Privateer's Commission 2 -Ch 1-

Chapter 1

“You know what? You’re a thief. A damn thief,” hissed the nurse, followed by a groan. She then laid down the cards she’d been holding face down and stood up. “I’ll not play another hand with you Privateer, it’s obvious you’ll take everything I wager.”

“Oh, I’m no thief. I just play cards well enough that it might as well be stealing,” Ralph replied with a grin, laying the cards he’d been holding down in his right hand down.

His left hand was of course, gone.

Today was the day that changed though.

The day he got the prosthetic that would more or less be permanently attached to his arm and never coming off. Because the Pureblood had gone above and beyond to make this happen and Ralph was getting something that had only been theoretical.

A full prosthetic that would replace his wrist, be grafted directly to the bones, tendons, and muscles, and provide a base for him to insert any ‘hand’ he wished. It’d taken longer to get done as well as a few more surgeries, but it’d all happened.

There’d only been a brief interlude to allow some healing in between before it moved forward once again.

The Pureblood had discharged him per contract stipulations at full pay, bonuses, and all the promised benefits if he were wounded.

Xas, Delilah, Marionette, and Winnie all were taking the time to relax, refit, and get ready for whatever came next. Eun had regretfully gone back to duty with the Calesat as she had been there as a guest, and not actually part of his crew.

“Hm,” grumped the nurse with a smile. Then she shrugged her shoulders and left without another word. She was a somewhat fun individual, but Ralph hadn’t really given her much attention either.

It was likely why she was somewhat prickly with him if he didn’t miss his guess.

He was quite happy with Marionette in his life and wasn’t about to jeopardize that by making a pass at the random nurses that shuffled through his stays in the hospitals.

As the nurse left, the door hung open and a new visitor came through.

A visitor Ralph had seen a lot of as of late.

His personal doctor, Liseth Vannah.

The aunt of his last target before losing his hand in the fight that came after that.

He’d captured her at the same time he had captured Mike for the Pureblood to use in an exchange. Except the Vannah family had no use for Liseth and had told the Pureblood to do what he wanted with her.

To which Ralph immediately made a claim on her and now she was his physician.

“Liseth, you beautiful woman,” Ralph said with a grin as soon as she came in.

To which she gave him a small smile and moved toward him holding onto a medical slate.

She was young enough that she was quite attractive, but not so young as to be confused with someone who had only just started out in her career.

Liseth was actually right around Ralph’s age, just with a number on longevity treatments. Quite like himself, in fact. She looked closer to Marionette’s despite that.

She had fair skin to the point of it being the color of bleached paper, hair pulled behind her head in a loose bun that was so pale in color it was nearly platinum blonde, and eyes that oddly were dark, comparatively.

Her figure was slim, for the most part, but there was the tell tale signs she’d had her bust added to and perhaps some things done to her waistline.

While she was no Marionette, Liseth was an attractive and striking woman.

“You seem perky,” she murmured in a dry tone as she walked up to his hospital bed. Setting the slate down into the dock on a medical device next to the bed she tapped at it twice and looked to him. “No pain with the adjustment? I need to know, Ralph.

“There isn’t much time to make any changes after today. This’ll be it for at least a year. We’ll need to give it that long just to figure out how your body accepts it.”

“You know,” Ralph began and quirked a brow while watching Liseth. “I wanted to make a comment about you being perky, but you blew right through it. Now I’m left with trying to make a comment about having ‘your body accepting it’ but that’s just crass.”

Liseth blinked at him, the small smile still in place. It seemed to be part of her ‘bedside demeanor’ more than an actual smile. She didn’t say anything and just stared at him.

Waiting for an answer.

“Yes, Doc, it’s fine. Everything feels like I should. I think,” Ralph said and held up his stump.

Or at least, where the stump had been.

Now there was a bright and shiny metallic cap at the end of his wrist. Packed full of electronics that wouldn’t have an issue being lodged inside of flesh and tissue, or cause issues with said meat.

Cutting edge technology that was quite literally in the hypothetical stages.

A happy coincidence of money, influence, and the need of a test subject had married the causes together with Ralph getting the very first application as a result.

The Terran Confederation was happy, they had a test subject of note and worth.

The doctors involved were happy, because Ralph had everything they needed in a perfect case scenario to attach the cap to.

The Pureblood was happy as he would be able to show off how he took care of a Calesat war-hero.

Ralph was happy, he was getting a prosthetic that’d mimic a hand, just with less feeling or sensation.

All those happy people were watching today with a great deal of trepidiation.

Only an hour ago the cybernetics doctors for the project had come in, made a few final changes, then closed up the new joint and sealed it. It wouldn’t be opened again for a year unless there was something critically wrong, or there was a life threatening emergency.

Doing so would risk the integrity of the stump’s health as well as the cap’s ability to function.

“It’s kind of hard to tell other than… well… it’s a stump?” Ralph asked and held it up to her. “But hey, you know what, you’re much better than my left hand. It wasn’t doing that much for me anyways.

“He was a bit of a laggard and always ended up feeling like second place. Ya know?

“When the Pureblood told me you weren’t going home all I had to say was, ‘you know Pureblood, I could use her since I lost my left hand’ and here you are.”

“Mmm, so you’ve told me,” murmured Liseth, the small smile tightening at his words. She leaned in, took the metallic cap in both hands and rolled it one way, then the other. Moving his forearm as she did so. “You’ll forgive me if I seem a bit fussy about being traded so casually.”

“I mean… I get it. You weren’t my target, but I couldn’t just leave you there alive, either,” Ralph mumbled. Not for the first time he felt guilty about Liseth. At the same time, he didn’t quite feel that guilty either.

If he’d left her there, she’d have died with the ship explosion.

“Yes, yes, I know. I would’ve died one way or the other,” Liseth whispered and tipped the cap toward herself and peered into the port at the front of it. It’s where the cybernetic hand would go and directly intersect with the tendons, nerves, and muscles that’d been pulled into the technological singularity that was his wrist. “I’m actually thankful in a number of ways for what happened. Just… not entirely.

“I had a life. Friends. Even a few members of my family that weren’t that hostile to me. It’s sad to see it all vanish just like that.”

“I mean… okay, but it isn’t gone,” Ralph argued. He’d been chewing on this one since she said it the first time a few days ago. In the months she’d been tending to him during this he’d spent a lot of time talking to her. “I’ve never restricted you, I don’t put any ownership on you, and I pay you what a specialist doctor would be paid.

“You’re not so much a blood slave or servant as just… uh… my doctor. You’re my Doc, Doc. Privateer Doc. Lady Doc?”

Liseth finally gave him a real smile at that, released his metallic cap, and lai dhis arm down next to him in the bed. She watched him for several seconds while smiling then blew out a breath.

“Yes. You’re treating me as crew. You’re… you’re not wrong. I suppose I’m being a bit melodramatic,” Liseth said, rolled her eyes, and looked away, her smile never faltering. She finally looked back to Ralph. “Well… captain… everything is as it should be. The prosthetic team will be in shortly to… insert it… and we can watch you to see if your body accepts it.”

The way she’d said that final sentence had most certainly been deliberate.

As if she knew exactly how those words would sound without context and giving them a flat delivery.

“What,” she said, her smile becoming a grin. “Do you think I’m Winnie? Desperate to get you into a bed and flirting with you at every opportunity?”

Liseth laughed softly, picked up the data slate and read it over quietly.

“You… are far more of a tease than Winnie is, you just do it from a point that it makes it hard to respond to,” Ralph accused her of, eying her with a grin as wide as her own. He found the flirty byplay with her as enjoyable as it was with Delilah.

“I know it. You like it, I like it, it’s fine,” Liseth murmured, her grin faltering as she read over his data. “Your sperm count is quite down, though that’s not unexpected given the dosages on the painkillers you’ve been taking in for testing.”

“Want another sample? Inserted directly and we’ll see how your body accepts it?” deadpanned Ralph. He hadn’t been pleased when Liseth had demanded he put a load in a small cup for her, but he had complied.

“Maybe in the distant future,” Liseth answered as she tapped at her slate. Then sighed and shook her head. “The longeve updates they did for you at the same time are also causing issues with your hormonal balances. I’ll keep an eye on it but it isn’t anything to be concerned over.

“And yes, before you ask, everyone either got their first treatments, or updated, like myself and Delilah. It’s aggravating to admit, but Marionette somehow looks younger than previously. Some women have just… perfect genetics.”

Finally, Liseth turned back to him and stood there, waiting.

It was obvious she knew he had questions.

He’d been cooped up in this hospital for nearly a week and they had disallowed him a tv or most anything that had a signal that could possibly interact with the technological marvel on his wrist.

That meant no phone, no radio, no tv, no tablets, nothing.

Only medical data slates, nurses, and visitors.

Though as Liseth had said, most of his visitors were getting longev, or longevity treatments, and had been occupied as well.

“How’s that Mirkil war going?” Ralph asked instead.

“Not too badly for the Confed. That newly minted Cavalier of theirs has been leading the way. Most recently he cleared part of the Hive city and destroyed several capital ships. While in a Walker, no less. The Dashi are most certainly regretting their invasion, though to be fair, having an enemy as strong as the Lord Cavalier will drive their peoples forward in a surge after this. Even if he is non-human.”

Blood are strange and interesting people.

Having an enemy as strong as that young man is only makes them try harder, rather than want to quit.

“Anything else?” Liseth asked, her head tilting to one side. “And don’t flirt, Ralph. I’m here as your doctor in this moment and to make sure you’re well. Your care is my primary concern.”

Ralph’s quip died unspoken and he sighed, then looked at his metallic stump.

“Is it gonna hurt when they put the prosthetic in?” he asked.

“Most certainly. It’s directly interfacing with nerves and tendons in a facsimile enviornment so that you can move the hand as freely as if it were your own. Those nerves and tendons have been dormant and unused. It’ll be like you’ve slept on your hand and it’s waking up,” Liseth answered, her eyes watching him closely. “I’ll be here to monitor and watch of course, but I will not be able to administer anything. They will need to test, adjust, and watch your responses.”

“And I didn’t even get a hook out of it,” Ralph mumbled instead with a laugh.

“Ah, that’s not true. I bought you a hook,” Liseth replied, her small smile reappearing again. “If the hand needs cleaning, there’s a disconnect separate from the control rod. You can pull the hand off and clean it. It’s dishwasher safe you know.

“During that cleaning process, you’re supposed to be a non-conductive sleeve over the control rod to protect it. The doctors are supplying eight of them just in case, they’re cheap and would likely be disposable.

“I bribed one of them to give me a few extra. I had them fitted with other prosthetics that wouldn’t have the tech, but would work just fine. One… is a hook. A nice silver one.

“I also had one set up to receive a sword blade down the road or a pistol if you wished.”

Ralph laughed loudly at that, watching Liseth as she spoke.

“What?” Liseth asked, her smile once more growing wider. “Now… be a good captain, don’t be fussy, and I’ll sneak you your phone after the get you settled.”

“Really, Doc?” Ralph asked eagerly.

“Of course,” Liseth assured him, dipped her head fractionally, then opened her mouth to continue speaking and went silent. The door had opened and she’d looked over to it. She returned her gaze to him, and smiled genuinely. Her eyes crinkling at the edges. “Until later, Captain.”

Fuck.

I’m not looking forward to this.

***

Ralph held up his left hand and slowly flexed all the fingers one by one. Then he had them each touch his thumb. Next he used his thumb tip to touch each joint of each finger.

He closed his hand into a fist, squeezed it as hard as he could, then relaxed his hand completely.

The dull unreflective dark gray metal hand performed fairly well.

It was a bit slow, a bit inaccurate, but Ralph could tell it would get better with time and usage.

Because when he’d first tried doing this last week, it had failed spectacularly. He hadn’t been able to do much of anything.

“It seems like it’s coming easier?” asked Marionette from the dinning table seat beside him. “Your moving it around much better than you did in the hospital?”

Grinning, Ralph turned and looked to his Ship’s Mistress.

The Lady Smiling Siren herself.

Marionette in all her beautiful glory was looking at him.

She was currently dressed in black’s and reds and looked as if she were ready to go for a stroll down a plaza for a photo shoot.

She was a stunning woman and had always been.

Liseth had been right though, and the longevity treatments had somehow smoothed out a few tiny imperfections, leaving her all the more lovely.

Long dark black hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes, made her remarkable to look at for her features alone. An elegant beauty that drew eyes and attention where-ever she went no matter what.

In addition to her fantastic looks, Marionette had been blessed with a great body. One she had put a great deal of care into, modified with some small amoutn of surgery, and had worked to shape into what could only be described as a weapon.

Marionette was heavy in her chest and hips, narrow in her waist, and was only five foot one at best.

A woman sculpted to fit a stereotype and doing it perfectly by her own mind and design.

Knowing full well what her looks gave her, she had molded herself into a weapon created to distract and get what she wanted out of people.

Which had been a modeling and acting career until her planet had run afoul of house politics.

“Don’t… say it. It’d be stupid and even I came up with it,” Marionette grumbled, looking at him with a smile despite her tone. She was currently picking at a salad that looked quite dry and boring to him, but it was part of the mental control she exhibited to keep her body as she demanded it to be.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rio,” Ralph lied smoothly. He couldn’t deny he had been considering making a comment about ‘always coming easy’ with her. “You malign me Lady Siren.”

Marionette wrinkled her nose at that and shook her head.

“Liar,” she whispered, then leaned in and kissed him. A kiss full of warmth and care that left him unable to argue with her when she pulled away. “Oh! I want to take that photo in front of the placard today. I got the other photos I wanted. I have one of me pointing to the Privateer Armory placard, the Privateer Siren Placard, and I want one of all of us in front of hte Privateer Toll placard.

“I don’t really have to hide it anymore since uhm… well, they figured out who I was after your jaunt through space with Blood Orphans and blowing up a Battleship got every headline across the Terran Confederation, the Corridor, and most Bloods. A photo popped up of me when we were waiting outside the hospital for you and it just… chained from there.”

“Oh? That doesn’t sound like great press for you, does it? An actress and model serving as a Ship’s Mistress?” Ralph asked.

“Mm, I thought it’d be a problem at first, yes. But… it’s actually getting people interested in my career instead?” Marionette mused after she finished up chewing a forkful of lettuce. “I’ve gotten a lot of requests for work since then. I’ve turned them down of course since… well… I’m not technically a Confed citizen right now. I’m a citizen of Calesat until whatever happens with Gin happens.

“I don’t plan on taking a step off the ship unless I have to, or it’s with you. It’s just not worth the risk.”

“Noooope!” Xas interjected, followed by a high-pitched and rapid fire laugh. “Not worth it at all!”

A flicker on the nearby screen preceded Xas projecting an animated version of an avatar there.

An animated CGI woman, except the features weren’t constantly shifting anymore.

Xas had settled on an avatar that didn’t morph wildly anymore.

Bright red-hair, bright green eyes, a freckled face, and petite features.

Surprisingly, it was a Dashi woman.

Xas had been inspired after looking into the Dashi war with the Mirkil house.

“Because any man with half a brain that knew you weren’t a citizen would start a war for you,” Xas said with another laugh. “You’re a walking escalation for any nation leader.”

“Shush you,” Marionette murmured with a grin, peering at the screen.

“Noooooo, I refuse. Also, since we’re finally done with all the prosthetic stuff, what’d you want to do next, Ralph?” asked Xas.

Marionette turned and looked to Ralph as well.

Raising his eyebrows as he thought on that, he realized his medical vacation was over.

It was time to get back to work.

“How’s that Mirkil war looking?” Ralph asked.

“Like it’s about to become bigger. Might become a Confed war,” Xas answered. “Mirkil is supporting House Bertson who in turn supports House Ginil.

“Which are all in direct opposition to House Feda, who invaded House Ginil, and their supporters house Zane.”

“A Confed war,” mused Ralph. “Well, that’d be one place to make a lot of money, wouldn't it. Because I’m not so sure the Calesat war is a good place for us anymore. As much as I liked Eun, I was getting tired of announcing our presence before the fight.

“I’d rather just blow them up and pick through the wreckage if they don’t get the hint immediately. That and having to constantly pick military targets.”

“To be sure… House wars always end up being ‘total war’ without restriction,” Xas confirmed. “Should I plot in a course? Though, we’ll still need a pilot, won’t we?”

Damn, yeah, we will.

I liked Eun a lot.

She was fun.

But… but in the same breath, she was here because she was assigned by the Calesat.

Everyone else is here for us.

I’ll think on it.

For now, we need to go see house Mirkil and if they’re hiring Privateers.