The Refugee (The Korvali Chronicles Book 1)

by C. A. Hartman

  I’m thinking of paying a visit to the Peloni Institute during our mid-mission leave. I sometimes wonder if I should’ve taken that job offer instead of going on this mission. But who knew Commander Edelstein would become ill? I heard from him recently; he did his best to encourage me, but it sounds like his health is still a challenge for him. It made me sad. Anyway, I’m hoping I can get a few answers at Peloni that can sustain me for the remainder of the mission.

  Tom’s doing well. He’s still spending time with lots of different women, although several have taken issue with his non-committal ways. I don’t know what these women expect; everyone knows Tom isn’t the type to settle down. His birthday passed recently and we all went out to celebrate. We had to explain to Eshel the significance of a birthday, something the Korvali don’t observe. Eshel and I got him a great gift, a small biological agent dispenser (with no agent in it, of course), custom made based on a Korvali design. Tom was thrilled and he mounted the tiny thing up on his bulkhead.

  I miss you, Dad. Talk to you soon.

  Love,

  C

  CHAPTER 13

  Once off duty, Eshel left Weapons. He nodded at the two soldiers he passed on the way to the stairwell, having learned from Tom that doing so might make him seem less unfriendly. He still didn’t understand the purpose of such a gesture, since he didn’t know the men and the men didn’t seem inclined to speak. But he’d learned that Tom was often correct about such things, whether or not they made sense. He contacted Catherine.

  “Hey, Esh,” said Catherine’s voice on his contactor.

  “Are you in your quarters?” Eshel asked. “I want to propose to you.”

  There was a pause. “You mean you want to propose something to me,” she corrected.

  “That is different?”

  “Yes.”

  When Eshel arrived at Catherine’s quarters, he used the code Catherine had given him and entered. She was unclothed and looking in a drawer, her uniform in a heap on the deck.

  “You are just returning from duty?” he asked her, glancing at the time. It was almost 2100.

  “Long day.” She dressed herself and hung up her uniform.

  He walked to her and put his hand on the back of her head. She followed suit, placing her hand on the back of his head, as they touched their cheeks together. The first time Eshel had tried the leshe with Catherine, she appeared startled, much like the first time he touched her hair. But she’d grown accustomed to using the Korvali greeting with him—in private, of course.

  He sat down. “Because of the ship’s change in itinerary, I can get off duty for two consecutive days. We can take leave.”

  The time had come for the crew to finish its business on Derovia and head to nearby Suna. However, Yamamoto sent an announcement to the crew that day, one that would change their schedule:

  Attention all crewpersons:

  The Captain received an urgent message from the Sunai government this morning; Gronoio Vahara, one of Suna’s top military leaders, has passed away unexpectedly.

  We will postpone business with the Sunai to allow them to honor the death of their leader and to rearrange their military leadership to compensate for the loss.

  The Captain paid her condolences on behalf of the crew.

  We will convene with the Sunai AFTER we return from the mid-mission visit to Earth. As such, our encampment on Derovia will continue for at least several more weeks.

  Commander Yamamoto

  Executive Officer

  Catherine joined Eshel at the table, her face showing surprise. “Take leave?”

  “I want to go to Mellon,” Eshel continued. “Coran and Dorel have urged me to visit that part of Derovia. There is a place that will make a good setting for something I want us to do, if you are willing.”

  Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “Do what?”

  “It is a Korvali rite. I would rather reveal more about the rite, and why I am asking you to participate in it, when we arrive there.”

  Catherine hesitated, waiting to see if he would offer more information. When he didn’t, she agreed and said no more about it.

  Friday evening, Eshel and Catherine took a transport to Mellon. Coran and Dorel saw them off, each offering advice about their native land, excited that Eshel would choose to visit the more remote continent of Mellon rather than popular Ovlon. Eshel gave the two brothers credit for correctly identifying what sort of place he sought. At that time of year, Mellon’s weather wasn’t too cold for Catherine to swim without discomfort if she wore a protective suit. The location he’d chosen was quite isolated and had limited services, two things he looked forward to. The truth was, Eshel secretly found Derovian hospitality tiresome, and preferred taking care of himself.

  Eshel chose accommodations not far from the town of Viorov. Their wooden hut was small, quiet, and primitive by modern standards, and even better than he’d hoped for. When Catherine remarked how much she liked it, he felt some relief, not because he’d feared she wouldn’t like it, but because he hadn’t considered whether such simple accommodations would suit her.

  The hut contained a small cooler, which he had stocked with Derovian food for their first meal there. Eshel saved his appetite for then, knowing Catherine would want to eat dinner and would prefer him to do so with her. He took out the food—a spread that included ornon, four other kinds of sea flesh, a variety of sea vegetables, bowls of the bright pink berries they’d eaten on Tom’s birthday, and a large canister of rallnofia. Eshel poured two glasses and they ate together.

  Afterward, tired from a long week of studying late, Eshel lay down on the large, comfortable bed. When he awoke, he saw daylight. He looked over; Catherine lay asleep next to him, the white sheet covering her nudity. He reached for his contactor: 0715. He’d slept the entire night, in his clothing, on top of the bedding.

  Catherine stirred. Her eyes opened. “You’re finally awake,” she said, smiling.

  “I do not recall falling asleep,” he admitted.

  She leaned over to him and put her lips on his cheek. “Good morning.”

  Startled, Eshel backed away slightly, then recalled that he’d seen Shanti do the same thing to Zander at poker and Tom meet lips with a woman he was “seeing.” He’d seen it in some of the videos from the ship’s library, and among the Derovians, and had heard the Sunai observed the custom as well. “That is a kiss,” he said.

  “Yes, that is a kiss.”

  “What is its purpose?”

  “It’s like your leshe,” she said. “It’s an expression of affection. It can be for family, or it can be more romantic, or arousing, depending on how it’s done. There’s no kissing on Korvalis?”

  “No.”

  “None at all?” she asked, appearing possibly disappointed.

  “None at all.”

  “Does it bother you, the kiss?”

  Eshel hesitated. “It is more that I am unfamiliar with it, and do not know if I could ever become accustomed to it.” He watched her expression, wondering if his admission would bother her. But instead, she smiled.

  “There’s one way to find out, Esh. Are you ready?”

  Eshel braced himself. “Yes.”

  Catherine leaned over and gave him a brief peck on his mouth, then backed away, waiting for his reaction. “Well?”

  “It is… strange. But not arousing.”

  “It’s not arousing when it’s done that way.” She got up, peered into the cooler, and pulled out a canister of pink juice. “Want some?”

  He nodded as she poured two cups of the juice and gave one to him. She propped up her pillows and sat back against them. “So. Are you going to tell me anything about this rite you mentioned?”

  “You are curious.”

  “Yes. I am curious.”

  Eshel recognized Catherine’s tone. It was the one she used with him when he stated something that, to her, was obvious.

  “I will explain tonight. If you agree, we will perform the rite tomorrow.”

>   Catherine sighed. “Are you going to swim?”

  “Yes. Are you coming?”

  She shook her head. “Too cold. I’ll wait until later.”

  Eshel got up from bed and changed into his swim trunks. He’d just begun to grow used to being unclothed in front of Catherine, something he hadn’t believed possible. He knew, from seeing Tom and the other men swimming nude on Tom’s birthday, and from the videos, how he differed from the human males. But they didn’t know. He knew they were curious. They were always curious. But he would reveal himself to none of them.

  He’d tried, undoubtedly with only moderate success, to explain to Catherine that while nudity is common among his people, especially when swimming, exposing one’s genitalia to outsiders was… it was not done. He was relieved that she didn’t question him further. He didn’t even reveal himself to Catherine until… until it became necessary. She didn’t appear all that surprised upon finally seeing him fully nude; she had seemed almost… relieved. She was perhaps even impressed by his internal testicles, calling it “advantageous.”

  “Advantageous?”

  “You lack a major area of vulnerability,” she’d said. “If you ever get attacked by a human male, always go for the testicles. But it only works on humans…”

  Once he finished dressing, Eshel told Catherine when he would return from his swim, something she’d begun asking him to do. Eshel knew she worried when he went out alone, even into the water, and so he indulged her by offering her a time frame in which he would always return.

  Eshel left their hut and looked around. He saw no one in any direction, which only confirmed that he’d made a wise choice in selecting their accommodations. The sky was overcast and the temperature cooler than in Ronia. The gray-blue ocean produced large waves that crashed noisily upon the shore, and for a mere moment a vision of his homeworld passed through his mind. He entered the cool, refreshing water, dove beneath the waves, and began to swim. He could now swim 30 strokes before needing a breath, close to where he was before leaving Korvalis. At his first swim on the beach in Ronia, after not having swum in so long, he was greatly bothered by his need to come up for air after a mere 12 strokes.

  He swam out for some time until, glancing at his contactor, he saw he needed to turn around. He could no longer see land and looked up at the sky in order to reorient himself. As he swam back, he went under again to look for more sea creatures, finally coming upon a school of fish that divided in order to continue their path past him. They were bright yellow and much smaller than the fish he was used to on his homeworld. He also saw, from a short distance, a much larger bluish creature, one that looked far more imposing than Eshel’s research said it was.

  Once back, Eshel and Catherine explored the shore caves Coran and Dorel had told him about and spent time examining sea creatures in the tide pools. Later on, Catherine put on a wetsuit and they went swimming. He gave her more lessons in proper swim form, as her form was, at best, inefficient. However, at one point during the lesson, Catherine stopped him.

  “Eshel, you’re being rude.”

  “Rude?”

  “Yes. You keep telling me what I’m doing wrong.” She treaded water, slightly breathless from her efforts. “You sound like my father.”

  “I don’t understand. If I am to teach you, I must correct you when you are wrong.”

  She sighed. “Yes. But it’s how you do it. It’s better to say, ‘instead of this, try this,’ like I do when I train you. Be encouraging.”

  “Are you learning?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why does it matter how I teach you?”

  “Because one way will anger me, and the other won’t.”

  Eshel still didn’t understand Catherine’s protest. But he couldn’t argue with her reasoning, and did his best to avoid teaching her in what was, in his opinion, the most efficient way for her to learn.

  Later that day, they went into town. Viorov had a small enclave of Derovian artists, so at Catherine’s suggestion they went to look at the art. There were many large, flat shells that had been painted with plant-based dyes in visually interesting ways. Catherine searched for something to hang in her remaining bulkhead space. There were several pieces she admired, but she couldn’t decide, and eventually gave up looking.

  Afterward, they ate dinner at a café that contained numerous plants and several tall trees within it, as if they’d built the café around the vegetation. One could look up and see the evening sky through the foliage. During their meal, a Derovian male played a stringed instrument that Catherine called a “guitar.”

  “I love the guitar,” she told Eshel. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to play.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  “No one to teach me.”

  “Snow cannot?”

  She shook her head. “Snow plays bass guitar. It’s totally different. And I don’t have a guitar.”

  “Can you not purchase one?”

  “I might, when we get to Suna. The Sunai will have many to choose from.”

  “But will you be able to decide on one?” he asked, hoping she would understand his meaning.

  Catherine smiled in surprise. “Did you just make a joke at my expense?”

  “I believe it is a valid question,” he replied, pleased that his attempt at humor had succeeded.

  Catherine giggled. “Tom would’ve loved that one. He still gives me a hard time about how long it takes me to decide what to eat.”

  Eshel said nothing.

  “What?” she asked him, seeing his expression.

  “I have noticed that, as well.”

  “Unlike you guys, who eat the same thing all the time, I like variety and it’s hard to choose!” she cried, laughing.

  “That is fair,” he replied, still quite pleased with himself.

  Later, they went back to the beach and sat down on the sand, up against the cool rocks. Recognizing that Catherine was getting cold, Eshel brought himself close to her to warm her. He brought his cheek to hers, and began to stroke her hair.

  Afterward, Catherine rested against Eshel. But after a while, she disengaged herself from him, her skin glistening with perspiration. “I’m hot,” she said, resuming her place sitting next to him.

  “And very soon you will be cold again.”

  She laughed. She reached for her dress, shook out the rosy sand, and put it back on.

  Eshel sat down on the porch and poured two glasses of rallnofia. Catherine wrapped herself in a blanket and joined him.

  “The rite,” Eshel began. “It is called the sher mishtar, or the rite of secrets.”

  He explained that the sher mishtar was one of many Korvali rites. Its purpose was to enter into a bond of secrecy, never to be broken, with a trusted person. To break secrecy would cause a permanent rift in the relationship, a rift that could never be repaired, and could result in being ousted from one’s clan, or worse. He explained that the sher mishtar was, in some ways, a lifetime obligation. “I brought you here because I want to perform the sher mishtar with you.”

  Catherine shifted in her seat. “Eshel, this sounds… serious. What if… what happens when the mission is over? We may not be able to remain… tied.”

  “No. With the sher mishtar, you are not bound to the person; you are bound to the secrets you share. I have performed the rite with others.” She nodded in understanding. “If you choose to do the rite, you cannot share what I tell you with anyone. You also cannot tell anyone that we performed the rite.”

  “Is there something I must do, other than listen?”

  “No.”

  “Am I allowed to talk, or ask questions?”

  “Yes.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear, pondering what Eshel had proposed. She sat for some time, her expression unreadable. “Okay,” she finally said.

  “We will go tomorrow.”

  Sunday morning, Eshel got up early and swam, returning sooner than usual. They gathered their things, left their hut, and
began walking along the coastline. Heavy clouds blocked the mild sun, muting the blue of the calm sea and darkening the inland hills. Eshel walked briskly as Catherine made an effort to keep up with him. Once having walked for the better part of an hour, Eshel found a location he liked.

  It was a small tide pool deep enough to cover them up to their middles, surrounded by rocks and sheltered from the break. Although there were hidden tide pools, Eshel chose one that was exposed, where he could see all that was around him. He set down their things on the smooth pink rocks, and turned toward Catherine, who stood at the edge of the pool, as if afraid to go in the water.

  “You appear nervous,” Eshel said to her.

  “I am.”

  “There is nothing to fear. The sher mishtar is always performed in water. And in complete privacy.” She stepped into the tide pool and faced him. “Catherine, what is said until we emerge from the sea today must never be repeated to anyone. You must promise.”

  “I promise.”

  “You know it is against Korvali Doctrine to leave Korvalis without permission, to live among outsiders. The Korvali have not retaliated against what I have done, but they will not tolerate it. Just as Ashan offered secret information before he vanished, I must do the same.”

  Catherine’s expression turned to one of horror. “You’re leaving us?”

  “No. I am only preparing for the occasion in which I am killed. I am, as Tom would say, a target.”

  Catherine’s face paled as she looked away.

  “It is a precaution, Catherine. I am protected by your people, and I have developed my own methods of defense. But if I am killed, it is important that I contribute to the betterment of the Korvali, just as Ashan did.” He paused. “When the Sunai attacked me the second time, after the Calyyt-Calloq Fights, my form of defense was not as I told others.”