Chapter 4
ADRYEL
A week later
The curly-haired female from before at the alliance center or something like that, Graecey, stood at the front of the classroom filled with females who had nothing left to lose.
Adryel included.
Graecey studied her tablet and brushed one of her erratic blonde curls out of her face. The organizer--she swore she wasn't in charge, but Graecey sure seemed to be the one who was making all the decisions--had gathered them for a new class lesson about their coming mission.
Adryel joined the Galactic Alliance's program by sheer luck. After she’d fled her apartment, she ran into Dane, literally, on the streets. He questioned her upset state—and finding one's roommate dead in her apartment would do that--so he took her back to the shop.
The scientific program let her stay in a barracks, along with other women who had joined the program. The facility was secure, and no unauthorized entry allowed, letting her rest and figure out her next steps.
As Adryel got to know the other women involved, she was pretty damn certain every one of them was running away from something as well.
Maybe she'd found her people after all.
Some were obvious about it, like bad matches or poor lives they needed to escape. Others were stuck in some fantasy world where they had convinced themselves that meeting alien men would be an incredible experience, like this was a fun idea, and then it was over.
Adryel wondered if they got the same lecture she did about how this was a commitment, and, if chosen, it was forever. According to the gossip, there would not be more than a handful of aliens they were meeting, so many of them wouldn't even get picked.
Not that she was an expert on inter-humanoid species, but she had seen a lot. The odds were against her being chosen, and she was seriously only here for the transport out of the Trinity Alpha Prime system.
As part of the prep for this, she had classes about several species and their known behaviors, because the Galactic Alliance would be traveling to multiple worlds to meet different species.
It was almost a half a standard-year commitment. A few females had fled, realizing it would be so long in a ship, with a low chance of being selected, but others were determined to make it work.
Adryel was one of them.
It would get her off this world, out of this sector, and put enough black space between her and the Rhysgarrds that maybe she could be forgotten about.
Maybe she could even stay on one of those worlds. Take a laborer's job or something and build a new life for herself. Starting over wouldn't be hard, she'd done it a few times already. This time, maybe, she'd try to not fall in with the underworld.
Wouldn't that be a change? Honest people with integrity and no theft?
Every time she said that, though, she wound up in the den of liars, thieves, and dangerous humanoids. Maybe she just attracted that type.
This made her distrust any alien that wanted to mate with her--how trustworthy would they be if they were immediately drawn to her?
The girl sitting next to her, Janae, elbowed her.
Adryel glanced at her.
She'd only come in a few days ago from the streets. She barely resembled the same person now that she was clean and had fresh clothing. She really was quite attractive, though she kept to herself.
Adryel liked her immediately. Whoever she was, she didn't really say much, other than she'd been on the streets for a while with no place to go and that she didn’t want to talk about it.
Adryel didn't want to talk about her past either.
“What?” Adryel whispered.
“Pay attention.”
“She hasn't even said anything yet.”
“She is getting ready to,” Janae said.
Adryel raised her eyebrow. “I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get out of here.”
“I've never been on a long space voyage. Have you? Is the travel hard?”
“Not really,” Adryel said. “It's not that different from anything. Once you get used to the pressure shift.”
Janae patted her ears. “I hope it doesn’t give me headaches.”
Adryel shrugged. “We'll have to see. They have medical, I'm sure, and they can take care of it if it does.”
Janae nodded. “Do you think Kantenan has a lot of trees?”
“Why?” Adryel asked. In the data they'd been given so far, there was a lot of overview and some images of a very lush world.
The buildings were organic, built into many of the surrounding trees and rock and cliffs.
One of their largest buildings was literally carved out of a mountain in the center of their main city.
Transports flew through the air above the tree canopies, and according to their reading, many of those canopies held little mini cities underneath them.
The only thing they had in common with Trinity Alpha Prime was that the higher the building, the higher in the social standing of their society.
Janae acted like she'd never really looked at any of the details.
“I have never been on a world with a lot of trees.”
Trinity Alpha Prime didn’t really have trees—it was generally a city that covered most of the planet and spread to the surrounding moons. Trees were an anomaly. Something that was only seen occasionally, or in pre-built parks.
No place that Adryel ever really visited.
Or cared to.
“Hello, ladies. I hope that everyone is well, and ready to leave,” Graecey said, drawing attention up to the front of the room.
“The sooner the better,” Adryel mumbled. She was ready to start climbing the walls. Though that probably had more to do with the fact that she kept looking behind her shoulder, expecting to see police guards coming to arrest her.
Or worse.
The fact that they would be leaving soon eased her mind.
“We'll be boarding the transport in the morning, and I wanted to remind everyone to make sure you have all your things packed and ready to go. There will not be any return trips, and, while our transporters have some necessities, we cannot provide you with everything you may need.”
In the morning? That was even better.
Adryel couldn't help grinning.
They were finally getting out of here.
“I travel light,” Janae whispered.
Adryel nodded. “Me too.” She had her little bag from her apartment, and now all she needed to do was get off this planet and be on her way.
“Now, we are running everyone here through the Galactic Alliance databases to check for any outstanding crimes or warrants against them before we leave If anyone has any concerns or issues, it is best that you let us know now, before we leave. Crime will not be tolerated by this organization. We are representing the future of many of these humanoids. We need to bring forth the best of what they can receive.”
The hairs on Adryel's arm stood up.
That can't be a good sign, she thought to herself.
“Perhaps they should not have set up their offices in the slums of a moon,” one of the females behind her whispered.
Adryel turned and glared at her. Of course it was Roemary. It was like she couldn't stay away from her and Janae. She was always there, trying to make Janae feel bad about herself.
“Shut up, Roemary,” Adryel said.
Of all the females there, Roemary truly was the most beautiful. Perfect skin, hair that shined, and a figure that got everyone's attention, male or female. She truly was a sight. Too bad she knew it and used it to her advantage. She came from wealth and was not about to let anyone else forget it.
And she seemed to think it was her right in the universe to torment Janae, who never said anything to anyone.
“Am I wrong?” the blonde asked, her gaze darting to Janae.
“Yes. You're wrong,” Adryel snapped.
Roemary put her hand on her chest. “I was merely stating a fact.”
Adryel glared at her. “A fact is something provable. Just because it's your opinion doesn't make it a fact.”
“Then disprove me. Would any of you wind up even being here, if this entire place was--”
“That is enough,” Graecey said. “Roemary, I will not tolerate disrespect like that. You will not continue being a part of this process--”
“You cannot say that to me, I am Sena--”
“No one cares who your daddy is,” Adryel said. “Don't you need to go brush your hair or something?”
Janae covered her mouth and smirked.
“I'm not wrong,” Roemary said and walked off.
Graecey shook her head. “She makes me crazy.”
“So kick her out,” Adryel said.
“Unfortunately, even science cannot avoid bureaucracy all the time.” She put her hand on Adryel's arm. “Come. I need to speak with you.”
Great. How does Roemary get away with being an absolute brat, and no one does anything about it, but Adryel just tries to stand up for herself, and she gets singled out?
“Come on Janae.” She motioned for her friend to come with her.
Graecey shook her head. “No, this is private.”
“Uh, oh. Okay.” Adryel didn't like the sound of that. Figures. This was going way too well. Would she be out of the program? Back on the streets?
And back to hiding from who knew what was coming.
She followed Graecey back to her office, a place that she'd only been in once before when she joined the program. Stark and organized, the office was just for a visual show, where participants signed things. Otherwise, Graecey was never in there.
Though this time Graecey's office wasn't empty.
Inside sat a man in a very dignified uniform. And a policing badge on his lapel.
Adryel stood still.
“What is this?” she asked. This wasn't good. Not even a little bit. Damn, she was almost gone. She had almost gotten off the planet.
Graecey gestured to the empty chair. “Please, sit down, Adryel.”
“I didn't do anything,” she said as she sat down, scooting her chair away from the man in the suit.