The arrival of the starfarer caused stirred a great deal of excitement at Little Gaia. Eve couldn\u2019t remember the last time a man from the stars had visited their humble space station. As one of the few unmarried and eligible girls, she took extra notice of the rumors.<\/p>\n
Old bald Thomas, the station\u2019s geneticist, said that the starfarer\u2019s arrival was a miracle. His wife Ethel was the matchmaker, and together they did more to determine the fate of the colonists\u2019 lives than even the station master himself. They were the ones behind every betrothal and wedding. They were the ones with veto power over any proposed marriage. Before she could even walk, the course of Eva\u2019s life had already been set, with her choice of suitable husband reduced to only three. Two of them were already married men more than twelve years her senior, and the last was a childhood friend that she would almost certainly have to share.<\/p>\n
So when the mysterious starfarer declared his intention to settle down permanently, it provoked no small stir of commotion.<\/p>\n
Almost at once, Eve\u2019s life began to turn upside down. Ethel and old bald Tom immediately selected three young women for the starfarer, but the first of them refused. Predictably, this outraged old bald Tom, causing a small scandal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you won\u2019t be so obstinate,\u201d he told Eve privately. \u201cIt\u2019s been almost a generation since we had an opportunity like this. Without new blood, our colony is doomed to perish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d she reassured him. \u201cI\u2019m happy to wed the starfarer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. And I hope your union will be blessed with many children. Stars know that\u2019s what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second woman was Astrid. She was only two years older than Eve, though growing up, they had never been more than friendly acquaintances. Eve had never expected to share a husband with Astrid, so she had never made a special effort to be close to her. Now, all that had suddenly changed.<\/p>\n
Astrid reached out to her first, shortly after the engagements had been arranged. They met privately in Eve\u2019s family apartments, the stars spinning silently through the windows underfoot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sincerely hope you harbor no hard feelings for me,\u201d said Astrid. \u201cPlease know that I have none against you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eve smiled and gave her future sister wife a reassuring hug. \u201cOf course I don\u2019t, Astrid. I always expected to share a husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I could say the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
Astrid\u2019s grandfather had been a star wanderer from beyond the Good Hope Nebula, giving her some of the best genetics in the colony. From the way she had kept herself aloof in her earlier years, Eve had always assumed that she held this above everyone else. The desperation in Astrid\u2019s voice surprised her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I ask you a question?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly, Eve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy choose to marry the star wanderer? With your gentics, you could have your pick of almost any boy on the station. Why him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Astrid swallowed. \u201cIf you\u2019re asking why you have to share him with me, I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, not at all,\u201d said Eve, putting her hand on Astrid\u2019s arm. \u201cPlease don\u2019t take it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The moment passed awkwardly. Astrid smiled, but the tension still hung in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more to matchmaking than genetics,\u201d Astrid said at length. She didn\u2019t offer any more of an explanation, and Eve didn\u2019t push her for one. They spent the next two hours talking to each other, and by the end, they were much closer than before. But still, the unspoken questions hung over them like something rotting in the bulkheads.<\/p>\n
Before the marriages could be solemnized, the laws of Little Gaia stated that the betrothed must be given an hour alone together, in total privacy without any outside interference. Afterwards, if either of them desired to cancel their vows for any reason or none at all, it was their legal and moral right to do so. Of course, Astrid and Eve weren\u2019t to go in to the star wanderer together. Each would have their hour alone with him.<\/p>\n
Astrid went first. The station master\u2019s office was the designated room, since it was one of the few living areas on the station with soundproof bulkheads. She wore her finest red silk dress, handed down as an heirloom from her grandmother, with a silver girdle inlaid with opals. Eve didn\u2019t have anything nearly so fine.<\/p>\n
The hour passed like a neverending eternity. Eve sat outside the office, her emotions vacillating from fear to impatience and back again. She\u2019d heard stories about what couples did in their alloted time alone together, up to and including sex. Things that wouldn\u2019t otherwise be permitted were fair game, since no one would ever have to know.<\/p>\n
The hour finally passed. Eve stood breathlessly at the door, waiting for Astrid to emerge. When another full minute passed without any indication from inside, Eve wondered if perhaps she should knock. But before she could, the door slid open and Astrid stepped out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell?\u201d said Eve, her heart pounding nervously.<\/p>\n
Astrid stared off as if distracted by something down the hall. Her hair was a little messier than it had been before she\u2019d entered, and her dress was wrinkled ever so slightly. Eve\u2019s gut began to clench.<\/p>\n
\u201cAstrid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d said Astrid, suddenly noticing her. She gave her a smile, which Eve weakly returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEve, your face is pale. Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could ask the same of you,<\/em> Eve thought silently. She shook her head and looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n An awkward moment of silence passed. There were a thousand questions Eve wanted to ask, but none of them seemed appropriate, and Astrid wasn\u2019t volunteering any answers. In fact, she went right back to staring off at the distance, as if Eve weren\u2019t even there.<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Eve said at length, \u201cI guess I\u2019d better go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n Astrid lay her hands on Eve\u2019s shoulders and looked her in the eye. Her expression was suddenly serious. A chill ran down Eve\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTomas, our future husband, he\u2019s\u2014how do you say?\u2014a telepath.\u201d<\/p>\n She frowned. \u201cA telepath?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Not just him, either. He\u2019s one of many, and now I\u2014I don\u2019t know how to put it. But if you don\u2019t want to go in to him, that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n She gently took Astrid\u2019s hands and eased them off of her shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t scare me like this, Astrid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m not trying to\u2014honest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs he\u2026 dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Astrid laughed. \u201cNo, of course not. Well, he did used to be a pirate, but those days are behind him now. He just wants to settle down.\u201d<\/p>\n How do you know so much about him?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cEve,\u201d said Astrid, putting a hand on her arm. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to be afraid of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why did you say it was okay if I didn\u2019t want to go in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cForgive me. What I meant is that you don\u2019t have to let him read your mind. If you do, you won\u2019t ever be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Her words were not reassuring in the least. By now, Eve\u2019s heart was pounding something awful. But she swallowed and nodded, steeling her nerves.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Astrid. I\u2019ll keep that in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Spontaneously, Astrid gave her a hug. It was one of the most open and honest hugs that Eve had ever received. They held each other for several moments, Eve\u2019s nervous heart still fluttering.<\/p>\n The station master\u2019s office was one of the most richly furnished rooms on the station. An ornate blue and gold rug graced the floor, the geometric design breathtaking in its detail. The table that sat in the center was made from authentic wood, its legs gilded with gold. Hand-woven and highly stylized tapestries depicted the history of the small colony from its founding nearly ten generations ago. Plush, oversized divans ringed the walls, with dozens of tasseled pillows strewn about for additional comfort.<\/p>\n The star wanderer sat on the far side of the room, his arms resting comfortably along the back of the divan. He was healthy and young, with a head of thick brown hair and a trim, attractive figure. The moment his eyes laid hold of her, they never left. Eve stared at the floor demurely, unsure whether to sit across from him or on the same divan.<\/p>\n He gestured for her to join him, which shattered her indecision. Still, her heart pounded as she sat with her knees close together, only an arm\u2019s breadth away. She looked up at him expectantly, but he did nothing to break the silence.<\/p>\n His gaze, for all its intensity, was surprisingly gentle. As she looked into his eyes, she realized there was no need to feel threatened by him at all. His clothes were foreign but simple, a gray uniform shirt that bore no isnignia with a synthleather jacket that had seen considerable wear. They gave him a roguish appearance that only increased his allure.<\/p>\n Should I say something?<\/em> Eve wondered as the silence rapidly became unbearable. She remembered what Astrid had said about him being a telepath. Was he reading her thoughts even now? If so, what did he think of her.<\/p>\n He leaned forward and put a hand on her knee. A thrill of excitement shot through her body at his touch.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Eve,\u201d he said, his eyes never leaving her. \u201cMy name is Tomas. Astrid told you about me, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n Eve\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cYou\u2014how can you\u2014I thought you couldn\u2019t speak our language.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can, with Astrid\u2019s help. She\u2019s shown me much about your people. I hope that in time, you can show me much about yourself as well.\u201d<\/p>\n He spoke slowly and carefully formed his words, but there was no doubt that he understood them. Eve cleared her throat and sat up straight, her hands in her lap.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would you like to know?\u201d<\/p>\n He withdrew his hand from her. \u201cDo you fear me, Eve?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I\u2019m\u2026 just a little nervous, is all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s understandable. Things always move quickly when a star wanderer settles down. I take it you didn\u2019t expect to be marrying one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs am I.\u201d<\/p>\n He leaned back and crossed his legs. \u201cAstrid told you that I\u2019m a telepath?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe mentioned it, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you like to be one, too?\u201d<\/p>\n Eve paused. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n He held out his hand toward her. As she watched, a faint blue light traveled up his arm, growing brighter until it reached his palm. She realized that he was offering it to her.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is much that I can show you, Eve. But if we are to join minds, it must be your choice, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n She swallowed, unsure what to do. Astrid\u2019s words came back to her, about how she would never be the same once she let him into her mind. But if they were to be married, wasn\u2019t she supposed to give herself to him anyway? She\u2019d never heard of anything like this, but it didn\u2019t seem too much to ask.<\/p>\n Tentatively, she reached out her hand. As their fingertips touched, the pulse of light ran across her skin, sending chills in its wake. She withdrew and shut her eyes as it passed all the way to her heart.<\/p>\n A sudden wave of dizziness made her head spin. Though her eyes were closed, she could clearly see the station master\u2019s office with all of its furnishings. Except it wasn\u2019t the starfarer she saw seated on the divan. It was her.<\/p>\n She opened her eyes with a start. Now she was looking at Tomas again, but she could still see herself through his eyes. She could also see the hallway outside, where Astrid was waiting for her. That wasn\u2019t all. Other images swam before her, of places she didn\u2019t recognize\u2014places she had never been. There was a dark, bare room with bars around the door like a prison, and a spaceous mausoleum with large, windowed coffins lining all the walls. She saw them as clearly as if with her own eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cTake a deep breath,\u201d Tomas advised her. \u201cPut everything to the back of your mind except what you can see with your own eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n She did as he told her, and the dizziness soon passed. At the same time, she felt a whole host of thoughts and emotions, none of which were hers. The cacophony in her mind was deafening, and she soon felt overwhelmed.<\/p>\n That was when the voice of the mother-queen spoke.<\/p>\n Be at peace, Eve. You are among friends.<\/em><\/p>\n The voice instantly brought calm to the chaos. It was quiet and still, yet it had a commanding presence that dispelled her confusion and fear. She saw, as if in a dream, a young woman whose body was covered in tattoos. The woman looked straight at her, and she realized it was no dream.<\/p>\n I am Reva, the mother-queen. I am in you, and you are in me. My voice brings peace to the chaos, and light to the children of the stars.<\/em><\/p>\n What is this?<\/em><\/p>\n You are one of us now, Eve. Your mind is melded to ours.<\/em><\/p>\n She instinctively reached out to Tomas, who put a hand on her shoulder. His touch was another point of familiarity that provided an anchor to her. She looked at him, and realized that he could read all her thoughts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long story,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n In the blink of an eye, his life\u2019s history flashed before her mind. A modest childhood, on a colony much like her own. His departure on his father\u2019s starship, full of excitement for the future. His first year as a starfarer, struggling to make it on his own. But then things began to change. A war had broken out in the frontier stars, spreading like fire from world to world. His starship lost, he had fallen in with a band of fearsome pirates, who had taken him beyond the most distant colonies to a hidden world where no soul had ever been. And there, something wonderful and terrifying had happened.<\/p>\n Reva closed her eyes and guided Eve through all of their collective memories since Star\u2019s End. She seamlessly wove the disparate pieces into a narrative that encompassed the full breadth of their experience, from the awakening of the collective to Tomas\u2019s departure and arrival at Little Gaia.<\/em><\/p>\n Eve gasped for breath. She felt as if she\u2019d lived a dozen lifetimes in the space of a few minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cLess, actually,\u201d said Tomas.<\/p>\n \u201cBeg pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n He gently caressed her shoulders, bringing her back to herself. \u201cIt\u2019s been less than a few minutes.\u201d We can read each others\u2019 mind, you know.<\/em><\/p>\n Is this what Astrid meant that my life would never be the same?<\/em><\/p>\n Yes.<\/em><\/p>\n Eve paused, unsure what to think about that. Until just a few moments ago, it would have terrified her. But now that her mind had been expanded, she felt as if a concourse of bright and fantastic worlds had suddenly opened up to her. All her life, she had only known the hundred and twenty two people on board her little station. But now, she saw worlds full of faces, friends, and family she\u2019d never known. She felt the pain of loss and the joy of reunion, the thrill of victory and the despair of defeat. It was as if her whole life up to this moment had been cast in black and white, and only now had begun to take color.<\/p>\n It\u2019s incredible, isn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n The last thought came from Astrid. Eve reached out to her and saw, in an instant, all of her apprehensions about sharing a husband with a sister wife. Most of it was simply due to the uncertainty, and as Eve opened up in kind, her anxieties rapidly dissipated.<\/p>\n You really don\u2019t hold it against me.<\/em><\/p>\n No, of course not. Why should I?<\/em><\/p>\n My mother was in a polygamous marriage, and it made her miserable.<\/em><\/p>\n Immediately, Eve saw everything: the years of toxic jealousy and rivalry, all kept scrupulously hidden from the public eye. Years of speaking as little to each other as possible, with passive-aggressive turf wars over every inconsequential thing. It was enough to drive anyone crazy.<\/p>\n Then why did you choose Tomas, when you could have had your pick of anyone?<\/em><\/p>\n Because all my life, the other girls have seen me as a threat. That\u2019s the dark side of having good genetics. I would love to have a husband all to myself, but things can change quickly, and I\u2019d rather marry an unknown than be trapped with a sister wife who hates me.<\/em><\/p>\n It all suddenly made sense to her. As she looked into Astrid\u2019s mind, she couldn\u2019t help but feel an overwhelming sense of compassion and empathy. She wasn\u2019t the stuck-up girl everyone thought her to be. In fact, she was more like Eve than either of them had realized.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no need to worry about sharing a husband, Astrid. I\u2019ll be happy to be your sister wife.<\/em><\/p>\n Out in the hallway, Astrid quietly wept. Her relief was so strong that Eve herself was nearly brought to tears. If they had been in the same room, she had no doubt but that they\u2019d embrace each other.<\/p>\n Thank you, Eve. That means a lot to me.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s the least I can do. We sister wives have to stick together.<\/em><\/p>\n We certainly will.<\/em><\/p>\n Tomas smiled. \u201cI think this is the start of something wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Eve agreed, cuddling up to him. He put his arm around her and kissed her long and slow. No longer were they strangers. As one kiss gave way to another, Eve\u2019s fears and apprehensions melted away, and she felt as if she\u2019d known her husband-to-be for a lifetime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The arrival of the starfarer caused stirred a great deal of excitement at Little Gaia. Eve couldn\u2019t remember the last time a man from the stars had visited their humble space station. As one of the few unmarried and eligible girls, she took extra notice of the rumors. Old bald Thomas, the station\u2019s geneticist, said… Continue reading WIP excerpt: A Queen in Hiding<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1070,855],"tags":[474,985],"class_list":["post-11538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ssf-vii","category-ssf","tag-excerpts","tag-wips","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iXK-306","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11539,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11538\/revisions\/11539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}