Chapter Thirteen

"Hey guy, put the weapons away. This is part of my crew and, believe me, it was just responsible for saving us. Hello Poly."

"Welcome, Captain," Poly spoke in its cultured female voice.

The soldiers were out of the shuttles and looking around with a bit of awe, looking at the other larger ships and the inside of the clean bay.

Turning to the sergeant and flagging Bruno, Keenan spoke. "Why don't you people wait here for a few minutes. I need to check on some things, and I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a response, Keenan went up the steps to the hall. Passing the cabins and storage areas, he glanced into the large galley. It gave him an idea as he made his way up the slanting ramp into the airlock door to the bridge.

Bruno was on his heels and went to his favorite place at the console. He took off some of the plates from his uniform but kept most of the black protective outfit he preferred to wear and sat down. Thea had several screens up, showing the outside dark with the stars and the ships that were still fighting, and one that showed the soldiers wandering around in the small bay.

Poly bobbed into the bridge and took its place between Thea's seat and the pilot's seat. Now his crew was complete, but Keenan had some action to put into place.

"Poly, set a course back to that motherfucker Commander Ereck's location but take the long way. I want some time to talk to our visitors. Thea, I want you to use your charms on the guys, especially the young trainee, to find out what that weapon is and why they put it inside him."

"Wait," Thea spun around in her chair to look at the tall male. "Did you say they put the weapon inside someone?"

"Yep, it is in the kid. So be careful, but find out what the hell it is, and if we need to put him inside the hazard cabinet."

"I can remove item and save person." That came from Poly.

Raising a hand, Keenan acknowledged the bot. "That will be a last resort. For now, you and Bruno take care of the ship. I'm going to get the sergeant separated and have a personal chat."

"You need a personal talk with a beautiful soldier. Sure." The snide comment came from Thea as she enlarged the screen showing the sergeant who was talking to one of the soldiers. The woman was something special, with those large green eyes. Now she pulled off the tight cap and shook her head. She wore her hair short, but it was heavy and a dark red.

"Thea, you do your thing, and I will take care of my job." With that, Keenan turned and left. He first stopped at the galley and pulled out two of the largest mugs he could find and filled them with hot black coffee. His guess was that a sergeant in the military would take her coffee straight, so he went on back and down the steps into the small bay.

Walking up to the sergeant, he held out a steaming mug. "Can I bribe you for some conversation?"

Smiling, Gilbert accepted the mug and took a sip of the hot drink. "You got me. Pure coffee. I haven't had good coffee for months. What are you thinking to talk about?"

At that moment, someone made a low whistle. Both Keenan and Mare looked over at the soldiers and then followed their eyes over to the steps. Standing there was sex embodied.

"I thought you boys would like some hot food." Thea's words were just a female's purr, and Keenan was surprised that there wasn't a rush to the bottom step. As for Thea, she was using one of her best weapons, her body. She stood on a step, halfway down into the bay. Her full breasts and tiny waist were accented by the tight black bodysuit she wore, which ended in the tall black shoes with the bold six-inch thin heels. Those long gorgeous legs were turned just right at an angle to show a tight ass that called for a squeeze.

A couple of the soldiers moved forward as the others looked back and forth between the sex symbol and their sergeant.

Mare smiled. "Go get something to eat; you have earned it, soldiers." The sergeant waved her hand, and there was almost a stampede. Keenan was surprised to see the trainee be the last one up the stairs. Perhaps he was still a newbie to sex and an unusual, beautiful hostess.

"So, is there somewhere we can sit down and have our talk?" The sergeant looked around the working bay area.

"Let's take a short tour, and I'm sure I can find us a quiet place to talk." Keenan led the way up the steps onto the narrow, slanted hallway. Passing empty cabins with the doors open and storage areas with the doors closed, he walked slowly, sipping his coffee.

As they passed the galley, they could hear the laughter, some comments as well as smell the good odor of hot food. He went onto the crew quarters and finally stopped at the Captain's quarters. His cabin was larger than what was found on most ships, and he appreciated the extra room. Placing his hand on the palm reader, the door slid open, and he entered, going over to a table that had a couple of chairs.

"If you're more comfortable, leave the door open." He took his jacket off and pulled on a white tee shirt. He took off his holster from his hip and put it on a shelf at the end of the bunk. At last, he sat down at the table, where he had put his mug.

Mare stepped into the cabin, looked around, and smiled. She placed her hand on the palm reader and let the door slide shut. Taking his lead, she took off the sling with the long gun and sat it by the door, and then took off her jacket. She had on the regular military loose tan tee shirt. But this lovely soldier was all female and had the right shape under that soft shirt. He could think of things to do with her if she only had on that shirt and nothing else.

All of her movements were careful as she juggled the mug of hot coffee. At last, she moved over and sat down across from him, and smiled. Now they could talk in private.

"Let's get into the meat of the subject. You are not the average person under contract to the Transformed." She tipped her cup at him and then drank.

"I'm sure. Actually, I'm only in this for the rescue of your troop and the weapon. I need a favor from Commander Ereck, and it seemed the only way the bastard would co-operate was to do something for him first."

Mare laughed into her cup. "You have him pegged, but you should have gotten your favor first. There is little chance of getting paid for any project you do for the little Commander."

Nodding, Keenan returned with a wicked smile. "Perhaps the little turd had misjudged me. There are all kinds of tricks out there, and he will have to come onto my ship to retrieve his troops. Do you think he is brave enough to enter the Adamant?"

Now the sergeant sat back and loosened the belt and first buttons on her pants to be more comfortable. "There isn't a brave bone in that short asshole's body. So, are you going to keep us, prisoners?"

"How about just comfortable guests until the Commander pays the hotel bill?" Keenan shifted in his seat and reached above to open a small cabinet built into the wall above the table. From it, he drew out a bottle of whiskey and two tall shot glasses. He poured what would be a standard shot and half of the tall thin glass in front of her.

She looked at it and then up at him. With an eyebrow raised, she put one finger on the top and tapped. He knew what she wanted and filled the glass to make a double shot of the rich, strong brew. He did the same in the other glass and picked up his.

Drawing up hers in her work-worn hands, she raised the glass to him and nodded. "To paying the hotel bill."

Smiling, Keenan tapped her glass with his. "To receiving payment in full."

The bottle was half empty before they made it to his bunk. The lady was as good as her looks promised, using every inch of her body to meet him in every movement and whatever his mouth, hands, and cock demanded. The first time was fast, the second was better, and the third left them sweaty and falling asleep on the bunk.

Not knowing what time it was when he woke up in the dark cabin, Keenan did not want to wake the warm body between him and the wall of the cabin. He slowly got up, grabbed some clothes, and, as he went out the door, set her long gun outside in the hall. He would have Poly pick it up and put it with the rest of the troops' weapons.

He ducked into the first unused cabin and spent a short time in the shower to get the smell of sex off. Dressed, he made his way up to the bridge to find out what, if anything, Thea had learned from the men.

What amazed him about Thea was she could spend two days and two nights without sleep, out drinking a crew at a bar, and beating them at some game, and come to the ship looking as if she had just stepped out of a woman's spa.

Stumbling over the lip of the airlock door as he entered the bridge, Keenan held the large mug of coffee as if it were a lifeline. He blinked his eyes at the blue lights from the screens and slid down on his spine into his favorite seat. He looked over at Thea, who winked and looked like she had just slept for sixteen hours straight. That woman had recuperative powers that were unbelievable.

"Rough night, Boss?" Bruno asked as he got up to turn the ship over to them. It was time for him to get some real shuteye.

"Nope, just the opposite." Keenan took a gulp of the hot coffee, hoping the burn of the liquid would do something to jar him awake. "What did the fucking soldiers tell you?"

"Nothing. The idiots know nothing. They had a doctor hide a small box in the kid, but none of them knows what it is, including the stupid kid. Who lets someone put a weapon inside of them without asking questions?" Thea shook her head while she ran her hand across a few light buttons to check their destination. "You know we're going to be several days out here before meeting that damn Commander, don't you?"

"Yes, I told Poly to take the long way. Where are the fucking pills? I have a headache." He leaned forward to pull a drawer open. It was full of trash, and he pushed a few things aside and shut it again.

"Here." Thea handed him a paste tab. They were a type of med that was attached to the body and slowly dissolved through the skin. They would disappear as the meds moved through the blood. Relief began fast.

"So, what I did find out," Thea continued with her information. "The troop was sent out to obtain the weapon that was contained in a small container that was made from a natural element that was bone-like material. This was what convinced everyone that it was safe to put into a living body."

"So why did they decide to even put it into Shutter?"

"Because of being caught in the war. They lost their ride and were trapped in the middle of battles of people that no one knows who is fighting, and what they are fighting about." Turning her chair, she looked at Keenan. "I saw an OOW warship as we came into Duna Plus, but they didn't seem to be doing anything. Do you know what they were doing there?"

"No, the Organization of Worlds usually only gets into a fracas when someone evil attacks a lot of helpless people that appeals to them. I didn't see anyone, in particular, making an appeal. Duna Plus seems to be in a bunch of battles, among a lot of people with no real central plan." Keenan sat back, at last, enjoying his coffee and his favorite chair."

"Do you want me to keep working on the soldiers?"

Looking over at the beautiful woman, Keenan had an idea. "You know what we need is an accident with our ship. One bad enough to shake everyone up and cause some injuries."

"An accident with the Adamant?" Thea looked puzzled. She knew the strength and abilities of the great ship made it almost impossible to damage.

"Yes, so that maybe a couple of the soldiers might get broken bones, and one might require Poly to perform an operation."