Page 48 of Devin
“That’s not very white.”
“Yeah, but we’ve got years of history and racism built into our culture.”
“I remember reading about that. You had a liberation fairly recently.”
Liberation? Did she mean women’s lib? Or the end of slavery? Val wasn’t sure, so she just nodded her head. “Racism was based mostly on how light or dark your skin was.”
“What a silly notion. No wonder it took the Suhlik so long to invade your planet.”
Val did what she always did when a customer said something she wasn’t quite prepared for. She smiled and nodded.
“And your family? What do they think about your match?” Grena asked. It was a polite and diplomatic question, but it was loaded with subtext and if this woman was third in line for a throne, she knew how to play the game at a level way over Val’s head. Val answered honestly.
“I don’t have a family.”
“Is that customary on Terra?”
“No, my parents are dead and I don’t have any siblings,” Val said. She was all alone in the world and at their mercy.
“Children! Yes, I suggest you have two, and see how it goes from there. I know how hard Mahdfel boys are on the uterus.After all, I produced one myself. I would have had more, but his father had the gall to die gloriously in battle.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Val replied, a bit stunned for anything more than pleasantries. Grena was already planning their family? She must have wanted Devin to settle down almost as much as Kave.
Grena waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, it was probably for the best. I moved back home to Takalia and have been such a busy woman after that. I’m very popular. I have had several offers of marriage, one just last week!”
“You were on the ship last week,” Devin muttered.
“Well, the last week I was on the planet. At that party, you know?” She looked at Devin.
“The one where you were dressed as a fruit?”
Grena laughed and rolled her eyes at her son. If still on the same side of the table, Val would have bet Grena would have smacked him again.
“A woman in my position is best to keep her options open. You on the other hand, at least you know you have the security of not having your husband sent into a warzone any time soon. He’s too smart for that.”
“Mother,” Devin grumbled under his breath.
“Oh, I had so much heartache before they let him specialize. But don’t worry dear. If for some reason he kicks the bucket, you and the children can come live with me on Takalia. Are you pregnant yet?”
“Mother!”
“Stop repeating yourself and mind your manners. Why is she turning red? Is that a natural phenomenon?”
Val wanted to disappear into a vast hole somewhere far, far away.
“You are making my mate uncomfortable,” Devin stood up, towering over his mother. She did not look intimidated in the least, but at least she was smart enough to change the subject.
“How many cities are you planning on building here? It feels quite empty.”
“Two to start. More to come later. As we plan on making it a pure Mahdfel endeavor-”
“Ridiculous. You must have at least some citizens that are not Mahdfel. Otherwise, you will totally be lacking in civilized society. Have you tried to have a conversation with one of them, other than something that is not related to their job?” Grena asked Val. “Or killing things. Especially the dreadful lizards. Those things should be wiped off the face of the universe. But we don’t need all the gory details. Just no. I don’t know how those things breed so fast. You’d think with all the death the Mahdfel had been dealing them that they would just be gone by now. And then we could hold a parade and be done with it.”
Val went back into smile and nod mode. Grena seemed happy to continue the conversation herself.
“Of course if the Mahdfel ran out of things to kill, so many of them would be extremely unhappy. And that was one thing my father has warned me about repeatedly. A bunch of unhappy soldiers tend to get themselves into trouble. But not my boy. He’s one of the smart ones.”
Devin was smart, that Val could agree with. He was still deadly, but that could be said of any of the alien warriors around.
