Stellarnet Rebel (23 page)

Duin addressed Belloc. “So, do you plan to reclaim your birthright, Prince Kehlen, and reestablish the
Tah Ga’lin?
Perhaps you can finish what your family started and have yourself declared the King of the Rain and God of the Sea.”

“Why would I rebuild something that means nothing to me? I am not like you, Duin. I don’t give a shit about Glin.”

“Then, what
do
you give a shit about?” Duin asked.

Belloc looked at J’ni. Then he looked at the
nagyx
in his hand. “I have no soul to give her. Maybe I did, once, but it was lost…because of you.”

Belloc chucked the
nagyx
at Duin. The stone hit the table, skidded across the surface, and fell off onto the floor. The younger Glin got up and went out the garden door.

J’ni watched him go, then looked at the wall in front of Duin. “Why did you watch us?”

“I wanted to know what you would tell him about his family. But the rest was too entertaining to turn off. Would you like to see it? I made a vid.”

“No.” She turned away from Duin and went out into the garden.

Belloc was sitting beside the fish pond. He still didn’t have any clothes on. She sat beside him.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea Duin would watch us.”

Belloc blew a short puff of air over his lips, and waved his hand. “
Meh
, I don’t care about that. He can watch whatever he wants, he’s your
nagyx
. I’m the one you should be mad at, for watching you both at the lake on
Wandalin
. I watched you in the fish pond, too, when you thought I was playing Mysteria.”

“Really?”

The look on his face answered her question.

“Is voyeurism another Glin custom, like polygamy?”

Belloc’s face lit up. “You would marry me, J’ni?”

“Marry you?”

“That would be epic.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the compartment, calling out to Duin.

“Yes?” Duin looked up from the table. “Do you want to break some more things?”

“I’d break your neck, if you weren’t her
nagyx
.”

“More of your legendary restraint.”

“What if J’ni married me? Then she would also have the title of
Tah Ga’lin
. And you would be
Tah Ga’lin
as well.”

Duin’s face hardened with indignation. “It is not my ambition to rise above my fellow Glin.”

“The title would mean nothing if I was married to a hero of the uprising,” said Belloc.

“But you’d be married to me,” said J’ni.

“I’d be married to him, through you. Just as you’re married to Ullu.” Belloc turned to Duin in frustration. “You didn’t explain that to her?”

“It doesn’t matter who is married to whom,” said Duin. “We must keep the truth of your identity to ourselves. Just as there are those desperate enough to worship you, there are many more who would happily kill you, and anyone associated with you. I’ve had enough individuals trying to kill me as it is.”

“He’s spent his whole life hiding,” said J’ni. “Why can’t Belloc be free? You want the rest of Glin to be free. Is he any less deserving of freedom, because of some accident of birth?”

“Or some purposeful death?” Belloc said to Duin in an accusatory tone. “You’re no different from the Tikati you hate so much.”

“I am
nothing
like the Tikati!”

Duin was on his feet and yelling into Belloc’s face so fast, J’ni hardly saw him move.

He thrust a finger into Belloc’s bare chest, and the power of that thrust forced Belloc back three feet, reminding J’ni of how strong Glin were. If Duin and Belloc did decide to truly hurt one another, she would have no way to stop them. She would have to call the police—hell, the whole Air & Space Force—and it would be all over the Stellarnet.

“If I thought for one
moment
you really believed that, I would—”

“What? What would you do, Elder Duin, Hero of the Uprising? Kill me in small pieces? Gut me alive and stuff me with
driznit?
Tell J’ni how different you are from the Tikati who tortured you.”

Duin did not rise to the provocation. His anger vanished and he answered in a calm, steady voice. “Belloc, I know you’re a little overwhelmed by all of this. But I am not going to apologize for my part in ending the
Tah Ga’lin
. Nor will I downplay my involvement in those events that killed your family. It
had
to be done.”

“Would you have killed me? If my mother hadn’t escaped with me, would you have murdered a child?”

“No. But you’re not a child, now.”

“Duin,” J’ni said reproachfully.

Duin inclined his head to her, and backed away from Belloc. “Your family wanted to set themselves apart, to own what belonged to all of us, to claim superiority over all other Glin. Just look at the name,
Tah Ga’lin
. ‘Sparkles in the ocean of Glin.’ It was setting a dangerous precedent that would lead to even more horrors. Look at what the Tikati have done, and they’re not even pretending to be holy.”

Belloc sighed and sat down on the bed. “A few days ago—shit, a few hours ago—I admired you, I envied you,” he said to Duin. “Now that I know your ideals are at my expense, and the lives of my family, it’s hard for me to say that the freedom of Glin is worth the cost.”

“But when you thought that the dead were unrelated to you, when it had nothing to do with you,
then
the cost was acceptable?” asked Duin.

Belloc didn’t answer.

“Understand, some things
must
be had, regardless of the cost. Think of the price I’ve paid for fighting Tikati, for killing them and taking one of their ships. I’ve lost my family and my village. For coming here to get help, I’ve been physically assaulted. I was captured and tortured. I almost lost J’ni. Thrice.” Duin held up three fingers. “There was the bombing of her compartment, her rendition to Adiri, and the Tikati attack. But I will continue to pay that price, to the last drop of water within me. Because Glin, the world and the people,
must
be free.”

“That’s easy for you to decide for yourself, to choose to risk your life. But you’re making the choice for others, too. For me, and J’ni, and everyone on Asteria. You don’t have the right.”

“Yes, I
do
. I have every right to make that choice, because it’s the
right
choice. Tyranny is not a moral ambiguity. It is
wrong
, and it’s always wrong, whether the oppressor be Tikat or
Tah Ga’lin
. All enemies of free thought and free will must be resisted.”

J’ni sat beside Belloc on the bed while Duin paced the narrow floorspace in front of them. The three of them waded silently through their own thoughts, until J’ni spoke.

“What exactly does it mean, on Glin, to be married?”

Belloc responded first. “It means that I love you. It means that our lives, our destinies, our hearts are connected.”

Duin snorted. “It means you share family, food and fucking—if you’re fortunate—until you die or get sick of each other.”

“Would marrying Belloc change my status as your
nagyx?
”

“No. Just as I am still married to Ullu. Marriage and
nagyx
are two different things. The
nagyx
is an unbreakable spiritual connection. It persists beyond death, and existed before birth. Marriage, in many cases, doesn’t even persist to the end of a rain season.”

“Ours will,” Belloc said petulantly.

“I haven’t agreed to anything, yet.”

Duin laughed at that. “There are two great tragedies in life, Belloc. One is not getting what you want.”

“What’s the other?” asked Belloc.

“Getting it.” Duin turned to J’ni. “Which tragedy shall befall him,
nagloim?
”

J’ni looked at them. Belloc, sincere and imploring, dazzlingly beautiful, devoted to loving her more than life. Duin, pacing like a Shakespearian actor strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage, had filled her soul and inspired her to be more than she’d ever thought possible.

“Can I love you both?”

Duin exhaled. “If we don’t kill each other first.”

J’ni and Belloc were engrossed in the Asternet when Duin returned from visiting the children. She was researching marriage laws and submitting webforms. Belloc was reading about wedding customs and ordering J’ni a sapphire engagement ring from Earth.

She wore Duin’s shimmering
nagyx
again. Duin had explained how his offer of pillows and blankets to Belloc was a symbolic way of acknowledging that the two of them shared her, and that they were a family. After that, she had accepted Belloc’s marriage proposal, though he insisted
she
had asked
him
.

Duin was offended by the idea that humans required
someone else
to decree whether or not they were married. But Belloc wanted to do everything according to her customs. So, there they were.

“You cut your hair,” Duin said, pouring himself a cup of tea.

“It was getting too long.”

“I like it long. Belloc, don’t you like her hair long?”

“I like it however J’ni likes it. Do you like any of these dresses?”

“I don’t think I’d look good in a dress,” said Duin. “But if you insist, there are several in the closet I could put on for you.”

“Not
you
. J’ni?”

“They’re all beautiful,” she replied. “You pick whatever you want me to wear.”

“Or want to take off of her,” Duin suggested.

“Does it have to be white?” Belloc asked.

“That’s traditional where I come from, but this isn’t exactly a traditional wedding. It’s the first marriage between a human and an extra-terrestrial in history.”

“Given some of Earth’s wilder mythologies, I’m not so sure,” Duin said.

Belloc’s first contribution to her blog was a post announcing their engagement. Responses across the Stellarnet either congratulated her or accused her of staging the wedding for publicity. There were a smattering of protestations about her being deranged or betraying her species. Other rumors claimed Belloc was Duin’s brother, or son, and that the whole thing was incest on top of bestiality. That it was a menage-a-trois drew ire from some and support from others. While interracial and same-sex marriages were legal in most nations of Earth, polygamy still struggled for widespread legal and social recognition.

On Earth—and specifically her homeland, the United States—marriage laws covered “men” and “women,” which meant
Homo sapiens
, not
Glinnis hydrophilis
. And only two at a time. But the ESCC had jurisdiction over Asteria, and as far as it was concerned, she and Belloc would be legally married. Duin too, if he wanted to put his electronic signature on the webforms. According to the Asteria Charter: “Due to the incredibly diverse nature of extrasolar populations, it is not the position of the ESCC to determine what constitutes a marriage; we are only in a position to acknowledge whatever form such a union takes according to the personal beliefs of that union’s adherents.” There was no legal limit on the number of those “adherents,” their gender, race, or even their species.

Duin shook his head in exaggerated disapproval as he looked at all of the windows on the wall, full of dresses, rings, laws and webforms. “
Anah
. Just say it, and let’s be done with it. Please.
Anah.
” Duin gripped Belloc’s chin and moved the younger Glin’s mouth, while mimicking Belloc’s deep, stoic voice.
“Anah.”

Belloc shrugged him off.

Duin had already said
anah
about a hundred times, and J’ni had even said it a few times. But Belloc steadfastly refused to use the word at all, not even in other contexts. On Glin, getting married was as simple as all parties saying “yes” and moving in together. And since the three of them lived in the same block, they were already halfway there.

“Belloc wants a human wedding,” said J’ni, not for the first time.

“Alright,
I do
, then. Say, ‘I do,’ Belloc.”

Duin reached for Belloc’s chin again and Belloc shoved his hand away.

“Damn it, Duin, I’m doing this for you. If we have a wedding, then maybe one day I can apply for U.S. citizenship, if they let me, and—”

“You’ll be human?” said Duin. “That’s what you want, isn’t it? You don’t like being a Glin.”

“I won’t be
Tah Ga’lin
. I’ll be… What’s the word, J’ni?”

“Renouncing.”

“I’ll be renouncing.”

“Abdicating. Relinquishing. Giving up the throne.” Duin searched the kitchen corner. “Who ate the last lemon?”

“I did,” said Belloc.

“Well then, go get some more.”

“Get them yourself,” said Belloc. “I’m not your servant.”

“I never said you were.
You
of all Glin are the last individual who should accuse me of—”

J’ni held up a hand, in between them. “Hush, both of you. I’ve got to make sure I fill out these forms correctly, which means going through Dr. Geber’s medical files, and reading about a million legal articles. I can’t concentrate.”

“I’m sorry, J’ni,” said Belloc.

“I’m leaving tomorrow, and then you will have some peace.”

There was something dark and final in Duin’s words.

J’ni didn’t like it. She asked Belloc if he would continue his research on the Asternet wall in his hut. He looked at Duin, who was busy repacking crates, and then looked at her. Belloc saw the concern on her face, and he’d heard the tone in Duin’s voice, too.

“Of course, J’ni.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek and he left through the garden door, which remained perpetually open. They’d never repaired it after Belloc fried it in his confrontation with Duin. They were the only ones living in the block, and since she was sleeping with both of them, there didn’t seem to be a reason to close it.

When Belloc left the room, she addressed Duin. “Why are you going back to ACCESS?”

“Because my assistance is essential to their mission. And their assistance is essential to mine.”

“You’ve done so much already,
nagloim
.”

“Are the Tikati gone?” It was more resignation than sarcasm.

She didn’t need to answer.

“Then I haven’t done enough,” he said, replying to her silence.

“You’ll miss Halloween tomorrow. There’s going to be a big party at the pub. And the children are going trick-or-treating.”

“Yes, yes, I know. They showed me their costumes. I helped Estrella make wings out of plastic and wire, so she could be a fairy. And Indra put blue paint all over himself, so he’d look like Belloc. I don’t think Mose was very pleased about that.” He chuckled.

“Hax is having a party, too.”

“You’ll be having so much fun, you won’t even notice I’m gone.” It was spoken without bitterness, but it still put a foul taste in her mouth.

“Now you’re making me feel bad. I’ll miss you terribly. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You fulfilled your promise.” He reached out and touched her hair, rubbing the short strands between his thumb and fingers as he spoke. “You raised me up, higher than any pipe or soapbox, so that my voice was heard across the Stellarnet. I ask nothing of you, but to be happy.”

“I can’t be happy, so long as you’re in danger. And you’re always in danger.”

“Yes, it’s a terrible thing, when the desire for peace and justice is dangerous.”

“That desire always seems to be dangerous.”

“Unfortunately.”

She took his hand and traced his webbed fingers with the tip of her tongue, then turned it over and kissed his palm. He made a small hum of arousal.

Merging with Duin was nothing like mating with Belloc. Belloc was athletic and thrilling, but left her feeling drained. Which was its own kind of pleasure, and she wasn’t complaining. But, with Duin, it was the opposite. He was slow and thorough, and afterward, she felt so full.

Without a word, they moved together, two rivers meeting, two spirits as one. She found herself wondering, fearing, that it might be for the last time.

***

Belloc folded his long arms over his chest and watched her as she lay curled around the pillows, her bare legs twisted up in the blankets.

“You wanted to take candy to the children before we went out tonight.” He sat down near her feet, running his fingers over her ankle and up her leg. “Or are you going to stay in bed and miss him all day?”

Though she had used Halloween to try and entice Duin into staying, she really wasn’t in the mood for it. But she knew it was important to Belloc. It would be his first participation in a human holiday. And from what he’d told her, his first participation in a communal celebration of any kind. Even during the singing circles on
Meglin
, he would sit alone and listen from a distance, never joining in. So, he was looking forward to Halloween, and she didn’t want to ruin it for him.

His light touch turned ticklish and she flinched.

“Are you trying to cheer me up?”

“That’s my job. To make you happy. According to Duin, I’m good for nothing else.”

“That’s not what he really thinks of you, Belloc, you know that. He likes you. You’re like his oldest son, Wrill. Too serious, but charming and brave.”

Belloc swirled his hand in the air, in the Glin way of saying
wh’ever
. “So, when do we put on our costumes?”

“Right now, if you want.”

He got up and went to the walk-in closet opposite the bathroom and emerged with two elaborate outfits. His costume included a long-sleeved, high-collared white shirt, with a black waistcoat, black trousers, a fitted double-breasted tail coat, a wig and a mask that covered part of his face. By the time he finished dressing, it was impossible to tell he was a Glin.

Her costume was a royal blue ball gown with a corset that her boobs threatened to overflow every time she breathed, and a long skirt that made it very hard to walk.

As they headed to Mose’s block with a huge bag of candy—imported at great expense from Earth—she had to hold up the edge of the skirt so she didn’t trip. Her back was already starting to ache. “Maybe it was a bad idea to try and wear this all day.”

“You look beautiful in blue,” he said in such a way that she resolved not to complain any more.

“Do Glin have any holidays like Halloween?”

“No, there are no days when we dress up to celebrate fear and death.” Belloc gestured to the walls of the thoroughfare, which were covered with flickering pictures of jack-o-lanterns, virtual graveyards and monsters.

“You make it sound horrible. It’s s’posed to be fun.”

“I read that the dead return on this night. Will I meet your grandmother?”

“I doubt it.” She smiled. “Maybe someday, if you ever visit Earth, you can meet her sim.”

After seeing the children, they stopped at Hax’s party. The Tech Center was full of people dressed up like Mysteria game incarnations or characters from popular net-shows. The music was loud, and the walls covered with vintage horror vids. Hax’s tables and tool shelves had been moved away to create a dance floor in the center of the room.

Belloc studied the dancers. “There is no pattern. It’s not like the waltz. It reminds me of the way you move when you’re mating. You must be very good at this dancing.”

“Are you saying I’m good in bed?”

His lips brushed her ear as he replied, “Bed, floor, fish pond, stairwell…”

“Jack the Ripper.” Hax-Prime pushed through the dancers to reach them. He was cosplaying his phoenix knight. “That’s kind of a dark choice for you, Bel.”

“I’m the Phantom of the Opera.”

“’K. Different brand of Victorian psychopath, but more your style. Jack the Ripper would be full of win, though. Take off the mask and I’ll get you a knife. There’s some fake blood around here somewhere. We can make bloggirl look like one of your victims.”

J’ni’s bracer lit up with an incoming call. She touched the device and activated her earrings so that she could listen to it over the noise of the party.

“Genny, it’s Blaze.” The colonel appeared on her forearm.

She hoped to God he wasn’t about to tell her that something was wrong.

“I’ve got a ship coming in. Matches your vids of that Finder vessel. But the only thing we can get from them is an audio signal that sounds like your name and Duin’s, over and over. Are you expecting company?”

“No. Have you asked Duin?”

“He’s unavailable.”

She studied the colonel for some hint of what
that
meant. But Colonel Blaze Villanueva didn’t get as far as he did without a good poker face.

“Do you speak their language, too?”

“No. But they speak Glinnish.”

“I don’t know about that. They won’t respond to any message we’ve tried to send them in English or in Glinnish. Hell, I’d quack like a duck if I thought it would mean a goddamn thing to them. Can you come to the UN zone and try talking to the ship for us?”

As if she’d say no. They made their apologies and good-byes to Hax, then she and Belloc headed to the area formerly known as the military zone. With the construction of ACCESS, the U.S. had pulled out most of its resources and left those sectors to the UN and the ESCC. But Blaze remained attached to the peacekeeping forces.

The colonel met them in the thoroughfare. “What are you, Don Juan or Zorro?”

Belloc removed his mask. “The Phantom of the Opera.”

“If you say so.” Blaze briefed them as they followed him to the hangar. “The ship’s already here. It’s hovering right outside Sector C like a big soap bubble. Wouldn’t respond to any of our requests, or react to any of our ships. We fired a few warning shots, but it kept coming. That prick, Brigadier General Ehrhorn over at ACCESS, wanted to shoot it down. But I talked him out of it. I hope I don’t regret that.”

“They’re a very peaceful race,” said J’ni. “I don’t think they have any weapons.”

“Yeah, I remembered you saying that. Should we let it in?”

“Might as well.” She recalled how the Finder had simply touched Duin’s Tikati ship and closed the hatch before disengaging. “I think it could let itself in, if it really wanted to.”

“You two lived on their planet, and don’t seem any worse for it, but I’m still going to clear everyone else out of that hangar and follow bio-hazard protocols. We did the same thing when Duin showed up here almost a year ago.”