by Aline Riva
As he turned to him, Drake winked and Harvey smiled, wishing the lie had been true, that his nerves had not got the better of him – but at least they would be landing in double quick time thanks to the powerful engines and the next take off really would be his own...
As the others unbuckled belts and got up, Harvey glanced to Janey who smiled in a way that made his heart miss a beat.
“Nice flying,” she said, and he felt slightly guilty for the lie, but brushed it off quickly as he thanked her for the compliment.
As Tyler and Sin headed for the door that led to the walkway, Sin called to Janey, saying they were going to check out the rest of the ship. She turned away and joined them, heading down the narrow walkway beyond the flight area on a ship that really didn't have much to explore apart from the views of the stars beyond its dim metallic corridors.
And while Drake talked with Harvey about how easy it was to fly the ship, the communication system was still entirely muted, leaving a message never to be received: The voice from ground control was lost, far off and as out of reach as the Amaryllis as the message went through space, never reaching its destination as it echoed out and faded away:
“Amaryllis please respond, this ground control with a code red warning. You are carrying an illegal passenger, a wanted sex offender by the name of Drake Miles. He is using the ID Drake Wolf and is listed as crew. Please turn back... Captain Russel, please respond...this is urgent... I repeat, please turn back...”
Far off on a small world with unspoiled landscape and unpolluted air, the planet was basking in the splendour of a warm afternoon, as in the privately owned personal Eden of Ritchie Gregory Mason Jinx, the large white palatial building - the only one on the planet - looked brilliant in the sunlight. Far off across a large field that led to woodland, sat a long, sleek black vessel, his pride and joy - the Princess Galaxy Cruiser.
But the hellish paradise where the former crew of the lost ship Pharaoh 2 had lived for three years now had a dark shadow cast over it – that shadow having nothing to do with the lust and depravity that went on, nor did it regard the human corpses that hung in the deep freeze on board the ship ready for consumption – even insanity and the bonds of it that held them all together failed to lessen the sharpness and the impact of a simple human emotion that held such devastation: Grief...
Mack's mind had drifted to thoughts of Cora as he lay back on a sun lounger by the pool, watching the still water as he remembered how she used to swim naked through it, cutting a perfect dash through the clear water then rising from it so gracefully...
They had all loved her, Zeke had adored her but it was Jinx who had won her like the alpha male that he was, despite his rules about sharing, insisting everyone got what they wanted, he had wanted Cora all to himself, then taken her to his room and spent nights wrapped in her arms. Mack had Jody and loved her deeply too, but he felt for young Zeke, having her snatched away by Jinx. And Jinx had changed, having such plans all of a sudden, talking of having children with Cora, raising a family here at the place he named Shyra K-1, they had laughed about it by the light of an outdoor campfire in the grounds of the mansion, while a human arm crackled like cooked pork on the spit above the fire.
It had seemed such a good idea, to start to expand their group the most natural way possible – to breed and start the seed of a community that would make the old urban myth of the lost planet and its savages more real than ever before. This was their paradise. But then Cora, drunk on fine wine after a wild night in the gardens, had slipped and fallen down the marble staircase, landing with a crack as her neck snapped and blood had pooled on the polished floor.
Mack had never seen Jinx cry like that before. He had held her and howled like a dog. Then he had sobbed like a small child, crushing her to him as her neck hung at an odd angle and her eyes stared dead at the ceiling. It had been a whole day before the others had managed to persuade him to let her go.
They had buried her out by the tree line across the way from where ship was resting. Seven months had now passed by and Rik Jinx was still a broken man.
Zeke had suggested maybe someone ought to tell Jinx to man up and get on with life, they had all grieved – they still had their own personal paradise and life went on. But he had added, if he spoke to Rik like that, he would pull a hunting knife and slit his throat for it, so he had asked, “Could you speak to him about it, Mack?”
And Mack had done that, he had gone over to the grave site and spoken for hours until the sun had gone down as his best friend wept and mourned the loss of Cora. That night Jinx had slept in his arms, curled in a tight ball like a frightened animal.
After that life had improved, Jinx had got into the habit of taking frequent trips off world to colony planets at the back end of the galaxy, meeting with the shady traders who sold him bodies and asked no questions. He also made a visit to the newly discovered planet of Fespara 46, a place that had caused shock waves through the human colonies when it had been announced that alien life did indeed exist. The Fesparans were humanoid and keen to peacefully integrate, they were nomadic sand people who wore sheer clothing over their smooth, hairless bodies. Jinx had taken a liking to the look of the females of the species, but their culture meant that they stayed strictly within their tribes and mating with outsiders was off the menu, something Jinx took very badly.
But he had continued to visit the planet, being fascinated by the sights of the females and losing hours wandering their vast markets, where he had discovered the alien metal Zestion, extremely heavy and capable of heating and encouraging blood flow when applied to the skin. Because of its qualities, human medical researchers had already grabbed the chance to make a contract to mine the material for medical use, but of course the other use – in intimate body piercing and sex toys, had become the second trade – one that Jinx had thoroughly indulged in. He now had a collection of items that he kept in his room at the house, and had even mentioned to Jody that he thought the alien look would suit her so well. She had firmly told him if he wanted a woman for fantasies, he needed to find one – she was not willing to indulge in body modification...
Mack had felt sorry for Jody, being the only woman left in the group and even more sorry for Jinx, now alone and seeming to draw away from the others more and more each day, his fantasies deepening as he thought of the alien women by night and grieved alone for Cora by day, often taking off in the ship just to be at one with the blank void of space.
Rik Jinx was heavily on Mack's mind that day as he rested on the sun lounger with a canopy up to shade away the heat of the afternoon sun. Then he heard Zeke shout and he sat up, grabbed his cane and struggled to his feet, leaving his shirt open as a trickle of sweat ran down the greying hair that covered his toned chest. He was in good enough shape to move fast despite the damage to his body – the legacy of the crash of the Pharaoh – and hurried from the pool area, out of the gate and on to the field that led to the tree line where the forest beckoned.
Zeke was just a short distance from the vast ship and pointing towards the trees.
“Mack!” he yelled again.
Then Mack's eyes widened as he saw what Zeke was pointing at and he hurried across the vast expanse of green as Jody came out of the house and ran to catch up with him.
“Oh no!” she exclaimed, looking to the trees where Jinx was on his knees, dressed in black jeans and heavy boots with his shirt open, his exposed skin glistening with sweat as he worked. Jody ran her fingers through bobbed hair that was ruffled by the warm breeze that had carried the scent of woodland flowers, now that scent was mixed with a sickly sweet stench of decay...
“He's digging her up again!” she said in horror.
“Wait with Zeke,” Mack said, slightly breathless from the dash, “I'll sort this out.”
Then he leant heavily on his cane, his damaged body feeling the strain of his demands as he ignored the lingering pain and kept up the pace, heading over to the spot beneath the shade of a tree, where Jinx was knel
t with his back to him, digging with his bare hands as Cora's corpse was unearthed.
“Don't do that, man. Dogs dig up bones.”
On hearing Mack's voice, the dusty earth clouded about the raised corpse and Jinx stopped brushing earth from Cora's mouldy features as he sat there, looking bewildered, her body half raised and cradled in his arms as the stink of decay filled the air and covered the clothing of the tall, willowy man who wore a leather necklace of human teeth about his throat.
“But I miss her!” Jinx exclaimed, his eyes widening as he spoke with painful honesty.
“She's gone,” Mack reminded him, “And she stinks, Rik! She's mouldering – look at her!”
“I am...” he gazed down sadly at the corpse, “She's not like the others, we don't eat those we love, she's not food.”
“Too bloody late for food!” Mack snapped, switching his gaze from the body to his best friend as a maggot wriggled out of Cora's left nostril.
“So why should the soil eat her? I want to keep her!”
Tears welled in his eyes as he gripped the body tighter.
“You have to let her go,” Mack said, “Please, Rik – remember we have visitors soon,” a crafty smile played about his lips, “Who knows? Maybe among that group will be a lady for you, someone you can toy with and modify and give the look of the alien breed. I'm sure Jody would help you with that, she would open up the medical bay and make any changes you wanted to a female of your choice. We just want to see you happy again. Now please put Cora back in her grave.”
Jinx hesitated, then he gave a sob as he kissed her decaying cheek, then he finally laid the body back in the soil.
“I don't want to let you go,” he whispered.
“Come on,” Mack said, stepping closer, “Let's go back to the house. And you need a bath and a change of clothes. You stink like the grave.”
Jinx nodded, as he got to his feet he wiped his eyes then looked back once at the exposed grave, before Mack put an arm around his shoulder and they walked away.
As they headed back towards the palatial home that Jinx had once taken such pride in, his best friend was still sobbing as Mack cast a glance over his shoulder to see Jody and Zeke heading towards the grave and both had shovels, and he hoped they would bury her deeper this time. Then as the house grew closer he looked to the skies and wondered when the guests were arriving – Jinx had been looking forward to the prospect of live captives and if this worked out well, perhaps he would get over his grief once and for all... That was the best Mack could hope for as they headed back to Shyra K-1 together and Jinx continued to weep like a broken man.
Chapter 2
On board the Amaryllis, most of the group were settled in a communal area, relaxing as they watched the stars slip by as they glided through the deep vastness of space.
“I'm impressed,” Tyler remarked as he stood beside Sin and they admired the view together, “A ship this old and this small – she must be fine tuned to race along at this speed. There's not a jolt or a shudder...You did some good work here, Lola.”
As he addressed the shorter, stocky woman who stood the other side of him, Lola Voss laughed.
“I didn't do a great deal – just the basics. Apparently Mr Wolf's the old hand at fine tuning...and he's certainly done a good job...” her brow creased into a frown.
Sin picked up on it at once, a worried look in the eyes of one who knew so much about space flight had sent a shiver of panic through her.
“Is something wrong?”
“No...” Lola replied, “I just thought maybe it would be wise to check the engine room... this is her first flight out and we're covering a lot of space in a very short time...”
“I'll go and find Wolf,” offered Janey, “Last time I saw him he was with Harvey – I want to catch up with Harvey before he's back at the controls.”
“I'll go,” Sin said quickly as her heart raced a little and she reasoned that perhaps if she found Harvey and Wolf in the engine room, maybe seeing the engines and how they worked would take some of the fear out of flying...
“Tell him to hurry up!” she heard Janey call as she crossed the room and headed for a vending machine, “I'll have coffee waiting for him!”
“Right...” Sin muttered, then she left the communal area and hurried down the passageway towards the other end of the ship.
Harvey had cut down a corridor that led between the flight deck and the route to the communal area, where he was still in conversation with Drake Wolf.
“I can't thank you enough for covering up for me back there,” Harvey said, “I almost made myself look very stupid. I could have died, I was so embarrassed! All those hours of flight simulation and the real thing happens and I lose the plot!”
Drake laughed as he shook his head.
“It's no big deal, Harvey. Everyone has to start somewhere. By the time we get back to earth you'll be able to take off and land with confidence.”
“Thanks,” Harvey said and he warmly shook Drake's hand, then stepped back, his thoughts now on catching up with Janey.
“I'm off to see my friends...You're welcome to join us.”
“You enjoy the auto cruise time,” Drake replied, “I'd better check on the engine room again, it's better to be cautious on a first flight.”
“I've got every faith in you,” Harvey said warmly.
“I'm glad to hear that,” Drake replied, his smile fading to a stony expression that matched an ice cold glare as Harvey turned his back and headed through the short cut to the corridor that led to the communal space. Then Drake turned back, making his way towards the engine room.
Sin had called out to Harvey, smacking the palm of her hand against the metal door that led to the engine room, but there had been no reply.
“Harvey?” she called again as her voice echoed hollow around the metallic corridor, but again she heard no response.
“You're looking for Harvey?”
She turned sharply, feeling instantly on edge as she saw Drake Wolf had joined her from a nearby turn in the corridor. He smiled as his good eye sparkled and the covered one caught silver in the artificial light.
“He's in here, he was waiting for me,” Drake said, punching in a code and unlocking the door.
She looked up at him as she felt a deep sense of unease run through her body, it was almost enough to make her blood cool down to ice, but she put that down to the fact that she was nervous about this flight and right now, everything scared her...
Drake smiled.
“He's up the other end of the engine room – it's quite hot in there, bit steamy in places too... lots of twists and turns. It's best if I show you the way.”
He hit a button and the door slid back. Then Drake gestured inside.
“Ladies first.”
She hesitated, looking into a room where steam filled the air and the entrance led to a maze of pipework and machinery.
“You wanted to see Harvey, right?”
She nodded and stepped inside. Drake followed, hitting the button on the other side of the wall, sealing the door behind them. It shut audibly and she silently caught her breath, letting it out heavily, a sure display of frayed nerves as he watched her breathing hard, breasts rising and falling in that flight suit that barely served to hide her curves...
“Don't be scared!” he said, laughing softly, “Follow me, I'll take you to Harvey. And be careful of the walls – they get red hot, you''ll burn your skin off!”
“I'll be sure to remember that,” she replied, ducking away from a hiss of steam that escaped from pipework on the wall as Wolf took the lead.
The lights glowed between amber and red, the area was unbearably hot and seeing this part of the ship was doing nothing to ease her fears about the flight. Suddenly she wanted to get out, but they had turned yet another corner and every route on this walkway looked the same...
“I want to go back...just tell Harvey that Janey's waiting for him and she's got coffee.”
“Just a minute, I
need to check something.”
He paused to press a release button and a panel slid back. Inside a large, glowing component was changing colour from amber to red as a warning light flashed.
“Critical temperature approaching,” warned a computerised voice, “Relay to main system?”
“No,” He said in reply, “Not yet...”
“What's going on?” Sin said fearfully.
“No need for alarm,” he said calmly, drawing a device from his pocket and placing it into a circuit as a panel lit up, starting a countdown.
“What did you just do?”
Wolf closed the panel and turned back to her.
“Okay, if you must know, I've already tinkered with the system to cause overload. That gadget I just added sets the critical phase on a timer. I'm sabotaging this ship.”
He stepped in front of her as a look of terror came to her eyes, seeing her fear made him smile as he hardened at the thought of ripping open that flight suit and slamming her up against a wall, taking her roughly as she screamed inside this sealed off area where no one else would see or hear her...
She made the slightest movement, like a frightened animal about to bolt and he grabbed her, shoving her up against the metallic wall as the heat of the place dampened her hair with sweat.
“Let me go!” she yelled in panic.
He leaned in closer, his grip tight as a vice, bruising flesh and paining bone as he spoke again and she felt the heat of his breath on her face.