Gabriel, p.4
Gabriel, page 4
A touch of Kisk’s ire eased as his handheld display scrolled. “No sign Gabriel’s wanted on Mercy Colony for any crimes. The guy he bashed recovered, but swore he had no memory of who his attacker was.”
“Which may or may not be true. If he was behaving inappropriately with Iliana, the shithead would want to keep it quiet. Lewdness charges fall heaviest on the Mataras, but the men are often executed too.” Baknu noted the stand Takat was aiming them towards. “No Plasian food. You know what that rich crap does to your stomach.”
Takat grumbled a few choice words. Baknu ignored them.
Kisk put his handheld in its pouch on his belt. “I’m off duty for a couple of hours. It’s as good a time as any to deal with Mit-noc.”
Baknu stared at him until the Nobek growled.
With a last longing glance at the Plasian stall, Takat offered, “I’ll go with Kisk. I can keep him on his leash.”
Kisk snorted. Baknu smiled, his handsome features making the Imdiko’s pulse quicken with a stab of lust. “All right, then. I’ll be on the freighter, checking on our next pickup.”
Takat handed him the bag from his shopping spree at the Earthers’ store. “You’ll find a couple of book plug-ins for you in there. Gabriel’s shop had some interesting titles.”
Baknu chuckled. “Do I dare ask?”
“Best Business Practices for a Growing Galactic Market.”
The Dramok blinked. His expression told Takat he was pleasantly surprised. “Good one. Learning how Earthers conduct trade would be instructive, what with me taking over the salvage business from my parents in a few months.”
“I also bought you The Purest Bride. It’s fiction. An Earther historical romance. The virtuous, godly heroine tames a wealthy banker whose lust for power endangers his soul.”
Kisk erupted in laughter. Baknu shook his head, but his grin grew brighter, tugging at Takat’s heart as it always did. “I can’t wait.”
Takat and Kisk often bought him the most ridiculous book files they could search out as a joke, simply because Baknu wouldn’t be able to resist reading them. The man devoured the written word as hungrily as Takat consumed food.
Baknu was still laughing as they parted. He headed to the dock where their freighter waited, while Takat and Kisk pointed their noses in the opposite direction. Mit-noc’s shuttle was on the other end of the station.
“Let’s go kick some ass.” Somehow merry but furious at the same time, Kisk slung an arm around his Imdiko’s shoulders and planted a kiss on Takat’s cheek as they set off.
They entered the in-house transport that would take them to the dock where Mit-noc’s vessel was berthed. Less than a minute later, they stepped into the travelers’ welcome center for Dock Xus.
Takat reluctantly left off fantasizing about undressing Gabriel to concentrate on the task ahead. Letting Kisk deal with Mit-noc while keeping the Aksukt alive would require his undivided attention. A difficult task when one’s heart wasn’t in it. Takat’s honest opinion was that Nal’s agent deserved to be pushed out of an airlock after his arms and legs had been yanked off.
As Baknu had said, it wouldn’t be worth the investigation and heavy bribes the Adrafs would require to smooth over a simple act of Kalquorian justice. Therefore, Takat would play the part of sober and objective restraint for his Nobek.
He weighed how badly Mit-noc paired against Kisk with how much the Aksukt deserved a severe beatdown. They were nearing the hatch where his shuttle was moored, and Takat still needed to talk Kisk down to a reasonable level of violence.
“One swing will pretty much do Mit-noc in.”
“Then I’ll do him in a dozen times. I’m feeling charitable today.”
Like hell he was. Kisk’s fangs had descended, and his vicious grin promised the worst. He’d pound the Aksukt into a pile of knobs and nodes.
“It must be hard living in exile. He’s up to his neck in debt.” Kisk’s thorough research had painted a pathetic picture of Mit-noc’s current woes. Absent the threat to Gabriel, there’d have been room to pity the alien ejected from his home planet.
“He can count how little I care for his bad decisions by the number of places I break that neck.” Kisk paused outside the closed hatch to the airlock between the station and Mit-noc’s ship.
“Gabriel had no intention of going with him. He would have laid him out with that bat of his.”
Mentioning the gorgeous Earther did the trick. Kisk’s glower lessened. His fangs folded. A smile touched his lips. “Gabriel’s a feisty little fellow. You don’t expect it of someone so pretty.”
“Pretty? He’s beautiful.”
“I adore those big blue eyes.”
“I like a lot more than his eyes.” Takat lusted for what he’d seen of the whole package.
“Ancestors, yes. Mit-noc could have knocked me over with a shove the moment I saw that boy.” Anger had faded, replaced by Kisk’s infatuation.
“I’ve seen Earthers before, but none like him. I had the urge to grab him just to see if he was real.”
Kisk mused, his thoughts a million miles from Mit-noc. “Iliana will be a tough sell. Did you notice her fighting stance? She’s trained for some sort of combat. She might be more dangerous than her brother.”
“Never sell a Matara short.”
“You’d know. Your mother could level a room with her glare alone.”
They laughed. Takat’s mother was a hard lady to impress. She’d put Baknu and Kisk through the wringer after he’d clanned with them.
“She’d adore Gabriel,” Takat decided. “He’s so damned pretty. She’d clean out a Joshadan tailor’s shop within an hour to dress him like a doll.”
He glanced around the welcome center. Few were around. The two Adrafs behind the information desk were chatting and brushing each other’s glossy neck fur.
Kisk appeared calm. Takat jerked his head toward the hatch. “Do you think he’s home?”
“No idea. We’ll wait in the airlock.” He triggered it open, and they stepped in. “Keep the door open. Tease him with the hope of escape.”
Takat snickered, both at the cruel ruse and with relief. If Kisk was planning on mind games, Mit-noc would survive the encounter.
They stationed themselves on either side of the dull silver of the shuttle hatch. The airlock was bare, particularly in contrast with the welcome bay and its colored lights advertising the various stores and eateries. Takat licked his lips as a roasted haunch of fenetel sizzled from a vid. He noted the restaurant, deciding two slabs would be perfect for dinner.
They were in luck in that Mit-noc came out of his ship minutes after they’d arrived. The instant the hatch opened and he stepped out, Takat hit the button that closed the vessel off. At the same instant, he shoved him into Kisk’s waiting arms.
The Nobek slammed Mit-noc to the ground. The Aksukt lay stunned, his brain not having caught up to the fact he was under attack. While he figured it out, Takat strolled to the access that led to the welcome bay. He leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms over his chest, and settled in to watch.
Kisk leaned over Mit-noc, who’d recovered enough sense to start crawling away, his spindly node-covered arms and legs shaking violently. The Nobek smiled at his prey.
“Hello, you knobby bastard. It’s been years, Mit-noc. Did you miss me?”
“Nobek Kisk. I’ve done nothing to you. Why are you attacking me?” He inched from the looming Kalquorian, dragging himself out of Kisk’s reach.
“You’ve been naughty, Mit-noc. Luring trusting young Earther men to be raped, tortured, and eventually killed for some sicko’s twisted pleasure? That’s far worse than stealing.”
“I came to make the Earther an offer, nothing more! He’s free to refuse.”
Mit-noc jumped to his lumpy, splayed feet. He ran towards the bay and Takat.
Maybe it was the green trim on Takat’s uniform, which denoted he was a member of the Imdiko breed. Maybe it was his pleasant expression. Or, perhaps, Mit-noc was simply desperate to escape. Whichever it was, the Aksukt believed he’d be allowed to run past him.
Probably the Imdiko designation. Many thought Kalquor’s rare population of natural caregivers was incapable of committing violent acts.
They were wrong. Given the right reason, an Imdiko could perpetrate as much mayhem as any feral Nobek. Gabriel provided such motivation, and Mit-noc was about to learn firsthand about Takat’s capacity for aggression.
As the Aksukt reached the doorway, Takat lazily reached out and grabbed him with one arm. He noticed with clinical interest how the alien smelled like dry, dead leaves. How despite his height, he was shockingly light, easy to lift. Mit-noc flew through the air, hurtling straight at Kisk.
Oops. Used to heaving fully loaded bins in the freighter’s cargo hold, Takat had thrown him harder than was necessary. Kisk grunted as he caught the wailing Aksukt and shot him a glare.
Mit-noc’s cry broke off when Kisk backhanded him. The bounty hunter ricocheted off the wall, straight into another slap that sent him reeling. He crashed to the floor.
“I have a message for Nal. You can carry it to him for me.” Kisk strode to the gasping Aksukt. He slapped him again. “Gabriel Rossi isn’t for sale.” Slap. “He’s not for rent.” Slap.
Mit-noc scrambled between Kisk’s legs, again trying to escape to the welcome bay. Takat scooped him up and tossed him to his clanmate again.
Kisk carried on with his orders without missing a beat. “Gabriel will become Nal’s fuck toy over my dead body.” Slap. “He’s off limits.” Slap. “Anyone who doesn’t respect that answers to me.” Slap.
He leaned over the sobbing Mit-noc, his nose inches from the alien’s breathing slits. “Did you get all that?”
When he raised his hand to smack Mit-noc again, the Aksukt flailed to cover his face, which had grown noticeably bluer in cast from the blows. “I got it!”
“Excellent. Repeat my message, so I’m certain Nal receives it in perfect order.”
It took several attempts and a number of admonitory slaps for Mit-noc to repeat Kisk’s message to the Nobek’s satisfaction. When at last Mit-noc got it right, Kisk patted his lumpy head, a master rewarding his pet.
“Well done, Mit-noc. One last thing; I see you anywhere near Gabriel again, I’ll mail you to Nal with the message carved on your bumpy hide.” He showed him his knife for emphasis.
“Yes, Nobek Kisk.”
“Good boy.” Another hard pat on the head before Kisk headed towards Takat.
For his part, the Imdiko was impressed his clanmate had held back. Mit-noc was alive. Baknu would be pleased.
Kisk slung his arm around Takat’s shoulders, and they headed out, leaving Mit-noc groaning in the airlock.
“Feel better?” Takat asked.
“Much. Thanks for pitching him to me when he tried to get away. And for talking me out of the sort of damage that would have gotten me in trouble with Baknu.”
“What are clanmates for?”
“I owe you. Do you still want to nose around that Plasian food booth?”
Takat’s arm slid around Kisk’s waist. He hugged his chuckling Nobek. “I love you with all my heart and stomach, Kisk.”
* * * *
Gabriel was ushered into Captain Baknu’s office on board the Kalquorian freighter. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but the comfortable surroundings, with illuminated walls that cast a golden hue over the desk, chairs, lounger, and shelves—with actual paper scrolls and books—were a surprise.
Baknu had been alerted when Gabriel had requested permission to meet with him. He rose from the hoverchair behind the large desk crowded with a computer unit and several handhelds. He waved off the young Nobek security guard who’d escorted Gabriel. “Thank you. That will be all.”
The Nobek bowed and backed out through the open door, his fascinated gaze lingering on Gabriel until the door hissed shut between them.
Gabriel swallowed, unsure if his pulse thundered because such a visit would be met with suspicion from Earther authorities or because he was alone with the handsome Dramok.
As he hesitated, Baknu came around the desk, within reaching distance. His smile was bright in contrast to his black beard. “This is a lovely surprise, Gabriel.”
As before, he pronounced the Earther’s name with a caressing tone that warmed the young man in secret places and scrambled his thoughts. He forced himself to breathe normally. “I appreciate you seeing me with no notice.”
“You couldn’t have picked a better time to stop by. We’ve finished offloading cargo to be picked up by another fleet vessel, and it’ll be a couple of days before the shipment we’re to take delivery of arrives. Please, sit.”
He indicated the hover chair in front of the desk. Some tension fled from Gabriel’s shoulders. He’d half feared Baknu would insist they sit on the nearby lounger, making their conversation more intimate than it had any business being.
Gabriel settled in the proffered chair. Baknu perched on the edge of his desk in front of him. “What can I do for you?”
“I want the truth.” Stated bluntly, letting the Kalquorian know he meant it.
Baknu showed no reaction. “Of course. Tell me what’s worrying you.”
“Iliana might be thinking of going to Kalquor. Not because she wants to join a clan, but because she’s scared for me.”
“She’s right to worry. From what we know of Nal, he’ll do anything to claim you.” The Dramok’s tone had softened. A show of concern?
“It’s wrong for her to feel compelled to make such a sacrifice.”
“You’d do the same for her.”
“Yeah, but I’m her older brother. I’ve been taking care of her since our mother disappeared.”
“You were seventeen when your mother left. Two years after your father died. It took you eight years to track her as far as Dantovon, where the trail went cold.”
“Damn it.” Gabriel glared at Baknu, feeling far too exposed.
The Kalquorian offered a sympathetic smile. “I’d find it uncomfortable for strangers to know so much about me too. I’m sorry we felt it necessary to pry.”
“It wasn’t necessary. My past is none of your affair.”
Unflappable as ever, Baknu shrugged. “I suppose that’s true, except we’ve taken an interest in your situation. What you’ve been through and what could happen to you makes me uneasy.”
Why? Gabriel wanted to ask, but apprehension kept him from doing so. He was afraid of the answer.
They’d strayed off the point of his visit, and he wondered if Baknu had diverted him on purpose. He gathered his resolve. “What are you up to where Iliana’s concerned?”
“What I told you before is true. A high-ranked clan has been chosen for her. However, she doesn’t have to join that clan if she feels they’re unsuitable for her. She’ll be able to select from the many suitors who will be clamoring for her consideration.”
“What if she takes a long time to make that choice?”
“I’m willing for her to stay with my clan until she does, so she’s not rushed into any situation she doesn’t want. As I said before, you’re welcome to join us as well.” The caressing quality returned to Baknu’s tone. His intent gaze never wavered from Gabriel’s.
Heat crept into the young man’s face. He ignored it, refusing to let Baknu’s insinuating purr sidetrack him. “What about sex slavery?”
“It doesn’t exist on Kalquor.”
“You said she’d be an equal member of whatever clan she picks.”
“The laws have already been passed in anticipation of Earther females joining us. She’ll be a full citizen of the Kalquorian Empire, with the same rights to pursue education, career, and the life she wishes.”
“If she joins a clan. What if she goes to Kalquor and refuses to marry—or whatever your equivalent is? What then?”
Baknu considered, at last letting his focus wander elsewhere. “There might be legal challenges if she delays clanning, but I have access to good attorneys.”
“That must be expensive. You wouldn’t use them, not for a woman you don’t know.”
“I’ve already decided I will, if it’ll sweeten the deal and get you two to come with us. If it comes to a challenge in the courts, she’ll remain under my clan’s protection.”
The bastard had an answer for everything. Gabriel kept arguing, certain he’d find a weakness somewhere. “What if the courts rule against her? What if they say she has no choice but to choose a clan?”
“If the empire pushes the issue, she could request asylum from the Galactic Council of Planets, protecting her from Earth and Kalquor. In that case, I’ll send her out of the empire. Smuggle her out, if I have to.”
Gabriel gaped. “Wouldn’t that get you in trouble?”
He shrugged. “Undoubtedly. If I’m caught.”
“You’d risk that for her?”
“For her and for you.” Baknu leaned towards him, his attention rapt on Gabriel once again. “My clanmates and I have made it no secret we’d like to get to know you. To court you, as a clan who prefers women would court a Matara. To explore the possibility of a long-term relationship.”
A gut-punch wouldn’t have stolen Gabriel’s breath any easier. He felt dizzy, as he had the moment he’d first laid eyes on Baknu and his clan. The office tilted around him.
When he recovered his voice, he whimpered, “To what end? Can you clan me?”
Baknu grimaced. “There are no legal provisions when it comes to adding an Earther male to a clan. The empire is focused on our survival, which means it’s focused on Earther women. Bringing men of your species to Kalquor hasn’t been considered.”
“Legal provisions?”
“Such as inheritance. The distribution of clan property in the event of death. Earther males have no such standing on my world where that’s concerned.”
“Oh. I had no idea you were thinking that far ahead. We just met.” Why couldn’t he recover the strength in his voice?
“It is rather sudden, isn’t it? Yet there it is. Since the situation has presented itself, I have to consider your well-being when it comes to worst-case scenarios. All sorts of legal petitions and documents have to be drawn up if we do find ourselves making a commitment, but will they stand in a Kalquorian court?”
