Chapter 3
Myrum
Finding a human anywhere outside the Talin Empire would’ve surprised Myrum, but being approached by one on a Hulg station on the border of Ossiso space was absolutely shocking.
Worry for the tiny, delicate female filled him, momentarily distracting him from trying to get food for Ruby.
She was the typical small, delicate-looking human, although she had bright blue hair he’d never seen on a human before. Some of the humans on Kalor dyed their hair black or red, so perhaps she enjoyed this striking shade. It complemented her light tan skin and deep brown eyes.
She was looking up at him with the same sweet, sincere expression Lena would have sometimes. The urge to grab her and run to a more secluded place to keep her safe was almost overwhelming.
He pushed it down. It was clear she didn’t know the danger she was in and acting without warning would only scare her.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she said. “But it’s nice that you care.”
“No, you don’t understand,” he said. Before he could say more the Hulg returned and dropped a handful of thick discs on the counter.
“This is all the gilgon soup starters I have,” he said. “If you buy them all, I’ll give you a good price.”
The human grabbed one and examined the packaging. “These are expired. What are you trying to do, poison him?”
The Hulg glared at her and made a threatening move with one of his arms. The human wasn’t intimidated, but it made Myrum react without thought. Lashing out across the counter, he knocked the Hulg back against the wall behind him.
“Don’t even threaten to harm her!” he growled.
The Hulg looked shocked then defensive. “I wasn’t going to make contact.”
The human scoffed. “Only because I wouldn’t have let you.
I saw the intent. If my new friend hadn’t acted so quickly, I would’ve done something.
” Ignoring the way the Hulg tried to protest his innocence, the human dropped the packets in her other hand on the counter.
“I’m going to buy these at full price, and you’re going to give me all the gilgon soup starters for free. ”
The Hulg’s eyes bugged out. “For free? Never!”
“That’s fine,” she said. “I guess I’ll have to report this to the station’s food and drinks commission. I heard they’re offering rewards for turning in unscrupulous food providers.”
The shopkeeper went perfectly still, his face going bright chartreuse with rage. “You are never welcome here again.”
Myrum was about to protest—even if the bug-pucks were expired he needed them. They were going to be Ruby’s primary food source, and she wouldn’t care if they were stale. Before he could get any words out, the human spoke up.
“That’s fine,” she said cheerfully, then pulled out a disposable credit block.
The Hulg tapped on his information square then presented it to her. She pressed the small payment device to it until the payment was complete. The moment the credits were transferred, the Hulg stepped away and pointed to the items.
“Take your things and get out.”
Still grinning, she grabbed the bags off the counter and shoved them into various giant pockets in her jacket and pants.
“You better grab the disks,” she said.
Myrum grabbed them and shoved them into his belt pouch then rushed to follow the human out of the shop.
He thought he’d have to ask her to stop so they could talk, but the moment they were past the shop’s door, she stepped aside and gestured for him to stand next to her.
“Are the disks for the little lizard?” she asked.
He was surprised she’d seen Ruby. She didn’t like coming out when it was crowded. He reached for the scarf and gently drew her out to present to this human.
“This is Ruby,” he explained. “She’s a good friend.”
“She’s gorgeous!” Amina exclaimed, putting her face close to the jeweled lizard. “Hello, Ruby, my name is Amina. If you like bugs, I think I can get you better food than those old soup starters.”
Amina. The name was as lovely as the human it belonged to.
Instead of turning away and scrambling up his arm to snuggle against his neck, Ruby jumped from his hand onto the top of Amina’s head, where her hair was piled up in a loose bun. It was then he noticed the sides of her head were shorn very short, but her hair was so thick the bun was large.
Ruby wiggled around until most of her body was buried inside Amina’s bun with only her head and front feet poking out. Maybe it was the enticement of Amina’s thick hair that drew Ruby to her.
“Oh!” Amina laughed and reached up to touch the lizard with tentative fingers. It occurred to Myrum that Amina and Lena were slightly similar in build. Ruby must’ve mistaken this stranger for the more familiar human, despite their very different coloring.
Ruby pushed her head under Amina’s finger. With a delighted expression, Amina petted her. “Aww, she’s so friendly.”
“Not usually,” Myrum said. “She hisses at almost everyone.”
“You're only saying that to make me feel special,” Amina said with a laugh. “But I bet I can make us best friends. I know where the best bugs are kept.”
“You do? When I was doing research these dried and pressed bug cakes were the only thing I could find.”
“That’s probably because you were looking for dead bugs,” she answered. “I know where they raise and sell live ones.”
She stopped petting Ruby and pulled a small information square out of one of her many pockets. After some quick tapping, she put it away then went back to petting Ruby.
“I have enough food,” he said. “Let me take you to the docks and buy you a ticket away from here. I’m sure you’re very smart and capable, but this isn’t a good place for you to be.
I’ve heard the Ilgorian Federation is a safe place for humans.
I know it can be hard to get citizenship, but if you live on a station for a while it might be easier. ”
He fumbled with his Ident and pulled it off his belt. “Give me that credit block. I can load it with enough wealth for you to live comfortably. I can also give you my Ident code so you can contact me if you need more wealth.”
Instead of pulling the credit block out of whichever pocket she’d tucked it into, she stared up at him with a combination of amusement and surprise.
“You want to give me wealth and send me off to live far away?” she asked.
That probably sounded odd to her, but he needed her to understand.
“There aren’t that many humans in the universe, and you don’t have a homeworld.
There’s no governing body or diplomatic corps to help you if something happens.
I don’t know how you’ve managed to remain free for so long, but it’s imperative that you listen to me.
This station is not safe. Nowhere is safe for you.
The only place I know of that you have a chance to remain free is with the Ilgorian Federation. Please, let me help you get there.”
She tilted her head as if considering his offer. “Have you ever been inside the borders of the federation? Visited any of their stations or planets?”
He sounded a negative rumble. “No, but they have a decent reputation for protecting their citizens from outside threats.”
“Are you part of this offer?” she asked.
He couldn’t fathom what she meant by that. “What?”
“Are you going to take me to the federation?” she asked.
He desperately wished he could say yes, even if it meant he’d be trapped on ships for solars. “I can’t. I have obligations to fulfill. But I can check on you after everything is done.”
If I survive my time on the next ship and the outpost after that, he said to himself then pushed that dark thought aside.
“You don’t even know me,” she murmured.
“I know you’re human, vulnerable, and put yourself in danger by bargaining with the Hulg on my behalf. Can I walk you to the docks now? The sooner you leave, the faster you’ll be safe.”
“No, I don't need to go to the docks,” she said, then pointed at the top of her head where Ruby was still curled up in her messy bun. “But I really want to buy this sweet girl some yummy bugs!”
Amina navigated the station with a skill he admired. It seemed like she flowed through the crowds around them as if they were simply trees in a forest to move around instead of large Hulgs unwilling to make it easy for a small human.
When he saw a Hulg deliberately change direction to run into her, he reached out to tug her out of the way and put himself in her place. Except there was nothing there to grab. She’d already moved to the side.
He watched with astonishment as the Hulg seemed to trip for no reason.
The thing banged into him, giving Myrum the perfect excuse to shove him to the ground. “How dare you touch me,” he roared, rattling loudly to intimidate the Hulg. It was the least he deserved for trying to hurt Amina.
“Deepest apologies," the Hulg muttered, then got to his feet and scrambled away.
Amina appeared at his side. “Are you okay? I didn’t think I’d trip him into you like that.”
“You tripped him?” Myrum asked, running his gaze up and down Amina looking for any obvious injuries. It was hard to tell with her bulky clothing, but her expression looked concerned, not pained.
“It’s my favorite thing to do when they try to mow me down,” she said with a little grin.
The fact that she dealt with this all the time was enraging. It made him want to hunt down that Hulg and knock him down again and again.
“Please let me take you to the docks,” he begged again.
She wrinkled her nose. “Staaaaahp with the docks and leaving. We’re on a quest for Ruby.”
To his surprise, she grabbed his hand and tugged him to walk with her. There’d been strict rules regarding touching humans on Kalor. Talins weren’t allowed to put a hand on any human without permission unless it was an emergency. During his time there, no one had touched him.
This was the first time he’d been touched for non-medical reasons in a very long time, and he never wanted to let go.