Page 3 of Jewel of the Alien Bandit
Necia were a fiery bunch of alien outlaws, where their main trade of their planet was basically being mercenaries for hire. How I got involved with them wasn’t exactly my choice, but I blew my chance at escaping when I was a boy.
“If it’s real,” I added, trying to bring reason back into both of our credit hungry egos.
“Even if it isn’t real, you still have to show proof to Jax that you’re going to pay up, or she’ll gut you.”
“I thought that was your job?” I gave her a wry smile, and she gave me a wink in return before her extra finger bones sliced from her flesh, and dug into my throat. I shook my head, feeling her grip loosen, unable to follow through with her threats just yet. I wondered, however momentarily, that I could have thought of Carmen as more than a thug. She was pretty by any standards, dark hair hung short at her shoulders, hazel eyes that changed color depending on what she wore, and a tight jumpsuit that revealed all her curves. But necia were a rough breed, and it would be easy for her to morph her bones from her skeleton into weapons like a creepy pin cushion. I would have shivered at the thought, but any movement would have given me an extra close shave.
“Don’t test me, Vareo. I’ve been kind to you, haven’t I?”
My Adam's apple bobbed, feeling the pressure of the sharp bone. But, this wasn’t the first time she threatened me, and she needed me for the credits. I was worth more alive, and I’ve longsince found her threats towards me to be more bark than bite. Easing the weapon of her extra finger bones away from my skin with my own fleshy finger, I smiled.
“Kind as a krelin’s horn up my—“ It was the kindest endearment I could ever muster for her.
“Don’t be crass.” She shoved my face with the palm of her hand back towards the screen that was flickering due to the repairs that my ship badly needed. Those credits were tempting. “Go screw a few Estreldez females and bring back their prized jewel. Even if the job’s a scam we can milk them for what they’re worth, or sell the jewel on the black market, and take whatever the buyer has for trying to fuck us.”
“Aren’t you the picture of propriety,” I mocked her eagerness to send me out to pimp myself to an alien planet so I could steal their treasure. That was a first, but it was the only way we’d gain access to the planet Estreldez. They weren’t open for tourism, and kept strict closed borders. In fact, it was only recently that they even allowed offworlders to join their mating ceremony. Though, really even that was a very select few.
Which had me doubting whether we could even get the job.
“How are we supposed to get an invite?” I wondered out loud.
“Maybe that’s why the credits are so large. Figure it out.”
Carmen sauntered off to go comm Jax about the job. She wasn’t going to let me turn this down. Somehow, I had to find a way onto the invite list. As much as having my go with a bunch of alien women might have been appealing, the idea of having children that I’d never see again was not. My dad was never around as a kid… I swore I’d never have children if I couldn’t be around for them.
I’d have to steal the jewel and get off planet before the mating could ever be consummated. Get my credits, and I never have to see Carmen, Jax, or any other necia outlaws again.Glaring at the screen, and all of those zeros at the end of the credits meant certain freedom, but I highly doubted the necia would give up easily even after they got their credits. They probably never expected anyone to make enough credits to pay off their debts when the costs kept on rolling in to cover the operation’s overhead. Plus, I wasn’t dumb. They weren’t known to play fair, and just like they’d screw over the client if they didn’t hand over the agreed upon sum it was just as likely they’d do the same to me.
CHAPTER THREE
Luan
THERE WAS NOreason to be nervous. The likelihood of my eggs releasing was low, and even less so that any of the potential mates this season would be compatible. Nothing to worry about, I assured myself. I would join the Moon Ceremony, show my support for the future of Estreldez, and be back to protecting our planet from the krelins in a blip of existence.
I shouldn’t have been happy about how dismal our mating chances were, but before my mother, all the Almders before her were able to summon successful matings with the moon’s blessing. The moon god has forsaken us for many generations, and if the krelins knew how deep that rift was, we’d be in no position to bargain for our food at all. They would invade, and all of Estreldez would be even more screwed than we already were.
“Does the ceremony trouble you so much?” The crease between my brows worried Loric, and he was always an optimist about the state of our species. Convinced that when we were both old enough that we would find the answers we were searching for, he would say it was the way of the moons, and there were lessons to be learned. Loric was much too wise for his cycles, but I didn’t doubt his conviction because he wasn’t like the rest of the planet thinking prayers would solve things. He actually did things, met with diplomats, conferred with ourscientists, and put in the work when he wasn’t tasked with following me around.
I groaned. “Does my mother actually believe that my participation is a better use of my time than trying to figure out a solution?”
“How are you supposed to solve a problem if you don’t have all the facts?”
Glaring at him, I suppressed the urge to smack him for insinuating I haven’t been pouring myself into the research of both diplomatic solutions for the krelins, and our population decreases. Our older generations are more than half of our population, and past their mating cycles. If we didn’t find a solution soon, even with our long lives, our species would be extinguished at this rate.
He held up his hands in a cease fire before I could yell at him. But even that gesture was false when his next words were, “Maybe participating in the ceremony will give you new insights into the very problem that you seek to solve?”
“Has it done you any favors?” I snarked back. Now it was his turn to narrow his blue eyes at me. It wasn’t my intention to pit us against ourselves, we both had the same goals. He’s joined the ceremony many times, but none of his matings have taken hold. That was the same for most of the Estreldez males, which is why most of the selected mates for the ceremony have been selected from offworld systems.
“None of them were mine, you know how our biology works.”
“I know,” I huffed out exasperated. It wasn’t his fault. His seed was sterile until a compatible mate was found, just as it takes a certain amount of chemistry for our eggs to drop from their sacks.
Loric sighed, and sat down next to me in the library. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. Nose nuzzling into my white blond hair, he whispered,“Are you afraid that under the mating moon you’ll find a compatible mate, or that you won’t?”
His words were daggers into my heart, hitting so deep into my buried fears. Which one was I more afraid of? He was right, so painfully right.
If my eggs dropped then I wasn’t broken, but I’d have mated with a potential stranger that would leave our planet after the ceremony. I shook my head, that sounded awful. How did the other females do it? I mean, I understood that a mating ritual wasn’t binding to offworlders or even to us without a true bond the same way it would for our males, but they all leave.
Every one of them leaves.
