It took just over a month and a week to get all three ships to the Dizahl system. It was almost a relief for me, because I had been working a lot harder than I should have to construct more satellites during the journey and had only used the minimum amount of sleep to get by. I didn't overdo it, mainly because Hailey wouldn't let me. She would always interrupt me and made me stop to rest and relax, and I was both glad and grateful for her efforts.
Simone never spoke anything about it; but, she let me hear her thoughts about her gripes and her objections over it. She always gave me a crooked smile when she did it and I couldn't stop my laughter.
Our ships coasted in towards the second planet to drop off the items we had agreed to trade to the Bogorim Corporation. They had a long haul transport in orbit and we arranged to move over the inventory to its storage.
I was pretty sure they weren't going to haul it anywhere and only rented the ship to hold the massive amount of very expensive items they were about to receive. Simone and I were in our flight suits and sealed up to oversee the transfers and Sheph wore a military space suit and marked off the items as they passed from our ships to the long haul transport.
Despite taking a month and a half to salvage and load the things, transferring them from one holder to another, especially with all the help from two professional cargo hauling crews, only took three days. No one tried to steal anything, either. Everything was transferred without any problems and then Sheph, Simone, and I flew with Jelly in her shuttle to the planet surface to complete the deal. Once again, that little alien fellow was there with his guards and he greeted us like we were old friends.
“Ah! Hunter!” The alien said, as if it was a surprise I was there, and he reached out to shake my hand. “How are you? Fine? Fine. How are your friends? Good? Good. I'm so glad you delivered everything so quickly.”
I had to suppress my laughter as he answered his own questions for me and kept talking.
“I hear you're the one behind this fantastic new secret network that's popping up.” The alien said. “You only have a small market share at the moment and that's disappointing. I can't reach all of my clients.”
I actually had to laugh this time. “I've been working my ass off on the way here and have about five hundred more satellites to deploy in other systems. You'll need to wait for...”
“As a favor, I can deliver them for you, if you give me fifty of the satellites for my priority customers.”
“You don't mean just this shipment, do you?” I asked, and the little alien shook his head.
“Every time you get a stock of a hundred, let me know. I'll send them out on the next transport to leave the system.”
“You're not trying to co-opt my idea, are you?” I asked jokingly, and he laughed.
“No, no. I am only encouraging your business venture and hope you will consider becoming one of our permanent clients. Although, I would suggest raising your prices soon.” The alien said, then he smiled. “The considerable amount of credits you've allowed me to gain from selling me all of these new and wonderful things so cheaply has put you in my black ledger.”
I had to blink my eyes for a moment as I processed that information.
“You've only been a positive dividend and it is rare to meet people such as yourself.”
“I intend to cause a lot of trouble soon.” I said.
The little alien laughed. “I expect it to be spectacular.” He said. “Will it be?”
“I'd say the odds are definitely in favor of that.” I said with a crooked smile and he laughed again.
“I'll keep an eye on you and see what you do.” The alien said and waved to one of the men behind him, who stepped forward and opened a small case and inside were the papers and security and ID card for the owner of the new space habitat. “I hope you enjoy your new living space.”
“I have no doubt that I will.” I said as I took the case and shook his hand again.
“I'll have a fast transport pick up your satellites tomorrow.” The alien said and walked away.
We went back into the shuttle and Jelly flew us back up to the new ship.
“I have to say that was the oddest meeting of a super-rich person I have ever witnessed.” Sheph said.
“He was downright friendly and personable this time.” I said and she gave me an odd look. “Yes, he was aloof most of the time and didn't really see us as people.”
“Wow.” Sheph said and was quiet for the rest of the trip. We landed in the shuttle bay and went up into the new ship. I paid the cargo ship I had rented from the Fogaris System and they went on their way, then the Udelis and the new ship flew over to the shipping containers.
“Oh... my... goddess!” Gleas exclaimed over the open communications channel. “We're going to live on that!”
At her words, everyone gathered in both cockpits to look at the absolutely massive space habitat that floated above the shipping containers.
“I'm docking first!” Gleas said happily. She brought the Udelis around and slid it in close and docked to the large docking ring around the station's core. We were far enough out to see her do it expertly.
“Don't let her show you up.” I said with a smile to Deborah, who nodded and brought us around in a similar fashion and docked us at the next spot on the ring. The ring was about a third of the size of the rest of the station and if my eyes didn't deceive me, up to six medium size ships could safely dock.
“I'm stepping on it first!” Hailey said and ran from the cockpit and Gleas' laugh came from the console. Deborah put the ship into standby mode and we all left the cockpit.
“You should probably stop Hailey from doing that.” Simone said with a smile.
I shook my head and picked up everyone's overnight bags. “You know it makes her happy.”
“We all do.” Sandy said from behind us. “We always let her do things first if it's possible. And safe.”
We caught up to Hailey and saw her standing just outside the main hatch. We all felt a trace of her wonder and astonishment, then we stepped out of the ship ourselves.
“Wow.” Gleas said as she stepped out of the next hatchway and looked at the huge atrium. “It's like being on a real planet.”
I was surprised at the sheer size of it as well. The pictures and descriptions didn't do it justice. It was a massive octagon shape with hatches spread around the outside for ships to dock. I was sure that the actual compartment had been smaller, then the Bogorim Corporation took some creative license with how to situate it on the first floor with the docking ring and joined them together to make one space.
“Is this really ours?” Hailey asked, her voice and thoughts were full of disbelief.
I knelt behind her, put my arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek. “Yes, Hailey. It's all ours.”
Hailey took a deep breath and let it out, then I felt a tingle run down my spine. “We're home.” She said, and the Presence carried her words throughout the entire habitat and it echoed back to us, just as loudly as she spoke it the first time.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“We are.” I said and stood, then took her hand. “Let's take a tour.”
Hailey nodded and everyone followed us as we visited every one of the two dozen compartments. We took the stairs and not the lift, so we could look at everything. By the time we reached the fourth and currently top floor, everyone else had found their individual rooms and taken their overnight bags. The only ones that hadn't were Simone, Hailey, and myself.
“Hunter.” Simone said and gave me a concerned look.
“We don't have to rush.” I said with a smile and pointed to the room hatch on the next facet of the octagon that was next to the one we stood in front of. Each floor had a central room in the shape of an octagon and five rooms were spread around them, with room for three more for expansions on each floor. The top two floors were for living quarters, so we had ten rooms for people to live in. The large media room we had ordered was in the center on the top floor.
“For now, you can claim that one for yourself and get moved in.”
Simone felt my resolve and nodded.
“Hailey, close your eyes.” I said and she did, then I took Simone into my arms and kissed her. My Presence touched hers and she moaned as our thoughts and feelings flowed together with the shared energy. I broke the kiss a minute later and Simone realized that being in the next room to me wasn't so bad. I chuckled at her thoughts and Hailey giggled. We both looked down to see her red face and wide eyes.
“You didn't say to keep them closed.” Hailey said with another giggle.
Simone laughed and I shook my head.
“Get inside.” I pointed to our room and Hailey turned and jumped into the room.
“I was first! Ha ha!” Hailey said and started to take off her clothes.
“Don't you dare!” I said and she laughed as she shut the door in my face and locked it with Presence. “HEY!”
Hailey's giggles trailed off and I watched her through the walls as she ran across the room and into the bathroom.
“She's rambunctious.” Simone said with a laugh. Thanks to Hailey making a connection with her, she didn't need to be close by to hear her thoughts. “She also loves you very much.”
“I know.” I said and turned to her.
“You love her, too.” Simone said softly.
I nodded. “I've known a lot of people in my long life and it's very rare to find someone to have such a great connection with.”
Simone nodded and reached up to touch my face. “It really is, and you have no problems waiting for them, either.”
“There's an old saying where I come from. Good things come to those who wait.”
Simone closed her eyes and let my Presence flow through her. “Thank you for waiting for me.”
“I knew you were worth waiting for.” I said and let my hands slide down her sides and lightly caressed her backside over the flight suit. Her breathing sped up at the casual touch and she opened her eyes to look into mine.
I am. Simone thought to me and her mental voice was a lot stronger than it had been when we first met.
“Now that we have actual living quarters, I'm sure I can convince Sandy and Beatrice to watch Hailey for a few hours next week.” I said. “We should all be moved in and settled by then.”
Simone's mind raced as she imagined having me all alone for a few hours, then whispered. “Oh, god.”
“I'll see you in the morning.” I gave her a quick kiss, turned her around, and gave her a little push.
“How much suds does she have going?” Simone asked with a smile.
“The room's nearly full.” I said and gave her another push. “I need to get in there to stop it.”
Simone turned, grabbed my wrist and pulled me off-balance, then kissed me hard on the lips. “Yes, Hunter. Even with you reading my thoughts, I can still surprise you.”
I stood up straight and stared at her as she walked over to her room door and swayed her hips.
Simone turned and looked back at me. “Suds.”
“Oh! Right!” I said and opened my room door and ran inside to the sound of her laughter. I opened the bathroom door and instead of meeting a wall of suds, they burst out and covered me. I had apparently waited too long to intervene. “HAILEY!” I yelled, and she laughed and laughed.
*
- flashback to a little while ago -
Luxea quietly laid on her side on the cot in her cell. She had waited two weeks after her trial for the right time to act and she knew that now would be her best chance. She had baited, teased, and enticed a quarter of the guards in the prison and gave the cold shoulder to the rest of them. She had been discreet about it for the most part, that way when they talked, it was a more interesting story. The ones she had chosen would feel that much better about themselves because they had her attention and the others didn't.
When the guard entered the hallway that led to the cells in her block, she slowly slid her thin blanket off of her hip just enough to show that she wasn't wearing any underwear. When the guard passed by her cell and peeked into the room to check that she was actually in bed, he paused for several moments longer than necessary. He quickly moved on after that and checked all of the rooms and that all of the prisoners were in their beds.
When he was done, he took a small device out of his pocket and hit several buttons in a special combination, then waited for the lights on the security cameras to change from green to red. He took out his passkey and swiped it on Luxea's door lock. It popped open and he slipped inside. As soon as the door shut, he was on his knees and had the blanket moved aside. To her surprise, he licked and sucked between her legs and then used his fingers on her for a few minutes.
Luxea pretended to be asleep while the man worked on her, then his pants were down around his ankles and when he entered her, she couldn't stop a small moan from escaping. Instead of scaring the guard off, he became much more vigorous in his movements and shook both her and the bed. It didn't take him long to finish, which wasn't a surprise for her, and he slid the blanket up over her hip and put his pants back into place. She thought that would be all, then he leaned over her and kissed her ear.
“Three o'clock. Laundry room. Back door.” The guard said.
The next day, Luxea was in the laundry room by the back door. When no one was looking, she turned the door handle, it sprung open, then she sneaked inside and shut it. To her utter relief, it was only the guard and and no one else.
“I have the cameras on a loop.” The guard said. “We have half an hour before shift change.”
Luxea smiled seductively as she pulled open her shirt and the guard drooled a little at the sight of her bare breasts. Her teasing had driven him absolutely wild and now he was practically putty in her hands. She approached him and knelt on the floor, because she wanted at least one more aspect of control over him. He stared at her as she opened up his pants and then she pleased him like he had never been pleased before.
Two weeks later, the guard had somehow arranged for an escorted weekend pass. It wasn't unheard of for prisoners, even ones convicted of committing such high profile and expensive crimes, so no one really questioned it. Luxea and the guard spent the entire weekend in a hotel. She didn't try to escape and she didn't try to overpower him or even try to convince him to let her out of his sight. That wasn't her goal.
Her goal was building trust.
Luxea knew when to bide her time and she took advantage when an opportunity presented itself. She understood that the guard wasn't going to be her ticket out. That would be too short-sighted of her. No, she needed to establish a pattern and this guard was the first step. A word here, a gesture there, and a feigned interest in certain things, would get her moving up the command structure. She was surprised when that opportunity presented itself barely three weeks later when she was caught going down on the guard in the laundry room.
“I knew there was something going on in my prison.” A man's stern voice said.
Luxea quickly turned away from the man she had been pleasing with her mouth, then she pretended to choke and spit and wiped off her face. She didn't have to fake the tears, because the guard was a bit too enthusiastic and it made for a great scene to be caught in. She looked absolutely pitiful with her jumpsuit half open, which exposed one of her breasts, and her desperate wiping of her mouth smeared her lipstick perfectly.
“W-Warden Shill!” The guard exclaimed and tried to pull his pants up to cover himself. “I... this isn't...”
“You better not tell me this isn't what it looks like, because it looks like you're having a prisoner suck your dick.” Shill said, his voice like ice.
The guard snapped his mouth shut and pulled his pants up. He managed to close them, despite not pulling his underwear up first.
“Normally, I would review something like this, take the circumstances into account, and then make a judgment upon the evidence.” Shill said. “However, just the fact you're in here shows that this wasn't a first time event for you.”
The guard couldn't lie and dispute that. He had, in fact, been in there nearly every second day when he could get the key during the shift change and put it back when he went off duty at night.
“You are to go right to the equipment room, drop off your things, then clean out your locker.” Shill said in the same stern voice. “I'll have your termination notice in your inbox by the end of the day.”
The guard couldn't protest being fired, since he had broken a dozen prison rules, not to mention his code of conduct vow, which he had broken more times than he could count. His eyes looked down at Luxea and he saw the state she was in. Make-up ruined, clothes half off, hair a mess, and tears in her eyes. He let out a long slow breath and walked out of the room.
After a few moments, the warden stepped into the room and shut the door. He didn't say anything at all as he slowly walked over to Luxea, then he crouched down in front of her.
Luxea flinched back and shook her head as she whispered. “N-no, I... I don't... don't hit me.”
Shill's stern face faded and it was replaced with a kind and caring one. “Don't you worry.” He said and reached out to flatten her hair. “No one is going to touch you without your permission ever again.”
Luxea took two sharp breaths and lifted her head to look into his eyes. Shill was struck by her beauty, even in the state she was in, and then he was surprised when she tentatively reached out and touched the lapel of his suit coat. In the next moment, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him and ducked her head into his chest as she hugged him.
“That's right. Never without your permission.” Shill said and hugged her back. He couldn't see that Luxea had let a wicked smile spread across her face.