“How much is it going to hurt?”
“Directly? Not at all.”
“How about ‘indirectly’?”
“So, imagine that sphere again . . .”
“Don’t dodge the question!”
“It shouldn’t hurt too much . . . indirectly.”
Ken decided to be quiet and listen.
“Once again, imagine that sphere. Now, imagine yourself inside that sphere. The energy inside it is unaffected by that image. While keeping that image in mind, start another image . . . sort of like viewing a cut screen on television. In that second ‘screen,’ I want you to image yourself again, but this time, better, more skilled, stronger and faster.”
“That’s a tall order, not to mention vague.”
“It gets easier.”
“Now what do I do?”
“Take that second image of yourself and overlay it over the ‘you’ inside the sphere.”
Ken wondered what the effect would be, and skeptically did as Silver asked.
There was a cold sensation that spread from his center to all his limbs, but disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. His eyes flew open. He felt . . . different. How different, he didn’t know. He felt it . . . knew it.
“What was that . . . ?” he wondered aloud.
“That, my friend, is what is known as an ‘Overlap’.”
“Overlap? You mean like what I just did in my head with those two images?”
“Precisely! This allows you to take a version of yourself from a parallel reality, and reinforce yourself. You can also play with the differentials. For example, giving yourself more speed than strength. There is a limit. The ‘better’ your Overlapped self, the harder it will be to maintain your concentration.”
“Can I Overlap an Overlap?”
“Theoretically one can, but you would need something akin to multiple personalities to do so. The average manipulator can’t do it.” He then smiled. “Care to try it out?”
Ken hefted his pipe.
Silver did the same. “Just do like you normally do. You’ll see the results.”
Ken didn’t waste any time, and rushed Silver. Ken did feel that his body was faster and his reflexes heightened. He swung the pipe, and Silver dodged it. Ken leapt back and fired two large blasts, Silver taking to the sky to avoid them.
Ken extended his wings, and dashed upward, colliding with Silver. Ken used an unorthodox approach, grabbing Silver around the collar, and threw him toward the ground, face first. Silver slowed his descent, and cart-wheeled quickly to avoid Ken’s energy shot.
As he cart-wheeled, Silver fired upward to his target but the shot was blocked. Ken rushed down, avoiding two more shots. Ken pulled his arm back to swing.
Silver stepped aside and swung his staff into Ken’s chest.
Due to his speed, Ken tumbled forward, rolled several times, and ended up on his back. Again.
“Ow . . .” he whined. “Didn’t this happen a few minutes ago?”
“What did you think?” Silver asked, walking over.
Ken sat up. “Overlapping doesn’t seem so great. I could barely get a hit on you.”
“Even an enhanced ‘average’ version of yourself can’t beat me, since I’m more skilled than you. Besides, you were trying to enhance every aspect of yourself instead of concentrating on one or two attributes.”
“And why am I learning this again?”
“You’re going to need it really soon. You might want to practice while I’m not here. And trying to trip me up by asking the same questions over and over won’t work.”
Ken shrugged. “You can’t blame me for trying.”
* * *
Ken and Sasha were doing preparations for dinner when Alisa walked up the stairs. He noticed her out of the corner of his eye, and saw Cassandra wasn’t with her. They should have both arrived together from college.
“Where’s Cassandra?”
“Still out in the car.”
“Something wrong with it?”
“I don’t think so. She just got very quiet when I was driving.
Ken stopped. She most certainly said ‘when I was driving.’
She – Alisa – had driven.
He ran down the stairs, out to the driveway to the sports car.
Cassandra was in the passenger’s seat, not moving.
Ken opened the passenger’s side door. “I told you, didn’t I?”
She slowly turned to him. “Am I alive?” she faintly said.
“That joke’s already been done!”
Talsenia
Talsenia is a planet orbiting a star called Avalt. It is the fourth planet in an area with a total of seven planets. Two moons orbit Talesnia: Naytide, with a fast orbit, and Raytide, with a very slow orbit. Neither moon has been terraformed, but there are two research centers on each. Talsenia has four seasons, with the first and second being mild in temperature, the third being considered the “rainy season,” and the last being cold. Snow does not normally fall, except in the mountains. Fifty percent of the planet is covered in water.
Language
The major language, spoken by 90% of the populace, is Talsenic. Some dialects of Talsenic exist in rural and other out of the way areas, but contain enough similar terms that they are mostly intelligible. All major cities use Talsenic Standard for duty and legal documents. Over half the population speaks Entine Standard and mixtures of languages from other cultures. Talsenic Standard has very few ‘flowery’ words in its vocabulary, instead relying on an efficient exchange of minimal wording. Dialects may use other terms, but are not considered to be parts of Talsenic Standard.
People
Talsenia is based on order and patterns. Military discipline is a core tenant, taught to children from an early age. The division of military discipline is separated from military ‘combat,’ in that discipline is necessary to realize, work within, and accept your role as part of society.
The population makeup is approximately 92% native Talsenians and 8% other. The total population is approximately three billion. The male and female populations are currently out of balance, with males at 41% of the population, and females at 59%.
Galactic Relations
With nearly all major conflicts ending on the planet, Talsenians are often contracted by the Entine Republic for their tactical abilities and combat skills. Talsenians do not generally enter the Entine military, though Entine is part of the Republic. Their view of military protocol and prohibition of nearly all male entry into their military service give it a unique position in the Republic.
Immigrants to Talsenia are expected to follow Talsenian law. Those from Talsenia who are on duty to other planets are expected to be examples of the honor and upbringing of the Talsenian people – in effect, everyone who is not currently on Talsenia serves as a non-commissioned ambassador. Talsenia has no qualms about extraditing criminals to other planets when a matter has been fully investigated.
Culture
Talsenia is a matriarchal society, with males assuming their wife’s surname. Females assume work roles, males assuming domestic roles. Males are banned from the majority of physical work – of their own volition, due to “The Change.”
Five major events happen during the Talsenian year: the “New Year Festival,” to greet the new year with a fresh state of mind; the “Harvest Festival,” during the third season; “Remembrance,” to remember those fallen during the year; “The Change,” reflecting on the reversal of gender roles; and “Induction,” celebrating the anniversary of entering the Entine Republic.
Government
Talsenia is a democratic republic, with a rotation of elected officials every five years. There are liaisons between countries, planets and the Entine Assembly.
Law
Talsenian law is quick and efficient, especially when it comes to violations of the law. It shares many of the same core laws as other planets: outlawing theft,
murder – except in self-defense – and slavery, but also invokes a unique law found few places elsewhere in the Republic: respect for the gender division. Women are expected to provide for their families, and men are expected to take care of their families. Slander against the roles is a crime that is investigated and punishable based on the severity of the slander.
Religion
Talsenia has many religions, the most prominent being a monotheistic creation deity, the god of war, and judge of the dead. 70% of the population ascribes to being theistic. Influences on Talsenia society is pronounced, but government is separated from religion in policy.
Imports and Exports
Talsenia is the exclusive manufacturer of the TLS-079 Gatling Cannon, used on many ‘Darts,’ the atmospheric, transformable fighter that is the mainstay attack craft in the Republic. Its rapid fire technology and cooling abilities makes it a valuable asset.
Tourism is a regular facet of the Talsenian economy. It is a popular destination for cultures that have a similar militaristic background. The historical museum in the capital of Motelum has a large collection of military goods and weapons from many planets in the Republic.
Talsenia also supplies a fair amount of Yvonite as part of the Republic’s backup plan.
Major Events
The Decimation War
One of the last large-scale planet-wide conflicts happened five hundred years before the present. The Decimation War reduced the male population from 53% to 42%. It had the highest death toll among any war the Talsenians had fought, and the longest: over ten years.
The Change
Due to the final escalated conflict, the balance of power shifted in favor of women. A further conflict of that scale would lead to irreversible damage to the populace. It was thought that male aggression was the culprit, and therefore needed to be held in check. The reversal of traditional gender roles was proposed by the new female majority. Resistance to the idea was fierce at first, but evaporated quickly. In an exceedingly short span of time – one year – the movement was embraced by the majority of the planet. After “The Change” was adopted, resistance came – not from the males, but the females.
The Talsenian engineer and ‘incidental philosopher,’ Kessoka Airsi, became disillusioned with the reversal after like-minded individuals started adopting different positions:
“They had asked for my opinion countless times. In some ways, perhaps I agreed with them – but only to an extent. After all, weren’t we in danger of losing more men if another war like the Decimation happened? A genius – and I use that term lightly – deemed that physical labor was the key, and therefore needed to be regulated, curbed, and limited. The roles that men and women had needed to be reversed – for the sake of everyone, they said.
I am highly skeptical when someone says they are doing something for my sake, without any input from me. I asked them if they realized the scope of what they were doing. But like anyone drunk on the power they had just assumed, they dismissed all reservations, saying that it would iron itself out.
I wrote – at length – about the possible ramifications – specifically so that they wouldn’t continue to ask for more opinions from me, yet there were few takers. Many felt this was their chance to usurp from the “patriarchy,” and lead Talsenia to a glorious future. I could only think of the poor men and boys who were bearing the brunt of everything simply for being born with their reproductive organs on the outside of their bodies.
As the tide favoring this change increased to an unstoppable force of nature, I kept feeling a nagging sensation that this wasn’t the best of ideas. It didn’t ease the feeling that the prior resistance from the men dried up overnight. Overnight would be an exaggeration, but that was what it felt like. Women hailed this as the turning point, a victory for women and the survival of Talsenia. All the while, I could see their salivating fangs, wondering how to exploit the situation.
In the end, men were to avoid overtly physical work, and take up domestic chores. No one was conscious when the men asked for what was defined as overtly physical work. When they were given the vague answer of jobs like construction, heavy equipment, military service and the like, and that this gender reversal would take effect immediately after adoption, the men agreed, and true to their word, they complied.
Every male abandoned his job in the following areas: military, construction, mining, assembly, farming, sewage, waste management, and repairs.
It didn’t take long for everything to come to a complete stop. When men were demanded that they give a reason for their ‘desertion,’ the men simply replied that they did what they were told to do. And this brought women to a dead silence.
The greatest con in Talsenian history had happened: not by men deceiving women, but rather women deceiving themselves.
I saw my sisters who had championed for a new way of life for ‘the survival of the planet,’ suddenly realize the gravity of the change: the full gender reversal had now put women into positions of high authority – and high responsibility.
I saw the greatest voice against military service. Where women had been excluded from it, they were required, nay, demanded to enter the service.
Sewage? Waste disposal? Most women never thought they would have to take up occupations such as those. Farming? Of course, food magically appears and takes no hard work.
I saw steadfast proponents of the switch try to backpedal in some hopes of alleviating their responsibility. The clues to what consequences awaiting them were easy enough to put together, yet they feigned ignorance at the result. However, their opinions had already been locked and recorded for posterity.
“This was not how it was supposed to be!” they cried.
Yet the deed was done.
I have concerns for our descendants, that they may be deluded into assuming there was unanimous support when the truth is a sizable populace thought it would simply be a way to control men and free themselves from responsibility, when in fact they had been shouldered with a heavier burden.
My mate, not a ‘thinking man’ but a ‘doer,’ stated the oft-repeated adage “Be careful what you wish for. You may just get it.” When I had asked him, in retrospect, what he thought of the role change, he replied: ‘Would I rather take care of a family, or put my life and physical health on the line?’
The reply was rhetorical, but served as his answer. Since we had fully stepped into responsibility, we had no choice but to abide by it, ‘we’ who pursued this change. In doing so, we may have failed to consider the future. While we may be grateful for the change, the question is: would our progeny?”
Due to the world-spanning change, the yearly tracking was changed to A.C., or After Change. The Change happened mid-year, therefore 1 A.C. only lasted half a year. Years prior to the Change are referred to as P.C., or Pre-Change.
Forrar Conflict – 6 A.C.
Five years after the gender reversal, the country of Forrar took advantage of chaos in its neighbor. The country of Streng had not fully adapted to the change, and using this opportunity, Forrar invaded Streng for resources.
Streng had all but dissolved its military, which left very little resistance to Forrar’s assault.
Further neighbors were in the same situation as Streng, in which military power had been substantially reduced. With men prevented from entering the military, women of adult age were asked, and then drafted, into military service.
Once a resisting force had been assembled, it took a matter of months for the Forrar force to be expelled, and placed under heavy observation by all neighboring countries.
This conflict led to the adoption of the military draft system. Males were allowed to enter the service under provisional, non-combat roles.
Rise of Istory – 7 A.C.
While other counties were involved in the Forrar conflict, the country of Istory secretly stockpiled weapons and armor in its mountainous regions. While they supplied some forces against Forrar, the
y used the explanation that much of their military had been dismantled after the Change, and materials used in infrastructure.
One year after the Forrar conflict ended, Istory used the intervening period to launch strikes against neighbors, and steamrolled across various fronts, claiming artillery and armor as they spread out.
It was a small group of special forces from the county of Aggrark, by the name of the Grey Zephyrs, which infiltrated Istory and eliminated the command structure of the country. Without orders, their forces rapidly fell into disarray, morale collapsed, and the Istory forces were quickly destroyed. The conflict lasted three years.
Military Service – 12 A.C.
After the war with Istory, countries convened to dictate mandatory military service for its citizens. Of the many reasons for the service, the most prominent was that even in the baptism by fire through the battles against Forrar and Istory, experience in military affairs was lacking, and if there was more experience, the wars may have been far shorter.
Four years of mandatory military service was instituted for citizens, starting at age twenty. Each year of foreign service counted toward this quota.
Normalcy – 42 A.C.
By 42 A.C., the Change had become a way of life, and had fully integrated itself into Entine life. Both genders, with minor exceptions, had become accustomed to the reversal of roles, and many had been born after the Change, and as such, knew of nothing else.
Marsene Guiles, billed as a successor of the late Kessoka Airsi, became a well-read novelist and commentator of how the world had changed, based on historical record:
“Looking back on how things had changed, I find myself laughing when I research the past and rely on stories from my grandparents, and grandparents of friends. I remembered listening to their stories when I was young, and being fascinated by the fact that as much as things had changed, just as much had stayed the same.
When the Change happened, it was said there would be no more war, since that was something started by men. And yet we had two wars within a short time span.
I look at the interaction of the genders now, and compared to how things were before, women had it far easier. They were the ones who had the pick of suitors, the ones they chose to associate with, and the ones they would chose as their partners for the remainders of their lives.