The Android's Bride

The Android’s Bride

“When she spoke of her inability to breed with the soldier robot you frowned,” C-Raptin said in his electronic voice.  “Know this:  you can breed with Eisler.  You can—and it will be expected of you to do so.”
Karin’s mouth grew dry.  “How could we possibly…?”
Karin is a dedicated administrator in her once prosperous country of Red Scale.  When their militant neighbors begin a merciless war, Karin and her Governor father contact the isolated country of Lohocke for help.  All they know of this mysterious neighbor is a legend about metal men.
They not only make contact, but are promised the help they need.  The price?  Karin must go to Lohocke and become the bride of the Alpha Lord Eisler Durant.
Karin has been tied to Lohocke in an intricate way since her birth.  She’s ready to accept her destiny at the Alpha Lord’s side—even if he’s not the man she expected.
Please support Yaoimila’s new ebook launch by grabbing it today!  You can read it on ANY computer or device with Kindle, and you can NEVER lose it.  You’ll always be able to access your library of ebooks from your Amazon account!  Click your country to read it now!   Kindle USA , Kindle UK , Kindle Germany , Kindle France, Kindle Spain, Kindle Italy, Kindle Netherlands, Kindle Japan , Kindle Brazil , Kindle Canada , Kindle Mexico , Kindle Australia , or Kindle India!

Governor Jol-Hassik leaned close to bulbous microphone attached to a communicator station as big as an armoire.

“Hello, hello?”  He glanced back at his two daughters with his bushy silver brows brought together, then refocused on the microphone.  “Can anyone from Lohocke hear me?”  He wet his lips and glanced back again.  His tallest and eldest daughter, Nina, wrung her pale hands together.  Karin, his youngest at 25, merely stared.  Her expression was one of stony determination.

“Your communication is being received.  This is C-Raptin from Lohocke.”

All three started in unison.  The voice that boomed from dual speakers sounded electronic.

Jol-Hassik’s lips trembled.  “Oh, um, this is, um…”

Karin darted forward to claim the microphone.  “This is Red Scale calling.  Our districts are under attack from the Haradan.”

Jol-Hassik began to wring his hands in the same way as his eldest.  Karin stayed focused on the microphone.  Her lips moved as if she had more words to add, but none came out.  This had been her idea: reaching out to their distant neighbors.  She felt responsible.

“Is this Karin Hassik-Ten?”

Karin blinked a few times.  “Yes.  Yes it is.”  The sound of her name gave her an instance of panic, but then she realized they likely monitored their news broadcasts.

“The war between Red Scale and the Haradan is well known to us.  There is no alliance between our lands.”

Karin exchanged a glance with her father.  He reclaimed the microphone.

“This is Governor Jol-Hassik speaking.  We’re asking for help.”  Pain now weighed down his voice.  “The Haradan won’t negotiate for peace.  We just offered them our unconditional surrender but their response was their most violent raid to date.  They aren’t interested in conquering us.  They merely want to pillage our resources.  The mountain reservoirs, the crop terraces, our two refineries.  They—they’re out to survive by making us extinct.  I don’t know what we can do anymore.  They’re killing our soldiers by the hundreds.”  He paused to swallow.  “Now, we don’t have white-coal to spare right now, but next year we could allocate half the mine’s take as payment.  Not just coal.  We’ve grain and timber too—that we could give you right off.  The timber I mean.”

“Lohocke has no need for any of this.”

Jol-Hassik face grew scrunched.  Karin pulled the microphone toward her. 

“What do you need then?  All we’re asking for is a thousand of your metal men to repel the Haradan.  We’d give you anything for that.  We’re desperate—surely there’s something, something that you—“

“We will provide one thousand soldier robots in exchange for you.”

Karin and her father froze in the silence that followed.

“In exchange for what?” Jol-Hassik said.

“In exchange for Karin Hassik-Ten.”

Karin’s stomach felt as if it descended from her.  She scarcely noticed her father’s shaky hands gathering around the microphone.

“What…just what are you saying?  You want my daughter?”

“The exchange shall be made at the western foot of your tallest scale-covered mountain, sunset tomorrow.  Please confirm.”

The electronic voice said everything in rapid high-pitched monotone.  Karin stared agape at the console, as if a demon stood before her. 

“Wait now—what do you want with her?”

“Karin Hassik-Ten will be taken as a bride for Alpha Leader Eisler Durant.”

Nina let out an expansive breath of air and dropped into a wooden seat.  “Thank God—they’re going to help us.”

Karin shot her sister an incredulous glower.

“The exchange shall be made at the western foot of your tallest scale-covered mountain, sunset tomorrow.  Please confirm.”

Jol-Hassik frowned.  “Oh…well, this Eisler fellow, I mean…”

Karin wrenched the microphone from him.  “Yes, yes!  It’s agreed!  Sunset tomorrow!”

“This commitment is irrevocable.”

The line went dead.  A loud humming noise filled the small station until Jol-Hassik pushed down the lever to end the call.  Deep lines formed in jagged tributaries beside his eyes.  He swallowed a lump formidable enough for Karin to hear his gulp.

“Oh, Karin.”

She crossed her arms.  “What choice did we have?”  She intended to show determination.  Heat built in her chest and then pressure behind her eyes.  She drew up one slender hand to wipe away a rebellious tear.

The head of the royal guard (a metal worker who’d been compelled to take the post after the true guard was maimed) peeked his head into the one-room station. 

“If you’re done, governor, we’d best be getting down.  It’s not safe.”

Jol-Hassik lifted his head to sigh.  “He’s right.  Come, girls.” 

He ushered both of them out to the waiting six-wheeled mountain car.  As fate would have it, the station sat on the peak of their tallest mountain, Mother Dragon.  It was the only place high enough where a signal with far neighboring lands could be established.  They began down the winding dirt road.  The mountain car hugged its surface with splayed wheels like some kind of insect.  The wheels bounced, but the cabin was still—a great feat for their engineers back at a time when riding up and down the numerous mountains was a major concern of the country. 

Outside the clear membrane windows were fields of tight red grass, which grew in scale shaped clusters and glistened in the sunlight.  From the distance the mountain truly looked like the body of a glittering red-scaled dragon.

Karin stared, but took in none of this.  She’d drifted to a numb void where the implications of her fate could not reach her.

“Oh, Karin,” said her father again, while wiping his tears on a handkerchief.

“He called them robots,” she said, without emotion.  “I saw that word on the diplomatic files before we rode up here.  I should have called them that instead of metal men.”

Jol-Hassik sighed again.  “That’s what the merchant who went to their land described them to us as.  That’s about all we’ve ever had to go on.  They never did let the diplomat visit.  There was nothing of interest to them in Red Scale.  Nothing, well, until now.”  His voice broke in the last sentence.

Karin deplored having used an improper term.  The new land she was entering would already be prejudiced against her for her ignorance. 

Nina sat leg to leg with her on the cab’s furred bench.  She focused on her cuticles.  “I don’t see what the tragedy is.  She’s got to be getting a better husband than what our wasted land has to offer.”

Once back in the manor house Nina flitted away to make wire calls to her friends.  Karin followed her father into his cluttered office and sat before his desk.

“I never could have expected this.  Oh, Karin.”

She stared without focus to the side of her.  “I expected not to get a connection, for the call to be ignored, or, if we did reach them, to simply be turned down.”

“What shall I do without you?” Jol-Hassik’s voice grew heavy.  “Why couldn’t they have asked for Nina?  Oh, of course, it breaks my heart to lose either of you, but you’re such a help to me.  Particularly in these times.  You’ve such a mind for governance.”

“Your biggest problem is the Haradan.  If these robots get rid of them then you’ll be running things as they were in peace-time again, when I still lived with my birth mother.”

“What glorious times those were.  You could trust your neighbors.”  His chest rose and fell. 

Karin grew contemplative.  “This is the best outcome.  If you have an army, I don’t have to worry about you.  About our country.  This will make everything right.  Isn’t this the best thing I can do for our people?  It would be paying my debt back to you in the greatest way I can.”

He glanced at her solemnly.  “These are good thoughts, Karin.”

A bald soldier, recently promoted to major, knocked on the open door.  They both turned to him.

“It’s all quiet, governor.  The valley watchtower says they went back to Jadellor with their loot.  Probably going to be gorging for a while.”

Jol-Hassik nodded.  “Leave the lightest complement of men at the boundary.  And tell the others…tell them this war shall be over soon.”

Karin had an inclination to lift her head high, but could not.   Instead she chewed her bottom lip and tried to return to the numbness that would keep her from a breakdown. 

“We should…”  She began to speak without a clear idea on what to say.  Her old habit of catching the loose ends her father missed came to fore.  “We should open the rice rations for the three districts that were hit the worst.”

“Oh yes,” Jol-Hassik said.  “We should do that.”

Karin stood.  “I’ll see to it.”

Her father made a sound, as if to protest, but didn’t let his voice rise before she’d left.

Making busy with the task allowed her mind to wander over the many things she had to put in order before she left.  She had the mechanic’s daughter Jaxma stay at her elbow to jot down notes for her.  The most pressing matter, finding a new minister of finance to replace her, was the simplest for her.

“Humbridge Elator should be given my post.  His sister is old enough to take his place goat herding.  Humbridge must put his keen mind to our books.  I know he’ll do just as well as I did.”

“You’re on good terms with him?” Jaxma said.

“Yes, our break-up was amicable.  It just has to be him.  I taught him almost all I know.”  They were at the east side of the manor which looked down into a twisting vine forest.  The foliage was too dense for her to make out any of Humbridge’s goats, but she knew they were there.  “Pity he’s not around.  I could get that settled.” 

Jaxma stared out with her, as though trying to spot him.  The moment’s quiet made her wonder if her skills would be of any use in Lohocke.  Would the ‘Alpha Lord’ share his responsibilities with her?  There was likely a reason they made metal men and not metal women.  It was significant that they felt the male form to be the standard, unlike in Red Mount, where there were as many scarecrows in women’s smocks as men’s trousers.  She feared the Lohocke might regard women as chattel, the way the Haradan did.  They’d certainly claimed her as though she were an item up for barter.

“He’s probably bringing in the herd right now,” Jaxma said.  “It’s getting late.”

Karin squared her chin.  “You’re right.  Let’s keep moving.”

She tried to do her own packing early the next day.  Nina’s girlfriends descended onto her bedroom, with tears and words of encouragement.  She was able to delegate the chore to them.  There were just a few books she had to take with her from the shelf in her father’s office.  Nina emerged to block her path with folded arms.

“Father says I have to help you dress in a bridal smock and do your hair for you.  You don’t need me to do this, do you?”

“Oh, Nina, can’t you?”  She frowned.  “Father asked you to because you’re so good at making your friends look pretty.”

She fumed.  “I need to dress too, you know.  When will I have time to see about myself?”

Karin shrugged past her.  “I don’t know.” 

 Several other matters diverted her.  When dusk colors started to peek up from the mountains she finally met Nina in her dressing room.

“Thank God mom didn’t live to see this,” Karin said.  She sat before her dresser table while Nina wove sparkling pink flowers into her hair.  It was the final touch to a traditional bride costume of flowing layers of cloth. 

“You’re talking about your mom?  The factory worker who died?”  Nina pinned the flowers in the crown of her long auburn tresses with brutal efficiency.

“You know I’m talking about our mom, Nina.” 

“I don’t see why you’re moping.  You’re getting to marry a rich Lohocke.  Our mom would have been thrilled.”

Karin eyed her sister in her mirror.  The pressure of tears had returned to the back of her eyes.  Her sister was without any worries, because, as always, her only concern was for her own prosperity.  The thousand robot soldiers ensured that. 

“You aren’t going to miss me, Nina?”

Her lanky sister rolled her eyes.  “Ugh, don’t try to make me sad when we’re finally getting an end to the war.  You can really be selfish, you know?”

Maybe it’s good that’s she’s incapable of empathy, Karin thought.  Father is destroyed over my fate.  Wouldn’t it be better if he didn’t suffer over it, like Nina?

“You’ll be fine,” Nina said, and Karin knew the mantra would keep her from any further thought about it.

***

Jol-Hassik rode alone with her in the car to the mountain.  He took her hand in his.  “We hardly spent any time together.  You were so busy.”

“I had to make sure everything was settled.”

His lower lip began to quiver.  “I shall miss you so dearly, my child.”

“But I could get to visit, or at least call.”

“Oh, that would be a great comfort to me.”

Karin pursed her lips.  “But, if not, there’s a lot I wanted to say to you.  More than we have time for.”  She drew a letter from the pocket of her multi-layered dress.  “Read this once I’m gone.”

Jol-Hassik cradled it in both hands like a treasure.  She’d written of how grateful she was to be adopted by him and her mother, how he’d made her feel as loved as his own true child, and how grateful she was for the education and opportunities he’d given her.  This was the debt she had spoken of.  The letter went on to describe a few matters he had to see to in her absence, but ended with her assurance that she would thrive in most any situation thanks to his care in raising her. 

She could visualize her father reading it later with tears falling.  If that was the last communication she had with him she hoped he’d take comfort from it.

“Good God, look!”  He pointed through the membrane window beside them.

The clear silhouette of an army of giants was rising into view.  Karin’s stomach tightened.  The robots were behemoths, twice as tall as any man from their cities.  Their heads were shaped like upside-down buckets and had a single yellow glowing band where eyes should have been.  Their chests were thick rectangles adorned with armor that imitated pectorals and abdominals.  Black crescent shoulder plates protruded out on either side with jointed metal tube arms as thick as most men’s thighs.  For hands they had three long gun barrels coming from their wrists.  A boxy pelvis was below the abdomen.  From this came not legs, but a hexagonal metal skirt with tank treads on either side.

Karin’s heart raced.  Her father wept beside her.

“Oh, they kept their word.  They’re honorable people.  And these things…the Haradan will run in terror from them.”

She swallowed while still focused on the hideous army.  Rows of the beasts stretched further than she could see, up a small side mountain and over its blunted peak.

Jol-Hassik clasped her elbow and pointed.  “Look at those ones.”

Grouped in a cluster in front of the army were six smaller red oval-shaped robots who would have matched Karin’s height, except that they hovered a foot above the ground.  Large circular white eyes took up most of the top third of their round forms.  Karin’s brow rose at the sight of them.  Not only were they less intimidating than the robots, the way they bobbed up and down in the air made them endearing.  These were the robots to come to the car when they parked. 

When they exited Nina and her girlfriends were already gathered near the round robots.

“They said no people came,” Nina said.  “Just metal men and—“

“Are you Karin Hassik-Ten?” said an oval robot.  Its voice was electronic, but emotive and decidedly female.

Karin had to clear a lump from her throat before speaking.  “Yes.”  (Her driver was depositing her trunks and suitcases behind her).

A second round robot moved beside the first and spun so her glowing eyes were on her peer.  “Pree-pree-longa.”

“Hmm?” Karin said.

The robot faced her.  “You’re pretty.  We didn’t know what you would look like.  I think the Alpha Lord will be happy.”

“Oh.”

Jol-Hassik stepped forward.  “He’s not here?  Eisler Durant, I mean.”

Nina stamped her foot.  “I told you no people came.”

“No,” a third floating robot said.  “You expected him to come in person?”

He wet his lips.  “Well I—I didn’t know.  I presumed there would be some type of ceremony.

The same robot started to answer but another interrupted.  “You can have a ceremony if you want.  Whatever you feel you need.  But we can’t turn the soldiers over to you until she’s been given to us.”

Karin glanced at the imposing robots.  She noticed one bristling as though growing impatient.  At the same time, four of the red robots extended out banded metal arms with pinchers for hands from hidden compartments.  They used them to gather up her luggage.

“I should go now.”

“Oh, Karin!”  Her father drew her into his arms with a new swell of tears.

Nina looked at the robots agog.  “So that’s it?  There’s no wedding?”

“We couldn’t arrange something like that remotely,” a robot said with a touch of irritation. 

“How are you floating like that, anyway?”  Nina spat out the question with disdain, as though their drifting annoyed her.  When none of the robots answered she grumbled and headed back toward their car. 

Karin reached out for her.  “Nina, give me a hug goodbye.”

“Oh forget it.”  She lifted open the car door.  “Goodbye.”

Her girlfriends gathered around Karin instead.

“Oh, you must try to make contact,” Jol-Hassik said.  “Just let me know you’re well.  I’ll ache until I know it.”

“I’m sure she’ll be able to call you,” a robot said.

Another thumped her with its round body, almost dropping the trunk it held.  “You don’t know that.  Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep.”

Karin blinked a few times while watching them.  They’re just like people.  But the voice that spoke to us in the station sounded so emotionless…

Loud clanking started to the side of them.  They looked to see one of the metal behemoths breaking formation.  He rolled on his treads until he was near Jol-Hassik.

“Are you our commander?” the robot said with an electronic voice loud enough to reverberate in Karin’s chest. 

Jol-Hassik shrank back from it.  “Dear God.”

“Yes,” Karin said.  “For now he is.  Our major will take command once you’re at the boundary.”

“Let’s move out, then,” the robot said.  “There’s a lot of men here wondering what’s in store for them.  They’re getting impatient.  Frankly, so am I.”

Even these ones, Karin thought.  They’re like people in metal bodies.

She gave her father a final hug.  “I’m sure I’ll be fine.  They don’t sound uncivilized.  I’ll send word just as soon as I can.”

He fretted as she pulled from him.

Karin faced the flying robots.  “I’m ready to go.”

“Are you sure?  Don’t riddle-longa.”

Karin made a look of consternation.

“No slang!” another red robot said.  “Keep it basic, remember?”

“Oh right,” the first said.  “Don’t rush, I mean.”

She swallowed and nodded.  “I’m sure.”

The capsule-shaped robot began to grow longer.  Karin’s eyes bulged.  It expanded until a gap began to form in its center, and then further, until a cushioned seat for one was revealed. 

“Climb in, and buckle yourself,” the distorted robot said.  “There’s two buckles that go across you like an X and another that goes across your lap.”

Karin’s mouth went dry.  “Oh.” 

Jol-Hassik and their driver came over to help her.  Karin’s hands trembled as she fastened the buckles.  The robot was still levitating inches from the ground.  She felt as though she were on a boat.

“Alright,” the robot said.  Its voice was all around her.  “So are you ready?  Hold on to the hand rests.  Close your eyes if you have to.”

Karin squeezed her eyes closed.  “Oh God.”  She felt herself rising.

“Take care of yourself, my daughter!  I love you!  I’ll miss you!  Oh, do be careful with her!”

His voice was growing distant.  She opened her eyes to see that he’d become small beneath her.  Nina came out of the car to gape up at her.  The rest of the red oval robots were flying with her things in a scattered group about them.

“Goodbye!” she managed to scream.

Click your country to grab this now!   Kindle USA , Kindle UK , Kindle Germany , Kindle France, Kindle Spain, Kindle Italy, Kindle Netherlands, Kindle Japan , Kindle Brazil , Kindle Canada , Kindle Mexico , Kindle Australia , or Kindle India!