“Good to know. I’ll inform the brothers to leave those bins alone. But are you sure we should be housing them here?” he asked.
Sedom crossed her arms. “Yes, for now. Danstu… what are you getting out of this relationship? You don’t seem like a person doing this for revenge, nor do you seem greedy for money or you would have grabbed as many of these stones as you could and left.”
Danstu took another smaller red stone, examining it. “Perhaps I should,” he joked. He tossed the stone back into the bin. “Satisfaction on multiple levels. I feel that I’m needed here.”
“Why?” Sedom asked, almost accusing.
Danstu stared back at Sedom. “It brings me pleasure working with the Tasgool, much how chasing clouds once brought you pleasure.”
She grimaced, blushing slightly. “Did everyone at the party know?” she asked. Danstu nodded, grinning. “Damn, that's going to be my curse forever.” She exited the storage room. “Mind you, I wasn't late. The Ambassador's ship--”
Danstu waved Sedom's comment aside. “I'm giving you a hard time. You were a different person then. You've grown up since that’s obvious.” He followed Sedom back upstairs. “It’s nice to see that you and the Marnet ended up as friends. There were concerns.”
She nodded. “He helps… keep me sane. I’m not sure how we’re going to talk now that he’s returning home,” she admitted. “We never discussed your compensation,” Sedom mentioned.
“Two-hundred. It’s the same as you pay Lolum, Qilo and my uncle to run this place. It seemed only fair.” He paused, allowing her to enter her quarters first.
“Technically no, you should be paid more. You are second in command of Gathow,” she pointed out. “Which means you’re probably going to need the same security as I have,” she mentioned.
“Let’s hold off for now,” he pleaded.
The sound of a woman clearing her throat made both turn to look down the stairs. Captain Cembre stepped into view. “I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but I was told to report here.”
Danstu motioned for the woman to follow them inside.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Sedom asked. The woman frowned. Not hearing a response, Sedom turned to her.
“Tea would be fine,” Cembre returned.
Danstu did a quick visual scan of the woman then nodded. “Sortec, will you be okay by yourself or would you like me to remain?” he asked in Celibec.
Sedom shooed him out the door as she ordered Cembre's tea. A cup of tea materialized on the food replicator. “I'm used to doing things on my own.” She handed the tea to Cembre then motioned to the living room.
Cembre looked around the room in amazement. Her pink skin shimmered in the pale light of the room. “Where are your guards?”
Sedom frowned. “Do I need them?”
“No, of course not. I do want to apologize about draining you. I didn't realize you were Narkoy. I should have warned you, but in all of the chaos...”
Sedom raised her hand to quiet the woman. “It's perfectly okay. I'd do it again... just don't tell my people. How is your crew?”
Cembre took a seat on the sofa, holding her hands around the cup of tea. “We lost three good men and two of the children. Other than that... we'll survive. We were in route to the Tudor system when we were boarded. The thirteen children we had on board were bound for orphanages on Carmintor.” She took a sip of her tea. “The Almon is in pieces. There's no way we can repair her. Our fate is in your hands.”
“It looks like you're stuck here with us,” Sedom joked. Cembre nodded. Her green eyes grew distant as she thought. “How did a Dellimex come to captain a rogue Marisheio transport ship?”
Cembre looked up into Sedom's eyes. “My mother was kidnapped and sold into slavery. My father, the Almon's original captain, bought her as a concubine. A year later I was born. We lived on the ship for years. My father was always kind to me, showed me how to properly run a ship. Times got rough, and the crew mutinied, killing my father. Somehow I regained control. We've been rogue ever since, taking jobs like transporting the orphans to help fight against the Marisheio's tyranny.”
“You have no connections with the Marisheio then?” Sedom asked.
Cembre shook her head. “Hardly. They don't care for slaves stealing their ships. If I were to choose a side, I'd go with the Dormin. They've been helping us out, giving us missions and paying our bills.”
Sedom took up the computer Danstu left, looking over the schematics of the Almon. “The Almon was a fair-sized ship. Any chance I can interest you in another command? Something a bit larger and maybe a little more powerful?”
Cembre's eyes widened. “Another ship? What do you have in mind, Chadon?”
Sedom stood, walking to her bookshelves. She removed another computer pad from inside a book and handed it to Cembre. “It's called the Assan. She’s a fairly large ship and definitely can hold her own in battle. I need a crew and a good captain. You already have a seasoned crew and I really need the added protection for this system. And… I heard you have quite a reputation with the Marisheio Empire. I think you’d be a good fit.”
Cembre's jaw gaped as she read over the information about the Assan. “You'd trust me with a ship like this?”
“Come work for me, pledge your allegiance to the Tasgool and she's yours to command. I'll try you out on a test run to Carmintor to deliver the children. I'll give you three days, with command protocols in place so I can keep tabs on you. If you're not back in three days, the ship will explode. I'll arrange to take you to the
