Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Taron
The difference between the Freezone and the Tulashi sector was night and day.
Here, the corridors were clean, modern and updated.
The air smelled fresh and constantly circulated.
Wealth was on display in the appearance of every person and in the design and decor of the space.
Tulashi walked on two short, stocky legs.
Their torsos were long, as were their arms, which nearly touched the ground.
They were quick, though, and not to be underestimated.
The females did not have hair, but long, delicate tentacles that they arranged in high, artful designs, decorated in brilliant colors and sparkling jewels.
They were quite dazzling, and the more elaborate the arrangement, the higher the female’s status.
He could see Amelia gazing at them and they stared right back, blinking huge, milky gray eyes and pursing their tiny, lipless mouths.
Amelia was likely looking at them in wonder, but the Tulashi would see her with revulsion.
It was why he was fairly sure Kimberly hadn’t been touched while imprisoned here.
These people had specific mating rituals, and while many species enjoyed sexual encounters with species other than their own, the Tulashi did not.
It was said the genitals of both males and females were so very tiny that they had no use for anything larger than a pinkie toe.
Taron, who was going by the fake name Mupi, had removed his chip so he could move them through checkpoints. If the Tulashi knew that Taron was the one they were trying to kill, his reception would be different.
Two things he had purchased with the sale of the high-tech blaster was a new identity and the assurance that he would be vouched for.
The Tulashi would ask the leaders of the Freezone for verification that he was who he said he was.
Everyone knew that all this meant was that Taron could pay for this, and wealth was approval enough for movement throughout the station.
The Freezone wasn’t free at all. This, like most stations, was rife with uneasy politics, power struggles, and a complex economy that favored the most corrupt.
Another thing he bought was a voluminous black hooded cape that covered him from neck to toes.
It hid his telltale Virilian tail and covered his skin—especially his skin markings—making him look more like a merchant than a warrior.
For this job, he would be a Kernian from the distant second quadrant.
They were a rare, altogether nonthreatening species that Virilians only vaguely resembled.
He could only hope that the Tulashi hadn’t encountered one to point out the differences.
His made-up story about how he acquired Amelia was all that held this plan together.
He walked with an air of swagger and authority that he didn’t feel.
This was an act, and Taron had never been much of a performer.
He was not the only non-Tulashi walking these corridors, so his appearance wasn’t so jarring.
It was Amelia who claimed all the attention of those they passed.
He worked his way through the sector, talking to guards and curious citizens, and eventually found his way to the Tulashi magnate’s quarters.
His target’s name was Vinka, and that the wealthy merchant was holding a human prisoner in his chambers was common knowledge.
Everyone knew. Some had gone to his chambers just to gawk at the “hideous” female.
He also learned the reason why Kimberly had been taken.
This had always been a puzzle for Taron.
Why did a Tulashi go to the trouble of kidnapping a human female, and then cover it up so very, very thoroughly?
This was the missing piece for him. Luckily, Tulashis liked to talk, and they especially liked to gossip.
Taron learned from one of the wealthy females he spoke to that Klae Rillim, the Virilian who was matched with Kimberly, was Vinka’s sworn business enemy.
They hated each other. Kidnapping Kimberly had been a case of simple revenge.
Simple, petty revenge. What difference did it make if a few extra people had to die? None, clearly. Taron resented that bit.
But now, with new information, he had a better idea of how to deal with Vinka.
They arrived at the magnate’s business chambers.
Taron pressed the touch pad beside the entrance, to request an audience with him.
The attendant gave him a hard look, then glanced at Amelia.
Her eyes went wide, then she went back in to speak with her boss.
Amelia looked up at him with worried eyes.
If only she knew what was coming. He couldn’t explain the entire plan to her.
Her raw reaction was a key element. If she knew the next part, and didn’t react right, it would all be for nothing.
They would see through his con job. It was bad enough that Taron wasn’t much of an actor.
He suspected that Amelia was even worse.
Hopefully, she would forgive him for what he was about to do.
They were led inside, after a wait, and brought into Vinka’s inner chamber.
There, the Tulashi business merchant stood before a rounded half-moon window that looked out into the starry space.
To the right, a clear wall separated them from a small room.
Inside, lying on a sumptuous couch, was Kimberly.
She was dressed in a long shift that covered her body, as the Tulashis would find her form very unattractive.
Amelia jerked at the sight of her. Kimberly saw them, too.
She got off the couch and ran to the wall, face stricken.
She looked healthy, if pale. Her hands flattened on the glass and she shook her head.
Her mouth formed the word “no,” which Taron knew very well by now, with or without his English chip.
He felt Amelia move toward her and roughly jerked her back against this side. She glared up at him and he scowled back. This was good, actually. It would help convince this Tulashian of their roles.
Taron did not bother with the niceties. If he was going to be a Kernian, he would have to skip the small talk.
They were not a species that indulged in formalities.
“I heard that you were looking for human females.” Taron jerked his head toward Kimberly but kept his gaze steady on the Tulashi.
“I can see with my own eyes that this is true. I found this one while searching for linke crystals on a nearby planet. Will you buy her?”
The Tulashi touched a screen on his console and the clear wall turned opaque, cutting off all view of Kimberly.
Vinka’s eyes narrowed. “You told my attendant that your name is Mupi.” He didn’t say it like a question.
By now, his aids would have sent messages to the leaders of the Freezone and verified who he was. That didn’t mean Vinka believed them.
Taron still had to convince this shrewd businessman that he really was selling this female. No easy task, given that he happened to love this female. Fine time to reflect on that, in the middle of the most dangerous chat of his life.
“That’s right,” he said. “Found her with a dead Virilian. So what will you pay for her?”
Vinka’s gaze moved over Amelia with an eye of appraisal.
“I did not say I was in the market for humans. I have one, but that’s a long and an interesting story.
” He clasped his very long fingers. “That said, I have heard that one can get a hefty price for a human female. They breed well with many other species.” He cocked his head and blinked his large, milky eyes. “You say you saw a dead Virilian?”
“Yes,” Taron granted. “Looked freshly killed. The human stuck near the body.” He cast a derisive look towards Amelia. “Weak species. I do not see the appeal.”
Vinka chuckled. “Nor do I. This one bears some resemblance to the human I have.” He walked up to Amelia and took her face in his hand.
He turned her head left and right, making Taron’s blood boil.
He wanted to snatch that hand off of Amelia and rip it straight off the Tulashi’s body.
Instead, he held still as Vinka examined her.
Amelia made a growling noise and wrenched her head from his grasp.
Vinka chuckled. “Is she untouched?”
“No,” Taron growled.
“Of course, of course.” The Tulashian nodded.
His lipless mouth curled in distaste. “One cannot blame you for taking her if you found her appealing. It decreases her value, though.” Vinka appeared to mull things over.
“Still, she is a good specimen, and she is healthy, young. The right buyer would pay well for the pleasure of breaking her.” He narrowed his large eyes on Taron.
“How much were you thinking of selling her for?”
Taron swallowed back a wave of bile. This vile being assumed he raped Amelia. The very thought of it made him want to rip this creature’s head from his overlong body. If they weren’t deep in enemy territory and at an irreversible point, he would snatch Amelia and smash his way out of there.
Instead, he drew in a deep, fortifying breath and began the unpleasant negotiation process.
He knew how to bargain. Most of the parts for his ships he had built, he had bickered for until he got the very best price.
This would probably be the easiest part of the whole miserable process.
There was a certain amount of money he needed to make to implement the second half of his plan.
Negotiating with a trashy magnate was neither easy, nor for the faint of heart.
Finally, a deal was made. It gave Taron enough credits and satisfied Vinka’s profit margin.