Regulated Planet
Regulated Planet
Rinelle Grey
© 2013 by Rinelle Grey
Previously published as Reckless Rebellion
www.rinellegrey.com
All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Forsaken Planet Preview
About the Author
Blurb
She's a refugee from a forbidden planet. He's a missing captain returning home. It should have been a joyous time, except the baby she carries is deemed illegal.
Marlee and Tyris have escaped her desolate home and are headed for the central planets, where there will be no need to grow their own food, or struggle to survive. Where their relationship is safe, even if they can't have a baby. Their future looks rosy.
Tyris is sure Marlee's illegal pregnancy will be overlooked when he tells the government he's found a hidden store of rare fuel. He didn't counted on his ex-wife wanting him back. Or on her having the power to threaten his unborn child.
To keep their baby safe, Tyris and Marlee must pretend that they mean nothing to each other, while trying to unravel the conspiracy that threatens not only their growing family, but everyone from her home planet.
Regulated Planet is book 2 in the Worlds Apart series
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Chapter 1
Tyris’s head lolled to one side, further and further, finally slipping off the back of the chair with a suddenness that jerked him awake. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the radio in front of him. The status light still showed red—they weren’t in communications range yet.
The file that he’d left open on the tablet computer in front of him caught his attention, and he changed a word or two. Despite the fact that he’d spent large chunks of the spaceflight writing the report, it still felt inadequate. How could he possibly describe what had happened on Zerris? He’d covered the crash and final repair of his ship, the condition of the anysogen, and the villagers remaining there, but there was so much he’d left out. Like the villager’s reasons for not wanting to leave, and his relationship with Marlee.
He sighed and glanced through the open door into the sleeping cabin. Marlee lay sprawled on the lower bunk, the sheet half covering her nakedness. The only thing she wore was the jade dolphin necklace he’d given her for her birthday. She never took it off.
His brother’s words echoed in his head. Give it time, bro. The dolphin works in mysterious ways.
When Milandra had walked out on him nine months ago, the only thought in his head had been how to get her back. It had never occurred to him that her departure might be the best thing that ever happened to him. If she hadn’t left him, he wouldn’t have left Urslat, and he never would have found Marlee.
Maybe there was something to Kerit’s belief that the dolphin was lucky.
An involuntary smile lifted the corner of his lips. He should be squeezed into the narrow bunk beside her, not dozing here in this uncomfortable chair. But they must be close to the central planets now, and when the first communication finally came through, he wanted to be awake.
Even after three weeks in space, he still couldn’t believe he was nearly home. A few months ago it had seemed so impossible, yet here he was. As he had predicted, the Hylista had no problems sustaining faster than light travel, even if she flew a little slower than normal. Any day now, they’d be close enough to Urslat to communicate in real time. Then he could relax.
He stood and stretched. If he didn’t get some rest, he’d be half asleep when the message came through. As he moved, the status light blinked, and the radio crackled to life. “Space Force Central to Colonial craft on bearing two seven zero by one nine three, please identify yourself.”
Adrenalin surged through his body. He grabbed the headset, fumbling and almost tripping over the chair in his haste. “This is the Hylista—Captain Tyris Bekkert on board.”
During the long pause, Tyris imagined the man frantically checking vessel records. “Hylista, please confirm vessel ID and pilot security code immediately.”
For a moment, he panicked, afraid he wouldn’t remember his code after all this time, but it tripped easily off his tongue, as it always had.
The silence on the other end stretched out again. “Hylista, your ID has been confirmed. Hanger Three will be cleared for you when you arrive. Please stand by for landing coordinates.”
“Thank you.” Tyris keyed the information into the autopilot. “The Hylista has sustained some damage. It will take us at least a day to travel the remaining distance.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tyris hesitated. “One more thing…”
“Yes, sir?”
“I have… someone with me.”
“Sir?”
“I have some important information for the Colonies, for the general’s ears only.”
There was a pause. “Yes, sir. I’ll inform the general, sir.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes, sir,”
He swiveled his seat around to return the headset to the hook on the radio, then turned back. Marlee sat up on the bed, sheet pulled over her chest, as though the voice from the radio might see her.
“Are we there?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she glanced towards her discarded clothes, lying crumpled on the floor.
Tyris smiled and crossed to sit on the bed next to her. “Not yet. Another day at least. We just entered communications range.”
Marlee nodded and let the sheet fall again. “That’s not long.”
His eyes followed the curves of her body. But the waver in her voice stopped him from reaching out to do the same with his hands. Instead, he cupped her cheek. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes reflected some of his own uncertainty, even though she nodded.
She’d been so determined to come with him, so determined not to be left behind, even though he’d promised to come back for her. Still, she must feel overwhelmed, going from Zerris, with a population of only one hundred, to Urslat with billions. Her bravery amazed him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. People on Urslat are quite friendly,” he tried to reassure her.
She nodded again, but didn’t relax. “What will happen when we get there? We can stay together, right?”
He gave her a quick hug. “Of course we can. We’ll probably be separated initially for medical exams, to be sure we’re not bringing anything contagious into the Colonies, but that won’t take long. It’s not as if there is going to be some alien virus on Zerris that no one has been exposed to before.”
He paused. He really should tell her about Milandra. He’d tried a couple of times on the way here, but each time, he’d put it off until tomorrow, not wanting to spoil the lazy days they’d enjoyed together on the ship. Now he’d run out of time. And he’d probably made it a bigger deal by waiting. It wasn’t as if they were still together. Milandra had left him. All he needed to do was sign the divor
ce papers she’d sent him, and it would be over. Milandra would just be a part of his past.
Why had he put it off for so long? Marlee would understand. She had her own past relationships. He turned to her and opened his mouth to blurt out the words.
Marlee bit her lip. “Tyris? Do you know if travelling in space has… well, any effect on menstruation?”
He frowned. “I don’t know. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about. Why?”
“It’s just… I’m a week late. I know you said the implant stops you from having children, so I thought maybe my being in space…?” Her voice trailed off.
For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. There was no way she could be pregnant. Was there? “I hope that it’s due to being in space,” he said.
When her face fell, he rushed to explain. “It’s not that I don’t want to have a baby with you, Marlee. You know that. But I could get in serious trouble if you’re pregnant.” Even as he said it, he wondered if he would. Marlee could only be pregnant if his chip had malfunctioned, and that couldn’t be his fault. Could it?
Given the fact she’d lived her whole life on Zerris and had spent twenty years exposed to anysogen, the chances were slim she could ever become pregnant. She’d already been trying for several years before he arrived. It was far more likely that it was a reaction to being in space, as she suggested.
“What if I am, though?” Her forehead creased. “I don’t want you to get in any trouble.”
Tyris hesitated, torn between the certainty that she couldn’t be pregnant and the fear she might be. “There’s nothing we can do about it now if you are.”
“They won’t know anyway, will they?”
“The blood work for the medical exam will show a pregnancy—if there is one.”
Marlee frowned. “What would they do?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think there’s much they could do. I haven’t tampered with the chip, so it could hardly be my fault.” He hesitated. “But it might be better if they didn’t think I was the father, just in case.”
Marlee twirled a lock of hair around her finger absently, something he’d noticed she did when she was thinking. “Tyris, why aren’t some people allowed to have children?”
He winced. He’d avoided explaining why he’d been banned from having kids. He remembered Milandra’s face when he’d admitted it wasn’t a mistake, that he really had done something illegal. How she’d tossed the word criminal at him.
Marlee wasn’t like that. She’d understand the reasons for his actions. But the fear remained, nonetheless. “Because Urslat is overpopulated,” he found himself saying instead.
“But there are lots of planets, aren’t there? Are they all overpopulated?”
“No, not all of them. In fact, at first, the government encouraged people to have more children to populate all the other planets. But most people didn’t want to leave Urslat.”
“Why?”
Tyris struggled to explain. At least this was better than talking about his past. “Most of the planets were like Semala. They were mining or farming outposts. They don’t have any of the comforts and luxuries people are used to on Urslat.”
“But if people want to have kids, can’t they just move to one of the other planets, the ones that need more people?”
“That would make sense. Except people would move to another planet, have their families, then when they were done, they’d move back to Urslat again.” He didn’t mention reducing the population was only part of the government’s agenda.
“But if no one is having babies, that’s going to be a real problem in a few years,” she pointed out.
Tyris forced the words out. “Some people are having babies. It’s just some who can’t.”
Marlee looked at him solemnly, and Tyris forced himself to meet her eyes. He knew, in his heart, that she would understand.
Then why did he have such a hard time telling her?
“How do they decide who can and can’t have children?”
“The government decided that people who…” His voice faltered. Marlee’s steady eyes encouraged him. “People who had a criminal record, who had done something against the law on Urslat, wouldn’t be allowed to have children.” Now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop. As though, if he kept talking, she wouldn’t have a chance to say something he didn’t want to hear. “There’s a lot of crime on Urslat. There are reports of people stealing or killing every day on the news. Since many children of criminals also become criminals, they figured banning them from having children would not only lower the population, but would lower crime as well.”
Marlee saw the implications immediately. “What did you do?” she asked softly.
Tyris had to swallow the lump in his throat before he said, “I participated in a protest in college.”
Marlee’s nose wrinkled. “A protest?”
“Yes. The government had withdrawn the pensions for the soldiers who fought in a war, and I didn’t think they should have. A lot of other people agreed with me, so we all stood outside the government building to show our objection.”
She frowned. “You just stood there? You weren’t fighting?”
He shook his head.
“What’s wrong with that?”
He sighed. “That war I mentioned, the one they had withdrawn the pensions for, there were a lot of people who didn’t agree with it. One of the outer planets wanted to be independent from the Colonies—and the Colonies weren’t prepared to let them. People staged protests outside military bases and caused a lot of problems. The government made protesting illegal, saying it threatened the safety of Urslat, and they kept the laws even after the war ended.”
“So you’re not allowed to have children because you objected to something the government did?”
He nodded.
“That’s stupid,” Marlee said flatly.
Milandra’s voice echoed in his head. “You went to a protest? Are you insane?”
“I was young and idealistic. If I’d known it would affect so much, I wouldn’t have gone.” How could he have expected Marlee to understand? She hadn’t lived on Urslat and didn’t understand the laws. And when she wanted a baby so much, it must seem stupid of him to have done something to jeopardise that.
“Not you,” Marlee said, touching his arm, “the government. Why do they think they’re important enough to ignore what people want or tell them they can’t object to their decisions? The council on Zerris always listened when someone disagreed with them. That’s the way it should work.”
Tyris let out a breath he hadn’t even known he held. Deep down he’d known Marlee would understand. How had he doubted her, even for a minute? “It started out like that, but the Colonies have become so big, and they represent so many people, it’s impossible to listen to them all. Even if they could, they don’t all agree.”
Marlee nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. And he probably hadn’t allayed her fears about arriving on Urslat.
Bringing the topic back to their initial conversation, he said, “I’m sure it’s just being in space that’s caused you to be late, but it might be best to keep our relationship quiet until we’re sure.” He didn’t want to keep it quiet—he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. But that would have to wait until they had a definite answer.
“That’s probably a good idea. I’ll just tell them the father is back on Zerris.”
Tyris couldn’t believe they were talking about this like it was possible. She couldn’t be pregnant. He shook his head. “I don’t think it will come up.”
Marlee nodded. “What’s it like on Urslat?”
She’d asked the same question many times on the long journey, and Tyris still had trouble answering. “There are tall buildings, taller than the tallest tree on Zerris. And cars, they’re everywhere. And lots and lots of people.”
Her eyes were fixed on his face. “Tell me about your family.”
Tyris’s eyes softened. “My mum’s a scientist, a
nd my dad works for the government. They weren’t around much, while I was growing up. But Kerit and I are really close. He’s going to love meeting you.”
Marlee reached out to touch the little dolphin pendant that hung around her neck. “Do you think so?”
Tyris reached out to hug her. “I know so.”
*****
Standing next to Marlee, a warm glow of accomplishment filled Tyris as he watched Urslat come closer and closer. Eventually, the planet filled the entire viewscreen. The sun glinted off one side of the planet, barely matching the bright, welcoming lights that lit up every corner of the continent below them, outlining its shape clearly.
Slowly, the Hylista orbited the planet, until Tyris’s own continent appeared on the horizon, bathed in sunlight, with the space dock tethered above it.
“You made it. You’re home,” Marlee murmured.
Tyris nodded, choked up. Home. Not long ago, he’d believed he’d never see it again. Yet, here he was.
Marlee put a hand on his shoulder, and he put his hand on top of hers and looked down at her with a smile.
The beep of the computer behind him broke their moment. “You’d better sit down and belt up,” Tyris told her. “We’re landing on the space dock, so it shouldn’t be rough, but it always pays to be careful.”
She took the seat next to him and fastened her seatbelt, as Tyris checked the flight path that had been sent to his console. All looked good, so he confirmed the path and followed the directions, landing smoothly at Hanger Three near the terminal.
He took his hands off the instruments, put them in his lap, and just sat for a moment, trying to take in the fact that he’d finally arrived.
Marlee’s hand on his arm startled him out of his thoughts. “Shouldn’t we be going?”
“Yes, we should. Grab your stuff. We probably won’t be back.”
“Isn’t the ship yours?”
He laughed. “Oh, no. This sort of ship isn’t available for civilians to own.”
Marlee blushed. “Oh.”