Chapter 47

Dusty grinned at the frightened Captain and his helm crew.

“Since you all have behaved so poorly, I have a little island for you to live the rest of your life on. You will not be able to leave the island.”

“I also have a present for you all. I’m going to turn you all into shape-shifters. Unfortunately for you men, I don’t seem to have found too many bad women to send to the island, so you get to fulfil both roles,” she told them.

The crew then heard the engines of the ship shut off and looked at each other with worry.

“Please head to the airlock and wait for me,” Dusty said as she motioned towards the doorway.

“What the fuck? You said you had an island to put us on, and now you’re going to space us?” one of the men cried out.

Dusty shook her head in sorrow. “We are on the island. I could blink you out, but I’ve not given you your present yet. Please head to the airlock.”

She gave James a look of exasperation, and he just chuckled. She then made a shooing motion at the men, and reluctantly, they unstrapped from their seats and headed to the airlock.

One of the men dived at Dusty when he went to go past her. James just shook his head as the man slid along the deck on his side and smashed into the step between the two levels of the bridge.

Dusty reappeared beside the man, and he found himself being levitated into the air and then flying towards the door. He squealed in fright and waved his arms uselessly as he flew a metre off the ground.

“The airlock is that way, dumb-arse,” Dusty informed him.

The others hurriedly followed the flying man out of the door, and not for one minute did any of them think to disobey further.

Dusty and James followed along behind them.

Rupert looked up when he felt someone was near him.

He glanced at Dusty and then swung the hoe again and enjoyed the feeling of the metal blade cutting into the damp earth.

He dragged it back towards himself as he asked, “And to which God do I owe this honour?”

“Probably a Keltrian one,” Dusty replied with a grin.

Rupert chuckled and swung the hoe again. “I assume you got Fiaz’s cuff back,” he said.

“We did,” she replied and watched as the muscles played on Rupert’s shirtless back.

He barely looked like the man she had dropped off here nearly three weeks before. He still had a little bit of a paunch to go, but he looked a lot healthier and even younger than his fifty years.

“Nuru killed him. Did you know Fiaz, and his cronies raped and tortured Nuru’s sister before they killed her? They did it to his two cousins, as well.”

“No, but that explains a lot. The Keltrians were big on an eye for an eye. They didn’t condone killing as a rule, but they did believe in justice. They even have a God called Justice. Nuru has always been your enforcer, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, why?” Rupert asked and stood to lean on the hoe’s handle.

“You rule here. He is your enforcer. The cuff wouldn’t stop him from carrying out justice if what Fiaz did was against your laws.”

“Ah, thank you. That makes a lot of sense to what has been happening here,” Rupert replied.

“Dusty,” an excited, girly voice called.

Dusty turned and looked at the big ebony woman hurrying towards her. The woman stopped just short of Dusty.

“Can I give you a hug?” she asked, almost shyly.

“Just don’t try and crush my bones, Nuru,” Dusty replied.

Dusty chuckled as she was picked up, squashed against the massive mummeries and swung around in an exuberant circle before being put back down gently.

“I can only guess that you like being a shifter?” Dusty replied with laughter in her voice.

Nuru’s massive grin answered her question.

Dusty turned to Rupert, “I have a ship’s crew of six from Haven, which is the planet in the Dos System. They were chasing the Farestar. I can’t stay long as I have to go get the other ship. I’ll change them all to Shifters for you.”

“Thank you, the men will be delighted. It will lessen the three-to-one ratio we have. Just be aware that we have an initiation here. After that, the men are not allowed to force the Shifters to have sex with them. Rape causes too many bad feelings, and we are a small community,” Rupert told Dusty.

“That is fair enough. As long as you keep your laws to being close to those acceptable in most other places in the galaxy you and I won’t have a problem,” Dusty said.

“Oh, I think I can get you some cattle. They aren’t from Earth and are a smaller breed, so I think they will suit your needs here.”

“Thank you again, Dusty. Some cattle will be good. Well, let’s go see the ladies,” he replied.