Page 8 of Ava Stargazer (Planet Xai #2)

Ava settled into the grass with Vox in the humid night. The summer heat of the day had given way to a cooler night now, but the air was still sticky from the recent rain.

They sat at the soul joining for Orla and Erox, leaned up against each other, a bit up the hill and away. The sound of the Vorbax rhythmically hitting dried bavla reeds against the ground filled the air.

Before the ceremony, Ava was filled with renewed energy and had been cataloging and sorting the parts they could sell for credits. She was able to put Vox’s upcoming journey out of her mind as long as she stayed busy. Her body felt sore from all the lifting and packing she’d done, but it was a good ache. Overall, her body felt good. The peeling on her arms had stopped as well.

Ava looked excitedly over the crowd as she hit the reeds in front of her, matching the beat of the others. The rattling from the reeds echoed, making a combined sound much louder than it ever naturally did when the wind whipped through the fields every afternoon. She picked up the tempo easily, hitting the stalks with the rhythm.

A low hum came from the Vorbax as they chanted words in their language. Her translator couldn’t pick up exactly what they were saying, but she didn’t want to interrupt Vox to have him translate and disturb the song.

The only other time she had heard music live like this was on Hoya with Nuor the one time she got off the ship to visit there. This music was different. Here it felt like an extension of nature rather than a sophisticated city tune like the Hoya music. It's beautiful. Ava liked this beat just as much, if not even more because she was a part of making it with the others.

The music drew to a close, and Ava followed the motions of the others, laying the reeds in front of her. She leaned back and took Vox’s hands off his lap and positioned them around her. Settling in the crook of his arms, she watched, excited to see what amounted to her first ceremony on Xai.

It’s nice to take a break like this. She sighed, feeling at peace in the bright night, the voices of the Vorbax ringing around her and Vox’s voice vibrating behind her. She rubbed her hand up and down Vox’s arm, feeling the toughened skin. His hand closed over hers when she got down to his palm.

Vox took a break from the chanting to gesture in front of him, speaking low in her ear. “Look, Ava.”

Ava looked in the direction he indicated and smiled wider at the fireflies winking in and out. She shook her head and corrected her thoughts about the glowing insects. Luras. Fireflies were what her mother told her about from Earth. They had luras here, similar yet different, but in her head she pretended it was the Earth insect she had never seen before.

“How pretty,” she whispered back to Vox, not letting the insects out of her gaze as they traveled over the grass and the heads of the other spectators watching the ceremony.

Vox said quietly in her ear, “They are drawn by the reeds shaking. I don’t know why, but they come every time. It’s part of why we do it every ceremony. They’re lucky. A good omen.” He leaned to the side around Ava and caught one as it came close, bringing it down to Ava’s cupped hands to transfer the purple insect, whose wings lit up as they flapped against her palm, soft and delicate, like a gentle brush.

So beautiful. She leaned forward to inspect the small creature. “Oh. Its wings are what light up.” She stared at it a few more moments, then brought it down in front of the biologics. “See?”

The biologics matched the glow pattern of the lura as it crawled out of her hands and across the case, then flapped its wings to leave.

Ava giggled softly as she watched the biologics continue to flash the pattern long after the insect departed.

Vox covered her hand with his, put his head down on top of hers, and hummed, pulling her thoughts back to the present. He glowed like all the others and Ava felt his gentle touch on her, questioning how she was handling being in such a large crowd with such an open connection.

She looked up at him and absently patted his shoulder. “I’m fine. It’s nice here right now. You don’t need to worry,” Ava said softly, not wanting to disturb the quiet atmosphere.

Another lura twinkled by. Ava watched it go until she lost sight of it, then refocused on the crowd below. It was better to sit here, a bit away. Not only were the telepathic waves blunted, but less were directed at her than when she was more visible.

Most of the Vorbax from this section of the city were on the main field tonight, at least those that knew Orla or Erox personally. The lake was so large that other ceremonies, on other shores, also were occurring, the sounds traveling faintly to them. The city sprawled, in many directions, with thousands more Vorbax that Ava never had met, and probably never would. The three moons on Xai were at their fullest tonight. The ceremony was held during this time to take advantage of the bright night sky that lit up the entire field as if it were a muted day.

A quiet lull in the ceremony happened when Erox and Orla began to walk the fields together, gathering stalks of bavla grain.

“Orla said he wasn’t, but do you think Erox was surprised when she chose him?” Ava asked Vox softly. “Does it usually happen this fast? Their joining?”

Ava felt a bit blindsided, as she hadn’t seen much of a connection between them on the ship. Then again, I spent a big part of the way here not noticing much at all. Her head ducked briefly at the thought.

Vox’s tone was steady. “Yes he was surprised, and overjoyed. There was some practicality to it, as she knew her genetics were compatible with him from being my brother and us already having gone through testing...” He cleared his throat. “But Erox is happy. It had to happen fast because Orla is fertile now.”

“Ah.” Ava frowned. She resisted the urge to touch her fertility blocker and instead stared absently at the crowd as she picked up her reed instrument. The seeds rattled within, softly, as she tapped it against her leg.

“I’m going to miss you so much.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, at the mention of Erox leaving the planet.

She felt selfish for voicing that and looked at the grass as she put down her instrument. It tickled her palm as she pulled a few strands.

Vox contracted his arms around her in response. “It will be for just a brief meeting. I will not be gone long.” He hesitated before adding, “We will talk more about it later, but I have to keep us safe. I can not sit idle.”

Ava didn’t say anything, but her body tensed involuntarily. She nodded, pushing her feelings down. Now isn’t the time to talk about anything serious between us. Not here at someone else’s moment.

Vox pressed his chin to the top of her head. “Nothing has happened yet, little bird. Settle your mind. Look at the ceremony.”

He offered her his mental calm, and she took it as she resettled into Vox’s arms while absently reaching for any flickering luras that came near.

Orla glowed, both literally and figuratively as she stood knee-deep in the middle of the lake in the generational outfit that Ava watched her sew the thread on from two days ago. Dew and the dress clung to her.

“She’s gorgeous,” Ava said softly, eyes glued to Orla. There were beads plastered on Orla’s cheekbones, accentuating her face and making her look more exotic than the woman who joked and played cards with Ava when she visited.

Ava didn’t have to force herself to pay attention now. The view before her was breathtaking, with the luras flickering around Orla and Erox standing in the water together. The scene was prettier and more vibrant than any video feed she’d ever watched.

Vox dipped close to her ear to explain, his voice rumbling low and making desire spike in her blood. “The dress Orla is wearing is made from an insect’s silk.”

She looked up to meet his eyes. Vox stared back at her like it was only her in this world, only her at the ceremony, leashed fire in his eyes. It made her core clench. She pushed that thought down to focus on his words. “I know. I helped her a few days ago with it. It’s beautiful,”

Ava scratched her manufactured fabric jumpsuit absently.

The new couple broke one of the bavla grain stalks in half and split the seed pod inside of it, adding it to a cup before drinking it down. Her eyes opened wide to take it all in. It moved her to be a part of the ceremony and ride the waves of the sense of community surrounding the couple. She could never have thought things like this happened. How much had she missed of life? And to think parties and events like this happen all over.

A flush of regret came over her as she thought of all the cycles she’d spent in the engine room instead of living. Sitting, watching the gears spin instead of being at parties and making friends and celebrating like they were now. She pushed that thought away as well when the biologics pulsed against her, still copying the lura’s blinking pattern.

She looked down at the container and rubbed it gently. I’m not the only one who’s missed things. Her arms circled the biologics, holding them close.

Vox whispered about what different aspects of the ceremony meant in her ear. Erox and Orla drank in unison, arms crossed to symbolize their joining. “They are marking each other’s minds now.”

And Ava could feel it too, like Orla had said. The link between them shone in unison as they radiated it out for everyone to feel. She looked up to see Vox looking at her speculatively before saying, “I think you are beginning to pick up on more of our cues. I can feel subtlety echoing in your mind. Your mind is flexible enough to adapt some, I think.”

She nuzzled him back. “I wish I was more like you. I wish I could participate more.” Could I ever even be a part of a bond like that?

He pressed the chin of his head to the top of hers, not answering her unspoken question. “You can participate enough.”

Ava smiled but internally cringed. How could she truly join with Vox if she couldn’t share in a connection like this? Then again, would she really want to be different from who she was? Is that why there was no talk from him of doing this with me?

She tapped the reeds on the ground idly. “Do you think that is something I can do as well? That connection?”

Vox shifted. “I believe so, yes.”

He didn’t add anything further and Ava turned pensive, thinking again of what ceremonies or traditions Humans might have had like this.

But ... hopefully she wouldn’t always be the only Human. As the ceremony wound down, her mind turned to Joy. It would be so nice to have another Human here. Another Human like her. “Do you think Joy will be like me?”

Vox took a moment to answer. “Was your entire family just like you?”

“No. But they were ... similar.” Ava’s brow furrowed as she tried to remember. A lot of the details were fuzzy now, so long after.

“Then that’s what I think she’ll be.”

Ava sighed as the Vorbax hummed around her. Living here was a chance for peace. From what Ava saw in Joy’s tired eyes in the photo, she could probably use a healthy dose of that.

A woman walked around, offering a drink in little woven cups. Ava took one and muttered her thanks.

“To health, Ava.” Vox accepted a drink as well, thanking the woman before throwing it back himself.

Ava drank and felt the sharp bite of something that began to swim in her veins and heated her body. She pulled her hand back to look at the little bit of liquid left swirling in the cup. “Is this alcohol? I only had this a few times before on the ship when a contractor brought some. The Haroo really liked it.”

Vox placed his own empty drink aside. “Mmhm. It is quite strong.”

As the ceremony ended, Miral, Vox’s mother, came up to them. She pressed her forehead into Vox’s as they sat there, then shifted lower to do so to Ava in a quick press.

“Mother,” Vox said in greeting after she stood.

“Your dress is beautiful too,” Ava said, eyeing the fabric.

Miral wore a gown similar to Orla’s as the mother of Erox, representing Erox’s family’s side of the union. It was just as long as Orla’s, and she held the folded end in her hand so it didn’t drag from the many extensions added.

Miral nodded, her eyes crinkling with a wide smile. “Ava. Thank you.”

She looks like Vox when she smiles. Ava looked at her contemplatively.

“That’s good. He smiles more now since he met you,” Miral said, gesturing to her.

“Oh.” Ava’s cheeks reddened. It was always so hard to try to keep her mind blank. The alcohol isn’t helping me either. Her brain already felt muddled. With all the minds around them, Ava had a hard time feeling Miral’s. She wanted to connect with her, to get to know Vox’s mother. But they’d only had a few meetings, and true familiarity eluded her. It was always like that with the women, especially if any males were around.

They looked back at the happy couple receiving well-wishes. Ava looked up at Vox. “Aren’t we going to go? Closer?”

Vox hesitated. “I . . .”

Ava frowned. Then she got up. The alcohol fully hit her, helping her to feel extra bold. “You told me earlier I shouldn’t put things off. Isn’t this part of it?”

Miral stood as well. “I’ll walk with you.” She looked meaningfully between Vox and Ava. “Maybe soon we will have another joining.”

Ava looked down and blushed at the implication. Will we? She looked at Vox hopefully, waiting for his answer.

But that was tamped down by Vox a second later. “Mother. Let Ava get used to the rest of our customs first. We are not ready for young either. And she is not ready for another mark on her mind. Everything needs to be an ... informed choice.”

Ava ducked her head and blushed. Oh. No, not that. I’m not ready for any children.

Vox stood himself before he leaned in and held her close. “Once you heal more, and feel more comfortable on Xai, we will talk about it. There is no rush.”

His mother nodded, understanding on her face as she led Ava up to the couple to press heads together and exchange their congratulations. “Soon then. Soon. Hopefully.”