“Bastards!” Calvin exclaimed with feeling, taking another deep swig. “I can’t believe we have them bastards in charge of us. It ain’t right.”
“Have you ever met a Saurellian?” Seth asked, too intrigued by the man’s attitude to resist. Calvin looked at him in horror.
“Hell, no,” he said. “I don’t take my family where we might run into those things. What kind of man would expose his children to that?”
“Those things?” Seth asked quietly. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“Damn, you don’t know much, do you,” Calvin said in disgust. “Them Sarelins ain’t no more human than a goat or a slave. They’re monsters, that’s what. That’s why we ain’t gonna tolerate them in our sector!”
“We?” Seth asked, but Calvin just glared at him suspiciously.
“I don’t see no reason to talk ‘bout this no more,” he said after a long pause. “You wanna trade or not?
I ain’t got all day, I got things to do.”
As far as Seth could tell, it had been a very long time since Calvin had “done” anything. “What kinds of things do you need?” he asked.
“Well, we’re low on filters for the oxygen generator, and I ain’t got much in the way of food packs,”
Calvin said, becoming suddenly fascinated with his bakrah . “We also need some parts for the radio. And some water.”
Seth listened as Calvin’s list continued, growing more horrified by the minute. The family had virtually nothing left–it sounded like their air would only hold out for a matter of weeks. He would have to evacuate them from the asteroid. Otherwise they would probably die.
“Well, I have a few of those things, but not all,” he said when Calvin finally stopped grunting out his requests. “I saw your ship out there–any chance you could make a supply run?”
Calvin turned to stare at the wall, not speaking for several minutes.
“My ship don’t work.”
“I see,” Seth said. With a sigh, he realized there was no way out of this one; even if he could justify leaving Calvin to die, he couldn’t leave Sarai and the children. “Well, here’s the thing. I can give you a few supplies, but not enough to last you for any length of time. From what I’ve heard, you scared off most of the traders a while back. That pretty much only leaves us with one option. I can take you and your family to a base nearby, where you’ll be safe.”
“We ain’t leavin’ our rock!” Calvin said indignantly. He glared at Seth with hostile, beady eyes. “You just want us to leave so you can jack our claim–I know your type, I know what you’re like.”
Impatience, tempered with disgust, welled up in Seth. It would be so easy to leave the man to die on his stupid rock. It might even be a service to the Federation, he mused. One less armed lunatic to deal with.
“Papa, dinner is ready,” a small, frail voice broke through his thoughts. It was the little girl. She was like a skinny blond ghost, with pale, hollow cheeks and enormous eyes. Dressed in a dingy little dress that was clearly too small for her, she looked like she might collapse at any moment.
“Mali, you’re a stupid little bitch–never interrupt me when I’m talkin’ business!” Calvin snarled, rising as if to hit the girl. Seth reached out one hand and caught his arm, pinning it against the table.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice cold and hard. Calvin glared at him, then lowered himself back in his chair.
The look he shot his daughter, however, promised retribution. Seth silently swore; even if he had enough supplies for the family he couldn’t leave them behind. Calvin would kill them.
“Calvin, I speak as a friend,” Seth said, choosing his words carefully. “You and your family will die here if you don’t come with me. You’ve shot at other traders. Your base station isn’t responding. For love of the Goddess, man, look at your children! They’re starving.”
“I don’t believe in no charity,” Calvin said harshly, glaring at him.
“You offered to trade,” Seth said soothingly. “It doesn’t have to be charity. Why don’t you make me an offer? I’m sure we can work out something fair.”
“Let’s eat while I think about this,” Calvin finally replied. “Sarai, bring the food over.”
His wife and daughter came forward at the command, carrying plates covered with a dark, gruel-like substance. Seth noticed how careful they were to stay out of Calvin’s reach. Devora hovered in the background, watching anxiously. Their eyes met briefly, and Seth could see the pain and compassion in her face. He knew she wouldn’t object to taking the family along with them.
“I know it ain’t great, but it’s food,” Calvin said. Then he started shoving spoonfuls of the dark, watery substance into his mouth. Trying not to grimace, Seth took a spoonful and ate it cautiously. It wasn’t as bad as it looked–it reminded him of the basic survival rations every Saurellian warrior carried during battle - nutritious, and thankfully tasteless, powder that could be eaten with or without water.
As Seth ate, he noticed that neither Sarai nor Devora and the children were eating with them.
“Where’s their food?” he asked, gesturing to the others with his spoon. He was sure Devora wouldn’t mind missing out on her serving of the disgusting paste, but he was concerned about the children. They watched every spoonful with hungry eyes.
“They eat too damn much already,” Calvin said. “The Book tells us that a woman and children exist to serve their master. They’ll eat what’s left over, and be grateful for it.”
Seth all but choked. The little girl, Mali, was so pale he could see the faint line of a blood vessel in her forehead. The child needed food.
“Calvin, we both know you need to come with us,” Seth said, losing his patience. Calvin started to protest, but Seth held up his hand before the man could speak. “Let’s not argue about this. Now, what do you have to trade? I haven’t seen much sign of mining activity, and this doesn’t look like an ore-producing outfit. What do you do here?”
“Papa is a guard for the Movement,” Able said proudly into the silence. He puffed out his chest slightly, and looked to his father for approval. Calvin glared at the boy, whose chest instantly collapsed. A wave of fear came over his face. “I-I-I’m s-s-s-sorry, Papa,” he whispered, wincing under his father’s gaze. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t s’posed to tell. Honest!”