This ongoing sci-fi series will contain non-consensual elements.
The Siren's Kiss departed from Ferrin without much fanfare. I got a good look at the planet from the porthole as we slowly made our way into orbit. Usually, I would have been on the bridge during such a moment, but no message had been sent to me for my presence. It was okay I thought and was happy to watch from a maintenance corridor. I still had a long way to go to regain the trust I had once enjoyed.
We would be patrolling the trade routes for a few weeks, looking for likely targets. That's what I had overheard, anyway. After the refitting at the shipyards, the ship was more agile and would prove a more deadly opponent in combat. I should have been happy, but I wasn't. I used to be the second in command of this ship but after my incident with the hostages, I had been demoted to a now undetermined role. My large quarters belonged to someone else, leaving me in a much smaller cabin on the third deck. That wasn't the worst of it though. My replacement was a woman named Sakura. I had known her in my past.
The first time I met her was on a breeder farm where she had beaten me, and had her guards brutalize me. The next time had been on the collector station where she had been sold into slavery. She had no idea who I was. I looked different then, and went by a different name.
My captain, Berta had told me that I would now report to her, and she would find a fitting role for me. That was where I was going now, to report to a woman who I only had bad feelings for.
She now occupied not only my old role, but my old quarters too.
"Come in Emrah," she said, as she answered the door.
She was six feet tall, and dressed in a tight pair of coveralls. It clung tightly to her lithe body, her large bust and wide hips were the only part of her body that spoke to her femininity. Her long spiked heels only added to her height and impressiveness. Her face had the same masculine quality I remembered, her jawline was strong and her cheekbones were high and sharp. Her hair was a deep black, straight and cut short into a bob. She was about my age or a little older.
"Pleased to meet you." was all I could manage to say as I let go of her cold hand.
She smiled, and offered me a seat at her table. Sakura was still the intimidating woman I remembered, and I felt uneasy in her company.
"Did Berta tell you that you were to act as my junior for the time being?"
"She did," I said.
"I understand that I have essentially taken over your role after your demotion, is that correct?"
I confirmed that was the case, and she asked how I felt about that.
"It is what it is," I said, blankly.
"Well you know this ship better than I do, so hopefully we can work on a more friendly basis."
"Sure," I said, and feigned a smile. I had to just grin and bear it.
"I've been speaking to Berta about your new role," she said, and told me that she had been informed about my incident with the hostages. I didn't like that she knew, but there was nothing I could do. "For the time being, I am going to put you in charge of the brig. I think that would be a good position for you right now." I remembered that Jenna had jumped ship, but I still questioned Sakura's decision.
"It will be a good place for you to learn how to be responsible again," she said. Her words were kind, but I couldn't help but detect a slight joy in her giving me that role. "Also you have been in there and I'm sure you know how things work down there too."
"Yes," was all I could say. It's not the decision I would have made in her place.
"It will keep you busy, at least," she said.
"Is that all?"
"No, I need my quarters thoroughly cleaned."
I was shocked, and asked her if she really wanted me to clean her room.
"Of course not, find someone from the crew."
"I can do that," I said, and asked her if I should go now.
"Yes, I will be on the bridge if you need me. Oh, and Emrah. Call me Ma'am from now on."
I nodded, and smiled the best I could.
My excitement of returning to work had long since vanished. I believed in coincidences, in fact I had met Sakura twice before, but her being here felt wrong. She had enough of a grievance to come after me, but why go through all this effort to secure a place aboard the ship. Why not just kill me on Ferrin? Part of me wanted to go and see Berta, but I felt that it might come across like sour grapes. Sakura had replaced me after all. Working for this woman, wasn't something I relished, but what choice did I have?
I found a couple of girls chatting by a bulkhead, and passed on the command. In some ways Berta had made a perfect choice. Sakura was the type of woman to keep order. While she didn't have a lot of experience being a pirate, she did have experience keeping order. I couldn't imagine anyone even attempting to show her any disrespect. My first days amongst the crew were ones of distrust and they often pushed me to the point of insubordination. I doubted Sakura would face such issues.
It was going to be a long trip I thought and made my way to the brig.
***********
I took my new duties seriously and spent a few days cleaning and sorting out the brig. It took a lot of work and I was exhausted by the end. I felt some satisfaction at the job I had done, and in some ways was glad to be given something useful to do. The brig wasn't large and only had four cells, a shower room and a small room that I would be staying in. I remembered how Jenna had spent most of her time in there smoking. The smell still lingered, and I guessed it would be hard to shift. All my stuff had been moved in here now and it was a job to fit my clothes into the cramped cabinets. There wasn't much of a bed either, just a single cot against a bare steel wall. This was my new home for the time being.
It wasn't long before I got my first guest. It was a girl called Ava. She was a new recruit that had been added to the crew on Ferrin. Sakura had caught her drunk on duty and given her two weeks in the brig as punishment.
She presented herself at the door to the brig and explained her situation. I got the impression that someone else from the crew had encouraged her to drink as a prank so she would get in trouble. Two weeks was an awfully long time for something like that, it's not something I would have done. Sakura was in charge, and who was I to complain?
Ava was about nineteen years old, and had been born on Ferrin. She hadn't been found in a brothel or prison, but instead she had volunteered for the job. She told me it was her chance to get off the planet and see the galaxy. I gave her a prison uniform and kept my eyes averted as she changed. Like most residents of Ferrin she had honey-coloured skin, and with her long chestnut hair, it gave her an exotic look.
I took her down to one of the cells, and locked her in.
"If the ship gets into trouble, the door will open automatically," I said, and went through the rest of the emergency procedure. It was something that had never been explained to me when I was staying here. She already looked bored, and I told her I would bring her a book later.
After a few days I was starting to become bored myself. I hadn't heard from Berta, or Sakura. I didn't even know where the ship was heading or if we were going on a raid. This is how the rest of the crew must feel, I thought to myself. No wonder Jenna wanted to jump ship at the earliest opportunity.
Thankfully the monotony was broken by another visitor. This time it wasn't another guest for the cells. It was Roki.
"Someone told me you would be down here," she said, greeting me with a smile. It warmed me to see her again.
"It's better than nothing," I said. We talked a bit and I asked her how she was doing. She looked happy, and I was pleased when she told me about the fun she'd had on Ferrin. I asked her if she wanted to come and have lunch with me sometime, but she made an excuse about being busy, and I didn't press her. In time that might change, but I'd have to take it slowly.
"Do you know where the ship is going?"
