by Juno Wells
“You can’t stay tonight. I just remembered we have to meet the Earth ambassador tomorrow.”
He bites his lip before responding. “We would not make a good showing, swamped in my mating scent, my queen.”
“I guess my idea of going fast isn’t feasible right now. Darn, I was really looking forward to a little throw down, my new Takadon.”
“It is enough to know that you lust after me, as I do you.” He steps back, but the expression on his face tells me it’s killing him. Suddenly, the warrior’s mask has evaporated. It makes me wonder if I’ve finally broken through his emotional defenses, or the Draconian think it’s inappropriate to withhold emotions from your mate. Either way it’s nice to get that much closer to him. “I will busy myself with other duties until we meet with the ambassador, my queen.”
“The minute we get back, you’re going to lock is us in. Be sure the other warriors know you’re going to be out of commission for a while.”
“It will be my pleasure to tell them so. However, it would be best if you sent out a message to them yourself. Just post it on our main feed, and they will know it is true.”
“I’m going to do that right now.” Making the go away gesture, I keep my voice light and playful. “Now go, before I change my mind.”
“All will be as you wish, my lovely and clever queen.”
My head comes up hard and fast. No one has ever taken liberties with my queen title before. He just chuckles and strolls out the door. Hot damn, my guy’s funny too! I’ll add to the long list of qualities I adore about him. I get the sneaking suspicion, this queen thing is about to get interesting.
I’m kind of amazed that one truly awkward conversation got me the perfect man. I imagine our little ones with wings, flying away instead of running away when they’re in trouble and almost laugh. I know he’s no breeder, but between the two of us, we should be able to manage our own baseball team. It occurs to me to wonder if the Draconian have organized sports. Somehow, I doubt it. They seem overly serious and dedicated to their queens.
15 KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
TABOR
WAKING EARLY, I realized that my life changed for the better last night. The queen of my deepest desire chose me from among all the other warriors to be her mate. Not only her mate, I am to be her Takadon, her first, foremost, and because she is human, her only mate. Tonight she will claim me as her own. The thought of our naked bodies rubbing together, her sweet kisses and the scent of her body in heat threatens to make me hard. I am no breeder, nor do I have young already to offer her, yet she chooses me. I know is partially because she finds me attractive, but she also sees my worth as a male. That means everything to me.
“Wake Takadon Tabor, there is work to be done.”
I bolt up to a sitting position, my wings flailing about in a most undignified manner. Scarn, Timric and Phan are all squeezed into my tiny private sleeping quarters. Such privacy is the one luxury allocated to a commander, yet here they are.
My horns perk up as I struggle to get my wings under control. “Why are you in my quarters?” You have never entered my space unannounced before.” They’re all staring at me with their warrior’s face but beneath their matching stoic expressions there is amusement. I’m missing something but I cannot place quite what it is.
Straightening, I state clearly. “Get out. You should not be here.”
Scarn laughs and tosses me a fresh uniform. I know immediately that something is amiss. This garment feels heavier than all the ones I have worn before. “Who redesigned our uniforms?”
Phan announces, “Only yours got redesigned. Queen Ella assisted Scarn in coming up with a new family symbol that represents the merging of our lines. Queen Kearney announced that you are her Takadon last night and we worked through the night to make sure you had a proper uniform to wear.”
I blink at my proud brother. “What of you? Queen Kendra chose you as her Takadon. Where is your new uniform?”
“She can call me chosen all day long, but it is not so until I come into my hormones. Only then can I formally accept her offer of mating.”
“Are you not upset by this turn of events?”
He shrugs. “She chose me and has elected to keep me. I am happy to be at her side and she never makes me feel that I am lacking. However, we are not here to talk about me. We wish to congratulate you for being selected as Queen Kearney’s Takadon.”
I begin unfolding the uniform and notice that it has red piping and a strange symbol of a dragon standing sideways. “Our new symbol has a dragon?”
Scarn answers gruffly, “It was on their family crest from olden times. It appears that ancient humans were acquainted with dragons, though it is not known how.”
When I come to my feet, I can’t stop smiling. “It is a strong design. I will wear it proudly.” They take turns thumping me on the shoulder and congratulating me. Pride surges in my chest, not only to have been chosen but to have males who care about my happiness as friends. Then I realize how fruitful this mission has been. All of us have found the favor of a queen. Even Elder Scarn is often seen in the company of the queen mother, Ella. I’m certain that he never thought to find the favor of a queen, and he deserves all the happiness that such a lucky happenstance can bring.
Walking the corridors of our ship has new meaning for me. If my queen does not wish to live on our home world, we will raise our young on this ship. Both options appeal to me equally. I make my rounds to each station and then seek out Elder Scarn again to speak to him about creating a hatchery. My instinct is to visit my queen, but I am unsure if we could resist mating. Therefore I keep myself busy in other ways. Even though there are no infants, I wish us to have enough time to for the unit to be functional before our young begin arriving.
We begin working out a rough plan and assign warriors to begin working on the initial framework. I manage to keep myself busy for the better part of the morning before making my way to see my queen.
I find her in the company of her mother and sister queens. “Greetings my queen, I see you are ready for your meeting with the ambassador.”
“The Strovians will meet us there. They’re acting kind of uptight and it’s causing me to wonder what their real motivation is in involving us in the meeting.”
I turn the situation over in my mind. “Perhaps they hope to be seen in a better light by being introduced by a human.” I feel nothing unusual about this meeting, but will take no risks with my queen. “Timric, you will accompany us. You will tell me if you sense trouble. Between your gift and my own, we can keep Queen Kearney safe.”
“It is my honor to serve, Takadon Tabor.”
I’m pleased to hear my new title on every warrior’s lips. Perhaps that makes me vain or selfish, but it is true none the less. After careful consideration I believe it is because we have not mated. One we are one in that way, it will not matter to me what others say. Until then I will take solace in knowing she publicly claimed me.
“You look really nice in your new uniform.” Her admiring eyes are eating me up from head to toe, lingering over my wings. I let them fall open a bit and she smiles. To know that my body pleases her fills me with pride and makes me brazen enough to chance a compliment of my own in front of others.
She’s wearing a long red gown and has her hair styled on top of her head again. She’s wearing a red belt of some shimmery fabric with a metal jewel-encrusted buckle with our new symbol stamped upon it. “You look beautiful in the gown I chose for you, though you appear no less fetching in a uniform, or, I suspect, devoid of all clothing.”
Her mouth falls open at hearing my words, but she is pleased by my audacity. I am growing to learn that my queen greatly approves of forwardness in a male.
“We’ll revisit this conversation after you’ve seen me devoid of clothing, my takadon. Now let us get moving. I have no intention of showing up late for our meeting.” Stalking past me, she heads for the door.
We follow her to the loading bay, and when we enter
the shuttle, I see she is bringing trade items. I wonder if she intends to trade for seeds or other items from her list while we are there. Perhaps she just wishes to trade for more luxury items. She motions for me to sit beside her and clasps my hand. Her hands are soft and warm, reminding me how very little she resembles Draconian queens. They have claws and little patience for the needs of a warrior.
“I’ve been thinking about this situation with the Strovian. If they’re here to trade for brides, helping other ships come to Earth would be in their interest, especially if we make a deal to use their bubble to get back. The ships that came here will probably be full of women, how do we know they won’t just jump us to their home world, keep all the women and enslave the males?”
Rubbing my chin thoughtfully, I am forced to admit that my queen has a point. “Just because we have not heard of them performing evil deeds, it does not mean they are honest in their dealings with other species.”
“I’m not trying to be paranoid or anything. It’s just that we’ve done the impossible by just making it back to Earth. I don’t want all our hard work and planning to land my family in an even worse situation than they were in already.”
I place my free hand over our joined hands and squeeze slightly. “You are wise to think of this. We know nothing of the Strovians except that they have never made war with us. If you feel it is safer we can fly back under our own power.”
“Let’s meet with them face-to-face and see if we can get a read on how trustworthy they are.”
Our conversation puts the other warriors on high alert. They signal our ship to raise shields and remain alert. Suddenly, fifty warriors do not seem like enough to protect so many queens.
When we land on the ambassador’s office landing pad, we see the Strovian ship waiting for our arrival. We exit the ship and as the Strovian delegation moves forward, I notice they are dressed differently from their normal traders. They are not even wearing the uniforms of their world. The Strovians are one of the stranger aliens I’ve seen. They are pale blue with skinny bodies, long spindly arms that fold up double, meaning they actually walk on their knees to speak face-to-face with humanoids. Their posture is too jerky and aggressive for this situation. Leaning over, I whisper, “They are not official representatives from Strovia Prime. My best guess is they are usurpers, gone rogue or have founded another planet.”
“I hope it’s the last item on your list of explanations, cause I certainly don’t want to end up in the middle of a Strovian civil war.”
“Be cautious in your introductions, my precious queen.”
When we sit at a large oval table in the main conference room, the ambassador is already there waiting for us. He stands to welcome us, extending his hand. I reach out to shake his hand as he speaks. “Welcome, Queen Kearney and Commander Tabor. We were pleased to get your message requesting a meeting.”
“Thank you for seeing us, Ambassador Tham. I apologize for the short notice.” Glancing down at my handheld, I reply smoothly, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take an opportunity to introduce L’tam De Artor, Captain of the trade ship Darnovo.”
“Please be seated. What can I do for you today?”
Artor begins speaking immediately. “I wish to negotiate a trade contract with Earth.”
The ambassador leans back and arcs his fingers together. It’s the typical supervillain pose, but on the gray-haired older man it just looks like he’s being pensive. “Earth already has a trade deal in place with your people, Captain Artor. I negotiated it myself.”
“There has been a civil disagreement with our world, leading to a division of sorts. We wish our own contract negotiations.”
“I’ve been apprised of your situation by the Strovian ambassador. It seems the split was over allocation of brides. Strovia Prime allows brides to choose their own husbands, but your group thought that wasn’t fair to the some of the males.”
“The Strovian elite are so blinded by their desire for delicate human brides, they will refuse them nothing. We simply wish a fair system where males are assigned brides at random.”
My queen’s head whips around, and her outraged words are nothing the Strovian captain wishes to hear. “Are you telling me that I’ve gone out of my way to introduce you, and you want to treat human women like meat? Have you no morals? Assigning a woman to be someone’s husband isn’t going to make anyone happy, least of all the man she’s being forced to marry.”
“We made a deal. You were to stand with me during this meeting.”
“The deal we made was for me to introduce you, nothing more.”
As he shifts forward in his seat, Artor’s voice turns low and malicious. “Your cooperation was implied. Why else would I need you to set up the meeting?”
“I’ve got records of our transaction. You’ve had your introduction. Perhaps it is best if you leave.”
The ambassador speaks. “I will permit you to operate under the current contract. However, the women have a list of rights included in the contract. One of which protects their right to choose. If I find that you have violated any of the rules, even once, you will not be allowed to trade with Earth in the future. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, ambassador. We are not renegades. Therefore, we respect the law.”
I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that he is lying because I sense danger. I glance at Timric and the young warrior gives a slight shake of his head to indicate this is not right.
“I will speak on behalf of our ship and queens. Do not approach our queens and do not interfere with our activities on this planet. We will take whatever steps necessary to protect our queens.”
L’tam De Artor leaps from his seat and moves around closer to our delegation. Timric is closer, so he steps in front of the ungainly alien. Issuing a soft warning, he slowly brings his hand to rest on his weapon. “Stop where you are. I don’t wish you to be any closer to my queen.”
“I care nothing for your human bride.” When he shoots our queen a glance, everyone in the room knows he’s lying. His gaze is quick but filled with depraved hunger. I can’t stand his eyes on my queen. The feeling of danger is so strong, it’s swamping every other emotion. I’m on my feet before I can stop myself, moving toward him.
The ambassador stands abruptly, and his voice stops me in my tracks. “Your audience is over, Captain Artor. I will give you one day to make your trades, but after that you are to leave our airspace.”
He staggers back a step and his chin comes up. “As you wish, ambassador. You will see that we are beings who are willing to follow the rules.”
Captain Artor’s behavior swings from controlled to aggressive and back again so quickly, that I know he can’t possibly be in full control of his emotions. That makes him unpredictable, which in turn makes him dangerous. The Strovian delegation takes their leave with the little dignity they can muster, and I’m about to breathe easy again.
My Kearney lets out a sigh of her own before speaking. “That was all kinds of weird.”
The ambassador gestures for us to sit again. Folding his hands in his lap when he sits, he allows his wrinkled face to settle into a frown. “I’m sorry you had to be witness to that display of depravity. Rest assured that Earth Gov is not happy to be forced into trading willing brides to care for the multitude that remains behind on our dying world. Rest assured, we do hold those who trade for brides to their contract. I wish it weren’t necessary to barter in women this way, but if we are to survive, we must.”
I quickly interject. “There are very few habitable worlds to be had, ambassador.”
“It’s unfortunate that we spoiled our own planet. That’s not anybody’s fault but our own.”
My queen seems broken-hearted with the whole situation. “Even if we found a habitable world, the logistics of transferring everyone and building housing would be a herculean task.”
“Earth Gov wanted me to communicate to you that the Draconian atmospheric cleanser is slowly tilting our environment ba
ck into balance. We appreciate your assistance.”
I dip my head respectfully. “I assisted with the construction of the device on my home world. It took us many months to calibrate it properly. I am pleased that my brethren got it into proper placement in your atmosphere.”
“Since your people don’t trade in brides, I was wondering what brought you to Earth.”
“My sister and I signed up for the bride’s registry and our ship was attacked. We ended up on the new Draconian home world.”
“I wonder why your people never use the proper name for your world. Onello is a lovely name.”
I speak up, “The queen who rules our world chose it because it reminded her of an ancient hero in Earth mythology. It is very near the Draconian word for fecal matter. That is the reason our warriors shun the name. I believe our queens model their behavior off our reluctance to speak the word.”
The ambassador bursts out laughing. Even my lovely queen is smiling. For the first time I see the humor in our situation. “I do not believe even her mate would enlighten her about this, as it would be considered rude to embarrass a queen.”
“I’m glad you told me this, Commander. It helps me understand your customs but not why you have come.”
“I bought a ship and came back to check on my family. They aren’t doing well since my father passed. We invited them to our new home world and they were grateful for the offer. We brought them up to my ship last night.”
“You are a kind person to have come back for them. I wonder if I could press you for a favor.”
“I’d be happy to do anything I can for Earth Gov, ambassador.”
“Our church has been sheltering a small group of children for years. The poor innocent souls lost their parents or were turned out to rely upon the kindness of strangers. We gathered them from here and there, shepherding and guiding them. We thought for sure that we’d be able to find jobs for them.”
“They are all grown now and there are few jobs to be had. We don’t want to just turn them out to fend for themselves. However, things being what they are here on Earth, we find that we aren’t in a position to take more vulnerable children until we determine what to do with the adults. We simply can’t afford to keep both, nor do we have the space to house them.”