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.

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.

Kay flinched, and shook his head. [Same sex relationships are not exactly well tolerated within the empire.] He told James simply. Yeah he wasn't going to tell him the whole awful truth of everything.

Armin looked sympathetic. "They will evolve beyond that eventually." He told Kay.

Kay smiled softly, looking a little awkward.

James almost missed Kay's awkwardness, then something in his brain clicked into place and he winced, remembering Kay's comment about how Lycanthropy was transmitted. Oops. "Sorry," he said guiltily. He didn't elaborate on what he was apologizing for. He was pretty sure Kay would know, and Armin might assume he was just apologizing for the state of the Satare empire.

Kay nodded gratefully. [It's alright.] He wasn't entirely certain but he assumed James had just put two and two together and realized what he'd said.

James still looked apologetic, but also relieved.

Asher shook his head at his brother's poorly chosen question. James had never been much good at putting time into processing, and it had gotten him into trouble before. Best thing to do was to change the subject. "So how do you guys weave?" he asked Armin. "I have difficulty imagining how that works."

"It is a little awkward on the ground like this, I personally prefer to spin while hanging from something. I would I believe have to give a practical demonstration, I am unable to adequately explain with words. We use our legs and spinnerets, but we also will use looms for more complex patterns. It depends upon personal preference and style more than anything else. My sister is an expert, a master of the craft. I myself, I admit, am far less accomplished. " He bowed his head humbly.

"That sounds fascinating," Asher said. "Such an unusual skill, you must be one of the only sapient species in the galaxy that can do that."

Armin smiled and bowed his head. "It is a skill we are most proud of. Our economy very much relies upon our textiles. It is said that nothing compares to the quality of the expert weaver's silk, and certainly having worked with many fabrics in my years as a tailor, it has a drape and a shimmer quite unlike anything else. "

[You mentioned healing properties in bandages at one point] Kay recalled this vaguely.

Armin nodded. "Yes, it is a curious quality of the silk. It contains a clotting agent along with antiseptic and antibacterial qualities that aid the healing process. We can weave much from our silk, it is extraordinarily strong and woven in the right way, will deflect a blade."

[You can make armor?]

"Of a sort yes. Along with rope, as you see around us. It is pliable, but strong. It would take a great deal of strength to break even one of these ropes above us." He pointed up at the hammocks. "We have spent centuries perfecting this art, it is our greatest gift and our greatest pride."

"Impressive. We should definitely hire you to make more bandages," Asher said, smiling.

"Can we see you weave something?" James asked, having gotten over the worst of his embarrassment, and becoming very curious again.

Armin nodded. "Of course." He reached up for the nearest rope and hauled himself lightly up into the web where he carefully anchored himself so he wouldn't fall. Once he was settled comfortably, in a position that looked rather awkward to the bipeds, he began to spin. He didn't use his hands at all, rather his legs with incredible dexterity, almost like one would knit. The tiny hooks on his limbs acted like needles or pegs on a loom as he passed the fine white silk over and under itself, weaving it rapidly. Within a few minutes he had a small rectangle of thin pristine white silk.
He pulled a pair of scissors from the pocket of his tunic and snipped the loose ends when he was done.
Tucking the blades away once more, he smiled softly and handed the fabric down to James.

It was gossamer thin and light as a feather, shimmering silver in the light. It felt like it should be fragile, should break with the lightest touch but any attempts to tear it would prove fruitless.

The androids watched Armin amazement.

"Wow," James said when Armin finished, turning the piece of silk over in his hands and lightly tugging on it, "That is seriously impressive. So if you wove it, you wouldn't be able to cut it at all?"

Asher looked at James hopefully, and after a moment James handed him the piece of silk to admire. Asher tugged on it harder than James had, but it didn't tear. He looked at the weave of the fabric, fascinated, before offering it to Kay to look at.

"Is optimism hopeless? Or a way to at least stay somewhat sane and..." She glanced down at Esk, hesitating a moment. "...Happy. Besides, from what Merith and Vanessa has told us, the Guild we are seeking out are just as incredibly powerful in themselves. They will help us... And maybe your brother." She blinked, staring at Esk thoughtfully, "And maybe anyone else with us that need help."

Kay tentatively took the silk and marvelled at the weightlessness.

"Our blades are extremely sharp. The thinner the cloth, the easier it is to cut and sew. This thin fabric will not tear, but if you cut along the grain with a sharp blade it will cut." He lowered himself to the ground again. "If I were to make armor, thickly woven, I would have to construct it in one piece as I spun. It would not be easy to get a needle through after it had solidified." He let them examine his own garments, which seemed to have very minimal seams before taking the small piece of fabric from Kay and pulling a needle from his pocket. He put the tip of the needle into his mouth, then very carefully drove it through the thin fabric. It looked like it took a fair bit of strength, like sewing thick leather. "Our saliva contains enzymes that break down our own silk" he explained. "It allows us to sew with it." He then took out his scissors and handed them to James, holding the fabric out. "Cut along the grain and it will cut."
Those scissors were extremely sharp and strong looking.

---

"Optimism gives you hope, hope leads to disappointment and pain. If you always expect the worst, when things go right you're pleasantly surprised but when things go wrong you're more prepared. " Esk told her flatly. "Do you really think this guild can be trusted? Nobody is ever good for the sake of being good, there's always some scheme, some goal. " He shook his head. "If they're so damn powerful, why haven't they moved against the Family already? Too lazy? or too scared? Or they just don't care. How many more worlds need to be destroyed before they get off their asses?" He scoffed. "No, they'll only help because they want something in return. If they really gave a shit about the universe we wouldn't have to go beg at their feet for their assistance. As for my brother, what interest do they have in curing him? There are thousands, if not millions infected by this disease and not one of them has been magically cured by these people. What makes him so damn special? Because he'll ask? because he'll beg? Isn't that what fake gods love? Begging?" He gazed across the marketplace at the people wandering about. "Why should they help us? What's in it for them? And that's what worries me. Nothing is free, everything has a price. What is their price? What will we have to sacrifice to align ourselves with their power? All we have telling us these people aren't just like the Family is the word of two people. What if they're wrong?"

James tried to cut the fabric. First not following the grain, because he was curious, then following it precisely. As Armin had said, the fabric was very resistant to being cut against the grain, so James gave up quickly, not wanting to damage Armin's scissors. "How many years did it take you to learn to do this?" He asked, looking at the incredible piece of fabric, and at Armin's clothes. He assumed it wasn't completely instinctive, since it was all so much more complex than what spiders did on Terra.

Armin thought about that. "All vavare can produce silk, but not all learn to weave it. My family are mostly all weavers or tailors, so our mother taught us from a young age how to weave simple threads. When I came of age I joined the family business as did my sisters. I do not know how many years it has taken to learn, I grew up weaving so I already had the basic knowledge when I went into my apprenticeship. "

[How long do you apprentice for?] Kay asked curiously.

Armin frowned, doing the maths in his head. "4 years perhaps? The master weavers spend longer, learning more complex weaves. I never had the natural talent for such things. It is a very specialized skill to be a master weaver. "

"You mostly stick to tailoring, though? What sort of things have you made as a tailor?" James said curiously. "Weird clothes for snake people?"

"All manner of garments. The non humanoids are an interesting challenge." He smiled. "Most of the customers on Defiant were humanoid, looking for gowns or suits but we got a few commissions from other worlds. I have sewn wedding gowns for nobility of many different species, every day wardrobes for the royal family of three different worlds and a great deal of other items. Back on Defiant Berit wove most of the fabric while I designed and sewed most of the garments on sale. Trygve did a little, but his expertise are more in sales and accounting. He is an excellent tailor, but he prefers to work with numbers. I enjoy the design process myself."

"Wow, you've sewn stuff for nobility? That's awesome," James said.

Armin nodded. "Commissioned one of a kind garments sewn of spider silk are not cheap. They take many months to complete and it involves multiple meetings with the individual to check fitting. While we can use holographic simulations for a great deal of the fitting, I have always preferred to do it in person. You can get a better idea of the drape and fit if the intended recipient is wearing it. As a result, only those with a great deal of money can afford the services of a vavare. There are those who are so skilled the only people able to afford their talents are royalty themselves. The garments and fabric they produce... it is breathtaking. It is said that it is like wearing nothing at all. " Armin looked wistful.

"Wow," James said. "That's sounds crazy. Someday we gotta find someone royal so we can get them to buy fancy clothes so we can stare at the fancy clothes. Right, guys?"

Asher laughed. "Sounds like a good plan."

Armin laughed. "Or befriend a Vavare." He smiled broadly.

Kay shook his head, bemused. [That's a very good idea.]

"Maybe you'll let us see your next insanely fancy outfit before you send it away," James said, "That'd be cool."

Armin smiled. "Well, I was asked to construct some garments for members of your crew."

[Really? Does that mean you'll be coming with us when we leave?] Kay asked.

"I believe the intention was for me to remain on board until such time as my work was completed. With you traveling such distances, it simply is not practical for me to travel back and forward for fittings and delivery. "

Kay nodded. He could just about guess who needed a fancy dress, yep. That was, he supposed, one of the advantages of being immortal. You ended up with a lot of expendable income.

"It'll be wonderful to have you stay with us longer," Asher said, smiling. "Perhaps we'll have the chance to hire you to make some more bandages, too?"

James looked excited. "Oh man, who's getting clothing made?"

Armin bowed his head. "Of course, I would be happy to help. I owe you all a great deal after all." He glanced to Kay particularly and smiled.

Kay nodded, averting his gaze. He was kinda uncomfortable with being thanked for doing something that was well, the right thing to do. [You don't owe us anything Armin. But it will be nice to have you aboard.]

"Thank you my friend, you are kind. " Armin smiled to James. "Why the bride and groom of course. I am excited, I have never been around for the actual wedding, to see my designs being worn for such a major event will be extraordinarily gratifying."

[It'll be interesting that's for sure.] Kay looked a little unenthused.

Asher gave Kay a sympathetic look. Yeah, he had his questions about how well Matt and Thalia's marriage was going to work out, too.

"Wait, who?" James didn't remember hearing about anyone getting married.

"Matt and Thalia," Asher said helpfully, "They're getting married."

James blinked. "Wait, what?"