Earth Star

  I nodded.

  ‘Fortunately, I didn’t have to try climbing over rubble while wearing just a skintight. You’d been thrown towards the clearway by the lifeline beam, and were out of the magnetic field. Fian was even closer to the clearway, because he was bright enough to jump from his sled the instant he saw the beam break you free from the magnetic pull. He was actually in midair when his sled exploded. Since he was jumping towards the clearway, the blast helpfully hurled him further on his way. He’d probably planned that.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Fian’s good in a crisis.’

  Playdon was watching my face. ‘Don’t worry, Jarra. Fian will make a full recovery.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ I repeated.

  ‘Well, I found you were both alive, so then it was a race to get you to the emergency evac portal. Dalmora, Amalie and Krath disobeyed my explicit orders and followed me out into the rubble to help me with the stretchers. I’m still working out whether I should give them commendations for heroism, or throw them off the course for insubordination.’

  He was obviously joking, so I forced a shaky laugh.

  ‘Enough explanations. How are you feeling, Jarra? Skin sensitive?’

  ‘A bit.’ I examined the skin on my hands. It looked unnaturally smooth and slightly shiny.

  ‘You needed 98 per cent dermal regeneration. You know it takes a few days outside a tank for new skin to harden off properly.’

  I frowned at my left little finger. I’d been in the tank three days. Had some interfering doctor decided to take the opportunity to amputate and regrow it? If they had, then I’d …

  I forgot my little finger. Something more important was wrong. ‘Where’s my ring? What did they do with my ring?’

  ‘Calm down, Jarra,’ said Candace in her best soothing voice. ‘It’s right here.’

  She handed me the crumpled golden blob of metal, and I frantically forced it back on my finger, ignoring the stinging protest from my new skin. I’d fought against wearing a ring, but now it was an important symbol that linked me to Fian.

  ‘They took off my ring!’ I wailed my outrage.

  ‘They had to do that, Jarra,’ said Playdon. ‘The skin needed to regrow on your finger and …’

  I cut in before he could finish the sentence. ‘I want to see Fian.’

  ‘I don’t think they …’

  I cut him off again. ‘I want to see Fian.’

  Playdon glanced at Candace, and she stood up. ‘I’ll ask someone, Jarra, but …’

  She went out of the room, and Playdon gave me a worried look. ‘Fian will be out of the tank in another day so it would be better to …’

  A day? After what had happened with Joth, I was supposed to wait around, sick with terror, for a whole day? I didn’t say a word, I just glared at Playdon and he shut up.

  Candace returned with a male doctor.

  ‘We don’t allow visitors when a patient is in a tank,’ he said. ‘It can be disturbing to see the regeneration process in action.’

  I told him it one word at a time, so the most complete nardle could understand. ‘I. Want. To. See. Fian.’

  ‘Yes, but I’m afraid we don’t allow visitors.’

  I got out of bed and flourished my ring under the man’s nose. ‘Fian and I are Twoing. I’m his next of kin. I have a legal right to see him and satisfy myself he’s receiving adequate medical care.’

  The doctor took a nervous step backwards. ‘Well, yes you do, but I’d still …’

  I headed for the door, and he scampered after me. Left or right, I wondered, as I went into the corridor. I turned left, didn’t recognize the name on the door of the room there, turned back and found the one tagged with the name Fian Eklund. I reached to open it, and the doctor physically jumped in my way.

  ‘Please let me warn you,’ he said. ‘Fian had internal injuries to liver and kidneys. Successful regrowth of organs involves exposing them to tank fluids. His side is still open while internal organs and ribs complete the regeneration cycle. There are also life support tubes and …’

  ‘My best friend is on a Medical Foundation course,’ I said. ‘She’s done her three week practical introduction to regrowth and rejuvenation techniques, and babbled to me all about how half the class, including her, fainted the first time they saw someone in a regrowth tank. I accept that what I see may not look nice, and I’m not going to dramatically faint. Now, let me in that room!’

  He meekly opened the door, and the view of the clear glass tank hit me. It was against the far wall, and looked smaller than I expected, just large enough to hold the floating body inside it. There weren’t any bubbles either. I’d somehow pictured streams of air bubbles, but that was stupid of me because someone in a tank wouldn’t be breathing.

  I walked up to the tank and touched the cool glass with my right hand as I looked at Fian. His eyes were closed and his face seemed relaxed and peaceful with his long hair drifting around it like golden seaweed. There were a lot of tubes, and his side looked like one of the anatomy vids they showed us in school. I should know which bit was a kidney, the ribs were obvious, the …

  I’d promised I wouldn’t be a nardle and faint, so I pulled my eyes away from the gory stuff, and concentrated on the fact Fian was alive and would soon be well. I saw they’d taken his ring as well, nuke them, but he’d get it back. We’d wear our rings again. We’d be together again.

  I’d had two warnings now. First Joth dying, and now this. I wasn’t stupid enough to need a third one when that alien sphere was hovering above Earth Africa. I didn’t know how much time Fian and I would have, so I mustn’t waste a single precious minute.

  I turned around and went back to my own room. Candace and Playdon watched me warily as I got back into bed. There was a long silence before Playdon opened his mouth. He was probably going to ask …

  There was a chiming sound from the door, followed by someone actually thumping on it. Candace turned and gave it a startled look. ‘I told everyone the schedule for visiting Jarra. Issette and Keon aren’t supposed to be here yet.’

  Playdon stood up, opened the door, developed a shocked expression and stepped rapidly backwards. Two high-ranking Military officers, wearing laurel wreaths and brandishing bunches of grapes, entered the room. Candace slowly got to her feet and stared at them. It was the first time I’d ever seen her habitual poise completely shattered.

  The lead figure grinned at me. ‘Jarra, why on earth do you wear something like that in bed? It’s got less sex appeal than an impact suit.’

  ‘Behave yourself, Drago,’ Marlise reproved him. ‘You know perfectly well that Jarra’s wearing a hospital sleep suit.’

  ‘Drago, Marlise, it’s good to see you,’ I said, ‘but … why are you crowned with laurels?’

  Marlise silently blushed, while Drago handed over the grapes to me and dashed back out into the corridor. He returned with two blatantly stolen chairs, and added them to the ones already at my bedside.

  ‘I’ll explain, Jarra, but first … please introduce me to this ravishingly beautiful lady.’ He gave Candace a look of deep admiration.

  I laughed at her startled face. ‘My ProMum, Candace. Lecturer Playdon. These are my cousin, Commander Drago Tell Dramis, and his deputy, Major Marlise Weldon. Candace, pay no attention to Drago. He likes to tease people by playacting the flirting Betan, but it means absolutely nothing.’

  ‘I’m pleased to meet you both,’ said Candace. ‘I saw you interviewed on Earth Rolling News, Commander, but I thought you were a Major then.’

  ‘I was,’ said Drago, taking her hand and kissing it. ‘They forcibly promoted me. Please, call me Drago.’ He gestured at the chairs. ‘Do sit down, Candace. As an officer and a gentleman, I can’t sit down until you do.’

  I think I made a choking noise at this point, because Drago laughed. ‘Jarra would claim I’m an officer but not a gentleman. She’s right, but let’s sit down anyway.’

  Everyone sat down and I tried repeating my earlier question.

  ??
?Why are you wearing laurel wreaths?’

  ‘Because we’ve just got married.’ Drago gave me a smile of delighted pride. ‘Jarra, embrace Marlise and welcome her into the Tell clan kindred. I’d be happy for you to embrace me too, but Marlise has laid down very strict rules for my future behaviour.’

  ‘You’re married!’ I hugged Marlise.

  ‘I know I’ll regret it,’ said Marlise, ‘but …’

  ‘Since you two couldn’t come to the wedding, we thought we’d come to you,’ said Drago. ‘Colonel Torrek sends his best wishes for a speedy recovery. He can’t leave the base himself at the moment, but if there’s anything you need then just ask. He sent our Medical team leader over earlier, to check on your care, and she reported you were in very capable hands.’

  I was stunned for a moment. How did the Colonel know what had happened to me and Fian, and why was he sending Military …?

  I worked out the answer. Colonel Torrek was our commanding officer. He’d be automatically informed of our accident, and was responsible for making sure we had proper treatment by either Military or civilian facilities.

  ‘The Colonel doesn’t need to worry,’ I said. ‘Earth is known for the triple H. Hospital. History. Handicapped. Medical care is a major specialty of ours.’

  ‘It’s very kind of Colonel Torrek to take such an interest,’ said Candace, obviously bewildered.

  ‘Given Colonel Riak Torrek’s personal relationship with Jarra’s grandmother, he takes a deep interest in her Honour Child,’ said Commander Drago Tell Dramis, finest liar in the Military.

  ‘Oh,’ said Candace. ‘I hadn’t realized.’

  I moved the conversation on to a safer subject. ‘You two eloped to Epsilon then?’

  ‘We couldn’t elope.’ Drago glanced at Candace for a second. ‘We’re fighter pilots, and in the current situation we may be urgently needed.’

  She nodded. ‘We appreciate the efforts the Military are making to keep Earth safe.’

  I herded the conversation back to the topic of marriage again. ‘So, how did you manage to get married? Earth law requires a minimum of three Twoing contracts, which add up to at least one year, and you two hadn’t even …’

  Drago grinned. ‘Military regulations section 14, subsection 3.9. “Military personnel unable to travel due to medical conditions or the constraints of active service may, at the discretion of their commanding officer, be married at their current location under the laws of a sector of their choice.”’

  I was startled. ‘What? I didn’t know about …’

  ‘We picked Epsilon of course,’ he continued, ‘since it allows instant marriage.’

  ‘Amaz! You got married at the base then?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Drago. ‘Marlise bribed the Colonel into giving permission. She offered him first chance at kissing the bride.’

  ‘I did no such thing,’ said Marlise. ‘Drago threatened him.’

  ‘How do you threaten a full Colonel?’ I asked.

  Marlise sighed. ‘Drago threatened to strip during his next interview with Earth Rolling News, so the Colonel surrendered.’

  Candace looked shocked, but I was sure Drago would never have actually carried out his threat so I giggled. ‘The laurel wreaths were for the wedding then?’

  Drago nodded. ‘We were married under Epsilon law, but we had a traditional Betan clan ceremony with laurel wreaths and togas. We changed out of the togas before coming here to avoid attracting too much attention.’

  ‘Did you know only men wore togas in ancient Rome?’

  Drago ignored that, seemingly as uninterested in history as Issette. ‘We did the whole thing in style. We had a vid link to the clan hall on Zeus, so we could recite our odes and proclaim our union for the traditional three times to bind it under clan law.’

  ‘What clan hall on Zeus?’ I asked.

  ‘All Betan clans have a clan hall, Jarra. Tellon Blaze founded our clan, and he was from Zeus, so our clan hall is there. I know you can’t visit it, but there are plenty of vids in the family archives that will show you what it’s like.’

  He paused. ‘Incidentally, clan council asked me to mention they’d like to formally welcome you as a clan member as soon as possible. They didn’t want to pressure you into contact after your parents’ death, but they’re currently in an awkward situation. They get automatic notification when you have a serious accident, but have no right to offer help. This is the second time it’s happened, and they’re getting a bit restless.’

  I frowned. ‘I’d no idea they’d be told, but … They can’t really want me in the clan, Drago. My Betan classmates have to hide the fact they have a Handicapped baby, because it would make their clan lose status. I’d just be an embarrassment to the Tell clan, so …’

  ‘Our clan doesn’t have to worry about status, Jarra. We’re not just patrician, but of the gentes maiores itself. How can you possibly doubt that a Military clan wants you wearing its banner next to the gold of the Artemis?’

  Drago sounded as if he believed what he was saying. I’d grown up a ward of Hospital Earth, with no knowledge of my family. Despite my prejudices against Beta sector, it had been amaz to discover I’d been born into a Betan clan and was descended from Tellon Blaze. I’d gone from having a blank canvas, to having a whole family heritage, but I’d never thought it possible my clan would want contact with me.

  ‘Drago, that’s … that’s zan. I can’t do anything right now, but …’

  He nodded. ‘We couldn’t hold the ceremony yet anyway. We have to wait until the period of formal mourning for your parents is over.’

  I was going to have a family. I’d had that dream held out to me before when I contacted my parents, only to have it snatched away when they died. Now it was back. I’d be part of the huge extended family of a Betan clan.

  ‘I don’t understand why my Betan classmates, Lolia and Lolmack, never mentioned my clan,’ I said. ‘They’ve known my name is Tell Morrath ever since my grandmother’s Honour Ceremony.’

  Drago laughed. ‘Those names … They’re plebeian, Jarra. They belong to a gutter clan that doesn’t even have the right to use a true clan name. They probably think you’re generously ignoring the difficult social situation.’

  ‘Really?’ I obviously didn’t understand the rules of Betan society. I’d have to learn them and …

  ‘I’m sorry to cut this short,’ said Marlise, ‘but we’re due back at the base soon.’

  ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘You mustn’t go absent without leave.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea,’ said Drago. ‘They might slap me back down to Major.’

  Marlise sighed. ‘Behave yourself, Drago. You may want to get demoted, but I don’t.’

  I laughed. ‘I wish you a long and happy marriage.’

  Drago grinned. ‘It had better be. I’m no poet, so writing the required ode in praise of the virtues and beauty of Marlise nearly killed me. If I divorce her, I have to write another ode, and I couldn’t stand that again. Marlise got the rest of our team to help with hers, but that’s cheating. As an honourable Betan, I had to write mine solo and not include sarcasm.’

  Marlise stood up. ‘My ode wasn’t sarcastic.’

  ‘Really? It sounded sarcastic to me. Ten thousand women falling in love with me!’

  Marlise giggled. ‘That was just an estimate.’

  ‘Based on what exactly? Given the amount of time I’ve spent on assignment, living like a Deltan …’

  She grinned. ‘We were allowing for the number of women who’ve seen the devastatingly handsome Drago Tell Dramis on Earth Rolling News.’

  ‘Stop calling me that!’

  Drago kissed both my hand and Candace’s in farewell. The two laurel-crowned Military went out of the door, the sounds of their amicable argument receded down the corridor, and Playdon shook his head.

  ‘Your cousin seems … quite a personality, Jarra.’

  Candace was watching me anxiously. ‘Jarra, whatever you’re planning, please don??
?t do it until Fian is awake.’

  Playdon frowned, glanced at Candace and then at me. Candace obviously caught the byplay, because she turned to him.

  ‘I’ve had eighteen years of this, Dannel. I know the warning signs. The eager look in Jarra’s eyes, and the furrow in her forehead while she works out tactics. She’s got one of her wild ideas, and once she starts on one of those she gets totally carried away.’

  She looked back at me. ‘Jarra, please don’t do anything until Fian is awake and you’ve talked it through with him. You grew up without a family, I did too, and I understand the attraction of being part of a Betan clan, but everyone knows about their sex vids and Fian is from Delta sector so …’

  ‘Candace, I promise I’m not going to make sex vids, and I won’t do anything without Fian’s agreement.’

  ‘I know you wouldn’t make …’ Candace broke off, interrupted by urgent chiming from her lookup. ‘Oh no! I’m urgently needed in Hospital Earth Europe Maternity.’

  ‘Go!’ I said. ‘I don’t know who’s having the baby, but babies don’t wait.’

  ‘No they don’t and I promised I’d be there.’ Candace hugged me and headed for the door. ‘Remember, Jarra, talk to Fian first!’

  Candace was gone almost before she finished saying the words. She was right that Drago’s visit had given me an idea, and I was making plans, but she had no need to worry about me doing anything before Fian was out of the tank. I couldn’t get married without him.

  21

  Fian’s eyes opened. He lay perfectly still for a second, with a grim look on his face, then saw me sitting by his bed and smiled. ‘We’re both alive then.’

  I had problems replying. I’d existed in a weird limbo since I woke up yesterday. Now Fian was back and I felt a sudden release of tension. I wanted to say something emotional, but there was a doctor hovering beside me. I could only manage a single word.