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Future Sanctuary

By Goliath Wildcat

Chapter 6: Diplomacy over dinner

In the hall outside the audience chamber Vorga is waiting with the prisoner still held over his shoulder as Yamoti and Jim exit the chamber to the respectful bows of the guards opening the ornate doors. Yamoti gives him a slight nod of greeting which he returns with a deep bow. "Vorga, hand the prisoner over to the Guardians, and see to your troops. They have earned their respite this day. You can tell Tambir I will be showing the Ambassador to his rooms, she can report to him there before the dusk meal."

Snapping a salute to her with one tentacle he walks down the corridor with a steady pace as Jim retrieves his weapons from the guards outside the audience chamber. Jim nods his head in respect as he turns to face Yamoti again, "You said you were going to show me to my rooms? I look forward to a chance to relax after the events of this day."

She nods in agreement, a toothless grin crossing her features, "Indeed, a bath and getting out of this armor sounds like just the thing before we dine with the High Mother after dusk." She waves for him to walk beside her as she turns down a different hallway. "I think you'll find your rooms adequate. They are in the same section of the palace where I stay when I'm here."

Giving a nod, "I'm sure they'll be fine." He rubs at his side where the tall warrioress had hit him with the knife, "Does that challenge I just went through mean I won't be facing anymore attacks for having touched you?"

She sighs as her shoulder tentacles slip out of her armor with a slight twitch he has learned to interpret as a shrug, "That challenge should never have happened, but seeing your abilities and weapons I don't know any who would want to take you on in combat, even if you were outnumbered ten-to-one." Giving a snort of disgust, "I won't promise you that no-one will dare to attack you, but they will certainly think twice about it. Outside the safety of your rooms, your armor might continue to be advisable."

As they approach a set of doors the guards on either side reach out to open them, exposing a small room with no other exits about eight feet on a side. Yamoti steps in and turning, waves her hand for Jim to join her. He steps in and the guards close the doors quickly behind him as Yamoti reaches up and tugs on a braided cord with one tentacle.

Jim steadies himself as the room lurches upward at a slow pace, "An elevator huh?"

She looks at him out of the corner of her eye one ear cocked quizzically and a raised brow, "What is an elevator?"

"It's what we call a small room that travels up and down to different levels rather than walking up stairs or ramps."

"Ah," she says returning her gaze to the doors in front of them, "We simply call them vertical halls."

As the elevator lurches to a stop the doors in front of them open quickly as two guards waiting outside pull at them. Stepping down the corridor with a twitch of recognition from one tentacle towards the guards Yamoti leads him onward. The wooden panels of the walls are broken by doors that looks to be made from a semi-opaque material held in wooden frames that lets natural light into the hallway from the rooms behind them. Brackets set into the walls show where small lamps would be set to provide light during the darkness of night. A gentle breeze ruffles Yamoti's fur and cools Jim's face as they continue around a corner and past an open balcony that lets the breezes outside ventilate the floor. Stopping before one of the doors she slides the panel aside and waves a hand into the room, "I hope this is adequate Ambassador."

Looking in he sees a sizeable room of at least twenty feet on a side with rich blue carpets and colorful hangings on the walls. Furnishings made of solid wood stained deep reddish brown are spread around the room and two more doors exit off the room. "Quite a room for an Ambassador," he comments as he slowly steps into the room and pulls his helmet off, one hand rising to ruffle his hair from the sweaty plaster on his head as he feels his feet sinking into the thick carpet.

Yamoti waves a hand towards one of the doors, "Through there is a sleeping chamber, and there," she says with a wave at the other, "is a meditation room to commune with the Spirits."

He opens the door to the bedroom and sees the thick mat on the floor for a bed big enough for many adults and covered in both soft furs and smooth silky sheets. "This is luxurious Commander Yamoti."

She raises her hand towards him, "It is none less than an honored guest deserves, let alone an honor proven warrior and ambassador from a species that can travel from other stars." She waves out into the hall, "Across the way is a bathing and sanitary room that is shared by all on this corridor, but there are only a handful of others who are currently on this floor so that shouldn't be an issue."

He nods and opens the panel to look into the meditation room. The neat room resembles one of the practice rooms he mastered his martial arts in. Soft light filters in through the large window in one wall, the floors and walls are covered by wooden planks and he can smell an almost earthy odor, like a freshly plowed field that does relax the mind. A few small cushions are stacked against one wall and except for a curious rack and some pegs on one wall the room is simplicity itself.

Stepping up behind him Yamoti extends a tentacle to reach over his shoulder and point at the rack and brackets on the wall, "There is a place you can store your weapons and armor." Her mouth curls up in a toothless smile as he turns to face her. "You'll find clothing that should fit you in the chest in the sleeping chamber. Look through it and see what suits you. We know you have combat clothing, but we suspected you would need some finery."

She walks towards the hallway door, "I will leave you to rest before the dusk meal when we will once again meet with the High Mother. If you need anything don't fear to ask one of the guards down the hall. They've all been instructed to assist you in any way they can. If they can't assist you they are to find me and I will see what can be done. Tambir should be along before the dusk meal, she'll station herself outside your door to assist you in anything you need."

Jim gives her a respectful nod and smiles, "Thank you."

Alone in the room Jim releases several of the clasps that hold his armor tight to his body. Walking into the meditation chamber he finds brackets the right distance apart to hold his rifle and sword before he starts to strip off his outer armor. He finds other pegs to hang his holsters and pouches on as he hangs the heavier outer armor on the rack. Down to just his under armor vest and his pants he digs in one of his bags that had been delivered to the room while he was in audience with the High Mother. He pulls a towel and his personal hygiene kit out and with only the combat knife stuffed in his boot he heads for the bathing room.

***

The door opens and the small blue and white furred male sitting in the bathing pool looks up at the strange creature that enters. No fur, blunt teeth, taller than him, but shorter than most females, no tail, very strange indeed. The male twitches an ear and one shoulder tentacle rises from the water to scratch behind the ear as he asks, "Are you one of the beings from the falling star?"

Jim looks down at the Rathac in the bathing pool, his arms propped on the edge behind him as he relaxes in the warm water and one blue furred tentacle scratches behind an ear. 'Blue and white stripped fur, silver hair, blue eyes with streaks of white, must be a member of the High Mother's family.' Jim nods with a pleasant toothless grin, "Indeed I am, the name's Jim Ward, Ambassador from the Humans."

The Rathac bows his head towards him, "I am the High Mother's youngest son, Kirya, and also her advisor to the Alcami Guilds. It honors me to meet you in friendship Ambassador Jim Ward."

Jim nods to the young Rathac, "I didn't know anyone else was in here, I'll leave to give you some privacy and use the facilities later."

He turns to leave but Kirya laughs with a deep rumble, "Nonsense, come and bathe. We don't hide our bodies from each other, and there is no set schedule for use of the bathing facilities. I'm just enjoying the warm bath to relax some muscles I pulled earlier in the Alcami workshop." He waves towards the bath with the tentacle he had been nonchalantly scratching his ear with, "Please, join me in relaxation, I would be honored."

The human sets his bag down by a large pan of with a steady stream of water running into it like a sink, "Alright, if you insist." He takes out a small mirror and runs a hand along the stubble of his jaw. With a few swipes of his electric shaver he removes even that little bit of stubble before it grows visible. Sitting on a nearby bench he unlaces his boots and removes his last vestiges of clothing, leaving the hidden knife tucked in his boot.

Walking over to the bath he dips a toe into the water and finds it perfect. With a satisfied sigh he lets himself sink into the swirling warm bath. He feels the current under the surface and asks, "How do you keep the water flowing through the bath, it feels like you've got water jets."

Kirya tilts his head, one eyebrow raised in confusion, "I don't understand this word 'jets', but we have current drivers that use lodestone propulsion to circulate the water. We find it keeps the water warm, feels good on injured joints and limbs." He leans closer to look at the wound on Jim's chest. "So that is the wound given to you by the mad captain?"

Jim runs a hand along the scabbed over injury, "Yeah, he got me a good one, almost punched my card for good. I thought for sure the Valkyries were coming to take me to Valhalla."

Kirya quirks an eyebrow, "That must be a saying among your people, for I cannot understand how hitting a piece of paper would have harmed you. And what is a Valkyrie?"

Jim chuckles and waves a hand dismissively, "It's an old saying, from before our people left our homeworld, and it just means he almost killed me. Valkyries are from an ancient legend, they would gather the souls of the bravest warriors who died and take them to a place with fellow fallen soldiers, Valhalla, the hall of Odin."

"Ah," Kirya nods his head and leans back again. "I should have guessed it was something to do with your Spirits, I meant no disrespect." He remains quiet for a minute before he comments, "I noticed many more scars on your body as you disrobed. You have seen much battle?" He gives a slight bow to his head, "I ask your forgiveness for staring, but without fur, scars on your body are far more noticeable than they would be on a Rathac."

"Think nothing of it Kirya, I lost my modesty around other men long ago," Jim says with a shrug as he looks down at his scarred body. "You could say that I have seen a lot of battle. I've been in fights since I was a child, usually standing up for smaller or weaker kids. But most of these scars are from my adult life and career. Until I came here I have never been in what your people might call a war, but I was a peacekeeper for my people and that is not a safe profession."

The door to the bathing chamber opens again and Yamoti steps in smiling at the two males, "Jim, brother, good to see you two getting along." The short robe she wears does little to hide her alien, yet still attractive curves from the males, and when she removes it completely without a pause to step into the water it hides nothing as it drops to the floor.

Jim diverts his gaze and blushes until she sighs in relief, settled in the water to her shoulders. "What were you two talking about before I interrupted."

Kirya notices the odd color of the human, "Ambassador Jim Ward, are you alright? If you don't mind my saying, the skin on your face has turned red rather than its normal pale tan."

Giving a cough he nods, "I'm fine. We were just talking about boobs, I mean battle." The two Rathac laugh at his slip of the tongue and he settles down deeper into the water wanting to just drown himself in embarrassment.

"Jim, is my presence a bother to you," Yamoti asks with a mischievous glint in her eye.

He raises a little to shake his head, "No, I'm just not accustomed to having such a fine example of female anatomy step into the same bath as her brother and I are using."

Kirya dismisses his words, "We've shared baths since we were cubs. There is nothing she has that I haven't seen on any other female, and I have nothing she hasn't seen on any of hundreds of other males in her career. And while I can freely admit my dear sister has a fine body, I am not attracted to her in the way of mates. There is no need to let your tongue slip on words, you are among friends here."

Yamoti turns to her brother, "You were talking of battle? Since when did such things interest you? You've always kept your nose buried in books and plans, not the histories of the practice field of battle."

"Yes well, the Ambassador was just telling me how he has acquired so many scars; they were rather obvious when he disrobed."

She turns to Jim and gives him a smile, "I'm interested to hear more of your tales of battle. You told me of the one," she indicates his arm, "but I'm sure a senior warrior like yourself has seen many more."

Jim recovers himself and sits up in the water a little higher and holds up his left arm, "Well this one here..."

***

Jim looks at his watch as there comes a knock on the door to his rooms, the dim and slightly reddish light coming from outside indicates it is sunset and someone must have arrived to take him to the meal with the High Mother. It's been three hours since he left Yamoti and Kirya in the bath still talking about battles the older female had been in. 'I swear I can still feel her eyes on my ass as I got out to dry off,' he thinks to himself as he gets off the comfortable bed where he's been napping.

Sliding the door open he finds Yamoti in a fine red gown with golden embroidery along the edges and a short curved sword and shorter dagger slipped into the sash, the scabbards gilded in precious metals and gems with thin ornate bindings holding the weapons in place. The red armored figure of Tambir stands at guard beside the door and he nods to them both. "Time for dinner?" he asks.

Yamoti looks him over, "Yes, but you're going to wear that to a meal with the High Mother? Wasn't there any finer clothing in the rooms?"

He looks down at his pants and vest, "I honestly forgot to look, I'm kind of new to the whole diplomat thing. I came back and took a nap after our bath with your brother. The warmth of the water just sapped the thought of anything else from my mind I guess."

She glides past him and taking his arm drags him into the sleeping chamber as Tambir closes the door to the hallway. Yamoti opens a couple of chests and starts routing through the assortment of fine fabrics. She gives him an appraising glance and nods pulling out a black affair with gold embroidery decorating it along the edges, "This will be excellent." She turns and holds it up to show it to him a garment that seems like a cross between a robe and gi.

"Is that what males usually wear to formal gatherings?" he asks as he pulls at his vest.

"A male who is also a warrior, yes, you will see Honor Lead Vorga in a similar outfit, though not as grand as this. Non-warrior males tend to wear garments more like ceremonial robes, but without the badges of office and accoutrements that would accompany them in the High Mother's audience chamber." She points behind him through the open door, "And of course, no warrior is expected to be without his sword."

He looks behind him to the meditation room where his sword hangs in plain view with his other weapons. Its nondescript black scabbard and utilitarian grip show nothing of the decoration on Yamoti's weapons. "It's not that fancy," he indicates the blades on her own sash, "Hardly worthy of a formal gathering as we'll be attending."

She dissmissees his concern with a wave of both hand and tentacle, "Don't worry, I only carry these instead of my sword because my blade is far too big to carry in such close quarters. You'll see Vorga with his battle blade at his side. The only thing we need to add to your weapon is the bindings of peace," her fingers flip the thin gold braid that holds her weapons in place. "It truly is only a formality. The bindings are to show that no battle is sought among friends."

Jim gives a soft sigh and unhitches his belt, "Well... If this is the way of your people, I won't disrespect your culture by refusing to honor your traditions." He removes his pants and vest before letting Yamoti help him into the garment. She secures the broad gold sash made from some silken material around his waist and pulls at the short sleeves making the top of the outfit gap a bit more to show off more of his broad chest and the scars that cross it.

Yamoti nods and goes into the other room to retrieve his sword for him. Returning with it she tucks the scabbard into the sash and secures it with a few pieces of cloth left there for that very purpose. Turning to a small table she opens a drawer and pulls out an ornate gold binding much like the ones securing her weapons. With deft fingers much accustomed to the practice she secures his weapon in place and gives the hilt a reassuring pat, "There, now you look the brave and seasoned warrior." She steps back and nods as her eyes look him up and down, "Yes, much better. Those scars you wear distinguish you as a seasoned warrior, despite your apparent youth. Between those and your actions in the challenge this morning, none can deny you're a great warrior and more than worthy to carry the vital of my clan."

Jim looks at himself in a mirror and has to admit, the new outfit does look more dashing than the drab black vest and pants he was going to wear. The golden embroidery catches the light and makes the black fabric shimmer in the flicker of candles and the fading red of the day's light. "I'll agree with you, this outfit does look good." He turns to her, "Shall we go, we've already kept the High Mother waiting I'm sure."

She nods and holds out her arm for him to take, "We will be there in plenty of time. I came to get my escort early figuring you would need a lesson in how we dress for formal occasions among my people."

***

As they enter the large dining room many Rathac stand around a low table surrounded by soft cushions chatting with each other, the murmur of general conversation buzzing like a nest of hornets. As the tall Commander and her shorter human escort enter the chamber much of the talk quiets to whispers with bows directed at the pair which Yamoti returns with slight nods. She leads him to a pair of cushions near the head of the table where her mother and father will sit and stands waiting.

"You see," she says with a grin, "I told you they would notice you more in proper attire."

He speaks back in a soft whisper for her ears alone, "More likely they were surprised to see an alien walking armed into the room on the arm of one of the most feared and respected warriors of your people." He nods to Vorga across the room where he has a young red furred female in conversation, "He seems to be loosening up in here. Is that a mender he's talking to, the one with the red fur?"

Yamoti nods, "Yes that is his betrothed. Her name is Kiya, she is a mid-rank mender under the tutelage of Lifae, Vorga's mother. Their families are hoping for strong cubs from the mixture of his vital with hers and through them, strengthen the bonds between the clans of menders. They have been friends since they were both cubs, and they are looking forward to the mating ceremony soon."

"Lifae is his mother? I'm surprised he doesn't have the solid red fur then," he says as he raises an eyebrow.

At his confused look she explains, "Vorga is from the same vital line as many of the most powerful menders, but he does not have the solid red fur like Lifae does through no fault of his own, or his parents for that matter. Not every cub of a mender will carry the gift from the Spirits, but most of them will have red in their fur, such as Vorga's rosettes. His abilities even with training would never have passed initiate rank, so he was trained to be a warrior where his minor talents allow him to keep in the peak of performance." She turns back to Vorga and smiles with fond warmth, "The two of them have grown up loving each other, and it was only natural that the families would seek an alliance through their oldest children and increase the chance of future menders at the same time." Her eyes get a faraway look in them, "I wonder who they'll pick as a third for mating."

"Third?" Jim asks as he pulls his gaze from the pair of Rathac to look up at Yamoti.

She nods, "Yes, don't you're people do a similar ritual. The third is usually someone close, but not usually a close vital kin. You don't want to breed too close as is well known."

"I still don't understand, what is a 'third'?" he asks.

She looks down at him with a blank face, "A third parent of course to provide the tripod of life required to create a new life."

Something clicks in Jim's mind and he looks around, "Wait, you mean each of you have three parents?"

Her head nods in agreement, "A mother, a father, and a third. Thirds sometimes have some minor part in the cub's upbringing, but often they are on the outskirts."

Jim closes his eyes to gather his thoughts, "Alright Commander Yamoti, let me try this again. I don't know how much of the book you've gone through since I gave it to you, but in human's it only takes two parents, a mother and a father, to breed. Someone, usually close friends or family will help raise the child, but there are only two biological parents."

"Where does the third leg of your lineage come from then?" she asks still not understanding.

Remembering his earlier discussion with the Captain and Doctor, Jim opens his eyes, "Yamoti, is the third a female or male?"

She casts a look towards him wondering I he's lost his mind, "Male of course, it's not possible for a female to breed to another female."

He nods, his eyes lifted in thought, "I think I understand... But we'll have to discuss this further in private. I hardly think it's proper to discuss in a public event like this."

She gives a twitch of her shoulder tentacles he has learned to interpret as a shrug, "As you wish." She nods towards the door as the entire chamber quiets and indicates the High Mother and Tirgale entering the room.

With smooth and graceful movements the High Mother walks through the crowd, her mate walking on her right as they nod their way through the bowing dignitaries who make way for the pair. They stop for a moment before Jim and Yamoti and she gives Jim a pleased smile, "Ambassador Jim Ward, it is good to see you here and in good health." She looks him up and down, "The garments fit you exquisitely. Our daughter has good taste in warrior's attire. We hope you are being treated well?"

He bows to the pair, "Very well High Mother, there's nothing more I could ask for."

She gives him another closed lip smile, "We are pleased to hear this." Advancing the few more steps needed they settle onto their cushions and everyone else in the room surges to take their own places once the High Mother is settled.

Yamoti indicates one seat with a tentacle and takes the cushion next to it. With grace Jim settles onto the cushion with his legs crossed and watches as servants bring in large serving platters and deposit them on the table between the guests. As various people start dishing out the meats and strange fruit Jim takes a small device from the sash where he had slipped it while Yamoti wasn't looking. The guards against the wall stiffen at the strange implement.

She looks down in shock and whispers, "What is that? Your sword is the only weapon you are allowed to carry."

He shakes his head, "This is just to be sure I can eat all the foods here with no issues. We haven't had time to test all your foods for compatibility. I don't want to be ill and have my people making accusations of poisoning."

With his explanation she waves a hand at the food and speaks with a normal voice so everyone nearby can hear her, "Then please check it Ambassador, as another race I think we can understand you have different nutritional needs from us."

Her explanation causes a few of the others who watched him pull out the device relax from the poses of alertness they took, having also assumed the device to be some kind of strange weapon. Hands remove themselves from sword hilts and return to utensils as everyone realizes there is no danger from the human or the item he holds.

Jim runs the finger length scanner over the food in his immediate vicinity and then examines the tiny screen on the side, "Most of it seems fine, but I think I'll stay away from whatever that stringy stuff is in the green bowl, it's showing as highly toxic." Turning the device off he tucks the scanner back into his sash, "Probably wouldn't kill me, but would make me pretty sick."

One of the guests a few places down the table indicates the dark noodle like dish and Jim nods. "This Ambassador is a delicacy we call Uran Noodles, made from a rope shaped plant found in the shallow areas of our oceans. We have vast ocean farms to harvest it along our coasts," he explains as he serves some for himself before passing the bowl onward to another guest.

General conversation around the table resumes, the blue and white mottled Rathac on his other side, a younger sister of Yamoti and a low ranking officer in their military named Hyborie asks, "What do you think of the sights you've seen on our world? Do they match anything on your own?"

Jim nods to Yamoti as she serves some cooked meat onto his plate before taking several slabs for herself as he addresses Hyborie, "A very beautiful planet you have. As for our homeworld, we have traveled for so long; none of us have ever seen our homeworld with our own eyes. We were all born on the trip here. But from the pictures I've seen, this planet looks much like ours used to, before it became polluted to the point that we couldn't live there anymore."

She opens her mouth to say something and stops as the male who had explained about the Uran Noodles starts to cough and wheeze, holding his hand to his throat as his eyes open wide in shock as he finds he can't breathe anymore. The mender with Vorga gets up from her place to assist the chocking male. She extends her shoulder tentacles to gently touch the male's throat and a look of worry crosses her features, "It's not lodged food..." She looks to where another of the red furred menders sits, "His throat is constricting from an allergic reaction I think. I don't think I can stop it alone," her voice becomes weak with the strain of holding his airway open just a tiny amount so he can get some air as he gasps starting to panic.

The other guests who have taken some of the noodles push their plates away in wariness, not yet having touched the stringy food. Yamoti stands and shouts to the guards by the door, "Call for Lifae immediately!" One of the guards runs out the door without a question and the other steps closer to render aid.

Jim pulls out another device and puts on his mirrored shades as he runs it over the male's throat, "It's not an allergic reaction miss, there's poison in the Uran Noodles, that's what my device was probably detecting that would make me sick."

She looks to him, her voice strained, "You... are... a mender too?"

"No, but I think I know how we can save him." He snatches a hollow reed from the male's glass that was being used as a straw and blows it clear before he turns to Yamoti and holds out his hand, "Give me your dagger, now!"

Yamoti flinches at the demand but motions the guard moving towards them to stay where he is and slips the small decorative scabbard from her sash before extending it to him. She knows well the voice of an officer who needs something and doesn't have the time to argue or explain. He grips the hilt and pulls the blade free with a violent jerk, severing the thin bonds that hold the razor sharp blade in the scabbard. Turning back to the male he nods to the other mender who has come to assist, "I'm going to need your help. Try to control the bleeding; I'm going to give him a new airway."

The red furred male holds up a hand to stop the human, "What do you mean the bleeding? He isn't cut."

Jim twirls the small dagger as he rotates his head to loosen his neck, "He will be." Without another word or look beyond the male suffocating in front of him he splashes some of an alcoholic beverage on the knife and the male's throat. A quick slash of the knife cuts the reed down to the proper length and Jim takes a deep breath before asking, "Vorga, can you hold him, this is going to hurt like hell, but it's better than dying."

As Vorga comes over to assist the gasping male's companion tries to block him, "Now hold on, you're not a mender, you're a warrior and ambassador. Menders are here and more are on the way," she protests. "Let them save his life as they are trained. Not take it by hacking him up with a blade."

Jim looks to Talri where she is watching from her seat at the head of the table, "High Mother, I don't have time to explain. I can save him, or he can die before Lifae gets here with more senior menders. This young female is struggling to give him a thread of life, there is no time to wait. When she tires and collapses how long do you think he'll be able to keep him alive," he indicates the mender trying to assist.

The blue furred female looks from Jim to her daughter, "Commander Yamoti, would you trust him to have the good of others paramount in anything he plans?"

The commander nods without hesitation, "I would High Mother."

Talri stands and comes to kneel over the male. Using her larger frame helps hold the male down, "Do what you can Ambassador." She smiles down at the male, "He's not vital kin of mine, but all of my advisors are important to me."

Yamoti pulls the protesting female from his way as Jim bends over the struggling male, "Lie still, or this could kill you rather than the poison doing so already." He places his fingers at male's throat and finds what feels like the right point. "Thank any gods you believe in that we're similar in design," he whispers in the quiet room and brings the knife down. With hand steady and nerves shaking he makes a small incision into the male's neck and setting the knife down he inserts the reed into the bleeding opening.

The male mender places his tentacles on either side of the incision and uses his talents to control the bleeding as he can feel the patient relax within his hands, his chest rising and falling with normal rhythm again and the sound of rushing air through the reed with a slight whistling can be heard in the quiet. Red eyes look up to meet Jim's gaze, "He's breathing through the reed? The rigid walls are holding the airway open against the swelling."

Jim nods and stands, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of one arm as he looks down at the male now breathing with ease, "Yeah, battlefield medicine, we call it a tracheotomy. We have no people like your menders who can heal most wounds with a little effort; we learn how to improvise as part of our basic training." He wipes the knife and his hands on a piece of cloth from the table trying to clean the blood from both.

Talri lets up her pressure on the male's shoulders, her hands no longer restraining but caressing the male's cheek as he starts to relax now that he can breathe. "Ambassador, you continue to perform miracles before our eyes. Showing the power to both take life, and save it with the same hands," she says so softly Jim barely hears her over the murmurs of quiet conversation around them.

Vorga comes back, having disappeared when the High Mother had taken his spot to hold the gasping male, one of the cooks held by the scruff of his neck and being dragged along, "This one prepared the Uran Noodles, he claims there is nothing wrong with them." He looks to Yamoti, "Commander, I think he should eat them then."

Tirgale steps up behind the black and red furred male, "Vorga, please put him down. I don't think it was him; it would have been too obvious. It could have been any of the servers, and there are two missing." He holds a hand out to Talri and she takes it to stand with grace, "I checked when the Ambassador announced it was poison. We can only suspect the Republic is trying to cause mayhem by destabilizing your household," he tells her as she stands over him again.

The dispatched guard returns with Lifae and two other senior menders in tow, dressed in only their customary loincloths. They race forward through the gathered on-lookers to the lying male and start to examine him. One of the menders takes the suspected bowl and carefully touches a tentacle to the food before jerking it back, her fur standing on end in disgust, "Poisoned alright."

Lifae nods as she examines the reed in the male's throat, "An ingenious idea." She places a finger over the open end, "Try to breathe normal."

He tries several times but his throat is closed above the reed and she releases it patting his sweating forehead with a rag from her pouch. "I think you have the Ambassador to thank for your life young Garle, you would have most likely died from lack of air before I got here, and it will take even me a while to restore your throat to proper use."

The young female who had checked the food kneels next to Lifae and the third mender hands Lifae a few items from his own bag. "This was an insidious poison; it swells the throat until the victim chokes to death." She looks up at the tired and sweaty female leaning on Vorga for support, "You did good Kiya to keep him alive while this was done," she indicates the reed.

Yamoti comes back from whispering to the guards, "High Mother, we will request a high rank mender examine the food before it is brought into any meal you are attending. A search is being quietly conducted of the palace, but they might have escaped already. We cannot trust the Republic to be honorable and fight us in combat. They want to assassinate and murder, this is the second case of hidden attack in one day, we can take no more risks."

Her mother nods in agreement before bringing her gaze to focus on Jim again, "You have saved two members of my household since you have arrived on our planet. I ask you what you're people need, so that I might show respect for the gifts you have given back to me this day."

Jim bows to her, "High Mother, there is only one thing we need. We need someplace to settle and make our own. Some land somewhere, but we don't wish to take it from anyone else."

She nods in understanding, "I will discuss the specifics with you later, but I think that is easily arranged. We are a large nation, and there is even a sizable gap between us and the Republic which neither side chooses to take as theirs. Rather leaving it a buffer between our nations." She holds a hand out to another male, "Tamlare, find them a suitable province along the boundary." She turns back to Jim, "You're people will be given a land to call your own, not beholden to me or anyone else for as long as they exist." She bows her head, "This I do for the honor of my family and my people."

The guards stamp the butts of their pole arms on the ground and the others in the room applaud the declaration with enthusiasm.

Jim feels Yamoti pat him on the shoulder and he bows to the High Mother again, "We gratefully accept your generous gift High Mother."

The High Mother and her consort return his bow. Standing straight again Tirgale speaks, "I think after this incident we'll call it a night, I'm not sure I could eat anything now anyway." He waves a hand towards the table, "If you wish you may stay and eat, I'm sure we can impose on the menders to check the remaining food?"

Lifae nods without looking up at him, her focus still on tending her patient.

Yamoti comes back and takes Jim's arm as her mother and father depart. She whispers in his ear, "I think we'll have a more quiet meal away from all this and get you cleaned up again." She looks at his blood stained hands and the wet stains on his garment, "You've got vital on your garment and hands."

He looks down at the shiny spots on his black and gold outfit and admits, "I guess I should get cleaned up. I hope your people have a good way to remove the stains from such fine fabrics." He lets her lead him from the room and back towards his own rooms.

***

Jim sits in the warm bath, a round fruit that looks like an orange, but tastes like an apple in one hand as he and Yamoti enjoy the relaxation the warm bath provides. He already sent a message to Captain Long regarding the granting of a sizeable parcel of land, about the size of Texas on old Earth, to them. This was received by the Captain and colonists with great enthusiasm, especially the fact that they are wanted as an equal and independent nation, not a part of the Rathac's own country.

He watches Yamoti, her shoulders just above the surface of the water as she leans against the padded edge, her own eyes closed in relaxed pleasure. "Why did you want to come in here with me?" he asks.

She gives that Rathac shrug again and opens her blue eyes to glance at him, "I thought we could continue our discussion about parentage that we didn't get to finish before." She brings a glass with a thick fruity beverage in it to her lips with one tentacle and drinks from it. Replacing it on the side of the bath she sighs, "I still don't know how you don't know about thirds. All species on this planet require the use of two males and one female to breed."

Jim chokes for a moment on his mouthful of fruit before he swallows it down, "Are you telling me you have to mate with two males to breed?"

She tilts her head to the side, "Of course, what do you humans do?"

Jim sets the half-eaten fruit aside and rubs the back of his neck, "Well, usually a male and female mate, and if things are right she becomes pregnant, giving birth about one half of your cycles later. Births are usually a single child, sometimes two, rarely three or more. Two males mating to one female at the same time, that's kind of considered kinky in human culture."

She rubs her chin with one hand, "That is a little strange to me. If trying to have cubs we must have a third, a male who usually mates after the mate of the female being breed. It takes the material of all three Rathac to make a new life. We typically birth two or three cubs, and it takes one of our cycles to carry them to term. Often more males than females are born, but that is well with our people. A single male mating with a female is typically for mutual pleasure and fun. Certainly not for breeding as without a third, they cannot complete the tripod of life."

He sighs as he leans his head back against the pillow on the edge of the bath. "Such an interesting people you are, nothing like you ever existed on our planet. Oh, we had a feral creature we called a cat that resembled your race in some basic ways, but no appendages coming out of their backs, and they like us only needed the two parents to have a littler of cubs."

"A cat, so you think of us as animals?" she asks, her fangs peeking from behind her lips and the fur along her shoulders standing on end with agitation.

Jim sighs again and answers with soothing tones, "No Yamoti, you are people. The cats of our homeworld were simple wild animals. Even the ones we domesticated were hard to truly tame. You and your people are anything but beasts." He unconsciously strokes a hand across the two scabbed wounds on his chest and abdomen, "Though I will admit you fight with a ferocity that can be scary. But then, humans made war such a way of life, that we almost destroyed ourselves several times in the years before we left our homeworld."

Yamoti's fun settles down again and she wades across to Jim, one tentacle covered in soft blue fur stroking over the new wounds on his chest, "Jim, I would have rather taken that dagger than put you through everything you've faced because of our meeting. No matter the benefits it has given us in communication, it was not worth the risk to your person."

He shakes his head and lets out a soft bark of laughter as she tickles him with her other tentacle in his ribs making him flinch to the side. She smiles at him and he reaches for his drink to finish it off. He can feel the alcohol in the drink starting to work its way through his system and setting the empty glass down he leans his head back again as Yamoti takes a seat next to him.

"You know," he says, his words soft in the quiet humming of the room, "I told my Captain I thought you were a Valkyrie here to take me on to Valhalla when I was dying with a dagger in me."

She tilts her head in curiosity, "What is a Valkyrie? And why would one take you to this Valhalla?"

He closes his eyes, "That would require a lot of explanation, but I'll try to keep it short. Valkyries are female figures from an ancient legend on our homeworld. They were the 'chooses of the slain' and would select who among those who died in battle would be taken to Valhalla, the feast hall of the god Odin. There, only the bravest warriors from all the ages would wait until the end of the world to return to battle." He takes up his fruit again and examines it, "There they would feast and drink all day, welcoming their brother Einherjar into their ranks. It isn't the most common belief among my people. But it does tend to be embraced more by our warriors."

He pours another drink from a pitcher as Yamoti tries to absorb this tale. Setting the pitcher down he reaches for the goblet as Yamoti reaches out with a tentacle to take it and sips from it herself, "How much of this have you had?"

He shakes the pitcher and frowns at finding it almost empty, "Most of a pitcher."

She smiles, "I think you're feeling the effects to talk of such things."

He shrugs and takes the goblet back to finish it off with a single swig. Leaning his head back he sets the goblet down and sighs, "Maybe, but those are my beliefs. When I die, I want my spirit to reside in Asgard, where I will sit at Odin's table to feast and drink while I wait for the end of time. There once more to ride into battle beside the bravest warriors to have fallen on the field of battle."

Yamoti watches him for a few moments, "There is a similar thought among the warriors of my people. When a warrior dies in battle their honor is balanced against their deeds. If their honor is found lacking they will be sent down to the depths where they will never see the grace of the spirits. But if honorable, they will join the spirits and be lifted into paradise. Not to await a great war at the end of time though. No, they will be taken to true peace where they can watch down on the living and guide us in our lives."

Jim nods as he considers her words. "It does seem like a better fate for a warrior, to watch over and protect. Rather than await the end of everything, just to fight again," he says with a sigh and closes his eyes. "I'm going to rest here for a minute, will you be sure I don't slip under and drown?"

Yamoti smiles at him, "Your Valkyrie will watch over you."

But he is already asleep, his head cushioned on the padded side of the bath and his body receiving a massage from the gentle jets of warm water, never having heard her words.

She watches him as he sleeps, and taking another sip from her own goblet smiles at the young human beside her. 'Such an interesting people,' she thinks.

All characters unless otherwise stated are the intellectual property of Chris Gilman [aka. Goliath Wildcat] Story © Copyright Christopher Gilman 2012 all rights reserved

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