Cat & Mouse

Vas leaned on the frame on the doof that was Jacy shuttle as she tried to coax him to stay long tugging his belt loops to nudge him close to her.

“ … tonight! I’ll be free!” Vas chuckled as he stumbled forward.

“But you’ll stop by right? That’s a long way off and I need me some Sugarbear to get me through till then.” Jacy said and nipped his earlobe. That seemed to make to always get him red-faced and she enjoyed finding new ways to do that to him.

“Dinner?” Vas offered gently trying to detangle himself from her.

“Okay … but food is not what I had in mind.” Jacy said tracing lines across her Sugerbear’s chest.

Vas red face again laughed. “Yea well I’m going to need food … I do work for a living.” He said with a tsk.

“You’ll need to keep your strength up. You know, I heard pineapple is an aphrodisiac, maybe you can find some of that in the galley?” She teased slapping him on the ass. Her version of a dismissal.

“Yea yea …” Vas still red around the ears more or less scampered off in what one might think was more if a well-planned escape route!

Jacy bit her lower lip watching her well-muscled lover run off, eyes sparkling before humming back to her the interior of her shuttle to neaten things up for the night’s adventure.

“Where did I leave that truncheon?” She wondered out loud.

From beneath the stairwell of the bridge, Serena watched, pressed behind a crate of food for the drogs, making herself as small as possible. Her work for the day was done, she was hoping to catch Gil, the young deckhand who like her had his hand mangled by the crew chief, not expecting the latter to be making a social call to the woman on the Shuttle! Her of all people? And him - blushing because of an innocuous little slap on the backside?

“You’re not my girl.” She could hear him croak the words clear as day, though already her time on the Skyhook seemed so long ago. That woman was his girl? “No wonder she tried to get rid of him.” Serena said under her breath.

Well, she couldn’t avoid the woman forever, the ship was far too small for that, And after seeing them together, Serena had a pretty good idea what sort of game the woman was playing. More than one unsuspecting deckhand was lured back to the ship with the promise of sex. Maybe the monster wouldn’t be a problem for much longer.
Tentatively, Serena knocked on the door of the shuttle.

“Back already did you forget somth-” Jacys all but bounced back to the door her words falling short seeing the small pigtail girl. There was a flash of a frown.

“-Oh.” Jacy said straightening. “You’re the new girl. The one Vas brought back.” Her tone wasn’t mean but it wasn’t kind and couldn’t be taken in a few ways. However, it was clear she wasn’t entirely pleased with her presence on the ship. “Did you need something?” She asked.

“Serena.” The girl replied, glancing down the hall to make sure the Crew Chief wasn’t returning. “I… saw… you with … the crew chief, Vas and… “ the words hung in her throat. She was in no position to help the woman, that was for sure. “He… seems fond of you.”

“I and quite fond of him as well.” Jacy said look the girl up and down before giving a short sigh. “Come in … have some tea with me.” The companion offered stepping aside to let her in. If anything maybe this could clear the air between the girl's or let Jacy know what the girl's intention was. She wasn’t going to let one sloppy mistake and pigtail girl ruin what she had with her Sugerbear.

“I’m not thirsty.” Serena asserted, stepping into the woman’s shuttle, looking around in awe. It was more ornate than any of the staterooms, and from the ajar closet door, the woman had more clothes than any ten people could need! The room even had its own shower stall. She’d never have to worry about waking up in the night to shower just to avoid Leo. “But thank you for the offer.” Tea, food, sure. One sip and three days later you wake up in chains in the cargo bay with a brand new contract. “You… have a really nice space.”

“Thank you.” Jacy said with a hint of a smile as she said delicately on a plush velvet couch. “Sit” she said with a have as she poured herself a steaming cup of tea. “So …” Jacy started looking to Serena through her pale eyelashes. “Why the interest in my Sugerbears interests?” She asked curiously.

“He’s a lot different here is all. At least he seems or pretends to be.” She replied matter of fact, opening a small wooden box on the desk and instantly regretting it. And Sugarbear? That was just downright disturbing.

“Is he?” Jacy said with an arched eyebrow. “You don’t think maybe you view might be somewhat … skewed?” She asked putting her cup down at the table.

“No.” Serena shrugged. “Intense duress, I think that’s really when you see the real person. That’s what the old Captain of the Skyhook used to say. You want to see who a man really is, you gotta cut through the surface, expose the nerve.”

“No.” Serena shrugged. “Intense duress, I think that’s really when you see the real person. That’s what the old Captain of the Skyhook used to say. You want to see who a man really is, you gotta cut through the surface, expose the nerve.”

“And did you? Expose a nerve?” Jacy prodded. Vas, from what he had told her, was justifiably reluctant to talk too much about his past. Who would? War. Slavery. Abandonment and ultimately rejection from his own mother. She has seen his pain. Vas like any person had many facets, more the single view the pigtail girl saw. For what little she understood they had poked the bear on the Skyhook and the bear fought back. Rightly so if she understood things correctly.

“No.” Serena said, defensively, standing up, “But I saw what happened. This -- was a mistake. I was going to tell you I understood why you did what you did, but now I’m not so sure I do.”

“My Sugerbear is a fighter,” Jacy said leaning back on the couch. “And no. You don’t. You don’t know him, me or why I did what I did.” She said rather straight forward. “So maybe we’ll keep this between us? To help keep the ship harmonious? If you have questions though, now is an excellent time for answers.” She said brushing strand of platinum hair behind her ear.

“Maybe you don’t know him, or maybe you do and that’s why. But I don’t think anyone on this boat sees it. I see it. And I’m scared for you, even if you don’t know enough to be.”

“Your crew tortured him and he fought back. As would anyone given the opportunity.” Jacy said flatly. “Maybe if you bothered to get to know him more, properly … you might learn there more to him that just …” Jacy took a breath to give herself a moment to phrase it right. “...whatever it was he had to do to walk out of your ship with all his parts intact.”

“Maybe. Or maybe if you knew him more… properly, you’d be a little more worried... Thank you again for the offer of tea.” This was a mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake. She seems just as insane as him.

“I’m sure Vas had his reasons for bringing you on board from the Skyhook -” Jacy started.

“I’m sure you had your reasons for selling him to it.” Serena countered.

“I *never* sold him.” Jacy said standing. “That Captain of yours reneged on the deal and decided to keep him.” She said a little heat creeping into her voice. There was a flash of anger and regret in her eyes. She only had meant to waylay him, buy time to get him back on the Lunar Veil! What the Skyhook did was not what she had paid for … to was not what she asked for to be done!

“You contracted the Skyhook. You paid money to detain him, to offer him a job. The Skyhook offered him a job, and he decided to sign a contract guaranteeing employment. I was told to recruit him, I… recruited. Otherwise, he prolly wouldn’t have been a blip on the radar. The Captain wouldn’t reneg on a contract. Why didn’t you just buy ‘em back? I mean, the tall card game was pretty risky.”

Jacy shook her head. “What the Captain told you and what are agreement was are two different things. Had I known, yes, would bought him back in heartbeat … but was expecting him to return. I was waiting for him to come back here.I had no clue what was going on …” Jacy pause. “... what tall card game?”

“The Tall Card game. Captain Colton vs. Captain Richelle. That’s what brought me to this ship. They got to take a crew mate. I don’t know who it was decided it’d be me. Vas, the doctor who talks fancy. The Captain that smells like Plum Wine, I know it wasn’t the pilot, and the engineer was pretty quiet.”

“Sweet Merciful Buddha!” Jacy said running a hand through her blond hair. Clearly Vas had left out a few details and had downplayed a few key details. Though a few of those details were normal. Such as the Captain downing cheap Chinese wine. Ick. Jacy sat back down. “What a mess … “She said in a small voice.

“It was.” Serena added, moving closer to the shuttle door. “Alls well that ends well though, you have your…” She snarled her lip, and stepped towards the door, “Sugarbear. I have a room with a lock on the inside. This ship is nothing like the Skyhook.”

“No it is not. The Lunar Veil … she is special …” Jacy agreed. “ … So is her crew. *All* of them.”

“Must be.” Serena agreed. “If they stay on with no contracts or collars.” Serena said, matter of fact.

“You’ll see child.” Jacy assured her. Time would show her how life on the El-Vee was not life on the Skyhook.