Chapter Four: The Roger Young
I really didn't have time for this. With any luck, Brusjin would have us transport within the hour and I needed to have everything ready to go. Still, the Map of the Heavens activated when I entered its scanning field. Why? What's so special about me? These thoughts were running through my head as I finished the walk to the hotel.
At our room, I packed all our things. There wasn't much to pack; Brusjin and I traveled light. We were always having to rely on tramp freighters to reach the planets we needed to be on and such ships had little in the way of cargo space for last minute passengers. I was closing the last of our three bags when my comm. beeped at me.
"Brus, what's the word?"
"There's a freighter in orbit who's heading back to the Federation. The Captain's willing to let us tag along."
"How much?"
"One night with you."
I could have figured. Brusjin and I suffer from a constant shortage of funds. This means we can't afford the prices that many independent ship captains charged for passage on their ships. In these outer sectors, they know they're the only choice and can name their price. On the other hand, these freighters had small crews. Sex between crew members frequently leads to conflict between them. So, any chance to have sex with someone not on the crew is an opportunity to be leapt at. That's why Brusjin bought me originally.
Collin tricked me on Branchet. I was negotiating a trade deal between the Dominats and the Groyetos on a neutral planet. Branchet was admitted to the Federation in the middle of the negotiations and Collin used the Branchet slavery laws to enslave me and sell me to a local slave trader. I later found that he had been ordered to do so by the Hellfire Group. Brusjin bought me because he needed a financial expert and sex gift in one person. We fell in love, in spite of my non-person status, and he freed me.
Our mission is more important than any sensibilities he or I may have. If having sex with innumerable aliens helps accomplish the mission, then so be it. Fortunately, I also enjoy sex a lot. So I wasn't put out by the prospect of spending the night with the captain of the ship.
"So, what race is the Captain?"
"Uh, Susan, it's not one night with the Captain; it's one night with the crew. The price was a gang bang with all four crew members."
"That's the best you could do?" I asked with a playful smile.
"I'm afraid so. The Captain knows who we are and that the map is active. It was either take us or he'd take word back himself. There'd be no guarantee that the right people would find out first."
"Oh well, I guess I'm in for a wild time. I've taken on more before."
"I think your record is still the seven Halsted."
Brusjin was referring to my having sex with seven male Halsted, creatures that looked much like the mythical Centaurs, especially in the male endowment department. It was a wonderful experience, at least until one fucked me anally.
"Yes, it is. Where do we meet the shuttle?"
"There's a field two kilometers out of town. I'll be at the hotel in 15 minutes. Will you be ready?"
"I'm already packed. I'll see you in 15." I turned to Savin. "Would you help me carry these bags down to the front?"
"Of course, Susan."
I could see she wanted to say something else. "Go ahead, you won't get in trouble."
"I don't suppose I can come with you?"
"No, I'm afraid you can't. Where Brusjin and I are going, you can't follow. I'm sorry you're a slave. If I could, I'd free you."
"I know. It's all right. Being a hotel slave is much easier than being with most other Masters."
I met Brusjin on the street and the taxi took us to the field. The shuttle was waiting for us. A gray-skinned, four-armed Thadin was standing by the open hatch with an impatient look on his face. As we climbed the ramp, he groused, "Come on, you two, time is money."
I don't know what it is about pilots, but they always seem to be in a hurry. Brusjin and I had barely fastened our safety harnesses when the shuttle shot up into the air, a couple of gravities leaking through the inertial compensators. I hoped the freighter was in better shape than the shuttle, though that wasn't likely. Tramp freight is all about the profit margin. Keeping a ship in top shape is expensive, especially when top shape is beyond what's needed to be safe. Freighter captains saved money by letting repairs and maintenance go until the situation endangered the viability of the cargo.
Yes, that's right. It's the cargo they're worried about, not the crew. Crewmen are cheap. In these backwater worlds, there's no shortage of people looking for a way off their forsaken planet for some adventure. Of course, freighters are
not
where the adventure is found, but the potential crewman doesn't know that. The crew
can
earn quite a bit of money since they're paid primarily in shares of the profit. If you want to enrage a freighter crew, threaten their cargo. There's a good reason piracy is rare in the Federation.
We docked less than ten minutes later. The pilot, whose name I never learned (everyone just called him Pilot), opened the hatch and we were met by a Pryrexin. This ought to be interesting. The two and a half meter, bipedal avian had his wings folded against his back and was reaching his hand towards Brusjin.