Captain Emrah Jackson Ch. 15

This ongoing sci-fi series will contain non-consensual elements.

I had escaped from the breeder farm by the skin of my teeth. As the ship climbed into orbit, I made my way to the bridge of the bulk carrier. It was being piloted by Delphine. She gave me the biggest smile when she saw me.

"I was thinking we would have to come back for you," she said, from the command console.

Once we got into a safer orbit, she told me that it had been chaos, and she guessed that it was me that had released all the slaves. I explained what had happened, and how I had been duped by Sakura. It wasn't the best outcome, but Delphine assured me that plenty of captives had been rescued.

"Around two hundred," Tyrus confirmed, as he came onto the small bridge.

"We lost a few," Delphine said, sadly. "We are going to the rendezvous now."

Tyrus offered to take over and give us some time to catch up. She took me into one of the small crew cabins, and checked me over.

"Just a few bruises. Not too bad." There was an old pair of overalls that I changed into.

She told me how proud she was, although I couldn't fully accept the compliment. The plan had almost gone disastrously wrong.

"Nonsense," she said. "From what you said, that woman already knew something was suspicious. You more or less saved us."

We were interrupted by another member of our crew. He had been down the the hold with the freed slaves.

"One hundred and twenty-five," he announced happily, and presented Delphine with a list. I asked to look at it, and was happy to see Lilly's name was on it.

"Could I speak to her?" I asked, and Delphine told me that was fine, but I only had this opportunity as once they reached the rendezvous, the ship would be heading for the safe haven.

The crewman told me he would take me down later, and left us alone.

Delphine warned me not to get my hopes up, but I surprised her by telling her that I had already gained the information I needed. I told her it was a man named Hogarth who had wiped my memories, and that I knew where he lived. She assured me that he would be out next stop.

"It looks like you will be back to your old self in no time," she said, with a smile. Tyrus's voice came on over the intercom telling us we had arrived at the rendezvous.

"Come on, Captain," Delphine said, teasingly.

Back on the bridge I saw the yacht sitting off the port side, it was being commanded by Juno. Delphine explained she was going to lock the coordinates into the bulk carriers flight computer and once I had said my goodbyes the ship would auto pilot itself to the safe haven. It was the only way to keep the location a secret. Not even her daughter Juno knew where it was.

Tyrus got up from the command chair, and said he would take me to the hold. As we left Delphine to her task, he asked me the name of the girl I was going to see and why I was going to talk to her. I just told him it was a girl that I had met at the breeder farm, and didn't elaborate. I didn't want him to know about my past just yet. It was still a lot to deal with and the less people that knew the better.

As we reached some steps he stopped me and told me he needed to tell me something.

"I thought I made my feelings clear before," I said, turning to him. In my mind, our relationship was over.

"Just one last hug," he said, and pulled me close.

As I tried to pull away, he pressed something small and silver to my neck. There was a whooshing noise, and I realized it was a medical injector. Whatever was in it acted very quickly.

My knees buckled, and I slipped into unconsciousness. He told me not to worry.

*******

I awoke in some confusion, and to my dismay I found I was bound and gagged. I was hogtied, and lying on my stomach. As my eyes adjusted to the light I saw that I was back on the bridge. I wasn't alone. Tyrus sat in the command chair with his back to me, and Delphine who was also hogtied, was laying next to me. I tried to get her attention, but she was completely out. There was a gash on her head, and blood covered her face.

I guessed it was Tyrus that had done it, but why? I could still see the yacht out of the port window, and that gave me some hope. Was this some sort of betrayal. All I could do was speculate.

Minutes passed, then I got my answer. The comms came to life, and Tyrus said something unintelligible into them. Almost as soon as he did, something bright streaked past the viewing port. It was a missile, and it struck the side of the yacht. There was one smaller explosion, and then the whole vessel disintegrated into flaming wreckage. I couldn't believe it. Juno was onboard, as were the rest of the Red Moon crew. Delphine was still unconscious, and my heart squeezed tightly for her. Her daughter had just been killed.

Everything was turning into a nightmare, for once I thought things were going to be okay, but that dream had now evaporated quickly and violently.

There was more waiting before I started to get answers. A small shuttle approached. I only caught a glimpse, but I felt dread inside. Tyrus left the bridge without even a glance in my direction, when he returned he wasn't alone. There was another man with him, he was tall and had a fierce look about him. The first thing he did was to walk over to Delphine.

"So this is the leader of Red Moon," he said, in a deep voice. Tyrus confirmed her identity. He then asked if the computer had the coordinates to the safe haven, which Tyrus also confirmed.

It dawned on me now, what was happening. Tyrus had sold us out to bounty hunters.

"I've tried to see where they go, buy they are encrypted, once we set the ship going, it will lead us right there."

The fierce looking man congratulated Tyrus on a job well done, and promised they would share the profits from the bounties on the escaped slaves. They talked some more about his time with us, and I found out that Tyrus was part of their crew who had gone undercover. He even talked about the female crewmember who died while I was on board. It had been Tyrus that had killed her and sent her corpse out on a shuttle craft. I couldn't believe I let this man into my bed.

"What about this beautiful creature?" he asked, and he turned to me.

"A pleasure slave we freed, my gift to you, Lucero."

I shivered at the thought, and didn't like the way this man was eyeing me. He squatted in front of me and smiled as he looked into my eyes.

"If I can make one request, Sir," Tyrus started. "I'd like some time alone with the Red Moon bitch. I'd like to put her in her place."

Lucero snapped a no, and told him that she was too valuable to be harmed, the price on her wasn't worth risking. "She has a special cage waiting for her."

He turned his attention back to me, and took some of my blonde hair in his fingers. "Very nice," he said. He took a digital tablet out of his pocket and powered it to life.

"Sometimes the pretty ones like you have a bigger bounty if they are returned untouched." As he keyed something into it, he stroked a finger across my cheek, and said he hoped that wasn't the case with me.

"Her owner was a man named Orton," Tyrus said, and told him the name of the planet I was from.

A frown appeared on Lucero's face. "Orton you say?"

Tyrus confirmed.

"There is no bounty for her, only slaves named, Proctor, Juno, and Emrah Jackson."

Tyrus shrugged. "She calls herself, Cara, her name must be Emrah then."

Lucero shook his head, and showed the device to Tyrus. "The pictures don't match."

"It must be a mistake."

Lucero took another look at me, and pulled out my gag. "Who are you?"

I only had seconds to calculate what was going on. For some reason my new name and appearance hadn't been registered by Orton. It must have been something that had slipped his mind. What ever bounty there was, must be for my old self. I had to take this chance.

"I'm not a slave."

There was silence and a look of confusion, that was only broken by Tyrus laughing.

"Of course you are, that's how we found you."

Again Lucero looked at me for an answer.

"When our ship got attacked I just said I was a slave so they wouldn't harm me, I was Orton's personal secretary."

"Nonsense," Tyrus blurted out.

"It's true," I continued. "We knew you were there to free slaves, it was Orton's idea, and the only way to protect me. You killed everybody who wasn't a slave."

"Juno was on the planet with you," he argued back.

I told him that she had only known me as Orton's lover, and nothing more. I could see him searching his mind for more information. He even brought up Proctor. "He was a slave. He would have exposed you."

"Well?" Lucero asked.

"I bought his silence."

"How?"

"With my body." I said, bluntly. I saw how my unabashed sexuality intrigued this fierce man staring at me. I went on to say how I was just biding my time to escape, and could only go along with things, lest I be found out.

Lucero suggested questioning Proctor and Juno, but Tyrus had to admit they had both been killed when the yacht was destroyed. I did my best to keep my face neutral even though I was screaming inside.

"Nothing about this makes sense," Tyrus said, and began asking why I hadn't asked to leave earlier. Lucero was getting tired of it though, and took out a small knife and cut my bindings.

"If she isn't a slave, she isn't a slave."

Tyrus tried again to make his case, but was cut off again.

I sat up, and rubbed my wrists. "Thank you," I said.

"She would still fetch a good price at any slave market. It would be a shame to waste."

Lucero cut him off mid-sentence. "We are not slavers, we are bounty hunters, if you want to go around the galaxy selling people, find another ship."

I could see the frustration in Tyrus's face, and before he could make another attempt at exposing the truth, Lucero ordered him to place Delphine in the shuttle.

"Do not harm her," he commanded, in a serious tone as she was dragged out of the bridge.

Alone with me now, Lucero ran his eyes over my body, before asking if I was hurt. I told him I was fine, and I that I knew why Tyrus was so adamant to believe I was a slave.

"Why is that?"

"He wanted to use me. Often he would suggest I owed it to him for my rescue."

"Did you succumb?" he asked, and took a surreptitious glance at my breasts.

"I don't mind using my body to get what I want, but he had nothing worth offering."

This made him smile, but I knew he got the subtle meaning behind my words.

"When we get somewhere civilized, we can make sure who you are with a DNA scan. You will have to be our guest till then."

I knew he didn't fully trust me, but it was better than nothing.

He rose and told me to follow. I wanted him to feel like my savior so held out my hand for him to help me up, which he did graciously.

"If I can ask one favor. I don't want to be left alone with Tyrus, I'm afraid of any repercussions."

He told me not to worry, and led me out of the bridge. It was a short walk to the shuttle. Once there he told Tyrus that he should stay on board the bulk carrier for the time being, to make sure everything goes smoothly, and he would be sending more men across in case the captives in the hold become restless. At first, he protested, but Lucero shut him down quickly.

***********

I used the trip back to his ship to collect my thoughts. The lie I told wasn't strong, but it had been believed for now. Knowing that there wasn't a bounty on my head was somewhat of a relief. From what I had gathered I knew that the bounty hunters would be following the bulk carrier to the safe haven. All I knew of its location was that it was in UEN space, which meant that it was going to be a long journey. That would give me time to breath. I was also glad Tyrus wouldn't be near me, as he was the only one that had any chance of exposing my lies.

I remembered back to Sakura and how she lulled me into a false sense of security before tricking the truth out of me. I had to avoid that the best I could. Things had to be kept simple.

Delphine was in the shuttle with me, but she was still unconscious. As a plan started to form in my head, part of it had to be freeing her. There was too much to think of though. With Tyrus on the bulk carrier, it wasn't going to be easy to secure its release. I was very close to giving up.

The sight of the ship I was heading to brought me round. Lucero told me it was called the Night Wind. It looked smaller than the yacht. I could see that it was armed with missiles, and cannons. It was a warship. After docking I got my first look inside. The bare metal corridors were small and cramped. It was built for function rather than comfort.

"I will put you in my quarters for now. Then we can work out what I'm going to do with you."

I nodded, as I saw two men carry Delphine off down a corridor.

The room I was led to was a lot more spacious than I imagined. Lucero told me he was going to lock me in for my safety. It was better than a cell, I thought.

"I have a few things to do before we leave," he said, and then before he left, he told me I could take a shower. It was a tempting thought, but I didn't want to waste any time.

I was about to begin searching the drawers and containers for anything useful, when a cold shiver went up my spine. Sakura had used a concealed listening device to catch me out. There could be one here, I mused.

With that in mind, I took off my overalls, and went into the shower cubical. The warm water felt great and I let myself enjoy the feeling. Afterwards I wrapped a towel around myself, and took another to dry my hair.

I thought about Lucero and wondered what he had in mind for me. Did he truly believe me, or was he playing along to get closer to the truth. The later seemed most likely. He had taken my word over one of his crew far too quickly. The slave registry and Orton's laziness were the only things keeping me safe. There was the question of his desire too. I knew by the way he looked at me, that he wanted to fuck me. While we were in a lawless part of space, he made it clear that he wasn't a pirate. Lucero might have his own twisted code of conduct, one that disallowed bending any rule, especially when it came to women.

I had to play it straight and not get too clever with any games. If he did want my body, I wasn't going to offer it to him on a plate. That didn't mean I couldn't cloud his mind, and use his own wants to turn the situation to my advantage. Everything was so precarious at the moment.

I was still drying my hair when Lucero returned. This time I got a proper look at him. He was about the same height as Tyrus, but slighter. I could see under his shirt that he was in great shape, and his arms looked like bundles of coiled wire. He had a much rougher appearance, more like a manual worker. His hair was jet black, and his face showed age, a mixture of old battle scars and crows feet. It any other situation I would have described him as attractive, but the fact that he murdered my friends meant I could never develop real feelings.

Before he could speak I told him that I hadn't had chance to thank him for my rescue.

"I thought I was going to be on that ship for ever," I said.

"You are safe now," he said, and I caught his eyes taking a look at my bare legs. He almost made no secret of his interest.

I asked him if we were underway, which he confirmed. "It will be a long trip, I won't promise it will be comfortable, but I'm sure we can think of ways to make you feel easier."

"Thank you," I said, again.

He picked up my overalls from the floor and brought them over to me. "Do you have anything else on the bulk carrier?"

I shook my head and told him all my possessions were destroyed on the yacht.

"Shame," he said, and took a seat next to me on the bed.

I felt my heart quicken, and imagined that in just a few moments he would be slipping the towel away from my breasts and laying me on my back. I was in no position to deny him.

"How did they treat you?" he asked, meaning Delphine and the crew.

"Very well, as I said, they thought I was a freed slave."

"But you never tried to leave? It seems odd they would free you, but kept you captive"

"I wanted to, but I had no money. They only took me to one planet, which I didn't want to stay on." I went on to give him a edited version of the trouble I got into in the bar.

"I got the impression they wanted me for their crew. I was used as bait at the breeder farm. That Delphine woman practically gave me no other choice."

He started to nod, and told me that he long suspected that's how Red Moon operated. "They say they fight for freedom, but deep down they are no different than pirates."

He began to ask me more about Orton, and I told him I was his personal assistant. "I mostly ran errands and such."

"You were his lover too?"

I nodded. "Powerful men like him don't always like slaves in their bed."

He asked if I enjoyed it, and I told him that it had its perks. Wanting to change the subject, I asked him about his ship.

"Maybe, I will tell you later."

"You still don't trust me?" I asked, bluntly.

He shrugged and said that he wanted to, but his line of work was full of deceit.

"Is there anything I can do to convince you further?" I asked, coyly.

His eyes narrowed and I could sense the decision he was trying to make in his head. I wasn't the pleasure slave that he could freely take to bed, but a victim of the so called terrorists he was chasing. It was his moral code that gave him so much conflict.

Before he could answer, we were interrupted by the comms, there was some sort of problem. Lucero excused himself, leaving me alone again. I breathed a sigh of relief, I knew deep down I would have to sleep with this man to gain his trust, the more I could put it off the better.

********

Hours had passed when he returned. I had changed back into my overalls, and tied my hair up.

There was a stressful look on his face, and I asked him if everything was okay. He dismissed my question, and told me not to worry.

"I thought we could have some dinner," he said, holding up two containers of food. There was something else in his hand, it was the white dress I had left on the bulk carrier. He suggested it might be more comfortable for me in the future, and laid it on one of the side tables.

"I could change now, if you like?" I suggested.

He shook his head, and placed the boxes down on the table.

"No," I said, cheerfully. "Let me change."

There was no protest as I went over to the dress. He sat and turned his head so I could change with some privacy. Just being naked in his presence must have got his heart beating, I thought.

As I sat back down, he said I looked very pretty. His eyes backed up that statement as he took a good look at the flowing dress I was now wearing.

"Much better than those oily overalls,"I said.

The food was simple, and basic, but as I ate I suddenly realised just how hungry I had been. Lucero suggested he go and fetch another tray, but I declined.

"How about something to drink?" He then asked.

He fetched a metal flask from one of the containers, and poured me a glass. Whatever it was, it was very strong, and made me cough.

"It's more like rocket fuel than alcohol," he admitted, with a smile.

As more drink flowed the conversation loosened up. It was still hard to relax around the man who held my fate in his hands, and who had killed my friends, but I had to give that impression. It was a difficult tightrope to walk.

Finally, he told me why he had to leave. He explained that some of his men led by Tyrus had tried to go into the hold of the bulk carrier, to fetch some of the women.

"They were stopped by our captives, who have barricaded themselves in there, they even had some weapons with them."