---Veterans---
The Triple Ms, Shings and I stand in an open town square, nearby Bahari ya Kaskazini.
Terran security being what it is, Dr Zunberi wouldn’t have been able to collect us from there, so this is the agreed meeting place.
I look around at the others, all dressed in a fashion they call ‘smart-casual’… aptly named!
I can imagine them socializing at a gala or relaxing in their Commonroom in these clothes.
Even the Shings have emulated the style.
It almost makes me wish that R’qali wore clothes!
I’m sure that any outfit I attempted to fabricate to match this style would look ridiculous; for the combination of clothes already looking extremely unnatural on my species and the fact that I’m sure my mind wouldn’t be able to reproduce the subtle nuances of it, the way theirs effortlessly seem to!
I have to settle for having a slightly nicer sash for my welfare devices.
For a [nanosecond] earlier, I considered digging out my old medals to pin onto it but… well, Msia has told me that the one whose house we’re visiting is a veteran of the opposite side of the same conflict… it would probably be in poor taste!
Plus, all of my medals amount to ‘congratulations for not dying’… not really anything to be proud of!
I also believe that displaying medals might not be conducive to the ‘casual’ part of ‘smart-casual’.
Just then, a clear tube with an ornamental conical nose, ornamental swept wings and a single occupant sweeps, near silently, over the square before dropping to touchdown in front of the group.
Nkasiogi Zunberi throws open the access door, smiles and says “Get in, nerds! We’re going to dinner!”
There is a general chuckle as the group begins advancing on the transport capsule.
We file inside and Dr Zunberi explains “We’ll be able to accelerate to Mach 10 over the Northern Ocean before we have to decelerate to Mach 2 to pass over the other side of the Settlement Band, over the Agricultural Zone we can start accelerating again so we’ll be able to get up to Mach 16 over the Equatorial Desert. Should take no more than a few hours to get to the Rainforest Zone in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Msia puts a hand on his sister’s shoulder and asks “Your two aren’t coming?”
She shakes her head and says “No, unfortunately, Luul is still busy with homing your mirklets and Amahle… wasn’t feeling up to it… They’ve both said they’ll come next week.”
He nods and no more is said about that as the capsule begins to rise above the buildings surrounding it.
It darts forward and everyone outside the gravitic compensation fields of me and the Shings sways from the motion. I experience a moment of fear as I believe there must be a malfunction with the capsule’s inertial dampening… then I realise that Terrans probably wouldn’t consider inertial dampeners necessary on a planetside transport(!)
…Best to be sure… “Dr Zunberi… there are no inertial dampeners on this transport, are there?”
In answer, she puffs through her nose and says “No, sweetheart… No inertial dampeners! We like to feel the acceleration!... Also, call me Kas, alright?”
I nod assent as the coastal city disappears behind us.
I spot something in the water below. Rather, I spot two somethings… two very large somethings, one much larger.
“What are those?” I ask the group at large.
Msia answers me “They’re Whales… I think they’re Blue Whales… that’s a mother and calf…”
Having spent nearly 15 years in close proximity to a Terran and, for much of it, having actively studied all things Terran, I’ve of course previously been aware of whales but… seeing the sheer scale of them… it’s something different.
Just as they’re disappearing behind us the mother gives a slight sideways jerk and my mind fully comprehends that that enormous thing is a conscious, aware being… not a submarine structure… not a semisunken ship!
“That calf had to be as long as this transport!” I exclaim.
Msia laughs and nods “I’d guess so too… I think about fifteen of the mother would equal the length of the Bright Plume.”
My mind boggles!
Msia spends the rest of the time we fly over the ocean explaining to me the peculiar evolutionary history that allowed baleen cetaceans to achieve their gargantuan sizes, the struggle that they faced with Humans of the past hunting them, mainly to turn their fat into lamp oil, the necessity to clone certain species back from extinction after the Ocean Acidification Event of their late [21st Century] and the fight that Terrans have been undergoing, in Parliament, to get them recognised as sapient.
“Obviously, our uplifts get full recognition but… really, whales are just as intelligent as us already… There’s just a bit of prejudice against them because… well it’s difficult to build anything or make any technological breakthroughs when your finest manipulation is a tongue the size of an elephant. They can’t really join the community of space faring species. When they fare the stars it’s in tightly controlled habtanks made by Humans… we always get their consent, of course! That mother and child are almost certainly the descendants of Blue Whales who agreed to be brought here to help with the health of the marine ecology. It’s much easier to get permission now that we have translator tech… we had to go through some pretty ludicrous workarounds to understand them, before.”
I smile “My translator informs me that you are mentally [capitalising] their species name, the way Terrans do for sapients… you’re clearly sincere!”
He gives a soft chuckle “Yes… well, a bit of respect is the least I can give them after what my species has put theirs through... Humans have a habit of making a mess…”
Looking out at the coast of the Northern Ocean, coming back into view, I say “Yes… but my experience of your species is that you’re also very good at cleaning up your messes…”
He smiles “A skill you have to learn eventually(!)”
We pass, at a relative [snail’s] pace, over the coastal habitation zone then, accelerating on, over the verdant agricultural band.
Eventually, that gives way to scrub which, in turn, gives way to scorching desert.
Dr Zunbe… Kas raises her voice to say “The capsule is indicating that we’re going to pass through a pretty heavy sandstorm, won’t be a problem but we’ll lose visibility for a minute or so, don’t be alarmed!”
Sure enough, an enormous front of dust looms before us.
The ship dives in, limiting visibility to a few [metres] outside, in any direction.
I see those who are not benefiting from the gravity fields jerk and sway with the increased turbulence.
Roughly [90 seconds] pass before visibility clears.
That storm had to have been [hundreds of kilometres] wide, at the speeds we’re travelling! I wonder what they do when storms pass into the habitation zones…? Well it’s clearly not considered apocalyptic, if it does happen… It certainly would be, on any gardenworld!
We enter into a biome that I am informed is called ‘Savannah’.
We see great herds of grazing Earth fauna, in quantities I have heard of but, again, not grasped before now!
The bulk, Kas tells us, are wildebeest but she also points out zebra, elephants, giraffes, water buffalo, gazelles and many more kinds besides!
She tells us that these animals provide food for a rich array of carnivores, including lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, painted dogs and resurrected African sabretooths.
If there are any carnivores down there, I don’t see them.
The density and height of trees steadily increases until we are flying over a thick canopy, through which the ground is rarely visible.
The capsule comes to a halt, in air, and begins its vertical descent.
Gesturing out at the thick forest, Kas says “Welcome to Msitu wa Mvua… Sisi’s and my home…”
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We touchdown on the landing pad and disembark before the capsule departs, now passengerless.
Just as it is on the verge of vanishing over the horizon Dr Zunber… Kas rounds on me and the Shings “You’ve all got insect repellents right?!”
Nou and I both gesture to the devices clipped to our fronts.
Nahn gives an embarrassed “Errrrrrmmmm…..”
Kas rolls her eyes and says “You’ll have to stick close to your wife, furball! The biting insects aren’t a problem for us! We eradicated all known insect borne diseases centuries ago but I really don’t want to add ‘discoverer of Fulgensian reaction to mosquito bites’ to my CV, Understand?”
Msia steps in at this point and, bending down to offer his back to the Shings, says “It probably wouldn’t be a problem for them, Kas… the only reason most Humans are allergic to mosquito bites is the fact that such a large portion of our ancestors died of malaria. They, not having evolved on a planet that has malaria, would have no reason to have adapted a congenital adverse reaction to them.”
His sister cocks an eyebrow before saying “I’m sure you don’t want your boyfriend to be the guineapig for that hypothesis, Sisi!”
Msia and the Shings all look embarrassed.
Victor offers me his shoulder and Hasiakh is given a stern lecture from Kas about how, even though we will be walking on paths and even though the toughness of her underbelly scales is an order of magnitude above anything that might be found in a gardenworlder, she is to be closely on guard for any thorny plant matter that may have fallen on the path. If a thorn works its way under her scales, septic shock may result!
She seems sufficiently affrighted by the lecture.
The group makes its way from the clearing, into the dense jungle.
The canopy is so thick that, even with the intense light of the twin Zanzibari suns beaming down overhead, the environment is dim.
The forest consists mainly of broadleaf plants with waxy cuticles. As Kas warned, many of the plants are thick with thorns!
The whole biome is a cacophony of animal calls… it’s rather unnerving to think that… almost every animal I can hear… is one that could kill me if I were not under guard by the group of Terrans!
Tuun walks next to Victor along the cobbled path through the woods. He takes her lower left hand with his right and they pull close, tenderly.
It’s… only slightly awkward for me… being on his opposite shoulder.
I swivel my head to look behind at Krish, Hasiakh, Jennie, Sam and Samus behind us then back forward to look at the Zunberis leading the way with the Shings astride Msia’s back.
We walk for some time before a large house, mounted in the canopy, comes into view.
Coming to the foot of a flight of stairs, we begin to climb.
The fact that all of the Terrans have the stamina to be able to undertake such a climb without even a complaint, after the length they just walked, is remarkable!
There is a brief question mark as to whether Hasiakh will be able to make the climb, not having feet, but she laughs and relays that, living in a galaxy where foot analogues are nearly ubiquitous, you learn how to climb stairs!
We come to the top of the stairway and the canopy-top dwelling is unveiled.
We are greeted by a group of Humans, the bulk of whom look uncannily like Msia and Kas.
They are mostly adults but there are six children, of various ages, that I infer to be nieces and nephews.
There is a cheer as the family members come into view of eachother.
Msia is swamped by siblings, cousins and children. The Shings are required to hop down to avoid being crushed!
The younger children may have no memory of seeing this man outside of a screen.
Then… she parts the crowd.
Her bearing is such that I do not need to be told who she is!
It does not require my noticing her copious scars, prosthetic arm, prosthetic leg and prosthetic eye to mark her as a veteran. There is something in the way she holds herself that conveys that louder than shouting!
She may still look like a woman in the prime of her life but… the deference the rest show her marks her as their matriarch.
I’m a little envious of the level of respect she is shown!
She steps to Msia and, pausing a moment… she pulls him into a firm embrace.
“It’s good to see you, Son!” she says… somehow managing to sound heartfelt, through her stoicism.
He pats her back and says “It’s good to see you too, Mum.”
The two pull apart and the matriarch looks Msia up and down.
“You look well… not too skinny!”
He smiles “Yes… I’ve been taking care of myself… just like you taught me.”
She gives a satisfied nod before saying “Come! All of you! Dinner is ready! With so many, we need to eat on the balcony, I assume no one minds that…?”
There is a chorus of agreement that the balcony is a fine place to eat and we all file off in, presumably, its direction.
As I pass the scarred matriarch, she fixes me with those eyes… one natural and as black as coal… one mechanical and, somehow, even darker.
She stares with some intensity. No hostility, that I can detect… more like… appraisal?
Yes… she’s giving me the same appraising eyes that her daughter did when I first met her a few days ago… only it feels like comparing a candle and a forge in terms of ferocity!
I definitely don’t like being so heavily appraised by deathworlders!
---most of a dinner later---
I look at the last of the grilled mango half that was provided in accordance with my dietary requirements.
It’s really too much!
This may be a snack to a deathworlder but… its calorie density is straining my capacity to consume it!
Steeling myself, I scrape up the last pieces and swallow them down… if nothing else, this will provide for very rich crop milk for Tcakak… by the time I get back to her, I’m sure it will have been sufficiently broken down and diluted by my secretions that spoiling her with deathworld fruit won’t be a concern.
I look around at the rest of the table.
With two dozen Terrans present, it is impossible for even them to carry out a single conversation. Therefore, they have broken themselves up into 6 or so conversation units.
Victor sits to my right. He offers me refill of the juice I've been drinking and I accept.
This feels like a fulfilling moment in life…
Just then, I feel a strong hand on the back of the Terran chair I’m nestling into.
I turn my head to look into the fierce gaze of the woman who’s guest I am.
“I was wondering if you might care to come for a speeder ride with me, Captain?” asks the woman, clearly leaving no room for refusal.
Victor starts to object but I throw out my wing to stop him.
“It’s alright, Victor. I would be happy to accompany Wing Commander Zunberi on a speeder ride.” I say, my voice filled with far more confidence than I feel!
She nods approvingly and I tip the remainder of my drink down my gullet and get up from the chair.
“It’s really alright, Victor.” I say as I pass him, his face still a visage of concern.
The woman leads me to a platform, on which is a shining landspeeder.
She hops astride it and, after a moment of unease, I follow, clinging to her back.
Once I am in place, she kicks it into gear and it steadily levitates above the forest canopy.
She engages its acceleration and we dart forward at a frightening pace!
My compensator keeps me from feeling the worst of it but… she’s not sparing the throttle!
After a few [minutes], the Southern Ocean comes into view and she sets us down on the shore.
Glad to have a reprieve from the speeder ride, I hop down.
I turn to the Mother “I’m certain it wasn’t just to show me the sights that you invited me on this speeder ride, Wing Commander?”
She gives a mirthful puff of air through her nose but her face and body remain placid.
“You’re right, Captain… I wanted to get the measure of you… You are my son’s employer and… it sounds like you might be my daughter’s employer too, soon!... Can you blame a mother for being concerned?”
She crosses her biological and mechanical arms and fixes me with that same appraising expression she did earlier.
A little perplexed, I answer “I’m afraid, Ma’am, if I am to be Dr Nkasiogi Zunberi’s employer, I am unaware of that fact… could it be that she is going to be subcontracted to my vessel, via the ODR?”
The woman smiles and nods “So you are going to attempt to make contact with another deathworld! I thought so…”
Why does the ODR even bother with NDAs when Terrans exist!?
“I’m afraid, Wing Commander, that I’m unable to confirm or deny that supposition of yours…” I say, carefully.
She nods, clearly not needing me to confirm or deny, and seats herself on the beach, her green satin dress becoming somewhat sandy.
I walk to the woman and seat myself beside her.
“May I ask a question, Wing Commander?” I ask, looking out at the ocean vista.
She nods “Ask.”
“You’ve clearly been through at least one round of regeneration… why didn’t you allow your missing limbs and eye to be regenerated? Why didn’t you allow your scars to be healed?”
She gives another mirthful puff “I could ask you the same thing…” she says, gesturing at my bionic leg and eyes.
How did she instantly put me on the backfoot!?
Stammering slightly I say “W-well… these… I only got these recently! I haven’t had the chance to have species appropriate regeneration yet…”
She nods “And… when you get to a place where it is convenient to have that leg and those eyes regenerated… will you?”
I have to think for a moment.
“No… I don’t think I will.” I answer, carefully.
“And why not?” asks Wing Commander Zunberi.
Again, I’m forced to consider.
“…I… suppose… There’s the improved capability of these eyes and this leg to consider…”
She queries “…And, is that all?”
Thinking further, I answer “No… there’s… pride… I suppose…”
She turns that fierce, appraising, deathworlder gaze on me “Pride?”
I stand back up and wheel to face her “Yes… pride! I’m proud of having done what I did! I’m proud that, by my action, my boy, your son, our friends, my ship, my lifemate, my daughter and my crew were all saved from death or a fate worse than death! I’m proud of that!”
I’m defensive… how has this woman managed to make me defensive so quickly!?
The Wing Commander nods and says “There’s your answer…” she gestures with her natural arm at the dark brown elastomer sheafing of her mechanical one “…this is a painful memory for me… the day I lost my arm, my leg, my eye and my husband… in a War that forced me to leave my children in the care of an AI caretaker… but, nonetheless, I’m proud… I’m proud of the part I played in preventing my people’s extinction! That’s why, whenever I go for a round of regeneration, I ask them to set it such that my eye, limbs and scars are spared…”
In a softer tone than before, I ask “Do… do you hate me?”
She scoffs “What? Because you happen to be the same species as those that took my husband from me?”
I shake my head “Because I am a woman who fought against your species’ survival… I may never have landed a shot on any of my targets… but I definitely tried to! I would have been thrilled to have been a woman who could claim she’d shot down a Terran.”
She removes her gaze from the horizon and turns it on me “And… had you managed to score a kill during the War… how do you think you would feel now? Do you think you’d feel proud of that?”
Instantly, I answer “No! Of course not! I fought on the wrong side of that War! I fought for cowardice and prejudice! I fought to eradicate a species I thought I understood… but didn’t at all! I wasn’t fighting Terrans… I was fighting my own imagination! I was fighting against what I thought Terrans were!... If I had managed to actually… kill any of you… the way I definitely tried to… I would have been wracked by guilt about it until my dying day! I’m already wracked by guilt, just for having tried!”
She gives a light smile, seeming satisfied “Both sides of that War thought they were fighting for survival, Captain… Your side was incorrect. I don’t begrudge you your service… nor would I if you had been the very R’qali who had taken my husband from me. I judge you to be a sincere woman and… therefore… I am happy to give you my blessing as my children’s employer…”
I’m somewhat shocked.
“Is that it?” I ask “You took me more than [200km] from your party to have a [3 minute] conversation? A conversation we could have had inside your house…?”
She raises an eyebrow “You’re unsatisfied? I can grill you further, if you want…?”
I give an exasperated puff before seating myself in the sand beside the formidable woman.
“I don’t think I wish to be [grilled] further, Wing Commander…(!)”
She smiles “Please… call me Naipanoi.”