Page 11 of Fionn
Cleo, Pam & the rest of the Hot Tatties
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I read the letter twice. They were doing all this for four men? They had to be absolutely loaded. I doubted the agency was paying for all this themselves.
"Ready to disembark?" the steward asked politely.
I grabbed my handbag and took a deep breath to steady myself. I didn't feel ready. But there was no going back.
5
Fionn
Peritus smelled strange. The planet had looked beautiful from orbit, all blues and greens covered by white swirly clouds, but now that we'd landed, I wasn't sure I'd want to stay here for long. The air was dry, even though we were close to the ocean, and it smelled of sand and dirt and Peritans.
Walking on land took some getting used to. I'd visited islands on Finfolkaheem as a finboy, but it had been a long time since I'd stood beneath a sky so vast and empty. The alien sound of avian creatures calling out to each other was carried to me on the warm, salty breeze. Beneath the layer of animal song were the harsh voices of Peritans. Even with our translator implants engaged, they sounded so very different from finfolk speech. Our language was made to float on water, push through currents; a singsong that ebbed up and down like waves. These Peritans talked in a monotonous voice with little inflection or emotion.
But maybe that was just the males. The only female I'd spoken to was Pam, owner of the dating agency. After our initial messages, we'd set up a vidcall. We'd both been curious what the other looked like. Records on Peritans were sparse and outdated, while I wasn't sure if Pam even had access to information about us finfolk. I was still amazed that she'd somehow managed to cooperate with both the Intergalactic Authority and the IGU. Remarkable for a backwater species like Peritans.
"Remember, we only stay here for one of their sunpasses," Kelon said from behind me. "Then we take the females and leave."
He didn't agree with the plan my clutch-brothers and I had come up with. In a way, I could see why he wanted to make this visit to Peritus as short as possible. None of the crew had fully rebelled, but several were close. One, Lavus, was confined to his quarters after bragging to someone else how he'd find his own Peritan female and claim her for himself. He'd made it clear that he didn't care about the female's consent.
I'd been surprised when Kelon had locked him up, considering his own plan wasn't all that different, but maybe he didn't want anyone going rogue. He had to show himself as a strong leader who would punish those going against his orders.
Which was exactly what Cerban, Rainse and I intended.
The ship was parked at the very end of a long, flat island in the middle of the ocean. There was a Peritan settlement nearby along with a landing strip for their small, primitive airships. Pam had given us the coordinates. This island was private, where we wouldn't have to hide ourselves from prying eyes. Neither Kelon nor us had thought to buy camouflage technology to blend into the local population. Not that my clutch-brothers and I would have been able to afford such a thing.
"Did you hear me?" Kelon asked gruffly.
"Yes. I did." I didn't bother turning around. I was busy taking in the view. We'd landed only a short while ago but had monitored the situation from inside first to make sure this was not a trap. Now that we were standing outside the ship, on solid ground, the realisation that I was on an alien planet for the very first time hit me.
I'd grown up reading stories of explorers and space travellers, but they were always other species. Finfolk didn't travel beyond their own planet. It just wasn't done, except for a few traders and diplomats. Maybe it stemmed from that fateful trip to Peritus generations ago, when one of our ships had crashed here. Not being able to return home for so long must have been traumatic. I wouldn't have been surprised if the Matriarchs of the time had disapproved of space travel afterwards.
Even more special that we were here now. And it wasn't long until we'd meet our first Peritan female. Pam had organised it all. It had been too short notice to find genetic matches in her database, but she'd promised that she'd fly in eligible females who she thought might be compatible, nonetheless. Females who liked the ocean as much as we did.
The sea called to me.
Footsteps behind me signalled my clutch-brothers' arrival.
"Is everyone finally ready?" Kelon asked, sounding bored. Did he not feel the enormity of this moment?
"Yes," Rainse growled. He found it hard to suppress his dislike for our benefactor.
Kelon turned to me. "Where are we meeting the female?"
"In the large building in the centre of their settlement. Pam says there will be a screen to hide us from view. She wants the females to get to know us first before they realise that we are not Peritans. Remember to use their language and vocabulary. Don't mention anything that might make them suspect we are not of their species. And-"
"Yes, yes. This is a waste of time. Once the other females arrive tomorrow, we will simply take them."
It was hard to hold back a sharp reprimand. Kelon was an idiot. No female would ever become his true mate if he took her by force. And what was the point of having a female that did not love you?
We made our way along the sandy path. A few Peritans, all male, shot us curious glances but didn't try to talk to us. They certainly didn't react as if it was the first time they saw an alien. They must have been briefed by Pam in advance. I tried not to stare too much. Their bodies were covered in fabric, even their feet. Some males had their chest bare but wore strange hats on their heads. Pam had suggested we don something she called 'trousers', but we didn't have any of those on board. I checked the fabricator but after seeing how these garments would imprison the greenskin on my legs, cutting it off from air supply, I'd abandoned that idea and stuck with my most formal loincloth.
The sun here seemed warmer than our own, painting the sand in shades of orange and gold. I had to admit that it looked pretty in this light. But I couldn't get over the smell.
At the entrance to the settlement, a male dressed in all black waited for us.
