The Ninth Orb (5 page)

“But some of the domiciles have better views--some of the colonists want different neighbors.”

Eden sighed irritably. “I’m not crazy about being next door to you, but do you see me complaining!”

Liz was taken aback until she noticed the gleam of humor in Eden’s eyes. “Funny! You know what I mean.”

“I’m thinking they need to get laid,” Deb put in her two cents worth.

Eden gaped at the woman. “You’re joking, right?”

Deb glanced around at the other sectors leaders. “I’m not, and I’m not saying anything that hasn’t crossed anybody else’s mind. It’s the males over there. Everyone knows they’re there. If they weren’t maybe nobody would’ve thought about the fact that we haven’t been near a man in fifteen years and we’re unlikely ever to see one until the first crop of babies reach adulthood--another twenty years at least.

“But their being there changes everything. Now everybody’s acutely conscious of the lack of companionship.”

After examining the expressions of the other women assessingly for several moments, Eden returned her attention to Deborah. “So, what are you suggesting?”

Deb’s jaw dropped in dismay. “I’m not suggesting anything! Cripe! We don’t know anything about them. I’m just pointing out that we are all affected by their presence and that’s probably got more to do with putting everyone on edge than anything else. And it isn’t going to resolve itself. And it isn’t going to go away, not unless they do--Or unless we discover that we really don’t want to get to know them for some reason.”

“Their being alien isn’t reason enough? Their strange society doesn’t seem unnerving enough to be a turn off? They look alien! It’s not like they could pass for human.”

Stacy frowned at her folded hands. “They’re close enough in my book--assuming, of course, that the plumbing’s close.”

Eden couldn’t help it, the comment provoked a snicker. She thought it was more hysteria than humor, but it was out before she could stop it. “This is--this isn’t an appropriate council topic,” she managed finally.

“Why not?” Liz demanded. “It pertains to the health and well being of the entire colony.”

“Et tu, brute!” Eden snapped. “We don’t need men. We have everything we need to build this colony and produce future generations.”

“Speak for yourself! Ok, so maybe I don’t need, but I still want, damn it!” Joy snapped, shoving her chair out and jumping to her feet to pace around the room agitatedly. “If we’re going to be living this close it seems stupid to keep our distance.”

“The safety of the colony could be jeopardized! And, if you’re talking companionship here, it’s my opinion you’re barking up the wrong tree. I hardly got five words out of the talkative one!” Eden snapped.

Lynn shrugged. “My last companion spent most of his time on the couch watching the vid. It irritated the piss out of me, but I have to say that right now I’d settle for a ‘presence’. I could talk at one anyway and it would beat the hell out of talking to myself.”

Eden studied the faces of each of the council women carefully. “Is this something the council has been discussing that I haven’t been privy to?” she asked finally.

“Nobody’s discussed it, Eden!” Liz said quickly. “I didn’t realize they were even thinking along these lines before, and I’m sure none of them did, but I’m not going to say it hadn’t occurred to me that it might be something to consider.”

Eden frowned thoughtfully and finally shrugged. “I’m not going to veto the suggestion--or support it. We need to know more about them before we make any sort of decision. Liz, this is really your area of expertise. You’ll need to do some studies. Maybe we could invite a small group for some sort of celebration so that we could observe them a little better?”

The suggestion was met with enthusiasm. “Thanksgiving? That’s seems appropriate considering we made the journey in one piece and we’ve got the colony started,” Lynn said.

“We should at least wait on any kind of celebration until we’ve finished offloading the ship,” Eden pointed out.

“Two weeks?”

“We’ll be done in two weeks?” Eden asked in surprise.

“Less once the others get wind of what we’ve planned,” Deb retorted with amusement.

“I’m not certain we should make any kind of announcement until we know if the aliens will consent to be our guests.”

“I’m willing to go out and talk with them,” Liz volunteered immediately.

Reluctantly, Eden vetoed that. “In the scheme of things, you’re a lot more necessary to this enterprise than I am. If it’s your considered opinion as section leaders that the majority wants us to attempt relations with the alien outpost, then I will go and speak for us. If they agree to send representatives to celebrate with us, it’ll give us a chance to observe them more closely and make a more educated decision.

“This isn’t going to be easy, whatever you seem to think. Their society is very different from ours. The more we interact with them before we understand their customs, the greater the risk that we’ll offend them and end up causing problems we don’t want.”

A brisk tap on the door panel interrupted the meeting. Surprised, Eden summoned the visitor, but a touch of alarm went through her when Major Sterling strode purposefully into the room. “That big fellow you spoke to, the one that called himself Baen, is outside.”

Eden blinked in stunned surprise, trying to ignore the uncomfortable jerk her heart executed at the name. “Here? In the municipal building?”

Ivy’s lips flattened. “I wasn’t about to invite him in. He’s just beyond the outer force field. He stopped before he hit it,” she added grimly. “They’ve been here examining the colony, however disinterested they pretend to be, or he wouldn’t have known where it was.”

Eden found her thoughts in complete disorder. Pushing her chair back, she rose with as much composure as she could muster. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“To speak to our queen, Eden.”

Eden’s jaw dropped several notches. She glanced at the other council members self-consciously. “I didn’t say that. I give you my word!”

“She didn’t,” Liz confirmed, frowning. “They don’t understand our societal structure anymore than we do theirs. He’s trying to extrapolate known to unknown, that’s all.”

“I’ll go see what he wants. This may be a good time to extend the invitation--or maybe not.”

He’d come alone. Eden saw that the moment she reached the defensive corridor at the city gates. As invisible to the naked eye as the other fields that protected the city, this was marked by flagstones and arches that allowed a dead zone to be created for passage through the fields.

It was a little unnerving to see that he’d taken up a stance at the other end, as if he knew exactly what it was and the position of it.

Dismissing the anxiety, Eden stiffened her shoulders and marched toward him without any appearance, she hoped, of the nerves plaguing her. It wasn’t until she was face to face with him and she saw his gaze flicker over her curiously that she realized she was the next thing to naked having discarded her attire and returned to old habits as soon as she’d returned from the first meeting. Abruptly excruciatingly self-conscious over the fact that she’d greeted him in t-shirt and briefs, Eden folded her arms over her chest and looked down her nose at him--a difficult feat considering he was more than a head taller than she was.

“You wanted to speak?”

He stared at her blankly.

“You aren’t wearing your translator,” Ivy, who’d accompanied her, pointed out in a low voice.

“Shit! Give me yours.”

Rolling her eyes, Ivy removed the headset and handed it over. Eden felt her face grow redder and redder as she fumbled to get the translator situated. “What is your purpose in requesting to speak with me?” she asked finally.

“My queen wishes to speak with you.”

Surprise went through Eden. She glanced at Ivy uneasily.

“What did he say?”

Covering the mouthpiece, Eden repeated the message.

Ivy looked him over suspiciously. “He said they didn’t have any queens.”

“Maybe we misunderstood?”

“I don’t think so.”

Eden frowned. “Maybe I didn’t hear him correctly, then.” She turned, giving him an assessing glance. “You said you had no queen.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “Not my own. Mother queen.”

“Ok, now I’m really confused. She’s there?” Eden added, pointing across the valley.

He looked frustrated. “On home world, Xtania.”

Excitement went through Eden. She covered the mouthpiece again. “He’s talking about a home world. We were right. They’re colonists, not natives.”

Ivy’s head jerked upward abruptly, as if she could see the U.S.S. Plymouth from where she stood. Stepping away, she touched her communication device. “Lt. Carter?”

“Major?”

Ivy’s shoulders seemed to slump with relief. “Any boggies in sight?”

“Bogies?” Carter repeated incredulously. “It’s quiet. We haven’t seen anything.”

“Consider this a heads up, then. The aliens have interplanetary capabilities. Keep your eyes open. Put the ship on alert.”

Baen had watched the exchange between Ivy and the ship. He turned to Eden again, pointing at the communicator on Ivy’s wrist. “Speak that way.”

“Fucking useless translators,” Eden muttered, glancing at Ivy. “He can’t understand half of what I’m saying--or vice versa. I’m going with him to attempt it anyway. Tell the techs to work on this damned thing.”

“You’re not serious!” Ivy demanded incredulously. “Into the installation? If they mean you any harm ….”

“If they meant harm, we would’ve had a taste of it already. I asked to speak to the leader. Obviously, he’s gone to great effort to give me the chance to do so and I’ve no intention of missing the opportunity to get a better perspective of this situation.” She looked Baen over speculatively. “If I’m not back in a few hours, Liz is in charge until an election can be held.”

“You’re just going to walk right in to that place like a lamb to the slaughter?”

“I hope to hell not. If I thought that, I wouldn’t consider it.”

“You’re a lot ballsier than I would’ve given you credit for.”

“If I was a spineless twit, I’d still be on Earth,” Eden retorted. She turned to Baen again. “Wait here. I’ll return in a few minutes and go with you.”

After giving the alien a speculative once over, Ivy turned and followed Eden. “I should go with you.”

Eden shook her head. “You wouldn’t be able to do either one of us much good considering the odds, and you’re needed here--will be very important if this is a trick.”

Ivy frowned, but she didn’t argue the point. “Returning for a weapon?” she asked after a moment.

“Clothes,” Eden said tartly.

Ivy burst out laughing. “I didn’t even notice.”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t either,” Eden said wryly, “otherwise I would’ve dressed first.” She thought it over and frowned. “Is it just me, or did he not look impressed?”

* * * *

Baen watched the alien queen and her soldier until they disappeared once more, mesmerized by the sway of their hips as they walked. They were as different as night from day, almost literally, and yet except for the coloring he could see little difference between them in physical characteristics beyond their individuality. They had said they were all from the same world, also, which further supported the assumption that they were of the same meznook.

It seemed odd that they came in so many colors, almost as odd as the fact that all were female, but perhaps the colors denoted their stations since they were all the same otherwise--he had seen none with either wings or horns.

The entire kzatha had been horrendously disappointed when they realized the aliens were one sex and needed no males.

For his part, he thought it was just as well. From what he’d seen they were fragile creatures. They would have produced poor offspring even if they had been suitable in other ways. Better to do without than breed an inferior colony.

Inwardly, he sighed his own disappointment, trying to ignore the moisture beading his skin and trickling down his back from the heat of the life star as he stood waiting for the queen of queens to return.

He was almost sorry now that he’d petitioned mother queen for an audience. He hadn’t felt comfortable ignoring the request of a queen, though, even an alien one.

Regardless, he had a very bad feeling about this. The mother queen had been disturbed by the news. They had believed this world unoccupied and now feared they had offended. It seemed likely the kzatha would be expected to make restitution or find another place for themselves. Neither possibility was particularly appealing.

Anger and frustration flickered through him briefly, but he sought atha and disposed of the unacceptable emotions. There was no choice, really. The queens would decide. They always did and even if he were not kzatha, that would be no different.

Chapter Five

Surprise flickered through Baen when the queen of queens returned, and then anxiety. She had covered herself. She had noticed that he had looked and it was obvious that that was as forbidden among her kind as it was his own. He didn’t know what had come over him--except that he had been so long away from Xtania and the meznook that he had forgotten his manners.

A coldness swept through him when he realized the potential magnitude of his transgression. It didn’t help his feelings at all that she had said nothing--yet.

He knelt at once, bowing his head. The skin along the back of his neck prickled as if he could already feel the pinchers. “Most humble apologies.”

“What?” Eden asked blankly.

“I should guard my eyes.”

The comment confused her more, not less. “Uh--I guess so,” she responded doubtfully.

“Will you require restitution?”

Eden stared down at the soldier, completely at a loss. Finally, realizing that he was waiting anxiously for a response, she managed a faintly apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Surprised, he glanced up at her, his own expression confused. “I am allowed to look upon you?”

Eden felt her face redden. “Our customs obviously differ a great deal, and the translator is only a little helpful. We will share knowledge and learn each other’s customs, yes?”