Chapter 36

Third Mission, outbound aboard the FUP Deep Space Exploration vessel Glenndeavor, 2401 CE

With her AUG case over the left shoulder of her duty-blues, Juliet, followed closely by A-Jay wearing her garrison cap, cammies, and holstered sidearm, walked into C001 ahead of me. The dark-skinned Marine strolled right up to her boyfriend by the bulkhead desk, wrapping her arms around Calvin's shoulders and gave him an intense, lip-grinding kiss that colored his pale, freckled cheeks.

"Woo-hoo!" Beatrice blurted out from near the hatch to our enlarged head and shower compartment, the loop-handles of her black, Steyr AUG bag in her right hand. Our friend, Claire, stood near the walk-through, looking back to see what the commotion was all about.

"Damnation... Sis!" Israel called to his twin from where he stood near my footlocker. "Don't you even be gettin' sloppy-faced with that walking freckle in front of me."

As the hatch closed behind me, I stopped between the end of the locker row with the hatch control screen on my left and the shelving on my right, easing my own soft-sided rifle case off my shoulder. I didn't see Anika in the compartment and Juliet was down the locker row, getting ready to secure her weapons, or so I thought.

Pulling her head back from Calvin's, Ariel gave him a big, satisfied grin as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Things turning out, Tart?" Calvin asked his almost glowing girlfriend. "Because somebody's had her tires pumped up."

"Tomorrow, truth told," A-Jay informed my Irish friend with a low giggle, "and the day after, and the day after that, etcetera, etcetera, I'm going to dedicate my off-duty hours to riding you to death, my man." She gave her head a little shake as she added, her voice full of approval, "You bring home the best friends."

"Ariel Jerusalem!" her brother raised his voice again, sounding disgusted, "not only are you my sister, and what you're saying paints lewd, forbidden images in my mind that will surely come back to haunt my dreams—but for me to think that sad-ass Irishman is facing death by lovin', when me, a fine and upstanding, virile, manly example of the Corps faces a lonely, cold rack for the foreseeable future ... Well, truth told, that is just about enough to start me contemplating eating my pistol. You hear me, Ari-angel? Keep this up and your grandmother will be hearing about your unmannered, slatternly ways."

Beatrice laughed behind Iz, and over A-Jay's left shoulder, I could see Calvin as he continued to smile into her eyes. Then he looked over her shoulder at me, caught my gaze, and his red eyebrows went up, questioningly. I could tell he was aware of what his woman intended to happen later, once Girls' Night was well on its way.

I smiled back at PFC Calvin Vespa, Plunk, and gave him a little nod that was amplified by my Kilo, I'm sure. He closed his eyes and tightened his arms around A-Jay, who was obviously the joy of his life. The two of them started rocking each other from side to side.

As Juliet's earlier words about their belief in me and devotion to me filled me up, I extended my connection to each member of our household. Down in those three warm, mysterious bonds, I found that my women were certain they held the preeminent place in my heart and that no others would ever supplant them as the golden apples of the sun in my loving eyes, in my affection, or in my consideration. What more could a man give each one of the women he loved than unconditional love and the freedom to be who they are while they continue to explore who they are becoming? After all, what is mere flesh in the crucible of the eternal love we shared?

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I watched Calvin and A-Jay sharing their rocking hug, I knew the relationship between our two friends and the Sitwell household was becoming bound together in ways I could never have believed, let alone foreseen, when PFC Vespa first pulled that Marine donk up beside Anika, Beatrice, and me as we walked along the cargo passageway behind the Hydroponics Department.

My inner geek and paranoid ass-wipe were mute, and I felt strangely fine about what was happening.

Bea excused herself and went to the other side of the suite to her locker to get comfortable. When Cal asked where Fireball was, Juliet told us that Anika had gone next door to visit our new neighbor and would return.

While Juliet and I talked with our friends about how we came to have such a huge bunk and isolated quarters, we locked our assault rifles, my beam weapons and SPI accoutrements, as well as our Kilo helmets away. When Beatrice returned, she, as was Juliet, wore a garrison cap. They both seemed to be keeping their pistols holstered on their belts for the time being; I was about to put my holstered .40 caliber into the deep locking drawer of the desk as I didn't plan to leave our quarters now that we were off duty.

Then, with Bea and Juliet staying behind with Calvin and A-Jay in C001, I gave Claire and Iz an eye-opening tour of our suite, starting with the head. The fact we had access to private, double-sided facilities, and the size of the joined emitter stall we could share, impressed the two of them immediately. Claire let out a little, "Oh my goodness," and Iz snorted out, "Good-GOD-Damn!"

I didn't say anything to them about water.

As we walked around the other side of the head, toward the hatch to C003, Israel commented that if he'd known all the perks available to truly motivated Exies, he might have considered the Deep Space Exploration Service before joining up with the Marines.

Claire didn't say anything and it seemed to me that she was trying to stay behind the rugged, suave, PFC Jerusalem as much as she could. Iz was making that difficult, turning to gaze into her eyes and lavishing the G2 Commissary Tech with big grins whenever he could manage it. Then he gestured that she should precede us out of the hatch as we neared the exit.

When the hatch opened for Claire onto C003, and I followed her and Iz out of the head, I nearly ran into them. They'd come to a halt on the carpeted deck with just enough room for me to clear the threshold and for the hatch to close behind me. It was easy to see what brought them both up short. My three, hi-def recorders were set up in the compartment; two were deployed on tripods.

One tripod and recorder was at the foot of the bunk, sitting on the footlocker at waist level, another recorder was on a lowered tripod stationed on the other side of the bunk near the bulkhead shelf, cabinets, and small refrigerator. The last recorder was attached to the headboard and was just above the face level of anyone who might be spread out on the bunk. All of the recorders were clearly pointed to focus on the wide expanse of our rack in what was once Anika's quarters.

But the real collection of surprises was on the shelf behind the second recorder. There were three unopened bottles, two of water and one a lime-colored energy drink; what appeared to be a tube of perhaps personal lubricant; two pair of someone's handcuffs resting on the chain of a tiny key-stick that dangled over the edge of the shelf; three of Anika's sinfully big, thick, purple towels folded neatly on top of each other; and resting on the purple towels was an actual brown and black, slightly curved feather that I guessed was 20 centimeters long and looked to my inner geek like it had come from a pheasant!

A gleeful look bursting from his eyes and opening his mouth, showing me all of his healthy white teeth as he started to guffaw, Iz turned to me, whacking me on the right shoulder of my coveralls. On his other side, shy Claire Murphrees brought both of her hands to her opened mouth, her complexion on the left side of her cute face turning a deep pink, and setting off her black hair.

"And, ahhh, this compartment," I said as my two guests stood there—one laughing outrageously and the other almost mortified—and I had to clear my throat to continue, "was Anika's quarters originally. She and Bea use the lockers in here.

"And, well ... I don't know who put that stuff there."

"Jaym—my man!" Iz got out as he continued to laugh, "When Plunk told me about all the ammunition he helped you and your Juliet palletize and store, I guess in this compartment, I thought he was talkin' about, you know, bullets, brother! Out of my growing respect, I'm not even going to ask about the availability of any of your home movies!

"And I do mean," he said and then started to laughingly sing in a fine tenor voice, "R-E-S ... P-E-C-T—yeah! Sock-it-to-me – sock-it-to-me – sock-it-to-me – sock-it-to-me!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Juliet answered Iz's comment about the movie set in C003 as we walked back into C001, and for a moment, even I believed her.

As the three of us returned from their tour, Claire continued into the compartment until she stopped by the hatchway to the head. She was almost pushing her back against the bulkhead—as if she wanted to blend into the ceramic surface.

I stood next to PFC Jerusalem in the opening of the walkthrough looking at my first wife across our quarters. My Dimples appeared so innocent and photogenic in her pulchritude and duty-blues, leaning relaxed at the other end of the lockers. She had her left hand on her womanly hip just under her belted POC and her right arm was up, braced by her hand held flat against the first small locker door near the far bulkhead from us.

Beatrice was slightly turned to her left, standing on the carpeted deck, closer to the footlocker than the center of compartment. With part of her back and side to Iz and me, she was looking at her boots with her hair hanging down and partially hiding the left side of her face. Our honey-blonde mistress had her hands pushed down into the butt pockets of her coveralls, her elbows slightly out. Bea's posture emphasized her abundant charms—front and back. It seemed to me she was trying to contain herself after hearing Israel's comment.

Still by the bulkhead desk and arm-in-arm with his vivacious girlfriend, Calvin seemed he was about to ask a question to relieve his obvious curiosity about Israel's comment and what everyone in this compartment must have heard earlier of Iz's outburst. However, A-Jay gave him a nudge with her right hip that stopped Cal before he opened his mouth.

Just then, the hatch to C001 opened behind those two and Anika hurried into the compartment. Her aristocratic features were slightly flushed and her curly hair was barely contained by her rakishly angled garrison cap. Stopping just this side of the shelves and the end of the locker row, she quickly surveyed everyone standing around before looking over at our first wife.

"I am needing to return to my negotiations in moments," she said to Juliet. "I anticipate success once I press my case. We are about to have tea. I wanted to be retrieving my sweetener."

What sweetener is that? I wondered.

"How are all of you doing?" the Polka Fireball asked as she looked at each of us, starting with Bea, who still was studying the toes of her ship's boots.

"Everything is wonderful, Anika," A-Jay told her. Cal and Ariel had slightly turned to include the new arrival in our lopsided circle of companionship. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know Courtney and Arrbra, you know, beyond asking them what caliber of range rounds they need. You know where this fabulous place that's hosting our Girls' Night is located—right? I've heard so little about it from Juliet; just enough to whet my appetite."

"All questions any of you will be having I will soon be answering," my youngest, hot wife said and she stepped over to the large locker she'd claimed before our two compartments were opened into a suite. She keyed the touch pad and opened the door. Speaking over her shoulder she added, "I will do so as soon as my present mission is concluded. If Arrbra and Courtney are arriving before my return, Beatrice, will you show our guests down the lift and wait for me outside the airlock?"

"Outside the airlock? Certainly, Nika," Bea replied with a curious-sounding chuckle, while looking up at Anika as my youngest wife turned back, intent on getting her sweetener. "We'll wait just outside the airlock for you, and I'll tell them about what it's like growing up a farm-world girl. How is that?"

"Is perfect," Anika said as she reached inside her locker.

As Bea looked back down at her toes of her boots, I could tell she was having trouble holding in her growing glee at how the situation was turning out.

Pulling open the middle drawer beside some of her hanging clothes and uniforms, my Nika retrieved a small brown bottle I'd not seen before. I could feel the growing tension in the room from the mention of an airlock as A-Jay's, Claire's, and to just a lesser extent, Cal's and Israel's curiosity kicked in.

"Anika," Iz spoke up, "I was just admiring your décor in, ahh, C003. I like what you're doing with the place—or in the place. You be willing to discuss your design inspirations with me sometime?"

"A-firmative, Iz," she replied as she closed the drawer, then her locker, and turned around. "I am apologizing I cannot stay. However, my friend Israel, has anyone from our household extended you the offer to become name-friends with my loving first wife, Juliet, and our wonderful Beatrice? And would you, Ariel, and Calvin be kind enough to extend the same offer to our name-friend Claire? She is Bea's first friend from before meeting us. I am hoping all of us can be among friends here. Israel Jerusalem, I am wanting you to feel you should belong and share our fellowship."

I watched as Iz became serious and looked at Juliet, and when Bea raised her head and turned her focus on Israel, he nodded at her. Both women started smiling at my friend; Juliet giving him a full, welcoming smile, while our Green Thumb Princess looked a little embarrassed.

"Of ... of course," Israel Jerusalem managed to say as he stood up straight and squared the shoulders of his cammies, his glee finished. "I would be greatly honored."

Through our connection, I realized Bea was fighting to control herself and not start hooting with enthusiasm now that she felt sure the hunt was afoot and prey would be treed later, down in the Royal Yacht. Digging deeper, I also found out that she had helped Anika set up the recorders at Juliet's urging before they left for PT and the Firing Range. It seemed that being around Anika was bringing out Bea's aggressive nature that had been heavily repressed by her upbringing and the culture of her farm-world home. I wondered if Juliet's increasing forcefulness with other women was in response to Anika's dominant nature as well.

"And—might I ask to become your name-friend, G2 Murphrees?" Israel turned and enquired of Claire, his voice certain, sincere, and sounding hopeful.

"Oohh," Claire said, blushing against the bulkhead, "you would really like to be my name-friend? You're ah, ah Marine." Little girl wonder and surprised delight was in her voice.

"Why, yes I am," Iz said, his charm and his smiling, pleased response almost making him chuckle as he focused all his attention and pride on the shy, young woman with her back against the wall. "And, yes, I must insist, I would. I'm sure my sister and her boy toy here would also enjoy having you as a name-friend as well—if you would so honor us?"

"Yes, please," A-Jay said, a genuine smile on her face as she switched her eyes from Claire to her brother, a pleased look coming to her face as she studied Iz without him being aware of her scrutiny, or him noticing anyone else in the compartment who wasn't G2 Claire Murphrees.

So Juliet began the exchange of personal information with the offer to Israel to call her Juliet off duty, or among friends. Israel, obviously delighted, accepted and offered that my Mindy call him Jeru, or Iz.

Then our Green Thumb Princess addressed Iz, ask him to call her Beatrice, Bea, or even Double-Dee, which she informed his was short for her bandle and hoped she would one day have the honor of upholding with him, off-duty or among friends.

Seeing that exchange was well on its way, Anika broke in before Iz replied with his side of the ceremony. She excused herself, saying she needed to go back to our neighbor's as the tea should be ready by now. Nika added that when she returned, she wanted to show something to Plunk and Iz, as well as A-Jay and Claire—and Courtney and Arrbra if they'd arrived—while she told all of them a story about her Grandfather and her home world.

Calvin spoke up, telling Anika that he needed to return the donk, but he would be back here as soon as he checked the ride into the motor pool. Iz said that he too needed to see to something at the motor pool and he would return with Cal as soon as possible.

Then, as Israel accepted Bea's first name offer and returned with his offer to become name-friends, Anika pivoted and stepped into the threshold of the hatchway. Bea accepted his offer as the hatch opened and all of us could hear the arrival of a vehicle pulling up in the passageway outside C001.

"Arrbra! Courtney!" Anika called as she went outside. Bea squealed, stepping over to grab Claire from the bulkhead, and then as those two went by Cal and A-Jay, Beatrice grabbed Ariel by the hand and pulling her from her boyfriend's left arm. Continuing forward, Bea almost dragged the two young women outside to meet Arrbra—drawing the rest of us in her wake. I figured once Iz and Cal got back from returning the donk, the name-friends ceremonies would continue.

Along with the Marine TD3 parked near the far bulkhead to the right of the Evacuation Station hatchway, there in the center of the corridor were Courtney and Arrbra. The amazing bee, cat, and ladybug woman was behind the controls of the small, four-wheeled, four-seat, open vehicle that I'd seen Arrbra's boys pull up in when they brought the spiked ball to everyone's attention. I held back as Cal and Iz followed Bea and her two charges up to the right side of the nifty ride. Juliet stopped a step ahead of me, and turned partially toward me, near my right arm.

Bea started bombarding Arrbra, sitting on the other side of Courtney, with all kinds of happy questions. "What's in the box? Are you guys as excited as I am? Did you bring the stuff? We've got more new friends, wanna' meet 'em?"

I was close enough that I could see the small cargo dump behind the seats carried a duffel, two good-sized gym bags, a large cooler, and what had to be a gift. The big cube that would take both hands to lift from the dump was wrapped in a light-blue, opalescent material and tied with a wide, crimson bow that shimmered under the illumination panels in the overhead along the passageway.

As Beatrice continued to introduce everyone, I saw Arrbra was leaning across Courtney and shaking hands with each new person. So far, she had a big, genuine smile on her face, so my PAW admitted that with Arrbra's ability to sense people she touched; her vetting proved we'd picked our new name-friends well.

I felt a small hand grab my left ass cheek through my coveralls, and then let go, causing me to turn my head to my left, toward the starboard of the Glenndeavor. As Anika walked over to C005 without looking back, I felt Juliet touch my right elbow. After another moment, I looked away from Nika, wondering what was in her brown bottle. Thinking about it, I asked myself if I really wanted to know what it contained. My paranoid ass-wipe, my inner geek, and I didn't believe that she wanted to get the bottle because it held sweetener—that was certain.

"Jameson—" said Juliet getting my attention again, while in my left peripheral field of vision I saw Anika key the touch pad outside C005. After the hatch opened, she went inside, "—Beatrice brought up some of the TECMA-approved, contraband food-packets you confiscated for our household. There is a surprisingly good selection of sophisticated entrees. Pick one for your supper. And there is enough if you have one or two guests that you've worked hard to make hungry, my love," she told me with an endearing grin. "Bea put them on the shelf above the refrigeration unit in C001. There are some snacks in the fridge by the bunk in C003, too."

"I heard the commotion caused when our guests saw the recording set up in C003 ... and those recorders I am expecting you to utilize this evening," my first wife told me.

"Ah, yes," I said, hearing a little smirk in my voice. I wondered what inner part and life experiences of the Juliet who first sat down at Poker Night had helped bring forth this worldly, sexually forward woman beside me. "I'm impressed with the angles and coverage of the set up. The real surprise was what's on the shelf. I thought Claire was going to take root in the carpet."

"It's good for her to see some of what's going to be expected of her if she decides to stay," Juliet told me in a quiet voice. It seemed that Bea now was helping conduct formal, name-friend ceremonies between our friends beside the four-wheeler. "And by seeing what was put out on the shelf, that young woman knows that forethought and consideration have gone into our request. I hope she realizes we are attempting make her as comfortable as possible—that was our intention anyway. But I don't think this decision will be as difficult for her to make as her blushing demeanor would lead you, or her, to believe."

"Well, I know I'm getting comfortable," I admitted to Juliet, feeling my cock twitch in my silk boxers, "with this plan the three of you came up with."

"How comfortable, my husband?" she asked in a teasing voice, smiling up at me.

"Comfortable enough to really enjoy it if Claire or—perhaps—even our new neighbor agrees with your plan and joins me in celebrating my bachelor party," I told her.

"They won't be joining you, Jameson," my first wife informed me with a nod of her cap-covered blonde hair. "They will submit to you completely, or not at all. And, once again, I am telling you that Anika, Bea, and I expect to see the videos of your conquests."

"You keep surprising me, Juliet—" I told her, "—since meeting our blushing Anika, it seems as if we've been swept up in one almost unbelievable adventure after another, and we haven't even had to leave the Glenndeavor to do it ... Have you ever ridden on a huge rollercoaster?"

"Yes, I have—I know what you mean, my husband," she told me as a little shiver went through her magnificent body and a delighted smile bloomed on her beautiful face. "I love being able to call you that. I was starting to worry I'd never find anyone for me; and here you are. And we even have a wife and a mistress and it was your idea. My family back home will be so relieved for me.

"And as to your bachelor party—" my Mindy added, tapping me on the chest with her right index finger as our friends at the four-wheeler continued to become name-friends, "—that we have sprung on you ... just think how horny we'll get every time we watch those videos in the future, hummm?" My body responded as a thrill shot through my system.

At the sound of clean tires on clean decking, Juliet and I looked away from each other. I could feel my penis firming in my boxers from our talk as Cal and Iz drove off with the drive seats reversed and the donk headed for the intersection of section 14 and 15 to our left.

Bea told A-Jay and Claire to follow her, and then our Green Thumb Princess walked around the four-wheeler, heading across the passageway without noticing our two friends who just stood there beside Courtney and Arrbra in the Hydroponics Department ride. Using the ID card from around her neck in the card-reader built into the touch pad next to the Evacuation Station hatchway, Beatrice opened the hatch.

I could see the surprised reaction of A-Jay and Claire in their necks and shoulders where they stood in front of Juliet and me. Courtney, sitting in the front passenger seat, reached over and touched Arrbra on the right sleeve of the middle-aged woman's coveralls and asked a question I couldn't hear.

Arrbra gave Courtney a grin and shrugged her shoulders. And then, catching my eyes and giving me a big, mischievous smile and wink, my friend and Bea's former supervisor and mother-figure used the floor shifter and put the four-wheeler in reverse. Backing up several meters, she used the shifter again.

"Follow me, you two," Arrbra said to A-jay and Claire before pulling the four-wheeler slowly into the Evacuation Station with just enough room on either side to clear the framework. Seeing that, I knew she'd be able to pull into the lift and ride down to the shuttle deck. Our collapsible two-wheeled cart was easily a meter longer than Arrbra's machine and just as wide. A-Jay and Claire started after the short tailgate.

"Claire!" Juliet called to her. "I want to talk with you, please."

"You realize you don't need to go through with this," Juliet told Claire as the three of us stood in C003.

Claire had her back to the wide bunk and the recorders. She stood with her ship's boots apart, her left hip slightly canted to that side; her left arm was across her stomach. With that hand cupping her right elbow, Claire held her right forearm up, the thumb and index finger of her right hand plucking at the bottom hem of the cargo pocket of her coveralls, pushed out by her right breast. To anyone looking at her cute, round face, it was obvious that she was nervous.

"I am aware of that, Juliet," Claire said and exhaled through her nose. "It'll be, you know, my decision ... when I make it. Bea's been talking to me since lunch, on the way to and at the Gym, then on our walk to the Marines' part of the Ship. Now that I've been there, I need to keep up my skills better. Daddy and my older brother would be pissed, all that time teaching me to shoot and I don't try to improve beyond what I accomplished at basic."

"You need to make your decision soon," my blonde bombshell told our new friend. "Now ... if you agree, what do you see happening, if you spend the entire night?"

The young woman had been Bea's only real friend from outside the Hydroponics department before our voluptuous, honey-blonde walked into the lounge, and headed for that vending machine, prior to meeting Anika and me.

Claire thought for a few moments. Then she tilted her head slightly forward, her black eyebrows going up as she looked at Juliet on my right.

"I want you to understand, the first two boys I was with, you know..." Claire explained, shrugging her shoulders as she continued to pluck at the bottom of her front pocket, "both of them were sort of rough. Not 'cause they were mean or anything—they just didn't know what they were doing, I surely didn't. Well, the last one was selfish."

Looking from Juliet to me and back to Juliet, it seemed to me Claire was searching for our understanding. I nodded my head at her, wanting her to continue. Talking should calm her down some, I figured, and I was learning more about our new name-friend—which was always a good thing.

"I grew up on a fairly new planet in the Outer Arm—it was all frontier, moral fascists, forestry, furs, and no fucking until you're married, so a third of the kids had to get hitched before getting out of school. Those that did went to work. There wasn't a lot of high-tech infrastructure; the nets were only available to government offices, some businesses, hospitals, the bigger schools, and the like. With no sex education in schools, we didn't even have access to any online porn to learn the basics, you know?"

"You joined up to get free of all that," Juliet asked in a soft voice, "I assume?"

"Sure did," Claire agreed as her thumb and finger plucked faster at her pocket, matching the increasing speed of her following words. "I don't have much experience with boys, and no real men. The first boy, to start with, just wanted to gnaw my lips and try to choke me with his tongue while he got my bra off and started working my boobs like he wanted to fill a pitcher with fresh-squeezed tittie juice.

"Once my skirt was up and my panties down," the round-faced young woman told us, her eyes focused on the past, "he just managed to get it in before he went off. Afterwards, he got all whimpery, and he sucked on my boobs like a nursing babe. He did that for a while, got his second wind, and went at it again—lasted about three squirrel-mad minutes.

"The whole time," G2 Murphrees said with a sigh, "I was thinking, I'm going to get pregnant, I'm going to get pregnant ... but I didn't. And the shit had only pulled his pants down a little ways, so his belt buckle put a big bruise on the inside of my right thigh from his pounding. Had to tell my mum I fell and hit the center bar of my older brother's bike. I even had to stop and finish myself, walking home—alone.