Stealthy—sexy—the Maverick Dawn crept up on the tiny Dronefly.

Princess KatLe’a guided her starship over the smaller vessel, lining things up. She locked the Dronefly into position with a twist of her wrist, wondering how annoyed it made Trickle to temporarily lose control of her ship.

Nothing like a rendezvous with Captain Trickle. Where was that sake-drinking, raccoon-loving woman headed now?

---

---

With a sigh, the princess lowered the docking tunnel into the tail end of the Dronefly, well aware that it looked like the two ships were getting down and dirty.

At least she was on top. She liked being on top. If it weren’t for Trickle’s urgent summons, and her own unreasonable loyalty, the princess would be on top of a surfboard or a wizard. Or both.

KatLe’a slid the ship’s remote console into the wide leather pocket of her skirt-belt. She holstered a bling blaster on the other hip, tucked a knife into each boot, and slipped throwing stars into pockets on her gauntlets, just in case.

At the mouth of the docking tunnel, she flipped a switch. The lift moved to the side and panels emerged from the walls of the chute, creating a spiraling slide. Far below, a dim light shone from the open door of the Dronefly.

“Well, at least this part will be fun.” She jumped, and gave a “Whoop!” on her way down the slide.

---

---

At the end, the slide’s surface got sticky, delivering her onto the lower platform slow enough that she had time to see Captain Trickle’s scowl below.

“Heya,” said the princess, swinging down to the floor of the Dronefly. “You look like your usual chipper self.”

Trickle’s frown twisted on one side. “You’re late.”

“Came as quick as I could,” said the princess. “I took out a Waanker ship on the way here. And you interrupted sensitive business with that summons. It better be good.”

Trickle grunted. “You get laid more than the entire Council of Nimbus, combined.”

KatLe’a huffed a laugh. “Hardly. I’ve been to one of their parties. The stuff they’re into makes my sex-life look tame. Anyway, what’s the mission?”

"Got a fare to pick up," said Trickle. "Some guy on Laegur needs a ride. Goes by the name Lain Dakota. You know him?"

"That's not the mission you commed me about."

"Oh yeah, that. Muxx wanted us to go to some flying toaster called Whoopass 5 and meet a delegation of Xripaqs. I told him to go fuck himself."

KatLe’a put her hand to her face and shook her head. Diplomacy was lost on Trickle. “You don’t just ignore Xripaq leaders,” she said. “You know what they do when they get pissed off?”

“You know how little of a shit I give?”

“Right.” KatLe’a sighed. “I’ll go then.”

Trickle smirked.

The hair on KatLe’a’s neck rose. “You set me up.”

“You walked right into it, honey.” Trickle adjusted her cleavage. As if on cue, a fat raccoon rounded the corner and sat on the toe of the Captain’s boot.

KatLe’a narrowed her eyes at the creature, fingers itching to take out a throwing star in case the beast tried anything. She didn’t bother looking at Trickle when she spoke. “If you weren’t my aunt…”

“Aunt or not, I saved your ass, Princess,” said Trickle. “Besides, I heard Xripaqs are packing…if you know what I mean.”

KatLe’a grimaced. “They’re eight feet tall. Of course they’re…packing.”

“What—can’t handle it?” Trickle prodded.

The princess growled, just the tiniest bit. Unfortunately, the raccoon took offense, and lunged with a snarl.

KatLe’a jumped, caught the lip of the opening in the roof, and swung herself out of harm’s way. “I’ll be going, then.” She waved down to Captain Trickle. The raccoon glared up, teeth bared.

“Don’t get killed,” said Trickle.

“Not planning on it,” said the princess. She flipped the switch that tucked the slide into the docking tunnel walls. The lift descended with a low whine, but not quickly enough to avoid Trickle’s last jab.

“Hung like horses. No wonder you’re in such a big damn hurry to leave.”

Biting her tongue, KatLe’a ignored her aunt and climbed onto the lift. Off to Whoopass 5.

---

Original writing by @katrina-ariel, with input from @rhondak. 3D models by @gmuxx.

Steem Wars

---

This post is a part of Steem Wars, a sci-fi parody community project in The Writer’s Block, organized by @gmuxx. Click the #steemwars tag to read more stories.

The Dronefly Crew:

• @rhondak as Captain Trickle
• @anarcho-andrei as Lain Dakota
• @gnomed0 as Randel Tolp
• @Catherine813 as Miss Fixit
• And, of course, @katrina-ariel as Princess KatLe’a

Thank you for reading. May the Steem be with you!

Peace. @katrina-ariel

Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steemit.

dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne

---

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR WITNESSES