by Mina Carter
Kenna shuddered and dropped into step. Even with all her military training and one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe at her side, with a warning like that, she knew better than to want to be outside the walls after nightfall.
“Welcome, welcome!”
They’d barely walked into the main compound, the heavy metal gates scraping shut behind them, when a man strode toward them with a wide smile on his face. He was tall and wiry, his clothes as sun-worn and patched as Helen’s group.
“This is Dex, our leader,” Helen informed them. “Dex, this is Steve and Suzie Renner. They heard our distress call and came to help us.”
“Is that so?” Dex shook their hands enthusiastically, the wide smile still in place. “That’s awesome. I can’t thank you enough. We’ve been having some… issues.”
“Yeah. We were a couple of systems over and picked up your signal,” Xaan replied, letting go of the man’s hand quickly. He concealed his distrust well, but Kenna knew him. He wasn’t just uncomfortable, which was perfectly understandable surrounded by a species not his own, he didn’t trust the colonists. Not one bit. “It was a bit patchy though. We weren’t sure how old it was… or what state you’d be in when we got here…”
He looked around, obviously noting as Kenna had, that the settlement looked okay. There was no damage to any of the structures. All in all, it didn’t look like a colony that had suffered an attack. To the contrary, it looked like it was thriving.
“Yeah, we’ve been having some trouble getting the signal out. Interference in the upper atmosphere…” Dex explained, casting a frowning look upward as though the clear sky above them was the culprit. His pale blue eyes latched on to them again. “Had a spate of attacks a week or so ago. Ships the like of which we’d never seen before buzzing the fields. Obviously attack drones from those Lathar aliens that have been in the newsfeeds recently. Attacking bases and kidnapping people.”
Kenna frowned. This far out, the news they got must be months old. So, they didn’t know the Lathar were in talks with the Terran government now. They still thought of them as the enemy.
“Attack drones?” Xaan frowned. “And you didn’t see a main ship, just the drones?”
Dex shook his head, motioning for them to follow him. As they turned, Kenna caught Xaan’s eye. The big Latharian shook his head slightly.
The Lathar didn’t use attack drones. They dropped troops and combat bots onto the ground or flew bigger fighter jets. She’d never heard of or seen flying attack bots. Whoever it was, it wasn’t the Lathar. She’d already guessed that. With their technology and combat capability, if they’d attacked this place, it wouldn’t still be standing.
“Nope. Just the blasted drones. Initially we thought they were just surveying us to see what assets we had on the planet and then they’d send in a full-scale attack. But… we’re a small colony. We don’t have anything here they’d be interested in, so the big attack never came.”
“Sounds like you had a lucky escape,” Kenna commented as they stepped out of the sun and into the cool interior of the main colony building.
Like most colonies, it was built to a standard design. An extruded plasticrete central building, hexagonal in shape, housed all the main facilities, with tunnel-like corridors off to other smaller buildings. As the colony grew in size, more and more corridors and buildings could be added until it resembled a huge rabbit warren.
From the size and complexity of the place, the settlement wasn’t that old. Only a couple of years at the most. Odd. This far out she would have expected the colony to have been at least in its sixth decade.
“They didn’t do any damage then?” she asked, scanning the interior of the main building with a quick eye.
She kept her expression neutral, not revealing she knew anything about what she was looking at. But… the internal structure of the main building was as she’d expected, with some of the phase one room dividers still in place.
Colonies were designed around the main building. During their first years everyone lived together, with the big space sectioned off with dividers and low decks to provide living and storage space around the edges. The middle section was left for communal use, with washrooms and facilities set at the back.
Most of the personal spaces were gone. Some looked like they had been converted into offices, but a few remained, as did the communal kitchen and washrooms. All as she’d expect for a colony that hadn’t jumped all the way to phase two yet.
“Not to the buildings. But…” Dex sighed heavily, running a hand through his close-cropped hair. “We lost two field workers. Slaughtered by the drones.”
Kenna blinked in surprise. “Slaughtered?”
“What do you mean… slaughtered?” Xaan asked, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close protectively.
“Best I show you.”
Dex’s face was grim as he led them toward one of the many doors off the main hall. They walked down a short corridor, the plasticrete roof translucent in sections to allow the light through. Strip lighting ran in beads along the walls at ankle height.
A sharp right turn later, they emerged into a medical bay with sterile metal surfaces and harsh lights. The low hum of generators filled the room, powering the two refrigeration units against one wall, right next to a couple of mortuary cabinets. Each had four doors.
Dex walked over to the one nearest the door, stopping as he reached for the handle of the second door from the bottom. He looked over his shoulder at Xaan. “You might want your wife to leave the room,” he warned. “This is… not for the faint of heart.”
Xaan shook his head, casting her a quick glance. “Oh, my Suzie’s a tough nut. She’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Aright,” Dex shrugged. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He pulled the door open and slid the drawer out. Despite all her military training, Kenna gasped and covered her mouth. A man lay on the metal tray. At least, he looked like a man from the neck and shoulders up. Below that…
Her eyes widened as her gaze trailed down his body. Or what was left of it. It looked like he’d been in some industrial accident. One leg below the knee was gone and the stump looked like it had been chewed on. Deep slashes cut into the thighs, carrying on into the torso. Some were so close together the flesh was little more than chum. There was a big indentation on the left side of the chest where a large portion was missing.
“The other one is worse. I won’t show you her,” Dex said quietly, stepping back to allow Xaan to step up and examine the body. Kenna stayed safely back. She had a strong stomach, yes, any marine had. But there were some states no one ever needed to see a body in. It was the stuff nightmares were made of. She blinked, clearing her mind of blast and combat injuries she’d seen and breathing deeply to help herself relax. The lights were way too bright in here, she told herself.
It didn’t help. The deep breath brought the smell of death into her lungs and her body rebelled, threatening to bring back up the little she’d eaten today.
“I’m sorry. I need to get some air,” she muttered and fled.
6
Dex and Xaan found her kicking her heels outside a few minutes later. Kenna looked up as the big Latharian strode out of the main hall, his expression grim as he scanned the surroundings. Then tension in his shoulders eased, his blue eyes filling with warmth as he walked over to her.
“You okay, love?” he asked, sliding a hand around the back of her waist to pull her close.
“Yeah. I will be. I just need a moment.”
She nestled against his larger body, her forehead resting against his shoulder, and closed her eyes for a moment. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“You take as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
She nodded and savored the moment. Just being near him calmed her down and gave her strength. The fact that he’d been concerned and obviously didn’t like the fact they’d been separated, even for such a short period, warmed her
heart. The sensible part of her, the marine part, wanted to say it was because they were a unit, albeit a unit of just two, behind enemy lines. Splitting up wasn’t sensible. But she knew better. His concern was personal, and, from the way he held her… possessive.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, aware that Dex was watching them from the doorway. “I thought I could handle that. But…” She broke off and buried her face against his chest. “It was just too much.”
“Hey, hey, you don’t need to apologize to me.”
Strong fingers at the back of her neck tilted her head up and she met Xaan’s concerned eyes. Bless him, he really was worried about her. Worried that she’d been overset by what she’d seen for all of two point four seconds before he clocked the amusement buried deep in the backs of her eyes. The tiny muscle at the corner of his lips quirked and she knew he was onto her act. The tough and mean on the outside, sensitive marshmallow inside trader woman who’d developed her persona to survive in the harsh reality of the outer systems.
“It’s all good. I promise,” he murmured, playing up his part as her strong, brooding but reliable husband. Then he leaned down to brush his lips over hers and all thought of their cover story hightailed it over the horizon.
She parted her lips with a small murmur of invitation, shivering as his tongue brushed against her lower lip. Once. Twice. Then he invaded her mouth, his hold on her tightening as he deepened the kiss. She gripped the front of his jacket, holding him to her as she kissed him back. Heat rose between them, an instant inferno that set her heart racing and need coursing through her veins.
“Oh for heaven's sake, get a room,” a female voice yelled at them good-naturedly and they broke apart. Kenna grinned at the woman who’d called out, one of a group of colonists heading into the main hall.
“It’s beginning to get dark,” Dex commented as he approached, nodding up at the darkening sky. “You won’t want to return to your ship until morning, not with what’s out there. You’re more than welcome to spend the night here. I’ll have a room made up for you.”
Her fingers tightened on the lapels of Xaan’s jacket as he stiffened, and she knew he was about to argue that they could make it. She leaned against him in warning. While a Latharian warrior would think nothing of hightailing it back through hostile territory, the traders they were pretending to be would never risk it.
“Thank you,” she replied with a nod. “That’s most kind of you.”
“No problem at all. Our pleasure. Feel free to head on into the hall. The evening meal should be serving soon.” Dex paused for a moment, frowning as he looked directly at Kenna. “Are you sure we’ve never met? You look awfully familiar.”
“I get that a lot.” She gave a little smile. “Just have one of those faces, I guess. No, we’ve never met. Steve and I have never been this far out before.”
“Huh. Odd. Anyway, you’ll have to excuse me. I need to brief the night watch.” As he spoke, spotlights snapped on around the perimeter wall, guards stationed at each and patrolling the high catwalks.
“Of course. We wouldn’t want to keep you from such an important task.” Xaan smiled, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes and they watched as the colony leader walked away.
“What’s gotten into you?” Kenna hissed in an undertone as they turned toward the main hall. If he carried on like this, Dex would smell a rat.
Xaan’s hand tightened warningly around hers. “Not here. Later.”
She gave a small nod, allowing him to lead her into the main hall. The main space had been filled with tables and chairs. The smell of something good wafted through the air from the kitchens now visible through open hatches in one set of dividers.
“Hey! Welcome! Feel free to grab a seat where you can,” someone called out from the other side of the room. It was already half full, workers having come in while they were in the medical bay. Kenna cast a glance over them. Definitely field workers, which up Dex’s story about the attack.
“Thanks, will do!” she called out in reply.
They were subjected to curious looks as they made their way to an empty table at the back of the room. A woman broke away from the serving hatch to put two plates loaded with stew in front of them.
“Hey, how comes I don’t get table service, Maggie?” a male voice called out. “That’s downright favoritism, that is!”
“You shut your cake-hole, Jeremiah!” Maggie shot back with a laugh. “Them’s guests. You ain’t. Now get back to eatin’ your chow before Elias there snags it from under that big nose of yours!”
She added a basket filled with thick cut bread to the table. “Husbands,” she grinned at Kenna. “Can’t live with ‘em, can’t bury them under the lettuce patch…am I right?”
Kenna chuckled, shooting a glance at Xaan. He frustrated her so much at times she’d happily bury him under the lettuce. In a totally affectionate way, of course.
Something was definitely up with him though. The lines at the corners of his mouth betrayed his tension. She couldn’t imagine it was because he was a Lathar alone in the midst of humans. No one here, even her, was a threat to a fully trained and experienced warrior. So, it was something else.
What had he seen that she hadn’t? Other than the inconsistencies about the age of the colony, which could be explained away by a longer route or technical difficulties before they landed, there was nothing out of the ordinary for this kind of settlement.
They ate in silence, but that didn’t mean Kenna’s mind was idle. She watched the people around them out of the corner of her eye, noting everyone as they came, ate, and went. Some to sleep, while others looked like they were pulling a night shift. Were they still hot-bedding? One shelter or room shared by two or three shifts, one sleeping while the other two were at work or recreation. Surely they’d already grown past that, though?
Xaan leaned forward after a while, his voice low as he spoke, “These family groups appear to be different to the norm for your species.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” His question had caught her by surprise and stalled her observation of a girl in the kitchens. Unlike the others, she seemed sullen and quiet, not speaking to or making eye contact with anyone.
Xaan nodded to a group a couple of tables away. A large man was laughing, sharing a joke with the women sitting around him, several children either on laps or running around the group playing. From the similarities of their facial features, they were obviously closely related.
“Ah. Multiple marriage is common out here,” she told him quietly. “Larger group to take care of the children. Makes it easier on all involved. It’s usually one man with multiple wives, but sometimes it occurs the other way as well.”
She flicked a glance toward a quiet group nearer the door where a woman sat surrounded by three men. Their body language was incredibly possessive, so she didn’t need the glint of rings on their fingers to clue her in. Must be newly married as well by the tension swirling around them.
“Your males share women?” Xaan asked in surprise. “That occasionally happens with us as well, but it’s rare. I don’t know of any male who would be selfish enough to take more than one woman as mate, though. How would he cope with the needs of so many women without someone being neglected?” He looked offended at the very thought. “That would not be right at all.”
She suppressed a wry snort. “And there you have the problem with human men in a nutshell. Some believe they’re god’s gift to women. Hence the invention of the dick pic.”
“A god’s gift?” he looked confused. “What did your females do to offend a god that he would grant them such a… dubious gift? What is a ‘dick pic’? Your males call their genit…” He broke off, looking horrified. “Is that— Do you mean what I think you mean?”
“Yeah. They send a picture of their junk and think it’s seductive.” She couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “Oh, you are just comedy gold. But no, you’re right. We must have done something way back when to deserve it.”
&nb
sp; Xaan rumbled in the back of his throat and dug into his stew. “Your males are idiots if you ask me. They’ve got things all the wrong way around.”
“No arguments from me on that,” Kenna murmured in reply, still watching the quiet girl behind the counter as she ate. She looked to be a teenager, thin, with lanky, dark hair. When she wiped her hands and took off her apron, Kenna slid out of her seat, murmuring to Xaan, “Back in a moment.”
She ducked through the door nearest to the kitchens, mouthing “ladies” to Maggie on the way and getting a thumbs up. Good, she’d guessed right on the location of the facilities then. It was the work of a moment to find the right restroom and yes, the other stall was occupied.
Quickly going about her business, Kenna stepped back out of her stall afterward to find the girl washing her hands. She smiled as she stepped up to the sink next to her and snapped the water on.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
The girl flicked her a nervous glance and gave a small sound in reply. It could have been teenager for hi or it could have been a grunt. Kenna wasn’t sure which.
“Nice planet you got. Have you been here long?” she asked, washing her hands. “Do you like it here?”
“She likes it just fine. Don’t you, Ava?” a hard voice asked from the doorway. “What have you been told about bothering people?”
It was the older woman who’d been working in the kitchen. Not Maggie, who was all smiles, but a taller, wiry woman with a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp. Instantly the hackles went up on the back of Kenna’s neck, her instincts warning her to be careful around this one.
Ava whirled around, her expression pale and defensive. “I weren’t talking to her. She were doin’ the talking!” she exclaimed and fled, banging through the door where the older woman stood.
“I wouldn’t pay attention to anything that one says,” Bulldog-face said, crossing her arms over her flat chest and glaring at Kenna. “Ungrateful brat with a head full of made-up shite she likes to pedal to anyone that’ll listen.”
