Perhaps some people never find a place to call home. I glance up at the sky, at the distant suns, trying to marry the human truth about the sky with the truth I learned as a child.
Does it matter if they are the distant fires of the banished who have gone before, or if they are suns giving life to other worlds? Perhaps when I die, I will walk among the stars. But I may not find a home there either.
“Why do you look sad when you look up at the sky?” she asks.
How do I explain everything to a human who came from one of those faraway worlds? Whose technology I could never have even dreamed about?
“Because sometimes it is better to honor the lie than face the truth.”
“And what is the truth?”
“That there is no one waiting for me when I die.”
“There is no one waiting for any of us.” She scuffs her boot in the dirt. “Fuck that got grim fast. Until we landed here, I’d never flown a real ship, and since we landed all, I’ve done is hop around this continent moving supplies, equipment, and people. This is the first time I’ve flown a mission into what some people call enemy territory.” She glances up from the line she was drawing in the dirt. “I’m not calling you the enemy. I want to learn more about your people. Your kind lives here, and have done for…forever? We should be trading and learning and helping each other. But not everyone agrees. This is a small step, and the only one that was agreed on.” She sighs, her hands still in her pockets. “I guess my secret is that I am nervous about overseeing this mission. I don’t want to lose people or equipment. I shouldn’t be admitting that to you, since you’re nervous about flying.”
“You have never led a mission, and I have never flown…it is normal to fear the unknown.”
She gives a small laugh and shakes her head. “You said nothing during the mission planning meeting.”
“There was nothing for me to add. Tiril did a good job in selecting the location. You are in charge of the flight path that takes us away from tribes instead of flying the shorter route over them. The scientists know what equipment they need. I am here in case there is trouble. That is all.”
“So you agree with the mission?”
I don’t, but I understand why the humans are doing it this way. There are too many humans who view the Honey tribes as a threat, believing the human colony will be overrun with banished warriors wanting a mate if it is discovered. There are those who think we are primitive because we do not have human technology, then there are humans who understand that when the technology breaks, they will need Honey skills.
“Should I take your silence as a diplomatic, no?”
“I’m not sure why the scientists need soil and rock samples from the mainland when there is so much land here.” If the humans believe the mainland is better, will they invade? Are my people at risk? And if they are, do I owe them my loyalty? Do I warn them? I hesitate, but as I have already started on the truth, I may as well continue. “Setting up cameras to watch is sneaky and dishonest. It is more honorable to greet a tribe as equals.”
“But you’re coming, anyway.”
Refusing was not an option I considered. “I was ordered to. The same way you were ordered to fly.”
“The flying bit is easy.” She sighs. “Guess we should head back and grab dinner. It’s an early start tomorrow.” She turns and closes the door to the cargo hold. “If you walk me into the dining hall, people will talk.”
“People talk regardless, but if you do not want to be caught up in gossip, you can go first, and I will wait.”
She pulls a face, curling the corner of her lip and scrunching her nose. “I’m not going to ask you to wait. Come on.”
She starts walking, and I follow, catching up in a few strides. She seems unbothered to be seen with me, and she has not made a play for my attention, but I cannot shake the feeling that beneath her smiles and laughter there is something else going on. I recognize another raid planner when I see one. Someone who thinks ahead and examines all the options, seeking the most advantage.
I need to remember we are on the same side and want the same thing: to return home after a successful raid.
5
ALISHA
My eyes are gritty as I run through pre-flight checks. The sun hasn’t even risen above the mountains yet, but I need to be ready when it does. I want to blame Hrad for my lack of sleep, but it’s not only his fault. I’m worried about being on the mainland surrounded by the Honey tribes.
Not that we will actually be surrounded.
We will be near one tribe and have mountains and a river between us and the next tribes. So while the mission kept me awake before I found sleep, Hrad invaded my dreams—and not for any fun reasons. He sat there watching me dream, and silently assessing. Then it became one of those dreams where I kept failing every test I was given.
Mission related insomnia. It’s not the first time, but instead of being alert and ready to go, all I want is a nap.
I am not surprised to see Hrad is the first person to arrive in his human-style colony clothing. Blue is not his color; it makes his skin seem dull. And the clothes do nothing to hide the fact that he is not human. It’s the size of his eyes, the angle of his nose and cheekbones as well as the way he wears his hair and stands. While he doesn’t look human, he isn’t ugly, or perhapsI’ve become so accustomed to seeing the Honey warriors around the colony that I am no longer startled by their height or looks.
My lips curve at the sight of his worn-in brown boots. Not everything he wears is colony issue. “Are you ready?”
