The village was almost exactly as Kyle had left it, except there were a lot more people around, as well as provisional shelters. Most of the strangers were warriors, and it struck Kyle that they stood in groups together or walked around with the same swagger as fighter pilots did on any Space Navy outpost.
Both were always a breed apart, but the mystique of the selfless, mind-reading, wise warrior had somehow blunted. It wasn’t resentment against their rules or that he himself had never made the cut. It was that Kshar, a shapechanging alien, seemed to do a much better job at it than they did. And wasn’t that peculiar.
Another thing that struck him was that the village seemed both quaint and basic. Back when he’d lived on Tamene, he’d been proud that he belonged to one of the richer tribes whose goods and jewelry and carvings were widely traded. His village was also famous for navigators, hunters, warriors, and none of them had any trouble courting any bride or groom they desired. It was a “respectable” village, with a wise council and strong warriors, and it was a reputation built over centuries.
Of course, none of this mattered once you left the planet. The reputation of Tameneans as fierce and warlike encompassed even the cowards and peaceful farmers. What struck him was the absence of nearly all technology—it was clearly not needed, and he knew there were some very ancient machines such as harvesters rusting away in the jungle.
“This place is interesting,” Grimm finally said.
“How do you mean?”
Grimm looked around, took a deep breath, but much like a scientist did. To taste it, evaluate it. “You can feel the history. There are no overlays. You can go right into it.” Grimm shook his head in wonderment. “This is a deep, rich vein.”
“Now that sounds creepy.”
Grimm slapped Kyle’s shoulder. “I did mention we’re also scientists. Explorers. This is not a place we’d normally have come to, but it provides some excellent material for study.”
Kyle became aware of people now watching them, examining them with that affected disinterest reserved for strangers. Finally, an older woman came over and offered them a bowl of fresh water. Kyle peered at her and thought she looked like the aunt of a childhood friend, but he couldn’t remember her name. Look at that, he couldn’t remember people’s names after twenty years, while Grimm could remember details and feelings of lives he hadn’t even lived!
He waited for Grimm to wash his hands in the water and thank her with a nod, before he washed his. Even though this was his home village, Grimm as another tribe’s warrior still had higher standing.
“I should go and see my family.”
“Want me to come along?”
“That’s ... complicated. On one hand, they’ll be happy I landed myself a warrior. On the other, they’ll be fussing over you, which might be awkward.”
Grimm scoffed. “And if I don’t come along, they’ll wonder why not?”
“Oh no, they’d assume you’re an important personage and have business with the Council.”
“But that wouldn’t reflect well on you as my lover.”
“It’s ... I know it’s weird and archaic, but a warrior calls the shots. There’s a whole range of behaviors that’s acceptable for you, but not for me, in this kind of relationship. That they think we have. I could be anything from your beloved treasure to your spear-carrier, to your servant. The insult you committed on Sturm is because warriors are usually not allowed to mess with another’s lover and/or student. If you decided to treat me as no better than a dog, that’s within your right, and people would be more likely to wonder what the hell I did wrong that you don’t treat me better.”
Grimm nodded. “Yes, weird and archaic.”
“It made sense once upon a time as it created firm bonds among warriors, which is how the tribes survived. Also, it tempers the ego of a young warrior-in-training. And, to be fair, warriors adhere to very strong codes of honor and propriety, so downright abuse is ... well, I haven’t witnessed it.”
“Well.” Grimm glanced around. “I’d prefer we stay together. I’ll introduce myself to the Council later. Sturm will no doubt tell them I’m back.”
“That he will.” Kyle groaned. “Well. Time to introduce my strapping warrior boyfriend to the parents, I guess.”
* * * *
And it went pretty much as predicted. His mother, aunts, father, uncles and their various offspring gathered within minutes in the house of Kyle’s mother, paying respect to Grimm first. They greeted Kyle with barely contained wariness, but most of them made an effort to politely ignore his prosthetics. Of course, while going off into space and returning with cyberware and stories of space battles meant any purity Kyle might have put claim to had become moot, he’d also returned with a warrior, and seemingly a well-respected one. As a warrior, of course, Grimm had been pure enough to survive leaving intact, and him taking Kyle under his wing rubbed off some of that onto Kyle.
Above all, though, Grimm really showed his skills as an infiltrator. He hit the exact right notes with people, appearing, in turns, regal, dignified, comradely, and approachable and warm, depending on who he spoke to. Of course he was reading people’s minds and judged their moods and responded to their expectations, so to him it had to be easy, like an adult herding three-year-olds toward a bucket of sweets.
But while Kyle watched him, he didn’t detect even a hint of superiority or arrogance in Grimm. In fact, Kshar’s nature—which Kyle felt was generally kind and caring—always shimmered through, visible for those who knew him. Unlike pretty much any engineer Kyle had ever met, Grimm was very good with people. And what harm was there in Kyle’s family assuming he’d found himself a warrior? They wouldn’t understand the difference. Kyle did prefer they remained fooled, like he preferred to fool himself most days that Grimm wasn’t so different, regardless of what his true form was.
When day turned to night, more guests arrived, until the better part of the village crowded in and out of the house. Before long, there was music and dancing and Grimm sitting there in the middle, pride of place, of course, with Kyle right next to him. It felt eerily like a wedding feast, with everybody showing up, bringing food and well wishes, acknowledging of course first Grimm, then Kyle, and many expressing they were glad that Kyle had returned and that Grimm had chosen to accompany him. Kyle found both his parents beaming proudly, and it was easy to relax against Grimm and be glad for the fact that Grimm handled himself perfectly.
It was light outside when they finally managed to escape into a guest room, and Kyle simply stripped and fell into bed. Grimm didn’t hesitate, either; he looked almost dazed, possibly absent-minded.
“How are you holding up?” Kyle asked.
“Oh. I like your family.” Grimm took off the last of his clothes and slid into bed next to Kyle. “They’re very proud of you. And not just because of me. Happy you came back. Affectionate.”
“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you played along so well.” Kyle rested his head on Grimm’s shoulder, soaked up the strength and warmth emanating from that powerful body and felt Grimm’s hand idly trace a line between his shoulder blades.
“You don’t have to tell me.” Grimm kissed his forehead. “I can taste it.”
“You’re a very good spy, aren’t you?”
Grimm laughed softly. “You could say I get by most days.”
They chuckled together, until Grimm became serious. “There’s a stranger in the village. Everybody seems to be worried about him. We need to meet him tomorrow.”
“Are you getting an impression of him?”
Grimm hesitated. “Only what people say. He’s Doctrine, he’s an officer, and he’s here to negotiate Tamene joining the Doctrine. The Council has been sitting in deliberation over the matter. It’s why Sturm is so agitated—he’s conflicted.”
“Oh great.” Kyle groaned. “A warrior with a chip on his shoulder and a soulless Doctrine zombie. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Grimm chuckled. “Tomorrow, we can gather more information. Then we can plan the next moves.”
But something kept nagging at Kyle. “Why did you insist we should come here? I was ready to make a run for the Glyrinny border with you.”
“But are you glad we’re here?”
“You know I am. But you couldn’t predict that, could you?” He really didn’t know what limits Grimm had. Which was possibly more unsettling because he had the same potential now himself but no idea when it would manifest. If it did. Maybe he’d simply turn into a defunct Glyrinny.
“No. I just felt it would help you let go.” Grimm’s chest expanded with a deep sigh. “Closure.”
“I haven’t been here in a long time, and now suddenly I need closure?” He’d have been fine with never seeing Tamene again, its petty concerns, its hierarchies, the fact that he’d never been good enough to be a warrior, even if his talents had proven to be in a totally different field. Maybe, had he stayed, he’d have found a place as a navigator or ship’s captain.
“It seemed like a risk worth taking. I want you to join us without regrets, ready to start a new chapter of your life rather than being held back by memories of the past.” Grimm nudged Kyle to look at him, so Kyle looked up into his eyes. They were dark and sincere. Grimm was nothing if not convincing. And he’d called him his other heart in front of Sturm—and what if that were real, not just a glib lie to rile Sturm and protect Kyle? And if it was real, and it sure felt real right now, in Grimm’s arms, was he ready for that? They’d somehow slipped from predator and prey, to comrades with benefits, to almost married. Kyle chuckled at the thought. I Married a Shapechanging Alien by Accident, soon showing on your favorite vid channel.