Chapter 1
“Argh! Mother effing piece of…ARGH!” Elaine wiped the sweat off her forehead before continuing to swing her mallet at the wrench that was locked tight around the bolt she was attempting to loosen. Muttering under her breath about budgets and broken air compressors as she continued to swing furiously a few more times. She was generally a nice person, although most people didn’t know that as she rarely spoke to living things, much preferring her engine room. She overheard people calling her weird, shy, backwards, and a whole host of other names, but none of them really bothered her. She didn’t care enough about other people since her sister died to let the words of idle-handed gossips get to her.
Elaine paused for a moment, replaying her thought process before cringing. Her sister would have lectured her for talking like that about people she didn’t know, even though those people talked about Elaine in a rude manner. It took her a moment to realize she had stopped swinging her mallet. Elaine took a deep breath, stepped back, and threw her not inconsiderable weight at the wrench just as the door opened.
She may have successfully loosened the bolt, but the untimely distraction caused her to lose her coordination and Elaine felt herself falling. She closed her eyes, knowing this was probably going to hurt as the gravitational pull of the sun they were passing was noticeable, but she never hit the ground. Instead, she felt herself stopped by a strong arm. At that moment, Elaine had to decide what to do, only one person on this godforsaken ship was strong enough to catch her. Captain Zion had come down to the engine room.
Elaine took a deep breath before forcing herself to open her eyes and look up at the giant that held her in two of his four arms. Captain Zion was what those wealthy planet side people liked to call a mutt. He was a mix of a couple races but not enough of any one race to be claimed by their world counsel. A man without a species as it were, but also a highly sought-after recovery specialist. This is what the crew of Galactica, a throwback name from some ancient entertainment show, did; they chased down space pirates and retrieved stolen goods for those willing to pay Captain Zion’s fee.
There was a several months long waiting list for their services and they always delivered, although that may not be the case on their current run if Elaine couldn’t get the blasted engines running at full capacity again.
“Why are you beating on my engine?” Captain Zion asked in his low dark growl.
“I wouldn’t have to beat on your engine if you provided me with the tools I’ve been asking for the last 6 lunar cycles!” Elaine all but shouted before covering her mouth with her hands in shock.
A lifted eyebrow was the only indication that Captain Zion had registered her tone of voice, “What exactly is it that I’ve failed to provide you with, Elaine?” There was a deadly edge to his tone that Elaine had never heard before.
“I, uh, put in a requisition 6 cycles ago for a new air compressor. Ours broke on Zephyr when I was fixing the engines for our jump with that freight for the Ambassador of Terran. I put in a second requisition 3 cycles ago right before our leave stop on Derth.” Elaine mumbled quietly.
Captain Zion moved efficiently, setting Elaine back on her feet, before pushing the button on his wrist and projecting his computer into the air. She watched in fascination as he maneuvered it so fast she couldn’t begin to register what he was doing. After a minute she noticed his movements were getting more clipped and a glance at his face showed eyebrows pinched in anger.
“Dammit!” Captain growled before pushing the comm button, “Jax, why the hell was Elaine’s requisition for an air compressor denied, twice?” he was all but roaring on the last word.
“I never saw a requisition boss! You know I wouldn’t put us in danger by not giving our mechanic basic tools!” Jax said. Elaine heard rustling then the clicking of electronics through the phone.
“Well?” Captain Zion barked out.
“Shit. The denials came from my unit sir, but I didn’t do it. Let me check the cameras.” Jax’s voice got quieter with each word, “Dammit, that stupid witch!”
“What are you talking about?” the Captain’s patience was audibly waning.
“Paisley used my unit. No idea how that bit of fluff figured out my password. Looks like she only got on here to deny the requisition. I’m going to spend some time double checking though. If that idiot…” the sound tapered off as furious clicking continued over the comm link.
“Send her down here, now,” Captain Zion barked into his watch, “and find Elaine a damn air compressor immediately!” the watch disconnected with the flick of his wrist and Captain Zion’s full attention was on Elaine again. “Why would Paisley risk my wrath to stop you from having the tools you need?” His tone was deadly.
Elaine was horrible at things like this, it’s why people didn’t like her, she had a pathological fear of lying to direct questions. This was going to be very bad. Either Captain Zion, whom she was basically in love with, was going to think she was crazy, or this was going to push him into the waiting arms of Paisley. Or both. She wasn’t sure which, but no time like the present to find out.
“Paisley thinks you want to share quarters with me. She’s been trying to get rid of me for months so she can have you to herself.” Elaine mumbled, looking down at her greasy hands, recognizing the absurdity of the comment.
“I see.” Captain Zion bit out in clipped tones.
“I know it’s crazy. I tried to tell her so, but she doesn’t believe me. So, I’ve stayed down here as much as I can so I didn’t make it worse.” Elaine tried to defend herself, but the look that crossed over his face let her know she had failed.
“She’s the reason you’ve been hiding down here for months. The reason you didn’t take leave with the rest of us on Derth?” he hissed out darkly. Elaine chose to merely nod, saddened at the thought of leaving behind her precious engines at their next stop, but she was a gifted mechanic and knew she would find another job soon enough.
Elaine huddled closer to herself as the door hissed and slid open to reveal Paisley, one of the security officers. While Elaine was tall and curvy with dark brown hair and rare green eyes, Paisley was almost deceptively dainty. Her naturally white blonde hair was always sporting bright colors and her eyes had been infused with color changing technology that she used to match her hair. Paisley was often sent into bars and other places to pick up the space pirates for fun times while the rest of the crew hacked into their ship and retrieved the stolen goods. Elaine knew she couldn’t stand up against Paisley’s beauty, no matter what Paisley believed about the way Captain Zion looked at her. She wasn’t just dumpy, she was also near constantly dirty.
A man who looked like the depictions of God’s she had seen on many planets with chiseled muscles and four arms wasn’t going to choose woman who looked like Elaine. He was also one of the wealthiest independent men in the entire known universe, he could have a genetically engineered super-beauty of the highest caliber without batting an eye. Elaine sighed as she slumped lower, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, dreading what was to come.
Chapter 2
Elaine was doing that thing again, the one where she visibly shrinks herself as much as possible. Not that it’s much, this curvy goddess was the epitome of a diamond in the rough and man did Zion want to treat her roughly. Luscious curves hidden under a grimy jumpsuit would not deter him from looking his fill. Elaine was unbelievably backwards but every time she spoke it was clear, precise, and lacking all artifice. Zion wasn’t just attracted to her body, he was attracted to her intelligence, skills, and diligence as well. Trying to distract himself, he looked around the engine space, his visage darkening as he noticed the bedroll, table and chairs, and small lamp tucked into a far corner. How had he not realized she wa
sn’t even sleeping in a bed anymore?
Nearly every person Zion had ever spent more than a few months with had let him down at some point or another, but Jax, his second-in-command, and Elaine had never done so. Jax he had met when they were cadets for flight school some 10 years before, and Elaine had been working on his ship for almost 2 years. Apparently, she was reliable even when she didn’t have the proper tools, and that thought brought him back to the issue at hand.
“Paisley, what’s the most important job on a ship?” Zion barked out, turning towards the lecherous viper. He knew she had been trying to get into his bed for months, but he had zero interest in her touch or the diseases he was sure she likely carried from the pirates she rarely distracted with her clothes on. Zion had never asked her to do her job in that manner, she was merely to keep the men occupied long enough for Zion’s crew to do their jobs. Plying them with alcohol and dancing would more than do the job in almost every instance, but Paisley was part Sirenian and she refused the hormones that would help her control her constant need for intercourse.
“The captain, sir.” Paisley replied firmly.
“Wrong. Try again.” Zion grunted. Paisley looked confused for a minute, “the navigator?” She asked this time.
“It’s the mechanic, you airhead.” Elaine said in an exasperated tone. It was all Zion could do not to grin at her barb.
“There’s no way you have the most important job on this ship, you chubby freak.” Paisley quipped before remembering Captain Zion was standing next to her.
“Except she’s correct, Paisley. Without a proper mechanic, the ship doesn’t fly. With a broken ship you get blasted out of space because your engines stop working. Or you get sucked into a stationary sun because you’re stalled out. Or your engines blow up and everyone dies from being sucked into space. Or your air filtration system fails and everyone kills each other in a Carbon Monoxide infused hallucinogenic rage!” he was roaring at this point, “did you really think no-one would find out that you put us all at risk by refusing to supply our mechanic with the proper tools? A refusal, might I add, that was not yours to make? Are you that damn insecure, that you would put us all at risk trying to get rid of ‘the competition’?”
Zion heard Elaine snort behind him at his use of air quotes. It was such a cute noise that he wanted desperately to turn around and memorize the facial expression that came with it, but his Captain’s duties demanded his attention.
“You’re fired. You’ll be confined to your chambers until we make our next port in a few hours, at which point you’ll leave this ship never to return. If you make one minutes trouble or fuss about it, I’ll blacken your name so thoroughly even the pirates won’t hire you!” Zion stated firmly after he pressed the button calling for two of his security guys to come down to the engine bay, they heard his ultimatum as they raced down to get the trouble maker as commanded.
“You’re choosing that fat nobody over me!?” Paisley shrieked out in disbelief.
“You’re damn right I’ll chose her over you. She’s intelligent, loyal, hardworking, and does her damn job. Every. Single. Time. I would be a fool to choose a selfish bitch like you, one who is too stupid to realize how important a mechanic is to a ship that flies, over someone with her integrity. Now, you insult her one more time and I may hit you. Shut your damn mouth.” Zion’s voice was ice cold and lethal. Paisley was nothing if not good at reading a situation, so she snapped her mouth closed so quickly her teeth cracked and she waited for security to arrive.
Don and Juan, the cyborg twins arrived to take her to her room. Paisley had apparently hoped it would be two of the others, as she had them all wrapped around her pussy, but the cyborgs didn’t care about intercourse and Paisley knew she had been out maneuvered. Her shoulders dropped visibly as they each grasped an arm to escort her to her room.
“Blaze?” Zion barked at the ships computer.
“Yes, sir?” the artificial intelligence responded in smooth tones.
“Remove all clearance from Paisley, she may not even be allowed to leave her quarters. Once she has left the ship at Xelem 3, she is banned from this ship in any manner for the foreseeable future. Only a direct command from myself, Jax, or Elaine may restore her access.” Zion spoke clearly, turning to watch the emotions crossing Elaine’s face as he gave his command.
“Done, sir.” Blaze responded, “Will there be anything else, sir?”
“Yes, prepare a bath in my chambers. Elaine will be washing several layers of long standing grime off her person as soon as she finishes repairing the engines. It seems she’s been hiding down here.” The bite of humor in his voice apparently did not ease the sadness crossing Elaine’s face. He had hoped being allowed to use some of the ships precious water supply would assist in smoothing over his failure as captain.
“I will begin heating the water sir, but I will keep it in the storage tanks until Ms. Elaine is ready to partake.” Blaze responded in his usual logical fashion.
“Good. You’re dismissed.” Zion’s dismissal let Blaze know he had no further immediate need for his services. Zion stepped towards Elaine as the conversation ended.
“You can’t let me take a bath! The others will be furious!” Elaine hissed out as she turned back to her engine repairs. Slipping a new gasket into place before grasping the pressure valve she was replacing kept her hands and eyes busy while she protested this privilege. Never had a woman turned down an opportunity to bathe that Zion could recall, and he had four sisters who used to travel on this ship with him.
After taking a minute to clear the shock from his brain, Zion responded, “You will bathe. How long has it been since you’ve even gone to the cleaning chamber?” Elaine muttered a response that sounded an awful lot like 4 lunar cycles.
“Excuse me?” Zion said louder.
Elaine’s angry face whipped in his direction, “4 lunar cycles, Captain. I’ve been busy keeping this place running and avoiding Miss Sex-a-lot. The odds weren’t in my favor so I’ve used a little of my drinking rations and a rag to wipe myself down when I can. Happy now?” Elaine was so angry tears began to fill her eyes.
She was shocked by the soft look that passed over Zion’s features. Had she not seen it for herself, she never would have believed he was even capable of something so gentle. This uncharted territory made her so uncomfortable she turned back to the engine, completing the repair quickly and efficiently.
“Are you finished?” He asked quietly. At her nod, he stepped forward, lifted her as a mother would her child into his two lower arms, and began walking towards his chambers.
“What are you doing?” Elaine squeaked out.
“What I should have done two years ago.” Zion bit out.
Elaine was uncertain what that meant and chose to be quiet and think rather than try to stop what was happening. As Zion turned down the hallway towards the captains quarters, she was so confused her breathing slowed to an almost non-existent pace. Zion was done waiting for Elaine to grow bold enough to demand what was hers, he was tired of holding himself in check around her when that is the last thing he wanted to do. Zion was going to change things, for good.
Chapter 3
Surely, he wasn’t going to force her to bathe. Was she really that disgusting? Elaine was saddened at the thought of him smelling the grime and grease that had worked its way into her hair and skin over the last few months. Before Paisley had joined their crew, she had used the cleaning chamber daily, sometimes more than once a day if she got dirtier than usual. After Paisley had made her uncomfortable on multiple occasions, Elaine had avoided all the common spaces, and even what should have been her own private space as well. She didn’t trust Paisley not to attempt something while she was sleeping, but the engine bay had cameras.
Cameras that even Paisley, with her considerable tech skills, couldn’t figure out how to turn off or alter. So, Elaine had lived in the engine bay, hoping something happened to cause Paisley to go away so she could return to her beloved routines and
cleanliness.
Fear settled into Elaine’s stomach as they passed through the doorway of Zion’s quarters, but curiosity was one of her biggest faults and she couldn’t help looking around as much as possible on the way to his bathing room. As captain, Zion was the only one with an actual old-fashioned tub, but he rarely used it as it was a significant waste of precious resources. Luckily, they were only a few hours away from Xelem 3, one of the planets for whom water was an abundant resource. The cost of refilling the water tanks would be less than the bar tab Jax would wrack up on his own as they canvassed the locals for information about the location of the cargo they were hunting.
As he stepped through the doorway, Elaine noticed the tub that could easily fit three Zion’s and gasped as steam rose from the surface of the water. She was so entranced at the sight of so much hot water, she didn’t initially register that Zion had unzipped her coveralls and shoved them down her shoulders, past her waist, and had just uncovered her bare bottom until the cool breeze coming through the open door hit her bare flesh. Goosebumps covered her body as she gasped and tried to cover her nakedness.
“What are you doing?” Elaine had meant to sound forceful but only managed a breathy squeak.
“Undressing you for your bath.” Zion responded through gritted teeth.
Was he angry at her for wasting the water? Was he disgusted at her smell? Was he disappointed she was too stupid to see what he was doing? Elaine had never been good at understanding other people, her sister had tried to teach her, but it just wasn’t a part of Elaine’s brain that seemed to function properly.
“Why?” Elaine finally asked, deciding to speed up the process by stepping out of her bottoms quickly.
“Because I want too.” Zion responded before standing to his full height and pulling his shirt over his head.
Elaine managed a shocked chirp before turning and all but diving into the tub. Reaching up to pull the two pencils out of her top knot, allowed Elaine’s locks to fall into the water and she used them to cover as much of herself as she could. The thickness of her hair was so great, no man made hair holders worked for very long, but pencils crossed correctly through a bun could hold even the weight of her knee length mass. Looking down at her hair floating across the water took Elaine back to the last day she spent with her sister. They had taken turns washing, drying, brushing, and braiding each other’s hair.
Captain Rescuer Page 1
