2. Harper

2

HARPER

L ike many of the people in the colony, I stopped work to watch the arrival of the aliens. Some people claimed they weren’t interested and wondered why we were bothering to bring dangerous and untrustworthy beings into our settlement. They don’t care that we can learn from them.

Strangely, it’s the men who seem to complain the most. As if a handful of alien men is somehow going to upset things. There are only two unmated aliens. Two extra men in the colony. Big fucking deal.

I think the men who complain are only annoyed because the aliens mate for life. Apparently, they also treasure their mates, so it makes the men who only want to fuck around look bad.

The problem is some idiot in the past, on Earth, when planning this mission decided it would be beneficial for colony growth if they were more women than men. And while that may be true, they never stopped to think about the consequences for the people who had to live with the imbalance.

Or perhaps they thought that the women who are expected to breed for the colony would be happy sharing a man.

They should’ve asked some women.

Everyone who joined the expedition knew the expectations, and they knew what they were signing their kids up for. And while I can’t change it, it irks me I have so little choice in my life.

I draw a breath and push aside the bitterness. It’s still more of a life than I would’ve had on Earth. Plus, I’m one of a few people who can say they’ve lived on another planet…and met aliens. Not that I’ve met one yet, but I’ve seen the one called Tiril around the colony, and now that his friends are here, with their human mates, there will be more aliens to run into.

I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to learn how the laundry system works.

I shove my hands into my pockets. Yeah, not everyone can be a scientist or an engineer, a doctor or a teacher, and everyone needs to be fed and clothed.

Equipment needs to be maintained.

The colony needs protecting.

People like me take care of the colony as it is now, the other people, they are building the colony of the future. The colony that the children we have will benefit from. Which is why so many of us voted to make peace and learn from the aliens. We want a better life than scratching around in the dirt and learning by trial and error.

These guys can help us move past subsistence.

The scientists and doctors have been talking to Tiril—who arrived in secret and was kept locked up—about farming and such. And I’m sure there are plans being made on how best to incorporate the new arrivals into the colony.

I scuff my boot in the dirt. I can guarantee they will be assisting the farmers and food scientists or working with the people who are exploring options for cloth production. The clothing and blankets and shoes we brought with us from Earth won’t last forever, and people will tire of patched hand-me-downs.

The gate opens and the aliens walk in. They are tall, with long hair and beards, both decorated with beads and metal. They wear swords and have elaborate tattoos on their hands and forearms. From where I’m standing, I can see that their clothes are worn and much patched. But then these are men who’ve lived without a tribe for years.

They were banished…though the leaders reassured us that their only crime is being the fourth born son. That’s how they deal with their population imbalance.

Whether it’s alien genetics or something about this world, they have far too many boys and not enough girls.

And from the whispers I’ve heard, there will be no human alien babies. We’re not that compatible. Though I wonder if the scientists are looking at why that is, after all, they are perfectly adapted for survival on this world. Sticking out of their hair are two bony crests, like fans over each ear. Apparently, they use them to send an electrical charge when hunting, and they can also use them to communicate.

The three women who arrived with them seem to be relaxed and happy, which is the exact opposite of what most people were expecting. Plenty said that they’d be arriving half-starved and desperate for human company.

Yeah, that’s not the vibe I’m getting.

They are holding their mate’s hand, and smiling, and in no rush to pull away. They don’t appear to be hungry. Neither do the aliens. They look like they spend more time in the gym than the soldiers that protect the colony.

The aliens give what appear to be tight smiles that don’t show their teeth.

That was one of those cultural things we were warned about in the memo that was sent out a couple of days ago. That and pointing. Pointing is apparently threatening because that is how they send a zap. So they point with closed fists. And if they show their teeth, it means they’re pissed.

Meanwhile, all these people around me are smiling and showing their teeth. To them, we must appear threatening. Though I don’t doubt the three human women with them gave them some cultural lessons. The last thing anybody wants is a fight.

I glance at the way some of the security guards are posturing with their weapons. Well, the last thing most of us want is a fight. Some guys are going to want to prove themselves.

I think most of the women in the colony would be happy if the guys proved themselves as worthy mates by settling down and committing to one woman instead of fucking everything in sight just because they can. Because they know women want sex and companionship and some will do anything to get it. They use that against us, expecting us to be happy with crumbs.

Been there, made that mistake. Never again.

When I need to have my three children for the colony, I’ll do it on my own.

I can’t help but watch the two unmated aliens, though. They seem strange, but I’m sure humans seem weird to them too. For just a heartbeat, I allow myself to imagine having an alien warrior mate. Someone who cares about my happiness. Someone who loves me.

One of the aliens rests his hand on his sword and scans the crowd. He cocks his head as if he knows what a good catch he’ll be.

Yeah, alien men aren’t that different from human men. And there are hundreds of women who will vie for his attention.

I turn away and make my way back to the laundry. As one of the first children born on the ship, I am one of the oldest women. One of the first who will be expected to breed. Originally, the plan was to wait several years and for it to be controlled, so there aren’t too many babies and not enough workers. Now there are discussions about allowing the women who want to start having children to do so. Not too many at once, though.

I don’t want to bring a child into this colony, not yet.

Maybe not ever, but I don’t get to opt out.