by Jake Bible
“Break your thoughts down for me,” Osol said.
“The Tcherians were amateurs,” Sno explained. “That is one faction. The two servers in the dining room were more experienced, so they’re from a different faction. They escaped too easily to be on the low level as the Tcherians.”
“That’s two factions,” Osol said. “We thought there were more.”
“There’s at least one more,” Sno said. “Whatever faction has bought Captain Loch. That would make three. The rest of the factions are waiting for their chance to snatch Pol.”
The subject of that statement still stood in the sitting room dressed only in two towels. He looked from Sno to Osol and back before he cleared his throat and said, “Did neither of you hear me when I said I can track the moltrans residue?”
“Did you not hear me when I said you aren’t leaving this stateroom?” Sno replied.
“I do not need to,” Pol said. “All I need to do is load a bot with the protocol and that bot can handle the investigation for me. I’ll be safely here in this stateroom while data is transmitted to my implants.”
He waved both wrists and a series of complex protocols streamed across a drab green holo vid then faded back out to nothing.
“Those are not supposed to work,” Osol said.
“Please,” Pol replied.
“You can track moltrans?” Sno asked. “Seriously?”
“Get me a bot and we can go from there,” Pol said.
“I can do that,” Osol said.
“Oh, better yet!” Pol exclaimed. He was loud enough to elicit a snort and grumble from the sleeping Veben. Pol smiled over at her then returned to his excitement. “The android! The one that works for J’gorla. Yes. Get me…”
Pol snapped his fingers over and over.
“Ested,” Sno responded.
“Ested! Yes! Get me Ested!” Pol said. “The android will be much better suited to an investigation such as this.”
“I’ll ask J’gorla,” Osol said.
“Tell her,” Sno insisted. “This isn’t a choice.”
“I’ll ask,” Osol said and waved his wrist. “Give me a moment to comm her.”
“Take your moment,” Sno said. He pointed at Pol. “Go get dressed, please.”
“Sno, get the android,” Pol said as he walked to his room.
The towels fell before he reached the doors and Sno turned his eyes up to the ceiling in exasperation. Sno waited for the doors to close then caught Osol’s eye before glancing at his own room’s doors. Osol nodded at Sno to go ahead while he conversed with J’gorla on the comm.
With Pol getting dressed, Veben asleep on the couch, and Osol in a heated discussion with J’gorla, Sno opened the doors to his room and grinned at the sight he saw.
The med pod he’d insisted be installed in his room was occupied by Velly. Her eyes were blinking at him and she looked more than a bit confused. Sno closed the room doors, crossed to the med pod and unlatched the lid, letting it rise quickly so Velly could sit upright.
“A blanket or towel would be nice,” Velly said, her body completely naked. “Or even clothes.”
“Here you go,” Sno said, handing her a pile of fresh clothing.
Velly studied the clothes and pursed her lips. “You went into my quarters?”
“Not personally,” Sno replied. “One of the guards fetched these for you. We’re on lockdown in this stateroom until we reach our destination.”
“Is that so?” Velly asked as she slid out of the med pod and began to get dressed. “What if I want to leave this ship now? Are you going to stop me?”
“I’ll stop you from leaving this stateroom,” Sno said. “If you manage to get past me, then leaving the ship will be your problem, not mine. I’d think you’d want to stay after your bit of heroics back there.”
Sno watched her get dressed. Her body was incredibly tone, orange skin taut against well-formed muscles. Velly raised an eyebrow as she pulled her shirt down over her head. Sno did not look away as she then pulled on trousers, buckled them then looked around the stateroom.
“Boots?” she asked.
“Here,” Sno said and found a pair sitting by the closed doors. He handed her the boots and took a couple of steps back. “Why’d you do it?”
“I’m sorry?” Velly replied as she sealed her boots up over her ankles. “Do what, friend?”
“Chase after the woman,” Sno asked. “For that matter, why are you on this ship?”
“Our mutual friend thought you might need the help,” Velly said. “Which you do, friend. Yeah, you do.”
“Trel’ali? He sent you here?” Sno asked.
Velly didn’t answer that question except for a slight shrug. She finished with her boots and stood straight, facing Sno. Then she looked beyond him to the room’s doors.
“Can I at least leave this room?” Velly asked.
“Do you want to?” Sno countered.
Velly looked confused then a grin spread across her face.
“Agent Prime, are you hitting on me?” she asked.
“It’s Mr. Shaw,” Sno said. “And, yes. Hard to get the image of you in that dress out of my head.”
Velly stepped closer and stroked Sno’s cheek. Then she gave it a hard pat.
“Maybe later,” she said. “Although, a couple hours in a med pod does tend to get the juices flowing.”
“And you can’t leave the stateroom anyway,” Sno said.
“And I can’t leave the stateroom anyway,” Velly echoed. “Which doesn’t make this scenario creepy at all.”
Sno laughed. “I guess it’s not the best time. A raincheck when we can both enjoy each other at a more relaxed pace.”
He stepped aside and gestured to the doors.
“Are you giving up that quickly, friend?” Velly said and shook her head. “Disappointing.”
“I’m sorry…?” Sno said.
“Why would you be sorry?” Velly asked as she grabbed Sno by the buckle of his belt and pulled him to her. “Do you want to be sorry?”
Sno didn’t know how to respond to that, so he did what came naturally and put his hand on the back of Velly’s head, bringing their mouths close to each other. But he paused just before their lips met.
“You sure?” he whispered.
“Shut up,” Velly whispered back and kissed him hard.
The new clothes she’d just put on came off fast. As did Sno’s clothes. The two beings, arms wrapped about each other, lips embraced, stumbled their way around the med pod to Sno’s bed. They fell across the bedclothes and their passion built quickly. There was no need to pull back the covers; Velly and Sno did not have the patience for that.
There, on top of the bed, they took each other, tasted each other, satisfied each other. Twenty minutes, thirty, an hour passed before they were sated and came up for enough air to realize they were probably being missed. Their chests rising up and down, up and down, sweat-covered bodies entwined, Sno sighed.
“Osol is probably pissed he had to stay out there and babysit Pol,” Sno said. “And who knows what Pol has done to that android.”
“Android?” Velly asked, tracing a finger up and across one of Sno’s many scars.
“Long story,” Sno said. “What can you tell me about the woman you chased into the kitchen?”
“Business already?” Velly chuckled and sat up. She ran a hand down the inside of Sno’s thigh, but dodged his hand as he reached to pull her back to him. “The fun never lasts.”
“I think we lasted fairly long considering,” Sno said as he watched Velly get dressed for the second time. She didn’t hurry and was obviously angling herself to give Sno the best show possible. He licked his lips and realized he was starving. “Food?”
“Would love some,” Velly said. “But I’ll eat when I get to my quarters. I want to go check on my ship just in case it has been tampered with. If we need to leave this ship quickly, I want to be able to do that without exploding in the docking bay.”
Sno
laughed and began to get dressed too. “Funny.”
“My ship exploding with me in it is funny to you?” Velly asked.
“What? No. You leaving this stateroom is funny,” Sno said. “I already told you that you aren’t leaving. We’re here for the long haul.”
Velly opened her mouth to respond, closed it, opened it again then busied herself with putting her boots back on. Once they were on, she marched to the room’s doors and tried to open them. When they didn’t open, she spun about and glared.
“Sno,” she snarled. “Let me out of here.”
There was a knock at the doors.
“Hold on,” Sno called then focused on Velly. “Listen to me. You are safer here than out in the ship. Leave if you want, but I’d rather you didn’t.”
“So I can leave?” Velly asked.
“Yes,” Sno said. “But if you do leave the stateroom, then your name will be added to the suspect list. Hard for me to trust you if I don’t know what you are up to.”
“Trust me? How about me trusting you?” Velly said.
There was another knock.
“Fine,” Sno said and swiped across his wrist. The doors unlocked. “I tried.”
“You did,” Velly said as she squeezed by an irritated-looking Osol.
“What in the Hells, Sno,” Osol snapped. “Is this really the time for romance?”
“I take it when I can get it,” Sno said. “In my line of work—”
“Do not care,” Osol said. “We have bigger issues. J’gorla is dead. Ested is missing. My people have been hunting for the android for the past hour. No trace.”
“Shit,” Sno said.
24.
“Get your hands off me!”
Sno was about to ask Osol a string of questions, but a shout stole his attention. He looked passed Osol to see a wobbling Veben grabbing ahold of an alarmed and enraged Velly.
“You ain’t going nowhere, chicky!” Veben yelled. “You think I don’t know what you are? Huh? You think I can’t smell you? I knew it! I knew it back in the dining room!”
“Let go of me, you drunk old cow!” Velly shouted and tried again to wrench free of Veben’s grip. “You’ve lost your mind!”
“Hey!” Sno roared. “What is going on?”
“This woman has gone insane!” Velly shouted, still unable to pry Veben’s fingers from her arm. “Let me the fuck go!”
“V? What are you doing?” Sno asked, his hands working to free Velly as well. “Eight Million Gods dammit, V! Let her arm go!”
“No!” Veben shouted back. “I will not let this skintaker walk out of here without explaining herself!”
Veben pulled Velly close to her, their noses almost touching.
“If you are a she,” Veben hissed. “Or are you one of those that likes to mix genders? That it? You playing my Denman for a fool? You playing us all for fools? Who are you?”
“V? What is going on?” Sno asked. He shoved himself between the women and finally got Veben’s grip loose. “Talk to me.”
“Your Denman?” Velly asked. “Are you putting a claim on Agent Prime?”
“No one is claiming anybody,” Sno said.
He put a hand on Velly’s chest and eased her back a few steps. He started to do the same to Veben, but without Velly to grab onto for support, Veben almost toppled over onto her ass. Sno caught her and moved her back to the couch. He slowly lowered her into the cushions then stood back and shook his head.
“She’s gone—” Velly started.
“No,” Sno snapped and jabbed a finger at Velly. “She hasn’t gone anything. She’s drunk. I know her when she’s drunk. It’s when the honesty comes out. V? Can you tell me what you are talking about?”
“Ask her, love,” Veben said, as she sunk deep into the cushions, the back of her hand to her forehead like a melodramatic actress in the holo vids. “She is the one with the secrets to be plied. Or did you already ply them, love? Did you and your little Jirk girlfriend whisper to each other after your poorly timed rendezvous? Pol is in need of protection, love, and you get it on with the lying Jirk swift pilot. How many seats does her ship have? How many people can she really save? What is her worth to us, love? Banish her, I say. Banish her from… Banish her from… Banish…from… Snnnnnkkkkkkgggggrrrr…”
Veben’s eyes closed and she began to snore.
“And she’s out,” Sno said. He slowly turned to Velly, one eyebrow raised.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Velly said.
“I don’t care,” Osol said, punching a fist into an open palm to get everyone’s attention. “This little play of yours is over. We have real problems to deal with.”
“Hold up,” Sno said and took a step closer to Velly. “This is a real problem if it’s true.”
“And what if it is, friend?” Velly asked, defensive and close to enraged. Her eyes were wide and her skin had begun to take on a brownish tint, making the natural orange look muddied. “What if I am a Jirk? How is that a problem, Sno?”
She pointed angrily at the snoring Veben.
“She’s a Jirk and I’m watching you defend her like she was a lover.”
“Not a lover, Velly. She is as close to a parent as I have left,” Sno snapped. “She is a dear, trusted friend. A friend that would give her life for me and a friend I would give my life for.”
“A Jirk friend,” Velly insisted.
Sno didn’t respond.
“But you knew that,” Velly continued with a short, harsh laugh. “You come after me because I may be a Jirk, but you ignore the fact she is.”
“First, I didn’t come at you. V did. Second, are you a Jirk? I don’t need maybes right now, Velly. Third, I have known Veben Doab my entire life and she has been this person the entire time. Is she a Jirk? Probably, but I have never asked and she has never told me. That is her business.”
“Jirks do have to kill to take a being’s skin,” Osol interrupted. “More than her business, Sno.”
“Shut. Up,” Sno said, raising a finger towards Osol. “I am aware of how Jirks take on their new identities. But Veben has had this one for decades, possibly much, much longer. One skin taken a long time ago.” He cocked his head and stared at Velly. “How long ago did you assume this persona?”
“I’m not answering that,” Velly said. “I’m leaving.”
“No,” Osol said. “You stay right here. Having Jirks aboard changes things immensely. We’re going to have a talk before I even think of letting you go.”
“I’m leaving,” Velly stated. “I’m taking my ship and getting the Hells away from the Mip the second we are out of trans-space.”
“Again, no,” Osol said. “Sit down.” He faced Sno. “You. We need to talk. Now. This ship is falling apart and it is happening at a rate that I do not understand. Something else is going on here. My guards are reporting very odd behavior by the guests. I’d say we’re in for a coup if this was some small asteroid station or planetary outpost. But this is the GS M’illi’ped. A coup would accomplish nothing. We’re going to lay our tiles on the table and figure this shit out, Sno. Now.”
“Yes, you keep saying now,” Sno said. “I get it. Velly? Would you mind giving us a moment?”
“What? You want me to leave?” Velly asked.
“I do,” Sno said. “Would you mind? Veben’s room is free. Freshen up. Take a steam. Order new clothes on V.”
“These are new, friend,” Velly said, waving her hands over her body. “Or have you forgotten you gave them to me earlier tonight?”
“I haven’t forgotten. I do apologize for all of this,” Sno said. “I truly do and I will make it up to you.”
“She is still a Jirk, Sno,” Osol said with obvious disgust. “Never owe a skintaker.”
“Thank you for your galactic wisdom,” Sno snapped. “Velly? Please?”
“New clothes and a steam,” Velly said, giving both Sno and Osol her middle fingers. A galactic symbol no one had an issue interpreting. “Just what a girl wan
ts, right? Fucking assholes…”
Sno and Osol waited until Velly had closed the doors to Veben’s room before they both glanced at the passed-out woman on the couch.
“She’ll be out for hours,” Sno said. “Trust me.”
“I’d like to, Sno,” Osol said. “But trust is hard to come by tonight. Wouldn’t you say?”
“I decided to trust you, didn’t I?” Sno replied. “I have my reservations, but I’m usually very good at seeing who is and who isn’t my ally.”
“Reservations?” Osol asked as he sat down in a chair across the room from Veben and her sleeping couch.
“I’d be an idiot not to,” Sno said, taking a chair across from Osol. “But there have been more than a few opportunities to kill me and take Pol this evening. You have ignored all of those and remained here to help. That says something.”
“Was you going into your room with Ms. Tarcorf a test, Sno? Leaving me alone out here with your friends to see if I’d make a move?” Osol chuckled. “Were you watching a holo while also romancing Ms. Tarcorf?”
“I can multi-task, but not that well,” Sno said. “I placed a tracker on Pol as well as a simple alert on his doors. Basic protocol considering.” Sno nodded at the doors to Pol’s room. “He has stayed in there since we returned and those doors haven’t opened.”
Sno brought up a holo of his tracking protocol which showed a large schematic of the ship. The image zoomed in to the stateroom they sat in then centered on Pol’s room. A flashing icon showed Pol to be in his bed.
“The old man must be exhausted,” Sno said. “And I’m surprised V lasted as long as she did. Field work like this is trying even on trained agents.”
“Trying on us all,” Osol said and spread his hands out. “So, where does this leave us?”
“This leaves us with what we know,” Sno said. “The SSD suspected a mole. I believe the breach was on my end with the corruption of my house AI. However, I cannot be for certain of that. I am rarely assigned a mission by the Head of Fleet Intelligence himself. I met Velly Tarcorf on Egthak during a mission that went very wrong. There is a freelancer by the name of Trel’ali that is involved, as well.”