Chapter 5

Veda opened her eyes slowly, and they stung a bit as she did. She rubbed them gently as she came back to herself and looked around the room where she'd been sleeping.

She had no idea where she was. How did she get here? She tried to recall her last memory.

It came to her slowly—an image of herself covered in mud and finding the human women walking into the room with aliens by their sides. She remembered that she'd recently been in a coma and that the blue one carried her away, apparently into this room.

This time, upon remembering that she had been injured in the crash, Veda did not panic. Evidently, she had gotten that out of her system. She felt a lot more clear-headed now. She was still a bit worried about what had happened, but she reminded herself that she was not in a coma now, and despite everything, she physically felt fine.

However, mentally, she was weary and had so many questions. First and foremost, who were these alien men? Veda had studied all known intergalactic species, and she had never seen anything that looked even remotely like them.

And why were the other human women so calm around them? Had they enslaved the women into submission? No, Veda doubted this based off the women's facial expressions. They didn't appear sad or withdrawn. Mostly, they expressed a lot of concern for Veda.

Veda pulled the large, dark forest green comforter from her body. It was heavier than she expected, but she figured she was weak from muscle atrophy. Oddly, though, she didn't have too much pain throughout her body. That was unexpected for her, but she wasn't going to complain about it.

She crawled out of bed and looked down at the dingy rag of a dress she was wearing. This wouldn't do. She was barely covered.

She looked around the room and hunted for something else to wear. She was able to find a small closet with an assortment of long shirts. Well, they weren't like any shirts she would've seen on Earth, of course. The material was a lot coarser than she was used to, but it would have to do. She slid on a shirt that looked like a dress on her and felt considerably more comfortable now that she was fully clothed. Being undressed made her feel a lot more vulnerable.

Veda sat back down on the bed for a moment, wondering what she should do next. Perhaps she was to wait here to get some kind of further instruction.

But she had no desire to sit and wait around. She had just found out that she crash-landed on a foreign planet and the adventurous spirit within her told her to explore that planet. She was in no mood to tell that adventurous spirit to calm down.

So she got up from the bed and headed out the door of the room she'd woken up in. It led to a long hallway that she followed with eager curiosity.

As her bare feet stepped across the cold, smooth stone, she began to hear English being spoken again. It must've been the women. She followed their voices into a room that looked like a long, elaborate dining hall.

The women didn't seem to notice her at first, so Veda stood in the doorway and observed. They were all eating at the table with alien men by their side. Not only were they talking very eagerly to the men, but the aliens were being extremely affectionate with them. Veda watched as some of the aliens fed the women food, put their hands on their backs, and leaned in for soft kisses.

It was instantly clear to Veda that she had to toss the idea that these women were being held captive right out the window. Clearly, something intimate was going on here. Unless, perhaps, they all had a bad case of Stockholm syndrome…

"Veda! There you are!" one of the women called out with an eager smile.

Another woman waved her over. "Come! Come sit! You must be starving."

Veda forced a smile and nervously walked over to the woman who had waved at her. She could not deny that she was very hungry, though she was also a little worried about what kind of food might be offered on this planet.

As she stepped closer, the women around her all began to smile infectiously, clearly eager to speak with her. Their energy was spreading to Veda, and she could feel herself getting a bit excited despite all her reservations.

"Veda, we were so worried about you!" the woman next to her said as she sat down. "My name is Eliza. Nice to finally get to meet you."

"H-How do you know my name?" Veda asked.

"We figured it out from the information on your pod. I'm so sorry you had to wake up this way. We were all traumatized by the crash, but I especially can't imagine learning about it the way you did. We're all so happy that you're okay, though."

The other women nodded enthusiastically to express the same sentiment, and Veda smiled softly at all of them.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Here, let me get you a plate of food! I promise, it's so much better than it looks!" Another girl chuckled as she began to scoop Veda a plate.

The food wasn't entirely off-putting, actually. Some things were oddly colored—dark purple and light blue—but Veda was finding herself so hungry she hardly cared. Based on the smell, it appeared appetizing.

And when Veda dug her utensil, which resembled a spoon, into a dark purple mash, she was pleasantly surprised it was reminiscent of mashed potatoes.

"Good, huh? I'm Talia, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you so much. It really is good," Veda said politely. She tried to eat her food slowly, reminding herself of her table manners, but she ended up scarfing things down pretty quickly.

"So, how are you feeling?" another woman asked from the other side of the table.

"I'm… tired. A little weak, I think, though this food seems to be helping. But honestly, I'm not feeling as bad as I would have expected to in this situation. My body barely even aches."

"Oh, yeah, you can thank the healing sands for that," Eliza told her.

"The healing sands?" Veda asked blankly.

"Yeah. Do you remember the sand bath you were covered in when we first ran into you? Ever since our arrival, the Aterans have been taking you to the healing sands every day. They submerge you and allow the sands to make miracles happen. I don't know quite how it works, but in these past few weeks, I've seen it heal enough injuries to know it's true."

Despite Eliza's confidence in the healing sands, this seemed doubtful to Veda. In her heart, Veda was a woman of science and substance. It was hard to get her to believe something was true without any proof, and she was especially skeptical of the idea that a mud concoction could do anything to heal trauma to her brain.

Still, she didn't argue it. She had too many other questions she'd rather get answered.

"But why would they do that for me? I mean, why are they taking care of any of us?" Veda looked suspiciously at the men, wondering about any ulterior motives.

Eliza seemed to sense her distrust and answered as if she could read Veda's thoughts.

"We're not, like, their sex slaves or anything, if that's what you're thinking. The Aterans are a good people, and these Ateran men in particular truly love us. I know this is an adjustment, I remember how scared I was when we first arrived… But believe me when I say you can trust these men. I feel crazy saying it, but I couldn't be happier that we crash-landed here."

Now Veda most definitely had Stockholm syndrome on her mind…

But the other women seemed to mirror Eliza's sentiment.

"She's right!" Talia chimed in. "My life has completely changed since we met the Aterans… for the better! I mean, we all came on this trip to find our soulmates… And it seems we have!"

Another girl who had previously been silent spoke up. "The Ateran men say it's the work of their Goddess Eana… that she brought us all here because we were all fated to be the mates of the Ateran men. I am not sure about Eana, but I do believe fate brought us together." She looked lovingly at the alien, apparently an Ateran, who kissed her gently on the forehead. "I was meant to be his kode."

"His… what?" Veda asked, forcing herself to accommodate all this overwhelming information.

"Oh, that's the Ateran word for soulmate," Eliza explained. "We are all their kodes, the women they are fated to mate with. The Aterans know their kode as soon as they meet them, and when they do, they devote their entire lives to them. They treat us with kindness, respect, and so much love. I'm so glad I never made it to the Nyx Station. I came on this trip to find a loving husband, and now I have." She leaned into her Ateran man.

"Yep, I would be lost without Malu here! And Atera is a truly beautiful planet. You're going to love it, Veda! My only complaint is that it would be nice if the healing sands acted as a fountain of youth… I could do with a little wrinkle removal."

Her Ateran man spoke up immediately. "You are the most beautiful creature in all the universe, my kode!" Veda heard him say in her communicator.

Eliza's Ateran man spoke as well. "And you, my sweet kode, are the most gorgeous sight I have ever seen. Bless Eana for bringing you to me. I am grateful every day."

Veda laughed awkwardly. "Are they always… this doting?" she asked, trying not to sound too judgmental or anything. It was just a bizarre sight for her, seeing the way these Ateran men paid so much attention to their women.

"Oh, yes, always," Eliza said. "They're incredibly sweet, loyal men. They've been waiting their entire lives for us, so they have a lot of love to offer."

Veda raised an eyebrow. "Their entire lives? Surely they've dated other Ateran women before you arrived."

"No, no. Aterans only have one mate, you see. Until they meet their kode, they can't mate with anyone. And the process for mating for the first time is, uh, well… It makes it pretty obvious that they most definitely haven't been with other women."

"How do you mean?" Veda asked.

Talia chuckled. "You'll just have to see for yourself when you meet your mate. But they definitely cannot mate with anyone else. There's no cheating in Ateran culture and certainly no abuse of any kind."

Veda was skeptical. "I'm an intergalactic biologist, and I've never heard of a species that was bound to one person and unable to procreate with someone besides their monogamous mate."

"But this is a totally unknown alien species," Talia reminded her. "Who knows how their biology operates? I promise this is how they work, though. Like I said, you'll see when you meet your own mate."

Until Talia said this, Veda hadn't even considered that she was also going to be a kode to one of these aliens. At least, that was how it seemed. All of these women had an alien mate, so why wouldn't she?

Veda couldn't deny that it was appealing to imagine an alien man obsessing over her the way these Ateran men were. That was why she left Earth in the first place. She was ready to find a man who would love and care for her for the rest of her life.

Sure, this wasn't exactly how Veda had planned it. She was supposed to marry somebody else. But did that really matter? If the Ateran man who was supposed to be her mate was everything she wanted in a husband, why shouldn't she adjust to this new direction her life had taken?

The other women seemed perfectly happy, that was for certain. And Veda could be one of them.

Uh oh. Was she falling into Stockholm syndrome too? For a moment, she worried about herself for actually being eager to be claimed by some alien man… But then she remembered that being claimed by an alien man was her reason for setting out on that voyage in the first place, and if anything, this situation provided her with much more adventure than she was ever supposed to receive…

Unless, of course, she wasn't like these other women. Sure, they were all kodes of the Ateran men, but that didn't mean Veda was as well. She certainly didn't believe a goddess planned to bring them all together. She didn't believe in fate at all.

And it was clear by the way these Ateran men were fawning over their mates that if she had one, he'd be by her side. The fact that she woke up alone and was now eating dinner alone with no Ateran man running in to claim her seemed to be evidence enough to Veda that nobody had.

Her excitement flitted away, the thought depressing her. Perhaps, if nobody had claimed her in the several weeks she'd been here, there was nobody for her on Atera. And if there was nobody here for her on Atera, she actually was missing out by not reaching the other man who was waiting for her elsewhere.

She turned to Eliza. "Is there no way… to get back to Earth?"

Eliza frowned. "Not that we know of…"

Veda was awash with misery, and Eliza certainly noticed.

"But I promise it really is great here! You're going to love it. In a week, you won't ever have any desire to return to Earth."

Veda certainly agreed with that. No, she wouldn't have the desire to return to Earth. She'd never felt at home there. But that didn't mean she wouldn't have the desire to go the Nyx Station.

The worst-case scenario for Veda was that she missed out on everything her heart desired: a loving husband, children, and the family unit she had never gotten to have as a child. It was the only thing she wanted. And she'd be happy to do it on Atera… assuming she could.

And if she couldn't, she'd be cursed to a life of unhappiness.

She chastised herself inwardly for even thinking that. Why should she need a man to provide her with happiness? She hated herself for not being more independent. She shouldn't need love this desperately.

But for Veda, it was about more than romantic love. It was about the family, about being able to be a mother, to have a part of her life she could not explore solely on her own. Perhaps Veda could even be okay without a man if she was able to have children… But she couldn't do that alone, and if the Aterans operated like these women claimed, Veda didn't imagine any adoptable children were around. Why would there be? There was no cheating, no accidental pregnancies outside of a union.

Veda finished her dinner in silence, doing her best not to dwell on what she didn't have… what she may never have.