The Lereni Trade Read Online Free Page B

fight.
    But Karik wasn't careless about his
crew that way.
    "This is a challenge. They don't intend to release our
world, but I do intend to prove them wrong. This Seres will not learn of
her capabilities until she is among them. Let the Tah'Na and the
Onduun fight it out."
    Something about that didn't fit, and
it clicked in Torik's mind as Karik turned to the door.
    "Won't the Onduun turn their anger on
us?"
    Karik paused, his hand at the control
pad. "Possibly, but they're supposed to be civilized."
    Torik gave a soft snort. From the
reports he had heard about Onduun punishments, they were hardly
what he would consider "civilized". Ironically, the Tah'Na used
derogatory terms for the Lereni that indicated they thought them
less than civilized.
    "There was a reason they abandoned her
on that remote world."
    "Earth."
    A low growl came from the captain's
throat.
    "She calls it Earth."
    Karik gave him a look that warned of consequences he didn't
want to ponder. Rumors about the abilities of the Onduun Seres were both
intriguing and frightening.
    Ignoring Karik's threat, he said, "If
she learned the truth, she might trust us. She doesn't know any
better."
    "Exactly—she doesn't know better. I prefer to keep it that
way." Karik fixed him with a hard glare. "Don't say anything to
her. We can't take the chance that she would destroy us before this
mission is complete. A creature, in fright, will attack to escape.
She will not take well to her fate, and we have no defense against
the power of the Seres ."
    Torik took a breath. Although not
agreeing with Karik but understanding his reasoning, he sighed away
his argument and said, "Yes, sir."

Chapter 4
     
     
    Krissa's insides gurgled, waking her
to the oddity that was her reality. Her dreams had been more
normal.
    Food. What kind of food did they have
on that ship?
    Krissa looked about the lounge,
briefly caught the eyes of the two at their hologram table, and,
seeing nothing, stood.
    Where was Torik, the one who was
willing to listen?
    No sooner did she wonder than he
stepped from the narrow corridor at the back of the ship behind the
one in charge.
    "Torik." Anxious for someone to help
her, she rushed to reach him, aware of the scowling face that moved
away with the creature in charge of that ship. "Do you have
something to eat?"
    After a puzzled frown, he exchanged a
few words with the two at the table.
    "Repeat," the computer translated one
of his words.
    She made a mental note of the word and
its translation and said, "Food?"
    When he turned back to the short
corridor, she followed him to an open door. At the touch of the pad
next to it, it slid aside to reveal a small room containing a round
fixture in the center with several bins around it and an arch of
table with benches around it secured to the floor.
    "What is this?" She hoped it was some
sort of food depository, since it clearly wasn't a
kitchen.
    However, when he pulled up on one of
the bin doors, the light inside revealed a pile of small packets.
Torik pulled one out and handed it to her.
    "What is this?" She turned it over in
search of an answer other than what it seemed to be. The silver
packaging revealed nothing about the contents, except some strange
marks along one edge.
    He let the door down and, with a hand
on her shoulder, guided her back to the common room. Past the
others, he stopped her at the cushions where she had
slept.
    "Sit," the computer translated his
word. The word and its translation cemented into her brain with the
ease of walking through a door. That door of understanding had
opened a crack, and she intended to "see" through it to understand
as much of their language as she could. Already, she understood two
basic words and some of the rest was beginning to make
sense.
    Torik sat next to her and put his hand
on the foil-like package. "Like this…" He pulled back one corner
where she hadn't seen any way to open it and left the rest to
her.
    Hungry but uncertain, she lifted the
corner to her nose