1 Retirement

"Damn, I can't believe we survived this long." Scrap slapped both Deck and Bolt on the back as he pushed them towards the station's only bar. Scrap had to stretch up slightly to loop his arm over Deck's shoulders. Standing several inches over six foot he was taller than the other men by half a foot. His broad shoulders didn't make it easier either. Short chopped hair in a standard flat top would have given him away as a soldier of some sort, or someone trying to look like one. Other than his size nothing much stood out. His hair was black, his eyes brown, his face broad with a heavy jaw and cheekbones. Just another human as far as most were concerned. They were very common in this arm of the galaxy.

"Hell if I had known we would make it to the end of our time I'd have done like the Sergeant here." Scrap pulled Deck into a headlock grinning. Despite "enlisting" at the same time Scrap was still just a lance corporal. Not that anyone paid Red Star's ranks much attention.

"That's Staff Sergeant you mean! He got promoted." Bolt spoke in his best haughty tone. "I'd not get too rough with an officer there if I were you, Lance Corporal!"

"Come on guys. They were just trying to trick me into reenlisting. Even a Red Star's got some worth." Deck couldn't keep the grin off his face. Despite their best efforts, including a promotion effective immediately, he had done it. He was officially retired. Or would be once the paperwork finished processing by this time tomorrow.

"Well, we both reenlisted and they didn't offer us no promotion." Scrap grinned. "But then we are the good little soldier like some."

Deck just rolled his eyes. "You guys could have retired too. I told you, I could hire you. I'm going to get my frigate first thing in the morning. Running cargo all across the outer arm of this galaxy!"

"Yeah, sounds great, scept you couldn't pay us even as much as the military gives us Red Stars." Bolt grinned. "Besides you were a bitch of a fireteam leader. I'd hate to work for you in the private sector."

"Enough talking about the future. It's time we get wasted. And this time no excuses. I'm paying even!" Scrap dragged them all into the bar's dimly lit entrance. The interior lacked the air filtration system that the main level of the station had. Or perhaps it was turned down intentionally. Smokes ranging from gagging bitter to sickening sweet flavored the air. Mixed with the smells of cheap perfumes and cheaper colognes. All over a layer of old alcohol and too loud music.

Deck wasn't sure if this one was better or worse than any of the other similar bars found on every tiny station along this wild arm of the galaxy he had spent the last five years working out of. After all, he had avoided them like the plague. "Booze is on me but if you want a woman, you paying for that treat yourself Sarg!" Scrap grinned as he talked.

"Yeah, I'll pass. I saw the bill for that crotch rot you caught a few stations back." Deck spoke loud enough that both the other men could hear making Scrap grunt in embarrassment and Bolt cackle a laugh at his friends' expense.

"Yeah yeah. Keep it up and I'll let everyone know Death's Doorman is a virgin." Scrap snapped back.

"Ugh, You can tell everyone I'm eunuch if you want. Just don't call me that stupid nickname." Deck pulled Scrap into a headlock of his own. "And I only agreed to one drink! I didn't make it five years sober to screw up now."

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Deck sat up and rubbed his face before blinking painfully dry eyes. He clicked his tongue trying to get his dry mouth to water up some before reaching up to tap the side of his helmet. Instead of cool nanofiber, he touched the side of his bare head and the short chopped hair there. 'Damn, I don't have my suit anymore. No toggling off pain receptors for me.'

He stumbled up feeling around in the dark. One good thing about station life is that all the rooms he could afford always had the same layout. Even in the dark he made it to the sink and activated the flow of metallic tasting recycled water. Gulping down a few mouthfuls he straightened up while muttering. "Lights."

Harsh light flared above making him wince. He hadn't felt this bad since that time his drop pod got hammered by flak mid orbital drop. It had spun like a top most of the way to planet fall. With his head lowered to shield his eyes from the light, he blinked away the pain while staring down at his own naked body. "The hell are my clothes? Did those fucks prank me?"

"Who turned on the lights?" Behind him, a voice complained and a figure curled up under the blankets of the bed. Deck froze. It had been a female voice. His first thought was a sudden flash back to Scrap complaining about one of the times he "caught" something from shore leave.

'Problem for later.' He glanced at the figure curled up in the bed and licked his lips nervously before spotting his pants and shirt on the floor. Scooping them up he glanced around. 'Where the hell is my underwear?' The figure groaned and moved under the blankets seeming to stretch out while holding the covering over their head. Slender legs stuck out from the bottom of that blanket and wiggled toes. 'Well, least it was human.'

Pulling on his pants while ignoring the lack of underwear he made his way towards the door. Tugging his shirt down over his head he touched the control next to the door letting it slide silently open. There he came face to face with a Malnilian, a grinning Malnilian. That was never a good thing.

Malnilian's had a bad reputation across most of the galaxy. Humanoid in shape with burgundy colored skin they were one of the species closest in appearance to humans. If the burgundy colored human carried a double chin that rolled down like a mantle to mid chest and a gut that did the same down to their knees. Add in the patchy and bristly hair covering head, face, and body they came off as repugnant, even before you smelled them. Worse, their innate nature as a species was at best considered self centered. Most said it was cruel. This gave them a bad reputation, one that they actually embraced. Despite looking like an overweight middle aged man they were physically tough and strong, rated well above human in those departments. Even when compared to planetside humans, let alone your average stationer.

They put this to good use, anywhere proper weapons couldn't be deployed and brute force could be used they tended to set up shop. Small time thugs and criminals that infested nearly every station in the wilds.

"Ahh, there you are." The Malnilian actually seemed insulted; the human didn't gag from the stench of his breath as he breathed right in their face.

"What do you want?" Deck hardened his resolve and gauged his chances of beating the brute unarmed. It was good, but the two behind him might tip the odds against him. Both were human at least, he wondered if they were enhanced or augmented. Behind him the blanket rustled, bringing another thought to mind. 'Don't tell me this is a pimp? I've never actually met one… Wish it had stayed that way.'

"I was just bringing you confirmation of your purchase." The Malnilian moved his arm forward so it was close to Decks. A brief vibration running up his arm let Deck know he had received an information transfer. It bothered him that he hadn't had to approve it.

"Purchase?" He couldn't help but glance back. Sitting in the bed with the blanket wrapped around them was a woman. Somewhat around his age with dark hair highlighted in purples and blues. Her face was sharp with a small upturned nose. Her eyes were a dark gray like the stormy skies of Exton three. They looked like they might launch lightning bolts just the same.

"I ain't some whore." Her voice was smooth and clear even if her tone was harsh.

The Malnilian laughed, almost catching Deck off guard with his breath. "Right. Anyways not for her. Just transferring ownership of your new ship. We are taking off ourselves in a few hours, so wanted to get it transferred right away. Pleasure doing business." They burst out in laughter as they started to leave.

"Wait! Ship? My Firestorm?" The three stopped and looked back at him before bursting into laughter. Deck felt his stomach drop as they started to leave again.

"Fuck, wait up!" Deck stopped with his mouth open. Despite the fact he was planning on saying just that it wasn't him who spoke. "Damn it Galg. I said wait up."

Behind him, the woman was up around trying to hold the blanket over herself while looking around the room. With her back to him for a moment, he got a decent view and he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. She was as nude as he had been.

"Sorry Nai. But you aren't coming along." He watched as she grabbed a small shirt and pulled it down over her slender frame. It only went to her midriff as she dropped the blanket to step into some shorts. He felt his face flush when she glared at him looking and glanced back at this Galg.

"The fuck you mean I'm not coming. I did my part. That was the last job. My contract is up!" She was standing next to him with one knee high combat boot in her hand. He glanced down to realize she was wearing his boxers with the band rolled up to keep them from falling off.

"Ahh, don't you remember? You signed a new contract last night." Galg's surgery sweet tone didn't match his grotesque expression.

"No no no fuck you no way I would. Besides, it was in the contract. You can't make a second with me." The girl named Nai looked ready to throw the boot.

"Calm down. Human females are so uppity. The contract isn't with me. It's with him." Galg pointed his thick finger right at Deck. Nai turned her angry expression on him and he felt his brow knit in answering anger.

"Don't look at me." His tone was harsh and his gaze hot. Nai gulped her angry expression, wilting for a moment before she turned it back on Galg.

"You can't do this! You can't sell me. I'm a free citizen now!" Nai took a step forward but stopped when she had to catch his boxers slipping. Still, she glared at the Malnilian.

"I didn't sell you as a slave girl. You just signed a new indentured contract to serve as his crew. But hey it was for only ten years!" Galg and his cronies burst out laughing as they turned away. The brute didn't even flinch when the boot hit him in the back, only laughed harder.

Deck glanced between them for a moment before turning back into the room. He moved straight to the small table next to the bed and placed his right hand palm down. "Access my personal data." A holo display appeared over the table and he quickly navigated it to his cred balance.

For a moment he thought he was going to puke. There wasn't even enough left to buy a sandwich. Moving through the logs he pulled up his last transaction. He stared at it for what felt like days before blinking. According to this, he had bought a ship. But it didn't say what type, just gave a dock slot.

He was processing that information when he was shoved hard to the side. Normally it wouldn't have been enough to move him but he was caught off guard. "Out of my way." The Nai girl slapped her hand down angrily on the table pulling up her own holo screen. She stared at it for a moment before letting out a scream. "FUUUCK. That skeezy bastard." She then glared at him.

"Don't look at me like that. Sounds like I should be pissed with you. What scam are you and your buddies running?" Her attitude rubbed him wrong, combined with his hangover he nearly lost his temper. He felt a sudden flush of adrenaline, he had almost let his combat implants trigger.

He found himself gritting his teeth and focusing on not ripping the irate woman apart as she went off on a tirade. He got himself under control just as she seemed to run out of steam, actually panting as she stood in front of him. One good thing about it was the rush of endorphins had cleared his head. He appraised her and couldn't help but appreciate her, at least physically. She was slender but not the stick figures he saw in most women who were obviously station born. The low gravity most stations function under caused them to be almost unnaturally slender and thin. Her limbs might be the normal thin almost reedy but they were well toned showing she wasn't unfamiliar with physical labor. Or had spent some time planetside. Her abs were lightly muscled as well and couldn't help but notice her breast poking against the thin material of her shirt. Nor how his boxers hung off her hips.

"Don't look at me like that. You don't OWN me. Don't get any ideas. Last night was a fluke." There was a pause. "I think. Fuck me he must have spiked both our drinks I don't remember anything." She plopped down on the bed holding her head.

"Spiked our drinks? What the hell have YOU gotten me into." Deck practically growled.

Nai snorted. "Look man. If you want to blame anyone, blame your buddy he was the one bragging about how you saved up a ton of creds to buy a ship. I was just supposed to flirt with you, get you to drink a few drinks, then blow your load." Her face suddenly flushed. "Get you to transfer all your cash."

"Screw this. I'm going to the station master and getting this all cleared up." He only made it a few steps towards the door.

"Don't bother. The plan is completely legal. Galg sold you a ship. Everything is on the up and up." Nai leaned back to prop herself up on her arms and seemed to be muttering curses to herself as her head lolled back.

"Then you need to tell him they drugged me." He turned back on her.

Again she snorted, he found it annoying and yet not at the same time. "Yeah. Let me just go confess my crime. Besides, even if I did, Galg would have bribed them. Trust me if there was a way out of this I would be all over it." She tilted her head to him and in a tone dripping with sarcasm said. "Captain."

"What?" He frowned.

"That walking piece of shit transferred my contract to you. I'm legally your first mate. Stuck with another damn ten year contract. Shit, you'd think I'd have learned my lesson after mom." She snorted again, shaking her head. He just stared at her in confusion. When she glanced at him she frowned. "Don't look at me like that. I told you not to get any ideas. There are limits to what an indenture contract gives you control over." She actually looked just a tiny bit nervous.

"Come on. We aren't going to get anywhere like this. Look, I'll help you find a mark. We can dump that pile of junk off on someone else. Then you can terminate my contract, deal?" She stood up and held out her hand towards him.

For a moment he looked at it then turned away. "Fuck this. I'm going to the station master."

**********

Deck stepped out of the station master's office and turned to punch the wall. The reinforced metal frame of the station wall didn't budge and he found himself cursing as he waved his hurting hand.

"Told you!" Nai was leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for him to exit. She was dressed in the same crop top shirt. She wore actual shorts but not much bigger than his boxers. In fact, he could still see the rolled top of them poking above her shorts. She also had found her other boot. She looked like trouble to him, he'd seen plenty of her type at nearly every station he'd ever passed through. Now he realized she was his trouble. He almost punched the wall again.

"Look, tonight we will hit up the bar. Find some putz and pull the same scam on him." Nai had moved closer and was giving him a smile. 'She's pretty when she smiles and isn't swearing or scowling. Fuck what am I thinking?'

"I'm not a criminal." He gave her a look that implied she was. "I'm going to go check out this ship. As long as it can fly I can get work. I have a contract for transport jobs already lined up."

He expected her to argue or complain, instead she snapped to attention and gave him a salute. "Alright Captain! Let me lead the way!" Her tone was serious. Then she burst out into laughter as she turned to walk away from him in the direction of the station's central lift.

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