Page 40 of Shadows Approach
The ad hoc government was there in full force. Stacy and the rest came forward to shake the arrivals’ hands and personally bestow welcome gifts of flowers and gourmet treat baskets. The colonists were agog at the surprise reception. Some cried, and Stacy and other officials wept alongside them.
If the arrivals were taken aback to see a contingent of aliens present to applaud them as well, they gave no sign. They smiled and waved at Dramok Mereta’s contingent from the Galactic Council, the Imperial Clan of Kalquor and a few members of its Royal Council, Admirals Hobato and Tranis, the investors who were mostly Kalquorians, and the many races of the terraforming crew that had brought the world to life.
Stacy gave a welcome speech and delivered on her promise to keep it brief. Mereta’s remarks were also succinct. The arriving residents were invited to remain as long as they wished to enjoy food, drink, and a vid-tour presentation of the city. Popular musician Matt Larsen was there to perform, backed by his blended Earther-Kalquorian band. Teens begged their families to stay for the music, and most did. A small number opted to hurry to their new homes, and shuttles obligingly whisked them off to begin their lives on Earth II.
When Stacy was given a moment to catch her breath, she grinned at Kuran, who was spearheading security with a predominantly human crew. He dipped a nod while speaking into his com, which he’d been doing almost nonstop since before the transport had landed. She turned to Ken Bryant, who was wishing a family his best as they headed for the shuttles waiting to take people home.
“It’s going well,” she said over the gorgeous soaring music and crowd noise.
He nodded, his expression pleased. “I wasn’t sure of the wisdom of the aliens being part of our welcome, but I have to concede you were right. A few of our new arrivals told me they appreciated personal support from members of the Galactic Council and Kalquor.”
She did her best to cover her shock at his compliment. She certainly wasn’t telling Ken she and her assistant had carefully vetted the homecoming list. They’d stuck to those who’d indicated they weren’t averse to other species visiting Earth, especially Kalquorians. “I’m delighted to hear it. It’s vital we build a community on and off our world.”
“We’ll look good to the press.” He nodded to a family chatting up a young lady Stacy had initially taken to be someone’s daughter despite her tailored suit. The vid drone hovering close to the group revealed she was indeed a reporter.
“Heavens. Is she barely out of her teens, or am I getting old?”
Ken chuckled. “Blythe Nelson is close to thirty, I believe. We’ll have to demand she tell us the location of the fountain of youth she fell in.”
“I’d like to spend an hour swimming there myself.”
“She’s working for the local affiliate of our first, and thus far, only newscasting company. We’ll see a lot of her around, so best behavior, Governor. She’s ambitious as hell.”
They broke off the conversation as a family of six approached. “Welcome home,” Stacy greeted them. “We’re so delighted you’re here.”
“It isn’t a big deal, Ulof,” Dramok Nako insisted, his naturally savage face struggling to show compassion. “Terig and I are perfectly content to perform patrols near your next worksite.”
“Contentisn’t happy.” The Imdiko-Nobek glowered. Fortunately, his back was to the Earthers, so they couldn’t observe how he looked ready to erupt.
Nako decided it was probably best to pull his clanmate away from the reception anyway. Half Nobek himself, he knew how easy it was to allow primitive urges take control, and Ulof wasn’t the best at reining himself in.
“Come with me,” he ordered. Ulof and their Nobek Terig followed. Piper was near, talking animatedly to a couple of women as they watched the musicians. He waved for her to stay and enjoy the show, pretending he wasn’t jealous of her crush on the cute blond music star Matt Larsen. She glanced at Ulof and nodded.
The three men of Clan Nako walked along the docks, away from the celebration they’d been invited to thanks to Ulof’s terraforming work. Nako and Terig flanked their tempestuous Imdiko.
Ulof hadn’t given vent to violent reactions to stress in several years. He’d done well since finishing a prison sentence over a decade before, especially after Piper had become their clanmate. Nako and Terig still maintained caution during the tenser moments in their Imdiko’s life, intent on keeping his current record clean of trouble.
“Times of transition are worrying,” Terig observed. His scarred but handsome bearded face was grave in consideration for his volatile clanmate. “I’m not surprised you’re feeling it.”
“This clan is wrapping its future around me. What about what you two want? Getting the fleet to accommodate your deployments to coincide with my work means less chance of advancement for you.”
“We’ve reached the pinnacle of what we want. I’m thrilled to captain a marauder. Terig’s as glad to be its weapons commander.”
“I sure as hell don’t want to be a captain myself,” Terig observed. “All the paperwork and administrative bullshit? Fuck, no.”
“Same for me as far as being an admiral stuck in an office.” Nako bared his teeth at the thought. “Give me a ship and an enemy to fight any day.”
“What enemy? You won’t find any where we’re going. You’re also forgetting Piper. She just wanders around with us, no future in sight.” Ulof’s guilt refused to call it quits.
“Domestic chores and a clan to dote on make her happy. She has the Imdiko mindset you’re missing much of. I’m not insulting you, by the way.” Nako mentally rolled his eyes. The classification tests, which determined a Kalquorian man’s breed, had gotten it so wrong when it came to Ulof. Or maybe he would have possessed greater characteristics of an Imdiko if his asshole parent clan hadn’t turned a blind eye to his particular set of issues. “She loves giving us a nice home and fussing over us.”
“Haven’t you heard her talk of building a new ‘nest’ for us in the next place?” Terig chuckled. “She’s tired of redoing our current quarters on the station. I swear she lives to start from scratch. She packed to leave two weeks ago.”
“It’s still unfair my dream rules our lives. We know I’ll never be a full-fledged terraform scientist. I’ve probably reached the limits of my abilities.”
“You know better.”Next time I see his parents, I’ll pound at least one into jelly. It wasn’t the first occasion Nako had felt the pull of his own ferocious nature. His feeling he was ill-suited to help Ulof cope brought his temper to the fore. “Who gives a fuck if it takes longer for a skill to click for you?”
“I can’t—”