This ongoing sci-fi series will contain non-consensual elements.
It was strange having freedom of the ship again, and my heart was racing as I made my way through the familiar corridors. I had deserved being locked up in the brig, and now came the worst part. Facing reality. At any moment I might turn a corner and run into Roki. The girl I cared for so deeply and hurt so badly. It wasn't just her that I let down, I also let down the crew. Some had attacked me while I was in the brig, and I knew the others would have similar feelings.
Thankfully the corridors were very quiet. Berta was on the bridge when I arrived.
"Back where we started," she said, and pointed out of the window. It was the desert planet, Ferrin. A safe haven for pirates to refit, repair and relax. They even retired here. In the distance, I could see the gladiator arena in the haze. She told me a lot of the crew were taking a break, and if I wanted I could do the same. I mentioned Jenna, and she confirmed that it wasn't just her that had jumped ship. A number of others had too. Nervously I asked about Roki, but she said as far as she knew, she hadn't done the same.
"I'm going to have a recruitment drive before we leave," she said, and told me brothels and the prison always gave her plenty to choose from.
"Are you still looking for a new second in command?" I asked.
"I am, Emrah, I already have a few likely candidates lined up. Whoever it will be will also be taking your quarters."
I asked where I was going to sleep now. She told me that there was a small single room on a lower deck that I could have. Our conversation turned to the refitting and resupply, and I wondered how I could help.
"Emrah, go take a few days off. There is a room booked for you in a hotel"
She was right. I needed the sun on my skin and the firm ground underneath my feet. Ferrin wouldn't have been my first choice for that. She handed me a credit pass, as an advance against my cut of the ransom money. It was a decent amount.
"The engines need a good cleaning out first, and the refit will take a week at least."
Before I left the ship I went to my old quarters to get my things. It was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and half-drunk glasses of wine littered the dining table. It looked like it had been searched while I was away. There were things missing too. I doubted Berta let that happen, but I would stay quiet on the matter.
I didn't want my replacement to find it like this, and spent a few hours cleaning it. There wasn't much in the way of personal items, but I did take my clothes to my new room which was on a lower deck.
The familiar smell of Ferrin hit me before I left the ship. Once I got outside, I had to shield my eyes from the glaring sun. With some comfort, I saw a few of our crew guarding the ramp up to the ship.
We were in a very large shipyard. This was a place for the larger vessels that either needed work doing or were being pulled apart for scrap. I could already see work crews setting up scaffolding around the Siren's kiss. Our own crew would take shifts keeping guard around the ship.
"You better take this," one of our guards said, and handed me a mauler pistol in a holster. Then she gave me a wristband. It gave me free access to the yard and identified me as a pirate. She gave me a few directions too, which I was grateful for. The shipyards seemed to have its own little area of pleasure houses and hotels. A small ground car would drive me to the hotel
"First time on Ferrin?" the driver asked, cheerfully.
"Once before," I said, vaguely.
He nodded and told me to be careful going into the old town at night. "Some very bad characters out there," he warned, and I promised to be careful. Even though I was a pirate I had to keep my eyes open.
**********
The hotel was nice, and from what the clerk told me was usually reserved for officers and other high-ranking crew members. There was a bar with some outdoor seating.
"So what's there to do around here."
He smiled and said it depended on what I was into. Obviously, there was the arena, and he told me that last week they had put on a special event with a creature called a Hipohox. Apparently, it was the size of a space shuttle, and took sixteen men to bring it down.
"After it ate two of them," he said gleefully.
He told me there were a few gambling halls, nightclubs, and three pleasure houses.
"That's just in the shipyard, the better brothels are in the old town."
While it all sounded very exciting it wasn't exactly my scene.
"Any museums?"
He looked at me puzzled and let out a guffaw, thinking I was joking.
Then I remembered the pyramids I had seen once. They were out in the desert, and I asked if there were any excursions there.
"Oh no, no one goes there. Very dangerous. There are unspeakable things in there."
I didn't know if he was trying to joke with me or not. It was probably superstitious nonsense.
I told him I would just drink in my room and he said that was always a popular choice.
It was nice laying out on a proper bed after being in the brig. I slept all afternoon and woke up at about midnight. I had a little food sent up and then was at a loss for what to do. I had no interest in gambling. Instead, I decided to check out one of the nightclubs.
It was a very lively atmosphere on the streets with many patrons coming in from long journeys, and looking to unwind. It wasn't as wild and unsafe as I had imagined. It seemed there was some sort of unwritten rule about order that everybody was following. Most of the bars were packed, and I found one with loud music that I liked the look of. Once inside I found it easy to blend in with the crowd. Crew from the Siren's Kiss would be out enjoying themselves, but I didn't really want to run into them. Most of the customers were talking in groups, but there was a large dancefloor, and people were dancing to a type of music I had never heard before.
It wasn't long though before a man offered to buy me a drink. I accepted it willingly. The drink they served was not refined and was very strong.
"What ship are you from?" the man asked. The music was so loud that he had to shout the question into my ear.
"I'm between ships," I said, close to his ear.
He nodded with a smile. "I wanna be between your legs."
The mix of the booze, and the easy atmosphere made me laugh at his feeble attempt. I let him buy me a few more drinks, as he seemed harmless. I made an excuse about using the bathroom and disappeared into the crowd.
After those drinks, my head was spinning, and I decided that I wanted to dance. It didn't come naturally to me, but once I was in the throng of people on the dancefloor, I let the loud beats move my body. All my worries and regrets were being washed away.
The darkness was only illuminated by flashing strobe lights. It felt very tribal, and I liked the feeling of being with so many people all doing the same thing. I didn't even mind as a pair of hands began to massage my ass. The hands moved to my hips, and I felt a warm body against my back, and we both moved in unison to the music. I only realized it was a man when I felt his stubble against my ear.
