Chapter 26
Amina
The moment they stepped off the shuttle, Lorse was in a rush to put Myrum to bed so he was well rested for the feast later.
Instead of taking them to the guest room, Lorse led them to a different room with a massive bed at the center surrounded by curtains even more elaborate than the ones in their room.
“You’ll be staying here from now on,” Lorse said to Myrum. He pointed to the end of a wall near the cleansing unit door. “I’ve already had all your things moved here. They’re in that cabinet.”
Amina could only be thankful they didn’t have anything incriminating in their bags.
“I don’t know if…” Myrum said, probably about to protest sharing a bed, but Lorse made a soft hushing noise that made Myrum’s words trail off.
“Quiet, my soul,” Lorse said, stepping close and rubbing a hand down Myrum’s chest. “I’m not going to ask anything from you yet. But we can still hold each other through the night.”
He pushed Myrum to the bed. “Rest. The traditional joining feast has twenty-seven courses, poems, and blessings. Don’t worry, I’ll explain the significance of each one.”
Myrum went perfectly still for a moment. “Thank you for being my guide.”
“I’m your soul’s match,” Lorse said, sounding delighted. “Teaching you all about your new civilization is my pleasure.”
Myrum then turned his gaze on Amina and made an impatient rattle. “I’d like to bathe before laying down. I think there are bugs caught between my back plates. Go warm the room as I like.”
Amina tried to follow his orders, but Lorse grabbed the back of her robe. “I need to speak to it.”
“Then say what you need,” Myrum said, his voice dangerously low, “and let her go to do her duties.”
“I need to make sure it understands how to interact with my staff,” Lorse said, tugging her toward the door. “I’ll send it back in as soon as we’re finished."
Myrum’s shoulders tensed, telling her he was about to come to her defense. She shook her head slightly and gave him a warning look.
“Of course, sir,” she murmured, dropping her head in a bow. “Anything you wish.”
Instead of letting her walk, Lorse basically dragged her out of the room by the back of the robe. The moment they were in the hallway, he tossed her a little away from him with a disgusted expression. She hit the wall, but not hard enough to cause pain.
Keeping up the delicate human act, she hunched her shoulders and whimpered, as if the impact hurt her.
“You smell like Myrum,” he snarled. “Did you see to his needs on the planet while I was doing important work?”
Amina’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t expected this question and had no idea how to answer it.
They’d been so dumb! She and Myrum shouldn’t have played on the planet when they couldn’t clean up afterward. Ossisos probably had as good a sense of smell as Talins.
They’d been so messy, another human might even be able to smell the sex on her.
The silence stretched between them.
“You don’t know how to answer,” Lorse said. “I imagine it’s because you don’t want me to know he sullies himself with you. It’s good you’re loyal.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said. That seemed like a good answer.
“Do you enjoy his attention?” Lorse asked, leaning in close and pulling a deep breath through his nose. “I can smell him all over you, but you stink so much I don’t know if you liked it or not.”
“My joy comes from my master’s joy.”
Lorse smirked. “Ah, that’s the answer that tells me you don’t like it. Good. Things like you should only serve for duty, not pleasure.” He went silent, looking her up and down. Amina figured remaining silent was the best plan.
“You will remain until I can take care of all Myrum’s needs,” Lorse said as if to himself. “After that, I’ll reassess. Talin’s prize you things. I’m sure it would be easy to find someone to take you off my hands.”
Amina thought he might be done, but he wasn’t. He grabbed her hair and lifted, making her go up on her toes. Unlike the earlier shove, this actually hurt. Not bad enough to make her do something, but she swore she’d make him pay later.
“Let him use you, but don’t ever enjoy it,” he hissed. “Myrum is mine, not yours. You are nothing but a thing. Don’t forget that.”
This time he tossed her against the wall, making the side of her head impact with it. She sucked in a breath and focused on keeping her temper in check. Lucky for both of them, Lorse turned on his heels and strode off.
Two out of the four security personnel had been there the entire time. Each one made sure to bump her as they passed. The second one sent her to the floor.
“Assholes,” she muttered once they turned a corner.
Standing up, she redid her hair and pulled in some calming breaths before walking back into the bedroom. Myrum and Gis were standing near the door. Gis was facing Myrum with his hands out, obviously trying to keep Myrum from going out into the hall after her.
Gis moved out of the way as she walked in.
Myrum bared his teeth at the sight of her. “I’ll kill him,” he growled.
“Get in line,” Amina said, walking straight into his arms. They hugged until she felt calmer, then she turned in Myrum’s arms to face Gis. “How did you not know this was going to happen today?”
Gis let out a long sigh and rubbed a hand over his head, making his fur stick up in all different directions.
“The ceremony to declare intent to court someone and the ceremony for marriage are almost the exact same,” he explained.
“I never thought Lorse would skip over at least three steps and jump straight to marriage. He must’ve decided he could get away with it because Myrum didn’t know better.
Lorse turned what should've taken at least forty or fifty cycles to one.”
“Can Myrum use that to get away from him?” Amina asked. “You know, pretend to be deeply hurt and upset because Lorse didn’t treat him right?”
“No,” Gis said. “The law is very clear; once the binding ceremony has been performed, there is no going back. If Myrum tries to leave, he’s breaking Ossiso law.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter that I’m not Ossiso?” Myrum asked.
“No,” Gis said. “You’re in Ossiso territory and married an Ossiso clear. If you were another clear, you could fight it, but you’re an anomaly. Marriages like this are so rare I don’t even know how they’ll classify you in the records office.”
“We need to do something," Amina said. “I don’t think Lorse will keep his hands off you, and I can’t stand by while you’re sexually assaulted.”
“I’ll go talk to the staff and see if they’ll help get us off the outpost. It should be easy enough to fake an issue with enviro-controls. Lorse would rush to the shuttle.”
“How would that work?” Myrum asked. “He’d expect me to go with him. Do I fight to get free?”
“The emergency won’t happen until you excuse yourself to use the elimination room,” Gis said, his expression growing more excited as he talked.
“Yes, that could work. The traditional feast will take up most of the night. No one can sit for that long, so Lorse won’t think it’s odd that Myrum would need to leave the table. ”
“Wouldn’t it be simple to get into the elimination room and grab me?” Myrum asked.
Gis let out a loud breath. “I’ll think of something else.”
“Wait, it’s still a good plan,” Myrum said. “I have some ideas, but are you sure the staff will help me also?”
“All of them, except the security personnel, are loyal Annexers," Gis said. “If I tell them that you and Amina are in a relationship, they’ll be eager to get you both away safely.”
“If Lorse is in the shuttle, how do we get on my ship?” Amina asked.
“There’s a second, older shuttle for the staff to use when supply ships arrive,” Gis said. His expression turned disgusted. “Lorse wouldn’t ever want to travel on something that was meant only for practical use. He must have his special seats, rugs, and drinks.”
“I need to talk to my ship,” Amina said. “We might look like a helpless cargo freighter, but we have some surprises. I don’t want to end up dead because my cousins were trying to keep themselves safe.”
Gis startled. “Cousins? That can’t be right. The rest of the crew and the captain are all Ugarians.”
Amina huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I know we don’t look a lot alike, but Ugarian families are diverse.”
“Oh, it’s through marriage,” Gis said with a nod.
“Mostly,” Amina said with a cheeky grin. She was feeling much better now that there was a plan to leave.
“Can I send a message to Helmen for you?” Gis asked.
“No, she needs to hear from me,” Amina said. “She doesn’t trust any of this.”
Gis thought about it for a moment. “We can’t access the comms from this room, but I can sneak you into the control room. No one should be in there. Everyone will be busy getting ready for the feast. But, ah, you should, uh….”
“Spit it out,” Amina demanded.
He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and spoke so quietly she almost didn’t hear. “But you should bathe first. You have a strong scent right now.”
The whole thing was so ridiculous, Amina burst out laughing. Gis looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, and Myrum sounded a worried rumble.
“I'm not going crazy,” Amina said. “But if you were me, you’d find it hilarious that we’re all risking our lives, but that it’s important I be squeaky clean for our escape.”
She pulled free of Myrum’s arms and took her robe off. “See if Ruby wants any food. She’s going to need to stay with me, and I don’t want her peeking out because she’s hungry.”
Once Myrum took the robe, she walked off to the cleansing unit, proud of how steady she was. The moment the door closed, she leaned against a wall and sank to the floor, shaking badly.
Lorse’s sudden violence and threats scared her. Sure, her anger was there, but only after the fear made her want to run away.
She hated that he made her feel that way.
And she succumbed to the fear before her anger kicked up. For her, that was so much worse. It was okay to be afraid, but only in the context of caution. Lorse had barely touched her. There was no excuse for letting his terror tactics get to her.
Unsurprisingly, the cleansing unit door slid open and Myrum stepped in. She kept her eyes down. She was conflicted. She wanted him here but didn’t feel like she deserved to be comforted.
He didn’t say a word. Sitting next to her, he picked her up and settled her between his legs, purring softly.
She didn’t cry, but she couldn’t make herself stop shaking.
“I’m not weak,” she whispered.
“Why would I think that?” he asked.
“Lorse,” she grumbled. All she could do was say his name. She couldn’t talk about what happened in the hall.
“I heard him throw you around,” Myrum said. “I wanted to rip him in half.”
“That should’ve been my first instinct too,” she said. “But I cowered.”
“Fighting back would've been out of character," Myrum pointed out.
“It wasn’t that I was staying in character. It was my actual reaction.” She shook her head. “I’m ashamed.”
“Then you must think I’m pathetic."
“What?” She sat back to look at him. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I’ve given into my panic several times,” he explained.
“It’s not the same thing,” she said.
“It isn’t? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, you reacted with violence. You were ready to defend yourself.”
“Or was I reacting with thoughtlessness and could’ve gotten someone hurt or killed.
Maybe even myself. If I lost control on a Talin ship, they would’ve given me drugs powerful enough to kill me or at least shorten my life span.
They would see me as too unstable to exist. The Talin Empire isn’t interested in anyone who can’t live by strict standards.
You can’t tell me that would be acting correctly.
You made all the right choices, even if you didn’t like them at the time. Many warriors could learn from you.”
“Thanks,” Amina murmured, feeling better. There was a moment of silence before Myrum spoke again.
“By tomorrow, this outpost and Lorse will be behind us.”
“I can’t wait,” she said with a sigh. Silently she swore that Lorse would never make her feel fear again.
“Send me the shuttle’s Ident,” Helmen ordered. “We’ll have a bay ready for you to land.” Making contact with her ship had been quick and easy. Amina was impressed that getting to the command room and making contact had gone so smoothly.
At least so far.
“It’ll need to be a quick turnaround,” Amina warned. “They’re sneaking us out. They need to get back before Lorse realizes what happened.”
“How are they going to explain your disappearance?” Helmen asked.
“We’re still working on that,” Gis said before Amina could give a vague answer.
“I don’t want to get shot at by those security satellites,” Helmen said.
“You won’t,” Gis said.
“Let me guess,” Helmen said dryly. “You’re going to figure that one out too.”
“I could rig something on the outpost,” Amina reminded Helmen. “Knowing how to keep ships from going kaboom means I know how to make them go kaboom too.”
“What’s a kaboom?” Gis asked. They didn’t respond to his question.
“That’s as likely to take you and Myrum out as them,” Helmen said. “Try hard not to kill yourself while trying to escape.”
“What is a kaboom?” Gis said, his voice high with alarm.
Amina patted his shoulder. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“And yet I’m still very worried!” he responded.
“I would be too,” Helmen said.
She rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t helpful, Helmen! Besides, I’ve been thinking about it since I got here. I know what I could do that wouldn’t cause any casualties.”
“No casualties,” Gis said. “That would be best.”
Ignoring Gis, Amina confirmed a few more things with Helmen. Because they needed to get her back to the room, she kept it brief.
“There’s no more time left. I’ve got to get back to Myrum,” Amina explained.
“I look forward to seeing you again,” Helmen said. “After this, I’m taking you home and never letting you leave again. I’m sure Myrum will help.”
Amina thought about the fear she’d experienced. “I might agree.”