by Eden Ember
“Of course.” Arenthia came into view. My heart pounded as I slid my hands into the chained gloves. The crew shrugged into their battle-ready gear, none of them arguing about why we had turned around.
A sense of foreboding washed over me as we closed in on the outer realm of Arenthia. The space station above clattered with ships arriving and exiting. If it was destroyed, it would wreak havoc on the planet below and anyone there. My heart lurched at the thought of the Terran Allegra. The brief time of our interaction caused a series of emotions to surface, ones that I never thought would appear within me. I didn’t want to risk docking on the space station so we landed on Arenthia, with the thrusters on standby for a quick getaway.
I gathered Xyru, Elgan, and Razko with me at the back hatch. “We’re here on a rescue mission. The Kwobus have seen us, but I’m hoping to offer the element of surprise when we grab the Terrans and head out of here as fast as possible. We’ll hyper-speed to the wormhole and burst through to lose them.”
We busted through the hatch door as if we didn’t have a fear in this world. Squaring our shoulders, we marched onward to the streets to search for our new Terran friends.
“Where should we look first?” Razko asked.
“I saw them walk this way. We’ll walk as if we’re them, thinking where they might have gone. Also, we can ask the shop owners if anyone has seen them.” I headed straight for the market, which buzzed with many aliens peddling and buying goods.
The first stop proved pointless. The Guilean shook its head, their long tentacles flowing back and forth.
“I think they would have avoided the likes of him,” Elgan said.
“I believe that was female,” I replied and chuckled.
“I have not seen them recently. But they stopped at the fabric circle,” the Paroid told us. The being’s four eyes looked in all directions at the same time.
“Yes, they purchased a round of scarlean matt.” The Berwithe blinked at us, giving us hope.
“Which direction did they go?” I asked.
“I don’t keep up with patrons. Probably back toward the hangar,” the Berwithe said annoyingly.
“Thank you,” I said as we moved on and pulled my crew to the side. “We need to split up and listen to any communication chatter. Ask around and avoid the Kwobus.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Xyru replied. His eyes darted about. “Send an SO if needed.”
“Of course,” I agreed. We split up, scouring the area for the women. Something had probably scared them, or they were weary, and likely stayed out of the way as much as possible. Still, my gut told me that they were in trouble and we needed to find them quickly.
I exhausted every spot that I knew where the women might have hidden, including the older part of the market around the abandoned building. No sign of them gave me any hope that they were still here. Why did I leave them here? Fear gripped my heart as I rounded a corner and met an anxious Elgan.
“I heard a group of dark shanes talking excitedly. They boasted a claim of exotics, Gandrox,” he said, his face taking on a deeper purple hue.
“Okay, they consider many races exotics. Be more specific, Elgan,” I pleaded.
“Exotics normally are not anything we see around here. I asked for more information. I told them that my crew and I were looking to buy exotic slaves for our ship. They didn’t question me but smiled and nodded, eyeing each other like they had information about this,” he explained.
“And?” I was losing patience.
“They said they had captured Terrans. Terrans aren’t common here, Captain. They have to be ours.”
I chuckled at his choice of calling the Terrans ours. An ironic chuckle left my mouth because they didn’t belong to us either. But still, I felt protective of them and now ice-cold blood trickled through my blue veins, making them an intense indigo as my pulse quickened.
“Where are they held?” I asked.
“Now that is the question. I’ve already spoken to Razko, and he’s on top of finding out how one can attend one of these fancy auctions,” Elgan answered.
“We will not leave here until we find out what happened to the women.” My hand formed a fist as we walked along to the rendezvous point to meet the rest of the crew.
Razko trotted to us, winded. “Captain, the Kwobus are here and are looking for us. They know that we’ve landed,” he reported.
I shook my head. “I figured as much. We’re not leaving here without the Terrans, or at the very least without knowing where they are,” I replied.
Xyru smiled as he approached and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s find us some Terrans then,” he said.
“Not just any Terrans,” Elgan answered.
I knew they were as smitten with the beautiful creatures as I was. With a curt nod, we moved along, searching for the elusive auction houses where I had a feeling we’d find our fair friends.
The tower in the center of the market held a certain promise that we’d find out where they held our women. The tall being’s double chin tentacles moved effortlessly as he stared straight ahead, acting as if he hadn’t heard of such things.
“Look, I have trade cards,” I said as I presented him with an array of currency cards. He looked down curiously.
“Perhaps I will drop a tid of information for five instarns.”
Five? I swallowed hard. The male drove a hard bargain, but to me it was worth it. If something happened to them, I’d feel forever haunted if I didn’t at least try to save their fragile lives. I pulled the five instarns from my pocket and handed the high-valued currency cards to the alien. He smiled.
“Two clicks to the moon rise, fourth building in the back. Tell them Actoulle sent you.” He briefly made eye contact. Not knowing Arenthia as we should, the information should prove invaluable. I gave him a quick nod and a grunt and we set off toward the rising moon. The pale pink moon rose lazily over the horizon, a sight likely beheld every evening in this place.
Chapter 5
ALLEGRA
Large hands covered our mouths and eyes. I struggled, as did the others to escape, but it was of no use. The smell of rotten flesh penetrated my nose, a wretched scent that reminded me of coming upon an old abandoned homestead back on earth and the roof that had caved in over some poor creatures that couldn’t escape. Maybe to these beings the scent meant something else, like eau de putrid. My gag reflex caused me to lurch, the contents of the last meal of Aaran food nearly dumping at the feet of our captors. To give them the satisfaction of a nice vomit might invite a frenzy of something that I didn’t want to consider.
We marched along, stumbling under duress. Addison squealed and the back of a giant hand swooshed across her shocked face. The guttural utterance of her captor made no sense through our language implants.
They pulled us along and shoved us into a building, slamming the door behind us. After removing their hands from me, they pushed hard, and I nearly tumbled into a wall. The dimness of the place made it damn near impossible to see. Glancing up, I saw the terrible glow of yellow-green emanating from their large, otherwise blackened eyes that apparently could see in the dark. I shuddered violently as one of them looked at me, catching my stare. As if I’d turned to stone, I glanced away and swallowed hard at the gall that crept into my throat. These beings reeked of dismal nastiness. I would just about dance naked before them if they would just go away from us.
Giving one last try after our smelly captors had turned loose of us, I tried to bolt to the nearest door and a hand came out swiftly to stop me.
The grunting, stinky beings shoved us into a room and slammed the door behind us. We huddled together under a very dim light. The floors and walls echoed from the cold concrete-like material that covered it. We didn’t move or speak until we were certain that they had gone. I pulled loose and checked the door which simply had a pull handle instead of a knob. It didn’t budge.
Syria lurched for it, fist first, and hit it with a thud. “Hey, help!”
&n
bsp; “Shh, stop! Syria! Do you want those nasty smelling pigs coming back in here?” I asked sternly.
“If it will help us escape. Help!” she shouted.
I grabbed her and pulled her from the door. “Shut up now! That’s an order,” I said.
She turned on me, anger washing over her face. “How dare you! You’re no longer the captain. The ship crashed, remember? We followed your lead on that ship with the Aarans who just dumped us off on this god-forsaken planet.” Her hand moved to her hip as she squared up with me.
“Look, I am sorry things didn’t work out like I had hoped. Back on Zarsola we could have ended up in the same situation. We put our heads together and come up with a solution on how to escape,” I replied angrily.
Elsbeth cocked a brow as she unzipped her belt pouch. “I’m never without the ability to pluck out eyes, or pick locks,” she said as she produced a short spear. She worked with Jules as our ship’s engineer and she smiled as she strode to the door. I followed.
“All good, but there’s no doorknob,” I said as I bent toward the seam and ran my finger along the dulled edges.
“No, but it’s locked somehow,” Elsbeth said.
“Probably a magnetic lock, from a panel on the outside. It was too dark out there to tell,” Jules answered.
“What do we have to lose? Try it,” Addison encouraged.
“Plan to,” Elsbeth said as she worked the spear between the door edge and the wall. The sharp-tipped tool barely fit, but her tongue came out as she fiddled with it, moving it up and down. Suddenly a click sounded and she smiled as she continued up and then down, with two more clicks sounding out.
“Universal magnetic locks. If you know where to put pressure, it overrides the panel.” She smiled as she slid her hand into the indentation and the door slid open.
I took charge, to hell with Syria’s coup attempt at making me less than the leader of our group. “Come on, let’s bolt.”
The dim halls turned and twisted this way and that. We stumbled along, trying to keep from being heard. When we came close to a set of doors with sound from behind them, we paused. It could lead to some interior room full of tentacled menacing aliens, or it could lead outside. We had no way of knowing. And it could be night on Arenthia, for all we knew.
We crept along until we found a window. Thankfully, no one noticed as we exited the vast building. We could see just how large it was once we landed on the side street. Above us, speckles of starlight shone down, the evasive moon slipping over the horizon, giving us little to light the path before us.
“Do these people not believe in street lights?” Jules complained through her teeth.
“Apparently not,” I said with a chuckle.
We kept looking behind us to make sure that no one was following. We didn't see the brood of cloaked aliens around the corner, ready for us.
None of us struggled with the putrid smelling beasts as they dragged us back to the colossal building. This time instead of thrusting us into the same room where we picked the lock, they shoved us down a flight of stairs. Addison lost her footing and Jules and I caught her before she fell all the way down.
“Dammit,” Elsbeth said as she watched the door close behind us. The series of locks clicked into place; there were more than one type. She whipped around on us when our smelly captors walked away and positioned himself just outside of another door. “Now we’re doomed.”
“But this?” I pointed to a high small window with bars. Jules came to me and bent down after I motioned, and I crawled on her shoulders to peer out. The bars were on the inside and a thick glass on the outside. The small sun rose on the horizon, the pinkish beams just hitting the glass.
I smiled. “At least we can see outside. I’m not sure what good it will do, but we should keep an eye out for an opportunity,” I said confidently. It was up to me as their leader to keep up the positivity in this otherwise dismal situation.
The hours ticked by and the stinkies delivered a box of what I could only guess was Arenthian fruits. Taking a whiff, I frowned. “Smells like pomegranates,” I said. Pomegranates weren’t my favorite fruit, but I’d eat one to keep up strength. A small wrapped loaf of bread came with the fruit. The water, not what I’d call anything potable, looked like it had clouds of something floating in it. Addison pulled off part of her scarf and filtered it through, making it a little more appetizing and clear.
We grew bored as the day turned to night again and then day again. Some meals we ate bread that tasted like oats and for other meals it was fruit. Whatever the food was, we ate it for our health and with the hope of eventually escaping. But as the hours ticked by, we began to lose hope, fearing a life as an exotic slave. When the dusk approached on the second evening, there was a buzz of beings whose forms filtered in through the thick window. I crawled up to the crude window and peered outside. My heart nearly thumped out of my chest when I spotted Gandrox and his crew.
“I can’t believe it! Gandrox!” I nearly toppled from my position at the window. Try as I might, I couldn’t get his attention. The thick glass prevented him from hearing me and I had to be quiet so as not to alarm the stinky predators that had captured us.
Tears stung my eyes as I crawled from Elsbeth’s shoulders. “You know what this means?” I said to my crew.
“What? That Gandrox wants to purchase some slaves?” Syria said.
“No, silly! Why in the world would they want to purchase slaves when they had set us free? They left us here and came back. I think they are searching for us. They reconsidered. They miss us!” No one could wipe the smile from my face. “Here, help me back up.”
“Help yourself,” Elsbeth said angrily.
“Here,” Jules said as she bent down and allowed me to stand barefoot on her shoulders.
“Thanks,” I uttered as I peered through the bars and thick glass.
Gandrox stood with Razko. The hunky alien’s eyes swung down and met with mine. I mouthed help, hoping that he understood.
He stared at me, his mouth agape. When he shrugged, he motioned to the alien sign on the corner. I shook my head, as I couldn’t read alien languages. He turned to Razko and spoke for a few moments and turned back. He mouthed auction. I’m good at reading lips so I slowly nodded, feeling more and more hopeless.
“Should I create a diversion?” I mouthed. I didn’t want the stinky brute in the hall to hear.
Gandrox’s thick brow knit together as he tried to understand. I kept mouthing it slowly. Finally, as if he realized, he smiled brightly and nodded. Yes, he mouthed back. I nodded, knowing the ladies and I had to come up with something.
Gandrox stared at me, as if he wanted to speak. Bending toward the window, he smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be back for you,” he said. At least, that’s what I thought he said. I smiled and nodded sadly, hoping beyond all hope he would do that.
“Okay, ladies, here’s the thing. We’re here at an auction house,” I whispered.
“Just as I suspected,” Jules said as she worriedly glanced at the door.
I placed my hand on her arm. “I believe Gandrox and his crew are trying to help us,” I said.
Syria narrowed her eyes at me. “By buying us?” she asked, not even trying to keep quiet. Oh, how I’d love to drop her off somewhere and let her be someone else’s problem.
“Maybe? I don’t know. He said he’d be back for us,” I said.
“For you maybe,” Syria said as she turned away.
“Hey, what gives, Syria? We’re in a grave situation. The crash wasn’t my fault, it wasn't anyone’s fault. I will not put a damper on the fact that Gandrox and the Aaran’s came back for us. They could have left and kept going. I think he didn’t know what to do with us, which is why he dropped us off. So enough with the sarcasm,” I said. My tone bit at her and she kept her lips in a tight line as she glared back at me.
Chapter 6
GANDROX
My heart pounded at seeing Allegra boxed in the cell at the aucti
on house. Actoulle was right. They had captured the Terrans and took them to auction. It took the rest of the evening to find the auction house and to get through the horde of beings in search of slaves.
It took a few moments for us to communicate. No doubt they will auction the Terrans as exotics. Razko and I moved along after I promised I’d come back for them. I’m not sure how it would pan out, but I planned to do something. We moved ahead to the front of the large auction house, where beings from all over were clamouring to get inside. My heart quickened as I prepared to pay a hefty fee to purchase the five Terrans.
“Please, Actoulle sent us. We’re looking for exotic slaves to purchase,” I said to the curator, a beefy Cown who peered down his large snout at me.
He grunted. “You and everyone else. We auction the exotics tomorrow, high sun,” he replied.
I nodded. Good, it gave us time to figure out how we can rescue the Terrans. The others met us in the front of the large building, their eyes keeping watch on those nearby.
“Kwobus here, many,” Elgan said as he was breathing hard.
Oh shanger. This wasn’t good. I turned just as a wretched creature strode forth from the auction house, his weapon drawn and aimed at him. Hatred was etched upon his face. One swift flick of his finger and a shot fired from the weapon, piercing Razko in his upper right chest.
My best crew member slumped, the once hulking strong barbarian whimpered as I held onto him, his chest bleeding. “Hang on, Raz,” I said.
“Elgan, you and Xyru stay behind and rescue the women. I’ll take Razko back to the ship for Zeker to take a look at,” I said as I helped Razko stand. He groaned under duress, but he had no choice. The coward Kwobus shot and ran back inside the building. The no-good planet didn’t have a care at all about an injured being, so Raz and I were on our own.
“I need help, Razko’s been shot. Zeker, ready the med bay and send two others to help me,” I radioed ahead to the ship.
We stumbled along the road to the small shuttle, and I settled Razko in the seat. He groaned with every bump encountered. Poor Aar. The shuttle could only go so fast and I worried as the puddle of deep purple blood pooled on the outside of his uniform. He no longer looked a healthy blue, but paled in the dawning light of the morning. “Don’t leave me, we agreed, remember?” I said to my friend and crew member.