Kinsley was a much better researcher than Kiera. She was able to find out how to contact the Red Moon Mercenaries for jobs and recruitment. They were currently having a recruitment drive; losing a High Captain and an entire ship tended to do that. One of the most important things that they learned was that the Red Moon didn’t care for non-humans and was of the belief that all women were good for was comfort. They wouldn’t accept any ship captained by a non-human or a woman. Fortunately they had Locke to fill the role. Kiera would appear next to him so she could be his pretty arm candy and if they needed to communicate Pa'ku would link their minds..

Kida reluctantly accepted the title of Captain, but many others were resistant to any high ranking title. Corbin had pointed out that they weren’t in the military any longer and refused any kind of rank. Many other others followed suit. When Kiera finally gave up, only she, Locke, and Kida had titles, but everyone readily accepted that Tamalyn and Kinsley were among the officers. All of the other crew members were unranked. It was a nod to their days on Pantaurus when the five of them took the lead.

Kinsley’s research also led them to a device that looked like a pair of parentheses connected by an underscore called a slingshot jumpgate. Like the Empire’s gates it needed codes for it to operate and was located a week’s flight out of Imperial Space. Without needing to be told, Calvin sent the jumpgate the codes they had been provided. They all were pushed back into their seats when they entered the gate, it was like taking off in a shuttle at high speeds without stabilizers. Kiera felt queasy after the jump ended, but didn’t throw up; it wasn’t as bad as the hyperspace jump she experienced last year. Per standard protocol, they let everyone on the ship know that they were going through the jumpgate. There were still reports of people being thrown around.

“Hey, guys,“ Calvin said after they got back underway, “We might not have to worry about pissing off the Empire. We’re in a different galaxy, and I’m not detecting another jumpgate anywhere near us.”

"That's a good thought, Cal," Kida said, "but remember, joining the Red Moon itself makes us enemies of the Empire."

"Only if the Empire knows that we've joined. This is a Kingdom ship, they might not care too much as long as our transponder doesn't say RMM," Calvin countered.

Kiera and Locke exchanged a look. Neither one of them had thought about that. This adventure may not be as damning as they thought.

"Do you still have the meet up coordinates, Sage?" Kiera asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Sage replied.

“Take us there, please.”

=+=

A ship appeared on the view screen three days after they exited the jumpgate. Kiera often thought of the map of the Empire in directions using Orlan as the center and its hemispheres expanded to encompass the galaxy. The Kingdom was on their “Eastern Border”, the Mercenaries met them away from the “Southern” border. The Satisfation’s crew had adopted standard spacefarer clothing: heavy leather pants and boots, a tunic and some kind of vest or jacket. Locke added an eyepatch that doubled as a targeting sensor. He made sure that his prosthetic was on full display. Tara modified his prosthetic with a storage compartment and a rail gun option from his magnetic pulse. She built an interface band so he could control the arm without having to have his other hand on it. She also added an integrated blaster to give it another firing option and some bulk. A fake implant on the side of his head would sell the look. He also grew a goatee and kept stubble on the rest of his face. When Kiera first saw his completed look she took him into her room. The other girls on the ship universally agreed that it suited him.

“Show time,” Locke said, pulling Kiera onto his lap. She was wearing a gold bikini and a floor length loin cloth that showed off her shapely legs, and draped herself over him like an obedient slave complete with visible collar. Her hair had grown out, now reaching her shoulder blades.

The ship they approached was a mid-sized frigate with heavy armor and a variety of weapons. Their phaser banks were charged and their torpedo tubes were open. Sage stopped them just out of weapons range. “We’re being hailed, Commodore,” Calvin said. He was an orange haired covert tiger moreau with tiger ears, a tail, and black stripes on his face.

“Captain, Cal,” Locke said, “Put them on.”

The screen changed to show a man in a red and white combat uniform sitting on a chair holding the arm rests like he was on a throne. He had a jagged scar that split his face in half, the left side of his head was completely shaved and the other reached his chin. An eyepiece dominated the left side of his face where he wore an obvious implant on his temple. There were no other obvious prosthetics on his body.

“Luke Malachite, I presume?” the mercenary asked, his tone bored. His eyes told a different story.

“Yeah, you must be Reuban Pol,” Locke said.

“Admiral Reuban Pol,” the man corrected, “Your profile mentioned quite a few non-humans aboard your ship. Your Kingdom ship.”

“Slave collars are a wonderful thing. I keep the useful ones and sell the ones that aren’t. You have an issue with what hardware I run? I ain’t just handing over me and mine to lick boots to your boss. That’s a deal breaker and I’ll move on. But from what I heard you need numbers and I’m looking to branch into some new business, play with some new toys. The war wasn't profitable for me and I'm seeking new ventures.”

“If it were up to me, I’d throw you out of an airlock and sell your slaves. The Grand Admiral has a different opinion. You also have two of our three requirements to hold the rank of ‘Captain’ in our organization. But, you still have to pass our tests to join,” Pol said, “If you can.”

Locke snorted, “I can pass any test you give me, Keep talking down to me and there’ll be another seat at the high table.”

“If I’d ever heard of you perhaps you would be actually worthy of my respect,” Pol sneered.

“Ain’t heard of you either; don’t underestimate me, soldier boy, my ship is like those that I let crew her, full of surprises.” Locke was good at the tough guy act. He didn’t speak with the arrogance of the mercenary, but with confidence. He leaned back in the chair a bit and smirked with the last words of his sentence.

Pol paused and glanced to his left before turning his attention on Locke again, “The Red Moon requires absolutely loyalty, competence, obedience, patience and discipline. Those who fail in those tasks don’t make it into our organization and those who forget the importance of those traits often find themselves dead or captured. You must pass the trials of the five phases of the Red Moon and earn the favor of at least three Admirals. Your impure crew has already lost you my favor. Do you wish to continue knowing you face more difficult odds?”

Kiera kissed Locke’s neck once, the signal for ‘yes.’ She didn’t need to but it was hard to resist. Locke laughed, “I’m not going to come out all this way to be turned down by the first person who tells me this might be challenging. Let me guess the first test is one of obedience. You’re going to send me somewhere and tell me to do something to see if I’ll listen.”

“There’s a palopalegian ship heading through sector eleven. On board they have a payment to a merchant who is a member of the Dova Corporation. Bring us the payment.”

“Piracy?” Locke asked, “I thought this was a mercenary outfit.”

“We will do whatever our client hires us to do. Nothing is excluded. Do you refuse?” Pol asked, his bored expression no longer hiding his anger.

“Not at all, what are the stipulations? No witnesses?”

“No deaths, and no damage to their ship. The contract has been sent, in case you actually manage to pull this off or fail spectacularly.” The communication ended.

“I have a course and contact information, Commandant, are we doing this?” Calvin asked.

“I warned everyone that we would be doing some pretty unsavory things to find the people responsible for killing our classmates,” Kiera said,” Sage, take us there.”

=+=

It took three weeks to reach what Pol called sector eleven, the palopalegian ship was right where their information said it would be. The Senior staff decided that stealth would be the best option for this mission, and that meant Kinsley and Jaina would infiltrate the ship, steal the payment and get out before the palopalegians ever knew they were there. Neither one of them were thrilled, Jaina especially. With her enhanced sense of smell the stench on the ship would be twenty times worse than it would be for everyone else. Kiera offered to take her place, but was overruled; this work was in Jaina’s wheelhouse and she would just endure the stench.

Kinsley and Jaina were back after four hours and put the payment in a decontamination chamber before immediately heading to the showers without bothering to stop by and give their report. The smell had been the biggest obstacle to come. Their computer systems were laughably easy to access; one of the crew members just wandered away from their station without bothering to log off. There was no security, obvious or otherwise. A thin layer of oil covered everything and clung to whatever it touched. Both women had thrown their clothes into decontamination the moment they could and walked nude through the halls. The benefit of a small crew was they didn’t run into anyone; the benefit of a crew that had been through the abyss together was that no one would have cared if they had. Emily showed them a benefit of her cooking lessons: leftover malabachi oil negated most stenches, bonded well with other oils and was easy to clean up. The small trail the pair had left was taken care of and adding the oil into decontamination rid everything of the stench. The malabachi flower was just a pain to harvest; it bit.

After another two weeks of travel, they were met by a different ship, a clipper that didn’t have their weapons primed and ready to attack and looked like a ship that was more suitable for sailing on an ocean rather than a sea of stars. They hailed the Satisfaction once they were in range. The man on the screen was dressed like a pirate out of fantasy, long black frock coat, reddish-brown pants tucked into cuffed boots and a white puffy shirt. His hands were concealed by gloves and he doffed his feathered cap in a bow when he appeared on the view screen, showing auburn hair. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye with a scar running on both sides of it through his light auburn beard.

“Avast, friend. Admiral Benjamin Uller. I was expecting more commotion on the galactic channels about an unknown Kingdom ship robbing a stink-oil transport. Beautiful woman you have there, is she for sale?” the man said, the smile on his face seemed genuine but like the other Admiral, the look in his eye was different, full of avarice.

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The payment they had recovered was an electronic map sphere that would display the coordinates of any location stored inside of it and reveal what was there. They were an older technology used in the early days of intergalactic piracy to mark where pirates had stored their treasure. These days they were just collector pieces. This particular map had over three dozen star charts stored in it, each one promising great troves of latinum and other treasure. Locke was holding it when they answered the hail.

“She’s not, Admiral,” Locke said, replying to Uller’s politeness with his own, “How would you like this delivered?”

“By her.” they said at the same time, which caused Uller to grin even wider.

“Am I that predictable?” he laughed, “And if I ordered you to, would you have her do it?” The laughter died, turning into curiosity.

“Yes,” Locke said, “But she is loyal to me, unless I granted her permission she would never willingly bed you, or do anything else you told her to do. She would fight you the entire time.”

“Is that because of the collar?” Uller asked.

“The collar is part of the costume,” Locke said, “The loyalty is hers. Would you like me to prove it by sending her to you?”

Uller looked intrigued, “Yes.”

Their ships met up, each one extending their airlocks so they could link together. Locke and Kiera waited alone, and both were surprised when the Admiral also appeared without anyone else. He crossed halfway through the airlock and extended his hand. It would have been easy to rid them of an opponent by disengaging their own. Instead Locke and Kiera met him. The two men clasped wrists.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Uller said, taking Kiera’s hand and giving it a gentle kiss, “Benjamin Uller, may I know your name?”

“Kaleigh,” she said, handing him the map orb, “Your payment, as promised.”

“Tell me, Miss Kaleigh, if I were to take you back to my ship and to my quarters, what would you do?”

“Lie you on your back, strip you of your clothing, then wrap the chain around your neck and choke you until you coughed your last breath,” Kiera said seductively, her eyes meeting his, her fingers dancing along his shoulder.

“Congratulations, Captain Malachite, you’ve passed the test of obedience. I could argue competence as well, but that is another test,” Uller said, “But all tests draw upon the five phases the Admiral holds most dear. If I told you in order to join the Red Moon Mercenaries you had to give me this woman, and tell her that she is mine to do with as I please, what would you say?”

“Tell him you would give me to him,” Kiera said over the mind link Pa’ku provided.

“Are you sure? You know what would happen if he carried out that scenario.” Locke replied, giving the Admiral an appraising look as if he were thinking over the question.

“It’s a scenario, if it becomes a live scenario I’ll be fine. I can just Soothe away his desires or Charm him. No need to worry, Lucky. If it stresses you out, ask Tamalyn to give you a physical, or Kinsley to spar.”

Locke shot her a look of surprise. They had discussed exactly what getting together would mean, but telling him to go sleep with other girls seemed to throw him off. He and Kinsley hung out, but nothing more had happened, although there were feelings on both sides He turned his attention back to Uller. “You’re testing my loyalty: the girl or the organization. If you told me, ordered me to give her to you, Admiral, then I would. She’s just a comfort piece.”

“Good,” Uller said, “Then give her to me, secure my vote and wait for me to contact you for the next test.”

“Do what he says,” Locke said, trying to be as impassive as he could.

“Be careful, Sunshine. I love you.”

“You, too, Lucky. Love you.”

Uller didn’t take the chain but gestured for Kiera to walk to his ship. She obeyed, not looking back as she entered the clipper. Uller waited for Locke to return to his ship before following Kiera. Both airlocks closed. She followed the pirate Admiral through the ship to his bridge. Men dressed as ocean sailors occupied the consoles, none of them looked up when they entered.

“Set sail,” Uller said, “When we arrive we’ll have six days of shoreleave. Make our trail painstakingly easy to follow.” He waited for a confirmation before leading Kiera off the bridge and down the hallway to a room with a pair of ornate wooden doors. He opened them both and gestured for Kiera to enter.

The room was decorated with wooden mahogany slats, there was a made up four poster bed with several pillows arranged on a maroon comforter, the curtains were drawn closed around the bed. At its foot was a wooden trunk. A desk was set against one wall with a feather and inkwell on it along with several ledgers. A coat rack stood next to the door and a blazing, rainbow feathered eagle sat on a T shaped stand. There was a small table with a pair of chairs on the opposite wall as the desk and a wooden door against the same side. Paintings decorated the room, everything neat and orderly. A lush, white carpet stretched over most of the floor. It was cozy, welcoming, and Kiera couldn’t help herself but admire the room as she stepped in, unsure where to look first.

“Are you hungry, or thirsty, my dear?” Uller asked, “If you would like to take a bath or need to relieve yourself then please go through that door. I ask that you please do not leave my quarters without my escort. Archimedes doesn’t bite, but you will need to ask him permission before you pet him. I can put on music if you’d like and if there is anything you need to keep yourself occupied please don’t hesitate to ask. I can’t guarantee that I’ll have it, but I can acquire nearly everything with ease. I can have Mary make you different clothes if you’d like to change, and please tell me what you like to sleep in.”

Kiera turned and looked at the Admiral, not bothering to hide the shock on her face. He had been gregarious with Locke, despite the hard look in his eyes and now he was being down right charming. There was no sense of malice or unbridled lust coming from him, the more Kiera thought about it, she hadn’t felt anything negative from him. His emotions were held close but he wasn’t trying to conceal them, wearing his amusement and genuine pleasure on his sleeve.

“I’m sorry, Admiral, but…are you toying with me? Aren’t you going to order me to your bed so you can have your way with me?” Kiera asked bluntly.

“Oh, I could never,” Uller said, “I'm a gentleman above everything. My great sin is Avarice. I simply must have every pretty little thing that catches my eye, and you have caught it, Miss Kaleigh. We will share the bed, there is more than enough room for two and I don’t mind cuddling. If you want more than that I won't turn you away. When we reach Tortuga you can lounge on the beach or stroll through the jungle, I’ll escort you, of course. You can swim through its crystal waters and enjoy the tropical food and beverages it offers. Once shore leave is over then I’ll call for Captain Malachite and tease him with its offerings, tell him how much I enjoyed your company and then return you to him, unharmed and untouched.”

Kiera was flabbergasted. She couldn’t wrap her head around this man and her experience with the other mercenaries. There was no deception in his emotions or his face and he seemed to be very much amused by her reaction. She blinked a couple times and looked at him, then away and then back at him in disbelief.

“After all, Princess Sol, I think it would be highly disrespectful if I raped you, which ordering you to my bed would be. Quite clever with the use of your names. Kaleigh for Kiera and Luke Malachite for Lochlan Mickleson. I am terribly, terribly curious why you would want to join the Moon and simply must know where you got that ship. Would I be able to get a tour?”

Kiera backed away and nearly knocked over the eagle’s stand. He responded with a blast of wind that sent her staggering forward only to be caught in Uller’s arms. She looked up into his smiling face, his eye shining brightly. He knew, he knew! How had he known? Kinsley had done something to their ID bands so they wouldn’t respond to identification. But this man, who had kidnapped her to take her on a vacation, knew who she was. The Red Moon mercenaries had a contract to kill her, there was no way that this man, this high ranking member of the organization would let her live.

“I said too much, didn’t I?” He said, “Are you alright, I’m glad you didn’t fall. Let me help you to a seat and get you some water.” Kiera didn’t resist as he guided her to a very comfortable chair he had at his desk, grabbed a glass and then walked over to the eagle. Water flowed from a feather into the glass. He knelt down on the floor and pressed the water into her hand, “Please drink and take a breath. You’re safe here. I swear by Astria’s Tail and the Pirate King Captain Nathaniel Flint I shall neither harm nor be the reason that you or your allies are harmed."

Kiera couldn’t believe him, wouldn’t believe him. She lifted the glass to her lips and drank. She couldn’t remember ever drinking water this refreshing and pure. She finished it all, part of her wanting more, and part of her wanting to know what, by Astria’s Tail, was going on.

“How?” she asked, “How do you know who I am, and why won’t you harm me?”

Uller grinned, “Oh, I think you’re simply too beautiful to injure. No other reason. You must know about our contract to kill you, I don’t care. Killing people for the sake of killing them isn’t my cup of tandora. Your allies have done nothing to harm me, so there is simply no reason for me to harm them. I frankly don’t care if they take the opportunity to visit Tortuga. You all need a vacation after being trapped on that planet and dealing with Trosk.” he shook his head.

“We’re infiltrating the Red Moon so we can learn who it is that hired you to kill me and is responsible for killing my friends,” Kiera said, “What can I give you for that information?”

“Only Ulysses Lupin has that answer,” Uller said, “You would have to get it from him and only an Admiral can meet him. As for how I know who you are. My prosthetic eye is linked to several databases. Anyone I meet has their image run through it. It analyzes a thousand other things as well and then stores them in my gigabit harddrive within my head so I never forget anything. I’ve been recording you and taking images of you for my own enjoyment later.”

“I’ll be sure to pose for you in a bikini so you have some good memories,” Kiera said sincerely, “and not just a bunch of weird or unflattering shots.”

“You’re…being serious,” Uller said, “Why would you do that?”

Kiera shrugged, “I’m pretty easy to win over. You’ve treated me with nothing but respect, when I was panicking your first response was to set me down and calm me. Promising to protect me is a pretty good way to get my affection. I'm not some pushover who can't take care of herself, but I have a real thing for white knights. Why are you in the Red Moon?”

“Your Highness, I have an All Seeing Eye, and an endless appetite for pretty things. I’ve never killed anyone except in self defense, but I have committed a great many crimes. Admiral Lupis offered me a position within this group to steal all I like in return for his protection and a cut of what I take. It was an opportunity I could not pass up. I’m the pirate who attacks the shipping lanes and lifts ships of their goods in bold and daring ways, giving the navy spirited chases before vanishing.” His smile didn’t meet his eye.

“You don’t seem like a bad guy. Can we come to an agreement?” Kiera asked, “You can have me, fully and completely until the end of shore leave when you let me go back to my friends. In exchange you help us move up the ranks until we can get to Lupin and discover who hired you to kill me and is responsible for killing my friends and classmates. I don’t want to destroy your organization, just bring one of your employers to justice.”

Uller’s eye widened in surprise, she could feel the temptation the desire came from him. That offer was likely irresistible to a man like him, who wanted to have everything. He sat back on his heels, mind likely racing. Kiera took his hand and looked into his eye. She didn’t give him a teasing smile but kept a neutral face, conveying that her offer was serious and that she wasn’t toying with him. He looked away not saying anything. He didn’t pull away his hand. After several minutes he looked at her again.

“Your Highness—”

“Kiera,” she corrected. She could tell that he was going to use her royal status as a way to reject her offer. He hesitated, his first defense penetrated.

“I couldn’t, to—”

“It’s an offer that I made of my own volition. In no way, shape for form did you coerce me or trick me. If I wasn’t okay with the idea then I wouldn't have offered. I also know that we have to give you something for your aid,” Kiera thought about using her Radiance to ease his conflict but decided it wouldn’t help. The man didn’t seem anxious, just struggling with the offer and his own Avarice. “How long would it take us to get to your rank without the help of someone like you, or be able to move through your territory before someone else realizes who I am? Admiral, Ben, I have a desperate need to find the men who hired you. It’s already been months since Pantaurus and the longer I wait the more he slips away. You said you’re a greedy man and I don’t have anything else to give you.” Using his name was a good way to win him over, it put them on the same level.

“Deal,” he said, “For the next seven days you are mine. If you need anything pull the bell,” he gestured to a long silk panel hanging from the ceiling with a knot at the bottom of it. Remember, don’t pet Archimedes without asking him. I’ll be back, there are a few things that I need to take care of.” Uller kissed her cheek before leaving the room.

“Can I pet you?” Kiera asked, standing up and approaching the bid. He bobbed his head, sitting up a little straighter as she began to strike his surprisingly soft feathers. Locke and the others wouldn’t be happy about this, but if it let them find and stop this villain then it would be worth it.