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  “I am not, I am a pragmatist. I look at the current situation and make the best of it.”

  “I apologize for the bruising. I had no idea that the colouration was not natural.”

  “Oh, it is natural; it is just the kind of natural that comes after dangling upside down by your wrists. I was just lucky that nothing broke.”

  He winced. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “You are doing it. Taking me to medical.”

  He sighed, and they made their way down two decks to the deck that housed the oxygen generator. Medical was the first stop off the lift.

  Half a dozen exam beds were lying empty and two were occupied. Ahket helped her to one of the beds and assisted her in hopping up.

  A man in a grey uniform with white and red piping down the arm came up to them and smiled curiously. “What have we here?”

  Cierra made a face. “I don’t know what you have, but I have some deep-tissue bruising and the possibility of a light fracture.”

  Ahket blinked and she shrugged. No sense beating him up about it, but there was a persistent ache in her wrist that wasn’t due to the bruising.

  “I am Commander Hurat, and I will be taking care of you today.”

  Cierra noted that the man in front of her had long hair and a few beads in some braids amongst the blue locks. It was only just beyond his shoulders, but he was obviously one of the mated men that Ahket had mentioned.

  “We came under fire while I was flying back to the ship. She was hanging by the cuffs and suffered the damage then.”

  Hurat nodded. “Good. I was afraid that the cleanser had done this. That would be cause for upset.”

  “Cleanser?”

  Ahket answered as Hurat examined her arms. “The machine that stripped you. It clears your skin of all surface bacteria that could be dangerous to our kind. The clothing was treated in the same manner but with a harsher chemical cocktail. Most Xerat clothing does not survive the process.”

  “So the whole recycling thing was bullshit?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “It was a social lie to make us seem more technologically advanced than we are. Now that you are remaining with us, you can know the truth.”

  Hurat grinned. “A new recruit? Excellent. I am sure you will enjoy working with the gardeners on Sebach.”

  Cierra fought the face that she wanted to make. “I am sure of it.”

  He put her left arm in a unit right up to the elbow. He held it while it hummed and did whatever it was that it did.

  When it chirped, he released her left arm and switched it to her right. Her left arm did feel better, and when she rotated her wrist, the deep ache was gone.

  The right arm was considerably faster. Hurat looked at the data on the machine and he asked, “May I take a body scan?”

  Cierra looked to Ahket and he nodded.

  “Sure.”

  Hurat pulled a machine over and clipped it to the exam bed. “Lie back, please.”

  She kept her legs together and rotated herself to lie on the bed.

  “Thank you.”

  The scanner lit up and moved over her from head to toe. When it was done, it chirped happily.

  Ahket helped her sit up again.

  Hurat looked at her. “Did you know your species is compatible with the N’ga-Sebach?”

  She chuckled and Ahket filled him in. “She is Terran.”

  “Not completely. She has an Admaryn ancestor far back in her bloodline, but it is still there.”

  That was news to Cierra. “You are kidding.”

  Hurat shook his head. “No, it is a distinctive stamp on the genes that control the output from your brain.”

  She nodded. “Well. Our genocide was planned because the purebloods did not want to dilute their bloodlines. They obviously didn’t succeed and your own history tells the tale on the other end of the spectrum.”

  He looked at the captain. “Does the general know about this?”

  “He knows about her being Terran. That was disclosed the moment it was discovered.”

  “Well, if he wants her on the ship, she will be on the ship.”

  The way he said it, Cierra began to suspect that if it were up to Hurat, she would be out the airlock.

  This was not an auspicious beginning to the day.

  Chapter Six

  It had taken some doing, but she had gotten the general to take them to Uuksan Station for the trading. It was huge, had dozens of ships, and more to the point, it had a world beneath it struggling for atmosphere.

  Her clothing had happily survived the cleansing process, and she wore it with relief as she walked with her contingent onto the station and into the trading floor.

  Her hair was pinned up with some leaves and twigs, and those were her true bargaining chips.

  Ahket and five other crewmembers were with her. She had the writ of negotiation from General Sapya.

  She sat across from the suppliers and laid out her needs. They spoke amongst themselves and came to a number that she rejected and the negotiation was on.

  Hours passed until she had everything on both the lists for half their available funds. The agreement was struck and the supplies were ordered to the ship.

  She smiled. “Now, good sirs and ladies, I wish to know what you would pay for cuttings of Nuathaion trees, Labiellic branches and Sorkat bushes?”

  The assembled folk froze. “You are joking. Those species are extinct.”

  “I am not joking and I can prove it. I can provide a dozen clippings from each plant today, if you are interested. Are you interested?”

  The gathering took seconds to come to an agreement. “Yes. We want those samples, name your price.”

  She reached up and pulled the twigs from her hair and sorted them into the proper species. “These are cuttings. Small bits just to offer in good faith. Please bring an atmospheric simulator here to confirm their veracity.”

  A page was sent off while the gathering stared at the plants with a sort of worship.

  There was a good reason for their astonishment. These plants were thought to have been extinct, but they were growing and flourishing in the same ship that had been flying for over an eon.

  In saving their oxygen farm, they had provided themselves with the highest value commodity that existed in space-faring species. Plants that scrubbed the air and used almost no water were the Holy Grail for long-distance ships.

  After a few minutes, the page brought three domes filled with roiling chemicals in on a cart. The test was simple—she took one cutting from each plant and slipped it into the domes.

  Now they waited. Tea was served, and her contingent sat sipping tea while the trade panel stared at the domes where the cloudy atmosphere was thinning rapidly and the plants were growing in the thin layer of soil.

  It was fun to watch; they perked up, stood up and their new roots pulled themselves upright to open their leaves wide for more processing. They were small workshops of chemical processing and wonderful to behold.

  A woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Name your price. We will pay it.”

  “We wish to set up an exchange agreement. We will set up a nursery for export and tell you when the plants are ready, even delivering them here, in exchange for a contract to do business with the N’ga-Sebach.”

  They couldn’t get to the treaty fast enough.

  Cierra nodded to Ahket, and he made the call to have a gardener bring the cuttings to the room.

  “The samples are coming right now, and I believe that a few extra bolts of cloth and bundles of wire will suffice. Oh, and some medical equipment. Whatever you feel is appropriate for the plants.” She smiled. “The ones for the test are yours free and clear.”

  When the crewman brought in the wrapped bundles, the trade panel took them reverently and a few had tears in their eyes.

  “You will be fully loaded with as much as we can find for you, and on your way in four hours. We look forward to the new communications between our species.”r />
  She nodded, and Captain Ahket took their handshakes and their hugs of thanks.

  The N’ga-Sebach were bemused when they returned to the ship. Apparently, they didn’t get hugged after trade agreements that often.

  Cierra was still giggling when she met with General Sapya. She explained the deal, informed him of the quantities she had gotten them to surrender, and he was staring at her in shock. “You got all that?”

  Ahket poured tea for them both. “Just wait, she has more.”

  “I created a trade agreement for you. If you wish additional materials, return here and they will trade whatever you want for those plants.”

  He settled back. “How did you know about this?”

  “The trade documents I read on Xerat were often for plants to scrub their atmosphere. When I looked out over the oxygen farm, I saw three plants glow. Those three plants are consuming regenerators. When they run out of chemicals to scrub, they fade and die, but Uuksan went completely industrial and destroyed their atmosphere. They literally can’t breathe their own air and have been casting about for plants that can take the toxins and survive. Those three plants are what they need. Your gardeners agree that a separate nursery on Sebach can be created to grow small plants at a controlled rate. They will trade you what you need for those plants, each and every time.”

  Sapya sat back. “So we have had the means to trade for our own goods the entire time?”

  “Not where you were going to go. They rely on tech and don’t have the same issue as the Uuksan.”

  Cierra was tired and she swayed a little. Keeping her emotional focus had nearly done her in. She was not used to the stresses of making demands.

  “You have done very well, now get to sleep. You are going grey.”

  She nodded and smiled at Ahket. “I will meet you back at your quarters.”

  The ship was no mystery, and she was now well known enough to cause a little caution in those who tried to get a little grabby. She could get herself home.

  Back in their quarters, she stripped off and took a solar shower before she climbed between the sheets. Three nights with him and she now completely trusted Ahket to cuddle her and nothing more.

  He arrived just as she was nodding off, and she opened her eyes and smiled slightly. “Is he happy about it?”

  “Yes and no. I am facing the tribunal when I return.”

  She sat up. “Why?”

  “Because I brought you aboard and did not take the ransom for you when it climbed up to one and a half million credits. I will face banishment for a time, but I will be allowed to return.”

  The idea of being on a strange world without the one familiar face she was depending on was horrible.

  When he turned in, she cuddled up to him and ran her hand idly over his body. He caught her hand and pressed it to his skin. “No teasing tonight, please. I am not in the mood for it.”

  She bit her lip and made a leap of faith. She shifted, pushed back the covers and straddled him, her palms on his shoulders. “I am not teasing tonight.”

  He stroked his hands up her body and cupped her breasts. She leaned into his touch and tried to pretend that she did this sort of thing all the time.

  His eyes glowed as he ran his hands over her, and he murmured quietly, “This is not necessary.”

  She smiled as he stroked and teased her while learning her contours. He had touched her frequently but not like this.

  She stroked his chest and learned the feel of his muscle and the strange texture of his skin. It felt like leather and crystal combined.

  He caressed the curve of her hip before his fingers drew a line up her inner thigh. He touched her sex with gentle fingers, working against her skin until her honey eased his touch.

  She bit her lip when he pressed a fingertip against her opening and it slid into her. He withdrew it and circled her clit with the slick pad of his finger.

  Her nails scraped his skin as the touch on the tiny nub brought a wave of heat to her body; even the soles of her feet felt flushed as he surrounded her clit and urged her arousal higher and higher.

  Her breathing was loud in the dark room, and if not for the glow of his aura, she would not have been able to see that his own body was responding.

  Cierra’s muscles locked, and she let out a choked cry as her channel tried to clamp down on something that wasn’t there.

  Ahket groaned and moved his hand. Lifting her, he pressed the head of his cock against her and let her weight sink down to propel penetration. It didn’t work.

  He stroked her clit again, but she flinched, and he only made minor progress. He muttered something she didn’t catch and pulled out of her, lifting her and setting her next to him on the bed, her hands and knees on the sheets.

  Ahket moved behind her and stroked her back, sides, cupped her waist and buttocks. When he slid a finger into her, she heard him mutter, “You are tight.”

  She didn’t reply because no reply was necessary. She worked at relaxing while he worked one finger in and out of her until he could slip in two. The fullness continued as he slid in and out. She rocked against his hand, and when the third finger worked into her, she continued to move with him.

  It took a while, but finally, he moved behind her, withdrew his hand and slowly introduced the head of his erection once again. This time, he eased into her with no resistance.

  She felt relief that the pain she had been threatened with her entire life didn’t surface.

  Tension gripped her as he slid through her reflexive resistance, but she enjoyed the sensation that being filled was causing her.

  She couldn’t see him now, but she could feel him, and her body was focused on the slow thrust and dragging withdrawal that Ahket was treating her to.

  The stimulation of her nerves was increasing with every rocking of his hips, and she moved with him to bring him deeper, harder.

  The sound of his thighs and pelvis slapping against her buttocks and thighs was the music in the room. The drumbeat increased in tempo, and he gripped her breasts, stroked her belly and rubbed her clit once again.

  She squeaked and gasped when her orgasm struck. Having him inside her made the sensations completely different from the first release she had had. Her body gripped his tightly and squeezed.

  Ahket thrust into her, and he held himself against her with his hands on her hips, holding her tight.

  He grunted, and the sound echoed in the room. He froze with his cock buried to the hilt in her. His breathing was loud in the silence of the sudden lack of motion.

  To her surprise, he began to thrust again, slowly and softly.

  She wasn’t sure that her body had any inclination to respond, but his gentle motions and the slow stroking of his hand over her skin told her that this wasn’t about sex. This was about touching his lover.

  He ran his hand up her neck and massaged her scalp. Cierra fought the urge to purr. It felt amazing. Her senses were being softly seduced, and she wasn’t complaining.

  When he finished the gentle stimulation, he eased out of her and coaxed her to her side. He spooned against her back with his arms wrapped around her, softly glowing purple.

  He pressed a kiss to her neck and another to her ear. “Well, that explains that colour.”

  She chuckled. “You are purple to me and it gets more violet as your become aroused.”

  “Soft gold when you are looking at me, and it moves into a sun-bright gold by the time you were ready for me.” He kissed her neck again. “It is an education I will not soon forget.”

  She smiled and moved back into his embrace so that her back was against the muscles of his chest and her buttocks could make out his abs.

  “I think I need a bit of sleep now.”

  He laughed. “I thought that was my line.”

  “I am not used to nocturnal adventure of this kind. I am far more likely to be in bed early and at work on time. Today’s activities were fun, but I doubt that there will be much cause for me to do it again.”
r />   He stroked her hair away from her face. “Don’t be so sure. This is just the start of a new point in N’ga-Sebach life. You have helped us get what we need and what we want. It is an excellent point of introduction.”

  “I hope so. I am getting nervous about meeting your family.”

  “They will love you. I am sure of it.”

  She felt warm before she caught on to his amusement. “Why are you so sure?”

  “They thought I would set up housekeeping with another rejected male. This is definitely a step in the right direction.”

  She didn’t smack him, but it was in her thoughts as she drifted off. Tomorrow, she would make him pay.

  Chapter Seven

  The com chirped and Ahket left her the next morning. He spoke quietly in low tones, and when he turned and saw her sitting up with the sheets held to her breasts, he smiled slowly.

  “Good morning, Cierra. General Sapya wishes to speak with us.”

  She nodded and flipped the bedding back, forcing herself to walk normally to the lav before flicking on the solar shower and dusting away the sticky residue of sex from the night before.

  When she was ready to face him again, she stepped out of the lav and he handed her her bodysuit once again. “My turn.”

  He slid past her with his own suit in his hand and the door to the lav closed.

  Chuckling at the matter-of-fact nature of sharing a small space, she took her suit and got dressed. When he emerged, he was dressed and looking sexy and sinister at the same time.

  He offered her his arm and she took it, walking to the general’s quarters to get an answer to the summons.

  “What do you think he wants?”

  “Well, if it was to congratulate you on your negotiations, he could have done that via the com. We are moving now, so it might have to do with our arrival on Sebach.”

  She nodded and kept her head high as they walked the hall to the general’s quarters. A knock at the door and he opened it, beckoning them to enter.

  Ahket put his hand at her waist, and Sapya noted the gesture with a small nod. “Come inside. Breakfast is ready.”