by Lisa Lace
My Gran had raised me. We had lived on an acreage near a forest. I know, it doesn't sound like the lifestyle of someone in the twenty-second century, right? My grandmother had been a back-to-the-land woman, like her parents and grandparents before her, all the way back to when the movement had first started at the end of the 1900s. My family had guarded our land jealously for years, keeping away the developers and the government.
She had tried to teach me, but it had never stuck. I mean, I learned it technically. I knew everything there was to know about medicinal plants and how to grow your food. It was impractical knowledge in this life, with every square foot of land either concrete or asphalt. But I had never felt as she had about it, having the land in my soul. I had always been restless.
I pulled vegetables — yes, real veggies — out of my cooling unit. I gladly paid the premium price to have real food, instead of that chunk of disgusting slop they called a complete meal. It meant I only ate twice a day, but I sure enjoyed my meals more.
As I ate the salad I had prepared, I remembered the day I had come to the city. Without an education, I had no chance of getting a good job, only the most menial, boring tasks. Then Gran had died, and I found myself alone in the world.
I tapped a few times on my watch, and the news appeared on the wall. I watched without interest as I cleaned up. Then a story caught my attention. It was the first time something had interested me in a long time.
"The Food Security Agency has announced that the government has decided to continue to fund the experimental plant project on the barren planet, Dobu," the news anchor said to the camera. "On this trip, the project will employ forty scientists and thirty laborers growing Earth's native plants in the foreign environment. If successful, the experiment could provide inexpensive food to continue feeding Earth's growing population."
I caught my breath.
The project was my chance to escape!
They were going to a planet hundreds of light-years away at the other end of the galaxy. I needed to be one of the laborers. I needed to get out of here. I quickly tapped on my watch and pulled up the application screen.
I would get this job. I had to. I needed to. And I would leave Earth and my stifling life behind forever. Without the dead-end job and my memories of my Gran maybe, just maybe, I could start my life over. I could reinvent myself. I could find something more out there among the stars.
I leaned towards my window, trying to see the pinpoints of light that I remembered from my childhood. In the city, the smog and light pollution obscured the sky so I couldn't distinguish anything.
When was the last time I had seen the stars? I couldn't remember and at that moment it just seemed wrong. Everything about this life seemed wrong.
Determined to start a new life, I typed my name into the first box: Kenna Maria DeAndrea. And with just those few keystrokes, suddenly, the world seemed filled with promise.
If I had been paying attention to anything else besides the application, I would have noticed the next part of the news broadcast.
"In other news, the terrorist organization known as the AEA has staged another brutal assault on Wormhole 87. The government hopes we can bring the evildoers to justice..."
DAR
I leaned back in my lounge chair and felt the weak rays of two suns warming my face. Right now was the hottest part of the day, when both suns were visible overhead though soon I would only be able to see one. A servant waited nearby, ready to provide whatever I needed.
I was sunning myself, wearing only my swim trunks to get as much sunshine on my body as possible. Susohnnan, like all species descended from the Great Race, need a certain amount of sunshine to produce enough vitamin D to be healthy. As the king, I had required some things of our citizens. For one, everyone was required to be outside at least thirty minutes per day during the solar double to avoid the cloud sickness, which had threatened our population in years past.
Our suns were weak and faded quickly. For us to get enough light we needed to be out at the time when both were up. People were given breaks from their work to follow the royal decree. If not for this daily sun exposure, my kind would have succumbed to the sickness a long time ago.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the time to myself...but it was soon over. My senior advisor — Manadwell Orgalla — walked up to me, all business today. It was always business when she was on the clock.
We lived in a hot climate. Mana wore loose white pants that billowed as the wind blew through them and a white tank top. Her feet were bare. She had piled her blonde hair on top of her head in a neat bun.
"Your highness," she said and made a triangle with her hands to represent The Three. She touched the point of the triangle to her forehead. I did the same.
"What is it, Mana?" I asked, dropping my hands and closing my eyes. "It must be important if you are interrupting my sun."
"It is, sir. The human terrorists have attacked Wormhole 87. Again."
I sighed and opened my eyes again. I was getting tired of these skirmishes.
"How many times has that been now over the past ten years, Mana?"
"Twenty-four, sir. The last time was only a few months before your father passed away, The Three rest his soul." She made the sign of The Three again. "It was just before you took the throne."
"We OWN that wormhole. Everyone knows that we own it. It's our wormhole. Why can't those barbaric humans get it into their thick skulls?"
I got up off the lounge chair, unable to sit still any longer.
"You'd think the Union of Planets would have kicked them out long ago, Mana," I said, running my fingers through my short black hair.
"We've petitioned, Your Majesty. You know we have. And the Union has tried. But the constitution must be upheld and until we have proof that the AEA is working for their government..."
She trailed off.
"We have nothing. I know. It just seems wrong that they should be allowed in the Union when they are still capable of this destruction." I rubbed my forehead. "It's stupid. The AEA. What does that even stand for, Mana?"
"Anti-Extraterrestrial Association, your highness. They're an extension of an even older terrorist group and have been upholding the same tenets — racism, sexism, disrespect, and cowardice. Earth denies any affiliation with them."
I tilted my head.
"Walk with me, Mana."
She fell into step with me as I crossed the sandy courtyard, heading for my rooms. Susohn has a lot of sand.
"I've had enough of this. Ignoring the humans and hoping they will go away never worked for my father and it hasn't worked for me for the past two years, either. It is time to try something new."
She turned her head like a bird, quick and inquisitive.
"I would like you to contact the leader of their organization and set up a negotiation. There will be a truce and cease fire during that time. We will meet on..."
I tried to think of a suitable planet. I didn't want them anywhere near my home. Nor would I put any other sentient beings in danger. No. It would have to be a barren planet with no permanent residents.
"We need a barren planet, preferably between our quadrant and theirs, Mana."
"What about Dobu, sir?"
Dobu. That was perfect. Why hadn't I thought of that? A neutral planet in no man's land between our quadrant and theirs. It was what we needed.
"Dobu sounds ideal, Mana."
"Oh," she said as if just remembering something. "Except that I just heard the humans are going to be returning to work on Dobu. They have an ongoing experimental plant project. They're going sometime soon — I don't remember the date. I'll have to look it up."
I made a disgusted face and huffed out a breath.
"Well, we'll have to work around it, Mana, just schedule the negotiations to take place before they arrive."
"I'll do what I can, sir," she said. "Is there anything else?"
"No, Mana. You may go. Let me know when you've arranged things."
I ha
d no doubt that she would arrange things. She was efficient, organized, and people feared her when I needed something done.
She left me at my door. I watched her ass sway back and forth as she walked away through the sand. The tank top, which had looked normal from the front was completely cut away to reveal her entire back. I took a deep breath and wondered if she would be uptight in bed, too. Then I shook my head violently, trying to remove the thought physically.
I would never sleep with my Senior Advisor. Ever. She was one of my oldest friends, and our relationship was completely platonic. What was I thinking?
Then I remembered what day it was.
The first day of my mating cycle.
All the species descended from the Great Race have identical DNA, but there are a few differences. The males of my people are only fertile during a certain time of the month — completely different than the primitive humans going around multiplying like maggots. Their men impregnate their women as often as possible. A shudder of revulsion ran through me.
Not us. The males, as well as the females on Susohn, had mating cycles. It was somewhat difficult to get them to line up. We had never had a problem with overpopulation because it was not that easy for the Susohn to conceive in the first place. The difficulty we have in conceiving is also one of the reasons why we revere life so much.
During the mating cycle, it is difficult for a male to think of anything except mating. It is necessary to relieve the pressure, so to speak, once a day. If this is not done, then there is the possibility of infection because we produce much sperm.
I entered my room and rang the bell. A beautiful woman walked in, swinging her hips. She was wearing a sheer gown that left nothing to the imagination. The sexual pressure must be relieved for the health of the male. And the king has his pick of females who want to mate with him.
I walked over to her and lifted the gown off of her, leaving her body completely bare. I kissed my way down her chest, pausing only a moment to lick her nipple and watch it harden. Then I continued down until I reached the scar on her left hip.
It was a triangle pointing upwards. Every Susohn has one, as it is a part of our culture's rite of passage. The triangle of The Three is cut into each young man or woman's hip, leaving a bright red scar. We wear them proudly as a symbol of The Three: knowledge, respect, and strength — the pillars of our civilization.
No Susohn mating begins without the male kissing the female's scar. I pressed my lips to her hot flesh, and she gasped.
Let the mating begin.
KENNA, ON DOBU
I made it out here, I thought to myself.
I knelt in the garden and weeded around the tiny plants. This bed had kale with onions interspersed in between. My blue coveralls were almost black with the dust that blew lightly but constantly across the planet's surface. We were all required to wear them. We would have worn them even if we weren't forced to. The moment you stepped outside without them, your clothes were ruined by the dust.
The day was hot, and I was glad I was working in the shade. I lifted my long, brown braid off my neck for a moment to let the wind cool me, and then regretted it when I felt my sweaty skin become covered in grit. No wonder Dobu has no permanent population, I thought. Who would want to live their whole life in this dust bowl?
I went back to my work, humming to myself as I moved along the row. Then I heard voices. They were coming from the tall rows of peas that had been trained up a wall we had built in the middle of the garden. I recognized the voice of my supervisor - Jaylan - and the man in charge of the entire project, Mr. Branigan.
"Jaylan, how are things going?" Mr. Branigan said in his slightly wheezy voice. He had asthma and the dust here on Dobu was killing him.
"Good. Great. But we need more compost. When will those bags I ordered arrive?"
"We haven't got another shuttle due for two weeks. You'll have to make do without it for now."
"Yes, sir."
"Where's Kenna?" I heard Mr. Branigan say.
"Oh, she's around here somewhere. I sent her to weed."
"She's a good worker then?"
"I've never had any that worked harder. Cheerful too. And she's pretty easy on the eyes."
"Indeed," Mr. Branigan agreed. That's when I realized that I was eavesdropping and about to hear things about myself that I probably didn't want to hear. I began to creep away from the peas. "When I hired her, it was for her knowledge of plants and because she seemed so keen to get into space. But now…"
"Yes, Dobu seems to be growing on her, doesn't it, Mack?"
"It does seem that way. The fasting during the trip here, while we were in stasis, slimmed her down by a few pounds."
I stopped moving away. They thought I had lost weight? I looked down at myself. Maybe I had. I had been so busy I hadn't noticed.
"Yeah, but she's still got curves in all the right places. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on her sweet..."
"That's enough, Jaylan." Mr. Branigan's voice sounded stern, and I could imagine the look on his face.
"Yes, sir," he said, sounding contrite. The voices began to move away from me down the row.
"I admit that I ought to have hired additional married couples. Having so many single people in such a confined population is difficult."
"Yeah, boss. It is. Especially since you hired half as many women as men."
"Well, they were cheaper. Behave yourself, Jaylan."
"I will, sir, don't you worry."
They moved so I couldn't hear them anymore.
Jaylan thought I was attractive? I smiled. He was pretty handsome himself. I saw him in my mind's eye — tall, blond, and with a muscular chest. I knew this because sometimes he worked without his shirt.
He only thinks you're hot because he's desperate, a voice in my head whispered.
My smile fell. What was I thinking? I shook my head and laughed at my thoughts.
I wasn't ugly. I knew that. But I had a few too many pounds, and it had been a long time since I had felt pretty. Still, that eavesdropping had turned out rather well.
I was happy with my new life. We had been here two weeks now. The sun and working in the garden had made me feel more carefree than I had been in a long time. I was useful. I was out in the open air again.
And I was an expert! Some of the others came to me when they had a question. I liked being able to help them. Everything was as near perfect as it had ever been.
I walked out of the shade and pulled off my gloves, turning my face to Dobu's sun. I would just take a tiny break and then get back to the weeds.
Just then I heard a noise in the sky. I shaded my eyes with my hand and searched for the source of the sound. It was a shuttle landing at the Complex.
But there were not any shuttles due for the next two weeks, Mr. Branigan had just said. Who could be arriving? I stared at the lilac sky for another moment, then shrugged. I wasn't concerned. I would find out soon enough. As long as they didn't disrupt this wonderful new life I was making here, I couldn't care less who arrived.
DAR
I stepped out of the shuttle and frowned in consternation. There were people on Dobu.
"What in the hell is going on here, Mana?" I said, as she stepped out into the dust filled air beside me.
"I don't know, your highness. The humans were not supposed to arrive for weeks."
"And yet they are here," I said, my voice filled with frustration. I stared up at the purple sky, asking The Three for patience. I could not meet with the AEA on a planet swarming with people. No matter how much I loathed them, I would not have innocent bystanders hurt.
"Yes, sir, they are."
"Order their evacuation immediately," I said, through my clenched teeth. "When is the delegation supposed to arrive?"
"Not until tomorrow, your highness."
"Good, then there is still time to evacuate everyone. We'll have to make up a cover story. Get on it, Mana."
"Yes, sir. I'm on it, sir," she said, taking out her com
municator and signaling the base.
That evening, I was sitting in my quarters in what the humans called the Complex when Mana rushed into my room without knocking.
"Dar," she said, breathless. "Our communications are down."
I scowled. Things must be really bad for Mana to be calling me by my first name during work hours. We had been childhood friends, and there was no one else I wanted as my Senior Advisor. But even with our history, she never called me Dar when we were working.
I got up and went over to her, putting my hands on her shoulders.
"Calm down, Mana. What do you mean?"
"I had everything organized for the evacuation. The humans weren't happy, but they complied. They claim that someone notified them that they could come early. Just a while ago, I called up to the supply ships."
"And what Mana? Spit it out."
"We have no communications whatsoever. I've tried every way I can think of to contact them, even Morse code. Nothing."
"But the supply ships are in orbit overhead, right? If communications are down, we'll just fix them. It's not the end of the world."
"Dar," she said, getting in my face. Her voice was almost a wail. "The communications have been severed on purpose. When I tried to get a visual of the supply ships, I realized that they were gone."
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"
"They're not there anymore, Dar. And we're an easy target."
"An easy target." I sat down on the nearest chair. "For who?"
She put her hand on her head and closed her eyes, the most upset I had ever seen her.
"For the fucking terrorists, of course."
Two tense days passed. We still had no communications. Mana and I had no idea what had happened to the supply ships. The evacuation had been canceled, of course, since we had nowhere to send them to and no way to talk to them if they got airborne. The humans were suspicious as always, sniffing around and wondering what was going on.