Alien Legion: Arrows of Artemis
By C.S. Hayden
Alien Legion is the trademarked and copyrighted creative property of Carl Potts as published by Epic Comics/Marvel Entertainment 1984-1993. This is a work of fiction loosely based on the characters of Alien Legion and is unauthorized by its creator Carl Potts.
Plot and additional original characters copyrighted 2002 to Christi Smith Hayden
Arrows of Artemis
XII. Roughnecks and Snakegirls:
The darkened bar was lit at intervals with backlit colored panels behind which females of different species writhed and danced for the entertainment of the questionable clientele that frequented the outpost on the rim of the Orphides Shield. The seedy atmosphere made it the perfect place to make clandestine plans and underhanded deals, and subsequently, an ideal setup for a sting operation for intelligence operatives like Artemis.
"There's another batch of rogue miners coming in from the asteroid field," Rhianna commented as she set a tray full of empty glasses on the bar. "That tough-looking Orestran is down the street at the assay office. He's drawing a crowd so Jez wandered down there to look."
"Good," F'marrl nodded approvingly as she polished glasses between customers. "That means he's been paid and that always makes him talkative." She turned and talked into the mirror behind the bar as she put the glasses away. "We won't have a better time to lure him in, captain."
"I know," Jaikira's voice answered from behind the two-way glass. She came out dressed in black and silver - a finely knitted chain mail halter and hip chains over a black leather bustier and pants that fit dangerously low. Her hair was drawn up in a high cascade bound with a spiked metal band. "The problem will be finding a legitimate reason to get him in the backroom."
F'marrl cocked her head and cast a critical eye over the commander's wardrobe. "Not that I would know," she commented, "but that outfit would certainly do it."
"Yeah," Rhianna agreed. "I've watched him when he's in here. That's one Orrie into dark kinks. He'd beg you to whip him with your tail."
"Yeah." Jaikira studied the fingerless glove on her left hand. "Maybe I should challenge him to a Jentuku match." The other two females frowned at each other. After a brief bout of depression when they left Greelbase, their commander had thrown herself into their assignment but she still had moments when they all knew her mind was elsewhere. Shaking it off, Jaikira put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the bar. "Right," she said with a determined set to her chin. "Let's make this happen."
"Hey, feather head!" bellowed the broad-chested Orestran that strutted into the bar. "Bring out your best wenches and let's have a real show! Suipaiku is in the house! Let the party begin!" His angular markings seemed to have turned his sallow face into a permanent leer.
F'marrl cast a withering look at their target but nodded at him politely in her guise as bartender. She tapped a contact button beneath the edge of the counter to tip off the others. Rhianna locked eyes with her briefly as she picked up a fresh tray of drinks.
The red panel directly in front of the Orestran began a slow pulse to the music coming over the sound system, giving glimpses of an undulating serpentine body. A group of rough-looking miners sauntered in and took the neighboring table, much to the displeasure of the Orestran's party.
F'marrl didn't give them a second glance until she noticed that the tallest one was Jentekian. "Oh, eggs of my ancestors," she murmured under her breath and nudged Zora who was working behind the counter with her. "Is that who I think it is?"
"Who?" Zora peered into the crowd, her feline eyes better in the dim light. She rose on her toes and her whiskers stood on end. "Oh, dearrr... And overrr by the doorrr," she pointed discreetly, "that's Tonk, the heavyworlderrr that Zeerrrod calls theirrr heavy gunnerrr."
"It is, isn't it? There's bound to be others." F'marrl cringed. "She's already on stage! We can't stop now!"
"Well, this will cerrrtainly be a good test of herrr acting abilities," Zora commented, shaking her head. "I'll just pass the worrrd to the otherrrs." She slipped away silently.
The tempo of the music increased and the intensity of the lights behind the red screen grew brighter. Somewhere a female began singing a hard-edged shatter rock ballad with a low, sultry voice. As the song built, growing faster and louder, a stage extended into the room. With a brilliant burst of light, a whip-like tail split the screen and Jaikira burst through the crimson acetate, playing Naja to the hilt. She spun her body around on her tail in an impossibly tight torso twist and sneered at the audience at her feet with smoldering eyes.
"So," she called out defiantly, "which one of you guys is man enough for me?" Not pausing for a response, she locked eyes with the Orestran freetrader that they'd been keeping under surveillance for the past few weeks. Breaking into a seductive croon, she pivoted until she was looking at him over her shoulder. He raised his glass to salute her - and she slapped it out of his hand with her tail. It had the reaction she had been expecting.
"Yes!!" Suipaiku jumped to his feet, his slit pupils wide and dilated with excitement. "That's what I want! Five hundred creds for a private show!"
"Ha!" Naja scoffed and smoothly undulated away from the edge of the stage as F'marrl cued up the music for the next song. "You think you can handle this? Think again!!" She started off with a bump and grind move, rotating her torso sinuously as she belted out the opening verse in a throaty contralto.
"Woo-hoo!" called a green-skinned thug at the next table. "Yeah, baby -- shake that thang!" He nudged his neighbor who was nursing a mug of grogh. "Damn! No wonder you're such a wreck when she's done with you!"
"Well, now you know."
Those comments, clearly audible during a pause in the music, made Jaikira's head snap around for a millisecond. Jugger Grimrod was there with a ragtag assortment of males, and sitting next to him was Sarigar. He was smirking at her over the top of his mug and had changed his look so drastically from his normal by-the-book appearance that she almost didn't recognize him. He'd cut his hair, a close buzz cut on back and sides that made his profile less angular. Dressed as he was in the drab clothes and mismatched armor that most of the miners wore, he didn't look anything like a Legion officer, especially not when he was leering like the rest of the audience.
Her earring buzzed and F'marrl gave a whispered prompt, "Second verse, Naja!"
Grinning nervously, Jaikira tossed back her hair haughtily and let Naja work her wiles on the audience. Inwardly, she was panicking about how this must look -- Sarigar preferred them to avoid any signs of impropriety in front of their troops and here she was, working a room full of males up into a lustful frenzy. She cast another worried look in his direction.
Sarigar smiled at her and mouthed, "Love you."
Instantly, Jaikira knew that he understood the situation and whatever she did, he would tolerate it. That knowledge alone made it easier to do her job. A very naughty thought occurred to her and she wondered just how far she could push him as she began to wind down the song. Twirling her hair around her head, she continued the spin as it passed down her body -- the glint of the spotlight as the chain mail halter flared out, then the arc of the hip chains, and then her tail spiraling back up and around her body in an intricate pattern. At the height of her spin, Jaikira used the rotation to push right off the stage, across the Orestran's table and directly onto Sarigar's lap. His grogh flew out of his hand and splattered the crowd, but no one objected; they were too busy enjoying the show.
"I'm working," Jaikira murmured in his ear. "What are you doing here?"
"I can see that," Sarigar concluded. "I'm here for your report." His voice was steady but she could tell he was aroused by the hot look in his eyes.
"My target is at the next table," she hissed as she got up from his lap, stretching sinuously. "Provoke him." She pushed away from him roughly, smiling wickedly at the Orestran as she swiveled in his direction.
Reaching out, Sarigar narrowed his eyes at his black-lipped rival and pulled her back. He slapped his hand on her backside and said defiantly, "Mine!" The Orestran jumped to his feet.
"Oh, yeah?" Jaikira retorted haughtily as she slapped his hands away. "Show me the color of your creds, roughneck!"
"You don't want him," Suipaiku declared. "No ragtag miner can deliver the delights that I can." He tossed a handful of credit chips on his table. "Come here, girl, and give me a proper show!"
"Girl?" Jaikira blinked. "GIRL?" Her tail snapped.
"Now you've done it," Sarigar said dryly. "Jugger, back up. I know this tone of voice."
Eyes flashing, Jaikira stalked towards the sallow-faced Orestran. "So," she said in a dangerously low voice, "you want a 'proper' show, do you?"
Suipaiku grinned triumphantly. "You know it, baby!"
Her tail lashed out before he could blink, putting two thin slices across the chest of his expensive tunic. "You don't know what you're asking," Jaikira said with a cold curl of her lip. "I can dance so that it will turn your bones to water."
"I'll double my offer," Suipaiku said, his black-tattooed mouth hanging open as he began to hyperventilate. "I'll triple it!!"
"Too rich for my tastes," Sarigar said, throwing his hands up, "but you're making a big mistake, sweetheart. I got what you need right here."
"Money talks, roughneck," Jaikira shot back smugly. "Put up or shut up."
"Hey, I'll be here when you're done," Sarigar said. "You'll be back."
Jaikira rolled her eyes and smiled at Suipaiku. "That's what they all say." She was busy thinking of her next move so she was totally unprepared when Sarigar chose to do something out-of-character; he pulled her back and kissed her roughly in front of everyone. She was so startled that she wasn't sure how to react. Fortunately, this was not the case with her target...
"You dog!" Suipaiku roared and grabbed Sarigar, sending him crashing into a table. "Keep your filthy hands to yourself, rock hound!" He gestured to his men. "Get him!"
"Now this is more like it!" Jugger grinned and barreled into Suipaiku's enforcers. Red-headed Rhianna joined the melee by bashing the ones closest to her on the head with her steel serving tray. Heavy set Bezel and scaled Sanna headed in from their posts as bouncers.
"What--" Jaikira ground out as she cocked her fist back, "--do you MEAN coming in MY place and starting a FIGHT!?!" Her fist connected with Suipaiku's tattooed jaw, staggering the thick-bodied Orestran back on his heels. She caught him again on the back swing and was winding up for a third hit when Suipaiku caught her wrist.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and Suipaiku licked it away with a fat, slug-like tongue. "I knew you were a wench after my own heart," he said in a cold voice. "You like it rough, don't you?"
"Not as rough as you're about to have it!" she retorted and used his own grip on her arm to pivot him around her in a hip throw ... directly into a powerful slash from Sarigar's tail. His extended tail spikes clubbed Suipaiku behind the head and the Orestran sank into a heap on the floor.
Jaikira clapped her hands. "Well done, dear!"
"I aim to please." Sarigar nodded his head modestly. "Where do you want him?"
Dodging another combatant, Jaikira replied, "Stow him in the back. F'marrl and Zora will take care of him. I've got to cool things off out here."
Sarigar gestured to the massive Legionnaire that had been waiting by the door. "Tonk! Give us a hand!"
"Jud a momend, major." Tonk swept one massive purple arm out and neatly intercepted two of Suipaiku's men that had escaped Jugger's attentions. They dropped in their tracks like they'd run into a sealed bulkhead. Satisfied that they weren't getting up, Tonk lumbered over and collected the unconscious Orestran. Bezel came over to assist when it became apparent that Tonk couldn't fit into the passageway past the bar. Sarigar hefted Suipaiku's legs while Bezel steered from his legs.
"In herrre, majorrr," directed Zora, going before them and opening a door to a makeshift infirmary. There was a bed with restraints ready for their prisoner and Sarigar hesitated to think what other purposes that Artemis might be using the room for.
"Where's Captain Jaikira?" he asked, glancing at the monitors that had views of the bar. "She doesn't appear to be out there."
"Perrrhaps she's gone to tidy up," Zora suggested. "Her dancing was morrre inspirrred tonight for some rrreason." She snickered through her whiskers even as she went through the motions of restraining the prisoner.
Sarigar went back out into the hallway and continued down the corridor. A hand reached out and pulled Sarigar into a darkened room. His assailant slammed him up against the wall and covered his mouth with vicious, desperate kisses. He chose not to struggle but pulled her to him even tighter.
"'Mine?'" Jaikira asked incredulously, when she paused to breathe. "And what was the thing with the slap?"
"You are," Sarigar said gruffly, "and admit it - you deserved it." His fingers spread as he caressed her backside. "You know very well what you were doing to me while you were up on that stage-"
"Damn miner roughneck."
"Damn sexy snakegirl." He grinned against her lips. "Definitely keep this outfit."
"Oh..." Jaikira grinned back knowingly. "Gar likes leather and chains, does he?"
He answered her by kissing her hard enough to bruise her lips. "Promise me something?" he asked as they both gasped for breath. "Promise me when this is over, you'll dance like that for me."
"Are you sure?" she teased. "Look what happened to the last guy."
"I'll risk it." He sighed and held her tighter. "I wish I had more time. We have to rendezvous with the fleet in a few hours."
"I suppose the next words out of your mouth will be 'duty before pleasure.'"
"Regretfully, yes. I'm carrying sealed orders from General K'thok and I have to take a full progress report back with me." Sarigar lightly caressed the back of her neck. "Let's hope your target is feeling talkative." He pulled back and looked her directly in the eyes. "I don't know about you, but I was hoping we'd have some time just for us."
A slow, sultry grin came over Jaikira's face and her eyes sparkled dangerously. "I'll see what I can do." She reached down his torso and unbuckled his belt. "In the meanwhile, we have strict rules about carrying loaded weapons."
Falling back against the wall, Sarigar could only watch as she lowered herself on her coils before him. "I, ah, suppose you feel duty-bound about disarming me?" He bit his lip at the first cool touches of her fingers.
"Oh, yes. I can't have you pointing this thing at just anyone." She bit him lightly. "Just so you know, major - this is mine."
Sarigar found her logic to be particularly persuasive.
After an extensive review of Artemis' mission on the Orphides frontier, Sarigar went back out to find a less hectic setting in the bar. With his feet on a table and a cold mug of grogh in his hand, Jugger was holding court at one of the smaller side stages where a dancer was doing a show for him behind a screen. Rhianna and Kataki had taken over the bartending duties while Bezel and Sanna were sharing buckets of grogh with Tonk.
"Welcome back!" Jugger crowed. He waggled his eyebrows at his commanding officer and leered. "How was the staff meeting?"
Sarigar merely sat down with his compupad and commented, "I'll be going over the captain's report in more detail later. What's been going on out here?"
"We sent the rest of that Orestran's crew packin', an' Lt. F'marrl had a couple of the girls tail them. Otherwise, Tonk an' I have been blendin' in." Jugger grinned at the female gyrating behind the screen. "Enjoyin' the scenery, as it were."
Glancing briefly at the dancer, Sarigar recognized the way she held her hands in certain gestures and wondered if Jugger had made the connection yet. He shook his head and suppressed the urge to chuckle at the irascible Thracian as he went back to his reading. Becoming engrossed in the report, it was nearly an hour later before he was pleasantly disturbed by a kiss on his forehead.
"I see you've made yourself at home," Jaikira said as she settled in on Sarigar's lap. She had removed the chain mail and was wearing a sheer black shirt over the leather. He started to protest being used as furniture but she put her finger across his lips. "Out here in the club, I'm Naja and she likes to sit on people. You don't want me blow my cover do you?"
Smiling ruefully as he put his arms around her, Sarigar replied, "I suppose not." It was clear by the tone of his response that he wasn't that upset about it. Jugger chortled but kept his eyes on the dancer.
The door to the back rooms swung open and F'marrl came out, brandishing a pencil file in her talons as she headed for their table. "We have something," she said. "I double-checked with the surveillance we've been doing down at the docks. There's a correlation between Suipaiku's trade runs and the increase of Harkilon raids in this sector. You'd think they'd try something new after Orestra VII."
"What about those anomalous incidents out on the rim?" Jaikira asked. "The ones that those rogue miners were talking about?"
"He was uneasy on that subject," F'marrl replied, the feathers on her forehead ruffling as she frowned. "Orestrans get very uncomfortable when they get confronted with new information. I'm having Zora implant a false memory of this evening."
"Why the false memory?" Sarigar asked. "And what are these 'incidents?'"
"Standard operating procedure," Jaikira replied. "Zora uses a combination of psychotropic drugs and hyper tape learning to alter a target's memory, especially if we aren't finished with him. Suipaiku's contacts may be more useful to us in the long run so we're going to tag him and cut him loose after feeding him some kinky story about the back room." She smirked at Sarigar's raised brow ridges. "And no, I'm not going to tell you. Use your own imagination."
"And as for the incidents," F'marrl continued, "we're not exactly sure whether they're something to worry about or not. The miners that we've talked to aren't the most reliable sources so we've been checking to see if any of the other major spacegoing races know anything."
"Worst case scenario, it's an unknown xenon incursion." Jaikira shrugged. "If we don't turn up any collaborating evidence, then we're going to write it off as another batch of space dementia."
The comunits on all three Nomad members beeped. Pushing the cuff of his jacket up, Sarigar frowned at the readout on his gauntlet. "Bad news, darling," he murmured to Jaikira. "Gokk's ahead of schedule. We've got to head out now to meet the fleet."
Jaikira stuck her chin out. "I could refuse to budge, you know."
"I'd only have to pull rank." He pulled her into a tight embrace and everyone present found somewhere else to look. "We'll be checking in every few weeks," he said softly in her ear, "and next time, pleasure before duty, hmm? My treat."
"Mmm-hmm." She pulled back and smiled slowly. "I'm going to hold you to that, major."
"Duly noted, captain."
"You know," Jugger commented from his spot near the stage where he'd been trying without much luck to chat up the dancer behind the screen, "if you two get any more cloying, I'm gonna puke. Just kiss her, pat her on the ass, an' let's go."
"Love and romance, Thrax style," Jaikira commented dryly as she got off of Sarigar's lap. She looked back at the screen and smirked. "It's no wonder you started lopping off their testicles, Jez."
The dancer behind the screen shrugged her shoulders expressively. Jugger's mouth fell open as he backed away from the stage. "No-no-no!! That's gotta be Yosh or Miah or one of the other ones. She's too tall t' be Jez!!"
Jaikira elbowed him in passing. "Amazing what you can do with the right pair of boots."
"True," Rhianna commented from the bar. "Guess that extra four inches did the trick."
"But--" Jugger stared as Jez pulled out a knife with her signature serrated blade and began to pare her fingernails. "But--"
Sighing, Jaikira deftly turned Jugger around and steered him towards the door. "Here you go, dear. Jez has successfully turned him into a babbling idiot." She smiled sweetly at Sarigar with a malicious gleam in her eye. "Have fun."
"Stay out of trouble," Sarigar answered back. He took her chin in his hand and kissed her one last time. "I'll see you soon."
"You'd better be."
To be continued in "Part XIII -- Turning Point"
