Planet Broker 3

by Eric Vall

  I watched the young Gelm in the crowd as Lorn spoke, and I could tell it wasn’t their first time hearing this story, but it was familiar and comfortable to them. The children snuggled closer to their parents as Lorn delivered the story, and it was almost like a theatre production.

  Lorn’s stories seemed to go on forever, but I could listen to them for as long as he would talk. He had a calming presence about him, and the way he spoke showed how much he admired the old tales. He told us about the first king of the Gelm and how he’d come into power because his village loved him so much, and all the other villages wanted his help as well. He couldn’t live everywhere, though, and he didn’t want to spend his days away from his family traveling from village to village, so instead they made him king, and the people from other villages would go visit him to ask for his advice. Apparently, this was a tradition that was still upheld. Any person from any village could request a council with the king in order to gain advice on a problem within the community.

  Listening to his stories had me thinking about the Gelm’s government, and who we would have to go through in order to get permission to mine some mior and make more improvements. It had to be the king, but in the meantime, we would give medicine to as many villagers as we could. This way, when we did meet the king, we would have something nice to offer as a show of our worthiness to be on his planet.

  Hopefully, the rest of the Gelm were as welcoming as these villagers, but I knew we couldn’t count on that.

  The most interesting story Lorn told us was the tale of how The Gray Cough began. He said it was a disease that went back ages, but it hadn’t been seen in a long time until they’d contracted it recently. According to legend, it was used as a punishment by the gods, and several centuries ago one of the Gelm had done something incredibly foul, and the gods punished the whole Gelm population because of it. What this guy had done was never disclosed, it was only said that it was the foulest thing a Gelm had ever committed, a true crime he could not make up for.

  I found that part to be somewhat eerie, but the children seemed to enjoy it, and they smiled and stared at Lorn with big saucer eyes until he continued the story.

  The male who’d committed the crime was the last of his family to contract The Gray Cough, so he watched each of them die, but that punishment wasn’t fitting enough, so the gods cursed everyone around him to die as well. Once the male had been punished enough, he died, too, and then The Gray Cough was never to be seen again, until three years ago.

  “What caused it to happen this time?” Neka asked, and she cocked her head in confusion.

  “I don’t know,” Lorn said with a frown. “We can only assume we are being punished by the gods.”

  I looked around at the villagers and saw how they were saddened by this story, and how the mothers held their children just a bit tighter after it had finished.

  “I don’t think you’re being punished,” Sef’sla said, and Lorn looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

  “You don’t?” he asked.

  “No,” she clicked with a shake of her head. “There were some marshes on my planet, and they had died. They would no longer grow like the rest of the area, and we lost access to plants and medicine. We had to separate the marshes because of it, but then CT came along.”

  “What did he do?” Lorn asked, and he leaned in closer.

  “He helped us fix them,” she hissed with a soft smile. “I realized then that we weren’t being punished, we just had a problem we didn’t know how to fix.”

  “Besides,” Neka added, “you all are so kind and generous. Why would your gods want to punish you?”

  “Thank you,” Lorn told them. “You are most kind.”

  “They’re just being honest,” Akela said with a shrug. “You are really nice. I don’t think you’re being punished, either.”

  Lorn smiled at the girls, and I realized the idea that he wasn’t being punished probably hadn’t even occurred to him.

  I’d been around long enough to know the virus had probably laid dormant somewhere, most likely underground, and it resurfaced once more when one of the Gelm citizens had stumbled across it. That was the logical explanation, but I knew it wouldn’t make sense to the Gelm, so I kept it to myself and appreciated the story for what it was instead.

  After the tales ended, and the children fell asleep on their parents’ laps, Lorn sent everyone home, and I put out the fire as they all headed back to their huts for the evening.

  “That was nice,” Akela said with a stretch.

  “It was,” I agreed as I watched the fire sizzle and die after I poured some water over it.

  “The stories were great,” Neka sighed.

  “Yes,” Sef’sla agreed, “but I didn’t like the one about them being punished. It seems so wrong.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “but they wouldn’t understand how the virus returned. At least not right now.”

  “One day they might, though,” Akela said with a smile.

  “That would be wonderful,” Sef’sla mused. “Then they could teach the children how they used to believe the virus was a punishment from the gods.”

  “But then some travelers from the stars came to cure them,” I added with a grin.

  The girls all smiled and nodded, and we walked toward the Lacuna Noctis to head to bed. As we went, I thought about the fact that my crew and I would be an important piece of Gelm history one day. I’d made history too many times with Terra Nebula, and now it was time for me to make it my own way, with the help of my beautiful and brilliant crew, of course.

  We would already be in the history books of Proxima V, and now Zalia was up next. There would be many planets after, but I wasn’t sure that any would feel quite so good as this one. Sure, we’d saved Proxima V first, but our crew wasn’t complete then. We still needed Sef’sla.

  This time, though, I had all three of the women I loved with me, and each of them played a vital role in helping the people of this planet.

  I watched them as they walked in the moonlight.

  Neka trudged along, tired as always, with her tail wrapped around Sef’sla’s wrist. The cat-girl leaned up and stretched, and the soft curve of her back made me want to reach out and touch her.

  Sef’sla strolled along easily, and her dainty hips swung slightly from side to side. The moon reflected off her deep blue-green skin, and her essence reminded me of a pond, one that I could stare into and just get lost in. The Almort princess turned around to flash me an opalescent smile, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

  Last was my mechanic. My beautiful, brooding mechanic. I sighed as I watched her hips bounce carelessly with each step. She knew she was a fox, but it was as if she didn’t care. She wouldn’t tame her hips for anyone, or try to swing them in a sexy way. Instead, she walked as usual, and I watched as her hips jumped and caused her ass to jiggle nicely with each step.

  My crew was finally complete.

  And we were going to make history, I was sure of it.

  Chapter 5

  Several days had passed since we first arrived on Zalia and found the Gelm deathly ill. Now, as I looked around at the small village, I smiled to myself to see all the improvements we’d made in just a few short days.

  The main thing was the treatment Akela and Sef’sla created actually worked. There had been no fatalities since the drugs were administered, and we saw no new cases of anyone becoming ill, either.

  I took that as a major win.

  The second improvement was the water well. We’d done away with their rudimentary system of filling buckets and pulling them up with a rope to get access to water. Instead, Akela had installed a pump, and now all the Gelm needed to do was turn the spicket to get access to water. It was only a temporary fix, but it was better than what they used to have.

  We’d also provided the Gelm with lighters of sorts so they were able to start fires more easily to cook and keep warm, and Lorn had been particularly awed by this device. He’d said the word miracle more tha
n a few times, once again, but I did my best to shrug off his praise. It was just a lighter, after all.

  In the meantime, Sef’sla had taken to studying the Gelm and their physiology, while Akela surveyed the area for ways to improve the daily lives of the people, and Neka assisted with the daily hunting and fishing trips so she could try out more of the local cuisine.

  I’d rarely seen the cat-girl work for her food willingly, but after the first offering of seafood she’d received, she’d gone on every trip since. Granted, the food was delicious, if not a little strange, as it always was on a new planet, but Neka had particularly taken to the local offerings.

  Omni did readings each day for us, and between his findings and Sef’sla’s studies, we’d determined the treatment really did work wonders. Most of the Gelm who’d been coughing and wheezing when we first arrived had dramatically improved. After twenty-four hours, there wasn’t any more coughing, save a few older individuals, but we kept close tabs on them, and they finally improved as well, though at a bit of a slower pace than the younger, healthier individuals. That seemed to be a commonality no matter what planet you arrived on, though, those who were older by their native years were frailer. It was a fact of life you couldn’t outrun no matter how many galaxies you visited.

  Surprisingly, several Gelm had also come from nearby villages to receive treatment. It seemed word had spread about our medicine, and those who were sick enough to brave newcomers made their way to Lorn’s small town so we could give them a shot in the arm as well. Typically, after one or two individuals came from a village, then more would come the next day, which was why there were at least fifty new Gelm in line in the town square now, while Sef’sla happily administered the antibiotic.

  Akela and Neka, with Omni’s help of course, figured out a way to produce enough medicine for at least one hundred Gelm in just under an hour’s time. Omni was able to continue the process while we slept, so in the morning we had more than enough doses for the next day. Truly, we had thousands stocked in the fridge in the lab, but we wanted to make sure there was enough so every infected individual could receive treatment right away.

  At the moment, it made sense to stay in Lorn’s village, since the Gelm now knew this was where they could find us, but soon we would have to leave and head to towns further away to help their people as well.

  Today, I walked through the village to check on the elderly like I’d done every day. Akela, Neka, and Sef’sla were all quite busy, so I’d taken it upon myself to make sure everyone was comfortable, getting plenty of water, and improving.

  As I exited one of the small huts where I’d visited an older Gelm female, I saw tall, strange figures approach from the tree line.

  I quickly stood up and put my hand on the plasma gun at my side. I had no reason to shoot anyone, yet, but I wouldn’t take any chances. I’d encountered enough giant monsters to know better than to underestimate any opponent.

  However, as the figures grew closer, I could see they weren’t monsters at all, but Gelm riding on top of some sort of creatures.

  The thing was a deep brown color, probably as tall as I was at the head, and resembled an old Earth horse, though with a much shorter neck and stubby legs.

  I watched curiously as the creatures rode toward me, but suddenly Lorn was at my side, and he tugged on my sleeve to gain my attention.

  “Who are they?” I asked the small male, but I didn’t remove my hand from my weapon.

  “They are from a large village nearby,” Lorn said, and he looked somewhat scared.

  “Are they friendly?” I asked. “Do you know them?”

  “I have met them before, yes,” he said with a small nod. “They are assertive but not unkind.”

  I cocked my head at the Gelm male’s phrasing. I didn’t like the way he spoke about these newcomers, and I wondered what had him so on edge.

  “Why are they here?” I questioned.

  “I am unsure.” Lorn frowned. “Word has traveled of your healing abilities, so they may have come to seek treatment.”

  I’d been to plenty of primitive planets before, and I was never surprised to learn there was some sort of conflict between the natives. Hell, even on Proxima V, where the Almort were a peaceful species, there was still tension between some of the chiefs of different regions.

  Without technology, misunderstandings often happened between those of different villages. The same thing had happened on old Earth years ago, and my ancestors even hunted and sentenced certain women to death because they thought those females were magical. Without modern science or reasoning to explain certain things, it was often difficult for primitive peoples to understand basic occurrences, and while I always did my best to put things in terms they could understand, the acceptance of technology was by far the most difficult obstacle to overcome.

  People tended to fear that which they did not understand, and this was a universal truth no matter where you went.

  Finally, the Gelm riders reached me, and they hopped off their steeds and landed on the ground with a hard thud.

  “Are you the one they call CT?” a taller male asked. His skin was a deep gray, much deeper than the others, and his eyes were a dark yellow to match.

  “I am,” I answered with a smile. “And you are?”

  The Gelm looked at my transcriber with wide eyes for a split second, but then composed himself once more. It seemed word had traveled of our strange way of communicating as well.

  “I am Gelik,” the male responded with a thud to his tiny chest. “I am sent from the Village of Gim to collect you.”

  “Collect me?” I raised my eyebrow. “Collect me for what?”

  Lorn’s description suddenly made sense. These guys weren’t villains, but they were all business, and they didn’t seem to ask questions, only make orders.

  “We have heard tell of your healing powers,” Gelik answered with a small dip of his chin. “Our mayor requests your presence.”

  Hm, a mayor was a step in the right direction. Lorn had been welcoming and very helpful with our treatment of the plague, but since we had more than enough doses of the antibiotics and vaccines, it was time to get everyone their medicine and then get down to business. There was no telling how much longer Zalia had before the Corporations were approved to travel through the wormholes and made their way here to bleed the planet dry. We’d already been here for several days, so we couldn’t waste time.

  “My crew is administering the medicine now,” I said, “but after they are finished, we will accompany you to your mayor and heal those within your city.”

  “Your kindness is appreciated.” Gelik gave a small bow.

  I chuckled at the formality of the small male, and then I studied him a little closer. He and the rest of his party wore deep blue hooded robes that almost looked like primitive Earth clothes worn by the very religious. The fabric was obviously of better quality than Lorn and the other villagers possessed, and it was clean and well kept, unlike the rags of those we’d treated over the past few days. I suspected the mayor we were to be taken to would be of a much larger city, and he was probably regarded with a much higher level of authority, considering the appearance of his messengers.

  “I need to speak with my group,” I said, and Gelik nodded.

  Then the group of Gelm males followed me back over to where Neka, Akela, and Sef’sla were near the water well in the town square.

  “CT!” Neka yowled when she saw me, and she pranced over to wrap her tail around my wrist and kiss my cheek.

  “Are these more people to get medicine?” Akela asked as she studied the Gelm behind me.

  “We have plenty more,” Sef’sla added and waved to Gelik. She’d just finished with the groups for the day, and it seemed we were nearly ready to go to the city after all.

  “Not exactly,” I explained. “These guys are from a nearby village, and they want us to go with them.”

  “And are we?” Akela asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I don’t see
why not,” I laughed. “We knew we would have to leave this village eventually.”

  “Right.” Neka nodded. “There’s so many more Gelm to cure!”

  “It’s not a cure, Neka,” Akela chuckled.

  “Nobody else has died, though,” the cat-girl said with a grin.

  “That’s true.” The mechanic shrugged.

  “When will we leave for this new village?” Sef’sla asked as she began to stow her supplies.

  “We can leave now if you all are ready,” I said. “Wherever we go, Omni can come get us if we need him to.”

  “Alright,” Akela agreed. “It seems like the days last forever here anyways, so we might as well go now. It won’t be dark for a while longer.”

  It was true, Omni had informed us just yesterday that the days on this planet typically lasted a full eighteen hours, with a ten-hour night that followed. It really felt like the days dragged on forever, but it allowed us more time to get the medicine out to the people, so I couldn’t complain too much.

  Once we gathered up our supplies, we said our goodbyes to the villagers with the promise to visit soon. Lorn even gave each of us a hug, with his small head pressed against my stomach. Then we followed the Gelm messengers out of the village and further from our ship.

  After our visit to Proxima V, where the animals were incredibly large, it was almost comical to see the Gelm ride on a creature that only stood about as tall as myself. We kept pace with the creatures easily, though, and took in the lush scenery. The twin suns were hot as they beat down on us, but the light brightened up the foliage and felt nice on my skin.

  Neka’s tail was wrapped around my wrist as we walked, and Sef’sla was on my other side, with Akela next in line. The path was plenty wide enough for all of us, and I looked at the faces of each of the women as we walked. They appeared excited for our next pit stop, but Akela tried to hide her smile at all the new wildlife around us.

  I watched as the mechanic’s eyes lit up when we passed a stream of rushing water, though. I knew she had the same thought I did, that it would be easy to turn the water into power for the Gelm in the nearby villages. We could also use it to help create some form of irrigation system for them. I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but it was hard not to think of all the improvements that could be made when the Gelm people had so little in the way of technology.