Chapter Fourteen

JAYNE

My marriage to Arnon was two weeks old. We had spent most of the time after the wedding doing work for our jobs. I was helping to organize the trial. My sister, Maria, had come up for a few days and we had taken Arnon to see a few local tourist attractions.

He was getting along well with my father, and I was grateful for that. Dad had been too protective for my taste until he had gotten to know Arnon. Now he was more relaxed about my departure.

Thirty-six of the fifty women chosen had selected a mate, married, and bonded with their man. Earth personnel had filled the Auxem spaceship with food. The President of Earth had given me some new communications gear from Susohn so I could securely talk with Earth. I had packed, repacked, taken things out and repacked again, trying to stuff everything into three boxes.

Everyone was fussing over me, even Maria. She wasn’t usually kind to me. We got along, but we had never been particularly close. She was older than me and we had always lived in different worlds. It was a shame that we had only started to appreciate each other when I was about to move a galaxy away.

Every time I thought about not seeing them again, I started to cry. Arnon would make up for it, but a husband wasn’t the same thing as family.

The first two weeks of marriage had been blissful. In spite of the flurry of packing and getting ready to leave, and our duties as the crown prince and supervisor of the women in the trial, we had managed to fuck a lot.

My sex clenched at the thought, and I wondered how I could want him again so soon. We were staying in my suite which had a private bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Arnon had come back to the hotel room because he had forgotten something. The next thing I knew, I was on my back, and we were having a quickie on the kitchen table.

I swiped open a screen in the air, determined to get my work done and not moon over my husband. He wouldn’t be back until dinner, and I wondered how I would pass the time.

Simple. I would work while he was away. Clean up, go for a walk, and visit Mom at TerraMates. I was sure I could go for eight hours without seeing him. It wasn’t going to kill me.

I focused my eyes on the screen and scanned the names of the women who would be part of the trial. I was familiarizing myself with their information. As soon as we got on board, it would be my job to interview them and get to know them on a personal basis. I wanted to have a baseline of their initial state going into the trial.

What was going on in their marriages? Were their husbands good lovers? How were they adjusting to life on the ship? Did they like the food?

I needed to know everything about these women if I was going to make an accurate report. Was this truly a good situation for us? Lives were hanging in the balance, and it was my responsibility to ensure that they would be well taken care of and respected. I was determined to do the best job possible.

I took the time to familiarize myself with the women’s names and faces. I thought it would help if I would already know something about them and knew their name the first time I saw them. As I scanned the list, one name jumped out at me, and I tapped on it. It was Ayrie’s wife, Elle.

Those two were going to be trouble.

According to Arnon, they had decided to get married and bond together even though they weren’t in love. The Auxem scientists said they were making themselves vulnerable to a condition called Bond Rejection Syndrome. It sounded ridiculous the first time I heard about it, but apparently, it was quite dangerous for the aliens. Rejecting the bond could result in insanity or even death.

I thought to myself that this was what happened in a society that didn’t allow divorce, but I didn’t say a word.

The prospect of Ayrie rejecting the bond terrified Arnon. I was fortunate that we had properly bonded because we were in love. There was no craziness in our future, except that I felt a little crazy while he was away.

A few hours later, I got a call from one of the technicians that worked for my mother. Her face appeared on my computer with the laboratory in the background behind her.

“There is something the matter with your test results.”

In the history of the universe, there has never been a positive conversation that started with that sentence. “Mistake?” I tried to keep my voice from trembling. “What do you mean?”

“We got your file back, and it shows you’re a carrier for the H4T7 gene.”

“That’s impossible.” I was about to tell her that Arnon had already said I didn’t have the gene, but how would I have known that? I couldn’t say aliens had arrived on Earth and started running tests on random women without permission.

“I’m looking at them now, and trust me, it’s possible.”

“Can we redo the test?”

“That’s what I was going to recommend. If we’re lucky, it was just a mistake. It is extremely unlikely for an Earth woman to have this gene.”

“I’ll stop by later, and you can draw a fresh blood sample.” I wasn’t too worried about it. The test was only a formality. Arnon had told me I didn’t have the gene, so the lab must have made a mistake. The technology on Auxem was probably far more advanced than Earth’s, right?

I decided to pass by the lab when I went to visit my mother. In the meantime, I would return to reading the files. But Arnon came back early, and we ended up in bed together. My genes were the last thing on my mind. I forgot all about the test and everything else except for him.

I had taken care of everything. I said my last goodbye, hugged everyone, and cried a little. I was still crying, in fact. We were about to board a spaceship that would take us all the way across the galaxy.

I had never been to another planet before, and my heart thumped with excitement. The ships loomed large in the sky. According to the documentation, it was five stories tall and the length of several Paraball fields. We would take an Earth spacecraft up to the Auxem ship and stay there with the royal family.

The Auxem ships were huge passenger vessels made for taking people on long journeys through space. They were too large to land on Earth. The spaceships looked like something out of a movie. They were sleek, shiny, and silver. The population of an entire planet was waiting for the first one to return and bring back women to save their world.

I had conflicting emotions about leaving. I was sad to leave Earth, but the idea of being a pioneer was exciting. My heart was already aching for my family. I was going to have to rely on Arnon to help me get through the adventure. We would be traveling across the galaxy, stopping at different planets to get supplies every few weeks before we reached Auxem.

Arnon squeezed my hand as we prepared to board the spaceship, walking behind his father and brothers. “Are you okay? It’s a big step for someone who doesn’t do a lot of space travel.”

I turned and took one last look at Earth before we boarded. I imagined that my family was waving madly from the viewing tower window, but I couldn’t see a thing. I wiped away the last of my tears. “I don’t want to leave my family, but I’m excited to start something new.”

“That’s exactly how I feel.” There was only a hint of sexual innuendo in his voice even though we hadn’t fucked for two days. We had been insatiable in the sex department. I supposed that would change as my cycle progressed through the month, but for now, we were having fun.

I waggled my eyebrows at him. “How do you know we haven’t made something new already? Maybe we don’t need to try anymore.”

“What?” He looked horrified.

“Just kidding. I have a friend who’s married with children, and she talks about it sometimes.” I lowered my voice, aware that his family was sitting only a few feet away. “Apparently pregnancy increases the sex drive of most women.”

He grabbed my face and kissed me. I pulled back quickly and gave him an admonishing look. The last thing I wanted was to have his father catch us making out.

“There’ll be lots of time for that later.” He knew what I meant. We would have a private suite on the spaceship. The Auxem had designed the ship for privacy, hoping couples trying to get pregnant would fill it one day. The walls were completely soundproof, and it was possible to isolate yourselves for a couple of days and do nothing but fuck.

I felt a tingle at the thought. I wondered if the Auxem had a particular pheromone which made them attractive. Whatever it was, my husband turned me on something fierce.

Still gazing out the window, he reached out and took my hand. I let the comfort of his gesture fill me.

A movement in my peripheral vision made me look up. Elle sat in a seat beside me and had a look of pure envy on her face like she wanted what she saw with Arnon and me. I wondered what her problem was.

She erased it quickly and smiled at me. Ayrie was next to her and looking out the window. But he wasn’t enjoying the scenery. It seemed like he was actively ignoring her. That didn’t bode well for their relationship.

I probably should have taken some notes because I was supposed to be monitoring everyone, but it felt intrusive. I would have to remember later. Not all Auxem men were like Ayrie. Arnon had hinted that his brother might be an asshole but had never explicitly spoken poorly about his brother.

If I were friends with Elle, I could get her entire story. We had met before, but she was a quiet girl and didn’t spend much time interacting with the other women.

Even though I didn’t know her very well, she seemed like a practical person, and I liked her. I wondered why she had joined the program. Everyone had personal reasons for signing up. Some revealed their intentions in the application. Elle had been closed-lipped about her motivations, which only made me more curious about her.

When the shuttlecraft docked with the mothership, the doors opened, and we stood up. I grabbed my backpack and moved into the aisle after Elle and Ayrie. We moved in a cluster onto the receiving deck of the spacecraft that would be my home for the next two months. I caught Elle’s eye as we both stared at our new environment.

“Are you ready for a grand adventure?” I hoped she wouldn’t rebuff me. I had no idea if she liked me or not.

She smiled slightly. “I guess so. Whatever’s waiting for me in space is a heck of a lot better than what I’m leaving behind. I’m from one of the Districts.”

I tried to keep the look of shock off my face. “Oh.” I usually had plenty to say, but I found myself at a loss for words after her confession.

The Districts were some of the poorest places on Earth. People lived their lives stuffed into ancient, crumbling tenements. They didn’t have transporter facilities or necessary appliances like fabricators. Most of the inhabitants never made it into universities or found jobs. The government gave them just enough to keep them under control. Sustenance rations and virtual reality headsets prevented revolution.

How had she managed to get into the trials? I didn’t think my mother would accept anyone from the Districts. I realized I was staring at her and hadn’t spoken. I tried to think of something, but I was at a loss for words.

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.” I had the feeling she was trying to make me feel better about my prejudices. “Most people react the same way.”

“How did you manage to make it onto this ship?”

“I got a scholarship out of my District, and I trained as a mechanic. I couldn’t get a job. They sent me back after I finished my training.” Her eyes flashed. “You don’t want to know how I got into the trials. Your mother discovered my secret, but she gave me a chance and told me not to blow it.”

Well, that sounded exactly like Mom. Elle glanced at Ayrie’s back. He was ahead of us and laughing with Arnon about something. I still couldn’t believe how happy they were to be in each other’s company. I had never seen brothers who were such good friends.

She looked back at me questioningly.

“You won’t blow it.” I felt like I was her older sister and I should encourage her.

“You have more faith than I do. What makes you so sure? I think I’ve already screwed up.”

“That’s impossible.”

“You’d be surprised. What if I’ve married someone without being in love with them?”

I knew her problem already, but I didn’t think she would reveal it to a stranger so soon. I remembered that my father was worried I would find myself in a loveless marriage. For the first time, I had an inkling of his concern. I reached out to take her hand, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how. I couldn’t imagine a marriage to Arnon without love.

“I’m sorry. I’m being a downer.” Elle pulled her hand away from me. “People always tell me that I’m a wet blanket.”

“You’re not a wet blanket, and you don’t have to be sorry. You can always talk to me.”

“Oh, are you the ship’s counselor, too?” She sounded bitter. “Are you going to fix me?”

“No. You’ll have to fix yourself. We’re going to be stuck on this ship together for a long time. We’re related now, sister-in-law. I thought we might become friends.”

“Don’t count on it. I’m nobody’s project.”

I frowned, completely taken aback by her attitude. “Well, okay, then.” I didn’t like to think of myself as the type of person to storm off angrily, but I wished there was a door around me so I could slam it. I rushed until I caught up with Arnon and the rest of his family. He smiled when he saw me and pulled me into his arms. I inhaled his scent and felt better as soon as he touched me.

I had forgotten about Elle until I looked back and saw a defeated look on her face. Her expression cut through my anger. She walked behind us with arms crossed over her chest and eyes downcast. She was completely alone.

As Arnon led me around a curve of the long hallway, I heard a loud thump behind me. We turned to see what it was and my heart jumped in my chest.

Elle lay motionless on the floor.