by Laurel Night
“I remember these arguments, but the grumbling died down. People accepted the truth, at least I thought they did?”
“Well, the problem began when one of our astrophysicists, who was in the early stages of pairing with one female we lost, drank too much human liquor. In his drunken despair, he revealed that we had a second ship, a smaller one, that was also capable of flight. It wasn’t common knowledge, we didn’t want anyone to panic and try to fly off on their own. It was a backup, a safety measure. It was slower than the larger ship, an older creation that had features we improved on the newer one. We never needed to use it, we had more than enough room on the larger ship for everyone.”
“So, there was a second ship that didn’t get used. So what?” My tone was dismissive, but I was curious. I’d never known about a second ship.
“The ones who believed we left too soon, that there were survivors, somehow got ahold of the information about a second ship. They hatched the idea that the survivors found the second ship and took off shortly after we did.”
“That's… that’s absurd,” I dismissed. “Of course they didn’t. They would have been here by now.”
“That is the reason the rumor died down, eventually. The possibility of a second ship of vimpiri females showing up has gotten slimmer and slimmer with the passing years and the idea all but died out. There were a few who argued the remaining females weren’t pilots or navigators, and perhaps they struggled to fly the ship or to find us, but that they would eventually.”
The capacity for people to believe what they want to believe was astounding. “Well, that’s crazy, we all know it. I don’t see what this has to do with the Lost Bachelors. Surely it was a small faction of people that believed this nonsense.”
Mother nodded again. “It was. I never addressed it because I thought it was good for people to have hope, and if that was what they needed to hold on to for the time being I allowed it. However, something happened recently that has sent those theorists scuttling from their dark corners and caused them to amass other believers.”
“I don’t understand, what happened?”
“We believe there may be another ship heading toward this planet. If we’re correct and it is a ship, it could be our Lost Warriors.”
THE RIGHT WOMAN
MICK
“You have got to be kidding.” If my jaw dropped any lower, it would be on the floor.
Mother’s eyes shone with emotion. “I’m afraid not. There’s an object that appears partially derelict, if not completely, and it’s floating on a direct course to intercept Earth. Human astrologists aren’t able to identify it as a ship because it appears to have a mineral composition that is similar, if not the same, to ours. They believe it is just a rock. We aren’t sure, but it could be more.”
“So, when will we know more? How soon will it be here?” My voice trembled. The possibility that we could have more vimpiri on their way to us affected my emotions too. Not for a potential mate, but just the idea that more of us existed somewhere in the universe was exciting.
“That’s the problem, my son. It is drifting, slowly, in our direction. The craft we left behind was never fast to begin with, so if its engines were somehow disabled after it had set a course this way, that could explain why it has taken them so long to appear. We could not form any communication with them, but again if they have limited systems they could have chosen to sleep in the pods until we rescue them.
“However, they still will not arrive for a very long time. We won’t know for decades if it is truly our ship, and it will be several more decades before they are close enough for us to rescue them.”
“Decades? We can’t wait for decades! Those of us who have found potential mates would risk losing them to wait and find out if this space rock is actually a derelict ship. That’s insane.”
Mother smiled sadly. “I understand, son. However, it is a compelling argument to wait. You have many human centuries left to live; if you wait and find out that those hopes are false, you will have plenty more opportunities to discover another human mate among the billions that occupy this planet. Wouldn’t it be worth the risk, to find out if you could have a true vimpiri brashule after all?”
Her suggestion that the connection between Todd and Emily, and potentially between myself and Lucy, was not a true brashule angered me. “How can you say it's not a true brashule, when we are testing Emily for offspring?”
“Peace, my son. I am merely repeating the arguments that have been placed before me. We do not know how pairing works with humans,” she replied calmly, “therefore we do not know if they have the capacity for brashule the way we understand it. It could be something similar, or it could be unlike the brashule between two vimpiri. Naturally, those who think brashule can only exist between two vimpiri are not convinced.”
“I don’t care who is convinced and who is not,” I replied hotly, “I know how I feel and that is all that is important. Why should a few crackpots get to decide with whom I pair? It’s never been another vimpiri’s business before.”
“Well, unfortunately, custom requires me to refrain from deciding alone. Your father agrees with you. Your brother-by-pairing Drake does not. Shanii is undecided. Until she and I are in agreement, there can be no final decision.”
“You haven’t said what you believe,” I said in a low voice.
“I am also undecided. I know very little about your chosen mate, or Emily and Todd. I hold nothing against them, but they are not our people. They are foreign to me and I do not form judgments about things I have not experienced. Therefore, I am pleased you have all traveled here, as I wish to get to know them.”
This surprised me. “You do?”
“Yes. If I am to decide whether to allow more pairings like Emily and Todd’s, I need to fully understand how it changed them both, and how it benefits or hurts our society. It is not my place to be swayed by my emotions. Instead, Shanii and I must weigh the costs and benefits of both sides carefully before we decide.”
At least she wasn’t against it. And Shanii had yet to decide. My father and Drake held influence over their mates, but they did not decide. Shanii and my mother decided together. Queen and future queen work in tandem, as it had always been.
“Then,” I said, brightening, “We will have to spend more time together. All of us.”
Mother’s lips curved into a small smile. “Yes, that is what I think, too.”
If she and Shanii were undecided, and Father was on our side, then it was only Drake who was a potential problem. If he were to influence Shanii to the point she sided with him, there would be no decision until she persuaded Mother, or we convinced them both to side with us.
No, the best thing we could do now was to take advantage of the opportunity Mother was giving us: Spend time together, let her see that Todd and Emily enjoyed a true bond and that Lucy and I could, too. The sooner we could convince her of our closeness, the sooner we could get past the problems that have held us back.
Now I just had to explain this all to Lucy.
***
LUCY
“Seriously, that’s it?” Emily’s voice was incredulous. The vimpiri physician glanced at her curiously and shrugged, his outlandishly handsome face sliding into an easy grin. Artur told us he preferred his human form, and I couldn’t help wondering if he was naturally unattractive for a vimpiri—whatever that meant. He had chosen a physique that made him look like a doctor on a soap opera when he held up a tube of dark red blood fresh from Emily’s arm.
“That’s it. We have the images we took, and a large enough sample to compare for the differences between human blood and regular vimpiri blood. With the sample from your mate, we can see the difference between you both as well.”
Todd spoke up. “But, doesn’t she need to do some physical demonstration? An obstacle course, or something?”
The vimpiri looked at Todd as if he had said something rude, then again addressed Emily in an almost flirtatious manner. “No, we won’
t need you to perform any barbaric tests like a trained monkey,” his eyes cut to Todd briefly before rolling and refocusing on Emily. “We can tell from your blood sample how much your human characteristics might be enhanced. Also, we aren’t really as concerned about what you can do, so much as what pairing has done to you,” he finished with a wink. On the surface, it sounded like he was just talking about the physical changes, but I understood the double entendre: He would test her for pregnancy, or whatever the vimpiri called it.
“Okay, then I guess that’s it. Thank you very much!” Emily seemed pleased she wouldn’t have to jump high in front of a panel of vimpiri judges, and she beamed at the physician in relief. He returned her smile with an exaggerated attempt at Hollywood charm, and it was almost too much to take.
I stifled a giggle and coughed instead. “I suppose that means we can head back to Mick’s, then. Em, you ready?”
“Yep,” she replied cheerfully, gripping Todd’s hand and pulling him toward the door.
Once we were back in the ship's hallway and the lab door closed behind us, Todd started muttering.
“Who did that guy think he was, anyway? Ignoring me like that. Dude acted like I was nobody. I BELONG here, just in case everyone forgot.” The muttering continued, but it became inaudible.
“What are you going on about?” Emily asked.
“Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t notice. Every time I asked a question he answered it, to you. That guy was flirting with you!”
Emily scoffed. “Don’t be silly, no he wasn’t. He was being polite. And besides, since the tests are really about me this time, doesn’t it make sense that he would talk to me?”
Todd muttered again, too low for me to hear.
“Oh stop,” Em giggled. “He has a mate, anyway. A vimpiri mate. Why on earth would he be interested in me, when I’m already paired with you?” She shoved his shoulder with hers playfully. “You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend. That’s really unbecoming of a rockstar.”
Todd’s cheeks turned faintly pink. He led the way through the entrance of the spacecraft and back to the tunnels of salt. “You’re right, that’s majorly uncool. I’ll quit.” He grinned at Em before lifting their joined hands, pressing the back of hers to his lips. ‘The way you keep your lady happy is to give her everything she needs so she won’t go looking for it somewhere else. What does my lady desire? I am at your service.”
Em pretended to think about it, then said, “I want to go walk around in town for a bit.”
“As you wish,” Todd agreed.
Remembering I was behind them, Emily turned and added, “Lucy, would you like to come with us?”
As much as I didn’t want to go sit in Mick’s apartment by myself, I didn’t want to accompany them on their romantic, star-lit stroll through a quaint mountain town in the Alps. “Thanks, Em, but I think I’ll head back and wait for Mick.” I hoped he wouldn’t be too long, although it was sure to be awkward. That had changed little since we arrived. He’d taken my hand a few times and acted in a way that almost felt possessive but nothing romantic.
When we climbed the secret stairs and passed back through the faux apartment, I punched the button on the elevator for Mick’s apartment. Em and Todd opted to wait for it to come back down and take them to the exit instead of riding up with me and back down. It made sense; I didn’t hold it against them. They wanted alone time, and they had gotten little since we arrived. With Mick and I being so awkward I was certain we weren’t fun to do ‘couple’ things with, so they should get some time to themselves. I hoped they had a wonderful time.
When the elevator opened outside Mick’s apartment, I was surprised to find him standing in the doorway. His expression revealed he was equally surprised.
“Hi,” he said, a little flustered. “I was just on my way down to the mines to find you guys. Are you all done? Where are Todd and Emily?”
“Oh, they wanted to go for a walk outside,” I said, then winced at my tone. It was flat and uninviting.
“I see,” Mick answered. “Well... why don’t we go inside?”
I worked to make my voice brighter. “Okay,” Still awkward.
Mick turned on his heel and I followed him the few steps to the door. The walls lit and revealed the cool modern interior of his apartment. I shed my battered leather jacket and laid it neatly on the white chair near the door where Mick had placed his. Then, I followed him toward the kitchen, my fingers thrust in the back pockets of my dark skinny jeans. The voluminous cowl-neck sweater I wore had soft fuzzy threads, and they tickled my thumbs where they met on my hips.
Mick was in his ubiquitous black collared shirt, untucked, over light grey jeans. The sleeves had been down but now he was folding them up to his elbows. Not one fold at a time, like I rolled mine. Instead, he tugged the cuff up to his elbows in one pull, then folded the doubled-up material up again, and pulled the unbuttoned cuff down over the roll before buttoning it in place. I’d never witnessed him doing this before, and the simplicity and effectiveness of the move impressed me. It left his shirt with an immaculate appearance despite the casual look of having his sleeves rolled.
I watched as he rolled the second one the same way, and I realized he was nervous. He paced in the kitchen, folding and tucking his sleeves until they were perfect, then paused with his hands on his hips, looking around for something to do. His eyes landed on the wine refrigerator and he bent for the door, reaching in to pull out a dark bottle. “Care for some wine?” He asked. Although it wasn’t asking, as he continued with pulling two stemless glasses from the cupboard and uncorking the bottle.
“Sure,” I answered, settling into a stool. I wasn’t used to seeing him nervous. Intense, dangerous, daring, romantic, attentive, sweet—all of those I had experienced. And not that he was acting twitchy or something so obvious that I could easily put my finger on. It was just a feeling like there was a nervous energy in the air.
He used a special spout that aerated the wine as he poured so it didn’t need to breathe to develop the flavor. When he finished, he placed a glass in front of me, setting the bottle on the counter between us and raising his glass. “Cheers,” he said softly.
“Cheers,” I responded, clinking my glass lightly to his before taking a sip. I recognized the flavor before I glanced at the label on the bottle. “This is the same wine we had the first time we were here, isn’t it?” I asked.
“It is. I remembered you enjoyed it,” I felt his eyes on me, and when I raised mine from the bottle and met his, I couldn’t look away. The light behind his irises flamed, the striking chartreuse flecked with dancing gold holding me entranced. I breathed in deeply, lost in his gaze.
Abruptly he blinked, refocusing his gaze to his glass which he raised to his lips and drew a long sip from. Heart suddenly pounding, I mimicked him for something to do.
“Lucy,” he said in a low voice, “We need to talk.”
Oh God. What did that mean? Was this the ‘we need to see other people’ talk? Nothing good ever started with ‘we need to talk,’ I was certain.
“Okay,” I replied softly.
He studied me from the other side of the counter, then seemed to decide. “Come on, let’s sit over here,” he gestured to the living room area, where the cozy couches and vegan 'bearskin' rug were arranged in front of the gas fireplace. I rose from the stool shakily, trying not to betray my nerves but also trying not to spill the dark wine on my ivory sweater.
Mick collected the bottle with his free hand and waiting for me to lead the way. I chose a seat closest to the fireplace, and he set the bottle on the coffee table in front of me before walking to the fireplace and pressing the hidden button that started the gas. A low whoosh alerted us that the gas had caught light and the flames rose up, licking at the fake wooden logs arranged behind the screen. The warmth radiated from the fire immediately, and I took comfort in the familiar heat of a fireplace and wine in my belly. Mick settled himself on the couch near me, close but not touching. After anot
her thoughtful sip of his wine, he toyed with the glass for a moment before raising his gaze to me. The firelight flickered, reflecting on his eyes and concealing their inner glow. Still, I knew it was there. Between the long lashes, his eyes betrayed conflicting emotions. On one hand, there was a deep sadness that I thought I could understand—wasn’t I miserable that we had been so distant for weeks? On the other hand, there was a hope, and excitement that I couldn’t place. I swallowed clumsily, hoping that this was a good sign.
“Lucy,” his voice was rough, and if whatever was coming was difficult for him to say, “I know… things have been hard between us for a few weeks. I know you’re confused, and I also know you’ve been waiting for me to explain.” He paused and took another sip, draining his glass and then taking advantage of the excuse to refill it, and mine.
“First, I have to say that I’m sorry.” His eyes found mine again, and I couldn’t mistake the sincerity there. “I wish I could have explained to you sooner. I could have told you something, anything, that would have helped, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything before now. I didn’t want to lie to you, so I chose not to say anything at all.
“When you told me that night you were ready to try to form the brashule, I was not prepared. I should have known better, but I imagined you’d want to wait much longer and thought we had more time. Please don’t misunderstand, I wanted to; I mean I still want to, but I wasn’t sure you knew what you were asking for yet. I hesitated, and I didn’t explain to you why, and that was the start of this.” He gestured vaguely between himself and me before running his hand through his hair, pulling the loose strands back then allowing them to swing in front of his face again.