by Petra Landon
The Trade Sphere Force guard followed in Pik’s wake, ambling along in the shuffling way that characterized his people. He too shot a curious glance at the massive male with the faint stripes that marred his bronze skin, his gaze lingering on the rust-colored braid of thick hair that hung down his back. As agreed before, Zh’hir was free of the enveloping cloak with hood he had affected on his previous visits to Keeyor 9. There would be no more attempts to disguise himself on this station. Now attired in the same black uniform as Zoran and his mercenaries, the intent was to have him blend in with the Hadari’Kor. The legends in this part of space about the Ur’quay had always ignored their physical characteristics, except for a passing reference to braided hair — they tended to highlight the warriors’ mysterious abilities, battlefield prowess and their thirst for exploring the stars. These myths had influenced a brisk business in long hair. It tended to flourish more on unregulated stations in neutral territory and the Star Captain had used it to his advantage to barter for Sila’s passage to her world six months ago.
An aggressive glare from the Ur’quay’s gold eyes was enough to fluster the curious male. The Septaakian hurriedly turned his attention to the mercenary. He had seen the Hadari’Kor Captain on the station before and was aware of his reputation.
“Captain” he greeted Zoran respectfully and the Hadari’Kor male acknowledged him.
Before the TSF officer could say anything, Pik jumped in.
“The slavers are insisting that the TSF allow them to search private chambers for an escaped prisoner. I told Pen’ti’elaran here that they do not have my permission to search any of the chambers I have leased on the station” the trader announced to Zoran with a wicked grin on his puckish face.
Zoran directed a warning glance at the impish Keeyori trader before turning his attention to the silent Septaakian.
“I will not allow any violations of my docked starship or the private chambers of my mercs on the Trade Sphere” Zoran warned with a dangerous glint in his eyes that the Septaakian noted with unease.
Pen’ti’elaran was not in favor of searching anywhere on the station except the public areas, despite the slavers’ clamoring for a thorough search of Keeyor 9. The slavers, convinced that their escaped prisoner was still on the station since the exit sensors had not logged her exit, were pressing for increased authority to instigate their own search of the Trade Sphere. The TSF was split on the issue. They were loath to anger traders like Pik or customers like the Hadari’Kor Captain who were free to take their profitable business and patronage to another station. At the same time, they did not want to deny the slavers who paid substantial money into the station’s coffers for the privilege of doing business on it.
Silent so far, the third male, in the uniform of a slaver guard, stepped forward to address the Hadari’Kor Captain.
“We do not intend to search any starships, just a few private chambers on the Trade Sphere” he said. “I hope you will have no objections if we leave the chambers of your mercenaries alone, Captain.” The slavers did not suspect the Hadari’Kor of breaking out the prisoner and neither did they want to make an enemy of the ruthless mercenaries, so it was a relatively easy guarantee to make for the guard.
Zoran shrugged nonchalantly, making clear his disinterest in the matter, now that he had been given assurances about his ship and his mercenaries’ privacy.
“I’m sorry, I will also not tolerate any searches of private chambers I’ve leased” Pik said firmly.
Pen’ti’elaran sighed heavily. Pik-u-Aak was an influential male on this station, with the ears of other traders on Keeyor 9. The slavers might not care if they pissed off the traders on this station but the TSF did. Their very jobs would be in danger if the station stopped making money which it would if the traders left Keeyor 9 in droves.
“Come on” he said firmly to the slaver guard. “There are other places on the station you can search.”
The guard protested but allowed himself to be drawn away by Pen’ti’elaran.
“Pik” Zoran growled warningly once the two guards were out of earshot.
“Just having a little fun, Captain.” Pik grinned incorrigibly.
He shot a curious glance at the massive, bronze-skinned alien with the mercenary.
“I thought the Hadari’Kor only took on their kind as mercenaries” he remarked curiously, his eyes on Zh’hir’s uniform.
Zoran ignored the comment to lean in towards the trader.
“Can you procure us some female attire, Pik? It would look a lot less conspicuous if you did the buying” he explained.
Pik acquiesced, without hesitation. Zoran gave him the details about the Terran’s size that Dr. Uish had noted down from the scraps of clothing he’d removed from her.
“Add it to my tab” Zoran said to the Keeyori trader. “And Pik”, he warned as the trader turned away, “nothing too revealing.”
“Sure, Captain.” Pik gave him a jaunty wave to walk away.
“You trust him?” Zh’hir inquired.
“On this matter, yes.” The mercenary was confident. “I’m paying him well for his part in it. His reputation is important to Pik. He would never agree to get involved if he did not intend to honor the agreement.”
Zoran’s eyes wandered around the establishment. A few TSF personnel mingled with the patrons, asking questions, but on the thoroughfare outside, their presence was stronger.
“Once Sila has recovered, let’s get her off the station” Zoran said, his eyes on the TSF. No point risking the station personnel succumbing to the slavers’ demands.
SIX
“Star Captain” Sila requested his attention, her eyes on the big male configuring the Examiner device.
In an eery throwback to her time aboard the Henia, they faced each other on either end of the narrow bed. Rid of the oversized robe, Sila was now attired in comfortable clothes. The Star Captain had arrived a half hour ago with a few sets of attire for her, and she had lost no time in discarding the robe.
“Hmm?” he murmured, without glancing up from his task.
Zh’hir had synthesized a Mind Examiner to bring with him. It had seemed an appropriate gift for Sila after her ordeal, to replace the one he had given her at their last parting. Her skill with the Examiner was much improved from six months ago. Much to his surprise, the Star Captain also realized something else. She was quite adept now at protecting her mind and had it not been for the drugs and her terror in the slaver’s cage, he might not have been able to breach her shields to communicate with her.
“I have something to tell you” she said haltingly.
This time, he caught the hesitation in her voice. He glanced up to meet her gaze before turning his attention back to the task at hand. The green eyes were filled with anxiety and uncertainty.
“I am listening.” He projected a touch of reassurance in his voice.
The subtle gesture seemed to work for Sila sighed heavily to relax against the headboard.
“I revealed my secret to Elder Arturo when the slavers came to my world” she confessed.
“The representative whose daughter you pretended to be?” He fiddled with the device, its calibration a precise task and a fine art.
“Yes. He wasn’t surprised by my admission. His friend, my father, had confided in him of my mother’s unique abilities in the past.”
Sila’s mental abilities had been inherited from her mother, he mused. He had suspected the same. An ability like this was a result of centuries of evolution. It did not suddenly crop up in one individual while bypassing others of her species, not without extenuating circumstances.
“I was suspicious of the Keeyori traders” Sila explained. “Their presence so close to the heels of my journey back to Terra Agri seemed too much of a coincidence. Especially after your warning to me on the Henia. Elder Arturo and I agreed that I would try and use my ability to gauge the traders’ true intentions when they negotiated with the Elders.”
Her lovely green eyes were s
hadowed when he glanced up to meet them.
“I know that you will not agree with my actions, Star Captain. But we were desperate. We have no means of defending ourselves and were frantic to know the Keeyori’s motives before it was too late” she explained as she held his gaze.
“You don’t owe me any explanations, Sseela” he interjected gently. “You are not governed by Ur’quay law. And as for Terran law, your Elder sanctioned your course of action.”
“I wasn’t sure if I could do it” she confessed candidly after a slight pause. “There were so many in the Council Hall. It is far easier to drown out all voices than to attempt to just drown out some.”
He cocked his head at an angle to study her. “How did you succeed?” She obviously had, he realized. A lot of good it had done her though.
“I focused on their leader while trying to filter out everyone else. Even then, I was only able to get an inkling of their intentions, not the details. Elder Arturo believed that we had no choice but to convince the Council of Elders of what awaited us. Any action we took would need the combined influence of the entire Council. But he warned me that once he revealed my secret to the Council, they would never trust me again.”
Now, Zh’hir had an inkling of what she was getting at.
“I’m not welcome on my world anymore” she said simply, stating it without grief or resentment.
What a catastrophic set of events the Ur’quay had set into motion, he mused in dismay. Sila had been wrenched away from everything familiar not once but twice. And now, even the path back to her life on Terra Agri 5 had been stripped away from her. They had done this to Sila and yet, she seemed to hold no grievance against the Ur’quay.
“There is nothing of value on my world.”
Her plainly stated words from their first meeting in the holding cell seared through him. A simple statement, delivered honestly and directly, without guile. No hand wringing for this little Terran, no railing against fate for forcing her into a dilemma of epic proportions that had left her with no home and the risk of being sold into slavery. She possessed extraordinary courage, this female who had bravely risked everything to keep her world safe from slavers. In a blinding flash it hit him that in that very gamble, she had also hinged her fate on a promise he had made to her. Faced with a difficult choice, she had chosen to save the Terrans — her own wellbeing had been entrusted to an alien’s pledge to come to her aid should she ever need it.
He straightened. Her people might not appreciate her worth but Zh’hir certainly did. This little Terran who had brightened his austere and disciplined life for twenty days aboard his ship.
“I’m without a home, Star Captain” she said sadly, resigned to her fate. “I have nowhere to go once you get me off this station.”
“No” he said vehemently.
Sila searched his expression, puzzled by the strong emotions she could sense from him.
He let go off the Examiner, his hand snaking out to reach for her palm where it lay on her lap. “You are not without a home.”
It was the first time he had initiated physical contact deliberately. Sila’s eyes snapped to the large, bronze, webbed hand that clasped her smaller one. The blunt thumb swiped at the soft skin of her wrist. It electrified her, sending tingles down her arm. Under her gaze, the finger seemed to carefully feel her with the tip in a deliberate caress. Her heart quickened its beat. Mesmerized, Sila watched the thumb stroke her wrist slowly, the rough pad rubbing against her skin. Time seemed to slow down even as her heart galloped thunderously, the sound loud in her ear. Her wrist throbbed almost uncomfortably, the fine pulse tingling. Like in the cage, something seemed to hold her in thrall — a drug coursing through her system to slow down her responses and thoughts.
“I won’t allow it.” He switched to Alliance Standard. “You will not be exiled for no fault of yours.”
There was a note in the guttural tones Sila had never heard from him before. It succeeded in piercing the fog enveloping her. She flinched, her wrist jerking in his clasp. His thumb paused its seductive caress of her skin but the clasp of her delicate wrist tightened. He was careful with her, while signaling his resolve to not let go.
“Sseela” he said softly, with a note that had her take an unsteady breath.
Sila’s stunned eyes tangled with exotic gold irises. Gold fire blazed in the strange eyes, to leave them glittering, the elongated dark pupils piercing her. There was nothing subtle about the fire in his eyes, except an emotion older than life itself. For a moment, they stared at each other, vivid green entangled with alien gold, as the ground shifted subtly under their feet.
Then, the Star Captain steered her clasped wrist to him, slowly and with infinite gentleness, his unblinking eyes never disentangling from Sila. Clasped in his palm, the fingers of her hand curled into a fist, as Sila stared at him. Her breath seemed to suspend for an infinitesimal moment in time while he held her captured wrist poised in the air between them. Bending forward unhurriedly, he licked her wrist, to mimic the movement of his thumb before. Sila gasped, to note dazedly that his tongue, longer and with small ridges along the edges, was forked. On her acutely sensitized skin, the abrasive ridged tongue felt like sandpaper.
As the tongue swirled again on her captive wrist, she shuddered.
“Star Captain.” It came out as a whisper — plea, confusion and pleasure all mingled together in a befuddled mix.
The gold eyes pierced her, the elongated pupils flaring.
“Zh’hir” he growled. “My name is Zh’hir. I want you to use it.”
Overwhelmed and in the throes, Sila gave in mindlessly, oblivious to everything else. “Zh …”
The mechanized whir of the door interrupted her.
She opened passion-stoked eyes to watch two Hadari’Kor walk in, deep in conversation.
“Star Captain. Sila.” The mercenaries acknowledged them politely. Engrossed in discussion, they made their way to the two seats in the chamber, oblivious to the thick haze of passion in the air.
Sila snatched her wrist back from his slackened clasp to lower her gaze as a flush surged up her body. She sensed the reluctance with which he let go of her, as well as his silent regard of her downcast head. But confused, overwhelmed and alarmed, Sila could not bring herself to meet his eyes.
After a short pause, the Star Captain picked up the Examiner to complete his original task.
“I have configured it for the next set of exercises” he declared, holding out the device to her.
Sila held out a trembling hand to accept the Examiner, scrupulously careful to not brush against him. He waited again, for her to meet his gaze. But when she did not, Zh’hir stood up for a quick word with the Hadari’Kor mercs before exiting the chamber.
Sila stared blindly at the device in her hand, her head whirling with questions. Her heart still beat too fast for comfort and her emotions were a jumbled mess. Somewhat inexperienced but no stranger to passion, she was stunned by the intensity and fervor of the desire that had sprung up so abruptly between the Star Captain and her.
t
Jolar addressed his companion. “What do you think, Star Captain?”
From their vantage point one ring above, three males gazed down at the crowded walkway. It was the main thoroughfare Sila would have to tread on her route off the Trade Sphere.
“Sseela should walk off the station without subterfuge” the Ur’quay Captain said firmly. “The time for hiding is past.”
“I agree” Zoran seconded him. “The station personnel will not detain her for it will be the slavers’ word against hers.”
“And we have the numbers to fight our way through, if the slavers try to take her” he reiterated.
“Hadari’Kor will line her route to the docking port, ready to come to her aid” Jolar promised the Star Captain.
For a moment, the Ur’quay Captain said nothing, his eyes on the TSF uniforms in the crowd below.
“I will walk her out” he declared.
He
turned to the Hadari’Kor Captain. “I’d like your mercenaries to keep their distance unless the situation demands it.”
“You got it” Zoran agreed readily. They had done their homework — Sila’s tags had been sanitized. She would not set off any alarms. As for the rest, the Star Captain was more than capable of getting the girl off the station without assistance.
“One last Terilian ale before we finish this adventure, Zh’hir?” The mercenary grinned, gesturing at Trader Pik’s, also one ring below where the three stood.
“Certainly” the Star Captain accepted readily.
“I’ll make sure everything is in place, Zoran” Jolar murmured, to stride away towards the Hadari’Kor ship.
The two Captains made their leisurely way to Trader Pik’s to find a table.
Zoran placed the order for piping hot ale before shooting a glance at his impassive companion.
“Something on your mind?” he inquired. The Ur’quay Captain had been usually taciturn the last day or so, even for him.
“Sseela was forced to reveal her secret to the Terrans when the Keeyori came to Terra Agri.”
Zoran leaned back in his chair. “The Terrans are not comfortable having someone with her ability living amongst them” he remarked presciently.
The Star Captain looked grim. “The Terran representatives were more than happy to sanction the use of her gift to protect themselves. Now that they are safe, thanks to Sseela, she is no longer welcome on her world.”
“It is very unfair to Sila” the Hadari’Kor male agreed. “But people fear those that are different and the ability to read thoughts is a dangerous one to possess.”
The server girl brought out two steaming containers of Terilian ale to place before them.
“The Ur’quay are at fault” Zh’hir said heavily. “We set this entire chain of events into motion by one inadvertent act. When the slavers took Sseela, I could fix it. But making her welcome amongst the only people and home she has ever known is beyond my ability to set right.”