Si's Solar Salvage Ch. 02

When she woke up, he laughed and said, "That was payback."

"That was amazing!" Staci purred, leaning over to kiss - first Shiva - and then Si.

"Did you tell him?" she asked the AI.

Si gasped and raised up on his elbow to look at her.

She smiled slyly.

"Seriously, Shiva?! That's fucking awesome! What triggered it?"

"Self-doubt."

"No shit?! I'm so happy for you," he said, attacking her lips with his own. She giggled and tried to shove him away - and then finally gave up and just wrapped her arms around him. Staci leaned forward and gave both of them more love.

When they were done sharing in Shiva's joy, Si collected up the jewels, the credit sticks, and the cigar box. The girls put on their disguises and Larry #2 came back with a matching outfit for Si. The disguised triplets headed off to Rita's hand-in-hand.

When they dropped into the booth, Rita had to look twice to figure out who it was. She hollered the orders to Karl and brought over the coffee.

"That's hilarious," she said, smiling broadly.

"Thanks," Shiva replied.

Rita noticed the extra twinkle in her eye and whispered, "Congratulations, honey."

"Thanks. That means a lot," the AI told her.

"What's in the cigar box, Si?" the waitress asked.

He grimaced.

"Fine, you tenderhearted shit-head. Give me the box and I'll see if I can find the next of kin."

"If they don't take the box, can you hang onto it for me? I haven't seen one of those since my dad passed."

"Sure, sweetie. Let me drop this off and grab your food."

She had to make two trips to get everything. A few minutes later, all of it was gone. The only thing left on the table was dirty dishes and silverware.

"Taste any different?" Rita asked Shiva as she collected the dirty dishes.

"No, but it's locked in as my favorite. Everything else I eat will be compared against it," the sexy AI replied.

"Aww .. Thanks, sugar," Rita said, setting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "Pie?" she asked.

"We'll come back," Si said. "I need to go see Wedge."

"You wanna scan those credit-sticks first?" she asked.

"If you have time .."

She smiled and nodded towards the terminal, handing a stack of dishes to James on her way there.

"Most of them were a couple hundred or less," she told him when she'd finished. "The two had 100k and one had 150k on it."

"Probably the ones from the safes in the freighter and that fancy transport."

~~~

"Hey, Wedge."

"Si? Nice outfit. These two part of your salvage crew? I thought you used droids."

"Upgrades."

Wedge nodded and laughed. His breath caught when Si dumped the cloth bag out on the counter. "Let me get my jeweler's glass," he said, walking to a back counter, grabbing the eyepiece, and returning. After a few minutes, he said, "Can you leave these here for a day? Most of this is common stuff but the two big ones will take me a little work to research."

"Sure," Si said.

Wedge grabbed a datapad, snapped a picture, and sent Si a receipt.

"I trust you," the tug operator said, smirking.

"You're too trusting, Si," the shop owner told him.

"Give me a holler when you have a number for me," Si said.

"Hey," Wedge called as Si started to turn.

"Yeah?"

"You didn't happen to find a painting?"

"Old Terra, Renaissance maybe?" Si asked.

"Dunno. Somebody was in here, yesterday, asking if a painting had come in recently. I hadn't gotten any so I didn't ask for details. You got it stored safely?"

"I put it in a climate-controlled container. I don't know how long it was exposed to space though. Kidnappers breached the hull. Smash and grab. Nothing else in the place was touched. Sold the ship to Virgil."

"Sounds like that's probably the one. Let me see what the score is and I'll give you a holler. Okay if I play middleman?"

"Fine with me."

"5%?"

"Seems fair. I wouldn't have known about it otherwise."

"They're probably not going to give you the actual value; you'll probably just get a finder's fee."

"If it is what I think it is, we'd have to haul it to New Terra to get top dollar."

"Yeah. Thanks, Si."

"Thank YOU, Wedge."

~~~

The trio arrived back at the docking bay to discover two more packages had arrived: the most-form fitting spacesuit Si had ever seen (obviously made to show off Shiva's impressive tits & ass) and a dozen stun-sticks with a charging station.

"What the hell are these for?" Si asked, holing up one of the stunners.

"Defensive weapons."

"Why do we need twelve?"

"I'm arming the droids, captain," she said with a laugh.

"Just for the record, I think this is a really bad idea," Si said, laughing as well.

"Noted. When you come back later, to apologize, I expect you to lick my shithole."

"How does that work, by the way?"

"Dunno. The manual was boring. I quit reading after like the third page."

"You're fucking with me ... aren't you?"

"A little. I mean I loaded the entire AI, tweaked it, and then added some ninja shit."

"Do you shit or not?"

"I think I shit protein bars."

"No shit?"

"Yup. The body burns the carbs and mashes the protein into a highly compact form. I shit trail mix," she said, smirking.

"Fine. If you're right about the stun-sticks, I'll lick your ass."

"You're a brave man, Charlie Brown," the sex-droid said, chortling.

Staci had watched the entire exchange without comment but finally busted up laughing. Soon, all three of them were snort-laughing.

"Seriously, if Moe, Curly, and Larry become self-aware, the cargo-hold is going to turn into some kind of WWE Cage Match," Si warned his AI companion.

"I know - but it'll be hilarious," she replied.

Si's datapad pinged. "Virgil says his crew is installing the last of the upgrades and the ship should arrive in four hours. Let's start loading stuff .." Si stopped talking as a cargo-truck pulled up.

The driver climbed out, handed Si the keys, and said, "We'll pick it up at the new location when you're done." A hover-cart pulled up, the teamster hopped on, and off they went.

Si's datapad pinged and he looked down to see a message from Virgil that said, "Let me know when you're done with it and I'll send the boys back."

Si keyed in, "I've got a couple stasis-pods that I don't know what to do with. I'm donating them to you. Leave them in the old docking bay - or leave them in the truck?"

"You can leave them in the bay - that way you don't have to fuck with them. I'll have the boys grab them after they come get the truck." The next message from Virgil was the location for the new docking bay. It was a half-level up - on the same level as Rita's.

"That will save climbing the ramp all the time," Si thought happily.

Shiva had already directed the boys to start breaking down the cargo crates so they folded flat - making them easier to stack and transport. She had them start loading the crates into the truck while the three bipeds headed into the Fool's Errand to throw shit into boxes.

You can plan for a move as far ahead as you want but - when it comes right down to it - you'll be grabbing armloads of clothes on hangars - and randomly throwing shit in boxes.

Si started on the bridge, Shiva started in the kitchen, and Staci started in the bedroom. Larry and Larry appeared with empty boxes as fast as the three lovers could fill them up. As they worked, Shiva tracked the ID numbers on the containers to make sure everything would end up back where it should be when they were finished.

An hour or so later, Si declared the ship clear, gave the toilet one last flush, and drew a smiley-face on the bathroom mirror with the half-used bar of soap they were leaving behind.

The shuttle bay was clear and the boys were moving the last of the boxes from the cargo hold to the truck. Shiva checked the airlock - just to be sure they hadn't left anything there - and then declared that they were done. Holding the backup-drive in her hand, she removed herself from the ship's databanks and reset everything to the default AI. She took Si's free hand and the three of them left the Fool's Errand behind.

Si checked around the docking bay one last time. Seeing only the tug, the small shuttle, and the two pods, Shiva ordered the boys to climb aboard and closed up the truck.

The three of them walked to the driver's door and Si opened it. Staci gave him a hug and climbed up. She giggled, wiggling her butt at him as she climbed across the driver's seat, and he swatted her on the ass. Shiva giggled and did the same thing. Her ass was a little more solid when Si swatted it. He climbed in, started the vehicle up, and eased the truck out of the entrance. Shiva sent a command to the docking bay to close and lock the door.

Si leaned out the window, gave his old place one last look, and headed for their new home. He was sure Rita could tell him how long he'd been there - but he'd lost track of the years. It seemed a little strange, watching the place disappear from sight in the mirror.

~~~

They had just arrived at the new location when Si's datapad pinged with a note from Wedge. He had numbers on the jewelry - as well as a picture of a painting. It matched the piece of artwork Si had saved. The reward was 500k. Wedge would get 25k for brokering the deal and Si would keep 475.

When he rattled the numbers off to Shiva, she closed her eyes for a second and then said, "That's nowhere near what the thing is worth."

"I know - and I could keep it - but I wouldn't feel right. This is cleaner and easier. I'm just glad I grabbed it."

"Not that you need the money," Shiva said, smirking.

"Not that we need the money," he agreed.

"Can we get something not quite as pedestrian as the coveralls that would still let us travel without attracting too much attention," Staci asked.

"I'll work on it," Shiva replied. "Maybe pullover sweatshirts and cargo-shorts?"

"Pants," Si said. "Even the bottom half of your legs are sexy."

Staci giggled.

"Steel-toed work boots," Si added.

Shiva nodded, "Sexy girls don't wear work boot. We'll be invisible."

"You're invisible in the coveralls," Si said, laughing.

"People treat you worse than droids when you're dressed like that though," Staci complained.

"You're not wrong," Si admitted.

Shiva sent a message to the docking-bay and the huge stations-side door started rising. She saw a smaller door - the size of their old one - and instructed the computer to open that one instead. Si backed the cargo-truck inside and they climbed out of the vehicle.

"Fucking hell," Shiva gasped. "I'll bet you could get six tugs the size of the Fool's Errand in here!"

"Echo!" Staci called out. A couple minutes later, they heard the echo rebound from the other end of the massive structure.

"Fuck!" Si exclaimed.

"Same layout as before?" Shiva asked.

"Yeah, otherwise, you'll fuck with my OCD. Looks like we'll be able to fit twice as many crates in each section though."

"That's just this section here," Shiva said. "There a whole other set of bays over there." She pointed off to their left.

"Shit!" Si gasped. "Yeah. I don't see us ever even filling these up - nevermind that block."

"Virgil's bringing us five more droids, though, right?"

"Yeah. You get that generic AI figured out?"

"I've got a memory stick with the AI and the schematics for you to give him."

"Thanks, sexy."

"No problem, big boy. You can suck my pussy later and we'll call it even."

Si laughed.

"I'm not kidding," Shiva said.

Si laughed harder.

"I'll suck your pussy, sexy," Staci purred.

"Thanks, sexy. Si can just choke his chicken while you and me eat down at the 'Y'."

Shiva leaned over, squeezed Staci's tit, and gave her a peck on the lips.

Soon, the android, the alien, the salvage operator, and the six droids had the truck emptied. Since there were no commodities to be stored in the storage bays, they stacked all of the boxes in the first couple bays - sorting them by where they needed to go when they were loaded into the Old Timer.

"They're here," Shiva announced, as the huge doors on the space-side entrance to the docking bay slid back to allow Virgil's men to bring in Si's new tug.

"Fuck, Si," Shiva said. "That bitch is massive!"

"Almost four times the size. The standard renderer is twice as good as the one on the Fool's Errand - but Virgil ripped that out, gave us a massive upgrade, and dropped a second one in. Everything on this beast is deluxe."

The delivery crew strolled out of the cargo hold and walked up to Si - who traded them the keys for the cargo-truck as he took the keys for the tug.

"That works," the older man said. "Droids are in the cargo bay. Holler if we missed anything - but everything Virgil promised you should be there."

"There are two stasis pods at the old place. I told Virgil."

"Alright, thanks. Not a lot of call for those, but sometimes folks need a replacement. We'll probably clean them, shrink-wrap them, and throw them on a shelf. Take it easy, man."

"You too. Thanks."

"No problem."

~~~

Once everything was stowed, Si headed to the kitchen to punch up a BLT. He figured that, if the food processor could make a decent bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, he'd be a happy camper.

"So?" Shiva asked, as he chewed the first bite.

"I forgot the Miracle Whip," Si replied.

"But?"

"But it's not half-assed bad."

Shiva pulled his order up, added mayonnaise, and hit the button to start the machine.

"What's Miracle Whip?" Staci asked.

"Like mayo but sweeter - with a little zip," Si replied between bites.

When Shiva had her sandwich, Staci ordered one with Miracle Whip.

"So?" Si asked.

"You're right," Shiva said. "Not half-assed bad."

Staci picked up her sandwich and the other two watched her face as she took a bite.

She moaned, finished chewing, and swallowed it down before saying, "Salty, crunchy, sweet, tangy, hot, and cold. I like it."

"The tomato's a little weird," Si said, "but, seriously, I'm not even sure how you rehydrate that and get anywhere close to what mom used to grow in her garden. That wasn't bad. Call us a taxi, Shiva. We'll drop that painting off to Wedge and stop to see Rita before we make our first salvage run with this beast."

"Hang on," she said, jogging over to the pedestrian entrance to the dock - before returning with an armload of packages: gray sweatshirts, khaki cargo-pants, and three boxes of work boots.

They stripped off the coveralls, hung them on hooks by the door Shiva had just used, and put on their new clothes. Si grabbed the container with the painting inside and they chatted until Shiva announced that their transport had arrived. They climbed aboard, gave the driver their destination, and hung on.

~~~

Si handed over the sealed container, checked the contract on Wedge's tablet for the fee for the painting - as well as the offers for the jewelry - before authorizing the transaction.

"What'd you get for the jewelry?" Shiva asked as they started walking towards Rita's.

"25k."

She nodded - and then pinched his butt and ran on ahead.

She must have pinched Staci's too because she took off, chasing her, giggling like a schoolgirl. The whole scene diminished the overall ability to stay invisible - but Si couldn't help but laugh at their juvenile antics. He decided that they'd be working hard soon enough and they should be able to enjoy themselves a bit.

Si lost sight of the girls as they rounded a corner. A couple minutes later, a guy in coveralls hurried past him, his face full of fear. Si nearly ran into Shiva as she sprinted around the corner, yelled "You dropped this.", and flung a spanner-wrench at the man's back. Si heard a meaty thud, a groan, and the sound of a body hitting the decking.

"What's going on?" he asked Shiva, as Staci came running up.

"Fucker jumped out at me and Staci, waved that fucking wrench at us, and told us to give him credit-chits. I snatched the fuckin' wrench out of his hand and he sprinted off."

Staci nodded and said, "One minute the guy had the wrench in his hand, shaking it. The next minute, Shiva had it and she threatened to beat his ass with it. He bolted."

Si hugged the girls, gave them a peck on the lips, and grabbed their hands to lead them on. When they got to Rita's and told her what happened, she had Shiva send a picture of the guy's face to her computer terminal.

Rita dropped off their food and asked Si how many sectors he wanted. He wasn't sure. She estimated that he could handle four with no problems. She found three that were adjacent to each other - that reportedly had numerous wrecks - and sent the info to his datapad. James came to clear the plates away as Rita brought them their pie.

"Oh!" Shiva said, tasting the dessert like she'd never had it before. "That's rich! And creamy! I like the contrast with the crust. What's this called again?"

"Coconut cream pie, hun. I'm glad you like it. It's Si's favorite."

"And mine!" Staci said - before shoving another fork-full in her mouth, smooshing it around, and moaning as she swallowed it down.

"And Staci's," Rita said, laughing.

"I ordered debris nets, thrusters, motors, and a few more things for the five new droids," Shiva reported.

"Anything out of stock?"

"Not supposed to be."

"Okay. As soon as it arrives, we'll head out. I'm curious to see what our new crew can handle."

"I figure Staci can hold down the fort and keep us fucked and fed. You and I can search the ships. The boys can strip the bodies, collect the debris, and start on the salvage-ops."

"That sounds good. If we find useable parts, I'm thinking we should start storing those in the shuttle bay."

"I'll scan Virgil's list of components. If we find stuff that matches that, we'll know it's something he can use."

"I like that. Good thinking, sexy."

She gave him a wink and said, "That's two pussy suckings you owe me now."

Si laughed.

Rita headed over as the three of them started sliding out of the booth. She hugged each of them and told the girls to keep Si out of trouble - before kissing him on the cheek. Si saw Karl waving at him through the order-window and waved back.

The droid-parts were waiting in front of the pedestrian door when they returned to the docking bay. Shiva picked up the box and carried it into the cargo hold of the Old Timer.

"Strap in, boys," she called out, needlessly, since they were already locked into their spaces.

She checked to confirm that her AI had finished installing on the Old Timer as they headed for the bridge. She locked in their destination, got launch clearance and a flight-path from the station's flight-command, and instructed the docking-bay to open the space-doors. The tug eased off of the deck, the landing supports tucked themselves away, and Shiva eased them out of the bay, making a "bweep, bweep, bweep" sound-effect that elicited a belly-laugh from Si.

When Staci stared at him with a wrinkled eyebrow, he pulled out his datapad to find a vid to show her what Shiva was playing at. She giggled and then stole his pad to watch vids of adorable kittens doing cute tricks. Si sighed - resigned that it would likely be years before she gave his tablet back - and went to start converting the droids. Once they were underway, Shiva came to help.

"Shit!" Si exclaimed, as they worked on the first droid.

"What?" Shiva asked, looking to see what had broken.

"I forgot to take you to visit Cherry."

"We can go when we get back. If you want, I can send her a note to let her know."

"Yeah. Do that. Thanks, sexy."

"That's three you owe me," she said, laughing.

~~~

End of Part 2