FSE

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Maya had called Karen up to take the bridge, and now joined a mix of nuggets, and a handful of other experienced pilots in the fighter bay following a preflight brief. For many of the nuggets, seeing the Admiral in her flightsuit came as a surprise. Particularly for the human pilots having been sent to Excalibur for additional training, as they found it odd seeing a flag officer joining her pilots on the line.

"Styles tie yer boots, Watkins secure that sidearm, Jeffreies, check yer harness, c'mon nuggets, move yer asses!" Maya ordered "Let's git out there."

While Maya and the nuggets strapped into their fighters, Tom, Rena, Sarah, and Agnes who were already out flying combat patrol made their usual check-in as they prepared to engage the nuggets in mock combat.

"Alpha clear>" Tom called out

"Beta clear." Sarah responded.

"Checkpoint Delta, no enemy contact." Rena chimed in.

"Gamma clear....wait one," Agnes called out, "check that, multiple turbine startups detected."

"Copy Hotshot." Tom replied. "Excalibur, Bullseye, Hotshot confirms enemy contact, permission to engage?"

"Bullseye, Excalibur, engage at your discretion." Karen replied.

"Copy that, Excalibur." Tom replied, switching back to squadron specific channel. "Weapons free let's get to work."

"Wilco Bullseye." Sarah replied. "Ok people let's get to work, Bullseye, Hotshot, break right and circle around through Beta to gamma, Leadpaw with me, we're going right down the middle."

"Copy that, Gunner, Good Hunting." Tom replied.

.........

"Ok nuggets, we got an unknown number a' bogies inbound, safeties off, roll in, keep yer throttles full afterburner, an' don fahr till ya got a clean shot, Hammerhead, Raven, on me, let's git t' work."

"Death Angel, Raven, no joy, I say again, no joy, Afterburners will not engage."

"Copy Raven, head on home, Shark, take Raven's position." Maya ordered.

"Wilco, Death Angel." Raven replied.

"Copy." Shark added. "Rolling in, full power."

"Death Angel, Black Widow, Tally 2 bogies inbound your 9 oclock bearing 225 mark 132." Black Widow called in.

"Copy Black Widow." Maya replied. "Raven, Shark, break with me, an' engage."

"Death Angel, Democles." another pilot chimed in. "Two more bogies from astern, bearing 180 mark 042, closing fast ma'am."

"Copy." Maya replied, Democles, Black Widow, Gator, break left an' engage the new bogies, now, break."

"Wilco Death Angel; Democles, Gator, on me, ready, break." Black widow ordered.

................

"Hotshot, Gunner, I got Death Angel, you take Shark." Gunner called out.

"Like you did last time, Gunner?" Tom chimed in. "Maybe you should let me take Death Angel?"

"Fat chance of that, Bulls-Eye." Leadpaw replied. "She'd black you out fore you even got close to a firing solution."

"Squadron, Gunner, cut the chatter, I got Death Angel, Hotshot has Shark; Bulls-Eye, Leadpaw, clear us a path." Sarah ordered.

"Wilco Gunner." Tom and the others replied, as they accelerated to engage the ''enemy''.

.................

Excalibur, Raven, request emergency landing clearance, afterburner failure." Raven spoke on Comms.

"Raven, Excalibur, Flight deck says clear for return, center runway." Karen replied. "Transferring."

"Raven, Flight Deck, clear for return." Feena contacted Raven. "Syscheck?"

"All green except afterburners." Raven Replied. "Wait, Check that, nav computer offline, repeat, red light on computer assisted navigation."

"Understood Raven, Go full manual, copy."

"Wilco Excalibur." Raven replied. "Gear down, flaps down, tailhook deployed, speed 250 3 degrees pitch z axis."

"Copy Raven, looking good, come on home." Feena replied. "Count yourself lucky, Nugget, your engine trouble likely saved you having to clean your flightsuit." She was referring to anal gland popping of course, as no one had explained to her humans don't have them, but Raven seemed as though she got the message at any rate.

............................

Karen never liked being in command. For one, she looked like a newborn puppy seated in the huge command chair. She had to stand on her tiptoes in the seat just to reach the buttons on the armrests, and on top of that the imprint of Maya's sizeable shapely rump permanently worn into the seat made it uneven to the point sitting in the middle was like being down inside a small crater. add to that the whole thing smelled like Maya's flatulence, anal gland scent, and estrus honeystains though of course Karen didnt mind any of that. She didn't mind it quite as much now, as she'd been in command enough times to know people respected and obeyed her orders, despite that she looked like a pup in the huge command chair, but she still found the experience distasteful. Of course she knew /why/ Maya had left her in command, which was because she kept a cool head in the heat of battle, and Maya trusted her judgement, and knowing that felt good to say the least.

The bridge was as busy as space outside, as the wargame included mock skirmishes between Excalibur and the other ships, from free for alls, one against threes, three against one's, and two on two's. Karen had to coordinate the mock battles while also keeping track of the fighter training mission, by far the hardest was coordinating with the Lee or the Jackson, the smaller earthship maneuvering in close so their sensor blip merged with Excalibur's, then at the last second both ships turning and engaging the designated target from opposite angles. As always Karen kept her cool, and did the job Maya had asked her to, but running jumping and climbing about the command chair to reach all the buttons necessary to do so was very tiring to say the least.

The reason for the extra training was simple, at long last, the fleet was on course for the planet X, according to the best interpetation of the starcharts Molly had translated from a captured Xian fighter, and as such Maya was riding everyone, nuggets and veterans alike, to the very brink of their breaking points in preparation for what was to come. Additionally there were mandatory vitamin shots, larger servings at meals, extra medical exams, anything and everything that could further improve everyone's ability to perform their duties in the great battle that was to come.

Needless to say, Maya, Sarah, and Tom really cleaned up in every fighter training session, Hank always scored pretty high too, and Maxine and the other humans had improved greatly. The better they got, the harder she pushed them, the same with her hand to hand combat teachings, but as hard as she pushed everyone, she pushed herself a hundred times harder. The odds would be against them when they reaced X. They'd be massively outnumbered, and would have to strike hard and fast.

When the wargames finally drew to a close as everyone was too exhausted to continue, Maya promised them all a week of R&R barring any Xian contact, while the backup crews handled their duties. She hadnt included herself in that, until Tom insisted "You need the R&R as much as we do, probably more." and Maya reluctantly agreed.

They still had several months to go, but as they settled in for much needed R&R, everyone felt more confident the mission would be a success in spite of the odds. Maya never doubted that fact, but she was more confident she'd done everything to ensure any casualties were lives spent, rather than needlessly wasted.

.......................

Karen having arranged for them to meet during R&R, Hank bumped into Kaci in the recreation lounge.

More specifically Hank was talking with several others, discussing the training operations, when Kaci met up with him.

"So, Gunner and me are closing the gap, I drop in behind Shark, tag him, then bank and climb after his wingman... I think we're doing good, Gunner's my wingman, and you know how good she is... Well, Admiral Maya comes out of nowhere, nails us both before we can react, and thats the end of that one." Hank was saying. He'd just finished, when he noticed Kaci standing in front of him.

"Hank?" Kaci asked. "Is it really you? Its me, Kaci.... Tom's basement, remember me?"

"Its me, Kaci. I remember... We had some good times didn't we." Hank replied.

"We shure did." Kaci replied. "Ah met yer wife the other day. we got t' talkin, an' all Ah kin say is yer a very lucky man."

"Yeah, Karen is my everything." Hank replied. "Wish I had met her years ago. I wouldnt have wasted those years with Selena. He paused then. "Come to think of it I thought we had something special going...for a time."

"We did." Kaci said. "But my military career, you understand..." she paused then, "I'm glad you're safe, and I just want you to be happy."

"I couldn't be happier." Hank replied. "And I'm glad to see you're ok too...after what the Xians did...I was concerned."

"A lot of our old classmates aint bin so lucky." Kaci said. "That's why Ah'm here... Ah wanna blow the hell outta the bastards that did it."

"They'll pay." Hank replied. "I've served with Maya long enough to know that much. Maya don't screw around."

"Yeah Ah got that feelin." Kaci said. "S' whats it like bein a merc?"

"You get sexxed in...and then you're in for life. you take a blood oath, and then Maya plows you hard with a hige anatomically correct Kuvasz strap on."

"Ouch." Kaci said. "An' Ah thought the Confederate military trainin was tough."

"It was tough, but it was worth it." Hank said. "I've seen things I never imagined, amazing things, I've faced incredible dangers, felt the thrill of combat, and experienced stellar phenomena I never thought possible...and on top of that, I experience it all with my wonderful wife Karen, and our many pups. I couldn't be happier."

"Ah kin imagine." Kaci replied. "Ya bin out here longer'n me an' Ah seen sum incredible things too. Ah member when people used t' look up at the sky an' wonder if there's life out here....we shure come a long way sence then."

"Yeah." Hank said. "Come with me, I want you to meet the rest of the family."

"Lead on." Kaci replied, following Hank out of the room.

"So you ever say Hi to Tom?" Hank asked.

"Yeah we met briefly in the transporter room earlier." Kaci said.

"He's been here even longer than I have." Hank said as they walked. The Kuvasz girl we just passed with her rump sticking out an access hatch, that's May, she's one of his pups."

"How's that even work?" Kaci asked. "Your wife Karen is the perfect size...but the Admiral....I'd be afraid I'd fall in."

"He manages." Hank said, stopping outside a door and checking to see if it was locked. It wasn't of course.

"This is it." Hank added, opening the door, and leading Kaci inside.

Dixie, a more human looking pup aside from her ears, and hidden teats/lower features, was watching the youngest pups who had only recently began to open their eyes, while her same-age brothers were playing Halo, having borrowed Tom's Xbox to do so. Her younger siblings male and female of various ages, a mix of mostly human and mostly canine appearances, busied themselves with various toys, board games, and even tinkering with electronics.

Hank introduced each of them, then introduced Kaci to his pups explaining she was an old friend he knew from school.

Kaci was dazed for a moment, seeing a spaniel boy who looked to be Dixie's age. Hank introduced him as Daniel, Daniel Thomas Leddoux to be precise.

The reason it gave Kaci pause, is she'd been eyeing the boy for weeks, not knowing he was one of Hank's pups, and now she felt the need to apologize. "Ah...Ah'm sorry, Ah didn' know..."

"Dont be." Hank told her. "They're of age....come to think of it, Dixie, have you seen Grace?"

"Yeah, she's probably still in the Admiral's quarters, fudge-polishing Tom's lovestick." Dixie replied. "I dont get why she loves that sort of play."

"Grace looks exactly like a younger version of Karen." Hank explained. "That's a picture of her on the wall over there."

"Your kids are all so beautiful." Kaci said. "Makes me wish Ah was a mother mahself." she paused a moment, then turning to Dixie, "Kin Ah hold one?"

"Yeah." Dixie replied, lifting Vera, the chubbiest (baby-fat) mostly canine looking girl for Kaci to hold. "Here, put your hands like mine, support her short little tail in your palm like this, and don't let her fancy ears flop open, keep them laying naturally like this so she don't catch cold."

"Ohh, she's so heavy." kaci commented, lifting the pup to her chest cradled the way Dixie instructed, then to Vera, "Yer sure a cute little one, yes you are." and then devolving into baby talk which made little Vera yip and giggle happily.

They have their mother's brains too." Hank explained, his voice filled with pride. "see Joe and Luca tinkering with that old tablet. That's just one example, they've all shown an interest in technology, aside from our youngest pups like Vera, who only recently opened their eyes, that is. And thats just because they're too young to get around much on their own.

"Dad, Mom wants you to take the laundry to be washed this time." Dixie said. "She's going to be a few hours late."

"Mommy has to help Tina fix the engines." Luca chimed in.

"Yeah, She mentioned Tina needing a hand in Engineering, something about the Deuterium injectors acting up again." Dixie said. "With all the lightyears we've logged recently I'm actually surprised we haven't had more trouble than we have."

"Yeah Ah kin imagine." Kaci briefly broke her baby-talk to add. "We bin havin a few hiccups ourselves, an' our engines're practicly brand new."

"No problem." Hank replied. "So how was school?"

"Too easy, Dad." Dixie replied. "Rena's boys can't keep their noses to themselves, they're worse than Tom Jr, but the actual schoolwork is a breeze."

Their conversation was cut short, as Vera began squirming whimpering, and grunting and Kaci was worried something was wrong.

"Here, let me see." Dixie said. "Don't worry she's fine, its perfectly normal...could you and Dad watch the others a moment..."

With that, she gently took little Vera from Kaci, and proceeded to put her tongue to work as a feral bitch would do.

"She just needed to use the bathroom." Hank explained. "You didnt do anything wrong."

"That's disgustin' " Kaci said. "Fer people so advanced Ah'm surprised y' never invented diapers."

"We have them, better ones than on Earth, but Vera and her siblings are too young, they can't do it on their own yet." Hank explained. "It just goes with the territory."

"Have you...?" Kaci asked.

"Before Dixie and Grace were old enough to babysit, yes." Hank replied. "Rarely have to do it now though."

"Yeah but he really loves when mom makes him wear the teat-balloon." Daniel said with a laugh. "Don't you, Dad."

"I thought I asked you not to talk about that, Son." Hank said, clearly embarassed. "Its bad enough it has do be done."

"Ah think its cute." Kaci said. "S' Ah reckon 's like a ballon with nipples full a' formula, 'er what?"

"Its a...suit...made to mimic bitch teats." Hank said quietly, "And Karen don't believe in substitution formula, she milks herself to fill the suit." he paused. "Thankfully now that Grace is pregnant, I rarely have to do it."

"Yer awful young t' be a grandpa." Kaci said. "S' who's the father?"

"Tom of course." Hank said. "Don't get me wrong he's as devoted to Maya and his pups as can be, but he's more acclimated to the Canid lifestyle."

"Yeah Karen mentioned that, how she's gotta twist yer arm t' git ya t' play with others."

Hank nodded affirmingly

at that moment the door opened, and Grace walked in looking exhausted. Her fur was frazzled in places, matted in others, as though it needed brushed again, her shirt was on crooked, buttons mixed up, and her shorts (stretchy like sweatpants) were rolled partway down on one side. There was also a brown tinged cumstain in the seat of her pants. It was obvious what she'd been up to, but she simply cried "Daddy!" like a younger pup, ran up to Hank, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug which pressed her pregnant belly and milk-filled teats against his thin shirt. It was impossible not to feel the pups moving about as well."

"I missed you so much princess!" Hank replied. "You have fun?"

"I /Really/ needed that." Grace replied. "Pregnancy hormones."

"Gods, sis, you smell like poo." Daniel said. "You should go shower."

"I love feeling the lovecream in me like this." Grace replied. "Who is she?" she gestured to Kaci.

"Grace, this is my old friend Kaci." Hank said. "We went to school together on Earth."

"Glad t' meet ya." Kaci said. "Y'know ya really do look jus' like yer mother."

"I get that a lot." Grace replied. then she stripped off her shirt, and took over for Dixie, laying down to feed Vera and her siblings.

"Mahnd if Ah help with the laundry?" Kaci asked. "Ah understand if'n s' too personal, but Ah'm here, Ah reckon y kin use a extra pair a' hands."

"Yeah I could use an extra pair of hands." Hank said. "Just dont worry about Honeystains, I think Dixie is..."

"Dad!" Dixie interrupted. "That's private!"

"Please, sis, the scent gives it away, not like its a secret." Grace soothed.

"The hamper is back here." Hank said, gesturing for Kaci to follow him to a large container against the wall by the largest bed. "Bags are beside it on a roll here, see. try to fill them evenly, its a long way down to deck 42."

"There isnt a laundry facility closer?" Kaci asked as she and Hank set to work.

"Not currently operational." Hank said. "Maya shut it down for repairs yesterday...and given how busy the Engineering staff have been....well, critical systems take priority."

"Makes sense Ah reckon." Kaci said.

"Tie the bags nice and tight, otherwise we'll have all the male crewmen following us....and a lot of females too." Hank instructed.

"Mmm ya say that like its a bad thing." Kaci replied playfully She did as Hank asked anyway however.

"Dixie is in Heat." Hank explained as they worked. "I know she looks mostly human except her ears and tail, but she has a Honeypie and a canine anus complete with anal glands, She has estrus cycles like any Canid bitch, as well."

"Ah reckon that explains the unwanted attention." Kaci replied.

"I hate being sniffed." Dixie said. "I mean...I don't really mind Maya's boys doing it once in a while, but this is ridiculous..." she paused then. "I need to get bred...but the boy I really like turned out to be gay."

"It happens." Kaci said reassuringly. "Bes' thang t' do is be as good a' platonic friends's ya kin be, an' keep lookin."

"You have any idea what it's like being in Heat?" Dixie asked. "The hormonal urges are one thing, but the burning desire, the need to be bred..."

"Ah cain't imagine what that's like...but 's gotta be someone y' kin find. Jus look at the qualities ya admire in yer gay friend, an' find another man with those qualities."

"That's just it, they're all Gay or Zoo." Dixie said.

"Yer dad says yer anatomy's canine, Ah'd give one a' the zoos a try, y' jus mahght git lucky." Kaci replied.

"Yeah." Hank said. "Tom's the biggest zoo I know, and even he said he finds you attractive."

"Thanks Dad." Dixie said. "Thanks for the advice Kaci, I'll have to give that a try."

After that, Hank and Kaci left carrying the bags of laundry, while Grace continued to feed and ''bathe'' the younger pups.

At first the laundry felt light enough, being hoisted across their backs in bags for easy carrying....but it was indeed a LONG way down to deck 42. Needless to say the bags started getting heavy pretty qick.

They spoke of varoius things as they passed crewmen going about their routines in every corridor, on every deck. Everything from janitorial duties like moppping the floors, maintenence changing light bulbs and checking power outlets, panels, and the like, to traveling to their assigned jobs, casual walks/dating, and everything in between. Excalibur was a huge old ship, built to take a pounding and keep on ticking, but she was old nonetheless. Lots of systems were well overdue for a complete overhaul, but nonetheless the sheer size of the ship was staggering. Even living there, you didnt realize just how big it was, until you had to walk the ship from bow to stern, find a lift, and make your way down to the deep reaches of the lower decks.

...............................

Admiral Maya walked the hangar deck, and adjoining main fighter bay, with Feena, who pointed out the birds that had equipment malfunctions or had otherwise been pulled off the line for maintenence and repairs.

"Thankfully its all nothing that can't be repaired." Feena said. "APU failure on number 144, oxygen generators on number 61, afterburner throttle linkage and nav computer core matrix on number 317, bad fuel pump on number 96, charging system failure on number 221, Autocannon fire control systems on number 783, grav generators in number 2 cargo shuttle, but the biggest problem is the number 4 tanker bird. blown seals in the transfer coupler nozzle, rcs thruster assembly is shot, and if that wasn't enough, the left wing is bent where that showoff Gunner slammed it with her afterburner jetwash rolling out after topping up."

"Ah need these birds back on the line quick's possible." Maya reminded.

"I'l do what I can, but the number 4 tanker will be at least a week."

"Y'got five days." Maya said.

"No, Admiral, I'm not Tina, I dont multiply my repair estimates, when I say a week, I mean a week."

"Alrahght, jus git it done." Maya said. "Carry on."

"Yes ma'am." Feena replied, watching Maya as she left.

.....................................

On her way to the bathroom, Maya bumped into Karen who was returning from helping Tina in engineering.

"Workin late?" Maya asked.

"Not by choice, Admiral." Karen said. "Maya, we need to talk."

"Ah already had this discussion with Tina." Maya said, as the lights flickered briefly." Ah know we're pushin 'er hard, but she kin take it."

"For now perhaps, but Tina is right. I just finished repairing microfractures /inside/ the injector assembly crawlway...sooner or later we are going to have to put in for repairs." Karen said.

"Ah know." Maya said. " Lahk Ah told Tina, she'll hold t'gether. she'll git us t' X, an' see us through the mission,then Ah'll give 'er a complete overhaul, aint that rahght old girl."

"Alright." Karen agreed. "Just don't go asking for War Emergency Power anytime soon...All the shunts and bypasses, its like an octopus down there."

"Tina says it'll take two months." Maya said. "S' how long's it really gonna take."

"At least a month, bare minimum." Karen replied. "And that is assuming there aren't any unforseen problems." she paused. "Melennia is concerned there may be hidden damage we haven't noticed yet."

They left the bathroom after washing their hands, and went their separate ways, both turning in for the night.

........

Kaci hoisted the laundry bags better, like a training pack, and marched on, reminiscent of a training excercise she'd done many times years ago in Basic. Granted Excalibur's gravity was slightly heavier than Earth standard, but that only served to make the dirty laundry feel more like the weighted pack she remembered.

Hank kept up with her matching step for step. The increased pace helped them to cover the distance more easily, but nonetheless Hank was glad to see a supply buggy left unattended up ahead, and even moreso when Kaci suggested they drive it down to the laundry facility. It was powered by a Deuterium fueled turboshaft engine mated to a constantly variable drive assembly, the exhaust being hydrogen and oxygen making it safe for indoor use. The keys were in the ignition, and the two of them moved quickly to make use of it before someone came back to claim it.

Mindful of other crewmen in the corridors, Hank went easy on the throttle, and made sure all the warning lights were working. Nonetheless the buggy had them at their destination in a little over an hour, rather than the day and a half it would have taken them on foot.

The laundry filled two of the huge mil-spec machines, which looked very different than the laundry machines on the Jackson or the Lee. At first Kaci thought maybe thay'd made a wrong turn, until Hank explained that Canid washers looked a lot different than Earth standard, and in fact combiined a drying cycle following the wash/rinse cycle. The resulting grew water was recycled for further washing, after being filtered and processed, he also explained, and the detergent was a little white pill that came from a nearby dispenser, which you tossed in with the laundry. The whole cycle took another hour and a half, after which Kaci helped Hank fold and stack the clothes, which were warm, dry, and smelled clean without artificial scents. They made use of the empty bags along with the cargo straps to secure them in the buggy for the return trip.

"Mind if I drive going back?" Kaci asked

"No, just drive like I did, there are a lot of people in the corridors." Hank said. "Watch the left pedals the clutch and brake are reversed of Earth machines. The transmission is variable drive, so you only need the clutch for starting off and stopping, or shifting between forward and reverse." he paused a second then, "be light on the throttle, there's a lag as the turbine spools up, and if you're not careful you can end up going faster than you intended."

After popping the clutch and stalling the engine the first time, and getting laughed at by a collie girl, Melennia, who was working nearby, Kaci got it right on the second try, and soon they were on their way back.

Once she got a feel for the buggy, Kaci drove nice and smooth. she went a little faster than Hank had, but nonetheless they had plenty of time to talk in relative privacy. Mostly Kaci was curious as to what else, like the washers, was different, and Hank did his best to explain everything he could.

When they finally made it back to Hank and Karen's cabin, Kaci brought the buggy to a stop, switched off the engine, and proceeded to help Hank carry the clothes inside.

Karen answered the door, clearly pleased to see Hank had done the laundry as she had asked. She led them inside, telling Kaci she was about to turn in for the night, and while Kaci helped Hank stack the clothes on the largest bed, Kaci overheard a strange bleeping sound. A quick glance told her it came from the boys who were still playing Halo. Curious, she asked Hank about it.

"That's a swear filter on their U.T's." Hank explained. "I make them turn it on when they play Halo, because they curse worse than Maya when they die, and I don't want the younger pups hearing it."

"I've heard Maya say a lot worse." Karen corrected, "But nonetheless the younger pups really could do without expanding their vocabulary in such a manner, at least until they are older."

"Maya's daughter May can be a pretty bad pottymouth herself." Hank added, That's why we never ask her to babysit unattended."

"Ah reckon that makes sense." Kaci said.

"Would you like a nightcap before you go?" Karen asked. "I am pregnant so I will not be taking one tonight, but if you never had Canid alcohol you should give it a try."

"A glass of wine would be nice." Kaci agreed.

"Wuss." Daniel sniggered, "What's the matter, Canid whiskey too strong for you?"

"Ah dunno, Ah never tried it." Kaci replied honestly, "But Ah drank a lot a' other marines under the table before."

Moments later Karen retrieved a fancy crimson and amber bottle, and a fancy crystal glass. "This is premium vintage, a birthday gift from Tom." Karen explained as she filled the glass and handed it to Kaci. "He bought it at a space bazaar last year."

She poured Hank a glass too, then filled her own glass with water.

"To old friends." Hank said. offering a toast.

"To the success of the mission." Kaci added.

"Here Here." Karen agreed

They drank up at that. Kaci found the taste odd, but not unpleasant. The alcohol content was a bit of a shock too, reminding her more of sn expensive brandy than fine wine, but nonetheless she finished her glass without making a face.

"There is no school tomorrow." Karen explained when Kaci mentioned the older boys were up late. "Partly as they need a vacation as part of R&R, and partly because Admiral Maya put Dawn and the other teachers on Bridge duty during the R&R."

"That makes sense." Kaci said. "You two are very lucky to have eachother, and you have suck beautiful pups."

"Thank you." Karen said. "Dixie tells me you did a great job holding little Vera earlier too. I would have been here to greet you, taking R&R like everyone else, but we had a problem in Engineering, and Tina needed some extra help."

"Understandable." Kaci replied, "An yeah, Vera's a perfect little angel, Ah enjoyed holdin her."

"You're welcome to visit again anytime." Karen said.

"Thanks, fer everythin..." Kaci replied. "Well Ah better be gittin back t' the Jackson fore Mike starts wonderin where Ah'm at."

"I preset the transporter earlier." Karen said. "Holly will see to your departure...Good night."

"Good Night." Kaci replied. She stepped out the door, closing it behind her, and set out for the transporter room.

...................

Karen made the boys turn off the Xbox and help her and Hank put the clothes into their proper drawers, then she and Hank finally turned in for the night.

..........................

Kaci need not have worried about being late. Captain Mike was himself currently aboard Excalibur, making anal love to Erika up against a bulkhead in one of the main corridors. Of course she was just one of many having fun. Nearby, Tom had Melennia similarly against a bulkhead, Dawson and Larry took turns one against the wall with the other doing the lovemaking, Tom Jr had knotted his Cajun girlfriend, though they done so in a janitor's closet as she insisted on privacy, and many others as well were taking full advantage of the R&R.