Page 15 of My Alien Pirate

"Working on it. The universal translator is having trouble with the syntax, but..." He paused, his ridges flashing with triumph. "There!"

The screens cleared, and suddenly we were looking at what appeared to be a video recording. A recording I could suddenly understand.

The image was grainy and distorted, but I could make out a room filled with humans, all wearing similar clothing. I searched the faces until I found Nova, standing near a stern-looking male who appeared to be in charge.

"Captain Rodriguez," Jorixx identified, reading from the data streaming across his screen. "And there's the little alien - ship's xenobiologist."

The captain was speaking, his voice garbled by static but his authority evident in his bearing. Nova stood attentively, occasionally nodding or making notes on some kind of device.

"Can you clean up the audio?" I asked, my eyes fixed on Nova's face.

He tried, but most of the sound remained distorted. However, a few phrases came through clearly enough:

"...dimensional readings off the scale..."

"...unprecedented opportunity..."

"...risk is worth..."

Then static, and the recording jumped forward. Now Captain Rodriguez was alone, his face close to the recording device, his expression urgent:

"...if anyone finds this... Earth Science Command... emergency protocols... tried...crew in stasis... dimensional breach... no choice... please..."

The recording ended abruptly, leaving us in stunned silence.

12

Lost in Translation

The quantum engines hummed steadily beneath my feet, a familiar vibration that usually brought me comfort. But today, as I stood at the helm of my ship, staring out at the vast expanse of space before us, my mind churned with disquiet over what we had just watched. What did it mean?

"Keep working on cleaning up the recordings, Jorixx. We need to know what happened."

But Jorixx didn't immediately leave to follow my orders. I could feel him hovering behind me, his massive frame casting a shadow across the control panel. "Something else?" I asked, not turning around.

"Sir... if we can get the translator to recognize her language fully, won't that make her even more valuable? Her buyer would be able to give her instruction. She could serve in many different service capacities. It's hard for me to tell as she is so strange looking, but maybe she could even be a pleasurer in one of themore exotic pleasure houses. Then our profits could double...or even triple. Madam Katra..."

Now I did turn, my crest rising in anger. My eyes burned into him. "That will not happen. You do not need to concern yourself with where she will end up. Your only job is to allow us to communicate with her and find out what happened to bring her here. Do you understand?"

The security chief shifted uncomfortably, his armored skin catching the light. His expression tightened. "Yes, Captain. I understand. I meant no disrespect. I was merely thinking of profit margins. Normally, you request this type of information. I just assumed..."

"Enough!" The word came out as a growl, my tentacles whipping through the air agitatedly. "Focus on the translators. Nothing else."

My security chief's three eyes blinked in rapid succession – confusion this time, not excitement. "Of course, Captain. I'll get back on it right away.

"You didn't need to snap at him, Zhar," Grixxa said, leaning in closer to me. "Jorixx is only doing what Jorixx normally does. "I understand why you're so protective of her but you're going to have to ease the crew into the idea."

The words hit close to home. My ridges flashed warning colors before I could stop them. "I know," I snapped. "But I won't have anyone suggesting she be sold into that kind of life. She's my mate, Grixxa. Mine."

Even saying the words aloud made my chest tight with possessiveness. I remembered the way she'd looked at me in the med bay, those strange blue eyes filled with curiosity rather than fear. The way her soft hand had touched my arm, sending sparks of recognition through my entire being.

"Besides," I added, trying to sound more reasonable, "we still know so little about her species. We need to understand more before we can even begin to explain this to the crew."

Grixxa made a sound suspiciously like a snort. "What's to understand? The bond chose her for you. That's all the crew needs to know. Though I admit, it's the first time I've heard of a cross-species mating bond."

"Which is exactly why we need to proceed carefully," I interrupted. "The crew trusts me to lead them. I can't have them questioning my judgment because of this." I turned back to the viewscreen, signaling that the conversation was over. "Get back to work."

"Yes, Captain." Grixxa returned to her console, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

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