by K. Rowe
giving him a serious buzz.
She nudged at him to quicken his strokes. Dar let his body go; the chemicals and hormones were now in charge. His mind felt fuzzy, but the senses throughout his body heightened. Everything he did to Kikka seemed to elicit a response from her, and his own body. Yes, this was the magic.
Moving more firmly against her, he could feel the heat of the blush concentrating in his loins. His time—the climax, would be any moment—at least that’s what his school texts said. The tension, the delicious tension built higher and higher until it felt like his body would explode. And explode it did—just on a much smaller scale. Dar cried out loudly. Kikka cried out as she joined him. Their bodies shuddered and convulsed in beautiful concert. Dar felt a rush of heat flood over him. Every hormone and chemical in his body existed for this one very moment. And it was amazing. He’d remember this the rest of his life.
The next morning, Dar walked into the galley. Gwog looked up from his meal. “Ah, I see my newest crew member is walking with some swagger. Must’ve been a good night last night.”
He took his seat, trying to hide a smile. “Yes, it was a good night.” The whole room burst into cheers. Dar felt his cheeks flush. Oh, so embarrassing.
Jartis leaned over to him. “Kikka brought the magic out, didn’t she?”
“Words cannot describe what happened last night.”
“Oh, I can imagine…I was young once too.”
“Did you not join with anyone last night?”
“No, couldn’t find someone suitable.”
Gwog growled. “You grow too picky in your old age. An alien like you should be joining anything with legs!”
“Why?” Jartis fired back.
“Because joining keeps you young!” He waved his hands in the air.
“Gwog, you’ll live two hundred years, anyways. Joining just makes you hungry for more.”
Dar rested his elbows on the table, enjoying the banter going back a forth. “Certainly made me hungry for more.”
Jartis gave him a good swat on the arm. “Of course it will, you’re still somewhat of a youngling…See, this is what they do in school—they teach them about love, and how wonderful it is, and then tell the younglings that there’s so much love to be had in space. So, when they leave school, they seek out the pleasure barges or red districts on other planets to get that love—artificial as it may be; and a load of drig with it.”
All eyes fell on Dar. He looked around. “Uh, it’s true. They do push that direction…Although I was pretty much ignored in class. I guess they figured a half breed wouldn’t command a price.” He poured a glass of juice. “In a way, I feel sorry for them. It’s probably not a real joining, but going through the motions…There’s no love there.”
Vikkis speared a piece of meat from a platter in the center of the table. “They’re whores, there’s no love in that. They simply provide a service.”
“Kikka didn’t seem like that.”
Jartis wagged his finger. “Oh, no, she’s high class. A night with her is special.”
“Did you set me up?” Dar asked.
“Well, I…uh…”
“You set me up!” he barked.
Gwog leaned forward. “Little one, we all set you up…A night with Kikka would cost more than you make in a year.” He stood. “Now, that’s rule number two of being a freighter captain: take good care of your crew and they’ll take good care of you.”
He was silent for a moment. “I wondered why she didn’t charge me much.”
“We figured for your first time it damn well better be special.”
Dar looked around the room at everyone. “Thanks,” he said softly, knowing that he had a dozen fathers watching out for him. Life had never been so awesome.
8
As the months flew by, Dar found himself very busy. Gwog had him on the bridge for three months, learning everything he could. Then he moved on to the engine room. He especially liked watching Rokit, the Gundin Tree Dweller, with his massive ears, soaring around the rafters. He’d drop down on top of the huge engines, and fixing things that were out of easy reach. They became good friends. And Dar became very close with Jartis, since they shared so much of their background, and were at least half of the same species.
Dar ducked as Rokit zoomed over, giving him a smack on the head. They were playing a rather convoluted game of tag in the engine room. Jartis tried to hurry along a catwalk, but Rokit caught him too. Fun and games weren’t the normal part of being on a freighter, but Jartis realized Dar was still somewhat of a youngling and needed the occasional play time.
“Tag! You’re it!” Rokit called as he swooped past Dar again.
“Hey! Not fair, you can fly!” Dar called as he ran up the stairs, trying to get as high as he could.
“Well, you’d better figure out a way to sprout wings then, huh?” He hovered in the air for a moment before landing on a railing on the opposite side of the huge room.
“Yeah, when porcinis fly!”
Rokit wagged his finger. “I didn’t say it would be easy.” He flapped his huge ears and took off, buzzing near Dar. “Come on, tag me!”
Gwog walked into the engine room. “What’s going on here?”
Jartis looked down. “Oh, just a little play time for the youngling.”
“Play?” Gwog gazed up, seeing Dar high in the catwalks. “I’m supposed to be making an adult of him; instead, you let him play like a youngling?”
“Oh, take it easy; it was just a few minutes. We’ll get started on the Ceriddium intake line…Come on, Dar, back to work.”
“Yes, sir!” Dar called, heading down to the floor. Rokit flew up and landed next to Jartis. Gwog wandered out, returning to the bridge.
Dar enjoyed his time in the navigation section, but engineering proved that he had much to learn. The massive warp engines were complicated monsters prone to malfunctions. It didn’t help that the Cunik was close to fifty years old. Built at a time in Ontarrin history where trade boomed. Four massive ships were built by the Crinians: The Ragnik, the Farnik, the Ernik, and the Cunik. Over time, the Soothian pirates captured and lay waste to the other freighters, the Cunik was the sole survivor, and Gwog made sure the pirates wouldn’t get his precious ship, or its cargo.
Jartis grabbed a small drill and worked to remove a hatch cover. “Damned Crinian screws, don’t match anything we have now,” he grumbled.
“Well, they are old,” Rokit replied, waiting patiently.
“Yeah, and of course there aren’t many Crinians left.”
He shook his head, accidentally smacking Jartis with an ear. “No, and with threats from Versith over Thidium, who knows how long some planets have.”
“Mmm, and I’ve heard those Versithians are brutal.”
“Not so much them, but their hired thugs, the Renthids.”
Jartis finally got the cover off and inspected the pipe. “Great, the interlink coupling is really loose, that explains why the Ceriddium wasn’t mixing correctly.”
“Interlink wrench?”
“Yup.” He stood up and leaned over the railing. “Dar?” Jartis hollered.
“Yes?”
“Rokit will be coming down; can you find the interlink wrench and set it out?”
“Okay!”
Rokit climbed over the railing and took off.
Just as Dar reached the toolbox, the ship was rocked by a huge impact, knocking him off his feet. “Hey!” He scrambled up, and got knocked down by another collision. “What the—?!”
“Asteroids!” Jartis hollered. “Stay down!”
Rokit was mid-flight when another struck the ship. The Cunik lurched to one side and Rokit was slammed into a support column. He hit the ground in a crumpled, lifeless mass about thirty feet from Dar. “Rokit! Rokit!” Dar called, trying to reach him. The ship bucked and bounced a few more times before sailing into empty space. He climbed over and dropped next to his fallen friend. “Rokit?” he said softly, grabbing the Gundin’s huge ear and moving it of
f his face. Blood ran from a wound on his head and from his mouth.
“Dar! How is he?” Jartis yelled, trying to get down as quickly as he could.
Dar moved his hand around his friend’s neck, he could feel nothing. He bent down, putting his face close to Rokit’s, he felt no breath. “I’m afraid he might be dead.”
“Oh no!” Jartis moved as fast as his tired old body would allow. It took a few minutes, but he finally reached Dar. Lowering himself to his knees, Jartis checked over Rokit. “I think you’re right, he’s dead.”
“I wonder what happened? We should’ve had clear sailing.” Dar collapsed back against the support column. “Gwog’s gonna be pissed.”
“Accidents happen. This is space. We all knew it could be dangerous when we signed on.”
“You just never think…” he said softly, reaching over to flip Rokit’s ear back over his face. Dar had never seen someone dead before, his emotions were confused. He wanted his friend to come back to life, he was learning so much. And he loved watching him fly around the engine room. Now he was gone—in the blink of an eye.
Jartis stood and went over to the communications panel. “Jartis to Gwog.”
“Go ahead.”
“What in Carfidius just happened?”
“Hit an asteroid storm; came outta nowhere,” Gwog replied.
“Rokit’s dead.”
“What?! What happened?”
“He was gliding down to get a wrench and when the ship was hit, he got slammed head first into a beam…Pretty sure he died instantly.”
“Have Karnis help you prepare the body for burial.”
“Yes, sir.” Jartis pushed the button, ending the