Born to Be Mine

by Lexa Luthor

  "Let me know what you find, then we'll make the purchase," Kal said. "I'll give the seller extra if they bring it here sooner."

  With a raised eyebrow, Charlie realized the urgency Kal felt to get her hands on Victor. "All right. I'll send out messages to a few of my contacts." She narrowed her eyes, unable to stop herself. "What are you going to do with this ship after the job is done?"

  "Prepare for a war," Kal replied and walked around the desk.

  With a slack jaw, Charlie turned toward the ruler. "Wait. Wait." She held out her hand toward her lover. "You just can't say that and end the conversation."

  "It's too early, and I don't have enough information until you get Victor for me." Kal set the tablet on the desk, then picked up the saddlebags. "You should return this to Dorlon. She will need them soon."

  "Right," Charlie whispered as she picked up the bags and shouldered them. "I'll let you know what I hear about ships for sale." Kal was in ruler mode, and Charlie would have to prod Kal another time. "Sumner…?" When Kal focused on her, she insisted, "There's time to get ready and be ready." If the Sworne weren't in the galaxy yet, then there was hope.

  "I know."

  Charlie nodded, then headed to the doors. Just as she pushed one open, Kal called to her.

  "We'll discuss the price for this job later."

  Charlie turned halfway and gave Kal a smug look. "Oh, I already know what the price will be."

  Chapter 5

  After a brief visit with Dorlon, Charlie exited the Hall of the Commanders and returned to Raine's stall in the market. There was only an hour left before sunset, and Charlie felt drained from the busy day. Raine and Chris shut down the stall, packaged up their wares, and loaded them into a wooden cart. Chris took it upon himself to walk the cart so that Charlie and Raine could talk during the journey to Taden's farm.

  "When do you want to go to New Earth?"

  Charlie was uneasy to answer, given her new job from Kal. She wanted to discuss it with Raine but didn't know if Chris was trustworthy. "Maybe in a nored. What you think?"

  "Well…" Raine glanced back at Chris, then shrugged and replied, "Chris wanted to take time off and go up there. I was thinking when he comes back, we could go. We could stay through Christmas."

  At the mention of the holiday, Charlie nearly tripped on the gravel as they passed the Great Gate. "C-christmas?" She sputtered and tried imagining celebrating the holiday she gave up after Earth's destruction.

  Raine lifted an eyebrow and eyed her friend. "Look, I know it's not your favorite, but I think it'll be good."

  "You're really taking this to the bank for helping me rescue Starr."

  Raine walked closer to Charlie and teased, "I thought it'd be nice for two sisters to spend the holidays together." She hooked an arm across Charlie's shoulders, jerking her closer.

  Charlie growled and broke the contact before she said, "Fine." She couldn't argue, especially with the upcoming kidnapping mission. She prayed that Raine would join her, even though Chris wouldn't be around to watch the stall in the market. "Just don't expect me to sing Christmas carols."

  Raine laughed and shook her head. "Joh. I remember how horrible your singing voice is."

  Rolling her eyes, Charlie elbowed her friend, then mentioned, "I told Dorlon you said turen." She bit back a grin and watched Raine's passive features, searching for a hint.

  "How is she?" Raine asked.

  Charlie shrugged. "She is her usual self. Dramatic and worried about the future."

  Raine grunted and slipped her hands into her pockets.

  Recalling Dorlon's voiced concerns, Charlie struggled with getting more involved with the uprising in Kardos that was trickling across the planet. She preferred to keep her head in the stars, but her relationship with Kal was grounding her. Always too nosy, she allowed her curiosity to get the better of her. "Do you know anything about a revolt going on in Kardos?" When Raine frowned, Charlie had her answer.

  "It's just another ripple in the pond," Raine replied. "Each year, it seems like the ripple is getting smaller."

  "What if it's not?" Charlie countered. "What if this one is bigger?"

  Raine sighed and shrugged. "Well, the fighting in Kardos has stopped. But the tensions are still there." She tilted her head and studied Charlie. "Have you heard something different?"

  "Just what Dorlon told me." Charlie mimicked Raine's shrug, then said, "I heard it's the Alphas that are stirring the pot."

  "Ja. It seems to be only the Alphas who are arguing with Earthlings. They were the ones to start calling us Betas." Raine swept a piece of curly hair behind her ear. "There's been hate crimes and murders against Earthlings."

  "Rape?" Charlie asked. As a kid, there were countless incidents of male Earthlings being kidnapped and raped by Alphas. It was rare that a female Earthling was taken and raped, as they didn't want to sire a hybrid bastard. The memories caused goose bumps to prickle across her back.

  "Joh. That stopped after this new Kal took power," Raine replied. "There'd always been an unspoken law that Alphas couldn't rape Omegas, but they didn't see it that way with us. When the new Kal took power, she made it a law that Alphas would be publicly castrated if they raped any human."

  Charlie cringed and whistled low at the punishment. Alphas would never cross the line and lose their most precious piece of equipment. "Kal doesn't fuck around." She flushed at the accidental innuendo.

  "Joh. She's actually pretty badass," Raine said. "It was cool to meet her."

  "Have you met her before?" Charlie asked, recalling how Raine acted when she met Kal in the marketplace.

  "Maybe?" Raine had a furrow across her brow. "She seemed really familiar but not sure why."

  Charlie didn't push the conversation. Raine led the way onto a well-traveled road meant for one-way traffic. The cart's wooden wheels fit perfectly into the deep ruts. The road cut through a pasture on one side and a farm field on the right. About halfway down, trees stood tall like guards on either side of the road. Ahead was a large, stone home with falling white plaster on the front that showed its age. The black shutters were closed, blocking the already cool evening.

  "It's beautiful," Charlie murmured. "Does the family just farm or…?"

  "Actually they train and sell horses. They also grow crops, vegetables, and fruits to sell in the market." Raine pointed to the right of the main house and said, "Over there is a small cabin that I rent from Taden."

  Charlie recalled that Taden was the Alpha, who owned the farm. "What's the name of the farm again?"

  "It's called Starlight Farm," Raine answered, grinning at Charlie. "I call it Middle of Nowhere Farm."

  Charlie laughed and shrugged at both the name and nickname. "I think that's most farms around here."

  "It's home sweet home." Raine turned around and walked backwards. "Go to the barn first?" Chris agreed, and they went to the left of the house, passing more tall trees until they came upon the open barn.

  After Chris tucked the cart to one side in the barn, Charlie snared her duffle bag and joined them outside. "So what's for dinner?"

  Raine laughed and hooked Charlie again, pulling their bodies together. "Nothing but the best. Cheeseburgers, fries, and a cold soda."

  Chris laughed, indicating that Raine was lying to Charlie.

  "I was hoping for pizza honestly," Charlie teased.

  "I call it in for delivery," Chris bantered back. His smile was big and playful as he walked alongside them.

  Charlie groaned at the idea of eating pizza again after loving it as a kid. "I want to eat just one last pizza before I die." Die again, her mind whispered.

  Raine squeezed her friend's side and said, "Maybe you'll get lucky."

  Rolling her eyes, Charlie followed Raine and Chris to the A-frame style cabin set behind the main house. Once inside, Charlie took stock of it and decided quaint was the best description for it. The door opened into an entryway that led to the kitchen, which had
a wooden table. The kitchen's open space spilled into a great sitting room with a stone hearth and tall windows exposing the dense woods. Off to the right was a short hallway with two doors. One was to a bedroom and the other to a washroom. A second bedroom was located in a loft over the kitchen. The loft was Raine's space and where Charlie would stay during her visit.

  Standing at the foot of the large bed, Charlie realized she would be sharing it with Raine and folded her arms. There was plenty of space, but Charlie was accustomed to sleeping alone—mostly. She felt Raine's judgmental stare behind her.

  "Or you can sleep on the sofa downstairs."

  Toying with the duffle bag's strap, Charlie considered the hard-looking sofa downstairs, then shook her head. "Joh this is great." She ignored Raine's smirk and whispered, "Cozy."

  "You still suck at lying." Raine turned and pointed at the wide dresser against the far wall. "There's room in there for your stuff." Thumbing over her shoulder, she said, "There's also a trunk that has space too."

  Charlie nodded and took the hint to unpack.

  "I'm going to cook something for us." Raine headed to the wooden, spiral stairs that went down to the sitting room, but she paused at hearing Charlie's voice.

  "Tah, Raine."

  * * *

  After sipping on her drink, Charlie set the wooden mug on the table to her right. She continued typing out a message to several dealers, who could provide her, or rather Kander, with a new ship. She was unsure how Kal planned to purchase a spaceship, but once word spread that Kander owned one, rumors would fly around the galaxy. Kalmar were not a space-faring species, and anything different would fan the gossip windmill. Setting aside her concerns, Charlie looked away from the dancing flames in the fireplace and finished the message, while the others chatted on the sofa.

  Charlie reread the message she wrote. It made no mention of Kander purchasing a new ship; she'd only explained that she needed a replacement. It was best to make it look like the purchase was coming from Charlie, not the ruler of Kander. As her finger hovered over the Send button, she realized the satellite signal was weak at her spot in the living room; so she moved to the closest tall window beside the fireplace. Once the signal increased, she sent the message to her contacts.

  "Charlie, what are you doing?" Raine had a raised eyebrow and suspicion darkened her features.

  "Work." Charlie shut off the techbit's screen and shoved it in her pocket. "Looking into a new spaceship for later."

  Raine shook her head.

  "Raine said you're staying here for several noreds," Chris said.

  Charlie dipped her head in agreement. "Ja."

  "Sorry your ship got blown up." Chris sat with his mug and studied Charlie. "I saw when it happened."

  Charlie suspected many people on Kander saw the explosion after the Pacifica lit up the sky from its spot in orbit. She tried to keep the memories of the crash landing at bay.

  "You're lucky you made it." Chris had a sympathetic expression that eased Charlie's nerves about him.

  "Just a rough landing." Charlie hoped to brush it aside, but Raine's piercing gaze told her that she failed to convince her friend. They'd known each other for far too long, and it made Charlie vulnerable and transparent. She looked away and studied the fire before Raine said something.

  "I think I'm going to get some rest." Chris finished off his drink, then offered to take Raine's mug too. He deposited the two dirty cups in the sink and called goodnight to the women.

  "See you in the morning, Chris." Raine watched him before she turned her hard stare to Charlie.

  Swallowing the last of the kello, Charlie whispered, "What?"

  "You know what," Raine replied, then stood up. "I'll be upstairs when you're ready to talk."

  Charlie listened to her friend's heavy boot steps going up to the loft. She stared into the fire and sipped on the last bit of the herbal drink. It was nice to be alone for a moment and consider recent changes in her life. She grabbed the techbit, popped out the headphones, and inserted them in her ears. After finding one of her mother's favorite songs in the music library, she tapped it.

  Tori Amos's beautiful voice filled Charlie, but the song made her heart ache. She hummed Crucify's lyrics and stared into the fire, lost in her memories. Somehow her life had altered course, and she was still shaken by it. Peering down at the techbit in her lap, she tapped the screen and searched for the Kander clock.

  The first clock on the screen was for the galaxy, which was created by the Jerothian, who based it on the black hole at the center of their system. Swiping up, Charlie frowned at the useless clock that tracked Earth time as if it still existed. Today was September twenty-eighth on Earth in the year 2046, only months from Charlie's birthday.

  Charlie brushed past the Earth clock and looked at Kander's calendar, which was much more simplistic than Earth's Gregorian system. The Kalmar favored numbers rather than naming each of their "months." On Kander, the date was 2152.8.40.3, and it took a moment for Charlie to reconfigure the dating system in her mind. The first number indicated the year, the second number was the nored of the year, the third was the nineth of the year, and the last was the day of the nineth.

  Kander was in their last nineth for the eighth nored, and there were nine total noreds per year. All of it totaled to four hundred five days, nothing more or less. The nineth nored was also the start of the planet's long winter season. But as Charlie's attention went back to the current year, it sank in just how long she had been gone from Kander. She left in the beginning of 2136, which was sixteen years by Kander standard time. But as Raine pointed out, Charlie had been away for eighteen years in Earth time. Rubbing her brow, Charlie closed out the clocks and decided looking at the different date references was annoying.

  Staring into the flames, Charlie felt time pressing down on her shoulders. In outer space, it was easy to lose track of life, because time seemed infinite among the immortal stars. But on a planet it was impossible not to see faces age, buildings crumble, animals die, and plants cycle with the seasons. Charlie was infinitesimal and unseen in outer space, but living on Kander forced her eyes open to the shortness of life. Her chest clenched in pain, and she almost dropped her mug as a fiery need to be near Kal washed over her. Somehow a thirty-minute walk to Kal felt too far.

  Charlie forced herself out of the chair and deposited the empty mug in the sink. She allowed the fire to burn and went upstairs to the room shared with Raine. At the top, she paused and removed the earbuds. She tucked them back into the techbit and smiled at Raine seated by table, reading a tattered book under the candlelight. "Brushing up on your Linux coding skills?"

  Raine rolled her eyes and lowered the book to her lap. "Funny." She closed the book after inserting a marker in it. "So what's up?"

  Coming around the bed, Charlie decided to be up front rather than test the waters. She pulled the second chair around the table and sat in front of her friend. "Something came up."

  Raising an eyebrow, Raine placed the book on the table and leaned forward toward Charlie. "You're leaving Kander."

  "Sort of, but I need you to come with me."

  Raine shook her head. "I can't leave—"

  "I really need your help." Charlie prayed that Raine would at least listen before giving her final decision. She could make the mission work without Raine, but after the last one she loved having her adoptive sister at her side. Raine's sighed, and Charlie took her opening. "You remember how we overheard two Serrato soldiers talking about the Sworne?"

  "Ja."

  "One of those soldiers was Victor, the guy who blew up my ship."

  "I remember." Raine tilted her head, and she hummed with curiosity.

  "The High Commander asked me to kidnap Victor," Charlie whispered.

  "What!"

  Charlie held out her hands and hushed her friend after the outburst.

  "Tell me you're fucking kidding me," Raine hissed, leaning toward Charlie again. "Why the fu
ck does she want him?"

  Charlie sighed and swept loose hair behind her ear before replying, "She wants to know what Victor knows about the Sworne and Serrato Corps's plans."

  Raine was quiet and studied Charlie for a moment, then massaged her temples. "Okay I have to agree that whatever is going on with Serrato Corps, it's pretty fishy. But isn't she the least bit worried that kidnapping one of their higher-ups could cause trouble?"

  "Serrato Corps kidnapped and ransomed a Kalmar," Charlie argued. "I think Serrato Corps started it first."

  Raine rolled her eyes. "You know tit-for-tat never ends well." She frowned and started to rub her face now. "How can you even kidnap him? They'll be on you like white on rice if you show up anywhere near Serrato."

  "I know." Charlie grinned with an evil glint in her eyes. "But I can give them something they still want."

  "Like what?"

  Charlie wiggled her eyebrows and replied, "Starr."

  "You're not going to really—"

  "Vuk joh," Charlie cut off. "There's no way I'd give them Starr. But I can use her for bait to draw Victor out."

  "How sure are you that they still want Starr?"

  Charlie chuckled, leaned back in the chair, and grinned wider. "Pretty damn sure. When we were traveling back here from Serrato, Victor contacted me and demanded I return Starr to him. After I told him to go fuck himself, he said that the Grand Marshal was sending down a kill order and bounty for me."

  "God," Raine whispered and slumped against the chair. "So all you have to do is offer Starr in exchange for the Grand Marshal to remove the kill order."

  "Ja." Charlie lost her smirk and dove into the rest of the rough plans. "The High Commander is giving me a few soldiers to take with me so that I can ambush him. They won't expect Kalmar soldiers there. Once he's captured, we'll transport him back here."