“Yeah,” I say.
“Why did you leave? I would hear the story.”
As we eat, I explain the last six years on Earth: the Dominar invasion, my squad’s failed attack, the Anti-Alien League, the Kovor scandal, and everything else. In the telling, I can’t help feeling a little silly. I want to blame Prust, but is it really his influence? My conversation with Dani probably affected my perspective just as much. It doesn’t help that Vahree sighs and shakes his head when I tell him about my life in particular.
“Earth sounds like a joy,” he says, sipping a glass of orange juice and making faces like it’s nectar. “But people must be free. Life under the Dominars’ thumb is no true life.”
“Thank you!” I say, beaming proudly. “That’s what I said. Not enough of us listened.”
“Nor mine.”
“Really? Can you tell me about your species, Vahree? I want to know.”
He sighs, clasping his fingers together on the table. “We are called Venai. Most of my people are purveyors... privateers. We find opportunities in the Blight wherever we can, and go wherever we must. We work hard. Transporting people, hauling materials, even routine labor—whatever we can find. It never stops or gets easy, but we are free.”
This man really speaks my language.
“An easy life is no true life either,” I say.
Vahree nods. “Unquestioned.”
Clearly, there’s a lot to be learned from the Venai.
“What about your home? What’s it like?”
Vahree tilts his head and grins. “You’ve seen it.”
“What?”
He laughs. “My ship. It’s the only place I can really call home. I live on it, I rest on it. Everywhere else is a place I’m only visiting.”
“Oh. Sorry,” I mumble, feeling like a college girl living on Daddy’s dime while complaining about him to a homeless person.
“That’s okay, you meant no offense. It is the way our people live. Even if I had a planet to call my own, I would only see it between jobs.”
“You wouldn’t just settle down there and get out of the hustle?”
“No,” Vahree says. “My people want our planet back. The Dominars may control it now, but someday we will equal their power and take what is rightfully ours.”
I could kiss this man.
“They stole your world too?” I ask, his story sounding too familiar.
“Yes. It’s been centuries since they arrived on Nivinai. Our conquest was swift and mercifully bloodless, I will admit. They immediately imposed their law, and threatened exile to those who would not obey.”
“They really have a thing for people obeying,” I say.
“It is the Dominar way. Comply or leave. They are utterly inflexible. My species chose exile over obeisance. Had I been born then, I would have done the same, despite the consequences.”
“What... happened?” I ask, trying to ignore the frigid tremors racing through my body.
Vahree closes his eyes and lowers his head. “My people are nearly extinct. We’ve lost our home, our traditions—soon our ways and history will be erased.”
I reach out and take his hand. “I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”
Is this what the Dominars expect to happen to humanity? If we leave Earth, will we slowly disintegrate for centuries until there’s no one left? If that’s what Prust is trying to prevent, then I understand his intent. Only, why force us into exile at all? Why can’t they just let us exist on our own terms? So what if we cause our own extinction? At least then the Dominars wouldn’t be the cause.
Vahree sneers. “Yes, it was. They thought they knew better than us. They wanted to dictate the terms of our very existence, down to how we use our own bodies.”
“That’s outrageous,” I say, gripping his hand so hard my nails press into his skin. “How dare they! What happened to your people is obscene. There is no justification for such oppression.”
“Thank you,” Vahree replies. “I appreciate your sympathy.”
“I should be honest with you. There is a Dominar living on this planet, observing our progress as a colony.”
Vahree flinches as if I’ve slapped him, a reaction I fully understand. In his position, I wouldn’t want to step foot on the same world as a Dominar either. Has he even encountered one in person before? Maybe not.
“Why?” he asks. “What does this Dominar want?”
“To see us fail,” I mutter. “To be proven right about my species, so that he can drag us back to Earth and point at us as evidence.”
“I see,” Vahree says.
“If that’s a problem—”
Vahree vaults to his feet, his chair scraping the floor as loud as a gunshot. “No. It will be my honor to aid your colony through partnership, and together show this Dominar that we will both succeed.”
I stand up too. “While I cannot promise you anything to help you retake Nivinai, I hope our partnership can help improve the lives of your people.”
“It will. I’m sure of it.”
“You’ve given me so much hope for the future,” I continue, staring into his striking eyes. “I know that this is not the existence you deserve, but I’m confident that my people will sympathize with your plight, both here on Piskiron and back on Earth. We will work together to make both our lives worthy of the sacrifices of those who came before. The Dominars underestimate us. Our people will prosper, and they will see that we are no one’s inferior.”
Vahree steps up to me until our faces are inches apart. The more we’ve spoken, the more I’ve soaked in the details of his unique face and physique, the less his darkly marked forehead has bothered me. He is undoubtedly handsome, as well as compassionate and brave.
“Alexis, this day will be a historic one for both our peoples, as it marks the beginning of a great partnership. But more important, I am honored to have made a friend with a leader who is as brave and intelligent as she is beautiful.”
I giggle, unable to help myself. When was the last time I felt so at ease? Probably before the invasion. Right now I could be back in the cockpit of my F-35, engine roaring, with nothing but endless, perfect blue sky ahead of me.
Vahree’s eyes close as he leans in, bending downward to my height, lips pursed. My heart leaps, wanting badly to kiss him, to seal our bond in more than words. Then I thumb the bracelet around my wrist, thinking of Prust. We may not be perfectly suited, but he cares for me deeply, and I him. He has enriched my life and opened my eyes to so much. He deserves better than for a new man to sweep in and claim me in a day. I turn away, squeezing Vahree’s hand instead.
“I’m sorry, that’s not... We’ve only just met and I’m... involved... with someone.”
I don’t want to tell him that Prust is more than an observer to me, but I only just told Dani; I can’t tell Vahree before I tell the rest of the colony. Who knows how he would react?
“It’s okay,” he says with a casual smile, though his eyes betray a hint of disappointment. “I understand. Only a fool would assume a female like you to be available. You must be fiercely desired. The one you call yours is a truly fortunate individual.”
I laugh again, basking in his compliments. “Thank you for... being so... everything. I hope you enjoyed... dinner.”
“Very much,” he replies, clasping his hands behind his back. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow? We can discuss a trade for those scanners.”
He nods. “I look forward to it.”
I show him out and watch through the window as he waves to the curious colonists. Ed and Steve follow him back to his ship as I collapse in my bunk, my body buzzing like a live wire. Shaking my head in disbelief, I wonder how I could be so lucky. New Earth is going to be a huge success, I just know it, and Vahree will be a great ally. And if Prust and I don’t work out... he could be the answer to several of my problems.
As much as I’d rather get more familiar with Vahree as soon as possible, I can’t wait to see Prust again, just so I can
tell him how wrong he was about our planet’s visitor.
Chapter Fifteen
Waltzing into Prust’s residence the next morning feeling like a lottery jackpot winner, I grin with every ounce of smug I can summon. My body tingles. I move like an ethereal being, weightless and free, glowing with internal warmth and light. Am I high, or just happy? I can’t even tell.
“I’m back!” I announce. “Alive, unharmed, safe and sound. What a surprising turn of events, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Prust replies. “How did the meeting go?”
“Amazingly.” I try not to sound too self-satisfied, but it’s hard not to be. “His name is Vahree, and we have so much in common. We just want to help our people be free, and we’re willing to work hard to make the most of a tough situation.”
“That’s wonderful,” he replies, a little too enthusiastically for my liking.
“He was also quite charming, and handsome,” I add, digging in the knife. “Soon we’re going to have a trading partner, getting us all kinds of valuable tools and supplies. Our colony will surpass all expectations.”
I’m fully aware that I’ve gotten incredibly lucky to have Vahree discover us, and that we’d be a lot worse off right now if not for Prust’s help. New Earth isn’t my sole success by any means, and I shouldn’t be taking all the credit. Yet, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for—or, at least, a prelude to the moment. Showing Prust that we would succeed—I wasn’t sure I’d see it, but now we’re on the precipice.
Looking him in the eyes, I slip off the monitoring bracelet and set it down on his kitchen counter. “Thanks, but I guess I didn’t need this after all.”
Prust nods. “No, you didn’t. Although it did transmit some very interesting data last night.”
Something jolts inside my chest. My ears prick up. “What?”
“I received a very interesting report about your blood chemistry,” he says, his tone even. A series of holograms appears, displaying several charts. “According to the bracelet, you had exceedingly high levels of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin in your blood.”
“Meaning?”
“Without being there in person, I can only guess, but it sounds like you were falling in love.”
I practically fly over to Prust and set my hands on his shoulders. “I didn’t, I swear. He tried to kiss me but I... I didn’t let it happen.”
“I believe you, pet,” he says, pulling me into his embrace. “I trust you. Vahree must have been unbelievably charismatic.”
I nod. “He was! I’m embarrassed, really. I’ve never felt so... enticed. Kissing someone I’ve just met? That’s not me! But he made me feel... I can’t even describe how good. What his arrival means for the colony, I guess it got me really excited. And I felt sorry for him, for how his people have suffered. But that’s no excuse. I’m sorry, sir. I was... undisciplined.”
Looking over my shoulder, Prust scowls. “Alexis, did Vahree mention the Venai?”
My throat catches, and I shiver. “Yes, that’s his people.”
He nods, his lip twitching. “You have nothing to apologize for, Alexis. And you shouldn’t feel bad for Vahree and his people. They deserved to be exiled.”
I break from his grip. Did he really just say that?
“Excuse me? They deserved it? What about their near extinction? Do his people deserve that too?”
Prust retrieves a bottle of soek and two glasses. “Is that what he told you? The Venai are going extinct?” As he pours us drinks, a hologram appears—a planet distinguished by dark blue oceans and pink continents. “This is Nivinai, the Venai home world. Have a look.”
Confused, I work my hands around the hologram, spinning the three-dimensional image and swiping with my fingers to zoom in. As I pan around, I see dozens of major cities dotting the landscape. Going in for a closer look, the world explodes into motion—weather systems, moving vehicles, and crowds of people.
“When was this?” I ask.
Prust sips his soek. “Right now. It’s live, pet.”
“This is Nivinai?”
“It is.”
The city I’m viewing is full of people—easily millions in this one locale. Half of them have forehead chevrons, like Vahree’s—it’s the males, I realize. The female Venai don’t have them. It raises more than a few questions about their physiology I’ll have to ask about later. As I scan their faces, I notice that mixed in with the Venai are members of numerous species, including Dominars. Gleaming glass skyscrapers cast looming shadows over several blocks at once, and lanes of vehicles hover high in the air. I zoom out and scroll to another city, where I find a similar metropolis: expansive, serene, and beautiful.
“Why would he say they’re going extinct?” I mumble, waving the hologram away.
Prust growls. “His people are going extinct. The Venai are not. When we invaded Nivinai, we exiled only those who would not obey our rules—Vahree’s ancestors. The rest of the species stayed and prospered.”
I blush, acid bubbling in my stomach. There’s no avoiding the comparison between me and the Venai exiles. Except it’s not like I’d pretend humanity is going extinct. “Why would he lie like that?”
Finishing his glass of soek, Prust snarls. “Because if you knew the truth about his people, you wouldn’t pity them. He didn’t tell you why they were exiled, did he?”
“He said you wanted to control how they used their bodies. Was that a lie?”
“No, that’s true, actually,” Prust says, rising to his feet, his face twisted in disgust. “The Venai males can secrete powerful pheromones. In their sweat, their saliva... even their semen. They call it their allure. When we invaded, the women were enslaved, addicted to the pheromones. They had no rights. Handfuls of biologically immune women resisted, but they were small in number, forced into hiding. After our invasion, we demanded that the males never use their allure again and grant all citizens equal rights, or face permanent exile.”
I stumble backward, falling onto his bunk. The room spins, so I shut my eyes.
“At first the males fought, rather than comply,” Prust continues. “They didn’t want to lose their sex slaves, of course. The Dominar commander in charge, Vol, defeated them in three days, with less than a dozen Venai deaths. I would not have been so merciful. When it was all over, more than half the males accepted exile rather than change their ways. They’ve been preying on women in the Blight ever since.”
Prust kneels down in front of me and takes my hand. “That is why your neurotransmitter levels were so high. He doped you with his allure.”
I shake my head, still dizzy, trying to swallow my fury. If what Prust says is true, that would make Vahree and his people utterly vile. Is that why I felt such a powerful attraction to him, such an easy connection to his story? Pheromones? I did spend several hours with him, more than enough time for his musk to fill my tent.
But how do I know who’s telling the truth? Prust has one version of the story; Vahree has another. Short of visiting Nivinai myself, how do I know who’s skewed the truth, and by how much? What if Prust is just jealous that I’ve met someone who shares my hunger for freedom? But he’s never been petty before; would he be, under the right circumstances? Or is he telling the truth?
In fact, what if Vahree himself doesn’t know what really happened to his people? This occurred centuries ago, long before he was born. What if he’s not like the Venai who were exiled? I don’t really know him that well, not yet. Wouldn’t it be wrong to judge him based on the deeds of his ancestors? It’s not like humans from centuries past were so perfect.
I take the glass of soek Prust poured for me and drink it down.
“Before I judge Vahree, I need to know him better,” I say, feeling the alcoholic drink burn my already acidic stomach. “Maybe to you a few centuries is nothing, but for us, it means generations. Maybe his people have changed.”
Though Vahree told me he’d have opposed the Dominars were he around during their i
nvasion, that may have been posturing on his part. Faced with the very real decision to stay or go, maybe his choice would have been different. Or it’s also possible he’d resist the Dominars on principle, even if he wasn’t the type of Venai to enslave their women. After all, he seemed perfectly respectful last night. If he’d really been plying me with his allure, would I have shied away from that kiss?
Prust shakes his head. “He can’t be trusted. Given the opportunity, he will take everything he can from you and your people. Even if you were to banish him from the planet today, he will return with his gang to rape and pillage. Word will get out that there’s a thousand defenseless humans on Piskiron, and your colony will be picked clean. You or I should shoot Vahree now.”
I reach to my hip, feeling for the sidearm I opted to take instead of my rifle. “We’re not defenseless. We’ve got weapons and we’re well trained. Plus, you’re here, and I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”
He bends over and pulls me into a kiss. Pressing hard, his tongue seeks mine. He holds my head with his hand, not letting me go until he’s invaded my senses completely. I smile into his kiss, enjoying his possessiveness.
“If I have to step in to protect you, I will declare your colony a failure,” he says.
“That’s fair,” I reply. Better to lose the colony than our lives, I suppose. “But you won’t have to. We’re ready for this.”
Prust sighs. “For a ground battle, perhaps, but your guns won’t even scratch the hull of an alien ship. You also have nothing to stop them from bombarding you from orbit.”
“We’ll find a way,” I assert. “Humanity always has.”
Prust grunts so loud I flinch. “They could annihilate you from hundreds of miles away!” he barks. “The only reason they won’t is that you’re more valuable to them alive. This is the Blight, Alexis! Nothing ends well. Honest people get chewed up and spit out, and the criminals only get taken down by one another.”
He exhales slowly, then takes a seat. “This is my mistake. I had hoped the colony would remain undiscovered a long time. Piskiron is remote and untamed. I thought no one would notice for many years, for long enough that...”
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