Eden: The Galatian Exchange book 6, page 4
Mayva looked up quickly. “With a little make-up and the right clothes, I’ll be the picture of health. Most Exalted, I am ready and willing to fulfill the duties of my position.”
Amalia nodded. “You won’t be needed to handle your duties with the Galatian Exchange—the preparations are already well underway.”
Mayva blanched, feeling her power slipping. She told herself it didn’t matter. She would regain her position within the Exchange. She would show them how invaluable she was.
“I have several speeches prepared-”
“And, of course, you will give them,” Amalia said pleasantly. “But I have another duty for you. Tomorrow there is to be an important meeting and I need you to be in attendance—virtually, of course.”
“Yes. Of course.” Her mind searched for the memories of snippets from previous speeches. Instead of a massage, she would need to think of a winning speech.
“Good,” Amalia continued. “You won’t have to do anything, child. You just have to be present.”
“Okay…” What kind of meeting did she need to attend where she didn’t have to speak?
“It’s just some ugly business with Rafe Sigur.”
“Rafe Sigur…” Mayva looked at the hologram in confusion.
“We’re going to have a well-overdue discussion. And the only way he would agree to the parley is if he had certain demands met. One of them was for you to be present.”
Mayva’s mouth parted. She couldn’t find the words to even stutter.
“Do not trouble yourself about it. You will be in one location while he is in another. Of course, he wants the other consorts present. He said he wanted his human to address you directly. But you are under no obligation to speak. In addition, the Japoxillian delegates of The Interplanetary Collective will also be present. But again, you have nothing to worry about from The Collective. You have been placed under our protection and despite their status, you will not be held criminally responsible for the deaths of those Japoxillian. Upholding our laws cannot be a crime in the eyes of the Galatian Court.”
Mayva had blanched—What did she mean “criminally” responsible? “But I never killed any of the Japos. That was Ragna! And Auras was the one who shot Titus.”
“You are on the side of good, Mayva Heath. And as long as you stay on our side, you will always prevail.
“Now be sure to prepare yourself, for tomorrow you will attend the meeting to face your ex-fellow consorts. Unfortunately, there is no other way.” Amalia disconnected and Mayva drew her lip into her mouth and gnawed it until the skin broke and a red tinge of her blood coated her tongue.
Chapter Six
Paris, Drago, and Kendrick arrived at the community center just when the rest of the group was preparing to enter an old-fashioned open-air bus that would take them to their new home.
Paris’s eyes scanned the people until they locked onto the image of Daya. Immediately he crossed the room to her, and although he might have preferred a hug and a kiss, he just took her hand in his while smiling with a deep pink tint.
Drago’s son saw him from across the room and bounced up and down in his mother’s arms.
“Da da da,” he exclaimed, reaching out while opening and closing his fat little fists. Drago wasted no time reaching for his woman and son. He took Rex and held him in the crook of one arm as he placed his other around Maddie’s shoulders. Instantly, her body relaxed against his. She knew she could handle this alone, but it was so much better having Drago by her side.
Kendrick headed for Justina, who watched him with interest. “How could they get away? Galatians are the best pilots in the entire galaxy.”
Rafe had explained he had called the men back to attend an important meeting the following day. He said once they arrived at their new home, he’d explain more.
Kendrick’s color was grim. Ending their search for Ragna and Brookstone now would only make more work later. Yet he understood the necessity.
“Yes, but we were at warp speed. It’s much harder to track a transport even if we hone in on the exact moment Brookstone made his escape. In time we will find him, but Rafe wanted us to attend tomorrow’s meeting.”
Justina’s expression became even more grim than his. “Yes, that meeting. Do you think we’ll have an opportunity to speak to that traitor, Justina?”
“Time permitting. But I believe it was Rafe’s purpose for asking her to join the meeting.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Good.”
They boarded a different transport to take them to their residence. It, too, was an open-air vehicle, but this one was much finer and glided over the ground mysteriously like a child’s hoverboard. It also didn’t spew exhaust. Back on Earth, only clean fuel was allowed due to the erosion of the ozone layer, but that didn’t stop the use of rickety old vehicles in rural and off-grid areas.
A human soldier drove it, while a convoy of military transports flanked them. As Justina gazed out at the beautiful scenery, one truck stayed on pace with them, and one soldier in the truck watched her. She saw that it was Sgt. Kelly—Adrian, they had insisted she call them.
Adrian offered a short nod when they were caught staring. Justina nodded back and smiled. Kendrick observed the interaction using his tail. He remembered once seeing the soldier near Justina and hadn’t thought anything of it. But now he could hear the sudden swoosh of blood as it ran through Justina’s veins, as well as her rapidly beating heart. She sounded like Daya, Maddie, and Karma when they looked at their mates. Only Justina had not sounded like them when she had looked at him—not now, not ever.
He was quiet as they sat side by side while she pointed out interesting sights. His mind continued to repeat the same thoughts; she didn’t want him—not romantically. It was the soldier she wanted…
Garry shut off his thrusters to reserve energy. His vehicle hovered in the deep, dark space. He needed to find a viable place to sit down. Earth was out of the question. There were star charts that specifically listed areas safe for humans and any other alien life form recognized by The Collective. But planets that supported human life were few and far between. The next level of questionable planets had breathable air, but hostile environments: too cold, too hot, predatory, etc.
He’d have to go to a planet like that; where he could hunker down and make his next move. Once he located a comfortable place to land, he could basically stay on the transport and pipe in the air from outdoors.
He closed his eyes and thought about the prisoner. He rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. The easiest and most humane way to kill her was made difficult because she was in that damned chrysalis. Galatians were hard to kill without factoring in the added armor.
He could electrocute her the way the child M had intended. But there would be pain and he knew she was aware enough to feel; emotionally as well as physically. For instance, he knew she was aware they had moved. The monitors showed a spike of adrenalin, which indicated fight, flight, and fear.
It only lasted until she became unconscious, and then the monitors were calm again. But she awakened more and more often. He hadn’t exactly lied to the little girl. She might not be a danger to anyone presently, but before long she would be.
Garry intended to keep his promise to the little girl. That child murderer would never hurt her or hers again. But he also had a promise to keep to himself; he would never stand by and wait on formality or expectations because rules invariably benefited the rule maker more than anyone else. If it felt wrong, he didn’t care whose rules they were, he would not follow them. Right was right and wrong was wrong. He would not be a party to torturing someone who had begged him for mercy… never again.
Garry opened the maps again and resumed studying them. He was tired and needed a few hours of sleep—but sleeping was a hard thing to do when he knew the most decorated warriors in the galaxy wanted him dead. His hope was once he shipped Ragna’s head to them, they would forget about him and move on. Great Guardian knew they had more important things to worry about. A government task force had been formed to investigate Karma Sigur’s allegations.
While back on Earth, he had seen that many people were siding with her. And while that was good for Rafe and his separate issues with the Queens, it might not be so good for Karma. She was being summoned to attend a formal hearing to testify against the Black Masks. Influential humans, such as movie stars and singers, were pressuring human lawmakers to do something about the attack and subsequent disappearances. There was a trending hashtag growing in popularity that read #Protectourhumans.
He didn’t believe for a minute that human officials cared one bit about Karma. But the officials had never been popular. It was the performers and artists who spoke up against Alien on human violence.
And yet, because Karma hadn’t come forward, rumors were now flying. Some thought she was an opportunist and liar, while others feared she’d been captured by the Black Masks in retribution. No, he assumed once Rafe got what they wanted, he and his men would forget about him.
It took a while, but he finally located a planet mined dry by Trinchians who used human slave labor. Acid was a by-product of Trinchian defense, which they spit on their prey or enemies. As a result, the land was riddled with sinkholes, and pools of acid were everywhere. It was no longer viable to support human life when their valuable slaves were rendered lifeless when they lost a foot after stepping into acid.
This minor planet was small and could easily get lost among the thousands of other nearby stars and planets. He started his engine and navigated to it.
As he set his ship to autopilot, Garry napped. He wasn’t worried about being tracked. He’d learned a thing or two being a mercenary and one of them was that it was extremely difficult to track someone if hyperspeed was in use… and if the tracking was disabled. Still, it wasn’t impossible for them to locate the space trail. All ships left them if you knew how to look for them.
But it would take time, and by then he’d have this business completed.
After what seemed like a long ride compared to the rapidness of space pod travel, Rafe’s crew reached their destination. Along the way, they had been awed by fields of flowers that came in every color known to man. There were waterfalls and lakes as red as blood. Strange birds with long legs and necks stood on the shallow bank, plucking up fish and gobbling them down whole.
There were also other critters resembling rabbits or squirrels, and fat grey creatures with long snouts that Maddie thought were called aard—something or other. Rex bounced up and down on his father’s lap as he looked out the window in wonder. Drago pointed out items naming them to the baby, who tried to mimic him even if it was just a grunt.
Justina watched the black-haired, blue-eyed baby with a strange yearning. She had never wanted to be a mother, but watching Karma and Maddie over the last few weeks had made her long for a new type of love—one that included family.
She thought about Adrian and the way they had promised to be there to watch over her. She realized she was smiling, but if anyone saw, they probably assumed it was because of the cuteness overload of Drago with his son.
M was the first one to climb off the bus because she just leaped over the side even though Karma tried to grab for her. But soldiers were already present, setting up their stations.
M looked up at the mansion. No, mansions were tall, this was just big. One big house for all of them. She liked that.
Paris had escorted Daya down the stairs. “Will we all live here together?” She asked. She couldn’t imagine this sprawling property being designated to one family.
“Yes. We will each have a separate wing.”
From where she stood, she could see courtyards with open-air rooms. There were lush gardens with stone seating areas. There was even a pool.
Beyond the house was an expanse of water; the ocean? It was pink but inviting.
“Is that okay?” Paris asked. “If not, I can ask Rafe to provide us our own-”
“No! I love this.” She’d thought the last compound was nice, albeit rustic. But this was on a completely new level. It reminded her of old Hollywood homes she’d seen in magazines. Having her own home with Paris had been a dream, but his…
“You approve? Paris asked.”
Daya just nodded rapidly.
Rafe turned to address the group. He would have looked very authoritative if he hadn’t been holding his baby that was trying to grab for his eyes with pudgy little fingers. Rafe would responsively close one or both eyes as he spoke.
“I’ve sent you each a map of the accommodations. You will find there are more than sufficient quarters for us all. Each has their own kitchen. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any modern upgrades, so while there are various appliances, it doesn’t include vendor service. This brings up another point; there won’t be individual maid services. There is a caretaker who cares for the grounds while his wife maintains the home. She will prepare one dinner meal in the style of her Earth province in Italy. But any other meals will have to be prepared by your own hands. So, in many ways, it is no different from our last accommodations, but I hope you will find them more than adequate.”
“It’s definitely lusher,” Justina said.
“I love it!” Maddie said. “I can’t wait to explore. This entire planet is amazing!”
The others quickly agreed.
“Just remember to keep a low profile. No one knows our history on Earth.” Rafe said.
But all those people saw us when we came. M stated. They will know who we are.
“No,” Rafe replied. “This is a closed planet. It is cut off from news from Earth. Also, because of their prohibition of interacting with other life forms, they don’t know anything concerning current events.”
“When we arrived,” he continued, “They saw three women with three children being escorted by one Galatian—your security guard. Our military has been handpicked for this mission. They will not speak our secrets. No one knows who we are unless you tell them.” He said the latter, not just to M, but eyed them all. After everyone nodded in agreement, they dispersed to find their suites and to use the toilets.
Chapter Seven
“What are your thoughts about everything?” Rafe asked his family as they entered the home. The others had already disappeared inside, excited to explore their new accommodations. M spun around.
I like it Papa!
“I like it too, but it’s so big,” Karma said. The room they had just entered had the feel of a lodge with seating for many individuals. Yet it still felt cozy with rustic wooden and stone panels and two oversized fireplaces. The stone floors were polished and large animal hide rugs adorned it. “Is this another hotel? Are others staying here?”
“Just us. A small military staff will be set up nearby—a larger one will form a compound by week’s end.”
Karma thought about the many places a Black Mask could hide…
Rafe took her hand as if reading her thoughts.
“It will be fine,” he whispered. “We will not allow her to get away.”
She offered him a brief smile. “Tamsyn and Haru will arrive soon, won’t they?”
“Soon,” he replied. “But first we deal with tomorrow’s meeting. Have you thought about what you will say?”
“Yes,” she said coldly. “I have a few things in mind.”
Nurse Guyton rounded the corner. The moment she saw Runnar, a broad smile filled her face, and he bounced in his father’s arms. She quickly crossed the room and the baby practically jumped into her arms with a loud squeal. She chuckled.
“I was going to offer to take him off your hands for a while, but it looks like he has the same idea.”
Karma reached out and ran her hands through his curls. “Are you sure? You must have a ton of unpacking to do.”
The nurse bounced the baby. “Not until after you pick our rooms, so I’ll be next to the little one.” The nurse gave Rafe an appreciative look. “This is a fine place you selected, Sir.”
“Thank you. Humans find this planet most agreeable.” He turned to Karma. “I am in dire need of a swim. Do you mind if I leave you for a bit? There are several soldiers already-”
Karma shook her head. “Honey, go. M and I have a lot of exploring to do.” She looked around the large room with its fireplaces and overly adorned furnishing. It was certainly rich, but she could clearly see it was also outdated. She had worked in the homes of enough wealthy people to tell. Not that she was complaining. It was still beautiful. But she was curious about where the Galatian pool was located.
“Will there be more than one pool?” She was thinking about the other men.
Rafe had crouched and was removing his boots. “No. These homes were made for humans and didn’t include a Galatian den. We have a common area located outdoors.”
“Oh. An outhouse.”
He came to his feet. “No. It’s a cave. It is used by all Galatians in the area. I will call the others to join me.”
“Well, how far away is this cave?” she asked in surprise.
“Just a few miles.”
“Miles!”
He gave her an amused look. “Which will only take moments to access at a full run.” He bent and placed his forehead against hers. “I won’t be long. Once you select our quarters, I will bring our belongings. I do not want you attempting to unpack everything yourself. I worry about your legs. They still seem to be in a weakened state.”
Mama needs to train with us, M said.
Rafe gave his daughter a stern look. “You and I will have a discussion about your continued training.”
M’s mouth dropped. Was he going to put a stop to her training as punishment? She thought he had forgotten. Before she could say anything more, he turned and bounded out of the house at a speed no human could have matched.
Karma placed her hand on M’s shoulder. “I am so sorry you felt the need to risk your life for us.”
