Chapter Four – Sildon
Sildon typed his docking information into his order form so the purchases he had just made could be delivered to the ship. He nodded at the teller and continued on his way through the marketplace. He was scraping the bottom of his funds getting these supplies, but if he needed to, he could steal what he needed or take a job on the next planet they landed on. T'shav were best known for their mercenary skills, and Sildon was no different. True, his crimes were mostly on the petty side, although he had had the opportunity to be heroic from time to time: killing drug lords, beating up gangs. That sort of thing. He had been involved in several kidnappings before this, and they'd always gone off without a hitch. As long as the people returned home unharmed, his conscience had nothing to say about it.
Jada, though…
In the past, all of Sildon's targets had been spoiled, insufferable rich idiots who treated their kidnappers like servants. Jada was savvier than that. And there was also the fact that she was a beautiful woman and still managed to find him interesting enough to respond to his application…
He shook his head. Maybe he could buy her some small trinket to prove he wasn't going to harm her. Not that she seemed very afraid of him. He had to smile as he remembered her rushing him, as though she could fight her way out of this. Beauty. Bravery. She had everything. But these were dangerous feelings to have. She was a mark, nothing more. Sildon shook his head. He wasn't going to waste any money on her.
A crowd had gathered near the center of the market. Quite a few people stood around it, holding up signs and shouting. It didn't take long for Sildon to realize that these were protestors, and there was a slave auction going on. He had to roll his eyes. If these protestors actually wanted something to change, they should come with blasters and swords and eliminate the demand for slavery.
He pushed through the crowd towards the large platform where the energy cages full of slaves waiting to be sold were housed. As he got closer, he saw that their first auction was already going. And when he saw who the slave was, his blood ran cold. It didn't take long for the ice to boil over, though.
Jada, with the cuffs he'd put on her, stood at the front of the stage, held in place by two burly guards. One was a yellow-skinned Dibat, the other a toady Rlabek. Both of them were having a hard time holding onto her as she twisted and kicked her feet. The gag in her mouth did little to hide what she felt about all this. She caught sight of Sildon and her eyes widened.
The T'shav glared at her. How had she managed to get herself tangled up in this situation? He had half a mind to leave her here, to show her the consequences of tricking him. But he needed money from the Sanctuary, and if he didn't have a living human to send back to Zon, the warlord would no doubt skin him alive.
Sildon shoved aside two bidders and leaped onto the stage. He glowered at the petite Dibat who was the auctioneer. "Why are you selling my human?"
The Dibat blinked at him. "Sir, I assure you, we have the papers – "
"You do not. This human belongs to me, and if you don't give her back, things will get ugly." Sildon drew his sword as a threat, then turned to Jada.
If she looked terrified before, she was furious now. Her throat worked furiously, her intelligible, muffled voice raising in pitch. She kicked both feet out, nearly hitting him.
The T'shav rolled his eyes. "I will deal with you once we're back to the ship. I told you to stay put, and now look what you've gotten yourself into! Your backside will be so bruised you won't be able to sit for a week after this."
A look of indignation crossed her face, but the auctioneer cleared her throat and tapped Sildon's arm, turning his attention back to her.
"What?" he snapped.
"Sir, you are disrupting my auction. I have the papers proving that the human was legally obtained, and if you do not leave immediately, there will be consequences."
Another T'shav stepped up behind her, a sneer on his lips. His skin was a darker red than Sildon's, and he had a multitude of scars that were poorly hidden by tattoos. The tattoos themselves were badly made. Clearly, this was a prison job. Sildon had been fortunate enough to avoid prison for the most part, but he knew that those who had gone deep enough to have an appearance like this T'shav were to be feared.
Sildon, however, never let fear stop him. "This is my human."
"And what are you going to do about it with that little toothpick?" The other T'shav laughed. "A sword like that… You're not even a proper T'shav warrior. Go home and plow your fields until you learn how to craft a proper sword."
It was a father's job to teach his son how to forge his sword. If there was no father in the boy's life, as there often wasn't, then it was the mother's job to find a man who could take his place for her son. A brother, grandfather, uncle. All were suitable replacements. If she had no male relatives, then she would find a strong male to take as her mate until her son learned the art of forging, the final step in being a true warrior.
All of that had been taken from Sildon when he was a child. The T'shav he now faced had no knowledge of that, but that meant nothing to the rage bubbling in Sildon's chest. He snarled as he struck. His blade pierced through the other man's shoulder, cutting neatly through sinew and bone. The T'shav howled in pain; Sildon withdrew the sword and stabbed through his other arm. The male wouldn’t be using his own sword for a while.
He turned towards the Dibat. "Give me my human."
"Give her to him!" the Dibat squeaked. "Take the human and be gone."
The two guards roughly shoved Jada at him. He ripped off her gag and threw it to the ground before he slung her over his shoulder, sword still in his free hand. Rage burned through him as he stalked through the crowd. Jada was silent and still. Good. He wasn't sure he'd be able to contain his temper with her if she dared speak. If it wasn't for her stupidity, none of this would have happened!
On the outside of the crowd, he set her down again. He glared down at her while she gazed up at him with wide eyes. He could see her pulse beating in her neck. Forget trinkets and promises that she wouldn't be harmed. If she was afraid for her life, then maybe she would behave. He should keep her locked up for the rest of the trip…
"You're lucky I need you, otherwise I'd leave you here to your fate," he seethed at her. "Now get moving."
She began to turn away, but suddenly gasped and grabbed his arm. He growled, but before he could repeat his order, the thin wail from a baby broke the air. He turned despite himself. The wounded T'shav had left the stage, and now the Dibat auctioneer was displaying a small, red-skinned baby. A T'shav infant.
"They're selling a baby?" Jada sounded horrified. Her grip on his arm tightened. "You have to buy it."
Sildon stared at her. "What?"
"Please. I'll behave. I won't do anything to jeopardize your whole ransom thing. Who knows what sort of home that poor thing will go to? Please, if you buy it, I'll pay you back. I can find a good home for it in the Sanctuary, just please—"
"Stop." He held up his hand. "I don't like the idea of leaving it here, but somebody else will probably take pity on it. Babies usually don't end up as full slaves."
Jada's eyes narrowed. "If you don't buy it—"
"If I could afford to purchase it and find it a new home, I would. But I can't. Why do you think I kidnapped you? I don't have the funds to take care of my own business, let alone purchase slaves. Now get moving."
She didn't speak again all the way back to the ship. Once they were there, he shook his head at the broken railing. Apparently, it hadn't been as strong as he had thought. He pushed Jada into her room before releasing her from the shackles.
Her palm flew into his nose before he saw her move. Sildon stumbled back, cursing that he'd let her get the drop on him again. Jada rushed past him and grabbed one of the kitchen knives. She pointed it awkwardly at him. Sildon massaged his nose, glowering at her.
"Put that down before you hurt yourself."
"No! If you're so heartless you'll let a baby grow up a slave, I have no choice but to think that you're going to kill me as soon as you get your money."
Sildon shook his head. "I told you, I can't afford—"
"You couldn't afford me but here I am."
The T'shav ground his teeth together. He really ought to just take the knife away and lock her in her room for the rest of the trip… but wouldn't he have liked to have someone like Jada step up to the plate when he had been an orphaned child? He threw his hands into the air, hating himself for his weakness.
"Fine! We'll get that baby. But you had better be prepared to pay me back."