"That's… home?" Lix shook her head, eyes brimming with confusion, as she looked between Jack and the distant frozen planet. Pieces began to click into place… Jack's armor, his skills in command and combat, his strange bouts of temper… his gear… That stylized SA emblazoned on the grip of his revolver and hidden within his cybernetics burned in the Kux'lar's mind, her sad eyes finally settling on that dead ball of ice still orbiting its strange sun. It was like a corpse drifting in a current. Yet another mystery was the truly mind-boggling debris field, this Last Stop Staryard. "I'm… wait, hold on, I'm so confused… what is this place, Jack? What's Sevar? What's wrong with the sun? Why is this debris field so damn massive? Wha-" Her claws reached up to rub at her temples just behind her tympanum, desperately trying to chase away the growing headache stabbing between her eyes. Jack sighed, dropping himself in the Gerthtrude's navigator seat with a heavy thump.

  "It be exactly what I said, that's home. The city I was born in was… somewhere in that big ol' scar." He waved a dismissive hand at his former home planet, scoffing at the ball of frigid ice. "And this field is where the council kicked our asses… All Sevar and council tech, all for the taking, none of the rest of this matte-"

  "It does matter."

  "Lix, come on…" Jack leaned forward with a sudden heat, resting his metal elbows on his knees. "Knowin' this shit ai'n't safe."

  "Fuck off, Jack. I'm a 'Roid Racer, I don't exactly have the safest career path." Lashing her tail, Lix hissed almost baring her fangs. "No wonder you just knew all about this place… a-and how to access the dead flinger… so… so were you part of…" The reptile's gaze drifted back out the viewport, back to the expansive sea of drifting destruction slowly swirling outside of their hiding place. "Part of all that?"

  Jack said nothing for several moments, his breathing deep and measured. He didn't even acknowledge when the lift beeped, drifting down out of sight. It seemed Mo'Ona was joining them, though he'd never left comms. Tentatively, almost scared, the little Hux padded onto the bridge with his eyes locked on the still silent Human.

  "Fighters… freighters… 'Dis place ai'n't no dumpin' groun' for the council… that's a dead fleet out theres." The silence stretched, Jack smirking as the Hux reached a trembling paw into his suit to retrieve a can of beer he'd snagged on the way up. "Skrunkles… had a feelin'…" Gingerly, Jack took the proffered booze, snapping the tab open with such violence that drops of alcohol splattered the deck.

  Gulp… Gulp… Gulp… Gulp…

  Lix watched as Jack downed the can in one long pull, errant little rivers of beer running down his undulating throat…

  "That…" Jack finally mumbled as he slowly got his breath back, tossing the can at a nearby trash receptacle. "Is the last stand of the Sevar Planetary Defense Force after we told the council to go fuck themselves. So when we wouldn't negotiate… they sent in fleets to attack, blockade, and… well, for a while it looked like we were gonna be just fine… They couldn't hit the planets." Jack's hand waved aimlessly, indicating the lifeless balls of rock drifting about the system.

  "Hold on, the council attacked an entire system? Why in the stars would they do that?" Skrunkles nodded along with Lix' question, his tail still held between his paws.

  "We… Sevrans were a uh… industrious folk. Always pushin' the boundaries of tech and mechanics. If'n ya couldn't sling a wrench or program or fight… ya usually ended up slave labor. Most everyone could do somethin' of all three, or at least two. Ya social status was dictated by what ya could do and competition was somethin' nasty." Restless energy filled the man, his foot tapping a rapid beat upon the deck before he stood to pace the bridge. "We figured out somethin' pretty groundbreakin' at the time… somethin' good enough to spread to the whole system." Stopping, Jack stared wistfully at the distant star, its light intermittent and dim. "We figured out how to make and harvest antimatter like fuckin' wheat."

  That brought up the company short. Antimatter was something the council had recently announced they'd discovered, an entire galactic news piece had been aired just to gloat and let scientists not on the council's inner circle ask their twenty questions. It had sent the myriad corporations into an uproar, the research and development department of the galaxy's governing body was meant to further discovered tech, not invent new ones… But alas, as usual, the council simply grinned down its nose and thumbed away the minor infraction.

  "Ya'll know antimatter is a fickle little fucker, yeah?" Jack began to pace, gestating with his hands. "It meets matter as we know it an' decides, aw fuck, I don't wanna be seen with this shit, and annihilates itself. That be where ya get the big fuck off energy release, tracking?" Lix and Skrunkles nodded their heads, silent as they followed the Human's circular laps around the bridge. Antimatter existing was common knowledge, how it worked was… less frequently known. "So yeah, that energy be a whole freighter load. Problem bein' storin' and transportin' the stuff. Well… we Sevarians made a system of utilizing orbitin' satellites an' carefully controlled refinery stations." His pacing stopped, a metal finger pointing at the distant sun. Lix could now see the strange anomaly that caused the star to look so strange was in fact a dizzying cloud of satellites buzzing about the sun like flies on a corpse. Lines and lines of ships ran to and from the massive nearby station, the entire operation overseen by the many carriers and frigates drifting silently close by. "A dyson swarm of sats collect the antimatter produced by the star in vertical cells for collection and storage in vacuumed, zero gravity canisters an' kept in as near void as possible, upright towards any gravitational pull." Now the Human was getting excited, his pacing growing in speed. "It threw our whole system for a loop! By utilizin' planets, or much much better, stars, we could be collectin' an' harvestin' positrons, er… antimatter, like a friggin crop!" Lix whistled at that… the mere idea of a system of people discovering and harvesting a fuel via stars? Then her wonder turned to fear… a single people… one she'd never heard of…

  "That… sounds like something the council and table of corporations wouldn't approve of in the slightest. Were the Sevarians member species of a conglomerate or mega-corp?" Jack's face fell, not into sorrow, but into an angry sneer.

  "Nah… we were an insular people. We had Sevar and the planets in this system. Sure, there were traders and explorers that would come to this lonely little dot on the star charts but… we done been graced with several rocky planets brimmin' with natural resources and food that let us focus on our cultural draw, mechanics and technology. Until the council came knockin' an' offerin' us an eye boilin' sum of Roarks for the antimatter tech." The mood turned sour; all one needed to do was look out the viewport to see the result of the council's offer. "Even was gonna let us in as members of the Whisper Box bankin' conglomerate if'n we gave 'em the tech they wanted. We told 'em to shove off, we was gonna patent it through several lesser bankin' entities an' sell the tech ourselves. Our leaders saw us as the next fuel empire…"

  "Dat's not something the council lets slides." Skrunkles sighed, shaking his head. "Shoulda took da deal."

  "Yeah… maybe… We tried to jump ahead of the council by prepping ourselves for total war. Every home, every manufacturin' plant, every bit o' infrastructure on the home planet an' our colonies were refurbed for scorched earth tactics. Those that refused were… forced or executed… Weren't a popular decision. Not a few days later the flinger was seized by the council. Communications went first, couldn't broadcast nothin' about them just takin' our solar system. They told the galaxy our sun was collapsin' due to outlawed tech or some such." Lix joined her Human, wrapping her claws around his cold metal arm in support.

  "And you fought back."

  "And we fought back." Jack whispered, gazing out at the destroyed fleet. "We were holdin' our own at first. Planetary defenses kept their fleets fightin' us outside o' orbit. Factories pumped out drone after drone after drone that carriers took to orbit an'…"

  Hesitation…

  Perhaps… regret?

  "An' we took steps to give our pilots and boarders the best possible chance in… in fightin'…" Lix reluctantly released his arm as he rose the metal hand to his face, his hard eyes staring through the alloy at a past that no longer existed… at a home frozen… "If'n ya space walked over ta any one o' them fighters out there you'd find a corpse and a control panel that's just two sockets. Ta fight in orbit an' attack the council fleets… we done… we took some liberties wit'… ourselves. These… these cybernetics would allow us to jack into Sevar ships and pilot as fast an' responsive as our brains could handle. They served as weapons platforms too… That's what they called us… Jacks…"

  Lix remembered how the torch she'd begged him not to use slotted so seamlessly against his forearm…

  "But… hold on… you said you lost them in a shop… while working on a shuttle you said the jacks gave out?"

  "Lied… very very few shops an' maintenance bays still enable gravity. That's why all of 'em are on the edge of the rings at Koorka. There were a kernel of truth though… I did lose 'em to Jacks…"

  "But I just thought… you'd lost them in a different shop… ugh, never mind… so the Sevarians made themselves these… commandos with cybernetics and whatnot." Lix ignored the growing frustration building in her bosom. How many times had her Human lied or bent the truth?

  "Yeah," Jack sighed heavily. "We were good an' always let the drone swarms soften up targets. That combined wit' our planetary defense cannons… we were holdin' them back. We knew it wouldn't last, they had the flinger and time. We'd transitioned our food source to three-dee printed proteins and hydroponics but we was runnin' out fast. An'… gettin' sick of the lab meat…"

  "Was thats the final nails? Resources?" Skrunkles hopped into the navigator's chair, his little paws kicking.

  "Nope. It was betrayal… once we started killin' off everyone who wasn't all in on Sevar sovereignty the opposin' voices wen' quiet. It… that nearly broke us… killin' our own people jus' to stave off the council… but it was that or surrender to the council. An' they did… as we expected. We jus' never thought they'd have someone at the head of Sevar authority doin' it too. Someon' sold the council our tech an' they did that." Anger once again spiked the man's words as he pointed a trembling finger at the distant sun. "They stole our star and used every asset to defend the swarm. Once it was in place we done threw everything we had at breakin' their blockade or gettin' an ambassador through the flinger. This…" Jack spread his hands at the carnage that lie outside their little hidey hole, the drifting wrecks impassive and uncaring. "This is what came o' that. Without the star… all covered up like that… Sevar froze… they waited until we all froze ta death. Losin' your star, it does fuckin' horrid things to a planet. It was like the ground was comin' apart."

  Once more, Lix found herself pressing up against Jack's side, and to her relief she found a mechanical arm accepting the embrace.

  "Who… who sold you out?" Her voice was tentative… gentle…

  "Ha! Oh, you know the bitch. She got a cozy gig raking in more Roarks than she knows what to do with and everyone loves her traitor ass…" Silence weighed the next few moments like a heavy blanket. It seemed almost painful for Jack to admit… "Glorious Angela… y'all's 'Roid Racing League announcer sits on the biggest ship made with our tech in return to for her part in snaggin' the council Sevarian antimatter systems. I went to see the Racer's Heart engine bay… they had an observation platform an' everything, gloatin' to the fuckin' dead. That thing was Sevar make in all but who built it… bastards…"

  The puzzle was becoming less and less foggy for Lix, piece by piece the bigger picture came into view… Jack's all-to-eager offer to join her crew, his outbursts and training, his skill as a mechanic and technician… the way he'd glared at Glorious Angela during their trip to the Racer's Heart. Had she known? Had she known the man staring daggers into her soul was one of her own people? Surely she knew… she knew and just stood there smiling. Lix squeezed herself to Jack's side… the entire situation was a mess… if it were her species, would she have done the same? Would she have put all her dice in her own corner even when dissenters were being given the bullet… or would she have looked at the leviathan threat of the council and caved as Angela had? She'd been right there… the one responsible for the fall of the Sevarians and Lix had no idea… That hardly was the pervading thought in the Kux'lar's skull though…

  "Why didn't you just… tell me? Why all the cloak and dagger… why try to hide it?" Lix pulled on Jack's arm until the man reluctantly looked into her slit reptilian eyes. Just as she hoped, the fight fell away the moment they locked gazes.

  "It weren't safe. The council hunt survivin' Sevarians at the first sight to either put us down or make us work. They done wiped out our history, fixed up everything so much as a text that had our name on it came up blank. They erased us like we were never there, said our system blew from a star… an' just waited… Time did the rest, 'sides when I first met ya I didn't know if I could trust ya." That was true… but not the point.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "And after?"

  "After… what?"

  "After we became this? You can't say it didn't come up." Jack winced, pulling the Kux'lar to his side as Mo'Ona tactfully hopped down for the lift.

  "I'll make us somethin' to eat." The Hux chuckled nervously as he beat a retreat. Lix nodded thankfully, surprised the little guy was showing even a modicum of understanding.

  "It ai'n't that easy, Lix. What, I say I know a place ta get ya parts an' it just so happens to be my old home after the council stole our tech and wiped us out? Not like we were the good guys either… killin' off our own like that." Lix huffed, snarling and gnashing her fangs at his dismissal. Confusion killed her thoughts as she wrestled for what she was trying to say.

  "Gnah! I mean… what I'm tryin' to ask is… were just using me to get at the 'Roid Racing League? Did you see an in for… I dunno… somehow getting back at Angela?" The truth of the matter spilled forth like water from a clogged drain as Lix settled on what had truly been bothering her. Jack wasn't some restless soul looking for the next big thrill, or at least that wasn't main driving force behind his actions. No, Lix was worried about something more personal… "Jack, did you use me?"

  "Yes…"

  The admission was quick, nearly silent, and leaden with regret.

  "At first… yeah, I did. I saw an overeager lizard up to her scaly neck in trouble an'… yeah, I used our trip to the Racer's Heart to get a look at the ship an' start plannin'."

  "And…" Lix choked back a growl, her eyes glowing with heat. "And now? Was any of… this… real or just an act?"

  Jack looked down… smiling sad and small…

  "Now I see my Kux'lar… ya corruptin' me… scaly lady… it weren't real at first but… ya done sank ya fangs in now."

  "Gnaaahhh… I'm supposed to be upset with you… and I am… but that saved you from sleeping in the cargo bay…" Lix licked Jack's cheek, the anger fading from her eyes and replaced by hurt. "I need… I need to go think for a bit… can I steal your cabi-"

  "Our cabin." Jack interrupted with a gentle but firm bark. "Our cabin, an' yeah. It's all yours… feel free to rummage but uh… the crate with my armor is heavy as shit. I'll uh…" His smile wavered, worry that he'd finally fucked up like he had with Lily spiking his barely warmed heart. "I'll keep an' eye on our vulture patrol, yeah?"

  "Yeah… you're still my Human, Jack. I just… need a second to catch my breath."

  "Sure, sure…" Lix let her claws gently drag on his arm as she left, wrenching her arm back to maintain the contact as long as she could. Jack didn't look back, heavily plopping himself in the Gerthtrude's pilot seat and pulling the command console over his lap to lock him in. A side panel opened to produce a warm beer he'd stashed for rainy days.

  And today's forecast had suddenly turned gray.

  ***

  Lix hadn't wanted to abandon Jack on the bridge, his only view that of his fallen brethren in what had quickly become not a salvage yard but a mass grave. However, she didn't quite trust her own head at the moment, her thoughts a jumble of confusion and warring emotions. They hadn't been hiding in this dead freighter for even an hour but Jack's revelations both explained so much and left the Kux'lar reeling with new questions. How had Jack survived? What had been his role in the Sevarian government? Had he been a rank-and-file soldier or technician or… had he been part of the decision to execute those who didn't fall in line with going against the council? What if the council found out she had a Sevarian on the crew? Was that why he had stopped her registering him with his real name on the Racer's Heart? Wouldn't his picture alert… someone? Did having Jack anywhere near the No Safety Measures jeopardize her entire racing career?

  The more she thought about it, the less stable and wise it seemed to have Jack on her crew… but at the same time, he'd been ground zero in front of Glorious Angela and… nothing had happened. By the stars, if it weren't for Jack, she wouldn't have gotten as far as she had. Nor learned as much as she had… or… or…

  Had delicious noodles…

  Nearly froze in a craze filled attack on a port to get the Gerthtrude back…

  Would never have seen the Vents or the open-air markets built into a corridor boiling with people and smells and life…

  She wouldn't have lived through a dog fight with Tors or made it to actually race in the final preliminary…

  She wouldn't have learned to shoot… or… or…

  The memory of Jack's hands upon her scales and his warm breath washing over her jawline whilst they tumbled listlessly through space… their celebration after they'd placed in the preliminary… that glorious release with her held so tight against his chest she could hardly move. That torturous teasing session beforehand that made her see stars…

  The way his smile had started so empty but now… now that crooked grin felt warm and genuine…

  Was Jack fucked up? Yes, sure… many people were. Was he malicious? Sometimes… but never to her… His eyes had looked so worried when she'd told him she needed to think… that she needed…

  "Oh, by the Stars, Lix! You told your mate you needed space." Her paw slapped up to her forehead in a resounding clap that reverberated through the galley. Her deep wonderings and wanderings had brought her to the end of the second deck hallway, Skrunkles looking at her bemusedly through whiskers covered in chunks of Meelk at the table. Lix simply growled at him before he pushed over a portion for the Kux'lar, his grin never dying even as she crossed her arms. Yet, sidle into the opposite bench she did anyway.

  "Mans troubles?"

  "Oh no. No no no, I'm not getting relationship advice from you." Nonetheless, Lix tore into her meal like only a predator can. Mo'Ona simply shrugged, returning to nibbling away at lightspeed his own portion.

  "Suits yourselfs. Mo'Ona got lots of experience with doin' da wrong 'tings.

  MONCH MONCH MONCH

  "Oh yeah? I doubt you've had to deal with that." Her tail pointed to the roof, at the Human sitting above them blissfully unaware of their conversation. "I've only ever seen you chase easy tail or guys."

  "Thats cause Mo'Ona bad ats romances but goods at bein' a sluts. Buts I's know yous and Jack gots a good 'ting goin'. Yeah yeah," He took a moment to fill his cheeks with Meelk, chewing through his words. "Thatsh jus' me talkinsh… mph…" A loud swallow followed by a sleazy wink nearly sent Lix retching. "Everybodys got skeletons in 'dey closets. Really likin' someone thoughs? That real loot right theres." Finishing off his last bite, Mo'Ona tossed his tray noisily at the sink before leaving, his little paws scrabbling on the deck as he nearly faceplanted from the drop off his chair. "Ya scareds, don't glare, ya are! But who cares! Galaxy is a dumpster we's all tossed in an' it's on fires. We could alls die tomorrow, or… heh, in an fews hours. Fuck ya fears, keep Jack." With that, the Hux scampered off, leaving Lix slightly peeved that Mo'Ona of all people had talked sense in her presence.

  Little rat was walking false advertisement.

  In retrospect, he was right, her misgivings, while some had merit, were ultimately pointless. Who cared about law when there were so many, and of those many were constantly in flux or changing, that you'd eventually end up legislated into being a criminal and not even know it? Why was she worrying over whether or not Jack was safe to have around when the whole galaxy wasn't safe? Like she'd said earlier, she flew through asteroid fields! Forget him being from Sevar, if he hadn't been caught yet then what was the worry? If he did, they'd deal with it. It was like her pops had always said; You're a strong Kux'lar Lix, bring home lots of stories and eggs.

  "You got it Papa. Your little newt is gonna bring home the wildest story ever." The eggs would be a bit more difficult though…

  ***

  Jack wasn't one for worry. It was a waste of time and effort, he always thought. Nor had he really any reason to worry most of the time… That being said, Jack was worried. Lix's words swirled in his head like locusts, his fear-

  Fear…

  Jack hitched a breath at the realization. He was scared of losing Lix.

  "This was why I didn't tell ya, damnit." Jack growled to the empty bridge. "For fuck's sake, like she wouldn't have put two and two together. I shoulda looked somewhere else… found a fuckin' way." Regret wrestled with his anger and fear, leaving his mind a torn mess in its wake. Sure, there was a smorgasbord of parts and systems and weapons floating all around them for kilometer after kilometer and beyond. Legends were made about this place by the select few who remembered after all… but none of that mattered if Lix cut him loose as a liability when they returned to Koorka. She'd be wise to do so, he decided. He'd just wanted to come home… Now he'd put her at needless risk. Having a Sevarian on the crew painted an invisible target on her back that only the most powerful could see. Secrets and lies were the currency of the council, of business, of life in this fetid galaxy… and she had a big one just sitting right next to her…

  Worse still was the view…

  That damned view.

  Jack couldn't see a great swath of the carnage outside the tear in the freighter's belly, but he could see enough. He could recognize Sevar ships and council ships and drones galore… could hear the static and screams over the comms… could feel his fighter shudder as he diverted power away from weapons to thrusters, ignoring the safety alarms blaring about overheating engines and drive bells. They'd lose ten or so drones, breach a council frigate's defenses, and start hammering away at external weakpoints. Communications, thin armor junctions, bridges, escape pod vectors… nothing was beyond reproach when swarming a council vessel. They'd hear the broadcast, watch as a few pods jettisoned or crashed into the destroyed evacuation tubes to cause even more damage… watch as atmosphere vented and the ship broke apart…

  On to the next, his arms painfully slotted into the Sevar fighter's control panel and his head pounding with a headache so fierce his flight suit administered liquid painkiller directly into his veins.

  They were faster than the council ships, more maneuverable, more responsive and quick… But it just didn't matter when there were so many. It seemed as if the council fleet blotted out the stars, each one picking at some planet or another only to be driven away by ground side planetary defense cannons. Each shot was costly, every one draining more and more resources and minerals from the planet they were stationed on. Each one a drain on Sevarian life…

  Jack knew… they all knew… the council just had more. More ships, more people, more hungry eyes looking at their antimatter tech and caring little for what they lost to gain it themselves. In a way, the disrespectful low ball offer for them to join a conglomerate owned by the council's own bank had spurred the insular people into just the reaction the council had wanted. If they were smart, they'd have leveraged from the inside their power and affluence… but no, Jack had no misgivings that wouldn't have worked either. No… as another fighter split apart in flames that were quickly snuffed out, Alaster's ship if Jack remembered right, he knew they'd have ended up as nothing more than the council's intelligent serfs.

  Was this any better though? Complete annihilation as a free people that killed its own as opposed to a vassal state?

  It was too late to ponder it, too late to negotiate, too late for peace.

  The Sevarian people would die here… At the very least they could give the council something to remember them by, but it was a cold comfort when faced with all they'd sacrificed. By the stars, his own body had been placed upon a chopping block in the name of fighting off the council. It all seemed so pointless now, worthless in the face of slowly encroaching demise.

  Poetic perhaps, at least. He'd go to his grave knowing he had fought to the last and lie bleeding in his fighter. Or go out in a blaze of frozen vapor and drifting ship parts. That, at least, killed his despair a little, going down fighting against overwhelming odds. What guy didn't dream of that at least once or twice when the lights were dim or on long shuttle flights? Unfortunately, when it came to the council… that's all he really had left.

  Fantasies…

  Jack jumped when a warm touch fell on his arm, his head snapping to glare at Lix before his eyes softened at her gentle smile.

  He'd never noticed she had a very tiny snaggletooth on the left side of her muzzle…

  "Just me." Whispers died on his lips as Lix climbed into his lap, curling into a scaly ball with her muzzle beneath his chin. It… this… was warm… and real.

  "You're not ma-"

  "Sh… just sit there a second." Lix snuggled in, wiggling closer and closer to the man, as if she could steal the very source of his body heat. Worry and aches faded into background noise as her ear was filled with the steady thump of his heart, each beat filling her with a determination she didn't understand. Not quite… not yet. "Hm hm hm hmmm hm hm hm…. hmhmhmmm hm hm hm… hm hm..."

  "Are you humming that damn Meelk song?"

  "Mhm." Jack sighed, his chest lifting the Kux'lar up and down in his exasperation.

  "Sorry I ran off like that." Lix whispered into his shirt collar.

  "S'okay…"

  "Mh. Not really, left ya worried and sweating. Just had to get my thoughts straight, is all. I'm… upset that you didn't feel you could trust me but at the same time I understand why you didn't say anything." Lix pulled back just enough to grace the man with a single, reptilian eye. "And none of it… well yes, it does matter. This place…" Her gaze turned to join his out the viewport. "It's important. These were your people, your home… I can see how you'd want to keep it under wraps. It's… dangerous, knowing this place exists."

  "Yeah… it is."

  "And so is everywhere else, just different flavors. Some are easier to stomach and some are…" The Kux'lar waved a hand at the debris field. "Harder to swallow. But you're here, I'm here… if I can help you get some kind of closure out of this… that makes me really happy. And I'll be glad to have you by my side in the races." A wet sensation crawled across Jack's chin as Lix licked him, the man squeezing the lizard to his chest so hard she squeaked. "There ya go, squeeeeze me tight. You were right, had you told me all this even halfway into… um… us… I don't know how I would have taken it. But now… You're my Human. You brought me to your home to help me realize my dreams… Jack, I'd be honored to have Sevar tech on the No Safety Measures. I'd be honored to fly with a piece of your home on my ship."

  "Fuck, Lix…" Jack shook his head, willing the moisture in his eyes to dry before he embarrassed himself. "If… if we get a shot at… at Angela?"

  "She's all yours. All of this? I still don't know what to make of it, but if I'm shallow about the whole thing… bitch hurt my Human."

  "You realize what you're sayin', right?"

  "No. Who gives a fuck? Galaxy is messed up, I don't see it getting any better. As far as I'm concerned, aside from Papa, the Gerthtrude and No Safety Measures are my home. And my home has Jack in it." Lix straddled the man, shifting until she towered over him. "You're mine, and I'm yours. My Human… your Kux'lar… isn't going to happen any other way. Ground rules though, you lie to me again and I'm biting your balls. You gotta be truthful with your captain from now on, no exceptions. I'm not letting you get into a situation where you can get me wondering about your honesty again."

  "That so?" Jack let his hands roam Lix's scales, slipping his fingers under the hoodie she'd stolen from him what felt like a lifetime ago. The reptile trilled, her killing claws flexing as she curled her paws and shuddered. Lix was naught more than putty in Jack's hands, the man sculpting her into a needy, whining mess.

  "No, I'm disciplining you. After you straight up lied to me? I'm keeping my eye on you, jackass. You're under a magnifying glass! I'm… I-I'm putting my paw down… Yes. Yes! Yes? Gnah, Jack…" Lix pressed herself into his touch, craving more, demanding more. It had been so long… too long. "Fucking don't you dare tease me again!" She huffed in his face with a hiss, her breath heated and fogged.

  "That so? Well, guess what?"

  "What? What! Jaaaaaack, please!" Her tail blurred behind her, smacking the control panel in her excitement. Growls and hisses grew in volume as Jack continued to explore her, making her hips twist and back arch and head loll. It was then that Lix remembered…

  Jack was inherently evil.

  "That patrol is gone. Let's get out there and snag us some ship parts!"