"Respect for cultural traditions". Si-Fi story

[Ringo Stalin]

The shuttle docked at the starship, and the passengers took their seats, waiting to disembark. Jammar, trying to keep his face impassive and impenetrable as a man should, walked down the aisle and finally found his seat. His right-hand neighbor was an elderly woman.
-"First time landing on a new planet, young man?"- she asked him, smiling.
Jammar, annoyed that his inexperience was so easily noticed, nodded and turned away, indicating that he did not want to continue the conversation. "What a shame! - he thought. -"An old woman who wears makeup and doesn't even cover her head with a handkerchief!" Like some kind of whore!"
It had been more than ten years since the people from the stars had come to Mirjal's land, but none of the freemen had ever been able to get used to their low customs. Damned tradesmen with no sense of honor! Have you ever seen these cowardly sheep wallow in luxury, while true warriors are in poverty, forced to sell their land and what is in the land to buy all sorts of devilish things from the stars?
But everything will change, and he, Jammar, will help it! His uncle had said correctly that star men had less courage than women. Have the men of the tribe of Jammar the same weapons, like star people, how would they humiliate themselves by trade? What could be more worthy than to receive your due as a warrior, or to die with valor in battle and in Paradise listen to the songs that come from the earth praising your bravery? But the tribe did not have the same weapons. And now there is! Three flying boats, and tubes that kill with light and sting with iron. They bought them with the money, that the starmen had thrown to them as alms to buy food for the slaves, so that they would not starve to death. And who is to blame that so many slaves have been bred that the land cannot feed them? Who with their cursed magic from the stars has made sure, that death does not take away extra children from the slaves? And now there are far more slaves than freemen.
And these animals want to eat all the time! Some even dare to murmur in secret! Excess slaves should be killed - that's it, but these creatures from heaven threaten, that then will not give more money! But it will change! All that remaine was for him, Jammar, to get a drink for the flying boats, and then the cowardly sky-dwellers would pay for everything. They don't know how to fight. How can fight well the one, who is afraid of death? And what does a weapon mean in the hands of a warrior who is afraid to use it! This is then not a warrior, but a woman. Among the freemen, they become warriors from the age of twelve. And everyone has heard that the starmen have a curse on them - they can't kill soldiers who are under eighteen and women. And so they would not dare to shoot at the flying boats if there were warriors, who had not reached the eighteenth spring. And women should be there, just in case and lot more younger, so that the curse choke the throat of star people. And if they dare to shoot, so what - Paradise is open to all warriors, regardless of age.
Jammar's uncle Shamir knew the customs of the people from the stars. He lived among them for seven years. I even spent a year in prison there. He remembered that time, laughing.
-"Imagine," he said, " spoiling some girl during a party. A beautiful girl she was, but a whore - all the clothes are transparent and the body curled to the music. Well, I grabbed her by the hair and dragged her along and then this wheezer from the stars comes running up, and let's yell at me in his bird language. I strangled him a little. And at the trial they said that our customs are clear to them, and they respect them, but their customs are different. And even though I'm supposed to be in prison for eight years for a girl and for breaking her master's adam's apple, they'll only give me three, because it's not my fault, but the poverty of our land.
It turns out that these star toads were too shy to stand up for a whore, even though they explained that according to their rules, she is not a whore, but an honest woman. And I did not argue with fools from the stars, who can not distinguish an honest woman from a whore. And they have a better life in prison than in our ancestral castle. And the food is richer. And you don't need to work. And they wanted to frighten me with this after I was captured by Takshir and was sitting in an earth pit? A year later, one of the star people came to me. Whether I realized that I was wrong, he asks. I lied and said I realized it. I was released two years earlier and given as much money as three houses of slaves working on earth bring in six months."
And all, who listened to my uncle were surprised and began to laugh at the stupidity of the people from the stars, because it is known that for the rape of an honest woman, man should be put on a stake, and if it is someone else's slave, then for her rape you have to pay half of its cost. Beautiful slaves are expensive...

 

[Ringo Stalin]

Jammar was lost in thought when the Shuttle landed. When he saw the people coming out, he got up hastily and followed them.
The spaceport was huge. His greatness at first overwhelmed Jammar, but he reminded himself that many empires had collapsed under the hooves of his ancestors' horses, and walked proudly to the bus.
At customs, an official looked through his documents, gave him a false smile, and began to recite a speech that was clearly memorized:
-"You are on the territory of Mirra, which has voluntarily left the Commonwealth of Democratic Planets. Although our laws are almost identical to those of the Commonwealth of Democratic Planets, there are nevertheless important differences, since we adhere to a policy of rational respect for the cultural traditions of other nations, which is enshrined in law. In order to avoid misunderstandings, you will now be shown a short film explaining the features of our legislation, which is based on rational respect for the cultural traditions of visitors.
Then the customs officer pressed a button, and a young servant jumped out of a side door and said to Jammar:
"Please come with me I'll take you to a booth to watch a movie."
Jammar followed, grinning to himself - who in his own house would have tried to tell Jammar that he should respect someone else's traditions? He's taken off people's heads for less than that. No, these star people are really worse than skittish women. A people of slaves.
The lights in the booth went out, and the Myrrh coat of arms flashed on the screen in front of Jammar.
-"Mirra is complying unilaterally with all resolutions of the Commonwealth of Democratic Planets," the voice-over began. -- Such as the resolution on respect for human rights, the resolution on freedom of speech, the resolution on democratic elections, the resolution on conventional warfare, and others. The peculiarity of Mirra is that all these resolutions are observed only as long as they do not conflict with the principle of rational respect for the cultural traditions of other nations. Like the members of the Commonwealth of Democratic Planets, Mirra needs a steady influx of immigrants. On the other hand, the differences in mentalities and cultural differences between immigrants and the local population lead to serious conflicts. It was to resolve these conflicts that the law on rational respect for the cultural traditions of other Nations was adopted. At present, we are proud to note that, according to independent international statistical agencies, the level of crimes among immigrants and the level of crimes against immigrants by the local population is the lowest on Mirra compared to all members of the Commonwealth of Democratic Planets. The law on rational respect for the cultural traditions of other nations was adopted on Mirra after the Arshar uprising, which resulted in many victims. Then it was approved in a global referendum in full accordance with the democratic procedure. The main principles on which it is based are: ...
The screen suddenly flared up and went dark. A young servant poked his head in.
-"Burned out," he bleated plaintively. -"It'll take about forty minutes to replace it." And I'm at the end of my shift...
He glanced around furtively.
-"Why don't you go through?" - he whispered softly.
Jammer grinned and stepped out of the stall.
In the evening of the same day, Jammar drank wine in one of the local pubs. He bought the fuel for the flying boats and sent it without any problems. The local merchants will sell you their own mothers for money. The waiter came up to him.

 

[Ringo Stalin]

-"I'm sorry, but could you move to another table?" As I told you, this table has been reserved since ten o'clock, " he said. The blood rushed to Jammar's face:
-"Get out, slave!"
-"But -"
Jammar jumped up from the table and slapped the waiter in the face. He fell. Jammar stooped, threw the crumpled money in the waiter's face, and went to the door.

The infirmary was bright and warm. The prisoners huddled in corners, afraid to look at Jammar after he beat one of them for not giving him his jacket. Jammar, however, was sleeping on a bench, covered by this very jacket. A guard entered and tapped him on the shoulder. Jammar broke his arm.

The door to the solitary cell opened and a man in a suit and briefcase appeared in the doorway.
-"Hello, I'm the Commissioner for your case," he said, and held out his hand to shake. Jammar ignored the hand.
-"When will I be released?" -"what is it?" he asked.
-"You see," the newcomer hesitated, " we have just found out that you were not familiar with our laws regarding rational respect for the cultural traditions of other nations. I assure you that all those responsible will be severely punished. But, unfortunately, ignorance of the law does not exempt you from responsibility, and...
"When will they let me out?" - Jammar repeated.
-"Right after they cut off your hands and cut off your ears and nose for beating a freeman and a guardsman, according to your terminology, as well as for stealing,"- the Commissioner replied, lowering his eyes.
- What do you mean--- hands?" - Jamar yelled. You can't! I know for a fact, that you are under a vow and a curse! "Tolerance" and "humanism" the names! My uncle told me, and he won't lie! And who is freeman?! A servant in a tavern -- free?! And what did I steal? A jacket?! But I took it here, in prison!
- "The thing is, that rational respect for the cultural traditions in our law means that non-citizens if they commit crimes in our territory, receives punishment, traditional in the country he arrived from, provided that such is prescribed in the legislation of his country and no softer as compared to the set we have. Here, in fact, is this paragraph," - and he quickly opened his briefcase, took out a folder, and hastily read it out:
-- "Since we believe that all Nations are equal and equally intelligent, regardless of their material wealth and traditions, therefore, the criminal laws and laws and customs of war adopted by these Nations deserve respect as consciously chosen by them. And so, while respecting the cultural traditions of these Nations, we will follow their laws and customs when dealing with criminals or when waging war with these Nations, according to the circumstances (that is, if the punishment for such offenses is available for this nation and is more severe)."
The Commissioner slammed the folder shut.
-"This law was passed on Myrra after the immigration revolt in the capital. Then immigrants from Arshar, before they were stopped by the police, killed more than a thousand people in the city for the fact that at the hour of their sacred annual prayer, nudists staged a masquerade and they, the sons of Arshar, considered it an insult to their Holy father. And then Arshar himself declared war on Mirra - and began it by destroying the state cruise ship of Mirra, which was carrying the children's Olympics. I actually came to make you an offer. The fact is that your country has attacked one of our commercial space bases, so we would be very grateful if you would agree, under the control of a lie detector, to tell us how your tribe usually conducts war. How do your soldiers treat prisoners, civilians, and so on? We would like to avoid misunderstandings and...

An animal howl interrupted the Commissioner's speech. Jammar was howling wildly and banging his head against the cell wall. He knew the customs of his tribe too well.