The transport came to an abrupt stop and Lowered to the ground. The men leapt off and moved into a patch of moonlight.

“What about creatures?" I asked hesitantly. "Are there racks or scars out there? We could not defend ourselves!”

Arik snorted and motioned us out. "The Administrators put up a shield several moons ago, men from this camp developed it. It keeps most things like that away from the entrance to our home. We have been much safer since then. There is nothing to be afraid of here. The boundary to the protection is farther down."

Rose and I followed as the men stood waiting for our reaction. The ground under our feet was quite damp as we moved through it. I touched the tight grouping of long, tall stalks in front of us and almost laughed.

“On Earth," I told the men, “this is called bamboo. We did not eat it. It was used for building, instruments, and could be cut and tied together to make a barrier. Some types of it can grow very quickly.”

The men were enamored and stepped closer to me. I backed up.

“You know plants," they said sounding excited.

My hands went up and I backed toward the transport.

“I know some things about plants. My female breeder tried to grow this as natural barrier between us and another human family. It didn't work and grew in a big clump."

The men were not deterred. "The women here are not interested in plants. They do not eat them and do not use them to build with. Would you like to spend more time with us? We could mate for fun," Arik offered.

I heard Rose's sharp intake of breath and I took one myself. My body shook with fear as the five of them eyed me lustily.

“I do not wish to mate," I said very quietly, but felt certain the men would take whatever they wanted. They could and I knew that.

“Will you please take us back?" Rose begged quietly.

“Please, don't leave us out here. We will do whatever you want. Ciara, we cannot stay out here alone," she finished gripping my arm.

The men didn't seem to understand and motioned us back on the transport.

“Of course, we will take you back," Arik said, as his Brother started the transport.

“Why would we not take you back?"

The looks of Lust and want were gone and I felt very stupid. I tried to play down what we'd said, but Arik's family was persistent. Eventually, Rose was forced to explain how human men sometimes took a girl places only to demand sex as payment for a ride back.

Arik and his family were horrified. The very idea that Rose had thought them capable of that offended them greatly. When his Brother noted Rose must have been offering them sex as payment the men were almost speechless. They demanded to know why we thought they were Like that. They wanted to know what they'd done to earn such a vile reputation.

“We didn't mean to offend," I pleaded as the transport lowered in the storage area.

“Things are different on Earth and they are different on the compounds. We have nothing to compare this place to."

Arik didn't really accept that, but he tried to understand. The men had been told that ex-slaves would be strange and easily confused. The Administrators had asked them to welcome us but be cautious around us. The warning made more sense to them now. Still, the men seemed happy to ‘leave us and moved quickly back into the camp.