Chapter 15

Ophelia

W e spent the next couple of days scouting the land in search of our new home. Things were a little complicated as Gaelec still needed to work during the day. Obviously, we couldn’t broadcast our intentions and played it off as if we were just going on romantic escapades while my mate showed me my new home world.

A part of me felt guilty about using the Pride’s shuttle and speeders to plan our departure. At the same time, it was only fair considering the measly wages my husband received for the long hours of work he put in daily.

Granted, in comparison to the city, prices within the Pride were extremely low. Most goods would be traded amongst them in exchange for another item or for labor. People didn’t have to shop for food as all meals were communal. Even for couples who ate privately at home instead of with everyone else in the Great Hall, they only had to go pick up whatever ingredients they needed from the larder and shared food storage.

As overwhelming as our plans somewhat felt, I was truly excited about embarking on that adventure with Gaelec. Melelyn was a stunning planet. The region we lived in also had the perfect weather. There was no winter here. This area compared to the Caribbean on Earth. With sunny skies year-round, warm weather, little humidity, and no tornadoes or hurricanes, what more could we want?

We stopped in various sectors that were deemed fair game. They were easily identifiable as claimed land had a marker warning wandering people that they were on the verge of trespassing. The specific boundaries of claimed territory would show up on their version of a GPS. They also had motion detectors and beacons set specifically to issue a warning whenever strangers entered that land. Furthermore, like cats, Nazhrals possessed scent glands under their paws that allowed them to mark their territory.

It turned out to be even more complicated than buying a house. So many things needed to be taken into consideration beyond the mere availability of resources nearby. Yes, we wanted highly populated hunting grounds, fertile land to grow some of our own produce or breed some animals, a good water source, easily defensible positions, and reasonable accessibility to nearby villages for trade, and to the city to be able to hook up to their network... among others.

Many of the places that we visited lacked one or more of those things. The first abandoned nomad camp that we stumbled on got me excited. But it quickly became obvious why they gave up on it. The soil was too hard with some kind of really dense rocks that would make it extremely costly and time consuming to dig a proper sewer system. It also sat open on every side, making it extremely difficult to protect. We didn’t fear attacks from other Prides, but roaming animals could prove problematic, especially during mating season.

It was only on the fourth day that we found the one. Another abandoned roaming males’ camp. Located on the Gyota Plateau, the place was stunning. I wasn’t quite certain why they called it a plateau when it was in fact a bay surrounded by tall rock outcroppings that provided the natural defenses we sought. A beautiful waterfall on the left side gave it a lost paradise feel. A short distance away, the plateau gradually turned into a forest teeming with life, but nothing too fearsome or dangerous.

The best part of it all was that a basic sewer system had already been set up on top of a well for fresh water. The latter surprised me as Nazhrals, like most cats, could drink seawater. Unlike humans, their kidneys were able to filter salt out of the water. This was great news as it reduced the burden of making this place more welcoming for me. The handful of buildings that once served as houses would need to be razed to the ground. At a glance, this place had been deserted for several years.

“Why was it abandoned?” I asked, baffled as to why they did all this work only to call it quits.

“I can only speculate,” Gaelec said pensively as he examined our surroundings. “I don’t see any functional energy or communication systems. If they failed to set proper ones, their camp would never have thrived in the long run. They had to have had something energy-wise, if only to dig the sewer system. But I suspect they might have had a generator, which gets extremely costly and isn’t a viable permanent solution.”

“Won’t we have the same issue?” I asked, worried.

He shook his head and smiled smugly. “Energy efficiency is my specialty. This place is perfect for us to set up a geothermal energy system. It is going to be our most costly investment, but it will make our lives infinitely better down the road. As for coms, we’ll have to get ourselves a tower with a signal booster. It will be a lot of work, but I’m thrilled at the prospect. If those charitable organizations you spoke about can help us find discounted electronics, it will allow me to stretch my funds to the fullest. For most everything else, we can gather the materials ourselves to save on cost.”

“And my funds as well,” I reminded him in a slightly chastising tone.

He smiled and nodded, although I suspected that, as much as possible, he would try to keep my own savings for last.

“Any chance your brother would join us?” I asked as we walked around the area, trying to plan the rough layout of what our village could eventually look like.

He pursed his lips with a dubious expression. “Kazaer and Ylis are growing extremely close. I’m certain she will claim him.”

“Exactly!” I exclaimed enthusiastically. “Having them both here would be perfect.”

He gave me an indulgent smile. “You forget that Ylis is in a very strong position at the Pride. I suspect she will become the Head Huntress in the not-too-distant future in spite of Oluina’s plotting and scheming. Life here in Gyota will be hard for the first few years. For me, it will be no different than my time on Molvi. For them, it will be brutal.”

He cast a concerned look my way, his wheels spinning as he further pondered the matter.

“I know you said you’re used to roughing things. But I fear that it might be difficult for you as well.”

“Don’t worry about me. So far, I’ve seen nothing that makes me freak out,” I said in all sincerity. “I’ve helped rebuild entire villages from scratch after they got devastated by a natural disaster. Granted, we had some additional support and decent equipment from the charitable organizations I worked for. But like I said, I’ve been looking into what kind of aid and programs we might get some help with. I think we’ll be fine. The challenge will be getting a few more hands on deck. It will be harder to get aid for only two people.”

He nodded, a serious expression on his face as he reflected on my words. “We will have a few people with us. I’m not worried about that. And once the word spreads, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start benefiting from the presence of a few older males who just got evicted. They will be only too happy to find a new permanent home where they can thrive.”

I returned his smile despite the sliver of worry that sparked deep within. I didn’t know and understand his people well enough just yet to truly know what to expect of roaming males. In my mind, all I pictured were a bunch of raiders and poachers, ready to descend upon us and appropriate everything we would build here.

We would need to further discuss the matter based on how many people ended up choosing to join us, whether from our current Pride or elsewhere. The prospect of being the sole woman among a whole bunch of single males who’d been discarded by their previous females didn’t exactly make me feel safe. No matter how badass a fighter Gaelec was, if everyone else turned on us, there wouldn’t be much he could do. I could fire a mean blaster, but seeing how fast those Nazhrals moved, I could only take out so many attackers before I became overwhelmed.

Casting out those grim thoughts, I refocused on the task at hand as we finished plotting out our new village.

The next evening, we flew to the capital city, once again under the pretense of Gaelec giving me a tour. In reality, we wanted to shop around for base materials, equipment, tools, and check out what governmental services might be available for Prides.

To our shock, there turned out to be quite a few, including some aimed at providing advanced education focused on new technology.

“I wonder if the Matriarchs know about this,” Gaelec mused aloud.

I chewed my bottom lip while reflecting on it. Simply navigating the interface of the self-serve kiosk in the Office of Citizens Services was super complicated. Someone as resistant to change as Rozel was might have been turned off by this—assuming she ever even saw any of this.

“I don’t know,” I replied at last. “Governmental programs like these are often needlessly complicated. Applying is a headache, meeting the qualifications can be quite a challenge, and getting proper assistance navigating the process is nearly impossible. On Earth, some of our leaders would create similar programs purely for political gain and as a nice talking point. They would brag about all the things they did for us. But at the end of the day, they made them extremely hard to access specifically so that they would never have to spend any budget on it.”

“That’s rather devious,” Gaelec said with a frown.

“That’s politicians for you,” I said, my voice making it clear I didn’t have too high an opinion of people in that field. “I’ve filled in these kinds of forms in the past. So I have no problem playing with it.”

We left the governmental office and returned to our shopping—although it was simply browsing to get an idea of what kind of dent our budget would suffer once we were ready to make the move. By the time we were done, I was beyond ready to get the hell out of the city.

The capital was your typical metropolis. Everything was too big, too busy, too noisy, and especially too flashy. I was surprised I didn’t have a seizure from all the blinking lights and animations from the giant screens everywhere trying to draw people’s attention. Even the signs outside the various businesses and venues felt like they were screaming at me.

Although I wasn’t clinically diagnosed with agoraphobia, being surrounded by so many people rushing in every direction made me dizzy, almost nauseous. I didn’t understand how people could enjoy that life where they all looked constantly stressed and either running after something or being chased by someone. I felt exhausted just observing the city dwellers’ interactions.

Flying back out to the Nevian Valley felt like stepping into another world. It was insane the drastic difference in lifestyle between two classes of the same species. The Capital City might have been anywhere on any other advanced planet, with a diverse population from countless other worlds and high-tech galore.

As much as I disliked the current Pride we were living in, I would pick that life any day over drowning in the glitz and whirlwind of that urban jungle.

Struck by an idea, as soon as we got home, I sent inquiries about any available UPO support programs for developing member planets. Even though the Nazhrals’ home world sat high on the naughty list, they remained official members of the organization, and therefore were entitled to some benefits.

Three days later, after we returned home from one of the few times we participated in the communal meals to help hide what we were planning, my com beeped with a new message.

“Oh putain!” I exclaimed when I saw the name of the sender.

“What is it?” Gaelec asked, immediately tense.

“It’s from Kayog,” I replied. “He wants us to have a call in twenty minutes, if possible.”

Gaelec immediately frowned, his almost angry expression taking me aback.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, wondering what might have happened between them since our marriage that would have prompted such a negative reaction.

“You are already mated,” Gaelec snarled. “You’re mine, my soulmate. The Temern doesn’t get to change his mind.”

I gaped at him for a second before bursting out laughing. He was so stinking cute, even as he stared at me with an expression equally hurt and outraged that I hadn’t instantly sided with him.

“Oh, sweetie, whatever Kayog is messaging me about, I assure you it’s not to try and hook me up with someone else. He’s never wrong, remember? He already paired the two of us, and I don’t want anyone else but you.”

Gaelec scrunched his face, feeling equally silly for his overreaction and touched by my words. I walked up to him and slipped my arms around his waist.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous. But you have no reason to be.”

He harrumphed and then leaned forward to kiss me. It was far too brief for my liking. At the same time, if we indulged further, I would undoubtedly miss the call with the Temern.

“Give me a second to confirm,” I said, brushing my lips against his before pulling out of his embrace.

“You let him know I will attend as well,” he grumbled.

I snorted but nodded and quickly typed the response on my com.

“By the way, what was that word you said when you received the message?” Gaelec asked.

I blinked, unsure what he meant. “What word?”

“Pootain, or something along those lines,” he said.

My cheeks immediately felt on the verge of bursting into flames. I had quite the potty mouth at times. The worst part was that I often didn’t even realize I was using questionable words.

“It’s a French swear word,” I admitted sheepishly. “French is one of many languages on Earth. Doesn’t your translation implant have that module included?”

“I don’t have a translation implant. Only the people raised in the cities do. Pride members don’t get them at birth. As we don’t really interact with off-worlders, it’s not necessary,” he explained. “We learn Universal, which is enough to meet our needs on the rare occasions some of us go on missions or in the city.”

“Fair enough,” I conceded.

Learning Universal as a secondary language was compulsory for every member of the United Planets Organization. Even species that weren’t part of the alliance—but who had achieved light travel—also learned it as it was the one language that allowed for intergalactic communication.

“So what does it mean? That word and the other strange things you say sometimes? Like...” He hesitated, his eyes tilting up and to the right as he searched his memory. “Board hell?”

I squirmed and glanced at my watch, hoping the twenty minutes were up, but we still had plenty of time left.

“It can’t be that bad?” he insisted, now looking extremely curious in light of my reluctance.

I heaved a sigh and just went for it. “It’s not Pootain, but Putain . Literally, it means prostitute,” I said, heat creeping back up on my cheeks at his stunned expression. “But in practice, it’s mostly used almost the exact same way we use fuck. So it can express amazement, anger, confusion, or excitement.”

“What a strange term for that,” he said, looking baffled.

I shrugged. “No stranger than fuck. After all it means penetrative sex. So when you think about it, saying ‘I don’t fucking know’ makes absolutely no sense if you take the word literally.”

He nodded. “Good point. And what about the other?”

“ Bordel means whore house,” I said sheepishly. “And it’s pretty much used the same way as putain , with subtle nuances. And it will often come accompanied by a couple of extra words like for reinforcement, usually when angry. Like bordel de merde , which would literally translate as whore house of shit.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle like a schoolgirl just listening to myself say the words.

He snorted, amusement creeping in on his features. “Merrde. That’s another one I heard you say quite a few times. So I’m assuming that means feces?”

I nodded, a silly grin plastered on my face, not only over the fact that I was teaching him French swear words, but also at his ridiculously adorable accent.

“And when you truly want to go all out, you can say putain de bordel de saloperie de merde!’ right before you flip a table or something.”

He laughed. “Would it be fair to presume that salop… whatever that word was is also sex trade related?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

“Kind of. Salope is another vulgar term for a whore—though it could also refer to a slob—but it’s truly used as an insult. And saloperie is a noun derived from it meaning something extremely crappy and vulgar.”

“Are all French swear words related to prostitution?!” he asked, laughing.

“Not prostitution, specifically. But to sex in general, yeah.”

For half a beat, I considered just stringing a whole bunch of them just to see how much I could traumatize him. But just as I was starting to think better of it, my com went off, informing me of an incoming call.

“ Oh merde! ” I exclaimed.

Gaelec laughed behind me as I rushed to the vidscreen. I accepted the call before casting it onto the large device while settling down on the couch. My mate sat next to me. The possessive, almost defiant way in which he placed his hand on my lap to clearly mark me as his cracked me up. I bit the inside of my cheeks to repress a smile. His insecurity was both silly and incredibly endearing. The fool didn’t realize how hard I’d been falling for him over the past few days.

“Hello, Ophelia and Gaelec,” Kayog said with his legendary enthusiasm.

“Hello, Kayog,” I said in a similarly cheerful tone.

Gaelec gave him a polite, if somewhat stiff nod.

The Temern’s silver eyes flicked to my mate’s hand on my lap, and the subtle quirking of the stiff corners of his beak seemed to hint he’d guessed the meaning of that possessive display. Obviously, he couldn’t read emotions through a vidscreen, but I bet he was a master at reading body language.

“Marriage seems to agree with the both of you,” Kayog continued. “I’m assuming things are going well?”

“Perfectly well,” Gaelec replied, sounding slightly belligerent.

I barely kept myself from rolling my eyes while Kayog’s smile broadened to the extent his beak allowed.

“Unsurprising. After all, I’m never wrong,” he said smugly.

I snorted, not so much because of the shameless boasting, but because my gut told me with a certainty I couldn’t explain that the comment had been directly aimed at my husband to tell him to stop being so silly. And it worked like a charm. Gaelec immediately relaxed. I gave him a mocking sideways glance, to which he replied by scrunching his face.

“What can we do for you, Master Voln?” Gaelec asked, a bit of grumpiness lingering in his voice.

“Actually, I’m calling to tell you what I can do for you !” he said with a grin.

Gaelec and I exchanged a confused look before glancing back at the Temern.

“What you can do for us ?” I repeated.

He nodded. “If you recall, before leaving the spaceport, I mentioned that I would be late sending your wedding present.”

“Oh, wow! Right. I forgot about that,” I said sheepishly. “But you don’t have to give us anything. Pairing us was already the best present you could have come up with.”

My throat constricted at the sweet and paternal expression that descended over his features when I said those words.

“Oh, my dear… While your words touch me deeply, and although I couldn’t agree with them more, reuniting two soulmates is only indirectly a gift to them. It’s an even greater one to myself. Which means I still owe you a present. And from what I hear, it would come in extremely handy to the two of you.”

I blinked, taken aback by that last comment. Gaelec and I exchanged another confused look, laced with the same curiosity.

“Okay, color me intrigued,” I said.

“I heard about your request to the UPO,” he explained, his face suddenly taking on an unusually serious expression. “As the UPO has a vested interest in the type of changes your plan could help bring about for your people, I can be significantly more generous in the type of presents I can offer.”

My heart skipped a beat. My eyes still glued to the screen, I blindly reached for Gaelec’s hand, squeezing it tightly. He placed his other hand on top of mine, giving it a soothing caress even as he also continued to stare at the Temern with the same anticipatory tension I felt.

“As you may know, my agency has a discretionary budget for presents to newlyweds. On rare occasions, the UPO will give us the green light to increase it, which was the case for you.”

“Why?” Gaelec asked, suspicion seeping into his voice.

“Your success could have the type of domino effect that the UPO and the Enforcers are looking for,” Kayog explained. “For them, this constitutes a long-term investment without them having to send in off-worlders to meddle daily with the local population—which usually doesn’t go too well.”

“What’s the catch?” Gaelec insisted, his suspicion cranking up another notch.

Although taken aback by his reaction, I couldn’t deny the validity of his inquiry. Having always worked under the umbrella of large charities, I never really bothered with the politics behind the funding we received. I was just happy to get my hands dirty and see how my work helped improve the lives of people facing hardships. But now, I was starting to think myself a little naive as my brain started listing all the things that could indeed be problematic for my husband. I didn’t go into law because I couldn’t be bothered with the fine print. Yet that was the most important as it was how they always screwed you over.

“The requirements are that everything you will receive must be used exclusively for your new Pride, not be resold or traded to a third party. Your Pride must commit not to engage in crimes or piracy and pledge to expel any member who breaks that commitment. The UPO will also want some oversight on—”

“No!” Gaelec said in a tone that brooked no argument, interrupting him halfway through that last sentence. “The first two requests are entirely acceptable. Giving away whatever technology you share with us would be stupid, and the whole point of leaving Nevian Pride is specifically because we no longer want to be forced into committing crimes. But the last demand is a deal breaker. The UPO will not get to dictate anything that happens here. We will be our own people, with our own rules, not puppets to be controlled and manipulated according to the whims of some overseer.”

To my shock, Kayog didn’t launch into a vehement argument as to why it is entirely reasonable for the UPO to want to have some sort of say, considering the substantial investment they might make in us. Instead, he gave Gaelec a mysterious smile. In that instant, I realized he not only approved of his response, but he likely also hoped my husband would have shut him down on that point.

“Expect them to try to push,” Kayog said in a slightly teasing tone.

Gaelec shrugged. “They can push all they want. The answer will remain no.”

The Temern’s smile broadened. This time, whatever doubt I might still have that he wanted my mate to stand firm against the UPO fully vanished. In fact, I believed this had been a test and that, had Gaelec answered the wrong way, Kayog might have tried to coach him into taking a different stance.

“You have a difficult journey ahead,” Kayog continued, sobering. “But no challenge is too great with the right partner. Rely on each other, and I have no doubt you will accomplish great things. I cannot stay much longer as duty calls me away. But I will forward to your com the list of items the PMA will personally gift to you. The UPO—although I suspect it will be the Enforcers—will directly contact you in the upcoming days to let you know what programs you are eligible for. I wish you the very best of success and happiness.”

“Thank you, Kayog,” I said, my heart filling with gratitude.

“Yes, thank you, Master Voln,” Gaelec echoed.

The Temern winked at us and then terminated the communication.

Seconds later, my com went off with an incoming message. Before I even opened it, I knew it would be the list he mentioned. I cast it onto the vidscreen so that we could both browse it at the same time.

My jaw dropped as soon as it came into focus.

“By the Gods!” Gaelec whispered, shock, awe, and something else I couldn’t describe filling his voice.

But I didn’t need to read minds to know what powerful emotion was coursing through him. My own throat felt constricted as I read some of the biggest expenses we would have to juggle being listed as gifts. The major one, which would have eaten more than half of Gaelec’s savings was a state-of-the-art geothermal energy system. The other notable elements included a high-end com system booster, two advanced medical pods, five self-deployable buildings, two speeders, and one-rent-to-buy shuttle.

Although the latter would require for us to shell out some credits, it was the best possible option for us as this type of rental came with full maintenance and repair services, including replacement if it became unusable. Under the circumstances, the chances of us passing the credit approval for a lease on our own would have been slim to none.

Happy tears pricked my eyes as I turned to look at Gaelec. Seeing his eyes overly bright as his own happy tears threatened to well utterly wrecked me.

“We’re going to do this,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “We’re going to succeed beyond anything we ever hoped for.”

“We are,” Gaelec replied before crushing my lips in a passionate kiss devoid of lust.

A yelp escaped me, interrupting our kiss when the sound of a loud banging rattled the front door. Startled, my mate and I exchanged a confused and slightly worried look as to what this could be about.

“Gaelec Sulwyn, open the door immediately!” Moriak’s voice shouted from outside. “You and your human are to stand immediately before the Matriarchs for treason!”