Cosmic Cabaret

by SFR Shooting Stars

  As I pull away a flustered blush spreads across hir cheeks. “I thought you weren’t into guys,” Tarou says breathlessly.

  “And how do you think I figured that out?” I reply with a wink before exiting Nalani’s room.

  Ten

  KEALAN

  “Hey, Kealan?” Nalani asks as she comes up beside me. Looking surprisingly chipper for someone who got as blitzed as she did the day before.

  “Yes?” I answer cautiously, wondering if she remembers almost kissing me…or sticking her hand down my pants.

  “Ollie didn’t happen to come here by mistake, did he?”

  “No,” I answer breathing a sigh of relief. Beyond grateful this is a conversation about something other than her and me and how things almost went X-rated last night.

  “Sure you’re not hiding him in that floor-length coat of yours?” she asks as she lifts the edge of my duster and peeks in.

  “You’re welcome to strip me and check for yourself,” I offer, trying to hide how incredibly uncomfortable I feel having her this close. Before it was easy. Before I knew I could never be with her. But now…now she’s all kinds of tempting. And worse, I know she wants me just as desperately as I want her.

  Gods, think about something else. I divert my attention to the tablet, scanning for any other possible conversation topics. And then I notice something. “Wait, I thought we had rehearsal in the studio all day today?”

  “We do. Ollie is unsurprisingly a no-show again,” she answers as she takes the tablet from my hands and starts to view the lighting and special effects track for the production. “I thought you said you talked to him about this when you found him yesterday?”

  “I—” My heart skips more than a few beats. A nauseous feeling starting to churn in my stomach.

  “Tomorrow I expect you to either be on time to rehearsal or to be out there living your life with her.”

  Fekk! Fekk! Fekk!

  “Uh hey Nalani…you know that Junonian shipping princess I mentioned yesterday? The one he was fekkin’?”

  “Yeah Vaske or something right?” Nalani answers, studying the way the lighting looks on stage for the finale of her production.

  “Vaska.” I suck in a breath. “Well…he might have left with her,” I finish in a rush.

  Her eyes dart back to me. “Left? Left where?!”

  I grimace. “Junon.”

  “And you didn’t try to stop him?!” she shouts.

  I narrow my eyes. “Stop him? I’m not his mother, he can do whatever the fekk he wants to.”

  “No he can’t, he—”

  “Was he under contract to be in this production?” I question, arching a brow.

  “Of course not, I can’t afford those kind of rates!” Nalani counters like I must be delusional.

  “Then he was free to leave at any time.”

  “They’re not free to leave, they’re—”

  “They’re your employees, Nalani, not your property,” I state, folding my arms across my chest. “And forgive me if I’m wrong, but the only person obligated to stay here against his will is me.” I hear a soft sound on the comm like a gasp.

  Nalani looks taken aback. “‘Against his will?’ You’re enjoying being my PA, and you know it.”

  I take a step toward her. “What I know is that one Terra-minute I’m talkin’ to you at a bar over drinks, and the next I’m in the cargo hold of this ship without my IdentiBand.”

  Nalani looks at me in disbelief. “And that’s my fault?”

  I take another step forward, looking down at her. “I don’t know, is it?”

  “You’re unfekking believable,” she huffs. “After your less than subtle proposition to be your night’s conquest I could have thrown my drink at you and left. But I didn’t. I made you an offer to join me on Quantum. You’re the one who walked away.”

  “And you’ve been punishing me for it ever since.”

  She throws her arms back. “Punishing you?!”

  “You’ve been a right fekkin’ tease since day one, and don’t even get me started on last night.”

  “Your sexual attraction to me isn’t my problem. I’m not a courtesan, I’m not obligated to fekk you just because you want me.”

  “Are you implying the only way I can get a girl into my bed is to pay her?” I ask in a deadly calm voice. “Well, that’s pretty rich coming from you, considering you all but begged me to come back to your room last night.”

  Nalani’s mouth drops open. “I did not!”

  “Oh you did, right before you stuck your hand down my hakama. So don’t even pretend you’re not nova for me too,” I growl, starting to lose my calm again.

  “Malarkey! I wouldn’t fekk you if you were the last person on this ship!”

  “Your lips say that now, but last night they were telling a whole different story,” I state smugly. “Don’t believe me? Just ask Tarou, ze was there.” I tap my comm so Nalani will be able to hear whatever is said on the other end. But the comm is dead silent. “Come on, Tarou, I know you’ve been listening for awhile.”

  The comm is quiet for a long moment before Tarou says, “I’d…rather not take sides.”

  Nalani’s face turns a brilliant shade of scarlet.

  “Look, you know it’s true so—”

  “No you look!” Nalani fires back. “I didn’t have to give you this job—frankly I could have gotten by with just a tablet. But you seemed to be in a real bind, and I, for one, am all about giving people second chances. But you, sahavi, just used yours up.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “What are you saying?”

  “I’ll make it real clear. Get out of my rehearsal. I don’t care what the fekk you do after that, but you’re no longer my problem.”

  “Fine.” I pull the comm from my ear and slam it down onto the surface of the tablet, shoving them at her. “If you want to keep pretending you feel nothing for me, go right ahead, be my guest.”

  “I don’t need your permission to feel something that isn’t there,” she states haughtily.

  I stare at her for a long moment, watching her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Bit of advice, it’s polite to tell a guy you’re a Toresha Astari before you grab his cock,” I state coldly before turning on my heel and storming away.

  Eleven

  KEALAN

  I stomp across the Xventure Entertainment deck not paying attention to where I’m going, cursing Nalani under my breath. Until I make the grave mistake of stumbling down a short flight of stairs.

  “Spawn of a Kako fekkin’ whore!” I spit venously in Daemotic as I pull my face from the smooth, polished floor.

  As I sit back on my heels, sucking on where my teeth have cut my lip, someone’s boots stop in front of me. I look up slowly into the tanned face of Ensign Rocha.

  “Well isn’t this my lucky day,” he says with a wicked grin.

  Ensign Rocha shoves me roughly into the familiar three-by-three meter security office. Lieutenant Commander Das looks up as we enter the room, her expression tight.

  “Sit, please,” she states as she gestures to the chair in front of the long thin desk.

  I freeze. She did it, she actually jetted me. I knew Nalani was vexed with me, but I didn’t think she was angry enough to report me to security.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to keep from panicking. But the memory of being in the PolicePod—of watching the other escape pods exploding around me—still plays anyways. “Please don’t jet me, I’ll do anything. Just please don’t—”

  “I’m not going to jettison you, Mr. Corkoran.”

  “You’re not?” me and Rocha say at the same time.

  “No, quite the opposite actually,” Das continues, the nervous energy rolling off her in nearly visible waves. “It seems, Chancell Kealan, that I and the rest of the security officers of Quantum owe you an apology, as it appears you are exactly whom you claimed to be.”

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Rocha huffs in complete disbelief.

 
; Okay…this is not where I thought this was going at all.

  Das narrows her eyes at Rocha as she looks past me. “And I am fairly certain Ensign Rocha owes you more than one apology.”

  I glance over my shoulder at him and almost laugh, because his expression is caught somewhere between poorly disguised disgust and panicked nausea.

  “Now, you won’t be able to access your accounts directly until you revisit a GCP biometric scanning facility and have your IdentiBand reissued. However, I can extend a line of credit to you and bill your embassy,” Das continues, drawing my attention back to her.

  “That would be fantastic, as it seems I’m currently out of a job.”

  “What did you do to Miss Kirikiri?” Rocha all but growls.

  “Ensign Rocha,” Das admonishes him sharply. “One more word out of you against the chancell, and I’ll file a formal reprimand.” As her eyes return to me her expression softens. “Furthermore, as recompense for your earlier appallingly poor treatment, Quantum has also taken the liberty of granting you complimentary suite accommodations on deck Stardust Nebula for the remainder of your stay aboard the ship.”

  “Oh that’s not—” I start, but then remember as well as being jobless I now also roomless.

  “They’re the very finest single occupancy suites we have available,” Das states anxiously, and it begins to dawn on me that her position might also be on the line for basically doing her job in the first place. Yet another reason I left the Sashaivarian Embassy.

  I attempt a reassuring smile. “I’m sure they are. Would you mind showing me the way?”

  Das starts to mirror my smile. “It would be my pleasure.”

  “So what’s it like living your whole life under an atmo dome?” Ami asks as her twin sister Tami runs her fingers over the spiraling ridges of my horns. Their glossy ginger hair looking even more flame red under the golden lighting of the atrium lounge.

  “Well, it’s so large you hardly even notice,” I answer, popping another Blizberry into her mouth. Ami closes her eyes, and sinks into the plush crescent-shaped booth. A pleasurable expression on her face.

  I reach into the bowl in my lap, pulling out one of the last turquoise-colored berries, and popping it into my own mouth. The intoxicating liquor exploding as I crush it with my tongue. The aphrodisiac is one I’ve always wanted to try, but never had the pleasure since it was banned on Awai Sashai when I was a kid.

  Tami tugs on my horn, drawing my attention to her. “I think I would notice something that…big,” she comments suggestively as she places her hand on my thigh. Looking up at me from beneath her lashes.

  A mischievous smile spreads across my lips. “I could show you around and you could see for yourself. Unless of course, you’re too busy.”

  Tami runs her teeth over her bottom lip as her hand slides across my thigh. “My schedule’s tight, but I’m sure I could fit you in.”

  “And your sister?” I ask as Tami’s hand slides under the bowl.

  She arches a brow as I feel myself go rigid. “I’m sure you wouldn’t have a problem entertaining us both.”

  I swallow hard, anticipation surging through my body. “Why don’t I go pay the tab, and the three of us can find out.”

  Tami lifts the bowl from my lap with a playful smile and settles into the booth to enjoy the last Blitzberry.

  I launch my IdentiBand as I move toward the pay terminal at the opening of the recessed private booth. My fingers jittery.

  Gods, it’s been too long since I’ve had a proper fekk—

  “Kealan!” Tarou’s voice calls out, and I look up to see hir coming toward me in a hurry. “Gods, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for…” Tarou stops abruptly. “…Terra-hours. Where in the galaxy did you find those?” Tarou asks, hir eyebrows jumping up. And I’m not sure if ze’s referring to my clothing or the twins.

  “Who’s your friend, Chancell Kealan?” Ami asks as her eyes trace over Tarou appreciatively.

  “Chancell?” Tarou repeats in confusion as ze looks at the twins over my shoulder.

  Fekk.

  I drag hir a short distance away so we’ll be out of earshot of the twins.

  Tarou continue to throw glances back at them as we move away from the lounge booths. “Kealan, what’s going on? How can you even afford a place like this? Where did you get those clothes? And why do those girls think you’re a chancell?”

  “That’s a lot of questions,” I point out.

  “Kealan,” Tarou whines in exasperation.

  “I didn’t say I wouldn’t answer.” I suck in a breath and let it out slowly. “Ship security was finally able to verify my identity and extend me a line of credit. I picked up the clothes at one of the luxury boutiques on the ship. I found the twins drunkenly frolicking in a fountain about an hour ago. Oh and they think I’m a chancell, because I am.”

  Tarou looks at me appraisingly. “Did you hit your head in that fountain too? You couldn’t possibly be a…” hir voice trails off as some kind of realization spreads across hir face. “You’re him.”

  “Possibly,” I answer, unsure what “him” Tarou is referring to.

  Hir face lights up. “I knew it, you’re the Kealan Corkoran.”

  I arch a brow at hir, shoving my hands into the pockets of my new forest-green sleeveless haori. “You say that like I’m famous or something.”

  “Because you are.”

  I snort dismissively. “For what?”

  “Uh, let’s see. You’re one of the few survivors of the Port Chaand Attack. Your being infected with Toresha Astari blood was so high profile it was galaxy-wide news for Terra-months. Oh and you’re the youngest son of a chancellarius for crying out loud.”

  I fold my arms across my chest. “If I’m so famous why didn’t you recognize me right away?”

  “Uh because there’s a media blackout on the whole Sashaivarian Embassy, and you’ve reportedly never left it since you were eleven,” Tarou says as if I’m daft.

  I had always thought it was weird no one seemed to recognize me when I hit the undercity as Mishra. I guess I had figured that no one cared with a whole galaxy’s worth of aristocrats and celebrities to gossip over. I had never stopped to consider that maybe my mother had put a media blackout on our embassy.

  “Look, could you hold off on telling Nalani who I am until after I leave the ship?” I ask, looking at the time on my IdentiBand. “Wait, shouldn’t you still be in the studio?”

  “That’s why I’ve been trying to find you!” Tarou says in exasperation. “She canceled it.”

  “Rehearsal?” I question as I look back up at hir.

  Tarou shakes hir head. “The production.”

  “What?” I ask, my mouth dropping open. “Why?!”

  “Ollie was one of the three leads, without him the show just doesn’t work.”

  I stare at Tarou in open-mouthed disbelief. “And she couldn’t find another dancer to replace him?”

  “Not a Terra-week before the show opens. Every available dancer between here and the next starport is already on this ship.”

  “What about you?”

  “It’s a guy’s part.” I stare at hir with non-comprehension. “I dance female roles.”

  “So.”

  “So!” Tarou repeats in exasperation. “For starters I’m not tall enough, nor do I have the upper body strength for those lifts. And secondly, I never even trained as a male dancer!”

  “Okay, stay easy. I see your point.” I run my hands down my face. “I’m not sure what you expect me to do, she port-dumped me remember?”

  “I don’t know, just something. She completely broke down after you walked out. Apparently she sunk every Unibit she had into this production and seeing it go supernova…I…I think it wrecked her.”

  Fekk.

  “I’ve looked everywhere she’s ever mentioned going, and even beguiled one of the security officers who owned me a favor to do a ship scan for her.”

  “And?”

  �
��He said either she’s in a VIP restricted area or she’s not on the ship.”

  VIP restricted area…

  “Kealan, I’m worr—”

  “Kea-lan…” one of the twins calls out. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your smexy friend?”

  While Tarou looks over at them in confusion I launch my IdentiBand, transferring Unibitz to hir. “Look, I think I might know where Nalani is. So while I go see if I’m right, I’m gonna need you to take one for the team.”

  “What?” Tarou replies in confusion as hir IdentiBand dings.

  “While I go try to beguile Nalani into not destroying her life’s dream I need you to entertain these very nice vixens,” I answer slowly as I turn Tarou toward the twins and wave.

  “But…” Tarou looks at the twins, a slight blush spreading across hir warm ivory-colored cheeks. “They’re human. I can’t—”

  “They’re Truth Seers, Tarou, they know you’re a daemon. And besides I know you’ve had a MCI, so as long as they don’t draw blood they’ll be grand.”

  “But there’s two of them… What do I do with two of them?”

  “Whatever the three of you agree on,” I reply with a crooked grin as I give hir an encouraging push toward the twins.

  Twelve

  KEALAN

  I slip onto the bar stool beside Nalani in Spector Station—the vintage replica speakeasy we visited the night before. Gods, was that only yesterday?

  “Why don’t we switch you to water?” I ask, eyeing the collection of untouched full water glasses in front of her, and the equally large collection of half full alcoholic ones.

  “Ugg, what are you, my mother?” Nalani questions in a slurred voice as she turns toward me. “Oh, it’s you,” she states in the same accusing tone I used weeks earlier when I realized it was her dancing in the cabaret.

  I offer her a friendly smile. “It would appear.” This is going to suck, I can practically feel the hostility rolling off her.