NASTRAGULL: Pirates (13 page)

When the hatch slid aside, the first thing that caught Alec's eyes was the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Her white mother-of-pearl teeth set off her burnished bronze skin when she smiled. Her lips were perfect, and her shining black hair was braided in a strange fashion, looped around her head and garlanded with starflowers, which  filled the room with their intoxicating aroma. She wore a beautifully thin, black-and-silver scale dress bearing a strange fractal pattern unlike anything Alec had ever seen before. Its perfect fit and tightness revealed her slim, well-shaped, muscular body to her advantage, and made it clear that not one ounce of fat ruined his vision. Her nipples, standing tall atop the most perfect breasts he'd ever seen, stole most of the scene, pressing as they were against the thin metallic garment.

She made a welcoming gesture and stepped aside. "Come in. Make yourself at home." Somehow he stumbled inside, drinking in the sight of her as he did. Her wiry arms, toned with well-defined muscle structure, were held behind her back; she stood with her perfectly-shaped legs together modestly. The dress covered most of them, but a faint breeze from an air intake rustled the hem, revealing a few more inches of perfection. He glanced down, and saw that she was barefoot, her feet buried in a thick rug, toes curling. He looked up to meet her mischievous smile and noted, distractedly, that she wore no jewelry or make-up to distract from her perfection.

The second thing that Alec noticed, and the only thing that could possibly take his interest away from the hottest babe he'd ever seen, was the heady scent of the first decent food that he'd smelled in weeks.
             

Nina looked at Alexa, who nodded brusquely for her to leave. Nina held up the remote for Alec's collar, and placed it on a small shelf next to the entrance. Then, giggling under her breath, she overdid an attempted curtsy, bowing exaggeratedly toward Alexa. Then she smacked her lips loudly, causing Alexa to smile.

Alec turned around and looked at Nina, who until then he'd almost forgotten, as she backed out from of the room, half laughing. The last he saw of her before the hatch closed was an image of her falling on her ass, entangled in her own legs, still laughing like a fool. When he turned back around, the vision was standing before him, just a few paces away. She stepped with the grace of a panther and goddess, and extended her arms towards him in a welcoming gesture. Was this Alexa...?

Alec turned red as he realized that he stank and wore only a torn rag. Alexa noticed his shyness; she took his hands into hers, and leaned up toward him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Then she stepped back and looked into his eyes. "Welcome to my home. I hope you have had a nice journey."

He smiled drily and glanced towards the galley.               

"Not until you're cleaned up," Alexa said, taking his arm and escorting him to toward the tiny bathroom. Completely overwhelmed, Alec was content to allow the dark beauty to lead him. He looked around as he went—never hurt to remain alert, no matter how aroused and hungry he was—and noticed the odd, meters-high lump hidden under a big tapestry in the corner. He wondered about it, but not for long.

When they reached the bedroom door, he stopped. A huge round bed took up most of the room's space. Unlike the rest of Alexa's suite, her bedroom was clean and well-organized, with several soft stuffed animals arranged next to the bed's pillows. Behind the bed was another curtain, concealing what he assumed was the hatch leading to her bathroom. 

He shrugged and allowed her to lead him into a typical head for this type of vessel, except that a round bathtub big enough for two dominated the center of the room. It was filled with bubbles and flowers. A dim light emanated from the bulkheads, combining with the steam in the room and the flickering light of several candles to send dancing shadows in all directions.

Alec ignored the bathtub and headed directly towards the mist shower. He stopped and turned towards Alexa, who looked back at him, seemingly puzzled—or was it curiosity? He glanced at his tunic and made a small inquisitive sound. Blushing, Alexa turned around, and Alec skinned off the tunic, tossing it aside. Alexa turned back around as he entered the mist shower, and was able to enjoy his muscular stern view before he shut the frosted-glass door. 

When Alec finally stepped out of the shower stall, after a very long, well-needed shower, he allowed himself to be dried by the head's hot-air jets and misted with a faint clean-smelling scent. He realized suddenly that he had no clothes, and that there were no garments for him to cover himself with in the bathroom. He looked past the bedroom area towards the living room and saw his uniform hanging next to the entrance, perfectly pressed and cleaned.

He heard a soft voice singing, and for a second forgot the dangerous situation he was in. He walked, naked, to the living room, as arrogantly as he could. But that didn't last very long, as he saw that the beautiful young woman was sitting on the couch in a kneeling position, shining one of his black boots.

She noticed him standing behind her, looked up, and stopped polishing the boot before placing it next to the other. Alec moved towards her, but she slid sideways, her back toward him. Her outfit made a faint metallic sound as she stood up. Alec hurried to his uniform and climbed into it, studiously ignoring her, then walked over to where his shining black boots sat in front of
the couch. He sat down to pull them on, then turned to look at her. She was watching him with a faint smile on her face. When she realized she had his attention, she gestured toward the coffee table, which was spread with a variety of food and drink, and slid forward off the couch, to kneel before one place setting.

He quickly took his place on the opposite side, next to an old clay bottle that he imagined held some kind of wine. His knees sank deeply into the carpet, protesting their treatment of the last few weeks; but at the moment, his joints were the least of his concern. "Thirsty?" she asked solicitously, her voice low and musical.

He nodded, so she poured some clear liquid into a silver cup—loot from somewhere, he imagined—that she then handed to him. He sipped it; when he realized it was water, cold and delicious, he emptied it in one breath. He placed the cup on the table carefully, and she refilled it. Alec drank deeply again, and then fell on the food like a madman. Though there seemed to be no meat at all, it was without doubt the best food he had ever eaten. He crammed steaming breads into his mouth, followed by steamed vegetables both commonplace and exotic, following it with something red that came in kernels on a cob. She watched him, obviously amused, and handed him bowl after bowl filled with different types of food.

Alexa herself was ravenously hungry, but hers was a hunger no mere food could ever sate. She licked her lips; it was all she could do not to drool as her knight, who had no table manners at all, devoured the food. Well, she supposed he had an excuse; weeks of nutrient paste could leave anyone wanting. She didn't care about his lack of manners; he was exquisite. She bit her own lips and moaned under her breath as she undressed her knight with her eyes.

Alec stopped eating and looked up, realizing suddenly that he was behaving like a pig. He controlled himself, sitting up straight; and when she reached for the clay bottle, he intercepted it and said, "Please, allow me." He filled her cup and then his own before saying, in a steady voice, "I'm grateful for your treatment of me, but I hope you understand my resentment towards you."

"Resentment? Why?"

He looked at her, bewildered that she could be so dense. "Until a few weeks ago, I was a free man. I was on my way home from eight years of military training to celebrate my graduation with my friends when you and your pirate buddies attacked. You killed some of us and enslaved the rest, strapping us into those horrible slave blocks. We were left to rot in our own filth, tortured occasionally, fed nutrient paste that makes shit seem edible...and you have the gall to ask why I might be a little
resentful
?" He was all but shouting as he said the last word.

Alexa leaned forward, propping up her chin on her folded hands, listening intently as the young man raved on.

"Not to mention that you
auctioned us off
like livestock among yourself, and GULL only knows what horrible things your friends did to mine at your so-called party."

He stopped to catch his breath.

She smiled brightly and said, "Oh, that."

He looked at her, astonished; and for the first time—though certainly not the last—he thought,
She's insane.
"Is that all you have to say for your actions?" he demanded.

She shrugged. "I'm not defending myself. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm not proud of being a pirate.  I was never given any other choice. They took me when I was a kid. Like you, I'm a slave."

"I'm no slave!" Alec shouted.

Alexa rolled her eyes and frowned. "Why of course not, Your Highness, you're free as a bird." She stared into his eyes. "My friend, I might have a few more privileges than you, but it doesn't alter the fact that my freedom is severely restricted—
just like yours
."

She launched into her life story as Alec stared, flabbergasted and amazed.
             

"...And my guess is that my sisters felt threatened by me for some reason. Why, I'll never know; I wasn't special or treated special or anything. I was just the youngest out of seven or eight. Don't remember much about them though…"

He tore off some bread and leaned back into his cushioned seat, listening intently.

"...and then when Florencia started cracking down on the slavers..." she paused and shrugged again. "Hundreds of pirate clans banded together and started hitting the shipping and passenger liners, taking everything and everyone they could get their hands on. My siblings and I were on our way to school on the capital world, and, well, they bartered me for their own freedom. I was sold within days. Later Zuzack's clan seized me from my owners, and that's how I became part of this crew."

Alec realized that the young woman in front of him must have endured more than he could ever have imagined. Despite his own predicament he felt a bit sorry for her, the more so when he realized there was a tear trickling down one lovely cheek. She ignored it, maintaining a proud bearing, and related to him her recurring dream of a pale Oman, Alec himself, riding a war beast; and by his side, riding a beast even larger and more magnificent, was she.

Alec nodded and asked bluntly, "Can you help me get off this ship?"

She stared blankly at him for a long moment before finally nodding. "Of course. And I want you to take me with you...along with some of my friends. We're like sisters, and we have a good plan."

"So why do you need me?"

Alexa looked at him, seeming faintly puzzled. "Well, first and foremost, we belong to each other and with each other, I think." She blushed at her confession. "Second, my friends and I need citizenship in your federation. You can get it for us."

"And how do you know that?" he challenged.

She looked at him solemnly. "I can feel it. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Alec nodded slowly, "I can't, but my father can. Do you know who my father is?"

She shrugged. "Someone important, is all I know. Only the most Elite clan would have allowed the Silver Guard traits to express without rooting it out of their DNA." She glanced down at her food, which was barely touched, and looked back into his eyes. "I know all this seems weird to you, but if you can help us, then we can help you. And if you don't want anything to do with me, then...you can stay here as my guest until we leave. That is, if you still want to get away?"

"Of course I want to get away," he said in a low voice. "But we need to rescue my friends first."

"No!" she snapped. "That would be impossible. We'll need to steal the Captain's private emergency shuttle, and it's designed to handle maybe three or four people. We might be able to get as many as eight people inside, but that's it."

"I will never leave my friends behind," he stated flatly.

Alexa rolled her eyes. "I understand about your honor and service traditions, but know this: first of all, some of them are already dead, maybe most. That's just the way it is. The fight's over for your friends, at least for now. But once we're free, we can help you buy them back. It won't be long before Zuzack heads for a New Frontier station to sell off all the loot, including the slaves."

Alec listened intently, ideas forming in the back of his mind.

"Or Zuzack might head back to his clan's headquarters," Alexa continued. "His brother Horsa is head of the clan, and I and some of the other girls—like Myra, the lizard woman..." She waited for his reaction, but it never came. "Well, he has something important, and his brother wants him to return ASAP. If he does that, then it may take over a year before we can escape if we don't move now. If I'm lucky, I might be able to pay for our freedom, but that would only include you and me. I can't leave my sisters behind. So as you can see, we're in the same boat."

Alec interrupted her, "How old?"

"What?"
             

"How old were you when your siblings sold you?"

"I was going to be ten years old that year."

Alec looked at her with sad eyes. He realized that in front of him sat a victim and a survivor, not just a pirate—which was something they'd never taught him about at the Academy. He picked up a napkin and leaned forward to wipe away her tears, but she jerked her head away. He looked her in the eyes and reached for her again; and this time she allowed him to dry her tears. When she looked up, he stood next to her, holding her small hands in his much larger ones.