Tell Us About Yourself
Name (s) Dotty
Age: 19
I’m a mishpoche, a bit of this and that. Mama’s from New York, the daughter of an Orthodox rabbi. She was an accountant sent to help find a cooperative cattleman for a source of kosher beef to series of butcher shops Grampa owns. When my parents met they both had a love for violin music, and soon they were making music of their own. Mama wanted to marry Dad but Grampa wouldn’t have it, so instead Mama worked around by opting for common-law marriage, which Texas allows. That infuriated Grampa but he admired her cleverness in finding a way to marry without a ceremony he’d have to disown her for. My birth softened him up too, considerably, which is good as I love the old man dearly. So Mama taught me the traditions and Hebrew at home, and when I got old enough Dad let me play cowgirl. I found I loved the violin and got privately tutored in that from a young age, along with all my school subjects by tutors also. I just got my GED this year. Grampa and I love to debate matters whenever he visits.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. Hashem gave me my looks. They’re definitely a mixed blessing.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? I’m a Modern Orthodox, I believe my thoughts and feelings share a close connection with Hashem, and do I all I can in any given situation to keep the connection going.
Would you kill for those you love? In a heartbeat, but only if I absolutely must. The Sages say killing a person is just as bad as killing a whole world. In fact, I’ve had to surprise at least a dozen people one at a time with my shotgun during a recent crisis. I can still see the face of every person whose brains or heart I blew out. I never ever want to be placed in that position again. I see green blood all the way to my elbows that will never come off.
Would you die for those you love? Hell, yes. I drew a short straw where I had to stay on board a flagship we had to blow up. We found a fighter jet which our indigenous co-prisoner could fly, but had room for only one passenger. We picked Rick since he was the least qualified of us to storm the engine room, and gave him a remote detonator. We ordered him to blow up the flagship if it got close enough to slaughter millions, and not to wait for us to escape. Rick knew I was ready to die for the greater good, so he proposed to me just before he boarded. I knew I was ready to die too, but I accepted to show him how much I loved him.
What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses? As much as I follow Mama’s Jewish ideals of ethics and compassion toward every human being, I also follow everything my Daddy taught me about being a Texan, namely to stand tall, and everything which standing tall implies.
Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why? Rick. My dearest, wonderful, darling, gentle, dedicated, determined, considerate and brave young man who I married day before yesterday. Despite being sixteen he has compassion, patience, understanding and education far beyond his years.
He has only one serious fault, and that he tries so hard to please others he considers himself worthless. I think that’s the reason he finally was about to suicide at the subway. That same moment I was mugged and I fell onto the tracks, spraining my ankle. He put my needs over his and jumped onto the tracks, deciding to risk suicidal odds to save me, rather than settling for certain suicide on his own.
I had some problems with him being a hero by coincidence. I accused him of being a kamikaze seeking glory in death, rather than reverence for life being his motive. Once I understood more about him I had a change of heart.
People have tried to match me with high-status men of my heritage, but I want a man who is as pleasing to me as he is pleasing to Hashem. Rick qualifies several times over.
Do you like animals? Do you have any pets/animal companions? Caring, feeding, and cleaning after animals while growing up on ranch was part of my daily life. I had a horse I was partial to, my favorite for various range chores. Rick and I don’t believe our local environment can support Terran livestock or pets, so we don’t have any.
Do you have a family? Tell us about them. I pretty much told you already. Mama relocated to Amarillo to live with Daddy and raise me. Daddy has more relatives than I can easily count, and has annual family reunions. Mama is an only child, and Grampa sadly enough is alone. Most of his relatives died in the Holocaust, and the others, including Grandma, had simply passed on from old age. I’m my parents’ only child. There were high hopes all around for me to choose a man soon and have his children to continue the lineage.
Can you remember something from your childhood which influences your behaviour? How do you think it influences you? My childhood was wonderful. I remember was when I took my turns to light and bless the Sabbath candles. The flames twinkled like stars and my house was filled with warmth and love. I had fun out on the ranch and I took pride in myself doing a man’s work. I learned to accept the traditions of my people as Hashem’s recipe for joyful living. I don’t seek like the more devout to isolate myself from the world. For me to engage in tikkun olam, my duty to help repair the world, I want to be right out there where the action is.
Do you have any phobias? I hate rattlesnakes. I’m not afraid of them, but I won’t hesitate to kill them any time I get the chance. They’re a constant danger to livestock and people out on the range.
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. I was curious to taste and try forbidden things when I was younger. Each time the experience was nothing special and I felt instantly ashamed of doing it.
Tell Us About Your World
My husband would be only too glad to give you exhaustive detail regarding this world we have moved to as settlers. I’ll just provide you with my own personal impressions.
My first impression is of the people. Aside from having a biochemistry where potassium takes the place of sodium, they’re as human as we are. Because of said biochemical differences one of us can’t make a baby with one of them.
Some people might consider this an advantage. In fact, Rick turned down flat an offer from a chambermaid while he was bathing. Loss of virginity with no fear of any consequences whatever, in terms of purely physical risks. I even would have forgiven Rick if he had indulged… eventually. However, Rick doesn’t think that way. He grew up on Japanese space opera, adopting portions of bushido as his Torah and Talmud. He also absolutely adores me, and I absolutely adore him.
Does your world have religion or other spiritual beliefs? If so do you follow one of them? Please describe (briefly) how this affects your behaviour. I don’t believe my observation would surprise anyone, but it seems to me the discovery of any form of ethical monotheism is a huge step of any civilization towards maturity.
Both Terra and this world have a diverse collection of religious belief and practice, but on both planets there seemed only one person each who made the intellectual and emotional leap.
Each of those people formed their own nation living by ideals of compassion and mercy far in advance of their neighbors. We’re kindred spirits, their people and mine, and to some extent we’ve fallen in love with each other. We have a lot we can teach each other, but Rick and I follow our own traditions, and they, theirs.
I believe the bond we formed during our adventures is now the common ground for creating a military alliance and trade relationship between Terra and this world.
Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? Our arrival there was pure accident, Rick can explain more in detail. The continent we sought refuge on has their own answer to our interstate system. Their highways are perfect. They don’t use fossil fuels, so their cars are all electric.
Name and describe a food from your world. Whitefruit. Delicious in it’s own right, safe to eat but very fattening, and they press it for cooking oil. Terran women should never eat it while on a birth control shot. Our dear friends found this out the hard way. They got pregnant a month before we returned to Earth.
Does your world have magic? If so how is it viewed in your world? They don’t even have a term for magic, but when confronted with the unknown, like us, they tend to blink. I had to empty an entire palace quickly by threatening non-existent Terran magic upon them.
What form of politics is dominant in your world? (Democracy, Theocracy, Meritocracy, Monarchy, Kakistocracy etc.) Until Rick imposed otherwise, feudalism was the only form of government in all the nations of this world. Rick took over rule of the entire world by asking the local saint for help, using that power performed a Moses gambit which among other things abolished monarchy everywhere, called for elections in one Terran year, then stepped down immediately. Could you imagine an ordinary sixteen year old Terran boy doing that? Rick is a man in all the ways that count, a true mensch.
Does your world have different races of people? If so do they get on with one another? There’s only the one single people. The monotheists broke away from the main empire, but the main empire wants them back. They had been in constant cold war till we came along. Events triggered by our arrival began a full scale war.
Name a couple of myths and legends particular to your culture/people. I know a little about the founding of this country. The first queen here confiscated the crown of her old country and forbade anyone from touching it aside from her. When she died the people revered her as a saint, and it was found the crown would kill anyone who tried to take it for the absolute power it represents. Rick explained it’s a Siege Perilous myth. He concluded he was the Galahad. He turned out to be absolutely right, but not before he gave me the scare of my life. He was clinically dead for thirty seconds the moment he touched the crown on the lady’s grave site.
What is the technology level for your world/place of residence? What item would you not be able to live without? Early modern with spot brilliances. We need to import our food, what’s edible here doesn’t provide all our nutritional needs.
Does your world have any supernatural/mystical beings? Please tell us about some.
Aside from the founding queen, no. She personally had attained the powers of a saint after death and was posted to watch over this world. When Rick took over, he released her to the afterlife to join her husband and son. His act moved me to tears.
Within your civilisation what do you think is the most important discovery/invention?
The most important discovery this world has ever made is in finding the one God who created the universe and wants only good for the peoples He created even on worlds we have yet to encounter. The people of our adopted land don’t worship Hashem directly like we do, they invoke Him as a neutral and abstract principle, like an axiom of mathematics or physics.
Name three persons of influence/renown within your society and tell why they are influential (Could be someone like Christ/Mandela/Queen Elizabeth or a renowned figure from a non-human/fantasy world.)
The Crown Princess, after first hearing how I retook my ship from it’s captor, asked if I could be her sister. Her father adopted me into a cadet branch of his house so that I could. We’re two of a kind, her and I, and we will forever treat each other as such. Now I am really am a Jewish-American princess.
It turns out the pilot who flew Rick out of the enemy flagship was the Crown Prince. He made certain Rick was cared for and made comfortable while waiting for the rest of us to make it to safety. I’m forever grateful to him.
His father, the Emperor, is a kind and gentle old man who can be quite merciless and ruthless in the defence of his kingdom.
Because the flagship we destroyed was on a mission to lay waste to his land using nuclear weaponry, he immediately ordered as a reprisal the launch of all his submarine based missiles. The enemy detected the launch and countered with their own land-based missiles.
Only a few hours remained until this entire world would be devastated. Only then, did Rick decide to intervene…
Synopsis (aka blurb):
“Alouette’s Song
“
Four teenagers’ lives connect irrevocably.
A lonely young sculptor first tries to escape his abusive parents through his talent, and when that avenue is closed chooses to throw himself before a subway train. His moment is interrupted by a desperate cry for help from near the lethally electrified third rail…
A college freshman from a very wealthy family has a knack for building whatever he wants and staying centered in a confusing world. His best friend is about to yank his life far off center completely by surprise…
A musical superstar holds God close, walking through life with one foot each in two very different deserts. She will find then lose her one and only true love. Regaining him will stain her pure hands with many peoples’ blood.
A girl who should still be in high school is already well on her way to a master’s degree in mathematics. Her mind holds the key to the stars… but that same mind holds unknown to her a truly terrifying other personality.
Her academic advisor and personal mentor is a professor in astrophysics. He can’t tell her he’s now received orders from the blackest agency to exist in their country’s government: her discovery must never see the light of day…
Their struggles against themselves and each other, plus uncanny coincidences, cruel choices, breathtaking valor, and agonizing sacrifices for love’s sake, will test everyone’s limits during their journey across the Milky Way and back.
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links
“Alouette’s Song”
http://www.amazon.com/Alouettes-Song-ANDREW-FINE-ebook/dp/B00IP85CI4/
Author name
Andrew Jonathan Fine
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
http://www.amazon.com/ANDREW-FINE/e/B00JIBHFLO/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
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