by Lexa Luthor
Lennox looked at Kal and said, "I don't believe their current leaders have military background."
Charlie didn't know who the current leaders were of the Earthlings in Kardos, or if there was one single leader. After the president died, the government's structure was reshaped on the Liberator, and a council was formed to govern the ship. "Actually, from what my friend told me, I know one person that has military background that was a leader. Her name is Melissa Hoyt."
"I have met her twice. Is she trustworthy?" Lennox asked. "We must limit the news about the Sworne."
"I don't know." Charlie hooked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I mean I knew Hoyt as a kid, and she was a good person. My friend Raine seems to still be friends with Hoyt and would know more." If Kal had the information, then she could better understand the new enemy. "Someone in New Earth is bound to still have data on the Sworne."
"It is only a matter of asking the right person," Lennox said to the High Commander.
Kal rumbled in agreement, then looked at Charlie. "Can you speak carefully to Raine about Melissa Hoyt?"
Charlie glanced at Lennox before she nodded at Kal. "I'll talk to her tonight."
Kal seemed pleased and looked at Lennox. "Is there anything else you wish to ask Charlie?"
"Joh." Lennox scooted forward as if to stand, but he paused and held Charlie's gaze. "Tah." He stood, filling out his massive seven feet.
Charlie hesitated but managed to respond. "Motah." She earned a nod from him, then he departed the office with the door sealing behind him. She blew out a breath now that she was alone with her lover.
"How is your leg?"
"Like I was never hunted down by bounty hunters," Charlie joked, receiving an annoyed huff from Kal. "What happened to that other bounty hunter?"
"He was interrogated and killed," Kal replied. "There are three hundred thousand stills on your head."
"Vuk!" Charlie was wide eyed in complete awe. "I should collect the bounty on my own head. Serrato Corps must really hate my guts."
"Four hundred thousand stills if you're alive," Kal said.
Charlie whistled low, then sank deeper in the wingchair and hung her head in her hand, trying to fathom how this happened to her. Both the attack and the high bounty triggered Kal to send Andren to Raine's stall for the rest of the day. "I'm not really sure how to get rid of the bounty."
"Perhaps Victor's life is worth yours."
Eyeing her lover, Charlie considered the suggestion and sighed. "Lennox just sat there and said Victor was a threat. Why would you let me return him?"
"If his return removes the bounty, then it is worth it."
Charlie lowered her gaze and decided to table the idea for now. She first had to get her hands on Victor before she could ransom him back to Serrato Corps. Reaching into her jacket, she retrieved her techbit and said, "I received several offers for a ship." She moved to the sofa, sitting on Kal's left. The techbit loaded the files and created a holo screen in front of them so they could review the ship options. "So these first two are pointless. They're old buckets that can barely reach leed one."
Kal leaned closer to Charlie, and their bodies pressed together. "What is a leed?"
Smiling, Charlie looked from the images of the ship to Kal, who was a ruler over a race that didn't consider venturing into outer space. "In space travel, we use leed speeds to measure how fast a ship moves. Leed speeds are tiers of light speed, so the higher the leed, the faster the ship. Most ships out there do at least leed one and usually leed two. There are some that do leed three or four, but they consume huge amounts of fuel and cost too much."
"What speed was your ship able to reach?"
"The Pacifica could reach leed two, and sometimes I could push it to leed two and half." Charlie grinned and explained, "Not that a half of a leed is a thing, but when you're trying to get away from someone that half leed matters." She returned her attention to the screen. "The third ship is probably the best option. It's huge — about…" She did the math in her head and said, "It's about thirty-five varka in length." She swiped the techbit and watched the holo screen flip to the next vessel. "It's not perfect, but it has the room we need to house everyone."
"How fast is it?"
"It can reach leed two," Charlie replied.
"Can?" Kal repeated and lifted an eyebrow.
Charlie grumbled and swiped to the fourth ship. "This was the other option. It's a newer ship built by the Jerothian race. It's fast and reaches leed three, but it's small. It was designed to quickly move their diplomats through the galaxy." She indicated the ship's spec sheet on the far right. "But the quarters are tight and not enough." Looking at Kal, she asked, "How many warriors will go?"
Kal folded her hands together in the space between her legs, seeming to buy time. "Between nine to twelve soldiers."
"Plus Raine and myself, so that's anywhere from eleven to fourteen." Charlie chewed her bottom lip and pointed at the Jerothian ship. "It only holds five comfortably. Might be able to do eight." She swiped back to the third vessel and said, "This one has room for twelve to sixteen people." She reached up and used her fingers to zoom in on pictures of the interior of the ship. "Plus there's more headroom for your soldiers." She looked at Kal. "One of the reasons I bought the Pacifica was because Starr kept knocking her head everywhere on the first ship. Trust me when I tell you that having nine or more big Kalmar in tight and low confines isn't going to go well." She eyed the third ship option that would have to do for them. "It was bad enough with one hybrid."
Kal responded with soft thunder in her chest. "I have concerns that the Serrato Corps's ship will chase after you."
Charlie better understood and lowered the techbit to her lap, distorting the holo screen. "I don't think that'll be an issue. We'll end up killing all the Serrato soldiers. Even if we don't, they probably won't attack our ship with Victor on it."
"And if they follow you back to Kander?"
Charlie toyed with the techbit, knowing Kal had a point. With the Sworne's possible return, she was worrying about what Kal could do to fight back. The Sworne had ships, advanced weapons, and technology that far surpassed what little bit of tech Kal imported to the planet. However, there were more tech advances on Kander, such as hover vehicles, laser rifles, electricity, and even a satellite system for deep space communication. After a sigh, she shut off the holo screen and said, "That's something I wanted to ask you."
Kal tilted her head and waited for Charlie to pose her question.
"You can tell me to fuck off if it's not my business, because it's really not." Charlie bit her lip, then worked up her courage. "Does Kander have any space defenses? I mean Kander has an amazing foot military. But there's no air or space defenses that I can tell." As the silence lingered, she felt her shoulders drop after overstepping her position.
"Ja. Kander is not as defenseless as you may think."
Charlie peered over at her lover and warmed from the level of trust that Kal was giving her.
Kal took a deep breath and said, "The satellite array is also our space defense. There are forty-five satellites orbiting Kander. It takes six to link up so that a high-powered focused ion beam can fire at a ship."
"That's the Jerothian's FoSIB System," Charlie whispered, realization hitting her. "The Focused Space Ion Beam System that's like millions of stills."
"Try seven million with installation," Kal said.
Charlie's jaw slackened, and she stared at her lover. Her mind darted in several directions as she pieced together the real changes on Kander, which wasn't so archaic anymore.
"I purchased it shortly after becoming Kal. Your people's arrival made me realize we needed something to protect Kander from other, more dangerous races out there."
Closing her mouth, Charlie sympathized with Kal's worries. "Then why don't you use it to handle situations like Fairlee's kidnapping or those bounty hunters today?"
Kal sighed and leaned back into the sofa. "
It is more of a passive defensive system. Without having any kind of air or space patrol, ships can come to Kander and land. I will and have destroyed ships that have come to Kander illegally. Word has spread over time, so hunters hitch a ride with authorized merchants that land on Kander."
"Is that how Max and Clio made it?"
Kal nodded, then indicated the techbit. "Are four ships the only options?"
Picking up the techbit, Charlie allowed the holo screen to re-form in front of them. "No, but they're the only four ships that we can get quickly enough. Otherwise it could be two nineths or a nored before we find the perfect ship." She canted her head, watching her lover think through the direction of the kidnapping mission.
"You will purchase that third ship. I will organize a team to go with you." Kal left the sofa and moved to the desk. "How long before they bring the ship here?"
Charlie closed the holo screen and used the techbit's touch screen to respond to the seller. "About three days. The ship is in the twenty-first quadrant, so it won't take long." She focused on writing a quick message but felt Kal sit beside her.
"What is the price on it?" Kal asked.
"They're asking two hundred thou, but I'll get it under that." Charlie sent the message, then turned to Kal. "I should hear something back in a few hours."
Kal was busy on her tablet, tapping it several times. "Will you be able to tell if anything is wrong with the ship?"
"Joh, but ships are sold with an independent inspection. Well, the reputable sellers do that. If you don't get an inspection, then it's at your own risk." Charlie felt her techbit vibrate, and she looked at it. "Damn," she whispered after seeing that two hundred thousand stills were sent to her from Kal. She held up the techbit and promised, "I'll return the change."
Kal folded up the tablet and slipped it inside her jacket. "We have to discuss your price for the mission."
Charlie shut off her own tech and shoved it in her pocket. "Before we do that, can we talk about Andren for a minute?" She pointed a thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of her returned shadow. "I can't have her—"
"Joh."
Grinding her teeth, Charlie clenched the techbit and tried keeping the edge out of her tone. "She's hurting Raine's business. She's about to boot me out of the stall so she can make Andren go away." She pointed a finger at her lover. "And if that happens, I will get into a world of trouble without anything to occupy my time. I don't need a guard all the time."
Kal's low rumble grew deeper, and her voice thickened with authority. "You've already been in trouble."
Charlie blew out a breath and looked away, trying to cool her temper. Kal was trying to protect her from more bounty hunters, but she was used to handling her own bad situations. "Can we meet halfway on this?" She heard the heavy thunder in Kal's chest start to die down, so she took the opening. "Andren can keep guarding me, but she has to be inconspicuous. If she wears regular clothes, gets rid of the spear and rifle, and just carries handguns, then she won't chase off any more of Raine's business."
"That is agreeable," Kal said. "I will speak to her superior tomorrow."
Charlie nodded and relaxed into the sofa after they found middle ground. "Tah." She studied Kal's face and noticed the dark coloring was gone. "How are you feeling? Did you sleep last night?"
"Ja." Kal leaned back and rested her hands on her knees, legs still spread open. "My rut is fading."
"Will it end tomorrow?" Charlie asked.
"Most likely."
Charlie nodded and trailed her eyes down to Kal's crotch, staring at the slight bulge there. She suspected that Kal was still dealing with a constant hard-on. It would explain why she kept her legs apart to relieve the pressure. But there's better ways to find relief.
"Charlie," Kal snarled, popping up from the sofa.
Feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks, Charlie looked to the fireplace and cursed her own body's natural ability to give off alluring scents to Kal. She tried to fight the excitement electrifying her, but her clit was already throbbing. "Perka gi," she offered in apology.
Kal stood next to the fire and folded her arms, staring hard at Charlie. "How much do you want for this job?"
Biting her lip, Charlie withheld a smirk, but she was sure that her eyes told her wishes. "Well you're providing the ship and most of the muscle. So it's really my time, Raine's, and the effort to bring Starr back." She hated being the one to give the first price, but things were different with Kal. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "I think about ten thousand for Raine will cover the time she's away from her stall. Starr doesn't exactly need payment, but Magnar will belly-ache about the fuel."
"What do you suggest for Magnar?"
Charlie heard the displeasure in Kal's question because it was Magnar. She shook with silent laughter but cleared her throat and replied, "I'd say about twenty-five thou, but I'll handle her."
Kal agreed, then asked, "And how much do you want?" Her gaze darkened and remained locked on Charlie.
Standing up, Charlie wiped her damp palms on her pant legs. "I thought I'd give you a break for using my services again." She neared the rumbling Alpha, who was trying to remain in control. "Everyone likes a good discount." Reaching out, she toyed with Kal's long jacket and inched in closer until they were almost touching. "I'll do this job for free, if you fuck me in the throne room." She was grateful she had locked her knees, because Kal leaned over her and caused her aching clit to hurt more.
Kal kept her arms folded, and a few beads of sweat were visible around her forehead. "When?"
"I'd like to collect the payment before I go." Charlie gazed up into hungry features. "Just in case I don't make it back." She trembled when Kal bared her teeth and growled, but she shrugged at Kal's dislike of Charlie's lifestyle. "The joys of being a merc."
Kal huffed deeply, then leaned lower until her lips were near Charlie's ear. "I'll make the arrangements."
Smirking, Charlie took one step back before one of them became disarmed for the other. Like Kal, she only had so much resistance. "I look forward to it." She turned and started to the door while saying, "I should go. Raine leaves soon." Kal followed her to the door. "I'll let you know what I hear about the ship."
Kal nodded and stood by the sealed doors, close to Charlie. "Andren will be staying with you at Starlight Farm."
Charlie rolled her eyes but accepted the new circumstances. "It'll be tight in the cabin, but we'll make it work."
"I know you will." Kal cupped Charlie's flushed cheek and whispered, "I wish it were me."
Reaching up, Charlie hooked Kal's wrist and frowned at the ache in her heart. She analyzed the meaning in the rare confession from her lover, who was reconnected with her deeper Alpha self. For Kalmar, it was coded in their blood to protect what was theirs. For Kal to resist that natural instinct had to be crushing on some level. Squeezing harder, Charlie said, "Tah for sending Andren. I promise I'll be fine."
Kal dipped her head, then allowed her hand to fall away. "Perhaps I will see you tomorrow." She started to the desk but paused when Charlie called her name. Turning halfway, she lifted an eyebrow.
Charlie refused to end their afternoon on a sour note about the bounty on her head. She grabbed a door handle, but didn't open it. "I expect my payment in full." She grew smug when Kal revealed her canines in a soft snarl, but she jerked open the left door. As she started out, she heard Kal's final, hungry promise.
"You'll get it, all of it."
* * *
For once, the cold weather was perfect against Charlie's heated skin after her visit with Kal. She still needed to purchase a heavier coat and clothes if she was going to stay any longer on Kander. With that thought in mind, she returned to the market the longer way so she could check out which stalls had clothes before meeting up with Raine.
The suns were low on the horizon, signaling the end of the day for the various merchants. She slowed down when one of the stalls tic
kled a memory. Gazing between the moving bodies, Charlie searched for what had stirred her interest. Then she spotted the familiar animal that captivated her last time.
On an upper shelf, a locke was pacing in a metal cage. But this one was different from the last one, smaller and shrunken to one side. Above it was a sign that read "cheap" in Kalmarese.
Frowning, Charlie weaved through the people and saw the locke being taken down from the shelf. She moved quicker and entered the stall, garnering the merchant's attention while the Omega came down a three-step ladder with the caged locke.
"Turen," the merchant greeted. He was an Alpha and already imposing himself to Charlie. "What can I help you with, Beta?"
"Freema," the Omega said, a hint of warning on her face.
The merchant, Freema, shifted on his feet, then clasped his hands behind his back. "May I help you?"
Charlie kept her annoyance at bay, then pointed at the caged animal in the Omega's hands. "How much for the locke?"
Freema chuckled and replied, "It's not for sale."
Fisting her hand, Charlie narrowed her eyes at the outright lie. "The sign said 'cheap' on it." She suspected he didn't expect her to be able to read Kalmarese, only speak it.
Freema bristled and puffed up his chest. "It's already sold."
"Freema," the Omega called again. She had placed the caged animal on the ground behind one of the tables, then appeared by Charlie's side. "What do you have to pay with?" She was looking over Charlie from head to toe. "I can tell you're not from here, but your Kalmar tongue is better than most Earthlings."
Charlie blushed at the compliment and wondered if it was a ploy to get more money. "I can pay in stills." She ignored Freema's grumbling complaint about stills.
"No coin?" the Omega asked.
Shaking her head, Charlie opened her mouth, but a voice behind her cut her off.