Pirate (LGBT - Sci-Fi - Romantic)

Chapter Seven

Chapter 7 

Mars shut the door to his quarters. As usual, the young man had been stripped and tied spread eagled across his bed, his wrists and ankles bound to each corner, face down. He was still unconscious, but the nerve gas should be wearing off soon. He cast his eyes almost absentmindedly over the naked body as he sat down to wait. 

Disgust. That's what he had seen on Conn's face. And he didn't like it, not one bit. He frowned.  

Mind you, he had only himself to blame. This was the role he had built up for himself, and it worked very well in general, excellently in fact when it came to extorting money from rich friends and relatives. But unfortunately, it also meant men like Conn despised him.  

He looked sideways at the victim on his bed again. He sighed in relief, it appeared he was coming around. 

XXX 

Conn tossed and turned all night. He was worried about the young man inside the cabin with the Captain, trying hard not to visualise what was happening. He felt guilty for not being able to protect him, that was understandable enough, but what was really unsettling was the jumble of emotions he felt when he thought about the Captain. He didn't feel jealous of course, haha, that would have been ridiculous, but he did feel ... troubled.  

He thought about the way Mars had treated him. True, he had forced a kiss on him but really he had been very ... restrained ... when he thought about it, backing off immediately when he protested. Nothing like what was happening now. Evidently the Captain had two quite distinct rules of behaviour, one for crew and one for prisoners. He felt a shiver run up his spine, he hoped the Captain never discovered why he was really on board. 

XXX 

The young man, his name was Brent, sat opposite drinking his cup of hot chocolate. Mars eyed him broodingly from the other side of the small table. Fifteen, the boy was only fifteen. No wonder Ser Landon had been nearly hysterical when he chose him. It wasn't his fault, Mars argued defensively. He was tall and well built for his age, how could he be expected to know he was only fifteen? 

Brent watched him with a wary eye as he finished his breakfast.  

"You'll be glad to know your father has paid the ransom I asked, so you can go home today," Mars told him. 

"My father will hunt you down!" Brent stated defiantly, "You won't get away with this!" 

Mars smiled broadly despite himself, those words never failed to entertain him. Brent ground his teeth in angry frustration. 

He was glad to see the boy was fighting back. "Come on, we'll get you somewhere safe where your Dad can pick you up." Mars stood up and ushered the boy out of his cabin, a hand gripping his upper arm. The drug he had just drunk should kick in soon, Mars calculated. By the time Brent woke up he should be safely down on Bast. 

Brent was leaning heavily against him by the time they reached the cargo bay and he was thankful to be able to hand him over to Klee and Duong, who picked him up between them and carried him into the shuttle. Moments later, the boy was on his way down to Bast, a wristcom around his arm which would send out a signal to his father as soon as the pirates were safely out of the way. 

Mars thought he caught a glimpse of Conn disappearing down a corridor and grimaced. He hadn't wanted him to see that, to catch a closer look at the boy, realise how young he was.  

When he went into the common room that night for their usual game of Mahjong, he wasn't really surprised to be told that Conn had retired early that night.  

"Sorry, Captain, he said he's got a headache," Levi told him, looking uncomfortable, he knew it was just an excuse. Mars stood there for a moment, eyes narrowed, considering whether he could let him get away with it. Reluctantly he decided that he couldn't. As Captain of a pirate ship, not only did he have to be in control but, perhaps even more importantly, he had to be seen to be in control. 

Conn looked up in surprise as someone flashed their ID outside his cabin door. He was supposed to be in bed with a migraine, who would be visiting him now? 

He got up and stood there chewing his lip, looking at the ID. The Captain. Of course. He really didn't want to see him and for a moment he seriously contemplated whether he could get away with pretending he was asleep. Fat chance. 

Reluctantly he opened the door, "Yes sir?"  

Mars stood there in his favourite pirate outfit, his arms folded across his chest, a grim expression on his face. 

"How's your headache?" he demanded, pushing past him into the small room. "Better, I hope?" 

The cabin which had seemed reasonably spacious a while ago, suddenly seemed tiny with both of them in there together. "Uh, yes, it's getting better." 

"Good, you'll come back to the common room and have our match then," ordered Mars coolly. 

Conn lifted his chin slightly, condemnation in his eyes. "Perhaps tomorrow." 

The small act of defiance had Mars aching to assert his authority, even if Conn wasn't going to submit to him sexually he sure as hell was going to submit to him as Captain. He stepped nearer, crowding the other man. "That wasn't a request. If you want to stay on the Zeron, you'll follow my orders." 

It was like a mask coming down over Conn's face, all expression was suddenly wiped away. "Of course sir, I'm sorry. I'll come now." His body was stiff and unmoving, waiting for Mars to lead the way. The Conn of a few moments ago would have been reacting to his closeness, pulling away or insisting he step back, not standing there like some sort of obedient robot. 

Contrarily, now that Mars had got what he wanted, he found it wasn't what he wanted after all. 

He sighed and stepped back. He didn't want this new Conn. 

"He's alright, you know," he said unexpectedly. "A bit humiliated and frightened but nothing else." 

Conn looked at him uncertainly. What was Mars saying? 

"You don't have to worry any more," the Captain continued. "He was only fifteen, I didn't touch him."