Shiu calmly sipped from his coffee as he waited for the take-out diner to make his food. He'd already had his breakfast at a different location; this one was for Tethryn, who had given him a very specific order. Someone who was supposed to be traveling alone ordering food for two would be suspicious, but the chances of anyone discovering that he was in two different places that day were miniscule. And with the liberal placement of vending machines around the spaceport area, his coffee would raise no suspicion at all.

He leaned on the wall as he watched the TV screen bolted to an upper corner, listening to the news broadcast over the sound of sizzling food from the back kitchens and the occasional clatter of utensils. Other people around him were minding their own business, a mixture of locals and travelers, but mostly the latter as was to be expected at a place near a major point of travel. Shippers and traders, some on the right side of the law and some with him on the wrong side of it, no doubt.

"In other news," the female voice on the television began as the feed cut to a grainy nighttime recording, "a shootout erupted at a hotel on 7th Street in North Varaven last night as RanaTek Corporate Security attempted to apprehend a dangerous fugitive who was hiding there." Shiu kept his face neutral, sipping from his coffee once more as he listened impassively to the report. The recording showed the hotel and flashing lights outside of it, evidently taken after the fact since it showed the CorpSec goons leaving the building.

"The fugitive remains at large," the newsreader continued, the recording disappearing and replaced with a picture of Tethryn. It was a neutral picture of her, no doubt chosen to try and make her look more menacing than something where she was smiling. But it wasn't the kind of picture taken of criminals while they were put on record; it looked like it was used for something else. A license or registration of some sort, maybe? Shiu pondered that idly as the reader continued, "While RanaTek has posted a bounty for up to 250,000 credits for any information leading to her capture, authorities strongly advise citizens not to attempt to apprehend her themselves, as she is armed and extremely dangerous."

"Fifty-seven!" someone called from the kitchen. Shiu glanced at his receipt; it wasn't his order, so he turned his attention back to the TV.

The camera changed to some CorpSec member in armor, his helmet covering his face, presumably to make him look more intimidating, the stripes on the sides and the chest plate indicating that he was an officer of low rank. "The fugitive killed five and wounded three more while she escaped," the lieutenant told the microphone being held in front of him. "RanaTek has increased the upper limit of her bounty on account of these extra charges. We encourage anyone with information to contact one of our representatives immediately."

She certainly knew how to shoot if that was the case, though it wouldn't be beneath CorpSec to exaggerate their losses to paint their targets as worse than they really were. Especially if they didn't want anyone else trying to apprehend her.

The newsreader came back on to an empty screen. "RanaTek attempted to issue a lockdown of all spaceports in North Varaven, but Galactic Shipping Enterprises blocked the order, and their lawyers made the following statement." When the reader next spoke, the words were printed on the screen as she read them out. "RanaTek does not have the necessary cause nor authority to issue an injunction at this time. The disruption in trade and transportation that such a lockdown would cause far exceeds what they have offered for a bounty, and therefore, we have taken all necessary actions to..."

"Fifty-nine!" One of the diner cooks called out, placing a paper bag on the counter.

Shiu raised his receipt and went to the counter. "That's me!" he called back, flashing the receipt before grabbing the bag, and making an exit without listening to the rest of the news report. He struggled to keep his face neutral; the fact that GSE had actually done him a favor for once, even accidentally, amused him greatly. As long as the fight between the different megacorps' lawyers lasted long enough for him to take off, he didn't care which way it ended up going.

He casually returned to the spaceport, going back through security and the entire ritual that that entailed: presenting licenses for the weapons he was carrying, letting them put his bag of food through the scanner, getting a pat-down, and so on. When he returned to his ship, he found Tethryn waiting for him in the engine room, sitting on her backpack as an impromptu cushion, poking at her tablet underneath one of the lights furthest from the door – despite his multiple attempts to fix it, the light in the middle of the room had never worked.

"Here you go," he told her, bringing the bag of food over, "With extra butter, just like you asked." 

She immediately stashed the tablet and ripped open the bag once he handed it to her, pulling out the containers within. "Fuck yes, I'm starving," she announced, glancing up to him after a moment. "Thanks for getting that."

"You're welcome," he replied. "So, how'd it go?"

"Fine, as far as I could tell," she replied. "I hid nearby like you said while the inspectors swept your ship. They moved right on, so I assume they didn't find anything. Then I waited for a clear break before coming back on board."

"Good. By the way, they bumped your bounty up another 50k," he remarked conversationally.

"For taking out a few CorpSec mooks?" she asked rhetorically, sounding almost amused by the idea. "Three kills is 50k, but knowing a secret they want is 200k."

"Sounds about right for the corps," Shiu remarked grimly. "So, you actually know how to use that gun?"

"You've gotta, when you're a single woman in a big city," she answered. "Anyway, how soon can we leave?"

Shiu jerked his thumb towards the cockpit. "Unless you need something else, I'm going to start the pre-flight checks now."

"Sounds good to me. I eat fast when I'm hungry."

"And I don't want to see those teeth in action," he told her, turning and making his exit.

------------------

Once the ship was ready, and Shiu made sure that Tethryn had properly disposed of the take-out containers so that they didn't end up all over the walls of the engine room, Shiu strapped himself in and took off. It went uneventfully, and once they had cleared the planet's atmosphere and reached open space, he switched on the autopilot and got up.

But he didn't strip off his jumpsuit, despite his mane feeling itchy. He needed to have a talk with his passenger, one that necessitated him keeping his toolbelt, and the gun and knives clipped to it, on his waist as he did.

Tethryn had already freed herself from the equipment straps that were being used as an impromptu safety harness by the time he arrived, and was settling herself back on her backpack seat. "All right, we're clear," he told her, leaning on the wall by the door. "Now, we had a deal. Where are the coordinates for this place you want to go?"

"Not yet, big guy," she told him, shaking her head. "We're not heading there yet. I'll tell you when we take off from your next destination."

"No, you're going to tell me now," Shiu insisted firmly. "You told me you were going to let me in on the plan. I'm no friend of the corps, but I abide cheaters even less, so don't try and cheat your way out of the deal."

"I'm not," she said defensively, raising her hands. "We're just working on a need-to-know basis, all right? The fewer people that know, the better. The last thing I need is you getting captured or drunk and spilling the coordinates to someone. I only said I would let you in on it, not that I would tell you every-"

Narrowing his eyes, he swung his fist and banged it against a panel on the wall behind him, cutting her off. Standing up straight and starting to approach her, he kept his gaze fixed on her as he spoke. "No. You know full well what I meant when I agreed to help you. If I'm sticking my neck out for someone, I need to know why, so you can either start talking, or you can start holding your breath for a trip out the airlock."

For a moment they stared at each other, eyes locked, until Shiu took a deep breath and added in a calmer tone, "Also, I need to know where we're going BEFORE we take off, because I have to make sure we have enough fuel for the trip. So no, you can't wait until after we leave to tell me where you want us to go."

Tethryn sighed and looked to the side. "That's fair, but you probably should have opened with that. It's not that far though, just-"

"Lady, we're talking interstellar distances here," Shiu interrupted. "It might only take a week plus or minus a couple of days but that's because engines rated for interstellar travel are doing some deep dark magic. Don't ask me what, I ain't some kind of spaceship designer – it's all way over my head. But what I can tell you, is that it takes a LOT of energy, which means you need fuel with a high energy density, and THAT means it's expensive. So I'm not going to stock up on any more than I need for the trip, plus a bit of a safety buffer, because I'm not made out of money."

"Okay, okay, chill out," Tethryn replied. "I didn't realize you had a big brain to go with that big dick."

"Not according to my test scores in school," Shiu joked in a low tone. "I just know my ship. It might be a junker that's barely holding together, but it's still my ship, and I have to trust my life to it. So if you want me to do the same for you, you need to start talking."

"Fine. You'd better commit this to memory because I'm not going to write it down. And if YOU write it down anywhere, I'll break your fingers. Sector 7, Subsector 12, Quadrant 4, 128.667 Over, 77.924 Along, 16.463 Down."

Shiu thought for a moment as he tried to determine vaguely where that was. He didn't have a star map in his head, but he knew from the first three numbers roughly what part of space those coordinates were in. "That really is out in the ass-end of nowhere," he told her eventually. "Close to the border, too."

"Told you," she said with an impassive shrug.

"You might need to chip in for fuel. That's a long trip."

"Yep. I've got the money for it. I figured you'd ask sooner or later."

Raising one hand to his muzzle, Shiu tapped one finger on the side of it. "There's nothing out there. Or at least, nothing inhabited – probably some barren planets or moons or some such. So what could you possibly want?" She didn't answer his speculation, but he hadn't expected that she would. "Something stashed there? Could be, but that kind of thing usually doesn't happen quite so far from established space lanes. And it's charted space, just barren, so I doubt there's any kind of archaeological find. If it were natural resources, even a planet made entirely of platinum, you wouldn't be going to these lengths to keep it secret."

He looked her over, but she was impassive, her face giving away nothing. Folding his arms, he gave her a stern look. "I just want to know what this is all about," he said firmly.

"I'll tell you when we take off," she said, finally speaking up. "But you only need to know -where- right now, not -what-. And after that, I need you to take me over to Chiralan Station, orbiting Tenavus IV. I've got a trustworthy friend over there who I can pass the stuff I'm after to."

"If you insist," he grumbled, "but I WILL hold you to that. Once we take off again, if you don't make with the explanations, you're going to eat a bolt of plasma."

"Dude, chill, seriously," Tethryn insisted, holding her hands up again. "I'm just trying to cover my ass in case something goes wrong."

"So am I," Shiu retorted. "I don't want to become the Galaxy's Most Wanted because I didn't ask enough questions to know that I was getting in over my head."

A tense moment passed between them before Shiu turned and went back to the wall to lean on it again. "Well, if you won't tell me about your goal, then what about you? What's your deal? Who the heck are you?"

"Nobody important," Tethryn answered evasively.

"You don't HAVE to answer," Shiu remarked casually, inspecting the claws on the ends of his fingers, "since I know your name, I can just look it up. But of course, if I start searching for you online, or ask around, it might make authorities suspicious..."

Sighing, she looked down at the floor. "Why couldn't I have gotten the help of someone dumber?" she grumbled.

"Because then they'd think that selling you out to CorpSec would be a good idea," he answered. "I've been around long enough to know that if I tried, and you didn't shoot me first, I'd be lucky to see twenty-five hundred credits, let alone 250k. Besides, have you ever met an old, stupid smuggler?"

"I haven't met a whole lot of smugglers, to be quite honest with you," she said as she raised her head and looked back up at him. "You're probably not going to believe this, but a cycle ago, I was a journalist."

Shiu let out a snort. "Really?"

"Really," she told him, looking sincere. "I used to write for the Galactic Republic Publishing Conglomerate's news division doing investigative work. Not since this whole debacle began, naturally, since they cooperated with CorpSec. Terminated my employment, but not before I made off with a big chunk from their expense account."

"So that's why you're loaded with money?"

"I don't mind spending it when it isn't mine," she said jovially, before glowering once more. "Just goes to show how they repay you for a decade of loyal service. My editor stabs me in the back and my bosses fall over each other trying to be the first one to sell me out."

"And what brought this on?"

"I found something big," she told him. "And yes, I promise, I'll tell you what it is once we're on the way there. But I asked too many questions, I know too much, and most importantly, I didn't keep my mouth shut when I should have. People who CAN'T keep their mouths shut heard something they shouldn't have, and now CorpSec is chasing me to the far ends of the galaxy so they can find out what I know and then ensure I have the kind of accident where I break my spine in three different places."

Shiu nodded in understanding. "If you have all that money, why not just go hole up somewhere remote and fall off the grid? I can even help with that, I've got some contacts who are good at making people disappear – the 'new identity' kind of disappearing, that is, not the 'harvested for organs' kind."

"Thanks, but I'm all set on that front. I appreciate the offer, though. Vanishing into anonymity is my plan eventually, but first, I want to get to the bottom of this. The... thing I've found is big. Really big. RanaTek wants me because if I get hold of it and have enough proof, it can end them."

Shiu's eyebrows raised. "No shit?"

"No shit," she replied curtly.

"And they only posted 200k for your head?"

"Well, yeah. And it was only fifty thousand in the beginning. If it starts too high people are going to get suspicious and ask questions like, 'What exactly did this person do that you want them so badly for?' and then they have more problems. Anyway, I'm in too deep. I don't want to disappear and have this thing eating at me for the rest of my life. So I'm going to finish what I started, cash out with whatever I can get, and THEN go become a fisher on some remote frontier planet somewhere. The thing I'm looking for is at the coordinates I gave you, and you'll find out what it is in due time."

"I see. Well, that's as good a plan as any, I suppose. Have you got any family?"

"Nobody close, and it's just as well, or they'd take them hostage to try and lure me out," Tethryn answered. "What about you?"

Shiu's eyes looked to the side, then he turned his head away from her, folding his arms. "...not any more," he muttered.

Tilting her head, she leaned forward. "Oh? You can't give me an answer like that and not expect me to be a little curious."

Frowning, his whiskers lowering as he did, he turned back to face her again. "Do you really want to know?"

"I'm a curious woman," she replied. "It's what makes – well, made me a good journalist. Gotta dig deep for the full story. Sometimes that means cavorting with criminals, but hey, if not for those contacts I'd be occupying a shallow grave right about now. And if I'm telling you about me, you ought to tell me about you. So, what happened?"

Shiu looked her right in the eyes, waiting several seconds before he began to speak. "I used to have a wife and a daughter. My daughter died, and my wife left me. Does that answer your question?"

Tethryn went quiet, and lowered her head, staring down at the floor. "I'm sorry," she said solemnly after a moment.

"I'm surprised you believe me."

"I saw it in your eyes," she told him, not looking up but instead raising a hand to gesture to her own eyes with two fingers. "In my line of work you have to get good at figuring out when people are lying and when they're telling the truth. I'm not the best at it, but I know enough that I could tell you weren't lying just now." Inhaling deeply, she let it out as a sigh. "I feel like an ass. I had no idea. It makes what I've been through look like nothing in comparison."

Shaking his head, Shiu told her, "It's not some kind of contest."

"I know, but I owe you an apology," she told him, lifting her head to look at him directly. "Most of the people I've met since going on the run have been people who were always unpleasant, even before they took up a life of crime. I took you for one of them – some criminal who only cared about himself and where he'd get his next fix of booze or women or drugs."

Shrugging, Shiu replied, "If it makes you feel any better, that's the impression I try to craft. Nice guys tend to be thought of as easy, gullible targets."

"Heh." Tethryn's expression of amusement didn't even last a full second. "If I may ask... what happened with your wife? Why did she leave you? Was it just because of your daughter...?"

Shiu frowned and glanced away again, and Tethryn wasn't sure he was going to answer. "That was what set it off, yes," he said suddenly. "We weren't estranged or anything like that – far from it. Being with her was the happiest time in my life. We got along great; she was a much better cook than I was, always full of life and energy. We both liked to travel, so we saw all kinds of places together. And she was one kinky woman; you wouldn't know it, but I used to be the kind of guy who thought that oral was kinky."

Tethryn gave a snort. "That's a little hard to believe, yeah, considering I saw you in action yesterday. Did you fuck your wife like that, too?"

"Several times," Shiu replied with a smirk. "And in ways a lot wilder than that, too." He gave a small chuckle, but his face fell when he started speaking again. "I married her, and after a while we had a daughter, and everything was great... until it wasn't. I won't trouble you with the details. But I fucked up. I took a risk I shouldn't have, and I lost everything. My home, my family, my career, my respect. All gone, just like that."

She made a small noise of understanding, not knowing what to say, and a few moments of silence passed between the two of them. Standing up and away from the wall, Shiu spoke again, but more gently than before. "As I said, it's going to be a long trip from here to those coordinates you gave. Are you going to need anything for the trip?"

"I'll get you another list of groceries and some more credits," Tethryn said dismissively, but Shiu shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. I mean things for your comfort. This ship really isn't made for two people, and I don't want you to be bored out of your skull back here. Our next stop will be the last one for a while, so if you want me to do any shopping for you, it's the only chance you'll get."

Nodding in understanding, she took a moment to think before answering. "Well, sleeping on the floor or a pile of your spare clothes isn't exactly comfortable," she told him honestly. "I'd appreciate some pillows, blankets, and a travel bed of some kind."

"I can do that," he told her with a nod. "Anything else?"

"I've got plenty of books and games on my tablet to keep me occupied, but could you check and see if you can find a set of pieces for Seven Kingdoms?"

Shiu raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"It's a board game."

"I've never heard of it."

"I'll teach you how to play, we'll have plenty of time for it," she told him. "It's just a board and a set of colored pieces, I'm sure they've got travel sets somewhere."

"All right, I'll take a look, but no promises," he replied. "Maybe I can get a folding table and some chairs. I'll have to figure out a way to store them for going through atmospheres, though, I don't want them flying all over the place during planetfall."

"Well," she suggested, "you COULD let me strap myself into your bed next time. That'll free up the equipment harness."

"Not a bad idea," he agreed. "Anything else?"

She thought for a moment, but shook her head. "No, that'll do it, I think."

"I'll put together a list so I don't forget. Now if you'll excuse me, this jumpsuit is making my mane itch like you wouldn't believe, so I'm going to go throw it in the laundry."

"Yeah, yeah, you just want an excuse to strut around naked," she joked, waving a hand dismissively. "Thanks, Shiu."

"Don't thank me yet," he told her before striding out of the engine room.

--------------------

Tethryn paced around inside the engine room for a while, feeling foolish, but finally stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind her. The rest of the ship was pleasantly cool, at least in relation to the engine room and all the heat being pumped out by the engines.

Shiu's door was closed, but she could see could hear sound from inside, so she was pretty sure he wasn't asleep. Knocking on the door, she didn't get a response at first, but after a moment he called out, "Yeah?"

"I, uh," she began, still feeling a little silly, "I need some water. And you've got all of it."

"Door's open," he answered gruffly.

Even for her short stature the handle was well within reach, so she slid the door sideways to open it. The lights within were dimmed a little, but there was more than enough illumination for her to see Shiu lying naked on his bed, with a towel under him and his legs spread out and bent at the knees. Owing to the compact layout of the bedroom, there wasn't much space between him and the cabinets above the bed, leaving just a little nook for him to sleep in... and more, apparently. Both of his hands were wrapped around a fleshlight that he was idly sliding up and down the length of his cock, explaining what the noise was that she had heard outside of his room.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" she asked teasingly.

He only snorted in response, clearly unconcerned about her seeing him, slowly thrusting his hips upward against the toy. "I warned you the first time; this is my ship, and I'm in charge. I'm not changing how I live just because I have a passenger on board."

She walked past him towards the kitchen area, both of them disregarding the other as he picked his pace back up, sliding the lubricated toy up and down faster with hollow, wet sounds. She noticed one of his drawers was open, and giving it a curious look, she saw a collection of other sex toys in it; more fleshlights, dildos, and bottles of lubricant. Raising an eyebrow, she continued on, taking an empty plastic bottle from inside her jacket and filling it up at the water dispenser. She'd gotten it with the breakfast she'd had him order, and had been re-using it since then since it had a re-sealable cap. She was just glad his ship had artificial gravity – and that it still worked.

Immediately taking a large gulp, she let out a small gasp of relief afterwards. "Sorry to interrupt, it's just really hot in there, and I'm parched," she explained as she leaned against the kitchen unit, glancing back towards him.

"Then take the jacket off," he told her bluntly. He didn't look over towards her; his eyes were closed and his head was resting on the pillow, the sides of his horns pressing into it.

"I did, it's still hot," she replied, taking another large sip. "I feel like a kid again, having to ask for a glass of water when I ought to be trying to sleep, but-"

"You know, this really isn't a good time for small talk," he interrupted, pausing for a moment and holding the toy all the way down, the tip of his dick sticking out from the far end of it, the sensitive pink skin of it glistening with lubricant.

"Fair," she conceded, drinking again from her water. "What're you thinking about then, big guy? Who are you imagining you're sticking that monster cock of yours into?"

"Vanala." Gripping the fleshlight tightly, he pulled it upward and then shoved it back down, starting to resume his masturbation. "She's my buyer for my current run. I've got a load of second-hand augments to sell her." Closing his eyes and starting to thrust his hips, he added, "Not the only load I'm gonna give her either...!"

Sipping from her water, Tethryn kept her eyes on the show he was inadvertently putting on. "You sure get around, don't you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yep," he said, without any of the mirth that had been in her question. After a few more thrusts into the toy and pumps up and down, he paused, resting his hands for a moment and catching his breath. "My 'work' takes me all over, on a very loose schedule. I pick up odd jobs here and there. Depends when people need courier work." Rocking his hips, his cocktip peeked out of the far end of the toy, throbbing and releasing a small splurt of preseed. "So I don't have anyone regular to fuck. I'll take what – and who – I can get."

"Practical," Tethryn mused.

"A man's got needs," Shiu said as he started fucking the toy again properly, the tiny room filled with the wet sounds of his lubricant-covered cock sliding through the silicone passage.

Glancing over to the side, Tethryn set her eyes on the open toy drawer. "You've got quite a collection," she observed. "You swing both ways?"

He ignored her for a moment, until he took another break to rest his hands, his cock throbbing and firing another burst of precum onto his belly. "Sometimes," he answered between breaths. "I can take it as good as I give it. I've prefer women, but sometimes I'm just in the mood for something else."

She chuckled, her whiplike tail swishing back and forth behind her legs. "Well, I ain't judging. You ever considered selling recordings? No joke, you're well-hung for a guy your size. Might be less hazardous than smuggling."

"Nah," he dismissed, squeezing the toy as he slid it up and down his shaft steadily. "Not that I mind being watched, or anything. I just prefer doing private shows."

"Like this one?" she teased, before taking another sip of water.

"This wasn't supposed to be a show," he said firmly.

"Well, it's a good one," she joked. "I normally have to pay some credits for something like this, and I haven't been in the mood much the last few weeks." Lowering her voice to a husky whisper, she leaned forward and egged him on with, "So I want to see you finish. I saw what those fat nuts of yours are capable of in that club. So blow a big one for me, big guy."

"I will, if you be quiet and let me finish," he muttered back. She obliged, leaning against the kitchen unit again, watching as he pumped the toy faster along his length. His breaths grew heavier as he thrusted into it hard and deep, pulling the toy up and down, the pink of his cockhead visible each time he hilted in the toy and went right through it.

It wasn't long before he picked up the pace, rapidly hammering at it, his balls bouncing between his legs as he breathed heavily through his nose, grunting and groaning in pleasure, his eyes shut tightly. She knew he was on the edge when she saw his face screw up, his teeth visibly gritted, and moments later he let out a deep groan and hilted into the toy, holding it down against his loins. With erratic, rhythmless bucks and thrusts of his hips, he began to blast big, thick ropes of hot cum all over his chest, some of them hitting the underside of the cabinets above the bed as well. He moaned out in orgasmic pleasure as his own jizz splattered across his front, and his balls pulled upward every time he unleashed another generous rope of seed, until he flopped onto his back and one final half-strength splatter of thick white fluid shot upward and came back down onto himself.

Tethryn waited a little bit to let him enjoy his afterglow. As he pulled the toy off and pulled the towel out from underneath himself to start cleaning up, she gave him an appreciative hum. "Damn, that sure looked like a good one," she said as she turned around and started filling her water bottle back up. "I'm going to be thinking of that one for a while."

"There are towels in the cabinet next to the door," he told her without looking at her.

Puzzled, she glanced over her shoulder, giving him a questioning look. "Uh. What?" she asked, confused.

"Women have needs too," he told her with a slightly joking tone to his voice. Flatly, he added, "Don't squirt on my floors. Take a towel."

Snorting in amusement, she turned off the water dispenser and put the cap back on her bottle, and started to leave. But along the way, she used her free hand to open the cabinet in question, grabbing a towel off the lower shelf; the rest of the cabinet, or at least the shelves she could see, seemed to just have another set of bedsheets and folded-up jumpsuits in it.

"Thanks," she said simply as she left the room.

--------------------

The nice thing about spending so much time in space was the peacefulness. Sure, it got lonely, but on the other hand, there was nobody else to interfere. Shiu knew the routes to take that pirates didn't bother with because only small-time shippers like him bothered with them – and he had a good rep with a few of them too, since smugglers like him were how they got their narcotics, and it didn't pay to bite the hand that fed your addiction. In this case, traveling within a system, all he had to do was leave the autopilot running and only come to the cockpit if something actively needed his attention.

His delivery had so far gone off without a hitch, which wasn't rare but was still always nice when it happened. He made sure Tethryn stayed out of sight after he landed at the spaceport, directed to a very particular dock by the space traffic controller – one of this client's men on the inside who knew to expect him. It made the transfer easy; bring one of Vanala's men on board and into the cargo hold to inspect the shipment, let him call it in, take the payment, then open the cargo bay door to let them offload. The only problem was the hydraulics on the door making a whining noise they oughtn't on the way down; just one more thing for him to get checked the next time he had the credits and time at a spaceport. Between the pay for his last two jobs plus the money Tethryn had given him, he had the former, but not the latter, at least not for any extensive repairs.

Still, it would take time to unload the cargo. The crates of scrap and augments were heavy, so they'd have to be unloaded individually, and stored wherever she was going to keep them before reselling them to whoever was next in this particular chain. Not that he cared – his responsibility ended once she took them off his hands, and she could do whatever she liked with them as far as he was concerned.

Leaving the ship, he strode out into the hangar. The outer doors were closed to prevent anyone too nosy for their own good from peeking inside, but there were other ships, likely either belonging to Vanala's crew or to other suppliers. Just as he had expected, she was waiting nearby, talking to one of her underlings, but once she saw him approach she waved her associate off so she could speak to Shiu alone.

Shiu had never bothered to ask if she was a rat or a mouse. She had black fur, rounded ears, and a long, bare tail that reminded him a little of Tethryn's, except that Vanala's was thicker, and wasn't smooth. The shoulder-length locks of hair were currently blue with purple streaks, quite different from the bright green they had been the last time he'd delivered a shipment to her. Her jeans matched the worn denim jacket she was dressed in, held closed with just one button, and barely covering her breasts.

"Hey, good job on this one," Vanala told him as he approached her. "Surprised you made it out with the goods, I heard they locked down North Varaven trying to hunt down someone. How'd you slip past?"

"Just being quick. I got out while the lawyers were still throwing papers at each other," he explained. "Didn't hear they managed to eventually go through with it, though."

"For all the good it'll do 'em!" she said with a mocking laugh. "Whoever they're after probably was long gone by then."

Keeping a neutral expression, Shiu nodded in agreement. "Probably. The corps haven't given you any trouble here, have they?"

"Nah. This ain't their territory. Anyway," she said, leaning in towards him, "It'll take a bit to unload all the cargo. Want to come over to my place?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he replied with a grin. "But before we do, I need to talk business. Can you hook me up with some extra fuel? My next trip's going to be a long one."

"If you've got the credits, I've got the goods," she told him confidently as she turned away from him and started walking, swishing her jean-covered hips and rump back and forth, her tail sticking out through a hole in the back made for it. "Just tell me how much you need, and I'll get my boys to leave it in your cargo bay when we're done."

He started following after her. "Two extra canisters should cover it."

"Consider it done, I'll take it out of your payment."

"Perfect," he said with a nod, eyes following her swaying rump. "Now, let's kill some time, shall we?"

--------------------

As she lay stretched out on Shiu's bed, Tethryn's slid her thumb over the screen of her tablet, scrolling news stories upwards. Her contact at Chiralan Station had hooked her up with a new one that couldn't be traced back to her, but she still didn't look too deeply into the stories about herself, lest it raise suspicion from some algorithm somewhere. So, she only looked over the headlines; a few mentions of the shootout at the hotel, more stories about the lockdown of the spaceport and the ensuing legal battle between corporations. No hit pieces about her, though – she hadn't done anything more criminally noteworthy than slip money under a few tables in exchange for information to get what she needed for stories. Not until she'd had to go on the run, anyway.

She tried to listen out for sounds from the other parts of the ship, but the voices were too muffled to make anything out. Shiu had locked her in his bedroom while he "took care of business" and Vanala's crew unloaded the cargo, since neither of them wanted to risk anyone finding her on-board. She had everything she needed there, so it wasn't a matter of comfort. She was just restless. Restless about every moment that passed when she wasn't on her way to finishing what she had started. Every moment where someone might, somehow, find out what she'd been looking into, and get there first. Every moment where all her work might be for nothing.

She shook her head, putting down the tablet and sitting up, her small stature letting her sit on the edge of the bed even with the low cabinets above it. She'd made sure to cover her tracks, and it had only been that one moment of weakness, that one mistake, that had brought all this on her. If only she'd kept her mouth shut instead of announcing in excitement what she'd found...

There was no point dwelling on it. She'd never been one to willingly leave a story half-finished, and this one would be no different. When her parents had told her as a child that her curiosity would be the end of her, she had just thought they were being hyperbolic. But questions had to be answered, through whatever means necessary. Bending over to rummage around in her backpack, she pulled out a pair of gloves and slipped them on. It was time to do some investigating.

She opened Shiu's drawers first for her own personal interest, taking a better look at his collection of toys. Certainly more than enough to keep him from getting too lonely, and in a variety of shapes and styles, likely to suit his mood. With a quiet chuckle she shut that drawer and started looking through the others, taking care to only gently tug on them in case any of them were somehow locked or secured.

But they weren't. It didn't surprise her that much; for all his paranoia, he had admitted that he normally traveled alone, and her presence on his ship was highly irregular. Not that there was anything particularly interesting in the other drawers, just various items of clothing.

Undaunted, she moved on to the closet tucked into the corner between the bed and the wall furthest from the door. Its contents were a little more telling: at first she thought the hangars just held more casual clothing, but it only took a brief inspection to realize it was more than that. A dress uniform of some kind, going by the material and general appearance. She wasn't familiar with his culture, so she couldn't take any kind of guess at what it meant, but it didn't look very well-decorated. Still, it leant his claim of being ex-military more credence, even if she hadn't expected him to be any higher than the rank and file.

But that wasn't the only thing in there. Leaning diagonally against the back wall of the closet was a spear, one that would have been a few inches taller than Shiu, and absolutely towered over her. Although it looked very well made, entirely from high-quality metal, with a tip that looked sharp enough to not be merely ceremonial, it still seemed out of place. There wasn't any chance a weapon like that would be concealable, and smugglers and the people they associated with were about keeping a low profile, so even those who carried around melee weapons regularly would stick to knives, brass knuckles or other small weapons. On the other hand, that might have been why it was left in his closet – but then, why have it at all?

With nothing else of interest in the closet but a few pairs of shoes at the bottom, she closed the doors and looked for something else to check. Underneath the bed was another pair of drawers, and she tugged one of them open, bending over to peek inside. Its contents were very disorganized: papers both laminated and unlaminated in a language she didn't recognize, a few cables for electronic devices, a long-handled brush that he probably used on his mane, and other odds and ends. A digital picture frame was tucked into a corner, the display currently blank; her curiosity got the better of her, so she reached down and carefully extracted it, pressing the button to turn it on.

The screen illuminated and displayed a picture of Shiu in a fancy dark suit, next to another member of his species with pinkish-purple scales, slightly shorter whiskers, and differently shaped horns, wearing an equally fancy light dress. A wedding picture with his wife, maybe? They each had one arm around the other, smiling happily; Tethryn felt strange for a moment, seeing Shiu's face with such an expression of joy that she'd never seen cross it before.

Pressing a button on the side, the picture slid away and was replaced by another. This time, there was a third water dragon in the picture, presumably his daughter, small enough to be cradled in the arms of Shiu's wife, while his arm was held out to take a selfie of the three of them. The young one's scales were mostly black with a purple front, and both of the parents looked proud and happy, the picture of an idyllic family.

Tethryn stared at it for a brief moment, thinking of the Shiu she knew. Curt. Direct. Gruff. Aimlessly drifting among the stars, obviously troubled. Feeling guilty, she pressed a button on the opposite side to switch the frame back to the previous picture where it had been initially, and turned it off. 

"I'd kind of hoped you'd been lying about that," she muttered quietly to herself as she put the frame back where she had taken it from, and closed the drawer, climbing back up onto the bed afterward.

--------------------

Vanala's "place" was the cheap motel across the street from the spaceport, which mostly saw use as a way to launder money and a place for her to conduct her 'trade' from. Some of her crew used the rooms as a place to crash, and some of them used it for the exact purpose she and Shiu were using room 103 for – somewhere private to have a quick fuck.

Their clothes were scattered on the floor, and the room was filled with the sounds of the pair's grunting, the slapping of bodies, and the creaking protests of the bed they were on. Shiu was standing on the mattress, holding Vanala by the legs in a wheelbarrow position, bending over her as he rocked his hips back and forth, driving his cock into her ass again and again in a slow, hard pace. Each heavy thrust made her bare breasts bounce, still bearing the remnants of their first round, thick globs of his cum splattered all across her upper chest and around her mouth. The break between rounds had lasted only as long as it took for him to catch his breath and stiffen back up after the titjob she had given him, but he wasn't complaining.

His chest heaved with each heavy breath he took from the exertion, pulling his hips back and ramming into her anal tunnels all the way, only to pull back and repeat the motion. Each thrust made his balls slap against her rump, and sent more juices leaking from her slit running down her belly, the rodent having trouble keeping her eyes on him as they frequently lost focus and drifted up towards the ceiling. Her hands clenched around the handfuls of bedclothes she was gripping as he drilled her ass, her bare tail wrapped tightly around his left leg.

Neither of them had any thoughts to spare for anything going on outside of the room they were in, as Shiu focused on fucking her, reveling in the pleasure of spreading her walls around his cock, while she squirmed and flexed her toes each time he gave her the pounding she'd been craving all day. His toys couldn't compare to the real thing, feeling the warmth of her cavity around his throbbing flesh, hearing every little grunt, gasp and moan that she let out, and seeing her pleasured expression alongside her dripping pussy and bouncing, cum-covered tits.

"Harder!" she groaned out, and he obliged, leaning over her further, his whiskers dangling between her legs as he put more power into his thrusts. Grunting and groaning along with her, gritting his teeth, he gave her exactly what she wanted, slamming his hips against her rump every time he shoved every last inch of his length into her rear passages.

"Fuck," she gasped, one of her hands reaching up and teasing at her clit as she felt that she was about to finish, making it more intense for herself by adding to the pleasure. "Fuuuuuuck!" She shuddered hard and moaned out, her anal walls clenching hard around Shiu's shaft as she came, squirting onto her hand and across her own front from the positioning, Vanala's eyes losing all focus as they rolled upwards.

He wasn't far behind her, giving a deeper groan as his thrusts lost their rhythm and he started to cum, balls pulling upward to unload thick, heavy blasts of jizz into her squeezing, clenching tunnels. Both of them were lost in bliss as they climaxed, Shiu keeping tight hold of her legs as he ground against her to pump the rest of his load into her ass, both of them trembling when they came down from their peaks.

"Fuck," Vanala repeated between gasps, "that was good."

"Yeah," he replied simply, chest heaving. A few seconds later, he pulled out of her, both of them groaning as he did, and set her down on the bed before flopping down next to her, neither caring that his cum was getting onto the sheets below.

Several more seconds passed as they both panted for breath. "When will you be back this way?" Vanala asked once she had caught her breath a bit.

Shiu gave a little chuckle. "Already want more?" he asked teasingly.

"Not right now, you'll break me," she fired back. "But I do love having you come by and wreck me."

"I'll be back when I can. But you know me, it depends on my work."

"Yeah, I know. Let me know when you're around, if you're not on my payroll at the time."

"Will do."

Another half-minute passed, during which time Shiu's distraction from the outside world faded, and he sighed. It was going to be a long time indeed before he was running in this sector again. "Speaking of work," he said, trying to make a delicate inquiry, "You know anything about RanaTek? The ones who closed the spaceport?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I want to know where to avoid if I don't want to get stuck in a lockdown," he lied.

"Smart. Afraid I can't help you, though. I ignore the corps unless they come around to my door," she answered with a shrug. "But I know they've got a fat bounty out. You're not the first one who's been here looking for extra fuel."

Shiu frowned slightly. "Oh?" he asked, prodding lightly for details.

"Bounty hunters," Vanala explained with a vague wave of her hand. "As the reward goes up, it'll attract more desperate people. Had a real character come through here just yesterday. Orlan's Dagger, I think he called himself. They always have to give themselves fancy names, they think it makes them more intimidating."

"Never heard of him," Shiu admitted, "but it's probably better that way."

"Yeah. Can barely trust 'em. They'll turn on you if the price is right. But they'll pay the going rate for fuel canisters, so I can't complain too much."

Shiu tried to keep a neutral expression. Dealing with CorpSec was one thing, but bounty hunters would be harder to handle. "Glad they're not after me," he muttered. "But hey, while I'm here, I don't suppose you've got anyone who could do some quick repairs for me, do you?"

"Depends if you've got the time and the money," she answered flatly.

"For once, I actually have the money," he replied. Rolling onto his side and facing her, he flashed her a wide grin. Reaching out, he gave one of her rumpcheeks a heavy squeeze. "And I could spare another couple hours before I take off..."

She gave a small laugh. "I don't have another one in me. As much as I'd like to."

"Heh, all right," he said as he slowly got to his feet. "I've got some errands I need to run anyway. Mind if I take a shower before heading out?"

"Go for it," she answered with a vague gesture. "Maybe I'll be able to walk again by the time you're done."
