Sexy Space Babes: Chapter Forty (Patreon)
Content
AN: I'm sure many of ya'll are thinking 'wait, didn't I just read chapter forty!?'.
Yes. But I didn't like it. So here's a new one.
Rest assured, I do not intend to make a habit of this.
To his surprise, it wasnât hard to find the bar the off-duty Interior Agent most frequented. Though, as he stepped into the place he decided that he really shouldnât have been.
Much in the same way that being human drew eyes to him the moment he stepped into a room, Pernora apparently had a presence about her that seemed to automatically repulse the other patrons of the rather fancy establishment. The woman was sitting alone at a corner seat, staring at nothing, a half empty drink in front of her, and not a soul within two meters.
Of course, in his search, it had also helped that the capital of Gurathu didnât have that many bars. It didnât have that many of anything, really. It was, in almost all ways that mattered, a frontier town. A big frontier town in a space age society, but still a frontier town.
As his eyes roamed over the agentâs slightly glum looking form, he couldnât help but feel a hint of camaraderie in their relative isolation. Certainly, he wasnât isolated, but he was the only human on the planet, and there were days where he certainly felt it. He could only imagine it was worse for a woman whose vocation was essentially spying on others.
Was this why cops and veterans had cop bars? To avoid this sort of thing?
âNot that Iâm saying ânoâ or anything,â Scales said from behind him as she bustled in out of the cold, shaking snow off her thick coat â and ignoring the look of irritation sent her way by a nearby waitress in the process. âBut did you really have to pick this spot? I know a gentleman likes to be wined and dined properly, but couldnât you show a little mercy to a ladyâs cred chit?â
âWho said you were paying?â he asked, turning back to her. âIâm the one apologizing for pistol whipping you in the face here.â
Which he was. He just happened to be killing two birds with one stone by âcoincidentallyâ bumping into Gurathuâs sole Interior Agent as he did.
âBesides, even if you were paying,â he continued, glancing behind the woman to the second figure that came in after her. âI figure it couldnât be that bad, between the two of you.â
âYouâve clearly never been to the Hork and Whistle before, kid,â Assisse said. âGurathuâs a pricy place to live, but Iâm pretty sure this dump takes pride in it. Foodâs decent at least.â
Jason very deliberately didnât look at the nearby waitress as he was reminded that the place was actually a bar and grill. âWell, you neednât worry for your cred chits. This kidâs old enough to pay for himself.â
âNot going to happen,â Scales jumped in, gripping him by the arm. âI dare not think of the look my mothers would give if it were known I let a man pay his own way.â
Seeing the serious look in the scaled womanâs green eyes, he glanced to Assisse for support, but the other woman just grinned. âAinât got anything else for us to spend our money on out here, kid. At least let us pay for tonight.â
He frowned, before it turned into a wry grin.
âItâs your money,â
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He resigned himself to just giving up and letting them do with their money as they pleased.
This date was already on the Shilâvati end of the spectrum when his date decided to show up with a âdateâ of her own, so he decided he might as well go with it.
He also felt a little bad, given that the two of them were clearly putting on an effort for this when he was mostly here for Pernora. Scalesâ scales looked freshy buffed and shiny as she pulled off her coat, and if he wasnât entirely wrong, Assisse was dressed up a little more nicely than usual.
Once upon a time he might have assumed the tanktop looking ensemble she was wearing was entirely casual, but recent journey into high society allowed him to recognize that the garmentâs padded nature was a result of it imitating a breastplate. Which, in Shilâvati chic, meant fancy.
âRight, letâs grab a seat,â deliberately looking away from the pairsâ beaming smiles.
âŠHe was putting out tonight. If only to quell this burning shame deep in his gut. The pair of them deserved that much.
Heâd already cleared it with Yaro; whoâd seemed more bemused than anything that heâd bothered to ask. A little flattered too, if heâd been reading her right.
Given that the place was a bar and grill, and on the fancier side of the spectrum, they were guided to a table by a waitress. It had been the work of but a moment to gently request to be positioned close by to Pernoraâs position.
The Rakiri waitress, whoâd already been a little wide-eyed â likely on account of his species â only got more so at his request to essentially invade the no-manâs land that had formed around the agent, but she acceded without an issue.
Said request got a slight uptick in eyebrow from Assise, but little beyond that as they took their seats. Scales didnât notice at all as she practically danced in her seat. If Pernora noticed that the no-fly zone around her had been violated, she gave no notice of it as she continued to stare off into space. Jason noticed she had a data-pad on the table in front of her, which at least told him that she hadnât spent the whole evening doing that.
Oh god, am I feeling sorry for the bitch that dragged me in for an interrogation on the flimsiest reason imaginable?
He shook his head as he glanced at the menu, written in Shil and the remarkably similar looking Rakiri script. Most of it was gibberish to him, but heâd grown accustomed to that by now. He did what he usually did in such situations. Pick the thing that had the least uses of the word âfriedâ in it.
Shilâvati and Rakiri liked their fats, salts and sugars. Those bodies required a lot of energy to move around.
âSo, whyâd you pistol whip my friend â and your superior by seniority â in the face?â Assisse asked.
Jason nearly choked on his own spit. Scalesâ reaction wasnât quite so pronounced, though her eyes did widen slightly before she scowled at her friend.
âI told you it was an accident,â the cultured woman said. âMy fault, really. I shouldnât have snuck up on the dear.â
âOh, I donât doubt that,â Assisse allowed, eyes boring into his own as she spoke. âIâm just curious as to what had our human friend so jumpy?â
Jason gutâs turned to ice. Could Assisse be aware of the disappearances? His investigation? Meager as it currently was. Could she have been on Helaâs payroll!? His final words to her having tipped the noble woman off to his suspicions!?
âYou arenât being harassed by any of the local girls are you?â Assisse continued on. âBecause Iâm happy to convince them to back off if you are.â
Jason nearly felt his soul escape his mortal form as the tension flew out of him.
âN-no,â he coughed. âNothing like that.â
This time it was Scales turn to interject, her earlier irritation at her friend turning to concern for him. âAre you sure?â
Jason smiled wryly. âIf I was, and Iâm not, wouldnât you guys already know? What with you tailing me at all hours.â
Assisse rolled her eyes, while Scales averted hers.
âTailing is a strong word, dear,â the partially reptilian woman said softly. âIt was more that our dear captain⊠suggested that if we were in the same area while out and about we should⊠keep an eye on you. I was being truthful when I said I spent your meeting with Hela in that little cafĂ©.â
The thought rankled but he forced it down. That⊠wasnât as bad as he feared. It wasnât great, but it wasnât totally awful either.
Assisse just snorted and bulled ahead. âPoint is, we havenât been following you at all hours or anything like that. So, if you are being harassed by someone, none of us have seen it.â
âWell, Iâm not,â Jason smiled.
âAre you sure?â Assisse persisted. âEven if it were someone⊠in a position of power, we have means of dealing with it.â
Jason felt his heart skip a beat as the woman glanced in Pernoraâs direction.
âNothing of the sort,â he said, perhaps a little hastily.
Assisse didnât look entirely convinced, but under his persistent gaze, she at least seemed inclined to drop the subject.
âHonestly, Assisse,â Scales hmphed. âWeâve come out here for a nice meal, not an interrogation. Whatever business our human friend has with the good Agent is his own business.â
Jason winced, but found he wasnât entirely surprised. âYou noticed that too, huh?â
The reptilian woman favored him with a quiet smile. âDear, you are many things, but subtle is not one of them.â
In that moment, he wished the floor would just open up and swallow him.
âWell, for what itâs worth, Iâm sorry.â He had the strangest urge to apologize.
However, rather than seem upset by the fact that theyâd been asked out on a date under â mostly â false pretenses, both women just seemed amused as they regarded him.
âIâm sure you have your reasons, dear.â Scales put a finger against her cheek in a surprisingly dainty notion for the marine. âBut if you truly want to make it up to us, please put whatever business you have with Agent Penora out of your mind for now. Let us just enjoy the evening until such time that you manage to intrude on her little island of isolation.â
âIt has been a while since Iâve managed to snag a guy for a date.â Assise tapped the table. âBe a shame to ruin it over a little hiccup.â
Still feeling like a world class heel, Jason managed to favor them both with a smile. âI think I can put my business with Agent Pernora aside for a little while to focus on the two lovely ladies across from me.â
He didnât miss the way both women flushed at what was apparently an unexpected compliment.
And he could do exactly as he said. Pernora was in his line of sight, and he was pretty sure he could intercept her should she get up to leave. More to the point, she didnât look like was going anywhere for a while yet. That would hopefully be enough time for him to allow Assisse and Scales not to feel like theyâd been robbed of an evening.
Anything else that might have been said was put on hold as the waitress from before came over and took their orders.
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âSo, have you come to rub my nose in it?â Pernora asked without prompting.
Jason paused on his trip back to his own table.
âRub your nose in what?â he asked, secretly relieved that the woman had spoken to him. His plan had always involved him âbumpingâ into her, but it was only as the evening wore on that he realized he didnât really know how to go about making that happen.
Her speaking to him unprompted had neatly segued that issue, even if it had caught him off guard.
âThat.â The Interior Agent happily pointed to where Assisse and Scales were happily chatting to each other, both occasionally bursting into giggles.
âMy dates?â he asked.
And wasnât that a weird phrase to use? One that was made even weirder by the fact that his two companions for the evening had spent just as much time focusing on each other as him. It had been enough that heâd begun to think those rumors about the pair being âinvolvedâ might have had some truth to them.
âAnd my lack thereof,â Pernora said blankly.
Jason resisted the urge to scoff. âYour personal life is of no interest to me, Agent. Iâm just here to have some fun with a few friends.â
Pernora just rolled her eyes, before she took a swig of her drink.
âWhich is why youâve been glancing my way all evening?â she prompted, pinning him with a cool stare.
Jason flinched mentally, even as he struggled to keep a straight face. He probably should have known the woman would notice him, even if she did seem out of it. It wasnât like his presence was subtle, given his gender and species. More to the point, watching for watchers was probably amongst the set of skills an Interior Agent was expected to have.
âWell⊠when you put it that way,â Jason said, frantically thinking, âI do have a question for you.â
Pernora frowned. âAnd I should entertain this question, why?â
Jason glanced pointedly down at the set of empty bottles covering her table. âGot something better to be doing?â
The womanâs frown seemed to deepen, but in the end she sighed. âFire away then, perhaps entertaining some uplifted primitive from out in the boonies might give me some momentary amusement.â
Jason very pointedly resisted the urge to point out that Pernora herself was currently out in the boonies. Earth by contrast was currently home to an entire Shil battlegroup and was a veritable hive of industry as the Imperium sought to uplift the planet.
âI was just wondering why Shilâvati ships are so damn inefficient?â he said casually.
Pernora glanced at him. âYou, a primitive from a world that didnât have real void craft until we showed up, want to accuse the Imperium of having poor ship design?â
Jason shrugged. âEssentially, yes.â
âWant to cite an example, or are you just talking out of your ass like most men?â
Jason very deliberately kept a lid on his temper. The last thing he wanted was Assisse or Scales coming over now that theyâd noticed he hadnât returned. The pair were trying not to be obvious about watching him, but they were about as subtle as he imagined he had been.
âI actually got the idea from looking at the stats on the Maw,â he said. âShe was close, and I figured a good target for familiarizing myself with the goings-on of ships in general.â
âThe Helrune girlâs gaudy pleasure boat,â Pernora grunted, though there was no missing the hint of envy in the womanâs tone.
âCargo ship,â he corrected. âThough from what Iâve seen, your descriptor might be closer than you think. I canât imagine any trader worth her salt would be happy with the inefficiencies Iâve noticed.â
âOoh, harsh words for your former date,â Pernora teased. âHad a falling out? The rich girl toss you aside?â
Ironically, that insult bothered him less than the one about his engineering skills. Mostly because of how laughably far from reality it was.
The lack of a reaction seemed to disappoint the woman, who slumped slightly.
âWhat inefficiencies?â she asked. âHelrunes are many things, but I donât think anyone could label them as being careless when it comes to coin.â
Jason shrugged as he brought up his data-pad, spinning it around. âPerhaps Helaâs the blacksheep of the family?â
Pernora glanced, slightly blearily, at the cargo manifest on the screen, before her gaze returned to him.
âThe fuckâs a sheep?â
Jason sighed. âIrrelevant. I basically just meant the odd one out.â
âQuaint,â the woman said, before her gaze returned to the screen. âAnd what am I looking at? Beyond a bunch of numbers?â
âItâs the Mawâs cargo manifest from deliveries itâs made in the last few months.â
âPretty sure those are private,â the Agent pointed out.
âBy company policy, not law,â he shot back just as quickly.
He really wouldnât have put it past the woman to arrest him on such a flimsy thing â if only to âruinâ his evening.
Fortunately, as it was company rules and not Imperial law heâd broken by sweet talking one of the warehouse managers down at Customs, there was nothing she could do about it. More to the point, if anyone was going to be punished for said violation of policy and procedure, it would be the rather flustered Shilâvati woman heâd spoken to.
âAlright, so whatâs the issue?â Pernora continued.
Jason sighed at the womanâs refusal to actually look at what he was showing her. âThereâs a deficit.â
It was small. Just a tiny twitch of a thing to be honest. But he saw it. A tiny spark of interest in the womanâs eyes.
For the first time since their conversation began, he felt he had her attention.
âOf what?â she asked.
âGeneral goods,â he responded. âAccording to these manifests, the Maw is moving less tonnage than she should theoretically be capable.â
âAnd you would know what a Shilâvati cargo ship would be capable of?â Pernora asked, a hint of condescension in her tone.
Jasonâs spine stiffened and he struggled not to glare. âGiven that the stats for a Helk Class Cargo Cruiser are listed in the sales details of the Helrune Dynastyâs sales page, quite prominently, Iâm sure even you could figure it out.â
This time it was Pernoraâs turn to stiffen. Of course, Jasonâs feeling of triumph at needling the woman was short lived as he remembered that he was technically here to garner her aid.
âŠThen again, his plan involved him setting her on Helaâs trail without directly implicating himself as the source of the information.
So maybe he could continue to needle her?
âAlright, so whatâs the big deal?â she asked.
Jason shrugged. âIâm just wondering why the need to lie? If the ships arenât capable of what they say they are, admit it and be done with it.â
Pernora rolled her eyes. âYou might be able to read numbers, but you arenât great at maths, are you human? A single example ship does not a pattern make. The stats for new ship designs are confirmed by the Civilian Trade Commission. If the number on the site say the ship can carry a certain tonnage, it can do it.â
âBut Hela-â
âIf the heiress of the Helrunes is running a little light on her deliveries, thatâs on her. Not the ship. Careless rich girls,â the woman grumbled.
Jason cocked his head to the side, in a motion he hoped was obviously feigned. âFunny, she didnât seem that careless to me when we were together. Quite the opposite.â
There it was again. That spark of interest.
âProbably just talking herself up,â the woman said distractedly as she stood up suddenly.
Jason took a step back. âLeaving?â
âYeah, Iâve gotten bored of this little conversation,â the woman said, swiping her credit chit against the reader on the table. âSee you around, human.â
With that said, the woman stormed out.
Though Iâm hoping Iâm seeing a bit of purpose in that gait, Jason thought as he watched her go.
Either way, heâd done what he could. All he could do now was sit back and wait to see if something came of it.
With that thought in mind, he turned his gaze back to Assisse and Scales, who had apparently returned to their conversation at some point during his own with Pernora.