by T. J. Quinn
“I believe they build the colonies where there’s water, like this creek. Colonizers wouldn’t accept it otherwise. Water is too vital, I think,” she replied, lifting her tunic and slipping off her shoes, as she stepped into the cool water.
“Yes, it’s a very important tool for control over the colonies,” he agreed.
“Who would accept to live in a place where others control the water supply? You would be at their mercy,” she stated.
“You’re right of course.”
“This planet is very rich in water. There’s a stream, a river or lake everywhere you turn. It also rains a lot, so the water supply is constant, and while the planet doesn’t change, it should remain like that.”
“I guess that’s why the Dreshanians insist in not changing the planet more than strictly necessary,” he concluded.
“Yes, they know the planet is the source of their wealth,” her words oozed disdain.
“Will you tell me what happened to you during the hunting games?” he asked, too eager to know as to hold back his question.
She let out a deep sigh and walked out of the water, taking a seat next to him. “Ever since I became of age, I knew it was just a matter of time for me to be sent to the games,” she said, looking at the sun setting behind the trees.
“Why did you feel that? Not all women are sent. Otherwise, your species would have disappeared by now,” he asked, in a soft tone.
“No, not all women are sent, but as I was growing up, I knew they would tamper the results to send me as soon as possible. I was a stranger amongst them, and I had no family, no one to miss me,” she explained.
“What happened to your family?”
“I never met my mother. My father used to tell me she died a few days after I was born from a rare disease. He raised me alone until I was ten years old. He was killed during one of the skirmishes with another tribe, and I was left alone to survive on my own,” she let out a bitter laugh. “I guess they hoped I would die soon after, but my father was one of the best hunters, and he taught me all he knew. When he died, I was more than capable of living on my own.”
“Why didn’t you try to live out of the tribe?” he asked, curious.
“That’s practically impossible. The tribe protects you from the dangers of the woods. There are too many dangerous creatures out there, and I’m not just talking about animals. There are also a large variety of carnivorous plants, not to mention the other tribes that would see me as an enemy,” she explained.
“Is the rivalry between tribes that strong?” he asked, considering what that might mean for the colonizers’ plans.
“Yes, it is. They follow the same rules their ancestors followed, refusing to change a thing, even when the world around them is constantly changing and forcing them to go deeper into the woods.”
“Do you think they would ever agree to join forces against the Dreshanians?”
She shook her head. “No, at least, not my tribe, and probably not a few others,” she made a small pause. “If the rumors I heard are to be believed, a few tribes are changing. They live on the far end of this continent, and they have shown their hatred against the Dreshanians. Ashryn, one of the women you bought, is from one of those tribes.”
“I’ll have to talk to her, then,” he said, with a smile.
She snorted. “Good luck with that. I was never able to get more than a few words from her.”
“So, when did your tribe choose you for the games?”
“Right, I’m rambling.” She took a deep breath. “They didn’t choose me the first year. I guess it would have been too noticeable and they wanted to pretend they were following the rules by the book.” She let out a curt laugh. “I was chosen the second year. I had spent the whole year training as much as I could for what was to come, determined not to be caught. I guess I’d rather die than to get caught, but once you’re out there, all you think of is surviving,” she explained.
“So, you were sent to the meeting point along with the other women?” he asked, with a slight frown, realizing just how young Neela was. She was so mature he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Yes, we were given a day’s head start and sent off to the woods. The hunting games last three days and during that time, they hunt you down with all they have; scanners, hounds, trackers, hovering vehicles, everything. The clearly don’t play.”
“It must have been terrible for you, being all alone out in the woods,” he said, with a low tone.
“I tried to team up with a couple of other girls. Out there, safety is definitely in numbers, but they refused, not sure why, unless their goal was to be caught and mine was to escape.”
“If you had been able to escape, would you have been able to go back home?” he asked, though he could guess the answer.
She shook her head. “The tribes think that would be an insult to the Dreshanians. I knew they would never take me back, but I chose to ignore that. All I wanted was for the three days to end with me still free. I guess I was willing to give it a try to living on my own in the woods,” she said with a sad smile, playing with a thin branch she had picked up from the ground in front of her.
“But you were caught.”
“Yes, I was caught, at the end of day three. I ran, I hunted, I found shelter in trees and deep in caves, I crossed streams and even a river, and they still caught me,” she replied, showing with her words just how furious she had been. “I was getting ready to settle for the night when they threw a dart at me. I wasn’t even able to see who caught me. By the time I regained consciousness, we were at the palace, being introduced to Typsea.”
“The harem ruler,” he recalled.
“She’s a tyrant. She put us all through training that same day, to make sure we understood, she was in charge, and our lives as we had known them were dead,” she added, putting on her shoes and jumping to her feet. The sun was gone, and she could barely see Ethan. “One of her nefarious rules is that everyone pays for just one person’s mistakes. My rebellious spirit got us all a few punishments at the beginning, and that didn’t help me to make friends. Besides, my looks was still a barrier between the rest of the women and me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,”
She smiled. “I’m used to it.” She sighed. “We should get back. The night meal must be about to be served. It would be rude of you to miss it,” she warned him in a teasing tone.
He snorted as he jumped to his feet and closed the distance between them. He cradled her face and kissed her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent in the process, feeling his whole body react to her.
Staying away from her would prove to be torture. “Thank you for telling me all this,” he whispered in her ears, stepping back and taking her hand to guide her back to the palace.
They arrived just in time. The guests were starting to gather in the main room when they arrived, but Ethan took the time to take them to their room.
“Will you be alright, while I’m away?” he asked, as he opened the room.
“Yes, certainly. I’ll take the time to have a long bath,” she assured him.
“Very well. I’ll see you soon,” he bowed his head and left the room.
Chapter Fifteen
Neela let herself fall to the floor, feeling suddenly weak. It had been a weird, tiring day. Her life had changed so much she wasn’t sure how to process it all.
Before she was able to head to the bathroom, an android servant brought her meal, and she decided to eat before her bath.
She had just taken a seat at the small table in the corner of the room when the door smashed open against the wall to allow Caisys and Ashryn to enter.
Letting out a silent sigh, Neela prepared herself to face the other women. “Greetings, friends. May I assist you in any way?” she asked, not even bothering to look at the women, focusing her attention on the food in front of her.
“We need to talk,” Caisys snarled.
“I’m listening,” she assured her, taking the first bite.
> She could feel the way Caisys struggled to keep herself in control. But she didn’t care. The woman wasn’t going to intimidate her again.
Caisys strode across the room and reached Neela stretching her hand to throw her table to the floor.
Neela’s voice stopped her before she was able to do anything. “Remember, Typsea isn’t here to condone your attacks, Caisys. In case you hadn’t noticed, things changed,” no matter what Ethan decided to do, she was sure he would never support the other woman.
“You feel very powerful, don’t you? Just because you’re fucking the aliens’ leader, that doesn’t make you better than us,” the woman ranted, clearly having trouble controlling her rage.
“I’m not better than anyone, but no one is better than me either,” Neela stated in a cold tone. “What do you want, Caisys? I’m tired, and I would love to finish my meal.”
“Why did your man buy us? What are his plans for us?” Caisys asked, and for once her voice didn’t reflect the confidence it always did.
“Ethan only bought me,” Neela informed her. “The men you’re with paid for you. Ethan was just the buyer.”
“Why would they do that?” Ashryn asked, trembling.
“You’ll have to ask them,” Neela shrugged.
She wanted to tell them they were trying to protect them from the Kallasians, but she wasn’t sure she could trust the other women.
“How can you be so calm?” Ashryn sobbed.
“Because I’m sure whatever lies ahead with these men will be a million times better than becoming one of the Kallasians’ slaves. And I’m sure you agree with me.” Neela took a bite of her food and savored the exquisite food.
“How can you be sure of that?” Caisys asked, with scorn.
“Just judge them by the way they have been treating you. Has anything in their ways suggested they will mistreat you or beat you until you’re lying on the floor, unconscious in a pool of blood?” Neela asked, in a cold tone, as she described Typsea’s punishments.
The Kallasians also were known for their cruelty towards their slaves.
Caisys pursed her lips and didn’t comment as she started to pace the room. “They will take us off the planet,” she finally pointed out.
“So what? It’s not like you have a brilliant future ahead of you here, and we all know that” Neela stated. “You are aware it was a matter of time before Typsea sent you to the serving group,” she went a bit too far, but she wanted to make sure the woman understood she should be happy about leaving with the aliens, not mad.
“You don’t know that!” she ranted, but her tone lacked confidence.
“This will be good for us, I’m sure of it,” Neela assured them.
Sure, she had a few doubts. Where would they live? Did the men expect them to act as their slaves, despite their speech against slavery? And if they didn’t, where would the women live? Would they be able to get a job? They weren’t trained to perform any kind of work.
She shook her head, pushing those thoughts away from her mind.
“Just have a little faith and let’s hope for the best. The aliens will leave the planet in a few days, so we’ll know soon enough,” Neela concluded, taking another bite of food. “Go enjoy your night meal, Caisys,” she suggested.
The other woman wasn’t very pleased with Neela’s words, but with nothing more to say, she finally dragged Ashryn out of Neela’s room, shutting the door behind them.
Neela sighed and leaned back in her seat, allowing a deep frown to crease her forehead. She wished she knew what was going to happen, but she couldn’t so all she could do was wait and see.
She finished her meal and took a quick bath, putting on a clean tunic. She was tired, but she refused to get into bed before Ethan returned. If she were honest with herself, she didn’t want things to change between them for as long as possible, but she had no idea how he felt about it. He had barely touched her after he bought her.
She paced the room impatiently, waiting for him and when he finally opened the door, she was about to climb the walls.
“Hi,” she greeted him in a faltering tone. “How was your meal?”
“The food wasn’t so bad, but the company was dreadful,” he murmured, not willing to have his hosts hear his words.
“I’m sure.”
“Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked, in a gentle tone, closing the distance between them.
“We… we didn’t discuss what we’ll do from now on,” she pointed out, doing her best to avoid his look.
He ran his finger gently down her face. “Do you want things to change? My desire for you hasn’t changed, but if you don’t want me anymore, I won’t impose myself on you,”
She pressed a finger on his lips. “I want you,” she confessed, with a low tone, raising her head to meet his eyes.
“Good,” he gave her a naughty smile. “Because I’m far from done with you,” he assured her, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, while his hands got removed her tunic.
With her naked in front of him, he kissed her a few more times before he carried her to bed. Neela arched her body to his caresses as he continued kissing her, delighting in the delicious sensations that surged through her from his touch. When she was in his arms, she forgot everything but the feel of him on her and in her.
Their need for each other seemed to have grown during the day because they weren’t able to hold back their hunger long.
In just a few moments they were entangled in each other’s bodies, rocking together careening down the path to ultimate ecstasy.
Wave after wave, pleasure washed over them, draining every drop of energy they had left.
“What will happen now?” she murmured when the waves finally subsided while resting on top of him.
“Vlyse will show us an empty colony here on this continent, and we’ll head back to visit Krug. He’s organizing a gathering for us to meet some of the colonizers,” he explained, in a low tone.
“That’s nice.”
“Yes, it is. I’ll give you more details once we get there.”
The empty colony was considerably big. The only thing built was the wall around the fields reserved for the settlement, including its own spring. Vegetation was taking over the land, but you could see the site could easily become a successful colony.
The visit only took them the morning time, so, they arrived back at Krug’s colony just in time for the midday meal.
“I’m happy to have you back. Did you enjoy your visit to the Kallasians? I noticed you brought a lot fewer women back,” he pointed out scornfully.
“Yes, the Kallasians had something the king wanted eagerly. He traded all the women for it,” Ethan explained, with a stern expression.
“How come you still have three with you?” Krug asked.
They were talking in the other man’s office, and Ethan considered they had enough privacy. “I bought them back. I had the feeling that becoming a Kallasian slave wasn’t a destiny anyone would enjoy, so I bought as many as I could,” he explained.
“What will you do with them?” Krug asked, with a slight frown.
“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll think of something.”
“You could leave them here if you want,” the other man suggested.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, nor for you or for the women,” he stated, shaking his head.
“Yes, I guess you’re right,” Krug admitted, sighing.
“How are we going to have the meeting with Vlyse wandering around here?” Ethan asked.
Krug’s smile showed the little respect he felt for the other man. “Our dear friend Vlyse is unable to resist temptation, and I’ve arranged to serve him more than his pour soul can take. He and his men will be out of the way before the night ends.”
“What about the guards stationed here?”
“Those are used to being bribed with women and narcotics. They will be in their own paradise in no time,” Krug assured him.
“How can you be sure?”
“You have to know something about these people – they really believe they are above all others. They would never suspect we would want to destroy their little reign of terror.”
“That doesn’t match their suspicious attitude,” Ethan pointed out.
“More than a suspicious attitude, it’s their way of showing their power over us,” Krug explained. “They’re not stupid, just too vain for their own good.”
Ethan nodded, rubbing his face. He hadn’t slept much that night and though his body was fully rested, thanks to his nanocybots, his mind could use some time out. Neela’s future had him more worried than he had expected.
“I did some investigations, and there are at least, a couple of tribes we could try to meet to discuss going up against the Dreshanians,” he informed Krug.
“Who told you about them?” there was a frown on the man’s forehead.
“The woman I’m with.”
Krug nodded, but the frown remained. “It’s very dangerous trying to meet them. Even if we knew where to find them, going into the woods with no weapons and no guide, would be suicidal. Not to mention the risk of having them turning us over to the Dreshanians,” he said, with a worried tone. “They have grown used to being under the Dreshanians’ power, and I’m not sure they would risk retaliation.”
“My men and I are what we call enhanced human beings. After a short period of observation, we’re capable of knowing when someone is lying,” Ethan said. “I’m sure I would be able to read these people and see if we could count on them in the near future.”
“But how do you plan to do that?” Krug asked. “The Dreshanians will suspect if you delay your departure. If you wait until you have a colony here, it will put you under their radar.”
Ethan had been thinking about it ever since Neela told him about her experience in the woods. “I’ll leave, but I’m planning to return unseen.”
“Can you do that?” Krug asked curiously.
“Yes, I can. Not with a vessel, but we have some small flying pods that are capable of escaping the Dreshanians’ radars. Their technology isn’t that sophisticated. We can land in the woods and go looking for these people on foot.”
