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Being a writer is my dream job but it has full-time hours and doesn't pay the bills. I want to keep writing these stories for everyone to enjoy and your support on Ko-Fi helps make that happen. I also appreciate non-financial support like faving, voting, and following me here or on BlueSky. Thank you so much for your continued support! Please enjoy the episode.

And with that out of the way…

Welcome back, my lovely reader!

Tyler seemed to enjoy himself last time, but now a new cycle dawns, and with it, the realization that he and Morganna need to decide what they want to do going forward. Leona is pretty scary, but she’s seeming to at least try to understand other views on the matter.

Junon and Leona had quite the intense situation last time. With their very bond being threatened, and the stakes having been raised, both girls will need to think twice before they let their tempers get the better of them.

Adventure continues in the void, and perhaps this time, some discoveries will be made, some old fears conquered, and new challenges to one's self worth. It’s going to be a bumpy ride in a lot of ways.

Let’s jump right in!

—*—

Episode 15:

Discoveries & Revelations

-*Captain’s Log- SD: 242 - September 4th Standard Federation Time.*-

It’s been a busy few cycles for my little Earthling fox… I’m so happy Leona has eased up somewhat on her possessive nature. Though I’ll admit, I’m sure some of it has to do with what happened between her and I.

Those old feelings, that hate, hate for Rashvian’s, hate for my racha’s people… Last cycle was a painful wakeup call for me, and I think for Leona as well. We can’t let our guards down, we have to protect our love, protect our bond… Those prejudices will always be there, just below the surface, waiting and such an easy card to play when tempers are hot.

For now, I’ll focus on being happy for my fox and happy me and Leona didn’t do any permanent damage to our relationship. I suppose that’s always the trick with inter-species relationships… I’ll keep trying my best for her, and for all my loved ones!

I suppose I should add something USF to these logs once in a while. Well, we’re due to stop at another red dwarf system soon, I surmise it’ll be another dud, but we’ll see!

-*Finish Entry*-

“I really enjoyed this time with you, Tyler…” Morganna mewed as she stood before him, cleaned up and clothed again, near the exit to her quarters.

“M-me too, Morganna! You were amazing, and a lot of fun to be around!” Tyler barked back with a grin across his muzzle. Morganna’s paws were in his own, and he gave them a gentle squeeze.

“Seriously though… No wonder you can juggle Topaz and Sussnel! I didn't think you'd wake me up for more, then also in the shower this morning? You're insatiable!” she giggled.

“Shit… Uh… sorry if it was too much?” Tyler chuckled awkwardly. Maybe his exposure to Leona's biology was making him crave more and bounce back faster.

“Gods no! I loved having you so eager!” She purred nice and loud, the sound sending a shiver up his spine.

“So… What now?” he asked nervously.

“Hmm… I'd like to see you again if you can swing it… But I don't want to fuck up you and Sussnel,” Morganna said with a small frown.

“Then… You should speak to Leona yourself, Morganna,” Shallie suggested as she padded forward. “My master won't be able to, what with the dynamics of their relationship and all,” she added as she leaped gracefully onto Tyler's shoulder.

“Talk to the First Officer? She's pretty fucking scary…” Morganna sighed.

“Leona isn't that bad, but…” Tyler grimaced as he recalled her spanking him, then sighed, “Okay she can be a bit bossy, but if you approach her in earnest, I'm sure she'll be civil.”

“Hmph… She's possessive and if Junon wasn't a factor, this wouldn't even be on the table. Still, that is your only course of action, Morganna,” Shallie said in a cool tone.

“You know what? Fuck it, I'll give it a shot. You're worth it, baby!” Morganna mewed playfully as she reached back to slap his rear.

Tyler gave a loud yip at the impact, still a bit tender from the other day. Shelby pulled her paw away with a surprised look. “Woah… Didn't think I swatted you that hard! You okay?”

“He's sore from his spanking,” Shallie mewed calmly as Tyler gave a protesting bark.

“Shallie! Can you not?!” He glared at the Reinsha giving him a smug, knowing look.

“A spanking? Leona… spanked you Ty?” Morganna gave him a crooked grin.

Tyler shoved his face into his paws with a groan. “Can we not talk abo-”

“She did, and made him wear a dress with panties too!” Shallie mewed out as Tyler let out a loud, furious bark.

“Shallie! Why won't you shut up?!” His fur bristled, and his cheeks felt hot.

“Heh… She'll find out soon enough if she speaks to Leona. Might as well get it out of the way now,” Shallie mused as her tails fanned out.

“That's pretty kinky… Did you like it?” Morganna asked, leaning in curiously.

“Uh… The spanking or the dressing up?” Tyler muttered.

“Both! I mean… I kinda wanna see you in a dress now!” she mewed with a grin.

“Geeze,” he groaned.

“Given how fervent the resulting sex was with the three of them, I'd wager he enjoyed it to a degree,” Shallie answered, sarcastic.

“Huh… Would you… Like to spank me sometime, baby?” Morganna asked pointedly.

Shallie tilted her head, and Tyler perked up his ears. “Uhm… Would you like it?” he asked.

“Maybe if it were you doing it. I loved how strong and growly you got with me. If Leona ever bosses you around too much, I'm happy to let you spank and boss me around…” Morganna gave him a sheepish grin as she pointed to herself.

“That's… kinda hot,” Tyler whispered.

“It's an interesting foil to your present relationship dynamic, to be sure. I wouldn't mind watching you spank her fat ass, master,” Shallie said with a chuckle.

“Hey!” Tyler growled.

‘Relax, I've already delved into her subconscious while you two slept. She doesn't mind and would like it more if you said it, but keep the commentary to just her backside.’ Shallie quickly fired back into his thoughts.

Morganna looked away awkwardly, not seeming to be willing to argue with the Reinsha.

“Uh… would you like that, Morganna? Like me to take you across my lap and spank your… nice, big, fat ass?” Tyler struggled to get the last of the words out.

She met his gaze with a loud purr and simply nodded to his question, her spaded tail flicking about.

-

‘You have fun last night?’ Junon's thoughts filled his mind as Tyler looked up from his console on the bridge. Junon gave him a wicked little grin as she lounged in her Captain’s chair. Leona’s own gaze looked more calculating as she met his eyes.

‘I did! Morganna was really fun, and kinda sweet. She uh… wants to keep seeing me if possible.’ Tyler looked back down at his console.

‘Interesting… and by ‘if possible,’ you mean if you can convince Leona?’ Junon closed her eyes as she dialed in on the conversation.

‘Yes… but Shallie says that Morganna should talk to Leona, not me.’

‘Hmm… Do you want me to talk to her about it as well? You know I support you getting out and living your life, my fox!’

‘I don’t know… I love both of you so much, and Morganna was fun, I think I’d like to get to know her, but I don’t want to jeopardize my relationship with Leona over it either!’ Tyler let out a frustrated sigh from his console.

‘I think Leona is also struggling with this. She cares about you, Tyler, and she doesn’t want to lose you.’

‘I’m not going anywhere, Junon!’ His thoughts sounded vexed now.

‘Yes, and yesterday you were certain we were enough, yet look what happened. Surely you can understand why Leona would be concerned. Her culture is all about maintaining control, and I’d imagine most Rashvians would feel similarly at the concept of losing one of their Fhiels.’

‘This is totally different from me leaving! Morganna is really fun so far, but … she’s not my family!’ He began to growl at his console.

Junon’s ears perked at that before she offered him a small smile. ‘Family huh… A strong word, that. Honestly, your species’ word for love, that never scares me, but a family? Settling down, raising pups, these are things all Salarians dream about, because we know how rare and difficult it is.’

‘I don’t need puppies with you or Leona to know you’re my family, Junon. I may never see the Sol system again, let alone my blood relatives, but my mother always said that family isn’t about that. Family is those who you go through life with. Even friends can be your family.’

‘That is rather touching, Tyler. When we got started, I said I wanted to keep you at arm's length, yet look at you now. Even in this short time, you’ve grown so much. I’ve been having to do some growing myself…’ Junon sighed as she leaned forward, resting her paws on her knees.

“Is everything alright, Captain?” Leona asked politely from her own chair.

“Yes, just a lot weighing on my mind, First.” Junon rubbed her face and spoke out to the bridge, “We’ve been at it for hours now, everyone take fifteen or so. I’m going to stretch my legs and go for a walk!

“Chief of Security, you’re with me, let’s go on one of your patrols! First, you’ve got the bridge!” the Captain barked out as Tyler gave a quick salute before falling in line behind his lover.

Leona frowned but watched her two lovers leave, sitting in her chair with her paws in her lap. The rest of the bridge crew broke down into casual, open talking, some stepping away from their consoles completely. She grunted as she watched Shelby glance at her a few times before the calico gave a determined sigh and pushed from her own console.

“I was wondering when you’d approach me,” Leona said while leaning into her chair, paws still settled in her lap.

Morganna gave her a resolute look as she spoke, “I realize we’re on a break, First Officer, but I’d like permission to speak fre-”

“I don’t think so, Lieutenant, not on the bridge, and not right now,” Leona interrupted, waving a paw dismissively. Shelby looked frustrated as she started to speak, but thought better of it as she snapped her jaw closed and turned away.

“My quarters, after our shift is done. You can speak to me then and there,” Leona said simply without looking up from the vid display she had open near her chair.

“Thank you, ma’am…” Shelby gave a salute before padding back to her seat.

-

“Come in, Lieutenant!” Leona called out as the door slid open with a small hiss.

“Thank you for taking time to speak with me, ma’am…” Morganna said politely as she entered, feeling the door hiss closed behind her. She realized the spot she was in, alone in the quarters of one of the deadliest and highest-ranking members of the ship. She’d heard horror stories about Rashvians thanks to the war - how a few of their boarding members could rip apart dozens of trained soldiers if they got into close quarters.

“You may be at ease. Can I get you a drink, Morganna?” Leona asked as she approached, having already changed into a casual robe, a typical style most Rashvians would wear during their downtime.

“Oh… That’s kind of you, ma’am… Something sweet would be nice…” Morganna mewed nervously.

“Computer, Teilro, dry. Two of them!” As Leona barked the words, the fabricator produced two drinks with an enticing, rosy color.

“Teilro is made from a flower that blooms in the more arid regions of Rashvia-Prime. It’s the sweetest spirit I can think of that my people produce…” She offered a glass to the calico, who took it and clinked it with hers when Leona presented.

“Thank you ma’am…” Morganna took a testing sip. The flavor was floral and, indeed, very sweet, almost syrupy in its intensity. It also reminded her of white rum from the Sol system. It burned going down, which was just what she needed right now.

“I assume this is about my Fhiel’s little adventure with you last night?” Leona asked before taking a sip of her own drink and crossing over to the sofa in her den area. “Sit.”

Morganna frowned and took a seat on the opposite side in a smaller chair across from her commanding officer. “May I ask what a Fhiel is, ma’am? I’m not too up to speed on Rashvian culture,” she asked politely.

“Your USF propaganda would call them… slaves,” Leona said simply as she rolled the rosy liquor around in her glass.

“S-slaves? Tyler is your… slave?” the calico whispered nervously.

“Does it look like he's a slave to you, Morganna? Do I parade him around in chains, put him to work? Is he not free to come and go as he pleases?” Leona growled as she sat fully up and looked her dead-on in the face. “Does Tyler look like a slave or act like he’s unhappy with me or Junon?”

“Of- Of course that wasn’t my implication, ma’am!” Morganna mewed out, her other paw flinching as if getting ready to salute.

Leona groaned and rubbed her face before shaking her head. “Morganna… Let’s leave the rank at the door. Just use my name, enough of the ‘ma’am’ treatment…”

“Yes ma- Erm… Thank you, Leona…” Morganna whispered.

“You… didn’t answer my question,” Leona growled.

“He seems happy, he doesn’t seem abused or um… enslaved…” She fumbled for the words.

“Let me share some personal things with you, Morganna…” Leona sighed as she rubbed under her jaw. “I’ve had to struggle with my own species’ prejudice and culture from the moment I hit the door at the academy… All these males that were… equals, even some higher rank than female officers? Do you realize that is simply unheard of for my species?”

“Is that right?” Morganna asked politely.

“Yes. Even the Fhiel or Shulkei of the Empress herself would not outrank the lowliest member of our military… So for me to take orders from a male… It was… one of the greatest humiliations of my life… or at least, at the time I felt that way.” Leona growled as she pushed a paw to her chest.

“But… I have heard Admiral Nelson speak so highly of you personally. He has the utmost faith in you! Do you dislike him?” Morganna mewed out curiously.

“It’s complicated…” Leona snarled as she ran her claws through her hair. “I like the Admiral well enough, he’s an honorable warrior, a skilled tactician, and generally a kind feline… I respect him, but it took me a long time to accept him.”

“May I ask… How do you feel about Tyler? What do you see him as?”

“Mine. I see him, as mine, and he is!” Leona flashed her sharp teeth as she stiffly answered, giving the cat a furious glare. Shelby snapped her jaws shut, her spaded tail going stiff behind her.

Leona sighed and took down the last of her drink. “But he’s also Junon’s… Look, Morganna… I want my Fhiel to be happy… Every fiber of my being wants to threaten you with everything from a beating to a court-martial for touching him, but…”

Morganna flinched, then mewed out, “But..?”

Leona groaned and pushed a paw over her face, rubbing at her eyes for several moments as silence hung in the air between the two girls. Finally, after what felt like an eternity for the calico, Leona spoke, “But that wouldn’t be fair… to you, him, or Junon…”

“I- I see… does that mean, I’m allowed to erm… date him?” Morganna just asked point-blank.

Leona visibly winced at the words, then snorted as she eyed the smaller girl over. She was smaller, weaker, and didn’t have a fighting spirit. Leona had perused her personnel file before she arrived. Shelby had barely any combat prowess; in fact, she regularly struggled to pass her annual physical fitness evaluations. It’d be so easy to just scare her off… to just intimidate her, then Leona could keep Tyler where he belonged.

With a frustrated growl, she shook her head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. That’s not what Junon would want, and it wouldn’t make him happy. She did care about making him happy, didn’t she? Claris was bemused at her declaring Tyler was the only Fhiel she needed, that cultural norms need not apply, but was it okay to cherry-pick this?

“I- I apologize if I upset you, Leona… I- I don’t want to mess up what Tyler has. I can tell he loves you both very much… He told me so himself,” Shelby whispered apologetically.

“Did he, now? Told you he loved us? Was that before or after he fucked you?” Leona prodded.

“Erm… after… when I mentioned I wanted to see him if I could…” Morganna mewed awkwardly.

“Interesting…” The Rashvian rubbed under her own jaw again in thought, then spoke once more, “How was he?”

“Ah! Y-You want the details?!” Shelby mewed out awkwardly.

“I do… how did he treat you? Give me the abridged version… How did he start?” Leona cocked her brow as she sat up to give the calico her full attention.

Morganna’s solid eyes darted nervously as she racked her brain for a moment, “Uh… uh… W-with his mouth? He dumped me on the bed and… Wait- no, before that, he erm…” She squirmed in her seat before just spitting it out. “He gave me a pawjob in the booth at the bar!”

Leona perked her ears, looking shocked. “Tyler… my, Tyler… gave you a pawjob, in public??”

Morganna simply bit her lip and offered a nod.

“And then he went down on you? Did he mount you as well?” Leona asked as she cocked a brow.

“Y-yes… he got on top of me, he was… very dominant… he even held my wrists down for a few moments while he was doing it…” Morganna couldn’t help but grin as she thought back on it, her spaded tail flicking faster.

“My Tyler… being dominant… Did he knot you?”

“Yes… he didn’t wear protection either, but uh… I am on a contraceptive implant so…” Morganna mewed shyly. The more Leona asked about, the more Morganna remembered, the harder it was to compose herself.

“Huh… I know this is terribly awkward, but I also need to ask, did he… say anything surprising? Any kinks come to the surface?” Leona mused.

“Ah uhm… there was some puppy and kitten talk… ah he…” Shelby giggled awkwardly, shifting in her seat again.

“Hmph… I can smell you from here, Morganna…” Leona grumbled.

The flustered half-Marvullian gave a shocked mew and averted her gaze. “S-Sorry! It was just really good and I like him, okay!?” she huffed out in frustration.

“Okay…” Leona said gently.

“Is that an… okay, I can see him?” Shelby asked nervously.

“I- Yes, I think so… but I’ve got some rules for it…” Leona growled as she straightened up.

“Okay, let me hear them…” the calico asked with a flutter in her heart.

“He’s mine, and that isn’t changing… You see him at my discretion, Morganna… And you sure as fuck better not ride my tail about how our relationship goes. He is my Fheil, and he willingly agreed to it. I didn’t just… enslave him or something, you understand?!” Leona’s words were clipped and short, her voice clearly angered.

“Yes!” Shelby answered, as if responding to an order.

“Good girl… Let me think…” Leona growled as she rubbed her jaw in thought. Shelby felt her tail shudder at getting called a ‘good girl’ like that. Would he do it for her if she asked?

Leona cocked a brow and nodded to herself. “I don’t mind, so long as you’re not trying to destabilize him with me and Junon… If I ever feel like that’s happening, I’ll see that this ends. But I won’t lord him over you either, I won’t threaten you with ending it or other such dishonorable nonsense, understood?”

“Thank you, and I won’t… I mean, I’m not even sure if we’ll get serious, I just… I like him so far and… well, I really liked the sex! I’ve been single for years now, and… He was so attentive, sweet, but also… dominant…” Shelby gave a small sigh.

“You like dominant?” Leona asked as she looked the small calico over once more. She’d never bothered to look at her as more than a subordinate or acquaintance of work, but now…

“Erm… I do… It came out about the spanking thing, and I even told him if he wanted to…” Shelby mewed and then giggled awkwardly. “Sorry! I’m not trying to upset you with TMI here!”

Leona gave her a small grin and shook her head. “You’re not… I did ask… So, you want to be ordered around, and you want a spanking?” The wolf gave her a lazy grin, her thick tail wagging slowly behind her.

Morganna bit her lower lip, sensing the body language. Despite her better judgment, looking at this beautiful, incredibly dominant wolf before her, she found herself giving a small nod of confirmation.

‘You’re rubbing off on me, dalrae…’ Leona thought to herself before lifting a paw and crooking a finger. “Lieutenant, you are dismissed if you wish to leave… However, if you are curious and wish to stay, then come here, stand before me, now.”

Morganna’s eyes widened as she felt her body move before her brain had even caught up. She stood and padded over to the wolf beckoning her. The thought of leaving was not even remotely a consideration at this moment.

“Interesting… Alright, little kitty… I’ve got an order for you…” Leona lifted her paws and grabbed the front of Morganna’s baggy pants. The calico mewed in shock, but didn’t resist as the other girl snapped the button free and dragged the zipper down.

Leona parted the fabric enough to see the simple white panties within, then pulled her paws away before growling, “Finish what I started…”

Shelby gasped and felt butterflies explode in her belly. Her paws shook for a moment as she hesitated. Slowly but surely, as if possessed, they moved to the sides of her pants, pushing them down, exposing herself to her commanding officer.

The Rashvian licked her chops at the scent that came to her. She could clearly see that the white panties were wet at the crotch. She growled with amusement and slid her paws up to cup the sides of the curvy little cat’s hips, rubbing them, her claws raking through that purple fur. “Nice figure… Most Rashvians are sleek and muscular, so I like seeing body types like yours and Junon’s… soft and pleasing to touch…”

“Ah… T-thanks… Do uhm.. Ra-Rashvians… uh…. Have female-to-female relationships f-frequently?” Morganna struggled to stammer the words out, hissing as she felt the wolf hook her claws into the sides of her panties, slowly dragging them further down.

“It is common in my culture, yes… I’d ask if you liked females, Morganna, but I don’t think that’s the case… It’s not gender, it’s personality… You want me to tell you what to do, don’t you… My good girl?” Leona gave the cat a knowing grin, taking several notes from her own lover's playbook here.

“Ah… I- I’ve never been with another female, Leona but…” Morganna squirmed on her flats, bared to this gorgeous alien wolf from the waist down. “I- I don’t want you to stop… I do, I want you to give me orders, ma’am… I want you to keep calling me a good girl…”

Leona’s grin widened in approval. She then patted her own lap. “Climb on the sofa and lie across my lap… Belly first…”

“Y-yes ma’am…” Shelby couldn’t believe this was happening, even as she pawed onto the sofa and laid herself right across the lap of her commanding officer. She jumped a little as she felt Leona’s strong paw rub at one of her soft cheeks, her claws digging into the cushion as she blinked up at the bigger girl nervously.

“Oh… you’ve got a nice round ass, Morganna… soft and pleasing to touch, just like those hips…”

The calico purred obediently, but then let out a loud, sharp mew as the Rashvian’s paw came crashing down with brutal strength right against her left cheek.

“Ny-ha!” Shelby cried out, her claws digging hard into the cushion from the blow, panting from the shock of it. She knew what she was getting into when she got in this position, but the strike seemed to come out of nowhere at all.

“Do you regret wanting it, my good girl?” Leona mused as she rubbed at the spot where she had slapped. Shelby took a moment to compose herself, then shook her head a few times in response. Leona said nothing and just slapped her again, right in the same spot, and the alien feline’s yowl filled her quarters again.

“Gyah! P-please… call me… your good girl… again?” Shelby panted while clutching the wolf’s outer leg, a cute mingling of a whimper and purr bubbling forth from the intense ache as she keenly felt Leona kneading at the spot once more.

Leona grinned and leaned down some, puffing toward the large, unpierced purple ears, “I will, but you better keep behaving… better keep being…” She lingered before striking again, three loud painful slaps into her soft round backside as she barked out, “My… good… girl!”

“Yes! Me- eww! Nyaghuu!!” Shelby yelped and mewed, slurring as she slumped with tongue lolled. Leona hummed with approval as she felt the stunned calico’s hips jerking needily. Her paw dipped between her thighs to start stroking right at her pearl.

“Won’t take long will it? You’re already there from the spanking… cum for me like a good kitty…” Leona growled as Morganna nodded her head rapidly, moaning and mewling as the wolf’s padded fingers knew right where to touch.

“Yes ma’am! Yes… ma-aaammm…” She shuddered and shook her head, it was true, she was right there. This wolf, she knew exactly what she was doing… one strategic pinch of her padded fingers against the calico’s pearl was all it took. She yowled out blissfully, her lust coming forth as her alien pussy clenched against the wolf’s rubbing paw.

“Good girl… good girl… I have a new rule… No, Tyler can’t and won’t spank you… That’s my job… understand?” Leona growled proudly as she kept rubbing against Shelby’s soaked petals. The calico drunkenly nodded as she panted.

“Mhm… good kitty…” Leona lifted a paw and gave a final crack of a slap against the cat’s round butt, eliciting a pained moan as her claws flexed into Leona’s knee from the blow. Her spaded tail shuddered as she panted hotly. She was right, the First Officer was dangerous and scary, but in a thrilling way!

“Slide down onto the floor, on your knees before me…” Leona started parting the robes she wore. Shelby bit her lower lip and squirmed off the larger girl's lap, slipping right onto her knees as she watched the strong, dominant female showcase her own body.

She had no bra on, so her plump breasts were on full display, her hips sporting a skimpy pair of panties. It was a style Junon preferred, so Leona had taken to wearing them. Tyler had also seemed to enjoy them, not that his opinion swayed her much on what she wore.

Leona showed a cocky grin across her muzzle before she calmly dragged the silky panties down, Morganna giving a small nervous mew as the other alien’s petals came into view.

“Ah… L-Leona, I’ve never been with another female, I’m not sure if I can do a good job for y-‘ She mewed as the wolf shoved a paw right into her hair, grasping one ear and wrenching the cat forward. Shelby’s white eyes were wide as the Rashvian shoved her muzzle right up against her crotch.

“You’ll figure it out… huff… you’ve got a similar cunt, you know how they work… so get to it…” She snarled the orders as Morganna shuddered but obeyed. Her small tongue started to clumsily lap, as the more dominant girl held her head in place.

It only took a few moments of lapping before she’d worked it out well enough. Her tongue moved to lap and circle gently against Leona’s pearl, her lips kissing it occasionally as the wolf raked claws through her curly locks.

“Good girl… hgn… I can’t make you a Fhiel… but I can sure as fuck make you a pet for me… You want Tyler? Then I’ll just take both of you,” Leona cooed. Morganna offered no protest as she kept lapping and circling her tongue, eyes closed in focus.

“Ngh… good kitty… purr for me… purr nice and loud for your mistress, your owner…” Leona’s tongue lolled as she panted, pleased with the oral service and high from the dominant position she was in. No wonder Junon was always thrilled when she did it to her.

Morganna nodded her head, then a deep, heavy rumble of a purr came forth as Leona gave a proud, lustful grin, petting her new cat while feeling the smaller girl suckling at her spot. “Oooh good kitty… suckle like that… I tend to gush a little, so expect a mess…”

The calico wasn't sure what that really entailed but nodded as she kept sucking and purring while focusing on pleasuring the girl that'd just spanked her.

“Right there… Good…good… cat!’ Leona groaned then let out a throaty moan as Morganna mewed at the gush of honey that erupted all over her tongue and splashed against her muzzle.

“Suck as I cum!” Leona snarled as she jerked the smaller girl's head back down. Morganna blinked wide-eyed but obeyed, suckling on the alien wolf's pearl while she finished her release.

“Ngh…that wasn't bad… Huff… Stand up…” Leona growled as she pushed the cat away gently with her footpaw and slowly stood.

Morganna stood with shaky knees, still panting a little as the wolf gripped her wrist and pulled her right along to her bedroom. Once inside, the Rashvian casually tossed her right onto the large bed. The calico mewled as she bounced on the mattress before looking up at the larger, dominant female, heart pounding and spaded tail flicking.

“How’s it feeling sitting on your ass like that?” Leona asked with a crooked grin as she stepped over to her wardrobe.

“Ah, it stings a little, ma’am…” Morganna mewed out with a pant.

“Then turn around, get on your knees. I want to see you prone and presenting to me like a bitch in heat…” Leona showed a grin as she produced what she’d gathered from the wardrobe: a strap-on harness with a large double-sided length at the crotch of the rig.

“W-whoa… Ah…” Morganna dug her claws into the sheets, looking hesitant and biting her lower lip.

“Hmph… having second thoughts, my good girl? I’ll let you run away now if you want…” Leona walked over, holding the intimidating strap-on rig in her paw.

“Ah! N-no! I uhm…” She chewed on her lower lip as the wolf gave her an impatient snort, then finally mewed out, “My ass is fine! Can you do me face-to-face?”

“Huh… You a romantic, kitty?” Leona asked with a smirk, her paws moving to push past her hanging robe she still had on, pulling buckles and straps into place.

“M-maybe a little but… You’re so gorgeous, Leona… I wanna see you as we do it,” she mewed cutely as she watched the wolf strapping up.

“Hmph… You’re cute, so I’ll oblige to start, but I’ll finish mounting you, because that’s what your owner wants, understand?” Leona growled the orders as she finished buckling the last of the straps and moved to climb into bed over the smaller girl.

“Y-yes ma’am! T-thank you… mistress!” Shelby gave her an adoring grin as she was overshadowed by Leona’s imposing body. The calico fell to her back, even obediently spreading her legs slightly for the dominant wolf.

“Not bad…” Leona snarled as she grasped the length of her strap-on, pushing one end of it into her own soaked entrance, shuddering a little. Then, she gave a huff as she shifted into position, bringing the other end right up to the calico’s waiting entrance.

She didn’t make any fanfare about it and just pushed her hips forward, letting the length plunge right into Morganna’s drenched alien pussy. The calico mewled out a happy moan as her walls were spread and sunk into, giving a little wince as it bottomed out snug to her core.

“Hgn… how’s that feeling, my good kitty?” Leona puffed out as she loomed over the smaller feline, her paws reaching for Morganna’s wrists, snatching them up and pushing them above her head to the mattress.

Morganna gave a throaty groan, her eyes half-lidded at the dominant gesture, not resisting as her body shuddered, already cresting against the intruding length. “Sooo good… Oh my gods, Leona… mistress…” she mewed adoringly before giving a small gasp as the wolf started to shift her hips.

Leona admired the view of the small, curvy cat beneath her. The Half-Marvullian’s large, ample breasts rocked and swayed with the wolf’s strokes, seeming to push against the top she still had on. Her own body warmed from the other end of the strap-on digging deep, both of their sopping wet alien pussys grinding against one another.

“Like to be held down? Like to be told what to do?” Leona growled, her hips slowly shifting, keeping that length moving between the two of them.

“Yes, yes, yes… I love it… ha…” Morganna sang the words out in a mew as she jerked to the deep strokes, feeling the wolf gripping harder at her wrists. Leona gave a shudder and jerked hard, making the length push against both their cores.

“Ngh… good girl…” She snarled and thrashed her tail, feeling herself crushing the length in her, Morganna biting her lower lip cutely at the praise.

“Enjoying it?” The Rashvian huffed out as she slowly sat up, grabbing the smaller female's hips. With renewed fervor and a better position, she bucked and drove the strap on in, the smaller alien mewling and moaning, offering rapid nods as her body shifted.

Leona pushed her paws up to shove the baggy shirt up along with the bra hidden beneath, letting the large, soft breasts finally bounce into view. “Damn… don’t these girls give you a backache, kitten?” Leona barked a laugh as she shifted her paws to grasp each, kneading them as her thumbs brushed the hard tight peaks, her hips still rocking intently.

“I’m… I’m used… to them… ngh… I like how… yours look better!” Shelby gasped out, tongue lolled as she felt her superior officer groping and fucking her intently now, that length relentless as it pounded inside her.

“Hgn… well thanks, but you need more accessories… I think I might have to pierce my new cat’s ears and nipples…” Leona licked her chops as she laid out plans for the smaller girl, Morganna’s eyes going wide at the concept.

“Y-You want me pierced for you, m-mistress?” She mewed out nervously.

“Mhm… I’ll get you a collar… and I’ll adorn you with some jewelry to my taste… Yes I think that’d work nicely, don’t you, my pet? My good girl?” Leona cooed as she rocked her hips.

The calico shuddered, her tongue flopping out, clearly giving in from the intense strokes and confident orders. “Gods… O-only if you… promise to keep me…” Morganna whispered out, looking distant through the orgasm, little hearts showing in her solid white eyes.

“Hgn… just like Tyler… I gave you an out, you didn’t take it… I gave you two, as a matter of fact…” Leona snarled and pulled back, letting the length flop out of the Half-Marvullian’s pussy, soaked in her honey. “Roll over, now!”

Morganna shuddered from the withdrawal, then bit her lower lip, her body feeling like gelatin, not wanting to move after the intense orgasm, but somehow, she managed to heft herself over. She flopped onto her belly, then mewed as Leona grabbed her hips and pulled her right back into the position she had originally wanted. The calico dropped to her elbows and lifted her spaded tail, her tongue lolled in a heavy pant as she presented for her Rashvian mistress and command officer.

“Not bad…” Leona snarled and cracked her paw down hard on Morganna’s round backside, in the same spot she’d spanked earlier. The smaller cat yowled out in a moan, tears bubbling at her eyes as she just remained in position, feeling that length lining up against her entrance again.

With a confident push, the larger girl sank the length back into her new cat. Morganna mewled blissfully as she collapsed onto her chest, tongue flopping out once more as she felt her wolf mistress waste no time, bucking her hips impatiently.

“Purr for me… Let me hear my new cat’s adorable sounds!” Leona snarled the words as she climbed fully over the smaller female, her own breasts pushing against Morganna’s back. Her hips were relentless as they drove the dual-sided length back and forth, making the smaller alien jerk each time it crashed into her core.

It took a few tries to start purring between the moans and yelps, but soon enough, those loud, heavy rumbles filled Leona’s ears once more.

“Good girl… Maybe I do need another Fhiel… Usually that’s reserved for alien males, but as I’ve been doing nothing but adapting, I suppose some further concessions may be made…” Leona growled as she loomed over the smaller girl, grinding her hips as the cat mewed cutely to the deep strokes.

“R-Really?” Morganna panted as she tried to shake off the latest orgasm, mewling out as Leona just kept stroking through it.

“Uh-huh… You can keep Tyler, and I’ll keep you…” Leona snarled as the calico collapsed onto her chest, tongue lolled as the Rashvian just kept pumping against her, then cried out as another orgasm was forced out of her.

“P-Please… I… I need a second ma’am!” Morganna mewed out, breathless and overwhelmed, then gave a weak groan as Leona just kept rocking, fucking her through back-to-back orgasms.

“Ngh! I don’t think so… I’ve already came twice now and kept going. If you’re gonna be my Fhiel, then you better get used to this… We’ll start training your staying power riiiight now, kitty!” Leona shoved her paws to the smaller girl’s shoulders, keeping her own hips rocking.

Even through the delirious pleasure, Morganna just nodded her head obediently, her sharp cute little mews filling the bedroom. It was going to be a long sleep-cycle for both of them…

-*United Space Federation Data Archives*-

-*Starship Manifest: #2426*-

(Please note, these records do not contain current ship records on engine or sensor modifications.)

The USF Occam:

Commissioned two years after the Rashvian conflict in SD: 239. The creation of the USF Occam was a multi-species collaborative effort to design an all-purpose exploration vessel that could confidently navigate the dangers of unexplored space.

Completed on April 12th SD: 242, the ship was temporarily Captained by Leona Sussnel for approximately three months before its intended Captain, Junon Topaz, assumed command. This was the first instance of a Rashvian or Salarian commanding a USF vessel in an official capacity without needing to assume command in a crisis.

Ship Construction:

The USF Occam’s engines are Salarian in make. Salarian engine technology had proven to be highly advanced upon their admission to the USF proper, relative to other contemporary designs. With the promise their war hero, Junon Topaz, would command the ship, the Salarian government agreed to share the technology.

Rashvian transportation technology had been installed as well as an extension of good will, bringing newly discovered shield-bypass features that had been largely unknown to the USF prior to Rashvian integration.

The Occam features an advanced computer system and several unique fabrication modules to assist with everything from daily chores to creating complex machinery, most of Danlazi origin. As such, despite the ship’s size, it can be manned with a minimal crew of only around one-hundred and twenty officers, while most ships of its size would typically require over four hundred.

Also of Danlazi make is an advanced factory fabrication bay. This section of the engineering department is capable of mass-producing everything from small arms for personal combat, to ship-grade ammunition such as missiles, torpedoes, and batteries.

Armament Loadout:

The USF Occam comes equipped with eight missile bays, loaded with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle warheads. Each separate warhead is equipped with a fission payload capable of releasing tremendous damage in upwards excess of one ten-thousand megatonnes of kinetic energy per detonation.

Ten Phase-Cannon bays are situated just below the bow of the ship. Using the most advanced Earthling weapons technology, each cannon is capable of firing a beam of photonic-reactive plasma that can reach upwards to twenty-thousand degrees Celsius. Each beam can be focused independently and the intensity of the blast can be adjusted to lesser degrees if needed.

Circling all across the hull of the Occam are various Laser-Flak module mounts, fifty in total. These modules can scatter high energy laser blasts to shoot down incoming ballistics fire, as well as smaller space debris such as micro-meteorites.

Finally, the Occam is equipped with a single torpedo bay. The type of torpedo can range from system-disabling armaments to ‘Planet Busters’ that are capable of delivering a payload that could potentially rupture the crust of a small planet. Any use of the torpedo bay requires authorization from both the Captain, First Officer, and two other senior officers to activate the system.

-*End Archive*-

“It’s regrettable we need to head straight to the bridge, but I’ll expect you to be your regular, professional self while we’re on duty, my Fhiel. Is that understood?” Leona asked while straightening her collar to her own uniform in the mirror.

“Y-yes ma’am…” Shelby bit back a small yawn as she responded, before smoothing out her own uniform. It had been fabricated here in the First Officer’s quarters, as she’d not made it back to her own last night. Her body was still achy and exhausted, but she certainly didn’t regret the night.

Leona strutted over with a proud, smug grin on her muzzle and leaned down, giving the small cat a quick peck on the lips. “Good girl… Once we’re off duty, I’ll expect you back here right away. Bring Tyler with you too…” She brushed a paw over the calico’s throat, fingering the small pink collar she now had on, then spun on her heel. “Don’t forget, no collar on duty, you won’t be out of uniform on my account, Lieutenant!”

“Ah! Y-yes ma’am! Sorry ma’am!” Shelby mewed as she quickly moved her paws up, but she hesitated for a moment. Leona gave her a side-eye glance, grinning as she watched the cat struggle to bring herself to take it off. “Go on, I won’t be mad… USF protocol supersedes our shenanigans. Just have it back on as soon as you’re off duty, understand?”

Morganna bit her lower lip and nodded to her new mistress’s words, snapping the collar off and tucking it into her pocket.

A few minutes later, they arrived on the Bridge and quietly took their positions. Junon came trotting in shortly thereafter, and like always, Leona rose to address the Bridge Crew, “Captain on the Bridge!”

The whole of the gathered crew rose and saluted, Junon offering her own. “As you were,” she said.

“Give me a status update on those probes, Lieutenant Klasko,” Junon barked out as she took a seat, then offered her lover next to her a knowing grin as she cocked a brow, tilting her head towards Shelby. Even from here, she could smell her racha on the cat. Leona simply gave her a faint grin of her own and nodded at the glance.

“Ma’am! This system sports two Class Twos and a lone Class One,” the equine officer said politely as data fed through the display terminal at her chair.

“Junk…” Junon sighed and then pulled up the charts the computer had calculated, showing their position and predicted star-types nearby. The updated display made her quirk her brow as she pushed her padded fingers together on her paws, deep in consideration.

“Captain, is everything alright?” Leona spoke aloud.

“Now that we’re closer, that blue dwarf…” Junon pointed at it on the display.

“Yes ma’am. The computer is predicting that it's a neutron star. Should we keep a wide berth as we progress?” Shelby mewed from her console.

Junon tapped her fingers together, a long silence filling the bridge, then she finally ordered, “Helmsman, plot a course for that star and give me an estimate!”

“What?!” Leona barked. Most of the bridge crew also looked aghast at the orders.

“B-But ma’am! Are you… sure?” Shelby mewed out, sounding shaken.

“That! That right there!” Junon barked out as she hopped from her seat, thrusting a paw out as she continued, “The reaction all of you gave me!” She growled and started pacing along the bridge, weaving between the consoles passing her crew.

“You think I haven’t had nightmares about that situation that befell us? Thought how even one slight misstep from it would have cost me… all of you?!” Junon growled as she thrashed her tails about while pacing, the crew silent as their Captain spoke.

“No! This is the USF Occam. He has the best and brightest from the whole of the USF on him! And… I’ll be damned if we’re going to cower away from every neutron star we see for the rest of our days!” She stepped back over to her chair and thrust a paw out. “Helmsman! Set course for that star and give me an estimated time of arrival!”

Shelby mewed fearfully but did as she was told. “Three standard USF hours, ma’am!”

“Hmph, very good. Klasko, you keep an eye on the radar. I want us pulling out of warp just as we start to enter the fringes of the streams. Shelby, you be ready to pull us out of warp well in advance. We aren’t getting up close and personal with this thing, I just don’t want us to be afraid of the damn things anymore either! Are we clear?” Junon showed her teeth with a growl in her throat.

“Ma’am!” Both of the officers responded in tandem.

Satisfied, Junon flopped back down in her chair with a slight bounce of her chest, then immediately turned her thoughts towards Leona. ‘How was that little chat with Morganna?’

Leona lifted her large, fluffy red ears and thought back, ‘Enlightening; I suppose I will break with tradition and have a female Fhiel as well.’

‘Tyler is enough, I don’t need more Fhiels, she said!’ Junon gave her a crooked grin, as the wolf responded with a cute, fussy glare.

‘Must you, dalrae?’ Leona flicked her tail a few times, her look growing more fussy like she was being scolded.

‘Okay, okay… I’ll want all the details later when we’re off duty though!’ Junon gave her another grin then glanced over at Shelby who was looking focused at her console. ‘Still, quite a little catch you and Tyler bagged, I’m happy for you two!’

‘Are you interested in joining us, my love?’ Leona tilted her head.

Junon shook her head. ‘No no, I’m happy with the kitty I already have. I’ve got Talleria, who is all mine; you two have a little girlfriend that’s all yours. I think it’s important we have our own side-outlets too, it’s healthy for the relationship!’

‘Perhaps that’s true… I never looked at it that way. Is that why you never invited me to join you and Talleria in bed, Junon?’ Leona cocked a brow.

‘That and… honestly? I think the poor doe would melt into a puddle over that much sexual stimulation. I sometimes think I’m too much for her myself… but…’ Junon winced and snarled as she thought, ‘Toth! I forgot to practice last night…’

‘Practice? You mean your instrument you’ve been learning with her?’

‘Yeah. I’ve been trying harder lately. I want Tally to know the music lessons thing wasn’t some subterfuge to get with her, you know?’

‘Dalrae, I’m sure she doesn’t feel that way… Mayhaps you should spend the evening with her after we are off duty? I already promised my time to Morganna and Tyler, as it were.’ Leona explained.

‘You know, that’s a lovely idea, especially since you’ll be busy. I need to get her ready to play with the shields anyway, in anticipation of the neutron star. I’ll bring it up while I’m down there.’ Junon gave a nod to herself.

—

“Ma’am, I’m just starting to get radiation stream projections on radar from the neutron star…” Klasko spoke out as they neared their destination.

“Alright…” Junon hit her communicator, “Engineering, have eyes on those shields, we’re about to pull out of warp!”

“Roger that, Captain!” Talleria’s voice rang back.

“Security, shipwide!” Junon waved a paw. Tyler quickly gave a shipwide announcement, warning everyone to expect a bumpy entry.

“Helmsman, if you will…” Junon pointed to Shelby who took a composing breath, then deactivated the warp drive.

The vision of the bridge was bathed in that solid white as a chill rolled up her spine, her teeth showing in a snarl at the shudder of fear that gripped her. She saw multiple members of her crew also flinch, but there was only a slight nudge against the bow of the ship.

“Engineering?” Junon spoke.

“Radiation streams are bombarding our shields, but we’re only climbing to about ten percent, ma’am…” Talleria responded.

“No playing around, if you see it climb even remotely close to twenty-five, scream your head off at me,” Junon responded.

“You got it, Jun!” Talleria called back.

Junon stood and folded her paws behind her back, staring at the view. The white of the stream occasionally eased enough to faintly see the pulse of blue in the distance before another would break over the ship, as if waves were washing over a beach again and again.

“Not so bad when we know what we’re getting into, eh?” she asked to the bridge.

“Ah… respectfully, Captain… This is terrifying!” Klasko laughed out in an awkward neigh.

“Well, that’s the point, Lieutenant… The hull rupturing and you being sucked out into the void is terrifying, too. Life support failing and us all suffocating is terrifying… There are a billion ways the void of space could kill us, but we get on this ship and we do our jobs.” Junon stood there staring at the view, as if staring down something she was about to pick a fight with.

Silence fell as they all just stared at the view for several moments before Junon spoke once more, “Helmsman, can we move between streams and follow their course?”

“What?!” Morganna mewed out, sounding aghast.

Junon just shrugged. “Sure. We can clearly see them wash over the ship before thinning. They came in waves emanating from the star and pulsing outward. Can we possibly move between them?”

“I mean… maybe?!” Morganna mewed as she started looking over the console, Klasko already looking at his own as they took a few minutes going over the data.

Finally, Shelby answered, “the worst of the stream hits us approximately every forty-two seconds. In theory, if we move at maximum impulse, we can keep up with the rotation…”

Junon rubbed her jaw and then flicked her tails as she asked, “anything on sensors here other than the star, Klasko?”

The horse winced at her question, as if he didn’t want to answer, then sighed as he responded, “There’s one planet on the fringe of the system, we could reach it within half an hour at impulse… It is closer to the star, though ma’am and-”

“And I’ll pull us back if shields start to teeter too close to twenty-five. I won’t jeopardize our lives, but we are out here to explore, are we not?” No one answered her question, but no one argued the point either.

“Shelby, can you keep him between pulsar streams? Shoot straight with me. If you think it’s too much for you, say so, and I’ll pull back from this idea, and you will have no repercussions for it!” Junon barked and put her paws on her hips, looking right at the half-Marvullian.

Morganna lifted her ears, frowning as she was put on the spot, then bit her lower lip, her gaze darting between Leona and Tyler for a moment, then settled back on the Captain. “I… Y-yes, I think I could…”

Junon offered a wicked little grin and rolled her tails as she folded her paws behind her back and spoke out, “Make it so then; we’ll go when you’re ready, Morganna.”

The calico gulped and then nodded as she focused on her console. It took a few minutes as she wanted to let the stream pass by just a few more times to ensure she could time it properly. Finally, she spoke aloud, “Engaging impulse engines…” As she spoke, the Occam slowly pushed forward, the heading for the planet already set as the ship started moving just behind the pulsar stream that had just washed over its shields.

“Engineering, keep an eye on those shields!” Junon barked out.

“I heard you the first time, Jun! I’ll do my job better if you stop distracting me!” Talleira snapped back with a cute snarl, the Salarian grinning at her sassy tone.

The preceding minutes passed agonizingly slow, especially for Shelby, who was having to give her utmost focus as she was essentially flying the ship with her own paws instead of relying on the computer’s charted course.

Junon slowly paced the bridge while they moved, stopping to look down over the small calico who darted her solid white eyes up for a moment, then settled them back on her console while she worked. She could faintly smell her racha on her, which simply amused the Salarian.

“Uh… C-Captain?” Klasko stammered out after several minutes of silence.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” Junon turned her attention to him as she walked over.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I’m getting some kind of structure on the scans from the planet we’re approaching!” He neighed out with shock as he jabbed a hoofed finger at the display showing a small orange blip on the holographic display of the world.

“Fascinating…” Junon rubbed her jaw and moved her paw to the display, pulling up a more detailed diagnostics. “Well, well… The planet, it’s stationary… It’s not rotating on its own axis, it’s just orbiting!”

“So… only one side of the planet is ever facing the star…” Leona said in understanding as she walked up to look at the display.

The Captain winked at her lover and nodded. “Bingo, First! This facility, whatever it is, was placed like this on purpose! It’s specifically aimed away from the pulsar streams!”

Junon barked out excitedly and trotted over to Shelby. “Okay, Helmsman, I want you to pull the Occam in to where we’re in orbit around that planet, then we’ll set the systems to maintain a position there. We’ll essentially use the planet as a shield to protect us from the pulsar, just like that mysterious structure is doing!”

“Ma’am!” Shelby mewed out, still keeping her focus as she steered the ship.

It took several more minutes, but eventually, Morganna was able to give the controls of the ship back to the computer as it entered a synchronous orbit with the planet. She gave a relieved groan as she rocked back in her seat, rubbing her face with her paws, finally realizing how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

“Fantastic work, Morganna!” Junon said with a grin before turning to Klasko, “what do you have for me?”

“Imaging from the sensors is coming online now, ma’am!” he spoke as the display popped into life before her. The facility appeared to be large, with networks of halls, rooms, and even smaller buildings that may have been storage facilities that were separate from the main one.

“Life signs?” she asked.

“Ice cold ma’am… no signs of any sort of power supply either. Whatever this place is, it’s been inactive for a long, long time…” Klasko said solemnly.

“This… it could be a potential precursor site… Before The Great Collapse!” She barked out in realization as she looked to Leona while rolling her tails. “Racha! This building… It could house ancient technology or information that’s been forgotten to time for thousands and thousands of cycles!”

Leona gave a small grunt at being called by her pet name on duty in her lover's excitement. “T-True, Captain, but let’s approach this calmly, we don’t want to end up in a sticky situation like the last time we let our excitement get the better of us…”

Junon frowned but then closed her eyes, giving a small nod as she forced herself to compose and unclench her paws. “You’re right, First… We have no idea what we’re dealing with here, we need to be very cautious…”

“Alright, let’s get some standard sensor scans on the facility. We’ll check for any biological pathogens, energy, and the works. If so much as a mote of dust has stirred in that place since we arrived, I want to know about it!” Junon gave the orders as Klasko nodded and got to work.

“S-should I gather my team, ma’am?” Tyler asked from his console, the edge in his voice obvious.

Junon nodded. “You should. This isn’t some derelict ship. I want you wearing the armored suits and packing the plasma rifles. We can’t be sure dormant defenses won’t-”

“Uh… C-Captain!” Klasko spoke out as Junon turned to him. He looked up from his console and stammered out, “I just got a burst wave ping signal from the site; it was apparently set to go off if hyper-wave scans were detected.”

“Toth! Are you serious!?” She snapped her teeth as she stormed over to the console, looking over the scans, then pushed a paw to her jaw. “A Hyperwave ping, like an S.O.S, or…”

“To activate or call something!” Leona finished her thought with a growl.

“Long-range scans, now!” She threw a paw out as she gave the order. Klasko nodded and pulled up the main radar system.

“Captain! We’ve got three unidentified signatures that originated from an asteroid debris field on the fringe of the system, and they’re closing in on our location fast!” Klasko neighed out with clear shock in his voice.

“Okay, okay… none of us here are green, even if it’s been a while, whatever those are, they have shielding of some sort to resist the pulsar streams, but we don’t. We’re going to have to stay within the zone of the planet if this gets hot. Is that understood, Shelby?”

“Y-Yes ma’am!” Morganna quickly deactivated the computer guidance and took manual control, the ship giving a faint lurch.

“Captain, whatever those are, they’ll be on us in… Fuck, they’re moving really fast, like forty seconds!” Klasko shouted out.

“Toth! Better safe than sorry, announce general quarters, have the crew man their battle stations, put the ship in full alert!” Junon barked as she thrust a paw towards Tyler.

“Ma’am!” The whole bridge basked in red light as the alarm went out across the ship, then Tyler spoke out quickly, “All personnel, general quarters, man your battle stations, prepare for combat. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill! Security, suit up and move to your designated positions. Any non-combatant crew is to return to their quarters or the nearest designated safe zone!”

“Visual, ma’am!” Klasko called out as a window popped into view. The three ships heading for them were clearly some sort of drone, with hollowed-out skeletal structures that supported nothing but the facilities to keep weapons and shields active. What was once most likely a shiny chrome surface had grown pitted and dark from the millennia of dormant radiation bombardment by the star.

“Sensors coming in, shields are up, and weapons are hot on those things, ma’am!” her combat officer called back from the weapons console.

“Well, that settles that!” Junon threw a paw out from her chair. “Helmsman, strafing approach, turn and face our guests, no way we’re outrunning these things!”

“Ma’am!” Shelby mewed as she manually swung the ship around, the whole crew feeling the momentum shift from the emergency maneuver, manual steering much more pronounced compared to the computer's usual control of the ship.

“We’ve got ballistic missiles incoming!” Klasko shouted.

“Ignore the damn things and let the flak lasers handle them! I want our own photon-light missiles aimed at the lead drone, Shelby, full reverse on the engines to give flak time to pick off the incoming ballistics!”

“Ma’am!” The ship gave a violent lurch before rapidly accelerating in reverse. Pinpoints of scattering light started erupting from the Occam as the anti-missile batteries started picking off the approaching weapons.

“Locked on lead drone!” her weapons officer shouted.

“Light the damn thing up!” Junon snarled as she threw her fist out. “Bays one through six, fire!” On her order, six missiles erupted forth from their bays, all on a collision course for the drone.

The three attack drones erupted with their own laser fire, each missile rapidly shot down, but as they exploded in the hail of lasers, their housing gave way to scatter forth a dozen smaller ballistic missiles each. The swarm was too much for the drones to shoot down before dozens of them crashed into the lead one.

The proverbial death from a thousand cuts rang true as the multiple warhead impacts made the lead drone’s hull buckle before finally imploding upon itself in a bright flash of light.

“Destruction of enemy vessel confirmed, ma’am!” her weapons officer called out.

Junon blinked at the display several times, seeing the ship implode. A brief memory dislodged; it had been years since she watched a ship explode like that, and the last one, it was the flagship URK Yankreh. A Rashvian ship that housed nearly nine hundred souls, all of them taken by the void in her maddened rage as she-

“Captain!” Shelby shouted out as the ship started to shudder, the display starting to grow white from a pulsar stream washing over them.

“Shields are climbing, we’re at forty-seven and moving higher!” her weapons officer spoke out, small bursts of laser fire scattering across the white haze, being absorbed by the shield, but adding to the strain on the generators.

“Jun! What the fuck are you doing up there?!” Talleria screamed through the communicator. The two drones were circling the ship, raining plasma down on his shields while the pulsar stream assisted them.

“Pull us back into the field of the planet, Helmsman!” Leona shouted.

“I’m trying, the drones keep intercepting my course correction, I think their programming is designed to do this!” Shelby shouted back.

“We’re bigger than they are, hit the fucking things if you have to. Full propulsion forward, give me the backup batteries for the shields, and once we pull from the stream, swing wide, drift to the side, and reposition! I want all phase-canons on the one that doesn’t get out of our way!” Junon shouted the orders.

“Ma’am!” came a universal response from multiple officers as each one took to their orders.

The Occam’s engines flared at its stern before it launched forward at full impulse. Sure enough, one of the drones moved to intercept with a hail of laser fire, the shield flaring brightly, then a massive burst of light as the ship slammed right into the intercepting drone, sending it careening off course.

“Shields at ninety-five and rising!” her weapons officer shouted as the Occam left the stream of the neutron star, Shelby already swinging it wide, letting the inertia drift the ship as it turned.

“We’ve got batteries for a reason, stop telling me about the shields and fire the damn phase-cannons, all of them!” Junon threw her paw out.

“Firing!” the weapons officer shouted as all ten canon bays lit up in a massive streak of concentrated fire. The drone readjusted from its tumble and pulled high as the beams raked just under its belly.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Shelby shouted as she suddenly adjusted the ship to pivot up, forcing the lasers to rise against their targeting algorithm, which the computer had given them. The maneuver worked as the beams cut straight into the drone, easily overwhelming its shields before it imploded.

“Fantastic job!” Junon shouted to her helmsman, then snorted as she watched the last drone dancing around before them, occasionally raking their shield with laser fire or sending an errant missile to be shot down.

“Shields are back down to seventy and falling; this thing's firepower alone isn’t enough to crack them,” her weapons officer said with some relief in his voice.

“Tch… I almost feel sorry for the damn thing… Let’s take this one alive. Hit it with an EMP torpedo!” Junon said casually.

“Huh, I wouldn’t have thought of that…” Leona said as she waved a paw towards the weapons officer. “You heard the Captain, we’ll prepare authorization override, then fire when ready!”

After the officers all activated the weapon, the EMP torpedo shot out, and the drone deftly zinged to the side, but the detonation easily caught it in the blast. Whatever shielding components it may have had against such attacks, had no doubt been weakened from its dormant inactivity. With a sputter of sparks, the small vessel halted and slowly began to drift in the void.

“Well, despite the intensity of it, that was an anticlimactic finish… Why didn’t we just fire the EMP at the beginning?” Klasko asked as he slumped back in his chair to take a relieved sigh.

“Because we only had one, and if we missed, I wouldn’t have been able to try again. It takes the ship's factory-unit several hours to fabricate new armaments, especially something like a torpedo. Not to mention the time it took to get you, Shelby, Sussnel, and me to activate the override, would have lost us precious moments.” Junon explained simply as she waved a paw to Klasko. “Scan the damn thing, make sure energy signatures are zero.”

“Ma’am…” Klasko rocked forward and started scanning the dormant vessel. A moment later, he called back, “Dead and dormant it appears…”

“Tyler, cancel the alert and announce a ship-wide return to duty, please…” Junon sighed as she stood from her chair, rubbing her face.

‘You okay dalrae?’ Leona’s thoughts filled her mind.

‘Yeah, but… I fucked up again… I got lost in my own toth… it cost me precious seconds and…’ Junon shook her head as she spoke aloud in her communicator, “Tow that thing into the bay and get your boys on it, Tally!”

“Gladly!” the doe cooed out in response.

“First, you have the bridge. I need a moment…” Junon turned and paced to the lift.

Leona hissed and after a moment, she stood and spoke out, “Shelby, you take over, I’m going to go check on the Captain!”

“Aye, ma’am!” the calico mewed out, the wolf already in motion.

She found Junon in the very corridor where they had their first quarrel. The fox was staring out the glass wall at the burned-out world, the constant rush of the neutron pulsar streams bathing it in an eerie white corona.

“Dalrae…” Leona moved over to her.

“First Officer, why have you abandoned your post?” she sighed as the wolf moved up and pushed paws to her shoulders from behind, rubbing them in a bid of comfort.

“Shelby has the bridge, forget rank… Talk to me…” Leona whispered into her large white ear, then shifted her paws to hug the smaller fox.

“What is there to talk about, racha… I once again placed everyone in jeopardy, twice over… Once from the scans and then from my own baggage!” Junon snarled as her ears folded.

“Junon! No one will fault you for the scanning issue, which would have happened to any vessel. A scanning protocol is literally part of … well, the protocol!” Leona growled.

“Fine, but the hesitation… then lost in my own head? Leona, I’m not fit for this position…” Junon growled and shook her head, trying to pull from her lover's arms.

Leona reinforced her grip and snarled. “Shut up, you got us through the battle just fine, and you took no losses or damage to the ship!”

“No, Leona, my crew got us through it. They would have been fine without my orders! Anyone could have done what I did, and done it without getting … triggered, in the midst of combat!” Junon shouted as she squirmed out of the hug and turned to glare at the wolf before her.

“You’re wrong, Junon. I wouldn’t have known to dictate those types of maneuvers, and despite your hesitation, you still knew what to do, when to do it, along with how to respond… You knew what your ship could handle and used it to your advantage. I didn’t even know you could bank and drift an entire fucking starship!”

Junon winced and then showed a faint curl of a smile at the corner of her muzzle at the last part. “Y-yeah… well, I spent a lot of time in the holosuite seeing what the engines could do… so I-”

“Exactly! Junon! No- Captain.. You are fit for this, and you got us through it. We are literally on the precipice of discovering an ancient precursor ruin!” Leona thrust her paw out towards the view of the planet before them.

“And if I send our fox down in an away team and some kind of defenses activate and kill them all? Will I be a fit Captain then, First Officer?” Junon growled as she clenched her fists.

Leona shuddered at the thought of it, but then whispered out, “If… you took all due caution and preparation… Yes.”

Junon looked shocked, but then snapped her jaws closed, glaring to the side. The Rashvian wasn’t wrong. As a commander of a starship, she had to understand that even if crew were precious, it was her responsibility to utilize them, and there would never be a foolproof, completely safe option. They put officers at the academy through this kind of training for a reason. Losing crew was just something that all starship captains had to accept could happen.

“Listen to me, Captain… No one is more fit than you to be in your position on this ship. The fact that you are so concerned with your shortcomings shows you are the proper choice. Do you know why?” Leona folded her paws behind herself as she spoke.

“Why, First Officer?” She asked, sounding tired.

“Because, if you can pinpoint your shortcomings, you can adjust. You can adapt and prepare for them. I’d rather have an exceptional Captain that learns from her mistakes, than a fool who thinks they can do no wrong, or a coward who never takes initiative to do anything but stay on the safe road,” Leona said the words ice cold as she met Junon's eyes, showing she was leaving her personal feelings out of this.

Junon turned away to look upon the planet once more. “Do you know what gave me pause, First Officer?” she asked while seeing her lover's reflection in the glass.

“Permission to speak freely?” Leona asked.

Junon waved her paw. “Sure.”

“The Yankreh,” Leona said simply.

Junon frowned and lifted her ears, turning to look back at her lover with clear shock on her face. “How?”

“I can feel your emotions, remember, dalrae? The sensation that ran through me, the sheer overwhelming power of realization of one's deeds? The URK Yankreh wasn’t just a warship; She was essentially a spacebound city not unlike the Astral… When she went down, she took hundreds of citizens with her, along with her commissioned crews… If there was any ship that would have struck a chord of regret in you, it would be that one…”

“Perceptive… that’s why you’re a fine First Officer, Leona… Yes…” Junon turned away once more as she continued, “I don’t regret my actions against the military, and destroying the Yankreh was my crowning achievement. It simultaneously made me a hero and an unforgivable war criminal… At the time it was happening, I didn’t care… but once I was relieved of duty, once I started thinking…”

Junon spun on her heel to look up at Leona, a Rashvian. “I looked up the archival records and I committed the number to memory… two hundred and forty-five. That’s how many civilians were aboard your species’ capital ship. Two hundred and forty-five souls that were just doing a job or supporting a loved one. How many were Fhiels, Shulkei’s, or just non-military Rashvians? Thirty-two of them… were pups.”

Leona clenched her teeth, looking away as she hissed out, “War is hell, Junon…”

“You were right to hate me back then, you probably should still do so… I meant what I said… I don’t regret any of the combatants I killed, but those… Those haunt me, and will until I die…” Junon muttered as she looked away once more.

“Yet… I don’t hate you, I love you, and… Once again, the fact that you acknowledge all this shows your character. It shows just how fit you are to be here, dalrae.” Leona looked back to her lover, her Captain.

“I suppose… You know… A part of me is terrified… To send our fox down there, to order the away mission. Couldn’t I just mark this location on our charts and let the fleet or Marvullians deal with it?” She sighed as she leaned on the glass behind her now.

“True enough, but… We could find technology to help us get home, or find lost starlanes to-”

“Leona… Do you think I care about getting home at this rate? I have no home… My home is here, with all of you. Of course, getting my crew back to their families is a priority for me, but I won’t roost on the high ground and pretend like I understand.” Junon growled as she looked up at her lover.

“I… I do get that… I was an outcast from my people, a kinslayer as it were. I was pushed off on the USF as a token of diplomatic leverage and a problem to be done with. Believe me, I understand having no home to return to…” Leona sighed as she took a knee, putting her paws on Junon’s hips.

“Listen to me, Junon… I’ll be with you to the end, even if you fly a ship with just the two of us straight into a blackhole. You will always be my Captain, and you will always be my dalrae.”

Junon hugged her lover, their foreheads pushing together as their thoughts turned inward. ‘Dumb wolf… I can’t even be a broody mess without you cheering me up…’

‘Of course not, no angst allowed when I’m with you, dalrae!’ Leona grinned as she met her eyes.

Junon just growled and tangled her paws into her Rashvian’s crimson locks, her muzzle pushing right up against the wolf’s, drawing her into a deep kiss right there in the corridor. After several moments of kissing, Leona thought, ‘What’s with you and neutron stars, huh?’

Breaking the kiss, Junon giggled as she spoke aloud, “Hgn… guess I just have a type. These damn things love to cause me trouble, but I just can’t stay away. Like a toxic relationship?” She giggled again with a shrug.

“Hey, hey, you keep that talk up, you’ll start to make me jealous of collapsed super-giant stars!” Leona barked out playfully as she nuzzled Junon’s jaw.

“Stiff competition to be sure, right?!” Junon grinned and returned the nuzzling, then gently patted her wolf’s jaw. “Thank you, racha… let’s get back to the bridge, I’ve got an away team to form.”

“You have an away team?” Leona asked with a smirk as she stood and stepped back.

Junon flashed her teeth and nodded as she turned on her heel to start back towards the lift. “Damn right I do! Andrew routinely led his away teams, and the adrenaline junkie in me wants to see this facility up close and personal!”

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