Page 19 of Star Mates

He flashed her an amused smile. “Come on, time to see Sparta.”

He took her hand and led her away from the direction where the hangar lay. Again, people walked by and greet Raiden cheerfully, and Emmarie realized the captain was held in a high regard. People were friendly toward him, but they were also slightly in awe of him. She wondered what he’d done to deserve that type of admiration.

He opened another door and she realized they had left the building, and that they stood under a type of natural rock overhang. Several vehicles resembling cars waited nearby. They were small with no doors and simple operating peddles. Raiden led them to one where Pike and Logan waited next to one and climbed into one of the back seats. Pikon got behind the wheel and Logan slid in next to him leaving the seat next to Raiden for Emmarie.

They drove out of the base and in a matter of seconds, Emmarie got her first glimpse of Arden. Much of it reminded her of Earth, with lots of blues, greens and browns. Only, it was very obviously not Earth by the feel of the air, the shapes of the rocks, and the texture of the dirt. It was all different, like substituting tofu for meat. Not exactly pleasant to the taste but something you could live with.

“Relax,” Raiden murmured into her ear. “You’ll be safe here. We’ll get you a hot bath, new clothes, some food. We’ll fix you right up.”

“With Leona?”

He nodded. “She owns a saloon, a very popular one. Her mother used to help new people acclimate.”

The ride lasted for twenty minutes and bumped along as it made its way into what was obviously Sparta.

“Shouldn’t we be walking in the shadows, or hiding more?” Emmarie asked.

“No one on Arden is going to turn you in,” Raiden informed her. “Everyone you see has either been a slave or lost someone to the slavers.”

“And which are you, Captain?” She asked him, turning to face him. The sun was high in the sky, and she had to squint against the brightness. Out from the shadows she had originally seen him in, Pell Raiden was even more of a force of nature. His eyes sparkled like onyx dipped in rainwater, his hair glossy and thick. His chin had a bit of stubble on it, which only added to his rugged appeal.

But the question closed him up, froze the candor warming his eyes. “I was never a slave,” he answered with a flat voice before turning away, leaving her to wonder who it was he had lost.

+

---