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  “Send a ransom demand to the Nyal Imperium, and they will send one to the Alliance. I am sure you can get something for me.”

  He cocked his head and smiled. “You are seriously telling me to contact the law in order to get a ransom? This is between us and Xerat. You have no place in it.”

  She blinked, and the flickering hope she had been nurturing died. “I am sure that I could arrange something. Hell, can I pay my own ransom?”

  “You have three hundred thousand credits?”

  She blinked. That was more than she would make in five years. “Um, no. I have twenty thousand credits.”

  He raised his brows. “That much?”

  She shrugged. “I know it isn’t enough, but could it at least buy me a call?”

  He quirked his lips. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “You are not authorized to communicate with the government of Xerat.”

  She was getting the feeling that he was stonewalling, but she had no options.

  He gave her a focused look through his dark lashes. “I will get you some food and water. Remain here for your own safety.”

  Cierra nodded quietly, and the moment he left her, she skidded over to the com unit and followed the brightly lit up pathways on the keyboard until she unlocked the com, and she was surprised to see a very shocked face looking at her. It was an older man of the same species as Ahket.

  “Oops.”

  She raised her hand to kill the call, but the man laughed. “You are the one that Captain Ahket brought onboard.”

  She nodded.

  “I am General Sapya. What can I do for you?”

  “I want to go back to Xerat.”

  “We don’t give up women that are not ransomed back. We keep them and they join our colony.” He was frank.

  “Well, contact the government of Xerat and ask if they will ransom back Contract Proofer Cierra McAffee of Terra. I am on permanent contract to them. They are as close to family as I can get out here.”

  His ears registered what she said; she could see a change in his expression. “I will look into it. You are in no danger. Captain Ahket will keep you well.”

  She had one chance, so she asked the question that had been zipping through her thoughts. “It is obvious I am not Xerat. Why did he take me?”

  The general smiled. “He said you glowed with a colour of something he had to take with him. Good afternoon. I will look into your queries.”

  The screen went dark and when she tried an alternate code, the screen was locked.

  She sighed and went to the lav, staring at herself in the mirror by rising on her toes. This entire ship was meant for tall men, not tall women. Standing barefoot, she could only see her forehead.

  Grimacing, she used the facilities, took a solar shower and bemoaned the loss of her luxurious bathing room on Xerat.

  She looked through the wardrobe and found that he hadn’t been lying. This was definitely a journey with a purpose to leave and return home as quickly as possible.

  There was a set of loose trousers that matched the shirt, and she couldn’t figure out if they were exercise wear, a religious garb or pyjamas.

  Sighing, she closed the wardrobe and did her least favourite thing. Exercise. If she was going to be stuck in this small space, she was going to exercise.

  Cierra was into her thirteenth push-up when Ahket returned. He cleared his throat, and she got to her feet, dusting her hands off. He was carrying a tray, a wide pouch and two one-gallon bottles of water.

  She took the tray and set it on the bed. “Thank you. Let me just go and wash my hands.”

  A quick trip to the lav and her hands were clean and the scent of the food drew her to it.

  “I brought you ration packs, because I won’t be able to bring you food while I am on duty.”

  Cierra nodded and reached for a chunk of bread, nibbling quickly while consuming every crumb.

  The com unit chimed and he turned. “Remain quiet, please.”

  She sat on the bed and worked her way through the food, drinking from a bottle of water.

  Ahket answered the com and then turned to her. “You tried to use this?”

  She shrugged, swallowed and said, “I did use it. I just don’t know the codes to get through to the surface.”

  He sighed and turned back to the screen. “What do you mean they want her back? The Xerat don’t pay ransom for those who are not citizens.”

  The low voice on the other end of the call said, “She is not a citizen, but they are eager to have her back for twice the standard fee. She is a Terran, and they want her to find a mate amongst their people.”

  “No. She has to stay with me.”

  “You are sure of this? The tribunal will not be happy.”

  “I do not care. She is coming to Sebach. There is an urgency about it now.”

  The man on the other side of the conversation sighed. “You cannot keep her in your quarters once we are in motion. I will arrange something for her.”

  “Thank you, General.”

  “You are going to have to answer for this, Ahket.”

  “I am aware of it.”

  The general disconnected the communication, and Ahket ran a hand over his head.

  Cierra swallowed. “He said you said I was the right colour?”

  Ahket turned to her in surprise. “Yes. It is a side effect of my heritage. I am the twelfth generation born on Sebach, but my family line still retains some of the talents that our ancestors fled Admar with.”

  “I have heard of Admar.”

  He chuckled. “Of course. If you are Terran, you must have heard horror stories about what my ancestors did to yours.”

  She tilted her head. “No. We only learn of it when we leave. We are given an education on the races that have coveted us or made war on our soil, so that we can understand where our myths and legends come from.”

  “Oh. Well, we have heard of your kind from the time we enter school. I expected you to be smaller, paler and weaker.”

  She snorted. “That was then, this is now. Our average population increased in height by twenty-five percent in the last century alone. It is amazing what decent nutrition for growing children will do.”

  Cierra looked down and the tray was empty. She picked it up and carried it over to the small desk he was sitting at.

  She slid the tray onto the flat surface and smiled brightly. “Now, why aren’t you letting the Xerat have me back?”

  He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his lap. He glowed a bright violet to her senses, and she didn’t know what that colour referred to.

  “Because my senses are telling me that I need you and that insistence is growing with every passing moment.” He kissed her.

  She shivered and held tight to him as she closed her eyes. Bright, vivid lights flashed beneath her closed lids, and she waited until he leaned back before she analyzed what she was thinking.

  Her body had taken up a weird hum, her nipples pressed against the front of the shirt and his purple aura was flaring and pulsing with intensity.

  She carefully got up and off his lap, pinching the bridge of her nose. She hadn’t experienced the sensations she was feeling as an adult, though as a teen, she remembered one of the boys in her class glowing lavender for a while. It had ceased when he started dating a cheerleader, so her senses had turned that particular signal off.

  Cierra pressed a hand to her lips. If she had this figured out, her senses were telling her that he was a viable sexual partner. That was a little disturbing.

  “That was…nice?”

  His lips quirked. “I thought so.”

  She fidgeted and a chime rang out. “What is that?”

  He got to his feet. “We are returning the women. I will have to go and pilot the ship. This is the more dangerous part of the event, so if I am late returning, you have the rations.”

  Cierra swallowed and said, “Um, good luck?”

  He grinned and bowed shortly, his grey
uniform tightening on his shoulders as he bent forward.

  Without another word, he left her alone. She dug through the bag with the rations and pulled out a flat tablet that came to life at her touch.

  The glyphs were strange at first, but her mind gradually adapted and began to translate the history of the N’ga-Sebach.

  When she was drowsy, she slipped out of her shirt, folded it neatly, tucked it under her pillow and crawled into bed.

  Once in bed, she kept reading. It was fascinating. The Admaryn had flown across the stars to Sebach where they had been welcomed with open arms. The N’ga were a hard-skinned race who lived in harmony with their world. There was some personal connection that they had, but the Admaryn could not grasp it. They interbred with the N’ga, and when the last pure blood N’ga died, Sebach began to fade.

  Their world went from a lush Eden to a wasteland in ten years. Greenhouses and underground farming was cultivated as quickly as they could, but still, many died. The legacy of their travels through the stars was the ship and their sleep pods. They used that to begin to gain the essential supplies they could no longer manufacture themselves.

  Only single men were expected to join the crew, and it was a competition to get a spot as the space and supplies were limited. When they returned home, they could use their funds as credits toward paying a bride price for one of the limited women that were available. The woman had to agree, but the man had to have enough to start a life together.

  There was more, but Cierra was yawning constantly. She turned off the screen, slipped it under the bed and pulled the sheet over her.

  If they wouldn’t let her go home, she was going to have to find a way to make a new life wherever she ended up. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last, she was sure of it.

  Chapter Five

  There was someone in the bed with her when she woke. Cierra tried to keep herself from tensing but did open her eyes, staring into darkness.

  Through her talent, she could see the purple glow of his features as he lay on his back completely oblivious to her. His breathing was slow and even. It was Cierra that had sought him out in her sleep. She was cuddled against him with one thigh draped over his belly. It was embarrassing, but she had sought him out without her waking mind making the decision for her.

  Cierra tried to ease away from him, but he moved, sliding his arm under her and pulling her against him.

  “It was a long trip. I need some more sleep.”

  Cierra could see his aura darken and begin to pulse softly. When her leg grazed his rising erection, she understood the correlation between pulsing light and arousal.

  Ahket simply held her to his side, and he returned to rest, the rise of his cock slowly receded as his sleep deepened.

  Cierra rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed into a light doze.

  The slow rubbing of her waist woke her up. The light was on, and he was watching her with a lazy gaze.

  “So, you have finally woken.”

  She made a face and eased away from him. “Sorry if I was keeping you from something.”

  His erection was back, but he didn’t have an inclination to use it, so she was perfectly happy to pretend nothing was happening.

  He got up and headed to the lav, taking a solar shower. He came out, and his skin gleamed with the absorbed light for a moment. She stared and took in the difference in musculature, slight alignment of the hips and the longer limbs.

  “Your turn. General Sapya would like to meet you.”

  Cierra continued to admire the view for a moment before reaching under her pillow and taking out the shirt. She rolled to her feet and pattered past him, ignoring their mutual nudity as much as she could.

  She used the facilities, and when she emerged, her hair was in a soft wave down her back and her shirt was sparkling clean.

  Ahket was back in his uniform, and he shook his head in surprise. “That shirt never looked as good on me.”

  She sighed. “Right. Shall we?”

  “Would you like me to carry you?”

  “I will ask when my feet get sore.” She twisted her lips. “I really need to walk a bit.”

  He nodded and offered her his arm instead. It was a casual gesture as if the N’ga-Sebach women always took a man’s arm. Cierra took his arm and let him lead her through the ship.

  “The general’s quarters are over the oxygen farm. It is the best view in the ship.”

  “Oxygen farm?”

  “You will see.” He smiled.

  The scent of green ran through the air once again. She had picked up this scent when she first opened her capsule.

  He passed a few sentries and knocked on a door. A smiling man with long black hair, with beaded braids tucked here and there, gestured for them to come in.

  “Come in. Good morning, Proofer McAffee.”

  She blinked at the warm welcome. “Good morning, General Sapya?”

  He nodded.

  Captain Ahket cleared his throat. “We could come in if you were not in the doorway.”

  In a moment, they were inside, and the general led the way through his spacious quarters and out onto a wide balcony that overlooked a jungle in space.

  She walked to the edge of the balcony and looked out over the wild greenery below. “Wow.”

  The general smiled. “It was our skill with the oxygen farms that allowed us to remain on Sebach after the natural system went dormant.”

  “You built the greenhouses.”

  He grinned. “You figured out the tablet that Ahket brought you.”

  “I did. I had just gotten to the part where the population stabilized and your folk managed to live their lives with occasional excursions to space for a bit of kidnapping.”

  A crewman came in with a huge tray, and he laid out enough food for six on the table. He stepped back, bowed and disappeared.

  The general smiled, “Come and sit. I will tell you of our history, and then, I will tell you what I want you to do.”

  Captain Ahket helped her to her seat and poured tea for her as the junior officer at the table. She was glad she had gotten used to tea, because they both watched her drink it.

  When she had consumed the first cup, they were free to eat, and suddenly, food for six changed into food for three.

  Cierra filled her plate quickly and started eating. When the initial feeding frenzy wore off, Sapya swallowed and began to speak.

  “What followed after we became able to sustain our people is what plagued the Admaryn. We began to die out. Less children being born than adults dying. We have long life spans, but the lack of women being brought to life was devastating.”

  She nodded. “So, you thought to institute proof of worthiness with a bride price?”

  He beamed. “Precisely. Wealth cannot be inherited amongst our people. It rolls into the community coffers, so each male was on his own to prove his worthiness, or in the case of my idiot grandson, he could prove he was an ass and help his brother gain a wife.”

  She smiled and chuckled. “It sounds like he wanted to help his brother out.”

  Sapya snorted. “It doesn’t matter. It set his account to zero, and now, here he sits with only a portion of what he has actually earned.”

  Cierra looked at Ahket and he was studiously eating his meal.

  “Grandson?”

  “He came out of my daughter, so yes. I am fairly sure that he is my grandson.” Sapya grinned.

  She smiled and continued to eat. Sapya must have been staring at her, because he suddenly said, “Is that mark on your wrist common to your species?”

  She touched the blue and green. “No, it was made by the cuffs that fastened me to the wall of the shuttle. The flight got a little exciting for a while, and I was flopping around like a fish. It will fade in a few days, maybe a week.”

  Ahket scowled. “You didn’t mention it.”

  “I was naked, crouched behind canisters of sleeping women. I wasn’t feeling chatty.”

  Sap
ya nodded. “Probably not. Ahket, after this, take her to medical and see what they can do.”

  She finished as much as she had taken and sat back. “Now, General, what do you want me to do?”

  He kept eating, and she refilled the tea around the table.

  “We are about to take our gains and engage in a negotiation for textiles and building supplies. I would like you to help with the negotiations so that we can reach a fair agreement and yet not be taken advantage of. We are not excellent traders.”

  She sipped at her tea and cocked her head. “Do you have a list of what you need?”

  “We do.”

  “Can I know how much you are offering?”

  “I will have a statement sent to the tablet.”

  She nodded. “Can I have a list of luxury items as well? Things that you would love to have but cannot afford?”

  He gave her a considering look. “You appear to be formulating a plan.”

  “I have gone over enough contracts to spot deals that are unsound, but I also know that the best deals are achieved by having the vendor do the accumulation of goods for you. Are you looking for delivery or for immediate loading?”

  He blinked and they got down to business.

  The plates were emptied and carried away by the crewman, and they still worked on the action plan.

  When they were done, Sapya stood, shook her hand carefully and smiled. “I will see about some clothing for you. Ahket’s exercise wear has never looked better, but it is not appropriate if you enter the trading floor.”

  She nodded and took a final look at the green space below. “So, we are clear?”

  “You need cuttings. Nothing more.”

  “Of those particular plants. I can go down and point them out.”

  “Let’s wait until you have some footwear.” He winked. “Ahket, take her to medical.”

  “Yes, General.” Captain Ahket nodded respectfully and offered her his arm again.

  “It was a lovely meal, General. Thank you.” Cierra took Ahket’s arm, and they left the general’s private quarters.

  She exhaled. “Well, if I can’t run around, at least I can be busy.”

  He chuckled. “Looking on the bright side. I didn’t think you were an optimist.”