As the host for this impromptu gathering, the onus for such tasks fell to Qalu. “Mothers, this is Helix…” Here, she paused, wondering what to say precisely. “My companion. Helix, I present Inatol, Solsan, Khrelasa, and Beh-latan, my maternal units.”

She wondered what he made of their family. Her mothers varied a fair amount in size and appearance. Inatol was the largest with stature to match her imposing personality, along with russet skin and shining copper scales. Beh-latan was the smallest, slight and delicate, glowing pink with scales in a deeper coral hue, imbued with a temperament attuned to peacemaking. Both Solsan and Khrelasa shared their build size with Qalu, closer to average, and they all ranged in earth tones, outward to bronze and gold. Though all four had contributed genetic material for Qalu’s birth, she resembled Solsan the most, down to her alt-mother’s reserved manner.

They all greeted Helix in turn, offered reciprocal respect and then settled in the common space, as if prepared for a long visit. Qalu swore silently. She couldn’t prevail on her alt-mothers to cut this encounter short, it seemed.

“Inatol has said that you’re an off-worlder,” said Khrelasa. “It’s fascinating; we’ve never met anyone from the outpost. Do tell us about Titan V.”

Helix shot her a questioning look, as if asking what he ought to say. Neither of them had any clue what life on Titan V was like and lies could be uncovered readily.

Then the answer occurred to her and it would save them both. “No, I told her not to forget that was a possibility. I never said that was where Helix is from. His family left with a yen to explore when he was small, and they’ve lived in many interesting locales.”

“Ah!” Surprisingly, that story seemed to spark Solsan’s imagination. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to travel. You must have tremendous stories.”

Though it was rare for family groups to leave Tiralan, it did happen; they usually returned when it was time for the next generation to be born. Perhaps her mothers would accept that was why Helix had “returned,” after meeting Qalu on the matching service. This fiction was certainly more manageable than inventing a life for him on Titan V, and oh, what if her mothers had wanted to visit? She shuddered, imagining the magnitude of that potential calamity. Relaxing a little, Qalu sat quiet while Helix spoke about Barath with the authority of personal experience.

“How incredible,” Beh-latan said. “Do they truly compete for the privilege of forming family units, for procreative rights?”

“Barbaric,” Inatol snapped.

“Is that not the—”