I Married An Incubus by Regine Abel

Author:Regine Abel [Abel, Regine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781998180745
Publisher: Regine Abel Publishing Inc.
Published: 2023-12-11T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Kronos

Biting the inside of my cheeks to repress an amused smile, I watched Seelo prancing about right outside the security zone by the landing pad. As the ‘leader’ of the Q1 inmates, the Nazhral female was putting on this display to make sure the others would give her credit for their impressive productivity.

Quadrants One and Two contained large reserves of soridium, a highly sought after metal to build integrated circuits and other electronic components. Being far more conductive than copper, it allowed for finer wires without losses, was less vulnerable to electromigration, and was far less likely to fracture even under intense stress. While my family also dabbled in other fields, the sale of refined soridium and its derivative products constituted our main source of income. It had made us extremely wealthy. There was a reason our less problematic inmates were assigned to work in those mines.

Usually, it took the combined weekly haul from Q1 and Q2 to fill the hold of the transport shuttle. But this week, the Q1 inmates had managed to fill it entirely. Even now, Zolran was finishing loading the last crates, getting creative in their placement to fit it all in. While such an unexpectedly high productivity pleased me, I burned with curiosity as to how Seelo had convinced the others to more than double their productivity without getting her authority challenged.

What did you promise them, little Nazhral?

Zolran closed the hold’s doors then cast an inquisitive look my way. I nodded in response to his unspoken question. Having worked as my pilot for years, he didn’t need extensive explanation to know what to do. We still had to visit the other three Quadrants to collect the resources they had also gathered. Zolran flapped his wings once to propel himself up the ramp of the shuttle instead of walking. This time, I didn’t repress a smile. That move betrayed his cheerful mood.

As I’d always been a proponent of profit-sharing and wealth trickling down, on top of their set wages, my guards and pilots always received a share of my profits. Such a haul from Q1 alone promised a nice little bonus for him. Being low-born, Zolran didn’t have generational wealth. But working for me had allowed him to steadily build a nest egg. He intended to use it to help his offspring launch the business they had been dreaming of once they completed their education in two years.

As the shuttle took off, Seelo strutted back my way with that naturally seductive gait of hers, her fluffy white tail slowly swaying from side to side in an almost hypnotic fashion. Everything about this bipedal feline species screamed sensuality. Although generally pleasant to the eye, they didn’t hold too great a reputation across the galaxy. Many of them were involved in some form of smuggling or contraband. More still actively worked as space pirates or slavers. The sad part was that Nazhral weren’t fundamentally evil. In truth, a majority of those I’d encountered—Seelo included—had a generally nice soul.

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