G'baena's Pirates by Rachel Clark Read Free Book Online

weapons they may be carrying until we open it up.”
    “Ben, Trey, any idea who we might be dealing with?”
    “Are any of the occupants twin brothers?” Trey asked as he studied the markings on the hull.
    Devlin shook his head, very interested in why that would be of consequence.
    “My guess is that we are dealing with displaced sons .” Jordan must’ve looked as confused as Devlin felt because Ben stepped forward to explain.
    “As you know, all G’trobian male births are identical twins, so our society revolves around the idea that they are two halves of one whole. All employment, business, marital, and societal issues require both brothers.”
    Devlin had a million questions for that. What happened if one brother was smarter than the other, or chose a different career path or different wife? What if one brother died? Ben nodded to him as Devlin made the connection.
    “Displaced sons are brothers who’ve lost their twin?” he asked.
    “Yes. Since our society needs both brothers to function correctly, if one twin dies, the other is considered to be dead as well.”
    “Shit, what a fucked-up planet.” Devlin winced when he heard the words but thankfully realized they hadn’t come out of his mouth. They were Jordan ’s words. Although, considering Devlin was thinking the exact same thing and Ben and Trey were empaths, he probably wasn’t off the hook just yet. But Trey surprised them with his next words. “It is fucked up.”
    “It is actually one of the reasons we left G’trobia,” Ben filled in. “We knew that the G’trobian way of life had problems, but it was the only life we knew. From an outsider’s point of view, it probably looks even worse.”
    Jordan nodded. “So what’s the story with the displaced sons?”
    “There have been rumors for generations that many leave the planet to pursue life elsewhere, but since no one keeps track of the dead, it is difficult to prove.”
    “Considering we have a tin can full of brotherless G’trobians in front of us, I’m guessing the rumors might be true. Any ideas on how to pry our guests out of their little spaceship?” Jordan looked at Ben and Trey for a moment and shook his head with a soft laugh. “Of all the times for G’ntriel to be off the ship. Do either of you sense anything from the occupants?”
    “Actually,” Ben said with a slightly confused look on his face, “I think one of the G’trobian males is familiar but can’t quite place him.”
    “Maybe G’baena would have more luck,” Devlin said before he fully considered his words. He didn’t want G’baena anywhere near this situation, but he’d noticed over the past couple weeks that she was a much stronger empath than either Ben or Trey. Maybe not as powerful as G’ntriel, but she certainly had some serious skills.
    “Perhaps you are right,” Trey said sincerely. “It would seem that G’trobian females possess more powerful empathic skills than commonly acknowledged on our home world.”
    “Devlin,” Jordan said. “Please contact G’baena and we’ll see if we can sort out this mess without anyone getting hurt.”
    Devlin nodded, his throat feeling tight. He wanted to protect G’baena, but not at the expense of her freedom, which meant, even though every instinct screamed at him to deny her this chance, he had to let her make the choice. Damn.

    * * * *

    G’baena paced the cramped space in Del ’s cabin. For the most part, Del seemed unaffected by the commotion, but G’baena knew that the young man had developed the ability to pretty much hide any outward reaction under any circumstance. Even though Del seemed quite comfortable around her, it had taken Devlin’s influence before the younger man relaxed enough to let his guard down. But right now? Right now, Del seemed relaxed, and G’baena knew that to be the bluff. If any danger came to the door, she had no doubt that Del would lay down his life to protect her.
    Goddess, she hoped it never came to that. Del