The legend of the love lilies

It's Valentine's Day today, the day of love and flowers. Gifts to women a man admires have been around for - oh, ever, really. And I expect it'll keep happening in our science fiction worlds, too.

They don't exactly do Valentine's Day in space - but the Fleet has a lovely tradition. Let me tell you about it with a couple of excerpts from The Iron Admiral: Deception.

Allysha's secret admirer (she knows who he is, but nobody else does) sends her love lilies.

*****

The team had just started on their first exercise when the IS spoke. "Allysha, you have a delivery."

Allysha straightened up beside Sirikit’s workstation. "Delivery?"

"Yes. Flowers."

Leonov’s clerk brought them in and left. Allysha flushed. Flowers again. They were beautiful, ten tall stems with blossoms like wine flutes arranged to display their deep red throats. Their fragrance was unmistakable, delicate and delicious.

"Are they from Brad?" Anna asked, her eyes dancing.

All of the others stared at Allysha, equally curious. She felt like a fugitive under a spotlight as she read the note. ‘I hope your week went well. Brad.’

"Well? From Brad?" Anna repeated.

Please, leave it alone. But they wouldn’t. "Yes."

"Was he there? At that course?" Anna asked.

She had to think for a moment. Oh, yes. She was supposed to have been instructing at a senior officer’s course. "No, he wasn’t."

"Ah hah. So he is a senior officer."

"Where did you get that from?" They were guessing; they had to be.

"The way you said it. As though no, he wasn’t there but he could have been." Anna's eyes sparkled with gleeful delight. "Besides, these are love lilies."

"What?" Allysha collapsed into her chair. She didn’t need this. But she was intrigued. "Love lilies?"

"Yep. It’s a Fleet thing. If a man gives you just one of those," Anna jerked her head at the flowers, "it’s understood to mean he’s serious."

Sirikit nodded, her liquid eyes sparkling.

"They’re hideously expensive," Todd chimed in. Allysha thought he looked rather somber. They might be hideously expensive to a lieutenant, but not to the man who sent these.

"Have you given one of these to anybody, Hassan?" Allysha asked.

"Me? Not a chance. Like Anna said, those lilies make a statement. I’m not ready for that, yet." He scratched at his cheek. "Besides, I wouldn’t want to disappoint anybody."

Todd rolled his eyes at Hassan. "Yes, of course, you’d have to consider your harem, wouldn’t you?" In a different tone he continued, "I gave one to Cornelia and I’ll bet Tensan gave one to Jinsu." He cocked his head at Tensan, who nodded.

"And Brad hasn’t sent one, he’s sent ten." Anna tilted her head and stared at Allysha. "So, you might not think it’s serious, but Brad sure as shootin’ does."

If she told them who Brad was, she was certain they wouldn’t believe her anyway. She took the flowers into her office. Maybe she could pretend they gave her hay fever and throw them away? She shook her head. That would just excite even more speculation. Best to carry on as if nothing had happened.

*****

When she returns home, Allysha asks her Information System to tell her about the Fleet legend.

*****

"Brew me some kaff, Albert, then tell me what you know about love lilies."

Allysha took her cup over to a chair while Albert talked.

 "It’s something of a Fleet legend, Allysha. It harks to the times when space travel took months or years and even moving from a planet’s orbit to a point where a ship could transfer to shift space could take days. Captain Isaac Ishkar finally found the woman of his dreams. But he was called to war before they could marry. He knew months would pass before his return and, having very little time to do much else, he organized with a florist to send his lady one of these flowers every week to remind her of him until he could return."

"Hm. And did he?"

"Yes. He was captured and imprisoned so he wasn’t able to return for two years, but then, at last, they were married. And now it has become something of a tradition for male Fleet officers to declare their intent by giving their lady one of these flowers."

One. He’d sent her ten. "Are they expensive?"

"It depends on the time of the year. Perhaps I should say, they are always expensive. When supply is low, they are extremely expensive."

"Why is that? Surely they’re cultivated?"

"They are. But the cultivated blossoms are not of the same quality. They lack the fragrance and glowing color of the wild stock."

He’d sent her the wild ones, of course. Never mind. For now, Allysha had more important things to do.

***** 

So there you have it. Love and legend are alive and well in the Ptorix Empire. I hope you got the cards, flowers, and chocolates you deserve. Meanwhile, I've got a book to finish.