Ares

by Jessie Rose Case

  All of this was news to Lea. Not that she was surprised by Earth Corps actions. They’d left them for dead long ago. She hadn’t heard any of this before. Then again, Earth Corp hadn’t exactly made any effort to contact the colony in decades. Lea knew the community had sent plenty of messages over the years, requested aid, support, materials and nothing had been heard back in a very long time. Her great great great grandfather, had passed on that they used to send in their monthly reports and get a reply. Five years into their mission and replies stopped. For those five years ships had turned up once a year with new materials and stasis food sources. One had brought 30 pony’s months old in stasis. Only a couple hadn’t made it. It had been the beginning of their herds. On year five, no ship came and then everything stopped. They’d hoped and waited until it was clear they were alone. It had devastated the colony until it had rallied and got on with life. It had thrived for several generations. Until the raiders started coming and the oddity in births, started taking their toll.

  “You have proof of this?” She asked. Ares passed her a data chip. Lea looked at it and turned it over. She handed it over to Kariden who shook her shoulders. She clearly didn’t know what to do with it. It was far more modern than anything they had. “We do not have the technology to play that. Our tech is over 160 years old.” She told him.

  Ares could sense she was telling the truth. That told him Earth Corp hadn’t used these people to aid their clandestine efforts. They’d just given up on them. Fury filled his emotions. “We have technology we are willing to share. If you wish to have it. It would enable you to search whatever you wish to see. Our history is set, we have no reason to hide it.”

  He hoped she took him up on the offer. It would make the transition for her people easier. It was clear, they could no longer remain at a disadvantage in this world. From what they’d gained over night, the pirates were getting bolder. They would take this world sooner or later. It had only been the female’s bravery and their superior tactics that had saved them so far.

  “And the cost of that?” She asked. He shook his head. This woman trusted no one. His logic told him considering the circumstances, it made sense, it had probably kept them alive until now. His mate call, didn’t like it. It saddened him that she did not trust him. His logic flowed. A reminder that she had no reason to, didn’t help.

  He told her again. “We would welcome trade if you have it. Some land to build a base. It doesn’t have to be here. It can be further out. As long as the ground is firm and can take ships coming and going and a drinking water supply would be useful. We can bring everything we need and would provide goods to trade while doing so.”

  Lea sat back. The cost, was a foot hold. It all sounded a little too good, thought Lea, she knew how much they could do with the technology. “Do you have someone who can upgrade our tech?” She asked. Ares nodded. “Map.” Lea called out. A steward passed her one. Lea opened it out on the table and put her finger on an area. “This is firm ground. You can set up here. No more than two ships at a time Captain. A limit of 50 men on the ground. I do not like waking up to hundreds of men on my ground, good intensions or not, unless I ask for it.” Ares and his men looked in the area and glazed over for a moment. When he focused back on her she asked, “I assume you have put out the buoys? And the ships in our space are taken care of?” he nodded. “Then the area is yours.” She told him.

  “The ships, do you want them?” Ares asked her.

  “We would but we cannot fly them. One and someone to teach us to fly is the price for you taking the other two.” She told him.

  “Agreed. We will pay salvage rates to you for the other two. I will relay this to our Station and on receipt you will be funded into an account the correct number of credits. That information will be passed to you and you alone. If you need fuel, we can also supply that and a great many other things.” He told her. “The prisoners, we have a lot of information from them that we need to share, also we found survivors. Some from here. We have treated their injuries but, they are in a bad way. It could take many months, if not years to recover.”

  Lea leaned forward, “do you have names.” Ares nodded to Jedd. He gave a list of the females they had recovered from this colony. Lea reached out and grasped her sisters hand. Ares frowned. One was important to her.

  “Which one?” He asked. Lea looked at him shocked, tears in her eyes. “I can read your emotions.” He told her. She nodded

  “Our cousin, Faithney. She’s been gone for a year.”

  He would save her from the pain if he could, but he needed to be honest with the sisters. “She was badly abused when we found her. She was chained to a bed. Used as the males wanted. We placed her in our med bed and her damage physically both inside and out was healed. However, her mind…… is broken. Her mate was one of those that found her. He ….. struggled with the abuses and his logic failed him. He slaughtered any male on that ship that was within reach and had to be restrained. You should know, he refuses to leave her and will kill anyone who tries to make him.”

  Lin grabbed her blade and leaned forward, Lea held onto her arm. “She’s substituted one master for another?” Lea accused unable to hold the contempt back. Ares looked steadily at her.

  “Never. A mate is not an abusive relationship. We do not suffer abuses of any kind. A mate is a gift to us, a prize worthy of his life, to any Cyborg luckily enough to find one. It is rare that we do. Should it be asked of him, he would willingly give his life, to save her. He will protect her and if she chooses to have him, he will only ever look on her as his equal. His to protect. They will share a life and have a future.”

  “And if she doesn’t want his …. protection?” Lea bit out.

  “Then the Cyborg will need to make a choice how he chooses to go on.” He told her sadly. “It is unlikely he will ever find another. To wait so long and be rejected, would not be easy. But, we would respect her wishes.”

  Lea stared at him. Her gut was telling her there was more. He kept saying ‘we’.

  “How do you know this if it is so rare?” She asked him.

  Ares smiled. “There are many of us who sense our mates here.” Lea stood, leaning forward on the table.

  “I have not agreed to this and cannot do so.” Ares shrugged.

  “Agreement or not, it is a fact.” He told her without emotion. It incensed Lea.

  “That is your problem not ours. If you push it, we will fight.” She told him. Ares stood with his men with him.

  “I have requests from over 40 of my men to engage with your females. Females they consider possible mates. This is not done lightly.” He saw her flinch at the information. “I will not deny them the chance.” He told her.

  Lea slammed down on the table and kicked back her chair. Her people went on alert around her. She couldn’t win against these people but she’d be dammed if she would allow him to run over them.

  “You and your men, will not address my people without my express permission Captain. Do you understand? If you choose to fight me on this, be assured, you will lose.”

  Her eyes held such conviction, Ares believed it. He could feel her fear for her people. He understood it. This was new to them. But there was no going back from this.

  “I understand my Queen. As my second understands your sister is a mate to him.” Lea looked to Lin then Ares’ second. There was no mistaking the fire in his eyes or the glow on Lin’s face. Dam it. She was going to loose this argument. So many men at once would fracture her community.

  “I am not your Queen.” She spat out turning back to him.

  A smile crept across the Captains face. Lea felt nervous looking at him. She was sure she wasn’t going to like what he said next.

  “Yes mate, you are.” He half bowed, along with his men and left. What the hell did that mean?

  Chapter Two.

  Lea had them break camp and head back to the village. Their dead were already on their way back. Services would be held with tradition. The families would
be given time to say their goodbyes, then the fire pyres would take them and they would give thanks for their lives.

  Lea rode with Lin at the head of their people. At four years younger than her they looked about the same age. She could forgive Ares thinking Lin ruled here. She was far more aggressive, she didn’t have a diplomatic bone in her body. Lea remembered many times where Lin went in head first, thinking after. She shook her head thinking on the information given to her by the Cyborg Ares. She was conflicted. They’d considered taking males into their lives many times before. A desperate need to balance the community never far away, but each encounter with males, ended badly. It had created jealousy and in fighting and many of the males, appeared to like being ‘available’. It had been distasteful, and her forefathers had had to deal with it. Few, were willing to settle for one female when so many were on offer. It had caused chaos at times in their history. Dividing parts of the community. She’d seen it herself that last time as a child. The result had not been good.

  The thought of so many men coming into the village sent shivers down her spine. It would fracture what they had come to rely on. Lea knew she had no way of controlling that. The woman would fight for the right to be with a male. She understood it. They were hot blooded women. Most, without the experience of a male sharing their bed. They wanted family, children, a future just as she did. She glanced at her sister. She was brooding. Lea knew the look. She had something on her mind and Lea could guess what. Lin would want the male and she’d not hesitate in taking him. Lea envied her freedom to do so and worried about the ‘mate’ thing. She didn’t want to lose her sister. But, there was no denying the strong connection between her and Ares’ second. Lin wouldn’t pass that up.

  Dread of what might be, filled her. The community village came into view, preventing any further conflict. She could see the damage created by the attack. There were several holes in the wall being taken down and replaced. Large areas of burnt wall. Lea was surprised the dead and injured weren’t more. It was testament to her sister’s ability to defend it. The gates opened, her people came out to meet her.

  The community defences had gone up soon after being deposited there by Earth Corp. They’d spent those first few weeks digging out the under-ground tunnels with the equipment they’d brought with them. Making them habitable and sealing them off against the unknown. The people had moved into the tunnels when completed and started dismantling the vessel that had been designed to help create their new world. All the parts were re-useable. Panels, doors, electronics. They had the schematics to adapt the ships communication to use as the communities contact with Earth Corp. Not that it had done them much good once they’d stopped answering.

  It had been small to start. Just enough to offer some protection for the 302 people that had been the original colonists. As the families grew, so did the compound. It tripled in size in twenty years. Fifteen-foot walls of rock and wood surrounding a small town. At it’s peak it had housed over three thousand people. The community had thrived. The original ships cargo doors re-used for the defensive wall entrance. It was impressive, even now, though damaged, it was still an amazing feet of engineering and had saved their people many times.

  Lea stopped her horse and dismounted. The rest of her people did the same. Holding the reins, she walked towards the welcome party. Her Council. A couple of their last males part of the group. The sadness hit her hard. Lea’s generation were the last to be born. Everyone female. And over time, the raids had taken the men that had gone to their defence. Those that were left, were damaged. The females had had to step up or the community would’ve been taken, her people would never allow that.

  Their medics hadn’t been able to figure out why only females had started to be born. Each generation after arriving had produced less males. They didn’t understand why. There were those that thought Earth Corp were to blame and after hearing what Ares had told them, she was inclined to believe it. The record showed, the originals had endured injections before leaving. Or maybe it was the planet, its orbit, vegetation, or water. Testing had given them no insight. Not that they were scientists. The originals had been soldiers, new world colonists and their families. They were to create a viable outpost. One that could be defended or retreated to should it be needed.

  Their weapons had been top of the range in their day. They still used them but they were less effective now. Charging lasers had been a challenge until someone had been able to rig up a form of solar chargers. It wasn’t great but it worked. Ballistic weapons were less useful. They only had seized ammo for those. It was something else they needed upgrades with. Confiscated weapons from attacks only went so far. As they’d become damaged or broken, they’d had to turn to traditional weapons. Knives, blades, good tactics, studied warfare, made traps. They’d become more guerrilla fighters, more than soldiers. But she knew time was running out on that too. They were losing more people with each encounter. Something had to change.

  “I hear we have visitors?” Called out one councilwoman approaching her. Lea nodded. She knew this councilwoman to be particularly vocal when it came to finding males to fill their ranks. Some of her ideas bordered on slavery. The woman’s crimes were many in Lea’s eyes. She would never allow that.

  “We do. There is much to discuss.” She told her and the others calmly. The Council surrounded her. “We need to meet. Two hours in the hall.” She told them. Nods and welcome backs followed. Lea moved towards the village, surveying the damage as she handed her horse off to one of the corral workers. She stopped and asked after them as was her way. Thanked them for their help, before heading in the direction of her home. She wanted a bath and some alone time. She had plenty to think about.

  ***

  Ares watched the vid screen. It was clear that they were leaving. The encampment was packing up. They’d moved off with their dead sometime ago. Then the troops had amassed, and he’d watched the sisters come out and lead their people off in the direction of the community they’d found. They hadn’t communicated with him, just left. That didn’t sit well with him. He could not protect her if he didn’t know what was going on. He connected his neuro net. Full surveillance I want to know the minute something seems wrong.

  Affirmative.

  His men were finishing up with the dead, the weapons had already been taken by the females. Ares didn’t need them. Their weapons were far more advanced. That was something else they needed, he thought, better weapons.

  He connected his net again. Update on our encampment?

  Temporary housing has been set up. Perimeter in place.

  Good. Start ground rotation with the men. Let me know when the females in medical are ready to be taken back.

  Affirmative. Ares continued to watch the screen as it moved to his ship’s surveillance of the ground. His body heated again. His cock straining to be free. He would have to remind the flame haired beauty that ignoring him, wouldn’t work.

  ***

  “If they want to stay let them. We need men.” The voice whined again. Lea sighed. This was the second time Jamia had demanded access to the men. It was no surprise. She was the councilwoman with the most aggressive stance on finding males to help populate their world. She’d even wanted to vote on the captive pirates being given to the women again. It was the same thing after ever encounter. The fact that they were more likely to kill them all, didn’t seem to register. She was aggressive and difficult. Lea didn’t like her motives or her actions. It wasn’t that Lea didn’t disagree, she knew how desperate things were, just her methods. Lea felt the need to remind the council what happened the last time they’d let men in. It hadn’t ended well.

  Lea turned to her. “The last time we allowed men to stay, following a ship that crashed here, it ended up with one woman dead and several injured. It caused unrest and fighting amongst the community. Of the three men, two eventually died of their injuries, women were fighting over corpses.” She told them bitterly noticed many of them cringe. “There were concerns for
abuses of power and bribery and a resulting woman’s death, for which you Jamia, were on trial. How is your husband?”

  Jamia bristled. “That was an accident. You know I was made to marry that man.” Lea held back her contempt. She couldn’t prove it but felt sure the woman’s death had been no accident. She shook her head.

  “You killed a woman who’d laid claim to him before you did. Accident or not, it was the only option, unless you wanted to give him up. You didn’t.” Lea told her bitingly.

  “I was pushed into that. The man is useless. He fails to perform. I have no children.” Lea raised both eyebrows. It was a common complaint from Jamia. Lea had heard enough. The woman was spiteful and nasty.

  “Maybe he shouldn’t be treated like your prisoner and made to perform on demand.” She told her. Jamia’s eyes flared. Lea waited for the challenge to come. Her diplomacy was wearing thin, so was her patience. Jamia couldn’t match Lea in a challenge, few could. She held her gaze. Waited for her anger to break free. But to her surprise, Jamia pulled it back. Wise woman, Lea mocked.

  “So the reality is, they are here and likely, here to stay. I think it best to hear from their Captain before making any decisions. They have their own ways. What they also have for us, are some of our people, prisoners from the pirate ships that were in orbit. They were in a bad way and have been treated. Faithney, our cousin amongst them. When they are fit enough to be returned, he has promised to bring them back to us. They are offering to upgrade our technological equipment, medical technology, trade and commerce. They have also provided enough information for us to verify, that Earth Corp have crimes against them. For which they are being tried. It turns out, we are not the only colony they set up and left to die. We have a lot to consider. I would suggest we meet again in two days. I will ask the Captain to explain their mission at that time.” There were several nods around the table.