Privateers Commission -CH 2- (Patreon)

Ralph noted that the clerk had abandoned the cafe at some point as he surveyed the surroundings. Noting the security points and what was going on it really seemed as something had been tripped.

As if the power station that supplied the port had been struck.

Things looked to be going really bad, really quickly.

Not far off, partially hiding behind the planter nearby, was the incredibly beautiful woman. She was looking back at the security check-point only to glance at her phone as well.

With a grunt, Ralph stuffed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and wiped his hands off with the napkin. He flicked it to the side and then pulled out his phone.

The satellite connection was lost.

Ralph couldn’t reach anything at all from multiple satellites. They were all unreachable. There wasn’t anything he could connect to.

The terrestrial connections, Ralph found, were equally unattainable.

All that was available to him was the local wireless internet provided by the port.

Which when connected to allowed no internet usage at all.

Using that link though Ralph could access all of the ports amenities, so long as it was part of the local system.

Part of the local system and didn’t require the internet.

Thankfully, Ralph was able to utilize the ports docking page. From there he was able to access the Siren’s docking information and a number of small sub-systems.

Being part of the VIP lounge allowed him to access a number of systems for his as long as he had the right credentials.

His phone, was one of those credentials.

Tilting his head to the side, Ralph crossed his ankle atop his knee and tapped at his phone. Moving into the controls he turned on the Sirens communications array.

Then he turned on the connection between his phone and the Siren, which had been turned off for maintenance while he was away.

Siren quickly paired up with his phone and he got a notification of that.

Switching from the port system to the Siren, he pulled up his customized ship application. He’d had it built by a programmer, then modified by a second one, and verified by an Artificial Intelligence.

Who had promptly removed two backdoor-programs that’d been installed, as he’d expected there to be.

Ralph flicked open the navigational charts as well as the communications screens. It would pick up all transponders that were broadcasting as well as what the traffic had looked like before the satellite went dark.

What he saw there wasn’t great.

A moment before he stopped receiving traffic data there was a cloud of ships on the map. One that just about covered the entirety of the space surrounding the planet.

There were also large arms of this fleet that was invading other parts of the House space.

“Well shit,” Ralph mumbled. “Ginil is fucked. This is… the turkey’s done cooking, table is plated, and all the guests are just sitting down.

“All that’s left is to carve it up and enjoy the meal. Everything’s going to splinter apart.

“But… how’d they even manage to get all these ships into place? This is just-like… they would’ve seen this coming, right?

“Super failure on their intelligence, I guess. That or the generals wanted this to happen? Fuck. Alright… uh… time… time to go, I guess.”

Ralph sighed, put his phone away, snatched up his coffee, and drained it. He quickly stuffed the napkin and paper the sandwich came in, into the coffee cup.

Now all he had was the cookie, frozen lemonade, and the empty cup. He stuck the former into the latter and pocketed the cookie for later.

Standing up he pulled out his wallet and flipped it open.

He had a wad of Confed credits, a smaller amount of Ginil currency, and a large note from House Baset. Chewing at his lip he closed his wallet back up and then looked to the VIP lounge.

Alright… maybe we try a bribe.

It’s not like they wouldn’t have experienced it before.

VIP lounge gets a lot of that.

They said they didn’t have access, but there’s probably a fire-escape.A fire-door.

Something that’d let them get out in case of a true emergency that the gate would prevent them from escaping.

Right?

If so, I could get them to open that for me.

After that, it’s just a matter of—

There was a loud buzz.

Then the emergency lights turned off, the security turrets closed back up into the recesses they’d popped out from, and the gates, doors, and windows that’d shut themselves, retracted.

Everything was moving back into place as if nothing were wrong at all.

As if Ginil space wasn’t completely invaded and held at a metaphorical gunpoint. That there weren’t hundreds of ships around this very planet.

Alright… uh… then… they want it to look normal.

A handover without panicking the citizens.

Without causing people to go “true citizen” and break or burn things down.

Well.

Well!

This isn’t my home or homeworld.

Time for me to get the fuck outta here.

“Excuse me,” asked a quiet and warm voice. It had a purr to it that made the skin on the back of Ralph’s neck prickle.

Looking to the speaker, Ralph found the beautiful woman standing there. Her luggage was right at her side. Dressed in the latest fashion, in black’s and blue’s, she was a stunning woman.

Long dark black hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes, made her remarkable to look at for her features alone. Paired with her elegant beauty it was hard to take your eyes off her.

To really add beyond even that, and what made it hard for Ralph not to stare when he’d noticed her, was her body shape was perfect.

As if she’d likely had a small amount of surgery on top of being blessed with natural genes to come out as the ideal cover model for a swim-suit.

Heavy in her chest and hips, narrow in her waist, though she was only five foot one at best.

A woman sculpted to fit a stereotype and doing it perfectly by her own mind and design.

Even the slight pout to her words and the wide eyes were perfect as she gazed up at him.

She was a weapon created to distract men and take whatever she wanted from him. All with probably nothing more than a smile and a light bit of flirting.

Ralph was most certainly not immune to her and desperately wanted to make her smile.

So he smiled at her to start.

“Yes?” he said stupidly, his eyes locked on her face and most certainly not dipping down to her rather expansive cleavage.

Which she was most certainly putting on display expecting such a look.

Blinking, Ralph locked his eyes to her face as if he were memorizing it.

“I’m… sorry, I overheard you when you spoke to yourself,” the woman began in a very quiet whisper. Her head tilted fractionally to the side, one shoulder raised up, and her knees pressed together. It was an artful look of vulnerability. “You said the House was going to fall. I believe that.

“I believe you and your words.

“With that said… could… you help me to get me off the planet? I was already on my way to leave but… my flight was canceled. All flights were canceled.”

She said the last and then carefully chewed at her lower lip. Her eyes dipped down, alighted on his badge, then back up to his face.

“I don’t think your flight could ever be canceled though, could it,” she stated. It wasn’t a question. “Could you help me? Help me get out of here?”

“Uh… I mean… I’m sorry. I’m not really a passenger fairing ship,” Ralph admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders. “There isn’t any quarters on my ship other than mine. Not to mention my shipping line is taking me out to a Blood territory after I leave here.”

Then a different thought popped into his head.

“And if I’m right about Ginil, if you leave here without citizenship papers for anywhere else, or another house, you’d literally become an undocumented, because you wouldn’t be included in the handover,” Ralph murmured. “You wouldn’t be a citizen of the Confed. If Ginil falls, being a non-citizen would be worse than being here during the collapse. You’d have no rights or… anything.

“The process to get documented after the handover would probably take a long while and there’d be no guarantee it’d work.

“There’s stations in space filled with people who can’t even get the basic necessities because they’re non-citizens. Not even a bandaid for a cut.

“You could end up just like that.”

The woman’s mouth went from a pout to a grimace. A real one that wasn’t artfully put on like a mask.

Her upper lip pulled back and her perfect, straight, and white teeth became visible. She sucked in a breath through them and then let it out in a quick huff.

“Yes, you’re most certainly right. I… hadn’t considered that part,” the woman confessed. “Then-then could I hire myself onto your ship as an assistant? I’m very good with arithmetic, networking, and I know a great many people across the Confed and could help out greatly!”

“I don’t-I really don’t need anyone on my ship. I don’t have room for anyone,” Ralph reiterated. “I’m sorry! Look, you’re beautiful.

“You know you’re beautiful.

“We both know you could easily sweet talk someone to get you off world as soon as the ships start moving around again. Even if Ginil falls, they’ll just get absorbed into a new house.”

“The last time a smaller house was taken by a larger one, the currency was the first thing to go,” the woman whispered, her eyes flicking up to Ralph’s eyes and holding them with her stare. “They offered an exchange rate that beggared all but the most influential and wealthy.

“I’m most certainly not amongst those elite. I will most assuredly have nothing after it happens.

“My entire livelihood is based in my appearance and my marketability. Model, actress, and influencer, that is.

“If there is no one left with money to spend in Ginil, there is no way for me to make any money.

“They won’t want me to market or sell their products in such ways. They’ll all be scrambling to save what they can.

“Nor will they need actors.

“Not to mention… well… that assumes there won’t be officers or soldiers coming through looking for trophies.”

Ralph winced at that comment.

In wars between Houses, the Confed really didn’t get involved.

Because wars between Houses happened infrequently. Just as infrequently as Houses broke apart or split into other Houses.

House on House wars weren’t common, but they weren’t exactly rare either.

If the Confed were to get involved it would just drag the entirety of the Confed into conflict and put them at the mercy of their enemies.

While the populace as a whole couldn’t be carted up, sold, or distributed out in such a way during a House war, individuals could.

Individuals that held certain characteristics that could “vanish” in the shuffle of a take over.

Beautiful women, handsome men, incredible scientists, genius level mathematicians, AI-scientists were all quite likely to disappear.

People like you, huh, lady.

“Just… wait, here. Okay? Just wait,” asked the woman. She gestured at him with one hand and looked all around. Then she ran off at a quick trot toward what looked to be a state-run security desk.

Ralph raised his eyebrows and couldn’t but help watch as she left. She really was a lovely woman.

She’d also left her luggage next to him.

Leaning his head to the side he looked to the tag on it.

“Marionette Winslow,” Ralph said to himself. The name meant nothing to him, but it was possible she was an incredibly top-end model.

An actress everyone knew.

But this wasn’t his planet.

Truth be told, Ralph didn’t really have a “home” system to call his own.

Well, there’s always Park, I guess.

Ginil wasn’t his home system and he wouldn’t be doing anything to help it. He was no citizen looking to help his own world.

He knew little about Ginil other than who to trade with and for what at certain ports and planets. His own interests lay more in games and books.

Things he could do while traveling between locations.

Ralph stood there, considering his options in regards to the woman. What she’d asked for and what he was willing to allow.

Before he’d figured out anything, Marionette had come back with a few data slates in her hand. She held out out to him before he could say anything about her not coming with him.

“Here. See? I’ll be your porter, maid, port-worker, liasion, and honestly any other title I could throw at it,” Marionette declared and gestured at the small data pad.

There was quite literally a slew of terms across of it.

“I just don’t need anyone,” said Ralph again with a sigh. He looked to the clearly desperate woman. “I’m sorry.”

He held the slate back out to her.

She took it, looked to the other two she was holding, then held one out to him again.

Her eyes were hard, yet hopeful. Staring into Ralph’s visage and demanding his attention.

Yet she said nothing.

Stifling a groan, Ralph took the data slate.

Looking to it he saw that there weren’t multiple terms this time. There was in fact only one.

One he didn’t actually know the meaning for.

“Paramour?” he inquired, looking through the rest of the work contract. He vaguely knew that word but he’d never seen it as a job title.

When he read over the job duties, he immediately understood what she was proposing.

The duties were written out as varied sexual acts, positions to have sex with her in, and every minor sundry of things in regards to taking care of him personally in a bed.

It also stated quite clearly that there were no limitations on these duties in relation to him.

That she would be readily available at any time of any day to perform her duties for him.

The only listed limitations on anything was that she was only available to him and no one else in any way.

She wants me to take her in as a ships-mistress.

“Yes, exactly so,” Marionette whispered. Her words had strength in them though without volume. “As you see in the data pad, I’m more than willing to make sure you’re taken care of so you take care of me.

“I’m young, eager, and willing to make all of this happen.

“My pay would be whatever you feel is reasonable as listed ahh… here. Right here. It’s whatever you feel would be fair, but it must be something one could reasonably expect for similar work.

“The limitations on time is two years at the minimum, five at the maximum. I think that would be more than fair for me to do what I needed to do. No?”

Ralph winced, shook his head, and then looked to Marionette.

He most certainly didn’t need a doxy flying around with him. It’d only distract him.

Nor was he desperate enough to let someone on his ship in such a way. It’d be a risk to let someone that close to him on a ship where he was alone with them.

“Your departure is in a few hours, is it not? We could easily return to your ship and you could collect several… several down payments from me. As you can see I have several ways of making those payments,” Marionette suggested with several rapid nods of her head. “Before we even take off that is. And if the time frame is too long, we can adjust that, too.”

Unable to respond, Ralph just held the data slate back out to her.

“I really am sorry,” he lamented with a sad smile. “It isn’t you. I’m just-it isn’t you. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“I have one where there is no time limits, no pay at all, and you could literary get rid of me at the next port,” blurted Marionette, shuffling around her data sheets and holding a third one out to him. “I really… I really just need-need to get off the planet. I need to. Help me.”

Ralph shook his head, truly sad to not be able to assist her.

“Look, I don’t… I don’t need… something like this,” he murmured. “I’m sorry. I can get you into the VIP lounge at the least, but that’s where it stops.

“I’m not a good person. I’m not a trusting person. I’m not a trustworthy person, either for that matter. This kind of deal wouldn’t really be good for either of us. You’d just get hurt and then neither of us would be better off.”

Marionette continued to hold the data slate out to him.

Ralph only smiled sadly back at her.

Then she sighed, and let the data pad drop.

“Give me a minute then?” she asked instead. “I’ll… take you up on your offer. Even that much would help to a degree.”

With a nod of his head, Ralph looked to the ground.

He genuinely felt bad turning her down.

Marionette moved away quickly from him and to the cafe. She lingered at the register for a moment before taking a napkin, several small items from the racks, a bottle of water, and then looking to the terminal to pay.

Ralph looked back to the VIP lounge and could see that the people inside of it seemed lost.

Unsure.

They were likely looking through the lists of ships that’d all just got their flight itinerary canceled. He watched them quietly for several minutes.

Then Marionette stepped out in front of him and moved to her luggage. She tucked away several things and then broke two of the data slates in half, tossing both into the planter.

“I’m ready, Ralph,” Marionette said, meeting his eyes and smiling at him.

She was so pretty that he momentarily regretted telling her no.

With a nod of his head, he led her into the VIP lounge.

He introduced her as his friend waiting for a pickup and extended her his VIP rights and that he’d be going to his ship.

The attendant agreed, allowed his egress from the lounge, and gave him all the documents he’d need for his paperwork that’d be needed for the Confed.

By the time he’d finished, Marionette was gone.

There were also several other groups that’d vanished.

She had apparently been able to already book a flight with someone else.

Ralph was glad for that, he felt genuinely bad for the woman.

Exiting the lounge he entered the hangar.

Looking to his paperwork he saw that he was cleared for immediate lift-off. There would be no waiting for him.

Considering the fact that he deeply believed the planet had already fallen, the citizens just hadn’t been told yet, he was going to do just that.

Leave immediately and not look back.

He spotted the Smiling Siren off to the side. Right where he’d parked her.

It was a lean and narrow transport ship.

There was enough space for a small family to live in as they moved between ports, which was more than enough for Ralph.

The cargo space was significantly larger than one would expect given the look of it. On top of that the Siren’s engines were incredible even if they were old.

His Smiling Siren had been built thirty years previously as an extreme luxury one-off that even now was head and shoulders beyond many other ships.

Few could catch her without being built to be an interceptor.

It was set down with all four of it’s struts to the ground. The loading bay was open that led into the cargo area.

There wasn’t a need to be concerned about security since the whole of the bay was actively watched with a number of security cameras.

Walking up the ramp he paused at the entry and looked to the maintenance tag.

Glancing over it he saw that all the work he ordered had been done and the paperwork would be in the cockpit.

Entering he tapped the ramp closure button and wanted to go straight to the flight controls. Walking the long hallway that went from the back of the ship to the front of it.

Passing by in sequence the cargo-bay, bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, and cockpit.

He stuck the empty cup in the cup holder and dropped the cookie into the spot next to it. He’d finished everything else and tossed it earlier.

Not waiting, and not bothering to check in with the tower, he got the Siren moving. Firing it up and activating the programs that’d get him out of the port and into space quickly.

Once activated they couldn’t be shut down and it would take him right up and out. Letting that set of orders handle that part, Ralph put in the next set of orders that’d start taking him to his next port of call.

He could make it there with the fuel he had now and wouldn’t need to stop along the way. Though it’d take him at least a week to make the journey given the distance.

Sniffling, Ralph checked everything over for a final time, and eased back in his seat.

“This is far better than what I was expecting,” Marionette murmured.

Flinching, Ralph turned and looked to the woman standing next to him. She was peering out of the Steel-Glass cockpit.

She was dressed just as he’d seen her last, though she looked nervous now.

Turning, she looked at him and smiled.

Then held out a data slate to him.

Confused, he took it and looked to it.

His thumb print was on it as was his signature.

This was the data slate that had listed her as his paramour.

“I swiped your thumb print from the terminal. You were the last to use it so I just lifted it from there. That and the grease made it really easy,” Marionette explained as the Siren rapidly began ascending into space. “Your signature was right there as well. It made it almost too easy. I just held that thin receipt paper over the slate and traced it

“I hope you can forgive me for all of this and what I’ve done. But… but I needed to get off the planet.

“Under any means. Even if that meant stowing away, forging your signature, and preying on your good nature.

“I’ll repay you, don’t you worry. I’ll pay you in any way I can.”

Ralph blinked several times. He was trying to process everything she was saying as fast as he could.

“I’m so glad to be leaving. So glad. I don’t even care that I’m technically a criminal just waiting for you to report me,” Marionette whispered almost to herself.

Gazing outward as the Siren continued ever upward.

Then she blinked and looked to him only to unleash on him a beautiful smile.

“I admit I was rather nervous about everything when I first came up with my plan to get off planet, that is,” she murmured and gave her head as mall shake. “I didn’t think someone would turn me down though! That was a real surprise.

“I thought for sure I could talk my way into becoming an assistant. A helper of some sort. Worst case, a ships-mistress on a ship.

“You hear about it so often and there’s a number of shows and stories about it right now on the networks. That it occurs with regularity. Maybe those are all just very romanticized and not actually real.

“I admit my pride has taken a small hit given that you, a Privateer, turned me down on my offers. I didn’t think that could happen at all.

“I look forward to proving you wrong for turning me down and earning my keep. Make you apologize for not agreeing to my generous terms.

“At least, until I can get my citizenship in another House. All things considered, from what my research told me on how long an expedited citizenship can take for a non-citizen, I’ll be in your employ for at least a year or two. Well, two probably.”

“What?” Ralph asked stupidly.