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  Malcolm reached out to stroke the tangled hair clinging to Cea's damp forehead and cheeks. She pushed his hand aside with enough force to fling it away before he quietly returned it to his side.

  “Now, I search for anything that will bring me money so I can stay free, and ... I search for Crowe and English.” Her expression collapsed into rage. Blue eyes glittered with icy determination and hands gripped both sides of the chair, forcing the muscular biceps in her arms to stand up and strain against the gold circlets around them. “That's all there is. End of story. Are you happy now?”

  “You were hurt, so you seek to keep yourself barricaded, yet you need a human touch.” He didn't ask, he stated.

  “Yes! I was hurt so badly by Tal English that I swore no man would ever touch me again. Never!” Her body sagged, released from the tension that had previously held it stiff and unyielding. “And, yes, I do need someone to touch me, hold me, care about me...” She placed both hands in her lap and leaned back. Closing her eyes in weary defeat, she added, “That's why I use you the way I do.”

  Her eyes opened, revealing sadness and the bright shine of unshed tears. “Should I apologize for my needs or deny them, Malcolm?”

  His erection became hard, throbbing and urgent in front of her face. “You need not deny yourself, Cea. Now, I understand...” He thrust his hips forward, inviting her to taste him again.

  She reached up and unbuttoned the vest that covered her breasts. Her nipples began to harden as she admired him and licked her lips in anticipation. She caressed one nipple, bringing it to a taut hardness, before dropping both hands to the drawstring of her pants and untying it. She stood and dropped them then shed the vest. Standing naked in front of him, she pulled his shirt off, revealing a thick mat of tangled black hair on a wide chest. Then, with shaking hands, she stepped close to him and pressed her nipples against him while shoving at his pants.

  Malcolm grasped the pants and pushed them down his long legs, while simultaneously clamping his mouth over one hard nipple. He gently sucked then rolled his tongue around it, ending by teasing the tip back and forth.

  Cea threw back her head, closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure. She grasped his waist then stood on tiptoe to rub her engorged clitoris protruding from the thick white bush of her pubic mound against his penis. She moaned again as his penis throbbed against her.

  Malcolm easily held her suspended with one arm as he continued to suck on each nipple in turn, while rubbing his erection against her clitoris. Slowly, he lifted his head and peered into her eyes. “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want...” she licked her lips and struggled for breath. “I want ... everything.” Her voice barely a whisper.

  His lips creased into a smile. “Then you shall have it.”

  He eased her back against the console and forced her legs wider apart. When her back and butt were braced against the padded leather, he slid his thick erection into her wet and swollen vagina, with agonizing slowness.

  Cea grasped his shoulders while arching her back, silently begging for him to take her, invade her, overwhelm her, give it all to her, and hold nothing back. “Please...” she gasped.

  He abruptly thrust forward, impaling her with enough force to bring his body completely against hers. Her moan deepened and became louder. “Oh God, you're so big. So hard ... please ... yes, please,” she gasped between breaths.

  He slowly withdrew, let his penis ride up to tease her clitoris then slowly returned to slide into her again.

  At that moment, a backup alarm in the defense sensors erupted. Warning lights flashed red and urgent.

  Malcolm froze, inspected the displays and said, “There's a ship in front of us, with laser cannons aimed and ready to fire.” He withdrew and pulled his pants back up, then reached for his shirt.

  Cea's eyes slowly focused as she fought to regain self-control. Her mind, now clear and without any hint of passionate desire, shifted to deciphering the data on the display screen. She pushed off the console and sat down in the captain's chair, placing her hands on the controls. She punched up displays and information about the ship she now saw bearing down on them.

  “It's an unregistered freighter. Big, well-armed and coming fast,” she said as she activated her weapons array. “They're probably space pirates.” Weapons warmed up and ready, she slipped on the headband that allowed her to control the ship and its firing power with mental commands. “If they think this old ship will be easy to take, they've got a real surprise in store.” She grinned but her expression held no humor.

  “Ready to fire upon your command, Captain,” Malcolm declared, now strapped into the copilot's seat. He watched the freighter approach then stop.

  A deep, bass voice came over the loudspeaker. “Europa, this is the Blackbird. We have you in our sights, and we will blast you into atoms if you do not deactivate your weapons and surrender your ship immediately.”

  “Oh shit,” Cea spat. “It's Scorpion and his brain-dead, scavenger crew.” She glanced over at Malcolm's impassive study of the ship that now lay implacably in front of them. “We're fucked, my friend, and we won't get any Vaseline to make it enjoyable either,” she muttered while hitting the button to deactivate the lasers.

  Chapter Two

  Donovan “Scorpion” King stood on the bridge of The Blackbird and watched the streamlined Europa, with a steady black-eyed gaze, ready to order his men to open fire at the first sign of resistance from the smaller ship. Built like a bulldozer of a wrestler, he stood, gracefully light on his feet, prepared to move in a blink if threatened. He studied the smooth lines and pearlescent shimmer of the Europa, wondering how much he could get for it on the black market. The long, braided, blonde pigtail that sprouted from the top of his baldhead swung like a whip as his weapons man swore under his breath.

  “What is it?” His grating question aimed at the man's stoop-shouldered back.

  The man pointed at a flashing box on his screen. “The ship's marked, skipper. It has a special code transmitting under the normal shield vibration. Crowe installed those on his black -market ships to let us know not to hit them. There's no money here.” The man slapped the console in front of him. “Shittin’ waste of time all right—the sneakin’ and hidin’ and using energy to power that invisible shield to hide us from the cops.”

  Scorpion slapped the man on the back of the head, knocking him face down on the glass screen. “Shut the fuck up, Slug. We got the power to spare, thanks to Crowe's new upgrades, so stop your whining.”

  Slug lifted his head, rubbing a nose now dripping with blood. “Ya broke my nose again, skipper,” he whined then flinched when Scorpion raised his hand once more. “Okay, okay, I'll shut up.”

  “Whose ship is it? Maybe, we'll invite them over for a party tonight,” King barked. His gaze swept over the six-man crew, both silently challenging them to protest and promising to kill them if they did. “It's been too long between stops, boys. I need some relaxation.” He turned back to stare at the Europa. “Maybe this bloke has some news or something to sell. Either way, I want some entertainment tonight.”

  Slug muttered, “It belongs to that lesbian babe, Cea Knight. I don't think she'll want to party with you again so soon, boss.” A wicked grin spread over the man's blood-smeared mouth. “Or, maybe you won't want to party with her, after the way she gave ya that new pretty last time.” He pointed at a long, jagged scar running down Scorpion's massive left forearm then sniggered with glee.

  The remark bought him a solid punch to the head. This time, when his head hit the console, there was more blood seeping into the broken glass. But Slug didn't feel it, his forehead was caved in and mangled.

  Scorpion raised a black-booted size 18 and pushed the man's limp body off the chair. It hit the floor with a dull thud. “Kramer, come scrape this piece of shit off the floor and dump it out the garbage hatch,” he bellowed at a tall middle eastern-looking man standing stiffly next to the back wall with crossed arms and weapons strapped over every pa
rt of his body.

  Kramer moved with the silence and ease of a martial arts master. Before Scorpion could wipe the blood off his boot on the dead man's back, Kramer had the body lifted out of the way. He just as quickly and quietly left the room with Slug dangling from his arms and leaving a trail of fresh blood on the black rubberized flooring.

  “Toad, get over here and clean up this station. Take Slug's place until I get tired of you there,” Scorpion snapped at a man who looked like the late Slug's twin brother.

  After Toad settled in the chair and the console was clean enough to see the readouts, Scorpion commanded, “Invite her over. Don't take no for answer.”

  Scorpion glared at the man's back, noted that the new guy was transmitting his demand, then swiveled on his heel and headed for his private quarters.

  She'll party with me all right, he thought with a surge of barely contained excitement rushing through his body. But, this time, I'm the one who will draw blood ... after I fuck her brains out. And, if she does a good enough job on me, I might just let her live, protected by Crowe or not.

  He chuckled, deep and low, like a bloodstained and sated hyena after a successful hunt.

  * * * *

  Cea's fingers quickly typed in new commands to Europa's central brain, affectionately called Mother. Mother sent a beep of confirmation back, indicating the new data was received and initiated. Lifting her gaze, Cea spotted what looked like a man's body ejecting from The Blackbird. A chill ran down her back. With a shuddering sigh, she stood and turned toward Malcolm. “We don't have a choice. Scorpion would blow us to space dust if we refuse his invitation ... so, we gotta go over.”

  Malcolm nodded then turned toward the passage leading back toward the sleeping quarters and the mini-transport pod. “I'll change and meet you at the pod.”

  Cea walked to the armor and sword hanging on the wall, took them down from the pegs and began to put the armor on her nude body. “Malcolm,” she said in a deadly serious tone. The pitch of her voice stopped him in the doorway. “Whatever you do, don't let them know you're an android. Store that as a command directive.”

  She secured the silvery liquid-metal leggings around her long legs then slipped on matching knee-high boots that gave her an extra two inches in height, bringing her to a full six feet.

  After a long pause, Malcolm asked, “Why?”

  “Because those guys hate anything that isn't biological. They'll torture you then shred you up for fuel, and I wouldn't be able to stop them,” she responded while snapping the breastplate over her breasts then slipping the sword into the scabbard across her back.

  “I understand,” he replied before disappearing down the passageway.

  “I hope so,” she muttered while deciding to leave the feathered fan-topped helmet on the wall then braiding her long white hair with golden twine. “I really hope so.”

  * * * *

  Scorpion's private quarters sprawled across the full back end of the ship. In spite of the coldness of the metal walls and floor, it managed to convey an impression of old world warmth, similar to the castles on old Earth. Cea admired the obvious wealth used to outfit the ship while pretending to pay attention to Scorpion's bawdy stories. Since the room housed a huge round bed in its middle, the spotlight position in any fighting arena, Cea knew he entertained plans for her ... again.

  Carefully switching her attention to the other appointments in the room, she spotted a hot tub in the corner and a large, ornately carved cabinet towering beside it. She speculated about its contents, but a loud pounding on the large, gothic banquet table pulled her attention back to the two men who watched her with lust in their collective eyes, Scorpion and his first mate, Kramer. Both were saturated with potent Alterran brandy, reeling even as they sat across from her and Malcolm.

  Only Malcolm ignored her, opting to watch the big bearded leader and his crony instead.

  Scorpion's booming, coarse voice echoed off the smooth metal walls, ceiling and floors, drilling into Cea's brain like a rusty drill bit.

  “—So, after I chopped up her old dad and fed him to my pets, I said to that snotty, four-legged alien princess, ‘down on your knees to a real king!’ And, boy, I can tell you for a fact the females on that planet have a suction tube for a mouth that any maid would envy!” Scorpion roared with laughter at his own story.

  Cea remained silent while the two scavengers slapped each other's hands and collapsed in hilarity. When Scorpion noticed her lack of appreciation for his story, his laughter stopped. “So, Cea Knight, queen bitch of the junk heap, tell me, what are you doing all the way out here?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Same as always; searching for something worth taking to sell. Same as you Scorpion.”

  Kramer leaned over the table and leered at her breasts poking up over the silver bodice of her armor. “That's not all we search for...” he spat, spraying her face with a mixture of alcohol and slobber.

  At that moment, a crew member arrived with steaming dishes of food. The man set the two platters down on the table then asked, “Boss, you want anything else before I sack out?”

  Malcolm studied the man's face. “Isn't this the same man we saw floating outside your ship when we arrived?”

  Cea examined the new arrival also. “Can't be, but he's sure to be that poor slob's twin brother.”

  Scorpion bellowed with laughter. “Assholes! Can't you spot a clone when you see one?” He slapped a meaty hand on the table. “All my crew...” He nodded at Kramer. “...with the exception of my first mate, are clones. Mindless, easily led and just as easily gotten rid of if they piss me off.” He grinned with wicked glee. “Not to mention they come free for the taking.”

  “Oh? Sounds like you got yourself a sweet deal, Scorpion. Care to share?” Cea asked with a sweet smile, one designed to disarm even a celibate monk.

  The big man propped both elbows on the table and rested his bearded chin on his knuckles. “Depends on whatcha offering, baby,” he sneered, with a lurid twinkle in his bloodshot gaze.

  “How about a thousand credits?” she responded, her smile deepening into a seductive one.

  He snorted and rolled his eyes. “That shit is fuckin’ useless to me! I can't go anywhere near legit cities these days.” Dropping his line of sight to rest on the tops of her breasts, he added, “But there are some things Ican use and right now.”

  The smile slid off her face and was replaced by an angry stare. “No thanks, Scorpion. Last time you cornered me, I came away with bruises and a black eye, not to mention you acquired a new souvenir, thanks to this.” She reached up to pat the golden hilt of her sword. “Go grow yourself a girlfriend. What I want is a fair trade, pilot to pilot, nothing more.”

  “You fuckin’ arrogant cunt.” Scorpion staggered to his feet. “I got women on every planet just beggin’ for my cock, and you think you're too good for it, huh? I'll show you...” He unzipped his pants and pulled out a penis that rivaled the specialized tool Malcolm sported. He grabbed his cock by the root and thrust his hips toward her face, his pendulous testicles hovering only inches above their cooling dinner. He massaged his organ, and it began to harden into a truly massive erection.

  Studiously unimpressed on the outside, but feeling the stirring of desire left unquenched by Malcolm earlier, Cea reached out and ran a finger over Scorpion's slick, engorged tip.

  The big man gyrated against her hand, begging for more of her touch. “Yeah, honey, go for it. I can fuck you all night and still go for more,” he bragged. “Go ahead, suck me off. I might take that for full payment.” He leered, unaware that saliva dripped from the corner of his slack mouth and mingled with drops of pre-cum, landing on his dinner plate.

  Kramer leaned forward, breathing hard and staring at her breasts. Anticipation and hunger transformed his face into that of an ultra-alert animal. Malcolm leaned forward, too, avidly inspecting Scorpion's tool, with the eye of an expert.

  She lightly slapped the space pirate's bobbing penis then leaned back,
a smile on her face. “Nice donkey dick, but I'm still not interested.” Her hand stole under the table, denying him any hope of a repeat of her touch.

  The room grew silent, laden with apprehension.

  “I could take you anyway, you know. Ain't nobody would stop me,” Scorpion growled, first glancing at Malcolm then her sword. “Nobody.”

  “Do you want to try?” she asked, suddenly tense and poised to act. “You do want to keep that thing, don't you?” She forced herself to smile. “After all, the universe wouldn't be the same without all those happy ladies, would it?”

  Scorpion threw back his head and bellowed with laughter. Kramer joined him, and Malcolm smiled. Cea inwardly sighed with relief. She removed her hand from the dagger she clutched under the table then quickly slid it back into the top of her boot.

  “So, do we have a deal? I can give you silver talons for the information. Those can be spent anywhere,” she stated, while sipping her brandy, the dinner forgotten.

  Scorpion stuffed his now flaccid penis back inside his pants, zipped them up and collapsed back into his chair. He grabbed the oversized goblet of brandy in front of him and gulped down the remainder of the hot drink. Wiping away what dribbled into his beard, he replied, “Sure. What the fuck? It don't cost me nothin’ and, besides...” He slammed the goblet back on the table. “...you may change your mind and want to ride me later.” He smirked then nodded at Kramer.

  Kramer rose from the table. On unsteady legs and sporting a thinly disguised hard-on himself, he staggered over to the carved cabinet, unlocked it with a key hanging around his neck, then retrieved a small black book from the crammed interior. Returning to the table, he tossed it in front of Scorpion then slid back into his chair.

  King opened the book and squinted at the small print on the pages.

  Finding what he sought, he ripped the page from the book and tossed it at Cea. “Here's a map to the place. It's an abandoned bio lab, but it still has lots of these...” he nodded at the crew member still standing quietly against the wall, “...in stasis. Just wake ’em up, hook ’em up to the machine that programs them the way you want, then take ’em home. Sort of like a brainless puppy.” He smiled and closed the book.