The Space Merchants

by Wendie Nordgren

  "What you need to remember, Teagan, is that this is your home now. You are my family now. No one will hurt you ever again while I live." It wasn't what I had expected him to say.

  "You don't want me to leave?" He lifted his eyes from mine and looked at the top of my hair as he brushed it down again.

  "No, you must promise me never to think such a thing ever again. Okay?" I looked him in the eyes, checking if he really meant it. His eyes held a look of firm conviction. I felt a tug under my ribs, and the door slid open. Yukihyo entered with a glass of juice. He traded places with Hiroshi. When I reached for the glass, he drew it away, determined to hold it for me.

  "Yukihyo, I can drink juice by myself." He relented. They all just stood around. My stomach grumbled. "Is it time for dinner yet?" I asked.

  "Actually, it's time for breakfast," Phillip said. "You've been asleep since yesterday." He came to my side and ran his scanner over me, and then began removing patches from me. The patch in my hair pulled.

  "I'll get you something." Hiroshi said. He took my empty glass. Phillip put the scanner and patches away.

  Feeling that I should say something I said, "Thank you, Phillip. My stomach doesn't hurt anymore. What are you a doctor or something?" I gave him a weak smile.

  "Yes, I am a doctor." What? Belly scratching ladies' man, Phillip who drove us around in the land transport and took me shopping was a doctor? Seeing my shock, he said, "Staying land bound isn't for me. Hiroshi, with whom I have been friends since childhood, convinced me that I could do just as much good out in the galaxies. He was right." Yukihyo gripped Phillip's shoulder.

  "I would have died with my clan had you not found me." What was that about? Before I could ask, Hiroshi returned with more food than even Phillip could eat. I did the best I could with it. Phillip finished it for me. Only then did they allow me to go and shower. When I came back out, only Yukihyo remained. He insisted I wear a gown with a shawl. Then, we sat on the couch and played games on the vid-screen. Phillip came in and suggested I study driving for a while. He supervised. That evening, Yukihyo, who had not left my side, carried me to the kitchen for dinner. Throwing a tantrum and insisting that I could walk, had no effect on him. During our after dinner movie, my feet stayed in his lap. That night he again held me while I slept.

  When I woke up, he kissed me and left. I showered, dressed, and got back to my routine. Within days I had completed all of the course work for operating the land transport. I started the simulation program. It helped to have something on which to concentrate. I felt exposed to Phillip, Hiroshi, and Yukihyo. Some things needed to stay in the past. I wanted to live a life made of my own choices.

  Later, I managed to persuade Yukihyo to tell me what had happened to his clan. Yukihyo, his father, uncles, and cousins had fought Parvac invaders of their lands for weeks. They had led ambush attacks and defended their compound, but they were overwhelmed by superior weapons. The final battle had a bloody ending when Yukihyo's father managed to cause the Parvac ship to explode in a last effort to save his clan. He could not save them though. He did destroy the invading Parvacs, but he could not save his family. Yukihyo's father had died in the explosion. Yukihyo had fallen in battle after killing several enemy soldiers and was believed to be dead. The Parvacs entered the compound. There were no survivors. Yukihyo might have passed on with the other members of his family who had fought to the death, but two curious merchants making a run to the frozen planet investigated the explosion their ship's sensors had detected. Through the carnage, they found only one life sign. Hiroshi and Phillip took him from all of the death surrounding him to Tora and a new life. It took Phillip weeks and innumerable nanites to heal Yukihyo's devastating wounds, the physical ones. Surviving when everyone he had ever known or loved had been so brutally taken from him had broken him. The emotional and physical bonds his people formed had been severed one by one. He had felt each one cut off by Parvacs. His hate for the Parvacs and his desire for revenge had kept him alive.

  While his need for revenge controlled him, Hiroshi made him realize that his father had avenged his family at the expense of his own life. Hiroshi convinced him that he must live to honor his father's sacrifice. To live Yukihyo had to start over without others of his kind and the bonds he had always known. Everything he knew had died on that planet, and Hiroshi and Phillip agreed never to speak the name of his home world. His memories of his mother and sisters, he could never abandon. They were at times all that kept him from becoming a mindless brutal killer. Memories were not bonds. He had asked for a new name. Hiroshi had officially adopted him. Hiroshi had suggested Yukihyo as a name because his new brother was rare, deadly, and grey like the snow leopard. He had become Yukihyo Lee, Hiroshi's brother. When the rage became too much for him, Hiroshi and Phillip would take him hunting. Therefore, the cold storage unit held large quantities of the ice bear that they had hunted prior to meeting me on Earth. Yukihyo told me that from the moment I stepped onto the loading dock ramp, he could feel my emotions. It had been chance. He had given up hope, finding only one other woman with whom he felt he could bond. Meeting me on the bridge had overwhelmed him. He had not wanted Phillip to drive me home. Yukihyo admitted that the greeting of his people that he had shown me had been a lie. It was a bonding ritual. He begged my forgiveness. It shocked me, not because it was an emotional violation, I didn't feel violated, but because I just never thought anyone would want to be tied to me in any way. Yukihyo now held me and spoke softly to me each night, watching the stars until we would fall asleep, but what he had done wore away at him.

  The light flashed above my door. Yukihyo entered. "May I speak with you, please?" he asked.

  "Sure." We sat on the couch.

  "Much has happened. We have learned a great deal about each other in these past few weeks. I do not ask you for forgiveness for bonding with you without your knowledge. I do not deserve it. I came to tell you that I will sever our bond. I must make things right between us." It frightened me.

  "Yukihyo, stop it. Just stop it. I know this is important to you and that you feel you have dishonored me or something, and maybe we should have a discussion about boundaries or ethics or something, but I don't feel the same way." I couldn't figure out what he was thinking by looking at his face, or by his unwavering tone when he spoke, so I continued. "I don't want you to sever our bond. I need you probably a lot more than you need me. I know how hard it is to be alone, truly alone. For me, it was better to be alone than with someone who just hurt me all of the time. It must be harder for you, because you were living your life's dream when it was ripped away from you. I kind of know what it feels like to have a home now, and I couldn't stand losing you, Hiroshi, or Phillip. I want the weird feeling I get under my ribs when you're nearby. Okay?" Yukihyo dropped to his knees in front of me, and when he took my hands in his, I felt the magnetic pull between us strengthen.

  Yukihyo said, "You have rewarded my dishonesty with acceptance, kindness, forgiveness, and love. From this day forward, I pledge my life to yours." He stood, pulled me to him, and kissed me.

  Somewhat breathless I said, "You know, neither one of us is perfect. I don't think it would be right for either one of us to blame you for having a survival instinct." Yukihyo thought about that for a moment.

  "Shall we start over, Teagan Green?"

  "We shall, Yukihyo Lee." I raised my hands with my palms toward him. He placed his palms against mine, and we touched our foreheads together.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tora arrived on Malta the next day. Hiroshi informed us that after landing, we would unload medical supplies into the large land transport that I had seen, but never ridden in, and deliver them to medical staff operating within the refugee camp right outside of the city. Yukihyo commanded that each of us remain armed. The influx of refugees was more than Malta's enforcers could handle, and the Galaxic Militia had more pressing matters with which to deal than security. Hiroshi had asked me to change during breakfast. Phillip suggested something le
ss "baby seal for starving sharks." The most somber outfit that I could put together ended up being a long full black skirt, whose folds hid my shock stick that was attached to a belt at my waste. I wore a grey top and sweater and my exercise shoes. Hiroshi, Phillip, and Yukihyo each wore bracelets with tracking devices embedded in them that were synced with both Tora and the land transports. The men were more heavily armed.

  Yukihyo's white eyes were filled with more colors than they had shown for weeks. I had begun to learn his moods by looking at them, since his voice gave me no clues. "Teagan, promise me that while we are off of the ship, if I tell you to do something, you will follow the order without hesitation. I hope you realize that I would give you such a command only for your own safety," Hiroshi said.

  Smiling, I said, "Yes, sir. I trust you." Hiroshi grunted and walked off to finish loading the large land transport that had two seats in the front, one for the driver, and one for a passenger. Behind those seats were two bench seats, facing each other. The cargo area was a long rectangular area open to the seats. The walls were stacked with supplies on each side and secured with a stretchy mesh netting. Hiroshi drove us from the port through the city. Malta was nothing like Polybius. Rocks and mountains surrounded the small town. The streets were made of slag from the mining, but had been solidified and ground down to form even roads. Hiroshi drove us past one huge general store, a few bars, a restaurant, a hotel, enforcer headquarters, a doctor's office, and a brothel. That was it for Malta, other than the massive mining structures where men worked and lived, dotting the barren landscape.

  The refugee camp looked like my former home. The familiarity comforted me. Three housing communities crouched outside of Malta's town and were occupied by refugees who had fled the enemy military incursions. I knew each community housed forty individuals, but I didn't know if each was full, or if people had to share units. People had heard the transport and came out to surround it. Two male doctors dressed in hospital uniforms rushed to Phillip's door, greeting him with clasped arms and expressions of relief. The older of the two men, bald and short, rattled off items for which he seemed desperate. Phillip shot into the cargo hold grabbing boxes and handing them to the doctors. He took as many as he could carry and rushed after the two doctors into the medical unit. I tried to help, but Hiroshi made me stay in my seat. Men stood everywhere. I was the only woman around that I could see. Within minutes the men who had surrounded us had carried all of the medical supplies to the doctors and had distributed all of the other various supplies to the housing communities. "What do we do now?" I asked Yukihyo.

  "We wait. Phillip is helping to treat multiple injured patients. Those two doctor friends of his need his help. They haven't gotten much sleep." I thought sitting in the transport a stupid waste of time.

  "Captain Hiroshi, may I go to the medical unit? Maybe they need some help cleaning if they haven't even had time to sleep."

  "Permission granted," he replied. Yukihyo escorted me there. Inside it was packed.

  Injured men rested on cots along the walls in rows. Some of them bled. Some of them wore bandages or patches. The men who suffered from the worst injuries received treatment first. The others suffered stoically. A couple of men went from injured man to man offering water or trips to the waste units. I didn't see Phillip or the other two doctors, but then there were other rooms that I couldn't see. I approached one of the men who helped. When he saw me, he looked shocked. "Hello, my name is Teagan. Is there any laundry or anything I can do to help?" I had the attention of everyone in the room. Some of them whistled at me.

  A loud voice yelled, "I must be dying 'cause an angel came." Another person made a hooting noise. Yukihyo's eyes looked like they would burst. After the noise died down, the man I had spoken to shook our hands.

  "I'm Thomas. It's nice to meet you both. We can use all of the help we can get. There are towels and sheets I haven't had time to put in."

  "I can take care of them. Just show me where they are along with the cleaning unit and where you want me to put them away."

  "Yes, ma'am. Thank you." He took me to one of the rooms in the back. The pile of dirty linens was taller than me, and there were only two cleaning units. An almost empty storage unit along the wall awaited.

  Yukihyo said, "I will help. Each of us can operate a unit." We got to work.

  "There are all of those men out there. They unloaded the cargo in no time. Why aren't they in here helping?" Thomas overheard me when he came in with more dirty bed linens, exchanging them for clean ones.

  "A lot of those men just got released from here and are supposed to take it easy for a few days. Some of the ones with less severe injuries are waiting to get in. It's a good thing you brought another doctor with you. Hell, our whores are even givin' up their beds to the men who got cut up the worst. The umm, ladies, are acting like nurses, and one or two of 'em might even have the costumes." Yukihyo laughed with Thomas.

  I looked at Yukihyo, paused, and said, "No." He pretended for my sake to look properly chastised. Just when I thought we were finished, Thomas and the other assistant decided to change all of the bed linens. Yukihyo helped them, while I operated both of the cleaning units. My stomach grumbled. I thought everyone else must be hungry, too. The room across from the one I was in looked like a break room with a beverage dispenser and a table and chairs. I went inside. I cleaned all of the cups littering the counter, put them away, and cleaned the table. I washed my hands and decided to go to the nearest community room cafeteria for food. Yukihyo and the others were busy, so I went alone. Four men approached me as soon as I stepped outside.

  "Hello, miss," one of them said. Most of the men I had seen looked middle aged. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

  "Yes, sir. Thank you. The doctors seem to be working very hard. I haven't seen anyone take a break. I'm hungry just from doing laundry. I thought I would get them some food and put it in the break room. Do you think that would be okay?" He nodded.

  Another man said, "We can help you with that, miss. I'm ashamed I didn't think of it myself." We entered the cafeteria of one of the communities, and the men told the men who were serving food our plan. The doctors had become heroes to most of the men who would have died without them. The men put together a platter of sandwiches, bowls of fruit, and sealed bowls of thick vegetable soup. They put plates and utensils in a bag. The men refused to let me carry anything. They followed me back and into the small break room, where they arranged everything for me on the clean table.

  "Is there anything else we can help you with, miss?"

  "Yes, thank you. Someone could help me with the other cleaning unit. The men might need help changing sheets."

  "Sure thing," one of the men said. My new helper and I continued with the cleaning units. The other men took over for Yukihyo, Thomas, and the other man, insisting that they take a break and eat something. They ate all of the sandwiches. Someone returned the platter bringing back another one stacked even higher than the first. Phillip and the other two doctors came out of the surgical room. I discovered that it had taken the three of them all of that time to save one man's life. He had arrived with a few others in escape pods only hours ahead of us. The man who had been helping me with the second cleaning unit began to cry. He thanked the doctors. His son was the man who they had just saved. He had been fearfully waiting outside when I had come out, and he had learned that the doctors were still trying to save his boy. One of the doctors let him step into a decontamination unit, and then took him to sit at his son's side in a recovery area. Then, he, Phillip, and the other doctor, the bald one, dug into the food in the break room. One of the men filled drinks for the doctors. A short time later all of the doctors were helping new patients. Finally, the laundry was all clean, and the storage wall was full. I found a floor cleaning bot and ran it over the laundry and break room floors. When I made it out to the recuperating room, a man took over for me. I swayed on my feet. Hiroshi entered. He spoke to Yukihyo. We were going back to Tora for th
e night. Phillip decided to stay and save people.

  During dinner in the kitchen, a thought occurred to me. "Hiroshi?"

  "Yes?"

  "Why do I call you Captain Hiroshi? Shouldn't I call you Captain Lee?" Hiroshi grunted at me and gave me a raised eyebrow.

  "Only if you want me calling you Miss Green."

  "No." Tired, we decided on showers rather than a movie. Yukihyo joined me in my quarters, crawling under the covers and cradling me in his arms. I sighed in contentment and enjoyed the draw I felt between us.

  "You have many new admirers," he said.

  "Me?"

  "Yes, most of the men in the hospital have fallen in love with you."

  "I don't understand how that can be true." Yukihyo stroked his fingers along my arm.

  "A beautiful woman came to them in their time of need, giving them mercy and care. What choice do they have?" Rising up on my elbows and turning a bit, I looked into his white eyes.

  "Well, I'm only interested in the love and admiration of one man." Yukihyo lifted his hand to the back of my head, his fingers threading through my hair. He lifted his lips to mine, kissing me passionately. I felt my pulse begin to hammer in my throat. His other hand wrapped around my back, and he shifted and turned, deepening our kiss as he pressed me to the mattress. Yukihyo moved his hand up my knee to the hem of my gown. He broke the kiss as he pulled it from me. His mouth descended. I felt his warm lips and tongue closing and pulling. Tingles shot from where he kissed and pulled to an ache that had begun in my center. I clutched at his hair, at the hard muscles of his shoulders. I felt frantic and desperate. The ache became unbearable. A whimper escaped me. Yukihyo ran his hand down my body and found the place where I ached. A surprised gasp escaped me as I felt him touch inside of me. He moved his hand inside of me, and his mouth enclose on my other breast. My existence shattered. Waves of tiny bubbles felt like they were bursting throughout my entire body.