“Rag-e-ron?” Makenna asked haltingly. She had thought that Bard and the other warrior—the blond one—were talking about sending her to a place called “First World.” That was the place, presumably, where it was mostly women with no men to help her through her ripening.
“It’s a beautiful place,” the pilot continued jovially. “Wild and free. See all that dark blue down there?” He pointed at the viewscreen. “It’s all jungle. We call it the ‘Deep Blue.’ You don’t want to get lost in that! You’ll run into one of the Ancients or meet up with a hungry xenox.”
Makenna had no idea what he was talking about, but she stared at the planet growing in the viewscreen in fascination. There were areas of civilization edged by bluish-gray borders and beyond those borders she saw vast swaths of pure indigo, which must be what the pilot meant when he referred to the “Deep Blue.”
“Don’t worry, though,” the pilot went on, apparently happy to carry on the conversation all by himself. “We’ll be close to the Deep Blue, but we’re landing in the spaceport of Thonolak. Hopefully my brother, Brun, will be there to meet me.” He glanced over his shoulder at Makenna. “You don’t mind if I take a moment to catch up with him, do you?”
Makenna shook her head. So this planet, at least, must have some men—one of whom might be willing to help her. Not that she wanted anyone but Bard, but she didn’t want to die either. At any rate, maybe this planet had possibilities—possibilities that might save her life.
“Thanks for understanding,” the pilot said to her and smiled over his shoulder. “Brun will be glad we have time to catch up. He’s my older brother and I haven’t seen him in the Goddess knows how long. You know, with me living on the Mother Ship and him living on Rageron, it’s hard to get together…”
He went on, talking about his family and his brother as he brought the shuttle down for a landing. Makenna simply nodded, since he didn’t seem to require any input from her. She was hatching a plot, planning where she could hide so that no one would find her until she wanted to be found…
“Ah—there he is!” the pilot exclaimed, breaking into her thoughts. He was waving at a male with golden eyes like his own—like Bard’s too, she thought—who was coming towards the shuttle with a big grin on his bearded face.
The man had streaks of gray in his hair at the temples and a salt and pepper beard. For a moment he reminded her so much of Bard that Makenna felt like her heart might stop with longing. Then the pilot popped open the shuttle doors and jumped out to hug him.
The two men grabbed each other enthusiastically and immediately began talking. After a moment, the pilot turned back to her and smiled.
“This is my brother, Brun, I was telling you about,” he said, gesturing at the bearded man. “And this little female is the passenger I’m bringing to First World,” he told his brother.
“Very nice to meet you.” The bearded man named Brun bowed his head politely. “Would you like to come with us for a drink?”
Makenna shook her head politely. She pointed at the shuttle, as though to indicate that she would stay there.
“Doesn’t talk much, does she?” Brun murmured to the pilot.
“Well, she’s got a lot on her mind,” the pilot said. “I think she’s going to go be a priestess, since I’m taking her to First World.”
“Really?” Brun’s nostrils wrinkled. “But she’s got the scent of a male all over her.”
“Well, I wondered about that too, but I didn’t think it was my business to ask,” the pilot murmured back. “Also, I don’t think she speaks much Standard or English either, for that matter.”
“Ahhh.” Brun nodded. “I see.”
“Will you be all right here?” the pilot asked Makenna, pointing first at the shuttle and then at her in an exaggerated way.
She nodded vigorously and pointed to herself and then to the shuttle. I’ll stay right here, the motions said.
“Okay, good—we won’t be long.” The pilot gave her a friendly smile and his brother, Brun, nodded again and then the two men walked off together, talking about their family.
Makenna waited until they were gone, scanning the area as she did so. She was surrounded by a lot of ships, but ahead in the distance she could see what looked like an empty field filled with blue-gray vegetation. And even further in the distance was a dark blue line—clearly the demarcation where the Deep Blue began.
I’d better steer clear of that area, Makenna decided. But maybe I can hide in the field or somewhere around it. Then, when it gets dark, I’ll creep into town and see what…or who I can find to help me.