Beta Sector/Social Conventions

## Beta Sector Articles

The following links will take you to additional articles about Beta Sector.

**Following these links may result in reading spoilers**

* Beta Sector
* Beta Sector Clans and Alliances
* Beta Sector Fidelis
* Beta Sector History
* **Beta Sector Social Conventions**
* Clans Category

To update this list, click **Here**

## Dialect and Gestures

### Dialects

All sectors seem to have some sort of unique "Sector" dialect, Beta Sector's dialect seems to be based on Latin, but probably not pure Latin. It includes specific terms for all of the various, complicated family relations.

Betan wish of good luck. “*Fortuna smile on your mission*.”

### Gestures

Various hand gestures are used in Beta sector to have specific meanings instead of using words.

a horizontal, air-slicing movement with his left hand
classic Betan gesture of rejection.
right forefinger twirled in a circle
means "The discussion was over".

## Relationships

### Morals

Beta Sector is the most permissive sector in humanity's space. While the other sectors have imposed strong moral codes and prudish behavior on their worlds, Beta sector has been more tolerant. But in their own way, they have very strict guidelines.

Betans don't have as strong of nudity taboos as other sectors.

When the other sectors tried to force their moral codes on the Betans, it was one of the factors that drove them to declare the Second Roman Empire and secede from the other worlds of humanity.

They are considered very sexually permissive, but in truth they are only sexually permissive up until a betrothal.

They believe that it is ok to have casual relationships prior to a betrothal, once a person enters into a betrothal contract then all other relationships must end and Fidelis to their partner(s) is the overriding principles.

They do not do twoing or threeing contracts, because to them they feel it is wrong to have end dates set in advance on a relationship. They accept that relationships can fail and that they will end, but to set an end date in advance is against Fidelis.

### Betrothals

Betans do not believe in relationship contracts or term marriages, since they all have an end date and feel that to go into a relationship with a preset end date is against Fidelis. Since the clan is not involved in these type of contracts, Betans feel that it is dishonorable. Instead, Betans use betrothals, which are legally recognized under the Reunification Treaty of Artemis. All of the other sectors and planets treat betrothals as a continuous series of relationship contracts until they are told to stop.

A Betan can be 16 to enter into a betrothal.
### Marriages

Many of those in the Military clans marry non-Betans, when that happens then the outsider is adopted into the clan. If the betrothal and/or marriage lasts for more then a year and a day, they retain their dual citizenship if both their home sector and Beta Sector.

In Beta Sector, dual or triad marriages are perfectly legal.
#### Marriage by Declaration

If declared in front of a clan gathering, the marriage is legal and binding, but considered very disreputable because it didn’t involve either clan consent or a formal contract.

## Personal

### Names

Betan naming conventions for those born into a clan include the clan prefix somewhere in their name. For the true clans it usually falls in the middle, but for clan clusters it is used as a prefix.

Since the majority marry outside of their own clans, the children's clan identity would be of the higher ranking clan and the family would belong to that clan. But the spouse from the lower rank clan will keep their own clan identity or if originally not from Beta Sector, they would not adopt the clan prefix. The children though will use the high clan identifier.
Female children's surname is the same as their mother's and male surname is the same as their father's. For triad marriages the same sex partners will decide together what the surname will be.
### Birthdays

Calculated using a person's actual birth date based on interstellar standard Green Time of Earth Europe.

## References

1. ↑ Edwards, Janet. Sol 2781 (Drago Tell Dramis Book 4) (p. 415). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition.
2. ↑ Edwards, Janet. Earth and Fire (EGN Book 1) (p. 21). Kindle Edition.
3. ↑ Edwards, Janet. Array 2781 (p. 206). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition.
4. ↑ Edwards, Janet. Earth 2788: The Earth Girl Short Stories (p. 183). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition.
5. ↑ Edwards, Janet. Earth Flight (Earth Girl) (p. 191). Prometheus Books. Kindle Edition.