The Space Merchants

by Wendie Nordgren

  "I don't remember much about her. She left when I was very young," I supplied.

  Eric's eyes became glacial and his voice was just as hard when he said, "After studying your medical records and seeing proof of Nathan Green's abuse, I do not believe she left you. It's time you looked at the facts as a grown woman and not as an abandoned and abused child." Thunderdrop clung to my left leg and stayed very silent and still.

  "What are you suggesting?" I couldn't hold Eric's gaze anymore. I shoved more of my feelings away and took a deep breath and then another.

  "I suggest that Nathan Green murdered your mother in a fit of rage," Eric said. Chills spread over my arms, and I heard her hauntingly sad humming of the song from the music box. "Nathan Green can tell me about your mother and what happened to her, if I can find him." I looked up.

  "What do you mean, if you can find him?"

  "Nathan Green went missing from Earth roughly two days after your genetic scan on Arachne."

  "Missing?" I asked.

  "At first I thought he knew who your relatives were, and that he feared punishment for your abuse. I searched all communications of any and all individuals at Lady Glaucia's tea party and even those of our own family along will all of the servants and staff. I searched all of Nathan Green's communications, up until he went missing. No one told him your true identity. No one warned him. Tora's crew have alibis on Arachne as do all of our family members, so none of us made him disappear."

  Confused and scared I said, "If he didn't find out about me, and if none of us were involved, then what do you think happened to him?" I looked back up at Eric's face.

  "Someone else took him. Someone carefully watching Arachne for particular genetic markers to appear in medical data bases could have traced back from you to Nathan Green and had him taken," Eric explained. I shook my head.

  "Why?"

  "For the same reason I want him."

  "Other than all of us, who would care?" Eric took my hands in his.

  "Your mother's family would care. She could have siblings or cousins looking for her, as we searched for Ettie Montgomery." Eric had a patient expression.

  "Her family? Eric, her family.... If my grandmother was taken by the Parvacs, then my mother's father would be one of them. Right?"

  "Yes, the probability that your grandfather was a Parvac is very high," Eric didn't blink as he spoke.

  My voice shook as I said, "You know. You know from studying my medical records and from the genetic scans. Laconian heritage shows up in both of us, cousin. Does Parvac show up in mine?"

  "Yes, it does. I have no way of knowing who he was, but I do know he was Parvac." I stood and paced Eric's quarters. Thunderdrop moved to the couch were he watched me intently.

  "You think the Parvacs had spies on Earth and maybe even Arachne just waiting and watching, and they took him?"

  "Yes, I do. If the Galaxic Militia has informants scattered about the expanse, the Parvacs must have them as well." I turned to Eric.

  "So, the Parvacs know who I am. What if they try to take me, too?"

  The thought of being ripped away, just when I had more than I had ever dreamed possible, horrified me.

  "It won't happen. I've had you under constant surveillance since I found out you were my cousin. I won't let anyone take you." Eric's gaze was unwavering.

  "Surveillance, how?"

  "I have armed soldiers follow you everywhere. I had a long range stealth fighter trailing Tora from Arachne." I felt staggered by the amount of power at Eric's command.

  "I guess it's a good thing you're on my side," I said in a shocked tone.

  "You are free to go where ever you wish. I know you plan to go to Malta. Captain Espanoza has been apprised of the situation and will protect Tora and her crew. However, I would take it as a personal favor, as all of the Alarics and Montgomeries would, if you would remain on Arachne until my investigation is complete."

  "Being away from Yukihyo for that long would be unbearable," I choked. Eric stood and took my hands.

  "If the Parvacs did manage to kill your security detail, and grab you on Malta or Amphictyon, do you think Yukihyo or any of us would ever see you again?" A sob escaped me and I couldn't push my feelings away fast enough. I tried to breathe slowly. I got myself under control.

  "All of this that you've just told me, do Yukihyo, Hiroshi, and Phillip know? Does our family know?"

  Eric paused and said, "They know." The next thing I knew, I was seated on the couch by Thunderdrop.

  "What do they think?" I asked.

  "Yukihyo, Hiroshi, and Phillip will protect you with their lives. They know all of the men on your security detail and trust them." I came to a horrifying realization.

  "I may be putting them in danger. What if the Parvacs go after the people I love to get to me?"

  Eric shook his head, "Whoever is searching for you doesn't want to hurt you in any way. They want you, just as your Arachnean family does. On the other hand, if your Parvac relatives do have Nathan Green, they most assuredly are hurting him, and will take all of the answers they want from him as they do." I shrugged.

  "I don't care what they do to him." Thunderdrop blinked up at me. I ran my hand down his back. Eric put his big uniformed arm around me, and I rested my head against his shoulder.

  "I will keep you safe. You will not live in fear or as a prisoner. You will do what you want and go where ever you want to go. It is your right and my duty to uphold," Eric murmured into my hair. Thunderdrop continued to blink at me.

  "I understand that Eric, but continuing on like nothing is wrong would endanger my family needlessly. If my selfish desire to go to Malta, to play at being a merchant, put everyone I love in danger, including this little guy, I would never forgive myself. I'll talk to Yukihyo."

  "Teagan whatever you decide to do, you have my support. I promise to discover the truth."

  I huffed, "Over seventy years have passed with people trying to find out the truth." Eric squeezed my arm.

  "You won't have to wait that long. Someone will make a move and when he or she does, I will be ready." Thunderdrop rubbed a feeler against my wrist.

  "If I'm on Arachne, surrounded by family, you won't have to spread your resources out as far to keep me safe."

  "You will be alright. The initial shock of discovering your heritage is over, everyone loves you, and you can survive two weeks without Yukihyo. I can get a lot done in two weeks. Would you like to go down to the firing range and try shooting something with more power than a blaster?" I lifted my head from Eric's shoulder.

  "That sounds nice. Eric," my voice choked on the rest. Then, "Do you really think my father killed my mother?" Eric moved his hand in small circles on my back.

  "I do. Teagan, she wouldn't have left you with him." The inside of my throat felt like it was clenched in a fist.

  "Chirp chirp." Thunderdrop curled against my neck and shoulder and I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. I concentrated on his claws hugging my neck and the whisper of sound he made as he blinked. The fist inside of my throat began to relax, but the ache seemed to move and settle in my chest.

  "Yes, shooting targets sounds like a good idea," I said.

  Eric held the blaster cannon on his shoulder, but he let me pull the trigger. After we finished shooting things, Eric took Thunderdrop and me back to Tora. He knew I needed time to process everything we had talked about. Eric drove us inside, replaced my remote entry device, and waited outside until I closed the ramp. "Let's go to the kitchen. I could use a cup of coffee."

  "Chirp." I took the lift to the laundry room. I made a cup of coffee and Thunderdrop sat up in his corner web and watched me.

  "Well, spider baby, what should we do?" He just blinked at me. I put my elbows on the table and rested my head in my hands. The door slid open and I looked up.

  "Hey, Cupcake!" Phillip said with a rakish grin on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked after observing my expression.

  "I just had a long talk with Eric." Philli
p sat across from me.

  "What about?" he asked.

  "I thought he said you all knew. He told me about his suspicions and fears for my safety, about armed security he has assigned to me, about Nathan Green's missing status, and everything else." Phillip clasped his hands together on the table.

  "I wish he hadn't told you any of that."

  "Why not?"

  "You've had enough to deal with." I laughed and smiled at Phillip.

  "What are you laughing about?" Phillip looked at me as though I were crazy.

  "What Eric had to say to me was hard to hear, but it didn't tear me up the way Gram did when she brushed my hair. Oh, Phillip, why does doing the right thing have to feel so bad?" Yukihyo and Hiroshi chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. I jumped up and threw myself into Yukihyo's arms. Yukihyo stroked my hair.

  "Eric told you," he stated. I nodded against his chest. "I don't want you to worry. Everything will be fine."

  Hiroshi said, "Yes, you are safe. We will protect you."

  "I know that you would. I know that if Parvac soldiers tried to take me, the three of you would fight to the death protecting me." I pulled away from Yukihyo enough to see their grim nods. "That isn't something I can allow."

  "What are you saying?" Hiroshi asked in a gruff voice. Yukihyo answered for me.

  "She is going to stay on Arachne while we go to Malta." Hearing Yukihyo say it was like a knife in my heart. He pulled me back against his chest.

  In a low soft voice, I said, "Two weeks is a long time. Being separated from you for three days made me miserable." Yukihyo lifted my chin in his hand, looked deeply into my eyes, and kissed me greedily right there in front of everyone. When he ended the kiss, I was breathless.

  "Each day you remind me what an excellent choice I have made in begging you to be my wife," Yukihyo said. I blushed a bright shade of pink.

  "You did not have to beg." Yukihyo stroked my hair.

  "Teagan, if this is your choice, I'm sure we can speed up our business on Malta and return a couple of days ahead of schedule," Hiroshi suggested.

  "Don't forget, Hiroshi. I had my own business with Mr. Gregory. My transport is full of dresses."

  "I will see to Mr. Gregory for you," Yukihyo assured me. "What are they all going to think when I don't show up? I don't want them to know the truth. What would they think of me to know my Parvac relatives might be hunting for me?" I took a deep breath.

  "That is no fault of yours, your mother's, or Ettie Montgomery's," Phillip said.

  "It doesn't change the fact that enemy blood runs through my veins. Does it?"

  Yukihyo said, "Laconian and human blood runs in your veins as well, lady wife. You come from the noble clans of Alaric and Montgomery. I do forbid you to be ashamed of who you are." I couldn't recall ever having seen such a serious expression on his face.

  "You are also a Lee. Don't forget that," Hiroshi said.

  "That is something I swear never to forget."

  Phillip clapped his hands together. "Well, now that is all settled, let's eat." We decided to have a special Uncle Lee feast.

  Once I had a mouthful of orange chicken, Yukihyo said, "Eric has become even more protective of you than I am, lady wife." I finished chewing.

  "How?" Yukihyo winked at Hiroshi and Phillip.

  "Your cousin has placed the most advanced tracking devices I have ever seen in your stuffed bear, your transport, and in Tora's bay." I didn't know what to say.

  "Yes, they are much more advanced than the one Simon had placed in the beautiful necklace he gave you," Hiroshi agreed.

  Yukihyo nodded, "Yes, that device is the same as the one Eliot placed in her picture frame."

  In exasperation I said, "You have got to be kidding." Phillip gave me a sly grin.

  "I told you about the one I placed in your identification and credit chip bracelet, so don't be annoyed with me," he said.

  "Yukihyo, I thought you already placed a tracking device in my transport. What do I need two of them for?"

  Yukihyo shrugged and said, "Eric wants his own. Do you want me to remove them?"

  With a furrowed brow, I asked, "I don't know. Do you think we should remove them or keep them?" Hiroshi snorted.

  "I can't believe you just asked that question," Phillip snickered.

  "Fine. Leave them," I said.

  That night as I rested my head on my husband's shoulder, with his arm wrapped around my back, I asked, "Are you spending the day with me tomorrow?" Yukihyo's deep monotone rumbled through the ear I had pressed against him.

  "Yes, and I can't remember the last time I went to the baths. Other than the time I spend with you, I am busy working." His chest felt warm and safe under the palm of my hand. Thunderdrop walked gracefully over the blanket covering our legs and to the floor, before climbing up into his tree.

  "I appreciate how hard you work. It feels good going into the stores and buying whatever I want. I used to have to save up to afford lunch at the Sun Palace."

  "You never have to worry again, my wife." I rubbed a few of his chest hairs between the pads of my thumb and index finger.

  "I am worried about the Parvacs. If they did manage to take me, I would end up like grandmother and never see you or anyone else I love ever again." Yukihyo stroked my hair.

  "I, along with everyone else, am doing everything we can to protect you. Hiroshi, Phillip, and I have begun selling our trade routes to other merchants we trust. We will operate from Arachne. Hiroshi is even trying to convince Uncle Lee to move to Arachne and open a new Sun Palace there." I raised myself to a sitting position.

  "Then what will we do?"

  "Lord Alaric has suggested we sell his silk in the Laconian sector. I may have better luck negotiating with them than the Arachneans who have attempted to establish trade with them in the past." Yukihyo pulled me back down to him. "It will take a few months to make the transition, but I know you will be safe on Arachne." Yukihyo kissed me and rolled me beneath him. Then, he parted my thighs with his knee and drove all thoughts, but those of him from my mind.

  Thunderdrop, Yukihyo, and I arrived at the baths and as soon as we entered, Tina and Patna came forward to greet us. "Teagan, it is so good to see you! Hello, Thunderdrop. It is also good to see you," Tina said.

  "Chirp."

  "Tina, my husband will be joining me today."

  "Excellent. If you will both follow us, we will see you to a dressing room," Patna said.

  After we had changed, I said, "Husband, you look so good in those swim shorts, I don't know if I can let you leave this dressing room." The white trunks left little to the imagination and I wasn't sure I wanted Patna and Tina ogling the muscles of his stomach, sides, arms, and back. My heart rate had begun to speed up. Yukihyo gave me a seductive grin.

  "Lady wife, you are feeling possessive, jealous, and aroused. I am intrigued. However, we are here." I frowned at him.

  "I just don't like the idea of other women looking at you. They can't help but want you. When they realize they can't have you because you are mine, they will suffer from broken hearts." Yukihyo laughed and took my hand, pulling me from the dressing room. Patna and Tina led us away with Thunderdrop crawling up my hair. I didn't enjoy the usual hair removal, but I did enjoy watching as my husband became smooth faced. Later, during our massages, as I watched an attendant use her hands on my husband's back, shoulders, and arms, I felt an overwhelming surge of anger and jealousy.

  "My lady, your shoulders are so tense. Please try to relax," my attendant admonished. Yukihyo chuckled. Thunderdrop chittered at Yukihyo.

  "Good boy," I told him.

  "Chirp."

  Afterward, Tina and Patna took us to a different pool that I had not seen. The water was warm and soothing, and I finally began to release my Parvac induced tension. Yukihyo pulled me through the water and sat me on his knees. I placed my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. The barrier I had resurrected around myself during my conversation with Eric began to dissolve. Thunderdrop chi
rped. "That feels better, lady wife."

  "What does?"

  "The connection between us has felt muffled for several hours."

  Tina and Patna took us to the lady who always did my hair next. Her eyes widened when they took in Yukihyo, and then she blushed and tried to hide it. I saw Tina and Patna eyeing his backside. Yukihyo got his hair cut while I got my manicure and pedicure. Tina whispered, "You deserve to have such a handsome and strong husband."

  "Please forgive me for looking," Patna said. She gave me a mischievous grin.

  "I forgive you. It is difficult not to look at him, especially when he is so uncovered," I said. When it was my turn to have my hair done, Yukihyo spoke up.

  "Lady wife, when last you came here, I thought your hair looked more beautiful than ever before." Patna sighed. The lady, who had cut his hair and now washed mine, blushed and smiled.

  "Would you please curl my hair the way you did last time?" I asked.

  "Yes, of course!" she said. We didn't eat at the baths. When we left, Yukihyo drove us to the waterfall restaurant where he had asked me to be his wife. We fed Thunderdrop little pieces of meat and enjoyed the rush and splash of the water, the gentle breeze, and the warmth of the sun. I noticed a man watching us, but he quickly moved from my sight.

  "You finally noticed one of your guards?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Yes, that was one of the men who piloted one of the fighter ships."

  "Eric selected his best men to protect you. It gives me much relief. The Parvacs have taken enough from me. I could not survive losing you." I got up from my seat and went to him. I pulled his chair out enough so that I could sit in his lap.

  "I know how you feel, because I feel the same way about you. In fact, I love you even more with your new haircut." He laughed at me, and I kissed him on the nose and moved back to my seat. "I also love your deep voice," I told him.

  As I slept the next morning, Tora had begun the week long journey back to Arachne. The singing of birds from my alarm woke me, and I stretched out in the empty bed. The bathroom door opened, and Thunderdrop came out. "Good morning. I'll get up, and we'll get our breakfast. Are you excited about going back to Arachne?"

  "Chirp."