A Short Story
Harpy & HkdonXetG ©2016-2020
DISCLAIMERS
Category: Original Fiction
Copyright Disclaimers:
This is an original work of fiction. Copies of this story may be made for personal use only, but must include disclaimers. Original characters and plot lines are copyrighted to the authors and may be used with permission.
Content Disclaimer: This story is rated Mature – for readers 18 or older
Sexual Content: This story contains scenes of female/female sexual intimacy. There are also scenes of some physical and sexual abuse, though not gratuitous.
Violence Content: This is a story that contains some violence, though not overly explicit.
Feedback Request: Your feedback is the manna that sustains us, so please feed the bards at harpy1553@yahoo.co.uk and HkdonXetG@yahoo.com.
Visit our blog – https://theorionspur.wordpress.com/ – where you will find progress updates.
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Note: The Orion Spur series is written using British English; however, there are words that are unique to the story.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank our wonderful beta readers, Bindi and Michele, for their time, comments, and continued support of this project.
Cover art by TheNetGirl - https://www.deviantart.com/thenetgirl/
TIMELINE
Hila Llyte: Dailan takes place five years before the events of Book 1: Family Business. They may be read in any order.
STORY SUMMARY
Hila Llyte is a freighter captain. When work is slow, she undertakes unorthodox jobs for the criminal underworld. Jobs that pay well for her particular skills.
When Hila is offered the job to kill someone, she accepts.
A lonely businesswoman and a couple of prostitutes provide a welcome distraction from the grisly work. However, the spectre of her past and the uncertainty of her future make Hila question if her present is worth the sacrifices she's making.
Star Map of The Kalenth Hegemony
The freighter Glyndwr dropped out of light speed. Its pilot, Hila Llyte, scanned the instrument panel in front of her. Satisfied that engine and navigation readouts were correct, she activated the comm and contacted traffic control. After receiving landing permission, Hila engaged the auto-pilot and settled back to enjoy the view of the Serendu system. The red giant and white dwarf stars at the heart of the binary system were large, bright dots visible beyond the moon that was her destination. It was just possible to make out the stream of plasma streaming between them. Most of Hila's time in space was spent at faster than light speeds where the only thing to be seen was a fuzzy blue blob ahead and a fuzzy red blob behind. Seeing the stars in all their glory was limited to the short time before landing and after take-off.
Serendu, located in the Marbor sector, was home to five gas giant planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of asteroids that were rich in resources. Common and rare minerals and metals were mined throughout the system. All that activity needed a base for managing the operations and amenities for the miners to have a break and blow off steam. The obvious place was Yerhulin, the tenth of forty-two moons orbiting the second planet, and the largest moon in the Serendu system.
Yerhulin itself was a barren, rocky, airless moon, but held a beauty that Hila never tired of. It became home to several settlements, the largest of which was Polen City. What had started out as a small supply outpost, was by Year 1597, a city with a footprint twelve kilometres wide and seventeen kilometres long and was fifty storeys high.
The Glyndwr touched down at the assigned docking position, Hila powered down the engines and waited for the signal that the airlock seal was tight.. She hurried down to the cargo deck and through the airlock.
"Good afternoon, Llyte." The customs officer held out his hand.
She handed him a data chip. "I'm travelling empty."
He nodded as he read the data chip on his handheld data pad. "Looks good to me. Have fun." He handed back the chip. "See you around." He wandered off.
Without the hassle of a hold inspection, Hila headed for the maglev transport to the city centre. Ten minutes later, she stepped out onto the main avenue. The avenue was sixty metres wide and seven storeys high. It formed a four-kilometre loop, criss-crossed with side streets lined mostly with shops, bars, and food outlets. Slow flying drones weaved their way overhead, displaying colourful adverts for products, stores, and even the brothels in the less salubrious parts of the city. The central part of the avenue was dotted with benches, artificial trees, and vendors selling cheap goods from carts. If it weren't for the faint metallic whirring of the enclosed city's ventilation system audible over the din of the busy street, Hila could almost believe she was outdoors. The artificially scented air also dispelled the myth; nowhere smelled as clean as Polen City.
Hila was not here for the ambience, or to shop. Having spent the last two weeks alone on her ship, Hila craved companionship, and since the brothels in Polen City were not the cleanest, she thought she would try her luck at a hotel.
The city had a fair number of decent hotels where lonely business people would spend a few nights before heading home to more inviting planets. She chose a hotel at random, entered the bar in the hotel's main concourse and ordered a durmywid from the bartender. Hila favoured the aniseed-flavoured liqueur for the way it prickled her tongue as the liquid slipped down her throat.
It was still early evening and fairly quiet. Hila scanned the bar and met a pair of eyes looking at her from a booth across the room. The eyes momentarily shifted away and then back again to her. That was all the invitation she needed to head towards the booth.
The woman ensconced in the booth was smartly dressed in a pink skirt and suit jacket, with an open blouse that exposed her pale skin almost to her breasts. Nice cleavage, Hila observed. A few strands of grey streaked the woman's auburn hair, and it was pulled back in a loose bun. To Hila, she had the look of someone seeking a good time before they got too old.
"Hi," said Hila. "Mind if I join you?" Hila sidled into a seat opposite the woman.
"Well, uh, I, uh." The woman took a sip of her drink and cleared her throat. "I, I guess so, I don't… I mean haven't… I'm not into women." The woman giggled nervously. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."
Hila liked a challenge. "Don't apologise. You just looked like you could use some company." Flashing the smile for which she had paid handsomely, Hila started to stand up. "My mistake."
"No! Wait! You don't have to leave right away," said the auburn-haired woman. She took a big gulp from her drink.
Hila's expensive smile widened as her prospects for the evening improved. "Would you like another?" she asked. I'm glad the smile was worth the price.
She nodded. "Thank you. A Red Giant."
"I'll be right back."
"Make it a double."
Hila re-joined the woman, drinks in hand, and proceeded to get acquainted. "My name is Hila."
"Hello, Hila. Nice to meet you. I'm Yolandra."
Hila leaned forward, her long, slick, ebony hair framing the right side of her face. "So, what brings you to Polen City, Yolandra?"
"I'm here on business," the well-dressed woman replied.
"Mining?" Hila asked but in a tone that was more of a statement of fact.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Just a hunch." Hila knew by the expensive clothes the woman wore and her well-manicured nails that she wasn't a prostitute, and she wasn't a freight captain, so that left mining.
"How about you? Here on business?"
"You could say that," Hila said enigmatically.
"A woman of mystery, eh?" Yolandra took a few sips of the bright red cocktail, all the while coyly gazing at Hila. "Has anyone told you that you have the most beautiful blue eyes?"
"Once or twice." Hila realised that despite Yolandra's initial claim of not being into women, she was doing her best to drop hints that she was interested. Maybe this is my lucky night after all, thought Hila, or maybe it's hers.
"Woo!" Yolandra put down her empty glass. "I think I've had a bit too much. Do you, um… you're very pretty." She giggled.
Hila turned on the charm. "So are you."
The businesswoman waved her hand dismissively at Hila. "No, I'm not. I'm too old to be pretty."
"Nonsense. I'm sure you have lots of people tell you how pretty you are."
"Not really. I mean, my husband when we were young," the brunette woman confessed. "I barely see him these days. One or both of us are always away on business."
"Well, I think you are very attractive." Hila reached out and amorously covered Yolandra's hand. "It is a shame you are not into women."
The woman stared at their hands, but didn't pull hers away. "I would be – with you."
Hila smiled inwardly. It's been a while since I seduced a married woman. She leaned forward. "Do you have a room at this hotel?"
"Uh, yes," the older woman said.
Hila stood up and offered her outstretched hand. "Let's go."
Yolandra seemed hesitant for a moment, then took Hila's hand and said, "Okay."
They crossed the lobby and entered the main lift. They both looked ahead as the doors closed. For a few moments, neither one spoke. Despite there being no one else in the lift with them, Hila purposely stood as close as two people can without touching. She knew the effect it would have on Yolandra.
"I have never done this before," Yolandra finally confessed.
Hila turned to face the woman and said in a flirtatious tone, "Never done what – invited someone back to your room or invited a woman back to your room?"
Yolandra glanced down. "Neither."
Hila gently lifted her chin and commanded Yolandra's gaze. "Then I will endeavour to fulfil your desires…" Hila brought her lips closer to Yolandra's and said in a low and sultry tone, "…and your fantasies." She lingered there, but didn't kiss Yolandra – not yet. Hila intended this to be an unhurried seduction and demonstration of the carnal pleasures that can be enjoyed with a woman.
A moment later, the lift stopped on the seventh floor. Hila moved away as the door opened. At first, Yolandra seemed to be in a trance, but she soon recovered and led Hila down the corridor to room 714. "Here we are," she said.
When they entered, Yolandra called for the lights at forty-three percent, enough to offer the proper mood.
Hila could see Yolandra more clearly than in the dimly lit bar. She wouldn't have described the middle-aged woman as stunningly beautiful: her face was a little too thin, as if she were undernourished, and it was starting to show a few fine lines. Yet, there was a certain beauty that came with maturity, and Hila found that alluring.
Hila surveyed the layout of the suite, more specifically where the bedroom was located. Nice accommodation, Hila thought. The room had a window, a luxury in the city, but the view was of the lighting and ventilation infrastructure on the street's ceiling. It beats my bunkroom on the Glyndwr.
"May I offer you a drink?" Yolandra asked.
Hila sensed that her offer of a drink was probably to settle her own nerves. "Sure, I'll have a durmywid," Hila replied.
"Durmywid? I have never tried it."
"Something else I can introduce you to," Hila replied.
Yolandra went over to a side table and came back with two glasses of durmywid. She handed Hila her drink. "What should we drink to?"
Hila raised her glass. "To new possibilities." While holding Yolandra's attention, she lifted her glass to her lips and slowly drained its contents.
Yolandra followed suit. "New possibilities." She took a sip and immediately reacted to the strong drink with a sputter and cough.
"I should have warned you it had a kick to it," Hila confessed.
"No, it's good," replied Yolandra. "I just wasn't expecting the burning sensation in the back of my throat." She gamely finished the durmywid in one swallow.
Hila was impressed by the woman's willingness to try new things. Good to know, she thought, as she considered the possibilities. Time to make my move. "Here, let me take that," said Hila, taking the empty glass from Yolandra and putting both glasses on a nearby table. She approached Yolandra and led her towards the bedroom.
"Let's get more comfortable, shall we?" Hila took her jacket off and tossed it on a nearby chair. She coaxed Yolandra's jacket off her shoulders and draped it over the top of hers. Hila moved a step closer and reached around to release the bun and allow Yolandra's auburn hair to cascade to her shoulders. She liked the way the woman's wavy hair framed her face. Hila cupped Yolandra's cheek as she sought her lips. The kiss was soft, unhurried, a promise of more to come.
Hila pulled back to measure Yolandra's willingness to go further. Seeing the desire in the glistening hazel eyes looking back at her was an aphrodisiac to Hila, but there was also a flicker of something else.
"Am I going too fast?" Hila asked.
"No…a little." Yolandra took a step away from Hila. "I told you I was married."
Hila nodded. "And that you've never been with a woman. It's all right if you are having second thoughts."
"No, I want to, very much. I just feel I should explain—"
"No explanations are necessary."
"But I feel I should be completely honest with you before we go any further."
Hila was beginning to wonder what she had got herself into. I could just grab my jacket, make my excuses, and try my luck with a less complicated bed partner. But there was something about Yolandra that Hila found captivating. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "What did you want to tell me?"
The woman squared her shoulders and looked directly at Hila. "When I told you I wasn't into women, that was a lie. I've looked at women, fantasised about them, but never acted on my feelings. I sometimes wondered if those feelings were real. You see, I come from a traditional Fethusal family. Being attracted to another woman would have caused a scandal. So, I threw myself into my career. However, my family's questions of when was I going to find a nice man and get married never stopped."
Hila could relate. Luckily, she had left home before that situation had arisen in her own life. She wondered how she would have dealt with it. Badly, she concluded.
"I couldn't stand the questions anymore, so when I turned thirty, I got married," Yolandra continued her confession. "That was thirty years ago. I've been on many business trips over the years, I've thought about picking up a woman in the bar, taking her back to my room." Yolandra's eyes were cast downward. "I even thought about paying for it, but I never had the courage to place the call. I'd always go back to my room alone and relieve the tension, then go to sleep feeling ashamed."
"So, what changed? Why did you say yes tonight?" Hila asked.
Yolandra wandered over to the chair and stood behind it. "When I got to the spaceport for my flight here, it was delayed twenty-five hours. I went back home and caught my husband in bed with a woman young enough to be our daughter."
"What did you do?" asked Hila.
"I wasn't angry or disappointed. I was jealous. She works for the same company as me. I know her well, and I've even thought about her on lonely nights away. I told him to change the bedclothes when they were finished and left. How could I condemn him for something I would have done with her?"
Hila understood a little better why Yolandra said yes to her. She admired her candour, and it made her want to give Yolandra a genuinely good time, since it was her first time with a woman. "Forget about all that. Tonight, it is just you and me. All those dreams and fantasies are going to come true for you. Those repressed feelings will be released."
Hila invited Yolandra to join her near the bed. "You'll be a new woman in the morning."
"I'm a little nervous," the older woman confessed as she approached.
"Don't be," Hila said. "Just put yourself in my hands." Hila drew Yolandra into her arms and kissed her. This time it was full lipped and deliberate. Yolandra was eager to deepen the kiss and Hila was happy to oblige. There's nothing virginal about the way she kisses, Hila noted. She was almost ready to abandon her game plan, and just get their clothes off and get down to business, but she exercised restraint. A slow seduction intensifies the longing – for both of us.
Hila unfastened Yolandra's skirt and popped it open. The skirt slid off the businesswoman's hips and pooled around her ankles. Hila offered Yolandra an arm to steady herself as she stepped out of the garment and her shoes. Hila slowly unbuttoned the woman's blouse, removed it, and then deftly unhooked her bra. Having been freed from constraint, the older woman's breasts fell naturally.
Hila found herself staring, eager to caress them. Standing only in her panties, Yolandra demurely covered her chest and called for the lights to be lowered to ten percent.
"No," said Hila, and called for the lights to be raised again. "Don't be ashamed of your body. A woman's body, at any age, is a beautiful thing." Hila shed her clothes and stood in front of Yolandra completely naked.
Now it was Yolandra's turn to stare.
That amused Hila. She tenderly cupped the woman's cheek. "You are beautiful."
Yolandra dropped her arms and leaned into Hila's palm. "I feel beautiful, with you."
Hila bent down and removed the last bit of clothing Yolandra had on, her panties. She could feel the heat coming from the woman's mons. She wanted to dip her tongue between the folds, but stood instead and gently manoeuvred them both onto the bed.
"Such beautiful blue eyes," breathed Yolandra before welcoming Hila to kiss her.
With skin touching skin, lips touching lips, tongues playfully entwining, and the lingering taste of durmywid, Hila found herself being swept up in the moment and relishing the shared connection, something she rarely allowed. She preferred her sexual encounters to be unencumbered by emotions.
When Hila finally broke the kiss, Yolandra opened her eyes, her pleasure evident. "I thought I was floating."
"I will take you higher," whispered Hila with a slow exhale in her partner's ear. She knew it would illicit an audible reaction from Yolandra, but Hila stifled the woman's mewling with another opened-mouth kiss, ardent and sensual. Her hand followed soft contours down the woman's abdomen. The tips of her fingers had barely brushed over Yolandra's clit, when she felt the woman beneath her shudder. Yolandra looked mortified.
"What's wrong?" Hila asked.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting it to be over so soon."
Hila smiled down at her. It pleased her to have such a responsive partner. "It's not over; we've barely begun."
"But I've already climaxed." She sounded puzzled.
"Believe me, you will climax several more times before the night is through." Hila watched as Yolandra's eyes grew wide in anticipation. Hila knew many ways to bring a woman to orgasm. She had decided to forego the more adventurous methods in her repertoire. It was adventure enough for Yolandra to agree to go to bed with her. But she would give Yolandra a reason to remember their night together when she goes home to her husband.
Hila made a slow descent, pausing first to caress Yolandra's breasts, taking the taut peaks in her mouth and sucking on the tips. She continued to slide downwards and buried her head between Yolandra's legs. The woman arched her back and groaned loudly as Hila licked and nibbled her moist folds. She was practically begging Hila to keep doing what she was doing with her mouth, but Hila had other plans. She latched on to the hardened nub and sucked hard. Yolandra's hips rose off the bed as she stiffened and shrieked.
Hila held on until the woman relaxed, and then kissed her way back up to ask how Yolandra was feeling. There was a tear running down the older woman's cheek. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No!" Yolandra assured Hila.
"Then why the tears?"
"It was so beautiful, so right. I'm just a little overcome. Thank you."
Hila smiled, "Don't thank me yet."
Hila placed a pillow beside Yolandra's hips. "Roll over."
Yolandra rolled over onto her stomach as instructed.
"Raise your hips slightly."
Hila slid the pillow underneath when Yolandra raised her hips.
Yolandra let out a throaty moan as Hila gently entered her from behind.
"Comfortable?" Hila asked.
"Mmm, hmm." The woman's assent was muffled by the pillow.
Hila went a little deeper. "And now?"
Yolandra lifted her head off the pillow and looked back at Hila. "Yes."
Hila added another finger. "And now?" She went in deeper.
The older woman moaned. "Yes!"
Hila slowly retreated. She thought about making the woman beg for more, but it wasn't that kind of encounter. She entered her again. Yolandra turned her face back into the pillow and moved her hips to meet Hila's steady cadence.
Hila didn't just penetrate her. She sought a very sensitive spot within the silken walls. Hila knew that stimulating this particular spot would bring about a deep, pulsating orgasm.
Yolandra grabbed the sheets and held on, grunting and begging for Hila to finish her. But each time Hila could feel an orgasm building in Yolandra, she would slow the pace to prolong the exquisite torture.
Finally, when Yolandra was almost near exhaustion, Hila plunged in as deep as she could go, then hooked her fingers and held them firmly in place. Yolandra let go with a scream, her hips bucking wildly with the intensity of the orgasm.
Completely spent, Yolandra dropped her hips and didn't move. She could barely catch her breath. Hila finally withdrew and rolled onto her back. It had been a bit of a workout for her as well.
After several minutes, Yolandra's power of speech returned and she was able to turn on her side and face Hila. "That was... I have no words..."
Hila smiled. "Incredible," she offered.
"Yes, that's the word. I thought my head was going to explode!"
Hila smiled. "I know."
Yolandra reached for Hila but paused. "May I…"
"Touch me anywhere you like." Hila guided Yolandra's hand towards her own breast.
The older woman gave a relieved sigh. "It feels so soft."
Hila's face may have been bought, but her body was all natural. She leaned back and allowed Yolandra to explore her body. The woman was a quick study and was able to satisfy Hila's needs with some guidance.
For Hila, this was a pleasurable alternative to the more transactional sexual encounters she engaged in. Usually, she didn't ask for a name or take such care in the other person's comfort. However, Yolandra seemed to have touched something within her that Hila rarely acknowledged. She genuinely wanted the night to be memorable for the both of them.
~~~~
While Polen City was a profitable place to be, it was not a desirable place to be. Criminal organisations, attracted by the money and location, bought up real estate within the city and created a hub for black market operations within the Serendu System and for a couple of hundred light years radius. A network of tunnels, shops, and rooms, known as The Warren, were formed throughout the city.
The Warren was the perfect place to conduct business unseen by authorities. Entrances to this network were hidden in plain sight, if you knew where to look: a door off a busy street, a door off a hallway in a building. If you knew where the doors were, you could get in.
Unlike the entry she was looking for, there was much that stood out about Hila Llyte: perfect body, perfect long, jet-black hair, perfect chin, perfect nose, perfect bright-blue eyes. That perfection, however, had come with a steep price tag. Hila sometimes wished she had studied the catalogue more carefully before choosing her new face: it caused heads to turn when she walked by, and with some of her business dealings, it would be better if Hila didn't stand out so much. Fortunately for her, it was still early in Polen City's morning and shoppers were few and far between.
Hila came upon the nondescript building, leased to a retailer of household goods, and entered. She walked up to the counter and exchanged a quick look with the proprietor. He looked around his shop before giving her a nod. She quickly moved behind the counter and through a door marked 'Employees Only'.
The door closed behind her and artificial lighting came on, illuminating a long flight of steps. She descended the steps in front of her. At the foot of the stairs was another door. Hila quickly tapped in a code, and the door opened into a dimly lit passageway that stretched for nearly a quarter of a kilometre. She confidently strode down the length of the corridor, the heels of her boots clacking on the metal floor, until she reached the end and another door. This one could only be opened from the other side. She tapped in a code on the pad next to the door. A moment later, the light on a security camera, located to one side of the door, came on and swung in her direction. She looked up and smiled. The door opened.
Hila had entered The Warren. If you had the money to buy, you came here to procure it. If you needed money, you came here to sell your wares, your skills, or your body. If you had a reputation like Hila, you occasionally got a call to come.
She found the establishment she was looking for and entered a room that smelled of stale, recirculated air and bodily fluids. Men and women of all ages sat in straight back chairs along one wall. Hila could tell how long someone had been there by the look in their eyes. The new ones looked fearful; the old ones had blank stares. These were the poor souls who had sold themselves to the man she was going to see. They did so in the hope of escaping the desperate lives they had been living. Sadly, they did, but not in the way they had dreamed. Most died within six months. Some bore scars and bruises from encounters with the clientele that frequented this particular establishment. Some were missing limbs – there was a market for that particular fetish.
The muscular man guarding an inner office door recognised Hila and moved aside to allow her to come through. Lounging on a plush sofa was the man she had come to see, Marreljoh. He was short, less than one-point-two metres, his body was oddly proportioned: his chest was large, as if it had been inflated, and his neck was short. It looked like a boy's head had been put on a man's chest. He was naked. His small right hand was buried between the thighs of a naked young woman kneeling on the sofa next to him, while a young man had his head buried between Marreljoh's legs.
"Ah, Hila." His voice was high pitched, but gentle, at complete odds to the gross thug she knew him to be. "Sit." He waved his left arm at another sofa. "I'll be a little while. Have some fun of your own." His removed his right hand and slapped the woman's buttocks, pushing her in Hila's direction.
Hila sat down. The young woman walked over to her. She was very tall, skin the colour of bronze, with tightly curled hair falling to her shoulders. She looked bored, most probably zoned out on some sort of drug. The prostitute settled on Hila's lap and started kissing her neck. The temptation to indulge was great, and Hila allowed her hands to wander over the naked flesh on offer. But she'd rather her sexual activity not be a spectator sport.
"Why am I here?" Hila asked as she gently pushed the woman away.
Marreljoh was ignoring her, and Hila didn't like to be ignored. She stood up and crossed to the other sofa. She grabbed the neck of the young man fellating Marreljoh and pulled him away. Marreljoh cursed, and Hila sensed the hired muscle approaching from behind. Her host quickly instructed his security guard to back away. He stood up, grabbed a robe, and wrapped it around him.
"You're too impatient. Always have been." Marreljoh walked with a swaying gait to a desk. He picked up a pouch and held it out to Hila.
She walked over and took it. Hila knew the pouch contained credits, and from experience, she had a good idea of how much it held. Also, from experience, she knew this was just a down payment. "What job is worth this much?"
"Elord ap Lentol," Marreljoh replied.
"You want me to kill an Elit?"
"No. I want you to kill a low life piece of shit."
Hila jiggled the pouch in her hand. "Why?"
Marreljoh moved around the desk, up a hidden ramp and heaved himself down on his desk chair. "We all like to pluck un-ripened fruit from time to time. But we know it comes at a cost…" he trailed off as a smile curled his lips and he laughed to himself. "We know we come at a cost, eh!" He stared at Hila. "I thought it was funny. Triggan, did you think it was funny?" He called across to the naked young man he had left on the sofa.
"Yes, Mar."
"Good, then come over here and suck my cock."
Hila slammed her hand down on the desk. "I charge by the hour. Get to the point."
Marreljoh waved off the youth and leaned back in his chair. "Lentol thinks he doesn't have to pay. He comes to my establishment, demands his unplucked fruit, takes it, and leaves without paying for services rendered."
"Killing him for that seems a bit extreme," Hila observed.
"I'm running out of virgins! I'll be serving up babies to him next! If I threaten him, he just laughs and says 'same time next week'."
Hila had met Lentol's kind before – pampered, privileged pricks who take whatever or whoever they want because they feel entitled. "Do you have something in mind?"
"If I had my way, I'd have you take him to one of Schubar's dives, kill him, and leave him there with his trousers down and his cock buried in the arse of a dead goat." He laughed. "Then call the press."
"Not my style," Hila replied.
Marreljoh leaned forward and held Hila's attention. "I don't care how you kill him; I just want him dead. And I want proof he's dead." He leaned back and muttered, "Nobody cheats me and gets away with it."
"Where do I find him?"
"Dailan. Lentol's a physicist there." Marreljoh reached into his desk drawer and took out two items: a data chip and a small rectangular card. He handed her the data chip first. "Here's your flight plan and clearance." He then handed her the card. "And this is where you'll find him."
Hila looked at the card. It was holographic business card with the club's name, Serybor. "Morning Stars?" Hila said aloud, translating the name from the old language, and giving Marreljoh a questioning look.
"Yeah, the previous owner named it, I kind of like it, so didn't change it." He nodded at the card in her hand. "You'll get a call when Lentol arrives. Just show that to the person at the front desk. They will tell you where Lentol is."
"When do I leave?"
"Right away."
Three days there, a couple of days to do the job, three days back. A week's work is worth the price, she thought. "Okay, I'll do it."
Marreljoh smiled revealing his crooked, overcrowded teeth. It wasn't a pretty sight. "It can be cold and lonely in space. So…" He pressed a button on his desk. A door opened and two women entered. "Meet Monrai and Gia. They'll keep you company and warm. Consider them a bonus."
Hila scrutinised the newcomers. They were both lithe, brunette, and wearing revealing outfits. Jewellery adorned their necks, arms, fingers, ears and noses, and Hila suspected other places that were covered.
"I say 'bonus', but not for keeps. They're going to work for me on Dailan. I want you to transport them there, and while they're with you, use them as you wish."
~~~~
Hila's ship, the Glyndwr, was old and a little worse for wear, but it was her home. After buying her new face, Hila had a little money left over, so she bought the ship and went into the freight business, though freight hauling wasn't the only way she made a living. She occasionally did work for people like Marreljoh.
She entered the outer crew access hatch and pointed at the door to her right. "Cargo bay, off limits," she said to the two young women, Monrai and Gia, who were following behind her. Hila headed up a flight of stairs and came out into an open area. "This is the lounge. You're allowed in here. That's the cockpit." She pointed to her left. "Off limits. That corridor, which leads to my quarters," she said, pointing ahead and to the left.
"Let me guess," said Monrai. "Off limits."
"Good girl. I like a fast learner."
Hila headed to the right and through a door into the galley. "You can get your meals in here. There's a little fresh stuff, some frozen, but mostly you'll have to make do with the food dispenser." She headed out of the small galley into a corridor via another door. "Your bunkroom and lavatory." She pointed at the door on the immediate left. "The rest." She pointed up the corridor.
"Off limits," said Monrai.
"You got it."
"Will you be joining us in there?" Gia nodded at the door.
"Only if you want me to," replied Hila.
Monrai and Gia exchanged a glance. "We want," said Monrai.
"I will get this ship under way. You two go and prepare yourselves."
Monrai held two fingers to her lips and kissed the tips. She pressed them to Hila's lips and entered the bunkroom. Gia grabbed a buttock and followed her partner.
Hila headed for the cockpit and prepped the ship for take-off. A quick call to traffic control confirmed a launch slot was available. Hila smiled. The quicker she could be underway, the quicker she could join Monrai and Gia. Fifteen minutes later, the ship was in space and hurtling towards its destination at faster than light speed.
She found Monrai and Gia had started without her. Monrai was seated on the edge of the bed, Gia had her face buried between Monrai's spread legs. Hila stripped off and joined them.
~~~~
Hila woke up to find herself drooling on a pair of buttocks. They belonged to Monrai. Or maybe Gia.
The three of them had spent most of the journey from Yerhulin to Dailan in a naked, tangled ménage-a-trois in the guest quarters. The Glyndwr had touched down last night, and her passengers had suggested one last session before they departed. Hila wasn't going to refuse.
The sex over the past three days had been wild. There were times when she didn't know whose body part was in her. All she really recalled was a succession of intense orgasms.
She raised her head and wiped her mouth. What is that stain on the ceiling? There had been so many bodily fluids flowing, saliva, sweat, urine, it could be anything, or anyone's.
Hila heard a sigh and felt a finger enter her arse. She looked down and saw Monrai, the woman retracted her finger and sucked it sensually. Hila's body responded and she was ready for another long session.
Monrai crawled up Hila's body, but instead of moving in for a kiss, she moved to one side to lick the drool off her friend's bottom. She gave the cheeks a little nip with her teeth.
Gia yelped. "Is it morning?" she asked groggily.
"Yes," replied Monrai. She turned to Hila. "We have to go. If we could stay… Ooooh, I'd never get out of this bed." She kissed Hila on the lips. "Best sex ever."
"I think I would need a new body after another three days," said Hila. Muscles that rarely got such vigorous exercise were aching, but the pain was worth it.
"Come on, girlfriend." Monrai swatted Gia's backside. "Let's shower and get dressed."
Gia hauled herself off the bed, and gave Hila a long, deep kiss. "If you ever come back here, we'll pay you. And…" she trailed off and waved her hand around the room, "the club will have specialist cleaners that can get this place ship-shape again. We'll send them over."
After the two prostitutes had left the ship, Hila took a shower and got dressed in her usual attire: white sleeveless, scooped-neck shirt, and black leather trousers. The first clothes she'd worn in three days.
Hila remained in the Glyndwr and waited for the call. While she waited, cleaners from the club came and made the guest quarters spotless. When the call finally came, Hila grabbed her jacket and hurried out.
Club Serybor was not one of Marreljoh's seedy brothels in Polen City; it was a more upmarket venture he owned on Dailan, catering to those who wanted their needs satisfied with luxury and discretion.
She walked up to the front desk where there was a man in a smart suit bearing the club's crest on the breast pocket. She flashed the holographic business card that Marreljoh had given her, and the man provided her with a suite number.
Hila stealthily entered the suite. From the bedroom, she could hear the muffled sounds of a female crying and a man grunting. Hila crept her way towards the sounds. The door was left open, so she was able to slip into the room unnoticed. Elord ap Lentol and a young girl were naked on a bed. He was pushing the girl's head down onto his cock. Hila could see blood staining the sheets where the girl was kneeling. The girl was struggling, and crying, and gagging.
She can't be more than ten years old, Hila noted. This incensed Hila. She had been ambivalent to Marreljoh's exploitation of young women and men whom he recruited off the streets of Polen City with promises of credits and a hot meal. She had on more than one occasion availed herself of his 'gifts' for services rendered. But when Marreljoh had talked about providing babies to Lentol, she thought he was being hyperbolic. Seeing this young girl, a child being raped and violated made her angry.
When he became aware of Hila's presence, the first reaction to cross Elord ap Lentol's face was surprise. That was quickly replaced with anger. Shoving the young girl aside, he got up off the bed and took a step towards Hila. The weapon in her hand stopped his progress and his erection started to shrivel. The anger was replaced by concern, then charm.
"Hey," he said lightly, spreading his arms. "There's no need for weapons. What do you want? Money? No problem. My leftovers?" He indicated the cowering girl on the bed.
Hila shot him. Her IPB was set on the lowest stun setting, and she had shot him in the leg.
Lentol fell down and started swearing. He started crawling towards a nearby chair. Hila noticed his jacket was draped over it.
"Really?" she asked him. "You think I am going to let you get your weapon?"
He stopped and glared at her. "What do you want?"
She walked over to him and kicked him. Lentol flopped onto his back.
"I am going to kill you." She checked her chronometer. "In forty minutes."
He laughed in disbelief. "Why forty minutes?"
"You paid for the full hour, didn't you?"
Lentol tried to get up.
"But first," Hila brought a heeled boot down on his balls. "I am going to make you beg me to do it." She ignored his yelps and turned to the young girl on the bed. "Hey, kid. Leave."
The girl didn't need a second invitation and ran out.
"You'll die for this, you stupid bitch," he said. "Do you know who I am? Do you know what I am?"
"Who? Elord ap Lentol. What? A bastard who's about to die slowly and painfully." She shot him in the same leg again.
He groaned and clutched his leg. "You'll never get off this planet alive if you kill me."
"Please don't try to weasel your way out of this. It won't work. Beg, yes. But don't try to threaten me with punishments that are not going to happen."
"Just assaulting an Elit will get you death. Let me go, and I will have you spared."
"What did I just say?" She shot him in the other leg. "Besides, it's only Quernal who get the death penalty for assaulting an Elit. I am not a Quernal. I am Elit."
"You? Who?"
She kicked him in the ribs. "'Who' is not begging. I want you to beg for a quick end." She pulled out a knife and started towards his shrivelled cock.
"Please!"
"Better, but please what?"
"Please don't."
She nudged the tip of the knife into his penis just enough to draw blood. He squealed in anguish and reflexively covered his genitals.
"Come on," said Hila. "It's just a little prick."
He vocalised his lack of appreciation of the joke. Hila hauled him up and dumped him face first onto the bed. Lentol struggled, his legs wouldn't work so he tried to pull himself across the bed with his arms. Hila jumped onto the bed and kneeled on his back.
"Have you ever taken it up the arse before?"
"You're insane! Get off of me!"
"Are you a virgin?" She taunted. "Then this might hurt a bit."
She grabbed a sex toy off the bed and thrust it between his buttocks.
He cried out and cursed. "You will pay for this, you bitch."
"No, you will." She plunged the dildo in further.
~~~~
Hila left the staff at Club Serybor to clean up and dispose of Lentol's body while she returned to Yerhulin to collect the balance of her fee for services rendered. She made her way to the non-descript shop where she once again descended the stairs into the nether world of The Warren and the offices from which Marreljoh ran his illicit enterprise.
Hila waited in Marreljoh's private office, while the guard went to fetch his boss.
Marreljoh emerged from another room zipping up his trousers, while a malnourished young boy followed behind him. "Ah, you're back." Marreljoh smiled. "Just a moment."
He turned to the boy and told him to see his assistant in the outer office. The young woman, who had been with Marreljoh the last time Hila was there, wandered out of the room. "Get back in there," Marreljoh told her. "I have something I want to try. Go on." He watched as the tall woman returned to the room.
Marreljoh sat at his desk and offered Hila a chair, which she took.
"I hear you were successful."
"Yes," Hila replied.
"My people dumped his body in a less reputable establishment." Marreljoh chuckled. "Got them shut down. Two birds with one stone." He made a beckoning gesture with his hand. "You got pictures."
Hila took out a data chip and handed it to the small man. Marreljoh placed it in a device that displayed a holographic image of Elord ap Lentol's dead body lying face down on the bed. He studied the image.
"I see you strangled him. Very efficient, but I wanted him to suffer."
"Believe me, he did," said Hila.
"What is that?" He adjusted the image to a new angle and zoomed in. "Is that a dildo?"
"Yes. It seems Lentol was a 'virgin'. He screamed like an ybrikkian in heat when I buggered him up the arse. And that was after I roughed him up a bit. After I was finished sodomising him, I took out my knife and had him beg me to kill him. He wasn't very cooperative… that is until I started slicing pieces of skin off his penis. Then he begged, and I obliged by garrotting him."
"Well done! That deserves a bonus." Marreljoh reached into his desk and pulled out a bag. He slid it across the desktop to Hila.
She was about to take the money and leave, but the memory of that frightened little girl being abused by Lentol flashed across her mind.
"The young girl," said Hila.
"What young girl?"
"The one Lentol raped before I got to him. How could you do that? She was crying, bleeding."
"What's the problem? It's an act. Clients like that sort of thing… You didn't think she was a real virgin! She's been a good earner for me the last two years. I broke her in. She's more my size!"
An act, thought Hila. It was a game to him. A bit of fun. Making money by prostituting underage girls crossed a line for Hila. Crossed it by a long way.
"Lentol knew it was an act?"
"Yeah. That was his excuse for not paying."
Wordlessly, Hila pulled out her weapon and shot Marreljoh in the face. This time she had set it to kill.
The hired muscle came rushing in.
"Don't bother," said Hila. "He won't be paying you to kill me." She picked up the pouch of credits off the desk. "In fact…" She jiggled the bag and tossed it at the guard. "I'll pay you not to."
She slowly walked by the man as he stared at the pouch of credits he'd caught.
~~~~
There was no need for Hila to make a quick exit from Polen City. News of Marreljoh's death would take days, or even weeks, to reach the authorities. And knowing the secretive nature of the black market, nothing would link her to it. There was little loyalty among the businesses within The Warren. They coexisted for the most part, but if any disagreement ended with a corpse, so be it.
With no job to take her anywhere, Hila decided to take time to visit some friends who lived in Polen City. The residential areas of the city had low ceilinged corridors, and the city-wide constant temperature of twenty-four Celsius felt oppressively warm within the confined space. She found the door she was looking for and pressed the chime.
"Hey, Hila, how are you doing? Come in." Jarrel Dortmer beamed as he greeted her at the door. He was a tall, dark-skinned man, with black hair and soft brown eyes. "Mirdo!" he called out into the dwelling. "Look who's here."
Mirdo stuck his head out of a nearby doorway. He was the opposite of his spouse. Mirdo was short, fair, with steel-grey eyes. As he walked towards Hila, she noticed the slim frame of a fourteen-year-old girl hiding shyly in the doorway. She was the Dortmers' daughter, Kamina – a recent addition to the household, adopted by the Dortmers four months ago. Before being adopted, Kamina had been living rough on the streets of Polen City. It had been thoughts of the girl, and what might have become of her if she had fallen into Marreljoh's clutches, that had spurred Hila to kill the scum.
Jarrel and Mirdo beckoned to the girl to come greet their guest. "Hey, Kami," said Hila.
The girl dipped her head, allowing her hair to cover the left side of her face. Hila knew the girl's face was scarred from a knife wound. Though it was healing, the cut across her cheek stood out in stark contrast to the girl's olive-skinned face.
Hila reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. "I got you a present." She held it out.
The girl approached and took the box. "Thank you." She smiled and flicked her eyes up to meet Hila's.
Hila reached out and ruffled the hair on top of the child's head. Kamina's smile widened as she shook off Hila's hand and turned her attention to the box.
Mirdo watched his adopted daughter open the box. "Nice," he said.
Kamina held up a thin, silver chain necklace. Jarrel helped her fasten the clasp, and the three Dortmers stood in front of a hall mirror admiring it. "Is that a dryg?" asked Kamina, she held up a link that was different than the rest.
"Yes," replied Hila. She had unconsciously selected a dryg, the symbol of the Hegemony and the Elit.
"It's lovely," said Kamina, and straightened the necklace so the dryg was centred.
Hila stood back and observed the scene of family togetherness reflecting back at her in the mirror and envied the Dortmers. Her mind flashed to her family, the one she had been estranged from for about a decade. She had changed her name and become a different person; she even had a different face. But is this who I really am? she reflected as she regarded her image. Maybe I can go back. Elord ap Lentol was a corrupt Elit, more so than me… perhaps one day.
"Come and sit down," said Jarrel. "Drink?"
Hila turned from the mirror, shook off her brooding, and joined Jarrel on the sofa.
"Durmywid," Mirdo answered for her, and poured three glasses of the dark liquor. "Kami, do you want a drink?"
"Durmywid," the girl replied.
Mirdo laughed. "When you're older."
Hila glanced over at the adolescent girl. Kamina was looking back at Hila with adoration. Don't wish to be like me, thought Hila.
"It's good to see you again. Hope the journey paid well." said Jarrel.
"Not as much as I need, but more than I deserve," Hila replied.
Jarrel knew better than to ask for details. "How long are you staying?"
"Not long. I thought I might go home."
"Really?"
Hila was about to vocalise the answer when her communicator beeped. She answered it and heard a familiar voice.
"Hi, Hila."
"Hi, Boran."
"I've got a job for you. Are you available?"
Thoughts of returning to her previous life evaporated. She was Hila Llyte. Freighter captain. And someone was offering her work.