(Note #1: All comments and constructive criticisms are welcome and appreciated.

Note #2: The first picture is by the Pretty Perchance AI Art Generator, the second by the Imagineart AI Art Generator and the final two by Faith Desky.

Note #3: And finally, thanks to volunteer Literotica editor TheNyxianLily for her help with editing and story flow.)

Sal entered the bedroom wearing his new ambassador’s outfit. It consisted of a new vest, dark green in colour, worn over a new white shirt Alezanna had made for him. Its sleeves weren’t as fluffy as his previous one’s, the one Hoddard’s needler pistol had ruined. The fashion designer had also made a new jacket for him, one a little shorter on the bottom end than Calley had seen other diplomats wear. This looked good on him and would allow him to reach his gunbelt holster without impediment. He wasn’t wearing the weapon belt tonight, but he’d declared that he would, in future, otherwise never be without it.

Sal informed the two ladies that a shuttle had arrived to take them to the adjoining station where the gala was to take place. Calley and Alezanna quickly finished their preparations for the evening and the trio soon locked up their ship and entered the shuttle.

The shuttle contained a few other functionaries who were on their way to the gala. One of them, a woman who appeared to be in her late fifties, made a snide comment about how long the trio had kept them waiting. Alezanna told her, “To be waited upon is to be desired. And it takes time for a lady to prepare herself properly for a gala. Not all of us apply our make-up with a paint blaster like you obviously did.” The bureaucrat kept silent after that, but Calley could see her shooting her friend dirty looks throughout their short flight to the nearby station. If that’s how a Bellixan acts on the way to a gala, the medtech thought to herself, no wonder so many of theirs feature duels.

When the shuttle landed, a pair of guards armed with ceremonial swords were waiting to take the Ravenfang crew to the gala. Truth be told, the trio could easily have found their way without help. Once outside the station’s docking bay, all they would have had to do was follow the groups of well-dressed socialites. Still, the guards served a purpose, as they parted the crowd and allowed the spacers to make their way to the ball much quicker.

The other advantage to the guards soon revealed itself as the three spacers found the entrances to the main banquet hall crowded with people. Their escort directed them down what appeared to be a corridor used by the staff and then onto a cargo lift. The lift brought the five to a thickly-carpeted antechamber where a lone functionary was posted. He looked at his datapad and nodded at the guards. They opened the lift barrier, ushered the trio forward and, once Sal and the ladies were off the lift, disappeared as the platform began to descend.

The functionary addressed Sal with, “Ambassador Collondo, the Governor requests that you wait here a moment until your arrival is ready to be announced.”

Sal shrugged and asked the man, “Is the main hall behind those doors?”

The man nodded as he returned his attention to his datapad. Sal moved between his two shipmates and offered each one his arm. The three moved to the door and an instant later, it opened.

The banquet hall was one of the largest rooms Calley had ever seen. Usually, when she was in such a large space, there would be spaceships docked in it. The room’s opposite walls were at least two hundred meters apart and two stories high. The ceiling featured several domes from which large chandeliers hung down, illuminating the huge hall. There were hundreds of people milling around the hardwood floor, all wearing beautiful clothes. But the Ravenfang crew wasn’t among them. The far walls both featured balconies a dozen meters wide. The one Calley, Sal and Alezanna had stepped on to was occupied by two dozen dignitaries including Margraite Madzen, Daznee and Coslove. Almost everyone was seated at two very long tables with a podium between them.

There was a woman by the door standing at attention. She wore a ceremonial uniform that looked fairly old-fashioned. When the trio walked in, she announced “Ambassador Sal Collondo”. Her voice, augmented by a concealed microphone,  cut through the chatter in the room and even the music from the orchestra on the opposite balcony from the one Calley was on. She couldn’t help but think about how Alezanna could have achieved the same feat without electronic augmentation or even having to raise her voice.

“Mademoiselle Alezanna Verrazo,” the woman announced before finishing with, “Calley Vanmussen, Esquiress”.

The crowd applauded as Governor Madzen came up to give Sal a hug. It was a less vigorous one than when the Ravenfang had docked, owing to Sal’s recent injuries.

“How ya doin’, ya crazy pirate?” the governor asked him as she released him from her embrace. Her voice wasn’t as loud as the previous time Calley had seen the Vottonian and was pitched low enough so no one else on the balcony could hear her, let alone the crowd below.

“Fully recovered,” he assured her. “Got a top-notch medtech on my crew to patch me up.”

“Good. Now sit your asses down, the three a’ ya. I gotta give a speech. We’ll talk later. Got a possible job for ya, if you’re interested.”

The three sat down in a prominent position on the left side of the podium. Daznee and Coslove were on its opposite side. The teal-skinned beauty looked resplendent with her green hair tied above her head and a few strands astray to frame her face. She wore a shimmery silver dress with a slight gold belt and long golden gloves that went a little past her elbows. The dress went down to the level of her ankles in sharp contrast to her mother’s outfit. The governor’s peach-colored sleeveless dress only went down to her knees and featured no gloves. Alezanna had kept her promise to incorporate the governor’s gold chain as it now wrapped itself across her waist. Unlike many of the women Calley could see, she wasn’t wearing high heeled shoes but instead a pair of thigh-high sandals whose shade matched her dress.

As the elder Madzen moved to the podium to begin speaking, Daznee caught Calley’s attention. The younger Vottonian pointed to the floor. Calley looked in the direction she was pointing and caught sight of a table where her friends were sitting. The five men were wearing suits of various muted colours save for Spiroo who was wearing a white dinner jacket over a lavender shirt and black pants. Mix was dressed in a nice jade green gown that went with her darker skin tone. But the medic’s eye was drawn to Yutag, who was wearing a beautiful orange dress Alezanna had made for her. It brought out her complexion and showed off her curvy figure to great effect.

The rest of the people were also taking their seats as the room’s lighting dimmed somewhat. A spotlight illuminated the governor and she welcomed everyone to the gala. She spoke for a while about Rangxu’s history and its recent economic growth. The medtech noted how the politician spoke in a more refined tone than Calley was used to hearing from her. She was only paying half-attention to the governor’s speech, as she was too excited about being at such a ritzy event. Not to mention being seated in such a place of prominence. She decided that, once she had the chance to talk to Deltai, she’d ask him to send her newsvid footage of her arrival. Wouldn’t her mother be amazed to see Calley wearing such a fine dress at such a fancy gala!

The governor went on and eventually made her way to announcing the trade agreement between Rangxu and Palsidia. She mentioned some of its provisions, a subject Calley couldn’t really follow along with. She did note the crowd’s reaction though, as audible gasps of appreciation often rang out. The Gynapsi looked over at Sal who was grinning ear-to-ear. He caught her look and whispered to her “Not gonna lie. It was worth getting shot over, though don’t tell Alez I said that.” Calley giggled just as the governor announced Sal as the main architect of the trade agreement. The crowd below applauded as Sal stood up and took a bow before sitting down again.

When the applause died down, Governor Madzen told the assembly, “But in the midst of our celebration, I have to report a sad event. The other major party involved in negotiating this agreement was the Chief Delegate of the Palsidian trade mission, Hyromious Hoddard. I regret to inform you that Chief Delegate Hoddard was assassinated by terrorists shortly after his return to Palsidia. Out of respect, I request we all honour him with a moment of silence.”

The room grew quiet and Calley did the same, though in her case, it was stunned silence. She glanced to her right but couldn’t see past the podium and the governor. Unable to see if Daznee and Coslove were surprized by the news of Hoddard’s death, she turned to her left to see Sal frowning and Alezanna looking utterly unfazed. There was no way the Bellixan could have known about Hoddard’s fate, but it was obvious she didn’t care about it.

The quiet moment stretched on for ten more seconds and then the governor resumed her speech. She returned to subjects Calley wasn’t interested in so the spacer sat wondering how she felt about the news the Palsidian slaver had died. She eventually decided that she felt nothing, and that it was an appropriate reaction.

Governor Madzen spoke for a few more minutes and then told everyone the official business was over and it was time to enjoy themselves. The orchestra started playing and the enormous hall’s chandeliers once again cast a warm glow over the assembled crowd. The dignitaries on the balcony rose to form small groups and a few came over to congratulate Sal for having negotiated such a favourable trade agreement. Daznee came over to Calley but before she could say anything, Alezanna told them both, “Follow me, quickly!” The three women swiftly made their way to the side of the balcony where a staircase led down to the floor.

As they descended it, the Bellixan explained, “Sorry to rush you off, but there are women up there with long dresses that are going to find navigating this staircase a slow challenge. If we get caught behind them on the way down, we’ll be stuck there for hours.”

Calley and Daznee both giggled at Alezanna’s reasoning. “Not dressed for a gala with duels, are they?” Calley asked rhetorically.

“Long dresses, no weapons,” the older woman observed. “They wouldn’t last an hour where I come from. And don’t get me started on the footwear! The only woman, present company excluded of course, with decent footwear is the governor, and I had to argue with her over it.”

“What did she want to wear?” Calley asked.

“Army boots, if you can believe it!” her companion told her. “As if you can find those in peach!”

Having reached the floor, the three exquisitely-dressed women were quickly approached by men asking them to dance. All three were soon gliding along the floor being led by their dance partners. It was a different way of dancing than Calley was used to, but she’d practiced in the previous days under Alezanna’s tutelage. As soon as one dance would end, another man would appear and ask her to dance and soon, Calley had lost track of how many dance partners she’d been with. The five young men in her group of friends each shared a dance with her, as did Sal. There were quite a few men she didn’t know but danced with anyway, and all complimented her on her beauty, her grace, or often, both.

She caught sight of her friends and her shipmates dancing with different partners as the night went on. Even Governor Madzen stepped on the dance floor a few times. She didn’t have as many dance partners, but Calley soon realized it was because she only danced with her four husbands. It was the first time the spacer had seen the governor’s four spouses and she realized the woman definitely had a type. They were all handsome and tall, but none as bulky as her. They certainly all looked fit, but more on the lanky side than overly muscular. Looking at them, the medic could tell where their daughter got her figure. 

She was so caught up in all the dancing and the flirting she was doing that she didn’t realize that it was odd when one of her new dance partners had addressed her by name as he’d asked her to dance. It wasn’t until they started dancing that she realized he’d done it.

“Wait a minute,” she said in slight alarm. “How did you know my name?”

“Mr. Coslove told me when he suggested I talk to you,” the older man answered. He was taller than her, but that wasn’t unusual in Rangxu. He also had the tan skin that many of the locals shared. His hair was black but peppered with grey strands. He was clean-shaven and his suit was tailored, which indicated to Calley he was a man of means.

“Coslove? He told you to talk to me?”

“He suggested it. I thought we might share a dance as we talked. He tells me you’re a medtech, one of the best he’s ever seen. Said he saw you operate on a needler victim and save the man’s life. Said you were under pressure but came through better than most combat medtechs he’d ever served with.”

“Oh, I see,” she said, unsure if she should be flattered or dissapointed the man had approached her because of her medical skills. “Why would you be interested in a medtech?”

“I run the medical facility on Habitat 12. We’re near Ulgawl, and we handle a lot of their emergencies. The zanzonite on the planet does a number on the medical scanners, so the planet itself doesn’t have any major medical facilities. Some small clinics to handle common ailments and accidents, but any major injuries come to us.”

“Mining planets can get pretty rough,” Calley observed. “You must stay pretty busy.”

“You’re right on both counts. I take it you’ve travelled to quite a few mining planets since you started being a medical officer?” he asked her as they swirled around the dance floor.

“I’ve lost count of how many. So I know how it is when the miners get their pay. It’s drinking and gambling and sex, which leads to fights and shoot-outs.”

“Sadly correct. More the former then the latter around here, but I won’t lie and say it never happens. And when it does, we could sure use someone with a level 4 biotech certification.”

Her eyes widened in slight surprise. “You really know a lot about me. I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Awdren,” he informed her with a smile. “Awdren Lewinrich. When Mr. Coslove suggested I come talk to you, he told me some of the more amazing parts of your skillsheet. Level 4 at such a young age. You’re quite the prodigy. I know people who have been in the industry twice as long as you’ve been alive and haven’t passed level 3. One of my ER surgeons is retiring soon and I’m going to need a replacement. If I offered you a salary in the low five-figures, would you be interested?”

If she’d been slightly surprised before, Calley was extremely shocked now. “Five figures? For someone you haven’t seen operate yet?”

“I might not have,” Lewinrich admitted, “but you know what else I haven’t seen? Mr. Coslove hand out compliments unless he means it, and he had nothing but praise for your skills. The certification level might be impressive, but I’m more interested in someone who can keep her wits about her when there’s multiple patients screaming in the triage room. That’s the sort of thing they don’t teach in medtech classes, and he told me you’ve got that skill mastered.”

“It’s one Hell of an offer, Mr. Lewinrich,” she admitted. “The problem is, I might be leaving tomorrow. I’m a spacer, and I’m not sure I’m ready to give that up. But I’m not saying I’m not interested. I might end up staying, and if I do, the Prophet knows I’ll need a job.”

“Call me Awdren,” he requested. “You don’t work for me yet. Right now, we’re just dance partners. So let’s just enjoy our dance while we can. If you work for me, we probably won’t dance together again. My wife might object, to say nothing of my other surgeons. And I get the feeling I won’t be the only man making a proposal to you tonight, Calley. Mine is just more lucrative and professional. Maybe even longer-term, though I can’t guarantee that. You dance well enough to ensnare a suitor. If you’re not careful, some other gentleman might give you another reason to stay in-system.”

She chuckled and they finished their dance. He gave her a chip with his comm coordinates as they parted, and she tucked it in one of the hidden pockets of her gown, silently thanking Alezanna for the practicality of her fashion designs. No sooner had Lewinrich stepped away than another man approached her for a dance. This one didn’t offer her a job. As they danced, she gave some thought to the offer she’d received from the medical administrator, but not much. She resolved to keep following her shipmate’s advice and not obsess about her pending decision for tomorrow.

However, she couldn’t get Coslove out of her mind. She wondered why he’d sent Lewinrich her way when, as far as he knew, she was a spacer who’d probably be shipping off soon. As she danced with other men, she looked for him on the dance floor but never saw him there. Instead, she noticed him on the sides of the room a few times, occasionally in conversation with various people, but mostly surveying the crowd by himself. She wondered if he was looking for threats, something that seemed more like a bodyguard’s job than a Chief of Staff’s. She finally decided she wanted to talk to him so she made her way to where he was. As she approached him, she saw he wasn’t looking towards the governor but at where Daznee was dancing with Vijjah.

“You know, Coslove,” she told him, “there’s a rumour going around that this is a gala. Bad form to be on the chronometer.”

The man stiffened up somewhat as he turned to look at Calley. She wondered if she had caught him unawares and how rare an occurrence that might be for him.

“I’m never really off-work. There’s always something that requires my attention,” he informed her.

She looked over at where Daznee was dancing. “Not right now,” she advised the bureaucrat. “That’s a security patrolman she’s dancing with, and a pretty big one at that. Nobody’s gonna try to cut in that dance, let alone try something more serious. So relax and come dance with me. I’ve been wanting a dance with you since you rescued me at your club last sub-cycle.

“Hardly a rescue. But I’m afraid I don’t have much skill at dancing.”

“Great! Neither do I. We won’t have to worry about one of us outshining the other.”

Without waiting for him to respond, she grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance area. Coslove looked uncomfortable but didn’t offer any resistance. Once amongst the dancers, she turned around and allowed him to lead her through the waltz the orchestra was playing. They danced close together, but not as close as most of her previous dance partners. She didn’t move any closer to him, not wanting to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was. Though there was something about making this usually composed man uneasy that amused Calley.

“Interesting news about Hoddard,” she said, pitching her voice low enough that no one else would be able to hear them.

“Tragic.” he stated dryly, his voice the same level as hers. “But a man in that career makes enemies. There are many organizations whose opposition to slavery can turn violent.”

“And I suppose if they got an anonymous tip that a respected diplomat happened to have interests in the slave trade, they might do something about it.”

“It wasn’t anonymous,” he informed her. “I’ve often had dealings with the local arm of the Galactic Freedom League. My financial support of its activities earns me quite a bit of influence with its members.  Enough to dictate how and where they might want to assassinate a slaver.”

Calley was a little surprized he was admitting his role in Hoddard’s death to her. But then she realized he was a smart man and he’d know she’d have strong suspicions about it anyway. “You didn’t want him killed in-system,” Calley reasoned. “It would have looked bad for Rangxu.”

“It would. And I didn’t want the League to destroy his shuttle in transit. He wasn’t travelling alone this time and, as far as I know, the people he was with were innocent. Or, well, as innocent as any group of politicians can be.”

“So the League waited until he was back on Palsidia. Gods! Politics sure is a dirty business, isn’t it? Lies, betrayals, assassinations. I don’t know how you manage it, Coslove. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not passing judgement. And I’m not sad to hear Hoddard’s dead. He was a bastard and probably my enemy. Even kicked out of politics, he would’ve tried to hurt Sal, Alezanna and me, wouldn’t he?”

“I think so,” Coslove said pensively. “We’ll never know for sure, of course, but he had the resources and the desire. With his wealth, he could’ve struck back at both of us and those around us as well. No, he was too dangerous to leave alive. And even if he hadn’t been, I have a personal reason to hate slavers.”

Another sudden realization struck Calley. “You’re a former slave too, just like Governor Madzen, aren’t you?”

“Owned by the same well-bred swine as her. When she killed him, we escaped together and I’ve never left her side since. Nor shall I ever. I’m a loyal man, Miss Calley, and as honourable as I can manage to be in this job. But I’m vindictive as well. When the opportunity to kill a slaver comes up, I’m more than happy to indulge my baser instincts.”

“Do me a favour and drop the ‘Miss’. With all we know about each other, I think we can drop the formalities. I’m really starting to like you, Coslove. And for the record, I think you seem pretty honourable. I don’t think anybody will mind too much if they found out you lied to a slaver.”

“And what lie would that be?”

“You told him you wouldn’t tell anybody about how he made his starcred.”

“Did I? Because I could have sworn my exact words were that I wouldn’t tell his government or mine. And I didn’t. The Galactic Freedom League isn’t affiliated with any planet’s government. So as far as that goes, I kept my word.”

“Sounds to me like you’re splitting hairs.”

“First rule of being in politics: Pay attention to what people say and even more attention to what they don’t say. I’m an administrator and a counter-intelligence officer, Calley. In all my cycles doing that, I’ve had to split more hairs than a Bellixan hairdresser. But it’s worth it if it’s in service to the Madzens. I owe the governor everything.”

And yet, it wasn’t her you were looking at when I came over, Calley thought to herself. She pursued this line of thought by asking Coslove, “And what about Daznee?”

“I try to keep an eye on her. She’s… impulsive. I’d probably sleep better at night if she was a little more… of a wallflower, I guess.”

Calley had been looking at his face when he’d said that, but he hadn’t been looking back at her. He’d been looking at Daznee who was still dancing nearby. In an instant, Calley became certain that his surveillance of her friend wasn’t professional, but more personal.

“Seems like that would be a waste to me,” she told her dance partner.

“I hate to say it, but you’re probably right. Looks like more sleepless nights are in my future.”

He returned his attention to Calley and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Speaking of the future,” she told him, “I had an interesting offer about mine. A Mr. Lewinrich offered me a position on his staff. At your recommendation, he said.”

“Indeed. Did you take him up on it?”

“I haven’t decided. My ship’s leaving tomorrow, so I might be on it when it does. But I might not. Why did you think I might stay behind if I had a good offer?”

“I’m aware you’ve grown close to Daznee. Since we often work together, she’s regaled me with stories of your misadventures from the night before. I’ve also noted how her tone has gotten a little more… affectionate when she talks about you of late. So I concluded she’d rather you stay in Rangxu. I just did what I could to entice you.”

“Does she know you set up the job offer?”

“Of course not,” he responded while still leading her through the dance. “The chance to set up the offer presented itself tonight so I took it. This wasn’t some pre-meditated plot, just a convenient opportunity. When one comes up, I always pursue it.”

“Oh, okay, I guess,” she said, accepting his explanation. “I’d hate to think I was the target of some conspiracy or something.”

“If you were, it’d be a conspiracy to keep you safe and happy,” he said, his usual lack of visible emotion unnerving Calley as he said it. “You’re important to Daznee now, which means I’ll deal with any threat to you as I would one to her.”

“Have you dealt with a lot of threats to her?” she asked him, suddenly wondering what his motives were.

“Harmless ones mostly,” he admitted. “Things that she didn’t notice which, left unchecked, might have eventually blossomed into problems. Yutag once brought one to my attention. A friend of theirs had developed an addiction to chems. An opioid dependency, more specifically. She hid it well, but Yutag’s a trained security specialist and noticed the signs before anyone else did. So she informed me of the problem and I arranged for the young lady to take an extended stay at a drug rehabilitation facility in the Fermont system. She got clean and took a job there as a counsellor.”

“And you never mentioned it to Daznee?”

“Why let her worry about how her friend is doing? Daznee has a good heart, but can sometimes be aloof and forget about people when they’re not in her line of sight. Except you. She’s quite enamored of you.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said as the music started to die down. She realized the dance was ending and decided to ask one last question before he left her. “Coslove, it’s kind of convenient that Daznee’s got a security officer and a strong patrolman watching over her when she’s out at night. You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”

If the question shocked or offended the man, he gave no sign. He simply answered, “No. She befriended Yutag and officer Vijjah on her own. That being said, her being friends with one of my operatives does provide me with an opportunity to make sure she’s all right. And like I said, I act on opportunities when one presents itself. Every morning, I send Yutag a message asking if anything happened the night before I should know about. And every morning, Yutag replies that there isn’t. Except for the one time with Bulabie, the addict.”

The music soon ended and the two parted company as Coslove returned to the tables away from the dance floor. Calley watched him go and turned around to see Daznee approaching her. She took Calley by the hand and led her to some tables away from where everyone else was. Some of the attendees had left so there was some private space for the two women.

”How’d you get Coslove to dance with you?” the Vottonian asked Calley. “I’ve known him since I was a kid and I’ve never seen him dance with anybody.” 

“I just asked him,” Calley answered, omitting her forwardness in grabbing his hand and leading him onto the floor. “He didn’t seem to mind too much.” That part at least, the spacer reasoned, was the honest truth.

“You’re just too perfect,” her friend half-heartedly complained. “Since you got here, you’ve learned to dance as good as I do, you got a better vote total than I did at the Sapphire House, and now you’ve managed to dance with a guy who never wanted to dance with me.”

“Well, if you’re getting jealous, take heart that you’ve got another Verrazo dress and I’ve only got this one. So you’ve got me beat on that score.”

“Getting jealous?” Daznee asked with wide eyes. “Of you dancing with Coslove? No, of course not! Unless I should be. You two seemed pretty tame in your dance. Did something happen that I missed? Do I have another rival for your affections?”

Calley chuckled and told her friend, “Easy girl. There are other ways to get to a conclusion than by jumping to it. No, nothing happened. We just talked and danced. I did get him to stop calling me ‘Miss’, but I don’t think I’m in any great danger of him falling in love with me.”

“Good,” the teal-skinned woman said, which earned her a raised eyebrow from the Gynapsi. “Oh, don’t you start jumping to conclusions either, Calley Vanmussen, Esquiress. You’re welcome for the title, by the way. I insisted the announcer include it. But as to Coslove, I’m more jealous that you managed something I didn’t, that’s all. It hardly has anything to do with the man himself.”

Calley nodded slightly and thought about what her friend had just said. “Interesting…” she finally mused aloud.

“What’s interesting?”

“What you just said. Somebody pretty smart once told me to pay attention to what people say. You just said it has hardly anything to do with Coslove. Doesn’t that mean that a little bit of it does have to do with him?”

Daznee glared at the medtech for a moment and then leaned in close, despite there being no one around who could hear them. “Okay listen,” she told the Gynapsi. “I’ve known Coslove all my life. He’s always been around. Hells, he’s practically a member of my family. Even when I started noticing boys and men when I was old enough, I never thought of him like that. But on your ship, when he cracked that slaver’s jaw, that was something I’d never seen. Not from him, anyway. It was a whole new side of him I didn’t know existed. And you know what the weird part is?”

Calley shook her head and the green-haired beauty continued. “I grew up around mercenaries. Now, Mom and my Dads and Coslove, they’re all smart. But a lot of the troops aren’t. Nothing against ‘em, but a lot of ‘em think with their muscles. I’ve seen fights break out between ‘em all the time. Over love, or pride, or anything else you can think of. I always thought that was stupid. You fight an enemy ‘cause you’re supposed to, sure. But I’m not impressed by guys who hurt a rival. Who use violence when they don’t have to. I’m not some maiden waiting for a star-knight to slay a space dragon for her. I mean, Vijjah has muscles, sure, but he’s also got a brain, which is why I like him.”

“Same here,” Calley agreed.

Daznee looked away from Calley as she asked her, “So then why was it, when Coslove smashed that microscope into Hoddard’s face, that I felt attracted to him? I mean, sure, I don’t mind playing the submissive in bed sometimes. But that’s just for fun. I’m not like that in real life.” She paused for a moment and sighed. “I dunno. It’s weird. Did you think something like that about him when it happened?”

Calley thought back to the scene in the medbay and answered, “No, but I was knuckles-deep inside Sal’s guts at the time. So I was a little preoccupied, y’know?”

“Sure, sure,” Daznee agreed with a quick nod of her head. She looked pensive as she said, “Maybe it was just me then.”

“Maybe you should ask Yutag how she felt about it. See what she thought of him when she saw him do it. Or instead, why don’t you ask Coslove out? See how you feel about him after a date or two?”

“No, I couldn’t,” said the socialite as she looked uneasily away. “It’d be too… I dunno… too strange, I guess. Just thinking about it makes me too nervous.” She shook her head and straightened herself up again. “No, forget I said anything about it. It’s just a stupid thought. And no mention of this to Yutag or anybody else. I mean it. This is a secret between you and me.”

“I won’t tell anybody how you feel, I promise.”

“Good. Besides, my social calendar’s kinda full up with guys this evening anyway. And so’s yours. So whadda’ya say we leave and get going on our ritual for Jennha?”

Calley agreed and the two made their way back to where their friends were.

NEXT CHAPTER: Calley attends an orgy.