The next morning when I did up breakfast for everyone, a very surprised Deborah ran into the kitchen.

“Hunter! The cell is empty!” Deborah exclaimed and the others gasped. “Kalina's gone!”

“How? How could she escape?” Gleas asked, surprised.

“She sneaked off when we went to get the food yesterday.” Hailey said before I could say anything. “I wouldn't have noticed if they hadn't gone into Hunter's room and took some of his satellites.”

I opened my mouth to speak, then shook my head and chuckled. “I was going to tell you all here at breakfast, anyway.”

“Tell us what?” Gleas asked.

“Jelly, cover your ears. You can't hear this part.” I said with a smile.

Jelly put one finger into her left ear and turned her head away, which pointed her right ear towards me.

I chuckled. “Kalina decided that she didn't like her old life anymore. She also didn't want to face all of the things she did, so I arranged for her to go into hiding.”

“Where?” Gleas asked.

“I have no idea.” I said to her surprise. “She wouldn't be hiding if I knew where she was.”

“But... but she...”

“Yeah.” I said. “I felt sorry for her, because she got caught up in the mess that just happened.”

“She was part of it.” Gleas said and started to get angry. “If she hadn't...”

I reached out and took her hand. “It's all right.” I said and shared some energy with her to calm her before she got going. “Now we don't have to worry about her anymore.”

“But... but she...”

“This was the easiest way for me to get rid of her and not have her cause a fuss, either wherever we dropped her off or back on Chofaris.” I said. “If I just kicked her off, you know she would tell everyone as much as she could about what went on here.”

Gleas took a deep breath and let it out. “What am I going to tell Mark?”

“You don't have to tell him anything.” I said and she looked at me like I had asked her to kill someone. I chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze. “Don't call him. If he calls you, then tell him the truth. You woke up one day and she was gone. She snuck off into the night and you don't know where she is or how to contact her.”

“He's not going to believe that.” Gleas said, sadly. “He thinks she adores him and that she... well...”

“I'll talk to him if it's necessary. I'll make sure he knows she really is gone and I'll drop off her things.”

Gleas took in a sharp breath. “Her things! Yes!” She said and held my hand tightly. “He will have to believe she left if he sees what she left behind!”

“That's why I resisted the urge to crush them and throw them away, in case they were needed as evidence.”

Gleas nodded and relaxed. “All right. I think I can handle it.”

I chuckled. “You think you can handle it?” I asked. “Who flies a few thousand tons of starship around the universe?”

“We do.” Beatrice and Deborah said together.

“I need more practice.” Simone said.

“Same here.” Jelly said and stopped pretending that she wasn't listening. “We're getting there, though.”

Gleas looked at them and then back at me. “Thank you.”

“I'm only giving credit where credit is due.” I said and let her hand go. “There's a reason pilots are sought after. It takes a lot of guts to fly a ship through space every day.”

“And you've almost got five now!” Hailey said.

“You're forgetting yourself.” I reminded her.

“I can't get a training license for three more years.” Hailey said, disappointed.

“Ooo! My first secret pilot!” I said and bent down to kiss her cheek. “I'm so lucky!”

Hailey giggled in delight at being my first secret pilot.

“On that note, what are we doing today?” Sandy asked.

“Well, I've got two more days before that happy news arrives, so I'll make a few satellites...”

Gleas and the others frowned at me and I held up a hand to stop their protests.

“I'll cut my production in half and only make three at a time and not six.” I said and they all nodded agreement. “While I'm busy, why not give the three recruits some actual flying lessons?”

“We should detach the new ship and fly out to a relatively empty part of the system.” Gleas said.

“We should let the locals know what's going on, so they don't freak out about the ship flying erratically.” Deborah said.

“Good point.” Gleas said. “I'll do Hailey's lesson.”

“I'll teach Simone.” Deborah said.

“I guess Jelly is stuck with me.” Beatrice said.

“That makes it sound like I got shafted in the teacher department.” Jelly said and the others laughed.

“Now I have to figure out what I want to do.” Sandy said.

“Hey, I guess now is a good time to ask you what your skills are.” I said.

“I've had lots of jobs.” Sandy said. “None in space, though.”

“Well, give us a rundown and we can all figure out how you can fit in with the rest of us.” I said and she gave us a list of the jobs she had and the skills she used. She really had done a lot of different things and almost none of them could be applied or adapted for use in space. The first time she wore a space suit was when Beatrice had given her old one to her after getting the flight suit.

“Well, I guess my plans for a space habitat have to be accelerated.” I said and they all looked at me with surprise on their faces. “What?”

“Are... Hunter, you...” Gleas couldn't make her mouth work.

“I'll pop out to one of the asteroid smelting operations and see how much their basic structural members cost and...”

“Hunter, even with your latest credit haul, there's no way you can build a space habitat!” Simone said.

“I was going to build it right on top of the shipping containers, actually.”

“You're insane!” Simone exclaimed. “It takes engineers years, sometimes decades, to create a safe living environment for people!”

I laughed. “I won't be making it completely from scratch.”

“Hunter...” Gleas said and then she sighed. “You're going to do this no matter what we say, aren't you?”

I nodded. “Don't worry, though. I won't start it until we come back from gathering the last of the salvage.”

“You're really going to build a habitat.” Hailey said in a normal tone, because she was too surprised to be excited.

“I can't expect my friends to keep living on a space ship for the rest of their lives.” I said and I heard everyone's thoughts. They had expected to do just that and I laughed. “It's going to take a while to build, so don't think you'll be kicked out of your rooms on the ship right away.” I told them. “I need to get the satellite network up and running before I can start to capitalize on its usage fees.”

“Wow, you really are making your own private satellite network.” Simone said.

“It's the best way to get a steady income, since there are billions of people willing to spend a credit or two for a non-traceable message system.” I said and saw everyone's wide eyes. “What is it this time?”

“You don't think small, do you?” Gleas asked in a soft voice.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“I did at first.” I said. “Once I reached a certain point of annoyance with everything in my life, I realized I wanted things to change and started thinking about how to do that.”

“How long to get all of those satellites completed?” Deborah asked.

“Well, with my lower production, maybe five years.” I said and they all gasped.

“F-five y-years?” Gleas asked.

“You don't think making a network that spans all the known systems will happen overnight, do you?” I asked with a laugh. “Just travelling to every system to drop off the satellites will take that long.”

“Oh, goddess.” Deborah said.

“I'll have the main network hub completed by the end of the week, thanks to Udelis' help.” I said and stood. “I'll build a nice little space-cooled habitat for it and install it on top of the shipping containers.”

No one said anything, so I bent down and gave Hailey a kiss.

“I'll see you at supper.” I said and she nodded, then I waved at everyone and left to go into the Udelis.

*

“I can't believe...” Simone stopped herself from voicing her disbelief, especially since she had felt Hunter's resolve and the Presence hadn't wavered as he spoke.

“The payout we just received from the salvage seems like pocket change compared to what he just said he'll get from a dedicated network.” Deborah said and then looked at the women around her. “Do we get part of that, too?”

“I don't know.” Gleas said. “I do know that our contract has bonuses included; but, normal every day operations?” She shook her head. “That's what the weekly pay is for.”

“Why are you even discussing this?” Sandy asked. “You're rich! Don't be greedy bitches like Luxea!”

The others gasped at the accusation and then their faces turned red, because the first thing they had thought about was getting some of that influx of credits, even though it would be a long time before it was operational.

“Oh, goddess.” Gleas said with a sigh. “You're right. We're horrible people for thinking about it and for trying to figure out how to get a piece of it when it's done.” She stood up and held a hand out to Hailey. “I'm sorry we talked like this, Hailey. Let's get changed and start your next lesson.”

“Okay.” Hailey said and took her hand and stood. “You shouldn't worry about it, though.” She said as they walked to the door. “Hunter always shares things with his friends.”

No one was surprised to hear this. The others cleaned up the food trays and put them in the available slot, then went to get changed themselves. Once everyone was in the proper attire, the ships undocked from each other and the new ship moved off to a clear sector of space for the flying lessons. The Udelis stayed where it was near the shipping containers and the locals were thankful that they had been informed of the erratic movements of the new ship.

They flew around for an entire shift, came to a rest while they ate lunch, then continued flying for another shift. The new ship flew back to the shipping containers and docked with the Udelis again. They all had supper with Hunter and Hailey talked non-stop about all the cool things she had learned that day, even while she sat there and watched the others take their lessons after hers. Hunter listened attentively and made sure to ask her important questions when she took a breath and let him.

Hailey's knowledge of piloting was increasing after each lesson and Hunter was very proud of her. When they finished eating, they all went to the large living room to watch the screen. Since they were in a main traffic system, their choices for programs was both vast and disconcerting. There were thousands of channels to choose from and it took an hour just to find something they hadn't immediately disliked.

*

“I miss the limited channels back in the Fogaris System.” Gleas said and tossed the remote onto the empty couch beside us. “I'll look for a guide on the local net the next time I get the chance.”

“Good idea.” I said. “Maybe it'll have a nice search function and we can just pick what we want.”

“Give me a few minutes.” Gleas said and stood up, adjusted her pants because they had ridden up on her again, even after such a short time sitting down. She walked over to the console at the side of the room and did a quick search. She took out a datapad and transferred something to it, then came back to the couch and handed me the datapad.

“It was not that easy.” I said and Gleas grinned at me. “It was?” I asked and she chuckled.

The datapad was quickly searched for a comedy show and the datapad gave me a list of shows and their channels. I narrowed the time and the dozens of options reduced to three.

“Okay, we have a choice of watching a show about the family life of a group of Kralish, a show about a professional laser ball team with a whole bunch of aliens, or a show about actors trying to break into stardom.” I said. “They are also all aliens.”

“I vote the third one.” Gleas said and everyone else agreed.

I told her the channel and Gleas changed it to the right one and the show opening had just finished.

“How much do you want to bet they pick on the normal guy?” Beatrice asked Sandy.

“I bet you... three public kisses that he's the mean one of the group.” Sandy responded.

“Ooo, big spender!” Jelly said. “You know how much Beatrice blushes from those.”

Beatrice started to blush and we all laughed.

“All right. I'm in.” I said. “One kiss and I'll bet that the fuzzy-haired alien is the mean one.”

“Cheapskate!” Sandy said with a grin.

Hailey giggled. “I think the lizard girl is the mean one and she's sleeping in the normal one's bed!”

“Hailey!” Gleas exclaimed and we all laughed again. “Okay, I'm in.” She said. “Also one kiss, and I'm going to pick the short dwarf-like guy as the mean one. He looks like he spits fire when he opens his mouth.”

I chuckled. “Dammit, I didn't think of that.”

“I think you're all wrong.” Jelly said and pointed. “It's her.” She said as a very beautiful woman stood up on the screen and her face showed that she didn't like being there at all.

“What's your bet?” Simone asked with a smile, because she knew the answer that was coming.

“I'm not betting.” Jelly said.

“Ha! Chicken! Bawk! Bawk!” Hailey barked like a chicken and laughed.

“I will not be goaded into...” Jelly gave Hailey a stern look for a second, then sighed. “One kiss.”

Deborah didn't want to be left out, so she looked at the contestants and chose the fluffy alien as well.

Simone was the last to choose. “I think Gleas is right. The dwarf-like guy really does look mean.” She said. “One kiss says it's him.”

With our bets placed we all sat back and relaxed as we watched one of the oddest and entertaining comedy shows I had ever seen. It was an hour long and there were no commercials in the traditional sense. The datapad we had kept getting messages to try different things that appeared on the screen, like food and drinks, and there were even notices to buy the outfits the contestants wore. When the show ended, we all just sat there and digested what we had seen. The dwarf was the mean one.

“Gleas, mark that show and see if there's more for us to watch.” Sandy said.

Gleas nodded and sure enough, there were over a dozen episodes aired already. “It only started two weeks ago.”

“Wait, what?” Deborah looked at her with wide eyes. “How can there be so many episodes and it just started?”

“It's on every day.” Gleas explained and looked up more information. “Hey, guess what? Hailey was right. We didn't see it this episode because they are sneaking around; but, the lizard girl is sleeping with the normal guy.”

“Ha ha!” Hailey said. “I get a half kiss!”

I chuckled. “Do I only use one lip or something?” I asked her and leaned in close.

“No silly.” Hailey said, her face red. “Half a kiss is still a kiss.”

“What? You tricked me!” I fake gasped and she giggled, then I gave her a light kiss on the lips.

“Are we watching this from the start or what?” Sandy asked as Gleas cued up the first episode.

“You know we do have to go to bed at some point tonight.” Beatrice said and Sandy smiled at her. It was then that she realized what she had said. “To sleep. To actually sleep.” She reiterated.

“Geez, they believe you.” Sandy said and hugged her. “Mostly.”

Beatrice blushed and that made us all laugh again.

“We might as well watch it from the start.” I said and Gleas started it.

For the next thirteen hours, we watched what was to become our daily guilty pleasure. The intricate plot lines, the likeable characters, and the goal of the show for them to become famous stars was so satirical that it was funny... and they capitalized on it. It was a great show and we all enjoyed it.

“Ugh.” Deborah groaned when the screen finally went blank. “We just stayed up all damn night!”

“I'm too tired to laugh at that.” Sandy said and yawned. “That was great, though.”

“We could have saved some for tomorrow.” Gleas said. “I mean today.” She said and then sighed. “I'm going to bed.” She said and didn't make any attempt to move. She had snuggled into me during the night and was as comfortable as she could possibly be. Hailey was sound asleep on me and I wasn't going to move, either. Simone was on my other side and she stared in disbelief at the dark screen. She couldn't believe a show like that existed and had engrossed her and the rest of us so well.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Sandy said and helped Beatrice stand up. They had to stretch a bit to get their limbs and circulation back to normal.

“Goodnigh... um... see you later.” Beatrice said and I nodded, then the two of them left. Jelly gave me a wave and left, then Deborah did the same and followed her. That left me with Hailey, Gleas, and Simone. The winners of the bet.

Simone pulled away slightly and sat up to look at me. I gave her a smile and raised my eyebrows. She held her breath as she leaned in very close and looked into my eyes with her lips a fraction of an inch away from mine. She hovered there for several moments, then she moved back, smiled at me, and silently stood up and left the room.

I'll collect on the bet when you least expect it. Simone thought to me with amusement.

I held in my chuckle and let her amusement fill my mind, then I felt a spike of something. I couldn't quite figure it out, and then Gleas pulled away and sat up.

“Hunter.” Gleas whispered. “I need some time off to... I... I have something important that I need to do.” She said, barely above a breath. “I request a temporary leave of absence.”

Is that what that spike was? I asked myself. “Granted.” I whispered. “Gleas, I know things have been difficult at times around here with all of the things going on, so you can take all the personal time you need to take care of...”

“Thank you.” Gleas whispered and leaned in close and kissed me. A wall in her mind opened up and her desire, her thoughts of us being together, and everything she had been hiding behind her mental barrier poured into me. How much she liked that I embarrassed myself for her by wearing the same flight suit. How much she liked that I had given Jelly money when I didn't have to. How much she enjoyed spending time with everyone, especially me and Hailey.

I wallowed in her thoughts and emotions while we kissed and made out for nearly five minutes, then she put that mental barrier back into place and broke the kiss. I was so surprised by what had just happened that I just stared at her and didn't say anything.

“Unlike Simone, I wasn't going to wait to collect on the bet.” Gleas whispered, gave me another quick kiss, then sat up straight. “I've handled what I needed to do and I request permission to end my leave of absence.”

“In a moment.” I said and lifted a hand and cupped the side of her face. “You do realize that I won't grant another request, now that I know you've figured out how to bypass my policy.”

“I know.” Gleas said. “I just... you needed to know that...” She smiled. “Unlike the others, I have personal boundaries and the will and fortitude to not give in to my desires.”

“So do I.” I said and felt her surprise as she caught some of my desire for her. “Let me reward you for being so smart.” I said and eased my Presence into her. She caught her breath as it slid down and touched her core of Presence and our energies merged. I didn't give her enough stimulation to have her become excited, though. It was a reward, not an opportunity to tease her. I gave her the feeling of being cradled in a warm bath rather than a feeling of sexual gratification.

Gleas had kind of expected me to take advantage of her, actually. Both Luxea and Simone had talked about different things and her expectations were quite different than the reality I presented to her. She opened her eyes and looked at me, then she smiled. She was quite pleased in a different way and knew that she hadn't wasted her one chance to share with me. We were both being mature about what had happened and weren't throwing ourselves on each other, when we both knew that we easily could have.

I eased my Presence away from her and then let her face go. “Welcome back from your leave of absence.”

“It's nice to be back.” Gleas said and stood up, turned to show me her ass as she had to adjust her pants again and gave me a great view.

“Why didn't you do that a few seconds ago?” I asked and she chuckled.

“Neither of us would have stopped if I had.” Gleas said confidently and walked away.