Page 3 of Narzek
“I’m sorry, what?” It was a word that didn’t translate, like many other words with the inferior translator chip the slavers injected into her.
“Maker, I’m not ready for this.” But his expression softened as he looked down at her. “It will take some explaining, but we have thousands of people to get off this planet. Will you tell me your name?”
“Cayla Fox. Before I was a slave, I was a soldier back on Earth. I was in a warzone when those slavers stole my friend and me.”
“That should make things a little easier. I need you to come to our ship, the Farseek Dreadnaught Ten. We’ve got another farm to evacuate, then I will be back to explain,” he said cryptically. Then he said, “open comm. Lieutenant Commander Pardantu to Commander Lagatu.”
Cayla could only hear the LC’s end of the conversation, but it didn’t shed any light on the situation.
“I am declaringsolmatu,Cayla Fox of Earth. I’m sending her to Dread Ten.” He paused. “Thank you, sir. No, sir. We’ve got at least a thousand people to move from our assigned locations. That comes first.” He paused to listen again. “Affirmative, sir. Pardantu out.”
“I won’t even ask,” said Cayla. “Tell me how I can help.”
“Are there more than four slave barracks, and do the guards have weapons?”
“Only four, here. The slave masters have pain sticks but no other weapons. When they touch you with them, it seems like every pain receptor in your body is on fire,” said Cayla. “We’ve all felt it a time or two. They are not allowed to damage us. But they do other things…”
“To you?” he demanded.
“No.” Cayla shook her head.
“Good, you can best help us by making sure we have everyone who wants to leave.”
“What are the chances I can get back to Earth someday?”
“It’s possible, but right now, we need to get these people moving.”
“Of course,” Cayla said, but she found herself staring at him. There was something about him that attracted her and made her feel reluctant to leave his presence. But he was right, whatever this unspoken awareness between them was, it needed to wait.
Chapter Three
Cayla helped herd the rest of the women from the slave barracks to the waiting shuttles. For the first time in almost ever, most of the women were smiling. Their people had come for them, just like they always told her they would. Cayla was happy for them, and herself, too. Even though the chance of getting back to Earth was uncertain, at least she would no longer be a slave.
She had a feeling about the LC, and what he wasn’t telling her. He was one of the hottest guys she’d ever met. Whatever was going on, one of her first thoughts on meeting him was that she might like getting to know him better. He must be thinking along those lines. Why else was he sending her to his warship instead of the passenger ship where everyone else went?
The shuttle barely touched down in the landing bay of the dreadnaught before she was shown the door where she was met by a young man in a military uniform.
“I’m Tagnel. I’ll be your guide for now. We will stop at the storeroom to get you fresh clothes, then I will take you to your quarters where you can shower and get some rest since they woke you in the middle of your night.”
“Can you tell me why I was brought here instead of the passenger ship?” she asked.
“It’s not for me to say,se’atu. These are my orders,” Tagnel said. “I’m sure the Lieutenant Commander has his reasons. No one shared them with me.”
“But you have some idea.”
“I wouldn’t speculate.”
Cayla chuckled. “They told you to keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes,se’atu.” He grinned faintly.
“All right, then. Lead on Tagnel.”
He nodded and led her through the cargo bay to the storeroom. “Se’atu, you will stand on that circle, the scanner in the ceiling will determine your size, and a bot will bring you clothes in that size.
Cayla did as she was asked, “What is ‘se’atu’? It doesn’t translate.”
“It is a Uatu word used to address a young unmated female. The main Consortium language doesn’t include translations for most Uatu root words. Farseek was originally settled by Uatu people from a faraway world called Uat. We grow up learning the ancient language as well as Consortium preferred.”
