by T. S. Ryder
"Veronica—"
"What are you doing?"
"Slide over that knife strapped to your thigh," Dievca hissed.
A woman stood behind the T'shav, her face white as a sheet, clinging to the doorway she stood in. "Don't hurt my baby, please!"
Veronica dug her fingers into Chapec's arm. "What are you doing?"
"He killed our father," Chapec said, his voice quivering, uncertain. "That's the reason we came here. The reason we brought you here. We needed to get into the Sanctuary to kill him."
Dievca's whole body shook. "The knife!"
The strange T'shav pulled a knife from a sheath under his var'ki and dropped it, kicking it over to Chapec. He shook off Veronica and picked it up. Dievca's eyes were wide, staring at the other T'shav. The baby in her arms squirmed and cried, tiny fists flailing.
What sort of monster was she, to threaten the life of a baby? This was the woman Veronica had come to think of as a friend!
"Kill me if you must," the strange T'shav said, dropping to his knees. "Please, don't hurt my child."
The woman behind them cried out.
Veronica's eyes widened. The sick feeling in her stomach increased double fold. She reached for Chapec, but he shook her off and went to stand beside Dievca. His sister's chest heaved, eyes locked on her brother.
"Kill him," she rasped. "This is what we have been working for. Kill him and avenge our father!"
"Don't, please," the woman cried from behind them. "He never wanted to be in the gladiator games, he had no choice. If he did kill your father, he didn't want to!"
"Chapec, please." Veronica trembled, tears flowing freely down her face. "Don't do this. Please."
He glanced at her then closed his eyes. "It's too late to live here peacefully."
"Kill him," Dievca whispered.
He turned to her, shaking his head. "You know that Dad would be horrified if he could see us right now. You're threatening a baby, Dievca. If he saw us, he would not recognize his own children. This isn't who he wanted us to be. If we kill this T'shav, we're going to die. Do you think that Dad would have wanted that?"
"Don't do this to me, Chippy."
"We're going to leave the Sanctuary. We'll leave him alive and get out of this alive."
Dievca's eyes narrowed. "You mean take away his child to—"
"No. We leave the baby here unharmed–although we don't give it up until we're safe in our ship."
"They'll blow us up as soon as we leave the docks!"
Chapec looked torn for a moment. He turned toward Veronica. She opened her mouth, whether to beg him to change his mind or to try to convince him that he could receive mercy here, she didn't know. But even as she scrambled to find the words to say, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in close against him.
"Zon won't destroy a ship that contains a pregnant human."
Veronica struggled against his grip. "I'm pregnant with your child! How can you do this?"
Chapec looked briefly torn, but his expression hardened quickly. And Veronica couldn't hold back a sob. Her heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. Everything she thought she had gained in this new life was gone. She had no friends. No safety. The man she had trusted was now using her as a hostage.
Just breathe. Just breathe.
"You'll escort us to our ship," Chapec said to the T'shav. "And once we're in orbit, we'll put you and your child into an escape pod and release you."
The T'shav nodded and stood. "I'll be back soon, Bianca."
The human woman trembled. They headed off, Veronica in tears, the baby wailing, both twins wearing uncertain expressions. None of them spoke as they headed for the docks. Several guards joined them as they walked, but the T'shav always told them to stay back. Veronica considered punching Chapec in the face and running, but she didn't know what he'd do in this situation.
What if he hurt her or the baby? She couldn't risk it. Not when she didn’t know the man she had fallen in love with.
***
Chapec kept his word, and sent the strange T'shav and his child back to the Sanctuary after they were in orbit. Several ships followed them away, occasionally blocking their way. The T'shav twins kept Veronica in the cockpit with them, and eventually they slipped past the blockade and headed into the black of space.
As soon as they were away, Dievca started screaming at Chapec. Neither of them paid any attention to Veronica as she went to the room that she had called home for so long. There she sat on her bed, too numb with shock to even cry.
Some time later, Chapec came into her room. He brought with him a fruit that resembled something like a banana mixed with a mango. It had become Veronica's favorite fruit out here, but when he held it out to her, she just glared at him. Did he really think he'd get off so easily?
"You need to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
The T'shav ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Veronica, I know you must be furious with me."
"Furious doesn't begin to cover it."
"I don't blame you. But I've had years blaming that man for the death of my father. I saw him die. Do you have any idea what that's like?"
"That's no excuse."
"I was left with my twin sister and my mother to care for, and both of them took my father's death so hard… Dievca didn't get out of bed for almost a month. I thought she was going to starve to death. And my mother… she was fragile. She might not have died right away, but her soul was killed when my father was."
Veronica stared coldly at him. "And so you used me. You made me think that you were my friend. You made me think… you got me pregnant so you could kill a man!"
"No." Chapec shook his head. "It was never the plan to get you pregnant. It wasn't the plan to develop feelings for you, but I have. I love you. I—"
"It doesn't matter." If everything up to this point was a lie, why should she believe him now?
"I changed my mind about killing him for you. Because I want to be with you."
"It doesn't matter," she repeated. "You used me. When this child is born, he or she will never know you’re the father. I am going to return to the Sanctuary and I will raise him without you."
Chapec's eyes widened. His skin paled. He reached for her, but she moved back, away from him. Her lip trembled, but she was determined.
He swallowed. "I'll find a way to get you back, then."
"Good."
He left without another word.
Chapter Eight – Chapec
Seven Earth Months Later
A thin wail came from inside the little house he had built for Veronica and their child. Chapec paused in his work, building an ancient-style wooden fence to keep the livestock he planned to get in. His heart ached at the sound of his daughter's cries. Veronica still refused to see him, and he hadn't even seen his child since her birth two days ago.
Not that he blamed Veronica for keeping them apart. After all, he had promised to send her back to the Sanctuary. And he had every intention of doing just that, once it was safe. But it wasn't safe right now. There had been an increase of human kidnappings across the galaxy. The only way Chapec could know for certain that Veronica would be safe returning to the Sanctuary was if he took her himself.
That was out of the question. But the fact was he promised to send her back, and she was still here. As far as she was concerned, it was just another one of his lies.
Chapec tossed aside his sonic hammer, heading towards the house. The planet that they had settled down on–for now–was a new project from one of the corporations. Individuals were given land to farm, with necessary supplies provided by the corporation. Money was non-existent, relying on the barter system. Chapec might have been happy with the simple life if Veronica wasn't so clearly miserable.
He entered Veronica's house without knocking. He and Dievca shared another building, although his twin spent most of her time in town, trading or drinking. Veronica narrowed her eyes at him as she paced the floor, gently bouncing
the baby.
"I don't want you here," she said shortly.
"She's my daughter. I deserve to see her at least."
Veronica stared at him stonily.
Chapec shook his head. He'd grown his hair since settling here, and it now hung in a braid down his back. "Veronica, please. I know that I hurt you, but—"
"But nothing. You can say sorry until your face turns blue, but the fact that I'm here and not back at the Sanctuary like you promised just tells me that you still care about yourself more."
"That's not true!"
Veronica turned on her heel and marched away. She went into the bedroom and slammed the door behind herself with a note of finality.
As he stood there, staring at the door that hid his child and mate from him, his frustrations mounted. Chapec wanted to go after her. He wanted to demand that she talk to him, that she at least try to see things from his perspective. How could he send her back when he wasn't sure she'd make it? She was his mate, he had to make sure she was safe…
But she had made it very clear that as far as she was concerned, there was nothing between them.
Chapec stormed from the house. He strode over the carefully-tended garden and went into the trees that surrounded their homestead until he couldn’t see the house anymore. There, he found the thickest tree he could and started slamming his fists into it. Again and again, until his knuckles split open and the bark stained red.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Stupid!"
"Who's stupid?"
Chapec whirled. Dievca stood a little way back, her arms wrapped around her midsection. There was a weariness to her eyes that made him take pause, but his anger rose quickly. He pointed an accusing finger at her.
"If you had just waited and not attacked Gylden the same damn day we ended up in the Sanctuary, then I would still have a chance at happiness. Veronica wouldn't hate me, and I could be happy with her and my daughter. But you had to have your own way, regardless of what I wanted or what was best for us."
"Veronica will come around eventually."
"While she's a prisoner? She will never forgive me!"
"Of course she will. But maybe you should stop beating up trees."
Anger bubbled in Chapec's gut. How could Dievca treat this so casually? "Duel."
"Duel? Like, for real?" Dievca's arms dropped and her eyes widened. Chapec didn't blame her. They often fought, but not seriously. "To the death and all that?"
"Of course not to the death!" Chapec growled in frustration. "I don't want to kill you. But we duel, and whoever wins decides what we do next."
"What are you going to choose if you win?"
Chapec was silent, staring at her.
His sister narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going to duel unless I know what I'm dueling over!"
Chapec let out a pent-up breath and turned away. This had been building in his head for a long time. He knew Dievca would never go for it. Even if she agreed to the duel and he won, he doubted that she'd accept his decision. But it was the only way he could see to make restitution to Veronica for what he had done.
"I am going to take Veronica back to the Sanctuary and turn myself over to Zon. Let his justice and mercy decide what to do with me."
Silence answered him. He turned back to his sister. Her hands were trembling, her skin a shade of pink he'd only seen on corpses. She shook her head wildly, her short hair flying into her eyes. "No! You can't! He'll kill you."
"It's the only way to get her there safely."
"And what about me? Yes, I messed up, but that's only because I thought you were… I thought you were abandoning me for her. I thought that she was going to end up more important and that sooner or later you'd get rid of me."
"What are you talking about?"
"How could you possibly be happy with her when I was there? I'm sorry for what I did, and if I could fix it, I would. But committing suicide isn't going to make Veronica forgive you."
"She's not going to forgive me while she's a prisoner, either." Chapec shook his head as he sadly looked at his sister.
Maybe he was finally understanding her. She was afraid. Everything she did was either to avenge their father or to make sure she was never left alone again. And even though he was still angry with her, he also pitied her.
"Dievca, you will find a mate someday. And you'll have children, and you won't be alone. But we have been crutches to each other for far too long. I have only stayed here for as long as I have because I thought you needed me. But you don't. You're strong, and you are going to find a way to survive without me. But I can't keep going as if my life here isn't utterly meaningless."
Dievca clamped down on her lower lip. "You're determined, then?"
"I am. But I'll let you have the chance to stop me. Duel."
She shook her head. "I can't. I'll go with you."
Chapec opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, a giant T'shav jumped through the trees. A blue broadsword swung towards Chapec's head. He barely had time to dodge it. Shouts rang from all around, and half-dozen aliens armed to the teeth surrounded them. Chapec and Dievca quickly moved back-to-back, facing off with the enemies.
Laughter rang all around them as the aliens attacked.
Chapter Nine – Veronica
The sequins on Veronica's shirt glimmered as she rocked the baby, trying to get her to sleep. She had had a hard time deciding on a name for her but had eventually settled on Ava. Part of her wanted to ask Chapec what he thought their daughter should be named, but she knew she had to stay strong. Her continued insistence on loving him didn't change the facts.
He had used her to get close enough to a man to kill him. And though he had apparently changed his mind about that, he had still kidnapped her from the one place in the galaxy she would be safe and was holding her prisoner against her will.
But the worst part of all of it was the fact that she wanted to forgive him. She kept catching herself making up excuses for his behavior, or dwelling on the fact that he didn't kill that T'shav in the Sanctuary.
But people didn't deserve medals for not kicking puppies or killing other people. That was called being a decent person.
"What am I going to do, Ava? He can be so sweet and vulnerable. And the way he takes care of Dievca… Well, you know how many times he's gone off looking for her and brought her home passed out drunk. It would also help if Mommy's stupid hormones settled down, too, huh?"
Veronica sighed. There was no denying that she longed for Chapec, to be in his arms again, to wrap her legs around his waist. To be moving as one, that exquisite build and the satisfaction when they reached the peak together… But that was completely out of the question. It would give him the wrong idea, and she wasn't going to use him for her purposes.
She sighed again. What was a girl to do?
The door to her house opened. Veronica turned, opening her mouth to angrily tell Chapec that he needed to learn how to knock, but her protest died in her throat. A tall, lean alien with skin the color of yellow skittles stepped into the house. Veronica recognized the species as Dibat. She backed up a step.
"Who are you?"
He pointed a blaster at her and smiled. "Come along quietly and there is no need for you to get hurt."
Veronica's arms tightened around Ava. Her heart pounded, her throat going dry. Not again. They had been here for months, the entire length of her pregnancy, without any contact from the world beyond the stars except for supplies. And now she had a gun pointed at her.
"Come along now," the Dibat said.
Veronica slowly made her way forward. She thought about rushing him and trying to steal the gun, but she'd only be putting Ava in danger. He fell in step behind her, pressing the blaster against her back. Just outside was a sleek transport ship. Why hadn't she heard it land?
She glanced around, half-expecting to see Dievca collecting some sort of payment. But neither she nor Chapec were in sight.
Another half-dozen aliens were in the transport. They all grinned a
t the sight of her, except one, who frowned at Ava. The alien was a female Rlabek; greenish, warty skin covered her face, the look made toad-like by thick, blubbery lips.
"Why did you bring that?" she asked, pointing at Ava. "We don't have a market for babies. Get rid of it."
Blood pounded in Veronica's ears. Every inch of her tingled with a roaring, rushing anger. As one of the aliens came forward, reaching for Ava, she lunged. She managed to grab the blaster the Dibat that had escorted her here now held loosely in his hands. She pointed first at the Rlabek, but couldn't make herself pull the trigger. She turned it half a foot to the left and fired.
The bolt of energy shot from the barrel and into the navigation control panel. It exploded in a shower of sparks, making Ava startle and then start to scream. Veronica let off two more bolts, completely annihilating the controls before the Dibat wrestled the blaster from her again.
The Dibat pressed the barrel of the gun to her forehead. Veronica shrank back, clutching Ava tightly. She couldn't let them harm her baby!
"Behave or I'll kill you," the Dibat snarled at her.
The same rushing anger came back and Veronica snarled back. "Harm my child and I'll kill you first! I swear to God, I'll kill every last one of you."
The Dibat looked startled at her outburst, but the Rlabek rolled her eyes. "Fine. You behave yourself, and we'll let you keep the brat. Make trouble for us, and we kill it and you both. Understood? Now let's get out of here in case those thugs we sent to kill the T'shav fail. The ship's useless, we'll have to get to the town for the mothership to send another transport."
Chapec had tried something like this before. Or rather, Dievca had. Hiring the bounty hunters to kidnap her so that they could come rescue her and cement their relationship. Chapec had told her everything. Probably trying to make her forgive him. It hadn't worked.
What if this was them again, putting her into yet another situation where she would be fearful and vulnerable, just so they could rescue her? Was this Chapec's way of trying to make her grateful to be with him?