Mantrin Imperial Guard - 004 Homestead

Chapter 4: Family, Part III

Author's note: I really like visiting all these beautiful places on Solbrecht where the different members of the crew grew up. Man, I wished I lived in a place like that, although the whole racial conflict kinda sucks. But we have that here on Earth too and we've seen plenty of evidence that it can be just as violent, so not much difference there.

Not many things to disclaim in this chapter. The Mantrin races except for the Sogowan have all been created by other people and I love their creations. Adds a little more depth instead of having them all look more or less like Stith.

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Houn and Yukiko

Houn had often considered himself lucky to have grown up in a small coastal city like Canarii-Ynearr. Located about halfway down the southern half of Rihlos, it was a place often visited by tourists from both Solbrecht itself as well as off planet. The temperature never dipped below a level where one needed thicker clothes than a t-shirt. It ranked high on the list of places with the most hours of sun in a solar cycle. The beaches were long and covered with fine white sand and the crystal clear ocean attracted groups of swimmers every day. Having been dropped off at the small airport by his crewmates, they even wished him happy holidays as he walked out the tailgate with nothing but his good mood.

As he still lived with his parents, he picked a familiar route through the steeply sloped streets down to the boulevard where they had their apartment. Like all major cities on Solbrecht that were inhabited, built and organized for a large part by his kind, Canarii-Ynearr had plenty of green to enjoy as well, though long walks on the beach had been one of his favorite pastimes. On this clear day, one could see out as far as the island chain of C'Luir, the largest of which bore the actual name and was home to an indigenous tribe that fiercely protected their grounds and did not tolerate any outsiders. It was therefore declared forbidden territory.

When he entered the lobby of the apartment complex, the receptionist and caretaker, a small Sogowan Mantrinesse, looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. She had occupied the same position for as long as he could remember, alternating shifts with two colleagues. Very often these kinds of jobs had been replaced by robots, but with the building inhabited by a large number of Mantrin couples and families, who naturally didn't like the coldness of machines, this was a kind of preference. The shifts were kept short on purpose and for the late and very early hours the building did rely on automated security and gatekeeping.

"Uhreaht Houn! Glad to see you."

"Good to see you too, Ezra. I guess I need to change my access codes?"

She nodded as she put away her book, gesturing for him to come to the counter. The apartment complex was equipped with a number of security doors that could only be unlocked by residents with the right access codes. As these expired when not used after a while, his had to be renewed.

The lobby offered a small seating area for visitors, as well as a pair of vending machines containing snacks and cooled drinks. The air was pleasantly cool and dry. Even though his species was well-adapted to the climate, the sweltering humid heat of Solbrecht's summers was still a burden. With temperatures soaring into the upper forties at the height of summer, even Mantrins had to make sure they allowed their bodies time to cool off in between moments of exercise.

"Place your wristcom on the pad." Doing as instructed he watched the confirmation pop up mere ticks later after Ezra tapped a few virtual buttons on a transparent screen. "Your parents stayed home today so they wouldn't miss you. They're upstairs."

"Myrsya. See ya."

The Duraglass sliding doors ahead opened as they detected his wristcom from a distance when he walked on. They offered access to the sizable inner garden and the elevators, as well as a number of amenities on the bottom floor. Some of these were also accessible to the general public, such as a wellness center, indoor swimming pool and sports facilities.