Chapter Thirteen

Lanimer

A few weeks after we had started working together at the clinic, Evalee’s family invited us to share a family meal with them at their home. They lived in a rural village adjacent to a large farm on the outskirts of Val’kara. Compact white domed houses scattered in an irregular pattern made up the village of Evelee’s clan. Her father, Sar’Lek, was the clan’s chief. I had met him briefly when he and his wife, Lila, stopped by the clinic, but this was my first time visiting their village.

The room was simply furnished with thick floor cushions in place of sofas and chairs. The dining room had a long, low table that would seat about eight people with floor cushions surrounding it for sitting. Evalee had instructed me ahead of time that I must remove my shoes and leave them on a covered shelf outside the front door. It is understandable because the desert sand was easy to track in and out of dwellings.

Sar’Lek met us at the door, and we bowed to each other as was their tradition. Evalee stepped up to her father, who took her hands, touched each of his cheeks to hers, and then released her. Immediately afterward, he guided us to the dining room and invited us to sit on the right side of the table. Sar’Lek and Lila positioned themselves across from us. The table was laden with an interesting variety of unfamiliar foods, but they smelled wonderful.

Sar’Lek said an ancient Trakellisan prayer of thanks, then started filling his plate and passing dishes among us. “I am glad that Evalee no longer lives in her flat in Val’kara now that the Xenos Free coalition is stepping up increasingly aggressive protests. I heard the last one turned into a small riot before the enforcers came and broke it up.”

“We heard about it,” said Evalee. “Fortunately, they had just finished dispersing by the time we were leaving the clinic for home.”

“I just don’t understand why the Zevians have so much animosity for your people,” I told him. “It doesn’t seem as though your culture should clash with theirs. Even though your lifestyle is a little different, I’ve not heard anyone asking them to practice it.”

“Much of the controversy centers around the language barrier and mining rights. Both Trakellisan and Zevian geologists staked a claim for their companies on the same deposit of Verlian crystals. They took it to court, which ruled that they should split it. Our people agreed, but the Zevian company wanted it all. It came to violence, and there have been bad feelings ever since. The fighting killed people on both sides.”

“One of them was Toran’s brother,” I said before I caught myself.

Sar’Lek grinned. “You really are a mind reader.”

“Guilty,” I sighed. “My apologies. I am usually more disciplined, but these demonstrations are so filled with hateful rhetoric. I’m afraid it won’t be long before more violence breaks out. I sensed how full of hate Toran was. He’s blaming all your people for what happened when it was the humans who started the feud.”

“He’s going to get some more people killed if he keeps stirring up hatred between our peoples,” Evalee added.

“After the violence, neither company was allowed to mine that site. It was no great loss because our company found another deposit just as large ten miles east. The only reason they wouldn’t agree to splitting the mine was because we are Trakellisans.”

“I think that’s a fair assessment,” I said and took another bite of a tasty vegetable casserole.

“They are protesting a matter that was settled before they were born. The Federation brokered a treaty between the Trakellisans and Zevus Mar. The Tregan invasion killed at least thirty percent of our people,” said Lila. “We Zevians were proud that we could offer them a place to settle after the Tregans destroyed their planet and killed half their people.”

“I’m sure my family would have accepted them as they were accepted when they came to settle here,” I said. “Have the Elders spoken with the magistrate about Toran’s attempt to incite violence against your people?”

“They don’t seem to take his threats seriously. He has the right of free speech as we all do,” Sar’Lek lamented.

“I think we all know what he is doing comes from his desire to avenge the death of his brother and his hatred of your people.” I had felt it during his tirade against Evalee and me. He wanted to do vile things to Evalee and hurt us both. I am not normally a violent man, but when I read his thoughts, I wanted to become one. The idea of anyone ever hurting her shook me to the core.

“That is exactly why the Elders have asked for a separate Trakellisan state. They should not harass us in our communities. We just want to make a living and feed our families. We want peace.”

“There is no reason you should not have peace. Toran is not demonstrating for a just cause. He’s calling for the elimination of Trakellisans from the planet and advocating violence against them to do it,” I agreed.

“Our people are afraid to go out on the streets in Val’kara,” said Evalee. “They tell me this all the time at the clinic.”

“People from our village avoid going to Val’kara for the same reason,” said Lila.

“And if we go together, their roving gangs of demonstrators will single us out and harass us. The times we have tried were quite frightening because they always seemed on the verge of violence toward us.” Sar’Lek shook his head. “I am not a coward, but I am not a fool either to try to go against 10 to 20 irate males.”

“This is not a pleasant dinner conversation topic,” said Lila. “I want to know about you and Evalee now that you have met in person. What are your plans?”

I glanced at Evalee and smiled. I planned to keep her in my life forever, but of course, that was up to her.

“We are still bonding, Mother. But we have discussed the possibility of making our relationship permanent.” Evalee frowned.

I sensed her remembering Toran’s cruel taunts at his demonstration. That was one of the few times I can remember wanting to commit violence against another man. How could he not understand that a man could love a beautiful female like Evalee? She was as lovely on the inside as she was pleasing to the eye.

“If you are so happy together, then why the frown, my daughter?”

“It’s those Xeno bigots. They were shaming Evalee for being a half-breed and being mated to me.” I knew that Evalee did not want to say the words to hurt her mother and father’s feelings.

“Of course, they are genetic purists,” Lila sighed. “Sar’Lek and I faced opposition from Zevians as it became clear we were falling in love. But the Elders accepted our union, and the Clan accepted us. I regret that you have suffered because you are a hybrid.”

“It doesn’t matter what I am. I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. I am a sentient being. My genetics should not matter. I have done nothing to them that they should despise my very existence. Who I love does not affect them, and they have no right to judge me.”

“But it still hurts,” said Sar’Lek gently. “They are not exercising freedom. They are using it to hurt others. I will ask your uncle to speak to the council. We have tolerated this injustice long enough.”

“My uncle Delmran still has contacts at the Federation Security Agency. I’m going to call him and see if he can get a handle on what is going on here,” I said. “This is not the Zevus Mar my father knew. When he came here, it was a growing colony that welcomed all races without prejudice. I am more worried about the escalation of violence in the mines. We recently had patients from a mine collapse, and the foreman said it was sabotaged.”

“The magistrate declined to act on it because he said we had no evidence. We have evidence now but were reluctant to present it to him,” said Evalee. “He doesn’t seem trustworthy, and I got the feeling he did not like us.”

“And I got the same feeling,” I added.

The conversation dropped off, and we went back to eating the wonderful meal that Lila had prepared for us. Over dessert, Lila brought up the subject of their Summer Solstice Festival. The Clan was planning a family gathering, and Lila wanted us to be there so that Evalee’s brothers and sister could meet me. Evalee had two brothers and one sister older than her, all with families of their own.

Of course, we accepted and planned to make arrangements for that day off. I sincerely wanted to know Evalee’s family and be on good terms with them. I remembered Hankura, my guardian, telling the story of his mother’s resentment of his psi mate Chelle, which had dire consequences.

How could we expect to make peace within our communities if we could not live in peace with their family?