First Channel Part 6

"She is Gen. She can't be anyone's wife."

"We have pledged to one another. By law, our marriage becomes binding when she bears me a child. And she will."

Farris' eyes lifted to the portrait of Rimon's mother, over the fireplace. His field was unreadable at that moment, but his sensitive lips compressed against some great sorrow. Rimon realized for the first time that it was not entirely from his mother that he inherited the sensitivity that plagued him. Finally, his father said, "You'll have to give her up, Rimon."

"No, I won't have to. Legally, Kadi is my property." He said it with distaste. He didn't own her-she was his wife.

Shaking his head, Farris pulled open a desk drawer. "Actually, she is my property, for you obtained her illegally."

As his father spread a sheaf of doc.u.ments across the desk, Rimon's heart sank. Gone entirely was the momentary unity. Rimon was a child again, caught out in a prank more serious than he'd realized.

"I... I had to get Kadi away somehow," he tried to explain, "and I didn't have enough to cover the price they were asking."

"I knew that. I trust that my son would not deliberately cheat any man... for a lark. If I had not thought so, I'd not have paid your debt."

"But... how did they know me? I've never been to Reloc before."

"I have," Farris said. "Rimon... you didn't expect to get away entirely without paying, did you? Had you not been recognized?"

"I'll pay you back," Rimon said contritely.

"That is the least of your problems. You may have the Gen." He shoved the papers across at Rimon, scribbling his signature in the t.i.tle-pa.s.sed-to box. "It would be too disruptive to keep her here. Now, what are you going to do with her?"

"I've told you: Kadi is my wife. We're going to live together, raise a family, just like we'd always planned-only now we can love all our children equally, whether they're Sime or Gen."

"You're still determined to attempt this, in the face of all common sense?"

"Yes."

Farris got up, went to the mantel over the huge fireplace, and picked an artifact of the Ancients, a pure metal globe of the world with the continents embossed in high relief, though worn now with Mama's constant polis.h.i.+ng. As a child, Rimon had loved to make up stories about how that relic had been handed down in his family as an award for service and loyalty to an Ancient Queen. Pure fantasy. His grandfather had found it in the ruins. And Rimon had outgrown fantasy.

"Yes, Father, we're going to live together for the rest of our lives."

Farris put the globe down and turned to Rimon. His nager was grim and cold around Rimon as he said, "You can't stay here, then."

"But... this is where we can do the most good!"

"This is where you can do the most harm, Rimon! You've already disrupted the whole Farm. I shudder to think what rumors are flying-the Gen in such a state, your nager in this condition. And when Simes talk, Gens listen. We'll be lucky if we can keep our Gens from rioting if they hear that you came home claiming Simes don't have to kill."

"Is that all you care about? Keeping the Gens under control? Are you afraid I'm right-and that you'll lose your profitable business?"

Farris said angrily,"Yes, I'm afraid! Not of losing money, of losing my son-and our way of life! Rimon, you've grown up among Gens. You know what dangerous animals they are when they're not handled correctly."

"Kadi's not an animal!"

"She's a Gen. You've seen Wild Gens try to kill Simes in changeover. You've seen Gens like Nerob, grown up expecting to be Sime, turn crafty and cunning after they establish. And now... this female you have allowed to gain power over you. I ought to destroy her, Rimon, before she destroys you."

"I won't listen to this!"

"Yes you will! The best thing would be for you to let her go now, of your own free will. Let her go to her own kind and make a life for herself if she can. Or will you have to learn the hard way, when you kill her?"

"I'm not going to kill her."

"Rimon... I know what torture it will be for you when you kill this particular Gen. However, the greatest tragedy of all would be if you were right... if you really could teach all Simes ta do what you claim to have done."

"Tragedy?" Rimon was at a total loss.

"Suppose... every Gen were capable of controlling Simes as this female does. Think of it, Son. The world would be run by Gens. Is that what you want? When you're away from her influence, can't you think clearly enough to see how dangerous she is? Possibly she has good intentions toward you-but think of other Gens. Would you like to see Nerob with such power? The Wild Gens? If they didn't kill us all off, they'd make slaves of us."

Astonished, Rimon could only stare at his father. He's as much afraid of Gens as they are of us! "Father... it won't be like that!"

"So I hope," said Farris. "Take the female to the border, and return. Or-take her to live with you, and don't return. Alone, my son, you are always welcome here. But as long as you call that Gen your wife, you are not. Take whatever you require-horses, a wagon, supplies-and try your experiment. When it fails, come home, Son."

Rimon got up. "We're not going to fail," he said. "We'll go." He thought quickly. "We'll homestead on that land near the border that I used to tell you about. You'll always be welcome there, Father."

He found Kadi sitting on the bench in the hall. She stood up anxiously, scanning his face. "He wouldn't listen to you. What did I do, Rimon? I didn't say a word..."

"No, Kadi, it wasn't anything you said. My father is afraid of you."

Her blue eyes were huge with astonishment. "Afraid of me?"

"Yes, afraid. Come on, now. We've got to pack."

"Where are we going?" she asked, accepting without question the fact that they couldn't stay on the Genfarm.

He told her of his idea as they went to his room. There was good farmland available for anyone willing to clear it, and to chance the attacks of raiding parties from out-Territory. "It's the right place for us, now," said Rimon, "practically between the two Territories. Later, when more people have learned what we have-things will be different."

Rimon's room was just as he'd left it-including the package he'd tossed on the bed. Handing it to Kadi, he said, "A belated wedding present."

She opened it and lifted a length of the blue material. "Oh... Rimon. You bought this for me?"

"In Scobla. It was for your wedding dress."

She smiled, although her eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears. "There's enough here for a whole wardrobe-and that's what it will have to be, since I don't have anything else. It's beautiful, Rimon-but you'll get sick of seeing me in blue."

He took her in his arms, as much for the closeness of her presence as to comfort her. Kadi, he was just beginning to realize, was the last part of his old life left to him-and the symbol of everything new. How could his father not trust her? He kissed her forehead. "Come on, Kadidid you're the practical one. Help me pick out what to take with us."

People disappeared at their approach. Rimon was glad that Kadi couldn't zlin the way Su and her children rushed out the other door when he and she came toward the kitchen. By the time they entered, the room was empty, the partly prepared meal left unattended. Kadi couldn't help knowing what had happened, he thought, but she said nothing and neither did he.

"Pick out some basic utensils," he told her quietly. "Dad said to take what we required."

Kadi nodded and began methodically gathering a small pile, repressed sorrow in her nager. He didn't have to ask what made her heart ache: her mother's touch was everywhere in the kitchen-and Marna was also the only mother Rimon had ever known. We'll still find them, he thought, but he didn't share the thought with Kadi now. It was going to take time-and they would have to prove they could live together themselves first.

In silence, each deep in his own thoughts, Rimon and Kadi loaded a small wagon. Rimon wondered how aware Kadi was that they were being watched. Curiosity and suspicion followed their every move.

No one approached them, though, until Rimon brought the horses up to harness them to the wagon. Then Del Erick came across the yard from the bachelor's quarters, defiance and sympathy in his nager. He was leading his stallion, Lightning, by a hackamore.

"Rimon..." He looked sidewise at Kadi, hesitant. Then, daringly, he acknowledged her with a nod. "You're leaving?"

Rimon nodded.

Studying Rimon's nager, Erick said, "Together?"

Rimon stepped a little away from Kadi, minimizing the nageric interaction. "Del, I'm onto something exciting. I can't let go of it just because my father-prefers more traditional ways."

Chewing his lip, Del nodded again, considering. Then he dug into his s.h.i.+rt front and came out with a leather bag. "Look, you'll have to have some money to get started. Here are the stud fees I've gotten from Lightning. It's not the whole amount I owe you, but..."

Rimon pushed the little bag away. "Del, I can't take your last..."

"If you won't take the money, then here-" He thrust the horse's reins into Rimon's hands. "Take Lightning. You own more of him than I do, anyway. And you'll have to have horses-he could service your mares and next year you'll have foals to sell-or you could hire him out and get the money to pay your taxes..."

Stunned, Rimon let his friend push the reins into his hand, but he was shaking his head. "You had such plans, Del, to go into business yourself. I can't let you give all that up for me and Kadi."

"I'm not giving up," said Del. "I've proved I can do it now. I can get another backer, find another horse, start again. I've got a job. You're going off into the blue... Rimon, where are you going? How will you survive?"

"Remember that strip of bottomland, just this side of the river, where we camped that time? Kadi

"It's also a Gen Raider's corridor. You'd have to have an army to hold that land!"

"No we won't. We'll make friends with the Gens; somehow. Kadi and I-we can do it now, Del. We're going to start something new-no killing. We're going to live in peace and friends.h.i.+p with everyone."

Del's eyes misted over as he looked at the faraway dream. "Yeah, I remember the little grove we picked out for the main house..." Then he came to himself. "Kids' dreams. It's going to take more than two tentacled arms to make a go of it."

"I have Kadi."

Del blinked, looking back at her as she sat quietly on the wagon seat, holding the reins of the horses still not secured to the wagon tongue.

Del moved a little closer, one hand on the horse's withers as he studied her nager again. "Kadi-Kadi?"

"It's just me, Del, the same as always, only a bit more grown up."

He looked at Rimon, who said, "She's my wife, now and a lot more than that. She gave me-a satisfaction I could never get from the kill. And she survived. And she's going to survive it again, next time." He turned to Del to look at him squarely. "She doesn't control me-and I don't control her. We're-married."

Rimon wound one tentacle around Lightning's reins and took Del's hands in his, gripping his friend's handling tentacles with his own in tight friends.h.i.+p. "Just feel what she's done for me. You could have it, too. We could teach you."

Del was tempted, but hesitant.

Rimon thrust the horse's reins back in Del's hands. "I *can't take Lightning-not with what he means to you. And you've worked too hard for that money; you're too close now to give it all up. But you could tie Lightning on behind the wagon and come with us-out into the blue to homestead. We could certainly use the help."

Del's eyes went to Rimon's hands and tentacles, twined with his own. Without looking up, he shook his head. "I'm in need."

"Only just past turnover, if I'm any judge. Kadi?" She edged down off the seat of the wagon, neatly managing the reins without spooking the horses. As her nearly palpable fields enfolded Erick, Rimon could feel the need-tension drain from his friend. It was like the ringing of a strident bell shut off suddenly. There was a peace in which mental clarity was possible above and beyond the normal.

"See?" said Rimon. "She doesn't control-she sets us free to be ourselves. If you don't kill your next Gen, he could do that for you-all month long, Del. All the time!"

"You could teach me not to kill?"

"There's not much trick to it," said Rimon. "It's mostly the Gen who has to be convinced not to be afraid."

"But-I like the fear..."

"It's good-sure-but this is better. Del, if I can do this -with all my problems-surely you could do it, too."

Del thought that over, then said, "I'd like to go with you -you can't make it by yourselves, no matter what you think. And the whole idea..." He looked at Kadi. "All right, Rimon. I'm in."

Rimon smiled broadly at Kadi, squeezing her shoulders so tightly she squealed and they all laughed. Rimon said, "Go on up to the house and tell Dad you're quitting. Do you have a Gen lined up?"

"No. It's never mattered to me the way it does-did-to you. I've always taken whatever's available."

"The only way this will work is if the Gen is not afraid, and we have only a few days to convince him not to be. So-it has to be a Gen we can talk with."

Del paled. "A Domestic? One who grew up in-Territory? Rimon, I've never-"

"You're not going to kill him, remember?"

Hope and fear conflicting within him, Del nodded. "I've never collected a choice kill here, so I guess your father owes me one after two years."

Farris allotted his employees their choice of available Gens once each six months. Most, like Del, never chose the Domestic Gens marked for the bazaars and choice auctions.

"Go choose someone you can talk to," said Rimon, "someone Kadi can talk to. She'll be more convincing than either of us!"

Del smiled bravely, although Rimon knew even Kadi could see his apprehension. "I haven't got much to pack," he said. "I'll be ready to go in no time."

As they watched Del walk determinedly toward the Pens, Rimon took Kadi's hand. "Del's the first," he said. "There will be others. We'll make it work, Kadi. Somehow... we're going to make it work!"

PART II.

Chapter Six.

VISITORS.

Whack!

Rimon drove the axe deep into the wood, pulled it out, drove it home again-angrily working out his frustrations and anxiety by cutting firewood. There was already enough piled to last a week; still he worked steadily, holding back from augmenting. That would have felt good and made the work go faster-but he didn't want to finish the mindless task and have to face reality... his growing need.

They'd come here three weeks ago with such high hopes -two Simes and two Gens ready to start a new way of life. Del had chosen carefully, a boy from town who knew Del, Rimon, and Kadi, who could understand the chance they offered him. At first it seemed they could conquer anything-even the panic that shattered the boy's nager when Del picked him out of the Pen.

"I'm not going to kill you!" Del was saying-angrily, because the boy's fear was such an irritation to him-when he led him up to the wagon where Rimon and Kadi waited.