Captain Emrah Jackson Ch. 23

"You would look great in something like this," she said and unzipped the side of her dress. Before I could tell her to stop she let her black velvet dress slide down her body. She was wearing a figure hugging basque with red lace highlights. My heart jumped at the sight of it, and I felt my cheeks redden slightly.

"Feel the fabric, it's Bazinian silk," she said and approached me. She took my hand and pressed it against her stomach. While it was obvious what she was doing, she was right, it felt like a softness I had never felt before. As my hand lingers on the fabric I felt my own stomach tighten. Was I going to deny myself this pleasure and make an excuse.

"Your husband, I said instead, hoping that might break the spell she had me under.

"I can call him if you would like, he would love to play with you too."

I smiled and decline the offer.

"All for me then," she said, with a chuckle. "Although I sense you aren't exactly free and single yourself."

"What makes you say that?

"Something about your reluctance."

"Well," I said, but she interrupted me.

"What her name, it's not Berta is it?"

I laughed, "no, a girl in my crew, a junior crew member."

"Ahh, and your relationship isn't an open one?"

"There really isn't one," I admitted.

"So she has your heart, but not your body."

"Something like that."

Luna didn't ask again and was content to just pick out more of her outfits for me. They were less glamorous, and more casual outfits. Things that would suit a woman on an expensive vacation.

With all that done, she told me that she would have the things delivered to my ship. She didn't pressure me again to join her crew or even continue her attempts at bedding me. She did however tell me that the offer would always be open to me should I reconsider.

The station was quiet and I wasn't bothered as I made my way back to the Siren's Kiss. I slept well in my own quarters and awoke withe feeling that it all had been a wonderful dream. After I showered I got a call on the comms telling me I had a delivery. What thoughts about it all being a dream vanished as I was greeted by the sight of two supply crates waiting for me in our cargo hold. They were stuffed to the brim with clothes and other items.

"Are these from the Golden Fox?" I asked my crew mate. She confirmed it, and then told me they had disengage earlier this morning. I wondered if I would ever meet them again.

I had begun to unpack them in my quarters when Berta stopped by. She was impressed by my haul, and doubly so when I handed back the credit pass she had given me. She informed me we would be setting course for a planet called Arzan. That would be where I would be joining the cruise liner. Before she left she added one last thing.

"Be careful in the future, not all pirates are accommodating as Hektor and Luna."

It made me smile, but it also made me wonder how well they knew each other.

*********

On the way to Arzan, I prepared for my mission. My first stop was the ships stores. I was looking for a small computer and some comms equipment. The girl I met in charge looked grumpy and I got the feeling she'd rather have had a different job aboard. She was no different to the quartermasters onboard UEN vessels. Everyone wanted new equipment and always complained when they couldn't get it. It was good to know things were no different here. I could hear her huffing as I searched through the tubs of stored junk. They had all manner of things from weapons to surveillance equipment. There was no order, and I had to go routing through the many supply closets.

I came across a small handheld computer that was about the size on a cigarette packet. It looked fairly non descript and it looked easily concealable. I found a comms device that was of a similar size.

Back in my quarters I decided to try the computer out. I plugged it into one of the data outlets and powered it up. It had been a very long time since I had done anything like this. I soon got the hang of it again and hacked my way into the Siren's Kiss systems. This ship had only been a patrol vessel, not a front line combat ship, and I was soon in control of some basic systems. With the press of one key, I cut the lights to the entire ship. My room was bathed in darkness, and a voice came over the comms from the bridge, apologizing form the lack of light. They had no idea it was me, and not wanting to torture anyone longer I switched them back on.

I worked more, and soon I was fully familiar with the ships particular set of codes and I had now access to more critical systems, gravity control and the engine. I wasn't about to mess with those though, and unplugged the device.

The clothes Luna had gifted me had come in two tightly packed crates. It was time to sort through them, and decide what I would be taking. My trip wouldn't be a long one, but it was better to give the impression I was going for a long stay. I picked them up and dumped the contents onto my bed, and began to sort them into two piles.

A buzz at my door interrupted me. I was surprised to find Roki standing there.

"Is everything okay?"

"We got some weird power surge from your room, I think it had something to do with the lights going off."

I chuckled and invited her in. She laughed when I explained what I had done.

"I didn't know you could do that with ships."

"You can, but only usually from the inside. It's why data points aren't usually in public places."

"You'll have to show me someday," she said idly, and I could see her eyes were drawn to the pile of clothes on the bed.

"What do you think of my new wardrobe?"

"There's a lot." she said.

"After this job, I'll let you take your pick, I was going to give the left overs to the rest of the crew anyway."

She picked up a long flowing ball gown and held it up to her chest. "When would I ever wear something like this?"

"Berta must have formal events now and again," I said, teasingly.

"No, not really. Is that something you used to do in the UEN?"

"It was, yes." I told her about how I'd often have to entertain planetary governors and other high ranking individuals.

She didn't seem to believe me, it was world away from her lifestyle.

"As an officer I even had etiquette training at the academy."

"You're teasing me now."

"No, no. You have to know what fork to use and what topics to talk about at dinner."

"What if you forget and do something wrong?"

"Erm, nothing really, it's just how you have to do things."

"Do you miss the UEN?"

I nodded, and she asked if I would ever go back.

"I don't know if they would even have me. Using the wrong fork at dinner is very different than losing a ship."

"Yeah, I guess, you were attacked by pirates or something, someone told me."

"Something like that," I said, and wanting to change the subject, I picked up a small cocktail dress. "What about this, would this suit you?"

She nodded, and asked if she should try it on.

"Maybe back in your quarters," I said, diplomatically.

"You can invite me to dinner and show me how a proper lady eats." she said, with a beaming smile.

"I would like that." I said, and before I said anything I would regret later I told her she probably should be getting back to her duties.

After she left I realised that I was indeed falling for her.

*********

We couldn't take the Siren's Kiss all the way to the planet. It was a pirate vessel after all. I would be making my trip in one of the three shuttles we had onboard. Berta wanted to fly me herself, but I had a better idea.

Roki was waiting for me in the shuttle, and smiled as I loaded my luggage. Instead of my usual coveralls I was wearing a pair of loose fitting khaki slacks and a white cotton blouse. I had to play the part of a wealthy woman on her vacation. Roki was just going to be my pilot and didn't need to make such a effort.

Soon we were leaving the shuttle bay and heading towards our target. Roki was in the flight seat and I in the seat next to her. We had shared a kiss weeks ago, but since then I had kept a respectful distance. She was my subordinate, and half my age, but my attraction couldn't be denied.

"Should be a couple of hours," she said.

We chatted a bit, and she asked if I had ever been on a cruise before.

"Not in space, but once on an ocean going vessel."

"Really," she said with some surprise. "Weren't you scared of falling in the water?"

I chuckled and said I wasn't but even if I did, I knew how to swim.

She'd had a sheltered life growing up in a scrap yard, and had never even seen an ocean before. at least not one that wasn't from orbit.

The traffic started to pick up and faster ships streaked passed our cockpit. Eventually we could see Arzan, it was like a small blue marble, not unlike earth.

"Berta gave me the coordinates for a hotel in the northern hemisphere." Roki said, punching in the information.

I wouldn't be departing straight away, I would have a night in a hotel first before the liner was due to depart. Our small shuttle entered the atmosphere on the dark side of the planet. All we could see was a sea of lights as the auto pilot brought us into a gentle landing.

"Am I going straight back?" Roki asked.

I hadn't told her before we set off, but I had decided to let her stretch her legs and see some of the planet first.

The air was warm as we disembarked. It was a busy space port, and a well run one. A small land transport greeted us promptly. It ferried us to the hotel and with Roki carrying my bags we entered the very lavish foyer. If this was any indication of what the liner was going to be like, I could see why Berta could only pay for the one ticket.

"Megan Flack," I said to the receptionist. That was going to be my cover name for the duration.

"Ticket please," he said, as he typed onto his computer. I handed it over and he entered the details.

"The Eden will be departing in the morning, we have you booked into a suite, please enjoy our facilities."

He offered to summon a porter for my bag, but I told him Roki was fine with them.

"What do you think the room is like?" she asked, as we took the elevator up.

"Well it say's here it had a sea view," I said, looking at the ticket.

I could already see the excitement on Roki's face, and I was glad that I would be able to share this experience with her. As soon as we got in she wasted no time in flinging the doors to the balcony open and stepping out..

"I can't see anything," she called back.

"It's too dark," I said as I joined her. There was only the lights from the beach and a large black mass where it should be. "Listen," I said, "you can hear it."

"Oh yes, I think I can smell it too."

"The salt yes."

"Maybe you will have time for a swim in the morning." Then she asked if she really had to go back so soon, and couldn't spend the night. Berta would be waiting for her return, but I didn't want to deny her the experience of seeing an ocean in the day light.

"You can stay till sun up, but then you have to go."

She thanked me and asked if I wanted her to unpack. I told her there was no need as I'd be going straight to the ship in the morning.

"How about we get some room service?"

She pulled a face, and asked if we could go out and eat instead. "We can have a look at the sea a bit more."

I didn't really want too, I was supposed to be keeping a low profile. I tried to dissuade her by saying that we'd have to pay and Berta hadn't given me any funds for any extra excursions.

"I'm only here for one night," she lamented. "I'll pay, I have a credit pass."

I tried a different tack and told her I couldn't take her to a restaurant in her coveralls.

She smiled wildly and admitted she had packed that small black cocktail dress in one of the cases. Finally, I relented and said we'd just go out for a bit. I let her dress in private and was somewhat taken aback when I saw her again. I had never seen her in anything other than her dirty coveralls. While it was a cute dress, her tattoos still gave her the look of a tomboy. Her slim legs were pale, and she struggled to walk in the heels she had picked.

"Maybe we can find somewhere dark?"

"I don't look that bad," she protested. She didn't, but it didn't suit her, she looked far cuter in greasy coveralls.

********

As we left the hotel we attracted a few glances. I hadn't changed and was still wearing my loose fitting trousers and white blouse. We looked a very strange couple indeed. I led us down one of the alleys off the man strip. We needed to find a quiet place, somewhere where other guest of the Eden might not spot us. The planet wasn't like anywhere I had been before, the streets were spotless, and brightly lit, I felt very safe.

"You will take me to the beach afterwards?" She asked, and I promised to if she stayed sober.

Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh we have to go in there," she said, pointing up at a sign. In classy writing were the words 'the pirate retreat.'

"Really?" I asked. I didn't have much time to protest as she took me by the wrist and practically dragged me in. It was a restaurant come bar, and from what I could tell had themed itself around pirates. On the walls were various pictures depicting the pirate lifestyle, but in a somewhat family friendly way. Near the entrance there was even a bunch of portraits of famous pirates.

"I wonder if Berta is on here," Roki whispered to me.

"I think maybe we should go," I said, quietly.

"Perfect place for us," she said, with a chuckle.

We were greeted by a man wearing a leather outfit with bits of what looked like ballistic armor sewed in to it. On his hip he looked to have a long barreled laser pistol in a holster. It was a costume to go in with the theme of this place.

"Ahh, a couple of beautiful young ladies, you'll make a fine price as hostages."

"We won't go without a fight," Roki said, with some amusement.

"How about a table for two instead," I interjected.

We followed him inside and it was just as garishly decorated. I noticed a few families with children sitting at the tables but thankfully we were shown into a more adult area. One that had a bar at least.

He handed us a drinks menu and it was all themed too. With names like rocket fuel and starburst surprise. I order two of the later, not knowing what we would be getting.

"This place is terrible," I said, as he left.

"It's fun," Roki said, with glee. She lent over the small table and asked me if I really though he was going to sell us as hostages.

"Either that or a lifetime washing dishes," I said, looking over the food menu. The prices were very high, and I asked Roki if she could afford it. She nodded confidently.

I hadn't known what a starburst surprise was but as soon as I tried it, I realised that the surprise was the amount of alcohol it contained. It went down incredibly easily though. Roki wasted no time in ordering two more.

As we waited for our food one of the patrons came over he was a man in his fifties and was wearing a tan suit.

"Nice to see someone getting into the theme of this place he said, pointing at the tattoos on Roki's arms.

"They're fake," she said, with a smile.

"My name is Hilton, are you girls on Arzan for business or pleasure?"

"Business," I said. I didn't bother introducing ourselves, hoping he would get the message. Unfortunately Roki didn't get the message.

"I'm Roki," she said, taking a gulp of her drink.

"My pleasure," he said, and shook her hand. "If you girls want to talk about business, I'll be at the bar."

"What a creep," I muttered as he wandered off.

"He was just being friendly."

"He thinks we are prostitutes," I said.

For a second she sat back in her chair thinking about what I had said. I could tell she was playing the interaction back in her head. Then she burst out laughing. "He was a creep!"

We ate our meal and had some more drinks. The food wasn't bad, and thankfully wasn't themed. The bill was brought over by the ridiculous waiter.

"If you don't pay, you'll be shown the airlock," he said, with a fake accent.

Roki took out her credit pass. I could see a concerned look come across her face, and I imagined the worst.

"You do have enough, don't you?"

"I do," she said, to my relief. "It is a lot though, all those drinks really pied up."

It wasn't fair that I was making her pay and offered to have the bill charged to our room.

"Or," she said, in a low voice, "we could just skip out on it."

"We can't" I said, shaking my head.

"Real pirates shouldn't have to pay."

Maybe it was the booze, or maybe it was the easy atmosphere, but I suddenly felt reckless, and like I didn't want to be the sensible one as I always seemed to be.

"Is there a window in the bathroom?" I asked.

Her smile widened and I got a glimpse of the cute gap in between her teeth. "No, just a vent. What about faking a medical emergency?"

"Could do that," I said. Then I remembered the man at the bar. "I've got an idea. Just go along with me and follow my lead."

"Okay," she said. I could see the excitement in her eyes. I took the bill from the table and walked over to the older man sitting alone at the bar.

"Me and my young friend wondered if you wanted to discuss some business?" I asked, hoping I had judged his intentions correctly.

"I certainly do," he said, with a grin.

I laid the bill in front of him. "Could you settle this, and then we could discuss things further in your hotel room?"

"My pleasure," he said. and called the waiter over. With that done we walked back over to Roki.

"We came to an arrangement over the bill," I said, and gave her a discrete nod.

"Aww your so kind," she said, "however will we repay you."

"We can discuss that, can't we," he said, with a chuckle.

He led us out of the restaurant with an arm around each of our waists.

"It's not far," he said, walking us onto the main strip. There were more people out enjoying the night air. He must have felt very good about himself with two good-looking women in tow, I thought.

Roki was staying quiet, but I noticed she was having trouble walking on her heels. The thought of running from him wasn't looking like such a great idea anymore. Then a new idea hit me.

"What sorts of fun do you like?" I asked him casually.

"Well put it this way," he said, squeezing my side. "Neither of you will be able to walk straight after I've finished with you."

I suddenly stopped. "What did you just say?" I called out loudly. "What sort of girls do you think we are," I continued. Roki got the picture and pulled his arm away from her waist. I was loud enough to draw the attention of others on the wide boulevard.

"You said, if I paid the bill," he spluttered out, shocked at my outburst.

"He thinks we are hookers," Roki shouted in disgust.

"I can't believe this." I said, waving my arms around in an exaggerated motion.

"Wait," he said, but already some people were moving towards us to see what the commotion was. This confident older man didn't look so confident anymore and was going red in the face. I didn't want to torture him any longer than necessary and grabbed Roki arms and told her that we were leaving.

We left him blurting out an apology, and with a quick look over my shoulder I saw that he wasn't following us.

"I can't believe we did that," Roki said, with glee after we had put some distance between us and him.

"Lets not make a habit of it," I replied, and led her onto the quiet beach.

**********

The sound of the ocean was getting louder as we got closer. Roki kicked of her shoes and asked if it was safe to paddle.

"Of course it is."

The beach was bathed in darkness, and I took off my heels too. The sand felt soft and warm under my bare feet. Roki had raced ahead and soon had the water lapping at her feet.