No, no one else could have her. "Perhaps it would be better if we didn’t keep her," he suggested. "We could send her on."
"Absolutely not," Symon told him. "We need her. Sarah has become the key to getting them to agree. We convince her, the rest will follow. Without her.…" He shrugged. "It’s going to be hard enough to convince those ladies our men are best for them. If we send her away, none of them may agree."
Symon and Bethan exchanged looks, the near imperceptible nods that made up their silent communication. Bitterness flooded him. Earth had cost him this, his own close companion. Clearly his friends wished to see his wife replaced with this new woman from Earth, the heart of his enemies. As if in answer, his cheek tingled.
"One more thing," Bethan said. "She asked about you."
Surprise overcame his reticence. "Why?"
"She wanted to apologize for striking you. She said it was first time she’d ever done something like that." Bethan touched his arm. "She’s a good woman, Garran. Give it a chance."
A good woman. An Earthen. He shook his head. He’d thought he could make it simple. Once the doctor had given him the detachment drug, his interest in Sarah would’ve faded, become an indistinct want. But now.… Garran sat on the couch, ran one hand on the cheek where she’d struck him. It no longer hurt, merely tingled--just as her hand tingled. Matched with one blow, struck in anger.
A grim amusement rose within him. That suddenly seemed singularly appropriate. She was his match, and no, he couldn’t give her up, not without a fight.
Without looking at them he spoke. "I understand. I’ll try."
* * * *
Several hours later Sarah woke to gentle chimes coming from the comm-link, signaling the start of lunch. She yawned and listened to the bright, musical sound. If this was a warship, it certainly was refined, far more like a passenger ship than their former transport had been.
Sarah redressed in the new green skirt and blouse. They were comfortable, and it didn’t seem a bad idea to appear accepting of the Gaians’ hospitality.
When she went to the door, she found it unlocked and stepped through. The corridor was filled with several other women talking quietly. All seemed to be satisfied with their new surroundings, and several had dressed as Sarah had, in Gaian clothes.
Eventually a man wearing a wristband and a friendly smile strode down the corridor, and led them to a large dining hall where the rest of the Earth women waited. The room could hold at least twice as many as their number, even with the many Gaian women and men who joined them. They all sat at tables that were set for 10 or 12, with at least one or two Gaians at each table.
The food was very good, starting with a salad of fresh greens, choices of meat, fish, or vegetarian dishes, and a clear drink that had a fruity taste. Even the water in the glass goblets on the table tasted fresh, as if captured directly from a mountain spring.
Sarah asked one of the Gaian women at her table about the greens and was informed that they came from the ship’s onboard gardens. It seemed that the ship was fitted for long trips through space and so had a great deal of self-sufficiency built into it.
"The Promise was not really meant to be a warship," the Gaian lady, who’d introduced herself as Marna, explained. "When it was designed, it had been intended to be a passenger ship for long journeys. When the war broke out it had just been completed. Our leader, General Garran had it completely overhauled for war, but left the cabins and common rooms as they’d originally been designed."
At the mention of the General, the Earth women at the table became quiet but the Gaians didn’t seem to notice how his name made them uncomfortable. It was clear from the pride in the lady’s voice that their opinions of the man were very different.
Better not to stir things up, Sarah thought.
After lunch, they were led to another room built like a theatre. After they were seated, the lights went down and a media screen at the back of the stage sprang to life. They were shown many images of Gaia, the open lands, clean lakes and rivers, modern looking cities. Also there were many pictures of men, tall and handsome, with the same gentle smiles that the men on the ship had.
There were also pictures of young children, each more darling than the last. The narrative explained what each of the images was, although when the children were on, only music was heard. As a recruitment message, it was very convincing.
Sarah looked for the image of Crescent Lake that had been on her screen, but didn’t see it. There was a similar image of what looked like the same area, but from a different angle that wasn’t nearly as interesting. She was a bit surprised at that, that they hadn’t used the better picture, but then they started showing images of babies and she didn’t think anymore about it.
Sarah loved babies. It was the reason she had become an obstetrician, and the reason for her being here. She wanted children of her own before she became much older. From the sounds of sniffling in the room, she wasn’t the only one feeling wistful when the children’s pictures were shown.
Finally the show ended and Bethan came onto the stage. She said, "Well, now you’ve seen what we think of Gaia. I hope you enjoyed it. I need to explain how we do our marriage meets. That’s what we call it when we bring our young men and women together."
She went on to explain that they would meet the men in a few days. "You will be given gowns and hooded robes that have masks built in. Once dressed, we will lead you through a hallway where the men will wait. They will be similarly dressed."
"We’re masked?" That was a question from one of the younger women. "How will we know what they look like?"
"You won’t," Bethan said. "We believe that it is best to not see the face of the person that attaches to you. That way you focus on other things, like how you react to them. Gaians have matched this way for centuries and it has served us well."
"What do you mean by match?" the same woman asked.
"When a man attaches and the woman accepts his touch, then we call that matching. You will feel a tingle at his presence. His touch will be attractive to you. You will want him to touch you."
"Well, sure. I’ve always liked it when some hunk touches me." Sarah recognized the new speaker as Alison, one of the younger women who’d been the most outspoken about the Gaians’ high-handedness in kidnapping them. Now she was wisecracking.
Sarah sighed. Probably most of the younger women were like Alison, experienced with men and not a good match for the Gaians. Alison wasn’t taking any of this seriously.
Bethan eyed the younger woman. "Perhaps that’s true for you, but for the ‘hunk’ as you’ve called him, it will be the first time he’s touched a woman that way. One of the reason’s you all left Earth was to find a man who will cherish you and make you his wife. Our men will do that...if you let them."
Alison shut her mouth and leaned back, looking unconvinced. Several of the young women sitting next to her did the same, but the older women, the ones who’d tried for years to find someone on Earth, listened as Bethan finished explaining the Gaian customs. By the end of her speech even some of the younger girls were looking interested.
Bethan described the claiming ceremony, where the men and women finally unmasked and were able to speak their names. "Once you’ve exchanged names, and seen your husband’s face, you will have three days to decide if you wish to change your mind instead of remaining married."
Bethan grinned. "For what it’s worth, that rarely happens."
Chapter Five
Sarah finished brushing her hair and re-braided it into a long rope, tying the end with a pink hair ribbon. Once again dressed in her nightgown, she pulled back the covers and slipped inside.
It was the most comfortable bed she’d ever enjoyed, soft yet firm, the sheets cool on her skin. Using the remote to turn off the light, she leaned back into the fluffy softness of her pillow.
After weeks in the tiny uncomfortable berth in her "stateroom" on The Hope, and considering the little sleep she’d gotten last night, Sarah l
ooked forward to a peaceful--and complete--night’s sleep.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ship, the five youngest women from the Hope had their own plans for the evening, and they didn’t include bedding down.
From her open cabin doorway, Lindsey peered into the hallway, spotting Alison waiting with the others, Ellen, Anne, and Dana in the otherwise empty corridor. It was late in the ship’s day and no one else was about.
After the Gaian "recruitment" meeting they’d met and discussed what to do about the situation. While they respected Sarah, it didn’t seem like the older woman intended to do anything other than let the Gaians try and match them up with their men. Lindsey and the others took their own vote and none of the five wanted any part of the Gaians or their unattached men.
Alison had pointed out that only two guards were on duty at the end of the corridor, and that quite often one of them would take off for a short time leaving only one to worry about. It was clear that the Gaians weren’t really expecting the women to do anything--otherwise they’d be more prepared. The guards were armed with stunners, but they were kept holstered, and the men were far too relaxed when they were on duty.
It was a simple plan: break out of the area they were in, find the shuttle bay, and take off in one of the shuttle craft. Alison had gotten the mate of The Dove to give her some special training in running a shuttle and was convinced she could get one off the ship. Once in space, they would send help messages. Surely The Dove wouldn’t have gone very far and they would come back and pick them up.
Privately Lindsey wondered how much real training Alison could have gotten from the mate, but she didn’t have any better ideas. Anything seemed better than staying on The Promise. They moved out of their rooms quietly, carrying only a few belongings, and a blanket and some belts to tie up the guard.
They waited until only one of the older men was standing watch. Lindsey recognized him. The guard was named Jon and he was a nice man who’d talked to them earlier that day. Lindsey remembered that he’d told her that he had a daughter about thirteen years old at home and fervently she hoped they wouldn’t have to hurt him.
Alison went up to him while the rest hid. Lindsey watched as the other girl put a woebegone expression on her face including some realistic looking tears. What an actress she was! The softhearted Jon put his arm around her in a comforting fatherly way.
Lindsey heard his gentle voice. "Hey, don’t worry. One of those men is my younger brother and he’s a great guy."
Alison managed to get Jon to turn his back on the corridor while the rest of the women sneaked up from behind. Ellen threw the blanket over his head and held him with the belts, and while he was struggling Alison pulled his stunner and fired it. The man went limp under the blanket. Lindsey verified that he was breathing before they left while Alison pocketed the stunner.
They’d decided the shuttle bay would be back along the route they had taken from the reception room. Ellen had kept the route in mind while leaving there. Since it was late, they expected to run into no other people.
"This is going to be easy," Alison told them when they entered the empty hallway.
Sure enough, Ellen was able to guide them to the doorway they’d used when entering the Promise, and just a little further down the same corridor they found the entrance to a large open space, the inside of which was filled with small ships.
They’d found the shuttle bay!
The sound of men’s voices and clink of metal tools told them that they weren’t alone in the bay. A group of jump-suited men were gathered at one end of the space, near a ship with a number of open panels. Quietly the women attempted to approach one of the other shuttles without notice.
One of the men turned and spotted them and quickly approached. "Hi there! Can I help you?" He was much younger than the guards they’d seen earlier, tall, muscular, and good looking, and Lindsey noticed he had a nice smile. As he got closer though, the smile faded when he glanced at their wrists. "You’re some of the brides from The Dove. You shouldn’t be here!"
Alison smiled winningly at him. "Hi there, yourself. We felt cooped up and wanted to look around. Can you show us one of the shuttles?" She walked toward him, her hips swaying in a come-hither curve that likely hadn’t ever failed to capture a man’s attention.
It didn’t fail this time, although the result couldn’t have been what she’d had in mind. The young man’s eyes opened wider and he stumbled back towards the others, keeping his distance from Alison. If Lindsey hadn’t known better, she would’ve said he was afraid. It was almost comical watching him back away, near panic in his face.
The other men noticed them as well and one of them scurried over to a nearby com-link. "Security to shuttle-bay, now!"
Alison pulled the stunner from her pocket and aimed it at them. "Now, don’t do anything stupid, I know how to use this. All we want is one of the shuttles."
A man came around the ship behind Lindsey. Seeing the stunner in Alison’s hand, he threw the tool he held, knocking the stunner to the ground. Alison screamed in pain and held her hand where he’d hit her.
One of the other men grabbed the stunner from the ground. "All right," he said pointing it at them. "Just back off, everything is going to be just fine."
From behind Lindsey came a noise and she whirled around. The man who had thrown the tool stared at her, gasping for breath. He stood still for a couple of seconds, his breathing halted, and he bent forward slightly. His face flushed, and when he breathed again it was heavy and labored. He kept his eyes on her.
The way he stared.… Lindsey felt her own skin flush, her cheeks hot under his gaze. This wasn’t the way the married guards had looked at her!
"Oh, sweet Gaia, look at Tarren," one of the other men said. He glanced at his buddies. "Now we’re in trouble."
"He attached?" another one asked. "What do we do now? We can’t just leave him here." The rest of the men stared at each other, clearly at a loss, the one with the stunner keeping it trained on the women, holding them at bay.
Just then, Bethan arrived with several of the banded guards, also armed with stunners.
"Out of here, all of you," she said to the younger men, a stern look on her normally smiling face. The young man holding the stunner handed it over and they departed quickly, relief in their attitude. One made a grab for Tarren, but he shook his friend’s arm off, and moved closer to Lindsey, still breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on her.
At Bethan’s gesture, the guards approached the women with their stunners out. "All right now, the fun’s over. We need to take you back to where you belong," she told them.
Alison drew back, a snarl twisting her pretty face. "We belong on Earth, and that’s where we going. Run!" she screamed at the other girls.
They scattered through the bay. The guards chased and grabbed at them, the women kicking and screaming in response. After the first couple of well-placed kicks, the men stopped trying to be gentle.
Lindsey didn’t run, but instead drew closer to the still heavily breathing man next to her. She grabbed his arm. "Help me, please," she cried softly.
Tarren’s eyes opened wider and his jaw set. One arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her toward one of the walls, grabbing a chair as they passed. Holding it in front of him, he placed himself between the approaching guards and Lindsey.
He glared at them and threatened them with the chair. "Leave her alone!"
The older men gazed at each other in dismay. One tried to reason with Tarren. "Now come on, stop this. She shouldn’t be here and you know it. We aren’t going to hurt her, just take her back to her room."
The young man’s eyes flashed angrily. "No, she belongs with me, I won’t let you take her." Putting her hands on his waist, Lindsey crowded closer to him.
One of the guards called Bethan over. "We don’t want to stun him when he’s like this. It’s too dangerous--he could be permanently damaged."
Exasperated, she stared at Tarren, still holding the chair lik
e a weapon, Lindsey cowering behind him. She groaned. "I guess I better wake up Symon and have him fetch some help."
* * * *
Dark hair slid along her cheek as her dream lover rubbed his chin across her face. The hair was smooth and silky, a contrast to the slight stubble of his beard.
Between her legs, she could feel his hand, gliding along her thigh, pausing just below that place that ached to be touched. His fingers twitched suggestively and she shivered in anticipation.
In her ear was a deep whisper. "Shall I?"
The question had only one reasonable response. Sarah opened her mouth to grant permission for him to continue his sensual exploration.
Buzzzzzzzzz. Sarah’s eyes jerked open, her lover vaporizing as the doorbell broke her dream. Lifting her head from the pillow, she glanced at the chronometer and groaned. The middle of the night--AGAIN? Grabbing her robe, she donned it as she headed for the door, her feet finding her slippers on the way.
Outside was Symon, looking upset, apologetic, and anxious all at once. Sarah sighed. Clearly some sort of emergency.
"Doctor Sarah, I hate to wake you, but we have a situation with some of the younger women off your ship. I think we need someone they will recognize, and your being a doctor could also help. Would you mind coming with me?"
Sarah nodded. "All right, give me a minute to dress, and I’ll join you." She closed the door, threw on her Gaian blouse and skirt, and grabbed her medical bag.
Symon led her to a different part of the ship, along corridors crowded with people, odd for this time of the night. Everywhere she looked were men and women wearing bands, watching her and Symon closely as they passed. For the first time since arriving on The Promise, no one smiled.
"What happened?" Sarah asked, trotting to keep up with him.
"Five of the young ladies we took off The Dove decided to leave their rooms, stunning the guard in the process. We think they may have been trying to steal a shuttle and leave," Symon told her. "They ran into a group of our men, working in the shuttle bay. Unmarried men," he said meaningfully.
Promises to Keep Page 5