FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

N/B: This Chapter will receive a minor rewrite once the book is finished.

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and intended for Adults only.

A Viper's Nest - Chapter Eleven

Stepping into the bathroom adjacent to the pilot's quarters, John looked around and noted that the room was a large rectangle. He guessed that the walls were twelve feet high with a domed ceiling that rose a further two feet. The light for the bathroom was supplied by a series of recessed lights positioned at regular intervals along the four walls. To John's left and partitioned off by a nine-foot wall were the toilets. Each one had a door to give the user some privacy. The side of the wall facing them had a ten-foot-long mirror, and the wash basins were installed below it at waist height for a viper.

The showers took up the rest of the available space. Installed at set intervals along each of the walls and separated by what appeared to be eight-foot-high glass dividers, the showerheads had a similar design to the one John had used on the station. A small shelf positioned just above waist height for a Viper held the soap dispenser. As he made his way toward one of them, John noted that the floor was tiled with half a metre wide non-slip tiles. In the centre of the shower area was a large metal plate with hundreds of tiny holes. The water left over from when the two pilots had a shower was still draining away as John reached his chosen spot.

A pump hidden beneath the floor activated a few seconds after he pressed the round activation button. Warm water splashed against his head, and John felt the sweat wash away as he rubbed the soap all over his body. Resting his head against the wall, John sighed as the heat from the shower relaxed his muscles. He was surprised by how tiring the training pod had been.

“Mind if we join you?" a voice said from behind. John turned around and saw that three Vipers had entered the bathroom.

“It is a communal bathroom," John pointed out while the pilot standing a few feet away was looking him up and down.

“True," she said with a smile.

As they headed towards different cubicles, John noted that they all had similar scale colours of dark and pastel green. They also shared the same yellow bioluminescence. The pilot closest to John smiled at him.

“If only Nuki hadn't won," she said, “you might have had all three of us in the same nest," the Viper then winked at John.

“Don't tease him," said a different Viper, “considering how big the Flight Lieutenant is, I'd say John will have his hands full," she then covered her breasts in soap.

“Are you three sisters?" John asked while trying not to stare too much.

“That we are," said the third Viper. The pilot was currently washing the softer, inner part of her hood.

“I suggest you hurry up. You don't want to keep Nuki waiting," said the first Viper, and John nodded.

*****

Flight Lieutenant Nuki adjusted where she lay so that she was facing the doors to the bathroom. Once comfortable, Nuki picked up each pillow in her nest and carefully fluffed them. Finally, she got her large blanket and placed it over half of the nest. Before she could watch the bathroom doors again, a cry of pleasure from a nearby nest distracted her. The Flight Lieutenant looked in their direction and watched as one of the pilots pressed her blunt nose against the base of the other Viper's tail before pushing her tongue inside their butt. She held tightly to their hips as the pilot masterfully used her tongue.

Nuki's attention was drawn away from the spectacle as the doors to the bathroom opened with a gentle hiss. Standing naked in the doorway, with the bathroom light behind him, was John. The Flight Lieutenant noticed that some of the nearby nests had gone quiet. Their occupants stopped their nightly activities to watch as John entered the room. Nuki watched as he looked around the room, presumably trying to find her nest. When John had made eye contact with her for the fifth time, the Flight Lieutenant rolled her eyes and waved at him.

“John, I'm over here," she called out.

“Ah, sorry," he replied.

*****

With an embarrassed scratch of his head, John walked over to the Flight Lieutenant's nest. Every few steps, he had to dodge out of the way as a nearby Viper would attempt to either grab one of his feet with a clawed hand or use their tail to trip him over. Stopping in front of Nuki's nest, John looked down and saw that only the top of her head was visible. A pair of glowing red eyes looked up at him, and when he made eye contact, a shudder of primal fear went through John's body.

“I won't bite," the Flight Lieutenant said as she raised her head and smiled. John returned the smile and stepped into the nest.

When both feet were firmly inside the nest, Nuki sprang into action. With a yelp of surprise, John's legs were pulled toward the centre of the nest by the Flight Lieutenant's tail. Nuki wrapped her long tail around his torso and pulled him further into the nest. Blinking his eyes open, all that John could see was black. A glowing pair of red eyes appeared just in front of John's face, and before he could say anything, Nuki kissed him passionately.

*****

The Flight Lieutenant pushed her tongue inside John's mouth, his cry of surprise giving her little resistance. She held him in a possessive hug as her twelve-inch tongue touched every corner of his mouth. Finally, when the tip brushed the back of John's throat and his gag reflex kicked in, Nuki pulled her tongue out.

“Sorry," the Flight Lieutenant said while wiping off the saliva that joined their mouths.

“It's nothing," John replied and then smiled at Nuki when he looked up at her, “you'd think I'd get used to it by now," he said.

“I can't believe how warm you are," the Flight Lieutenant said. Then, adjusting her grip on his body, she rolled onto her back and positioned John to lie on top of her with his head between her large breasts. Nuki giggled when he pushed his face against her chest and breathed in.

“You smell so good," John said.

“I forgot that you liked the smell of Viper musk," Nuki replied.

“So," John said after a few minutes of lying on top, “what now?" he asked.

“What do you mean?" the Flight Lieutenant replied.

“I thought we were going to.." John started to say, and Nuki laughed.

“Fuck?" she asked, and he nodded, “that was just for show. Granted, I'd love to have sex with you, but it has been too long since I've had a male in my nest," Nuki's grip on John's body tightened as her tail wrapped around his legs again. “Tonight, I just want to enjoy having you in here with me. Plus, you're so warm," Nuki said.

“I also enjoy snuggling in bed," John admitted.

*****

Admiral Sshuizshallius gasped as her steward pressed his blunt nose against her groin and pushed his tongue inside. Matriarch Ossih, who was sitting next to the Admiral, giggled. Her steward was doing the same as Sshuizshallius.

“Seems like you needed this," Ossih said.

“Managing the fleet keeps me busy," the Admiral said. She moaned as the tip of her steward's tongue brushed her sweet spot.

The two Vipers were sitting inside the private viewing room, situated to the rear of the Ruination of Minerva's bridge. After reviewing reports from the Pride of the Matriarchy and ordering the patrol, Matriarch Ossih invited Sshuizshallius into the room.

“I shouldn't be in here," the Admiral said, “I'm on duty," she gasped again.

“Your officers know where you are," the Matriarch replied, “now, where were we?" she asked.

“You were discussing the Terran Captain Ema rescued," Sshuizshallius replied.

“Oh yes," Ossih said, trying not to sound too excited about the subject matter, “what do you think of him?" she inquired.

“I don't have an opinion," the Admiral replied, “I have read the reports from the Captain and Matriarch Theka," she said.

“And?" Ossih asked while looking at the Admiral with a smile. Before she could answer, Sshuizshallius's body tensed, and she orgasmed. Her steward coughed as his mouth filled with a sweet-tasting liquid. Matriarch Ossih tried her best not to laugh.

“That was quick," she said, “you REALLY have been busy with work, haven't you?" she inquired. Sshuizshallius didn't reply as she had fallen asleep. “Hmm, I guess I'll just have to wait?" Ossih said to no one in particular. Shortly afterwards, her steward stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, “who said you could stop?" she asked.

*****

Nine Hours Later

John woke the following day to the sound of a snoring Viper. A subtle red glow emanated from the Flight Lieutenant's mouth as she snored. When his eyes adjusted to the nest's gloom, John noticed that a section of the blanket had folded over. As he attempted to free himself from Nuki's arms, one of her eyes opened.

“Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

“I need to pee," John replied.

“Pee?" Nuki said, tightening her grip on him.

“Don't worry, I'll be right back," John assured the Flight Lieutenant while trying not to struggle, “I'm just going to use the toilet," he said.

“Hurry back," Nuki ordered, “your body heat has kept me so warm," she said and then let go of John.

He pulled himself out of the nest and rolled onto his back. Sitting up, John looked around and saw that most pilots were still asleep. However, he noticed near the bathroom doors that a Viper was seated on the rim of her nest, busy taping away at her pad. She looked up at him as he slowly walked in her direction.

“Morning," John said as he approached the bathroom.

“Tell Nuki that we've got another training session today," the Viper replied, “the Wing Commander wants us in the Briefing Room in an hour," she said.

“I'll let her know when I get back to the nest," John replied.

“Just make sure you buff her scales properly," the pilot said.

*****

Captain Thazha yawned as she stretched. It had been several hours since their small group of ships had left the orbit of Border Station Five, and they were now following the patrol route set by The Pride of the Matriarchy. A few of the bridge crew watched her as she stretched her arms and legs. The end of her tail tapped against the floor as Thazha yawned again. Then, glancing up at her crew, they quickly resumed their work. Lieutenant Tektla walked over to the Captain's command chair and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Time for bed," she said, “I'll send someone to wake you if the sensors pick anything up," Tektla smiled at her Captain when she finished speaking. Thazha thought about arguing but decided not to. Tiredness was just as deadly as the enemy.

“You have the bridge, Lieutenant," Captain Thazha said as she stood up.

“That was the fifth yawn," Comms Officer Oatshul pointed out, shortly after the bridges' doors had closed, “I was expecting the Captain to start snoring," she said.

“The Captain doesn't snore," Tektla pointed out.

“Only you would know," said Tactical Officer Altsiah.

“Do you have something to say?" asked the Lieutenant, turning to face the officer.

“Not today," Altsiah replied.

Tektla ignored her as she walked to the command chair and sat down. Then, removing the pad from her thigh, the Lieutenant accessed the mission briefing and reread it.

*****

Nuki stirred inside her nest as John stepped in. She rolled onto her side and shifted where she lay so that he had plenty of room. Once he was lying down, the Flight Lieutenant reached out with her right arm and pulled him close.

“Who were you talking to?" she asked as his back rested against her chest.

“No idea," John replied, “she was sitting on the side of her nest," he said, “told me that we've got an hour before the Wing Commander needs us in the Briefing Room," John rolled over to face Nuki as he spoke. Her tail had wrapped itself around both of his legs by now.

“If only we could stay here longer," the Flight Lieutenant said, the faint glow of her eyes and mouth reflecting off of John's eyes, “do well today, and I'll give you a reward," Nuki said with a smile. She then pushed his head into her ample cleavage and laughed as he struggled.

*****

The Ericius torpedoes approached the Arroganza System's star. As they neared, their crude computers fired manoeuvring thrusters, each torpedo adjusting its heading to prevent burning up. Of the original fifty, only thirty remained. A leak in one torpedo's fuel tanks destroyed itself and four others. Several rogue asteroids had blocked the path of ten torpedoes, and of the remaining thirty-five, five torpedoes had simply disappeared.

Sitting upon a throne of Viper bones, the Ericius Warmaster frowned and glanced at the shadow to her right. She hadn't been in command of the flagship when the Matriarchy fleet had appeared and destroyed most of her ships. The Officer in charge was hanging by her feet just to the Warmaster's right. As punishment for allowing the surprise attack, they had been skinned alive. The bridge's lights reflected off the slowly drying pool of blood.

“Replay the scout's last transmission," the Warmaster said, her deep gravelly voice filling the bridge.

“At once, Warmaster," replied the female in charge of the communications array.

“We should be…." a voice echoed inside the bridge, static cutting the transmission out, “system's star…." more static, “passive scans indicate…." a loud screeching sound forced the bridge crew to cover their ears, “thirty torpedoes. We're unsure where the….are," a final section of static and the transmission stopped.

“Thirty torpedoes?!" the Warmaster growled as she stood up. The quills on the back of her head rustled as she spoke. “Have we lost thirty, or are thirty left?" she asked.

“Unknown, Warmaster," came the reply, “we've tried to clear up the transmission," she pointed out.

“Let me see," the Ericius Warmaster said as she stepped down from the dais.

Stepping onto the cold steel of the deck, her three-toed feet splayed out to accommodate the Warmaster's weight. The claws of each foot rapped against the hull as she walked. With each heavy footfall, her thick thighs and large breasts wobbled. The lights above created contrasting shadows against her caramel skin and wheat-coloured fur. A male nearby watched as the Warmaster walked past, and his eyes lingered on the metal armour she wore, barely covering her ample bust.

“Stare for too long, and you'll lose an eye," she threatened, the male casting his gaze aside.

Stopping next to the Ericius manning the communications array, the Warmaster's quills rattled as she ran a three-fingered hand across them. Starting just above her forehead, each quill was, on average, twelve to twenty-four inches long, ending in a sharp point. Resting on her pointed ears and acting like a hair band was a steel crown.

“Show me the transmission," she asked, the female in front of the Warmaster bowing her head.

*****

John followed the pilots as they made their way toward the nearest canteen. With the Flight Lieutenant walking beside him, none of the other Vipers would dare go near him. However, John noticed a few of them looking in his direction. Nuki must have seen their looks as she pulled him closer to her and placed her left hand on his shoulder. The other pilots got the hint and looked away.

“Do you have a favourite colour?" she asked John.

“What?" he replied, confused by the question.

“Paste, John," Nuki said, “find a table when we get to the canteen, and I'll get your food," she squeezed his shoulder.

“Oh. I usually ask for a random selection of colours," John replied.

“Really?" Nuki said. She seemed surprised.

“Yup. In the end, the paste tastes the same to me," he said.

“Fair enough, I'll do just that," the Flight Lieutenant replied.

A few minutes later, the pilots arrived at the nearest canteen. Unfortunately, a few other Vipers were waiting in a queue already, and as John went to find a table, Nuki headed for the end of the line. Looking around the room, John spotted an empty table near one of the corners and made his way over. Sitting down, he looked around and watched as the pilots slowly made their way along the queue, collecting their multicoloured paste and then choosing where to sit. There were a few glances in his direction, but with the Flight Lieutenant still sticking close to John, they kept their distance. Finally, Nuki approached his table, placed John's tray in front of him, and sat opposite.

“You've got each of the primary colours, plus black and white," she said.

“I see you only have a large bowl of red," John replied, looking at Nuki's tray.

“Yup, it goes with my bioluminescence," she pointed out.

“I once asked Doctor Mizta if my body would react to the glowing paste, and she said no. No bioluminescence in my body," John said.

“What did you expect? Glow in the dark piss?" the Flight Lieutenant asked.

“Yes," John replied honestly with a shrug of his shoulders. Nuki laughed.

“All Vipers know how the paste interacts with our bodies," she pointed out, “even with the treatments you received from her, your piss wouldn't glow," Nuki said with another laugh. “It just doesn't work that way," she pointed out.

“Do you know what the next training session will be about?" John asked, changing the subject. Nuki shook her head.

“No, the Wing Commander changes the mission parameters each time. She likes to keep us on our claws," she said.

“Or toes," John replied.

*****

Twenty minutes later, the pilots exited the canteen, John making sure to stick to Nuki's side. As they walked, the conversation between the Vipers was lively. John tried to listen to what they were saying, but with so many voices, he found it challenging. When the pilots arrived at a t-junction, the Flight Lieutenant looked down at John and noted that he was using the map on his pad.

“Have you figured out how to not get lost?" she inquired.

“No, not yet," John replied with a laugh, “I think I'm stuck using the map," he said and smiled at Nuki when he looked up and made eye contact with her.

“If it means you're always on time and never get lost, then there's nothing wrong with using the map," she said.

“True," John replied.

*****

Arriving at the Briefing Room, John saw that Wing Commander Zsosu was already waiting for them. She was leaning on the edge of a table at the end of the square room. The Briefing Room was large enough to have a desk and chair for each pilot, with enough space for the one designed especially for John. As he walked over to it, John noticed that Zsosu was watching him.

“Hurry up," the Wing Commander called out, and the Viper pilots hurried to their seats. “Before today's training exercise, I thought it best to go over the various ship profiles that each of you may encounter," she said. John was surprised to hear a few groans.

With a hiss of steam, the ceiling above Zsosu split apart and retracted, allowing a projector hidden above to descend. Attached to a mechanical arm was a small box which flared to life, and a bright green hologram appeared just in front of the Wing Commander.

“Today's exercise will consist of a battle against the smaller ships in the Lupine fleet," she said. “This is a Lupine fighter," the Wing Commander said as she pointed to the hologram.

Rotating in front of her was a wireframe representation. Hovering next to it was scrolling text, and as Zsosu continued to speak, John read it. They had a similar length to that of the Mamba fighters The Matriarchy uses. However, they could not manoeuvre well in a planet's atmosphere due to a lack of wings.

“As you can see, behind the pointed nose of the fighter is the cockpit," Zsosu continued, “and unlike our ships, the Lupine use a transparent alloy so that their pilots can see where they are flying," she then gestured to a bubble behind the cockpit. “Unlike our Mambas, which only require a single pilot, Lupine Fighters have a crew of two. While one Lupine pilots the craft and uses its main guns, the second Lupine controls this turret," the Wing Commander then used her pad.

The hologram changed to show a recording of the turret during a battle. As the pilot flew through space, the Lupine controlling the fighter's turret spun it around, firing a pair of heavier weapons. The recording switched between a pair of Heavy Lasers and a dual weapons setup of two Missile Launchers and the standard Lasers used by the pilot.

“With its three engines, heavy armour, and offensive weaponry, the Lupine Fighter is a formidable opponent," Zsosu said as she walked over to where John was sitting, “fortunately, our Mambas are more than capable of dealing with them. Pilot Lawrence," she said while looking down at him. John looked up into her glowing emerald eyes, “what would you say gives our fighters the edge in any battle?" she asked.

“Their manoeuvrability, speed, and…."John paused as he thought of something else.

“Our Nanos," one of the Viper pilots chimed in.

“That's correct," said Wing Commander Zsosu, “thanks to the Nanos, with a simple press of a button, our Mamba fighters can adapt to any situation they may face," she then used her pad again.

*****

The doors to Matriarch Ossih's viewing room opened with a gentle his, and Admiral Sshuizshallius stepped in. Her scales buffed to a perfect sheen, and Sshuizshallius's eyes glowed brightly.

“I see you are well rested, Admiral," Matriarch Ossih said and gestured to the chair facing her.

“I am Matriarch," she replied as she sat down. “What was it that you wished to speak to me about?" the Admiral asked, her steward standing nearby.

“The Terran," Ossih replied. Then, standing to her left, the Matriarch's steward picked up a tray of drinks and walked over to the Admiral. He offered her one, but Sshuizshallius declined with a wave of her right hand.

“You asked my opinion of him yesterday," Sshuizshallius said.

“I did. However, you seemed in need of your relief," Ossih replied with a giggle. She picked up one of the glasses on the tray when her steward stood beside her. Ossih's tail slowly wrapped around the steward's left leg as she drank.

“Not this again," the Admiral complained. Her annoyance was evident. Sshuizshallius went to continue but stopped when Matriarch Ossih raised a hand.

“I didn't ask you here to play with you, Sshuizshallius," she said, “I merely wanted to continue our conversation from yesterday. So, what is your opinion of the Terran?" Ossih asked.

“I must admit, I have not paid much attention to him," the Admiral admitted, “unlike the rest of my crew, who seem to be obsessed with the little mammal," Sshuizshallius sighed as she finished talking.

“From what I've seen, there's nothing little about him," Ossih said with a smile, “if I didn't have Tolsha, I'm sure I would have already had the Terran myself by now," the Matriarch admitted. Hearing the Matriarch's praise caused Tolsha to stand straight and puff out his chest.

“I had wondered why you had changed into that pointless dress," Sshuizshallius said, and the Matriarch laughed.

“John has a strong will. Considering how strong his pheromones were, I thought he might have me in the dropship," Ossih admitted.

“And if he did, the Terran would now be in my brig," Admiral Sshuizshallius pointed out.

“Have you watched the feed from his training pod?" Matriarch Ossih asked.

“I have," the Admiral replied, “I must admit that I was impressed. For a mammal, he quickly adapted to the stresses of the training pod," she said.

*****

The rotating Lupine fighter changed to a larger spaceship. As the hologram rotated, John could see that the new ship had four round engines at the back, with a similar design to those found on his ship, the Poseidon. The engines were protected by armour plating on all four sides, with a metre or two of each engine sticking out. A larger, visible cockpit was at the front, and John noticed a second turret at the ship's rear.

“Here we have the Lupine Corvette," Zsosu said as she manipulated the hologram with her pad, “it is two hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide at the rear," the Wing Commander said. “The smallest part of the Lupine Corvette is the cockpit, at thirty feet," she pointed at the front of the hologram as it rotated round. Zsosu tapped away at her pad, and the hologram shifted.

John watched as the wire mesh outline of the Lupine Corvette turned to face the pilots and then rotated down ninety degrees. When it stopped, it slowly spun clockwise, showing everyone the top of the hull. Once it had rotated a full three hundred and sixty degrees, the hologram stopped, turned one hundred and eighty degrees to show the underside, and then continued to spin clockwise.

“What can you tell me about the Lupine Corvette?" Zsosu asked, looking at the Viper pilot sitting next to John.

Glancing at her, he saw that the pilot's primary scale colour was cobalt blue and dotted all over her head, and on her hood were patches of her secondary scale colour of cream. Before she replied to the Wing Commander, the Viper looked at John and smiled. The light from the hologram reflected off of her glowing blue eyes.

“The ship has a crew of ten," the pilot replied while looking up at Zsosu, “a pilot and co-pilot, two gunners for the turrets, three loaders for the Corvette's various weapon systems and lastly, two Lupine Engineers," she glanced back at John as she finished.

“Well done, Yitsish," the Wing Commander said, “that was a textbook reply. What else do we know about the Lupine Corvette?" she asked while looking around the room.

“When firing missiles at it, we need to make sure we've selected the armour piercing variant," a voice from the back of the room said.

“That's also correct," Zsosu said, “Pilot Lawrence, do you know why?" she asked.

John felt like he was back in school as everyone in the Briefing Room looked at him. Then, activating his pad, he looked through the known specifications of the Lupine Corvette. After a minute or two, John looked up at the Wing Commander, and she smiled at him when he made eye contact with her.

“The Corvette's armour is thicker, and while our missiles can easily penetrate Lupine shields, we need to add an armour piercing package to the missile," John replied.

“That's correct. Let's move onto the Lupine Frigate," the Wing Commander said as she turned around and walked back to her desk.

*****

Captain Ema walked onto the bridge of the Pride of the Matriarchy and made her way over to the Tactical Display Table. Her bridge officers, Lieutenant Ena, Comms Officer Akhi, and Tactical Officer Suhli, were ready and waiting for her. Ena smiled at the Captain when she stopped next to her. The TDT's light reflected off her officer's scales, making them all look green.

“What's the progress on the blindspot patrol?" Ema asked.

“They're ten hours into the patrol," Lieutenant Ena replied, “and our projections show that it should take them another twelve to fifteen hours to complete it," Ena used a projected keypad to adjust the TDT as she spoke.

A few seconds later, a map of the Arroganza System appeared, then zoomed in towards Border Station Five and showed the Matriarchy fleet. Then, after further button press, the patrol's route appeared.

“They should be here," Suhli said as she pointed at the projection, her golden eyes reflecting the green light.

“Who's in command?" Captain Ema asked.

“Captain Thazha," the Lieutenant replied, “her military record suggests that she's a more than capable commander," Ena rested her hands on the TDT as she finished her reply.

“I liked her," said a voice from behind. Everyone standing at the TDT turned to look and watched as Matriarch Theka walked over to them. The lights above shined off of Theka's freshly buffed crimson scales.

“Morning," Ema said with a smile as her friend stood next to her, “enjoy your rest?" she asked.

“Yes, I did," she replied, “are we reviewing the progress of that patrol you requested?" Theka inquired, and the Captain nodded.

“We were just going over the latest sensor scans," Ema replied.

“Sounds like fun. Fill me in," the Matriarch ordered sarcastically.

*****

After a few taps of her pad, the hologram changed shape. This time it was showing a much larger vessel. Unlike the previous two, the Lupine Frigate had a cylindrical hull going from the front to the rear of the ship. Six large engines could be seen at the back, forming a pentagon with the sixth engine in the middle. At the front, John could see that there were several antenna-like arrays. As the hologram rotated, he spotted the Frigate's bridge behind the ship's centre.

“The standard Lupine Empire Frigate is five hundred feet long, with an average width of seventy feet," Zsosu said as she pointed to the hologram, “unlike their Fighters or Corvettes, the bridge is a separate component," the Wing Commander pressed a claw against her pad, and the hologram stopped rotating. “What else do we know about it?" she asked.

“It's their smallest ship capable of firing capital-grade torpedoes," said a familiar voice. John looked behind and saw that Nuki was smiling at him.

“Continue," said Zsosu.

“The ship's main armament are three heavy laser turrets, two on the top of the hull and one on the underside," Nuki continued, “they are capable of punching through the shields on our Cruisers," she paused with a glance at John, “however, they don't have the range that our lasers do," the Flight Commander finished with a wink at him.

“True," Zsosu said, “so," the Wing Commander said as she paced around the room, looking at each of the pilots, “how would we go about attacking a Lupine Frigate?" she asked.

*****

Matriarch Ossih relaxed into her nest as her steward slept next to her. The private viewing room's lights reflected off her black and yellow scales. Ossih looked at the mess on her naked body and used a nearby cloth to wipe it off. While eager to please her, Ossih's steward had an annoying habit of cumming all over her body. Granted, she liked a male's cum just like any other female but having to clean yourself of it every time was starting to become a problem. Thankfully, his sterility meant she would never get pregnant.

The end of Ossih's tail wrapped around her pad and passed it to her waiting hand. After a few taps, the Matriarch accessed a saved file. Playing the footage, Ossih turned the volume down as her steward stirred. Smiling to herself, the Matriarch watched as John cummed inside Officer Thissa. Then, adjusting the angle, she watched as the footage showed the moment his long cock came out of Thissa's arse, and his cum flooded out.

“I wonder," Ossih said out loud, “would you fuck me like that?" she asked.

Looking at her steward, the Matriarch thought about the upcoming meeting and possible ways she might convince the Terran male to become his replacement. Then, sighing to herself, Ossih replayed the footage from the beginning, her thighs rubbing together with excitement.

*****

“Finally, we come to the Lupine Destroyer," Wing Commander Zsosu announced.

John watched as the hologram slowly changed from a representation of the Lupine Frigate into the Destroyer. He noted that while the length of the hologram stayed the same, its width and height doubled. As it rotated, John saw that the front of the vessel angled into a point at the front, he counted eight engines at the rear of the ship, and along the bottom, there were many antenna arrays.

“As you can see," she continued, “the Lupine Destroyer is larger than their Frigate," the Wing Commander pointed to the hologram as she spoke, “with its bridge positioned forward of the rear third of the vessel, the crew has a good view of the space around the ship," Zsosu then looked around the room and pointed at one of the pilots at the back. “What can you tell me about the ship?" she asked. John heard the Viper clear her throat with a cough before she spoke.

“The Lupine Destroyer is the smallest capital class ship that the Empire produces," she said.

“Very good," Zsosu said with a smile, “you, tell us more," she pointed to another pilot.

“It has four triple-barreled heavy laser turrets positioned on the top of the hull, three in front of the bridge and one behind," the Viper replied, “at the front of the ship, just below the pointed nose, is where it fires its capital-grade torpedoes," she said.

“It's why that part of the Destroyer is flat," another pilot chimed in, “instead of firing the torpedoes vertically, they designed the ship to fire them horizontally, out of that flat section of the hull," she then smiled at the Wing Commander.

“Again, well done. John," Zsosu called out his name as she spun around and looked down at him, “how would you disable the Lupine Destroyer?" she asked.

*****

“Urgh, that briefing was dull," said a pilot to John's right as the group headed towards the room with the training pods. Her primary scale colour was bright yellow, which contrasted nicely with the deep purple secondary colour.

“While I agree, it was nice to get a refresher on what we're facing and how best to counter them," the pilot walking alongside her replied. John liked how the lights reflected off her ivory white scales and emerald eyes.

“Try not to complain too much," said a third pilot, “you'll give the Terran a bad impression of us," she said and then winked at John.

“Feel free to complain as much as you want," he replied, “I felt like I was back at Pilot School," John said.

“Ooh, what did you fly?" said one of the pilots walking behind him. He turned around and walked backwards. The pilot's primary scale colour was obsidian black; dotted around her head and hood were lines of crimson red.

“Nothing as advanced as your Mambas," John replied, “when I left on my mission, we were still using jet propulsion. However, our best scientists had finally solved the scramjet issue, and so a few prototypes could enter low Earth orbit," he said.

“Jet propulsion?" the Viper said with a tilt of her head, “I don't even remember when we stopped using that method of flight," she looked at the pilot on her left.

“Don't look at me," she said, “I was never good at history," the blue Viper replied.

“That's enough," Flight Lieutenant Nuki said, “John, turn around," she ordered, “we all need to focus on the upcoming training session," Nuki pointed out.

*****

“John, you'll be launching from inside a Carrier," Wing Commander Zsosu said, “follow the onscreen instructions, and you shouldn't have any issues," as she finished speaking, the pod came to life, and John noticed there was a new icon.

Blinking at the new icon, the Mamba's heads-up display adjusted to show John an easy-to-follow list of instructions for launching onboard a carrier. After reading through them, he brought the fighter's engines online, switched flight mode to carrier launch, and activated the grappling arm. The Mamba rocked left to right as the arm took hold of the fighter and loaded it into the launch tube. Once in place, the HUD changed again and displayed a percentage meter.

“ETA on your launch, Pilot Lawrence?" Flight Lieutenant Nuki inquired.

“Sixty seconds," John replied, “magnetic rails are now charging," he said.

“Good," she replied, “when you've flown through the Carrier's shields, I want you forming up with me," Nuki ordered.

“Understood," John replied.

Sixty seconds later, John was pushed into the back of his seat as the Mamba launched out of the tube. He grunted due to the Nano Flight suit tightening around his limbs as the training pod did its best to emulate the real effects of a fighter launching from a Carrier. John thought that he had gotten used to the pod's ability to simulate gravity; however, considering how heavy he now felt and how hard it was to breathe, there was more to learn and experience.

Shortly after launching, the Mamba shook as it flew through the Carrier's shields and then banked to the right as John piloted it towards the objective shown on the HUD. Then, firing the thrusters on the front of the fighter, he slowed it down as the Mamba came up alongside the Flight Lieutenant.

“How was the launch?" she asked.

“Rough," John replied, “how close is it to the real thing?" he inquired.

“Around seventy-five per cent," Nuki replied, “while the tech behind the pods is advanced, nothing can fully simulate the real thing," she said.

“Sounds like I still have a lot to learn and experience," John replied.

“Don't worry, John, I'm sure you'll be fine," Nuki said assuringly.

“Command to all fighters," Wing Commander Zsosu's voice came through loud and clear, “we've got several wings of Lupine Fighters approaching your position," she said. “I want them destroyed in ten minutes, work together and get the job done efficiently," the Wing Commander ordered.

*****

Nine Minutes and Thirty Seconds Later

John spun his Mamba to the right, the thrusters at key positions along its hull flared to life as he dodged incoming fire from the last Lupine Fighter. Cycling through the fighter's available weapons, John noted that he was nearly out of Nanos.

“Looks like you're stuck using dumbfire missiles or your lasers, Pilot Lawrence," Wing Commander Zsosu pointed out.

“I noticed," was all John could manage as he pulled a high-g turn. He had allowed himself to be distracted long enough for the Lupine Fighter to get behind him. Once it was complete, John looked at the Mamba's radar and cursed.

“Hold on, John," a female voice called out, “I should be within missile lock shortly," she said.

“No time," he replied, “they're trying to lock on. I'm going to try something," John said.

Disabling the Mamba's Flight Assist, John spun it one hundred and eighty degrees so that he faced the oncoming Lupine Fighter, selected the dumbfire missiles, and then proceeded to fire them. Using his experience leading the target back home, John gently pulled the trigger on his joystick and fired off the missiles. The first few missed the mark, but as he adjusted his aim, a series of explosions rocked the Lupine Fighter.

Once his HUD informed him that he had fired all of the dumbfire missiles, John switched back to his lasers; however, before firing them, the enemy fighter exploded. A chorus of cheers was heard inside his training pod as the other pilots congratulated him.

“All Mambas return to the Carrier for repairs and rearming," Wing Commander Zsosu ordered, “the next phase of the lesson will begin shortly," she said.

“Well done, John," Flight Lieutenant Nuki said. He looked to his left and saw that she was approaching his position, “I suspect the Wing Commander will send several larger ships towards us," she warned, “along with several more wings of fighters. So you must ensure you manage your Nanos effectively this time," Nuki warned.

“I agree," John replied, “I think I got too carried away," he admitted.

“You can afford to get carried away when inside a training pod," the Flight Lieutenant pointed out, “just make sure you concentrate when you're piloting a Mamba for real," she warned.

*****

“How's the latest training exercise going?" Matriarch Ossih inquired.

“I believe they're onto the third wave of ships," Admiral Sshuizshallius replied.

The Admiral and Matriarch were sitting on their command chairs inside the Ruination of Minerva's bridge. Ossih sipped from a long glass as she watched the bridge crew do their work. Then, placing it back on her steward's tray, she stood up and walked to the nearby TDT.

“Can we see what they're doing?" Matriarch Ossih asked as she looked back to where the Admiral was sitting.

“We can," Sshuizshallius replied as she stood up, “the TDT can also display each pilot's point of view, the plan Wing Commander Zsosu made, and entry points for the enemy forces," the Admiral finished as she stopped next to the Tactical Display Table. The light from the holo emitters made her cream-coloured secondary scales appear bright green.

“It can?" Ossih said, “can we watch what John is doing?" she asked.

Admiral Sshuizshallius tried her best not to roll her eyes. Without her two sisters to stop her, Matriarch Ossih was now publicly making it obvious her interest in the Terran. After a few button presses, the TDT shifted to show an interior view of John's training pod, several data readouts and a simulated representation of what his ship was doing.

“It looks like Pilot Lawrence has made several successful kills against the simulated Lupine Fighters," Sshuizshallius said as she looked at data readouts. “As well as three of their Corvettes, and he is currently making an attack run on a Lupine Frigate," the Admiral accessed a second keypad as she finished speaking. A new window appeared above the Tactical Display Table, and Sshuizshallius moved it next to the interior view of John's training pod.

“Oh, I can see what his fighter is doing!" Ossih said with a bit too much excitement.

The two Officers standing on the opposite side of the TDT glanced at the Admiral. In return, she shrugged her shoulders, and they resumed their work. Sshuizshallius would have preferred a different Matriarch to Ossih, but she did not have the power to request a switch. So instead, she glanced over at the Matriarch's steward and was relieved to see that he was not paying attention.

“If you look here," the Admiral said, drawing Ossih's attention and pointing at the central projection above the TDT, “Pilot Lawrence is attempting to destroy the Lupine Frigate's shield emitter," Sshuizshallius then pressed a button on a keypad. The view shifted to that of the Frigate.

“Do you know which weapon he's using?" the Matriarch asked.

“It appears he's selected the standard anti-shield missile," one of the nearby Officers chimed in, “once John is close enough and acquired a lock, the missile should punch through the ship's shields and disable the emitter," she said.

Everyone around the Tactical Display Table watched as John flew his Mamba towards the Lupine Frigate. The readouts dotted around the outside of the two screens displayed the current status of his health, technical readouts of the Mamba, and which weapon John was using. Then, a sudden flash of light lit up everyone's faces as incoming fire from the Frigate exploded around the fighter. The external view showed that John was attempting to dodge the laser fire, while the internal feed allowed everyone to see the strain on his face. A chime started to sound a few seconds later.

“What's that noise?" Matriarch Ossih asked.

“The Frigate is trying to lock anti-fighter missiles onto John's Mamba," one of the Officers replied.

“If he doesn't lose the lock, he'll have around ten missiles heading in his direction," Admiral Sshuizshallius said. Then, the chime changed to a continuous, high-pitched tone.

“Damn it," said John, his voice came out of the TDT's speakers, “they've got a lock on me, firing my missile and then I'm going to try and lose them," he announced. Shortly afterwards, a single anti-shield missile launched from beneath his Mamba.

“John, don't fire your flares until the enemy missiles are within five thousand metres of you," Flight Lieutenant Nuki said. Ossih noted that her voice seemed strained.

The high-pitched tone ceased, and then a beeping noise started. As the Lupine anti-fighter missiles flew through space, the frequency of the beeps increased. Looking at the interior feed, Ossih saw a red light blink.

“What does that light mean?" she asked.

“It notifies the pilot that enemy missiles have locked onto the Mamba and that they are approaching the fighter," one of the nearby officers replied.

“The beeping noise also indicates how close they are," another chimed in, “the faster the beeps, the closer the missiles are to the fighter," she said.

“Can we see their distance to John?" the Matriarch asked.

“Press that button," Sshuizshallius said, pointing at a nearby keypad.

Matriarch Ossih pressed the button and watched as the TDT adjusted the display. She watched the missiles fly towards John's current position a few seconds later. The range indicator showed her that they were currently ten thousand metres away.

“Fuck," John's voice came through the TDT's speakers once more, “erm…Nuki," he said.

“What is it?" she asked.

“My flares aren't working," John replied, “looks like I took some damage earlier, and the repair Nanos are still, erm…repairing," he said.

“Looks like you'll get to experience death," one of the Viper pilots said.

“Oh, haha," John replied.

“We're near the end of the exercise, John," Nuki replied, “I'm sure Wing Commander will know what you did wrong," she pointed out.

Shortly afterwards, the Lupine anti-fighter missiles caught up with John's Mamba and the Tactical Display Table showed a bright explosion. Admiral Sshuizshallius tapped away at a keypad, and the holo emitters powered down.

“The training exercise has ended," she announced.

*****

Five hours later

“Captain," Comms Officer Oatshul said from her position by the TDT, “we've reached the apex of our patrol," she then adjusted the projection in front of her. The Tactical Display Table showed the patrol route and a long-range scan of the local area.

“Altsiah, have we picked up anything unusual?" Captain Thazha inquired as she rose from her command chair. By the time she stopped in front of the TDT, the Tactical Officer, with the aid of the ship's computer, had analysed the long-range scan.

“Nothing of note, Captain," replied Altsiah.

“How long do you want us to wait here?" asked Lieutenant Tektla.

“Order the fleet to remain here for two hours," Thazha replied, “then we'll return to Border Station Five," she said.

Her three officers nodded and turned about, heading towards their stations on the bridge. Captain Thazha placed both of her hands on the TDT and examined the sensor readouts. Apart from a few stray asteroids, nothing was interesting about this part of the blind spot. Then, turning around to head back to her command chair, Thazha noticed a red signal on the hologram's edge that the Tactical Display Table was projecting.

“Tactical," she called out, “what's this?" the Captain asked, pointing towards the red signal. Altsiah returned to the TDT and accessed one of the nearby keypads. After a few seconds, the image shifted towards it.

“Unkown, Captain," Tactical Officer Altsiah replied, “the ship's computer identifies it as artificial, but it has almost no power output," she said.

“Could it be an enemy craft?" Lieutenant Tektla inquired from her position on the bridge.

“We would have to either send a ship closer or have the fleet send multiple active scans towards it," Altsiah replied, “either option means alerting whatever it is to our presence," she said. Captain Thazha paced back a forth, mulling over the two available options. Then, finally, Thazha walked over to her command chair and sat down when she decided what to do.

“Oatshul, contact the fleet," the Captain said, “have them work with you to scan that area," she ordered.

“Aye, Captain," came the reply.

“Altsiah," Thazha said as she looked at the TDT, “bring shields and weapons online. Instruct the fleet to do the same," the Captain ordered.

“Helm, bring us about," Lieutenant Tektla said, “set a direct course for Border Station Five," she ordered.

“Oatshul," Captain Thazha said, “instruct the fleet to do the same. If our scans indicate the signal is an enemy ship, the fleet is to return to the Station at best speed," she ordered.

After the fleet signalled its readiness, the Captain gave the order for the sensor scan to commence. In unison, the sensor arrays on each ship pointed towards the unknown signal. The Tactical Display Table lit up as it projected a simulated image of the scans. While this was going on, armoured weapon bays along the hulls of every vessel opened. Laser batteries ascended and locked into place. Missile launcher bay doors slid open on giant tracks, emerging from similar armoured doors, shield emitters powered up. Thrusters along the hulls of every ship flared to life and spun each ship around. Engines flared to life, and slowly the patrol made their way back towards Border Station Five.

“Enemy contact!" Tactical Officer Altsiah called out.

“Identify!" Captain Thazha ordered.

“Running the scans through the computer," Lieutenant Tektla said, “fuck," she exclaimed.

“Calm yourself, Lieutenant," the Captain ordered.

“Sorry, Captain," Tektla replied as she composed herself, “sensors indicate ten Ericius ships are heading in our direction," she said.

“Composition?" Thazha asked.

“Three scout ships, two Corvettes, two Frigates, and three Cruisers," Tactical Officer Altsiah replied.

“If we shunt all power to engines and burn straight for the station, can we keep ourselves out of weapons range?" the Captain asked.

“It's doable," replied the Lieutenant. “The Corvettes are the fastest ships in the patrol," she said, “we will be stuck at the rear, though," the Lieutenant warned.

“If the Ericius Scout ships can catch up to us," Altsiah chimed in, “then a lucky hit from their lasers could knock our engines out," she said.

“Have the Corvettes head for Border Station Five," the Thazha ordered, “the rest of us will perform a holding action. If we engage at long range, we should be able to destroy most of the Ericius ships," the Captain said.

“Understood, Captain," Lieutenant Teklta replied.

While the bridge officers issued orders, Thazha sat in her command chair and accessed the TDT from her pad. “With any luck," she thought, “we'll survive this and get back to the station."