Chapter 17

Ophelia

D espite the impromptu fashion in which we ended up moving into our new place, our first evening in Gyota was quite nice. While I cleaned up the biggest cabin with a breathtaking view of the river, Gaelec went hunting for something for us to eat. At the same time, he placed some motion detectors around a wide radius of our fledgling village. It was one of the few expenses we had done in the city.

They were a bit more advanced than the standard perimeter defense their people used whenever they would go on long hunts that could span a few days, requiring them to sleep in the wild. Roaming males and nomads also used something similar. It could identify whether the detected presence was a person or an animal.

If the former, we would receive a warning on our com system of an approaching intruder. In turn, that person would receive a warning of their own that they had just trespassed into claimed territory.

If the latter, the detector would emit either an audio or visual signal specifically adapted to the creature to scare it away, if necessary. Inoffensive creatures would be ignored, but predators would be chased.

We ended up having a rather romantic dinner on the beach, with roasted meat and some of the vegetables I had packed from the house. We slept on my extremely comfortable inflatable mattress. The intelligent foam inflated with a simple pressure from a button into a queen-size mattress. And in the morning, you only had to press that button again for it to deflate into a compact square shape the size of a folded blanket for easy storage.

It had been one of the perks provided by the charitable organizations for which I worked over the years. Unfortunately, as comfortable as it was, I often chose not to use it simply because some of the primitive tribes with which I worked frowned at me for not emulating their rougher lifestyles.

The next day, we started building—or rather destroying and cleaning the things that had to go or could present a hazard for the first half of the day. A little after lunch, the motion detector went off, informing us of four males approaching. Seconds later, Gaelec received a message from his brother reassuring him that he was the one who breached the perimeter with three companions.

My heart soared, not only that Kazaer agreed to join us—at least for now—but that he apparently succeeded in convincing a few of the other males camping with him outside the Nevian Village to also tag along.

As soon as they arrived, I immediately recognized the others from the feast. They had been among those who caught my attention by their impressive performance. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that Moriak wanted to get rid of them before they became an issue for him.

After quick formal introductions, Gaelec went over his vision for our village with them. Over the past week since we’d started getting this whole thing in motion, he had only given Kazaer a high-level description of what he intended to do on the rare occasions he went to visit him in the camp. Between his work during the day, and our scouting and plotting in the evening, there hadn’t been much time for socializing, especially with these young males being forced to stay a fair distance away from the village in their makeshift camp.

Things were awkward at first. Considering the extent of the work that awaited us, they visibly questioned if that entire project actually had a leg to stand on. A part of me wished Gaelec would tell them about the amazing promise both Kayog and the UPO had given us, but the other was grateful he didn’t. Although we had no reason to believe they might renege on any of it, it was better not to get the newcomers’ hopes up only for them to be crushed if things fell through. But I also realized that my husband was testing their commitment to this project for its own merits, and not for easy access to the high-end technology that could arrive soon.

My gut told me that what would happen tomorrow or in the following days with that Levendoc mission would seriously impact these young males’ desire to stay or leave. I felt horrible for wanting that mission to be over and to utterly fail so that my husband could be vindicated. Because that also meant the na?ve candidates who chose to believe Moriak would be the ones paying the steep price.

Still, with these extra hands—who also happened to be quite strong—we got an insane amount of work done in record time. My mate being a natural leader, and a charismatic one at that, had no problem getting them to follow his instructions. His visible knowledge in a variety of fields further earned their respect.

But we had no illusions about them sticking around for long. They were young and healthy males who would soon want to seek out females to partner with. For now, I was just grateful for the help, and to know that their presence here meant they would be spared whatever awaited the others.

Like Gaelec and I did, they patched up one of the less damaged cabins which the four of them shared that night.

The next morning, four more males joined us, all of them older. I recognized Danel, the supervisor at the fishing plant. I didn’t know the other three, except from seeing them in passing in the village.

He gave Gaelec a manly embrace that took me by surprise. I had not expected them to act with an almost brotherly familiarity. But as I observed the interaction between them, it dawned on me that this had been an instinctive reaction fueled by relief from Danel.

“I hope you still have room for us,” Danel said with a slightly nervous laugh.

By human standards, at forty-two, he was still a young male. But for a Nazhral, he was deemed past his prime. It was all the more infuriating that they had a lifespan of a hundred and forty years, although males usually lasted less than half that due to the difficult lives they led.

“Of course, my friend,” Gaelec said warmly. “There’s plenty of room for people of goodwill and not afraid to get their hands dirty.”

“That’s definitely us,” he replied, waving at his other companions. “As you can guess, we were asked to join that ridiculous mission that seems to be a secret to no one. The four of us refused, so we were given an ultimatum. Either we participated or we would get kicked out. I’ll let you guess which choice we made.”

Gaelec chuckled. “Moriak must be livid to yet again have his authority challenged.”

“That’s quite the understatement, my friend,” Danel said with a chuckle, before sobering. “Truth be told, if not for you, we probably would have caved in. We had no other option. Even with our skills, no Pride would want us when they can have younger males. Between roaming aimlessly until death claims us or taking our chances with a mission that would ensure our position in the Pride for a while longer, one seemed less terrible than the other.”

“Getting caught during that mission—and that is a guarantee—would have landed you in a far worse situation than becoming a nomad. But I’m glad you’re here. We can use your skills. As you can see, we are in a prime fishing location. You can help us set up the perfect fish plant taking into account all the things you wish you could have changed or improved back in Nevian.”

“That sounds like a plan!” he replied enthusiastically.

Like Gaelec did, each of the males came with their tools and some equipment. They quickly got to work, a lot of it coming down to gathering the basic construction material needed to start building in earnest. Throughout the day, we checked for any news about the mission, but it was complete radio silence.

The next morning, we were all having breakfast gathered around a bonfire on the beach when the sound of thunderclap resonated above us followed by the opening of a giant portal in the sky. I nearly peed myself in fright. Our collective panic turned into awe when an Enforcer transport ship came right out of the giant black vortex and landed a short distance away on a large, unencumbered section of the beach.

Standing on wobbly legs, my heart still trying to beat its way out of my chest, I couldn’t decide whether to keep gaping at the portal or shift my attention to the human man descending from the vessel. That was quickly sorted out for me as the portal vanished with a woosh.

“By the Gods! What is that?” Danel asked, seeming as unsure as the others if they should go into a defensive stance.

“It’s the PMA and the UPO!” Kazaer replied, his voice bubbling with excitement. “They kept their promise!”

“What promise?” Danel asked.

“You’ll see,” Gaelec replied, a triumphant grin stretching his lips.

He marched towards the human with determined steps that went a long way to appeasing our companions, who were still somewhat frazzled by what we’d just witnessed. I was freaked out, too. But over the years, I’d grown to accept that all kinds of insane technology existed out there, some of which defied anything we could imagine. Nevertheless, it disturbed me that they should possess the ability to basically teleport a ship—and probably even an entire fleet—to a specific location on a whim. If they decided to perform a raid on us, we would never see them coming in time and let alone have any means to defend against it.

“Hello, Gaelec. I’m Tedrick Wilson, a senior officer with the Enforcers,” the man said in a polite and friendly voice as he stopped a meter in front of us.

“Greetings, Tedrick,” Gaelec replied in a similar fashion.

Tedrick turned to me with the same demeanor. “Ms. Moreau, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“The pleasure is mine. But please call me Ophelia,” I replied, warmly.

Under different circumstances, one might have assumed it was a lack of respect for him to immediately use my husband’s first name instead of more formally addressing him by his surname, like he did with me. But during my short stay among the Nazhrals so far, I learned that, in their culture, addressing someone by their last name was not a good thing. It usually implied that they were in trouble—like when your mother would call you by your full name—or that you either didn’t deem them an equal or wanted to establish a clear distance between the two of you. Using someone’s first name meant that you considered them as your peer.

“Gladly,” the Enforcer replied, “but only if you call me Tedrick!”

Even as I smiled in response, I didn’t miss the confused looks on our males’ faces in light of that exchange. With their limited interactions with off-worlders, they didn’t know much about the ridiculous number of hoops humans jumped through for no real reason, and in the name of propriety. Although they gathered to see what was going on, they kept a reasonable distance as to not be overly intrusive or coming across as threatening.

“That was quite the entrance you made,” Gaelec said, his only semi-playful tone making it clear he wasn’t necessarily comfortable with it.

A strange glimmer flashed through Tedrick’s gray eyes.

“It was,” the Enforcer conceded. “We’re only allowed to use this fast-travel method under very strict guidelines, and fairly rarely for reasons I’m sure you understand.”

“What allowed us benefit of this exception?” Gaelec asked.

“We figured it would be best to have you comfortably set up as quickly as possible, especially in light of some of the news that will be breaking soon regarding a certain mission,” Tedrick replied, his gaze intense as he spoke those words.

“So things didn’t go well?” I asked, my heart breaking for all the people who had taken part in it.

“That’s a matter of perspective. For the pirates, you would be totally correct. For us, it was a resounding success.”

Behind us, our males murmured, probably expressing their dismay or sadness. A glance over my shoulder confirmed it, some faces also displaying an odd mix of guilt and relief that they’d made the right decision and been spared that terrible outcome.

“But you will hear more about it soon. For now, we come bearing gifts from the PMA and the UPO,” Tedrick said, shifting his attention back to my husband. “My men could use some help unloading while you and I go over a few details. We also have a couple of experts to assist with setup, if needed.”

“Of course,” Gaelec replied, gesturing at Kazaer and a couple other males to come forward.

Five Enforcers—two women, two men, and an Edocit male—walked out of the large ship and smiled warmly at our males as they watched them approach. I met a few Edocits before, and they still fascinated me. Everyone in that dryad-like species was gorgeous. That male seemed to be in his late twenties, with shoulder length dark-brown hair. A few white flowers had bloomed in the elegant vines intertwined with his locks. This meant he was happy, which was a good sign for us.

A heavy ramp lowered, and a series of massive hovering platforms glided out, laden with huge crates, and the type of equipment that had our collective eyes popping out of our heads. My throat tightened with emotion at the air of pure awe on the faces of our Pride members. But that emotion turned to amusement as I watched them stare in disbelief at what they likely interpreted as being some sort of armored tank rolling out of the ship. It was in fact the deployable buildings.

Those wonders of technology could travel through some of the most challenging terrains, and even had an amphibian mode that allowed them to cross shallow rivers if needed to reach their destination. Once in position, you only had a button to push for them to unfold, transforming into a fully functional building, with every amenity required, including basic hygiene features like a toilet, bath or shower—depending on the model—kitchen, and even a laundry room. Those buildings were designed so that they could be easily linked to a local sewer system, freshwater system, and power grid. Otherwise, they came by default with chemical waste management.

Our companions’ jaws dropped even more when five such ‘tanks’ rolled out one by one from the ship. Jumping into action, Kazaer indicated where each one was to be positioned, based on the instructions Gaelec previously communicated to him. But it was seeing the state-of-the-art geothermal system being brought out that nearly undid them. I blinked to stem the tears that wanted to prick my eyes at the way everyone looked at my husband.

These males had taken a huge gamble turning back on what had been centuries old customs to follow someone they barely knew. Finding out the raid had indeed occurred as he warned silenced some of the second guessing that had been growing amongst them since their arrival here. But seeing what he had been able to secure for this fledgling Pride in such record time made them look at him with new eyes. Just like I was, they were realizing that we were now part of something greater than any of us imagined.

“We ended up scraping a few extra things to throw into your package,” Tedrick said, reclaiming our attention. “You see those red crates on that platform over there?” he added, pointing at it. “It contains a series of non-military grade weapons.”

As one, Gaelec and I recoiled.

“Why in the world would you bring us weapons?” Gaelec asked, outrage and confusion filling his voice.

“Like I said, they are common and non-military grade weapons,” Tedrick repeated, his face serious. “You are currently receiving goods and technology that totals a little over a million credits. Word will spread quickly, even faster than the one of your departure from Nevian to create your own Pride, and the reasons why you did so. The other Prides are already abuzz about a male creating his own, which is unheard of. Once they hear the outcome of the mission, and how your warnings were ignored, you will generate even more curiosity. And when they see what you have, they will want to appropriate it. You will need deterrents.”

My stomach dropped a bit more with each word. I wanted to kick myself for not even contemplating the likelihood of people trying to take over the village we were building. Gaelec frequently mentioned that Prides respected each other’s territories. Occasionally, the only troublemakers were roaming males. But I could see this equipment drawing far more people. My next thought shamed me, but I couldn’t help remembering that many of his people made a living by stealing from others. Granted, they normally stole from off-worlders. As all of this came from strangers, would they deem it fair game?

“I have no intention of shooting my own people,” Gaelec growled, although I didn’t miss the sliver of worry in his blue eyes.

“Nor am I asking you to,” Tedrick said in an appeasing tone. “Most advanced planets pursue research into extremely powerful weapons, but specifically with the intent of never having to use them. Flaunting the fact that you have them is usually enough for potential aggressors to think twice before doing anything stupid. Frankly, I pray that you never have to use them as it could cause a galactic conflict. We wouldn’t want your government to accuse us of arming rebel militias in their midst.”

Gaelec snorted, but didn’t challenge his words.

“We’ve also included a set of advanced perimeter security,” Tedrick continued. “Our scanners indicate you have done a pretty good job with the basic models you already set up. These offer a lot more features that you will enjoy a great deal, on top of them coming with integrated camera systems.”

This time, it was my turn to frown. “This is all starting to sound a little excessive,” I said, suspicion seeping into my voice. “Is there something else you’re not telling us? Both the UPO and especially the Enforcers are renowned for being extremely stingy and reluctant when it comes to arming anyone, especially on a planet like Melelyn. Right now, you sound like you are doing exactly what you claim not to want to be accused of.”

Gaelec nodded in agreement, his eyes narrowing on the senior officer with the same suspicion I felt. To my surprise, instead of going on the defensive, Tedrick smiled with a glimmer of approval.

“Suspicion is always good whenever strangers come offering extremely valuable gifts while asking for very little in return. But once you open the crates, you will see that there is nothing illegal or problematic in what we have brought in terms of weapons. They are comparable to the ones your Prides already use, and easily purchased in any city,” Tedrick explained.

He turned to look at one of the first deployable houses currently unfolding near the beach, but at a safe enough distance from the water.

“We’re not violating the Prime Directive,” Tedrick continued pensively. “Although the lifestyle of the Prides would be deemed primitive by most galactic standards, the tribes within a species do not define their entire people’s evolution status. Your industrialized cities and regions are on par with most other worlds. But culturally, Nazhrals are on the verge of a major clash with the rest of the galaxy.”

He stared back at my husband, studying his features while a million thoughts fleeted over his face.

“You were wise not to join that raid. Within the next hour, you will start hearing the details of what happened. As bad as it will be, understand that it is nothing compared to the even more vicious crackdowns that we have coming. UPO members are beyond fed up.”

“Why leak that information, then?” Gaelec asked, echoing the question I’d also been wondering about.

“Because it sends a louder message. Many doubted you. It will be an even harder blow once they realize you were right. If your warning about this was accurate, then the one about our even fiercer attacks against pirates will hold a lot more weight and will have more people think twice before crossing the line,” Tedrick explained.

“Fair enough. But it still doesn’t explain why you are showering us with so much expensive equipment,” I insisted, my suspicion still obvious.

He gave me an indulgent smile. “If you worry that we’re trying to buy your loyalty, you can cast that thought out.”

My stupid cheeks heated. It was indeed what I’d been implying. I just hated that my face would give off the impression I was embarrassed to have thought it as it was a fair question to ask.

“What you need to understand is that at the end of the day, as we say on Earth, money talks and bullshit walks. This piracy business costs a lot of people a lot of money. The cruise ship you arrived here on now spends nearly three million credits a year just to keep its ships safe from attacks like the one you faced. Every single year. And that’s one company. Tens of thousands of companies, many a lot smaller that cannot afford this type of defensive budgets, have to contend with the same issue. I’ll let you take a wild guess what kind of costs, both in protection and in lost goods this creates.”

I pursed my lips and nodded slowly. He didn’t have to tell me any specific numbers, but we were easily talking about billions of credits every year. And that was without even mentioning the lives lost on all sides.

“So a million credits here to set you up is but a drop in the ocean,” Tedrick explained. “This is an investment for the future so they can significantly reduce these avoidable expenses. Obviously, Nazhrals aren’t the only pirates, but you represent a big percentage of them. People are rarely born criminals. It is their circumstances, usually the lack of opportunities and education that forces them into those dark paths. Young Nazhrals from your Prides are the perfect victims to be exploited by unscrupulous people. If we cut the problem at the root by helping them get the stability and security they need, they will not be lured into these so-called missions.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Gaelec said. “I’m just confused as to why you waited for me to leave my Pride instead of approaching existing ones with this kind of offer.”

“Because this type of fundamental change must come from within. We cannot come here and try to indoctrinate your people into adopting our ways. All we can do is have the opportunities available and hope the right people will seize them. You do not realize how important it is for us to see you succeed and thrive. You’re exactly the champion we needed for this entire project to be set in motion. Obviously, we don’t expect you to perform any type of overnight miracle. But you’re that strong seed of change that we will help blossom so that your roots will hopefully spread far and wide.”

“I still don’t understand,” Gaelec argued. “The Osuan Pride has been pushing for a more modern and egalitarian approach. Did you not approach them?”

He nodded. “We have had talks with them and have provided some support. But your situations are extremely different. They remain a matriarchy that is simply more protective of its males. But in the end, they still cast their males out, most of whom end up either moving to the city or flat out going off-world. It doesn’t solve the problem. We need the males from every Pride to have a reason to stay home and help elevate the living conditions of every other male on Melelyn. Which is exactly what you’re doing.”

This time, Gaelec’s face lit up with understanding, as did mine. It had been a frequent issue back when I performed charity work. The brain exodus from rural areas and tribal villages was a real thing. Changes needed to be brought about by locals for locals. And what better champion than my man?

“For the record, any other new Pride similar to yours that will form isn’t likely to get as generous an assistance as you are,” Tedrick warned. “Or at least, they will have to jump through hoops to earn it. You passed three separate tests with flying colors. This is why you are receiving all this with very little required in exchange.”

“Three tests?” I asked before Gaelec could, although his face displayed the same confusion I felt.

“The first one lasted twelve years on Molvi. Your final evaluation report from Lord Amreth was stellar. He’s a good and fair male, but not one to sugarcoat. His high recommendation is far more powerful than you can ever imagine,” Tedrick explained.

Gaelec smiled, his eyes going slightly out of focus as he probably thought back on his time on Molvi or on his interactions with his former Warden.

“It does mean a lot. Lord Amreth was strict but fair. He not only gave us every opportunity to improve ourselves to build a better future once we left, but he also highly encouraged it. I owe him a great deal.”

“You owe yourself,” Tedrick corrected. “Thousands of inmates end up on Molvi every year. Very few of them seize the opportunities like you did. And his evaluation of you was confirmed by Kayog, long before you even completed your sentence. As one of the most powerful Temerns alive, Master Voln can see things about a person that others can’t. In his own initial report after seeing you on Molvi, Kayog vouched for your character. So you know, he doesn’t match anyone with questionable morals.”

Gaelec and I exchanged a look and then a smile. I found myself melting against his side while he slipped a possessive arm around me. Without Kayog, we never would have found each other.

“They’re both right. My husband is a good male with great morals,” I whispered, eyes still locked with Gaelec.

The tenderness in his eyes turned me upside down as he leaned forward to kiss me. If not for the clanging sound of the men unloading more of our new equipment, my mate and I would likely still be lost in each other. We turned back to look at the Enforcer, my cheeks turning red again.

There was something almost paternal to the amused look he gave us. It was funny that this was the adjective that came to mind considering he looked barely ten years older than I was.

“Last but not least, you actually made the move we hoped you would by leaving and starting this Pride,” Tedrick said. “You’re not going to have an easy journey ahead. You’re creating a brand-new social structure for your people. These types of fundamental changes take years, sometimes generations. But we will assist in any way we can.”

“We do not want interference,” Gaelec interjected, his tone immediately hardening.

Tedrick raised his palms in an appeasing gesture. “Nor do we intend to. Like I said, for this to work, it must come from you, not us. So long as you stay the course, the head of our outreach program will inform you of whatever new programs or services may arise that could be beneficial to you. Just know that there are some security measures embedded in the most valuable pieces of equipment that we gave you.”

“Like what?” Gaelec asked, his back stiffening.

“Nothing intrusive,” Tedrick replied in a slightly mocking tone. “But we want to make sure you remain in control of all of this. Therefore, all the deployable buildings, com system, geothermal system, speeders and shuttle have biometric locks configured specifically for you and Ophelia. Should anyone attempt to steal them, you can remotely shut them down, and no one will have access to them again until you reactivate them.”

“This, I approve of,” Gaelec replied with a shit-eating grin.

With this, he gave us a quick overview of some of the security features included with the equipment provided, followed by two solid hours of their female engineer working with Gaelec to set up the geothermal system. The atmosphere and mood in our budding village was electric—pun intended.

By the time the Enforcers left, all five buildings had been deployed, hooked to our new electrical grid, and to both our water and sewer systems. The latter two would require significant upgrading to optimize their function, especially to help support what we hoped would soon be a growing population. But for tonight, it would give us a similar comfort level to what we previously had in Nevian.

That first night, we celebrated with a big feast on the beach. We agreed to temporarily use three of the deployable buildings as dwellings. Gaelec and I would use one, Kazaer and the three young males who had followed him would share another, and the four older males from Nevian would share the third. The remaining would be used for more official functions. One of them would be focused on everything food-related, like both our fish plant and larder. The other would serve for crafting.

Once we finished building proper dwellings from scratch, we would gradually shift the other three deployable buildings to more specialized functions such as a school and medical clinic. After moving our ‘mattress’ and belongings into our new home, Gaelec and I went all out baptizing every room and every surface in the naughtiest way possible.

Life was good.