by Keira Conrad
Callie always had a good sense of direction, but she lost her bearings within moments of their departure. His route was winding and complicated. After a few minutes, she sensed they were moving uphill. A glance around Vaka's bulk confirmed her suspicion. The trees thinned out as they approached mountainous terrain.
He steered them toward the edge of a rocky cliff, and she held her breath. They sailed down into a narrow crevasse, so deep daylight barely reached it. They skimmed the bottom, hovering between the narrow walls, and rocketed onward. It was fortunate Callie had a hard time seeing her surroundings, because they were headed for a solid slab of rock.
Vaka clicked a small device affixed to his loincloth and the rock pixelated and then disappeared.
Callie gasped in amazement. Her inner engineer was thrilled and she wondered if the rock was a hologram meant to hide the entrance or an actual physical barrier that somehow disappeared on command. There was much to learn from them.
Their upward trajectory increased as they entered a tunnel. It reminded Callie of old underground mining passages and she had to fight her claustrophobia. Tight spaces were never her thing. The fact that she could feel the air getting warmer didn't help, either. She squeezed her eyes closed and told herself they would be arriving soon.
She didn’t have to wait long. The narrow tunnel widened into an enormous cavern open to the sky, and she realized the mountain was once a volcano. Vaka’s people had built their village right in the crater below the rim. She had expected it to be dim, based on the cramped, dark tunnels of their approach, but light streamed onto the village. She looked up and saw nothing but blue skies and wispy, white clouds.
Their camp itself was a perplexing mix of the modern and historic. A bonfire roared at its center, and dozens of circular tents draped with animal hides were arranged around it. They reminded her of the Mongolian yurts she’d seen in the pages of National Geographic. Other dwellings at the edge of camp had been carved into the wall of the mountain itself.
Callie saw evidence of domestication of animals and farming; herds of black animals the size of deer stood behind wooden fencing. The rocky slope on the far side of camp had been terraced to provide a place for planting of crops. It made her think of Flora, and of how much her friend would love seeing what they had here.
She was struck by the simplicity of her surroundings, until she started to notice the technology. The stash of transporters and speeders parked near the entrance was the first thing to catch her eye, but she noticed a variety of small metal objects with power lights as she surveyed camp. Some she recognized as weapons. One was projecting a hologram. She wondered where the technology came from, but that was a question for another day.
"This is fantastic," Callie said as she turned in a circle and observed everything. She meant it to be a whisper, but the musical tone of her voice carried across the cavern and quickly silenced all noise within the camp. Even the animals stood at attention.
She hadn't thought her arrival would be a shock to them. She assumed they knew Vaka had been watching the humans and had been sharing information with them. She started to sweat and her stomach tied itself in knots. She was scared, truly scared, for the second time that day. She stood behind Vaka, hiding in his shadow, as the villagers dropped what they were doing and gathered around her.
They strained for a look at her. She took stock of them, too. They were all dressed like Vaka, clad only in loincloths with leather boots lashed to their lower legs. They were all large, beefy men, with slabs of sweaty muscle and perfectly chiseled faces. They murmured among themselves as they gazed upon her, and she prayed that Vaka was in good standing and well-respected among his people. They all looked like they wanted to devour her.
And that's when she realized the most obvious thing they all had in common.
They were all men.
12
"This is no way to treat a guest." The raspy feminine voice projected easily across the entire camp. An elderly woman emerged from a tent and relief surged through Callie. "Can't you see you're scaring her? She's trembling."
The old woman had a shock of white hair and a pronounced limp, but there was still something elegant in the way she crossed the space to greet Cassie. She wore a simple dress of deep blue homespun fabric knotted over one shoulder. Her other arm was bare. The men of the village moved aside so she could pass, and Cassie knew she must be respected.
"I want you all back to work." The men didn’t want to move, but she waved them off like a mother hen. "Give us some space. Let Vaka introduce me to our new arrival."
The crowd slowly dispersed, but all eyes were still glued to Callie.
"Perhaps we should move inside," the old woman said as she motioned to her tent. "Get away from prying eyes." Callie followed her lead. Vaka lifted the leather flap away from the doorway and ushered her inside. It was surprisingly cozy, and Callie sank into an offered chair. A fire burned in the middle of the room and the smell reminded her of campfires and barbeques back home. A pot was nestled among the flames and Callie's stomach rumbled in response. There was no stopping it once she smelled meat.
"I will feed and keep an eye on her," the woman said to Vaka. "Go and talk to your men. She is in good hands."
He bowed and left. Callie was inherently more comfortable around women than men, and there was certainly nothing threatening about the elderly woman in front of her, but she still had to squash the sense of unease that arose in her when Vaka left her side. She felt comfortable with him already, and she wasn’t sure what to do with that little tidbit of information. She wanted to dissect her feelings and examine them closely, but the woman turned to her.
"My name is Shiva," She bowed deeply. Callie rose from her chair and returned the gesture.
"My name is Callie," she said. "You must have a lot of questions about us. I know I have a lot of questions about…this.” She motioned to everything around her and Shiva smiled.
"First, we eat." She crouched next to the fire with an empty bowl.
"It smells amazing. We've been eating processed emergency rations all week. I miss real food." Callie usually became very quiet when she was nervous. But something about Shiva made her feel comfortable. Maybe because the woman seemed genuinely happy to see her.
"Hungry guests are the best guests." She dipped a wooden ladle into the pot. She placed a generous portion into a shallow bowl and handed it to Callie with a smile. Her eyes practically twinkled.
"Thank you so much." Callie had a million questions, but now didn't seem like the time to ask. She took a bite of the stew and tried to stop her mind from racing. Who was this woman? Where were the other women? Where was Vaka? Who was he talking to? Who would be making the final decision?
She bit into a chunk of something that tasted like sweet potato and her taste buds exploded with delight. It felt so good to chew real food again. She chased a hunk of meat around the bowl, trying to stab it with the wooden skewer. She popped it into her mouth and savored it. Her dad had always hunted when she was a kid, and this morsel reminded her of a cross between deer and bear meat.
Callie couldn't hold back her questions any longer. "I don't mean to be rude, but I just have to ask. Are you the only woman? You really live here with all these guys?"
To her relief, Shiva chuckled. "I really am the only woman here with all these warriors. I'm like the communal grandmother." She sat next to Callie with a bowl of food for herself. "It's why I was so excited to see you. I have prayed for a solution to our problem and then your ship falls from the skies." She looked absolutely thrilled. Callie didn't know what to say. She would do what she had to in order to survive, but she didn't want to give the false impression that they were in the market for alien husbands. That just wasn't in the cards. Her crew had plans of their own and a mission they hoped they could complete.
"Do you know how long Vaka will be gone?" Callie may have been resting in relative comfort at the moment, but her friends at camp weren't. She was anxious for an answer.
"I don't think it will take him long to convince his men," Shiva said. "It should not take them long. If there is a trade to be made, there is only one thing they need."
Callie had a good idea what that “one thing” they needed was and it threw her off balance. "I thought he had to get approval from the tribe's leader."
"Vaka is the tribe's leader," she said. "But he values the opinions of all his warriors and would never make a decision without discussing it with them first."
"Oh." Callie had assumed he was some sort of a scout. Knowing he was the leader made her more optimistic that he would help. But everything felt a little more dangerous, too.
She turned her head to the door. "I believe I hear him coming now."
He pushed the door aside. "A decision has been made. I must speak with Callie." Shiva rose to her feet and took Callie's bowl. She carried the dirty dishes past the young warrior and left him to his business.
Callie couldn't read his expression. "Are you going to help us?" Callie rose to her feet in anticipation. "Please don't make me wait, just tell me yes or no."
"That depends entirely on you," he said as his hungry eyes drank her in.
13
"There is much my men are willing to offer you," he said as he paced across the room. He began ticking items off on his fingers. "Riyad is a historian of our people. He is an expert on our customs and way of life. He has volunteered to move to your camp. He will live among you and show you how to make a life here."
"Will he show us how to get water?" Cassie asked. They needed water in a bad way. When she thought of the long showers she used to take back on Earth, she could cry.
"He'll show you how to do everything," Vaka said. “How to find water. How to track our wildlife. How to make traps and where to set them. He'll teach you which native plants are safe for eating. And he'll also help you identify a better place to locate your camp, should you wish to be closer to resources and or find a place with more natural cover."
Callie couldn't stop a smile from lighting up her face. "That sounds amazing." They could do so much with that kind of help. They'd never go hungry or thirsty again. They could scratch out a life here.
Vaka continued ticking items off his list. "We will also provide your people with several breeding pairs of okachi and seedlings of the plants we farm here. Riyad will teach you how to raise and care for them. He'll show you how to butcher the animals and harvest the crops."
Callie was so ecstatic she had to stop herself from tapping her toes. Flora would love the plants. And everyone else would love having meat to eat. "Th—"
Vaka interrupted. He was all about the hard sell and it amused Callie. He must not realize how dire their situation was, because she was already prepared to give him whatever he wanted. She didn’t need any convincing. "There's more. We will share everything we know about the Obeday with you. If they attack again, we will offer our aid in your protection. If the Obeday attack you, they will be attacking us." He stopped pacing and sat back on his heels. He looked pretty impressed with himself.
"That's a pretty comprehensive offer," Callie said.
"Our fates are intertwined, now. Neither of us can succeed without the other."
"There’s just one thing we haven’t discussed yet."
His confusion was painted across his face.
"The dragons?" Callie was surprised he hadn’t mentioned them yet. Why wouldn't he mention them? They seemed like a pretty large factor in their joint defense.
He startled as if she had slapped him. "What do you know of our Verakai?"
"I saw one the other night outside our camp. It was amazing, but I didn't get a very good look. It was one of yours, right? Do I get to see one up close?"
"Our dragons are sacred creatures, Callie." For the first time, his face darkened. The sound of her name on his lips carried a hint of anger. "You don't bring a majestic animal like that out for kicks."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to be disrespectful. We don't have creatures like that on my planet." She took a deep breath and searched for the words to make things right. "I didn't mean to say the wrong thing. I seem to do that more and more these days. It was just the most amazing thing I've ever seen." She gazed up at him with desperation.
"I'm not upset with you," he said. "In fact, I desire you very much."
"Yeah, I noticed." She let her eyes travel over his broad shoulders and thighs the size of tree trunks. "Maybe we should talk about what you want in return for all this amazing help you'll give us. Although, I can hazard a guess after seeing how your men looked at me before. I suppose you want some of the Earth girls to warm your beds?”
"I would not disrespect your women like that." He avoided her gaze and stared at the stone floor. "Many of the younger men have never known the pleasure of lying with a woman. And the older ones, like Riyad and I, learned to live with its absence."
"You don't want to have sex with us?" Did Callie really misinterpret his signals so badly?
"Of course, we do.” A rueful smile crept across his face. “But it’s more than that. I don't want you to think we would withhold help for our own physical pleasure. We would only do so for the future of our people."
"I'm confused." Where was he going with this? Callie started to feel concerned.
The smile faded from his face and he charged forward. "We ask that a small portion of your female colonists be assigned to us for breeding. To bring forth the next generation of warriors and save our people from extinction."
Callie tried to pick her jaw off the floor. That was not at all what she had in mind. It was a hell of a commitment, even for women who were willing to do almost anything. But she had other, more immediate concerns in mind. "Will that even work?"
"Warriors of our tribe have mated with other species before."
"And what if it doesn't work? What if a woman is selected and doesn’t become pregnant? What if she can’t carry the child to term?"
"We will still uphold our end of the bargain. We will perform our part of the bargain as soon as your women agree, not upon arrival of a child."
In her mind, Callie paged through different scenarios, trying to figure out how to best present the option to her fellow women. And Hudson.
"It's going to be a challenge to get colonists to agree to that arrangement," she said.
"Would you agree to it, if it came to that?” Vaka asked.
“Yes, I would.” She hadn’t had time to fully process all the implications, and parts of the deal made her uneasy, but nothing was as terrifying as dying a million miles from home. She would take the chance.
“Then I suggest you work quickly. For both our sakes."
"What sort of numbers and timeline are we looking at?" Callie focused on details to keep calm. It was her way of distancing herself from the situation at hand. She had no idea how she was going to pull this off.
"We want ten women. My men can be patient, as long as they have something to look forward to. Every time the red moon rises in the sky, a warrior of mine will claim a breeder from your women." Vaka's tone was all business, but Callie could see the lust behind his eyes.
“I'll have to talk to them about it,” she said.
“I expected as much.”
“It might take a while.” Maybe she could buy them some time.
“Take all the time you need. My people won't be starving and vulnerable in the meantime.”
Touché. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. She’d have to do her best to convince her crewmates quickly. "When's the next red moon?"
"Tomorrow night."
"I see," she said. Of course. Nothing was going their way on this hunk of rock. "And who will be the first warrior to choose."
"As leader of the Verakai, I will select the first woman." He moved closer to her, raised his hand to her chin, and tipped her face back to meet his gaze. "And I choose you, Callie."
Vaka was preparing his transport to ferry the Earth woman back to her people when Shiva appr
oached him. Her face was creased with worry.
"Did you tell her your true nature?" she asks. “I don’t believe she was aware.” He won't look at her. He knew she could see right through him. She was thinking of past slights and the tragedies borne from them.
"Now is not the time for such confessions," he said. “Besides, she’s not telling us everything about her people. I know it.”
"You would wait until she is carrying your child to tell her?" He heard the edge in her voice and knew this upset her. He clenched his jaw as he refueled the speeder.
"You think she would carry my child at all if she knew the truth? We’d be in the same mess all over again.”
She laid her cool, wrinkled hand on his cheek. "I understand why you worry,” she said. “But deceiving her like this is not honest."
"I have not lied to her. I was very careful in that. I just haven't told her the whole truth." He had never been one for verbal trickery, or deals involving sleight of hand, and his face flushed with shame as he spoke the words out loud.
"There is still time," she reminded him gently.
"It is not your concern, Shiva.” He moved away from her and prepared to leave. Callie was approaching from the tent.
"You can't hide it from her forever. Don't presume to know how she will react. Let her surprise you."
Her words fell on deaf ears.
"I must go," he said. He stormed off and left her there. Thinking how much Callie would dislike him one day was not a pleasant thought, so he banished it from his mind.
14
“There’s no way this is happening,” Hudson said.
“And I don’t think you have a damn say in the matter.” Callie struggled to control her temper. Hudson had demanded a debrief the second Vaka dropped her at the edge of camp. “Hudson, the company put you in charge of protecting our bodily safety, not our virtue. It’s up to us women to decide what to do. At the moment, barring some unforeseen miracle, our survival depends on their assistance. It's up to us to decide what we’re willing to sacrifice.”
