Authors: Leora Gonzales
Sitting on the bed, Poppy put her head in her hands. Feeling
as if she were taking hit after hit with no breath in between, she tried to
calm herself. She looked up at a shuffling of papers to see Val digging through
her bag.
“Tell me you can fix this, Val. Please…I can’t leave him
now. I’m pretty sure I’m totally in love with that man, and I don’t know what
I’d do if I have to leave.” Swallowing back tears, she prayed that Val had a
plan.
“What have I always told you, Poppy? I am here for
you
.
Not only because it’s my job but because we’re friends.” Val smiled, finding
the paper she was searching for. “And I think I’ve found a loophole.”
Thank god. “Tell me now. What is the loophole?”
Valerie sat next to her, holding out the original Bridal
Pact forms Poppy and Wheaton had signed before this adventure had started.
“Here, the pact agreement says that unless you fear for your
physical well-being or either party requests that the trial period ends, then
you are required to spend your entire thirty days on the ship while finding out
if you’re compatible. Specifically being that the ‘parties’ are you and
Wheaton,
not
the Council or the bridal service. The trial period can
only
be dissolved by the Council if you are a threat to their security.” She paused
with a smile. “Essentially they don’t have a right to tell you to leave unless
you’re stealing secrets or you threaten their ship or their society.” She
pointed to the paragraph that held the info.
“So this is our plan then? It should work, right?”
Excitement was evident in Poppy’s voice as she quickly scanned to where their
signatures were. It felt as if she had signed these forms eons ago instead of
just a few short weeks.
“Yes,” Val said with a relieved sigh.
“Well then, why did you want to talk in private?” Did Val
have suspicions about the other warriors that were with Wheaton?
“Thorne is on the Council….and the Council members are the
ones that are pushing for the matches to be dissolved, Poppy. Not Earth.”
Lowering her voice as if the men had super-hearing, she whispered, “Earth
doesn’t really want it known that we made such a massive mistake. We’re still
trying to get brides to apply and it’s not going too well. A new anti-alien
movement has formed since you left. They’re basically using the same mindset
that people used against different races marrying back when blacks and whites
first started mingling. It’s hugely racist but gathering a lot of followers and
the protests are a huge deterrent to anyone even coming in and filling out our
forms. The Intake Centers have had bomb threats almost daily and the protesters
have gotten violent toward anyone entering the building. We have even had our
cleaning people threatened as they come and go.”
Valerie stood and cast Poppy a questioning glance.
“How well do you know those warriors other than Wheaton? Are
they anti-human?” She crossed her arms and said with a huff, “Because let me
tell you, there are some pretty anti-human Council members. They tried to stop
me from coming up to see you. I couldn’t take the chance of having you come
back to Earth since we have more leverage with you still on the ship.
Especially considering my loophole, if you had left then they could have
claimed that you dissolved the trial period. There are definitely Council
members working against us. I just don’t know who yet.”
Poppy thought long and hard on that one. She had met Thorne
maybe four or five times, and he had been nice, if not civil toward her. She
had originally attributed it to him being a warrior though. Dathrow she had
been around more and he seemed very friendly and even eager for his own bride
from what she could tell. They hadn’t had much time to talk but from what she
could gather Wheaton trusted both of the men.
“I think they’re both friends of Wheaton’s so I would hope
they’re on our side. I know Dathrow a little more than Thorne but overall I
don’t know. They’re both polite to me and haven’t said anything outright about
my being here. If I had to assume, Dathrow is more trustworthy than Thorne but
that’s only because he has talked to me more. I think I make Thorne a little
nervous. He admitted I was the first human he has ever met so it could just be
that.”
“Well let’s go lay our cards on the table and see what
reaction we get from those big guys. Their faces should tell us whose side they
are on.” Valerie strode toward the door, her walk determined.
“Val?” Rushing to catch her before she opened the door,
Poppy reached out.
“Yes?”
Poppy pulled her into a massive hug.
“Oomph,” Valerie puffed out, the squeeze of Poppy’s hug
taking the breath out of her.
“Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver,” Poppy whispered
into Val’s shoulder.
Smiling, Val hugged her, patting her on her back. “Poppy, I
am here for you and only you. No matter what.”
“Well then, let’s go. Time to see who our friends are.” Waving
her wrist over the sensor, Poppy went to share their news with Wheaton, who had
hopefully been able to weasel some info out of the other two while she and Val
had been planning.
* * *
* *
Wheaton stood immediately when Poppy and Val reentered the
room. Tugging Poppy into a hug, he breathed her in as if he had been separated
from her for days instead of minutes. Talking to his friends, he had realized
the situation was indeed more serious than he had originally thought. Knowing
that he would not let Poppy go, he was prepared to fight no matter what it
took. Dathrow and Thorne had said they would stand by his side when he went
against the Council. They both admitted that he had indeed been acting
differently since the arrival of his bride. But instead of viewing his change
in demeanor as detrimental to his work, they considered it a benefit to their
changing society. For too long, the Phaeton race had been in an emotionless
cycle. Simply cloning new warriors so they did not die out but not making any
advances in their own society. Existing just to simply exist had become their
daily lives. Wheaton saw nothing wrong with his change and neither did the men
who were here to help him.
“Thorne and Dathrow are on our side but there are Council
members who oppose our union,” he whispered into her hair.
Hugging him back and resting her cheek on his chest, she
whispered back, “I think Val has found a loophole. Don’t worry, big guy. I’m
not going back without a fight either, and she’s in our corner.”
Leaning back from the hug, he cast a glance at Val in
confusion.
“She’s not in the corner, Poppy. She is standing in the
center of the room,” he said very matter-of-factly.
“It’s a figure of speech, you goof. I meant that she’s on
our side and she’ll help me stay,” she said, her words coming with a smile.
Still holding her to his chest, he turned his head to
address Val. “Thank you for covering our corner, Valerie. It is much
appreciated. We will not let them take her.” He had only met Valerie a few
times but if she was willing to fight for them then he would owe her for the
rest of his life.
Valerie tried to hide a smile at his words and nodded.
“Okay, fellas, here’s the game plan.” She had the contract
in her hand and sat on the couch while setting it on the table in front of her.
“I’ll go over with you what I proposed to Poppy. I think we have a shot at
making this work.”
The men crowded around Valerie to see what she was pointing
to. Going over the fine print of the contract with the warriors, Valerie seemed
to make allies out of both Thorne and Dathrow. After listening to her
explaining the ins and outs, they all leaned back except Thorne.
“Let’s not discount the sway that Demascus has upon the
Council just yet. He is starting to lean toward the Verge in ideals lately when
it comes to Council voting. He was completely against the Bridal Pact when it
was originally proposed and has since been hunting for ways to make humans seem
inferior to the rest of the other Council members,” Thorne said with a sigh.
Poppy glanced around the room and asked, “Who is this
Demascus guy, and what the hell is a Verge?”
Thorne and Dathrow nodded to Wheaton as if he needed to be
the one explaining things. Wheaton now regretted his decision not to discuss
his work with his bride. Like it or not, Poppy was going to get a crash course
in Phaeton politics.
“First, Demascus is what you would call an ‘asshole’.”
Wheaton paused to make sure he had used the word correctly. At Poppy’s nod he
continued. “He opposed Council policy to establish our breeding program. It
will help if I explain the Verge first though. The Verge are warriors who
decided that cloning was the best solution to our dwindling numbers. They are
not only anti-human but anti-breeding with anyone outside the Phaeton races.
Years ago, the Council decided to search for species that were compatible and
from the onset the Verge has been very vocal against it. Verge warriors believe
that our species should not be diluted with lesser traits and remain pure.”
Thorne decided to take that moment to chip in. “According to
your history channels, they would be like the man named Hitler and his Nazi
warriors, but without the mass murder. The Verge believe our race should be
kept pure to the point of insanity. Our science has shown that any additional
cloning at this point would be detrimental to our genetics. There is only so
much cloning a culture can sustain before negative effects start happening. We have
warriors who are smaller than our predecessors. We also noted a loss of our
natural abilities and strength. Let us not forget that a race without women
causes problems among male warriors for obvious reasons.” He coughed into his
fist, seeming embarrassed. A quick glance around the room showed that everyone
got the gist.
“The Verge still trade with the Pleasure Sector but see no
reason to find a breeding alternative. That is actually another issue that is
negatively affecting our men. Missions to that sector are rotated to
accommodate as many warriors as possible. However our race has a higher male
population than they are able to serve. We have seen cases of females being
sold on the black market and used as sexual slaves to those who can afford to purchase
them. We have heard rumblings of the Verge possibly trading in slavery to
appease their needs without regard to our laws.”
The men became quiet for a moment, looking grim at the
thought. Poppy sat silent, her mind absorbing all this new information. There
was still one question that was bothering her though. “Okay, let’s get back to
Demascus. What does he have to do with the Verge?” Poppy asked when nobody
showed signs of continuing the story.
“Demascus had a clone brother who was the originator, or ‘father’,
to the Verge warriors. When the Verge decided to split off from the Phaeton
world, we understood their need to do so and respected them. They did not
recognize the advances our race needed to make and we did not agree with their
ideals. Deciding we wanted no war between warrior brothers, it was a peaceful
separation. Many expected Demascus to follow his brother…” Dathrow trailed off
and shot Wheaton a glance.
Wheaton nodded at Dathrow, turning toward Poppy.
“What was that about, guys?” Poppy asked, trying to figure
out what was going on.
“The Council is comprised of our strongest warriors from
each breed. They are what humans would call politicians. The Verge have adopted
a similar caste system for their own Council. Demascus would not be automatically
guaranteed a Council position with the Verge. A politician of his standing
would be unwilling to give up the power he has over our Council. If he defected
then he would have to work to regain a position of such importance. We have
talked about it and have come to the conclusion that he may have also stayed to
sway the Phaeton Council to the Verge way of thinking,” Wheaton said to the
women. Looking at the men, he said, “They need to know what we may have ahead
of us.”
With a grim nod from Thorne to continue, Wheaton took
Poppy’s hand in his again. Holding her hand seemed to calm him and he paused as
if he’d take what peace he could for the moment.
“We have no idea how far Demascus’s reach extends. He may
have a majority of the Council convinced that the breeding contracts are a bad
idea after the matches came back flawed. Most Council members keep quiet when
he speaks. Since he has been a member of the Council for years, he holds quite
a bit of power…his name alone holds leverage during our meetings. Many are
afraid to go against him for fear of retaliation. Those who oppose him
generally do so quietly as to not cause trouble for their own standing.”
Noticeably uncomfortable, Wheaton continued on, “When I
initially had doubts, Demascus asked quite a few questions. He already had
access to your profile and fueled my concerns when it came to how you would fit
into being a Councilman’s wife.”
Wheaton cringed, waiting for Poppy to say something.
Anything.
Poppy thought for a moment and chewed her bottom lip. She
admitted she herself had had the same doubts when she’d found out she’d been
matched to a politician. She couldn’t throw stones when she’d been in the same
place, could she?
“Why did the Council approve the matching in the first place
if he is anti-human and has so much pull?” she asked.
Dathrow chose that moment to share his views. “We have
searched for many cycles…years…for a species compatible for breeding mates.
Most warriors understand the lack of females cannot go on much longer. We have
other species we can mate with but none that we can breed with. And even those
are limited. Humans are the closest we have found to match our biology. The
discovery of humans was so well received it forced Demascus to maneuver quietly
instead of openly opposing the idea. He did not want to be the one who stood in
the way of us having women for our own and children from those unions. His
opinion was not a popular one on the Council so he remained quiet but warned
that the pact with Earth would lead to our downfall. If the pact worked then he
would be able to say that he voted in favor of it. If it failed then he could
remind members of the concerns he had against it.”