Ghost Ship

by Marquis, Michelle

  Logan’s stress level rose. “You’re on medication? Why didn’t you tell me about this when I hired you?”

  Sonya pulled her pants back up and fastened them. “Because I knew you wouldn’t have hired me.”

  “You’re goddamn right!” Logan shouted.

  Dirk held up his hand to ward off Logan’s building tirade. “Okay, Logan. Listen, I know you’re upset. But the fact remains Sonya has been a competent chief, and I’m proud to be serving with her. She shouldn’t have lied to you, but I understand her point, too. You probably wouldn’t have hired her had you known.”

  Logan’s head started to throb. He needed a drink. This was too much bullshit for one day. “She can’t stay the chief with a condition like that.” Logan put his hand on Dirk’s beefy arm. “I want you to take over for her.”

  “Oh, of course you do.” Sonya stared at Logan with a seething fury that reminded him of an angry cat. She’s a smart one, watch out for her claws.

  Dirk frowned. “I don’t really think that’s necessary, Captain. Sonya’s a good chief, and she’s got more shipboard experience than I do. Maybe you should reconsider this.”

  “Sonya lied to me, Dirk. She lied by withholding the truth. She’s relieved of her duties until I can figure out how to punish her.”

  Sonya gave Logan a death stare. “Okay, fine. But you know what, Logan? You’re a total fucking moron, and I can’t believe the Command ever made you a Captain. So, why don’t you run along, find a bottle, and do what you do best. Go tie one on and leave all the real work of running this ship to Dirk. He’s twice the man you are anyway. Fuck both of you. Good day, gentlemen.”

  He’d always known Sonya was jealous of Dirk, but her nasty speech was living proof. Her Good day comment was a weird apology, but Logan knew one when he heard it. “Apology not accepted, Sonya!” Logan shouted after her as she stormed off down the passageway.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sonya was beyond pissed as she marched back to her stateroom with Dirk in tow. She’d been ignoring him, but he just wouldn’t go away. Finally, Sonya turned on him. “What the hell do you want? I’m done with you.”

  “I’m not the enemy, Sonya.”

  “You could have fooled me, Dirk.”

  Sonya stopped so abruptly Dirk almost bumped into her. He held up his hands in surrender. “I understand why you’re pissed, but relax. We can fix this.”

  “Yeah, you fixed it real good. Congratulations on your fast-track promotion. I’m sure Logan won’t find anything wrong with your job performance, especially since you’re a man.”

  “Bullshit, Sonya. You lied to him, and you lied to all of us. Now all of a sudden you’re the victim because you got caught? Surprise, surprise. Don’t try and pin the blame of this on me. I’m not your whipping boy. If you knew you were at risk of having a seizure, why didn’t you just stay behind? Then you could have hid your dirty little secret awhile longer.”

  Sonya gritted her teeth so she wouldn’t start screaming. When she calmed enough to speak, she said, “I didn’t know I was going to have a seizure, Dirk. You never know when you’re going to have a seizure. But the probability of having one is diminished when you’re on medication, which I am.” She paused to slow her breathing. “Forget it. Anyway, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I should have been honest with the crew.”

  Her apology brought the tension down a few degrees. Dirk glanced back down the hall and shrugged. “Logan’s always going off half-cocked. Give him a few days to cool down. Then we’ll talk to him about reinstating you.”

  All of a sudden Sonya remembered the sequence on the ghost ship. Was it a self-destruct sequence? Sonya grabbed her forehead as a wave of frenzied panic filled her. “Oh my God, we forgot to tell Logan about the number sequence. Did you guys ever figure out what that was?”

  Dirk grew visibly pale. “No. We got so distracted with you and getting off the ship before our air ran out, I guess it slipped our minds.”

  The two of them took off running toward Logan’s stateroom. They were lucky enough to catch him at the door getting ready for his afternoon drink. He spotted them and tried to rush in before they could intercept, but he was too late.

  “We have to tell you something else!” Dirk shouted, grabbing Logan’s hand before he could use his card to scan the lock. Logan made a face like a small child about to cry. “Get your hands off me, Dirk! Have you both gone crazy? I don’t want to talk about Sonya’s condition anymore.”

  “This isn’t about that,” Sonya said. “We forgot to tell you about something that happened on the ship when we activated the tractor beam.”

  Logan’s shoulders slumped forward. “What happened?”

  “We set off some kind of counting sequence,” Dirk said. “We think it might be a self-destruct countdown.”

  “That’s crazy,” Logan said. “Why would anyone, alien or human, want to blow up their own ship?”

  “We don’t know,” Sonya said, “but Dirk is right. It was very suspicious, and we need to go back and check it out. Maybe if we disconnect that tractor beam, the sequence will stop counting.”

  Logan was shaking his head before Sonya was even finished. “You’re not going back. You are on restriction.”

  Now it was Dirk’s turn to get mad. “This isn’t a joke, Logan!” He grabbed the Captain’s shoulders. “Sonya’s right! We need to get back there, all of us, and investigate this further or we could end up being blown into space dust.”

  Logan pointed at Sonya. “Why does she have to go?”

  “Because she’s the best you’ve got. Sonya was able to read some of the alien writing when the rest of us just had our thumbs up our asses. We need her, Logan.”

  “I don’t know,” Logan said, eyeing the two of them up and down.

  “Logan, we need to go back as soon as possible!” Sonya said.

  Logan took a step back and blinked at her. He really was a coward under all that incompetence. “How many oxygen tanks do we have left?”

  Dirk frowned. “Maybe ten.”

  Then the Captain nodded as if he’d made this important decision all on his own. “Okay you can both go back, but I’m not going to order Floyd or Whittmeyer to go unless they want to. I mean, we’re not sure it’s a sequence, we just think it is. Those two guys were there, too. I’ll let them decide for themselves if they think this is important enough to go all the way back there. As far as you two go, you’re only authorized to use two more tanks each. We can’t waste all our oxygen on some crazy notion this derelict ship is going to blow up,” he said spreading his hands out in a mock explosion. “Don’t leave until you talk to Floyd and Whittmeyer first. Are we all clear on that?”

  Sonya walked off, shaking her head in surrender. She was doomed to serve with the King of the Idiots. “Sure,” she mumbled. “Whatever. It’s only our lives we’re talking about here. Don’t let it interfere with your cocktail hour.”

  “What’s wrong with her?” she heard Logan ask Dirk behind her back.

  “Oh,” Dirk said in his most pleasant tone, “I’m pretty sure her problem is you.”

  * * * *

  Dirk came running after her. “Sonya, wait.”

  Sonya turned. “What now?”

  “I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?”

  Dirk shrugged. “For Logan, and I guess a lot of other things. The epilepsy isn’t your fault. If I had it, I probably would have done the same thing you did to get in.” He paused. “I also wanted to tell you how worried I was about you on the ghost ship.”

  “Worried? Why?”

  “Well, because . . .” Dirk grabbed her shoulders and unexpectedly kissed her. The kiss was passionate and fierce, seducing Sonya with its savage burn. She made a feeble attempt to back away and break the kiss, but Dirk placed his hand behind her head and pulled her closer in. Something within Sonya yielded, and her defenses came down. For just a moment, she let herself enjoy it.

  Dirk broke the kiss, then r
eached around and pushed open Sonya’s stateroom door. He claimed her mouth again, and the two of them slipped out of the hall and into her room. It had been so long since Sonya had made love that her body went into overdrive. Every kiss, every caress, every whispered want was fuel for her soul. Her self-restraint slipped away, melting into a sea of desperate passion. Sonya placed her hands on the side of his face and devoured his kisses. Dirk’s powerful arms wrapped around her and squeezed her tight.

  Sonya was no fool. She had known for some time that Dirk had wanted to get her into bed, but what puzzled her now was why she’d been so resistant to the idea. Sonya wasn’t a virgin and loved sex. So, why was she so cautious about having a sexual relationship with Dirk? It wasn’t because he was white. Sonya didn’t care about race. All she cared about was the man’s character. She guessed it was because she didn’t want him to try to dominate her afterward. Maybe that was a silly fear. She’d always been able to handle Dirk in the past. Underneath his tough-man image, he was really just a big, good-hearted bear.

  Dirk caressed kisses up and down her throat, venturing up to her ear and breathing hot promises into it. Sweet desire spiked her blood, and Sonya made up her mind. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t going to think about anything else but the pleasure of here and now. With trembling fingers she unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it to the floor. Next she removed her bra, swooning with delight as Dirk ran passionate kisses over the small mounds. He took her right nipple into his mouth and teased it with his tongue and teeth. Every smoldering caress of his tongue was breathless delight. Sonya buried her fingers in his hair and massaged his scalp.

  Dirk unfastened her pants and tugged them and her panties to the floor. He paused while Sonya removed her IV and carefully placed it on the bedside table. Sonya stood before him naked, resisting the urge to cover her bare breasts. She grabbed Dirk’s shirt and pulled it off his muscular torso.

  His body was a fortress of size and muscle, formidable and imposing, and yet even with all its power, there were many reminders of his humanity. Pale scars ran across his chest and belly, and when she ran her hands along his ribs she could feel some steel beneath the flesh.

  “Do I disgust you?” he asked.

  Sonya looked up into his eyes and read the pain there. In that moment she realized that she had misjudged Dirk. What she had read for arrogance was really insecurity, and her heart filled with a clearer understanding. “No,” she said in a delicate whisper. “You’re very sexy, Dirk. I find you beautiful.”

  Then he pulled her up into his arms and placed light kisses over her face. Dirk carried her to the bed, kissing her the whole way. She sat on the edge and eagerly unbuttoned his pants. Dirk helped her remove them, and Sonya ran her hands greedily over his enormous cock.

  “Is this. . . ?” Sonya hesitated, not wanting to offend him.

  “My real cock? No, I lost that in the mine blast.” He smiled. “But this one works better, and I can do more stuff with it.”

  Sonya blinked. “Like what?”

  “Find out.”

  Sonya stroked the shaft. It was definitely a big cock by anyone’s standards, with a length of at least twelve inches. Beneath the skin was a gentle vibration that tickled her fingers. This is going to be a very interesting date. She placed his cock in her mouth and ran her tongue along the velvet underside. Dirk moaned. He took a lock of her hair and twisted it around his index finger, letting the silky strands slip over his skin like black water. Then after a few moments, he pushed her back onto the bed and kissed down her long legs. Thick fingers probed into her sex, touching and exploring with a gentle patience. He tested her wetness with a finger, sending plumes of pure bliss all through her.

  “Oh, Dirk,” Sonya said breathlessly. “I need you inside me.”

  But Dirk wasn’t done teasing her yet. Dragging kisses down her body, he stopped at her sex and nuzzled the lips aside. He found her clit within. It was plump, round, and eager. Sonya leaned her head back and gasped as he nibbled at it with his lips. Then the rush, the speeding train of lust that heralded the coming climax. And just as Sonya was lifting her hips to meet it, Dirk stopped.

  “What are you doing?” Sonya said.

  Dirk climbed up over her body. He lifted her legs and settled his hips between her thighs. “I want my cock buried in you when you come.”

  With an aggressive push, he drove into her soft, weeping flesh. A sweeping pleasure overtook her, and Sonya moaned her passion. Dirk was deep inside her, so deep he was delighting places Sonya never knew existed. Then the tickling vibrations from his cock intensified, massaging and sending her into an unparalleled bliss. Insane with desire, Sonya squealed and groaned, thrusting her hips up to meet Dirk’s punishing drive. She was coming with a passion and intensity she’d never known before. Sonya reached down and massaged her swollen clit as Dirk continued to pound into her. Then in a desperate frenzy of sweet lust, Sonya orgasmed, followed shortly after by her lover.

  They lay there for several minutes with only the sound of their breathing to keep them company. Then Dirk said, “We’d better go find the others and get back over to that ship.”

  Sonya groaned. “You sure know how to spoil a date. Come on then. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two of the alien skeletons lay on exam tables, one right next to the other. The third, which was all disconnected bones, was in a mesh bag on the floor. The two bodies were approximately the same height, five-foot-nine, and both appeared to be the same sex, male. Doctor Bill Barnes walked the length of the tables taking in the subtle differences between the aliens and humans. The skulls were the same size as a human but elongated around the nose and mouth, and the aliens had several rows of long, sharp teeth. Barnes reached out and turned the skull to the left noticing something that resembled bone at the base of the skull.

  Lilly, his nurse, came over and handed him latex exam gloves. He took them and put them on without looking at her. “Thanks.”

  “See anything interesting?” she asked standing over his shoulder.

  “Yes, I think so,” Barnes replied. “Help me turn him over.”

  Lilly, who had already donned her latex gloves, helped Barnes turn the skeleton onto his front. And there it was, a bony growth fused to the base of the neck with several calcified roots reaching deep into the head. Barnes was just about to touch the growth when Lilly said, “Maybe you should wear a mask.”

  Barnes lowered his hand and frowned. “Maybe you’re right.” He turned around and went to the medical supply cabinet. Inside he found protective eyewear and a mask. He brought a pair of glasses over for Lilly. “Here you go.”

  Lilly put her protective gear on, never taking her eyes off the bony growth. “You think it could be cancer?” she asked after a long pause.

  Barnes pointed to the other skeleton that appeared to have the same growth on the back of his neck. “That’s pretty unlikely since both of them have it.” He picked up a scalpel and scraped the blade along the growth watching as a tiny portion turned into a fine powder. Sweat formed on his forehead. What could this be? Some form of natural disease? Perhaps it was just another part of the aliens’ anatomy. Too bad they only had these two specimens to examine. Barnes glanced at Lilly. “Bring me a slide, please.”

  Lilly disappeared and came back with a small glass slide. Barnes used the scalpel to remove a few tiny chunks from the growth and placed them on the slide. Then he took the sample and placed it in the computer for analysis.

  As Barnes waited for the results, he noticed the ventilation overhead blowing down on the body. He thought about how delicate and powdery the growth was and thought it best to be cautious. “Lilly, could you please cover the remains?”

  She grabbed a sterile sheet and covered the bodies.

  The computer began scrolling all the growth’s properties. Barnes scanned the report looking for anything that might be important. Then something made him pause. The growth had a DNA sequence. His mouth went dry.
r />   “Lilly, could you please bring me a sample of alien bone?”

  The nurse blinked at him, and he could see the concern in her brown eyes. He tried to think of a joke to lighten the mood, but he wasn’t feeling very funny. “Why? Did you find something?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just checking a hunch.”

  Lilly brought him the sample. Barnes placed the sample into the computer. His palms had begun to sweat, so he wiped them off on his pants leg. After what seemed like an eternity, the report scrolled up the computer screen. He scanned it, and his frown deepened. Barnes hit the print button, and the report spilled out onto paper. Lilly stared at him, her eyes growing wider with panic. After rushing to his desk, he knocked everything on the floor looking for his two way radio. “This is Doctor Barnes. Where’s the captain?” he barked into the mouthpiece.