Chapter 11
Trove
There was something about the familiar weight of a pistol in his hands that brought Trove no small amount of comfort. He smiled as he tested the weight of his new weapon, looking it over and stroking its body with a joyful reverence.
“A shooting range?” Chee asked, incredulous.
“It’s fun,” Trove chuckled, turning to her with a grin.
His weapons, like his clothes, had all been destroyed in the Humility’s destruction. It would take a while to restore his collection. He enjoyed a wide variety of weapons, not just projectile ones, but a standard, handheld pistol would always be his favorite.
This was a great one too. A sleek, silver body, rounded and curved in all the right places, fitting comfortably into his hand.
It had options for plasma fire, laser fire, and less lethal pulse fire.
It had a range of five kilolengths, four underwater, six in zero atmosphere.
The glowing purple lights on the side could be turned off for night mode or brightened just to look good.
He even got it engraved up the side. The old domini words gave him comfort as he tested it between his hands.
Chee, who was watching him play with it, made a simple, “Uh-huh,” sound in the back of her throat. “You just wanted to test drive your new toy.”
“Guilty,” he winked. “But I’m not selfish. I’ll let you have a turn too.”
“How generous of you.”
“I’ll take a few shots, then you can take a few. I’ll show you how it’s done, don’t worry.”
Chee grinned, hands held behind her back. “Oh, really? Will you?”
“Of course. I’ve taught all my sisters how to shoot.”
“You have sisters?”
“I mean Goldie and Grace and Haven, of course,” he said. “The captain taught Garnet. But self-defense is a very important skill, you know. And with your smaller bodies and weaker forms, a weapon like a pistol very neatly evens the playing field.”
“True.”
“Now, the most important thing about owning a weapon is to always make sure it’s loaded, ready to fire, and set to the highest lethality that is safe.
Typically, you don’t use plasma fire on ships, because plasma can cut through the hull and that would kill you.
Which you don’t want. You only want to kill your enemies. Which is why you always shoot to kill.”
“Yeah, none of that sounded right,” Chee muttered, but he wasn’t listening. His sisters had all had the same complaints to what he considered very basic instructions.
Turning, he aimed down range and let out three quick shots.
The private range room he had rented for them was designed also for any shot type besides plasma.
Unlike the simulation one he had on the old ship, this was for live rounds.
And it felt good to feel that familiar, determined pulse of energy humming against his palm.
The three shots clustered perfectly in a little triangle downrange in the middle of the target. Just as he wanted them to.
And like venom draining from a wound, just that was enough to make him feel a bit better. The tension and unease and discomfort that had been following him for so long, since the Humility had exploded really, finally began to ebb a bit.
“See?” he smiled at Chee. “Nothing to it.”
“It does look easy,” she agreed, beaming back at him. “You’ll really teach me how to use it?”
“Indeed,” he smiled. “In fact, I’ll make you another deal. If you can hit that middle of the target there, anywhere in the middle white circle, I’ll do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”
Chee giggled. “Deal! Okay. Teach me then.”
He did so, passing his pistol to her. He took the time to show her how to grip it first. Since he had chosen it for his hand, the grip was a bit too big for her, but with just a little adjustment, she found her own grip.
He then moved on to her stance, showing her how to plant her feet and bring up her arms. Shooting really wasn’t difficult; it was the aiming that was the hard part.
He honestly would be happy if she just hit the target at all.
“So, what you want to do is line up your hand and your eye. It’s a bit different for me, as I have three eyes, but my other human students tell me that you naturally hold it just a little lower than I would, so however that looks for you.”
Chee did so, holding it with both hands just like he taught her. Staring straight down the barrel with a surprisingly serious look on her face.
“Good,” he praised, looking over her whole form. She stood with a lot of confidence as well. “Now, don’t be discouraged if you don’t hit the-
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Three blasts of laser fire. Exactly as he did it. Immediately, automatically, Trove glanced down range. Then, had to do a second take.
She’d not only hit the target, she’d hit a perfect triangle right inside his, inverted so that their six combined shots made a circle.
He stared, stunned for a moment. Then, when she lowered the pistol, he looked back at Chee. She smiled at him and, for some reason, blew on the barrel like she was puffing away smoke.
“How’d I do, teacher?” She asked smugly.
“You played me,” he said, impressed and delighted in equal measure, a smile pulling at his cheeks.
“Not entirely.” She laughed. “I’ve never used an alien gun before. But my mom taught me how to shoot the moment I turned eighteen. She believed in self-defense in a world of men much bigger than me too.”
Trove threw back his head, laughing uproariously. Fantastic. That was absolutely fantastic! And she’d played him so easily too!
“Now,” she cocked her hip out, putting a fist on it as she smirked. “I believe you said we could do anything I wanted next, didn’t you?”
Grinning, Trove leaned in closer, hoping that she wanted what he did. “Very well, little female. I’m yours to use however you please. What will you do with me?”
***
“Er, are you sure this is what you want to do with me?”
“Stop complaining.”
“I’m just saying, there are other ways you can use me.”
“Sh…” Chee said, grinning with her eyes closed.
And while Trove certainly enjoyed the sight of her at peace, relaxed, and happy, he was just confused about why she had chosen to bring him here.
A spa.
Such places were very common on space stations.
The stress of living on starships could be heavy on the body.
And it was just as hard on the smaller ones as it was on the large ones.
The lack of natural light, being surrounded completely by steel and technology all the time, sometimes not even having a good air recycler so every breath was stale all weighed down on a body.
Spas were therefore important for mental and physical health.
Trove never really cared for them himself. Honestly, life on the Humility, even at its worst, had been like a vacation compared to everything that came before it. When his whole life felt like a day relaxing at a spa, why did he need to come to a place like this?
He would have happily pleasured Chee. Licked her until she screamed. Worked her body until she was shaking, incomprehensible, and more relaxed than this spa could ever make her.
But no, she had chosen the spa. She was still choosing the spa, even though he was sure he was making it clear that she could just take advantage of him. One of the benefits of being his friend, as a female, was that he was quite happy to see to her pleasure.
No, instead she chose a hair, skin, and nails treatment package that included both creams and massages for the skin as well as a full hair styling and optional claw styling.
They’d just finished the skin treatments, which included bathing in a very slick, milky, shimmery fluid that he did not think was actually good for his skin.
Oh, sure, it probably made it softer and shinier, but he didn’t really want that.
Tough skin was a benefit in his life, he didn’t want to remove that barrier and make himself weaker.
But he had promised to do anything Chee wanted, so he soaked in his bath with a mask over his eyes.
Though he was wearing a simple covering over his groin, making him more than presentable to his way of thinking, he and Chee had been separated for that part – by her request. He certainly wouldn’t have minded bathing with her. But no to that as well.
And now they were lounging, enjoying some crystal chime music from a planet he didn’t recognize, doing a steam treatment.
Which apparently just involved some infused steam floating over them as they reclined in form fitted chairs, waiting for their turn to get their hair cleaned, treated, and trimmed. It was all very… boring.
However, Trove had lost their deal, so he kept his complaints to himself – not his confusion or his offers, just his complaints – and tried to find the enjoyment she did in this experience as he just sat there.
And sat there.
And sat-
Oh, thank the void they were being moved to the next room for hair treatments.
That part wasn’t any more exciting, but at least it wasn’t literally just lying there.
Apparently, Chee and Trove had two different hair types – he wasn’t sure what that meant.
But after someone went through and examined their hair and declared their type, they got different workers who were experts in that type.
Trove’s was a domini, handily enough, but Chee got a tall, lanky female with pink skin and white hair that sparkled like starlight.
She and Chee immediately set to planning out her hair like it was a combat mission.
Meanwhile, Trove had to try to figure out what he wanted done with his hair.
He just kind of sliced at the ends with a knife when it got too long.
A fact that apparently horrified his stylist who immediately set to work on correcting whatever grievance that was.
Trove had very little say in his hair style. Not because he wasn’t allowed, but simply because he didn’t care. Honestly, he could be shaved bald, and he’d shrug and deal with it until it grew back.