The Space Merchants of Arachne

by Wendie Nordgren

  “What is that?”

  “That was my fort and later Kane’s. Your mother even played there with me occasionally.” His eyes crinkled in the corners at the memory. He put his arm around my back and kissed the top of my head. This was where Papa had first seen my mother. He and Uncle Kagan had been friends.

  “Is it safe for Thunderdrop to explore? He misses his freedom.”

  “Yes, he will be fine,” Uncle Kagan said. Thunderdrop hopped to my arm and blinked up at me.

  “Do you promise to be careful?”

  “Chirp!”

  “Will you check in with me every few minutes? There are large predatory birds on Parvac.”

  “Chirp chitter chitter.”

  “Yes, I know you can handle a measly bird. I didn’t mean to offend you. May I have a hug before you go?” Thunderdrop crawled to my neck. I ran my hand down his back. “I love you.”

  “Chirp.”

  Uncle Kagan opened the back door for Thunderdrop, who leapt from me and through the opening. As he made his way out to the fort, Kaoti directed a soldier to keep Thunderdrop safe for me.

  “Thank you, Kaoti.” I smiled at him and felt a modicum of relief. He offered me a silent bow.

  As Uncle Kagan and I walked back to the table, he asked, “Are you and Kaoti getting along?”

  “I’m trying to get him to be one of the family, but he’s pretty stiff.” Phillip snickered at me. Phillip and I exchanged conspiratorial glances.

  “Teagan and I have a plan to loosen the old boy up,” he said with a wink at Uncle Kagan.

  “Oh, what is it?”

  I checked to make sure Kaoti wasn’t listening and said, “We have planned an experiment to see if we can get his facial expression to change or get any kind of response from him.” Phillip flashed a dimpled cheek.

  “Yes, when Cupcake pays a social visit to the ladies on Malta, she will need her bodyguard to protect her.”

  When Uncle Kagan realized who the ladies on Malta were who I planned to visit, his eyes almost fell out. Phillip and I enjoyed a good laugh at his shock.

  “What’s going on in here, dear? It is so good to hear your laughter in your mother’s home,” Grandmother said in her sweet voice. Her arms wound around me, and I felt her chin rest on the top of my head.

  “Nothing, Grandmother.” I winked at Uncle Kagan. She patted me and took my empty plate to the kitchen. I whispered, “Phillip, can you imagine the money that Ms. Laura and the ladies would make here?” Phillip laughed even harder.

  I followed grandmother into the kitchen and asked her about the ceshoosh recipe of hers that I had found. Delightedly, she pulled out the ingredients and taught me to make it with some frozen ceshoosh she thawed. She made Kaoti sit and share the finished product with me. The flat cakes had a spicy flavor and creamy texture. It tasted the way I could only describe as some combination of saffron, brown sugar, and pepper. I wondered how she had come by the Laconian vegetable that her mother had prepared for her as a child. Sensing my thoughts, Grandmother met my eyes and shook her head at me not to ask.

  A little later, Uncle Kagan escorted us to the finest shopping available on Parvac. Thunderdrop got to visit a toy store. Each time he selected a toy, I bought an additional one for Cass. We bought a few toys for ZeeZee, as well. Selfishly, I bought myself several new things in roomier sizes. I enlisted Aunt Seyla’s help purchasing clothing to take to Simon’s designers on Arachne that she thought Parvac women might like in silk. I found presents for everyone, and Phillip bought gifts for Ms. Laura and the ladies.

  Then, grandmother and Aunt Seyla took me into a store unlike any store to which I had ever before been. I gazed around in wonder at all of the miniature items. It had tiny clothes, socks, hats, blankets, and toys. Phillip went just as nuts as I did. Uncle Kagan insisted on paying for the bags and bags I ended up with. I had frilly pink dresses and little blue overalls, cuddly blankets, and everything else imaginable. I said to my stomach, “You are going to look adorable every single day! I hope your daddy is selling bunches of silk, so we can spend bunches of credits when we come back here on our next visit.” Phillip laughed at that. A very pregnant Parvac lady and a few male customers entered the shop. Uncle Kagan, Kaoti, and Phillip carried the bags out to the transport.

  Grandmother and I were both tired. We went back to the Valen’s mini-palace of white stone. Grandmother insisted that I take a nap with her in her bed. We held hands as we slept. When we woke up, we had an early dinner and talked about meeting Yukihyo’s mother and sisters. “Then, it felt like a blanket was over my feelings. What was that about?”

  “Occasionally, mother would do that to Emma, Ethan, and me. She shielded you so that you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by Yukihyo’s emotions. Laconian women are powerful empaths.”

  When Phillip, Kaoti, and I returned to the palace, the men who worked in our wing helped us wrap and label all of our gifts. Then, we placed them in bags and off to the side to be delivered to Tora. I had all of the baby clothes, my dresses, and the additional dresses taken to my room. When I began to put my things away, one of the butlers insisted I sit with a cup of tea and allow him to hang them up for me. I decided to humor him. Kaoti watched as Phillip and I spread out all of the baby clothes by color on my bed. We had sections of pink, blue, yellow, and white. We made special places for blankets, hats, bibs, socks, and toys.

  “Look, Phillip.” I held up a tiny pink ruffled dress with matching socks and placed them over my stomach. “How does it look?” I laughed. Yukihyo, Hiroshi, Simon and Cass found us. Their banter stopped when they saw me. “What? Don’t you like my new dress?”

  “I love your new dress,” Yukihyo said with a kiss. I placed the tiny pink socks on his palm.

  “Aren’t these the cutest little things you’ve ever seen? Don’t worry. We got lots of blue, too.” I gestured at the baby clothes arranged across the bed.

  Phillip laughed as he handed a little blue shirt with a starship on it to Hiroshi. Hiroshi grunted. Yukihyo picked up a tiny little yellow gown.

  “How did it go?” Phillip asked.

  Hiroshi said, “We sold every bolt and have orders for more. We Arachnean merchants have been met with a great deal of enthusiasm.” Phillip and I stared at him.

  “The cargo bay was full,” Phillip said.

  “It is empty now. My father will be pleased,” Simon said as he extended his arm for Cass to climb down and run off with Thunderdrop.

  “The Lady Ling will be pleased. I made twice what she had hoped.” I raised an eyebrow at the smug satisfaction at Hiroshi’s tone.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Uncle Kagan bought me all of these things for the baby, but there is a transport seat and a baby carriage that I really want. They were expensive, though so I didn’t point them out. However, since you are all so much richer, which one of you will be buying them for me?”

  Hiroshi laughed, “Please allow me to do so, little sister.”

  “So, you didn’t run into any trouble?” I asked.

  “No, the Parvac merchants were eager to do business. Also, we made purchases from their merchandise and textiles. I thought perhaps that you could buy some Parvac fashions that we could use as patterns for our silks. Then, we could sell the new designs on Arachne,” Simon told me.

  Phillip chuckled. Simon turned to him. “Cousins must think alike. Cupcake thought of that this morning.” Phillip pointed Simon over to the bags of dresses I had bought for that very purpose.

  “Okay, boys. Who wants to help? I want these baby clothes folded and bagged by color.” They grinned and started folding. They all seemed cute and bashful while folding the tiny clothes. Thunderdrop managed to get a baby hat balanced on his head when he and Cass came to investigate. We laughed at him. “Oh! Phillip, where are their toys?” We located their bags, and Simon took the spiders to the sitting room to play. Phillip and I had wrapped ZeeZee’s toys. Yukihyo placed my medallion back in the drawer.

  The next morning after breakfast, Hiroshi bent down
to my stomach and said, “Good morning, Akachan no Yukihyo. Are you ready for Uncle Hiroshi to buy you things?” Yukihyo laughed at him.

  The Palace driver took us all to the baby store where I pointed out to Uncle Hiroshi what we wanted. Yukihyo asked the driver if there were any other baby stores nearby. He took us to another one. I smiled and watched as Yukihyo, Hiroshi, and Simon began picking things out. I suggested they buy larger sizes for this round of clothing. They nodded at my wisdom. Phillip snickered because he had heard grandmother and Aunt Seyla give that advice to me the day before. I shrugged.

  “We will have the cutest baby on Arachne. I can’t wait to push the carriage up and down the sidewalks. The women will go nuts,” Phillip said.

  “You plan to use our child to lure women to you?” Yukihyo asked.

  “It is a good plan,” Hiroshi agreed.

  “I thought you had already gained a certain lady’s interest, brother,” I said.

  With a raised eyebrow, Hiroshi said, “I am doing my best. However, an adorable baby, dressed in this, can only strengthen my case.” He held up a long frilly peach dress with spaghetti straps and tiny decorative bears sauntering along the hem. I couldn’t argue.

  I noticed Phillip near the front of the store flirting with a pregnant woman. Two stern and very muscular Parvac soldiers glared at him from behind his back. One of the soldiers tapped Phillip on the shoulder. Alarmed, I shot a frightened look at Kaoti. Phillip gave a charming smile to the two men. The woman turned her back on them and continued shopping. Just as I was certain Phillip was about to get pounded, Kaoti appeared at his side. Angry Parvac jaws seemed to grind, but the men moved away after the woman. I sighed in relief.

  That night we had dinner with Papa at the palace. Yukihyo gave Papa a box. In it was a shirt made of my protective silk. Papa seemed intrigued. “Your uncle told me of this fabric you had devised. My princess is both beautiful and intelligent.”

  I blushed and said, “Thank you, Papa.”

  The next morning, Papa took me fishing out on the lake. I noticed guards scattered discreetly around the lake and tree line. He insisted that I wear an emergency floatation device. I caught two fish with minimal assistance. One of the fish was large enough to keep. “I have a river that branches off into two streams on my land. I saw fish swimming in it. Do you think you will ever visit me there? The boys are planning to build us our very own house. It may be as big as the wing you gave me to use.”

  He smiled. “Perhaps one day. Will you stay with me again when you return?”

  “Oh, yes! It’s beautiful here, and I want to see you as much as I can. Yukihyo told me they took more silk orders. It’s a good thing the spiders on my land like me. I have a feeling we’ll need all of the silk they can produce. May I bring you anything from Arachne?”

  “Only yourself, Daughter.” I looked into his dark eyes, at his straight nose, and strong shoulders.

  “We only live about two weeks apart, now that there is peace. I do hope to spend some time on Arachne. I miss the Alarics and Montgomeries. Ethan treats me as if I were his own daughter. I think the two of you would get along very well.”

  Papa cast his line into the lake’s still surface. “I am aware of the kindness with which your Arachnean family treats you. I know you are safe there, but I intend for Kaoti to remain your permanent retainer.” I chuckled. “Why do you laugh?”

  “I have plans for him.”

  “What do you intend to do?” Lines formed between his eyebrows, and I smiled because the same thing happened to me.

  “If I find him a wife, maybe he’ll smile occasionally.” I winked. We had fish for dinner.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hiroshi let out a huge sigh of relief when Tora gained orbit. We had an escort to the edge of Parvac space. Hiroshi had allowed the butlers from our wing of the palace onto the habitation deck to clean as a concession to Papa. Therefore, the laundry, bed linens, floors, bathrooms, and kitchen were clean, and there was absolutely nothing for me to do. While they had been busy fulfilling my duties as domestic assistant, Papa had treated me to a day of pampering. It was strange having men giving me my manicure and pedicure.

  The night before during dinner, Hiroshi had said, “We will land on Malta in a week and spend a day or two there. Teagan wishes to see her friends, and we may as well buy fuel to sell on Arachne while we are there. Then, we will go home and stay for a week before returning.”

  With nothing to clean, I spent the week baking. I even made cakes and cookies for Mr. Gregory and Arthur Jr. I was nervous, though. Phillip had encouraged me to begin walking on the treadmill again. I had almost completed a mile while Hiroshi ran at a steady pace beside me. “What has you in this pensive state?”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Malta.”

  “There is no need for you to be frightened. The miners who abducted you are no longer there.”

  “Yes, and I am very grateful not to have to worry about them.”

  “If they are not the cause of your concern, what is?”

  “Well, do you think my friends there still like me, or do you think they feel as though I’ve abandoned them?”

  “I think your friends will be happy for your visit and overjoyed about our little Akachan no Yukihyo. You do look adorable.”

  I snorted. “I look like Malta.”

  Our first stop was to Mr. Gregory’s store. We took Phillip’s transport and had the back loaded with gifts and baked goods. As soon as Phillip parked, Mr. Gregory, Arthur Jr., an enforcer, and Dr. Anders walked out to say hello. Mr. Gregory was shaking hands with Hiroshi while Yukihyo helped me out of the transport. “Mrs. Lee! You came back! It’s so good to see you,” Arthur Jr. said. Then, his eyes grew round when he saw my stomach.

  “It’s very good to see you, too. I’ve been busy with other things,” I said with a pat to my middle.

  “Please, come inside! You don’t need to stand around. Let me get you a chair!” Arthur Jr. rushed inside of the general store. Mr. Gregory held the door for us as we entered.

  “Arthur Jr., is the dress shop business still a success? I’ve been sad about passing it to Felicia.”

  “It is going very well. In fact, the wives from the Galaxic Militia ships have been coming in to do a little shopping. Then, they have lunch at the restaurant.” He showed me into the dress store.

  “Yes, this is definitely Felicia. I would buy anything here if any of it would fit.”

  Arthur Jr. said, “Some of the soldier’s wives are expecting. Maybe Felicia should send us some maternity dresses.” I nodded enthusiastically.

  “I’m sure they would like that. Nothing seems to fit for very long. One day I have plenty to wear and the next nothing fits.” Yukihyo took me back to the counter and to a chair Mr. Gregory adjusted for me. Phillip and Dr. Anders were busy catching up. Hiroshi introduced everyone to Simon. Mr. Gregory was more afraid of Cass than he had been of Thunderdrop. Yukihyo went out to the transport and brought in the food crate. He placed it on the counter.

  “What’s this?” Mr. Gregory asked.

  “A gift from my wife,” Yukihyo said with smug satisfaction that made me feel a little proud of my new found baking abilities.

  Mr. Gregory opened the crate and found the cookies. After he had eaten a few, he let Arthur Jr. near them. “That’s a good woman you’ve got there,” he said around another cookie.

  I was much more nervous about our next stop. Phillip knocked on the door. Silvie answered. She pulled Phillip inside, into her arms, and kissed him. Without a word, he began walking up the stairs with her. She broke the kiss to follow him and saw me. “Teagan!” I got a hug. Then Ms. Laura and everyone converged upon us and treated me as if I had never left.

  “I’ve missed you all very much. I’m glad you aren’t angry with me for having spent so much time away.” Yukihyo dabbed at my eyes and handed me a silk square.

  Annette said, “How could we ever be angry with you?”

  “Yes, and you’ve
brought such strong handsome men with you,” Fran said.

  “Ladies, please allow me to introduce my dear cousin, Simon.”

  “Hello, Simon,” Annette and Fran said.

  Simon bowed. “I never would have dreamed to find such beautiful women on such a distant and lonely planet.”

  I cleared my throat. “We brought you all gifts. Yukihyo, would you and Kaoti please help me with the packages?” I stood and walked toward the door.

  “Princess, please rest. I will bring in your gifts,” Kaoti said.

  “Kaoti, you are always so very sweet to me. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He bowed low to me and followed Yukihyo outside.

  “Who is he?” Kahra asked.

  “Kaoti is a new crew member. He helps with security,” I said. We passed out all of the gifts we had bought for the ladies while we were on Parvac. I was glad we had taken the time to attach name tags. Ms. Laura and I sat and had tea and cookies with Yukihyo. Phillip, Hiroshi, Simon, and Kaoti had all vanished. All six ladies had disappeared, too. Puzzled, I said, “Why did all six of them go?”

  Ms. Laura smiled. “Would you like for me to explain it to you now, or let your husband explain it to you later?”

  “Let’s play cards,” I suggested. I felt Yukihyo shielding me from Simon’s emotions.

  Hiroshi and Phillip joined our card game an hour later. After we had played a few hands, Simon meandered into the dining room. Once Kaoti made it down the stairs, he seemed a changed man. He had bite marks on his neck. I shot a questioning look at Yukihyo who pointedly ignored me. I tried to hide a yawn.

  “Ms. Laura, I have enjoyed our visit, but I must excuse myself. The baby insists it is nap time.” I hugged my friends.

  “We may stop by to visit once a month. I hope you will not forget me. I certainly will never forget either of you,” Simon said. Annette and Fran each gave Simon kisses. Kaoti bowed to Kahra and Terra. Once we were in the transport and on our way back to Tora, I asked Kaoti, “Are we related?”

  “No, Princess.”