“Your mother must have known what she was doing because you turned out kind, generous, and resilient.”
Han grinned, thinking about the reason she’d ended up here in the first place. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Immigration into the Ilgorian Federation isn’t that simple,” Zeph said, pulling Han’s attention back to him. He was watchingher intensely, and the moment she took a half step toward him, he opened his arms. It was obvious to her that he needed comfort.
She went back and let him pull her into his lap.
“You’re wrong. Immigration into the federation is easy if you marry or are adopted into a family,” Tumoro commented as he carried over three stone, handleless mugs.
Han accepted a steaming mug, pleased to note the liquid inside was a dark shade of brown instead of black. Zeph didn’t take a mug, but Sandar took one then invited Tumoro to sit next to her.
He plopped down and took a sip. “Ah, this is nice.”
“I’m an adult Talin, how can I be adopted?” Sandar asked.
Tumoro waggled his ears in confusion. “What does being an adult have to do with anything?”
“What Tumoro is trying to say is that Ugarian families adopt adults all the time. Their families are large and complicated, but the important thing to understand is that because my family lives on an Ugarian planet within the federation, we are all considered Federation Citizens. I can adopt anyone I want as long as I fill out all the forms and pay the fees. You’ll be my sister and your husband will be my brother. It’s easy.”
“It can’t be that simple,” Zeph argued. He’d wrapped his arms around her and was resting his cheek on the top of her head.
“It really is,” Han said. “We don’t have enough people on Inneeko, so they’d welcome as many as I could bring back. We might even get a housing bonus, and we can claim some new land and build a bigger compound. Mom would love that!”
“How are you this competent?” Sandar asked with a surprised rattle.
Han frowned. “I’m going to assume you didn’t mean that like it sounded.”
Zeph sounded a rumble of amusement. “The literature we have about humans makes all of you sound sweet but helpless. My sister is impressed with you.”
“Literature?” Han asked, her annoyance giving way to curiosity. “Humans are so rare I’m stopped regularly by travelers and asked what I am. How do you guys have literature about us?”
“Because humans have become a favorite pet among Talins,” Sandar said.
Gilmo’s warning came back to her. “You mean slaves,” she said grimly.
“No, pets!” Sandar objected. “You’re prized and adored. The Committee of Pet Welfare was created to make sure none of you were abused. They’re the ones who’ve put together the information packets on the proper care and treatment of humans.”
Han shook her head. “We’re sentient, sapient beings.”
Sandar didn’t have an answer to that. She looked over Han’s head at Zeph, but he wasn’t any help.
“I never considered Han a pet.”
“That’s true,” she said, giving one of his hands a pat. “You kept trying to send me home for my own safety. It was sweet.”
“You have to understand that when the advance squad brought the first humans back to the empire after the Orlok War, they were so affectionate and happy that we were all entranced,” Sandar said. “The humans were wonderfully open and loving with each other. One of the young ones even made friends with a bot.”
Han barked out a laugh thinking about the stuffed animals she’d been very attached to while growing up. “Okay, I’ll admit that we can get attached to things that aren’t even sentient. But still, we can’t possibly make good pets!”
“But you do!” Sandar said. She unclipped an Ident from her belt and tapped at it until a holo started playing. It was of a group of humans playing some kind of game with a ball. They all looked so healthy and happy that it took Han a moment to notice the collars they were all wearing.
She swung her head around to look up at Zeph. “I’m never wearing a collar!”
He purred. “I would never ask you to.”
She relaxed a little, realizing she was being ridiculous. Zeph wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want. He was perfect in that way.
“Right, good boy,” she said, awkwardly patting him on his head. Amused rumbles came from both Talins and a snort-laugh came from Tumoro.
