Starlight Highlanders Mail Order Brides

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

ThorrnI glared at the blue planet quickly growing larger beneath us. I didn’t have time for this. I had a fight to prepare for. I hadn’t trained for months just to be distracted by my brother’s latest desperate scheme. Unlike him, I’d long given up on our kind. Instead, I lived in the moment. Fighting. Bathing in the adoration of the masses. Challenging my body to the very limits. And enjoying all the luxuries my prize money afforded.

Cyle, on the other hand, was the eternal optimist. He still believed that we could find mates and ensure the survival of our species. Somewhere in the galaxy, he hoped, were compatible females. He’d dedicated his life and career to the search for mates. We used to be close, but our different perspectives on what was important had made us drift apart.

Until now. I looked at him as he was snoozing on the seat opposite. As always, it was like staring into a mirror. We weren’t twins but we were often mistaken for some. The same bright red hair that reached to our shoulders – although while he wore his loose, mine was braided tightly so it wouldn’t get in the way during a fight; the same green eyes, the same freckles sprinkled across a broad nose. Of course, I was a lot more muscular than him, my body toned from years of training, but just like all Albyans, he had a naturally powerful build. His secondary arms were definitely thinner than mine, though. On the other hand, he still had both antennae. I’d lost my left one in a fight five years ago and my right one was permanently bent. Another reason why I wasn’t keen on the whole mate thing. No female would consider a male without working antennae. How else would we sense our one true mate?

We were getting close to breaking through the atmosphere. I had to admit that the planet looked pretty from afar, a gorgeous ensemble of blues and greens covered by white stripes in places. Albya was mostly land with large lakes and rivers instead of oceans. Our planet was also a lot smaller than Peritus, or Earth, as the natives called it. Not that it mattered, with our population soon to be extinct.

“Arriving in fifteen clicks,” the pilot announced. “It might get a little bumpy; the atmosphere’s thicker than what we’re used to.”

I checked I was still strapped in properly, then closed my eyes. I hated landings.

With the chameleon shields engaged, we’d parked on a landing strip full of Peritan aircraft. They had a spaceport in this country, but it was primitive and nowhere near the city where we were going to meet the human female called Pam. Peritans had taken their first steps into space, but the Intergalactic Council hadn’t opened up communications with their government yet. Technically, we were going against IGC law by visiting the planet, but Cyle and his colleagues were desperate. As long as we wore our C-suits, we’d look like the natives and it wouldn’t count as First Contact. They were uncomfortable, especially because we had to keep our lower set of arms pressed against our bodies, but it was the only way to walk among the natives without sticking out as aliens.

If Cyle was right and we’d find compatible females here, we’d have to see what to do. It was the reason why he’d asked me to come along. For protection. Even though in the arena I fought with my four fists, I was well versed in both hand and spacecraft weapons. If worse came to worse, it was my responsibility to make sure my brother and the others were unharmed.

Not that I thought we’d end up with a fight. Peritans were puny and weak. I’d done some research during the flight here and wasn’t impressed by their species. Still, even though Cyle and I had become somewhat estranged, I had no doubt he had a good reason for coming here. He was Albya’s most eminent scientist and the Albyan Parliament had agreed to fund this research trip. I knew nothing about science and didn’t really care. I was only here because Cyle had asked me. Begged me to come, even. As my only remaining family member, I hadn’t managed to say no. Now we were on Peritus, a planet far from our own galaxy, looking for mates.

Cyle led us to a hotel not far from the airport. We got a few strange looks from Peritans, but our C-suits were working, I’d checked repeatedly. My brother had decided that our clothes were similar enough to what the natives wore, so all the C-suits hid were our antennae and secondary arms. We were taller than most Peritans, but according to Cyle, our height was still within natural parameters.

“Highland Games aren’t until next month!” a male shouted. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, so I ignored him. He didn’t seem like a threat. It was confirmation, though, that our BrainTrain language sessions had been successful. I understood him as well as if he was speaking Albyan Prime. All those nights wearing the itchy implants had been worth it.

A group of females on the other side of the street giggled and pointed at us. I strained my damaged antenna in their direction, just in case one of them was my mate. I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to recognise her with just one antenna. There were no females on Albya to practice on, at least not any awake. I felt no s****l attraction to the females trapped in the Sleep who were the only ones still alive.

“Do all their females look like them?” Jafar asked. He was Cyle’s colleague who’d been instrumental in establishing contact with a Peritan owner of a so-called dating agency. I hadn’t quite grasped the concept of it, but it seemed like they arranged relationships between mates. I had no idea how they did that. How could they match mates without them meeting each other? Peritans lacked mating antennae, but surely they had some other inbuilt mechanism to recognise their mates?

“I believe so, yes,” Cyle said, staring at the females. “I hope so. Just look at those legs.”

“Their legs? I’m admiring their breasts.”

I chuckled. Of course, he would. Jafar was a scientist like Cyle, but he was less reserved and polite than my brother. Even if Cyle liked the female’s breasts, he wouldn’t say so because it wasn’t proper. Our mother had made sure to teach us manners. We may have been without females for a long time, but neither of us had ever forgotten what she’d ingrained in us. Treat females with respect. Compliment them on their mind instead of on their body. Protect them without taking their independence. Still, I totally understood where Jafar was coming from. These females made my mouth water and my balls ache.

“Do you feel anything?” I whispered to Cyle, making sure Jafar couldn’t hear me. Even though my disability was obvious, I didn’t like to draw attention to my missing antenna.

“No, but they might be too far away. I’m not sure how close we have to get. We’ll find out tomorrow when we meet with Pam. She’s found mates for hundreds of Peritans. She’ll know.”

“A true expert then. How did you find her?”

“I hacked into their planetwide communications network called the world wide web. I don’t know why they broadcast it into space, but I’d never have found Pam otherwise, so I won’t complain. The Peritans must have their reason. Maybe they know about the IGC ruling and want to protest against being kept in the dark. Maybe it’s their way to attract travellers and traders to their planet.”

“I’ll go over and tell them I like their breasts,” Jafar announced. “Maybe that will activate my antennae.”

I grabbed him by the arms. “No, you don’t. We’ll wait until our meeting tomorrow. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves.”

He grumbled under his breath but didn’t make any attempts to join the females on the other side of the street. They were still shooting looks at us and it took all my willpower to ignore them.

Using the Peritan web technology, Cyle had booked us three rooms in a hotel. Vaxx, our pilot, had stayed back on the ship, making sure none of the natives stumbled across it by accident. He wasn’t interested in females anyway, preferring the company of his own s*x. Some days, I wished I was like him. I’d been with males, of course, most Albyans had to satisfy our urges, but it wasn’t what I wanted and needed, deep inside. I may have resigned myself to being without a mate for the rest of my life, but that didn’t mean my body didn’t crave the physical aspects of mating.

The Peritan male at the hotel reception handed us a strange card each. “Are you here for a wedding?”

I exchanged a look with the others, hoping they’d know what he was talking about.

“No,” Cyle said eventually. “We’re here on business.”

“Oh, right. I thought because of the kilts, you know. Don’t get many people here wearing them at this time of year unless they’re going to a wedding.”

Pit air iteig! Cyle had been convinced that our traditional dress matched what the natives wore. It’s why we’d come to this part of Peritus. The locals had strikingly similar looks and traditions which had made my brother hopeful that we’d find compatible mates here. Had our cover been blown not even twenty clicks after our arrival?

“We shall retire for the night,” I said quickly and turned away from the Peritan, hoping the others would follow my lead. It may be slightly rude, but I didn’t want to prolong this conversation.

“You’re on the second floor!” the male called after us. “Just swipe the cards to get into your room. Don’t lose them or you’ll be charged extra!”

We took a primitive vertical transport to the second floor. A long, bland corridor awaited us, leading to even blander rooms. At least I wouldn’t have to listen to Cyle’s snoring. The walls on our ship were way too thin, as I’d quickly discovered.

A menu with a list of food items lay on a table, but I wasn’t hungry. I also hadn’t asked Cyle if the food here was palatable for us. I simply took off my C-suit and went to bed, hoping the Intergalactic Authority wasn’t on the way to arrest us for breaking dozens of laws by landing on Peritus.

Tomorrow, we’d know for sure if we’d finally found mates and with them, hope for the survival of all Albyans.