The Space Merchants

by Wendie Nordgren

  By the time I got to ten, they had disappeared. With a pounding heart, I cleared the tree and ran as hard as I could. I ran for at least half a mile. Then, I thought I heard someone running behind me. I turned thinking it would be Yukihyo. It wasn't. A man in a black uniform was catching up with me fast. I ran harder with everything I had in me. A Parvac soldier was running me down in the forest. Something hit me from behind in my back. I flew forward and into the dark brown dirt of the forest floor. I skidded to a stop on the dry fallen leaves. My breath had been knocked from me, and as I managed to drag in a ragged breath, a flash of sharp pain in my right hip caused me to moan. I drew myself up to my knees. My charge stick was still in my hand. The soldier attacked. He grabbed me from behind and shoved hard against my back flattening my face to the dirt. His strength was crushing. I managed to draw my legs into me and twisted onto my right side. It hurt, but I was trying to hide my shock stick. The soldier hit me hard in my left temple, the force of it pushed me freeing my left arm more. Warmth that changed to a sharp white pain seared my left eye from his blow. The soldier dug his fingers into my left arm to the bone, dragging me up. I lifted my shock stick and jabbed it between his legs. He let go of my arm. I pulled my shock stick back and hit him with it in the neck. Then, I hit him with it in his temple right before I hit him between the legs again.

  Hoping he would stay down for a while, I took the weapon with which he had shot me in the back and pushed in the grip. It fired a blast that jarred my arm and rattled my teeth. I aimed it at him and pushed in the grip. I switched his weapon to my right hand and my charger stick to my left. I checked my direction and began running again as hard as I could go. Sweat dripped into my left eye. I tried to dry it on my left sleeve while I ran, but it was blood on the upper arm of my sleeve. My back and hip burned. My breathing was ragged. I heard running behind me. It had to be Yukihyo. It had to be. I turned to look. It wasn't him. It was the Parvac soldier coming for me again. Only this time, he was enraged. How had he gotten up? The soldier closed the distance between us like it was nothing. He was too fast and way too strong. I stopped running. It was pointless. I had to think of something. I raised his weapon and fired. The blast hardly slowed him. I fired again and again, yet nothing fazed him. The soldier's feet pounded toward me. He was close. I could see my death in his eyes. I had infuriated him and stalled him, but not long enough to get away. The soldier charged at me now from six feet away. I dropped into a fetal position, ducking my head under. The soldier sailed over me. I jumped up to run. The soldier turned his fall into a roll and was back on his feet. I fired at him again and again. The soldier smiled at me showing me his teeth. He looked human, like a really big angry human, but human. His black uniform had dirt from the forest floor and leaves marring it. My back and hip burned. Blood dripped into my eye. I shot him again. My hand slipped on the grip. I felt a button. I pushed it and the grip. The weapon fired a much stronger blast. It knocked the Parvac soldier to his back. I felt for other buttons. There was another higher up. I pushed it and squeezed the grip. A red hole spread from his chest where I had fired. He spewed out angry words at me and sat up. Blood poured from the wound. The soldier tried to stand to come after me, but dropped to his knee. I turned and ran as hard as I could. I ran until I couldn't get my legs to keep moving and each breath felt like a knife in my ribs. I found a hollowed out space at the base of a huge tree and stumbled into it.

  My stomach heaved, twice, and I spit out bile. I had started to shake. Had he been a soldier we hadn't seen on Yukihyo's vid-screen scan, or had he killed someone I loved before coming after me? I started crying and then bit my lip, trying to stop. What if I never saw Yukihyo again? How could I live without him? I remembered my life in Union Port City, always alone except for brief conversations, during the endless weeks. Now, Yukihyo and I spent hours together. We talked quietly together wrapped in each other's arms watching stars until we fell asleep. Even when we were silent, just knowing he was there was enough. Phillip had become my wild and reckless older brother. Hiroshi sometimes seemed like an older brother and at other times felt like a father. What had happened to them? Able to breathe again, but shaking, I got to my feet. I had to get to that estate and make Simon help them. I walked for what felt like hours. Phillip had driven at a fast pace for thirty minutes and said we were half way there. Right? My feet burned where my shoes had rubbed them. I hadn't heard anyone behind me. I was afraid that I was lost. I could see nothing but trees. It was cold under them. I looked up trying to see how much time might have passed. I saw huge webs high above me, spreading from tree to tree. I must be somewhere on Simon's property. I thought. I walked for several minutes.

  Then, I tripped on a root and came down hard on my left knee. "Shit, shit, shit," I whispered. I rolled onto my back and held my knee to my chest. It throbbed and made my back burn more fiercely. I thought that if I waited long enough, the pain would dull. I heard something in the bushes. Leaves moved. I rolled up onto my butt and scooted back with my knuckles and feet. Each time I moved my knee, I felt a sharp pain through my knee cap.

  "What now?" A long black leg appeared from under the bush, followed by another, and another, and another. Then, I saw its head. Several eyes blinked at me.

  "Oh, shit, shit, shit!" It came toward me. Free of the bush, it was the size of a small dog. Its body was probably a foot long. Its legs made it seem even bigger. Antenna like things opened and closed under its head by its mouth.

  "Back off!" I lifted my shock stick. I got to my feet. Sickening pain shot through my knee cap.

  "I won't lose my family because of some nasty freakin' spider." I couldn't run. All I could do was limp forward. The spider followed me. The round back part of it was a greyish blue. Its legs and everything else were black. It crawled along and up the sides of trees as it followed me. Although I clutched weapons in each of my hands, I couldn't make my fingers move.

  "You're waiting for me to fall, aren't you? Fucking asshole spider. After I fall what are you gonna do? Bite me? Wrap me up and eat me? Not gonna happen," I sobbed. "Come here and meet my nice blaster or shock stick." My stomach heaved again. The webs had become a white blanket in the trees above. I kept expecting spiders to descend on silk threads all around me and attack. My heart was too tired to thump against my chest. I heard something coming. I hid behind a tree. My stalking spider clung a mere two feet above my head. I was so cold. I dared not do anything to give away my position. The sounds came closer. It was a rumble from different directions.

  "Teagan!" I heard a male voice shouting my name. It came from other directions, too.

  "I'm here!" I yelled as loudly as I could, but not much sound came out. I moved from behind the tree and continued to limp toward the loudest voice. I saw someone through the trees. He sped closer. It was Simon. I could see his bright red hair. He drove a three wheeled roller. Simon stopped a few feet from me, threw his leg over the side, and rushed to me.

  "Teagan, thank the stars! Let me get you to my doctor!"

  "No! Lord Montgomery, please! You have to help them! They attacked my family, please! You have to help them!" I sobbed, pleading with him for help.

  "Hush, Teagan. Hush. Everything is okay. Your family is safe. We've been looking for you for hours," he said.

  "They're okay? But those soldiers...one came after me. He was so fast and strong. I got away, but now one of your spiders is trying to eat me." My teeth were chattering together. At some point Simon had picked me up. He looked around and saw the spider.

  "That little guy?" Simon asked.

  "Yes, that's the evil little shit." Simon laughed.

  "He can't hurt you, Teagan. He likes you. He followed you around because he wants you to pet him."

  "Oh, hell no," I said.

  "Lady Teagan, after an attempted assassination, you develop quite the way with words," Simon smiled.

  "Excuse me for my rude mouth." Simon chuckled and pushed a button on his roller.

  "Teagan is safe. I have her and am h
eading back to the estate," he reported. I heard sounds coming closer. Simon took a step up, with me in his arms, and straddled the seat. I dropped my head to his shoulder. Simon was warm, and my teeth chattered. Simon pulled the blaster from my right hand. I had gripped it so hard and for so long that it marked my palm. He placed it in a compartment. He took my shock stick and added it to the compartment. My hands and wrists ached. The spider watched from a tree. Simon wrapped an arm around me, holding me firmly against his chest, my legs draped over his thigh. Simon turned the machine and drove away. Being found combined with the rumble of the machine lulled me to sleep. I could hear other machines around and behind us, but couldn't open my eyes.

  I woke when the movement stopped. My left eye wouldn't open. All of the rumbling stopped. Someone lifted me from Simon's lap and inhaled my hair.

  "Yukihyo, give her back to Simon. You're making your bleeding worse," said Phillip.

  "Set up in the inner suite overlooking the courtyard," Simon commanded. I could feel Simon walking, but my right side was pressed against him, and I was too tired to lift my head. I thought we entered a lift. Then, Simon laid me down on a soft bed. Tears of relief seeped from my eyes.

  "No, Phillip you care for Teagan. I will let Simon's doctor see to my injury," Yukihyo's voice said. I heard footsteps leaving.

  "Help me get her undressed so I can assess her injuries," Phillip said. Someone pulled off my shoes. It hurt. My heels and soles felt raw and stung. I got my right eye to open. Hiroshi was removing my belt. Phillip put something sharp in my arm. Then, all of the pain went away. I managed a soft laugh and floated off to sleep. When I woke up, I couldn't move. I heard a storm. Wind howled, and rain pelted the roof.

  "Yukihyo," came out as a weak sound. I saw him out of the corner of my right eye. He slept on his back. I tried to sit up but failed. I touched my stomach. Soft, soft silk caressed my fingers. The bed was covered in it. It covered me. Yukihyo laid on top of the soft sheets. Loud thunder sounded outside. Hiroshi's kind calm face appeared above me.

  "You are awake," he said in a quiet voice. "Do you feel any pain?"

  "Yes," I croaked.

  Another voice said, "Can you tell me what hurts the most?"

  "My head, arm, back, and hip, but I haven't tried to move." My throat was dry. Hiroshi gently lifted me with an arm behind my shoulders. He placed a straw to my lips. Cold water slid down my throat. He pulled it away.

  "You can have more in a moment," Hiroshi assured me. An older man I didn't know gave me a warm smile.

  "It amazed us all what you did, young lady. You escaped a Parvac soldier and shot him with his own weapon. You should be proud of yourself. You were brave."

  "I'm not brave. I was terrified. He was so fast and strong. He slammed me to the ground...." My heart had begun to pound against my throat, and my words had become high pitched.

  "Shh, now, now, there's no reason to think of that anymore. You are very safe. Lord Montgomery has soldiers stationed all over his estate to protect you. He had the enforcers here, too. They may still be here. The Galaxic Militia sent a lieutenant out who has begun a full sweep of the system. The militia took the Parvac soldiers away. Everything is fine." While the man spoke, he applied patches to my left temple. He gave me a shot in my left shoulder. My arm was covered in a cast. He saw me looking at my arm. "The Parvac soldier broke your arm in two places. You will have to keep that cast for a few weeks while the nanites work to heal your bones." He lifted the sheet away and draped another one over my chest. Bandages covered my stomach. "You have some scrapes. I assume he tackled you from behind?" I nodded, but a sob escaped me, and I started to cry. Hiroshi appeared and dabbed at my eyes with a soft silk square. The patch or shot had begun to hide away the pain. The man pulled the sheet away, covering me with another piece so nothing super private would show. My right hip was an ugly purple, black, and blue.

  "That's where I hit the ground when he slammed into me," I told him. He put two pain patches there.

  "I believe a blast glanced off you there as well. What happened here?" He looked at my left knee.

  "I tripped." He winked at me.

  "Will you help me lift her up?" he asked Hiroshi.

  "I can't feel anything anymore," I said.

  "Good. Let's keep it that way for a few days," he said. While Hiroshi held me against his chest, the man looked at my back. "Looks like that soldier shot you in the back with a blaster," he said.

  "I ran from him as fast as I could, but it was nothing to him." Everything looked like it was floating. "Can I go to the bathroom, please?" He applied a new bandage to my back.

  "Sure, that would be fine. Can you carry her without touching here?"

  "Yes," Hiroshi said. He wrapped a sheet over me.

  "Don't leave her," the man said. Hiroshi carried me across the room and into a bathroom. He closed the door. Hiroshi carefully pulled the sheet away, sat me down, and draped the sheet over me. Hiroshi kept his hands on my shoulders.

  "I'll be okay, Hiroshi."

  "No, you won't."

  "I can't go with you in here."

  "Pretend I am not here." I tried.

  "I can't." Hiroshi turned the water on in the sink with one hand and then quickly brought it back to my shoulder. That worked. It seemed like I peed forever. It was so embarrassing. Once I had finished, I noticed the waste paper was on the side of my broken arm. Hiroshi tore some off for me. Hiroshi carefully lifted and covered me. Then, he carried me back to the big soft bed. Pillows had been piled behind me, so that I reclined against them. The man who had put the patches on me also covered me with the soft sheets and blankets. I noticed he was wearing a Galaxic Militia uniform. He spoke to another soldier in the room. The soldier had an angry expression.

  He said, "What kind of scum shoots an unarmed woman in the back?"

  The man said, "Did you see the rest of it?"

  "Yes, sir." They left. Hiroshi let me have more water. I saw Simon in a chair across the room.

  "Who were they?" I asked.

  Hiroshi said, "The doctor and soldier are with the Galaxic Militia. They came to see your condition and ours. The militia does not tolerate attacks against its citizens. They will retaliate."

  "Why did they try to kill us?" Hiroshi gave me more water.

  "We assisted Captain Espanoza."

  "Right, but they started it. Is Yukihyo okay and Phillip?" I asked.

  "Yukihyo will be fine. He took a strong blast from one soldier while fighting another. Phillip and I received no serious injuries. However, Phillip and Yukihyo refused to leave you all night. The militia doctor drugged them, so they would go to sleep."

  "You're still awake." Hiroshi showed me his side.

  "I am still armed." I smiled at him.

  "So, it's morning?"

  "Yes."

  "And it's raining?" I asked.

  In a calm soothing voice, I heard Simon say, "The storms may continue on and off like this for the next two weeks. My home is sturdy though. I had it constructed of logs. I have armed guards, too."

  "Okay." My eyelid closed, and I slept until morning came again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When I awoke, Yukihyo was staring at me. "I feared I would lose you."

  "I feared I would lose you, too." He looked over me.

  "Where can I kiss you that won't hurt you?"

  "My top lip in the right corner doesn't hurt." Yukihyo placed a delicate kiss on my lips. He moved the sheet away examining all of my injuries. Someone had applied new patches while I slept. "You were hurt, too. What happened?" I asked.

  "A Parvac grazed me with a blast. I am fine." Yukihyo showed me his side where the wound had sealed, but it still looked painful. Phillip entered through the open door. A large bruise healed along his jaw. I tried to sit up. It hurt too much.

  "Here. Let me help," Phillip said as he lifted me.

  "My back hurts. Did we get shot on the same power level, Yukihyo?"

  "No, he didn't plan to kill you."
>
  "That seems more frightening somehow. Are there more of them?"

  "No," Phillip said, as he put a new pain patch on my back.

  "Where's Hiroshi?" I asked.

  "He is sleeping, finally," Phillip said. I groaned. "Why?" Phillip asked.

  "I need to go to the restroom, and we've already survived the embarrassment together."

  "I'll take you," Yukihyo said.

  "No, the nanites don't need any more work to do. I'll take you, Cupcake." Phillip picked up a beautiful robe that had a pattern of roses woven into its hem.

  "That's pretty," I said. Phillip slipped a sleeve over my cast and then guided my right arm through the other one. He wrapped its edges over each other and carefully tied the front. Phillip pulled the sheets away. My knee didn't look too damaged. My feet were wrapped in bandages. Phillip picked me up and carried me to the bathroom. He lifted the back of my robe and sat me down. "I'll be okay. Really."

  "No, Teagan."

  "It's fine."

  "Could you sit up in bed by yourself?"

  "Hiroshi turned on the water." Phillip turned on the water in the sink. While sitting there and enjoying no privacy, I looked out of my swollen eye and saw a huge deep tub. "Can I use that?" I asked.

  "When you are strong enough to sit up, I will allow it."

  Frowning I said, "Hiroshi handed me paper." He did and then carried me back to bed. Yukihyo was sitting up. My pillows had been propped up. Simon sat in a chair and spoke to him.

  After Phillip had me tucked in, Simon asked, "Can I get anything for you, Teagan?" I thought.

  "May I please, please have a cup of black coffee?"