Perhaps because it isn’t a colony world, Verus has never had the traffic that most of the other worlds endure. I’m something of a regular visitor by human standards, spending quite a bit of time there with my uncles and my younger cousins. Ever since Aidan and Jordan perfected the gateway technology that we now use every day; my whole family has been at the very least a little more cosmopolitan than most humans.

For me, moving from one planet to another for a visit has seemed like the most natural thing to do for my whole life, whether it is Sevrin or Verus. It seems that, despite his training and background, this isn’t the case for Rob. As we move through Atlanta’s gateway hub, he seems more than a little nervous.

“I didn’t expect you to be anxious about this,” I tell him as we walk across the main concourse towards the Verus immigration gate. There aren’t any actual restrictions on travel here, with all visitors being welcome, but the system likes to keep a record of any humans on Verus and vice-versa.

“Never have been a fan of gateways, well not ones between gravity fields at least.”

“Sorry, I forget that not everybody does this as routine. I’ve become so acclimated to moving between the three very different fields of Earth, Sevrin and Verus that it just doesn’t even register anymore. Only going out to the Manannan has any effect these days and even that is a moment of minor discomfort while I adjust.”

We’ve made it to the checkpoint and I grow quiet while I communicate with the immigration AI through my Nexima. As expected, there’s no issue with our passage, just the formality of identification and a simple request for the reason for our visit. I’m sure that most people go to Verus for tourism – there’s a fairly steady stream of people going to look at the wildlife and stunning scenery – but there’s also considerable administrative and business traffic.

“Do you need an arm to hold onto?” I ask with genuine concern as we approach the gateway portals.

“No, I’ll be fine. Just stay close in case I stumble on the other side.”

“Sure. Just take your time and relax. You’re supposed to be the tough military type here.”

Rob actually does really well, managing to only miss a single step and having the sense to just stop and stand still for a few moments once we pass through. I need little more than a double-step to find my footing, but I have to admit that it can be a little disorientating if you are not used to it.

Once the Valatan became full members of our federation, the main gateway hub for their world was built in the capital, Atuan. Apart from the increased gravity, and the almost exclusively Valatan travellers, it is pretty hard to tell that you’re not in an Earth-based provincial hub on the ground. Looking up, however and you see the hand-carved beams that confirm it is a timber-built building built by Valatan artisans.

I’m enough of a regular visitor that I don’t need to figure out where to go, turning left as I exit the Earth gateway lanes and heading directly for Settlement. They never did decide on a suitable name for the place and calling it Settlement just seems to have struck a chord with the locals and the human settlers alike.

“You know your way like an old local,” Rob tells me as we approach the Settlement gateway. “Once we’re through here, is it far?”

“Feeling the gravity already?”

“Not yet, but I know it’s coming before the day is out.”

We’re almost at the gateways when I see someone coming through the other way who I recognise. She’s the first to speak as we stop and hug one-another. “Darren? Are you the reason Dad’s a bit flustered this morning?”

“I might be guilty, Tiffany. This is Rob, a colleague from the department. Rob, this is my cousin, Tiffany.” She takes his offered hand and gives it a quick shake with a firm grip. Tiffany seems to be the one of my three cousins who I see most often and she is the one closest to me in age. I know she mostly works on Earth, but regularly comes back to Verus to see her fathers. Maybe it has something to do with her being the eldest. I know my sister sees my parents more than I do, but there are a handful of years between the two of us, where Tiff and myself are only a few months apart.

“He wouldn’t tell me what’s going on, so I assumed it was something to do with exploration. Anyway, I’m heading back to Earth now. Don’t stress them both out too much.”

“I’m not sure I could. I think my boss released some stuff to them in anticipation of our arrival. That’s probably what has him excited.”

“It’ll do them both good to have something to concentrate on. Between the two of us, they were becoming a bit bored, I think.”

“Well, we’ll not keep you. It was good to see you though. We’ll have to have a proper catch-up soon.”

“Yeah, How’s Jack?”

I probably should have known that the question would come up sooner or later, but even so I’m a bit flustered and it must be obvious to both Tiffany and Rob as I take a moment to answer.

“I’ve no idea. Sorry, Tiff, but he walked out a few days ago,” I manage eventually.

Now it’s my cousin’s turn to look discomfited. “I’m sorry, Darren. I didn’t know. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Too much to do at work to worry about it anyway.”

“Well, we really do need to catch up properly. I’d better get moving. See you real soon, yeah?”

“Yes. I promise I’ll be in touch,” I tell her with another hug. She turns away without another word and walks briskly off towards the Earth gateway.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” I suggest to Rob as we step through the next portal.

“Probably for me more than you,” Rob admits.

“Yeah, sorry about that. There might be a little more of it when we get to our destination, so accept further apologies in advance. I will make it clear that you’re a colleague, not a replacement.”

Apart from the ready and abundant use of Gateway portals, the Valatan as a whole haven’t made use of much modern technology, even though pretty much everything that Earth has to offer is available to them. Their settlements now have electricity and decent plumbing, but many of them had the plumbing already. They make as much use of their Nexima implants as we do, but there’s still little in the way of automation or transport infrastructure.

What this means for us is a walk of about a kilometre once we step through the gateway and into the small building that houses it. We’re right beside the bulky remains of the Mona’s Isle. Unlike Sevrin, where the ship became the heart of the planetary capital, here it is simply a relic of human arrival and apparently likely to be removed at some point in the not-too-distant future.

When humans had first arrived here, the proximity of the river had been something of an afterthought, but it did, ultimately provide the ideal location for a settlement. Peter and Andrew had built much of the town on the slightly raised bluff that was just to the south of the river, north of the landing site. This is still home to a set of administrative buildings and some of the first houses built on this world by humans.

All this means that, to get to their house, we have to walk up a bit of a slope and, for anyone not used to the slightly higher gravity, this is a bit of an effort. While Peter is still the planetary administrator, he is working on stepping back from full-time management and told me it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take time to talk to us. I then suggested seeing them both at the house.

Rob is breathing hard by the time we make it to the front door, and I’m only a little better off than he is. As I could have expected, Peter is the one to answer the door as we approach. “How’s my favourite nephew?” he asks as he pulls me into a hug.

“I’m your only nephew.”

“True, but you’re still my favourite. You must be Rob, Minerva and Andy have spoken of you a few times in passing. Minerva sees you as a valued colleague.”

“I think she likes to say that about everyone on the faculty,” Rob suggests as he takes Peter’s hand and shakes warmly.

“Well, you’d better come in and sit down before you both collapse,” Peter suggests as he steps back from the door to allow us to get inside. The house was built to take the best advantage of the climate, while nodding to the gravity and location. It’s a single-story Romanesque construction centred on an open courtyard and a covered colonnade that allows sweeping views of the river below. Little has been built on this side of the bluff and nothing high enough to spoil the view.

“Did you happen to bump into Tiffany?” Andy asks as we approach the colonnade and join him in what is an outdoor living space.

“I did,” I admit. “To avoid similar embarrassment again, I’ve split with Jack – well, he walked out on me. I’m single and don’t want to talk about it.”

“Blunt as always,” Andy mutters.

Peter gestures for the two of us to take seats and we all end up on one or another of the three couches where we can see and hear one-another clearly.

“Tiffany did suggest that you might have looked at the information I had sent to you yesterday?”

“Yes. You have quite a conundrum,” Peter agrees. “How is progress on the rest of the data?”

“Heading in the right direction. I expect we will have both sides by tomorrow at the latest. I know that we don’t have the complete picture until we can get the two opposing viewpoints, but I’d welcome your thoughts – both of you.”

“Well, I’m not sure what we can offer, except a little experience dealing with an alien race,” Peter admits.

“That is technically more than I have,” I tell him honestly. “The Valatan aren’t alien to me, I’ve known them for my whole life.”

“Well, that I think I understand. Anyway, all I can really suggest is that you go into any interaction with honesty and don’t try to hide anything that you don’t have to,” Peter says.

“I’d agree with that,” Andy tells us. “We took a very early decision to try and answer any question, even if it was to tell the Valatan that they didn’t have the background to understand the technology or the context.”

“And do you have a view of the Thermians from what you’ve seen so far?” Rob asks. “I know it is only one side of a two-sided conflict, but you have more insight than we might.”

“Just the obvious, I think,” Peter suggests. “They are deeply militaristic, at least on the surface, don’t seem particularly extremist and see themselves as the wronged underdogs bravely defending their territory from an aggressive neighbour.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if the other side don’t see everything in a similar way, only in their favour,” Andy adds. “You’re going to have a hard time figuring out what the middle ground of honesty actually is.”

“The current plan is to send messages down to the surface as we approach – once we have confirmed that we can speak to both sides, of course. Any idea what we should say?” I ask.

“Only to stress our neutrality and to very strongly emphasise that we come in peace. I would, however, be keen to emphasise our overwhelming technological lead and the resources we can bring to bear to protect ourselves and our federation,” Peter suggests. “They are going to be so used to conflict that they need to see that we are powerful and capable, even while we are trying to be non-partisan and peaceful.”

“You actually need to put together a bit of a presentation, I think,” Andy adds. “Something that shows how we are spreading through the galaxy and that we are a diverse and integrated society. Make them want to welcome us and contemplate what we have that they do not.”

“Do you think you can help with that?” Rob asks Andy with a grin. “I’d be happy to put some historical context together, but you know more about communication with aliens than I do.

“Sure,” Andy agrees after a look across at his husband. “I’m technically still a member of the IEG. I’ll start working on it right away. I know plenty of people who will be happy to help.”

“You should also get the Valatan involved,” Peter tells me after a moment. “If the Thermians can see that we are a multi-species society already, that might help keep them in check.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” I say. “Who do we need to speak to, to find someone who can help with that?”

“That would be me,” Peter says with a grin. “I am still planetary administrator, you know. You won’t be surprised to learn that there’s only actually one person qualified to help and that you know him very well indeed.”

“Tianok?”

“Just so. He’s on his way here as we speak. While we wait, why don’t we have an early lunch?”