Chapter 2
Dani
The forty-two hours aboard the transport shuttle felt like both an eternity and no time at all.
I spent most of it oscillating between excited planning and sheer panic about the stupidity of my decision.
Around hour eighteen we jumped into hyperspace.
The pilot and Seri had been right about the disorientation.
For a minute that felt like forever, my body forgot which way was up, and every cell seemed to vibrate at a different frequency.
I gripped the armrests and tried not to vomit while Seri patted my shoulder sympathetically.
“It gets easier every time,” she said. “I promise.”
“I’m not sure there will be a next time,” I muttered.
“That’s what they all say.”
Now, pressed against the porthole as we began our final descent, I got my first glimpse of my new home.
The planet was smaller than Earth, with two visible moons hanging in a purple-tinged sky.
The surface appeared as a patchwork of red and orange stone, deep green valleys, and what looked like vast stretches of water that gleamed gold in the light of the system’s yellow sun.
It was alien and beautiful and so different from the gray sprawl of Earth’s cities that my breath caught.
“There’s the colony,” Seri said, leaning over to point. “See? That cluster of lights near the canyon?”
I squinted. “That?” A collection of structures seemed to grow from the red cliffs themselves in an organic formation, connected by roads and what might have been transport rails. It looked small and compared to New York City-7’s endless towers. “How many people live there?” I bit my lip.
“About fifty thousand, last census. The whole planet is a mix of species.”
“Oh.”
“Maybe thirty percent are human, twenty percent Gelhari, and the rest are a mixture of traders, refugees, and settlers from all over. We get a lot of Torzi too, since the climate suits them.”
“Torzi?” The word was unfamiliar.
Seri’s expression shifted to something between respect and wariness.
“They’re a warrior species, with powerful wings.
They’re capable flyers. You’re sure to see them over the city at times.
They keep to themselves, but there’s a decent population here.
You’ll recognize them when you see them, they’re hard to miss.
” She glanced at me. “Did your employer mention what species they are?”
My stomach dropped. Shit. What if my employer is one of them with a temper? “No. The ad didn’t say.”
“Huh. Well, probably human then. Most humans want human nannies, you know? Cultural comfort and all that.” She started gathering her belongings as the shuttle’s descent engines kicked in. “Where are you being picked up?”
I checked my data pad for the hundredth time. “Coordinates say…” I paused, “Estate marker And-1, northern cliff region?”
Seri’s thin eyebrow ridge rose. “Northern cliffs? That’s high-end territory. Whoever hired you has money.” She paused, then added, “And likes their privacy. Those estates are pretty isolated.”
The shuttle touched down with only a slight bump, and my new reality rushed in. I was here on an alien planet, about to meet my employer, and about to start a job I was unqualified for.
Too late to turn back now, I thought, though my hands shook as I gathered my single bag.
The terminal was nothing like Earth’s massive complexes.
Instead, it felt welcoming, not confining.
The structure was open-air, with a translucent dome overhead that let in the golden sunlight.
As expected, the air smelled different, cleaner, with a faint tang of something sweet I couldn’t identify.
Species I’d never seen before moved through the crowds.
A being made entirely of what looked like water rippled past in a containment suit.
Something with too many legs and crystalline skin haggled with a vendor.
Two human children raced by laughing, chased by an exasperated parent.
“Good luck, Danielle,” Seri said, touching my shoulder. “If you need anything, I work at the medical center in town. Just ask for Seri Koth.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
She smiled and disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I checked the message again. Transportation will be provided. Proceed to landing pad two.
For once, my finger didn’t shake as I pressed the map on the data pad’s screen.
Landing pad two was a short walk away from the main terminal, past the commercial arrivals and into what looked like a private section.
The crowds thinned as I followed the path to my future, my footsteps echoing on the stone pathway.
As I approached the private section, I fiddled with my clean, yet worn shirt and single bag. I must look so out of place.
Except for a sleek atmospheric shuttle, in dark red with swept-back wings that looked organic and almost alive, the landing pad sat empty. I approached the shuttle with caution, wondering if I had the wrong location, when a boarding ramp descended with a soft hiss.
The man standing at the top of the ramp took my breath away.
Oh my stars.
He was enormous, at least seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful build that suggested strength I couldn’t begin to calculate.
Everything else about him made my mouth go dry and my feet root to the ground.
Massive leathery wings, currently folded against his back but clearly capable of significant span when fully opened, the membranes in shades of purple that caught the light like oil on water.
A long tail moved with serpentine grace, the tip flickering back and forth.
His skin was a dusky lilac, scaled in places, smooth in others, with ridged lightning-yellow patterns along his arms and what I could see of his chest beneath a simple dark shirt.
His face was angular, almost geometric. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, a nose that was slightly flattened and flanked by small ridges that continued up to his brow. His eyes were the color of molten gold, with slit pupils that fixed on me with unnerving intensity.
In a way, he looked like a gargoyle, one of those stone guardians I’d seen in old Earth architecture books. He appeared cut from stone, like something that should be perched high above watching the world, not standing in front of me in living, breathing flesh.
He looked like something that could kill me without trying. What did I get myself into? This could go south, Dani.
“Danielle Slater?” The male spoke, his voice deep, with a slight gravelly quality that vibrated in my chest.
I couldn’t move or speak. My bag slipped from nerveless fingers and hit the ground with a thud.
His eyes narrowed, the gold catching light. “You are Danielle Slater, yes? The nanny I hired?”
“I…” my voice came out a whisper. I cleared my throat, tried again. “Yes. I’m Danielle.”
“Good.” He descended the ramp with a grace that seemed impossible for someone his size.
His tail moved with each step, acting as a counterbalance.
“I am Andrek Ror’aan. Welcome to Frontier Colony 8-Beta.
” He stopped a respectful distance away, probably because I looked like I might bolt at any second.
“This is your first time seeing a Torzi.”
“Yes, Mr. Ror’aan,” I managed.
“Please call me Andrek.” Amusement flickered across his face. “You are afraid.”
“I’m not,” I started, but the lie died on my lips. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting…”
“Someone my size who looks like they might eat you?”
A bolt of heat flashed through my core. Oh, he can eat you… get your mind out of the gutter, Dani.
“I didn’t mean offense.”
“It is fine.” He picked up my bag with one clawed hand as if it weighed nothing.
“Fear is a reasonable response to the unknown. But I should clarify, while Torzi are carnivorous, we have strict cultural prohibitions against eating sentient species. So you are quite safe.” He turned toward the shuttle.
“Shall we? The flight to my estate takes thirty minutes.”
I stared at his retreating back, at those massive wings and tail, and considered running back to the terminal and begging for passage back to Earth. But another part of me, the stubborn part that refused to go back, wanted to see what might happen. I wanted to get to know him better.
“Are you coming?” Andrek paused at the base of the ramp, looking back at me with unreadable eyes.
I forced my feet to move. “Coming. Sorry, I needed a moment.” I made my way up the ramp and into the shuttle, where the interior, to my surprise, had padded seats, restraint harnesses, and viewports on both sides. Andrek secured my bag in a storage compartment and gestured to one of the seats.
“The harness may take some adjustment,” he said, moving to the pilot’s seat at the front. “If you need assistance, let me know.”
“I can manage.” I sat down, fumbling with the straps. I had to tighten several sections and leave others completely loose.
“Are you finished?”
I glanced up to see Andrek staring at me. “Yes. The straps are made for someone with a different body configuration, but I’ve got it figured out.”
“I need to update your safety equipment,” Andrek said. “Those restraints are not adequate.”
“They’re fine.”
“They are not fine. But we have no time to acquire proper ones before we depart.” He settled into the pilot’s seat, his wings shifting to accommodate the backrest which was clearly designed with them in mind. “Hold on.”
The engines hummed to life with a purr. The shuttle lifted and the terminal shrank away, becoming toy-sized as we climbed. Andrek handled the controls with practiced ease, his tail curled around the base of his seat, his large, clawed hands moved across the holographic displays.
“You are younger than I expected,” he said, not looking back at me.
I stiffened. “The ad didn’t list an age requirement, but there was a question about my age.”