The Space Merchants

by Wendie Nordgren

  "You're angry with me?" I asked in a small voice.

  "You walked all alone from Tora, in a mining town of hundreds of men and few women. Someone could have taken you. It was reckless of you."

  "You're disappointed in me," I realized aloud.

  "Yes, I am," Yukihyo said. Cold chills began at my scalp and covered my arms. I wrapped my arms across each other, holding my elbows. Yukihyo, the only person who had ever loved me, was angry and disappointed with me. I had already ruined everything. A horrible ache penetrated the center of my chest and crawled up my throat, making it ache. My eyes grew hot. I left the kitchen, and as soon as I made it to the corridor, I ran to my quarters. I threw myself onto my bed and sobbed. They wracked through me. The ache in my chest had become a knife. What was wrong with me? Why did I have to screw everything up? Even when I tried to be good, I ended up doing something wrong. Had I lost Yukihyo? I felt a hand stroking my hair. I was afraid to look. What if it was Hiroshi telling me I was no longer welcome on Tora, my only real home. What if he said that Yukihyo had realized what a mistake he had made in marrying a girl who had slept on park benches? My blaster dug into my hip, but it was nothing compared to the ripping apart I felt in my heart. I moved my legs off of the bed to the floor and pushed myself off of the bed with my arms. I removed my blaster and put it in the box in my vanity. I turned to go wash my face in the bathroom, but strong arms surrounded me and crushed my face into a hard chest. My face was squished, my nose was running, and I still wanted to cry some more, but I really needed to blow my nose. My head was trapped by a chin on top of it, a hand holding the back of it, and a chest in front of it. I couldn't budge. Then, I felt a familiar calm rushing through me from Yukihyo.

  "I need a tissue," I said. Releasing me, he darted into the bathroom for one and came back dabbing at my tears. I took the tissue from his hand and noisily blew my nose. As soon as I had finished, I found myself again crushed to Yukihyo's chest. He pulled away just enough to bend and pick me up. Yukihyo carried me to the couch and held me in his lap.

  "I don't think I can ever forgive myself for causing your tears," he said while stroking my hair.

  "I can't forgive myself for disappointing you."

  "I'm not. I was angry. I could never be. I was disappointed in myself for not keeping you safe. You mean more to me than my own life."

  I sniffed, "You said I don't care about your feelings." Yukihyo kissed the top of my head. Thunderdrop's legs were wrapped around my throat, but he began to crawl toward my shoulder.

  "That was probably the stupidest thing I have ever said. Especially, since I can feel your emotions as I feel my own. The pain I just caused you stole my breath. Can you forgive me?"

  I pulled back to look at him, "but wasn't it all my fault?"

  "No, it was all mine. You did nothing wrong. Hiroshi informed me that you asked him if you could go and wore your blaster. Tora isn't a cage, lady wife. You may come and go as you please. My fear of losing you clouds my judgment at times. I don't want to control you. I want to share my life with you." I looked down at my hands.

  "I may have overreacted. Feelings from my past sometimes get all tangled up with my present and overwhelm me."

  "The same happens to me. I couldn't protect my clan. I am overprotective with you. I will try to improve."

  "Okay." I pulled back. "I think a shower and change of clothes will help me feel better," I said. Yukihyo followed me, removing his clothes and tossing them in the laundry basket. "I need to, umm, take care of some things." He shrugged and got in the shower. I peed and tossed my lady wardrobe protection. I worried he might notice my current state, but he washed my hair for me and ignored my biological situation.

  After our shower I dressed in my soft grey top and black pants. Thunderdrop placed himself back around my neck. He had tried to move mostly to Yukihyo's shoulder in the shower, but Thunderdrop had managed to get bubbles on himself that required some rinsing off. He smelled nice. He scooted to the other side of my neck so that I could dry my hair. The three of us went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Hiroshi came in with his face dark with anger.

  He shot his brother a look and asked, "Are you done being an asshole to my baby sister?"

  "Yes," Yukihyo answered. Hiroshi grunted. Then, he walked over and kissed my forehead.

  Hiroshi asked, "Teagan, what had your attention at the general store?"

  "I wanted to see if anyone liked any of the clothes I had picked out."

  "What clothes?" Hiroshi asked. I explained what I had done and that everything had already sold out.

  "Mr. Gregory told me to bring back more and that he would buy it all. His son is making a nicer display area for me." Yukihyo had a surprised expression. Hiroshi looked proud of me.

  "Excellent idea! You even made a nice profit. I had not given any thought to selling clothing to the women." Yukihyo groaned. Thunderdrop chattered at him.

  "Will we make any stops on the return to Malta, or should I make my purchases on the way to Earth?"

  Hiroshi said, "I suggest shopping in the mornings on the way. I plan to stay no longer than a day on Arachne and Scipio."

  The miners finished loading the cargo hold, and Hiroshi took us up minutes later. I got back into my domestic routine. Thunderdrop followed me everywhere. He began doing silly little things. He created elaborate webs in the corners of the kitchen, laundry, relaxation, recreation, and exercise rooms. Thunderdrop sat on his webs and watched me while I completed tasks. However, any time that I sat down, he ended up either on my lap, or any other perch he chose on my body. He became my inseparable companion. Upon occasion, although I thought perhaps I had an overactive imagination, I thought he could communicate his hunger to me. In other areas Yukihyo and I had survived our first relationship crisis. With my week of lady problems at an end, Phillip had insisted on running additional tests to make sure that all of my internal apparatus had healed correctly. Once he had satisfied himself with his proficiency as a healer, he congratulated me on my health. Phillip shot Yukihyo dirty looks for a few days after we left Malta, but eventually forgave him for causing my tears. Hiroshi and I spent daily time together in the exercise room. On our treadmills he jogged while I walked beside him. He explained some basics on trade and encouraged my ideas for purchases to sell to Mr. Gregory. It was completely new territory for me.

  "Just have fun buying and selling. Malta is the least interesting of our regular stops," he said.

  "Do you think we will have time for lunch at the Sun Palace one day while we are on Earth?" I asked.

  Laughing, Hiroshi said, "Of course, Uncle will want to see that I am taking good care of you!"

  "We need to stock up on orange chicken for the cold storage," I said wistfully.

  Thoughtful, Hiroshi said, "I could send Uncle a long range communication and request some. He would be thrilled." I closed my eyes.

  "How amazing would that be to open the cold storage and pull out my favorite thing? Yum. Just remember, orange chicken, okay?"

  "Got it," Hiroshi winked. Thunderdrop tried to get onto the treadmill behind me. He flew to the exercise mat. Shocked, I stopped the treadmill and rushed to him.

  "Poor, baby! Are you okay?" He stood up and gave himself a little shake. Then, Thunderdrop walked over to the treadmill and chittered angrily at it. Hiroshi had stopped his jogging as well. Hiroshi started laughing and so did I. When Thunderdrop turned to me and started to chitter angrily at me for laughing, I laughed even harder. I was down on the mat laughing so hard at the angry little spider that tears were running from my eyes. When, Hiroshi and I finally managed to stop, I picked Thunderdrop up into my arms.

  "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. You're just so cute when you're angry. I'm glad you're okay. Please don't be mad at us for laughing." With eight eyes Thunderdrop gazed up at me and blinked. Then, he crawled from my arms up a bit to my neck and nuzzled me under my chin. That moment started something though. Thunderdrop's new mission became making me laugh.

&nb
sp; Chapter Twenty

  By the time we landed on Arachne, we were once again a cohesive family unit. Hiroshi and Yukihyo had made arrangements with buyers for the fuel in route and had distributed it within hours of our arrival. Phillip dropped Thunderdrop and me off at the raised shops I had visited briefly on our previous trip. "I'll pick you up in three hours right here," Phillip said.

  Waving goodbye, I said, "See you then!" Thunderdrop decided to display himself prominently on top of my head once he sensed our arrival on his home planet. All of the Arachneans we passed told Thunderdrop how beautiful he was. I bought several pairs of shoes from the shopkeeper who had been so polite to me on my first visit. I remembered to buy different sizes. The shopkeeper placed each pair of shoes into its own drawstring silk bag before placing them all into a shopping bag for me. He thanked me profusely for my business. Next, Thunderdrop and I went to the store that sold gowns and pajamas. Yukihyo had explained to me the ladies' primary activities at Ms. Laura's brothel. Therefore, I concluded that alluring and costly Arachnean silk gowns and robes might sell quite well at Mr. Gregory's store. Phillip, knowing all of the ladies intimately, suggested buying only small and medium sizes. I bought twenty gowns of varying styles and lengths and ten of the beautiful robes the store carried. The bag, though filled to the top, weighed very little. Thunderdrop and I next visited the shop of the lady who had braided my hair. I declined having my hair done, but much to her delight, I purchased one of each of the hair accessories she sold. I entered the dress store that I had neglected on my previous visit. A shopkeeper followed me through the store carrying each of the silk dresses I selected. The shopkeeper ecstatically accepted my credit scan forty Arachnean silk dresses later. They filled three large dress bags and were by far the largest and most expensive purchase that I had ever made. It was a good thing that silk was light weight. Thankfully, the shopkeeper offered to carry the bags of dresses down to the land transport for me. Gratefully, I accepted. Phillip was true to his word and right on time. When he saw us coming down the stairs, he got out and opened the back of his land transport. Phillip took the bags from the shopkeeper, who bowed to us a few times before leaving.

  "These Arachneans sure are polite," I said. Phillip grinned and put all of my bags in the back. "Thank you for picking me up. Did you get all of your errands completed?"

  "I sure did, Cupcake. Ready to go back home?"

  "I am."

  "Did he stay up there the entire time?" Phillip asked while pointing at Thunderdrop.

  "Yes, he has been complimented on his good looks and behavior repeatedly." Thunderdrop chittered. Workers loaded the cargo bay with Hiroshi and Yukihyo documenting each crate. "Did they get all of that from Mr. Sonners?" I asked.

  "They sure did. They worked out an agreement on our last visit to have their order filled, stocked, and ready to go at a few hours’ notice." Phillip helped me carry my bags up to the habitation deck.

  "You know, there is a completely empty room right next to mine. Is it okay if I just leave these bags there?" I asked. Phillip entered the empty room.

  "I don't see why not." Two hours later and Tora was on a heading to Scipio.

  Since I knew they would all remain busy on the bridge until dinner, I went to the empty room with Thunderdrop clinging to my back and tallied up my purchases. I had spent three hundred credits on shoes, four hundred on gowns, three hundred on robes, a hundred on hair accessories, and two thousand credits on Arachnean silk dresses. With my math it came out to three thousand and one hundred credits. I felt some panic. I pushed it away. I could do this. Now, how did I make a fair profit on my purchases? Mr. Gregory would want to make a profit, too. On Scipio, Yukihyo had spent much more on gowns of the same quality. The prices seemed to get higher the farther items came from their source. I decided to sell Mr. Gregory everything for four thousand and six hundred credits. That would mean that I would earn one thousand and five hundred credits for three hours of shopping. I thought that was fair because he could double the prices and still make a profit. A hundred credits for one of these beautiful dresses would still be a bargain. I decided to ask Yukihyo his opinion when he had time. Trying to puzzle out the credits that I had spent and how to earn a profit with my investment had taken me an embarrassing amount of time. I imagined a can of spider food.

  Looking at Thunderdrop, I let out a sigh. "Come on, Thunderdrop. Let's go get dinner." In the laundry room, I fed Thunderdrop. Then, I waited in the kitchen for everyone to show up. It didn't take long. We ate dinner and cleaned up. "Teagan, will you join me for a moment?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Sure." I followed him into the laundry room where my spider showed me that he could balance on two of his legs. It was when he held the pose and then blinked at us that we began laughing. Thunderdrop jumped on top of my head. Yukihyo entered the lift. Surprised, I followed him. "This is new. I don't think I've ever been in the lift while in space," I said. The door opened, and I followed my husband into the area where the transports were parked.

  "Lady wife, I would like your opinion on this transport." Yukihyo walked me around to the other side of the large land transport. The transport that had been hidden from view by it, was smaller than Phillip's transport. It had four seats and a large storage compartment in the back. It was a rich cream color with dark blue seats in the open cabin. Either the driver or passenger could stand up, almost fully, and walk over to the seats in back. Yukihyo showed me how other than the driver's seat, the others could be swiveled to face in other directions.

  "Wow! This is definitely the nicest transport I've ever seen. I love the color and the seats."

  "I am relieved that you like it."

  I snorted, "Who wouldn't?" Yukihyo held the driver's door open for me.

  "Have a seat," he said.

  "Okay!" I slid into the seat. Yukihyo got in the passenger seat. The pretty blue seats were very comfortable, and the rich cream controls and onboard systems looked expensive, but very similar to Phillip's wrecked one. "It is set up like the transport Phillip taught me to drive."

  Yukihyo said, "It is a compromise." I looked at him.

  "What do you mean?" His eyes were white and calm.

  "I became irrational when you walked to the Gregory's store. Therefore, you should drive yourself, and we can both feel better. Lady wife, I bought this transport as a gift for you. In ports you should have the freedom to come and go as you please. It is my wish that when you are alone and away from Tora that you will agree to wear your blaster, though." My eyes grew wide.

  "Are you serious? This is for me? Really? Yukihyo? Really?"

  He smiled broadly, "Good, it pleases you! This transport is in your name as your personal property. May I have your permission to install a tracking device and link your systems to Tora?"

  "You can do anything you want," I said giving him a speculative look. Thunderdrop jumped down to explore the other transports. I said, "You know. We are down here all alone. Do you want to try out the seats in the back?" Yukihyo's answer to my question created some fogging of my transport's back windows. Sometime later and with our clothing all back in place, we returned with Thunderdrop to the habitation deck. Hiroshi and Phillip had already started a movie by the time we joined them.

  "Did she like it?" Hiroshi asked.

  "Looks like she liked it a lot," Phillip said under his breath. I threw a pillow at him.

  "My lady wife is pleased with her new transportation," Yukihyo said.

  I hugged Yukihyo's arm to my chest and said, "Your lady wife is shocked beyond belief at your generosity and excellent taste."

  "Excellent taste, huh?" Phillip smirked.

  "Phillip..." I didn't even know how to respond to him. He gave me his innocent look.

  As I laid in Yukihyo's arms that night, he whispered, "I never meant to hurt you." I stroked my fingers along his chest.

  "I never meant to frighten you," I whispered back. We twined our fingers together.

  "I have always detested possessive, controlling ma
les. I have no desire to become one. I hope you will be patient while I learn how to be a good husband to you."

  "You are a good husband to me and the best friend I've ever had. When you were angry with me, I realized that the worst thing that could ever happen to me would be losing you. I can live without anything. I can live without all of the luxuries you have provided for me. Being without you, though, would tear the very life from me. Feeling your love and acceptance, along with that of Hiroshi and Phillip, has changed me. I couldn't go back to an empty world again. I just couldn't." He let go of my hand and wrapped his warm strong arms tightly around me.

  "As long as I breathe, I will be at your side. Always be certain of that. Nothing will change this truth. Nothing you could ever do would cause me to leave your side. If you stopped loving me and chose another, I would beg to stay by your side as your loyal servant." I flew up.

  "I would never do that!"

  "And leaving you is something that I would never do. Are we clear on that, lady wife?"

  "We're clear." The bathroom door opened. Thunderdrop came out. "I can't believe you taught him to do that. Can you set the other door sensors to let him come and go from my quarters to the laundry room, so he has more freedom?"

  "I'll see what I can do." Thunderdrop chittered at us. I moved out of Yukihyo's arms and straddled his chest.

  "So, if I fell in love with another man, you would just step aside?" I asked.

  "Yes, I would have to step aside, so that you would not be injured by his limbs as I ripped them from his torso," Yukihyo replied in his deep monotone. I smiled and kissed his nose, pleased with his answer.

  Tora landed on Scipio. I could barely contain my excitement, but managed to sit still through breakfast.

  Once everyone had finished and I had cleaned everything, I asked, "Is it okay if I take my transport and show it to Felicia?" Yukihyo blushed and exchanged looks with Hiroshi and Phillip.