by Regine Abel
I leaned back against my comfortable, leather-cushioned seat as Lee raised his hand, calling the Sisters to order. Valena stirred on her seat, a mix of excitement and guilt painted on her face. Today’s topic had been a recurring one since she’d challenged the Admiral about secrecy on the existence of the Veredians and their whereabouts. Her points, although valid, had given Lee endless headaches ever since.
With the room silent, Lee rose to his feet, his dark celesium armor and the polished black glass of his faceplate shining under the stage lights. A microphone disk rose in the air, hovering close to his chin.
“Sisters,” Lee’s synthetic voice said through the speakers blanketing the room, “we’re gathered here today to pursue prior discussions regarding the status of Haven and Veredian participation in the Xelixian Fastening Ceremonies.”
The tension is the room was palpable. As Valena had pointed out when Lee had requested she come live in Haven with her then unborn twins, many Veredians actually wanted a chance to meet a Xelixian male and have a normal life rather than be stashed away in a refuge that, in many ways, could be construed as yet another prison. With most of the Sisters having been born in a breeding compound, they hungered for freedom in all its forms.
“Many of you have expressed the desire to have Haven’s existence revealed,” Lee continued. “We have heavily pushed back on this because we still fail to see the benefit while seeing many downsides. As we still won’t open the door to strangers to visit Haven, why tempt them at all? Some of you have argued that if other Veredian captives knew of Haven, they would try to get to us. However, it’s no longer a secret throughout the galaxy that Tuureans are protecting Veredians. They would contact us if they were able.”
I had heard all those arguments before during Lee’s conversations with Khel and agreed with him. In truth, that request sounded to me more like a roundabout way the Sisters came up with to let the world—make that Xelixian males—know of their existence. Valena’s happiness and mine, and especially seeing our sons, made them ache for a chance at the same kind of future.
“Moreover,” Lee continued, “while few species will seek open confrontation with Tuureans, the appeal of so many Veredian females gathered in one place could embolden some factions to join forces against us to get to you. This means we will need to reinforce defenses in Tuurean space and around the planet, which in turn means scaling back our efforts in hunting down the other breeding compounds and the Sisters who were already sold.”
To me, that constituted the strongest argument against revealing Haven. A quick glance around the room confirmed Lee had hit a nerve with it. The troubled expressions of my Sisters spoke volumes.
“If any of you wishes to raise arguments in favor or against revealing Haven’s existence, please summon the microphone to your seat,” said Lee before resuming his seat, his microphone settling back down on the surface of the table before him.
All heads turned this way and that, seeing if anyone would rise. After a few moments, a light beeped on one of the monitors displaying the Sisters attending from Haven. The camera zoomed in on an elder Sister. Eyes glued to the screen, I watched the graceful woman nervously rise from her chair, straightening creases that didn’t exist on her colorful, flowy summer dress.
“Hello Lee, and greetings to all of you, my Sisters, here and aboard one of the Tuurean ships. My name is Hulina, and a couple of months ago I celebrated my eighty-fifth birthday, a free female. A year ago, I believed I would die in a breeding compound.”
A haunted look crossed her noble face. She ran a shaky hand through her greying, long black hair and clasped her hands in front of her. The Sisters sitting on each side of her caressed her arms and back in comforting gestures. She smiled at them, her discrete eye wrinkles creasing.
“For sixty-four years, I had not felt the sun, breathed fresh air, walked outside with no one looking over my shoulder or ordering me what to do or when to do it. I had forgotten the meaning of happiness until the joint Tuurean and Xelixian raid broke our chains. I was twenty-one years old when all my dreams for the future were taken away in the last days of Veredia when the Guldan slavers raided us.”
Her voice quivered and her eyes glistened. My throat constricted as Valena’s hand grabbed mine. I squeezed it, grateful for the comfort.
“I saw so many of our Sisters die trying to repel the invasion and protect those of us who couldn’t fight. After our freedom, Haven is the greatest gift any of us could have ever hoped for. It needs to be protected, not flaunted. Our people finally have a real chance of rebuilding our species with more of the compounds getting dismantled and with the miraculous birth of a few Veredian males. Let’s not jeopardize our ability to free our Sisters by stretching the Tuurean forces too thin or by luring slavers to our new home.
She pressed her thin hand to her heart then waved it at us in an offering gesture, as per the traditional Veredian greeting, then resumed her seat. The microphone flew away from her amidst the thundering applause, both in Haven and aboard the Tuurean mothership, the Tempest.
Not surprisingly, no one else pushed in favor of the reveal after the emotional way she’d stated her case.
“Thank you, Sister Hulina, for your moving testimony,” Lee said. “If there are no other comments, we would invite you to proceed to the vote. Select Yes if you wish for Haven to be made public and No for it to remain a secret.”
A small control panel protruded from the right armrest of our seats. The digital interface displayed a blue button for Yes and a light grey button for No. The giant central screen behind Lee switched to a result screen currently only displaying a progress bar of the number of votes entered, not revealing which way said votes leaned. The bar filled quickly to one hundred percent. Moments later, the results were unanimously against.
It didn’t surprise me. Haven wasn’t the real issue.
“Thank you, Sisters,” Lee said, rising again from his seat. Despite the hollowness of his synthetic voice, his relief could be heard. “As per this unanimous vote, this motion is dismissed… for the time being. Rest assured that we will reopen this topic once more of our resources are available for adequate protection.”
He turned to look at Lavenia who nodded at him. She got up as he resumed his seat.
Although she and I hadn’t gotten particularly close over the past three years, seeing her always gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. After my mother and Nana, she had been the first Veredian female I had spoken to when the Tuureans had made contact with us.
“My beloved Sisters, I am here to discuss the second topic of today’s gathering,” Lavenia said, scanning the room. “As a female still in my prime and a mother myself, I understand all too well the desire for a loving partner and father for my daughter. Both this mothership and Haven have far too many little girls growing up without a father figure. And those among you who have just reached your peak despair that you will forever be condemned to a life of loneliness.”
Many head nods and whispers of approval met Lavenia’s opening statement.
“However, as one of the lead scientists working closely with Dr. Minh Volghan and Whil Murkhin, the Xelixian medical experts, there is some information you should all be aware of first. Afterwards, Lee will go over the security aspect of this endeavour.”
That last comment elicited a few frowns from my Sisters. Once again, I felt sorry for Lee and the Tuureans who were going out of their way to protect us while being forced to play the bad guys to shelter us from ourselves.
“As you know, we have the ability to stop or revert the Taint in infected Xelixian males. They, in turn, are able to ease our difficulties in conceiving and carrying our offspring to term. But more importantly, they can help us birth living males.”
Applause exploded throughout the room and many eyes turned towards Valena and me, hope, happiness, and envy shining within. Valena’s heating cheeks echoed my own embarrassment at being the center of attention, mixed with a certain pride in my babies.
“In fact, our lovely Valena is actually preparing us another child, this time a lovely daughter.”
Wait, what?
My head snapped toward Valena who gave me a sheepish smile, while further applause resonated in the room. As happy as I felt for her, my competitive nature reared its pesky little head.
I scrunched my face at her.
“You wait until my next season. You’re not getting a fourth child before me.”
Valena slapped her hand over her mouth to contain her laugher, her beautiful aqua eyes sparkling. We had been pregnant at the same time while she carried her twins and me my little Rhadames. She’d crushed me in our ryspak eating contest, the fruit essential to the growth and health of Xelixian babies.
Zhara would be ecstatic, though.
“However,” Lavenia said when the applause calmed, “what Amalia and Valena accomplished required a specific set of factors to come together. And unfortunately, at this point in time, the vast majority of us do not meet them.”
The mood immediately darkened.
Lavenia took in a deep breath before continuing.
“As you know, there are now four generations of Veredians since the fall of our planet. The original generation of Sisters, both born of Veredian parents from before the Guldan raids. The first generation of Korlethean-Veredian hybrids, born in the compounds, like myself. The second generation like Valena and Amalia, and their children as the fourth generation.”
She clasped her hands in front of her as she gazed at the audience.
“All the tests and research we have done, and what we’ve gleaned from Varrek’s research, are conclusive. We can say for a fact that original and first generation Veredians—basically three quarters of our current adult Sisters—cannot successfully conceive any child, male or female, with a Xelixian.”
Sorrowful whispers rose around us and a few Sisters started crying, failing to keep it discreet. My chest tightened in pain for them.
“It also means that we cannot cure or revert the Taint in any potential Xelixian mate. At best, we will stop their Taint from progressing further. Which means, whatever state of the disease you find him in, he will remain this way forever. This in turn means that should we decide to pursue relationships with Xelixians, original and first generation Sisters should limit their interest to Primes and Norms as any Xelixian suffering from advanced Taint is already in constant pain. Mating with one of us would only prolong his agony indefinitely.”
She scrubbed a shaky hand over her face. I wanted to go down there and give her a hug. How horrible it must be to deliver news you knew would crush so many hopes and dreams.
“As for second generation Sisters, you will be able to revert the disease to earlier stages. However, unless that Xelixian is also a Geminate, you will not be able to cure him and you also will not be able to give birth to males, but you might give him a daughter.”
After Valena’s pregnancy, we had held such great hope of a cure for both the Taint and our own fertility issues. Although we now knew the cause, a cure that our bodies wouldn’t reject still eluded us. Geminates were few and far between, most of them already mated. And that didn’t solve the problem for the rest of our Sisters or for the Tainted.
“I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear,” Lavenia said, strengthening her tone, “but it is the sad reality we need to face. We are not giving up. This is not the end of hope. We are closer than we’ve ever been, but it will still take some time, the Goddess only knows how much, before we have a cure. It could be months, it could be years, but it could also be decades.”
With an almost apologetic smile, Lavenia resumed her seat. Lee rose to his feet and gently squeezed her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. The Admiral continued to baffle me. The first time he introduced us to Lavenia, I initially thought that they were a couple but soon realized that, despite their obvious friendship and mutual respect, they weren’t an item. Later, I thought Kamala, his badass—and totally sexy—right hand might be his woman. I still couldn’t say whether they were or not. The main reason for my hesitation was the apparent strong friendship that had been blossoming over the past three years between Kamala and Ghan. How awesome would that be, the two of them together?
A badass woman for a badass big brother...
Yeah, I’d be totally fine with that. I just wished I knew what she looked like under that armor—not that it mattered but, by the Goddess, was I curious!
“Thank you, Lavenia, for these clarifications,” Lee said into the microphone. “Now, for those of you who aren’t aware, Xelixians choose their mates through the Fastening Selection. Essentially, eligible males parade before you, and then stand quietly on a pedestal while you examine them. If one of them strikes your fancy, you may initiate a conversation with him. You have one hour to decide whether or not to bind your fate to his. One hour to make a lifetime commitment with a complete stranger and go live with him, wherever that is.”
He clasped his hands behind his back in a military pose that always made him appear even more imposing, though in this instance, no threat emanated from him.
“While they do have the Family Welfare staff to make sure the female is well-treated in her new home, you are Veredians,” Lee said. “The minute it is made known that you are living with only the protection of your mate, the hunt will begin again. I have great respect for Xelixians as a whole and do not doubt they would do their utmost to keep you safe, but the more scattered you are, the more difficult it would become.”
The second microphone rose from the table in front of Lee and flew to the middle of the ninth row on the left side of the ground floor. A young woman with pitch black hair had risen from her seat, wishing to address the assembly. She appeared about my age.
“Thank you, Lee. I believe we all agree that one hour to make such a decision is a huge gamble that most of us aren’t willing to take,” she said with a soft voice.
One that I took and which paid off, big time!
Except, I only participated out of desperation. Under different circumstances, I would never put myself in that situation.
“However, it was my understanding that a number of the couples have actually met before the Fastening, grown to know and love each other and only go to the Fastening because Xelixian law requires it. They didn’t go there to choose since they had already exchanged their vows.”
“That is correct, Senaya,” Lee said.
“If the vote were to go in favor of this motion, then we would want to create a safe environment for Veredians and Xelixians to meet and get to know each other over a period of time, before committing themselves during a Fastening.”
Some nods and excited chatter hummed through the room. Lee raised a hand to warn the Sisters not to get ahead of themselves.
“But, just like making Haven public knowledge, these meet-and-greet sessions will require a lot of logistics to ensure your safety during the events themselves, but also to organize who gets to go when, for both Veredians and Xelixians. These males are desperate. Some with only days or weeks left to live who will demand priority access. Things might get ugly.”
Another Sister called the hovering microphone with the interface on her armrest. She rose to her feet.
“Assuming these meet-and-greets could occur without putting too much of a strain on the rescue missions, why couldn’t the males just come back to live with us in Haven or aboard the ship?”
“For the same reason we do not wish to make Haven public, Marissa,” Lee said. “While I have the utmost respect for Xelixians, I’m not ready to let so many of them loose in Haven with most of our fleet out searching for your Sisters. Also, it significantly increases the risk of leaks, whether by those males or their relatives and friends.”
How the heck does he remember everyone’s name?
That kind of thing always made me wonder if maybe he was a cyborg after all. But he and the other Tuureans acted too often like normal, emotional people.
“So we can’t stay on Xelix Prime if
we find a suitable mate, we can’t bring him to Haven or on board, and you’re also trying to indefinitely block any chance of meeting someone and building a life,” Marissa replied with bitterness. “Why did you bother freeing us if it’s only to put us in another cage?”
My heart broke for Lee. He stiffened. His hands fisted and he quickly hid them behind his back in his usual military stance. Valena cringed, the old guilt creeping back onto her features. Lavenia jumped to her feet in his defense.
“Marissa!” Lavenia exclaimed, her voice full of reproach. “This is completely unfair! You know Lee has sacrificed everything for us. How can you be so ungrateful?”
“Lavenia,” Lee said softly, caressing her back in a pacifying gesture, “she has the right to question her future.”
“But Lee…”
“It is okay. I will answer her question.”
Lavenia pinched her lips together and resumed her seat with a stiff nod.
“You are not in a cage, Marissa. None of you are. If you wish to leave us tomorrow and take your chances on your own on Xelix Prime, no one will stop you. We will naturally try to dissuade you, but you are free. It is your choice. But understand that we will not be able to protect you.”
“Yet, you continue to protect them,” Marissa said, pointing up toward the section of the balcony where Valena and I sat. “Why not the rest of us?”
I bristled at that comment and made to get up, but Valena held me back then stood up herself. As the microphone flew up to Valena, Lee answered Marissa.
“We provide the strict minimum in terms of protection to them because they are the mothers of the only living Veredian males. Ensuring the safety of these boys, the future of the Veredian species, comes first and foremost.” Lee glanced up at us before continuing, “The strain on our resources is significantly reduced because both benefit from the protection of the General, his army, and the elite bodyguards the wealth of Valena’s mate allows him to afford.”
Lee gestured towards Valena to let her know she could speak.