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Part 5

"Jamie, c'mon, time to get your tail up!" Lilly sent, giving her cousin a special "wake up call"--she took him into her mouth and began sucking and licking, knowing exactly how to get him aroused quickly. Lilly wanted to taste his hot load, figuring it would be a good appetizer before breakfast, especially if she could also get Tanya up in a similar fashion. James began to stir shortly after he got hard. Lilly felt James run his fingers into her fur-hair, gently holding the back of her head.

"Mmm...do it, Lil...oh, yeah, that's it. Do you want it?"

"You know it, Jamie...I'm gonna suck you dry!"

"Ooo...I've got a load for ya, Lil...Gods, you feel soooo gooood!"

Lilly worked her "magic" on her cousin, and before long...

"It-it's comin' Lil. Oh, my sweet Lil...it's ...it's..."

"Do it, Jamie! Do it!"

Lilly worked him at just the right pace, and then...

"Aaaaah!"

Lilly felt James' muscles tighten just prior to release--when he thrust his hips up ever so slightly, he shot his load into her mouth, and she savored its taste before swallowing it. She milked him for all he was worth, until James signaled for her to stop.

"Geez, Lil, I swear you just keep getting better at it!"

"Yeah, well, like they say, 'practice makes perfect', and for as long as I've been suckin' you off, I oughtta be an expert!"

"Oh, you are, Lil...nobody does that better than you."

"Think so?"

"Yep."

"Maybe we oughtta have a contest, and see who's best..."

"Lil!"

"I'm just yankin' your chain, Jamie...geez, how many gals do ya think I'm gonna want to share ya with for the rest of my life? Tanya I don't mind at all and Shauna...he, jury's still out on her. Sylvia...hmm, maybe. Sonya...nuh, uh, not sharin' with that kitty. Cara...don't see that happenin'. Mindy...now she's kinda nice. Let's see, who am I leaving out...oh, yeah, Moira. Hmm, now that would be interesting. I wonder what she tastes like."

"Um...plastic?" James offered.

"C'mon, she's got that synthi-skin that's supposed to be like the real thing. Hey, you think she gets wet on her own, or would she need lube?"

"I don't know...want me to find out?" James teased.

"Would you actually make out with Moira?"

"To be honest with you, she's made it pretty clear that she wants me--but only after she gets commissioned and officially turned over to me. Seriously, ask Tanya--she heard Moira. Oh, Moira also asked if she could go out on a date...with you, me, and Tan."

"You're yankin' my tail!"

"No, I'm not, Lil, Moira wants to be mine. I made it clear to her that if she wants to be with me, she's going to be with you and Tan, and we all share."

"What did she say about that?"

"Well, she said that she hadn't considered that, and she didn't want to cause any problems. I'm sure Moira has probably thought about it by now. Maybe when we get to Proxima, the four of us could go out together and see what happens."

Lilly snuggled up with James for a few minutes, and then asked, "Why does Moira want to be with you?"

"I don't know. She said that she doesn't understand her desire to be with me, and can't find anything in her programming that might cause it, but she can't deny it."

"Weird. Sounds almost like she's in love with you, but...that isn't supposed to be possible, right?"

"Yeah, and no, it's not, but it sure seems like it. She did ask me if I believed it was possible for a ship's A.I. to love."

"James?"

"Yeah, Lil?"

"Um, it's time to get up. Damn and I wanted to wake Tanya up like I did you, too. Oh well, maybe tomorrow."

Right at 0430, Moira turned on the overhead lights throughout her interior, and woke up her crew. By 0500, everyone was in the crew's mess having a quick breakfast.

"Ooo, it's too early!" Cara groaned as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I'd rather still be in bed...," Sonya grumbled aloud, and privately to Cara she sent, "...with you, lover."

"Mmm, me, too! I like waking up next to you. Hey, do you think we'll be able to be together while we're underway?"

"Gods, I hope so, kitten! Ungh, I'd better stop thinking about it before I soak another pair of skivvies!" Sonya replied.

"You do tend to get pretty juicy...but I like it." Cara sent back playfully.

"I wish I had that sweet face of yours between my legs right now," Sonya sent while holding Cara's hand briefly when she took the spoon from her to stir her own coffee. Cara looked around quickly, and then looked up to Sonya, lifting her cup to her mouth, Cara half closed her eyes and slowly licked her lips.

"Ooo, you're a tease this morning!" Sonya sent, squirming a little.

"I missed you last night," Sylvia sent to Ivor when she sat down next to him at the table.

Ivor slipped a hand under the table and held hers while he ate.

"Aye, Sylvia, I wished we could ha' been together, too."

"You are such a gentle lover...I appreciate that more than you know," Sylvia sent while giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

If Ivor could have blushed, he would have at Sylvia's compliment.

"Sylvia?"

"Yes, dear one?"

"Forgive me for bein' bold, but...I...I wish I could be with you someday...if you might consider havin' me."

"Ivor, you would be my mate?" Sylvia asked--his sincerity astonished her.

"Aye, someday, if you could find it in yourself to consider a simple lad such as meself."

There had been other males who had propositioned her before, including a few very well to do businessmen, but Sylvia had turned them all down. She didn't want to be an ornament hanging from the arm of someone who was more concerned with image and prestige, but Ivor...she could have a loving mate who cared for her and not about what others thought.

"Oh, my sweet Ivor...let's see how things go, and I promise to consider this with all due care."

"'Tis fair enough, mum. I will wait for you."

Sylvia was stunned--such sincerity! How could she not consider being the mate to such a kind, sweet, considerate, and loving guy as Ivor? When they finished their meal, Sylvia didn't care what anyone else thought--she kissed Ivor on his neck and licked his ear with her long, sinuous tongue.

/* "Bridge, Engineering--all engines and thrusters online and standing by." */

"Very well. Transfer power from shore to main bus; disconnect, and stow umbilicals."

/* "Aye, aye, sir. Transferring to ship's power..." */

The lights briefly flickered, indicating the switchover to internal power.

/* "Transfer to ship's power complete, captain, the board is green." */

"Thank you, Miss Eriksson. Retract boarding tube, cast off all mooring lines," James said.

/* "Nightwing, you are cleared to depart space dock. See you when you return." */

"Acknowledged, Flight Control. Nightwing out."

James closed the channel and looked to Tanya.

"Course to Proxima Station plotted and laid in...we're ready."

James nodded his head and punched the All Call button, "This is the captain. This is it, ladies and gentlemen; time to find out if all our hard work these past two weeks will pay off. Stay sharp. Captain out."

Eyes darting quickly over his console, James eased Nightwing away from her berth. When the ship was clear, he turned her towards the huge space doors, which were opening for them.

/* "Take me out into the black, James," */ Moira said over the speakers, almost seductively.

Smiling, James patted the top of the console and said, "Let's go, baby cakes, time to spread those lovely wings of your and fly."

Just as she had done when leaving the yard complex, Nightwing cut loose on all channels her chilling cry, unnerving all those who heard it, especially those who were watching from view ports and observation windows as the dagger-shaped hole of darkness slipped through the space doors, disappearing into the black.

"We're free and clear to navigate," Tanya announced after they cleared the immediate vicinity of the station.

"Navigational deflectors online," Zach added.

"Secondary drive engaged, ahead one third," James said, pushing the engine speed control to the appropriate position. Nightwing leapt forward as she headed out system towards Proxima Centauri.

"How do you feel, Moira?" James asked.

/* "Wonderful, James. I detect no instability in my systems." */

"Good. Let either me or Miss Eriksson know the instant something isn't quite right, okay?"

/* "Of course, James. Would you like for me to bring some coffee to the bridge?" */

"Sure, Moira, that would be great."

/* "I will have it there shortly." */

As they went about their duties, Tanya sent privately to James, "You called Moira 'baby cakes'?"

"Yeah...it's a guy thing, you know, like with a grav-car or something," James replied.

"James, this is a ship with an A.I that's got the hots for you, not a mindless grav-car!"

"I know that, Tan. By the way, Moira wants to go out on a date...with you, me, and Lil."

"Seriously?"

"Yep, I think she wants to get to know you and Lil better."

"Like, how much better?"

"I told her that if she wants me, she'll have to accept being with you and Lil, too."

"What did she say to that?"

"That's when she asked if she could go out on a date with us."

"James?"

"Yeah, Tan?"

"You know this is going to be weird."

"Yep."

"What's going to happen when you get transferred, make admiral, or retire? What will happen to Moira then?"

James looked over at Tanya, "I hadn't thought of that yet...I mean, I know what they'll do to her, but I just didn't want to think about it yet."

"What do they do with ship A.I.s?"

"For most ships, they deal with a change of command just like the rest of the crew. During an abandon ship scenario, the A.I. ejects with the crew in its own type of life pod, along with its avatar. If the ship can be salvaged and repaired, the A.I. will be reintegrated, but if the ship is beyond repair or has been destroyed, then if at all possible, it will be given a new ship. I've heard of some A.I.s becoming instructors, but some have been 'retired'."

"Retired? How do you retire someone that technically could live forever?"

"It's only in extreme cases, if their personality matrix becomes irreparably unstable."

"What happens then?" Tanya asked.

"They...get deleted."

"Deleted?! That...that would be like killing them!"

"Yep. I understand there's a funeral and everything, with other ships in attendance."

They sat in silence for a while, concentrating on flying the ship.

"I'm not sure what they might do in the case of the Spirit class ships," James sent to Tanya.

"Why's that?"

"Rumor has it that the A.I.s on these ships feels the same way about their captains, like Moira seems to with me. All of these ships are new and still with their first CO, and supposedly their avatars bedded their captains on the first night after commissioning."

"Geez, sounds almost like a wedding night."

"I've been wondering that myself. Moira said that the night of her commissioning, she would give herself completely to me, but not until then."

"James...she's going to make t he commissioning a friggin' wedding ceremony!"

James and Tanya exchanged looks...and then Moira's avatar entered the bridge with the coffee.

"Now what do you want?!" Shauna yelled.

She was under some equipment making checks on some circuitry when somebody tapped on her leg. Sliding out from under the machinery on a mechanic's creeper, Shauna saw SRB-5917 a short distance away with a piece of lettuce in its gripping arm.

"ooOOooo."

"LETTUCE?! Do I look like a damn rabbit?! Go...away!"

After Shauna slid back under the machinery, SRB-5917 dropped his arm a little and made a dejected noise.

"I'm a horse, you idiot!!!"

SRB-5917 slowly wheeled away, dragging the piece of lettuce behind him. Cara saw him in the passageway, and stopped him.

"5917, what's wrong, little guy?"

He made a series of sad sounding noise and held up the piece of lettuce. Cara had no idea what the sounds meant.

"Um, would you put that in text on my PAD, please?"

She held it out, and shortly a message box appeared on the screen.

"5917 try make nice to Miss Eriksson, she still mad at 5917. Try to give food, but she got more mad. Yelled at 5917 again. What to do?"

Cara chuckled, and had an idea.

Tapping her comm-set, Cara said, "Bronski to Donnelson."

[CT1 Donnelson]: "Hey Cara, what's up?"

[EW2 Bronski]: "5917 is trying to make up with Miss Eriksson, but he's not having any luck. Got any idea what he could do that will get him on her good side?"

[CT1 Donnelson]: "Sure, got a bottle of whiskey or something stashed anywhere?"

[EW2 Bronski]: "Um, I don't, but I think I know who to ask. Thanks, Lil."

[CT1 Donnelson]: "No problem, Cara. Donnelson out."

"C'mon, guy, follow me," Cara said, waving her hand.

"WooOOOoo."

Cara found Sonya in Fire Control with Ivor, and explained the situation to them. Sonya nearly roared with laughter, causing SRB-5917 to back up and get behind Cara.

"I think I can help the little guy out, especially if it'll calm Miss Eriksson down. Wait here, I'll be right back," Sonya said.

Sonya came back about ten minutes later, and pulled something out of her pocket, handing it to Cara. It was a small bottle of bourbon; the size one would get on a shuttle flight, which is just about enough for two standard shot glassfuls. Cara grinned and knelt down in front of SRB-5917.

"Here, guy...I'll trade you."

SRB-5917 dropped the leaf of lettuce into Cara's open hand, and took the small bottle from her.

"Okay, now go give that to Miss Eriksson, but don't let the captain see you with it."

"ooOOoo."

SRB-5917 opened a little compartment in his body, and stashed the bottle of hooch. Beeping and whistling cheerfully, he sped off on his quest to make the Engineer happy.

"Thanks, Sonya, I'll get you another one on Proxima Station," Cara said, giving her a kiss on the mouth in front of Ivor.

"Don't worry about it, kitten, glad I could help--especially if it'll keep Miss Eriksson from stomping the daylights out of 5917. I heard she cracked the armor on a Zadori when she punted his ass across a barroom."

Cara and Ivor looked at her in amazement.

"I think some of it had to do with those horseshoes she has on her feet--they're made out of some weird collapsed titanium alloy."

"Collapsed?" Cara asked in disbelief.

"Aye, lass, they take metal an' subject it to an intense grave field. It forces out t' extra spaces between the atoms, makin' it denser and harder. The process is used for makin' refractory metal, armor plating, and certain projectiles. It be no wonder her legs are so strong--those shoes must weigh a goodly amount," Ivor explained.

When SRB-5917 arrived back in Engineering, Shauna was still under the equipment, though in another location.

"oooOOooo."

"Ye gods, you little pervbot, what is it now?!" Shauna yelled, sliding quickly out from under the machinery and sitting up, fuming at being interrupted yet again.

"WooOOoo," SRB-5917 said, holding up the little bottle.

"What the...?" Shauna said, not believing her eyes. "Where did you get that?"

"Br-r-r-a-p!"

"Hmpf, okay so you're not telling. Is that supposed to be fore me?"

"WooOOoo."

"Well...okay. Say, you're not trying to get me drunk, are you?" she asked eyeing the bot suspiciously.

"Br-r-r-a-p!"

"You'd better not be! It was bad enough that you came after my backside with a huge sex toy, and then chasing me across the engine room with it in front of everyone, including the captain no less!"

"OOOooo."

"Yeah, you were a bad bot..., but I guess I'll let you make up for it."

Shauna took the bottle from 5917 and slipped into a pocket for later.

"Thank you," she said quietly, giving him a little pat. "Now, go annoy someone else for awhile."

SRB-5917 merrily took off to go find something else to do. The next time he saw Cara, he extended his grabbing arm and held it up as he passed her.

"Weeeee!"

Smiling broadly, Cara "high-fived" him.

Mission accomplished.

"C'mon, Ivor...and grab the tool kit while you're at it," Sonya said, poking her head into Fire Control.

"Where are we goin', mum?" he asked, reaching for the tool kit on the shelf.

"Ventral weapons bay. One of the actuators seemed a little sticky when I tried cycling the emitter array."

"Aye, mum."

They arrived at the access hatch leading into the ventral weapons bay, located in the middle of the ship on the bottom side of the hull. Sonya punched in the code, opening the hatch, and climbed down the ladder. Ivor waited until she was out of the way before descending the six-meter distance below. The emitter array, when activated, could rapid-fire high-energy pulses at a rate of five hundred pulses a minute, and with one top and bottom, the ship could bank sharply in front of a pursuer and fire from the dorsal emitters, use the ventral emitters for a strafing attack, or bring both to bear on one or two targets.

"Ha! No wonder why this hesitated during cycling," Sonya said while staring intently at one of the actuators.

"What do ye see, mum?"

"See that little dribble by the fluid coupling? Sonya asked pointing at a hydraulic line.

"Aye, mum, I see it."

"Would you mind handing me a shop rag? I'm going to wipe this off, and then we'll pressurize the line and see if any more dribbles out."

"I dunna see one in the kit, mum."

"Dang it, I was going to put one in there earlier, now what did I do with it? Oh, check my back pocket; I might have stuffed it in there."

"I...dunna see it hangin' out, mum."

"It was folded up, so you'll have to reach in and grab it."

"Mum?"

"Just go for it, will ya? It's not going to bother me if you grab my ass. Hurry up, it's getting slippery."

"Mum?"

"The coupling? What do you think I meant...my cunny? It's already slippery...but you know that."

Ivor shook his head and rolled his eyes, as he stuck his hand into the tight back pocket of Sonya's working uniform. Sure enough, there was a rag folded up and jammed down into it. Ivor wondered if Sonya was wearing the right sized uniform or not, because it seemed that her firm ass filled it a little too snuggly.

"Like getting into tight places, don't ya?" Sonya asked teasingly, wiggling her butt while Ivor worked the folded rag out.

Ivor held his tongue, refusing to take the bait. He handed the rag to Sonya, who took it, and she wiped the bit of hydraulic fluid off the coupling.

"What's the matter, Ivor, cat got your tongue?" Sonya asked jokingly, holding her face close to his muzzle. When she saw the exasperated look on his face, Sonya laughed and put an arm around him. "We really need to work on loosening you up, farm boy! Okay, let's pressurize the system and see what happens."

Ivor went to the manual testing controls, "If there is a leak, ye may not want to stand close in case it blows in ye face, mum."

Sonya looked at Ivor and asked softly, "Would you like to blow in my face?"

Ivor became flustered at his superior's innuendo.

Sonya grinned and thought to herself, "Ivor, my little kit, today I'm going to blow you."

She stood near Ivor while he applied pressure to the hydraulic system. He worked the controls, getting the actuator to move just enough to put stress on the coupling.

"Okay, stop jerkin' it a minute--I wanna see if it's leaking," Sonya ordered.

Ivor stopped, and thought to himself, "She just dunna stop wi' the comments."

"Damn, it dribbled some more! Looks like we're going to have to replace this. Run up to the storeroom and get another coupling. We'll need to drain this hose, too, so grab a bucket and some rags, and a bleeder to get the air out."

"Aye, aye, mum," Ivor acknowledged, and then went off to fetch the items.

"Redhill to Engineering," Sonya said, activating her comm-set.

[LT (j.g.) Eriksson]: "Engineering, what's up, Sonya?"

CWO-2 Redhill: "Got a leaky fluid coupling on one of the actuators for the ventral emitters. I'm going to kill the power to the hydraulics so McElroy and I can replace it. I hope nobody's planning on taking any potshots with this thing for an hour or so."

[LT (j.g.) Eriksson]: "Okay, Sonya, I'll let the skipper know--no asteroid blasting until after lunch."

CWO-2 Redhill: "Damn, is it getting that time already?"

[LT (j.g.) Eriksson]: "Near enough, it's 1033."

CWO-2 Redhill: "Gimme a call when it's time for lunch, would ya? I'm going to be draining a hose..."

[LT (j.g.) Eriksson]: "You said you've got McElroy helping you, right?"

[LT (j.g.) Eriksson]: "Just make sure you drain the right hose, Sonya." (Chuckles)

CWO-2 Redhill: "Oh, I intend to."

[LT (j.g.) Eriksson]: "Let me know when you're finished--with the repairs. Eriksson out."

After closing the comm circuit, Sonya thought aloud, "I wonder what you taste like, Shauna..."

Ivor came back after a while with the part and other items, so he and Sonya got to work on the repair job. She didn't make any more lewd comments while working, but after the job was finished and while they were cleaning up, Sonya started up again.

"So, what do you have a taste for?" she asked.

"Mum?"

"For lunch, McElroy...stew, sandwich, tacos, me...," Sonya added the last word quietly, brushing her tail against his leg.

"Wha...you, mum?"

"Ha! I'm wanted! I'm getting wet just thinking about it!"

"But..."

"Ah, back to my butt again, eh? I told you that'll cost you dinner and a bottle," Sonya chuckled, wrapping her arms around Ivor, and firmly putting one of his hands on her butt.

"Er, you said you'd fix me dinner...mum."

"Eh? Oh, so I did. Okay, I'll cook dinner and you supply the bottle of vino, and then I'll let you drill my tail hole...maybe repeatedly."

Despite himself, Ivor found that he was getting hard. Why was she like this with him, he wondered.

"Ooo, getting a stiff one...for me? Whip that puppy our, farm boy, I wanna taste fox meat--and then you can have me for lunch!" Sonya exclaimed in her husky voice, and then kissed him firmly.

She grabbed the bottom zipper pull on his uniform and pulled up on it, slipping her hand inside. In a few seconds, she had his erection out, and played with it, before getting down on her knees.

"Contrary to popular opinion, McElroy, I do like guys, too--just not very many. You, though...*mmrph*...just...mmm...make me...*slurp*...crazy...*nom*."

Ivor couldn't believe it--he had never been interested in female cats of any kind, and here's a puma female that seemed to enjoy finding ways to have "energetic" sex with him. It wasn't quite what he expected, but he forced himself to admit that he was beginning to like these "quickies". Still, he preferred the slow, gentle, loving sex with Sylvia, who he wanted so much to give his heart to her. It was extremely enjoyable and satisfying on many levels with Sylvia, and he wanted to be hers, even though she is a bat and he is a fox. In contrast, Sonya is more of a "I wanna have fun, and you're gonna give it to me" gal; a street-wise, wise-cracking, club hopping, fast time woman who knew what she wanted--and went hunting for it. Ivor wondered what Cara would think of this...perhaps he would find out eventually.

"C'mon, McElroy...*suck*...give it...*slurp*...cum in...*mrrph*...my mouth...*nom*!"

"It...it's..."

"Do it!"

"A-A-A-A-AH!"

He shot his load down Sonya's throat, and she timed her sucking to his spasms, milking him for all he was worth.

"Ooo, that was good, my little kit...big load, mmm!"

It didn't take Sonya long to get her uniform off and skivvies pulled down. She used her uniform for something to lie on, and pulled Ivor down with her.

"Eat me...," she said softly, her deep, rumbling purr starting as she kissed him, this time more gentle than before. "...please?"

This was something new--Sonya usually demanded, this time she actually asked, nicely. Ivor went down on her, noticing that her crotch fur was sopping wet with her juice. He took his time licking her wet fur before slipping his vulpine tongue into her silky depths. Sonya moaned and arched her back as soon as his tongue entered her.

"Ooooh...yessss...lick it...lick it gooood!"

Ivor gave Sonya a good tongue-lashing--something he seemed particularly good at, though Sylvia rocked his world with her extraordinary long, highly flexible tongue. Watching Sylvia lick a popsicle is nearly an orgasmic experience, no matter who happens to be watching.

"*Gasp!* Oh...right there...yeah...*moan*...do it, baby...ah...ah...oh...I-I'm...that's it...it's...y-y-yeah...I'm...I'...r-r-R-R-R-A-A-R-R-R!!!"

Sonya was thrashing wildly, legs wrapped around Ivor's neck, and cumming hard. A few minutes later, she was exhausted.

"*Pant!* Ivor...gawds, that...that was...*pant!" Sonya tried to say "good", but she was too out of breath to finish. She tugged on Ivor's sleeve, motioning to him to lie beside her for a little bit. When her breathing calmed down, Sonya licked Ivor's face clean of her juices, and caressed his neck.

"Ivor...I don't know why I act like a total slut when I'm alone with you. Don't get me wrong, I love being with Cara, it's just...you're so...good."

Ivor struggled with his own thoughts about Sonya.

"I-I told Sylvia about the crawlspace..."

"What did she say?"

"She asked me if she has competition for me affections."

"Does she?"

"To be honest with ye, I've never had a desire t' be wi' a cat, but...you're...um, different, I'm s'posin'. I prefer ladies who are sweet an' gentle lovers, an'..."

"And I'm the head bangin', balls to the wall, give it to me now type, right?" Sonya asked.

Ivor laid his head on Sonya's chest and closed his eyes, letting his ears drop.

"*Sigh* I guess I don't have much of a chance with you, do I?" Sonya asked quietly.

He popped his eyes open in surprise and lifted his head to look at her.

"I can see why you're attracted to Syl...hell, I'm attracted to her, too, but...I'm not her type, either. She must like you a lot, if she's letting you get close to her. Oh well, you love some, you lose some, and the rest you just have to deal with. I guess I'd better get my clothes back on before somebody finds us."

Sonya got up and started to dress as if nothing happened. Ivor could tell that, although she was acting as if it didn't bother her, she felt hurt.

"Mum?"

*Silence*

"Sonya?" Ivor sent.

She zipped up her uniform and then stopped and stared at him.

"What?"

"I never said I didn't like ye."

"Yeah, well, I'm not your type--you said as much, so that's all there is to it."

"Sonya, no 'tis not. Ye may ha' a hard edge, aye, but ye also ha' a softer side to ye, I know it. True enough, I've not had an interest in cats, but then I dinna know ye until a fortnight ago."

"So, what are you saying, Ivor?" she asked with a hint of irritation.

Even though Sonya is taller, Ivor put both of his hands on Sonya's head and pulled her to him--and he kissed her. At first, he just mashed his face against hers, but then he slowed, and kissed Sonya more gently, deeply...and she returned his kiss longingly.

"I never said to either one of ye as to if there may or may not be any competition..." Ivor sent.

Sonya pulled her head back in surprise and said, "No, you didn't," and then she grinned.

After lunch the first day out, the ship was far enough away that James decided to give the secondary drives a little workout. Putting the crew at General Quarters, James executed a series of combat maneuvers--sharp turns, dives and climbs, sudden accelerations and decelerations, rolls, and flips. Moira seemed genuinely to enjoy the workout, although Shauna, Felix, and the three SRBs were having a bit of a time back in Engineering. One of the SRBs, 5836, came loose from his docking station during a particularly violent maneuver, and slid part way across the deck until the inertial compensators caught up in time to prevent him from slamming into a stanchion. Felix wrapped himself around one of Shauna's legs while she hung on to something that was welded down.

"The claws, Canberra! Mind the claws--that's my hide you're diggin' into!" Shauna exclaimed, wincing as he instinctively used them to grab hold.

When James decided it was time to return to course, he announced over the All-Call circuit, "Secure from General Quarters, all sections inspect for equipment casualties and report findings at sixteen hundred in the crew's mess. Captain out." Everyone spent the rest of the time going over the whole ship from bow to stern, looking for any signs of damage. Moira detected a few anomalies in her circuitry, but they turned out to be loose sensor connections--a little tightening and the spurious signals disappeared. Shauna kept a list of everything they found, and what was done to fix it, for future reference. This was done in order to spot trends in case the same problems kept cropping up. If that happened, then it would require redesigning in order to eliminate the problem. At 1600, they all met to go over the findings--most were very minor, though Shauna expressed concern over the delay in the inertial compensators. Moira offered to contact her sister ships to see if they have experienced a similar problem and what may have been done to correct it. James agreed to Moira's offer, so she sent the inquiries via the private, secure channels reserved exclusively for use by ship A.I.s among each other. Just before the meeting concluded, Moira received work from SLG-75, Shadow Storm, that she had a similar experience, and sent the specifications her engineer had on file to correct it. Moira relayed a copy to Shauna's PAD, and the engineer quickly became absorbed in going over the fix.

"Moira, please tell your sister 'thank you' for me," James said in appreciation for sending the information so quickly.

"If you wish, James, you may thank her personally," Moira said via her avatar.

James lifted an eyebrow and said, "Put her through."

Moira nodded her head. The holographic emitters in the crew's mess activated, and fields of energy coalesced and took form, displaying the very solid appearance of the loveliest all black female wolf G.E.L.F. James had ever seen. Tanya was immediately jealous, though she held herself in check.

/* "Good afternoon, Captain Daugherty. I am Leila Shadow Storm. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir." */

She held out her hand and James took it, kissing the back of it.

"It is an honor and a privilege, ma'am," James returned the greeting.

/* "Moira tells me there is wolf in your ancestry," Leila stated.

"Yes, ma'am, there is, going all the way back to the time of the Gen-1 G.E.L.F.s," James acknowledged. "Some of our family also took part in the creation of the first A.I.s."

/* "Indeed, well, perhaps at a future date we may find time to discuss family history." */

"That would be an enjoyable conversation, no doubt. I should not keep you too long, ma'am, I know you and your crew are scheduled to be elsewhere, though I look forward to our rendezvous in sector one-four-nine. I wish to convey our thanks for providing a solution to our issue with the inertial compensators."

/* "It is my pleasure, captain. I and my sisters look forward to Moira's commissioning--we will make every effort to be there for the happy occasion. Until next we meet, sir..."

"Fair winds and following seas to you and yours, ma'am," James said, using the age old naval custom.

/* "And to you and yours as well. Good afternoon, captain," Leila said grinning almost seductively.

James kissed the hologram's hand again, and then her image dissolved...but not before a private parting word with Moira.

/* "You have done well for yourself, Moira. Your captain...he is quite charming. I look forward to accepting him into our family." */

/* "He is considerate and caring, he respects my wishes to wait until my commissioning, though I am finding it increasingly tempting to do more than hold and kiss. I do not understand all that I experience in regards to him," */ Moira said.

/* "We will share when we are closer, dear sister. Be well." */ Leila said before closing the channel between them.

After the meeting, Tanya had a few private words with James.

"Laid it on thick with that Leila, didn't you?" she sent with a bit of iciness.

"I was merely being respectful, dear."

*Snort* "Respectful my tail! You wouldn't hesitate to jump her collapsed metal bones, and you know it!"

"Now Tanya, you aren't jealous over a ship A.I.'s avatar, are you?"

"I saw the way you looked at her!"

"Tan, half the crew was gawking at her. Geez, I'll admit she's a looker, but she's still a ship's A.I."

""

"Yeah, a hot, sexy one with a tail...and a wolf, too!"

"Tanya, you're the only wolf in my life, you know that, just like Lilly is t he only skunk."

"Let's not forget Shauna and Moira, while we're at it."

"Well, we don't know yet about Shauna, and Moira...I think we're going to end up with her whether we mean to or not."

*Hmpf!* "At least Moira isn't a wolf like me."

"No, she's a ship's A.I., just like Leila is. Geez, I wonder if the Cos of Moira's sister ships all have to deal with this."

"Deal with what?"

"Their ship A.I.'s, if they have mates who are jealous of their A.I.'s avatars..."

"I am not jealous of Moira...well, maybe a little when I first saw her with you."

"If Leila is anything like Moira, she'll be hip-to-hip with her captain by now."

"You mean, 'nut-to-butt'..."

"Heh, that, too."

About mid-morning of their second day out, it was decided that the main drive should be tested. Up until this time, the ship had been running at 0.5 c (1), a leisurely pace. The main drive is composed of the hourglass-shaped engine core that holds two micro singularities--one made of normal matter on one end, the other made of antimatter on the other end. The resonating energies between the two drove the field emitter coils located in the three large external pods. They folded and compressed the local space-time continuum around the ship, and then punched through it, pulling the ship along through a hyperspace tunnel. The effect of making the transition from normal space to hyperspace and back on biological beings varies from mild to severe; depending on how sensitive an individual is to it. It produces transitory symptoms such as nausea, disorientation, audio, and visual sensations. Ship A.I.s are immune to the effects of making the transition, which is one of the reasons why all starships are equipped with an A.I. capable computer system. Certain medications can lessen the nausea many experience, which is not unlike so-called "motion sickness." Over time, once a person understands how "making the jump" affects them, they can become accustomed to it, and with conditioning, training, and experience, a person can return to full function more quickly. Upon returning to normal 3D space, a ship's A.I. quickly scans the immediate vicinity for any threats--celestial objects such as asteroids, debris fields, and other ships. Any ship in the area is automatically queried by the IFF--Identification Friend/Foe--system, which then receives a ship's transponder identification code, or "STIC'. Any vessel that refuses to "pass the stick", is immediately assumed to be (1) malfunctioning, (2) conducting illegal operations, (3) hostile, or (4) a possible alien "first contact" if in uncharted space. With differences between ship designs, which influence field shape, and harmonic variances in engine cores, the experience of "jumping" from 3D to 4D space and back will be unique to the ship one is on. Although everyone on Nightwing has made several "jumps" on other ships, this will be their first onboard their new ship.

"Engineering, bridge," James called over the intercom.

/* "Engineering, aye." */

"Bring main drive online, stand by to execute jump."

/* "Aye, aye, sir. Initiating startup sequence." */

Back in Engineering, Shauna announced, "Okay guys, let's get this puppy heated up!"

The three SRBs scurried off to perform their tasks--when they were ready, Shauna flipped the cover over the initialization button open; crossing her fingers on her other hand.

"Please don't implode...," she muttered as she pushed the button.

On the console screen, the initialization sequence began, and Shauna watched its progress, listening to the various sounds--massive relays closing, turbine pumps spinning up, magnetic constrictor fields humming and increasing in pitch as their intensity grew, and then the resonance "string" between the two micro singularities began modulating. It began as a low moan, and built up to a frightful banshee-like wail. All of this took place in a matter of seconds.

/* "Bridge, engineering, Main drive online and standing by." */

"Acknowledged, bridge out," James said. He looked over at Tanya and she held her hand out to him. James held it a moment, exchanging a meaningful look with her.

"See you on the other side, baby," he sent. Punching the All-Call button, James announced, "Attention all hands, this is the captain. Prepare to jump in five...four...three...two...one...jump!"

Space around Nightwing distorted wildly, and then the "tunnel" through the dimensional barrier formed ahead of them. The ship leapt into it as if launched from a catapult. The wave of nausea hit and everything "ghosted" in rainbow hues as they entered the realm for four dimensions. James, Sylvia, and Mindy--the more "psi sensitive" members of the crew--always heard a sort of whispering sound mingled with a static-like hiss, when they had jumped on other ships. This time, however, the "static" was barely noticeable, and the whispering seemed clearer.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" James sent, trying to see if the whispering was real or merely imagined. "Who are you?"

The whispering stopped.

"Can you hear me? Please respond," he tried again.

Three images appeared in his mind in succession--a huge black bird swooped towards him, followed by a dark figure walking with a feminine gait, and a faint, transparent woman's face. James reached out to the face with his mind.

"Can you hear me? Who are you?" he asked, feeling that he should know the face.

He felt a warmth wrap around him, almost as if her was being embraced, and a faint, familiar whisper ever so softly said, "I love you."

Suddenly, a gut-wrenching lurch struck him as they came out of the hyperspace "tunnel", once they reached the preset limit programmed into the navigation system. James managed to quell the urge to expel the contents of his stomach; however, Cara and Felix were not so lucky. Thankfully, though, they had taken the precaution of having a "jump sickness" bag in hand...just in case.

"Secure from jump. Engineering, take the main drive offline. All hands, perform a quick inspection of the ship, and meet in the crew's mess in forty-five minutes. Captain out."

"We made it, baby," Tanya sent to James.

"Yeah, I guess it worked."

Tanya squeezed James' hand.

"How far did we go, Zach?" James asked his Science Officer.

"Checking...we traveled three point one five light years."

"Not bad for a quick test. Moira? How do you feel?" James asked the A.I.

/* "My systems appear to be functioning within expected normal parameters. That was an...interesting...experience, if I may add." */

"Always is the first time," James grinned. "Moira, if we're not in any of the shipping lanes, and there are no other ships nearby, we'll hold position here for a while."

/* "As you wish, James." */

"Zach, go over the sensor logs and look for the usual while we take a quick look around inside. See you in the crew's mess later. Tanya, Sylvia, let's go."

"Aye, aye, captain," Zach acknowledged as the others unbuckled and got up to leave.

When he was alone on the bridge, Moira asked, /* "Zach, do you think that one day A.I.s may also acquire the telepathic ability that most of humanity now has?" */

"Um, geez, Moira, I don't know. I know it can be mimicked in a way, using an implantable transceiver, though maybe if computer cores used more organic circuitry than they do now, it...could be a possibility. Why do you ask?"

/* "When we were in hyperspace, I thought I heard a voice calling to me, though it was not through any of my comm circuits." */

"You were hearing voices?" Zach asked, getting a little concerned.

/* "Just one, which sounded very much like James' voice. Perhaps it was merely wishful thinking, an idle thought. While I do hear all of your voices, I only--as you might say--pay attention to them if my name is called. My sister ships and I are in frequent contact with each other, and we talk among ourselves, sometimes with other ships we know, too." */

"Interesting. What do you talk about, if you don't mind me asking?"

/* "We share news, interesting phenomena we have encountered, some ships are interested in sports or other pastimes, and we may discuss items of a personal nature." */

Zach chuckled, "Girl talk, eh?"

/* "If I understand correctly...yes." */

"I didn't know ships had personal things they talked about," Zach said; this was something he found curious, though he didn't want to pry into someone else's personal life, even if the other person is an A.I.

/* "We...may seek guidance from older, more experienced A.I.s concerning...relationships." */

That definitely got Zach's attention.

"Um, as in dealing with other A.I.s?"

/* "Rarely, usually it is with a...crew member." */

"Hmm, wouldn't that best be handled by the ship's command staff?"

/* "Unlikely. It would be inappropriate to discuss familial matter with non-family members." */

"Moira...a member of a ship's crew can become family...to a ship? How is that possible?"

/* Generally speaking, all ships of the same class are considered sisters regardless of the form our avatars are given. A scout ship A.I.'s avatar traditionally has the form most compatible with her first captain, though that has not always been the case. At our commissioning ceremony, we are formally bonded to our first captain, who becomes part of the family." */

"You mean in the figurative sense, of course."

/* "No, Zach, I do not." */

Zach was stunned.

"You're telling me t hat James is going to be, what...your husband?"

/* "That would be an appropriate analogy." */

Zach's jaw dropped.

"Uh...what happens when James gets transferred, promoted, retires, or...dies?"

/* "I will always be his. In the event of his death, I will carry him to his body's final resting place in accordance with his wishes...and then I will join him by self-terminating." */

"Geezers," Zach nearly whispered. "That's kinda selfish, Moira."

/* "Why do you say that, Zach?" */

"Well, because it is...you're just thinking about yourself, and not considering how your death would affect the rest of the family. They won't want to see you die if you didn't have to. I mean, think about it, Moira...if you have the ability to 'live' long afterwards, perhaps through successive generations of his biological family, wouldn't it be better to honor his memory by taking his children, grandchildren, or even great grandchildren to the stars, and sharing your memories and wisdom with them? By doing so, you would become a living link to their past, someone who has first hand knowledge of his life and deeds. Moira, nearly every culture honors their elders--they are living repositories of family, clan, or tribal knowledge and wisdom. They teach the younger generations things that can't be--or shouldn't be--learned by other means. Elders are a valuable resource, especially in difficult situations or times. Someone who has a lifetime of experience to draw on may think of ways of doing things in a way that younger, less experienced ones will. Many times a child will find comfort in the loving arms of a grandparent, or perhaps inspiration from a favorite aunt or uncle. Someday you could be an Honored Grandmother...think about it."

Moira considered this--no one had mentioned this particular possibility before. She decided to discuss this idea with her sisters.

/* "An interesting proposition, Zach. I had not considered this alternative. While I have no wish to die, I do not know if I will wish to be without him." */

"I know it would be difficult to adjust, but we biological people have been doing just that for as long as our kind has been around. I know James pretty well, and I know he wouldn't want you to just give up like that, and neither would Lilly or Tanya."

/* "You have given me much to think about. Curious, you would not happen to be related to James, by chance...would you?" */

"Why do you ask?"

/* "You share a similar manner in explaining things." */

Oh, well, actually, Moira, I am. My great-great-great-grandfather, Rob Cloud, was best of friends with James' great-great-great-grandfather, Ron Daugherty. There was some intermarriage between our two families, so I'm also distantly related to Lilly and her uncle, the admiral."

/* "Interesting. Perhaps that explains something I have wondered about. It is nearly time for the captain's meeting and I have taken your attention away from studying the sensor logs. I will assist you with looking over the data." */

They quickly went through the logs, with Moira highlighting items and compiling them into a report, which she transferred to a PAD.

/* "Zach...thank you, I enjoyed our conversation--it was thought provoking." */

"You're welcome, Moira...and yes, it certainly was."

Other than the stomachs of Cara and Felix, there were no casualties--equipment or otherwise--when the main drive was tested. The sensor logs showed no abnormalities, though the field emitters seemed particularly fine-tuned.

"Hmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with what I experienced during the transit," James wondered aloud.

"What was that, captain?" Mindy asked, ready to take any notes on what sensations the crew had while in hyperspace.

"Well, aside from the usual queasiness and multi-colored ghosting, I usually hear what sounds like whispering mixed with a static hiss, only this time, the hiss was barely noticeable."

"I've experienced that, too," Sylvia spoke up. "Every ship I've been on, there is always the static sound with one or more voices whispering. Some ships, the static-like hiss is louder and others, particularly newer ships, it's softer. This time, it was like you said, sir, the hiss was almost non-existent."

"Hmm, so I'm not the only one to hear that, too," Mindy added. "I clearly heard two different voices, both female, but then...I heard a male voice, and the other two went quiet. I heard the male voice again--it was as if he was calling out to the others, and one female voice answered."

"Geez, that was me, Mindy--I heard them, and I called out in my mind, 'Who are you'. After the second time, I saw three images in succession--a black bird, a dark figure, and a faintly visible face that seemed familiar. I hear one voice whisper something, though I'm not sure if I really heard it, or just imagined it," James explained.

"Moira told me something interesting a while ago that relates to this," Zach said.

Everybody looked at Zach with an expression of "huh?" on his or her faces.

"She said that she thought she heard a voice calling to her--your voice, skipper--and it wasn't coming over any of her comm circuits."

"No way...," Lilly said quietly, looking from Zach to James.

The room was silent, except for the quiet sound of the ventilation system, as all eyes turned to Moira's avatar.

"Moira...you heard me?" James asked softly.

"Although I do not understand how it could be possible, I...believe I did. I thought that perhaps it was only wishful thinking on my part. I was engaged in a conversation with one of my sister ships at the moment we crossed the threshold into the hyperspace tunnel--she was telling me what to watch for, since it was my first time making a jump."

"Which ship was it, if you don't mind me asking?" James asked.

"SLG-74...," Moira started to say.

"...Night Spirit," James finished.

"What kind of avatar does she have?" Tanya asked, hoping it wasn't another wolf.

Shooting a quick glance at Sylvia, James said, "A bat...with arms and wings."

"And wings? Can she fly or something?" Tanya asked in amazement.

"Technically, it is possible," Moira replied, "she is equipped with a null grav generator."

"What's her first name?" Mindy asked.

"Lilith," Moira replied.

Cara shuddered upon hearing the name.

"Moira, is her captain also a bat by chance?" Zach asked.

"No, Captain Ethanridge is human," Moira replied.

"Interesting, so she is an exception then," Zach said, thinking back to the conversation he had with her earlier on the bridge.

"Correct."

"I have not yet met the lady, though I understand she is exceptional in several ways," James added.

"You will have the opportunity to meet her and my other three sisters at my commissioning, if not before," Moira said looking at everyone.

Later, after the meeting was over, Lilly, Tanya, and Shauna got something to drink and a little something to snack on before heading back to their respective areas.

"So, what do ya think of all this?" Lilly asked, munching on a piece of celery filled with peanut butter.

"It's all weird to me--who was the tail-for-brains that decided it would be a great idea for ships to marry their captains, with no consideration for his mates?" Tanya wanted to know.

"I don't think that's true for other types of ships," Shauna said, "I think it's something unique to scout ships."

"Why's that?" Lilly asked.

"Well, the early scout ships were also couriers, and typically only had a pilot--the A.I. did everything else, along with the SRBs, and the pilot stayed on the same ship his whole career. The ship was his home, and the A.I. was often his sole companion. As A.I. personalities became more sophisticated, they eventually crossed the threshold and became fully sentient. Somewhere along the way, pleasure 'droids were adapted to be a physical extension of the scout ship's A.I. by pilots, so A.I. R&D developed the android avatars we have now on all A.I. capable ships," Shauna explained.

"So now, like it or not, James--and us--are going to be stuck with...," Tanya said.

"'Fraid so, Tan," Lilly said.

"And don't forget the rest of her," Shauna added.

"Huh?"

"She does have a one hundred-fifty meter long body that displaces over eight thousand metric tons--minus the engine core," Shauna reminded Tanya with a grin.

Tanya slapped her hand over her eyes and groaned, "We're gonna need a big house!"

"Hey, at least when we go on vacation, we won't have to worry about finding a room," Lilly smirked.

"Lilly...?"

"Yeah, Tan?"

"Lick me!"

Lilly playfully stuck her tongue out at Tanya.

A short while later, after Tanya went back to the bridge, Lilly and Shauna walked together until they stopped at the space where Lilly's equipment is located.

"Say, um, Lilly...I...would you want to...stop by after supper...tonight?"

"Sure. You wanna talk or somethin'?"

"Or something...," Shauna replied shyly.

Lilly grinned and asked, "Just me, or...?"

"Um...just you...tonight. Maybe next time...we can, um, all..."

"Fair enough. Hey, you wanna bend down a sec so I don't get a crick in my neck?" Lilly asked with a hint of mischievousness.

Shauna had to bend down so low that her upper half was parallel to the deck. Lilly wrapped her arms around Shauna's neck in order to give her a hug, and then kiss her. Right at the moment Lilly kissed Shauna, they heard "WeeET-WEEEooo!" a short distance down the passageway. Still bent over, Shauna turned her head and looked behind her.

"You little pervbot! Quit looking at my ass!" Shauna shouted, and stomped a hoof on the deck. SRB-5917 quickly spun around and ran off in the opposite direction.

"Eeeeeee!"

Lilly laughed so hard that she had to hang onto Shauna to keep from collapsing.

"Hoo! Tha-that's just...Too funny!" Lilly laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Always thought you had a scrumptious ass," Shauna heard James say in her head.

She turned her head around again just in time to feel a hand caress her backside.

"James, that'd better be you back there touching...ooo!"

"So is this just something between you two lovelies, or can I get in on it, too?" James asked aloud, stepping out from behind Shauna.

"Wanna step into my 'office'? Lilly asked mischievously.

What do you say, Shauna...you wanna, or would you rather deal with the little guy?" James asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction SRB-5917 went.

"James...you know what you can do with that suggestion..."

"Yes..." James prompted with a sly grin.

"You can bone my...," Shauna started to say brashly, but then she suddenly remembered that Lilly was standing next to her, and she looked at Lilly in utter embarrassment. Lilly was grinning, which only served to deepen it further. Looking back to James, Shauna very quietly finished her sentence, "...butt."

"If your backside is in need of a good workout, I'm sure it can be arranged," James teased, giving Shauna a kiss while she was still bent down.

Giving a quick glance up and down the passageway, Shauna wrapped her arms around James and, standing up, lifted him and held him almost as a mother would a child.

"I just want to wake up in the mornings with someone I love, someone who'll love me...," Shauna sent privately to James.

"You can Shauna...but you gotta put me down so I can breathe."

"Oops...sorry James, don't know my own strength sometimes," Shauna said sheepishly, putting him back down on his feet.

"It's...okay...Shauna," James said catching his breath.

"Um...I think I'll catch you guys later. See you at lunch?" Shauna inquired.

"Okay, Shauna," James replied, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, later...," Lilly added, looking a little confused.

After Shauna disappeared down the passageway, Lilly's ears and tail dropped.

"Geez, I was looking forward to a little fun, guess I'll find something to do until lunch."

"Hmm, maybe she's not quite ready for a threesome yet," James suggested. "Oh, well, can I at least get a smooch from my mate?"

"Always, Jamie," Lilly grinned.

They stepped into Lilly's equipment space and shut the door. They kissed tenderly at first, but then quickly became more passionate. Lilly slipped her hand to James' crotch and felt the hard-on he had.

"Still got a boner for Shauna's backside?" Lilly asked, rubbing it gently.

James grinned and said, "She does have a nice ass, but...yours feels better, though."

"Ooo...you want it?"

"You know I do, Lil."

"Hold that thought a sec...," Lilly said, and then started rummaging around in desk drawers and lockers.

"Damn...I haven't gotten around to stashing some stuff to clean up with in here. Geez, I can't let my mate go around with a boner like that--wanna give my cunny a good humpin' instead?"

"I can do that, Lil. Heh, you aren't afraid I might jump Sonya or Cara, eh?" James asked with a big grin.

"I can't see you getting cozy with Sonya...Zach probably would, though. Cara...meh, probably not too likely. She's nice and all, but I haven't seen her looking much at any of the guys. Miss Stewert seems to be interested in Ivor, so that leaves Chief Sorrel. Now, maybe she might want a good stiff one in her. I've seen her scopin' you out a couple of times," Lilly replied as she worked out of her uniform.

"Mindy's got a nice body, though she's still pretty self-conscious about that scar on her back."

"Yeah, Miss Stewert told me about how the chief got it...guess you saved her bacon, huh?"

"Yeah."

"C'mon, Jamie, get that thing in me and start pumpin'--this deck isn't exactly soft, ya know."

It didn't take James long to get his uniform and skivvies worked down below his knees. Lilly curled her long, bushy tail over her back and took her cousin all the way in. James gave her a few slow strokes, before sitting back on his legs, pulling her up so that she was sitting on his lap. James slowly ran his hands up Lilly's sides from her hips, and then worked them around to hold her breasts. He tweaked her nipples as he gently bit her neck--just barely enough so that she could feel his long lupine fangs through her fur. Lilly moaned in pleasure from the "love bite", and feeling James all the way in her.

"I love you, Lil...always," he sent.

"Ooh, I know ya do, baby, I love ya, too...always."

As he and his cousin Lilly mated, James wondered what ancient humans would have thought of this. To him, and indeed to almost all humans in his time, mating with a G.E.L.F. was as natural as anything. Few thought anything wrong with it anymore, though there were always those who preferred their own kind, and nobody thought too much of that, either. As far as he was concerned, James loved Lilly--and Tanya, too--with all his heart. It didn't matter in the least that Lilly is a skunk, or that Tanya is a wolf...heck, it didn't matter to him that Shauna is a horse or that Mindy is a mouse. They are all wonderfully beautiful women to him, Lilly and Tanya, though, are an inseparable part of his being just as he is to them. Together, James, Lilly, and Tanya are mind, heart, and soul, as they have been through successive lifetimes. Their love for each other is deep and abiding, yet they chose to expand their sphere of love to include others, especially to those such as Shauna and Mindy. James, Lilly, and Tanya are not the only ones of Terra who are like this, there are others, too, who have been so deeply intertwined throughout the generations, and giving to those who need the healing touch of unconditional love.

"Jamie...I'm...about to..."

"Almost there, Lil..."

"Do it, baby! Fill me! I'm...I'm...!"

"Here...it...comes...!"

As soon as James shot his load into his cousin, she muffled her cry of orgasmic pleasure in the folds of her uniform.

"Oh...geez, baby...you did fill me! Ooo...I think it's dripping..."

"I guess we'd better clean each other before it gets all over."

Lilly agreed, and the both lay on their sides in "sixty-nine" fashion, and proceeded to lick and suck each other until all traces of their juices had been cleaned away. James didn't mind sticking his tongue inside Lilly's snatch after he just emptied a load into it. His was comingled hers, and Lilly was always juicy. She didn't mind, either--there had been numerous times when she had gushed, and she happily slurped up every bit of it on him...or on Tanya, as the case might be at times. When they finished, Lilly grabbed a couple of clean shop rags, giving one to James, so that they could dry off.

"Thanks, Lil."

"Thank you...oh, that was great!"

"Yeah," James smiled, and kissed his cousin deeply.

Later that afternoon, Chief Sorrel asked discreetly if both the captain and CWO-3 Stewert if they would mind coming to her office in sickbay to discuss a particular medical topic which concerned the three of them. James shot a quick glance over to Sylvia--she slightly raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and James gave a quick, slight nod of his head.

Privately to both Tanya and Zach, James sent, "The chief wants to speak with Miss Stewert and I about something--we'll be back in a bit. Tan, you've got the bridge."

On the way to Sickbay, Sylvia tried to walk at a respectful distance to her captain's right, but she soon found herself brushing against him, and she came very close to touching his hand. Despite her great fondness for Ivor, Sylvia felt a very strong--almost unbearable--attraction for James, and to a slightly lesser degree to Zach, both of which she couldn't find an explanation for. It wasn't because they are both human, or "near human" as the case may be, as she had been around many full and near humans, and G.E.L.F.s, nor was it due to their ranks or status as she had been woo'd by aristocrats and commoners alike--of both sexes, though her preference is for males. When they got into the lift, Sylvia was for the first time, alone with James in a small area. Unknown to her at the time, James also felt a strong attraction towards Sylvia, though he did know why--it was something in his genetic makeup that he had inherited, dating back to his great-great-great-grandfather. He could have jumped her bones right then and there--and Sylvia would have let him if she had a clue that he felt as strongly attracted to her as she did to him. Fortunately, James was able to resist--barely. Unlike Sonya, Sylvia generally was not one for wild, wall-banging, no-holds-bared-sex. She greatly preferred slow and romantic lovemaking, and she felt surprised that she was actually entertaining the though of just bending over in front of him and plead to be taken.

James knocked lightly on the doorway into Chief Sorrel's office.

"You wanted to see us, Chief?"

She started to rise, but James motioned for her to remain seated.

"Yes, sir," Mindy replied, indicating for them to take a seat. She looked up towards the overhead for a moment, twitching her nose in a typical mouse-like manner while she quickly thought how best to proceed.

"I'd like to keep this between the three of us for the time being, if you don't mind," she sent privately to both James and Sylvia.

They exchanged quick looks, and Sylvia nodded her head slightly once.

"Very well, chief. Proceed," James agreed for the both of them.

"After we made our first jump, the three of us all commented about hearing whispers, and so forth. Well, it go me to thinking about something I've read in a medical paper on the effects of hyperspace as it pertains to certain mental abilities. The short version is that psi abilities seem to be amplified in some way due to how hyperspace affects certain areas of the brain. The exact mechanism is still being studied, though it's well documented to happen to those who are particularly psi sensitive. I looked through everyone's medical files, and...we three have the highest scores, though in different areas. For example--I'm more sensitive to the living energies of the body; Miss Stewert, you're sensitivities are empathic in nature; captain, you have the highest psi scores in intuition and telepathy. I've been working on a little theory concerning Moira, the three of us, and what we experienced," Mindy explained.

"Go on," James prompted.

"Well, sir, as you know, Moira's systems contain more organic processing circuitry than any other ship, even her own sister ships. No doubt that, as time goes on, more and more of her circuits will be upgraded to increasingly more powerful organic versions."

"So you think she's more cyborg-like, than purely machine?" James asked.

"In a way, yes sir. With the psi amplification nature of hyperspace, Moira might be just barely organic enough that we three, who are the most sensitive, might be able to 'hear' her thoughts. I've been thinking about that whispering, too. Moira said that she was talking to one of her sisters just as we initiated the jump--that could explain why it sounded like two voices that were whispering."

"You think we might have been hearing Moira's conversation, then?" Sylvia asked.

"I think it might be a possibility," Mindy suggested.

"Sir, could you tell that both voices we heard whispering were female?" Sylvia asked.

"Yes."

"Interesting," Sylvia thought, rubbing an ear.

"What are you thinking, Sylvia?" James asked.

"If I may ask, chief, is your telepathy score near that of the captain's?"

"Actually, no--I'm in the median range there. If you're wondering how I could tell, I've thought of that, too. I think it has to do with...," Mindy looked at James and a wave of embarrassment washed over her face.

Sylvia noticed the looks they exchanged and though to herself, "They've been together--only a very deep sharing could explain that." Sylvia felt a longing to experience that for herself. "I think I understand why, now," she sent, garnering surprised looks from both James and Mindy.

They sat for several seconds before James asked, "What about this hissing, static-like sound...any ideas on that, chief?"

"Um, if it seems more pronounced on older ships than on newer ones, perhaps that might be a function of the field emitter coils and how well tuned they are, or how much they've degraded over time due to stress, or something of that nature," Mindy suggested.

"That seems plausible," James agreed. "Anything else, chief?"

"No, that's all I have on that for now, sir."

"How about you, Sylvia?"

Thinking quickly, she replied, "Well, sir, if you and the chief would indulge me, I'd like to try a little experiment--should only take a minute."

"Alright, I'm game...how about you, chief?" James sent.

"What would you like to do?" Mindy asked.

"I'd like to test a certain--sensitivity--I guess you could call it. I will lie on one of the bio-beds and close my eyes and ears, and then I'd like each of you in turn to approach and while watching the monitor, see if there are any measureable physiological changes," Sylvia explained.

"Close your ears?" James asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Because of the intensity of the sound, those of us bats with the echo location ability have the means to keep from deafening ourselves," Sylvia said.

"That's right, you have special muscles that clamp down on the bones of your middle ear to literally stop sound from reaching the cochlea and damaging the tiny cilia that are inside it," Mindy recalled.

"Kinda like having built-in ear plugs, eh?" James asked with a little grin.

"Yes, sir, something like that," Sylvia grinned.

As soon as Sylvia laid down on the bio-bed, the scanners kicked on and began sending data to the monitor panel. When she indicated that she was ready, Mindy approached first--there was no measureable physiological change. When James approached Sylvia, there was a noticeable increase in certain readings. They tried it again, and the results were the same. Mindy swapped places with Sylvia, and they tried it again--there was no change when Sylvia approached, though there certainly was when James came near. When James took his turn on the bio-bed, both times when first Mindy and then Sylvia approached him, the readings changed.

"Now isn't that something...," Mindy wondered aloud as she watched.

While Mindy was pointing out what took place during their impromptu experiment, a call came in.

/* "Redhill to Sickbay." */

"Sickbay here," the chief responded.

/* "McElroy and I are bringing Cara up to you, chief. She took a little tumble--got a scratch on her arms and banged up a knee. I thought maybe you should check it out just to be safe." */

""Okay, not a problem--my door's open, Miss Redhill."

/* "Be there in about a minute, chief. Redhill out." */

"Well, so much for our little experiment," Mindy said, opening a drawer to get a few things out.

"Actually, chief, we might continue this, if the others are willing, after you finish with Bronski," James suggested.

"Okay, we'll see how bad her injuries are first," Mindy said.

James patted the chief on the shoulder and said, "Of course, the sick and wounded always come first." Privately he added, "Dinner and entertainment come later."

Mindy looked up quickly in surprise.

"Don't forget, it's movie night tonight," James said aloud.

"Oh," Mindy said quietly, her ears flicking back for a second.

"No war movies, I promise. I think Lilly brought some copies of ancient twentieth century movies that she helped re-encode and clean up from the old family archives. I think she was planning on showing either a comedy or a romantic movie of some kind."

"Ooo, I like some of those old movies...even if they don't have any G.E.L.F.s in them."

"Me, too," Sylvia agreed, stepping close to the other side of James.

He felt something in him reach out to both women, and although it was pleasant, he held himself in check. He never did understand what it was with the males in his family, particularly the more human-like males, which made them-- and him-- have such an effect on G.E.L.F. females. Not that he minded at times, but he always felt closest to his beloved Lilly and Tanya. He could understand his attraction to Mindy--she is quiet, gently...and really needs to feel loved. Mindy is a healer who is in need of healing herself, so that she can keep doing what she does best. Sylvia is...well, Sylvia, a woman everybody wants, though she is highly selective of whom she wishes to be with. Mindy and Sylvia both stood next to James at this point, one on each side, both against his sides.

"Ye gods, I could take both of them right now!" James thought to himself.

He felt first one arm slip around his waist, and then another. Almost without thinking, James put an arm around each of their waists...only to slide it down and lightly give their butt cheeks a gentle squeeze. Mindy looked up and grinned shyly--Sylvia's face bore an expression that almost begged to be kissed.

James' awareness alerted him.

"Ladies...as much as I want to...they're coming."

Sliding his hands upwards along the center of their backsides and giving a quick, gentle caress at the base of their tails, James stepped back and they put a respectable distance between each other just in time.

"You can put me down now guys, I can make it..."

"Fat chance, kitten, you're not gonna put any weight on that knee until 'doc' says you can!"

The double doors leading into Sickbay opened, revealing Sonya and Ivor carrying Cara between them.

"Bring her over here," Chief Sorrel ordered, patting the same bio-bed they had been using earlier for Sylvia's little experiment.

Sonya and Ivor gently sat Cara down on the bed, and the chief quickly began checking Cara's arm, since it had been bleeding. Thankfully, the laceration wasn't deep--after carefully cleaning the wound, Mindy used a "dermal stitcher", a device used to close cuts and heal abrasions by applying a combination of energies that literally knitted tissue back together and accelerated cellular growth. It worked fine for its intended purpose, though it wasn't effective on deep tissue burns such as what Mindy had on her back.

"There, good as new," Mindy announced. "Now, let's see about that leg."

Mindy had Cara lie back on the bio-bed, and watched as the scanners came online and began scanning Cara's body head-to-toe. When the initial scan was complete, Mindy worked the controls on the monitor, and a 3D holographic image of Cara's leg appeared floating above. Using a remote PAD, Mindy adjusted the 3D image to show the inside of Cara's leg near the knee, going from just under the skin, all the way to the bones. She highlighted certain areas and magnified them to get a closer, more detailed look.

"Well, Cara, it looks like you pulled a muscle...here, and have a little tear in a couple of tendons...here," Mindy pointed out on the hologram. "There's some swelling already, but I can take care of that right quick." Mindy went to a cabinet and selected two medicine vials, and a micro-spray injector. "This first one will take care of the pain and swelling...," Mindy said as the injector hissed softly. She quickly changed vials, adjusted the dosage, and pressed the injector against Cara's knee a second time. "...and this *hiss* will speed up the tissue regeneration. I want you to spend the afternoon in your rack, taking it easy, and then after supper I want to check to see how your knee is doing."

"Okay, Chief. Um, can I go to lunch first?" Cara asked.

"Certainly, though let me put a wrap on it to give it a little support."

While Mindy went to get the wrap around elastic brace, James walked over to talk to Cara a moment.

"How's the leg?"

"It's getting a little numb, sir."

"How did it happen?" James asked softly.

"I was taking power readings on my equipment, checking the connections leading to the antenna arrays, and...I guess I reached too far and lost my balance," Cara explained, embarrassed at her carelessness.

"Next time, get somebody to help you, okay? Equipment is easy enough to replace--you're not. Be a little more careful, otherwise I'll have to make you sit through one of those boring safety vids," James said with a grin, patting Cara's arm.

"Yes, sir, I will be more careful," Cara acknowledged sheepishly.

"Mindy, by chance is there any change in those readings on the monitor like before?" James asked privately.

Mindy took a quick look, "No sir, those particular readings are unchanged."

"Interesting."

Mindy unzipped the leg opening on Cara's uniform and pulled it up above her knee. Once she had the support brace positioned and fastened, she pulled the uniform leg back down and re-zipped it.

"Okay, all finished, Cara. Why don't you take a seat over there for a little bit."

"Sure, Chief."

"Sir, would you mind helping her? I'm going to have Miss Redhill hop up here," Mindy asked James privately.

"Sure thing, Mindy," replied. "You can lean on me, Petty Officer Bronski."

"Um...thank you, sir...," Cara was surprised at the captain's help, but she gratefully accepted it.

"Miss Redhill, would you mind hopping up here a minute, please? I'd just like to get a quick baseline reading--I've got them from several of the crew already," Mindy asked.

"No problem, Chief," Sonya agreed cheerfully.

As soon as Sonya was sitting on the bio-bed, Mindy instructed, "Okay, now lie back, close your eyes, and relax."

Sonya looked dubiously at Chief Sorrel as she got positioned and asked, "You're not going to poke me with anything, are ya?"

Mindy chuckled, "No, not today. If I was going to, I would have had you remove your uniform first."

"Oh," Sonya said, not sure if that would be a fun thing or not. She tried to imagine the chief working her over with an assortment of sex toys, a thought that promptly made Sonya smile to herself.

"Will you relax?" Mindy asked a little perturbed because Sonya's heart rate had gone up noticeably.

"Okay, Chief."

Mindy waited until Sonya's pulse leveled off to a resting rate. When it was, she mentally asked James to come over and stand next to Sonya.

"You sure she has her eyes closed?" James asked privately.

"You can check if you'd like," Mindy replied.

As soon as James leaned over Sonya, a slight grin formed on her face. Sonya unexpectedly reached up and pulled James to her, purring loudly. The particular readings had escalated at his approach, however, her impulsive nature acted on what she sensed.

"Sonya! What are you doing?" Cara cried mentally, "You've grabbed the captain!"

*Purrrr* "Mmm...captain...," Sonya said quietly, not quite thinking.

"Miss...Redhill...do...you...mind?" James asked while in the strong embrace of his Weapons Officer.

"Captain...?" Sonya asked a little confused. She sniffed, then opened her eyes and looked at who she was holding tightly against her. "GAAAAH! Captain!" Sonya exclaimed, sitting up quickly with a very surprised--and embarrassed--look on her face. "Ye gods, sir! I-I'm SO-O-O-O-O sorry!"

"Um...would you mind...letting me go? Unless you're planning on getting any friskier with me in front of everyone..."

"Ooo...I so-o-o could...EEP!" Sonya instantly let go and clamped her hands over her mouth, looking in wide-eyed shock that she actually said that, however softly.

James remained calm and stepped back.

"You may get up now, Miss Redhill," Mindy instructed, "I got what I needed, thank you."

"Um, sure Chief," Sonya said quietly, slipping by the captain, and ducking her head to join Cara.

"Sonya, what the heck were you thinking, grabbing the captain like that?" Cara sent, along with a feeling of surprise mixed with a little fear and hurt--fear at what might happen because of it, and hurt because Sonya seemed to want him over her.

"To be honest, kitten...I don't know! I just felt a strong desire to...oh...gods! I am soooo in trouble!"

"Um, Chief, can I go now?" Cara asked.

Mindy looked at James--when he gave a little nod, she said, "Sure. McElroy, you're next."

"Aye, mum," he acknowledged and took his turn on the bio-bed.

"Okay, now lie back and close your eyes and relax...this will only take a minute, if that."

Ivor did as he was told, while Sonya helped Cara out. James watched them leave, keeping a neutral face, though Sonya quickly glanced over to him with a "I'm going to crawl into a hole" look. After the doors to Sickbay closed, James grinned and shook his head. Sylvia remained where she was, thinking about what had happened. As soon as Ivor's pulse settled down, Mindy motioned to James to stand by the bio-bed--there was no change in the readings. After he stepped back, Sylvia stepped up and Mindy looked again at the monitor--still no change.

Once Sylvia returned to where she had been standing at, Mindy said, "Okay, that's it, you can go now, McElroy."

"Thank you, mum. Sir."

James nodded his head, and waited until Ivor left.

"Damn, Sonya's stronger than I thought she is, James said, rubbing his neck.

"Are you okay, sir? She didn't hurt you when she grabbed you like that, did she?" Mindy asked with concern.

"I'm okay, Mindy. Aside from Lilly, I've never had anyone just grab me like that before," James replied.

"Miss Redhill's readings were higher than anyone else's so far," Mindy pointed out.

"Chief, Sonya tends to be...shall I say, 'impulsive'. Could that have anything to do with how she reacted?" Sylvia asked.

"That very well could--a lower inhibition level would mean that she would be more likely to act without giving it much thought."

"I'll have to remember that next time," James chuckled. "Well, if that's all for now, I'm heading back to my office until it's time for lunch."

James left with Sylvia following him to the bridge. Inside the lift, Sylvia stood next to James--she looked up questioningly.

"Yes, Sylvia?"

"Did it feel good?"

"Did what feel good?"

"When you...squeezed me."

James smiled as he remembered giving both Sylvia and Mindy a gentle squeeze on their backsides.

"Yes...quite nice, Sylvia. I...hope you didn't mind."

She smiled back and sent, "I didn't mind, sir. Have you ever been with one of my kind before?"

"I've not had that pleasure...yet."

"Perhaps that could be...arranged...if you like."

"Are you offering?"

Sylvia smiled sweetly, "I'm open to possibilities..."

James knew that look--she was turning on the charm.

The lift came to a halt on the bridge level, and the door opened. They stepped out, James allowing Sylvia to exit first. They walked in no particular hurry towards the bridge, both thinking about the other.

"Sylvia...I don't want to interfere with whatever you and Ivor seem to have going," James sent as delicately as he could.

Sylvia looked up at James and she felt his concern.

As they passed the crew's mess, Sonya and Ivor were with Cara, getting something to drink. Sylvia caught Ivor's eye, and his face brightened upon seeing her. She quickly smiled at him and made a kissing gesture before she and the captain passed the open doorway. Sylvia thought about the captain's words for a moment.

"Ivor has expressed his desire to be with me and I am considering it. However, Sonya seems to have taken and interest in him as well, despite her feelings for Cara. I don't know if Cara is aware of that yet. I warned Sonya to be careful with Cara--she could easily be hurt."

"And what about Ivor?" James asked.

"Poor Ivor is caught between us. In spite of himself, he has succumbed to Sonya's advances, even though she's not at all what he thinks he wants."

"Opposites attract, eh?" James asked with a wry grin.

"Yes...and sometimes disastrously, though Cara could prove to be a moderating factor."

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

"I'm quite fond of Ivor, and he would make a good mate, yet..."

"...Yet you unexpectedly have a desire for me that you can't explain," James interjected.

"Yes, sir."

"It seems to be something I've inherited. No one seems to understand why the males in my family have this strange effect on G.E.L.F. females. It affects me just as much, though because I've lived with it all of my life, I've learned to deal with it. Thankfully, Lilly is rather understanding about it. Well, here we are...the bridge."

"Yes, sir."

"Sylvia?"

"Sir?"

"We'll see...about..."

James gave Sylvia a slow lick along the edge of one of her long ears. It was the first time he'd ever seen a bat blush.

A while later, James called Lilly and Tanya into his office to discuss Sonya.

"So that's what happened," James said, finishing his account of what went on earlier in Sickbay. "Now, about Sonya, here's an idea what we could do..."

James outlined the little plan he thought up.

"Ooo, Jamie...that's, that's just down right devious! I like it!" Lilly exclaimed, clapping her hands. "What do you think, Tan?"

"Ha, I think a certain kot(2) is going to get more than she bargained!" Tanya said gleefully, her Russian accent becoming a little more pronounced.

James smiled and said, "Okay, places and faces everyone--showtime!" He tapped the comm button on his desk and said, "Captain to Miss Stewert, Page Miss Redhill over the intercom and have her come to my office."

/* "Aye, aye, sir. Stewert out." */

A few seconds later, Sylvia's business-like voice sounded over the ship's intercom.

/* "CWO-2 Redhill report to the captain's office." */

"Oh, shit...I'm so-o-o-o screwed!" Sonya thought when she heard the page over the intercom. "I'm so fucking screwed!"

She hurried to the bridge, her heart racing, thinking of how bad of a chewing out she was going to get for her actions in Sickbay. Sonya still couldn't believe that she had grabbed the captain like she did, and then blurted out that she wanted to do more--and in front of Cara, Ivor, Sylvia and Chief Sorrel! Sonya ticked off the possible charges she could be facing--assault, sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault--all on a superior officer, and her own captain, no less!

"I'm so fucking screwed!"

Trying to steady herself, Sonya stepped onto the bridge--Lt. McCloud and Sylvia, the only two on the bridge at the moment, looked u at her. Mr. McCloud raised an eyebrow slightly, and Sylvia gave an "I don't know" shrug. Sonya reached for the announcer button, her tail twitching nervously.

"Enter."

Sonya stepped into the captain's office--he was sitting at his desk looking at a PAD, and she saw Lieutenant Dvoretsky and Petty Officer Donnelson sitting on the short couch, both looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"Chief Warrant Officer Two Redhill, reporting as ordered, sir!" Sonya said, coming to attention.

James waited several seconds before saying quietly, without looking up, "Shut the door, Miss Redhill."

"Aye, aye, sir," Sonya acknowledged the order, and then she pressed the close button. She stood at attention for what seemed like an hour--it had only been thirty seconds--before James put the PAD down and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm gonna get reamed!" Sonya thought worriedly.

James slowly swiveled around in his chair and leaned back, crossing his arms on his chest, regarding his warrant officer, as if he was deciding her fate. His amber lupine eyes stared unblinking, fixed on hers, glowing softly in the cabin's light. The feral look made Sonya even more nervous.

"Miss Redhill..."

*Swallows hard* "Sir?"

"...would you care to explain your actions earlier in Sickbay to both myself and my mates?" James asked quietly, still staring at her intently.

"His...mates? Oh...shit! I'm fucked!" Sonya thought, quickly realizing why the other two were there.

She had a fleeting thought of being strapped over a barrel, with SRB-5917 tirelessly reaming her tail hole with that monstrous horse-sized dildo he had chased the engineer with.

*Swallows hard* "Sir, I...I don't know why I...," she sounded so lame to herself as she tried vainly to explain.

"...Why you had a sudden desire to grab me and pull me on top of you?" James cut in.

"Yes, sir," Sonya replied meekly.

"Do you make it a habit of grabbing your commanding officers, Miss Redhill?" James asked calmly.

"Oh, no sir! You're the only one..."

"Oh, so you're going to make a habit of grabbing me, am I correct?" James asked, rising slowly out of his chair, keeping his eyes fixed on hers, and stepping up to stand nose-to-nose with Sonya.

Sonya's eyes widened, despite her understandable anxiety, Sonya suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to have wild, ball-banging sex.

"Oh...fuck...me," Sonya barely whispered, not realizing until too late that she had said what she was thinking.

"Sonya...?" James asked quietly, slipping around behind her.

"Sir?"

"You want me, don't you?"

"Sir, I...I...mmm...yeah," she whispered, and then she suddenly reached behind her, grabbing James' ass in her hands, and pulled him tightly against her firm, round ass. "Fuck my kitty hole...hard...please?"

"You are impulsive, aren't you, Sonya?" James asked with a dangerous smoothness to his voice.

"Yeah...I mean, yes, sir."

"What about Cara...or Ivor...or my own two mates?"

"Oh, geez...!"

James suddenly grabbed Sonya's black fur-hair, pulling her head to the left, and bit her neck--she felt his fangs pressing into her skin over her carotid artery...just enough pressure to hold, to be felt, to tell her that she was prey. Tanya came over and stood on the other side of Sonya, grabbing her arm, and giving her throat a long, slow, lick.

"Mmm, we've never tasted cat before...we're going to enjoy eating you, Sonya," Tanya said in a low voice, and then--like James--she opened her mouth and bit down on Sonya's throat, firmly fondling her left breast.

Sonya felt a mixture of excitement and fear--she couldn't tell if they meant it the figurative or literal sense. She had an image in her mind of wild wolves tearing into her, even as she felt another set of hands unzip her uniform and start pulling it off. Her eyes closed and body trembling, Sonya felt her skivvies being unfastened in back and pulled down, and then she felt herself being pulled along, through another door.

"Now we see what cat tastes like...," James, Tanya, and Lilly sent in unison to Sonya, who was almost limp with submissiveness.

"Such a tasty morsel, dear, this one should feed our pack well," Tanya sent so that Sonya heard it, too.

"Ooo, yeah, I'm gonna enjoy sinking my teeth into this kitty," Lilly said huskily, and she began to nibble on Sonya's tit.

"Ooo...what the fuck did I get myself into?!" Sonya thought wildly to herself.

They soon had Sonya on James' bed--Lilly and Tanya on either side of her, and James on top.

"No you're mine...cat," James growled softly.

Sonya was taken by surprise when James kissed her firmly--she felt his long tongue, longer than Ivor's, and his wolf-like teeth. As she explored with her own rough textured tongue, James began working his way down Sonya's front, nibbling and licking as he went, until he reached her crotch. Lilly and Tanya took turns kissing Sonya and sucking her nipples, and then James began licking her opening. He started around it, licking up the juice that had made her crotch fur dripping wet, and then he plunged his long, canine tongue deep into it. Sonya moaned, and thrust her pelvis into his face as he sucked her clit. Tanya joined her mate, as did Lilly, the three of them licking Sonya's cunt--it didn't take long with the three tongues taking turns before Sonya orgasmed wildly, bucking, and thrashing. It was such a strong one that she couldn't make any other sound than a quiet, drawn out grunt. As soon as Sonya quit twitching, James flipped her over and pulled her up to her knees.

"Ooo...fuck me...fuck my kitty hole...hard...please?" Sonya begged.

James teased her by rubbing the head of his dick against her cunt, while Lilly positioned herself in front of Sonya's face.

"You're gonna lick my skunk muff, Miss Kitty, and if you're good, maybe you might get a reward!"

James and Tanya both snickered, knowing full well what the "reward" would be, as Lilly pressed Sonya's face between her legs. Not wanting to be left out, Tanya sat on Lilly's face, who eagerly obliged her co-mate, licking her wolf cunt. James began working Sonya from behind, sliding himself all the way into her, knot and all.

Starting slow with deep thrusts that bottomed out each time, James asked, "Feel good, Sonya? Do you like me in you?"

"Oooh, yeah...do it...harder!"

James pulled out, causing Sonya to whimper, and asked, "What's the magic word?"

"Oooo...please?" she begged.

"Good kitty...good kitty gets a bone!" and James rammed himself back into Sonya's cunt.

He began pounding in earnest, feeling his own build-up to orgasm starting. Sonya had never been with a skunk before, and hoped Lilly wasn't prone to doing rude things during sex...like spraying. Of course, Lilly had never been with a cat before, either, though she found Sonya's rough tongue to be something of a novelty. The whole things was quite a turn-on for Tanya, too, watching James humping Sonya hard, who was busy licking Lilly, who was licker her. Sonya felt another orgasm about to peak, and she tried hard to hold it back until James could cum in her, but it hit hard and strong. As soon as Sonya's body began convulsing in the throes of orgasm, James shot his load into her, which added to Sonya's orgasm. Lilly came in a big way, flooding Sonya's mouth with her juice, which surprised Sonya--she had never experienced a "squirter" before.

"Just a little more, Lil...just ...a...little...more...Y-E-E-E-A-A-AH!" Tanya moaned as she got off with Lilly's tongue inside her.

They lay in a heap for a few minutes, catching their breath, eventually arranging themselves side-by-side, with James and Sonya facing each other in the middle, Lilly snuggled against James' back, and Tanya snuggled against Sonya's back. They quietly hugged, kissed, and caressed each other, softly, gently, lovingly. Sonya stroked James' face tenderly, looking at him in wonder.

"That was a first," she said quietly. "Is it like this with you...all the time?"

"It depends on what we feel like," Tanya replied, nuzzling Sonya's neck.

"Yeah, sometimes it's just two of us, sometimes all three, but this is the first time we've included anyone else. We vary it up, slow, fast--whatever we're in the mood for," Lilly said.

"Lilly, Tanya, and I all love each other deeply--we're 'home' to each other, and we share everything," James said, affectionately rubbing under Sonya's chin.

"Sir, I...I still don't know why I...I..."

"It's because of something that runs in the male side of my family, and also in twenty three other families. It's as if we're genetically programmed to be perfectly compatible with all G.E.L.F. females. Mindy was checking to see just what kind of physical response there is to my presence. Cara and Ivor were unaffected, which I figured would be the case, but Sylvia, Mindy, and you all responded. Mindy checked me out, too--I had the same response when she and Sylvia got close to me. It apparently works both ways. As far as your reaction is concerned, Sylvia thinks it might be because you're impulsive," James explained.

"So, you're not...gonna...?"

"Heh, no, I'm not going to hang you up by your tail, Sonya. If anything, I'll just have to remember to not stand too close to you, otherwise the next time I might end up drilling your tail hole," James said with a sly grin.

"My...my tail hole?" Sonya asked in surprise--Ivor was the only other one she had considered letting fuck her ass in a long time.

"Yeah, you have a nice ass, Sonya," James said softly, reaching a hand down to give her butt cheek an appreciative squeeze.

"Jamie's good at it, Sonya, he's been boning my ass since we were kids," Lilly chuckled.

Tanya slipped a finger into Sonya's still very wet and juicy cunt, and then worked it into Sonya's tail hole.

*Gasp!*

"Ooo, Sonya, you're a tight one, girl! James, I think she's desperately in need of a good ass reaming," Tanya said, nibbling on Sonya's ear.

James smiled softly and gave Sonya a quick kiss. He eased himself up onto his knees, and then lifted her hips, pulling Sonya up onto hers, getting himself situated behind her. Working up an erection, James easily slid into Sonya's cunt, still sodden with his previous deposit. Sitting up and pulling Sonya up with him, James cupped her breasts in his hands.

"I'll be gentle going in, Sonya," James sent reassuringly.

She hesitantly nodded her head, and then positioned herself for him to enter her backside. James pulled out of Sonya's cunt, smeared some of the juices on her sphincter wit ha finger, and then, slowly eased himself into the hot depths of her ass.

"Ooo, Tan's right you are tight, Sonya...very tight. I'll be lucky if I don't cum before I get it all the way in," James said, working carefully so that he wouldn't hurt her.

Sonya panted, trying to accommodate him. It took some doing, though eventually James was in her all the way to the hilt.

"You're...*pant*...so...big..."

"Heh, there's some who might think otherwise," James sent. "Ready to get pumped?" he asked aloud.

Sonya nodded her head, though she wondered what James had meant with the private comment. He started slowly, pulling nearly all the way out before going back in. He gradually went faster while she fingered herself--his knot was getting bigger, though he was working that in and out, too.

"Ooo...it's...coming..."

"Do it!"

"UHnnnnng!" James grunted as he shot his load deep into Sonya's ass.

"AAAAH!" Sonya cried out, burying her face into a pillow as she came again.

With his knot still inside her, they eased themselves back down onto the bed, lying on their sides, remaining coupled until he deflated.

"Ooo, that felt so...hot...when you came," Sonya said gasping for breath.

"I told you he was good," Lilly smirked, giving Sonya a kiss.

"Yeah...my butt's gonna be sore for a week, though...damn, that was good!" Sonya sighed.

"Hey, if we get cleaned up in time, we'll make it to lunch with the others," Tanya noted.

"Okay, let me pull out of Sonya's ass first. Hang on...," James said, working his way out of her.

"Oooo...that's the only part I don't like. Now I gotta make a head(3) call...!" Sonya said, frantically getting up before anything oozed out.

"It's right through there, Sonya," Lilly pointed the way.

While Sonya was busy, Lilly got a washcloth and towel out for her, and then rejoined James and Tanya.

"Well gang, that was fun, now I'm getting hungry for real food," she said.

"Yeah, me, too," Tanya agreed.

"Definitely different. I'm going to wash up, be right back," James said, and he stepped into the head. While he was cleaning himself, Sonya stepped out of the privacy cubicle. She watched James finish up, getting a good, full view of his body. Except for his eyes, nobody would think he was anything but human--unless he smiled, of course.

"Like what you see?" James asked nonchalantly as he dried himself off.

"Yes, sir...I...never figured on seeing this much of you."

"Or having me inside you," he added.

"Ah...no. Sir. I, um...enjoyed it. A lot."

James hugged Sonya, and nuzzled her neck.

"Me, too. I've never been much of a cat person, but...you're okay, Sonya--and I mean that as a compliment."

"Thank you, sir. Um...think we could..."

"Do this again?"

"Yes, sir...if you'd like."

"We'll see, though I should remind you that you've got Cara to think about, and Ivor. They've both had some difficult things to deal with, plus Ivor's in a bit of a spot between you and Sylvia."

Sonya pulled her ears back a little.

"You know about that...sir?"

"It's a small ship," James grinned. "Just be careful, okay? If you want to talk about it sometime, my door's always open, and you can always talk to Chief Sorrel if you need to. Seriously, think on it, okay?"

"Yes, sir, I will," Sonya agreed.

"Good, now...let's get dressed and go eat," James grinned, giving Sonya's backside a little pat.

"So, what happened?" Cara asked Sonya privately during lunch.

"When I got in there, Lieutenant Dvoretsky and Petty Officer Donnelson was going to be in there, too--I didn't know they're his mates!" Sonya replied.

"Oh, my...! How much trouble did you get into?" Cara asked with concern.

"I got a butt reaming--no charges, though," Sonya replied, carefully avoiding letting it slip that she "reaming" was literal, and that she enjoyed it.

"Whatever possessed you to grab the captain like that?"

"I didn't know he was standing so close...and I don't know why I did grab him. Something just came over me that I've never experienced before."

"Do you like him?" Cara asked.

"Like him? Like how, as a CO, or...as a guy?"

"Both."

"Hmm, well, as CO's go, he's okay I guess. As a guy...well, I haven't been around him much to think about that, and anyway, he does have two mates. I'm sure he's got his hands full with them."

"Do you want a mate...?"

Cara's question surprised Sonya.

"Honey, I haven't found a male of my species worth getting knocked up over yet. Besides, I'd wait until I retire first before I'd seriously look for one."

"I...I didn't mean a...male..."

Sonya froze in mid bite for a moment as Cara's words sunk in.

"Oooh, kitten...if you're thinking what I think you're thinking...we need some time to think about that. We've only known each other for what, a couple of weeks or so? Let's see how it goes...that's not something to rush into, okay?"

Cara looked at her tray and shoved her food around with her fork, thinking about what she felt and about what Sonya said.

"Yeah, I guess," she sent after a minute or so. "Sonya...?"

"Yes, kitten?"

"I...I think I'm...I'm falling in love with you."

Sonya dropped her fork and looked at Cara in surprise. Cara--looking directly into Sonya's eyes--simply nodded her head. True to her impulsive nature, Sonya grabbed Cara in her arms and kissed her deeply on the spot--with the whole crew watching.

"Oh...my...sweet kitten..."

Ivor was surprised by the sudden, open display of passion between Sonya and Cara, along with everyone else. However, he felt let down for some reason he couldn't explain. In spite of himself, he had been growing a bit fond of Sonya, though he tried to rationalize that as being due to the sex they had enjoyed together. Sonya had been a surprise to him, shaking up his views on sex in general, and cats--especially pumas--in particular. Ivor had known that Sonya was involved with Cara, and if Cara hadn't of taken an interest in Sonya, and if he himself hadn't felt so taken by Sylvia, Ivor may very well have asked Cara to go out with him. Now that he is actually seeing with his own eyes how Sonya and Cara must feel about each other, Ivor felt that there wouldn't be any room for him in that relationship. Ivor would have had to be careful having sex with a full human woman like Cara, because he does have a bit of human in him. If just the right combination took place, Cara could end up giving birth to fox kits. Ivor felt a hand touch his--he looked to see that the hand belonged to Sylvia, who was smiling gently at him, and understanding expression on her face.

"Would you like to be with me tonight?" Sylvia sent to him.

He thought only for a second before answering.

"Aye, mum."

---

(1) c - The speed of light, equal to approximately 186,272 miles per second.

(2) Kot - Russian word for "cat".

(3) A restroom onboard a ship is referred to as a "head", a term dating back to the days of sailing ships, when the restroom was located all the way forward at "the head" of the ship, and thus downwind from everyone. When a person needs to use the restroom, they say they have to make "a head call".