Beka put her hand on the workman’s bare over-muscled arm and squeezed gently, leaning in to whisper, “I could use another raslak.”
“I’ve already bought you three,” he answered roughly. “And still we sit here. Am I to spend ALL my wages on you?”
“Oh, you’re so impatient,” she teased soothingly. She ran her hand up his large thigh. “And I’m so thirsty,” she pouted. She batted her deep-green eyes as she watched his black eyes lose the battle for control that he was waging within himself. He sighed heavily and signaled for more raslak.
She giggled and let her fingers play along his thigh as she leaned forward to kiss him on his cheek. He turned his head to kiss her lips and she pulled back, giggling more heartily, “Play nice,” she admonished. “We have all night.”
“I don’t have all night,” he grumbled and took a long drink from his own raslak.
“Awwww,” she soothed, snuggling against his arm, sensing that she may lose her prey. Not that there weren’t more workman to choose from, but she had already invested over an arn attracting this one. She looked up at him. ‘Frell. How did I ever end up on this boring, nowhere planet?’ she wondered to herself. Still, the men here were easy, though not particularly attractive; short and over-muscled due to the laborious work. They weren’t even a challenge, really. Many of them had bought her meals and gifts, receiving no more than a few kisses for their efforts. But that didn’t mean she wanted to spend the rest of her life here. Oh, no. She was still young. And pretty. She brushed her long pale hair back from her face, letting it tickle his arm. ‘That got his attention again,’ she thought as the door leading into the establishment opened.
She squinted against the sudden light in the dim room and watched the tall, slim, black-clad figure enter. The door closed behind the new patron and she watched as he stood still, face hard, jaw clenched, acclimating his eyes to the dark.
“PeaceKeeper,” her companion whispered. “What the frell are they doing here?”
She shook her head, wondering the same thing, and watched as the man looked around, finally taking long strides to one of the few empty tables and sitting on one of the chairs, automatically adjusting the pulse gun on his thigh. He leaned back into the chair and propped one of his feet on an adjacent seat. ‘PeaceKeepers,’ Beka thought to herself. ‘What is it about that cocky confidence? That arrogant power?’ She felt a familiar warmth spread through her as she scanned his frame. ‘And this one is particularly handsome,’ she thought speculatively.
She watched as a server girl quickly skittered to his table, quicker than any other table had been serviced, although no one, even the tables still awaiting service, complained. The diminutive server’s head was bowed, her body practically shaking in fear. Beka saw the PeaceKeeper lean forward and say something softly to the server, smiling. ‘Hezmatta,’ Beka thought, ‘that smile could almost make you think he wasn’t a PeaceKeeper.’ The server girl relaxed a little and giggled. The man said something else, the server giggled again and skittered away.
Beka scanned the PeaceKeeper again, trying to determine his rank. The long black leather coat must be hiding his insignia, she thought. ‘If he was a captain… If he had a Command Carrier…’ Beka allowed herself fantasies of him needing a personal server. Of herself being that server. She could get off of this planet; fly through the stars again. Live again. She felt herself dying on this planet that was itself almost dead. He could provide transport to another planet. Another life. A better life. Of course, she might have to bed him occasionally, she thought, and a slow grin spread across her face. ‘Well, I’ve had worse propositions.’
“Hey, girl,” her companion demanded her attention, distracting her from her fantasies. “I’m the one buying you drinks.”
She smiled up at him provocatively and put her arm around his shoulders, leaning against him. She couldn’t afford to lose this one while assessing the situation with the PeaceKeeper.
The door opened again and another workman came in for a relaxing drink before going home. She saw the PeaceKeeper lean slightly forward to see who had arrived. He sighed and sat back, again. ‘Oh, so, he’s waiting for someone,’ she thought as she saw his drink delivered. She watched as he grinned at the server again, saying something that made her giggle self-consciously.
Beka’s companion cleared his throat.
“I’m hungry,” she said abruptly.
“Fine. Let’s go down the street… Or we could pick up something and go to your place,” he leered suggestively.
“Here,” Beka said. “I want to eat here.” She danced her fingers over his thigh. “They make excellent arkada here,” she breathed onto his neck, naming an acclaimed, although expensive, aphrodisiac.
Her companion cleared his throat again, this time signaling a sudden discomfort. He restlessly shifted in his seat and indicated to their server that he wanted to place an order. Beka giggled and kissed his neck. She laid her head on his shoulder and resumed her observation of the handsome PeaceKeeper as the door opened again.
Both Beka and the PeaceKeeper looked to see who the newest arrival was. Beka saw the PeaceKeeper sigh and return to his drink. Beka looked back at the girl who had entered. She was young. A few cycles younger than herself. Cute. Beka tried to place her race. Nebari. That was it. The girl was a Nebari.
Obviously, NOT who the PeaceKeeper was waiting for.
No sooner had this thought settled in her mind than she saw the Nebari girl notice the PeaceKeeper and watched her sashay over to his table. She was surprised to see the Nebari slide onto the chair propping the PeaceKeeper’s foot, using her butt to knock his foot to the floor. The PeaceKeeper looked at the Nebari in annoyance, but she just laughed and then quickly lunged forward.
Using a speed Beka knew none of the lumbering males on this planet possessed, she saw the PeaceKeeper grab his drink out of the reaching, grasping hands of the Nebari, taking a drink as if mocking the girl.
“Crichton!” she heard the frustrated Nebari cry.
The PeaceKeeper, Crichton?, must have then told the young Nebari to order her own drink; as she turned to catch the server’s attention. The server was immediately at the Nebari’s side and Beka discovered that she was jealous that the young girl was given deference due to her association with the PeaceKeeper.
Beka watched Crichton take another swallow from his drink and warily eye the room’s occupants, occasionally glancing at the Nebari girl, who was chattering away about something. At one point, Crichton sighed heavily and rolled his eyes at something the girl said. He leaned back into his chair and propped his foot back up on the edge of her chair. The girl just laughed at his reaction and playfully smacked his leg.
Beka noticed her own companion grow restless again, but luckily, their food arrived. She asked him some questions designed to make him ramble and only gave his answers cursory attention, concentrating instead on the other table.
The door to the establishment opened again and another PeaceKeeper entered. A female this time; also tall and slim, also clad in black; her face hard, serious, but not unattractive; her dark hair hung loose around her face, unusual for a PeaceKeeper. She squinted, trying to see in the sudden dark. Her face relaxed some as she spied Crichton and walked over and around the table to sit on his other side, opposite the Nebari.
Beka had noticed a small smile play across Crichton’s lips when the female PeaceKeeper entered. When she sat next to him, he rewarded her with a warm smile. When the female PeaceKeeper returned his smile and said something to him, Beka saw her countenance change and realized that the PeaceKeeper female was actually very beautiful.
After ordering something from the raptly attending server, the female soldier said something to the Nebari, the Nebari answered, and a short argument ensued. Beka noticed that Crichton made no comment and seemed to be amused by the exchange and she wondered if they were fighting over him. Abruptly the Nebari stood, leaned forward to say something to Crichton, who answered and grinned back at her. The girl grabbed her drink and stalked over to the counter, leaning desultorily.
Beka watched the two PeaceKeepers talk quietly with each other and then looked at the Nebari. Excusing herself from her companion, and earning a glare, Beka walked over and stood next to the Nebari. “You’re with the PeaceKeepers?” Beka began.
“Huh? What? Oh, yeah, sure,” the Nebari replied, glancing back at her comrades.
“My name’s Beka. Are you, uh, are you his personal server?”
The Nebari cackled. Then, wondering about Beka’s motivation, she remained noncommittal. “I’m Chiana. I’m… with him.”
“Is he a captain? Did you get here on a Command Carrier?”
“We have a Leviathan,” Chiana answered, avoiding the first question. “Why are you interested?”
“Just wondering, uh, about, umm, employment.” Beka looked back at Crichton.
“Employment? As Crichton’s personal server?” Chiana’s eyes sparkled in amusement. “Sorry. That job’s taken. Sort of,” she added enigmatically, grinning as she glanced back at her crewmates.
Beka eyed Chiana speculatively. If the Nebari WAS Crichton’s personal server, he seemed annoyed at her now. Actually, it seemed as if ‘annoyed’ was a common attitude between the two. Maybe Crichton would be ready for a new server. One a little more agreeable. And if the PeaceKeeper female was his second-in-command, well, she didn’t seem very enamored of Chiana, either. Beka looked at the PeaceKeepers again. It was possible that they ‘recreated’ together, she mused, watching their interaction. ‘Well, I don’t mind sharing,’ she thought to herself. Then she appraised Crichton again. ‘And I don’t mind NOT sharing, either.’
Chiana had been watching the play of thoughts cross Beka’s face. “You can’t have him,” Chiana flatly stated.
Beka looked at her slyly and, her voice dripping with feigned innocence, asked, “Whatever do you mean?”
Chiana flashed a knowing smile at Beka, but she was confused. She wondered why Beka made her want to protect Crichton; to make him appear unattainable even though she knew Crichton wouldn’t be easily swayed by Beka’s feminine, yet predatory, charm. Especially with Aeryn close by.
Chiana tried a different tact. “Why are you interested in him?”
“We don’t get many PeaceKeepers here,” Beka skirted her real purpose. “They’re… different. Interesting.” She looked at the pair of PeaceKeepers. “Who’s the female? What’s her rank?”
“Aeryn? Aeryn’s, umm, you want to be careful…,” Chiana’s usually-competent lying skills seemed to be failing her as she tried to determine Beka’s objectives. She tried misdirection. “Uh, someone else is sitting with that guy you were with.”
Beka turned to look at her earlier companion, now nuzzling with a girl with short-cropped red hair. Beka shrugged. She had gotten dinner and a few drinks in exchange for a couple of arns of flirting. The PeaceKeeper, Crichton, was more intriguing, and the possible payoff, higher.
She turned back and leaned on the counter, shoulder to shoulder with Chiana. After a short while, she asked, “So, how long are you staying?”
Chiana looked at her. “Not long.”
Beka heard the male voice from behind her, soft and friendly, not harsh and grating like the men on this planet had developed from cycles of breathing the irritating dust in the air. “C’mon, Pip. Time to go.” She turned to face the voice and he was standing there, not two steps away. This close, he seemed less dangerous, more friendly.
Beka smiled enticingly at him and when he returned the smile, his blue eyes seemed to sparkle. Beka’s smile became more genuine and she thought again that it wouldn’t be a bad thing being with this PeaceKeeper. Not a bad thing, at all.
“Oh, you’re not leaving already, are you?” she purred, batting her deep-green eyes at him. “You haven’t even eaten, yet. They make excellent arkada here,” she added suggestively, moving close to him.
“Uh huh,” Crichton said. He had no idea what arkada was. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“You’re coming back tomorrow?” Beka rested her hand on Crichton’s arm and pressed against him. “Perhaps we can share a plate of arkada together, Captain.”
Crichton furrowed his brow, giving her a bemused expression. His response was cut off by Chiana grabbing his other arm and pulling him away toward the door where Aeryn was waiting. “Come on, Crichton,” she said sternly. “We have to get back before it gets dark.”
“Whoa! Easy there, Chi,” he said, regaining his balance and looking closely at the Nebari girl. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, let’s just go.”
“Okay, sure,” he said, glancing back at the girl. Beka licked her lips and smiled seductively at Crichton, ignoring the dark, ominous looks directed at her from both Chiana and Aeryn.
Crichton smiled back, amused, and then turned around, pushing the door open for Chiana and Aeryn.
Beka watched them leave, idly wondering why a PeaceKeeper captain would allow his server to handle him so roughly. She just shrugged and turned to find the girl that had served the PeaceKeeper table, hoping she might have some useful information about the handsome captain and his crew.
Beka woke early the next morning and looked around her drab apartment and at the man lying in bed beside her. ‘I hate this place,’ she thought. ‘I hate this planet.’ Her resolve to become the personal server for the PeaceKeeper captain deepened. As expected, Beka’s interrogation attempt with his server from the night before had been futile. ‘All the silly girl did was giggle and blush,’ she thought to herself. She hadn’t known very many PeaceKeepers, but decided that ‘charm’ was a quality that very few of them possessed. Indeed, this Crichton was the first one that she had ever met with ANY.
With a heavy sigh, Beka dragged herself out of bed and started dressing. She hoped that the captain was telling the truth when he said he’d be back today. She fervently hoped that those two trelks, what were their names?, oh, yeah, Chiana and Aeryn, hadn’t talked him out of returning. She idly wondered which one was whispering in his ear last night; which one shared his bed.
She looked back at her own bed. The man was awake now, staring at her with his mud-colored eyes. She turned away in disgust and headed for the door.
“You’d better earn something today,” he warned. “I’m not going to protect your worthless eema if you can’t provide.”
She reeled back to face him, but the look he gave made her stop her tirade before it started. Defeated, she left the room.
She wandered the town that day, trying to find odd jobs. Sometimes a merchant would give her work for a few arns; sometimes the work became very ‘personal’. She found nothing this day, however, and had plenty of time to think of how much better her life could be aboard a Command Carrier. ‘No. A Leviathan,’ she remembered. She had never been on a Leviathan before.
Adventure. An easier life. A not-unpleasant employer.
She allowed herself to dream of all this.
Her dreams carried her through the day and into the dingy building where she hoped her fate would change.
There weren’t many patrons yet: a table of merchants; a lone Luxan sitting near the entrance; and a couple of servers sitting idly at the counter. She noticed that the captain’s server from the night before looked up expectantly when the door opened, and then looked away, disappointed. Beka smiled to herself, remembering the way the girl had blushed when talking about the captain the night before.
Beka had barely ordered and received her drink when the door opened and he came in. Crichton. The PeaceKeeper captain. Still exuding that easy confidence. Charm. Comfortable authority. She watched him search the room and stride over to the same table at which he sat the day before. His back to the wall; alert ice-blue eyes continually scanning the room.
She was surprised that he had again arrived alone. She was sure that the PeaceKeeper female and the Nebari youth would have warned him against predators. Warned him about her. Of course, that may be precisely why he WAS here. Alone.
END PART 1
ESCAPE, PART 2