The Star Traders: The Star Traders Series Volume One

by Gary W. Feather

  "Next comes the harder part," Erica said. "Sneaking through Daughter's security checkpoint."

  "How much will that cost me?"

  "Bribes won't work here."

  "Honest security?"

  "The ship is home," Erica explained. "Most of us in security are not going to take a chance of some local terrorist bringing a bomb on board for a few dollars."

  "So how are we going to do this?"

  "Well I was hoping—oh crap!" Erica saw her mother Piper Williams the security chief standing beside Keiko at the security checkpoint. A familiar looking blonde girl was showing them an ID card. Erica heard her saying, "You better not be hiding her in your ship, ladies. Martha Clarke is a very dangerous woman."

  "I understand, Detective Sergeant Ying," Piper said. "I haven't any clue where she is. Keiko said she last saw her at the bar and grill and she went to the hospital afterwards with my daughter. I have no idea where they are."

  "Is that your mom the security chief?"

  "Yes."

  "Who is that blonde girl talking to them?"

  Ying whirled around to see them. She drew her blaster gun. Erica shoved Martha down as blaster bolts exploded around them. Erica fired back.

  The blast shield automatically came down to cover the windows of the checkpoint. It also locked the doors to the rocketship. This was a security pre-programming that would take them a few minutes for Piper and Keiko to override.

  In the meantime Erica and Ying were trying to kill each other. It is mistakenly believed by many human beings inexperience with combat that at close range it would be easy to kill with a gun. Such a person shoved into this situation would be completely surprised at how hard it really is.

  Erica’s adrenaline was buzzing through her body and her next shot missed. Ying also missed her shot. Erica was lying on the ground over Martha and shooting upwards. Ying was kneeing on one knee. Both were blasting away. Erica could smell urine. She was sure it was hers.

  All this happened in only a couple of minutes. By the time Piper and Keiko had gotten the door opened it was over. Ying lay on the floor with two blast holes in her chest.

  "Erica! You killed a local cop!" Piper shouted.

  "A c-cop?" Erica stammered. "She tried to kill us at the hotel Martha was staying at. She murdered innocent people trying to get at us."

  "What?" Piper put her hands on her hips. "Both of you come inside. And we'll talk about this."

  "Sorry, ma'am," Martha replied. "We can't stay."

  Martha grabbed Erica's hand, dragged her out of the spaceport, and back to the stolen bike. She started it. "Come on, Erica!"

  "But we could have talked to them about it," Erica complained.

  "Fuck! I can't risk it!" Martha snapped. "Someone wants me dead! Dead! Let's go!"

  CHAPTER EIGHTY

  Truth and Lies

  Erica got on behind Martha. Martha zipped the bike out of there then sped her bike through some residential areas till she found a shopping mall. Parking near a store, she hoped off before the bike stopped.

  "Wait here. I'll get us a change of clothes." Martha held up her dress shoes to Erica barefoot. "And shoes."

  Erica watched her go. Why am I doing this? Is it just for that pretty face? Erica gazed at Martha's rear just before she slipped into the store. Or that? Down girl! Erica grinned.

  Martha didn't take too long to get some clothes. "Do these fit?"

  Erica slipped on the tennis shoes. "Yes. Perfect."

  "I got it right." Martha started the bike. "Now for a motel room."

  Martha parked at Esther Inn. They went inside to check into the motel.

  "Maybe I could sneak you into Daughter if I put you inside a cargo container." Erica suggested as they walked around the motel searching for room 211.

  "No. I like to breathe." Martha snorted.

  "I meant the kind for living animals," Erica said. "You'll be able to breathe."

  "Glad to hear it." Martha slid the key card into the slot. She got a green light and the door opened. "Now get that cute bottom in there."

  Erica entered. Not as big as the last room, but clean.

  Martha slammed the door and flopped on the bed. "Oh, I'm tired. How about you?"

  Erica examined the bags of clothes Martha had bought.

  "I got you a yellow t-shirt and blue jean shorts," Martha said not getting up from the bed.

  Erica picked up the shorts and the t-shirt. The t-shirt had a picture of a smiling black cat with the words I eat kitties underneath. Martha started having a giggling fit.

  "What?"

  "Do you get it?"

  "What?"

  "Never mind, honey." Martha purred when she said it.

  Erica walked into the bathroom to change. Dressed in her new clothes, Erica held up her dress and blouse. "I hope I can get those heels back. It was one sweet outfit." Erica slipped on her jacket. It still had Martha's gun in it. She walked back out of the bathroom.

  Erica's heart went up to her throat. Martha stood naked with her back to Erica. She only wore her panties. Her bare back is hot! She bent over to pull clothes out of the bags. She turned around. The areolae of her breasts were pink and one nipple was pierced.

  "What?" Martha tilted her head with a mischievous grin.

  "Sorry. I'll wait in the bathroom till you’re done."

  "My goodness. Aren't you a gallant lady." Martha giggled. "No need, honey."

  Martha quickly slipped on a pink t-shirt. It had a hotdog on the front with the words I love wieners!

  "How's that?" Martha pulled down on the hem of the shirt.

  "Cool."

  "Do you get this one?"

  "Uh, yes." Erica blushed.

  "You got a lot to learn, don't you, honey?" Martha wiggled her hips as she walked towards Erica. Erica glowed redder and felt hotter. Martha slipped her arms around Erica's waist. She looked up into Erica's eyes. "Are you going to kiss me?"

  "I—"

  "Am I that ugly?" Martha lips pouted.

  "No."

  Martha kissed her. Erica automatically kissed back. She felt Martha's hands reach around to grip her butt cheeks. Martha pulled in. Martha reached a hand down Erica's shorts. Martha's hand fumbled over Erica's penis. Martha tugged gently. Then harder. Oh Goddess! Erica felt herself being turned and pushed onto the bed.

  "Um. Hey." Erica tingled all over as Martha's mouth danced on her neck. This is so hot! She's pulling up my shirt up. She's kissing my belly! Erica gasped. Martha went lower. Martha kissed her through her shorts. Erica heard a button pop and a zipper move down. Oh Goddess! Yes! No. No! I don't know what to do. What do I do? Oh Goddess!

  Erica burst out the door of the room. Erica ran down the hallway past the other rooms to then end. She sat with her knees up between the ice machine and the door to the stairs. Erica covered her face as she cried. Wet tears rolled down her face. Several minutes later, her tears stopped. She zipped up and buttoned her shorts. She still sat there.

  "Uh, honey? Erica?" Martha whispered from the hallway. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm sorry." Erica sniffed.

  Martha came closer. She sat down beside Erica. "No problem, honey. Are you okay?"

  "I don't know." Erica shivered. "I-I've never ha-had sex."

  "Oh." Martha patted her shoulder. "It's okay. I like you, Erica. I think I really like you. I never really felt this way before about anyone."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. I-"

  Suddenly Erica heard a blaster gun being fired.

  They moved away from Erica's hiding spot and saw a girl with a short bob of blue hair shooting into the closed door to their room. Blue girl kicked the door opened. Then she saw them outside.

  "Fuck!" Martha screamed. She grabbed Erica's hand. Soon the two women were pounding their way down the stairs; luckily they were only on the second floor.

  Blaster bolts exploded around them as Martha twisted the throttle on the bike. Martha zoomed them out of there. Erica held on tightly. As Martha pulled into t
he highway Erica realized she gripping Martha's breasts. She slipped her hands lower to Martha's belly. Martha giggled.

  #

  "Now who was that girl?" Erica shouted at Martha. They zipped through traffic.

  "Oh that!" Martha shouted back. "That's Hannah's half-sister Celia Tilton!"

  "Half-sister?" Erica shouted back. "She also your ex-lover?"

  "No!" Martha replied. "She's just out for revenge! You killed her sister!"

  Erica fell silent. She tried to digest this new info. Was Martha lying about this? About of this?

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

  Losing Martha

  Martha killed the bike at a cafe. They went inside. Martha ordered a cup of coffee, while Erica ordered hot tea. As they sat quietly waiting for their drinks, Erica surveyed the cafe and the people. Some looked tired after a long day at the job, while others looked heading to work. But most weren't worried about crazy people wanting to murder them. Lucky folk. I used to be one of them.

  The waitress brought their drinks. Martha picked up her cup. She blew on it.

  "So you never had sex before?" Martha suddenly asked. She took a sip of the coffee.

  "Uh. Yes," Erica said. "Sometimes it’s weird when you’re young and everyone else is your relative. Well, they always try to introduce us to girls our age living on other Yin civilian starships. I don't know. Somewhere along the way I decided to be a Zen Buddhist nun, and that's what I was for over a decade."

  "Wow!" Martha tilted her head with a friendly grin. "You've had quite the culture shock. One minute you’re a simple nun in a monastery then…pow! You’re back with your family and a member of its security force."

  Erica nodded.

  "I'm sorry if I upset you." Martha folded her hands under her chin. "Men and women both have said that I'm too sexually aggressive."

  "Ah." Erica shrugged. "It's okay." She sighed and looked into Martha's eyes. Erica looked down. "I wouldn't have freaked out if I wasn't enjoying it." Erica looked at her tea.

  Martha placed two fingers under Erica's chin to lift up her head. Erica noticed the waitress returning to their table. Now she wished the waitress would go away.

  "So do you ladies want any—"

  A blaster bolt blew off the top of the waitress’s head. Customers screamed and scattered. Erica stood. A girl with a short bob of green hair rushed forward with a blaster pointed at Erica's face.

  With no thought in her mind Erica's training came in. She performed an inward crescent kick where the foot came up and circled from the right to the left. Erica's foot knocked the gun out of the green girl's hand. The girl side-kicked at Erica. Erica dodged. She slammed a palm strike into the green girl's cheek. Green girl punched at Erica's face then stomach. Erica caught the second punch. She twisted green girl's wrist. Green girl snap-kicked Erica's knee and slipped away.

  The fighters circled around each other and watched how the other moved. Is she going to move this way or that way? Erica swung a roundhouse kick at the girl's knee. Green girl retreated. Erica skipped forward with a punch to the throat. Missed! Green girl kicked her in the belly. Erica heard the girl cough and gasp for air. Erica punched. Green girl slipped her head to the left to evade. Erica's foot was there. The kick knocked the green girl against a table that fell over with her.

  Green girl got back up and shook her head. She raised her face to Erica.

  "You're going die, bitch!" Green girl shouted. "And your stinking girlfriend too!"

  Green girl went after Erica with a vengeance. A dozen fast kicks were thrown at Erica. She blocked or dodged them. Erica took a few roundhouse kicks to the arms, but one got past her guarding arm to hit her ribs. Shit! A sharp pain. Did she crack a rib? Erica forced the pain out of her mind.

  She jabbed couple of times into green girl's face. She slammed a strong rear punch to green girl's solar plexus. Green girl swung a sloppy punch at Erica's face. Erica just barely saw the small knife in green girl's hand in time. Erica raised her left arm to protect. The knife blade went across missing her face. Erica attempted to crescent kick it out of green girl's hand. Her foot went through air without touching Green girl's knife hand.

  Green girl lunged at Erica's belly. Erica slipped out of the way. She grabbed the wrist of green girl's knife hand. Erica chopped with the edge of her left hand into green girl's throat. Erica put her palm on green girl's nose and pushed her head backwards. Green girl's back curved. Erica slammed her knee up to the back of Green girl's head. Erica struck the area of the brain that wasn't covered by the skull. Erica let go.

  Green girl dropped to floor. Dead.

  "Fuck!" Martha screamed. "There's more of them coming. One's the blue haired girl who attacked us earlier."

  Erica grabbed Martha's hand. As the two girls entered through the door, Erica broke out a window with a chair.

  "Come on, Martha!"

  Martha and Erica exited through broken glass. They ran to the bike. Martha started it.

  "Oh shit!"

  "What?" Martha asked.

  "I think I lost the gun somewhere." Erica couldn't remember what she had done with it. Had it just fallen out of my jacket's pocket?

  Martha zipped them out of there. She pulled into an alley. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes." Erica frowned. "Hannah had a lot of sisters and they all want you dead. Doesn't that sound kind of fishy?"

  "One of the blaster shots hit the bike," Martha said. "I think it still runs. I'm not sure what was hit. Do you know what that is?"

  "I was more interested in why those girls want to kill you?" Erica snapped. "Why, Martha? No more fuckin' games!"

  Martha blinked.

  "Well…she…they…" Martha stammered. She looked away. Martha sighed. She looked back. "I'm sorry that I've been…lying to you, Erica. I was hired to steal some important info that was in the hands of…of Pollyanna Finn."

  "Who?"

  "She's the leader of a secret order of assassins on the planet Yin," Martha explained. "She sent these assassins of hers to kill me and take back the info I stole. They're very determined. These are some very brutal and powerful people. They have blackmail info on some of your nation's most powerful politicians and businesswomen."

  "How am I supposed to believe that?" Erica snapped. "Am I supposed to take your word? Your word of honor."

  Martha turned away. She looked hurt, but Erica ignored it. She tricked me. Again and again. I fell for it. As if she really had feelings for me. She was just trying to use me to help her stay alive.

  "We need to get going before they find us," Erica said.

  Martha started the bike. "I really do have feeling for you, Erica."

  "Go. Let's just go."

  Martha tried to take off out of the alley, but a car blocked the opening. Erica glanced behind. She spied two girls walking towards them. One was blue girl and the other purple girl. Two car doors opened and two girls exited. One had red hair and the other was completely bald. No eyebrows. All the girls pulled out fighting sticks.

  Erica suddenly found herself assaulted from all sides. She was beaten down. One girl held her with a stick against the back of her neck. Erica wasn't sure which one.

  Martha screamed.

  "Martha!"

  "Stay down, bitch!" the bald girl said. "Don't worry. We'll get back to you later. By the way, my name is Sandra Brooke. I'm the bitch who's going to kill you next time we meet. Yeah. Me."

  Erica looked up at Sandra. She thought of something to say, but Sandra kicked her in the face. Everything went black.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

  Getting help from her friends

  Erica opened her eyes. Ouch! Damn!

  "Urrrrk," Erica said. She looked around. She was alone. The tires on the bike were slashed. Erica almost laughed, because she didn't know how to ride a bike by herself. There was blood on her shirt. She assumed it was from her nose. Her nose hurt pretty bad. The rest of her body felt the same. But I'm alive.

  Erica slowly stood. She located her ID card in he
r jacket. She stumbled out of the alley to call a taxi. Eventually she made it back to the spaceport security checkpoint. Erica handed her card to the security guard whose eyes were wide open.

  He scanned her card and returned it to her. "Rough night, huh?"

  "Yesss." Erica headed towards Daughter and hopefully off to sickbay.

  "Erica! What happened?" Keiko yelled. Against procedure Keiko ran out of the door help Erica inside.

  "I got beat up by four assassins," Erica said. "They got Martha. They got her, Keiko."

  "Come on." Keiko helped her inside the rocketship. "I'll call Tilly. She'll take care of you."

  "Thank you, Keiko."

  It didn't take Tilly too long to show up. Lynna was right behind her.

  "Oh Goddess! What happened to you, Erica?" Tilly said. Lynna said something similar.

  Tilly brought her quickly to sickbay and called Doctor Amy Menendez, second shift's chief surgeon. Lynna held her hand while Tilly cleaned her wounds.

  "This will heal you up, Erica," Dr. Menendez said.

  While Tilly held Erica's other hand. The doctor injected some nano serum into her arm.

  Erica's mothers: Captain Alberta Williams and Piper Williams ran into sickbay.

  "Erica!" Mother Piper screamed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

  "Erica!" Mother Alberta yelled. "Did it have something to do with that young woman who was after Martha?"

  Erica sighed. She quickly told them the story that Martha had given her about a crazy ex-wife and her sisters.

  "I told you to stay away from that woman," Mother Alberta said. "She's trouble, pure and simple."

  "Let's not get into that now, darling," Mother Piper said to her.

  "Now she's going to be fine," Doctor Menendez said to both mothers with the sound of authority that few on the ship could give to its captain. "She needs some rest for now. We'll keep an eye on her."

  Tilly nodded at the mothers.

  "I guess you can handle things, Tilly," Doctor Menendez said. "I got something I need to take care of."

  "Yes, doctor," Tilly said. The doctor left.

  "Now what in the world happened to you and Martha?" Tilly asked. "No bullshit. It's me Tilly."