"You two aren't really trying to kill each other are you?" I interrupted. They paused.
"No, we're just sparring," Hiroshi answered.
"Teagan, this is just what big strong male warriors do to protect the sweet little helpless baby seals in their lives," Yukihyo said in his deep monotone.
"Excuse me? Helpless baby seal? I'm not helpless. I'm tough. I made it to Union Port City by myself, and I survived living in the street before I got my housing unit." I crossed my arms over my chest. Both of their eyes were full of mischief.
"Oh, can you do this?" Hiroshi asked. He did a handstand. I felt my right eyelid begin to twitch.
"Or this?" Yukihyo decided to do push-ups with one hand. I felt like pushing Hiroshi over and sitting on Yukihyo. Instead, I took a deep breath.
"No, I don't think I can do either one of your little tricks, sorry."
Yukihyo said, "Then, your warriors must continue to train." He grinned up at me from the mat. Hiroshi finally righted himself.
He said, "In all seriousness, Teagan, if there were ever a time when one of us was not around, it would be best for you to know how to defend yourself. Physically, please do not be offended, but you would not have a chance against a male attacker. Most women could overpower you in hand to hand combat. This does not make you less in any way, but you are not a warrior. Learning to use a few weapons would be in your best interests."
"Like what?"
"I bought you a blast stick while we were on Scipio," Hiroshi said.
"Don't enforcers use those?"
"Yes, and I want you armed with yours whenever you are not on board Tora."
Yukihyo said, "I will teach you to use it, take it apart, and learn to repair it. Don't be angry with us, please. We care for you."
"Fine," I said. Hiroshi looked me in the eyes.
"Teagan, it is Phillip's fault."
"What is?"
"Your new nickname, baby seal."
"Hiroshi, no. You are not calling me that."
Chapter Ten
Later, in the kitchen as I was making myself a cup of tea, Phillip came in all in a rush. He sat in the corner in front of the vid-screen in between the cold storage unit and the wall. "Look here, Teagan," he said pulling up the menu. "I made you a program specifically for our land transport."
"Already?" I asked surprised. "That was what, two hours ago?" He grinned at me.
"Have a seat." Phillip got up from the stool and showed me the class he had created for me. I had diagrams to learn and tests to take. There were rules to learn for operating a land transport and a test. There was an on board systems training manual followed with reading comprehension questions. After completing each series in order, and not being allowed to progress until mastery, I would be able to begin simulated driving. Phillip said, "After you log twelve hours of simulated driving, I'll take you out someplace to try driving for real." It all seemed daunting, but I could do this.
"Thank you, Phillip. I'm going to study every day. I'll start right now." He rubbed his hands together, drank some juice, and pretended he was leaving me alone while I began reading about the different functions of all of the buttons on the land transport consoles. Some while later Yukihyo and Hiroshi came into the kitchen just as I had passed my first test identifying the basic command buttons. Fireworks filled the vid-screen making me jump. I banged my knee under the corner table under the vid-screen. Phillip laughed so hard that he almost fell off of the bench he sat on.
"Congratulations on passing the first test, Teagan."
Rubbing my knee, I said, "Thanks, Phillip."
"What is going on?" Hiroshi asked me.
"Phillip is going to teach me how to drive." Hiroshi's eyebrow lifted.
"Very good." We all shared a dinner of ice bear, rice, and vegetables. Then, we watched a movie with ancient warriors fighting for their feudal lord, for which I rewarded Hiroshi and Yukihyo with eye rolls. A princess even got rescued. Whatever.
I kept busy for the next week studying the land transport systems, learning how to use my nifty shock stick, and fulfilling my duties as domestic assistant. Yukihyo and Hiroshi insisted on teaching me how to get away from anyone who tried to grab me. That wasn't going as well. It was hard to remember which way I was supposed to move in different situations. I wasn't impressing Hiroshi or Yukihyo, but Phillip was proud of me. Learning to drive was exciting. I thought Tora had traveled a little over half way to Malta, which didn't seem like an interesting place to visit. The main attraction of Malta was the mining colony. The mines made a lot of money since most of the ore mined there was used to create the powdered fuel used to power spaceships. Malta received heavy protection from the Galaxic Militia for that very reason. When there happened to be trouble along the outskirts, people fled to Malta for protection.
That night I slid into one of my luxurious Arachnean silk gowns and curled up under my covers. I watched the stars through my skylight and drifted off to sleep. I dreamt that I was speeding down a dirt road in the land transport, and the freedom I felt was glorious. Suddenly up ahead, rocks started to slide down a cliff up on the left. I didn't have time to stop, so I hit the break button and turned to the right trying to spin out of the way, but it wasn't enough. Rocks began pelting the land transport. A huge boulder rolled faster and faster straight for me. I screamed and woke up with a jerk. Then, I heard it in real life. I didn't have time to be thankful that it had been a dream. Through my skylight I could see brown rocks hitting the ship. Then, I saw a few hit my skylight. I panicked, throwing off my covers. The light above my door flashed white. I knew what I was supposed to do in case of an emergency. My escape pod was enclosed in the wall right outside of the door to my quarters. My heart pounded in my throat as I ran to the door. Yukihyo stood there, without a shirt, with bare feet, and only wearing pajama bottoms. He didn't rush to help me into my escape pod. He reached out and covered my elbows with his hands. In his calm deep voice, he said, "What's wrong, Teagan?" My panic lessened enough for me to take a breath.
"Shouldn't we get into our escape pods?" I asked as tears started to drip down my cheeks. Why was he just standing there?
"Escape pods, no. Why? There is nothing wrong."
"Don't you hear that?" I asked. The thumps of rocks hitting the ship would slow and then speed up at irregular intervals.
"Teagan, that is just a small asteroid cluster. It is no danger to the ship and definitely no danger to you. Tora's shields protect the hull from all debris. Her shields are even strong enough to defend against assault cannons from planetary defense systems. Should some large meteor head for Tora, her laser cannons would break it into rubble, little bits that would harmlessly bounce away." Yukihyo's hands had moved to the backs of my arms, and he had pulled me closer. "Please, don't be afraid. Back to sleep." He bent down and put an arm behind my knees and another behind my back, lifting me and carrying me back to my bed. He tucked me in. I cringed at each thump from the asteroids. Yukihyo laid on top of the covers next to me, put his arm behind me, and pulled me over to him, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. I put my left hand on his chest. Yukihyo felt warm and safe. When he began to speak, I could feel his deep monotone rumble through my fingers and my cheek. "Have you ever listened to the rain, Teagan?" I nodded a yes against his shoulder. "Close your eyes." I did. "Think of lying in bed with raindrops hitting the roof. Can a raindrop hurt or damage the roof?"
"No, they're just drops of water, hitting and rolling off." Yukihyo covered my hand that rested on his chest with his.
"The asteroids are like the raindrops that hit a roof. They bounce against Tora's shield like raindrops. The sound they make is similar in a way, too. For me, will you try to think of passing through asteroid belts as rainstorms?” I nodded, again. Yukihyo had begun stroking my hair as he spoke and combined with his voice, and the calm I always felt when he was near me, I slept.
Birds chirped happily from their safe warm nests, hidden from the rain that continued to fall. I awoke curled against
Yukihyo's chest. One of his arms was around me, and the other hand had my hair wrapped around it. His breathing was calm and steady. He was asleep even through the singing birds. I had a feeling somewhere under my ribs. It felt like I wasn't alone anymore, like I would always be safe. The feeling was linked to Yukihyo in some way. It was almost like a giant magnet pulling me to him. I noticed that not all of Yukihyo slept. His pajama bottoms were not laying down flat in the front. He stretched and yawned.
"Good morning, Teagan." He turned toward me, hiding himself from my view. He brushed his fingers through my hair, drawing his hand down to my face. Then Yukihyo brought his lips down to mine, kissing me tenderly. His kiss became more passionate and deep. Yukihyo's arm cradled my back pulling me up so that my breasts pushed against his chest through the silk of my gown. I could feel his hardness pressing against my outer thigh through my blankets. A moan escaped from my mouth and into his. His breathing had become ragged. He pulled away and then returned to place a gentle kiss upon my lips. "You are beautiful when you wake, Teagan. I would choose to open my eyes to you every morning of my existence." Yukihyo stroked his fingers along my cheek once more and then rolled off of my bed. He headed for the door.
"Wait! You're leaving now?" His kisses had left me wanting much more. "You don't have to go, Yukihyo. Please, come back." He kept walking.
"Teagan, my sweet lady, I do not wish to leave you, but I must." He didn't turn around. Maybe he didn't realize that I had already seen and felt what he was trying to hide from my attention. The door slid closed behind him, and the birds had stopped singing.
As soon as Yukihyo had managed to force himself to leave Teagan's bed and get himself into the corridor, not wanting his physical state to frighten her, first Phillip and then Hiroshi exited their quarters. Phillip observed Yukihyo's disheveled appearance, pajama bottoms, and his erection that appeared to be trying to tear through and escape. Phillip burst out laughing, and as his laughter got louder he grabbed his sides. Then, Hiroshi started.
"Shut up, asshole," Yukihyo said to Phillip. "She might hear you." Phillip tried to stop, but he couldn't.
Hiroshi managed to say, "We can see what did not happen, just by looking at you." Phillip laughed harder. "What did happen?" Hiroshi asked.
"You're both assholes. You know that, right? I'll tell you later. I'm going to take a shower."
Hiroshi called after him, "Do you have enough soap?" Phillip howled with laughter.
I showered and dressed in a pink long full skirt and a soft long-sleeved black stretchy top. I slipped my feet into a cute pair of black flats. I brushed my hair into a curled ponytail and went to the kitchen. I felt comforted, but cranky and frustrated as I made myself a cup of coffee. Hiroshi and Phillip were already enjoying breakfast. Phillip shoveled eggs into his mouth. Hiroshi said, "Good morning, Teagan. Did you sleep well?"
"No, well, not until I stopped panicking."
Phillip swallowed his eggs and innocently asked, "What happened? Did something big frighten you?" Hiroshi kicked him under the table.
"I thought we were all going to die, and the ship was going to explode."
Under his breath Phillip said, "It's not the ship exploding that you need to worry about." Hiroshi kicked him again.
Not looking at me, Hiroshi asked, "Why would you worry about such a thing?" Yukihyo entered the kitchen and having heard the question, he answered for me.
"She has never traveled through an asteroid belt and was frightened." Phillip and Hiroshi exchanged glances.
"I'm sorry, Teagan. I did not even think to prepare you for this." Growing thoughtful Hiroshi said, "Long ago when I was a boy traveling with my father, I too became frightened the first time I heard the sound. My father explained it, and I thought no more of it."
Phillip's brow furrowed, and he said, "Yes, the first time can be frightening." Hiroshi kicked him again.
"I trust you are alright, now?" asked Hiroshi.
"Yes, Yukihyo made me feel better." Hiroshi kicked Phillip again. "Why do you keep kicking Phillip? If it is because of all of his blatant sexual innuendoes, you can stop. I've observed his behavior with both Felicia and Becca, and I have no intentions of allowing him to embarrass me. I let him get to me once, when I met Captain Alaric." Phillip got up and made me another cup of coffee.
"I can't help myself, Teagan. You're just so cute and innocent. It's adorable when you blush." He patted me on the head.
"Where is my shock stick?" I asked Yukihyo.
After I had completed my domestic chores and another component of the course work Phillip had created for me, I decided to have some lunch. That was when the cramps started. I went to my quarters and found the supplies I had bought for myself during an unsupervised moment on Scipio. The asteroids continued to hit the shields, and I made myself pretend it was rain. Girl crisis averted, I went back to the kitchen. Feeling cranky and hungry, I didn't really know what I wanted to eat. Phillip came in. I moved away from the cold storage unit, made myself a cup of tea, and sat down on a bench at the table. It felt like someone had stuck a fork in the left side of my guts and was twisting them around on it like spaghetti noodles. I put my elbow on the table and rested my forehead on my hand. Phillip tapped me on the shoulder. Actually looking concerned and serious, he said, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I mumbled.
"Tell me the truth."
"It's nothing. It's a girl thing. Don't worry about it." Wanting to give him a little pay back for all of his teasing, I said, "You know blood, cramps, fun girl stuff. I'm used to it."
"Cramps that cause you to go pale from the pain are not normal."
Yukihyo came into the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" Yukihyo asked. I decided to let my head bang softly against the table. Phillip decided to blab my business to him. Yukihyo made a cup of tea and placed it in front of me, removing the one I already had. I lifted my head and took a sip, making a face.
"It tastes like bark. I don't like it."
Yukihyo rubbed my back and said, "My mother used to make it for my sisters." Phillip left. I drank the tea, but it made me feel sleepy. Yukihyo took me to my quarters and helped me change into a gown. Then, he put me back to bed.
"You’re really making too big of a deal of this." Then, he was letting Phillip into my room. "Really, guys?" I felt my face turning red. Phillip sat on the edge of my bed and pulled my blankets down. Exasperated, I said, "What are you doing?"
Phillip said, "It is just a little scan. Don't be a baby. It won't hurt." He ran a scanner over my abdomen. Then, he opened a case and removed a small patch from a package, tore it open, and placed the patch behind my left ear. Then, the pain all started to seep away. Phillip asked, "How long have you been experiencing these cramps, Teagan?"
"Since, forever," I answered. All of my muscles had relaxed and felt like jelly. It was difficult to concentrate.
"Your mother didn't take you to a doctor?"
"No, it was just me and my dad."
"I see," he said. "My scans indicate that you have been suffering with a debilitating form of endometriosis since the onset of puberty."
"So, she has suffered like this twelve times a year for how long?" Yukihyo asked him.
"This neglect has been occurring for, I would say, about seven years, Teagan?" I just smiled at him. It felt like I was floating. Rocks were still hitting the skylight, and I pointed at them and looked at my fingers. Phillip lifted my gown and sprayed my stomach with something cold. He placed something on top of the spray, and I heard a weird humming sound. Phillip said from somewhere far away, "This device will allow nanites to enter through your epidermal layer. The nanites will travel to your damaged reproductive organs and repair them." I felt an odd tugging in my stomach. "This will all happen while you sleep. I will be right here the entire time." Phillip smiled at me, and my eyes closed. I could hear Phillip talking to Yukihyo about updating my vaccinations and scans, and something called blood mapping. Then, the voices and the rain disappeared.
"Um," I looked toward the bathroom.
"Okay," he said. Pushing the covers away and standing up, he lifted me into his arms and carried me there turning sideways to walk us inside. He stood me in front of the waste unit, making sure that I was steady, before he left, closing the door behind himself. I was a mess and replaced my lady item. I washed my face in the sink. Phillip must have known that I didn't want to come out because he tapped on the door before opening it, picking me up, and putting me back in bed. While I had slept, other patches had appeared on me. The back of my hair pulled. I frowned reaching behind my head where Phillip must have parted my hair and attached it. He gently pulled my hand away. Two patches were on my right arm. I had felt one on the back of my left leg. Yukihyo's back was turned to me. Hiroshi's face was a blank mask. Phillip drew my attention.
"Teagan, I noticed you had some pretty serious untreated injuries. Were you in an accident?" I thought about the patches and where they were and things I tried not to remember.
"No," I said. "I was just really bad when I was a kid and got in trouble a lot, but I'm not bad anymore, right? I've been good here?" Phillip still looked a little fuzzy around the edges. I was afraid Captain Hiroshi would want me to leave his ship. I felt sick inside with fear. I didn't want to leave. Yukihyo left my room. I started to cry. He must be mad at me. He had thought I was a good nice person, and now he knew I was bad. Hiroshi took my hands away from my face. I wouldn't look at him. I didn't want to hear him say he didn't want me here, that I was no longer welcome, that I wasn't good enough to stay. I started sobbing. I felt so ashamed. Hiroshi didn't say anything. He tightly put his arms around me and didn't let go, even though I got his shirt all wet. My nose started to run, and I pulled away. Phillip handed me a tissue from the bathroom, and I blew my nose. I couldn't stop making hiccupping noises. I wanted to hide, but had nowhere to go. Hiroshi had found another tissue and dried tears that I just replaced with new ones. He still hadn't answered my question, and I felt like all of my new happiness was dying. Hiroshi brushed my hair away from my face with his hands. He lifted my chin forcing me to look into his eyes which made mine swell over again with tears. I couldn't take leaving after I had been happy for the first time that I could ever remember. It hadn't lasted long enough. I sobbed again, and Hiroshi spoke.
The Space Merchants Page 8