The Space Merchants of Arachne

by Wendie Nordgren

  Yukihyo smiled and looked at my stomach. "At some point in their heritage, an ancestor selected a human mate." After we returned from one of my bathroom breaks, where my stomach had shamed me by growling loudly enough for our escorts to hear, a server delivered a tray covered in little sandwiches and tea cakes. Another server brought pitchers of fizzy water and juice. I quickly filled a plate and chewed away in pleasure. Yukihyo handed me some water. I washed down the last tiny sandwich and grabbed a few more and a couple of the tea cakes. After I had begun to slow down, Gram joined me. "There is a card, Teagan," she said. Gram read, "With regards, Emperor Probus."

  Yukihyo chuckled, "The guards reported your hunger." My mouth was full, and my cheeks were red. I swallowed and turned my head to find Emperor Probus watching. I gave him a small wave. He graced me with an incline of his head.

  "Yukihyo, please put that card in your pocket. This has to be one of those stories we can tell our grandchildren."

  Tensions rose between a Laconian dignitary and a Parvac official. It looked like they were about to come to blows. "Anyone want to place a bet?" I asked.

  "Teagan, ladies do not gamble," Gram admonished.

  "Then, ladies are missing out on a fast and easy way to double their credits, Gram." Gram shook her finger at me. I winked at her. Tempers around the pair began to spark. "I've never bet on a melee. How do we determine sides when Militia and Parvac argue with Militia and Laconian? Do you think they would agree to matching silk squares to keep the betting honest?"

  "Teagan, shame on you."

  "But Gram, it's finally not boring." Eric raised an eyebrow at me, and I started laughing. A few heads turned my way, and I put my hand over my mouth.

  "Order! Return to your seats at once!" an official commanded from the podium. The men obeyed.

  "Darn," I whispered to Yukihyo. He chuckled softly and put a sandwich in my mouth. After an hour I led my escort back to the restroom. Inside, I said, "Gary, do the other women who come in here to use the restroom know you are hiding in the corner?"

  "Nope."

  I turned on the water. Thunderdrop hopped down and went to use a waste unit, also.

  "You have got to be kidding me," Gary said when Thunderdrop hit the button.

  "I thought you knew how smart my spider baby is. Oh, you missed it Gary. Two old guys almost came to blows in there."

  He snickered softly and said, "Your guard said you tried to get some betting going."

  "How do you know?"

  "Communications devices."

  "Am I in trouble?"

  "Nope, funny."

  With Thunderdrop back on my shoulder, we returned to Yukihyo. "So, how long is it going to take for them to create a contract and move on?" I asked Yukihyo.

  "It could take days, weeks, months, even years," he said.

  "We don't have to sit here that long, do we?"

  "Chitter chirp!"

  "Okay. Yes, I know this is an historic occasion and heralds the bright future of peace and prosperity and an end to the dispassionate violence of war, but I could do with a brief summary of it all afterwards. Come on? Is it just me?" I looked around at all of the guards who pretended to ignore me. "Don't act like you aren't listening. I know one of you tattled on me earlier, but I got snacks out of it, so I won't complain too much."

  "Lady wife, if you distract your guards, they can't protect you as effectively."

  "Chirp."

  "Whatever."

  We returned to our seats and I did my best to behave. I petted Thunderdrop. Then, I held my finger above his eyes, so he could practice touching the tip with each of his claws. It was hard to pay attention to what everyone said, when I didn't even understand what they discussed. Finally, it was time for lunch. "Should we cheer?" I whispered to Yukihyo.

  "I heard that, Teagan," Gram said. Kane and Uncle Kagan waited for us in the dining room.

  "So, are these talks going well or not?" I asked.

  "Haven't you been paying attention?" Gram asked sarcastically.

  "I don't know what they're talking about most of the time, Gram." I shrugged.

  "The talks are going well, Teagan," Uncle Kagan said.

  "Good. Are they almost finished with all of the talking?"

  "A few more speeches remain."

  "How many days’ worth is a few?"

  Grandmother and Mrs. Valen, who had told me to call her Aunt Seyla, entered, and I received no answer. After the brief respite lunch provided, it was back to the assembly. I survived almost two hours and couldn't wait any longer. I had become predictable to them at this point.

  Inside the restroom I turned on the water and asked, "Is there still plenty of waste paper?" Gary didn't answer. As I turned Thunderdrop leapt and sank his fangs into an invisible attacker. I heard a loud thud to the bathroom floor. I twisted in arms that grabbed me as a ceiling tile moved and a harness lowered. I bit down on the hand covering my mouth, and when the salty flesh moved from my mouth, I screamed. Turning, I rammed my foot into the inner ankle of my attacker as hard as I could and rammed my head into his face as he bent down and tried to carry me into the stall and to the lowered harness.

  Suddenly, Yukihyo appeared and in a blur of speed, picked the man up and threw him so hard into the stall that the frame cracked. Thunderdrop wrapped his prey in silk as guards swarmed inside and tore a man from the ceiling. Yukihyo repeatedly pummeled his fists into the man who had grabbed me. "Thunderdrop, come!" I said. He jumped to my head. Eric appeared at my side. "Eric, Gary is hurt!"

  Soldiers found Gary bleeding from several deep knife wounds in his legs. The soldiers politely asked Yukihyo to stop making a pulp of my attacker and to carry me back to the dining room. He scooped me up and carried me away within a mass of soldiers. "Wait!" I said. "I'm so sorry, but please go see if the men's restroom is safe first."

  All eyes turned to me in disbelief, but they complied. Finally, they cleared it, and Yukihyo stayed with me while I attended to my need. He carried me out as soon as I was covered. Gram, Grandmother, Aunt Seyla, Emperor Probus, Gina, several dangerous looking guards, and three doctors awaited us. Gram, Grandmother, and Gina went into hysterics.

  "Stop! You all need to calm down. Everything is under control," I told them. Thunderdrop chirped.

  "You're covered in blood," Gram cried.

  "Well, it's not mine. At least I don't think it is." A doctor came over and started scanning my face, while another scanned my baby. "Did Yukihyo break his hands on that man?"

  "No, my lady. Your husband broke the skin open on his knuckles. I will see to his care," a doctor said. Yukihyo was still in a rage.

  The doctor who had been scanning the baby said, "Your baby is perfectly fine. Yukihyo, if you come here for a moment, you may listen to your child's heartbeat."

  My dress had blood from my attacker, from my lip, and from Yukihyo's hands. As he listened to our baby, he calmed quickly, and a doctor began to clean the blood from his hands. Most of it belonged to my attacker. "See, Emperor Probus, I told you Yukihyo could fight. He also beat up the bathroom, when he threw that man into it."

  "How can you make jokes?" Gram asked in tears.

  "I'm sorry, Gram. I just don't want to see you cry. I'm fine. It's not a big deal. I'm sure I hurt that man more than he hurt me. I hit him hard in his inner ankle and head-butted him just like Hiroshi." Yukihyo grunted. "I'm more worried about Gary. He must be very badly hurt if he was unable to warn me." I looked at my dress. Gram would be less upset without seeing the blood. "Can anyone go and get me a clean dress, please?" A soldier saluted and left.

  "Lady Alaric Montgomery Lee, you have a busted lip and will have two black eyes. You have also sprained your right foot. Your lip will heal quickly, but even with nanites the bruising around your eyes will be evident for a few days. Other than that you are in perfect health."

  "So, I hurt myself beating that guy up. Great. How is Thunderdrop?" The doctor checked Thunderdrop who chirped at him. Someone applied something numbing to my l
ip.

  "Did he hit you in the mouth?" Gram asked in a shaky voice.

  "No, ma'am. I bit him so I could scream, not that it mattered. Sensing my fear, Yukihyo was already on his way." Someone was wiping blood off of my face. Eric entered the room. No, Captain Alaric entered the room. "How is Gary?" I asked.

  "He is regaining consciousness. He lost a lot of blood from leg wounds, but the shirt you gave him protected his chest cavity and major organs. He told me to tell you he, 'needs another one, princess.'" I closed my eyes, grateful Gary was going to be okay.

  "Thunderdrop is fine. It will take a while for his venom sacs to replenish themselves," a doctor told me.

  "You are such a good boy! Yes, you are!" He jumped to my knees and blinked up at me. "You hissed, leapt to the invisible man, and then I heard him hit the ground! Then, you wrapped him all up! Good boy!" I petted him, and he made an almost purring sound at me.

  "Yes, you did an excellent job of protecting your mistress," Yukihyo told him.

  "I think someone has a big toy store visit in his future," I told him while I rubbed his leg joints.

  "Chirp."

  "Who were they?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Admiral Valen questions the one who survived. Medical scans identified the others as human," Eric said.

  The guard returned with a clean dress for me. Male backs turned while Gina helped me change.

  "I guess we better go back," I said.

  "You plan to stay?" Emperor Probus asked.

  "Maybe they'll feel sorry for me and talk faster. The ones who pause after each and every word drive me crazy." Yukihyo carried me with his bandaged hands to our sitting area. Pillows had been brought in along with blankets. I was propped up with pillows, with more under my knees, and tucked in with a blanket. Grandmother had refused to return to the other side of the room. Two doctors stayed in our box as well. I had a nanite patch between my eyes and another near my mouth. Outraged chatter calmed down, and everyone was assured an investigation was underway. I fell asleep to the drone of conversation. A commotion woke me up. Yukihyo, who had pulled a chair right beside me, soothed me back to sleep. Thunderdrop rested on my knees.

  When I woke up again, it was time for dinner. Yukihyo carried me there. I rested my head on his shoulder. Thunderdrop clung to my ankle that had been wrapped in a gel bandage. I had no idea where either of my shoes had gone. On the way I said, "Yukihyo, I hate to ask this but...." Guards followed as he carried me to a different restroom. He stayed with me. In the dining room, he placed me on another pillow covered couch, covered me up, and fed me mashed potatoes and gravy with a spoon. More soft foods followed. I didn't bother to argue.

  Kane informed us that Uncle Kagan had learned that my attackers and would be abductors were members of a militant group with strong anti-Parvac proclivities. They wanted the peace talks to fail and for war to renew. Uncle Kagan had the names of the other members of the man's cell, and they were being hunted by Parvac and Galaxic soldiers, enforcers, and bounty hunters at ten-thousand credits dead and twenty-thousand alive and able to undergo questioning. A few had been captured alive. Uncle Kagan wanted new names. I had been ordered to stay where I was under guard, until the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Couches were brought in for everyone who chose to stay with me. I tried to convince the ladies to go back to their ships, but they refused. I dozed off again, as did Gram, and Grandmother. I woke up on an air mattress nestled in between Grandmother and Gram and covered in blankets. Blissfully, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

  During the pre-dawn hours, the last of the rats had been driven out of hiding by soldiers out to prove themselves, the righteous, and the greedy. Fresh wanted lists circulated, and the credits paid out filled up new chips. The talks were suspended for the day, and we were all allowed to return to our ships. Yukihyo and I enjoyed a long shower with lots of hair shampooing. The chef treated us all to breakfast in bed. Thunderdrop ate hungrily.

  I had two ugly black eyes that the nanites worked to repair. I had been fortunate that they hadn't swollen shut. My lip had already healed, but my ankle was sore. Yukihyo allowed me to play with the flight simulator and chuckled to himself at my excitement and laughed once when I lost a wing disembarking.

  The chief medical officer checked on me every two hours. Then, Eric checked on us. Looking at my face made his jaw clench. "No!" I said. Yukihyo laughed. "It's not funny. Stop laughing," I snarled.

  "What did she do?" Eric asked him.

  "She has destroyed two fighter ships while attempting to disembark."

  "It may be due to the bruising and the nanites. Maybe you should try again after your eyes heal," Eric suggested.

  I closed down the program, and Eric put my controller and vid-screen on a table. He played a game of stones with me instead. He won, so he played the next game with Yukihyo. Thunderdrop nuzzled up against me, and we watched them. Then, Yukihyo carried me in my gown and robe up to the command deck. Eric wrapped me in a blanket, and we watched movies with Commander Bosh.

  Gina had gone to work with Ling on her ship, where they were meeting a few other people. Gram had a message, some lunch, and went back to sleep. Yukihyo, Eric, Commander Bosh, Thunderdrop and I had dinner at the captain's table. They insisted my blanket wrapped attire was perfectly acceptable. They also promised me that Gary was healing and sound asleep in the medical bay. Eric's chef brought us all of my favorites. Contentedly, I enjoyed egg drop soup, egg and spring rolls, vegetable fried rice, and orange chicken.

  "A few packages have arrived for you Lady Teagan," Commander Bosh said. I had convinced him to use my first name by threatening Eric that I would cry if his commander refused. I was learning from Gram.

  "What is in them, and who sent them?" I asked.

  "Clothing and jewelry were sent to you from Emperor Probus."

  "Well, I guess I know what I will be wearing tomorrow." I tried to wink, and it hurt. "Why is it that you and Hiroshi can head-butt people and don't get a mark, but I do it once and look like a raccoon?"

  "Hiroshi and I are big strong men, and you are a delicate expectant mother." Commander Bosh nodded in agreement.

  "Eric, I really think we should go and check on Gary. He could have been killed trying to protect me. I also want to send him some flowers. Is there a way to do that on this planet?"

  "I will see to it, lady wife."

  "Okay. Just be sure they are really girlie flowers. He needs a lot of pink, white, and yellow, with a huge ribbon around the vase."

  "What should the card say?" he asked as he entered information into his palm sized vid-screen.

  I thought for a moment and laughed. "Thank you for checking on the waste paper levels. Love, Your princess. He'll get the joke." Yukihyo placed my order.

  When Yukihyo carried me into the medical bay, the chief medical officer rushed to us and began scanning me. Eric raised a hand. "We came to check on Gary," he said.

  Commander Bosh followed. Eric took the lead, and we all followed him to a plasti-walled room full of monitors and scanners. My eyes began to fill until I noticed one of Gary's eyes cracked open and a half smile on his lips as he watched as his nurse bent over to check one of his machines. Gary's expression changed when he saw us. "What did those bastards do to her?"

  Eric said, "She did that to one of them." He pointed to my lip. "She bit him." He pointed to my foot. "She kicked him." He pointed to my eyes. "Then, she head-butted him. Afterwards, Yukihyo came in and beat him to death." Thunderdrop chirped. "Yes, the spider filled the one you fought with venom and left him wrapped at her feet. They were the lucky ones. The one left up in the ceiling got handed over to Admiral Valen."

  "Thank you, Gary. When you didn't answer me, I knew something was terribly wrong and that I had to scream for help. If you hadn't been there fighting to protect me...."

  Gary interrupted me. "If you hadn't made me that ugly shirt, let's leave it at that, princess."

  "Are you going to be okay?" I asked.

&
nbsp; "Maybe, but I think I need a sponge bath." The nurse rolled her eyes at him.

  "I'll go get you a big strong male nurse to help you with that, sir," she said.

  "Never mind," Gary grumbled.

  "Very well, sir. I hope you understand that I won't give you a sponge bath because what blood remains in your body needs to circulate and not rush to any worthless appendages."

  "Worthless?" Gary asked in a shocked tone. Eric snickered.

  I frowned and said, "I think she means no screaming would be taking place, Gary." Gary spluttered. Commander Bosh laughed. Yukihyo carried me back to our quarters. "Aren't your arms tired?"

  "No, my arms are engaged in their favorite activity." My heart melted, and I kissed his neck.

  Yukihyo helped me into the bathroom, so I could brush my teeth. Then, he propped pillows behind me and covered me up. We opened my boxes. A long sleeved flowing ivory dress in a soft fabric filled one box. Another box held a long warm coat in the same shade. A small box contained an intricate platinum chain that supported a pendant designed as wings upturned around a large faceted spherical diamond. I held it up, and the lights in our quarters danced crazily across it. Inside of another box was a pair of ivory boots with silver buckles.

  Chapter Eleven

  I wore all of Emperor Probus’ gifts to the peace talks the next day. My lip and ankle had finished healing overnight, but my eyes were still a combination of purple, green, and yellow. Eric informed me that the restroom had been repaired, and pairs of female Galaxic soldiers would be stationed there from now until the talks were over. The Parvac Empire did not allow females to join the military. Yukihyo, Gram, and a doctor insisted that I stay on the couch with my feet up. I tried to pay attention. A Parvac soldier approached the men who guarded our box in order to deliver an envelope that was addressed to Lord and Lady Alaric Montgomery Lee. The envelope contained an invitation from Emperor Probus. He had invited us to lunch. Yukihyo’s face darkened. Yukihyo looked at me. The soldier waited for our reply.