by Keira Conrad
He stared at her, mouth agape. “You're crazy if you think the colonists are going to agree to those terms,” he says. “Did you see how they looked at him when he pulled up with you riding shotgun on his speeder?” He crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child. He was right. There had been a lot of jaw drops and eyeball pops when she rolled up with her arms wrapped around the half-naked barbarian. She couldn't gauge crew reaction beyond shock. She supposed she'd find out what they really thought soon enough.
Callie didn’t expect Hudson to love the idea. She was still processing it herself, in all honesty. But she still thought the rational, military man part of him would see the practical benefits. And to put the success of the mission ahead of his personal feelings.
“I’ll go speak with them now,” Callie said.
Callie let it be known that she wanted a meeting with all colonists and word spread quickly. They gathered in the middle of camp; the only place large enough to fit them all at once. Callie thought they'd still be shell-shocked after the attack that morning, but Vaka’s sudden appearance had whipped them into a frenzy. Wait until they hear the proposal, Callie thought. That's really going to drive them crazy. She knew it was going to be a tough sell. Might as well get started. She hopped onto the supply crate Hudson had used to address the crowd earlier that morning.
“Is it true?” Someone from the crowd shouted the question before she even had a chance to speak. “The savages want to take us as their wives? Auction us off?”
“That’s not exactly right,” Callie said. On the other hand, it wasn’t exactly wrong. But she needed to control the message. Present her case like an attorney arguing before the court. She had to shout to be heard over the commotion of the crowd that was turning unfriendly fast.
“First of all, I don’t think it’s correct to describe them as savages.” She stood tall, clasped her hands behind her back, and tried to look like she had her shit together. “I think once you spend any time in their company, as I have, you’ll find them pleasant to be around." She chose her next words carefully. "It’s true they don't have the advanced technology we are accustomed to, but it’s also clear to me they have strengths in areas where we are sorely lacking at the moment.” Callie half expected a chorus of boos to rise up, but they began to quiet and listen to her.
“Yes,” she said, “their leader has made us an offer. And it's one I hope you'll consider carefully."
“When the red moon rises in the sky, one of their men will select an Earth woman to carry his child.” A few of the women look openly scandalized, but the rest just listened quietly. They knew how dire their situation was. "This process would happen ten times, and then our obligation will be met. In return, they are willing to offer us the following assistance." There were some smiles in the crowd as Callie detailed everything Vaka and his people were prepared to offer.
They were on the brink of disaster and news of possible salvation was welcomed. Even Flora looked excited at the mention of terraced crops and seedlings. But Callie could tell others were unconvinced. And they all had a lot of questions. She understood. She had questions, too. But she was honest with them and shared everything Vaka had told her.
"I don't know all the answers to your questions. I'm sure we can work everything out in a manner that is acceptable to all." Callie looked somber as she addressed them. “Please understand that I have volunteered as the first offering. The warrior who returned me to camp has claimed me. If we agree to the terms of the treaty, and we must all agree, then nobody else will be chosen until the next red moon."
Callie knew this would seal the deal. They’d all play the odds. Sure, some of the women would be inspired by her willingness to further their survival by being the first tribute. Maybe they’d be willing if called upon. She also knew the women, though unusually brave, happened to be tired, hungry, and terrified at the moment.
Immediate needs trump distant risks.
Callie wanted this deal, and she guessed that the other women did, too. They didn't want to be selected, but they'd vote for it and hope for the best. There were nearly one hundred women colonists on board and only nine other women would be selected. They'd all take those odds if it meant they survived. She knew some would try to back out at the last minute if selected and, in truth, she couldn't imagine the warriors would want an unwilling partner. It would all work itself out.
“I think it’s a fair offer. I hope you’ll all consider it. Let's take a vote.” Callie looked around at the crowd before she jumped down. She nodded to Juno, who started handing out ballots. She was anxious to see where they stood, but her resolve was firm. She’d talk with them as long as she had to, address their fears, and take as many votes as she had to until they all agreed. They weren’t leaving here until they all agreed. No matter what she had to tell them.
What she wouldn’t tell them, and what she had a hard time admitting even to herself, was that she couldn't wait for Vaka to collect her in the morning.
15
"Are you nervous?" Flora asked Callie after they had turned out the light in their tent. Emergency shelters with four bunks were set up for each quad inside the perimeter. They were bare-bones accommodations, but Callie didn’t care about the sparse furnishings. She was just happy to be resting on an actual bed. The makeshift bath she gave herself before turning in was fantastic, and she was beyond ready to sleep. But Flora had different ideas.
“A little,” Callie admitted as she forced her eyes open. “Mostly, I’m just relieved to know help is on the way.”
“He’s probably out there, watching our camp right now,” Flora said.
“Of course, he is,” Juno agreed. “They aren’t going to let anything happen to us if they need us so badly.” She turned on her side and tucked the blanket around her feet. “I’ve never felt so relieved in my life. I’ll sleep like a baby tonight.”
“You’ll sleep well,” Flora retorted, “because you don’t have to worry about some hulking barbarian dragging you away tomorrow to use you as his own personal plaything. He’ll probably have poor Callie on her back for the next seventy-two hours.”
Callie didn’t find that thought as upsetting as Flora seemed to. The prospect of sex with the alien didn’t faze her all. That was the easy part. And she looked forward to learning more about his people and their planet. But there was something on her mind.
“That part doesn’t bother me,” Callie said. “I’ve had enough below-average sex with Earth men to last me a lifetime. I’m pretty sure I can just zone out and skate through it.”
“What part of it bothers you?” Juno asked.
“The baby.” Callie was hesitant to say more. Her own thoughts were so disordered. Things could get complicated so quickly. “I…I just never imagined myself as a mother.”
“You don’t have to worry.” Andromeda’s voice was barely above a whisper. “There’s no way it can work.”
“I asked him about it,” Callie said. “I don’t know the details of their reproduction, but he told me they had mated with other species before.”
“That’s all well and good, but it’s still not going to work.” She pushed back her blanket and sat up in bed. “You can’t have kids,” she said gently.
“What are you talking about?” Callie wasn’t upset with the revelation, she just wanted to know how the doctor knew when she herself didn’t.
“None of us can,” Andromeda said. Flora looked devastated. She’d told all of them of her plans for a large family.
“You better start explaining,” Juno demanded.
“The Company sterilized all of us while we were in hyper sleep.” She couldn’t look at them.
Callie wanted answers. “Did you have anything—“
“I didn’t know about it until we woke up,” she said. “They did it to me, too. And all the members of the security team.”
“Why?” Flora was on the verge of tears. “I thought that’s the whole reason why they brought us here? To reproduce?”
“It is,” Andromeda said. “But they realized they needed more genetic diversity in order to develop a viable colony.”
“What’s in the cryotubes?” Callie asked. “I’m guessing it’s more than just semen.”
The doctor nodded. “Fertilized eggs. They came up with the perfect designer babies and sent them along with us.”
“So, they sent us here to be incubators?” Flora’s voice trembled.
“Pretty much.” Andromeda looked just as devastated as the rest of them did, and Callie realized how hard it must have been for her to carry this knowledge without telling them. “We still have to raise the children, of course.”
“Maybe you’re wrong.” Flora was shaking her head in disbelief. “Maybe they made a mistake.”
Andromeda stood and moved closer to the other bunks. “I know it sucks, and I should have told you earlier, but you can’t tell anyone else. It needs to stay between us for now.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Panic stirred within Callie. It was bad enough she hadn’t told him all the details of their mission to colonize the planet. The knowledge that she wasn’t capable of carrying a child sent a surge of guilt tearing through her. “He’s giving us everything and we’re giving him nothing.”
“Well,” Andromeda said, “from my medical point of view, there’s always a chance. And that’s all he really asked for, right? We don’t know the mechanics of their reproduction. They don’t know the mechanics of ours.”
“He said inter-species breeding has worked before,” Callie reminded her.
“I believe him,” Andromeda said. “That still doesn’t guarantee it would work with a human female. He can’t know that.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, did he give you any details on the birth process? For all you know, this kid could claw its way out Alien-style. I thought you’d be relieved or I wouldn’t have told you.”
“I am relieved.” Andromeda was right. There were so many unknowns and she needed to worry about her safety not his disappointment. All the details she had been worrying about – how do you share custody of an alien child? – faded away. Her worries were replaced by a new lightness. Things were going to be all right.
Juno sensed the shift in mood. “Don’t worry about him, Cal. I mean, not for nothing, he still gets to spend a few nights with you. He should be plenty happy.”
Even Flora giggled at that and they all settled back in to sleep. Morning would be there soon, and Vaka would be waiting for her.
16
Callie woke at dawn to the sounds of her friends scurrying around the tent.
“Guess who’s waiting outside?” Flora asked. “I bet he’s been out there for hours.”
“And he brought a friend,” Juno added.
Callie blinked to clear the sleep from her eyes. “Yeah, he mentioned someone volunteered to stay in our camp and teach us the basics of survival.” She sat up and stretched.
“He’s a little older, but not too hard on the eyes,” Andromeda said.
“He’s all yours,” Callie said as she threw back the covers and rose from her bunk. She grabbed her bag and looked for clean clothes. “God, I wish we had enough water for a bath.”
“We pooled our water rations so you can at least sponge off.” Flora presented her with a washcloth and a pan of water.
“You guys, that’s so sweet,” Callie said.
“Sorry it’s all we have for you. Everything else was destroyed in the ship.” All their cute clothes, trinkets, makeup, and jewelry were gone. Things a girl would normally want at a time like this. But Callie had never been one for eyeliner or baubles.
Her friends headed to the mess tent to give her privacy. She washed quickly, threw on her clothes, and pulled her hair back into her usual ponytail. They didn’t have a mirror so she checked her reflection in a piece of metal sheeting. She looked like the same old Callie. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, threw her bag over her shoulder, and walked outside.
She saw him immediately at the edge of camp. Her heart leapt into her throat and a primal longing stirred within her. She could tell he felt it too from the way his eyes sought her out immediately and remained locked on her while she approached.
“Callie,” he said, as she reached the edge of camp. “You look beautiful.”
The compliment threw her off kilter. She had never been good at accepting praise and her eyes searched the ground as she fell into old habits. She wasn’t used to being desired. Or being the center of attention, which she most certainly was at this moment. She felt the curious glances of the other women on her and wondered what they thought. She imagined they’d be curious and appreciative, but who knew?
“This is Riyad, a close friend.” He nodded to the warrior who stood next to him quietly. He was handsome in his own right and oozed confidence and competence. He was dressed in the same loin-cloth and leather boots as Vaka, and Callie wondered how the women would handle his presence in camp. If they were smart, they’d learn all they could from him. “He will stay and teach your people all they wish to learn.”
He smiled at her and she returned the gesture. “We appreciate it more than you know,” she said. “Everyone is ready to learn.” She heard footfalls approaching and turned to see Juno.
“I’m Juno,” she said. “I’ll show you around camp and get you settled in, if that works for you.” Callie was immediately glad someone she trusted would be looking out for Riyad in camp. There were still a million ways for this arrangement to go wrong and she didn’t want the colonists or the security team to take any action to jeopardize it.
Juno gave Callie a quick hug and then led Riyad to the center of camp. Callie took a deep breath.
“You look nervous,” Vaka observed.
“I’ve known you for a day. You haven’t had a woman in years. And we’re going to have sex in the very near future,” she said. “That’s the kind of scenario that makes a girl nervous.”
He stepped closer. “It will be worth it,” he promised.
She peeked around the terrain. “Do you have your speeder stashed somewhere around here? I don’t think I can walk that far, if that’s what you had in mind.”
“I thought you’d appreciate a better ride for such a momentous occasion.” He removed a trinket from his belt and raised it to his lips. It looked like a mishmash of shells and bones. He blew into it, but she didn’t hear a sound. What the hell?
She heard the beast before she could see it. She recognized the fierce roar from the night in camp. Vaka looked to the horizon and she stared in the same direction. Part of her really thought she had imagined it, and she was desperate to prove to herself that she hadn’t. And she was just really damn excited to see it up close.
Women came out of their tents and gathered in camp, looking to the sky. She finally saw it flying toward them. It came from the direction of the mountain and she wondered if it lived in the caves beneath the village. There was so much she wanted to know, but she quieted her mind and surrendered herself to the majesty of the moment. The dot on the horizon grew larger and larger, and it was nearing camp in a shockingly short amount of time. Who needs a spaceship when you have one of these? she wondered.
The ground beneath them shuddered when it landed. Vaka took Callie by the hand and led her closer. “This is what your bargaining has secured.”
She couldn’t believe the size of it. It stood as tall as an elephant, but stretched the length of twenty tents. It was a terrifying beast up close, with scaled skin, and horns, and giant, sharp teeth. She felt like she was living in the age of the dinosaurs. But Vaka was unafraid and she saw no reason to be either.
“Can I touch it?” she asked. She couldn’t keep the wonder out of her voice.
“Of course,” he said.
She raised her hand to its neck, like one would pet a horse. She expected its skin to feel tough and scaly, but the luminous blue hide was surprisingly soft.
Vaka climbed onto its giant blue wing and pulled Callie up next to him
. One more huge step and he was resting on its back. Callie scrambled into place behind him.
“Don’t you have a saddle? This doesn’t feel very secure.” She wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life.
“I will not let you fall, little bird. Not when everything I’ve wanted is finally within my grasp.” He made a clicking sound with his tongue and they lurched forward. She felt the creature push off against the ground and then they were flying. She laughed with pure pleasure as its wings carried them higher into the sky. She was too scared to look down, so she focused on the feeling of the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. She clung to Vaka as they raced through the sky. The dips and rises reminded her of a rollercoaster ride. It was thrilling. And over just as quickly as it had begun.
They descended into the mouth of the mountain. She saw the village as they passed it on their way down. They dropped below the terraced planting fields into a secondary cavern. Vaka helped Callie from the back of the dragon and it flew away once they touched the ground.
“That was amazing,” she said. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn’t keep a grin off her face.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He took her hand and led her to an opening in the wall.
“Where are we?” she asked as she looked around.
“A special chamber reserved for mating warriors.”
Callie found the idea intriguing. She wondered what it looked like inside. I suppose I’ll find out soon, she thought. “Does this mean you’re kind of a big deal around here? On Earth, we just share a bed for the night.”
“Among the Verakai, the mating of a warrior is sacred.” Callie liked the sound of that. She wouldn’t mind being worshipped for a while. She followed him and had to struggle to keep up.
