Rise of A Queen: Aster's Story

Chapter 9

Aster ended her video chat with Morax. It had gone very well and she hoped to have a contract on her desk soon that would make them both happy and profitable. She rubbed her eyes, feeling like she would go cross-eyed if she had to read one more file, but she knew Jase would be barging in at any moment to start their work over again. She stood up and stretched her back, and then paced the room trying to work out some of the tension she felt. She had been queen for less than a week, and she was already starting to doubt her choice. Maybe this time she had bit off more than she could chew. A business she was good at; communicating with people from a variety of cultures was something she was good at, but the idea of being responsible for so much was overwhelming. She liked the idea of giving some of the load to the elders. If they had the experience to give her recommendations, then they could just make some of the decisions instead. They could make many decisions collectively, and she could just give it her final stamp of approval. She was going to discuss this with them as soon as possible. "Your Highness, are you ready to get back to work?" Jase entered her office with an entire cart of files and she groaned. "Jase, today I do not like you. I know I need to get a lot of things done, but I am so tired of looking at these damn files." Jase gave her a puzzled look, "Well, I could send them to you digitally if that would help." Aster shook her head, "No that's not what I meant, although I do think we should transition over to all digital files, I just don't want there to be so many things that need my attention." Jase took a seat and pulled out a small stack. "Well, you're the Queen. That comes with a lot of responsibility. I must say, I am glad it's you and not me. If this workload gets any worse you will need a whole team in here, not just me." Aster pulled a folder across the table towards her and opened it. After reading for a moment, she looked back up at Jase, who was ready to take notes. "That, my dear assistant, is exactly what we are going to do. Now tell me, can I technically tell the Elder Council what to do?"

Lyra left her office at the orphanage and went to the lunchroom to help corral the kids. There were so many of them, and she was really sad that many of them would age out without getting adopted. She tried to give them all as much attention as she possibly could, but it just wasn't enough. She wondered if there was something different they could try and made a mental note to ask Aster for her recommendation. Today was tacos and the kids made quite a mess with all the toppings. She walked to a table where a group of older children sat talking. "Well, hello, guys. Tell me, what has you all stirred up today?" They looked at her with excited eyes, "We want to see the new Queen. I heard she is very beautiful and a warrior", one girl said around mouthfuls of food. "Yes, and I heard she was rich before she became Queen. Do you think she will want to adopt one of us?" Lyra smiled at their chatter and sat down at the table, "Well, I will let you in on a little secret. I know the new Queen very well and I think she is planning a very special party for you all. I heard she was going to come back and meet everyone. Maybe you can ask her if she will want to adopt one of you, but even if she doesn't, I think she will love this place and come visit as much as she can." Lyra made a decision right then to plan a party for the kids, and she knew she would be able to get Lyra to come and meet all the kids. She thought about their conversation on their wedding night and wondered if she would be opposed to adoption. It would be nice to have rowdy kids filling their quarters. Right now, the birds are the only ones that bring any cheer into their home. Maybe sometime soon it will be filled with laughter and happiness. They just had to learn how to be a couple first. Arranged marriages were a work in progress, but she had faith that it would all work out in the end.

Rigel sat in the captain's chair and wondered what Aster was doing. This would be the longest they had ever been separated, and he hated it. Usually, they attacked goals and problems together, but this time Aster had landed herself right in a big pot of headache and she would have to manage as best as she could until he could get there. The Canis people may now be her number one priority, but he had to keep their merchant business as his number one priority. Well, at least until they were able to sit down and figure everything out. Perhaps this Lyra would be able to help a little bit. She was the king's daughter, surely she had learned something other than how to look pretty and throw nice little parties. He scrolled through a book he found about the Canis people and culture. He had a little experience with them, but since they were not part of his normal route, he hadn't made an effort to know much until now. The more he learned, the more he felt like things were going to be pretty easy to manage. He liked that they were such an accepting culture. Sexuality and gender fluidity were very open and accepted, so having a polyamorous monarchy would not be a problem. Well, they would be accepting, it would be between him, Aster, and Lyra to work out the bumps and find a way to make it all work. His crew entered the ship with newly acquired supplies and took them down to the storage at the bottom of the ship. He put away the tablet that he was reading on and joined them in loading everything. Once they had it all in one place, he took his seat and locked in the coordinates for their next location. Every stop they made brought him closer to his fiance.

Aster put away the last file and was leaving her office when she ran into one of the Elders. She gave a slight bow of her head, "Good evening Elder. Is there something I can help you with?" She had forgotten his name, and it was so hard to tell because they all looked so much alike, so she tried to play it off. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I was hoping to catch you before you were done for the day. I wanted to talk to you about the royal harem." Aster's eyes widened slightly, "Okay. You can come inside my office if you would like to talk about it." He shook his head no, "I was hoping you would accompany me there, and I could fill you in as we go." Aster nodded in agreement. "That would be fine. Tell me, how can I help you?" They walked to an area of the space center that she had never been to before. It was near the Royal offices, kind of nestled between the business offices and where they hosted official events. It was easily accessible from her living quarters, work, and where she would be expected to entertain official guests. She realized this was very intentional. "Have you ever been to the royal harem my Queen?" Aster shook her head, "No, I can't say that I have. I know that we have one, but I haven't given it any thought." The elder continued down the hallway, "The people who work in the harm choose to do so, many of them enjoy the freedom of the lifestyle and others do it because it is a very well-paying job. They can afford nice things, pay for education, or take care of their families. We keep a list of applicants and when someone puts in to leave, the King, or in this case, the Queen looks over them and chooses which ones to hire. There is a wide variety of staff, and their data tells everyone who visits what they specialize in. Not everyone in the harem is willing to do the same things, but there is enough variety of employees to meet every reasonable need. Only the King, or in this case, the Queen has access to the harem, unless they give someone else access, like visiting royalty or dignitaries. Even then, you could choose staff members who would be available to you only." Aster listened intently, wondering what exactly he needed from her. "I see. That is a good thing to know. I am afraid I may not know when exactly or who exactly to extend that type of curtsey to, so this may be something I take the Elder Council's direction on, but I am sure over time I will be able to discern for myself." The Elder nodded in agreement as they stood outside a large ornate wooden door. It had beautiful detail carved into it, and Aster heard soothing music playing inside. "We would like you to walk through the harem and assess the staff members. We have a few that are ready to leave and you will need to choose replacements if you so desire. I think they are feeling a little insecure about their situation because you are not a native Canis." Aster smiled, "I see. Well, let's meet everyone, shall we? Let's start with the ones that are ready to find new employment. Then I would love to see what services are available." The Elder pressed the button next to the intercom, and the door audibly unlocked. They stepped into a beautiful open room where several people lounged in varying types of dress or undress. A very stern older woman walked up to them and gave a tight smile before bowing at the waist. "Your Highness, we are so pleased to have you here. Tell me, what is your pleasure today?" Aster gave her a small bow of her head. "I would like to meet with your staff that has put in their notice of intent to leave. Once I have met with them, I would like a walkthrough of the harem and an opportunity to meet the rest of the staff." The woman motioned to a door at the back of the room, "Excellent. If you follow me this way, I will give you a comfortable room and I will send in each one at a time."