Prisoner Exchange

[Admiral Hart]

Hart stood casually on the Cove street, her mother in full uniform next to her, Morgan standing a ways off, glancing uncomfortably at his wife occasionally. Hart was trying very desperately to ignore him. Ever since he had called out her daughter's name in bed.

They were not waiting long before Thorn arrived, not looking too terribly happy, Lyra trailing him, "dragging" Dane by the hand. Both of them seemed a little wobbly on their feet, and the various marks that covered both of them made it clear as to how they had spent the "interrogation".

"You said you have something I..." Thorn began before he seemed to really see the woman standing next to Hart. "Is that Queen...." He was blushing slightly as his mouth dropped open, gaping.

"That's my mother, Alexandria Wright." Hart said with a smirk as she pulled his sword free from her belt and tossed it to him. It had been reforged, and the red metal now glowed slightly from an infusion of starmetal into the aerantium. "It should be harder to break, now. Don't be so careless with it next time. A sword can only be reforged so much before heat stops making it stronger and starts wearing it down."

Thorn did not catch his sword, as he was too busy staring dumbfoundedly at Alexandria. Lyra, however, did, and shoved Dane forward.

"Call me." Dane called back to her, and she grinned despite herself.

"You in one piece?" Hart asked him.

"No. It's great." The weapon's expert smirked.

"Good, glad to hear it. Let's go, then." Hart said, grabbing an apple off a nearby cart and biting a large chunk out of it. "I've got a great idea for our next caper."

[Jason Thornvaald]

Hart and her entourage had long since left, but Thorn was still standing there gaping like a moron. He couldn't help it.

From the time he knew what a pair of female breasts were and was old enough to fully appreciate them, Thorn had had a powerful crush on Queen Cobra. Tall, slim, powerful, beautiful, confident; Alexandria Wright had filled his every boyish fantasy, and continued to embody the standard that he held women to, to this day.

She had disappeared rather mysteriously eighteen years ago, presumed dead. And yet, here she was. Queen Cobra had just been standing right across the way from him, alive and well, and not looking a day older than she had been eighteen years ago. Fiery red hair pulled back into that elegant sweep, trim body encased in that tight black uniform that had driven him mad with lust in his teens--and still did apparently, he noted with a somewhat uncomfortable shift of his tight leather pants--her green eyes sharp and tinged with humor the longer he'd stared at her in abject dumbfoundation.

And then Thorn finally caught up to everything that had been said.

"Sonofabitch! Josetta Hart is Alexandria Wright's daughter?!"

Beside him, Lyra smirked. "Nice to see you finally catch up to the conversation, even if it's about ten minutes too late."

Thorn groaned long and loud, rubbing at his face. Doing his best to ignore the half-hard state he was still in, despite the fact that Queen Cobra was the mother of his ultimate nemesis, or that--despite what she might look like--she was old enough to be his own mother. "Geezus, I think I'm gonna be sick," he groaned out pitiably.

Lyra just chuckled, unrepentant, as they started back toward the Mjollnir. She handed him his sword after a moment, and Thorn took a moment to admire the superb craftsmanship before he sheathed it back on his hip. Immediately the sensation of being naked and exposed--which had plagued him since he'd left it on the bridge of that freighter--left him. Why Hart would reforge his sword for him was a mystery. Let alone pay to have it reforged with higher star metal content. Wondering on it was requiring more brain-power than he had available at the moment, however, so Thorn just shoved the whys of it aside for now.

"What now, Captain?" his First Mate questioned. Thorn sighed.

"Now we head for Aphrodite's," he pronounced. "Let the men spend some of the ill-gotten gains we procured from that job with Eddie. Hopefully the R&R will quiet their grumbling for a while." Both went quiet at that, neither really wanting to discuss just how uncomfortably close their crew was shifting toward mutiny.

They walked for several minutes before Lyra chuckled again. "Say, do you still have that Playboy magazine with Queen Cobra on the cover? I remember you had like, three copies when you were fourteen."

Thorn's face turned a dark, guilty red. "You can go straight to hell, Lyra. Just go straight to hell."

[Cassiopeia Reyes-Hart]

Cassiopeia snuck off the Plunder's Heart rather handily, a few minutes behind the others. She was dressed in a pair of jeans--a rarity for the girl who much preferred skirts and dresses--a simple red t-shirt and a pair of boots on her feet, her long hair pulled back into a messy tail but still pulled down over the tops of her pointed ears, and a pair of dark glasses covering her silvery eyes. Her deadly star metal sword was also sheathed on her hip, just in case she met any trouble along the way to her destination.

Morgan had been right. Despite whatever intentions they might have had otherwise, despite how much they knew it was wrong, they kept coming back for more. In two weeks they'd had sex three more times. Once in the observatory, and twice in an abandoned passenger's quarters. At this point Cassi wasn't really sure what to make of the strange relationship they were entering. One filled with hot, frenzied wanting and guilty pleasure in equal measure. But whatever it was, it was addicting. And neither of them seemed strong enough to stop it.

Morgan had started carrying a condom with him, now, after that second time in the mess-hall. It wasn't fool-proof, however. Andromeda had instilled enough medical knowledge into her brain that Cassiopeia wasn't willing to leave such things to chance. Having frequent bouts of sex with Morgan was bad enough. Accidentally getting pregnant by him would just make things a billion times worse.

So, knowing that they would likely be having sex many more times and rather than continue to take that risk, Cassi was sneaking off the ship and heading for the market district of the Cove in order to find someone who could give her a birth-control immunization. With the amount of dock-whores that roamed the place, she was sure she'd be able to find something.

Cassi moved through the crowds quickly and purposefully, expression determined. Doing her best not to think too hard about the consequences of what she was doing. She had found that that was the only way to really get through the day and not be swamped with guilt and depression.

She was still dating Beau. Guilt-ridden, she had tried to break it off with him, but Beau had begged and pleaded with her not to, promised fervently that whatever it was that he was doing wrong that he'd change it. Her soft heart had given in almost immediately, loathe to hurt him. Even if staying with him was going to hurt him even more in the end. Perhaps she was a coward, after all. And selfish. Because while she still couldn't bring herself to let Beau do much with her sexually--nothing like how she was drawn to giving herself to Morgan--Beau could give her something that Morgan couldn't, or wouldn't do.

Love.

Morgan loved her body, at least. Very thoroughly, every time. To the point where Cassi could barely stand upright afterward, could barely think, barely breathe. But their liaisons were always hurried, rushed, tinged with guilt and the fear of getting caught. He never held her for longer than a moment or two after their passion cooled, glancing fleeting caresses to her hair or her face before he turned and left her again.

But Beau loved her completely, unconditionally. He held her and caressed her and gave her all the sweet, affectionate words that Morgan wouldn't give her. And even though Cassi was beginning to understand that she would probably never be able to love Beau in the same way that he loved her, the same way she was foolishly in love with Morgan, she was selfish and greedy enough to want to hold on to the comfort he gave her for as long as she was able.

It made her a terrible person, Cassi was certain. But at this point she felt that was already irrevocably damned. Not much else could make a difference, anymore. Cassi slipped into the market area of the Cove, her presence going largely unnoticed by most.

Save for the large, heavy-set man standing off to the edge of the bustling hustle. Captain Ford Tunstall stiffened in shocked wonder, ignoring the weasely fence trying to sell him some two-bit piece of machinery for three times it's actual cost. Instead the pirate captain, infamous for his cruelty and brutal tactics, found his gaze locked onto the prettiest little piece of ass he'd seen in a long, long time.

Average height, more than average curves plumping up that sweet little body, long pale-gold hair falling down her back and a rich, creamy copper skin tone. Lust and greed immediately rolled over him in equal measure. Such a succulent morsel would fetch a mighty fine price on the market. Tunstall grinned a little, dark eyes trained greedily on the way the young girl's hips swung while she walked past. He could train her himself, before he set her up for purchase afterward. He'd break her in right nicely, Tunstall decided with an eager lick of his lips. And if she thought she could fight him, he had the means to make her willing.

The drug that the slaver Pirate kept a healthy supply of always worked wonders on uppity, uncooperative little sluts who refused to acknowledge their place.

Tunstall raised his comm. to his mouth. "Nanty, get Doug and get your asses down to the Market. I just found our next take."

Meanwhile Cassi was oblivious to the danger, heading toward the 'clinic' that one of the street-walkers had off-handedly pointed her toward. The teen wrung her hands a little as she entered the dark, dingy building, doing her best not to let on to how nervous she was feeling.

There were a few other women already waiting inside, all of them clearly whores by their manner of dress and the expressions on their world-weary faces. They eyed her with no small amount of curiosity and suspicion as she stepped inside. Cassi did her best to keep her chin lifted, face calm and determined. Show fear and your enemy will take full advantage of it, and you. The girl drew on every ounce of training that Jo had given her over the past few months, clinging to her composure by the barest of margins.

It seemed like an eternity and then an instant before she was being ushered into the back. The slender man eyed her blandly, but didn't ask questions. Merely held his hand out for payment.

Cassi fumbled a little for her pocket, pulling out a small uncut emerald--a piece of John Melrose's treasure, that Josetta had given her. It was more than enough to pay for the services she was seeking. The man eyed it in surprise for a moment before quickly stuffing the jewel into his own pocket. Then he motioned to the table.

"Sit down and lift your shirt."

Cassi gulped a little, but did as she was told. The man turned back to her after a moment with a syringe, and Cassi winced, praying fervently that he knew enough to have sanitized it at least. He approached her then, lifting the needle, and she drew back a little. "Wh-what about alcohol?" she demanded quaveringly. "Aren't you supposed to sanitize the area or something?"

The man sneered. "This ain't a god-damned hospital, sweetcheeks. D'you want the stuff or not?"

Cassi colored a little, but firmed her chin and nodded. She winced and let out a slight yelp when he jabbed the needle into the fleshy part of her hip without any other warning. Injecting the drug--some black-market form of birth control--into her bloodstream.

And then it was over. He turned away, throwing the needle into a trashcan before nodding his head. "Alright, you're done. Get the hell outta here."

Cassiopeia spared only a moment to rub a little at her sore skin before she dropped her shirt and quickly scooted off the table, then skuttled out of the clinic entirely.

She was half-way back to the ship when her eyes suddenly began to swirl of their own accord. What she saw made her gasp and jerk, just in time to avoid the huge, meaty arms that would have snapped around her middle like a vice. The teen darted on her heel nimbly, her hand already drawing her sword almost on instinct now even before her brain fully caught up with the situation. Two large men were leering at her, and advancing.

"C'mon baby," one of them sneered. "Captain wants a little word with you."

Cassi struggled with her fear, trying to keep her head. Never panic. Panic is a death sentence.

She raised her sword threateningly, which they eyed with a mixture of disbelief and disdain, obviously not believing that she knew how to use it. Cassi scowled. "I have nothing to say to your Captain, whoever he is. Just turn around and leave, and I won't have to hurt you."

They guffawed at that. "Put the knife away, honey," the other one growled, advancing. "And I won't have to beat you bloody before I drag you back to the Captain by the hair on your head."

Some of Josetta was wearing off on her, surely, because Cassiopeia found herself sneering and rolling her silver eyes behind their dark glass barrier. "Oh yes, that was convincing. Now I can't wait to surrender and go with you." She scowled. "You might want to work on your manner of persuasion there, buddy. No wonder you've gotta try and beat up on girls to get any."

That caused the two men to rush her immediately. Yet the teen was ready for it, dancing nimbly out of their grasp. Both screamed out and yelled in pain as her deadly sword flashed out, slicing through clothes and skin like tissue paper. One went down immediately, cradling his middle. The other still managed to stay on his feet, though he was staggered. Cassi didn't wait for them to recover. Instead she sheathed her sword and took off running.

The blond teen ran the entire way back to the ship, not slowing her mad dash until she slipped back on board--luckily with no one the wiser. Well, mostly no one. Cassi was standing in the currently empty hatch-way, fighting to catch her breath, trembling a little from the shock of the unexpected attack, when someone suddenly put their hand on her shoulder. She yelped, jumping about a foot in the air before she whirled. And blanched at Morgan's dark, unreadable expression.

"Just where in the bloody hell have you been?"

Cassi was thrown off for a moment by the suddenness of his appearance as well as his blank mask, and ended up stammering somewhat inanely. "N-nowhere. I haven't . . . um . . ."

Morgan's eyebrow slowly lifted, his expression still not changing much as he reached out and caught her hand in his. Lifting it up to show her the drops of blood that were staining her knuckles. "Nowhere, hm-m?" he demanded somewhat blandly.

Cassi colored a little, pulling her hand free and hurriedly wiping at the dried stuff with the hem of her shirt. She shot him a somewhat petulant glare then, frowning. "Alright, fine. I snuck off the ship. And a couple of goons thought they were going to get frisky, so I had to get a little rough."

Morgan scowled at that, letting out a soft growl before a healthy dose of worry suddenly lit his features. "Why in th' hell would ye sneak off the ship by yerself?"

Embarrassed and more than a little frustrated, Cassi ended up blurting rather baldly, sneering, "well I can't very well go ask Andromeda for a birth-control shot, now can I?"

Morgan stared at her in somewhat stunned disbelief for a moment before he winced, a flash of guilt chasing through his dark eyes before it was replaced by that soft look of concern. "Are you alright?"

Cassi colored a little, absently reaching down to rub at her hip, where the flesh still ached from the shot. "Yeah, I should be." Then she made a face. "That is if I don't get infected. The guy didn't use any alcohol or anything."

Cassi gasped a little when Morgan's hand suddenly replaced hers, gently rubbing, before he hooked a knuckle under her chin and made her look up at him. His eyes were deadly serious. "Next time, ye take me with you," he pronounced, not asking. "And I'll make sure the bastard sterilizes ye first."

As far as affection went, it was a little on the odd side, but Cassi still felt her whole body go warm and weak anyway. She managed a shaky smile and a nod. Morgan continued to stare down at her for a moment, his thumb caressing her chin. And then he started to bend to her, and she lifted up on her tip toes.

And then the sound of heavy footfalls caused the both of them to tear apart. Morgan was nearly a full five feet away from her in a single leap, as Hank suddenly entered the hatch. He blinked in surprise at the sight of them.

"Hey Morg," the old ammunitions specialist called. "Just about to lock up."

The First Mate nodded, appearing amazingly unruffled and calm under his crewman's curious stare. "Square it away," he agreed firmly before turning and walking away.

Cassi drifted off soon after, her heart heavy.