Stolen and Seduced

by Christine Pope

  I tapped my communications device with Tura and Dak's identifiers and opened a 3-way comm.

  "I'm in the refresher, what could you possibly need at this moment?" Dak sounded half amused and half annoyed.

  "I was teaching Raybuth and Miirt about octagonal compounds and their respective delivery systems into live organisms. You know how difficult it is to hold their attention," griped Tura.

  I explained what the female had told me, and that I knew not how to react or respond.

  "Your protective nature is engaging itself, for a few different reasons Tonakk." Tura was usually precise in understanding reason and logic, while Dak was better with emotions.

  "Maybe spend some more time with her, let her get the feel for what it is like to be part of a family. That is what we are, is it not?" I was silent, listening to Dak. "What does she do on her planet? What are her interests? We can find something on the craft to help her feel fulfilled while she is here. Maybe it will make a difference if she decides to return to her Terran planet."

  "If? Why would she wish to stay? Why would we want her to?" I did not even know this female.

  There was a long beat of silence and Tura cleared his throat before he responded.

  "This has just occurred and we do not know what may happen over the next few days. I think what Dak means is that we should all get to know her and maybe it will become clearer as to why she is with us. Did the stars bring you to her, or her to you? We know not yet. Maybe she has knowledge to impart or exchange, or we do?"

  "Does she know we are a trade ship? Does she like plants? Animals? Wares? Has she shown any interest in anything she has seen so far? Maybe she knows of a good commodity for us to sell. Or maybe she has a valuable skill for us to learn."

  All were good points from my closest friends.

  "I gather that you both feel I should get to know her more before putting too much thought or judgment, is that it?"

  "I just know that she lives near a heavily trade-centered docking area and likely frequents there. I would not dismiss that," noted Tura.

  "And in case you are already overthinking about how to get to know her, I will remind you that the prika seeds from Cel IV have germinated and should soon enter adulthood, and that the qaf younglings should soon hatch. I would start with either of those."

  Virginia emerged from the freshening space and was headed back to our seating.

  "She has returned, I will do as you suggested." I ended our communication.

  Her smile was tight and polite as she returned to her seat. I watched her glance at her graht cake and then visibly force her gaze away.

  "You seem unsure about the graht cakes. Did you like them, or would you prefer something else?"

  "No, no, they are probably one of the best things I have ever tasted," her words finished with a deep rumbling sound. Was she growling? Did I offend her?

  Her eyes went wide and her hand immediately rested on her midsection.

  "I – I am so sorry," she appeared distraught. Was there a second entity inside of her? Was she with child? How dangerous was the creature that made such noise?

  I kept my eyes on her middle and moved to tap my wrist communicator.

  "Vamish, Rector. How may I assist you?" I was quite glad we maintained medical staff onboard.

  "Her middle section growled at me. We need a scanner."

  "Wait, what?" She blinked at me. "Who are you talking to and why are you telling them my stomach growled? Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

  My comm replied to her, "I am Vamish. I am the rector here on the vessel. Are you having a medical issue, young one?"

  I held my wrist closer to her, a sign she was expected to respond.

  "My stomach growled. I am Terran, when our stomachs are empty except for air, and our stomach muscles contract but there is no food inside, they make noises." She glanced at me. "It sounds like growls."

  "You are sure this is the cause?"

  "Yes. It happens often." She looked visibly upset.

  "How do you know this, have you medical training?" The rector sounded eager.

  "No, nothing like that. I befriended a healer when I was little, and I often asked a lot of questions. Plus I go through this all the time. Really if I just ignore it, it eventually it stops."

  "So this is because you require food?" I asked her.

  She nodded her head in affirmative.

  "Feed her. Let me know if anything negative happens from it." My comm blinked then silenced as the rector disconnected.

  "You require food. There is food in front of you. Why are you not eating it?" I was confused by this. There was no logic.

  She shrugged, refusing to look at the cakes.

  I thought on this for a moment.

  "The mechanicals can reproduce more," I informed her.

  "What?"

  "The cakes. If you like them we can very easily make more. As well, Gobi would be very upset if we did not finish them. She would think she erred in their creation and we did not enjoy them."

  I was now behaving as Gobi would, employing manipulation to encourage our starving guest to eat.

  "Are you sure?" She once again looked at the cakes. I could practically feel how badly she wanted them.

  Was this what her life was like on a regular basis? Was food so scarce on her world?

  I picked up both drink containers and stood. "I will get us more orjweat to drink." I turned so that she would not feel I was watching her consume them, and I walked to the mechanicals along the wall.

  She has no one. She sleeps under the remains of a factory. She appears worried she will be considered poorly if she eats. She expects to eat rarely and knows that if it happens for a long enough period, that her body will stop making warning growl noises. The clothing she has on and the singular bag in her possession are likely all she owned, and neither are in good condition.

  None of this sat right inside my soul. Not a single piece of this knowledge.

  Making a decision, I decided to pick up a tray and a couple of plates. I refilled our drinks and then began to create a variety of simple breads, fruits, and smaller treats. After consideration, I filled a few smaller drinking vessels with varying liquids for her to taste. I carried it all back to our table and placed it in front of her, before sitting.

  Her eyes grew big, blinking as she took it all in. I returned our original containers to in front of us leaving all the remaining items on the tray. I crafted my words carefully before saying them and hoped my plan worked. I suspected this was how Gobi would handle such a situation.

  "It would be a shame for you not to try all of the different foods we have, while you are here. These are some items I thought might go well with our drinks, and I can answer any questions you have about their origin or planet. A learning experience, yes?" I quieted to gauge her responses.

  Her eyes went item to item, visually examining each of them. She occasionally stopped to smell one. Her face broke into the most beauteous smile when she next met my eyes. I had never heard a softer or more genuine, "Thank you, Tonakk" in all my existence.

  And why was the base of my horns suddenly itching?

  Gin

  He fed me.

  He knew I was reluctant to eat so he made so much food that I couldn’t politely refuse, and then talked me into trying each and every piece. To make sure I ate enough. He even employed a secondary plan to help prevent my refusal, by insisting this was a learning experience to try all the foods.

  It was… incredibly kind.

  I am a lot of things, but stupid is not generally one of them. That said, what he did was one of the most gentle-hearted things I have ever heard of.

  We were currently touring his craft. I never got to see the outside, so I was very surprised at how big the inside was. It was considered a small craft, he claimed, but compared to what? It was certainly not a personal conveyance. It appeared to have three decks and housed his crew of at least forty beings that I had seen so far.

  One
day I hoped to have a craft of my own, and take up the craft of trade. Life goals and all that. I was already suspecting that his craft may end up on my list of what to strive for. I was pretty impressed, I admit.

  I got to meet more of his crew! Honestly I can hardly wait to talk to them each separately and press them for information on where they are from. In case I never get a chance like this again, I planned on taking complete advantage of learning as much as I could.

  There was also something odd that happened when we entered onto the command deck. I feel like we walked into a joke, but too late. Everyone there was friendly and seemed nice, but there were a lot of quiet glances and secretive smiles. Not in a malicious way, more like something happened that I was unaware of. But they didn’t seem to hold it against us, nor did they behave badly towards me. In fact it was quite the opposite. Maybe next time they would include us with what they spoke of.

  We continued our tour of the upper level, which included a couple areas that allowed you to see outside. To be honest, it made me a little dizzy. Tonakk said we would revisit once our speed slowed.

  I made note of where the extra waste and refresh areas were. And the extra food area on this level, which had mechanicals that I still had no idea how to use.

  There were meeting rooms at various intervals and a few rooms that appeared to be reserved for visiting leaders and their guards, I think. I didn't see inside but he pointed them out to me.

  I think Tonakk noticed me switching my bag to a different shoulder, because he changed course. He held his face to a placard on a wall. A light blipped and then a portal to a room opened.

  We entered into a beautiful space with pillowed sitting benches and matching chairs, atop of the furriest hide I had ever seen. The seating areas had cushioning so thick I wondered if I would get lost in the layers if I sat on it. My jaw fell open as I took in the room. Shelving units lined the walls at several points, laden with actual books as well as reader screens, and interspersed with items and containers of numerous materials. I had never imagined such a place!

  From here there were a series of three doors. The one on my left showed a room with a large, cushioned sleeping pallet. The one on the right showed a slightly more understated room with a smaller sleeping pallet. Straight ahead the opened portal boasted an elaborate waste and refresh room. From here I could tell that decorative squares lined the walls, the ceiling, and the floors in most of it. There were places to sit, aside from the waster, including a very large container with steps leading to a dip at the edge of it. To climb in?

  My curiosity struck again, so I dropped my bag to the floor and I went to investigate. Yep – the stairs led to the top and down inside. It was big enough to fit a few beings and resting along the edge were waxed pillars like I had seen on trade days, and bottles of liquids. A spout with the neck of a water-bird rose from the far side, opening itself to over the container. Fascinating!

  I climbed down. At the other end of the room was a viewspace to the outside. It was positioned inside one of the decorative-square areas and it seemed to be cornered off from the rest of the room by a slight partition. The squares were small and colored and formed pictures and designs. The ceiling and upper walls contained a series of holes. There was a panel on the wall just outside of the section of the room.

  The waster was large and maintained a prominent space near a far wall, in a corner. Along the side of the room were cleansing and refreshing areas, and a place to sit which had oils resting there. I picked one up and sniffed it. It reminded me of what my friend Vleskum traded when she landed on trade days. Her liquids smelled pleasant, and they encouraged others to smell you and think well of you. She had been teaching me of such things. I had been on my way to visit her when I witnessed the murders.

  That reminder made my blood run cold. I still needed to do the proper thing and report what I saw. My conscience led me from the room and I returned to where Tonakk calmly awaited me.

  "Is this where you live?"

  "It is," he agreed. "That room is my own." He pointed towards the room on the left.

  "Who sleeps there?" I glanced at the smaller room on the right.

  "You do. It is meant for when I find my mate and she bears offspring. It will be their room." We both stared quietly at the room. "Until such occurs, Greater Gobi stays there. These next few resting periods, she will stay somewhere else so that you may stay here while you visit with us." He picked up my bag from the fur skin on the floor and handed it to me.

  Gin

  I… had a sleeping platform?

  I entered the room and stared at everything inside. My eyes kept returning to the large cushioned sleeping platform in the center of the room.

  When was the last time I did not sleep on concrete? Or, on a few occasions, grass? Those times inside the caves? On the rotted wood that was once my birth families homestead? I quietly studied the cushioned platform. It was so beautiful. The perfect picture of comfort.

  I glanced down at myself. This room was too nice for me to dirty it with my clothing.

  For the first time in a very long while, I felt shame. I did not belong here. I should not be here. I should go. This was not what my life was meant for. It was too good for me.

  "Does the room suit you?"

  Hearing his voice behind me, I reeled around to find him directly in front of me in all his ginormous blue glory.

  I did what any sane person would do – I screamed as if I was being murdered.

  In return, he stared down at me with a look of absolute uncertainty on his face, as he waited for me to stop screaming and clutching a hand to my chest. Was twenty-two rotations too young for a heart attack? Because right now it was not out of the realm of possibilities.

  "For Aylef's sake, you scared me! No one as large as you should be so stealthy." I scowled accusingly at him. "You cannot go sneaking up on me while a killer intends to murder me the first chance he gets. It's not healthy for either of us."

  He stood there so I looked over him. Did he somehow seem even bigger than when we met, or were my eyes playing tricks? "We may need to tie something noisy to you, like a bell, so we know when you are approaching." He remained stock-still. Why was he not saying anything? Why was he still staring at me? "What's wrong?" I peered down at myself.

  "You were frightened? Of me?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I did nothing to purposely fear you. I walked in behind you and wished to make sure the room met your approval."

  "I understand that, I do. From my side, I turned around suddenly and there was this huge horned alien being lurking behind me," I pointed out to him, outlining our size difference via hand movements. "So yes, I screamed and clutched my heart. You scared me halfway to Hades. What did you think caused me to scream?"

  "I was unsure. I thought perhaps it was a mating call," his gaze shifted away from me and he nonchalantly shrugged a shoulder.

  I blinked at him, stunned. What in the world?

  "A- a- a mating call?" I squinted.

  "I do not know the mating customs of your people," he commented airily as he eased past me to initiate better lighting for the room. "There are others that screech and jump, and clutch at their souls when they find their mate. It was a reasonable possibility." He walked back towards the portal to the room, retreating to the seating area. My eyes followed him as he went.

  I hated that he had a valid point.

  Realistically, I had no idea what other alien customs were like, so I could very easily have squawked at him for some intent or purpose. Especially considering there was a sleeping pallet in the room with us.

  Ugh, why am I such a fool? I sighed at myself.

  I'm sure my own planets rituals seemed very odd to other lifeforms, especially our belief-based ones. I couldn’t deny that he was correct. But, a mating call? No wonder he looked confused; he probably thought his newest accidental stowaway was trying to seduce or something. It probably happened before. More than once, likely. I mean he wasn’t hard on the eyes, despit
e the horns.

  I turned back, feeling sheepish, only to smell something – a lightly spiced floral scent wafted in the air. I hadn’t noticed it before. Until now he hadn't smelled like anything, but he and I were the only ones here. I didn’t see him holding anything, so what did he eat that smelled like spiced flowers, I wondered? Maybe some type of Sitor food? Or did he put on a scent like the oils that Vleskun sells? Maybe something from the waste refresher room? Hmmm... no idea. But smelled pleasant, and I rather liked it.

  Unfortunately what did not smell pleasant, was me. I removed my spare set of clothing - a top with shoulder straps and short pants which came to my thighs. They were thin and I saved them for very warm days, but if I was able to clean myself well, I could wear them while my regular clothing was being cleaned. I set off towards the waste and refresh. Maybe something in there could help me smell nicer, too.

  Tonakk

  I thought that perhaps… Well, it does not matter what I thought.

  As things turned out, it was not a mating call. She made noises from fear instead. What can I do to make her feel more comfortable around me? How do I get the strange creature to see beyond my size and my horns? I felt frustrated.

  There was lingering curiosity about the small Terran which I could not deny. With her longer scalp hide, tied behind her head, and her skin the color of bowyance nectar. Her flesh and her clothing were both soiled but given her circumstances, it made sense. I should see if there was alternate cloth she could wear and her current ones could be replaced maybe?

  I stretched my sore neck, rubbing the back, only to find that my fingertips felt sore as well. What happened to my fingertips? Did I mishandle the heated orjweat containers and not notice?

  Since there was no threat of either battle, or exploration, I chose to go to my sleeping room and change my attire. I removed my chained chest guard and replaced it on its armor stand. The protective covers for my feet were removed and placed near the portal to my room, in case I was required to don them quickly. Fires and battles can break out at any given moment – a leader must remain vigilant.