"That should give her something to help her as well. She likes to be a mother hen sometimes."
De'rax smiles. "I noticed. However A'va told me that she is not needed for the running of the house. Most of the staff takes care of it so she just sits around. She told me also that it bothers Caylee she doesn't like being a burden."
"Neither one of us do. We were raised to carry our own weight. If we couldn't do it ourselves then we shouldn't expect others to do it for us."
"Sound idea. Now I am afraid we are going to be leaving tomorrow. I have another business trip. This one bothers me more because my partner is a Gribnopk."
"What is a Grib no pk?"
"Grib nop k. It is an ugly looking species with a short squat body that ride on a floating chair. They have no hair a bulbous nose thin lips and massive cheeks."
My eyes grow wide. "That is the description of the alien that you out bid me for."
"It is?" He thinks back to that day. "Hmm guess your right. When I bid I didn't look around at my competitors. I wonder if it's the same one?"
"What you don't know?"
"No not exactly. See they pretty much all look alike. Plus there are no females just males."
"Is that why he had female slaves?"
"Yes but the Gribnopk don't reproduce like my people do."
"How do... Wait never mind I don't know I want that information."
"I might as well tell you. Since you may see it while we are there and question me."
"That still sounds like I don't want to know but tell me."
"Well their cheeks are so massive because they don't have a tongue as you and I do."
"Then how do they talk? Because I remember him yelling out amounts."
"It is a tongue just not like yours or mine. It is a giant tube that comes out of their mouth and is shoved into the females reproductive organs. After it is inserted the Gribnopk pushes a hard oblong like ball through the tube. Inside the ball is the Gribnopk DNA. When the female is in heat then her body melts the ball and it releases into her. "
I look at him stunned a minute." You mean to say they do that in public?"
"Yes. It is not embarrassing for the Gribnopk. Although I can say it has been for several species I have seen it done to. From what I gather the female doesn't gain any sort of pleasure from this."
"Do they try to give her any then? Some other way maybe?"
"That I cannot say for I do not know."
I nodded my understanding. He was right though that is not a way I have seen. However I do know that from what I have seen so far there are many different species.
"When do we leave for Gribnopk?"
"It will takes a couple of days to get there so it will be tomorrow morning."
I nodded. "Then I believe I am going to sleep. Did you want me in your room again?"
"That would be easier yes but if you do not want to?"
"No that is fine. I have gotten used to sleeping in your quarters."
I squeezed out the door and up the stairs to the yellow room first. I needed to check on Caylee and Ka'ri. I nudged open the door with my nose and padded over to the bed. Caylee was in a chair next to Ka'ri holding her hand.
She looks at me as I stop next to her. "She seems to stay calm as long as I hold her hand. When I let go she starts thrashing around. Do you think they tortured her?"
"No. She showed no signs of physical torture. However I don't think they treated her very good so it's prolly true to say she was mentally tortured."
"I found out from the highered mercenaries that they didn't deal with her. They were highered after she was taken. So I'm guessing that Re'at and Sif'ar were the ones who didn't treat her right."
"That's probably what happened. Those men while being mercenaries didn't seem like the type to kidnap women. I think they have their own moral code of sorts."
Caylee nodded. I muzzled her good night and trotted down to De'rax room. He wasnt here yet. Probably still down in his office hammering out the mercenary contracts. I yawned and jumped up on his bed. Slipping my nose under the covers and crawling down and back up so I was under. I took a deep breath. Breathing in the smell that was De'rax. He smelled of leather, pine and sunshine. Three of my favorite things. I chucked to myself. "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my eyelashes, silver white winters that melt into spring." I continued to hum the song as I drifted off to sleep.