Chapter 3
I set the tablet down. The paperwork clearly had been forged, and not very well. Any half-trained regulation officer would be able to tell that this was something to reject with extreme vehemence. Unlucky for them, I wasn’t a regulation officer.
"Your paperwork looks like it's in order," I said, tapping my fingers on my desk. "The sale will go through."
The Izanbur hissed softly, the shifting tones of its language not as pleasant as my own, but they translated well through the screen's interface.
"Excellent. We will inform the zoo that the shipment will-" The Izanbur cut off and cried in surprise. It lurched forward as something small knocked into its back.
As it stumbled out of the view of my screen, what replaced it was an utter surprise.
It was one of the creatures described in the paperwork. The documentation was nothing in comparison to seeing it on the vid with my own eyes.
She stared back at me, eyes wide, what would be a luscious mane of reddish hair instead glued down her back, slick with what was likely a goo used in a stasis chamber that dripped from it. More goo slid down her body, cupping the curves of her naked, bare skin.
She was mostly hairless. A thick patch of brown fur nestled between her legs and a small dusting of fuzz covered her lower legs.
One of them anyway. Her other calf was completely encased in what looked like rotting leather.
She had two full mammary mounds up high on her chest, instead of several flat ones spread down her belly, which were startling to see, but the paperwork indicated her species, hoomons, had rounded mounds even if they hadn't ever born young.
Her chest heaved as she stared at me.
I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time - a warm pulse in my groin - the flare of sexual attraction.
I sucked in a breath, my physical reaction careening into my awareness, knocking against the reality of what she already was to me.
A minor pawn in a game she had no control over.
An Izanbur came careening into the room after her, reaching out and grabbing her upper arm. Her face contorted, her lips pulling back as she bared her teeth, and she spun, lashing out at it.
Another spike of lust rushed through me.
I was strangely attracted to this alien.
She was so ferocious.
Even while being in a place of utter and complete vulnerability, she didn’t crumple - she fought back. As they lost their balance and crashed down to the floor, more Izanburs rushed into the room. Rage and a fierce protectiveness suddenly overcame me.
"Let her go immediately!" I snapped out.
The Izanbur grappling with her obeyed immediately while the rest of them scrambled backward to get away from her. They stood to lose a lot of money in this sale if I blocked it, and by the state of their ship, they weren't going to be able to keep operating without the monetary influx.
"Inspector, this one is resistant to sedatives," one of the Izanburs explained. "A wild creature won't listen to reason; it must be restrained manually."
"Do not damage the inventory," I ordered.
"He is just the regulation officer. He doesn't oversee delivery," another Izanbur hissed out.
"You will find a way to be gentle," I growled.
"Gentle," the small hoomon echoed with her hands.
"She will be delivered in good condition," the first Izanbur reassured me.
"Gentle," the hoomon repeated.
"I will be inspecting the animals on delivery as well," I said. "Full payment will await my approval."
I stared at the small alien, willing her to see my intent.
I was coming for her.
She was not alone.
I ended the transmission before they could protest my lie. Then I sat back at my desk, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my fingers as I closed my eyes.
I wasn't expecting my reaction to her.
It was…unusual.
I needed to see her in person. I hadn’t planned on it.
I was going to just manipulate things from a distance - set up all the pieces in place.
Yet there was something more that called to me.
It would only help things for me to be there anyway, so a little trip to oversee my machinations wouldn't hurt anything.
Perhaps after my plan had reached its apex, I could take her for my own.
It had been a long time since I had been with anyone, and she could distract me from the loneliness.
Even though I had ample opportunity to look for another mate, I had not wanted to. Putting another woman in that position again was cruel.
To be my mate, a woman would have to be a special kind of ferocious, and every woman I’d met had wanted me for all the wrong reasons. I didn’t want someone who only wanted me for my position, power and wealth.
That's all they ever wanted.
A play thing might be the solution to my problem.
Concern washed over me.
I couldn't reach her now. Even if I wanted to take her from the Izanburs, I didn't know their exact location in space. All I knew was they were close enough to deliver the hoomons to Sebsitar Prime within a few planetary cycles.
It would take me longer than that to get to the Sebsitar Prime moon.
Plus, it was illogical to possess her.
It would bring great risk to my plans.
If I went in person, I could keep an eye on her - make sure that she was being treated well until I could retrieve her. It was logical to go. There was a great risk of everything falling apart and the conglomerate seizing full control.
If I went I could make sure everything went smoothly.
While there, I could ensure she was treated well.
I needed to understand why I felt so protective of her.
I tapped on my desk to open a channel to my primary administrative assistant. I set it to voice only, which caused a small generic holographic figure to project itself above my desk.
"Yreta, change of plans. We will be leaving for Sebistar Prime as soon as the fleet is fully fueled and ready," I said.
"The station has been preparing for your visit extensively," Yreta reminded me, the generic figure on the desk making the movements for respectful reproach.
"Do you wish for me to cancel the schedule of activities, compress them into a single day time frame before our resupply and refuel is finished, or reschedule them for a later trip? "
"Pick the most important and line them up to fit within the refueling window," I ordered. "The rest will wait. We will not be gone long, but do not provide a specific time frame."
"I will do so immediately, your esteemed starlight," Yreta responded with deference.
"When shall the first event begin?"
"A quarter cold spell," I ordered, then cut off the line.
I rolled my neck and rose to my feet.
My gaze drifted over the small holographic plate on the edge of my desk.
I reached out and brushed it, knocking a small bit of dust free to float in the air, and the image of my long gone mate appeared.
The old familiar ache radiated in my chest, squeezing my heart tight with a pressure that felt for a moment like I couldn't breathe.
Then I thought of the way that little hoomon had swung wildly, fighting back against her captors with little skill and a massive physical disadvantage. She bared her teeth and struck even though there was no way she could have thought she would succeed.
She was not the type who would ever give up.
For the first time, the pressure in my chest lightened.
I tapped the image, closing it.
My resolve hardened in the wake of that old pain. Once this was done, I would keep the little hoomon for myself. I didn't examine my reasons; they didn't matter.
All that mattered was the lightness I felt when I thought of her.
That, and the desire to keep her safe.
I could only keep her safe if I kept her with me.
I stepped away and strode to the shower. First, I needed to wash, don the proper attire, and attend to my duties. I would see to the next stage of the plan once my spaceship had left the space station dock.
I washed thoroughly, inspecting my job in the full-length mirror on the door afterward. I turned, making sure I hadn't missed a single spot.
My fur was immaculate.
I moved across my quarters and back through the reinforced doors that led to my command station. I leaned over my desk and sent out the communication order.
Within minutes I had the three regents, Garaxan, Zanbarth, and Nevintar, on the screen in front of me. Together, they formed the conglomerate that ruled Sebsitar Prime.
"I'm disappointed in the reports I've had of your ward," I started off quickly, not giving them a chance to introduce whatever distraction they wanted to throw my way. With men like these, it was important to charge in with the topic as fast as possible - and not give them any moment to evade.
"Sire, we-" Garaxan attempted to say before I cut him off again.
"You have been too indulgent," I interrupted, making sure to flash my irritation with my ears pinning back and my tail lashing.
I lifted my shoulders and dropped them, extending my claws on both hands.
"The time for leniency is at an end. If he is going to insist on wallowing about being useless, we must ensure he realizes where that will get him next time. "
I paused, letting my words sink in as the three men in front of me paused, stiffening their bodies as they tried to suppress the joy and excitement that my proclamation brought them.
I could still see it in the small flicks of their ears that they attempted to hold still, the quiver of a smile partially suppressed.
"What do you wish us to do?" Nevintar asked.
"It's time for him to shovel shit," I said, letting the tonal fluctuations of my sentence emphasize the sternness of my command. "Or you can find him another position that is equally suitable. Send me your suggestions and I will approve one."
The three Conglomerate leaders bowed their heads, moving their hands wide, their claws in as their tails made low sweeping motions, showing their obedience to my command.
I ended the call.
It was time to encourage the Prince to claim his throne.