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6

“Is this not exciting, Craig?" Tsel-Ami'an asked as they headed to their seats in the stadium.

“My job just became annoyingly more difficult," grumbled Bren-Khy'an as she kept close to Craig.

“"Lighten up, Khy'an—I promise not to do anything insanely stupid, okay?" Craig tried to reassure his guard.

“I will remind you of that," Bren-Khy'an sent with mild sarcasm.

“Since Saa'an will be concentrating on the game, I will try to explain what is happening, Craig," Tsel-Ami'an offered.

“Okay. I'll be lucky if I can see anything, though," Craig quipped.

“Oh? Do you have difficulty seeing at a distance?" Tsel-Ami'an asked.

“Uh, no, it's just…everybody's so dang tall."

Tsel-Ami'an laughed—Craig found that he rather liked the sound of her voice, which was softer than Bren-Khy'an's, though he found the huskier voice of his guard exotic and alluring. When Ilen-Saa'an spoke aloud, however, he had trouble concentrating on anything else. To Craig, Ilen-Saa'an's voice was intoxicating—whenever she talked at length about something, he felt unable to do anything other than sit and look at her like an idiot. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by Tsel-Ami'an—to her, the effect her friend had on Craig was as plain as the twin moons at night.

“Our seats will have a clear view of the field, Craig. Look—we shall be up there, above the cross-aisle. No one will be directly in front of you," Tsel-Ami'an pointed out.

“Cool," Craig said, looking to where Tsel-Ami'an pointed.

The particular row of seats, along with several other rows behind it, appeared to be reserved for V.I.P.s Craig saw some of the personnel he and his parents had met from the other embassies at various diplomatic functions.

“At least I'm not the only alien here," Craig mused to himself.

When they had taken their seats, Bren-Khy'an sat on Craig's right; to his immediate left was Ilen-Saa'an, and then Tsel-Ami'an to her left. Craig pulled out a note PAD he had brought along to jot down what he observed. He had been compiling notes on things he'd learned since his arrival on Mûr Zhæn, with the thought of one day writing a “visitor's guide" for Terrans.

“Okay, explain the basics of the game to me again," Craig asked while they still had time before the game started.

Between Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an, Craig learned that there were three teams of nine players. One team would be on the defensive each period, while the other two attempted to be the one that scored. The game officials would release the ka-sach, and three from each of the two attacking teams would attempt to catch it. The movement of the ka-sach is somewhat unpredictable, and passing it from one player to another may not go as intended. It took quick reflexes to catch the ka-sach using the gath'acha—a long stick with a force blade at each end. The blue force blade was used to capture, and the red was used to pass. Teleporting to capture or block was permissible, though the ka-sach itself could not be manipulated directly by thought—only the gath'acha could be used to move it. Once the ka-sach was released, a countdown began, giving whichever team that was in control a certain amount of time to attempt to score. The timer would be reset if the ka-sach was intercepted. If a team scored, then the ka-sach was returned to the starting position. If a team was unable to score in the allotted time, the ka-sach was transferred to the other team who must then attempt to score from the starting position. At the end of the third period, the team with the highest score won. To make things more of a challenge, a player with the ka-sach must run no more than the distance between three of the marker lines before she must pass it to another player. Body blocking and ka-sach stealing was acceptable, of course—intentionally striking an opponent with a force blade, however, was a penalty. If no scores had been made by the end of the third period, then the winner would be the team that blocked the most scoring attempts. Since this was the championship game, the winner would be decided at the end of three matches, and this was the third match.

The hexagon shaped stadium filled up quickly. As at many games back on Terra, Craig noticed that a lot of the spectators wore colors that matched their favorite team. Ilen-Saa'an wore a blue shirt with an embroidered, iridescent bird-like animal and the number “31" on the chest; on the back was a name, presumably that of her favorite player, one Usan-Saj'an.

When Craig asked about it, Ilen-Saa'an sent, “She has been the highest scorer on Team Perzai[[1]](#ftn1), since the Great Championship Match of '859_."

“Of when?" Craig asked, not understanding.

“It was six hundred forty seven sun-cycles ago," Bren-Khy'an said matter-of-factly.

Craig calculated how long ago that was in Terran years.

“Geezers that would have been in…903 B.C.E. back home!"

“Was that a long time ago on your world, Craig?" Tsel-Ami'an asked.

“Uh, yeah, nearly three and a half thousand of our years ago!" Craig exclaimed.

“A year…that is what you call the time it takes for your world to circle its star once, yes?"

“Yeah," Craig replied.

Tsel-Ami'an started to contemplate the significance of the differences in calendars when Ilen-Saa'an announced excitedly that the teams were preparing to enter the field.

“AH! The officials are in place—the teams are coming!"

Craig watched in fascination as the teams entered according to their standing, from lowest to highest. As the announcer named each team, the crowd gave the Mûr Tua'ansa equivalent of a cheer—a keening wail that made the hair on Craig's neck stand on end. When the last team entered the field, Ilen-Saa'an jumped to her feet and screamed like a proverbial banshee—it was enough to give Craig the willies. The three teams, each led by a standard bearer, circled the stadium once, to thunderous heroic music and the screaming cheers of the spectators. When the players formed into three equidistant diamond shaped formations, and marched towards the center of the field, a hush fell over the stadium.

“What's happening now, Saa'an?" Craig asked privately, noting the change in the crowd.

“The opening ceremony. It is tradition to give respect to the Empress first—we all must."

Craig nodded his head in understanding. When the game officials and the players faced the direction of the palace, all of the spectators—including the off-worlders—rose from their seats and turned. Almost as one, all of the Mûr Tua'ansa in the stadium bowed deeply, except for Bren-Khy'an and other military personnel who saluted. Craig bowed in the manner appropriate for off-worlders, along with the others in the V.I.P. section. Craig and the other off-worlders felt an incredible wave of emotion wash over them. It was a mix of adoration, respect, reverence, and—Craig thought—the kind of love one might feel for a grandmother. There were easily more than sixty thousand seats in the huge stadium by Craig's rough estimation, and the stadium was packed. When the show of respect was concluded, the Mûr Tua'ansa spectators erupted in wild cheering when a horn sounded. Craig saw that the three teams, each still in a diamond formation with the points towards the center, expand their ranks, and the three players on each team who formed the inward point marched to the central starting position.

“Watch closely now, Craig—when the official releases the ka-sach_, the nine closest players will battle for its possession. When the_ ka-sach is successfully passed to one of the teams, they will lead the offensive. One of the remaining two teams will then be randomly chosen to defend the goal. The third team will, when the ka-sach is again set into play, attempt to capture it for themselves and then try to score." Ilen-Saa'an explained.

Another horn blasted, differently pitched than the first, and the ka-sach was released. Craig estimated that the ka-sach shot upwards about ten meters before the players jumped. He wasn't sure just how long the initial struggle to control the ka-sach lasted—a few seconds, perhaps, but it looked positively brutal to Craig.

“OW!" he exclaimed, cringing, when one player teleported directly in front of one reaching for the ka-sach with her gath'acha, essentially body slamming her. “That had to hurt!"

Tsel-Ami'an was more interested in watching her friends than the game. Ilen-Saa'an, as usual, was totally absorbed in the game; Craig watched with a mix of fascination, shock, and bewilderment; Bren-Khy'an kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, though occasionally a slight smile would appear on her face during a particularly inspired play.

“Poor Craig does not quite know what to think of this game," Tsel-Ami'an thought to herself, as she watched discretely. “Perhaps his people do not have similar contests."

Ilen-Saa'an groaned loudly when her favorite team did not gain the initial possession of the ka-sach, though she cheered when they would be one of the two attacking teams. At the sound of another horn, the game began in earnest. It was total mayhem, as far as Craig could tell. The ballistic path of the ka-sach was erratic, changing course slightly at random, making it difficult to guess just where it might end up. The players themselves leapt, teleported short distances, performed wildly acrobatic maneuvers both on the ground and in the air, and flinging the ka-sach with great force at times. Craig saw two players get injured—one was struck by the ka-sach when it took an unexpected dip, striking the player in the ribs; the other player accidentally took a hit from the red force blade of a gath'acha, slamming her into the ground. Healers immediately teleported from the sidelines to the injured players, and whisked them off the field to treat their injuries. Replacements took the place of the injured players as soon as they were taken away. The game did not stop for the first player, though there was a short pause for the second player as officials reviewed the hit to see if it was accidental or intentional. Having been ruled accidental, the play quickly resumed. In the last few minutes of the first period, loud cheering erupted among a third of the spectators as they jumped to their feet, Ilen-Saa'an was one.

“Usan-Saj'an has the ka-sach!!!" Ilen-Saa'an shouted with excitement.

Her favorite player was near the goal—the defenders were determined to prevent Usan-Saj'an from getting close enough to score. Craig had never imagined that anyone could move, jump, feint, dodge, and teleport as quickly as Usan-Saj'an—she seemed to be almost everywhere and nowhere at once. With only seconds left, Usan-Saj'an swung her gath'acha—the stick was a blur of speed as she switched ends and struck the ka-sach hard with the red force blade. A defender dove at the ka-sach, but its erratic nature caused it to take a slightly different route at the last possible instant.

Pandemonium erupted in the stadium. A wide beam of blue light blazed upwards from around the goal and horns sounded shrilly. Ilen-Saa'an went wild, howling with excitement, before taking up the chant.

“Usan…Usan…Usan…"

Usan-Saj'an looked up to the spectators, took a deep bow, and then held her gath'acha triumphantly above her head, causing more cheering to erupt.

During the short break between the first and second period, Ilen-Saa'an hailed a vendor and purchased some food and drink for three—Bren-Khy'an abstained, saying that she would wait until after the game, though she did make sure that it was safe for Craig to ingest.

“What do you call that?" Craig asked, looking at the kabob-like food.

“It is smoked na-nafti meat and ajanna fruit," Ilen-Saa'an replied, handing a skewer to him.

Craig cautiously took a bite—the meat was tender and lightly seasoned, and the chunks of fruit provided a nice, slightly tart, sweet flavor that seemed to compliment the smoked meat.

“*Munch* Hey, this is pretty good, Saa'an! It kind of reminds me of something back home we call a 'shish-kabob'," Craig said, savoring the flavor of the alien meat and fruit.

“What kind of an animal is a…how did you say…?"

“Shish-kabob. It's just chunks of whatever kind of meat you want on a skewer with pieces of vegetables or fruit—kind of like this, and then it's cooked over hot coals," Craig replied.

“Ah, so we have something you are familiar with, yes?"

“Seems so," Craig agreed.

Ilen-Saa'an smiled a little, took another bite of her food, and glanced over to Craig as he slid a piece of ajanna fruit off his skewer. She watched as he looked at it closely for a few seconds, and then bit off part of it. The size of the chunk was a little large for Craig to put whole into his mouth, she noticed.

“Perhaps he should have portions sized for younglings," Ilen-Saa'an mused to herself.

The second period of the championship match started briskly, with Team Perzai dominating the field. Team Kasnui[[2]](#_ftn2), which was the defender in the first period, made a few steals, though they were unable to maintain possession of the ka-sach long enough to score. Team Perzai scored twice more, with Usan-Saj'an making both, bringing the total score to 0-0-3. The final period started off slow, the two attacking teams testing each other cautiously, until they made their way close to the goal. Tsel-Ami'an explained to Craig that the players on the attacking teams were trying to conserve their energy for a final push at the end of the period. Team Kasnui made an inspired play that—after two blocked attempts—finally resulted in a score. Now at 1-0-3, with Team Thanta[[3]](#_ftn3) in possession and play was in the second half of the third period, the pace quickened dramatically. Ilen-Saa'an was on the edge of her seat, tail twitching while she watched intently. The two attacking teams battled furiously—a player on Team Thanta was struck hard with a gath'acha, resulting in a pause in the game so that the healers could remove her from the field and attend to her injury. The game officials ruled that the strike was intentional, and imposed a penalty. The offending player on Team Kasnui was ejected for the remainder of the game, with no replacement, leaving her team one player short. When the game resumed, Team Thanta was given a starting point that was three marker lines closer to the goal.

The final few minutes of the match was such a flurry of activity that Craig had trouble keeping track of who was doing what. Team Thanta managed to score, bringing the total up to 1-1-3. Hurriedly, the two attacking teams started another run towards the goal—at this point in the game they were battling for second place. Even though Team Kasnui was at a disadvantage, being short one player, they rushed towards the goal with great ferocity. As the two teams approached the goal, Usan-Saj'an showed her fans—and her opponents—that she was just as capable at blocking goal attempts as she was at scoring. She ran at one opponent on Team Thanta, leapt and started a twisting move, then teleported near another opponent on Team Kasnui, simultaneously intercepting the ka-sach and grabbing the player by the ankle with her tail. Usan-Saj'an, while still twisting in the air, yanked her opponent's leg, teleported a short distance, slammed her into another teammate, and then flung the ka-sach down field. The move foiled the setup play for a goal attempt by Team Kasnui, however a member of Team Thanta quickly captured the ka-sach and flung it back towards the goal. A teammate nearly had the ka-sach, but it swerved suddenly allowing a player on Team Kasnui to intercept and make a spinning dive. For a moment, there was complete silence as the ka-sach flew through the air.

The crowd jumped to their feet, howling wildly—Usan-Saj'an made an incredible leap, thrust her gath-acha full length, and tipped the ka-sach. It was just enough. Horns blared as a red light blazed upwards from around the goal—Usan-Saj'an had successfully blocked the score attempt. Every member of Team Kasnui and Team Thanta came to a standstill, switched off their gath'acha sticks, and dropping them to the ground, knelt in a posture of submission. All of the members of Team Perzai held their gath'acha sticks over their heads in triumph—they had won the championship match, 1-1-3. When other stats were factored, such as blocked goals and penalties, Team Thanta was awarded Second Place. The closing ceremony began with the Victor's Award being presented to the leader of Team Perzai by a member of the Royal Court. The award was an elaborate decanter of silver, bronze, and gold, and—as Tsel-Ami'an later explained to Craig—was filled with water from The Well of Essazu, an ancient well located on a plain where battles were fought between warring clans in Pre-Empire times.

Holding the decanter up above her head, the leader of Team Perzai proclaimed, “This night we taste the queth sliat of VICTORY!"

The crowd cheered loudly as the decanter was passed around among the members of Team Perzai, who all took a drink. When the last player had her drink, the team leader continued.

“To our opponents who fought with HONOR, let there now be peace between us, until we meet again on the field of glory!"

The crowd chanted, “PERZAI! PERZAI! PERZAI!"

Craig noticed that one player stood somewhat apart from the others with her head bowed. All of the other players ignored her as they went about placing hands on each other's shoulders.

“Hey, Saa'an, what's with that one gal?" Craig asked, pointing towards the player in question.

“That is the player who committed the penalty—she is being shamed for her deed. Next game cycle she shall have another chance to prove herself worthy."

“That seems kinda harsh," Craig commented.

“It is a strong measure, yes, but it helps to keep the game as just that—a game," Tsel-Ami'an added.

“Oh."

The closing ceremony concluded as it had started, with the traditional show of respect towards the Empress.

After the game, Bren-Khy'an took the four of them for a cruise around the capitol city via the skyway in the rental grav car she had acquired for the outing. From above the city they could see various celebrations being held in honor of the championship ne-char'oo game. Eventually they decided upon dinner.

“I know of a place that is quiet and no questions will be asked," Tsel-Ami'an offered quietly, causing both Ilen-Saa'an and Bren-Khy'an to look at her with raised eyebrows.

“How do you know of such a place, Ami'an?" Ilen-Saa'an asked with a fair amount of skepticism.

Tsel-Ami'an smiled coyly.

“Ami'an, out with it," Ilen-Saa'an sent, getting a little annoyed.

With a quiet laugh, Tsel-Ami'an replied, “You are too predictable, Saa'an. You would have us eat at a Fai'an Su'nesa_—perhaps Craig would like something less rushed_."

“And what is wrong with eating at a Fai'an Su'nesa_? I like their food well enough_," Ilen-Saa'an retorted.

“You like it only because it is quick."

Before Ilen-Saa'an could come back with a sarcastic comment, Bren-Khy'an asked, “Where is this eatery you have in mind?"

“Next to the Alun-Che'ta River, near the starport."

Bren-Khy'an raised an eyebrow—she had some knowledge of the area, which was frequented by starship crews and port workers. It definitely was not a part of the city she felt was appropriate for a diplomat's son.

Seeing the look on Bren-Khy'an's face, Tsel-Ami'an smiled and made a dismissive gesture.

“I know the proprietor quite well, she runs a respectable establishment; there will be no trouble."

Casting a dubious glance, Bren-Khy'an snorted, “We shall see."

From the outside, the eatery looked to Craig like a “hole-in-the-wall" sort of place; once inside, however, Craig found that it was mostly underground. The upper part was indeed narrow in width, with a staircase in the center going down. Tsel-Ami'an pointed out that the walls of the small upper floor had images of ships and their crews, exploration teams on far off worlds, and no few alien vessels. One particular image caught Craig's eye.

“Hey, I've seen this one before!" he said excitedly, pointing at the image.

They walked over to the wall on the right, and in a prominent location, hung a holo-image of three unmistakable dagger-like black ships on the ground around a Mûr Tua'ansa Chel-Sar class ship. The crews, all in full dress uniforms, stood in formation. Underneath the holo-image was a plaque with a description, along with the names of each ship and her crew, and their signatures.

“That's the Dark Fire, the ship that escorted us here," Craig said, pointing at it.

Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an looked intently at the ships, and especially at their crews.

“These ships," Tsel-Ami'an said, indicating the three long-range scout ships, “they are from your world, yes?"

“Yeah."

“And those that fly them, they are also of your world, yes?"

“Most of them. This one, this one, and…this one, they're Élendorians, and that one is a Cana'aran. The real short one is a Thabbani. All of the rest are Terrans."

“So many different kinds of people on your world…," Tsel-Ami'an said in quiet wonder as she studied the image, “…and yet you have peace among all?"

“Yeah," Craig replied.

“That is a wonder," Tsel-Ami'an sent, thoughtfully placing a fingertip to her lips.

After a few seconds, Bren-Khy'an mentioned, “Craig, when we were on Nus-Sava'en_, you mentioned a name…_"

“Oh, yeah, Fey…she's…there," Craig said, pointing at the image, “well, at least her android avatar, anyway."

“Her…_what?_" Bren-Khy'an asked.

“Android avatar. Fey is the ship's A.I. of Dark Fire."

“What is that?" Tsel-Ami'an asked out of curiosity.

“An A.I.? That stands for 'Artificial Intelligence'. Fey is a computer-based entity that's fully sentient, just like us. Every A.I. has an android avatar," Craig explained.

“You have machine entities?!" Ilen-Saa'an asked incredulously.

“I suppose you could call them that, yeah."

“I heard talk among some of the security force…I wondered if it was true or not," Bren-Khy'an sent with a measure of concern.

“Yeah, we've had A.I.s of one kind or another for almost five centuries now. Fey's pretty cool—hey, you want to meet her? She's been helping Mr. Anenhura with the translation program, so I can ask her if she would mind some visitors," Craig suggested.

“You speak as if it is a real person," Ilen-Saa'an sent with skepticism.

“She is, Saa'an," Craig said, getting defensive.

“Shall we find a table? Perhaps we can discuss this after we have eaten," Tsel-Ami'an suggested quickly. She knew the historical reasons why many of the people of her world had a strong distrust of artificial life—she also knew that it was a topic Ilen-Saa'an would get argumentative on if given the chance.

Knowing Craig as she did, Bren-Khy'an thought Tsel-Ami'an's suggestion was timely, for Craig did have a stubborn streak that could be annoying, and this, she felt, was neither the time nor place for arguing the pros and cons of artificial life.

“I agree, we should find a table—it is growing late." When he didn't move right away, Bren-Khy'an added, “Na'suan Craig, the tables are this way."

Blinking his eyes, Craig responded with, “Huh? Oh, yeah…sure." Whenever Bren-Khy'an used his honorific, he knew that she meant business.

Once they entered the lower level, Craig immediately saw three things—the dining area covered the width of the upper floor, plus the widths of the two adjacent buildings; some of the other customers were of races he'd never seen before; and the most intimidating Mûr Tua'ansa female he had seen yet…and she was walking straight towards them.

“Ah, Tsel-Ami'an, it figures that you would show up after the big game! We were a packed house—those new table viewers you talked me into were worth the price! No doubt my accountant will be happy for a time."

“We were at the game, Tsal-Asa'an," Tsel-Ami'an said with a smile, as the two women greeted each other.

“At the game?! By the twin moons, child, how did you pull that out of your…?!" Tsal-Asa'an cried in disbelief, but cut off the rest when Tsel-Ami'an gave a slight nod towards Craig.

“Allow me to introduce you to my friends," Tsel-Ami'an spoke at a quieter level, noticeably casting a quick glance around the dining area. “You remember Ilen-Saa'an, of course."

“Ah, yes, you were still a small youngling when I saw you last. My, you certainly have your mother's looks," Tsal-Asa'an said, giving Ilen-Saa'an an appreciative look.

“And this is Craig Nicolini," Tsel-Ami'an said quietly, “of Terra."

Tsal-Asa'an quickly looked Craig up and down, and then eyed Bren-Khy'an standing protectively close to him, hand discretely on her weapon.

“Welcome to 'The Drift'," Tsal-Asa'an said with a grin, holding her hands out, palms up.

When Craig placed his hands, palms down, on hers, it looked like the hands of a child touching an adult's.

“I look forward to sampling your menu—Tsel-Ami'an speaks highly of this establishment," Craig said in passible Tu'an, giving a short bow.

With a surprised look on her face, Tsal-Asa'an asked cheerfully, “An off-worlder with manners and a handsome male at that…where in the galaxy did you find this treasure, Ami'an?"

“It was Saa'an's doing," Tsel-Ami'an said with a soft chuckle.

“And I am sure you had nothing to do with that meeting," Tsal-Asa'an said teasingly, casting a glance at both Ilen-Saa'an and Craig.

Tsel-Ami'an simply smiled coyly.

“Craig, this is Tsal-Asa'an, my mother's cousin—she is the proprietor."

Craig's jaw dropped in disbelief.

After they had been seated and placed their order, Tsel-Ami'an explained a little about her mother's cousin. Tsal-Asa'an had got her start working as a cargo handler at a smaller starport. Eventually she signed onboard a private, intra-system cargo vessel, which in turn lead to a position on a larger interstellar cargo ship. Tsal-Asa'an had a steady job making regular runs between several colony worlds, loading and off-loading heavy cargo. When the Madam Commander of her ship learned that Tsal-Asa'an was actually one of the Khea Mûr Tua'ansa, she arranged for Tsal-Asa'an to attend navigation training. Tsal-Asa'an, when asked about her unusual red hair, would laugh and claim that she dyed it—the truth, however, was that she was born with an odd genetic mutation that not only gave her red hair, but also gave her a larger than normal frame. Tsal-Asa'an, a plain though still handsome female, was not a small person—her sheer size often intimidated those who saw her, and the red hair added to the effect. When Tsal-Asa'an had served thirty sun-cycles (approximately one hundred fifty eight Standard Terran Years), she mustered out of the Freighter Guild and used her bonus to buy the original narrow building. As business became increasingly more profitable, she purchased the two adjacent buildings as well. The eatery expanded into the underground portions of all three buildings, while the single level above ground portions housed—from left to right—the kitchen, the gallery, and her home. Tsal-Asa'an was currently single—her mate was lost in an accident when the ship he was on experienced a misjump near an uncharted neutron star in an area of space known as The E'chensi Drift. Although they were only together for slightly over six sun-cycles, they had a daughter, Tsal-Tam'an, who was currently serving on a T'Mar class research ship. When Tsal-Asa'an opened her business, she chose as its name, “The Rift", in remembrance of not only her own mate, but also all those who had experienced disaster in space. The gallery contained images of ships, crews, exploration teams, station and port hands, and others who had known loss. The one exception was the image of the little Chel-Sar class ship that had been rescued along with her crew and returned home through the courage and determination of strangers from far. “Until the stars give up our own, we must not give up hope," the inscription under the image read in part.

Despite the size of the dining area, it was still cozy—at least by Mûr Tua'ansa standards, and the food was good as far as Craig was concerned, though he got a bit queasy when he watched Bren-Khy'an down with gusto something called naref blood soup. “A dish fit for warriors," she said with a wide grin. “You should try some; it will put hair on your arms." Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an laughed at the gibe as much as the expression on Craig's face.

Tsal-Asa-an came by several times, checking to see if they needed anything else, or else to catch up with her younger relative. Every time Tsal-Asa'an would glance at Craig, smile at him, or talk to him, Ilen-Saa'an would unconsciously tense up. Tsel-Ami'an, long accustomed to her best friend's moods, took interest.

“Is Saa'an becoming…possessive? She has shown an interest in arguing with him, a clear sign that she feels comfortable enough with him, and now it is as if she is feeling threatened when my Honored mother's cousin gives attention to Craig. I know Asa'an well enough—she is curious, and may even find his company enjoyable, though I know she still misses her mate. It is a shame that with all of our skills and knowledge, no trace was ever found of the V'Renas_, only residual energy signatures that indicated a massive discharge of a like not thought possible by any means we possess. Ah, but that is a mystery the All Mother will determine if we are to untangle or not. Saa'an, my friend, I know Craig is attracted to you…well, he has an attraction to us three, that is plain enough, though to you in particular it is strongest, I think_."

“Ami'an? Are you ready? We are leaving for home soon."

“Oh?" Tsel-Ami'an blinked and focused on Ilen-Saa'an's face.

Frowning a bit, Ilen-Saa'an asked, “Are you back with us?"

“Of course, where else would I be?" Tsel-Ami'an asked with a little smile.

“Touring the hills of Thav-Savenna, no doubt," Ilen-Saa'an sent with playful sarcasm.

Tsel-Ami'an chuckled lightly and sent, “Not this night. Now that you have mentioned it, perhaps you might like to take Craig there."

Ilen-Saa'an looked blankly at her friend for a second, then her face began to brighten, but then she frowned.

“Ami'an, how much jhi'ani fruit have you had?"

“No more than Bren-Khy'an has had."

“She has had none."

Tsel-Ami'an smiled slightly.

“Now you are being annoying…"

“And you actually considered my suggestion…"

“You are unhinged, Ami'an! I could not possibly take…"

“But you would."

“I…I…ah, enough! I must get my rest—I have to work next sunset!"

They paid for their meal, and before they left, Tsal-Asa'an made it a point to see them off.

“Had enough for one night, yes?" she asked jovially, twining the end of her tail with Tsel-Ami'an's.

“For this night, yes," Tsel-Ami'an agreed.

“Be well, then, child, and give my regards to your mother."

“And you as well."

Tsal-Asa'an gave a nod to Tsel-Ami'an, and thanked Ilen-Saa'an just as warmly. When it was Craig's turn, he had to strain to look up. With a laugh, Tsal-Asa'an lifted Craig to eye level using her telekinetic ability, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“My cousin's daughter is a good judge of character, and she chooses her friends well. A friend of House Tsel is a friend of House Tsal, I say. Be well, Khrayg Ny'cholinee of Terra, until next we meet."

Craig placed his hands on Tsal-Asa'an's wide shoulders and said, “I thank you for the hospitality, and the food was most excellent. I will try to be a good friend to Ami'an."

Tsal-Asa'an grinned broadly, and the next thing Craig knew, something slithered up his back and over his shoulder, brushing his neck. He didn't see the shocked look on the faces of Tsel-Ami'an and especially Ilen-Saa'an.

“Ah, if I were younger…," Tsal-Asa'an said with a laugh, setting Craig back down on his feet. To Tsel-Ami'an, Ilen-Saa'an, and Bren-Khy'an she said, “This one is a treasure, keep him well."

On the way taking Ile-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an home, the four said very little. Once they arrived, Craig turned in his seat and said, “I had a good time tonight."

“As did I," Tsel-Ami'an agreed. “What of you, Saa'an?"

“I must admit, it was far more enjoyable than our first encounter," Ilen-Saa'an said with a shy smile.

“What of you, Bren-Khy'an?" Tsel-Ami'an asked quietly.

Taking a moment to reflect on the night's activities, she replied, “It went well."

Ilen-Saa'an tensed momentarily, and looked down at the floor of the vehicle. She remembered what Bren-Khy'an had told her during their meeting at the public vehicle pad near her place of employment. When Craig spoke, she was slightly startled.

“We outta do this again, you know, go out or something…if it's okay."

“That…would be…acceptable," Ilen-Saa'an said, casting an apprehensive glance towards Bren-Khy'an, who sat expressionless in the driver's seat.

“An excellent idea. Well, we should let Craig get his rest, Saa'an—you need yours as well." Lightly touching Craig's face, Tsel-Ami'an said, “Be well, Craig, we will meet again soon."

Tsel-Ami'an got out of the vehicle and waited for Ilen-Saa'an. As she started to get out, Ilen-Saa'an paused, and put a hand on Craig's shoulder—she also did one other thing that caught Craig off guard.

“Be well, Craig. I…enjoyed our time tonight."

As she got out, Ilen-Saa'an gently wrapped the end of her tail around Craig's wrist for a moment before letting go.

Bren-Khy'an returned the rental grav car and then teleported the two of them back to the embassy's grounds. Bren-Khy'an and Craig walked a short distance in silence.

“It seems you have made quite an impression this night," Bren-Khy'an stated with a little humor. “You have improved since your arrival."

Craig thought on her comment as they walked along.

“I guess so," he said quietly. Before they entered the residence part of the embassy, Craig asked, “Khy'an…what was that thing Tsal-Asa'an and Saa'an did with their tails? It seemed kinda weird."

Bren-Khy'an glanced down at Craig and after a moment said, “That was different forms of hri'fal, it is a sign of affection. In the case of Tsal-Asa'an, she may have been toying with you for the shu'suan's benefit."

“Huh?"

“Did you not notice how the shu'suan reacted to the attention Tsal-Asa'an showed you?"

“Um…no, I guess I didn't see her do anything different that I could tell."

“Perhaps it was too subtle for you…or too different from how your own kind may do the same."

“Do what?"

“The shu'suan did not care for her attention towards you."

Craig stopped short.

“Huh?! You mean Saa'an…was jealous?!"

Bren-Khy'an smiled softly and said, “Perhaps."

Craig didn't quite know what to think about that. A few seconds passed before Craig spoke again.

“So…what about Ami'an? She's touched my face a couple of times, what does that mean?"

“She is Khea, their ways are different—I cannot be sure."

Later, after Taen-Gar'ta had drawn the heavy curtains against the early morning sun, and had made sure all was ready for bedtime, Craig dismissed him and sat down with a cup of tea to unwind a little before bed. He had just gotten comfortable on the couch when there was a soft chime at the door.

“Enter," Craig called out, thinking that perhaps Taen-Gar'ta had thought of one more thing that needed his attention. When instead Bren-Khy'an walked in, Craig started to get up, but she motioned for him to stay seated.

“Am I disturbing you, Craig?"

“Uh, no, not at all, Khy'an. Um, you want some?" Craig asked, indicating the pot of tea. “It's…sunafa, I think that's what Taen-Gar'ta called it. Tastes good, anyway."

Bren-Khy'an nodded her head once, and sat while Craig poured her a cup. Taen-Gar'ta always left an extra cup on the tray.

Craig had noticed that Bren-Khy'an was not in her working uniform like she usually was whenever she came into his quarters. This time she wore a dark blue short tank top and form fitting shorts that came to just above her knees. He tried not to stare—keeping his thoughts “guarded", however, was a challenge, especially since she sat close to him.

“Trying something different this time?" Bren-Khy'an asked when Craig handed her the cup.

“Yeah, dad says you won't know what you like or don't like if you don't try things."

Bren-Khy'an took a cautious sip of the hot tea and closed her eyes a few seconds, savoring the flavor.

“Worthy advice."

They sat together in silence while they drank their tea.

“Want some more?"

Bren-Khy'an looked thoughtfully at her empty cup and then handed it to Craig.

“That would be acceptable."

She nodded her head once when Craig handed the refilled cup to her. Taking a sip, Bren-Khy'an turned partially towards Craig and sat in a relaxed manner.

“Your world must be very different than ours. The Khea are not much different physically from the rest of us, but…you have so many different kinds of people who are of your world."

“Yeah, we do now," Craig said taking another sip of his tea. When Bren-Khy'an gave him a puzzled look, he added, “Humans—people like me—used to be the only ones, but a little over five hundred of our years ago, the G.E.L.F.s were created, and we weren't alone anymore."

“What are…"

“G.E.L.F.s? Oh, that stands for Genetically Engineered Life Form. They were made from a lot of different animals found on our world—we have the whole story about them, if you want to read up on it sometime. Anyway, we all get along okay—heck, there are all sorts of mixed families. I think somewhere in our family's past, somebody married a G.E.L.F."

“You mean there are pairings between those like you and the others?"

“Oh, yeah, it's fairly common; nobody thinks much about it anymore. At first there were some humans who got upset over it, but that's past history stuff. Some folks even marry aliens from other worlds, and that's no big deal, either."

Bren-Khy'an thought about that for a while.

“If I may ask, how do you stand on such pairings?"

“I don't see anything wrong with it, why?"

“Interesting. Perhaps that does begin to explain certain things."

“You mean about me?"

Bren-Khy'an looked Craig in the eye and softly replied, “Yes."

Craig smiled wistfully and asked, “I guess I'm not like anyone you ever met before, huh?"

Bren-Khy'an looked at her cup, downed the last of her tea, and looked at the now empty cup.

“No, you are not."

After a moment, Craig asked, “Khy'an?"

“Yes?"

“You know, you've told me several times that I don't know Mûr Tua'ansa females. Well, you don't know Terran males, either."

Bren-Khy'an looked back at Craig. Again, the words of Lady Nemi-Mer'ana came back to her—“You will learn about these Terrans…"

“I…suppose that I…do not."

Bren-Khy'an felt conflicted, and that annoyed her. The shameful public advances Tsal-Asa'an made towards Craig in the Mûr Tua'ansa versus the Khea Mûr Tua'ansa style, would have been considered sexual harassment as Terrans would have understood it, annoyed her, too, now that she thought about it. Bren-Khy'an found herself suddenly recalling the time they were on Nus-Sava'en, when Craig made the comment, “is there ever", referring to his unguarded thoughts at the time concerning her. Despite everything so far, he still had unguarded thoughts about her, and even though they were annoying, she was beginning to consider those thoughts of his. Bren-Khy'an had tried to discourage Craig from thinking about her as he was wont to, but altering his thoughts—while quite possible to do—was unethical. Putting him to sleep that one time ended up making Craig unexpectedly upset with her for a few nights, and the fact that it bothered her was annoying.

“Why does it matter to me? I should not have such feelings concerning him—or others for that matter. Is it just something about him, or…is my conditioning weakening? That should not be possible! Yet, despite what he knows of me and what I am, he still has deep feelings for me that I do not understand. He should not…"

“Khy'an?"

Bren-Khy'an looked at Craig—she saw concern in his eyes, and then she noticed that his hand was on hers.

“Yes?"

“Are you okay?"

“Yes."

“I…I was wondering, you seemed kind of lost there for a bit."

She glanced briefly at his hand on hers.

“It was…"

“A long night. I suppose we oughtta go to bed—the sun is up already."

Bren-Khy'an smiled slightly.

“You are right," she agreed, handing her cup to Craig.

After Craig put their cups on the tray, they both stood and started walking slowly towards the door. Craig stopped a short distance later, and lightly touched Bren-Khy'an's arm, causing her to hold up.

“You got those tickets to the game, didn't you?"

The question caught Bren-Khy'an by surprise.

“Saa'an wouldn't have been able to get those seats—I checked. Those were reserved for V.I.P.s; I saw people from the other embassies there. There's no way anybody from a Third Circle House could have gotten those."

Bren-Khy'an sighed quietly, and nodded her head once.

“Thought so," he said softly. Craig hugged Bren-Khy'an, and sent privately, “Thank you." He held her until she relented and hugged him back.

They took a few more steps towards the door, but then it was Craig's turn to be surprised. He looked down to see Bren-Khy'an's black, snake-like tail coiled gently around his wrist.

---

[[1]](#_ftnref1) Perzai – a large bird on Mûr Zhæn with a 2-meter wingspan.

[[2]](#_ftnref2) Kasnui – an aquatic mammal that inhabits some rivers on Mûr Zhæn, known for its strong territorial behavior.

[[3]](#_ftnref3) Thanta – a large fierce somewhat feline-like predator that inhabits mountainous regions on Mûr Zhæn.

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(On to Chapter 7: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1071019)