Visiting Friends
© 2025 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  morgdl



The military transport that left J’Shavar Station was equipped with quarters and amenities comparable to a civilian liner, and Varan found her room easily enough. After unpacking she linked her padd to the ship’s information network and noted that she had a few data uploads awaiting her attention.

Varan unfolded her padd and touched the area that caused it to stiffen out into a flat plane before calling up her mail and looking at the headings. There were several official messages, including two from her eventual destination, the Fleet Command Academy. There were also a few personal messages, including . . . aka, there it was, and she opened the recorded message.

Javid d’Estcourt’s face appeared on the padd’s screen, the stallion smiling as he said, “Hello, Varan! We got your message, and we’ll be glad to have you visit us for dinner. Amir and Berto have been asking where their Aunt Varan was,” the dark gray-furred Terran said. “Let us know when you reach This Far.” There was more to the letter, and Varan watched and listened closely before opening the official messages.

The first was the final report on the Bōank’s crew performance and an overall assessment of how well she had done as the heavy cruiser’s captain. Deficiencies were noted, and she resolved to correct them when she began her next command.

The second was her syllabus for the Command Academy. She’d been through an officer’s school before as part of joining the Imperial Fleet, but she’d had several in-service promotions and required some additional instruction to augment the practical experience she possessed. She would only be under instruction for a year with a mixture of tailored classes and one-on-one mentoring. The mentors were drawn from retired high-ranking officers, and their ranks had increased because of the number of battlefield promotions from the recent war with Terra.

The other official message was a brief recording from Admiral-first Nefed l’Fel. The dark brown-furred vir was shown seated behind a desk as she said, “Zogat, Gartabin g’Raf. I am detailed as your mentor for your term at the Academy. I have studied your service record, and I am transmitting mine so that you may acquaint yourself with my service record and to establish that I am qualified to instruct you.” A small square in one corner blinked to show that a file was uploading. Aka, she’d look at it later; she had time.

Varan disrobed and stretched out on the bed to relax as the transport inphased. It was still early in the morning, and she hadn’t had much sleep the previous night.


***


One of the benefits of peacetime was noncombatant ships not having to convoy or take circuitous routes to reach their destinations. The transport phased out of hyperspace on schedule at its designated point in the This Far System’s local space and was directed by the Terran traffic control center to the Imperial station in orbit over the planet.

While the ship moved in toward the dock, Varan sent a message to Javid and his wives, Thea and Marie. Because she was insystem, a response came in real time just a cycle later.

The next part of her trip, to Downtime Station, would be in two local days as the transport schedules matched up to her itinerary. She put her belongings in quarters aboard the Support-run station and took a shuttle down to the planet.

“Varan! Welcome!” Marie said, the piebald mare stepping aside and waving her into the house. As soon as the door closed, the mare hugged the taller vir. “We’re glad you could come.” Her voice attracted Javid and his other wife, Thea, and they stepped out of the house’s living area.

Two smaller blurs, one iron-gray and the other piebald, dodged past the older equines in a clatter of hooves and grabbed each of Varan’s legs, almost knocking her off balance. “Zogat, Aunt Varan!” Amir said, his eyes bright against his blotchy fur. Berto said the same, but used the Kashlanin word vorvath.

Marie stepped back to slip her arm around her cowife’s waist as Varan crouched and hugged the two colts. “Zogat,” she said. “You two have grown a lot since I last saw you.” She glanced up at Javid and smiled before asking the two children, “Are your father and mothers teaching you to eat curry?”

Berto nodded, while Amir made a face, and Javid laughed. “Javamir’s a little slow, but Madras is an acquired taste. I’m making theirs really mild until they get used to it.” He tousled their headfur as the two colts continued to hug the vir. “It’s great to see you, nurvat, and we’re glad you could visit us.”

Varan laughed at Javid’s use of little girl, recalling what he’d told her a couple years back. “I’m very glad that I got the opportunity,” she said, “and that it wasn’t preceded by anything bad or unfortunate.”

“We’re glad as well, believe me,” Thea said as she gentle disengaged Berto from his grip on Varan’s leg. As she drew the colt back, Amir also let go of the vir. “You said you’ll be staying two days?”

“Yes. I have quarters on the station,” Varan replied.

“Then you must stay for dinner with us,” Marie said. “The meat farm’s expanded to include gves.”

The vir grinned. “I’d be honored to have dinner with you.” Her smile widened. “My friends.”