Alien Miner's Bride: A New Adult Science Fiction Romance (Moon Company Brides Book 1)

by Tia LaBeau

  “Attention,” a voice says through the intercom. My heart stops. There’s a bit of feedback and then silence. Suddenly, the voice comes back on again.

  “We’ve been selected to go through an express gate. Please buckle your belts and put on your masks. We will be approaching the gate in approximately twenty minutes.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. For a minute there, I thought they were going to say that the ship was being stopped so that they could check for a woman of about my size, with my features, wanted for murder. Sometimes one gets lucky I guess. Getting to Ceres sooner is definitely better than later.

  Twenty minutes go by. I’ve got my belt on and my mask on. We go through the gate. It’s like the skin on your face is being pulled off, but you can only feel the pressure of it. When you come out on the other side, it feels as if you’ve been born again. It takes a minute for you to even remember who you are, and your head feels clear.

  Memories are foggy at first, and then you get your memories back in a few minutes, unfortunately. I’d never seen a dead body before Zeid, so I wished that the gate would have ripped that from my mind. A dead body is something that I don’t want to see ever again. I’d figured that by working for Rock Security that eventually, I would see some dead people, but I never thought that I’d be seeing a dead guy in my own fucking kitchen.

  As I look out the ship’s window, I see that the densely inhabited part of Ceres is located under a dome. That means that people can walk around a relatively large area of the planet without having to wear a special helmet and suit for breathing. A lot of places around Teros are like this, but everyone owns a suit, for the purpose of getting around more rural locations if necessary. I left my suit at home, but there are suit shops everywhere. I think I’ll pick one up in case I need to go somewhere on Ceres that is outside of the dome.

  The ship docks. There’s a back exit, and for that, I’m so thankful because that means I can be the first person off of the ship. I keep my head down, though so that no one can see my face. I don’t have to retrieve bags because I only had one small carry on.

  The Ceres station is like an abandoned place. There’s hardly anyone here, thankfully. I see a few custodial bots moving around, sweeping and cleaning things. I see a short human woman standing with a briefcase by a wastebasket. She’s checking her watch. She dressed in a business suit, so I’m going to go ahead guess that maybe she’s working for one of the big mining conglomerates who keep offices on the main worlds but sends representatives down to check on operations.

  I had a friend in upper school whose dad did that as his job. Her dad was always making trips to the belt. My friend said she sort of liked it when he made a trip to the belt because he’d stop at the Cerean Mall and pick her up something. It was never anything she couldn’t get in Rim Rock, but nevertheless, she liked the treat. I would have just been happy for my dad to make it home from work, day after day, but of course, he died on his job.

  I keep walking. I spot a shuttle ship waiting at the port of the station. It has a digital ticker running across its windshield that indicates that it’s going to Ceres Mall. I approach the entrance to the shuttle ship. The door slides open.

  “That will be five creds please,” a ship bot tells me.

  I pay the fare and step onto the shuttle. The ride is quick, but not as quick as the Cerean sunrise which lasts less than a minute. Since the ship station is on Ceres itself, and not parked on the outside of it as some stations are, we’ve only got to leave the ship station to go the mall not engage in any sort of planet landing.

  Ceres is the largest object in the belt. The asteroids around the belt are spread out, many hundreds of thousands of miles between each other, but the distances seem short enough when one is riding on the quick ships and high-powered mobils.

  There are only a few others on the shuttle with me. I don’t make eye contact with any of them, in case they’ve watched the recent news.

  The shuttle docks at the mall, and I get off without incident. I walk through the entrance to the mall, and immediately I’m smacked in the face by all the delicious smells. Some of it is food no doubt, but some of it is perfumery. When I get inside, my ears feel empty because it’s so quiet in here despite the many people walking around. Since it’s daytime on Ceres, I’d expect that people would be at work.

  On Ceres, the day averages out to be about nine hours. People probably work in shifts around these parts. Mining could take place any time of the day or night, and so the support jobs are likely to go all day and night too. Makes sense. Shift work leads to greater amounts of productivity. With all the mining that takes place in the belt, and with all the credits it generates, working is probably the main function out here.

  I see a few families walking around with small children, but mostly, I see big hulking people walking around, with a bag in their hand and a scowl on their face. I’m stereotyping, but these are probably miners for sure. Some are human, and some are not.

  I know there are mobils which can be docked right outside of asteroids. They float free like mini space stations. Depending on the model, they have all the usual comforts of home, and some of them are as fast as shit. I wonder how many of these people live in those. If only I had one I could hide out in.

  I did look into purchasing one myself a while back. One can live off-planet in the designated mobil parks around a majority of the planets and moons in Teros. I was thinking that by getting one, my sister and I could travel more places and sort of like free float around until we figure out where we’d like to make a home. Mars is cool, but it’s full of memories of my parents. The memories of my parents aren’t bad ones, but to have them is gut-wrenching. The sense of longing that memories can inflict on a person can be too much to bear. Oh, I suppose memories are good too. I don’t know.

  I walk around. I don’t see anyone particularly seedy in the mall, which means that procuring a fake identification chip is going to be a problem.

  There are screens everywhere. To my chagrin, I see myself up on the screens again. WANTED: CLEO CHOU FOR THE MURDER OF ZEID FURMI, THE SON OF GOVERNOR HITERNUM FURMI. REWARD FOR ANY LEADS TO THE WHEREABOUTS OF CHOU.

  I lower my head now. I skitter along, searching for a place I can hide. All I see are shops and restaurants full of people.

  I’m walking fast enough so that no one can get a good look at my face, but I’m also walking slow enough so that I don’t draw too much attention to myself.

  There’s a bot dressed in all white, holding a bouquet of flowers. “Excuse me, miss,” she says.

  It’s a bot, so I’m assuming that unless she’s programmed to find fugitives, she won’t know who I am. She’s standing in front of some sort of establishment. What kind it is, I don’t know yet, but this may be a place I can find quick refuge.

  “Hi,” I say. “You know, my feet hurt. Would it be possible for me to step inside and take a short rest?”

  “Sure, please, come in,” the bot says.

  I slide through the doorway. Double doors slide closed behind me.

  I look around. There’s a placard up on the wall with the words Moon Company Brides engraved there. I’ve heard of them. They’re a mail-order bride service. I’ve never known anyone desperate enough to sign up with them, but I’ve heard some stories.

  I definitely need to find someplace else to hide. “I’ll be just a moment,” I say sitting down on a soft white sofa.

  “Can I offer you tea?”

  “No, thank you,” I say. I stand up. I figure I better go.

  “Wait just a moment, Miss,” I hear the bot say.

  “No, I really ought to go.” I walk towards the door. The doors don’t open. I turn around. “Excuse me. I’d like to leave.”

  “Are you sure? Wouldn’t you like to hear about our program? You would make a very lovely bride.”

  “The fuck I would,” I say. “Now can you please open the door?”

  “Sure,” the bot says.

  The doors slide open. I see se
curity zipping past the door. I step backward landing into the office again. I turn my attention to the bot. I feel relieved as the doors close behind me.

  “Um, sure,” I say to the bot. “I’d like to hear about your program. Is there someone back there that I can talk to about it?” I duck my head around trying to see if there’s a place deeper in here that I can go hide in.

  “Sure,” the bot says. She smiles. Her white face is slightly peachy in comparison to the all the other white things in the room. “Have a seat, please. An agent will be with you in a moment.”

  I sit and wait. My hands are clammy. All it will take is for one of those thirsty security officers to check inside this place, and I’m toast. I decide that it may be a good idea to ask if there is some place I can freshen up. Before I get the chance, I see a woman coming towards me. She’s wearing a white dress. Her black hair is styled in a severely cut bob. She smiles at me and extends her hand. “Welcome to Moon Company Brides. I’m Olivinia Evawa. Indeed, I think you will make someone a very lucky groom.”

  “Uh, thank you,” I say.

  “Follow me back to my office, and we can discuss the program.”

  “Sure,” I say. I follow Olivinia Evawa down the stark white hall.

  She ushers me into her office.

  “Have a seat wherever you feel comfortable.

  I take a seat in the chair right across from her. She grins from ear to ear. Her teeth are stunningly white. That means that she can afford the perfect teeth treatments which are available for a very high price.

  “You’re very beautiful. I’m thinking you are tier three just by your appearance alone.”

  “Um, thank you,” I say, wincing.

  “So what brings you to Moon Company Brides? Are we looking for our life to be filled with adventure or are we running away from a bad marriage or loneliness?”

  “Looking for a sense of adventure, I guess,” I say.

  “As I said before, my name is Olivinia Evawa. I run Moon Company Brides Ceres branch. We have had quite impressive numbers at this location. Some of our brides sign up here and travel to other offices to be matched, while others stay right here until a groom is assigned. We need more of your caliber here. I’m glad you came in.”

  “What’s required?”

  “A medical screening, a background check, and a short monolog video so that our clients can see what you have to offer.”

  “Oh,” I say. A background check will be out of the question considering I’m wanted for murder.

  “You’re wanted for murder, I know,” Olivinia Evawa says. “So I’m thinking we can forgo the background check?”

  “Excuse me?” I ask. I’m stunned. I’m not sure if I’ve only imagined that she said that I am wanted for murder.

  “You are Cleo Chou, right, wanted for the murder of Zeid Furmi, Hiternum Furmi’s son. I know Mr. Furmi quite well actually.”

  I swallow hard. A large ball in my throat. I raise up out of my seat.

  “No, no, no, sit back down. No need to run off. Let me help you. You’ve only come in here so that you can get away from the security that is looking for you, right? You didn’t actually intend to sign up for Moon Company Brides, am I right? But may I say, that doing so may be your best option.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say.

  “I can give you a new identity, papers and all, and if you sign up, I can get you away from here, all expenses paid. I can make sure that you are given a foreign husband, maybe even someone here in the belt. The belt is full of eligible bachelors. You’d only need to stay with one for a period of time. I’m thinking that when you see fit, you can run away.” She leans forward as if we’re co-conspirators. “Now of course, if you run away it will reflect poorly on my business. Your best bet would be to persuade your husband to relocate you somewhere else and keep the secret. And of course, you can never divulge to the client that I knew of your true identity.”

  “You would help me? Why?”

  “As I’ve said I know Mr. Furmi quite well. He is a terrible person. I bet that his son tried something on you and you were simply defending yourself. His son has been in trouble before. Word on the circuit is that baby Furmi has killed many a prostitute. He’s disposed of them somehow, so they only remain to be missing person never found. If he doesn’t kill them, he roughs them up, sometimes mutilating them, then he pays them to keep their mouths shut about it. I’ve heard this not only from some of the young women who I’ve recruited into Moon Company, but how shall I say this, I’ve had a personal experience.

  “Of course, the security firms never care about missing prostitutes unless of course, the person looking for them has the money to pay for a good, honest security firm to do the searching. Let’s just say that I have been such a person. My sister was missing. I hired a private security firm to track down her whereabouts. All arrows pointed to Furmi Jr. I can’t prove it unequivocally because her body has never been found, and one would be stupid to go against someone like Hiternum without absolute, explicit proof that he has done something wrong. I would be lucky to stay alive to see the trial. Hiternum is known for shutting people up permanently. It seems his son didn’t fall too far from the tree. I’m sure Zeid killed my sister, but I’ve been unable to prove it. And now he’s dead because of you. Justice served.”

  I’m having a hard time believing my ears. “So you’re saying that I ought to become a Moon Company bride for the sake of getting away?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Olivinia Evawa says.

  “Okay, well, I don’t know.”

  There’s a buzz. The bot from the front is speaking. “Security guards are here. They are looking for a missing woman. They want to know if we’ve seen her. I’ve already told them I have not seen her, but they also wish to speak to you.”

  “Sure,” Olivinia says. “I’ll be right there.” She stands up. “So? What do you think?”

  “Oh my, I think I better sign up,” I say.

  “Smart choice. Hide in there.”

  She points to a closet. It opens. It’s not a closet at all but a giant safe.

  “Hides people and valuables,” she says. “Same thing, I guess.” She winks at me. The door slides closed. I can’t see anything except for what’s inside the safe. There’s a small light that illuminates the vault. There are all sorts of small things inside. Spacepassports, expensive jewelry, a set of teeth—which is shocking, wigs, clothing, and of course stacks of credits. Olivinia Evawa is a very strange woman. There’s no doubt about that.

  I’m this close to being captured, and I’m not sure how I feel. Maybe I’m relieved that I may not have to run anymore. If I go back home, at least I’ll be able to communicate with my sister during the trial period. I’ll be dead if found guilty, but at least I’ll have an opportunity to say everything I want and need to say to Freda before I go.

  I almost die when the door to the vault slides open. Olivinia Evawa stands there beaming. “Got rid of those chaps,” she says. “Come out. Let’s get to work on your profile.”

  I step out of the vault and sit back down in the chair I was in before. “Will they come back?”

  “I doubt it. They’ll sweep this place and then move on. Someone here probably saw you and called it in to get the reward. People do that all the time even if they don’t have any leads on the whereabouts of a person. Sometimes people go on a hunch and get lucky. The security firm is lazy here. So unless they send actual agents from another jurisdiction, your appearance in the Cerean mall is likely to go cold.”

  “What about when it’s time to leave here?”

  “I’ll make sure that you take the VIP route out of the mall, and since all of our wedding dresses come with veils, you can hide behind one.”

  Hmm, that’s interesting thinking. “But wait? Who will I be marrying?”

  “That my dear isn’t particularly up to you or me, but I’ll do what I can to make you stand out.”

  Olivinia Evawa shows me to a dressing room. It
’s filled with beautiful clothes.

  “Pick whatever you want, and then I’m going to ask you to say some things about yourself. You’ll be in front of the camera, while I’m behind it.” Olivinia Evawa leaves the room.

  I pick out a pair of fitted denims, a black blouse, and boots. It’s casual wear. It may not do me any good in the cattle walk, but we’ll see. I leave the dressing room and find Olivinia Evawa waiting for me out in the hall.

  She claps. “Excellent choice,” she says. “Come.”

  I follow her into a small white room. There’s a stool in the middle of the room.

  “Have a seat there,” she says.

  When I sit down, she holds up her small tablet. It’s edged in gold. She holds it up. “Okay, I’m going to start recording. Simply introduce yourself, make up a name, of course, say what you like to do, where you see yourself in a few years etcetera. Now, make it all up, but don’t smile. Keep that desperate look you already have. The “I am wild” look. I guarantee it will make you stand out from the rest. Someone will snatch you up in a jiff.”

  I try to do what she says, but I’m stuck in my thoughts. She tells me to keep going even if I mess up, that she will edit the video to make it seem more seamless when we’re finished. I make up some shit, and when I’m done Olivinia stops recording. I have to admit, I was feeling a bit safe for a little while, but now, as I think about the fact that I’m going to be married off to some stranger, my nerves go crazy. I feel involuntary muscle twitches throughout my body.

  “Now what?” I ask as Olivinia walks out of the room.

  “Now you hang tight. We’ve got a couple of empty rooms for our brides to relax in. Pick one and relax while we find you a husband.

  She shows me the two rooms. I pick the smaller one of the two because somehow it makes me feel more secure. The room is all white like the rest of the place. I have no idea how they keep all the white so clean, perhaps the custodial bots.