by L P Peace
‘Who is it?’ he called out through gritted teeth.
‘Tolomus.’
Daris placed a hand against Zoe’s cheek. His hand wrapped around one side of her head; his fingers buried in her hair at the nape of her neck. He marvelled at how much larger he was than her. ‘You must show spirit, but not too much. As soon as he thinks you’re broken, he’ll take you. Then it will be so much harder for me to rescue you.’
‘Why not just go? Tell the Tessans where we are now.’
Daris growled at the thought of abandoning his mate. ‘I am not leaving this ship without you.’
She bit her lip and nodded, relief in her eyes.
‘Sit on the bed.’
Daris crossed to the door. When he turned, she was sitting demurely on the bed. He would have to find a way to reward her for doing as instructed.
Tolomus stood on the other side of the door alone. Daris held the door open, and he stepped inside, his eyes going straight to the bed and Daris’s mate. Daris followed his gaze and saw a spark of anger and resentment in his mate’s face. Tolomus almost flinched. He looked at Daris.
‘We’re taking the Geatlim gate to Olidus. But we need to restrain the stock so they don’t hurt themselves in transit.’
‘This is an old ship. Can it handle the strain of a jump?’
‘Can, and has many times,’ Tolomus replied. His eyes wandered back to Zoe.
‘What about the stock? How do we subdue them?’
‘Already taken care of.’
A jump. They were challenging and dangerous. He didn’t want Zoe to go through that alone. ‘Do you need me? We’re just getting started.’
‘I don’t,’ Tolomus said. ‘But I would like you there. Most of these males are like wild animals. They’ll rut the stock while it’s unconscious. I need you there to help me and those I trust to ensure none of them is interfered with.’
Daris felt his jaw clench. He looked at his mate. ‘I bet you’ve never seen a jump gate, have you, Zoe?’
Zoe glanced at Tolomus. ‘No.’
‘No, of course not.’ He looked at Tolomus. ‘Time for our girl here to get used to life aboard this ship,’ he said.
Tolomus’s eyes burned into her. ‘I agree.’
The humans had been knocked unconscious with a gas. Tolomus did something and what Daris thought were simple deck plating hid restraints beneath. Each female was placed inside one. Daris, Zoe at his side, roamed the floor with four other males, Tolomus included, to ensure none of the females was molested.
‘Tara,’ he heard her whisper when they went near one cell. Daris took that one, ensuring the dark-haired female was taken care of, Zoe helping.
When they were done and the floor was cleared, Tolomus took them up to the bridge.
The bridge was an octagon, with four long sides and four short sides. An intricately patterned black and silver metal floor was half-covered in grime and scuff marks. Daris imagined it would look beautiful if it were polished. The same metal patterning was on the ceiling. He imagined it had once looked remarkable, reflecting back and forth. It was also on the doors. The exposed walls, those not covered in screens or workstations, looked like they had once been a dark red wood. Now dirt covered the walls.
There were eight workstations, two across the back wall, two on each side, and two in front of the captain’s chair. There were two standing restraints on the short walls for visitors to the bridge to strap in during jumps. Daris cast a critical eye over them.
‘Zoe will never fit in one of these. Perhaps a seat?’
Tolomus looked at the human. ‘Zoe,’ he murmured. ‘At an active workstation?’
‘Disable it.’ Daris shrugged.
Tolomus looked around the room. Daris followed the Fedhith’s gaze. The two workstations in front of the captain’s chair were occupied by two cut-up, burly males. One, a horned Adosian, the other an ice-blue skinned Gaoalin. Daris almost choked. Not only had he not seen the Gaoalin on the ship before, but they were known for their honour. To find one on this ship meant he had fallen very far from his people’s ideals.
Both males watched Zoe, the Adosian with something akin to regret. Daris wondered if he were alone, or if he was on the ship with his pre-bonds.
Tolomus walked over to one of the unoccupied workstations to the sides of the bridge. There were two spare seats. He fiddled with it until the panel went dark.
‘Strap her in.’
Daris pulled Zoe to one of the chairs. It was facing the control panel, so he turned it towards the screen and locked it in place. She would need to be facing this direction to ensure her head was protected against the back of the seat during the jump.
‘Jumps are perilous,’ he said, low enough to seem private, loud enough for the bridge to listen in. ‘You must stay in the seat until we reach the other side.’
‘Coming up to Geatlim station,’ the Adosian called out.
‘There will be a point in the middle, when one gate releases us and before the other takes hold, where everything will become calm.’ Zoe looked from Daris to the screen behind him. He took hold of her chin and brought her attention back to him. ‘Do not unstrap from your seat,’ he said, his voice firm. ‘You must stay in this seat until I come and unstrap you.’
Zoe looked over his shoulder at the screen again.
Once more, Daris caught her chin in his hand and turned her to look at him.
‘I need to know you heard and understood me,’ he said a little quieter.
For a moment, the twisting, lip musing came back. Daris repressed an urge to kiss her. ‘I understand. We’re about to go through an alien-made Einstein-Rosen bridge and the journey’s going to be rough. I worked on the theory at university. I’ll stay right here and watch until you get me.’ She bit her lip. Daris wanted to bite it too. ‘I promise.’
‘Very well.’ He went to the chair behind her, turning it and strapping himself in.
Geatlim was coming into view on the screen. The double-ring configuration, one vertical ring enclosed in the band of the horizontal ring that wasn’t complete, was almost universal. Only Venton, the Calidon syndicate's gate, was different, as far as Daris knew.
They entered through the break in the horizontal ring, directly across from the vertical ring, and crossed the space between. Most of the arms of the horizontal ring were made up of a space station. This, again, was a constant with the rings. There were ships docked at the station, and actual windows allowed a view of lights and distant figures moving within.
As they got closer, the rings-within-rings configuration became more apparent.
‘Daris?’
‘Zoe?’
‘What should I expect?’ A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His female needed to feel in control. This was why she needed him, for the times she needed to let go.
‘Blackness. A pulling sensation. Relax, especially at the end. You’ll be thrown forward in your seat. Try not to tense up.’
There was silence for a metri. ‘Thank you,’ Zoe said quietly.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Daris saw Tolomus witness the entire exchange.
They entered the structure, and a blue light appeared as the ship came to a stop. The blue light flashed to red. The Adian gems lit up, and an inky blackness filled the viewscreen.
The ship was pulled into the void.
‘Oh god, oh god, oh god.’
‘You are safe, Zoe,’ Daris said loud enough for her to hear. ‘I have you.’
The ship began to shake. He heard the sound of straining metal and looked at Tolomus, alarmed. Tolomus looked calm, so he returned his attention to the viewscreen.
Everything stopped when they hit the halfway mark.
‘We’ll go back in momentarily,’ he called out to Zoe.
‘This is incredible,’ he heard her whisper.
The violent shaking resumed. A metri later, The Crucible emerged at Donasune.
Daris unstrapped himself and stood.
‘We’ll be at Cara
s in fifteen hacri,’ Tolomus said.
Daris nodded acknowledgement as he crossed to Zoe, his heart in his throat until he saw her, bright-eyed, a wondrous look on her face. He instantly relaxed and unstrapped her.
‘Zoe.’ He gave her a significant look and saw recognition in her eyes. ‘Thank the captain for allowing you up here while we jumped.’
She closed her eyes, an annoyed look on her face before she turned to face the purple alien. ‘Thank you, Captain.’ Her voice carried a hard edge to it.
Tolomus nodded, an uncertain look in his eye.
‘Time,’ he reassured the Fedhith.
Daris, a hand on the small of her back, guided Zoe from the bridge and back to his quarters.
As soon as Daris got word they’d arrived at the station, he activated the viewscreen on his wall.
‘Caras station,’ he said, presenting the asteroid-cum-space station to Zoe.
‘We’ve done that with asteroids in our system,’ she said. ‘What do they mine?’
‘Nothing anymore,’ Daris said. ‘They used to mine amot.’
‘The metal the Tessans gave us to build Endurance?’
‘Yes. But they stopped a long time ago. When the miners moved out, the criminals moved in.’
‘So this is like home for you?’
Daris laughed. ‘I was based out of here, off and on, for four or five solars,’ he admitted. ‘It’s full of thieves and scum. My kind of place.’
Daris stretched and rolled his shoulders. He had taken the floor last night. His decision. He wanted—no, he needed Zoe to trust him. Not just because the plan wouldn’t work without it, but because he needed it in his bones. Sex would be so much better when she submitted to him fully.
Her eyes followed the roll of his naked shoulders, and her cheeks pinkened. Daris kept the smirk from his face.
‘How—’
‘Go on,’ he said, leaning towards her.
She looked down his torso before connecting with his eyes.
‘How is it you look like you have a medium build,’ her eyes went down his torso again, ‘but you’ve got a lot of muscle there?’ She shook her head. ‘Like, no fat. Every movement is—ripples.’ She went pink again.
Daris smiled at her embarrassment. ‘You are adorable, Zoe,’ he told her. The pink turned to red, and he laughed.
‘Maruzen muscles are densely packed.’ He pointed at the door. ‘I’m at least as strong as many of the males out there. Stronger than the rest.’
‘You said you used to fight?’
‘Alidai fight pit,’ he smiled, remembering the roar of the crowds, the comradery of the fighters, the dry air of the pit. ‘I was there for several years. Longer than Makios.’ He sighed. He and Makios had bonded over their enjoyment of the fight. He missed those rotes. Though, looking at his female, he wouldn’t go back to them. ‘Rhona tells me such sports are considered barbaric on Earth?’
Zoe shrugged. ‘We have combat sports,’ she said. ‘Boxing. Martial arts. We have sports leagues in OSAF. Outer System Armed Forces,’ she said when she saw the confused look on his face. ‘Sophia, my best friend, she’s the champion of the kickboxing league, four years running. You wouldn’t think it to look at her. She’s so skinny. But try stealing chocolate from her and you’ll find out how strong she is.’
Chocolate. Daris had picked up some of that from the human ship. It currently sat on his bed inside his ship.
‘She likes this chocolate?’
‘Humans like chocolate.’ Zoe smiled. ‘Especially women.’
‘Especially you?’
‘Chocolate is amazing,’ she breathed.
Daris took in the flushed cheeks and faraway look in her eyes. He would have to make a point of visiting his ship.
The Crucible settled into an orbit around the station. Almost immediately, one of the station’s outer airlocks opened, and a transport ship took an intercept course to the ship. Daris sucked in a breath.
‘What’s that?’
‘That is a ship the market holders at the meat market share.’ He looked at Zoe. ‘Tolomus is about to hold an auction.’
She looked from the ship to Daris, her eyes wide. ‘My friends.’
‘I’m sorry, Zoe.’ He grimaced. ‘I was hoping the Tessans would have made it here by now. There’s nothing I can do but go, note who buys, and pass the information on.’
‘Can I come with you?’
‘No, you don’t want to see this.’
‘Please.’ Zoe got off the bed and walked towards him. Stopping several feet away. ‘I won’t say anything. No matter what.’
‘No, my Zoe.’
‘I can’t let them—I can’t let them go without knowing who—’ Zoe shook her head. Her eyes flashed, an idea sparking life into them. ‘You can say what happened, but I can tell the Tessans who was taken. Please, Daris,’ she finished.
Daris sighed. It was an awful idea, but he couldn’t say no to her. ‘But if you call attention to us, I will get us out of there and damned to them all, do you understand?’
‘I promise,’ she said.
Daris sighed. It was such a bad idea. But perhaps it would help when it came time to find them.’
The balcony overlooked a considerable space. According to Daris, it stood above the slave floor. Zoe wondered if the patrons, dozens of them, knew that just beneath their feet, there were more than the assembled twelve slaves here. Tolomus restricted sales to keep the prices up.
Tara was there. Almost on sight, Zoe’s promise of being quiet was nearly broken.
Daris pulled her into his arms, his hand over her mouth. ‘Don’t make me leave, Zoe,’ he whispered. ‘I won’t risk a single hair on your head for all of them. Calm, ahdali. Settle.’
She breathed hard against the palm of his hand, aware of how big it was. His other hand was restraining both of hers behind her back while his tail stroked her face.
‘Shhhh,’ he whispered, pressing her head against his firm chest. He was still at her back. Calm. Zoe closed her eyes, breathing slowly. She loved Tara like a sister; she wouldn’t let her panic ruin any chances of her rescue.
‘Good girl,’ he whispered into her hair, pressing his lips to the top of her head when her breathing had steadied. ‘Shhhh.’
Zoe felt herself respond to his voice, to his presence at her back. To the calmness that surrounded him, like an island of peace against the storm of the surrounding choppy seas.
‘That’s it,’ he whispered. ‘That’s my good girl.’
His hand moved from her mouth to her throat; the size of his hand forced her head back a little. He was looking down at her, into her eyes.
Zoe felt a shock of throbbing need go through her. She gasped as she felt herself become wet.
Daris’s nose twitched, and he hissed in a breath. It burst out of him again. ‘Zoe.’ His eyes closed, and she watched him battle for control. When he opened them again, the calm was back. ‘We must watch the auction, my Zoe,’ he whispered. He moved his hand from her throat and released her hands.
Head swimming, feeling unbalanced, Zoe took a step forward to steady herself. A moment later, she was pulled back against Daris, his hand spread across her waist, pressing her firmly to him.
Thus anchored and trying to ignore the maelstrom inside, she looked back down at the auction floor.
As she watched, the sale was called. A dusky blue alien stepped towards the stage.
‘Pyri,’ Zoe whispered, seeing the familiar copper hair before the alien holding her dragged her from the stage.
‘Devori,’ Daris whispered. ‘If he’s staying in the crowd, it’s because he intends on buying another female.’
‘What does that mean?’ Zoe asked.
‘It could mean he’s a stallholder on the meat market.’ A hand went to her shoulder. ‘And he intends on selling them on. It could mean he owns a pleasure house, and they will be prostituted. Or he could be buying for a noble’s harem. There are so many reasons to buy a slave, my sweet Zoe. You can’t p
ut too much thought into it. The Tessans will rescue them as soon as we’re able to get the information to them.’
Zoe closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. When she opened them again, Pyri’s best friend, Elaine, was being pulled to the stage.
Zoe’s heart leapt into her throat. Pyri and Elaine were fresh out of the academy. Pyri trained in astronavigation, like Zoe, whereas Elaine was an engineer. She always seemed to be covered in some grease or dirt from the engine, or something else. She was young, too young. They were still finding their feet.
Her hair had fallen out of the elaborate style she usually wore but was still held back out of her face. There were words exchanged between the auctioneer and the alien holding her. He pulled the bands holding the last of her hair up, allowing it to spill over her shoulders. She gasped in shock as he grabbed the back of her head and pushed her towards the crowd.
The bidding was furious. Zoe tried to keep up, but she couldn’t see who all of the bidders were and the voices called so quickly, it made her dizzy.
When the sale was called, the same Devori who had bought Pyri had also bought Elaine. At least they would have each other. This time, when Elaine was dragged from the podium, the Devori followed.
Tara was brought up next. The bidding went quickly. When it was finished, a large green male with dark green hair walked over to the stage. He grabbed her by her throat and pulled her off the stage and into his arms. She screamed.
Daris’s hand was over Zoe’s mouth, his other arm restraining her before she realised she was going to move.
‘Hinari,’ he whispered to her as she struggled. ‘His behaviour is unusual for one of his race, but if he’s buying her, he likely feels a bond to her. He’ll also have his three pre-bonds in place. They will regulate his behaviour. She’ll be safe, Zoe, despite what you see.’
‘And the Hinari have four fathers for each child.’ Tara had smiled as she gave the information to them at their last dinner on Endurance. Now she was being carried away by one. The slaver who had been showing her to the audience was giving chase to ensure the Hinari paid.
Zoe went limp against Daris as Tara disappeared out of view.
