“I guess you’re going to have to open the door and find out,” replied Aria.
A faint sound of “woooooo” in the background preceded delighted laughter from Jack himself.
“Duly noted, milady. But I don’t think you get unsupervised playtime just yet. I’ll send someone along shortly.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “Bring as many people as you think you need.”
More laughter. “Be careful what you wish for, young miss.” The intercom switched off.
Aria sat down on the end of the bed.Right.Time to see what I can do.
She didn’t need to wait long before the door shifted open to reveal a slender woman, clad in black. She looked familiar to Aria. “Weren’t you one of my kidnappers?”
The woman looked her up and down while Aria fought not to squirm. “My name’s Quinn,” she said finally. “Mad Jack says you’re to come with me. And if you remember me, you remember this,” she said, pointing to the shock rod on her belt. “Any false moves, and you’ll be twitching on the floor like a gaffed fish.”
“Whatever you think you need to handle me,” shot back Aria as she stood up.
Quinn shrugged. “Follow me, and no trouble.” She stalked off.
Quinn’s bodysuit left nothing to the imagination, and Aria could not help but examine the woman. Quinn was built like a gymnast, and, although slender, her body was taut and sleekly muscled. She walked lightly on the balls of her feet.
Is she the competition?Wait, competition for what? Why on Palamar should I be jealous? I hate the bastard.
Humiliatingly, Quinn looked over her shoulder with a gaze that was both amusing and a little bit seductive. “Like what you see, milady?”
Quinn did not wait for a response but seemed to swayed her hips a little more as she resumed her walk, leaving Aria tongue-tied.
Furiously trying to shift gears, Aria turned her attention to the ship itself. The corridor was clean, with no indication of the vessel’s piratical nature. If anything, the ship hummed with the kind of crisp efficiency that one might expect from a military vessel.
The crew members themselves, however, seemed to be anything but. If Quinn’s outfit would get her stopped on the street for public indecency, some of the people who passed her in the corridors appeared as if dressed for a carnival. There did not seem to be any distinction between human or alien crew, and outfits varied from drab overalls to multicolored ensembles shocking to her eye.
“What on Palamar…” Aria muttered, as a particularly hairy creature shambled past, exchanging a joke and a laugh with a brightly dressed Atrean half its size.
“Very little of Palamar to be seen here, milady,” observed Quinn as they walked. “Mad Jack draws his talent from every end of the galaxy.”
Was that a hint of pride in Quinn’s voice? “And where did he find you?” asked Aria.
Quinn snorted. “Near Tarma.” They turned down another corridor.
“Tarma?” Aria gasped. “The same planet that produces…well…”
Quinn glanced over her shoulder, amusement and flirtatiousness in her eyes. “Yes, the same planet. I trained at the Pleasure House of Tarma. Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll teach you a thing or two.”
Then she was off again, leaving Aria following awkwardly in her wake.
Finally, they reached the ship’s command deck, where Jack lounged in the enormous captain’s chair, one leg dangling over an armrest. Various crewmembers were busy at their workstations under his lazy supervision.
“Mad Jack Marx,” intoned Quinn with mock formality, “may I introduce to you the Lady Aria of Palamar.”
Jack sprang up with athletic ease and a deep bow. “My lady, how delightful to see you! Welcome to theMaracaibo.”
“The what?” she asked.
“TheMaracaibo, milady,” replied Jack, making a sweeping gesture. “A beautifulKingfisherclass corvette stolen from the finest shipyards of Altair.”
At an appreciative murmur from the crew at their various stations, Aria became aware that Jack was playing to an audience.Two can play that game.
“A very nice choice, Mad Jack,” she cooed. “Did the crew come with the ship, or did you get them at a discount later?”
