Nick comes back for more sexual exercise, and by this time Morn has become adept enough with the zone implant control that she can activate the combination of buttons that stimulate desire without him even noticing what she's doing.
As Nick leaves Morn, he tells her the ship will burn for two more hours. When he's gone, she adjusts the zone implant control settings for low level rest, then sets it to sleep for slightly over two hours when she hears the acceleration alert from the bridge. Morn may not have anything in particular to hope for in her future, but she at least has the satisfaction of knowing she's mastering control of the zone implant.This occasion was a reprise of the last one. He was the fooled artist, exalted by her unquenchable and misleading response: she was the false instrument, pretending it was his manhood which drove her wild. what they did together didn't diverge from the template she'd established earlier until he'd expended his hunger in a climax so poignant that it brought tears to his eyes.
This time, however, he didn't fall asleep afterward. Instead he lay beside her and held her tightly in his arms while his breathing slowed and his tears dried on his scars. At last he murmured at her ear, "I was right." His tone was almost tender. "There's nobody like you. No woman has ever wanted me enough to give herself up like that."
Captain's Fancy's crew is in a partying mode after this most recent burn, as there is no detectable pursuit from law enforcement and little need for most of the crew to be working. After two-and-a-half weeks of this relaxed and intoxicating atmosphere, discipline has become so attenuated that Nick feels the need to put the crew to work on a complete overhaul of the ship. He leaves command second Mikka Vasaczk in charge of this, while he mostly stays in Morn's cabin for sex, sleep, and the telling of stories centered around his legendary accomplishments.
Her catering to him allows her to survive and to freely roam the ship. But her freedom to roam turns out to be more curse than blessing for her, as she never has a chance to access a computer to find out where they're going--and she has to deal with the unwanted attentions of data first Orn Vorbuld with increasing frequency.She hated that: she hated him and everything he did. Sometimes her revulsion grew so acute that she lay awake while he slept, gritting her teeth and imagining how good it would feel to cut his guts open and pull his testicles out through his abdomen.
Nevertheless she suffered his presence; she burned with passion at his touch; she encouraged him to talk. She could see what the things he did meant.
She was becoming valuable to him.
Morn feels that telling Nick about Orn or hiding in her cabin signals defeat, so she chooses instead to find Vector and talk with him. Vector reminds her that he told her Orn has the glands of an ape, and no scruples. He further states that all she has to do is stop him. Fuming at the unhelpfulness of this answer, Morn leaves Vector to head for the galley and consider what she will do. Orn arrives shortly thereafter, having likely set the ship's sensors to monitor her moves and let him know whenever Morn is alone.He seldom spoke to her; but he never let her pass without touching her. On the first occasion, he only repeated the caress he's once given her hair. But on the second, he managed to rub a hand across her breasts before she moved out of his reach. On the third, he squeezed her breasts so hard that they ached for an hour afterward.
Later he caught hold of her and kissed her like a lamprey. She wasn't able to break loose until she contrived to slam the heel of her boot against the back of his knee.
She hurt him enough to make him let go--but not enough to make him stop stalking her.
Orn tells Morn he wants her, and she tells him she doesn't want him. Orn is unconvinced, and also informs Morn that he's set the computers to trigger a complete wipe of the systems if he's not around to prevent it. His point is that Nick needs him alive, whether Nick knows it or not. As he tries to reach Morn, she throws coffee in his face, and struggles against him. The crew notices soon after, and then Nick enters the galley.
Vector washes the blood out of Orn's eyes as Nick checks to make sure that Morn is all right. Then Nick hears Orn protest that Nick should have kept Morn locked up. Nick tells Orn to say good-bye. Orn brandishes a knife, which Nick kicks away and Mikka collects. Nick and Orn fight, and while Orn initially appears to be winning, Nick ultimately prevails and has Orn on panting on the floor. While Orn is kneeling on the floor, Nick takes the knife Mikka offers, and puts slashes under Orn's eyes. Nick is about to finish Orn off when Morn warns Nick of Orn's claim that the ship's computers will be wiped of all information without Orn around. Nick gets Vector's confirmation that Orn is capable of this.Morn heard boots running. Then Nick said casually, "Orn, I think you've just made a serious mistake. In fact, I think it's the last mistake you're ever going to make."
Morn caught a ragged breath as Orn scrambled off her and jumped to his feet.
Nick tells Morn he hopes she knows something about computers, then leaves the area as Morn wonders if Nick will kill her next.Abruptly Nick started laughing again--a rough sound with death in it. "There's no question about it, Orn, you motherfucker. I don't get mad easily, but you have definitely found a way to piss me off."
"Nick--" Mikka said. She may have been trying to warn him. Or stop him.
He ignored her. Whirling suddenly, he kicked Orn's head so hard that everybody in the mess heard Orn's neck break.
"Nick." This time Mikka said his name like a moan. But he still ignored her.
This chapter shows us that Nick's control over his crew is as physical, rooted in fear of him, as it is psychological, with the feeling that they're all part of a winning team. It also shows that Morn's hold on Nick is getting stronger, strong enough that he will now kill for her, though she detests what she must do to remain valuable to him. Still, I end the reading of the chapter feeling that her fear that he may kill her is unfounded. If she loses value in Nick's eyes, he may sell her off somehow, perhaps, but not kill her. The chapter doesn't seem to advance the plot much, but offers the most action in the book thus far.
