Author's Note
Space pirates. Lesbian space pirates. That's really all you need to know. Well, that and not a lot of overt sex. Sexiness yes, but story first and no lurid details.
This is a loosely connected series. Starting with chapter one will help avoid confusion.
*
Chapter 7: Brick House
The Black Prince Galley
Emily and Jade huddled around the small table, drinking instant coffee and gesturing in the air around a holographic representation of the ship's exterior floating above. Jade made a sweeping motion and the image zoomed onto the words, 'Grand Allusion'.
Emily rubbed her hand over the words and they disappeared. "Do we have any piratey fonts?" she asked.
From outside the door and down the corridor, LĂșcia's voice burst forth with a single word, "Brick!"
Jade chewed her lip. "What constitutes a piratey font, exactly?"
"I dunno. Something awe inspiring. With a touch of the old world flare."
"Let's see," said Jade, tapping at the tablet projecting the image. "Uh, there's one called Scallywag."
"What is a scallywag, anyway? Does anybody know?"
"House!" came LĂșcia's voice again, echoing throughout the ship.
"Here," Jade tapped at the tablet screen and flicked her finger over it. The area of the hologram that had once read Grand Allusion, was now displaying, 'The Black Prince' in Scallywag font.
"Meh," said Emily.
"Meh? That's it. Meh?"
Emily shrugged. "What else is there?"
"How about Skulls 'n' Bones? Sounds sufficiently piratey." Jade flicked her finger across the screen.
"Nah," they both said in unison while shaking their heads.
"Aw, brick!" intoned LĂșcia in the distance.
"Ooh, Jolly Roger," said Jade. "That sounds nice."
The hologram of the ship's hull was painted with 'The Black Prince' in Jolly Rodger font.
"Hmm." Emily pursed her lips. "Yeah, I think I could live with that."
"We need to get everyone's input before we decide."
"Of course."
Another "Brick!" rang out. And a moment later, it was followed with an equally enthusiastic, "House!"
"What the fuck is that girl doing?" huffed Emily.
"Tending to her plants," said Jade. "Singing to them, I'd venture."
"Yeah, but what?"
"Aw, brick!" came LĂșcia's voice again, at top volume.
Jade shrugged. "Something about a brick."
"Shouldn't we find out? I mean, suppose she's actually dropping bricks on them. The plants. One by one, extinguishing the life of each fragile little sprout as she sings some sort of funeral dirge. We don't know what she got up to in that nunnery. Maybe she was the black sheep of the family and that's why they let her go so easily."
"Doesn't really seem to be her style. And I can't think of any funeral dirge with the word brick in it."
Emily shrugged. "I don't think I can come up with the words to any funeral dirges. Do they have words? Or is it just all dirge."
"House!" echoed down the corridor.
"And what about the house part? Dropping bricks on plants doesn't really fit withâ"
"Aw, brick!"
"Let's go," said Jade. The two women stood up simultaneously, leaving their still warm coffee on the table under the hologram of the ship with 'The Black Prince' displayed in Jolly Roger font.
* * *
Amidship
Emily and Jade stood just outside the crew cabin that had been converted into a garden. With the interior illuminated by lights bordering on the ultra-violet end of the spectrum, it gave an eerie glow that spilled into the corridor.
Inside, LĂșcia, wearing red-tinted, wrap-around sunglasses, was swaying her hips while moving from plant to plant with a water spritzer. "Brick!" she shouted, spraying a sprout. And a moment later, "House!" while spraying the next one.
"At least she's not dropping bricks," said Emily.
Jade entered the room, packed wall to wall with tiny plants. "LĂșcia?"
No answer.
"LĂșcia?" Jade stepped around into LĂșcia's field of vision and waved her hand.
LĂșcia popped out an earbud. "Hi."
"What are you doing?"
"Watering plants."
"I mean the singing. What are you singing? Are you singing?"
"It is Brick House," LĂșcia said.
Jade scratched the back of her neck and stared.
"Have you not heard of Brick House? The Commodores?"
Jade and Emily shook their heads.
"It is a most glorious and energetic exaltation of the full-figured female physique." LĂșcia pulled out her other earbud, handing one to Jade and the other to Emily. She tapped a small device clipped to the sleeve of her jumpsuit.
"Oh, this is good," said Jade. "Nice groove."
"I'm digging the bassline," said Emily.
"Ooh, and a horn section," said Jade. "Sweet."
Emily was bopping her head to he beat. "Brick House, huh? Where did you find this?"
"Marie-Anne said it was one of her favorites."
"You and the robot exchanged playlists back on Nouveau Paris, did you?" Emily raised an eyebrow as she asked.
"No, she sent it in an email. And she prefers Artificial Lifeform."
"Really?" said Jade. "I didn't know automatons... um, artificial lifeforms knew how to get their groove on like that. This is epic."
"I will let her know of your approval when I write to her again."
Jade and Emily passed their individual earbuds back to LĂșcia.
"So is she like your girlfriend or something?" Emily asked. "She make you a mix tape?
"We are..." LĂșcia tapped her finger against her lower lip. "I think the term is pen pals."
"Hm," said Jade. "I have to say, I did not see that one coming."
"We discuss many things. Most recently it is the funk. And how to properly get down. Though there are times when we are urged to get on up, like by the James Brown."
Jade and Emily traded glances.
"We also often discuss the tenets of the world's major religions and how they have been adapted over the years to fit within the new confines of a modern spacefaring society like ours."
"No shit," said Jade, stroking her chin.
"Hey, when you're done spritzing, we're having a vote on a new font for the ship's name on the hull," said Emily. "Wander down to the galley and check 'er out."
"I have several plants that still need tending." LĂșcia made a sweeping gesture toward the aft side of the cabin.
"I can spritz with the best of 'em," said Emily.
LĂșcia picked up another spritzer and handed it to Emily along with a pair of red-tinted glasses. "You can spray the high ones. I sometimes have trouble reaching," she said.
"Deal."
LĂșcia held a single ear bud in her outstretched hand. "Do you wish to get down while we spritz?"
"Of course."
Emily inserted the single earbud. The two women sashayed along the walls of the cabin in exaggerated, tandem movements. Their hips swayed as they showered each tiny sprout with mist. LĂșcia did a twirl as she reached the corner of the cabin. And occasionally, in chorus, they would shout, "Brick!" followed by a very enthusiastic, "House!"
"I'm headed to the conn to fetch Amaliya," said Jade, smirking. "Be a shame if she missed out on the whole Brick House thing."
LĂșcia and Emily had their hands above their heads and were bashing their hips together as they spritzed and sang.
