A Son for the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #2)(4)

“I am afraid it is not quite that simple. First of all, we would need to find out where she was sold.” He stopped, suddenly looking thoughtful. “Your sister, was she like you?”

Not at all, she started to reply and then realized he was probably asking about physical appearance rather than personality. “Yes, I guess so.”

They both had pale blonde hair, although Judith kept hers in a neat short bob whereas Mariah’s long hair was currently decorated with tiny braids and pink highlights. They were of a similar height and build as well and both of them had inherited their father’s blue eyes.

“There was a female with a male child taken on the previous journey to this planet. She was only transferred to our ship for a brief period before Commander Khaen made other arrangements.”

“Other arrangements? What other arrangements?”

He shook his head. “I do not know. I was a new crew member at the time and he neither liked nor trusted me. I suspect it was a private transaction.”

“Is there any way you can ask this Commander Khaen?”

Her heart sank as he shook his head again. “I am afraid not. Commander Khaen is dead.”

“What about his records?” she asked desperately. “Surely he must have kept some type of records.”

“Perhaps. He was not a… pleasant individual and he did not trust anyone. But we have been able to track some of his activities.”

“We?”

He ducked his head, looking suddenly embarrassed. “I have been working with a team on Trevelor to try and bring an end to the slave trade. It is the least I can do to make amends for some of the atrocities committed by my people.”

“Can I speak to them?” She started to reach for his arm again but stopped herself. “I’m sure I can make them understand how important it is for me to find my sister and my nephew.”

“You will have the opportunity.” He sighed and pulled out a small device, opening the screen. “Once they receive my signal, they should intercept us within a few days. The plan was to return all of the captives to your planet with no memory of what had occurred.”

“I can’t go back, not now. Not now that I’m finally making some progress towards finding her.”

“I will see what I can find out before then,” he promised.

“Oh, thank you so much—uh, I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”

“My name is Kwaret.” He seemed cautiously pleased that she had asked.

“I’m Mariah.” She smiled, full of excitement to finally have some hope after this long terrible year. “And you’re like some undercover spy? Investigating the bad guys?”

Something that could almost have been a blush touched his white cheeks. “I suppose you could put it that way.”

“But why? Why are you doing this?”

“I met another human female on my last trip to this planet and she treated me with a respect that I have never had from my own people. She made me realize that I had to try and put an end to something that I had always known was wrong but had never had the courage to prevent.”

“That’s wonderful. She sounds like an amazing woman. Did she get to go home?” she asked eagerly.

“No. She is now mated to a—”

A harsh buzz interrupted him, and he immediately started backing towards the door. “That is the assembly call. I cannot miss it. Stay here and do not try to leave the room. I will return as soon as I am able.”

With surprising speed, he turned and disappeared. She heard the door panel close a moment later. A sudden torrent of relief and hope swept over her, her knees trembling now that she was alone. Once more she slid down the wall to her huddled position, buried her head in her knees, and burst into tears.





Chapter Three


Cestov Tok’Laren, Captain of the Confederated Planets Free Trader Wanderer, swore as he left his bridge. His small crew was usually quite competent despite their assorted backgrounds, but they had really fucked up this time. They were supposed to be transporting a cargo of rare pristidian seedlings—a perfect cargo, light, low maintenance, and extremely profitable. Somehow Maldost, his young assistant, had taken a slonga on board instead. The slonga was neither lightweight nor low maintenance and while it had the potential to be extremely valuable, it was illegal to transport outside of its home system. A system that was now two full days behind them. He headed for his cabin, tail whipping angrily, determined to try and find a place where they could sell the slonga—at a profit—before some nosy Confederated Planets Patrol ship approached them.

By the time he reached his cabin, some of his usual good humor had been restored. He had chosen this path. Unlike his brother, he had always been willing to play along the edges of the rules and this wasn’t the first time he’d made a risky trade. The thought of his brother caused the familiar pang. More than five years now and still he had found no trace of Bratan. Cestov had spent his time on Srashiman making inquiries instead of overseeing the trade. Now he was saddled with the slonga and still had no hint as to where he should look for his brother next.

“Damn you, Bratan. Why did you leave? You knew I didn’t mean it,” he muttered.

Pushing the painful memory aside, he sat down at his desk and brought up a map of the surrounding systems. Since the plague known as the Red Death had swept through the galaxy and devastated so many planets, a lot of the records in the ship’s computer were outdated, but there were two nearby systems where he might be able to make the trade. The first was larger, but it was also more likely to be regulated. The other had only a single habitable planet, Trevelor, but it should be beyond the usual boundaries of the Patrol. The Patrol’s numbers had also diminished as a result of the plague and they tended to concentrate on the central areas of the system, relying on volunteer craft farther out. He bent over the tablet, scrolling through the interweb message boards to review the latest information about Trevelor.