There was a knock on her office door, slow and meditative as though whomever it was was thinking hard about their actions. Terra opened it, stepping back as she always did to allow visitors...space? A view? A good look at what they were about to deal with? She didn't know.
It was the reporter she'd been expecting since last week. The man was young, really only a boy, with a spiral notebook and pen. Old-fashioned, she liked that.
He was skinny and slightly shorter than her, though her heels gave her an unfair advantage. He blinked once, obviously taken aback by something, then stepped forward and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Professor Solum, it's a real treat," he said, beaming and shaking her hand with unexplained enthusiasm. He spoke like an old man. "Thank you for meeting with me- I'm looking for a story to work on for a while and yours seemed...complicated."
Terra winced internally at the word he'd chosen to describe her circumstances and let him through the door. "The pleasure is mine, Mr..." She sat behind her desk and he pulled one of her classroom's chairs to sit opposite her.
"Barkoff," he said. "Just call me Barkoff- everybody does. Weird name but it's better than my first name. Parents were lower class Saturnian and let's just say I didn't win the name lottery."
He had a mouth on him, that was for sure. "Well, I'll try to answer any questions you have," said Terra. "Except extremely personal questions. We can come close too easily."
"I'll keep it historical," he said. "As much as possible. I think the whole UA has personal questions for you, though." Barkoff winked and put his pen to the paper. "Start wherever you like."
"Once I get going it's hard to stop," said Terra. "Tell me to slow down."
"I'm a fast writer," said Barkoff. "I write faster than I talk, if you can believe it."
She smiled a little, realizing he was honest. This interview was taking a big chance, one she wasn't too comfortable with.
"Where to begin?" she said, chuckling a little. "You know the beginning details as well as I do. Martian royalty. Crown princess. My family's ruled since the beginning of the UA."
"Skip ahead," he said. "The whole UA knows that."
"My parents were- are- good to me. They gave me a proper education and showed me how to rule a Celestial better than the UAA did. Nothing they did pushed me to choose teaching," she said. Now that she had started, she felt better. "I chose this. And I've told the press a hundred times: I don't relinquish my crown nor my teaching position. I haven't decided, and my parents are fifteen years from retirement. I'm well-trained, ready to take over if needed. The UA, and Mars especially, need not worry."
"Heard it," said Barkoff, taking minimal notes.
Terra took a breath in and out. "So what would you like to hear?"
He put his pen between his teeth, thinking. "Why'd you decide to become a teacher?"
"To do some good where I can truly affect others," she answered quickly. "I'm good with Grand Eight politics, and there are students I can teach well. The UAA hired me to help. The teacher I learned from did fine, but these are different times. A lot has changed."
"What changes?" he asked, writing fast now.
"Debates, heated debates, among the UA senators," she said. "I've seen Megaran pull statements and new propositions and resolutions from nowhere, and it's all going nowhere and somewhere at the same time."
"Megaran? What do you think of him?" he asked.
"Fine," said Terra, catching herself. "He's a good Prime-President for our present political circumstances."
Barkoff clicked his pen once, reading his notes over quickly. "Why not take your crown back?"
"I already answered that," she said. He looked up and crossed out something.
"Personal," he said. "How do you feel about your brother?"
"Matthew?" she said.
"That's your only brother, right?"
"Sadly."
He laughed and waited for her to say more. She sighed.
"Matthew doesn't know what he's doing," she said. "I'm twenty-three, and he's the ripe old age of nineteen. He begs for the crown and begs me to let him have it. Give him more time. Martians don't have "designated heirs" unless the crown is relinquished. I've done that on purpose."
Barkoff stopped writing, pen poised. "Are...are you sure you want this all in media?"
Terra smiled. "Yes, I do," she said. "Matthew needs pressure."
"Are you willing to answer any questions about your parents' relationship with you?" he asked.
"We're great," said Terra. "Put that down and ask no more questions." He nodded and closed his notebook.
"Thanks," he said, standing. "That's good enough. Can I come back soon?"
"Call first," she said, standing as well to see him through the door. "You may have trouble getting in once students arrive."
"Why?" he said, fingering his ID badge.
"High-clearance royalty?" she said. "And Jupiter's got royalty here right now. We have more guards than usual."
Barkoff let out a long, low whistle. "Khione's got nice troops. And a lot of a same story as you," he said. "Except the crown."
"Khione forgot about peace," Terra said, clutching her own ID badge as Barkoff entered the hallway. She had a lot of work to do before her students arrived tomorrow morning. "Next month is clear, Barkoff, if you want to interview in the evenings."
He nodded and waved her goodbye, setting off down the hallway and waving to various professors with equal enthusiasm he'd given her. Some of the professors were legends in their field, and were only seen on Earth. Of course a journalism student from Saturn would be stoked to be here.
She shut the door softly and sat down behind her desk, kicking off her heels and sighing in relief. She picked up a stack of papers and flipped through them, looking for one in particular. Ah, here it was; her student roll.
Last year, she wasn't teaching here- she was new and frightened. They'd brought her on because she seemed to be a step-up, but she wasn't by any means a solution. They needed royalty trained to rule, and that was just about impossible in a society where royal influence was either crumbling or blooming.
She checked the names, sorting them mentally. Prince Current Atlantic of Jupiter, basically a god on his home planet. Easy to teach, probably. He would be learn additions to what he already knew.
Prince Koi Animalia of Venus, should be easy too. A lot like Prince Atlantic in situation, but less worshipped. Venus was considered the example in royal-senator relations.
Prince Cyclone Cirrus would be a mystery, but she guessed he would be difficult to teach. The concepts might be somewhat foreign, as royalty were particularly distant on Saturn, the people governed by an iron-fisted chancellor who didn't communicate largely with the royal family.
The dynamic between royalty and chancellor and senator was difficult to understand, and Terra had decided to make it her first lesson. It was the concept all others revolved around and the delicate balance kept the UA in check. Right now, she wasn't sure it was being kept in check.
Lecture, she could try that. She locked the door and faced her screenboard, then turned to face the empty classroom and set a smile. Then she frowned. Neither felt right. These students weren't her friends, and Neptune and Venus weren't considered "Martian Code," or, in other words, didn't conform to Martian royalty code. Not technically enemies, just annoying. The dynamic was bad for morale.
Ok, then just talk. Don't smile or wait for response or read expressions. Just lecture- that's what they're here for.
"The UA functions on the three-group plan, which designates each Celestial a chancellor, senator, and royal family, all with respective assistants," she began, and warmed up immediately. She had been practicing for this for years. "The chancellor was given the role of governing the Celestial with the help of authority. This office has diminished as royal families stepped in, making most of their job superfluous. The royal family was originally supposed to unite the people, build morale, and represent popular opinion, as well as give voice to the Celestial."
She stopped for a moment, pretending to allow time for notes. In her eyes, the students were quiet and understood everything she said perfectly. She doubted it would be so easy.
"The senator was to report to the entire UA council, and vote on big-picture issues," she continued. "Senators are considered peacemakers between the steamrollers of hard politics and the high command and aura of royalty. This is why senators are so carefully voted upon. Their vote decides the new laws, new UA council when appropriate, and the Prime-President."
"I'd say that right," said a voice, and she jumped before realizing it was Professor Greenhue.
He was an old man, native to Neptune and molded to Earth. He'd been a senator in his younger days, and now trained them. For a reason Terra couldn't discover, someone had given him keys to the safety tunnels that ran through the school and he popped in whenever he felt like it. During class, while she was working, all times were fair game. She didn't stop him because every other teacher said he did so to everybody.
Soon, she enjoyed his visits. He wasn't senile in the slightest, even if he had a way of surprising her. She thought he maybe caught people unawares to avoid betrayal. It hadn't escaped her notice that political teachers at UAA didn't stay long. They got wrapped up in a movement and the board didn't want them anymore. They needed unbiased leaders and unbiased royalty.
"Good?" Said Terra. "I feel as though my lectures are boring."
He rolled his eyes and she noticed he hadn't stepped from the safety tunnel doorway. "The student decides whether they care enough. You're never boring to a student who cares and you're always boring to a student who doesn't. I just stopped because I heard you. I'm actually going to see Dr. Farwaites."
Terra blinked. "I'll keep that in mind."
Professor Greenhue smiled and peered around the corner of the door as he shut it. "And be good to the Neptunian princess," he said. "She's alright, even if a little slow."
Terra nodded as he left, and took one more look at her student roll. "Princess Daisy Edelweiss of Neptune," she said aloud. "A little slow, but alright."
"Yes, that's her!" Came a voice through the slightly ajar safety tunnel door, and Terra rolled her eyes before shutting it with a sharp click. She sat behind her desk and stared at the roll, wondering if she really had the capacity to do this.
He watched Mags put bags over her head and her father pick up several, then shouldered two himself as her parents led them across the street towards Launch. Artemisia had done this only a few days ago, but he had chosen not to watch. Not like he could've, with all the reporters waiting for the princess.
"Thanks for helping, Goji," said Mags as they reached the baggage drop-off booth and he dropped the bags. He was sweating and was grateful the air stayed at a refreshing sixty degrees during autumn. Summer was awful at seventy-five.
"No problem," he said. She was pulling out her ticket and badge to show the attendant.
"Uranus?" Said the attendant. "They allow immigration?"
"Not always..." said Mags. "I'm on special assignment."
"Sounds legitimate," said the attendant, nodding. "On you go."
Mags turned to Goji and hugged him quickly before turning to her parents and saying goodbye. Then she walked through the gates and was gone.
"Want a ride?" Asked Mags' father. "We've got this car for another hour."
"No, thank you," said Goji, walking towards Avonleah center. "I'm alright."
Her parents drove away, the blue car shining. Cars weren't popular with the frequency of diamond showers, but people could rent them for special occasions.
He hurried towards city center, hoping he could still catch a glimpse. He'd seen them earlier, coming in through a car tunnel, but Mags had been talking so he hadn't said a word. She wouldn't care about this kind of thing anyway. Artemisia would've, but Goji didn't feel right calling her with problems on her third day of being on Earth.
The car tunnels were practically deserted, and he found the one going to the palace was gated. Through it, he could see the shining structure and a couple blue-coated guards. And then the rest of them.
He hadn't seen UA soldiers before. It hit him that they probably came to the palace with visiting politicians and royalty, but the sight was different. There had to be at least a hundred, he thought, peering around the corner carefully. The car tunnels were too dim for them to see him, but he could watch them.
The black uniforms were threatening in this context, as he watched them move in boxes from cars. It was disturbing that he hadn't seen soldiers about, and knew they weren't visiting, or training. No, this was real military work in front of him.
He didn't know what was in the boxes. They weren't labeled. He walked home quickly, then sat down at his desk for the first time since testing and wrote an old-fashioned letter to Artemisia. The kind where she would know if the UA had opened it. Nothing digital, and he licked the envelope to seal it. She would know exactly what he meant.