Chapter 6

“Where you been?” Zlara asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern. “You haven’t been around for a couple days. I was starting to get worried.” She was leaning against the bar, her arms crossed under her breasts, her silver eyes appraising him. She was wearing a tight black tank top that showed off her toned arms and flat stomach, and a pair of shorts that barely contained her generous ass. Her cerulean skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the bar, her silver eyes piercing, her expression unreadable.

“Got a ship,” Kayden said, a proud smile on his face. “The Stardust Drifter.” Zlara’s eyes widened, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

“The Stardust Drifter?” she asked, her voice a low, impressed whistle. “That’s a serious piece of hardware, Kayden. You must have dropped some serious credits on that. I take it you got your medallion back, then?”

“No,” Kayden said, a frown creasing his brow. “But I’m working on it. I’ve got a ship, and I’m putting together a crew.”

“What do you have so far?” She asked, pouring him a glass of his usual.

“Ayumi. She’s a fifteen year old girl I picked up from Silius’s brothel. She’s ex-SGC and I think will have good info on where to find them. And I also have a ZRX-529 android I got from her.” Kayden said, before taking a sip of his beer. Zlara burst our laughing, a loud, genuine laugh that filled the empty bar.

“You’re telling me,” she said, her eyes wide with amusement, “that your crew so far is an underaged, traumatized, ex-Slutty Girl Club honeypot, and a high-tech sex doll? Seriously? That’s your master plan? You’re going to hunt down the SGC with a teenager and a fuckbot?”

“She’s more than a fuckbot,” Kayden said, a little defensively. “She’s a Special Assistant model. She’s a genius with tech, and she can fight.”

“And the kid?” Zlara asked, her lips quirking into a smirk. “What can she do? Seduce your enemies into submission? Or is she just there for ... moral support?”

“She’s smart,” Kayden said, his voice firm. “And she’s tough. She’s been through hell, and she’s still standing. And she wants revenge as much as I do. That’s a powerful motivator.”

“Maybe,” Zlara conceded, her smirk softening into a more thoughtful expression. “But it’s still a crazy plan, Kayden. You’re going to need more than a traumatized teenager and a high-tech sex doll to take on the SGC. You’re going to need a real crew. People who know what they’re doing. People who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.”

“Like you?” Kayden asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes. Zlara was silent for a long moment, her silver eyes staring into the distance, a thoughtful expression on her face. She was a woman with a past, a woman who had seen her share of trouble. She was a bartender, yes, but she was also a fighter, a survivor. She had skills that went far beyond mixing drinks and listening to sob stories.

“What’s in it for me?” she asked, her voice a low, cautious murmur.

“You really are a big dummy.” She shook her head. “I make drinks and cook food in a shitty bar in a shitty sector of a shitty city. I’m not a fighter. I’m not a pilot. And I’m definitely not a criminal mastermind. What could I possibly do to help you?”

“You’re the best bartender in the world, Z,” Kayden said. “And you’re also a damn good cook. I’ve tasted your food. It’s ... incredible. A ship needs a chef. A good one. Someone who can keep the crew fed and happy. And you’re also a great listener. People trust you. They tell you things. You know things, Z. Things that could be useful.”

“And I also know when a good friend is trying to get me killed for a stupid, reckless quest,” she said. “But you’re right. This job is a dead end. And you ... you’re a fool, but you’re my fool. And I’d rather be a fool with you than a sensible person all alone.” She reached across the bar and placed her cerulean hand on top of his, her touch a reassuring gesture.

“I’m in,” she said, her voice a low, firm whisper. “I’ll join your crazy little crew. But I’m warning you, Kayden, if we all end up dead in a ditch somewhere, I’m going to be very, very pissed.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. “Welcome aboard, Z.”

“Don’t get all sentimental on me, you big dummy,” she said. “So, what’s the next step?”

“Next step is we meet back at the apartment!” Kayden said, pushing the glass back to her. “I’ll introduce you to the girls, and we’ll figure out our next move from there. I got a name for a pilot, too. You know any grease monkeys that can keep a ship like the Drifter running? I don’t want some cheap mechanic that is going to get us all stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“I might know a girl,” Zlara said, a thoughtful expression on her face. “She’s a bit ... eccentric. But she’s a genius with engines. She can fix anything, from a toaster to a battleship. She’s also a bit of a hoarder, so she always has the parts you need, even if you don’t know you need them. Her name is Clessa. She runs a junkyard out on the edge of the underlevels. A real maze of scrap metal and forgotten tech. If anyone can keep your ship running, it’s her.”

“Alright then,” Kayden said, pushing himself away from the bar. “A junkyard. Sounds charming. I’ll head over there now, see if I can find this Clessa. You close up and meet me back at the apartment. We’ll get the whole dysfunctional family together.” He said with a grin.

The junkyard was a nightmare of twisted metal and corroded components, a skeletal graveyard of forgotten technology. Towers of crushed starship hulls leaned against each other like giants, their windows dark and vacant. Rivers of oily, rainbow-sheened water snaked through the dirt paths. The air was thick with the metallic tang of rust and the acrid bite of burnt wiring. It was a place where things went to die, and, apparently, where Clessa made them live again. He found her in the belly of a decommissioned freighter, her small form dwarfed by the gaping maw of an exposed engine conduit. She was suspended in a harness, a tangle of limbs and wild, grime-streaked hair. Grease streaked her face like war paint, and her overalls were patched with so many different fabrics they looked like a quilt. She was humming tunelessly to herself, her attention focused on a complex web of glowing wires she was splicing with a precision that defied the chaos surrounding her.

“You Clessa?” Kayden called out, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. The humming stopped. A head popped out of the conduit, upside down, her hair defying gravity. Her eyes, a startling shade of amber, blinked at him. She couldn’t have been more than twenty, with a face that was smudged but pretty, a scattering of freckles across her nose.

“Oh. My. God. Are you kayden!?” She squealed, her voice a high-pitched, excited chatter. She fumbled with a release on her harness, dropped to the ground with a thud, and scrambled over to him, her movements like a frantic, oil-stained bird. She stopped just short of him, her hands clasped together, her amber eyes wide with a fanatic’s gleam.

“It’s you! It’s really you! The Kayden! The Ghost of the Neo-Olamen! The man who slipped through the Syndicate’s net at the Helix Point blockade! The one who pulled the Orpheus job! I have your entire career chronicled! I have schematics of the tanker you drove for the Titan’s Heist! I even have a half-eaten protein bar wrapper I’m pretty sure you touched at a space station on Phrios 7!” Kayden stared, momentarily speechless. He was used to a certain level of infamy, but this was something else entirely. This was devotion.

“Let me suck your dick.” She blurted out, before slapping her hands over her own mouth. “Oh my god, I did not just say that. Wow. Okay. That came out wrong. I mean, I would suck your dick, I’m a huge fan, but what I meant to say was, I would love to service your ship! Your ship! The Stardust Drifter! I saw the transaction go through on the public ship registry. She’s a dream! A beauty! A legend in the making! And I want to be the one to make her purr. I want to get my hands in her guts. I want to make her sing.” She was practically vibrating with energy, her words tumbling out in a rush. Kayden couldn’t help but be a little impressed. And a lot wary.

“Zlara sent me,” he said, deciding to cut through the static. “Said you’re the best.”

“Zlara knows her stuff!” Clessa beamed, as if this were the highest possible endorsement. “Of course I’m the best! I was born in a shipyard! My father was a fuel technician, my mother was a nav-comms specialist! I was splicing power conduits before I could walk! I breathe coolant and dream in schematics!” She grabbed a rag from her pocket and wiped furiously at her face, cleaning her face of most of the grime and revealing more of the freckles. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun, but tendrils had escaped to frame her face. She was small, taller than Ayumi but shorter than Alexa, with a lean build that showed of long hours of physical labor.

“Ahhhh fuck it.” Clessa said, before she got down on her knees in front of Kayden and started to undo his pants. “Let me do it. Just a little bit. Please? I want to. I need to.”

“Clessa...” He started, but it was too late. She had his cock out and in her mouth in a single, fluid motion. Her lips were soft, and her tongue was surprisingly skilled. She took him deep, her throat relaxing to accommodate his length, her lips gripping him tightly. She moaned around him, the vibrations sending a jolt of pleasure through him. He could feel her enthusiasm, her raw, unadulterated passion for him, for what he represented. It was intoxicating. He pulled her hair free from its bun, letting it spill around her shoulders, surprisingly blonde, the outer edges were merely covered with dirty and grime. He tangled his fingers in it, holding her in place as she began to move, her head bobbing up and down in a slow, steady rhythm. He could feel the pressure building, the heat rising, the need for release becoming an almost unbearable ache. But he didn’t want it to end, not yet. He wanted to savor this, this strange, unexpected moment of adoration from a woman he had just met. He pulled her up, a gasp of surprise escaping her lips as he lifted her to her feet. He spun her around, pressing her against the cold metal wall of the freighter, her back to his chest. He yanked down her overalls, revealing her small, firm ass, her skin a pale white against the grime of the junkyard. He kicked her legs apart, and positioned himself at her entrance.

“Is this happening?” She breathed, her voice a mix of disbelief and excitement. “Am I really about to get fucked by Kayden against the wall of a derelict freighter?”

“It’s happening,” he growled, his breath hot on her neck. He thrust into her, a long, slow, deep penetration that left them both gasping. She was tight, her inner walls gripping him like a vise, her wetness a welcome relief. He started to move, his hips rocking back and forth, his cock sliding in and out of her with a wet, rhythmic sound. She met his every thrust, her hips rising to meet his, her hands braced against the wall, her knuckles white. He could hear her breathing becoming more ragged, more desperate. He could feel her getting close, her body tensing, her pussy clenching around his cock, a series of contractions that milked him, tugging at him.

“Fuck, yes,” she moaned, her head thrown back, her body writhing against him. “Harder. Fuck me harder.” He obliged, his pace quickening, his hips slamming against her, his cock pounding into her with a relentless, driving force. He could feel the tension building, the pressure mounting, the need for release becoming an almost unbearable ache. He could feel her legs trembling, her body shaking, her juices flowing, a sign of her impending orgasm.

“Kayden,” she cried, her back arching, her body tensing. “Kayden, I’m cumming. I’m cumming.” He felt her orgasm wash over her, a wave of pleasure that rippled through her body, that left her gasping and breathless. He felt her pussy convulse around him, a series of powerful contractions that milked him, that pulled him deeper into her, that sent him over the edge.

“Wait, I’ll suck you off, swallow your cum. I want to taste you.” Clessa moaned, still in the throes of her own orgasm. Kayden didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled out of her with a wet pop, and she spun around, dropping to her knees in front of him. She took him into her mouth, her lips wrapping around his shaft, her tongue swirling around the head. He came with a loud groan, his cock pulsing as he filled her mouth with his cum. She swallowed, her throat working, her lips still wrapped around him, not letting a single drop escape. She looked up at him, her amber eyes wide with adoration, a triumphant smile on her face.

“I guess you’re hired.” Kayden laughed, pulling her to her feet.

“YES!” She squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet, a boundless, infectious energy radiating from her. “Oh my god, yes! I won’t let you down, Kayden! I’ll keep the Stardust Drifter running so smooth she’ll feel like she’s flying through liquid space! I’ll optimize the engine output, reinforce the shield emitters, recalibrate the sensor array ... She’s going to be a masterpiece!” She was already talking a mile a minute, her hands gesticulating wildly, her mind clearly racing ahead to the technical challenges that awaited her.

“I need to pack my tools! And my spare parts! And my collection of rare engine schematics! And my lucky wrench! Can’t forget the lucky wrench! Oh, and my pet rat, Rusty! He’s a great judge of character, and he’s very good at finding loose wiring. He’s part of the package, by the way. Non-negotiable.” Kayden stared at her, while he smiled at her.

“You can pack whatever you need, the ship is still parked at the hangar. As I’m sure you know, it has a huge cargo bay, so pack anything you think we will need for the trip and pick a sleeping quarters for yourself” He said, “I’ll let Jelicia know to expect you.”

“Jelicia! THE Jelicia!” Clessa’s eyes went wide with renewed awe. “She sold you the ship! She’s a legend! A queen of the deal! I heard she once brokered the sale of a moon! Not a big moon, just a small one, but still! Wow. Okay. This is really happening.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but it was a losing battle. She was like a live wire, crackling with energy and excitement.

“Okay,” she said, her voice a little more steady, but still buzzing with an undercurrent of pure, unadulterated joy. “Okay. I’ll be there. I’ll have my stuff there in ... three hours! Four, tops! I promise! I won’t let you down, Kayden! I’m the best! You won’t regret this!”