by Cara Bristol
When we broke apart, we wiped at our eyes.
“How are you?” I asked. “How’s Groman, your camp?”
“Good. It took some adjustment on my part. I’m still acclimating to the primitiveness.” She swept an arm at the computer station. “I hadn’t realized how hard it would be to be disconnected. Having this will help. I heard you recommended me. You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.” She hugged me again. “Tell me about your mate. I never got to see him. You had reservations. Are you any happier now?”
“More than I ever expected.” It hadn’t been my choice, but ending up here had been the best thing to happen to me. “My mate is Torg. He’s chief of the clan I belong to.” The clan I belong to. I would always be Terran, but, now, I was Dakonian, too. “Have you heard from Tessa?” I glanced around as if mentioning her name would cause her to materialize.
Andrea shook her head. “No. I can’t wait to see her.”
“How do you like Groman?”
Andrea made a sizzling sound like water dropping on a hot rock. “The guy is hot. He’s built like a tank with muscles and lordy, what that man can do in bed.” She grinned.
I blushed. The same could apply to Torg, but I wouldn’t be so brazen as to say so. “The men appreciate us.”
“And I love how they show their gratitude.” Andrea laughed.
“How do the other women in the camp respond to you?” I asked, wondering if anyone had tried to poison her.
“They’re friendly. Curious about Terra.”
Lucky me. I was the only one with an icky Icha problem. Well, not anymore. Torg fixed that. “They really are desperate for women here.”
“Yes, they are.”
I moved toward the computer equipment. “You’ve set it up already,” I said, relieved because I’d overestimated my abilities to Enoki so I could see my friends.
Andrea nodded. “Piece of cake. I want to check the delivery schedule. We can log on as Enoki. They gave him a code to use, which he passed on to me.”
“I heard they’re sending double the number of women next time.”
“I heard that, too. My tribe will get three chits next time.”
“The Dakonians need women, but the population isn’t that large. Torg’s clan is two hundred-plus people.”
“Groman’s is around three hundred.”
“Times, what, fifteen clans? They have maybe five thousand people, and they already have some women. What do you suppose will happen when they get all they need? They won’t want an excess.”
“No,” Andrea agreed. “Terra will still need the ore, though.”
“That’s what worries me.” Right now, relations were positive, but as I stared at the computer placed in a dirt-floored lodge, potential problems rose like the smoke spiraling from the fire pit. Had anyone considered future consequences? “When an advanced society encounters a more primitive one, things don’t tend to work out for the latter.” Earth history had proven that time and again. “Has anyone thought about that?”
“I doubt it,” she said.
Earth’s desire for the ore would become insatiable. Its population numbered in the hundreds of billions. If Dakon got one woman for every man, its population might double to ten thousand. The shipment of ore had been small this time, but what would happen when demand increased? When they sent an entire fleet of starships?
“I can’t imagine that Dakon will give the ore away without expecting anything in return.”
“I wouldn’t.” Andrea shook her head.
“The council might decide to cut off the supply of ore. And even if they didn’t, in the long run, it wouldn’t work out to their benefit to have a technologically advanced civilization taking advantage.”
“Terra could decide to take the ore by force.”
“That’s what I fear. We need to even the balance. Other than women, what does Terra have that Dakon needs?”
Andrea’s mouth took on a wry twist as she glanced around the empty stone lodge heated by an open fire. “Everything.”
I snapped my fingers. “Terra could help rebuild Dakon.” A purposeful excitement curled in the pit of my stomach. They could have real houses with all the amenities like heaters, flash cookers, actual beds.
“Terra could, but will they? Right now, they’re getting a two-for-one. They get rid of some ‘problems’ and get free energy. They might resist paying with something of value. Dakon gives rocks they have no use for. The exchange program requires no sacrifice on anyone’s part. Would Dakon even want the technology? It would change everything.”
“Torg would,” I said.
“Groman would, too, but from what I’ve overheard, a lot of men wouldn’t.”
“Then we show them what they’re missing!”
Andrea nibbled her lip. “It will take a few years before Dakon has an optimal number of women. That gives us time to change the nature of trade, show Dakon what they could have, and better prepare them in case Terra ignores the treaty and attempts to take the ore by force. We need to get them up to speed fast.”
“What do you propose?”
She cracked her knuckles. “First, we work on their defense.”
“Weapons?”
She nodded. “If a battle was to ensue, as it stands now, Dakon would lose. A laser blaster will outgun a spear or a bow and arrow every time. So, we stockpile an arsenal. Laser rifles, fighter drones, defensive deflectors, surface-to-ship missile launchers. At the first sign of aggression, we’ll blast them out of the sky.” Her face lit up.
She sounded more like an insurgent than a cyber hacker. She could have been smarter than me and lied about the charges against her. Too late to worry about that now.
“We can open a hospital. Order real medical equipment. Groman would love that.”
“Why Groman?”
“He’s a healer.”
“You nabbed an alien doctor? Good catch, girl!” I slapped her arm.
She grinned. “This feels like Christmas. What else should we get?”
“Snow vehicles.” I’d never forget that first hike when Torg had to carry me. “And portable comm units so tribes can talk to each other.”
“Multipurpose drones,” Andrea added to the list.
“Wait a minute…how is all this being powered?”
Andrea tilted her head toward the computer terminal. “Same way as that. Rechargeable solar cells. We’ll need those, too.”
“Does Dakon get enough sun for that?”
“Oh yeah. They can recharge from starlight if they have to. It would take a little longer, but it can be done.”
“How are we going to get this stuff?”
“We’re going to add items to the manifest. With every shipment of ‘human capital,’ they’ll also receive weapons, medical equipment, and whatever else we want. Remember, I have Enoki’s code.”
“He has that kind of access?”
“Oh, hell no. His access is very limited. But that’s all the entry I need. Our add-ons won’t originate from the council chief—they’ll come from the Terran exchange program director.” She chortled and cracked her knuckles. “Mama is back in business!”
“You’re going to hack in?”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not in the least. Our future is tied to Dakon’s. The Terran government didn’t have a whit of conscience about shipping us here.” Who in this day and age traded people for rocks? That was called trafficking, wasn’t it? Even if the women had agreed. Go to prison or go to Dakon. What a choice.
I hadn’t even been offered that. My government had sold me out. No, I had no qualms about Andrea’s plan. Hack away and sign me up to help. And get me a missile launcher while you’re at it.
“Could you do me a favor?” I asked. “I need to contact my attorney and tell her to forget the appeal. There’s no sense moving forward with that.”
“Sure, no problem.”
I fidgeted, unsure how my next question would be received. “Um…did you talk to anybody about
me?”
“I mentioned to Groman that I wanted to see you.”
“Did you tell him what I was convicted of?”
Andrea shook her head. “No. I didn’t tell them about any of us. They don’t need to know Terra has been getting rid of their criminals.”
Just because Andrea hadn’t mentioned it, didn’t mean no one else would. Among a ship of convicted felons, I’d been a cause célèbre. Not only had I supposedly killed somebody, I’d killed an infamous somebody. A Carmichael.
The exposure of my secret was inevitable, but I’d do my damnedest to delay it at least until the Dakonians got to know me better. Tessa and Andrea didn’t have much to worry about. Tessa had laundered money. On a planet with no monetary system, her crime threatened no one. Neither did Andrea’s hacking. On the contrary, her piracy was an asset.
I bit my lip. “I don’t want word to get out about my conviction. Your computer hacking, Tessa’s money laundering—”
“What about Tessa’s money laundering?” a cheerful voice cut in.
Andrea and I spun around. Tessa flung off the hood of her kel.
Squeals and hugs ensued.
“It’s so good to see you.” We were the three amigas. The two of them had drawn me out of my funk and isolation on the SS Australia, and I’d be forever grateful.
“I missed you guys.” Tessa embraced me again. “I’m so glad we’re all together again.”
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it,” Andrea said when we stopped hugging.
“Are you kidding? Wild kel couldn’t keep me away,” she said, and we laughed. “I was on my way out of the hut when Loka gave me that look…and we ended up dancing the horizontal tango. Dakonian men are a randy lot.”
“And randy a lot,” Andrea joked.
We laughed again.
“A woman on this planet could have her pick of men.” Tessa snapped her fingers. “Hey, you! My hut. Don’t be late.” She giggled. “Anyway…so what’s this about money laundering?”
“Only that your conviction and Andrea’s probably wouldn’t matter to the Dakonians. They don’t have computers—or money, for that matter. My crime is different.”
“You mean murdering your employer?” Tessa asked.
I winced. “Yeah, that.”
“I won’t say anything,” she promised.
Andrea pantomimed zipping her lips.
“I didn’t do it.” They needed to know.
Tessa winked. “Of course not. None of us did. We’re all innocent.”
“It was self-defense.”
I’d hit him, and he went down, but he was still alive when I fled the room. Jaxon had gotten to his feet and lunged for the weapon that had fallen from his pocket. He’d been bleeding, but head injuries always bled a lot, right? Honestly, I’d regretted not hitting him harder. I’d sprinted through the high-rise certain he would come after me, or that the guards in reception would detain me. I was amazed when I escaped. But not as stunned as when authorities arrested me the next day. If I hadn’t defended myself, he would have shot and killed me.
“Sorry.” Tessa hugged me. “I was just curious. I believe you. It must have been a horrible experience.”
“It was.” The government had set me up then deserted me. I don’t think they’d planned for the situation to go down the way it had, but they’d capitalized on it.
Fuck Terra. I hoped Andrea milked them dry. The more inventory she shipped here, the better. Weapons, medical equipment, vehicles, building materials—maybe some artificial snow-makers for the hell of it.
“Listen,” I told Tessa. “Andrea and I think the rocks-for-brides program is destined for a short life span, so we’re planning to squirrel away supplies and equipment to improve Dakon and make our lives easier. We’ll have items sent with each shipment of women.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“We talked about medical supplies, transportation vehicles, solar cells, drones, wea—”
“Shampoo?” Tessa looked at Andrea hopefully. “I can’t stand the smell of that stuff they make with kel fat.” She wrinkled her nose. “And chocolate. And some synthetic fiber clothing they wear in the polar climates, so we can get rid of these kel hides.”
I’d gotten used to the kel. I didn’t notice the smell anymore.
“Sounds good.” Andrea nodded.
“Snowshoes!” I added.
“We’ll order a whole bunch of those.” Andrea tapped her chin. “I’m wondering whether we should order a few items and build up to bigger shipments to avoid triggering an audit, or whether we should go for broke in case we get found out and they cut off the supply stream. What do you think?”
“A little at a time,” I suggested.
“Go for broke!” Tessa punched the air.
“Maybe I’ll skate down the middle.”
I walked to the fire pit and tossed a couple of logs into the flames. “Let’s get started!” I glanced at the door. “I expected Torg to be here by now.”
“He’s with Groman and Loka,” Tessa said. “I saw them go into the tavern.”
“They have a tavern?”
“Not by our standards, but it’s as close to one as they get.”
Andrea touched the computer screen. It awakened, and her fingers flew over the virtual keyboard. “Good thing we logged on now. The next ship departs in a week. The robos will have to hustle to load the cargo in time.”
Tessa and I peered over her shoulder. In less than a minute, she’d accessed the shipment manifest and added a shit ton of stuff.
“How’s that?” Andrea asked.
Tessa and I read through the list. “I can’t think of anything else.”
“This will go directly into the automated inventory system, which will scan the director’s code then shoot the orders to warehousing so the robos can load the stuff onto the ship. Unless there’s a spot audit and a live person familiar with the program reviews the manifest, it won’t raise any questions. I also accessed the original Terra-Dakon contract and slightly changed the nature of the terms to include ‘other needed supplies’ to prevent any automated triggers.”
“You’re an evil genius,” I said.
“Scary,” Tessa agreed.
“Thank you.” Andrea grinned. She sent the new orders with a touch to the screen. In a few short months, we’d be living in the lap of luxury. Relatively speaking.
“Anything else before I log off?” she asked.
“Remember, I want to contact Maridelle.”
“Right. What do you want to say?”
“Tell her I appreciate everything she tried to do, but let the conviction ride. Tell her I’m happy, and I plan to stay here.”
Andrea spun around in the chair. “Do you prefer a textual communiqué….or would you like to talk face-to-face. I can activate the vid function.”
Tessa moved to poke at a snapping log in the pit. Until we’d arrived here, I doubt any of us had ever seen an open flame, let alone tended one.
Maridelle might try to talk me out of my decision. She had fought hard, but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe it had been for me. Like all attorneys, she desired to win. My conviction represented a loss. Of course she would push for an appeal. To take on the Carmichaels and triumph, well, that would be a huge feather in her cap—she could move from being a lowly public defender to a plum position in a criminal defense firm. Maybe I was being cynical. Or else I feared seeing any part of Terra again—even the inside of a public defender’s office—would undermine my resolve to stay.
“Thanks, but the textual communiqué will do.”
“Okay!” She fired off the message. “Anybody else you want to contact?”
“You could send a message to the Carmichaels to eat shit and die.”
“Really?”
“No, but it’s a nice thought.” I grinned, feeling almost buoyant. Happiness, I realized. This was what happiness felt like.
A chilly breeze swept into the room as the flap opene
d, and Torg, Groman, and Loka stomped into the lodge, shaking fresh snow off their kels.
Dakonian men were handsome devils, but Torg was by far the most impressive. Groman was a tad taller; Loka had the most pronounced horns, but could not compare to Torg. Strength and honor were chiseled into the hard angles of his face, and his eyes glowed when they met mine. His grin curled my toes.
I ran over to him and linked my arm through his. Tessa and Andrea followed and stood by their mates.
“Torg, these are my friends, Andrea and Tessa.”
I remembered Groman and Loka, but Andrea and Tessa made formal introductions.
“Do you have a lot more to do here?” Torg asked when we’d all gotten acquainted.
I glanced at Andrea. “I think we’re finished?” She’d done all the “work.” I’d assisted with the plot.
“For today.” She nodded. “We can check in to track the progress of the ship.”
“This is going to mean so much to our people,” Torg said.
He had no idea—yet. I’d fill him in tonight. I wondered if Andrea and Tessa would tell their mates what we’d done. We should have discussed what to tell the men.
“Let me log off.” Andrea returned to the computer system.
I hugged Torg’s arm and then sniffed as an odd, yet familiar odor teased my nostrils. I squinted. “Have you been drinking?”
“I have imbibed a liquid, yes,” he answered.
“I mean, alcohol. Fermented liquid.”
“I had an ale at the tavern.”
“What else does the tavern serve besides ale?” Was it like a pub? Could I order a kel sandwich to go with my beer?
“Just ale. Would you like one?”
I nodded. “I’d like to try it. Perhaps we could all go?” I glanced at my friends and their mates.
“I’m in,” Andrea said.
“Me, too!” Tessa clapped her hands and gave a little bounce. I stifled a smile. Though eager to see it myself, I had a feeling the tavern didn’t quite warrant that much enthusiasm. However, pleasure skittered through me. This would be a couples’ night…er, afternoon. Three friends and their horned mates kicking back at an alien bar.