The Beloved Pet Ch9
#6 of The Beloved Pet (Abandoned)
Hi my name is ...
Posted to DA on 7/23/08
Posted to FA on 5/28/09
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"A New Name"
As I was wondering the halls of what I was starting to think of as my home, I stumbled upon the servant who had looked after me while I was under the weather. Noticing my me he mentioned that Master had requested my presence and ordered him to find me. With this he offered to carry me to where Master Entei was, an offer I was quick to accept. While not as tall as Master Entei, he was still easily double my height. As he walked I asked of him several questions. I found out that his name was Solavar and that his species was referred to as the Silgri. Considering that his appearance was similar to the avian who took considerable interest in me, I assumed he must be of the same species. I also found out why he worked for Master Entei. The first reason was that Entei pays his servants quite well. The second reason, however, was far more important. He told me that when he was young Master Entei had saved his life from several bandits who had attempted to rob and kill him. Out of gratitude Solavar offered his services to Entei. Having spent many years working with each other, the two had had become close friends who trusted each other with their lives. Hearing this I could not help being reminded the generous employer in "A Christmas Carol." Both had considerable power over their employees; the power to make their lives a joyful or miserable and out of their sheer benevolence chose the former. I quickly theorized that he took the same approach with me.
Having traveled for some distance we arrived at what appeared to be a home office of sorts and were greeted by Master Entei. After setting me down near the desk, Solavar asked if Master needed his presence, after which Entei allowed him to leave. With Solavar's departure, Master asked that I come closer to him. As I approached he proceeded to pick me up and place me on his lap. At first I found this slightly nerve racking, but his gentle stroking of my head put me at ease. With this he mentioned why he asked for my presence.
"I have thought it over, and I think I've found a good name for you." he said
To this I responded, "I already have a name you know."
With a light chuckle he responded "Yes, Vasili Gurevich, a name which to you represents a tie to a culture with which you feel little attachment."
I could not disagree with his assessment. I had never entirely liked my name and the fact that I was now light-years away from the culture which had given this name to me only served to amplify these feelings. With this Master explained that it was common practice to name pets after the adjective that best describes them and in order to prevent confusion in every day conversation, archaic, obscure, and obsolete forms were applied, which were almost never used except as nouns referring to their respective pets. Master told me that while he was able to discern the basics of my personality through his telepathic abilities, he wanted some time to make first hand observation with his more conventional senses. With this he announced that he had come to a decision. He had decided to name me Soto, which in the old Arc language was defined as interesting. I could not disagree with this decision, as throughout my life many whom I knew commented on how I would defy expectations and stereotypes with considerable regularity. As a result I accepted this name and then asked what language was spoken with in the Arc Empire. Though I had heard the common language with the translator in my collar turned off I had never thought about it.
Master explained that the standard language spoken throughout the Arc Empire was an amalgamation of the languages of the three founding races: the Arc, the Telvar, and the Ecclesia. He explained that before the founding of the empire, the Arc and the Telvar were embroiled in a centuries long war of attrition. This changed when the Ecclesia found the two warring species and taught them how to live in peace with each other. This combined with war weariness ended the centuries of warfare. Their last argument was over the name of their new alliance. None of the three races wanted to show pride by having their name within the name of the new alliance. After some argument the Arcs relented, and the group was given its present name. With in a few hundred years all signs of the past conflict had vanished and the three races set about exploring the galaxy. This all happened when homo sapiens had just emerged on earth.
After this I asked him about the Silgri and how they came to be members. He explained that when they first found the Silgri, roughly 10,000 years ago, they were as technologically advanced as present day humans. At that point the empire had already contacted two other races, which had joined with little difficulty, so first contact procedures had been established. However the two races were advanced enough to be eligible for first contact. It was with the Silgri that the practice of keeping the alienated members of a less developed intelligent species as pets was started. Of course while shorter back then, the Silgri were still considerably taller than terrans, making the practice hairy at times. Once the Silgri civilization ad advanced to the point of being eligible for first contact, the empire stopped taking wild Silgri and ended captive breeding programs. With in two centuries the Silgri were in law and fact full members of the Arc Empire. With this he leaned his head so close that his whiskers gently contacted my ear. He then whispered in my ear in a warm gentle tone "Once your species reaches this level, the same will hold true." As he returned to a reclining position I simply sat there not knowing what to make of what had just transpired. What he said next, however, totally blew me away. He wanted to introduce me to the rest of his family.