Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

KHORAHN

A vine twisted around my boot, and I jerked my leg free before the barbs could pierce the enforced hide. The smuggler dangled over my shoulder, a deadweight that I hesitated to leave behind. His discovery would mean a search for me, which would end in a fight. Something that wouldn't work to my advantage if there truly were human females here.

Watching and listening, I waited until the Wsoau patrolling the path's opening passed by, then bolted from the cover to the first building in the clearing. A swathe of burn powder covered the terra around the structures, preventing growth without the need for a burn pack. It was good news for me, not so much for my boots or the terra.

A wisp of acrid smoke curled up from my soles as I moved around the building. The smell was nothing compared to the stench of Wsoau lust that clogged my nose. Building by building, I worked my way to the crudely constructed bathhouse.

The Wsoau in line were so focused on their anticipated time in the bath that they paid little attention to anything else. Not even the soft thud of my boots hitting the roof of the bathhouse. Free from the burn powder and the danger of the plants, I set Anerman down, stunned him again to make sure he stayed out, and listened.

The sound of a whistle pierced the air. My ears twitched at the pitch of it. An eruption of angry voices followed the whistle. So many that it took my translator a moment to pick up the loudest of them.

"We've been waiting for arcs."

"My shift starts soon."

"I want my chit back."

"She needs rest!" a voice shouted above the others. "Do you wish to jeopardize the health of the only female we have? Do you wish never to feel her soft skin caressing your plates? Stay in line or don't. No more baths until the whistle blows."

The yelling continued.

Leaving Anerman, I silently dropped onto the burn powder at the back of the bathhouse and peered through the boards. The bathing rooms were empty except for the washing basins and cleaning powder.

Near the end of the building, I found a room without either of those.

The creature within looked nothing like the happy, healthy females on the vids I'd seen. Head bowed, she knelt on the rough boards, her weight resting on her heels and hands lax on her thighs. The strands of her golden hair hung in stringy sections.

Filthy rags covered her, leaving much of her delicate flesh exposed. Her skin wasn't a soft, uniform color ranging between cream and brown but a mottled patchwork of greens and purples. Colors that I didn't believe were natural to humans.

She hadn't been given any cushions to rest on, soft fabrics to protect her fragile flesh, or tables overflowing with food. Only a single bowl on the floor beside her and an overfilled waste bucket in the corner.

I inhaled deeply, struggling for control. Under the scent of wood, fresh air, and Wsoau lust, I smelled her . Sweet and subtle, her scent beckoned me.

Then I heard it—the sound of her distress—a soft hitch of noise that shredded my thoughts.

I gripped the board in front of me and pulled it free. She jolted and lifted her head. Instead of flashing her pretty white, blunted teeth in happiness like some of the females on the vids had done, this one stared at me with her multicolored eyes. Black in the center, circled by blue, then a vibrant red.

Not a single vid had shown red eyes. Every male and female human had displayed multicolored with white, never red.

A drop of liquid tumbled from the bottom lid of one, creating a trail down her face. I tracked its path. That was when I noticed the collar and the scorch marks on her neck.

With a soft growl, I tore another board away. The Wsoau had obtained a treasure beyond their understanding, and they were tarnishing it.

She trembled harder as I ripped another board free, creating enough space for me to pass through.

I could smell her fear. Seeking to reassure her, I approached slowly with my hands away from my phasers to show her that I meant her no harm.

Her trembling didn't ease. I opened my mouth to reassure her when I noticed what the bowl beside her contained. Liquified terra-formers. My gaze flicked between her and the bowl.

She cocked her head slightly, listening, and her eyes shifted restlessly. I understood then that she was listening because she couldn't see.

A cold fury solidified within me, and I started toward her once more, making sure to move silently. She didn't flinch this time.

When I reached her, I crouched in front of her.

She looked through me, still straining to hear.

I studied her. This close, I could see the fine tremors that shook her slight frame. Compared to the Wsoau, she was small. Compared to me, she was…

I lifted my hand and splayed my fingers. The size of my hand was greater than her head by a fingertip. She didn't blink as I lowered my hand again.

She was marked, blind, exhausted, and terrified. I wanted to rip the collar from her tormented flesh and take her back to my ship. But I couldn't. Not without damaging her further.

I needed the release code to free her.

I needed to kill the fleking tuber who did this to her. But first, I needed to secure her safety.

Glancing back at the hole I'd made in the building, I considered my options. The perimeter burners wouldn't see the opening because of the building behind this one, which was why I'd left my bounty on the roof. The human female would be as safe as she'd been.

Yet, even as I rose, I hesitated to leave her.

She cocked her head in the other direction, still straining to hear. I wanted to reassure her, but without her sight or a translator, touching her would frighten her more and likely alert the keeper.

Walking away from her was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. Finding the tuber who'd hurt her was the easiest. He was lounging in a basin a few rooms down. The datapad in his hands was playing a message.

"—only shipment. I suggest you take better care of your remaining asset. I told you they were delicate and wouldn't withstand the same treatment as your females. I suggest you invest your chit in sex-bots like every other species in the systems."

Water splashed as the Wsoau's plates rattled with its anger.

"Fleking Quanl." He tossed the datapad aside.

The steam-filled room muffled the sound of my phaser blast, and I watched the Wsoau slide deeper into the water, the new hole in its head plate oozing black. The stench of melted Wsoau clung to the steam. I made the mistake of trying to breathe through my mouth. The rancid taste coated my tongue.

I grabbed the datapad before it locked, not that it was necessary. He'd never enabled the security. The female's collar access and the comms were the only things on it.

The comms history with his Quanl contact gave me very little information, unlike the human's collar history. She'd been one of six who'd arrived here a lunar rev ago. Four had terminated the first flare. Given the number of shocks administered to them, I wasn't surprised, but I wished I could take back the Wsoau's quick, merciful death. Five birthers. Gone.

"Fleking tuber," I seethed as I entered the release code.