Chapter 10
Juego
The MSV Juego was a standard human designed Kowloon class merchant vessel. Three interchangeable compartments were fitted into the main structure. They had large square shaped floors and were barely 20ft in height, giving the ship a bulky flat look.
It worried Ash that they were going into unknown territory in this ship, slow and defenceless. Not good.
As Ash and Léon reluctantly approached the entrance doors hissed open and a Salarian walked through.
"Welcome, welcome! You must be our passengers. Pleasure. You can call me Veloce. I'm the captain. Come, come!" He gestured for them to follow.
A Salarian? On a human made vessel? Ash kept her thoughts to herself as the two humans followed the Captain inside the ship. The doors closed behind them as they entered the airlock and the decontamination system sprung into life.
"Sorry about this." Veloce said as the machines did their job. "Must be done. Still, very slow."
Ash noticed Veloce looked very impatient, as if he viewed the process as a drain on his life. Which to him, it probably was.
The inner doors opened as the machines finished cleansing, and the three walked inside.
"Crew quarters are at back of ship. We have spare beds. Come, come." Veloce hurried along. Ash wasn't sure if this was just him being himself or if he was in a major hurry.
They turned right towards the rear of the vessel and passed through into the first compartment.
Ash saw that a whole range of species were at work inside. More Salarians looked busy with paperwork, hurrying around checking the crates. The crates were being moved around by a group of Turians and Humans who looked like they were having a hard time avoiding the Salarians who rushed around as if they had no time to worry about safety. A group of Salarians and Asari were scanning crates with their Omni tools. Looking for dangerous materials, Ash guessed. She counted four armed guards. Three Krogan and a Turian. Mercenaries, Ash figured.
"A varied crew." Léon pointed out. "Didn't figure aliens would be using human built ships."
"Not the best designed ship. Can't afford a new ship myself." Veloce replied. "Won this from the old Captain. He liked to gamble. Big mistake."
The crew paid no attention as the new guests made their way through the room and into the next container. They passed through two more storage containers, both of which were very similar to the first, and they entered the rear of the ship into a hallway that branched out into three small rooms all containing bunk beds. The Captain led them into the room straight ahead and pointed to a bunk that looked freshly made.
"You'll sleep here. No private quarters, sorry, no room." Veloce said.
Ash shrugged. "You know where we are headed?"
"We're delivering cargo to Watson, in Sigurd's cradle. Was told your destination very close to there. No specifics."
"I'll give you the exact co-ordinates when we get much closer. No offense, we just have to be very careful." Ash said as the Salarian gave her an untrusting glace.
"Credits are credits." Veloce shrugged, as he started towards the door. "Must go, very busy."
Léon looked around. "It's nice." He said with a hint of sarcasm as he sat down onto the bottom bunk. "Any preference?"
"I'm fine on top." She removed her weapons and placed them at the foot of the bed.
"We should rest up while we can." He said as he followed suit. He saw Ash looked tired and wondered when she had last slept.
"Yeah." Ash began to strip off her armour. She took off her gauntlets and shoulder pads first and placed them on the floor. Her chest piece came off next, leaving her standing in a tight vest top. Normally she'd have been wearing her blue alliance uniform underneath, but they would have given her identity away as a marine, so she was wearing casual clothes. As she placed the armour with the rest she caught Léon staring. "Hey, get your tongue off the floor will you?"
Léon lay down on his bed and gazed at the mattress above, feeling slightly embarrassed. He saw her remove her leg protection out of the corner of his eye before sliding the armour under the bed and disappearing as she pulled herself up onto her bunk.
Ash grabbed her pistol and placed it under the pillow. Just in case. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Léon stripped down to the same black outfit he had been wearing earlier. It was all he had. He removed his jacket and slid it under the bed with the rest of the belongings, and then he too laid back and drifted off.
Ash woke up as she felt the presence of people entering the room. She opened her eyes and watched as several Asari and a couple of human women undressed ready for bed.
"Sorry, I did not mean to wake you." An Asari stood by the closest bunk said as she noticed Ash was awake.
The two human girls looked uneasy in their underwear as they noticed Léon asleep in the bottom bunk. The Asari didn't seem bothered at all by the male presence. Léon appeared to be in a deep sleep and didn't move as the crew climbed into bed.
"Guess there's no room in the male quarters." One of the girls said sounding a little frustrated.
"Sorry. This is where we were told to stay." Ash replied.
"It is quite alright." The Asari in the next bed whispered. "We are used to having guests travel with us, but usually they are separated into different rooms depending on their gender. But Veloce hired double the amount of Mercenaries for this trip. I guess he is nervous of you both."
"We don't mean to cause trouble." Ash laid back down. She was used to living in small living spaces shared between both sexes on the Military ships. Every bed was normally filled, and there was never an equal amount of both genders. There just wasn't enough space to separate the two. This was a civilian ship however; the crew would normally enjoy those types of luxuries. Almost instantly, she fell back to sleep.
Léon awoke with after several hours. Everyone else was still asleep. He swung his legs out if bed and planted his feet on the floor. He sat for a moment as he let himself focus. He got out of bed and left the room quietly. The ship felt quiet except for the sound of the drive core and life support groaning away. He made his way through the compartments towards the cockpit. Several guards were still awake, watching him closely as he passed.
He entered the front section of the ship and peaked into the cockpit. They were already in the Skepsis system headed towards Watson, the third planet from the sun and the location of the coordinates he'd found in Elias emails.
He found Veloce and the rest of the Salarians in a room next to the cockpit.
"You guys don't sleep?" He said as he entered, all eyes set in his direction.
"We have slept. We Salarians only need a very short time of rest. Do you need something" Veloce enquired.
"Just looking around. Didn't want to disturb my roommates."
"Hmm. Rather you kept to your quarters. Don't like having unknown passengers on board. Need the money, but risky."
"I understand. Where can I get some breakfast?"
"Later. Will bring to you in quarters." Veloce sounded agitated, and a little nervous.
"Alright. Sorry to bother you." Léon walked back towards his room. He was glad that the trip was short; he wasn't too keen on spending too much time in those cramped conditions. Although the roommates sure makes up for it. He grinned at the thought. Like many men, he found the Asari attractive, but not as much as the humans occupying the bunks opposite. He had woken up when the crew had entered for bed, but he had kept still and felt a bit perverted as he watched the girls undress. He knew he shouldn't, but it was hard not to.
The doors to the rear section opened and Léon met Ashley who was stood in the hallway, still dressed in her tight top and leggings.
"Where've you been?" She asked.
"Just for a wonder around. But the Captain wasn't too fond of that."
"Hardly surprising. And my face is up here." She said, directing his gaze away from her body.
Léon moved his eyes up, trying to hide a smile. "We're not too far off now, anyway."
"We should check our equipment." Ash said as she led the way back into the quarters, getting the feeling that Leon's gaze was burning on her behind. She rolled her eyes.
They checked their weapons and armour thoroughly and they were both back in their armour and kitted up by the time a Turian came in to deliver a message.
"Captain says we're setting down to make delivery. He's asking to see you."
"Alright." Ash turned to Léon. "Let's go, Perv."
The Turian led them through the storage areas, once again filled with the crew going about their business. Veloce was in the cockpit, looking over the Salarian pilots shoulder. He turned as he heard the humans approach.
"We are docking to unload in a few minutes. Where do you need to go?"
Ash handed over the data pad displaying the co-ordinates.
"Hmmm." Veloce entered the coordinates into the map. "Other side of planet. Not much in area. Tree's mostly. No known settlements. Strange place to go."
"It's the co-ordinates we were given. Something has to be there." Léon insisted.
"Unable to land in area. Will have to dock here, in this colony." Veloce pointed at a settlement a few miles away. "We will wait here for a day as agreed, then we will have to go. Can't afford to wait longer. Time is money."
"It'll have to do. Wildlife looks thick." Ash said as they approached to land, relived that they had made it here without any trouble. She looked at Léon. "Hope you're ready for a hike."