Chapter 14

The first five days of the trip were not very eventful. We staffed our stations, ate, and slept having mild conversation, but there was a slow tension building up. Being in such close quarters together was supposed to be simple, but I was learning it was anything but. Due to the transit hours between each drop point for the buoys, we would take turns off duty. This would allow us both ample rest, while maintaining a constant presence at the controls. Tali offered to deal with that for us, but we both felt it was best for one of us to be there. Thankfully until we reached the target planet, we had access to our quarters, but even then, I was using mine sparingly. After two days, however, I was feeling the grime on my skin and took a quick shower. I would miss this once we started loading the ship, but it was a needed sacrifice.

Each of the systems was beautiful and unique. All of them had gaseous planets of one form or another. Each one a different swirling kaleidoscope of colours creating a unique tableau that was beautiful to see. We only saw the ones we passed to get to our target drop area or the ones that had rings perfect for hiding a buoy. Once the last one was dropped, we turned towards the target planet and entered hyperspace. We made sure that all the designated spaces were ready for material collection and even made sure suits from the medical bay were inside the bridge, just in case. With everything we needed ready on the bridge we both took one last use of the showers, before access was cut off.

I didn’t really think about it, because there should be no significant issues during the trip back. I took my time, making sure I washed myself thoroughly, before dressing and heading back to the bridge. Vish’ala joined me a few moments later, and we went through one last system check before we neared the exit point for the target system. We exited hyperspace just outside of the system, coming to a complete halt. Vish’ala activated the stealth systems while I ran a passive scan for any threats. The new sensor array gave a full and detailed scan of the system.

At the centre of the system sat a yellow star, one point or two five times the size of Sol. There were only four planets in orbit, and of them only one was life sustaining. The first was a small gaseous planet sitting at a range between Venus and Mercury, relative to the sun in Sol, at around seventy-five million kilometres. It had the same swirling atmosphere of acidic clouds as Venus, but scans showed it had no rocky centre. The life-bearing planet was between the distance of Earth and Mars, at roughly one hundred and ninety million kilometres. It looked to have four large land masses and roughly sixty two percent of the planet’s surface was covered in water. There was an asteroid belt that separated the two outer and inner planets from one another that was fairly dense. We made a note to leave a buoy in the belt on our way out, having Tali use what materials she could to make one as quickly as possible. She would refresh her supplies, but we were certain that we would return here, so keeping an eye on the system would be most useful. It would also ensure that Alta could extend her scannable range father in this direction at least.

The last two planets were gas giants with their own unique rings around them as well as being distinctive colours from one another. The first was a pearlescent swirl of blues, with two rings crisscrossed around the large planet. It was roughly one point one five billion kilometres from the star and had six moons. The outermost was smaller and was a kaleidoscope of reds and oranges. What made it look unique were the three distinct rings that surrounded it, cutting the planet equally into four pieces. My scans showed that there were no threats that we could find in the systems, and I gave the order to travel deeper into the system to our target planet. We kept our systems primed in case a threat appeared and I kept my eyes on the sensor scans for any sign of danger.

Our approach was uneventful, and I moved my scans to the planet. We moved into orbit, and I started deep scans to find the most suitable place for landing. After an hour of scans, we narrowed it down to the second largest land mass. While it wasn’t the biggest, there was a more varied collection of the materials we needed and would serve our needs well. I gave Vish’ala the coordinates and we began our descent. Once we had entered the atmosphere, we began our approach trajectory for our landing zone, and I marvelled at the immensity around me. Trees that were larger than anything I had seen before were below us. I marvelled at their size and that at one time, trees this large once existed on earth. That is until our greed started us down a path of destruction that removed such beauty from the world.

Our landing zone was a large open plain of grass. There looked to be some indigenous fauna grazing, but they scattered as we approached. They were as large as an elephant, with thick lizard-like scales along their back. Their sides and underbelly were covered in thick mammoth-like fur, with greenish tones. They had a long tail with a club-like tip covered in small, spiky protrusions. The neck was thick but a little longer than I expected, probably to allow the creature to look back at a predator as it attacked with its tail. The head and top of the neck were covered in scales as well, with the head scales having more of the spikes on them. They had two pairs of eyes, one facing forward while the other sat on the sides of the face. Perhaps it increased the creature’s field of vision, though I wondered how its brain could work such a design independently enough to be advantageous. The snout reminded me of beasts of burden from some science fiction movies I’d enjoyed. An exceptionally long mouth, almost snake-like in its design but filled with molar-like teeth for chewing grass.

I wondered what kind of predator could hunt a creature like that and realized that I didn’t actually want to find out. With our landing complete, the next eight hours would be uneventful as Tali’s drones would be collecting the materials that we needed. I didn’t feel tired, so I opted to make use of the time I had.

“Tali,” I called out. “Could the stasis pods be used for the same training methods as the medical pod?”

Tali appeared with her usual smile and said, “It would take about thirty minutes to reprogram one to do so, as well as a drone to adjust some wiring but it is feasible. Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to get more training in,” I replied. “There is still a lot I have to learn and not a lot of time available before I am put to the test. I want to finish learning what I need about the White Claw, along with the upgrades, as well as everything we have gleaned from the enemy vessel and autopsy.”

Tali bowed her head. “It will be done immediately, Captain. I will notify you when it has been completed. The rewiring will take a few moments, but the software change, as well as the information package, will be the most time consuming to prepare.”

I thanked her and began to do some passive scans of the area. This was a fantastic opportunity to collect information about a new planet while we were there. Mind you, this planet must have been on the records of the station prior to the collapse of the empire, but with the damage her systems sustained, a lot of information had been lost to Alta. She had had to prioritize specific systems and information, thus allowing the rest to become purged or fragmented over time. Half an hour later, I was told the change had been made and Vish’ala was prepared for her watch. She would monitor the collections as well as use the buoy to keep an eye on the system while I was in the pod. Taking a deep breath, I activated the emergency pod and hoped all would be well as I went under.

As I began to come back to consciousness, I felt disoriented. It was probably what anyone waking up from the stasis effects of the pod must have felt. As the dizziness ended and everything came back into focus, I looked around the room. As my eyes moved to the other side of the room, I was shocked at what I saw. Perhaps she didn’t realize that I would be coming out of the stasis pod at this time. Vish’ala was sitting on the other side of the room, facing away from me. She had her top off and looked to be giving herself a sponge bath. I found myself mesmerized as I watched her, holding my breath so as not to startle her. While the fur on her arms was long, the hair on her torso was noticeably short and fine. I could see the movement of her muscles as she ran the sponge along her left arm. The movements were slow and deliberate ensuring every single spot was touched. I found myself wondering what it would look like if she had bathed herself as cats did on my world. The image of her slowly running her tongue along her body was having an effect on me, and I tried to look away but couldn’t bring myself to do it. She lifted her arm, and I could see the swell of her breast as she ran the sponge along the underside of her arm and then along the side of her torso.

When the sponge reached near her hip, she brought it back up and my heart skipped a beat as she brought it along her breast and then out of view. She shuffled a bit and then repeated it on her right arm. Slowly washing the arm then lifting it to wash that side of her body and then up to the swell of her breast. My breath caught and I watched her jump and turn her head to look towards me. I could see a look of embarrassment come across her face and expected her to get upset, but then I saw something else in her eyes.

“Well, this is embarrassing,” Vish’ala said softly. “I didn’t realize that you would be coming out of it now. Still, since you are here, could I ask you to wash my back? While we can use our tails to wash it, there are always places I feel are missed when I am like this.”

My heart began to race, and I couldn’t find the words to reply with, so I merely nodded and slowly got up from the pod. As if on autopilot, I walked across the room and went to take the sponge from her outstretched hand. I had to fend off a groan, as I caught sight of her chest covered by her hands. The front of her torso was like her back, every curve and bump visible, but covered in the beautiful lines and colours of her fur. The pervert in the deep recesses of my mind instantly wondered what they looked like bare, how big they were and what it would feel like to have them in my hand. I could see her taut stomach and a question in the back of my head wondered why she wasn’t like typical female cats who had multiple pairs of breasts to feed litters.

“Are you going to take the sponge, sir?” Vish’ala asked, with a small smirk on her face. “Or are you going to stare at my body some more.”

I shook my head, took the sponge, and replied, “I am sorry, but you are just so beautiful that it distracted me.”

“Oh really,” Vish’ala said, turning to face me. “What is so distracting about me? I am no different than any other Mac’skarian.”

“Um, well you are the first I have seen in this state of dress,” I said with some nervousness at her bold actions. “There are felines on our world so I couldn’t help but make some comparisons.”

, She turned away, crossing her arms across her chest, and glanced over her shoulder, “Well, tell me about the differences, and I will explain some things.”

I nodded and approached her back. Dipping the sponge into the water, I then slowly began to draw it across her back. Taking my time and ensuring that I got every part of her properly washed.

I took a deep breath and said, “Well, the biggest difference would be that, um, you don’t have more than one pair of breasts.”

Vish’ala began to laugh, causing her whole body to shake, and I felt myself wondering what the front of her looked like as she did that. I admonished myself for these thoughts, given all that was going on, but I think that had been the problem. I had had a decent relationship with my girlfriend before all this had happened and had expected to have a weekend filled with fun and well sex. It didn’t turn out that way, and then I stumbled into all of this. I had been going nonstop for nearly a year, moving from one task and project to the next. I hadn’t given myself time for anything else and it had resulted in all these feelings being buried. It was only a matter of time before this would have occurred, but the circumstances of this moment had given me all the push I needed.

“When our species was still young, we indeed were like the cats of your world,” Vish’ala said softly. “Then we needed large litters to ensure our survival and our dominance. As we grew and evolved, we didn’t need large litters to ensure our continued survival, so our bodies changed to the new status quo. The evolution took a long time, as it does with all species, but the change was not unfortunate. The females became leaner and more agile. The males became taller, broader, and stronger, as your enhancements have proven. The Ligers were the biggest and strongest of them all. They were long lived compared to the other clans and had great wisdom. That is not to say that there wasn’t hunger for power or conquest. Our history was rife with these impulses, as with all predators, but we have learned to gain alliances and make peace instead of war near the end. Perhaps it was that which gave our enemies the urge to attack before we got the taste of war and conquest again. I know I have deviated from your initial question but I’m sure I answered it adequately.”