“Allow me to state my business. I’ll be quick, and then you can enjoy the rest of your day after we wrap things up,” the stranger said.
S’samph’s frill lifted higher. “You are a stranger here in Laurus. I don’t have an IA record of any new arrivals expected here. Who are you? What is this business you speak of?”
“I apologize for my unexpected arrival.” The stranger’s voice was smooth, genteel. Örim watched the way his body moved, limbs lacking a certain fluidity that natural movement possessed. He would bet his eyestones this male had a cybernetic frame.
“You did not answer my question.” S’samph rose, his impressive form towering above the slighter stranger. “Who are you? And what are you doing in Laurus? You are not an IA agent, or you would have identified yourself upon arrival.”
“I’m just here looking for some stolen property.”
Örim started to rub at his wrist nodes. If his deduction was correct, and he seldom was wrong, this person could only be one person. He didn’t know if he should speak. He didn’t know if he should give the game away. But they knew he was coming. He’d broadcast his intention as clearly as a rippling pool right before a storm. Örim glanced over at S’samph, but the other male gave nothing away about whether he had come to the sameconclusions. His thoughts began to spin to a dark place.Cassie. Cassie was out in the open with the pichari. He wasn’t with her. He couldn’t protect her from here.
“Give me a name, stranger, or I will see if a night or two in our jail cell makes you better at answering questions.” S’samph’s frill had completely lifted.
The male lifted his hands in a gesture Örim had seen Cassie make before, a human gesture. “At ease, latil’e. I’m just here to collect the stolen item, and then I’ll be on my way. No harm meant for anyone in your charming little town as long as you prove cooperative. My name is Raúl Estrada Beaumont de Léon. I am a representative from BDL Pharmaceuticals.”
“Bold of you to come to my town when you are wanted by the IA.” S’samph’s tail thrashed in warning.
“Technically, I’m not wanted. No charges have been filed. Do you really think they care about what happens on a backwater planet like Cassiaq-IV? Please. My family owns half the IA’s agents anyway.”
“What stolen item could you possibly be looking for?” Örim finally interjected. “We don’t have anything here other than crops and pichari.” It sounded idiotic as soon as he’d said it. He should have just kept his mouth shut. S’samph regarded him with an unimpressed ripple of his frill.
The human male, Raúl, seemed unconcerned by Örim’s interjection. “Ah, I see the confusion. This property is a person, or at least they look like a person, which I understand might be alarming. Rest assured, they aren’t really a person.”
Örim stiffened. Slavery was legal on some planets. Genetic ownership was also legal in some places, but it was considered incredibly backward. Either option… it didn’t matter. Cassie was an IA citizen. She was legally a person. No matter what thissöktsaid. S’samph’s gaze also darkened. “A person cannot be property. Not under IA jurisdiction.”
“Yes, I can see how that might cause confusion. You see, this… chattel if you will, is genetically patented. My family owns the rights to her DNA. I have all the documentation if it would be helpful. I was hoping this would have already been resolved through the legal channels, but the IA seems determined to fight a losing battle, and I don’t have time to wait for it to go through the courts.”
Örim felt his chest node begin to constrict. He needed to leave. He needed to go find Cassie and hold her and reassure her that she was precious. But he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t give away her position. S’samph held no such reservations about acting on his instincts. He moved around the worktable with surprising speed for his size. His claws were around the stranger’s throat, but the other male just laughed.
“Be careful with my skin, it’s custom. Worth more credits than you’ll see in an entire lifetime, I’m sure.”
“We do not have people property in Laurus. Leave my town now, or there will be consequences.”
“I’ll leave as soon as I get what I came here for.”
Finally, Örim said it because it had to be said, and no one else was going to say it. “You’re the Aviarist.”
“Some people call me that.” Raúl managed a feral smile despite being pinned against the wall by the much larger latil’e. This further confirmed Örim’s suspicions about the cybernetic skeleton. A normal biological skeleton wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.
“I should crush your throat.” S’samph lifted him higher. “But I suspect the IA wants you alive.”
“I don’t see why we can’t handle this civilly, gentlemen.” The Aviarist held up his hands. “Surely, we can come to an accord. My house has credits, influence, and access to quality females if that’s what you’re interested in. Name your price.”
“Does this work? Offering goods in exchange for people.”
“More often than you might think. But I sense it won’t here. So, let me try explaining in a way you simple folks can understand. Cassowary is a dangerous entity. All of the passeri are dangerous. They have information that can upset the very delicate ecosystem holding the IA and several other diplomatic alliances in balance. Yes, yes, I know you’ve probably humanized her. People always make that mistake with passeri. Teach them to read, learn their hand signs. But at the end of the day, you have to understand they are tools. The corporation wants them back for damage control purposes.” He turned to S’samph specifically. “You’re ex-military. Surely you understand the need to contain a dangerous element.”
“I am not convinced. Perhaps I am too simple.”
The Aviarist’s smooth lips curled. “I don’t think you understand that you’re housing a bomb. Cassowary knows things. Destabilizing things. Why are you inviting that trouble when I can simply make it disappear? I’m trying to do you a favor.”
S’samph’s frill stood nearly straight up against his spine. “A good soldier also knows when something is a threat and when something is not.”
“The passeri belong to BDL. It is my responsibility to make sure they are disposed of properly. They’re my project, my responsibility. My duty to my House. I don’t understand why this is so complicated.”
“It’s not.”
“Surely you haven’t fallen for her? Little slip of a thing. I have better, more docile females I can offer you. Or…” he trailed off, turning to Örim.
