Chapter 11 Prax
My sharp hearing confirms the three visitors have left. I head back to the living room just in time to catch my little Human re-materializing the front door.
She looks worried. I can’t tell if it’s because of that guy who just left, or if it's still about the conversation we had earlier.
Without a word, she sinks into the sofa and buries her face in her hands. Deep in thought. I give her space and go inspect their communication device.
It’s about as basic as it gets. A bare-bones transmitter-receiver. No way to have a private conversation with something like this. I flip through the frequencies and listen in. Most channels are silent. On some, people are chatting away, clearly aware that anyone can tune in.
“Channel 3 is for emergencies,” Neela tells me as she walks up.
“It’s the default. If someone has a medical issue, that’s where they ask for help.
Then there’s channel 59—that’s the one I used to contact Kiran.
It’s the busiest. You’ll hear stuff like, ‘So-and-so spotted wolves in sector blah blah,’ or, ‘Mister X is sick and wants to trade his work shift.’ Also births, weddings…
It’s like the valley’s bulletin board. Channel 23 is for gossip and random chit-chat. Basically, bored people radio.”
“Why use channel 59 to call your brother if anyone can hear?”
“Because every channel can be heard. But 3’s for emergencies only. People only use it if they’re seriously sick or in danger.”
“You mean there’s no way to talk in private?” I ask, genuinely surprised.
“None. We have small gatherings to talk face-to-face, but on open airwaves, we’re careful. Even if we’re still a little naive about Vassili Porkoff, most of us have been wary of him and his inner circle for months now.”
“Smart,” I say, convinced there’s shady business going on around here. If Bully’s involved, nothing’s off-limits.
“This Bully… the reptile guy—is he the one who shot you?” she asks.
“Yeah, the bastard dropped his cloaking just to let me see who was trying to kill me.”
“You seem to know him pretty well. How come?”
Shit. That’s the kind of question I really didn’t want to answer. How do I tell this innocent young woman I used to work with the Coalition? That Bully was my associate? But cowardice isn’t in my nature, so I take the plunge.
“We were partners for a while. We split ways when he dragged me to a slave auction. I objected—but too late. We were already at a Coalition outpost. I tried to buy the young Human myself to set her free.”
“Ileana,” she whispers.
“How do you know that name?” I snap, a little too sharply.
“You said it… several times when you were sick. She must’ve meant a lot to you.”
My mind drifts back to her soft gray eyes.
The girl who changed everything. I see her again in that almost-transparent tunic, standing on the auction block, lit up by the spotlights.
I remember our conversations. I can’t deny she had a strange effect on me.
After years of surviving through side hustles—trading metals and tech—she made me realize nothing is ever just business.
Even though I was already against trafficking in lives, I still lived by stripping the weak.
Like any good Sadjim raised in a smuggler’s family.
“What happened?” Neela asks gently.
“I couldn’t afford to buy her. Lost the auction.
But just trying was enough to end things with Bully.
I offered him my ship in exchange for her freedom.
If I’d won, we both would’ve been stuck on that base, shipless.
He never forgave me. Called it betrayal.
He’s been chasing me for two Polarian years to get back at me.
And now, well, he finally shot down my ship. ”
“And Ileana? Do you know what became of her?” she asks softly.
“Her lover—Pherebos, I think—managed to buy her. From what I’ve heard, they’re happy. Both of them joined the Intergalactic Confederation.”
I watch Neela’s face throughout this whole conversation. Disgust at my past with Bully. A tinge of jealousy and pity when I talk about Ileana. Then worry. And finally, relief when she learns Ileana’s safe and happy. That last part intrigues me.
“So you were in the Coalition…” she says, half-question, half-accusation.
I let out a long sigh. How do I explain this to someone so untouched by the filth that permeates most civilizations?
“Before you judge, let me give you some context. I was born on Sadjim, in system SS-0666. Dark sand plains, barely any vegetation, almost no prey. But the soil’s rich with minerals other species want.
From as far back as I can remember, we traded with neighbors.
On Sadjim, strength rules. That’s how I was raised.
Taking a mineral from someone weaker and trading it for food wasn’t shameful.
Joining a Coalition ship to oversee trades in person?
That seemed normal. When Bully and I stripped other planets of resources, I didn’t think about consequences.
We left them some. That made it fine, right?
“Then we found Ileana.”
Neela stares, horrified and fascinated. But she says nothing. Just waits.
“Bully said he’d sell her on Vagantu’s slave market. I opposed him… weakly, I admit. We were already in too deep. So I figured—if I bought her, I could save her and the Coalition would still profit.”
“But you pissed off Bully.”
“Exactly. But I don’t regret it. That moment showed me our paths had diverged. And my talks with Ileana made me realize: no kind of trafficking is okay. Taking from others, no matter the scale, isn’t honorable.”
She nods thoughtfully. Her gaze has softened. Can she forgive my past?
“And then?” she presses.
“She left with Pherebos. And I got an offer to join the Confederation. It felt like a chance to start over. To align my life with my values. Maybe even redeem myself. Now, I investigate and report intergalactic trafficking. My job is to shut these networks down.”
Her face lights up, and a smile spreads across her lips.
“Well, looks like the universe knows what it’s doing. Seems like you just stumbled on one.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I reply, flashing her a hungry grin.
***
I scan the frozen lake, looking for the low rock that broke my fall.
“I wonder what my sister was doing out here when she found you,” Kiran grumbles. “This is far from her house and on the wrong side of the mountain.”
He’s been grouchy ever since I asked him to come with me.
Apparently, he made his wife call in sick so she could watch the kid, and now he babysits me every day.
I don’t know what he thinks I’m gonna do to Neela—if I meant her harm, I would've already acted.
But his daily presence lets me observe their community and my charming hostess.
Instead of rolling the dice with him this morning and teaching him the subtleties of Ryu no Saikoro, I asked him to escort me back to the crash site.
I’m going to dive into the wreck of the Bakartia again and bring back two or three things that might come in handy.
And I need someone up top to keep the ice hole open and hold the rope that'll guide me back to the surface.
I finally spot a small snow mound on the vast smooth white sheet.
Barely noticeable, but I think it’s what I’m looking for.
I guide Kiran to the nearest bank and signal for him to leave his snowmobile behind.
I had no trouble convincing him that recovering a few items from the wreck could be useful—especially since all the tech they use down here is basically hand-me-downs from the Confederation.
We carefully walk onto the ice and stop at the base of the low rock.
“This is it,” I say. “The Bakartia is about fifty feet straight down. We’ll cut a hole, I’ll dive, and you’ll hold the rope and help pull me up.”
“You’re totally nuts,” he mutters. “My sister spent days nursing you back to health, and now you’re risking your life for a couple of random gadgets?”
“Noted. Are you ready?”
“Go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. And I’m not taking the fall when Neela freaks out!”
“One, I have no idea what ‘freaks out’ means. Two, no one’s asking you to snitch.”
“Yeah right, smartass kitty. You think she won’t notice?”
Instead of answering, I get moving before the ice seals back up. Since it’s just the two of us, I decide to strip off my pants before diving in. No point soaking them. In two seconds flat, I’m naked—and Kiran’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.
“What?” I say. “It always looks like this in cold water. Isn’t that normal for Humans?”
His choked grunt is the last thing I hear before plunging in headfirst.
Just like last time, the cold is brutal, slicing through my thick fur like it’s nothing. I don’t linger. I pass through the open hatch of the Bakartia and head toward the hygiene module.
With Azkarra gone after the crash, there’s no AI left to manage the wreck.
I manually unlock the access to the rear compartment.
I grab the cleaning-drying cube I came for—about a foot and a half wide.
Right next to it are a few of my things, which I stuff into the box.
I throw in my backup sleeping pod too—one I’ll need to hide from Neela and her creative urges.
Dragging the whole bundle back to the hatch, I feel my body starting to go numb. I can’t stay down much longer. Just as I reach the ship’s exit, the rope around my bicep tugs. Kiran’s pulling—good. I swim upward as fast as I can. He hauls me in with surprising enthusiasm.
I hand him the cube, which he sets aside without even looking at.
“Hurry up, Whiskers! You’re gonna freeze solid if you hang around down there much longer. And you might end up freezing off what makes you a male… That’d be a damn shame if it just dropped off!”
I shrug, ignoring his sarcastic quip.
“She’s not exactly warm,” I mutter as I finally emerge from the icy water.
I don’t waste time—I grab the towel and start vigorously rubbing down my fur.