by Alyssa Hope
Nasa was very tactful, Vara thought. He’d never realized that before. He was learning much about his friends that he hadn’t known before.
The door opened again and Captain Reni slid in with a smile on his face. “I heard a rumor about a riot down here, and that we have guests? I just want to welcome everyone, and make sure you have everything you need, and especially that you feel secure. We will put you up all together in one of the dorms, if you wish, and you will not be disturbed there. I am Captain Reni, by the way, so if I say you won’t be disturbed, you won’t. Except perhaps by this tall red-head, who is one of my beloveds as well as our Training Officer. He will explain laundry, showers, bathing pools, the dining hall and other such necessities. Does anyone have any questions?”
They all shook their heads, most of them still looking somewhat dazed, and he smiled.
“Right. Well, Vara will also be available to answer questions, as will Tanu, who I’m told is bonding with your Stefan. Donovan, thank you for handling that so well.”
He waved and disappeared again.
And then Manu screamed.
Chapter 4.
Reni reappeared as quickly as he had left, and everyone stared at Manu, waiting anxiously for something else to happen.
He held onto his extended belly and gasped out, “The baby kicked. I felt him kick.”
Then he burst into tears. Dora burst into tears as well, and Tira hugged both of them and stroked their backs, and while his voice was making comforting noises his eyes were daring anyone to say anything that would upset his precious ones.
Reni was the first to take a breath, and he smiled at Tira. “I think that my triad will have this to look forward to, as well. Our darling Dena is bearing, although not as far along. Maybe the bearing ones would all like to spend time together, and compare notes?”
Then he bolted again, with Donovan on his heels.
Nasa called in all of his medical assistants, and the new people from Mikal’s ship were carefully checked over. Old and new wounds were taken care of, and nerves were calmed. The medical staff talked quietly to the new arrivals, and stroked them gently, trying to reassure them as they helped them dress in new clothing after having quick showers to remove the dirt of the prison.
“Showers, on a ship?”
“Yes, of course, the water recycles through the arboretum. Which you can visit anytime you want – it is a very peaceful place.”
Vara could hear some impatient murmurs from behind the door to the sitting room, and suspected that this was Nasa’s gentle revenge on the rowdy crew members. Or maybe just his way of teaching them patience? They could stay there by themselves while their beloveds were touched all over and examined by the medical staff.
Nasa eventually took pity on them, and stuck his head through the door long enough to tell them that their darlings were thin and scared, and covered in scars, but other than that not in too bad shape. If good behavior could be assured, they would come next door for a badly needed meal.
He received a chorus of yes, oh yes, very well behaved, please, thank you.
Donovan reappeared to escort the new ones next door just as Vara got an emergency call of his own. This was in the form of a worried enquiry from a young transport officer as to whether the small furry friends should be let out of their prisons. In all the excitement, the rabbits had been forgotten and were still sitting in the transport bay. Well, Vara admitted, he was the one who had forgotten them. Sno was still unconscious.
Vara was fairly sure that turning them loose in the ship wouldn’t be a good idea, although the pups obviously thought it might be. They were quite intrigued by the smell of Sno’s rabbit-fur coat.
Vara retreated to do some quick research while Nasa still had Sno under the anesthetic. That led him to the arboretum, and the gentle person who supervised its operation.
‘Bodi, I need your help, please. My beloved Sno has brought some small furry animals called rabbits back to the ship, and we need a place for them to live. These are the kind that are combed for their soft long fur. They live in these things called hutches, and food and water go in the top, and their waste, which is very good for gardens, comes out the bottom.’
Bodi contemplated Vara suspiciously for a minute, then went away to do his own research. He came back very quickly, and smiling.
‘Rabbits are good. Where are they now?’
‘In the transport bay.’
The smile disappeared. Shocked and appalled that Vara would leave living animals sitting alone in one of the bays, Bodi dragged Vara off to have a look at them. It was love at first sight, on both sides. Bodi knelt down to get a closer look at his new friends, and the rabbits hopped to the fronts of the cages to touch noses with him. If they couldn’t have Sno, Bodi would obviously be almost as good.
‘These must be special ones, no wonder he wanted to bring them with him! Look at how long their hair is! They’re so beautiful! We’ll move them to the arboretum, and build them better homes – not that these ones aren’t good, considering what he had to work with, I’m sure. Where is your beloved?’
‘Sno was shot when we were escaping, and is still in Medical.’
Once again, Bodi was shocked. ‘I’ll take care of these babies, but you must go take care of your sweet one. You should be with him!’
That worked well for Vara. He returned to Medical to find Sno conscious but with his face turned to the wall, ignoring everyone. Mikal was trying to comfort him but couldn’t, and seemed relieved to see Vara.
“Sno, our beloved Vara has returned, I told you he would ...”
Sno opened one eye and sniffled slightly, although he seemed to be trying not to show weakness.
‘Sweet one, what’s the matter? I’ve taken care of your beautiful rabbits. They’re all safe. So many beautiful rabbits! What else can I do for you? How can I help you feel better?’
Sno was still for a few seconds, then cautiously relaxed a little bit more, and made eye contact with Vara.
‘You came back? You aren’t going to leave me or give me away?’
Vara stared at his previously confident and self-assured Sno, and wondered what had brought this on.
‘I won’t ever leave you, my love, I couldn’t. I could sooner rip my heart out. You, Mikal, me - we are a triad, all together forever. What happened, sweet one?’
Bit by bit, he pried the story out of Sno, and was ready to hit someone, or a wall, by the time it was told. And he wasn’t a violent person.
Sno had, he admitted, always been a troublesome child, always getting into things, taking things apart to see how they worked, and causing uproars. One day some strange people had come and taken him away, and told him his parents didn’t want him anymore.
‘I should have been a better child; I could have been if I had tried harder. They always told me that I drove them crazy, but to just give me away ...’ He buried his head in Vara’s shoulder, and tried not to cry. Mikal glared at Vara, as though this was his fault, while Vara stroked both their backs to comfort them.
Still a child, Sno had been sold and resold, and ended up on the planet below, and been given to a human child as a toy, to be a play-mate. They had fun together, perhaps too much fun, because then they had got into trouble, and the child’s father had sold him again, because it was, of course, his fault.
He had gone to another family, but they had been cruel to him, and he had run away, and kept running, always moving higher up into the hills to keep away from the humans. He had, he thought, been about ten or twelve years old when he started running. Many times he had lost everything he had when humans had come upon his camp and he had been forced to run suddenly.
Finally he had ended up in the snow zone, and the humans didn’t go up there unless they had to. He discovered the rabbits, and found that some of them were tamer and had longer softer fur than others. He had bred these ones, and ended up with the strain he had now, which he thought he had just lost. They had sweet temperaments and long silky hair that could be combed ou
t and spun into soft fiber. Even more importantly, they liked being cuddled, and he had maybe occasionally needed something to cuddle.
He had lived alone up there for many years, with only vague memories of his previous life on Cerulea and the customs of his people. It could have been a dream, he thought. Then he had felt the pull towards Vara and Mikal, and his whole life had changed again, and he found himself on uncertain ground. He was a morphing adult reliving the emotions of a child, and he didn’t know how to cope with it all.
When he had woken up just now, groggy, confused and still in pain after the surgery, he was in a strange place and Vara had been gone. Sno thought he had lost him and the rabbits, once again losing everything he cared about. He was relieved to have Vara back, but still confused about some things.
‘I remember that we live in triads, and that we treasure bearing ones, but then why do we not treasure children? Was I that bad?’ It was almost a sob.
Sno apologized over and over for being bad, and promised to behave and never get into trouble again, but Vara just hugged him, laughing and trying not to cry.
‘Sweet one, you could never get into as much trouble as I get into, even if you try. Mikal doesn’t know what he’s got himself into with the two of us!’
Mikal hugged both of them and looked a bit sheepish. ‘It’s possible I have been in a bit of trouble myself, a time or two. In fact, I was sent off on that research ship of ours because everyone was tired of me being in trouble at home. They thought I would finally grow up, but instead I fell in love! Twice at once!’
Vara grinned at them both. ‘I wonder how naughty our children will be?’
Sno clutched his arm in concern. ’You won’t send them away, no matter how bad they are?’
‘I couldn’t, beloved, they will be part of all three of us. And they won’t be bad, they will just be clever and lively and adventurous. I doubt your parents sent you away either – I think those people who took you lied. Many people have lied to you and treated you badly, but Mikal and I never will, we promise.’
He looked at Mikal, who nodded and held on to both of them tighter.
‘And your beautiful rabbits are with our Bodi in the arboretum, and I think he values them almost as much as you do. He kept saying that they were very special, and he is researching the best things to feed them. As soon as you are well enough to get around we can go and visit them. But right now you need to nurse, so you can heal. Do you remember that part of our customs?’
Sno nodded cautiously, and Vara pulled his tunic to one side so that his darling Sno could nurse and heal. He had nursed the bearing ones, but this was so delightfully different! Sno latched on and sucked gently, and Vara encouraged him to draw more deeply, and Mikal hugged the two of them and enjoyed the ripples of happiness that went through all of them.
As they fell into the rhythm of nursing and comforting and healing, Vara sent a private message to Donovan, asking if they had found Sno’s home triad yet. The reply was guarded. They had results from the DNA test, but they had to talk. A problem? Vara could guess what it was.
‘Beloved? Do you perhaps have another name that people might know you by?’
Sno became still, resting with a nipple in his mouth and his hands cradling Vara’s breast. Mindtalk was useful when you wanted to talk with your mouth full. ‘Maybe? Maybe I don’t want to use a name that belonged to an unwanted child?’
‘Never unwanted, beloved. You know that our people bond for life, predestined from birth or even before, don’t you? I’ve loved you my whole life, even before I met you. I couldn’t leave you even if I wanted to, and I don’t want to. Ever. And just the same, parents can’t stop loving their children, even if sometimes they say silly things they don’t mean when they’re tired or frustrated.’
Vara made a mental note to never ever say anything like that to any of their children. Hopefully many children. A sudden thought hit him, and he reached out to Tanu as well. Had sweet Gali been told the same thing, that his parents didn’t want him anymore?
After a brief pause, Vara found himself with an angry Tanu yelling in his head.
‘Stop! Don’t yell! We are putting a comm call through to Sno’s family, then you can comm to Gali’s. Damn these people who steal children and lie to them ... ’
‘You’re yelling again ...’ He shut himself off to all but his beloveds.
Mikal leaned over and kissed the top of Sno’s head. ‘Our people are different in some ways, but we know how to love with all our hearts and forever. You can’t make me go away, beautiful. I would follow you always. We are together until the end of time.’
Sno gradually relaxed, and began to show signs of once again being the confident person they had known on the planet below. ‘Maybe I was called Dani. A long time ago. If anyone cares.’
Vara and Mikal both said ‘I care’ at the same time, and all three smiled at each other.
Donovan stuck his head in the door, and surveyed the domestic bliss for a minute, then smiled. ‘If you all want to come next door and get something to eat before you retire to your quarters, there is free entertainment as well.’
They weren’t all that hungry, and they really would have preferred to be alone at that point, but they made the short trip next door, and then just stood in astonishment.
The Ceruleans suitors had outdone themselves. Instead of just soup and bread they had persuaded the cooks to give them every delicacy in the kitchen, and there was a table loaded with sweets and savories and fruit and every fancy they could think of. They were, after all, trying to impress their prospective lovers, and this was very important.
Eight large comfortable chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, and their guests were seated in these. They were being waited on hand and foot by the Ceruleans, who were trying desperately to woo them slowly and carefully without annoying Donovan.
It was indeed entertaining. Donovan leaned on the wall by the door and tried not to laugh.
“If I leave,” Donovan asked, “you won’t all turn back into crazy people again?”
“No, sir,” sixteen voices said in unison.
“Good.” And he was gone.
Soon the suitors were all sitting on the arms of the big chairs and chatting easily with their beloveds, and Mikal’s newly liberated crew-mates were learning the basics of triads, hermaphrodites and life-long bonding. They all seemed to quite like the concepts. After a couple of very rough years, having lots of forever love could only sound good.
In return they were explaining their version of bisexuality, and everyone was starting to look hopeful about some serious and life-long experimentation as the bonds built between them. Vara suspected that the secure dorm room was not going to get much use.
In the meantime, he still had a mission of his own to carry out.
‘We have to make a few comm calls, beloveds, before we retire to our quarters. I need to let my home triad know that I have found my own beloved triad, and Mikal will maybe want to talk to his family? They will already have been notified that the ship’s crew was found alive and well, after all these years.’
Mikal nodded. ‘I’m happy here, and they’ll be happy for me. But it will be good to talk to them.’
Vara was pleased that it was going well this far. ‘Fine. We’ll go to the Captain’s quarters to make the calls. I have permission to do it there where we can have some privacy.’
And hopefully this wouldn’t blow up in his face, like some of his other well-intentioned attempts to fix things had. He did understand only too well and from personal experience how maybe some of Sno’s bright ideas hadn’t worked out as well as the child had planned. It happened, but they were both adults now. It would all be fine.
Mikal’s family loved him and were indeed pleased to hear from him, but didn’t seem heart-broken that it might be a very long time before he came home. His parents were both research scientists, and were obviously happy for him that he was in love and would be exploring a new world, and everyone agreed to
stay in touch. Maybe they would visit when there were grand-children? It was a different way of being a family than what Vara was used to, and he had to ask Sno and Mikal to brace themselves as the call to his home triad went through.
It was difficult to sort out who was saying what with all three of his parents talking and crying and screaming with joy at the same time, but the emotion was coming through quite clearly. Yes, they were happy. Delighted, overjoyed, when was the new triad coming home, when were the grand-babies due, they would have to put an addition on the house, the garden would have to be enlarged, everything would have to be child-proofed as they remembered all too clearly what their darling had been like, oh, the stories they could and would tell ...
When their time was up and everyone was yelling out their love and best wishes as the images faded, Vara and his beloveds could only sit and stare at the screen.
Mikal was the first one to find his voice. ‘Heavens. What wonderful people. We will go there when your deployment on this ship is completed? I can’t wait to meet them.’
Vara looked at him suspiciously, but Mikal was sincere. They were indeed wonderful people, but Vara was used to other people finding them somewhat overwhelming. There was clearly more than one reason Mikal was destined to be his beloved.
Sno just stared.
‘One more call.’ Vara announced blithely, and hoped against hope that this would go just as well. All families were different, and all were perfect. Mostly. And then he had to reach out and grab Sno as that one backed towards the door.
The three on the screen took one look at Sno and started crying, recognizing him even after all the years.
“Gods, my baby, is it really you, Dani?” one managed, as they hung onto each other, and another one reached out as though he could touch Sno through the screen.
“We couldn’t believe it when we heard you’d been found, although we always knew you were alive somewhere. Some part of our hearts would have been ripped out if you’d died, and now here you are, and all grown up, and with a triad, and such lovely ones, of course, because you were always lovely, and gods we missed you, baby.”
