Imperial Guard – 004 Homestead
Chapter 1 Home, Solbrecht
Author's note: Okay, first of all, thanks to everyone who's kept up until this point. This is my first author's note since the start of this series and it's there for several reasons. This episode will be part one of a two-parter and will feature some very actual themes that for some may be a little difficult to stomach. For example, racism. It is the cancer that is destroying our society and it's there in the future as well. This is the censored version of the story which tones down the 'intimacy' between characters. For the full uncensored version, you should visit my page on AO3 (Archive of Our Own).
The second reason for this author's note is that this story closely relates to another fic on FF called Lachrimae, written by Tiarhlu. I'm not going to start a rant again about how much I wished that the writers duo behind it had finished this story, or at least found a way to get all 45 chapters of this unfinished epic up somehow. Lachrimae is as close as we're ever going to get to Stith's backstory and even though it's written by fans, I consider it canon. I LOVED the ideas, the writing, the comprehensiveness of it all, I can go on and on about it. But the truth is, what once was, will never come back. So I hope the writers can forgive me for using some of their ideas. I'm not going to reuse their characters and I'm not trying to steal and claim anything as my own. I'm only going to weave together my ideas with theirs to enrich this forgotten universe.
Last but not least, my older story called the Boundaries to Break, about teenage love on Solbrecht, a human girl and a Mantrin boy in a forbidden relationship, takes place at roughly the same time as this episode. It shows the lives of ordinary citizens on Solbrecht in a smaller town and how they deal with the main issue of this episode and the next. Enough of my rambling. Let's kick this episode off!
PS. The name of Raeth's sister Yimeh is pronounced 'Yeemay'.
Bear McCreary - Battlestar Galactica Season 1 - Main Title (US version): youtube /watch?v=pGeH6E2RIaQ
The galaxy isn't what you'd call a friendly place. Some situations require what I describe as special treatment. My crew and I have been selected to handle these cases in the name of the Emperor. For we serve the most powerful military organization in the quadrant: The Imperial Guard.
Two steps tall. Four wide. Should be enough.
Picturing what it would look like in his mind, Thylun could already see it hanging on the wall. It was customary for a Cathaiyra to occupy a central place in a household. Therefore the mess hall would be perfect and the empty bulkhead next to the wide viewport offered enough room for a sizable canvas, painted by claw with the name of every crewmember in an artistic form. As he stepped back from the wall, he heard the light thumps of steps behind him when a fellow crewmate entered the mess hall.
"Hey." Seylah gave him a faint smile. Approaching him with small steps as he turned to face her, she flattened one ear. They hadn't talked that much in person, but she seemed to interact well with the crew, even outside the engineering team. She had already run a number of shifts, getting familiar with the Myr'shala's systems, and Majih had praised the quality of her work. "What're you doing?"
"I'm thinking about making a ship's Cathaiyra. Would look nice on this bulkhead, don't you think?"
"A Cathaiyra. Haven't seen those in a long time. Sounds nice, I guess."
Surprised to see Seylah's ears droop a little in response, he frowned.
"C'mon, a little more enthusiasm! Your name will be up there too. You're part of the family you know." She smiled again, a little wider this time, a brief sparkle in her copper-colored eyes. Something bothered her though. His kindness did little to remedy that. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just… Everyone's being nice and all. Although Nami still doesn't like me very much. I was kinda nasty back then when we first met, but I said I was sorry."
"Hmm, she just needs to warm up to ya. Give it some more time."
"But that's not really it," she continued. "It's about my parents. I wanna go look for 'em, but at the same time…" She sighed. Not sure what she was trying to say, Thylun rested his arms on his thighs, waiting for her to find the right words. Not knowing where to look, she chose his feet as her point of interest, her tail moving with nervous sweeps. That there was no one else in the mess hall did not make her less hesitant to tell him. "I'm… I'm afraid to find out what happened after I left."
"You've been through a lot. Take your time."
She nodded. His calm voice made her smile once more, her ears climbing back up to their original position.
"So our next stop is Solbrecht, right?"
"Yep. Got any plans?"
"Not particularly. Majih said there was some kind of tech conference he wanted to visit. He asked me to join, so I think I'll go along with that."
Thylun chuckled.
"If you're looking for something less geeky, Weyan is organizing that hunting trip he's been rambling about for a while. I'm going too."
"Thanks, but I've more or less accepted his invite already. I'm looking forward to it."
"Okay. Maybe some other time. We're almost there. Got some stuff to grab. I'll talk to ya later."
"Personal log. Raeth, House of Meztar." A flood of memories lashed back like a splash of water in his face. Raeth sat behind the low desk in his ready room, his arms resting on its wooden surface, his hands folded over each other. The Myr'shala was on a direct route for Solbrecht, the world on which he was born.
As he listened to the rhythm of his own breathing, the ship pushed him closer and closer to reliving those memories. They brought back feelings with them. Powerful emotions, positive and negative. He grew up in one of the corporate-owned cities, the products of the human colonization effort. He went to a learning center, or school, as it was commonly called there. He made friends. He lost friends. He had to deal with arguments about his future. With racial prejudice. Pain. Joy. Grief.
There had been too many things he couldn't control. Too many things he couldn't escape from if he stayed there. So at the time he made a decision. Did the only thing, against his father's wishes, that would change his life and the way he felt about it: Leave.
"Home. Solbrecht. There was a time when I considered those two words one and the same. My kharii never wanted me to… My kha- Computer cancel recording." Frustrated, because of the direction in which his train of thought led him, he pushed himself backwards on the floor pillow, unfolded his legs from under the desk and rose to his feet. "Delete log entry."
Turning around he gazed through the viewport into the quantum tunnel, his thoughts still drifting off to the critical moments during his life on that world that brought him to where he was today. Are you really going to debate on the arguments you had with your kharii? In your personal log?
"Computer, begin personal log recording." He paused while attempting to find the right words, only to realize the start wasn't that bad. "Home. Solbrecht. There was a time when I considered those two words one and the same."
As he continued to ponder about what he wanted to say, his thoughts were disrupted by the sudden drop in speed back to normal space. The transition was smooth but noticeable nonetheless, if only by the sudden darkness in the room as he had the lights turned down. Not long after that, Trezka's voice cut through the silence, dragging him back fully to the here and now.
"Raeth, we've entered the Solbrecht system. We're being hailed by one of their patrol ships."
"Hyami, Trezka. I'm on my way. Computer, save recording as draft."
As a world inhabited by many different societies, Solbrecht always had its own unique set of problems to deal with. It was a striking example of what happened when different species blended in a big cultural hodgepodge, although the largest groups by far were Mantrins and humans.
The political climate was a very unusual setup, with its own regionalized governments which were little more than the glorified subsidiaries of their parent organizations on Earth. Solbrecht's early settlements were the products of several competing corporations, their growth in the early stages dependent on funding from their parent companies, completely independent from Earth's military.
Therefore the Earth Alliance did not interfere in civilian matters on Solbrecht. The Mantrin Empire had no say over the portion of their people who chose Solbrecht as their new home after their separation eons ago. The military arm of these organizations was only there to complement the Solbrechtian Navy, a small defense force for the sole purpose of patrolling and protecting the Solbrecht system.
The trouble had always been about finding the right balance. From an outsider's point of view, life on Solbrecht always seemed somewhat behind most of the galaxy. Interaction with the great void above was limited to the highest layers of society, which concentrated in the largest cities. Mostly responsible was the planet's largest group of inhabitants who happened to be Mantrins. Even the native Solbrechtians were much smaller in numbers, with the Mantrin population considering themselves natives as much as they did. All because of the unique way their far ancestors settled the world in its earlier stages of development, renouncing their technology and their past from that moment on and adhering strictly to a very traditional and fairly primitive way of living.
It were really humans who brought modern civilization to Solbrecht, roughly three-hundred solar cycles ago. What began with a few settlements, which left the natives mostly to their own ways, grew out to a number of large cities and several dozen smaller towns where humans, Mantrins and a few other ethnic monitories lived together in what in the ideal situation would be harmony.
The harsh reality was a stark difference from this vision of a prosperous society. Where the greedy Solbrechtians embraced modern life, with all its perks, and accepting its flaws, boosting profit and turning their own cities into centers of commerce and industry, Mantrins weren't so forgiving. The focus on sustainable development remedied this to some degree, yet traditional values continued to prevail over technological progress and the resistance against the presence of those doing anything in their power to boost that progress had grown to uncomfortably high levels.
Raeth had dealt with the challenges of a divided society from the moment he started taking part. In his case, as with most children who grew up in the cities, this was when he went to a public school. Even at that age, racial prejudice was a thing. Sadly, for it was at school where they also learned how to socialize in a world part of the larger galactic community. Until he interacted with that greater community in person, he had always wondered why the world on which he grew up was such a breeding ground for racism, inequality and hatred. It was what fueled his hesitation to return, even though a family reunion was long overdue, because he had learned from the latest reports, that the situation had not improved, and in some respects even deteriorated.
"We've got clearance," Syrran reported, tapping his console to plot a course down. "Faeyra-Estaria spaceport. Pad seventeen A."
"Excellent. Freya, take us down. Let her glide."
"Sir, yes sir."
Bracing for reentry, Raeth watched the green continent of Rihlos, covered partially by swirling cloud patterns grow until it took up all of the panoramic viewport. Faeyra-Estaria was one of the largest cities built predominantly by humans and Mantrins and home to equal parts of both species. Located close to the equator, it was also the place where he grew up.
As Freya took the Myr'shala down in a gradual descent, to reduce heat stress on the outer hull, the ship's current trajectory took them through the outer edge of a small low pressure system that seemed to have grazed the city. As Freya compensated for the occasional strong gust of wind, flashes of rain beat against the window, until they broke through the dissolving cloud cover on their way down, allowing them to spot the high-rise buildings of Faeyra-Estaria's busy corporate sector in the distance.
They built the city on the plains and partially over the hills around the low-lying center, with the outskirts reaching into the surrounding forests. Faeyra-Estaria was easy to spot from orbit as it was also known for being home to one of three space elevators, the enormous pillar dwarfing the skyscrapers as it reached all the way up into the void.
With the rain passing, the sun cast its powerful rays down on the buildings, enhancing the beauty of the artificial structures, which were in turn covered with real green to compensate for the emissions caused by modern life.
"Doesn't look that different from Sogowa Prime apart from the taller buildings," Freya remarked. "There's lots of green."
"From the outside it might appear that way," Raeth said, scratching behind the base of his left ear. "You're in for a surprise."
"Oh, it's not my first time on Solbrecht. It's very diverse, I know."
Because he didn't want to kill Freya's enthusiasm, Raeth decided not to explain further, although a fair warning was in order. He did make a mental note to explain the situation to everyone before disembarking. It was better to be safe than sorry.
"Coming up on the spaceport," Syrran announced. "Standby to initiate landing procedures."
The spaceport was a busy area close to the space elevator's pillar, with larger ships and small craft landing and taking off round the clock with passengers and cargo. The elevator with its automated vertical trains was there to complement this whole operation, to reduce traffic and handle some of the bulk loads from larger vessels docked at the orbital ports, which were unable to touch the surface.
Skillfully leading the Myr'shala to its designated landing location, Freya used the ship's thrust-vectoring engines for very precise maneuvers. There were no residential buildings around the spaceport and the pad was located near the edge of the forest. Catching a gust of wind as she let the Myr'shala drift into position above the pad, she couldn't prevent the aft engine exhaust flow from touching the tops of the trees, triggering the fire suppression systems around the landing area. Compensating for the drift, she ended the maneuver with a graceful touchdown that was barely felt. Looking over her shoulder as her console stopped flashing, her ears lowered in response, her teeth showing in an expression of embarrassment.
"Uiisa 'bout that."
Raeth shook his head.
"Sloppy. Sloppy. Especially for your doing. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to report that."
"Aw, c'mon! I was caught by surprise."
Amused by her indignance, he smiled, watching it grow when she realized he was making fun of her.
"I'm sure the trees will forgive you."
"Hmph, you're mean."
Looking out over the tops of most other ships on the parking lot, watching the last droplets of rain follow the curve of the panoramic viewport on their way down, Raeth leapt to his feet.
"Jetreycka, ship-wide please."
"You're on, Raeth."
"All hands, this is your Ginjha. We've touched down on Solbrecht. Location, Faeyra-Estaria spaceport. For the next five of Solbrecht's days, you're free to go wherever you want. Go home. Enjoy yourselves. Go see what Solbrecht has to offer. I know you're all grown-up, but the only thing I ask of you is to be careful. If you're a stranger around these parts, do not go out alone. As you've all read in the latest reports, Solbrecht is experiencing an increase in civil unrest. Do not attract attention to yourself. Do not let anyone trick you into doing something you don't wanna do. I'm keeping an open commlink. I suggest you do the same. That is all."
As Raeth expected, no one stayed aboard the ship, which meant they were going to lock it down, in addition to the closed security gate around their landing pad. With the Imperial Guard presence limited to a few small supply depots, they had to rely on the services of Solbrecht's corporate-owned spaceports which benefited from contracts with military organizations.
That big companies owned these ports was also made evident by the blatant advertising of products and services on large holographic billboards in and around the parking area. Some of these even included sound and flashy animations to lure both citizens and tourists into spending their hard-earned cash. Like many other modern civilizations, Solbrecht had fallen victim to consumerism, and those looking to reap the benefits also had to deal with its drawbacks.
"Pherradyne, empowering your tomorrow."
"Solbrecht Sky Cruises. Sailing the skies of Solbrecht in luxury."
"Dare to be different. Transcendence. Be the next version of yourself."
In particular that last ad caught Raeth's attention. A company offering those rich enough to afford it the possibility to cheat death by transferring their mind into a new body. Although this practice was strongly regulated, criminals looking for a new identity could also abuse this method to disappear forever. In theory, it was even possible to switch species, although this was made illegal due to strong opposition from the majority. However, Raeth knew that these services were offered on many other worlds, some with less strict ruling, with endless possibilities for those with deep pockets.
With the loading ramp of the cargo bay extended to let everyone out, Raeth took in a breath of fresh petrichor-filled air, while trying to ignore the ads as his feet touched the tarmac, which felt cold and wet from the rain. Everyone had plans. Like his own, most involved going home and spending time with family and friends. For those without living relatives on Solbrecht, things were different.
"Weyan, I don't wanna slow you down or anything, but be careful in those forests. Try not to disturb the natives."
"I won't, Raeth. Promise."
At least they're with a whole bunch.
Weyan never seemed to go anywhere without his best friend Thylun and they were joined by Syrran, Itan, Trezka and Nami, the latter carrying her longbow over her shoulder, which would certainly help their efforts. As they said goodbye and made their way into town first to get some more gear, the crew split up into several smaller groups.
Azdar went home to his mother in a town not far from Faeyra-Estaria, taking Masai with him. Salu went to visit his parents and younger brother and invited Moa to join him. Majih, Jetreycka and Seylah had their eyes set on a technology conference in the city and the nearby leisure center for rest and relaxation.
"Raeth, can we ask for a favor?"
Turning around, he looked in the eyes of the remaining three female members of the crew, their tails swishing in excitement. It was Baika who asked the question and she was joined by Jacky and Freya. Houn and Norgu were locked in conversation at the top of the loading ramp. Apart from Le'tan they were the only ones who hadn't left yet.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Can we… borrow a shuttle so we can go south to my home? We promise we'll return it without a scratch."
Raeth crossed his arms.
"Hmm, Oghuni Teh Neywa eh?"
She nodded.
"We'll be taking Houn and Norgu with us. We'll drop them off at their homes."
"I should come and visit sometime. All right, off you go."
"Yay! Hyami! Let's go!"
The sleek form of the Myr'shala was an imposing presence between the other ships on the lot. Watching the shuttle leave the bay a couple of millicycles later and rise up into the bright summer sky to disappear into the distance, Raeth locked the ship down, leaving himself standing outside the gate with Le'tan. The only absent crewmember was Jirro. He had granted his Kaedar's request to return home to Sogowa Prime to deal with a personal situation involving his father. With the entire crew on leave, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to have to miss his First Officer.
"Well, I guess that was that," Raeth said to Le'tan. "Time to go home." The two started walking in the direction of the city, enjoying the pleasant temperature and light breeze, which made the high humidity more tolerable. He noticed Le'tan remained quiet and didn't respond to his last comment. He then remembered that Le'tan couldn't return home for one simple reason. He had left his Wa'syr Uya, a strict traditional community of people, who did not tolerate disobedience. He had thereby banished himself, preventing him from ever being accepted back in again. "Uiisa, that was inconsiderate of me."
"It's all right, Raeth. It's difficult, but I've accepted the facts. I'm going to visit an old friend of mine who lives in the outskirts of town."
"That's right, you used to live here too."
Le'tan nodded.
"He worked at the shelter where I ended up after my escape. Took me in after I told him my story and that I wanted to join the Imperial Guard. Still took me about a solar cycle to get enough credits together to leave, but he made me promise to visit him from time to time, if I got in the neighborhood."
"Sounds like a true friend."
"He is. Wonderful guy. He's got a mate and kids now and he moved to a bigger house so I'm curious."
After leaving the spaceport behind, they crossed over a large transportation hub, where air transports and monorails took passengers from the spaceport to other destinations in the city and neighboring towns. Ending up in a small commercial district their paths diverged, with their respective destinations on opposite sides of town. Although it was a good distance to his parents' house, Raeth still decided to enjoy the walk instead of hailing an air taxi. He knew this part of town, and despite the difficulties of life there were still things he missed.
The kind-hearted people who lived in his parents' neighborhood. The restaurants where he used to eat with friends. The street markets where local farmers sold fresh produce of amazing quality. Most of these things were there on Sogowa Prime as well, though it was still different.
There were other things he didn't miss though. The racial issues. The consumer society that seemed to hold everyone into its firm grip. The way it seemed to drive those who tasted it into buying expensive things they didn't need just to impress those around them. From clothing and jewelry to luxury hover cars and bigger houses. And the inequality it created between certain groups, which could very often be categorized by species.
One simple thing no one would ever find on Sogowa Prime were the billboards in the commercial district he just left behind. Men and women, Mantrins and humans, modeling for big brand names in clothes that were meant to make them appear more attractive to the opposite sex. Especially the underwear ads went far in this regard, using women in a seductive pose that were as scantily clad as possible, without being downright inappropriate.
The beauty of Faeyra-Estaria could be found in the meticulous way in which the city interacted in harmony with nature. The windows of the skyscrapers which served a double function as transparent solar panels, like the panels on the roofs of the houses did. The spiraling vertical windmills near the borders. Rainwater collection systems in addition to the regular water supply. Facades which were adorned by flowering plants and bright green moss. The many parks where its citizens could enjoy Solbrecht's diverse flora and fauna. The clean streets were mostly free of vehicles which only came down from their virtual roads in the sky to find a parking spot or drive small distances. Everything was designed to comply with this style of architecture.
When he reached the suburbs, the apartment buildings made place for stand-alone houses and it didn't take long for him to run into one of those street markets that brought back good memories. Deciding to walk right through it, the stalls placed far enough apart to accommodate members of his species, he enjoyed the bustle of people trying to get the absolute best from the local farmers. The bargaining about prices. The chimes of successful credit transfers. Yes, he was back on the world and in the neighborhood where he grew up.
"Uhreaht, sir. Would you like to try? Free sample."
At first Raeth didn't realize the merchant was talking to him. Promoting the fresh fruit at his stall by offering potential customers a platter with small bite-sized pieces was a proven strategy. But the reason was different. The Sogowan Mantrin spoke Preidogian and it was time to find out how rusty his had become. Offering pieces to others around him, he eventually offered Raeth again, who took a piece of yujaa. The piece of fruit burst with flavor as the soft flesh caressed his tongue. Filled with sweet refreshing juice, tasting a fresh one after such a long time was a true delight.
"It's good huh? Have another one."
"Hyami. I mean myrsya."
The merchant chuckled, walking around his stall to serve the customers who wanted to buy after getting that first taste. He was average in most aspects for his race, the only things standing out being his big floppy ears and short tail.
"You're not from around here are you? Imperial Guard, right? That's eight fifty, ma'am."
Among his customers were Mantrins as well as humans. This was Solbrecht at its best. Citizens enjoying the pinnacle of what nature had to offer. Helping out locals with a passion for growing fresh food. From those with their own garden, making some extra credits by selling surplus, to small agricultural enterprises. Raeth noticed how the merchant did multiple things at the same time, taking orders, packing the fruit in bags, all while continuing to talk to him.
"I used to be from around here. And you're right. I just arrived."
"Ah, coming home after a while. I've got an eight-cycle-old who can't wait to command her own starship. Too bad she doesn't take after her erseh and share his passion for growing the best yujaas in town. Are you a Ginjha, by the way? Twelve credits, sir."
"Actually, I am. Raeth, House of Meztar."
"And a member of an imperial House at that. I'm honored to meet you, sir. The name's Lynam."
Lynam? Not strictly a Mantrin name, or is it?
With the blending of cultures, it wasn't uncommon for Mantrins to give their children human names or hybrid names. It was a nice name though and it somehow felt fitting. He even saluted him the correct way, right arm crossed diagonally over his chest, a fist placed on the left side. Raeth gave him a respectful nod.
"That's very kind of you. But it's nothing special, really. It's my mate's family name. I'm not a nobleman."
"Respect anyway. Can I get you anything?"
"I'll take eight. A bit impolite to come home after all this time without a gift, don't you think?"
The merchant bowed over his stand, as if he wanted to tell him a secret, his voice lowered to a near whisper.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with you, sir. That'll be four credits, and that's a steal."
After using his wristcom to pay, the merchant handed him a brown paper bag with the fruit.
"Enjoy your day, and come back anytime!"
Continuing his way past the family homes of the suburbs, Raeth reached the familiar neighborhood where his parents' house stood. Very little seemed to have changed, though it had been a few solar cycles ago when he last set foot on the tiled path leading up to the broad front door. Unless the owners were wealthy enough to be able to have a house built from scratch, most residences in the cities were designed to accommodate both Mantrins and humans, the architecture a blend of preferences. His parents' house was a common example of that. A one-story house with broad door openings, tall ceilings, walls made of a sand-colored stone and large windows with built-in blinds, in addition to the awnings providing shade no matter the sun's angle.
All houses in this street were surrounded by full round gardens, in which some grew their own fruit and vegetables. Children of all ages and of different species enjoyed the warmth of summer, in the gardens, out on the street, and with the younglings under the watchful eyes of their parents. It almost made him wonder if the reports were exaggerated, but Raeth knew better. Racism often came in subtle yet poisonous ways. Only when these reached a climax would it make the headlines.
As he reached the front door with the familiar engraved patterns in its hard wooden surface, and the thin vertical bar of semi-transparent glass running from top to bottom, he looked to the side at the driveway which led up to the garage. His parents did own a car, but used it sparingly. Guessing by the empty driveway that his sister had yet to arrive, he rang the doorbell.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind it mere ticks thereafter. His parents were home because he had announced his coming. When the door opened he looked straight into his mother's eyes, which were like his own. A deep copper, with a trace of orange. Her skin chocolate brown, with only a few wrinkles around her eyes betraying her age, a few darker spots in her lighter colored neck.
Maharii gasped. Before he knew it she had her arms wrapped around his neck, stretching her legs and leaving her feet behind the way Ashia often did to bridge the height gap. He inherited his incredible height from his father.
"You're here. My Raeth. You've been gone for too long."
Remaining standing in the door opening, he wrapped his one arm around her, while holding the bag of yujaas in the hand of the other to prevent them from being squashed.
"I'm here ahmo. I'm home."
She held onto him as if she would lose him forever if she let go. When she did, after a good fifteen ticks, she cupped her hands around his cheeks in a fond gesture, touching the tip of her beak to the top of his, before lowering herself on her legs. Rubbing the few wrinkles out of his uniform shirt with the palms of her hands, she rested them on his chest for a brief moment before letting go. Her faint smile. The glitter in her eyes. She was proud of him, he knew it. It faded together with the lowering of her ears as she heaved a sigh.
"Come in. Close the door."
"I brought fresh yujaas from the market. Long time ago since I had one of those."
His mother chuckled, taking the bag from him as he closed the door.
"So that's why your breath smells so sweet."
Filling his lungs with air, taking in the familiar blend of smells from this other home, a mild shiver went up his spine. It was still the same. Flowery. A few notes of wood. A touch of earthiness. Catching a glimpse of the very open living room, he noticed the arrangement was still the same. With its central table made from an elongated slice of tree trunk surrounded by six large square floor pillows, half of them dark-blue, the other half burgundy. Their family rug, embroidered with the four names of their household in the traditional spirals of the Preidogian language, placed on the sand-colored tiled floor perpendicular to the table, a couple of spare pillows stacked next to it.
Against the wall above the rug, a large shelf, also made from a sawed off slice of tree trunk, held a collection of family photos, including one of a rebellious teenage version of himself together with his sister, taken after his coming of age ceremony. Another similar one featured the both of them again, this time after Yimeh had her adulthood bestowed upon her. In both occasions they wore the traditional tan-colored poetyo. Others showed the four members of their family at different ages and important events, such as his parents' bonding and to his own embarrassment, himself when he still barely had teeth to chew with. His grandparents were there as well, together with a few other members of the family.
Flowering climbing plants grew from pots hanging from the planked ceiling. One piece of wall was reserved for their Cathaiyra with his, Yimeh's and his parents' names. Their joyt, the traditional spiraling tube-shaped harp, rested on its stand in the corner near the patio doors. The low wooden cabinets held his parents' tribal heirlooms which dated back several generations. This home had been his for no less than nineteen solar cycles.
"You know… your erseh doesn't want you to wear that uniform in the house."
"It's fine. I'll take the shirt off."
His mother was dressed in a striped t-shirt and loose-fitting buttoned trousers, an outfit worn commonly by the modernized portion of his people. Pointing his beak at the ceiling, he grabbed the collar of his uniform top and pulled the shirt over his head, his ears flapping back into their original position. Doing a quick fold in his hands, his feet shuffled over the stone floor as he took his first slow steps toward the living room. The shriek his mother emitted as he walked past her stopped him dead in his tracks.
"W-What happened to your back?"
He never told her about the incident. He was but a young officer during his second posting. The capture by slavers of him and several other crewmembers while trying to put a stop to an illegal operation. The snapping lashes of the electro-whip. The rescue party didn't take long to arrive, but too late for two members of that crew. The scars he bore on his back he kept as a fierce reminder as to why he had sworn the oath to protect. Even though modern medical technology could've removed every single trace, his decision to keep two of them was deliberate.
"It's nothing ahmo. Tokens. Something I must never forget."
In between the table and the largest cabinet stood his father, dressed in nothing but a pair of gray shorts. A Sogowan Mantrin of impressive size and muscularity like himself, he had his arms crossed over his bare chest and an expression on his face that gave him the unmistakable feeling that he had hit a sensitive string without saying a word. He felt a slight breeze coming from the open patio doors, and near the wooden rear fence a large shovel stuck out from a sizable pile of dirt under the green-covered pergola that spanned the entire width of the garden.
"So, you have decided to come home after all this time," his father grunted, his voice much deeper and heavier than his own.
"Ke'tarr, don't start now."
"I'm not starting anything, Maharii. I'm merely stating a fact."
"I've come home because I wanted to come home. That's all there is to it."
His father flared his nostrils, balancing on his legs, his thick muscular tail hitting the stone floor with a powerful tap.
"Your Preidogian has gotten rusty. You've got an accent."
I knew it!
His father was about to start the whole rant about responsibility again. About making sacrifices and how he had made them as well. There was very little he could do to stop it, so like all the other times he simply endured it.
"Erseh, I'm not here to argue with you again."
"Then what are you here for?"
There was something about Ke'tarr's tone of voice that snapped something. For split tick he felt like his own father didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. If there was one thing Ke'tarr was good at, it was to make you feel worthless if he considered you as such. It was out before he realized he made a mistake. But the feeling stung like a hot needle and it stirred up a whole lot of memories.
"Fine! You wanna talk about this again?"
"Ke'tarr, please," he heard his mother try to calm things down.
"I have done everything you didn't want me to do! You did your best to prevent me from doing it, and I did it anyway. I left, trying to find a different life for myself and I'm proud of it!"
"Nothing was ever good enough for you!" his father thundered, his voice powerful enough to shake the house on its foundations. "You always needed more! You had to go off and see the galaxy. You had to bond with that girl and become part of an imperial House."
"Leave Ashia out of this!"
With his hearts beating in his throat, his hands balled into fists and planted into his thighs, he looked into his father's eyes that glittered with barely restrained anger. There was no point in this. They were both getting angrier and angrier over things that happened a long time ago.
"You had a responsibility to this family! They're making our lives more and more difficult with each passing day. Sometimes I think the conservatives are right. Their ideas may seem backward, but our lives were a whole lot simpler before the humans came here and began imposing their ideas of a so-called society upon us."
"Who's stopping you? If you are so unhappy with your life and the way things are going then why don't you join them?"
"How dare you speak to me like that in my own house!" Ke'tarr exploded, foaming bits of saliva flying from his mouth as it distorted his speech.
"Stop it! Both of you!"
Raeth sighed. The thing that finally calmed him down was his mother emitting a sob. She bit her lip when he looked at her. His father swallowed, wiping his beak with the back of his hand. Panting like a predator that was about to devour its prey after a long chase, he let out a loud growl, then stomped out of the house. He walked to the spot where he had been working, turning his bare back toward them, his arms crossed, his long tail lashing like a massive whip.
"Forgive me, ahmo. I didn't mean to stir things up." Looking at the shirt in his hands, he shook his head. "Might as well put this on again."
His mother was still holding on to the bag of yujaas. Her eyes glittered with tears until she wiped at them with the back of her hand. Walking past him with small shuffling steps, she moved over to the table, kneeled on one of the floor pillows, and began adding the yujaas one by one to the collection of fruit in the hollowed out half of a small tree trunk that served as a fruit bowl.
"It's all right," she said softly. "I know you didn't mean to." Looking around the house, as if the one thing that could make things right again could be found somewhere in the cabinets, Raeth squeezed his thighs as he ground his teeth. The house had a very open layout, so there was plenty of room for them to move around. The open U-shaped kitchen. The large distance between walls and furniture. For humans, things would feel oversized, but for his family it was just enough to get comfortable. Adding the last of the yujaas to the bowl, Maharii left the brown paper bag on the table and looked up at her mate, who still stood in the exact same spot, staring over the low wooden fence into the distance. "He's under a lot of stress. Your erseh. They cut his salary two seasons ago. I might have to start working again."
"Ahmo."
Kneeling on a second floor pillow, he rubbed his beak to hers as he draped his one arm over her shoulders. They sat like that for a millicycle and he sensed his mother was fighting back tears, the way she shivered now and then and took the occasional ragged breath. Until her ears jumped at the chime of the front door's electronic lock, followed by the sound of footsteps and the door falling shut.
"That's your ahmi. I asked her to come here, even though you two keep in touch. She is so happy since she is with child."
Taking a deep breath, wiping her cheeks with quick strokes from the back of her hand, she rose back on her feet, as did he. His mother was right. He had been in frequent contact with his sister, so her very pregnant belly was no surprise. In fact, it was the main reason for his return to Solbrecht at this time.
Yimeh walked in smiling, her once so graceful walk hampered by her unborn child. He was about a head taller than she was. Wearing comfortable white shorts and a loose t-shirt with flower print in the middle, she had definitely picked her clothes to reduce the discomfort of her pregnancy. Her kind pretty face, her cute laugh and the way she flicked her ears when she laughed all reflected her personality.
"Raeth!" Shoving her keychain into one of the pockets of her shorts, she twisted and turned until she had found a comfortable way to hug him. This required some effort on his part and the compromise was arching forward over her belly while she did the same. Rubbing her muzzle to his she breathed in and out lightly as if to take in his scent to ensure it really was him and licked his cheek. Returning both gestures, he playfully tapped his finger to the tip of her muzzle after letting go. "I've missed you. So much. We need to talk."
"Upstairs?"
He looked at his mother, who nodded.
"You two need a moment."