Vavaren

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Vavaren is a richly forested planet with large bodies of water. It's cold, not cold enough for snow but cold enough for frost to form overnight. The oxygen levels are high.

There are no mammals, only lizards, insects, arachnids and some birds. Everything is huge.
Their oceans are populated by giant squids, immense fish and various other enormous and terrifying creatures of the deep.

The Vavare have built large webbed communes in the trees.

Visitors are not common, Vavare tend to do most of their business off world but those who visit are welcomed warmly.

Ships will dock at a small simple space port which is surrounded by their capital "city", if you can call it that.
It looks more like a vast marketplace.

Visitors are advised to wear rebreathers when leaving their ship, dress warm and to avoid any flames, sparks or static buildup.

Enjoy your stay honored friends, welcome to Vavaren.

"Why is she lecturing Berit?" Asher asked curiously. He moved a bit closer to Kay, in case they were going to be going on lots of bridges.

James stayed close to Armin, wanting to be sure he heard everything.

Armin shrugged. "She is displeased that my sister expressed a desire for a fully monogomous relationship with Trygve. It is not that she disapproves of Trygve, he is a fine companion and an excellent choice of mate, but she believes that Berit is limiting her options by taking only one male as her companion. "

[You're usually polygamous?]

Armin nodded. "Females usually will select multiple males to breed with during her fertile period and they will form one family unit, a mother, offspring and multiple fathers. Our mother believes we have been away from our home and culture too long and we have begun to think like humanoids." He laughed and shook his head. "She may be correct, but it is not a dispute I wish to get involved in. Berit may change her mind in time, but we have only just returned home. Now is not the time for such expectations."

Kay nodded. [Yes, keeping out of it sounds prudent. ]

Armin nodded back. "It is usually best to let the females have their disputes and stay out of it."

"I guess every culture has to have disputes about who should be mating with whom, huh?" James shook his head. "Everyone always tries to complicate things, I guess."

Asher smiled. "Much better to avoid the drama entirely and conduct tours."

[Indeed, there is far too much concern from people who have no involvement to make themselves involved.] He shook his head. Poor Berit and Trygve. [Ihope it settles down for them soon.]

Armin smiled. "I definitely prefer tours."

"They could always come with us too. I'm sure Asher and Kay are good at delivering spider babies," James suggested.

Kay looked a little alarmed at that prospect.

Armin shook his head. "The hatchlings will do far better being raised on their home world. "

[I'm not convinced we have appropriate facilities on Vestia for such alien offspring.]

Armin nodded. "Exactly. And I was under the understanding you were trying to get all the children off the ship anyway. "

[They will be safer here.] Kay agreed.

"Yes, those who survive will have a happier, safer life among their own people."

Asher nodded. "Although pretty much everyone is welcome aboard Vestia, it isn't always advisable for people to stay. Children should grow up on a stable environment, which Vestia has been proved repeatedly to not be." He looked at James, "You're a medic too, by the way, why did you volunteer us and not yourself?"

James gave Asher a charming grin. "I want to avoid gross bodily fluids."

Asher rolled his eyes.

[Bodily fluids aren't really that gross, screaming laboring women however... ] Kay shook his head. [Hopefully we can get Merith to be the one in Heny's punching/throttling range.]

"Yes I believe keeping out of reach of the woman in labour is a very good idea." Armin agreed.

"Yes, let's hope we can keep Merith in her way," Asher said. "I may not be susceptible to being punched, but it would still be distracting."

"Another reason for me to stay with the Silver Devil," James said. "When's she due?"

Kay smirked [I don't know, maybe we should train Dawn up in maternity care and get her to cover it.] He didn't really mean that, a twin pregnancy was high risk after all.

"She seems sensible. If we could get her to help, I think that'd be good," Asher said. "Three of us, plus Merith the punching bag, might handle this pretty well." He laughed softly.

[Four if we rope James into helping] Kay smirked at James. [with two babies to tend to, more medics may be preferable. One to deal with Heny's medical needs, one to deal with each newborn and an extra to grab stuff as needed. ]

Armin put a hand on James' shoulder "I am sorry, it looks like you have just been volunteered."

"He really is Bad Cop," James said mournfully. "Trying to make me do this. I'm a captain, not a doctor."

"None of us are doctors. You're in good company." Asher looked pleased.

[It's true, i'm a qualified nurse, you're both all purpose androids and Dawn's a student medic. ] Kay smiled softly [Though all purpose does mean there's nothing stopping you from being captain either.] He looked like he approved of this idea.

Asher smiled. "You'll be a good captain someday, James. Until then, you can be useful and help us deliver babies."

James muttered something under his breath.

"Muttering. Very captainly of you," Asher said dryly.

Kay looked amused. [Don't worry, we can all council one another's trauma afterwards. ]

Armin laughed. "It will be wonderful I am sure."

[You want to deliver the babies?]

Armin raised both hands. "I am a tailor, not a medic. I shall make baby clothes, that is the grand extent of my contribution."

They came upon a bridge. Kay hesitated, took a deep breath and forced himself to cross as rapidly as possible.
Bad, very bad, why did they have to build them to SWAY like this!?? argh. He got to the other side looking a little shellshocked.

Armin was too polite to make comment, he simply smile reassuringly. "Almost there."

"You can help us council each other," Asher told Armin. He followed Kay across at a more sedate pace. When you went slower, the bridges shook less.

"I am afraid therapy is not my strong point." Armin protested good naturedly.

[I doubt any of us are good patients anyway.] Kay told him, recovering his composure as they approached the residential area of town.

This was where quite how communal the Vavare living structure was would become very clear. They slept in a vast area of webs and hollows, with webbing hammocks stacked 4 or 5 high. Some youngsters were running around playing and there were a few older vavare watching them. The whole area was vast and pretty open, there was no hope of privacy here.

"I'll need Captain's magic therapist when delivering babies is over," James said, nodding sagely. "No normal therapist will be enough."

Asher looked around curiously. "It must be very different, living here. I imagine there's a lot of adapting involved."

Armin smiled. "Getting used to the privacy many other races value so highly takes time. Sleeping alone is... strange. At least on the station I had my sister and cousin for company. "

[Do you find having your own space liberating, or lonely?] Kay asked.

"A little of both I suppose. "

Kay nodded. [I shared a room with two of my brothers for most of my childhood, and then bunks with two dozen cadets. ] He looked up at the hammocks. [I imagine you have as little privacy here as we did in barracks.]

"We have little desire for privacy, so it works well."

"Must be so lonely sometimes, being away from these guys," James said. "We had our own rooms since a lot of the station's maintenance level was unused, but we spent a lot of free time together. Once Emma and Asher were gone it was pretty quiet, so I sorta can imagine how you must have felt." He added, "Still, I don't think I could handle living with quote this many people. Gotta have some privacy to change clothes and stuff."

Kay nodded, looking momentarily sad at the mention of Emma. [You get frustratingly used to it.]

Armin nodded. "The Vavare have no taboos regarding nudity, we wear clothing because it eases our integration into other cultures, we enjoy the individuality it provides us, like our hair..." He twirled a purple curl around a finger and smiled. "and it provides a degree of warmth in the cooler seasons. "

"I think that's the sort of thing I'd rather not get used to," James said, laughing.
"Sort of like the minotaurs," he said to Armin, "They aren't crazy about clothes, but other species like it when they wear pants. I'm not sure if they've gotten into wearing clothes for individuality yet, though."

Armin nodded. "We have not done much trade with the minotaurs, they have little desire for fine textiles. "

[After a while you just tune it out to be honest. We had co-ed barracks both in military school and out on the colony, no segregation of the sexes. Supposedly it was the promote an idea of equality and unity but I honestly believe it was the higher ups simply giving up on stopping people sneaking into other's bunks. A group of teenagers in a stressful environment, it was somewhat inevitable there would be hook ups and they didn't often seem to care that other people were trying to sleep. You grew accustomed to getting dressed in large groups, you just don't look. ] Kay shook his head. [The medical staff on Frontier station were a little more restrained, we were all too exhausted for that sort of thing, not to mention older and less hormonal and stupid. And we had substantially better shower facilities.]

Armin laughed. "It does sound as though you have lead an interesting life my friend."

[I suppose that's one way to look at it.]

"The noises must have been awful sometimes," James snickered. "Especially since you're supposed to sleep. Ah, the stupid teenage stories though."

Kay shook his head. [Pillows muffle the worst of it. And one of my brothers screams in his sleep anyway. I think moaning and heavy breathing is actually easier to tune out.] He shrugged. Hey, wasn't like he slept much at military school anyway. [There was always the fun of the complaints over breakfast too. ]

"Sounds like a good time was had by all," said James, amused. "Did you ever get involved in the teenage silliness, or did you prefer to avoid it?"

Asher kept his expression neutral. Not the sort of question Kay ever needed to be asked, but he couldn't do much about it himself.