Housekeepers by day and adult entertainers by night, Pauline and Elsa make a living on the aging passenger ship Dumont where every journey could be your last.
Cam girls in space -- I don't think anyone saw that coming.
Chapter 1
The Dumont was in a holding pattern outside the Khelgar system, waiting for an overdue military escort on its journey to Herados and several other destinations on her itinerary. Out on the Rim, protection was critical, leading to a growing convoy of passenger vessels and cargo ships, many of which had been stranded for over a week.
"Hey," said Pauline, cleaning the humid bathroom in cabin four twenty-one, the scent of disinfectant mingling with something decidedly less pleasant. "Do you think we'll be stuck here much longer? Three days, that's gotta be a new record."
Elsa shrugged and took a short break from changing the sheets. "Hard to say. I hope we get a proper escort this time, not just a couple of rusty old buckets from the Teraxans. You know, I wanna settle down on a core world, not end up as a slave at the ass end of nowhere."
"Yeah. The Dumont alone is one big, juicy target."
Pauline looked through the window into the vastness of space where a ship had just dropped out of hyperspace. Another large passenger ship -- not as large and majestic as the Dumont, but still impressive, with its hull gleaming under Khelgar's star. Its thrusters fired as it maneuvered towards the dozens of ships lined up in formation on the starboard side.
With a sigh, she turned to the housekeeping cart to get the toilet brush.
"Whatever they send," said Pauline, "all they gotta do is hold them off long enough for us to jump. I heard that pirates go for the freighters first because cargo is easier to handle than a couple thousand slaves."
"Still. Those penny pinchers in HQ should have paid for Syndicate protection. They are always on time, and nobody fucks with the Syndicate."
Pauline wiped the sweat off her forehead. "You know what's also bothering me? We're traveling through space but still can't build a toilet that doesn't need scrubbing. Where's science when you need it?"
The toilet bowl's discoloration was stubborn, but at least the brush was making good progress on the grime around the rim. Another minute of determined scrubbing and it would pass cursory inspection.
"Ugh," she groaned as Elsa was bringing fresh towels for the bathroom. "And no technology in the universe will teach guys how to aim. So disgusting."
"Single guy, I'd say. If he had a woman in his life, he'd know that you sit down to pee."
"Some men are lost causes in my experience."
"Men have to be trained. There are certain... privileges they don't wanna lose. Worked wonders with my husband." She threw a coin in the tip jar on the cart. "Can't pee straight, but at least he left a tip. A quarter is better than nothing."
"Speaking of money," said Pauline, soaking her rag with detergent and wringing it out. "You're not doing any shows? On our last tour you did three or four nights a week. Did you get in trouble with the husband?"
"No, but it's too close to home. I have a lot of family on Herados, and most of the men travel for work. Imagine some uncle or second cousin dialing into the show and seeing me stuff dildos up my butt. I'd never hear the end of it." She started to wipe down the mirror. "And you, just be careful, there's sex workers disappearing in these parts."
"Yeah," said Pauline, a shiver running down her spine. "Creepy, with that psychopath on the loose. Last month they found one of the waitresses that went missing in a slave brothel on Sentarra. She was drugged, smuggled off the ship, and sold."
"Huh. There's, like, a million easier ways to enslave a girl on the Rim than kidnapping her on a passenger ship."
"That's what's so disturbing. And it's always this area and always on the bigger ships. We should keep our eyes open, there's this huge reward..."
"All those crime shows are messing with your head," said Elsa, getting the mop for the floor. "But seriously, please be careful. If you wanna make extra money after the show, don't go to them, do it in our cabin. Nadine and Miri are on the night shift, and I'll put in earplugs. You won't even notice I'm there."
"I can't take a customer to a bunk bed. They wanna be served in their own cabin, otherwise they'd go to the whores. Besides, you snore. It's a miracle you don't wake yourself up."
"Like I said, I have earplugs," said Elsa, grinning. "If it works for your singing, it sure as hell works for snoring."
Pauline laughed. "Not sure what you mean. I've been told that I have the most amazing singing voice."
"By someone who wanted in your pants, no doubt."
"I feel like singing. I think we should sing."
"They're gonna think we're drunk and call security on us. Now get out so I can mop the floor."
Pauline set the ventilation to maximum to clear the humidity from the bathroom, but quickly turned it down again when the fan made an ugly, grinding noise. "The ship's falling apart, one fan at a time. I'll make a note."
"As if they're going to fix it. The maintenance backlog is a lightyear long. Let's go."
With the bathroom cleaned, the sheets changed, and cabin four twenty-one restored to order, Elsa closed and locked the door as Pauline marked the room off the list. They had made good progress and were slightly ahead of schedule, with only eight cabins remaining on deck four.
"Another job well done," said Pauline, pushing the heavy cart forward. "It is a pleasure working with a qualified professional like you, Ms. Antares."
Elsa smirked and took a small bow. "The pleasure is all mine. Nobody scrubs a toilet better than you, Ms. Raynard."
The next couple of cabins were not on the work order, so they pushed the cart past them, over a section of old red carpet that desperately needed replacing, and stopped in front of four twenty-five.
Elsa knocked on the door. "Housekeeping! Hello?"
Nobody answered, so she used the universal keycard to unlock and open the door. After all of five seconds, she backed out, grimacing.
"So sorry, sir, ma'am. We'll be back later."
"Still sleeping?" asked Pauline, straightening up to ease the ache in her back.
"No, but they were in bed alright. Let's circle back in half an hour, that should be plenty. He doesn't look like he can keep it up much longer."
Pauline giggled. "Bad girl! Points?"
