The Varkari

Meeting

Life with Konderick and Exer proved to be more enjoyable than I thought it would be. One source of entertainment was the random foods they would present me with. Sometimes there were prepackaged items varying from oatmeal cream pies to vacuum sealed summer sausages, even a small cup of garlic butter from Dominos made its way to the table. Other times, I received raw produce like a banana or turnip and a chunk of raw meat that I was assured was not from a human being.

Cooking was not necessarily a new thing to them, because they were taught to make jerky as children, or kits as they called it, and to cook the otherwise poisonous meat of a few species on their planet. However, pasta, rice, grilled cheese, and pizza were all fascinating concepts during the creation process. Konderick especially enjoyed watching me at the stove, testing its fortitude and capabilities, and he begrudgingly try most things.

That usually ended up with him politely hacking it out into a bin, or grimacing. Oddly, the few things other than shellfish and meats that he seemed to enjoy were raisins and dark chocolate, but I assumed they were high in iron or bitter enough that it was similar to blood.

Exer worked most days in the "Center" of their city, putting his engineering specialities to the test. Often, he brought back data or images of human structures or machines on his "tabs," or holographic screen projected by a thin piece of metal, and asked if I could explain some things.

"So you study muggles?" I joked, when he asked me to explain the difference between diesel and gasoline varieties.

Immediately, he began typing. "You call this class of compounds muggles?"

"Ugh," I slapped my forehead. "No, it is a pop culture reference. Diesel is thicker and for more heavy machinery. Gasoline is lighter and more vehicles use it. I can't tell you about the chemistry on that, though, just that if you put the wrong one in a vehicle, it can be bad."

"Ah. Basic combustion engines, then. I thought there may be alternative uses. And, ah, I have also found images of these, which I assume are broadcasting towers for emergencies? They are only now beginning to fail."

I peered down at the picture on the screen and almost giggled. "No. Those are lighthouses. They tell ships that there is land there so they won't crash."

Exer made a face. "Why would they crash into the land?"

I shrugged.

"It truly is a wonder that your species has survived for as long as it has. Pah!" He threw his hands up dramatically. "Besides all of that, I have brought you informal attire from a*****e that is scheduled for demolition. It said that it was comfortable and for a lounge, but you appear to dislike the standard garments." He pulled a pair of sweatpants out of his bag and offered them to me with a hideous sweater. They were both in a size larger than my own, but I would not complain for a minute about wearing something other than my n****e-broadcasting, breeder dress.

"Thank you, Exer! This is amazing. I will wear it constantly!"

"I am sure you mean this as flattery, but it must not be worn outside our quarters or in the presence of visitors," he warned.

"I don't go anywhere, so it probably won't matter."

He bobbed his head once slowly. "Yes, that is because you were injured. There is a meeting tomorrow and I have been asked to bring my mate as the others do. Konderick will not be able to attend."

I gulped. "What happens at this meeting?" My eyes were as wide as they could go as I raced through a list of imaginary situations; human sacrifice, another auction, trading me off to another male... Had I done something wrong? Had I-

He waved a hand. "It's a routine update for various sectors. Nothing to be concerned with," he assured.

"Alright," I agreed, skeptically.

Konderick was indeed as sickly as I had guessed, his genetics of an inferior caste in Varkari society that usually functioned as slaves or housekeepers, and he had not even been able to apply for a Token. In fact, Exer revealed that Konderick had come to Earth as Exer's keeper, which was the only way he had managed to get on the voyage.

I could see the rage in Exer's eyes as he recounted some of the menial tasks Konderick had been forced to do in service, but I was able to soothe him with the reminder that it was the past and their future was now bright.

Though small and frail, Konderick had a wicked mind and was quick to pick up any of the board games Exer managed to bring back. We spent an incredible amount of time playing board games and then Mario Kart. He won most of the time.

Even he could not devise a crafty plan to excuse me from the meetings, which would all be mandatory for me going forward. And I had to wear the w***e dress.

"You will sit beside me and likely I will not be called upon unless there are specific concerns about city expansion. If anyone should ask about our relationship, simply state that we are courting and you have no concerns," he advised.

"That's it? I...have no concerns? Shouldn't I at least pretend to have a crush on you?"

"I would not like to be crushed," his eyes ran over me briefly. "Not that you could achieve this."

"I mean, don't you think I should pretend to be in love with you?"

"Love?"

"Yes, you love Konderick. So to hide that fact, shouldn't I pretend to be infatuated with you? As if we really are courting?"

Exer considered this, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "In time, yes. We need to extend this opportunity as long as possible, however. If you are so interested so soon, they will expect us to mate sooner. Some resistance is expected. There will be other humans there. Perhaps you can mimic them?"

That made it sound like there were tons of females who hated their relationships and my interest was peaked. "Okay." I wanted to help Exer and Konderick. I did. But if I could meet other humans and we could team up to escape forever, I would absolutely do so.

And that night, I put on the thin dress even when I wanted to wear something fuzzy and warm like my newly acquired and terrible "lounge" wear, and willingly entered the transport with Exer.

This was nothing like the bus-like cargo ship that had rows of hard seats. Instead, it was a sleek craft, shaped like an arrow for cutting through the air that whipped over the city to the Center in a matter of minutes. I had little time to absorb the sweeping roller coaster feelings and the layout of the city as I had planned, overwhelmed and shaking with nerves. I was going to see tons of Varkari tonight and their "mates."

Images of the visored and heavily armored soldiers consumed my thoughts as I imagined them looming over me, staring at me, scrutinizing me to see if I was playing a game or authentic. Authentic? What was I saying? I was definitely a human and if I didn't get my s**t together, I was going to look extremely suspicious.

Exer led me inside a tall building with white floors and walls with the occasional silver sconce or door. There were no paintings, no curtains or wallpaper, nothing to give the place any homey touches at all. Just...business.

At the end of one hall, I could see a bunch of figures crowding the area, the noise from their various conversations like the deep sounds of waves rolling over a beach. Sweaty palms, sweaty brow, goosebumps. f**k.

"Remember to speak as quietly as you can if you need to speak to me. We have much better hearing than humans. It's better if we don't speak at all while here, actually. Everyone listens."

I nodded shakily as we approached the group, soldiers standing outside the doors just as I'd feared. Exer simply nodded to them and they allowed him to pass without even a sideways glance. We entered an event hall or banquet area, with high ceilings and more tables than I could count, each seating two or three couples. Here, too, the walls lacked adornment and color, everything just plain white or silver.

We parked our butts at a table somewhere in the middle of the crowd, though I wish I had the nerve to ask for one in the back. But maybe that was too suspicious also. Maybe he picked the table because the guards were already on to me because I was sweating like two rats f*****g in a wool sock even though the air was frigid. Shivering was making me shake more. I clenched my hands together and stared at the table. Breathe, i***t.

More and more couples filed in, taking their seats and my eyes were quick to dart at each and every one, searching for distress, discomfort, disinterest, a sense of...brokenness. The two other couples that sat at our table were terrifying. I thought Exer was big, but one of the males was a brick house of muscle. He looked like a bull, ready to bash his wide horns into the surface of the table and send it flipping overhead. His human was a teeny tiny little latina with doe eyes that fluttered any time he rumbled in her direction with one of those lion-like growls. The only issue was that I couldn't tell if she liked it or not which would make conspiring risky.

The other male was a tall fellow with horns that spiraled upwards, a long face giving him a forlorn expression. His female was a blonde with large breasts and an expression like she had been at a hundred of these and couldn't wait to get drunk.

I was more sure of the latina.

None of the males wore much above the waist except bandoliers or the occasional vest. Some had plates spread outward from their joints, protecting their skin in jagged sheets of dark colors. Smaller horns or spikes would sometimes appear during conversation, clearly retractable, along the side of the forearms, points of shoulders, and spine. As more males filtered in, there was more posturing, sounds that both frightened and intrigued me in the worst of ways, the rattling of plates as they bumped against each other, and the flashing of fangs and spikes. I hated it.

"You smell afraid, Ellie," Exer whispered, tapping twice on the table. A holo screen appeared on the smooth surface, covered in Varkari script and he began scrolling through a list. "Have a drink. I'm told some of the human alcohols can be calming."

The center of the table opened and a delicate rack rose up with glasses balanced on slender tines. The liquid was a light orange and looked enticing enough. I watched as the blonde's eyes lit up and she reached over to take one off.

"Mimosas are my favorite," she purred, taking a long gulp as her partner watched on, smiling slyly.

The latina and I took one for ourselves and a tentative sip had sweet citrus flavor fizzing over my tongue.

"Do you like it?"

I nodded. "I've had a wine cooler and a couple beers before this," I said.

The blonde scoffed. "You'll need a lot more than that to get through these meetings, trust me. They are either snoozefests or they turn into Fight Club. Is this your first one?" She pointed at me and I noticed that her fingernails were painted neon violet; the fact that she had gotten polish was a testament to the perks of not being a street rat.

"Yes."

Her mouth opened and her expression turned into something both shocked and interested. "Maria has been here for a few months and I've been here for a year. You've just been...what? Running around outside this whole time?"

The orange eyes of the big Varkari and the tangerine eyes of the other now moved to me as well which was exactly what I did not want to happen. "Well, yeah. I guess so."

"What was it?"

"What was what?" I sipped my drink, praying I could slow down my racing heart. I did not like the two monsters staring at me one bit.

"What was it that got you caught? Or did you surrender? My family had some connections, so we went to a hunting lodge by a national park. Maria's dad straight traded her for supplies," she scoffed.

I bristled, my hatred for the aliens and my own kind was about to rear its ugly head. By the way Maria dipped her head, it was true, the male leaning into her with a grunt of disgust.

"Um...I..." I blinked, gathering my self control. "I was shot and I needed a place to sleep so I went to a church that was supposed to be open secretly. And...well..."

"It was a trap," Maria finished, rubbing her arms.

"Yes," I agreed.

"Sad," the blonde pouted. "My name is Margaux if you need any advice when it's time to...ya know." She winked at me and shared a look with her male whose pupils enlarged as he smirked. When she tipped her head back and downed the rest of the glass, I saw the scarring on the column on her throat on one side and the fresh marks on the other. At first, I wondered if she had been burned or if it was from pieces of flying debris striking her, until I remembered why the males were not also drinking mimosas.

Exer cleared his throat. "Thank you, Margaux. Ellie, Margaux's mate is Zanthar and Maria's is Tultan. Everyone, this is Ellie. Let us not overwhelm her tonight, yes?"

Tultan just grunted, tugging Maria's chair closer while Zanthar continued to stare at me as though he was trying to see if he could get inside my head. Exer had said they could communicate telepathically to some extent so was he just reading my thoughts as they played out? Before I could help myself, I imagined breaking my glass off on the side of the table and stabbing him in the eye with the sharp edge, but he did not seem to get the message. I was sure he would react, but what did I know anymore?

"Welcome, Brothers and Females," a voice announced from the front of the room, startling me.