"The hell! Not this shit again!" exclaimed Lamar, throwing his muscular arms up in frustration and slapping them back down against his sides. He clenched his teeth and grunted at the skinny five foot, four inch tall woman standing before him.
The twenty-eight year old, Axelle Yamuna, frowned and displayed her best puppy-dog eyes impression to the six foot tall ebony skinned man glaring down at her. After a beat, she flicked her eyes to the black market dealer's sneakers and worked their way up along his tight fitting and worn blue jeans, pausing for a second around his crotch, then proceeded upward across the annoyed man's fit stomach and chest, covered by a gray t-shirt that could barely restrain his toned bulk. After another second, her hazel eyes returned to Lamar's smooth shaven face and deep brown eyes. She watched as he reached up with a hand and ran it across his short curly black hair.
The two had known each other for almost a year, meeting a few months after Axelle had been dishonorably discharged from the Interplanetary Federation (IF) after a nearly nine year stint, an almost exemplary one at that, at least up until the end. The IF was her life, and with no home to return to, Axelle would spend the next few months holed up in a rundown apartment with her financial situation crumbling before her eyes. But lucky for her, an unexpected situation would bring Lamar into her world, along with a new career of sorts.
"Oh come on!" pleaded Axelle, interlocking her fingers before her chest as if to pray. "You know how much I need this! This'll be huge break for me."
"This is just ova half the creds for this stuff!" Lamar took a few steps over and gestured with his arms toward a massive duffle bag on the floor. Born and raised to a human family on Unallam, and having learned both English and the extra-terrestrial's language, he continued in his unusual accent, "Ya not even close. Like ninety percent there, I might be like, I let it go and you can pay up later. But..." he flashed a frustrated glance around the small private office of his leased commercial space within the J. Morris Spaceport's commercial zone and continued, "I mean, do you know how hard it is to get ya hands on standard issue fed shit. I got ya not one, but the pair of fucking pistols you asked for. And the shielding. And the scanner. And everything else. I be barely breakin even on this as it is. You know ya gettin a friend discount, right? Shit." Lamar sighed loudly. "Plus you ain't gonna be 'round no more. One of the best hustlers we had."
Lamar crossed his massive arms, shook his head, and glowered at Axelle. He eyed the petite, yet athletic, caramel skinned woman from head to toe. A significant portion of the left side of her head was shaved quite short, showcasing her naturally carbon black hair, while the rest of her locks swooped over her head and hung just past her shoulders in a kaleidoscope of bright fluorescent colors, a few stray strands dangling down before her face. Dark eyebrows arched gracefully over her large hazel eyes, and her face had an overall elegance with an edge of hardness, along with a thumbnail sized light-blue outline of a five-pointed star adorning her left cheek.
Axelle let her tattooed arms drop by her sides, shoulders slumped. She wore a dark gray commercial grade, short sleeved, skin hugging tactical coverall, embellished with stylish cyan and white stripes. The outfit had several sections on which various tools of the trade and small arms could be attached. A matching pair of tactical boots completed her uniform. She managed to acquire the getup through one of her contacts at the corporation that made these high-end garments. Apparently, a crate of goods here or there would always go missing during transit. The front of her coverall was quite open, revealing an olive green sports bra stretched across Axelle's firm and fair-sized breasts for a petite frame. More tattoos ornamented her chest and crept up and around her neck.
"I get it, Lamar. Don't think for a second that I don't appreciate this, or anything else you've ever done for me. I know you've always given me a fair cut. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the perks." Axelle ran her hands down the sides of her fancy uniform. She paused for a beat and continued. "But this gig is really going to get me back on my feet. All those years I spent training at the IF won't go to waste. I mean, I'm going to be the head of weapons and security on a ship!"
She hurried toward Lamar and swung her arms up and around his neck, locking her fingers together behind his head. The ebony dealer huffed, keeping his arms by his side, but didn't interrupt Axelle as she continued. "This is a job I have. The contract is signed. In like thirty minutes I'm going to be meeting up with the captain and I'll be heading out on my first mission with these guys." Her eyes bounced between his, a bittersweet smile across her lips.
"I had fun, Lamar, but you know I couldn't do this forever. As for the creds, I'll pay you back, with interest. I promise. I know I've been late before, but I've always paid you in full. I'm running a bit shorter than usual because I had to get those Unallam traders off my back. At least they'll leave me alone... I hope." She twisted her lips.
Lamar considered her for a moment or two, then said, "With interest you say?"
Axelle grinned widely. "Yeah. Let's put a number on it. Ten percent."
Lamar raised an eyebrow and quickly countered her offer, "Twenty."
"Fifteen. And I'll... throw in a bonus," she said, pecking Lamar's chin and lips with kisses.
"A bonus?" Lamar reached for the zipper on Axelle's outfit and yanked it down further, exposing the woman's chiseled stomach. Grabbing her arms next and pushing them down to her sides, he reached back up to her shoulders and forcefully tugged the coveralls down. The sleeves were now by her elbows and her bosom pumped up and down with each of her excited breaths.
"Yeah, a bonus. You can have all of me now, but you got twenty minutes... back door's open too." She said in a sultry voice.
A long deep hum rumbled from Lamar, and within a beat he began to hungrily suck at Axelle's mouth, forcing his tongue between her lips. His large left hand grasped tightly onto the back of her neck, while his right hand squeezed her left breast and pinched at her nipple.
Axelle reciprocated, allowing Lamar's wet muscle to taste her mouth and wrestle with her tongue. She moaned and wriggled her arms free from the coverall's sleeves, letting the material drop and hang loosely around her waist. She then quickly reached down and worked it off her firm round rump, letting the spaceport's artificial gravity bring them down just beyond her knees,also exposing her alluring black lacy panties.
Lamar pulled back suddenly and grasped the petite woman's sports bra on each side and yanked upwards, Axelle's arms rising toward the ceiling. For a moment, her bulbous breasts resisted escaping the fabric, but soon plopped out with a mesmerizing jiggle, her dark areolas and hard nipples on full display. "So how did ya pull off some shit like this? Gettin yaself a head of security on a ship job?" said Lamar, his breath hot as he dove back into kissing and sucking at Axelle's neck.
Axelle wrapped her left arm and hand around the back of Lamar's head, while her right clawed at the man's brawny backside. She answered his question between jagged breaths, "Ha. You know Samalo, right? That Unallam hacker? Got him to... oh, yeah! That's it!" Lamar's had slipped his hand into her panties and interrupted her for a moment. "Got him to do his thing. Said he installed a sentinel with parameters to update any, umm, undesirable details to things I wanted. Also helped out with faking the references."
Lamar backed off and whipped his t-shirt off, tossing it somewhere to the side. "He get a bonus too?" He grabbed Axelle by the hair and pulled her into his chest. She began to unfasten and loosen his belt.
After a teasing bite to one of his nipples, she said, "Well... yeah. But it still cost me some sweet creds too. Another reason why I'm short. But it worked. Can't believe I got this so quick. Whole shit went down in less than a week. Although the captain did said they needed someone quick."
"Lucky girl," answered Lamar, placing his large hands, one on each of Axelle's shoulders, and began to push down.
"Oh no you fucking don't." Axelle snapped up her hands and clamped onto Lamar's wrists from below, stretching her arms up and wide, while crouching down at the same time. Then, within a split second, she straightened out her knees and body, lunging forward and hurtling the dark hunky mass of muscle back into a nearby office chair.
Lamar barely managed to keep the chair from tipping over. With a laugh, he said, "Hoo woman! I forget how strong that little body of yours is."
During Axelle's first few months of service in the IF, she had struggled to keep up to the basic training regimen due to her small physical stature. But her willingness to never give in and continue until her body quit on her, caught the attention of her sergeant who recommended that she be admitted to a special program that specialized in enhancing IF soldiers. She eagerly agreed to an information session where an exciting, more like propaganda, video introduced the procedures, casually watering down the horrid pain and suffering one would have to endure to survive the process. It also showcased the results, but again, left out a few pertinent details.
So after signing her life away and enduring a brutal and agonizing year of treatments and surgeries to physically and genetically alter her body such as skeletal replacements and enhancements, skin armoring, and synthetic muscle grafting, among other less physically noticeable items, Axelle's transformation was successful and complete. Beings twice the size of her, if not even a bit larger, would generally not fare well in a one-on-one fight with her. She'd still have to be mindful of her smaller stature and mass, but with her combat training, it generally wasn't an issue.
Axelle gracefully slipped out of her boots and stepped free of the coverall, her legs spread slightly apart. She gazed hungrily at Lamar, beaming a smile at him while biting down cutely on her lower lip. Her left hand caressed and played with her plump mounds, while her right hand rubbed her kitty through her panties, beginning to be soaked with her juices. Lamar locked eyes with her and began slowly kneading his swollen member through his jeans.
After a few seconds of teasing, she released her snatch and approached Lamar with a sexy gait, kneeling before his spread legs. She slid her hands up his thighs and across the hard bulge, up to the button and fly, undoing them quickly. Lamar raised his rear end off of the seat and Axelle pulled his jeans down to his ankles.
The lengthy bulge in Lamar's red and black boxers twitched, and Axelle wrapped her fingers around his cloth covered aroused member. She breathed deeply, seductively looked him in the eyes, and said, "Let's do this, big boy."
*****
"Kane?"
Captain Kane St. James stood in line at an Oltoxian run cafeteria in a commons section of the J. Morris Spaceport, awaiting his turn to order a cup of the extra-terrestrial's coffee-like beverage, eetall. He enjoyed its taste more than human coffee, and found it had a stronger kick to it as well.
The fifty-two year old captain swiveled his head to examine the bustling environment around himself. Humans, Oltoxians, Unallams, Tiakagras, and half a dozen other species littered the park-like zone on the station, chatting, passing through, drinking, eating, and even managing to rest with all the noise and activity about. A complex, yet pleasant, aroma wafted through the area occupied by numerous kiosks cooking up all sorts of dishes from Earth and beyond, enticing patrons to try their meals.
The voice he heard in his earpiece was that of Elomina Yyourum, his first officer, and science officer. He responded, "Mina. Go ahead."
"The repair team is done. They've just detached the rig and sent us the all-clear. And Ox is on his way back with the remaining supplies," answered Mina.
"Huh. He should've been back like an hour ago."
"Yes, he should have. But there was a transport delay and he spent most of the time waiting for the shipment to arrive."
Kane took a couple of steps forward as the line advanced toward the counter. Two patrons were ahead of him. "So be it. We'll shelve the stuff on our way to the acceleration corridors. The new girl can help." He took another couple of steps forward, eyeing a customer taking away a tray filled with several cups and snacks.
"Why not? It would help her get acquainted with layout of the ship. I take it you're still waiting for her? She should be there within a few minutes, no?"
The captain raised his eyebrows for a moment and pursed his lips into a line. "Well... sure. I'm grabbing a cup of eetall. Still in li... oh, hold on a sec."
Kane stepped up to the order counter and an Oltoxian female smiled widely at him with her iridescent red eyes. "Greetings, sir. What would you like to order?"
Kane returned the smile. Oltoxians had pitch black, completely hairless skin with elongated crimson markings unique to each individual. Adults were typically over six feet tall, a few reaching over seven, and had powerful physiques. Their angular heads with boney ridges gave them a somewhat demonic look to humans, but overall, they were one of the most peaceful in the federation. Usually.
"Greetings to you. I'll have a large eetall to go, please. Extra cream and sweetener."
"That'll be nineteen credits, please."
"Sure." Kane confirmed the order on the holo-projection and added a tip worth a few creds.
"Thank you, sir. Just a moment."
Mina's voice chimed in on his earpiece again, "Those are bad for you."
Kane huffed, "They're not bad for me. They're fine. You have your guilty pleasures too."
"Don't we all. I'll still refrain from that sludge."
"I should've asked, would you like anything from here?" Kane watched the barista return with his order. She placed the cup on the counter and waited, assuming he'd get a quick answer over his comm system.
"No. Thank you for asking. I'm good."
Kane nodded at the barista and took the cup in his hand, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir. Enjoy your drink. Next please."
Kane stepped away from the café and headed deeper into the commons area. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yea, Yamuna should be here soon." The captain took a careful sip of his hot eetall and scanned the area for the crew's new addition. "Don't see her yet. Good. At least I'm not the one late. I hate being late." He noticed an unoccupied bench nearby and sat himself down comfortably, taking another relaxing sip.
"Ha. Yes you do. And you rarely are. I have some documents to clear up before we depart, so I'll see you and our new crew member soon," said Mina.
"Yeah, see you in a bit." Kane leaned back onto the bench and crossed his legs, taking another leisurely sip.
*****
Lamar was lethargically splayed out in the office chair, the air around him hot and humid. He took long deep breaths as his naked body glistened with beads of sweat, and his spent one-eyed serpent lay at ease between his thighs. He eyed Axelle as she hastily slipped into her sports bra and stepped into her coverall. The young woman barely broke a sweat during their heated romp that lasted almost thirty minutes.
"Shit. I'm going to be late," she hissed, bending over to secure her boots.
"Umm..." drawled Lamar, trying to get Axelle's attention.
Axelle swung her head up toward him as she adjusted her footwear, and let out a quick laugh when she noticed the dealer swinging her black panties back and forth on his right index finger.
"Souvenir." She beamed him a seductive smile as she stood up and zipped up her coverall, this time all the way up. Lamar gave a quick appreciative hum.
Not wasting another second, Axelle swung around to locate her large rucksack, filled with most of her personal items, and slung it over her left shoulder. She then hurried over to the duffle bag with the goods she received from Lamar and slung its straps over her right shoulder with a subtle huff.
Dashing toward the exit, she shouted over her shoulder, "Thanks, Lamar! I owe you. I promise I'll pay you back. With interest. Maybe another bonus."
"Ha! Ya better. Hey, girl. You got a little something..." Lamar couldn't finish his sentence as Axelle had already rushed out the door and it had slid shut behind her. "...on ya face. Whateva. Serves ya right." He laughed to himself, then used the souvenir to dab some of the sweat from his face.
"Sorry! Excuse me!" repeatedly exclaimed Axelle to those she accidentally bumped into or nudged with the two giant loads on her shoulders as she ran through the corridors of the spaceport, rushing toward the commons area.
After taking mouthful of eetall, his cup now only half full, commotion from the far end of the commons area caught Kane's eye.
"There you are," he muttered to himself, then rose to his feet.
Axelle spotted her new superior and grinned widely. The man stood nearly six feet tall and sported light brown hair with a few sneaky strands of gray, trimmed short on the sides and back, and left a little longer on top. Although the gaze from his gray eyes had a hardness to them, they were also imbued with wisdom and kindness. His chiseled face was clean shaven, but two timeworn scars on the left-side near his eye marred his nearly flawless lightly tanned complexion. The marks appeared to have been created by claws, the one nearest his eye about three inches long, and the one further back about half that.
He wore a stylish, but somewhat tired, dark brown bomber jacket with several pockets throughout, zipped up a few inches from the bottom, and a lightweight white t-shirt peeked out from underneath his teal colored quarter-zip sweater, ornamented with a few stylish black lines. Military style, gray cargo parts and a rugged looking pair of ankle-high hiking boots completed the leader's look.
After a few more seconds of jogging, another apology, and coming to a respectful stop before her captain, she announced, "Weapons Systems and Security Officer Yamuna reporting for duty, Captain St. James." She saluted him as she caught her breath quickly.
Kane let out a brief chuckle and responded, "Excellent. Again, welcome to the team. And no need to be so formal. Although we take our roles seriously, we're more," he waved his free wrist around looking for the right words, "like a family of sorts."
"Yes, sir. I'll keep that mind. And my apologies for being late. I had a bit of a delay acquiring my gear."
"You too, eh?" calmly stated Kane, raising his eyebrows for a moment. "Our engineer is running behind as well. Seems some supplies from Earth have been delayed today. By the time we board, everyone should be back at their stations." Kane squinted a little as he eyed Axelle. "Ah, you seem to have something on your cheek." He pointed toward his own face to show the approximate location.
Axelle's eyes flew open and she hesitated for a second before answering, "Oh, ah, this? It's just facial cream. I probably forgot to rub it in. Must be one of those days." She released an awkward laugh, her cheeks turning a shade rosier, and quickly wiped away what little remained of the souvenir Lamar had gifted her. She cursed the dealer in her thoughts.
The captain just nodded and appeared to think nothing of it. "That's fine. Do you need a hand with your bags?"
"Oh, no thanks. These little muscles of mine can handle it. Got that synth job that I mentioned during the interview."
"That's right. Slipped my mind." Kane raised his left arm, eetall still in his grasp, and glanced along his arm. "Synth-muscle woven in there too. Long story. I'll tell you about it later. But let's get going. I'll fill you in on a few details along the way, then give you a quick tour of the Protostar. We'll be departing the moment we can." Kane turned on his heels and began heading toward one of the large corridors that lead to where the ship was docked.
Axelle, to the captain's right, kept up to his brisk pace and said. "Seems like we'll be in a hurry to leave, sir."
Kane nodded. "Yes. Now that you're officially part of the crew, I'll be able to fill you in on the mission, but we'll do that during the briefing. Usually this happens before we take off, but in this case, it'll be after. There's some of urgency to it." He took a drink of his eetall.
"Understood, sir," acknowledged Axelle with a nod.
The two continued down the long passageway with the captain providing a succinct overview of their departure procedure, to which Axelle responded accordingly, as well as trying to quickly memorize the details. They weaved around the bodies, bots, and carts carrying all sorts of goods to and from the myriad of vessels docked at the terminals. With Earth being nearly between the Tiakagra and Oltox homeworlds, the gargantuan J. Morris Spaceport was a constant hub of activity, bombarded by everything from tourists, dignitaries and diplomats, ship crews stopping by for a quick break, maintenance, or refueling, to hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo being imported and exported through the sprawling orbiting facility. The IF military also had its own wing, adding to the jumble of activity and traffic around the port. At any given time, there were around three-hundred thousand beings on board.
Coming up to a large window, Kane looked over his shoulder and noticed Axelle being held up by an autonomous cart that had aggressively barged into her path. He came to a stop before the large viewport and waited for her catch up.
When she arrived a few seconds later, the captain pointed and said, with a hint of pride in his voice, "There she is."
Axelle came to a stop byhis side, panting gently, the weight of her luggage becoming more noticeable evenfor her special abilities. She turned to face the window and her eyes suddenlyshot open. "You're kidding me."