Captain Emrah Jackson Ch. 24

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

My name was Megan Flack. I was a deputy chairwoman of the Lavel chemical company. At forty years old, I was unmarried, with no children, and enough money to pay for a cruise through the cosmos once in a while. I often took these cruises solo as it was a chance to unwind from my hectic lifestyle. At least that was the story I was going to tell when I boarded the star liner, Eden.

My real name was Emrah Jackson, and I was a pirate from the ship, the Siren's Kiss. Her Captain, Berta had saved me from the detention facility on Ferrin, and hired me as her second in command. My first mission was stealing a shipment of copper from a mining outpost. Now my task was to infiltrate this star liner, disable its security defenses, and allow Berta and the crew to capture as many high value hostages as they could.

I was staying in a hotel on a planet called Arzan. The previous night, I spent my time with a girl called Roki, who was an engineer on the Siren's Kiss. It had been more than a quick fumble. The truth be told, I was really falling for the quick talking girl. I had wanted to spend more time with her, but she had to depart early in the morning.

I watched from my balcony as the sun rose over the city. It looked like a beautiful planet. There were large skyscrapers of gleaming glass, and ornate spires of all descriptions. It would have been a wonderful place to explore.

I checked out of the hotel with a big smile on my face. Things were looking up. I still had to focus on the job at hand, but my confidence in what I was doing was high.

A shuttle was waiting for me at the entrance and was going to take me to the Eden. As it rose into the sky I got my first glimpse of the ship I would be traveling on. It was truly a massive ship, about the size of a UEN battle cruiser. The sides were covered in black glass, which gave the whole thing a stylish and modern look. The battle cruisers I was familiar with were never designed to land on a planet, and this was the largest ship I had even seen do that.

As we landed, the pilot told me that my bags would be waiting in my cabin for me after I checked in.

I had changed into a long flowing summery dress, and chose to keep my small computer and comms device with me in a small hand bag. The check in procedure was fairly straight forward, and I was given a bracelet which would act as a key, and also give me access to the facilities. There were three classes on board, I was in third which was the lowest. It suited me just fine.

I was given a small map and was wished a happy voyage. As I made my way through the corridors I was taken aback by the sheer scale of everything. It felt more like I was walking through a small city. Everything was gleaming white and clean. Stewards greeted me as I passed by. They all wore uniforms that were smartly tailored and with a mustard coloring. I stopped one to ask the capacity of the ship.

"Twenty thousand, Ma'am," he said, with a polite smile. I would certainly have no trouble disappearing into the crowd. "If you want to know anymore about the ship, please check out the information portal in your room," I thanked him and made a note of that.

Eventually I found my cabin. It was large and nicely decorated, with carpets and other soft furnishings. I didn't have a view port though, and instead there was a digital screen that showed a camera feed from the front of the vessel. My luggage was already in the room.

Better get to work, I thought. I took the stewards advice and activated the information portal. It was a type of interactive computer, although limited in its uses. It listed the events and facilities available to passengers. They had basic things like yoga and massages to more interesting things like an onboard aquarium and a small zoo. It also informed me of the various stops the ship would be making and details about sightseeing adventures that would become available as the Eden made its course.

It took me an hour to go through everything. There was a layout of the ship, which I tired to memorize. Unfortunate information about the ships systems wasn't provided, so I would have to figure out a way to get that knowledge.

There was an announcement on the comms system that the ship was about to depart. It suggested that the passengers might like to go to one of the viewing platforms for a better view. I decided not to bother and requested that a meal be delivered to my room.

What I really needed was the schematics, but they weren't going to give those out to passengers. More than anything I needed access to a data point. I could plug my small computer into that I get real access to the ships internal systems. When Berta made her attack I would have to disable the Eden's defense systems. That was our plan, and my main goal.

The food they sent arrived promptly and was very delicious. A far cry from the dry rations on the Siren's Kiss. Afterwards I jumped into the shower to have better think about things.

Instead of focusing on my task I instead started to wonder when was the last time I'd had such a nice shower. It was long before my ordeal on Ferrin that was for sure. In fact this was the first time in a long time that I felt comfortable and settled. It was a nice feeling and I felt very free. I examined myself in the mirrored panel. My body was in excellent shape, especially for a woman my age. My stomach was flat, and very toned. Keeping my enhanced breasts had been a wise decision. They were perfectly round and very perky. Larger than the ones I had been born with. Of course, they were designed to be perfect. My skin was still a deep bronze color from my time on Ferrin. Sadly my age was showing some signs. There were a few grey hairs in my should length brown locks. Not many to be noticeable from a distance, but they were there.

Then I realised I was being stupid. I didn't have an open data point in my room, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. The information portal was most likely connected to one. It was built into the wall, and looked solidly made. If only I had some tools, I thought, then I came up with a hasty plan. I wrapped a towel around my wet body. I then took a glass of water and poured it into one of the vents at the back of the portal. It fizzed, and sparked and the screen went blank.

I used the internal comms device and informed a steward that my portal had gone down and could they send someone to fix it.

Fifteen minutes later a young man appeared at my door.

"There's a problem with your information portal, Ma'am?" he asked, politely. He was wearing a pair of spotless coveralls.

"There is, it just stopped working."

He smiled and told me he check it out. He seemed very professional, but I did detect him taking a quick glance at my bare legs.

He worked quickly and pulled away the main housing with a multi tool.

"There's water inside of it," he said, peering into the wall. I could see the data point inside, my instincts had been right.

"That's odd," I said, and peered in alongside him. He stiffened up as I placed my hand on his back. "Maybe it was from my shower?" I only wanted to fluster and distract him. It seemed to be working as all he could manage was a mumbled response. I had the feeling there were strict rules about fraternizing with the guests, and that would play into my advantage.

As he began to mop up the water with a rag, I palmed the multi tool and took it back to the bed. I tucked it into one of the folds and sat down.

"That seems to be it," he said, and pushed it back into its housing.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, as he began to search for his missing tool.

"Lost something," he muttered.

"Is it important?"

"Well I need to reattach this to the wall, Ma'am."

"Oh dear, maybe it rolled under the bed?"

He nodded, and got down on his hands and knees. As he did I crossed my athletic legs in an exaggerated motion. He looked underneath, but I also saw his eyes taking another glance at my legs.

"You don't have to call me Ma'am, you can call me Megan."

"It must be here somewhere."

"Come and sit down. It will turn up eventually." As I spoke I ran my nails up and down my toned thigh. It was an obvious come on, and one I knew he would have to say no to. For a second his eyes fixed on my fingers as they stroked my soft skin. I saw him take a deep breath and his cheeks begin to redden.

"I'll have to come back," he said, hurriedly and moved for the door.

"Hurry back," I called after him as he made his exit.

This little routine was becoming second nature to me now. How many times had I pretended to be sexually available to get what I wanted, I wondered.

There was a chance he could return, so I hid the multi tool in the back of one of the closets. I was going to make myself scarce for the rest of the day and reassess the situation later that night.

*********

In a somewhat hopeful mood I made my way through the corridors of the Eden looking for something to do. I was eager to access the data point, but wanted to give it some time in case the maintenance man came back. There were many activities on offer even to a lowly third class passenger like myself. I thought about going to the movie theater, but decided instead to check out the zoo. I didn't imagine they had actual animals, it was probably animatronics or something similar.

In the elevator on the way down I overheard two passengers talking about something called the Green Room. I couldn't help but be curious.

"Excuse me. What's the Green Room?"

"Oh, you gotta go, it's amazing, we did it last year, amazing."

They hadn't really told me much, but I made a mental note. Even if I could get access to the ships systems, it would be a few weeks before the ship was in a good place to attack. It might be a good way to pass the time.

I left them to their conversation and made my way into what the Eden called a zoo. When I got inside I realised why this place had been advertised so heavily. The whole deck was open and from what I could see, there were actual animals here. They had all sorts of specimens, with creatures from earth to more exotic ones. I noticed a few that had become extinct on earth, and I wondered if they had been genetically engineered. I spent hours wandering around looking at them. I had never seen anything like it before on a space craft. The sheer logistics of the place must have been crazy. I wished Roki could have been here to see it.

When I was exploring the reptile enclosure I came across something I hoped I would never have to see again. Behind two thick sheets of glass was a hilox worm. A small specimen, but just as terrible. I flashed back to my encounters with them on Mexor. I had been forced to fight some, but in the end they had overpowered me. On the plaque beside the case, it said that they were sometimes kept as pets by specialist collectors.

On my way back to my room I passed by some digital advertisement boards. One of them caught my eye. It was advertising a trip to earth. It was strange seeing a picture of my home once again. I stood there while it scrolled through images, landmarks of places to visit. Then it showed an image of two uniformed people. They were wearing UEN uniforms, and I felt homesick at the sight of them. It seemed so far away. I was here in the free systems on a star liner when my real home was in that uniform doing my duty for the United Earth Navy. I didn't dwell on it too much and tried to focus on the job at hand.

After I left, I had a light meal and decided to try my room. I had given it enough time.

The Eden was an efficiently run ship and I found the Information portal fixed back against the wall. I had seen inside and was confident no alarm would be sprung as I used my acquired multi tool to once again dislodge it. I plugged my handheld computer into one of the spare data ports and started the slow process of hacking their systems. I had to be careful not to trigger a power surge.

Eventually I got in, but only found basic systems. Lights, heating and comms. It wasn't that I could find the main systems, they just weren't here. It was like they didn't exist. Then it struck me, the Eden was massive, so it made sense that those sorts of things would be compartmentalized. I had another look at a map of the ship and saw that my section was well away from he flight decks. The first class section was on that level but not mine. It now seemed to me that I needed to access a data point at the very top of the ship. That was going to prove no small feat.

I had a quick look through the brochures to see if there were any tours of the bridge, but there were none. What I needed was a first class wrist band. Before I went about trying to acquire one, I needed to check something. I walked out into the hall and snapped mine off my wrist. Then I tried to use on my door, but nothing happened. It was as I thought, breaking them off also disabled them. I sighed and went to request a new one from a steward.

*********

A week had passed, and I was no closer to my goal. I had to get access to the top-level of the ship. I searched everywhere I could, but got nothing. There was an onboard library, but that proved useless. I was coming close to calling the whole thing off. Crazy ideas went through my head like overpowering a maintenance worker, but thankfully I dismissed them. That was a real bottom of the barrel idea.

A pirate ship had never successfully attacked one of these places before and I started to understand why.

As I pondered my dilemma I made more use of the services available to me. I started to have dinner in one of the many fancy dining rooms, and watched a movie in the evenings to pass the time and try and help me think. Then one night after a terrible film had ended I overheard a couple talking about how they had won a prize to go and watch a show in the first class ballroom. My ears perked up, and I caught up to them as they were leaving. They told me they had received it after going to the Green Room. I asked what it was exactly, and they told me it was a type of game that was played on some of these liners.

The next morning I made my way there. It was a nondescript door, with words green room plainly printed on it. Inside sat an officious looking man at an equally plain desk.

"I'm here about the game?"

"Of course," he said with a polite smile, and offered me a seat. "Have you played before?"

"No, I don't really know what it is."

"Ah yes, of course." He explained it was a type of role-playing game that took place throughout the ship. It involved actors and would be tailored to my personality.

"The prize is first class access?"

"Well there is a reward yes, but at the Green Room think the playing is reward enough."

"Ah I see." I replied, but was more interested in the prize.

"Lets get started then." He went through a few rules like, how I wasn't to interfere with the running of the ship or other passengers. Then he began by asking me a series of questions. It felt more like a psychological assessments and the questions he asked were very oblique and abstract. Things like what item would I want most on a desert island or what type of sound makes me feel at home. I answered the best I could. Then he moved onto more personal questions, and asked me my marital status and questions about my sex life. I didn't think they were appropriate and gave him a very boring account of myself.

"All done," he said, with a smile.

"So when does it start?"

"You will know," he said, mysteriously.

I left more perplexed than I had done when I entered. The other passengers I had spoken to about it seemed to rave about it, but I was more interested in the access to the first class section.

At dinner that night I got my first indication the game had started. A waiter surreptitiously handed me a note. It addressed me as Agent Zero, and told me I had to meet my contact after my meal. It looked like I was playing the role of a secret agent. Nothing about this interested me, but I was going to have to play along. If Roki was here I think she would have loved it.

The meeting was in one of the cabins in third class. As I entered I saw a young woman with blonde hair was sitting on a couch, she greeted me with a cheerful smile.

"Thank the stars you came, I was beginning to worry the Black Hand had intercepted my note. My name is Sophie."

"I got it," I said, holding the note up.

She was an actress of course, and just how I imagined one would be. Early twenties, fresh-faced, and very animated. She was well-spoken and had a enthusiastic lilt to her voice. Every word seemed to be measured and rehearsed. It was all an act after all. Like most actresses she was a good-looking woman, and I couldn't help but admire her impressive body. She had a petite frame, but with wide hips and a large bust. It was hard not to wowed by her obvious curves. I felt a little guilt at my instant attraction towards her, but I did my best to dismiss it.

"I know they are onboard, they searched my room while I was out," she said, and gestured to a set of open drawers with the clothes pulled out.

"I see," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Luckily I had the data stick with me, you have to take it," she said, holding it out to me. I took it from her and told her I would keep it safe. "You better go now, they might be watching. I'll send you further instructions if I need to."

With that I made my way back out into the corridor. From what I had just seen I couldn't say I was impressed with the game. I got the feeling it was going to be a series of these encounters, and I wondered idly if I would be spending more time with Sophie over the coming days.

**********

Nothing happened for the rest of the night, but when I returned from the gym the next morning I found my room had been ransacked just like Sophie's. I had assumed my private property was out of bounds and a moment of dread washed over me. I went straight to the closet and thankfully found the mini computer and my other equipment in the place I had stashed them. I knew it was just a harmless game, but I was close to calling it off. It could interfere with the real reason I was here.

I had checked the data stick the night before with my computer, and found it to be empty. Just a prop. Either way it was supposed to be important, so I kept it on my person.

I wondered if I should report the break in, as that might be part of the game. I decided not to as a real spy wouldn't do that. After I tidied up, I went for breakfast. My next clue came from a waiter in the form of another note. It was just the same as before, asking me to go back to Sophie's room. I finished up and made my back there.

Sophie was sitting on the couch, but this time she didn't have long blonde hair. Instead, she had tightly cropped brown hair.

"Didn't you used to be blonde?" I asked, as I entered.

"Shit," she exclaimed, and snatched her wig from the couch. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were going to be so early," she said, as she frantically put it on her head.

"Do you want me to come back?" I asked, feeling a bit sorry for her.

"No, it's my fault, I'm sorry. I haven't been doing this long."

"It's okay, your secret is safe with Agent Zero," I said, with a chuckle.

"You won't mention this when you do your questionnaire at the end will you?"

"I promise, I won't," I said.

I watched as she composed herself, then awkwardly tried to slip back into character. "Agent Zero, I'm so glad to see you," she said, but then started to stumble over her words. "The Black Gang, sorry, the Black Hand."

"Listen, I can come back later if you want," I said, calmly.

I could see her deflate in front of me, and she hung her head. "Shit, I've ruined it, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, honestly, between you and me, I'm only really doing this to win the prize at the end. Secret agents and stuff like that doesn't really interest me."