Page 11 of The Captain's Bounty
“I’m what?”
“It’s an easy bounty and a lot of money.”
“Exactly. It’s too much money for how supposedly easy it is.” He tried to pass the tablet back to her.
She didn’t take it. “What do you mean, too much? There’s no such thing as too much money. Oh my God, I can’t believe I have to have this conversation with you again. Okay, look,” she huffed, not quite stifling her laugh of frustration. “We are wanted pirates. Pirates take whatever jobs they can find.”
Bruwes didn’t need the scolding any more than he needed mating details. “Not this job. There’s something wrong with it.”
“Wrong with what?” Kelys asked, stepping through the sliding door onto the bridge.
“There’s a job for six thousand chits, and he won’t even consider it,” Cory immediately ratted him out.
“Six thousand?” Kelys paused. “That’s more than we need.”
Swiveling in her seat to face Bruwes, she pointed back to the Reaver’s engineer with both hands. “He gets it. What’s wrong with you?”
Annoyed, Bruwes punched the control panel, opening up comms between the bridge and the Medibay. “Your female needs beating again. Either you do it, or I will.”
She threw her hands up. “He only listens to you half the time. You know that, right?”
“If this is the half when he listens, you’re welcome.”
Scowling, she heaved herself up off the seat. “The sex is fantastic afterwards.” Chin up, she stalked off the bridge.
Everything always came down to sex with that one.
“I need chits,” Vullum announced as he came charging in. He almost collided with Kelys in his haste to get in front of Bruwes. “I,” he said, in barely contained excitement, “needchits.”
His human co-pilot wasn’t the only one who needed beating.
“How many?” Bruwes drawled, as if he wanted to know.
“Ten chits,” Vullum said again, still excited.
“No.” Turning in his chair, Bruwes frowned at him. “How many?”
“Oh.” Vullum arched his eyebrows, as if wondering why that part should matter. “Two. Sisters, and they’ve got a friend. Three, really.”
Deviant. He shook his head. “Find two sisters with a friend who are free.”
Tipping his head, the science officer considered that, but only briefly. “I don’t think that’s how that works. They don’t really come free.”
“We don’t have ten chits for you to spend on sex.”
Vullum was quiet a moment, the wheels of his mind whirring so loudly that Bruwes knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it. “Want me to get a job? They’re hiring dishwashers at the Salty Lady.”
“Are they hiring six?” Bruwes grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“There’s seven of us now,” Vullum pointed out.
“Yes,but one of us can make more on her back!” Bruwes leaned around Vullum to bellow, making sure the right person heard him, no matter how far down the corridor she might be.
“I heard that!” Cory bellowed back.
Looking from Kelys to Bruwes, Vullum finally asked, “So, is that a no on the job and the chits?”
Disgusted, Bruwes shook his head. “Go find something to sell. Both of you.”And leave me alone, he wished he could say, but didn’t. He was the captain; he didn’t get that luxury.
