Author: Bob Brussack

On the planet Janus there are two advanced species: the Narses and the Nerses. It’s taken for granted by both species that the Narses are good-looking and the Nerses are smart. Be that as it may, and there’s reason for an off-worlder to question both stereotypes, the twin bits of conventional wisdom have shaped the species’ shared culture in profound ways, including politics.

Before the modern era on Janus, voters routinely elected Narses to legislative office, and few Nerses enjoyed electoral success. (Notably, the Narses candidates proved as popular among the Nerses as among the Narses.)

But the consequences of the near-universal preference proved suboptimal in terms of sound governance, as the Narses seemed disinclined to exert themselves in office, preoccupied instead with matters of personal grooming. The legislative chambers were fitted, in fact, with individual mirrors, and the Narses solons sometimes became so distracted by the perceived imperfections of their hair or makeup or knots of their ties that they neglected to cast votes, despite the urgings of their Nerses staffers.

At first, this dysfunction seemed to make little difference to the electorate, as a fair percentage of the voters actually preferred, or thought they preferred, that nothing happen in the planet’s legislature. Over time, however, as the consequences of the practical absence of legislative initiatives eroded the quality of life of both species, a consensus emerged that something had to be done.

After the usual ruckus, common to politics in so many galactic cultures, a way forward was found. Henceforth, and this is the current state of affairs, no single individual could serve in any legislative office. All offices had to be held jointly, by a pair: one Narses and one Nerses (cf. Sparta, Galactic Encyclopedia).
The Narses of the pairs handle all ceremonial duties, including speeches, interviews on media, and the like, and the Nerses do the reading, writing, and making of decisions. It is understood that anything said by a Narses can be “taken with a grain of salt,” as the phrase is translated into Galactic Standard. Nothing can be regarded as definitive other than a written statement signed by the Nerses of a pair.

The arrangement has worked well enough on Janus. The author is unaware of any other galactic civilization that has adopted it.