Within the span of the journey from earth to the mining colony, I became more familiar with just how dismal my situation really was. First, not only was I now able to be considered a willing participant to the galactic slave trade, I was also party to Customs Jumping. This is where you violate the galactic security laws of moving through a Jump gate and countering scans of your cargo. This ship had a max capacity of carrying fifteen crew. We had eight. The other fifty life forms were disguised as live animals instead of people. With the right expensive and excessively illegal gear this could be done and was done by the boss. His name was Fred by the way.
Fred was followed around by Guido the wonder giant. That enormous monstrosity of bone and muscle that carried away the problematic dead body. Guido wasn’t his name, and I don’t think he even had a name. So without a name, I inserted one. There was also Eddie and I, Bob the caretaker who cleaned the ship and took care of the slaves, Melvin the cook, Devon the engineer’s assistant, and Marissa, the prostitute. And no, I don’t mean she got around on the side. Her job was to sleep with the crew.
It was a rather brilliant strategy of Fred’s. And it was sorta unsurprising when you thought about it. What better way to keep a crew of people that were doing things that were completely illegal from getting into brawls with each other or pissed off about having to work nearly twenty-four seven? She was nice and she wasn’t really unattractive. And no one beat her up or they would get shot in the eyeball. After talking to her, yes I only talked to her, I found out that her share was actually bigger than anyone else on the ship with the sole exception of Fred.
She actually became quite a pleasant distraction for me. And don’t let your mind go to the gutter! We talked, that’s it, end of story. There wasn’t a torrid love affair either. After winding up basically in a slave labor position myself with the sole exception that I got a paycheck because of a girl, It turned me off to the prospect of respecting women. Oh I know, she isn’t all women. But when your entire life is rearranged by messing with the wrong woman you will understand where I am coming from on that.
Knowing all the risks of the job I was doing, I started to understand the draw of a life of crime. It was interesting. The scenery changed. And there was this element of fear in everything you did. Along with the fact that I found out if this was a regular haul I would walk away with ten thousand credits from one run. Only being a month worth of work for ten thousand, that was a pretty sweet deal. Anyone my age even with a college degree was only gonna make probably two thousand credits a month. Average starting salary of a pilot was somewhere in the neighborhood of three. Well at least, this was how I was thinking about it till we were arrested.
“Face the camera.” The bored galactic security officer stated. There was a click as my picture was burned into the systems memory. In three dimensions no less! As was my DNA, my retinal scan, and my finger print. Oh and they also analyzed my ear formations. Just to be sure I was well and truly documented for the record.
“How does it feel being newly booked as a criminal?” Eddie asked, smiling broadly.
“I don’t know whether to hit you or laugh.” I dead panned.
“I’d say laugh, just because hitting me will only make the number of charges grow.” He advised. “Look, John, come on. Is this the first time you have ever been arrested?”
“Yes!” I nearly screamed but held back.
“Well, well. Welcome to the delights of a life of crime! Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here soon.” Eddie explained.
“Huh?” I asked, confused. “We went through a checkpoint and got caught with fifty people onboard our ship that we weren’t licensed to have in our cargo hold. How are we going to be out of this soon?”
“No one ever puts an operation like this together without some sort of protection built in. Just chill out, sit down, relax if you know what’s good for you. Being all upset and irritable isn’t going to change anything, honestly. And worse, it could get you into serious trouble. See John, right now they ain’t got nothing. They have a problem with customs is all it is. You say the wrong words and it turns into something a bit more dangerous for you.” I saw the predatory look flash through Eddie’s eyes. This was a warning if I ever heard one and he was doing it in such a way as to make sure that no one could misconstrue it as a warning.
Great, I was in prison with someone that wouldn’t have a problem taking me out to further his own criminal career. Nice. I blew out a long sigh and sat down.
“Better.” Eddie commented, eased his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes.
I sat staring at the bars, still trying to figure out what happened. One minute, piloting along and everything was fine. Next minute, the computer is screaming at me that there is a ship on a collision course! Then to top it off, I get Fred running to the bridge and telling me not to do anything! Just sit there.
We got boarded, taken into custody, and here I sat. Fred told me not to say a word to the cops and reminded me what happened to the guy I replaced. I kept my mouth shut through the interrogation and now was waiting for this miracle that Eddie was promising would get us out of here. It only took six hours of complete and total boredom. At the point where I was ready to start drooling and bash my head against a wall, a guard showed up and told us we were free to go.
We met up with Fred and the rest of the gang and some skinny jittery cop escorted us to the impound area of the Galactic Security Station. It took me about twenty minutes to undock and get out of there. When we were clear and on our way again, Fred showed up on the bridge.
“That was exciting wasn’t it?” He commented, sitting in the assistant navigator’s chair.
“Yeah, guess you can say that.” I feel very uncomfortable when a guy like Fred just decides all of a sudden to come and sit down for a chat. He really isn’t the chatty type.
“Well done keeping your mouth shut. Made it easier for the lawyer to get us out of there. You running around without a record hanging with this crew of ne’er do wells made us look almost like we were going legit!” Fred chuckled to himself. I sorta laughed. Or made a non-committal noise that could appear to be laughter.
I decided not to explain that some of the stuff that was downloaded into my head contained anti-interrogation tactics. The less these people knew about me the better. Deep inside, I started to realize that if I wasn’t careful I was going to get way too comfortable here. It made sense in a strange way looking at the aspects of how you can just get used to doing something and never really break out of the habit because you didn’t feel you had a need to.
“Look, it all boils down to one point. You keep it up and don’t worry about things like that. I ain’t lettin anyone working for me wind up gettin the shaft over another idiot’s screw up.” Fred gruffly explained, stood up, then left. I think that was the closest thing to nice a guy like Fred could get.
Marissa walked onto the bridge and sat down next to me. I was so used to her just stopping by to watch, I failed to notice that this time she was in a really thin piece of lingerie. I did a double take and felt parts of my body beginning to react.
“Uh, hi.” I said, trying my best not to stare.
She leaned back in the chair and smiled. Sex slithered off her in waves. She reeked of it so bad that I almost fell out of my chair.
“Hi. So, how are you?” She asked, running her hand over her leg in an inviting way.
I held my tongue for a moment before finally realizing that the situation was about to go somewhere I didn’t intend for it to go. “Look, you don’t want to sleep with me. So please just stop.” I told her.
Marissa’s face went blank for a moment before she realized what I had said. “What makes you think I don’t want to sleep with you?” She reached out to lay her hand on my leg and I jerked away. It didn’t make sense to me why I was doing it, but it felt like it needed to happen.
“What? A whore isn’t good enough for yo
u?” She asked, her eyes flashing angrily.
“My god Marissa, what is wrong with you? Why are you so angry with me all of a sudden? We sit and talk for hours and now you’re saying I treat you like you aren’t good enough for me?” I asked, shooting a confused look her way.
“I came out here in this and you aren’t looking. Not only are you not looking but you’re pulling away! Really, John, what do I have to do to get you in bed? Jump on top of you and do all the work?” Marissa sat up and acted like she always does when she comes to talk to me.
“Marissa, ever thought that maybe I don’t want to just be another John to you?” I said then laughed at my own joke. She tried to hold back from laughing, but couldn’t keep it up. All of the sex just flew out the room when she finally broke down and chuckled.
“Oh, John, you could never be just another John!” Marissa exclaimed in a high squeaky voice.
“That’s better.” I stated, sighing out my frustration.
“So what gives? You actually like just sitting here talking? Are you gay?” Marissa asked and stared at me inquisitively.
“Grrr. No, I’m not gay! Why the push for screwing anyway? It isn’t like you haven’t noticed that I’m not beating down your door like everyone else.”
“Fred wanted me to give you something a little extra. You know, a wild hot night of raunchy stuff to pat you on the back for keeping your mouth shut.” Marissa explained. “I am sorta like his method of rewarding good behavior in a way I guess.”
I am much more comfortable with this relaxed Marissa then I was with her earlier performance. “Well, consider the message relayed. I did good, I have a cheer leading section. Point taken.”
Marissa sat there for a moment, eyeing me curiously. “You aren’t going to stay very long are you?” She finally said.
I completely ignored that question. Not only ignored, but even found a navigation task to make it look like I really had work to do. No way was I getting myself into a situation like that on this ship with Fred lurking around with his happy trigger finger.
“Really, John? I think I know you well enough to know when you are trying to ignore a question.”
“Not ignore, more like, avoid the subject so completely that it is almost like it never happened.” I commented offhand.
“John, I am not going to pretend you are going to whisk me away with you whenever you leave. I’m not going anywhere anyway, but I can see when someone isn’t staying long John.” Marissa smiled, then reached over and put her hand on my leg again. This time she didn’t pull away when I jumped.
“Marissa, um, please stop.” I asked, eyeing her cautiously.
“Why?” She asked, leaning over and allowing her hands to roam.
“Because. It isn’t helping me concentrate.” I explained.
“What ever makes you think I am interested at all in helping you concentrate.” I looked over and saw the very mischievous smile that was growing on Marissa’s face. From that point onward, she didn’t take no for an answer. After about two minutes, I was no longer trying to give her no as an answer.
Table of Contents
Chapter Three