Chapter 1
Liberation
DATE:
7088.03.04, RECON ERA
THE VOLTS
Lotomi
Colony, Planet Kelara Gryanke System
The dimness
of the large room made the flashing lights seem that much brighter.
Each pulse provided
a snapshot of the packed dance floor. The music reverberated
throughout the space, making some abandoned drinks on counters ripple
with the beat. Bodies moved aggressively to keep up with the tempo,
some sporting glow-in-the-dark costumes and clothing that, even
without the flashes, I could still see moving.
Even in the
darkness, the thrumming bass affected me. I could feel the brush of
bodies pressing up against each other. Everyone’s collective breath
smelled of mingling alcohol in the air. All I wanted was to forget
the day and what it brought with it.
Across the
dance floor, there were islands of groups of people dancing together.
They were surrounded by the singles and the couples that let the
music sweep them away.
I had
broken away from one such large group, finding myself in my own
island on the dance floor. I was dancing, moving my body against a
firm, warm body that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He wore a
wristband like mine, signifying we were looking for the same thing. I
hadn’t quite caught his face, but what I saw, I liked. His
scent was intoxicating, a mix of worn leather, and
roasted earth that cut
through the stale air of the club.
He wore a
thin, tight shirt that stretched across his broad chest and
shoulders. My hands moved
to his stomach on
instinct, feeling
the slight definition of rock-hard abs, I pulled him closer.
His arms were corded with muscle, his biceps flexing under my fingers
while
his skin was slick with sweat. His arms wrapped around me as if I’d
skitter away at any time.
Stray,
feminine hands reached out for me, but I waved them away. I glanced
back and saw my girlfriend, Ali, trying to talk to me, but the words
weren’t reaching me. It was as if I was underwater; every scene in
front of me came in flashes like images in a slide projector. My
movements felt slow and sluggish, but I still let the music take over
and dictate my movements. Ali probably wanted to add someone else to
the tab I was
bankrolling, or was
trying to tell me she
wanted to go home. I didn’t care. I had my own plans.
Before I
could think further, a dizzy spell hit me, and I staggered sideways.
Strong arms tightened around me. Warm breath tinged with something
vaguely alcoholic tickled my ear and neck, causing me to flinch and
giggle. More garbled words hit my ears that didn’t make any sense.
I couldn’t even tell who uttered them.
I didn’t
let my inebriation bother me. I was here for one reason, and one
reason only. Ali had provided me with the goods to make it all
happen. The cocktail of bad ideas and the wristband were all meant to
transform the night into a good time.
‘I,
Melissa
Cabot,
am
going to have a good time.’
I turned
and reached up, bringing his face down to mine. His bright brown eyes
were wide in surprise. That’s all I saw before closing my eyes and
sealing my lips over his. My hands gripped in his short, silky hair.
He
quickly deepened the kiss, his hand threading into my hair. He
tasted like corn liquor and...real tobacco.
I pulled back slightly, mumbling against his lips, “Take
me home.”
The man in
my hands had frozen for a moment before seemingly coming to a
decision. He pulled away, holding me around the waist as he guided me
off the dance floor. I giggled, reaching up and tilting my head. I
licked his neck from the base to his jaw, tasting
his unique musk; sandalwood,
ozone and cured leather.
The man stumbled,
reaching out for a pillar to steady us. The sensation had more of an
effect than I intended, but I didn’t let myself be discouraged. I
found a strange divot along his neck, a scar that ran deeper than it
should, and I targeted it with my lips and teeth.
I couldn’t
remember if he told me his name, but I didn’t really care. I dubbed
him Aaron, after one of my ex’s. One of the few that could even
remotely keep up.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
He
was shuddering under my ministrations. He must be really sensitive in
that spot. I felt a hardness against my belly, my body glued against
him. The whole situation was fuelling the growing warmth in my lower
belly. His hand
threaded through my hair and pulled me away gently, but firmly.
A wet tongue and soft lips found a spot under my ear that got me to
let out a shaky moan.
His soft, firm lips migrated up to kiss mine again, and he tasted
subtly of sweet corn vodka. It was all I could do to not fall,
gripping his arms desperately.
His hand
was roving over my mini dress, as if searching for something. It
didn’t take long. Finding the
hard rectangle
through the fabric, he reached down my cleavage to pull out my Slate.
It was a
piece of crystal
technology,
glowing
in the darkness. The material was transparent and sturdy,
incredibly hard to break.
Digitally displayed on it were my fake
name, Melinda
Abbot,
my license and registration, a residential address, and the model
number of the transport I pilot.
I
had
hacked it so it
had decorative dynamic embellishments in the form of vines and leaves
falling in the wind. These were framing the words and there were a
few non-standard icons displayed at the bottom. It even had a mode
that I could switch to the
‘official mode’. Not
that many officials cared about that kind of thing out in the Fringe.
He pulled
away from me briefly to glance over it, reading the info. Once he
finished, he gave me a quick kiss to force me back, the inebriation
made me sway
bonelessly with his movement. Slipping my card into one of his many
pockets he then pushed off the pillar. I'm going to have to fish that
one out later. A soft groan escaped my lips, but he quickly pulled me
along by the wrist. He pulled us out of the nightclub but was quickly
accosted by my girlfriend and the
club bouncer.
“Hey…dick…turn…not
finished…!” I couldn't quite hear what she was saying, though I
knew she was slurring her words and looked unsteady on her feet. Ali
pushed Aaron
hard in the chest. I tried to shout ‘Hey!’ but all that came out
was a low moan as a concerned frown morphed my face. I rubbed the
spot with my small hand and leaned up to kiss his neck again to
distract him from Ali's erupting tantrum.
Jay, the
bouncer, had a perpetual look of patient concern etched on his face.
But his actions were always firm and was not above to get rough when
the situation called for it. He hauled Ali back by the upper arm. His
own soft words were a full garble in my ears; all I saw was that he
was looking between Aaron
and Ali.
My date was
frowning. My
hand slipped, and he smoothly caught me by the waist as I tripped
over my own feet, giggling
like a drunk lunatic.
More words I couldn't hear came out of his mouth. But I did hear my
name.
I was
hanging out in his arms, legs no longer functional. Ali stepped
forward, her eyes wide. Maybe she'd come to realise she'd given me
too high a dose on the cocktail; she held up her hands to try and
stop them. “Wait…leave…party…Mel?”
I laughed
to myself, not able to find my feet anymore. There was another party
I wanted to go to. And it was a private two-person affair. I was
hanging on for dear life on Aaron’s
shoulders, but he stayed still on his feet, as if I weighed nothing.
I wondered briefly if he was strong enough to be this still when I
climb him.
Jay rolled
his eyes and grabbed my wrist to look at the wristband I was wearing.
More gibberish came out of his mouth, pointing at the wristband. He
stepped aside and waved us through. Finally.
With a
gentle touch, my date took my arm, draping it over his shoulder. More
words came out of his mouth. I thought I heard a few familiar words
like 'home', 'job', and 'off-world' but I couldn't be sure. He nodded
to the bouncer, and I think he gave a sly smirk to Ali too.
It wasn’t
far to my transport. It was nighttime; the night district was lively
with people, but all the clubs’ entrances were set with heavy,
closed doors, as if hiding their contents from prying eyes. The solid
grey buildings were all monotonous, though still topped with
apartments sporting
balconies. The
buildings were short enough to let you see the expansive starry night
sky. Nightworkers lined the corners of the intersections as we
passed, offering their services. Some had sores all over their faces
and artificial hands, and others had full limb replacements, clear to
see with their skimpy clothing. They were promptly ignored; Aaron
was concentrating on making sure my wandering hands didn't slip off
his body. But I still tripped somehow, and he couldn’t help but
chuckle with me.
We passed a
portion of the industrial warehouses that lined the port. Closed with
gates and roller doors, security bots patrolled the grounds with
their uniform black armour, reflective visors, and their weapons
hidden throughout their bodies. The port, as he pulled me across the
quiet streets, was tiered with scaffolding and lined with spaceships
of all shapes and sizes.
A kiosk at
the entrance, four security bots, and fences 5 m tall provided all
the security this small moon had the ability to offer.
Cosying up
to my date, my hands turned to exploring his pockets, seeking the
solid rectangular that
was my Slate,
I caught his bottom lip in my teeth. I pulled back gently, bringing
his attention to the device
in between my fingers. A hungry look crossed his face, wrapping
his arms around me from behind
while
I tapped the card on the kiosk. I held
it up to him,
whispering as seductively as I could while fighting the sense of
being under water still.
“Hide it
better, I’ll go looking later.”
I glanced
down over my shoulder,
biting my lip. A giddiness fluttered in my stomach as I thought about
thoroughly exploring every single one of those pockets in his cargo
pants.
Two
security drones approached us and motioned for us to follow. My
spaceship’s bay light up halfway down the docking line. The drones
accompanied us as we followed the glowing lines on the raised
walkways supported by the scaffolds.
Once we
reached the ship, I automatically flipped the panel open and scanned
my hand in, barely pulling myself away from a passionate kiss he
wrapped me up in. The security bots then left us, returning to the
entrance.
I
heard a warm, low chuckle as he watched me stumble over the threshold
into my ship’s airlock. I cut him off with another kiss,
roughly
pulling him inside.
I am currently going through some life-changing health issues and had a shaky prognosis until recently. This reflected in the old version of the story. Now that things are looking up, the trajectory of the characters no longer fit the direction I was supposed to take them the last time I was in an 'optimistic' stage.
I love the characters and the world I have put together and I wanted to show you guys from the beginning of what I had wanted to convey. Including some other perspectives as we go along.
