Dirty Girls

by Rodzil LaBraun

  "With the clearer understanding of our situation," Sage addressed the team, "comes the realization that the most feasible method of leaving this planet may be in our own ship. Repairs that we previously thought would be a waste of time are now a legitimate project. Honeysuckle will work up a list of necessary repairs and share it with the entire crew. We'll prioritize the work and combine our efforts to return our craft to flight worthiness. Some improvisation will be needed, and it will probably take us months to complete all the work. But it looks like we'll have plenty of time."

  I raised my hand, unsure if that was the appropriate respectful gesture for interrupting the commanding officer.

  "If you have a question or comment, Kash, just speak up." Sage didn't seem too annoyed at my interruption.

  "I'm just wondering about our stability here," I said. "I mean, the ship could shift again and end up going over the cliff before it can be fully repaired. A random quake inside the planet, more dragon fights on the roof. That five percent chance that the ship's computer is giving us means that something could happen. If it did, we would either go over the edge with it, or be left on this planet with nothing."

  "What is it that you are trying to say?" Sage asked, showing some of that annoyance that I had originally expected.

  "Let's say the ship starts to slide over the edge of the cliff," I told the group. "How long would it take us to get everything that we wanted out of it before it did?"

  "A whole day," Coffee suggested.

  "Bare necessities," Honeysuckle said, "would take at least two hours."

  "I wouldn't want to be left with just bare necessities," Cinnamon said.

  "What do you suggest?" Strawberry asked, showing only curiosity.

  "I recommend establishing a secure base on this planet," I replied. "It could take a few days, but we'll have a place to store valuable items in case we lose the ship. Also, removing weight will greatly reduce the chance of the catastrophe as well."

  "I don't know," Sage replied, sitting back in her seat as she contemplated my suggestion and all that it might mean. "We’ll be pretty busy with all the other work that we have to do. Building this base, as you say, will take away from more important work."

  "I disagree," Cinnamon spoke up. "We'll need to establish a secure operation outside the ship for water harvesting and processing local food anyway. We don't want all those guts and trash inside the ship."

  "That's true," Strawberry replied. "But I agree with Sage that there is plenty of work on our list as it is. How many hours do you think it will take?"

  "I don't know that answer as well as the rest of you," I replied. "Since it involves taking things from the ship and building a structure mostly from components that we already have."

  "That is a very accurate statement," Sage jumped back into the conversation. "You'll have a lot of studying to do before you are up to speed with the rest of us. I suggest that we table this idea for now. We can readdress if the risk assessment goes up or the ship's repairs appear futile."

  "Actually," Strawberry touched Sage's arm as she spoke. I wasn't sure what that meant. "Kash can do whatever he wants in his spare time, within reason. I suggest that when he knows enough and has a detailed proposition ready, we discuss this again, regardless of our situation."

  My spare time? Was this suggestion intended to reduce the amount of time that I spent with the others? This just might be a very well-crafted maneuver to keep me from challenging their authority. I was actually impressed. That's when I realized that they were right. I didn't know near enough to make my move.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:

  I spent more than half of the morning filling out forms on my template before Cinnamon came for me. I happily accepted her offer to assist with the training courses that were sent from Strawberry. She climbed over my body to rest beside me on the far side of my bed. The first thing I did was lean in to get a good sniff of her scent. Next was a soft kiss on her lips. Our relationship was advancing slowly, but the level of comfort was rewarding.

  "How did the employment forms go?" she asked.

  "Easy stuff," I replied. "I lied like crazy, claiming that I was the King of England and won nine Nobel Prizes before taking over NASA. How is Sage going to know any different? She can't check my references."

  Cinnamon laughed hard, falling onto my shoulder. I dropped my tablet and pulled her to me. I was hoping to ditch the studying for a while to spend some time advancing our physical bond. When I picked up on her resistance I backed off, playing it cool.

  "You are too funny," she told me. "Most of it doesn't matter anyway. If we ever get off this rock, you'll be free to go wherever you want, as long as you don't tell anyone about our cargo or operations."

  "Well, I'm going wherever you are going," I told her.

  "Yeah, right," she replied. "You'll be a celebrity. I'm just a lowly cargo specialist."

  "Then you can come with me," I responded. "And believe me, there is nothing lowly about you."

  "Kash," she smiled as she paused. "Don't make promises to us that you won't be able to keep. Because we'll know better, and that will only hurt your reputation around here."

  "But I'm serious..."

  She put her finger to my lips to shut me up. I gently grabbed her wrist so that she couldn't retreat while I sucked on the tip of her finger. Then I licked teasingly between two fingers as she giggled. Finally, I let her pull her hand away.

  "You are too bad," she said as she grabbed up my tablet and shoved it to my face. "Now, let's study. You need to get up to speed."

  We worked for a couple hours at it before she had to go do some of her own work. I needed a break from the screen, so I went with her to the cargo hold. Since I was there, she said I might as well take a look at the exotic weapons container. When she opened the door, I noticed the new cube arrangement immediately.

  The Savrad lizard was just to the left, and the Tigritari was to the right. Front and center was the Pithynos cage. The little fella recognized me quickly as the door slid open and crawled toward the bars.

  "Hey Teddy," I said to him. "How are you today?"

  "I'm bored, Kash," Teddy replied grumpily. "How are you?"

  "What the stars was that!" Cinnamon screamed as she jumped back.

  "Oh, yeah," I told her. "I forgot to tell you. Teddy can speak. But he only talks to bad-asses."

  "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Cinnamon replied as she recovered from her sudden shock. "Bad ass?"

  "I'm not familiar with the term," Teddy grumbled as he turned around and sat with his back against the bars. I was surprised that he even answered Cinn's question. The girls were quite clear that Teddy was consistently rude to them.

  "It means super tough, or something like that," I explained. "Apparently the males in Teddy’s species only talk to males of other species."

  "What about the females?" Cinnamon asked as she inched closer. Did she think that he was suddenly more dangerous due to his knowledge and clear pronunciation of Galactic Standard?

  "They only talk when we tell them to," Teddy replied. "Our women know their place."

  "What?" my girl was noticeably appalled.

  "Leave it be," I told her. "Chalk it up to cultural differences."

  "Chalk it up?"

  "Oh, you people don't use chalk anymore either, do you?”

  "For the record, Kash," Teddy said to me, always sounding disgruntled. "I don't know what chalk is either."

  Honeysuckle had heard the disturbance and came into check on us. She caught Teddy talking as well. We invited her in and had a discussion how it was best to keep this between us for now. We could let Coffee in on the secret when the time was right.

  I also vowed to free Teddy whenever it was possible since he was an intelligent being instead of an exotic animal. He perked up when he heard about that. Unfortunately, I told him it would probably be a while before his emancipation.

  The girls listened in while I explained to Teddy why the ship wasn't moving.
He had assumed that the ship had crashed onto a planet. He could smell the air that sifted in when the door was open. It was crushing news to him, however, to learn that our chances of rescue were slim. I didn't plan to tell him about the ship's precarious position on the cliff. Unfortunately, he caught wind of it when Cinnamon was talking to herself as she rearranged the cubes in the forward hold. Up until that point, the only emotions that he demonstrated were anger and frustration. Wider eyes and dropped jaw were signs of fear. He certainly didn't want to go down with the ship.

  Teddy had only been on his own for a year. As a young adult, he took chances that he shouldn't have. That led to his capture by local slave traders on his planet. He was then sold to Captain King at a tiny human space station orbiting his home world.

  The girls recalled the station. Only the two men disembarked at that location and returned with all six of the cargo cubes that now occupied the forward hold. It was a shady merchant rendezvous. They didn't even bother to fuel up or do any personal shopping. It was not unusual for the Arketa Koreta to conduct business in such a manner.

  With all the activity centered around the Pithynos, I had totally forgotten why I was there. The cube still sealed shut containing strange weapons would have to wait.

  When it was time to harvest more drinking water from our mist absorption project outside, Coffee and I did the honors while Cinnamon and Honeysuckle began assembling another harvester. I was greeted by Strawberry on the steps after my java scented lover and I had dirtied up our skin for the trip outside.

  "Since you are in charge of outdoor operations," the redhead told me. "You will no longer be supplied with a guard."

  It was the first time that I was able to get a get full body look at the woman since she had been returned to a healthy state. Her eyes were a soft shade of pink that perfectly matched the color of her full lips. Freckles graced the pale skin of her face and exposed cleavage, spaced so evenly to indicate that it was part of her modification. Scarlett red fingernails were the exact shade of her curly locks that barely reached her shoulders.

  The smallest member of the crew, she stood about five foot one and weighed in around a hundred and twenty-five pounds. Despite her serious message, her body swayed with a flirtatious nature. The soft touches to my hand, arm and shoulder seemed out of place, but a natural part of her social style. It was confusing, to say the least.

  "We'll have no protection?" I asked.

  "No, you will be able to protect yourself," Strawberry explained. "You've already completed the appropriate forms for weapons clearance. We'll take your experience fighting off the black dragons as your proficiency test. You are now cleared to use the pistol, but not the rifle."

  "Thanks. Where will I find it?"

  "In the weapons locker on the lower level," she said as she stepped closer. "Your temporary code is all eights. It will get you access wherever you are permitted. There is a settings app on the tablet that will let you change your code. I encourage you to adjust the privacy settings for entry into your quarters while you are at it. Currently, any of us can open the door without your permission."

  "Oh, thanks. I appreciate your help."

  Stepping even closer, she placed her petite body against me, those tiny freckled breasts pressed to my belly. Seductively looking up to me through her burgundy eyelashes, she said, "Please be careful, Kash. We don't want to lose you."

  Before I could reply she withdrew, turning to walk up the stairs toward her own quarters. I stared after her trying to figure out her deal. I hardly knew the woman, but she was coming on strong physically. Yet, nothing she said gave me the come-hither vibe.

  "Don't let her confuse you," Coffee said as she tugged on my elbow. "That's just the way that she is. The Captain used to have her join in negotiations sometimes. She would knock people off guard with her manner, getting us better prices fairly often. That’s what she claims anyway."

  We were halfway through the harvesting process using a pair of large rollers to squeeze the moisture from the thin fabric when we heard a disturbance approaching. Three of the red goats came hopping our way, giggling like toddlers.

  I had seen the creatures on several occasions. Never did they appear aggressive. So, I stayed where I was. Coffee, however, was not comfortable with them getting that close. She high-stepped her way around to my side, clinging to my non-shooting arm. I hadn't even bothered to pull the gun out of the hip holster that came with it.

  They danced around near our liquid yielding contraption like they were begging for attention. I laughed at their behavior but resisted the temptation to try to pet them. That's when we heard the new sound. "Woah!" One of the Wofurs was coming after them, or us.

  The brown mass of fur trotted around one of the bushes sniffing at the air. I wasn't sure if that was how it was tracking the goats, or if it was picking up our scent instead. The thing slowed when it spotted Coffee and I standing there close to its prey. The stubby little fingers on its paws were a bit unnatural for running. I had to assume that it had some climbing ability as well.

  The scaly red goat-like creatures were so playful in nature that I didn't initially think of them as a food source. However, it was my job to give Vanilla every potential edible sample for testing. I was debating on the idea of killing one of them when the bear-like animal approached. I was happy to have the new target.

  "What are you doing?" Coffee asked as I rounded the corner to place me between the Wofur and its meal. She let go of my arm and kept behind the harvester construction for protection. I was glad that she didn't take off running for the ship's entrance. I would have to follow to protect her since she elected not to bring a weapon outside.

  Pulling the pistol out, I replied. "My job."

  The Wofur repeated its signature sound and added a few snorts when it lowered its head to the ground. I had witnessed this stance before. The beast was planning to charge me.

  My body tensed up as adrenaline shot through my veins. Facing an attacking animal was never a calm experience. Dogs could strike fear into most people, and this thing was more than twice the size of a pit bull. I decided not to wait for it to get any closer before taking my shot. I was quite comfortable in my ability to aim across the twenty-five-foot expanse between us before it diminished. A moving target would be much harder to hit as well.

  I squeezed the trigger as gently as I could to avoid altering the course of the projectile. There was very little recoil. The bolt shot out and struck the animal just above its brow. My aim was true.

  It braced at the shock of the impact, then attempted to charge. The brain function was seriously impaired though, so it wavered then fell onto its side before bridging half of the gap between us. I watched on as it struggled to climb back to its feet. Once it did, I fired again, targeting its chest instead. It breathed heavily for a while before collapsing face down onto the trampled green grass of our project area. There was no need to waste any more ammunition.

  Coffee rushed back to my side, clinging to my left arm like a scared little girl. It was a bit oversell, I thought. She had been out among these creatures before. I took it as her appreciation for my protection services combining with her attraction for me. I could feel her heart beating fast against my bicep. Glancing down to her face I saw only lust in her eyes. Watching me kill the Wofur had apparently made her horny.

  I was all about getting sex with any of these luscious women whenever I could. But even I knew that this was not the appropriate time or place. I looked around quickly for other threats. There did not appear to be any more of the nasty bears nearby. The laughing goats were dancing around like a celebration but making their way toward the nose of the ship, to the west.

  There was only one other creature in sight of significant size. A dragon.

  The green monster was lying on its belly in the tall grass about fifty feet away. Menacing red eyes bored into me from the distance as it rested casually. The trance gave me tunnel vision, making my perception seem to zoom in on the peacef
ul onlooker. The thing was clearly watching me. It must have seen me take down the Wofur. From its statuesque appearance, I had no idea how it felt about my action.

  After a long moment, the dragon raised its head on its long neck. Then it nodded to me once before jumping into the air. My body jolted with fear. I felt Coffee's do the same as she pressed against my side. Huge wings flapped hard to get the intimidating beast airborne. Then another forceful flap to gain altitude as it continued to stare at me.

  I had the pistol in my hand but pointed down. Despite the fifteen-foot-long green dragon focusing on me, I couldn't bring my arm up to take aim. I wasn't sure how many bolts it would take to bring the monster down, or where would be the best place to aim. I was fairly certain that it would reach me before I'd be able to kill it.

  The long neck then swung to the west, its gaze along with it. Another flap of the wings sent it flying calmly in that direction. I continued to watch as it rose to a nice flat perch in one of the few mountainous red barked trees in that direction.