The Rembrandt Legacy

"Hey girls!" Lily called, waving merrily. She flopped down next to Vaelia and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "How are things?"

"We got everything on the list," Cosina said. I sat down next to her, earning a raised eyebrow from Lily. "Praecor should have his hands full sorting everything into the galley."

"Splendid." She turned her attention towards the Felinoid. "I'd like a double Sunfruit Spike. Rem, what do you want?"

"I've grown rather attached to that Zuthrian cactus juice." Cosina smiled brightly as I said that. "No alcohol for me, please."

"And while you're at it, could you see if Padari is available?" Lily asked, indicating the empty space.

"Certainly. I'll be back momentarily." He left, displaying his naked back and toned butt. Vaelia whistled appreciatively.

"Does he have to fight you as well?" I asked, sinking against the sofa's back rest.

"I'm considering an exception," Vael said, a languid smile playing around her lips. "It would be a shame to turn his tail into a pretzel just to prove a point."

I let my gaze drift through the club while we waited for the drinks. Most lounges were filled, even if by only one or two people. Some received lapdances, others seemed lost in conversation. I saw a Grey, wearing an impressively decorated, black and silver robe kneeling between two smoking candles, his long-fingered, spindly hands weaving esoteric patterns into the air and his oversized head with coal-black eyes swaying to his own beat. I touched Cosina's thigh.

"Yes, Rem?"

"What's he doing?" I discreetly pointed.

"I suppose he is exercising his right to religious expression," Cosina said, shrugging. "He's a Zhijit follower."

"Which means...?" I prompted. Grey were -- aside from being the centerpiece of UFO seeker theories, which by now have all been proven true -- relatively rare. In all my years in Unity's Landing, I had ever only seen two, wearing garish Hawaii shirts and sunglasses in an attempt to draw less attention. There had been one of them locked up on Titan, convicted for mental assault, fraud and extortion. He had literally overwritten his victims minds, causing them to obey his every command.

"He's a religious zealot," a smoky voice replied. "Hangs around here every day, trying to purge the sinners." The voice belonged to a long-legged Zuthrian. She wore a glittering silver dress which contrasted nicely with her black skin. The dress had long slits down its side, revealing more flawless black skin and ample breasts with every step she took and an impressive bulge left no doubt which of the three Zuthrian genders she belonged to. Her hair was shot through with golden highlights and she had one large hoop earring through her left lobe. Ice-blue eyes sparkled as she surveyed us and her silver-painted lips curled into a seductive smile. A slender, metal-plated communicator wrapped around her left wrist.

"I'm Padari, your dancer for tonight," she said. Her voice chased goosebumps up my spine. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to see you strip for us," Lily said. "Here's a tip, please make it memorable. " She raised her own comms and tapped a sequence into the screen.

Padari's unit hummed and she checked it, raising an eyebrow. "That's awfully generous. You won't be disappointed."

"I can hardly wait," Lily purred, melting into the cushions.

The Felinoid was back as well. He handed out the drinks, then slid onto the sofa between Lily and Vaelia as the Zuthrian pilot beckoned.

Padari grinned viciously, not unlike Vael when she's in a playful mood. She tapped her wrist comms. The lights around the stage dimmed, the stage's floor light brightened up and cleverly hidden speakers came on. A rolling, sensuous drum beat filled the lounge and Padari stepped onto the platform.

We watched her. At first, she barely moved, only rolling her hips from side to side. Haunting voices joined the song, an ominous choir building suspense. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Vaelia caressing the Felinoid's thighs. I could hear him purr even over the drums. Cosina's subdermal circuitry glimmed, clearly visible in the dim light. A sharp stab of strings, accompanied by Padari slashing her hand across her stomach.

A large gash gaped in the shimmering silvery fabric, showing a gently glowing gemstone she had in her navel. She swayed her arms and rolled her head side to side, like a shaman losing herself in a trance. Another string hit, another quicksilver slash of her hand. Another part of her dress gaped open, revealing her left breast. She took a step, seemingly teetering at the edge of the platform like a suicidal on a windowsill, only grabbing the pole when she had almost tipped into my lap. Her long hair whooshed past my face, carrying a rousing fragrance.

My new jeans suddenly felt very tight. Her smile out of nowhere caught me totally off-guard.

Another sharp spike in the song, this time a moan from the choir and what sounded like a guitar dying in slow motion, and she raked both her hands across her back, tearing away more of her dress and revealing the smooth curves of her behind. The song picked up, with the punctuating stings and stabs coming more frequently now. Padari whirled around the pole, a blur of black, silver and gold. She tossed her head back, arcing her back into an almost perfect bridge, with her body nearly resting on Lily's thighs.

Cosina applauded softly. My gaze was fixed on the tent in Padari's dress and I was torn between apprehension and lust. Her movements, her grace had me fired up, but the dangling -- or rather proudly standing - Damocles sword of her erection kept my arousal in check. Or did it?

One leg had been hooked around the pole for support and she rolled her hips suggestively in time to the drums. Her hands travelled down her front, the thumbs hooked into the fabric of her dress, tearing it down neatly in the middle. With a hungry sigh, she forced herself upright, discarding the shredded garment. Padari did one more turn, raising her hands high above her head and her hips swayed invitingly. Ending up facing me, our eyes met as she lowered her hands, her fingernails glinting from an errant shaft of light striking them. Slowly they traveled downwards, over her eyes. A long index finger pulled down her lower lip and her tongue darted out, flicking against her nail before the fingers wandered further down, over her breasts.

Movement next to me nearly tore my attention away. Lily leaned against me, her lips brushing my ear. "Maker preserve me, she's hot."

I gulped down the lump in my throat. Padari's hands crept over her stomach, went lower to her rolling hips. Like a solemn offering, she closed both hands around her raging erection, pointing it at us. She slowly went to her knees, her bum cheeks sliding down the pole, until she could scoot to the edge of the platform. Behind her, I could see Vaelia's head bob up and down in the Felinoid's lap.

Lily slid off the sofa and ended up kneeling in front of Padari. The platform was tall enough so that Padari's cock was exactly at head height. Lily closed her lips around Padari's tip with a look of utter bliss on her face. Her cheeks caved inwards as she gave a suck. Padari gasped, but didn't move.

Lily's hand found mine and she pulled, urging me to join her. With my heart fluttering in my chest like a trapped animal, I slid off the sofa, ending up standing in front of the panting Marked One. Whatever Lily was doing with her tongue, it was seriously turning her on. Lily guided my hand, placing it palm-down on one of Padari's breasts.

I shot Padari a questioning look, but she only grinned, pulling me close with an arm. Her free hand made quick work of my belt, button and zipper. Before I could even complain, she had my own raging boner tugged free from it's prison. Growling like a wildcat, she bent sideways and closed her lips around me. It took all of my willpower to not erupt like a broken faucet then and there. I caressed Padari's unruly mane and played with her breast as she pumped and sucked at my rod, groaning around it as Lily added her own hands to the proceedings. I closed my eyes, enjoying her lips and tongue on me. Despite Lily giving her a wet and noisy blowjob, Padari's licks were slow and languid, going from the root upwards. She finished each with a playful twirl of the tongue or a hungry suck, keeping up the tension without ever allowing me to climax. It was torture and I wanted it to stop and go on forever at the same time. Until a harsh, screeching voice cut into the blissful haze.

"Would you please quit it with this indecent fornication?"

* * * *

Shaking with indignant rage, the black-robed Grey stood in our lounge, one hand grasping what looked like a silvery scepter with a gently glowing ball of light on top. Behind him, about a dozen people stood, club goers in their flashy clothes, dancers and waiters nearly in the nude, all with the same furious expression, balled fists or even stools in their hands, ready to pounce on us.

Lily let Padari slip from her mouth with a lewd 'pop' and straightened up, towering over the Grey's maybe four-and-a-half feet body. She fixed him with a menacing glare. "Go away, little man," she hissed. "This is a private party."

"No it isn't," the Grey replied, matching her furious hiss with his own. "I could clearly see what you and your cronies were doing, and it turned my stomach! Cease this indecency at once."

"Or what?" Lily spat.

Padari patted my thigh. Getting the hint, I stuffed my junk back into my trousers and gave her some room. She shot me a quick grin. Naked, she fell into a fighting stance.

"There are no rules in this venue prohibiting guests form engaging in sex with consenting personnel," Padari said, in a surprisingly calm and reasonable tone. "The best course of action for you would be to mind your own business."

"Having to watch you and her put some unwashed genitalia into your mouths was impeding my right to religious expression and I am going to take you to task for it. It's about time this whorehouse receives a proper cleansing," the Grey snarled. "Oh, and fish-girl? Your petty attempts at mind-control don't work with me." He raised his scepter. "Seize them, in the name of chaste Zhijit!"

More people were coming up the ramps, converging on our lounge. Below, the dance floor seemed to have turned into a mosh pit, bodies flying against each other.

"You've got to be kiddin' me," Vaelia groaned, zipping up her suit. "How is he doing that?"

"Let's worry about this later," Cosina said, rolling off her seat to avoid a low-flying stool. "Maybe we should seek a more advantagous position?"

The mass of people surged forward, obscuring the cackling and phrase-spitting Grey. I dodged another stool, swung by a naked Felinoid girl, by the skin of my teeth and caught it on the backswing.

"Listen -- I don't want to hurt you," I said as she struggled to yank it free. Her eyes were glassy and her mouth distorted into a silent snarl. Suddenly, her knee came up, hitting my privates with painful accuracy. I stumbled backwards and, thanks to Crush's training, didn't clutch my balls, as much as I wanted it. Instead, I kept my guard up, wincing, and took another stool shot on my arms.

"You're too soft," Vaelia spat, sliding past me. She pointed her concussion gun at the wildly swinging dancer and fired. The air distorted in a visible shockwave and the Felinoid got knocked off her feet, landing with a soft 'thwomp' in the cushions.

A huge Gravon grabbed Lily, her throat disappearing in his huge fist as he effortlessly lifted her off the floor. Cosina dashed his way, blade extended, but he caught her with a fist to her gut. Even though Silicians don't actually need to breathe, the hit was hard enough to fold her double.

I yanked my dart gun free and fired a quick burst. Three darts, coated with what Praecor had called "SuperTranQ", hit him in his crotch, ribs and armpit. He looked surprised, then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he crumpled to the floor. Lily hit the deck like a wet sack, her head bouncing off the carpet. A black shadow passed by me and I saw Padari, a whirlwind of punches and kicks, diving into the thick of the throng. With accurate punches and roundhouse kicks, she floored three dancers, clearing a path towards the ramp.

I knelt down next to Lily. Her mouth opened and closed like a floundered fish's and she tried to gulp air into her lungs. I saw what had happened -- the crushing grip around her neck had forced fabric from the suit into her gills, preventing them from cycling properly.

"Hold still," I said, unclasping the latch around her collar and pulling it apart. I ended up with a squall of water over me, but at least I got her gills unclogged. She squeezed my hand, pulled her collar shut again and kicked up, hard. A Nor, with a dislocated sheet of frosted glass in his hands, crashed to the floor next to us. A quick shot with the butt of my gun and he stopped writhing. I pulled Lily to her feet. From below, a deep, throaty discharge noise was heard, followed by the groan of bodies. I risked a glance over the bannister and saw the bouncer, his weapon arm unloading blasts of blue energy into a mob of people trying to swarm him. And I saw the Grey, triumphantly brandishing his scepter in the DJ's booth. The big-breasted Gravon was probably down there, in the midst of the throng.

"Rem, watch out!"

Cosina's voice reached me just before the fist did. She looked like another Felinoid, but as I watched, a nest of tentacles grew from between her shoulder blades and whipped up, ready to ensnare me. Reeling from the sight and her glancing blow, I stumbled backwards, right into Padari's arms. She brushed a kiss onto my cheek and turned, putting her body between me and the Faceless. It had to be one. It behaved like those in "Fading Stars", with the tentacles. There was movement behind my back, a sharp crack of splitting glass and I caught Padari rising off the floor. The Faceless was face down on the floor, tentacles a limp halo around her and the railing had a new, jagged crack in one of it's panes.

A roaring Zuthrian charged Cosina, twin sets of electrified spikes jutting from his palms. My gun coughed once and he dove spikes-first to the ground, the colorful vanes of the arrow protruding nicely from his neck.

Despite our valiant efforts, space was quickly running out, the press of the bodies too much to handle by the five of us. "Where the fuck is Crush?" Vaelia called, her concussion gun thumping twice, pushing back a few bodies. They didn't fall though, thanks to those pushing into our lounge.

"No bloody idea," Lily rasped, pulling her plasma gun free. "But this will end now."

"We don't have to kill them, do we?" I asked.

"They don't seem to mind killing us," she hissed, raising the weapon.

I looked around again. The Grey was still in the DJ booth, waving his scepter. He was the source of all the madness. Maybe, if I took him out...

My gun came up and I fired. The dart gun coughed twice, unloading the last two darts his way. He jerked once and grabbed his shoulder, yanking at the dart. Then he crumpled to the floor.

Around us, the pushing and fighting quickly subsided. Cosina and Padari downed another Gravon, this one sporting a brilliant green mohawk. When they came to their feet again, there was much shaking of heads and puzzled glances.

Lily slowly lowered her gun. "I'm in half a mood to torch some of them, just because," she snarled, rubbing her neck with her free hand.

"And here come the fuzz," I quipped. Below, coming from the entrance, were heavily armored people sporting official-looking badges painted onto their pauldrons. They had shock rods and concussion guns out.

"Aw, great. Just what we need." Lily holstered her weapon and shot me a wry smile. "Thanks for keeping me form toasting them. Much less trouble for us now."

* * * *

Two hours later we were free to go. The Grey had been safely detained and shackled with a power dampening collar, not unlike the one I had worn back on Titan. The club was a sorry ruin, broken tables and stools everywhere, shattered glass littering the floor and turned-over sofas or thrashed stages. The body count was quite impressive, with almost a hundred incapacitated and injured, but very few fatalities. The cops took our statements, assured us we had been within our rights to defend ourselves and let us off without further hassle when Lily donated a sizable sum to their Veteran's Fund.

We stepped out of the club, back into the street. The surrounding businesses had dialed down the noise levels and most of the holograms were off. Crush waited on the other side of a police barricade with a sheepish smile on his face.

"What kept you?" Lily snarled when we were in speaking distance. "We could really have used your help in there."

Crush looked us over. I remembered something. My gun was empty. So I pulled it from the holster, ejected the spent mag and fitted a new one, again loaded with sleeper darts. He gave me a thumbs up and favored Lily with a grin.

"You know how it is. We got to talking about old times, then we drank a bit and things happened. Besides, I had to wait until she had the items delivered to her. Then I went back to the Lumia, delivered the stuff -- did you think I'd carry a whole loader full of milspec combat gear into that club? - and then I came back to see what you were up to. By the time I got here, the cops had locked the place down tight and I didn't want to make them mad. Besides, you look like you had everything under control."

Lily growled, then coughed. "Well, fuck. Let's get off this rock. I need a drink and some painkillers."

"Excuse me."

Lily whirled around. Going by how she clutched her head, she immediately regretted doing that. "What?" she snapped. Her expression quickly softened though as she recognized the speaker.

Wearing a red crop top, white shorts and matching knee-high boots, Padari leaned next to the entrance. A worn duffel bag rested against her feet.

"Sorry to bother you guys," the Marked Zuthrian said, pushing herself off the walls. "But considering that my current employer will need to shut down this joint for a few weeks -- would you mind if I come with you?"

"I've seen you fight. You know how to handle yourself. Even against a Faceless. Let me make you an offer. Fully paid crew member, in exchange for your fighting skill and... the other things," Lily said, licking her lips. "How about it?"

Padari chuckled. "That's a bit sudden. I thought I could maybe catch a ride with you. I didn't intend to hire out long-term. What are you fighting anyway?"

"You have two choices here," Lily said, counting them off on her fingers. "One: Come with us and work for me. Right here I'll only say this: I'll make it worth your while. Details when you're aboard. Or two: Stay here, scrub toilets until you can nab another dancing gig. No skin off my fucking back."

Padari raised an eyebrow. I admired her self-control. The captain was in a pretty foul mood, worse than I've ever seen her.

"Calm down, chief," Vael said, laying a soothing hand on Lily's shoulder. "She's done nothing wrong."

"My head hurts. Breathing hurts. I've been rudely interrupted while having a fun time. I have all the rights in the fucking galaxy to be a little pissed," Lily snarled. "I didn't even get to finish my drink." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and bridged the distance between herself and Padari, leaning her head against the taller Zuthrian. "I'm sorry."

"No sweat," Padari said. "I already know that sticking with you guys will be very enlightening." Her eyes sought mine and she winked. "I'll join you."

* * * *

Back on the Lumia, Lily tore her suit open the minute she was beside the pool. Only after placing the garment over a drying rack, did she slid into the waters, submersing herself to the chin. Cosina was rummaging behind the bar, sorting food items into the fridge.