Matriarch by Karen Traviss

to her office tomorrow and she will arrange contact with the other states.”
    Esganikan stood up immediately to leave. Eddie pocketed the bee cam and made a move to intercept Rit, a straight hardwired journalist reflex that didn’t consult his brain.
    But he found he wanted to talk to her, and not for a quote. This was his friend’s widow.
    He missed Ual.
    Ralassi watched him warily and the minister, a dark quilled ovoid just like her husband and every other isenj Eddie had ever seen, shimmered and tinkled like sapphire wind chimes.
    â€œDo you have children?” Eddie asked.
    â€œThe minister says she has two sons.”
    â€œTell her I’m sorry they lost their father and I know they must miss him.”
    Ralassi interpreted. “She says they have his genetic memories, and hers, and so he will always be with them.”
    For some reason that hit Eddie very hard and he felt tears prick at his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was because Ual’s sacrifice moved him, or whether it reminded him how alone he was. Rit tottered out the door, followed by Ralassi, and Eddie glanced at Shan.
    â€œSo what are you going to do with that footage?” Shan asked. Ade, standing right behind her, put his hand flat on her back between her shoulder blades as if he was steering her out of the door. “That’ll loosen a few sphincters back home.”
    â€œI hope so,” said Eddie. “Does anything scare you? I suppose not.”
    â€œWe’re all scared of something, Eddie.”
    Ade pushed her gently. “Come on, Boss.”
    Umeh Station was hardly a diverting place to spend a day, but Ade clearly had ideas. As the two of them walked away, Ade slid his hand down Shan’s back and hooked his thumb into the back of her belt. They looked at one another for a brief moment as if they’d suddenly seen each other for the first time and were startled by the moment of revelation.
    Aww. Cute. Whatever they saw in each other, it wasn’t what the outside world perceived.
    Eddie realized he had only Serrimissani for company, waiting beside him like a patient but ill-tempered sheepdog. She’d looked after him during some unpleasant moments; a minder like that meant the difference between life and death when you were reporting in a war zone.
    And he’d felt her needle teeth in his flesh, too. Ussissi were not cute.
    â€œWeird shit, doll,” said Eddie, indicating Ade and Shan. “I know the wess’har are relaxed about all that polyandry stuff, but it still feels weird to me.”
    â€œWhat solitary, possessive creatures you are,” said Serrimissani. “Your species’ permanent aggression has a root cause, it seems.”
    Eddie wanted to explain to her that he didn’t actually want to be alone, and that humans were gregarious. But looking at the polyandrous and communal species around him, he realized he had far more in common with the isenj than with the people closest to him—his wess’har neighbors, and Shan’s bizarre family.
    And his homeworld now had more in common with Umeh. Earth was next in line for Eqbas environmental adjustment.
    Umeh Station: plant and maintenance level
    Umeh Station was like every military base Ade had ever seen except for the lush greenery. It didn’t strike him as uncomfortable at all, but then a marine could make a warm bed on pack ice. It was just a matter of the right attitude.
    It was almost luxurious here. They still had some dry rations, and Ade could be highly persuasive at procurement when he put his mind to it. It was amazing what people would trade to copy a few movies from his handheld once communication links were restricted.
    Beneath the dome, a huge network of underground chambers housed recycling and hydroponics chambers. It was quiet and the passages were softly lit, the silence punctuated only by the faint hum of pumps and drives and the gurgling and clicking of pipes processing waste. He