Gene had just recently stocked up on caster shells and though Aisha had recently devoured a man her belly was shrinking rapidly due to her merciless Ctarl Ctarl digestive system. 30 men seemed a lot for one voracious catgirl. Most likely Aisha would only be able to stomach one or two more though her pride wouldn't allow her to admit it. Suzuka had decided to tag along on this one too, it was decided that Mel though would stay back with John. Later that night at around 10:00 the crew stepped out of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. Gene had a calm look on his face but Jim could feel the anger brewing beneath the surface. Sure he liked to get shitfaced and yeah he sometimes took on jobs that could be legally 'questionable'. Deep down he was actually a decent guy and the thought of slavers setting up shop just a few blocks away right under his nose sickened him. Jim smiled to himself, that was his Gene! Gene hadn't taken him in just for his brain, Jim knew, for that he was grateful. Aisha patted her belly happily. It growled a little but more likely from working on breaking down a Terran man than from hunger. It was noticeably smaller than when she'd returned from her waitress job a few hours earlier.

Gene reached into his pocket and removed 6 separate caster shells, he rubbed them reverently looking at their numbers, "Sure that's going to be enough?" Suzuka asked.

Gene shot Suzuka a 'are you kidding me?' style stare, "Please, I wouldn't waste 6 perfectly good casters on some back alley slavers. I'll just find the leader, embed a number 14 into his skull and that'll be that."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Suzuka said cryptically.

Gene frowned, "Do you know something about these guys I don't?"

"No...... not them specifically. But when I was with the Kei pirates......" for a moment Suzuka had a far away look on her face, after a second or two she was back, "..... Well they trafficked in slaves too. For them it was better to destroy the product than allow it to fall into security force hands."

"....... That's terrible." The calm face Gene had been trying so hard to maintain was finally gone.

"Don't worry guys, I'll pack em all away before one of them can even try to harm a hair on a single kid's head." Aisha patted her small belly and flashed her friends a predatory grin.

All 3 of her companions looked at her skeptically, "Perhaps you could...." Suzuka humored her, "but I still think we should move cautiously."

"Yeah," Jim agreed, "we should make this into a covert operation....... Don't look at me like that Aisha!"

"Ahhhhhhhh Jimmy I'm huuuuuuuuuuungry!" Aisha whined in her high pitched scratchy voice.

All the crew members winced, "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of Terrans for you to chow down on." Jim assured her laughing, only he seemed to enjoy Aisha's antics.

Gene and Suzuka glared at him not wanting the young outlaw to encourage her.

"There better be or you might just have to take their place Jim." She smiled and reached down to mess up his hair.

Of course Aisha would never eat Gene or Jim. Well, at least not Jim. She'd already lost her chance to recover her rank as ambassador over them. After the Galactic Leyline incident the Ctarl Ctarl Empire had decided the outlaw duo knew too much and couldn't be allowed to live with such 'classified information'. Aisha figured in actuality they were probably just embarrassed that Gene and Jim had witnessed them fail to secure the Galactic Leyline and saw the pride of the empire malfunctioning firing off in every random direction. Aisha couldn't bring herself to do it and instead of hitching a ride home, returning rankless, she decided to join up with Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. Melfina was happy, at least as happy as a human android could be, Suzuka seemed indifferent, Gene was glad though he hid it well, Jim didn't try to hide his joy when he learned Aisha would be staying with them for quite some time.

Jim tried to push away Aisha's hands, "Stop treating me like I'm a little kid!" He griped.

"But you are a little kid...... and what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Aisha turned her hard rubbing into a noogie.

"Argh, quit it!"

"Knock it off you two." Gene loaded his gun with some non caster shells as they approached a well kept looking set of storage warehouses, "Okay, this is the place." Gene knew that behind those thin metallic walls sat dozens of children working feverishly to produce........ something.

John had been vague about what the slavers had them actually doing, or if they were doing anything at all and were merely being housed to be sold to potential buyers, it didn't matter. He trusted that kid, especially after he saw him offer himself up to Aisha. Not even Jim would have the guts to do that! He wasn't quite sure what his big sisters reaction might be. He liked to think she'd never eat him. All the doors on the warehouses were locked, and not with padlocks but with a fingerprint recognition pad. Gene smiled, they certainly didn't want anyone who wasn't supposed to be there to get inside. There was also a slot for a key card.

"Okay let's split up." Gene motioned with his hands the directions he wanted each crew member to take, "There's got to be a master key card for these doors, let's try to find it but we might have to club some schmuck over the head and use his hand instead. Aisha, if it comes to that, just leave us an arm so we can get in."

"I'm not making any promises, I'm pretty hungry."

Gene sighed.

"We shouldn't eliminate any of the guards or workers until we've actually confirmed there are slave children here." Suzuka spoke up.

"Agreed." Gene nodded his head.

now it was Aisha's turn to sigh. They each went off in a different direction. Walking alongside one of the warehouses Jim saw a small separate one room building. He slowly walked up the single three steps leading to the door and turned the knob, it wasn't locked. Inside was a carpeted office with a large leather couch, a few bookshelves filled with records and documents, a desk with a laptop and a lamp on top of it, and a few house plants to give to room color.

The key card had to be in here, "JACKPOT!"

"How'd you get out?" An amused gruff, yet decidedly feminine, voice rang out behind him.

Jim turned to see a tall Ctarl Ctarl with messy shoulder length blonde hair. She was well muscled and sported a small belly much like Aisha's current one.

"How'd I........ get out?"

The Ctarl Ctarl mercenary eyed the young boy, he had the look of a slave, he seemed like he was used to hardship....... Yet his clothing wasn't what they'd rationed out to their 'product' nor did his face hold any recognition for her. Could he have just wandered in here off the streets?! She briefly toyed with the idea of turning him over to the slavers for a small profit but than thought better of it. She could use a snack.

"I'm sorry." Jim said sheepishly pushing his two index fingers together nervously, "I guess I shouldn't be in here........ I'll be leaving."

The Ctarl Ctarl stepped into the office shutting the door behind her, "No...... you won't."

Jim audibly gulped. The Ctarl Ctarl looked at his young tantalizing terran flesh and licked her lips.

"Off with your clothes.......... we've got to get you back in your uniform. I don't know where you got these clothes but they've got to go..... Come on, undress and I'll take you back to the others." It was a weak lie and one that Jim recognized immediately.

He cowered in the corner as the catgirl slowly advanced on him.

Terran ears wouldn't have been able to pick it up, but Aisha was no Terran. She could have sworn she'd heard a distant scream. Jim?! Was Jim in trouble. Aisha dropped the terrified Terran she'd been interrogating and sprinted off in the direction she'd last seen him. As she neared the location she'd last seen him and ran off in the direction she knew he went off in she heard another softer more muffled scream. Spotting the office, with inhuman speed, she ran up to the tiny structure and kicked in the door. Within she saw