by KD Jones
Lindsey and her father took turns teaching Lisa about the Katieran culture in their sleeping quarters. Lisa was not happy. “Aw man! I thought I’d never have to go to school again.” Lindsey incorporated games to help teach Lisa things like how the Katierans were named.
Many years ago the Katierans had combined their first names with their last names. An example would be that Rend was RendEL’s first name and it was combined with his last name, which was something like EL—combined together to form one name, RendEL. Lindsey had her sister practice combining their names like the Katierans. Lisa Carreli became, LisaLI. Lindsey Carreli became LindeLI. Leo Carreli became LeoLI. They laughed over Lisa’s conversion of their father’s name.
They developed a nice routine on board the Transport ship. She usually shared Morning Meals and Evening Meals with her family. The Midday Meals she shared with the EWG after their usual meetings, or she would skip the Midday Meal.
She tried to keep herself busy so that she didn’t think too much about RendEL. From her most recent communications with him, he was starting a relationship with the pregnant female, Cassie. Lindsey wasn’t hurting for company. She had many of the Katierans approach her wanting to spend time with her, but she always turned them down. They just didn’t appeal to her as RendEL had.
Lindsey made a startling discovery after her most recent EWG meeting. She dreaded having to contact RendEL to inform him. She asked the Commander of the transport to make the call.
“Are you sure it’s him?” Prime Commander KydEL asked Lindsey.
She nodded her head. “The investigators I hired were very thorough. Cassandra Tomlin dated only a few men. Her last boyfriend, who she lived with for about seven months before her disappearance, was Senator-in-Training, Scott McCormick. Neighbors, coworkers, and friends confirmed the facts.”
“And you are sure he’s one of the members the EWG sent on the transport ship?”
“I’m afraid so. I have had the misfortune of meeting with him several times. A complete asshole if you ask me.” Lindsey didn’t hide her distaste of the human male.
The new transport ship would arrive in about three weeks with several members of the EWG. According to the trade agreement, these members would bear witness to the wellbeing of the human females. One of those members was the male that impregnated Cassie Tomlin and left her on her own to face the EWG—the same female who was Prime Leader RendEL’s unofficial mate.
City of Kiljorn
“Prepare a transport to take us to Katiera. We cannot wait on this any longer. Are the Katieran Prime Leader and Prime Commander available?” KadEN asked his Commander.
“We have confirmation that they have returned to Katiera. There were also strange messages we intercepted regarding females being brought to Katiera.” Commander TylOR stated.
“Females? They’ve found compatible females?” KadEN’s interest was piqued. They suffered the same fate as the Katierans when many of their people were destroyed by the virus the Morins had subjected them to. They were not breeding as they once had. If the Katierans had found breeding compatible females, then he needed to find out.
“Are you considering the suggestion the High Council made?” Commander TylOR asked.
KadEN sighed. “You’re referring to the Prime Mating they want me to offer the Katierans? Yes, I am thinking about it. It would secure any possible alliance. We need our two nations to come together. I will do whatever it is my people need me to do to ensure their survival.”
Chapter Four
Lindsey and her small family were on the shuttle again traveling down to the home planet Katiera. It had taken them about a month to reach the Katieran Solar System. Lindsey was ready to put her feet on solid ground again.
She watched through the viewing screen as they floated from the darkness of space slowly down through the clouds. She could see the two suns gleaming brightly—it took her breath away.
Her shuttle landed with the others on a large landing field overlooking the great expanse of bright green water that covered about sixty-five percent of the planet. To one side of the landing dock were huge rocks and tall green vegetation that gave the area protection. On the other side was a city of white buildings, all different shapes and sizes. It looked so clean and wholesome.
The first thing Lindsey looked for as she stepped down from the shuttle was Prime Leader RendEL. She found him standing with two other tall Katieran men overlooking the landing field. She made her way over to him. He smiled when he caught sight of her.
“Miss Carreli, welcome to Katiera.” He reached out to clasp her hand in his in the human way of greeting.
“Prime Leader, it’s good to be here, you have a beautiful home world.” Lindsey clasped RendEL’s larger hand. Her stomach fluttered a little. It did so whenever she was near him. He released her hand too soon. For a moment, she had forgotten that he would be a mated man in just a few days.
RendEL introduced her to those around them. “You remember Prime Commander KydEL?”
She accepted KydEL’s outstretched hand, also observing the human way of greeting. “How could I forget? Have you had any more confrontations with Captain Malone?”
Both RendEL and the Katieran man on the other side of him let out a burst of laughter. Lindsey gave the Commander a knowing smile and said, “By that reaction, I take it that you have.” She thought it was adorable the big, strong Commander would blush.
RendEL introduced her to the other man standing by his side. “This is my younger brother, Chief Medic and Scientist, Prime Medic SydEL.”
She admired the younger Prime’s good looks. He had dark hair like his two brothers, but it was much longer, reaching midway down his back. His eyes with the golden pupils were cat-like. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Prime Medic SydEL.”
She was then introduced to the two, drop dead, gorgeous Katieran women who moved to stand beside the men. The older woman was RendEL’s mother, Prima SandELa. The younger woman was his cousin, Prima AriELa. She knew from having full disclosure, that females were scarce.
It was her turn to make the introductions. She moved to the side as her father and sister approached. “Prime Leader RendEL, I would like you to meet my father, Leo Carreli, and my little sister, Lisa.”
RendEL smiled warmly as he shook the Earth male’s hand. “It is an honor to meet you. Your daughter has been a true asset to my people.” He gave the little girl a large smile as he greeted her too.
“Thank you, Prime Leader RendEL, for allowing us to move here with Lindsey,” the older Earth male said.
The little girl looked at RendEL curiously and asked, “Are you really a prince?”
Lindsey groaned, “Lisa!”
RendEL laughed. “That’s okay,” he assured Lindsey before he turned back to the little girl. “I am told that ‘Prime’ for Katiera would be the same as ‘Prince’ on Earth. So … yes, I guess that I am.”
“Cool.” She smiled at him and then looked at KydEL and SydEL. “Are they princes too?”
Both men smiled warmly at the little girl. RendEL answered, “Yes they are. This is my cousin, Prima AriELa, and my mother, Prima SandELa. Primas are what you would call princesses.”
Lisa’s little girl eyes got huge as she stared at AriELa and SandELa in awe. “A princess. Wow!”
Prima SandELa greeted the little girl. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled and blushed as she nodded at the older Earth male, Mr. Carreli. “I will take you and your daughter, Lisa, to your suite so that you can settle in. My niece, AriELa, will bring Miss Carreli to the suite after the introductions with the EWG have been made.”
Lindsey couldn’t believe it when her father stood taller and puffed out his chest. “We would appreciate that ma’am.”
Lindsey hugged her family and promised to see them in a few hours. She turned back to the Prime Leader and his brothers. “What do you need me to do?”
“We’ll do the introductions first, and then I will have the liaisons take them directly to
their accommodations,” RendEL told her.
Lindsey nodded her understanding. She turned to look at the twenty EWG representatives, twelve women and eight men. She had spent a lot of time with these people over the past month. They now looked to her to show them what they should do. She motioned for them to approach.
RendEL welcomed the members of the Earth World Government. He gave them instructions on what would happen next. “For your convenience, we have assigned liaisons to assist you while you are here. Your liaisons will show you to your accommodations so that you may rest.”
“Midday Meal is in about an hour and a half. Your liaison will then show you around the building where you will be staying before we gather again for Evening Meal. Tomorrow, after the Morning Meal, your liaisons will take you on a more extended tour of the Prime City of Katiera. We will meet tomorrow after Midday Meal for a formal debrief. Again, I welcome you to Katiera.”
Lindsey noticed one of the EWG members approaching RendEL. She introduced the Earth male. “Prime Leader RendEL, this is Senator John Rowe.” Lindsey caught the strange looks RendEL gave his two brothers.
The Senator reached out to shake RendEL’s hand. “Prime Leader. A pleasure to finally meet you. I was hoping that I might see my daughter Erica. She came here a month ago.”
“Senator Rowe, it is a pleasure to meet you. If you will go with your liaison, I will see what we can do to reunite you with your daughter.” He gave the Senator a reassuring smile.
As soon as the man left, Lindsey turned to RendEL and his brothers, she asked, “Is there something I should know about?”
Prime Commander KydEL filled her in on the whole Erica Rowe situation. The Senator’s daughter had dated RendEL a few times but did not take it well when RendEL decided to pursue the pregnant woman Cassie. Miss Rowe had physically attacked both RendEL and Cassie. They were forced to detain her in their holding facility. She realized that telling the Senator about this was going to get tricky.
“May I make a suggestion?” she asked. At RendEL’s nod she preceded, “Move Miss Rowe to the Senator’s suite and keep security at the door. We call it house arrest. She won’t be able to leave without security following her every move.”
Prime Commander KydEL smiled, “That is a good idea.”
“Lindsey, is the male, Scott McCormick?” RendEL asked her.
Lindsey looked at the man RendEL was pointing at. Scott McCormick was the man that got Cassie pregnant and left her to deal with the consequences on her own. He was a real loser.
“Yes, that’s him. Pretty on the outside, but on the inside … full of shit.” She was a little shocked when RendEL growled aggressively. She had never seen him do that—it was a little scary.
*****
RendEL’s young cousin, Prima AriELa, showed her to the suite that would become a new home to her and her family. Their living quarters turned out to be very spacious. It had four bedrooms but only her, her father and her sister would be sharing the space. The entryway then led to a large living and dining area with a kitchenette open to the whole space. Off the dining area was a walkout balcony that ran the entire length of the suite.
The Liaison said that only about fifteen hundred human women would be living within the Prime City walls. The suites were built within the existing buildings all throughout the city. The rest of the women brought from Earth would be sent to other regions of Katiera and the surrounding habitable planets to live.
The next morning after Morning Meal, she and her family took a tour of the city of Katiera. All the buildings were white. They were made out of some kind of clay or brick material. People either walked the streets or rode in golf cart-looking vehicles that hovered over the ground. Everything was solar powered, but with Katiera’s two suns, they would never run out of power.
Another obvious plus to having two suns was the weather. She was told the temperature never got below seventy-five degrees on Katiera. The air, water, and land were free of pollution. No one swam in the Waters of Katiera because that would contaminate their natural resource.
There were little family owned shops throughout the city, making it easy to walk to everything. The Katierans used a non-monetary system, almost like a barter or gift system. If a shopper found something that he or she wanted, they would exchange something they had. The human women had been advised to bring spices with them before traveling to Katiera. If they didn’t have anything to barter or exchange, then they could get what they wanted on credit.
The EWG representatives would meet formally with the Katieran High Council after Midday Meal. Lindsey had filed the official paperwork for Cassie’s political asylum with the EWG over a month ago, before she had left on Transport. A copy would be available in case the EWG members made an issue out of it.
It was agreed that RendEL should announce his and Cassie’s upcoming mating ceremony, which would take place in two days. The goal was to leave out the details about Cassie’s pregnancy. The EWG representatives would be allowed to attend the ceremony if they wished. However, they planned to keep Scott McCormick from attending.
Lindsey sat with Prime Leader RendEL, Prime Commander KydEL, and the Katieran High Council as they waited for the EWG members to arrive. If things worked out, McCormick would be heading back to Earth on the next transport ship without having any contact with Cassie at all.
“I welcome all of you again who have traveled here to Katiera. On behalf of the Katieran Nation, I would like to extend congratulations on the success of the Earth World and Katieran Nation (EWKN) Trade Agreement. Many thanks to all those present today and to those not present who put a great deal of effort into making this agreement successful.” RendEL went on to talk about the transitions the Earth females had undertaken; going from Earth life to life on Katiera. When he was done, he introduced Lindsey.
Lindsey stood up and addressed the group. “All of you have been given a tour of the Prime City of Katiera. You were also given the opportunity to interview, randomly, some of the human women themselves regarding their life here on Katiera. We will now open up the floor for any issues or questions you would like to have addressed.”
It looked as if everything was working out as planned. There were a few grumbles about not allowing human males to come to Katiera. Lindsey was just starting to feel relaxed when one of the EWG members stood with a complaint.
“I am Senator Rowe, a representative of the Earth World Government. I feel that Prime Leader RendEL is in violation of the agreements that Katiera made with Earth,” the man’s voice was bitter.
The Senator was livid to find out his daughter had been detained by security. “I found out last evening that my daughter was wrongly accused of some ridiculous crime and was being held without trial. If I had not come on this trip, I do not know how long my daughter would have been held against her will.”
RendEL stood up, “Miss Erica Rowe has physically assaulted two people, me, and my mate. My mate is breeding and is in a delicate condition.” There were gasps throughout the room as eyes turned from RendEL to the Senator.
One of the High Council members informed the Senator that his daughter had violated the First Law of Katiera. “But … she is not Katieran; she is human … from Earth. Surely those laws don’t …”
Lindsey interrupted the Senator’s excuses. “The moment anyone from Earth steps on board a Katieran Vessel, they voluntarily become subject to Katieran Laws. NO exceptions. It is stated plainly in the EWKN Agreement.”
RendEL explained to the EWG members that Miss Rowe was moved to the Senator’s suite and was currently under house arrest. She was scheduled to return to Earth on the next available transport ship.
RendEL was asked about his mate’s condition. He informed them that she was doing much better and was getting ready for their Mating Ceremony. There was a lot of excited interest amongst the EWG members regarding the Mating Ceremony. RendEL offered the invitation to the EWG members to attend the Mating Ceremony. When pressed for the name of the woman the Prim
e Leader was going to be mating, RendEL announced that it was Cassandra Tomlin, which brought the attention of Scott McCormick.
To say that McCormick was shocked to learn that Cassie was on Katiera was an understatement. He requested to meet with her. When he discovered that she was still pregnant, he went ballistic. He, along with Senator Rowe and the Senator’s daughter attempted to kidnap Cassie. Thank goodness, his plans were thwarted. No telling what harm they could have caused. Cassie was rescued with the assistance of the Kiljorns. The Kiljorns were another alien nation the Katierans were in the middle of negotiations to form an alliance against a common enemy, the Morins.
However, out of all the chaos, two, beautiful little girls were born on Katiera—the first children born on the planet in almost twenty years. While waiting for the twins to come into the world, Lindsey was introduced to the Kiljorn Prime Leader KadEN.
Prime Leader KadEN looked across the room in the Medic Wing. “I’ve been introduced to Captain Malone and to your mother and cousin. May I ask who the other female is? She is not Katieran.”
Prime Commander KydEL looked over at Lindsey and smiled a fond smile. “No, she is from Earth, the same as Captain Malone. She is our Legal Advisor for Earth Relations.”
“Her name?” KadEN asked with his eyes still locked on the female with the golden brown hair.
“Lindsey Carreli,” Kyd answered.
Lindsey. KadEN whispered her name in his head. She was a beautiful female. He wanted to get closer to see the exact color of her eyes. They were so strange with those black pupils.
KadEN took it upon himself to cross the distance and introduce himself. “Hello, I am Prime Leader KadEN of the Kiljorn Nation.”
He reached out his arm. Lindsey had been caught off guard by the gorgeous man before her that she forgot about their forearm clasping tradition, she, instead, extended her hand to him. “Lindsey Carreli. I’m the Katieran Legal Advisor for Earth Relations.”