Planet Broker 3

by Eric Vall

  “You’re right,” Akela grumbled, “and a lord is obviously higher up on the food chain than a mayor. I mean, look at these guys.”

  “So sparkly,” Neka whispered as her eyes followed the sunlight that gleamed off their suits of armor.

  “Leave me here,” Sef’sla requested with a furrowed brow. “I will tend to the sick in the village.”

  “I can’t do that.” I shook my head, and I put my hand on the princess’ face. “You are far too valuable to leave behind.”

  “Yeah,” Neka agreed. “We’re a team, we all go together. Right, CT?”

  “Right.” I grinned, and then I turned back to Sef’sla. “I promise we will return here as soon as our business with the lord is done, and we’ll give all these people the medicine they need.”

  “Okay,” Sef’sla said, and her dark blue eyes were filled with love and trust as I stared into them.

  I smiled and leaned in to give her a small kiss on the lips. Then I flicked my translator box on and turned back to the knights.

  “We agree to go with you to see Lord Anix,” I announced.

  The knight looked less than impressed that I thought I had a say in the matter, but he grunted and turned his horse creature around to head back through the town.

  The other knights came up on either side of my crew to escort us, but I eyed them warily and kept my hand on my plasma gun. I didn’t want to piss off whoever was in charge, that was true, but I wouldn’t allow the girls to come into any danger, either. These knights actually had sharp looking swords, unlike the pathetic attackers in the woods, so if these guys showed any sign of aggression, I was not above shooting them off those horse-things.

  It was a long walk to the castle, but the days were so long on Zalia that the suns barely seemed to move. Omni was the only way I knew how long we’d been walking. Well, Omni and my aching legs and feet. The path we took was mostly dark gray ground, with few trees around for cover. It was almost like a desert area, and I hadn’t seen any streams or rivers since we’d left the village of Gim.

  The knights didn’t say a word the entire time we walked, though I kept my translator on to make sure I wouldn’t miss anything if they did decide to speak up. I got the sense they didn’t like us, but I wasn’t sure as to why. We’d done nothing but try to help since we arrived, and while the Gelm didn’t understand the medicine we used, they seemed to regard it as a miracle instead of something to fear.

  Poor Neka was virtually dead on her feet next to me as the suns arched across the sky, and her tail wrapped loosely and lazily around my wrist. My cat-girl was not used to such long walks, and I knew if I was tired, then she must be utterly exhausted.

  Akela and Sef’sla seemed to be faring alright, though they walked a bit slower than they had in the beginning.

  I was just about to ask the knights when we would arrive at the castle when I noticed a structure off in the distance. It was much larger than any of the buildings we’d seen on the planet thus far, and it was a deep gray color that matched the ground we walked on.

  It seemed we were almost to the castle.

  “Colby,” O’s voice suddenly came in through my earpiece.

  “Hey, O,” I said after I clicked off my translator. “What do you have for me?”

  “The information you requested was not easy to find,” the AI huffed. “It has taken me hours.”

  “I noticed,” I said, “but tell me you got something?”

  “Of course I did,” Omni practically scoffed, like he was offended I’d doubted his abilities.

  “Well?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  The knights looked at me as I spoke, but they said nothing in return.

  “I was able to find the material used to make clothing,” the AI elaborated. “Their clothes are produced from the fibers of the trees that inhabit the planet.”

  “Right,” I said with a nod. “Are any rarer than others?”

  “Most of the fibers would produce a deep blue or brown color,” Omni said, “but there is a tree that grows only in select areas which produces a red fiber.”

  “Perfect.” I grinned. “And what about the sigil?”

  “Unfortunately, I have yet to find any information on such a symbol,” Omni said, “but I am still running scans.”

  “Thanks, buddy,” I replied. “You’re the best.”

  I knew I’d been right. There was no way those red robes were anything but the clothes of the wealthy. I’d spent days with the Gelm at Lorn’s village and not once had I seen anyone clothed in red robes. I was disappointed O hadn’t found anything about the sigil, but at least I knew my hunch about the clothing was correct.

  This meant two things: someone higher up on the planet was trying to kill us, and we were possibly headed right toward them.

  All in a day’s work for a freelance planet broker.

  As we got closer to the castle, I could see just how truly massive it was. The city below it seemed small in comparison, though it was much larger than either of the villages we’d been to on the planet already.

  Compared to the castle, though, the city seemed poor, with dirty streets and small huts in desperate need of repair. It always amazed me how different planets could be. On Proxima V, the chiefs had large buildings to do business, sure, but the people of the planet were well looked after, and they all had nice homes and food to eat. There wasn’t poverty like there appeared to be on this planet, and poverty always twisted in my gut. Seeing it reminded me of Proto, and those were memories I didn’t want to revisit.

  We made our way through the city toward the castle, but there was no welcome party like at the village of Gim. In fact, most of the citizens were nowhere to be found. They hid in their homes and peeked out the windows from time to time, but they quickly shut the curtain when I looked in their direction. It was strange to see such fear considering the last two villages we’d visited and what a warm welcome we’d received.

  I knew we were strangers, but we were strangers with medicine for the plague, that had to mean something, didn’t it?

  “Something weird is going on here,” Akela muttered behind me.

  “Yes,” Sef’sla added. “It seems all the Gelm here are fearful of us.”

  “Are we not welcome here, CT?” Neka asked, and she looked at me with large eyes.

  “I’m not sure,” I said truthfully, “but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Finally, we reached the gates of the castle, and I was already irritated with the local government. While the people below and in the villages beyond lived in squalor, the lord here lived in luxury. The place was massive, made of some sort of stone, and obviously well put together. I couldn’t even imagine the time and effort it must have taken such a primitive species to build a place so magnificent.

  Two knights inside opened the gates for us, and we stepped through into a garden type area filled with dark blue grass and plenty of plants. The knights who escorted us hopped off their horse like creatures and gestured for us to follow them up a nearby set of stairs.

  The steps were narrow as we climbed, obviously meant for the smaller feet of the Gelm instead of my long, human ones. Once we reached the top of the stairs, we came to a set of double doors that two more knights opened for us.

  Inside the doors was a magnificent room of grand proportions. The space was long, but narrow, with large windows on either side, and there were no chairs or places to sit save for a single throne on the far side of the room. A long, red strip of fabric led from the door to the throne, and I couldn’t help but shake my head at the obvious display of power.

  “Lord Anix will arrive momentarily,” Lox, our escort, said, and then he moved to stand at the side of the throne.

  My team and I looked at each other curiously. The castle we’d arrived at was strangely eerie. Although the windows let in plenty of the light, the place still seemed darker and colder than anywhere else we’d been so far on the planet, and I couldn’t help but wonder what we had gotten ourse
lves into.

  “This guy brought us all the way here just so we could wait on him?” Akela whispered, and her voice was laden with irritation.

  “It seems so,” I agreed, “but I’m sure lords are busy people.”

  “Too busy to help their citizens, it looks like,” the mechanic mumbled.

  “I agree,” Sef’sla clicked with a frown. “Why does this lord live in such a large place? He is only one person, is he not?”

  “I’m sure he is,” I murmured, “but their government is much different than yours back home.”

  “That is clear,” the princess huffed as she peered around the room with a faint air of disgust.

  “I thought it would be shinier,” Neka pouted, and I chuckled and scratched her behind the ear.

  “What do you think they want with us?” Akela asked.

  “I don’t know,” I sighed, “but the knights who escorted us were not very friendly.”

  “Are we in trouble?” Neka gasped with wide eyes. “Did we do something wrong?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said, even though I really wasn’t sure, “but whatever made this lord bring us here, I’m going to put on my best broker smile and charm the hell out of him.”

  “I know you can do it,” Neka encouraged as she darted up onto her tiptoes and pinched my cheeks. “Who can resist that smile?”

  “Hopefully not him,” Akela muttered, and she gestured behind me.

  I turned to see Lord Anix make his way to the throne. He wore robes of a dark, ruby red, even darker than the assassin in the forest, and he was slightly taller than the knights, though I noticed while he walked that he wore some strange shoes on his feet that added to his height. His horns were pure black, unlike the other Gelm we’d met, and I wondered if they were dyed somehow.

  The most interesting thing I noticed, however, was a bright, shiny, diamond-like jewel on one of his bedazzled fingers.

  Lord Anix had jewels on all of his fingers, but that one, I was sure it was mior. Which meant the Gelm had to know about the substance, and they probably mined it as well. This was news to me, and I stared at that ring while the male took his seat.

  “You are the one they call CT?” Lord Anix asked, and his voice was deep and rough as he regarded my group with curious eyes.

  “I am,” I said as I took a step forward and put on my best smile. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lord.”

  The male’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward quickly.

  “I am not your lord,” he hissed.

  “I apologize,” I said as I raised my hands in surrender. “I did not intend to offend you.”

  I would try my best to get on Lord Anix’s good side, but I could already tell we were not welcome in his kingdom, though what our crime was, I had no idea.

  “Did you intend to offend the gods?” the lord yelled, and when he raised his arms high on either side of him, his eyes took on a feverish light.

  Oh, shit. This guy was a zealot, wasn’t he? They were common with primitive species, but they were never easy to deal with.

  “I assure you I have not meant any offense to your gods or yourself,” I said with a small bow.

  “My gods?” Lord Anix laughed, and I realized I’d said the wrong thing. “The gods are almighty! I have heard tell of you, CT. You have infected an entire village now with your dark magic.”

  “I believe you heard incorrectly,” I said, and I once again put on my best broker smile. “My team and I have done nothing but provide medicine for those who were ill. We have helped to heal them.”

  “There is no way to heal the plague!” the lord spat.

  I began to feel like we wouldn’t make it out of the castle without some sort of altercation, and I kept my hand on my plasma gun. While the Gelm who lived in the outer villages were obviously far less religious, the ones who lived in the city were run by this tyrannical asshole. Not only did he seem to worship whoever his gods were unconditionally, but somehow, he spoke for them, too.

  “Lord Anix,” I said with a soft smile. “If I might explain myself, I think you will come to see I am no miracle healer, I have merely used tools to help heal your people. I can show you right now how I am able to heal those with the plague.”

  “Do not try your black magic in my castle!” the Gelm lord yelled, and his eyes shone with mad fervor.

  Oh, boy.

  No matter what I said, it had grown incredibly clear there would be no getting through to this man. He didn’t want to know what we had to say, or how we healed those who were sick, he only cared about his gods and what they told him was right.

  “Lord Anix,” I said, “if you do not welcome us, then why have you brought us here?”

  “You must be brought before the Elphad,” he growled, and his eyes were filled with fury as they narrowed on me. “There, you will pay for your heretical behavior, demon.”

  So, now I was a demon. This day just got better and better.

  “Who are the Elphad?” I asked curiously since that word didn’t seem to translate.

  “They are of the gods,” Lord Anix said, and a sick smile came over his face. “They speak for the gods. The godsmen will punish you for your wicked behavior.”

  So, it seemed the Elphad were the religious leaders of the Gelm. And not only were we not welcome in Lord Anix’s castle, but it seemed we wouldn’t be welcome wherever they were about to send us to meet these godsmen.

  It was curious to me that the Gelm in the outer villages were so happy and thankful to receive medicine for the plague, while here in the city they only feared what they didn’t understand, and they were obviously more than willing to try and punish us for it. Perhaps the impoverished of this planet took what they could get, whether they understood it or not, while the filthy rich felt they could be picky.

  “Where are the Elphad located?” I asked Lord Anix.

  “Enough of your questions!” he shouted back. “You will meet the Elphad and the king soon enough, demon. And then you will be punished. Guards, remove him from my sight.”

  The knights on either side of Lord Anix came forward, and my hand was still on my plasma gun, but I didn’t use it, not yet, at least.

  Lord Anix might have been a crazed zealot, but perhaps the king would be more reasonable. If we spoke to the king of the Gelm, and got him on our side, then we still had hope to reach a business deal concerning the mior.

  So, I’d go along with these knights … for now.

  “CT!” Neka squealed, and I turned around and held my other hand out to her.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “We’ll go peacefully.”

  The cat-girl looked scared, and she quickly ran to my side and wrapped her tail around my wrist.

  “We will go peacefully,” I repeated to the knights.

  “Do not believe their lies!” the lord hissed. “Lock them in the dungeon while I contact the Elphad.”

  “Dungeon?” Neka gasped, and she looked at me with wide eyes filled with terror.

  “It’s alright,” I assured her, and I pulled her closer to me.

  The knights surrounded us, but they did not use force as they led us through the castle. We came to a staircase that wound down, and as we descended, I could sense we were below the ground, since it was damp and smelled of dirt and mildew. Neka cowered a bit next to me, but Akela seemed more angry than anything, and Sef’sla kept her head up high, always the dignitary.

  Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were led into a cage of sorts that was made of metal, and the knight slammed it shut behind us and locked it with a large, oversized key.

  “So,” Akela said with a raised eyebrow once we were alone, save for one guard by the door, “what’s the plan?”

  “First off,” I chuckled, “thank you all for trusting me enough to allow us to be led into a dungeon.”

  “I was still pretty scared,” Neka admitted as she ran her tail through her fingers, “but I knew we were safe with you.”

  “Yes,” Sef’s
la hissed. “I was sure you understood what you were doing.”

  “Like I said,” Akela repeated with a small smile, “what’s the plan, Tower?”

  I looked at each of the women around me. The jail cell was dim, but there was a faint bit of sunlight that shone through a small window at the top corner of the room. Even still, I could see how beautiful each of them was, and how full of love their eyes were as they gave me soft smiles.

  “We’re going to be put in front of the king,” I said. “If we can get an audience with him, then we might be able to get out of this.”

  “And if not?” Akela asked as she cocked her hip to the side.

  “Then we still have this,” I said with a gesture at my plasma gun.

  “Why didn’t they take your weapon?” Neka gasped with surprise.

  “I do not think they knew it was a weapon,” Sef’sla clicked. “Only Gelik saw him use it earlier. This race is primitive, so they probably did not realize what it was.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I agreed. “So, this little baby will be our insurance if anything goes wrong.”

  “How will you convince the king you’re not a demon?” Akela snorted.

  “I’m hoping some of my broker charisma will help,” I chuckled, “but also, if we can speak to someone who isn’t as much of a zealot as the lord out there, then I think we’ll be just fine.”

  “Zealot?” Sef’sla echoed, and her brows pinched together in confusion.

  “Overly religious,” I explained. “In most primitive societies, they have gods they use to explain things they don’t understand. Old Earth was the same, just look at the Ancient Greek pantheon. It seems this society is no different, either.”

  “They believe higher level beings look out for them,” Akela added, “and that they have to do what these beings say or else they’ll get punished.”

  “Right,” I agreed, “and apparently, we have gone against the gods.”

  “How is that possible?” Sef’sla asked, and her head cocked to the side. “Would their gods not want their ill to be helped?”