Once they were all aboveground, the ships’ communications officers returned to their posts and hailed other crews at work on Vhiliinyar’s surface as well as Linyaari on MOO and narhii-Vhiliinyar.
Maak returned to the Condor on Becker’s behalf. Becker remained at the invitation of the Council.
“What we have to say concerns you, too, Captain.” The aagroni was the speaker now. “The items you have already salvaged from the city below you may sell abroad, as is your practice. However, there is one condition.”
“Name it,” Becker said.
“You must never let anyone know where you obtained these things.”
“Of course. I never reveal my sources even without conditions.” Becker sounded mildly offended, but very relieved.
“Very well. Out of courtesy, we felt we should address your concerns first. For the rest, we will be brief. On the advice of the Ancestors we came as a body to inspect the city following the recent calamity, with a view toward abandoning the site.”
“Abandoning it?” Maati said. “I don’t understand. There’s so much to be learned, to be done down there…”
“If one chooses to pursue it, that is true. However, the Council and the Ancestors feel that our energies and resources would be more usefully employed in the continued rejuvenation of Vhiliinyar.”
“But, aagroni, you yourself have used the machine to bring back specimens of life-forms lost during the Khleevi invasion. Our terraforming crew has used it to model the planet’s new face. It has been extremely valuable in this work.”
“Yes, it has. I put forth the same arguments myself. But this was not my decision alone. Even while acknowledging those contributions, the Council—and the Ancestors—feel that there is too strong an element of danger involved with the use of the device. For instance, when Acorna and Aari brought Khleevi back into our time again, however accidentally. At present they are blessedly extinct. We very much wish to keep them that way.
“The only issue for the preservation of the underground city that is equally compelling, in our estimation, as the argument for abandoning the site is that it has become a habitat for the sii-Linyaari who have been brought forward to our time. We propose, therefore, that the sii-Linyaari be brought above ground along with as much of their watery habitat as it is possible to bring. They may live among us and we may learn from each other as the siblings we are. Otherwise, the Council has decided that the city is to be sealed off once more. It is too expensive and time-consuming to attempt to repair the damage done to it, even assuming we felt that was the best course of action for our people. And, without those repairs, it is far too hazardous for anyone to continue the studies of the Ancestral Friends’ mechanisms. The usefulness of the time machine is also no longer an issue, since that has been destroyed. Of course, if a large enough percentage of our people petition a change in this decree, we will reconsider. But for the time being, except for the reintroduction of the sii-Linyaari to the surface waterways, the underground city—and the matter—are closed. We trust this will facilitate the progress of our more urgent work on our planet. Thank you.”
Twenty
Karina’s voice over the com unit was breathless, though she tried to maintain her deep mystical sonorous tones to lend authority to her words. Her chins and bosom trembled with emotion as she spoke, and her hands moved with fingers extending upward in both offering and benediction. Behind her, Hafiz’s chins trembled with emotion as he watched Karina’s chins and bosom. “I see a large gathering of people of diverse species and origins. Despite these superficial differences, many of them are related to each other through a single connection. Important life passages are taking place at the gathering. Two females, of different species, and yet, soon to be related, will become formally attached to their mates according to the rites of their indigenous cultures. There will be beautiful gowns, sumptuous fabrics, fine jewels, and rich and delicious foods to please all palates.”
“What my beloved Karina is trying to say,” Hafiz interjected, “is that we wish to have a party celebrating the marriage of my beloved nephew and son of my heart to the woman he first met in her previous capacity as a thief. This pretty thief has stolen his heart it seems. Additionally, Karina, Rafik, and I would all like to formally celebrate the reunion of the daughter of our heart, you, dear Acorna, to your mate. We realize that the custom among your people is to make the forming of the lifemate bond under less formal circumstances, but we hope you will indulge our barbaric love of pageantry when such events occur in the lives of our loved ones.”
Acorna thoughtfully stroked RK’s proffered tail and turned to Aari, Becker, and Maak. “We can hardly say no after all Uncle Hafiz has done for us,” she said. And, as she said it, she heard in the lilt of her own voice how very much the idea pleased her.
“Ask them if I would need to braid my mane with flowers and ribbons,” Aari said, wrinkling his nose.
Acorna laughed and conveyed his concern to the com unit. Rafik poked his head around the portly forms of his elder relations. “Tell him I certainly don’t intend to, and that we bridegrooms should stick together.”
“Bridegrooms?” Mac said. “An unusual word. But, Khornya, from my research into the sociological patterns of wholly biological bipeds, it seems to me that when the principal person involved in a rite of passage is from two cultures, the rite is frequently celebrated according to the customs of first one, and then the other. Since you were raised in human culture, it would not be inappropriate for you and Aari to wed according to human custom.”
“There. See? Mac says it’s okay, so it must be okay,” Becker said. “I’ll haul out the dress uniform. Weddings are good for business. You can do a lot of valuable schmoozing at the receptions, and you know Hafiz will invite a lot of his business buddies.”
“Do you think Calum and Gill will come?” Acorna asked Rafik wistfully. She hadn’t seen her other two foster fathers since the defeat of the Khleevi.
Rafik grinned. “They’d better. They’re the grooms-men. They started wrangling about who would be best man at my wedding, so Hafiz took matters into his own hands and declared that he would be the best man. Then they sulked and neither of them were going to come until we told them we planned to get you and Aari hitched at the same time—uh—according to our quaint native customs.” He grinned evilly. “Now you get to decide which of your daddies gets to give you away.”
“But I don’t want to be given away,” she said. “I want to keep all of you.”
Mac said, “I think this is an opportunity for you to forge some new customs, Rafik. Perhaps a committee formed of yourself, Mr. Baird, Mr. Giloglie, Uncle Hafiz, Vaanye, Captain Becker, and I should see Khornya safely to Aari’s side at the ceremony.”
“Sounds kinda like a posse,” Becker suggested, with a twinkle under his heavy brows. “Too bad Aari doesn’t have as many people to make sure he gets to the altar on time. He’s the one who’s done the most disappearing.”
“Actually,” Hafiz said, “we will be entertaining a state visit from Makahomia at that time, led by Regent Nadhari and the Mulzarah Miw-Sher. I believe they feel they have a very strong claim to our Aari, who is widely celebrated in Makahomian history, legend, and myth.”
RK’s ears pricked up, and Hafiz noticed. “The original purpose of the visit,” he continued, “was to deliver two of the new litters of kittens as a planet-warming gift to the Linyaari from the people of Makahomia. It seems to me that things are falling together nicely. Leave matters in my hands, and all will be well.”
Thus it was that a remarkably short time later, amid much fanfare and confusion, a double ceremony was held on the Moon of Opportunity, uniting Rafik and Aziza in holy matrimony, and also uniting Aari and Acorna as lifemates.
The double-wide wedding canopy, with ample room for expanded wedding parties, was adorned with red silk and garlands of brilliant orange-gold flowers, which incidentally happened to be delicious to eat for the Linyaari. Aziza wore a gold-gilt-filigree-trimm
ed gown of sheer silks layered rose over orange over rust over red over wine. Her hands, feet, and face were painted with intricate reddish designs, which was an ancient practice among her people.
Acorna’s gown, ordered for her by Karina, was of a similar style to Aziza’s, though it was more flowing than draped and tucked. The gown’s skirt and long, bell-shaped sleeves were a waterfall of brilliant aqua over deep emerald, all over deep blue, and trimmed in silver to complement Acorna’s complexion. Grandam Naadiina’s belt was the perfect finishing touch to the outfit. It served as the “something old” Mercy Kendoro told Acorna she needed as a charm for good luck and happiness.
Mercy, Judit, Calum, and Gill had all arrived a week before the festivities so that the ladies could help with the preparations. Of course, there were several hundred staff members, relatives, and friends already there to help, but Mercy and Judit had recent knowledge of the wedding customs that Calum’s and Gill’s people followed.
“Let’s see, Grandam’s belt is the ‘something old.’ Your gown is the ‘something blue.’ Calum wishes you to carry a kerchief in the tartan that’s related to his family. So you’ll be borrowing that. Something new? Hmmm. We could say you’re getting a new husband, but you and Aari have actually been together for some time.”
“The dress can be blue and new, too, can’t it?” Acorna asked.
“Well, yes, I suppose so,” Mercy agreed reluctantly. It was clear that she felt that they really should be separate items.
Karina, who had been circling Acorna as she tried on the wedding gown, snapped her fingers, and said, “I know what it is!” She looked meaningfully at Acorna’s hand, then at Mercy’s and Judit’s. However, they looked back at Acorna’s three-fingered, single-knuckled hands.
“Oh, well, perhaps not,” Karina said. “But something! I must go see to it at once! And talk to Aari, of course.”
Feriila, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, out of the way of the cyclones created by the human women, suddenly giggled. “I know what’s new, daughter.”
Baffled, Acorna turned to her. “You do, Mother?” It was so nice to have someone to call “Mother.” She had many fathers and uncles and even an aunt, but it pleased her deeply every time she reaffirmed the presence of her own actual mother, who was once again in her life. Of course, her mother looked to be about the same age as she was, but that was to be expected. The Linyaari aged very slowly once they reached adulthood, and then there was all that time-shifting to confuse the issue. “What?”
“You mean you don’t know yet? Hasn’t she spoken to you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Your daughter. The one who caused you to loosen Grandam’s belt a notch just now.” She shook her head in amazement, staring at first her own abdomen, then at Acorna. “It seems only a few weeks ago you were my baby daughter.” Her mouth quirked wryly. “That’s time travel for you, I suppose. It was only weeks ago in my life. And now I will be a grandam, and you the mother of a daughter.”
“I’m having a daughter? When?” She didn’t know what to ask, and instead of addressing Feriila, asked her question of her own midsection, which gurgled. Not in answer to the inquiry, but because she hadn’t grazed all day long, having been so busy with meeting and greeting the steady stream of arriving guests.
“Soon. Our children grow quickly, you know. You’d better finish this rite of passage in short order and brace yourself for the next one.”
“Really? Oh, I can’t believe it! How wonderful! Our own child already! I have to find Aari…”
Mercy and Judit laughed and held her back as she tried to jump down from the chair on which she was standing while they pinned up her dress to just the right length. They insisted that laser stitchers just weren’t accurate enough since they needed measurements input instead of using a keen bridesmaid’s eye. “Whoa, Acorna! Not in that dress! It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her gown before the wedding.”
“You’re joking! He’s seen me in nothing at all! Why should it be bad luck for him to see me in this pretty dress?”
“It’s just a human superstition, but I think the reason is it spoils the surprise. We’re done here for now. Change and then go find him. Please?”
She laughed at them but did as they asked.
She found Aari seeking sanctuary from the wedding chaos in the laboratory with his parents and Laarye. His human friends had been bombarding him with their plans and expectations, too, she knew. Judit said males were programmed not to enjoy their role in these ceremonies as much as females.
But Acorna’s news had nothing to do with ceremonies and everything to do with love.
After Acorna told Aari her good news, the others had to make their wedding preparations without them, as they were too busy taking long walks through the gardens, grazing, gazing at the holo sky at the top of the bubble, and thinking of baby names, planning for the new arrival a variety of childhoods and careers.
The ceremony, when it finally arrived, was very lively. The MOO’s security chief was accompanied down the aisle by her trusted lieutenants and kinswomen. They had traded in their black uniforms for new dance costumes that were even more colorful and revealing than the ones they’d first worn. From the way each dancer made eyes over her veils at the men seated around the center aisle, Acorna guessed each of them was thinking that the next such ceremony could be hers.
Rafik looked…well…beautiful. Instead of his familiar shipsuit, he wore an outfit that might have been in the closet of the Arabian Nights’ sultan, Harun al Rashid. His clothing was in the same colors as that of his bride, with the addition of a dollop of yellow-orange, his shirt. Standing beside him, Aari looked skittish, as if he was about to bolt, as if he would almost rather be facing the Khleevi than this.
But then Acorna followed Aziza and the dancing girls up the aisle, and Aari turned and saw her. His face lit up in a grin that almost, but not quite, bared his teeth. The rest of the ceremony was a blur for her. She felt as if she were wearing one of the dancers’ antigrav belts, as if she were floating a foot off the ground. Words flew around and through her like so many bright birds. She could only hope they said them in the correct order. All of the other faces were a blur. Only Aari’s eyes held hers and her hand gripped his, which gripped hers back as if separate tractor beams were trying to pull them away from each other.
When Rafik and Aziza exchanged rings, Aari slipped a bracelet onto Acorna’s wrist—Karina’s idea of something new, Acorna realized. Rings were impractical for the Linyaari, but this bracelet bore in its center a teal blue catseye large enough that she could carve out a home in any wilderness if she so desired. Carve out a whole city, in fact. Aari smiled apologetically and winked. They both knew that there was no saying no to Karina, who only meant to be kind and generous, after all.
At the end of the ceremony was the reception. More merrymaking ensued, with the wedding garden suddenly terraced with banks of edible reeds, flowers, vines, and plants. It was all too much.
Then there were the gifts. The Linyaari, unfamiliar with these customs, mostly brought bouquets of edibles, but the humans lavished both of the couples with all manner of things. The agents of Skarness brought a set of stones for Aari and Acorna. When the agents learned of Acorna’s condition, the stones were retuned for lullabies.
Becker was far more excited about the news of their incipient offspring than he was about the wedding. He gave them a set of children’s vids and some rather decrepit hard-copy volumes of stories about an odd-looking ursine creature who lived on a planet populated with a braying, depressed equine with long ears and a very energetic feline not unlike Grimalkin. It seemed to possess an unusually flexible set of antigrav-technology-equipped paws. “I think Joe’s confused the wedding reception with the baby shower,” Andina said, smiling as they opened her set of cleaning supplies.
Even RK got into the act. Acorna thought there was something odd about his fur when she first saw him at the recepti
on, then realized that parts of it were blue and part had red designs on it rather like those on Aziza’s hands and feet. “Cat got himself painted by a Makahomian cat painter from the planet’s delegation. That hot jungle cat Haruna came with them, and she had a dandy paint job, too. It’s something the cats do on special occasions, and RK didn’t want to be left out. He brought you these.” Becker hefted a dead rodent and one of the large bags of cat food with which he’d replenished the Condor’s supply. “Well, the kid will need a kitten. The kitten will need food. We’re thinking practical here. The—uh—dead rat is a customary cat gift. Feel free to heal it if you want to.” Acorna and Aari looked nervously toward the Makahomians. Instead of the rumored litters of kittens, they had brought with them only Grimla and Haruna and one of the kittens, now almost fully grown, from the orphaned litter Grimla rescued in the steppes. Acorna couldn’t have been happier to see her old friends.
Mac apologetically said he was making them a gift. He had not had time to finish it yet.
Hafiz’s gift was a new space vessel of their very own.
(Good,) Aari told her. (It will give us someplace to put all these other things. What do we do with three portable kaf replicators anyway?)
(Perhaps we can trade one of them with Aziza and Rafik, in case they got three of something we might need one of.)
(We don’t need any of these things! We need a name for our daughter! We need good teachers, we need…)
(Excuse me, Aari. I hate to break in like this, but I cannot make myself heard otherwise.) That was Feriila. The crowd around them parted to make room for her and Vaanye. (I have something for you. Miiri gave Khornya your birth disk.) She pulled a silver chain from around her neck, and the little disk winked with rainbows from the party lights. (I thought this was an appropriate time to give you Khornya’s.)
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