Chapter 2: The Great Warship

It was like a dream...

The night before was beautiful. To feel her warm hand and gentle caress of her fingers.

“Come and find me...,” her words whispered into Scott’s brain.

The man stirred in bed. He was breathing hard, heart throbbing. Scott shifted around as if his hand struggled to reach out to her. He wanted her so badly.

The image of seeing her grip her breast, even if it was from behind ... it was all a message for him. She beckoned him to come.

The dream felt even more intense. He was in bed with her, grabbing her shark-like tail and slumping it over his left shoulder, driving his hardened member deep within her. Lustful, powerful, and erotic. It was pure natural instinct. It was...

“Ah...,” Scott shifted and opened his eyes.

His vision quickly captured the dark room. It was at night, and the darkness and twinkling starlight could be seen from his barracks’ room window.

“Ugh...,” he grunted. He shifted some more in his bed before rolling onto his back. It didn’t take much for him to realize that he had a hardened erection poking out against the bed sheets that covered him.

“Get ahold of yourself, Scott,” he told himself. “Just your brain not making sense from the night before. She’s not interested in you.”

He said that, but a part of him knew that was a lie. The dance felt magical. Was last night truly a dream? Was Veleshar just a figment of his imagination?

“She was real...,” he said. “I never knew the Shal’rein to be so ... beautiful and majestic up close ... but her ... Veleshar. I...”

Scott’s eyes fully opened as he stared at the ceiling. Forty years of this ... No women ... no relationships that led to marriage ... nothing. What was sex? Was it an actual thing?

Of course, it was, but Scott knew that it was a tug-of-war between two significant factors. It was easy to have an excuse not to have a woman that cared. Before the Itreans, some of the male bachelors just gave up. There were more men than women, and not all the women wanted to get married and settle down. It was a great epidemic in UWA society. It became a loveless life for many men, and the solution to finding romance was to get a companion bot and think she was a real woman. It was that or become gay or bisexual or become a woman and find a man. For many, men choose to get the companion bots.

Being a virgin was the reality of things. For some, it was accepted as others sought any and all means to prove themselves to the woman that they were the best suitors. But, with Scott, being a virgin wasn’t a complaint at this point. He simply became used to it. It was almost a badge of honor to him. Sure, he tried, but at this age, he was used to taking care of himself. Who needed to have a woman to begin with?

But the Itreans came. 2349 might as well have been a revolution in the history of human male bachelors. Even Scott’s mind refused to sleep at this point as he thought about that year. He thought he was going to die. The Itreans were going to exterminate the human race, but in the end, he would have the last laugh. He wasn’t afraid of dying a virgin. He was more afraid of his father and grandparents back at home. Let the others cry havoc when the Itreans slaughter them. He was ready for death.

Then, the truth came forward. An entire alien race of women. It was like a kid walking into a candy store for the first time. Not only that but there were crazy stories that followed it. Some men had two, three, ten, or thirty alien wives. A human male could have anything they wanted and more. Even the lesbians had their fair share of choices as well. Suddenly, the concept of being a virgin came back in full force. Scott’s mind kept telling him the same thing over and over again. Why was he holding back?

“I want to go to sleep,” Scott said with a moan. “Let me sleep...”

His mind trailed to Xel’di. Even if that woman didn’t have the perfect personality for him, occasionally, there would be a few offset dreams of her. She was so small ... easy to pick up and make out with. She was even cuter than some of the other Yutilians. He couldn’t deny that he did have some romantic feelings toward Xel’di. Perhaps she was the one...

But then incidents like last night would rear its head. Veleshar was the embodiment of beauty. She was a voluptuous woman, a person of Scott’s caliber. She was so gentle and straightforward. Was she always like that, or was she simply behaving that way because she was a Greater Adjunct? Being in public always had a way of altering a person’s character. But even then, Shal’rein were generally known to be straightforward. Scott had to consider that Yutilians had a way of masking their feelings at times. It was more likely that Veleshar was telling the truth.

The man surmised that Veleshar was ingenious in her approach. She was different, purposely being different. That outfit alone stood out so well, but the number of Shal’rein per Yutilian were rare, much like Xel’di was to most Yutilians. Scott knew that he valued uniqueness, and Veleshar certainly filled that quota quite well.

“Mother...,” Scott said.

Veleshar ... that was it. The tone and voice brought in the nostalgia of Scott’s mother. He remembered when his mom tucked him away in bed as a kid, reading stories and praising his achievements in school. Such gentle kindness and a wonderous soul she was. But as he considered it more, Veleshar actually sounded so much like her. Maybe that was why he felt drawn to this Shal’rein.

“Did you send her for me, Mom?” Scott asked out loud. There was one thing that he remembered so well from her that she told him. It loomed in his mind, ultimately leading to a final decision that he was determined to carry out.

It was just before 0830. The morning light pierced into the forested countryside of the base. Inside the main admin building, military professionalism was the highest. Personnel and staff worked in various cubicles. Rooms were allocated to all sorts of various operations. It wasn’t a grandiose building by any means, but it was here that military personnel took care of anything that required the COC’s permission to carry forth.

The hallway was as standard as anything ever was. It consisted of concrete layered with red and blue carpet. Old polymer glass doors riddled both sides and led to various rooms or offices. Among one of the people walking around was Scott and Xel’di. They strolled and spoke to one another.

“Are you ready for a new assignment?” Xel’di asked.

“Yeah,” Scott remarked. “I’ve been thinking...”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know ... but it was something you said yesterday.”

Xel’di tilted her head lightly. “I liked the dancing yesterday.”

“Me too,” he smiled a little bit.

“I didn’t know you prefer Shal’rein.”

“I ... don’t know about that.”

“And you prefer rank ... the higher, the better,” she made a few clicks in her voice.

“I know you were overhearing the conversation with Veleshar. Look, she was nice, but I’m not sure about a woman like her.”

Xel’di placed her hands against her flat chest. “And you prefer big breasts.”

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing...”

Scott sighed as Xel’di halted as well. “That isn’t fair...,” he told her.

“What is?” she asked.

He looked down and shook his head. “I have the right to be patient, you know?”

She lurched forward and lowered her voice. “You don’t have to be a virgin forever, you know?”

Why here? He asked the question, knowing the answer was obvious. The Ko’min people were more open to sex, but this was a military compound. Somebody was going to overhear it. She made a few chirps in her voice.

“I know that,” he whispered to her. “I also know the type of people you come from. You Ko’min don’t really get married. You sell yourselves off to ... to...” he refused to say it, knowing it would be inappropriate in the environment.

Xel’di frowned, put her hands to her waist, and tapped her clawed foot to the carpet. “That’s not all true,” she quietly replied to him. “Ko’min make money from sex. Ko’min have large orgies ... share lovers...”

“Oh ... please don’t let someone overhear this,” Scott said to himself.

“But Ko’min are proud people,” she continued as her voice got louder. “Ko’min have families. Ko’min digs for life, and Ko’min does find mates.”

Scott knew where this conversation was going. He was trying to avoid it leading to this moment, but it was going to happen. She was going to ask it. He was about to say more until another voice erupted in the hallway.

“Petty Officer Scott,” Officer Jackson called out. He made his paired two-finger point at Scott.

“Sir,” Scott addressed him.

“Finished up the morning briefing with the CO,” his divisional officer said. He directed him to approach the door. “Come in so we can get the next assignment for you two.”

Scott and Xel’di were approaching the Ensign’s office. The officer had already stepped inside, but as Scott reached the door, he turned to look at Xel’di.

“Actually, sir,” Scott said as he looked in the office. “I have a personal matter that I need to discuss with you.” He looked over at Xel’di. “It’s ... in private.”

Xel’di took the hint. She did her quick nods as she halted and stood by the wall. It didn’t take long before she looked away and down the hall. Jackson had found a seat by his desk.

“Of course,” Jackson said as he waved Scott in. The enlisted man closed the door behind him. The interior of the office was small. It consisted of just a single metal desk, two office chairs, and a main display unit. A few trinkets lay about that Jackson had properly decorated in his room, including some sort of small white and red flag with a maple leaf in the center that was pinned on the wall. It didn’t take long for the two to be seated.

“Scott, Scott,” Jackson said. The man tapped his hand to the desk. “How can I help you today?”

“Doing well, sir,” Scott replied as he tapped his uniform a little bit. “A little sore from the dancing, but good nonetheless.”

“Yeah ... I saw you hittin it pretty well on the floor last night.”

“You weren’t so bad either,” Scott said before he composed himself. He wasn’t going to stall. “Sir...”

“You feel ready for another alien battleship tour?” Jackson interjected.

“Actually, that’s something I wanted to speak to you about. I’m feeling a little fatigued with jumpin to ship to ship like this.”

Jackson nodded. “What do you mean?”

“Hmmm ... how do I say it, sir? I finished up the Ben’va’das. It was two weeks working with every engineer and weapons officer in helping get them trained with Itrean equipment. Before that was the Lada...” he tried to make a click with his voice but failed. “The Lada ... Ewodras’Lihg ... fuck that name. That ship was two weeks.” The man sighed. “I’m wearing down on the assignments.”

“But it’s your job to help train the new recruits. That was why Xel’di was assigned by the T’rintar to help you out with the other Itrean trainers.”

“That’s what I mean, though. I’m barely given a chance to stop and relax a little bit. I’m expected to be on the next ship to repeat the whole process in a day. It’s fourteen days of work and two days off. Even the base workers have more time for RnR, even with the occasional duty section watches.”

Jackson nodded. “I admit it’s a little bit egregious, but as we say in the UHN world, ‘Choose your rate, choose your fate.’ You and the other twenty members of my section have to suck it up and just go with it. But ... if you’re looking for some leave time, I can have it arranged for you.”

“I have days that I can take, sir, but...”

Jackson turned on his display and began to interface with it. “I’m already taking a look at it. It looks like you have over forty days of accumulated leave days available. Geez, have you ever taken some time off? Wait ... I see two days you took five months ago before you transferred here, but that’s it. You know that you still get paid to take some time off, right?”

“Honestly, I was thinking about it, but Xel’di won’t get those days to relax, so why should I?”

“I can’t speak for T’rintar patriotism and their endurance, but we are human beings, Scott. What’s more important for you? I am bringing up the issue of work hours now to the CO since we are getting more and more experienced staff to help out with the T’rintar leased ships, but it’s still not going to happen anytime soon. I can let you take some leave time or let you pick the next ship you’re going to. That’s all I can do for you. If I were you, take some time off. You have a good record, and I can see that you are eager to relax.”

“There is another idea that I had,” Scott said. “What about the Foreign Enlisted Exchange Program?”

“The Exchange Program? Hmmm,” Jackson seemed to think. “What is it that you want to do exactly?”

“I was wanting to transfer to the Gular’shel, under Greater Adjunct Veleshar’s command for a few weeks.”

Scott did his research on the Foreign Exchange Program. It was part of the UHN and T’rintar Clan Alliance, which started almost at the very beginning of the treaty, but it took time before the program grew more and more popular than it is now. The rules of it were quite interesting. Enlisted men and officers could transfer and serve under a T’rintar warship and vice versa. Its entire goal was to allow humans and T’rintar personnel to serve on each other’s ships for a limited time. Idealistically, it was there to help improve relations and understanding between different cultures. Realistically, there were numerous goals, as it did allow personnel to witness how ships and crews operated along with hidden but obvious side benefits. Of course, there were natural hurdles to this before such a thing could happen.

“Veleshar...,” Jackson considered it. “Was she that Shal’rein you were dancing with last night, mind me asking?”

“Yes,” Scott said.

“Hmmm ... I won’t pretend that I know much about her with all the T’rintar officers and all. She commands this ... Gular’shen?”

“Gular’shel,” Scott corrected. “And yes, she does. Maybe she even commands a fleet for all I know.”

“The Foreign Exchange Program...,” Jackson said as he thought about it. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about it. How well do you know it, sir?”

“It works well ... a little too well if you ask me. They nicknamed it the ‘Bachelor Exchange Program’ because the men who often go to these T’rintar ships end up quitting the UHN because they marry the alien crew. The same could be said in reverse. If you ask me, I think it’s more of just an extension of those UWAN mate finder stuff. Not saying that would be your case, though...” Jackson squinted his eyes a little bit as if he was focusing hard on Scott.

“What?” Scott asked.

“Let’s just say that I’ll stay professional on this. You want to serve on a T’rintar warship for three weeks?”

“It would be something different for me to do. I already know a little bit of Itrean, and I know some of their equipment. It should be much easier for me.”

“No doubt you would. But, keep in mind some of the issues with the program. If you transfer to the ship, you will be under the mercy of the Adjunct in charge. You will have to follow her every order as long as it’s reasonable. Additionally, when serving on a T’rintar ship, know that you are in more dangerous territory. I’m not saying that serving in the UHN is any safer, but you probably noticed that we don’t carry out many offensive operations around here. With the T’rintar, while they do carry out more defensive operations than the other clans, there is still a large-scale intergalactic civil war going on. You would essentially be put right into the frontlines.”

“Yes, that’s true.” A hint of hesitation appeared in Scott’s eyes as he briefly considered it.

“And there’s also the other things to consider ... that in the fact that you would be in a ship filled with women. Now, I’m not trying to imply that’s anything negative. I can imagine that for some men, they may feel that comforting, others may feel that disorienting. You would be alone.”

“I think that one is more obvious, sir.”

“There would be another issue too. Xel’di can’t come with you. She’s assigned by her own clan to serve here to help out in the training process on Cebravis. It’s beyond my control to have her come with you. Unless, that doesn’t trouble you.”

Scott knew that was going to be an issue the moment he brought it up. T’rintar clan rules overrode her. If he left for the Gular’shel, then he would be leaving her behind. Was it the wrong choice to do so?

For Scott, this was a decision that needed to be made clear and precise. He had to see Veleshar. Everything about her almost sounded like change, adventure, and more, even if it was to the slightest degree.

“If you need time to consider it...,” Jackson tried to say.

“Let’s do it, sir,” Scott said. “Doesn’t bother me.”

“Hmmm...” Jackson remarked as he seemed convinced enough. “And last but not least, there is the COC administration protocol. This has to be accepted by me, the CO, and the Adjunct in charge of the ship to make this happen. Hmmm...,” Jackson turned his gaze back to the display. He began typing on his keyboard as he was looking at files. “Oh, what is this?”

“What?”

“I already got a request from Greater Adjunct Veleshar to have you come aboard the Gular’shel. This email just came in a few minutes ago. It’s already been routed to the CO as well. She’s even willing to offer transportation to her ship if needed. Huh ... well...,” Jackson nodded his head. “That eliminates one factor down.” He looked at Scott. “Are you sure about this?”

Scott was amazed. A one-night fling had turned into something more. Scott still had the opportunity to turn this down. However, the sheer fact that Veleshar had already put in the request would greatly accelerate this process. It also meant much more than he expected from her. Now, he was even more intrigued to go. There was no holding back now.

“I am sure, sir,” Scott said. “Let’s do it.”

Jackson began typing on his computer. “In that case,” he told the petty officer. “I will forward this to the CO ASAP.”

“I wonder how long this will take to process?”

“CO doesn’t have much to do at the moment, so he should see it pretty quickly. With Veleshar and my permission given ... you might be able to leave by tomorrow.”

There was no holding back this time. The officer stopped himself as he looked over to Scott.

“I’ll contact you later on as soon as I get an update,” Jackson told him. “In the meantime, I would recommend you start packing. Are there any questions?”

Scott shook his head. “Nope, thank you, sir.”

“In that case, Scott,” Jackson extended his hand to him. “I wish you luck.”

The petty officer grabbed and shook the officer’s hand. With that, he gave a farewell gesture and left the room.

Upon the door closing, Scott looked around. He turned to the left and saw that Xel’di wasn’t present. She was gone.

About five minutes would pass. Scott exited the main admin building to see the stone path that led to the base’s large fountain ahead.

The man had begun to wonder what had happened to his Itrean partner. He walked down the path and could see the back of a lone Yutilian. It had to be Xel’di. Her horns were an obvious marker. Her arms were neatly wrapped around her flat chest, with her head almost lowered down. Scott approached her.

“Xel’di?” Scott called out to her. It didn’t take long before he finally reached her. She was virtually alone by the fountain as a few individuals walked by without as much as glancing at the tiny alien woman.

“There you are,” the man addressed her. She almost started walking when the man’s voice grew louder near her.

“Hey ... are you alright?” Scott said to her. He stepped in front of her to see her gripping her arms tightly.

“I heard the conversation,” Xel’di tried to say. “About you going to the Gular’shel.”

Scott paused as he briefly looked away. “I see ... I was going to tell you.”

“You like her ... you really like her.”

“I don’t know, Xel’di. I just need to do something different. Look, I’m tired of the training. It’s becoming a boring life for me.”

“I know,” she said. Her clawed fingers fidgeted.

“Besides, it’ll only be for a few weeks. I can come back.”

Xel’di shook her head. “You won’t. My previous left too.”

“Your previous?”

“His name was Terrance. I liked him,” she made a few clicks in her voice. “We had a night together ... After that, I wanted to be his mate. But, he made a request to be transferred to a UHN ship. Never even bothered to contact me again.”

Scott went and took a knee to put himself at eye level with her. “Xel’di ... I’m so sorry,” he told her. “You never told me this before.”

“You think that Ko’min like sex and digging. I want mateship too. You are nice ... nicer than Terrance. I try to be slow ... not push you ... be good.”

The man put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been that receptive to you. I just ... don’t want you to be like my previous relationships were.”

“You wouldn’t know until you try,” she said under her breath.

“What?”

“Nothing...”

Scott sighed. “Is there any way that you could come with me?”

“There is only one way.”

Scott knew what she was talking about. He wasn’t sure about the concept of declaring mateship with her. It just seemed too far away at this time to consider it.

“Otherwise,” she continued. “My Greater Adjunct will just reassign me to another human.”

“Then you might have some luck with him,” he told her.

“You assume it will be a he?”

“Good point. Xel’di, I have to do this. I need more. A person can have a good record, but it means nothing if he doesn’t do things outside the box.”

Her reptilian eyes wondered a little bit. It was her only response till Scott considered something else.

“Do you know anything about the Gular’shel?” he asked her.

“I don’t know,” she explained with a few clicks in her voice. “I work on Ikra and I’rala battleships. My Adjunct will not allow me to be assigned to some other ship that I’m not qualified to serve. But, ... I rarely see a Shal’rein Greater Adjunct that serves the T’rintar. The name Gular’shel sounds familiar, a Shal’rein name ... a time before I was born.”

“I see...”

“You are a good man, a potential mate,” she explained to him. “I will miss you, my friend.”

Scott’s only course of action was to embrace Xel’di. Her tiny frame easily fit into the man’s large arms. He pulled her close and gave her a big hug. The Yutilian woman put her clawed hands on the man’s back, reciprocating his embrace.

“Take care, Xel’di,” he said to her. They let go of each other as the man stood up.

“May you find Itrea’s Embrace,” she replied back.

With that, Scott turned around and began to head away. This left Xel’di alone as she remained gripping her arm. The hint of sorrow could be seen on her face.

The next day would arrive. Far from the corner of the base was a metal landing pad. A large green cylindrical cigar-shaped vessel remained parked. It was a T’rintar shuttlecraft, but it was bigger than the typical ones. This one carried a series of autogun turrets around its hull, including rear guns in the midsection past its four rear side thrusters, with another one mounted underneath the pilot room bow. On the top was a fin-like array along with a short-range missile launcher. On the bottom ventral side was a light forward-mounted railgun.

“A T’rintar Shal’rein shuttle?” Scott questioned. He was slightly apprehensive. He wore a large bookbag, and his left hand tensed as he held a duffel bag for his belongings.

The ship was little more than a gunship, probably the most impressive combat vessel for a small transport. Its door was much bigger than the other T’rintar shuttles. Most likely, it was because Yutilian shuttles were generally meant for smaller bodies.

Its landing struts kept it anchored to the floor as the large door opened and lowered down to the ground as a ramp. It didn’t take long before a person appeared.

It was an Itrean that appeared from the shuttle. She was a Shal’rein and a big one at that. She stood at around 9 feet in height. Her clothes consisted of green, black, and white. She was a powerhouse, both buff and masculine. The semi-stretchy uniform had to work overtime to accommodate her large frame. She carried some sort of large holstered handgun on her right hip. Some things were noticeable about her, including three pierced earrings on her right-finned ear. She had flowing purple hair that neared her shoulders, a large muscular tail with jutting fins, and grayish-blue skin.

Scott hefted his belongings and began to approach the recently landed shuttle. It didn’t take long for this bullish-looking Shal’rein to see the approaching human.

“Ah ... there he is,” the Shal’rein said in her slightly butchered English. “Fresh meat has arrived.”

“Oh, ha, ha,” Scott called her out. “Kop’le Click tro to you too.”

The Shal’rein was taken aback. “Impressive, human. Your Itrean isn’t too terrible ... though, I like my men be ... how you say ‘tender and less aggressive.’”

Scott walked up to the ramp. “Really?” he asked her. “I got the impression you prefer the lone human to be aggressive and not tender.”

Her accent was a little thick, consisting of the Japanese and Spanish that would mend back and forth. It was a deep voice. Her stance was that of being proud, basically putting her hands on her hips and pressing her moderately sized breasts forward.

“Did Yutilian tell you that bullshit?” the Shal’rein asked. “We aren’t always their toy soldiers.”

“Fair enough,” the man said. The Itrean woman reached over and grabbed the heavy duffel bag with ease. “Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery Scott. Is this my nonstop flight to the Gular’shel?”

“Greater Centurion Yui’to,” she addressed herself. “2nd in command of the Gular’shel. Yes, Scott. Come with me.”

Scott’s eyes went wide for a second. “The XO? I wasn’t expecting the second in command to come and greet me.”

They both stepped inside the shuttle. The interior of the vessel was quite spacious, consisting of large seats. It was almost like that of a bus. The main compartment naturally held the passengers. Past it to the forward bow consisted of the pilot’s room, which was closed off. To the rear of the main compartment was a series of smaller rooms that led to other facilities. For the vast interior, it was definitely a Shal’rein shuttlecraft.

As the two stepped in, Yui’to took her hand, balled it into a fist, and slammed the bulkhead a few times to produce some noise. She said a few words in Itrean that seemed to be directed towards the closed pilot’s room. Scott took it as a message that Yui’to was telling the pilot that the shuttle was preparing for takeoff.

“Why not?” Yui’to questioned the man as they found the nearest row of seats. “It is the Greater Adjunct’s job to meet transferees first ... make sure they’re safe.”

“Huh...,” Scott said as he found a large seat and sat down on it. He took his backpack, which Yui’to took, and tossed it into a metal compartment before closing the lid.

“I should have apologized to you, Ma’am,” Scott addressed her as an officer. “I thought you were some lesser centurion here to escort me to your ship.”

“You can call me Greater Centurion or just Yui’to, Scott,” she corrected him.

The Shal’rein did the same in earnest with his duffel bag, slapping it onto a chair and throwing the straps over it to properly secure it.

“Ugh...” Scott said. “I was asking to be a little bit careful with my backpack as I had a couple of fragile things in it.”

“Heh,” she gave a brief chuckle. “Not so fragile now.”

She adjusted her tail and approached the chair by Scott before sitting down next to him. By the time she was adjusting the straps on herself, the man was all set and ready to go.

“You have boots for walking on ship?” Yui’to asked.

“Of course,” Scott tapped his boots together.

It didn’t take long before there was a light thump from the shuttle. The engines quickly powered up, and Scott could feel the transport lifting off from the ground. There were a couple of clear windows to see out from. Ahead was a main display unit that showed the outside environment, including portions of the UHN base.

“So..., Yui’to,” Scott questioned her. “How many humans come to your ship?”

“You are the first human,” Yui’to said. “Veleshar is most pleased she will see you.”

“Funny that I didn’t see you at the dance yesterday. It was quite fun.”

“Dancing on ground sucks. Dancing in water is better.”

“Fair enough. I only got so much information about your ship. Apparently, it’s named after some Master Adjunct named Gular’shel, right?”

“Yes, best ship in the fleet.”

“Are you just saying that as any commander would, or do you really mean that?”