by Tracy Lauren
We are by no means rich, but we suddenly have credits at our disposal far beyond what we ever dared to dream of as fledglings on Javan and greater still than what I was earning in my new position with the UPC. Not to mention, the swell of pride we feel for being in the service of my proper family and knowing the work we do is for the benefit of science and the Mother Planet? Pride fills my humble core.
Beep beep.
“Incoming comm,” Kellen announces. “Connecting now…”
“Greetings Rennek,” the viewing window at the front of the ship becomes clouded, converting into a monitor for the comm. Tennir’s image appears in the screen. Tennir is six yets older than myself and though he is a scientist, his build nearly matches my own. We have the same grey coloring to our skin, the same tall, pointed ears, and identical jet-black eyes. That being said, the differences in our appearances are more apparent than our similarities.
While Tennir has tightly cropped hair all over the crown of his head, I have a thick, jet black mane which dips down between my shoulders. Then of course, there are the more obvious differences. Such as my wings, my tall, the arcing horns on my head, and our legs are markedly different. I can’t help but see these differences--when instead I long to see the similarities between myself and my brother.
“Greetings to you as well, Tennir,” I reply. “How has the last shipment been acclimating?’
“Very well,” Tennir tells me and I can almost see the excitement in his eyes at the opportunity to talk about the latest shipment of creatures he received. Almost. That is if Tennir, the pragmatic scientist that he is, ever showed emotion.
“Quarantine is nearly complete and they will be exiting their artificial habitats soon to be integrated onto the planet. This group seems to be conforming to the new environment well already. There have been no deaths or illnesses as of yet. They reacted well to immunizations, so we are very hopeful about the prospects. Very hopeful,” he tells me.
“It brings me joy to hear this Tennir.”
“Thanks be to you.” Tennir nods his pleasantries, but I can recognize the all business look now taking over his face.
“As you recall from the briefing Rennek, the world the Mother Planet Biological Research Team is populating for this project has a wide variety of climate regions. There are both aquatic and dry-land terrains, mountainous regions, deserts,” he ticks off his fingers. “The shipments thus far have been exciting for myself and the other scientists…” Tennir pauses, “but we are eager to see variety. This is an entire terraformed planet we are populating with wildlife from scratch and for the ecosystem to thrive we need creatures large and small, from great beasts to the smallest insect. Not only that, but we need to account for those who will not survive the acclimation process, any that might be weeded out due to the newly establishing food chain, and Goddesses only know what else… variety is of the utmost importance here.”
“Yes, Tennir. I understand. I know the shipments so far have been somewhat... homogenous.” Most of the alien creatures I have seen going through my cargo holds are all roughly the same smallish size and covered in fur. To sum it up, there is a large market for alien pets. I can imagine it is not exactly exciting for a group of scientists who were hoping to be amazed by all the creatures far away planets had to offer.
“It is difficult to know in advance what some of these suppliers will have lined up due to their… ah… methods of acquisition and much of their cargo is aimed at rich collectors who are searching for novelty pets, so the creatures usually tend to be of a certain variety,” I explain to him.
Tennir runs a hand over his face. “I know this Rennek. I apologize for my eagerness. It will take many yets to establish the diversity necessary to populate the planet. I am being rash. Just with what you have brought us thus far alone, we have yets of work ahead of us.”
“I understand your concerns Tennir, we have two new suppliers in the coming rotations and a meeting with a repeat supplier we have begun to build something of a relationship with. A Ju’tup.” I wonder if Tennir knows the Ju’tup race are nothing more than pirates and criminals.
“New suppliers mean new cargo and the Ju’tup… often carry many interesting things… as their captain learns to trust us he may offer merchandise he does not pass along to every client,” I inform Tennir.
“Is it a matter of credits…” Tennir begins.
“We offer more than enough, Tennir.” I tell him, waving away his concerns. “Pay too much and these suppliers will take you for a fool whose pockets they can leach or they will start dying the hides of common marsh rakes and selling them to you for a profit.”
“Yes, Rennek. Of course. You have my faith. Do all you can to inquire about new specimens and I’ll trust your knowledge in making these deals.” Tennir pauses. “Mother would want me to ensure… are these missions safe?” He asks, making me think perhaps he does know the reputation of the Ju’tup.
I laugh at this, “If Madreed asks, tell her I am no more or less safe than when I was an enforcer. She has no reason to worry over me.”
“Yes, I imagine so.” Tennir pauses again to take in the appearance of the three males on his view screen. “I see you have decided not to wear the uniforms provided to you.”
At that, Dax chokes on his own laughter and Kellen shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
“We… the crew… It would not be advisable for transactions,” I explain, rather diplomatically to my pleasant surprise. Especially when one considered said uniforms. There was definitely a reason my team I were out in the field securing new specimens, and the scientists were back in the lab. A fledgling back on Javan wouldn’t be caught dead in such a thing. Wearing those ridiculous jumpsuits during transactions with pirates was not on the menu. Not now, not ever.
Tennir nods absently, his mind elsewhere already. “When can we expect you?”
“Just shy of a cycle. That should give us time to make all three contacts and give your team the opportunity to finish clearing out those quarantine habitats. Be ready to process a larger number of specimens, we have never come in with more than two loads thus far. With three, the cargo holds should be at maximum capacity.”
“Wonderful Rennek, we’ll be ready. You have my gratitude.”
“And you, mine.” With nods to one another the comms click off and the window clears to show an endless sea of stars.
Chapter 3
Rennek
The first of the new suppliers is unfortunately only able to offer us more of the same old product. Mostly mid-sized cat-like animals that can be domesticated for the rich. I use my scanner to differentiate between cataloged and uncatalogued species. When I find anything that hasn’t been cataloged I search the sample cages for attributes that stands out--picking out mating pairs whenever I notice interesting features: a spiked tail, exceptional tusks, elaborate markings.
At the second supplier I press harder for something besides the “pets.” After listening to him trying to upsell the fuzzy creatures in his charge, the supplier scratches his head and reluctantly leads us to a large cloudy tank in the back. He explains what is inside is for food and says we likely would not be interested. But I do show interest and suddenly the merchant in him rears up and these small, ugly fish become a “delicacy” on many worlds. This is the part I can’t stand. I shrug off the supplier--which is Bossan’s cue to step in, negotiate a price, and gather as much information as possible on how to care for the creatures. Which more often than not isn’t much, these people are not zookeepers--they are traffickers.
On the way to the third supplier I take stock of the remaining space in our cargo holds. We have already filled one section with a variety of furred beasts. I am not entirely pleased with this portion of the cargo, but at least each mating pair stands out in some way compared to what we have brought Tennir in the past. The true crown jewel of this shipment however, is filling the majority of the ship’s two remaining cargo holds. Forty-seven large tanks filled with at least a dozen varieti
es of smallish fish--all uncatalogued.
They don’t look like much in the way of eating, I think as I inspect the tanks. Regardless, this is something I feel Tennir will be excited about, so I purchased the entire lot from the supplier. It was a very good development for us. Now this supplier both knows my tastes and knows I am a serious buyer. He will aim to please me in order to make another large sale in the future, and hopefully will continue providing more unique cargo.
The only unfortunate aspect of this acquisition is it leaves little room for the Ju’tup supplier’s merchandise. It is a shame because I know if I press the Ju’tup, he will likely produce some truly interesting new specimens. The Ju’tup are gamblers as well as smugglers and often collect large and majestic beasts for fighting rings. I had been hoping to get my hands on some of these creatures at our meeting, but I could not pass up the fish. I hope to still be able to purchase one or two large beasts to further build the trust with the Ju’tup smugglers so at our next meeting I may have better leverage than other buyers.
Beep Beep.
The comms click on. “Rennek, we are ready for entry into the atmosphere. Shall I notify the Ju’tup of our arrival?”
“Yes, Bossan. Please inform the rest of the crew as well,” I tell him. “And Bossan, remind everyone this meeting is with Ju’tup. We bring our guns.”
***
Our ship lands on a small desert moon in a system just beyond the reach of the United Planets. It is a neutral zone. Not the wild, lawlessness of deep space, but still none of the safety and structure the United Planets sun systems offer. Neutral or not, in a place like this… making deals with pirates… anything could happen.
My crew and I step down the ramp of our ship. Luckily, internment and UPC training has hardened us. We look like the last males in the galaxy anyone would want to mess with. We play it casual, but our hands rest on our holsters and we stay alert. Sometimes you hear of deals that devolve into robberies. It is unlikely in this case, since we have bought from this Ju’tup before. As return buyers, we are worth more than just the credits we bring on this day.
I survey the rocky surroundings and the black and angular ship sitting before us. Bossan holds up his wrist and speaks into a personal comm unit. Seconds later the gates of the Ju’tup ship hiss open and a ramp extends down to us. I lead my crew inside.
Ju’toktah sits at a lone table in the center of a long corridor lined with cages. The table is piled high with inventory lists, a large bottle of liquor and two dirty glasses. Two guards stand behind him waiting for orders to unlock cages, show specimens, and help move cargo from ship to ship.
“My friends! My Friends! Welcome!” Ju’toktah’s fat hands and spindly pincers paw the liquor bottle and he fills the two glasses until they overflow, sending the putrid smell of alcohol to my nose.
“Greetings to you Ju’toktah.”
“A drink for you,” Ju’toktah rounds the table, his heavy form swaying from side to side. He passes me the drink. I do not enjoy drinking. I prefer to stay alert, but to earn Ju’toktah’s trust? I will share a drink with the pirate. I throw my head back and swallow the contents of the cup. It burns on the way down and my nostrils flare. Ju’toktah’s laughter causes the slimy blubber on his belly to jiggle and mucus drips to the floor with a loud plop. With his own cup, Ju’toktah follows suit and we slam our glasses back down on the disorderly desk.
“Come my friend!” Ju’toktah snorts and bellows through his mucus. “I have much to show you on this day!” clapping me on the back, he begins to lead me past the walls lined with cages in the first cargo hold. Both my crew and Ju’toktah’s guards hang back while we captains conduct the business.
As much as I can’t stand the Ju’tup, Ju’toktah is our best bet for acquiring more of the items Tennir’s project requires. I follow the Ju’tup, studying him. All Ju’tup have three sets of appendages protruding from their bodies: two “legs” that fold out from the sides of their hips and two sets of “arms.” The center set are weak and underdeveloped. Other than that, arm and leg pairs are indistinguishable from one another. They have fat bodies and secrete a thick mucus from head to toe. They also stink fiercely because of it. My nostrils flare again as I follow Ju’toktah.
“Allow me to show you the wonders of the galaxy!” He waves his top set of arms and the little ones below them shudder as if desperate to mimic the larger set. Ju’toktah knows I typically buy in bulk and the last few deals he and I squared consisted of exactly what I am not looking for on this day. Ju’toktah likely assumes I am a pet dealer on-world somewhere. So, not surprisingly I notice all the sample cages are filled with the usual cargo.
“Jungle cats, from the far reaches of the galaxy! Wild and fierce in their natural environments, but space travel has dulled their animal nature. Perfect now for training, bringing into the home. Good companions. Protection. Shoppers love this,” he tells me as if the deal is already made.
“Today Ju’toktah, I have different tastes. I am looking for something special. Unique. Do you have anything like that?”
Ju’toktah swipes a hand across his brow, causing the smaller hand below it to convulse slightly. He motions to one of his guards who fills a cup and carries it to him, drinking it as quickly as the last.
“Different tastes, you say?” he eyes me blinking and I am reminded of the fish back in my cargo hold. “What kind of tastes does an ex-enforcer have?” Ju’toktah says, laughing as if he knows some dirty truth.
“It is not for me Ju’toktah, it is for my buyer and I remind you I am not an enforcer any longer. I am looking for something... “I seek to choose my words carefully, but Ju’toktah jumps in.
“Do not worry yourself, my friend. We have a little something to satisfy all tastes here. Come, let me show you something that might be of more interest to your buyer,” he emphasizes the last word as though he thinks I might be telling some falsehood. He may think what he likes.
Before Ju’toktah leads me through a door beyond the sample cages the guard hands him another drink which is tossed hastily down the pirate’s throat. Beyond the door is a much smaller room with two large cages on either side. To my disappointment they are filled with more cats. One in each cage. But these cats are huge. Bright orange with black stripes, they stalk their cages showing large fangs as they let out warning growls in our direction. Ju’toktah grabs some type of rod from the wall and shoves it toward one of the massive cats. It roars and swats at the device, showing claws as menacing as its fangs. Both the cats go wild at the sight as it crackles and pops with an electrical charge at the end. I frown.
“Fighters, for the rings. Make you much money these two. Or to hunt, some enjoy testing their skills on large game, as sport.”
I did not like either prospect for these magnificent beasts. But I worry on disappointing Tennir by bringing back yet another cargo dominated by homogeneous specimens. “I will take these two, do you have any more?”
“No, my friend, my friend. Sold all the rest this morning. Just these two left.” He shakes his head apologetically. This disappoint me, I hate the idea of these proud creatures being sold for awful things.
“Still Ju’toktah, I search for something different…’
He is silent for a moment before he breaks into laughter. The alcohol he has been drinking seems to be making him excrete more mucus. “I have just what you need enforcer! I should have known when I saw you and your crew. I give you something special for long space travel. My males are the same!” He bellows another laugh, “I am the same!” He slaps my back conspiratorially. “Come my friend, we have known each other long enough now I think. Let me show you the real merchandise. This will please you!” his laughter gurgles and bubbles as slime slides down his face like perspiration.
I might not yet be the most expert transporter, I may not know enough about biology to find the best specimens for Tennir, but in my blood, I am an enforcer. A protector. And I know right away what this pirate speaks of, what his real merchandise will
be. My blood boils and I take deep steadying breaths and flex my fists to calm down. I cannot keep my wings from fluttering though. Ju’toktah does not seem to notice my agitation, he is hurriedly swaying back the way he came, back through the main sample corridor.
Ju’toktah calls to his guards and asks them to begin loading my purchase onto my ship. Bossan steps forward to deal with payment and catches the look in my eye. He can likely smell the rage emanating off of me. He nods and I know my crew is prepared. Something big is about to happen and they are ready.
Ju’toktah whispers to the Ju’tup guard and they both sneer. The guard types something into the personal comm on his wrist. Ju’toktah takes this as another opportunity to grab a drink and once again offers a glass to me. Apparently, he is happy enough to share his liquor again. I am thankful for his inebriation, it is likely influencing his sharing of information and will make the job ahead of me that much easier.