Page 5 of Drengr
"There's nothing to hear," Rune roared from my left. "Be patient."
Angry glances were directed at him, even though it wasn't his fault that the females were late.
Water dripped from my beard, short as it was. I ran my fingers through the stubble, brushing out the rain water. I'd shaved my beard when my kvenn had died, and had kept it that way for the mandatory rotation of mourning. After that had passed, I sometimes let it grow for a bit, but never back to its previous length. Njal had teased me about it, wondering aloud why my beard looked like that of a youngling who couldn't grow it any longer. I'd ignored him. I wasn't ready to look like I had before the destruction of our home planet. My trimmed beard reminded me of the past every time I looked in the mirror, and that's how it was going to stay. Along with continuing to wear the shirts Randi had sewn me, it was a gesture of remembrance, of honouring my kvenn.
"There!" Sten shouted, and silence fell as everyone's attention was drawn back to the screen.
A familiar female had entered our field of vision, followed by a group of unfamiliar Peritans. Steff was smiling, but the females behind her sported expressions of fear, disbelief and outright panic. Which of them was the one matched to me? We'd all been sent a short summary about our matches, not much more than their names, age, occupation and a picture, but I'd refused to read it.
"There's mine!" Frode cheered. How had that layabout got a match? He was a good-for-nothing assistant in engineering who spent most of his shifts hiding from his supervisors. It was a miracle he'd found the energy to submit a sample.
More shouts from other males made me want to run out of the room. They were all so happy. So relieved to finally see their mates for the first time.
The females stood in a huddle while Steff asked them to sit and relax. That wasn't going to happen, not with the way they clung to each other. I looked at them one by one, wondering if my match would jump out at me. One female, with straight silver hair that fell to her shoulders, stood a little apart from the others and instead of fear, there was nothing but curiosity painted across her pretty face. She stared at the wall-mounted viewscreen with unabashed wonder as she observed her planet from space.Her curiosity was so tangible that I was fascinated. I wasn't a scientist or academic, not even close, but I could appreciate passion for something. In her case, it was the passion for learning, for the unknown. I desperately wanted the cameras to zoom in closer on her so that I could study her further. But whoever had control over the surveillance cams now focused on Steff as she started talking to the females.
I let the words drift over me, barely listening, while I mentally urged the camera to show me that stunning female again.
5
Holly
Now that I'd accepted that we were indeed on an alien spaceship, the nerd in me had taken over. I'd become a teacher for a reason. I loved learning. My parents had called me their insatiable little sponge when I was growing up, always pestering them with questions, always needing to know how things worked and why things were as they were. I must have driven them crazy. I'd studied primary school education to pass on that thirst of knowledge to the next generation.
Here, on this spaceship, I fell back into my old pattern, staring open-mouthed at everything, bursting with questions I needed answering. The other women reacted completely differently. Most were scared, some close to hyperventilating, while others had taken on a stoic, impassive demeanour; a protective shell against whatever was to come.
Pam had handed us over to Steff, a woman in her early thirties with the most beautiful dark curls that looked a little as if we were still floating weightlessly in space. Steff hadn't said much, only told us to follow her somewhere more comfortable. Pam stayed in the shuttle, ready to return home. I wondered how much it would cost if one of us decided to return to Earth prematurely. NASA flights cost millions, if not billions of dollars, and their rockets were nowhere near as sophisticated as the shuttle we'd just been on. The fact that it had artificial gravity alone was ridiculously advanced.
Steff led us along a wide, brightly lit corridor until we got into a large room, twice as big as my classroom. It looked a bit like an office canteen, except that the furniture was nothing like you'd find on Earth. Sleek lines, glinting metal, floating surfaces, chairs that seemed togrowout of the floor. On many of the chairs and benches were colourful cushions that wouldn't have stood out in a hippie den. A few blankets lay among them, even though it was nice and warm in the room. Almost too warm. I was still dressed for a chilly Glasgow evening. Pam had said that our baggage would be brought to our rooms. Did that mean we'd stay on this ship, or was this just another transport to a new destination? I supposed we'd find out soon.
"Take a seat, ladies," Steff said, her voice cheerful but slightly strained. "You have nothing to fear. The Vikingar have strict instructions to stay away from you all until you're ready. For now, I want to tell you more about our hosts and what awaits you in the coming weeks. So go on, sit down. I'll have some drinks brought to us in a moment."
"What about our things?" one woman piped up.
"They'll be waiting for you in your rooms. I'll take you there after this introduction. I bet you all have a thousand questions."
A thousand? I bet I could come up with more than that. When none of the other women sat down, I took the initiative and took a seat on one of the mushroom chairs. I wasn't quite ready yet for a floating bench.
Steff shot me a grateful smile. Now that I'd made a start, the others left their huddle and most of them joined me on the mushroom chairs, although two remained standing.
Steff shrugged. "Suit yourselves. Valkyr, please provide us with eleven glasses of Earth-sourced H2O."
A glimmer appeared above the floating table next to her, then a group of horn-shaped glasses appeared out of thin air. What the croaking raven? A gasp escaped me. This was magic. Looked like magic, anyway. How did they do that? Teleportation? Instant matter generation? Technology we didn't even have a name for?
Our guide handed out the drinking horns with a knowing smile. "I know, it's all very alien. I thought this would be less shocking than one of the Vikingar serving our drinks. Now, Pam told me you didn't have time to watch the introductory video I made. I don't want to have put in all that effort for nothing, so we'll watch it now. Sadly, I don't think the Valkyr knows what popcorn is, so just imagine your water is some sort of fizzy drink."
She raised her wrist, exposing a wide chrome armband. When she ran one finger over it, tiny blue lines appeared on it, before another holographic sphere emerged in the centre of the room. My mind was completely blown by this point. A thousand questions had turned into tens of thousands.
Instead of Planet Earth, the sphere showed a different planet.
"Here you see Jörð," Steff's disembodied voice came from unseen speakers. "It is the planet of the Vikingar. They're humanoid aliens, not unlike us. Two years ago, their planet was destroyed in a catastrophic event. Only about a thousand Vikingar survived. Among them, the crew of the Valkyr, the spaceship you are now headed to. The Vikingar are desperate to keep their species alive. After years of research, they have discovered that we humans are compatible with them physically and emotionally. We are not just able to form lasting relationships, we can even become soulmates. You have each been paired with a Vikingr after examining your DNA and finding a match. That means that it's highly likely the Vikingr is your soulmate, your other half. And yes, I understand if some of you have trouble believing any of what I've just said. I've been doing this for three years now, so I've seen all sorts of reactions to the big revelation."
"Three years?" I asked before I could stop myself. "You just said their planet was destroyed two years ago."
Steff nodded at me. "Glad someone's paying close attention. Until now, Hot Tatties has been working with a different species of humanoid aliens. They're called the Albyans and just like the Vikingar, they were in need of female partners. Working with them, we've managed to bring hundreds of couples together. It's always a shock for the women to find out not only that aliens exist, but that they've been matched with one. That's why we're doing this introductory session followed by a few days for you all to get used to the idea. You'll get to explore the ship, get accustomed to life in space. Once you think you're ready, you get to meet your match." She cleared her throat. "I should tell you that he may be watching you right now. It's one of the stipulations we had to agree to. The Vikingar were desperate to meet you, but they also understand that you need some time. That's why there are cameras installed in all public areas through which your mates may watch you. Don't worry, there are no cameras in bathrooms and in your private cabins. If you ever meet in a public space and want to have a private conversation, just tell the Valkyr 'enable privacy mode' and all cameras will be turned off for an hour."
She paused for a moment to let all that sink in. My head was spinning. My soulmate was watching me at this very minute. Soulmate. Was that even possible? I wasn't sure if I believed in that. Partners chosen by destiny. It was too esoteric. I wanted facts, proof, science. But Steff had said that this matching process was based on something they could find in our DNA. I'd have to ask her for more detail later. Maybe she could even show me the process. The geek in me cheered at the prospect.
Steff did something to her armband, and a large black fly detached itself from a wall and flew to her. It landed on Steff's open hand. A few mutters of disgust sounded around me, but I stared in fascination.
