Chapter 5

Taking a deep breath in, Alexander woke, blinking slowly as he woke up. ‘Did last night really happen?’ He wondered as he propped himself up in his large, king sized bed. There was a source of warmth right next to him and he looked down to see Natalya lying there. She was still sleeping, as her eyes were closed, but she had a content smile on her face as she continued to dream.

Moving as quietly and slowly as he could, the big man scooted out of bed and headed to his bathroom to do his morning business. Having finished in less than a minute, he padded over to the shower and turned it on. The hot water threw up a steam cloud as it contacted the cold air. After testing the water, Alex turned about to get some towels. He found Natalya standing there, in the doorway, looking as beautiful as she could.

A slow smile wound its way onto his face as he took in her naked body, drinking in every detail. Her dusky brown skin shone in the light as she sauntered over to him, her pendulous breasts swaying as she walked to him. Stopping right in front of him, Natalya stood on her tiptoes, her face trying to reach his. Alex was already ahead of her, enfolding her into his arms as he lifted her, so they could face each other, eye to eye.

Bodies pressed together, they both felt the wave of arousal hit them as their lips met in a torrid and enflamed kiss. As their tongues struck back and forth, Alex walked backwards into the shower spray, drenching the both of them. Ending the kiss softly, Natalya dropped her legs back down and backed away from her lover. She then smiled that self-assured, content smile of a woman who had been well and truly satisfied.

Seeing the look on her face was enough to have Alex growl softly as the hot and steamy session of sex they’d had last night was beyond amazing in his eyes. Letting his chocolate skinned goddess go, he planted a tender kiss on her forehead as he stroked her face. Placing her right hand on his chest, over his heart, Natalya felt for his heartbeat, closing her eyes, listening.

Her smile widening as she caressed his solid pecs, the young woman took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and gazed up into the young Captain’s face. He leaned down and kissed her again, setting her passion aflame, like he did hours ago. Nat’s body convulsed, every inch of her clenching in delight, until a slight twinge in her nethers put her off for a moment. Moaning into the kiss, she pressed him back against the metal wall of his shower unit, then reluctantly peeled herself away from him.

“As much as I’d like to continue this, especially with you saluting me the way you are,” Natalya joked as she gripped his semi-hard cock, “I’m going to need at least a few hours of recovery time before we can have some more nookie.”

“Oooohh! I think we may both need that rest, considering how crazy it got last night,” Alex responded as her hand clenched his dick that gave a sense of both pleasure and pain. Letting his tool go, she pressed against her man, doing her level best to bury herself into his body. For the first time, in a long time, Natalya could sleep through the night without being bothered by any recurring nightmares or insomnia.

She had actually slept, like she used when she was a little girl! She hadn’t had a sense of peace like that since ... Banishing the dark thought that flitted on the edge of her consciousness, Natalya brought herself back to the present moment. Enjoying the hot water pouring over her skin, she soaked her hair as she looked around for some shampoo.

Alex noted her search and pressed his hand to a recessed panel. A small wall section next to it slid open and revealed basic shampoo, conditioner and soap, along with several variants of each. Smirking up at him, Natalya reached for the one that was alcohol free, to prevent her hair from breaking. As she was about to open it, Alex snatched it from her hand. She was just about to rebuke him for doing that, until he opened it, squeezed a good dollop into his hands and crooked his finger.

Surprise flitted across her face as Natalya saw him rub it between his palms lightly. Doing as he had showed, she stepped close to him, her head just below his chin. Alex raked his hands through her hair, working the shampoo into it, massaging her scalp as his fingers played along her tresses.

Sighing in delight, Natalya let Alexander play with her hair as he washed it, loving the feel of his fingers as they danced about her head. Several minutes later, he stopped and though Natalya didn’t want it to end; she knew they couldn’t spend all day in the shower as much as she wanted to. The large Croatian captain reached into the open alcove, pulling a couple bars of soap out.

Handing one to Natalya, he then stepped out of the needle spray of water as he soaped himself up. The lather of suds didn’t stay on him long as the steam caused by the hot water slowly sluiced it off of his chiseled physique. Alex made to step into the water to rinse himself off, but Natalya stopped him. Confused, the big man was about to open his mouth, before she pointed her finger down and turned it in a circular motion.

Opening his mouth in a silent ‘Ah!’ of realization, the captain of the Perseus turned about, facing his back to the chief engineer. Taking her own soap, she soaped her lover’s back, making sure that a single inch didn’t go unwashed. Satisfied with her work, Natalya clasped Alex’s shoulder, turning him around. As he faced her, the massive bear of a man made the same motion to her that she did to him.

Turning on the spot, Natalya presented her back to Alex, so he could return the favor. His hands played along her skin as he soaped her down, lathering up her back with the soapy suds. He paid special attention to her ass, as he both soaped and fondled it, pinching, grasping and kneading it.

“Stop that!” Natalya giggled as she playfully slapped his hand that slid across her slick behind.

“Nats, your ass alone is a masterpiece. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t worship it, along with the rest of you?” the massive Captain asked as he cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Smooth one, charming,” Natalya said as she draped her arms around his shoulders and drew Alex into another long kiss. They both enjoyed it as they stood under the falling hot spray. Breaking apart gently, the both of them finished washing up before toweling off and heading out into the room. The two of them searched about for their clothes, until Natalya squeaked, remembering.

“What is it, Nats?”

“We left our clothes ... in the Officer’s Lounge!” the young woman responded, her face a mask of mortification.

“Oh, shit!” Alex replied, his equally surprised and shocked. Throwing a glance over to his clock, a small smile flitted across his mouth.

“If we get dressed and head on over now, we should be able to get there before either Kasumi or Taal’ani!” the big man blurted, as he darted over to his closet and pulled out one of his uniforms. He also yanked out a set of casual clothes, a simple white tee and black drawstring pants, tossing them to Natalya.

Quickly donning the clean clothes, they were rushing along the corridors moments later, hoping to get to the lounge in time. As they skidded to a halt before the doors, the young lovers craned their heads, checking if anyone had been since last night. Seeing and hearing nothing, they entered through the doors, finding that the scene inside was just as they had left it. Scrambling, both Alex and Natalya snatched their discarded clothing, bundling it in their arms.

“Think we could make it back without rousing either of them?” Natalya asked.

“Likely not, but lucky for us, there is a solution,” Alexander said as he led the young woman to the kitchen. As they went through the doors, Alex continued walking until he came to what looked like a small cupboard built into the bulkhead. Opening the door revealed what appeared to be a small chute, far too small for anyone to fit into.

“A laundry chute?” the chocolate-skinned woman questioned.

“Of course! For a crew as large as ours, with meals being prepped here in the galley, there’s bound to be a right mess from time to time,” the Slavic man explained.

“The clothes get dropped a couple hundred decks to the laundry service to be cleaned. The laundry service is run by a Virtual Intelligence that scans the clothes for DNA, for identification purposes. It cleans the garments, then sends them back up via the maglev delivery system that’s been built into the Perseus framework. We tried to automate as much of the basic duties as we could.”

Shaking her head, Natalya was again amazed at the amount of thought that went into constructing such a ship. As Alex dropped his clothes down the chute, she walked up right after him and similarly dropped her clothes in. Exiting the galley, the both of them were all smiles, having just avoided being embarrassed in such a way. They then embraced, holding each other as they kissed again, their passion still burning hot. Breaking the kiss, Natalya then wrapped her arms around Alex’s midsection, hugging her man close, as though she was trying to melt into him.

“I should probably head back and get some proper clothes on though, and some underwear, while I’m at it,” Natalya smirked as she stood there.

“I’d say that’s a good plan. I should probably clean up in here, in case Taal’ani comes in and smells the stench of sex we left behind,” Captain Tomisic replied, with his arms around her.

“Too late!”

Heads whipping towards the entrance, both humans noticed the Fel’caan woman leaning casually against the doorframe. The look on her face was one of the cat that just got the canary, smiling evilly at the new lovers.

“How much of that did you hear?” Natalya asked her crew mate, her face aflame in embarrassment.

“Enough to know that what you two were up to. Also, enough to wish I could have seen the show, judging by how cuddly and cutesy you two are being right now,” Talon giggled.

Looking at each other, then back at Taal’ani, both Alex and Natalya gave the resident hacker a little something to think about. Drawing Natalya into another kiss, Alex put everything he had into the kiss, pouring every bit of himself that he could into it. The young engineer returned the kiss with equal fervor, using her tongue creatively inside his mouth, which drew a feral growl out of the man.

As the kiss ended, both Alexander and Natalya stepped away from each other, as she sauntered over to walk past Talon, who was staring goggle eyed at the both of them. Her tongue was hanging out past her jaw, with no sound coming out, and she was drooling.

“Close your mouth, Specialist, before you start a puddle on the floor,” Captain Tomisic said in a satisfactory tone. Blinking and shaking herself out of her stupor, Taal’ani went to catch her friend, just as she heard the captain say, “Breakfast in fifteen minutes, ladies!”

As the Fel’caan woman caught her friend, she couldn’t help but notice the smiley, glowy look that was plastered all over Natalya’s face. Envious, though happy for her friend, she slung her arm around the young human’s shoulders and pressed her for details.

“So, was he any good? I’m guessing by that look, he was!”

“Girlie, you don’t know the half of it! You couldn’t handle the half of it!” Natalya replied to the playful ribbing.

“So, come on! Spill! Details, details!” the cat-girl enthused.

As they arrived at Natalya’s new quarters, she filled in her friend about what had happened last night, as she got dressed. The more Natalya went on about the encounter, the more flushed and aroused Taal’ani became. At several points, she had fanned herself and had to loosen her light jacket when she was told just how big Captain Tomisic was.

“He’s ... he’s that ... large??” Talon asked, eyes wide with arousal.

“Mmmmm-hmmmmm! The best part, is that he’s not just a pounder. He REALLY knows how to use it!” the chief engineer recalled. “Dipping and shifting until he’s hit a point that makes you squeal! Normally, I like to keep such a man to myself, but a man this fine, I may just have to let you have yourself a taste.”

“Really?!?”

“No, not really, I’m just going to be a cruel bitch,” Natalya tried to say seriously, but wound up giggling out the side of her mouth.

“You are horrible! But seriously, you’d let me?” Taal’ani wondered, her attraction to the big man evident in her voice.

“Well, I am claiming that man for myself, but that doesn’t mean that I have to be a greedy bitch about it,” Natalya said as she finished pulling on her coveralls. “Come on. If I heard right, the Captain should be finishing up with breakfast soon.”

As promised, the moment they returned to the lounge, Alex walked out of the galley wearing an apron, having doffed his jacket and belt, which lay on a nearby chair. In his hands was a tray that was loaded with waffles, sausages, maple syrup, orange juice, a pot of fresh coffee, glasses, mugs and a small stack of plates and cutlery. About a minute or two later, Kasumi walked into the room, in a similar getup from the day before, looking a slight bit bedraggled.

“Coffee, Commander?” the captain asked, noting Kasumi’s state.

“Please, sir!” she said warmly. “After almost six hundred years in cryo sleep, it’s going to take some adjusting to get used to sleeping for real again.”

“I echo those sentiments, though we all have our adjustment periods,” Alex said while shooting a fiery glance at Natalya. Burying her face in her OJ, Natalya doled out enough food for herself and Talon and they dug right in. Kasumi similarly loaded her plate, famished, despite her late-night snack.

“So, Kasumi, I’ll be joining you in the brig once I’ve done the check in with the Darkstrider,” Alex said as he paused between bites of sausage and waffle. “Taal’ani, Nats, what will you two be up to today?”

“Well sir, I’ll be heading to the shipwright section of the Perseus, to make sure that everything is prepped accordingly to manufacture the dropship. I will need Talon’s help to make sure that there are no hiccups with the computer systems,” Natalya replied warmly, smiling at her Captain.

“Talon?”

“A nickname I earned on the galaxy wide web. I’ll tell you about it once the ship is in a better state,” the Fel’caan woman promised. “Once I’m done ensuring the systems in the shipwright and foundry sectors are functioning as they should, I’ll go over any sluggish or offline systems points within the Perseus’ digital network. Hoping that there are no more surprises in there.”

“As do I ... Talon,” Alex replied with a smirk.

“Oh, and one other thing I feel I should mention,” Jaesa’s voice interjected over the intercom. “The Xuul’khani prisoner, Shazza, seems like she has been without food or water since she came out of cryo stasis.”

Surprised, Alex turned his attention to Commander McKenzie, and almost laughed out loud. With the amount of food stuffed into her face, the soldier looked like a red-headed chipmunk, cheeks bulging out obscenely. The other two women did their best to stifle the giggles that welled in their throats, but instead of hearty laughs, they came out sounding like pig snorts.

Face scrunched up in confusion as to what everyone found so funny, it dawned on Kasumi a split second later. Rolling her eyes, she swallowed the food in her mouth with an audible gulp before she responded to the look that Captain Tomisic had given her.

“What is it, sir?”

Quickly regaining his composure, he asked, “Why was no food brought to the prisoner?”

“I erred on the side of caution sir, and waited for either Jaesa or our new doctor to give me a proper analysis whether the food we eat is toxic to her or not,” Kasumi replied almost forcefully, clearly in a mood. Picking up on the subtle shift of her tone, Alex decided to question her about it later.

“A sensible approach to said situation.” Calling out to Jaesa, he asked, “Jaesa, can you provide us with an answer to that query?”

“Yes, sir. I have completed my passive scans of ‘Shazza’s’ physiology and have determined that she in particular, as a Xuul’khani, is a carbon-based life form and would be able to consume human food with no difficulty,” the chipper AI responded.

“Very good Jaesa. Commander, load up a proper breakfast plate, enough for at least two helpings,” Alex gestured to the remaining food in front of them. “She’s likely hungry and thirsty, so some food would likely go a long way to making her co-operative.”

“Sir, I understand we must feed the prisoner, but why what we eat?” Kasumi questioned as she stood, hesitating to carry out her orders.

“Simple, Commander. Respect for our enemies is paramount, especially any prisoners. We treat them with dignity, because without this outward show of respect, we are nothing more, than mere animals,” the young captain intoned.

Nodding, the Security chief of the Perseus carried out her orders and fetched herself a tray, to load food and drink onto it for their guest. The rest of the crew began a quick cleanup again, both women fussing that the captain shouldn’t do anything to clean up. Grumbling, Alex stomped off towards the bridge while both Taal’ani and Natalya giggled at him. Even Kasumi managed a small smile as she finished topping up the tray before covering it and leaving.

As they all left the Officer’s Lounge, Jaesa’s voice picked up on the comms again, “Don’t forget ladies, the Perseus’ monorail system is online once more, so don’t be afraid to make use of it.”

“Thanks, Jaesa, we’ll do just that,” Natalya replied happily. Both she and Talon pulled their ship tablets out of their pockets before seeing that Kasumi was walking off. Looking at each other, they both silently agreed to follow the curvy commander, as she likely knew where everything on the ship was.

It was clear to the both of them that Kasumi was in no mood to talk, so they kept a respectful distance behind her. Soon, they arrived at a door which Commander McKenzie opened with a touch of her hand. Past the door was a large room that looked like a small train station. Various pod shaped cars lined the area, each one connected to a different rail track.

Soft, bluish white lights lit up the area, giving it an ethereal, otherworldly glow. Many of the pill-shaped cars, sized to hold at least twenty occupants, came online. The doors on each one of them opening with a soft hiss. The seats looked soft and inviting, designed for both practicality and comfort.

“It doesn’t matter which car you pick, as they all go everywhere,” Kasumi said, giving both Talon and Natalya a small fright with the sound of her voice. Chuckling at them, she continued.

“There are stations like this in every major area of the ship, each equipped with its own complement of rail cars. Jaesa maintains the subroutines that keeps the system functioning as it should. Wherever you want to go, just speak it out loud and the car will take you there.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Taal’ani replied. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

With that, Kasumi walked over to one of the open cars and got in. She sat down and said in a clear voice, “Brig.” Moments later, the doors to the car closed and locked, before it moved, taking the Commander through one of the many tunnels that dotted the far wall.

Grinning like idiots, both women jumped into the closest car and shouted out in unison, “Shipwright!” Like with the red-headed soldier, the doors closed, and the car moved with a quick, lurching motion. The movement saw both women on their asses as they traversed the rail system.

“You think she could have warned us about that,” Talon groused as she stood, rubbing the pain from her plushy ass.

“I honestly think she enjoys tripping us up like this, if what she did in the elevator before we met the Captain, is any sign,” Natalya responded as she picked herself up and sat down on one of the many seats built into the car’s frame.

“Speaking of which, more details girl! I want to hear all of it!” the cat-girl bubbled. Sighing good naturedly, Natalya picked up where she left off, filling her friend in on every detail she could remember. As she went on, Talon’s eyes got wider and her mind churned with the possibilities of what she would do, once Natalya let her.

Kasumi McKenzie stewed in her own thoughts as the rail car traversed its path smoothly, towards the brig block of the Perseus. Though she had dearly wanted to, she knew she couldn’t do or try anything physical against Natalya. Not only was there the ominous threat of Korsa, her adoptive mother, hanging over her, she also respected the young woman too much.

Natalya had gone through some seriously tough shit and had nearly wound up dead as a result. She shuddered at the thought of the situations that Natalya had found herself in. Few women could go through events that traumatic and come out like the ebony woman had. She supposed she had Korsa’s underlying, motherly nature to thank for that. Though the Khontaran hadn’t displayed it while she was aboard the Perseus, she could tell that it sat just beneath the surface, waiting to come out.

Her thoughts drifted back to her captain and the things she’d heard both him and Natalya discuss. She could scarcely believe that he was a survivor of the Toronto Massacre! She was just a baby, living in Edinburgh when it had happened. She remembered reading about it in her school textbooks and from her father’s stories, when he had fought in the Unification War.

It was small wonder that the two of them would be drawn to each other, the both of them having almost nothing of their families left. The same could be said for her, but at least she knew her parents growing up. Her mother’s gentle touch and her father’s stern, yet well meaning, demeanor.

She remembered the look of pride on William McKenzie’s face, when she had joined up with the Human Systems Alliance, as a marine. Though her mother was apprehensive, she was glad that her daughter had chosen her own path.

A slight jolt shook Kasumi out of her recollections as her rail car came to a stop in the brig area. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked out of the opening doors, stepping lively as she made her way to a nearby elevator. Walking through another set of swishing doors, she turned on her heel to face them and called out, “Deck three-three-seven.”

A slight dropping sensation showed that the lift had started its descent, and Kasumi turned back to the inner turmoil she felt. She was mooning after Captain Alexander Tomisic like a high school girl on her first crush, but it felt deeper than that. There was something about him that drew her to him, almost like a moth to the flame. Yet the biggest problem was not in approaching him. It was in crossing Natalya, which she didn’t want to do, but may yet have to.

She was mulling over her decision on what to do, just as the lift car stopped, doors opening. Putting that train of thought on hold for the moment, Kasumi steeled herself and walked towards the active cell with all the discipline of a soldier. As she approached, the doors unlocked and opened for her, as she had set them to do so the day before.

The cell was as she had left it, with the two Brig Guards standing at attention as she entered. The blocky robots looked almost comical in their emulation of a crisp salute, but Kas waved away any levity, maintaining her stoic façade.

“At ease,” she barked, and both guards went back to a casual, vigilant stance over the cell.

The sound of her voice must have woken Shazza up as the mound that was tucked underneath the blanket of her bed stirred. Sitting up, the ebon skinned woman cracked her head side to side, working any knots out of her neck as she awoke. Breathing loudly, she shirked the blanket and gracefully popped out of her bed.

Eyeing Kasumi balefully, she stood before her captor in nothing but red panties, having dispensed with her shirt, as it had stunk. Kas was a little taken aback by the woman’s boldness, but eyed her physical form properly.

Standing nearly as tall as Taal’ani, at around six-foot three, there was barely an ounce of fat on the Xuul’khani woman that wasn’t necessary. Her legs were clearly strong, as the defined muscles in them tensed and flexed, though the shape of them was unique. They were shaped like the rear legs of a quadruped animal, like a wolf or a goat, though she had flat, human-like feet, with five toes and toenails.

Her hips were nicely rounded and curved, just as heavily muscled as her legs. They looked to be about forty-four inches around. Eyes roving upwards towards a well-defined abdomen and heavy, turgid breasts. They stood proudly on her chest, inviting and sizable, seeming to be a large E cup. Solidly, defined arms and shoulders rounded out the woman’s frame, making her easily one of the fittest women that Kasumi had ever seen.

She glanced back to Shazza’s legs in fascination, fully understanding how this intruder had outpaced the crew while they chased her down. She brought her eyes to meet the prisoner’s and found that, while beautiful, her oval face was set in a scowl.

Her green eyes stared at Kas as though she was trying to bore a hole into her skull. An odd thing she noticed was that the Xuul’khani’s eyes had a slight glow to them, which fascinated the Commander to no end, but she shook herself straight and remembered why she was here.

Handing the tray to one of the guards, who automatically took it from Kasumi and held it straight. Kasumi then placed her hand on the panel that sat to her left on the wall, right on the edge of the containment field. Entering several commands, the edges of the cell hummed as the hidden machinery whirred to life.

On both sides of the field, long metal arms reached out from the left and right, sliding towards each other. Just before they touched, the arms bent in such a way to slip into an L-shape, which, when connected, formed a rectangle. Once the arms on both sides were aligned, they pressed the rectangles together, causing the field within the metal shape to wink out.

Moments later, a small pedestal rose inside the cell, latching onto the bottom of the metal window, connecting it. Kasumi took the tray from the guard holding it and proffered it through the opening, lifting the lid which kept the food warm and toasty. The smell of breakfast filled the cell and after a few experimental sniffs, Shazza walked forward, her hunger evident. She hesitated for a moment, as though unsure if the food was safe to eat.

Shrugging, Kasumi reached in, snatching a sausage from one plate and popped it in her mouth. She let the sweet and savory tang of the maple dipped meat roll across her tongue, moaning in appreciation at the Earth delicacy. Seeing this, Shazza was convinced and pulled the food in so fast that she nearly toppled the glasses of coffee and juice all over herself.

Taking a moment to steady the tray, Shazza sat down on the edge of the bed and ate, forgoing the utensils. The small grunting noises she made showed that she was enjoying the taste of the food, or that she didn’t care and was just happy to have something to fill her belly. Regardless, it wasn’t long before she had demolished the meat on the tray, but stared at the waffles, not understanding what to make of them.

Picking one of the breakfast pastries oddly, she gave it a lick, grimacing at the taste of fried batter. Kasumi, barely suppressing her laughter at how the Xuul’khani woman was eating, tapped the podium, getting the black-skinned woman’s attention. Pointing directly at the small pitcher that held the maple syrup, Kas made a tearing and dipping motion with her hands.

Making a face, Shazza tried it anyway, thinking it was a strange way that these humans consumed their food. Tearing the waffle into four smaller pieces, she dipped one piece in the syrup, popping it into her mouth. Surprise smacked her face, the light, earthy and caramelized flavor wreaking havoc on her taste buds. She had never tasted something so exotic or delicious before! In mere seconds, she had torn apart the rest of the waffles and bathed them in what remained of the maple syrup.

This time, the red-headed soldier couldn’t help herself, as she laughed out loud at the heathen way that the prisoner was attacking her breakfast. Shazza only stopped gorging herself long enough to swallow what was in her mouth and stick her tongue out at Kasumi. That only made the human woman laugh harder, chuckling all the while, as the robotic sentries looked at her strangely.

It wasn’t long before the Xuul’khani prisoner had cleaned off the plates of any trace of food, having been ravenously hungry. She sipped at her juice for a few moments, before chugging the whole glass, enjoying the taste of the bright liquid. After Shazza had finished the beverage, she set it down, looking at the mug of coffee oddly.

Like with the juice, she sipped at it, letting the taste of the drink coat her tongue. Though bitter, Shazza found that she rather enjoyed the taste and drank the black liquid without missing a beat. Setting her mug down, she then looked forlornly at the empty tray.

Though she had a discerning palette, the exotic and unique flavors had won her over. The breakfast that Kasumi had brought to her was easily being one of the most delicious things she’d ever tasted. Another set of tapping had sounded, and she looked over to where her captor stood. She’d drawn her pistol and held it casually, before using it to tap the podium again.