Beneath a bright blue sky, Inlan moved deftly among the almost 250,000 Earthans, trying not to collide with any. A smattering of people sat in the shade of tall trees, and he made his way towards them.

"Sorry," he said, after accidentally stepping on someone's picnic blanket, but they didn't acknowledge him.

Finding a patch of unclaimed ground, he knelt in the grass and waved his palm right above the tips of the thin, crumpled blades. He'd grown up in a landscape of sand and rock, not seeing real grass until he was eighteen. It grew in abundance in the Softlands, but greenery of any kind was precious on Relica, and everyone -- even Softlanders, to whom plants were a common sight -- were careful to step only on the stone paths.

The enormous pool of water in the center of the field was a stunning mirror of the perfect sky, but no one paid its beauty much attention. All eyes were ahead, watching as men gave speeches about unity, confronting hatred, and treating everyone equally regardless of skin color. One man finished, and another stepped up to the microphones.

"Pleasure now to present the moral leader of our nation," he said, in a deep, dignified voice, "one who has conducted a massive moral campaign in the southern area of the nation..."

Inlan pressed a few buttons on his mechasuit, and the entire scene slid past him. He was no longer standing beneath a tree, but at the front of the enormous crowd. He was high above them, the rectangular pool of water now reflecting the towering white obelisk at the other end of the park, as the man finished his introduction.

"...Martin Luther King, Jr."

Another man with a thin mustache took his place behind the microphone and said, "Thank you Mr. Randolph. I would simply like to say that..."

"First Tin Inlan, transmit."

Pausing the manifest, Inlan brought his forearm up to his mouth. "Squad, Senior Medic?"

"You are required in the Medic Lab."

Inlan's stomach dropped, and he spun around looking for the clock, but all he saw were Earthans, trees, and blue sky. "I'm late, aren't I?" he said, swiping his finger across his sleeve. The scene around him vanished, leaving only a large room with rounded, bulbous steel walls and an arched ceiling.

"Report to the Medic Lab immediately," was Aspri's reply.

Inlan was already opening the hatch and jogging out of the room. "Squad."

"End transmit."

Although he was looking forward to seeing Lutari, Inlan wished he could continue with the manifest. The name Martin Luther King, Jr. had shown up a bunch of times when he was researching the history of conflict on Earth, and there were many references to that speech he was about to give. Maybe it would provide some insight into recommendations for how to handle all of the unrest on the cart.

"First Tin Inlan!" a gruff voice called out. "Attention!"

Inlan stopped in his tracks and straightened up, hands at his sides. But when he saw Stratum Protection Officer Onaka walking in his direction, it took all of his training not to ignore the order and continue on his way.

"Where are you off to?" Onaka asked.

"Medic Lab, Sir," he answered, staring straight ahead at the otherwise empty hall.

"For pairing?"

"Squad, Sir."

Onaka stopped right in front of him, blocking Inlan's gaze. Descended from the O'orling, a race of red aliens from the O'uta sector, Onaka looked different than most Relicans. Usually children of Asteroid Mates resembled their fathers rather than their mothers when it came to skin color, but offspring of the O'orling were different. His rust-colored skin gave away his heritage instantly, announcing that his father had been silver and his mother an Asteroid Mate. And if that wasn't enough evidence, the inch-long spikes on the backs of his hands, rising up from custom-made mechasuit gloves, would have cinched it.

Bringing his smirking face close to Inlan's, Onaka spoke in a low, taunting voice and said, "Have you been infected too, First Tin? Did that little pet of Tausson's put you in a frenzy?"

Inlan kept his mouth shut. There was no way to answer without starting trouble.

"I see it all over your face," Onaka continued, leaning against the wall as if they were having a friendly conversation. "You look forward to your pairing a little too much now that she's gone, don't you? Maybe you can't even wait until your pairing anymore." He grabbed one of Inlan's gloved hands, inspecting it. Inlan had no choice but to let him take it, all the while imagining slugging the smug superiority off of his red face.

"I don't see any signs of unusual wear," said Onaka, grinning as he tossed Inlan's hand away, "but no one would blame you -- you are a bronze after all. We're all used to making special accommodations for your kind, given your extreme animal urges."

Inlan had been putting up with comments like this his whole life. They'd become rare after joining the Squad, but for the past two weeks, ever since Tierney and Tausson had left for Lota, it seemed like everyone around him had simply been storing up, waiting for a chance to voice their true feelings. Onaka was the only one brazen enough to insult him so openly, but there were plenty of snide comments, whispered just loud enough to hear, about him being influenced by Tierney, and how he was frenzied again because of his friendship with her, unable to control his lust. He balled his fists at his sides, trying to tamp down the anger that threatened to set them in motion.

Through clenched teeth, he said, "Permission to continue to the Medic Lab, Stratum Onaka."

Onaka chuckled, then wrapped his arm around Inlan's shoulders, the spikes grazing his cheek. "See, now I know there's something wrong -- you used to be able to take a joke."

With a slap on the back, Onaka said, "Move along, First Tin. And forget about that rooter -- she's nothing but trouble."

Inlan almost jumped on the sludge's back for the slur -- Tierney had been an Asteroid Mate, after all, albeit briefly -- but instead he moved forward, refusing to give Onaka the satisfaction of a spar. And, as much as he didn't want to admit it, when it came to brawn, Inlan knew Onaka was his superior.

"I'd bring the cows home with him for wits, though," Inlan mumbled, trying out one of the Earth sayings he'd seen in the Culture Base. He wished Tierney were still there -- she could have told him if he used it right. He never seemed to get the nuances correct.

The Lab was empty, and the door to the pairing room was open.

"I'm here," he said, his shoulders tensed in anticipation of the Senior Medic's inevitable reprimand for his tardiness. But it was Lutari who responded.

"Inlan!" She came rushing out of the pairing room, her white eyes and teeth gleaming brightly against her iron-colored skin. "We conceived! I'm gestating!"

The good news pushed Onaka's insults from his mind, and he quickly removed his gloves, reaching for the back of Lutari's neck. She did the same, and they pressed their foreheads together, each grinning.

"It was all that extra time we had," he said, casting a sly smile at the Senior Medic. "Thanks for being so understanding, Sir."

It was meant as a jibe, but the bronze Relican looked surprisingly unruffled. "It is cause for celebration," he said, wearing the closest thing to a smile Inlan had ever seen on him. He entered something into his mechasuit, and a moment later a message chimed on Inlan and Lutari's sleeves. Inlan read it out loud.

"Bright blessings to First Tins Inlan and Lutari, who have once again beaten the odds and successfully conceived..." He looked up at Aspri, unable to believe it. "...twins?"

Lutari squealed with joy. "Yes! I saw them myself! Twins!"

Inlan's heart swelled and he picked her up, swinging her around in the air like he'd seen on some of the Earthan sightscreen waves.

"Put me down!" she shrieked, her eyes bulging in alarm.

He immediately lowered her to the ground, and Lutari pressed her hands against her belly, anxiously staring down at it.

"Sorry," he said, glancing nervously between her and Aspri.

"No harm done, First Tin," said the Senior Medic, "but mind yourself in the future. Those are precious gems she's hauling."

Pressing his forehead to Lutari's again, he apologized once more.

"It's okay," she said, smiling as she butted her forehead softly against his. "I'm excited too."

Suppressing the urge to wrestle her to the floor like they usually did, Inlan rubbed his stomach and started walking backwards towards the hatch. "Well my belly is as empty as the Gulak mines, and I'm guessing the twins could use some nutrients, so let's go get all four of us some dinner."

Lutari shook her head. "I'm going to eat in my lodge."

"In your lodge? But we always eat together."

"Yeah, but, that was before."

Inlan bumped into the hatch behind him. "Before? Before when?"

Walking towards him, Lutari reached for the handle. "When we were mates."

She opened the hatch while he was still leaning against it, and he fell into the hallway. A group of passing Tins from Communications chuckled down at him.

"Bright blessings, Lutari and Inlan!" one of them said.

"First a promotion and now twins," another added. "The Great Metalsmith must like your spark, Inlan."

"Yup," he said, lying on the floor for an extra moment, "things are really looking up for me."

"I'm going to miss your bad jokes," Lutari said, giving him an indulgent smile as she reached down to help him up. Then, without another word, she turned and went down the corridor.

Although he knew he'd see her again -- she wouldn't be leaving the Irral until her gestation was nearly complete -- this felt like a goodbye. He almost said as much, but instead he simply watched her go, her words echoing in his mind long after she disappeared down an intersecting hall.

We're not mates anymore?

Technically, they were still mates. Their cycle didn't end for another three months, regardless of whether Lutari had conceived or not. But Inlan understood what she meant. Their time together was over. Their purpose had been served, and as soon as a suitable mate was found for him, Inlan would be pairing with a new partner.

A swell of dismay surged within him. He wished he could go straight to his lodge and play his nubla for the rest of the afternoon, but he still had work to do.

"First Tin Inlan, transmit."

He stood at attention, even though it was only the commander's voice in the hall with him. "Squad, Commander Hoff."

"A special request has come from one of the Earthans regarding the Culture Base. Contact sightscreen 8-12-18 at five chips before jade and ask for Clementine Dawson."

"Isn't that Tierney's sister? Or is it another Clementine Dawson?" Earthans didn't have a global name registry like Relica did. Duplicates were sure to be common.

"You'll have to ask," said the commander, although the smile in his voice revealed that it was likely. Hoff had been friends with Tierney as well, and even with Inlan's new rank of First Tin, the head of Planetary was usually the only one allowed direct contact with an Earthan.

"Squad, Commander."

He started to lower his arm, anticipating the end of the call, but the commander said, "Inlan?"

"Squad?"

"Bright blessings for Lutari's gestation. One set of twins is a gift from the Great Metalsmith, but two? Your joy must be boundless."

Forcing a smile so he would sound happy, Inlan said, "Squad, Commander. It is a bright blessing for all."

"End transmit."

Inlan started towards the nutrient supply, trying not to think about how it was the first time in over a year -- since Lutari had come back from her first birthing -- that he'd walked there alone at this time of day. Everyone he encountered offered him words of congratulations and kindness, which, while better than the snickering and snide remarks he'd been getting, only made him feel worse.

"Bright blessings, Inlan!" someone called to him.

It is a blessing.

But no matter how many times he repeated the phrase, he didn't believe it.