The Space Merchants of Arachne

by Wendie Nordgren

  “He told me that Nathan Green wasn’t my father. He lied about that, too. Emperor Probus and Neema Valen were husband and wife. He was in love with my mother. They stole her from him.” Hiroshi turned pale.

  “Are you saying that the Parvacian emperor is your father?”

  I nodded and said, “He said he would never do anything to hurt me. I thought my father didn’t even like me, but that man wasn’t my father. My real father is kind and generous, and he held me.” I started to cry. Yukihyo handed me a silk square and kissed the top of my head.

  “Teagan’s father gave her another gift today. He insists she keep it with her at all times.”

  “What is it?” Hiroshi asked.

  “A Parvac bodyguard who goes by the name of Kaoti,” Yukihyo told him. Hiroshi paled further.

  “What? You have the same look Eric had when he saw Kaoti. Is there something that I should know?”

  Hiroshi smiled and said, “You will be very safe, baby sister. I will speak to Ethan and Phillip when they wake. Then, I will contact you.” Hiroshi reached toward his screen and ended the transmission.

  Yukihyo pulled back our covers, and we snuggled against each other. “Your mother called you, Ruyo Ponidi. Is that the name she gave you?” My husband’s arms were warmly wrapped around me. Being safely wrapped in his arms, I understood what his mother meant about contentment. I felt each rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

  “It was. However, that boy no longer lives. He had to die, so that I might live.” Yukihyo slid his hand over my stomach and rested it there. “You are now both my life and home.”

  “How do you feel about me now that we know my father is a Parvac?” I tried to brace myself for his answer. I was more Parvac than Arachnean, so was our child.

  “Your father is doing all that he can to address the wrongs my family and I have suffered. He has forbidden the practice of stealing women and signed a treaty agreeing to desist further encroachment of the Parvac Empire into the Galaxic Expanse. However, most importantly, he has given me his blessing as your husband and even referred to me as his son-in-law. I am relieved that I do not have to battle the entire Parvac Empire to keep you because that would make me sweaty.”

  He gave me an innocent expression, and I laughed at him. Yukihyo tickled me and kissed my neck when I laughed and tried to escape. He turned from playful to serious as he gazed down into my eyes. His dove grey lashed eyelids slowly closed to conceal his opal like eyes. Yukihyo brought his lips down to mine. He slipped his hand behind my head and claimed my lips with his. His other hand slid up my leg and lifted my gown. His lips left mine as he pulled my gown over my head. He captured my breast in his mouth and circled my nipple with his warm tongue as he found me with his fingers and rubbed his thumb in circles against me until I whimpered. Then, his lips moved to my neck, and he moved above me. I gasped and moaned as he filled me. I ached around his hardness. I tried to encourage him to move faster, but he moved his hips in a maddeningly slow, deep, steady pace that made me call out his name and beg for release. I could do nothing to quicken his strokes. Frantically pulling at his shoulders and wrapping my legs around him had no effect. All I could do was wait for the waves of pleasure to crash through me, and once they began I could only manage quick gulps of air before being tumbled by another wave and then another. After Yukihyo gained his release and pulled me into his arms, I still trembled and my legs shook. He moved his hand in circles on my back and kissed the top of my head. Then, I slept.

  I woke up during the middle of the night hungry. I tried to force myself to return to sleep. When that didn’t work, I went to the bathroom. I found my undies, gown, and robe. After dressing I snuck out of our quarters and off to the kitchen. I opened the cold storage and perused its contents until I became chilled. I closed its door and began searching the pantry. Finding peanut butter and a spoon, I sat down with a glass of milk. Tiring of the peanut butter, I returned my attention to the cold storage and found a large container of scrambled eggs. After heating them, I spread the peanut butter over them and ate them all while enjoying a second glass of milk and some olives. I looked up and saw Kaoti standing against the wall outside of the kitchen.

  I whispered, “Hey, you can come in here with me if you want. Are you hungry, too?”

  “No, your highness, but thank you.”

  I cleaned up my mess and snuck back into bed with Yukihyo. He only shifted in his sleep a little when I pressed my cold feet against his calves. I struggled with the realization that the man I had always believed to be my father was actually my kidnapper. Why hadn’t he just left me and disappeared? Perhaps, had he done so, a genetic scan would have been performed and my real family would have found me sooner. I wondered what it would have been like to grow up surrounded by the love of the Alarics and Montgomeries, or even the Valens. I wondered what type of person I would have become under those circumstances. Had that been so, I might never have met Yukihyo, and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I rested with my back against him and my feet pressed into his legs. I turned, moved his arm, and cuddled in between his arm and side.

  The next morning before breakfast, Hiroshi called to inform us that he and Phillip would be getting Tora under way as soon as possible. I called Sydney. Ethan answered.

  “Teagan, it is good to see you.”

  “Hello, Ethan. Did Hiroshi tell you what has happened?”

  “He has. How are you handling all of this?” Concern etched Ethan’s features, and as I looked into his pale blue eyes, the only honest answer I could give to him was a shrug of my shoulders.

  “We may be gone for a few weeks. Yukihyo is desperate to see his mother and sisters. May I please speak to Sydney?”

  “I will get her for you.”

  After speaking to Sydney and enlisting her help, Yukihyo accompanied me to the medical bay. I wanted to check on my heroic defender. We found Gary sitting up in his bed and drinking juice from a straw. I laughed when I saw his flowers. Gary looked up at me and winked.

  “Are you feeling any better today, Gary?”

  “I’ll be as good as new in no time, princess.” Gary gave me what he must have thought to be a charming smile. Unfortunately, it had a rather lewd quality. Poor Gary. “The flowers are absolutely lovely. Thank you. All of the nurses bend over to smell them,” he said with another wink. I shook my head at him.

  “I’m so glad the flowers have cheered you up. You seem to be improving.” Gary’s expression turned from playful to frighteningly serious in seconds as his attention shifted, and his eyes locked onto a spot behind me. I turned and saw the man who had stolen his attention. Today he wore nondescript black clothing and not the Parvac uniform he had previously worn. “Gary, this is Kaoti. I’m sure Eric has told you, but I just found out who my real father is. He’s alive, and I’ve met him. He hired Kaoti to protect me.”

  “Then, he better do a good job, or he’ll answer to me,” Gary said in a hard tone and with a threat in his eyes. I sighed. Gary returned his attention to me.

  “Can I get you anything, Gary?” He gave me an honest smile for once.

  “How about a kiss?”

  “If I thought you would hold still and not take the opportunity to look down my shirt, I might.”

  “Just be careful,” Gary said with sincerity.

  I blew Gary a kiss. He caught it and put it on his forehead.

  After we sat down for breakfast, Commander Bosh appeared. He carried a small box, but the soldier behind him carried a vase full of white roses.

  “Lady Teagan, these just arrived for you.”

  “Oh, they’re beautiful.” I stood to see them, but swayed with dizziness. Yukihyo steadied me and helped me to return to my seat. I closed my eyes.

  “Are you alright?” Commander Bosh asked.

  “Move to the edge of your chair and stand up slowly from now on,” Gina suggested.

  “Yes, ma’am.” I took her advice and tried again. Yukihyo kept a hand on me as I smelled the roses and foun
d the card.

  “Shall I have the flowers sent to your quarters, Lady Teagan?” Commander Bosh asked.

  “Yes, sir. Thank you.”

  “Please, sit,” Yukihyo said as he steered me back toward my chair.

  Commander Bosh handed the box to me, saluted, turned, and left. The card was addressed to Princess Teagan. I opened it. I read, “To my beautiful daughter.” I stared at the card and then flattened it against my chest and held it there. Then, I looked at it again and passed it to Yukihyo. I picked up the box and untied the ribbon. A picture in a platinum frame rested inside. My mother smiled out from it at me. She sat on a blanket with the wind tossing her hair and waves rolling up on the beach behind her. She held the hand of a younger Emperor Probus, who smiled happily at her side. Yukihyo dabbed at my face, and Gina hugged me. I couldn’t speak for a while. I just sat there dumbly holding a picture of my real parents. They looked so happy.

  “How can I ever thank him enough for this? Can you send a copy of this home to Hiroshi?” Yukihyo took out his vid-screen and scanned the picture for me. “Can we print out a copy of our wedding picture for him?”

  “I will see to it right away. Please, remain here with Gina.” Yukihyo rushed off. Gram took his seat and kissed my cheek.

  “My real parents loved each other.” Gram dabbed at my eyes. I noticed Kaoti looming off to my left.

  “Are you in need of assistance, Princess Teagan?” Kaoti asked.

  “Um, yes. Thank you. I need for you to tell the chef to bring me a cup of coffee and a large stack of pancakes with lots of syrup, please.” Kaoti bowed and turned to the kitchen. Joyously, I smiled at Gram. “Having him around may be a good thing after all.”

  When Kaoti returned, I gave him my sweetest smile, but then he placed a bowl of fruit and a glass of fizzy water down in front of me. Frowning, I looked from him to Gram.

  “The chef says that your doctor disapproves of both coffee and syrup,” Kaoti said.

  Sullenly, I said, “Emperor Probus let me have coffee.”

  “After my report, he will no longer do so.”

  “Kaoti, don’t you want for the two of us to be friends?”

  “Yes, Princess. However, my mission is to ensure your safety, health, and overall well-being.”

  “Coffee makes me happy.”

  “The chef says that if you eat all of the fruit, you may have a cappuccino.” Gram patted me. Gina scowled at Kaoti, not that he cared, and took my picture to my quarters for me. I ate the fruit. The chef walked over to me with a smug smile and picked up the empty bowl.

  “What else would you like, Lady Alaric?” I thought about it for a moment.

  “Can you make me an omelet?”

  “Yes, what would you like in it?”

  “Peanut butter and chicken would be great. Do I still get the coffee?” Gram rubbed my back.

  Yukihyo had placed our wedding picture into a frame, and I helped him wrap it. I carried it to the peace talks. Once we were seated, I asked Kaoti if he knew how I could give it to Emperor Probus. He inclined his head to me and offered me his arm. I checked with Yukihyo before accepting it. Carefully, Kaoti walked with me through the crowd of dignitaries to the front of the room where Emperor Probus sat with Uncle Kagan. The Emperor stood and extended his hand to me. After I placed my hand in his, he led me into his seating area. I tried to ignore all of the scary soldiers. He kissed my cheek. I wanted to hug him, but concentrated on not crying. I looked up at his face trying desperately to memorize every part of it.

  “Did my gift please my little princess?” I nodded.

  “You both looked so happy.”

  “The happiest that I have ever been was during the time I shared with your mother.”

  “Yukihyo and I have a small gift for you.” I held it out to him but frowned and instead handed it to one of his guards.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “So, he can scan it first.” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “From now on, I wish you would be more careful than usual. My mother is gone.” I looked down. I knew my forehead was scrunched up.

  “My niece is as kind and loving as her sweet mother,” Uncle Kagan said as he hugged me. I blushed but returned his hug. I looked up into his green and gold eyes, another thing he and I had shared with Neema Valen. The guard handed the box to Emperor Probus.

  As he opened it, I explained, “That’s our wedding picture. Eliot took it of us on the land that Ethan and Sherman gave us. Those are my trees.”

  “Chirp chirp!”

  “Yes, baby. They are your trees, too.” I patted Thunderdrop.

  “Thank you, Daughter. I will place this where I can see it each day.” Hearing him call me his daughter caused my eyes to begin to fill.

  “Am I allowed to hug you here or is that not okay?” I asked. He handed the picture to Uncle Kagan and opened his arms to me. I didn’t ever want to let go. I squeezed him. “What should I…how am I supposed to address you?” He brushed through my hair with his hand.

  “If you wish, you may address me as father.” I thought about it.

  “I associate a lot of bad memories with that word. Would it be okay if I were to call you papa?”

  “It would please me to hear you call me that.” I could feel his arms against my back, holding me. I blinked up at him.

  I whispered, “I love you, Papa.” I lifted up on my toes and kissed his cheek. I wiped at the tears on my face with my hand. “Well, I better go and sit down before the fussy man at the podium complains. By the way, speaking of complaining, Kaoti wouldn’t let me have coffee or pancakes this morning.”

  Uncle Kagan said, “I thought those were things we were warned not to let you have.” I frowned at Uncle Kagan, hugged my papa again, and allowed Kaoti to escort me back to our box.

  During lunch Gina commented that the negotiations had gone better than expected that morning. The speeches were at an end, but each aspect of the treaty would be discussed now and had to be approved by all parties. After lunch they all had to agree on designated borders for the Laconian Sector, Galaxic Expanse, and Parvac Empire. Those presentations were much more interesting. Holographic star charts of each system filled the top center of the room. They were beautiful. I smiled at the green ball of Arachne and pointed it out to Thunderdrop who chirped happily at it. The commonality between the systems were the sparkling stars that seemed so carelessly scattered throughout the galaxies. The governments reached their border agreements by dinner. As we waited to be served, Uncle Kagan told me how happy I had made my papa.

  “When will I get to see him again?” I asked quietly. Uncle Kagan turned to me. He sat to my left and held his fork still in his right hand over his plate.

  “Would you like to see him after dinner?”

  “Yes, if it’s okay.” I had a deep yearning to see him again.

  Uncle Kagan, Yukihyo, Kaoti, Thunderdrop, and I were admitted entrance. My papa smiled when he saw me. It was something my father had never done. I rushed into his arms.

  “I just wanted to hug my papa goodnight. I can’t believe you’re real.” I released him but took his hand in mine.

  “You are a sweet girl. We will see each other again in the morning.” I hugged him again.

  On board the Hadrian, I asked Kaoti if he was alright. “What do you mean, Princess?”

  “Are people being nice to you?” He turned his cold expressionless eyes to me.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have a nice room?” Kaoti gave me no indication of his feelings.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you need anything?”

  “No.”

  Later during private husband and wife time, I got angry with Yukihyo. Completely baffled, he asked what he had done wrong. I told him my chest hurt and not to touch it. Alarmed, he insisted on taking me to the medical bay which made me even angrier with him since I had to get dressed. I sulked all the way there. Kaoti trailed us. I felt like growling. The doctor assured Yukihyo that it was normal and not to touch me t
here. I scowled at Yukihyo and returned to our quarters. I could tell that I had hurt his feelings, so I made it up to him.

  My dismal mood continued over into breakfast the next morning. I picked at the bowl of fruit. I was an adult. I should be able to have what I wanted. I sipped at my juice. When the chef asked what I wanted, I told him that I was fine. Sensing my feelings, Gram patted me on the knee and kissed my forehead. When we reached the negotiations and were seated in our box, the discussion had turned to plans for the process the governments planned to follow in dealing with disputes. Thunderdrop sat in my lap and blinked at me. Eric gave me a questioning look. I scowled at him, too. Gram shot Yukihyo an angry look. By lunch, I had a headache.

  During lunch I fed Thunderdrop the chicken on my plate, picked at the vegetables, and sipped my juice. As the servers cleared the table, Grandmother patted the couch for me to sit beside her.

  “What’s the matter with my sweet girl?” I shrugged. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  “I’m sick of everyone controlling me, and I’m tired.” I looked into my grandmother’s pale eyes. “It’s all Phillip’s fault.”

  “What did he do?” Grandmother had worn one of the blue silk dresses Gram and I had made for her. I smoothed a fold of the skirt.

  “He got bossy about my diet. Then, he blabbed his tyrannical dietary restrictions to the chief medical officer. The only time I get to eat what I want is when I sneak into the kitchen during the middle of the night. To make matters even worse, now they have recruited Kaoti over to their side. I can’t even sneak out of here to a café because of all of the guards.” Grandmother reached for my hand.

  “Try to be happy. I’ll bring some treats tomorrow just for you. That will put a smile back on your face.” She smiled lovingly at me.

  “They’ll probably confiscate them.”

  The next round of discussions did not go as well. They were talking about access and allotment of resources. “Yukihyo, I can’t sit here any longer. I want to go back to the Hadrian.”

  Eric said, “Teagan, if at all possible, it would be best if you remained.” My eyes swelled up, and I started to cry. I couldn’t eat what I wanted or leave. Yukihyo moved with me to the couch where I cried harder. I heard Eric telling the guards that I was overly tired and calling for the doctor. The doctor scanned me and suggested that I be allowed to rest until the next day. Yukihyo picked me up and carried me to the waiting transport. Once we were in our quarters, I changed and went to sleep. When I woke up, it was time for dinner which caused me to become emotional again. I changed into a too tight in the chest swim dress and went to the pool instead. Kaoti stood guard. Yukihyo decided to join me in the pool. For whatever reason, I felt angry and betrayed, and I didn’t really feel like talking to him. Instead, I began thinking of ways to sneak off of the ship. I knew where the flight suits were kept. I could braid my hair, hide it down the back of the suit, and wear a hat. Then, I could walk off of the Hadrian and find something worth eating in the land port. I had credits. Yukihyo got a hard unyielding look in his eyes.