Chaperones

[Pher 0]

It was common knowledge that Vulcans were immune to Orion pheromones. Pher… wasn’t entirely sure the common knowledge was correct. There were tales whispered among Orion girls that Vulcan males felt the pull of the dust, but that their mental discipline was strong enough that they didn’t let it show. She had also heard that in extreme dust doses, an Orion might drive a Vulcan into pon farr out of the expected season. Pher had wondered if there was any truth to the talk, or whether it was just the bravado of slaves confronting the ultimate challenge. She had never had a suitable opportunity to test it. Vulcans just didn’t spend good latinum traveling to resorts like Evenstar Bay.

 

It wouldn’t be logical.

 

Pher wasn’t going to find out today, either. She didn’t have a research subject. While the ‘security advisor’ Selek that had been escorting the QoB’s crew waddled like a duck, swam like a duck, and quacked like a duck, he was no duck. The wanted poster back on Tranquility had shown him with round human ears. Audrey showed him to have the body chemistry and internal organ structure of a human. He was also showing subtle effects of reacting to Pher’s dust. He was hiding it well. She likely wouldn’t have caught it if she weren’t looking for it. Still, he was neither Vulcan nor duck.

 

The question was what to do about it. A contract begun with lies wasn’t apt to end well. On the other hand, the wanted poster hand’t said who wanted him or for what. He had made someone with lots of latinum very mad at him, but they hadn’t been willing to give a reason. The wanted poster was an offer to pay for a kidnapping, with no endorsement by the Guardians or anyone else.

 

It seemed premature to confront the guy. This was the sort of game Joe enjoyed playing. She’d pass him the information as soon as she could get something resembling privacy. As this planet was likely wired to the extreme, that might well mean waiting for return to the QoB.

 

Meanwhile, it was amusing that only Pher and her chaperone had stayed with the faux Vulcan. Pher wondered how long it would take for Soora to figure out something was off, and how he might respond if she confronted him. Pher didn’t dare leave Soora alone with him. Soora needed… a chaperone.

 

Which meant leaving Joe and Chris wandering free on a whole planet full of doors labeled ‘secret, do not enter.’ This might be worse than leaving Pher on a planet full of human males. Trouble seemed moderately inevitable. She had left them Byblos. Thing is, giving Joe and Chris muscle to go with their curiosity might not be precisely helpful.

 

Ah, for the good old days of nice simple problems. Where is Redera when you need her?