She kept her head down, waiting for his response.
The small group he brought with him was quiet as well.
She glanced at Ari, who appeared to be studying the small group of Ozevroc with a slight frown. As long as he kept his big mouth shut, everything should work out just fine.
“One chance,” Welozz announced. “Still might kill human.”
Fat chance. The Ozevroc might be a merciless criminal, but he’d never kill her as long as she remained invaluable to him. Which wasn’t hard to do. It’d take a lifetime to fix everything on this bucket of bolts. Not that she planned on staying there much longer. Things were almost ready for her escape, now that she had a spaceship. She only had to wait for it to finish repairing itself.
And since Ari had come in said ship, fingers crossed, she now had a pilot. Plus, she’d found a bonus item aboard that ship she never showed the Ozevroc. It was something she couldn’t wait to delve into. Once that was up and running, the galaxy was the limit!
“Fix now.” Welozz stomped his staff on the ground. “Kill human?” He pointed his staff at Ari.
“No, valuable.” Morgan kept her voice low and respectful. “I am ever grateful to your magnificence for providing slave to help with fixes. Much faster now.”
Welozz tilted his head and studied Ari with wide black eyes. “Male? Human? Know how to fix broken ship?”
The only thing Morgan was sure of about Ari was that he was a male. She doubted he knew how to fix anything. Freaking man didn’t even know his real name. She peeked in his direction. He might be human, but if he was, how did a human end up in the outer reaches of the galaxy in an organic spaceship by himself?
Morgan nodded. “Yes, wise one. Much help.”
Welozz grumbled. The thin black lips on the side of his snout rippled. “Fix consumable-maker.” He nodded to a shorter Ozevroc next to him. “Bugurr will be back to get. See done! Or both humans die!” Another stomp and he whirled around with a flourish and left, his beaver’s tail thumping behind him.
Bugurr, the sub-chieftain who was shorter than the high chieftain, with light gold-ochre fur, snorted in her direction before he too left.
“By Tiamat’s titties, do those boys smell!” Ari waved a hand over his face. As if that’d help get rid of the wet-dog smell the Ozevroc carried.
Morgan raised her eyebrows at that strange exclamation. Wasn’t Tiamat the ancient goddess of Babylonian myth? She hadn’t heard a human use that kind of language in… well, not in her lifetime, anyway.
Who the heck was this guy?
Ari doubted he’d seen anything like those Ozevroc creatures. He glanced at Morgan, captivated by how she interacted with them. He took this opportunity to study the aliens, who he surmised stood around five feet tall.
They circled her, their six muscular arms shifting, and their stubby, beaver-like tails swaying behind them. Their long snouts twitched while their four beady-black eyes stayed locked on her. Each Ozevroc wore minimal clothing, exposing coarse fur that varied from light gold to dark blue across their bare chests and hound-like legs.
Morgan’s posture remained relaxed but focused, and she made subtle hand gestures as she spoke. To Ari, it appeared she was conducting an orchestra of sounds rather than conversing.
The Ozevroc responded with an array of growls, hisses, and deep grumbles, each sound carrying intricate meaning.
While Ari couldn’t understand a damn word, the fluidity of their exchange suggested a level of clear understanding between them. He observed Morgan’s expression and watched as her lush mouth turned down and she furrowed her brow in a slight frown.
Her lips moved, forming garbled sounds that blended with the guttural noises emanating from the Ozevroc. She’d emit a low hum or a sharp click of her tongue, which the Ozevroc mirrored. After a while, their conversation felt almost rhythmic.
Ari’s mind raced, still trying to grasp and make sense of the scene.
The Ozevroc’s growls varied in pitch and intensity, like the distant rumbling of thunder in a high wind. Other words were like the hiss of steam escaping a valve.
Interspersed were grumbles that came out low and resonant in vibrations that Ari could almost feel in his chest. Despite not understanding anything they said, he sensed the emotions around the room. The Ozevroc she talked to clearly had to be the one in charge. His arrogance and superior attitude reminded Ari of… crap. Nope. Couldn’t remember who, but there had been someone in his life just as self-important as this one.
As the conversation continued, Ari’s gaze shifted between Morgan and the Ozevroc like an outsider peering into a secret world. Feeling left out tore something inside of him, like an old unwelcome intruder. As if reacting to an old habit, he shoved that emotion down. Deep down.
The Ozevroc now pointed that ridiculous stick in his direction. They had to be talking about him. The other little fur balls clustered around the leader, their buttony little eyes locked on him. Tension rippled through them, like they were gearing up to strike. He clenched his fists under his crossed arms as he instinctively stiffened, as though preparing to defend himself. If he was lucky, he’d had some sort of protective training in his previous life and his body knew what to do. Because if he had to rely on thinking it through, he doubted he’d survive.
Ari’s only hope was to trust Morgan’s extraordinary communication skills. His eyes narrowed. Unless she wanted to get rid of him. But when she peeked at him beneath her lush lashes, the tension pinching his shoulders relaxed. Her expression wasn’t one of malice, more of confusion. Hopefully, when they were alone, she’d fill him in on what concerned her. Since he couldn’t remember much, he had to be extra careful to keep trust open between him and her. Until he got his memory back, or at least got a better understanding of his current situation, he was at her mercy.
The leader thumped his skinny staff on the floor and, with a hissing growl, exited with a flourish. A shorter, gold one remained behind. He glared at Morgan before snorting, then left.
The aliens might have left the room, but their lingering, pungent odor still hung around. It was an obscene mix of shit, thick musk, and a hint of some metallic stench layered with wet fur. The damn smell was strong enough to make his eyes water.
