Chapter 14
“Hey Cyra.”Gorga’s greeting was warm and optimistic. “I have a lead on a job for you. How do you feel about thuringies?”
“Thuringies?” Cyra froze mid-step.
“Yeah, a pack of them,” Gorga’s teasing tone let Cyra’s legs move again. “A broker picked them up at the auction. Needs to get him to Kolben over in the Heychsix solar system.”
“I’m familiar with Kolben.” And headed that way. The contract could be the bit of luck she’d been looking for but… “What are thuringies?”
“Specialized guard dogs. Well, dog-ish.”
“Wow, he came a long way to get pets.”
“These aren’t pets. They’re big, well-trained, and vicious. But between the special handling and the distance, it could be a very lucrative contract.”
“Why would anyone auction off specialty guard dogs?”
Gorga chortled. “Not by choice. The owner recently went to prison for fraud, blackmail, and racketeering.”
“Nice.”
“Almost as nice as his dogs. The authorities had a hell of a time getting them off the property.”
Cyra traversed the large dock out to the city streets to get a better comm signal. “Why would anyone want to buy these animals? And from a source so far away?”
“It’s rare to find them anywhere other than Morgual. We’re about the only planet for light years that has a decent training program.”
Cyra wouldn’t call anything about Morgual decent. It was a dirty, overcrowded planet with much too much unregulated industry. The sky hadn’t always been a sickly yellow. Farther away from the true industry, the factory owners kept spacious homes with extensive air cleaning devices. It wasn’t like they didn’t know what they were doing to their planet; it was just too profitable to be motivated to stop.
“So, how do I get in touch with this trader?” If she wasn’t so desperate and didn’t have partners counting on her—but she did.
“I gave him your comm info but told him to wait to contact you. You’ll likely hear from him tonight.”
“Thanks, Gorga. I owe you.”
Cyra made her way back to the ship. She’d never consider taking the contract for a transport all the way to Kolben if she wasn’t already going. It would take galactic months to get there. Could she manage the dogs on the ship for the entire time? It wasn’t like spiders. They’d have to eat, exercise, and evacuate their waste.
Cyra called a meeting in the galley. She explained the details of the possible transport.
“We’ll have to navigate through wormholes to travel that distance and be profitable.” Rhysa leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
Cyra cringed at the casual term for a bridge. Traveling through an ER bridge seemed like she was being processed through the guts of a worm. It was too accurate a term, and she refused to use it. No shortening of the trip was worth that experience, in her opinion. She wouldn’t use one unless there was no other way. “Plan as if that’s not an option.”
Rhysa huffed.
“Meet back here for last-meal to discuss the quote.”
Cyra spent the hours in between digging through Auvi’s files, searching the database for any information on previous transports to Kolben. The only contract she found was the existing one for Dez. She examined the details noting one alarming caveat. She checked the dates again. If she didn’t deliver Dez in the next ninety-one cycles, not only would they forfeit the remaining payment, they would owe the deposit and a hefty breach-of-contract fee.
She should have read the damn thing sooner. No time for regrets, she continued digging until she found the template for live cargo transport contracts and the accompanying quote sheet. There were a lot of blanks and she only had some of the answers. How dangerous were these dogs? Was there any way to control them? Damn, she should have asked. How big was big? With a shrug, she entered forty-five kilos each and winced at the result. That was a lot of food. Which meant they’d have to stop and load up on the way to Kolben, probably on Cassan. She finished poking at the data and then rushed to the galley.
Her comm buzzed with an incoming call. She glanced at the time. Hours had passed.
“I’m Helfang, I got your number from Gorga.” The trader’s gravelly voice blasted in her ear. She held the device farther out.
“Yes, um, Helfang. This is Captain Maejzhur of The Treasure. How can I help you?”
“I just picked up a thuringy pack at auction. I need them transported to Kolben.”
“Will you be traveling with the cargo?” Part of her hoped so he could own the trouble of taking care of the animals would. On the other hand, she didn’t want word to get out exactly how small The Treasure crew was.
“No. I have a few more stops before I head back to Cassan. I don’t live on Kolben. I just have a contract to make acquisitions for them. Tell you the truth, I hate the cold.”
“When will you be bringing me the cargo?”
“Call off the launch sequence, Captain.” Helfang chuckled. “We need to talk price.”
“I need more details to quote you a price. Do you have the biologic requirements, food, environment needs?”
“There are five in the pack. Don’t want them losing muscle on the trip. A high protein diet and some kind of workout provision should keep them in the same prime shape that I purchased them. I’ll send you the details.”
“What about their attack training? I heard the authorities had trouble retrieving the little darlings from their owner’s property.”
“Not a problem. Two things. First, you have to know their training commands. I have the key for that. All the commands and their meanings. Second, you need someone confident enough to command them.”
“Great.” Cyra gulped down her trepidation. Maybe one of her partners would be comfortable commanding a pack of thuringies. “I’ll prepare a quote. We require half the payment at the time the cargo is accepted for transport.”
“That’s not a problem, as long as we can agree on the price,” Helfang said.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“So, what do you think?” Cyra asked after everyone had eaten.
“I think we still need a chef. This food sucks.” Blaize stirred the remnants of food with a fork and a frown.
“You cooked it.”
“I know, I’m poisoning myself.”
“I will cook next.” The usually silent male’s voice surprised Cyra.
“Are you sure, Dez? You don’t have to.” The itch between her shoulder blades warned Cyra that this would be taking advantage of the essentially captive man.
“I cannot do a worse job than the previous two last-meals.” He gazed down at his bowl with a look of disgust or disappointment. Cyra wasn’t sure which.
“Hey,” Rhysa barked.
“Are you arguing that you’re a better cook than the rest of us?” Cyra asked with a tone of warning that Rhysa could have the job if she wasn’t careful.
“Not at all. Go for it Dez. Captain’s right—you can’t suck worse than me.” Rhysa made an O with her mouth and dragged her fingers down the sides. “Although I’ve been told I suck quite well.”
Change of topic. “About the thuringy contract,” Cyra spoke over the rest of the group before they completely lost focus. “What should we charge? I can’t find any history that Auvi ever transported a pack of dogs, so beyond Dez’s contract…” She glanced at him guiltily. “I don’t have any basis.”
“I need to consider possible medical needs. How dangerous are these beasts?” Veda asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Before we think too hard about getting to Kolben. We need to figure out how we’re going to get back to Cassan. We’ll need more EMF rods just to make sure we make it back there and that’s if we can even get the ship to launch again. I’ve never worked with an emotional energy panel. It doesn’t have any documentation. The original manufacturer went out of business. Go figure. Not to many people want to have to orgasm on the deck just to get their ship into orbit. I mean the only ship I can think of where that might be an asset is a pleasure cruiser, and even then you wouldn’t want it on the deck. But, besides that we need more fuel to be safe and the prices here are ridiculous. Rhysa got us more rods on Cassan, but what we have left is exactly what we need, no room for error. If anything goes wrong… And with the extra load of…of the cargo, and the food to support said cargo— Have we received payment for the damn spiders? I mean, it would be nice to have them off the ship and then we could prep to even take on new cargo. As it is now, I wouldn’t be that confident that I could keep the spiders contained. Putting additional live cargo in the same area is going to be a problem.” Blaize looked up and took her first breath. The rest of the crew had their eyes glued to her and their mouths hung open.
“I don’t know what to answer or reply to or question first.” Cyra said.
“She does go on once she gets started.” Veda replied.
“I already heard from the pharmaceutical company.” Cyra pulled her hair away from her gills. “I didn’t reply to his crappy offer like you all suggested. I got another message just a few moments before last-meal. He wants to talk.”
“Let him wait some more. Call him after first-meal.” Rhysa told her.
Cyra nodded.
“As for the fuel,” Rhysa continued. “Prices here are ridiculous. But, if we get a few, we should have plenty to make it to Cassan, but there’s no way we can make Kolben without taking wormholes. The calculation doesn’t work any other way.”
“Let’s sell the spiders, find out what the requirements are for the new cargo and see how much deposit we’re getting. The deposit may be enough to get us the additional fuel and the food provisions we need.” Cyra hoped she wasn’t wrong.
Veda tapped Cyra’s shoulder. “Don’t forget the possible additional medical supplies. Dogs have very different metabolisms from humanoids and I’ve only had minimal training with canine based lifeforms. So it could be tricky.”
“That reminds me. We have to make a provision for them to exercise. I did some research, I think if we give them a fairly open space with bedding and then treadmill time.”
“I would be happy to assist with managing the dogs.”
Cyra turned to Dez. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I have nothing to occupy my time on this ship. The tedium is almost as bad as the food.” He lifted a forkful up and let it plop back in his bowl. “Please, give me something to do.”
Cyra met with the pharmaceutical rep the next cycle. The quiet negotiation tactic had been effective. He transferred the remaining credits owed and had the transportation vehicle and a specialized handling team ready to move the spiders. Tension on the ship dropped noticeably, but Cyra remained concerned about their next contract. Nothing was done until the final contract was approved. And if she didn’t close the deal… Not possible. She had to make it happen.
Helfang was waiting at the bar when Cyra got there. “Sorry I kept you waiting. I had to finish up a prior committment.”
“No problem, you can pick up the tab to make it up to me.”
Cyra smiled. Sometimes you had to spend credits to make credits. Besides, if Helfang was happy with her work they might get future contracts. “We’ve rearranged the cargo bay space to accommodate exercise equipment for the pack while providing appropriate kennel space.” She placed the contract on the table. “We have a price in mind. We took into account the number of animals, the additional food, medical, and fuel requirements and, of course, the distance.”
“How much?”
“Seven hundred fifty thousand. Half up front.”
Helfang winced and sucked in a breath. “That’s pretty steep.”
Cyra had seen that negotiation tactic before. “It’s quite fair.”
“Will you guarantee delivery?”
“I will guarantee five hundred thousand.”
“Done.” Helfang held out his hand and Cyra offered him her comm to approve the contract with his thumbprint and embedded GID.
“When do you want to transfer the cargo?”
“Tonight. I can transfer the deposit now if you give me your account data.” Helfang picked up his own comm.
Cyra wondered if she had underbid the job. They had all added their costs and then doubled the values—twice the fuel, twice the food, additional medical, and the staff time. She had expected him to negotiate more. The fact that he jumped on the price told her she should increase her quotes in the future, but at least she and her partners had a contract.
They were officially in business with the first contract not previously negotiated by Auvi. After finishing her drink with Helfang, she settled the tab and thanked Gorga. She planned to make an effort to cultivate relationships with locals on each planet they reached. There was no better advertising for her transport business than word of mouth.
Her reputation on Cassan was so tattered, making her performance on this contract and her local planet connections even more critical. She could afford to do nothing to sabotage her fragile position.
Snarling and yapping filled the corridor outside Dez’s quarters. He rose from the lower bunk where he’d been contemplating how to once again fill the hours between bad meals on the ship and how he could keep from losing his mind from boredom during the long journey he still had to make. The door slid open and Veda and the Captain trailed five burly men, each with a canine on a leash.
Dez rushed to catch up. “What are you doing?”
Veda didn’t slow down. “I have to complete the medical assessment. It’s a requirement for live cargo.”
Dez recalled the inspection Doc had given him, including a blood draw when he’d first boarded The Treasure. “How do you plan to do that? They’ll eat you two alive.”
“They won’t,” Captain Cyra said, as if she was trying to will it so. “See their muzzles?”
Dev caught a glimpse of the metal and leather cages strapped to the dogs’ faces. “Those will have to come off for them to eat.”
“They have a remote release.” Captain Cyra marched forward undetered by the deadly sounds coming from the beasts.
“And when they need to go back on?” Dez feared for the little doctor and the stunning blue captain. There was no way he’d let anything happen to either of them. But it would hurt his heart if the dogs marred the captain’s skin.
“I’ll cross that wormhole when I get there.” Veda double stepped to catch up to the pack.
Dez followed, determined to provide some protection. The handlers placed the canines in their individual kennels, but didn’t offer a bit of help to Doctor Veda. He half expected them to sit down and play a game while they waited as unconcerned with the intake as they were. Dez scowled at the useless group and stayed by Veda’s side as she scanned each dog and documented their initial health status. The dogs were calmer one on one, but big enough to eat her in one bite.
Captain Cyra dragged her finger over her comm muttering to herself. “There are commands in this paperwork somewhere.”
“Can you hold up that front paw so I can get a sample?” Doctor Veda asked with a syringe in one hand.
“Sure.” Dez wasn’t sure at all. He ran his hand down the flank of the large male who came to Dez’s waist. His head was like a bowling ball, and he butted into Dez’s thigh, leaning in. A low rumble came from deep in the dog’s chest. “That’s it. Who’s a good boy?” Dez kept petting the beast with one hand and turned the dogs’s collar with the other. Credit. The name was woven into the collar. “Good boy, Credit.” Dez lifted the required paw. “This will be a tiny pinch, boy, but if I can do it, so can you.”
Veda parted the long black fur and plunged the needle in.
The purring stopped. Dez petted the dog more firmly, cooing positive words.
“OK, all done.” Veda dispensed the tiny sample into the reader. “No issues.” She glanced to the handlers, who were completely ignoring her and the dogs. “Do you think you can put this one in his cage and bring out the next one?”
“I will kennel Credit.” Better to get the crew to see these beats as individuals and worthy of care as soon as possible.
“Right, I’m sorry. Kennel.” She reached out and ran her fingers along the dog’s chest. “Good boy, Credit.”
They continued to work through the pack, Reaper, Vengeance, Wrath, and finally Dez brought out Queen. The lone female resisted being removed from the cell and then tried to run, nearly pulling Dez off his feet.
“Prasanta.” The captain’s command filled the cargo bay.
Queen stopped pulling. The lead went slack and her tongue lolled out.
“Good girl.” Dez patted the female’s bronze fur but didn’t miss the intake of breath from Cyra. He dragged his gaze away from the woman who’d captivated his dreams from the moment he’d boarded the ship when Veda cleared her throat.
“I sent the commands to your comm. I have to go.” Captain Cyra tapped her screen rapidly as she hurried to the exit, her face a light shade of purple. The handlers parted for the majestic female.
Dez fought the impulse to follow her, illicit more of her gasps. He blinked. Where had that come from? The dog bumped into his leg. He’d forgotten he was holding the lead.
“I’m ready.” Veda’s tiny smile confirmed she hadn’t missed a bit of the tension between the captain and himself. He’d tried hiding, but staying locked in a room with terrible meals brought to him three times a day wasn’t a long-term plan. Whatever the captain was triggering in him would pass.
Dez led Queen to Veda.
But when it came time for the blood draw, no command from any of them worked. The dog would not cooperate at all. Veda finally gave up. “I’ll get it later. There’s no sign of infection in any of the others and they’ve been kenneled together and quarantined for the last the galactic month.”
Dez kenneled the resistant female while Veda showed the handlers off the ship. He made sure each of the dogs was freed from their muzzles and had plenty of water in their drip feeders. Hopefully this wasn’t the first time they’d been transported.
Credit lapped at the metal tube and Dez relaxed. They would be fine. But maybe he should stay with them, make sure. Anything to avoid the unfamiliar sensations of lust that swept through him every time he was too close to the captain. Somehow the dogs were safer.
Veda paced behind Dez as he knelt by the kennels. Her worrying audible. “We’re working on getting food supplies for the ship. I’m not sure what the protein will be. It’s quite expensive on this planet. And the dogs will require so much to maintain their health.”
“Veda, would you consider presenting a unique request to Captain Cyra?” Dez glanced over his shoulder, his fingers still buried in Credit’s fur.
“What request?”
Dez released the dog and stood, hands clasped together in front of him. “I have not been back to see my family since I entered servitude. It has been five galactic years. Kolben is a great distance and I won’t be able to see them again, probably in my lifetime, or theirs. I would like to request your captain consider a trade.”
“A trade?” The data pad clutched back to her chest.
That didn’t bode well, but he had to at least ask, especially if they were planning to buy food on Morgual. His stomach turned, and the words fell out. “If she will supply the trip to my planet, I will supply the food and fuel needed to deliver me to Kolben.”
“She won’t trust that you will stay.”
“My word is my life. I would rather die than lie or deceive another.” Though he was well aware others, like his former owner didn’t have such compunctions.
Veda paused her pacing. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why did you sell yourself? If you can supply a ship for a trip like this, why would you sell yourself?” The final question was almost accusatory.
“I am not wealthy, nor is my family. My sister fell in love with the prince. He was also in love with her, but it’s custom that the female bring a dowry to marry. My family could not begin to supply her a dowry that would meet the level required by a prince.”
“You sold yourself so that your sister could marry for love.”
“Yes. Because I did this for her and for him, I feel confident that he will grant my request to provision the ship for the trip.”
“But, why? Why wouldn’t you have him buy your freedom?”
He flinched at the dishonorable suggestion. It would be like requesting his sister’s dowry be returned. “I have no need of it. I agreed to servitude and I honor my commitments.”
“What about you and your future?”
“I was an adult and hadn’t met my mate. I don’t expect to meet one now that I do not live on Din’ Gale.” Although his reaction to the captain concerned him. “I won’t be socializing with anyone other than my family while we’re there. I’ll travel to Kolben either way. If your captain grants my request, we’ll both benefit.”
“You could ask her yourself.”
“She’s more likely to listen to you, her best friend.”
“I’ll talk to her. It’s unlikely, Dez. Cyra is a new captain, and this is a high-risk request.” The tiny brown doctor had backed completely away.
A wave of inevitability stole through him, taking his energy. He knelt by Queen’s kennel, trying to coax the female into allowing him to pet her. “She would not consider it high risk if she knew me better.”