Baiting the Trap

Shadow

“Okay, Inara, we’ve broke atmo. You’re free to go.”

Hesh Davoy released the microphone and heard Inara’s response.

“Thanks Hesh. I’ll see you in two days.”

The pilot hung up the mike, focusing on keeping the Firefly steady as Inara’s shuttle departed for her rendezvous with the Governor. Having a Companion on board was certainly interesting, and it more often than not gained them access to places and jobs that they might otherwise be denied. It certainly made life on Destiny more upbeat; with the higher number of jobs coming in, Tark and Elise had upgraded their guns, Gretta had purchased the medical supplies she needed and Togan had finally been able to upgrade half of the parts on the engine. The ship ran much smoother now, and it made piloting her much easier.

“Is Inara off?” Etris asked as he entered the Bridge.

Hesh nodded, not taking his eyes off of the screens in front of him.

“So she goes off again, having all sorts of exciting fun while we get stuck actually working,” the pilot whined. He risked a quick glance back at the Captain. “Does that seem right to you?”

Etris laughed. “Her job does seem a mite more enjoyable than ours, doesn’t it?”

“She’s still a whore.”

Hesh recognized Elise’s voice and cringed. They didn’t need to get into this discussion again, not while he was trying to land Destiny and keep them all in one piece. Elise Dyan: merc, tracker, pilot, and hater of all things not done the hard way. Ever since Inara had come on board, things had gotten tense around Elise, particularly in the love area. The bed had gotten really cold between Hesh and Elise during the last month, after the pilot had voiced his opinion of support for the Companion.

Well, he wasn’t going to get into it now, not with a job to do.

“Later, dear,” he stated, making it sound as commanding as he could. He was surprised when he heard her retreating footsteps; she had actually listened to him for once.

Etris patted his shoulde