Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

Killian's shoulder was sore when he got back to the kitchen. The girl was more than chipper and excited sounding. He wasn't quite as excited now that he knew about her past. Something she should have been up front with him about. "No we're not exploring it." Meeting her gaze he set the fork down and looked at her and then to Adam. Nodding to the other man he had him bring the tablet up. "Found a few interesting things on you. Adam brought them to me and its only fair that Mike knows too."

Almost looked like she was going to throw a fit and Killian met her gaze. "Stay where your at. Is there anything else we should know that isn't on that damn screen? Every one of us here is wanted for something or another. This has put every one of my crew and myself at an increased risk and you should have told us before I got shot." He was feeling slightly irritable over it. "If I would have known that before we went out there I might have taken different precautions." Both of his men had stayed quiet but, they knew there wasn't any going back at this point. There was no way that they could turn her in without going to the gallows themselves.
 
"Well, its not like I trusted any of you any more than you trusted me. I'll remind you that I spent my first week on this ship locked up in a cell. " Star protested. She was trying to sound angry and offended, but Killian saw right through it. She was nervous and scared. She wrung her hands, probably worried they were going to turn in her in for the bounty. "Killing the Senator....that was...that was an accident, alright." Star stares down at her meal, appetite gone.

"I owed a guy...70k in galactic creds. I couldn't pay him, so he said I could work off my debt by doing jobs for him. My last job was planting a bomb on a shuttle, rigging it to go off when the engines started. I didn't want to do it, but he said it belonged to a gang of human smugglers. Guys who sold kids...that sort of thing. So...I did it. Only it wasn't gangsters who got on board, it was the senator and his family. I...I didn't even know it was them who got killed till I was suddenly arrested."

She looks up at Killian with pleading eyes. "I know you don't really have any reason to trust me...but I'm begging you...please don't turn me in. Drop me off at the station or something if you're going to get rid of me but...don't turn me in."
 
No matter the excuses it didn't really help. Killian's eyebrows raised slightly. They all knew which accident she was talking about. "Uh huh so blowing up a ship owned by smugglers. Ever occur to you that if it was what he told you the ship might have been full of kids?" Again it was another pitiful case of someone not really knowing the whole situation and acting on their fears.

Even if the girl was looking at him he didn't have the final say on this until his crew had a chance to say something. "Well nothing's decided yet. Go to your quarters I'll come tell you what's gonna happen when its decided."

After she left he looked to both of the other men. "What do you say about her?"

Mike thought for a moment. "Turning her in won't get us anything except killed. Might as well keep her I guess."

"Keep her but, I don't want her in my room." Adam looked to Killian. "Tell her whatever you want but, I won't have her anywhere near the navigation room or my personal room."

Killian nodded. "Fair enough." Getting up from the table he started down the hall and stopped at the girl's room. He wasn't really used to having a girl around and so he forgot to knock and just pushed the door open. "We're keeping you. One condition. Adam doesn't want you anywhere near him or his areas." It would limit some of the places she had been used to having the freedom of exploring but, she'd done it to herself.
 
Star gives him first a shocked look which quickly turns to outrage. She'd been in the process of changing, her bare back to the door. "DON'T YOU KNOCK!?!?" Star demands angerly, quickly pulling her shirt on, but not before he'd seen the winged tattoo marking her lower back. He only saw it for a second, but if he was right, it was the gang tag for "Hell's Angels." A gang that had one of the most infamous bosses in the business. Even the Alliance was terrified to touch him.

"Seriously, have you no respect for privacy?" Star crosses her arms in front of her in a huff, her face bright red. If she'd been holding a gun, she may very well have shot him.
 
Killian spotted the tattoo and he couldn't help the rage that had started to boil. They had just finished asking her if there was anything else they should know and she lied again. No matter that she was angry he was just as mad. Stepping down into the room he pushed her against the wall with his one good arm. "I asked you if there was anything else we should know. That tattoo seems like an awfully big detail to leave out. I know who that is and I have the power to override the crew I will do it." His green eyes met her face and he pushed a little harder on her till the girl winced. "You'd better come out straight with me or I swear I'll kill you right here and you wouldn't be the first."
 
Star was breathing heavily, clearly frightened by his sudden aggression. "What do you want me say? That my boss was the one I owed? That he ordered me to plant the bomb? What difference does that make!? The day I got arrested was the day I was no longer part of the gang. I was about to be executed and they left me there to die! The way I see it, the tattoo is just that now. A tattoo with bad memories attached. Now get off me." She pushes him away from her, trying to reinstate some semblance of control over the situation.
 
The man let his hand fall from her but he still held his gaze steady. "You might have mentioned who the boss was. If this was just for me I might have overlooked something like that but, you seem to forget that I'm responsible for Mike and Adam too." There was a lot more to being a captain than just doing the coordinates. He had to know every part of his ship and be able to take over for any of the crew in addition to making decisions. Besides they were all criminals and to keep it running smooth he had to have their absolute respect. "I'll let this go for now. If you have anything else at all that comes up like this that you didn't tell me about you'd better get off the ship when we dock and never come back. Otherwise if I find out you'll have brain matter wherever the hell it is that I decide to plunk you off at."
 
Killian left, closing the door none to softly behind him. Now alone, she's free to break down. She slides down the wall, burying soft sobs into her arms. Just when she'd thought she'd begun to fit in someplace, that she'd begun to earn some trust...this happens. She'd thought for sure he'd been about to kill her, and she's reminded that he wasn't just any captain. He was Killian...the infamous smuggler. He'd left enough bodies in his wake to make pirates think twice about jumping his crew.

She'd been lucky so far. But her pretty face and feminine charms had just reached as far as they would take her. Now, she was on a very thin edge. One wrong move and she'd find herself dead in a ditch, or in the arms of the Alliance. Neither of which were an appealing option. She couldn't leave either...she had no where to go and no one could protect her like this crew could. She wipes the tears from her face, taking a breath and recomposing herself. I never wanted this life...but its the only one I've got. Somehow...I'll make the most of it.
 
The lady had to learn to trust them completely and not leave them hanging. Information like that could get them killed. Storming out of the room Killian took himself to his room and laid down for a while. He'd pushed it a little hard and he knew it. There was nothing quite like making this kind of discovery about a new crew member. She didn't tell him and it was a serious problem. Over and over he hashed it in his brain till he fell asleep.

Mike waited till he was sure that it blew over. Wandering to the girl's room he knocked carefully before he opened the door. "Hey now..." He had no idea that Killian had just finished giving her the dead speech or that there was yet more to her story. "I wouldn't take it so hard. Captain gets a little crazy about his ship and crew. We all know there isn't a safer place to be. All of us are here for various reasons and we'd all be up for public execution if we got caught. Just know if your honest with him he'll take care of you." The older man chuckled. "I didn't tell him about myself either when I joined. Most of us go through this at some point. You must have done something to get to him. Otherwise you would have died in the kitchen. Adam still doesn't like you much. Stay clear of him. He'll come around in time."

Stepping back out of the room he shook his head.
 
"Thanks, Mike." Came the soft reply, her only response to his well-meaning speech.
***
The next day was awkward to say the least. Star walked around the crew in near silence, as if worried that one word from her would set someone off and she'd find herself dead or worse. Their meals were things that suffered most, her cooking dropping to a barely passable level. Still better than flash-frozen rations...but not by much.
Star avoided both Adam and Killian as much as possible, coming out of her room only to cook then hiding away again till the next meal. It was around 10pm by the time the Ontarian Space Station had come into view. And what a view it was. The Station itself was nearly the size of small moon. Hundreds of ships went to and from the station carrying cargo and people of all kinds from all around the galaxy. Some of the rarest items, foods, drugs and artifacts could be found here in abundance. It was a smugglers dream vacation. No matter how many security personal there were, it would be impossible to cover everything. Not too mention, they probably saw so many unsavory characters all the time, they only bothered with the biggest fish.

Star stares out her window sadly. She'd wanted to visit this station all her life. Her father had always promised to take her...yet another promise broken. Perhaps it was for the best she weren't going though, with the bounty on her head and everything. No doubt she'd just attract more trouble and piss Killian off even more. Still...she couldn't help but imagine if she'd come here under different circumstances.
 
Though the food wasn't as great none of the guys complained. Mostly they ate in silence or would curse at each other like usual. Until the girl made her mind up at the port they weren't saying anything more. Killian had figured she was playing shy. Most of his recruits did and they either disappeared or shaped up.

********************************************************

As they were preparing to leave Killian noticed that Star was still hiding out on board. Looking at the other two he shook his head. "You know what you need. I'm gonna go get her and find out what the story is." Mike and Adam left the ship to get their supplies and whatever else they needed with their pay. Killian still had the girl's money from her cut out of the last job. They would pick up the rest of their pay here at an account that Killian had their man set up and he would send a message warning about the buyer.

This time he was a little more considerate and just as he started to push the door open he turned his head away and knocked. "Hey I've got your pay and your coming with me." There wasn't time to explore, they had quite a few things to get done before they were spotted.
 
Star appears at the door. "I thought I wasn't allowed." She looks down, and as he drops her portion of creds into her hand her heart leaps. A smile appears. Maybe her situation wasn't so bleak after-all. She follows him out of the ship with a fresh bounce in her step. "So...are you still mad at me?" She asks hesitantly as he closes the ramp to the ship, making sure it was securely locked.
 
"We're not exploring. Its business." Killian didn't know why she got the idea that not exploring didn't mean no excursion. "There's your cut from the last job. We got to get the rest of it out of the bank and then we'll all meet up at the center. You'll get a certain amount extra to buy what we need for the kitchen. Everybody gets pay and then additional money for the ship." He did his books so that the ship got a large cut of the pay. That was so that no one had to actually take out of their own money to buy anything. Sometimes the cut seemed a bit smaller but, it was better if it was all theirs.

Before they had even got out of the ship she was asking a ridiculous question. "Should I be? Do you have something else you're hiding? Today is your last freebie chance to fill me in on anything else potentially life threatening to the crew that we should know about. Things that we could prepare for."
 
Her eyes shifted slightly as she thought. "Not that I can think of. Aside from the fact that I have demolitions expertise as well as hacking skills. But...I wouldn't consider that...life-threatening." She smirks then turns away, waving her chips at him. "See you at the center in a few hours!"
~~~
The station was everything she'd hoped it would be. Vendors of every sort lined the street while sellers haggled their wares. There were trinkets and weapons, food and jewelry, ship decals and parts, even face-changers- though that would have cost way more than she had. She buys a bag of candies however, nibbling on them as she explored the vendors on her way to ship supply section. One lady grabs her arm, making her jump. "Ayeee, you like color...lots of color." The old woman waves a finger at her hair. "Give you new color, new look, Ayee. Only 20 credits!" Star looked at herself in the mirror. She smiles down at the enthusiastic old woman. "Sure. Make it quick though."
"Ayeee, Mimi very quick...so quick, you see..." She pulls Star behind a curtain and gets to work on her hair while Star showed her from a catalog what style of cut she wanted. "Ayeee, Mimi can do whateva' you want, and do it betta'. See, oh so good already."

Star has to chuckle at the woman's way of speaking. It was fun to say the least and her enthusiasm even more so. 15 minutes later Star poses in the mirror. Her hair had been shaved along the sides, allowing for a soft Mohawk in the middle http://www.short-haircut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Short-red-hairstyles.jpg. Then it had been dyed an orangish red. She liked to think it made her head look like it was on fire. Star turns and grins at Mimi. "Excellent! You are fast!"
"Ayeee....technology help lots too." She holds out her wrinkled hand expectantly and Star drops 30 creds into her hand and hurries off to her next destination. Clothing.

She'd joined Killian's ship with naught but the outfit she was wearing and two others stuffed into a shoulder bag. She spent the next hour picking out two weeks worth of outfits and a variety of other things that would make her little room feel more homey paying extra creds to have them dropped off at the ship for her. With less than an hour left to meet the others at the Center, she hurries to the ship supplies and purchases what she they needed for food along with a few specialty items like hotchocolate and cake mix.

With that complete she walks over to the center. By the time she arrived everyone was already there, waiting on her. They looked somewhat annoyed that she was a bit late but she trotted up with the biggest smile on her face. She runs her fingers through her new haircut. "So, what do you think? Cute, right?"
 
Killian barely got to look at the little smirk before the lady took off with the credits. He was hardly amused by her racing. Still she told him something useful. A demolitions expert could come in handy depending on what sort of thing they needed to do with upcoming jobs. At least that was an option now that he knew about it. The captain took his time to get to the bank. Often they worked on only half the money since it was an agreement a long time ago that the books were open for anyone to look at. He didn't want anyone thinking that he skimmed anything off the top. Half the money from each trip was also a way that they had found years ago kept crew members from spending the money too frivolously.

First he found the charter shop and started to dig through. It was mainly black market items and maps that would be otherwise illegal to own. Anything with newer routes was always welcome. Smugglers would often share a few routes that wouldn't be too risky to have heavier traffic and from there they found their own. It was dangerous to be discovering new routes but, he was getting close to having to do that.

Nodding he smiled and paid for one of the new maps. Moving on to find more medical equipment he stuffed it into the sack that he had slung over his back. Killian didn't spend much time looking for anything personal. He didn't have time with all the extra odds and ends he tried to take of on the ship. It was his ship that he bought after all. True the crew did pay a ship fee out of their wages but, it was only because all the maintenance on it was what kept them afloat. Perhaps at the next place he would have time to get a few things. Glancing at the clock as he finished the last of the business he figured there was just enough time to get their funds from the last deal.

The banker smiled at Killian. This was all black market money. "Oh I see a few credits in your name. Looks like it's about 25000 credits. That sound about right?"

"Yep." Looking around carefully he made sure there wasn't anyone in compliance patrolling this area just yet. Though there were so many smugglers that often nobody was bothered by the compliance officers he still didn't like them to see him here. You never knew if the fellow smugglers would come to your aid and chase the military off or if they would just let you go to prison. At any rate it was dangerous enough that more often than not the military was just here to look pretty.

Now that he was done with his business he walked to the center court. Adam and Mike were ready. Looking around he turned a full circle. "Where is she?" Both of the other men shrugged. "She knew we were meeting here. Center court." It was obvious enough that he figured she couldn't have got lost. After he'd waited almost 10 minutes he sighed and put his bag down.

Finally she came up all smiles and her hair in a spike. Raising one eyebrow Mike just stared at her, Adam frowned and Killian's jaw dropped. The three of them stood there as if they were stunned for a moment before resuming their usual irritated postures. Killian shook his head. "I don't care what your hair looks like...It is better than the pink but...W-Well, you're late!" Picking his stuff up off the ground he started back toward the ship again. For most of the way he kept looking back at her hair. The red was pretty catchy and he couldn't deny that. Still he wasn't going to condone her being late just because she had a nicer haircut. It would be far less likely to get her hurt. Then the most shocking of all was when they arrived at the ship.

There were men and women hauling a few boxes up to the ship. He'd been so irritated and distracted by her that he hadn't noticed she wasn't carrying anything. "Wha-w-what is this?" Setting his bag down he gave an exasperated huff. Whoever was delivering didn't say anything and they just left it all sitting there. Killian walked over to a box and opened it. He had sort of wished he hadn't. Right on top was a few pieces of underwear and a bra. "Oh." Clearing his throat he closed it again. "That...You'd better hurry up and get that stuff put away."
 
"The Captain of the infamous Killian Crew flustered by a few pieces of underwear?" Star teases walking over to the box while laughing. "Oh, I am so going to remember this." She continues to laugh while picking up the box and hauling it inside the ship. It wasn't a cruel laugh though. It was the sort a friend would use to tease another friend. With everyone working together the boxes were quickly taken to the appropriate places and the shuttle door closed.

"I sure wish we could've spent a few days there." Star says as she comes back out of her room after unpacking. She was wearing a new outfit now. A flattering green sweater with soft blue slacks. Girls and their clothes. "Ooh, you'll be excited by some of the things I picked up. Look, hot chocolate!" She pulls a large canister out of one of the boxes. "You know how hard it is to find anything chocolate now a days? Oh, yes...mixed greens! Gotta keep our fiber up, and..." She continues announcing each item happily, not caring whether anyone was actually in the kitchen listening to her gush over their menu.

"OH! I forgot!" Star rushes back to her room and returns a few minutes later with something behind her back. She walks right up to the Captain, while Mike and Adam were in close proximity. "I got you a present." She says with a flirty smile then holds it up. A bullet proof vest. "Next time I'm not there to save your life...maybe this will." She laughs with that teasing laugh again.
 
Killian waved his hand at her. "Hurry up. I don't have time for you to run prance around showing off all your new stuff." It was entirely irritating to see that the woman thought it was funny. He wasn't privy to womanly attire and he didn't want to be. The other two members of the crew smirked, but kept on with their work. For the time Killian busied himself setting the supplies in his control room. Those he could store later and what mattered the most was putting away the medical equipment.

He barely finished putting away the medical clothes and he returned to the main room with a few other supplies. Following Mike's and Adam's gaze he caught view of Star in her new clothes. She had a fine figure. Momentarily he paused just to look. It was only part of a man and he certainly couldn't help but be curious. Lowering his gaze he remembered she was part of the crew. No time to think of her like that. Most of the things she was holding up with glee didn't make it past the section of the brain that registered hearing. None of it was passing into comprehension.

Suddenly Star was brushing past the three of them. Killian looked at the other two and shrugged. Before she returned Mike gave the captain a questioning gaze. "Did she really have a box full of underwear?" He had been rather curious if what the woman was teasing the captain about had been true.

"Yes." Killian glowered at the man. "A lot of it. All you need is just about 4 different sets of clothing. She had way more than that just by my estimation."

Mike and Adam nodded. They'd never had a woman on the crew before and so most of this was entirely different and strange. "Do you think we'll have time to stop at the brothel next stop?" Adam piped up while he was on the subject. Besides if he was thinking about the other two likely were to.

"Uh huh. I think we'll take time for that. She'll find something to do with herself for a night." The captain didn't know what girls did for entertainment, but he knew there were certain things he and crew had to take care of if they were going to be civil. "Alright get back to work you two." Pushing at them Killian tried to usher them along their way since the 3 of them had been caught just staring. Before he could get rid of the other two Star returned and shoved a package toward him. Killian frowned. "Why do I get the feeling I don't like this idea?" Balancing the package he gingerly picked at the wrapping with his injured side. It took a while to get it unwrapped and then he laughed. "Oh I don't think I'll be needing it anytime soon."

Mike chortled and dodged a playful punch from the captain. "If ye say so."
 
Star was inwardly cheering. She'd gotten both the Captain and the tough old engineer to laugh. Not an easy task. Hopefully that meant the tension between them was finally dissipating. Even Adam seemed to be warming up to her. She went to work cooking up one of her best meals yet. The new ingredients gave her a much wider variety of options to choose from to make the boring rations into meals fit for kings.

She laughed as the men lurked around the kitchen area, drawn to the smell that made their mouths water. She may have slowed the cooking process just a little to tease them. Men...they could only be irritated for so long. Eventually, food always warmed their spirits. Star watched their faces as they ate. Mike's hard lined expression eased into a barely noticeable smile. Even Adam had to murmur a word of admiration.

"So, what's the next job, Cap? We going anywhere interesting?"
 
Finishing the work and setting the ship to auto pilot the men were without any work. Killian had made sure he cleaned the medical bay as best he could with one arm. He also stored all the new equipment. Adam had finished installing the map updates from Killian and gave the additional material back to the captain. Mike had finished installing the new fuel line and stored a few extra parts in the storage reserved for his equipment.

Now that they were done the three of them hovered outside the kitchen. It was better not to get in her way. Killian leaned comfortably against the rail and Adam's arms were crossed in front of himself while Mike sat on the rail. Finally she called for dinner and the three piled in. "Smells good." Once or twice Killian found a piece of food that was so unfamiliar to himself that he chopped it into smaller bites before he tried it. Just in case it wasn't something he liked. So far he hadn't found any such thing on the plate. Nearing the end of the meal Star asked about another job. "Eh...Hmmm." Clearing his throat he tried to think of how to say it. The other two were giving him a serious look and they all knew what the next stop was.

"Well I figured the guys and I have had a few long hard weeks and it was time for a short furlough. Just 1-2 nights on a planet. Its an interesting place with lots of uh...Plenty of entertainment. Everyone is on their own for those nights." Killian pushed another bite of food into his mouth.

****************************************************

When they landed at the next planet Killian opened the safe and pulled out the other half of pay for the guys, himself, and Star. "There we go." Giving the credits to them all he grinned. "Party hard and meet back here tomorrow evening. We'll decide then if we need one more night or not. Then we'll see if anything needs smuggling from here." There was usually something to take and Killian knew where to look for the sellers and he could probably make another trip back here to pick up the pay in person and deliver some more goods then wire the money owed to the seller from a bank at the next planet.
 
Star had never been to this planet before. Outside the docking bay were plenty of flashing lights and interesting looking spacers of all sorts. Most of the 'entertainment' was gambling, clubs, ring fights and brothels. She felt a nervous shiver go up her spine. This was not her favorite sort of atmosphere...at all. Too many times in atmospheres like this, drunk men mistook her for one of the working girls. It was never pleasant. She made them pay for her discomfort by lifting their wallets and taking their creds. That always made her feel better.

Star pulled the hood of her black sweatshirt up over her head, concealing herself as much as possible as she entered the heavily populated portion of the station. She pushed through the crowds stopping every now and again to buy a snack or play a gambling game. She ended up losing more than she'd gained and eventually moved on to something else. As she walked she kept an eye out for any suspicious activity. A flash of movement at her lower right side drew her attention. She reached down and snatched the thing that was touching her.

A street child was attempting to pickpocket her creds and she'd literally caught his hand in her pocket. He looked up her pleadingly. "Please don't beat me, miss." He covered his face with his free hand. Star knelt next to him, still holding his wrist. "I'm not going to beat you. What's your name?"
"Timo, miss." He replies, clearly confused by her tender voice.
"How old are you, Timo?"
The boy shrugs. "Dunno, maybe 7....maybe 10. I like 10."
Star's heartstrings were tugged with compassion. "Well, Timo...its never nice to steal...but I can give you this." She handed him a credit chip worth 50 credits.
His eyes went wide and he held the chip as if it were gold. "Thankyou, Miss! Thankyou, so much!" He runs off, disappearing into the crowd.

She smiled brightly, her heart lifted and continued on. An hour passed. She'd grown tired of the place and moved to head back to the ship when a tug at her sweatshirt drew her attention. She looked down to see 15 little faces all staring up at her expectantly. Among them, the boy she'd given the credit chip to earlier. The children all wore rags, and were between the ages of 6 and 14. They were covered in dirt and bruises, body's thin from lack of food. All these orphans...no doubt the children of the many prostitutes here left to rot or to be forced into the brothels themselves. Her heart broke.
"Spare a credit, miss?" One of them asked, holding up her hand. All them begged the same way, surrounding her legs and holding out grubby little hands in the hope they might get something. Star couldn't help herself. She did. Each one got twenty credit chips. Enough to last them a little while. They cheered happily some of them running off while others grabbed her arms and pulled her along.

"Where are we going?" She asked with a laugh. They didn't respond but continued to push and pull her through the crowd till they reached a small opening in an alley wall. The children crawled through and with much prompting she followed them. They were in the air circulation vents. That much she could tell. She had to spend much of the journey on her hands and knees in order to fit, but finally it opened up into a massive room. There were make shift beds everywhere, with at least 20 children all crammed together.

They laughed happily as they pulled her to the center, making her a makeshift throne and putting a crown of trinkets and cloth on her head. They all spoke to her at once, asking her name, telling her their names and asking more questions than she could ever hope to answer. Star laughed and smiled with them, inwardly crying at their state of living. Hours later, after hundreds of stories had been exchanged, she fell asleep next to them. And that was how she spent her first night.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top