Apparently deciding there was no more
amusement to be gleaned, the pirate officer moved away from the net confining
Red and Callina. “Bring the prisoners to the beach,” he said, still in Basic.
“We’ll see what exactly we’ve captured and decide what to do with them.”
A
moment later, a pirate soldier scooped up the double burden as if the net and
its contents weighed nothing, hoisting them a good eight feet off the ground onto
its shoulder. Carrying them with ease, the alien took the path toward the lake.
Head down over his captor’s spiny mantle, Red couldn’t do much more than endure
the next few moments until they were tossed carelessly onto the sand by the
lake. Fortunately, the way he was trapped in the coils of the net, he cushioned
Callina’s fall. He heard thuds and cries of pain or protest as a few other
prisoners were deposited close by. Craning his neck painfully, he found the
Primary in the net next to him on one side.
Figures
that guy would survive, while Meg…he forced himself to redirect his thoughts.
“Hey, how you holding up?” he asked Callina.
“I-I’m
okay. What are they going to do with us?” she whispered.
“Hard
to say. I’ll protect you as much as I can.” He made the promise, knowing full
well there might not be anything he could do. “Our treatment will depend on what
brought the Shemdylann here.”
“Silence.”
The closest guard kicked sand at them, and Red closed his eyes against the
shower of grit.
A
few moments later the sticky webbing dissolved, as a Shemdylann soldier passed
a light emitter over them, set to the proper frequency to counteract the coils.
Before he could make a move to do anything, Red was pinioned from behind by one
alien, while another dragged Callina by her hair into a position next to him. He
and the other survivors were in a line, seven altogether, facing the insect-like
Shemdylann officer, lounging in a complicated seat brought for him by his
subordinates. A lower-ranking officer stood behind the chair, waiting to carry
out any orders. Shemdylann by the dozens bustled to and fro on the beach,
setting up some kind of apparatus, more of the strange chairs, and performing
other tasks. One or two of the hulking, dark red-and-black creatures had
wandered into the lake to their double-jointed knees and were staring at the
Falls. Assessing the odds, Red took note of the three large craft crowding the
landing pad. Too many to all be from one ship, unless it was a battlecruiser.
The Shemdylann must have a major presence in this planetary system.
“I
didn’t expect to gather slaves here, did you?” The commander spoke over his
shoulder to the waiting officer.
“A bonus,” the subordinate said, snapping his
mandibles in apparent pleasure.
The Shemdylann in charge waved
one appendage at the prisoners. “Remove your outer clothing, humans, in order
for me to assess your value.”
Glancing
at each other as if for courage, most of the group prepared to obey the order.
Mr. Finchon stepped forward.
“What
are you doing? Don’t provoke them.” His stepdaughter grabbed his elbow.
Shaking
off her grip, he adopted his usual arrogant stance and said, “I invoke the
rules of the Freemarket Repatriation Pact.” Chest puffed, chin jutting, he waved
his right wrist. “I have the terms here, on an embedded chip.”
“What’s
he talking about?” Red asked Mr. Bettis, who was standing on the other side of
Callina.
“Like
an insurance policy, very hush-hush. Some of the wealthiest in the Sectors paid
through a broker on Freemarket for the right to be ransomed rather than killed
or enslaved in the event of capture by the Shemdylann,” Finchon’s assistant replied.
“Now,
this is intriguing,” the commander was saying, clicking his mandibles. “Bring
him to me. If you lie, human, your death will be protracted and entertaining
for my crew.”
“No
lie.” Not waiting for escort, Finchon strutted to a position in front of the
chair and stood motionless as his wrist was scanned by a subordinate who rushed
forward, instrument in one pincer. “I’m Ahmeril Finchon and I like to know who
I’m dealing with. You are?”
Making
the guttural cawing sound that was a Shemdylann laugh, the officer said, “Like
all of your kind, you believe in your own importance, despite the evidence to
the contrary.” Tapping his clawed toes on the sand, he studied the scanner as
his soldier held it close. “Hmm, I’ll make a tidy profit on this trip besides
the other rewards. Congratulations, human, you do have the prepaid right to transmit
a hefty ransom through the Freemarket broker.” Opening a pouch at his belt, the
commander withdrew a chain made from intricate silver links, with one cuff at
the end. Leaning forward, he snapped the shackle over Finchon’s left wrist,
saying as he attached the other end to a loop piercing his carapace, “You’ll
stay with me at all times, both for your protection and to ensure I collect my
reward. And I, by the way, am Captain Ar-Taan-Crxtahl, since you have such a
desire to know who holds your fate in his claws.” The alien yanked on the chain
slightly and cackled anew.
Biting
his lip, the billionaire regarded the cuff with distaste, turning it on his
wrist with one finger, but said nothing.
“Sir,”
the soldier with the scanner said, “According to the terms of the agreement, he
also paid for the right to ransom anyone else he chooses.”
“A
well thought out codicil,” said the commander. “I applaud you. Are there any
among this clump of humans you wish to add to the deal? At full price, of
course.”
Finchon
turned on his heel in the sand and frowned at his fellow prisoners, assessing each
one in turn.
The Story:
Meg Antille works long hours on the charter cruise ship Far Horizon so she can send credits home to her family. Working hard to earn a promotion to a better post (and better pay), Meg has no time for romance.
Former Special Forces soldier Red Thomsill only took the berth on the Far Horizon in hopes of getting to know Meg better, but so far she’s kept him at a polite distance. A scheduled stopover on the idyllic beach of a nature preserve planet may be his last chance to impress the girl.
But when one of the passengers is attacked by a wild animal it becomes clear that conditions on the lushly forested Dantaralon aren’t as advertised – the ranger station is deserted, the defensive perimeter is down…and then the Far Horizon’s shuttle abruptly leaves without any of them.
Marooned on the dangerous outback world, romance is the least of their concerns, and yet Meg and Red cannot help being drawn to each other once they see how well they work together. But can they survive long enough to see their romance through? Or will the wild alien planet defeat them, ending their romance and their lives before anything can really begin?
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