The Alien Pirates' Treasure (Star Pirates Book 1)

by Charity Wells

  “What is there to tell, my son? You and your secondary are contracted to mate Sa’rin after you return to Mephida. It is a strong match,” she says evasively.

  “But why Sa’rin?” I ask in frustration. While it was true we hadn’t found a female who enticed our mating heats, I still didn’t fully understand how our misfortune led us to such an undesirable match. “You knew we were more interested in Kay’sel as a mate. She was a strong match too. Tell me why we were contracted to mate a female you knew we disliked, without being included in the negotiations. Have you so little regard for my happiness? Or Va’naar’s?”

  It was a harsh question, but I need answers before we returned home with a mate who isn’t even Mephidaean. I just hope there is something we can use to nullify the contract. Anything. If it means being exiled from my homeworld to be with Polly, I will welcome it, but I honestly hope it doesn’t come to that.

  “No! No, my youngling. I want you to be happy. I want you to have love, like how your sires and I have.” She looks stricken, and her eyes well up with guilty tears.

  “Then why Sa’rin, Mother? Why contract us to a female who you know will make us miserable?”

  My dam shakes her head in despair, tears tracking down her muzzle as she cries. I wait, knowing she won’t answer until she is ready. My primary sire appears in the vidscreen, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

  “Her sires threatened to report you to the Alliance authorities,” he answers for her. She cringes into his chest, sobbing. “When you and Va’naar refused Sa’rin’s proposal, they came to us with a list of information on your activities. I do not know how they got the names of the ships you raided but they had everything. They said they would turn you in if we refused. We didn’t want you to get hurt. They promised to delete the data if we signed the mate contract they gave us. We didn’t even get to read any of the terms before we signed it.”

  “They lied to you, Father,” I reply with a curt growl, while shaking my head.

  “What?”

  “They wouldn’t have turned us in. Reporting us to the Alliance would have exposed them and the homeworld as accessories to the supposed crimes. Mephida has directly benefited from our endeavors. As have the people of Rissa V, the Dendrobat High Elders, and anyone else we have provided with goods from the raids. Not to mention the amount of Vindi serum we have acquired for colonies all across Alliance space in the last three solars.

  “That alone would earn us the forgiveness of the Alliance. Who, incidentally, contracted us to obtain more just a few lunar cycles ago because we are so successful at obtaining the serum. Apparently they decided they could afford to turn a blind eye to the antics of a small time pirate ship if it means more serum for the colonies.”

  His eyes widen in shock as I continue.

  “Sa’rin called us last solar. Told us if we mated her, her sires would give us a bigger, faster ship so we could continue our work. We refused and asked her not to contact us again. Her sires also tried to convince us that mating her would be to our benefit. They were angry at our continued refusal but I didn’t expect this level of manipulation,” I say, then sigh, rubbing my brow in frustration.

  To think we had ever even considered her as a mate just makes my blood boil with rage.

  “I’ll skin those skrut sucking bastards and see them personally to the deepest depths of Vren’s own hells!” he snarls. Even my normally timid dam looks like she wanted to rip the fur from their testes.

  “Was Sa’rin involved as well?”

  My dam shakes her head quickly. “Her sires were the only ones who came with demands. As far as we know, Sa’rin seemed as surprised by the contract as you were,” she admits, her tone plain but nevertheless, still full of agitation.

  Several moments of silence pass while I digest this new piece of information.

  “So...her family still blackmailed you into signing the contract. That invalidates it,” I state firmly, as relief floods me. “Did you save any correspondence that could prove it?”

  “No, they only made their threats in person,” Mother says with a disappointed sniff. “If they had commed us or sent messages, we might have been able to fight it.”

  “So there’s no proof!” I thump my fist on the desk in frustration.

  “No, there’s—”

  “There is proof,” my other sire interrupts, walking in behind my mother and her primary. Usually a quiet, unassuming male, my sire appeared rather proud of himself as he approached the vidscreen.

  “What do you mean there is proof?” My primary sire turns to his bonded, hope brightening his face.

  “I have a recording of Sa’rin’s sires making their demands and the threats they used to force our hand,” he replies.

  “How did you get that, Rea’lin?” Mother asks excitedly. Nearly all signs of her distress are gone in an instant.

  “As you know, the house’s security system hasn’t worked properly for the last solar.”

  “I told you to have it done professionally!” my dam interrupts, throwing an aggravated glance over her shoulder.

  Her mate rolls his eyes, giving her an indulgent smile before continuing to speak. “To fix the issue, I’ve been inspecting the audio and video devices individually. Incidentally, the problem was with the displays, not the recording components, and the devices in the front atrium were actually functioning when they came and bullied us into signing the mate contract. A few cycles ago, I found the playback and have the entire encounter recorded!” my secondary sire happily declares.

  “Why didn’t you mention it sooner?” Mother demands, turning to face him.

  “When we commed Ca’lek about the contract, neither he nor Va’naar said anything against it. If they were accepting of the match, I wasn’t sure they would welcome the news,” he replies with a regretful look.“Regardless, that is wonderful, Father,” I say as a devious grin spreads across my face. “Send me a copy. With this proof the Council has to negate the contract. Va’naar and I will be free of Sa’rin!”

  “I am so sorry we put you in such a deplorable situation my son,” my dam says, her face showing a grimace. “We felt like we had no choice. They came when Rea’lin and I were by ourselves and bullied us into signing before Ca’sier arrived. Because we signed, he was obligated to as well.

  “Va’naar’s family signed because we did. I wanted you to find love, but you ran out of time.”

  “It’s fine. We aren’t worried about it now.”

  “But we have to find you a new contract soon. What will we do? You can’t contract Kay’sel anymore, she mated Ther’rin and his secondary two lunars ago. Is there anyone else you were considering?”

  “Do nothing, Mother.”

  “What?”

  “Do nothing. Va’naar and I do not need a new contract,” I assure her.

  “But—” she starts, now looking more lost and confused than ever. It is her dream to see us happily mated and raising pups, often saying she wants grandpups to spoil.

  My primary sire stops her with a hand on her shoulder. “He’s found someone,” he tells her gently, eyeing me with a knowing grin.

  “Really?” Mother asks, noticing the growing smile I can’t hide.

  “Yes, we have found a female that we both love and she loves us. I will not say more until the contract is officially void, but I look forward to bringing her home to meet you all.”

  I laugh at my mother’s happy squeal as she hugs her mates at my news. I don’t think she has looked this overjoyed and pleased in a long time, not that she isn’t a happily mated female, but I know she worries she will grow old and not have any grandpupplings.

  “We look forward to meeting the female that makes our most serious pup smile so brightly,” my secondary sire says, hugging her back.

  “She is nervous about meeting our parents, but I know you will all love her and she will love you as well,” I say with confidence in my tone.

  “Will we be meeting her parents before the ceremony? Or are t
hey not coming until the day of?” Mother asks.

  I can see the ideas forming in her eyes as she begins planning already.

  I wince. “Unfortunately, my mate has no family. Only a few friends at the station she worked at and she doesn’t know if they will be able to join us.”

  “Then we shall invite our extended family and all of your friends to be there in support of her. She has plenty of family now.”

  “I think she will love that. Thank you, Mother.”

  She beams, then her features turn more serious. “What colors should I order the navizili in? Your mate may not have any family left, but her family colors will have survived.”

  I cough. “Uh, we have already taken care of that.”

  “What? You would deny us the privilege?”

  “She’s not very traditional when it comes to the navizili...”

  “Not very traditional? The navizili isn’t just tradition. It’s about being proud of your family and the connections you make during a mating. We are extending our family by adding her to it. And extending her family by adding us to it. The navizili tells everyone just how happy we are. We did not order one for Sa’rin because we were not proud of what we had done. Please let us be proud of your new mate.”

  I cringe inwardly. How do I begin to tell her that a traditional navizili would not fit our mate?

  “Her colors are azure blue and amethyst,” Va’naar interrupts behind me.

  Turning, I sneak a glance over my shoulder. He stands in the door of the Comm Center with a satisfied expression on his face. Immediately, I notice a handful of Polly’s sun beads braided into the longer fur near his ears.

  “Where’s Polly?” I mouth, trying to ignore the jealous flash I feel at the sight.

  “Sleeping again,” he whispers, absentmindedly fiddling with the beaded strands of hair.

  “Again?”

  “Yes, again.” He grins smugly. Irritated by his cocky expression, I curl my lip at him, flashing a fang.

  “Wait, are you saying she’s of the Rash’reim line?” A gasp draws my attention back to my dam whose eyes gleam brightly.

  I elbow Va’naar, who comes up beside me. “You’re an idiot!” I hiss, shaking my head.

  “No, Mother Ja’nir. She was born off planet and lost her family before she knew their colors, so she has chosen her own,” he explains casually. “She only knows that the colors represent independence and strength. She wanted something to signify her own choices and her path in life.”

  “That’s too bad. The daughters of Rash’reim are well known for carrying large litters,” my dam says, her shoulders drooping a bit.

  “Don’t worry Mother Ja’nir, I promise you will have grandpups one day,” Va’naar says.

  “Like I said, she’s not traditional and doesn’t really need a navizili,” I interrupt, hoping to end the conversation.

  “Oh,” she replies sadly. “Well...I—”

  Upon seeing her distress, I cut in. “What if we—”

  “Order a navizili Mother Ja’nir,” Va’naar says, cutting me off. “She will love it and I know my dam will order one as well.”

  “Excellent! When can we expect to see you?”

  “We are heading home now and should be there in just a few cycles, barring any changes,” I answer.

  “Good. We will contact Va’naar’s parents and start preparations for your mating ceremony,” my dam says, clapping her hands happily.

  “Quietly for now, Mother. I need to contact the council and have the contract voided first,” I caution. “And you know that has to be done in person. I’ll submit a request for review as soon as I receive those recordings from Father and set an appointment for when we arrive. Until then, don’t let them know we are contesting the mating.”

  “Of course, my son. Of course. I shall be quiet as a fitzkin,” she promises, practically bouncing with glee. Behind her, my sires shake their heads with amusement and signal that they will make sure she doesn’t give us away.

  We say goodbye and I terminate the link with more promises to introduce my mate to my mother as soon as I can. I know Polly is really looking forward to meeting our families, despite her anxiety.

  “Why in Vren’s name did you tell my dam to buy a navizili when Polly isn’t Mephidaean? You know damn well it won’t fit her properly,” I say, turning to Va’naar.

  “Does it matter? Polly is ours now, that makes her Mephidaean, regardless of her species. If it makes her happy, why not let your dam present her with a navizili? Besides, it can be altered to fit later.” He shrugs.

  “I just don’t want our families thinking we’ve misled them.”

  “Our dams have been begging our siblings for grandpups since they mated. And not a single litter has been birthed out of six mated triads. As soon as they see Polly’s belly, they’re going to be ecstatic. Neither of our dams will care one bit that she’s not our species. They’ll just be thrilled to have pups to spoil right away.” Va’naar pats my shoulder.

  I ruffle my mane and sigh. Despite his generally flippant attitude, he understands me better than anyone else.

  “When will you contact the council?” he asks, changing the subject.

  “As soon as I get that recording from my sire. I’ll send in our petition. Hopefully we can get an audience right away,” I answer, pulling up our purchase record and compiling a report of our evidence.

  “They will fight it,” he comments, referring to Sa’rin’s family.

  “I know, but despite our differences with Sa’rin, I do not believe she will pursue this after her sires duplicity comes to light. She may be selfish, but I’ve never known her to be evil. She’s going to be angry though,” I huff. “I know her sires did this. I just find it hard to believe she would be complicit as well.”

  “Perhaps you are right,” Va’naar agrees. “Come, Kuma has something on the sensors he wants you to see.”

  “It’ll have to wait a bit,” I say, tapping my comm and alerting Messa that I need to see her urgently.

  A few minutes later, the door swishes open and an out of breath Messa hurries inside. “I was in the middle of something, this better be important!” she snaps.

  I cross my arms over my chest and give her a look.

  “What? Recalibrating the harmonic balancers is a delicate business. I can’t just up and do something else when I’m in the middle of it,” she says, rolling her shoulders.

  “We have a serious problem. I think we have a tracker on board. The Bel’fauns have damning evidence of our whereabouts and activities. They’ve threatened to report us to the Galactic Alliance if we don’t mate Sa’rin. I have no desire to be saddled with that female for the rest of my life. We need to find it.”

  Messa’s eyes opened wide. “A bug? On my fucking ship? I don’t think so,” she snaps, dashing out of the room before I could request a manual shipwide search.

  ∞∞∞

  Va’naar

  Ca’lek eventually makes it to the bridge where Kuma and Duresh are both leaning over Kuma’s console. Kuma looks up at us and grins.

  “What is it?” Ca’lek asks, his ears piqued in curiosity.

  “I think you’re going to like this one,” he says, transferring the information to the front monitor. A visual of a ship appears and I immediately smile. It is a good one.

  “Have they seen us yet?” I ask.

  “No. We’re still outside their sensor range. It’ll take us a couple of hours to get to it,” Duresh replies, tapping commands into his station.

  “Excellent.” Ca’lek grins and rubs his hands together. “Keep us in stealth mode. I don’t want them seeing us until we’re knocking on the door.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait until we find the bug?” I ask, studying the Sylvian yacht on the screen. It’s a smaller model that’s shiny and bright silver against a backdrop of deep space and tiny stars. The ship’s capacity has to be less than thirty on board, but this particular model has a large cargo area. They’re popular with merchants who
like luxury and storage space. And they always have high value cargo. She’s a good candidate for a raid.

  “Bug?” Duresh, spins in his chair to face us. “What bug? Do I need to get a shot from Ha’dir? I swear if I catch another damn virus on this ship, I’ll quit!”

  “Not an illness you dumb fool,” Ca’lek says, further inspecting the ship on the view screen. “Some invasive tech that’s spying us. Messa’s dealing with it as we speak.”

  “Who planted a bug on our ship? Whose head do I get to crack open?” Kuma asks with a smirks, while cracking his knuckles.

  “I get to do the head cracking,” Ca’lek growls possessively. “But you’re welcome to watch as I destroy the Bel’fauns.”

  “Not quite the thrill I’m seeking,” Kuma replies, disappointed.

  I laugh. It’s clear feeding is all he has on his mind right now.

  Duresh scowls. “Have you found that bug yet, female? We have a ship in need of raiding,” he says impatiently into his comm.

  “Can you wait your ass for a damned minute. I think I almost got it,” Messa replies loudly enough that everyone in the room can hear.

  “What’s her call sign?” I ask, ignoring their playful banter. Duresh returns to his console and types in another command.

  “She’s the Helios Nova, and belongs to a Kiskisan merchant named Hodan. He specializes in rare foodstuffs and expensive furs. According to this, he occasionally dabbles in jewels as well,” Duresh says after a moment of studying the screen. “It’s rumored he trades stock in the flesh market as well, but always under an alias. All his public dealings are legal of course.”

  “Do we know what’s on board?” Ca’lek inquires.

  “Who cares what’s on board. I just want to kick someone’s ass.” Kuma cracks his knuckles. “I’ll start a nice, slow trajectory towards their aft airlock. Then we can say hello.”

  “Feeling feisty are we?” I comment. I can almost feel his blood thirst in the air.

  “It’s getting close,” he answers, the seriousness of his tone belying the smirk on his face.

  We all know what he means.