Chapter 7

-Sumalee-

It was still dark when I woke up that first night although I could see a little in the dimness from the small amount of moonlight shining in through the window. I rubbed my cheek on the warm surface I was sprawled on and smiled when I was rewarded by the scratchy roughness of Daniel's chest hairs. I hadn't moved a centimeter from where I had fallen asleep and neither had he. I was still face down on his chest as he lay on his back. He was not snoring but I could hear and feel the low rumbling of his breath as he slept.

The poor dear, I had worn him out. That was only fair since he had done the same or more to me. I moved my legs tentatively and almost groaned out loud when I felt the soreness between my legs. There was no doubt about it: I had been made love to and then righteously fucked that night and it felt wonderful. Wonderful? Maybe amazing, or incredible, or ... Let us just say indescribable since even to this day I have difficulty accurately describing my emotions during those first few hours we were together.

Something happened during that first kiss that I still do not understand. Daniel has told me he felt it also but how can one person really understand the feelings of another? And then when he held me down teasing me with his lips and my orgasm when he finally tasted me with just the tip of his tongue ... Let us just say I now know why the French used to call a climax "the little death." I still shiver remembering that first time.

I have mentioned before that I am rather aggressive when it comes to sex. I love to dominate my female partners and even my male ones. In the past this has led to conflicts with the men I have bedded; a struggle for dominance in bed usually does. Because of that my liaisons with men had normally left me ... unsatisfied. With Daniel it is completely different. From the second he grasped my legs and spread me open I was his and we both knew it.

Yes, he is incredibly strong, especially when compared to a tiny little thing like me but his physical strength was only a small part of it, admittedly an exciting part but still only a small part. Many men are physically more powerful than I am but I have never met a man as mentally dominant as he is. I had no chance to break his hold on me even if he had been using only one finger to direct my actions. He could have controlled me without touching me at all. Yet as much as this man had me in his complete control I did not feel the least bit restricted; I felt protected, cherished.

I had never before understood how or why a woman could so completely submit herself to the wishes of her partner even though admittedly I have had many do so for me. I now know why the mouse freezes and awaits its fate when staring into the eyes of the cobra. I had always fancied myself the mongoose — a fighter battling those hypnotic eyes — wrestling with the snake in a game that would leave only one of us metaphorically alive. Daniel showed me that not only could I be a mouse but that I would come to crave that submissive part of me I never knew existed. From the first moment he spread my legs there was never a doubt he was the man and I was the women; he was the breeder and I the bred. He did not so much as take me as he made me want to give myself to him. And I did. I gave myself to him completely and I knew he gave just as much of himself back to me. It was confusing; I had always felt feminine and very much a woman but after that first night I was his woman and the difference was an epiphany.

I was sore. He is a big man down there no matter he tries to say differently, and I was probably going to walk as bowlegged as a two-yuan Bangkok whore with the fleet in for the next few days, but I wanted more. Carefully, I moved myself down his body until my love-portal hovered above his now flaccid manhood. Doing my best not to wake him, I used just my hips to rub my wet and needy nether lips up and down his stalk. It didn't take long until I felt him grow hard against me, moaning softly in his sleep. Cautiously, I pressed myself against the head of his cock using only as much force as needed until the crown of his scepter parted my outer lips and came to rest at the opening of my very being. I had to actually restrain myself from just lunging back and impaling myself but by biting a lip to muffle my own moans, I pushed back and he began to slip inside.

"You are going to kill me, woman," came a gruff whisper from above my head and I had to smile. I wondered how long it would take him to wake up. I could hear the rumblings of a chuckle as my ear pressed against his chest.

"I am willing to take that chance," I replied saucily as I push up from his chest. As I rose to the vertical, my legs spread over his hips as my own hips fell down forcing him even further up inside of me until the silky head of his member was firmly lodged against the entrance of my womb. I have to admit to a little whimper here; not because it hurt to have him inside me — that felt wonderful — but it did having my legs spread apart. Daniel is a much bigger man than I am used to and I do not mean just his magnificent penis; he is broad through the shoulders and broad through the hips. To be honest, when he is between my legs he splays me open like a filleted fish. He is no narrow-hipped prima donna like you see in the popular vids; he is shaped like a real man and I would have to become accustomed to it.

"Are you okay?" he asked and instantly stopped the small thrusts he was making inside of me.

"I am fine, Daniel," I said but then admitted my discomfort; I had no desire to lie to him, ever. "It is my legs. You have spread me open like an oyster and my legs are not used to that yet. Do not worry; I will be fine," but as I said it I leaned down to look him in the eyes. "Unless you stop. If you do then nobody will be fine," I threatened and gave him my most furious look.

"Good," he chuckled. I do not think he was particularly frightened of me. "But I have and idea. Climb off for a second," he said but continued before I could protest. "Just a second," he promised. "We're not done yet. You woke me up and now you have to pay the price."

"That sounds nice," I purred and rose up letting him slide out of me. I hated the empty feeling but I trusted my Daniel; if he said we were not finished then we were not finished. I slid over to one side while he sat up. Up on his knees he reached down and picked me up like I weighed nothing and flipped me over before gently lowering me to the bed on my hands and knees. Now I knew what he intended. Being taken from behind has never been one of my favorite positions; I can not see my lover's face nor control what he is doing to me. As I have said before this had been a problem before Daniel: my need to be in control. Now, in probably the most submissive position a woman could be in I shivered and waited for my man to take me.

Take me he did. Slowly. At first he only moved me into position; spreading my knees apart about a third of a meter which gave him access to me but did not stretch them apart so far that I felt uncomfortable. Next he gently pressed down on my back just below the neck forcing my face onto my folded arms. This cocked my rear-end up giving him even better access to my now flooding vagina. I felt like a cat in heat displaying herself, begging to be mounted by the tom. In fact I was the female waiting there anxiously for the male to breed her and given my personal proclivities, I was amazed at how right and wonderful it felt. It was his right to take me this way just as it was my right to demand he service me.

My toes curled as I felt his muscular hairy legs come to rest outside my tiny smooth ones and I whimpered and rolled my head to one side so I could look back up at him, silently begging him to continue. He smiled down at me and brought his hands up to rest lightly on my hips in the most proprietary of fashions. He was telling me I was his and he would do with me as he pleased. My answer was to shiver, roll my face back into my arms and raised my rear up as high as I could wiggling it in an attempt to entice him to action.

Laughing softly he softly slapped my ass which stopped my wiggling but couldn't stop the trembling as I waited. His little slap on my bottom had not hurt at all but it almost made me orgasm and made me wild with desire. Somewhere deep inside of me had been a submissive I had never known about. I certainly had never suspected it but somehow Daniel knew. Somehow he had known and had released that unknown part of me, the part that wanted — needed — to serve my man. I ached to have him inside me, to fill me up, to use me for his pleasure, to impregnate me. At that very moment I wanted nothing else, nothing else other than to feel his seed as he planted it inside of me, fertilizing my womb, feeling his baby grow within me. I did have an orgasm then and he had not even penetrated me yet!

Of course there was no chance of pregnancy. I had the standard implant required for all of the Xanadu's female crew. It would not happen this time but the mere thought of the potential caused me to climax.

He still didn't penetrate me but instead started exploring my body with his hands. First my hips and thighs, soft caresses with his large, hard hands. Hands so hard and strong and yet feather-light and gentle on my skin. I moaned as he touched and worshiped my body, the body that was now his. Up and down my thighs to the insides of my thighs where a finger lightly brushed against my mons; I tried to spread my legs wider to give his fingers even more access but his legs outside mine were immovable. I could do nothing except whimper and take this sweet torture. Returning to my hips, he then did the same with my back up to my neck and shoulders reaching under me to cup my breasts and gently roll my nipples between his thumb and fingers. That is when I climaxed for the second time and this time I was not silent.

"Please, Daniel!" I whimpered. "Please!"

He didn't chuckle, or gloat. He quickly moved his hands back to my bottom and using his fingers gently pried apart the tops of my thighs. I couldn't stand it any longer and reached back between my legs and grabbed hold of his cock pulling it none too gently to where I needed him. I only released it when he was firmly lodged in my opening and began to push slowly but forcefully inside me.

He didn't need too much force. Yes, his is big and I am small but I had had been stretched to fit him twice before that night and I was as wet and as ready as I had even been before in my life. Every centimeter he pushed inside me caused another small orgasm. I knew I was multi-orgasmic before but never one after another. It was the most indescribably feeling I have ever felt and I never wanted it to end. It didn't really end but it did pause for a moment when his balls rested against the backs of my thighs and the spongy head of his rod bumped the rubbery hard surface of my cervix. I took this momentary break to again reach back and gently caress his testacies as they hung down: hairy, large and full of promise.

It was a momentary pause only. Within seconds his hands returned to my hips with a firm grip and he began to slowly withdraw and thrust deeply each time bumping my womb's opening. I had thought the feeling of his entry had been the ultimate but I found I had been very wrong. The feeling as he took me from behind was just as indescribable but multiplied tenfold! With each stroke he sped up just the tiniest of bits. It was not a true love-making or a brutal fucking but a mixture of both. It was a man breeding his woman and her accepting him without reservation. It was not a new revelation but it reinforced the fact that I was his mate and he was my man. By the end he was pounding into me and I was screaming my pleasure for the whole ship to hear.

When he finally thrust deep my body and held it there and I felt his seed fill me, I had an orgasm like I had heard about only in stories. My nerves burned, my mind whirled and waves of pure pleasure flooded me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. I do not remember exactly what happened right after that.

The next thing I remember we were both lying on our sides, spooned they call it, my back to his chest and still connected by his softening cock. He was stroking my hair and brushing it back from my face while whispering to me but I didn't really hear him. I drew my legs up near my chest and pushed down with my hips on his dwindling cock trying to keep it inside of me, using it to prevent the leaking of his seed and all the while praying against certain knowledge that this would be the one time the implant failed.

Saying nothing, what needed to be said? I scrunched back against him as his hand dropped down to lightly cup my breast. With nothing more than a sigh I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

-Daniel-

The sun was streaming in the window when I woke up that morning. I know, I know: some of you over-zealous swabbies are going to say it's a porthole but that's bullshit. It's a big, fucking, window. You don't have portholes two meters by two meters and made of plastisteel. Get over it.

Anyway waking up to sunshine is nice; waking up with a beautiful girl tucked under your arm doesn't even come under the same order of magnitude. I'm not sure there is a better way to wake up. Maybe with that pretty girl's lips wrapped around your dick but that wasn't going to happen that morning and truthfully I was glad. Yeah I'm getting old, but that little minx rode me hard and put me away wet. I wasn't sure anything was going to get little Danny up that morning. I moved slightly and Sumalee twisted around and moved up to where we were nose to nose.

"Good morning, beautiful," I said kissing her nose.

"Good morning, Daniel," she answered and kissed me on the lips. It wasn't a passionate "come fuck me now" kind of kiss but it sure had a lot more in it than "I had a great time."

"I hope you're not expecting anything more from me this morning, darling, because you just about killed this old man," I chuckled.

"Old man," she scoffed and leaned back so she could slap me on the chest. "Do not worry: I think you abused your toy enough last night. It may be a day or two before she is ready for that again."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. But not being able to keep my big mouth shut I just had to continue, "Will there be a next time?" Her eyes softened and she actually looked a little frightened.

"If you will allow me," she answered tentatively. I think her lip actually quivered. "I will be here for you whenever you want me."

"I'm going to want you all the time," I said softly. Forever, I might have added but I sure didn't want to scare her away. I'm sure that's just what she needed: an old fart passenger latching on and protesting his undying love after they've known each other for only two days. A young, beautiful woman had no business with an aged geezer like me in the first place, let alone for anything more than a few nights of fun.

"I will be here for as long as you want me," she sighed and melted against me. Suddenly she pulled back and hit me in the chest again, hard! "Don't you ever apologize for last night!" she scolded. "That was the most wonderful night of my life." I have to admit my head swelled just a little at that. Okay, maybe more than just a little bit but what man doesn't like to have his ego stroked like that?

"What happened to my little bunny rabbit from last night?" I chuckled.

"Daniel, we need to talk," she sighed. Uh-oh, that's never good, right? Actually it turned out to be better than okay. She talked about her sexual past, leaving out the gory details, thank goodness, and about how she had always been the aggressive one in bed. She was very matter-of-fact about her bi-sexuality although I did catch her peering at me intently. I assumed she was looking for any adverse reactions or signs of disgust.

She wasn't going to get any from me, that's for sure. Like most red-blooded males I find the thought of two women making love highly erotic. Why? Beats the shit out of me. Maybe it's because I'm male I can understand why someone would want to have sex with a woman even it is another woman. Then again, maybe not. To be honest I really don't give a damn why. I just know it does.

I do have to admit to it not being the case for male homosexuality. It's not that I'm disgusted or appalled by the thought of two men together. It's more a case of puzzled indifference. I find absolutely nothing sexy about men. In fact I sometimes wonder what in the hell women find attractive about us. It's got to be that biological imperative to procreate because if that wasn't there I don't think they'd come within five meters of us and I wouldn't blame them.

So the most I can say about homosexual or bi-sexual men is that I don't understand them and like most things I don't understand, I ignore. It's not my problem or my business. It's not so much that I try to embrace and appreciate the diversity within the human sexual spectrum, it's just that I don't care. Keep your hands off kids and don't force anybody and you and I will get along just fine. Truthfully, I couldn't give a rat's ass whom you sleep with.

Anyway back to Sumalee which is a much more interesting subject. When the bi-sexuality didn't seem to bother me she seemed to relax and started talking about how I touched something in her that she hadn't known she had. A part of her relished being submissive and she tried to explain what she was feeling the night before.

"I am not doing this very well," she said waving her hands in frustration.

"I'm sorry if I brought something out that you wanted kept secret," I apologized again.

"Do you want me to hit you again?" she asked balling up her little fist. She was about as much danger to me as a water balloon.

"No, no!" I exclaimed holding up my hands in surrender. "I just didn't want you to think I was doing that consciously. I mean I really liked it but I'd never want to do something you didn't want to do."

"I know that, Daniel," she said rising up on her knees until we were again nose to nose. "You do to me what no man — or woman — has ever done but do not think I did not enjoy it. I did. Maybe enjoy is not the correct word. It felt right. It felt like I was suddenly whole, that I had found exactly where and what I am supposed to be. If you want me to be your lover, that is what I will be. If you want me to be your slutty little fuck toy, then that is what I will be. Whatever you want me to be I will be, Daniel."

Do you remember what I said about little Danny not being able to rise to the occasion for any reason. I was wrong. She glanced down and grinned then looked back up at me.

"If you tell me to lie on my back while you fuck me like a whore I will do so while coming again and again," she said solemnly. Then she sighed and grimaced, "But I hope you don't because I really am sore. I do not think I have ever had my legs spread that far apart since I did the splits in gymnastics when I was a child."

"Sor..." I started but quite as soon as she started balling up her fist again.

"This is a new side of me, and I do not understand it yet," Sumalee continued. "But while I do not think I can be anything except your little bunny in bed I don't feel that same need when we are not." She cocked her head and looked up at me with a hint of a smile. "I am generally a pushy bitch and I do not think that has changed much. Do you think you can tolerate a pushy bitch?"

"Pushy you may be," I said reaching out enfolding her in my arms and dragging her up against my chest. "Although I sure haven't seen it. But I know for a fact you could never be a bitch."

"Oh, Daniel," she sighed.

"Hey Captain, you awake?" Weird broke in over Sara's net. "You got some time? We found something you really need to look at."

I must have tensed up a little because Sumalee looked up at me expectantly. I shook my head slightly and placed a finger lightly on her lips. True to her last announcement she bit it softly. I had to smile.

"You have impeccable timing, Weird." Like he didn't know exactly what was going on with me. If he hadn't been listening in, and probably wasn't; he wasn't the type to do that. Mike undoubtedly had and was. I had been a little distracted last night and forgot to reset the net for some privacy. Oh well. "What's going on and where do you need me?"

"We'd rather just show you, Captain," he actually sounded worried. Usually it took something along the lines of global destruction or a hike in the price of AI CPUs to get him riled up. "We're down in Sick Bay. Ask Olivia or Miss Nakpradith how to get there. I'm not saying this is a crash priority but I wouldn't take too much time."

"Yeah, Boss. If you're still banging the bimbo then bust your nut and haul your ass down here," Mike broke in. It takes something extraordinary to get me angry at Mike but she was about as close to tripping that wire as she had ever come. Mike and I were going to have some serious words when whatever this thing was was over.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut," Top interjected. He didn't sound pleased either. It didn't take anywhere near as much to get Top heated up but then he was a whole lot less tolerant than I was.

"Ah, sorry, Boss," Mike finally said. She actually did sound repentant which was unusual. "Didn't mean for it to come out that way."

"You and I will discuss this later," I said coolly. The problem with sub-vocalization is it really can't convey the full range of emotion like regular speech can but I think she got my drift. "Mayhem, out."

"Daniel, is there a problem?" Sumalee asked also sounding worried. "Was it something I said? You just stopped and ground your jaw. Are you angry with me?"

"No, honey," I said cupping her cheeks in my hand and looking down into her eyes. "It has nothing to do with you." Almost true; at least part of the conversation had nothing to do with her. Maybe sometime I'd tell her everything but right then wasn't the time.

"I have a com-link in my head from when I was in the military," I explained. "Some of my te— the people I came with can talk to me using it. My jaw moving was just me answering back."

"What did they want?" she asked sounding puzzled.

"They said I need to get down to Sick Bay but wouldn't tell me why," I mused. "If I had to guess I'd say it was something about that crazy idiot from yesterday, but that's only a guess."

"Then you need to get cleaned up quickly and dressed," she said in a tone that brooked no backtalk. Standing up she grabbed my hand and walked off the bed dragging me behind her. When we got to the bathroom she pushed me through the door and said, "You get cleaned up and I will get your clothes ready.

"Yes, ma'am!" I answered wondering if I should salute.

"I told you I was a pushy bitch," she grinned. "Now get in there."

There was no time to argue the point other than maybe the definition of the term bitch — or maybe pushy — but she had certainly demonstrated she could be assertive so the pushy part might come down to personal choice. There are better things to argue about.

I came out minutes later and true to her word she had my clothes laid out and ready for me. She was "dressed" in one of my button-down dress shirts and standing next to the bed as if ready to help me get dressed.

Just a brief aside but what is it about a woman wearing a man's shirt that is so damn sexy? I mean a bikini would show more skin. Hell, her regular uniform showed more skin! My shirt fit her like a tent even with the sleeves rolled up all the way and the tail came down over her knees but between that and the dress she had on the night before I couldn't have honestly told you which made her look more desirable. Just one of those man things, I suppose.

I dressed quickly even without her help. I had been doing it for over forty years you know.

"What about you, honey?" I asked when I was just about ready. "Do you need me to send anything up for you or did you bring some clothes with you?" Actually I felt stupid for even asking.

"I will be fine, Daniel," she laughed straightening my collar. Do men ever have a straight collar when women aren't around? "No, I didn't bring a second set up with me. How could I be sure I could seduce you and you would let me spend the night?"

"Like there was even a chance that wouldn't happen," I muttered.

"You are so sweet," she said laughing again. "I will have Teresa bring me up something so I will not embarrass you by having the whole ship know you ravaged me all night by wearing my dress back to my cabin."

"That wouldn't be embarrassing, that would be bragging," I chuckled then sobered up. "This Teresa, your roommate, is she ... Ah, I mean are you and ... I guess I'm asking very poorly if she'll get upset that you spent the night with me?"

"Such a gentleman," she said patting my cheek. "Yes, Teresa and I have been lovers. But it has never been more than just friends sharing a bed and some fun. I have never minded her other lovers and she may be a little disappointed when I tell her we must be just friends now, but I think not much."

"I have no right to ask you to give up anybody else!" I protested.

"Do you want that right?" she cocked her head and peered up at me expectantly.

What the hell could I say? We've know each other for less than forty-eight hours and now I should expect her to be bind herself to monogamy to a man she hardly knows? It didn't just sound crazy when you put it that way, it was crazy! So what could I tell her? Well, how about the truth? I've found throughout my life that the truth can get you in trouble and hurt feelings, but nothing like telling a lie can. The thing about lies is they always get found out — always — and nothing can be guaranteed to split apart two people like the destruction of trust. Without trust there is nothing.

Take Top for example. He leads what others would call an interesting life. At the time he had four girlfriends that I knew about. Now some people may chide him for cheating on them but it's a fact he wasn't. How's that? you say. Easy. He's always been up front about the fact he had no intention of ever getting married again and he had no intention of getting tied down to one woman. Each woman who stays with him knows about the others. Hell, for all I know they all slept together but I didn't know or particularly care. If a woman stayed with him it was because she wanted to, knowing she wasn't the only one. Sure, every once in a while one decides it's not what she wanted and leaves, but generally they part as friends. Actually I know one left and then came back a little while later so I'm not sure she counts. By and large he has been with the same women for a long time and his reasoning is he never lies to any of them. It's sound reasoning and applies to one woman just like it would to multiples.

"Yes," I admitted. Then I quickly continued before she could say anything, "But I have no expectation of that. It's nothing but a truthful answer."

"Would you do the same for me?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Now there was a question, wasn't it? Would I also be willing to commit — and that is what it would be — to a woman I had only know for less than two days? Sure she was beautiful — okay, fucking gorgeous — smart as anyone had a right to be and we had this — I don't know — connection between us. Still I hardly knew her. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

"Yes," I answered simply.

"Then that is your answer," she said, dismissing the topic as settled.

"Well, okay," I stammered. I admit I was floundering a little then. I had the impression that something monumental had just happened but just like the fickle finger of fate it had written and now moved on.

"Good," she said jumping up on the bed and grabbing my shirt, the one she had just finished pressing the wrinkles out of, and pulled me into a searing kiss. More accurately she pulled herself onto me for the kiss; I had the mass and the inertia and she didn't have the leverage or the strength. Anyway I momentarily forgot why I was leaving.

"Now, you go find out what your friends think is so important," she said breaking away and again smoothing my wrinkled shirt. "When will I see you?" You'll notice it was "will" and not "if," a difference that wasn't lost on even a dullard like me. Somehow, suddenly I had lost at least some of my independence and freedom. Not that I was complaining or even second guessing; a lot of people have their independence and freedom: they're called lonely. I can exist by myself, I've proven that but that didn't mean I preferred to.

"I don't know," I hedged trying to avoid a promise I didn't know if I could keep. "It may just take a few minutes for all I know. I'll send you a message through the ship's AI as soon as I find out what suddenly seems so damn important."

"Should I wait for you?"

"Sure, if you don't mind waiting," I answered cheerfully. "If I'm not back in a half hour or so I'll send you a message telling you where and when I'll meet you. How's that?"

"More than acceptable, Daniel," again stretching over to give me a peck on the lips then grinned at me. "If I have not heard from you in half an hour I will assume you are up to no good and track you down."

"That'll work too," I chuckled. "Bye for now, honey."

"Until later, Daniel."

-Mike-

The Boss had a slightly bemused, vacant look on his face when he entered the small operating room they had for emergencies in the ship's sick bay. Kind of a cross between "I got really laid last night" and "What the hell hit me?" Even given what we were about to show him, it seemed like a really good time to throw myself on the mercy of the court and do a bit of groveling.

"Boss," I said before anybody else could grab him. "I am really, really, really sorry for what I said earlier. I was out of line and it didn't come out like I wanted it to."

"Hmm..." he grunted as his eyes narrowed. Okay, he was really mad this time but he's been there before and got over it. Maybe batting my baby blues wouldn't be enough this time but there's always groveling. Normally I'd rather cut off my trigger finger than grovel to anyone but I'll grovel to the boss if I need to.

"We'll talk about that later, privately." Well, at least he wasn't going to make me debase myself in public, yet. "Now, what in the hell is so important that I had to run down here?"

"Oh, good morning, Captain," he said finally noticing Captain Stubing in the room. That dumb-shit Stratton was there also but he only nodded at him.

"Your team members noticed something on the autopsy vid and felt it vitally important that you also saw it," Stubing said and then frowned. "How they happened to get a hold of that particular file is something we'll have to talk about later. For now they said you had to see this." He walked over to the table and flipped back the sheet from the crazy geek from the night before.

"Shit!" the Boss hissed. Actually he didn't freak anywhere near as much as I thought he would. It wasn't much as far as tattoos go; an eagle with a rose in its talons. It was a permanent tat which wasn't all that common; I mean come on, who the hell wants to permanently mark their body? It used to be tats were made by injecting dye under the skin which can be removed fairly easily. Now of course you don't inject dye, you have the individual areas of skin DNA altered. You can scrape off the skin but if you can get it to grow back the tat comes back. Thank God it takes awhile to do and costs a fortune; if it didn't I'd have my whole ass covered by the names of jerks I'd hooked up with while on a bender. I'm not real proud of some of the things I've done while hammered but at least I don't have any permanent reminders of my little indiscretions.

That particular design is unique as far as I know. The only shitheads that wear it are members of some fucking ultra-nationalistic circle-jerk that called themselves The Brotherhood. I'd thought we'd wiped out the assholes years ago.

They were the ones that planted the bomb that killed the Boss's wife, Kathy. Ten years I fought beside the Boss and I don't think I've ever seen him out of control. Even when we stepped in it so deep I wouldn't have given us million to one odds of coming out alive, he was always cold as ice; in fact the worse it got, the cooler he got. One look at him even as the buzz-bombs flew past our heads with just centimeters to spare you could see him calmly thinking the situation through and you just knew, knew, he was going to get us out of it. Is there any wonder we look at him like he was some kind of god? Admittedly one with clay feet and on the lower tiers of god-dom but a god nonetheless.

But when Kathy was killed he lost it completely. We all did. She was the Madonna at his side and the mother to all of us. Most of us didn't have much if any family left after the war. Lots of siblings died in the fighting and most parents had either been dead by the time the war started or died from attacks, disease, neglect or starvation soon after it started. Mine died right at the beginning. They were in old New York on vacation when it was attacked. I was sixteen just about to turn seventeen and I joined up the next day. Had to wait a whole month before I hit the big one-seven to be sworn in but the rest they say is history.

I for one have never seen him go after Vencoms like he went after The Brotherhood. It was awe-inspiring and maybe just a little bit scary. I'm not sure he ate or slept for the whole two months we dug those shitheads out from beneath their rocks except when we forced him to. Call it revenge, vigilantism or just a misplaced sense of civic duty but he — all of us — wanted them exterminated and as far as I'm concerned it didn't matter if it was a good idea or a bad idea but since it was the boss's it was the right idea. We thought we'd got all of them but looks like we must have missed at least one.

I'm not going to say I'm proud of everything we did to root them out ... No, strike that. I have no remorse or feelings of guilt about what we did. Some of the things we did during the war I still have problems with but with this I didn't. All I'm going to say right now is that not many of them died a quick death and like the boss said way back when, if you want to find those bodies you're gong to have to sift through a lot of old shark shit. Good luck.

Anyway as soon as he saw that tattoo the boss changed. If you've never see it before you wouldn't understand but "changed" is still the best way I can describe it. One minute there was the happy, just-got-laid, Danny Mayhem, (relatively happy anyway; he was still pissed off at me) and the next there was the combat version of Captain Mayhem and that's enough to scare the piss out of you, or should if you knew what it meant. It was like flipping a switch: one second a man is standing in front of you, then — Bam! — a machine, a really fucking dangerous machine. I could see Weird and Brian's posture change almost immediately; they noticed it at the same time I did.

"Who was he?" the boss asked in a clear, controlled and completely emotionless voice.

"He was listed on the roster as Delmar Blue," Stratton answered. He hadn't noticed anything, the stupid bastard. Stubing had. I could tell by the way his head cocked and his look turned wary. Not bad for a REMF.

"Did you know him?" Stratton continued.

"No, but I recognize that," the boss said pointing to the tat. "Delmar Blue? That name is different; I don't think I've ever met anyone with that last name."

"Anyway," he continued shaking himself slightly. "That particular marking was used by a home-grown terrorist group a few years ago. They called themselves The Brotherhood and decided they didn't want any immigrants coming in to pollute the decent American gene pool. They were responsible for a number of attacks and killed quite a few innocent people; my wife was one of them."

"I'm sorry, Daniel," Stubbing added sympathetically. "I don't believe I've ever heard of them. Were they ever caught?"

"Not by the cops," the boss mused. I could see the gears turning in his head.

"Do you think it means anything?" Stubing asked. "I mean could this be a threat to my ship?" I never understood some people's attachment to inanimate objects; I mean I like my sniper rifle well enough but if I had to lose it or destroy it for the mission or to save my ass I wouldn't even think twice. I can always get another one. Of course he had to think about his passengers and crew, so that's a difference; just another reason I'm glad I was never an officer.

"Not enough info," the boss shook his head. "It could be just a wild coincidence or maybe something personal against me. But if it's not..." He just let those words hang in the air.

"There is no Delmar Blue in the national database, Captain," Weird interjected. Both the Boss and Captain Stubing turned to him and started to ask something before looking at each other in confusion.

"This is why it's tradition for a ground force's captain to be called major while on a naval vessel," Captain Stubing remarked dryly.

"Point taken, Captain," the Boss grunted.

"How do you know that, Mr. Willis?" Stubing asked. Weird didn't answer but looked over at the Boss as if asking for direction.

"Take what he says as the Gospel," the Boss answered.

"But nobody has access to the database," Stratton protested. Stubing merely raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Before I answer anything else I need to know that anything I tell you will be held in the strictest of confidences," the boss said slowly. "Even if it might not be strictly legal."

"I can't agree to that," Stratton exclaimed. "I'm duty bound to report anything that violates the law."

"Even if we're outside the United States?"

"Even then," Stratton said, but he looked a little uneasy about that answer.

"Then you'll either have to believe me or not," the boss said finally.

"Mr. Stratton, I'd like you to step outside and make sure we're not disturbed," Stubing said mildly.

"But, Sir..." Stratton sputtered.

"Now, Mr. Stratton."

"Yes, Sir."

"Now, what the fuck is going on, Mayhem?" Stubing asked turning to the Boss when Stratton had exited and closed the door.

"I assume I have your word then?"

"When it comes to the safety of my ship and it's passengers you can assume I don't give a damn about what's legal or not," Stubing grunted. "You really have access to the national database? What are you, some kind of NIS agent?" NIS, that's the National Intelligence Service. The NAS, CIA and the FBI had been merged under one umbrella organization years before the war. To some they were the National Police to others the Gestapo (I had to ask the boss where the hell that came from); to me they were just some nebulous organization floating out there somewhere. All I know is they are a relatively small organization and all the best spies in the vids are supposed to be from the NIS.

"Not even close," the boss shook his head. "Just a normal everyday civilian." That almost caused me to laugh but it's a good thing I didn't. I was in enough trouble already.

"Right," Stubing responded dryly. He didn't buy it either. "So tell me Mr. Everyday Civilian, how you crack into one of the most secure databases in the world?"

"It's not that secure," Weird muttered.

"Mr. Willis has an ... affinity ... for working with AIs," the Boss coughed. "And with a little, ah, assistance he is able to get us information that might not be, you might say, not available to most people."

"Assistance?" Stubing asked looking at Weird curiously. "You mean an AI of some type? What could you get that would help you break into ... You have a TELCUI don't you? My God that must be it! A TEACUI!" TEACUI is the official designation for a Combat AI. It stands for TEAm-Combat-Unit-Integrator although most grunts just called them CAIs. We call ours Sara.

"Something very much like one," the boss answered evasively. "Let's just say he has help, although he doesn't need much."

"That's how you knew about the autopsy vids," Stubing stiffened and then looked at Weird angrily. "You've hacked into my ship's AI!"

"Olivia," Weird whispered and looked down. "I call her Olivia."

"What?" Stubing exclaimed and then brushed it aside. "Never mind. I have a feeling we'll need to talk about this later but right now I need to know if my ship is in danger."

"Mayhem," he continued turning back to the boss, "you said this might be against you personally. Do you think that's a real possibility? It sounds like you have a history with the so-called Brotherhood."

"History, you could say that," the Boss nodded. "But I would have sworn nobody on their side alive knew about it."

"Alive? Forget I even asked. I don't want to know." A good officer knows when to ask questions; a great officer knows when not to.

"It's a remote possibility," the boss admitted. "Ah, excuse me for just a minute please." The Boss started talking into his ship's ID bracelet. Weird was standing next to him listening. A few seconds later his jaw was moving so I knew he was talking to somebody and since it wasn't on the net it was probably either the boss or the ship's AI.

"I'm sorry, Captain," The Boss said as he turned back towards us. "If there is any chance I might have been the target and there's more than one of them on board then anyone I'm with or have been with might be a target also. I have a ... guest ... in my stateroom and I asked her to stay there until I knew it's safe to leave. She's one of your crew, Captain. I hope you won't hold it against her if she's scheduled to be somewhere." Stubing look amused and began to say something until Weird interrupted him.

"Miss Nakpradith is no longer on the active duty roster, Cap— Major," he said looking pleased with himself. "Also the ship's locater now shows her in the crew's lounge and will move her randomly around the ship until I tell her differently."

"God, you people are good!" Stubing just shook his head. "I am definitely going to have to look at my security when this is over."

"I don't think you were the target, Daniel," Brian added. Sometimes he's so quiet you almost forget he is there. "If you think back to the vid of the incident it certainly didn't look like he recognized you or was targeting you specifically. In fact I would say he didn't even notice you until you threw the bottle at him." The Boss nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll grant that, although I'm not ready to discount the possibility entirely yet."

"The question is," he said looking at the stiff on the table, "if I just happen to be at exactly the wrong place at the wrong time then what in the fuck was he doing here and was he alone?"

Edited by Morgan