Читать книгу Refugees on Urloon - Melissa Aires - Страница 6

Chapter 2

A few weeks later Liam sat at his desk, still handling decisions about the future of the Toulous’s crew on Urloon. It looked like the crew was making the hard decisions. Some, those without tight family ties, were taking the adaption for Urloon citizenship and life in the domes. Others, in communication with their families and homeworlds, were choosing the farming option, their hopes high an expedition would make it to Urloon in the next few years.

The Urloon military was looking over the ship. They all hoped they could refit it with Urloon technology and end up with a decent midspace ship, one that could be used for trade with the nearest Rim worlds. It would never be suited for the long and dangerous journey back to the Center Worlds. They were lucky it had made it this far. It could be useful as a trader.

The crew would set their decisions before Liam in the next month, but most had already decided. He himself was already scheduled as one of the first to undergo water adaption.

It bothered him that Svana wouldn’t even consider the adaption procedure. Svana planned to live the rest of her life on Urloon, and life in the dome cities would be much easier than life in a small farm colony. He hoped eventually she would change her mind but so far she seemed content with her choice.

“Did you get a com sent to your daughter?” he asked Svana over the midday meal they usually shared in his quiet office.

“Yes, one of the girls posted it for me. I sent Junia coordinates and told her it was beautiful here with clean air, no crime. You know how rare that is on the Inner Worlds? Safe compared to Center City. I hope one day she’ll come here. Though I suppose if she did, she would adapt and move to the domes. Still, Junia would be close and safe. She could visit me here.”

“You could adapt, too.”

Her pink lips curved into a slight smile. “I’m done with excitement and enormous changes. It is time for me to set down roots. For the first time in my life I am free of war. I plan to live quietly, in a cottage with a garden, working on the community fields. Maybe learn to work with that white Urloon fur.”

Her future didn’t seem fulfilling enough to Liam. “The domes have many advantages, Svana. Music, restaurants, theaters. Things that make life interesting.”

Svana shrugged. “I lost a husband and two children in the war, moved my only living child a dozen times, from refugee camps to munitions plants, trying to make a decent life for her. My wants are few. Peaceful gardens and fields appeal to me. But I do wish I was closer to Junia.”

Liam’s flatpad buzzed. He tapped the com.

“King Rankree and Queen Elaine are here to speak with you.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Svana asked.

“No, there’s no need for you to leave.” He tapped his com. “Show them in.”

King Rankree was the ruler of the local population of water-adapted humanoids who called themselves the Urloon. Rankree and his people were descended from a group of Terrans who had been part of a scientific experiment to adapt humans to life underwater. Urloon had been colonized centuries ago in the first diaspora of Terran colonists into the galaxy. The Urloon had maintained and refined the DNA adaption and they had bred true for generations on this distant world. His wife, Elaine, however, was a Biotech from Terra, the only remaining member of an exploration and scientific station sent here years ago at the cusp of the Asha War. She had undergone the Urloon adaption procedure around the time of her marriage to Rankree some twenty years ago. They had a number of children, some young adults.

Rankree was tall, with the wide-shouldered, muscular build, pale skin with an alabaster sheen, long flossy blue hair and crystal blue eyes common to the Urloon people. He dressed in breeches and a vest made from chandolay fur. The unique white fur shed water quickly and did not get heavy when wet, a perfect cloth for sea people.

Elaine was a small and sturdy woman with fine, long-lashed blue eyes, artificially engrafted gill slits, and a few silver streaks in her long dark hair. Liam had heard rumors that the children of their union, sometimes seen in the spaceport village, were stunning combinations of the two, each more beautiful than the last.

“Rankree, Elaine, please come in and join us for some refreshments. You have met Svana before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, briefly. So nice to see you again, Svana.” Elaine had a gracious manner that made others feel welcome. She and Svana were close in age, though Liam thought the manner of dress for Urloon women made Elaine appear more youthful than Svana, who wore heavy utility one-piece suits. Elaine wore a white fur vest and short fur skirt. Her high white boots were also made of chandolay fur, and an embroidered thick cloak completed her attire. A brief thought of Svana dressed in such a manner skittered through his mind but he squashed it immediately.

Liam’s delight in seeing them was unfeigned. They had saved the lives of his crew by answering his distress signal and also fighting off a large, aggressive pirate ship they’d picked up with their distress signal as they neared Urloon.

“Thank you for seeing us, Captain.” Elaine spoke Confederation Standard with a lilting Terran accent. “No refreshments today, thank you. We are here to offer an invitation to you and your crew. We have our Moonfest celebration of spring in four weeks, at Urloon’s two moons’ conjunction. We would be honored if you and your crew would join us.” She smiled, revealing deep dimples. “We will start the festivities with the traditions of my home on Terra, with a colored egg hunt, adapted to Urloon, of course. There will be a fair on the commons during the day, and later we will have a feast.”

“After the children retire we will meet on the cliffs to watch the chandolay dance,” Rankree continued.

Elaine rummaged in her waterproof bag and pulled out an info film. “Here. You’ll want to understand the evening celebration. It is a fertility festival and we understand if you or your people choose not to attend. But with the aurora lights, the moon conjunction and the dancing of the chandolay, it is an event like no other.” Elaine dimpled at them again.

After they left, Liam picked up the film. He had managed to adapt an Urloon film player to his large desk com since much of Urloon information and training was contained on films. “Want to watch this with me? Sounds like it could be a little explicit. I’ve heard a few references to their Moonfest.”

Svana’s cheeks took on a pink hue. “All right. I guess we should know what it is all about.”

He was glad they were watching it together, alone. Svana made him feel...he wasn’t sure how to define it. Hopeful? Comforted? Not so alone, which was why her decision to stay on land bothered him. No more midday meals, late night tea. He had thoughts of her that were not always thoughts of a friend, but he was a man, after all, and thoughts of sex, no matter how inappropriate, filled his mind from time to time.

Svana had been nonmilitary support staff on board his ship, running the supply room and cleaning for his crew while they were busy working at their command stations, preparing for the final battle. She’d handled the dire news they were lost in deep space with courage, and had been invaluable in those early days when it looked like they would all die alone in the vacuum of space.

Finally the Urloon had picked up their distress signal, and two months after first contact they had broken into the atmosphere of a white- and sea-green world. Urloon flyers had protected them from pirates in an impressive show. They had made a safe landing, though their ship had been in need of major repair before it could take to space again.

Svana was his sounding board now. What she lacked in military strategy she made up for with maturity, native intelligence, common sense, and an understanding of young people. Since his Chief Officer, med staff and Chief Engineer had died at Adrazine, she was the only crew member near his age.

Svana was a tall woman, nearly his height, big boned and strongly muscled, with a nice soft coating of chubbiness he liked more than he should. Dark blonde hair, brown eyes and a snub nose made her pretty in an unconventional way.

“I’m having another cup of tea. Want one?” It was Urloon Spice tea, rich in antioxidants with a tang he had come to enjoy.

“Sure.” He waited as Svana brought him a cup of tea and joined her on a small settee, far too aware of her thigh pressed along the length of his own. He slid the film into the unit.

“Archival film 20.00.7403” ran across the screen. The film came on, showing a much younger Elaine wearing an even briefer chandolay fur two-piece, one that barely covered her full breasts.

“This in an informational film concerning the Urloon spring moon conjunction festival, called Moonfest. We offer it as an information service to visitors to Urloon.

“Urloon is known for its cold winters with deep snow and short summers. Summer is much celebrated for the growing season, a holdover, we believe, from the original Terran roots of the Urloon people, who are now completely adapted to the warm vent seas of Urloon. With their crystal domes, the Urloon can farm under the sea year round. Some crops are still raised on land, however, mostly large grain crops.

“The two moons of Urloon come together annually, always in the spring. This night is called the Moonfest or Dance of the Chandolay.”

The film showed large beasts in the clear, blue-green water of Urloon. The beasts were huge, the size of a starfighter ship, with long tubular snouts that brought them air while they stayed submerged, eating the rich plant growth in the warm water vents of the sea. They had heavy, blubber-rich bodies and six flipper-like legs, paddles that gave them surprising speed for such large animals. Their heads and paddle-shaped tails were covered with a bright white crystalline fur that grew to about two feet in length, which shed in the summer, producing abundant fiber for the Urloon’s use.

“Chandolay are indigenous to Urloon. We believe they are intelligent but no form of communication has ever been made with them, and they miss the Sentient Being Scale by several points, due to the communication issue. We all know this does not conclusively mean they are not sentient. Urloon hunters in distress have been saved and returned to Urloon colonies many times by chandolay, which certainly indicates highly evolved understanding.

“During the two moon conjunction, the chandolay leave the waters for the beaches near warm water vents, places that are green with new growth by the conjunction date.

“They dance and mate under the two-moon light. The dance is a type of circle dance, done in unison and quite complex. It is beautiful to watch. The chandolay also emit musical notes not heard at any other time.

“The chandolay emit strong pheromones, so strong that orgiastic activity is prevalent during their dance among the people of Urloon. This has become an annual of celebration for the Urloon, who often use local intoxicants on this night to heighten the affect.

“The strength of the pheromones cannot be stressed enough. Nearly all Urloon children are conceived at the Moonfest. Visitors have often found their own effective contraceptives, especially those hormone-based, totally eradicated, and found themselves with an unexpected pregnancy following participation. Older couples also have often been surprised by an unexpected late life baby.”

The young Elaine bent down and lifted up a crystal fur basket that held two dark haired babies with alabaster skin. “Multiple births are also at a higher percentage after the dance, both fraternal and identical multiples such as my own sons. Much scientific study still needs to be done to fully understand the effect of the chandolay pheromones. However, we know it is a true fertility booster.

“Join the dance if you desire. Be aware that old-fashioned barrier methods of contraception are of greater use to prevent pregnancy at this event than the common hormone based methods.

“An Urloon couple that is monogamous during and after the festival is considered legally married on Urloon. Visitors are not expected to abide by this custom, of course. Young people on Urloon who are not interested in marriage often join small groups where they share partners, thus avoiding marriage. However, if a woman becomes pregnant at the festival the father will be determined by tests, and the couple will be considered legally wed unless one member is already legally wed. Child rearing in such cases will be determined by the parents and the Matriarchal Child Welfare Counsel. Children are a delight on Urloon. Unwanted pregnancies and children are extremely rare and homes for such children are quickly found.

“Visitors have been scarce here the past few years since there is civil war in the Confederation, but we though it important to have an simple explanation of our Moonfest to share with any who venture to Urloon during the spring. Any of our people on land can direct you.”

The film ended. Liam wasn’t sure if he was glad or disappointed there was no racy film of the actual Moonfest. Watching something arousing with Svana might be unwise.

“Sounds like it could get complicated for our young people, since many will be attaining Urloon citizenship,” Liam said.

“Do we even have those types of contraceptives? Barriers?” Svana asked. Svana couldn’t remember any in her supply hold.

“No, all of our crew are on fertility hold.” He thought for a time. “Perhaps I should formally decline the invitation.”

On board the ship, any relationships between crewmembers were on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” basis, because of the need to keep professional boundaries. Officers were forbidden to have relationships with crew in the Confederated Military. Since grounding, things had changed somewhat in that there were known couples and even a few shared cabins now. He made no formal announcement of a change, but he made no objections, either. They were no longer in the Confederated military. Now they were all refugees together.

Svana sipped her tea and gave him one of her searching looks. “They are not children, Liam. Maybe some of them want children of their own, want to marry. Many of them have paired up since we landed. And it will be many years before we get back to a medic who can reverse the fertility hold.”

He thought about it. “You are right. Back home, many in their age group marry and start families.” He sipped his tea. “I guess I still see them as academy students thrown into war in desperate times. Children not ready for such responsibilities.”

Svana patted his hand, her touch warm and gentle. “Children you trained and protected during the dark times, Liam. Desperate times are over. Perhaps they wish to move on with their lives. Their futures.”

“You are right, Svana. A wise woman. I’ll load the film for the crew to watch. They can decide if they wish to participate.”

“Do you have children, Liam, back home?”

“No. I was married briefly. We were both military and were separated for years. It seemed right to dissolve the contract.”

“You’re not too old, you know, Liam. To find a wife and have children. The war is over now, you have a new future.”

He laughed at the foreign thought. “I feel too old.”

“Maybe this festival is what you need.”

“How about you?” He grinned as Svana grimaced. “You are no older than I am.”

Svana grinned. “I’m scared of water. And I could still get pregnant. What would I do with a baby with gills? Besides, I had a husband and raised my daughter.”

And lost her husband and two other children in the war, he remembered.

“Can you imagine, either of us, married with a child? Conceived at a wild alien fertility festival?” Svana rolled her fine brown eyes.

They laughed.