Alita watched her granddaughter Macy giggling with her friend Zia and braiding a colorful cord; one red, one blue, three purple, and one gold strand. The colors that Macy\u2019s mother, Teryn, had given her. The same colors that Alita had given Teryn, and had been given to Alita when she was about the same age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cord that Zia braided was two strands red, one white, two tan and one black. It looked muted and dull compared to the one Macy created, but the colors were what her mother had given her, no doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After helping the girls cut their cords with the hot-knife Alita worried at the single braid around her own wrist, now long faded. Half red-blue-purple-gold like the cord Macy had just made, and half brown-green-blue-yellow, the colors for Niera\u2019s line. Where she once had dozens of braids, Alita now had only the one. If Niera were to pass\u2026. She chuckled quietly to herself. Friends or no, Niera was twenty years her junior. Did she friend me out of pity? No, that\u2019s not right. I had seven braids back then, before everyone\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you thinking about, gran?\u201d Macy\u2019s voice was tinged with the laughter that she\u2019d been sharing with her friend. \u201cYour face looks like you ate a sourberry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNothing important, sweetheart.\u201d Alita smiled. \u201cAre you two ready to tie on your first braids?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, miss Alita.\u201d Zia bowed slightly as she answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust Alita is fine, little one.\u201d Alita stood, the twinge in her hip reminding her of the accident. \u201cMacy, Zia, this is your first friending. As such, it\u2019s important that you understand what it means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, gran.\u201d Macy squirmed, anxious to get on with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are<\/em> friends?\u201d Alita asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re the family you choose.\u201d Zia\u2019s response was automatic, a common phrase heard throughout the Colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, Zia. Macy, what do friends do?\u201d Alita asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey look out for each other.\u201d Macy\u2019s answer was crisp, rehearsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well. Zia, how do friends look out for each other?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zia puffed up her chest. \u201cThey share, miss Alita.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrue.\u201d Alita looked at the girls holding their cords, huge grins beaming. \u201cWhat sort of things do friends share?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The girls started answering, Zia throwing out one word and Macy following with another. \u201cToys.\u201d \u201cClothes.\u201d \u201cBooks.\u201d \u201cFood.\u201d \u201cChores.\u201d \u201cBirthdays?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, Macy, your birthdays are still your own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I\u2019d share mine with Zia!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alita laughed. \u201cI\u2019m sure you would. But the most important things friends share are the happy times, and<\/em> the sad times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their grins dropped a notch, as the girls nodded. \u201cYes, gran,\u201d Macy said. \u201cIf Zia\u2019s sad I\u2019ll be sad with her.\u201d \u201cAnd if Macy\u2019s sad I\u2019ll do the same,\u201d Zia said. They looked at each other and began to giggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOk, girls. How long is friendship?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForever\u201d they answered in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForever, unless\u2026?\u201d Alita asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnless we get annulled,\u201d Macy answered, eyes downcast. Her smile returned after a second. \u201cBut we won\u2019t, will we, Zia?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo!\u201d Zia\u2019s answer was emphatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well, tie your bracelets on. Be sure to leave lots of room for growing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWill you help us, gran?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, sweetie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alita knew the pain of annulment. She and Jen had friended at the age of 13, when they shared a biology class. They remained friends through school, vocational training, and working together for three years in the greenhouse. Then came the first elections they were eligible to vote in. Jen voted for her mother\u2019s friend, Nica, while Alita voted for Shell. Nica was a polite woman, but not the brightest, and certainly not cut out to lead. Her poor decisions piled on to each other resulting in longer working hours, less food and a far harder environment to endure. Through it all Jen first made excuses and apologies, then began outright attacking anyone, including Alita, that complained or disagreed with anything Nica did. They annulled their friendship over it, less than a week before the accident made it moot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you okay, miss Alita?\u201d Zia asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, dear, I\u2019m fine. Sorry. Just have a lot on my mind today.\u201d Alita smiled and knelt in front of the girls to help them tie their bracelets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After clearing up the girls took off down the corridor, hand in hand, their giggles fading as they got farther away. Alita lay down on the bed to rest when the door chime sounded. \u201cCome in, Niera.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did you know it was me?\u201d Niera asked as she stepped in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy daughter doesn\u2019t call around this early in the day, and,\u201d she raised her wrist and grabbed the single braid around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFair enough. I\u2019ve come to find out if you\u2019ll be okay with the new ration plan?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh. I haven\u2019t read it yet.\u201d Alita shrugged. \u201cI\u2019m not so young or active as you, so I can get by on fewer calories if needs be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually the food rations aren\u2019t changing.\u201d Niera sat on the edge of the bed and took Alita\u2019s hand. \u201cMedication rations are being reduced, while the medicinal garden recovers from the fungus rot, and we look for the next cloud for raw materials for the synthetics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow much?\u201d Alita tried to avoid taking her pain meds, but there were days that weren\u2019t bearable without them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA reduction of two-thirds for plant-based, for the next two cycles, and three-quarters for synthetics for the foreseeable future.\u201d Niera sighed. \u201cIt\u2019s been decades, but my mother\u2019s ghost is still haunting us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour mother didn’t have anything to do with it. The fungi keep evolving, and there\u2019s not much to be done for it.\u201d Alita sat up. \u201cYour mother wasn\u2019t a bad person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Niera said. \u201cJust a horrible leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alita waved a dismissive hand. \u201cNone of that nonsense. She did the best she could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRemoving the caps on raw material usage without a cloud lined up to resupply was not the best she could.\u201d Niera sighed a mix of exasperation and resignation. \u201cShe told me on her death-bed why she did it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe cloud that was scouted that didn\u2019t pan out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niera shook her head. \u201cNo. That\u2019s a lie her advisors told after the fact. She did it because she wanted to be remembered. She thought she could make everyone happy and they\u2019d love her for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t agree with her policies. Hell, I didn\u2019t even vote for her. But I still loved her. I hope she knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven after the accident?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t blame her for that.\u201d Alita took Niera\u2019s hand in her own and patted it. \u201cIt\u2019s always a risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry for being maudlin.\u201d Niera smiled. \u201cI wanted to ask if you need any pain med rations. I\u2019m not taking any for the foreseeable future and I know how your hip gets.\u201d She looked at the single band on the older woman\u2019s wrist. \u201cAnd I know you don\u2019t have anyone else to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, dear. If I do need some I\u2019ll let you know.\u201d Alita followed Niera\u2019s gaze to her wrist. \u201cDo you know where the friending started?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, actually, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy great-grandmother\u2019s generation had bands like these, but it was just a thing young girls did. Back then there were boys too.\u201d Alita thought back to her grandmother\u2019s stories. \u201cWhen my grandmother\u2019s generation figured out that the boys weren\u2019t growing into viable men to keep the stores going, they stopped birthing them. Of course, being able to create viable gametes from two ova was the key to that, and to preserving the remaining sperm stores.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard the stories about the males, but what does that have to do with friending?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m getting there, young lady.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niera laughed. \u201cCompared to you, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, the bands made of the poly-fiber we use now started then. But only one band denoting your secondary egg donor group.\u201d Alita raised a hand to stop Niera interrupting with another question. \u201cThat\u2019s not how it\u2019s used now, but that\u2019s how it was used then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alita closed her eyes, remembering the stories her grandmother told. \u201cThings started to decline almost immediately. There were too many births, and not enough room in the Colony for them; not to mention food. That\u2019s when splitting bands and sharing them with friends was first used as a symbol of sharing. It said \u2018What I have, you have.\u2019 Those without friends\u2026 well we know how that worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy weren\u2019t they maintaining birth quotas?\u201d Niera looked at Alita as if she had just told her that a purple unicorn was standing behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe reduced virility of the males kept the birth rates in check.\u201d Alita chuckled. \u201cGrandmother said it certainly wasn\u2019t for lack of trying. But going from a slight chance of pregnancy with a male that may as well be declared sterile to pregnancies with an 85-percent certainty changes things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow.\u201d Niera\u2019s gaze was fixed on a spot on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, wow. That was the first time \u2018friending\u2019 was put to the test. With food rationed to half, those nursing mothers with lots of friends did okay. A dozen people all giving up a tiny bit of their rations made a difference. Those with only one or two friends\u2026 their babies didn\u2019t starve at their breast, but they didn\u2019t exactly thrive. Those without\u2026\u201d Alita shook her head, remembering her grandmother\u2019s tears as she told the story. \u201cBabies starved at their mother\u2019s breast, if she was lucky. If not, her body consumed itself to feed her infant. In those cases both died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did that turn into\u2026,\u2019 Niera stopped herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat came in the third month of the crisis. Those who had been starving were in no condition to work. Those who couldn\u2019t, or wouldn’t work were given the option of no rations, or step out the door. Most chose the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt least we won\u2019t have the same problem again. The population is capped and stable, so why do we still\u2026?\u201d Niera let the question trail off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow do you think we would\u2019ve handled things after the greenhouse accident?\u201d Alita rubbed her hip, the sharp pain reminding her yet again. \u201cA tiny bit of ice, hidden in a cloud, at those speeds\u2026.\u201d She remembered the booming sound followed by the sudden loss of pressure. \u201cIt came through the roof, hit the apple tree Jen had been harvesting, turning it and everything around it into high-energy shrapnel, a piece of which shattered my hip. If it weren’t for my friends sharing their rations while I recovered I wouldn\u2019t have survived.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you know that Teryn dedicated a new apple tree in greenhouse 2 to Jen?\u201d Niera scooted closer to Alita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, she told me. I\u2019m just sad we never reconciled.\u201d She put an arm around the younger woman. \u201cDon\u2019t ever<\/em> talk politics with your friends. It just leads to heartache.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niera leaned her head against Alita\u2019s shoulder. \u201cAnyway, if you need any med rations just call me.\u201d She let out a long sigh. \u201cWhen are the next classes starting? I\u2019d imagine your granddaughter and her new friend will be in your class this cycle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, yes. I\u2019m adding adding some history to the lessons, We can\u2019t forget why we do things the way we do.\u201d Alita kissed Niera\u2019s head. \u201cIt means the girls will have to work half again as hard, but they\u2019re more than capable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alita felt an unasked question, a hesitation on Niera\u2019s part. She decided to answer without making it obvious that\u2019s what she was doing. \u201cI\u2019m thinking that I can teach for another five cycles, maybe six. By then we should have another biology and history<\/em> teacher ready to take over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niera\u2019s eyes pooled with tears. \u201cI\u2019ll miss you when you go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alita hugged her close. \u201cI know, dear. But I can\u2019t be here forever. I\u2019ll have to go out the door and leave room for someone else. That\u2019s the one resource you can\u2019t replace, even on a generation ship the size of the Colony.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alita watched her granddaughter Macy giggling with her friend Zia and braiding a colorful cord; one red, one blue, three purple, and one gold strand. The colors that Macy\u2019s mother, Teryn, had given her. 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