by Rinelle Grey
He nodded cautiously. “I seem to have survived, yes.” He wasn’t quite sure how to take this man. Would he try to convince him not to leave as the others had? Not knowing anyone or having any context for their comments was fast becoming frustrating.
Behind him, an older woman with blonde hair pulled severely back from her face had her arm around Marlee’s shoulders. Tyris guessed it was her mother. Marlee’s strained eyes stared at the floor.
Her withdrawal only served to increase his discomfort with the visitors.
“Itching to get back home already, I guess?” the man said.
Tyris nodded politely. “Of course, Sir. Not that I’m not grateful for the hospitality.”
“I’m Weiss.” He held out his hand.
“Tyris Bekkert.” Tyris took the offered hand. The man wanted something... if he could just figure out what it was.
“So, what were you doing out here in this corner of space?” Weiss asked. He took a seat in the chair Marlee brought, not even glancing at her.
“Would you like some tea, Father?” Marlee hovered behind him, wringing her hands on the corner of her apron.
Tyris was glad she’d interrupted. It gave him longer to figure out how to answer the man’s question. He wasn’t ready to give away his goal yet. Not until he knew what was going on.
Weiss nodded, not bothering to turn around.
“That would be wonderful, darling.” The woman, Tyris was fast becoming sure it was her mother, reached out a hand, her eyes meeting Marlee’s for just a moment. Marlee’s back straightened.
She escaped from the room, and Tyris wished he could join her. Hopefully she would bring some tea for him too. The pumpkin soup hadn’t made much of a dent in his hunger.
“I suppose you’re here because of the anysogen?” Weiss’s question dragged him back to the conversation.
So much for keeping his goal close to his chest.
The woman frowned. “Weiss, now is not the time....”
“And when is there going to be a better time, Yasmyn? Best lay all the cards out on the table now, so everyone knows where they stand.”
“What if I am here for the anysogen?” Tyris asked cautiously. He may not like him, but at least this man talked about the real issue, rather than making one up.
“Well, we’re not going to just give it away,” the man said flatly. “We’re not stupid, we know what it’s worth. After twenty years here, we can claim squatter’s rights and control of the planet.”
Tyris leaned back against the pillows, trying to hide the fact that his heart thumped like a jackhammer. Everything came down to how he handled this conversation. “It’s useless to you if you can’t get off the planet.”
The man nodded. “Seems you’ve summed up the situation quickly. I’m sure we can come to some sort of deal.”
Luckily, it wasn’t the money Tyris wanted. He wouldn’t have seen any of it anyway. The Colonies claimed anything found on an uninhabited planet. He just needed credit for finding it. Rescuing the stranded settlers would be a bonus star on his resume. The public would love him.
“What sort of deal?” Tyris asked.
A slow smile spread across Weiss’s face. He opened his mouth to speak when Yasmyn interrupted. “You can’t make any deals without the council’s agreement, Weiss.” She scowled at him.
“The council isn’t going to make a deal. We both know that,” Weiss said roughly. “Someone has to do something, or we’ll be stuck on this planet forever.”
“The council makes decisions based on the good for the whole village, not just you.” Yasmyn’s tone had a definite lecturing quality to it. As though she’d said this before. “You need to stop trying to act alone on issues of this scale, or you will not keep your position on the council.”
Weiss turned towards Yasmyn, his face dark with anger. For a moment, Tyris wondered if the man was angry enough to hit her.
He sat up, ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed. Though probably the best he could do would be to fall on the man.
Yasmyn didn’t move a muscle. She stared stonily at Weiss as his face became even darker. A vein throbbed on his forehead. After a few long moments, he turned away.
Any thoughts of making a deal with this man seeped out of Tyris’s mind.
Marlee came in with four cups of tea on a wooden tray. She handed the first one to Weiss, recoiling from his scowl. Then to her mother, who thanked her softly.
When she brought the third cup over to him, he deliberately met her eyes, catching them in his for a moment. “Thank you, Marlee.”
She gave him a flicker of a smile then stood at the end of the bed. Everyone sipped the tea as they eyed each other cautiously. Tyris spared a thought for what her childhood must have been like. Had this man, her father, ever raised a hand to her? If he had, he hoped her mother had stood up to him. The older woman certainly looked as tough as nails.
Weiss handed his cup back to Marlee, his eyes on Tyris. “So, are you willing to make a deal? If, of course, the council agrees,” he added, inclining his head mockingly at Yasmyn.
“I won’t know what the chances of getting away from here are until I’ve seen my ship.” A good way to avoid the question. “Your engineer seems to think it is unrepairable.”
Weiss laughed. “I’m sure something can be done.” He waved his hand. “After all, we have a whole ship of spare parts and one of the best engineers in the Colonies.”
Was he being serious?
Yasmyn’s eyes snapped towards him. Her look held a warning. “It’s time to go, Weiss. The young man’s had quite a day, and he needs his rest.”
“Of course, dear.” The word held no warmth. “We’ll see you up and about in a few days no doubt.” Without looking at his daughter, he said, “Take care of him now, Marlee.”
Yasmyn kissed Marlee on the forehead, and moments later the door closed behind them.
Marlee sank onto the chair her mother had vacated and let out a deep breath.
Tyris replayed the ending of the conversation in his mind. It only confirmed what he already suspected. Without thinking he spoke out aloud. “I think Nerris is trying to stop me from leaving the planet.”
Marlee’s nose wrinkled. “Why would he do that?”
“I hoped you might know the answer to that.” He watched her carefully. If she denied it, he would have to be careful around her. He had no idea who he could trust, but there was too much at stake to not have any allies.
A frown wrinkled her forehead. “There’s no advantage to staying here that I can see. If we don’t leave, it is almost certain we’ll all die out in a generation or two. Nerris couldn’t possibly want to stay. But...”
There was that but again. Tyris raised an eyebrow. “But what?”
“Well, when we brought you back to the settlement, the council was acting strangely. Everyone else was excited about the possibility of getting off the planet, but the council didn’t seem to be able to see it. They seemed more worried than excited.”
When their eyes connected, he knew she was telling the truth. Tyris ran a hand through his hair. “Why wouldn’t they want to get away from here?”
“Maybe they don’t want everyone to get their hopes up when they’re not sure that your ship can be repaired,” Marlee suggested.
Tyris shook his head. “No, it’s more than that. Your mother silenced your father when he said something could be done about my ship. That means they are actively trying to stop me repairing it.”
“He’s not my father!”
Tyris jumped at the volume of Marlee’s words. He lost track of his point.
“He insisted I call him that. Said I had to be the same as the boys, that I wasn’t any different from them, that I wasn’t special.” Her voice quivered.
Tyris’s dislike of the man rose another notch, if that was possible. “Your brothers?” he guessed.
“Half-brothers,” she clarified.
“So the woman, Yasmyn, she’s your mother?”
<
br /> She nodded. “My father died in a car accident before we left Semala.” Her lower lip trembled. She opened the drawer next to the bed and handed him a worn picture.
The photo was faded, and tattered around the edges. The man’s hands were shoved in his pockets and his head tilted to one side, squinting against a bright light. A smile pulled at one corner of his mouth.
It reminded Tyris of Marlee.
“Mother used to talk about him when I was little. She’d tell me how much he had looked forward to me being born, and how he used to sing to me when she was pregnant. But then one day, when Weiss yelled at me about spilling my milk on the floor, I shouted back that he wasn’t my real father, and my real father would never have treated me like that.” Her voice trembled. “Mother wouldn’t talk about him after that.”
It was a sad story, and Tyris had no idea what to say. How awful it must be to miss someone you’d never had the chance to meet.
Discomforted, he brought the conversation back to its original topic. “When Weiss offered me a deal, he didn’t seem to think getting off the planet would be difficult.”
Marlee made a face. “Weiss tends to ignore anything that doesn’t fit with his plans. I wouldn’t take it as proof of anything.”
Tyris sighed, and sipped at his cooling tea. “I won’t know either way until I can get a look at the ship myself.” He glanced over at Marlee. “We need to get out there as soon as possible.”
“What if it snows?” Marlee’s eyes darkened with concern, and she twisted a strand of hair around her finger.
“Surely there will be warning of snow coming?” Tyris pointed out. “It’s not like it’s going to fall from a clear sky, is it?”
Marlee frowned. “Winds can bring a storm in within an hour, even from a clear sky, and the ship is nearly two hours away. We could easily get caught out.”
“How likely is that?” Tyris asked. He was surprised to see her hesitating after her eagerness earlier. Should he be concerned about the snow after all?
Marlee considered for a moment. “It’s early for snow, usually we won’t get the first big fall for at least another week. But Kalim always says that you can never predict the weather, and it’s better to be safe and stay near the village.”
“But you came out to my ship when it crashed, didn’t you? Wasn’t it risky then too?”
“Y-yes,” Marlee wavered. “I didn’t think about it. I was just worried someone might be hurt and need help.”
“So the risk seemed worth it, right?” Tyris encouraged.
Marlee nodded slowly. “Yes.” She looked directly at him. “And you think that getting out to your ship to repair it is worth the risk, don’t you?”
Tyris nodded. “There are half a dozen simple explanations as to why the power isn’t coming on. And if I can fix it, then I should be able to get the ship airborne.” He looked at Marlee for a moment. She was small, at least a head shorter than him, and she hadn’t had his years of combat training. He didn’t want to be responsible for her being stuck in the snow. “Look, I don’t want you to put yourself at risk. If you can point me in the right direction, I’m sure I can find my way.”
“You can’t go on your own. You’re still not fully recovered. And what if you get lost?” Her mouth set in a firm line. “No, I’m coming with you. You’re right. Getting off this planet is worth the risk.”
Tyris hesitated, still feeling bad about the chance she was taking. But she had a point. He had more chance of finding the Hylista with her help than without. “Then the sooner we go the better,” he said finally. “How about tomorrow morning?”
Marlee frowned. “The council...”
“The council has its own agenda, and it’s got nothing to do with getting off this planet. They’re only getting in our way. Surely you don’t mean to just sit around and let them delay us for six months?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. But they’ll stop us if they see us.”
“We’ll go at night,” Tyris said. “With any luck, we can be there and back without anyone knowing we’re gone.”
“The moon isn’t out tonight. It’ll be dark.”
Tyris sighed. “I’m guessing you don’t have any torches then, other than the one the nurse has? How about we leave early in the morning, before anyone is up?”
“They won’t see us go then, but they’ll notice we’re gone pretty quickly and work out where we are,” Marlee pointed out. “We’ll be in a lot of trouble when we get back.”
“Hopefully we can tell them that we’re going back to Urslat for a rescue party, and they’ll forgive us,” Tyris suggested.
This suggestion obviously found merit with Marlee. She grinned.
Tyris doubted they’d be welcomed with open arms with the news. They might be better off leaving straight away if the repairs were simple. He decided not to mention that possibility though.
The picture of being stuck here indefinitely receded, replaced by one of returning home triumphant. “Do you think I could try to get up?” he asked.
Marlee considered him for a moment. “How’s your head feeling?”
“Much better. It still hurts, but only a little.”
“Well, we can give it a try, I guess.” Marlee came over to the bed.
Tyris wondered if she could actually catch him if he fell.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, sitting there for a few moments. Slowly, he rose to his feet, secretly glad of her presence. When he wavered slightly, she steadied him with a hand on his elbow.
After a few minutes, the dizziness passed, and he managed to take a few steps towards the doorway. He peered curiously into the next room while Marlee held his elbow.
The furnishings were sparse. A bench with a large wooden bowl and some other eating utensils ran along the wall under the window, two stools sat just under the edge of a table in the middle of the room, and in front of the fire were two chairs, each with a colourful patched blanket over the back.
Carefully, Marlee steered him towards one of the chairs and helped him lower himself into it, before sitting opposite him and drawing her feet up in front of her.
For a moment, the silence stretched awkwardly. Tyris searched for something to say. “So do you live here alone?” he asked.
Marlee stared into the fire for a moment, and belatedly, he remembered her earlier comment about a partner.
“Nelor and I lived here together.” She sighed and hugged her knees, resting her chin on top. “We built this house together nearly two summers ago.”
“That’s a long time.” She’d said she had been born on the flight here, meaning she must barely be twenty years old. Too young to be committing to a long term relationship.
She misinterpreted his comment, sighing heavily, and nodding. “Yes, one of us must be unable to have children. Or both of us, I guess.”
He remembered more about the earlier conversation now. They’d been split up because they couldn’t have a baby. “I don’t really understand what that has to do with you staying together? Why does it matter?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realised how callous they sounded. He tried to clarify. “I mean, if you are happy together, then isn’t that the important thing? Many couples have a happy life without ever having children.”
She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. “I hope you can fix your ship and get off this planet, because I’d hate to see your views tainted by the situation here.”
“What is the situation here?”
“Only about fifty people arrived on our ship,” Marlee explained. “Karla knew the anysogen would affect fertility, though no one knew how long it would take. So everyone worked to have as many children as they were able. That’s why Mother moved in with Weiss. Even so, there are only about a hundred people now. If we can’t find a way to boost our population levels, we’ll die out in a few generations.”
“Isn’t that going to happen anyway? I mean, you must know that anysogen makes people infertile. How can
you increase your population when you’re infertile?”
Marlee sighed heavily. “Anysogen affects fertility, yes, but not so simply. It reduces the chance of conceiving hugely, but doesn’t make it impossible. If a couple can’t have a baby in eighteen months, they’re split up to try again with someone else.”
For a village that small, increasing population would be a big concern. But the rules they had put in place were even worse than the Colonies population control methods. It seemed so random. “You mean, the council won’t let the two of you be together because it doesn’t increase the population?”
Marlee nodded. “They say that everyone must do their part. That we can’t survive here without each other.” Her voice was bitter.
He knew it wouldn’t help her feel any better about the situation, but he couldn’t help saying, “What’s the point? Why eke out an existence here and fight for the future if you can’t be happy while you’re doing it?”
“Ask the council, though I doubt they’ll give you an answer.” Marlee shook her head, as though she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Instead she asked, “What about on your world? Can you be with whoever you like there?”
She’d turned the tables. And he didn’t want to talk about his past any more than she wanted to discuss hers. “You can be with whoever you want, yes. So long as they want to be with you.”
As though to remind him, the contraceptive implant in his right arm twinged, and he grimaced.
The implant marked him as ‘not good enough’. Not good enough to be a father, not good enough to be a husband. At least, not according to Milandra. Though she hadn’t actually filed the divorce papers when he’d left the colony three weeks ago, he had little doubt that she would have by now.
Thankfully Marlee seemed too caught up in her own distress to see his. He didn’t want to have this conversation right now. He didn’t want to see her turn away from him as Milandra had.
He needed her help.
*****
Marlee showed Tyris to the bathroom, explaining how to put sawdust into the bowl after he’d done his business, and because he seemed curious, explaining how the wind driven fan on the roof drew the smell out of the room, and evaporated the moisture. Then she returned to wash the dinner dishes.
