by T. J. Quinn
All those rotations spent alone took its toll on him, and he was starting to feel trapped by his own hand.
Maybe this message from Biurk could bring adventure back into his life. In reality, the farm could run itself with the androids he bought to work it. He could trust them to keep things running in his absence.
Deciding he didn’t have much to lose, he opened the message.
“I have a job for you. One of my ships was attacked near Endora, and I lost all of my crew to the pirates that attacked them. The human female I plan to marry was on that ship, and she was taken by the pirates as well. I want you to recover her for me. I’ll pay you well for the trouble,” Biurk had written.
“A human female? By now, they must have sold her in the black market. You know how precious they are for some species,” Korben wrote back, frowning.
Human female slaves had become one of the priciest species in the galaxy. The planet had only been discovered a few rotations ago, but the beauty and delicacy of Earth females attracted all sorts of males. But getting one wasn’t as easy as they first thought and their price on the black markets rocketed like none other.
Biurk’s reply came sooner than he expected, in the form of a call. “I know it’s possible. That’s why I’m hiring you. If anyone can find her it’s you,” he said, trying to entice him with flattery.
“How did you ever get a human female?” Korben asked, curious.
“I joined a Mail Order Bride Agency. She was on her way for us to get mated,” Biurk explained.
Korben let out a laugh of disbelief. “You, mating? That’s a new one.”
Biurk had one of the biggest harems he had ever known.
He shrugged. “Human females are special.”
“Does the poor female know she will be just one more in your collection?”
“That’s none of your business,” he retorted in an icy tone. “How soon can you go after them?”
“I still didn’t say I would do it,” Korben replied.
“But I know you will, especially when I tell you who took her,” Biurk said, with a victorious smirk on his hideous face.
As a Tlaxion, Biurk was a shapeshifter. Unlike other shapeshifters, Biurk’s species could shift into any other species they wanted, and they rarely showed their true ugly selves.
Biurk didn’t bother to shift when he was with his crew, but Korben knew he wouldn’t show his true self to a human female.
“Who took her?” he asked, though he suspected he knew the answer.
“Some Paklyor pirates.”
Of course, it had to be them. Korben had had a few encounters with some of those vicious pirates, and he knew how they worked. He had lost some battles against them, but in the end, he had always taken what he wanted from them.
His success was certainly what had brought Biurk to contact him again after so long.
“I guess you’ve dismissed your crew, now that you’re playing at farming, but I can provide you with whatever you need,” he offered, ignoring Korben’s silence.
“I can find my own crew,” Korben replied, with a frown.
He would never work with Biurk’s men. They were blindly loyal to Biurk, and they wouldn’t hesitate to double-cross Korben if it would serve their boss’s interests.
“I need you to get on this as fast as possible. The longer she stays with those pirates, the less chance anyone can get her back,” Biurk said, exuding urgency.
“Why don’t you forget about her and get yourself a new bride?”
“That’s not that easy. Having exposed this female to danger would put a red flag on me at the agency. She should have traveled in one of the agency’s vessels, but I insisted on picking her up. The agency won’t be pleased if they find out about this,” Biurk explained, scowling.
“I see…”
“Will you take the job?” he pressed him for an answer.
Korben remained silent for a few moments, though he already knew the answer.
“Any idea where they took her?” Korben asked, ignoring his question.
“No, though I’m hoping they took her to Pakly. It’s close enough to Endora and the best place for them to lay low and wait for me to give up the search,” he said, in a harsh tone.
“You’re giving yourself too much importance if you think they fear you,” Korben mocked him.
“I’m well aware of that, but this time, they know I can ask the Cetians for help. They’re backed up by this quadrant federation,” Biurk said, with a stony expression, mentioning the aliens managing the Mail Order Brides Agencies.
“Why don’t you call the Cetians?” Korben asked.
“I can’t risk it, I already told you that.”
“Your reputation is more important than your bride? That’s not a promising beginning for your mating.”
Biurk snorted, pissed at Korben’s mockery. “Will you do the job or not?”
Korben looked around, at the vast fields of his farm, one more time before he answered the other man’s question. “Why not? I don’t have anything better to do.”
Biurk tried to hide his sigh of relief. “Bring Arantxa to me as soon as possible. The agency will be knocking on my door to make sure she has arrived safe and sane in just a few days.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to send some of my men to help you?” he asked again.
“No, thank you. I can summon some of my old crew members, don’t worry about it.”
Biurk nodded reluctantly. “I’m sending you her picture and the vessel’s last coordinates. You should be able to pick their trail from there.”
“Perfect. I’ll be in touch.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Any idea what happened with your crew?” he asked before he ended the call.
“No. They sent out a distress message right before they were boarded by the Paklyors and nothing else after that. They were either killed or taken prisoners.”
“Do you want them back as well, if they’re still alive?” Korben asked, though he already knew the answer. Biurk didn’t know the meaning of loyalty.
“No… they’re a bunch of useless Krackians. I can replace them easily,” he confirmed Korben’s suspicions.
“Very well. I’ll see you in a few days.”
Chapter Four
Korben ended the call and set up a conference call with some of his friends. They jumped at the opportunity to escape their perfectly stable existences for a while.
Korben invited them to meet him in a couple of hours at the docks where he kept his ship. They all agreed, and just a few minutes later, he was on his way to the docks.
He was the first one to arrive, but that didn’t surprise him. He lived closer to the docks than his friends, and he had wanted to get there as soon as possible to get everything ready for departure. He hadn’t used his vessel in a while, and he certainly didn’t need any surprises during their journey to Pakly.
He was running through the systems checks when a hoarse male voice echoed through the hallways.
“Permission to come aboard.”
A male’s resonant, heavy footsteps preceded the tall, sturdy male that entered the main control room.
Korben raised his head to welcome his friend and pilot Kyor. “You got here faster than I expected,” he said.
“I wasn’t home. I have been in the city for a couple of days now. This time of the year is too damn boring on the farm. Your call felt like a lifesaver,” Kyor admitted as he lowered his small bag on the pilot seat.
Korben grinned. “I know the feeling. At first, I was determined to reject any proposition from Biurk, but the truth is I was as bored as you.”
Kyor scowled. “I know what you mean. Biurk is never up to anything good, but rescuing a damsel in distress can be thrilling,” he said, with a mocking tone.
“Exactly what I thought.”
“Need any help?” Kyor offered.
“Sure. I’m checking all the systems. We ca
n’t afford any surprises.”
They went back to work, and they were wrapping things up when the rest of his crew showed up: Rhyos, the aircraft engineer, Suriak, the communications wizard and Tulyn, the weapons expert. They had shared a lot of adventures back in the times they worked as mercenaries and traders.
After the greetings, they all gathered around the conference table.
“What can you tell us about this new adventure?” Rhyos asked.
He told them all he knew about the whole ordeal, looking up at the picture Biurk had sent him and displaying it on a big screen on the wall in front of him.
“She’s the human female we’re looking for,” he told his friends as her image displayed on the screen. “Her name is Arantxa.”
It was the first time Korben laid his eyes on her, and her picture stirred something inside him; he wasn’t quite able to identify.
Tulyn whistled his approval. “No wonder he wants her back.”
Arantxa looked very different from any other female Korben had ever known. She was petite with a curvy figure, reddish curls falling down her back and golden eyes. There were some cute little dots scattered all over her fair skin. She was beautiful.
“Are you sure they haven’t sold her by now?” Rhyos asked, with a slight frown, on his already wrinkled forehead.
Korben cleared his throat, looking away from her to focus on what his friends were saying. “At this point, I’m not sure of anything. Biurk’s vessel was attacked early this morning, near Endora. She could be anywhere, but I doubt they would rush to sell her,” he pointed out. “She’s worth millions of credits on the black market, but only if they manage to sell her to the right buyer.”
“You’re right. They wouldn’t find anyone able to pay that many credits at Endora. The rats’ nest would never attract those willing and able to pay that many credits for a slave,” Suriak agreed.
“We don’t know if they were aware of the female’s presence on board. If they were after Biurk’s usual merchandise, they would need time to think what to do with the female,” Korben added.
“I doubt Biurk told anyone she was on board,” Rhyos agreed.
“That makes me think they took her to Pakly while they find the right buyer for her,” Korben concluded.
“That makes sense,” Suriak nodded. “How are we going to confirm your theory?”
“The Endorians keep their orbit under constant surveillance. We just need to find someone willing to sell us the footage of what went down between the two vessels,” Korben explained.
“I might know the right guy for that,” Suriak said, with a devious grin.
“I thought you might,” Korben smiled. “So, our first stop will be Endora, and we’ll leave from there.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Kyor jumped up. “Let’s get this baby up in the air.”
The others got up as well, and soon they were at their positions for takeoff. It would take them a whole span to get to Endora, and Korben dreaded to think what the female might be enduring in the hands of Paklyors.
Though they were asexual, those creatures were as nasty as they came. They took pleasure in torturing their prisoners in ways that sent chills of dread down the spine of the strongest warrior. Though he was sure they wouldn’t harm the female permanently, not if they wanted to sell her, they would have some fun with her before they sold her.
“You looked worried. I’m guessing you’ve met these Paklyors before,” Suriak said, throwing his slim, blueish body into the seat next to Korben, in the conference room that doubled as a meals room for the crew’s mealtime.
They had been traveling the whole day, and it was time for them to take a break.
He smirked. “Yes, I have. They are some slimy, disgusting creatures. Though I never confronted this group personally, I had the displeasure to run into some of them a few times and managed to defeat them most of those times. They don’t play by the rules. I remember seeing one of them at one of the Mujat’s fighting arenas,” he told him. “He was fighting in the arena and the way he viciously attacked his opponent still makes my guts churn. He captured the male with his tentacles and spent the rest of time slashing him into little pieces. Quite a disgusting spectacle.”
“You’re worried about what they might be doing to the female,” Suriak said, understanding and sharing his concern. “If they want to sell her, they shouldn’t be too hard on her.”
“They aren’t the brightest creatures I’ve ever seen,” Korben replied, his frown deepening, his blue eyes getting so dark they almost looked black.
Suriak patted his back. “We’ll get to her before it’s too late.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“I’m starving,” Kyor said as he entered the room.
Suriak smiled. “We would be concerned if you weren’t,” he said, pressing a few buttons on a screen over the table, pulling up the menu. “What do you want for tonight?”
Kyor smiled. “I’m not picky. Just get me the first thing on the menu,” he asked, taking a seat across the table from Korben.
The other guys joined them, and a few minutes later they were all enjoying the prepacked food Korben had bought for this mission.
“I have to admit I missed this cardboard food,” Rhyos said, with a self-deprecating grin on his olive-skinned face.
“You’ll never get me to admit that,” Suriak said, in a disgusted tone.
As an excellent cook, the Muklar male tolerated the prepacked food they used during their shortest missions.
“Of course, it will never compare to the food you cook…” Rhyos said, with a smile. “But it brings back memories of all the fun we used to have when we were out there, looking for trouble.”
“With that, I can agree…” Suriak said with a sigh. “Perhaps we retired too soon,” he added with a mischievous grin.
The males laughed out loud, but no one bothered to dismiss his words.
They cleared the table when they finished eating, but Kyor called for their attention before they left the room.
“We need to discuss our strategy for after we leave Endora. I’ve been investigating this particular group of Paklyors, and all I’ve discovered tells me we’re in for a good fight,” he said.
Korben nodded and told them all he knew about them.
“What’s your plan? If Pakly is their home planet, we won’t be able to go land there unnoticed,” Kyor pointed out, with a slight frown.
“As asexual creatures, they have a very strange reproductive system. Once they reach the end of their life cycle, they disintegrate into dust, and a new creature is born from it. It takes them a couple of years to reach maturity, and they can live up to a hundred rotations. The only way to get rid of them forever is to kill them. They will rot, and no new creature can be born from that.” Korben explained. “This means their population is very small and they all live in small groups scattered all over the woods of the main continent on the planet.”
“So, we won’t have to fight all of them,” Tulyn concluded, already thinking which weapons to use against them.
“Exactly. This means we have to find the specific group that took Arantxa. Otherwise, it would be impossible to find them,” Korben said.
“If we get a good look at their vessel on the video, we shouldn’t have any problem tracking it down,” Suriak said, gloating. “I have been working on this new tracking device that should be perfect for that task,” he added.
The others laughed. They had always known, despite his oaths, Suriak wouldn’t be able to keep from tinkering with electronic devices.
“That settles it,” Korben said, dismissing the group.
With nothing else to do, he headed to his quarters. Despite his conscious efforts, he hadn’t been able to get the female out of his mind. There was something about her that intrigued him, and he wasn’t sure what it was. Whatever it was, it urged him to rescue her from the Paklyors. He hated to think of all she might be enduring at their hands.
***
Chapter Five
Arantxa heard the heavy footsteps down the hall and wit her heart drumming against her chest, she tried to decide what to do. She had barely explored the vessel, so she had no idea where she could hide or even if that was a good idea.
If the crew was either dead or gone, staying alone on the ship might not be such a good idea. But whoever attacked the ship might be an even worse option.
Wishing she for better options, she decided to get out of her room and at least try to hide from whoever was searching the ship. Cautiously, she opened the door, hearing the footsteps closer now and scurried in the other direction.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough, and a gruff voice alerted the group about her presence.
She didn’t waste a second looking back to see who was coming after her, scared to death of what she might see. However, she didn’t make it much further, before something that looked a lot like a mechanical tentacle, swept around her waist and imprisoned her.
She screamed, startled but when she turned her head to see what was holding her, the shock was so great, she passed out.
Arantxa came to herself, slowly. At first, she had no idea what had happened but soon, images of her last moments at the hallway filled her mind, and she had to bit her lower lip to muffle the moan of terror.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, afraid of what she might see, but then, she realized she was alone, in what looked like a small cell, with three metallic walls and one made of electrified bars.
The cell had nothing in it, and she was lying on the cold floor, naked.
Whimpering, she sat up and looked around, trying to control the waves of panic rushing through her. Her brain was still having difficulties in processing what she had seen before she passed out, and she was praying to all the gods she knew, that she had imagined the awful creature she had seen.
A gush of cold air made her naked body tremble, and she pushed herself to the furthest corner, away from the bars, pulling her legs against her chest.
A few moments later, she heard the same heavy footsteps she had heard back on the ship. Her heart threw itself into a frantic pace as she waited for the inevitable, her eyes tightly closed.
