Whose charms were broken if revealed

Up in the tower, above Sirius Prime, where Carter Exploration and Transport held its offices, Charlotte Carter wasn't having a good day. Her families attorney had just made it worse. "Take me through it again please."

"The charges are **** on one Keith Martell, attempted **** of the same, **** of Cindi Carter, and piracy. I guess he stole the Falcon 4."

Adam had been gone for YEARS, and now no sooner does he reappear he adds a rap sheet to rival his father's. If the wrong people decided he was another 'Patriot'... Charlotte rubbed her eyes, Cindi was eighteen, so they couldn't make the **** go away without her consent. Not legally anyway. She'd have the piracy charge dropped, no more **** penalty, which just left...

"Where is my husband now?"

"Unclear, but The Falcon-3 is also gone, along with one of our custom shuttles."

Custom shuttles, that's how they referred to their highly modified blockade runners. They only had two, each one armed to the teeth with military grade weapons, a hefty storage compartment and oversized engines, 'out-gun or out-run'; they were oversized starfighters all but in name. Legally gray, was one corporate term. Ruinously expensive, was another. It seemed, her husband was on the warpath against her newly returned son. It wouldn't be hard for Charlotte to chose sides, but first where she had to get where the action was.

"Have the Aestyr prepped for launch." Charlotte tasked her Automated Intelligence to assume manager mode. It would be her proxy while she was away. It was a good model, top of the line. It even had a holographic likeness of her, to fool clients over wave-comm into thinking they were talking with the real CEO. It still had its limitations, but that was true of people too.

"Is the Falcon-3's tracking device still on?" Corporate insurance requirement. So handy at times.

"Uhhhh, I don't think so. I'd have to check." To be fair to her skinny little lawyer, it wasn't even his department.

"Leave it off. Keith wants to think he's running dark."

She'd track him via official records for now. Buoys and flight control stations kept logs of every ship that came passed through Alliance systems. Keith would be leaving her breadcrumbs the whole way. And when he into dark space to hunt her little boy, Charlotte would turn the tracker back on again. Not in the Falcon, no. She'd turn on the secret one she'd had installed on each shuttle. And then Charlotte would find her husband. And kill him. Quietly.

No one threatened her family.

---

Getting back to Sam's base was as simple as clinging to her armored shoulders while they rode three to a bike. The military issue craft barely felt the strain, it was all engine and power, Adam hoped he had a chance to try it later. From the way Cindi was clutching his back, eyes squeezed shut, face buried, he didn't think she felt the same. Getting inside the base, however..."What do you mean, now we're on our own?!?" Cindi demanded, when Sam nearly pushed them off.

"I mean, I'm already going to be in a LOT of trouble for this." This being saving their lives, apparently. "So how about you find your own way to break into a military compound and leave me out of it, Cinderella?"

"That is NOT my name!" Cindi desperately shot back.

"Pretty sure it is." It actually was. Their father had a whimsical streak to go with all that pointless nobility.

Seconds later, there they were, just outside of a massive fortified compound of forty foot walls topped with razor wire, automated chain-guns at every tower and armed sentries at the gate. Sam zoomed by without issue. Somehow Adam didn't think they'd have the same luck.

"Bitch!" Cindi snarled. Adam was somewhat inclined to agree, although it was very on brand for his cousin. Even as kids Sam was good for an adventure, but never one to break the rules. She'd once begged for months just to go to the starport, Adam probably just would have snuck off and gone on his own.

"Hey Adam." Cindi was quieter now, probably more scared than she would admit. "I don't want to almost die out here again, you got any ideas?"

He didn't though. He had a feeling Sam wouldn't leave them out there for more than an hour or two. But at the same time, he felt insanely compelled to get in without her help. Their childhood rivalry hadn't been entirely one-sided after all. His face still burned thinking of that snowball fight when they were ten.

"Uhhh. No." He said lamely. The problem was there really wasn't anything to help here. Adam knew from experience that walls were very good at keeping people out. Walls with guns and sentries were nearly perfect, in fact. All the other times he's infiltrated a guarded compounds, it had been with time to plan for weaknesses or bring equipment. Here he was going to need a really good idea. He looked back at an approaching crawler, not so different from the one he'd cannibalized for shelter and then left in the mushroom forest. Or maybe a really bad one.

"There's something I don't get, Adam." Cindi said crawling on her belly over to him.

"Its simple Cindi, we wait here in the mud, just between the gap in the tracks. When the crawler rolls over us, we don't get squished, but there's a couple bars down there I can grab on to. You ride on my chest and-"

"Actually, I was wondering why is Sam pissed at you? She's jealous of my innate awesomeness, sure, but I thought you two were friends." There was probably more sadness and longing in her tone than Cindi intended. His reply would have to wait though, the massive crawler was nearly on them.

It took every ounce of courage Adam had to stay still and let it 'run over' him and Cindi. But as the treads sprayed filthy mud and water over their tangled bodies, he held his breath and waited, got to time it right- NOW! His hands shot up and grabbed a bar he'd found on the other one, solid enough to take his weight. It was hot, like everything else on this planet, but he found he wasn't nearly as bothered by the temperature as Cindi, another perk of whatever had happened to him. Seconds later, his feet tucked and little sister was riding on his chest like a baby sloth, a tight fit, they were nose to nose and grinding most intimately.

"Hi!" She said, eyes sparkling again, he was glad to see.

"Hi."

She gave him a peck on the lips, mud and all. " Have I thanked you for saving my life, yet?"

"I don't think so actually. Kind of rude."

"Ohhhhh, I'm soooo sorry." Cindi ground her hips into him his increasingly tight crotch. "You're gonna get such a good thank you when I clean you off." She bit his ear, and her voice turned needy and ferocious. "And then I'm gonna fuck you in that bitch's bed."

Adam could only imagine, Cindi writhing on him in the shower, licking every inch of each other clean. Sam would probably kill them, or maybe join them? He snorted. Yeah, right Adam. Not everyone wants to fuck you. Not anymore, thanks to the BB. Still a threesome with Cindi, that was an idea. But would she be open to that? And who would she be interested in?

"Sam?" Cindi interrupted his fantasy. For a terrible, dark moment, Adam thought she could read his mind, then he realized what she meant.

"I dunno. Its weird. We were best friends at the Citadel. Rivals, but neither one of us took it personally. When I left, I asked her to come and she said no. We didn't speak after that. It was pretty simple, really." Truthfully, he'd been devastated. Sam hadn't just been his best friend, she'd been his whole world. Cindi was a cheerleader. Maybe his cheerleader, she'd thought Adam could do no wrong. Followed him, defended him, worshiped him, a bit even. Sam, she was his other half. Where he was impulsive, she planned; she coloree inside the lines, he made airplanes from the paper, they weren't opposites, just different sides of the same coin. Sam didn't just go along, she challenged him, **** him prove every decision he made was the right one. Adam had barely even known HOW to follow rules, and it drove Sam nuts, which drove Adam nuts, but secretly, that stick up her ass, that made her so hard to deal with with, her insistence on doing things the right way, no shortcuts, it had inspired him. He wouldn't have been half as good in the Citadel without her driving him. And probably dead out in the Rim as a result. Sam had saved his life. But why the fuck was she so mad at him?

They rolled into the base minutes later, the vibrations nearly shaking Adam's arms off. A couple turns and twists later, he figured they were on a more deserted part of the base, he let go and they dropped into the road below. A flashlight blinded them as the crawler rolled past.

"Oh good, you made it." Sam called out drily.

"No thanks to you!" Cindi shot up, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"There was only one way in Cinderella. I figured someone with a genius IQ could figure it out." Sam looked them up and down. "You guys aren't coming in my house like that."

Sam took them to a hose just off the vehicle locker. The water felt amazing, cool, clean, almost like a real shower. Adam resisted the urge to take a drink. Pro-tip when intra galactic travel is involved, don't drink local water. Adam had been in the Roundabout's infirmary for days, with only quick breaks to repeatedly destroy the toilet after. Miss Fox had given him broth, it was the only thing he could keep down. Adam felt a sharp pang at his missing friend. Where was she? Was she ok? Was he going to the Periphery to find her? And where did Cindi fit into all this? His love life was train that crashed into a shit factory. Crazy, he'd used to think he was pretty good with the ladies. Not great, but good.

"Shouldn't we be in, disguise or something?"

"Yeah, let me go get some uniforms for a giant and twerp. Be right back." Sam sighed. "Sooner we get off the street the better. Besides, no's trying to get break in to Thiidian. They'll just think you're scientists or whatever."

Sam led them through a maze of winding streets, all dark at the late hour, before they ended up in front of a nondescript row of townhouses. Military housing, ugh, it was ...efficient.

"This is me." Sam pointed.

"Looks nice." Cindi sarcasm dripping with each word.

Sam grunted and led them inside.

Aunt Kat had been getting ready for bed, wearing a snug pair of green and white panties, a tiny tank, with her librarian glasses and little else. He'd always had the tiniest crush on her when he was young. It wasn't the body or even the archetype, she'd patched up his booboos and kissed his ouchies, and what little boy doesn't love that? Now that he was older, he could appreciate what a truly beautiful and stacked woman Kat really was. Built like a brick shithouse, she was thicker than her daughter, breasts barely contained by that joke of a top, ass that had a little jiggle to it. He wasn't supposed to view his aunt like this, but god damn, he was only human.

Kat's eyes went wide and then, heedless of her nearly naked state, she launched into her famous hug attack. "My babies!" She folded both Cindi and Adam into her arms, or tried to at least. She was a couple inches taller than Cindi, but Adam towered over her now. "My how you've grown."

"When did you get here? I thought the transport wasn't coming for another week?" Kat fired off questions like an artillery barrage. "I didn't even know you two kids were together. What kind of trouble have you been up to?"

A blur of filthy images raced through Adam's brain.

"No-nothing!" Cindi shot a meaningful look at her brother, flushed like a tomato from cheeks to chest.

Sam and Kat stared at her, but she only blushed harder.

"Actually we are in a bit of rough spot." Adam might as well get it all out now. Well, not the sister-fucking. That was not going to go over well, and and if Cindi's cheeks got any hotter, she might start a fire. "Can we sit down? Its a long story."

---

By the time Adam had finished, hours later, it was mid-morning. Kat had listened, polite interest turning to growing horror and concern for her nephew. At least Cindi wasn't wrapped up in all this.

"So that's why we came here. Keith has got me running from GalSec-

"More than usual, you mean." Sam interjected. Her daughter hadn't taken the story of Adam mating his way across the quadrant well at all. She sat stone-faced, arms crossed in a huff. As if anyone couldn't see she still pined over her cousin. Kat pitied her. She knew the pain of tragic love. But Adam and her, it was never going to happen.

"More than usual." Adam admitted. "I need to know what's going on with me. I need someone I can trust to run tests, and maybe find a way to reverse it, or stop it. Anything really. I'm pretty ****."

"We're. We're pretty ****." Cindi shot her brother a nasty look. Poor girl was probably upset at the mess Adam had made of her friends.

"I wish you came just a day earlier." Kat mulled some ideas. Without lab access, it would be tough to run tests of any sort. But maybe she could figure out a way around that. One thing was for sure, with her pretty little niece here, she'd be able to accelerate her own plans considerably. "I'm sure you kids are tired, I need to run an errand, but after you get some rest, Cindi, I'll need your help in the afternoon. There's some leftover roast in the refrigerator, help yourself."

"What?" Asked Cindi, confused.

"What!" Demanded Sam, outraged.

"Nothing in this galaxy is free dear. Chipping in a little while you stay with us is the least you can do. I promise, it won't be anything outside your skillset." Kat mentally sized up her niece, they'd have to raid Sam's closet, the stubborn girl didn't own much that wasn't camouflage.

"I don't want them staying here." Sam cut it.

Kat ignored her daughter. Family had to help each other. "I'll sleep out here in this nice comfy chair; Adam you take the couch and Cindi and Sam can share the bed."

"I'd rather fucking die." Her rude daughter told no one in particular.

"Would you prefer to sleep outside honey?"

"Its my house mom!"

Kat waved this away with a hand.

"I need to run an errand. I'll be back in a few hours collect you Cindi." Kat paused. "Make sure you clean up, first."

And with that done, Kat strode out the door, more confident in her plan than ever. She just needed to set the first domino into place and then get one small, but essential item. Her first stop, the scene of the crime.

The private's name was Halverson. He looked more like a Pedro. Dark skin, short, slight, frankly she was willing to bet his family had more recipes for Sopaipillas than Cloudberry cream, she wasn't one to judge though. Men were all the same really, they wanted a firm tit in their mouth from birth, all the way to ****. She had ample tools at hand, obviously, but it would have taken days of repeated baiting, flirting and cajolling to befuzzle poor Halverson into letting her in the back room. With her niece to play the distraction, she could just walk on by.

She strolled by his desk, pretending to notice him for the first time, misery on his face. "What's wrong honey?" As if she didn't know.

"I-nothing, ma'am. Just a long day." Hungry or horny, that's all men were.

"Hungry, sweetie? You look like you could use some of my home-cookin'." Kat leaned in ever so meaningfully when she said it. Teasing was fun.

"I-I am hungry, ma'am."

"What's your favorite food, baby?" She put her hand ever so lightly on his arm, added the tiniest squeeze. Girls hit men with a full hammer, women knew they had to keep it subtle, let the man do the chasing.

"Do you know how to make Elk with Cloudberry sauce?" Seriously kid, seriously? He wasn't going to make this easy on her. She laughed as if he made a joke. Halverson laughed too, trying to play it off. So simple.

"How about one of my famous lasagna's, instead?"

"That sounds fabulous!" His eyes lit up, then tempered. "I have duty for the next few hours though."

"Ouch. I have to get back to the lab, but what if my niece brought you some, for me? Would you like that, Private..." She looked down then back up "Halverson?"

He nodded, his face split with excitement. She loved this moment. A man was like a dog, wild and agressive, he needed training to be useful, but feed him treats and scratch his belly and even a mastiff turns into a puppy. See you later Halverson.

Now for the easy part. She just needed to steal a keycard.

---

Sam hadn't gotten any friendlier since her mom left. Cindi got up to shower before her 'help' for Aunt Kat later. Adam begged her not to leave him alone with Sam. "Stay." He whispered.

"I don't want to." She shot back before leaving.

That had began a period of long uncomfortable silence between Adam and his cousin. Sam hadn't moved from the large cushy chair she'd been in for hours. Her hands were balled into fists.

"You've got a mean left hook." Adam offered. Maybe she just needed a chance to vent.

"You're head's just so big. Its the perfect target." It was very clearly not meant to be funny. Adam laughed anyway.

"So I suppose you want to know what I've been up to these last few years."

"Couldn't care less actually." She shut him down without a glance. But then popped up. Her hands unclenched and she dropped into the workstation and proceeded to ignore him. Alright. They weren't going to be friends, fine. He could at least piss her off, a little payback for hitting him.

"Same old, Sam. All work and no play."

Adam watched the anger build, she carried it in her shoulders, he noted. She had a nice set of shoulders. Shaped by hours of punishment at the gym, he'd wager. Her words, were not so nice. "Not quite, I don't follow after your bullshit anymore." She stood up and whirled around. "My mom's right. As long as you're here eating my food, you're gonna earn your keep."

"What did you have in mind?" Adam stuck his chin forward, just daring her to hit him. He'd won almost half the fights they'd had as kids, and he was stronger now.

"I thought physical labor and janitorial service would suit a drop out, pretty well." Maybe he was letting her get to him. She'd always been so good at that. Every moment was a battle with her. A challenge for dominance. He could strike first. One of their worst fights in the Citadel, he had thrown the first punch. He hadn't won, but he got his licks in. Only, he knew that's what she wanted. Sam was so good at the physical. So perfect in her form. Almost robotic. Emotions were her weakspot. So he targeted them.

"What a good little robot you are. I'm sure Kat's very proud." Her eyes raged, but Adam kept going. "You drop the act, Sam, stop playing the aggrieved cousin. You don't like me, I don't like you. Like I said, I just need your mom's help and then I'll be gone. You're never see me again."

Sam was inches from his face, so close he could smell the sour note of her breath. "I don't dislike you, I nothing you. I didn't miss you when you were gone and when you walk out that door, that's the last time I'll ever even think about you." She quivered. They could both sense the charge in the air. The electricity that had always crackled when they butted heads. "In the meantime, not all of us want to torch our career, so keep a low profile. Clean, if you know how do that. And don't you ever talk about my mom.