The Space Pirate 1 (14 page)

All of a sudden Charley felt nervous. This man had such a commanding presence, even talking about such a dull topic. She didn’t feel ready to approach him after his lecture so she decided to wait for him at his office. A staff finder provided another helpful magenta line for her to follow. This time she only needed to travel two floors down. At the professor’s door she entertained herself with Nex, looking up entries on pirate history so she wouldn’t sound like a complete dork with the Professor. The man himself appeared within ten minutes, followed by a gaggle of students desperate for a moment of his time. His eyes flashed when he saw Charley standing by the door. His eyes drank in her weapons and her altogether rougher look.

“Have we met, Miss …”

“Silverton,” Charley said. It was a gamble to mention that name straight away but it appeared to pay off. Professor Tek’s eyes widened, then he visibly composed himself.

“You’d better come in,” he said with a wink, ushering her into a comfortable wood-paneled office. There was even a spitting fire over in the corner. Harry Teks shut the door behind them and locked it. Stoking the fire embers, back turned, he addressed Charley with a nostalgic tone.

“You could only be old Silverton’s daughter, turning up dressed like that.”

“You know your pirates,” Charley ventured, wanting to press as hard as she could while she had this man’s time. “He told me I should come see you.”

“Did he now?” Harry turned and regarded Charley with smoldering eyes. The old fox was truly a powerful force. Charley got a glimpse of vivid tattoos under the sleeves of his neat suit. She was certain that this guy had killed, and killed often, in a previous life. How that translated into what he was doing now was another matter.

“That was another time. Another place.” Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. “May I ask why you’re here, girl?”

Harry said the last word with a particular emphasis. It was both seductive and condescending at the same time. Charley felt physically bound by the man’s unnerving gaze.

“I guess you could say I’m at a crossroads,” was all she could say. The truth was she had expected Teks to lead the way, to take the initiative and make her the best pirate that ever was.

“Do you have the merest concept of what it takes to be a pirate?” he asked with gravity, letting the words crawl from his mouth like scorpions.

Harry held his hands behind his back and stood tall while he watched Charley flounder around for an answer. He took deliberate steps across the polished wooden floorboards and was soon standing directly behind her. Charley wanted desperately to turn around, sensing a vague threat, but she refused to give Teks the satisfaction. He might be treating her like a little child, but that didn’t mean she would cower before his eyes.

“I know very little,” Charley admitted. Honesty was her only way of making the best of this situation. “That’s why I’m here, Harry.”

Charley thought the use of the Professor’s first name might help her cause. Instead, Teks placed his hands on her shoulders. The pressure was light, almost non-existent. Despite herself, Charley felt a slight ripple run down her spine.

“A pirate isn’t made,” came a soft, baritone whisper at her right ear. It sent tingles down her side. “It’s in the blood.”

Teks’s hands increased their pressure until he was essentially squeezing Charley’s shoulders. The sensation was strangely mesmerizing. Not unpleasant at all.

“On the surface of it,” came that purring voice in the other ear now, “The difference between a bandit and a pirate is a subtle one. But it’s everything. Everything.”

Teks’s hands inched their way down Charley’s back, relishing the curve of her spine, the steep depression just above her buttocks.

“A bandit lives to survive. A pirate survives to live. A bandit is addicted to taking what he needs from others. A pirate is addicted to exploring the galaxy. If he could be free without cost, he would. He steals from the rich so he can be truly, blissfully free. Do you have a pirate in you, Silverton’s daughter?”

Harry’s supple hand appeared at Charley’s front zipper, dragging it down to her navel. Charley realized she hadn’t had a chance to replace the underwear she lost after her voyage on the cargo freighter.

Harry’s right hand pushed aside her left lapel. It resisted for a moment, then slid over her nipple, exposing her breast. He pulled the other lapel aside and that breast bounced free too.

Charley shut her eyes as the older man held her breasts from behind, massaging them gently. Charley lost count of the seconds they both stood there. She could feel him hardening as he pressed himself into her. Eventually she couldn’t stand still any longer. She turned to face him, allowing him to massage her from the front. Their lips inevitably met. The older man was experienced, that was for sure. His tongue was dexterous and sensual as it explored her mouth. He sucked on her lips and buried his face in her neck. More tingles ran down her spine and between her legs. She couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening but she liked it.

Then Harry took a step back to admire her. Charley peeled her utility suit down her back and over her buttocks. Once it was gathered around her ankles she stepped out of it. She didn’t have any underpants down below. Harry’s eyes flicked down and his breath quickened.

Drawing Harry closer, Charley ran a hand over the bulge between his legs. The older man removed his hand from her breasts and fumbled at his own suit. In moments he was standing naked before Charley. She had to admit he was in good shape for a man his age. Bronzed, taut skin, not many signs of aging. It seemed a life as a pirate had been good for his soul.

Charley drew Harry closer, both hands around his manhood. He gasped as she gave it some special attention. At length he gently pushed her away before he exploded. Instead he got down to his knees and did some exploring of his own. Charley had never had someone so skilled in that area. She felt herself moving closer to the edge, as she liked to call it. Just when it seemed she was about to tip over, the professor withdrew and pushed her gently against his ancient bluewood desk. She lay back with blissful anticipation, her hands kneading her own breasts.

Then he was on top of her, inside her. He was rock hard. She could feel his intense heat colliding headlong with hers. He began slowly but firmly, his eyes never leaving hers. Charley gripped the edge of the desk, knowing she was gone. The older man built the momentum, his hands now on her breasts for support. He pulsed in and out with relentless power. Charley arched her back and gasped, her whole body throbbing with release. Harry let himself go at the same time, almost crying out with the sweet sensation. At length their bodies seem to sag into each other. Breathing hard, Harry finally withdrew, giving Charley one last respectful kiss on the nape of her neck.

Charley took a few moments to savor the aftermath. Her body shook a little more and she let the ripples wash over her. Finally she stood and set about stepping into her tight utility suit again. Harry Teks sat naked behind his desk, lighting a hatake dart and blowing the dark green smoke across the office. The musky smell seemed perfect after what they’d just done. Harry offered Charley one and she accepted once she had her weapons back in place. She definitely wasn’t about to activate FIGJAM any time soon.

“Thank you,” said Harry softly. “I think I needed that.”

21

Charley smiled. “I think I did too,” she replied. “Warp travel does strange things to a woman.”

“I know what you mean,” Harry said. “It messes with the hormones somehow.”

Both of them laughed.

“Harry,” Charley said at length. “Why are you here? You should be out there in the black, doing what you’ve always done.”

Harry sighed. “You’re asking if I sold out,” he said heavily. “Well I didn’t really have a choice. Fucking bandit cartel moved into my regular run. Beluga Run. One of the most profitable in the galaxy. I couldn’t keep it, Charley. I lost my crew to those thugs. My entire pirate fleet. They call themselves the Night Runners. Organized. Ruthless. Most of my pirate allies are dead. We had no chance against the new breed of criminal. They have no respect for the old ways. They’re just interested in money.”

Harry looked up at Charley with sorrowful eyes. There was deep pain there.

“How long have you been at the Academy?” Charley asked.

“Two years,” came the reply. “The Night Runners have a bounty on my head, but so far they haven’t thought to look here. I’m on borrowed time, Charley. Silverton is too.”

“He’s dead, Harry,” Charley said. “Tox-stick got him in the end.”

Harry smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Well that’s a poetic way for that fucker to bow out,” he said. “He was once a rival, then we began to work together. Against these new bandit cartels. A true pirate, he was. A true gentlemen. But it wasn’t enough. I don’t think there’s many of us left.”

Charley’s heart sank. Far from being a bustling, thriving scene, the pirates looked to be a spent force in the galaxy. Charley had heard reports of ruthless bandits taking over the lucrative runs throughout the galaxy, but hadn’t know the situation was as dire as this.

Harry got a glimpse of the pellet rack hanging from her belt.

“I see Silverton entrusted you with his best gear,” he observed. “I wish I was able to teach you the ways of the pirate. You might have been my last pupil.”

They laughed again at that. Charley couldn’t think of anything better than staying here and learning from this man. And not just about being a pirate …

“I was on the run for over a year,” Harry went on. “All I had was the credits I could shove down my pockets. It was enough to buy me three years tenure here at the Academy. I fooled them into thinking I’m a mercantile expert. I am, in some ways.”

Harry sounded wistful, as if his tenure at the Academy couldn’t possibly last. All of a sudden Charley had a sense of imminent danger.

“They couldn’t find you here, could they?” Charley asked worriedly.

“You did, Silverton’s daughter,” he pointed out.

“Please,” she said. “Call me Charley.”

At that moment a heavy knocking came from the door.

“Open up,” a gruff voice said. “This is Academy Security.”

“They’re not Security,” Harry said, his face turning pale. “The Night Runners have found me. They’ve found us.”

“What do you mean?” Charley asked, panicking. “How do you know?”

“I saw two goons enter the grounds a week ago,” he said. “I think they’ve been casing me ever since. They must have seen you enter my office and decided it was time to strike.”

“What do we do? Fight?”

Harry considered the situation. The door shook from a violent impact. Whoever was on the other side would be in soon.

Harry looked Charley in the eyes. “I could escape them now,” he said tiredly. “But they would keep coming. There’d be no rest. But they haven’t seen you. They don’t know there’s one last pirate in this sad old galaxy.”

Harry’s eyes twinkled. Charley’s heart swelled with pride. Harry actually thought she had the makings of the pirate!

“I won’t leave you,” Charley said. “I know nothing about being a pirate, but I do know that anyone with the Silverton name would fight by your side. To the death.”

Harry looked at Charley with something more than pure physical affection. “Yes, I can see you would. But I can’t allow that.”

Harry pressed a button under his desk. A door slid open in the corner of the office. Beyond it a stone staircase descended into darkness.

“Most of the professors have one,” he said apologetically. “For sticky situations.”

Charley grinned. The man was an old rascal.

“Let’s go,” Harry said. He waited until Charley had gone beyond the secret door when he said: “You aren’t Silverton’s daughter, are you?”

Charley shook her head, feeling like a fraud all of a sudden. To her immense relief Harry smiled.

“I knew it,” he said. “Wherever you came from doesn’t matter.”

Those words probably meant more than anything else Harry had said. “Really?” she asked, incredulous.

“Of course not,” Harry said. “What matters is the fighting heart in here.” He pressed a hand over Charley’s heart. “A pirate’s heart.”

And with that, Harry Teks activated the door but remained in his office on the other side.

“Harry!” she screamed. Blaster shot could be heard in the office. Fear clawed at Charley’s heart. She scrabbled at the door for full minute but was unable to find a way in. Tears in her eyes, she ventured down the stairs and emerged into a corridor two levels down.

She climbed a drop shaft back up to Harry’s level and rushed to the front door. A number of students had gathered around the office, where the violent scuffle was already over.

“They left through the window,” one student was saying. “There were two of them.”

Charley pushed her way into the office. With a sinking heart she saw a sickening stain on the floorboards. It was scarlet with a few chunks of ragged flesh. Harry had died here and had been broken down with a corrosive charge. Charley had seen one in action on Sandflower Downs when a gang had actually killed one of Boss Pete’s goons. They were pellets that activated a chemical process that broke a corpse down in less than a minute.