Better Than Cheesecake - Chapter Five - Part 1

Powering up my MSR, the "Never Die" – I plotted in the nav coordinates. The course went through the Pyro to Stanton wormhole, ending at the sprawling city planet of ArcCorp. My hydrogen and quantum fuel levels made me wince. It would be close. While the shields charged and engines warmed up, I headed to the crew quarters to change.

The quarters were for four, but I'd converted them into my domain (now with 100% more storage!) since I'd been flying solo for ages. I might have won a contest for most reclusive socialite this side of the galaxy – barring paid catering events, of course. At those, I was all charm and sophistication, gliding through crowds with practiced ease. My ability to discuss everything from imperial politics to the subtleties of terraforming with equal grace made me a hit at dinner parties. People loved my cooking but rarely got the chef along with it, just how I preferred.

Once, I had many friends and social circles that spanned several systems. As time passed, as usual in space, people drifted into different orbits, their trajectories taking them farther from my own with each passing year. Some on journeys of their own, others settled down. My kind of lifestyle – anywhere the winds blew, with Microtech as my home base and a collection of hangars and habs scattered like breadcrumbs – just wasn't for most people who craved stability. My personality was refined and elegant because I'd cultivated it that way; I was raised to be smart and self-sufficient. I'd had my share of romances over the years, a couple I genuinely thought were for keeps but turned out to be just expensive life lessons. The kind that made me retreat into my shell. These days, I'd learned to be happy with an open sky, a good ship, and the stars to guide me. Human company was optional – though occasionally, like today, unexpectedly welcome.

I quickly peeled off the elegant dress and delicate lingerie I'd been "gifted" by the now-tranquilized Captain Tarzog and stowed them to be cleaned later. The outfit was quite nice – maybe someday I'd wear it for more polite company who didn't kidnap me first. Looking through my onboard inventory, I realized I hadn't exactly packed for possible firefights with rampaging pirates with hygiene issues. The best I could do to impress the Banu crew and Sasha was a dark purple "Damon" Star Kitten medium armor. Not exactly what I'd hoped for, but it would have to do. It was good protection and cute without being over-the-top pink like the Star Kitten set hanging next to it. I put on the standard space underwear almost everyone who traveled the stars used, then the flight suit and armor, did a little Star Kitten dance for good luck, and headed to the gun rack. I strapped on my S-38 'One Empire' edition pistol with a couple of magazines for the ammo slots.

Looking around the ship for places to stow an unknown number of Banu rescues, I ran around like a Grezuli with its head shot off for a few minutes. I stashed embarrassing items I didn't want the Banu or Sasha giving me a bad time about – a couple bits of dirty clothing, a risqué holo-drama vid, a box of partially eaten gourmet chocolates, and my large Pico plushie I'd paid way too much for, which I shoved in an armor locker because it was too big for anything else. Hurrying back to the bridge and dropping into the pilot's seat, I checked the external cameras, hoping not to see a firefight with the Banu and Sasha pounding on the ramp while getting shot by hordes of pirates. "If she only had made up her mind about what to wear sooner!" would be on their dying lips.

Fortunately, the hangar remained dim and dusty. The ship was ready to go, so I opened local comms and confirmed the hangar doors were on automatic request. I sprang up again and dashed back to my quarters to grab a spare MobiGlas off my desk and give my cheeky plant a quick water before heading back to the bridge. It seemed like for...ev...er but was probably only another fifteen tense minutes. My mind had just started wandering into what I was going to eat as soon as the ship hit quantum when the door I'd come through earlier finally opened.

Sasha looked around the hangar and motioned for a small group of eight Banu, including Lowiloom in his white coat, toward the ship's ramp. I hit the open button and ran out to meet them. Standing at the top of the ramp, hoping to look like an impressive heroine, I got a reaction I wasn't expecting – Sasha looked at me, and a loud "Uwu!" came out of her. I couldn't help but giggle and make a paw motion with one hand as I waved the worse-for-wear Banu crew aboard. "I have the 'Sally' edition," Sasha said, her voice warm with excitement despite our precarious situation. "We need to go Star Kittening around sometime! But first, we better get going. The head-hunters will be onto us soon, especially with the Banu missing from their cells. You'll want to let them use your fresher before standing in the same room – that place stank!"

"I'll do that," I replied, trying to sound professional despite my delight at finding a fellow Star Kitten enthusiast. "Thank you for rescuing them. I'll do everything I can to get them to ArcCorp safely. Do you need a lift to your ship?" I asked, hoping to have a few minutes to get to know her better. She nodded, slinging her sniper rifle and coming aboard. I ushered the Banu into the crew quarters and recreational area, instructing them to sit tight as we were going to get underway. The tallest one shifted nervously, the ridges of his face tensing, but they all nodded in understanding.

Leading Sasha to the bridge, I motioned her to the copilot seat as I settled in and notified the auto-hangar control to open. The massive doors groaned apart, and I sealed the ship with a satisfying hiss. Easing the ship up until we cleared the opening, I glanced at Sasha. "Which way to your ship?" She looked at her Mobi, and a ping showed up on my console. I set a reasonable course toward it, not wanting to trigger any alarms or defense turrets. I was right that my ship had been cleared for this base, as none of the turrets swiveled our way – thank the lucky stars for small mercies.

Sasha's Ghost was parked within a few kilometers of the base, just out of range of their sensors. A sleek silhouette against the barren landscape. Looking to Sasha, I said, "If there's no big rush to get to ArcCorp, I'd like to stop along the way and get the Banu settled with a bite to eat. I haven't eaten properly in days and am sure the Banu are in worse shape. I want to talk and find out what's going on too, if you don't mind?" She nodded in agreement, her helmet reflecting the console lights. "I don't see a problem with that, Sosie. I could use something to eat too if it's not a bother?" I nodded and laughed. "You're talking to the best chef in Pyro here!" I gestured grandly around us. "Considering gourmet explorer chefs trying to eke out a living both exploring and catering are few and far between in this system." The bar was admittedly low, but my cooking really was good.

She tilted her head, studying me. "You're that De La Coeur with the catering business? I was introduced when you catered to some visiting diplomats about a year ago. I was there providing security. The food was amazing! Those diplomats were practically crawling all over you!"

"Thank you!" I beamed, even though she couldn't see my face through my helmet. I hoped she could hear it in my voice. "I do try hard to make good things. It's fun to go looking for ingredients. Maybe you'd like to come along sometime?" I asked hopefully. Having a super spy as a new acquaintance – especially one who appreciated both fine cuisine and Star Kitten – seemed too good to pass up. "I think I remember that event," I added. "Was it with that admiral passing through?" She nodded, her helmet catching the light. "You do remember! His party had nothing but good things to say about you." She chuckled. "That sounds fun, I would love to go foraging with you sometime. Let me send you my private contact. I work a lot, and it's tough to find fun people that don't try to shoot you or crawl into your flight suit with you." She flicked her contact info to my MobiGlas, and I tried to concentrate on setting the ship down next to her Ghost with a bit of flair rather than dwelling on having just scored the contact info of the coolest person I'd met in years.

Walking her to the back of the ship, we stopped to check on the Banu. They were all in the recreational room, chatting and looking through the ship stores with curious gestures. I let them know we would be stopping after a bit, and I would be cooking them something to eat. They nodded hungrily, and Lowiloom made a slight bow and thanked me with a formal gesture, the ridges of his face moving expressively in the Banu way of showing gratitude.

I led Sasha to the back of the ship and dropped the ramp. "Let's stop at the foot of that first dog-leg," I suggested. "These Banu look ready to eat my chess set – pieces, board, and all."

"That sounds great," she replied with a laugh that made me smile. "I can't wait to see what you cook up!" She waved and ran to her ship to prepare to fly, her movements graceful despite the armor. I waited until she had powered up before closing the ramp. Walking back to the bridge, I had a little bounce in my step. I peeked in on the Banu and let them know we would be exiting atmosphere soon and to get seated.

Back on the bridge, I settled into my chair and checked the scanners. Sasha hovering nearby, keeping an eye out for hostiles. I eased my ship up, gradually increased thrust, and angled toward the heavens. Checking the rear cameras, I was relieved to see the pirates seemed none the wiser – no swarms of Buccaneers came bursting out with guns blazing. I hoped my pirate ride experience was officially over, and I would definitely skip the in-ride holo-photo print, thank you very much!