Kharon Part 60

Kharon Chapter 60

       Johnny begins to walk circles around Kiarah looking her up and down.  Kiarah bristols like she is about to lash out and strike him but Luke quietly reaches out a hand to stop her.  “I heard rumors there was a survivor from The Quarsian Massacre but I assumed that it was just sea tales.”  The three crew members remain coldly silent studying this stranger as he continues speaking.  “Clearly I was incorrect and what a fine specimen survived at that.  Couldn’t have dreamed of any better.”  Johnny then stops examining Kiarah and stares directly at Simone.  “But what I want to know now is how you ended up with Simone?  Thought you were a solo act?  What made you finally start recruiting?”

        Simone narrows her eyes.  “Do I know you?”

       “Hmmm don’t remember all your exploits do you?  I guess when there are as many as you’ve had it becomes difficult to keep them straight.”  Johnny lets out a small snort.  “You raided my ship when it was docked at Merian’s Lagoon 412 cycles ago.”

       Simone’s eyes go wide for a moment and then she regains her composure and tries to act cool.  “Oh.  Well like you said that was hundreds of cycles ago and besides all’s fair in raiding and love as they say.”  Simone then walks up to Johnny and puts her arm around his neck in a seductive way.  “I’m sure some arrangement can be made where I can make it up to you”, she says as she runs her hands down his abdomen and along the inside of his thigh.

        “Well there are plenty of bounties on your head currently”, says Johnny.

        Simone presses her body against Johnny’s and starts moving her hand to center.  “I was thinking something more suitable to both our needs.”

        “Your Quarsian friend then?”

        “What?!”, says Kiarah and Simone in unison.  

       Johnny pushes Simone away and walks over to Kiarah.  “I could use a Quarsian on my crew.”

        “She’s not my slave.  Negotiate with her yourself.”

        “How about it?”, says Johnny with a wink.

        “You will drop dead before that happens”, Kiarah coldly replies.

        Johnny sighs and looks down at the ground crestfallen.  “See that’s what I thought.”  In an instant before anyone can react Johnny unsheathes a weapon and fires it at Kiarah.  A serpent like device shoots from the weapon towards Kiarah and encircles her neck and begins to glow.  Kiarah tries to pry it off but it only coils itself tighter and glows brighter as she starts buckling and collapses to the floor with a grunt.  “My eyes and ears at the market spotted you and tipped me off.  So I had this little gadget specially calibrated for a Quarsian.”  Johnny then turns to Simone and Luke who are now charging towards Johnny.  “The standard model should work on you two.”  With that his thugs fire similar weapons and glowing serpents appear wrapping around Simone and Luke’s arms and torso.  They instantly fall to the ground writhing.  

       Johnny continues talking.  “You see when Simone here ripped me off I owed a lot of people a lot of money.  So I ended up becoming a bounty hunter."  Johnny walks over to Simone and stands over her watching her gasp and struggle.  "Gotta thank you Simone.  It was the best career move of my life.”