Page 72 of I Married A Catman

Tedrick turned to me with the same demeanor. “Ms. Moreau, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“The pleasure is mine. But please call me Ophelia,” I replied, warmly.

Under different circumstances, one might have assumed it was a lack of respect for him to immediately use my husband’s first name instead of more formally addressing him by his surname, like he did with me. But during my short stay among the Nazhrals so far, I learned that, in their culture, addressingsomeone by their last name was not a good thing. It usually implied that they were in trouble—like when your mother would call you by your full name—or that you either didn’t deem them an equal or wanted to establish a clear distance between the two of you. Using someone’s first name meant that you considered them as your peer.

“Gladly,” the Enforcer replied, “but only if you call me Tedrick!”

Even as I smiled in response, I didn’t miss the confused looks on our males’ faces in light of that exchange. With their limited interactions with off-worlders, they didn’t know much about the ridiculous number of hoops humans jumped through for no real reason, and in the name of propriety. Although they gathered to see what was going on, they kept a reasonable distance as to not be overly intrusive or coming across as threatening.

“That was quite the entrance you made,” Gaelec said, his only semi-playful tone making it clear he wasn’t necessarily comfortable with it.

A strange glimmer flashed through Tedrick’s gray eyes.

“It was,” the Enforcer conceded. “We’re only allowed to use this fast-travel method under very strict guidelines, and fairly rarely for reasons I’m sure you understand.”

“What allowed us benefit of this exception?” Gaelec asked.

“We figured it would be best to have you comfortably set up as quickly as possible, especially in light of some of the news that will be breaking soon regarding a certain mission,” Tedrick replied, his gaze intense as he spoke those words.

“So things didn’t go well?” I asked, my heart breaking for all the people who had taken part in it.

“That’s a matter of perspective. For the pirates, you would be totally correct. For us, it was a resounding success.”

Behind us, our males murmured, probably expressing their dismay or sadness. A glance over my shoulder confirmed it,some faces also displaying an odd mix of guilt and relief that they’d made the right decision and been spared that terrible outcome.

“But you will hear more about it soon. For now, we come bearing gifts from the PMA and the UPO,” Tedrick said, shifting his attention back to my husband. “My men could use some help unloading while you and I go over a few details. We also have a couple of experts to assist with setup, if needed.”

“Of course,” Gaelec replied, gesturing at Kazaer and a couple other males to come forward.

Five Enforcers—two women, two men, and an Edocit male—walked out of the large ship and smiled warmly at our males as they watched them approach. I met a few Edocits before, and they still fascinated me. Everyone in that dryad-like species was gorgeous. That male seemed to be in his late twenties, with shoulder length dark-brown hair. A few white flowers had bloomed in the elegant vines intertwined with his locks. This meant he was happy, which was a good sign for us.

A heavy ramp lowered, and a series of massive hovering platforms glided out, laden with huge crates, and the type of equipment that had our collective eyes popping out of our heads. My throat tightened with emotion at the air of pure awe on the faces of our Pride members. But that emotion turned to amusement as I watched them stare in disbelief at what they likely interpreted as being some sort of armored tank rolling out of the ship. It was in fact the deployable buildings.

Those wonders of technology could travel through some of the most challenging terrains, and even had an amphibian mode that allowed them to cross shallow rivers if needed to reach their destination. Once in position, you only had a button to push for them to unfold, transforming into a fully functional building, with every amenity required, including basic hygiene features like a toilet, bath or shower—depending on the model—kitchen,and even a laundry room. Those buildings were designed so that they could be easily linked to a local sewer system, freshwater system, and power grid. Otherwise, they came by default with chemical waste management.

Our companions’ jaws dropped even more when five such ‘tanks’ rolled out one by one from the ship. Jumping into action, Kazaer indicated where each one was to be positioned, based on the instructions Gaelec previously communicated to him. But it was seeing the state-of-the-art geothermal system being brought out that nearly undid them. I blinked to stem the tears that wanted to prick my eyes at the way everyone looked at my husband.

These males had taken a huge gamble turning back on what had been centuries old customs to follow someone they barely knew. Finding out the raid had indeed occurred as he warned silenced some of the second guessing that had been growing amongst them since their arrival here. But seeing what he had been able to secure for this fledgling Pride in such record time made them look at him with new eyes. Just like I was, they were realizing that we were now part of something greater than any of us imagined.

“We ended up scraping a few extra things to throw into your package,” Tedrick said, reclaiming our attention. “You see those red crates on that platform over there?” he added, pointing at it. “It contains a series of non-military grade weapons.”

As one, Gaelec and I recoiled.

“Why in the world would you bring us weapons?” Gaelec asked, outrage and confusion filling his voice.

“Like I said, they are common and non-military grade weapons,” Tedrick repeated, his face serious. “You are currently receiving goods and technology that totals a little over a million credits. Word will spread quickly, even faster than the one of your departure from Nevian to create your own Pride, and thereasons why you did so. The other Prides are already abuzz about a male creating his own, which is unheard of. Once they hear the outcome of the mission, and how your warnings were ignored, you will generate even more curiosity. And when they see what you have, they will want to appropriate it. You will need deterrents.”

My stomach dropped a bit more with each word. I wanted to kick myself for not even contemplating the likelihood of people trying to take over the village we were building. Gaelec frequently mentioned that Prides respected each other’s territories. Occasionally, the only troublemakers were roaming males. But I could see this equipment drawing far more people. My next thought shamed me, but I couldn’t help remembering that many of his people made a living by stealing from others. Granted, they normally stole from off-worlders. As all of this came from strangers, would they deem it fair game?

“I have no intention of shooting my own people,” Gaelec growled, although I didn’t miss the sliver of worry in his blue eyes.

“Nor am I asking you to,” Tedrick said in an appeasing tone. “Most advanced planets pursue research into extremely powerful weapons, but specifically with the intent of never having to use them. Flaunting the fact that you have them is usually enough for potential aggressors to think twice before doing anything stupid. Frankly, I pray that you never have to use them as it could cause a galactic conflict. We wouldn’t want your government to accuse us of arming rebel militias in their midst.”

Gaelec snorted, but didn’t challenge his words.

“We’ve also included a set of advanced perimeter security,” Tedrick continued. “Our scanners indicate you have done a pretty good job with the basic models you already set up. These offer a lot more features that you will enjoy a great deal, on top of them coming with integrated camera systems.”

This time, it was my turn to frown. “This is all starting to sound a little excessive,” I said, suspicion seeping into my voice. “Is there something else you’re not telling us? Both the UPO and especially the Enforcers are renowned for being extremely stingy and reluctant when it comes to arming anyone, especially on a planet like Melelyn. Right now, you sound like you are doing exactly what you claim not to want to be accused of.”

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