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“I didn’t even know you had clothes like this.”
“I wish I didn’t.”
Evfra shook his head as he pulled at his robe. The outfit was traditional Voeld garb which Jaal had seen a few times before, but never on Evfra. The flowing, layered robes of white and blue, all hems trimmed with soft grey alfar wool, beautifully matched his sky-coloured skin and bright eyes. The fabric opened up under the belt to reveal white pants and high grey boots that went up to the knees, hugging his legs on the way. Intricate silver embellishments wound around his arms and thighs and over his shoulders. There was even a complex headpiece made of the same metal that was worked to look like chains of snowflakes, artfully cascading down the folds of Evfra’s neck and over his forehead.
Of all the angaran populations, Voeld fashion had changed the least over the decades and even centuries, perhaps because Voeld’s climate had deteriorated first and most dramatically and people there had been much more focused on surviving in the ever-worsening weather than worrying about details of presentation. Jaal was thankful for it now as he admired Evfra; he made for an exceedingly handsome Voeld chieftain.
I couldn’t have picked a better moment to come into his office.
“I won’t need them until tomorrow,” Evfra continued, as he undid the broad belt that held the outfit at the waist. “I just hadn’t worn them in a while, so I figured I should make sure they still fit before Moshae Sjefa and Paaran Shie descend upon me for not knowing how to dress myself.” He frowned. “They’re right that it is important to the heads of the major families, stars know why. They don’t need me for my fashion sense.”
“You’re meeting with the major families?”
“Yes. Officially a celebration, but I’m sure there will be a lot of people trying to calibrate how they fit into a political landscape that includes the Nexus and Meridian.” Evfra peeled off the silver headpiece. “We might soon have new angara to integrate if there are cut-off worlds we haven’t found yet. If not, there will at least be a lot of land to distribute, provided the Nexus doesn’t claim it all for themselves.”
“I’m certain they wouldn’t,” Jaal said.
“I’m not,” Evfra answered, shrugging off his robe. “Your Pathfinder is alright, but let’s not forget they already had planets in our system staked out with no regard to who else might live on them before they came. Hopefully, the Moshae can work her talents on the Nexus leadership. They have several of these S.A.M. AIs and intimate knowledge of the locations of our vaults, plus access to our planets and full maps. If they want to boil or freeze us to death until we agree to whatever they demand, what would stop them?”
Jaal huffed. “Sometimes, you make me realise why I could never make it high up in the Resistance. I must think of them as better than that to work with them. How do you do it?”
“Having no choice helps,” Evfra said flatly. “I do agree you’re too nice for a general, but on the other hand, I would make a pitiful envoy.”
Jaal smiled to himself, pleased as ever when Evfra complimented his work, however obliquely so. He would have answered, but was distracted when Evfra pulled off his boots and his trousers. Milky Way species – other than select individuals, such as Liam – were quite squeamish about nudity, Jaal had found. He figured it went along with their refusal to speak about sex and usually, he considered it one of their more quaint quirks. However, seeing Evfra strip down in front of him did remind him of the advantage that at least temptation wasn’t quite so freely offered. He could not stop tracing the lines of Evfra’s body with his eyes. He had a warrior’s physique and the scars to match, everything from burn wounds to blade marks to jagged gashes surrounded by faint dots where once upon a time they had been sown shut by a hurried field medic or perhaps even Evfra himself. Letting his gaze drop lower, Jaal noted his manhood was a lighter colour than most of his skin, a rare variation on the angara colour pattern, which tended to grow darker there.
Jaal elected to stare at his own feet before he got caught.
“There hasn’t been a meeting of the major families on Havarl that I have been able to attend in a while,” he said, to distract Evfra and himself. “It’s a shame. I do actually enjoy them.”
Evfra reached for his uniform, which he’d carelessly draped over the broad, cluttered desk that filled most of his private office, and threw Jaal an incredulous look.
“Never took you for a politician.”
Jaal chuckled. “Hardly. It is interesting, though, seeing the games that are played. I did use to feel awkward because people would always talk to me about everybody else in my family and I had nothing to say for myself when they asked... but now it would be different.”
“Well, if this is really the way you want to spend an evening, you can come,” Evfra said with a shrug, pulling up his breeches. “I’m sure you would have been invited, anyway, if they had known you’d be present here at this time.”
Jaal nodded his head, trying to temper the flurry of excitement at what was, after all, only a cordial invitation to an official function. His time off had been given without much preamble. With Sara getting back on her feet, Scott had ordered some shore leave for the crew and after a visit with his family, Jaal had gone to Aya – both to reconnect with the Resistance and to steal some moments with Evfra. He’d thought that the time apart would let his crush fade away, but the longing had only made it more bittersweet.
“Would I be your plus one?” he joked, unable to stop himself.
“Should be the fastest way to get you in, actually,” Evfra answered. “Do you have something to wear?”
“Yes, I had a couple of other invitations for this stay, so I brought some clothes from home.”
Jaal beamed and Evfra shook his head at him, probably thinking that it was the function itself Jaal was so enthusiastic about. Of course, Jaal knew he was not coming as Evfra’s boyfriend and no one would think so, but the idea alone was enough to lift his mood.
-
“What do you think? We match.”
Jaal smiled as he pulled at his vest. The loose, light fabric he wore was in bright blue hues just like Evfra’s robes, though with hints of purple and embellished with black thread forming flowers and vines. Evfra looked him up and down, gaze catching on Jaal’s chest and then his calves, both of which were mostly laid bare by the wide, billowing cut of his clothes. Not for the first time, Jaal wished that Evfra had not schooled himself into showing so little of what he thought on his face. His gaze lingered a little too long, but it could have been for interest in Jaal’s choice of clothing, quite particular to the collection of southern Havarl daars he hailed from, or because he liked the sight, and no one could know the difference.
“We do, though we seem to experience temperatures very differently.”
Jaal chuckled as Evfra waved him towards the broad doors, which slid open noiselessly. The inhabitants of Aya called this building the Sun Dome because of the way the light reflected off its white walls. It was over two hundred years old and Jaal had been told than in times of old, it had been used for concerts, festivities, even large family gatherings. These days, the most peaceful thing that happened here were political debates in the round, canopied plaza that took up the middle of the building, with its high ceiling cutting a hole into all floors to let sunlight flood inside through the glass top above. However, Jaal knew it most for the Resistance meetings that would be crammed into the Sun Dome’s broad rooms. Like all aspects of their cities, their societies, their lives, it had in some fashion become military.
Maybe they would need it less for that purpose now. Jaal, for his part, was exhilarated to stride through the doors to find a crowd of civilians with drinks in hand and tables with decorated containers of food paste lining the walls, quiet music playing over the speaker system instead of a voice herding soldiers.
“Who do I need to watch out for?” Jaal asked, turning to Evfra.
He’d lived on Aya before, but he had rarely brushed shoulders with anyone from its upper echelons unless they were also in the Resistance.
Evfra scanned the crowd as he followed Jaal towards a table where a tray of mugs stood, so hot they were still steaming, the sharp but pleasant smell of tavum rising from them. Jaal picked sweet fruit juice for himself and handed Evfra one of the plain water drinks. Evfra didn’t indulge often, but he’d once remarked that he liked the bitter taste of tavum best on its own.
“Too many to count, but I can give you a run-down of who is probably going to pay the most attention to you tonight. First in line are usually either the Forens or the Kijar. They’re among the oldest families from here and the two who have most managed to use that fact to their advantage.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of them. Many of theirs are mayors and local leaders around Aya.”
Evfra nodded his head.
“The Forens tend to be more adventurous while the Kijar are broadly traditionalists, which makes this a difficult time for them. The families compete for offices and I hear in the past, that could get violent. Their current house heads, Dilma Forens and Zhojik Kijar, were reasonable enough to see that with the threat of the kett, they had to pull their people together.” He raised a brow. “I’m sure now that there is a lull, we can have internal strife pick up again. Assume you’ll be approached by members of both houses tonight to pull you on their side. You will also hear the Kijar family’s thoughts on our work with the aliens, repeatedly, whether you want to or not.”
The exhaustion in Evfra’s voice suggested that he, too, had already had many a conversation of that sort. Jaal had to grin.
“I see. Who else?”
“The de Roshavs immigrated from Voeld right after the reunification of the angaran people. They might go for you to get a high-level contact in the Resistance since they don’t speak to me.”
“Why not? Wouldn’t they want to make use of your shared heritage?”
“About eight years ago, around the time I was first moving west on Voeld and incorporating the local militia cells, I ran into Alvar de Roshavs, one of the leaders of their cadet branch there.” He indicated a tall angara decked out in traditional Voeld robes covered in blue gemstones milling about in the centre of the room with a couple of other men. “Not that I knew anything of them then. All I saw was that he was a terrible commander and I barely had to ask his people to consider switching over. I was ready to have him on as a lieutenant for the sake of peace, but he was obstinate he would never be under ‘some backwater thug whose true mother probably bred with a rabid snow adhi’.”
Jaal almost spit out his drink.
“So you wounded their pride, then?” he suggested, startled.
“Yes. I also broke Alvar’s nose,” Evfra said dryly.
“I think I would have, too.”
“It wasn’t for the insult. I’d heard worse by that point. He wanted to play the hero during a raid on a kett camp to prove something to me and because he couldn’t strategise his way out of an empty field, he got a dozen good soldiers killed.” Evfra looked like he had a bitter taste in his mouth as he spoke of the memory. “After that, Alvar couldn’t keep his standing with his soldiers and moved to Aya. I don’t know what he told his family, but I assume his version of events is different. As far as I know, they think I’m the one who drove him out of his home with slander and lies.” Sipping from his drink, Evfra glanced at Jaal. “Me punching him in the face and chewing him out at headquarters after the raid probably wasn’t good for his reputation, I’ll give him that. It was not the reason his men turned on him, though.”
“I think I’ll keep away from them,” Jaal muttered, bristling with offense.
Evfra shifted his gaze towards a group of men and women standing in a tight cluster by a doorway.
“There are the Thams – I don’t think they’re very well-known off-world, but they have a tight rule over the daars in the east and long-standing connections by marriage into just about every higher family on this planet.” He looked another way at a woman entertaining a few people with some story. “You probably know more about the Ama Belver than me. Rihena Ama Belver over there led a few of theirs here from Havarl twenty years ago. Most of their family still lives there, but they quickly got a foothold on Aya through trade. They will want your attention.” He nodded towards a slight, haggard-looking man pondering the buffet. “The Do Gar probably will not say much to you, but they will be watching who you talk to and listen to what you’re saying. They like to boast they know everything that happens on the three planets and they’re admittedly pretty close.”
“I wondered why we have so many covert strike team leaders with that name! I get them confused.”
“It’s their speciality, yes. Doesn’t make them comfortable to be around, but they are unfailing supporters of the Resistance, or so they claim.”
Jaal shook his head. “Do you even suspect our own?”
Evfra shrugged his shoulders. “It would be downright naive of me to expect a family known for their excellent spy work not to keep an eye on me as well, at the very least. You should be careful, too. By now, they’ll have a dossier on you.”
Just as he spoke, a tall woman who stood with Rihena Ama Belver locked eyes with Jaal and gestured at the two of them to come over.
“Well, thank you, Evfra. I should be prepared. Into the fray, then?” Jaal asked, taking a gulp of his juice and privately enjoying the way Evfra wrinkled his nose with distaste at the prospect, a sight Jaal had always found quite adorable.
-
They moved slowly around the room, greeting everybody who might feel slighted if they didn’t. Evfra introduced Jaal about half a hundred times. Since Jaal had so many stories to tell about the aliens, the light conversation appropriate for moments like this flowed easily. A few times, Jaal looked sideways at Evfra, wondering if he thought Jaal was talking over him too much, but he never looked annoyed or bored standing by Jaal’s side when he regaled another group with some anecdote about their new neighbours. Instead, he simply kept his eyes on Jaal and quietly nursed his drink.
Jaal was happy for it because this was very enjoyable – a little bit because he got to flaunt himself for once, but mostly because he could see that when he spoke of all the angara Liam had made friends with, Nakmor’s special connection to his granddaughter as well as Vetra’s concern for her sister, and Ryder’s dedication to their shared cause, he sparked interest in his fellow angara. From down here on Aya, these aliens would seem frightening. After all, most only knew them as another problem on Kadara or had briefly seen them when Ryder had crashed uninvited onto Aya, or had had a glimpse of the armoured, tense APEX soldiers who visited to report to Evfra. Jaal felt like he opened the door on something else, a way in which their people might connect.
“Evfra, you’re not supporting a wall somewhere? Is it good influence? You should take Jaal more often,” a voice said behind them as they just parted from a group of functionaries who dealt with the distribution of food across Aya.
They turned to see Paaran Shie walking towards them.
“I’m not doing it yet. The evening is young,” Evfra answered laconically.
“Good evening, Paaran Shie,” Jaal said, swallowing a chuckle.
“Good evening, Jaal. It’s good to see you back.” She smiled at him before she turned to Evfra, levelling a more authoritative look at him. “You should come with me. There’s a debate among the leaders of the greater daars about the recent inclusion of our troops in the Nexus APEX program.”
“Why? If I want a politician to argue me against a wall at three hundred words per minute, I’ll just meet with you,” Evfra gave back.
“Very clever. You always say you think public debates are a good thing, but you never participate. Are you scared to get proven wrong?” she asked, a challenge in her voice.
“Maybe the debaters can meet Evfra once they have come to a conclusion.” Jaal smiled as he interjected just as Evfra opened his mouth. “I ask for selfish reasons. It’s rare I get to speak to him for an evening, so I wouldn’t want to lose him to a discussion that’s probably going to take a few hours.” He quickly racked his brain for the names of the people he’d made friendly promises to. Which one had Evfra pointed out as especially important? “Also, I told Dilma Forens I would bring Evfra back to her when we’d made the rounds. She still wanted to talk to him about the Nexus herself.”
“She’s liable to interrupt the debate if she doesn’t get her way,” Paaran Shie said, looking a little disappointed that she hadn’t gotten to continue the argument. “I guess you’re off the hook this time, Evfra.”
She strode past them towards a woman in expensive robes and Evfra glanced at Jaal.
“I really need to take you more often,” he said.
Jaal grinned at him. “I have my uses,” he said. “You know, you two remind me of me and my sister Binam sometimes. We were born only two days apart and we always fight like this.”
Evfra frowned. “I think both Paaran and me are happy that that is just your association,” he grumbled. “If we had to spend family gatherings together, the peace on Aya would fracture within a year.” He glanced over his shoulder into the crowd. “Though we should actually find Dilma Forens again. She’s going to take it personally if you don’t hear out her ideas about your role among the Nexus species.”
“What would those be?” Jaal asked, trailing after Evfra.
“I think she wants you to be personal advisor to Director Tann, if I understood her correctly. I had the pleasure of getting to know him on Meridian, so I can just imagine it.”
When Jaal made a face at that, the corner of Evfra’s mouth twitched.
-
They found Dilma Forens, but at some point during Jaal’s introduction to the rest of the family, who were all very eager to learn more about the aliens, Evfra was swept away in a different conversation. Jaal gladly did his duty of hearing everyone out, though. Despite some odd ideas for his deployment, they seemed honestly interested and hopeful in a way that Jaal didn’t see often these days.
He was only released when the group broke apart to find food. After grabbing some himself, Jaal took the opportunity to go look for Evfra, holding two glass bowls of paste in his hand, one smelling strongly of redberry and avak root, the sort that Evfra often ate at his desk leaning over reports, though this was a much more expensive variety where chunks of the ingredients had been left whole instead of breaking them down completely for maximum efficiency in resource use.
Evfra stood under a tree growing in a small square of ground left open for decorative plantation. With him was a man about Evfra’s age dressed in old-fashioned Ayan garb with runes worked into his green clothes that Jaal recognised as ancient angaran script. He laughed loudly at something Evfra said and reached out to squeeze his shoulder.
“I’m just saying,” Jaal heard as he stepped closer, “the journey to us would take just two hours and you could work on the shuttle if you have to. I’d love to have you over.”
The tone of his voice was unmistakable, not even an attempt at subtlety made. Jaal felt a sudden shock of jealousy. It was a privilege that he never really had to see Evfra in the centre of other people’s interest. Angarans were free with their feelings, but few so foolhardy to accost Evfra. Perhaps Jaal had gotten a bit too used to it.
“What would I do there?” Evfra asked, vaguely interested.
“For one, you absolutely need to see the Hundred Lakes. You would fall in love with them. For someone who works as hard as you, it’d be a well-deserved reward to enjoy the calm of the marshlands. I have often done it myself in the evenings.” The man chuckled. “Of course, it can get lonely. The town is just behind the ridge of trees, but it’s completely hidden from view. I would be happy to offer my company-”
“Evfra,” Jaal said, without any plan what to add. He just wanted to stop the other man from talking.
The two of them looked up, disapproval flickering in the man’s eyes before he smiled.
“Can we help you?”
Jaal immediately disliked how easily the stranger incorporated Evfra in that word.
“Larem, you’ve heard of Jaal Ama Darav, I’m sure? Jaal, this is Larem Tham,” Evfra said.
“Ah, yes, our brave adventurer,” Larem answered with a curt nod.
“I brought food. Evfra, can I steal you for a second?”
It was a blunt request, but the softest option Jaal could think of at the moment. Evfra pushed off the tree.
“Larem, we’ll talk later?”
“I very much hope so,” Larem said, brushing his hand over Evfra’s shoulder again.
At the very least, Evfra didn’t seem sad to be separated from Larem, quickly taking the food from Jaal as he walked with him.
“I haven’t had time to eat since this morning,” he said.
Jaal felt slightly soothed that he’d managed to be helpful.
“Let’s sit down somewhere.”
They found a quiet corner on an upper floor of the Sun Dome, which had been wholly reserved for the celebrations, and sat on benches around a table next to a window which overlooked the city. Jaal found himself scraping the food back and forth in the bowl while he watched Evfra eat.
“That man seemed quite interested in you.”
“Yes. He wants to marry me,” Evfra said matter-of-factly.
Jaal sputtered. “Are you – I mean... do you like him that much?”
Evfra looked up at Jaal and raised a brow. “He’s decent. As I said, he’s from the east of Aya, Javak to be exactly. They hold more with arranged marriages still and the Thams especially consider them a great way to ease the way in politics.” He shook his head. “Larem is not in love with me, but I’d be quite the trophy to bring home, so I could count on him being honestly grateful.”
“I know this is how many families used to do build bridges, but I’ve never really understood it,” Jaal said with conviction. “It lacks feeling.”
“True,” Evfra said, looking out of the window. “I admit I’ve considered it.”
From the wordless, confused stare Jaal levelled at him, Evfra apparently realised that statement needed some explanation. He put his spoon down.
“It would be very helpful to have connections to Javak. Our recruitment numbers there are low. Besides, how high are the chances I will marry again? I may as well do something for the Resistance with that empty spot by my side.” He shrugged. “They do say people sometimes grow into arranged marriages, too...” He grabbed his spoon again. “It’s just an idea.”
There was something in his voice at that consideration – almost like longing, Jaal thought. Evfra didn’t seem to particularly care about Larem, but there was something missing. He is lonely.
“If it’s companionship you seek, there are many who would volunteer.”
“There really are not, but you are unfailingly charming,” Evfra said brusquely.
“Then perhaps you would consider a date with me instead of going to the swamp with this Laram?” Jaal burst out.
Evfra looked at him in silence for a long moment, genuine surprise on his face.
“I wasn’t aware that was an option,” he said, finally.
“Maybe I should have been as obvious as Larem,” Jaal answered, hearing himself sound much too stroppy. “I mean... I apologise.”
He felt small under Evfra’s measuring gaze, knowing jealousy had made him childish.
“I might have noticed then, true. Still, if you laid it on as thick as Larem, I probably would not like you as much,” Evfra answered, swirling his spoon in the food paste.
Jaal gave a smile, startled and joyful.
-
People found them too quickly up in their hiding spot and they had little time to discuss anything more, but when Jaal and Evfra left late past midnight, they did so together, and Jaal knew there was still a bounce in his step despite the late hour and exhaustion. Evfra had offered Jaal, who had walked the scenic route to the Sun Dome, a ride in his speeder.
“You held your own in there,” Evfra noted.
“Perhaps I do have a little political skill, after all.” Jaal smiled sheepishly. “Though, er, I could have handled Larem Tham with more diplomacy.”
Evfra gave a quiet laugh. It was a rare sound that Jaal relished and he was relieved Evfra had not thought his display too silly.
“I should have worn clothes like yours. It’s too hot,” Evfra said, after they had walked on in comfortable silence for a moment.
“I know you’re not a fan of the outfit, but you look breathtaking. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in less, though,” Jaal joked.
Evfra snorted.
“We can arrange that. However, it has been a long time for me. I can’t say for sure where this will go in the long term – not because I don’t think well enough of you, I do, but...”
He looked into the night.
There were more words there, Jaal sensed, perhaps explanations, self-doubt. He shook his head and turned, taking one of Evfra’s hands in his own, emboldened by Evfra’s cautious confessions of feelings. Evfra allowed him to keep it, fingers loosely, almost carefully curling around Jaal’s.
“I know,” Jaal said easily. Even being as in love as he was, he understood Evfra had scars. They were part of him, had been since Jaal had known him. “If we can give it a try, I would be glad.”
Evfra cocked his head and then kissed Jaal on the mouth. He was too surprised to react and when Evfra leaned back, Jaal automatically followed with his head, unwilling to give up the contact so quickly, making Evfra smile.
“Yes, let us try,” he said, still holding Jaal’s hand as he turned to walk to the speeder.