With a crook of his fingers, he motions for me to slide into a nearby room with him where we’ll presumably be alone. However, on Icora, we all know you’re never truly alone until you’re out on the ranches. There, the capitol has far less reach.
It’s one of the reasons I can breathe so easily. It’s a haven for me, a place I can just be and exist with no one dictating my every step until I’m about to go feral. It’s home.
As much as I don’t wish to think ill of my upbringing, I never truly felt like I belonged in the capitol. I never wanted the life my father insisted I take. What do I know of politicking and backstabbing? On my ranch with my fingers in the dirt, it’s the most honest I’ll ever feel.
“Mistress Rancher,” the ambassador intones, his lips pulling up into a slight sneer. “I have heard whispers you are the one who’s purchased our first ever bull.”
“Whispers should have nothing to do with it. My credits have left my coffers and entered yours. The transaction is done and sealed with no subterfuge. I boldly affixed my signature to the amount. Same as for the two heifers I purchased as well. Is there something wrong with my funds? I checked my credit balance before placing my bids, and for the bull, no one else even lifted a finger to dispute my claim.”
“Yes. As you, not quite so succinctly, put it, there is no one to dispute your claim.”
“Then are my credits no good? I can assure you, the money is there.” Unease prickles the back of my throat as I study the slimy, oily male.
“The credits are good. It’s your purchase that concerns me.”
“Oh? Is there something I should know about the heifers? I was already informed that one has copious drugs in her system that are to be leached from her body. I saw not one mark on her to show she had caused an issue on the ship. Is there something else?”
“You know I am not here to discuss the heifers,” he hisses. “Do not play dumb with me.”
The urge to just bat my eyelashes at him like some innocent female slams into me so hard I almost forget myself. But I can’t. I can never forget who and what I currently am.
“Forgive me, ambassador. You wish to discuss the bull.”
“What are your plans for him?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“You don’t need a translator to understand the words coming out of my mouth. If you need me to slow down or repeat them, please inform me.”
Irritation churns in my gut as I stare at the pompous male in front of me. He postures like a strutting avian, preening under the triple suns. It’s males like him who make me detest the court.
“I understand your words perfectly. What I do not understand is what it is you actually want to know. Your question is broad and vague. I wish for you to elaborate and tell me clearly what you want to know so I can answer it.”
“This is an unprecedented time. Never before have we failed in this way, and we’re still trying to ascertain the reason. As you must know, a heifer from Earth has already infiltrated the mainframe. It is not a secret we’ve been securing communicators and consoles ever since.”
“I am aware. My communicators and consoles are completely up to standard. If you doubt it, you need only conduct a search. I have nothing to hide.”
I can tell my words cause him to be riled up. With each breath, his nostrils flare a bit and his eyes turn a touch darker. “I need not conduct a search. This is not the reason I’m having this discussion with you. Are you purposefully being obtuse?”
My lips thin as I resist the urge to cross my arms and slide further into his space. “I’m merely an Icorian female. I’m not sure I’m capable of such actions. Please, explain to me what it is you need from me. I have matters to attend to and must seek an audience with the capitol before I leave.”
“Depending on what you’re seeking an audience for, I can possibly help you. I do, in fact, speak for the judges of the court. What I say will be their law.”
“But?”
“But only if you cooperate with me.”
“What is it you need me to do?”
“We’ve already had one meddlesome human muck about in our world in ways she has no business. I find it odd that another is threatening to upset the balance. You must watch him carefully and report anything suspicious. Anything at all.”
I step back for a moment and merely stare at him. So far, Ethan hasn’t done anything but object to his new status. As I understand it, all cows seem to have a transition period. Nothing far out of the realm of normalcy.
“I am a loyal citizen of Icora. I will never knowingly allow harm to come to my planet.”
“I need more than that, Mistress Rancher,” he seethes as his eyes flash in anger. “You are already an anomaly. It’s not right for a woman to work the earth and raise cows. Your place should be elsewhere.”
“Trust me, ambassador, you’re not the only one with such thoughts. I hear them daily from my family. They, however, have given me five years to prove myself. I still have one remaining. Unless the judges decide to rule against equality amongst Icorians, I am free to pursue this until I can no longer afford to do so.”
