Chapter 12

Don groaned, raising his hips in time with her movements, as Lessa slowly rode up and down on him. The lights in the Captain's cabin were low, just enough to give Lessa glowing highlights around her brown hair and tanned body. To Don she looked otherworldly, and he wished the wall behind her was gone, her body outlined against the vastness of space. Lessa would outshine any star or constellation.

Don could feel the pressure building in him, and his warrior bride must have sensed the change in him as she increased her speed. He could almost feel her caressing him inside her body, the pleasure growing almost beyond what his poor mind could handle. In the weeks they'd been together, Don and Lessa had moved beyond the unsure fumbling of young virgins, starting the lifelong exploration of pleasures of the flesh, their partner's and their own. Lessa was a quick student, and having peaked twice that evening it was her turn to show her lover everything he meant to her.

Hands tightening on her waist, they both felt him expand within her. A moment later their cries met his release. Lessa fell forward, kissing him, her unbound hair setting over them like a hood, necklace and it's locket hanging down to touch his two lockets. A few moments later, his mind somewhat able to focus somewhere besides where they were still joined, Don rolled them both onto their sides still facing each other intertwined. He brushed the hair away from her face, and they just smiled at each other. He wasn't sure what made is life more complete, the intense pleasure they gave each other, or the closeness of moments like this. He didn't think he could live without either, now.

Don's hand had just wandered down from her face, playing with one of the many toys she had on her body for his enjoyment, when the cabin lights started flashing red. A voice from the darkness called his name. Closing his eyes, yet still seeing the amusement on Lessa's face, he sighed, letting out a "Fuck" before disengaged from her and rolling facing the edge of the bed. He hit the intercom button.

"What is it?"

"We're picking up a distress signal up ahead."

"Is it life threatening?"

"Depends on how soon you get up here."

Turning it off, Don sat up and slid his feet onto the floor. He felt the mattress shift as Lessa stood up on the other side and began dressing. Almost without looking, he caught the pants and shirt she threw in his direction.

Villa vacated the command chair as soon as Don entered the bridge. The slightly chunky teen's eyes raised a fraction as Lessa followed behind Don, straightening her tight pull over top, but his survival instincts were strong and that was the only sign he made. As Don sat down, Lessa beside him, hand resting on Don's shoulder, Villa retreated to a seat at a free console.

"So, what's up?" Don asked, eyes scanning the holographic sphere dominating the front half of the bridge. They were once again between planets, heading towards the first of the gas giants, Hikaru, and its twenty moons. There shouldn't be anything out here.

"Distress signal, probably Federation, and rather weak. My guess is an escape pod." Villa hit some keys, sound filled the bridge. It was an automated beeping, along most likely with some encoded data they couldn't translate. Don worked the controls on his chair and rotated the Nav Sphere until he saw the blinking light that indicated the source of the signal. It was close, and ahead of them. He sat back.

"What do you think, Lessa? Trap by evil pirates like us, or to catch evil pirates like us, or real castaways?"

Lessa looked closer at the image.

"Is that a ... debris field near it?" Don swung the image around for another angle, as a girl called up from the sensor station two levels below.

"Yeah, we're getting lots of wreckage, although probably just from one ship ... I'd say a warship, and probably Feds."

Don considered for a moment, then turned to Villa.

"Try and make contact. Put any reply on the speaker."

Villa complied, but after a few moments shook his head.

"No reply. Although ... remember, this IS a stolen Reb ship. Maybe ... they're playing dead?"

Don and Lessa exchanged a glance, Don sighing.

"I'm too nice. Patch me in." Villa hit a few buttons, and Don detached a small microphone from his arm rest. "Attention, escape pod. This is the Liberty. We are NOT a Reb warship. We are, however, busy. If you'd like to be rescued, you have thirty seconds to respond with your condition and crew number. After that, we go on our way and I go back to bed."

There was silence for a few moments, Don smiling as he heard Lessa quietly provide the countdown. She'd only gotten down to twenty three when a voice crackled from the speakers.

"Pod to Liberty! Sorry about that. One of our officers is a bit too ... suspicious. There are fourteen of us, and we have ... maybe 35 minutes of air left."

"Fuck!" Don whipped his head up to Lessa. "Prep a shuttle and go immediately. Bring a nurse and I'll call Kine." She was off down the stairs in a flash, belt communicator in her hand, waking Bella. Don hit another button, red lights embedded in the walls flashing.

"This is an alert! Everyone to standby stations! Prep a shuttle immediately, maximum cargo. Kine to shuttle, Lessa has your orders. Mel call the bridge." He switched over to external communications. "Sorry about that, Pod. We'll be cutting it close but are on our way. I'm sending a shuttle to dock with you. We will be armed, and you will not be. Hope you understand and comply."

"Understood," came the crackly reply after a moment. Don cut the channel, and saw an incoming message.

"Mel to Bridge! What's up?!"

Don could hear movement and cursing in the background ... and it sounded like Kine. Don needed to pay more attention to the social order in this place.

"Mel, once Kine gets the hell out of your quarters I want you to get two security details together. One is to secure the shuttle deck- we'll be having 14 rescued Feds on board within an hour. I also want you to find someplace we can put them securely. They're not prisoners, give them good beds and chairs and such, but I want them isolated and guarded. Understand?"

"Umm ... yeah [get the fuck out of here, Kine!]. Wait, what? Beds for fourteen?"

"Or blankets and stuffed animals. I don't care, just do it. And if it's NOT secure I'll make you re-grow those ponytails just so I can light them on fire."

Mari was NOT scared.

Being woken in the middle of the night to flashing red lights in your bedroom was NOT scary. Hearing the Captain speak loudly of unknown things from the ceiling didn't cause the little girl to tremble in fear, and most definitely seeing her three companions also frightened was NOT causing all thought of sleep to flee from her eight year old mind. Thus, when Mari quietly opened the door to their room and led the four of them into the bright hallway, it was not because they all needed someone to tell them everything would be OK.

That would be childish.

The four of them paddled down the corridor, Mari holding three year old Pug's hand while Randy and Andy stayed close while not doing something unmanly like holding your brother's hand. They thought about it, though, as one older teen after another ran past them, not giving the pre-teens a second look.

A door down at the end of the passageway near the bridge suddenly opened, and they saw Shelly come out fastening her pants. Mari's eyes lit up.

"Miss Shelly!!!!"

Shelly turned and saw the four children flying down the hall at her. She unconsciously took a step back into the room she shared with Lessa, bracing herself on the doorframe as they grabbed hold of her legs for dear life. Mari was looking up with wide, frightened eyes.

"We're scared, Miss Shelly! What's happening?!?!"

Shelly could feel them shaking, and her hands went from one head to the other trying to calm them. She took a glance down the hall in direction of engineering, then to the left at the door to the bridge. Sighing, she leaned further back into her room and stretched for the wall intercom.

"Engineering? Shelly. Looks like I'm going to have to babysit for a bit. Call me if you really need me."

"I'm not a baby!" shouted three year old Pug, looking up with indignant tear filled eyes and a runny nose.

"I know!" said Shelly, reaching down to pick him up. "I was talking about Randy here."

"Hey!"

Kine and Lessa floated on either side of the shuttle doorway, ready. They could feel the jolt as Ger maneuvered the ship next to the life pod, the banging of the claws coming out to link the ships, hear the hiss of the inflatable seal forming. Kine looked at her.

"Ready?"

Lessa looked back towards the cockpit, making sure the door was sealed, with Bella behind it with Ger. Satisfied, she nodded to him.

"Do it."

Kine hit the combination, main hatch opening. Before them was the scorched white door of the pod. Reaching in, Kine whacked at it with a crowbar. A second later there was an answering bang. Nodding in satisfaction, Kine placed the crowbar into a wall holder and drew his gun, stepping back. Lessa stayed out of sight of the opening, weapon also drawn.