertilized land ready for tenant farmers who are willing to work hard and grow their own crops. After the meteor struck, many former tenants moved to Nordakia and became tenants there. They haven't returned, and the leases on the land they once farmed are available to new lessees."

"I'll have to ask my people if such an arrangement would be acceptable. We've always owned our own land."

"Leasing from the nobility is rather similar to owning the land. You can do whatever you wish on the land, unless your actions violate the necessary environmental laws which protect the lands of your neighbors. You can't pass on ownership of the land to offspring or other relatives when you die, but you can reassign the lease to them through provisions in your will. In that way, control of the land stays in the family. The only exception is that no two or more farms can be controlled by the same individual, and no adjoining farms can be controlled by relatives closer than second cousins. If your people are interested in becoming tenants, there are a number of other requirements they'll have to accept."

"Such as?"

"Throughout history, people emigrating to foreign lands have immediately established enclaves where they could feel more comfortable and practice the rituals and customs they had been practicing in their former nations. It makes perfect sense that this would happen, but complete separation from neighbors frequently causes mistrust on the part of the other citizens. The most successful immigration programs in GA space have been the ones that literally force immigrants to assimilate into the existing society. At first, they won't be nearly as comfortable as they would if they could simply sequester themselves in an enclave where everyone speaks the language of their homeland, enjoys the same ethnic foods, practices the same rituals, and, most especially, worships in the same religion. But in the long run, the migration is far more successful for the nation and for the immigrants themselves. Some say that diversity is good and argue that a mixing of cultures enriches the lives of all. The problem has always been that there is seldom any real mixing when groups establish their own enclaves and remain apart and distinct. Each individual seeks the comfortable path, and that path lies with the known rather than the unknown. That's not acceptable here. We have one form of government and one religion. Any émigrés would have to outwardly embrace both."

"You can't ask us to worship a different god."

"I didn't say that. What you do in the privacy of your own home is your business. You simply will not be allowed to worship a different god in public or openly display any religious materials inconsistent with Nordakia's one true religion. You will also not be allowed to dress in accordance with your former religious doctrine or attempt to impose any of your former values on anyone else, including fellow émigrés. In short, you are asking to join us here. If we permit you to stay, you must actually
join
us and adapt to our laws and systems.
We
will not adapt to you, your customs, your religion, or your former laws. If you can't accept that, we'll attempt to help you find another planet where they might welcome you or at least accept your presence."

"I don't think my people would agree to those terms. The rules of our religion are very strict. We cannot deviate from them even the slightest."

"I understand. And I'm sorry it has to be this way. You see, throughout known history, religion has been responsible for more death and destruction than any other ten issues combined, including power and greed. In fact, fanatics of one religion on Earth have been fighting other factions of the
same
religion for over fifteen centuries and continue to fight to this day. Neither side has a chance of winning, because you can't force the entire population of a planet to believe the same way you do when your own neighbors won't even believe the same things you do. But many people in that religion firmly believe they will win if they can just fight long enough. So they fight and they die, and their sons and daughters fight and die, and their grandsons and granddaughters fight and die, and their great-grandsons and great-granddaughters fight and die. And on and on and on, century after century.

"It's probably most interesting that the ancestors of the people of Nordakia originally came from the planet Dakistee. Those ancestors left Dakistee because their religious beliefs had, over time and through the efforts of certain religious leaders, deviated from the beliefs of the majority on Dakistee. So we understand firsthand how damaging religion can be to a culture."

"And how do you stop some people from becoming disenchanted with their religion?"

"We don't. But no one is required to attend services, so if they don't wish to worship the teaching of the one true book, they're free not to. However, if they attempt to begin a sect which follows different teachings and gather like-minded individuals to join them, the government will support their effort to leave the planet so they can start their own religion somewhere else."

"What if they begin a movement to abolish all religion?"

"It's been tried over and over by governments and groups on Earth, and it's always failed. People
want
to believe in a supreme being, or at least a supreme truth; especially during difficult times. Our government here is not unresponsive to the needs and desires of our people, and we don't try to tell them how to think, but we do pay attention to dissenters and troublemakers to ensure things don't get out of hand. We have a wonderful system here. It works and works well. I'm not saying it would work as well elsewhere, but we have just the right amount of freedom and religion with limited government involvement. That last part is always the key. Government should never get too intrusive into the lives of its people. Governments are supposed to serve the people— not the other way around. We provide services when people need them and back away when they don't."

"Yet you don't allow people to choose the religion they want to follow?"

"As I said, you're free to worship any god you choose
in your own home
. And you can practice any religious custom you formerly practiced
inside your own home
. You are free to do anything you wish
inside your home
, providing it doesn't violate Nordakian laws intended to protect the people of Nordakia and Obotymot."

"But I can't attempt to interest others in joining my religion of choice?"

"As long as it occurs
only
in
your
own home, and the others are not being held there against their will, you are free to discuss it with them. If they disagree, they have to be free to leave."

"And if enough people agree that our religion is better, can we then go public?"

"No, but you're free to leave the planet and find a new home. As I've already said, if you wish to settle here, you must embrace our laws and values and adapt to our way of life, fully, outside your home.
We
are not going to adapt to
your
former way of life. We are not going to honor the brave heroes of Yolongus or celebrate the holidays established on Yolongus in their honor. We will not allow you to fly any other nation's flag or display it where it can be seen from outside your home. We are not going to change our dietary laws to agree with Yolongus religious scripture. If life was so wonderful on Yolongus, you would not have left. Since you're obviously here looking for a new life, you must break completely with the old one, continue your search for a home on another planet, or return to Yolongus with our blessing. You cannot pick and choose only the best parts of life from both cultures as if you're picking dinner items in a restaurant. If you choose to stay here, you
must
accept that your life is going to change and perhaps change dramatically. But isn't change what you were seeking?"

"Being from Earth originally, do you practice the one true religion of Nordakia?"

"I've studied the religion extensively and found many consistencies between it and the religion my family practiced on Earth. Most religions seem to have had a simple premise at their inception— namely— worship of a non-temporal being. It's only when senior people in the religious hierarchy start adding esoteric rituals for the express purpose of making their religion appear more divinely inspired, or for testing the devotion of their followers, that things begin to deviate. It's happened in every religion I'm familiar with. I am in concert with the one true faith of Nordakia and support it one hundred percent."

"I'll put the issues to my people, and see what they wish to do. Are you available to speak with them as you have me?"

"With the understanding that what I've told you is not open to debate. It's an either/or choice. Either accept our requirements for immigration, or we'll assist you in leaving to find a home elsewhere. I'll provide enough food for your journey and help you find a suitable, habitable planet. Region One doesn't have a great selection of available planets with the climatic conditions you were used to on Yolongus, but I know of several in Regions Two and Three that might satisfy you, as long as you understand you'll be starting from scratch with no infrastructure already in place. In other words, the uninhabited planets are in a primitive state."

"I'll explain that to my people as well."

~     ~     ~

Jenetta was asked to come back several days later to discuss the terms for remaining on Obotymot and answer questions. She had prepared a handout that addressed all of the key points and brought enough copies so every adult would get one. A small stage had been erected from which she could speak. The Jumakas took up positions on either side. After addressing each point on the handout, she opened the session to questions.

Hands immediately shot up. She pointed to one of the closer citizens and he stood up.

"Azula, will we get to select the farm we want?"

"Good question. Anyone interested in farming will first be interviewed by one of my farm managers. Afterwards, they'll be offered a choice of three farms. They should then visit each of them. Some will have homes already on them and some will be virgin land. The farm managers will help arrange loans for construction if there is no home on the farm. All farms available for leasing have water already piped to the location. If the land is not presently fertilized, sufficient fertilizer will be delivered as soon as the farm is let. If none of the three farms are acceptable, the farm managers will offer a new selection of three more choices. And yet a third selection will be offered if the farmer can't find an acceptable farm among the first two groups. Once you pass on selecting from a group of three farms, those farms will be immediately available to other candidates and may no longer be available to you if you decide later than you want one of them, so please understand that when you pass them up. I know some are going to want to be very near friends and relatives. Let me tell you right now that the selection process is intended to ensure that doesn't happen. We don't want you to be too close to friends and past neighbors. We want you to make new friends from among the existing population, and that process will be best served by isolating you, to a degree."

"You're intentionally separating us from family and friends?"

"Yes. They won't be so far off that you can't easily visit them, but they won't be on farms that adjoin the farm you're leasing."

Jenetta selected another person for the next question.

"Azula, will we really be welcome here?"

"That will largely depend on you. My tenants are all hard-working people who love this land and are fiercely proud of their farms and their families. They enjoy interacting with their neighbors and sharing agricultural information. They are not in competition with one another. Their only enemy is nature, and they work in a cooperative environment that benefits all. If you are friendly and welcome them into your hearts and homes, I have no doubt they will reciprocate."

Another asked, "What guarantee do we have that if we make our farms highly successful the government won't step in and take them away?"

"This is not Yolongus, and there is no corrupt Triumvirate here. I am the government. As long as you obey Nordakian and Obotymot law, and annually share your produced crop as required in your lease agreement, you remain as the tenant.

"You manage your own farm, but we provide support all along the way, and then we share the crop. We want you to be successful. The more successful
you
are, the happier
we
are. That's why we have farm management experts who will advise you if you have a problem and who conduct regular teaching sessions in town halls throughout each district. This is a cooperative effort all the way. The lessee always has first right of lease renewal, and in fact the lease is automatically extended from year to year unless the lessee informs us they wish to be let out of the lease. The farm will never be taken from you for other than good and valid reasons. The only one I can think of at the moment is if you choose not to grow a crop for two seasons or more. You can't simply camp on farmland you're not working and allow it to go fallow without good reason. I invite everyone to ask the farmers in the areas you visit if they know of anyone who has ever had their farm taken from them or if I have not been a good and fair landlord.

"If you have a problem, you should first contact your farm management representative. If he or she fails to resolve your issue to your satisfaction, you should next contact a local magistrate. If he or she fails to resolve your issue, you should bring it to my chamberlain. If he fails to resolve your issue, you should bring it to me. I'm always available to intercede in any problem, but I ask that you follow the proper channels. At no point would you wait more than two weeks for an answer."