Page 10 of Stolen Slave

“Twenty chit for this waste is an insult.”

“The twenty chit is for your time, my friend. I already have a thousand units inside from the last camp and don’t need more. The offer to take some of the waste off your hands was meant to help you. I imagine it’ll be inconvenient to haul it all back where it came from.”

The rattling quieted.

“Twenty chits for my time,” he agreed. “Another forty chits and the waste is yours too.”

I sighed and considered the minerals, putting up a show.

“Agreed,” I said finally. “If you load them since my hands are full.”

The Wsoau moved with a level of haste I appreciated, and I closed the bay in a mere span of prexels. Using the datapad by the bay door, I started the launch sequence and set our coordinates for the nearest Helix station. My fingers continued to skim over the female’s flank as I worked.

She hadn’t stirred once during my exchange with the exoid, proving again how intelligent she was, and I itched to get her to the med bay. The halo-flash the engines rumbled to life, I strode from the cargo bay. The ship echoed with my footfalls, highlighting its stark interior.

I needed to make this bucket a more desirable place for a female to live. Flek. She was going to want to leave me the prexel we arrived at the Helix station.

Mind racing, I entered the med bay and gently eased her from my shoulder. She swayed on her feet, and I steadied her as I set my hand on the sys-unit’s access pad.

“Prepare for species type: human. Scan for injuries and make repair and health maintenance recommendations.”

The unit flared to life.

I carefully removed the foot covering from her head. Her eyes had continued leaking liquid, creating wet paths from her red eyes to her hairline. I wiped the moisture away and hoped the sys-unit would be able to fix that for her. It looked like an uncomfortable condition.

Ready to inspect her more fully now that we were aboard my ship, I reached for the fastener at the base of her throat. She shivered when my fingers brushed the soft skin. The visual response to such a simple touch hardened the length of my breeding shaft until I saw her discolored skin again.

Anger outweighed lust, and I wanted to kill that fleking tuber all over again.

With care, I stripped away the Zoshesh’s jumpsuit and the filthy rags beneath, ignoring her soft responses and the way the fleshy mounds on her chest vibrated as she stood bare before me.

“I understand your fear,” I said, gently lifting her onto the sys-unit table. “But it’s no longer necessary. I will show you the care you deserve. You will suffer nothing more. I vow it.”

Her vibrations increased, and she fisted her delicate hands at her sides as I guided her to lie back. I inhaled deeply. Hating her continued fear.

The ship chimed suddenly, finally rumbling under my feet with take-off. Straps emerged and secured the female to the examination table in preparation for the orbital turbulence. Her face lost some of its color.

Worried, I started the scan and watched the lights dance over her flesh. Then, I used the nearest datapad to check for pursuit.

It was unlikely the Wsoau would discover the female’s disappearance so soon after the announcement that she needed rest. Anerman’s presence would likely be discovered first.

Leaving my bounty behind had been worth every lost chit. His presence on the planet and his clothing had been exactly what I’d needed to steal the treasure before me. When the Wsoau discovered their human missing, they would look at Anerman, the unconscious male on the roof of their bathhouse before they even remembered me.

Confident that pursuit would be arcs behind us, I focused on the sys-unit and my precious cargo. The scanner lights narrowed.

“External contaminants. Recommend decontamination. External tissue damage. Recommend pain lubricant. Tissue and nerve damage in the visual and audio receptors and organs. Recommend regeneration stims. External tissue irritation. Recommend pain lubricant. Internal parasites. Recommend purge stim. Vitamin and mineral deficiency. Recommend diet correction and vitality stim. Fertility levels are lower than species average. Fertility will increase with diet correction and vitality stim. Scan complete.”

Parasites, malnutrition, and more damage than any female should ever endure. I looked at her closely and touched her fisted hand. She jumped, and more liquid rolled from her eyes.

“I understand, female. I know your worth and will treat you like the treasure you are.”

I stroked her fist and gently opened her fingers to set her palm to mine, a pact that I would keep my word.

“Proceed with recommendations,” I said.

“Preparing for external decontamination.” One of the med bay’s walls opened, revealing the small decontamination stall.

The ship shuddered and fought Narlin Four’s orbital pull. I kept my palm pressed to hers through it all.

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