Chapter 16: Learning a Bit of Borneo History

The calls ended and I carefully stood up. My legs felt rubbery at first as I tried to walk to the exit of the simulation room. “It takes a lot out of you,” I muttered. “I need to eat before placing any more calls.”

I left the simulation room and headed for the booth where the replicator was. I slid onto one of the benches and looked over at the wall. “Chicken Caeser salad and a lemonade,” I said.

“Aww, you can’t gain weight with the new regimin. You should indulge yourself. Get a lobster bisque. Ask for something truly decadent like a sloppy joe with extra chili,” Jade said as she slid into the bench across from me.

“You sound very happy,” I observed as the replicator opened up, showing my order. I pulled it in front of me.

“Bryn and I are a bit bored,” Jade said quietly. “We want a bit more time with you, but you seem to be obsessed with getting all your training done yesterday. I remember you saying that you wanted to succeed, but.”

I snorted. “No buts about it. I will cuddle with you every night. I’ve tried very hard to spend time with both of you and to listen to your needs. At the same time, I want to be sure that I’m returning from every tour I go on and that means I have to take the training seriously.”

“We know that,” Bryn said as she slid next to me. My blonde cutie put an arm around my waist and kissed me on the cheek. “We definitely want to see you return. That’s why I hadn’t said anything, yet.”

I sighed. “I worried that you’d feel like you were forced to be with me.”

Bryn started giggling. She kissed my cheek and then giggled harder. Her hand on my waist moved up and she turned in the bench so she could kiss my neck. “Silly goddess.”

I looked over at Jade. “I’m sure you have an explanation for this. I can’t imagine you were not involved in instigating.”

“Oh, I definitely suggested this to Bryn,” Jade said unapologetically. “And not just because she wants your approval. I can see the stress in your shoulders. You need to allow us to do things to relax you.”

I reached out to pat Bryn on the head. The woman purred contentedly and pressed the crown of her head against my hand. “Oh, goddess,” she whispered softly.

“Fine,” I said. “I don’t want to be neglecting you, and you at least waited until we were alone before making your statement about things. I do have to place some calls, but you can massage me while I talk.”

“With tongues and pussies?” Jade asked hopefully.

I stared at my old friend. She stared back at me lust turned her eyes almost red. She playfully and teasingly licked her lips as I thought of an answer.

“She’ll agree,” Bryn said with a giggle. “Look at her nipples.”

I looked down and was stunned to see that my nipples had managed to dimple the uniform I was wearing. “Fine,” I muttered. “But I’m going to find a uniform with better padding. This can’t happen once I’m in command. It would hurt morale.”

“I don’t know,” Bryn said as she got up and moved over to the couch. “Just seeing it and knowing that you want both of us has lifted my morale.”

I groaned as I turned my attention to my salad. Jade just watched me silently as I rushed through eating my lunch.

As soon as I finished Jade picked up the tray and returned it to the recycler. “Now,” Jade said. “You should open up your uniform.”

“I’m still on duty,” I protested.

“You are making voice only calls over a speaker phone system. No one will see,” Jade pointed out. “And we know that the system won’t pick up my voice.”

“Or mine,” Bryn said. “We’ve already heard and seen that the AI works to ignore us whenever it can.”

I got out of the booth and walked over to the couch. As I sat down I unfastened the neck of my uniform. Bryn immediately grabbed the lapels and started pushing the fabric down off my shoulders. It slid down, revealing my breasts as it dropped.

“You never did like wearing a bra,” Jade observed as she saw my breasts. “But then again with the breasts you have, you never needed one.”

“Are these real?” Bryn asked. “I wanted to ask, but.”

I slipped my right arm out of the uniform and then reached up to cup my left breasts. “Do you think breasts as small as these are implants?” I asked as I bounced the B-cup breast in my hand.

“No,” Bryn said. “But they are so perfect and perky. I always heard that breasts will sag. My sister insisted that she had to get implants to make sure that her breasts remained plump.”

“It varies depending on the body type,” Jade said. She came up behind me and started massaging my shoulders. “Some women can keep their breasts perky for years with lots of exercise. I’ve always thought that Tanya was one of the lucky ones.”

I sighed as Jade found a knot in the muscles of my left shoulder. She was using the heel of her hand to work the tenseness out. “I know you will keep yours as well,” I said. “And Bryn’s will receive permanently perky ones thanks to the medical technology. Now, I don’t mind if you.”

Bryn surprised me by kissing my right breast. Her tongue began making circles around my nipple. I held back a groan.

Jade giggled. “Don’t worry, we won’t say a thing. Make your calls.”

“It won’t be easy,” I sighed trying to keep my composure. “AI, is there a name for the person you are suggesting become my sensor officer?”

“There are two people that current analysis suggest could be good. Philip Darwin has the higher score out of the two,” the AI informed me.

“Is he available for a brief call?” I asked as Bryn stopped kissing me The blonde minx was pushing at the waist of my uniform, clearly intending to push it off my hips and too the floor.

“Placing call,” the AI intoned. I lifted my hips up to allow Bryn to complete undressing me. She noticed the tiny red g-string I was wearing and giggled.

“So you were prepared for tonight’s party,” Bryn said.

“More like tonight’s orgy,” Jade added as she kissed my neck. The first knot in my back had finally unwound, but she had merely moved her hands lower, seeking another tightness.

“Three cannot make a true orgy,” I said.

The AI then spoke. “Philip has agreed to speak with you. Connecting his pods communication system with yours.”

“Greetings Philip,” I said. “How much did the AI tell you before you agreed to talk?”

“You’re Tanya ... Walker? I think the AI said. It started out saying you had a different last name, but then noted that you had registered a change when you were picked up. And it told me that you are going to be the captain of one of the ships I might be assigned to,” Philip said. He sounded like a man of some experience and confidence.

“I was married to someone who’s name I did not wish to keep when I was picked up so I told the marine at the pick up to use my maiden name. I guess the AI on the ship was slow to register the change,” I said. “Tanya Walker is the name I’d prefer to use.”

Philip grunted. “If you didn’t bring him with you and didn’t keep his name, he must have been an idiot. I actually was very happy to bring my wife along.”

“I doubt she’s as happy,” Jade whispered.

Bryn had managed to push my uniform far enough that she was working my left foot through the fabric. I tried to ignore her caresses and concentrate on Philip’s voice. “Well, while a chat about our new households would probably be interesting. I was actually trying to get an introduction to the man that is likely to be the sensor officer on Freya.”

“I knew I was training on sensors. But how would you know that I was up for an officer’s posting?” Philip asked.

“As of right now, I’ll be taking command of Freya when we arrive at Borneo,” I said. “At least that is the latest information I have received from the AI.”

“You? They aren’t promoting someone?” Philip asked.

“The best officer that could potentially be promoted to take command of the ship would be Lieutenant Bernadette Werfel, but she was only recently given command of Mongolia after her heroic action post the battle at Wolf three six seven,” the AI said. “None of the corvette commanders in the region are interested in handling a ship the size of a battle cruiser, and the other destroyer captains have not proven themselves capable of the increased responsibility.”

“And we have a definitive answer,” I said. “Did you hear that Philip?”

“I did,” Philip responded. “I guess that now makes a bit more sense. If the region is having to replace ships and crews, it is possible that they are receiving a ship and have to crew it with new arrivals. I hope I can at least meet one of the sensor officers they have from a ship of Freya’s class. Just to learn any quirks that the training misses.”

“We can place a request, but it sounds like there are only three other Goddess class ships in the district, so there is no guarantee that one will be in orbit when we arrive. I’m not sure how vigorously the district’s navy patrols,” I replied.

“Three?” Philip asked.

“Yes, Athena, Morrigan and Sif I think. They had a fourth, but I don’t remember the name.”

“The ship Asase Ya was destroyed in the battle at Wolf three six seven,” the AI said. “Reports indicate that the ship failed to enter jump after the task force was ordered to flee.”

“How many ships has the district lost recently?” Philip asked. I could hear worry in his voice.

“There have been two major defeats the Borneo District has suffered. The first was at Ursus Twelve. A carrier battle group centered around the William Pitt was jumped by several Sa’arm cruisers. The carrier successfully escaped, but the battle cruisers Ivar Vidfamne and Volund were destroyed along with the corvettes Hearst Castle, Monte Sano and Medina.”

“Was Hearst Castle a castle class or a patrician class?” I asked.

“Patrician,” the AI said. “One corvette escaped as well. Nassau had been thought lost until a call from the unauthorized colony on Ishtar revealed that it had arrived there and was being repaired.”

“I heard about a colony there. It’s helpful?” Philip asked.

“After the larger fight at Wolf three six seven was lost, multiple ships jumped to Ishtar as retreat towards Borneo was not possible. Of the ships that arrived at Ishtar only the Lugh failed to leave the system. It suffered a fusion containment failure and disintegrated before any rescue could even begin.” The AI said.

“We’ll have to get the whole story later. Especially if any Goddess class ships were involved and survived. “Their commanders and crew would have experience we will lack,” I said.