Volume 6: Gamma-11, Chapter 6.18

We spent three full days at the Dennosh Clan camp; the first day was just a big feast where they showed off all their goods and wealth, danced and played those drums for us, got out some games with balls and bones to play. The second day the feast was ongoing, but the bartering started as Calmengar ignored Dryden’s attempts to have our team pack up and leave and continued moving him through the camp with all their offers, changing or adding to the deal constantly. Obviously we weren’t actually going to trade away Eve’s statue, but there was almost nothing we could do to deter Calmengar and his people from trying, and after he realized I was the one guarding the statue he assumed I must’ve been its keeper, so he sent two of his dancing daughters to keep me company while he tried to grease Dryden.

As light began to fade on that second day, the bartering stopped and we resumed the festive atmosphere, but this time the Dennosh gojens wanted us to join in with their dancing, and they had more games of skill and chance to keep us engaged.

On the third day Calmengar realized he wasn’t going to get a straight trade, so he started proposing some kind of alliance so his clan would join in with the offering and receive a portion of the blessing from the statue. I honestly wasn’t sure what caused it, but Calmengar and some of his people became obsessed with our statue offering, convinced it was the only thing worthy of bringing before the New Light.

We asked him then if they’d ever brought offerings to the temple before, and he confirmed all they were ever able to do was leave things at the walls like most people; despite their wealth and influence, even the Dennosh clan hadn’t been able to get a meeting with the praetor—but Calmengar was convinced the red statue would change that.

Finally sensing a way in, Endynnaa asked if Calmengar had any connections with the elder clans, that maybe together we could get their blessing so we could see the praetor together with our offering.

Calmengar smiled wildly then, grabbing Endynna up in a hug, and said he was hoping for that exact kind of proposal.

From there they had to iron out the details between the clans, wrote up some contract about a joint-blessing and all that would be offered for the trade. Right away, Calmengar tried to offer us some of his daughters, saying they were of marriable age and that union would be a great way to bridge the gap between clans. Obviously we weren’t about to make some drastic, life-altering plans with the clan since we’d be leaving soon once the mission was over, and instead made a trade to take some of their livestock and then to share their well and cactus fruit field.

Once the bargain was struck, we were finally released from the Dennosh clan so we could return to our own camp, and Calmengar said he’d come to collect us once we had a meeting with the elder clan scheduled.

We made the trek back with our carts loaded with some extra gifts, along with the new livestock we’d gotten in the trade, and when we finally made it to camp, Crisson came storming over before we could cross the circle of our territory.

“Where the fuck have you been? It’s been, what, three days or fades or whatever the hell it’s called!” He demanded, and the rest of his team quickly followed after him to hear our news.

Dryden waved him off quickly and continued towards the leader tent, “We’ve struck a deal with the Dennosh Clan to have a meeting with an elder clan together to present our offering and hopefully earn their blessing so we can see the praetor.” He explained, then disappeared into the tent, quickly followed by Crisson and the agents.

I was sure Dryden wanted to contact high-command the second he could—little kiss-ass; I was honestly surprised his head hadn’t exploded in the three days he was cut off from communicating with his beloved Lord Generals.

For my side of things I was probably in the clear; I hardly talked to anyone while we were in the Dennosh camp, sticking with the strict script Dryden provided. I was friendly but dismissive when people tried to engage me, accepted gifts and food from Calmnegar’s daughters, but hardly said two words to them—probably looked like a total asshole all the while.

Our camp was still being visited by random gojens from the surrounding clans, but the excitement over a new clan clearly died down as there were only a couple mingling around now. The two teams of soldiers reconnected and shared what all happened while the others had been away. The researchers really didn’t have much to do, no intel to share or work through—nothing involving the Predazoans at all, so they ended up seeing to our visitors’ needs.

As for me, I had absolutely nothing to do now—didn’t have anything to do back at the Dennosh Clan either. I pushed Eve’s cart next to my tent and hopped in again, resting my back against the statue.

It seemed now would be the best chance to try and have a talk with Eve, especially since I had no idea how busy we’d be soon and if I’d have the privacy to talk to a statue.

“Hey Eve, still hanging in there?” I asked.

No response; I hadn’t heard a single sound from her since before we left for the Dennosh Clan.

I let out a weary sigh, “Can I at least get a cute little trill?”

Still nothing. I sighed again, but it quickly turned into a grumbling growl.

“You know this is total bullshit right? I don’t believe for one second this isn’t part of your grand plan—that you aren’t puppeteering all this shit from the shadows or whatever. And I understand you’re trying to get free from the Empire, but at what cost? Hiding from me—

lying

to me? Is freedom really going to be worth it if it destroys our relationship?” I pressed.

I was beyond frustrated now, isolate and alone, and I’d gotten to the point I wasn’t feeling sorry for Eve any longer, instead I was worried this was all part of her conspiring—that she was showing herself docile or brain damaged to lull our enemies into a false sense of security.

But where did that leave me in the middle of all that? With a girlfriend I couldn’t touch—couldn’t even talk to. That wasn’t a real relationship—it wasn’t

anything

. I didn’t even know what the hell I was fighting for now, all I knew was it brought me nothing but endless frustrations.

The Empire and all their shady dealings could go to hell, but maybe I’d been a fool to get involved with a Predazoan like this. I mean really, I was just a dumb human in way over his head, and what did I have to show for all the shit I’d been through now?

“Fuck you Eve, I’m just too tired to deal with this shit now.” I grumbled, then got off the cart, ready to just head into my tent and sleep the days away until the Dennosh Clan called us out again.

“No, Adam, no!” I heard a shrill voice behind me.

I quickly turned back to the statue, “Eve?”

“Eve love Adam. Adam

trust

Eve.” She insisted.

I absolutely

hated

how hearing her voice immediately melted away my frustrations, refreshed and renewed my spirit—a couple gentle words was all it took soften my anger towards her.

But emotions were one thing, and this insane bond with Eve was another, and yet still I had the right to be upset with Eve for how she was treating me, so even though my heart was fluttering in my chest at just hearing her voice, I held myself strong and refused to relent from my position.

“No Eve, I can’t just blindly trust you without anything to go on, not with everything I’m forced to deal with every day—it’s not fair to me.” I insisted, moving closer to have a stealthy conversation with the statue.

“Eve loves Adam, Adam loves Eve.” She trilled.

I slammed a fist on the cart, “That’s not enough now.” I hissed quietly, looking around to make sure we were still all clear. I turned back to the cart and let out a weary sigh, “I know you’re smart enough to realize how bad things are between us, so we need to do something to fix it before we break what little we have to the point we won’t even want to stay together.”

“Adam and Eve forever.” She insisted.

I shook my head slowly, “I don’t care about forever, I care about the here and now.”

There were a few beats of silence between us, and I wondered if Eve was already done talking even though I had so much more to say.

“Lonely…” Eve said quietly.

I scoffed at that, “You can say that again; I have no one and nothing now, trapped on some alien planet following along with a mission I don’t even care about—have no stakes in now with how they’re keeping us separate and everything.”

“Eve…Eve is lonely…” She added, her voice little more than a whisper.

I fucking hated hearing her like that, sounding so small and vulnerable; it put me right back in my bedroom on Earth when I was holding the little squid creature in my hands, feeding her chocolate to calm her anxious shaking.

I didn’t trust Eve right now—I simply couldn’t with her hyper-intelligence scheming, but at the end of everything we did love each other, and all our problems were caused by the same enemy—everything bad between us stemmed from the Empire’s meddling.

I let out another frustrated sigh, knowing I couldn’t stay mad at Eve despite the fact I should be. But she was dealing with a lot too, and being trapped in that cell surely wasn’t fun either. And who knows, maybe she screwed up her calculations along the way and devolved into this primitive state by accident—maybe it was all real.

Maybe she really was trapped and contained, with no power to warp or plan or anything.

Maybe we were both totally stuck.

“Alright Eve, I get it, and I probably shouldn’t be taking my frustration out on you.” I shook my head, “But once we figure out…whatever this all is, we need to have a long, serious talk about this relationship—

many

, long serious talks.”

Another few beats of silence before Eve answered.

“Yes…” She said meekly.

That was really it then, nothing else we could do except try to keep from going crazy with all this shit that was happening between us.

“Alright, I’m going to grab a nap in my tent, I’ll talk to you later.” I said, then turned away from her statue once more.

“Adam.” Eve’s voice called out quietly, but it sounded like it had more focus than ever before.

I looked back towards her, “Yeah?”

“Eve loves Adam, forever, for always.” She insisted, her voice sweet and comforting, saying it like an oath as though to help keep me strong.

I gave her a half-smile, then sighed once more, “I know, sweet-thing, I love you too.”

It really wouldn’t do to let my emotions and frustrations overwhelm me, but it wasn’t fair to expect a simple guy like me to have any idea how to navigate all this nonsense. I’ve been in a few long-term relationships, dealt with all the normal issues couples deal with and powered through most while sometimes those issues caused the breakdown of the relationship. I’ve dealt with communications problems, scheduling conflicts, intimacy disconnects, anger and jealousy, growing apart or into different people, interests or ambitions changing over time, and of course the ever-popular financial concerns. And yet with my history and all that experience, nothing on Earth could’ve prepared me for being in a relationship with an immortal Outsider god.

I was beyond frustrated and I knew the relationship was toxic, maybe not even a real relationship like Almana said back on Vyrane, but I was addicted to Eve, desperate to see her again, to live that forever she promised me so long ago.

Her words were like poison, limited and broken, and yet after days of silence when I was building up the resolve to unleash my anger, a few simple words were enough to calm me down.

Was that actually a good sign, the fact Eve was a bastion of strength and comfort for me? Or was it manipulation, plain and simple.

I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself, wondering what the alien therapist, Doctor Jumomo would say about our dynamic now—doubt he would call it anything close to healthy.

And yet I was going to suffer through it, couldn’t explain it—in fact it actually annoyed me how easily Eve could sway me back to her side, but she had her hooks in me and there was nothing I could do to get free of her now. But between being enslaved by the totalitarian Empire that used and abused people as tools of war, or the beautiful, wonderful, adorable and affectionate Outsider god who promised me an eternity of pleasure and comfort once she was back in control, I was pretty sure the choice was obvious.

Even as a servant, even as a slave, I would choose Eve over pretty much anything else on this side of reality.