Chapter 47 – The Blacks Meet An Angel.

As much as I loved having Pa and Terra on board, it was still good to have Aria to ourselves again. Once we cleared Lave's atmosphere, Spitfire crawled into my lap, and we looked at the star-charts. We decided to make a few Isinor to Qutiri runs. Spitfire gave me a bone melting kiss. Then she jumped up and headed for the cargo bay, to do an engine check before we hit witchspace. In the meantime, I made the last minute checks to all bridge systems. When Spitfire returned, covered in grease and grime, I hit the button for our portal. It would be thirty seven hours to Isinor. I carried a giggling, struggling Spitfire, off to the shower.

We sold our computers at Isinor, and cleaned out their stock of furs, a couple pods short of a full hold. This killed our idea of making multiple runs. We set off for Qutiri.

I was acting Captain, as we popped out of witchspace. Spitfire was beside me in her ragged cut-offs, and a severely cropped tank-top. The area around the buoy was quiet, and I set course for the station. We mass-locked on a small trade caravan, squirted past it, and I hit the torus drive. The second mass-lock, was trouble.

There were seven pirates waiting for us. They appeared high up ,on our starboard side. The usual routine, they hailed us far too soon, out of their laser range. Aria locked onto the first target, and I dusted him, then a second one. As they came within their laser range, my front shields started taking a beating, and my front mil. was hot. I began to swing to port, so I could lock on with the rear mil.

"Kiss my little bare ass, pirate scum!!" Spitfire shouted over the comms.

"HAR! HAR! Now dat's an offer I can't refuse!" replied a gruff voice. "I get my hands on you, little mouse, and I'm gonna do more to dat little ass of yours den just kiss it! I'm gonna shove my di..."

I had put some distance between us and the pirates, and was now locked onto a Krait. I opened fire and cut the voice off in mid threat.

"Ha!" yelled Spitfire. "Now tell me what you're gonna do to my ass, dick-less! Gonna be hard to fuck anything, when your pecker is made out of space dust!"

My little Spitfire tends to get a bit excited when we are in battle.

"Come on boys! Who else wants a shot at my ass?" she shouted again.

"Well, well, well. I should have known, by the paint job on that Snake Charmer. Is that you in there, Sweet Cheeks?" asked a familiar, female voice.

By this time, I was lined up on the fourth ship. I didn't hesitate, I fired. The front mil. drilled through it's shields, and it disappeared in a ball of flame. Three left.

"Still alive, Miss Pirate? I would've thought you'd have learned your lesson by now." said Spitfire.

"Actually, I did. That's why I left Lave system. But I got stranded here. And a girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do, in order to survive." answered the voice. "Listen Sweet Cheeks, if you just dump a couple of pods, they will leave you alone, I promise."

"Sorry Sugar Tits, but we worked hard for our cargo, and we mean to keep it." Spitfire replied, working in a nickname of her own.

The female voice laughed, she sounded so young. "Sweet Cheeks and Sugar Tits. I like it! What a pair we would make."

An rusty old Cobra MKI, a D.T.T Manta, and another Krait were still left. They had circled around us, and were almost within their laser range. I targeted the rusty Cobra.

"Look guys, I think we should give this one up..." said Sugar Tits.

"Shut your fucking mouth, dock rat! We ain't giving up shit!" replied another of the pirates. Laser fire struck us from the rear and side. I opened up on the Cobra in front of me. The instant I saw the ball of flame, I switched to the rear view, and cooked another one.

"Okay, you can keep your cargo, just let me go!" said the last pirate, in the Manta. It had been a male voice. I locked onto him as he turned to flee. An instant later, there were no more ships but Aria.

I looked over at Spitfire. She slowly turned to look at me. Her eyes were big, and sad, and they sparkled with welling tears.

"She made her choice, I know, but..." The first tear rolled over her long lashes, and began to trail down her face. My heart broke. She looked up at the scanner, "Morgan, there are white blips. Could one of them be...?"

I knew what she was hoping for, but I also knew the odds. "I doubt it babe, but let's go check them out, just to be sure."

The first blip was an escape pod after all. I manoeuvred carefully, and managed to scoop it. Spitfire ran for the cargo bay. "Do not open it, babe!" I shouted after her. The hatch on an escape pod is designed to only be opened from the outside. This is to make sure that an occupant doesn't open it into an unpressurized cargo hold, or an incompatible atmosphere. It also guarantees that nasty, piraty, types didn't get out and start roaming around the ship.

I located the second blip. It was a metal plate from one of the ships. Not worth much, but I scooped it anyways. The third blip turned out to be another escape pod.

"Hey babe! I got another one! Make sure they're secured, and then we'll take them to the station." I said over the ships intercom.

There was no answer. Nipper suddenly started to growl. There were a series of small access tunnels throughout the ship, many of them too small for even Spitfire to fit through. She had rigged them so that Nipper could get to his grass in the cargo bay, from wherever he happened to be. It was through one of those tiny tunnels, that he now disappeared, barking the whole way. All the hairs on the back of my neck, stood on end. "Spitfire? Answer me already! Is everything okay back there?"

Silence, except for the far off barking of a tiny dog. I got up and ran for the cargo bay. By the time I reached the cargo bay door, Nipper had gone quiet. I threw the door open and looked down. There were four pirates standing in the cargo bay, three brutal looking men, and one small girl. The largest of the men held Spitfire. He was as tall as I was, and massive. He held her against him, with her back to him. He had one large hand over her mouth, and with the other, held her arm up behind her back. She kicked at his legs, but he twisted and forced her arm higher, causing her to give a muffled scream behind his hand.

"Lay off her, Jake! There's no need to hurt her. See, here comes her Knight in Shining Armour now." said the girl. I stood stunned. She could have been Spitfire's sister. The major difference being her hair. Instead of Spitfire's short, pure white mop, this girl had long, raven black hair. She wore a black, one-piece, skintight bodysuit, with knee high leather boots. She also had a laser holster, riding low on her hips, and tied down around her thigh. "Come on down here Prince Charming, and join our party." she called.

We were caught. My mind raced as I looked for a way out. The laser pistol that we had taken from Miss Tits, was back in our room. I cursed myself for not thinking to grab it. Spitfire screamed and whimpered. Jake had twisted her arm again, to convince me to come down the stairs. But no sooner did she scream, than the bright red dot of a targeting laser appeared, unwavering between his eyes.

"I thought I told you to lay off, Jake. Next time she yells, I will cook your brains from the inside out." said the girl. She had drawn her pistol so fast, I had never even seen her move. As I started down the stairs, I swore that I was going to kill Jake.

"Who died and made you da boss, Angel?" asked Jake. My blood ran cold. I knew Jake's voice, he was the pirate Spitfire had been teasing, right before I blew up his ship.  He threw Spitfire roughly to one of the other men, and told him to tie her up, then he advanced towards Angel. When he was no more than two steps away, Angel flicked the barrel of the gun down and fired. Jake jumped and howled, the toe of his boot melted through.

"In case you hadn't noticed Jake, everyone died, but the four of us. I'm not trying to be the boss, I'm just trying to get us all through this, without anyone else getting hurt. Put them in one of the escape capsules, and jettison them, someone will come by and pick them up. Then we get their ship, and their cargo." Jake sneered at her, then told the third man to tie my hands as well. I tensed, ready to attack him, but the man who had tied Spitfire, held a slicer to her throat and shook his head at me.

"No. You ain't da boss of me, Angel. Dat bit o' white mouse over dere is mine! And I am gonna split her in half, when I shove my dick up dat tight little ass of hers. Just like I promised her, before they blew up my ship! Den, I am gonna beat Lover Boy over dere to a bloody, dead pulp, just for fun. Dat is, if Smithy over dere don't slice him up first." Jake motioned toward me with his chin.

Angel glanced in my direction to check on Smithy. It was the chance Jake had been hoping for. He sucker punched her in the side of the head, sending her flying across the floor, in a limp heap. Her gun spun away into the shadows. "Now we see who da Boss is, little black mouse! I been wanting to fuck dat ass of yours since you started hangin' 'round wid us. But you ain't so tough widout your gun now, are you?" He grabbed Angel by the front her her suit, and lifted her with one hand from the floor. He tossed her, face down, over a storage crate.

"Hang 'em high boys!" He said to the other two. The man holding Spitfire hooked the rope that tied her hands to one of the winch hooks, and then began to lift her from the ground. He stopped, once her feet left the floor. She kicked and squirmed, but that only caused her to swing in wild circles. The pirate laughed and groped her bottom, before giving it a smack, sending her swinging again. Then they turned to me. I fought and kicked, but Smithy had done a good job on my hands. Between the two of them, they eventually hooked me, and lifted me into the air. In the meantime, Jake had pulled off Angel's boots and holster. He held her, bent over the crate face down, and grabbed the neck of her bodysuit. With a tug, he ripped  the suit off her back. Then he ripped the rest away, until she lay naked in front of him. He grabbed her bottom and dug his fingers into her skin. Then he slapped her ass hard, leaving a livid red hand print. He tied her hands, just like ours. Then carried her over, and dumped her on the ground, in front of Spitfire.

He looked at me and grinned. "Dey looks like a matched set, don't dey? 'Cept for one thing." He reached up and gripped Spitfire's top. Then with a jerk, he tore it off. She screamed and kicked, but this only made Jake laugh. I yelled at him to leave her alone, calling him names, and trying to focus his attention on me instead. But he simply grinned at me. "Yes sir, Lover Boy, dis little mouse is gonna bleed, before I am done." He grabbed her shorts with both hands, and with a single great heave, he ripped them from her body. She now hung by her arms, completely naked. He grabbed her breasts, digging his dirty fingernails into her flesh, causing her to scream and whimper. This made him laugh. Then he spun her around and slapped her ass, just as he had Angel.

"Umm.. Jake? Umm.. shouldn't we get this ship outta here before the Galcops come by?" said the third pirate nervously.

"Shut yer yap, Ned! I am da Boss now!" shouted Jake. He stared at Ned for a second or two. Then he picked Angel up by the arms, and hooked her hands over the same hook that Spitfire dangled from. He stepped back, and looked at the pair of naked girls, hanging face to face and laughed. "Yes sir, dat dere is a fine matched set! HAR! HAR!" He grabbed both their bottoms, in a cruel grip, squeezing them hard. Then gave them a shove, making them swing through the air. This made him laugh even harder. "Come on boys, lets get dis here ship moving. Dese little mouses ain't goin' nowhere. Not till I am ready to play wid dem!" He headed up the stairs, with Ned and Smithy following behind.

"Oh Morgan! I'm so sorry! But I didn't open the pods, I swear!" Spitfire began to cry in earnest now.

"It's okay babe, it's okay. We are going to get out of this somehow." I said, trying to sound like I actually believed it.

"You better hope so..." muttered Angel, as she slowly lifted her head, regaining consciousness. She found herself pressed face to face, and breast to breast, with Spitfire. "Well, hello there, Sweet Cheeks. This isn't quite the picture I had in mind, when I day-dreamed about meeting you... Well okay, the staring into your eyes, and having you naked against me, was. The being tied up with you wasn't, but I gotta admit, that part is really working for me! But the Jake part... No! That part is going to be really, really bad. As in, we'd-both-rather-be-dead-than-that, bad!"

Spitfire was so shocked at Angels outrageous flirting, that she sob-laughed at her. But it also pulled her out of the state of shock, she had been in. Something moved to my right. I wiggled at the end of my hook, like a fish, until I managed to swing around. It was Nipper, and he had something in his mouth. He trotted up to me, then dropped it on the floor. It was Angels gun.

"Good boy Nipper! Good boy!" I praised him. "Not that it's going to do us any good like this, though."

"It will if I can get my hands on it, but even then, it only has two shots left. Still, if I could just get down..." said Angel.

"Wait a minute!" said Spitfire. "Aria? Can you hear me?" she called.

"Yes Bee, I can hear you." replied Aria.

"Who the hell is that?!" asked Angel.

"Shhhh, be quiet now. Aria, can you switch the cargo bay loading arms to voice controlled, manual override?" asked Spitfire.

"Certainly, Captain." replied Aria. "May I also inform you, that there are three men on the bridge, trying to fly the ship without authorization. Do you wish me to give them access?"

"NOO!" We all three shouted, at the same time. ”Just keep them locked out Aria.” said Spitfire.

"Control arm number three, lower twenty feet." she shouted. The massive cargo loading arm unfolded from the ceiling, and lowered itself twenty feet. Spitfire almost squealed with joy. Angel and I cheered her on. She gave a series of verbal instruction, until the arms pincers were almost to the hook they swung from. Suddenly, Nipper whirled toward the stairs and growled.

"Hurry Spitfire, I think they are coming!" I said. Nipper backed away from the stairs, until he was hidden once more in the shadows.

"Control arm number three, move to the fore two f..."

"Two and a half, Sweet Cheeks!" hissed Angel.

"...Two feet, six inches" corrected Spitfire.

"What da hells going on down der!?" yelled Jake, as he threw the door open.

"Control arm number three, close gripping claw now!" yelled Spitfire. The giant cargo pincers, began to close upon the cable that held Spitfire and Angel, suspended in the air.

Jake, followed by Ned and Smithy, started down the stairs.

The pincers came together, cutting the cable, and dropping both girls to the floor. Angel unhooked her hands, and rolled for her gun, just as Jake reached the floor. She grabbed it, rolled onto her back, and pointed it at me! There was a flash, and a searing burn between my wrists, as the laser burned through the ropes. I dropped to the floor, in a crouch.

Jake grabbed Angel's bound wrists, and hauled her into the air. She tried to angle the gun for a shot, but couldn't point it at Jake. So, she did the next best thing, and shot Smithy right between the eyes. Ned, in the meantime, was charging straight at me with his slicer. I dodged his first swipe. His second one, however, left a long, bloody gash across my chest. Next, he tried to stab me, and that's when I managed to grab his wrist. As we struggled and wrestled, I glanced over to see what the others were doing.

Jake was holding Angel off the ground by her wrists and laughing. He grabbed her by the throat with one hand and began to squeeze. I could hear her choking and gagging as he slowly strangled her. Behind him, Spitfire swung the severed cable. The  heavy steel hook on the end slammed into Jake's back. He roared in pain, then lifted Angel above his head with both hands, and threw her into the steel bulkhead. She fell to the floor, unmoving. Then I saw Jake start toward Spitfire. My vision swam with red. I wrenched Ned's arm to the side, squeezing his wrist, until I felt the bones grinding together. He screamed as I grabbed the slicer out of his hand, and plunged it into his chest. I gave it a twist, then dropped him to the floor.

"Jake!" I yelled. Jake stopped and turned to look at me, then at Ned on the ground.

"Well Lover Boy, looks like you want to dance wid Big Jake now, hey? But you gotta wait your turn!" He lunged at Spitfire, and caught her by the hair, as she tried to swing the hook again.  He grabbed the cable from her and tossed it to the side. He pulled her to him, almost picking her off the floor by her hair. I walked toward him, growling deep in my chest. With a casual smile, he grabbed her by the throat. "You jus' keep walking der, Lover Boy, and I will crush her throat." I stopped, watching him. "Dat's better now. I don't want to have to kill da little mouse, just yet." He let go of her hair, and pulled her back against him, with his hand still on her throat. He began running his free hand, over her bare breast. He clenched his fingers over her breast and nipple, twisting and squeezing. She screamed and whimpered at the pain he was causing. My hands clenched and opened over and over at my sides. I was panting with rage, but as long as he had her by the throat, I could do nothing.

Something moved in the shadows behind him, something small and furry. With no bark, or growl, Little Nipper launched himself at the back of Jake's leg. He latched onto him right behind the knee, hanging from the chunk of meat he had sunk his teeth into. Jake roared, and swung around to see what was causing his pain. Little Nipper swung with him, jerking his whole body from side to side, trying to tear loose the prize in his mouth. Jake threw Spitfire away from him, and into the side of a cargo pod, where she crumpled to the floor.

But before he could get his hands on Nipper, I was on him. I leaped onto his back, my hands tearing at his face. This was to be no fist fight, I was far beyond that. My only thought was to kill him. I saw his hands on Spitfire, touching her, hurting her. I dug my fingers into his eyes, and Jake screamed. He grabbed onto my wrists, his muscles strained and bulged, as he tried to pry my hands from his face. But I am no weakling either. A lifetime of back breaking work on the farm had supplied me with my own fair share of muscle. I wasn't as large as Jake, and truth be told, if this had been a fair fight, he would have killed me. But right now, I was blind with rage.

He finally managed to tear loose of me, and spun to face me. His watering eyes were red and swollen, and he blinked continuously, as he tried to focus on me. He roared again and charged. I roared and charged right back, and we came together, like a couple of enraged bulls. We had each other by the throat now, squeezing with everything we had. My vision started to blur and grow gray around the edges. I screamed with rage, but no sound could escape. I squeezed even harder. I had to kill Jake, even if it meant I had to die along with him. I wouldn't let him touch my little Spitfire, ever again. I pushed his head back as I squeezed, until the vertebra in his neck creaked. I dug my thumbs into the front of his throat, digging and tearing into his larynx and trachea. Over and over again, I kept mouthing the words, "You will never touch my Spitfire again!". The gray around my field of vision closed in. The room began to grow dark, then finally black. And still, I squeezed.

"You will never touch my Spitfire again!" someone croaked.

"Baby, listen to me, you have to let go now. Baby, please listen to me! It's okay now. Please let go!" Was that Spitfire?

"You will never touch my Spitfire again!" It was me doing the croaking. My throat hurt. I gasped for breath and coughed.

"Morgan baby, it's okay. I'm alright, but you need to let go now. Can you hear me baby? Please let go now!" Spitfire cried, as she pleaded with me.

My vision began to clear. Blurry shapes began to resemble familiar objects. My bloody hands were wrapped around Jake's neck, his blood was pooled around my fingers, where they dug through his skin. His dead puffy eyes, staring at the ceiling. His hands lay at his sides. "Spitfire?" I tried to say, but my throat hurt, and I coughed and gagged. She was there, crying, as she pulled and tugged at my hands. Trying to pry my fingers from the dead man's neck.

"I'm here baby, right beside you. See, I'm okay, and you can let go now." She put her bloody hands to my face, making me look her in the eyes. I painfully pulled in another long breath.

"You're okay?" I croaked, still in a daze.

Spitfire began to laugh-sob as she saw the slow recognition in my eyes. "Oh yes baby, I'm okay, you saved me." She kissed my face and lips over and over again, smearing the tears and blood, as she cried. "He can never hurt anyone again. But you need to let go of him now, baby. I can't move your hands away."

I looked at my hands, still locked around Jakes throat. I had trouble letting go, but finally, I began to pull them away. My fingers made little sucking noises as they pulled free of the holes and blood. Spitfire helped me down to sit on the floor and lean against a crate. She saw my bleeding chest and gasped. She ripped a strip from my torn shirt, and held it against my chest. We were both now covered in blood. I held her hands on my chest and looked searchingly into her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright?" I whispered.

She laugh-sobbed, "Yes you big lug. I have a bump on my head from running into the cargo pod, and a couple of bruises from Jake's manhandling. But otherwise, I'm fine. You're the one that almost died, you're bloody and bleeding, and yet you're worried about me being okay... I love you baby, I love you so much. I was so scared. I thought he had killed you, and all I could think about, was that I couldn't stand to lose you. I couldn't live without you!" We were both crying now. All the emotions that had gripped us during the last hour or so, all came out in a flood of tears.

Suddenly, I heard a whine. It was Little Nipper, sitting in the middle of the floor. His little muzzle, was bloody from the fight. "Nipper!" I whispered hoarsely. Spitfire laughed and I wheezed, as he ran over, tail wagging, jumping on us, and trying to lick our faces. "If anyone saved our lives today, it was Nipper here!" I croaked. "If he hadn't made Jake let go of you, I don't know what would have happened." The three of us sat there in a pile, hugging and kissing each other over and over again.

Someone moaned.

"Oh no! We forgot about Angel!" Spitfire leaped up, and ran to the fallen girl. "Oh Morgan, she's hurt! There's blood all over her head and the floor." I managed to get to my feet, and shuffled over to them. Angel had a nasty gash on her head, and it was bleeding. I carefully picked her up, and cradled her in my arms, as I carried her up the stairs. The floor and walls of the ship kept tilting, and fading in and out, as I walked. Spitfire ran ahead to grab a medkit from the common room. We looked like three ghouls, leaving a trail of bloody footprints down the hall. I took her to the crew's quarters, and laid her in Spitfire's old bed. Spitfire brought in a medkit and started working on Angels head wound. The walk up here had left me feeling dizzy and weak, I sank to the floor. I watched Spitfire tend to Angel, carefully washing away the blood and dirt. Then at some point, I passed out.

When I came to, I had a naked Spitfire sitting on my stomach. She was spraying my chest, with some kind of foam from the medkit. “What's happened? What's that stuff? Oh crap! That burns!” I croaked.

“What happened, was that you passed out. This stuff is Kill-All foam, to disinfect your wound before I close it up.” She leaned over and kissed me long and hard on the mouth. “Now, you just killed a man and a monster with your bare hands, thereby saving my life, as well as Angels. Your chest was sliced open from shoulder to ribs. And, you were very nearly strangled to death. So, don't even start whining, about a little stinging foam. Are you all caught up with the rest of the class now?”

“I think so, it's all kind of blurry.”

“Good, stay here, and... Do. Not. Move!” She got up, and ran out of the room. A few seconds later she returned with a large glass of juice. “Here, drink this. I added some goodies that will help you replenish your blood supply.” She knelt beside me, straddling my outstretched arm, and helped me raise my head from the floor. She held the glass to my lips, and made sure I drank it all. “There, feel better?” I used the arm she was straddling, and tickled her bottom with my hand. She squealed, and then kissed me again. “I'll take that as a yes, as well as a promise for later!” she said. She threw her leg over me, and straddled my stomach again. Then she pulled a small machine out of the medkit. “This might hurt baby, and I am so sorry, but I have to get this closed up."

Her little hands were shaking, so I took them in mine, and looked into her eyes. “It's okay babe. You're doing fine, and I am so very, very, proud of you. I love you with all my soul. You just do what needs to be done, and remember that.” She smiled and kissed me again, then began pulling the little machine along the gash. And I thought the spray stung! I hissed as the little machine pulled the edges of the wound together, and then sutured them closed. It only took a minute or so, then Spitfire sprayed the area with surgical sealer. She stood up, and helped me try to stand as well. I made it as far as the nearest chair, before I had to sit again. She stood beside me, holding my head to her chest, and stroking my hair.

“Take it slow baby, give all the goodies time to work.” she said. Angel moaned from the bed. Spitfire looked at me, “You okay baby?” I patted her bare bottom with my dirty, bloody hand and sent her off to check on Angel.

She knelt on the edge of the bed. Leaning over her, to hear what she was trying to say. She had already cleaned and sutured up Angels gash. There wasn't anything more to be done, till we got to the station. Angel moaned again, and muttered. Spitfire leaned closer to listen. Angel raised her arms from the bed, and slowly wrapped them around Spitfire's neck. She kept murmuring as though she were talking in her sleep. She pulled Spitfire's head down to hers, and began to kiss her! Spitfire tried to untangle Angels arms from around her neck, but Angel mewled, and resisted. The kiss grew longer and deeper, until Spitfire stopped resisting, caught up in the moment. She pulled Spitfire down, on top of her, and then began running her hands down Spitfire's naked back. I watched in dazed fascination. I knew I should say something, or be upset, or just... Something. But I could only sit and watch. Angels hands reached Spitfire bottom. They gently squeezed and caressed, pulling the two of them tighter together. Now, her moans were ones of pleasure, and a few came from Spitfire as well. I sat with eyes wide and my mouth catching flies. Spitfire suddenly seemed to realize where she was, and what was happening. She pulled her head back, gasping for breath. Angel took a few breaths as well, before saying, “Oh hells ya, that was soooo totally worth it!”

“Worth what?” asked Spitfire, still lying naked, on top of her.

“Being beaten, strangled, abused, and almost killed by Jake. And then the beating, that Prince Charming over there is going to give me, before throwing me out of the airlock. Speaking of which, the last thing I remember is Jake throwing me at the wall. Where is that sicko, degenerate, monster anyways?”

“Dead. They are all dead. You shot Smithy, and then Morgan killed Ned with his own knife, after he sliced Morgan open. Then, Morgan killed Jake, by strangling him with his bare hands.” Spitfire looked at me with pride.

“I killed Smithy..?” That seemed to bother her for some reason, but then she blinked the thought away. “And you're telling me that Prince Charming here, killed Ned and Jake, one on one... No fucking way!” She turned her head to give me an appraising look. Suddenly it struck me. She had Spitfires gray eyes as well!

“Yes way.” retorted Spitfire. “Jake knocked me out for a minute or so, and when I woke up, I found the two of them, with their hands locked around each others throats. I saw the moment Jake died, and watched the bastards eyes roll back in his head. He almost killed Morgan too.”

“Holy shit! I can't believe it... That psycho pervert is finally dead, and I am still alive.”  During the entire story, the two of them lay there, Spitfire on top of Angel. Their bodies bloody, battered, and bruised. Angels hands had continued running up and down Spitfire's back and bottom, caressing and stroking her. Spitfire looked down at Angel.

“Umm...” said Spitfire, blushing, as she carefully rolled off of her. She sat on the edge of the bed, and gave me an uneasy look. I was still too dazed and confused by everything that had happened, to decide how I felt about this. I just looked at her, gave her a smile, and shrugged while shaking my head.

“Damn...” said Angel, as Spitfire rolled off. “Well, Sweet Cheeks, that was fun while it lasted...” She rolled her head to look at me again. “Well Prince Charming, what's it to be? Beaten to death, for making out with Sweet Cheeks here, right in front of you? Or thrown out of the airlock, for being a pirate and all?”

I fought the urge to grin at her. There she lay, injured and hurt. Yet she has the nerve to make out with my wife, right in front of me. She also risked her life, trying to defend us from her pirate friends. She had almost died, trying to help us.

“What do you think I should do with you?” I asked.

She tried to sit up, but then weakly fell back. Spitfire helped prop her head up with some pillows. “Well, the way I see it, Prince... or may I just call you Charming?” She paused with a smirk.

“How about, you just call me Morgan.” I advised.

“Morgan it is. As I was saying Morgan, there is nothing you can do to me now, that would be worse than what Jake had planned. You don't know the kind of psychopathic, sadistic, monster you just rid the galaxy of.” She looked at me with earnest eyes. “And I also want to say this. I never wanted to hurt you guys, or anybody else, for that matter. I've never killed anyone... before Smithy...” She paused, then cleared her throat to continue. “I just helped them scare a few traders into dropping some cargo pods. I know that people got hurt, and sometimes, killed...but,” She stopped again to take a deep breath. She was fighting back the urge to cry. Spitfire saw it too. ”But I never killed anyone before. I never even fired at anybody...” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I just wanted to scare them...”

Spitfire leaned down and hugged her. There were no tricks this time. Angel simply clung to her, as she began to sob and cry. After a few minutes, she let go of Spitfire, and gave her a weak smile. “I'm sorry for being a cry baby. I just never had to kill anyone before. I'm damn good with a gun, and usually, I just have to put on a little show, to convince people to leave me alone. I had to shoot a guy in the leg once, but I never...” She trailed off.

“It's okay, I understand.” said Spitfire quietly. “I felt the same way after I killed my first time too.”

“You killed someone, Sweet Cheeks?” asked Angel doubtfully. Spitfire blushed again. “Oh, you're talking about us pirates...” She went quiet for a minute. “Well Morgan, if I was you, I would go ahead and turn me over to the Galcops at the station. You may even get a few credits bounty, to make up for the trouble I have caused.” Both of them looked at me, with big, gray eyes.

“Tell me something, Angel. If Spitfire didn't let you guys out, how did you get out of the escape capsules?” I asked.

“That was Jake's trick. He rigged his capsule with a release on the inside. It's risky, but I've heard stories of him doing it before. Then, once inside the ship... Well, we know the rest now I guess.” she replied.

I just nodded, and then stood and shuffled out of the room. Spitfire stayed with Angel, while I took us the rest of the way to the station.