EG 3 Ch 30 (Patreon)

"I have good news and bad news," my glove said as he stepped up beside me while I waited for the ladies in my life to get ready. It appeared the station had increased the time they took to get ready. That or they were really putting the effort in.

"Bad news first," I told him.

"The information I could acquire on your newest potential trade partners is quite slim." He told me.

My expression soured, but I didn't let that get me down. "All right then. I assume the following part is the good news."

"They are sanguafae." the man answered with no more enthusiasm than the prior statement.

"Forgive me," I said with a smile. "What about them being sanguafae is the good news?"

"If they've been brought by my master, it's very likely she can exert at least a modicum of control over them. Which means the sanguafae present are going to be at least marginally more receptive to you."

I nodded in understanding. "That's for the best, then?"

"Perhaps. Though you've been saying that my employer has a little too much interest in you as it is. Her bringing these sanguafae is only further evidence of that interest."

"In for a penny, in for a pound," I said, shaking my head. "I don't think I'm going to get a chance to escape this one."

"Unlikely," my glove agreed.

We both knew that the owner of the station would track me across the stars.

"So then all that's left is to push forward. Though when they show themselves, will you do the whole use-the-cameras thing to get more information on them?" I asked.

"I will endeavor to do so, sir," he nodded.

I hummed and stared out into the middle distance. "Are there any prior examples of your employer taking significant interest in people?"

"Yes," he told me hesitantly.

"I take it that situation didn't end well." I had hoped for a different answer.

"Not that it ended badly," he hedged. "Just that the owner of the station can be… controlling." He didn’t elaborate further, not that he needed to.

I had already determined that much. Especially when she had the power to actually control most everybody. How wouldn't someone turn into a control freak of epic proportions?

"Did they die?" I asked.

"No, they are likely alive and well. They do, however, no longer visit the station. After they managed to escape, I suspect they got as far away as they could," he told me.

"Can't blame them for that," I said as Lily stepped out of the room, and I smiled at my glove. "Apologies, but I have more important people to attend to now."

He grinned and took a smooth step back. When I went back to the Griffin, I was going to miss him, at least a little. He was extraordinarily good at his job. Which, of course, included being good at ingratiating himself with me, to do his job for Asteria. So both in the direct and indirect senses, he was a fantastic employee, and I couldn't even begin to guess how much work it would be to find his equal on the outside.

"Lily, dear," I said, holding my hands out to the ravenously beautiful woman that I had somehow pulled. She wore a floor length gown and gloves that went to her elbows, both of which appeared to be velvet. The dress crawled up her chest and wrapped a thick band across her throat, that to me looked like was the only thing holding it up.

She smiled and fell into my arms. I could feel immediately that her dress was made out of her usual material, though it seemed she'd opted for a design that I had a feeling was either inspired by her conversation with Amber or something she'd been given by the glove. Either were possible, which in and of itself was a minor miracle.

"Did you enjoy your day?" I asked Lily.

"I did, though I am happy to be back with you." She told me.

I took her in my arms and kissed her fiercely. "Me too. The date with Violet was fantastic, but I will always miss you any time you're not with me. I think that's a new reality I will just have to accept. It seems I've grown quite enamored with you, Lily. I think if you're ever going to dump me, you'll have to let me down incredibly gently."

Lily grinned and returned the kiss. "Never. I'm going to keep you all to myself. I'm going to keep you for a very long time indeed, Captain." Her eyes sparkled with something dangerous.

"Whew," I pretended to wipe sweat off my brow.

"You need not worry," Lily insisted.

And while I knew I didn't, that didn't mean I could take her for granted. I kissed her on the cheek. "Maybe I want to keep trying to hold onto you. You’re just that important."

Lily paused, considering my words for a second, and then smiled. "I think I would enjoy that just as much, if not more."

"Then you will. I dare say that's the point, Lily." I told her.

"How was," she hesitated, "your time with Violet?" It seemed almost hard for her to ask, and I didn't dare tease her for it, instead I held her close, giving her as much of my attention as I could while answering.

"Good. We mostly played on the beach, enjoyed some things from each other's summer cultures. Oh, and we buried Minnie alive." I added the last bit because it felt somewhat important, but it caused Lily to cock her head.

"I don't believe either of you would be capable of killing Minnie. And I saw her breathing not a few moments ago." Lily told me.

"Well, 'buried' kind of implies dead in most contexts. And you saw her?" I asked.

"Yes, the three of us got dressed together." Lily smoothed out her black number, checking to make sure I was paying attention. And of course I was. It was hard to look away from a figure like hers, that tall hourglass figure was perfection.

"I'm glad you also got some lady time, then. I haven't seen what either of them are going to wear."

"Yes," Lily said. "It would be good for me to learn to interact well with other women in your… life."

I frowned slightly at how that sounded, but doubted Lily meant it that way.

"I'm happy for you, Lily," I said, smiling at the helivore and astounded at her progress.

My praise caused her to beam with pride. "Of course, Captain. I am growing considerably on your ship. I am, I think, as a first for my kind, excited about the future. And that's because of you." She kissed me on the cheek.

"There are many others who could have done what I did for you." I felt my cheeks heat slightly.

"There's a very large difference, Captain, between could have and did do. The fact remains that as a helivore, no one has given my kind a chance before now."

I wanted to dismiss her praise out of hand, but that would be wrong for both of us. "To a better future, Lily." I kissed her on the cheek.

Another door opened up and Violet stepped out, wearing similar earrings to before, though these had a glittering assortment of gems dangling off them rather than a simple single stone. And her swimsuit, of course, was replaced with a black dress, this one tight to her body and dotted with sequins that made it shimmer almost like a piece of armor.

"If I might say, you look lovely." I dipped my head to the divine.

"You may," she said, sticking her nose up in the air and playing at being snooty.

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'll have to be careful tonight, with both of you on my arms. It will be enough to incite a riot about the disparity between men."

"Then I suppose I won't make it any better, will I?" Minnie said, stepping out of her room and dressed to the nines as well, though she had her own distinct style. A black corset covered her torso and sheer sleeves ran down her arms before transitioning from formal to something more in line with a punk gothic style. High-heeled boots were laced up around her ankles, and black fishnet squeezed her thighs tight enough they were a scandal in the making though hidden behind a dress that only gave scant glimpses.

"You are welcome to join us in making the lesser men jealous," Lily said with a savage grin that made Violet shake her head.

"Do you wish to create enemies for the captain?" Violet asked.

And Lily tilted her head. "I hear humans grow well through adversity. You might as well create a little more for him."

I shook my head in mock disappointment. Truthfully, I was tickled pink. "Come. Let's go see how much trouble we can cause." I held my arms out, and while Lily jumped on one side and Violet the other, it left Minnie the odd woman out.

She stared at me and then at both arms with a frown before straightening up like it wasn’t a big deal. At that brief acknowledgment of the situation, she moved on without a word.

I would not have expected her to want to take my arm. I was already lucky enough and didn't dare risk doing anything that would change my situation, even for the goth mommy dragon I had picked up aboard my ship.

"I see you all are looking rather fetching tonight," our glove said as we stepped out to join him.

"Thank you." I pulled at my collar. Ties were evil clothing.

"You are quite welcome. Speaking the truth really costs me nothing. Though I will say most of my compliment was for your female companionship," the man said dismissively.

I clutched at my chest. "I see how it is. Though perhaps you have some more information to make it up to me," I offered with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm afraid the owner of the station has been quite evasive on the topic." He told me.

And Lily tilted her head in curiosity. "What is she being evasive on?"

"Who our guests are tonight," I said. "Asteria apparently invited some people who may buy our battleship. And while I thank her for the opportunity, it does seem that she's having a little fun with her power here."

Minnie took a sharp inhale. "You should be careful of Asteria."

"I appreciate the thought, but it's already blatantly obvious to me that while she's being helpful, she doesn't truly have my best interests in mind. And then there is her curiosity with what we discussed previously," I said, giving Minnie a look.

Already Asteria was trapped here in kikai space, I had zero doubt that she wanted the Unity or any power in the system more unstable. Her supporting us wasn’t altruism, I knew that.

Lily made a face like she was going to complain at some secret between me and Minnie before she ultimately held her tongue.

"Later?" Violet asked.

"Later," I agreed, as we walked to the ballroom. Further conversation drifted away into comfortable silence as we made our way over knowing our questions would be answered one way or another later tonight.

Dinner had already been served. The room was relatively quiet, which I assumed meant these new special guests had not shown up. Others present would have been working to network.

"Knowing the station owner, it's likely she won't introduce a special guest until you're here,” the glove explained.

“Because she wants the entertainment," I said in realization.

"I can neither confirm nor deny your suspicion, though those she's treated well in the past have had such experiences." My glove confirmed.

"I'm starting to think you might actually be on my side. Is there a chance I could get your name?" I asked my glove, only for him to give me a tight-lipped smile. That was answer enough.

Several people from previous nights noticed us, and Amber waved our way. Her husband Carmen seemed less interested in our presence but gave me a solemn nod all the same.

"Lily." Amber scurried across the room. "That looks absolutely fantastic on you. You made it based on the designs I showed you?"

"Easily enough," Lily confirmed.

Amber clicked her tongue. "Does that mean you can make mid-dinner outfit changes as well?"

Lily tilted her head as she shortened the length of the dress and put a cutout on her side before restoring it. Amber squealed, and honestly I thought it was silly for that to be what about Lily impressed her.

I coughed into my hand, and Lily adjusted slightly.

“It’s a pleasure, Amber. But the captain is expecting some particular guests tonight.” Lily said.

"Oh, well then, I wouldn't mind an introduction too," Amber said, while her husband seemed moments away from wrenching her out of the fire.

And the fire was coming.

The doors to the ballroom suddenly flew open, and Asteria herself deigned to join us. The smile on her face was clearly dangerous. Two other sanguafae entered behind her.

Amber didn't react, but it looked like her husband Carmen's heart had stopped. He stepped over to grab Amber. "We need to go. Now, dear."

"But we should be supportive of Lily and her captain." Amber scowled at her husband, still very much intent on climbing some invisible social ladder.

He shook his head. "They do not need our support. Or perhaps, we cannot give it to them."

Asteria patted the air. "Everyone, please calm down. The rules remain in effect for all people present." She turned to the two sanguafae that appeared to be causing a great stir. "I expect both of you to behave yourselves."

One of them laughed, her voice rolling into the crowd like a wave of silk. "After you've taken the trouble to invite us, how could we dare cause issue?" Her voice was airy and a touch haughty, and I could tell there was an undercurrent of respect for what I took to be the older of the three.

Asteria smiled at them and turned her gaze back to the roiling crowd, fidgeting like cattle about to break free of their constraints. "Please," she smiled, happy with the show of deference, "enjoy yourselves.” Then she turned to her guests. “Mr. Black over there is your potential seller."

There were times where Lily felt particularly predatory when she gazed at me. However, the way the three sanguafae women turned to me made my prior experience with Lily feel like she was nothing but a spoiled kitten. The three women felt like true apex predators, eyeing my jugular and ready to drink.

"Asteria," I raised my voice to recapture some control. "Thank you very much for the introductions." I lifted a glass toward the two new entrants. "If either of you would like to join me."

Amber was shooting Carmen daggers, but the man was rapidly shaking his head. "Amber, those are two infamous sanguafae pirates."

Amber's face lost all trace of blood. "Pirates?" she said.

Carmen nodded his head. "Yeah, not the kind that just steal from merchants, either. They're the kind that enslave the crews that they capture."

Amber shot Lily a pleading look, and my hot girlfriend only smiled. "Do not worry. It is they who should fear me," Lily told her with pride.

The three sanguafae must have superior hearing, because their smiles visibly changed after Lily's words. They moved across the room fast enough for me to track them, but at the same time difficult enough to keep my focus on. It was like they were half in focus and half out before they appeared right in front of us. 

"It seems this one isn't afraid of us, sister." They met Lily's gaze with their own before adjusting and glancing at Minnie. "It is a pleasure to meet you." They both bowed their heads, which told me two facts. One, they knew about Minnie, or had been informed. But no one had told them what Lily was, or I would have expected them to give her more regard.

There was a single reason that might happen… Asteria was hoping for a show.

"Well met, the two of you," Minnie greeted them with a nod of her head. "I'm here to make sure that she does not kill either of you." Minnie gestured toward Lily and successfully recaptured their attention on what mattered.

"I see. Asteria did not give us any information on you. I can only assume, then, that there is a game to be played here," one of them huffed. "I am Gretchen, and this is Mal." They introduced themselves. Both were stunning beauties. Getchen had deep blue hair and red eyes while Mal had blonde hair and green eyes. Of course both with bodies that put Hollywood actresses into an eating disorder out of envy.