Page 1 of Borgaz

CHAPTER 1

Mary pulled the letter out of her pocket for what felt like the hundredth time. The battered letter had taken almost four months to follow her through five different locations, from the modest house her parents had rented when they first arrived in Port Cantor to her current miniscule room with the stained carpet and the walls that shook each time a ship departed from the nearby spaceport. The housing near the spaceport was little more than hastily assembled prefabs intended for passing crewmen, but it was the only thing she could afford.

She’d had such high hopes when they first moved to the city. Even though her parents had been forced to sell their farm in the face of the neighboring landowner’s increasing open threats, she’d been optimistic about the future. She just hadn’t been prepared for the realities of life in the city. Even that first house in a nice neighborhood had been a shock with neighbors right outside her window, and the constant hum of traffic, and the stars blocked by the lights of the city.

The adjustment had been a struggle, and then her parents had died in a freak maglev train accident and her whole worldhad come crashing down around her. It hasn’t taken long for the credits to run out, along with any chance of finishing the education they’d tried to provide for her. She hadn’t minded that so much - she hated being trapped in a classroom and despised studying - but it left her with few resources when looking for a job.

She’d been brought up on a farm; she knew how to milk a cow, not program a replicator. She also had an unfortunate habit of speaking her mind when encountering stupidity. As a result jobs were hard to find and easy to lose - as she’d realized yet again two days ago. Her former boss has not taken kindly to her rejection of his advances, nor her blunt suggestion as to what he could do with the pathetic little dick he’d had the nerve to brandish at her. Righteous indignation had carried her off with her head high, but it hadn’t taken long for despair to follow.

The letter had arrived the same day. Smoothing it out, she read through it once again.

Dear Mary,

It seems like such a long time since I’ve seen you! I hope you and your parents are doing well.

I have some very exciting news - I’m married! To an alien of all things. His name is Harkan and he’s big and strong and protective - a little too protective sometimes! - and I’m happier than I ever thought I could be. I hope you will get to meet him - which brings me to my second piece of news.

Do you remember that mysterious group of aliens that took over the old Wainwright ranch? After you were gone they started showing up in town, and now all of them are married too! Harkan was on his way to ask them for help when heended up in my barn. To make a long story short, not only did they help him, but they “encouraged” Matthew Johnson to sell Harkan all the property he had acquired!

Harkan is planning to use the farms as a way for former soldiers to find peace and healing through working on the land and taking over the old farms. I think it’s a wonderful idea, but I know you and your family didn’t want to leave. We’ve agreed that if you want to return, we’ll sign the land back over to you. I understand you’ve probably moved on with your exciting new life in the city, but we wanted to make the offer.

Please let me know what you think. Even if you don’t want to come back, I hope we will meet again one day. I still miss you!

Love,

Rosie

Rosie - married to an alien.The old Mary would have been shocked, but there were so many aliens in the city, especially around the spaceport, that the idea didn’t seem as far-fetched as it would have once. How they had speculated about the mysterious males who had bought the ranch back then, full of girlish dreams - and no real idea of life outside the farm.

Her mouth twisted. She was a long way from the naive girl she’d been back then. Was it even possible to go back home again?Home.Even after all this time, the farm still felt like home. But despite the happy memories, she also remembered how hard they had worked. Could she do it on her own? The few credits she’d managed to save might pay for the trip back, especially if she could also barter some work as well, but they wouldn’t be enough to raise the stake she’d need to get started. Unless…

Also for the hundredth time, she pulled out her mother’s necklace. Her grandmother had brought it from Earth when she first arrived as a colonist, and it was the only thing of value she owned. She’d held on to it all this time, but for what? Wouldn’t rebuilding the farm be a far better tribute to her family than a piece of jewelry?

The rumble of a departing ship vibrated through the walls and she moved to the tiny window to catch a glimpse of it soaring into the sky. Some might have seen the ship as a symbol of freedom, but all it did was make her long for home.Home,she thought again, picturing the small white house nestled in a grove of trees and surrounded by green rolling hills. Yes. It was time to go home.

“Sorry, Mama,” she whispered as she carefully placed the necklace back in its box. “I hope you’d understand.”

Six weeks later,Mary walked down the dusty road towards her farm. She could have waited another day and ridden out with the wagonload of supplies she’d purchased from Mr. Armstrong, the shopkeeper in Wainwright, but she’d been too impatient to wait.

S’kal, the big, green alien who was the wagon master of the caravan she had traveled with, had also offered to escort her to her home but she’d turned him down as well. In spite of his intimidating appearance and gruff manner, he was nice enough - agreeing to let her work off some of her passage and making sure no one bothered her - but she needed to do this on her own.

The fields flanking the roads were just beginning to show the signs of spring, a faint haze of green covering the winter brown. The air was still brisk but the sun was shining and she felther spirits lifting as she walked, glad of the exercise after the long weeks riding in the caravan. Her long skirt created little swirls of dust around her feet but she was glad she’d changed into it before reaching Wainwright. Traditional clothing still predominated in the town, although she’d noticed several women wearing pants. Change might be coming to Wainwright, but it wasn’t coming quickly.

The road diverged ahead, one way leading to Rosie’s farm and the other to hers. She hesitated for a moment, then took the branch that would lead her home, walking alongside the creek and then up over a small rise to the grove that sheltered her family’s house. Her steps quickened as she came around the final curve before coming to an abrupt halt.

“Damn you, Matthew Johnson. Damn you to hell.”

The neighboring landowner had been so eager to acquire their land that he’d forced her parents to sell, but for what? He’d clearly had no interest in using or even maintaining the property. The fields surrounding the house were little more than weeds surrounded by broken fences, and the barn was collapsing. The small white house she’d loved was barely recognizable - paint peeling from the siding, the porch roof leaning crookedly to one side, and broken panes in the arched gable window of her old bedroom.

The amount of work it would take to restore the farm to its former condition suddenly overwhelmed her, and her knees threatened to give way. She sank down on the brittle grass next to the road as she took in the rundown remnants of the once thriving farm. Had she made a dreadful mistake in coming back?

Her head dropped to her knees as she sat there, fighting back the tears, but eventually the surrounding quiet seeped into her.There were no spaceships taking off, no strange voices yelling in strange languages. The only sound was a small purple bird - one of Cresca’s few native lifeforms - tweeting in a nearby tree. She took a deep breath and stood, dusting off her skirts.

It might be more work than she’d anticipated, and it might take longer to make the farm profitable, but she wasn’t going to give up now. Perhaps it wasn’t even as bad as it looked from here. Picking up her pack, she marched determinedly down the road.

CHAPTER 2

Borgaz did his best to look attentive as Temel, his friend and former commander, laid out his plans for their new property. Personally he thought the whole idea was absurd - what place did warriors have on a farm, let alone in an isolated community far from any real civilization? Then again, there hadn’t been a place for them on the mining planet where they’d worked security or in the spaceport here on Cresca either.

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