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  "Kash, I could use your help outside the most. Cinnamon, you have some basic training on a couple units that need swapped out in the engine room. It's only about an hour's worth of work, maybe two."

  "I'm happy to help," Cinnamon responded.

  "How about me?" Doctor Vanilla asked. "Is there any detail work that I might be able to handle?"

  "Not much," Honey replied, appreciative of the offer. "Just a couple small pieces. Maybe fifteen minutes to do."

  "Bring it to the lab and I'll have it done for you by this evening," Vanilla said. "The rest of the time I will be focusing on dragon health. There is so much to learn. If we reach a respectable station soon, I'll be able to publish my findings."

  "Will that be revenue producing?" Strawberry asked. The expression on her face looked too much like Sage's for my liking. If she was eager to earn money off the doctor's report, she could also be planning to make a profit off Teddy, Gako and Dawynda.

  "Possibly," Vanilla answered, showing only a teeny bit of the offense that she was probably taking. "Any funds yielded would of course go into the Arketa Moreta's account."

  "No," Sage said, shocking everyone. Then she revealed why. "We won't be putting any money into the company's account from here on. We'll deal with that later, though. Is there anything else to discuss regarding getting this ship ready to fly as soon as possible?"

  I stared at Sage and decided this was a good opportunity to raise suspicions in the minds of the crew. "Are you in a hurry to leave this time?"

  Sage hid her shock well when she turned to me. Sternly she said, "I'm as eager to get back to our lives as anyone. In fact, breaking away from the company will be good for every one of us. It will take some careful planning, but we should all make more money from here on out."

  Ah, she twisted it on me again. I was trying to make her look like the bad guy, but it backfired. She was telling everyone that if they continued to follow her, they would all get a raise in income.

  "Cinnamon," Sage addressed my closest friend. "Once you are done with the repairs and your normal duties, I have some new work for you. Basic training for communication's specialist will be available to you through your tablet. Before we reach a station, the ship will need someone to fill in at Coffee's job."

  The mention of my dead lover was somber, but the thought brought up questions. Would Sage plan to hire someone to replace Coffee? It would make sense, but the new recruit would begin as a supporter of her new captain. That could be a problem. Or worse yet, she could hire a man. That would be competition for me. Being the lone male onboard had given me certain advantages that I didn't want to lose.

  Like I kept telling myself, that bitch Sage was always two steps ahead of me. As hard as I tried to outplay her, it just wasn't happening. I might need use force to take control of the ship. But that required support from the majority of the crew. Losing Coffee set me back. I needed to stay tight with my two girls and make this new alliance with Strawberry work, for real. If she was playing me though, I might have to do something drastic.

  Honey covered the details of the damaged engine components and hull over the next few minutes. Then what could be assigned to others was, and the meeting adjourned. She would need my help outside the most, she said. That would allow my three non-human friends to get some recreation time. If they didn't run off, the privilege could possibly endear them to me more.

  "How are you feeling about the promotion?" I asked Cinnamon as we left the galley. In the back of my mind, I was worried that she might not be as dead set against Sage's leadership anymore. My heart told me that wasn't the case, but I didn't want to look like a fool.

  "It is funny that you should mention it," she replied quietly. Then she took me by the hand and pulled me into her quarters. After the door closed, I studied her face to see what it was that she felt she needed to tell me in private. Was she backing out of our plan?

  "It makes sense that I take over comm duties since I have the least amount to do while we are in flight," she explained. "But I also think that Sage is trying to bluff us into staying loyal to her. The thing is, if I handle communications for the ship, that actually gives some of the power back to us. I think that I should do it without complaint."

  "I agree," I replied optimistically. It did sound good. This was the one person that I seriously doubted would abandon me in a crisis. The fact that she thought of this advantage so quickly set my mind at ease.

  "I only have two days to learn the basics, so can you handle Teddy and the dragons for me?"

  "Sure," I answered as I pushed away the idea of that being a good name for a band. "But Dawynda is going to be upset if you don't show her any love."

  "Yeah, that is true," she replied with a nod. "I'll make sure I spend some time with her to keep her devoted to me. You should find out what has triggered this obsession with me and do the same thing with Gako."

  I laughed. "I don't think that I can copy what you have going on, but I'll try to improve my relationship with him. I think that I already have Teddy by my side."

  "Yes, but he is a little guy, not near as powerful as a dragon."

  "Don't discount him," I urged her. "He has his skills. And unlike Gako and Dawynda, he can manipulate our equipment. Hell, he might even be able to man a station in the command room."

  Cinnamon smiled at me. I could tell that she thought I was being too optimistic of Teddy's role in my rebellion. However, all she said was, "that would really be something."

  I then descended to the lower level to check in with Honeysuckle. She was busy handing out assignments to the others, so I went to get Teddy. Once the mechanic was ready to take me outside with her, I'd invite him and the dragons to join us. Currently, though, the lovely doctor was examining the giant creatures in the main cargo hold.

  "Will I be permitted to assist in the repairs like last time?" Teddy asked me as I filled him in on the situation.

  "I don't see why not. It's not like we're going to ask for permission."

  "I'm beginning to like the way that you think, Kash. Is there any chance that the doctor could use my help?" His monotone voice made it challenging for me to pick up on things at times. His fixation on the doctor, though, was obvious.

  "What the fuck, Teddy?" I shook my head. "Do you have a boner for Vanilla?"

  "No," he answered without even glancing at his crotch. "I do not have a boner."

  "Then why do you..."

  "Hey, Kash," Honey called to me. "I'm ready to go outside."

  I dropped the subject about Teddy's heavy interest in the heavenly medic aboard. Honestly, I could completely understand being attracted to the divine beauty of Vanilla. But Teddy was kind of a male chauvinist. He only started acknowledging human women due to my request to do so. His assumed sexual attraction to the woman didn't make much sense to me.

  The more I thought about it, though, the more that it did make sense. There were plenty of types of women that I was not particularly into, such as Indian women. But occasionally, I would see one that broke down that barrier. I imagined it could even be the case with a racist. A hillbilly white supremacist could find a black woman so hot that he didn't know what to do about it. Was that what was going on with Teddy's interest in Vanilla?

  I decided to store that information for future use. Maybe the day would come that I could use the sexy doctor as motivation for the alien teddy bear to follow my instructions. So far, he has been exceptionally loyal. I probably shouldn't give him any grief over it.

  I left word with Vanilla to let the dragons come out once they were ready. I anticipated spending much of the next few hours helping Honey work on the exterior hull. Though there was no reason to rush, everyone had been bummed out about not being able to finally leave this planet after our last launch. We had good motivation to make quick work of these repairs.

  During our meeting I had suggested that we skip the anti-scent mud masking since we hadn't spotted any predators in this new location. The ship wasn't picking up any signif
icant wildlife activity nearby either. Though it felt strange, almost like we were walking outside naked, everyone was happy to skip the pasting and de-pasting process that had been so burdensome the last few weeks.

  Nothing had changed outside since our last exodus from the ship. In a way that seemed kind of weird. There was a feeling lingering in the air that had no place in an open field. It was the statues causing the sensation without a doubt. They were beginning to freak me out.

  I occasionally listened closely for a hum that simply wasn't there. In my mind I kind of expected chanting, too. It was that type of eerie feeling that made the hair stand up on my arms, and the back of my neck.

  "Teddy," Honey said with exaggerated sweetness in her voice. She wanted something from him and decided not to go through me to get it. "Could you do me a favor?"

  The Pithynos turned to her with disinterest. That was kind of his go-to look for acknowledging human women. Then he waddled in her direction before he answered. It looked like he was a little bowlegged in his gait.

  "Yes, Miss Honeysuckle," he said in a monotone voice. "What can I do for you?"

  "Can you manipulate this small camera?" Honey asked. "I'd like for you to climb up to the front right corner of the hull to get some video of the damage for me. It will transmit directly to my tablet and I'll know what tools to take with me when I go."

  My green-skinned lover showed Teddy how to work the device. He tested it for a few seconds and seemed a bit fascinated by seeing the motion image appearing on Honey's screen. His species did not have this advanced technology, he explained.

  The request didn't save us much time, really. I believed that Honey was just trying to make my little buddy feel included. That was nice. It was also good to see her in a better mood. The sexy crew member shouted instructions up to him to get all the angles that she wanted. He was even able to pull back a panel a couple inches for her to see inside.

  In the meantime, I circled the spacecraft looking for any other problems. I wasn't able to see under the ship very well since most of it was pretty close to the ground. I asked earlier what would have happened should the questionable section of hull on the bottom need attention. The girls explained to me that the landing gear could be adjusted to have the ship rest as much and three meters above the ground. A staircase would descend from the exit instead of just the two steps that I was familiar with.

  One of the engines did have some burn marks and a section of mangled metal. We would need video of that as well, I was certain. Then we could grab whatever tools we needed and get to work. I was familiar enough with basic welding from the repairs that we did back in dragon land. However, I wouldn't want the lives of the crew riding on my handiwork, regardless of how simple modern technology had made the task.

  "Thanks, Teddy!" I heard the lovely mechanic yell up to the orange alien fuzz ball. "That should do it! You have been a big help!"

  I went to meet up with them just as Teddy was returning the camera to her. "I'm fine with assisting you with your duties," he said in his disgruntled voice. "But there is no need to patronize me. I am not a child despite my small stature."

  I hung back a moment to see how this would play out.

  "Oh," Honeysuckle responded with mild offense. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to be friendly, honestly. I can see why would take it as patronizing, though. I will work on that. I sincerely meant no offense."

  Teddy glanced in my direction before saying, "Thank you, miss. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance."

  "I most certainly will," she replied as she turned to walk toward the rear of the ship. Teddy fell in beside her taking three to four steps for every one of hers. He did resemble a kid in that setting. I could almost imagine Honey reaching down to hold his hand as they went, like a mother with her child.

  Though she preferred to remain barefoot onboard the ship, our foxy white-haired mechanic always wore her boots while outside. Most of the white rings on her green skinned ankles were visible above the boot. Her sexy slender legs disappeared into those short black uniform shorts that all the females in the crew continued to wear for a lack of anything better. To my dismay, most of the girls voted to get new uniforms once we reach a station with a fashionable shop.

  As I trailed behind them, I realized how important Honeysuckle could be to my future. I should make a better effort to get her close to both Teddy and Gako. Three humans and three animals, uh-hum, aliens, would give us a strong majority in the near future. Sage only had Strawberry and Vanilla on her side, and their allegiance was questionable.

  I might not be able to think ahead as well as Sage, but I was much better at making friends. I believed that would make all the difference once I got a perfect opportunity to seize control. Hopefully, it would be soon. Maybe even before we left this place. I needed to keep my eyes open and my allies close. Tipping my hand before I played it could cost us severely.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Gako was noticeably excited about how fast he was healing. I overheard him thanking the doctor three times. That was a big deal coming from him. He typically only spoke when absolutely necessary.

  I had initially considered the green dragons to be somewhat lazy. Gako mostly slept in his tree when he wasn't hunting or eating. Considering how fast he was able to kill his prey back in his homeland, that gave him plenty of down time. Whether it was the new location or his renewed energy, or both, he was almost gleeful as he flew into the air. He reached a height of more than forty feet as he bobbed around, which was higher than I had ever seen him go.

  Dawynda was acting the same as her husband. Of course, she was the more energetic of the two to begin with, and a much faster speaker. Compared to the male dragon she would be considered downright chatty.

  "How would you like to fly through the air on a dragon?" I asked Teddy as we were carrying supplies to the ladder on the right side of the hull.

  "I wouldn't," he answered plainly.

  "I'm sure that you are light enough to not even slow them down," I told him as I pictured him clinging to the thick lizard neck for his life. The Pithynos was agile and acrobatic. That didn’t mean that he could survive a long fall.

  Dawynda overheard me and dropped to the ground to join in the conversation. Thus far they had not taken much interest in my little buddy. Some of that came from hard feelings over the soccer match, I believed. I was clear in my instructions not to eat the guy. To a dragon he probably looked like a nice appetizer.

  "I'll be ready for Cinnamon to ride me soon," she said with that unique dragon excitement of hers. It came across as scary at times.

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "I know she's not as heavy as me, but she ain't light."

  "She might be too heavy to ride you," the toothy giant reptile replied. I debated on making a sexual reference then decided against it. "But my neck is stronger than your entire body."

  That might very well be true. I remembered fighting the blue dragons on top of the ship when Gako came to my rescue. Their necks were thick and wiry. My special sword was the only blade we had that had a chance to cut through them.

  "So, you have had humans ride you before?" I asked Dawynda, knowing very well that she hadn’t. Neither dragon had even met a human until us.

  "No," she answered, pulling her snout back like she didn't appreciate my question. "We have only just recently encountered your kind."

  "Ah, then other creatures have ridden on your back and neck before," I said. I was taking chances with my playful banter, unsure if she would receive it in good fun.

  "No, to be quite truthful on the matter, I have never had anyone ride me," she replied with a deflated tone. Her eyes wandered like she was doubting herself. She just enjoyed being with Cinnamon so much that she was anxious to be of flying service to her. I fully understood that feeling. Every time I spotted my bedmate, I longed to have her slender legs around me, too.

  "But it is a thing that dragons do," I told her. "Right?"

  Gako landed beside me and said
slowly, "I have never heard of dragons offering to transport creatures before. I personally would consider it belittling."

  "So, you won't make the same offer for me?"

  "No," Gako said plainly. Then he snarled his upper lip distastefully.

  "How about that sweet smelling Honeysuckle?" I asked jokingly. I remembered him taking an interest in her while inside the ship. Her scent was incredibly attractive, I had to admit.

  Gako licked his lips as he maintained the same expression of disinterest. I figured he wasn't going to answer so I was about to return to my work. Then I heard him mutter, "Maybe."

  Okay, that did it. My brain took off into fantasy land. I visualized me walking into battle, bare chested, wielding my sword. Then my two dragons take flight behind me to strike fear in my enemy, each with one of my lovers on their back. The girls would need to have some kind of long-range weapon, probably a rifle though that would be hard to shoot accurately with their ride flapping their wings. Bow and arrows would be sexy as hell, but impractical. Maybe they would just be ornamental, or scout ahead for the intimidating beasts.