Othello didn’t panic, Thurfrit noted. He must have been expecting that line to land like a thud. He had to be. Othello Zonela was a bright kid. He had to understand what the reaction to this proposal would be.

“Thello,” Nela said, calmly, “what the teth are you talking about?”

“We would be building the new facility on the former Prenn land over the next year. In order to run it, we’ll need to bring in over a thousand workers.”

“Okay,” Halbir said. “So what?”

“You don’t…look, we’re talking about people who know nothing of our customs, nothing of our ways. They aren’t members of the Tribe. If we just bring them in as full members, we change who we are.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Nela said.

* * *

The sound of the peacekeepers’ alert whistles stopped Thurfrit in his tracks. He’d been on his way down to the Great Hall at a leisurely pace, but now he picked up speed, skipping four stairs at a time and bounding toward the sound of angry voices.

“Back off. Back off! Gorram it….” Degu shouted, as he tried to work his way into the scrum and break up the fight.

Thurfrit was no fighter, but he was an elder, and that carried responsibilities. “Stop it now! This is the Great Hall, for the love of the Great Spirit!” he called. “Sasenon the Tinker, what in Earth’s name are you doing?”

Thurfrit rarely used profanity; it wasn’t that he was opposed to using it, it was just that he had found that using it sparingly really made it resonate when he chose to deploy it.

The words had their intended effect, shocking Sasenon the Tinker into a brief pause, which allowed Degu, Hari, and Lun to interpose themselves between the angry man and his friends on one side, and a few younger men on the other. A few other members of the Tribe looked on, some in shock, some in anger, some in disgust.

“Now what’s going on?” Hari asked.

“That little pet went and…and mated with my daughter, that’s what’s going on!” Sasenon roared, pointing at a young man who was holding a bloodied nose.

“Is this true, Falus?” Degu asked the man.

“I…it…yes, it’s true, but….”

“He admits it!” Sasenon yelled. “You little animal, I’ll….”

“Stop this at once!” Thurfrit barked. “Are we animals? Or people?”

“He’s an animal. Ruts like one,” Sasenon said.

Thurfrit noted that in among the crowd, trying to disappear, was a young woman, who winced visibly as Sasenon said those words.

“Hari, clear the room,” Thurfrit said. Then, spying an ally, he called, “Elder Huntress, can you assist?”

“Of course,” Quendra said, crossing the room. “Who here witnessed the attack, and did not participate?”

“I did,” an older woman said.

“Kumn Hammer Hands. What other witnesses should be brought forth?”

“Neri, I think – she seems upset with both parties to the fight. And Grunol was having a drink with me, I think another person born outside the tribe should be a witness.”

Quendra nodded. Grunol had been rescued from a shelter, and he had been abused by his former Titan masters. He was hunched, slightly, and gruff, but he worked as hard as he was able, and – though nobody could quite believe it – he and Kumn had hit it off quite well. There were rumors that Kumn was even considering trading necklaces with him.

“Very well. Grunol, Neri, Kumn, remain here. Hari, Degu, seal the doors to the Great Hall. Lun, go and inform Drugar that we are holding an informal tribunal, and that we will come to him if we find punishment to be warranted.”

“Yes, Elder Huntress.”

“Thurfrit,” Quendra said, “I heard what this was about…and I would prefer you stand as the arbiter.”

“Of course. You will question?” Thurfrit asked.

Quendra nodded, and waited until the doors were closed before she asked the obvious question.

“Neri,” she asked, gently, “did Falus force himself on you?”

This was a rather important question. If the answer was “yes,” then Falus would be facing either death or exile; rape was considered one of a very few crimes for which no amount of penitence would suffice.

Neri shook her head, though. “He…I was…the doors are closed?”

“They are,” Quendra said.

“I was willing,” she said. A very slight smile suggested she had indeed been more than willing.

“So Sasenon, when you attack Falus, call him a pet, say he ruts like an animal, do you not attack your daughter as well?”

“She was coerced. I told her not to allow him to court her. I don’t want a pet in the family. She knew….”

“I am confused,” Quendra said, though she was not in the least. “Neri is a Gatherer now, is she not?”

Sasenon sighed. “I should ask for Drugar. He understands the Tribe’s rules. I know, you decided to marry an outsider….”

Quendra made a long hunting knife appear as if by magic, hovering at the throat of Sasenon. “Do not insult my husband, Tinker. You do not want me to demand a chance for requital.”

Sasenon swallowed hard. “Luke of Earth is a good man, a good teacher. Not like these…these pets. They have no understanding of morality. Luke learned our ways, and traded necklaces with you as is our custom.”

“You would have forbidden it, had Falus tried to offer Neri his necklace – the necklace he wears, you notice. He is a Gatherer too. A member of this Tribe too.”

“Still, he knew I disapproved. Who still courts a girl whose father disapproves?”

“Roughly a dozen men of your generation, Sasenon,” Kumn said. “And why do you object? Falus is a hard worker. He’s no layabout. He’s not a Hunter, but for a Gatherer…well, he more than earns his keep.”

Thurfrit swallowed his laughter; Kumn had become almost pleasant since finding a boyfriend. Had they but known that was all it took…well, they still would have had to find the right man, alas….

“So we know why the fight happened. Who threw the first punch?” Quendra asked.

“Only punches thrown were by Sasenon and his friends,” Grunol said. “Falus didn’t fight back.”

“That’s true,” Kumn added. “He probably figured he was already in bad with the dad, no need to make it even worse.”

“Is this true, Sasenon?” Quendra asked.

“Eh, he woulda. We know how those pets are.”

“Do we? Because according to two witnesses and your own admission, you got a gang together and attacked Falus unprovoked, and continued to despite his willingness to accept the attack without striking back.”

“Unprovoked? He mated with my daughter, before trading necklaces! I have every right to demand requital!”

Quendra blinked. “You do. Did you issue a formal challenge?”

“I did! But he didn’t get it. Said he didn’t want to fight me. Said he loved my daughter, but that doesn’t make her pure again.”

Kumn growled. “Oh, for frak’s sake, climb down off your high branch, Sasenon. I know a good dozen women in this Tribe who’ve mated before trading necklaces. I used to make a big deal out of it, used to think it was something to be ashamed of. But some of the new members…they have different ways. And as long as they’re not forcing themselves, as long as everyone’s willing….”

“You’ve gone soft, Kumn,” Sasenon said. “Find someone willing to mate with you and you go all squishy.”

“Am I allowed to ask for requital for that?” Grunol grumbled.

“You would be, yes,” Quendra said. “But I would ask that you don’t. Know that I as Elder Huntress see that as an insult – and that Sasenol harms only himself with it.”

Grunol nodded. “He’d probably beat me silly anyhow,” he said with a grin.

“Maybe,” Quendra said. “If I were you, I’d let Kumn handle the fighting. She gave me this scar, right here,” she said, tracing along her chin. “I may have won the fight…but Kumn earned her name.”

Quendra turned back to Thurfrit. “Do you think we need to go to Drugar?”

“I would like to hear from Falus, before we do,” Thurfrit said. “You refused to give Sasenon a chance at requital. Why?”

“I know…I know he’s allowed to ask me to fight. And I guess…I mean, if him beating me up means he’ll let me see Neri…I love her, boss,” he said. “I don’t…it’s not that….”

“Spit out your words, pet,” Sasenon shot back.

Falus took a deep breath. “I love your daughter. I would like your permission to court her. We did…what we did…because we love each other. And we knew that trading necklaces would make you angry. But we would have. I would do it now, if she would have mine.”

“But you’re an outsider! You don’t know our ways, or you wouldn’t have done this,” Sasenon said.

“Are you certain our ways are always best?” Thurfrit asked. “Luke the Teacher has taught us that on Earth, there are many different peoples, with many different ways. Our ways are our ways, but they are not the only ways. And Sasenon…your daughter knows our ways, as well as you or I do. She is as guilty as Falus here…if this is in fact something one can be guilty of. To be honest…I would suspect if we were to ask the members of this tribe, honestly, if they ever mated before they traded necklaces…if it isn’t a majority, it would be awfully close.”

Sasenon sighed. “I just…I don’t want to see our ways die. Our people die.”

“Our ways are our ways,” Quendra said. “Many are good, and those that are good will never die. And our people…we have always welcomed others. Not just Luke – Drugar’s family itself goes back to the People of the Rock. We always have and always will welcome others. And as for our ways, I ask you which is more important – the strict adherence to our ways, or your daughter?”

Sasenon shook his head, and looked at Neri for a long moment. “Do you love him?”

“Yes, daddy, I do,” she said. “He’s a good man. He’s not a pet. He was…but we all were, once. He’ll be a good husband, you’ll see.”

Sasenon took a very deep breath. “Perhaps…perhaps I have been mistaken. I withdraw my request for requital,” he said.

“Falus, do you wish to receive requital from Sasenon?” Thurfrit asked.

“No, Elder Chronicler. I just…I hope…boss….”

“I expect,” Sasenon said, “that you will trade necklaces soon. But not right now,” he said, as he noticed both his daughter and future son-in-law reaching behind their necks to undo theirs. “Do it…do it in a happier place. And with time to think about what you are committing to. Your mother…she and I did so in the glowberry bush, during the night. You will find your right place. Falus,” Sasenon said, “I ask only that you try…try to be a part of this Tribe, fully, and completely.”

“I love this Tribe,” Falus said. “I’m free here. I can work, I don’t have to do tricks…I can be a father. And I know, boss…you love Neri. I hope I can love my children as much.”

Sasenon sighed, and with a smile, he pulled Falus in to a tight hug. “You are starting by loving my daughter, enough to defy me. That’s a good start. And now that I think of it…reminds me of something Fana’s father Cali told me, when he was not so sure about the upstart Tinker courting his daughter.”

“On that note,” Thurfrit said, “I declare that no one shall face punishment for today. Conduct yourselves well,” he said. Quendra looked over at him, and rolled her eyes; Sasenon had always been a blowhard. But Thurfrit knew that he wasn’t wrong, not entirely. Their ways were changing, just a bit, with every freed pet who became a part of their Tribe. How many would it take to change their ways entirely? How many until the Tribe was no longer the Tribe?

* * *

“This is outrageous. Outrageous!” Nela shouted. “We live together, we work together, we share in the fruits of our labor together! There is nothing more central to what we are!”

“This is true, grandmother Nela, but for how long? We already number far, far more than we did when this deal was first struck. Every child of the Tribe is given a share, even if they move away to Avalon, or Tuaut, or now, literally anywhere in the Empire. Yes, they are expected to pay back a share of their earnings to the Tribe, but this has been on the honor system so far. Now, triple the number of members of the tribe, and tell me, in six generations, when we number in the tens of thousands, will a share be worth a damn thing? Or will we have diluted the tribe to nothing?”

“In six generations,” Thurfrit said, “one would hope that the Tribe would learn to do more than just pick glowberries. Especially now that we have equal rights, operations on Avalon, and trade with Earth. Tell me, Othello, that we have not put all our glowberries in one basket.”

“We have not,” Othello harrumphed. “But we are wealthy right now. Generations from now, even with wise investment, it will not be enough to meet all our needs.”

“Then we’ll have to work harder!” Nela fairly shouted. “Othello, I’ve half a mind to ask you to stop identifying with my lineage for this. This is wrong!”

“Take care, venerated Nela,” Halbir said, calmly. “Othello is allowed to bring this idea to us; all ideas are welcome in this room. Othello, I assume, under your plan, that we would pay the workers?”

“Of course! We would pay them a credit above minimum wage per hour. But – and this is why I believe from a business standpoint we have to move forward – by constructing housing, we will also be able to collect most of their room-and-board credits. Our estimates are that we may bring in more money than we pay out. Oh, come on!” he said, reading that this was not the clincher he thought it would be. “That’s better than they’ll get in Tuaut! And they’ll get regular reviews, have room for growth, pay increases that are generous by industry standards – we want them to be happy working for us, for as long as they live!”

“So why put them in dorms? Why not up here, with the Tribe?” Aisell the Wise asked.

“Well…it will be uncomfortable for them. For a variety of reasons, but…well, this last point…I expect an argument, but I think at least one of you will understand why I advance it. Leader Thurfrit, you are life-extended, yes?”

“I have hybrid children, that is obvious,” Thurfrit said. “And what is your point?”

“The Avalonians – we do business with them. They live three or four times as long as we do. By the time a business leader is hitting their stride, they die off. Thurfrit, you may disagree with me, but then, you have many years of experience to draw on. I would love to have that. I think most members of the Tribe would. We have up until now chosen not to get life-extended, but the costs have dropped to an affordable level. I believe it is time that we make the same decisions the Avalonians did. That we get life extension for all members of the Tribe. That’s why I recommend we stay separate – we’ll have workers who aren’t life-extended…it won’t work to have them integrated. They’ll feel like they’re second-class because they’re aging faster, and that won’t be fair to them.”

Thurfrit looked down, for a long moment. He looked up, and smiled gently at Othello. “Leader Othello…you are, as you have been for much of this presentation, half-right.”

* * *

“Easy now,” Thurfrit said, easing Luke into the clinic bed. “You’re okay.”

“Where’s Quendra?” Luke asked.

“On her way down. Why were you trying to make that climb?”

“Grab a glowberry blossom for the table. Done it a hundred times.”

“Yeah, but you were a lot younger then,” Thurfrit sighed. “Luke, you aren’t well.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Just winded. Honest,” Luke said, though he was pale as he said it. “Hey, Brinn.”

“Hello, Venerated Luke. Elder Thurfrit, it’s good to see you.”

“Thank you, Healer Brinn. Or is it Dr. Gipetrigrothya?”

“I’m done with schooling, have to go back to Avalon for a residency, thanks,” she said, as she fixed sensors on Luke’s chest. “Are you having trouble breathing, Venerated Luke?”

“A little…just winded.”

“And your chest…does it feel tight?”

“Not really, Just pain in my left shoulder, a bit winded. I’m fine, honestly.”

She looked at her pad, and frowned. “ST elevation. Shaka. Sulia, call Eyazon, tell him to get over here as soon as possible,” she said. “It’s very good you brought him in,” she added. She quickly ran an intravenous line, and shouted “Bianca, tPA, and quick.”

She turned to Luke, and calmly said, “Venerated Luke, you are having a heart attack. We are going to administer medication that should help stabilize you; I can do surgery if I have to, but I trust Eyazon more than myself.”

“You’d do fine. You’re a doctor,” Luke said.

“And Eyazon is too, and has years more experience,” Brinn the Healer said.

“And he’s got a more stable hand than anyone I know,” another voice called. “Heart problem?”

“Yes, Elder Healer,” Brinn said. “Heart attack. ST elevation on the EKG, classic symptoms.”

“I’ll trust my daughter’s diagnosis. My training on Avalon was nothing compared to hers,” Loroki said. “Venerated Luke, you will be okay. Your wife is right outside, we’ll bring her in once you’re ready. I should go tell her….”

“I can tell her,” Thurfrit said. “You two help Luke.”

Brinn frowned, but her father nodded. “My daughter would tell you that it should be the doctor to tell her, because professionalism or some such. I trust you, Thurfrit. You nursed him through a shaar attack, you can handle this duty.”

“Not my finest hour,” Thurfrit muttered.

“Like hell. Brinn, did you know Quendra, Thurfrit, and I fought off a shaar together? He was brave as hell, we all were. I just forgot to duck,” Luke said.

“It’s a fine story that we’ve heard many times,” Loroki said. “For now, I want you to rest, Luke.”

“Sure. First…Thurfrit,” Luke said, “thanks for having my back.”

“You’ve had mine, many times, Luke,” Thurfrit said, with a weak smile.

Loroki walked a few paces away from the bed, and said, sotto voce, “If Eyazon can get him into surgery soon, he should be okay. But it’s a heart problem. Brinn is smart, and she’ll keep him in good shape, but….”

“But it’s a heart problem,” Thurfrit said. “I understand.”

“Don’t scare Great Quendra…but don’t lie to her.”

“I don’t lie to Quendra,” Thurfrit said, though he wished, this once, he could.

Helping Luke to the clinic had been easy compared to this.

Thurfrit walked out into the waiting room, where Quendra sat. She was an old woman, Thurfrit thought, just like Luke was an old man.

It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair. He was just hitting middle age. He’d slowed down some, but he was still reasonably fit, and had many, many years of life ahead of him.

Quendra and Luke…maybe a year. Maybe less. Probably less.

“Brinn the Healer has Luke on medication,” Thurfrit said. “And she’s called Eyazon. She believes he’s having a heart attack.”

Quendra drew in a long breath, trying to hold her emotions steady. “What was he doing?”

“Said he was trying to climb up to get a glowberry blossom.”

“Stupid, romantic idiot,” Quendra sighed. “Is…is he going to….”

“If he can get into surgery, he should be okay.”

“Oh, I’ll get him into surgery,” Quendra growled. “You tell your brother-in-law to get his enormous arse down here, now!”

“Quendra,” Thurfrit said, “do you honestly think Eyazon wouldn’t clear his schedule for this? It’s Luke. Zhay would smack him, Lezah would divorce him, and Aisell would sneak in one night and remove his organs one at a time.”

Quendra paused in the middle of her wind-up, and shook her head. “And he’d be getting off lucky, not seeing what I had planned.”

“That’s right. And….”

A soft thudding announced that a Titan was approaching – Lezah, in fact. The slight earthquake of each Titan trusted in the Tribe’s area was as familiar as the Great Tree.

Thurfrit and Quendra walked back into the clinic; its roof had been set on hinges, which were opened. Lezah looked down, and fought back a gasp. “Eyazon called, said I should bring Luke to him straight away. He’s already prepping for surgery. Luke, how are you?”

“Could do with mosaberry juice, Lezah. Otherwise fine.”

“He’s an idiot,” Quendra shouted. “And unfortunately, he’s my idiot. I’m going with.”

“Venerated Quendra, I….”

“Brinn,” Loroki said, “if you think you’re going to talk Quendra the Great out of anything, you haven’t met her. Isn’t that right, Luke? Luke?”

“Frak! V-fib!” Brinn shouted. “Defibrillator, Bianca, now!”

Loroki stepped back as Brinn’s daughter, an apprentice healer, rushed a cart to her. She grabbed two paddles, and said, simply, “Clear.”

Luke’s body convulsed as the electric shock coursed through him. Brinn checked her pad, shook her head, and said, “Recharge…okay…clear.”

One more shock did it; the EKG was wobbly, but Luke’s heart found its rhythm. Brinn let out a long breath. “Okay. We need to go now. Quendra…maybe you should come along.”

Quendra had her head buried in Thurfrit’s chest. She looked up, and wiped tears away. “He’s…he’ll….”

“He’s got a chance, but we need to move! Gorram it, Bianca, get that line untangled! All right, Hair Like Fire, you ready?”

“Ready,” Lezah said. She’d done this more than once; all the Marises had, for far too many friends who had died over the years, and each one had been awful in its own way. She had thought taking Degu had been the worst…until now.

“Careful, Quendra,” Lezah said, as the old woman clambered into her hand.

“If we’re going to the clinic, Eyazon can heal me after he heals Luke,” Quendra said, stubbornly.

Brinn sat beside Luke on one side, and Quendra on the other. “Tell Zhay I’ll call her as soon as I know anything,” Lezah said.

“You’d better,” Thurfrit said.

And the ceiling closed, and Lezah was walking away as quickly as she dared.

Thurfrit looked around the clinic. Loroki ran a hand through his thinning pate, and said, “Bianca, I know your mom was short with you…but I also know that she will tell you when she gets back…you did a fine job.”

“She’s worried. I’m worried. That’s…that’s Luke of Earth. He’s….”

“He won’t die today, not if Eyazon has anything to say about it,” Loroki said, with a weak smile. But the look he gave Thurfrit was not encouraging.

As for Thurfrit, he wondered if life extension would do anything for Quendra or Luke at this point…and he knew better than to bring it up. If Luke survived, he and Quendra would tell Thurfrit what he had told him every time Thurfrit had brought up the idea – “Until everyone here gets it, I won’t,” Luke said. “Oh, it sounds great, but I can’t imagine outliving everyone. You’ve got a reason, you want to marry Aezhay, have kids, you have to do it, but Quendra and me…we’ll live our lives and die with the Tribe, and hopefully, we’ll have a good run of it.”

That was if Luke survived. If he died…Quendra would not want a long, long life without him.

Thurfrit didn’t want a long, long life without either of them. They were his friends, his best friends – only Yamma and Gae were close, and Zhay…Zhay was his wife, she was closest to him of all. But Luke and Quendra had been his friends as long as he could remember. He didn’t want to bury them, didn’t want them to be a distant memory, half a lifetime in his past.

But they would be. It wouldn’t be that day – it would be just over a year, for Luke, and seven months beyond that for Quendra. The day had come, as it always does. Slower for them than they dared hope, but still far too soon by Thurfrit’s reckoning.

He had to do it. But he wished they all could have, together.

* * *

“You’re going to have people working here. Even if you segregate them, they’re going to be sharing the factory floor, hanging out, making friends. Maybe falling in love,” Thurfrit said.

“There could be rules against it….”

“GORRAM IT, NO THERE CAN’T!” Thurfrit thundered.