#2
“That’s romantic,” I say.
“I have heard of your romance, I do not understand it fully but I will try.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“It makes you happy? Romance?”
“I guess so.”
“Than I will try very hard.”
For a few moments my new alien world had faded away, only Tr-Argan had existed. But now as he pulls back and slips a strong wide arm around my waist I land back in my otherworldly reality.
“We will go now?” he says.
“Where?”
“To Soldane.”
I look around for Sophie and spot her walking past the king’s huge throne with a stocky alien who has a long deep plum tail held up behind him.
“Will I see my friends again, Tr-Argan?” I’m somewhat panicked at the thought of not being with them.
“If it makes you happy.”
“It will. Very much so.”
“Then the answer is yes.” He steers me in the opposite direction of Sophie and past the spaceship. “Please do not concern yourself, Earth women need the companionship of other Earth women, we know that.”
“Yes, we do. Very much so.” I blow out a breath and get my first good look at Vortex One from the outside.
It resembles a soft round cushion, cloud-like, with no windows, no obvious engines, and no support even though it is hovering about twenty feet from the dusty ground. “That’s an amazing piece of science.”
“It’s built for speed and comfort,” he says. “In Soldane we make not just the outer casing but also the travel pod you just floated in.”
“Floated?”
“Yes, it’s the best way to keep the skin healthy, no pressure points.”
“Oh, I see.” We are walking fast and I am a little breathless.
“We should slow down,” he says, his brow creasing into one neat line, “until your body adjusts to the lower oxygen levels here, it might take a few days.”
“Do you think?”
“I know.” His paces slow. “Until then nothing strenuous for you, the alveoli in your lungs are working hard enough.”
I wonder if that means no sex for a few days, no breeding or mating or discovering just what his body is like beneath that tunic.
As we turn toward a row of shiny oval vehicles, all levitating much like Vortex One, I glance behind him.
Yep. There’s his tail. It is such a deep purple it reminds me of an expensive red wine. It’s glossy and appears smooth to the touch and I have to stop myself reaching out to satisfy my curiosity.
“Soldane is the science capital of Planet Hade,” Tr-Argan says. “And for generations my family have committed their life-long careers to it, but if I do not have offspring, those careers will have been in vain and the knowledge gained over millennia will be lost.”
“Can I ask a question?”
“Of course, I expect many from you.”
This pleases me, because I know I’ll bombard him in the coming days. “If we are successful in producing a child.”
“We will be.” His jaw tightened.
“It is what we both hope,” I say as my stomach tightens at the thought of giving birth in this strange place. “And if I have a female child, will she still be given the opportunity to work as a scientist at Soldane?”
“Rachel.” He stops and turns to me, puts his big heavy hands on my shoulders. “Women are excellent scientists, with instinct and intuition, they are highly prized for their ideas and contributions. Half of everything the planet has achieved is because of women.”
I study his inked face, taking in his neat straight nose—perhaps a little big but it suits him—and his soft lips bracketed by shallow lines. “You speak the truth?”
“Always. Sons and daughters will always get the same opportunities.”
“Is this how all the men on Planet Hade think?”
“Yes, in the Civilized Tundra.”
I frown. “And what about in the uncivilized tundra?”
“That is known as Jakarty and you will not go there.”
“I won’t?” A forbidden place? No one had mentioned that to us.
“No.” He turns from me and urges me forward. “You will never go there.”
“Why not?”
“That question I will answer another time.”
I pout and I am about to complain when the blue egg-shaped hovering vehicle before me opens up like a shell.
“Please, enter,” he says, gesturing to a soft orange chair. “And I will take you to your new home. I hope you will like it.”
Soon we are skimming the dusty purple ground at a speed that presses me back into my chair. The vehicle didn’t appear to have windows from the outside but once in the interior I can see three hundred and sixty degrees.
“That is the Mural Mountain Range,” Tr-Argan tells me pointing to an impressive set of peaks that are shaped like waves. What appears to be snow on their tips is a pale iridescent shade of lilac.
“And to the right,” he goes on, “just out of sight are the farms that lead down to Lake Tanya.”
“I have a friend back home called Tanya, well an ex-work colleague really.”
“You worked with currency, am I right?”
“Money, yes, at a bank, mainly in mortgages. It wasn’t very interesting.”
“A soul should always find their work interesting.”
“I agree.” I certainly wasn’t missing it. And after two years of not being there I was sure no one would even remember me.
“What do you wish to do here?” he asks, turning to me but not taking his hand off a small silver lever that appears to be like a steering wheel.
“Apart from having your babies?”
“Our babies,” he says firmly. “It will take both of us to create them.”
I am quiet for a moment. “I like art.”
“What is art?” He faces our direction of travel again.
“Pictures, creating them, painting, drawing, that kind of thing.”
“Ah, yes I know. We have people here who enjoy that, especially capturing the images of nature.”
“Yes. That is what I enjoy.” I am pleased he understands.
“And so did my wife, Si-Baba.”
“Si-Baba. That was her name?”
“Yes, it means sunlight in our language.”
“I am sorry for your loss.”
“As am I.” The crease on his forehead is back.
I look once more at the passing landscape. Suddenly in my vision there is a huge large-toothed beast, long neck, thick short legs and speckled like a tawny owl. “What is that?”
“Oh, that’s a Hirion, they can be quite fierce, especially if trained to attack.”
“Why would anyone train them to do that?”
“War.”
“War? I didn’t think there was war here.”
“There isn’t…not at the moment.”
I frown and knot my hands in my lap.
“Please do not concern yourself with such things. I will protect you, always, from everything, you have to know that not just in your head but also in your heart, Rachel.”
“Thank you.”
“Do not thank me, it is my duty as your mate.”
The hirion slides from view and I see a buzzard-like bird flapping in the distance. Maybe it’s not so different from Earth, there are birds and wars there too, along with lakes and farmland, and a whole bunch of asshole men who can’t commit. This one, mine, certainly sounds committed.
I can only hope.
“This is Soldane,” he tells me as the ground becomes a pale shade of green. “And this is Earth grass, a sample was brought with the first women and it has taken hold. It is proving to be very resilient to our suns’ heat as well as enjoyed by our domesticated animals.”
“I like it,” I say. “I like the freshness of the green.”
“It is an incredible plant and we are proud that it has decided to grow here.”
We pass low white buildings, and what appear to be entrances to underground bunkers. Several other vehicles move in our periphery, there are no roads; they just go where they are going and always a few feet above the ground.
“My home is in the foothills,” he explains. “It was built by my ancestors and my dream is to pass it on to generations to come.”
Our vehicle slows in the shade of a cliff. The suns are sliding toward the horizon.
“I hope you like it,” our vehicle comes to a stop.
“I’m sure it will be the most beautiful house on all of Planet Hade.”
“You haven’t seen any other houses here.”
“Exactly.”
He studies me as though not quite sure what I am saying.
“So.” I gesture to the strange building. “Are you going to show me?”
“Yes, immediately.”
He opens the hatch on the vehicle and I step out and look up. His home, my home, reminds me of four doughnuts stacked on top of each other. Unlike the vehicle and Vortex One this does have windows, as well as a rail around the top doughnut suggesting a rooftop terrace.
“This way,” he says, touching the small of my back with the tips of his fingers.
I step forward and as I do a section in the lower ring opens up and a small red ramp slides down.
“It recognizes my face and unlocks,” he explains, “do you have that technology on Earth?”
“I suppose we do, but it’s not used for homes, at least not unless you are a billionaire.”
“What is a billionaire?”
“Someone who is greedy and doesn’t pay tax.” I huff.
“Everyone here must pay tax to King Athos, if you don’t then a soul is banished to the Jakarty.”
“I wish we had the same rules on Earth.”
“You are not on Earth any more.”
“I can tell that.” I walk up the ramp and into my new home. He follows and I can feel his apprehension. He wants me to like it.
At the entrance I pause and look into the light and spacious room. Everything is white except for a tub of purple and orange flowers set in the center. The window is huge and showcases the green Soldane valley and the sparkling lilac lake beyond.
I walk up to it. “This is an incredible view.”
“Does that mean you like it?”
“Very much.”
He lets out a small sigh. “Good.”
I turn. “Is there more?”
“Of course, this is just the entrance.”
I’m impressed. This section is bigger than the entire downstairs of the house I’ve left behind.
“Here,” he says, gesturing to a white pod the size of an elevator. “This will take us up.”
I step in. So does he.
He raises his tail so it doesn’t get caught in the silent door that traps us in. I study it again, fascinated. It appears to be utterly pliant and controllable. Strong too, I can make out lengths of taut muscle beneath the surface.
He spots me looking.
“Do Earth men have tails?”
“I’m sure you know they don’t.”
“Just checking.”
“Did Hade women have tails?”
“No,” he shakes his head. “Evolution gave them to males only. On women, no, it would be all wrong.” His mouth downturns.
“Why?”
“Because they are for fighting.”