Page 11 of Alien's Luck
“Not interested.” The minion waved the pistol. Carla’s unconscious form slipped. He nearly dropped the pistol as he caught the female before she fell to the ground.
“I was curious if you could answer a question for me.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
“A simple question,” Ari said in his sweetest, most wheedling tone.
The minion’s response came as an energy blast. Bits of pavement sizzled at Ari’s feet, the charged shot eating away at the stone. A shout of alarm went through the plaza, the crowd scattering. It was a roll of dice as to whether any guards would be summoned. Perhaps. The businesses taking advantage of the warm spring night would not appreciate blaster fire driving away customers. He needed to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.
Ari flashed a charming smile. “Your hands are full. You cannot carry two bodies back on your own.”
The minion’s gaze went to the unconscious Nakkoni on the ground. Poppy was a large female, even by the standards of her own people.
“I’ll call for assistance,” the minion replied.
“And have them steal your glory? No, that is not wise.” Ari shook his head. “Give me the human female.”
The minion laughed. “Betraying Tavat is your idea of wise?”
Ari reached into a pocket and displayed a hard credit token. “It is dark. The female is small and clever. She evaded you.”
The male gave up trying to keep Carla on his shoulder. Her body slid down to the ground, slumping against the male’s legs like a discarded doll. The mask, which had been soaked with the sedative, obscured half of her face.
He shifted the blaster from Ari to Carla, just in case Ari had ideas about heroics. He said, “There are witnesses.”
That wasn’t a no, which meant a judicious application of pressure would get the response Ari desired.
“Trivial. Who would take the word of a drunk witness? Tavat will demand surveillance, and all the cameras in this plaza are disabled.” Thanks to Ari having invested in a useful little device.Surveillance footage once put him in a difficult situation, and he vowed to never let that happen again.
“What about the Nakkoni female?”
What about Poppy?
Ari eyed the black slave collar around Carla’s neck. Unbreakable and seamless, the collar shocked the wearer to ensure obedience. As far as tools of oppression went, it was subtle. Slaving was outlawed on all civilized planets, but Reazus Prime wasn’t civilized. The planet provided a haven for those who approved of owning another sentient being. Ari should have been appalled at the slave collar and all it stood for, but really, he could not forgive how tacky it was, as elitist as that made him sound.
The fledgling can leave the nest, but the nest is always home.
Try as he might, Ari could not entirely shed his aristocratic roots. A cuff-shaped device to deliver a shock could be placed anywhere on a body, particularly the wrists or ankles. The only reason to wrap it around the neck was to show ownership and humiliate the wearer. The collar was vulgar, degrading, and tacky.
Ari’s opinion of the female who placed that around Carla’s neck sank too low to consider. He said, “That female is not my concern. Tavat can have her.”
The minion seemed unsure. Ari tossed hard credits at the male’s feet. Now, he was less unsure, but he did not release his hold on the female.
“Tavat wants them both. He is not forgiving,” the minion said. Greed shone in his grubby eyes.
“Tavat only wants this female because she is a toy that belongs to someone else. He will grow bored of her soon enough. But her,” Ari toed the unconscious Nakkoni with a boot, “she humiliated Tavat, and, as you said, he is not a forgiving male.”
The minion made a thoughtful noise.
Ari tossed another two pieces of credit onto the pile. He’d empty his coffers if need be. Tavat was the kind of male who only wanted to possess what others valued, only to ruin it. Buildings, businesses, or people. It did not matter. They were all toys for him to destroy. He said, “The human female hid. You were unable to find her, but you found the Nakkoni female.”
The minion scooped up the credits. No longer leaning against his legs, Carla’s unconscious form slumped down to the pavement.
Ari caught her before she could hit her head. He ripped off the mask. The fabric stank of the sedative it had been soaked in. Elongating his claws into sharpened points, he tore away the collar, letting it fall to the filthy ground where it belonged.
One human rescued.
His wings fluttered in satisfaction. He just might be hero material after all.
