Chapter 28: Meeting at the Helm

Tatyana and I burst out laughing. It took a moment to compose ourselves and start walking down the hallway.

“Did she really just tell you not to stay out too late?” Tatyana asked.

“Cheeky, isn’t she,” I said as I gasped in a breath. “I’d punish her, but I get a feeling she’d like it too much.”

“Mark, she’d love it,” Tatyana said. “I’ve only been with you a few days, but I’ve seen enough to realize that you are God as far as Ashley is concerned. She’d do anything to please you.”

“I’m always worried that she’ll say or do something that forces me to punish her for real,” I said as we walked through the hallway.

Tatyana frowned. “Do you think that would really happen?” she asked.

“Hey! What’s some slut doing walking in the hallway!” we heard shouted from our right as we reached the intersection with the main hallway.

I stepped around Tatyana and turned to face the speaker. I found I was facing a young man wearing shorts and a wife-beater tank top. He was staggering a bit as he stood in the middle of the hallway.

“She’s with me,” I said carefully.

“Hey, I just want a quick poke at her pussy,” the man said a bit drunkenly. “I need it after trying to drink this turpentine. Wouldn’t you know it I get picked up before I graduated high school, so I never got to attend a fraternity party? My experience with beer was what I could sneak from the frig after my dad passed out.”

“No deal,” I said firmly. “I’m on my way to an important meeting.”

“Hey! You can leave her with me then. I’ll return her with only a few more strokes in the pussy. Of course, looking at what a beanpole you are, she’ll probably decide she wants to stay with me. You won’t mind would you?” the man said.

“She’s staying with me,” I said.

The man looked more closely at me. “Hey! I know you. You’re that kid who cheated all of us and is now supposed to be pretending to run Corsica. Where are you going? Do you have some secret master you gave a blow job to in order to get the job?”

Tatyana tensed. I reached out and grabbed her before she could pounce on the drunken fool. “Son,” I said firmly. “I’m not even sure there is a code about disrespect to an officer, but you need to get back to your home and sober up. You aren’t fit for duty.”

“Duty? Who cares. Captain Prescott only demands that we finish the sleep training by the end of next week. I have thirty hours of training in loading the rail guns, and nine days to complete it,” the kid said.

Tatyana growled. I raised my left hand and covered her mouth as I pushed her down the hallway and away from the insulting man. Ahead I could see the doorway to the new bridge simulation room. “AI, get the door please. And only allow members of my crew to enter, with concubines if they brought them.”

“Hey! Wait!” we heard shouted from behind me. I did not look back, but there was a thud followed by a grunt. Tatyana wiggled around enough to look back and smiled just before I managed to push her through the doorway.

Once we were inside I released her and took three steps into the room. Tatyana immediately grabbed me from behind and put her arms around my chest as she pushed her breasts into my back. “I love you,” she said.

“After barely a week, and not much more than sex?” I asked.

Tatyana squeezed me just a little pushing her small breasts harder into my back. I could feel her nipples swell as she embraced me. “I see what you do. Just now, you could have allowed that man to have his way with me, but you were honestly upset that he was so insulting. You try to protect each of us. Sure I want more time, but I think I got the better bargain.”

“You were no bargain. You were a goddess up there on the stage,” I said firmly.

Tatyana giggled. “Want me to wear that tonight. You could fuck your own little pussy cat.”

“I’m going to be all fucked out if you and the others keep demanding that I perform like a seal every night,” I grumbled.

Tatyana gasped and then held me tight. “Do we really demand too much from you?”

“There are days I’d prefer to just sit and cuddle or talk,” I said. “But don’t tell anyone. I’d have to turn in my man card if I turned down an orgy with six beautiful women.”

“What are you going to do to me cosmetically,” Tatyana asked as I finally started to look around the room.

“Your body is perfect,” I said. “I love your small firm breasts, your long leg, your tone stomach and your beautiful hair. I don’t see a reason to change a thing unless you want it.”

“I thought about asking for elf ears,” Tatyana said with a giggle as she released me.

“What?” I said.

Tatyana ran around me and jumped into the captain’s chair. She slowly spun it around so she could look directly at me. “I was thinking it would be cute. I should warn you that Constance and Aine are both likely to express an interest in looking more exotic.”

I shook my head as I walked into the bridge simulator and looked around. Besides the chair that Tatyana was sitting in, I could see the four other stations. They were set up in a square pattern in front of the captain’s chair. Two more chairs were visible in the room. Each of these new chairs sat against one of the walls of the bridge. I could see small control stations next to them.

“AI? I thought the bridge had just four stations,” I said. “What are the extra chairs for?”

“As part of the simulation it was thought that having humans capable of playing the opposition or of playing the roles of other ships might be useful, so those stations were set up,” the AI said.

“Good idea, but bad execution,” I replied. “Opposition forces don’t get to hear us talk about our strategy. Not unless we want to give ourselves a really bad handicap. However, don’t get rid of the stations. We might find a use, and at worst, we can have concubines sit in the chairs.”

Tatyana gasped. “I thought concubines weren’t allowed on combat ships. And you haven’t reacted to my news.”

“I’m still in shock about it,” I said sarcastically. “As for concubines on ships. I believe concubines can come along, but only with their master. However, no pregnant concubines are allowed. Children are too valuable.”

Tatyana stood up as I walked over to the weapons station. I did not recognize any of the controls here, but I was impressed by the detail of the simulator. I walked down the three steps to the front pair of stations and examined the helm controls at the left station.

The station was in a powered down, docking mode. I sat in the chair for the station and tried to bring the engine start up menu up.

“What are you doing?” Tatyana asked.

“Seeing what happens if I enter the commands to start the ship up,” I said. “The helm is where the initial start up command would be entered.”

“Why there?” Tatyana asked.

“Because the ship must be moving and away from the dock before you want to activate the weapons,” we heard from the door. “At least that’s what I understand.”

I turned to look and found Blaine had entered. He was standing next to a tall, thin woman with blond hair. The woman was wearing bright red lingerie and hanging onto his shoulder.

“Blainey,” the girl whined. “Why did I have to come with you? It’s not safe.”

“If anyone under my command touches you without Blaine’s permission, he’s going to find out just how much punishment I’m allow to dole out,” I growled. “You will be perfectly safe on my ship.”

Blaine smiled as he walked into the room. “See Betsy, I told you that the captain cares.”

The woman turned to look at me. She was pretty, but her blue eyes seemed a bit vacant as she gazed across the simulated bridge. “He’s young,” she observed.

I turned back to the helm control and reversed the commands I had given. There was a faint whistle coming from a speaker as the panel returned to standby mode.

“What’s that?” Tatyana asked looking around the room.

“I can’t prove it, but I imagine the first time we dock Corsica and put the engine into standby mode, we’ll hear the same thing,” I said as I stood up and turned to look at Blaine again.