Page 6 of My Alien Pirate

I blinked and refocused on the motions she was making with her arms and hands instead of the melody of her voice. Recognizing a facsimile of the motions I'd made when I'd explained carrying her from the ship, I nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She reached out, her five-fingered hand looking so delicate compared to my large, four-fingered one, and touched my arm gently.

It was only then I realized how close I had drifted toward her. My ridges flared at the contact, and I fought the sudden urge to lean into her touch. She was so warm. And, vexxing hells, her digits were so soft.

"Tanku," she said softly.

I didn't need a translator to understand that. The soft, grateful look in her eyes spoke volumes. I felt my hearts skip a beat, my bioluminescent ridges pulsing rapidly with an emotion I couldn't quite name.

What's happening to me?I thought, both thrilled and alarmed by my reaction to this alien female.I'm a pirate captain, for krag's sake. I don't get... flustered.A vibration of annoyance left my throat.Flustered. Ha.

Grixxa, ever observant, noticed my discomfort. Her crest twitched with amusement as she sidled up to me. "My, my, Captain," she whispered, as if Nova could understand her. "Your ridges are practically glowing. I haven't seen you this shade of purple since that incident with the Andromean silk trader."

I shot her a warning glare, my crest rising slightly in irritation. "Watch it, Grixxa," I growled softly. "I'm merely... intrigued by our new guest. Nothing more."

Grixxa's crystalline eyes sparkled with mirth. "Of course, Captain. Pure scientific curiosity, I'm sure." She made a show of examining her claws, a gesture I knew was meant to appear nonchalant. "Though I must say, your 'scientific curiosity' seems to involve a lot of staring at the filaments coming out of her head."

I growled at my first mate, and one of my best friends. She was too free in her opinions. "Unstrap her the rest of the way."

Grixxa did what I said, her ridges lighting up in the pale pink of amusement. I scowled at her and crossed my arms over my chest. I was about the tell her what the consequences were for insubordination, again, when Nova suddenly attempted to stand up and swayed dizzily.

Without thinking, I reached out to steady her, all four of my tentacles gently wrapping around her waist and torso. She stiffened, looking down and realizing it wasn't my arms that had grabbed her. A moment later, however, the tension in her body relaxed, and her lips curled up again in that way that showed her small, straight teeth. Even her canines looked stunted. Poor thing.

For a brief second, I wondered if she was an immature youngling and her canines had not matured yet, but then my nose picked up a captivating scent drifting up from her.Kraxing hells!It was amazing. Trying to unobtrusively sniff her, I leaned down to place her back on the exam table and let the longfilaments on her head brush my face. The vesicles along the underside of my jaw tightened as the aroma surrounded me.

Grixxa, watching this display, couldn't contain herself any longer. She let out a laugh. "Oh, Zhar," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "If you could see yourself right now. You look like a Kraxian hound that's just discovered a new treat."

I straightened up quickly, my tentacles retracting with a snap. "I was merely ensuring her safety," I said stiffly, my scales flushing a deeper purple. "And... conducting a routine olfactory analysis."

Nova looked between us, clearly wanting to understand the conversation but not able understand our words. Her blue eyes were wide with curiosity as she followed our lip and limb movements.

Grixxa stepped closer to Nova, her movements graceful and unthreatening. She gestured to me, then to Nova, and made an exaggerated sniffing motion, followed by a series of gestures that tried to convey 'smitten' without words.

I felt my crest rise fully in embarrassment. "Grixxa!" I barked, my voice coming out more embarrassed than commanding. "That's quite enough. Don't we have more important matters to attend to?"

Grixxa's bioluminescent ridges flashed in a pattern that clearly said 'I'm just getting started,' but she relented, stepping back with a small bow that did nothing to hide her amusement.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure. "Grixxa, enough of this nonsense. Take Nova to the basic quarters in the lower deck. Make sure she's fed and then lock her in for the duration of our trip."

Grixxa's amusement faded, replaced by a look of concern. "Captain, where exactly are we taking her?"

"We're setting course for Novum," I replied, my voice firm. "She'll bring a hefty payday. It's time to find a buyer for our unusual specimen."

Grixxa's crystalline eyes widened. "Zharrox, you can't be serious. She's clearly intelligent. We can't just sell her like some common cargo!"

I felt a twinge of... something in my chest, but I pushed it aside. "We're pirates, Grixxa. This is what we do. I didn't hear you protesting when we found those half dozen Molkarans."

"Molkarans are barely sentient! It's not the same thing at all. But this..." Grixxa started, her ridges flashing with distress.

I cut her off with a sharp gesture. "Do you have any idea how many klicks we could make off such an original species? This could be our biggest score yet."

Grixxa's crest drooped slightly. "I thought... I thought you were starting to care for her."

I hardened my hearts against the accusation in her voice. "Care? Don't be ridiculous. She's valuable cargo, nothing more." I leaned in close, lowering my voice. "Didn't you tell me just last cycle that you wanted to stop this dangerous pirating life? This could be our ticket out."

Grixxa's gaze dropped to the floor, her usual confidence faltering. "I... I did say that, but..."

"But nothing," I growled. "Be happy I'm not having you take her to the cargo hold. Find her some quarters. That's an order."

As Grixxa gently led a confused-looking Nova away, I tried to ignore the uncomfortable churning in my stomachs. This was just business. Nothing more. And yet, as I watched Nova's retreating form, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was making a terrible mistake.