Page 1 of Mazorium Buys a Human

Chapter 1

Mazorium

I had no intention of attending the auction on Himil Station. Unfortunately, it was being held on the main thoroughfare, making the crowd impossible to avoid. All I wanted was a nice cup of tlash tea at the international libation cart. Moving through this crowd was simply the price I had to pay.

“This is really intolerable,” I grumbled, trying to squeeze between two Tulks. Neither of them bothered to move at all. Unlike the more common Tiltimun species on the station, Tulks were notoriously rude.

“I’m attempting to pass,” I said, trying to be polite. Neither noticed.

Annoyed, I sounded a loud, angry rattle with the overlapping plates running down my spine. The sound made both the Tulks jerk in surprise and finally edge away so I could squeeze between them.

“Talins think they’re better than everyone else,” one of them muttered.

I ignored his bitter comment because it was the truth. My species was one of the wealthiest and our empire was vast. I’d be resentful if I weren’t lucky enough to be born a Talin.

“The next lot up for auction is a human female and her newborn offspring,” the announcer called. Unlike the Ufrani engine that was auctioned off when I first got to the crowded thoroughfare, this announcement was met without enthusiasm.

However, I stopped in my tracks. A human was up for auction? The ancestors had blessed me!

I turned to the nearest Tiltimun, a species known for being helpful even to strangers. “How do I get a bidding square?”

He looked at me with startled ears going straight up. Then he pointed to the front of the crowd. “They’re issued at the bidding station.”

I turned and realized it was going to be impossible to make it to the bidding station before they began auctioning off the human.

I turned back to the Tiltimun. “If you buy the human for me, I’ll pay you back plus a commission.”

The Tiltimun’s ears twitched back and forth, a sign of interest. “But they haven’t even brought the stock out to view yet. How do you know you want them?”

“Humans are hard to find,” I answered honestly. I’d wanted one ever since I saw vid captures of the first ones being brought back after the Talin-Orlok war. I was especially fascinated by the young, joyful human who spoke in incomplete sentences and laughed in a way that made everyone else around him express good humor.

“They’re rare but useless,” the Tiltimun responded.

Realizing I didn’t want to seem too eager, I cooled my tone. “They’re a fascinating species to study.”

“You’re a scientist?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered. Although it wasn't a lie, it wasn’t the complete truth either. I was a scientist, but my specialties were mineralogy, hydrology, oceanography, and geology where they related to cartography. Not the study of living creatures. But with my own human to interact with and observe, I could easily expand my studies!

“I understand,” the Tiltimun said. “My second sibling studies winged mice on Jib. She would do a lot for a rare specimen. I’ll help you get this human for your studies. I’ll only add a ten percent commission.”

“Six percent,” I countered, knowing it was expected.

“Eight percent,” he responded.

I hoped that was enough bargaining. “That’s acceptable.”

“Very good,” he said, flopping his ears up and down in excitement.

“Here is the human and her child,” the auctioneer said.

We both looked at the stage to see a small human being led out while clutching something to her chest. She looked frail and scared, nothing like the vid captures I’d watched. My heart beat faster, and I had to suppress the urge to force myself through the crowd to get to her.

To help calm myself, I examined her with a clinical eye. She appeared to be short, even for a human. Her mane was straight and black, and only reached to her shoulders. It looked mussed and dirty. Even I knew humans liked to be groomed. It seemed that no one on the auction team was taking care of her. Her skin was pale, which could be her natural coloring but I was sure it was partially caused by anxiety and poor treatment. I needed to acquire her or she’d probably die of stress.

“See the listing on your bidding square for information on this human's age, skills, and life-sustaining requirements,” theauctioneer said as the bidding countdown began. When the counter ended, the bidding would start.

After the countdown was done, the display would show the current high price, allowing people to use their bidding squares to enter a counter number. It ended when the price remained unchanged for a submark.