Captain Emrah Jackson Ch. 27

"Is there any information on it, contacts stuff like that?" I asked, trying to focus on what she was telling me.

She shook her head, but told me it was suspicious nonetheless.

I agreed, but she could have picked it up anywhere.

"Is it enough to go to the Captain with?"

"Sorry, it isn't. We'd need more," I said.

Then I asked her something I didn't want to. "How did you get it without being caught"

She smiled and told me that she had gotten Sakura drunk.

"It was easy really."

It was all a lie of course. I knew the truth. I had to play along though. I wanted to warn her off any other actions, but remembered all the times I had tried to protect her, and shield her. So instead I told her I was proud and thought she had done something good.

"Really?" she asked, with a smile.

"Of course."

"What do you think she is up to?"

I shrugged, and told her I couldn't be sure. "We'll just have to keep an eye on her."

I suggested that we needed to return the device to its hiding place, and told her that I would do it.

"I can do that, I know where it came from better than you," she said.

I knew what the implications of that might be, but I had to agree with her reasoning.

She looked elated and thanked me for believing in her.

"I've always believed in you," I said, truthfully.

She leaned over and kissed me gently on the cheek. "I know," she said, and then told me she needed to get going. It was a wonderful feeling but twinged with sadness. Had Roki enjoyed it last night or had it all been an act? I didn't know, and frankly, I didn't want to know. I had slept with Cody in much the same way, and I knew I had enjoyed that, and unbeknownst to both of us I ended up carrying his baby. I hoped Roki wouldn't get into similar trouble.

The device she had found certainly wasn't a smoking gun, and was probably nothing, but didn't diminish my suspicions.

I went back to cleaning with a big smile on my face though, thinking that maybe I wasn't cursed after all.

***********

When awoke there was a message from Berta on my comms device. It told me to report to the bridge as soon as I could. We were approaching the Phoenix slave market. The slave market itself was on the planet's surface, to get there we wouldn't be landing or taking a shuttle. There was a space elevator that would take us down to the surface. There were a dozen spaced along the axis of the planet, some were small while others were for much larger cargo.

The plan was simple. Sakura would be posing as a slave trader, and myself and Ava would be playing slaves that she would be selling. We would be trying to gain access to the station and its database of customers. Once we had that we could track ships coming and going. We could then track the rich ones at will and attack any likely targets.

Both Berta and Sakura were waiting for me when I got on the bridge. Sakura wasn't dressed in standard coveralls. Instead she wore leather trousers and a black shirt. It was the same outfit she had worn when she had been with Roki. It brought those memories back for me.

"We're coming up on it now," Berta said.

On the viewing screen I could see the elevator in the distance. I had never seen one quite like it before. It had a central hub and long arms extending from it. She asked me if I had any thoughts on how easy it would be to get access to their systems.

"It won't be like the cruise liner," I said. "We've got plenty of time though."

One of the other girls on the bridge was now talking to the station, and discussing docking arrangements. The Siren's Kiss was too large to dock inside, so we'd have to use one of their docking clamps and a docking tunnel.

"You two better get going," Berta said, then wished us luck.

As we made our way to the docking tunnel Sakura stopped me.

"Emrah, I'm going to tell you this now, just so you don't hear it from anyone else. I've begun a relationship with Roki."

"That's okay," I said, coldly. I knew that was far from the truth, but held my tongue.

"I know you have feelings for her, but we're all adults."

"That's right," I said. "It was a long time ago."

"A sweet girl," she said, absently.

As we neared the ramp I heard a loud metallic bang, and knew that the docking clamps were being attached. At the hatch two of our crew were standing guard armed with mauler pistols.

Sakura ordered them away, as she didn't want to arouse any suspicion. It made sense, but I would have preferred more caution. Ava was there too, and she gave me a smile.

Through a little viewing port I watched the docking tunnel extending from the elevator. It clamped onto our ship, and I heard a whooshing noise as the air was equalized.

"We better change," I said, and led Ava into a small store room. It was filled with EVA suits, but we wouldn't be wearing them today. We had identical outfits. They were simple white wraps. One thin layer wrapped around our chests, and another that acted as a skirt. It had a slit up the side so our legs would show as we walked. We would also be barefoot and collared.

"Remember we are playing slaves, so keep your head down, and your mouth shut," I said.

"Okay." She looked nervous but was putting on a brave face. I was glad she was here though and not Roki.

The door opened and after putting on thin silver collars we made our way to the elevator. Three attendants were waiting for us at the other end. Sakura greeted them and paid a small fee for entry, and with that we made our way into the elevator.

Sakura led us in, her heels clicked on the tiled floor while myself and Ava padded behind her on our bare feet. The room was clean and spacious. It was brightly lit and had a very corporate look to it. My first instinct was to look for a likely place for a data point, but I could help but notice as the attendant told us, that we weren't alone. The room had plenty of space to accommodate more than one party, and I saw on one of the couches was an older man.

"About time," he grumbled, it seemed they we waiting for more passengers before they sent the elevator to the surface.

I expected Sakura to find a quiet spot, but instead she walked us over to him.

"Do you know how long before we set off?" she asked, in her commanding tone.

"Hopefully not long." He looked to be in his sixties, and was bald, with a thick grey moustache.

I wasn't worried about her breaking our cover. As a slave owner she was well-suited, but I didn't like that we were wasting time.

"There are some refreshments over there," he pointed out.

Sakura turned to me and told me to fetch her a glass of wine. I nodded dutifully, and then she asked if the man would like something.

"A wine too," he said, casually. He introduced himself as Popov. When I was getting the drinks it gave me time to look around the room properly. There were a few terminals, but not ones with data ports.

"So what is your business here?" Sakura asked, and I returned with the drinks.

"I buy from the bulk vendors, manual labourers." As I handed him his drink he looked m up and down. "What is your name, girl?"

"Emrah."

"How old are you, Emrah?" he asked, and took a sip of his drink.

"Forty-one, Sir" I said, remembering that I was playing the dutiful slave.

"You've kept your figure for a woman your age," he said, giving me a lingering look.

"Thank you, Sir."

He turned back to Sakura and asked what her business was here. She told him that she was buying too

Popov nodded, and took out a cigar from his pocket. "I'd make an offer on the younger one, if you were considering selling her," he said, as he lit the cigar.

"I'm afraid not, I'm quite attached to her," she said, with a smile.

It was obvious he was a lot more attracted to Ava, she was younger than me. I was a middle age woman with short hair, she was younger with curves.

A mechanical noise filled the room, and the elevator began its descent to the planet's surface. Popov informed us it would take five hours to make the trip.

He blew a cloud of smoke into the air and asked if she would like a game of cards to pass the time. Again I was expecting a different response from her, as she said yes. There was a round table in the room that he gestured to and Sakura took a seat at one end and him at the other. He was the one to produce the cards, and began to deal them. It was a game I wasn't familiar with, but Sakura seemed comfortable with it. Most likely a game popular in the free systems. They weren't betting for money, and seemed to be playing for fun. As they chatted casually, I grew impatient. We were here on a job not to pass the time with strangers.

Ava and myself weren't offered seat, and instead stood behind Sakura. She could have told us to go and sit on the couch, but we were acting as slaves and that wouldn't have been appropriate.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander to thoughts of Roki. While she had only gone to Sakura's quarters to search for clues. I couldn't deny that she had enjoyed it. Was she thinking about me, or about the orgasms Sakura had given her?

"Emrah, go and fetch some more drinks," Sakura said, as she won one of the hands.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said, politely.

When I returned Popov was telling her about the planet. It had a toxic atmosphere that made piloting a ship very dangerous. The market itself was underground and from what he said very large and always well stocked.

"You can find everything there, even phenotypes."

It was something I hadn't encountered before and I asked him what he meant. He looked at me curiously, for a slave to speak out of turn as I had done was not uncommon, but not usual either. It was Saukra that answered me though.

"They are genetically engineered salves, Emrah. Very expensive, their attributes are enhanced and they are designed to perform to specific desires."

"I used to own one," Popov said, "she had her DNA mixed with a cat, very sensual, very feisty."

The light in the room changed and I could see from the window that we had descended into the planet's atmosphere. I had been on space elevators before, on Mars. They used them to transport goods as it worked out cheaper than using ships.

"I'm curious to know what planet your girl is from," Popov said, gesturing at Ava.

"Ava is from Ferrin," she said.

"Is she new, or is she just shy?"

Sakura laughed. "A new purchase for me. Emrah has been with me for a few years."

"Does your mistress treat you well?" he asked her.

"Yes, Sir," she replied, softly.

I didn't like how he was staring at her, there was not a lot I could do. Sakura didn't seem to mind either and then said something that I didn't agree with at all.

"Ava be a good girl, and give our friend a shoulder rub."

We were supposed to be here blending in, this was going too far I thought. I could see how uncomfortable it made Ava, but she did as she was told and went over to the older man. He sighed happily as she began to massage his shoulders.

"Are you reconsidering my offer?" Popov asked.

Sakura shook her head, and told him Ava wasn't for sale, but it was good for her training.

"What about Emrah?"

She chuckled and told him she didn't think I would be his type. "Apart from her age, she's a lot more spirited than she looks."

"Very intriguing," he said, with a grin.

Ava was still busy rubbing his shoulders and she rolled her eyes at me. It made me feel better about her predicament. Sakura excused herself to the bathroom, leaving the three of us at the table. He took advantage of her absence to pay more attention to Ava. He took her hand and kissed it. "You would love being owned by me."

Ava smiled thinly and nodded. That was enough, I thought,

"Ava, go and sit down over there," I said, gesturing to one of the couches. She didn't waste any time in doing what I asked.

The old man looked at me with a curious look. "You don't approve, girl?"

"Shoulder rubs are fine, kisses not so much," I said, with some defiance in my voice.

He snorted and lit another cigar. "If you were owned by me, you'd learn a little more respect."

"I'm not owned by you though, am I, Sir," I said, sarcastically.

I could see him bristle, but there was nothing he could do. As far as he knew I belonged to Sakura.

"Makes no difference, you're a little too old. I can see it around your eyes, your best days are behind you."

I tried to ignore his insult, but it still got under my skin. I shouldn't care what this man thought of me, but it still wasn't nice for him to verbalise his opinion. I was about to tell him he wasn't looking too spritely himself when Sakura returned. She didn't bring up Ava's absence.

"I hope Emrah has been looking after you," she said, as she took her seat.

He took a long drag on his cigar, and smirked at me. "How much?" he asked, Sakura

"Sorry?"

"For Emrah, how much?"

"Like I said, she's not for sale."

Suddenly he slammed the palm of his hand down on the table. "Nonsense, everyone is for sale, you name the price. I will pay."

I was a bit taken aback by his sudden change in attitude. I think Sakura was too and she just repeated what she had said.

Popov wasn't taking no for an answer and he placed a credit pass on the table. "That's fifty thousand, that's a lot more than the market price for a woman her age and looks."

Sakura regained her composure and picked up the deck of cards. She shuffled them casually and asked him why the sudden interest. I knew why he wanted to buy me, I had disrespected him, and he wanted to show me my place.

"She has caught my eye."

"How about this," she said, and split the deck in two and placed them on the table. "If you pick the highest card you can have her for free, if I do I take the money."

He looked at her with a narrow gaze, and chewed on his cigar. This had to be a trick I hoped. He reached out and picked up one of the cards and lay it on the table. Sakura didn't pick from the other deck and took a card from the one he picked from. As soon as she did that I knew she would win the bet.

"You cheated," he cried out. It was a very obvious trick I thought, and he looked furious that he had fallen for it. Sakura picked up his credit pass and instead of pocketing it, she tossed it back to him.

"As I said, she's not for sale."

He angrily stubbed out his cigar and went with a huff to the drinks bars. Sakura turned to me and gave me a quizzical look.

"I think I pissed him off," I said, quietly, and she grinned back at me. She had handled it better than I thought, and I was somewhat impressed. Still, it would have been nice for me to be the one to send him packing.

Suddenly there was a loud chink of glasses, and at first I thought it was Popov expressing his anger, but it wasn't, something had jolted the elevator. Then came a loud screeching noise and the whole thing stopped dead.

"Damn things," Popov shouted, bitterly. A voice then came on the intercom and informed us of a fault in the mechanism, and that we would be underway shortly. For the time being, we were stuck here suspended above the planet's surface. Outside there was a strange orange glow created by the atmosphere. We certainly weren't leaving that way.

"Does this happen often?" Sakura asked Popov, as he returned to the table.

"Sometimes, with too much traffic the cables wear out. We could be here hours," he lamented.

Sakura offered him another game, and he grumbled, but accepted. I could have gone over to the couch with Ava, Sakura wouldn't have said anything, and it wouldn't have looked too odd. I didn't and instead did something I knew would annoy Popov. I stood behind Sakura and began to massage her shoulders. He shot me a glare which I took great satisfaction in.

"Does that feel nice, Mistress," I said, sweetly.

"It does, Emrah."

Popov shifted in his seat and pulled out another cigar. This trip wasn't going the way he wanted and it was written all over his face. It wasn't going the way I had thought either, and I had never expected to be giving Sakura a shoulder massage. Thoughts of Roki returned, but I tried to push them away. As they played I worked Sakura's shoulders.

"It's getting hotter in here," she said, and asked me for a glass of water. It was true, it was getting warmer. Probably caused by the fault I thought. I had a drink myself and took a glass over to Ava first. She seemed comfortable enough on the couch, and I told her it wouldn't be long. When I returned to the table I noticed Sakura had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt.

"The air conditioning is off," I said, and handed her the water.

Ava had grown up on Ferrin, so was used to the heat, and because I had spent so much time there, I was also not as affected. Sakura on the other hand looked to be struggling, she fanned her face with her hand.

"How are you feeling, Mistress?"

"It's getting hotter," she grumbled. Her choice of clothing wasn't ideal. I wouldn't want to be wearing leather trousers in this situation.

"There are some bunks in the back," Popov said, as he wiped the sweat off his brow with his shirt sleeve. I wished he would stop smoking as it wasn't helping the situation.

"Maybe you should lie down," I suggested.

She nodded lazily, and I helped her to her feet. The bunk room was small and I told her to strip down to her underwear. As she was doing that I went to the bathroom and wetted a flannel. When I returned she was laid out on the bed.

"It's too hot," she mumbled and held her hand to her brow. She was wearing a black bra and a matching thong.

"Just need to cool you off," I said, and handed her the flannel. I had no love for her, but I felt some empathy for her situation. The heat had really gotten to her. It wasn't much better for me and before I returned to the main room I splashed some water on my face.

Popov was sitting on the couch next to Ava and they were chatting. I wasn't sure what about but I knew it would come to no good.

"Ava, go and look after Sakura."

She nodded and left me alone with our guest. He didn't say anything, and just puffed on his cigar.

"You should put that out," I said, and went over to a comms panel. Eventually, I got through to a voice and he told me engineers were working on the problem. I mentioned the heat, and he told me the cooling systems had failed, but it shouldn't get much worse. I thanked him, and disconnected.

The heat was getting too much, it was like a hot house in here now, and I could feel beads of sweat forming on my brow. Popov's shirt had dark patches around his armpits, and one in the centre of his chest. Annoyingly he was still smoking.

"Put that out," I snapped.

He took a long drag on it, and blew a plume of smoke in my direction. It was too hot to argue anymore, and I flopped onto the couch opposite him. I would have gone into the bunk room with the others, but I wanted to be near the comms panel in case there was any news. The air was too muggy and combined with the smoke I felt lightheaded. I lay out on the couch and closed my eyes. I would have given anything to feel some fresh air.

"How long has she been your mistress?" Popov asked, after some time.

"A while," I said, vaguely and itched this skin under my metal collar. I wished I could just take it off.

"You must be very special to her, I offered her twice what you were worth."

I ignored him, but he continued.

"She's in love with you, I think. It happens all the time. When you see an older slave it is usually because of love. Are you jealous of Ava, she is a lot younger than you, and a lot prettier."

"Why don't you save your breath," I said.

"That's why she sent you out here, so they could be alone, how does that make you feel to know they are in there making love."

"I know my place," I said, hoping he would shut up.

"Won't be long before she sells you on. I think she didn't want to do it in front of you. When we get out of this, I think your mistress will change her tune and come and find me privately to sell you."