To Love A Space Pirate (11 page)

Chapter 11

Bork’s ship made a second pass around the small planet of Niro in the Nebula Sector. For nearly a week he had been searching the system for any sign of the missing Tarwick ship and its pilot. In his opinion, either the ship had been stolen and hidden away or had been vaporized.

“Let’s move out farther to the edge of the sector,” he gave the order to move the ship. “There has to be something we are missing. This is the last known area of the transmission sent from that blasted ship.”

Bork watched as the ship steered away from the brown planet. There was no point in sending down a search party to Niro since the human would not have been able to survive the hostile environment it offered. Chances are the ship would have burned up as it descended through the thin atmosphere. Most of Tarwick’s transports were the top of the line delivery vessels, but there were some smaller ones that needed updating in the worse way. Several of the ships he raided over the years informed him of this need and gave him the knowledge of which ships were the easiest of prey.

His ship, The Yanazo, was his prized possession. It had taken him more than two dozen years to get a ship like this one. Hard work and too many raids to count, allowed him to custom build the ship of his dreams. Able to hold over five hundred passengers, he only housed a crew of about forty. It didn’t take many to run and maintain a ship this size, and he didn’t enjoy having to pay for more crew than what was necessary.

Most of his crew had been with him since the early years of his pirating. A few had come along years later either by abduction or contracts. Those taken by abduction often gave up trying to escape and finding their way home. Some he had threatened with the lives of their families if they ever succeeded in escaping and returning home. Over the last ten years, he had two abductees escape, and that was two too many! One he was able to trace back to the planet he originated from and kill him. The second, a Tarwick employee, still evaded him to this day. Carden Swien was either dead or hiding in a faraway place. Bork hoped to one day catch the Kiot and make good on his promise to kill him.

“Sir, we are reaching the edge of Nebula.”

“Slow ahead,” he called out. The viewing screen at the front of his ship allowed him to see everything coming at them. The Nebula Sector was a vast area and searching it for a tiny ship was proving nearly impossible.

That damned Gunyo was pestering him for news. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t find the fucking thing! Another day to two and he was going to tell the bastard the ship was nowhere to be found. The company and the father of the missing human would just have to come to grips with the reality the ship was gone.

As he stood studying the surrounding area, he noticed something off in the distance reflect light from the sun housed in the center of the sector. What were the chances it was something off the ship he was looking for? It would be stupid for him to pass it up.

“Over there to the right.” He pointed to the object on the screen. “Get us in as close as you can.” He waited impatiently as the ship slowly closed the distance to the object. The closer they got, the more he could tell it was a piece of metal floating aimlessly in space. “Ready the retractable arm.”

The ship powered down to nearly a complete stop. The tumbling metal appeared to be scorched and had jagged edges. Something worth investigating.

Bork took over control the retrieving arm. He maneuvered the claw over the piece of metal then clamped down on it. The arm slowly brought the object inside the empty cargo bay. As soon as the bay was pressurized again, he went to see what it was. Several of his men were working to set the large fragment down on the floor before releasing it from the grips of the arm.

“Can you tell me anything about it,” he asked as he entered the bay.

“It’s definitely part of a ship, but which one, I don’t know yet.” The three-eyed Habinor commented as he stepped out of the way of hanging object. “It looks as if it was blasted. See the scorch marks? That normally happens when a ship is blown apart in space.” The man ran a hand over the black lines covering all the edges of the metal.

Bork stepped up close to the retrieved fragment. His one eye focused in on the writing he could see further down on the piece. Wires hung freely from the inside of the wall. It appeared to be a piece from a cockpit. Bits and pieces of computer equipment were still intact on the wall, though, badly burned and melted. Whatever destroyed the ship had incredible force.

“I want all this checked then recheck. See if it contains any stored information. I want a report within two hours!” He dished out his orders then left the cargo bay. He would leave his men be to run the diagnostics and search for the information he was seeking. There had to be something there he could use to identify the ship the fragment came from.

It wouldn’t surprise him if the piece came from a ship missing long ago or from another sector. The gravitational pull of the sun in the Nebula Sector was strong and often pulled in other objects floating freely in space. Things happened to ships all the time out here, so he wasn’t hoping for any good news about this piece. This was the first real chance of finding something useful.

Before the two hours was up, Bork was heading to the cargo bay area. He was anxious to know what his man might have been able to find out.

“Anything,” he asked as he came up behind the crew chief.

“I think you are going to love this, captain.” The chief clicked away on his portable keyboard until a screen above his head flicker to life. A fuzzy, static-filled picture came from the video. “Just a second.” He tapped away again until a clearer picture came into focus.

“Is that who I think it is,” Bork asked the chief.

“Carden,” chief responded.

“Well, I will be a son of a bitch! What the fuck is he doing on this ship?” Bork studied his escaped crew member with total interest.

“It’s from the ship we have been looking for, sir.”

Bork’s one eye turned to his crew member. “Are you fucking serious?”

“I am dead serious sir. I was able to pull some of the files from the ship’s computer system that is somehow still attached to that piece of metal over there.” Chief pointed to the burnt object in question.

“You mean to tell me we found something from the Tarwick ship missing?” He may be a pirate, but he was still amazed how often he and his crew were able to find missing things in the vastness of space.

“Yes, sir, captain. It seems as if this little beauty survived the explosion Carden hit it with. It took some doing, but I was able to get a few segments of the stored video before it was blown up. Care to view them all?”

Bork nodded his head in excitement. “Yes, yes! Of course! Play them!”

The segment of the video showed the human female as she slept in her pilot’s chair. There was a loud noise right before the video blacked out. It resumed a few minutes later and revealed several men boarding the Tarwick ship and standing in front of a closed door.

“That must be the cargo bay door,” Bork said. “Those small ships like that do not have a lot of room. Usually just a small cockpit and cargo hold.”

The video fuzzed out again only to come back into focus as Carden was seen carrying the unconscious human out of the hold and back onto his ship. At least now he knew the human female wasn’t dead. As for the cargo, Carden either took it or blew it up with the rest of the ship.

“Anything else,” he asked his chief.

“No. The video stops right there, so I am assuming the ship was destroyed shortly after he took her off.” The chief pressed one button on the keyboard and the video shut off.

“Send the video to my computer. I want to send it to that fucking idiot Gunyo.”

“Sure thing, captain.”

Bork left the cargo hold with a smile on his face. He now had evidence of the human being kidnaped by no other than his former crew member. Carden was trouble from the first time he took him on board his ship. He should have killed the bastard as soon as Tarwick refused to pay the ransom he demanded. Apparently, Carden had turned pirate himself and was raiding ships in his territory! The Kiot would pay dearly for invading his space and taking what should have been his in the first place!

He entered his private quarters and set up the link to contact Gunyo. It took several long minutes for the man in question to answer the call, but when he did, Bork wanted to put his fist through the video screen.

“You had better have good news, Bork!” Gunyo barked at him.

How he hated the idiot on the other end of the screen. If it weren’t for the amount of money the man was allowing him to steal, he would surely take the bastard out! “I have something that may prove interesting to you.” He hit the play button on his screen and watched as the same parts of the video popped up on half of the screen. He wanted to be able to watch Gunyo’s reaction when he saw his employee being kidnaped.

As the video ended, Gunyo spoke directly to him. “Who is that fool?”

“I know who he is but where to find him is another question,” Bork spoke the truth. It had only been minutes since he learned about the reappearance of his former prisoner and knew nothing about his whereabouts.

“Well, find the bastard! The father should be happy to know at least his daughter is still alive. Hopefully, he will shut the fuck up for a while.” Gunyo leaned back in his chair as he spoke his orders. “Do whatever you have to do to find this man and bring the human back. The Galactic Council is now questioning the company on how we arrange the shipments. As soon as we find her, the sooner the council will back off.”

“Believe me, when I say I want to find this man as much as you do. I have a score to settle with him.”

“I don’t care about your little dispute with another pirate! I just want this to all go away. Got it?” Gunyo’s face suddenly filled the screen.

“I got it,” Bork said then hit the end button. “Fucking asshole!”

He couldn’t wait to find Carden. He had plenty of ideas what he planned on doing with the only prisoner to escape from him and live. Carden would be sorry about the day he decided to leave his circle of pirates and strike out on his own. As for the female, he would see her safely back to Keplar 1 then resume his plans with the mastermind of all the Tarwick thefts.  

Chapter 12

Elizabeth refused to have anything to do with Carden over the course of the next week. Most of the time she spent her time alone in the bedroom they shared at night. He didn’t lock her back in the room as she was afraid he would after she stormed away from him that day by the stream. Instead, he allowed her to roam freely in the house and around the immediate area outside his home. Periodically, she would sit outside and watch the men as they continued with the construction of Carden’s home.

It truly was a beautiful place to live. How Carden found it she didn’t have a clue. She wasn’t on speaking terms with the man and rarely did she talk to any of the workers. Two of the women who worked in the house talked to her when Carden wasn’t around. One, in particular, wanted to know all about her and where she came from.

Sireni came and sat next to her as she watched two men put up another layer of stones along the wall added yesterday.

“Are you enjoying the view?” The younger girl giggled as she nodded to the two men working out in the sun.

“I haven’t been paying much attention to them,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“You no like the males?”

“What? Oh, yes, I like males. I just have a lot on my mind right now.” She had to laugh at herself. The two men Sireni was watching were young and full of muscles. Their tanned torsos glistened in the sun as they tossed earth colored stones to each other then placed them on the growing wall covering.

“I like the one over there. The one with the shaved head,” Sireni said and pointed. The one she was talking about turned and gave her a smile filled with bright white teeth.

“I can see why you like him. Is he your boyfriend?” Lizzy glanced at the younger male again.

“I do not know what boyfriend is,” Sireni said with a confused look on her face.

“Oh. Ummm. Are you going to marry him?”

A smile spread across the young girl’s face quickly. “I hope to if the captain approves of the match.”

“Carden has to give you permission to marry?” The man had the nerve to tell people who they could and couldn’t marry!

“Yes. Sometimes there are bad matches, so the captain has to approve of unions. We agree to this when we come here.”

“Where did you come from?” Now it was her turn to ask questions. She had been so engulfed in her own little world she never bothered to ask her only friend about herself.

“The captain found me on a bad planet. He asked me if I wanted to live a better life on the moon he lived on. Anything was better than the way I was living.” Sireni toyed with the string hanging from the side of the white apron she wore over a brightly colored flowered dress. Her bare feet swung freely over the green grass.

“How long have you been here,” she asked.

“Almost one year. I came back on the last run before you came.”

Lizzy wondered how often Carden went out on raiding runs. “How long did they go this last time?” It would give her some clue to what to expect if she never went home. The least amount of time she had to spend with her pirate, the happier she would be.

“They were gone nearly four months. There is never a set amount of time from what I have been told. They were on their way home from a two-month run when the captain came across me. I guess he goes out whenever the need arises.”

So far, she had been on Carden’s moon for nearly two weeks. How long would it be before he left again and how long would he be gone? Perhaps, she should suck up her pride and talk to the man and find out.

“I need to get back to work. I will have your lunch ready in about a half hour if you want to come into the kitchen then.” Sireni stood up and brushed off the back of her dress.

“Ok, I’ll be there in a bit.” She waved goodbye to her friend and watched her retreat into the house.

Elizabeth sat on the bench for a while longer thinking about what to do. She was in an unwinnable situation but still needed to find a way out. The last thing she wanted right about now was to start to have feelings for the pirate who was trying to win her over. Every time she saw him coming, she would avoid him at all costs. The evenings were the worst part of the whole thing since she had to sleep next to him. But, thankfully, he never tried to touch her after her last bout of the burn, the day they went to the stream.

Sometimes he joined her in the kitchen for lunch and dinner, but more often than not, she ate alone. Sometimes when she looked out the window in their bedroom, she would catch a glimpse of him as he helped the men working at his home. Her heart would quicken at the sight of his naked flesh and straining muscles as he lifted the heavy stones waiting to be installed. Memories of her touching him would bring the heat up to her face, and she would automatically panic it was the burn returning. Faxon assured her several days ago, she was totally free of the toxin and would not experience any side-effects from the Loto juice. The person who tried to hurt her remained unknown. Carden appointed Sireni as her personal chef, and she was explicitly instructed by Carden not to accept food from anyone other than Sireni. It was the last time she had a conversation with the man she was fighting feelings for.

Later that night, when Carden had yet to return to their room, Lizzy went in search of him. She would come up with some excuse if she came across him unexpectedly. As she crept down the wooden stairs, she heard male voices coming from a room Carden used as a sort of office. She had only been inside the room once when he summoned her to tell her about the way she would get her food.

Stacks of books were piled up along the walls, with some toppling over in places. A small, handmade desk sat near a window that jutted out from the wall. It reminded her of a sitting window but without the seat. His desk was a mess with papers and more books. A black framed light sat on the corner of the desk.  What surprised her the most about the room was the fireplace that warmed the room even though it was comfortable weather outside.

Now, as she approached the half-open door, she could make out the two voices talking casually to each other. Carden and his man, Harrow, were engaged in a conversation about another run. She stood as close to the door as she dared to go.

“When do you want to leave,” Harrow asked.

“As soon as the ship is ready. The buyer for this shipment will be waiting on Zulus 9. After that, I want to take a quick run through the Nebula Sector again.”

“Why do you want to go back there again?”

“I want to see if any more of Tarwick’s pilots were stupid enough to take the chance and make the run through it.”

Anger welled up inside her. He thought she was stupid for her decision to go off course!
Well, weren’t you?
Her inner voice shouted back at her. She knew then as she knew now, it had been a foolish thing to do. For the rest of her life, she would regret the move that ultimately cost her freedom and her family.

“Looking for more Tarwick employees to ransom,” Harrow let out a loud, deep laugh.

“Definitely not. One human is more than enough for me to handle.” Carden laughed this time.

“What are you going to do with her while you are gone?”

“She will stay here. I trust everyone here to watch her, and she can’t get off the moon without my ship. There is still that one problem of someone giving her the Loto juice, but no other attempt has been made.”

She too wanted to know who gave it to her. She also hoped if Carden found out who it was, he would ban them from the moon. The thought of living near someone who wanted to harm her scared the crap out of her.

“Any clues yet to who did it?”

The sound of a liquid being poured reached her ears. Then a small clink of glasses hitting together told her Carden and Harrow were in the mists of having a few drinks together.

“I assume it was one of the females. Not all of them would be happy to see me bring another female to my bed.”

“Not Sireni I hope.” Harrow sounded worried.

Hell, Lizzy never even thought about it being her friend. It couldn’t be Sireni! The girl was all eyes for the young worker she saw this morning.

“If it is, I will take her ass right back to the place I found her. But, no, I do not think it is Sireni. She stands to lose too much if she were caught. Besides, I think one of the men is about to ask me for approval of their union.”

“Ah! Who’s the lucky man?”

“Ben,” Carden said.

“That would be an excellent match. Both are young and hard workers. I’ve seen young Ben eying up the females from time to time. Glad to hear he has found one to his liking.”

“Me too. I plan on agreeing to the union before we leave. It will give Ben some time to get a house started before I will allow Sireni to move in.” The sound of a chair creaking caused Elizabeth to jump and head for the stairs.

She had taken a big chance on spying on the pirate and didn’t want to get caught red-handed. At least, she knew he would be heading out soon, and she would be in peace until Tarwick finally came for her.

Back in the bedroom, she climbed into the big bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She thought about Carden leaving and found she was a bit worried about it. She would be on her on and wouldn’t know any information about her ransom coming to end while he was gone. Surely, he wouldn’t allow anyone to venture into the place where he lived and housed so many innocent people. The realization hit her full force. She would have to stay here until he returned! Even though he had told her he didn’t plan on letting her go, she didn’t believe him. But, now, she would be spending an unknown amount of time on the moon until he returned!

Her eyes drifted close, and she felt herself falling asleep. She would have time to figure things out after Carden left. Maybe, she could find a way to contact Tarwick herself while he was gone. Surely, he had to have some communication device in the house somewhere. She wouldn’t be able to search for it until he was gone which should be in a few days.

Several hours later, she slowly came awake to the feeling of someone touching her. A warm hand was running up and down her bare leg where her night shirt had ridden up while she slept. At first, she wanted to jerk away and scream at Carden to leave her alone. Instead, she pretended to be still asleep and hoped he would lose interest.  As hard as she could, she kept her breathing at a steady, even pace.

Carden shifted his weight on the bed and moved up close behind her as she lay on her side. His hand lazily trailed up and down her leg and hip until he had worked the nightshirt up far enough to reveal the panties she was wearing. Butterflies flicked in the pit of her stomach as he touched her hip. He buried his face in her hair, inhaled deeply then let it out slowly. She could smell the alcohol on him and was terrified he was drunk beyond reason.

“I know you are awake, little human,” he whispered in her ear.

She stiffened automatically. Too late, she was found out! She rolled onto her back and peered up into the gray eyes that were always watching her when he was near. “What do you want,” she asked coldly while trying to steady her racing heart.

“You,” he whispered in her ear then bit the sensitive lobe.

A scorching fireball shot down between her thighs. She felt her core suddenly become wet and ready for the man driving her crazy. As much as she wanted to push him away, she couldn’t. Her hands moved of their own accord up his chest.

“We can’t do this, Carden,” she argued, though pointless.

He pulled back and looked down into her face. “Yes, we can.” His lips descended upon hers and brushed ever so lightly against them. “I cannot stay away from you any longer, my little one. Seeing you every day is driving me nuts. Please, do not deny me.” He claimed her mouth again before she could respond.

She moaned into his mouth. The fact was she couldn’t deny him now even if the moon came crashing down upon them. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. She wanted to feel him move against her, inside of her. She wanted to be held in his arms as she cried out in pleasure.

Carden’s warm hand cupped her pussy. Her panties prevented him from slipping a thick finger inside her wet hole, but she knew it wouldn’t last. Desire rose up inside of her like none she ever experienced before. She wanted to feel his flesh as it pressed against hers. She wanted to be brave enough to stroke his cock and return some of the pleasure he had given her.

With a shaking hand, she reached between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around him. He was hard and thick. As she brushed a thumb over the tip, she could feel a drop of moisture form. She moved her hand up and down his shaft and was rewarded with a groan from him. She smiled to herself as she listened to him moan against her lips. His tongue swept inside her mouth and claimed it for his own. His hand slipped under the fragile material covering her pussy. She felt his finger sliding down her slit then back up to stop on the little button at the apex of her legs. When he pressed down hard on her clit, she jumped and gasped.

When he pulled away from her mouth, she moaned in displeasure until she realized where his mouth was headed. He kissed his way down her neck to then captured one tight nipple in his hot mouth. He lavished it while his hand still toyed with her clit. She could feel her climax building and hoped he would never stop. He let go of the nipple with a pop then claimed the other one waiting for its turn. Her head thrashed back and forth on the pillow as he sucked and flicked the sensitive bud. He released the nipple but not before he bit down on the skin causing her to gasp. Her pussy gushed with her juices at the sudden intense feeling running through her. Her breathing was coming fast and irregularly as he moved his way down her stomach to stop over the material covering her pussy.