were headed for a place like Nuvia, or Canlaghan, then I would say take her. On those planets she’d have enormous strength,” said Tournour.
“Great,” I said. “Send me to Nuvia or Canlaghan.”
“We’re not shipping there,” the guard said.
Tournour was standing there, and I could not look at him or I would explode. I needed to remain calm in order to make sure that I was assigned to a ship out of here. He had the power to throw me into the brig if he saw fit, and that would ensure that I wouldn’t leave.
“Well, I am fit to work,” I said. “Your announcement said there was work for anybody.”
“I didn’t realize there were any of your kind this far out,” the guard shook her head in disgust.
“She’s our only one,” Tournour said. His antennae were twitching from side to side, but he kept his eyes fixed on me.
“When I was running cargo in the core they kept hitching passage,” the guard said. “They’re never going anywhere, just always going. Do you have a particular interest in this one? I don’t judge.”
Tournour made a noise. The guard was Brahar. They were the species who had instigated the coup and led the Imperium with the other four Major Species. I knew that the Brahar and the Loor had no love for each other. They shared a solar system and had been each other’s first contact and first alien enemies. The Loor and the Brahar made up the oldest of the Major Species and were the first to strike out and explore the stars.
“Well, Human, we are not taking your kind today,” the guard said.
Then she waved me away. But I would not give up my spot. I stood in place, ignoring the complaints of those anxious aliens waiting behind me.
“That’s not fair,” I said.
“Why don’t you come along with me, Tula,” Tournour said. He took me by the elbow and made an attempt to lead me away.
“Stay out of my business, Tournour,” I said shaking him off. I knew that if I stayed here now, he’d slap me with a fine or a night in the brig, but I didn’t care.
“I would like to work,” I said. “I’m a quick learner. And I’m stronger than he thinks.”
The guard laughed.
“No doubt,” she said. “I can see that you are feisty.”
I wondered if I was supposed to bribe the guard. I slipped my hard saved currency chit onto the table.
The guard looked at the chit and then back at me. Then she looked at Tournour who shook his head at her. It was clear that my bribe had been trumped.
“Consider yourself lucky that I don’t accept your volunteering,” the guard said, waving me back to the living space. “Move along.”
I took back my currency chit.
Tournour was close on my heels, as though he were ensuring that I actually went back to the underguts and didn’t try to steal back and get through with another guard. When we were alone in a passageway I turned on him. It took every ounce in me to not punch him.
“Why?” I said. “Why did you block me from leaving?”
“We take care of our people here, even of a species like yours,” he said.
“My affairs are none of your business,” I said. “I am not one of your people.”
He looked surprised.
“You are a citizen of the Yertina Feray,” he said.
“I’m not! I don’t want to be here! I want to get off of this station and move on with my life!”
“I’m sorry that you feel that way,” he said.
“That’s not good enough,” I said.
“It’s illegal to disobey a constable’s orders,” he said. “You’ll have to come with me.”
In all the time that I had been on the Yertina Feray, I’d done plenty of questionable things that Tournour knew about. By far my tantrum was the mildest of my infractions. So I was a bit in disbelief that he was actually hauling me in. I knew that the more I argued, the worse my sentence would be. I bit my tongue and followed him.
“Troublemaker?” his superior said.
“Disturbing the peace,” Tournour said and put me in the brig. It was clean and
“Great,” I said. “Send me to Nuvia or Canlaghan.”
“We’re not shipping there,” the guard said.
Tournour was standing there, and I could not look at him or I would explode. I needed to remain calm in order to make sure that I was assigned to a ship out of here. He had the power to throw me into the brig if he saw fit, and that would ensure that I wouldn’t leave.
“Well, I am fit to work,” I said. “Your announcement said there was work for anybody.”
“I didn’t realize there were any of your kind this far out,” the guard shook her head in disgust.
“She’s our only one,” Tournour said. His antennae were twitching from side to side, but he kept his eyes fixed on me.
“When I was running cargo in the core they kept hitching passage,” the guard said. “They’re never going anywhere, just always going. Do you have a particular interest in this one? I don’t judge.”
Tournour made a noise. The guard was Brahar. They were the species who had instigated the coup and led the Imperium with the other four Major Species. I knew that the Brahar and the Loor had no love for each other. They shared a solar system and had been each other’s first contact and first alien enemies. The Loor and the Brahar made up the oldest of the Major Species and were the first to strike out and explore the stars.
“Well, Human, we are not taking your kind today,” the guard said.
Then she waved me away. But I would not give up my spot. I stood in place, ignoring the complaints of those anxious aliens waiting behind me.
“That’s not fair,” I said.
“Why don’t you come along with me, Tula,” Tournour said. He took me by the elbow and made an attempt to lead me away.
“Stay out of my business, Tournour,” I said shaking him off. I knew that if I stayed here now, he’d slap me with a fine or a night in the brig, but I didn’t care.
“I would like to work,” I said. “I’m a quick learner. And I’m stronger than he thinks.”
The guard laughed.
“No doubt,” she said. “I can see that you are feisty.”
I wondered if I was supposed to bribe the guard. I slipped my hard saved currency chit onto the table.
The guard looked at the chit and then back at me. Then she looked at Tournour who shook his head at her. It was clear that my bribe had been trumped.
“Consider yourself lucky that I don’t accept your volunteering,” the guard said, waving me back to the living space. “Move along.”
I took back my currency chit.
Tournour was close on my heels, as though he were ensuring that I actually went back to the underguts and didn’t try to steal back and get through with another guard. When we were alone in a passageway I turned on him. It took every ounce in me to not punch him.
“Why?” I said. “Why did you block me from leaving?”
“We take care of our people here, even of a species like yours,” he said.
“My affairs are none of your business,” I said. “I am not one of your people.”
He looked surprised.
“You are a citizen of the Yertina Feray,” he said.
“I’m not! I don’t want to be here! I want to get off of this station and move on with my life!”
“I’m sorry that you feel that way,” he said.
“That’s not good enough,” I said.
“It’s illegal to disobey a constable’s orders,” he said. “You’ll have to come with me.”
In all the time that I had been on the Yertina Feray, I’d done plenty of questionable things that Tournour knew about. By far my tantrum was the mildest of my infractions. So I was a bit in disbelief that he was actually hauling me in. I knew that the more I argued, the worse my sentence would be. I bit my tongue and followed him.
“Troublemaker?” his superior said.
“Disturbing the peace,” Tournour said and put me in the brig. It was clean and
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