Zaeed Massani was crouched in the cold dirt of Vatar, cursing the state of his knees. He and his squad had been lurking in the treeline for hours, staking out an Eclipse base. They'd been tasked with taking out the mercenary base after two other teams had tried and failed. The base was cleverly built into the surrounding terrain in such a way that there was only one accessible entrance which was covered by well fortified bunker. It was so well crafted, and stocked with munitions, that a single guard could easily hold it against anything less than a small army and, after the last two teams had so utterly failed to bypass the bunker, the mercs clearly felt confident enough to leave it so minimally guarded.
Zaeed was not concerned, however. He'd been around long enough to know that blunt force was not always the best approach, and, unlike the members of the previous teams, he had more than half a brain in his head. That was why he had been chosen to lead this mission and why he, and his three men, were currently freezing their goddamn balls off in the woods of this shithole planet for the third night in a row. If he had his way, soon he wouldn't have to take these crap jobs. He had bigger plans in the works.
He was readjusting his position, trying to ease some of the pressure off his knees, when the man next to him nudged his elbow and pointed. A small figure was moving up the dark road that led to the base from the nearby town. Zaeed watched until the figure was close enough to make out. The shape was revealed to be a scrawny young woman with long, dark hair. She was bundled in a thick but worn looking jacket, though her legs were bare under her short skirt. Zaeed thought the wretched girl must be freezing. The team watched as she approached the heavy, bolted door of the bunker and knocked. Only a few seconds passed before they heard multiple locks being thrown and the door was wrenched open. She quickly disappeared inside, and the bunker was once again locked down.
"That's the third night in a row, same time." Arlo, the man closest to Zaeed muttered.
"Different girl each time. Man clearly likes his whores." Zaeed grunted back at him and rubbed his fists into his stiff knees. "Fuck it, lets head back for the night. Maybe find some girls of our own."
Quietly, the four mercenaries grabbed their gear and started back through the dark trees toward the town.
Meerin was a shitty little colony on Vatar, a planet that was basically worthless aside from rich iridium deposits. It was a cold and ugly place, but it had once been a thriving mining colony, home to the stubborn sort of colonists who fancied a challenge. But, as inevitably happens in the Terminus Systems, slavers and raiders made frequent attacks and soon only the toughest or most desperate residents remained. Still, there was small town with the basic amenities that were required, including the grubby little inn where the mercs had booked two rooms. Zaeed had a small room for himself, since he could afford it. The rest of his team shared the other.
When they got back to the inn, Arlo, Witter, and Holge grabbed a table downstairs for drinks and cards, but Zaeed had had enough of the younger mercs' company and went straight upstairs. Once in the privacy of his own room, he pulled a bottle of whiskey and a datapad out of his rucksack and pulled up the novel he was currently reading. Laying down, his back complained at the sag in the old mattress, and he thought again how he was too old for these shit assignments. Sure, he was still a hell of a shot, and his hand-to-hand skills were legendary, but he was past the age where crouching in bushes and long stakeouts held any appeal. The problem was that he was never any good at the political bullshit and ass kissing that seemed a requirement of moving into the top ranks of any decent merc company.
Zaeed was on his second glass of whiskey and several chapters deep in his book when he heard a ruckus from the room across the hall the rest of his team was staying in. At first he tried to ignore them, it sounded like they had found some company after all, and Zaeed had no interest in sharing. But after a few minutes the noise was starting to piss him off, so he threw down his pad and stormed across the hall.
Throwing open the door (those idiots hadn't even bothered to lock it), Zaeed took in the scene in front of him and quickly shut the door behind him. The room was a mess, some of it was likely from the three younger mercs having spent two nights there already, clothes strewn about and empty liquor bottles, but now several pieces of furniture had been overturned and there was broken glass scattered about. Holge and Witter were lurking nearer the door looking uncertainly at Zaeed, but Arlo was across the room, hunched over something, with one hand pressed against the wall.
"What the fuck is with all the noise?" Zaeed grated out between his teeth.
Arlo snapped his head up, seemingly unaware of Zaeed's entrance before this point. His face was twisted in an angry smirk, that faltered only slightly at the sight of the pissed off older merc. Arlo stepped to one side and Zaeed saw what he had been leaning over. A young woman, maybe nineteen or twenty, was balled in a defensive position on the floor. Her hands were cuffed and her mouth was gagged with what looked like a piece of ripped up bed sheet. She was dressed in a tight pair of jeans and a low-cut white blouse. Her hair was thick and red, cut just above her shoulders, and she had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Those green eyes were locked on his and seemed to pierce straight into his soul. She was obviously terrified, but those eyes held a rage that unsettled him, if only for a second.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and, when he looked back, noticed the angry red mark across her left cheek that would likely darken into a bruise soon.
"What's the matter, Arlo?" he spat out, "Can't even get a willing girl when you pay for her? Or did you just run out of credits?"
Arlo was too excited to even notice the insult.
"Zaeed! I've got the answer to our bunker problem!"
Zaeed crossed his thick arms over his chest and stared dubiously at the younger man, waiting for him to explain.
Arlo rolled his eyes and had the nerve to look exasperated. "Look, we can't get in, but she can. Bunker guy clearly likes his whores, so tomorrow night we send her in instead and let her take him out."
Zaeed let out a derisive laugh. "And how the hell is she supposed to pull that off? The girl's clearly got some spunk," he gestured vaguely at the disarray, "but if she couldn't even take your sorry arse down, she can't be much of a fighter."
Arlo sneered at the older merc and spit. "She doesn't have to fight him. We can rig her up like a suicide bomber. No skill required; we just have to get her in the door."
Zaeed just stared at him, unblinking. "You're a sick fuck, Arlo."
"Maybe. But it could work." Arlo shot back at him. "And then we could get off this frozen fucking planet and get paid."
Zaeed didn't like it, but it wasn't the worst idea. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd been thinking along similar lines. The man's penchant for whores was obviously exploitable, and this would likely be the easiest route.
He looked back at the girl. She hadn't moved an inch; her fierce green eyes were still locked on his. She wasn't pleading with him exactly, he didn't think. It was more like she was challenging him, daring him to be better than the men around him.
It was too bad for her that he wasn't.
"Holge, you're the explosives guy, see what you can rig up. We'll send her in tomorrow night." Zaeed watched as the fire in the girl's eyes seemed to die. He forced himself to look away and turned back to Arlo, "and since you can't seem to keep your hands to yourself, I'm keeping her with me. Man's not gonna let her in if she's beat half to shit."
Arlo grumbled something about Zaeed being greedy which he chose to ignore, ducking out to check the hallway was clear before hauling the girl up by her elbow and dragging her across the hall into his room. Once inside, with the door secured, Zaeed fastened her cuffs around the foot of the heavy metal bedframe so that she was sitting on the floor facing away from the bed. Whatever fight she had in her before had clearly gone out of her with her death sentence. The death sentence that he had endorsed. It was senseless; he had been directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of men and women, but the memory of watching the light go out of those brilliant green eyes was making his brain itch. He didn't want to look in those eyes again if he could avoid it. Zaeed settled back on the bed. It was well into the early morning hours by now and he was goddamn exhausted. His profession had ensured that he was an incredibly light sleeper. If she tried anything, he knew he would wake up immediately. Still,
"I suggest you keep quiet. You probably know as well as I do that no one in this place will be eager to help you if you make a fuss, and if you try, I can make you wish your death was coming a hell of a lot faster."
There was no sound or movement from the girl, so he kicked the rail at the foot of the bed behind her. "Do you understand, girl?"
She gave a tiny nod and he lay back, satisfied. He shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position on the sagging mattress before giving it up as a lost cause. Just before he closed his eyes, he grabbed the extra pillow from the bed and tossed it on the floor next to her.
***
When he got up later that morning, Zaeed noticed that the pillow was still where he had thrown it earlier. In fact, it looked like the girl hadn't moved an inch all night. It must have been painful, sitting like that for hours. He wasn't sure if this was her small act of rebellion or if she had just given up entirely, gone numb to everything.
The day passed slowly. Zaeed went over the plan with the other mercs. Holge had rigged up a belt of explosives by modifying some sticky grenades. It could be hidden under the girl's blouse and remotely detonated once she was inside. For her part, the girl continued to stay still and mute, only replying to direct questions with a small nod or shake of her head. She had refused his offers of food and had only gotten up to use the bathroom after he threatened to beat her if she pissed on his floor.
When night finally came, the mercs gathered their gear and the girl and quietly left the inn through the back exit. As they walked through the woods back toward the base, Zaeed caught himself watching the girl again. She really was quite beautiful. Her body was slender, but not scrawny like most of the colony girls around here. She looked well-fed and reasonably strong, like she knew hard labour. She had high cheekbones and the most perfectly shaped mouth Zaeed had ever seen. The kind of lips that, in any other situation, he would be very distracted by, imagining what good uses he could put them to.
But it was those eyes that he couldn't shake. The stunning green of them and the fire he had seen burning behind them. Those same eyes that now seemed empty and dead. What a goddamn waste.
Once they had neared the previous night's position, Zaeed pulled her around to face him.
"Listen to me girly," he gave her a hard shake, "all you have to do is walk up the road here and go knock on that big metal door. He'll let you in, and we'll take care of the rest." She didn't seem like she had heard him, she just kept staring blankly into the middle distance. Zaeed slapped her across the face, not enough to really hurt her, just to get her attention. Her eyes focused back onto his and, for just a second, he could see a spark.
"Pay attention. Walk straight up there and knock on the door. No funny business. You've got four men with guns trained on you." He worked on removing her cuffs while he talked. "If you try to make a run for it, I'll shoot you through the gut and your death will be slow and painful. Going through that door is the better option, got it?"
She took a deep breath, seeming to gather the last of her strength, and nodded. That small hint of fire in her gaze as she stared him down made him hesitate, just a little. He tore his eyes away and lifted her blouse, seeming to do one last check of the explosives, but her eyes followed as Zaeed pulled a small switchblade from his sleeve and quickly tucked it into the front pocket of her jeans, using his body to block the view from the other mercs. He caught her eyes again and muttered under his breath,
"If you get the chance, you goddamn fight for yourself."
Then he grabbed her by the shoulders, turned her toward the bunker and shoved.
"Get going, girl." He snarled at her.
The four men took their places from the previous night, keeping their scopes trained on her as they moved. They watched as she walked up the dark road until she reached the bunker, approached the heavy door, and knocked.
~ ~ ~
Jessica Shepard stumbled as the mercenary shoved her out onto the dark road. Catching herself before she fell, she briefly looked back at the man behind her. He motioned her forward with his rifle and she turned away, her feet mechanically moving toward the bunker.
I'm going to fucking die. What the fuck was the point of any of it? All the shit I've done to stay alive, and this is how it ends. I should run. Why aren't I running? I'll die either way, but at least I wouldn't be doing those assholes any favours. Fuck! Why can't I run?
Her fingers twitched against her leg, remembering the small knife the older mercenary had slipped into her pocket. Why did he do that? She was about to be blown to hell, what good would a little knife do her? Maybe she could stab the man in the bunker before they set off the bomb. Would they let her go then? Could she kill a man? Even to save herself?
Jessica looked up, startled to notice that she was already at the door. Her body seemed to be moving on autopilot; her fear simultaneously paralyzing her while moving her forward. She felt like she was just slightly outside herself, watching everything happen with no control over any of it. Her hand lifted in front of her and knocked on the metal door.
Time slowed down and sped up. She couldn't hear anything over the pounding of her blood in her ears. She wasn't sure she was still breathing. Blackness began to gather at the corners of her vision.
The door swung open, and a man's face appeared in the crack.
"You're early." He barked at her. She just stared.
He sighed impatiently and yanked her inside by her arm. The door slammed shut behind them and the man started keying the locks back into place.
Jessica just stood there, utterly frozen. She could hear the voice in her head screaming at her but couldn't understand the words. She waited for the explosion, for the noise and the pain and the fire. Or maybe it would just be instantaneous. Either way she wished it would just happen already, nothing could be worse than the waiting.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she realized the man was standing in front of her. His lips were moving but all she could hear was a loud ringing.
"What are you dumb or something? Jesus!" He waved a hand in front of her face. "Whatever, at least you're better looking than the last girl they sent." He grabbed her by the waist to pull her closer to him, his hand brushing against the belt of explosives under her shirt.
"What the fuck?" He wrenched her shirt up and his eyes went round in shock before his face contorted into rage. Pulling a heavy pistol from his belt, he backhanded her across the face with his gun and everything went black.
~ ~ ~
"What the fuck, Holge?" Arlo hissed.
"I don't fucking know! I triple checked everything, it should be working!" Arlo repeatedly slammed his hand against the detonator.
"Well clearly it's not bloody working!" Zaeed sneered at him. "Fuck's sake!"
"What the fuck do we do now?" Witter asked. "There's no way he hasn't found the grenades yet."
Zaeed swore in frustration, rubbing his hands over his face. "I say we make a run on the fence now. Whatever's going on, he's likely distracted but he probably won't be for long. This is our best chance to sneak past."
"Sounds like a good way to get shot." Arlo muttered.
"Bullet holes add character. Let's move and let's do it fast." Zaeed jumped up, running forward in a crouch. The other men followed.
~ ~ ~
Jessica was still alive. She wasn't sure how or why, but she was breathing, her heart was beating. She could tell because every beat of her heart was like a hammer to her skull. She tried to open her eyes, but only the left one cooperated. The bright white light seared into her brain like a branding iron, and she quickly shut it again. She carefully pulled a hand up to her face and felt the swelling around her right eye and cheekbone, along with her hair plastered to her face with sticky, drying blood.
"Who sent you?" An angry voice cut through the pain, reminding her where she was and what was happening.
She slowly opened her left eye again, groaning at the pain. She managed to lift her head for a second, but the dizziness quickly overwhelmed her. In her brief glimpse she saw the man standing over her and noticed that he had removed the explosives belt along with most of her clothes.
"Who sent you?" He repeated, louder. She yelped in pain as the man kicked a booted foot into her ribs.
Curling into the fetal position, Jessica clutched at her side and screamed at him, "I don't know!"
"Bullshit!" He got down on the floor beside her and yanked her head back by the hair. "Tell me who sent you before I make things a lot worse for you."
"I don't know! It was just some guys who grabbed me! Mercenaries, I think. There were four of them. I think one of them was named Arlo. Please, I just work in the town, I don't want anything to do with this!"
"Bit fucking late for that now. You fuck with Eclipse, there are going to be consequences." The man reared back and hit her across the jaw. Her already hazy vision exploded in white light as her head hit the floor again. She could taste her blood running down the back of her throat and she would have gagged but she was too stunned to react. She could feel a tugging at her hips, but her dulled senses were slow to respond. By the time she realized what was happening, the man had her underwear off and was roughly yanking her thighs apart. Panic began to form in the back of her mind, but the signals weren't reaching her limbs fast enough.
She barely managed a whispered "no", coughing weakly around the blood in her mouth, before he'd shoved his pants down around his hips and slammed his cock into her. The pain was sharp enough to wrench a choked scream from her body.
"Please… please don't." The man was indifferent to her begging. He barely seemed to even notice she was there. His hands dug into her shoulders, fingers bruising deep, as he continued to force himself into her body over and over. Jessica let her head fall to the side, willing her mind to disconnect again, to focus on anything other than what was happening to her.
Not far from her lay the remains of her clothes. Her blouse was shredded where it had been torn or cut from her body while she was unconscious. Next to that were her jeans, crumpled in a heap to her right. Just as her vision was starting to glaze over, Jessica noticed a small silver glimmer just barely sticking out of one of the pockets.
"If you get the chance, you goddamn fight for yourself."
She looked back toward the man on top of her. He seemed unfocused, his breathing heavy, he was probably close to cumming. Jessica shifted her right arm, so slowly, so carefully, toward her discarded pants.
The man was starting to groan and thrust harder.
Her fingers touched cool metal, and her hand closed around the little knife.
The man leaned down and sunk his teeth into her breast, biting fiercely around her nipple as his hips started to stutter.
She bit back a scream and flicked the switch on the side of the knife.
The man groaned around her breast as he came inside her and she slammed the blade with all her strength into the side of his neck.
His head flew back, he looked completely stunned and almost accusatory. Jessica thought she might have laughed in any other situation. Instead she pulled the blade back out and jammed it back into his neck, this time under his chin, and pulled it sideways as hard as she could. His blood poured out, splashing onto her chest and face while he gaped at her and pressed his hands to his throat, trying in vain to stop the flow. He opened his mouth like he was trying to say something, but all that came out was a choking gurgle before he collapsed on top of her.
Jessica froze for a few seconds, barely able to breathe with his weight crushing her chest, his now limp dick still inside her. He twitched slightly and she panicked, pushing as hard as she could with her left arm to roll him off of her. He fell to the side, landing on top of her ruined clothes. He wasn't moving, but she didn't care. Jessica raised the knife up and slammed it into his chest. She pulled back and slammed it down again.
And again.
And again.
She kept thrusting the blade into his unmoving body, a primal scream tearing from her throat, until she collapsed, exhausted, beside the pulpy, ruined mass of his corpse.
She looked down at the growing pool of blood beneath her, saw it mixing with the semen that was leaking out of her body. She turned and retched, vomiting up the meager contents of her stomach. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't heed her, so she began to crawl. She only made it a few feet before she collapsed, slipping back into unconsciousness.
***
Once they'd made it past the bunker, clearing the Eclipse base had been surprisingly easy. All said, it had taken less than an hour and Witter had sustained the only serious injury, a gun shot to his upper thigh. They'd slapped some medigel on him and he'd heal up fine, but Arlo and Holge each took an arm to help him limp his way back to the inn.
As they passed by the bunker, Zaeed hesitated.
"You three go on ahead, I want to check out the bunker."
"What are you, nuts? Why go looking for trouble?" Arlo looked back at Zaeed, incredulously.
"Once the alarms at the base started going off, the bunker guard must have joined the fight, which means he's dead. Otherwise, we'd be getting shot at right now." Zaeed replied. "Which means that bunker is now a storehouse of weapons looking for a good home."
"Let him go, if he gets his ass killed it just means we get to split the take three ways instead of four." Holge said, laughing.
Zaeed waited until they were nearly out of sight before he pulled up his omni-tool and began hacking the locks on the bunker door. It took a few minutes, and a fair amount of cursing, but eventually the last lock clicked open, and Zaeed cautiously entered the bunker, rifle drawn.
Not far into the room, he spotted the first body. A young man in Eclipse colours lay on his back in a massive pool of blood, his pants around his thighs. His neck was slashed and his chest looked almost caved in, an absolute wreck of stab wounds and shredded flesh.
"Ha! Good for you, girlie." He muttered to himself, feeling an odd sense of pride.
But where was the girl?
He looked around the room until he noticed a bit of bare foot just peeking out from a shadowy corner. Carefully, he moved closer until he could get a clearer view.
"Shit."
At first glance, the girl looked dead. She was stripped naked, and her face and chest were covered in blood. The left side of her face was more bruised than Arlo had left it, and the right side was heavily swollen, the skin around her eye a sickening dark purple. From the state of her lower half, it was clear she'd been raped. Zaeed moved a bit closer to examine the body and noticed the slightest movement of her chest. Tough bitch was still alive!
He reached down to feel for a pulse when the girl suddenly lunged up at him, screaming bloody murder, switchblade in hand. Zaeed threw up an arm to block the blade, taking a gash to his left forearm but preventing any serious damage, and swung with his right fist, knocking the girl unconscious.
Zaeed let out a heavy sigh. The smartest thing to do at this point would be to kill the girl. Maybe the kindest thing too. He half wondered if she wouldn't wake up with brain damage after that many blows to the head. But she had fought like hell to survive this far, and damn if he didn't respect her for it. He could still see those green eyes, boring into his, challenging him.
Zaeed made a quick sweep of the bunker, grabbing a few of the better weapons and stuffing them into his bag, then walked back to where the girl lay on the floor. Looking around, he saw her clothes lying under the other man's corpse. They were torn and soaked through with blood. Sighing, Zaeed shrugged off his overcoat and tucked her into it, then hauled her over his shoulder and headed back out of the bunker.
~ ~ ~
Through a great combination of skill and luck, Zaeed managed to get the girl into his room at the inn without being seen. He laid her out on his bed and cuffed her once again, this time to the headboard. Once she was secured, he grabbed a facecloth from the bathroom and soaked it in hot water. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he started to wipe away some of the blood from her face being as gentle as he could around her swollen eye and cheekbone. She was beginning to stir a bit, moaning and muttering incoherently.
Zaeed dug through his bag and pulled out his med kit. He cleaned his arm where she had caught him with the switchblade, and smeared it with medigel before turning back to her. He was carefully applying medigel to the gash around her right eye, when the left one finally opened. She blinked a few times, trying to focus, before she seemed to register his presence. Panic broke over her face and Zaeed clapped a hand over her mouth before she could scream.
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you!"
She didn't seem relieved. He couldn't say he blamed her.
"Look, I get you have no reason to trust me, but you don't have much choice in the matter. I hauled your ass out of that bunker when I should have left you there to die or killed you myself. So now you're stuck with me until I figure out what to do with you. In the meantime, you'll be safe here so long as you don't make trouble for me. Do we have an understanding?"
She stared at him with her one good eye for a long moment, then nodded.
He slowly lifted his hand from her mouth, and she stayed quiet.
"Alright then," he held up the medigel for her to see, "I'm going to go back to fixing your face, got it?"
She nodded again, and he resumed his work. While he cleaned and dressed her wounds her good eye flitted around the room, taking in her new surroundings. She seemed particularly interested in the bathroom.
"Can I use your shower?" Zaeed looked down at the girl, surprised. It was the first time he'd heard her speak. Her voice was deeper than he would have expected, a bit husky. He liked it. He looked from her to the bathroom and back, his face skeptical.
"Please…" she looked meaningfully down at her body, partially covered by his coat, but still obviously crusted with the dead man's blood, among other things.
Zaeed relented. "Yeah, alright. But the terms haven't changed. I don't wanna hurt you, but I won't hesitate one goddamn second if you try anything."
She nodded and Zaeed unlocked her cuffs. Keeping one hand on the pistol at his waist, he motioned her toward the bathroom with his head. She sat up slowly, turning so her legs hung over the edge of the bed. She took a few breaths before trying to stand, but still wobbled a bit once she was on her feet. He reached out to steady her, but she jerked back so violently he withdrew his hand and took half a step back. Once she had steadied herself, the girl headed for the bathroom with Zaeed following behind her. She looked back once she got to the door.
"You planning to watch?" She sneered at him.
"Well I'm sure as hell not leaving you alone in there." He bit right back.
She glared at him, but then continued into the bathroom and started fiddling with the controls for the shower. Zaeed leaned back against the wall furthest from the shower, keeping his head turned away, facing out the bathroom door, but he pointedly drew his pistol and left it resting on his thigh.
Once she determined the water was suitably hot, the girl stepped into the shower, still wearing the coat, and drew the opaque curtain tightly shut. A second later, she tossed the coat over the top of the shower and onto the bathroom floor.
Zaeed waited outside the stall, idly examining the fingernails on his free hand. Over the sound of the running water, he heard the occasional small groan of pain as she touched a bruise, or the water hit a fresh cut. After a few minutes of quiet, she let out a particularly sharp gasp. She hesitated but then called out, "could I have a bit more of the medigel please?"
He glanced out the door to where the medigel was resting beside the bed, then back at the curtain. Well, she'd behaved so far… "Yeah, hang on."
He quickly ducked out, keeping an eye toward the bathroom, grabbed the tube and was back within seconds.
"Here." He passed the medigel around the edge of the curtain. She took it from him with a mumbled, "thanks" and he resumed his spot on the wall. A pained hiss came from behind the curtain and Zaeed assumed she must be dealing with tearing from the rape. He cringed slightly at the image, but quickly pushed it from his head.
It wasn't as if he had never thought about taking a woman against her will. There was something sickly alluring about the struggle, the fight for control, and the eventual domination of someone's spirit. Really, it wasn't that different from his job as a mercenary; it all came down to power.
But the reality of the act was very different from the fantasy. Zaeed had always found that if you knew how to please a woman properly, it was easy enough to have them on their knees begging for you. He found that preferable.
The water shut off, interrupting his half-formed fantasies involving a woman with suspiciously red hair. A hand appeared around the edge of the curtain, "towel?"
Zaeed grudgingly grabbed one off the shelf and passed it to her. A minute later she stepped out of the shower with the towel firmly wrapped around her torso. He motioned her back into the main room with his pistol, before holstering it back on his waist. He watched as she walked across the room and eased herself back onto the edge of the bed. The medigel was doing its job, some of the swelling was already going down and she could open both eyes again, but she still moved stiffly, clearly in pain.
He rummaged through his bag again, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. He tossed them on the bed next to her.
"Here," he grunted at her, "they're probably too big for you, but it's better than nothing. Your clothes at the bunker didn't look salvageable..."
Her face darkened, "yeah, thanks." She somehow managed to sound grateful and bitter at the same time.
Zaeed turned to the side, keeping her in his peripherals while allowing her to dress with some privacy. He dug further into his bag and grabbed a couple of ration bars.
"Here," he passed the bars to her, "I can get you some proper food in the morning when the kitchen opens, but this'll have to do for now." The girl opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "And don't give me that 'not hungry' bullshit. It's been at least a day since you ate anything."
She glared at him, but unwrapped the first bar and started to eat. Zaeed pulled a creaky little armchair from the corner of the room and moved it a bit closer to the bed. He sat, watching her while she ate. What was it that was so enticing about a woman wearing your clothes? His old t-shirt was well worn, and he could see the dark outline of her nipples through the thin material.
She caught him staring, and snapped, "what?"
"Just considering all my options," he drawled at her.
She flinched back, but never broke eye contact, her angry eyes like pits of acid. He was oddly relieved to see them burning again.
"Relax girlie, I ain't going to touch ya. I just need figure out how this is all gonna play out."
She scoffed, "just let me walk out that door and you'll never see me again. Easy."
"I'm not as dumb as I look, kid. I let you go now and there's nothing stopping you from going straight to the authorities and causing me a world of trouble. No, the boys will have called in our mission by now, which means our ride will be here in about eighteen hours. You'll have to stay here until then. Once we're headed off this fucking planet, you can go your merry way."
She eyed him skeptically.
"You have my word."
That pulled a harsh laugh from her. "Is that supposed to mean something to me? The word of a man who tried to use me as a walking bomb?"
"It doesn't have to mean a damn thing. Either way, you're stuck with me for the next eighteen hours. How you pass that time is up to you, but I promise it'll go a lot smoother if you mind yourself. You don't cause problems for me, I won't cause problems for you."
"Bit late for that," she muttered, turning away.
Zaeed sighed and leaned back in his chair. This was not how any of this was supposed to go. This whole mission had been one giant headache and he was ready to get out of this damn colony and forget the whole thing.
His thoughts were interrupted by a banging on the door and a voice from the hall. "Hey Zaeed, you in there?"
Shit.
Zaeed motioned for the girl to move out of view of the door and whispered, "keep your mouth shut!" Once she was safely out of the way, he opened the door about a foot, blocking the entry with his body.
"What do you want, Arlo?" he growled.
"Geez, you cranky old shit, just wanted to see if you made it back alive. Find anything good in the bunker?"
"Not much, but there were a few decent guns. You can look 'em over tomorrow." He moved to close the door.
"Whoa, what do you have company or something?" The younger merc craned his head trying to get a look into the room.
"Or something. So why don't you fuck off so I can get back to it."
Arlo laughed while Zaeed shut and locked the door, calling out, "have fun! Don't break a hip!"
"Punk ass kid." Zaeed muttered, motioning the all-clear to the girl. She returned to sitting on the bed.
"Nice friends you have."
"Co-workers, not friends." He clarified.
She snorted, "well maybe it's time for a new job then."
Zaeed sighed again, sinking back into his chair, "workin' on it, believe me."
He reached for his bottle of whiskey, abandoned the night before, and poured himself a large glass. He went to take a swig but then thought better of it.
He held the glass out to the girl, "I imagine you could use a drink, day you've had."
She only hesitated for a second before snatching it out of his hand. "You're not wrong," she said, taking a long sip. Zaeed took his swig straight from the bottle.
They sat in silence for a while, drinking their whiskey.
"So," Zaeed asked when the girl's glass was running low, "what's your name?"
She drained the last of her drink, eyeing him over the rim of the glass, considering.
"Jessica." She paused, "you're Zaeed, right?"
He grunted in the affirmative, "where are you from? You're too old to have been born on this colony."
She let out a bitter laugh and looked right through him with those damning green eyes,
"Mindoir."
"Oh. Shit."
"Yeah," she laughed again, nodding sardonically. "Shit."
Zaeed poured her another glass.
***
When she woke up the next morning, the first thing Jessica noticed was the pain. The second thing she noticed was that the pain wasn't as bad as she'd been expecting. Keeping her eyes shut, she carefully took stock of her various injuries. Her head was the worst of the lot. There was a deep throbbing ache behind her right eye and a stinging pain at the back of her scalp. Her jaw felt stiff and swollen. She shifted slightly and groaned at the sharp pull in her ribs. Everything between her legs felt raw.
The mercenary, Zaeed, she remembered, had cuffed her to the bed again before she went to sleep. She had argued him into agreeing to only cuff one arm, so she had at least been able to get somewhat comfortable. She wouldn't say so, but really she was just grateful that she had been allowed to sleep in the bed and wasn't relegated to the floor again. Zaeed had stayed in his chair, but whether he'd managed to actually sleep in it, she didn't know. She finally opened her eyes to check.
He wasn't in the chair. She glanced around the room but saw no sign of him. The bathroom door was open and, while she couldn't see the whole room, she didn't hear any sounds. She felt a strange pang of fear at being alone, which threatened to bloom into panic as she heard the door unlock. But it was just Zaeed who entered, carrying a large tray.
"You're finally awake," he observed, setting down the tray so he could lock the door.
She gave no response, so he picked up the tray again and continued, "grabbed us some breakfast. Not exactly fine dining, but the food here isn't too bad." Setting the food down on the bed, Zaeed unlocked her cuff so she could sit up properly.
The food did actually smell pretty good, and Jessica was starving at this point. She passed over the slightly suspect looking sausages and started in a bowl of some sort of sweetened grain porridge that was surprisingly tasty.
"So how did you end up on Vatar then?" Zaeed asked between bites of sausage, picking up on his line of questioning from the previous night.
Jessica took another mouthful of her porridge, buying herself time to consider whether she would bother answering him. He'd been decent enough to her so far, aside from the whole attempted murder that is, but she didn't trust for a second that he wouldn't turn on her the moment it suited him. She also knew that humanizing herself was probably her best chance of keeping him sympathetic.
"After Mindoir, my uncle took me in. He worked the mines here and was able to get me a job there too."
"You still live with him?" Zaeed asked, one eyebrow raised. "You think he's out looking for you now?"
"No, he got sick and died a few years back. Your guys chose well, no one to miss me but my boss." She rolled her eyes.
"Pretty thing like you?" he scoffed, "you can't tell me there isn't some lovesick bastard waiting for you to come home."
"Have you met the people in this town?" she looked at him incredulously, "people come through here just long enough to earn some credits in the mines before getting the hell off this rock. The only ones that stick around are the ones that are too drunk or depressed to work. No one around here is looking for anything more than a quick fuck."
Zaeed smirked, "pretty and cynical, I see."
"Oh, and you're not?"
"I'm a hopeless romantic," he deadpanned.
His face was so serious, she surprised herself by letting out a genuine laugh.
He grinned back at her.
They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence. As Zaeed was picking up the dishes he sighed, like he knew she wasn't going to like what he said next.
"Look, I've got to go into town for a bit to take care of a couple of things before we leave. I'm going to have to cuff and gag you again."
She immediately started to protest, but he cut her off. "Don't. It'll be quick, I won't be gone for more than hour. You'll be fine."
"You don't need to gag me! I'm not going to yell for help. You were right when you said that no one around here is likely to help me if they found me. I can be quiet."
"That's not a chance I'm willing to take." He almost seemed apologetic. "It's just an hour, take a nap or something."
She glared at him. She'd been making such good progress; she had really hoped he was done with tying her up. She hated being restrained, it made her feel claustrophobic and helpless. It's just for an hour. Fighting him on this won't help your case. You've survived this far, you can deal with this.
"Yeah, fine. Just make it quick, okay?" She looped her hands behind her head, hating herself for submitting, for being weak, for allowing herself to ever end up in this situation.
He locked the cuffs into place and secured the gag. As he tied the fabric around the back of her head, she felt a hot pricking in the corners of her eyes and bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. She would never let him see her cry. She carefully schooled her face into a look of bored indifference before he stepped back.
"Back soon." He tossed her one last look as he grabbed his pack and slipped out the door.
~ ~ ~
She wished she could see a clock. Not being able to know how much time had passed made it feel like days had gone by. With nothing to distract her, she was left to the mercy of her own mind which, even before her most recent trauma, had never been a kind place.
She couldn't stop thinking about Jo. Her big sister had always been the fighter; Jessica had been the quiet one. When the Batarians had attacked their colony, it had been Jo who grabbed their mother's gun, Jo who had shot two of the slavers who had encroached on their property, and Jo who had told Jessica to run while she held them off. And Jessica had run, she had hidden, and she had lived while Jo died. She'd never forgiven herself for it.
Since she left Mindoir, Jessica had tried to live up to Jo's example, she wanted to be stronger, braver, a fighter. The reality of her situation just hadn't left much room for heroics. Working in the mines had made her stronger at least and being on her own, after her uncle had died, had certainly toughened her, though she wasn't always sure it was for the best. It hadn't mattered anyway. When she had been jumped by the mercs, she hadn't been able to fight them off, and Jo wasn't there to save her anymore.
Her spiral of self-loathing was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Zaeed? You in there?" She recognized the voice as Arlo's and had to fight back a wave of nausea. Throwing up with a gag in her mouth certainly wasn't going to help her situation. He knocked again and she held her breath praying desperately for him to go away. But when did things ever go the way she wanted them to?
She could hear the sounds of him hacking the lock and then the door cracked open slowly. Goddamnit Zaeed! Why did you leave me alone? Arlo cautiously entered the room looking somewhat nervous. Then he spotted her on the bed, and she watched his face go from confused, to pissed off, to sadistic. He stepped toward her, letting the door shut behind him.
"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events?" He sneered at her, crossing the room. "Not only are you not dead, but Zaeed's got you hidden here in his room, all trussed up like a little doll. I knew he was being greedy." He grabbed her by the chin and rubbed his thumb over her gagged lips, while she stared daggers into his soul. "But I don't think Zaeed would mind if I played with his toy for a while, do you?" His other hand moved to slip under her shirt, and she bucked up as hard as she could, trying to throw him off. He stumbled back a bit and she took her opportunity, pulling her knees up to her chest and then kicking out with all her strength, she landed both heels squarely in his gut.
Arlo let out a sick retching noise and fell back on his ass. Jessica started yanking on her cuffs madly, knowing it was in vain, but refusing to just lie there waiting. She raged against the gag in her mouth, growling like a wild animal. She wanted to get her hands on the merc and tear into his flesh, gouge out his eyes, and shatter his bones. She was pure, unadulterated fury.
Arlo dragged himself up from the floor, spitting bile out of his mouth. "You fucking bitch!" He lunged at her, pinning her legs with his torso. She continued to flail but he easily had forty kilos on her and he used it to his advantage. He moved to lock her legs between his thighs, freeing his arms. He pulled back and punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. While she was struggling to catch her breath, she felt his hands go around her throat and start to squeeze.
No. Not like this. Not like this!
He was hunched over her now, teeth bared, breathing heavily, little flecks of his saliva spitting onto her face. Her head felt like it was going to explode and her lungs burned like they were full of acid. She just wished she could scream.
There was a sickening crunching sound as the merc's head snapped too quickly to one side. His hands loosened from her throat, and she desperately sucked in air. What? Zaeed quickly untied the knot at the back of her head and pulled the gag from her mouth, allowing her to more easily breathe.
"Where…" she rasped.
"Don't try to talk." He started working to remove the cuffs from her wrists, now raw and bleeding. Once he had her free, he grabbed last night's whiskey glass and moved to the bathroom. Jessica sat up and looked at Arlo's body, which had rolled onto the floor at some point. She was still staring at it when Zaeed came back, the glass now filled with water. He set it down and pulled out his med kit again. He shook a couple of small pills out of a bottle and crushed them into the water.
"It'll hurt, but drink this," he said, passing her the glass, "painkillers."
She accepted the cup and drank the whole thing in one go, ignoring the pain. She handed to glass back to Zaeed, her eyes still trained on the dead merc on the floor. She drew herself to her feet, surprisingly steady, and kicked the corpse in the head, the neck rolling limply. She stomped on his chest a couple of times and then spat on him for good measure.
"Feel better?" Zaeed asked.
"Good enough for now," she replied hoarsely.
"Here," he dumped a small pile of clothes out of his bag onto the bed, "I found a few things for you while I was in town. Looked about your size. Wasn't sure about the shoes… Get dressed, quick. We have to go."
She looked at him strangely.
"Holge is Arlo's brother and we do not want to be here when he figures out what happened to him," Zaeed explained. "Which means I need to find a new way off this rock, and you're staying with me until I find it. So, I suggest you get some clothes on that you can run in."
Jessica eyed him for a few long seconds, considering. Then she picked up the bundle of clothes and walked into the bathroom with them, shutting the door behind her.
He didn't argue.
***
While she was dressing, Zaeed packed the rest of his belongings and newly sourced weapons into his rucksack. He was ready to go by the time she emerged, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans, a black tank top, and a thick wool overcoat. He was pleased to see he'd done well with the sizing, though she did complain that the shoes were a bit tight.
"Gimme a hand with this," Zaeed nodded toward the body, grabbing it by the arms. Jessica moved to grab the feet, and together they carried the corpse into the bathroom and closed it in. "It may not help much, but I'll take every extra second we can get." He took one last look around the room and, satisfied, pulled out the cuffs again, attaching one side to Jessica's right arm and the other to his left. He listened at the door for a moment, then, hearing nothing, stuck his head out the door to look around. The hall was clear, so he motioned for Jessica to stay quiet and led them down the back stairs and out the door.
They made their way along the edge of the town, staying behind the tree line where possible and moving behind and between buildings when not. The sun was low in the sky, Vatar didn't see much daylight, but it wasn't anywhere near dark yet. The cuffs were fairly well obscured by the long sleeves of their coats, so they wouldn't look particularly out of place to passers-by, but Zaeed didn't know if Holge and Witter were still back at the inn or if they had gone into town. If they ran into them, things would get complicated fast.
It didn't take long for them to come across a small shuttle. It was in a relatively secluded area behind a run-down looking factory. Zaeed spotted a pair of security cameras, but a quick scan with his omni-tool told him they weren't actually connected to any kind of security system and were likely just there for show. There wasn't much on this planet worth guarding really. The shuttle had seen better days, but he hoped it would run well enough to get them out of the system.
"Keep an eye out while I hack the door," he told her. Just a few more minutes and he'd finally be off this goddamn planet. What a shitshow this mission had turned out to be. He had known hooking up with the Grim Angels had been a bad idea from the start, but he was running low on options. Zaeed had a low tolerance for bullshit and it never seemed to take long before he pissed off the wrong idiot and either got booted from yet another merc company or ended up shooting his way out. He'd really been scraping the bottom of the barrel with the Grims though. Again he found himself thinking that it was high time he stopped working for other people and got his own shit together.
The lock clicked and Zaeed opened the shuttle door, surprised to find it relatively clean and empty. "C'mon," he pulled Jessica in behind him and shut the door before moving into the cockpit. He undid the cuffs and told her to sit in co-pilot seat while he worked on getting the shuttle running.
"So," she asked, staring at the controls in front of her, "where are you going?"
"None of your goddamn business, is it? Once I get this thing started I'll be out of your hair and you can go back to whatever it was you were doing before you had the great misfortune of meeting Arlo."
She was quiet, and he glanced up from his work to see the strangest expression on her face as she continued to stare at the console.
"What if…" she hesitated, "what if I stayed on the shuttle?"
He stared at her, bewildered, "have you gone daft?"
She looked up at him this time, pinning him with those goddamn eyes. "I need to learn how to fight. I've been looking for a way to get off this planet since I got here, but now I'm realizing that I'll never make it if I can't even defend myself. You snapped Arlo's neck like it was nothing. You could teach me."
"And why the hell would I do that?" he asked.
"I could pay you; I've been saving up."
Zaeed laughed, "you couldn't afford my rates."
"Then cut me a fucking discount," she hissed through her teeth, "after the shit you put me through, I'd say you owe me."
"The hell I do, I saved your life twice over!" he snapped back.
"From situations you put me in!" The green of her eyes was positively acidic. He noted the fading, but still clearly visible, bruising around the right one.
He sighed. "Look, I don't have time to sit here and argue with you," he went back to fiddling with the controls, "this shuttle is taking off in a minute and heading for Omega. If you wanna hitch a ride, it's no skin off my back, but when we get there, you're on your own."
Right on cue, the console blinked to life as the shuttle powered up. "Last chance to bugger off, girlie," he eyed her from across the cockpit. She sat back in her seat, arms crossed, and said nothing.
"Suit yourself," he said, and the shuttle lifted off.
~ ~ ~
The bitch is crazy. There's no way around it. What kind of girl asks to hitch a ride with the man who held her prisoner? And she wants me to teach her to fight? Absolutely batshit, this one.
Not that Zaeed could really blame her for wanting to get off Vatar. Place was a freezing dump of a planet without much hope for a future. But he wasn't sure what she was expecting to find on Omega that was any better.
"You won't have any trouble finding mining work on Omega," he informed her, "but it wouldn't exactly be a step up from your last job. Might be worse even." He watched her out of the corner of his eye, "girl like you could do well working at Afterlife," at her sharp look he added, "you wouldn't have to dance necessarily, they always need serving girls and bartenders. Aria owes me a few favours, I could put in a good word for ya." He added on under his breath, "you'd have to learn how to smile though."
"I don't plan on staying on Omega that long," she said, ignoring his last comment.
"Probably for the best. I'd suggest you catch a ride to the Citadel. I know some people that can set you up with fake references and such, you can use them to find a job in administration or the like. Something respectable."
"So you'd help me get half way across the galaxy and find a job, but you won't teach me to fight?" she asked, defiantly.
"I don't have time to waste trying to train some backwoods colony kid how not to get her arse beat. In case you didn't notice, this last job kinda went tits up, which means I'm not getting paid and I have to find a new employer."
She slumped back in her chair, arms crossed, looking for all the world like a petulant teenager. The pouting only made her lips more appealing.
Zaeed shook his head and began entering a sequence of controls into the console, "we've got almost twelve more hours 'til we hit Omega. I'm setting the shuttle on autopilot and getting some sleep. I suggest you do the same. I've locked the controls, so don't bother trying to mess with 'em. All you'll do is set off the alarms and I'm bloody cranky when my sleep is disturbed."
She made a noncommittal noise at him, which he decided to take as assent.
Zaeed moved into the back half of the shuttle and found a small storage hold where he could lock his weapons away. He didn't think she'd try to attack him at this point, but he wasn't taking any unnecessary risk. Once everything was secured, he found a space to lay down and folded up his coat for a makeshift pillow. He tried to find a position that would leave him with the least amount of aching joints when he woke up. He eventually settled on his back and closed his eyes, but once he did, all he could see was those lips.
He shifted uncomfortably and adjusted his pants, wishing he had enough privacy for a quick wank to help him get to sleep.
~ ~ ~
He was dreaming about her. She was cuffed to the bed, her arms extended over her head, stripped from the waist up. Her mouth was gagged and her perfect lips were stained a deep red, just slightly parted around the fabric. She watched him with those fiery green eyes, but instead of burning with rage, they flamed with lust. He leaned over her and ran his tongue over her bottom lip, she tasted like blood. He bit down and she sucked in breath around the gag and rolled her hips against his, rubbing firmly against his cock. He pressed harder into her body, reveling in the friction between them.
Zaeed's eyes snapped open. He was momentarily disoriented by the switch in positions, now he was on his back and Jessica was on top of him, one hand gripping him through the fabric of his pants. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he growled at her.
She just leaned down further, until her lips were nearly brushing his, "shh, just relax," she breathed against his mouth. And then her lips were on his and goddamn they were even softer than they looked. His head was already spinning and he had to wonder if he wasn't still dreaming.
She pulled back from his lips with a small wet noise and tilted her head down to whisper in his ear, "I know you want this, you've been watching me from the start," she nipped lightly at his ear. "You took care of me, now let me take care of you."
She gently tugged on her wrist where he was still holding her tightly. His grip loosened and she freed her hand, returning her attention to stroking his dick.
"Fuck, you really are a crazy bitch, aren't you?" he asked, dropping his head back onto his makeshift pillow. She gave him a fake pout, followed by a sly smile, "I bet you like 'em crazy." She kissed him again and he gave up any thought of arguing with her further.
She trailed her kisses over his stubbled jaw and down his neck, stopping to run her tongue over a particularly nasty scar on his throat. She bit lightly at the raised scar tissue there before moving lower. When she reached the collar of his shirt, she tugged at it, humming quietly, "take this off." He complied, untucking the fabric from his pants and smoothly pulling it over his head. She eyed him appreciatively, running her free hand over the muscles of his chest, the other still focused between his legs. Her lips resumed their exploration, tongue seeking out every scar, worshipping the ruined skin. As she kissed and licked her way lower, her hands worked to unfasten his belt, clever fingers making quick work of it. Zaeed lifted himself slightly to shove his pants down over his hips, and she made a sound of appreciation as his cock was freed.
Her hand resumed its work, stroking gently over his length. His breath caught in his throat as her small pink tongue flicked out and licked experimentally at the tip of his dick. Evidently pleased with what she found, she took a second taste, this time sweeping more broadly over the head. He exhaled deeply and she smiled up at him and licked her lips before lowering her head and taking him into her mouth. His eyes wanted to roll back in his head, but he refused to stop looking at her. She looked so fucking gorgeous like this. Those lips, those goddamn lips. Considering he'd only known her for two days, the number of times he'd pictured those lips wrapped around his dick was obscene. But his imagination could never have lived up to this. The tight, wet heat of her mouth. The soft stroking of her tongue. And those perfect lips dragging up the length of his cock. It was too much.
He groaned and slid his fingers into her thick, red hair, tugging lightly near the roots. She let out the smallest moan and slid down lower on his dick. When her lips met the base of his cock, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and he swore, hips thrusting involuntarily, trying impossibly to drive deeper into her mouth. He loosened his grip on her hair so she could pull back if she wanted to, but she just moved faster, keeping him deep in her throat. His vision swam as his balls pulled up tight to his body and he shot streaks of cum down her throat. She slowed her movements, relaxing the pressure of her lips, and pulled back, gently lapping the last drops of his seed off the softening head and swallowing.
Zaeed lay there panting, mind blank, as she carefully tucked him away and straightened his clothes. Then she shimmied up beside him, laying on her side, head propped up on one hand, she gently stroked the side of his face with the other.
"Goddamn, girl," he said when he found the ability to speak again. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that?"
"Let's call it a free sample," She kept a small smile on her face, but her eyes were serious. "You want something from me, and I want something from you. I figured we could come to an arrangement."
He stared at her, disbelieving. "You're really going to whore yourself out for combat lessons?"
"Plus room and board, yeah." She sighed as he continued to gawk at her, "what do you think I was doing on Vatar to earn money? The mines have been running dry for years now, I was barely getting enough hours to cover food and rent and I needed to save up to get the hell out of there. There are worse ways to make a living, and besides," she winked at him, "I'm good at it."
Zaeed couldn't argue with that.
"So, what do you think? Do we have a deal?" she arched an eyebrow at him.
Zaeed looked her over. Women had always been his weakness. They'd nearly been the death of him several times over. He had a feeling this was going to end the same way.
Fuck it. He sighed and extended his hand.
Jessica accepted it and shook it with a grin.
***
When they arrived on Omega, Jessica found herself feeling a bit culture shocked. She had never seen so many people in one place before, it was exciting but a bit overwhelming. She'd also never seen so many aliens. There were Asari, Turians, Salarians, Vorcha, she even spotted an Elcor and had to try very hard not to stare. When she saw her first Batarian, she had to fight the urge to run. She reminded herself that not every Batarian was a pirate or slaver, but her fear was instinctual. She did her best to look outwardly calm and collected, she didn't want to be pegged for the newcomer she was, but she was so out of her element it made her feel like a child again.
Zaeed's apartment was in the Kima District, a long way from where the shuttle was docked. They caught a skycar and Jessica spent the whole ride staring out the windows at a world that was completely unfamiliar to her. She didn't exactly like Omega so far, it was crowded and dingy and had too many dark corners for her to feel safe, but it was new and different and that was enough to pique her interest for now.
When they disembarked in the residential district, she was pleased to note it smelled less obviously of urine than the docks, though it was certainly still grimy. Zaeed led her down a series of long hallways until they reached his apartment. He waved his omni-tool over the door and entered a code to let them inside.
It was surprisingly roomy and, thankfully, clean. The recycled air was odourless and a comfortable temperature. The door opened into a large living room, which was sparsely but comfortably furnished. There was a large, plush-looking couch and a couple of armchairs surrounding a long coffee table. To the left was a smaller kitchen with an island, and off-set from that, in what was likely intended to be a dining room, was a makeshift gym with some basic equipment. To the right were a pair of doors she assumed led to the bedroom and bathroom. It was a nice place, but it barely looked lived in. There were no personal touches she could see. No photos, no plants, no art or decoration of any kind.
"There's only the one bed," Zaeed said, setting down his bag, "but the couch isn't too bad for sleeping on." He almost looked awkward, standing there in his own living room. She got the feeling he wasn't used to guests. He continued, "I guess you'll need to hit the shops, grab some more clothes, toothbrush, whatever girly shit you might need." She rolled her eyes at him. "We can hit the financial district and get your funds transferred from your bank, then hit Tuhi for shopping. I'll need to stock the fridge." He stopped for a second, eyeing her, "unless you wanted to get some sleep first?"
"No, I'm good to go," she said. Truthfully, she was buzzing with energy. "In fact, I was hoping we could get in a bit of training today?" she eyed him hopefully.
He snorted, "kids. Wait 'til you're my age, you'll miss all that energy." He thought for a second before continuing, "suppose we could stop by the gun range, that's probably the best place to start. It shouldn't take long to pick up the basics and it's the easiest way to defend yourself."
She grinned at the prospect, "sounds good, let's go."
~ ~ ~
The gun range was as crowded as the rest of Omega, and they had to wait a while to get in. Zaeed explained a few of the ground rules while they waited; treat every gun as if it were loaded, keep your finger off the trigger until your ready to shoot, never aim a gun at someone you weren't prepared to kill.
When they finally got a lane, Zaeed selected a small Stiletto model pistol for her to start with.
"I'm surprised a colony kid doesn't already know how to shoot. Didn't your family do any hunting?" he asked.
"My mom did. She tried to teach me and my sister, but I didn't want to learn." Her eyes went dark remembering the tantrums she would throw when her mother would take her and Jo out to practice. Jessica had wanted nothing to do with it and she had paid for her stubbornness when the Batarians came. She'd had to rely on others to protect her and she had lost them. She would never make that mistake again.
She was grateful that Zaeed let the subject drop.
"Alright, start with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and lean forward from the waist." He adjusted her hold on the pistol grip, showing her where to keep her fingers, and how everything lined up. "You want to think of the gun as an extension of your arm, you should have a straight line from your shoulder to the barrel." He ran his hand down her arm in demonstration, calloused fingers tugging at her skin and making the fine hairs stand on end.
He stepped back and examined her stance, "good," he nodded. "Now relax. If you tense your muscles, your hands are going to shake. And don't hold your breath." She could feel his eyes on her as he circled around her back, all of senses felt heightened; she could follow his every movement without actually seeing him. "Line up the rear sight with the front sight but keep your focus on the front one," he continued. "Now breathe in, and at the end of your exhale, pull the trigger."
Jessica let the air from her lungs pass through her lips and squeezed. The noise and the recoil weren't as bad as she had been expecting. She certainly hadn't expected the thrill that went through her as she fired. It was exhilarating.
"Not bad," Zaeed said. She hadn't hit the bullseye, but she was only one ring off. She grinned madly, looking up at him, "can I do it again?"
He laughed, "you're gonna have to do it a lot more if you want to get good at it. Line yourself up and try again," he said, nudging her shoulder.
~ ~ ~
Jessica was reluctant to leave the range, she was having so much fun, but after an hour of practice she had to admit she was starving. Zaeed took them to an Asari food stand where she got a large bowl of some kind of thin, clear noodles that were a little sweet and a little salty, topped with a colourful array of vegetables and some kind of protein that reminded her of tofu. Zaeed ordered skewers that were chock full of a variety of seafoods with a spicy dipping sauce. It was some of the best food she'd had in a long time, even if the cleanliness of the stall gave her pause.
They sat side by side at the counter, enjoying their food. While they ate, Jessica watched Zaeed out of the corner of her eye. She didn't trust the man; she'd be an idiot if she did. Still, she had to admit he had his charms. His face was rough, marred by age and hard living, but it suited him. He had a body born of battle, thick with muscle and crosshatched with scars. His left arm was covered in an intricate series of blackwork tattoos that she wanted a chance to examine in detail. But more than the physical details, there was an intensity to him that she found unnervingly attractive. Everything he did, he did with focus. Gave it his full attention. When the focus of that attention was on her, it was a bit overwhelming but also strangely intimate.
She had meant it when she said there were worse ways to make a living than sex work. It wasn't something she would have chosen for herself if she'd had more options, but it was easier than mining and paid better. She'd had a few bad customers, sure, but the working girls in Meerin generally looked out for each other and kept lists of who in town should be avoided. There were even a few regulars she liked and could have a good time with. So far, she was feeling pretty good about her trade agreement with Zaeed. She found him attractive, and while she didn't trust him, she found she didn't quite fear him anymore. He'd had every opportunity to rape her over the last few days, and yet he'd never even threatened it. In fact, he'd insisted he wouldn't several times, even though he was clearly attracted to her. She realized this was an incredibly low standard to set and yet, for a man in his position, it was rare, and she thought it spoke to a strange sort of honour about him.
Well, if she was going to be staying with him for a while, she might as well try to get to know him a little better.
"So, how long have you lived on Omega?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow at her, chewing carefully on something with entirely too many tentacles, "I guess it's been almost fifteen years now."
"Fifteen years and you've never even hung a painting? Are you a minimalist or something?" she teased.
He snorted, "Don't spend a lot of time here, do I? Always off on some job, halfway across the galaxy and back. I've spent more time on ships than I have in my apartment."
She nodded and continued to probe, "how did you end up working as a mercenary?"
"Started out in the Alliance, actually," she looked at him in surprise, "It's true. I always loved a good fight, and it seemed like a good way to get to see some action. Loved the training but hated the politics. Had some real dickhead commanders who couldn't lead for shit but got off on giving orders. Not to mention all the goddamn paperwork. You know they make you fill out a form every time you get shot? Ridiculous."
She smirked at that and tried to picture him in an Alliance uniform. It was kind of hot.
"Do you ever think about doing something else? Besides being a merc?" she asked.
"What is this, twenty fucking questions?" he eyed her.
"Just trying to figure you out," she replied, casually, popping some purple vegetable into her mouth.
"Yeah well, it's my turn," he turned that intense gaze on her, and she had to fight the urge to squirm. "You said you were saving up to get off Vatar. Where were you gonna go?"
"Earth," she said simply, but he just waited, expecting her to say more. "My parents grew up on Earth, but they were the adventurous sort. They wanted to see new worlds; they wanted the challenge of colony life. To them, Earth was old hat, 'been there, done that', but I've never seen Earth. I want to see Earth. I want to walk on the ground my ancestors walked on. I want to sleep under the constellations they named. I'm not sure how a place I've never been can feel like home, but it does."
Zaeed was smirking at her.
"What?"
"Just thinking you're more of a romantic than you let on," he said.
She rolled her eyes, "my turn."
"Ah ah," he interrupted, "you got two questions. I get another."
"Ugh. Fine."
"What are you going to do for work when you get to Earth?" he asked.
"Assuming I ever get there?" she scoffed.
"You will." He looked so serious, so sure, that it made her believe him. She flushed a little,
"It's stupid, you'll laugh."
"No, I won't."
She sighed, "I wanted to be a veterinarian."
"What's funny about that?"
Jessica stared at him blankly, "I'm a hooker, Zaeed. I never even finished high school. You need college to be a vet."
"So?" he asked, "you're a smart kid and you're still young. You've got plenty of time to catch up."
"Maybe…"
"No, maybe. You'll do it," he had that serious look again. "So why vet?"
"Nope! That was two for two. Back to my question," she declared with satisfaction. "Do you ever want to do something else? You didn't sound like you were enjoying your work back in Meerin."
"It's not the work I hate. Like I said, I love a good fight. It was just a shit job with shit people." He stopped to chew a piece off his skewer before continuing, "I've got some ideas in the works. Thinking about starting my own company. I've pissed off a lot of my bosses, but I've got a longer list of satisfied clients and I know a few good specialists that are looking to branch out, think I can get 'em to sign up."
Jessica nodded, "you should do that. I'm no expert, but even I can tell you're too smart to be hanging out with shitbags like Arlo."
"That's the plan. If I'm running the show, I can be choosy about what contracts I take. I'm no saint, but I'd prefer not to take jobs that leave me feeling like I just rolled in the goddamn dirt. No more working with slavers or terrorists."
Now she was the one smirking at him. She liked the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his plans for the future. It almost made him look younger.
He shifted on his stool and looked away, "we should get going, you still need to hit the shops before we head back to the apartment."
She gestured outward with one hand, "lead the way."