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“That Kar’Kali must be low on stamina if you’re out and about without him so quickly, pretty toy. If I had been the one to find you first, then you would not show your face for a week! And you would not be able to walk for a week after that!” He laughs.
I ignore him, dumping the powder into my cup and then turning to add water. Usually, being called a toy would be all it took to ignite my desire to start stabbing. But I want them to keep talking. Maybe they’ll reveal some information I’d like to know about. There are rules hung up on the walls about how to keep the common area, just like one might find in a mundane Earth office break room. I notice the mouth of a large tube in the corner labeled for laundry. It’s wide enough for a body, so I consider it. If I can’t get out of here immediately, I might be able to hide elsewhere until the ship lands.
If Niko’s name carries protections, I could try to cut a deal with him until I have an opportunity for freedom. That might be a dangerous game though, seeing as my main bargaining chip would be my body.
“Watch yourself,” the other lizard man warns the one named Aarth. “This is the one that stabbed Varger in the eye. And you have less eyeballs to lose.”
Laughter fills the room again.
“Laugh all you want,” the skeleton man says, his voice a gravelly baritone. “Kar’Kali mates are not to be trifled with. La’Nira might seem easygoing, but Kar’Kali change when they’re mated. I’ve seen it. If I had eyes, I’d keep even them to myself.”
What sounded like a grave warning is taken lightly by the other pirates, and I realize that they don’t have much rapport between them. There’s no warmth or knowing in their tones with one another. It seems they are mostly strangers. Once I’ve mixed my drink, I turn to seek out somewhere to sit. The skeleton man, true to his word, gets up with a harumph and leaves the room muttering something about not getting any bones cracked today.
As I move across the room, I finally find what I am looking for. A neon green sign in the shape of a spiral hangs above a smaller doorway in a corner alcove that I couldn’t see from the entryway. If there’s one thing the Earth Colonies of the Alliance training program emphasized, it’s this. Always know how to identify escape pods when using public transport. I might not be able to read very much in Alliance-Common, but the color chosen to signify the escapes is unmistakable.
“Varger didn’t take it well.” Aarth follows me, sitting down beside me. “I don’t advise you to find yourself in a darkened hallway alone with him.”
“Most females know not to find themselves in a darkened hallway alone with any male,” I say, sipping the fruity drink. “Besides, maybe he doesn’t want to find himself in a darkened hallway with me.”
“You’re an amusing toy; I’ll give you that,” the lizard man purrs, watching my lips a bit too closely for my liking.
I decide to be upfront.
“Tell me about this ship and the crew,” I say to Aarth. He’s desperate for female attention, so maybe he’ll make himself useful. “If I’m going to hang around here, I want to know what I’m getting into.”
“I’ve only been signed on for this campaign,” he tells me, squinting at me. “Captain Kyrrth is known for fairness and shrewdness. He hires whoever is available when he’s in port. He’s no nonsense, and he doesn’t trust anyone. Your Kar’Kali is the one who’s been on board here the longest, and even he seems to hardly share a bond with Kyrrth. The crew?” He shrugs. “I can only tell you of my fellow Plax. The others are boring. You will find me to be the most interesting and exemplary male on board.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” I comment flatly.
“Only because it is the truth,” he says, not catching even a hint of my sarcasm. “The Kar’Kali do not know how to treat a slave, because it is not in their culture to take care of those that need keeping.”
My skin crawls, but I retain a tight smile. At least I know he can’t read my expressions very accurately.
“What’s your point?” I ask.
“Give yourself to me,” he growls, in what I assume is meant to be a seductive tone. “Let me take you from La’Nira, and you will know true comfort, true protection. A Plax like Aarth Aarrthaa—” He thumps his chest. “—would not let his female wander the halls looking for company and a hot beverage. You would be a most-coddled toy if you joined my family’s stable.”
“If your family is so well-off, why are you on a ship like this one?”
“You’d be surprised how many in my line of work are not in need of the paltry contracts. This is a choice, a lifestyle that separates hatchlings from strong males.”
I suppress the urge to roll my eyes.
“So the same could be true of Niko. Maybe he secretly has more to offer me than you do.”
The lizardman barks out a laugh. “Not likely. His kind do not have a planet of their own. He comes from nothing and nowhere, I promise you that. If you let him take you, you’ll soon find yourself sleeping in a station alleyway. Be mine instead.”
“If I already belong to Niko, how would that work?” I ask. Talking to this creep is making me nauseous, but I try to ignore the bubbling discomfort in my stomach. It’s sad to think Niko doesn’t have a planet to call home. I know the feeling of not having anywhere to belong.
“I would challenge him in a fight to the death. And he would most certainly accept.”
“He would most certainly cut out your intestines and feed them to you,” his lizardman friend interrupts us. “You’re an idiot. This female is playing you. Don’t let her near the pod launch, or we’ll all pay for it. And if you take her back to Okrila? She’ll probably murder you in your sleep.”
A tone dings on the comm system, and most of the males in the room start to grumble, shuffle, and put away their food and drink. It seems to be a work shift signal. I watch from under my lashes as they start to trickle out. A couple of them cast me suspicious looks as they leave the room. The last to stand is the other lizardman who seems to be on good terms with Aarth.
“Are you coming or not?” His tone is snippy as he blinks at Aarth.
“I think not.” Aarth is eyeing me with an increasingly lustful look in his yellow eyes.
