Vazan did not react to the Argurma’s non-reply, but Terri wasn’t surprised. Over a year with Veral and she had become accustomed to it. No doubt the Farhal was accustomed to Argurma mannerisms because the male nodded his head and lowered his datapad to peer at the body.
“Guardsman Yarth gave me a summary of what happened, and I would like to assure the Monushava household personally that he is correct. No one visited, nor was any suspicious activity recorded in the cell.” He squinted at the window. “He mentioned that you believe the attack came from the window. It is very narrow. It would be difficult to...”
“Not for an Argurma,” Veral interrupted impatiently. “Navesha, check the male for any sign of damage on the back of his torso and arms—anywhere accessible from the window.”
The female nodded and, before the head guard could object, headed toward the body. She stepped past Azan, who rubbed a bit of the mucus between her fingers and sniffed it. The pirate recoiled and wiped her fingers off on the body.
“If I were a betting female—and I am—I would wager that the culprit here is the dalif strobinis xerxi. It is a fast-acting poison contrived from the stinger of a deep-sea dwelling creature from Ogamulan. Any pirate would love to have a supply, but it is hard to come by and very expensive.” She smirked up at him. “I nearly got a supply to take care of my dear former captain before we met up with you.”
Navesha made a disgusted sound as she rolled the male over, no doubt from the foul odor coming from the body given the dark stain of bloody shit covering the seat of his pants. She didn’t comment, however, as she ran her fingers around the male’s head and checked his neck. Not finding what she sought, she stripped him of his vest and tunic and froze. Slowly, she pushed to her feet and glanced over at Veral who promptly strode, with a scowling Vazan, to her side.
“This is against protocols,” the head guard rumbled, but other than that complaint he seemed in no hurry to touch the body.
Not that Terri could blame him with all the disgusting ooze all over the vendor.
The Farhal’s remark was barely acknowledged by the Argurmas with more than a flick of their eyes upon him.
“Between his shoulder blades,” Navesha growled.
Vazan shifted closer and whistled between his teeth as he lifted his pad up, no doubt capturing images, something that Terri knew the Argurmas were doing via their optical implants.
Cursing, Terri worked to aim the drone’s visual recorder on the corpse as her mate leaned forward. The view tilted as the drone swung at an abrupt angle, and she watched as Veral’s fingers set on either side of a raised red bump the size of a nasty bug bite or sting. Slowly, he squeezed, and she felt her stomach churn as green puss wept from what had to be a pinprick opening.
“Fuck, that’s disgusting. Like the zit from hell,” she muttered, earning her an understandably confused look from Dreth.
“A what?”
She waved him off.
“Never mind. It’s nothing your species has to deal with,” she muttered distractedly. Clearing her throat, she activated her comm. “Now what?” she asked her mate, her voice echoing back to her on the viewing screen.
Veral’s vibrissae twitched as his eyes panned the room before settling once more on the narrow window that let in only a thin beam of sunlight. Shonk Vazan’s eyes slanted toward Veral’s comm.
“Is this the female who was attacked? We may need to question her.”
Her mate turned toward the guard, his posture stiff as he nodded. “She is. Ask your questions now. The female is an alien currently under the protection of my line and will not be leaving the safety of the compound while there is danger. The Blaithari was also present and may relate what she observed.”
Terri frowned. A female under protection of his line? That was an odd way to address their mating. She had never heard him refer to their relationship in such cold, detached terms before. Perhaps it was normal, though. Navesha didn’t seem to react at all to his statement and Azan only frowned slightly at him, the expression nothing more than a faint flicker across her face as she straightened from her crouch beside the body.
The guard scraped one thick hand against his wide jaw. “I did not realize that the Argurma were employing other species within their household.”
Terri waited expectantly for her mate to correct him, but to her surprise, Veral said nothing. His lack of response appeared to be enough of a deterrent because the head guard shrugged, lifted his datapad once more, and proceeded to question Terri and Azan on everything they could remember. When he was satisfied that he had a full account of everything they witnessed, he slipped the pad back into his jacket and sighed.
“Not a lot to go on. Clearly it was staged in advance if the male was in place with his wares. Did anyone know that you were going to the market?”
Navesha shook her head. “No. I was asked only that morning to retrieve the items and brought the female with me that she might enjoy seeing our market.” She turned a sharp look to Veral. “I was transporting the order for the household.”
Veral clicked his mandibles in an annoyed tempo. “I will speak to Featha and ascertain whether she mentioned it to anyone.”
Vazan slipped his datapad back inside his jacket and frowned. “I would like to question her as well.”
One corner of Veral’s mouth tipped. “You are welcome, head guardsman. Comm the household and make an appointment at your pleasure.”
“I will. At this point, all we can do is question our local informants and see if anyone has heard or witnessed any strange meetings involving the vendor. I will be frank that it could simply be a matter of jealousy. Your kind does not have a history of taking other species into your employ or even your company. Someone might have seen the alien assisting this Argurma female and acted in hope of creating a possible opening of employment, or perhaps a member of your species retaliated against a breach of etiquette. It would not be the first time there has been a murder related to employment opportunities in the Shanah Guard, nor of Argurmas killing offworlders they find offensive.”
Veral’s eyes narrowed. “How regular are these incidents?”
Vazan shrugged. “More often than I would like. It seems like at least once a lunar we get a report of something of this nature occurring. Offworlders killing each other for scraps or getting killed by a local they have offended in their attempt to gain credits. There are limited employment opportunities, and competition is strong among those who come to Argurumal.” He snorted mirthlessly. “You would think they would stop coming and go somewhere with wider opportunities. In any case, I would not worry too much about it as anything more than that. If I see any indication otherwise, I will notify you immediately. It still leaves the question of who killed the vendor, but if an Argurma can accomplish that feat, it is possible that a skilled assassin could too.”
Veral’s face remained expressionless, but Terri could tell he wasn’t convinced. She, however, hoped Vazan was right. She stroked her belly with worry as she watched Veral leave with Navesha and Azan. She could feel Dreth watching her. She gave him a tight smile.
“He’s probably right,” she murmured. “Someone probably saw a good opportunity and took it.”
Dreth inclined his head, his lips pinching. “That would be the logical conclusion,” he agreed.
She wished that he was a bit more convincing because some small part of her trembled uneasily. She could feel metal tendrils sliding over her arm, her symbiont activated but in a resting phase with no immediate enemy to attack. Did she have an enemy? Someone had tried to kill her, and she could only hope that it was, as the guard said, a single event of opportunity.
17
Featha stared blankly at Veral, her vibrissae puffed out, the tips moving erratically the only sign of her surprise.
“You cannot suspect me,” she said after the passing of several minutes.
Veral had come directly to her the moment the flyer returned to the compound. There was logic to what the Farhal
Vazan had said, but he needed to set his own mind at ease by speaking to his mother-kin. In truth, he did not believe that his aunt would do such a thing. Manipulating the order of the household was a different matter from assassination of one’s mother-kin. And whether Featha liked it or not, Terri was included among them.
“No,” he said at last. “Whatever disagreements we have, I am aware of your loyalty to the household and protectiveness of our line.”
She stood from her couch, her vibrissae snapping through the air around her as she strode over to a table and poured water from a pitcher into a deep blue cup.
“Do the guards have a course of action planned?”
He inclined his head, aware that even though she was not looking directly at him that she was aware of his every movement in her rooms.
“Aside from his request to interview you, the head guardsman Vazan will be sending his men out to make inquiries. There is little more that they can do. He believes the motivation may have been localized by her mere presence rather than an intentional strike against Terri or our line.”
She paused, head cocking. “Do you agree with his hypothesis?”
Veral blew out a long breath, displeased to admit to his uncertainty.
“I do not know. It is a reasonable presumption based on the facts he presented, but I do not wish to dismiss a potential threat out of hand.”
“If you would have my counsel…”
“I would accept it with gratitude.”
The corners of her lips twitched.
“It has been many revolutions since anyone expressed gratitude to me.” She sighed and sank down onto her couch again, her expression turning thoughtful. “When you are the Ahanvala, it consumes you, but you do not see the demands. Your vision is shorter and more immediate for the welfare of our people, so much so that you do not feel the weight of responsibility but bear it without prejudice. You are honored to bear it. It becomes a part of your identity within your processors. You become blind to what would never have escaped your notice. Until this moment, I did not recall how long since I had gratitude. My advice is do not become comfortable in your position. Protect your mate with strategy as you would beyond the borders of our star system.”
“I am limited.”
“So I have heard.” She chuffed, the sound dry and lacking in any manner of amusement. “I agree with our mother-kin that this is a delicate balance that you must maintain on the edge of a knife. The charade must continue as you say, but do not neglect your mate. It has been… painful… to observe her grief at your absence.” She paused and whipped her head around, giving him a sharp look. “You will not share my words.”
“No. On my honor.”
“Good. I would not desire the situation that you have, to be torn between your line and your mate. Now you will taste the unpleasant bitterness of being the Ahanvala and see it for what it is more acutely than any other before you. It has potential to bring you greater harm than any other. Do not make my errors and twist your reasoning to preserve what you consider necessary or right. I make no excuse for my actions. They were deliberate and planned out to what I thought was logical.”
She paused, her mandibles clicking thoughtfully. “Our programming to seek logic blinds us all to a degree. It is easy to acknowledge why other species distrust us when we can be swayed to action by logic over loyalty when it comes to others.”
“My mate has suggested something similar,” he acknowledged, bearing the female’s amused chuff in reply.
He did not credit it at the time, but being back on Argurumal, he was less certain in his conviction. He was still considering this later when he left Featha’s rooms and the entire duration that he attended to his duties around the compound. How did one find balance with logic and reason when these were the highest ideals? The answer seemed to lurk beyond the ability of his processors to achieve. As the pain of separation from his mate grew throughout the day, he desired to confide in Terri and bask in the warmth of her comfort. It was a need that gnawed on him until he felt sick, but he continued to attend every task.
He could not let weakness win. He had to achieve the balance.
18
“Permission for quarter hour of your time,” a feminine voice spoke, breaking Terri out of her reverie.
When Veral didn’t come back to their chambers after returning to the compound, she had sought the solace of the gardens. Dreth stretched out in the chair at her side, his head angled up at the newcomer from where he had been going over something on the datapad he held loosely in his hands. He didn’t speak, though his eyes narrowed subtly. Terri followed the direction of his gaze and squinted up at the female hovering over her.
Unlike Veral, whose body was littered with clusters of cybernetics, or even Navesha who had long streaks of them running along her face and forearms, this female had a few small patches, hinting at minimal upgrades compared to other whom Terri had met within the compound. Her build was lean and strong though, giving the impression of being capable of greater speed.
Terri set her own datapad down, reluctantly tearing her attention away from one of her favorite old Earth novels. Since downloading the human language programs that Veral’s AI created from the information held in Earth’s satellites, reading had become an enjoyable way to spend time and an escape when she needed it—like now, when she desperately needed a distraction from her dismay over Veral’s recent strange behavior.
Maybe it’s just pregnancy hormones and I’m reading too much into it.
Pushing the thought aside, she smiled curiously up at the female.
“Sure. How can I help you?”
The female shifted her weight subtly on her feet, her vibrissae flattening a bit with unmistakable unease.
“I am Malraha’monushava’fagri. I understand that Veral informed you of my behavior, but I wished to speak to you personally since I understand that I have been dismissed.”
The smile fell from Terri’s lips, and she straightened in her chair, immediately on-guard.
“About what, exactly? Veral asked my feelings on the matter. They’re unlikely to change any.”
Malraha’s vibrissae twisted around her shoulders as her lips thinned.
“I do not fault you for your decision or expect you to reverse it. The boundaries involving mated males and females are clear in our society, and it was my own miscalculations that made me presume that it would be a different sort of bond formed with an offworlder. I did great insult to both you and Veral’skahalur and I wish to express my regret for that and to explain my actions so that you will have no further concerns.”
Terri glanced over at Dreth and raised her eyebrows. Was this female for real? He gave a brief nod of his head though he looked over at Malraha with disapproval. Terri sighed. It was bold, but she couldn’t say that the move wasn’t effective.
“All right. Let’s hear it,” she said at length and gestured to the chair across from her. “Have a seat.”
“Do not in any fashion distress Terri,” Dreth rumbled from her side, the rebuke clear in his voice.
Malraha gave a short bob of her head and sat on the bench at the opposite side of the small table.
“First, I would like to formally request that I be permitted into your personal guard. Veral put a call out to interview those interested, and I came directly to you to make my case.”
“Very bold of you,” Terri said slowly. “But I’m sure you’re aware that if I don’t trust you in my mate’s company, then I can hardly trust you at all. That wouldn’t be very helpful for someone charged with keeping me safe.”
“This has occurred to me,” Malraha agreed. “And this is why I must explain my actions. I do not like that I have shamed myself, nor that I have reduced my standing so much among my mother-kin.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
The female chuffed, staring off into the garden.
“I do not desire Veral. Not truly. But my proposal seemed like a logical move from my standpoint. He is
a strong male of significant distance from me in blood and I admire the way that he has been handling his many responsibilities for our household. It was not an honorable request, and I would have been scorned by all our line if he had agreed.”
She fell silent for a moment, her face expressionless except for a betraying tension around her eyes. “I am not a female of great standing or any importance. I was birthed in the northern territory household, and although I was reared in the facilities in the great cities of Argurumal’s Black Stone Division, when I arrived to finish my final adjustments with my mother, it was to the realization that I have little to offer to attract a mate. I have little for any offspring to inherit outside of space in a minor wing of a minor household. I took a place in the greater household here and received two offers to attempt a mating bond. Both failed.”
Her lips quirked in the barest hint of a smile. “That would have dismayed me too much. Navesha has failed four matching attempts to my understanding but still gets offers every revolution. I do not. I have offered to take the hormone, but the males will not agree to a hormonal bond with a female of low standing. They would rather wait to develop a true bond. Now that there are no more offers, it did not seem a great risk to offer myself to Veral. He would require no hormone, and I could find a place to belong and perhaps breed and bear offspring. It has happened before in the few instances where a male has survived the death of his mate to take another, though statistically rare. But now I understand that the mating is fully in place between you, I have no interest in pursuing him.”
“And what would stop you from just murdering me and taking him then?” Terri asked bluntly. “You owe me no loyalty.”
Malraha shook her head, her lips curving into a smile.
“Even if I desired that outcome, your mate would reject me. There is no profit in your demise, and I will not disgrace myself further in this matter. I do not owe you loyalty, but I am responsible for my position within the household and for my actions.”
The Sands of Argurumal (Argurma Salvager Book 3) Page 12