Voices woke me the following morning. Loud voices.
“Echo,” an annoyed woman’s voice clipped. “You’re going to wake her up!”
“How the hell am I supposed to be quiet, Envi?” a second woman’s voice quipped. “They just put our beds in here and told us to be nice to her and that it was ‘shipmaster’s orders’. Whatever that means.”
“It means they were the shipmaster’s orders. Duh.” The first voice snickered.
I opened my eyes and instantly sat upright. I stared at the two human women who were busy putting clean linen on their beds. Single beds that were only a few feet or so away from mine. They weren’t here when I fell asleep last night, so I had no idea how they were brought in without waking me up.
That pissed me off because my instincts were normally much better than that. It took a lot for something to get passed me, but these women somehow managed to move into my room without disrupting me from my sleep at all. That disturbed me greatly.
I watched the two women with caution and decided if they attacked me that I could take them both on. They were skinnier than I was, which meant they were more malnourished. They were a bit taller than I was and had the advantage of backup, but if they backed me into a corner and left me no choice, I’d fight for my life. The last time that happened to me, I killed a person. The vision of my arrow piercing the watchman’s eye socket replayed in my mind.
I shook my head clear and looked for something I could as a weapon, but I saw nothing on my side of the room. Both women were silently struggling with their bed linen, so I quietly slipped from my bed and stood, facing them.
“Hello,” I said, my voice gruff.
The woman with the waist-length black hair yelped and spun around to face me. The woman with shoulder-length dirty blond hair mimicked her actions but held up her hands in an awkward defensive stance. Both women had scars on their faces and some down the length of their arms. They both had sullen grey eyes, button noses, and round faces. They were related, that much was obvious. If I had to guess, I’d say they were sisters.
“You scared the shit out of us,” the black-haired woman said and placed her hand on her chest.
“Sorry,” I said, though I didn’t exactly mean it.
Silence stretched between us until I said, “So, um, what’re you both doing in here?”
The black-haired woman got defensive; I could tell by her change in demeanour and the narrowing of her eyes.
“What do you care?” she asked, her tone clipped.
I raised a brow. “Kol said this was my room.”
“Which Maji is that?” Blondie asked, her tone much softer.
“The shipmaster,” I said, keeping my eyes on Blackie.
She seemed to be the more threatening of the two.
“You met the shipmaster?” Blackie asked followed by Blondie saying, “And you’re allowed call him Kol?”
I shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m sure it is.” Blackie blinked.
I narrowed my eyes. “Are we going to have a problem?”
She stepped forward. “I don’t know, are we?”
“Try me, and you’ll see,” I challenged.
Blondie moved to Blackie’s side and took hold of her hand.
“We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” she said, squeezing Blackie’s hand. “I’m Envi, and this is my sister Echo. We’re twins. Not identical… obviously. We were brought here by a Maji fellow, and he told us this was our new quarters. We didn’t ask to be moved here. I promise.”
I believed her. She wore her emotions on her face for all to see. Her dark-haired sister, on the other hand, didn’t.
“I’m Nova,” I said, nodding towards her. “I apologise for the lack of welcome, but if I’m honest, I don’t trust anyone on this craft. Maji and humans… both original and augmented.”
Both women gasped.
“They’ve augs aboard?” Echo spat.
It seemed that we had something in common as they clearly shared my distaste for the augmented.
“Unfortunately,” I grumbled. “Last I heard, there were sixty-eight of them aboard. I tried to escape when I found out, but I was drugged and then brought here.”
Both sisters widened their eyes.
“The Maji said they’d keep us safe,” Envi said, her eyes welling up with tears. “It was in the terms of our rescue.”
“I was assured that I was kept on board for my own safety,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Something along the lines of the Earth imploding soon.”
Envi began to cry.
Echo glared at me. “Don’t say shit like that offhandedly; this is serious.”
“I’m aware it’s serious,” I replied.
“You don’t sound like you’re taking it seriously,” she snapped.
She pulled her crying sister towards the door that automatically opened.
“Where are you going?” I asked, curious.
“If there are augs aboard, we’re getting as far as away from this craft, and the Maji, as possible.”
The doors closed, and they were gone.
“Good luck,” I said to the empty room.
It didn’t take long for Kol to make an appearance. Not long after the sisters left my room, he showed up. I made sure I kept my attention on my non-existent fingernails. I heard the door opening followed by heavy booted footsteps as I sat on my bed with my back pressed against the wall. I swallowed and cleared my throat to keep my ‘tough girl’ act intact.
“Ten minutes,” his voice rumbled. “That’s all it took for you to run not one but two females out of your quarters.”
As expected, he was pissed.
“I wasn’t informed that I would be sharing my quarters, so you can imagine my surprise when I wake up to two strangers in my presence. The last time I was around more than one human, I was almost killed. Sorry if my lack of social skills has caused problems for you, prince.”
“Nova.” He sighed. “You cannot remain hidden; you need interaction with other humans.”
I jerked my gaze to his.
“You don’t know what’s best for me so stop pretending like you do.”
Kol’s eyes darkened. Literally. The almost neon violet turned to a dark shade of lavender, and it freaked me out.
“Keeping you alive is what’s best for you, and I’m doing that, so give me a little credit, human.”
I turned my back to him. “Leave me alone, Maji.”
“No,” he replied. “You’re my charge while you’re on my craft.”
“So are however many other humans you roped into getting onto this stupid craft.”
“My spacecraft is not stupid.”
I laughed at his very male response and shook my head.
“You and your spacecraft are stupid.”
Kol remained mute, and after twenty seconds of the stretched silence, I thought he had left the room. Until I felt fingertips brush over my neck. Goosebumps broke out over my skin, and I fought a groan that desperately wanted to break free. My reaction to him both embarrassed me and scared me to death.
“Why’re you sad, Nova?”
He continued to slide his fingertips over my neck, and it distracted me. I moved my head, stretching my neck to give him better access, and I heard his soft chuckle.
“Stop touching me,” I said, not really meaning my words.
Kol chuckled again, but he did as I asked.
“You’ll be happy to know that the human females, Echo and Envi, will remain aboard the Ebony.”
I snorted. “Did you have them drugged, too?”
“No,” Kol replied curtly. “We explained away their worries, and they’re happy to remain with us.”
How did he explain away the worry humans had for the augmented?
“I’m not happy, so why aren’t you letting me go?”
After a pregnant pause, he said, “Because you’re an enigma to me, Nova.”
“So that grants you permission to hold me captive?” I asked, hating that my voice was thick with emotion.
“I’m protecting you,” he angrily replied. “Thanas only knows why because you’re more trouble than you seem to be worth!”
I didn’t respond.
“Look”—he exhaled—“why must you continue to fight me?”
“Because I can’t just allow you to take me without a fight,” I replied. “It’s not who I am.”
It’s not who I was raised to be.
“I don’t want you to be anyone other than yourself, but you must realise that if you stay on Earth, then you’re going to die over the next few days.”
My palms got sticky with sweat.
“Do you want to die, Nova?”
I was a survivalist, and that meant I’d do just about anything to keep my life.
“No,” I said, quietly.
“Then stop fighting this. Fighting me.”
I couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say, so I remained quiet.
“Echo and Envi will be returning to share your quarters with you,” Kol continued. “We have many females aboard, more than expected, and housing will be a problem if there is no sharing.”
Again, I remained silent.
“The sisters will not harm you; though, they are worried you will harm them.”
At that, I snorted.
“You won’t hurt them, right?”
“I won’t have anything to do with them.”
Kol sighed but didn’t press the subject further.
“I have someone whom I would like you to meet.”
I heard the door opening, Kol saying something softly to another person, then the sound of the door closing once more.
“Nova, this is Adus,” he said from behind me. “She cannot understand you nor you her, so I will translate your meeting.”
I turned to face Kol and this Adus person, and when I did, I nearly died.
Oh, my Almighty.
I stared at the alien female, and she stared right back at me. She was not Maji. Not even close. When she blinked her gigantic lone eye, I found myself widening both of mine. She really had one eye, and it was huge, and where there should be white there was pink, and it was just… “So weird looking.”
“Nova,” Kol grumbled.
I switched my gaze to him. “What?”
“You spoke your thoughts and were, as you humans like to say, rude.”
I blinked and looked at the alien female who was still openly staring at me, her gaze rolling over me like a cool breeze. She whistled and kept on whistling, the tone of each whistle changing as the seconds ticked by. She didn’t even take a break to inhale, and it freaked me out until Kol snickered and said, “She is kind of funny looking. I agree.”
I frowned at him then changed my expression to an angry glare when I realised that the alien female had called me funny looking. Her whistling wasn’t just a sound—it was her language. She spoke to Kol again; the whistling sound was higher pitched a second before she burst into laughter. Kol laughed too, and it bugged me.
“You’re talking to her in English.”
Kol shook his head. “Your translator is programmed to me, and as the shipmaster, you will hear whatever I say, in any language, in your own words.”
I raised a brow. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you want humans to be able to understand you at all times?”
“To gain your trust.” He shrugged. “If we spoke in front of your people in another language, it wouldn’t be a sign of respect or trust from us to you, and we do not want that. We want—”
“Our wombs.”
“Harmony,” Kol finished as if I didn’t speak.
“Well, what is she saying?” I asked, my annoyance evident.
“She said”—he chuckled—“that you remind her of a homely species on her home world. They have two eyes and are small with brown hair like you. All they do is eat, mate, and sleep. She asked if humans were a relation.”
“You little bitch!” I bellowed at the alien.
She blinked her eye and looked at Kol. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and it seemed to relax her. He turned his attention to me and narrowed his eyes to slit.
“Easy,” he said.
“Don’t ‘easy’ me,” I snapped at him. “She just called me ugly!”
He shook his head. “She said it in jest.”
“Yeah, well, she is ugly to me!” I countered. “Her and her huge pink eye, which, by the way, is a sign of an infection on Earth!”
Kol laughed, and to the alien, he said, “She said you’re very beautiful, and it angers her not to resemble a beauty such as yourself.”
The alien’s cheeks flushed a dark green colour. She then giggled as she said something to me before bowing her head to Kol and leaving the room with a spring in her step.
“You’re an asshole,” I growled to Kol. “Why did you tell her that lie?”
“Because,” he said, “she is a princess.”
I continued to glare at him, and he rolled his violet eyes.
“I mean that literally,” he continued. “In the past one hundred years, your species has vacated the title of the largest populated species. You were a ten billion strong race, and Adus’s species, Vaneer, was the second largest in the cosmos with six billion, but now they’re the largest and to insult the only heir to their throne is not a war my people are willing to fight. Besides, she is beautiful. Just because she isn’t the beauty you’re used to does not mean she is not beautiful. I told her the same thing about you, and she agreed.”
I hated that he was right. I also hated that my heart pounded at the mention of him thinking I was beautiful.
“Yeah, I guess,” I mumbled and looked down at my feet.
I practically felt Kol’s smile, and it bugged me.
“Why’re they here?” I asked. “On Earth?”
“They’re passing through on a mission of their own and want to extract some resources from the Earth before it dies. They’re leaving momentarily. Adus just wanted to meet a human in case you all die, and I figured you’d be perfect.”
Perfect to annoy.
“What’d she say?” I quizzed. “You know, before she left?”
“She said she likes humans and is going to talk to her father about keeping you even if you’re ugly.”
Horror slammed into me, and I’m sure my expression conveyed it perfectly. I felt like I would be sick until Kol suddenly burst into laughter. I forgot about my near panic attack and focused on him.
“You should have seen your face.” He laughed and slapped his knee.
I felt my eye twitch in anger.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Adus said thank you for your compliment, and she wished you a happy life before she left. I was playing a game. I wanted to see what your reaction would be.”
“You think that’s funny?” I asked, my voice hollow. “You think it’s funny to scare me like that when I’ve already been kidnapped?”
Kol dropped his smile, and for a moment, I thought I saw regret on his face.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.
“Well, you did.”
“I apologise.”
“I don’t accept it.”
“I don’t care.” He shrugged. “I mean my apology, and if you don’t accept it, that’s your issue. Not mine.”
Anger swirled within me.
“Why humans?” I suddenly demanded to know. “Why us? It is because we’re compatible, or was that a lie too?”
Kol’s set his square jaw, and he stared me down.
“That was the truth,” he said. “So far we have managed to rescue two thousand seven hundred and ninety-three healthy human women—”
“What?” I gasped. “You really have only chosen to save women?”
“Maji males outnumber our females ten to one. We needed more females, not males.”
My stomach churned as I digested the information.
“This displeases you,” Kol commented. “Do you think us heartless?”
I nodded before I could help myself.
“I am sorry you feel that way, but we need females to ensure Maji survival, not males.”
“What about human survival?” I demanded. “What about my people?”
Kol sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose like I was an annoyance.
“It ensures your survival, too. The offspring will be half Maji and half human.”
That’s not good enough.
“Bullshit. You said your genes would probably be more dominant so the babies would be more Maji.”
Kol shrugged, not bothering to reply.
“I can’t believe this,” I said more to myself. “I knew this would happen; I knew you Maji would be like everyone else. Just out for yourselves.”
“Stop this, Nova,” Kol angrily demanded. “Earth is going to implode. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. We saved your human women, and—”
“You only ‘saved’ us because we serve a purpose.” I cut Kol off, my rage matching his.
“You’re impossible to converse with,” he stated as he stood and began to pace back and forth like a caged animal. “We’re bringing you to Ealra, a new healthy planet, and we chose females to ensure your species’ survival, but you’re still unhappy? This is definitely a female trait. Maji females are terribly difficult and stubborn at times and seeing it in human females proves it is a flaw possibly in every race.”
I threw my hand sup in the air. “Almighty forbid I disagree with you.”
“There is disagreeing, and then there is being difficult. You’re the latter.”
“Tough shit. I’m not going to change just because you don’t like it.”
“You will,” Kol growled. “On Ealra, your sharp tongue will not be tolerated. I’ve allowed leeway with you and your fellow females because this is a traumatic event, knowing your world will soon die, but—”
“The traumatic event is being kidnapped by aliens.”
Kol snarled at me, and it frightened me to death. I sucked in a breath and remained still.
“Change your attitude,” he warned. “I will not be dealing with you any further if this is your behaviour. You will be rationed on food and confined to the group human holding for the rest of the journey to Ealra if you continue this… defiance.”
Panic surged inside me, and so did a fresh wave of anger. He was using my fear of humans against me, and it both terrified me and pissed me off.
“You’re horrible.”
“I can be worse.” Kol devilishly grinned. “Please, make me show you just how horrible I can be.”
My pulse spiked, and my natural sassy response died on the tip of my tongue. This piece of shit knew exactly how to play me, and if I wanted the quarters he gave to me, then I had better keep my mouth shut and do what he says… at least until I figured out an escape plan.
“That won’t be necessary,” I assured him. “I’ll… behave.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” Kol smirked
“You’re infuriating! The second I give in, you throw your stupid quips back in my face. You’re driving me barking mad!”
“Me?” he spluttered. “I am infuriating? Me?”
“Yes, you!”
“Thanas!” He laughed. “You are barking mad.”
“Don’t turn my words—”
“There is no pleasing you,” Kol cut me off with an angry shake of his head. “Maji offer you a haven and a loophole to ensure your species survives longer than your home world, and you’re not happy in the slightest. Humans… you’re ungrateful.”
Before I could defend myself, and my people, Kol left the room. The door shut behind him but quickly reopened and revealed Echo… who was glaring at me.
“Hi,” I said, surprised to see her so soon. “Where is your sister?”
“Envi is with the lady healer getting her leg healed. She hurt it when we tried to escape.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“You can be a real bitch; do you know that?”
I felt my jaw drop at Echo’s declaration.
“What’d I do?” I asked, confused.
“You lumped us in the same boat as you.”
I stared at her.
“I overheard your argument with the shipmaster,” she continued, “and I’m pissed at you.”
“Why?” I asked, shocked.
“Because you’re sabotaging our women,” Echo stated. “Where do you get off fighting against a species who wants to save their people and ours? Earth has been a lost cause for years. Even if it wasn’t dying, it hasn’t been considered safe since long before the war, especially for women. We were treated like slaves by our own people. Humans have attacked me and my sister, beat us, and treated us lesser than animals our entire lives. No other species has done that but our own, and you have the nerve to argue against the Maji for saving us from a hopeless fate? What the hell is wrong with you? I’m very grateful for them. Why they want us doesn’t matter because their reasons ensure we have a future. You’re bitching about someone saving your life and your species and giving us a future. You’re fucking stupid.”
My heart thrummed inside my chest, my abdomen churned, and my palms were itchy with sweat. Echo angrily shook her head as she turned away from me. She climbed into her bed and pulled her blanket over her body.
“And if you scare my sister,” she said as she adjusted her blanket, “like you did earlier, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
I believed her, but I didn’t fear her.
“I’m not scared of you, Echo.”
“Upset my sister again, and you will be.”
I said nothing further, and neither did Echo, which suited me fine. I got back into my bed, and I kept my back to the wall so I would be facing Echo, and Envi, when she returned, at all times. I didn’t believe they would attack me, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. An hour or so passed by before Echo moved, showing she had awoken from her slumber. She turned in her bed to face me, and when she saw I was looking at her, she stared right back at me. For a few moments, neither of spoke until Echo broke the silence.
“You’re going to have to be nicer to the Maji,” she said, her voice husky with sleep. “They’ll probably leave you here if you don’t. They have hundreds of willing women aboard, if not thousands, and they’ll dump you for one of them.”
Fear gripped me.
“Kol wouldn’t allow that,” I said, hoping my doubt didn’t reveal itself in my tone.
“From what I heard earlier, and how pissed he looked leaving this room, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
She got up from her bed, adjusted her clothing, and left the room without a backwards glance my way. Her words replayed in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more worried I became. I hated how I came to be on the Ebony, and though I hadn’t shown it, I felt lucky I was aboard the spacecraft, instead of just looking at it from an outsider’s perspective. I thought of my conversations with Kol, Surkah, and even Mikoh, and I could only imagine the childish bitch they thought I was.
I didn’t want them to think that because, despite my behaviour, I wasn’t anything close to childish. The bitchy part was highly debatable, but I was a strong, mature—most of the time—adult female, and at that moment, I decided I had better start acting like it if I wanted not just a good future, but a future at all. I stood from my bed, adjusted my clothing, and left my room with the intention of mending my relationships with the Maji and doing what was expected of me. The first person on my list was the shipmaster.
I just hoped Kol hadn’t already washed his hands of me.