by L P Peace
The doors opened and Rhona felt her lip curl. They actually used this ancient thing? There were literally holes in the floor, and rust held pieces of it together.
Letting out a deep breath and trusting Makios above all, she followed him onto the lift.
As soon as the doors closed, he turned to her and lifted the hood from her face. ‘You all right, little human?’ he whispered.
‘A little scared,’ she admitted, pulling the scarf down. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Through the bazaar,’ he said, ‘and then through the station to the shantytown. There’s a bar there. It’s where we’ll meet our contact.’
‘You should warn her of the market,’ Vella said.
Makios looked at her, then nodded. ‘We’re going through the flesh market,’ he said.
‘A slave market?’
Makios nodded again. ‘You’ll want to save them, but if you try, we’ll all be caught and you and Kenian will be put on sale. Devorak will be discovered and turned over to his people.’
‘What a thought.’ The Cealin squeezed her hand.
‘The rest of us will probably be killed.’
Rhona nodded. ‘I get it,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll keep my mouth shut.’
The lift drew to a shuddering halt. Makios fixed the hood back over her face and kissed the end of her nose before moving the scarf back in place. He turned as the doors were opening.
They walked out into a large atrium. There were a few shops, most with darkened, boarded-up windows. People sat on the floor with alcohol, some eating at small scraps of food. Others walked out of other lifts, around the space.
In the centre was a strange, multi-armed array with screens at different heights. Some lower than she could have accessed, others so tall, she dreaded to think of the aliens that used them.
Rhona repressed a laugh as they went by and her chip deciphered the information on the screen.
YOU ARE HERE sat in the centre of a map. It was so familiar its appearance here made it bizarre.
They walked through the thin crowd and down a small corridor before emerging on a small mezzanine. Rhona gasped with shock. It was like someone had crammed a New York street and a Martian marketplace in together, swished it all around then backed it with a miniature city skyscape. There were even buildings in the mid-distance in front of the enormous inner wall of the asteroid.
‘Stay together,’ Makios said before leading them to a metal staircase and descending into the crush of people beneath.
As soon as Rhona’s foot touched the floor, she lost all sense of perspective and space. She was one tiny human in a crush of aliens that were much bigger than her. Devorak grabbed her hand and pulled her into his side. When Rhona saw Kenian, she grabbed hold of him tight. His orange and green skin had taken on a pale tint. His eyes were wide, and his pupils were almost round, though she could still make out the base W-shape of them. He looked terrified, and it only added to Rhona’s sense of fear.
‘We’re going to be okay,’ she said.
Kenian looked at her. His nostrils flared as he breathed, but he nodded.
‘How much for the Mvari?’
‘He’s not for sale.’ Rhona heard Devorak’s voice. He pulled someone to him, then pushed him through a crowd of people.
Vella appeared at his side and roared like a tiger as the alien scuttled through the crowd to get away from her. Rhona saw a red face with bone-like protrusions on his forehead. Then the mob closed, and he was gone.
She felt a hand behind her and turned in fear to find Deyuul at her back.
‘It’s okay, Rhona. I’ve got you.’
His voice was in her head.
‘You’re telepathic?’ Rhona thought at him.
‘Yes, but I am only here for this. I will not intrude on your mind otherwise,’ he assured her.
Everyone had arrived and fallen in around them. Makios led the way through the crowd, with Sidha and Vanoor at his side. They pushed through, forcing the throng of aliens to make way for them. It was strange watching Sidha, who was almost the same size as her shove and growl his way through at Makios’s side, though she noted they were doing most of the work.
Dabin was just behind Kenian. He towered over the Mvari and growled, pushing at anyone who came close to him.
They forced their way through the crowds before Makios led them into a large hall. Suddenly the crowds were gone and they were out of the crush. A moment later, something infinitely more familiar stood before Rhona: a shopping mall.
Though when she looked again, it had more of the feeling of a busy shopping street in Persephone. Here, they had more space as they walked.
‘Tighten up. We’re going to draw more attention here.’
Rhona tightened her hold on Devorak and reached for Kenian’s hand. He submitted it and smiled weakly at her.
Storefronts surrounded them. For a criminal hub, this place was serviced. Clothing stores, food stalls, homeware… Rhona did a double-take.
‘Homeware?’ she murmured to herself. Beside her, Devorak chuckled.
‘Walking with you is a delight,’ he said quietly.
They moved farther into the bazaar until they were in the centre of the walkway, walking down the huge central corridor. Rhona looked up. There were several floors above them with more shops visible over the glass-like railings. Aliens of all kinds walked back and forth, some carrying shopping bags. She even saw, what looked like a tattoo parlour. Another Kathen sat inside, having black marks added to his red tattoos. It reminded Rhona that she still hadn’t asked Makios about his tattoos. She shivered when she remembered him holding his hand over his heart on the Fedhith’s ship.
A humanoid went by, breaking her reverie. Rhona almost stopped walking, but she felt a push, a suggestion in her mind not to break her stride and followed it automatically. She realised it was Deyuul, and while it freaked her out, it also meant no one had seen her hesitation or fear.
The alien's body was mostly green, though there were large dark green scales on his sides, back, shoulders, hips, legs and arms that darkened to black near the end. He wasn’t wearing anything, and the biggest cock Rhona had ever seen swung back and forth as he walked. He also had four arms and four eyes and bright green hair. Black bone-like things that looked like claws wrapped around his skull. He looked at Makios, and his lower jaw opened into mandibles. Rhona’s heart stopped, but he nodded at Makios in acknowledgement and moved on. He had to be over twelve feet in height.
‘An Ilidar kaita,’ Kenian whispered in her ear. ‘Very rare. Only the kaitas, dominants, can shift. That’s his shifted form. He’s more Vella’s height unshifted.’
‘Makios knows him?’
‘I don’t know. This is my first time on the station,’ he admitted.
They moved further into the bazaar until they were in the centre of the walkway, walking down the large central corridor. Rhona looked up. There were several floors above them.
A few feet away, a giant, nine-foot-tall black-skinned female alien with a huge bone crest on her head passed by. She was surrounded by several males, all smaller, though still much bigger than Rhona and sans the crest. They were almost as large as Makios.
‘Dauvin queen and her lovers,’ Kenian whispered.
‘All of them?’ Rhona managed to keep her voice low despite her shock.
‘Queens are rare. They lay large amounts of eggs. Males vie for their positions.’
‘Aren’t there other females?’ Rhona asked.
Kenian nodded. ‘Workers,’ he whispered. ‘They don’t breed.’
The female was naked except for some strategically placed silks. The males wore loincloths, though they were worn so tight that when she glanced down, she felt like she had an up-close inspection of their junk.
‘Do none of these races believe in modesty?’ she hissed.
‘To most, modesty is an alien concept,’ Devorak whispered on her other side.
Well, seeing as she was an alien calling for modesty, they had
a point.
There were so many different kinds of aliens, Rhona began to catalogue them by their most prominent characteristic. Blue skin and black eyes. Digitigrade feet, tail and horns. Digitigrade feet, tail, no horns. Android with horns? Or was it some kind of armour? Purple skin. Ice blue skin and horns. Purple skin, horns, tails and hooves! Purple alien, horns, normal feet. Black skin, four arms, tail, massive white mane. Grey skin, long, bright turquoise hair, black armour.
One alien wore black armour, horns protruding through the helm. When he held a piece of clothing to his body, some of the armour retreated and revealed red muscled, almost segmented skin beneath. The armour retreated down to his groin, covering only his manhood. He saw her watching through glowing red eyes hidden deep beneath his helm. Part of the armour withdrew from his face to reveal a leering grin.
Rhona looked away and stared at her footsteps.
After a few minutes, she chanced looking up again and saw a snake-man. Like a naga of myth only more alien-looking. He was covered in red scales, and his skin and hair were red. He watched the group pass, focusing on Makios.
Another one appeared behind him, but this one was dark purple. They watched their group walk by, deep in conversation.
Rhona thought about warning Makios, but she didn’t want to draw attention to their group and surely Makios already knew.
‘Two Hieladan watching us to the right,’ Deyuul’s voice said in Makios’s mind.
Makios glanced at them. They were two of the Hieladan from the slave market. The ones he thought might be after the Hieladan boy that was now on Dairon’s ship, on his way to Tessa.
‘Got it,’ he thought back. ‘Keep an eye on them.’
‘Of course,’ Deyuul answered.
Makios vrokking hated this place at the best of times. This was not one. He had intended on leaving Rhona on the ship with Sidha and Kenian guarded by Dabin and Deyuul. Now the three most vulnerable members of his crew were out in the open for all this scum to see.
Sidha at least had the unknown on his side. Makios had told him to act tough, unafraid. Give the residents of Caras reason to believe he had nothing to fear. He was brightly coloured. In nature, that usually meant poison or some similar defence, and all of these aliens knew that. The fact that Sindaal were rare enough that it was unlikely any of these aliens had seen one before meant they would be more cautious. But everyone knew what Mvari and humans looked like and how defenceless they were.
Finally, they reached the end of the long promenade, and Makios led them through an opening at the end.
A couple of small shops, some balconies and bare stone greeted them. One abandoned shop face was graffitied with a winged-Hieladan—the mark of the Calidon crime syndicate. From here on in, they were in their territory.
Makios made a sharp right and led the party down into the dark bazaar.
It was half the length of the main bazaar but was just as tall. There were fewer people now, and Makios was able to walk to the centre of the market without being harassed.
‘Everything okay back there?’ Makios thought at Deyuul.
‘The Hieladan followed,’ Deyuul said. ‘But they’re only keeping tabs on us. They don’t intend on intercepting at this point.’
‘That’s encouraging,’ Makios thought dryly.
They continued on, walking towards the end of the bazaar, where the flesh market sat.
Makios held his breath and waited for a reaction from Rhona.
The crowds thickened up again. This was almost as busy as the where they’d first entered the station. It wasn’t until Rhona looked up that she realised why. The flesh market. There was no other place it could be.
Hanging from hooks dangling from the ceiling were transparent egg-shaped pods. Some were empty and dark. But those that glowed with a green light had naked beings in them.
Most of the pods were small, sized for humans or Aavani. She could see males and females of different species inside. Some sat forlornly, others clawed at the walls and a few thrashed inside, horns and tails pushing against the clear, membranous skin.
Aliens prodded at them. Laughed at them. One—he had to be ten feet with dreads and a tail—shook the pod and had his hand hit with a stick that flashed at the end by the slaver.
‘Make a purchase or vrok off,’ the alien shouted.
The alien laughed and pulled out a credit chit. The female inside the pod, an Aavani with lustrous hair put her hands over her eyes, her shoulders trembling.
Devorak pulled Rhona closer to his side. Rhona held Kenian’s hand tighter and swallowed down her fear and horror.
There were dozens of pods. Most of them were full, and many of them were pulled down, opened and the slave inside sold as Rhona walked by. If slavery was legal and abusing a slave was legal, what kind of life did the slaves here have? The thought compressed Rhona’s chest, and she began to shake.
‘It’s okay,’ Devorak whispered. ‘We’ll be through it soon.’
Rhona felt Kenian grip her hand tighter, then suddenly it was ripped away.
‘Kenian?’ she called out. She looked around and saw a flash of orange and green being pulled into the crowd before her eyes met those of the alien pulling him away, narrowing as they took her in. Rhona moved forward to catch up Kenian, but Devorak held her tight.
‘Kenian,’ she said, panic gripping her.
Makios was already in the crowd. Sidha and Vanoor closed ranks so Rhona couldn’t see. Suddenly the crowd around them surged, and Rhona and her group were carried along several feet. Shouts and roars filled the room, followed by panicked cries and another surge as aliens of all description ran from the fight.
‘Devorak?’ she said, her voice desperate.
‘He’s caught him,’ Devorak said. There was an angry, rough tone to his voice. ‘He has him—oh.’
‘What?’ she whispered. Fear gripped her.
‘It’s all right, little one. The Horran is…’ Devorak swallowed ‘…neutralised.’
A few moments later, a gap appeared in their ranks, and Kenian was back by her side.
Makios stayed beside him this time. Kenian was on the inside of the circle, walking slightly ahead of Rhona.
She took his hand, and Kenian flinched but grabbed her hand like the last handhold over a high cliff and squeezed her back.
Devorak had Rhona totally encased in his arms now. She couldn’t stop shaking and she felt—rather than saw—him and Makios exchange a look.
‘Almost there,’ Devorak whispered again.
The flesh market ended, and Makios led them into an empty corridor through a side door. Turning left, he pointed the way. ‘Be on guard,’ Makios said, continuing forward. ‘And pick up the pace. Let’s get through here quick.’
They were walking down the hall for a few minutes when Rhona realised what it was that made her uncomfortable. Despite the hall being made of metal, there were no echoes to either of their words, the few times they spoke or their footsteps.
‘Why are there no echoes?’ Rhona whispered.
‘This whole station is made of amot,’ Devorak whispered back. ‘Amot absorbs energy, sound, light. Do you see the strange look of the metal?’
Rhona looked at it. She tried to focus, but her eyes glided off. ‘My eyes can’t focus on it?’
‘That’s how you know it’s real amot.’
The red alien’s retracting armour had the same effect, she realised. It was part of the creepiness of him, though his skin, comfort with nudity and lascivious smile had definitely been extenuating factors.
As they came near to the end of the hall, sounds rose to greet them.
They exited the tunnel into another market. Though here the stalls were scrapped together, seemingly from random detritus. The gaps between them were narrow. The clothes of the vendors were dirtier. She saw alien children wandering around the market. When their eyes landed on them, they skittered away.
Makios led them through the stalls, where suspicious eyes followed them, and down
a narrow street. Again, there were balconies overlooking everything, set into the stone of the asteroid. They went by several shops where neon lights flashed, some on purpose, and came to a central square. Here the shops were larger and in better repair.
‘We’re here,’ Makios said, leading them across the way and inside one of the establishments.
Again, the familiar became strange. Rhona knew a bar when she saw one. But never had she seen one filled with such a weird array of aliens. The bar was unexpectedly light and spacious. Rows of booths lined one side, and there were stools at the bar. The wall opposite from them was a long window that overlooked a massive gorge. Rhona could see building work going on inside, new levels being created. Caras was a criminal enterprise and a work in process.
Just like all the clichés, Makios led them to a booth in a dark corner. One male sat inside.
His lilac eyes were the most startling thing about him. He had V-stepped ridges that ran from the bridge of his nose all the way up his head. Small horns topped the centre of each ridge, and the crest of his skull seemed thick in comparison to other species she’d seen. It reminded her of the armoured dinosaurs of ancient Earth. His skin was dark red, which blended into a cerulean around his head, neck, ears and hands. He had what looked like three scars that stood prominent along the top of each cheekbone, making them appear even higher than they already were. Full lips sat over the squarest chin she’d ever seen except on her dad.
‘Danithor?’ Makios said.
The male nodded.
‘You get the package? It satisfies your needs?’
Danithor nodded again. He stretched out a long arm and indicated the seat across from him. ‘Wasn’t expecting you to bring a crowd,’ the alien said, his swirled lilac irises taking them all in.
‘Random spot check. Wasn’t leaving my crew somewhere I couldn’t protect them.’
‘Your crew needs protecting, do they? Perhaps they’re not much of a crew.’ His eyes fell on Kenian, then turned to Devorak before falling on Rhona. His nostrils flared, and his lips stretched into a smile. ‘Sit. I’ll buy a round.’ His hand went up.
‘We’re good. Let’s get this exchange done so I can be on my way.’
