Reaching Out
© 2022 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  ahro


Part of her assigned duties as Transcosm’s representative on Downtime Station included maintaining contacts with the station’s representative of Imperial Chartering, the Kashlanin Mercantile Fellowship that had partnered with the Terran company. Knowing the language and culture of the Kashlani, Meredith found herself on the Imperial side of the station during a working lunch.

The lighter gravity felt rather good for the pregnant mare.

“I’d like to ask you something, if I may,” she said to her counterpart, a kam named Yerim. He paused, spoon to his lips, and his tail gestured for her to continue. “How do I obtain the comm code for an Imperial citizen?”

Yerim looked surprised, finished swallowing his mouthful of soup, and asked, “Why?”

Meredith smiled in Kashlanin fashion. “I have a friend who is a vir. She has met my family on This Far, and my parents would like to make contact with her family on Chadan.”

“Interesting . . . have you tried to access our comm database?”

“No, I haven’t. Wouldn’t a Terran be barred from access?” She picked up her glass of fruit juice and took a sip.

They were seated a meter apart.

Yerim’s tailspur tapped at his chin as he replied, “In wartime, yes. But the Colonies aren’t at war with the Empire,” and he smiled, “and hopefully never will be.”

“Let’s hope,” Meredith agreed, and the conversation moved on to business topics as the meal progressed.

When she got back to her office, Meredith accessed the Imperial database and searched for a Vorun g’Raf, living on Chadan, and located her and made a note of her comm code.

Her parents had asked her to look because, as Marie put it, “We consider Varan part of the family.”

Meredith smiled.