Farewells
The barracks-styleapartments were tiny; doors to individual units were only eight or ten feet apart at most. However, the place was clean and quiet. Liam had lived in much worse accommodations, but he’d been spoiled by the sense of space and privacy on the Rownt ship. Here, the weight of dozens of eyes annoyed him. However, today was Framkie’s day off, and Liam was determined to see him before theCaltileft Earth.
He had asked for time to visit two people, and the government car waited on the street for Liam. The Grandmothers had asked Ondry to stay in the ship. Now that the tuk-ranked traders understood the parental grief behind the protestors’ anger, even Ondry hesitated to leave the ship. Liam knew how much Rownt cared for children, but he hadn’t understood that the love of children would translate into sympathy for adults who had lost one. Liam would have sworn Rownt didn’t have sympathy for able-bodied adults, but the grief of losing a child was the one pain they respected.
He knocked at the unit door. The place must have incredible sound insulation because when Framkie opened the door, a blast of heavy Mongolian rock hit him. “Liam! Hey, let me turn this down.” He hit a button and the music vanished. He stepped back to study Liam. “Holy shit, what the fuck happened to you?” Both shock and amusement colored his voice.
“What?” Liam asked with exaggerated innocence, enjoying the shock on Framkie's face. Normally the man was unflappable.
“Don't give me that. What the hell did you do to yourself?” He stepped back.
Liam had to duck to fit through the door, and once inside, he had to stay hunched over to fit under the low ceiling. “I didn't do anything.”
Framkie’s place was small enough that the only window, other than the one in the door, was in the far rear of the unit in the bathroom. Modular cabinets covered one entire wall. By Earth ship standards it was a palace, but Liam had gotten spoiled.
Framkie dropped into a chair. “Knock it off with the sarcasm. Your turtle has turned you into a freak of nature. What the hell were you thinking?”
A tickle of aggravation crept into Liam's soul. “I am not a freak.”
Framkie sighed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “No, you aren't,” he said seriously. “However, you sure as hell look like one. There are days I cannot figure out what you have in your head. Why are you eight-feet-tall?”
Liam sat in the only other chair. “Closer to seven.”
“Not the point.”
“I know.” Liam huffed. He would miss annoying Framkie. The others were good guys and Liam appreciated everything they’d done for him at Landing. Without them, he would have been one more body in the recovery zone. But Framkie had organized that. Framkie had spoken up for a kid who had made more mistakes than any human being should make in a century. “An alien species called the Imshee maximized my genetics. They were trying to help me be a better match for Ondry.”
“Well, they did accomplish that,” Framkie said with a sigh. “So what's up? Where’s your entourage?
“All the Rownt have gone back to the ship. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye.”
Framkie’s smile was easy and avuncular. “Hopefully you’ll be back around this way soon. I kinda like this new you—confident, sticking it to the officers, saying what you think. It's a good look for you.” He frowned. “Except for the extra height. That's just freaky.”
Liam ran his fingers over his knees, which were almost jutting comically into the air. There was something very symbolic about Rownt furniture being more comfortable than the human versions. “Unfortunately, I don't think we’re going to be back anytime soon. I'll still be on the soc nets, but I'm not sure we are going to see each other again.” While he was tempted, he didn't tell Framkie that by the time Liam came back, Framkie's grandchildren might be old. It was weird to think that Liam was going to outlive every human currently alive. He was going to outlive his siblings and his siblings’ children, and possibly his siblings’ grandchildren.
“What are you talking about?”
“The Grandmothers have learned that the protesters at the spaceport are afraid the officers are moving too fast with the Rownt and that there will be another disaster like with the Anla. Some of those protestors are parents who lost children to the Anla.” That last part was the one that mattered to the Rownt.
Framkie snorted. “I'm not entirely convinced the protesters are wrong. I just hope if something does blow up that you keep on that side. Far, far,faron that side.”
Liam smiled. Even after all this time, Framkie was still trying to keep him safe. It made Liam think that if he was a human version of a palteia, that Framkie might be a human version of a chilta. If they had been sexually compatible, maybe Liam would've found happiness with Framkie. It was a weird thought because back when Liam had been at the front, he hadn't even noticed that there were good people who would protect him so steadfastly. Somehow he had gotten the impression that anyone who would offer long-term protection would demand sex.
“The Grandmothers would say you were wise for thinking as much,” Liam said.
“I don't know what to think of those Grandmothers. I never thought I would be afraid of a giant grandmother turtle, but they're terrifying.”
“They are a little bit,” Liam admitted. As much as Liam felt physically safe, the idea of disappointing a Grandmother twisted a part of his soul he hadn’t known existed. “They’re old, and that means they understand things. Right now they understand that being here is frightening good people, and they can't make any reassurances because they don't know where this relationship between Rownt and humanity is going.” Liam hoped the two species would be allies for as long as any of them lived, but he wasn’t naïve enough to believe his hopes could influence the universe.
“Wait. Are you leaving and not coming back? Ever?” Framkie sat up, his expression alarmed.
“We’ll still trade with humans and bring trade goods to the orbital stations, but the Grandmothers think that Earth needs time to heal from the tragedy with the Anla and from the war with the colonies. And I can't disagree with them.” Liam shrugged.
For long seconds, they stared at each other, Framkie’s frown deepening. “Well, shit. I was getting used to the idea that you might be around every once in a while.”
Liam shrugged. “I was starting to get used to that idea myself.”
Framkie stood and held his hand out. Liam thought he wanted to shake so he returned the gesture. However Framkie pulled him into a fast, hard hug. “Don't you let anyone give you shit. You're a good man, Liam Munson, even if you are a freak with an officer's commission.”
