The Space Merchants of Arachne

by Wendie Nordgren

  “Of course, darling.” I kissed Papa on the cheek. Nico reached for my hand and kissed my fingers.

  “If you want a kiss on your cheek, you will have to bend down quite a bit, Nico.” He bent down, and I lifted up on my toes to give his cheek a quick peck. When he stood and looked down at me, his expression was unreadable. I smiled and waved. Kaoti gave me his arm and helped me up Tora’s ramp.

  In the lift Kaoti said, “You just secured Yukihyo’s safety in the Parvac Empire.”

  “How?”

  “You paid General Cassian the highest honor when you invited him to pose for a family picture with the Emperor, but then to kiss him in front of your father and the General’s own highest ranking soldiers in his army just won you the protection of both the Cassians and their allies.”

  “General Cassian is my father’s choice. Isn’t he?”

  “Yes, Princess. However, Emperor Probus will only introduce men to you whom he deems worthy.”

  “I’m so glad we’re home on Tora. This is the only place I can really relax and be myself. I need time to think. Do you think Papa was pleased with my behavior?”

  “Yes, but he will not be completely at ease until you have a Parvac husband.”

  “What would have happened if Papa had never known about me?”

  “Without an heir, upon an emperor’s death, civil war erupts until a winner seizes control. The worst war of our history took place several hundred years ago on the planet Daphoene. It is almost between Thalassa and Apellan. Its surface was said to have been drenched in Parvac blood. Your line has ruled since that time. A civil war would not only affect Parvac, but also the Galaxic Expanse and Laconian Sector. If a new Imperial family ruled, they might not be inclined to continue the peaceful coexistence your father has begun. One marriage and the possibility of an heir would alleviate much political tension.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Thunderdrop and Cass raced into my sitting room to play with their toys. As soon as I sat down, my vid-screen began to beep. “Teagan, everyone is bursting with excitement! The Cassians say you have favored Nico. Is it true?” Grandmother asked with happy tears in her eyes while a joyous looking Aunt Seyla stood behind her.

  “What does ‘favored’ mean?”

  “It means you consider him as a potential husband.”

  I frowned. “Well, I guess that’s true.”

  “Teagan, he is an excellent choice.”

  “But Grandmother, I have a husband. Don’t you think that’s um….”

  “No, not unless you make it that way in your own heart and mind. You realize Laconian men often have more than one wife, don’t you? Your facial expression says you did not know.”

  “I had a second husband, but our union produced no offspring,” Aunt Seyla said. “Perhaps we should talk about this some more tomorrow.”

  Grandmother asked, “Is there anyone else you might be considering?” I touched my narwhal necklace. Grandmother and Aunt Seyla said, “Aw,” at the same time. I ended the call. I went to my bathroom, got a wet washcloth, and laid down with it over my eyes.

  Chapter Seventeen

  By the second day of our trip, the crew had begun having conversations about civil war, heirs, and suitable husbands. I cringed every time I heard them and found somewhere else to be. I returned to my practice of walking on the treadmill to clear my thoughts. Hiroshi always joined me. “Are you any less disturbed?”

  “No.”

  “Your father will introduce more men to you when we return.”

  “What would you do if you were me?”

  Hiroshi chuckled, “If I were the prince of a powerful empire, and my father pleaded with me to choose as many rich, beautiful wives as I wanted to provide an heir to save potentially hundreds of thousands of future lives, and the women only wanted to give me all of their wealth and power for a night with me, I should agree repeatedly and with eagerness.”

  “What if you had already fallen in love with a princess and wanted to remain faithful to her?”

  Hiroshi’s dark hair shone under the lighting and his dark brown eyes sparkled in amusement. “At least your prince is fond of large families.” I avoided the topic for the remainder of the week.

  Hiroshi said we were refueling on Malta and leaving soon after brief visits with our friends. When we parked in front of the brothel, Kaoti eagerly opened my door and guarded us as Yukihyo helped me inside. Then, he, Hiroshi, Simon, and Phillip grabbed their wrapped gifts and darted up the stairs. As we had the time before, Yukihyo and I played cards with Ms. Laura. I had to stand up a few times and stretch my back.

  After our relaxed and happy crew returned, we stopped in at the Gregories. Simon showed them one of the gowns from Parvac and asked if they wanted to place an order. I thought Arthur Jr.’s eyes might pop out. He put his hand under the thin fabric, and his mind went elsewhere. He and Simon made a deal. After Hiroshi made certain Tora was full of fuel, we continued toward Arachne.

  My paintings were on the wall behind my bed. Thalassa had been a calm and serene place. I went to my peaceful place on board Tora to bake. Otto had replaced my baking supplies without Phillip’s knowledge. Cass and Thunderdrop came with me. They began blinking at my belly with more curiosity than usual. Simon and Kaoti joined us. While making the frosting, I jumped and put my hand on my stomach. I locked eyes with Simon. He got up from the table.

  “That was more than a flutter!” It happened again, and I put Simon’s hand over the spot. I whispered, “Did you feel that?’

  “Just barely,” he whispered back.

  “What has my wife so excited?”

  Simon whispered, “Come see if you can feel it.” It happened again. I looked up at Yukihyo who was grinning ecstatically. Simon took all four of my pans out of the oven. I iced the two lemon cakes and placed one on the table near me with a big glass of pineapple fizzy water. I cut a large piece for myself and then politely asked Kaoti if he would inform our other two crew members that there was cake. I started eating without them.

  Once we docked on Arachne and made the hour long drive to the Alaric estate, we were greeted by Ethan and Sydney who waited for us in the foyer. I melted into Ethan’s arms. We went to the living room, sat by the fire, and I had a good cry against the safety of his chest. I didn’t need to tell him why I was upset. The crew had been having vid-chats with him and the rest of the family about it. During those conversations, Gina had been the prevailing voice of reason.

  “After we return from our next trip, I want to stay here until our baby is born. This is all too stressful, and I want to be safe here at home.”

  “Then, that is what you will do. Your father should be understanding. Surely, he has a few months of work to keep him occupied during your absence. It will also give the families time to fill the orders from the empire for our silks.” Ethan kissed the top of my head.

  “I love you, Ethan.”

  “I love you, Teagan.”

  The family had given us privacy but waited for us in the sitting room. The boys had brought our gifts inside. Thunderdrop and Cass chirped away at ZeeZee. I gave him a seashell from Thalassa. Intrigued, he took it upstairs. I gave Gram and Auria their coral necklaces. Then, I passed out their gowns. Eliot, Sherman, and Ethan gave those their intent interest. I feared Auria was a few minutes away from an impromptu husband and wife situation. After a family lunch, I went to my room, took a long bath, and changed into a new silk dress I found in my closet. Gina came to my room and brushed my hair. As she brushed it, Kaoti came to ask if he could borrow my transport. I saw a wrapped gift under his arm. “Sure. Be careful.”

  Kaoti saluted me and left. That night Kaoti married the girl from the indoor market. Her name was Violet, and she did not want to visit the Parvac Empire. Kaoti had agreed in their marriage contract that Violet could reside wherever she wished. My family exchanged cunning looks at that news. A huge weight lifted from me. I belonged to a family of skilled negotiators. They would figure my mess out. Eliot winked at me a
nd rubbed my belly.

  Whenever I sat still, the baby kicked me. ZeeZee, Thunderdrop, and Cass watched my stomach as though it were a movie on the vid-screen. Auria was curious to see General Cassian, so I showed her the picture of us. “He is a giant. Are you afraid of him?” I nodded. I went to my closet and handed Auria a bag. “What’s this?”

  “That is a chaste version of a Thalassan swim dress. I thought you might invite your husband for a swim.”

  Auria’s eyes grew wide. “This is smaller than our underthings!”

  “The beach is scandalous. Most people don’t wear anything at all to play in the water. I made sure everyone was clothed when I went to float.”

  “I wonder what Eliot would do if he saw me in this.”

  “Go try it on, and I’ll tell him you need his opinion on a new fashion. I shouldn’t be the only pregnant woman in the house, Auria.”

  She giggled and helped me up. I found Eliot in the office. I knocked. “Yes, Teagan?” Ethan asked.

  “Eliot, if Ethan can spare you for a moment, Auria needs your help upstairs.”

  “Is she alright?”

  “She just needs your opinion about something is all. Do you have time?”

  “Of course. Father, I will be back in a moment.”

  I had made my thoughts and feelings as bland as I could make them. I imagined Eliot walking up the stairs to the third floor.

  “What are you up to?”

  I grinned and said, “Wait for it.” An overpowering wave of lust hit me and made my eyes grow wide. “Oh, my. Eliot really likes what passes as a swim dress on Thalassa.” Ethan chuckled. I shrugged. “Auria should be fat, too.”

  “You aren’t fat.”

  “Let’s get out of here for a while and go see my spiders.” Ethan stood, and we walked from the office, through the kitchen, and out to the garage. We climbed inside a small covered roller. “Where is Sydney?”

  “She went with Phillip and Dr. Perry to assist in purchasing some new medical equipment.”

  “What kind?”

  “The kind used in labor, delivery, and newborn care. We hope the equipment will get lots of use.” Thunderdrop jumped to the tree in front of our path as we turned, and Ethan stopped to let him inside. He perched on my stomach and blinked at me.

  “Hello, baby. Are you as happy as I am to be home?”

  “Chirp!”

  “Sherman and I have purchased several toys for our spiders. ZeeZee has been teaching them to play. The young spiders have stopped laying lines of silk across the roads.” I nodded. They had been bored.

  Ethan drove me out to our campsite. The spiders had created a lace canopy over our tent. I went inside and everything was just as we had left it. I walked back out. I lifted my face, closed my eyes, and breathed in the air. I laughed and felt overcome by joy. “I love it here.” My spiders had all come to see me. “Thunderdrop, will you please thank our spider family for the beautiful web they have made to adorn our home?”

  “Chirp!” Thunderdrop jumped from me to the web to convey my gratitude. A huge familiar female appeared and showed us all of her babies. Ethan and I sat not far from the color shapes as the hand-sized babies crawled over us and blinked at us with tiny black pearl eyes. I giggled, and Ethan laughed.

  “Am I imagining it, or do these babies look like Cass?” Ethan asked.

  “He tried to catch her when Simon brought me out here five or six months ago. It looks like he was successful. Can you video them for Simon?” Ethan recorded them while I petted and cooed to them. “Thunderdrop, will you compliment her on her beautiful babies? They are the cutest little spiders that I have ever seen. I love them so much!” Thunderdrop chirped away. She came to me and rubbed her feelers against my stomach. I rubbed her leg. “Yes, I’m having a baby, too.” She blinked at me. “Oh, Ethan, thank you for driving me out, but I’m hungry. Maybe Eliot’s whistling by now.” We both laughed. “Bye for now. I’ll get Yukihyo to bring me back in a few days.” Thunderdrop translated.

  Ethan, Eliot, Auria, Gram, and I had lunch together in the sunroom. Auria winked at me. I laughed. Gram held my hand and fed me stuffed raviolis. Gina joined us. “Where is Sherman?” I asked

  “He and Simon are overseeing production of those new gown designs.”

  Ethan coughed and said, “Those gowns will make you even wealthier.”

  “Oh, you liked those?” Gina asked him.

  Gram said, “He liked whatever it was Sydney tried on as much as whatever it was Auria tried on earlier for my grandson.” Auria choked on her juice. Eliot chuckled and patted her back.

  Gram and I excused ourselves for naptime. When I woke up, I went downstairs. I checked in the kitchen, but there were no olives. Luckily, I knew just the man to take me to the indoor market. He was the only man in my life not engaged in making money or learning how to operate advanced medical equipment. He also had a new wife on whom to check. Thunderdrop clung to my shoulder having sensed my intentions. He showed me an image of honeyed chicken. I stroked his leg.

  “Kaoti?” He had been so close, but so silent, that I jumped and held my stomach.

  “Forgive me, Princess. I will try to make more noise in the future.”

  Sighing, I said, “Thanks. Will you take me to the indoor market, please? I don’t feel steady enough to go alone, and everyone else is busy.” Kaoti bowed. “I don’t want to drive either. I’m being kicked.” Kaoti went to the garage and pulled my transport around. “Maybe we should go to the jewelry store first. Did you get her a ring?”

  “No, I gave her half of my credits.” I showed him my ring.

  “Our husbands give us wedding rings. Her feelings will be hurt if you don’t follow that tradition. Do you have enough credits left to get her one?” He nodded. The store clerk was thrilled to see me.

  “Lady Alaric Montgomery Lee, it is a pleasure to see you. How may I help you?”

  “Good afternoon. My friend is recently married and would like to look at wedding rings.”

  “I will put a tray together. One moment, please, sir.” He returned, and Kaoti selected a ring with the largest diamond he could find.

  “Do you have any pieces to match this?” Kaoti asked. The store clerk returned with a necklace and bracelet. “Yes, these will do. My wife will have all three.”

  “Yes, sir. These will require twenty-five thousand credits.” Kaoti passed him a scan card. The store clerk scanned it. “Thank you, sir. Please give me a moment to wrap your purchases. Is there a color your lady prefers?”

  “She likes pink.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  “Yikes, Kaoti. Do you have any credits left?”

  “Yes, Emperor Probus pays me well to ensure your safety.”

  “I need to make you some protective shirts after we leave the market.” He returned with Kaoti’s gift, bowed, and thanked us. As we were leaving, I said, “Pink flowers will go well with that.” Kaoti nodded. I held the bouquet in the transport.

  The doorman helped me out. Refusing to leave me, Kaoti paid to have the transport parked. I handed him the flowers, reminded him that Thunderdrop protected me, and pointed to the chicken vendor where I would be. I ordered and sat. Violet beamed when she saw Kaoti. She kissed him for the flowers and jumped up and down over the ring and had him put it on her finger. Then, he adorned her neck and wrist. Kaoti glanced at me and then followed Violet to a back room. Thunderdrop and I ate chicken and drank juice. Then, I had lots of olives and bought a jar of each type the lady sold. I had moved on to the cheesecake and hot chocolate by the time he returned.

  “You were right, Princess. Violet wanted a ring to symbolize our marriage. I am grateful for your advice.”

  “I am grateful to you for the advice and guidance you give me, too. Will you carry these and maybe help me hide them? Please, don’t tell Phillip.” I gave him my bag of olives. After finishing my cheesecake, I suggested going to Simon’s warehouse where he was busy directing the production of skimpy gowns. Kaoti had my transport broug
ht around and then drove us there.

  “Teagan! What a surprise. What are you up to?”

  “I want a few shirts for Kaoti and Papa. I guess I should give one to General Cassian to make Papa happy.” Simon loaded a bolt for me and got Kaoti’s input on design, size, and color. “Ow!” Simon leapt over to me and took my arm.

  “What’s wrong?” I flinched and put his hand low on my stomach in time for him to feel the hard kick. Simon was overjoyed.

  “Ow. I need to sit down.” Kaoti pulled a chair over behind me and put my feet up in another. Thunderdrop and Cass stopped playing to watch me. Once they made the shirts and wrapped the ones that were gifts, Kaoti drove me home. Gram met me in the foyer. She knew what I wanted. A short time later Jorge made us a fire. I put my feet up on the couch and napped as she worked on her embroidery.

  When Yukihyo came home after concluding his pineapple business, I put him in Ethan’s small roller where Kaoti had already stowed our clothes and food. “What are we doing, wife?”

  “You know very well that I am abducting you and where I am taking you. The baby and I want you all to ourselves in our favorite place in the galaxies.” I drove us to our camp and Yukihyo unpacked. Spiders had made sure that no bugs could be found anywhere near my tent. Thunderdrop told them how good they were and how proud I was of them. “My feet hurt.”

  “I have an idea,” Yukihyo said. As he picked me up, he groaned loudly. My jaw dropped. He laughed and kissed my nose. He carried me to the stream, and I clutched at him afraid he planned to toss me. He chuckled and put me down carefully. Yukihyo bent down and removed my shoes. “Let me help you sit. You will put your feet in the water and relax against my thickly muscled chest.”

  “Oh, the one that had you groaning with exertion a moment ago?”

  “Lady wife, I can curl your weight fifty times without becoming tired. You see yourself as big, but you are just a tiny pregnant woman.” I placed my feet into the stream and leaned back. Yukihyo placed his hands over my stomach and was rewarded with kicks.