“Weird day,” Mandy said. “I think I’m happy to be alive, but I’m not sure.”

  “My queen, we should teach her how to address those at our stations,” Hichele proclaimed.

  “I’d be delighted to learn.”

  Mandy’s words drew the amused look of the queen and a spiteful look from Hichele.

  “You are beautiful,” Helen said. “I imagine even among your own kind?”

  “I was a model,” Mandy said. “Not a popular one or anything though.”

  Hichele was glaring at her. “My queen, I hope to have an heir in my womb already,” she said.

  “You will do your duty well,” Helen said, turning to her. “I look forward to the birth of your child.”

  Placated, Hichele smiled. Mandy slung on her cloak and yanked up her hood to hide the faces she wanted to make. She was sick of the woman already.

  She trailed the two around the station for half the day, lost in her thoughts about her dream and her bizarre interaction with Akkadi. She could definitely work that angle. Now calm and no longer feeling as spurned, she was able to see he had been more than interested in her. Whatever it was that pulled him away, it couldn’t be her. At least, she told herself this, unable to consider the idea that she’d fail and he’d never open the star gate.

  What happened if she couldn’t convince him?

  Panic made her tug the hood of her robe forward to make sure no one else could see her turmoil. She struggled to pay attention to the two she followed, caught up in her emotions instead.

  Her distraction earned her several more snide comments from Hichele and the switch whenever Helen left them alone. There were more meetings with strangers to introduce Hichele as the newest member of the family, a tour of the deck where the queen lived with the other older members of the Naki family, and a long discussion in the queen’s quarters between the two women. The events passed in a blur.

  Unable to hear anything anyway, Mandy moved from her position to the windows while the two spoke, still unable to digest what happened to her world. It was irreparable. She’d rather be dead ten thousand years than live to see what became of her home.

  She always felt guilty about not recycling enough. Staring at the dead planet, she doubted it would’ve made much of a difference anyway.

  Melancholy replaced her boredom. Mandy leaned against the window, aching to be home again. Even if that meant going back to her boyfriend, the one she was in the middle of breaking up with when ripped away from her world. Seeing him again and being unemployed suddenly didn’t seem so bad when faced with the monumental task of trying to convince someone like Akkadi to open a star gate to send her back. Which was worse? Her miserable life or being a bored slave in this one?

  “You are deep in thought.”

  Mandy turned. Helen stood a few feet away. Hichele was nowhere to be seen, meaning Mandy hadn’t bowed to acknowledge her farewell. She knew without a doubt this meant the switch the first time she saw Hichele again.

  “I miss my world,” Mandy said, frustrated. “My family, my life. Everything, I guess.”

  “Understandable. The servants said you didn’t return last night to their quarters,” Helen clasped her hands behind her back as her son did and moved to the window. “May I ask, which of the princelings took you as his consort?”

  Mandy flushed. “Akkadi. Sort of.”

  “Akkadi? He’s never touched a human before, according to the servants.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think he’s happy about it. He agreed then spent the night elsewhere.”

  “A man that disciplined wouldn’t have made an exception if there was not some persuasive reason.” Helen smiled and looked out the window. “My son fears the side of him that’s human. You likely touched something he’s trying hard to deny, and he’s figuring out what to do.”

  “What a mess this place is.” Mandy sighed then studied the smaller woman. “You are a human?”

  “I am,” came the reply. “It is one of the secrets of our family. The Naki kings all wed purebred humans. It’s how their bloodline remains safe from the disease.”

  Mandy stared at her.

  “It’s the only reason Nakis open the star gate. In the hopes of finding stray humans to take home with them.” The queen was amused. “The Naki rulers are more human than Naki after so many generations of breeding with our kind.”

  “You came through a star gate, too?”

  “I did.”

  “When are you from?” Mandy asked, intrigued.

  “1962. From the Bronx of all places,” the Naki-queen said. “I was on a plane to the West Coast during spring break when a weird storm overtook us.”

  “That’s what happened to me! Didn’t you try to go back?”

  “Of course, at first.” Helen’s pensive pause made Mandy antsy. “There’s no guarantee, though, where the wormhole will open in time. Akkadi’s grandmother was from the 1500s. My husband opened the star gate thrice for me, nearly bankrupting him in the process. It always opened in the wrong time. But, by the third try, I’d fallen in love with him. Even if it was the right time, I wouldn’t have gone back.”

  “Akkadi won’t even consider opening it for me!” Mandy snapped, even angrier with him.

  “We cannot afford to open it and fight a war now, though that might change, if Akkadi can shift the battles to his advantage. The amount of energy it requires is incredible, and Akkadi’s father has focused much of his resources on finding a cure to the disease,” Helen explained. “The currency here is energy. Shards. Everything is traded in energy increments. So to pay that much to open a star gate to send you home is not in the interest of the empire as a whole.”

  It made too much sense, but Mandy wasn’t able to accept the idea of spending her lifetime in such a time and place.

  “Hichele’s energy marbles could do it,” she insisted.

  “Allegedly,” Helen said. “They are being tested. Her family is known for its ability to manipulate its way to power. I don’t trust that they’ll work the way her father claims they will.”

  “You don’t approve of her marrying into the family,” Mandy guessed, assessing the cool note in the woman’s tone.

  “I respect the choices of my family. The Naki way is not to find happiness in marriage but someone you can tolerate long enough to produce an heir,” Helen replied. “But no, I don’t. I think inviting her into the family is a mistake.”

  “I don’t think I’d trust that woman with your secret of being human,” Mandy said. “It’s not my place, but she’s really off.”

  “The slaves say the same.” Helen’s mood dimmed. “After the ceremony, she’ll begin to learn all our secrets.”

  “That will not bode well for me, if I can’t get home,” Mandy snorted.

  “Oh? How so?”

  “Something about sending me to the earth mines in a few months and she keeps whacking me with the switch.” Mandy glanced down at her arms. She didn’t see the woman’s surprise. “Akkadi doesn’t seem to want me around either. I think I could go back to earth. Urik would probably protect me.”

  “Urik is the best of men,” Helen said warmly.

  “You’re American. How can you tolerate slavery anyway?” Mandy asked suddenly. “I mean, I was sold at an auction. The guy beside me didn’t get bought and was dropped into space.”

  The queen nodded, gaze returning to the planet. For a long moment, Mandy didn’t think she would answer.

  “You can’t change a culture and society overnight,” Helen said finally. “I’ve done a great deal. Had my husband outlaw the poor treatment of any of the servants, at least, among the imperial stations and personnel. We can’t control the planets. They’re much like the states in the US – still allowed to determine their own internal laws.” She shook her head. “I raised my kids right. In some ways, the Naki are more advanced with women’s rights among the aristocracy. I negotiate all the treaties for my husband and am his official standin. I can’t approve laws, but you can be damned sure I have a hand in drafting them. My daughter will be the next Naki ruler. She will further the human rights cause.”

  Mandy smiled at the firm words. “You ever miss home?”

  “Of course. I had a fiancé and four sisters. Every once in awhile, I think about them and wonder what happened. But, I have my own family here.”

  “How can you stand the Naki men?” Mandy complained.

  The Naki queen laughed. “They are humans pretending to be Naki. You just have to crack their shell.”

  “Akkadi has no shell. He’s just an ass. Even when we …” Mandy cleared her throat.

  “Go ahead. I’m well aware of what happens when one takes a consort,” was the entertained response.

  “That’s the problem. Nothing happened. He just walked out.”

  “Know that he is honorable but that he has been brainwashed in the way of the Naki. He’d rather deny the part of him that’s human. He simply doesn’t realize he can’t,” Helen said. “I think you can teach him that.”

  “I don’t think I want to. I want to go home.” Mandy met the woman’s gaze again.

  Helen appeared sympathetic but amused in a way that made Mandy wish she knew the woman better. The look made her uncomfortable, and she reminded herself that Helen had given up any hope of ever getting home long ago and appeared to accept the Naki tradition of breeding with humans. Helen didn’t understand what Mandy felt when she saw Akkadi: a one-way trip home. She didn’t intend to stick around long enough to teach Akkadi anything.

  “Can you show me some basics of how to behave around here, so Hichele stops hitting me with that damned crop?” she asked, needing to change the subject.

  “It would be my pleasure to show you the ways of the Naki.”

  “I don’t want to embarrass you.”

  “You will find we humans have many advantages here,” Helen said, eyes sparkling. “I negotiate all my husband’s treaties now, the result of what I’d call emotional maturity in a society that prefers to deny that emotions exist.”

  Mandy laughed. “So you can pull their strings easily!”

  “The disadvantage is controlling your temper and emotions in public. It requires more in the way of self-control.”

  “That I’ll need to learn.”

  “We’ve got some work to do on you.” Helen looked her over. “I haven’t been so happy in a long time. You’re the first human from our time I’ve spoken to.”

  “Make me Naki, my queen,” Mandy said, truly enjoying her time with the spirited woman. “How long did it take you to leave your Bronx accent?”

  “It still comes out when I’m angry. My husband has learned it’s a warning signal.”

  Mandy couldn’t see the woman before her with some cold Naki. At least, Helen didn’t seem like she could be happy, if she didn’t have a partner.

  “Come with me.” Helen led her through a panel into a closet filled with different color robes and sashes. Mandy touched a periwinkle sash hanging on one side, fascinated by the texture. She resisted the urge to ask about what the different sashes stood for.

  She wasn’t staying here. She didn’t need to know.

  “Nakis are conservative in their appearances,” Helen continued. “Hair is always up and neat, arms covered down to the wrists. The women, however, wear a form of makeup. Come, sit here.”

  Mandy obeyed and sat on a block in the middle of the closet. She accepted a white box measuring an inch square. Helen attacked her hair with a brush, working through the curls before she wrapped it into a tight bun. Mandy worked the box open, recognizing earthy colored makeup.

  “The Naki women try to make themselves look more human,” Helen explained. “It’s an honor to be mistaken for a human among their kind, because their kings have always looked human for reasons you and I already know.”

  “Cuz they are human,” said Mandy. She manipulated the box until she reached the colors she’d seen initially. There were nine compartments in the tiny makeup case. Helen handed her a mirror and sat across from her on another block.

  Mandy looked at herself, surprised to see the queen was right: she was glowing. She needed no blush on her pink cheeks, and her lips were still rough and swollen from Akkadi’s passion, however fleeting it was.

  She studied herself. She was still beautiful. How on earth did Akkadi turn her down?

  She applied the makeup lightly, feeling some comfort in the familiar routine.

  “Last thing,” Helen said and rose. She opened one of the blocks to reveal more clothing. “The robe of a royal slave. There are many variations, and the styles are reflective of local cultures. However, if you intend to seduce a Naki-prince into doing something for you, you’ll wear this one.”

  “My god, I sound like a complete jerk,” Mandy exclaimed, looking for any sign Akkadi’s mother was offended.

  The small woman was smiling again, her eyes twinkling in a way that made Mandy think Akkadi wasn’t the only one at risk of being manipulated. She accepted the clothing Helen dug out for her and waited until she was alone in the closet to change.

  Mandy pulled on the new clothing and looked down at herself, impressed. She wore a black uniform that fit as snugly as a cat suit – and she looked damned good. She’d worn something like this in a photo shoot once for a Halloween flyer. The uniform was comfortable at least.

  She struggled with the closure. The suit was open from her neck to her lower belly. A seam ran along one side, as if there was supposed to be a zipper. She pulled the two edges together the noticed they stayed where her fingers were. She ran her hand down the front, satisfied that her body heat zipped it for her.

  “You sure you want me to wear this?” she called in a rare moment of self-consciousness. She could almost see everyone but Akkadi looking at her.

  “Yes. That’s an order,” was the amused response. “You’re a model. Pretend like everywhere you go is a catwalk. If Akkadi won’t do what you want, I can guarantee some other princeling on this station will.”

  Akkadi is the only one who has something I want. Mandy kept this to herself, feeling again as if she wasn’t certain how much to trust the mother of the man she was trying – and failing – to find a way to manipulate.

  “Come out. Let’s teach you to bow.”

  Mandy obeyed. Helen circled her, critically taking her in.

  “Your hair is beautiful down, but sometimes, it’s best to save that for the boudoir,” she said. “Very good. Keep the makeup with you. I’ll send your sizes to the tailors so they make you a few more sets of clothing.”

  “I look like a Space Barbie,” Mandy observed.

  Helen laughed.

  “I won’t be here long enough to need more clothing, so don’t bother,” Mandy added stubbornly.

  “This is what many of the slaves use to carry small things with them.” Helen ignored her and held out a black sash. “Black is for the serving class. I am sorry. It’s not the way we were brought up as Americans.”

  “I’ll do what I can to make this easier for us all,” Mandy said. She looped the sash across her chest and fumbled with it, looking for pockets.

  “You take something and tuck it into a fold like this. The sash acts much like the boxes for storage.” The queen placed the makeup box in the sash and twisted it. The box disappeared. “When you want to retrieve it, simply twist and shake.”

  “Incredible,” Mandy said. “I could carry all kinds of stuff. This would be the best purse ever.”

  The queen laughed, an open, infectious sound that made Mandy smile.

  “Now, onto some basic protocol: addresses and curtseys.” She tilted her head to the side suddenly.

  Mandy thought she heard the whisper of the guard.

  “Stand to the side,” Helen instructed. “One of my nephews comes to visit me. Their mother died young, so I treat them all like my sons. I’ve got to see how well I’ve done with you.”

  Mandy snorted and stood against one of the solid walls, once again uncertain why Helen wanted to help her when Mandy made it clear she intended to use Akkadi to leave. Helen seated herself, a mask of serenity crossing her features.

  It wasn’t Akkadi who entered but a man with similar enough features that Mandy looked twice. Same deep blue eyes and chiseled features, though this man had black hair. His glance went from his mother to Mandy and stuck as his gaze swept over her.

  “Hello, son,” Helen said.

  He looked away from Mandy and bowed to the Naki queen before seating himself.

  “Hello, mother,” he greeted her. His gaze drifted to Mandy again, and she tried not to smile.

  “I see you’re taken by our newest addition,” Helen said casually. “Mandy is the pureblood human that came through the star gate when Akkadi opened it.”

  Mandy frowned. Akkadi claimed the wormhole was accidental. He’d said nothing about opening the star gate that brought her here, only that he had the power to but wouldn’t.

  “Pureblood,” the Naki-prince rose and crossed to Mandy. “The slaves spoke of her.”

  “She’s Akkadi’s consort for now, until he pawns her off to one of you,” Helen said with casualness. “Maybe you will be the Naki-prince fortunate enough to claim her, Vekko.”

  “He took a consort now?” the man turned. “Wasn’t the announcement –”

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  Mandy looked between them, trying to determine the reason behind Vekko’s puzzlement. She had to admit: if Akkadi didn’t want her, she wouldn’t mind ending up with Vekko. He had the same body and similar enough features. From what the slaves said, he wasn’t going to be as unwilling to sleep with her, either.

  He studied her.

  “She is,” Vekko said. “Wren said you had asked initially about becoming my consort?”

  After dealing with Hichele, Mandy wasn’t certain how exactly how to address him. At her hesitation, Helen motioned for her to speak.

  “Initially,” Mandy replied. “They said you just lost yours and were kind to your consorts.”

  “All my sons better be,” Helen said in a firm tone. “I raised them with an iron fist.”

  “You did, mother,” Vekko agreed. “A consort is not the proper position for a purebred. You should be in the clothing of a royal not a slave.” His eyes went down Mandy’s body, settling on her breasts. “I’ll speak to him at once. I know he prefers Nakis anyway.”

 

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