Kindred Souls

Chapter 1

The Captain told them to have fun.

After their exploration ship, the Valkyrie, finished their mission, they stopped at a planet in the Dracox Empire, three light-years away from their home system to replenish their supply. The captain decided on a whim to allow the crew a day and night for recreation. She told them to have fun. Head of engineering, Mitri Jaron, had no intention of doing so.

The terse human was well into his life cycle without family or friends to speak of. He only had his machines and his crew to keep him from drifting into absolute isolation. He spent the day repairing or improving things around the ship and when night fell, he went out to drink himself into oblivion, expecting, and somewhat hoping, that his hangover the next morning will allow him to make his underlings perfectly miserable.

The pub he visited was a dimly lit cantankerous box full of shady characters. Some members of his crew were there, downing drinks like that night would be their last. He caught a few staring at him like deer in headlights while the rest pretended that they didn't see him. It was all fine with him as long as they didn't bother him.

Mitri sat at the bar in the corner, with a good view of the front door and first access to the back door. The bartender sat a dour brown drink in front of him and left him to himself. He caught the floating voices of a couple of characters sitting besides the back door.

"She's the last of her kind," one of them whispered, "Well worth the money. I had to go through a lot of trouble to grab her. Don't back out on me now."

His hesitant negotiator was quiet for a long while before finally whispering, "Just how long will the cuffs work?"

"Forever," was the enthusiastic answer. "They even adjust as she grows. As far as anyone is concerned, she's just a pretty, red-eyed little human."

Mitri's glass hit the bar a bit harder than he intended.

The two behind him went silent, spooked by the noise. Finally, the trafficker said, "Just come out and see her before you make a final decision."

His customer started, "You didn't bring her here, did you?"

He could hear the slimy grin on the trafficker's mouth, "You'll make up your mind once you see her."

The two stood and made their way out the back door. Mitri typed out a quick message on his watch to a crewmate within the bar before standing and following them.

Mitri slipped out silently, catching their silhouettes drudging down the alley.

"She's just this way," the trafficker said, helping Mitri to identify him as the Hujirian, a tentacled alien with thick red skin. He walked on four and used his upper two limbs to motion as he spoke. The customer, on the other hand, was Ulimian, a humanoid with paper white skin, purple veins led up large black eyes.

They turned the corner and there she as. A little girl that couldn't be much older than six was chained to a gutter. Her head snapped up but, instead of landing on the trafficker or customer, blood red eyes trained themselves on Mitri. They glowed like stars in the alley.

"Well," the trafficker goaded, "Isn't she a wonder?"

"Yeah," Mitri spoke up, leveling his blaster on them, "But she won't be going with either of you."

They turned slowly, upper limbs rising above their heads in surrender. Mitri, though, still kept a careful eye on the Hujirian's lower limbs.

"I hope you both know these are some Alpha-level infractions," he informed them.