only my mother can make him laugh.’
‘You mean Core? I’ve met him, and yes they’d take you away too. They’d consider you Varan because both your parents are. But your father isn’t married to your mother, and they don’t approve. We are a very pedantic race Lucessa.’
‘And many of my siblings aren’t Varan?’ she was angry, but not at Ralse.
‘No alien or part-bloodied Varan is allowed here. A ship is readied in case anyone wants to meet us, but are you surprised we get few visitors? I find it sad, and I’m not the only one on Varan to think so, we’re slow to change. You are puzzled Lucessa?’
‘Although you told me you can’t use technology well, like the damaged Hyclos boys, you’re still clever.’
‘Damaged Hyclos boys?’
‘Yes, father and the others helped most of them, but a few are still damaged and Sark’s crystals can’t repair them. I’ve been looking for something that might boost our crystals ability and fill in the gaps. We’ll never find blue crystals as mother has, but perhaps there’s something else we can use. It distresses everyone to see them in such a state.’ She shook her head. ‘Mother takes me searching everywhere, but all I’ve come up with so far is a new crystal light system. It’s a pretty, pink colour, mother loves it but I want to do more than make lamps.’
Ralse stared at her, he saw beneath her beautiful face and lack of social graces. He’d always admired her mother, but here was a young woman who’d an innocence her mother never did. He’d slept with his lovely cousin years before, when they reached the age to experiment with sex. Doella’s beauty moved him, and they remained good friends. But Doella hadn’t touched his heart as much as this gauche girl. He was hiding his feelings but Doella was watching as he looked up, and he knew she’d sensed them because of the radiant smile she gave him. He and Lucessa walked towards her, and as Lucessa said goodbye and went inside, he felt as if the sun was obscured by clouds.
Xast was not a hard man, a loving parent. Most fathers would’ve cast off Doella and her brother Hath. His displeasure was great, they’d disgraced their family, but he still loved them. His anger diminished as time went on, but even so their names were never mentioned in his presence without censure.
Lucessa was expecting someone similar to Core, but to Xast’s credit he treated as any granddaughter. And gave her a gift; an old bracelet which once belonged to a fore-bearer. A precursor to the tiny bands worn now and enhanced already heightened mental and physical abilities. It no longer worked, but it was pretty and Lucessa felt overwhelmed to be given such a precious item. She kept rolling the silvery metal band around her wrist and admiring the coloured crystals set into it. After a short time they were dismissed as he said he had something to finish for his ministry, but he’d see them at dinner tonight. To Doella surprise they were having dinner with the family.
Once outside Doella complimented her daughter, ‘You did well Lucessa. I usually get to share a meal alone with mother and father. The immediate family means my siblings and their partners, a few aunts and uncles and cousins. The more conservative won’t come, it might affect their careers. I’d say a hundred people; we should help mother and my sisters prepare the food.’
‘It’s something like Astras here mother, but very different too, we are more tolerant.’
‘Much more. We’d better help, I’d hate to think father was thinking I don’t cook anymore, he always has a go at me for failing to do something right.’
‘A failure, mother?’
‘Oh yes, he wanted me to marry Takos, who you will meet tonight, not have several husbands and an even stranger multitude of hybrid offspring. Father still loves me, he’s not refused me the house and never to speak to me again. Mothers are more tolerant of their children “mistakes”.’
‘I’m not a mistake and neither are any of the others, Varan, Hyclos, or Dragon, and we love each other very much. I enjoy having many fathers; sometimes it’s easier to talk to Sark because he’s more patient and listens.’
‘Yes I agree, Astras is wonderful. What did you think of Ralse, he’s interesting isn’t he?’
‘He isn’t a conservative Varan, but did he say nice things because he wanted to be polite?’ Lucessa’s voice held hope what he’d said to her was what he felt.
‘Ralse a conservative? No, he’s an artist. Farmers are the most conservative, technicians and scientists vary. Artists see the world differently. We’ve been so obsessed with surviving and building a future, we’ve forgotten it’s important to create something for the sake of it. I wish I could ask Ralse to come back with us and read his poetry, he reads beautifully.’
‘Why can’t be come?’ Lucessa sounded upset.
‘Because if the authorities find out, they’d recondition him and he’d lose what makes him special.’
‘You could protect him.’
‘Yes I could on Astras, but not on Varan.’
‘And the Hyclos boys, you could help them?’ The question she’d always wanted to ask.
‘That’s for you to do isn’t it? You’d have me do everything and everyone else spend their lives sitting in the sun? Would that make your father happy, or you?’
‘No, I’d hate it,’ she smiled, ‘but I might become an artist?’
‘You still can.’ Doella was thinking of the extinct Cles.
‘I understand now mother.’
The communal room used for large gatherings could hold many more than the ninety-eight individuals who’d accepted the invitation to meet Lucessa. Even the matriarch came, one of many who disapproved of the descendant who brought shame on them. Cranula didn’t approve of her great, great, great granddaughter Doella, but taking off her bracelet to hasten her inevitable end had mellowed her somewhat; a fact not lost on Doella.
Her on-world siblings were there, apart from two brothers who’d married into ultra-conservative families and at their spouse’s insistence were now living with their in-laws. One sneaked home to visit Doella and her daughter for a brief time. Favourite aunts, uncles, and cousins turned up too.
Lucessa thought it was like Astras, at one of the many family gatherings, except here everyone looked similar and their gowns were brighter than the Astrans. Hyclos didn’t laugh as much as the Varan, and Dragons were superior, thinking conversation banal. These women were worse than Rucella with their talk of children and clothes, even discussing new ways to wear hair. Lucessa was forced to answer ridiculous, personal questions.
She heard a voice in her mind. It was Ralse, she looked down the table and smiled. There was no hierarchy on a Varan table, everyone sat where they liked and she wished he’d come earlier and sat beside her. Once the meal was over Ralse sat next to her.
‘What do you think of us?’
‘I was shocked to see my grandfather help clear the table while my grandmother talked.’
‘We help each other, a husband may enjoy cooking. There’s a lot to do and little spare time so we share work. Isn’t it the same on Astras?’
‘Yes.’
Lucessa lost her shyness and they had a long conversation about more interesting subjects than decorative hair-grips. It was late and most guests had left and Ralse was still sitting close to Lucessa. As soon as they were alone he asked her; ‘May I take you to the city tomorrow?’
Lucessa felt her heart pounding, ‘I can’t say. I’d have to ask mother if it’s safe?’
‘She is just over there, why don’t we ask her now?’
It was arranged, and Ralse said goodbye. Xast was sitting close by and looked worried, Prirella told her husband no one would guess Lucessa wasn’t from Varan, and Doella assured her father too.
‘It’s obvious Ralse is taken with your daughter,’ Xast was as forthright as Doella, ‘but nothing can come of it.’
‘Why Father?’ Doella kept her annoyance from her voice and mind. Was there yet another row brewing?
‘You can’t stay here long, and while you do, best they are kept apart.’
‘I don’t agree; if they
fall in love why shouldn’t they be happy, there’s always Astras. It’s beautiful too, it might rival Varan and one day I’ll persuade you and mother to visit us.’
Xast didn’t reply, but gave her arm a quick squeeze before leaving. Doella was so overcome her eyes were moist.
The next morning Doella helped her excited daughter choose a dress, and they settled on a pale blue one, edged with white embroidery. Ralse was prompt and Doella watched them leave from the inner entrance.
There were shuttles into the city, but Varan loved to walk. The streets were as pleasant as the ones on Astras, differing styled houses in huge grounds filled available space, but once inside the city proper the scenery changed. No one lived here, it was a place of work and museums, libraries and schools, dotted with parks and places to eat and meet friends. Very different to Astras and Lucessa was enthralled. Ralse was an able guide.
‘Few homes are self-sufficient,’ he explained, as they walked into a cool market selling food, ‘and here we can buy what we can’t produce. And what’s sent from the colonies, they’ve more room for larger crops.’
Lucessa looked puzzled over exchange of tokens. ‘They’re used instead of the ancient way of bartering.’ He explained, but she looked more puzzled. ‘Those who work are paid and have family credits paid into a central bank. Tokens are used to exchange these for goods, you can still barter, but most is between families.