We sat in the dining area off of the galley, and I grabbed beers for all of us. "Ok, Beer Summit 2775 is now in session. Today, we are going to make peace between Harrana Bloodskull and Stase Relway. Rilar and I are presiding. Now, everyone drink and loosen up a little." I ordered as I handed everyone a beer and took my seat next to Rilar. I leaned over and kissed her lovingly.
When we broke the kiss, we looked and saw Harrana smiling proudly and mom smiling in an 'awwww' sort of way.
"Mom, would you like to tell Harrana what her Humanity Prime raid got her?" I asked.
"Three days' grace period until I hunt you down." Mom said to Harrana. Harrana nodded once.
"Ok, and how about for the rescue? We were severely outmatched until she showed up." I pressed it a bit.
"Total of one week. Seven days to get as far from me as possible." Mom conceded. Harrana nodded once again.
"Now, mom. You're familiar with Harrana's targets, correct?" I asked. I knew where I would go with this.
"Yes."
"And you know she doesn't hit anyone who doesn't deserve it, right?" I had her thinking now.
"Now that you mention it, Dex, you're right. But that still doesn't excuse the two mill bounty on her head." Mom was determined.
"Mom, listen to me please. Ok? Good. Harrana is bloodthirsty. Harrana is ruthless. Harrana is also one of the most honorable people I know in this entire galaxy. She sticks by her friends, and has a habit of helping out the little guys. How much are you getting for Blood Dog?" I had her now!
"Nothing. You're getting the bounty for Blood Dog, Dex. You shot him." Mom shrugged. "As for Harrana, I concede that she's a nice person... for a pirate. But you have yet to convince me not to take the bounty on her.
"How much was the bounty on Blood Dog, mom?"
"Five million. Why?" I was stunned. I knew it had to be a lot, but FIVE MILL? Holy SHIT!
"Ok, how about we split it like this. One mill for Harrana, one mill for us, and three mill for you, mom. And you retire someplace warm and sunny. You know I worry about you hunting down pirates half your age. Look what just almost happened here!" Harrana looked like she'd just won the lotto. She knew that no matter how this played out, she was getting a million credits.
Mom looked down and sighed. She knew I had a point. "How's Gurhin this time of year?" She asked with a smile.
"Perfect as always, Mrs. Relway." Rilar smiled at her mother-in-law. "You would be more than welcome there, and if you wanted to join the Peacekeepers, my father can put in a good word for you."
Mom laughed. "Me? A cop? I think I'd prefer just sitting on the beach in a swimsuit and drink a few thousand pina coladas."
"Are you going to actually retire, Mrs. Relway?" Harrana was shocked.
Mom looked at our pirate friend. "I might as well, Harrana. I'm getting too old for this shit anyway. Dex vouches for you, and three million is more than enough to retire on. I'll do it." She drank, and so did we.
"Harrana, can you extend your protection to my mom? I would owe you huge." I smiled.
"Hell, Dex. That million credits will cover any and all debts you think you owe me, and I STILL owe you and Ri for saving my life two years ago!" Harrana laughed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to my ship and grabbing sky. I'll call in my order of Off Limits on your mom and head for the Badlands. I trust you to deposit my cut in my account."
"Go get 'em, Harrana. Free Horizons, sweetycakes!" I grinned.
"Free Horizons, Dexypoo, Ri, and Mrs. Relway." She gave us the traditional pirate greeting and farewell.
Harrana left the ship and we buttoned up to grab sky ourselves.
"Mrs. Relway, I'm so glad you're retiring. Dex wasn't the only one worried about you!" Rilar hugged mom.
"Thank you, dear. You make an honest man out of my son, you hear?" Mom was smiling with tears in her eyes. "And call me mom. You're my daughter-in-law now."
"Ok, mom. I've already started with making Dex even more honest than he already was." Rilar giggled, and so did my mom.
I looked at them both before heading to the bridge. Mom STILL had an athletic physique, in spite of her being 56 now. She wore her hair shorter than normal, and way shorter than mine, which I'd tied back in a tail again for this operation. The gray in her hair wasn't a detriment to her looks, either. Her hazel eyes and thin black eyebrows were striking when combined with her slightly lined face and sharp features.
Rilar had decided to let her hair grow out on her head and she was planning to chop her ponytail when her hair got long enough to style. I imagined her as I'd first seen her with her short white hair and how cute she'd looked. She'd adopted this more recent style for shock effect and to show that she wasn't one to fuck with. But now that everyone knew how dangerous she could be, she figured it was time for a change.
"You two go ahead and catch up. I'll grab sky and call in the kill on Blood Dog, then set course for Port Royal to get Jeka's signature on the forms." I nodded and smiled as I headed up to the cockpit.
The FTAA handled all pirate bounties for the CFC, and the recorded footage from my goggles was admissible evidence of his death.
For those who think I'm heartless for killing my own father, fuck you. He was never a father to me. He left mom to raise me alone on Heliott II. No way in hell would I give two shits, or even one shit about him. He was scum. If Harrana is one end of the honorable spectrum of pirates, Blood Dog was the other end.
As I reached the cockpit, I grabbed the com as I fired up Solar Wind and grabbed sky. I set course for Port Royal. "FTAA Administrator Jeka, this is Dex Relway."
"Go ahead, Dex. What's up?" Jeka asked. "Honeymoon over already?"
"Negative. Had to take a little side trip to New Haven. Blood Dog is dead, and I'm claiming the kill on him. I will have the footage for you when I land on Port Royal." I was a bit proud of myself.
"Holy... Are you serious, Dex?" Jeka sounded shocked.
"As a heart attack, Jeka. When we get the reward, one mill goes to Harrana, three mill goes to Stase Relway, and one goes to mine and Ri's joint account. Clearcut?" I specified everything for her.
"Diamond, Dex. You're going to have to tell me how the Galaxy's second most notorious pirate and the Galaxy's most famous pirate hunter got put on the same ticket as you for taking down Blood Dog! But until then, Jeka, out." She cut com as I entered the slipstream for Port Royal. Another long cruise, and I was tired as hell.
I walked back to the beer summit, and Ri was showing mom to her bunk. "This way, Mrs. R.. Mom." She was still getting used to calling mom MOM. I chuckled a bit.
"What's so funny, sonny?" Mom raised her eyebrow at me.
"Because half the time, I'm tempted to call you Mrs. Relway, mom." I smiled and kissed Rilar, who purred like the kitten she is.
Mom blushed at our PDA, but knew better than to say anything about it. However, she found something else to talk about, as usual.
"So, how did you figure out that your sweet best buddy loves you, Dexten?" Ugh, I hate it when she uses my full name, and she knows it. I love you, mom.
"After Jen tried to strongarm us and Ri got shot by an... overzealous jarhead, I patched her up and stroked her face. She then informed me of her feelings for me, and I realized I had the same feelings for her. I love her, mom." I admitted.
"Wait, so Jen tried to board you? When did that happen?" Mom asked. "And why?"
"A little over a week ago now, and because she was a psycho who had been obsessed with me for the last seven years since we broke up." I shrugged.
"I take it she's dead, since you refer to her in the past tense." Mom smirked.
"Yes, Mrs. R.. Mom. Jen took her own life after realizing that she wouldn't be able to kill Dex." Rilar said.
"I see. Ok, Dex. I see you're doing pretty well for yourself. Good ship. Great First Officer. You're now going to be extremely rich. What's next?" She raised her eyebrow again as we reached the guest/passenger quarters.
"First order of business after we hit Port
Royal and hand over my goggle cam footage to Jeka will be to get all of us back to Gurhin for our honeymoon and your retirement, mom." I laid out our plans for the immediate future.
"Are you two going to have an actual ceremony? You know the Confederacy doesn't recognize Gurinkan mating customs outside their own species as binding, right?" Mom pointed out the law. Shit, we hadn't thought of that!
I looked at Rilar. "Honey, do you wanna get hitched?" Yeah yeah. I know. Not the most romantic of proposals.
"If it weds us under Confederate law, yes, sek'natha. I want the whole galaxy to know you're mine." Rilar snuggled into my neck and purred contentedly.
"Then as my blushing bride, what kind of ceremony do you want, sweetheart?" I asked as I slipped my arms around her waist.
"Small. Just us and our families, Dex. Something intimate for just us." That's my girl.
"You got it, kitten. I love you." I do love her. She's gorgeous, keeps me solid, AND kicks ass.
"Dex, can I talk to you for a moment. Excuse us, Ri. I need to speak to my our boy here for a moment." I noticed that nowhere in there was a request made. That's my mom. She gives orders in the form of requests, but they're still orders.
"Sure, mom. I'll go check our weapons locker and replace what I took down there. Also, I need to get out of this TacArmor. Ugh, it's too restrictive!" She gave me a peck on the cheek and took off for our quarters.
"Ok, Dex. I know you love her, and she's about as sweet as they get. But what about making me a grandma?" Mom really wanted me and Jen to work out back in the day, since she wanted grandkids before she got too old to spoil them at Christmas.
"We're going to adopt, mom. Unfortunately, our physiologies aren't compatible for producing children, but other than that, she's perfect and you know it! I'm not going to risk our love over a need to produce a blood legacy to our family name!" I was madder than I really had a right to be, but I didn't like it when anyone questioned me and Rilar being together, especially my own mom. Humanity Prime asswipes were bad enough!
"Dex, don't get me wrong. Rilar has already been family for the last ten years. I love her as I would my own daughter. Adoption works for me, son." She smiled warmly for the first time in Lord knows how long. I smiled back and hugged her.
"Thanks, mom. Ri is the best thing to ever happen to me. She's saved my life more than anyone has a right to, and I've saved hers a few times, myself. We're perfectly compatible and she loves me in spite of myself sometimes." I had to laugh at my own assessment of our relationship.
"She's a keeper, Dexten Relway." Mom knows how much I hate my full name.
"Mom, do you have to keep using my full name? You know how much I hate it." I hated it because my father had picked it after some legendary pirate from a couple centuries back. 'Dexten Rossus' was a buccaneer who terrorized the burgeoning Confederacy for years after it was founded.
"Hey, Dex. Come on. Even though I disagree with what your father did with his life, your name is nothing to be ashamed of. It's a strong name for a strong young man. You know that as a free trader, you're only a half step from becoming a pirate yourself." Mom smirked.
"Ha ha. No. You know my rep, and I earned it all, mom." I wasn't kidding. My rep for both honesty and discretion is flawless.
"I know, and honestly I'm surprised. I remember the crap you and your friends would get into while growing up. I'm nearly as surprised now as when you joined up for the war. I... I'd been hoping you would join my crew on Avenger." I think my jaw hit the deck.
"Mom, why didn't you say anything?" I asked finally.
"You had to pick your own course, Dex. There's nothing I could have done to stop you." Mom shrugged.
"If you'd just come out and said you wanted me as your pilot, you KNOW I would have said yes in a nanosecond!" I couldn't believe her! When I'd turned 18 and went off to the Academy, I'd been hoping and praying that she would want her son as pilot of Avenger. I could fly shortly after I turned 10, and could outfly any other pilot in the galaxy at the age of 16. Mom KNEW that!
"No, Dex. I didn't." Mom looked surprised.
"Why do you think I learned to fly everything from a hoverbike up to a fuckin' battlewagon? Because I wanted to pilot Avenger, or any other ship you commanded!" I was yelling at this point. My mom has a habit of making me want to yell.
My mom then smacked me upside the back of my head. "Language, Dex!" See what I mean?
Then her tone softened. "Dex, listen to me. I knew you learned to fly because you wanted to join me in battle. I never asked because I wanted you to ask me for the pilot's slot. When you didn't, I figured that you would do a good job for the Confederate Navy. And I was right. How many bronze and silver starbursts did you earn?"
"Fifteen and twelve, mom." I replied sullenly.
"Exactly! How many other Frigate captains can claim that? Between you and Rilar, you have more medals than half the command staff at CFC!"
"Don't forget that I can run a Confederate blockade blindfolded." I bragged with a grin. Mom had heard the story several times from various sources, and it was mostly true. I'd memorized the layout of the blockade before I blindfolded myself and ran it.
Mom laughed. "I know! I've heard it from other freighter captains and from Rilar several times! Your medicinal supplies made it through to the rebels on New Athens."
It had been a humanitarian mission, and we'd gone in weapons dark as a show of good faith that we would not fire on the Confederate ships, but that in the name of decency, the rebels on the planet would have their medicine and food. We'd lost two freighters in that run, but seventeen more had made it through. Most had me on their vidscreens as I piloted Solar Wind through the blockade with a thick blindfold over my eyes. I won a lot of credits that day.
"When you heard about it, what did you think, mom?" I asked. I needed to know.
"I was proud of you, Dex. You put a lot on the line to help people for relatively little pay." She smiled.
"Mom, I made a boatload of credits from the bets, you know." I grinned.
"Somewhere just shy of thirty thousand, unless I'm mistaken." She hit it on the head.
"Yeah. Mom, I need to get back to our quarters and get changed. Ri's right. This TacArmor is getting itchy and heavy." I kissed her cheek and turned to go.
"How long until Port Royal?" Mom asked.
"Two and a half hours, mom. Don't worry. I love you!" I said as I walked towards our quarters.
"I love you too, sweety!" Mom shouted as I walked.
Once back in our quarters, I locked the door and peeled myself out of the TacArmor and realized how sweaty I'd gotten in it. I threw it in the laundry chute and went to take a shower. It had been a very long day, and I felt Rilar slip in with me as I turned on the water.
"Hi, baby." Rilar pressed her naked body against me as the water cascaded over us. She'd loosed her ponytail, and her hair cascaded around her head and body. I'd nearly forgotten how gorgeous she looked with her hair like that. It was thick, even though it was growing from an only four inch wide circle on top of her head.
"Hey, sweetheart." I took her in my arms and kissed her. "Your hair looks great like that, you know."
She blushed. "Do you really like it like this?"
"Ever since you grew it out starting when we got Solar Wind up and running." I admitted. Gurinkan hair grows quickly on their heads. When we were in, Rilar would shave her head before a two week patrol, and it would be nearly past her ears by the time we got back. It grew on average an eighth of an inch a day. When we'd gotten out, she'd tried growing her hair out all over her scalp, but it had been too hard to manage, and she didn't think she looked tough enough for her skill set. So she shaved most of it off and put the rest into her ponytail.
The only other places on her body she has hair are down her spine, and her eyebrows and eyelashes. The rest of her is completely hairless. Now she was growing the sides out on her head and is planning to chop off the tail when she has enough to style how she wants it.
&nbs
p; "Baby, what do you think about me going back to my short 'do?" She asked.
"Sweetheart, no matter how you wear your hair, you will always be perfect to me." I replied. I love her hair, her skin, her eyes, her breasts, her ass, her legs, her nose, her fangs and even her claws. She's the total package for me.
She purred when she heard that. "Dex Relway, I have a feeling we're going to make love tonight. What say you?" She grinned.
"I have a feeling you're right as usual, Rilar. I love making love to you, kitten." I grinned and kissed her passionately.
Her arms tightened around my neck and she purred even louder. The water fell over us and around us as we kissed lovingly and deeply under it. I could smell the faint scent of cherries.
We got out of the shower and towelled each other dry. As I knelt in front of her, I licked her cute pussy once and she jumped and giggled.
"Oh! Baby!" She exclaimed, a bit embarrassed at her reaction.
"It's ok, sweetheart. Mom is in her bunk and our door is loc...." Oh freakin' heck!
"MOM! Seriously, can I have at least a LITTLE ALONE TIME WITH MY WIFE?" She was standing there shaking her head and smirking.
Rilar's head whipped around and she pulled her towel up around herself and let out a REOWW! of embarrassment. I wrapped my towel around my waist.
"I was just coming over to see if you have anything to eat on this tub." My mom said.
"Galley, mom. Where we were before for the Beer Summit! Now could you please GET OUT OF OUR QUARTERS!" I shouted. Yes, I was once again pissed off at my mother. She has no concept of the word 'privacy' when it pertains to her NOT going in someplace.
"Well, do you treat all your guests this way, young man?" There she went again on her maternal discipline kick. Trying to guilt me into doing whatever it was she wanted me to do.
I sighed. "Mom, how did you unlock the door?"
She held up an electronic lockpick and smiled.
"Seriously, mom? What if we'd been in the middle of... you know?" I was getting extremely pissed off now.
"Then I would have waited patiently for you two to finish or notice I was there, whichever came first." Seriously? FUCK!
Voyages of the Solar Wind 1: A Fire in Heaven Page 13