Spliced: Part 3 - Chapter 6A (of 3)
TITLE: Spliced - Part 3, Chapter 6A
AUTHOR:
flighty_dreams
WARNINGS: NC-17. slavefic. scifi setting. M/m. Completely M/m this chapter.
DISCLAIMER: They all belong to me! *insert evil cackle here* I'm just sharing them. *hug*
WORD COUNT: 1,538
SUMMARY: Part 3, Chapter 6 - Matt has a memorable adventure.
NOTES: Wow, I'm finally here. This is a very long chapter (yay) so I have to split it up. And I know this part isn't very long, but it has a very natural stopping point. Please don't hurt me! The other two parts of Chap 6 I'll probably wait and post together, b/c there really isn't a good place to stop, it just keeps rolling along... :S
FEEDBACK: Always awesome and amazing.
Chapter Six
Matt frowned, not recognizing the name on the display. A caller from Festun? He didn’t know anyone on that backwater planet. Curiosity got the better of him though, and he answered the call. The hope that this was related to Min rose for a moment, but he quickly quashed it. Five Earth months without word was far too long to keep hope alive.
A man with scraggly brown hair and mismatched clothes that had seen better days appeared onscreen. Muldane’s eyes widened a bit, taking the man in with some distaste. “Who are you?”
“Renald Titheres’ the name. Got something you want.” Great, the man was Tercottan, like that bastard Rencent. But this one’s accent was much thicker, the speech of an uneducated man.
Matt flicked his eyes over him doubtfully. “Do you now?”
“That clone you been looking for.”
This wasn’t the first call he’d gotten from someone claiming to have Min. In the first month or two after Min’s disappearance he’d had about a dozen people make such a call. All of them had been about the wrong Andorian. The high bounty had pushed some of the crazies and the greedy to contact him. This man looked like a bit of both. “The Andorian?” Matt inquired casually.
“Yeah, that one. Black hair, blue eyes, just like in your ad.”
Muldane rolled his eyes. “There are lots of Andorians that fit that description.” As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t just take this guy’s word for it. What if he came to pick him up, and it wasn’t the right Andorian? He would be so pissed.
“Said his name’s Minril. That fit?”
That washed all doubt away, and shock flooded through Matt, along with elation. Finally! Wanting an easy way to know if someone was playing him for the money, he hadn’t put Min’s name on the listing.
He didn’t display any of his excitement though; he recognized a negotiation when it slammed into him like a speeding hovercar. “Yeah, that does. Where’d you find him?”
“Purgatory.”
“But you’re on Festun now,” Matt pointed out, puzzled. Purgatory, the illegal slave pits of Pyrun? He didn’t let his worry over what had happened to Min there show, but the mere mention of that place made him tense.
“Yeah. Was there looking around and saw him. Dirty, but under the dirt I thought he looked like the one in your ad.” The man hesitated before adding, “Got him pretty cheap there, but as I were leaving the seller noticed the same. Had to get out quick. Figured they wouldn’t came to Festun after me. So’s I brought him here.”
Grimacing inwardly, Matt asked, “Why didn’t you just bring him to Monlea? Since you knew I was offering a reward for him?”
The man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Festun passage were cheapest.”
That Muldane could believe. Festun’s biggest demographic of visitors seemed to be fugitives. No one else had any interest in going to that odd little planet.
“Speaking of money,” Titheres continued, “Price has gone up on this little piece.”
Matt’s brows rose in surprise, and he replied irritably, “What, 50K credits not enough for you?”
“That were months ago. Consider it interest,” the seedy man smirked, greed in his expression.
Sitting back in his chair, Muldane said blithely, “You think I haven’t found a new piece of ass to warm my bed by now?”
The man clearly hadn’t expected that answer, dismay spreading across his face, and Matt smiled inwardly. “Fine,” Titheres said gruffly, an edge of desperation in his voice, “the 50K listed on the bounty.”
Matt could probably bargain for less from this credit-needing scumbag, but he’d agreed to pay 50K, and he was a man of his word. Besides, if this man got Min back for him, he didn’t mind paying it all. “Agreed. Now let me see him.”
“Don’t have him right here, but you can sees him soon enough.”
“Fine,” Matt said tightly, curbing his disappointment. He wanted so badly to see the Andorian, to make sure his pet was okay. “Where are you?”
“Tingyl,” Titheres told him. “Need to bring your papers to take him off Festun.”
Opening his mouth to ask why Titheres couldn’t do it himself, Matt paused. He didn’t want to risk the man traveling to Monlea with Min. Muldane hadn’t liked him right off; what if Min felt the same way? He might try to escape him if the man didn’t bother to tell him where they were going. No, he couldn’t take that chance, so he’d go to them. “Is he secured?”
“Yeah, won’t be going anywheres. Not til you and your money get here,” the man told him, smiling hungrily.
What a crass bastard. The Kartan wanted to hit him, but he ignored the urge, focusing on setting up a time and a meeting place.
Once they’d finished their arrangements, he said to Titheres, “One last thing.”
“What?” the shady man asked suspiciously.
“You fuck him, and I’ll castrate you,” Matt told him, his voice dripping with the menace of a crime lord. “Don’t touch him.”
“Fine, I won’t,” the man bit off, his attitude surly.
“I’ll ask him,” Muldane warned, “and if you did anything you shouldn’t have, you only get half the money.” He knew a threat to the man’s wallet would be taken far more seriously than a physical one. Unfortunately, a spear of rage piercing him at the thought, he knew chances were the man had already fucked Min. But at least this way, it wouldn’t happen again.
“I got it,” Titheres muttered unhappily, and they ended the call.
He called his assistant, letting her know that he wouldn’t be in for the next week or so, and that he’d let her know when he got back. While packing hurriedly, he made sure to bring strong restraints. He wasn’t taking any chances; there was no way he was losing Min again.
Calling Hollis, he told his friend the news. At first Hollis offered to come with him, but then realized he wouldn’t be able to take enough time off for the trip back. He didn’t like the idea of Matt meeting Titheres alone, but Muldane assured him he’d be fine. The man just wanted his reward, and it should be a simple enough transaction.
Although he booked passage using one of the newer express ships for most of the journey, the trip to Festun still seemed far too long. The few days of travel left him with too much time to think and worry, wondering what had happened to Min in the past five months. How long had he been left in some dark corner of the slave pits? Had he been abused? Maimed? Would this ordeal have changed him, removing that edge of personality from him? That playful streak that had often gotten him into trouble? With rising dismay, Muldane realized that he’d be disappointed if those aspects of Min were gone forever.
Matt thought back to the argument he’d had with Hollis. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again; this time he’d talk to Min, find out about his past. Whatever had happened to him, whatever issues he had, Matt would help him work through it. Min may have been hurt, but he could be healed.
Arriving in Tingyl, he checked into his hotel and paced his room restlessly, the time until the meeting dragging. Finally he made his way to the address given to him. A warehouse seemed a strange location for this, but Festun’s asinine abolitionist laws made secrecy a necessity. Titheres wouldn’t risk dragging Min around publicly when he’d bought the slave illegally, especially when he was about to collect a huge reward for him.
Entering the building, he looked down the long aisle before spotting a lone man standing against the wall to his left. He had dark hair pulled into a short tail, and a certain aura about him that was hard to describe. In the poorly lit warehouse his features were difficult to distinguish, giving him a mysterious air. Slouching against the wall in his dark leather jacket and pants, the man appeared relaxed, but Matt had the feeling it was just an illusion. As he got closer to the dangerous-looking stranger, Muldane noticed his face was hard, his jaw clenching as he stared back at Matt with deep, shadowed eyes.
Where the hell was Titheres? Muldane approached the man cautiously, a thread of unease running through him. “Who are you?”
“A friend of Titheres.” The voice was clipped, short. All business.
When he didn’t say anything else, it made Matt uncomfortable. But if this man refused to talk, then he would. Looking pointedly around the sparse warehouse, he asked doubtingly, “Do you have my Andorian?”
The dark chuckle that followed further confused him. “You could say that,” the stranger told Matt.
“Well, then where is-” He stopped, fear overtaking him when the man pulled out a plasma gun and pointed it at him. He cursed Hollis for being right, as usual. Eagerness for Min had overruled his common sense. Warily Matt raised his hands to show he was unarmed. “What do you want?”
“You’ll see,” the bastard promised, and fired.
* * *
Chapter 6B
AUTHOR:
flighty_dreams
WARNINGS: NC-17. slavefic. scifi setting. M/m. Completely M/m this chapter.
DISCLAIMER: They all belong to me! *insert evil cackle here* I'm just sharing them. *hug*
WORD COUNT: 1,538
SUMMARY: Part 3, Chapter 6 - Matt has a memorable adventure.
NOTES: Wow, I'm finally here. This is a very long chapter (yay) so I have to split it up. And I know this part isn't very long, but it has a very natural stopping point. Please don't hurt me! The other two parts of Chap 6 I'll probably wait and post together, b/c there really isn't a good place to stop, it just keeps rolling along... :S
FEEDBACK: Always awesome and amazing.
Chapter Six
Matt frowned, not recognizing the name on the display. A caller from Festun? He didn’t know anyone on that backwater planet. Curiosity got the better of him though, and he answered the call. The hope that this was related to Min rose for a moment, but he quickly quashed it. Five Earth months without word was far too long to keep hope alive.
A man with scraggly brown hair and mismatched clothes that had seen better days appeared onscreen. Muldane’s eyes widened a bit, taking the man in with some distaste. “Who are you?”
“Renald Titheres’ the name. Got something you want.” Great, the man was Tercottan, like that bastard Rencent. But this one’s accent was much thicker, the speech of an uneducated man.
Matt flicked his eyes over him doubtfully. “Do you now?”
“That clone you been looking for.”
This wasn’t the first call he’d gotten from someone claiming to have Min. In the first month or two after Min’s disappearance he’d had about a dozen people make such a call. All of them had been about the wrong Andorian. The high bounty had pushed some of the crazies and the greedy to contact him. This man looked like a bit of both. “The Andorian?” Matt inquired casually.
“Yeah, that one. Black hair, blue eyes, just like in your ad.”
Muldane rolled his eyes. “There are lots of Andorians that fit that description.” As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t just take this guy’s word for it. What if he came to pick him up, and it wasn’t the right Andorian? He would be so pissed.
“Said his name’s Minril. That fit?”
That washed all doubt away, and shock flooded through Matt, along with elation. Finally! Wanting an easy way to know if someone was playing him for the money, he hadn’t put Min’s name on the listing.
He didn’t display any of his excitement though; he recognized a negotiation when it slammed into him like a speeding hovercar. “Yeah, that does. Where’d you find him?”
“Purgatory.”
“But you’re on Festun now,” Matt pointed out, puzzled. Purgatory, the illegal slave pits of Pyrun? He didn’t let his worry over what had happened to Min there show, but the mere mention of that place made him tense.
“Yeah. Was there looking around and saw him. Dirty, but under the dirt I thought he looked like the one in your ad.” The man hesitated before adding, “Got him pretty cheap there, but as I were leaving the seller noticed the same. Had to get out quick. Figured they wouldn’t came to Festun after me. So’s I brought him here.”
Grimacing inwardly, Matt asked, “Why didn’t you just bring him to Monlea? Since you knew I was offering a reward for him?”
The man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Festun passage were cheapest.”
That Muldane could believe. Festun’s biggest demographic of visitors seemed to be fugitives. No one else had any interest in going to that odd little planet.
“Speaking of money,” Titheres continued, “Price has gone up on this little piece.”
Matt’s brows rose in surprise, and he replied irritably, “What, 50K credits not enough for you?”
“That were months ago. Consider it interest,” the seedy man smirked, greed in his expression.
Sitting back in his chair, Muldane said blithely, “You think I haven’t found a new piece of ass to warm my bed by now?”
The man clearly hadn’t expected that answer, dismay spreading across his face, and Matt smiled inwardly. “Fine,” Titheres said gruffly, an edge of desperation in his voice, “the 50K listed on the bounty.”
Matt could probably bargain for less from this credit-needing scumbag, but he’d agreed to pay 50K, and he was a man of his word. Besides, if this man got Min back for him, he didn’t mind paying it all. “Agreed. Now let me see him.”
“Don’t have him right here, but you can sees him soon enough.”
“Fine,” Matt said tightly, curbing his disappointment. He wanted so badly to see the Andorian, to make sure his pet was okay. “Where are you?”
“Tingyl,” Titheres told him. “Need to bring your papers to take him off Festun.”
Opening his mouth to ask why Titheres couldn’t do it himself, Matt paused. He didn’t want to risk the man traveling to Monlea with Min. Muldane hadn’t liked him right off; what if Min felt the same way? He might try to escape him if the man didn’t bother to tell him where they were going. No, he couldn’t take that chance, so he’d go to them. “Is he secured?”
“Yeah, won’t be going anywheres. Not til you and your money get here,” the man told him, smiling hungrily.
What a crass bastard. The Kartan wanted to hit him, but he ignored the urge, focusing on setting up a time and a meeting place.
Once they’d finished their arrangements, he said to Titheres, “One last thing.”
“What?” the shady man asked suspiciously.
“You fuck him, and I’ll castrate you,” Matt told him, his voice dripping with the menace of a crime lord. “Don’t touch him.”
“Fine, I won’t,” the man bit off, his attitude surly.
“I’ll ask him,” Muldane warned, “and if you did anything you shouldn’t have, you only get half the money.” He knew a threat to the man’s wallet would be taken far more seriously than a physical one. Unfortunately, a spear of rage piercing him at the thought, he knew chances were the man had already fucked Min. But at least this way, it wouldn’t happen again.
“I got it,” Titheres muttered unhappily, and they ended the call.
He called his assistant, letting her know that he wouldn’t be in for the next week or so, and that he’d let her know when he got back. While packing hurriedly, he made sure to bring strong restraints. He wasn’t taking any chances; there was no way he was losing Min again.
Calling Hollis, he told his friend the news. At first Hollis offered to come with him, but then realized he wouldn’t be able to take enough time off for the trip back. He didn’t like the idea of Matt meeting Titheres alone, but Muldane assured him he’d be fine. The man just wanted his reward, and it should be a simple enough transaction.
Although he booked passage using one of the newer express ships for most of the journey, the trip to Festun still seemed far too long. The few days of travel left him with too much time to think and worry, wondering what had happened to Min in the past five months. How long had he been left in some dark corner of the slave pits? Had he been abused? Maimed? Would this ordeal have changed him, removing that edge of personality from him? That playful streak that had often gotten him into trouble? With rising dismay, Muldane realized that he’d be disappointed if those aspects of Min were gone forever.
Matt thought back to the argument he’d had with Hollis. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again; this time he’d talk to Min, find out about his past. Whatever had happened to him, whatever issues he had, Matt would help him work through it. Min may have been hurt, but he could be healed.
Arriving in Tingyl, he checked into his hotel and paced his room restlessly, the time until the meeting dragging. Finally he made his way to the address given to him. A warehouse seemed a strange location for this, but Festun’s asinine abolitionist laws made secrecy a necessity. Titheres wouldn’t risk dragging Min around publicly when he’d bought the slave illegally, especially when he was about to collect a huge reward for him.
Entering the building, he looked down the long aisle before spotting a lone man standing against the wall to his left. He had dark hair pulled into a short tail, and a certain aura about him that was hard to describe. In the poorly lit warehouse his features were difficult to distinguish, giving him a mysterious air. Slouching against the wall in his dark leather jacket and pants, the man appeared relaxed, but Matt had the feeling it was just an illusion. As he got closer to the dangerous-looking stranger, Muldane noticed his face was hard, his jaw clenching as he stared back at Matt with deep, shadowed eyes.
Where the hell was Titheres? Muldane approached the man cautiously, a thread of unease running through him. “Who are you?”
“A friend of Titheres.” The voice was clipped, short. All business.
When he didn’t say anything else, it made Matt uncomfortable. But if this man refused to talk, then he would. Looking pointedly around the sparse warehouse, he asked doubtingly, “Do you have my Andorian?”
The dark chuckle that followed further confused him. “You could say that,” the stranger told Matt.
“Well, then where is-” He stopped, fear overtaking him when the man pulled out a plasma gun and pointed it at him. He cursed Hollis for being right, as usual. Eagerness for Min had overruled his common sense. Warily Matt raised his hands to show he was unarmed. “What do you want?”
“You’ll see,” the bastard promised, and fired.
* * *
Chapter 6B