by Maia Starr
Finally, everybody was lined up, and the handsome Verian man made his way to the front of the line, his eyes sharp and his voice commanding as he spoke. “You will follow me now. Remember, non-compliance will cause consequences. Consider whether or not you are willing to deal with them.”
The women around me were quiet, but I could feel the tension in the air. We were marched forward, some women holding hands and others whimpering softly to themselves. I myself wasn’t trembling. I wasn’t even scared. All I could do was stare at the Verian man leading our line and wonder about his life.
What could possibly lead someone to thinking it was all right to take women away from their homes against their will, and do so with such conviction that half of us were sure that resisting would mean we were doing something wrong? It was baffling to me.
“We are about to leave the ship,” the Verian man said, pausing in front of a large doorway. “Remember what I told you.”
The man reached out and slammed his fist against a huge button, and a whirring mechanical sound suddenly ground into the air, and the doors began to open slowly. It was shocking how low-tech everything the Verians did appeared to be. And yet they still had some advancements over humanity. If they didn’t, the war wouldn’t have been raging quite so long as it had been. The doors had a medieval feel to them.
At first, nothing was visible but a small stream of light through the slit of the doors as they opened, but soon, we were looking upon a huge airfield, deserted and bleak, much like the terrain on Earth. In the distance though, there was much lush greenery, and the sun was shining cheerfully over the deserted wasteland. It was a strange picture.
As the Verian man marched us outside, I realized that there was an imposing gray building behind the ship. The Verian marched purposefully, and we were led to it together through the sandy dunes, squinting our eyes as the wind picked up and kicked dust into our faces.
“We’re going in there?” a woman near the beginning of the line exclaimed when we drew nearer, and the disturbing nature of the factory-like prison became obvious. She grew suddenly rigid, forcing the line to a halt.
“Yes,” the Verian man said, narrowing his eyes impatiently. “Let’s go. Now.”
But the woman was frozen in terror and scrambled backward, knocking two other women down to the ground.
“Halt!” the Verian exclaimed, his voice ringing out into the air like a shot. But it only fueled the woman’s panic, and she continued to try to crawl away, tears streaming down her face. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the poor woman. She was terrified.
The Verian started toward her, his hand drawn back and ready to strike. It seemed unbelievably cruel, and for the second time that day, I couldn’t believe what I was doing.
“Stop!” I cried, running between the Verian and the woman shivering in terror on the ground. “Leave her be!”
The women around me sucked in a collective breath, and I stared the Verian in the eye. All signs of kindness disappeared from them, and I swallowed hard. This was going to hurt.
Chapter 2
Zaine Volaire
“If you touch a hair on her head, I swear…”
I gazed at the defiant human in surprise as she hovered protectively in front of the female on the ground. This was the last thing I needed. In truth, I had been troubled by the same inexplicable illness that had been plaguing my colleagues on the planet Helna and wished more than anything to be in my dome resting rather than leading yet another mission back and forth to Earth.
“You’ll do what, exactly?” I asked the female, staring into her fierce blue eyes. Unlike the other humans in my care, she didn’t flinch, and her full lips set into a line of grim determination.
“Just leave her be. Is that too much to ask?”
Her voice was a hoarse whisper, but I wouldn’t mistake that whisper to be any type of submission. She might have been nervous, sure, but she was fearless. It was a quality that would bode well for breeding, even if it was a pain in the keita.
“I already told you all what would happen if you don’t comply,” I said sternly, reaching for the weapon tucked into my belt. The human swallowed hard, her beautiful face suddenly unsure.
“She’s just scared,” the female insisted, despite the hesitation. “Don’t the Verians get scared of anything? Haven’t you ever felt fear?”
The human continued to challenge me, her eyes never leaving my gaze, and I sighed, dropping my hand from my belt. Whether I had ever felt fear or not was beside the point. The females of a breeding age were desperately needed. Losing any was a step backward, especially a brave female. We needed their bodies to succeed in the takeover of Earth. We were running out of men.
“Fear is universal, human,” I said to her, my eyes boring hard into hers. “And you would do well to learn some.”
I turned my back on the line of females and went back to my post in the front.
“Can you all keep quiet until we get where we are going or not? It would be a pity to have to dispose of such a big group so quickly.”
The females were quick to agree to stay calm, and we continued our trek toward the prison. There were no other outbursts as I filed the humans inside and the rest of the prison staff took over.
“Where are we going?” the fierce female asked, her eyes sharp on mine as she was led into the sterilization chamber. I held her gaze without answering. It would all be explained soon enough. I couldn’t show a weak front to the rest of the females in line who were waiting their turns, no matter how weak I was feeling. It was already a big enough problem that I had let the defiant female off the hook. I wouldn’t make another show of weakness.
As soon as the last prisoner was taken into the sterilization chambers, I let out a deep sigh and headed to my office.
“Zaine, welcome to you. How many females captured this time?”
“Seventy-six,” I replied, surprised to see the ruler of our planet, the doyan, Vera Laize, sitting at my desk with her long legs propped up on it.
“That’s not bad. Are you up for promotion this year?”
I shrugged half-heartedly. “There is nowhere left to go in this system. They need me on the grounds.”
“Well, I am doing my best to work on prison reform,” Doyan Vera said, though her words seemed hollow. What she was working on was trying to create as many future soldiers as possible, and we all knew she planned to do so by creating as many efficient prisons as possible for as little cost as she could. There was no point in beating around the bush about it. And yet she had a politician’s jargon, no matter who she was talking to. I couldn’t help but wonder who she thought she was fooling.
“Sure, sure,” I said dismissively. “Well, you can tell the council that they’re going to have to make more room soon. I don’t intend to stop sending men to Earth. Not until the quota is filled. Phase 2 needs to succeed, or it will be the end of us all.”
Doyan Vera nodded sternly, and I couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of fear. Who was I to be talking to her like that? It seemed unwise. She was the ruler of our planet; a fierce woman who had stepped up in the middle of the breeding crisis and, with her passion and tenacity, won the hearts of everybody. Of course, she already knew the situation, probably better than I did.
In fact, once the mysterious virus began to spread, she had lost several children herself. While it seemed to wipe out the strength and virility of the Verian men, it made it impossible for Verian women to bear children. Everybody was tired of the grief and heartache. What could possibly be causing the death of every child conceived by the Verian species? It just wasn’t right.
But the new Doyan had come up with the best solution. Something in the biology of the females of our planet had been destroyed, and it was probably the humans who were to blame. The female reproductive system was sensitive and fragile, so it could have been any number of any number of trades from planets throughout the galaxy. Our scientists were still working on the cure, but everybody was divided on
the cause. I personally blamed the humans.
“Regardless,” the Doyan continued, “What do you make of the current situation? The females brought here today, will they do?”
I nodded, fighting away images of the fiercely protective female. She probably didn’t even know the human she was defending. In fact, I was sure she didn’t. Each had been abducted from opposite points of the planet. I could remember.
The Doyan stared at me expectantly as I internally debated whether or not I should tell her about the defiant human. But the last thing I needed was to have her questioning my authority at this point. Just because I had been suffering, as all men on the planet were suffering, didn’t mean I couldn’t do my job.
Still, a simple nod was not an acceptable answer. Not to the ruler of my planet. Respect was due to be given, even if everybody knew that behind the scenes, her power had gotten to her head and a replacement was in the works. She was not particularly popular. Everybody needed answers, not more budget cuts.
“The females are adequate. If there are any behavioral troubles, they will be dealt with in an isolated manner,” I said. “We don’t have much time to waste. Breeding season is upon us, and there are not enough females to go around.”
“It’s true,” the Doyan said, her eyes settling darkly onto mine. “We must hurry if we are to continue to produce offspring for the next generation of warriors. And you know how the men get when they aren’t able to breed. It’s a nightmare.”
I grinned privately. I knew very well.
“Don’t worry, Doyan. If worst comes to worst, we can just put those men on the front lines. They will serve us well during the war. We need men who will show no mercy.”
The Doyan nodded grimly. “That’s true enough.”
“I’m going to need more guards,” I ventured to say. I had been asking for several weeks now, but the pleas had gone unanswered. “We’re overcrowded here.”
“I understand,” the Doyan said. “But we’re also short on men with the physical strength to do the job effectively. Most who are still relatively able-bodied are in training. You know the war between us and the Earthlings is getting more dangerous by the day. You were just there!”
“Yes,” I sighed. “Their latest break in technology has been unfortunate. And if they are responsible…”
“It was a mistake to assume they were one of the weaker species. Not only can their females handle the task of a Verian pregnancy, but they also have technology we didn’t foresee. Germ warfare of sorts. It has to be humans that are responsible for this. I’d be shocked otherwise. We need all capable men on the ground when the time comes. You’re just going to have to make do.”
“Right…well, then please show mercy upon us if the paperwork isn’t to you on time,” I said, hoping my bitterness was hidden enough that I wouldn’t get in trouble for my defiance.
“A secretary I can do,” the Doyan said thoughtfully. “If you task her with approving your reports before sending them to me, you should be able to work on the grounds with the inmates. I will send someone over at once. We have several females beside themselves with grief. It would be good to give them a task beyond negotiations with the Pelin. Those poor souls…”
I didn’t like the idea of bringing in a random housewife to the prison to do half of my job, but it was clear that the Doyan had made her decision. Who was I to argue?
“You’re the strongest and most capable man left on Helna, Zaine. I need you to work with me. This is an important job, and not one I would entrust to just anybody. I’ll send a secretary first thing.”
The Doyan rose from my desk, and I knelt as she left. When I heard the door shut behind me, I sighed heavily and sat down to enter in the day’s information.
We still needed about 200 more females to fill the gap, but if I was going to be stuck on guard duty, we would have to plan the next few trips to Earth a little bit more carefully. Especially if there were going to be more instances of defiant humans, like the female I had encountered earlier that day.
I tried to force my thoughts away from her, but as the day wore on, all I could think about was that ridiculous human. Didn’t she know what kind of danger she faced by defying me? More confoundingly, did she even care?
***
The Doyan was true to her word, and before long, there was a slight rapping at my door. A young female, about two years over the minimum age to breed, walked in. I could tell by the lines on her face that she had already lost a child.
“Good evening, Yul Volaire,” she said, kneeling briefly.
“Is it evening already?” I asked, surprised. But a glance out the window behind me proved the girl to be speaking the truth.
“I’ve been instructed to assist you with your records,” the girl said.
“What is your name, Yula?” I asked.
“My name is Gretchai Rebof,” she answered, starting to kneel again.
“That’s enough. Yula Rebof, I trust you’re familiar with the technology here?” I asked, looking at her skeptically. She looked like she had barely left the bosom of her Mai, let alone to know the cruel pain of losing her own child. She would never be a Mai. She was one of the last generations of living, full-bred Verians. But rather than feeling like an honor, it seemed more of a curse.
“Of course,” the girl said. It looked like she was ready to kneel at me again, but halted herself when she saw the stern look in my eye. “The Doyan selected me with care. I excelled in the TIF programs during training. I was scheduled to work in the ships, but the Doyan said I was needed here to keep tabs on the…”
The girl wrinkled her long, narrow nose in disgust. Nobody was very fond of the humans, let alone the idea of noble Verian men being forced to mate with them. Humans were the enemy, after all, and the human females thought to be horrifically ugly.
“…keep tabs on the captives,” Gretchai said gracefully. I appreciated her tact. It would come in handy, living in a building with about 600 of the obnoxious creatures.
“Well, I must apologize, but we are very understaffed, or I would give you a tour myself. However, I’m sure you will find the company of Narei to be very agreeable.”
I buzzed for Narei and he came in quickly, surprised when he spotted Gretchai.
“Welcome to you,” he said, kneeling and eyeing me curiously.
“Narei, this is Yula Rebof,” I said, trying to ignore Narei’s prying gaze. He was a little bit younger than me, and it was obvious he thought that Gretchai was attractive. It was funny in a way. His hands brushed away the dark strands of his hair as he gazed at the girl, his eyes unwavering.
“I need you to show her around, explain what is all right to do and what should be avoided at absolutely all costs. Understand?”
“Of course, Yul Volaire,” Narei said, now directing his kneel at me before getting back to his feet. “Come along then, Yula. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and I need to get back to my shift as soon as possible.”
I watched them as they headed out of my office without another glance back at me.
“We’re understaffed, you know,” I heard Narei say, leaning down conspiratorially to Gretchai. She giggled, and I raised an eyebrow. Were they flirting? What good would that do? No children would come of their union.
I supposed it was unfair to expect all of the Verians to abandon the idea of love. Just because it was banned to love the humans who would spawn for us didn’t mean we couldn’t raise the offspring in loving Verian homes. Maybe the two of them would end up having a great relationship. Or a meaningless fling. Whatever happened with them wouldn’t matter as long as they did their jobs.
“Humans!” I announced, walking from my office and down the long corridor that led to the areas where the new females were being detained. “I presume your orientation was successful. Your meal will be served in seventy minutes in the dining hall. You are to remember the dining etiquette customary to a Verian setting. Anybody who does not submit to this new change in custom shall be punished. Un
derstood?”
There was silence; there was usually silence, before I raised my voice and barked a little more authoritatively, “Understood?!”
The women murmured, and as their soft voices settled back into silence, I was surprised to hear one woman clearing her throat.
“Why do we have to eat like you?”
It was a voice I recognized immediately.
“What is your name?” I demanded, turning my head in the direction of the voice. It was coming from Cell 3.
“Regan,” she answered. I walked briskly to the outside of Cell 3 and peered inside, searching through the sea of terrified faces until my eyes settled on the only one that dared to look me in the eyes. Even in the dark, the blue of her eyes was striking.
“You are really asking for trouble today, Regan,” I told her, my eyes hard.
“I just want to know. Can’t you people answer a simple question without turning into barbarians?”
I frowned, looking over the terrified faces of the women in the cells surrounding me. They didn’t seem too keen on hearing the rest of Regan’s speech, and cowered deep into themselves, squeezing their eyes closed as if that would make our exchange go away.
“I’m just trying to run the place, Yula. Is it your single-minded mission to deny me the ability of doing my job?”
“No. I just want to understand what good it will do to make us eat like you!” Regan exclaimed, pushing past the tense, frightened bodies of her cell mates until we were standing face to face with nothing but the bars on her cell between us.
I was shocked by the effect; I could smell her acutely. It was a sweet scent that made me want to rid myself of the boundary between us and claim her at once. But that wouldn’t look very good in front of the rest of the cell mates.
“You should think of it as a sort of etiquette training. If you survive the prison, then you may end up being integrated into Verian society. That would be rather difficult if you don’t know the habits and customs of the people you are forced to live with.”