Captain Emrah Jackson Ch. 26

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

It was strange having freedom of the ship again, and my heart was racing as I made my way through the familiar corridors. I had deserved being locked up in the brig, and now came the worst part. Facing reality. At any moment I might turn a corner and run into Roki. The girl I cared for so deeply and hurt so badly. It wasn't just her that I let down, I also let down the crew. Some had attacked me while I was in the brig, and I knew the others would have similar feelings.

Thankfully the corridors were very quiet. Berta was on the bridge when I arrived.

"Back where we started," she said, and pointed out of the window. It was the desert planet, Ferrin. A safe haven for pirates to refit, repair and relax. They even retired here. In the distance, I could see the gladiator arena in the haze. She told me a lot of the crew were taking a break, and if I wanted I could do the same. I mentioned Jenna, and she confirmed that it wasn't just her that had jumped ship. A number of others had too. Nervously I asked about Roki, but she said as far as she knew, she hadn't done the same.

"I'm going to have a recruitment drive before we leave," she said, and told me brothels and the prison always gave her plenty to choose from.

"Are you still looking for a new second in command?" I asked.

"I am, Emrah, I already have a few likely candidates lined up. Whoever it will be will also be taking your quarters."

I asked where I was going to sleep now. She told me that there was a small single room on a lower deck that I could have. Our conversation turned to the refitting and resupply, and I wondered how I could help.

"Emrah, go take a few days off. There is a room booked for you in a hotel"

She was right. I needed the sun on my skin and the firm ground underneath my feet. Ferrin wouldn't have been my first choice for that. She handed me a credit pass, as an advance against my cut of the ransom money. It was a decent amount.

"The engines need a good cleaning out first, and the refit will take a week at least."

Before I left the ship I went to my old quarters to get my things. It was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and half-drunk glasses of wine littered the dining table. It looked like it had been searched while I was away. There were things missing too. I doubted Berta let that happen, but I would stay quiet on the matter.

I didn't want my replacement to find it like this, and spent a few hours cleaning it. There wasn't much in the way of personal items, but I did take my clothes to my new room which was on a lower deck.

The familiar smell of Ferrin hit me before I left the ship. Once I got outside, I had to shield my eyes from the glaring sun. With some comfort, I saw a few of our crew guarding the ramp up to the ship.

We were in a very large shipyard. This was a place for the larger vessels that either needed work doing or were being pulled apart for scrap. I could already see work crews setting up scaffolding around the Siren's kiss. Our own crew would take shifts keeping guard around the ship.

"You better take this," one of our guards said, and handed me a mauler pistol in a holster. Then she gave me a wristband. It gave me free access to the yard and identified me as a pirate. She gave me a few directions too, which I was grateful for. The shipyards seemed to have its own little area of pleasure houses and hotels. A small ground car would drive me to the hotel

"First time on Ferrin?" the driver asked, cheerfully.

"Once before," I said, vaguely.

He nodded and told me to be careful going into the old town at night. "Some very bad characters out there," he warned, and I promised to be careful. Even though I was a pirate I had to keep my eyes open.

**********

The hotel was nice, and from what the clerk told me was usually reserved for officers and other high-ranking crew members. There was a bar with some outdoor seating.

"So what's there to do around here."

He smiled and said it depended on what I was into. Obviously, there was the arena, and he told me that last week they had put on a special event with a creature called a Hipohox. Apparently, it was the size of a space shuttle, and took sixteen men to bring it down.

"After it ate two of them," he said gleefully.

He told me there were a few gambling halls, nightclubs, and three pleasure houses.

"That's just in the shipyard, the better brothels are in the old town."

While it all sounded very exciting it wasn't exactly my scene.

"Any museums?"

He looked at me puzzled and let out a guffaw, thinking I was joking.

Then I remembered the pyramids I had seen once. They were out in the desert, and I asked if there were any excursions there.

"Oh no, no one goes there. Very dangerous. There are unspeakable things in there."

I didn't know if he was trying to joke with me or not. It was probably superstitious nonsense.

I told him I would just drink in my room and he said that was always a popular choice.

It was nice laying out on a proper bed after being in the brig. I slept all afternoon and woke up at about midnight. I had a little food sent up and then was at a loss for what to do. I had no interest in gambling. Instead, I decided to check out one of the nightclubs.

It was a very lively atmosphere on the streets with many patrons coming in from long journeys, and looking to unwind. It wasn't as wild and unsafe as I had imagined. It seemed there was some sort of unwritten rule about order that everybody was following. Most of the bars were packed, and I found one with loud music that I liked the look of. Once inside I found it easy to blend in with the crowd. Crew from the Siren's Kiss would be out enjoying themselves, but I didn't really want to run into them. Most of the customers were talking in groups, but there was a large dancefloor, and people were dancing to a type of music I had never heard before.

It wasn't long though before a man offered to buy me a drink. I accepted it willingly. The drink they served was not refined and was very strong.

"What ship are you from?" the man asked. The music was so loud that he had to shout the question into my ear.

"I'm between ships," I said, close to his ear.

He nodded with a smile. "I wanna be between your legs."

The mix of the booze, and the easy atmosphere made me laugh at his feeble attempt. I let him buy me a few more drinks, as he seemed harmless. I made an excuse about using the bathroom and disappeared into the crowd.

After those drinks, my head was spinning, and I decided that I wanted to dance. It didn't come naturally to me, but once I was in the throng of people on the dancefloor, I let the loud beats move my body. All my worries and regrets were being washed away.

The darkness was only illuminated by flashing strobe lights. It felt very tribal, and I liked the feeling of being with so many people all doing the same thing. I didn't even mind as a pair of hands began to massage my ass. The hands moved to my hips, and I felt a warm body against my back, and we both moved in unison to the music. I only realized it was a man when I felt his stubble against my ear.

"You are a great dancer," he said, over the music.

I nodded, and began to push my ass against him. I felt powerful and in control. He gripped me tighter and ground against me. Then his mouth was on my neck, and he kissed my skin. I twisted my head, and offered him my ear. He nibbled it gently and it sent tingles through my body.

Our bodies were locked together as we moved to the music. Then I became aware of a woman dancing in front of me. She was enjoying the sight of me moving my body. I made no secret of my desire to have her watch. I locked eyes with her, and bit my lip seductively. With one man dancing against my back, and the other girl watching I drank in the feeling of being the centre of attention.

We danced like that for a few more songs, before the need to get a drink of water took hold of me. I disengaged and left them dancing. Neither followed me and instead started to dance together.

The bar was crowded, and I squeezed into a gap to try and get a drink. As I waited a very large and very drunk woman pushed up against my rear.

"What will it take to get you naked?" she slurred into my ear.

"A lot more drinks," I answered back.

She laughed and pinched my ass. "You're beautiful, come back to my room."

Usually, someone like her would have annoyed me, but the booze had lowered my tolerance for bullshit. She was nothing that I couldn't handle.

"Let me buy you a drink," she said.

I nodded my head and tried to get the attention of the barman. Her face was almost fully covered by tattoos, and her lips were full of piercings.

"What's your name?"

"Emrah."

"Cute." Finally, the barman spotted me and we got our drinks. With some protests from the large woman, I squeezed passed her.

I found a small corner to stand in to have my drink. The large woman had followed me and gave me a wonky grin as she approached. I was going to make an exit, but she seemed harmless enough.

"I thought I lost you, Emma," she said, putting her hand against the wall above my head. She wasn't attractive by any stretch of the imagination. There was a brutish quality about her, but not in a vicious way.

With a smile I told her I was with someone.

"Aww," she said, with a chuckle. "She shouldn't leave you alone."

"I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, yeah, you look like a handful, you wanna go somewhere quiet?"

I shook my head and sipped my drink. She just nodded with a grin and asked me if I wanted to dance. Again my answer was the same. she was persistent and the way she refused to give up was endearing in an amusing way.

"Come on, Emma, I'm flying out tomorrow, just one dance."

This time I shook my head more playfully and told her I wasn't an easy girl. For a reason I didn't know, this gave her the idea that it was her chance to kiss me. I twisted my face out of the way, and her lips squished against my cheek. That was enough of that for one night I thought and dodged passed another sloppy effort.

I used the crowd to put some space between us. As I darted in out of the people all of a sudden I crashed into a man. The drink he was holding splashed down his top.

"Stupid bitch," he snarled, at me.

"Sorry," I said.

He was older and taller than me. There was a scar that ran the length of his throat, which gave him a dangerous look. "Idiot," he said, and gave me a condescending look. Before he stalked off, he told me that little girls should learn to be more careful.

I was left with a frustrated feeling, and my enjoyment in the nightclub was diminished.

"What a prick," I said, to myself.

I had another dance but didn't enjoy it as much, as I was still fuming about what the man had said about me. As I moved to the music I looked around to see if I could still see him. Then I spotted him. He was propped up against the bar talking to a girl. She had long blonde hair and was wearing a slutty dress. Probably a whore, I thought to myself. He was a handsome man with a windswept hairstyle, and she looked to be loving whatever he was saying.

I tried to forget about it, but my eyes kept wandering back to the pair. I must look very frumpy in comparison. My hair was short, and I was wearing a pair of coveralls. Even when I stopped dancing I kept an eye on the couple. He had really gotten under my skin.

A few minutes later I saw that the girl he was with had left, and I could resist giving him a piece of my mind.

"You didn't have to be such a prick about it," I said, as I approached him.

He looked me up and down dismissively. "Get lost."

I couldn't believe it, and felt my cheeks reddening at the insult.

"No," I said, firmly.

For a second he looked as if he might walk away, but he held his ground. "If you can't handle your booze, you shouldn't be in here, little girl."

I wanted to slap him, but before I could make that decision the blonde girl returned.

"Who the fuck is this?" she said, to him.

"Who the fuck are you?" I snapped, at her. Her response was swift and she slapped me hard across the face. My retaliation was clumsy and in moments we were scuffling on the floor. We fought like cats, and it was only stopped when a pair of hands picked me up off her.

It was a bouncer and he carried me out of the club. I didn't struggle, but it was a humiliating experience. He dumped me onto the ground outside, and told me I wasn't allowed back in. The street was busy with people coming in and out of the club, and a few of them got a free laugh out of my predicament.

The booze had really taken hold of me, and I leaned against the wall of the club as I didn't really want to go back to the hotel so soon. There were other places I could get a drink, and I decided just to take a few minutes in the fresh air to clear my head. I sank to the floor and pulled my knees up to my chest. It wasn't long before I had company.

"Do you want to come back to my room?"

I looked up and saw Roki standing over me. For a few seconds we just stared at each other, and then she reached out her hand and I took it.

**********

She took me back to her small rented room and there in my drunken haze I let everything out. I told her all of it. From my experience in the brig, to the attack from the other girls. I wasn't telling her to gain any sympathy. It just needed to come out. I was a mess and the words tumbled out of my mouth quickly and without a filter. She listened and held my hands as all my fears and uncertainties followed soon after. How I didn't feel like I fit in or belonged, and how my life felt like one big disaster.

Then it was her turn, and she let me know what she truly felt. That was the hardest part, and I could only listen with a hard lump in my throat. She accepted that the perfume had caused me to act in such a strange way. It didn't change things though. It was my face she saw in her memories. Mind control or not, it was an unforgivable experience. She began to tell me a sad story from her youth when a man had tried to force himself upon her. It was horrible to hear.

There were tears from her as she told me that she thought it would be best that we remain friends. I felt numb at her suggestion but had to agree. In time there might be some healing, but that was a long way off.

She told me that she thought that maybe being on the Siren's Kiss wasn't suited to me. Deep down I knew she was right. This was not my life. I was coming to accept that. My home was in UEN space. Not flying around with pirates. Once my contract was through, I knew that I had to go home.

We talked more, and she told me that not everyone in the crew hated me for what had happened. Most importantly she assured me that she wasn't part of the group that had attacked me.

She didn't ask me to leave right away, and we spent the night together just holding each other. We both knew it would be the last time we would share a bed.

**********

I awoke with a head full of cotton wool and a heavy heart. Roki had already left. There was just a note on the side table. It was brief and told me that she was returning to the ship. With a smile, I saw that she wrote a line, about remaining friends. I had to accept that. She hadn't fully forgiven me, but it was more than I could have hoped for.

As I showered I felt a wave of nausea washing over me, and I had to vomit into the toilet. I decided to lay off the drink for the time being.

I didn't want to stay in the hotel, and I needed a change of clothes. Going back to the ship would at least fill the hours up. The shipyard was expansive and there were vessels of all descriptions. Some were here for repairs, while others were being dismantled for scrap. I wondered if Hogarth's ship which was stolen from me ended up here. Then I came across something familiar. At first, I couldn't be sure, but as I got closer I realized what I was looking at. It was a UEN vessel. It looked like a corvette. The outer hull had been mostly stripped away but the engine housing was unmistakable. There were work crews all over it pulling parts off it. Most of them looked like slaves. It took me a few minutes to find someone in charge.

"Where did this ship come from?"

"Huh, I don't know, it was brought in a few weeks ago." answered a scruffy looking man.

I grabbed his shoulder and asked him again, more firmly this time. He didn't look happy about being pressed for information and told me he would fetch his boss if I wanted.

As I waited in the hot sun, I could only imagine that this ship had been captured. There was no way the UEN would allow one of its ships to end up in a place like this willingly. The ship was in such a state of disrepair, that it was hard to picture what it would have looked like when it was functional.

"How can I help, sweetie?"

I turned to see what I assumed was the owner of this particular piece of scrap. He looked to be at least fifty with a weather beaten face. His clothes were cleaner than the rest but there was a grubbyness about him. Definitely an offworlder, and not a pirate.

"Where did this come from?" I asked.

He cocked his head and looked me up and down, and shook his head. "Not a clue, I just rip them apart. Is that all sweetie?"

"I'm willing to pay for information," I said, plainly.

He scratched his stubble, then smiled. "Come into my office."

I followed him to a small portacabin. It was a mess inside, but the air was very cool. There was a large fan on the ceiling that whirred loudly providing much needed respite from the heat of Ferrin.

"My name is Karack, I'm a ship breaker," he said, and took a seat on a well worn leather couch. It looked ancient and he seemed to fill the entire thing with his body. He didn't offer me a seat, and I had to stand awkwardly next to his desk. It was covered in piles of paper work and I couldn't imagine he ever used it.

"I just want information about that ship."

"You're from the Siren's Kiss aren't you."

That took me aback and he went on the tell me there weren't many women pirates and he knew it was currently docked. I wasn't going to confirm that and just shrugged.

He chuckled. "You gotta learn to trust people, sweetie."

"So where did you get the ship?" I asked.

He asked me to show him the credits. I had none on me but promised he would be well compensated once I return to my ship.

He sighed but agreed. "It's a ship from Earth, it came in about two weeks ago. Pretty badly damaged but I gave a fair price for it. There were some crew with it too, but I didn't buy any of them."

My heart was racing in my chest. It hadn't occurred to me that there had been crew onboard.

"How many?" I asked, trying to hide my concern.

"Hmm, let me remember, about twelve. There was a good looking woman, but mostly men."

"What happened to them?"

"I thought we were talking about the ship, sweetie."

"The ship yes, and everything that came with it."

He looked at me with more suspicion now. "A ship like that is a rare item, and it makes me wonder why someone like you is taking such a high interest in it."

"I can give you more credits." I offered. I had none to give but it wasn't like I was signing a contract.

"Credits don't matter to a dead man, and I didn't want to get caught up in something I shouldn't be. The person I bought it from is a shoot first ask questions later type of person."

Listen I started but he cut me off.

"I think maybe our business is finished." there was a look of worry on his face now. It was something I hadn't anticipated, but I needed to know what happened to the crew. I already had a good idea who had sold Karack that ship. Money didn't seem to be the way to persuade him anymore. "You should leave." Something had really spooked him, but there was no way I was leaving without information about the crew.