Star Kitten (44 page)

That’s right. He needed to gain his lover’s
consent (which he knew he could achieve by nothing more than a
simple sincere request). That was the first order of business.
However, he also wanted it known everywhere throughout the planet
that he’d done so. That’s why he chose to propose to her right in
the middle of the Tribal Confederation Assembly later that month!
This bold act would send the message to all Nausties, that females
could and should become mated to a male and partnered with that
male for life. This could change everything. Families could be
started, and offspring could be raised correctly by their parents
according to each tribe’s customs. New Australia could have a new
generation of heirs to their free and independent planet.

Once this was set into motion, the whole
culture of the planet would be altered. A ritual for the creation
of this “Marriage” would have to be performed. And the rules and
format for the first one would need to be devised right there in
the Tribal Confederation Assembly as well, setting the precedent
for thousands more to come.

Yes, the happy couple needed to get married!
And a real WEDDING needed to be planned: one that would show all
beings on the planet how a male—of any species—could commit his
loyalty and devotion to something other than just himself or his
tribe. That’s why when Solomon stood up to be recognized before the
Assembly later that month he used his customary five minute
speaking time, to turn to his delegation and ask that his lovely
feline mate step forward. He dropped to one knee at her feet, and
took her paw-like hand saying, “My Darling Felina, would you marry
me?”

Hundreds guffawed with surprise. Thousands
more cheered wildly at seeing such a beautiful sight. Vlad the
Impaler and his Arian Knights delegation stood and clapped, while
Vlad’s male companion Phillip squealed with delight. The Inshallah
tribe soon chimed in with whoops and hollers of unabashed sheer
joy. Porkos, Pumalars, and Zorgs all joined in with them. Slarts
even fluttered their cheeks and raised their tentacles in salute.
It was about time, many would say later; or did say to each other
at the time. It was just what everyone wanted to see and it made
sense. They belonged with each other, Solomon and Felina: it would
be a marriage of equals.

And with that, the clear message was sent to
the hundreds in attendance; and the thousands who would find out
about it later: a true Naustie should and could abandon his
barbaric ways; and take a wife. The example had to be set, that’s
all… and now it had begun at the very top of Naustie society. This
would be the event of the season: the wedding of Solomon and
Felina.

A simple ceremony was really all that would
be needed, but….

First came the planning,
then came the arrangements; and like many weddings everywhere in
the galaxy (and like a million weddings throughout the history of
the whole universe) it just grew and grew into an event so unwieldy
and ambitious that any preconceived notions of a simple ceremony
soon just faded away. What evolved instead was a blockbuster
extravaganza that couldn’t possibly accommodate everyone
underground
. There
simply wasn’t a place large enough.

Architeuthis of course was the obvious
choice to perform the ceremony. As the spiritual leader of the
planet only he could quite realistically stand before the throng of
guests and embody the image of a legitimate figurehead who could
declare this union official. To be sure, he was delighted to be
selected; and when requested by his old friend Solomon to do so he
worked tirelessly to devise a ritual for the event which would both
impress—as well as set a precedent for weddings to follow. Likely
there’d be many more.

The only possible site for this huge
ceremony was quite obvious. The new solar domed farm was nearing
completion of its first 250,000 square foot section and when
completed this could easily seat thousands. What's more, because it
could be protected from the forbidding climate of New Australia,
beings and dignitaries from all tribes could stand or sit through
the ceremony comfortably. Manufactured oxygen could be pumped into
the finished facility from its new generation plant attached to the
huge building; and by performing the ceremony right after sunrise,
the temperature inside would be quite tolerable.

A raised dais could be constructed inside,
and since there was no official religion for the planet, no need
existed for a priest or a church anyway. Just create the trappings
of a wedding ritual with a procession and music and some wise words
spoken by a legitimate respected leader—words announcing and
declaring this bond of matrimony to be recognized by the Tribal
Confederation; and thereby everyone on the planet.

And as for the
implications of this legal “bond” and therefore in effect
contractual
union
; it meant a lot for the
planet’s future in terms of fostering new families. That said,
outside of Tribal Confederation, there was really no global system
of laws on New Australia. No manifestation of a written legal code
that reached down to the level of the common citizen. There was
nothing in the way of a recognized court system that oversaw daily
morality and ruled over conduct between the many diverse beings of
New Australia. Law essentially was adjudicated by the different
tribes; and Chieftains had ultimate power to pass laws affecting
their tribes within their own territories.

In effect this wedding
necessitated a real code of law for marriage; and a global system
for enforcing it among the different tribes. Different tribes could
NOT be allowed to define marriage differently from one another. One
basic system had to be put in place. This was important too,
because if Solomon’s and Felina’s marriage was indeed to be
recognized by the Tribal Confederation, and not just Solomon’s home
tribe the Schpleeftkorkii, then a
planetary
law needed to be written.
Not just assumed; but recorded in the laws of New Australia.
Otherwise
….

Well, first of all, if a
couple was “married” then other tribes would have to recognize this
union as being legally binding. Failing that, and a “wife” or
homosexual life partner would have no rights outside their tribal
territory… no status as a wife or partner
outside
the tribe they were a member
of. What was the solution? The planet must accept that “marriage”
between two wedded parties, regardless of species or gender, had to
be defined for the whole planet. MARRIAGE must be defined by law,
enacted and ratified by the Tribal Confederation regarding not just
property, but shared responsibility for their offspring or adopted
siblings. Descendants (whether born of this union; or adopted as
children) must have entitlement to their own birthright, as heirs
of their parents’
estate
as well.

Never mind that as biologically incompatible
species, Solomon and Felina could not sire children or kittens
together. Never mind that Felina had no uterus and was incapable of
having kittens even with another Pumalar. None of these things
mattered in the grand scheme of things. Laws would have to be
enacted eventually which would make marriages legitimate in all
ways. Felina must be entitled to the property of her warrior
husband Solomon upon his death; and have equal rights to her
husband in the eyes of the law. Failing that and the ceremony was
pointless: the ritual and its pronouncements, no matter how poetic
or lovely, would be meaningless.

Slartifigians serving with Architeuthis were
some of the first to point this all out. In fact, they crafted a
bill for debate during Tribal Confederation Assembly which outlined
the rules of law that must be applied to marriages and the
disposition of property then to be legally shared by the two
spouses or partners. In their view, the likelihood was that
Chieftains had the most to gain by "taking a wife". This was most
logical, because creating an heir meant long term stability to the
tribe’s membership. A dynasty could then be in place, removing
forever the need for a Chieftain to declare a successor and
eliminating the potential for a power struggle within a tribe upon
the death of its leader. A legitimate heir to the title of
Chieftain would be crucial for the tribe; and would have
far-reaching effects on the very culture of each tribe for
generations to come. The Slarts could see this happening someday;
and before anyone else could imagine the consequences, they seized
the opportunity to present their case to the Assembly.

A committee of them, authorized by the
Schpleeftkorkii tribe, stood up in Tribal Assembly seeking
recognition to speak about their bill. Architeuthis was residing
that day as Chairman. They called it the New Australia Laws for
Legal Marriage and Inheritance bill, or the NALLMI. The ensuing
debate was quite interesting! So many vastly different cultures and
species in attendance, weighed in with their opinions. So many
different views were expressed about what a “marriage” really was.
But eventually it passed. There was plenty to talk about during the
debate, oh yes. However there was very little within the contents
or details of the bill that could raise any sustainable objections.
The logic of the bill was quite simple: If an heir to a Chieftain
was to be deemed legitimate, then he or she must be the product of
a legitimate union; or adopted by a legally recognized married
couple. This would require elevating the status of the mother or
companion to that of a wife or legally recognized partner to the
Chieftain. Entitled, he or she must be, to his holdings and all
property upon his death. Same thing with partners in homosexual
unions. It just made sense that way.

How amazing! In less than a year, since
Felina’s dramatic meeting with the Spleef warlord, females were not
only rising to the status of social equals… now they could
potentially elevate to the status of equal citizenship with rights
to property if they married into tribal aristocracies! Resistance
to this was quite formidable among some tribes still holding onto
the concept of possessing females as mere servants or property, but
the wave of social change was now overwhelming….

Next came the ceremony’s planning. Well, it
was really “event planning” more than anything else. Invitations
had to be sent out and this was important; because the occasion
would warrant inviting all the other tribal Chieftains and their
entourages. It would mean drawing an audience numbering quite
possibly in the thousands because whereas Tribal Confederation
Assembly meetings would bring in perhaps a thousand warriors—this
event would mean bringing in females belonging to those tribes too
(in hopes of inspiring many more weddings to come). Solomon was
hoping for this; and when he explained it that way, Felina dove
right in.

She sent out thousands of invitations. Not
on paper; but in person… with attractive female messengers who
traveled unescorted throughout the planet and met EACH Chieftain in
person to present the invitation. She recruited females from the
Schpleeftkorkii tribe, representing three different species, to
help her in this effort. And she created specialized committees to
help do the planning with her.

Then there was the issue of a wedding gown…
and that’s when human females captured from Star Pussy Earth
Environ were called in. Covered in dazzling fur from head to toe,
Pumalars didn’t wear clothes, no. But a wedding gown—the women from
Star Pussy demanded—had to be worn by the bride. This was just the
way things were done, they said! And for Felina, the “sacrifice”
had to be made (if one could call it that). Blooming plant buds
were to be clipped and adorned or tied into her fur to create a
beautiful princess-like appearance; and a vale was made using
pieces from old costumes worn by the handful of females from Star
Pussy who still possessed their medieval dresses and Roman togas.
It made for a colorful mixed array of material; and Felina
eventually agreed it was a dazzling outfit. Her bridal “gown” had a
train that extended several feet behind her; and when she would
walk up the “aisle” of the dirt floor surface to the dais
constructed at the front of the assembly, it would trail behind her
to a team of attendants who held the ends and marched along slowly
using a choreographed cadence in their walk. It was two steps and a
pause; then two more steps and a pause, etc. And it was all to the
beat and rhythm of the music being played during the
procession.

Solomon, for his part, was to be adorned in
a rather dapper tuxedo crafted from material collected by Felina’s
staff of attendants; and it was tailored to fit his still quite
hardened muscular frame. Choosing white as his base color, they
created a jacket and pants that made him stand out smashingly prim.
Then a scarf and tie were crafted using a rainbow of colors that
matched Felina’s dress. Well it wasn’t exactly a DRESS really. It
was frankly more of a cape that tied across the top of her chest
with a silver chain. This wedding “gown” framed her dazzling
tiger-like striped fur and would make her already curvy
feline/humanoid body an incredible sight to behold come wedding
day.

On the big day, thousands had made their way
into the Service Tunnel and walked or rode on dump haulers across
the planet to the elevator leading up to the new Domed Solar Farm
on the surface. They started out early, before dawn most of them,
heading up from their subterranean territories and homelands
beneath the surface to make it up the sometimes 20 minute elevator
ride to the old Service Tunnel and just try catching an empty
garbage truck that Spleef Soil Engineers were driving.