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Part 3

The next day, Admiral Donnelson arrived precisely at 0900 for his tour of James' ship. The whole crew lined both sides of the passageway, and when the airlock door opened, James issued the command "at-ten-SHUN!" The crew instantly obeyed with a look of pride on their faces. Even though the ship was not yet commissioned, Admiral Donnelson--out of habit--saluted James and asked the centuries-old question, "Permission to come aboard?" James smartly returned the admiral's salute and replied, "Permission granted." When the admiral stepped through the airlock door and onto the ship, James extended his hand and said, "Welcome aboard, Admiral Donnelson, good to see you again, sir. May I present the crew of Nightwing?" "Thank you, James; I look forward to seeing this ship of yours. You may proceed." James formally introduced each member of his crew, from most senior officer to most junior enlisted, and Admiral Donnelson shook the hand of each. When he got to Lilly, however, he gave his niece an affectionate hug. Lastly, James came to Moira. "A pleasure to meet you again, and under better circumstances," Admiral Donnelson said admiringly. For an android, Moira's avatar is quite lovely. "Thank you, sir. I would consider it an honor if I may accompany you," she said in reply. "Certainly, my dear. James, if you would lead the way?" "Of course, Admiral. This way, please," James said as he gestured down the passageway. Mentally to Tanya, he sent, "Go ahead and dismiss them, Tan. We'll meet in the crew's mess at 1200." "Okay, baby. I'll be up on the bridge if you need me," she replied. As they walked along, Admiral Donnelson thought to himself, "Geez, if I were still a young kit I wouldn't mind giving this one a good romp. They just keep making these avatars better and better. I hear the avatar for Dark Fang is going to be a wolf...I wonder if they'll ever make one a skunk. Wouldn't that be something? Ah, well, Flora's enough for me, though I do wonder just how well they build these."

When the tour was concluded, Admiral Donnelson asked if he could have a little time before lunch to visit with his niece. "Of course, sir. If you wish, you may use my cabin. I'll be on the bridge," James replied. He could have announced over the ship's intercom for Lilly to report to the captain's cabin, though since this was to be a private visit among family members, he used a more personal means. "Lil, your uncle would like to visit a bit with you. He's in my cabin waiting, so go ahead and knock off." "Okay, I'll be up shortly, just gotta plug this logic solid in...if I can just...reach it...almost...got it! Ow!" "You okay, Lil?" "Yeah, just bumped my elbow tryin' to get myself out of this access panel--it's a tight fit." "Want me to kiss it and make it better?" "Um...mmm...after that, you could kiss something else..." "Hold that thought, Lil...and get that sweet tail of yours up here." "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" "I wish." "Jamie..." "Yeah?" "Bone me!" "I intend to." "Ooo, you!"

Lilly pushed the button for the door announcer, and waited. "Enter" The door to James' office opened and she stepped through, making sure her tail was clear before it closed. "Lilly! There you are, I was hoping to get to visit with you," Admiral Donnelson said, getting up to greet his niece. "Let me look at you, dear...my, my, you look just like your mother when she was your age, and I mean that as a compliment. So, how have you been? Knowing you, working you tail off. You know the old saying about all work and no play." "Yes, sir." "Oh, come on, Lilly, forget the uniform for a bit. We're family, and it's just the two of us, so relax already. Doesn't your Uncle Kenny rate a nuzzle at least?" He held his arms out to his niece, and hesitantly, Lilly went to him. "There, there, now...that's much better. See? I'm not going to bite. Come, let's sit and talk like family should," her uncle suggested, motioning to the small couch in the captain's office. Once they got seated, Lilly's uncle spoke more softly. "So tell me Lilly, how are you and James getting along?" "Same as usual, sir--I mean, Uncle Kenny." "You know, dear, unlike some others in the family, I think you and James have always been meant for each other. I had a long chat with your grandfather Steven--most enlightening. He made a recording that he wanted me to give you." He paused long enough to fish the chip out of a pocket and handed it to Lilly. "He said that some quiet evening, you, James, and Tanya should watch and listen to it together--in private. So, here it is. Now as far as I'm concerned, you and James--Tanya, too--have my, and your grandfather's, blessing to get married when you see fit to do so. I know James will take good care of you both, which is why I helped a bit in the background to get you three on the same ship together--on his ship. James is a straight-up fellow when it comes to doing what's right and fair. What you three do in private is your business, though I know you three are professional enough to do your jobs like you're supposed to. You've done well, Lilly, and the family's proud of you--yes, even your mother and father. I had a long chat with them, too--my sister can be one stubborn brat, but I raised enough cane with her and that husband of hers--your father--that they should come around. At least they'd better if they know what's good for them. You've put up with their crap far too long, and I had enough of it--lowered the boom hard on them, I did. Oh, you should have seen it, Lilly--by the time I was finished ranting and raving, they had their tails between their legs. Even your grandmother was impressed. Well, enough about that. Talk to me, kitling, what's been up with you lately?" Lilly filled her uncle in on the things in her life, the plans that she, James, and Tanya made, which please her uncle, and how her career was going. She hoped that she would make chief in a year and wanted to take some more courses for her rating. "Sounds like you're bucking for Warrant Officer," her uncle chuckled. "Wouldn't that be something?" Lilly asked rhetorically. "I'll have my aide forward the necessary requirements to you, if you want to go that route, and I'll give you what advice I can on how best to proceed. You'll have to do the work on your own, but I can make sure you get recognized by the right people at the right time, fair enough?" "Fair enough, Uncle Kenny." "That's a girl! Hmm, looks like it's getting on towards lunch. Would you mind asking James to step in" I need to have a little chat with him on a couple of things--admiral to captain, if you know what I mean." "Yes, sir." Lilly got James' attention mentally. "Jamie? The admiral wishes to speak with you--important stuff." "Okay, Lil, I'm on my way." "He's coming, sir," Lilly told her uncle. "Thanks, dear."

James came in promptly--of course, it wasn't far from his seat on the bridge to his office, though the part that took the most time was getting out of the pilot's seat. When the door shut, he asked, "You wanted to see me, sir?" "Yes, I do. Lilly, if you would give James and I a few minutes alone, I'll walk with you to the galley." "Aye, aye, sir," Lilly said, acknowledging the "order". She hesitated briefly as she passed James and they exchanged quick glances. "Oh, go ahead and kiss each other already," Admiral Donnelson said with a grin. Both James and Lilly were surprised by the admiral's words. "Don't worry, James, I know all about how much you and my niece care about each other, and your Tanya, too...and I approve, as long as you're discrete, and it doesn't interfere with the ship's mission." "Thank you, sir," James said. He and Lilly gave each other a quick, though passionate kiss, before she stepped out of the space. "Before we begin, I'd like to get you ship's A.I. in on this--would you ask her to join us?" Admiral Donnelson requested. "Certainly, sir. Moira? Would you come in her, please?" /* "You are inside me James--I cannot get much closer that that." */ "Allow me to rephrase that--send your avatar in here, please." /* "As you wish, James." */ James rolled his eyes and murmured, "Computers." /* "I heard that." */ While the admiral worked to suppress a laugh, James looked up at the overhead, and made a kissing gesture. /* "I will add that to my list of things to experience, James." */ Admiral Donnelson couldn't stand it and had to laugh. "How many wives did you say you wanted, James?" Moira's avatar entered the office space just as the admiral made the joking question. She gave James a perplexed look and said, "We've only known each other for less than a week, and you are already wishing to propose marriage? Why James, we haven't even been out on a date yet." The admiral laughed and said, "Who says ship A.I.s don't have a sense of humor? Hoo!" Wiping his eyes and forcing himself to calm down, Admiral Donnelson said, "Okay, let's *cough* get down to business. Ah, count me as old-fashioned, Moira, but I prefer to look a person in the eye when I'm talking to them, especially when it concerns what I'm about to say. I'll make this quick so we won't be late for lunch. First of all, that little incident last night with Captain Delaney--Moira, I don't know how you dredged up all that information on him so quickly, or how you wee able to cover your tracks so completely. I probably don't want to know." Seeing the surprised look on James' face, he continued. "Your ship's A.I. dug up quite a mess of stuff on that man--racist stuff against us G.E.L.F.s and people like you, James. With the CNO's approval, I've launched my own investigation into it, using some of my best operators. They've already found enough collaborating evidence that Captain Delaney is part of a vast network leftover and still simmering from the Purity Uprising of 2213. That's going to be dealt with, thanks to Moira tipping us off to it. Great job, by the way, lady." "Thank you, such people pose a threat to my crew and to the Federation," Moira said. "That they do...we don't need to have another internal war fomenting, when we're got trouble brewing without. This brings me to the second thing. We've got problems in sector one-four-nine--ships are missing, and we may have an alien incursion into our space. We need you to go take a look. Your engine core will be installed this weekend--by the next, you will be on your way to Proxima for shakedown. When you come back, I'm going to personally make sure that this ship is stuffed to the gills with everything you could possibly need--and you won't go alone. The CNO is arranging for the other Spirit class SLGs to rendezvous with you onsite, and there'll be a task force lead by yours truly on t he Titan. I'll fill everyone in on this operation after lunch." James didn't expect these two bombshells to be dropped in his lap, especially not at the same time! Dealing with internal security issues was for others to deal with, but Moira taking it upon herself to dig up info concerning such issues was extraordinary. As far as either James or the admiral knew, no ship's A.I. had ever done such an investigation on its own. "Such people are a threat to my crew," she had said. Admiral Donnelson and James exchanged glances when she said it. They both had seen how she reacted towards Captain Delaney, and James started to think that if Moira had had the means to at the time, she might have burned him down on the spot--but perhaps not. Moira seemed careful and considerate--also determined and protective. Too protective? James made a note to keep an eye on that. Admiral Donnelson faced Moira's avatar and asked, "Do you feel up to this, Moira?" Without hesitation she replied, "James is my captain, and I am his to command. Where he points, I shall carry him and my crew, to the best of my ability, even if we must go in harm's way to the very heart of Darkness itself. We shall triumph, or--if Doom should fall upon us--perish with honor in a blaze of glory, as a beacon fire in the night, lighting the way for those who follow on the avenging wings of fury until victory, hard won, is at last ours." James and Admiral Donnelson stood there, mouths agape, neither expected such a poetic answer.

Although Admiral Donnelson was well within his rights to insist upon the usual rules of conduct as they pertain to officer's wardrooms, he insisted upon everyone following their ship's usual customs during meals. On Nightwing, the men typically let the women serve themselves first, though no particular order was followed--on such a small ship, it was simply more efficient to follow a "first come, first served" routine. Except for Zach, everyone was surprised to learn that Moira's avatar could eat and drink food and beverages, though she could not derive any benefit from doing so. The chewed and swallowed food could be held in a "stomach", even kept warm or chilled, until she could pass it back out through her fake "digestive" system. It would still be perfectly edible, having been kept in a sterile, "food grade", storage system as a properly maintained temperature to prevent spoilage. It was considered a "plus" in the event that the crew should find themselves planet side in a survival situation--the avatar could "eat" foodstuffs, to be brought back to her crew, making her "stomach" an additional storage container. Implementing that, however, would require a bit of discretion for obvious reasons. "James, I'm not going to suck her ass, no matter how nice looking she is!" Shauna sent privately. "Heh, besides the chief, you're the only other herbie onboard, so I don't think it'd be an issue for you," James replied. "James..." "Yes, Shauna?" "You know what you can do..." "You wish!" "You know I do." "Er...last I looked, I'm not 'mythically proportioned'..." "Yeah, I know...but you can anyway." "I'll keep that in mind." "You do that." Meanwhile, GMM1 Ivor McElroy and YM2 Felix Canberra were having their own private discussion of the topic. "Oi, Canberra, those blokes in R&D must be some real pervs if they think we're gonna eat what comes out of an androids tail hole!" "Makes you wonder, ey? For a human lookalike, she's not bad, but I don't care how 'sterile' it is, they thought of...ew!" Felix agreed. "And that coming from a cat, of all people!" McElroy laughed mentally. "Take off, ey!" "Ha, if she could carry a couple o' pints in another part of her anatomy, now that I could do!" "Ey, half the crew would be wantin' a mouthful, ey?" "Aye now, true enough, lad, true enough."

After lunch was over, James had everyone stay so that the admiral could speak to everyone. "Thank you, Commander Daugherty," Admiral Donnelson began. He went into a short speech complimenting the ship and its crew on the hard work they've put in learning the ship's systems, assisting the yard workers, the improvements suggested, and the effort put in getting the ship ready for launching ahead of schedule. The admiral had a pleasant surprise--he called James to stand before him, and read from a PAD that he had in his hand. "Commander James Daugherty, it is my pleasure to present to you, your promotion to the rank of captain, with all due honor, privilege, respect, duty, and responsibility afforded to the rank. Petty Officer Donnelson, as my niece, I give you the privilege of placing the proper insignia on the captain's collar." Lilly stepped forward and received the new insignia from her uncle. Standing in front of James--who had to bend down a little--Lilly removed the silver oak leaf insignia from his collar and attached the silver eagle insignia in its place. When she stepped back one pace, Lilly smartly saluted James and sent privately, "We'll have to celebrate properly tonight..." James returned Lilly's salute and replied, "I look forward to it, Lil." After everyone congratulated James on his promotion, duly entered into the ship's records by Moira, the admiral went on to the other item he wanted to inform the crew about.

"I have your first mission--it may be something, or it may be nothing, but we're not taking any chances," Admiral Donnelson began. Both he and James noted the looks on everyone's face. "Recently, there have been reports of a possible alien incursion into our space in sector one-four-nine; Intel is sketchy at best. We sent two ships to investigate, the Grainger and the Purnell--they've failed to report as scheduled, and are now listed as missing. A K'ratori warship went looking for them--they managed to get a quick signal out before going silent." The admiral played the transmission from his PAD.

"*static*...This is ch'Rev-Sohn of the K'ratori...*static*...unknown alien craft near...*static*...it's...*static*...systems failing, huge disturbance in...*static*...additional ships...*static*...moving towards us, activating...*static*"

The room was silent. After a few moments, the admiral continued, "We assume they were unable to initiate self-destruct to prevent capture, per K'ratori customs, as there has been no detectable energy burst from the area. As quickly as you can finish your shakedown cruise, Nightwing will rendezvous with the four other Spirit class ships--Night Spirit, Shadow Storm, Darkfire, and Blackfrost, just prior to entering sector one-four-nine. James, you will be leading the search for the ships. I'm transferring my flag to the Titan, and will have a full battle group standing by in hyperspace ready to pounce. You will have full discretionary powers to do your job--we want to find out who these aliens are, where they're from, what do they want, what happened to those ships and their crews, and if those aliens prove hostile...kick their tails back to wherever they came from. If there is any way we can effect a rescue, we will, otherwise...you have your orders." The battle group the admiral mentioned in the briefing would be comprised of twelve frigates, seven destroyers, three heavy cruisers, one assault carrier, a fast supply ship, and the dreadnought Titan as flag ship. Other ships would be brought to bear if the situation warranted it. The idea was to have the scout ships slip in, gather intel discretely, fight if necessary, and then call in the big guns for interdiction. "Are there any questions?" Admiral Donnelson asked. "Sir, is there any chance I may have a copy of that transmission to analyze?" CWO-3 Stewert asked. The admiral grinned and replied, "Thought you might ask...I happen to have a copy right here..." as he pulled a data chip out of a sleeve pocket, and then handing it to the Comm Officer. "Any other questions?" "Yes, sir, what's our completion schedule looking like at this time?" Lt. (j.g.) Eriksson asked. "Good question. As things look now, the engine core will be installed this weekend--if testing goes well, by Wednesday of next week we'll have the launching ceremony. Thursday you will onload supplies, and Friday morning you will commence your shakedown cruise to Proxima and back. If that goes well, Fleet Registry will accept the ship and immediately turn it over officially to your captain. By Wednesday of that week, I expect you loaded and on your way to sector one-four-nine. Any others?" No one had any further questions. "Very well, then. I've enjoyed the tour and lunch, but now I've got to get back to the station and attend to other matters. Lilly, would you mind walking with me?" Admiral Donnelson asked. "Yes, sir." "James, if you would lead the way...," he said aloud, privately he added, "Have Moira come, too." "Certainly, sir, this way please," James replied. "Tanya, hold everyone here until I get back...won't be long." "Okay."

Admiral Donnelson, James, Lilly, and Moira's avatar walked to the airlock together in silence. Lilly walked arm-in-arm with her uncle on his right, James walked slightly behind and to the left of the admiral, with Moira bringing up the rear. When they got to the airlock, Admiral Donnelson gave his niece a long hug, and said, "Lilly, you do your best out there, just like you're been trained. Do what James tells you, when he tells you--he's got experience flying in and out of dangerous situations. Above all else, dear, know that your family loves you and we want you to come back." "I will, Uncle Kenny. I love you, too." The admiral shook James' hand and said, "I'm counting on you to see this through...and try not to scratch the paint on this gal before it has a chance to dry, okay?" "I'm sure Moira won't let me hear the end of it if I did, sir," James said with a chuckle. Somberly he added, "You can count on me, sir--on all of us. We'll get to the bottom of this, kick tail if we have to, and scream like a horde of banshees chasin' them over the hills of Perdition." "That's my boy," Admiral Donnelson said with a feral grin. "Moira, my dear, be true to your name, your captain, and your crew. Bring them back home again," he said, taking Moira's hand and executing the ancient custom of a hand kiss--G.E.L.F. style. "I shall endeavor to do so, Admiral." The admiral smiled, and after the formal procedure for departing a ship not your own, he stepped through the airlock doors, and disappeared into the yard complex.

Back in the crew's mess, James gathered everyone around. "Well, gang, looks like the first mission right out of the gate is going to be...interesting. Some of us have already been through some tough situations," he said, looking at Tanya, Zach, Shauna, and Mindy in particular, "so we stand a pretty good chance. We slip in, see what we can find out, and then bring in the big guns to so some saber rattling." "And if we have to blast our way out?" CWO-2 Redhill asked. "Then, Sonya, you and McElroy will get to earn your pay. Cara, you'll have to make sure we can get close enough to confuse and scare the crap out of them. Shauna, you'll have to put a hoof in it if you have to so Moira can haul tail. Zach, Tanya, and I are going to have our hands full dodging whatever comes our way. Mindy, I hope we won't need your services, but...be ready for anything. Sylvia, besides keeping us in contact with the others, you and Lilly will gather as much intel as you can on these jokers." "What about me, sir?" YM2 Canberra piped up. "Felix, you're going to be running your tail off helping out wherever needed. You might be helping Miss Eriksson in engineering one minute, helping Chief Sorrel the next, performing damage control or passing around coffee and sandwiches. If you behave yourself, maybe Miss Redhill will let you drop an egg or two just to make things more interesting for anyone on our tail." Felix grinned at that thought. "Okay, let's turn to...we've got a lot to do and not much time to do it," James ordered.

They worked at a furious pace to get ready for engine core insertion. When it was time, everyone except for the specially trained yard workers cleared the ship. To install the core, the bay in which the ship was being built was extended outward, as if it was a telescoping cage. This was done to give maximum clearance on all sides. The engineering section was sealed off and the atmosphere evacuated prior to removal of the massive core access hatch on the ventral side of the stern, between and slightly forward of the two lower field emitter pods. Once unsealed and removed, the specially designed Core Transport/Insertion/Extraction, or C-TIE, ship latched onto both Nightwing and the support framework around her, and then the C-TIE crew and yard workers began the process of core insertion. Before departing his ship, James had Moira download a copy of herself into a special memory storage unit designed specifically to safeguard ship A.I.'s in case of catastrophe. Due to the fearsome energies they contain, ship engine cores are manufactured at a special facility located between the orbits of Terra and Mars, well away from anything, and then brought in on specially shielded C-TIE ships. Late Sunday evening, the core insertion was complete, and the gantry surrounding Nightwing retracted back within the yard complex. The crew worked with the yard personnel to complete power couplings, run diagnostics, tune plasma coils, and a host of other things related to bringing their ship up to full operational status. Moira herself was a big help--physically, using her avatar, and mentally by conducting numerous diagnostic checks, and locating things that needed work. The three SRBs--Ship's Repair Bots--who are somewhere between being a part of the ship and part of the crew, proved to be indispensable. SRB-0266 is the "senior" of the three bots, with SRB's 5836 and 5917 being fairly new and this was their first ship. "Old 266" was reassigned to Nightwing after "his" former ship was decommissioned and scrapped due to extensive damage. The SRBs are autonomous, with personality matrices of their own, and able to communicate via text messages and an assortment of sounds that Moira's avatar seemed to understand. The bots responded to verbal input from the crew, and also via electronic commands from Moira.

There was a hilarious incident with SRB-5917 in engineering. Shauna was on her knees and waist deep into an access panel when she instructed 5917 to get a particular tool. The bot scurried off to fetch it, and came back a few minutes later. 5917 tried to get Shauna's attention, but she was absorbed in her work. Not knowing what else to do, 5917 gently poked Shauna's backside--the poor little bot got kicked for its trouble. "Don't poke my ass unless you got a big schlong!!!" Shauna bellowed. Righting itself--and checking to make sure everything was still functional--5917 cautiously left the tool by Shauna, and then ran off to find out what a "schlong" was and where to get one. With help from Moira, 5917 analyzed some images, went to the ship's fabrication system to manufacture a reasonable facsimile, attached it to "his" tool arm, and then scurried off to find Shauna. A short while later there was a scream, followed by "GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!!!" The sight of Shauna running across engineering with a monster-sized dildo-wielding SRB hot on her tail was too much. Lilly collapsed on the deck in laughter, Cara jumped on a ladder as they went by, and Tanya howled, "Bot's got a hard-on for Shauna!" "James! Get this demented little perv away from me!" Shauna yelled when she saw him. James couldn't help himself, and busted out laughing at the sight of Shauna being chased by the SRB. Sonya entered into the fray by chasing 5917--jumping over things like a mountain lioness chasing a rabbit. Just when 5917 got Shauna cornered, Sonya leapt upon the bot with a loud "R-R-R-A-A-A-R-R-R!", and tackled it. "Give it up, bot boy!" *Brrraaap! Whistle!* "I'll strap your carcass to a torpedo and use you for asteroid practice--now give me that dong!" *Long, low whistle* 5917 relented and released the "tool" from its arm. "*Pant* Thanks, Sonya...," Shauna said, trying to catch her breath. Pushing the huge dildo vertically against Shauna's abdomen, Sonya suggested, "Hey, if you wanna have some fun with this later, let me know...ma'am," Sonya purred deeply, licking her lips before walking away, swishing her hips. "You're one sick kitty," Shauna thought to herself, watching Sonya walk away. Looking down at 5917, Shauna asked sharply, "What are you looking at? Don't you ever do that again, you little mechanical perv! Go help somebody else before I...," she ranted, shaking the huge dildo at the bot. A chorus of laughs and snickers interrupted Shauna--realizing how things appeared, she instantly became embarrassed. "Ooo...I'm taking a break!" she exclaimed, and started towards the door, still with the dildo in hand. "You need some help with that?" somebody called out. A flicker of confusion played across Shauna's face, and then she realized what was still in her hand. "AAAAH! Here, you take it!" Shauna exclaimed, tossing it to the nearest person--Sylvia Stewert. Shauna stormed off, heading forward. "Um...geez...I...it's half as big as me!" Sylvia said quietly, her ears blushing.

James quietly slipped out of the engine room to find Shauna and try to calm her down. He looked first in the crew's mess, but eventually he found her in her stateroom. Technically, she shared the stateroom with Tanya, but since Tanya was more likely to sleep in James' cabin, Shauna often had the space to herself. "Shauna, it's James...may I come in?" he asked quietly, knocking lightly on her door. "Enter." James stepped inside when the door opened, finding Shauna sitting on her specially sized rack. Shutting the door behind him, James didn't say anything until he sat down next to Shauna, putting his arm around her. "Interesting 'floor show' down there, my friend," James said quietly with a grin. "Yeah, I can imagine what everyone's saying," Shauna quipped. "You gotta admit, it was kinda funny." "You wouldn't think that if it was your backside that little pervbot was after!" "Yeah, well, maybe not...but you probably would think it was hilarious," James agreed. "Maybe." "Are you okay?" "My butt's sore from that little shit ramming me with that thing." "Want the chief to check you out?" "Nah, I think it's okay, just needs a little TLC...from a friend..." "Shauna..." "I know, James, you're four ranks above me know, and my CO--besides, you've got Tanya and your cousin Lilly. I know how you feel about her, you told me about it, remember? Tanya said you three might get married after you retire, that'll be food for ya--a couple of good mates to settle down with, little ones scampering around...good times. Why is it that all the good ones are taken? All most guys wanna do is fancy themselves as studly types, and think they can just play cowboy with any filly that catches their eye. Well, this ol' mare wants a decent guy who'll sit and listen to her rant, and still like her for who she is. That's what I lo...like...about you, James, you listen, and you're a good friend, and...and...I..." "Shauna..." "...I...um...yeah?" "I think you and I..." "Yeah?" "...Need to go check the field emitter pods, from the outside, and inside." "I'll prep an inspection pod..."

A while later... "James...I know I'm a large gal for a human guy, but...well, dang it, ever since we celebrated that one night, I've been wishing that you and I could, you know, be together. When we ran into each other on that beach in the Crimea...damn, I wanted you so bad! Don't worry; I'm not jealous of Lilly and Tanya--envious, maybe, a little, but only because they get to be with you. I just get a memory of one very special night with a guy I can't get to wake up next to every morning. I'm not complaining about that night...gods that was good! I've never been with a human guy before--well, a near human guy at least, no offense." "None taken." "Anyway...I...I fell for you, James! Frak, I shouldn't have, but I did, and...it feels so good being with you. I'm going down in flames, aren't I?" "I've never been with a mare G.E.L.F. before, until I met you. Oh, I've seen several that I thought were rather attractive, but I didn't think they'd be interested in average human guys. Well, at least not more than once, anyway. You kind of surprised me," James said, running his fingers through Shauna's mane. "But I'm still going down in flames, aren't I?" Shauna asked again quietly. "Um...only if you crash this thing into that emitter pod..." "Huh? Oh...CRAP!!!" Shauna shouted in surprise, firing reverse thrusters just in time to avoid a collision. /* "James, is everything okay out there? Your approach to F.E.P.-One seemed a bit fast." */ "Sorry 'bout that, Moira...I got to talking and didn't see how fast I was going, until Ja...I mean the skipper...pointed it out. I'll...be more careful," Shauna replied over the comm circuit. /* "Please do, Shauna. Having my engineer and captain splattered on my hull would be...distressing. Moira out." */ "Um, maybe you oughtta fly this thing, James--I'll just try to make myself small in the back and stay out of the way." James understood the double meaning of Shauna's words. "Sit tight, Shauna...," he said, reaching his arms around her and, while playfully nibbling on her neck, James expertly touched the controls, maneuvering them next to the field emitter coils, and placing the inspection pod's thrusters on station keeping. Turning on the exterior lights, James nibbled again on Shauna's neck. "All this excitement...*nibble*...has worked up an appetite...*nibble*...I could eat a horse...*nibble*" "Mmm...you could, eh?" "Definitely." Shauna worked her way out of the small--for her--pilot's seat and sat down on the floor of the pod's cabin. James eased himself down beside her, facing in the opposite direction. Gently pulling her face towards his, James kissed Shauna, her large, thick, powerful tongue slipping along his longer one. "James," Shauna nearly whispered, "I...I wouldn't mind...being number three...in your herd. A little...attention...once in a while...and I'd be happy. Just a little TLC now and then..." "Shauna..." "Yeah?" "You really go it bad, don't you?" "Yeah." "Let's see how things go, okay?" "Okay. Still got that appetite?" "Hungry like a wolf...," James replied, looking directly into Shauna's eyes, his amber eyes softly glowing in the dim light. Shauna unzipped her uniform all the way down, and reached behind her to unfasten the closure around her tail. "Think maybe I should move us around to the other side for a while. If we sit here too long, people might start to wonder," James suggested. "Um, good idea," Shauna agreed. James got up and worked the controls, moving the inspection pod around to the other side of the emitter pod. By the time James finished the move, Shauna was pulling her other hoof out of t he leg of her uniform. James took a moment to admire her long, powerful legs, running his fingers through the long hair--or feathering--around her ankles that hung down over her hooves. "I always thought these looked sexy," James commented softly. Shauna blinked--nobody ever said that to her before. "You do?" "Yeah, mmm...," he replied, nuzzling her leg from just above her hoof and slowly working his way up. "Such...*kiss*...lovely...*kiss*...legs...*kiss, kiss, kiss*" "Gods, James...eat me already!" Shauna breathed heavily, working to get her black, high-cut skivvies off. James licked around the outside of Shauna's vaginal opening, before plunging his wolfish tongue into her as far as he could. She was quite wet, and tasted every bit as good as he remembered. Trying to keep a mind on the time, James found Shauna's clit and worked it...apparently it had been a while since she last got off, because it didn't take long before she arched her back and spasms rocked her body. "Aaaaaah!" she cried out, thrusting her crotch into James' face as she climaxed, sending a flood of juice into his mouth. Shauna lay there for a minute or so, still twitching, gasping for breath. "I'm going to move us to one of the other emitter pods...be right back," James said, wiping his face with a towel. When that was accomplished, he turned around to find Shauna on her hands and knees. "Take me, James--I don't care where, I just want you inside me when that thing goes off!" He worked his uniform down to around his legs, kissing each of Shauna's butt cheeks. The sight of her gloriously bare backside gave James a raging hard-on, especially since her butt was bare just for his taking. His knot--although not as pronounced as would be on some of his male relatives--was beginning to swell. Still, he had trouble sliding into Shauna's vaginal opening, even though she hadn't been with a male of her species for years. She would have been tight for a stallion, not so for James. Once he was well lubed with her juices, James slowly entered Shauna's tail hole. "Ooo...that's it...bone me...all the way in. Yeah, pump it, James! I wanna feel that knot of yours workin' in and out!" He held back for as long as he could while she fingered herself. When he couldn't any more, he let Shauna know. "It's...coming..." "Do it!" Shortly after he shot his load inside her, Shauna orgasmed again--the sensation of her internal muscles gripping him was wonderful. Still in her, James lay on Shauna's back, massaging her ample breasts for a minute, waiting for his legs to quit feeling so shaky. "James?" "Yeah?" "You're the only guy I've ever let do that." "Serious?" "Yeah. Wanna know something else?" "What?" "You're the first guy I let touch me since high school." "You mean...?" "Yeah." "Gods, Shauna, if I'd known that the first time, I would've..." "You would have done something fancy, I know. I'm just a glorified engine mechanic, James, simple's fine with me. Um, I think it's about to pop out...go move us, and I'll get us cleaned up." James moved the pod around to the number three emitter pod, and Shauna cleaned both of them using the personal cleaning materials she brought along. "You don't have to clean me, Shauna, I can..." "I want to do it, besides, I wanted you to take me, and--actually--I was hoping you might wanna bone my backside. It felt pretty damn good. Of course, that tongue of yours...ooo! Just keep that demented little pervbot away from me, or I'll let Sonya use it for target practice!" "I'll round them up and have a little chat with the guys. Just what started it, anyway?" James asked while Shauna cleaned both of them. Shauna explained the situation as she remembered it to him, causing James to chuckle and slowly shake his head. "Computers have been around for centuries, and they still take things too literally." "I can assure you, the only one I'll let touch my ass is you...or a medic, but only in a medical emergency!" Shauna insisted. "Eriksson's General Order Number One...," James said, and they both laughed. "James, you're crazy." "Ah, but you love it." "You're right, I do...," she said, but then to herself she thought, "...love you."

The rest of the systems checks went well, so it was decided to bring the ship up to full internal power, one system at a time. One by one, t hey went down the checklist, until everything showed green on the main board in Engineering. The ship was ready and waiting to be launched a half a day early. "James, tell your crew 'well done', and give them the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, at 0900, you launch with full ceremony, so dress uniforms for everyone. I'll see you at 0800," Admiral Donnelson's message read. James called everyone to the crew's mess and gave them the news. "As of right now, we're on liberty until 2200. I want everyone well rested for the launching ceremony tomorrow at 0900. Once we clear the gantry, I'll take us around the yard once, and then we'll head for the station, where they'll have a reception for us. The next day we'll onload supplies, and on Friday, we're heading for Proxima. Now, if nobody's got anything else, I'm going to grab a nap--Moira, wake me up at 1600." /* "As you wish, James." */ "Sir, just a quick one--what are we doing for supper tonight?" Sylvia asked. Looking at the faces of his assembled crew, James suggested, "We could either go over to the station, or eat here. All of the yard workers are off the ship, so it's just us tonight." "It'd be nice if we could go to Tycho City on Luna--there's a nice restaurant there I know of," Chief Sorrel suggested. "We could go in our civvies." "What's the name of the place, Mindy?" Miss Stewert asked. "The Solaris Gardens." "Ooo, that's a fancy place...I've been there once. It's kinda expensive, but it's worth it. I'm in if we could go," Lilly said, not giving the reason why she'd been there the one time. "So have I, it's nice. That would be a nice break from things--the food's great, it's comfortable, and romantic," Sylvia added. "Easy there, Syl, you'll have the men falling over themselves," Sonya chuckled, "And some of the women, too," she thought to herself. "What do you think, Jamie?" Lilly sent to him privately. "If we could take the shuttle, we could be there and back in plenty of time." "Okay, I think that's a good idea--no uniforms. Once we get there, we'll act like civilians, unless we don't have any choice. Moira, do you want to come with us? You're welcome to," James asked. /* "It would be an interesting experience. However, I do not have appropriate attire." */ "I could take you shopping for some civilian clothes, if you wouldn't mind, Moira. You could change clothes on the shuttle," Petty Officer Bronski offered. /* "That would be most kind of you, Cara. James, if you would allow, I will charge the clothing and dining to my ship's account." */ "Fine by me, Moira," James agreed. "Okay, I'm off to get a little rest. Everyone be ready to depart by 1700. Dismissed." James left the crew's mess to head off to his cabin. Everyone except two started talking about going to Tycho City--Lilly watched James leave, with plans of slipping off to join him in a few minutes, but she also saw Miss Eriksson look longingly at James as he left. Lilly know most of what transpired between her cousin and the engineer the night they went out to celebrate her transfer. James had also told Lilly--and Tanya, too--about the incident while James was in the Crimea on Terra, being literally knocked over by Miss Eriksson. Lilly was beginning to wonder if the ship's engineer might have something for James. While it wasn't unheard of, from what Lilly understood it was rare for a mare G.E.L.F. to get involved with a human--or any other non-equine G.E.L.F. male for that matter. Lilly rather liked Miss Eriksson because she didn't mind working shoulder-to-shoulder with enlisted, and had a tendency to speak her mind--something that had gotten her into trouble a few times elsewhere. Lilly knew that Tanya got along pretty well with Miss Eriksson, too. "I don't mind sharing James with Tanya--heck, I don't think Tanya minds sharing me with James. We've had some great one-on-ones and three-ways over the years. I've never been with anyone other than James and Tanya. I'll have to ask her if she's noticed how Miss Eriksson acts around Jamie," Lilly thought to herself.

James peeled out of his clothes and took a shower once he got to his cabin. While he was scrubbing himself down, he thought about the situation with his engineer. "Geez, what to do about Shauna? She's a nice gal, and damn nice looking, though I never thought she'd end up falling in love with me. I like her well enough, and she can be a lot of fun to be with. Shauna's not too bad in the sack, though she's so large I kinda feel inadequate for her. She doesn't seem to mind, I guess, and that's surprising. So I'm the first non-G.E.L.F. guy she's been with, and the only other guy she's ever been with since high school. I guess that makes him a G.E.L.F. of some sort. Hmm, I would have thought she would probably have had at least a few boyfriends or something since then...I wonder why not. Geez, I hope something bad didn't happen to her--I can't imagine too many who would be strong enough to force her to do anything she didn't want to do. I saw her punt that asshole Zadori across the pub like he was a football, and they're not exactly light. Oh, yeah...she did make that comment about 'studly' type guys...could that have something to do with what she was talking about? I'm in pretty good shape, but she's a good seventy centimeters or more taller than I am and a whole lot stronger--hardly makes me a studly type for a Clydesdale mare G.E.L.F., which just makes it all the more curious as to why she wants to be with me. Unless...oh, no, I hope it's not because of that particular trait the human males in my family have! Zach's got it, too...we're both 'G.E.L.F. magnets'. Damn I should have taken that into consideration when I was picking the crew! Seven G.E.L.F. females onboard...oh, this is going to be interesting!"

At 1705, Shuttle-1, the slender, stealthy personnel shuttle slipped out of Nightwing's hanger bay, and headed towards Tycho City on Luna's surface. Tanya sat beside James in the co-pilot's seat, looking good in a low-cut cream-colored blouse, brown slacks, and a tan jacket. "What, no skirt?" James sent privately to Tanya with a sly grin on his face. "It'll keep your hands on the controls," she sent back with a little kissing gesture. "Spoilsport!" Lilly, on the other hand did wear a skirt--a wine-colored one that went to just above her knees. She had on a complimentary light-colored wraparound top that tied in the back, under a hand-made Russian wool shawl. James wore khaki pants, low-top brown boots, a white shirt with a stand up collar and hidden buttons--the top button was exposed and was shaped like a pearl. He brought along a tweed sports coat, though didn't wear it while flying the shuttle. Shauna chose to war an interesting outfit--a long, one-piece sleeveless, forest green dress with a mock turtleneck, and long slits up both sides to show off her legs. Her long, thick chestnut-colored mane was braided and sporting green ribbons worked into the braid. Zach went with a "business casual" look with a maroon polo shirt, khaki pants, and brown sports coat. Sylvia wowed everyone when they saw her walk onto the hanger deck. The black dress she wore had a deep plunging neckline, a long sleeve on the right, and her left arm was bare save for the gold cuff bracelet on her wrist. The bottom hem was high on the left, exposing her leg, and slanted downwards to the right. The edges of the dress were embroidered with a gold-colored Greek motif, and her left ankle was adorned with a gold ankle bracelet. Finishing off the look, Sylvia had a gold "slave bracelet" on her right hand, a gold belt around her waist, and a black shoulder wrap. "Geezers! Syl's gonna make me cream my panties!" Sonya thought to herself. Sonya's outfit was not as fancy as Sylvia's--tan coat and miniskirt, with a black button-up blouse, and that was about as dressed up as she got when in her civvies. Usually, Sonya would typically wear something comfy, depending on the weather if planet-side. Mindy, Felix, Ivor, and Cara also dressed rather casually, though nicely. Moira only had her uniform--one of several identical. Cara had offered to help Moira shop for civilian clothing, and Moira needed everything.

It was a short trip to Tycho City from the ship. James landed at the military annex, and the ladies all received appreciative looks, especially Sylvia and Shauna. They took a transport tube into the city proper and found a shopping mall--Cara took Moira into a few stores while the rest walked around seeing the sights. Moira ended up with several bags of clothing and accessories, plus a weekend-sized suitcase. At least she did not have to take time determining what her sizes were, since Moira knew to the exact measurements of her android avatar, down to the thousandths of a millimeter. Cara and Moira hurried back to the shuttle so that Moira could change into some of her new clothes. With the usual android efficiency, Moira's avatar promptly stripped bare--modesty was something she would have to work on. "With which item should I begin with, Cara?" Moira asked. Cara blushed and averted her eyes--but not before getting a full view of the android's naked body. At least she now knew that Moira's avatar was completely anatomically correct down to the smallest detail--complete with natural-looking pubic hair. "Is there something wrong, Cara? Your skin has reddened and your pulse has increased." "I-I'm sorry, Moira, it's just...I wasn't expecting you to..." "Oh, have I embarrassed you?" "Yes...um, a little. I didn't know that you looked so..." "Human?" "Yeah. You...you're also...um...very attractive." "You think so? James has, I believe, hinted that he would kiss me for one reason or another. I do not know if he meant it in the literal sense or figurative. I have not experienced that sensation yet." "Um, just how much can you feel...physically?" "My synthetic skin is much like your own, and I am able to feel much as you can, although I do not feel pain in the way you do." "May I...touch you?" Cara asked hesitantly. "You may," Moira replied. Cara lightly ran her fingertips across Moira's body, starting with her face and working downward. "It does feel like real skin, and...you're warm." "Of course my body does generate a certain amount of heat, though I have a circulatory system similar to yours which allows me to regulate my surface temperature. I can increase or decrease it as conditions may dictate. Normally the temperature is set to that of normal human body temperature." "Can you feel...pleasure?" "I have not yet been in a physical relationship, though my designers have incorporated the ability to both give and receive such." "Can you choose who you wish to be with?" "Of course. While my avatar is useful in assisting my crew in a variety of tasks, it does not exist to be used solely as a pleasure device for others. I allow you, for example, to touch me since you have expressed simple curiosity, and this is something of a learning experience for the both of us. Would I be correct in saying that you would not want just anyone to touch you in a way you feel as inappropriate?" "Um, yeah, I wouldn't, not just anybody, and only when I wanted them to. I, um...I'd let you...touch me." Moira studied Cara's face for an instant, and then gently laid her right hand on Cara's left cheek. Cara closed her eyes and leaned her head into Moira's hand. Moira was not sure what this gesture signified on Cara's part, so she made a note to research it at a more appropriate time. "Cara? The others are waiting for us. Shall we proceed with my attire?" "Oh, um...yeah. Er, which bag did we put those stockings in?"

When Cara and Moira returned from the shuttle, the crew of Nightwing was pleasantly surprised with Moira's appearance. Unless she did something out of the ordinary, or go through a security scanner, to the casual observer Moira would easily pass as a human. Cara had selected clothing for Moira's avatar in earth tone colors to compliment her dark auburn hair and green eyes. James and Zach both found the mocha brown silk stockings and gold ankle bracelet a nice--and sexy--touch. "Damn she looks good!" James sent privately to Zach. "She certainly does. I wouldn't mind waking up next to her in the morning. You know, in a way, it's rather disturbing how far they've come with ship A.I.s and their avatars--they're making them almost too real. Technically, Moira is capable of operating without a crew..." "True. If we just had one man scout ships like in the past, at least the pilot would physically have somebody to talk to," James agreed. "Or to sleep with." "Heh, that, too." "James, is it true that--on the night of commissioning a new ship--the A.I.'s avatar sleeps with her captain?" Zach asked. "I've heard that about scout ships--don't know if it's true or not, though. I guess I'll find out after Fleet Registry officially turns Nightwing over to me," James sent back.

The crew of Nightwing had an enjoyable liberty in Tycho City. Mindy made sure that Felix stayed away from any beverage containing fermented catnip juice, and of course Sylvia turned heads everywhere they went. Shauna literally stood out in the crowd--horse G.E.L.F.s usually do since they're so tall. After dinner, they took in the sights, eventually ending up in a nice little nightclub. There was a live band that played an eclectic mix of music with a little something for everyone. During one of the edgier pieces, Sonya jumped up and took Cara out on the small dance floor, much to everyone's amazement--particularly Cara's--and began dancing wildly to the music. It was fast, and had a certain erotic quality to it. At one point, Sonya pulled Cara close so that her back was against Sonya's front, one hand on Cara's chest and the other down low on Cara's abdomen. They ground together a few times, and Sonya sent, "I want you--tonight." Cara looked back over her shoulder with a mixture of surprise and desire in her eyes. Nodding her head, Cara reached behind her and slipped her hand up under Sonya's miniskirt, fingering her. No one saw in the darkened room, flashing lights, and closely packed bodies on the dance floor, or else they didn't care. Sonya opened her mouth and placed it on the right side of Cara's neck as if to bite her. Cara felt Sonya's fangs against her skin--not digging in, but just enough pressure to imply a certain predator-prey relationship. "I've caught you, you are mine, and I'm going to eat you," the act said without words. Surprisingly to Sonya, as soon as Cara was able to turn around, she pulled Sonya tightly to her and mouthed her on the throat. The "prey" can become "predator", too, and Cara withdrew her finger from Sonya, licking it while staring intently into Sonya's eyes. "Touché, my little one," Sonya sent warmly, and began purring her deep, rumbling purr, which Cara felt more than she heard over the music.

"Geez, Jamie, ya think Miss Redhill's got the hots for Cara?" Lilly asked her cousin privately. "Hmm, seems like some sparks there going both ways," James observed. "Ooo, it looks like they're kissing each other on the neck!" "I think that's more like a bite, than a kiss, Lil." "Kinda like a love bite?" "I don't know, I've never been with a cat of any kind before." Lilly thought a moment and then asked, "How 'bout a horse?" James looked at Lilly and raised an eyebrow, "What made you ask that?" "I've seen the way Miss Eriksson's been looking at you. Does she have the hots for you?" James thought to himself, "Leave it to Lil to notice!" To Lilly he sent, "actually...she has expressed an interest. I don't understand why--mare G.E.L.F.s usually don't get involved with normal-sized guys like me." "Hmm, I guess not. Maybe she just likes you because you're a nice guy," Lilly suggested. "Shauna knows about you and Tanya, and that the three of us plan on getting married after we retire." "How'd she find out about that?" "Back on that night Shauna and I celebrated her transfer, I told her about us, and sometime during this week Tanya told her about our marriage plans." "Oh. And she still has the hots for ya?" "Yeah, it kinda surprised me, too. I didn't make any commitments, because I wanted to bring it up with you and Tanya to see what you two think about it." "Jamie?" "Yeah, Lil?" "Have you...ever been with her?" "Yeah, twice." "Did ya like it?" "It was different. Shauna's so big, though--she makes me feel inadequate. She tastes good, I'll give her that. You're just perfect size-wise for me, Lil, and I'm perfectly happy and content being your mate. Tanya's good, too, and we both love her dearly, and the three of us are happy together. Would we be happy with Shauna, and would she really be happy with the three of us?" Lilly thought on that a replied, "One way to find out..."

After they returned to the ship, Lilly waited for Shauna to go into her stateroom. Tanya was with James already in his cabin, probably in bed and having fun. Lilly waited a little while longer, before lightly knocking on the door instead of using t he announcer button. "Just a sec, let me get my robe on!" Shauna said loudly. In a few moments, just as the door started to open, she said, "You'd better not be that blasted little pervbot! I'll...oh, Petty Officer Donnelson. Um, is it something that could wait until morning? I was just about to..." "Jamie told me." "Oh," Shauna said quietly. Ducking her head out the door and looking both ways up and down the passageway, she said, "Come on in." Shauna sat down on the edge of her rack and looked at Lilly with her ears swiveled back in an expression of uncertainty. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" Lilly asked politely. "Of course. Um, you can call me 'Shauna' in here, Lilly." Lilly, giving her tail a nervous little twitch, said, "So, you wanna be with Jamie, too, huh? You know, if you wanna be with him, you'll be with me and Tanya, too. We all share ourselves with each other, so if you wanna Jamie with us, Tanya and I get to share you with him. Think you can handle that?" "You...you mean, you and Tanya...you'd want to have sex with me?" Shauna asked in surprise. "Sure. Tanya and I go down on each other just as much as we do with Jamie." Lilly stepped close to Shauna, running her fingers down the edge of her robe, stopping at the belt. "Jamie said you tasted pretty good...maybe I wanna find out for myself..." "I-I've never...been with anyone other than James...and one guy back in high school..." "You wanna be with Jamie?" "I...I do..." "How bad do you want him?" "I-I...I love him..." Lilly undid the belt that held Shauna's robe closed. "So do I...," Lilly whispered, sliding the robe off Shauna's shoulders. "Lilly...I..." Standing between Shauna's long legs, Lilly peeled out of her clothing. "You wanna be with my James, right?" *Swallows hard* "Yeah..." "Let me..." As Shauna stretched out on her back and spread her legs apart, she had never imagined ever having sex with another female--of any species, not even a highly seductive bat like Sylvia, who could charm anyone. "I must be nuts for doing this!" Lilly thought wildly to herself. "She could bust my tail but good, and neither Jamie or Uncle Kenny could do anything about it--I'd be court-martialed and...ooh, I don't wanna think about that! I've never been with anyone other than Jamie, and Tanya--if it wasn't for Tanya, I'd never have been interested in any woman! But dang it, I don't want some other gal to just show up and take Jamie away from me! It's share and share alike, or not at all!" Meanwhile, Shauna was doing some wild thinking of her own. "Ye gods, what am I getting into with James?! He told me about Lilly and Tanya, and I still want him! Lilly's his mate, and she's got every right to be all over me for coming onto him, and geez, her uncle's a freakin' admiral! Ooo...this is a mess...and...AAAAH! She's lickin' me! Oh, my gods, I hope she don't bite my clit off with those sharp teeth!" Shauna gasped and flinched as soon as she felt Lilly's tongue touch her, with every muscle in her body tensing up and remaining rigid, which Lilly noticed. "Hey, relax, already, okay? How are you going to enjoy this if you're as stiff as a bulkhead? C'mon, just imagine its Jamie doing this--I know all his little tricks, like this one..." Lilly demanded, and then did something that James learned to do on her a long time ago. Shauna squirmed, and then began to loosen up a little. "Oh, and then there's this little number...works pretty good on Tanya, too..." That got Shauna to arch her back. "Ooooh! Don't...stop..." Lilly smirked, knowing that Shauna was getting close. A few more minutes and... "A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H!!!" After a minute or so, Lilly moved up and lay alongside Shauna, caressing her face. "You know," Lilly began softly, "Jamie was right, you do taste pretty good." She cupped Shauna's chin in her hand and started kissing the large mare, who at first didn't do anything, but then gradually started to return Lilly's kisses. "Shauna...Tanya, James, and I...we all take care of each other. If you wanna be with Jamie--with us--we'll take care of you, too." Shauna closed her eyes and let Lilly snuggle against her. This was a whole new experience for her, one that she could hardly imagine.

Shauna didn't have much of a family life. Her mother left when Shauna was eight, her father proved to be unable--or unwilling--to take care of her, so she ended up with her grandmother.. Shauna's grandfather had died mysteriously, and within a month after the funeral, her grandmother remarried,. Shauna's new step-grandfather took an unhealthy interest in little Shauna, and he was very insensitive--to the point of being mean. Eventually, as Shauna grew older, she learned to fight back, and kicked her step-grandfather as hard as she could in his groin. Shortly thereafter, Shauna left grandmother's home during the night, staying with friends, until she was eventually taken in by a family who owned a small business that rebuilt ion drivers. Shauna discovered that she had a natural talent as a drive mechanic, and by the time she turned eighteen--with the help of her foster family--she was accepted into the military academy. The only person Shauna had dated in high school, a male horse G.E.L.F., had tried to take advantage of her. When she refused his advances, he became agitated and that reminded her too much of her step-grandfather. Years later, Shauna made it a point to meet the man who stood up for her after the incident with the Zadori officer. James had been just another face in the bar that night, sitting with a group of pilots minding their own business, when the alien officer started harassing her. The Zadori are notoriously irritating, especially when drunk, and love to pick fights. For whatever reason, that particular Zadori chose to harass Shauna--perhaps it was simply because she was the largest person in the bar. Things escalated, and to Shauna's credit, she held back--until he did something particularly rude, crude, and socially unacceptable in most cultures in a public establishment--he grabbed her ass, with all four hands and made mating gestures. Shauna jumped up off her barstool, spun around, and kicked the Zadori squarely in the thorax just as hard as she could. It sent the Zadori officer flying across the room and into the wall, cracking both the wall and the Zadori's chitin. They're tough, and their armor is very hard, but it was no match for the Clydesdale mare's powerful leg muscles and the collapsed titanium alloy horseshoe on the bottom of her hoof. Shauna would've pounded the Zadori into a grease spot if security forces hadn't intervened. Fortunately for Shauna, James and others from his table saw the whole thing, being that their table was only three meters away and nearly in the Zadori's ballistic path. Thankfully, Shauna's "by-the-book, ramrod-up-his-ass" commanding officer was swayed enough by James' testimony, that she got off with a letter of reprimand instead of a hefty fine and time in the brig.

"Lilly...except for my foster parents, James has been the only other person who has given a damn about me. He didn't have to come forward and testify on my behalf, and he didn't have to give me a position on his ship. I would have been bounced around until I resigned my commission out of frustration from getting stuck doing shit jobs. I-I guess that night he took me out to dinner to celebrate my transfer, that...that was the topper. I felt good being with him, he listened, and cared, and...I guess the stuff we were drinking later got us both feeling a little frisky, and...I...made the first move. I shouldn't have--he had already told me about you and Tanya, but I insisted on 'thanking' him, and...I worked it out and sucked him off. I didn't really know how, but I guess it must have been good enough. I begged him to lick me after seeing how long his tongue is, and...well, one thing led to another, and we screwed. Even though I'm way too big for him, I enjoyed it, and I ended up falling for him. I know it's all wrong, but...he just...makes me feel good, and it's like I can't help myself when I'm near him." Lilly listened quietly while Shauna confessed, continuing to caress her body. "Shauna, the human males on Jamie's side of the family...they all have some strange thing on females, particularly on G.E.L.F. females. They say it goes back to his great-great-great grandfather. It's the same for Zach, too--his great-great-great grandfather served with James' in the old wet navy along with several others who were all kinda special. Our family tree is kinda complicated--we have humans, wolves--G.E.L.F. and four-legged, skunks, cats, foxes, and some other species. Heck, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we're related some way or another with everyone else on this ship, even you and Miss Stewert. Come to think of it, some in our family were involved with developing the first A.I. systems used in starships," Lilly explained quietly. "Wait; did you say four-legged wolves?" Shauna asked incredulously. "Yeah, Jamie and I are both related to the wolf...," she said verbally, "...who gave everyone the ability to do this," she sent mentally. "You mean, you've got wolf in you?" Shauna asked. "Yep, that's why Uncle Kenny--Admiral Donnelson--went into the Special Warfare units. He's a nice guy, but you don't wanna tangle with him. He's a lot quicker and stronger than he looks--next time you see him, look at his eyes, but don't stare at him, he hates that." They lay together quietly for a few minutes, holding and touching each other, until Lilly spoke again. "Shauna...your turn." "For what?" "For you to eat me." "*Cough* I-I don't ...um, know how." Lilly grinned and said, "Yeah, I know...the first time Tanya and I did each other, it...heh...was um, well, it took getting' the nerve up to do it." "Did James make you?" "Oh, no, he's a real sweetheart--he's never asked either of us to do anything we didn't want to. Tanya and I...we've never had an interest in girls, but one night we all got pretty snonkered and, um, things got kinda wild. I started sucking him, but then Tanya wanted Jamie to fuck her. Well, he was having a little trouble keeping it in her, so whenever he popped out, I dived on him. After a few times of that, I guess it sunk in that his dick had her cunt juice all over it, and here I was licking it. I guess I thought it tasted kinda good, and it reminded me of his pacifier." "Pacifier? As in a baby's pacifier?" Shauna asked incredulously. "Heh, yeah. See, when Jamie and I were little kids, we...had the hots for one another as soon as we figured out that boys and girls are different. We noticed that way before most other kids do, I guess. Anyway, Jamie found an interesting use for his pacifier--he stuck it in my cunt. He thought it tasted better after it was in me, and I thought it felt pretty good. Then I figured he had his own built-in pacifier, so I used that instead of mine. I thought he tasted pretty good, too, so I...came up with another use for my pacifier," Lilly explained. "Which was...?" Shauna prompted. "Heh, I used it for a butt plug. That felt pretty good, too. Not long after that, we figured out that if Jamie's pacifier fit in my little cunt, then maybe he could, too. We've been fucking each other ever since." "Geez, how old were you then?" "Uh...I'm not sure exactly when we started French kissing, though we did get caught doing it, I remember that. Our parents freaked out when they saw us, so we learned early on to be careful. I think we started fucking and sucking each other as often as we could before we were five. We don't know why we got started so young, but we never had an interest in anyone else until we met Tanya. It was love--and lust--at first sight for the three of us. It's been just me, Jamie, and Tanya all along...well, until he met you. If I know my Jamie--and I know him better and in more ways than anyone, and I do mean anyone, else, he won't just have a little fun with someone and then move on to the next gal that comes along. Jamie must find something in you worth being with, whether he's aware of it or not. If Jamie loves you, then I will, too, and so will Tanya. If you love Jamie, can you love me and Tanya? We're a package deal--you want one, you get all three of us, and we all share everything. Well, except clothes, of course...mostly. Sometimes Tanya and I will wear one of Jamie's shirts, and sometimes we've snuck a pair of skivvies in with his stuff so he'll have our scents while we're away from each other. I think that's kinda typical for mates to do, though. So anyway...um, it's still your turn. C'mon, I won't spray ya, I promise," Lilly said with a mischievous grin. Slowly, Shauna got up on her hands and knees, and positioned herself between Lilly's legs. When she was almost touching, Shauna closed her eyes and took some deep breaths, catching Lilly's scent in the process, even though she was just trying to steel herself. "I-I can...do this...I think...maybe. Oh, gods I hope I don't...get...*urp!*...steady girl, blowin' chow right now would be pretty rude. I can just see trying to explain that to James...or worse, to her uncle!" Shauna thought nervously to herself. "Um, Shauna...you okay?" Lilly asked, getting a little concerned after seeing the look on her face. "I-I'm...trying...," Shauna muttered. "Whoa, easy now...," Lilly said gently, sitting up and lightly touching Shauna's face with her hands. "If we're goin' too fast for ya, um, we can do this later if you want. I'm not trying to gross you out or anything. I just wanted to see if you might be open to the idea...um, I guess I'll go. Jamie and Tanya are probably wondering where I'm at."

Lilly got up off of Shauna's extended rack, and picked up her clothes to put them back on. Quickly slipping her thong back on and fastening the tab above her tail, Lilly started to pull on her skirt when she felt a large hand rest lightly on her shoulder, causing her to close her eyes and stop. "Lilly..." "Yeah?" "I...appreciate you letting me know...what I'm getting into. Just...give me a little time to adjust, okay?" "Yeah, sure." "Lilly...um...that did feel good. Thank you." Lilly grinned and then continued getting dressed. "At least Jamie was right--you do taste good," Lilly repeated what she said earlier with a sly grin. Before Lilly got the door opened, everything suddenly turned green...and had a peculiar musky horse scent. Shauna had stood up and taken one step to get behind Lilly, and then she lowered something in front of Lilly's face--the pair of panties she had worn that night while they were in town. "Trade you...until next time?" With a big grin, Lilly took the offered piece of clothing, and hiking up her skirt, wiggled out of her thong--after rubbing it into her crotch first, leaving it a bit moist. "Until next time." Shauna knelt down on one knee and hugged Lilly, and then they kissed. "Goodnight, Lilly." "Goodnight...Shauna." After turning off the overhead light and crawling under her covers, Shauna lay there for several minutes thinking. Slowly, she picked up Lilly's thong and held it up to her nose. The scent was fresh, the crotch panel still damp. Very slowly...hesitantly...Shauna tasted it.

Sylvia walked into the crew's mess still wearing her fancy outfit, to get something to drink. She saw Petty Officer McElroy sitting alone at a table, looking a bit depressed as he idly looked into his coffee cup. Sylvia noticed that he seemed to perk up a moment when he noticed her--it's difficult to not notice Sylvia, no matter what she's wearing--but then he lowered his ears and heaved a sigh before taking a sip from his cup. Sylvia fixed herself a cup of orange spice tea, her favorite, and took a sip. 'Are you going to hit your rack soon, Ivor? The captain wants us well rested for tomorrow's festivities." "Aye, mum, I s'pose so," Ivor replied quietly. Curious, Sylvia made her way over to Ivor's table and asked, "Why the long face, Ivor? Is something wrong?" "Eh? Oh, 'tis nothin' mum...just a quiet night." Sylvia was perplexed by Ivor's words as much as she was by his attitude. "But we all went out and had a good time tonight. You did have a good time tonight, didn't you?" "Aye, mum, as you say. A quiet night alone with me shipmates." "Now maybe I'm getting somewhere," Sylvia thought to herself. "Would you like to call home? I can put you through to someone," she offered. "Ach, thank ye, mum, but it's not necessary." "Surely there's someone you could talk to--your parents, a sibling, a girlfriend...," Sylvia suggested, but then she noticed the way he looked away. "There's no one, mum." "No one?" Sylvia asked softly. Ivor fished out his I.D. case and removed an old 2D photo--it was of a burned out cottage in the misty Highlands of Scotland. Sylvia lightly ran a finger over the sad old photo. "Aye, mum, not a soul." They sat quietly together, sipping their drinks. "Do you wish to be alone?" Sylvia asked softly. Ivor looked up from his now empty cup and said, "No, mum." Sylvia stood up, which prompted Ivor to stand out of politeness, and then she held her hand out to him. "If you promise to behave yourself, you don't have to be alone tonight..." Ivor could hardly believe his ears. Hesitantly, he took her hand and said, "Aye, mum." Sylvia smiled sweetly. Like most bats, particularly the females, Sylvia could charm nearly anyone if she wanted to, but tonight she sought only to reach out and comfort--another thing she was exceptionally good at. Sylvia thought kindly of Ivor, he is always polite and respectful, and most times he had a certain playful mischievousness, which coupled with his Old World charm, made Ivor an enjoyable person to be around. Sylvia rather enjoyed Ivor's company, though she seldom had much of a chance to just sit and talk with him while they had been preparing the ship for its launching. Although she felt an unusually strong attraction to both James and Zach that she couldn't explain--and hoped to one day explore that--Sylvia felt Ivor needed a good cheering up, and she knew just what to do. Pausing at the door to the stateroom she shared with Sonya, Sylvia gently pressed a fingertip to Ivor's lips. "Let me see what Miss Redhill is up to first--wait here, I'll just be a moment," she instructed quietly. Sylvia actually could plainly hear Sonya through the closed door, thanks to her extremely sensitive ears, and Sonya wasn't alone. Thankfully, the doorway didn't offer a direct view of the two bunks inside, so Sylvia was able to slip in without Ivor seeing her bunkmate. "Sonya? Do you have your curtain closed?" Sylvia sent privately. "Nope, why? You've seen me before, kitten...want to join me?" Sonya asked playfully. "I'm sure that you have...your hands full at the moment. Go easy on Cara, okay?" "Ha! Tell her that! I never knew humans could be so good!" "All the same, take care with her--trust me on this." "Alright, kitten, you know humans better than most of us." "I'm going to close your curtain...I've got a little company of my own." "And who might that be, hmm? The captain? Mr. McCloud?" "Neither." "If you've got Canberra, send his tail over here after you've finished with him. He may be a house tom, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind a couple juicy rumps." "It's Ivor, if you must know, Sonya." "The fox, McElroy? Hmm, I figured you'd take McCloud over him." "My reasons are my own. My...Cara does have a rather nice figure, perhaps another time..." Cara raised her head when the curtain closed...she met Sylvia's gaze with a look that was part surprise and part shock. Sylvia smiled, holding a finger to her lips, and then made a kissing gesture--and seductively stuck her very long and agile tongue out in a manner that held the promise of exotic delight. "Ivor, you may come in now," Sylvia said after opening the door. "Miss Redhill is not alone, so I hope they do not disturb you tonight." "I've learned to sleep through a lot o' things, mum," Ivor said. Sylvia smiled again and led Ivor over to her side of the compartment. She closed off her bunk area with the privacy curtain, and opened her locker. Besides the uniforms, Ivor saw some colorful items hanging up--dresses, obviously--that fired his imagination. "See anything you like, Ivor? Perhaps some evening I may let you choose something for me to wear," she sent suggestively. "I'm sure anythin' would be fine, mum," he replied, swallowing hard. It was a mistake most people made with Sylvia, after meeting her, to think that she was a fragile creature, capable of only being coy, seductive, and sensual. Sylvia was made of tougher stuff than many would imagine--well trained in martial arts and a qualified marksman with the MK-VI A, Multi-phasic, compressed beam, pumped plasma assault rifle that was standard issue--to Special Warfare forces. Sylvia was quite capable of doing her fair share of damage in a fight and with finesse. She kept her special qualifications to herself, though James knew her background, of course. After removing her jewelry and placing it into the ornately carved wooden box in her locker, she sent to Ivor, "I trust you are not planning on sleeping in your good clothes. I thing it would be more comfortable to remove them." "Aye, mum." Sylvia helped him undress, down to his skivvies, before slipping out of her own dress and carefully putting it away. "Remember now, you promised to behave yourself tonight," she admonished gently. Ivor wasn't sure how he was going to resist the temptation of having sex with Miss Stewert, but he was going to try. "Aye, mum, I did..." "Come...let us not be alone this night," she sent, drawing back the covers. Sylvia slipped into her bunk and then patted the mattress beside her. Ivor nervously laid himself down on his back, and Sylvia pulled the covers over them both, snuggling next to Ivor as if it was the most natural thing in the universe. Ivor wanted so much to touch Sylvia, to caress her sensuous body, to hold her close... "Ivor?" "Eh? Mum?" "Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?" *Swallows hard* "Aye, mum...er, Miss Stewert?" With a quiet little giggle, she looked him in the eye and sent, "In my bed, you may call me 'Sylvia'...," the expression on her face so sweet and enchanting. Trying to keep his hand steady, Ivor gently cupped her chin. "Goodnight...Sylvia...," and hesitantly, hoping that this wasn't some sort of dream that he was about to wake up from, he closed his eyes and kissed her tenderly. Sylvia held his kiss, deepening it much to Ivor's surprise, her sensuously long tongue gently probing, meeting his and caressing it in ways Ivor had never imagined. Sylvia drew back a moment to lick her lips, and then leaned in close and whispered into his ear, "Good night, Ivor." They spent the rest of the ship's night spooned together with Sylvia holding Ivor's hand to her chest.