by Lynnea Lee
The idea of a tiny woman like Lettie overpowering Cal was hilarious. She couldn’t be more than five feet tall. It would take an army of Letties to take down a Tallean like Cal.
Resigned to the fact that she would have to open up and talk, Emma sighed. “No, Cal didn’t do anything. That’s the problem. I don’t think he wants me.”
“Get out of town! No way! I saw him carry you over his shoulder to his room last night like some caveman. He totally wants you. Why do you think he doesn’t?”
“If Cal wanted me, why would he dump me in this room last night instead of keeping me in his? He thought he wanted me until he got a good smell of me.”
The other woman scrunched up her face. “He did what? I thought maybe you asked for your own room. And what’s this about smelling you? I don’t get it; explain.”
Emma explained her situation with the contraceptive and how it changed her scent to smell weird to Tallean noses. Then, reluctantly, she explained what had happened in Cal's room.
“So now I’m worried that Cal’s going to sell me or leave me somewhere. I’m not so naïve as to think I could make it alone out there.” She rubbed at her arms, suddenly chilled with the idea of being cast aside. “He didn’t know the smell doesn’t wash off when he took me from the Meeting Ground. Once I was on board, I begged him not to return me. What if he only kept me out of pity. And I know I must make it worthwhile to him so that he will keep me.”
Lettie frowned. “That’s not how it works on this ship. I really don’t think you need to worry about him dumping you somewhere. Cal is a good guy. He wouldn’t sell you, because he doesn’t think of you as a slave. I don’t think they agree with slavery here.”
“Oh.” All the signs Emma had been ignoring all hit her in the face, and she knew what Lettie said was true.
“Not to mention, Cal’s looking for a mate.”
“What’s a mate?”
The other woman looked at her like she was a unicorn.
“What?” Emma looked down at her body. Why was Lettie looking at her like that?
“You are kidding, right? You don’t know about the mating bond?”
“Mating bond? I haven’t needed to know about it.”
“It feels like I’m about to have a birds-and-the-bees conversation with you, but instead of sex, it’s about love. Forming a mating bond is like getting married, except it actually is till death do you part. Talleans who form a mating physically could not cheat on you. You are their world.”
Emma remembered hearing the words now in passing. She had never asked about it.
“That sounds too good to be true. All the Tallean males I’ve met wanted only one thing from me, and after taking a good whiff of me, some of them don’t even want that.”
“It’s real. Vore’s my mate. He would destroy entire planets to keep me safe. He fought a crazy giant snake slash dragon monster for me and took on a whole pack of dragus to save me. He’s my everything, and I know that I’m his everything too.”
Emma thought back to the moment on Calix’s bed and covered her face with her hands.
“I understand now. I’m not his mate. I didn’t get it at the time, but Cal told me that for a moment he thought I was what he was looking for, but then I wasn’t. I am almost his mate, but I’m not.”
“Talleans glean a lot from their surrounding from the sense of smell. If the birth control shot is messing up your scent, maybe it’s messing up his ability to tell if you are his mate. Also, Vore didn’t know until after we did the horizontal tango. Why don’t you go see Sidas or Arus? Sidas is our medic, and Arus is working on a way for Talleans and humans to make babies.”
As the meaning of Lettie’s word permeated, Emma gasped. It felt as though Lettie had just told her a big secret, but a look at Lettie showed her calm and collected.
“Babies? I thought that was impossible. And isn’t cross-breeding frowned upon? I heard that Tallean could have babies with a race called the Favored who rule the Dominion, but it is illegal and punishable by death.”
“You must have spent time in the Dominion. Only the rulers of the Dominion believe that crap. I really think you need to talk to either Sidas or Arus. Come, I’ll take you.” Lettie grabbed her by the hands and pulled her to standing.
“Now?” Emma felt a rush of dread, remembering her awful time with the scientists at the breeding facility.
“Why wait? There’s nothing much to do on the ship anyway.”
“But—” No valid excuse came to Emma. “I'll see the medic. But no scientists, please. I spent some time in a breeding facility, and I don’t want to be poked or prodded anymore.”
“Okay, only Sidas then. But Arus is really sweet. He won’t hurt you if you decide to go on your own later.”
“I met him in the kitchen. He seems nice. But still, no scientists, especially fertility ones.”
She allowed herself to be pulled down the hallway to the medical bay.
To Emma’s astonishment, Sidas was nothing like the doctor her first owner had taken her to when he had first realized her odd scent did not wash off. This doctor had a genuine smile and didn’t look at her as a bizarre specimen to be analyzed.
“I’m going to be honest. The smell is a bit of a turn-off. It’s not horrible, but it’s distracting.”
Emma appreciated the medic’s candid response.
“I agree with the scientists at the breeding facility. This scent is caused by artificial hormones in your system. Once your body absorbs and expels it, your natural scent should return by itself. It requires no intervention on our part.” Sidas turned in his chair to takes some notes on his computer. “Do you know how long the shot lasts and when you last took it?”
“I don’t know for sure. The concept of time is a mess for me. I was with my first owner for a while until he sold me to the breeding facility. It took them more time to realize I was sterile. And then, I was at the club even longer after. I have no idea how long I’ve been away from Earth.”
“We just need to keep you on the ship until it runs its course. Your natural scent will return then along with your fertility. Otherwise, your scans show that you are a B12 deficient. This tends to happen on Talleans who spend extended periods on nutrition bars. The bars contain the necessary vitamins but are not always bioavailable. I can give you some supplements, but the best option is to consume more meat.”
Sidas scribbled something down on Lettie’s comm. “When you are ordering food from the replicator, add this to your order for the next three days, and the replicator will add the supplement to your drink. It will also increase your meat portions while reducing everything else.” Then he added, “You really should see if Cal has an extra comm you can use.”
Emma didn’t want to explain her situation in detail to the doctor, so she just nodded.
The two women left the medical bay. Emma was glad that Lettie had forced her to get checked out. Sidas had assured her that the scientists at the facility hadn’t done anything to injure her body permanently. They left the medical bay.
“What if my natural scent never comes back?” Even with the medic’s reassurance, Emma still worried that she would smell off forever. “And what if it does come back, and Cal still believes I can’t be his mate?”
“Don’t worry, Emma. Cal won’t just leave you at the next station. The crew would never let him.” Lettie hooked an arm around hers as if they were long time friends. “Besides, Cal isn’t the only unmated male on the ship. You could end up a perfect match for Vosken or Tanith. Grissom is a little young, but don’t count him out either.” Then Lettie lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Who knows? Maybe a little competition will spur Calix into action.”
“I don’t think I should do that.” Emma didn’t want Cal to be upset with her.
“You don’t need to do anything. The moment the other males think Cal doesn’t want you, they will be all over you like white on rice.”
Emma narrowed her ey
es at Lettie. She was up to something.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just going to tell them the truth. You are staying in your own room and not sleeping with Cal. And you two haven’t had sex yet. That is the truth, right? They can come to whatever conclusion they want.”
It was technically the truth.
“I guess it would be okay with they knew I’m sleeping on my own. It’s not like I’m going to flirt with them on purpose or anything.”
“Exactly. I’ll just spread the truth, and whatever happens, happens. If Cal doesn’t like it, he shouldn’t have left you on your own. But if you want to make doubly sure that you have a spot on the ship, why don’t we find a job for you? Has Cal given you a tour of the ship yet?”
“Not officially. I’ve only been to the kitchen, the bridge, his room, and the spare room.”
“So, all the boring parts. I can’t wait to show you all the cool stuff on this ship! We’ve got a greenhouse, a rock wall, and this really cool virtual reality simulator thingy. You’ll love this ship.”
With their arms linked, they started down the hall to begin the tour.
Chapter 8
Calix brought the bottle of Rhean Spirits to his lips and watched Emma on the security feed. The bottle wasn’t his; he had taken it from Vore’s stash when he first came onboard with Lettie. Vore had been so busy with his mate that he hadn’t noticed the missing bottle. He had also found a few pods of Euphora in Vore’s stash; a chemical Zeylum had banned on their ship.
The crew was allowed to use the mind-altering substance off the ship but not bring it on board. It wasn’t enough of a stash to form an addiction on, so Cal had let it go.
He was grateful that Lettie was giving Emma a tour and showing her some kindness. It was clear that she had not experienced much kindness since leaving Earth. And Cal hadn’t made things any better.
Sidas sidled in and plopped himself down nonchalantly in the chair next to Calix. “I talked to your little human today.”
“She is not mine.” Something inside of him screamed that it was not true.
Lies! She is mine!
His old friend propped his clawed feet up on the table and leaned back. “I know why she smells odd.”
Cal perked up. He handed Sidas the bottle of Rhean Spirits. “Talk.”
“This isn’t yours.” But that didn’t stop Sidas from taking a sizable swig. “Before Emma left Earth, she took a contraceptive shot. What you are smelling is the artificial hormones controlling her body. The shot should expire any day now, and her true scent will return. You won’t be able to experience a mating bond until that happens.”
“A mating bond doesn’t always happen even if the scent is right.” Cal didn’t want to give himself too much hope.
“Don’t give up on her yet.”
“I haven’t.” Not by a long shot. Emma hadn’t left his mind all night and morning.
“That’s not what’s circulating the ship. The word is that you’ve turned her down and put her in the spare room.”
“What? No! I put her in the spare room because I didn’t trust myself not to hurt her. She’s been through so much.” Cal hated how she blocked out sexual actions as if she were still a slave. He wanted her to be present with him. “The scent is distracting, but I can ignore it. But she still acts like a slave. I didn’t turn her down. Is that what the rest of the crew thinks?”
“She believes you don’t want her because she smells funny.”
“It distracts me. But I still want her.” Cal paused as a thought percolated in his head. He had reacted badly to her scent. “Could she be taking cues from my reaction?”
“Possibly.”
“Shit. It’s hard not to react. The odd smell is jarring. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want her.”
A buzzing sounded, and a green light flashed on the computer. It was a comm from the Second Chance, an allied ship.
Cal hit the comm, and Trenton, the Second Chance’s human captain, appeared on the screen. He had short, scruffy hair all over his jaw and chin. It looked itchy, and Cal was suddenly glad that Tallean did not grow facial hair. It would get in the way of their cheek creases.
“Cal! Just the person I need to talk to.” Trenton was a no-nonsense type and got straight to the point. He had a strong accent that made him sound different from the humans on the Defiant. “Do Tallean know about human Morse code?”
“What code now?”
“Let me play a recording for y’all, and you let me know if you recognize it.”
Trenton played a strange recording for them. It sounded like someone was trying to record something, but the device bugged out in a rhythmic manner. It was just clicking and silences.
“I can’t say I’ve come across it.”
“Do you boys think any Talleans would know of it?”
“Talk, Trenton. Enough questions.” Zeylum’s voice came from behind them.
“I can always count on you, Zeylum, to get to the point. What y’all heard is a message in Morse code. Instead of the beeps used on Earth, the sender hid the message in the clicking sound created by the comms.”
“And what does it say.”
“I had my lads translate it. It says: Human women, breeding facility, save them. And then it gives a location.”
“Emma was at a breeding facility. Perhaps it is the same one,” Sidas offered.
“Another human woman? You boys got a collection going on there.” Trenton scratched his chin. “Now, since you believe that no Tallean would know of Morse code, then I reckon this message is sent by one of our folks. Human, I mean.”
“You plan on going after them,” Zeylum stated, rather than asked.
“They are our women. I sure ain’t leaving them.”
Ever the realist, Calix asked, “Where would you put them? You can’t keep them all on your ship. And there will be pregnant women in the bunch.”
“Aw shit, I didn’t think about that. But we can’t leave ’em there.”
“We can connect you to Ryek at Reka 5; he might be able to take some. We took two of his colonists as mates last time we left.”
They patched through a three-way comm with Ryek, hoping it was daytime on Reka 5. Reka 5 took in a lot of freed human slaves and gave them a chance to start over. Life wasn’t easy on the establishing colony, but they were free.
Unfortunately, the colony could not take any new colonists. Since the Defiant had last been on Reka 5, the colony had experienced active threats from the Dominion.
“They have demanded I surrender the colony. I refused to give up my people, and my people are willing to fight to the end. The Dominion is sending an army to force my hand. We are training every able body to fight.” Ryek looked determined. “We can not take in pregnant females knowing they may not be safe here.”
“Fuck!” Trenton swore. “We have people there.” When Trenton had taken over the Dominion ship he currently captained and freed all the slaves, he had dropped them off at Reka 5.
“We have considered hiring outside help, but we have limited funds. And we used much of what we had on weapons.”
“The Second Chance will offer our assistance for whatever you can afford. There are many humans on Reka 5. We will help our own.”
Zeylum cleared his throat. “The Defiant may end up helping inadvertently. Kean commed us. He has noticed a recent influx of Dominion ships at Vosthea.”
This was the first Cal had heard of it, and he was supposed to be second in command. The comm must have come in yesterday or this morning when he had been distracted with Emma.
Technically, Vosthea was Dominion owned, but the planet consisted of mostly outlaws, and the Dominion had trouble controlling it.
“Kean?” Ryek frowned, and a dark cast took his features. “The Euphora supplier from Vosthea?”
“The same.”
“I see. You believe they are using Vosthea as a launching point to attack Reka 5.”
&nb
sp; “It is the closest Dominion outpost to Reka 5. Kean wants the planet cleared of Dominion troops. And Arus does as well. He shares research with Kean, and they have a lab there.”
Ryek frowned disapprovingly. “Arus? I didn’t know he was involved in the production of Euphora. He didn’t seem the type.”
“Not the drug lab,” Zeylum clarified. “No member of our crew is involved in that. Arus and Kean are working on a side project together.”
Ryek looked mollified. “I admit, I’m curious. Why would Kean and Arus have reason to work together?”
“It is no secret,” Zey explained. “They are finding a way for humans and Talleans to produce offspring together.”
Cal watched the screen intently, curious about how the director of the first colony to give humans citizenship status would react. A big smile spread across Ryek’s face.
“About time. There are plenty of mated couples on Reka 5 who will be ecstatic if they are successful. I had not known Kean was interested in humans.”
Zeylum laughed. “There’s a lot to be interested in when it comes to human females. Don’t tell me you’ve been surrounded by them and are immune to their charms. One must have sparked your interest by now.”
Ryek looked thoughtful. “There is one. But she spends a lot of time with my best guard, and I’m not one to poach. But back to the issue at hand, Kean is hiring the Defiant to remove the Dominion from his turf?”
“Yes. After completing our current mission, the Defiant will head straight to Vosthea to help Kean clear out his Dominion pest problem. It should scatter the Dominion forces before they make their attack on Reka 5.”
Ryek considered, his face grim. “It should help. But it won’t stop the Dominion completely. If we survive this attack and drive the Dominion off, we will be in a better position. We will be able to take the new colonists. That is,” the colony director said to Trenton, “if your crew can rescue them.”
“Deal! I’m not going to let the Dominion breed humans as slaves.”
They ended the comm, and Zeylum came to sit next to Cal, holding out a hand for the bottle of Rhean spirits. Cal handed the bottle over, grumbling about having to share.
