"And what's genetic engineering?"

"...your home worlds probably don't have genetics to begin with. Uh, the reason cats have kittens and not puppies, and people look like their parents, and so on, is because of descriptions of how to build their structures encoded into every part of the body. The instructions get shuffled around when people have children but it's still half from each parent, in two-parent situations. Genetic engineering is the science of shuffling the instructions around, or editing them, on purpose instead of by luck of the draw, traditionally to make children turn out stronger or smarter or prettier or healthier or all of the above. Genetically engineered people are called 'augments'. There was a war some augments started, and now there's so much bad feeling about genetically engineered people that no one is allowed to have it done or seriously study it."

"Are we being a kingdom? Monarchies aren't very popular in this galaxy."

Fëanáro looks more excited than disappointed. "How else are things run?"

"The Federation is a republic, and so are most of its member states, republics or democracies with various structural customizations - it's possible to qualify for membership without average citizens voting being the central feature of your government but it requires special circumstances. Ferenginar is I think a plutocracy. The Klingons are an empire, ostensibly, but haven't had an actual emperor for a while. Cardassia's run by its military. There are planets that organize themselves theocratically or are governed by a noble class without centralization or implement various buggy attempts at meritocracy or technocracy."

He mouths the words as she goes, enchanted. "I think all the Quendi are either in small self-organized tribes or are monarchies. I don't think we tried those other things, though."

"The basic idea of a democracy is that you vote on things - there are various ways to register and count up votes, but the simplest to explain is that the most popular idea wins. The basic idea of a republic is that the main or even only idea you vote on is who should, as their job, decide about all the other things. If we were going to be a monarchy I am not sure it is obvious which of us would be the monarch, which seems awkward."

"I already have a kingdom," he says, "and Rúmil doesn't want one I don't think. Would both of you want it?"

"It's her world, I'd probably let her have it because she knows more about the sorts of things likely to come up with running a political unit around here."

"That's more or less what I was thinking, but spreading it around seems like probably a better choice; then we can specialize and my specialty can be 'being from Warp'. We could be an oligarchy, if we don't want to deal with elections for the top spots."

"What kind of precedent does that set for other member nations in our consortium?" Rúmil says. "I would trust Bella with absolute power but have mixed feelings about its wisdom generally, and wouldn't necessarily want to influence other peoples in that direction."

(Bella smiles.)

"Davlia's a sort of pseudonymous democracy," says T'Mir. "So there's their example to point to. I suppose the question is partly to what extent we're discussing the governance of our own member world and to what extent we're discussing the organization of the entire Elendil."

He's adding things to the priorities list. "We should read your histories, get more of a sense of the different options and their consequences."

"Sure. I can get you some recommended reading on a PADD from the ship computer." She does that.

Technology is so delightful! The Eldar will probably redesign all these interfaces, too utilitarian, but still.

PADDs definitely aren't pretty to look at. It is not what they are for.

It is kind of weird that there are things that aren't for being pretty to look at.

Maybe Quendi aesthetic sensibilities will be soothed if she puts on some music. Nonmagical music. Vulcan classical.

Quendi aesthetic sensibilities approve of Vulcan classical music.

(Bella and T'Mir exchange an amused look.)

Quendi start singing along to Vulcan classical music after a while. They are astonishingly good singers.

And T'Mir studies wizardry under her double's tutelage.

"How long will it take to find a planet?" Fëanáro asks after a while.