Cosmic Cabaret

by SFR Shooting Stars

  She touched his cheek. “I don’t mind a little risk. My heart tells me you would be worth it.”

  “Good, because I wasn’t really going to give you much choice.” He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. He didn’t have a lot of experience with romantic love but his gut said Pitannah was the one for him. He might not be able to give her pretty words just yet, but he could show her.

  So he did.

  THE END

  The Adventure Continues…

  in Rege and Amethe’s story, REGE’S RESCUE.

  When Amethe Madigan is abducted by slavers, Rege Rovnitov promises to find her and bring her home. As they fight their way across galaxies he is drawn to her light and good nature. It’s no surprise to learn that someone else is willing to do most anything to possess her.

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  About Dena Garson

  Dena Garson is an award winning author of contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi romance. She holds a BBA and a MBA in Business and works in the wacky world of quality and process improvement. Making up her own reality on paper is what keeps her sane.

  She is the mother of two rowdy boys, two rambunctious cats (AKA the fuzzy jerks), and a loving Labrador. When she isn't writing you can find her at her at the sewing machine or stringing beads. She is also a devoted Whovian and Dallas Cowboys fan.

  Read More from Dena Garson at

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  Hide and Peek

  Blaire Edens

  It takes two to save planet, and a miracle to keep them from falling in love.

  When the Eiferer, the religious police who enforce the laws of the new ruler, storm the underground burlesque club where Suzy Blanks headlines, she has to leave the planet of Desprezível fast. With the zealots now in charge, her sultry act is more than illegal, it’s a death sentence. With no other skills to make the money she needs, she has no choice but to take her act off-planet. Her daughter’s live-saving medicine isn’t cheap and years of being a star has allowed Suzy to indulge her own expensive tastes. The only job she can land is as a stagehand aboard Quantum, but she’s determined to get back in the spotlight where she belongs and make the money she deserves and she’s not above making a daring move to get what she wants.

  After a disastrous love affair, Galactic Force Intelligence Officer Davell Lawless needs a vacation. In desperate need for a couple of weeks of fine wine and meaningless women, he books a trip aboard Quantum, determined not to think about his next assignment: gathering intelligence to help the Galactic Force defeat the religious zealots who’ve recently taken over Desprezível, a tiny planet known for its sultry entertainment, its hallucinogenic SweetWine and its weak leadership.

  After a night of drinks and debauchery, he wakes to find the one woman who might be able to help. In his bed. Not only is Suzy Blanks a native of Desprezível, she’s got every reason to help him gather information. As long as the zealots control her home planet, she’s stuck aboard the Quantum, far away from her seriously ill daughter. Suzy is desperate to see her daughter and get her old, comfortable life back but if she gets caught on Desprezível, she’ll be dead. Literally. But if she doesn’t take that chance, she might never see her kid again.

  Dressed as a traveling merchant and his noble wife, the two show up on Desprezível. He’s certain that no one will recognize her. Even though he’s attracted to her stage persona, he’s falling in love with Suzy, who has never been able to trust anyone. In her line of work, men see her as a fantasy, not a flesh and blood woman made of more than shimmering pasties and ostrich feathers, but Davell is different. He looks at her as if he really sees her.

  Suzy and Davell must find a way to get everyone back to Quantum without losing their lives. But if they get there, will they be able to trust each other again?

  “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

  Ecclesiastes 1:9

  One

  Planet Desprezível, Festa City

  Suzy Blanks was just taking her seashell pasties off when she heard the disturbance coming from next door. Every hair on her body stood up, and fear, with its metallic taste of iron, coupled with the salty burn of bile, rose up into the back of her throat.

  The worst is happening.

  She stared at herself in the mirror, clenched her jaw and exhaled. You’ve prepared for this. You’re ready. Just follow the plan.

  The bass voice of the Eiferer, a member of the religious police who enforced the laws of the new ruler, boomed through the thin partition that separated her dressing room from the one next door, on the left. “You will come with me, miss. You’re under arrest for the crime of indecency.”

  “But I—”

  “You’re to come with me, miss. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

  “I haven’t done anything. I’m only the seamstress. I only fix the costumes—”

  The man’s voice was stone-cold, and Suzy had no reason to doubt that the hard way was his preference. Ever since the new ruler, a mysterious man known only as ZX, had come to power nearly six months ago, Suzy had known her days at the Plasma Sapphire, the underground Burlesque club where she headlined, were numbered.

  And not just as a performer.

  She was an easy target because she represented everything the new regime hated. Beauty, sexuality and wealth.

  Suzy Blanks, the Desprezívelian Diva, was high on the wanted list.

  For a while, she’d felt safe because of the man in the front row. An Eiferer who clearly enjoyed the pleasure of the club had bribed the owner of the Plasma. In exchange for tickets to the show and all the SweetWine he could drink, the man agreed to keep silent about the club. While she knew little about him, beyond his nickname of Mausebar, he had kind eyes, and she was thankful he stood between her and his cold-eyed compadres.

  Nearly every time she took the stage, his bright blue eyes followed her every move. Although his face always remained expressionless, his appreciation for her body and her art glimmered in his eyes. Over the past few months, he’d propositioned her several times, but she’d deftly avoided answering him. He’d never been overt, only offering her a weekend getaway. As for whether she’d accept his offer, she was undecided. If it meant she could keep her daughter safe, she’d do anything he asked of her.

  But with the new regime, trust was a commodity even she couldn’t afford.

  The man hadn’t been in the audience for the last three performances and she’d been relieved that she wasn’t forced to make the decision.

  What a fool I am. I should have known. I should have stopped working when I saw that he wasn’t there. It was a sign. A redflag. A canary in the mine.

  But she’d been greedy. The longer she worked, the more money she could save, and the more she saved, the more medicine she could buy for Zara, her daughter. As a dancer at the top of her game, she’d gotten used to the comforts money provided, and she wasn’t willing to give those up without a fight either.

  Now, it might be too late.

  Dancing was the only real skill she had, so it wouldn’t be easy to find a new job, especially with the regime tightly controlling everything that happened in the city and on the planet. With the blue, diamond-shaped tattoo on her forehead, it was clear who and what she was. A dancer. Under the strict rules of the new regime, no one could hire her without facing imprisonment or death.

  Underground club owners had been willing to take the gamble.

  After the regime had taken hold of the planet, Suzy had had only had two choices: buy Zara’s medicine with the money she’d saved and hope that it would last until the regime was overthrown or lost interest, or work for an underground club and take her chances. Burlesque might be illegal, but plenty of people,
including the Eiferer, were still willing to fill the seats every the time doors opened, so the paychecks were still steady.

  But now, the gig was up. This was the last club in town that offered quality entertainment. The others were seedy operations with second, and third, rate performers. By tomorrow morning, the Plasma Sapphire would likely be nothing but a smoking pile of rubble, and if the Eiferer had their way, they’d capture her and make an example out of her.

  It’s not going down that way.

  If the Gods were good to her, Suzy Blanks would be long gone by the time the first match was lit.

  Moving as quietly as she could, she grabbed the small duffle bag she’d tucked in the corner closet a few days ago. She didn’t have time to inventory the items, and she hoped no one had filched anything when she’d been on stage. She needed every single item in the bag.

  Next door, glass shattered and Suzy heard the crack of bone on bone followed by the sound of someone slumping to the floor.

  Ingrid, the poor seamstress who’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, would probably never see the light of day again, and that only mattered if she lived, which was highly unlikely.

  It’s now or never.

  Suzy Blanks slipped into her robe, down the back stairs, and into the night.

  Aboard GFS Sentry

  Octopus Galaxy, Sector 7

  “You need a vacation,” Colonel Jack Westenburg said. “Head to Quantum. Get lost in some wine, women and song. It’ll do you good.”

  LS Quantum, the flagship of the Blue Star Line, was famous for its entertainment. It was the one place in the universe where a person could let it all hang out. Literally and figuratively. As an officer with the Galactic Force Intelligence Service, a vacation wouldn’t cost Davell a dime. Blue Star’s CEO understood the importance of maintaining a good relationship with law enforcement, and they offered free vacation and recreation packages to any active member of the Force.

  Davell Lawless shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, sir, but I don’t want the Desprezível case to go cold. I’m on the brink of something huge. Without SweetWine, think of the economic hit the galaxy will take.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to save the SweetWine, but right now, you’re not thinking clearly, Lawless. You’re not yourself after she—”

  “She,” Davell said, through clenched teeth, “has absolutely nothing to do with my life. Not anymore.”

  Granted, his breakup had been a very acrimonious and public split, but it had been nearly six months ago. He was over it. Completely. Mostly. At least at work.

  “That may be true, but you haven’t been one hundred percent in ages. All your colleagues agree.” The colonel rose from his chair and walked to the window behind his desk. “The case will still be here when you get back. Those religious zealots aren’t going anywhere.”

  “But it’s hot now.” Davell said. “I’ll be fine, sir. You have my word on that.”

  “Unfortunately, that’s not good enough.” He turned to face the young officer. “You’re one of the best officers I have and I won’t jeopardize burn-out. Board Quantum the next time it docks. Spend at least two weeks aboard. I’d be happier with three or four. That’s an order. Leave begins immediately. Dismissed.”

  Davell saluted his superior and stomped down the hallway toward his office. Being a Galactic Force Intelligence Officer wasn’t easy, even in the best of times, but these days it was damn near impossible. He’d tried to hold it together—not exactly a cakewalk when everyone in town knew about your girlfriend’s flagrant indiscretions—but clearly, it wasn’t working.

  Hell, I’m not even fooling myself.

  He didn’t want to take a vacation. Since the moment he’d found out about Marisa’s steamy affair with his best friend, he’d thrown himself into his work. Logging hour after hour, trying to trudge through the heartbreak, the pain, the pissed off. It was the only thing he had.

  “The old man forced you to take a vacation?” his partner, Mort, asked, when he reached their pod.

  “Yep.” Davell took his Phaser pistol from the holster and placed it in the top drawer of his desk. He tossed his work tablet and his ID card on top and locked the drawer using his thumbprint.

  “He’s sending you to Quantum?”

  “Yep. He ordered me to spend at least two weeks aboard. Damn it. I need to be here working my case.”

  “You need some time, dude. He’s right this time.”

  “I’d rather be working.”

  “Then you’re a weirdo.”

  “Probably.”

  “I’m headed to the coffee pod,” Mort said. “I need the extra caffeine to keep me awake.”

  Davell tidied up his desk and packed a few things in a small box. At the last minute, he reopened the drawer and slipped his tablet into his briefcase. He was breaking the rules, but he couldn’t live without some connection to his work. These days, it was the only thing holding him together.

  Just as he was leaving, Mort returned, steaming mug in one hand.

  “Catch you on the flip-side,” Davell said.

  “Enjoy yourself. I mean, really enjoy yourself,” Mort said with a lurid grin on his face.

  Halfway to the docks, Suzy ducked into an alley, one she’d selected weeks ago, and looked around. It was empty.

  Thank the Gods.

  She made her way past the dumpsters, teeming with scurrying rats and enterprising cats. The smells and sounds terrified her and she wanted to turn and run the other way, but she couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

  This isn’t exactly my scene, but it will have to do.

  The alley was sandwiched between the grocer, who rarely opened for more than a couple of hours a day since rationing had gone into effect, and the Weingeschäft which had been closed since the Eiferer rolled onto the planet and into Festa with their guns, and tanks, and zero tolerance policy for SweetWine. The windows of both stores were covered with black paper and windswept trash was piling up near the entrance.

  What was Desprezível without its SweetWine, its clubs, its wine, its music? She felt the familiar pang of sorrow deep in her gut.

  There’s no time for sadness now. You have to make sure you get to the dock in time for the midnight lift.

  Digging into the duffle bag, Suzy pulled out an IronWorks jumpsuit that had cost her dearly, a heavy wrench and a pair of goggles. She tossed the silk robe into a dumpster, slipped into the uniform, and positioned the goggles on her forehead. Until she could get to a proper mirror, she had to hope that they hid the blue, diamond-shaped tattoo that marked her as one of Desprezível’s professional dancing girls.

  What used to be a mark of pride and privilege now invited a death sentence.

  She took a small leather wallet from zippered pocket of the duffle bag and tucked it into one of the many pockets of the jumpsuit. For one moment, she considered trying to take some of the money home before she left. Pulling the wallet back out, she flipped through the notes, counting them again even though she knew exactly how much money she’d placed in the billfold.

  This would buy at least a month’s worth of medicine.

  Her daughter was the most important person in her life and she’d do anything to get the drugs she required.

  But without it, you might not have a life at all.

  Her heart told her to go home and see them, that it might be her last chance, but her head told her something entirely different.

  You can earn more money alive than you can dead.

  If she took the chance, the Eiferer might catch up with her and follow her home. It was bad enough that she was in serious trouble; she couldn’t let the religious police find her mother and her child. She’d gone to great expense to move them into a house hidden deep in an area where the Eiferer wouldn’t look for them. It was a tiny house, located in an impoverished ward of Festa filled with dishwashers and maids. Not exactly the kind of neighborhood where The Diva of Desprezível would hang her boa.

  But she was clear on one thin
g: the new regime was ruthless enough to use an old woman and a child against her.

  You can’t risk it.

  With the docks closed, save for ships bringing supplies requested and approved by the regime and garbage freighters hauling off waste, getting off the planet was a tricky prospect.

  Suzy tucked the wallet back into her side pocket, zipped it and crept to the end of the alley. She hoped she had stashed enough money to bribe the planetary patrol officers, buy passage aboard a galactic freighter and survive until she found steady work.

  It has to be enough.

  As Davell’s luck would have it, Quantum wasn’t docking for a week.

  Stuck in his pod, a small place he rented just east of downtown, he was miserable. He vacillated between missing Marissa and plotting ways to ruin her life.

  When he grew tired of rehashing his train wreck of a love life, he thought about the intelligence he’d gathered on the new regime that had taken over Desprezível. The colonel had put him on the case because Davell was dogged in tracking down leads, but now, with a forced vacation stretching out in front of him, the whole thing was on ice.

  What if Mort, or some other upstart, solves my case?

  .

  With nothing to look forward to in the near future, Davell walked a lot, unaware of time, oblivious to the controlled weather. It wasn’t until he saw his reflection in the Argon glass of one of the large inter-galactic banks downtown that he realized how much the breakup had changed him.

  I’m too skinny. Too gray. My uniform looks two sizes too big.

  His reflection confirmed his worst fear: he looked as pathetic as he felt.

  Maybe the colonel is right. Maybe I need to get away for a while.