...In Low Places

[Admiral Hart]

Aphrodite Arms was a spectacle even from the outside. A massive structure, a space station in orbit around Venus, it was designed to look somewhat like a gargantuan Greek temple. Across the top, above the "columns" that served as docking points for the many, many ships that partook of the most famous Hotel/Brothel/Resort/Casino in the Solar System was, in glowing pink letters, "Aphrodite Arms".

"Alright, crew." Captain Hart said to his assembled pirates as the ship docked with on of the "pillars". "This isn't entirely a social call. If any of you have maintenance tasks, you need to do those before shore leave. That means engineering." He said, gesturing to the somewhat dejected engineers.

"Don't worry, guys and gals, everyone will get a break. We're going to stay here long enough that everyone gets a chance to have fun." The Captain continued. "Just make sure not to spend all your cash at once. Though, trust me, I know it can be tempting. With that in mind, you're dimissed."

The crew nearly bolted out of the assembly room, save for Andromeda, who walked out like a woman going to the gallows, which caused Hart to chuckle. Alone in the room, Morgan asked, "Are you going to see Madame A this trip, sir?"

"You know I have to. Plus, she's a good person. Well, at least to us." Hart replied, his tone one that indicated he had had this argument many times before.

"I don't trust her, and you shouldn't either. No one who makes their living selling off other people's secrets can be trusted." The First Mate stubbornly added.

Hart rolled his eyes. "Morgan, you know that she knows everything about me. Even if I didn't like her, everyone has to pay Aphrodite somehow. Honestly, given what she charges, pretending to be her boyfriend is plenty cheap."

Morgan sighed. "Yes sir, I know. You just need to be more careful. You take too many risks."

The Captain poked him in the chest, causing Morgan to nearly yelp. "You're one to talk. Plus, you need to loosen up. Hit the slots, play some poker, get wasted or something. It'll do you good."

"Is that an order?"

"Yes." Jonah replied. "I don't want to see you back on the ship until you've had some fun, soldier."

The large black man sighed again. "Yes sir."

****

Waiting for the crew outside the airlock were a gaggle of some of Madame A's prettiest prostitutes, male and female. "Welcome to Aphrodite Arms, where all your dreams come true!" Said the lead prostitute, who then saw Andromeda. "Oh, Miss Reyes, our Mistress has requested your company as soon as you are ready!"

[T.K.]

“Aww. I wanted to go see if they had Blood Maul VI.”

T.K. walked up behind Ryan Cortez, and clubbed him upside the head with a nearby piece of pipe.

“You don't think I wanna get off myself? We've got work to do. Less you complain, the faster it'll go.”

He waited a minute and a half, before hitting Ryan again.

“And that was for reminding me that Blood Maul was out already. Now go take George, and see how bad the Hull damage is. I expect a report in an hour.”

He ignored the dejected Ryan, as he gestured at the rest of his crew.

“Gabrielle. You take Brutis with you, and do a supplies check. I want to know what we've used so far, and what we need to have replaced while we're in port. Cassie, your team is on the Starboard Engine. If you have trouble, let me know. Raul, your team is on the Port Engine. I'll be working on the computer systems. If any of you have trouble, let me know. If you need some extra help, let me know. I'll go draft some 'volunteers'. Dismissed.”

T.K. left them to go about their tasks, as he settled down in front of the main computer console in Engineering, and began systems checks. He knew there would be some bad ones after what they just pulled off, but hopefully, none of them would be too bad.

[Dr. Andromeda Reyes]

Andromeda blanched as several members of the crew shot her wide-eyed, disbelieving stares. Great, just what she needed. Rumors flying around that she was 'seeing' Madam A.

"It's Dr. Reyes," she corrected stiffly of the ridiculously attractive blonde. "And tell your 'Mistress' that I'll be along after I've seen to my sister."

The no-doubt highly paid whore blinked at her, somewhat confused at the amount of uncomfortable animosity that Andromeda was exhuding, but then seemed to shrug it off with an envious amount of carefree disregard.

Beside her, Cassi let out a loud whine of protest. "Aw, c'mon Andi! I'm sixteen already! I'm old enough to walk around by myself!"

"Not here, you're not," Andromeda shot back stubbornly. The two sisters began off in the direction of the hotel and resort area--on the opposite end from the casino and brothel. Which was where a rabidly curious Cassiopeia no doubt had plans to try and sneak off to.

"But Jonah says I'm perfectly safe here--,"

"I don't care a whit what the Captain says," Andromeda interrupted her. "I don't want to see you anywhere near the age restricted areas, and if I find out you've purposefully peaked in on someone who is in there I'll tranq you for the rest of the stay."

Cassi stuck her tongue out at her, petulant pout on her face. "You're no fun," was her grumpy assessment. Andromeda just snorted.

They entered the room that they'd been directed to as theirs for the remainder of their stay. Andromeda stepped into the bathroom with the small overnight bag she had with her while Cassi sat down on one of the lavish beds. The doctor reached up to pull the pins out of her hair, causing the thick, ink colored mass to tumble down her back in shining waves. She pulled out a brush and did her best to straighten her appearance--no way was she going to anything with Madam A without looking the best she could manage. She began pulling the hanks of hair back into a slightly more flattering twist than her casual bun, glancing a look through the mirror into the room behind her.

"Cassi," she called. "Why don't you lay down for a bit?" she suggested, tone neutral. She had noticed the dark circles under her sister's eyes and the uncommon lethargy, even if Cassi wasn't necessarily aware that she was showing them.

"You want me to take a nap?" Cassi demanded incredilously, caught between exaspiration and amusement. "What am I, Andi, five?" Andromeda colored a little, having been neatly caught in her protective mode.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that you haven't been sleeping a lot lately." Instead of admit it, Cassi just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you're one to talk Miss 'sleeps-in-the-Infirmary-more-than-her-own-bed.'"

Having reached an impasse, the sisters lapsed into silence again while Andromeda finished getting ready. She removed her lab coat, folding it neatly before replacing it with a cropped dark golden-tan jacket that matched the dress slacks she had on, the v-neck cut wide to display the ivory blouse she wore beneath it.

When she stepped out again, Cassi eyed her with a frown, crushing what little confidence she'd managed to scrounge as only a teenager could.

"You're going in that?"

Andromeda gaped. "What? What's wrong with this?" Cassi just winced, eyeing her like someone would eye a two-legged puppy trying to compete in an agility contest.

"Nothin, I guess," she lied badly. Andromeda just scowled, then turned for the door.

"I shouldn't be too long. Remember what I said, try to get some sleep."

Cassi just sighed heavily, flopping back onto the bed spread-eagle, arms held wide. "Yes mom," she droned blandly.

Andromeda closed the door behind her, then headed in the direction that the nearest attendant indicated she should go, trying to ignore the uncomfortable niggle of nervousness she got from the fact that everybody and their brother seemed to know that she was having dinner with the infamous Madam A.

[Jane Doherty]

Being a pilot, and the ship being currently in port, Jane hurriedly changed to her party clothes. A sleeveless, black top, cut obscenely low, and a short, black leather skirt. Knee high boots completed the outfit.

After being dismissed by the captain, Jane cheered. She contemplated the company waiting outside, choosing a dark, handsome young man, and a beautiful, blond haired woman. She smiled wryly, "we're off to have some fun, don't call me or else," she said to the remainder of the crew.

[Dane]

Dane sat back in Elsa's pilots chair, he was currently running a system diagnostic on the ole' girl. In the back ground a hard rock beat against his ear drums. Elsa's sprite had disappeared into the control board, helping him along the way.

The weapons expert scrubbed his face lightly and sighed, checking the progress on the scan for the ninth time. Elsa's sprite suddenly reappeared, she looked up at him, crossing her arms across her chest and tapped her foot.

"Why you still here? You should be out getting shit faced along with the rest of the crew, not here." she waved him down from speaking. "Granted I love the attention." she smirked. "But a girl needs her time alone, besides not much you can do here. Oh and I hope you don't mind but I've decided to change my color scheme." suddenly a image popped up showing the new scheme, he smirked.

"Not bad girl, and if you insist I'll go out and make a fool of myself. If it makes you happy." he gave her a amused smirk, she stuck her tongue out at him as he went to get up and leave. Just before he hit the door she called out.

"Oh by the way. Go get laid, your bio scans show that you need it bad." he turned to meet her smarmy grin with a glare. "Just speaking the truth, mean how long has it been? Two months? Three?" she scoffed. "Hell you and...eh never mind. Go Go! Get out of here. Shoo shoo!" the tiny sprite shooed him out, he turned to comment when she shut the hatch on him. He sighed and shook his head.

She's going to be the death of me.

***

A quick shower later Dane was clean and walking into the casino/bar...eh basic happy fun zone as far as he was concerned. Currently his hair was down, a true rarity the length that would normally pool in his face pulled behind his ears while the main length made it to his mid back. Wearing a black sleeveless muscle shirt under a long sleeved button down style shirt left unbuttoned as well as a pair of matching dressy pants.

He winked at a passing group of ladies, they winked back and stared talking amounts themselves, Dane just chuckled. Noise from the bar caused him to head in the general direction

Lets see who's making a drunken' fool of themselves...my moneys on Morgan.

[Admiral Hart]

Madame A, also known as Aphrodite Reed, looked like sex personified. In a skimpy, incredibly well made and very expensive black dress, her impossible curves were plain to see by all. More than one person had commented that her massive bust could not possibly be real, especially since half her ancestry was Asian.

She had a huge smile on her face when the stern-faced Andromeda Reyes entered her lavish banquet hall. The table was littered with foods from all over the world, and an automated mechanical butler stood patiently by, waiting for orders to be made.

And, of course, at the huge table there were only two chairs. One at the head, and the other right next to that one.

"Andromeda! How good of you to come!" She said, hugging the doctor, who blushed and stiffened.

"Hello Miss Reed." Doctor Reyes said professionally. Aphrodite waved her down.

"Please, call me Aphrodite. Come, sit down, make yourself comfortable. My butler will take care of any food you may want." The fourth richest person in the solar system guided the pirate medic to the seat next to the head of the table while Aphrodite herself sat at the head.

"Eat as much as you want, darling. You're royalty tonight." The socialite said brightly.

"I am not very hungry." The doctor replied.

"Oh, I insist," Aphrodite began, this time using her closely guarded secret, the psychic power of persuasion, "Eat as much as you like."

"Well, alright." Andromeda said, not realizing the subtle power had been used on her, and actually probably quite hungry.

After a while of silently eating, Aphrodite casually said, "It's a shame things turned out the way they did. You're exactly his type."

Andromeda spit out her drink. "I...I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you do, darling. If I was not so good at reading people, do you really think I would be as successful as I am today?" She replied, smirking.

"I should go. Now. Thank you for your..." The doctor began, starting to get up.

"Andromeda, I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I just feel that," She began, accompanying her next words with a mental suggestion, "We should be friends."

The doctor nodded, blushing a bit, probably feeling rude for ditching a "friend". "Yes, thank you for everything. I should really go check on my sister, though. She might be in trouble. She usually is."

"Yes, of course. And if you need anything," She said, a bit suggestively, "You can always come to me."

Her face now burning red, Andromeda mumbled a thank you and quickly bolted from the room. Left to herself, Aphrodite just smirked.

Oh, she's going to be fun.

[Admiral Hart]

To say that Morgan had had a bit too much to drink was a understatement.

As was evidenced by the fact that the normally stoic man was up on stage, singing karaoke, with an arm around both Dane and Jane, the three of them belting out old love songs as loud as they could while being applauded by the crowd, especially Jane's two 'escorts' for the evening.

Later, while sitting at a table, Morgan began to drunkenly rant. "I used to be a fun guy. I used to live on the edge? You know what happened?" He slurred. Before anyone can answer, he replied, "Marriage. It does this to a person. Never!" he began, holding up a hand for emphasis, "Never get married, 'cause it means you don't get to have fun ever again."

"Wait, you're married, Morgan? Since when?" Dane asked.

"Fer...fer a long time. I never get to see her face, though. She's never around." He took another swig. "I jus' wish I could hear her voice every once in a while."

"Is she far away?" Dane asked. Jane, however, was too busy with her companions to notice the conversations.

"It...it seems that way! So, so don't get married, Dane. You either Jane! It's...it'll turn you into a stuffy prick like me." He sighed and took another swig. "Aw, I'm takin' away you guys' fun. Just go have some fun."

They were gone before he finished talking. Morgan sighed briefly, took anoither swig, and wandered back to the stage to sing more songs, this time of a decidedly less happy note.

[Cassiopeia Reyes-Hart]

Cassiopeia remained on the bed long enough for the door to close behind her sister and about three heart-beats after. Then she shot up from it with an excited grin, running into the bathroom with her own overnight bag. She loved her sister to death, but Andromeda really needed to loosen up, once in a while. Nothing was going to hurt her here, Jonah had said that the Madam A lady who ran this place was above the law in most cases. No one would be taking her anywhere unless Madam A wanted them to take her there, and being as Madam A and Jonah were friends, that was very unlikely to happen.

With this in mind Cassi shook off the residual sleepiness that had plagued her for the past few days and began stripping out of the pale pink sun-dress she had worn off the ship. She hadn't been getting a whole lot of sleep lately, Andromeda had pegged that one right unfortunately. She kept getting the weird dreams about the caged tiger, plaguing her ability to sleep. Making her not want to sleep, on some nights, they were so vivid and painful to experience. The emotion just seemed so . . . real.

Shaking off such dark thoughts, Cassiopeia quickly dressed again in the outfit she'd bought at the Cove with some spending money that Jonah had given her the last time they were at port at the Cove. It had taken every bit of ingenuity she possessed to sneak it back on board and keep it hidden from her sister this long. If Andromeda knew she'd bought this, she'd probably kill her.

Cassi put on the black and red silk halter-style top first, without a bra--as it tied around her neck and in the back below her shoulder-blades with a thin bit of string and not much else. Twin narrow diamond cut-outs somewhat covered breasts, not meeting in the middle and showing a generous view of the inner sides of them. Then the matching skirt, wrapping tight around her softly curved hips and fluttering loosely to the top of her thighs, just barely keeping her decent. She grimaced in distaste as she pulled out the shoes that she'd packed, then chuckled naughtily as she strapped the slinky black heels to her feet. And finally, to finish the ensemble, she pulled out a delicate gold belly bracelet and secured it around her abdomen, with a glittering skull and crossbones charm dangling provocatively in front of her slit navel.

At least I'm wearing shoes, Andi! she thought to herself with a impish snicker.

Once she was dressed, she straightened again and admired the finished product with a wide, excited grin. The racy outfit showed off all of her best features, putting her smaller than average breasts on surprisingly attractive display, and leaving all of her flat, faintly toned belly and the tops of her hips bare, showing off her creamy copper skintone to it's fullest appeal.

Cassi pulled out a makeup box then, quickly imputing her preferences before fitting the device over her face. A bleep and a second later she removed it again, and admired her immaculate make-up job in the mirror. Her metallic eyes had been surrounded in shimmery, dusky shades of silver and gray, with black eyeliner and mascara to go along with the silvery pink rouge on her cheeks, and the cherry red ultra glossy lipstick now painting her lips. She hurriedly brushed out her long hair until the pale golden mass was shimmering, and then turned for the door.

She wobbled a little unsteadily at first, unused to wearing shoes, let alone heels, but quickly adapted for the change. A natural dancer after all, she was really good at keeping her balance. By the time she cleared the door, she was sashaying in the spiked heels like she'd been wearing them all her life.

Several male pairs of eyes turned to goggle at her as Cassi passed by, the hot stares impossible for even someone as sheltered as her to misread, making her grin in triumph. She held her head high, her confidence growing with every step she took toward the "casino." With all the appreciative stares she was getting, surely Morgan would have to notice her now . . . .

The security at the door barely twitched an eyelash as she passed, making her frown a little in slight disappointment, as that had been somewhat anticlimactic. Though once inside, she forgot all about being annoyed, instead replaced with giddy excitement.

It worked! Oh my gosh I can't believe it really worked! I'm really here!

Cassiopeia eyed the lavish room with wide eyes, soaking it all in as much as she could. Like forbidden fruit, she took in her surroundings greedily, just in case someone popped in at any minute to drag her away. The room was loud and boisterous with music and lights, people playing various games of chance, drinking alcohol or both. And to the side, a somewhat large dance floor was currently filled with various people all writhing in time to the seductive beat being provided by the robotic DJ near-by.

Cassi drifted nearer, her eyes watching the various moves carefully, disecting and picking them apart. She had had dancing lessons drilled into her from the time she could walk, back home on Mars. And with a true, natural talent in it, there were very few that she couldn't master without only a few moments of study.

Grinning, Cassi decided to put it into practice.

The pretty blonde girl sauntered out onto the glowing dance floor, her hips already undulating to the beat. Her arms raised for a moment, sifting through her long hair before she dropped down and began to perfectly imitate one of the racier moves she had just seen--garnering more than one admiring stare in the process. Moments later, much of the dance floor had cleared, instead forming a ring around Cassiopeia as she continued to dance. Eyes closed, she lost herself to the music for a time, letting her body move as it would, mixing older, more classic styles with the newer, sexier moves with eye-catching results.

And then the song ended. Cassi came back to herself at the loud applause and hollaring, tensing up with her eyes flying wide. Then she blushed a little and grinned, waving to the surprisingly large amount of people ringing around her, half in gratitude, half in embarrassment.

As another song started and the floor began filling up with people again, Cassi suddenly tensed when she felt someone come up very close behind her. She jerked, then whirled slightly to see a well-dressed man with longish black hair streaked in faint bands of silver, somewhat leering down at her.

"Madam has exceptional taste, I must admit," he purred. Cassi blinked, confused.

"Excuse me?"

That caused the man to laugh. "Now, now dear, no need to play coy." Cassiopeia jerked a little when the man suddenly grabbed her around the waist, his hand slipping low and squeezing. "Let's just go back to my room and you can give me a private show."

Cassiopeia wrenched herself out of his grasp, scowling. "Ew, gross," she spat distastefully. "What are you, like, forty?" she demanded then, forgetting that she was supposed to be pretending to be a lot older than she really was.

The man's face settled into an ugly scowl. Apparently she'd hit a sore spot. "My age shouldn't matter, woman. I've paid more than enough money to your Mistress to make up for it."

Cassi gaped at him for a half a second--the sleaze thought she was one of Madam A's prostitutes!--before sneering. "No, I highly doubt that," she spouted back. "Cause it'd take a heck of a lot."

Then she spun on her heel and started to walk away. Only to be drawn up with a yelp when something suddenly grabbed a fist full of her long hair and yanked her back.

"And where the hell do you think you're goin, whore?" he snarled in her ear.

Eyes wide, Cassi let out a faint mewl of fear, trying and failing to dislodge the curled fist holding her in place. This was definitely an unforeseen malfunction in her plans!

[Admiral Hart]

"Excuse me, sir," Came a smooth, female voice behind them. The man and Cassi turned to see Madame A herself, arms crossed across her chest and an unamused look on her face. "But that sort of conduct is not allowed in my establishment. Even if she were a prostitute, rather than a pirate. Not to mention underage."

The man blanched. "I...uh..." A few of Captain Hart's crew who happened to be there had surrounded him.

"That girl you are mis-handling is practically Jonah Hart's daughter. It will be such a pity when he finds out about this. Well, not really. But you get the idea." She purred. "Of course, that assumes he will find you."

Two rather amazonian looking women seemed to appear from out of nowhere and expertly grabbing the man, removing Cassi from his grip.

"Take him somewhere dark and horrible." Madame A ordered, walking over to Cassi and smiling at her as the amazons dragged the lech off kicking and screaming.

"I trust you are alright, darling?" She said kindly.

[Cassiopeia Reyes-Hart]

Flustered and shaken-up, it took Cassi a moment to focus on what the extremely pretty woman in front of her was saying. Or what it meant that she was standing there, ordering people around. And then she noticed the amount of the crew still standing around her with varied looks of shock, pity and disapproval on their faces. She blanched a little, cringing.

Oh crap, here it comes. Now Andi's definitely gonna find out about this.

"I . . . ah . . . y-yeah," she fumbled, and with the scarlet pink blush staining her face, no amount of sexy clothes or make-up could hide her age just then. "I just . . . th-that guy grabbed me and I freaked out a little I guess--,"

"And perfectly understandable," the powerful woman purred, cutting off her rambling and reaching out to wrap a motherly arm around her shoulders and giving a comforting squeeze. "I do apologize for this, little one. But for now, perhaps it would be best if I took you back to your room."

Cassi blinked, as she suddenly realized that that would probably be the best thing for her to do. Andromeda would probably return soon, if Madam A was here. She didn't want to get caught out if she could avoid it.

So Cassiopeia didn't put up any struggle as the pretty woman gently steered her out of the casino, no one else daring to say anything or even watch them leave, wisely turning away back to their previous entertainment.

They walked in silence for a moment, until Cassi couldn't stand herself anymore. This was the near legendary Madam A, after all. How many more chances would she get to talk to her like this?

"Um . . . M-miss, I-I mean, Madam--,"

"Call me Aphrodite, dear," she insisted, rubbing the shoulder she still held with a comforting pat. Immediately more at ease, Cassi relaxed considerably.

"Aphrodite I . . . I kinda really like this guy," she began somewhat hurriedly. "On the ship. The Plunder's Heart, I mean. Except . . . well, he's a little older than me." The woman's eyebrow twitched.

"How older?"

Cassi rolled her eyes. "Ten years older. It's not that big of a deal, is it?" she insisted. Not waiting for an answer, Cassi continued. "But it's really frustrating, you know, cause he never sees me as anything but a little kid."

They rounded a corner and Aphrodite cleared her throat somewhat diplomatically, patting her shoulder again. "From your descriptions, I'm going to level a guess and say that we're speaking of Hart's sour-faced First Mate, Mr. Halcyon."

Cassi made a face, blushing again. "I'm that obvious, huh?" Madam A laughed a little at that, the sound like the chiming of pure silver bells, almost mesmerizing to hear and highly infectuous, enough that Cassi smiled even through her acute embarrassment.

"A little," the older woman agreed. Cassi sighed again.

"How can I get him to notice me, Aphrodite?" she questioned then, tone somewhat desperate. The older woman immediately let out a slight snort.

"Keep dressing like that, dearling," she pronounced confidently, tone almost dry with wry amusement, "and I can guarantee you'll catch young Morgan's attention."

Cassi blinked, then brightened considerably. "Really?" she questioned then, tone eager. "You . . . you think he could really like me? I mean . . . not just because I'm too young or whatever, but I was beginning to think it might have to do with something else," the blonde trailed off somewhat uncomfortably. Aphrodite just smiled.

"Trust me when I tell you, Cassiopeia, that you are exactly Morgan Halcyon's type. With some patience, a little luck, and more short skirts like that one, and I have confidence you'll nab your prize in the end."

Cassi grinned then, suddenly filled with so much joy and excitement she could barely contain it. Aphrodite just chuckled again a the sight of the younger girl's eager rapture, patting her again before they finally reached the room that Cassi and Andromeda were sharing.

"Here you are, dearling," she murmured, giving the blonde a soft but insistent nudge toward the door. "Best you go inside, and rest for the rest of the night, I'm thinking. Emotional upsets can be tricky things, wring the energy right out of you."

And suddenly Cassiopeia was really tired. Wow, Aphrodite really knew her stuff.

And she was totally Morgan's type!

Cassi murmured her thanks to the kindly woman--she wasn't nearly as scary as everybody made her out to be--then opened the door and stepped inside. Then winced at the sight of a very frazzled Andromeda pacing the center of the room.

"Where have you been?! And what in the name of all that is holy are you wearing?!"

[Admiral Hart]

When Captain Hart entered Madame A's chambers, she was taking a bath in a bathtub that could have also functioned as a hot tub. Bubbles covered the top completely, and went up nearly a foot, obscuring everything but the legendary Madame's back.

"Jonah! Please, come, help me wash my back." She pouted, not using any of her power on him. Of everyone in the Solar System, she wanted Captain Hart the most. It was so much better when the pirate came to her of his own accord.

Hart chuckled and did as was asked, pulling off his coat first and tossing it on the back of a ten thousand dollar chair before sitting in a pre-placed stool behind Madame A and picking up an also previously placed old fashioned scrubbing brush as Aphrodite leaned forward.

"Maybe after that you can join me in here." She purred suggestively.

"I'd say, 'Business before Pleasure', but there's some of each in both, isn't there?" Hart replied.

Madame A rolled her eyes. "No, I have not been able to find Anton LeValle or Clara Wright. However..." She gave a tiny smirk. "I do know for a fact that Drusilda LeValle will be meeting her son for dinner in the near future in a secret location. And I happen to know exactly where she will be in the time it takes you to get there if you promise to leave...the day after the day after tomorrow. In the late afternoon."

Hart was both excited by the news and preturbed by the associated price. "Aphrodite, if I can find out where that bastard is..."

"Then you surely would not mind spending a few nights with me as payment for this information." She finished, grinning in triumph.

"...no, of course not." Hart replied. "You've been a great help and an excellent friend, Aphrodite."

"Oh, Captain Hart, I can be a lot more than that." She said, turning in the tub and grabbing Jonah's face, kissing him passionately. She would get her fee, and Aphrodite was determined to get every penny from Jonah she could.

[Dr. Andromeda Reyes]

Andromeda stared out of the high vaulted windows of the room she and her sister were sharing at Aphrodite's Arms, her own crossed and expression distant.

Captain Hart had not been seen or heard from for the past two and a half days, not since they'd docked on Venus. It didn't take a genius to deduct why, especially as Madam A had also left strict instructions that she wasn't to be disturbed for any reason. The doctor blew out an aggrivated sigh, glaring at the stars beyond as if it were their fault. It wasn't like this was a new occurance. Hart always went to see Aphrodite when they came here. The problem was that it upset her every time, and Andromeda couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

She absolutely refused to believe that she might have developed feelings for the impossible redheaded man. Andromeda snorted stubbornly at the very thought. Captain Jonah Hart was so beyond her reach it was laughable. He was the single most powerful, successful, feared and respected pirate in existance. He had more women in love with him than God had green apples. And who was she? She was a lowly former surgeon-turned-ship's-medic, and a near-thirty year old virgin to boot. Andromeda winced painfully at that. If that wasn't the epitome of pathetic, she didn't know what was.

Therefore she had no feelings for Captain Hart, aside from general friendly affection and respect, as well as a decent amount of gratitude for all that he had done in the past for herself, and especially her sister. If there was one thing Andromeda couldn't fault Hart for, it was the way he looked after Cassi. After their parents, the then fourteen year old had been so hungry for attention and acceptance, and the Captain had taken her under his wing immediately as if she were his own daughter.

Andromeda suddenly caught herself softening, smiling dreamily, and snapped back into her former expression with an angry scowl. No. She refused to cater to such a ridiculous notion. She was far too intelligent and had too much self-respect for herself to give into temptation like ther rest of Hart's thousands of female groupies, strung all across the damned solar system. That man was a lost cause, plain and simple. Andromeda huffed to herself petulantly. No doubt he'd left countless jilted lovers at the alter over the years. Or, who knew? He was probably already married, maybe even more than once, she concluded spitefully. That would be just like something a scoundrel pirate would do.

Andromeda refused to acknowledge that she didn't feel the least bit soothed by that thought, far from it. Nor had that tender warmth in her chest completely gone away. But Andromeda had become rather skilled at denial these past two years, and effectively ingored them.

The slender woman watched a few ships pass by on their way to dock, then suddenly let out a low growl under her breath. "Good God, is it really necessary to screw each others' brains out for three days straight?" she hissed to no one in particular. "The man can't even come out for some fresh air once in a while?"

"What was that, Andi?"

Andromeda jumped, then turned a dull, guilty shade of red. She didn't turn away from the window, that way Cassi wouldn't see her blushing. "Nothing important," she lied blithely, then cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Did you finish your courses?"

A loud sigh answered her. "Yes," the younger girl droned heavily.

"Even math?"

"Even math."

"Good."

"Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?"

"Not a chance."

"Aw, c'mon Andi!" Cassi whined then, tone desparate.

Andromeda turned from the window then, to see her sister still sitting near the computer terminal on the far side of the suite. As she watched, Cassi began tapping her bare feet on the plush carpeting, never one to sit still or remain in one place for very long. It was a fitting punishment, then, that Andromeda had kept her confined to their room for the past two days, unallowed to leave for any reason, for the stunt she had pulled that first night.

Andromeda had almost had a heart attack when she came back from dinner to find Cassi gone. She'd called security immediately, and Aphrodite herself had called back and assured that her sister would be found and returned safely as soon as possible. The twenty minutes it had taken to track her down had felt like a hellish eternity, with every horrible possibility playing like a sick movie in her head all the while. What if someone from the government saw her and recognized her as a fugitive? What if one of the drunken patrons here mistook her for one of Madam A's girls, and refused to take no for an answer? The latter had seemed especially likely when Cassi had suddenly appeared a moment later dressed in something that could pass for a street hooker's clothes in the slums of the Cove.

She had no idea where Cassi had found it, and quite frankly she didn't want to know, sure the answer would have just made her even more furious and frantic. As it was she had been more angry than she could remember getting in a long, long time.

Cassi had been honestly contrite, however, apologizing profusely and accepting her punishment before going to get changed, and then crawling into bed and falling into an exhausted asleep. In the aftermath Andromeda had been able to admit to herself that a big portion of her fear stemmed from the knowledge that her baby sister was quickly growing up, whether she liked that fact or not. Sweet, innocent little Cassiopeia was becoming more of a woman and less of a girl more and more each day. No doubt these subtle tests of her authority would continue until Cassi would no longer stand for them at all. And Andromeda dreaded that day, terrified that it would mean she would no longer be able to protect her or keep her safe as much as she needed to be. Despite living with pirates for the past two years, a very large part of Cassi remained sweetly innocent to the darker edges of life. And Andromeda dreaded the day that innocence was torn from her, dreaded it more than anything else.

"I said I was sorry," Cassiopeia murmured now, looking positively pitiful. Her huge metallic eyes were imploring, her lower lip sticking out in abject misery just like she used to do when she was little. She suddenly reminded Andromeda so much of the golden-curled toddler that she'd helped raise so much that she almost got tears in her eyes. "Like, a billion-gazillion times," her sister continued. "I learned my lesson, okay? I won't ever sneak away without telling you ever again. I swear."

Andromeda fought to remain firm in the face of what was perhaps the single most effective pouty face in the solar system. "I'm grateful for that, but I already told you Cassi," she pronounced sternly. "You're grounded until we board the ship again and leave."

"But AAAAAAAAAAAAAnnnndddiiiiiiiii!" Cassi whimpered. Her huge eyes began to water at the injustice, and Andromeda felt her spine wilt like a wet sponge. She managed to hold out for maybe a minute more before she released a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes heavenward.

"Oh all right, you big baby."

Cassi let out a squeal of happiness, launching herself out of the chair and shooting across the room to enfold her now-chuckling sister in a huge hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you, thank you! I love you forever and ever and ever!"

Andromeda just shook her head, but hugged her back. When Cassiopeia pulled away, her silver eyes were dancing with excitement. "Let's go out and do something together!" she suddenly pronounced. But Andromeda balked.

"Eh, no, I don't really feel like it--,"

"Aw, c'mon Miss Fuddy-Duddy!" Cassi protested, poking her in the ribs and causing the older sister to yelp in protest. "You've been cooped up in here with me for the past two days, staring out of the window. This is supposed to be shore-leave. You're supposed to relax." Cassi made a face. "I know this is a new concept for you and all, but you could at least try a little."

"I have been relaxing," Andromeda shot back, affronted. One golden eyebrow twitched, speaking volumes.

"You've been brooding," she corrected dryly. "And not having any fun at all. So we're gonna go out," Cassi pronounced then, grabbing Andromeda's arm and pulling her for the door. "And we're gonna go have some fun, starting right now."