"Which planet did you say you were from?"
"You won't believe it even if I told you."
Eve responded to Mustafa, the man who had offered her a ride across the desert. They sat around the bonfire, eating food. Eve's face was covered in clothes, the reflection of the fire blazing in her electric blue eyes. Thick clothing wrapped her waist, draping down to her knees, with a top wound around her like a shawl.
"Try me," Mustafa beamed. He was a tradesman, moving through the desert with the caravan. Wasteland planet. Old ways. Camel-like animals.
"Earth... planet Earth. But it's like a past I never knew. Like memories not mine. Like I have been there in a way, and never been there."
"Earth!? Our mother planet? You are really from Earth?"
"As I have explained, it's complicated."
"So what brings you here?"
"I'm a Nomad. Travel planets. That's what I do. What about you?"
"I'm traveling to the village to meet my aunt. And business, of course. But originally I'm not from here."
"Then where?"
"Safoora."
"You left that oasis to eat the dust here?"
"You see, my forefathers belonged to this world. Our families eventually moved out. But some of us remained. I come here to honor my roots, support these people."
"That's deep!"
"That's our tradition. Our upbringing."
"When are you planning to return?"
"In two months. There will be a ceremony—my brother's crowning as chieftain. I have to attend it. You are most welcome to join us."
"I'll keep that in mind. So your father's a chief?"
"Yes, a kind one. But principled. The eldest brother was next in line. He ran away with a human-like. I tried to convince my father. He couldn't see through it. So my elder brother was chosen. I am the youngest."
"In 3070... arguing such basic... nothing! Your father's beliefs seem pretty fossilized."
"I tried to tell him. I said, 'Father, love is something that knows no boundaries.' But my father, unknown to new-age ways, detested it. Part of the blame goes to the tribe as well. My father still loves him. But he has to be a chieftain first. Our people follow the old ways."
"A man and woman sleeping together shouldn't affect your tribe's pride."
"Love is a language of many colors. A man in love with a woman is its most beautiful color."
"You seem invested in poetry."
"These long travels in the sands tire your soul; literature fuels your spirit. Tell me, woman, have you ever been in love?"
"Love? Me? Nope. I'm a different animal, my friend. I can't fall in love."
"Anyone can fall in love. It's like we are empty shells; love is an endless tale of love between Adam and Eve. They are the oceans, we are the droplets. Every time a man falls in love with a woman and a woman with a man, it's a sign their spirits have touched their souls."
Eve cleared her throat, listening to her name. But of course, he was talking about a different tale. She hadn't told him her name yet. He never asked. Seemed like a decent man. Most men ran their eyes through her curves like they wanted to know her every muscle, every part of her skin.
"So you are also into beliefs. I'm not known to that road."
"I'm just telling you—the farther you live away from it, the harder you fall when you fall in it. When you fall in love."
Eve thought for a second that she should probably tell him she's an artificial intelligence in the shell of a human. But she forbade that thought.
"Whatever you say!" And she drank.
Then the caravan's mood lit up with music. Men began to dance to the tune of their traditional desert hymn. Next round was belly dancers.
Some few kilometers away, a man with binoculars observed the caravan. Thugs with rifles stood behind him—looters. They had been tailing the caravan for the last two days, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Little did they know, a Thelarian-made, desert-born fury was among the travellers.