Dirty Girls

by Rodzil LaBraun

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:

  Honeysuckle had graciously converted a section of her workspace in the maintenance area for fish cleaning. I was also given some high grade personal protective equipment to prevent me from having contact with the fish as I diligently worked to cut off a section. Though the material was mostly solid black, it strongly resembled a hazmat suit from my time.

  Most of the foxy young women were disgusted with the idea of consuming the fish, let alone cleaning and dicing it. Only Coffee lingered close by as I went about the nasty job of getting a large section ready for inspection by Vanilla's health scanners. The chocolate-skinned beauty claimed that she just wanted to be around in case I accidentally absorbed some of the green river water. Reports of the previous two men of the ship getting uncontrollable erections from exposure were a source of many jokes among the ladies. But I could see that she was intently watching what I was doing.

  I delivered a large section to the doctor in a special container that she provided. I took an eight-inch cut from just beyond the fish's head. Roughly four inches thick, it was more than enough for the scanners to fully analyze. The remainder of the slimy dead creature stayed trapped in the water barrel until we received test results.

  Cinnamon and Honeysuckle went about the business of harvesting the mist water from our project while Sage stood guard outside. They managed to fill a seven-gallon water barrel completely, and more than half of another. That was from less than one full day's worth of drizzle. The project was unanimously declared a huge success. Even if the liquid wasn't safe for immediate consumption, it would surely be more easily processed by the ship's water treatment system than the murky river water. None of the samples that Sage had returned with were near as clean either.

  Vanilla explained that she needed at least twelve hours to analyze the section of fish that I provided, claiming that some harmful substances could materialize during decomposition. I kept her talking as long as I could manage by asking any related questions that I could imagine. The woman was so beautiful and elegant as she conversed.

  I deduced that the doctor was the eldest member of the group, though she probably wasn't any older than me. Her age didn't really show in a negative way. Instead, it gave her that experienced sophisticated appearance that was appealing in a way that differentiated her from the others.

  When she gently closed her fingers around my elbow and leaned in, I was eager to pull close to her wonderfully scented body. I looked deeply into her swirling creamy eyes as her hair continued to flow in slow motion from every slight move that she made. She would have been a natural model for hair product television ads. The brown shimmer across her skin then drew my attention to her parted lips.

  "Kash," she spoke in a sexy soft voice. I was eager to hear what she had to say, hoping that she was about to reveal her undeniable lust for me. Despite not attempting to advance a relationship between us, she was the only one so far to provide me with an orgasm. That alone developed a unique bond in my mind. "The ship rumbled a couple times while you were gone."

  The ship rumbled? Is that what she said? Or, did she mean her hips rumbled with passion eagerly anticipating my return? I wanted to believe the latter. It tied into the feeling that I was having as she pressed her body against me to avoid being overheard, not just from the hallway but from anyone listening in remotely.

  I continued to stare intently at her lips, willing them to attack mine lustfully. I slid my arm around her slender waist and pulled her closer.

  "Kash, did you understand me?" she whispered. She tilted her head back slightly with a confused look. She clearly couldn't understand what the fuck was wrong with me. She might not be as experienced as she appeared. But I was obviously under her spell.

  "What?" I asked, sucking the drool back off my bottom lip.

  "I'm sorry," she told me as she pulled away a couple inches, separating our bodies. "I didn't realize that I was getting too close."

  "No, it is my fault," I told her, trying the shake the hormone induced funk from my brain. "You can't help it that you are so gorgeous."

  Vanilla blushed and bowed her head toward the floor. Recovering from the compliment a few seconds later she said again, "the ship rumbled a couple times, like the cliff was breaking away. Sensors did not increase our risk significantly, but I thought that you'd want to know. Maybe you can make some more adjustments on the lower level to improve our position."

  "Oh," I replied. "Of course. But Sage didn't sanction more cargo shifting, did she?"

  "No," Vanilla responded as she risked leaning closer once again. "She is getting stubborn since you arrived. I'm sure that she'll get over it soon, but in the meantime, I might not be compelled to report all of your activity."

  "Is she watching and listening right now?"

  "Maybe," Vanilla answered. "Or she may access this surveillance file later. I'd rather her think that the two of us are getting intimate than believe that I am withholding information."

  "Sounds like a good plan," I whispered to her as I returned my gaze to her supple lips. They were as brown as the lightest shade of her hair, and spell casting as they rested with just a small whistle hole between them. I desperately wanted to push my tongue into that opening. Given the ruse that she just approved, I leaned closer.

  To my delight, she did not retreat. As I pressed my lips lightly to hers, I looked deeply into her cream-colored eyes. Neither of us blinked as we kissed. It was unusual but had that same strange erotic appeal as when she methodically released my seed into a bedpan. I pushed my lips against hers again, firmer that time. Then I poked it with my tongue. She stared into my eyes the entire time but did not reciprocate the more intimate gesture.

  When I felt her pull away, I backed off as well, very slowly. I felt like grabbing her body and throwing her onto the examination lounger, then diving on top. I wanted to touch and kiss her all over. I was certain that my eyes revealed my crazed state of mind.

  "Thank you," Vanilla whispered as she finally pulled her eyes away. "That should be convincing."

  "It convinced me," I mumbled, disappointed that it was over so soon.

  Vanilla smiled bashfully again as she turned away. "I'll let Sage know any test results," she then said loud enough for eavesdroppers. "She will likely share them with the crew. Check your messages regularly."

  I nodded then turned to leave the room. Once again, the medical goddess had me very aroused. After entering the hall, I turned to spot Cinnamon standing in her doorway waiting for me.

  "Hey, Cinn," I said, more awkwardly than I had hoped. "What's up?"

  The inquiry puzzled her briefly. Apparently, that question was no longer used in greeting in the modern space faring age.

  "I just wanted to congratulate you on the success of your projects. The cargo shift, the mist vapor harvest, the fish sample. You are more than earning your keep, I believe."

  "Thank you," I replied, genuinely appreciative of her respect and admiration. "Speaking of cargo, can I talk to you about another idea downstairs?"

  "Sure," she replied, reaching for my hand. I happily placed mine in hers as we walked side by side down to the lower level. The public display of affection was unexpected given her viewpoint in our last private conversation, but certainly welcome. I thought it might have something to do with the delicate moment that I just had shared with the lovely doctor.

  Honeysuckle was busy working in the maintenance section of the bottom floor with her slim jade body facing the other way. She was still a dirty girl from her time outside retrieving the mist water collected. My favorite spice girl Cinnamon had already cleaned up, like me.

  When Honey looked over her shoulder to see who was approaching, my tan hopefully soon-to-be lover hastily released her grip on my hand. The display of affection was not so public after all.

  I motioned for Cinnamon to join me in the central hold. After flashing me a confused expression she conceded and keyed the code to open the door to the area that we accessed previously.
I caught the first five digits of the code but missed the last three.

  Inside the central cargo space six large cubes of computer parts sat untouched on the right side. To the left was empty space where another six cubes of construction materials had been removed to shift weight toward the rear of the ship. The door remained open, but we had enough semblance of privacy to achieve my objective. It was my intention to reveal that Vanilla had shared a secret with me. If my girl had any jealousy over my proximity to the hot doctor, this could reduce it.

  "Vanilla just told me that the ship shifted again while we were gone."

  She quickly pulled her tablet out of the hidden pocket on her right thigh to check the risk factor. "Thirteen-point-two percent," she informed me.

  "I think we should shift more weight before it gets any worse. Best scenario would be to empty the left side of the forward hold and place our lightest cubes on the right up there, and in this empty space here on the left of the central hold. How do you feel about that?"

  "I have mixed feelings, honestly," Cinnamon replied. "But I agree that it is best to do all that we can now before it is too late. The problem is the security issue. However, I believe that we can work around it."

  "Awesome," I told her. "How do we do it?"

  "Well, I," she emphasized that she would need to do certain things alone. "I will move these computer parts on the right here over to the left. Then the cubes of clothes in the front hold will need to come back to this section on the right, since they are heavier. Lastly, the six containers up front on the left can be shifted to the right. Collectively, they are the lightest of all our cargo."

  "That sounds like a good plan," I told her. "Except one thing. When you move these six cubes here from right to left you will be shifting a lot of weight toward the cliff. Can we temporarily move them into the main hold in the walkway until the other stuff has been relocated?"

  "It's possible," she replied as she eyeballed the available space back in the main cargo section that we passed through. "But it is against policy to block access."

  "We'll just go around the other side to reach the steps," I told her. Just like on the top level there were two directions to go from the steps. Up there were separate hallways. Down here it was the same open large room.

  "What if there is a fire on that side?" she asked, pointing out the reason for the policy.

  I nodded, pausing as I formed the words in my head before spewing them out. Cinnamon and I were at a critical point in our relationship. And I was at a critical juncture with Sage's trust as well. I was doing a bang-up job in my own opinion, but I could tell that my use of the firearm against the dragons was questionable in the leader's perspective. Taking on unapproved projects while ignoring safety guidelines could be a step backwards as well.

  "In our situation," I started my speech. "I believe that we need to make some calculated adjustments. Some rules will need to be bent or broken for our own good. Just like me using the pistol to save our lives. Those containers will only block a fire safety route for a few minutes. With some actions it is better to ask for forgiveness afterwards than it is to seek permission in advance. If the results justify the means, all will be well. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Kash," she told me as she took a step toward me, placing us just a few inches apart. "I agree, but that kind of thinking doesn't come naturally to us. Our lives on the station, and our training for our jobs were all black and white, no gray area for interpretation. If you have the best interest of our crew at heart, I will happily go along with your ideas. But you have to promise me something."

  "What is that?" I asked as I pulled her to me and placed a gentle kiss in her lips. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around my broad shoulders.

  "Don't use me to achieve selfish gains."

  "Okay, I can agree to that easily," I told her. "Why would you think that I'd do that?"

  "Because that is how men are," she winced as told me. "The captain and the pilot in particular, but most of the guys that I knew before leaving the station were the same. Just not as bad. I don't mean any offense. I'm not condemning your entire gender. But us girls are used to being cautious."

  "I promise to never misuse your trust for selfish gains," I told her. "If you ever doubt that, let me know and we'll talk it out."

  "I will," she replied and then initiated the next kiss. "I can see some friction building between you and Sage. You won't likely deal with her the same way that we do. If you have any schemes to wrestle power away from her..."

  "What?"

  "Let me finish," she said. "You can only challenge her authority if our safety depends on it. I've already talked to Honey and Coffee. If you have a legitimate reason, we'll back you. Just don't take advantage of us. Okay?"

  I agreed, then kissed her some more. As much as I enjoyed progressing our physical relationship, my mind was focused on what she had just said. No selfish schemes. That was a tall order for an ex-con. Growing up the way I did, we always had to look out for ourselves. In a world of only seven people, all banking on me to make good decisions, I would have to make some serious adjustments to my mentality. For example, I needed to essentially drop this feud that was brewing between me and the woman in charge.

  "Let's make this a two-way street," I told the sexy young woman in my arms.

  "What does that mean?" she asked.

  "What is good for the goose is good for the gander," I said with a smile, knowing that the old expression was likely even less understandable. After her comically confused face, I rephrased again. "I commit to always looking out for you first, and the other girls. I will take it very seriously. In return, you will need to be completely honest with me."

  "Completely honest?" she asked, looking overly concerned.

  "Yes," I replied, giving her my serious face. "I need to know all the secrets of this ship and its crew. For example, what is in the forward hold that I'm not supposed to see."

  "Oh, that," Cinn replied, easing up. There must be other secrets that she didn't want to reveal.

  "What did you think that I meant?"

  "I thought that you might be referring to my sexual desires," she replied as she released our embrace and reached to close the door between us and the main cargo bay.

  "You have sexual desires that I should know about?" That was more exciting to me than knowing about the hidden exotic animals in the forward hold.

  "That information will remain off limits," she replied with a smile as she strolled toward the front of the ship. She then proceeded to key in another eight-digit code, different than the one used on the previous door, to provide us access to the forward cargo hold. I was pretty sure that I memorized all the numbers that time.

  A light was already on in that section, but additional panels illuminated the contents as I walked forward. The space to the right was fully occupied by sealed cargo cubes, three wide, and two deep. On the other side, the front and center space was empty, but there was an additional container in this section directly ahead from the door. Since there was no far side entrance, the wall there was usable space.

  The empty spot on the left made sense. It allowed access to the three connecting cubes, all of which had open sections with bars to hold in the occupants. Within a few seconds a face appeared each of the three cages. They were exotic animals, just as Cinnamon told me. They were far from human so my concerns over slavery were finally eradicated.

  I watched in amazement as my girl pulled food containers from the open cube on the far wall and slid them between the bars of each cage. The large animals on the sides started eating immediately. The smaller creature in the center just stared at me instead, its head cocked to the side. It looked like a cross between a monkey and a koala. I had the distinct impression that it was trying to figure out who the hell I was.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:

  Tigritari. That was what the square white label on the cage to the left indicated. It was an appropriate name since the animal inside there resembled a tiger, on
ly with shorter stockier legs. Instead of a thick pelt of vibrant striped fur, its dense hair was extremely stunted. It was more like a velvet material, wrinkling around the joints as it paced back and forth in the restricted area. Smooth hide somewhere between forest and pickle green, with the dim light of the cargo hold making it blend in with the shadows. The effect increased its menacing presence, though it never looked directly at me with those golden eyes.

  The aggressive looking animal was only three feet tall, and merely five feet long from nose to ass. A frighteningly wide mouth with thin black lips revealed four long saber-teeth jutting down beyond its jaw. It appeared to be constantly smiling like it found something delicious on the menu or was laughing to itself at an inside joke.

  The lizard-like creature on the right had a stubbier face than the dragons of this planet. Other than being of reptilian genre, it didn't have much in common with our world's most dangerous predators. Bright sky-blue skin gave way to a darker shade near its extremities, then converted to a sunny yellow on its long belly. Not including the tail, the body was no more than four feet long. Swirling behind it though was a fifth appendage that might have been twice as long as its body. A pointed tip on the tail appeared to be sharp and heavy, thumping each time it hit the cube constraining it.