The Space Merchants

by Wendie Nordgren

  Hiroshi Lee walked from Teagan's door down the corridor of his ship and onto his bridge. He sat in his chair and prepared the ship for departure. "Prepare for lift off," he told Yukihyo and Phillip. Tora lifted straight up, gaining speed until she reached orbit. Hiroshi laid in the course for Scipio. It would take two weeks to get there at their present speed. Hiroshi had worked with Phillip and Yukihyo for many years. He and Phillip had been boys together, and together they had rescued Yukihyo. Living and working on Tora had created a familial bond between the three of them, and mutual respect had created an even fiercer bond of loyalty. "Teagan liked the way you decorated her quarters," Hiroshi told Yukihyo.

  "It's not like he didn't have the choicest textiles from Arachne to choose from," said Phillip.

  "I felt her response," Yukihyo replied.

  "You were able to form a mental link with her?" Phillip asked.

  "No, I would need her consent for such intimacy. Bonding to her emotions required no effort, like taking a breath. I almost feel whole. I almost wept with my relief, but Hiroshi saved me from that embarrassment with his timely summons to the bridge. Unfortunately, this relief reminds me of what I lost when the Parvac scum murdered my clan."

  Years ago Yukihyo had fought and survived a bloody conflict with the Parvac that had left his entire clan dead. He would not have survived had Hiroshi and Phillip not found his life signs in the aftermath and carted him onto Tora. Since his rescue, Hiroshi and Phillip had become his brothers, but they could not provide the stability of the symbiotic link males of his race required in order to function in a civilized manner. The symbiotic links he had shared with his mother, aunts, and sisters ended with their deaths. Yukihyo had met a female with whom he could bond. However, her clan had rejected him, and her temperament and opinions had made her not worth the reward of pursuit. Yukihyo had decided to resign himself to a life of strenuous physical training and hours of meditation, when by accident he had found compatibility in Hiroshi's new hire.

  Yukihyo said with an undercurrent of disbelief, "Teagan accepted me without fear or prejudice. Her eagerness to question me was tempered only by her fear of causing me insult. She accepted an emotional bond with me as a dry sponge accepts water."

  Hiroshi grunted, "That must be why you gave her the most extravagant of our stores from Arachne."

  Phillip laughed, "He's got to keep her happy somehow, boss. It won't be with his ugly face."

  "I pay the whores on Scipio extra not to cringe when they first see yours and a bonus if they don't laugh at your humble male offering," Yukihyo replied.

  "Enough you two," Hiroshi laughed.

  "That girl was living in a damn crate and happy about it. Henry told me she had nothing to wear, but that reclamation jumper before he took her to get some things," Phillip said.

  "Uncle said he pieced together that she was alone, with no family, having fled an abusive situation. She works and keeps to herself. I think that explains the sponge like quality Yukihyo observed." Phillip leaned back in his grav chair, made sure life support systems were optimal, and scratched his flat belly.

  "She's better off with us. She has two handsome men and Yukihyo taking care of her," Phillip said. Yukihyo offered Phillip an offensive hand gesture. Phillip grinned at him and said, "We'll get a real smile out of her eventually. What do you boys say to a little friendly competition?"

  "What do you have in mind?" Hiroshi asked.

  "The first one of us to get an honest laugh out of the kid gets a thousand credits," Phillip suggested.

  "Deal," said Yukihyo.

  "Agreed," responded Hiroshi. "It has been an eventful day. Let's get some sleep," Hiroshi said. Rising from his chair, he left the bridge and took the first door to the right into his quarters.

  Phillip turned to Yukihyo and asked, "You feeling better now, brother?"

  "I have only reached her emotions fully twice. She is guarded, but it is an indescribable improvement. I have been able to control myself more easily without the constant struggle and effort for a few hours now. Too long have I been without the comfort of female clan members." His species had evolved as feral hunters content with violence and bloodshed. Evolution had saved his race by tempering the aggressive males through emotional and mental links with their females that created cohesive family units and caused the male aggression to turn toward becoming more protective. Mothers bonded both with their mates and their children and linked fathers to their sons and one brother to another. Years had created a symbiotic relationship between the sexes that had become necessary for the healthy survival of both their males and females. Females had developed a passivity of nature that their harsh frozen planet and dangerous indigenous wildlife would exploit with ease. Through the links males sensed fear and used their aggression against the dangers to their females rather than against each other. Such had been true for Yukihyo until the Parvacs had come. Years of hunting and fighting had not been enough to protect his clan sisters from the overwhelming numbers and superior weaponry of the brutal Parvac force. His own father, their clan's leader, fell to their numbers, but not without first killing dozens of the invaders. The blood drenched snow still haunted Yukihyo. Yukihyo felt Phillip's hand grip his shoulder. Phillip remembered. Phillip and Hiroshi had seen what the Parvacs had left of his clan. Phillip entered the door just past Hiroshi's door. Leaving the bridge Yukihyo entered the first door to the left. Teagan's quarters were next to his. Yukihyo could feel her sleeping in calm serenity from his side of the wall. To be able to fight his destructive impulses, he needed her to stay with him, to remain on Tora. He couldn't help dreading her reaction when she learned of his need for her. Would she feel he was an intrusive creep? Whatever she felt, he would feel as well. What was natural to his people, some found to be an offensive forced intimacy. Yukihyo concentrated on the weak link to Teagan and slept.

  Chapter Seven

  I began to wake up. Everything was still and quiet. Hunger had awakened me. I stretched, enjoying the incredible softness of the sheets and the warmth of the blankets. If I didn't have to pee, I wouldn't get out of bed. Regretfully, I slid out of bed and headed into my bathroom. All mine, I thought, as long as I didn't do anything to screw it up. After taking care of things, I lifted my hand and felt the towel that was still wrapped around my head. I took it off and put it in the laundry basket with my dirty clothes.

  "Oh, crap." My hair smelled beautiful. I lifted a chunk of it to my nose and inhaled the clean scent of fresh roses. My hair didn't look beautiful. It looked like a huge freaking mess. Thankfully, someone had been thoughtful and placed a brush in the cabinet under the towel shelf. I started working through the dirty blonde tangled mess from the ends up. Then, I wet my hands in the sink and ran my wet fingers through it and brushed it again. I decided to try to braid it since my scalp felt a little sore from sleeping with my hair in the towel and my usual ponytail might prove too uncomfortable. I secured the end of my braid with my hair tie and went to the storage unit, pulling out a new pair of black pants and a new black shirt. I really didn't want to put my boots on, so I slipped on my flip flops instead. Even though I was starving, I walked over and made the beautiful bed. I thought about how it had felt, waking up in it a few minutes ago. How, after opening my eyes, I had looked up and seen stars through the long window above me. A dark majestic backdrop to the glittering dots of light greeted me from above, as I awoke from below enclosed within the exquisite, luxurious warmth the bedding provided. This morning was incomparable to the mornings of the past several months. Having made the bed, I decided to be brave and leave my quarters in search of breakfast.

  Once in the corridor, a deep monotone greeted me with, "Good morning, Teagan. Did you sleep well?"

  "Yes, Yukihyo. Did you?"

  "I was able to sleep last night," he answered.

  "Don't you usually sleep?"

  "Not always," he answered. Yukihyo offered me his hand. Not really knowing why or what to do, I took it, and he looked into my eyes with his milk
y white alien ones. The lines of lightening in his eyes darted as they had before. He placed my hand on his arm. "Please allow me to escort you to the kitchen."

  "Okay, thanks. With so much going on last night, I forgot to eat dinner."

  Yukihyo frowned, "Forgive us for being so remiss in your care." Worried I had offended him, I apologized.

  "It's no big deal. Really." The worry and feeling of impending anxiety that had begun to form under my ribs dissipated like smoke. Yukihyo explained that the first six doors were to crew quarters. Now, with my arrival, only two were empty. A set of skylights were centered and set into the corridor's ceiling above the doors to Phillip's and my quarters which were across from each other. A larger set of skylights were farther down at the end of the corridor, in front of the entrance to the relaxation room.

  "The door to the right opens to the recreation room. We watch movies in there most evenings. The door to the left opens to the laundry room where there is another pantry and additional storage space," he explained. Yukihyo walked forward with me into the relaxation room. I looked up at the third set of twin rectangular windows in the ceiling.

  "It's just like you said. I can see the stars. This is amazing." I felt like a dork for getting all emotional and teary about it, but Yukihyo just lifted his free hand to my cheek and brushed his knuckles and fingers gently down my face. He gave me a smile that held more kindness than any smile ever given to me, and I felt the imaginary protective brick wall that I had begun erecting around my heart as a small child and had repaired and strengthened daily since then, break a little. I felt vulnerable with Yukihyo, and it frightened me. He took my hand from his arm and placed it against his heart.

  "Fear nothing here, Teagan. I will protect you as though you were my own blood." He released my hand. "I thought you were hungry. The kitchen is through here," he said. Not having the time to process whatever had just happened between us, I followed him.

  "I am hungry." Maybe aliens are just weird I thought and then dismissed it.

  "What would you select for breakfast given any choice?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Strong black coffee for one thing and since I'm too hungry just for yogurt, probably some oatmeal." He opened the cold storage and pulled out one of several stacked, lidded containers.

  "This is oatmeal," he said and placed it on the table. "In the cabinet by the sink are cups. The beverage dispenser is there on the counter." I found a cup, and Yukihyo taught me how to navigate the menu on the beverage dispenser to get it to produce a cup of coffee. I placed my hot cup of heavenly smelling coffee on the table. "The food warmer is here above these burners on the counter." He took my bowl, pointing to the heating instructions on the lid. Then, he demonstrated the heating process. While it heated, he showed me the drawer that held utensils and handed me a spoon. "Please, have a seat," he said. I sat with my spoon and had a sip of coffee. It was good which was a relief. Coffee had always been an important part of my life. Yukihyo gave me the bowl of oatmeal and went back to the cold storage unit. He pulled out a box and went over to heat it up. Then, he brought it over to the table, went over to the beverage dispenser, and made himself a cup of tea. He returned to the table with his cup of tea and a fork. After he had taken a seat, I opened the lid and stirred the oatmeal before having some. A few more spoonful’s and a sip of coffee later, and I noticed Yukihyo's breakfast. It looked like bits of seared meat. Seeing my attention, he offered me a bite. Not wanting to offend him, I ate it. Orange chicken it was not. It was tender and tasted okay, but had a wildness to it that was unfamiliar to me.

  "What is that?" I asked.

  "It is from an ice bear that Hiroshi, Phillip, and I hunted and killed." I took another sip of my coffee.

  "I've never even seen an ice bear, and now I've taken a bite of one," I said.

  "I will show you a picture of one on the vid-screen, and if you like, I can show you the rug I made of this one. However, ice bears are much too dangerous for you to see in the wild," Yukihyo said. My thoughts flashed to the regal and commanding presence of Captain Espanoza. I bet no one would ever say anything like that to her, but then, I wasn't like her. "Would you like another bite?" he asked.

  "Sure." I ate the ice bear, finished my oatmeal, and got a second cup of coffee. "Would you like another cup of tea?" I asked. What I took for a look of surprise appeared on Yukihyo's face. "What kind is it?" I asked as I reached for his cup.

  "Mint," he answered. As I refilled Yukihyo's cup from the beverage dispenser, Phillip and Hiroshi entered the kitchen. They also each decided on the ice bear for breakfast. I wondered what Ms. Reeves would think of their breakfast. I gave Yukihyo his cup of tea and then sat back down, out of the way, with my coffee.

  In a bright and jovial tone, Phillip said, "Good morning! Did you sleep okay?"

  "Yes, thank you. Did you?" I asked.

  "I sure did," he said. He patted me on the head. What did he think, that I was like seven or something?

  Seeing my expression, Hiroshi said, "Pay him no mind. Phillip treats all of us in the same manner."

  "Tell her, boss," Phillip said. The men were quiet as they ate their ice bear. I finished my coffee. I didn't know what to do with my dirty dishes. Phillip ate faster than anyone I had ever seen. He took his dishes to the back counter and opened a cabinet door under the counter; he placed his dishes inside a unit hidden there, closed the door, and hit a button. The button changed in color from red to green. Phillip opened the door, removed his now clean fork, placing it back in the utensil drawer, and then pulled out the clean box with its lid and placed it in the cabinet in front of him. He put his cup away in the cabinet near the beverage dispenser. Mimicking his actions, I cleaned and put away my dishes. Then, I took, cleaned, and stowed both Yukihyo and Hiroshi's dishes as well.

  "Thank you, Teagan." Hiroshi said.

  "You're welcome, sir. I really want to do a good job. Thank you for this opportunity. What do you want me to do today?"

  "I think it would be best if you took some time to familiarize yourself with your new home. Relax. There is no rush and not much to do," Hiroshi said. "I don't think you have even seen this entire deck. For instance, there is a laundry and pantry in the room next to his one. Have you seen it?" Hiroshi asked.

  "No, sir," I said. Hiroshi rose from his seat on a bench and pointed to the door occupying the little bit of space on the wall not taken by the corner desk, cold storage, and dry storage pantry. Hiroshi went through the doorway, and I followed. On the wall to my right was a lift entrance. Past that was a large commercial sized laundry cleaning unit. A long wide counter was in the center of the room, and the opposite wall was home to a huge walk in storage pantry. I looked inside of it. It contained all kinds of dried food goods.

  "Uncle Lee insists that it remain fully stocked even though he knows we always eat the packaged cold storage items. He fears we may be stranded in space, and it keeps him from worrying. You are welcome to anything you would like."

  "Thank you. That is a lot of food." He took the other door from the pantry and led us back out into the corridor. I looked up at the stars again.

  Hiroshi walked across the corridor and through a door that slid open to a room that I had not yet seen. I saw a lift straight ahead, but to the right taking up much of the wall was a large vid-screen. Two cushioned lounge chairs were in front of it, and matching cushioned couches were to either side. "This is our recreation room. We tend to watch movies together in the evenings," he said.

  "How can you tell?" I asked.

  "What?"

  "When it's evening, how can you tell, when stars are all you see?" I asked.

  "We have wake and sleep cycles while in space to keep us from becoming disoriented. Would you like for me to set up your alarm for you in your quarters?" Hiroshi asked.

  "If it isn't too much trouble...."

  "It is no trouble at all," he said. "It is our hope that you will feel at home on Tora, Teagan."

  Looking around at the ship's opulence, I said
, "It's so beautiful. I've never been anywhere this nice." I wasn't sure that I could ever feel like I actually belonged in a place like this, or that they would actually want me to stay. Captain Hiroshi owned Tora, a large interstellar spacecraft. He traded goods with I didn't even know how many planets. The credits with which he dealt were beyond my comprehension. He had a friend, a member of his crew, who was an alien. It was all so surreal.

  "I am glad my ship pleases you. Are your quarters still to your satisfaction?"

  "Yes, Captain. I couldn't have dreamed anything better."

  "Teagan, may I ask a favor of you?"

  "Yes, sir," I said.