Bodies in the Sun
"it's just so... so orange!"
"I'd call it more of a dusty ocher."
"Only because you like the way it sounds... you and your new words."
Elle grinned emphatically.
"Ocher is a great word." Said Hannan, looking over her shoulder into the land rover's back seat where Elle, Quentin and H sat fanning themselves in the oppressive Florencian heat.
"Well, dirt's dirt. I don't see the point in discussing its color classification." Said Quentin, shaking that same orange-ocher dust from his platinum blond hair.
seven hours, twenty-one minutes earlier the Chimera had docked with Reagan to space station for some routine maintenance. Deciding (or rather, her mother deciding) that it was time for a visit to home, Hannan took the opportunity to visit her rather large and ever growing family on the near-by planet of Florencia. Urged on by Hannan's promise of free food, alcohol, indigenous botany and embarrassing stories of Hannan's past, Elle, H and Quentin agreed to join her on this little excursion. From Reagan 2 Space port to New Harbin took a two hour shuttle ride. From New Harbin to Hannan's family home- ten long, hours of driving with no internal atmospheres in the vehicle. In other words, it was friggin' hot.
"So, what does your family farm?" Asked H, peeling off her damp neck scarf and holding it out the window.
"Coffee and Sunan." Said the driver, Graham.
"That makes sense." Said H. "I mean, this valley serves as a pretty decent shelter from the coastal winds which works well for the Sunan. Do you shade-grow your coffee?"
"Nope." He said. "Takes too much time. Full sun ripens quicker and gives more."
"But I think you might at least consider it." Said Hannan, frowning at her brother. "I mean, shade-growing needs fewer pesticides and saves tree growth. And really the yields aren't that much higher."
"Hannan, we've been over this a thousand times. The cost of changing production methods will out way any 'environmental' benefits. Besides, fugging cacks would throw a fit if we planted non-indigenous species." Hannan winced and looked back apologetically. No one seemed to understand the implication.
"I'll explain later." She mouthed. Unfortunately, her brother saw.
"What!?! I can't say 'cack' now? It's better than bu--"
"That's enough Graham." Hannan said, glaring at him from across the front bench. Graham only laughed.
"Oh, Hannan. What has that damn academy done to you?"
"Can we not talk about this." She said, not looking behind her.
There was a long and painfully awkward silence after this. Hannan wanted to say something but could not think of what. Luckily, Elle was with her.
"So, what's for dinner?" She asked. "I'm starving."
"Well, there'll be some goat, some chicken, and some lamb. Jia's visiting too and she'll make some sort of vegg casserole."
"Is this what you normally do for hat day or happy or whatever you call this?"
"Hkkai." Corrected Hannan. "And yes. Lots of eating, lots of drinking and lots of family togetherness."
"Sounds like my kind of holiday." Said Elle distractedly. She was itching the place where her tank top hit her shoulders. "I hope there's air conditioning where we're going... or a no clothes policy... or both. Yes, both would be better."
"Have you got the shots Anne gave you?" Asked H.
"Yup." She said, pulling one of the syringes in her pocket out and twirling it like a baton between her fingers. "But they only keep my body from over heating, they don't keep me from feeling hot." She said, pulling the fabric of her top away from her body and flapping it.
***
When at last (5 hours later) the land rover pulled up in front of Hannan's family home the sun was already beginning to set and the temperature was dropping quickly ("thank you!" said Elle.) A large parade of cats, dogs, goats, children, and a giant tortoise greeted the car.
"Hannan!" Came the squeal from her younger brothers and sisters. She followed custom with each, hugging some, punching others (Marquis) and piggy-back rides for the ever eager Ada.
The children also paid particularly close attention to Elle, who took the opportunity to check her holographic devise and "accidentally" trip the control mechanism so that, just for a moment, her true figure was visible to the supreme delight of the younger members of the Moore-Wieck family and the consternation of the older members.
"'bout time you got here." Came the husky voice of Hannan's mother. "Thought you wouldn't make it before the sun sets."
"Should we be worried about what happens after dark?" Asked Quentin, looking around warily.
"No. Hkkai is a sabbath holiday so there's no work-- of any kind-- after the sun goes down." Explained Hannan, rubbing her brother Erik's puffy hair.
"Don't worry." Said Graham, clapping Quentin loudly on the back. "They only make you pay a fine for breaking sabbath these days."
"Yeah," Said Landri coming up on Quentin's other side. "They used to cut off your balls." Quentin blanched for a moment and then reddened as the rest of the group burst into laughter.
"Hurry children, inside!" Said Mrs. Wieck, clapping her hands.
"Is that true?" Elle whispered to Hannan.
"Probably." Said Hannan dryly.
***
The loud (and large) family gathered around the dining table. In all, there were 21: Hannan's mother and step-father Gervais, her siblings Jia, Gage, Pablo, Quita, Graham, Landri, Marquis, Erik, and Ada, Jia's wife Pasha and their two son and daughter Kiev and Rian, Gage's wife Esylde, Quita's husband Kieth, the four members of the Chimera Crew and Imam Hall, a family friend and the local cleric. Also there (though not dining) were the family cook Jerome and the nanny Mami (Ada, Eric and Marquis were not old enough to stay up for the entire dinner).
The meal started as every meal on Florencia starts: the parading of the main course's head around the table by Jerome. In this case, it was a ram's head- a big, bloody, tongue sticking out, eyes opened and fluffy ram's head. Hannan looked at her friends carefully but no one seemed too disgusted. Granted Elle looked as if she'd jump the thing at any moment and Quentin seemed slightly green but all-in-all everyone was still above the table so that was a positive.
After the food was brought out and everyone served and the wine and beer and shoffa (a hard liquor made from the fermented roots of the Sunan- the traditional saying for shoffa is "One drink is good, two drinks and you're blind and in a coma") everyone settled into a conversation with someone else. To Hannan's extreme aggravation, Elle had seated herself next to Mrs. Wieck.
"So, what's a cack?" Asked Elle, as if she were discussing a cloud formation or botany term. Most of the table stopped what they were doing and listened. Hannan looked at her mother who seemed at first annoyed but then relaxed.
"Its what we call the indigenous people- they call themselves SoFfarens but no one bothers with that unless their in legislature."
"Why?" Asked Elle, riping into her lamb chop.
"Why? Because we don't care for them, that's why." Said Hannan's mother, smiling as she downed her third or forth shot of shoffa.
"I thought she got help for that?" Hannan asked Pablo. He shrugged.
"You know what she's been like since Dante left."
"Yes, well she needs better help then."
"What do you suggest? A shrink? I think you've forgotten what its like. Out here we get two therapists: shoffa and a pistol."
"Last week she got so wasted she drove off and we couldn't find her for two days. Turns out she'd wrapped one of the bikes around a holonet transceiver." whispered Hannan's stepfather who sat on Pablo's other side. "We found her curled up in a partially filled in well, stark naked." Hannan shook her head and looked across the table as her mother refiled her wine glass.
Elle had apparently begun a long anecdote about her experiences in Chicago, where Mrs. Wieck had grown up.
"And then..." Said Elle, pausing dramatically "The thing fell from the sky, crashed into the diner I was just going into and exploded! Can you believe that?"
"So, your a.. a what exactly?" Asked Hannan's mother, still cogent as ever despite the copious amounts of liquor she had consumed.
"An engineer, an Aquarius, double jointed, singer, dancer, rebel, lover." She said the last one with a significant look as Pablo.
"No, no..." Hannan's mother interrupted, waving her class in Elle's face. "What species or whatever."
"Ohhh... we're called Ocani."
"And where do you come from?"
"Our home planet is called Theadalis but we don't live there anymore. The atmosphere isn't breathable."
"Wait... I think I've heard of your kind." Hannan tensed, watching her mother's eyes narrow familiarly. "You're those buggers that got the land grant on Gumon. Yes, that's right. You're the one's who made gave the fuggin' cacks all their bright ideas."
"Mother!" Said Hannan, rising out of her seat.
"umm... sorry?" Said Elle looking a little confused.
"Does it feel good, knowing that your little escapade into space caused one of the bloodiest wars in this systems history? Do you know how many humans were killed? huh?" Mrs. Wieck smashed her glass on the table, cracking it loudly.
"Take a breath Honny," Said Hanna's step-father. "Its not worth bringing up old memories.
"Answer the question." Mrs. Wieck was staring Elle dead on in the face.
"no." Said Elle, a strange confusion of defensive anger and fear crossing her face. Her eyes shot across the table at Hannan, pleading almost. She wasn't sure what Elle's instincts would tell her to do. Did Ocani lose control? Did that matter? Her mother would deserve it but what would the consequences be?
"15,000! Crops burned, livestock slaughtered and left to rot in the sun."
"Gesine, I think you've said enough." Said Imam Hall, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"I saw a mother," Continued Mrs. Wieck, not listening. "With my own two eyes shoot her children, right in the head." She formed her hand into the gun shape, lowering the thumb. "Pop! Pop! Just so she wouldn't have to see them starve. That's what you've done. That's what happens when anyone thinks they can leave their place. Dirty buchee!"
"Stop! NOW!" Said Hannan Hannan was out of her seat and between her mother and Elle, whose stance had become more aggressive. "We're going. It was a mistake to come."
"WHAT? Ashamed of you own mother?" Mrs. Wieck stumbled a bit. Her step-father Gervais, sprinted to her side but she punched him off, rounding on Hannan. "You're right. You shouldn't have come. It was a mistake to send you to that school in the first place."
Hannan stopped listening. She motioned to H, Quentin and grabbed Elle's arm, leading them out of the room.
"I'll take you back." Said Pablo, grabbing his coat.
"I'm sorry Elle. I should have told her to stop sooner. I-I don't know why I didn't."
"But you DID, which is what matters. The only reason I didn't bite her head off was respect for you." Said Elle. Hannan was tempted to laugh but she knew that Elle was being somewhat serious.
They were loading their things into the car when someone called out for them to wait. Hannan turned and saw her mother hobbling down the front steps. Her face was tight, pinched almost but her eyes were moist with emotion.
Before Hannan could her mother had pulled her into an embrace, smothering her with kisses and tears, her voice thick and breath rank with alcohol.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Sobbed her mother, almost entirely supported by Hannan's strength. "Don't go! Please, don't go. I didn't mean what I said." Hannan looked around her. H, Elle, Quentin all seemed stunned, in a state of shock.
"I need to go, momma." Said Hannan, kissing her mother's forehead. "You know why we can't stay."
"That stuff I said doesn't matter... I didn't mean it." Her mother mumbled, holding her daughter's face between her hands.
"But you did, and it does."
Hannan saw her mother's lip quiver, and felt herself be drawn in even tighter.
"Will you come back?" She asked after a moment.
"Yes."
"Michaelmas?"
"Maybe."
"I love you."
"I love you too, momma." Hannan said, and kissed her mother one final time before climbing into the front seat of the car. She turned to wave at the rest of the family, who had by now all come out to say goodbye, and saw her mother in her husband's embrace.
The car was silent for the first thirty minutes out.
"Well." Said Elle, much more comfortable in the cooler night air. "That was fun."
"If by fun you mean weird, then yeah, sure." Quentin mumbled, already half-asleep.
"Your family seems... nice."
"No, we're not." Said Pablo, stopping as a heard of cattle crossed the road.
"Just because we love each other, doesn't mean we have to like each other." Said Hannan, socking her brother in the arm.
"You know, at night the dust seems more of a periwinkle." Said Elle.
A somewhat long bit. Hannan, H, ELle, and Quentin visit Floreencia for a holiday.... and Hannan's family are horrible xenophobes. Enjoy!