The Sands of Argurumal (Argurma Salvager Book 3)

by S. J. Sanders

  At least Akal’s tongue was kept in line by Larth’s presence, saving Veral from being forced to pull it out. Few had the imposing glower of his guard, and Larth took sadistic pleasure in making his prey squirm. And despite his obvious distaste, the registrar shifted uncomfortably under the male’s glare.

  Arak made a rough sound in the back of his throat.

  “I do not know the reason, only that I was informed to collect the necessary verifications,” he said stiffly.

  “You have received all documentation from our medic,” Veral reminded him, his voice dropping to an icy temperature. “Further verification is outside what is lawfully required.”

  The registrar lifted one shoulder and huffed.

  “It was deemed insufficient. The birthrate in the Amhim’voreth has dropped drastically over the last fifty revolutions, and the Reproduction Department has asked us to help in this matter to determine why. I have asked to run further verifications and do additional testing on the female Harahna. As the mother is unlisted as per private agreement, we will not be requiring her to be produced, but I will need to take some samples of your genetic material and nanos in addition to that of your offspring.”

  “No,” Veral growled, keeping just enough bite from his tone that it did not veer into inappropriate for an Argurma. “The situation of the Amhim’voreth has nothing to do with my offspring. I will not permit collecting of genetic material or any form of testing on her. That is the end of the matter. I have placed my mark on your documents and that is all I will give you. Take it and leave.”

  The male frowned, surprise registering on his face with the slight uptick of his vibrissae. “You would deny the Reproduction Department? They have the authority of the council behind them. If you refuse this minor process, it can bring undesirable attention to you and the Monushava House.”

  Veral leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.

  “Do you threaten me?” he growled.

  Akal blinked, his expression blank aside from a tightening around his mouth. He straightened his sleeves and rested his hands once more in his lap. A betrayal of nerves. Argurma who claimed to be uncompromised emotionally still had their little tells. Even the famous rages of the Argurma warriors were an emotional outlet where few others allowed more than a trickle of something through—deny it however they like. If one knew what to look for, it was easy to process.

  “No,” the male replied. “It would not serve the purpose of the registrar’s office to threaten our citizens. If you are certain that is your official standpoint, then I ask only to visually verify the health of Harahna, as is my legal duty. As to your objection to further testing, I will forward it to the reproduction department.” His eyes glinted with the barest hint of satisfaction. “You can expect contact with them within a lunar.”

  Let them. Veral would be gone with his mate and offspring long before then.

  Careful to not betray his thoughts, he inclined his head and turned to Larth, issuing him instruction on their private channel. His cousin stepped away and walked out of the office to retrieve the medic and Harahna.

  Veral had hoped to avoid a physical examination because his daughter had traits unlike those of an Argurma, but Tarik had assured him that there was a strong probability of such features being merely dismissed as a mutation and noted as such rather than raising suspicion. He would rather not have had any such speculation of his offspring, but the medic had warned them during Harahna’s pre-departure checkup the day before, that physical verification of health was not unusual. It was considered normal in cases where a mother was kept classified.

  It was for that reason alone he had prepared by having Harahna brought to the medic in case it was required.

  As he waited for Larth to return, Veral stared wordlessly at the registrar, the claw of his forefinger tapping sedately on the armrest of his chair. Akal glanced over and adjusted his seat. Veral held back a grin at the sign of discomfort. He had no intention of conversing any further than necessary with the male, and if the silence made the registrar uncomfortable, then that at least was satisfactory.

  “Harahna is not a name that we see often,” Akal observed. “After her mother?”

  “No,” Veral replied.

  “Is her mother-donator of a nearby household? We do not normally inquire of such things, but with the Reproduction Department seeking answers, cases of successful births are worth noting for households having difficulties conceiving or carrying to term.”

  Veral did not reply, allowing silence to fill the space left by the question.

  Akal’s eyes narrowed, his mandibles twitching, only to practically leap to his feet when the door slid open again, admitting Larth. The medic trailed in behind the warrior with Harahna wrapped in a sheer blanket in his arms. Akal made a move in their direction but was stayed by Larth’s ominous growl, forcing the registrar to sink back into his seat.

  Tarik’s expression remained cool as he carried Harahna over to Akal. Although he gave the impression of being an unassuming, obedient male programmed to his service, there was no mistaking the warrior who dwelled below the surface. It could be seen in the way his eyes pinned the male as he drew near with Veral’s daughter.

  “Do not touch. She is still very young,” the medic warned as he pulled back the light blanket concealing her.

  The warning should have been unnecessary. Argurma culture did not approve of anyone outside of their line touching their offspring. That very fact had caused issues with offworlders before in the marketplace, even when Veral was in his training. He was glad that the medic thought to remind the male because Akal’s hands dropped to his side at the reprimand as he leaned forward.

  The male’s eyes scanned her, verifying her biometrics. Upon completion, his lip curled as he pulled out his datapad before reluctantly leaning in close once more.

  “Overall biometric stats are perfect. Size is small for an Argurma, but the offspring is in good health despite being malformed and mutated. Female’s head is narrow and misshapen, and she is lacking both the nasal ridge plate and chin plating. Female offspring is also nearly scaleless and possesses a sickly coloration,” he observed aloud as his datapad processed his notations.

  Veral’s claws dug into his chair, fury making his vibrissae rise around him. He just barely kept them from whipping menacingly and held back the snarl that rose into his throat even though he choked on it.

  If the registrar did not conclude soon, it would be his death sentence.

  As if answering some unspoken wish, Akal hissed as his head whipped back, narrowly avoiding the tiny, clawed hand that raked unhappily at his face. Veral’s lips twisted in a proud smile. That was another reason that strangers were not permitted to touch their young. Argurma young developed faster than most species, especially with their long incubation in the womb, which made them potentially dangerous to those who got too near and frightened them.

  Although Harahna did not seem frightened, her eyes tracked him, her tiny nostrils flared, and her small mouth pinched, her distaste for the strange male hovering so near her clear. Her hastened gestation had not affected her development as far Tarik had been able to tell, and was evident in her reaction.

  The registrar’s vibrissae twitched in displeasure. Wisely, he reined in any other sign of irritation as he leaned down at a modified distance. “Eyes are clear, and nanos are numerous and healthy,” the registrar continued, oblivious to Veral’s rising temper. “That is unexpected, given her severe mutations. How are her internal organs, medic?”

  “Fully formed and healthy as any Argurma offspring,” Tarik replied with a subtle sneer.

  It was gratifying for Veral that the medic took a protective attitude when it came to his daughter. While everyone of the line would protect her out of loyalty to the household and line, that sort of protectiveness was usually reserved only for the closest of kin. He had never even seen Gargath act any less than professional with any of their line. Veral’s estimation of the medic rose. At the medic’s
side, Larth was hovering nearer, his vibrissae puffed out with unspoken menace. One wrong move from Akal, and it would be the last one he made by the time they got through with him.

  “Noted,” the registrar said as he straightened and put his datapad away. Lifting his comm, he spoke into it. “I am finished here. Be prepared to leave this place.” The voice at the other end confirmed, and Akal dropped his arm to his side and inclined his head politely. “That is all that I require.”

  Veral’s lips lifted slightly in an appropriate smile of acknowledgment, one he did not feel but that was expected for sake of propriety. Smiles were seldom about emotion, but the sort of smile dictated by appropriate social interactions and cues, and occasional humor—one thing that the council had never been able to irradicate despite its annoyance to those in command.

  That was something Terri still struggled with. She gifted her smiles freely and with genuine emotion. With the exception of her sardonic expressions, her smiles related joy and pleasure, and he greedily wanted to keep every one of them to himself. He even found himself responding with smiles to things that he truly found pleasing. In this case, however, he offered nothing but the slightest diplomatic quirk of his lips that said nothing of the seething turmoil within him.

  He would have liked to show just how close to death he stood and awakened the latent fear lurking within the male that he could see the faintest shadow of—but it was better if he did not. He did not wish to give the registrar reason to alert the council of possible dissent coming from the Monushava House.

  “Larth, escort Registrar Akal’sivkoran’tanil to his waiting flyer and send her in.”

  His cousin smirked as he immediately herded the registrar toward the door.

  There was no need to specify who Veral meant. His cousin knew very well that the pirate was lurking in the shadows just outside the room where Veral had asked her to wait. He would signal her to go in, and Veral would engage in the next step necessary for departure.

  With the registrar gone, Veral slanted an approving look to the medic as he stood from his chair. Tarik watched him cautiously as he approached and stiffened further when Veral set a hand on his shoulder spine. The gesture was one that could preclude an attack or a mark of trust and closeness between Argurma… It was a paradox that guaranteed no one knew for sure where they stood and demanded trust of the recipient. Caution was smart, but in this case unnecessary.

  “You honor me. I thank you,” he grunted before releasing the male and walking away to the opposite side of the room, peering out the window that overlooked the entrance of the compound. A genuine smile curled his lips as he watched Larth give the male a non-too-gentle nudge that came too close to sending the registrar sprawling into the sands. “Is everything ready?”

  “Yes, Ahanvala. I have loaded all private data regarding Harahna’s medic records into your personal AI system aboard your starship and have deleted everything within our own systems in case the council forcibly accesses our systems.”

  “Good. Return Harahna to Terri and tell her that I will be there soon.”

  “Yes, Ahanvala,” Tarik murmured.

  Veral did not watch him go, his attention on the vast sand dunes that flowed out from the compound as far as his enhanced vision could see. The red sands of the Quarnet’safet rose and fell in their graceful peaks and valleys. He had trained in the dunes, suffering the strains of deprivation from food and drink, facing the harsh climate there. He had even trained at the edges of the Galithilan to earn his marks in the worst of what their world had to offer—an accomplishment few of Argurumal’s warriors could claim. A flicker of something that he processed must be excitement flickered in him.

  He would be out there again… away from the petty control of the council, back in the wilds.

  It wasn’t space, but he looked forward to introducing Terri to the rare and deadly beauty of the Galithilan. He would comm Hitani and ask that she see to it that he and Terri enjoy a night alone at one of the hidden oases.

  The soft sound of feet against the floor met his ears. The pirate was good, but no matter how lightly she stepped, she could not get by an Argurma’s enhanced hearing if he were not distracted.

  “Azan,” he greeted, without turning around.

  She sighed, and her footsteps altered to their normal rhythm as she strode the rest of the way across the room, stopping just a short distance behind him.

  “You rang?”

  He looked over his shoulder at her in confusion. “What?”

  The female grinned unapologetically.

  “Something my human says. From what I understand, it is from an old Earth vid. I do not understand the reference… something about a household of peculiar humans who delight in the unusual. I have been curious for lunars, so do not be surprised if we raid your vids while we have your starship in orbit,” she informed him gleefully.

  “You remember that this is not a pleasure excursion,” Veral growled as he turned to face her.

  “As if you won’t be tasting a bit of pleasure yourself,” Azan snorted mirthfully, and he felt heat rise into his scales. How did she have such insight into his thoughts? “We will keep to the plan, but it is many days of waiting, so we will entertain ourselves as well. But do not worry, we will not sully your bed overmuch.”

  “You will use the furbished crew quarters. Do not enter our rooms,” he hissed in abhorrence.

  The idea of anyone lying where he intimately held his mate made him itch.

  Laughter burst from the pirate.

  An annoyed growl vibrated through him. He was not in the mood to be toyed with.

  “Relay your instructions to me so that I know you will stay on task,” he grumbled.

  Azan stretched her upper arms lazily. It was deceiving; there was nothing lazy or fickle about the pirate, despite her eagerness to cultivate such impressions. He was not surprised, though satisfied, when she produced a flawless recital of her instructions.

  “We are to take the Wanderer and set down in an obscured landing zone on the dark side of the smaller moon Gali’sowren. There, we await further orders. We are to employ no outer lights or leave the ship for any reason other than an emergency. Once we receive signal from you, we will drop down into orbit heading to the coordinates you will provide. We will pick you and your nice little family up and meet with my crew at our agreed-upon location.”

  Veral grunted.

  “We will be leaving tomorrow night after dusk, but I want you out of Argurumal orbit before sunrise, during the shift changes. You will have exactly twenty minutes to be clear of our planetary tracking. The coordinates you are going to is an emergency facility kept by my line and a few of our closest relations. Once you are there, it will keep you off the long-sweep radars,” he grumbled. “And one other thing,” he said as Azan turned to leave. He shot her a dark glower. “Try not to get too overeager with the replicator. I do not wish my mate to lack in her favorite sweet things and drinks.”

  “No luxuries… Heard and obeyed,” the female said with a precise salute.

  “You have your orders then… Now leave, Blaithari. I wish to return to my mate” he ordered. “I will see you in two spans.”

  Azan’s grin widened knowingly, but tucking her hands into her numerous pockets, she sauntered out without another word.

  Perhaps there were gods after all… If so, then they just might have blessed him at that moment.

  Letting out a sigh, he returned to his desk to finish what little work remained before he could return to his chambers for the evening. Now that it was upon him, he was eager to get away from all the detailed data entry work. He longed for the simple data logs and hours of privacy and leisure during travel that came with salvaging.

  Soon.

  27

  Tarik offered her one of his tight but warm smiles as he handed Harahna to Terri.

  “Do not be concerned. The registrar did not question what his eyes saw. While his comments were unflattering, he did not suspect anything reg
arding your offspring’s mixed heritage.”

  A relieved sigh escaped Terri as she hugged her baby close. She dodged the little hand playfully batting at her face before distracting her daughter by wiggling her fingers until one was captured and stuffed into an eager little mouth. Despite being only a couple of weeks old, Harahna was developing at a rate that didn’t cease to shock her.

  “Did the registrar see the symbiont?” she asked.

  The medic’s smile widened slightly.

  “No. Argurma protocols kept him back far enough that I was able to keep her right hand between her body and mine.”

  “Good,” she sighed in relief.

  “And I brought something for you,” he added, directing her attention to a small bag he lifted.

  A familiar honey-sweet smell filled the room, making her mouth water with anticipation.

  “You brought me vansik?”

  “On Veral’s instruction,” he clarified. “He wanted you to have an appropriate treat from the oases of the Galithilan. It is one of the few exports that come from our far-kin, and he said that you never had the opportunity to have it fresh. Only replicated.”

  His lip curled slightly, betraying his opinion on replicated food. Terri offered him a commiserating grin. She had some imported foods on space stations, but until she reached Argurumal, she really hadn’t had the opportunity to taste the difference between replicated and fresh foods. A sniff affirmed that this was the fresh stuff. The difference in the aroma of the vansik was incredible.

  Terri took the bag and brought it close to her face, inhaling as a chuckle escaped her.

  “It really does smell better too. I can’t believe how much I love to eat these little things considering I’m not usually one who enjoys eating bugs,” she confided.

  A surprisingly raspy chuff escaped the medic that was echoed by Malraha from where she was seated in a chair next to the baby’s bed. Navesha smirked from her position by the doorway.