The Space Pirate 1 (6 page)

Charley slid into the driver’s seat and accelerated into a lazy circle, waiting for the dogs to arrive. The sudden movement of the speeder didn’t deter them - if anything they quickened their pace. A speeder’s exhaust could be choked using the flap toggle on the dashboard. Hoping she didn’t stall completely, Charley choked the bulb hard, then opened all cylinders suddenly. The leading dog was engulfed in a spear of flame that set it on fire. It was surreal to watch the burning dog as it hounded across the pan, slowing with every step. Two other dogs got the same fiery treatment. Charley lowered her targeting visor and made sure of the remaining dogs. Rumor had it that some of the local governors on Abeyas paid bounties for devil dog pelts. They had proved themselves to be a menace for garbage barges and water handlers alike.

Charley knew that Boss Pete often paid small bounties for corpses that some gangs were lucky enough to come across on the edge of town.

Sweating under the sun, Charley simply lopped the dogs’ heads with her saber and piled them into a Hessian sack. She figured the heads would be adequate replacements for pelts. Feeling incredibly good about her day’s work, Charley continued into the western sunset, eager to reach Zeba before nightfall.

The town was looming on her just as the sun had gone and left a pink horizon. The first building Charley saw was the huge, monstrous hull plating factory to the south east of Zeba itself. Raw minerals were mined in the Dusty Mountains and transported to the factory for shaping. This was the place that produced most of the toxic waste that was transported via garbage barge to Sandflower Downs. A large, droning barge actually passed close to Charley’s speeder as she cut close to the factory. She waved at one of the barge operators but received a rude gesture in return. Perhaps the company had received word on what had happened at the other end of the line. Maybe Van had already put a bounty on Charley’s head? It would probably help to lay low once in town. Charley gave the intimidating factory a wide berth. Even so, she marveled at the glimpse of huge towers of flame inside the cavernous building. Apparently the factory produced poor quality hullage for low level trader vessels and private speculators. Hardly one of the jewels in the Abeyas crown but it was relatively big business for the surrounding region. The governor of Zeba was a renowned germaphobe and insisted on spending extra credits on sending the toxic waste over to Charley’s feral home town.

An afternoon breeze licked at Charley’s blond hair as she approached the town limits. She entered an untidy district characterized by low slung prefab housing and dubious drinking holes. The center of the trading hub was awash with color and movement. Traders and entrepreneurs came from all over the region to buy and sell wares above and below the table. Since the collapse of the Empire the trade of illegal goods had flourished, allowing many to make their fortune in taboo items, including people. Charley slowed down and inched her way through the crowd, just happy to watch the exotic flow of people around her.

Right in the center of town the bustle of people was too great to move any further. Charley sighed and pulled into a plush-looking hotel. Well, as plush as any Zeba had to offer in any case. It was probably a clean, three star affair. Not bad for this part of the salt pans. Spacetown far to the east probably had a few five star hotels, but reaching that place seemed far beyond Charley’s means at that moment.

She killed the prop bulb, knowing she would no longer be able to use the speeder. The terrible smell in the back was the sack of dogs’ heads. Charley was disappointed to find that in the extreme heat they had all congealed into a bloody mess. She tossed the sack to the curb in disgust.

Gathering her equipment, she strolled into reception as if she did it every day. The truth was her heart was pounding with excitement. A girl could get use to this kind of life!

The concierge looked at Charley doubtfully.

“May I help you, Miss?”

“I’d like a room for the night, please. And a recommendation for spa treatment.”

Charley found herself saying the words before she could stop them. You only live once, right? She’d endured too much hardship to let her first night of freedom slip by with barely a ripple. Besides, she was hot, dusty, and in need of serious pampering.

The concierge looked at Silverton’s corpse with a frown. Oh, fuck …

“My uncle is passed out,” she said brightly. “Too much Borvian cognac this afternoon.”

“He can’t stay there,” the concierge said with a note of panic. Charley could just tell he saw her as a real problem. Which was probably true.

“I’ll be right back,” Charley promised, backing away from the front desk. She had to move and move fast. The first thing she did was grab Silverton’s body and sling it over her shoulder. Man, he was heavy. She wouldn’t be able to hold him for long. Plus, there was always the chance someone would spot his grievous wounds and take further interest.

Charley headed north along the sidewalk and was about to drop Silverton when a pestering street urchin gave her an idea. She flicked the gangly kid a credit bit and asked him to carry the body. The boy did as he was told, wrinkling his nose at the old pirate’s disgusting smell. Luckily he asked no questions.

“Take me to the nearest locker service,” Charley commanded, trying to sound like she was loaded with funds. Not so easy to do when all she had on was a simple linen shift that screamed ‘Sandflower Downs’.

Charley breathed easier when she saw the locker kiosk wasn’t far. She gave the street urchin another credit bit and lay Silverton against a wall of lockers. She paid five bits for three days and shoved Silverton into locker 435. She was terrified someone would see her but the kiosk frontage was mostly opaque to the street outside.

Glad that locker services were now completely automated, Charley made her way down a smoky alleyway, looking out for a particular symbol. She’d been walking for several minutes when she saw it - the universal symbol for miscellaneous shoe repair. Everyone knew what they really offered - code jacking in all its forms. From your grandmother’s safe box to the armory on the abandoned police cruiser you found under the bridge downtown, these guys knew how to jack anything.

A disheveled man turned his attention to Charley from behind an armored plexiglass counter.

“I got a DB4 overland speeder,” she said carefully.

“That’s nice,” came the growled reply. “Is it yours?”

“I’ve forgotten the code,” Charley said stupidly.

“Of course you have,” the jacker said. “That’ll cost you extra. Where’s the vehicle?”

“Out front of La Bonita.”

The jacker gave a low whistle. “Visible,” he observed before looking her up and down. “How you gonna pay for this?”

“You can have the speeder,” Charley said, unwilling to part with any of her weapons. That would be foolish in a town such as this.

“Alright,” said the jacker suspiciously. “I’ll slice in and get out quick. For sight unseen, in a public place, all I’m gonna offer is 285.”

Charley frowned. She couldn’t begin to pin an accurate price on the speeder, but she was expecting something in the thousands at least. Still, she was asking this jacker to do something quickly in a highly visible place. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she was used to being a beggar. The credits would be enough for a spa treatment and two days at the hotel …

“Ok,” she said uncertainly. “Go do your thing.”

The jacker counted out a roll of credit bits and made Charley show him exactly where the speeder was. She left him to it, having no interest in how successful he was in accessing the vehicle. She just wanted it gone. Not for the first time she wished she had enough cash to have him jack that speeder for her and not for himself.

She tried to forget about it as she approached the concierge for a second time.

“My driver’s taking care of things,” she said lightly. “Two nights please.”

The concierge looked a little nervous but accepted Charley’s money. Feeling a little better about things, Charley stepped into an old drop shaft and made her way to room 909.

It was a basic room - single bed, holo unit (with Nex of course), shower block in the corner. The walls were cracked and the smell was a little musty. The view through the grimy window was of a multi-level speeder lot. Despite all this, Charley savored the experience of being free from the cramped tin shack she usually called home. And, up until lately, whatever warm pile of garbage she could find. This room was utterly palatial compared to her life at Sandflower Downs. And she had it to herself for two whole days. Charley jumped up and down, hugging herself with excitement. The glowing lights of the speeder lot outside her window reminded her that night had fallen and it was time for good soak. She pressed the com button by the bed and talked directly to the concierge on the ground floor.

“Know a good spa house nearby?”

“Green Tea House,” came the reply after a moment. “Just head north down Bazaar Avenue.”

10

Charley took a quick shower to freshen up. Before long she was breezing through the night market on Bazaar Avenue, feeling fresh and alive.

It had been a long day. Whatever guilt she felt about spending the rest of her hard earned money on a spa house dissipated when she saw the elegant building come into view. It was laced with cool green lanterns and looked very welcoming indeed. The building had the sloping eaves of the old Tao style. Charley could never have believed that other people and cultures would want to make their way to Abeyas.

With growing excitement, Charley stepped up to the front desk and smelled a number of different fragrances.

The old matron at the desk smiled and commented that she looked like a weary traveler. Charley gladly paid for a full treatment and was sent to a locker room to prepare. She stowed her sword, pistols, targeter and pirate pellets, making sure she was alone as she did so.

Charley padded down a corridor to a private spa room. The first spa phase was cold plunge. She removed her clothes, leaving them on the wooden decking. In complete silence she stepped into the neck-high pool, gasping at the cold. She stayed there until a gong sounded somewhere, then moved into the second pool. The tepid water made her giggle, especially as bubbles were pumped randomly via jets underneath the surface. After the second gong she moved languidly to the third pool, which was covered in soapy bubbles. She slid in with a beaming smile - this water was piping hot and scented with sandalwood, lavender and rose.

She luxuriated in the pool for several minutes before the curtains parted by the pool and two figures walked in. The male just wore a thong. The female wore a thong and bikini. For a moment they stood there, and Charley realized she needed to choose. She wasn’t in the mood for the intrigue of sexual tension. She was weary in her bones and needed some sisterly love. She pointed to the female. The man nodded reverently and retreated behind the curtains. The female walked around the edge of the pool and stood behind Charley. She couldn’t see what the testuon, or leisure professional, was doing, but she heard the bikini and thong drop to the wooden floorboards.

Charley felt a nice thrill as the testuon slid in behind her, pressing her ample breasts against her back. Her nipples felt light and arousing as they moved steadily across her back. The testuon gripped Charley’s shoulders and rubbed slowly but firmly, easing all the heat and pain from Charley’s tired muscles.

Charley leaned back and enjoyed the massage, losing herself in the cool glow of the lantern in the corner. The overall ambiance was one of soothing life and harmony, and Charley felt herself slip into deep relaxation. She realized at that moment that she’d done the right thing and would have no regrets. It would’ve been so depressing to spend her first night of freedom alone in her hotel room. As if to emphasize the point, the testuon moved her hands around to Charley’s breasts.

Charley groaned, widening her legs involuntarily. What this woman had that most men lacked was patience. She knew how to take her time and not change position every minute. She worked her fingers like a true professional. For her part, Charley loved having her body rubbed like that and made a mental note to encourage all future lovers to learn this technique. Slowly and inevitably the testuon’s fingers moved lower to Charley’s abdomen, lovingly stroking the taut muscles there. Charley felt a tingle between her legs as the testuon moved to her hip handles too, gripping and squeezing them with increased pressure.

Finally, the testuon worked her fingers in between Charley’s legs. Charley felt a growing tide of release, working herself up to a throbbing orgasm right there in the hot pool. The testuon didn’t leave immediately, instead rubbing Charley’s shoulders while she enjoyed two or three ripple orgasms. Charley wasn’t sure if she’d ever been as happy as she currently was. When she finally opened her eyes the testuon had gone. All that was left was the cooling water, a room full of steam, and that glowing lantern in the corner. Sighing, Charley collected her clothes and was soon standing in the street. With a strangely heavy heart she walked back through the glittering, noisy night market and resolved upon getting some sleep before hitting the town early in the morning. She slept more soundly than she had for many, many months.

The next morning dawned hot and bright. Charley could feel the heat in her room and guessed that a three star hotel didn’t cover air cooling. Within twenty minutes she was out on the street with all her weapons. She’d had her fun in the spa house - now it was time to turn some coin. If she could. She wasn’t sure how easy it would be to break into the intricate business network of Zeba. She guessed she would need to start at the bottom level. She only had one more night at the hotel and would be out on the street in no time. Her primary objective was to secure a vehicle for as long as it took her to travel to the Dusty Mountains and locate Silverton’s loot cache.