Page 8 of Ava Greasemonkey

Wert was done with his checks fast. The transports between two Tuxa planets were the perfect ones to mess around with if there was anything lucrative because they wouldn’t look too hard at their own species’ errors if something was missing. The only problem was that most of the stuff they transported was usually not worth the time or risk.

The Tuxa piled in around the perimeter of the cargo bay while Wert welcomed them on board, giving the universal sign of deference as they ambled in.

They looked bored and immovable once they all finally gathered on the cargo bay’s floor. The Tuxa would be the ones to actually handle the product as it was their cargo.

Ava sat and waited, mirroring their bored expressions.Nothing special about this transport so far.

At least it wasn’t quiet. She was no longer in danger of slipping into nostalgia when there was something happening.

Ava shifted slightly, thinking that she might be able to focus on one of the books now that there was some background noise. Their preparations could still take awhile.

Before she could crack it open though, Wert moved to the middle of the Tuxa grouping and began talking. “I have the measurements recorded,” Wert said in a clicking voice.

He always sounded less clear to Ava than Ebel; the translator she had made him sound garbled. She rubbed her ear as he spoke to see if that would help.

“If that is all, I will record it on the official logs.” Wert looked down at his com while talking, feet already turned toward the door to step away.

“A moment,” one of the Tuxa said abruptly, stopping Wert as he began to leave.

Ava did a double take. They were muscly reptilian creatures to begin with, but she suddenly realized they all were armed as well. Each Tuxa had a phaser in their beefy hands along with a knife strapped to each leg. She squinted and pushed against the grate to see better, her heart pounding madly.

Why do they need weapons?She’d never seen a phaser so blatantly displayed like that before. Fear raced down her spine, her earlier boredom forgotten. This was a transport ship. Bringing weapons on board was usually not allowed. It was, in fact, one of the stipulations the Phor insisted on when they hired contractors and took on trade deals.

Ava’s eyes tracked all the Tuxa as they moved, gulping nervously as she watched their phasers.

Wert turned his upper half back toward the Tuxa with one of his antennas raised questioningly. “Yes?” He looked at the weapons on their sides, frowning.

The Tuxa stepped forward, crowding Wert’s space. Wert leaned the top part of his segmented body farther back on his legs, away from them. “This transport will need new stipulations to the arrangement. We will require use of the prisoner cells as well as someone to care for what is coming on board. We captured four Vorbax warriors at our outpost on our last sun cycle. They will be brought to the tribunal on our home planet with the regular goods we are currently bringing on board per our regular contract. The current goods are standard protocol and of no special concern, but the Vorbax will need daily tending to, as well as food. We will provide their security.” The Tuxa raised his phaser in time with saying the word security. His green jumpsuit stretched as he did, showcasing his strong upper arms as he flexed. His suit had a purple ring around the arm, different from the others.

That one must be the one in charge.Ava tracked his movements carefully. He certainly was talking like the one who was leading.

Vorbax?Ava wracked her brain in vain. She couldn’t remember hearing that term before. Not even from the book of intergalactic species Ebel had in the engine room. She wrote it down in her notebook next to the engine doodles to remember, phonetically spelling it in Common.I’ll need to look again in the book and logs when I get back.

Wert’s antennas flattened, a sign of distress.

Ava felt uneasy as well. Ebel also probably wasn’t going to like this when she told him about all the weapons. In fact, she knew he wouldn’t.

Wert fully turned to address the Tuxa head-on, stretching his body up to match their height. “Why were we not informed until the last minute of this? We could have prepared beyond cleaning the cages. We . . . they are not true prisoner cells either. We are a transport ship. We only . . . they’re more like animal cages forexotic pet species transfers.” He began to shake his head. “I do not know of any cell that can keep a Vorbax contained for long.”

The Tuxa grunted and slashed his phaser to the side for emphasis, cutting off Wert’s stammer. “We have captured them and have been holding them for two weeks now at this outpost. We are stronger than them; they pose no threat. They also have been bound with silga strings as a precaution.”

Wert’s antennas remained flattened, obviously not reassured. “This vessel was not contracted to transport dangerous personnel. Nor do we allow weapons on board. We will need to discuss our contract. Also, our current queen is very close to her egg—” Wert was shaking his head frantically now, composure rattled.

“The rate was sent to the mother queen collective on your home planet for approval this morning. The collective signed off half a cycle ago.”

The Tuxa reached behind him and grabbed a tablet, showing Wert something on it.

Ava couldn’t see what it was from where she was perched but Wert’s antennas drooped even farther looking at it. His reaction rattled her.

“Here’s your authorization. We will be loading the Vorbax after our other cargo. Please prepare quarters for an additional ten Tuxa to remain on board as extra security.” The Tuxa stared at Wert, who remained stationary after being dismissed.

When Wert didn’t move, the Tuxa leaned down into his face and growled out, fangs extended, “Go and prepare now or we will inform your collective of your hesitation.”

Wert let out a startled click, fuzzy yellow body shaking, before he moved to the door. He exited fast, already on his com watch, most likely pinging everyone on board immediately of their new guests and protocols. The doors whooshed shut behind him,leaving just the Tuxa in the cargo hold, and Ava watching, unseen, from above.

He’s so nervous about what’s happening.Ava didn’t know what to make of Wert’s distress. She fidgeted nervously watching the Tuxa below, wanting to just forget this transport and return to the safety of the engine room.

She talked herself down, forcing deep breaths into her lungs.I’m fine up here. I can always leave if something dangerous happens.I’m not trapped.Besides, Wert was always more easily rattled than Ebel. As the current head Phor he seemed permanently petrified that he would do something wrong to lose his favored position with their queen. He could just be overreacting like he usually did, with how serious he took everything.

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