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Lacuna Blue

By Mantrid Brizon

Chapter Seven: Metal Fatigue

James struggles to sleep in his simple cabin, much like the others aboard the Bannockburn. No longer used to the lack of creature comforts that his life of luxury has afforded him, he sits awake and stares at the wall across from his mattress, which he considers rather uncomfortable. Living with George and his crew has made James appreciate all that he has back at home; a beautiful wife, a well-paying and legitimate job and two pure-blood human children are exceptional rewards for the businessman. He's only been gone two days and already he misses them.

Rising from his bed, he dresses in a rather expensive suit, minus the jacket, and takes a walk. Having taken the time off of work to be with his brother and supervise 'Project Oberon', James hired a professional nanny to aid Kelly, at her request. He found Jayne through a childcare network; James left with his brother before actually meeting the nanny. It's been a surprisingly boring trip. Only Prat drinks to excess while on board, with Prat, Donovan and Whitley being the principle gamblers; all others are content to keep to themselves, though their banter when interacting is amusing to him.

James never expected the Bannockburn's crew to be so ordinary. Sitting in the lounge, he stares at the cyan and pink swirling light of the warp bubble surrounding the vessel. Donovan and Whitley sit nearby and play poker, already in the lounge when he arrived. He turns his head when the door slides open and both George and May enter.

“How's it going in here?" George asks.

“Doing just fine." Donovan replies, playing a hand. “Doing real fine." He grins.

“Adapting to life with the dirty crooks?" May asks James with a smile.

“I guess." He answers with a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, it's a life of adventure and glory." George chuckles, sitting beside James.

“It's certainly not what I was expecting. I almost thought it would be like the old days when we were running the streets of our neighborhood." James faintly grins.

May sits atop George's lap, his arms wrapping around her slender waist as she drapes an arm over his shoulders. She brushes back her long pigtails, a hairstyle she discovered was very appealing to her partner.

“We had a whole crew of brats hanging out in front of Grandma's house." George chuckles.

“Yeah." James laughs. His expression becomes sullen. “This isn't really how I expected life aboard a ship to be."

“You get used to it." George remarks.

“You two going to kiss and make up?" Whitley smirks.

“Shut up, Whitley." George and James say in unison.

“Don't worry, bro." George begins as he pushes May gently off of his lap. “The construction is going by quick. We'll be ready in no time and you can get back to your swanky apartment." He continues as he stands from the bench.

“After this is done, you can afford one for yourself." James comments.

“And give up all of this personal freedom? Hell no! I actually got rid of my apartment on Earth not too long ago."

“Me too!" May chirps.

“Besides..." George pauses, slipping an arm around May. “I've got all the comforts right here."

“All that sugar and you two aren't diabetic?" Whitley mordantly asks.

“Fuck you, Whitley, you little shit!" May snarls.

“Down girl." George says as he leads her from the room. “I hope you got some sleep, bro. We'll be landing in an hour." He adds, looking back at James.

James stretches out on the bench and stares at the ceiling for a moment. As Donovan and Whitley continue to play poker, he admires the warp bubble's light show as it bounces vaguely off of the shiny metal ceiling panels. The door slides open only a moment later and Prat enters the room. Approaching the two gamblers, he takes a seat beside Donovan and Whitley, forming a right triangle on the floor.

“Who's winning?" Prat asks.

“Who do you think?" Donovan smirks.

“Figures. You were born lucky."

“A dark-skinned human; I damn well better be!"

“Either way, you're earning." Prat says as Whitley deals him a hand.

“I'll never get paid if Whitley doesn't stop talking. He pissed off May again." Donovan remarks.

“That girl scares the piss out of me. You got a death wish or something?" Prat turns to Whitley.

“I don't think she likes me." Whitley replies.

“I don't like you." Prat chirps.

“Me neither." Donovan smirks.

“What about you, suit? You like Whitley?" Prat loudly asks the groggy James.

“He doesn't count. He's just George's brother, not part of the crew." Whitley interjects.

“Shut up, Whitley." James grumbles.

“Sounds like crew to me!" Donovan chuckles.

After taking a short nap atop the bench, James is roused from his sleep by Donovan gently shaking him. Looking up to the dreadlocked human who disturbed his slumber, he is warned about the impending landing. Joining the others in the bridge, James takes an empty seat and buckles himself in, to the amusement of the crew. The Bannockburn, being a relatively recent model of ship with the most modern systems is easy and comfortable to land, but James is inexperienced in space travel.

Ein flies swift and low, one of his trademarks as a pilot. Quickly approaching a mountain in a frigid part of Soyuz, he pulls up hard and crests, instantly decelerating and hovering over a moderately large and very familiar complex. Setting down the ship, the crew head for their predesignated places with James joining his brother and companions as they head for the cargo hold. Donning large coats, they ride the cargo lift down to ground level. A harsh and icy wind blows through the opened keel bay doors and into the hull of the ship, sending a chill up James' spine.

George, May and Donovan step off of the cargo lift, approaching a solitary Voeldahn man flanked by several robotic power lifters. A metal entrance to a subterranean dwelling sits behind him.

“It's good to see you friend!" Kazimir exclaims, arms outstretched.

“Hey there, you old dog." George grins.

“Racist bastard." Kazimir laughs, embracing the human captain.

“Got something good for us?" May asks.

“Why you let your woman talk for you?"

“Better half." George replies, pulling May close.

“You will learn." Kazimir subtly chuckles.

“He already has." May quips, running her claws through George's long beard.

“In that case, I do have something." Kazimir grins. “Kira!" Kazimir yells over his shoulder.

“Yes father?" A female voice calls out from the entrance behind him.

“Come up and help me with something!"

“Do I have too?!" Kira whines.

“Girl! ... This is what happens when you kill the help." Kazimir grumbles.

“You killed your employees?" Donovan asks.

“Yes, I did." Kazimir nods.

“Why?" George raises a brow.

“Grocery store too far! ... Ha! Old Soyuzian joke, my friend." Kazimir laughs.

“So, why did you really kill them?" May asks.

“Caught them using sky dust... Fucking junkies. Never trust them! I'll have new help soon though. Don't worry!"

A figure steps out from the metal entrance of the dwelling and dashes toward the crew, head low and hood up to protect their face from the biting wind. Standing somewhat taller than May, at about 5 feet and 7 inches, Kira, the daughter of Kazimir, lifts her head and looks at the trio. Nearly eye-level with George, she flashes a toothy grin and glances repeatedly between the pale human man and his Voeldahn girlfriend, seemingly ignoring Donovan. Her icy blue eyes, lighter than the glaciers of a northern ocean, are almost vampiric.

Her solid white fur is soft yet dense, and nearly identical to her father's. Weighing roughly 135 pounds, she has a sturdy but not unattractive build; her dense frame is strong but with subtle, feminine curves and a chest bearing large D cup breasts. Her hair, as white as the snow beneath her boot clad, digitigrade feet, is cut exceptionally short to reveal the details of her canine head. Her eyes turn to May once more before she swiftly scans her frame.

“Kira!" Kazimir yells.

“Huh? What?" Kira turns to her father.

“I need you to work. Set the loaders and check the crates while I deal with this scoundrel." Kazimir instructs, draping an arm over George's shoulder.

“Work, work, work. I never get to do anything fun." She grumbles as she walks behind a power loader.

Prat, James and Whitley stand around and do nothing while George, May and Donovan head inside of Kazimir's home. They have to pay a debt to Kazimir, who has been selling them supplies for Oberon at a dramatic discount, something the notoriously ruthless businessman doesn't do for just anyone. It's obvious to all who know Kazimir that he holds a deep respect and a fatherly affection for George and his crew. Kazimir's generosity has been of great help to them, as George's grandiose plan for the future is under way.

The space station's modules are readily available from the Scrapper's, making the construction of Oberon Starport exceptionally swift. Only ten days after James agreed to join the endeavor, the airlock, dock and primary modules had been placed in a rarely visited debris field dating back to the late 2030's. With the first portion of Oberon constructed and pressurized, George hired a large crew of workers to begin the interior construction.

The construction crew, made of mostly transient and impoverished workers, was hired through a network used by the Sol Rogues to find recruits they often call “burners". Without much credits and little in the way of familial ties, the burners are often used as cheap muscle or mules for drugs and weapons, and when caught by the Sol Police or killed few, if any, care. Several hundred burners work around the clock aboard the Oberon, constructing the traffic control room, the armory and the permanent staff's living quarters and other essential rooms.

The Bannockburn perpetually runs supplies to Oberon to feed the construction workers and the Sol Rogue security officers. The supply runs have begun cutting into the crew's income, as only George officially owns the station and is the primary source of funds and supplies. Even with James' additional funds as his business partner, a single ship, even one the size of the Bannockburn, struggles to keep such a large workforce fully supplied. They've been unable to accept contracts to earn further funds, a fact that dawned on everyone, even Prat, very early on.

With their debt paid and the cargo loaded, the crew return to the Bannockburn and ride the cargo lift into the now frigid hold. Whitley and James rush back into the hallway as fast as they can, eager to escape the icy winds of the Soyuzian mountains. The others soon follow suit, casually walking back to the bridge.

“Alright. Off to Oberon!" George chirps.

“As soon as Fiona plots a course." Ein retorts.

“You still didn't do that?" George asks in surprise.

“Oh, no." Fiona nonchalantly replies as she files a nail.

“What do I pay you for?" He smirks.

“Sit around and look good?" She winks.

“Right. Thanks for clearing that up!"

With her scheduled daily insubordination complete, Fiona promptly plots a course for Oberon, a task that takes all of ten seconds. With Oberon within Earth's orbit, it is a swift run. The only real chore is navigating the debris field, and the skilled Ein hardly breaks a sweat. At one point he yawns, swerving to avoid a section of an old space shuttle with his eyes closed and mouth agape. May calls out to the traffic controllers on Oberon. As they answer her hail, both George and James can't help but grin.

“Bannockburn, Oberon Starport has cleared you for docking." The voice answers.

“Damn straight." George murmurs.

Carefully entering the airlock doors of the dock, built just large enough for a ship the size of the Bannockburn, Ein passes both sets of doors and lands the ship within the docking bay. The large sliding doors are designed to allow the ship to access the base, the outer doors sealing shut and the airlock pressurizing before the inner doors are allowed to open. As the vessel sets down on a landing pad, robotic arms quickly grab hold of the landing gear of the ship and lock it in place.

Rising from their seats, they prepare to enter the continually pressurized docking bay and unload the supplies for the workers. James suddenly receives a call on his V.I. bracelet from Kelly.

“I'll catch up with you. I've got to take this call."

“Whatever, bro. We'll see you inside." George replies.

James answers the call as he enters the hallway, quickly racing for the upper deck and the quarters so that they may speak privately.

“What's up, babe?"

“When are you coming home?" Kelly sweetly asks.

“Not for at least two or three days."

“... That's not what I wanted to hear." She grumbles.

“I'm sorry babe, but it's a two-day flight back to Mars and we just got to Oberon. I haven't even started organizing the staff."

“Well, I want you home." Kelly whines.

“Is this about the nanny? Did they not work out?" James asks with genuine concern.

“Oh no, h... They're fine! ... I just need you." Kelly replies.

“For what?"

“I need your attention." She coos.

James and Kelly had often struggled with some compatibility issues, but this was not one of them. The pair often enjoyed a very active and healthy sex life, before, during and after both pregnancies. In many regards, it was this physical compatibility that cemented their relationship and kept the couple together.

“Babe, if I could, I'd teleport there and take care of you so hard... But I can't right now. Just hold on until I can get home." He says sweetly.

“James, I don't like this. At least when you were at the office you were home for me every night!"

“This isn't a new job, babe. This is just me helping out my bro for a few days, and the credits are going to roll in once we set it up. I'm just offering my skills as a supervisor." He explains.

“I don't care. Come home right now!" She growls.

“I physically can't!" He logically retorts.

“Fine! Fuck you, then!" Kelly screams before hanging up on her husband.

“God, I hope George doesn't have these problems." James grumbles.

Entering the cargo hold, George stands with the entire crew of the Bannockburn, save for Whitley and James. As they ride the cargo lift down to the workers, they begin to relax. Prat leans against a large crate as the cargo lift suddenly jerks. The lid slips free and falls to the ground with a loud thud.

“Are we there yet?!" Kira asks, popping out of the crate.

“The fuck?!" Prat jumps, drawing an Anelace XR-20 blaster.

“Woah there, cowboy!" Donovan exclaims.

He grabs the top of Prat's weapon and lowers it by force as George steps up to the crate. Offering Kira his hand, she takes hold and carefully climbs out.

“Thanks." She says with a pleasant smile.

“You're welcome. And now for my first question..."

“I know, I know. I'm sorry." Kira begins, brushing off her clothes. “I just couldn't stand living there anymore."

“Rotting away of boredom?" May asks.

“If I wasn't frozen solid!" Kira chuckles.

“So why jump aboard my ship?" George raises an eyebrow.

“Because I thought I could get away with it." Kira bluntly answers.

“But how?!" A perplexed Donovan scratches his head.

“Oh, that was easy. You left this knucklehead to watch over the crates. I just hopped in one as soon as he turned his back!" Kira proudly exclaims, pointing at prat. “The idiot didn't even notice."

“Hey!" Prat growls.

“I like her." Fiona grins.

“Serves me right, I suppose." George smirks.

“You're not going to chuck me out of the airlock, are you?" Kira sweetly asks.

She takes a single step closer to George. May narrows her eyes, glaring suspiciously at the young Voeldahn woman.

“Hell no, but I can't let you stay." George replies.

“Aww..." Kira lowers her head, her ears falling back.

“Does that mean I have to do actual work again?" Fiona whines.

“We're already here and she's not going anywhere."

“Clearly..." Fiona interjects.

“I'll call Kazimir and let him know that you're safe, that way he can kill you himself when we take you back." George continues.

“Good enough for me! I've never been in space before!" Kira excitedly exclaims.

“Can't have too many women on board!" Prat grins.

“Touch her and I'll tear you in half." George says casually and with a smile.

“Can I touch her?" Ein quips.

“Ugh... Men..." Kira mutters.

The crew begin the unloading process while George calls Kazimir on a private line. Though perturbed by Kira's sudden disappearance, Kazimir is elated to hear that she is safe and with George, trusting the human captain to watch over his only daughter. The crew's efforts to resupply Oberon is only briefly interrupted by the cargo lift rising to retrieve James and Whitley, who promptly ride the lift back down. With the base supplied for several more days, the crew disperse to wander aimlessly.

While Whitley, Donovan, Prat, Fiona, Gretsch and Ein have no real purpose when not on the Bannockburn, George and James meet with their staff; May follows George, as she always does, while Kira is looked after by Ein and Fiona. James meets with a Sol Rogue black marketeer in an attempt to establish a trading relationship. In exchange for supplying Oberon for them, he hopes the black marketeer will accept free storage space of their sky dust, weapons and any other contraband as payment, which would also establish a marketplace aboard the station.

While James spends considerable time drafting a deal and working with the Sol Rogues, George oversees the work crew's progress of his space station. It's coming along much better than he had expected, with most of the work ahead of schedule. After signing a contract with the Sol Rogues, James conducts another meeting, drafting another contract to provide security from the Sol Rogues in exchange for permanent docking and access rights to the base. After this meeting, he begins micromanaging the staff's duties.

The vast criminal organization are more than eager to deal with the ambitious Woods brothers, and the experienced James makes short work of the rag-tag group of employees. He spends nearly eight hours organizing the workforce and establishing a functioning hierarchy before finally tiring. Returning to the Bannockburn, he walks quietly down the hall and toward his quarters, loosening his tie as he steps into the small room. Sitting on the bed, he takes moment to check his V.I. bracelet.

He had left the device on silent mode in order to focus on the business at hand, something he does often. The little screen flashes with a faint green dot of light, indicating a message left for him. Unlike missed calls, the green light indicates an email or text. Checking the device, he sees he has an email from Kelly that is several hours old. Preparing himself for a textual tirade, he takes out his personal computer and prepares to read. Accessing the email, James is surprised to find that it in fact has no text of any kind. Instead, there is a video file. Did she take the time to yell at him?

He nervously opens the video file and is immediately left in shock. Kelly sits naked atop his bed with a Voeldahn man standing before her, equally unclothed. His large and erect member is clutched in her hands as she begins her work. James feels sick to his stomach as his wife seems to relish the horse-man's body. The sick feeling evolves into a burning rage, building in his chest and neck like steam until he feels as though his head will explode from the pressure within. Though disgusted, he can't help wondering how far Kelly took her revenge.

Foreplay and oral sex became vaginal penetration within only a matter of a few minutes, followed by several very revealing positions. It was only salt in the wound that the Voeldahn's phallus was larger than his. Fast forwarding the twenty-minute video, he receives the final cut from her knife. He can feel his spirit dying as Kelly allows her lover to orgasm without removing himself from her, flooding her womb which is not protected by birth control. James erupts in anger, tossing the computer aside and leaping from the bed.

“That goddamn bitch! I fucking loved her! What the fuck?!" He screams.

Spinning, he punches a wall as hard as he can. An audible crack is heard as he creates a hairline fracture in one of his knuckles and splits the skin.

“FUCK!!!" He screams in pain and anguish.

Falling to his knees, he grips his injured hand tightly and begins to weep.

“You twisted bitch..." He says as a tear drips from the tip of his nose.

After taking a moment to collect himself, he takes his V.I. bracelet and darts from the room, leaving his active computer sitting down on the floor near the far edge of his bed. James places a call and after a dozen rings, a frightened Kelly answers.

“I'm so sorry, James!" She promptly and tearfully exclaims.

“Who the fuck was that?!" James growls.

“That... That was the nanny... Jayne."

“Jayne was a guy?! What the fuck?!"

“I didn't know either until some guy showed up with the credentials to prove it. You rejected me and I was lonely and... Well, one thing just led to another. I had a moment of weakness!" She meekly explains,

“A moment of weakness? You filmed a porn and emailed it to me, you sick bitch!" James screams.

“I'm sorry!" Kelly cries.

“You're damn well going to be when I get home." James tearfully chokes out.

“I'll take morning after pills so I don't get pregnant! Pleases, James!" She pleads.

“SHUT UP!!!" He screams before ending the call.

Racing down the decks and toward the cargo hold, a distraught James catches the Sol Rogue black marketeer. He leaps from the still lowering cargo lift as the Voeldahn man and his crew board their ship.

“Wait!" He calls out to them.

“Are you alright? What happened to your hand?!" The rogue captain asks him with genuine concern.

“Oh, I broke it." James answers. “Hey, where are you headed?"

“Mars. We're delivering a hold full of sky dust." The rogue captain answers.

“I need a ride, and I'll pay too."

“Uh... Alright. Climb aboard." The rogue captain says, presenting the airlock door to James.

James boards the ship, fleeing Oberon without telling George or even leaving behind a note. Furthermore, it doesn't occur to him until he is already seated aboard the ship's bridge that he is also skipping out on a meeting that he was to have the next day; an important client, the Sectans, were going to negotiate an exclusive trade and resupply agreement. Hopefully, George will understand when he finds out, and handle the situation without him.

“Hey, James. Are you here, bro?" George asks.

He stands just outside of the door to his brother's designated quarters, having decided to stop and visit while looking for a room to place Kira for the night. Standing by the door for some time with Kira on one side and May on the other, he turns back to the girls.

“Is he in?" He asks May.

“Ein said he was when he last saw him." May replies.

“Huh... Are you alright, James?" George asks again, knocking on the door.

Growing concerned, he only waits a moment before opening the door, his palm pressed against the black plate nearby; it serves as the Bannockburn's master key. To his surprise, the room is vacant. Though the bedsheet is ruffled, James isn't present, and James is often very tidy; he was clearly here and then left. Entering the room, the girls step in right behind him. George stares with wide eyes at a spot on the wall.

“Is... Is that blood?" May asks.

“Yeah..." George mutters. “Maybe he left us a note?"

While George and May fervently search, Kira sits atop the bed at the foot and looks around the room rather casually. Spotting the computer on the floor near the wall and out of view from both George and May, she leans over and picks it up. Awakening the holographic screen, she sees a still image of a human woman as a Voeldahn man extracts himself from her loins.

“Oh my..." Kira grins.

Touching the screen, she continues the video as the man clearly finishes inside of his partner. May and George turn at the sound, but the holographic screen faces Kira; they see only a thin blue blade. Kira backs up the video to the very beginning.

“Wow, that's hot. I didn't know your brother was into that interracial stuff." Kira remarks.

“Let me see that!" George exclaims, sitting beside her.

“Easy boy." She giggles.

May stands across from them and watches the backwards hologram as it plays. George is at a loss for words.

“Oh God..." May murmurs.

“What?" Kira asks, looking between the two.

“That's..." May hesitates.

She rests a hand over her snout and turns away, feeling sick to her stomach at the thought of such a horrific betrayal. How could someone do something so cruel to one they claim to love?

“What's going on?!" Kira demands.

“That's James' wife..." George softly answers.

“So, they're in an open marriage?" Kira asks.

“... No..." George shakes his head.

“Wow..." Kira pauses the video. “What a fucking whore!"