by Johnny Stone
That’s because John didn’t judge us; he didn’t call us ugly, or pathetic, or worthless, or make fun of us. But then again, you were all those things before I came along, weren’t you? I saved us! I was the strong one! You’re nothing without me! You never have been, and never will be.
I don’t care what anyone says, even if I did have the courage to tell them that I had feelings for a synthetic; John had been there for me during some of the darkest moments of my life and I’ll never forget that. That’s more than I can say for most people.
Of course, I couldn’t tell Nathan the truth, and it would be my burden to live with. Knowing what I do about him, he just wouldn’t understand.
What’s one more lie in a lifetime full of lies? Do it, he’ll only laugh at you like all the others if you tell him the truth.
It had taken a lot of sweet-talking, pouting, and even an uncommon, naughty temper tantrum before Nathan finally started taking the idea of going after my ship seriously, but in the end it was finally settled. We were going after my beloved ship, The Space Tramp, and it was end of story as far as he was concerned. In truth, I did want my ship back, I’d put a lot of money into that rust bucket over the years, and it was the one thing in the world that I could truly call mine.
Nathan still wasn’t keen on the idea and I can’t blame him; we were taking a huge risk to recover an out of date freighter that could easily be replaced by a newer and much nicer model. He offered to buy me a new one, what a sweetheart, but you can’t put a price tag on sentimental value, or the fact that recovering my ship was a secondary objective when compared to my covert thirst for revenge.
I’m crying again, dammit, and I wiped away a tear from the slow burning snarl on my face that could freeze blood if given the chance.
I’m going to hurt them, Margo. I’m going to make them suffer and bleed for taking our ship! I’m going to gouge out their eyes for selling us into slavery! I’m going to look into their face and smile when they breathe their dying breath.
Don’t worry, John, wherever you are. I’ll make Quinn pay for what they did to you – for what they did to the both of us.
Chapter Two
It was mid-morning by the time Nathan and I finished loading the last of our gear, most of it military in nature, into his private jump shuttle. It was a Daimler Nova SL, a variant of their executive series, designed to carry a total of four passengers and two crewmembers. The Nova was top of the line as far as personal spacecraft went, coming standard with a wet bar, whirlpool, and a full service galley so a personal chef could prepare nothing but the best food for its owners. The debutantes of society couldn’t be expected to dine solely on replicator food, now could they? It’s no surprise that Nathan had removed these plush, creature-comfort amenities right after purchasing it.
I wouldn’t say Nathan is spoiled compared to how much money his family actually has. From what I had seen thus far, his shuttle was about the only thing that would come close to it in my opinion. It reminded me more of a big kid’s toy, and the changes he’d made to it over the years reflected his personal tastes: a personal gym, a small den for watching movies, and a holographic display shooting range. And Nathan wouldn’t be Nathan if he didn’t give it a serious weapons upgrade, along with an enhanced armor and shield package – better safe than sorry, and you can never have too much firepower in the event that the shit hits the fan.
A friendly call from behind made me smile, and I quickly walked across the landing grid to greet Donna and Cirus. Donna looked like she was in one of her ‘happy’ moods at the moment, radiant and very pregnant. As always, it was hard to keep my grin from turning into outright laughter when I saw her. It wasn’t that I was laughing at her, but I sure as hell did laugh right along with her. She was so upbeat and still a little simple minded, making every expression, every gesture, every over-anxious word all the funnier. On the reverse, she still ‘freaked out’ every so often, growing dark and serious, contemptuous and mean to all the old slaves and outright deadly if you knew what to look for. It was on days like that when she went to the shooting range and wouldn’t come back until late that night. We all pretty much learned to leave her alone when she was like that, even Cirus. The only person she would willingly associate with was Nathan. To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure if I really liked the ‘old’ Donna all that much; at times like that she reminded me of every other snobby, nose in the air Landowner on Slave World.
It still felt a bit weird for me being around Cirus; we did have sex after all, and I might have enjoyed it, just a little. Okay, maybe a lot, and feel ashamed that I occasionally think about breeding day, or our shower sex in the stables. Love and lust are two completely different animals as far as I’m concerned, but unfortunately the animal in me is always in lust; it’s the way I’m engineered now, and in a very literal sense. I had to bite my lip to hold back a spirited whinny when I saw him, an open invitation for sex that only another pony would understand. It’s not my fault I can still smell the stallion in him, and it didn’t help matters that he’s a sexy, square-shouldered piece of eye-candy.
Even if I was so inclined, not to mention available, Cirus was actually a good boy now. He is totally devoted to Donna, no more screwing around, much to the disappointment of more than a few of the old ponygirl slaves that still worked at the ranch. It did seem like he avoided me on purpose whenever he could help it and it was probably for the best on both our parts; you should never tempt a sinner, and I was running around in my birthday suit all the time. My new flight suit wasn’t much different than being naked – light gray synthetic material that molded to every curvy contour, making it nearly translucent depending on how the light struck it. It was no surprise when Cirus started acting a little squirrelly, looking at me but not really looking at me, if you know what I mean.
Look at him, he could pole-vault with that hard-on locked up in his pants, and it’s all because of me. Why he stays with that dingy cunt Donna, is beyond me.
“Hi, Margo!”
“Hi, Donna, Cirus.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave. Are you sure you and Nathan won’t stay, at least for a little while longer?”
“I’m sorry, Donna, but this is something we have to do. I lost my ship once, and I don’t intend on losing it again.”
Donna looked thoughtfully down at her feet, nodding slowly, and I had the impression she didn’t quite grasp what I was talking about. Her smile returned when Nathan appeared at my side, not as joyful as before, and seemingly forced.
“Don’t worry, sis, everything will be fine,” Nathan said cheerfully, slipping his arm around my waist. “Once we get Margo’s ship, we’ll be back. I have every intention of being around when my nephew is born.”
Nathan’s light-hearted mood did nothing to comfort Donna, she started to cry. Now why did that annoy the hell out of me? I know she has problems because of her accident, not to mention all that neural inhibitor crap Michael had been feeding her over the years; she couldn’t help her condition or what happened to her any more than I could, but you don’t see me crying, do you? Well, maybe you do, but I’d been a slave for Christ’s sake! And so what if Nathan had been her nurse maid for years and this would be the first time he’s away for an extended period of time. She had Cirus now and there was still Tiff, right? Donna would be fine. Now if I could just convince Nathan of that.
I frowned, turning shamefully away, wondering why I was being such an insensitive bitch all of a sudden. Great, now I feel guilty; the sooner our departure authorization comes through, the better.
Either way I’ve always hated good-byes and this one was one was turning out to be sad and painfully long, not to mention increasingly uncomfortable for me. Donna wouldn’t stop crying, while Cirus did his best to comfort her, and Nathan looked like he was starting to have second thoughts about leaving, again. As for me, I waited on the sideline with my proverbial thumb up my butt, growing more guilt-ridden, irritated, and anxious.
Finally! N
o sooner did the controller’s voice from Port Central cut into my internal ear mic; I was jogging towards the shuttle with a tight-lipped smile and a hasty ‘bye’ in my wake. I did pause at the shuttle hatch ramp for a moment, looking up at the twin suns one last time before turning my back on home. It would be nothing but starlight and tasteless, purified air for the next week until reaching Morgan’s Star. Not that things would be any better after that.
Morgan’s Star was nothing more than a giant, hollowed out rock; a planetary scale mining operation that had run its course, abandoned long ago to become a neutral trading port for the Cartels. It was hard not to laugh at that one – neutrality between the Cartels – what a joke. It was a fragile thing at best, and being confined underground in close proximity was the perfect catalyst for a bloodbath. If things went according to Nathan’s plan, all we would have to do is sit back and watch the shooting match run its course before moving in to clean up the mess.
I passed through the double airlock doors and shivered, nipples growing instantly hard in the chilly, 70º low humidity air.
“Burrr… it’s cold in here! Settle down girls, or you’re going to poke out an eye doing that,” I chuckled softly, playfully swatting at one of my breasts, making it jiggle. Mmmm… I like that. I really wish Nathan enjoyed slapping; I missed it. Oh well, enough pouting over lost loves, there’s work to be done.
This was only the second time I’d been inside Nathan’s shuttle and it still came as a bit of a pleasant shock, as I made my way down the surprisingly wide corridor that split the shuttle down the centerline. It’s hard not to admire the elegance of a ship like this I thought, while running my fingers across the mahogany paneled bulkhead, and I couldn’t wait to try the bed for the first time.
Nathan had recently replaced his old one with a spare from the main house, a king-sized Imperial Comfort memory gel deluxe. Now that was luxury. Imagine the sensation of floating, of sleeping on a cloud, similar to a sensory deprivation chamber – zero stress on the body, while continually evaluating the occupant’s comfort level. It also had a noise and light dampening system that created a bubble around the bed, blocking out any disruptive, outside stimuli. There could be a wild party going on five feet away and you would never even know it unless you opened your eyes.
I entered the cockpit, squinting against the glare of the outside world streaming in through the view-screen, sinking in to the overly padded pilot’s seat, strapping in. My hands and eyes began to roam across the controls, familiarized myself with them one last time before liftoff.
“Alex, start the pre-launch checks and give me a system status when finished.”
“Yes, Captain, all systems green awaiting your command. Be advised there is a minus .14 percent deficiency in cabin pressure due to a slight deformation in the hatch sealing mechanism, compensating life support controls now. I also estimate an eleven-percent decrease in lift and maneuvering capability due to unanticipated cargo weight. Captain, I also feel it is my obligation to inform you that you are currently overweight based on the standard body mass to weight index for a female of your stature.”
I snorted, shaking my head. Whatever… Maybe if Alex, the ship AI, had a pair of tits like mine I wouldn’t be listening to some garbage about my ‘fat to body weight ratio’. What does he think they’re made of? And where in the hell did Nathan get this AI, anyway? He was an odd one, different than what I was used to dealing with as far as civilian models go. Hell, he almost fried my ass with the ship security system the first time I sat down in the pilot’s seat, that in itself was scary, since he seemed more than willing to violate his core directives in regards to endangering a sentient life form to protect the shuttle. Apparently he hadn’t been sure whether to classify me as human or not. It was just a good thing that Nathan had been on board at the time, or he would be minus one pony girlfriend at the moment.
Nathan settled into the co-pilot seat next to me, slipping on sunglasses, grinning from ear to ear.
“You heard Alex, guess I’ll just have to work some of that fat off you before we reach Morgan’s Star.”
“I bet you will, Master,” I smirked playfully.
Smart-ass… I was in the best shape of my life, and Nathan knew it. One thing I could honestly say is that he was never easy on me when it came to my pony training.
“Downloading navigational data from Port authority. Atmospheric drive at 99.78 percent, engaging—”
“Stand down, Alex; I’ll be taking us out on manual.”
I turned my attention back to the array of sensor banks, gripping the control stick in my hands. The visor of my flight helmet slid down locking into place, and a heads up display from the nav-computer shimmered to life.
“Captain? I’ve been told you’re an experienced pilot, but I can do this much more efficiently. I estimate an 8.56 percent-”
“Leave her alone, Alex.” Nathan’s deep, yet soft voice tickled my brain through the earphones of my helmet. “You will follow her orders as if they were mine, without question. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mr. Burke, releasing manual override at this time.”
Goose pimples bristled to life, running up and down my skin, followed abruptly by a tingly sensation ending between my thighs. I don’t think I could have stopped my eyes from wandering to the bulge between Nathan’s legs if I tried. I couldn’t help it! I loved hearing him talk like that, not to mention he still wouldn’t tell me the exact details of his new ‘augmentation’. Damn… three whole days without sex because he wanted to surprise me during the trip. Well, the waiting was definitely taking its toll on me. Nathan was horny; I could smell it seeping from his pores and it made me even wetter, as if I needed help in that department after hearing that sexy bedroom voice of his. Maybe I should let Alex take us out on autopilot? All I could think about at the moment was stripping down and-
“Sorry, but Alex is used to doing all the piloting. That’s one thing I could never get the hang of. Something wrong, hon? We have clearance for lift off.”
Shit, I was still ogling his crotch, daydreaming, fantasizing…
“No, nothing’s wrong, just…thinking is all,” I said quickly going back to my controls, cheeks burning. I licked my lips a bit too anxiously, trying to concentrate on the job of getting us airborne.
“Engaging lift thrusters.”
A slight tremor surged though the shuttle, and the artificial horizon in my display indicated we had a clean lift off from the landing grid. Our elevation and speed increased, as the shuttle’s nose drifted slowly upwards towards the downloaded flight path from port navigation. Damn, it felt good to be flying again! Our altitude continued to increase, and the jungle landscape began to blur beneath us.
“Captain, we have multiple air defense weapons currently tracking us.”
“What!”
A hauntingly familiar dump of adrenaline hit me like a cold shower, and I instinctively pushed the stick over hard, rolling the shuttle on its side, diving for the treetops at maximum acceleration. The other Landowners wouldn’t dare think of trying to take Nathan out like this, would they? I quickly brought up the data and sure enough there was no less than twelve different weapons systems currently tracking us, four of them with target lock – they were smart-missile batteries.
I’m back, assholes! See how easy that was? You just sit back and cower like you always did in the past, and let me take care of this.
“Charge weapons and divert all reserve power to defense screens!”
I pulled out of my dive at the last second in a gut retching maneuver, and the g-forces pushed me deep into my seat. It was a standard maneuver designed to evade incoming missiles, and I’d done it more times than I cared to remember in the past. Sensors indicated that we were skimming the treetops, only two meters above them, at nearly a thousand kilometers per hour. Damn, this little shuttle has some balls to it! I throttled up, pushing our speed even faster.
“What the hell are you doing?” Nathan blurted excitedly, with a wh
ite-knuckle grip on the armrests of his chair. “I almost had to clean out my shorts after a stunt like that.”
“We’re about to be shot down and I’m saving our asses, that’s what I’m doing!”
“Shuttle B-574, return to your designated flight path and reduce air speed immediately- you are approaching a populated area!” The woman’s voice from Port Central blared suddenly in my earphones, sounding both frightened and surprised.
“Go fuck yourself!”
You want to play games with me, do you? You want to go toe to toe with Venom, you fucking pricks? Well take this!
My thumb depressed the firing stud on the side of the stick, launching a barrage of homing, emitter missiles.
Why aren’t they firing! Invalid command; system locked out? What the…
A large break in the jungle with a sprawling plantation was approaching fast, no more than three kilometers ahead. The shuttle began to buck, smashing its way through the dense atmosphere. A sonic boom from breaking the sound barrier following in its wake, smashing the treetops below in a violent explosion of shattered branches and leaves. The read out in my display indicated our air speed had just passed the thirteen hundred-kilometer per hour mark.
We were only seconds away from flying over the plantation, and I could see a score of unidentifiable people pointing upward in our direction through the enhanced view display of the cockpit view screen. They began running for cover, but it wouldn’t do them a damn bit of good in a few moments.
“Alex, command override, get us back on course, now!” Nathan shouted, and I felt the controls become unresponsive in my hands. The shuttle pulled up and to the left suddenly in another gut-wrenching maneuver, immediately slowing.
“Give me back control, Nathan, they’re trying to kill us!”
“No they’re not, it’s just their way of messing with me. They pull this kind of stuff every time I fly.”