Stolen

ARDAXUR

I’m strolling through the bustling streets of Coror, feeling a bit out of place. The air is warm and thick with the scent of spices, a stark contrast to the cool, crisp air of my home planet.

The Cororians, their skin a darker shade of blue than mine, are starting to retreat from the public spaces as the twin red suns begin to set, casting long shadows across the city.

I glance up at the gas nebula, a familiar sight from my home world of Sool-Urwa. It’s not as bright here, but it’s still visible, even with the city lights.

I keep walking, ignoring the wary glances from the locals. The war between our worlds may be over, but old grudges die hard. If I were in my uniform, I doubt they’d look at me with such suspicion.

I finally reach my destination, a reserved table in a popular eatery. I’m hoping this will be the end of my vacation and I can get back to my ship soon. I sit down and wait for Torgan.

The last time I saw him, I was boarding his ship, making sure he wasn’t smuggling anything illegal. Each planet has its own laws, but there are universal laws that apply to everyone, everywhere. That’s where my agency, Universal Enforcement, comes in.

We’re a mix of people who’ve seen too much and want to make a difference, and those who are just in it for the paycheck. But we all enforce the laws that every planet has agreed to.

Sometimes, our job is as simple as making sure no one is transporting biohazardous goods between worlds. Other times, it’s not so simple.

I gaze out at the city lights, thinking about Roskier. His entire species was wiped out a long time ago. The few survivors were sold into slavery, a fate almost unheard of. I’ve never met anyone who was once a slave.

Roskier and I were part of a massive effort to free them. I stayed on the ship, but he was on the ground. He’s never been the same since.

After the slaves were freed, everyone involved in their enslavement was executed. No one has dared to enslave another species since.

My agency is not to be trifled with. If a government doesn’t like our methods, they don’t have to hire us.

I see Torgan approaching, his silver hair catching the light. “Torg, it’s been a while. Business not going so well?” I ask.

He asked me to meet him here, and as he sits down, our table rises, giving us a panoramic view of the city and the nebula above.

He grins at me. “Good to see you, Ardaxur. I’m sure my profits will go up now that your ship is being serviced.”

We share a challenging look, then both break into genuine smiles. “Can’t a guy just want to catch up with an old friend?” he asks, stretching his arms out.

I take a sip of my Sursk, letting the bitter taste fill my mouth. “Sure, if they haven’t known each other for as long as we have. But I know you, Torg. You need something. You’ve never asked me to meet you on your planet before.”

I can tell by the twitch of his lips that I’m right. His teeth, longer than mine, glint in the light. His skin is a dark blue, a result of living closer to the suns than my planet, which is the furthest away.

Our original planet, located between our two worlds, is still more diverse than either of ours. War changed everything, isolating our three planets and making us feel like strangers to each other.

Torgan interrupts my thoughts. “I think some of my crew are stealing from me, maybe even smuggling illegal goods. I hope I’m wrong. The last thing I need is to be known as the guy who spread the next stellar pox.”

I snort. “I don’t think they call it stellar pox anymore.”

He grunts. “Call it whatever you want. If it spreads between species, it’s stellar pox to me. I don’t care if your bio division can cure it in a week, it’s a week of hell.”

I rub my horns, wondering where this is going.

“Look, you need a ride back to your ship, and I have a ship going that way. You can hitch a ride and do me a favor at the same time...and be the hero,” he says, his tone annoying.

I scowl at him. “I’ve been doing this job for a long time, Torgan. You know I don’t care what people think of me.”

“That’s why you’re perfect for this,” he says, a bit too enthusiastically.

“They don’t know you, and as long as you don’t wear your uniform, no one will suspect a thing.

And if they are smuggling something and you don’t go, I’ll make sure they name the next outbreak of stellar pox after you.”

He doesn’t even need to threaten me. I want to enjoy my ride home, but I know that sometimes the best way to catch someone is to sneak up on them, not announce your arrival.

He’s right, it doesn’t matter if the bio division of Universal Enforcement can cure diseases in a few days. I’ve had the last case of stellar pox, and the pain is etched in my memory.

***

After finding my room and accessing the secure communications on the ship, thanks to Torg’s help, I decide to get some fermented Sursk.

He thinks that me acting violent will get me tossed in the cells, which is where many of the imported goods are.

I secure my weapons within the hidden compartments on my body, and then use my shielder to make it look like there’s nothing there. It’s the only smart thing to do.

I need to be prepared in the cargo area because it’s guarded, though I’m hoping not to get caught.

The cargo area is probably filled with exotic animals that I’ll have to listen to when I’m there. Some of those animals make noises that induce nightmares, literally.

It’s a defense mechanism. While not all species are as affected, mine is.

I reach the common area and sit, ordering several glasses of Sursk. It isn’t cheap, and Torgan is footing the bill.

I smile as I take long pulls of the bitter liquid, telling myself that if this is how I end my vacation, I’m going to have a bit of fun.

After my sixth drink, one for each finger on my hand, I realize they must have watered down this drink.

Even if I don’t find the next biological agent, I’m definitely going to fine them for this. I’m agitated, and this seems like the best way to be where I need to be.

“Hey, you!” I pretend to be out of control, yelling with my usual deep voice and giving a menacing growl.

“Did you piss in this drink? Is this how you water down all your product?” I stalk over to him, keeping my head down and eyes looking ahead.

I’m both impressed and annoyed when he immediately hits the panic button, and three guards come to hold me down. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I can still keep them on their toes.

I don’t need to struggle, because my bioware works with my body to increase strength when needed.

Still, I put enough strength and weight into them to make them fall on the way to the cargo hold. I don’t want them to think I want to be here.

I’ve also been keeping my bioware a more translucent color so it won’t stand out against my skin.

There’s artwork and beauty to the technology that enhances my body, but sometimes I have to hide how advanced it is compared to the common types.

The bioware available to my agency is superior to any other. If they saw it, they’d know I could easily escape.

One of them starts growling in their planet’s tongue, which I can understand because of my implant, but pretend I can’t.

She’s telling me she’s going to put me in with another screamer, and see how much I like to be screamed at.

This doesn’t sound good, and I brace myself. I hope whatever animal they throw me in with isn’t too aggressive, or smell worse than my bioware can filter out.

Coming to a stop, I laugh at their attempts to make me go in but let them shove me in. It’s fine. I’m not going to stay in here long anyway. Just long enough to look around.

The animal they shove me in with is huddled in a corner. At least I won’t have to worry about it being aggressive. Unfortunately, it does smell and is filthy.

Shaking my head and looking away, I’m disgusted that anything is forced to live in these conditions.

I’ve been standing and staring for too long, upset because I can still hear that they’re too close for me to get out.

Occasionally I look behind me to make sure it isn’t going to attack, only to see it slowly walking up to me. It’s bipedal, though I can hardly see many features with the filth present.

It sees me flinch away, stops, and sits down. I try to keep it calm, not wanting it to hurt me, or itself. We stay this way, myself using Universal to try and soothe it, and non-Universal to curse my luck.

The animal watches me the whole time. It looks similar to some of the other hairier animals across from this cell. They must be from the same planet.

“Hello.” I hear Universal spoken behind me in a mechanical tone. Turning around immediately to see the animal—is it an animal?—staring at me.

I almost fall in shock, realization slamming me in the face as my rage takes control of my body. I can feel the blood surging through my horns, causing pain and anger. This is not an animal.

While some animals have been known to mimic, they don’t have devices and use translators, and they don’t look at me the way this being is looking at me.

“How long have you been here? Do you understand me? Have you been stolen from your planet?” I ask it, my voice barely holding my anger inside.

I’m having a hard time coming to terms not only with what I’m seeing but how I initially reacted. I don’t want it to see me as just as bad as its captors.

The frustration in its eyes shatters any control I have, and I know my look of horror is clear.

I’ve never been this close to a captive sentient being, and I never thought I would. This is a slave. This is beyond my comprehension.

It talks into its device, and the voice it uses, though the words make no sense, is soft and delicate, but there’s excitement there.

I think “it” is a female. The thought of what they could have planned for her makes me want to bash my head against the wall.

The device speaks in the same tone. Some type of translator? Most are implanted, so I’ve rarely seen something like this before. Is it hers? Are her species intelligent enough to make them?

“None understands I. This translator I made. Help I. I am trapped. I cold, hungry, strength diminishing.”

As the words crash into me like a meteor hurtling through space, I hate myself for not seeing her sooner, and I hate what this being is going through. My anger is palpable, and I don’t want it to scare her.

She's using a translator, but how did she manage to create that? How smart is she? A part of me wishes she's barely sentient, but when I look into her eyes, I see her intelligence.

I approach the invisible barrier. “Hey! Someone get over here now!” I yell, demanding to be let out. But no one comes. She speaks into her device again, her voice a mix of sadness and fury.

“Doesn’t matter. No one will come. I’m sorry for making you angry. I’ve been here so long. I had to try. They took me from my home world.” She looks away as the device translates, and I see shame in her eyes.

Her words are almost too much to bear. I never thought I’d witness something like this. “They call me an animal. I’m not. Are you like them?”

No, no, the thought that any creature sees me as someone who would do this forces me to her side. I kneel in front of her, trying to stay calm, but it’s too hard.

My body trembles with anger and betrayal. I can’t believe that someone I reluctantly call a friend allows this to happen on his ship.

My muscles tense, ready for action. But there’s nothing I can do, so they quiver as I point to her device, indicating I want to speak into it.

I speak in Universal, telling her, “I’m not like them, and I would never do something so despicable.” It’s strange to hear Universal translated into her language.

Universal was designed to accommodate many species and their vocal abilities, so the sounds aren’t difficult, but they’re not beautiful either.

Her language sounds soft, and there aren’t enough soft languages in this universe.

I look into her eyes—she has two, like my species. Two eyes are more common than the four or six that some species have.

The emotions in her eyes are more expressive than the broken Universal she tries to speak. I see relief, joy, and a fierce determination. I can’t believe I ever saw her as anything other than this beautiful creature.

But expressive eyes aren’t enough. She needs to learn to communicate. But now I’m torn about her captors. If they discover she’s intelligent, there’s no telling what they might do to her.

Have they already done something? Will they kill her to keep her quiet? Suddenly, my plan to escape and gather information about a curable stellar pox seems insignificant.

I need to get her out of here. I need to teach her Universal. And I probably have only a day or two to start this before anyone interferes in a significant way.