Despite saying that he wanted to borrow Rachel for his undercover mission Judge hadn’t yet called on her. Instead with her main case appropriated and her other cases on hold Rachel got to spend several days alone in her new safe house apartment. Time alone meant time to think, and the only thing she could think about was that heart pounding moment with Astarte on the Iron Tree.

It wasn’t the first time she had met someone else with her…condition. But the last time had been a very different experience. It was confusing, a little exciting, but above all scary. She felt a lot of the same feeling with Astarte, but this time the scary part was different.

She had always been very afraid to look this sort of thing up online because she had been afraid her parents might see her search history, and then when her father threw her out she hadn’t ever wanted to think about it again. She had gone years without her condition being an issue, but then her mother came back into her life and had used it as a threat to control her wayward daughter. Then Alexandra had used Rachel to try and probe a pirate for info, and in that process she had become personally involved with another women who had the same unnatural urges as her.

But instead of finding someone to commiserate with, Astarte had made a pass at her. She made a pass and then got mad when Rachel said it was unnatural.

“Fuck’em” she had said.

As if it were that easy to ignore everything wrong with them. Every day of Rachel’s life had been about controlling how people looked at her. Every step measured so she didn’t bounce to much in the standard Union gravity. Every breath controlled so as not to appear anger or upset. Her arms permanently fixed at her side so as to not accidentally hurt someone with her dense deathworlder bones. How could she just ignore everyone and selfishly pursue her perversions?

But with hours of boredom to fill she decided to actually look into her condition. And she found exactly what she thought she would. Sexually frustrated serial killers, the declaration of a psychiatric disorder, and many quotes from moral religions damning that kind of depravity.

It confirmed all of her previous thoughts and she thought she put the issue to rest.

But then at her parents latest dumb party she saw Astarte arm and arm with Karega, both of them particularly sharing the same space, and she felt her anger bubble up. She had been dreading accompanying Astarte like she had agreed to, but seeing her enter arm and arm with her handsome and charismatic partner was not the relief it should have been.

It made sense that her and Karega were a couple. The two of them were obviously comfortable in each other’s presence, and since they both worked on the same ship it would be easy for them to… meet up.

But if she was already involved with her business partner then what the hell was she doing toying with Rachels emotions?

She was more than aware that couples cheated on each other all the time. Her father had his fair share of bedpartners outside of her mother. But why would the pirate try to pursue her specifically when she could have just found another man?

Rachel briefly considered whether Astarte’s relationship with Karega was strictly business with illicit, unnatural, fun on the side. But something about the way the pirate watched the other men at the party was a little too leering to be anything but lust filled.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Rachel scowled as the pirate gave that dammed sly smile to one of her mother’s business partners.

So obviously both humans genders were on the table for the Pirate’s tastes. Which left the question of why consider the queer option when the normal one was available to her? Rachel had tried so hard on her own to be normal to no avail, and yet this pirate had the option and chose to be scandalous.

It pissed her off.

She saw Astarte laugh at something and brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. The pirate caught her staring and her eye twitched in a quick conspiratorial wink. Or maybe she just had something in her eye and Rachel was just seeing what her traitorous mind wanted to see.

She scowled again and downed her drink in one gulp before she stormed off for a replacement.

Stupid pirate, playing with her feelings. Stupid parents, making her dress up for their pointless parties. Stupid Judge, making her try to get close to the pirate just so that she could find proof of her criminality.

She grabbed another glass of some cloyingly sweet alcohol and downed its contents, enjoying the slight burn as it washed out the bad taste in her mouth.

“Careful, you and I both know how much of a light weight you are.” A teasing voice said from behind her. The voice was just sweet and crisp as she remembered, Rachel felt a shiver crawl up her back.

Her jaw clenched as she turned to see Vivian. Sweet, doll-like, Vivian who still haunted her nightmares.

Growing up her mother always compared her to the sweet blonde girl from the Wells family. Where Rachel was stocky she was dainty. Where Rachel was ill at ease around the vipers her mother called friend, Vivian was the darling of every party she attended. Ands where her hair was a frizzy dry mess, Vivian’s was the color of gold and was easy to shape into any hairstyle she tried her hand at.

Even their names were of a different quality. Vivian’s name rolled off the tongue and sounded as sweet as the girl attached to it, while Rachel’s felt like something that got stuck in your throat on the way up.

Vivian was the benchmark of beauty Rachel always fell short of. It had been something of a surprise when the girl suddenly took an interest in her after Rachel had her last disappointing growth spurt.

The girl had no reason to lower herself to Rachel’s level. But during one of her parents parties the girl had gone out of her way to approach Rachel with a small offering of a glass of champaign. The night from there became fuzzy and hard to remember, though the most important details stuck in her mind.

“Vivian” Rachel greeted shortly.

The girl smiled, soft little dimples forming on her cheeks. “Come now, is that any way to greet me after you’ve been away from the station for so long?”

Away from the station? She hadn’t left Unity in her life- oh. Her parents cover story, right.

In her confusion she had failed to keep her expression neutral. She tried to control her features, but it was too late.

Vivian smirked “Unless those other rumors are true?”

“What rumors?” Rachel asked cautiously.

Vivian tilted her head to the side. “That you ran away from home and joined a terrorist group.”

The sheer absurdly was enough to make Rachel laugh before she could stop herself. The girl couldn’t be further from the truth.

“What’s so funny?” Vivian asked with a slight twinge of frustration.

“Nothing. You just need to find better sources.” Rachel said with a shake of her head.

She tried to turn and leave, but the next thing out of Vivians mouth made her stop. “So then what of the other rumor of you joining the ADCU?”

Vivian didn’t need Rachel to say anything, she knew that her flinch had given her away. She turned to face the girl who now wore a broader grin. “Wow, so its true.”

Rachel could understand Alexandra knowing about her job, but how did Vivian know? “How-”

“-How did I learn. It was easy. After that awful attack on the CPS I saw you in the background of the news feed walking next to one of those scary ADCU guys. I just put two and two together.”

Goddammit! Vivian was the last person she wanted to know about her job. She did not want the girl to have any leverage on her, or last any more than she already had.

“Oh, such a scary face.” Vivian exclaimed in false shock. “Really its nothing to be worried about. I think its exciting.” She took a step forward.

Rachel tried to step back but found the drink table blocking her escape.

“Oh come now don’t be like that, we have so much to talk about. Come, I know somewhere quiet.” She said getting uncomfortably close, her dainty little hand reaching for Rachels.

Only for a much larger hand to grab the girl by her wrist.

Rachel looked to her left to see Astarte looming over the two of them. “Its impolite to touch people without their permission.” The pirate chided blandly.

Vivian tried to pull hand back, but it was thoroughly held within Astarte’s unyielding grip. “Speak for yourself ogre.” Vivian growled, her sweet voice dropping to something ugly.

The pirate held on a moment longer before smirking, she gave the wrist one last squeeze that made Vivian turn pale before letting go. “Then please, do excuse my rudeness.” She said without a hint of contrition. She turned to Rachel “I believe you promised to accompany me, so shall we?” she asked, her voice more polite.

Rachel had no idea what the pirate had in mind, but anything that got her away from Vivian was a win in her book. “Yes, where too?”

Astarte smirked “Wherever we feel like.”