Free Alien Refuge by Tracy St. John Page B

had indeed found joy with their mates.
    Guilt over those first Earther Mataras who still insisted they didn’t want to be clanned had spurred Ospar to take action when new laws had been broached. He had wholeheartedly endorsed the proposals, both brokered by his old friend Councilman Rajhir along with Empress Jessica. The latest of these was allowing those first unhappy Mataras to be de-clanned despite the near-unbreakable rule that clanning was for life.
    The second law that Ospar had given much time and effort to see passed was the one made before the war ended: that forced or coerced clannings of Earther Mataras would be banned following the end of hostilities. The outcome of the first Mataras had been a little too successful, it turned out. About half the council had ended up with Earther mates. The rest, mostly council members who had so unwillingly gone along with the initial abductions, had decided they wanted lifebringers of their own. Their constituencies had also clamored to add Mataras to their clans. As a result, many had fought restrictions on coercion.
    The current law outlawing forced clannings had been put in place for five years, an uneasy compromise with Kalquorians who wanted the issue revisited in the future in case the Empire’s numbers continued to fall. Half of that time had already passed. With the numbers of childbirths rising, making Kalquor viable for at least the next five hundred years, it was thought the law would probably be extended. Perhaps made permanent. More and more Earther women were going to Kalquor and joining clans on their own.
    One of Haven’s modest successes was kept as quiet as possible. In the less than two years since it began, well over four hundred women who had come there for a new start on life had found clans on the colony or had moved on to Kalquor to find mates. The Kalquorians did all they could for new, unmarried female arrivals, giving aid where possible. Women came to trust their hosts when they weren’t warned away by fellow Earthers, which happened more than Ospar liked. The E.I.K. had become a real problem as of late, using intimidation to keep the races separate.
    Ospar had not attempted to find a Matara for his own clan. His work took up so much of his time that he hadn’t really considered it yet. Certainly he was too busy for fatherhood, though the idea had some appeal ... for the future. Rivek hadn’t had much contact with Earthers either, being a priest who spent most of his time ministering to those Kalquorians searching for greater meaning or simply looking for a clear mind to counsel them on their troubles. Jol was among the Earther population more than the other two, but it was usually in an official capacity. Nobeks dealing with security issues were not very approachable men, but Jol had found a couple of infatuations. His fascinations hadn’t been long lasting. One young woman he’d deemed as ‘too silly’ after a couple of months. Another had commed him incessantly during the day while he was working, even after he’d patiently explained to her why he couldn’t be interrupted every hour to reassure her she was on his mind.
    Now a new woman had gotten the Nobek’s attention, and apparently Rivek’s as well. Ospar fought off a smile. One with a child, no less. Life refused to be simple. Still, he was curious to meet this Iris himself, to discover what it was about her that was so entrancing to the pair.
    Right now, he had to concentrate on official matters. Their shuttle pulled up to the guest lodgings where Ospar’s aide Dramok Borl waited for them.
    Borl had housed Councilman Maf in the nicest of the visitors’ quarters, an elegantly styled blue building with arched doorways and flowing architecture. It was a mix of Earther structure with Kalquorian sensibilities. There were no windows, since they let too much heat escape. Indoors, vids that could transmit live feeds of the outside were the rule instead. The vids could also display other