The Space Merchants

by Wendie Nordgren

  "You're joking," I said.

  "He is not joking," Yukihyo told me. I hoped Yukihyo didn't have lady friends scattered across the galaxies. Hiroshi worked all of the time as far as I could tell, and he didn't behave like Phillip.

  Phillip drove us from Arachne's port to a business district. I followed Hiroshi, Phillip, and Yukihyo into a reception area where they were greeted by an older lady who brought us to a man who rose from behind a vid-screen and table to shake hands. The lady, noticing that I had no intentions of discussing business, offered me a seat near her desk and a beverage. I accepted. The lady introduced herself to me as Mrs. Sonners.

  Mrs. Sonners and her husband, with whom the guys were negotiating, owned this building, selling sheets and blankets made of Arachnean silk. Hiroshi and Mr. Sonners had made a deal in transit to Arachne. They finalized the transaction. Uniformed employees began to appear with carts full of lined crates. Yukihyo used a scan pad to inventory each crate loaded into the back of the transport's cargo hold. Several trips later and the employees had loaded the last of the cargo. The cargo hold was filled from top to bottom with no space available. Mr. Sonners beamed at Hiroshi, Yukihyo, and Phillip.

  "As always it is a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen. Please come to see us again on your next trip," Mr. Sonners said.

  "It was nice meeting you, Miss Green," his wife said to me. I thanked her and returned the courtesy. We drove back to Tora and unloaded with a crew of hired dock workers. Yukihyo secured the hold, and we left again. The day continued in much the same way. Crates of all manner of silk clothing filled the hold. We had skipped lunch. It was early evening, and I needed some food, yet I kept my complaints to myself. Yukihyo could tell I was becoming grumpy though.

  "Perhaps we should have dinner," he suggested.

  "Terrific idea, Yukihyo!" I said. Eventually, Hiroshi pulled to a stop and parked the large land transport. I looked around for the eating establishment, but saw nothing but other parked transports. "Where are we going?" I asked.

  "Look up," Hiroshi suggested. I lifted my eyes to a wooden structure high in the trees. We entered a wooden lift that carried us up to a restaurant in the tree tops. It was constructed of wood and plasti-glass. Sturdy solid wood floors grew into wooden walls of about three feet in height. From the walls up to the wood beamed ceiling was plasti-glass, which gave patrons an amazing view of the forest that stretched for as far as I could see. The table and chairs a waiter led us to were made of the same wood. The wood scent of the entire restaurant comforted me and made it feel like home. After taking my seat and looking closely into the trees, I could see birds and other small animals among the branches.

  "Are you enjoying the view?" Yukihyo gazed at me through eyes that resembled pearls.

  "It's almost as beautiful as your eyes today," I said to him.

  "Teagan," Phillip said, "that's not the kind of thing you say to a man."

  Smiling, I asked, "Phillip, do I tell you what to say to your women?" Hiroshi chuckled.

  "No," Phillip answered.

  "Then, please don't tell me what to say to my man. Thank you." Yukihyo took my hand, and he had to stop smiling so that he could kiss my fingers. Our dinner arrived. We shared platters of meats and vegetables. The guys talked about the business transactions they had planned for the next day. It was difficult to pay attention to it all.

  Phillip said, "Teagan, if I map out a route for you, would you be okay taking the land transport and doing a little shopping for yourself?"

  "Sure, that sounds fun."

  "You remember how to use your shock stick?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Yes, although the one opportunity I've had to use it, you handled for me." Yukihyo looked mischievous. After dinner, they made two more stops before heading back to Tora and unloading the cargo.

  After breakfast the next morning, Phillip and I took the lift down. He drove the land transport out of the bay and then opened the door for me to trade seats with him. Phillip showed me how to pull up the maps of shops that he thought I would like. Yukihyo walked over to my side.

  "We will spend today much as we did yesterday," he said.

  "Do you want to meet back here, so we can go to dinner together?" I asked.

  "Yes, and once you return, push this button to lower the ramp. After you park, press it again to secure the ramp."

  "Okay," I said. Yukihyo checked to make sure that I had my shock stick.

  "Be careful," he said.

  "I promise to be on my best behavior." He kissed my forehead.

  "Don't be too careful. Have some fun!" Phillip said as he flashed his smile at me.

  "Should I press the button to close the ramp now?"

  "I'll do it from the large land transport, Cupcake." Phillip winked at me and went to join the others.

  I checked all of the systems, my course, and then left. I successfully arrived at my destination and parked. The shopping area had been built a few feet off of the ground. Walking up wooden steps to a platform, I took a wooden bridge across to a shop. All of the shops had been constructed of wood and were connected by long wooden decks and swinging wooden bridges. The occasional spider's web glistened in the morning sunlight. Men and women walked in and out of shops. Children ran and stomped over bridges and giggled as their parents reined them in. The air smelled amazing. It was clean and fresh. A shopkeeper greeted me.

  "May I help you, miss?" he asked.

  I smiled, "I don't know. Can you tell me how to take this beautiful fresh air home with me?"

  He laughed and said, "Yes, of course." I looked at him.

  "Seriously?" He spread his hands.

  "There is a store across that bridge where they sell perfume and soap."

  "Thank you," I said. I spent a few minutes in his shoe store. I bought a comfortable pair of brown boots that came halfway up to my knees. I went in each store to look. One store sold sleepwear. I had one gown to sleep in. Yukihyo had caused some accidental snags and rips to two of the three he had bought for me on Scipio. Those had been fun evenings. The prices for gowns here at the source were much more reasonable. I bought beautiful pink pajamas, gowns with matching robes with floral designs in them, and some gowns that felt like cotton, but were silk. I got three of those in different styles. The store carried things for men, so I bought new pajama bottoms for Yukihyo in various shades of blue. I liked him in blue. All of my purchases cost fewer credits than the three gowns and the shawl Yukihyo had purchased for me on Scipio. I carried my bags down and placed them in the back of the land transport.

  Then, I climbed the stairs and continued browsing among the shops. A woman beckoned me into her store. She created elaborate braids for women, and showed me examples of her work on a small mounted vid-screen. I selected a simple braid that turned into a bun. She worked quickly, and afterwards I bought some of the hair ties and pins that she also sold in her shop. I thanked her. I had never had my hair done up in a fancy braid before. Then, I went off to do some more exploring. I found a cafe and went inside. A lady seated me. She handed me a menu. They served the little sandwiches and cakes like those Ms. Laura had served. I ordered an arrangement of them for one along with some tea. As I gazed out of the window, I heard someone approach. Thinking it was the waitress, I was surprised to see a man standing by my table. He wore an expensive suit.

  "May I help you?" I asked.

  "I could not help but notice you, sitting here alone. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Simon." He extended his hand to me. I shook it.

  "Hello. I'm Teagan." Simon smiled down at me from his considerable height.

  "May I join you?" He sat before I could answer. I looked around. There were other tables available. Simon had bright red hair and very pale blue eyes.

  "Excuse me, Simon. Is this some Arachnean custom I've never heard of?"

  "I do not understand what you mean," he said.

  "There are other tables...."

  Simon laughed, "You are delightful! I saw you from across the cafe. I m
erely wish to know you better."

  I frowned at him and asked, "Why?" Simon laughed again as though I had told him a joke. Simon had very broad shoulders. The waitress brought me my order. I really wanted him to go away, so I could eat. She cast an adoring smile at him.

  "May I get you anything, sir?"

  "No, thank you," Simon answered. The waitress blushed, curtsied, and walked away. Simon's attention returned to me. "Where are you staying?" he asked.

  "Staying?" Simon smiled in what I thought might be a seductive way from my observations of Phillip.

  "Yes, while you are here on Arachne." I blushed.

  "On our ship and I have a boyfriend, if that's what you're getting at," I said.

  Simon smiled, "A boyfriend, but not a husband? That means I have a chance to steal you away. Until we meet again, Teagan." Simon tipped his head to me and left the cafe. I breathed a sigh of relief and ate all of my food. The waitress returned.

  "May I get you anything else?"

  "No, thank you. I would like to pay, please."

  She smiled, "Lord Montgomery paid your bill, miss."

  Frowning I asked, "Who is he?"

  "Lord Montgomery's family owns thousands of acres of land and provides most of the webs used to make Arachnean silk," she answered.

  "I see. Thank you." I left. I found the store that sold perfumes and soaps. I bought shampoos for each of us that smelled like the fresh air from the Arachnean trees. I saw Simon watching me as I entered a clothing store. He made me nervous, so I waited until his head turned, and I left. I blended in with other people and made it back to the land transport. I drove as quickly as I could back to Tora. Opening the ramp, I parked, closed the ramp, and unloaded my bags from the back and entered the lift. I couldn't decide if I had been smart or totally paranoid. I did know that Lord Simon Montgomery creeped me out.

  Yukihyo finally came home. "I felt your agitation earlier, but then tracked your location here. What happened?" I told him everything about my day and about my uneasiness in regard to Lord Simon Montgomery.

  "Do you think I overreacted?" I asked.

  "I think, if you needed to feel safe, coming back to Tora was the right thing to do." Yukihyo's voice soothed my nerves. "Your hair is elegant like this. It shows off the gentle curve of your neck," he said, placing kisses along the trail his finger made down the side of my neck. The light flashed above my door. Yukihyo opened it for Hiroshi.

  "Are you ready to go to dinner?" Hiroshi asked.

  "I think I'll just stay home," I said. Yukihyo looked at me.

  "You have nothing to fear when you are with me."

  Hiroshi said, "What is the meaning of this?" Yukihyo told him how I had come home early after Simon had flirted with me and paid for my lunch. The way he told it, it didn't sound as bad. Phillip had walked in and heard his explanation.

  "Cupcake, get used to it. It's why you've got that shark stick."

  "Don't you mean shock stick?" I asked.

  "Not in this case, Cupcake. There are a lot of sad, lonely men out in the galaxies and not half as many women. Even fewer little pretty ones, like you," Phillip said.

  Yukihyo said, "Phillip is correct. However, of the women I have seen on several planets, you are the most beautiful." I smiled and blushed up at him. He said such sweet things to me, and it melted my heart because I knew he really meant them.

  "I'm hungry," Phillip said.

  "Wait a minute, please. While you are all here, do you guys need any shampoo? While I was out, the air smelled so clean and perfect that I had some shampoo made for us that almost smells like it. Here." I opened the bag and pulled the clear bottles of light green shampoo out and passed them around to the guys. They opened their bottles and sniffed at them. "What do you think?" I asked.

  "That actually smells nice and refreshing," Hiroshi said.

  "Yes, the ladies will like it," agreed Phillip.

  Yukihyo said, "It is a thoughtful reminder of Arachne, Teagan. Thank you." He took his bottle into my bathroom. When he came back, he suggested that we all go to dinner. Phillip made a point of checking every inch of the land transport before getting inside and driving us all to dinner.

  Phillip took us to an outdoor restaurant. The floor was constructed of intricately placed logs that had been smoothed and polished. Beams held aloft canopies of patterned silk above it. The Pavilion, as it was named, was scattered with low tables and colorful cushions that surrounded them and served as seating. A waiter took us to a table. Pitchers of water, tea, and sparkling juice were placed before us. Yukihyo helped me to sit and then pulled a cushion closer to me before sitting beside me. I reached for his hand and brought it to my lap to hold. A feeling of love and contentment flooded my entire being at that moment as I looked into his eyes. I whispered, "I love you." Yukihyo squeezed my hand in response. I felt him reaching to me through the bond we shared. Yukihyo turned from me to join in the conversation between his brother and his friend. I released Yukihyo's hand and poured myself some water. As I looked up to replace the pitcher, I saw him. Simon walked across the floor to our table. Simon gave a slight bow at the waist.

  "Good evening," Simon said to us all. Hiroshi, Phillip, and Yukihyo rose and greeted Simon with the same bow.

  "Good evening, Simon," Hiroshi replied. Simon bowed toward me. I blushed and lowered my chin a bit.

  To Yukihyo Simon said, "I had the pleasure of meeting your lady this afternoon. I hope I caused no offense."

  Yukihyo said, "Teagan told me that you paid for her lunch. Thank you for seeing to her wellbeing." Simon smiled at him.

  "Any time, Yukihyo. Please, accept an invitation to my estate. You may show your lady how the spiders of Arachne spin their silk threads. After a tour we can all sit and discuss a business venture I have in mind." They accepted Simon's invitation, and I thanked him for buying my lunch. Simon walked over to me and held his hand out for mine. I lifted my hand to shake his, but he kissed my hand instead. I lowered my eyes and blushed to hide how unnerved he made me feel. The feeling made me feel guilty, since he had only been polite to me. I wanted to wash my hand. Phillip and Hiroshi carried on with Yukihyo as if everything were fine, but when I saw Yukihyo's eyes shot through with traces of blue, pink, and gold, I knew he believed me. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. Yukihyo looked across the table at Simon who had watched.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Once we were in the transport early the next morning, I said to everyone, "Do I have to go?"

  Phillip said, "I don't see a way out of it."

  "You could say I'm sick. That would get me out of going to scary Simon's spider estate. I don't even like spiders."

  Hiroshi sighed, "To refuse his hospitality would be a breach of etiquette and could cause future trade agreement problems. The Montgomery clan wields a great deal of power."

  "Hiroshi is correct. While I agree with you and would prefer not to go, we must be as diplomatic as possible."

  Phillip interjected, "Come on. We've known Simon for years. Sure he's rich, spoiled, and almost as handsome as me, but he wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone, especially not a woman. You're just jealous." Yukihyo smiled at Phillip.

  "You know damn well it isn't Simon I'm worried about. You know what I did to Devan. If I beat the shit out of Simon for trying to charm her with his rich and dashing act, my trade agreements on Arachne might suffer irreparable damage." I had put on the plainest dress I could find from what Felicia had selected for me. It was a pale purple dress with a rounded neckline, sleeves to the elbows, and a hem to the ankles. I added a black belt to which I attached my shock stick, and I wore plain black flats. My hair, I hadn't washed last night. It had remained in its neat braided bun while I had slept. My charge stick was almost completely hidden in the folds of my skirt. Yukihyo had said I looked nice when he saw me.

  I had said, "Oh, should I change?"

  Simon's estate was located out in the middle of a forest. Hiroshi said most of Simon's estate was forested and home to many spider
s.

  "How many?" I asked. No one answered, and my palms began to sweat. Phillip had taken us away from the land port and the city. He took us down a long straight road with trees towering above on either side. The road was dark, even in the early morning hours. Thirty minutes had passed and still only the road and trees were in sight. "How long is this road anyway?" I asked.

  "We are halfway there," Yukihyo answered. I heard a loud crack. A huge tree began to fall across the road. Phillip turned the grips hard to the left, but massive branches hit the back of the transport, crushing it. Branches and leaves had joined us inside, and the transport lifted up on the driver's side. My side pressed painfully into my door. Yukihyo had his feet braced and pushed with his legs to force his door open against the many tree branches. We were buried under limbs and leaves.

  "Is everyone alright?" Hiroshi asked.

  "Yes," I answered. Yukihyo reached his hand down to me and helped me climb out. Phillip and then Hiroshi climbed over the back of their seats and climbed out of the door after us. Yukihyo began to lead us carefully out of the mass of fallen tree. Broken limbs still caught at our skin and clothes, and I felt a few scrapes. Yukihyo abruptly stopped. He pulled me down into a crouch.

  He whispered to us, "We are not alone. I could swear that I just caught a glimpse of a Parvac soldier." Hiroshi's face turned dark with anger.

  "Do you think they tracked us out here from Tora?" he asked.

  "Getting us alone out here in a heavily forested area for payback after Malta?" Phillip suggested.

  "What's our plan?" Hiroshi asked.

  "Are you both armed?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Always," Hiroshi whispered. My heart thudded so hard against my chest, I thought it must be louder than Hiroshi.

  "How many?" Phillip asked.

  "I'm detecting five," Yukihyo said, holding a palm sized vid-screen that showed our cluster as a large dot surrounded by five smaller dots. He showed them which two he planned to attack, and Hiroshi and Phillip selected their own targets.

  Yukihyo put the device away and held my face in his hands.

  "Teagan, I'm going to give you an important task. Are you listening?" I nodded. "I want you to count to ten, silently. Then, I want you to run for as long as you can in that direction after you clear this tree." He pointed toward the direction we had been traveling, but at an angle, deeper into the trees. "When you can't run any farther, I want you to keep walking. Put your charge stick in your hand and lock it into active." I did. "We will find you." I nodded. "Start counting."