by Catty Diva
“Tell me, where are we headed?”
“We are going to Bell View. It is on the very edge of the space the Mazlans have control of. It’s a strange place where Mazlans mix with creatures from worlds beyond here. Many are from races we don’t even know a thing about. I’ve been there, but not in recent times. We have allies that will take us in and help us get the information we need. Once we have it, we will move on. It is but a day away.”
“Is it a station or a world?”
“It is both. The station is where all must check in at. Then we will ride a shuttle to the surface. Some do there trading on the station and never head to the surface. The messages originated on the surface and we must follow them.”
“What is the world like?”
“I believe you should form your own opinion when we arrive.”
That only made her wonder if he was hiding something. They stopped talking as they journeyed on. She fell asleep and must have slept a while. When she woke, she was covered by a blanket. Glint was asleep too and also sitting up front instead of lying in the back. The back wasn’t comfortable, but neither was sleeping in these seats. It would only be a few hours before they made it to Bell View. It was an odd name for a planet, but not the oddest she’d ever heard of she supposed.
The only work she’d accomplished was making sure the computer had translated a large section of the messages and forwarded them on to Razar. She would have thought he’d have an assistant but he seemed to do most things himself. Now he would have even more work to do ferreting out all the spies hidden among his people.
At some point the boredom put her to sleep again. “Wake up, George. We’re here.”
She woke and leaned forward on her seat. Here she assumed was Bell View. The station was like a wheel with spokes running from end to end. Windows were plentiful and it was obvious the inside of the station was well lit.
The planet below looked like rust. That was the color of the land and the water was an even darker rust color. “Why is it that color?”
“It’s a mineral that covers everything, but it’s not harmful. It will, however, effect the color of those who go to the surface and spend much time outside. It even colors the eyes.”
“Does it go away once they leave here?”
“It fades, but I don’t believe it goes away completely. That’s why few live on the surface for long periods of time. They’ve built massive complexes where they grow food and do whatever work is required. The planet had no original inhabitants, but now there are colonist’s offspring that were born here. This planet falls under the Mazlans’ rule.”
“How did they get such a large piece of space when they started off with just Oison?”
“They bought some planets while others wished to fall under their jurisdiction. This planet has become wealthy under the Mazlans’ rule.”
“Why? How?”
“They are wealthy and have a large military. They can invest in business and protect their investment.” Glint explained.
“That’s why these private parties inform the Mazlans of spies.”
“Yes. They don’t want any other to rule them. The Mazlans let the Viewers do as they wish unless problems crop up. That’s when they step in to help.”
“That sounds almost too good to be true. Helpful without taking control.”
“Ah, but it’s true. They are making a fortune from their investment and have ownership of a large land grant. Why mess with what works?”
She started to answer but realized Glint was piloting them onto a small enclosed bay where their ship would not be visible. “How long will we stay here?”
“As long as it takes. These spies need to be drawn out and dealt with.”
“Okay. Are we leaving the ship now?”
“That would be best. We’ll go to the surface and get a room there.”
“A room? As in one?”
“Yes, if we got two it would look suspicious. Most males with young male slaves keep them close.”
“Don’t many of them use their slaves for other purposes?”
“They do and we want them to think I do as well. It will make me seem more like the average business man. You can do this, can’t you?”
She nodded but many thoughts ran through her head. Spending the night in the same room, maybe the same bed? Dear Lord that would be a test. Maybe this mission wouldn’t last long. That was what she hoped.
“Come on. We need to go. And remember I’ll have to treat you like slave.”
“Slavery is illegal.” She pointed out.
“It doesn’t matter what you call it. Porters are treated much like slaves. When they get older many of them are released to a rough life with little hope. The Mazlans rescue many of them and give them a home and a trade.”
“Why? They do all these good deeds for what purpose?”
“They are building their own world and helping others. Why not help others if you can?”
“Do you help others?”
“We adopt unclaimed children if we find them. I have two that I brought to my family to raise. They are ours now.”
“They are slaves?” She asked shocked.
“Of course not. Chad is seventeen and attending the Mazlans space academy. We aren’t sure what he is, but he looks similar to us and is smart and capable. He’ll be an officer. Sheri is five and wants to be something different every other day. She talks nonstop except when she is asleep.”
“It’s a good thing your people do.”
“People can do good things.”
“They can also do bad things.” She said as a shiver ran over her. On Earth she’d seen many of those kinds of things.
Chapter 4
The View
She was a bit nervous, he could tell. George didn’t seem as worried about the danger as she was about him. They grabbed the things they might need and headed off the ship. The bay looked like any other bay they might have been on, but as soon as they left it, the rose colored people mixed among the visitors emphasized the point he had been trying to make. Staying on Bell View outdoors, wasn’t a good idea unless you wanted to be red.
The aliens here were a bigger mix than anywhere inside the Mazlan’s territory. They were drawn to the edged, these aliens that wanted to trade or just visit other races. The interior of Mazlan territory held those who had no desire to see those completely different or even unknown. It was odd because their own kind held the biggest danger to any of them.
Few noticed them as they made their way to where the shuttles were. That was until they had almost made it there. A tall and broad alien stepped in front of him. His red hair was a brilliant color and sparkled. His bright blue eyes blazed as if lit from within.
“The boy, I would buy him from you. Name your price.”
“He is not for sale. My brother has use of him until he is a man and loaned him to me for my business trip. My brother is attached to him and would not sell him anyway.” Glint explained.
“That is too bad, He smells divine. Where is he from?”
“A little known planet called Earth. It is protected by the Mazlans.” Glint explained.
“I’ve seen others like him in servitude. They are not protecting it well.” The red haired giant chuckled, but more with sarcasm than pleasure. “I freed one held by an unknown alien that had been heavily abused.”
“Male or female?” Glint asked.
“At the time it was hard to tell but my cousin took the poor thing in. Once it was healed, he wooed and mated her. He says she is beautiful and intelligent. I’ve not seen her since I dropped her off.”
“She’s not a slave?” George asked.
“My people do not believe in slavery. They do have indentured servants but it is heavily regulated. It can last for no more than five years, all needs must be seen to, and they must be released with some funds to see to their needs until they can get a job to provide for themselves. If you wish to continue to pretend to be a servant, learn not to speak unless spoke
n to.” The big guy said with a wink and a grin before he walked away.
Her face turned red as she realized he was right. Glint hoped the lesson would take and he said nothing more as he headed toward the shuttles. There was no charge to ride the shuttles since landing on the station was a requirement. They were ushered to their seats on the shuttle which filled quickly and was soon in the air. The planet below was gorgeous once they got closer. There was a mixture of reds from a red so deep it was almost black to a nearly pink red.
There were some locals outside that were also a various shades of red. Doors opened at a building so they could land inside. The landing buildings all had market places set up to tempt visitors, but they had no time to dally. George looked around with big eyes as they stepped off the shuttle and he took her hand and led her away at a hurried pace.
Perhaps after they mated he would bring her back for a vacation. This was work and nothing else. It was also essential since he was certain a war was in the making. Coming here would not be the same if the Mazlans didn’t win the war. Things wouldn’t be the same anywhere. Regardless of the opinions of a few, the Mazlans were benevolent and the area they guarded well taken care of. They tolerated no slavery or mistreatment of the races under their guardianship.
Even humans, who were not under their leadership, were protected as much as they could manage. They had no true commitment to do so, yet they did. Now that would be stepped up to prevent more from falling through the cracks and being taken off world unwillingly. Why was it that no one believed the Mazlans were fair and honest?
“Come, George. We must hurry.” He admonished as she slowed to stare at the items on sale. She was one of the few he’d not thought of as the shopping type. It showed all females were that type after all.
“Look.” She demanded. “That woman is being mistreated.”
Two short but wide creatures were beating on her. That was not something he could allow. Marching up to them, he stepped between them and the female. “What are you doing to this female?”
“Whatever we want to.” The translator spit out.
“That kind of behavior is not allowed in this galaxy.” He replied. “Are you alright?”
The female had two swollen eyes she squinted to see out of, a broken nose, and her mouth bled around her swollen and busted lips. Her bruises were too numerous to count. She shook her head then moaned from the pain. Pulling out a com, he pretended to speak to the law.
“We obliterate beings for less.” He told them.
Unsure of what the laws and the punishments for breaking them were, the two vile creatures hurried away as fast as their short legs would allow.
“Let us help you.” George said softly. The female nodded.
In her current condition he could not be sure what she was. All he knew was she was much like George in size and shape. Now they had an extra person and this one needed to be hidden case those two beings calmed down and wanted their female back.
Helping the abused female up, he steadied her as they walked along. Disapproving looks shot his way as others saw the condition she was in. It was causing them more attention than he wanted. They found the hotel they were scheduled to stay at and once he signed in, he and George helped their companion into the room.
“I’ll help her take a bath.” George offered. Maybe a warm bath would help ease her pains.
“I’ll go find a first aid kit. Don’t open the door to anyone. If I come back, I can get in on my own.”
He made his way out of the hotel and to the nearest market where he found a small stall that had a shelf of first aid supplies. Selecting what he felt was needed based on her potentially being a human, he bought those supplies and returned with haste.
As he entered, he heard George and the other female talking. They sat in the living area and the other female was without injury. “I didn’t realize you were a skilled healer, George.” He joked but then he took in a deep breath. “You’re Mazlan.”
She nodded. “Indeed I am. I couldn’t do anything to let them know.”
“They would have killed you.” He observed.
“I’ve learned early on life to hide who and what I am. I never knew the name of my people. Thank you for telling me. I believe I was taken as a baby and sold.”
“This mission is just getting crazier by the moment.” He said. There had been several undocumented Mazlans found and most of them related to the royal family. “Once we are done here, you can come with us to the Mazlan’s world. They will find your family.”
“Thank you. Are Mazlans good people?” She asked uncertainly.
“All that I have met so far have been. I can’t say that of any other people besides my own. Humans like George here are a mix of good, bad, and in between.” He answered.
“What will we do now?” George asked.
“I will go fetch us some food and attempt to make contact with our friends.” He quickly left to get things started.
They had delayed long enough. George now knew much more about Mazlans but there was nothing to be done about that. Not all females could change to the demon form although most healed faster than say humans. This one had changed in order to heal all that damage. She’d clearly done so in front of George. The amazing thing was George hadn’t freaked out when presented with a demon shifter.
It was possible she’d already known or heard about the Mazlans other form. Heading to the restaurant where he would leave a message for their contact, he looked around to see if anyone was watching him. No one was or at least they weren’t obvious about it. Putting in his order at the counter, he casually asked about Berri.
“Berri is off work right now.” The young woman said. “Want to leave a message?”
“Yes, tell him G is here on business for a few days and would like to see him.”
“Does he know where you’ll be?”
“He knows how to get a hold of me.” He replied as he paid for his food.
Picking up the large bag, he turned and left the place hoping Berri would call soon. He felt a sense of unease that worried him. Of course with all that was happening there was great reason for concern.
Once he arrived back at the room, he entered not seeing the females in the outer room. Unloading the food, the aroma as he opened the containers was wonderful. George came out of the bedroom.
“Sandria is asleep. Healing took all her energy.” George explained.
“We’ll save some food for her. Let’s fix our plates. We’ll be tired and I believe the couch makes a bed. Not as comfortable as the one she is sleeping on, but better than the floor. You have a choice of either bed.”
George didn’t seem happy with either choice. There was nothing to be done unless she preferred the floor. They ate without speaking until they were done. He cleaned up after them while she put away the food for Sandria. This was a good time to sleep since he didn’t know when Berri might get in touch with him.
Once he did, there might be no rest for any of them. It was his hope Berri would have a start on the information they were here to gather. Anything he had would be a help. He moved to the couch to set up the bed for himself and George if she chose to share it with him. Just the thought of sleeping next to her set off X-rated thoughts.
Would he ever have a chance to pursue his feelings for her? Having an extra person with them couldn’t have come at a worse time, but he had no regrets. He’d save a victim of violence every time if he had the ability to do so. Now he would just deal with his choice as best as he could.
George came over to him carrying the pillows from the closet and setting them on the bed. She lay down taking one of the pillows and hugging it as she faced away from where he planned to lay. He undressed partially for comfort even though she stayed fully dressed.
Her breathing had slowed and he was glad she had found sleep easily. It was his hope he would manage to as well. His body often got excited when she was this near. Now that he lay on the bed, he turned away from her too trying to forget
she was there. As if he ever could. It seemed she had forgotten him easily enough. Maybe someday she would find him harder to forget.
It took a while, but he must have fallen asleep because he woke to a knock on the door. Jumping up, he moved to answer it. First he looked at the screen that showed the area in front of the door. It was Berri, thank the gods. He opened the door to let his contact in.
“I thought you’d leave me in the hallway forever.” Berri said. “Who is this?”
“This is my partner, George. There’s also a female in the bedroom. We stumbled upon her being beaten by some creatures of unknown origins.”
“We have a lot of unknown creatures wandering about these days. I’m not sure the open border is a good idea.” Berri observed. He looked concerned.
“It may not last much longer since it seems to be used to abuse females.”
“Not just females. No one is truly safe.”
“You have proof of this? Razar will start making changes once he is convinced these things are happening. The government here wanted open borders. Razar suggested some restrictions, but in the end agreed to a hands off policy to start with. Now that it’s proven not to work, he’ll step in.”
“The supposed leaders may want the borders open, but the people in general don’t. The leaders have found a way to profit from it.” Berri explained.
“That seems to be the story of politicians in most places. The honest ones are overwhelmed by those dirty ones that line their pockets.”
“I don’t know this Razar well, but he seems different so far.”
“He is. His family was victimized by a relative that had too much power and went a bit crazy. None of them will ever be like that. They know how it feels to be on the other end of things.”
“Let’s sit down and get to work. I have a list of suspects for you to investigate. Have a care, these people are dangerous. Too dangerous for me to sniff around. I’d keep the boy here away from them. They have a taste for his kind and type if you know what I mean.” Berri declared.
“I believe I do. George can stay here and watch the female in case she needs assistance. Have you any suggestions on how I can get close to these people?”