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“I want to stay here, Patron,” I repeat myself. “I want to live with Zion and the others. I have a home here.”
“You have responsibilities to our world. To our people. You have crimes to answer for. You must pay, Tselia.”
“She will live with us in these simple homes. She will never travel the skies again. She will eat animal flesh, she will work the soil, and she will be subject to our laws and customs. What punishment can be worse?”
“You make a fine point, but she wants those things. Ergo, not much of a punishment,” the Patron points out.
“She wants those things more than she wants to be frozen. Do you intend to spend the rest of your life watching her, wondering, when she is thawed and allowed to roam, what she will do next? Or do you want her here, safe on this planet without access to your star houses?”
“Star houses,” the Patron snorts. “You have a point, Mr. Zion. There is much less potential for chaos with her here than anywhere else.”
“You will always know where she is. You can come and see her any time. And our progeny.”
“Prog…” The Patron’s jaw drops. “There are progeny?”
“There will be. Think, star walker. The daughters of your daughter will one day walk on this planet and make this world their own. Your lineage will be one with this world.”
My father stares at Zion, his gaze furious. “You have defiled her, beast? Is that what you are telling me? You think I need your bloodlines?”
* * *
Zion
So this is the Patron my Tselia is so afraid of. I am not impressed. He is old. He is degenerate. I can see it in his eyes. I regret every word I ever said in his defense, and I see why Tselia is the way she is. He appears out of thin air and he uses warriors to intimidate our people, and he demands her life.
“My lineage is already spread across the stars. All people are my people,” he declares proudly.
“We are older than you and yours. We have taken your daughter into our tribe. She has become one of us. If you take her now, you will gain nothing, and lose everything.”
“You’re persuasive, Mr. Zion,” the Patron says. “But I didn’t come all this way to leave my progeny here.”
“You came all this way to ensure that your daughter was alive and well and taken care of. You came to ensure justice would be done. She is and it will be. So please. Go in peace.”
The Patron smirks unpleasantly. “You speak as if you have the right to order me about, savage. You are nothing but an animal. Tselia will be punished according to our laws and you will forget about her.”
“No!” Tselia shouts. “I’m not going back. I’m not going to be punished. I’m not going into the ice. I’m not!”
“Tselia, you have no choice,” the Patron sighs. “I am tired of this charade. You have made these primitives as argumentative as you. They are forever tainted thanks to your interference.”
“I have choice. I have the gun. And that means I have the choice.”
“There is one of you, and many more of my men. Stop this, Tselia. Before I have to hurt these people.”
“You touch a single one of them and I will end you,” she bites out. She is fierce, my little star girl, and I can see she means it. The Patron cannot. He sees nothing but his own arrogance. The danger has reached its peak and this can only go one way. We all know it. Our people hold position, some stunned, others managing their aggressive impulses with the true discipline of the warrior. This is not the time for brutal conflict. We have women and offspring nearby.
Unfortunately, one of our number does not have the patience or the sense to stay silent. Her fiery temper ignites. With a shrill cry, Tyna rushes forward. Her face is painted, her breasts are bare, her skirt flies about her waist as she aims her spear at the throat of the man with a fearsome cry.
“Death to the star walkers!”
A single shot is fired from one of the star guard. Tyna collapses to the ground, as insensate as I was the first time Tselia used her little device on me. We can see she is still breathing, but is otherwise completely incapacitated. A few of the huntresses retrieve her as quietly as possible as the Patron looks over us with triumph.
“Anybody else care to initiate an attack?” the Patron smirks.
“You’re such an asshole,” Tselia growls. “But I won’t let you hurt these people. I’ll go back with you.”
“You’re coming to your senses. Good. Let us be gone,” the Patron snaps.
“What?” I wrap my hand around her arm and shake my head. “You are not going anywhere, girl. You are mine.”
