“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a place where children go if they don’t have a mother or father to take care of them.”
“But—”
“But that’s not what we’re negotiating. I want to be able to wear the same kind of clothes that I wore on the vessel. I think it’s only fair. I gave up the idea of working, now it’s your turn to give me something in return.”
He was silent in thought for a moment. “Okay, you can keep your clothes. I’m not sure how the other females will react to such a thing. A female in males’ clothing.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“They’ll get over it.”
It didn’t take her long to figure out Taio was right. The females on Sonis didn’t want anything to do with her. She waved and smiled as she passed them in the halls. Instead of a return gesture, everyone averted their eyes and pretended she didn’t exist.
Mazel even tried to help out, but not even her teaching of “Sonis” ways did anything to get the other women to open up to her. The males avoided her, but she expected Taio had a hand in that. But to be ostracized by the females was unexpected to say the least.
Could they all be this hung up about clothes? If wearing gowns was a requirement for friends, she decided to resign herself to being alone.
Chapter Twelve
The past week had been nothing but a test of wills. Apparently Mazel hadn’t gotten Taio’s memo about the clothes. That woman didn’t take no for an answer.
Every morning, Mazel laid out a gown, prodding her to wear it, trying to make her a “proper” Sonis female. Eva was not a dress kind of girl. She was a jeans and t-shirt or scrubs kind of girl. And if Mazel wasn’t bad enough, Taio imposed one rule after another.
Eva sat on the grass-covered ground, the suns’ rays beating down on her back as she watched the sandy field fifty yards in front of her. A protective covering was flung haphazardly across her head and shoulders. She had strict orders to keep the covering on at all times; otherwise, Taio would not have let her come back out into the suns.
The covering wasn’t heavy or cumbersome; it just made her stand out as…different. No one else she’d encountered so far had to wear a sun blanket. But no one she encountered had sunburned shoulders, arms and face either.
She scoffed when he first told her—no, commanded—she wear it at all times while she was outdoors. She couldn’t get skin cancer in a couple of days, and besides, all she would need to do was take a quick trip to the healing bay to be cured. Taio hadn’t found the humor in that. He didn’t stand down and neither did she.
The first time she had tried to leave the palace, she found that Ship had created some kind of force field around all the exits that wouldn’t let her through. By heavens, they intended to trap her indoors with an invisible shield that stopped only her.
It pissed her off, but secretly she admired their
Star Trek
kind of technology. Threatening Ship did nothing to bring down the shield. She was finally forced to go back to her room and retrieve the blanket. Ship was officially on her shit list now.
She would think about plotting her revenge on Ship later, but right now she was wondering if she scooted up a couple more feet, would the guards on the field notice her. So far, Taio felt strongly about two things, the protective sun blanket and the training field.
Well, technically, I’m not on the training field.
Since the first day of finding it, she couldn’t stay away from the excitement this place held for her. She understood why he was worried for her. The men were gigantic and the weapons were unfamiliar. Fighting! She clenched and unclenched her fists under the blanket. She wanted to hit something.
Hard.
For the past four days, she had come out to the training field, and each time had inched a few feet closer. The men didn’t seem to notice her proximity. She just hoped Taio would also be oblivious to her pursuit as well.
A group of guards practiced with the
jango
, a fighting sword that had almost the size and look of a javelin. She wished she had one herself to hold and practice with. She sat mesmerized as the guards swung the body-length, metallic weapon with ease. The suns’ rays reflected off them, creating a spectacular light show.
“Wow. This is great.”
Eva looked up to see a female with pale-pink skin, short, hot-pink spiky hair and coal-black eyes staring down at her. Eva blinked back her surprise. Where had this chick come from?
“I’m Lo’Ren.” The pink female plopped down next to her.
“I’m Eva.” The female’s arm brushed against her own. Eva scooted over.
“Ohh, royal guards.” Lo’Ren looked toward the guards training on the field. “I don’t know about you, but the sight of their glistening bodies always makes me think of all the wicked things I can let them do to me.”
“Umm, so, you came to watch them train too? I thought I was the only female who came out here.”
“I came to sit with you. I’ve never been out here before. The royal guards are an added bonus.” Lo’Ren smiled and winked.
“Sit with me? Why? Wait. Did Taio send you?”
“Yes. My job is to be your friend.” Lo’Ren smacked her on her back.
“I’m good. I don’t need you to follow me around.” Eva closed her eyes and muttered under her breath. “How embarrassing, now he’s finding me friends.”
“Don’t worry. He didn’t make me, I volunteered for the job.”
Eva groaned. “He asked for volunteers? How many volunteered for the job?”
Lo’Ren laughed.
Eva opened her eyes. “That bad, huh?”
“I was the only one.”
Eva groaned again.
“But I wanted to.” Lo’Ren cut her eyes sheepishly at Eva. “Anything to get out of cleaning duty.”
Eva laughed. “Something tells me you aren’t from Sonis.”
“It must be the hair.” Lo’Ren ran a hand across her pink mane. “Born and raised in Briel, a small work colony in the Lintag asteroid belt.”
“Wait. You grew up in an asteroid belt?”
“Briel’s finest at your service.” Lo’Ren pinched the tips to make her hair stand up even more.
“I didn’t know anyone could live in an asteroid belt.” Eva turned back to the field. A month ago, she didn’t know anyone could live on a moon either. “What are you doing on Sonis? Were you forced to come here?”
“No, no, no. I came on my own. Sonis is supposed to be a growing settlement. Maybe in about three…five…ten cycles.” Lo’Ren looked around at the almost barren landscape. “Speaking of my employer, here he comes.”
Eva glared at Taio as he walked to her.
“What are you and your new friend doing?” He smiled down on her.
Lo’Ren smiled back. “Feasting our eyes on royal guards.”
Taio’s smiled dropped to a frown and Eva rolled her eyes. That was what the lout got. Maybe next time he wouldn’t pick friends for her who volunteered for the job.
“I like those fighting things they have. Look at all the pretty colors,” Lo’Ren said.
“I could have one made for you if you like,” Taio said.
“I don’t want one. I just like watching the guards with them.” Eva and Taio both turned to look at Lo’Ren. “Oh not talking to me.”
“You could?” Eva squinted as she looked up at him, the suns at his back.
“I could, if it would keep you from sneaking closer to my training field.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her.
“But Taio, the men don’t even mind I’m here. Why can’t I train with them? I told you, on my planet, men and women trained side by side all the time.
Of course, males and females didn’t train side by side all over Earth, but right now she didn’t want to get into specifics about training with him.
“And I have told you, these are not ‘men’, but warriors. Warriors training with females is not a tradition we practice here.”
“Sonis is a new colony, you are still forming your own traditions.”
He thought on it for a moment, looking at his guards on the training field, no doubt pondering the idea in his head. “I will allow you to train—” His sentence was cut off by Eva jumping off the ground with a squeal and giving him a kiss on his cheek. “I will allow you to train,” he started again, “using the simulators only. Not with any of my guards.”
Abruptly, she stopped jumping up and down. “What? Why can’t I train with the guards?”
“Yeah, why can’t Eva train with the guards?” Lo’Ren asked. Taio peered her way. “I get it, you’re not talking to me.”
“Eva, they are royal guards, warriors. Look at them. They will think I am belittling them if I send you in there with them. Be glad that I am allowing you to use the training simulators.”
She started to balk, but stopped short, snapping her mouth closed. He was right. Being able to do some kind of training was better than sitting in the grass, plotting a way to get closer to the training field.
“Okay, but you still have to get me one of those
jango
things.”
* * * * *
Early the next day, under the protective canopy Taio had erected for her, she stood in front of a training simulator with sweat pouring off her body. When Taio restricted her to using the training simulators, he failed to mention they were replicas of the enemies that were common to the Drazlan and Sonis people.
So to say the least, she was more than a little taken aback when Rasha led her to an equipment room that held seven life-like alien simulators to choose from. Hell, she didn’t need the guards. She could have her fun with these for years to come.
She picked out the ugliest-looking one of the bunch. It looked the same as the Loconuist and she planned to kick some Earth-invading, human-enslaving alien ass.
With Rasha’s help, she was able to set it to the training level she desired. At first, she started off slow, warming up to full fighting mode. But after noticing the guards watching her, she decided to kick it up a notch.
Taio said the guards would not train with a female and would feel it was beneath them. Ha! She laughed to herself. She was making mincemeat of this robot and loving it.
Lo’Ren sat at the edge of the field, watching her, positioning herself at a good vantage point. The girl was no Ally, but she wasn’t bad either. Taio had removed her from the cleaning crew and had given her the official job of “friend to Eva”.
Yesterday, Eva tried, unsuccessfully, to shake her after lunch. Wherever she hid, Lo’Ren popped up. That girl was taking her job very seriously. This morning Eva decided to take a different approach. She was Batman and Lo’Ren was her sidekick, Robin.
Aside from Lo’Ren, Rasha and Jor’Dan came by and watched. But she was really trying to impress the rest of the guards, who were watching her out of the corners of their eyes.
“You have much talent, Eva,” Rasha said.
“Wow, you approve? Thank you, Rasha. It means a lot coming from you.”
“The guards seem well impressed with your moves and skill. We don’t practice hand-to-hand combat anymore, but it seems to be a skill that we may need again. Are all Earthlings trained in this type of combat as you are?” Rasha asked.
“We are called humans, and yes, most of us are trained as youngsters in martial arts. It is an Earth tradition.” Well, it wasn’t an outright lie. She did say “most”. So when Rasha and Jor’Dan exchanged a look between themselves, she didn’t feel all that guilty.
By midday, she was semi-surrounded by four guards. Rasha had gone to Taio and gotten permission to have some of the guards, those who were interested, watch her train with the simulator. Although she was still pummeling the simulator for now, she was sure that soon she would be accepted to train with the guards.
All seemed to be going well, except for a small group of guards who were laughing and pointing her way. Knowing they mocked her, she ignored them. This was not the first time she had been laughed at. If these guards wanted to upset her with their taunts, they really had a lot to learn. They needed to hang out with elementary school kids.
“Do not mind them, Eva,” Rasha said.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m having the most fun I’ve had in years!” She somersaulted over the simulator, landing at its back and giving it one hell of a kidney punch, well, assuming its kidney would be in that spot.
“When you are all ready to see real warriors train, make your way to us!” one of the guards yelled.
She looked over to see the guard from the group of hecklers motioning his way.
“And after you see how a guard fights, come back and watch a girl.” For emphasis, she dropped to the ground and swiped her foot underneath the simulator, knocking it flat on the ground.
“Ouch.” Jor’Dan smiled.
Jumping up, she halfheartedly gave a bow to the guards standing around her, who had begun to clap.
“You think you know how to fight, but you are nothing here.” The same guard sneered, now walking her way, fists balled up at his sides.
His face was red and full of rage and his lips were pressed in a hard line. Rasha stepped in front of Eva, blocking his pursuit.
“Coyl, don’t come any farther. She has permission from Taio to be on the training field,” Rasha said through gritted teeth.
“His judgment is obviously clouded by the slickness of her pussy, since it is well known that he fucks the bitch night and day,” Coyl said.
“Get out of my sight before I hold you down and let her beat you myself,” Rasha said.
Eva stepped from behind Rasha. “Thank you for the offer, Rasha, but I wouldn’t need you to hold him down for me. Anyone can see he’s past his prime and hoping, wishing and…no, praying that I’ll knock him down. Because it’s as close as he’ll ever get to having a woman touch him.”
Coyl let out a war cry and ran toward her. Rasha dropped in a low stance, about to take the brute head on, preventing him from reaching Eva. Although she appreciated the gesture, she had a different idea. She had never been known to let others fight for her. Without a moment’s hesitation, she took off running toward Rasha and Coyl. Using Rasha’s leg and shoulder as steps, she leaped over him and extended her leg, aiming it right at Coyl’s face.
“Humph,” was the only sound that came out of Coyl’s mouth before he fell backward in an unconscious heap.
Keeping her stance low, she circled slowly. These guards were trained to watch each other’s backs. She was prepared to take on anyone else who came her way.