minimal damage done by the skirmish and escape.
Dexter shrugged. “I’m fine,” he muttered, worrying about their future now that they were safe.
“You’ve been shot in the arse,” she pointed out.
“I’m milking it.” He changed the subject, worrying about it would do him no good since Bekka, their healer, was manning the helm at a time when they needed every inch of distance they could get. “How are our stores?”
Jenna scowled at him, knowing he needed tending to, but decided to go along with him for the moment. “They got the bombards off, but we managed to keep a few barrels of the fire powder. All of our other stores remain, plus we can add a few things we took off the pirates we killed.”
“How many’s ‘a few’?” he asked. “And what ‘things’ did we inherit?”
“Four barrels,” she answered, “one more pistol, two short swords, four daggers, and a hatchet.”
Dexter nodded. “How’s Rosh?”
“He’s big,” Jenna said matter-of-factly
“I mean how’s he settling in?”
“Kragor took him below, beyond that I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Alright, if he needs anything, weapons or such, let him have it.” Dexter stopped his limping walk and put his hand against the deck railing to steady himself.
“Captain?” Jenna asked, concerned.
Dexter looked at her, surprised. “That’s the most you’ve called me captain since we’ve met,” he pointed out.
Jenna shrugged. “Maybe you’re earning it. I think you need to lay down though, you’re not looking good.”
“I got shot in the ass, how’m I suppose to look?”
Jenna hid her smile by glancing away, then turned back at him. “Alright, if you say so.”
“If I say wha-“
Jenna’s hand had swung around, the bag of coins she held in it connecting with the back and side of his head. Dexter’s words turned into an explosion of air as he collapsed heavily to the deck. “Sorry, Captain,” Jenna said softly.
She bent over him and put her hands under the arms of the unconscious man, dragging him along the deck and then down the stairs to her cabin. As soon as she saw Kragor and Rosh she called them over, making them help her carry him to his cabin.
“What happened?” Kragor demanded.
“He collapsed,” Jenna said, leaving out the part where she caused it.
“I’ll get Bekka!” Kragor said, turning to head up the passageway.
“No, we need the speed and distance, I’ll check him out first,” Jenna said.
“You’re a healer?” The dwarf asked suspiciously.
Jenna glared at the stumpy first mate. “I know enough, now quit wasting time!”
Grumbling under his breath about the flighty nature of elves, they dumped Dexter in his cabin on his bed. Jenna then shooed the other two out the door and shut it behind her. Sighing, she turned back around and stared at the prone form of the man.
“I’ve got you alone and in bed, now what?” She wondered aloud, albeit softly. She chuckled and moved to him, untying and lowering his breeches. She could only smile at what she knew would be his embarrassment if he knew what she was doing.
She admired the muscles of his legs and the apparent firmness of his butt, once she had wiped the blood free. His wound still bled, but given there was a lead bullet imbedded in his right cheek, it was understandable why. She was glad he was out cold because the pain of what she had to do would not be a pleasant thing to bear.
Several minutes later she held the slightly deformed shot up between her blood covered fingers and shook her head. It had gone in fairly deep, but luckily had not hit bone. He would be sore for a while, if he let it heal naturally, but he should make a full recovery she figured.
His pride, on the other hand, might take even longer to return to normal.
Chapter 3: Keshira
“Now what, Dex?” Kragor asked his captain as they made their way out of a bar where they finished their most recent job.
“We divvy up the pay and have ourselves a good time,” Dexter said, grinning. It had been three successful jobs for them, following the double cross and run in with the pirates. Of course that had been successful too, Dexter figured, because Rosh had joined his crew and he seemed to be worth his weight in gold.
“I’m for liking that,” Rosh said, towering over the others.
Dexter chuckled and led the way back to the docks, where the Voidhawk lay moored to a pier. They were at Grafton, a large port on a small moon above Wallick, a planet covered nearly entirely in water. With water so readily available, a large amount of it had been transported up to the moon, filling in some craters and making life that much easier to support on the overgrown asteroid. With lakes came a ready place for void ships to land, since the majority were modified versions of planet-bound ships.
Back on the Voidhawk Dexter pulled out the bag of coins that the refugees had paid him. The last job had been a mercy run as much as anything. A group of slaves on Rayner, a large planet known for near constant warfare, had contacted him in hopes of buying his services. They needed to be smuggled off of the planet, and they had managed to scrounge up what amounted to a small fortune between them.
Rosh and Jenna had proved invaluable. Jenna orchestrated the diversion of the wealthy patrician’s guards while Rosh used his strength and skill to great effect in dispatching the few remaining guards and other impediments. The escaped slaves were loaded up, a dozen of them, and ferried off the planet to Grafton.
Dexter divided up the pay amongst them, wondering what he was going to do with his share, other than replacing used materials on the ship. “I’ll buy the first round,” Dexter offered, drawing a round of cheers from his crew.
“You for trusting the ‘Hawk to be here unguarded?” Kragor asked before they left.
Dexter glanced around, noting many Federation soldiers regularly patrolled the docks. He nodded. “Aye, I think she’ll be fine for a few hours.”
Kragor stroked his beard then shrugged and headed for the plank to the dock. Dexter, grinning, was right behind him as he gestured for the others to head out. They followed gladly, ending up at a nearby tavern called Skyharbor.
The food was a welcome change of pace from the type of fair they were accustomed to on the Voidhawk, even though Jodyne made as fine a meal as could be made with the materials at hand. The ale was welcome as well, giving them all a chance to unwind and relax.
After dinner Rosh let himself be pulled away by the arms of a woman skilled at parting a man from his money. Kragor and Dexter shared a chuckle as he grinned stupidly and disappeared through a door.
Dexter noted the sudden silence in his friend and caught the tail end of a glare from Jodyne. He stifled his own laugh out of respect for the man. The grin, however, remained.
Kragor finished his ale and bid the others farewell. He escorted his wife out of the tavern as chivalrously as he dared, leaving Dexter alone with Bekka and Jenna. Dexter let the amusement fade slowly and turned to behold his remaining crewmembers. Suddenly he felt uncomfortable, though he did not know why.
“Another round?” Dexter asked after draining the last of his ale.
“My thanks, Captain, but I will pass,” Bekka said. “I should get back to the ship as well.”
“We’re off the ship and relaxing, there’ll be no ranks here,” Dexter said, frowning.
“Alright, then I’m going to head back to the ‘Hawk, Dexter,” Bekka said with an amused smile.
Dex threw his hands up in the air good-naturedly and laughed. Bekka bid them farewell and then left. The captain of the Voidhawk turned to Jenna and raised and eyebrow.
“How about you?”
