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“I will.”
ARDOL SIGHED WITH RELIEF as he forwarded the contract to the Leopardine and Lynxian Systems’ Contract Filing Offices. He wondered if he should send it to the Sapien-Three office, as well?
He could figure that out in a few minutes. But first... dinner.
Dinner was always served family-style in the spacious galley. It was quite crowded now, with two squalling cubs, three Canids, four humans, a Tigerite, two Leonids, and one Servali chef who was ladling out long strands of heavenly-smelling noodles.
“There you are.” Kamau, the chef, smirked and gave him a heaping scoop. “I don’t think I’ve seen you eat in days.”
Ardol’s stomach rumbled as he sat and began shoveling food in. “Too busy. Captain, when will you and Talos hold your wedding ceremonies?”
Rupex looked up from nuzzling one of his cubs. “Layla and I will be married at dawn two days after we land. That is the Leonid custom, to wed while greeting the sun.”
“Wendy and I will be married in the afternoon of that day so our celebrations can be held together. That way, we won’t take up too much of Marcus’ valuable time. He has so many couples to help.” Talos tossed a smile at the graying Leonid, who held the other cub. “And my family will be joining us over comms.”
“Right. Good planning. The doc is in demand,” Ardol chuckled. His swagger was returning with every mouthful.
I’ve got the contract. I’ve got the doctor. The Queen is already waiting.
“I hope you don’t object to making it a day with celebrations for three?” Ardol enjoyed the stunned silence that greeted his words. He kept his tone suave, even careless. “My human Queen, Jade, is waiting for me on Lynx-Nineteen. We’ll marry in the evening. And eventually, Captain, when our cycle planet-side is over, I’d like to take my Queen to Leopardine-One to meet my father. You’re heading back towards Leonid-One, so a solid shuttle could exit the Lynxian System, use a hyper jump to enter the Leopardine System, and then catch you as you head past.”
Rupex blinked, heavy mane bristling. “This is a surprise. I suppose we can make that work.”
“A human Queen?” Soft-spoken Wendy, the Tigerite’s bride, was staring at him with narrowed eyes. “When did you meet? How did you—”
“Oh, we’ve exchanged messages and comms. I just didn’t tell anyone.” Ardol’s eyes skirted over Marcus and Jaxson as he waved a careless paw. Don’t give me away, old one. You either, pup.
The doctor continued to play with the cub in his arms, pressing his paw to the much smaller one and letting the little one tap each of the much bigger pads. “Well, congrats, Ardol. You sly thing.”
“It’ll be nice to have another human on board,” Elio said, raising his glass. “Rupex, your crew is going to be half human if this keeps up.”
“She will not be taking a position on the crew,” Ardol said quickly. “Leopardine Queens don’t work after marriage. They take care of their children and manage the domestic affairs.”
Layla tilted her head, putting down her fork. “What kids? What domestic affairs could she take care of on the ship?”
“I... I’ve promised Jade that she’ll be treated like any other Leopardine Queen. They don’t work. That’s all.”
“But if she wanted to work, she could, right?” Lycen, a slender Wolfi Canid female with a silvery mane of hair stared at him.
“Wait, was she one of the women who was originally trafficked to Lynx-Nineteen?” Layla demanded.
He didn’t know. His calm was evaporating. He used his Father’s training and diplomatic tactics, turning her question into a question of his own. “Are there any other humans on that tiny backwater planet?”
Rupex growled, low and warningly. “Your tone seemed less than respectful, Ardol.”
Perfectly appropriate for a soon-to-be District Lord, he wanted to retort. “My apologies,” a lofty smile and a shake of his head, “I didn’t know if there were any other humans there.”
“No, I suppose there aren’t. I know the Felix Orbus authorities have tried to shut down the trafficking of human females to this galaxy, but it’s been hard since the Sapien-Three authorities don’t seem to take it seriously—and because as long as someone has your contract, it looks like you agreed to be sent off-world. If Jade worked at a Pleasure Park and has been living on Lynx-Nineteen for a while, I’m sure she’ll be glad not to worry about a career right away.” Layla smiled encouragingly.
Ardol nodded and became fascinated by his food. He used another tactic to divert the conversation to territory he was more comfortable with—the unexpected compliment. “Kamau, you have outdone yourself. These noodles are stunning. Even their fragrance is making my mouth water. What’s in your sauce?”
“Ooh. Well, I prefer to think of this as a fusion between Dholian and Servali cuisines, thanks to Skyla sharing her Dholian recipe files.” The lithe little chef gestured to the other Canid female with reddish fur and a long sweep of a tail. “I still need to master Wolfi and human cuisines.” He rubbed his paws together.
Soon, the dining area was a babble of voices, all talking about their native cuisines, leaving Ardol to sup in silence, thinking about what Layla said.
His future bride had worked at a human Pleasure Park? That would explain why she was so comfortable with the idea of selling her companionship rather than a specific skill.
Although—that might mean she had very specific skills.
