Vektal nods. “No sa-khui wishes to leave their home, and the humans are happy here.”
Chatav turns to Georgie, as if in disbelief. “Even the humans do not wish to leave? But you have not been hereexcept for a handful of years. Surely you wish to return home?”
She shifts and moves closer to her mate, her younger child in her arms. The other clings to Vektal’s leg, staring up at Chatav with big, worried eyes. As if she can sense her child’s distress, Georgie puts a hand on her daughter’s curls to comfort her. “There are things that I miss about Earth, I’m not going to lie. I think we can all agree that life isn’t the same here that it was there. But I have a mate and children. I will not leave them behind. Humans are not accepted on your planets, save as oddities. And it would be the same at my home world. To them, aliens don’t exist yet, and if I showed up with a blue husband and blue children, I’d be hidden away by the government so fast our heads would spin. We would be freaks. Here, we’re normal.” She looks at Vektal, and her gaze is full of love. “And we have resonance that bonds us together. I love what we have, and I wouldn’t threaten it for anything. Earth might have been my home once, but this world is my home now.”
“You are thinking too negatively,” Chatav says in a placating tone. “If you do not wish to return to Earth, I am positive you would be welcomed on Homeworld and made comfortable there, both you and your family. It will not matter if you are human.”
“But why change a good thing?” someone says, speaking up. It is Lila, the dark-haired one that had her hearing restored. Her mate has his hands on her shoulders, and she holds her son tightly. “I thank you for what you did for me and for saving Harlow. But I want nothing to change. I don’t want to leave the people here, and I don’t want to leave this place. It might not look much like Earth, but I like the snow. I like the culture. Most of all, I love the people. Nothing offered on either Earth or your homeworld is worth leaving that for.I’m sorry. You’re not going to find many takers.”
“And you all agree?” Chatav glances at the crowd of gathered people. “Every one of you?”
Farli pulls herself from her mother’s arms. She gives Kemli a sad look, but her mother just nods and squeezes her shoulder, as if telling her she understands. “I am going with you, Cap-tan,” Farli says. “I wish to stay with Mardok.”
Someone gasps. Her brothers look incredulous. “You are leaving, my daughter?” Borran says. He looks devastated.
The sick feeling of wrongness in my gut continues.
She turns to her father and clasps his hands. “Mardok is my mate, father. I resonated to him the moment we met.”
“But if you leave, you will not have resonance to bind you together.”
“I know. But it does not matter. We love each other and wish to be together, regardless.”
“You must do what you feel in your heart is right, my daughter.” Kemli puts her hand on Farli’s arm. “We will miss you terribly, but you must walk your own path.” Her smile wobbles. “Even if it is not with us.”
“Oh, Mother, I will miss you!” Farli flings herself back into her mother’s arms, sobbing. Her father and mother embrace her tightly, stroking her hair and whispering to her. Farli’s three brothers look shocked, but they move to hug their sister as well. Soon, she is enveloped by the entire tribe, as each person wishes her goodbye.
She has made her choice,I remind myself.It shouldn’t feel wrong. Farli is an adult. You both want to be together.But I can’t get over the feeling that this isn’t how it should go. I watch as she moves to her pet and hugs him one last time. She strokes his shaggy fur and murmurs to him, and the dvisti licks her face and bleats happily. She eventually moves away, heading back to my side, and he tries to follow. Kemligrabs the dvisti by the collar and pulls him back, and it looks as if Farli will start crying all over again.
I turn to Chatav. “Captain—”
“Before you ask, Vendasi,” Chatav says in a cool voice. “That animal will never make it past quarantine. Better for it to remain here.”
He’s right, of course. Doesn’t mean that it’s not tearing my heart out to watch Farli have to give up everything and everyone she loves. Except me, of course.
The wrong feeling seems to be permanently lodged in my gut. I pull Farli into my arms and hold her close, pressing a kiss to her brow. She buries her face against my neck, and I can feel her tears freezing against the collar of my enviro-suit. I wish I could make this easier for her.
I wish she didn’t have to do it at all. There’s still time, though. I could change my mind. Stay behind with her. Let the ship leave me. Stranded. Again. The thought fills me with endless, deep terror, and I hold Farli tight.
“If you wish to remain, then I must honor your choice,” Chatav says. “I do not understand it, but I honor it.”
“Thank you,” Vektal says, and clasps Chatav’s hand. “You are welcome back to visit at any time, of course. My people will welcome you with open arms.” His words are directed at Chatav, but I suspect they are for Farli.
“I do not think this is likely, Chief Vektal,” Chatav says with a polite smile. “Your planet is out of the way of most shipping lanes. But I thank you for the offer. If there is nothing further, then we must be on our way.”
There’s nothing more to do or say. Farli gives her family another quick, tearful goodbye, and Chompy bleats miserably as we head back to theLady. We are all silent as we ride up the pulley-platform, the only sound that of Farli’s quiet crying. Niri makes an impatient sound, and I shoot heran incredulous look. Is she truly so heartless? Farli is losing everything. But the medic only rolls her eyes at me and crosses her arms over her chest.
And these are the people I am bringing Farli to live with. Gods help us both. They are cold and unfeeling down to a man, and Farli’s warmth will be lost on them. Am I dooming her to unhappiness?
She takes my hand as we move toward theLady, and her fingers are cold against mine. Her hand is trembling, and it is the first time I have ever felt Farli be afraid. I hate this. I hate everything about it. It feels wrong. Just flat-out wrong.
Farli and I are the last ones in the ship. She watches as the door closes slowly, her last glimpse of her icy home falling away to metal. Then the doors are closed and there’s nothing more to see. Farli turns to me, and she tries to smile brightly, but I can tell she’s hurting. I cup her face and kiss it gently. “I love you.”
“Enough of that,” Niri says, heading toward med bay. “I’ll warm up the machines. Send her my way and I’ll get that parasite out of her in no time.”
Farli flinches. I do, too. A parasite. That’s all it is to everyone else. To them, the khui isn’t a helpful thing or something that chooses a mate. There’s no reason to think there’s a connection between two people other than biological. And yet…everyone in the village is happy with their khui-chosen mate. And Farli’s khui has chosen me, and I’ve fallen in love with her in an incredibly short amount of time. It’s like the thing wants what is truly best for her.
And she’s giving everything up to be with me.
