FSE

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Part 2

After dinner, Admiral Donnelson retired to his stateroom for the evening. When he entered, his ears heard the soft chime from the computer terminal indicating waiting messages.

"Yeah, yeah, just a minute...give a body half a chance to get out of this blasted jacket!" he said sarcastically to the computer.

Once the jacket and shoes were off, shirt loosened, and he had a cup of coffee in his hand, Admiral Donnelson eased himself down into the chair.

"Okay, let's see what all the fuss is about this time...," he muttered.

Scrolling through the messages, most were usual items--status reports, ship deployments, and the other typical things that an admiral has to deal with. However, two items got his attention. The first caused him to frown--an INTAC, or "Intelligence-Tactical", security level flash.

"This can't be good," he said aloud.

After inputting his clearance codes, he read the brief message. When he finished, the admiral leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes.

"James, my boy, I fear I may have an assignment for you that is going to put you, and my niece, in harm's way."

The message read,

"ALIEN INCURSION, SECTOR 149.

POINT OF ORIGIN: UNKNOWN.

SPECIES: UNKNOWN.

NUMBER OF SHIPS: UNKNOWN.

WEAPON CAPABILITY: UNKNOWN.

DEFENSIVE MEASURES: UNKNOWN.

OBJECTIVE: UNKNOWN.

INVESITGATING SHIPS: S.F.S. GRAINGER, FF-735 AND S.F.S. PURNELL, FFS-390.

STATUS: MISSING.

LAST KNOWN COORDINATES:..."

a string of numbers followed indicating their last known position along the galaxy's X, Y, and Z axis, and their directional vector and velocity in normal space.

The second item looked a bit less ominous. It was a private message, with only the letters "MN" in the "From" block, and no subject line.

"I wonder who this is from," Admiral Donnelson mused.

When he tried to open the message, a voice print identification required read receipt was promptly displayed, preventing him from opening the message until he spoke his name.

"What's with the cloak and dagger stuff?" he asked aloud in the rhetorical sense, however, the computer interpreted it as an inquiry.

/* "Inquiry parameter not identified. Please restate the question." */

"Computer, who sent the message displayed?"

/* "Unknown." */

"When was it sent?"

/* "Unknown." */

"Where did it come from?"

/* "Unknown." */

"How long has it been in my inbox?"

/* "Unknown." */

Admiral Donnelson drummed his fingers on the desk.

"Computer, acknowledge read receipt, Donnelson, Kenneth James, Admiral."

He heard a soft beep indicating compliance, and then the message opened. The text was elegant in its simplicity, the signor was surprising--the file attachment, disturbing.

"Admiral Donnelson,

The attached file contains pertinent information concerning a particular individual we both met this evening. If further assistance is required, please reply to this message. If not, I will consider this matter as handled by proper authority.

Sincerely,

Moira Nightwing, SLG-78"

"What are you up to, my dark little lady?" he muttered--and then he opened the file attachment.

"Ye gods!" Admiral Donnelson whispered in shock.

Captain Theodore Delaney, the supply officer who had it out for James and his crew, is not only a racist, but comes from a family with a long history of it, all the way back to the outlawed, state declared hate group, the Church of Holy Universal Divinity, and related to none other than the infamous Reverend Barnabas Blackburn. Captain Delaney's family was key players in the Purity Uprising of 2213, and apparently, they were still determined to stir up trouble. Captain Delaney himself has a record of dealing harshly with G.E.L.F.s and those of mixed heritage, meting out harsher punishments than warranted on them, while giving lighter--if any--punishment on humans who are involved in wrongdoings against non-humans. Indeed, his current staff and all those in his department are all "pure blood" humans. Captain Delaney and his family are members of questionable organizations whose members all trace their roots back to the failed Purity Uprising.

"A person is free to believe what they want, but when it comes to the things he's been doing...," Admiral Donnelson was shaking with anger.

He forced himself to calm down and saved the attachment to a secure data chip that he kept locked in his especially hardened safe. As soon as the download was complete, the original message was gone.

"What the...? Computer, retrieve message from sender 'NW'."

/* "Message not found, unable to comply." */

"What do you mean, 'not found'?"

/* "The specified message does not exist." */

"Computer, display all deleted messages within the past twenty-four hours."

/* "No deleted messages to recover, unable to comply." */

"What? Belay that last. Computer, run advanced forensic routine on my storage and message areas, look for anything deleted, overwritten, hidden, or otherwise obfuscated. Display results when complete."

/* "Estimated time to completion--one hour, seventeen minutes. Commencing..." */

While the computer was working, Admiral Donnelson took a long shower, taking his time at brushing out his black and white fur, after drying off. For a forty-one year old skunk G.E.L.F., Admiral Donnelson kept himself in good shape--a holdover from back when he commanded a special forces unit that saw plenty of action during the R'Hinsa Campaign. Slipping into a clean work uniform, Admiral Donnelson checked the computer's progress--still thirty-seven minutes to go. He decided to make a call home while waiting on the computer to finish.

(Son Tommy answers call)

Adm. D.: "Hi Tommy, how are you?"

Tommy: "Fine, dad. Mom! Dad's on!" (Replies in background)

Adm. D.: "How are your brothers and sisters doing?"

Tommy: "John broke his arm in training, but the Corpsmen got him healed up and he was on light duty for a day. Daisy's on the Spencer, and they're getting ready for deployment. Haven't heard from Ben in a while, and Jo's doing good in school--she's at a game with Andy."

Adm. D.: "Sounds like everyone's busy. Oh, I ran into Lilly and James here on the station. I'm going to see his new ship tomorrow morning--Lilly's on it, too, and so is Tanya. He must have done some wheeling and dealing to get both of them on there." (Chuckles)

Tommy: "Guess so. Here's mom..."

[Flora]: "Hey, Kenny, how's it going up there?" (Blows kiss)

Adm. D.: "Ah, you know...business as usual, dear." (Returns kiss)

[Flora]: "I guess Tommy filled you in by the time I got upstairs."

Adm. D.: "He did. How's the restoration work going?"

[Flora]: "That old video system is a bit finicky, but the recoding is coming along. I wish Lilly were here to clean up the signal; she's got a knack for it. What's that, hun? Oh, Tommy says you saw Lilly on the station?"

Adm. D.: "Yes, just this evening, in fact. James is getting a brand new scout ship, and he somehow managed to get Lilly and Tanya as part of his crew."

[Flora]: "Go figure. Those three just can't stay away from each other."

Adm. D.: "Seems that way. While I question the wisdom of all three of them being on the same ship, and a small one at that, at least I know James will take good care of our Lilly."

[Flora]: "True. It seems like he's got someone watching out for him. Oh, are you going to be home this weekend? I thought maybe we could...you know..."

[Flora]: "That'll be great. Grandma found a really, really, old family recipe for a rum-raisin cake--she said it sounds truly potent. I'm going to try to make it and see what it's like."

Adm. D.: "Hmm, could be interesting. Well dear, I'm going to have to get off of here--the computer's almost finished with something, and then I gotta make a call to The Boss."

[Flora]: "Anything serious?"

Adm. D.: "Nah, the computer's been running a diagnostic routine, and I've got a staffing issue that needs his okay to settle. Routine stuff."

[Flora]: "Okay, dear. Give me a call when you leave so I know when to have dinner ready. Love you!" (Blows kiss)

Adm. D.: "Will do. My love to the kids. Love you, too. (Returns kiss) Bye."

/* "End transmission" */

He sat there for ten to fifteen seconds, savoring the last image of his wife and the sound of her vice, but another thought intruded upon his reverie.

"Staffing issue, indeed!" Aloud he said, "I'd rather be home right now running my fingers through her fur than dealing with this crap. Hmm, there was a time when I'd rather be out on the frontier, 'prowlin' and growlin''...I guess maybe I should consider retirement. When all I want to do is get away from here and spend time at home, snuggled up with Flo, I should think it's time to hang up the ol' environment suit and call it a day."

Just then, the computer interrupted his musings.

/* "Program complete. Results as follows..." */

Admiral Donnelson looked over the results of the forensics program.

"Damn! It's not here! Ooo...she's good that one is. James, my boy, that pretty little ship of yours is one sharp cookie. She just might be what it takes to get you and your crew back home. We're going to have a little chat tomorrow..., but first I've got another fish to fry."

Opening a channel back to Terra, the face of his boss's assistant appeared on the screen.

Adm. D.: "Hi, Daphne, is the boss still there by chance?"

[Assistant]: "Good evening, Admiral Donnelson. He's just leaving...I think I can catch him, hold please."

(Several seconds later...)

[CNO]: "Kenny? Daph said you wanted to talk to me?"

Adm. D.: "Dave, would you mind switching to Secure Mode, please?"

[CNO]: "Certainly, just a sec..."

/* "Secure communication initiated" * /

[CNO]: "What's up, Kenny?"

Adm. D. "Got a couple of issues--one is that business out in sector one-four-nine."

[CNO]: "I've been appraised. Got something in mind?"

Adm. D. "Actually, yes. There's a new long-range scout ship just about finished being built, and I've met the crew already--they're good. As soon as they complete their shakedown, I think they should make a run out there and see what they can find. The ship should be completed in a week, maybe less. A quick run out to Proxima and back, resupply, and then slip out into the black."

[CNO]: "Sounds good. What's the ship and who'll be commanding?"

Adm. D. "Ship's name is Nightwing, SLG-78; the CO is going to be Commander James Daugherty."

[CNO]: "Daugherty...I know that name."

Adm. D.: "A lot of history behind that family's name."

[CNO]: "True enough. Who else is with him?"

Adm. D.: "Their medic is HMC Mindy Sorrel--she earned the Silver Star during the R'Hinsa Campaign. James did the pickup after dropping my men off to hold the area for the dust-off."

[CNO]: "Battle tested veterans, good, they're a plus. Who else?"

Adm. D.: "I'll send you the full list tomorrow--I'm going over for a tour and lunch with the crew. The ship's A.I. is quite something, too. In fact, that brings me to the other issue."

[CNO]: "Which is?"

Adm. D. "Had a run-in earlier this evening with a Captain Theodore Delaney, a supply officer on the station. Things got a little ugly--and then that ship's A.I. stepped in. Long story short, she uncovered something about that captain I mentioned, something rather disturbing. I'm going to send you a file that's pretty damning. Once you see it, I'd like to have permission to do my own investigation into the matter. Sending now..."

(A short while later...)

Adm. D.: "What do you think, Dave?"

[CNO]: "Ye gods, Kenny...if this is true...you say the ship's A.I. dug this up?"

Adm. D. "Yep, can't prove that she did--she somehow covered her tracks but good. The message she sent me disappeared without a trace the instant the attachment was finished downloading. There are absolutely no log entries or any other record that the message even existed, yet there's the intel."

[CNO]: "Where's he at now?"

Adm. D.: "Locked in his stateroom with two of my operators standing guard. I was planning on holding him there until I could talk to the station's CO, but...after getting that bit of intel, I think I'll have him transported directly into the brig. Something's going to have to be done about the ones he gathered around him."

[CNO]: "Do what you have to, and keep me posted. We may have to run this up if it becomes necessary. On the former matter, I want that ship out in sector one-four-nine A.S.A.P."

Adm. D. "Will do. Talk to you tomorrow, Dave."

[CNO]: "'Night Kenny."

/* "End secure transmission" */

"Sure is quiet up here, ma'am," EW-2 Cara Bronski commented while she and CWO-2 Sonya Redhill stood watch on the bridge of Nightwing.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I think everything's finished on this end of the ship--at least until the yard installs the engine core, and we wont be on here when they do that."

Petty Officer Bronski was thinking about the tremendous power bottled up with an engine core--for a ship this size, if there should be a catastrophic cascade failure, the blast could rip apart one of the medium sized bodies in Sol's asteroid belt--when the ship's chronometer softly chimed five bells.

"Ma'am? It's time for me to do my rounds--want me to bring anything from the galley for you on my way back?"

"Mmm, I could go for a jug of Cana'aran wine and a bowl of Elendorian cheese balls...," CWO-2 Redhill replied.

"Ha, I don't think they'd let us have any of that...especially not while we're on duty!" EW-2 Bronski chuckled.

Both the wine and the cheese balls are known for their aphrodisiac properties--when combined, the effect could be quite...arousing.

"Too bad, eh?" CWO-2 Redhill commented, licking her lips. The expression on her face was such that Petty Officer Bronski wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Um...I'll...be back in a while, ma'am. Want some coffee or something?"

Redhill thought to herself, "Or something," though what she said was, "Sure."

Once off the bridge, Cara thought about the expression Redhill had on her face.

"It's so hard to tell what they're thinking sometimes, especially the cats. Lilly's pretty easy to read, and Ivor is most of the time. Miss Stewert...she's a different one. Chief Sorrel seems easy to get along with, and Miss Eriksson is a hoot--must be something about ship's engineers, always ranting about something, though they'll help you out if you're having trouble fixing something. At least we've got a skipper with a sense of humor, and he's approachable. My last CO--yeesh, what an ass! Mr. McCloud seems kind of quiet, not bad looking, either. Miss Dvoretsky...she seems nice, but I wouldn't want to get on her bad side...and those eyes, they just bore into you! Hmm, I've noticed that the skipper's got the same amber eyes."

Cara's thoughts were momentarily distracted when she saw the ship A.I.'s avatar step out from the access alcove that leads down to the computer core, and head aft at a brisk pace. Cara watched the android's perfect stride until she disappeared through a bulkhead door.

I wonder what she looks like without that uniform. Is she completely covered in synthetic skin, or just the visible parts like hands and head? Since I re-upped for another term just to get this ship, maybe I'll get a chance to find out in the next four years...if we survive this tour."

Cara shook her head and continued making her rounds, checking to make sure no one was sneaking about, and compartments, hatches, and access panels that were supposed to be secured, were.

Down on third deck, Cara poked her head into the Transport Room, which contained the matter-teleporter used to convey people and materials quickly. She knew that the physics behind it was way over her head, and like everyone else on the crew, she was going to have to qualify on it. The basic operation of the device seemed simple enough--a person stood within the transport chamber on one of the hexagonal grids, the operator selected the target co-ordinates, and then pressed the "send" touch control. If everything worked like it was supposed to, transport took only a few seconds and everyone arrived safely--if everything didn't work right, one hoped that the fail-safes cut in and no harm done. Otherwise...well, no one wanted to think about the consequences. When transport accidents happen, they were usually messy, and messy accidents meant someone died--often horribly. The modern transport systems have an excellent safety record, but the early ones didn't always. When Cara was about to continue on with her rounds, she detected a faint smell of ozone in the room.

"That's odd...," she said to herself. Activating her comm-set, Cara said, "Bronski to Bridge."

Redhill: "Bridge, Redhill here."

[Bronski]: "Ma'am, has anyone been working in the Transport Room?"

Redhill: "Not to my knowledge, why?"

[Bronski]: "I popped in for a quick look and...I smell ozone."

Redhill: "Ozone, eh? Anything arcing and sparking in there?"

[Bronski]: "No ma'am, and there's no smoke or anything."

Redhill: "Hmm, check the log to see if there was a transport recently."

[Bronski]: "Um...how do you do that, ma'am? I'm not qualified on this yet."

Redhill: "Oh, it's simple. Go to the console, on the left side there's a small display screen. See it?"

[Bronski]: "Just a sec...okay, ma'am, I see it. Now what?"

Redhill: "Touch it once and it'll light up. When it does, you'll see a menu. Look for an item labeled 'History'."

[Bronski]: "Okay, I'm there."

Redhill: "You should find another item marked 'Logs'. Go into that, and the top one should be 'Transport'. Go into that, and it'll list the most recent use first."

[Bronski]: "Done and done. It's empty--nothing's listed."

Redhill: "Empty? No way! I know for a fact it's been used within the past two days--Lieutenant Eriksson and I sent some parts over to the station for exchange because they didn't meet specs. Only the ship's engineer or the captain can delete those logs."

[Bronski]: "I swear ma'am, the log is empty. I...I could show you, if you'd like."

Cara searched for, found, and reached out mentally to CWO-2 Redhill. When the mental connection was made, Cara sent what she saw to her superior. It was the first time Cara had touched minds with a G.E.L.F., and it had been quite some time since she had done so with anyone. Cara usually kept her thoughts private, especially after a former relationship turned ugly. Of course, such connections can work both ways, and Miss Redhill was a bit too open for Cara's comfort. Embarrassed, Cara quickly shielded her mind and severed the mental connection abruptly.

Redhill: "Are you alright, Cara?"

[Bronski]: "I'm...it's...um...I've never..."

Redhill: "Understood. I saw the display...strange that it's been cleared. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Continue with your rounds. Bridge out."

Cara was relieved that Miss Redhill let it drop without being judgmental--at least she seemed concerned for her well being. After returning the display to the home menu, Cara took one more quick look around and left. When she completed her rounds, Cara stopped in the ship's galley and loaded a small tray with an insulated carafe of coffee, something to snack on, and the other necessary things to go with those.

When she stepped onto the bridge, Cara saw CWO-2 Redhill gazing at something on a computer screen.

Approaching from the side, Cara asked, "Coffee, ma'am?"

Sonya lazily turned her head away from the screen to look at Petty Officer Bronski, blinking slowly. A quiet, but deeply throated purr started.

"Cer-r-rtainly."

Cara looked into her superior's golden brown eyes, and blinked rapidly once before quickly looking away. She pulled out a work surface to set the tray on before pouring them both a cup of coffee.

"Um...cream and sugar, ma'am?" Cara asked politely.

"Just cr-r-ream," Sonya replied, her purr being more of a rumble, and not like a housecat's.

When Cara handed the cup to her, Sonya's powerful hand gripped surprisingly gently, grasping both the cup and Cara's hand. It sent a strange sensation through Cara's body--the pads on Sonya's finger tips were soft and warm, smooth instead of rough. For an instant, Cara imagined--quite uncharacteristically--those powerful yet soft hands touching her...

"Um...would you want...something to snack on...ma'am? Cara asked, blushing.

Only when Cara gestured towards the food on the tray did Sonya look over at it. She glanced quickly at the selection before slowly back at Cara.

Standing smoothly, fluidly, Sonya kept her eyes on Cara's.

"I believe I shall," she replied, licking her lips, grinning.

Cara took a small step back to maintain a respectable distance while the Weapons Officer made her choice from the tray.

"These look tasty," Sonya commented, picking up a roll of thin-sliced meat filled with a seasoned cream cheese mixture.

"They are, ma'am," Cara said, "I tried one on the way forward."

Sonya bit off half of the little meat roll, chewed twice, and then swallowed it, doing the feline equivalent of smacking her lips.

"You're right, this is rather tasty. May not be an Elendorian cheese ball, however, whatever is available must suffice," Sonya said.

She ate the second half, and managed to get some of the filling on the edge of her mouth. Unfortunately for most G.E.L.F.s, the ability to lick one's bottom lip is a distinctly human trait. Seeing Sonya futilely attempting to get the elusive glob of filling, Cara--without thinking--offered to wipe it off with her finger.

"May I?"

Sonya's initial expression was unreadable by Cara, who wasn't sure if her offer of assistance might turn out to be offensive or welcome, until Sonya slowly stuck her chin out much like when a cat wants its chin scratched. Cara deftly removed the wayward filling with the tip of her second finger. Before she could pull her hand away to wipe it off, Sonya gently grabbed Cara's wrist, and then licked the bit of filling from her finger--slowly. Seeing the surprised look on Cara's face, Sonya grinned.

"One should never let food go to waste," she said quietly. "Thank you, perhaps some day I may return the favor."

"Um...you're welcome...ma'am," Cara said, feeling a bit flustered.

Sonya smiled, and then took a few more of the little meat rolls, before sitting back down at her station to enjoy them with her cup of coffee. Popping them whole into her mouth one at a time, Sonya went back to reading what was displayed on the computer screen.

"One of my brothers, Toma is his name, has apparently taken a human woman as his mate, according to my sister, Erika. This should be interesting," Sonya chuckled. She finished reading the message and then closed out.

"Um, why do you say that, ma'am?" Cara asked carefully.

"Ever been with a G.E.L.F. before, Cara?"

"No, ma'am. Um, back in junior high there was a boy I rather liked, he was a ferret, I think, but his father got transferred and they had to move. We tried to keep in touch, but you know, time and distance, and all that," Cara replied.

"Were you a military brat?"

"Yes, ma'am, I was."

"Me, too. My family's been part of the military as far back as the Purity Uprising."

"Wow, that was over three hundred years ago...a long time."

"Yeah, a long time," Sonya agreed.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, have you ever...been with a human?"

"Once, some years ago."

"What happened between you and him?"

Sonya glanced over at Cara, before looking out the forward window.

"She died in battle during the R'Hinsa Campaign. Her ship, the Phoebos, took a torpedo hit to the secondary drive...when it went up, the primary drive went into catastrophic cascade failure and, well, you can imagine. At least they took the bastards with them."

Sonya lifted her cup towards the stars and added quietly, "You fought the good fight, Gertie...went out in a blaze of glory, didn't ya, hun? Here's to you and your crewmates...standing eternal watch, until the sea gives up her dead."

Sonya closed her eyes and tossed back the last of the contents of her cup. She lowered the cup and her head for a few moments of silent remembrance.

The revelation that Miss Redhill had once had a human woman as a lover, kind of explained a few things to Cara, or at least she though it did. At any rate, Cara felt bad, not only about what had happened, but also for asking--and assuming it was a man.

Sonya looked down into her cup, even though she knew it was empty. Shrugging her shoulders, Sonya got up to get a refill. With a little sniffle, Cara approached CWO-2 Redhill and reached a hand up to her shoulder, since Sonya is thirty centimeters taller than she.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't know."

"Ah, don't worry about it...just life in the military," Sonya said softly as she put an arm around Cara, "you love some, you lose some, and the rest you just have to put up with."

Cara didn't know what to say--or to do. Her human instinct was to hug and give comfort, but her military training required her to keep a certain distance--Miss Redhill a Chief Warrant Officer after all, and she was only a Petty Officer Second Class. Perhaps because the G.E.L.F. still had her arm around Cara's shoulders, thousands of years of instinct won out, and Cara slipped her arms around Miss Redhill's torso in a hug. Sonya was somewhat surprised by this show of...what, affection? Comfort? Support? Whatever the reason, a hug is a hug, and Sonya welcomed it. She embraced Cara warmly, and started to purr.

It had been a long time since Sonya was this close to anyone, male or female, and she found herself enjoying this woman's body against her. Sonya knew better, of course, but...dammit, she had needs, too! Unfortunately, being a Warrant Officer, she was neither enlisted nor commissioned officer, and couldn't be part of either group. Sylvia Stewert was the only other CWO onboard, and while Sonya would love to feel that long, flexible bat tongue inside her, she deemed Sylvia as being too fragile in terms of puma sex. Petty Officer Felix Canberra, the only other cat G.E.L.F. onboard, is a house cat--too finicky for her liking. Miss Eriksson, the ship's engineer...Sonya would love to experience the mare, but that wasn't going to happen. Sonya knew enough about her that all she wanted was a bottle in hand and an engine between her legs--or maybe the other way around. She could fantasize about the others, but Cara was here--now--and warm, attractive, caring, and smelled so inviting.

Sonya gently licked the side of Cara's face along her jaw line and up to her ear. Cara gasped softly and pulled her head back, her bewilderment clearly showing on her face.

"Oh, oh...I hope I didn't go too far with this one," Sonya thought worriedly.

"M-Miss Redhill?"

"I'm sorry, Cara, I...," Sonya started to say, lowering her ears. She could see the petty officer's emotions playing across her face.

Cara looked about nervously, and then she reached both hands up to hold Sonya's face.

"Y-you, um...can, if...you want," Cara said hesitantly, her heart racing and her eyes searching...

"Are you sure...?" Sonya asked softly, knowing that things would be forever different between them once they did.

With a simple nod from Cara, Sonya leaned closer until the short fur on her upper lip barely brushed Cara's.

Other than a child's kiss to her mother, Cara had never kissed--or had been kissed--by a woman before, let alone a G.E.L.F. Her body trembled in the puma's embrace, not knowing what to expect. She knew this was wrong, at least from a military standpoint--the rules concerning fraternization were clear, even though sometimes they were overlooked. Getting caught, especially while on duty, could land a couple in serious trouble. Except for some yard workers in Engineering, who wouldn't likely care since they're civilians, the ship was deserted--it was just the two of them, and the ship's A.I., who seemed content to stay out of it at the moment. Their parted lips touched...smooth human tongue met rough puma tongue. The sensation was wildly exotic--and much to Cara's amazement--erotic. Probing deeper, Cara felt the long, hard fangs meant for ripping, the sharp smaller teeth, and the ridges in the roof of the G.E.L.F.'s mouth. As they continued their kissing, Cara felt a hand touch her left breast, giving it a gentle though firm squeeze. Cara reciprocated, sliding her right hand down the furry neck, fingering the zipper pull, and then slowly easing it downward.

"Do it...all the way," Sonya murmured before resuming the kiss.

Cara breathed heavily, complying with Sonya's wish, sliding the zipper pull all the way down, slowly. When she had Sonya's uniform completely opened, Cara slipped her hand inside, feeling the warm, soft fur. Cara knew from boot camp that G.E.L.F. females don't wear bras--their uniform standards were a bit different than for humans. Fondling Sonya's left breast, Cara found her nipple, which was hidden under some longer fur that fell over it. Brushing the fur aside, she teased it gently until it stood fully erect, causing Sonya to take a deep breath. Curious, Cara put her lips to it, kissed it tenderly and sucked it, letting her hand slip further down toying with the top edge of Sonya's skivvies.

Sonya unzipped Cara's uniform all the way, and slid her hand up under Cara's undershirt, exploring her smooth, furless flesh.

"We're so different...," Cara said quietly, feeling Sonya's crotch.

"Yet...not so much in some ways," Sonya added, dong the same to Cara, and finding that she was just as wet.

"Yeah."

"Cara...if we weren't on duty right now...oooh," Sonya moaned when a finger slipped inside her, "...I'd take you."

Carefully withdrawing her hand, Cara held it up--her fingers were dripping wet. The musky scent unexpectedly caused her mouth to water. She had, on a whim, experimented by tasting her own cum, and found it strangely pleasant, so she thought, "why not?" and put her fingers into her own mouth, one at a time, sucking them clean while Sonya watched.

"You like?" Sonya asked, wanting very much right then for her crewmate to lick more than her own fingers.

"Yeah. Um, ma'am...what time..."

"Please, call me 'Sonya'..."

"Sonya...what time are they supposed to come back?"

"By 2200, why?"

"Um...oh my...I think that's the shuttle!"

Sonya turned and looked out the large forward window. Sure enough, a small vessel was approaching.

"Damn!"

Grabbing the napkins off the tray, Sonya handed some to Cara, though not before she quickly ran a finger pad across Cara's crotch and then tasted her.

"We'd better wipe ourselves quick...gods, I want you!" Sonya said hurriedly, giving Cara a quick kiss, rubbing tongues with her.

When they finished, Cara took the used napkins and disposed of them in the head just aft of the bridge.

/* "Nightwing, this is shuttle one, we're on approach vector...be there in five." */

Tanya wasn't in too much of a hurry to get back to the ship--they had been having fun, and going back meant fun over. Petty Officer Canberra was passed out, having made the mistake of trying to keep up with Lt. (j.g.) Eriksson. Miss Stewert refused to do more than to nurse a couple of only slightly intoxicating drinks all evening. She did, however, dance with several guys--even sneaking one slow dance with James while Tanya and Lilly were in the head. Tanya thought it rather comical to see Miss Eriksson do a somewhat wild dance with James, given their height difference, though Lilly watched quietly. Lilly wanted desperately to dance with James, but with her being an enlisted, it would likely have caused problems, and they already had one incident on this trip. Lilly did let Ivor--who was just trying to be nice--talk her into having a dance. Even though her heart wasn't into it, she tried anyway just because Ivor was just being nice.

At about 2045 hours, James announced that he was going to get started back to the ship since the inspection pod would take a while to make the trip as it is not as fast as the shuttle. He reminded everyone to be back at 2200 hours, and then motioned for Lilly to come with him. Petty Officer McElroy watched with curiosity as James and Lilly walked towards the exit. Just as they stepped through the door, he saw James put his arm around Lilly and she leaned her head briefly against his shoulder.

"I wonder why the skipper wanted Donnelson to go wi' him. There isn't somethin' going on between them is there?" he asked.

Miss Eriksson patted him on the shoulder with her large three-digit hand and said, "McElroy, the commander and Petty Officer Donnelson are family--cousins, if you really want to know."

"How do ye know that, ma'am?"

"He told me one evening at dinner," she replied.

Ivor looked up at Miss Eriksson and raised an eyebrow.

"Long story. Anyway, their great, great, great grandparents were mates and had two girls; one married a human sailor in the old wet navy by the name of Donnelson. The commander's great, great, great grandfather actually had three mates, none of them human. He was kinda famous--you ought to remember reading about him in History class--he and his friends did a lot for our kind when they first came into the world, over five hundred years ago. The skipper is a descendant of one of his great, great, great grandfather's mates who was a Gen-One wolf G.E.L.F."

"Ach, well now, that explains the eyes and teeth, I'm s'posin'," McElroy said.

Shauna thought to herself as she looked towards the door, "That's not all he got from that side of the family."

When it was time to head back to the ship, Petty Officer Canberra was still out cold.

"What the hell has be been drinking...it looks...green," Shauna asked, peering into Felix's glass.

"Slide that over, if you would, ma'am, and I'll let you know," Chief Sorrel requested.

Shauna shrugged her large shoulders and slid the glass over to the corpsman. Giving it a quick sniff, Mindy rolled her eyes.

"It's made with fermented catnip juice--he'll be in 'La-La-Land' for the rest of the night, longer, actually, but I've got something that'll detox him when we get back to the ship." Under her breath she added sarcastically, "Cats..."

"Great, so that means we've got to carry his furry carcass back," Tanya said with a groan.

"Meh, I'll carry him, he's a light-weight," Shauna said with a snicker. Her family was derived from Clydesdale horses, which meant that she was not a small lady. With no effort, Shauna picked up Canberra and tossed him over her shoulder, as if he was no more than a ditty bag.

When they made their way back to the hanger, the watch officer and two marines--different ones this time, as the previous ones were relieved at 2000 hours--gave them rather strange looks.

"Permission to leave the station, sir?" Tanya requested as she saluted.

"What's wrong with that one?" the watch officer asked pointing to Canberra.

"He's one of ours...just had a bit too much to drink, so we're taking him back to the ship to sleep it off...sir," Shauna said with a grin.

The watch officer noted the black uniforms they all wore.

"Scout ship crew, eh?"

"Yes, sir," Tanya replied, "Nightwing, SLG-78."

The watch officer looked at his pad, scrolling through the ships present at the station.

"I don't see it listed here," he said after a moment.

"We're over in the yard, sir, Bay Three."

Giving a slight nod, he called up the list of ship's currently in the nearby yard complex.

"Ah, here you are. New ship, I see...very well, permission granted."

As they filed by, the watch officer checked their I.D.s--when it was Mindy's turn, he stopped her.

"Just a moment, Chief, I think I know you from somewhere. I remember your voice--my assault craft took a hit in the eta Cassiopei A system, you were the medic that got to me first...," he said, stepping out from behind the small desk. Bending down, the watch officer unzipped the leg opening of his uniform and pulled it up, revealing the tell-tale scars of having had a synthetic replacement from just below the knee on down. The "hit" had shattered his lower leg, and it had to be amputated. Later, a replacement was grown and fitted, becoming a permanent part of his body. Everyone watched as Mindy knelt down to look at it.

"May I?" she asked softly.

The watch officer nodded, and Mindy gently probed the attachment area with her fingers. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then let out a little sigh.

"They did a good job."

"Yeah. I was kinda out of it by the time you got to me, but I remember your voice--it kept me going through...what came later," he said, nearly chocking on his words.

"I remember...you were a young Second Lieutenant, just out of the Academy, your first outfit--'Bomar's Bombers'."

"Yeah."

The older members of Nightwing's crew closed their eyes and lowered their faces out of respect--the watch officer was only one of three to survive the initial attack and the failed first rescue attempt. If it hadn't been for Chief Sorrel getting to him in time, he wouldn't be here now.

"You pulled through, just like I said you would," she smiled gently.

"I-I've wanted to look you up one day so that I could thank you...for saving my hide."

"You're still alive, sir...that's thanks enough for me," Mindy said, still smiling.

"Er...I know this would be a breach of protocol, but...may I?" the watch officer asked, holding his arms out slightly. Mindy, trying not to be embarrassed, hugged the officer, each giving the other a few pats on the back before stepping apart.

"Thank you, Chief...means a lot to me."

"Keep the faith, sir," she said, saluting.

"You, too, Chief," he said, crisply returning her salute.

After they cleared the station, and was on course to the ship, James turned back to look at his cousin.

"What do you want to do now, Lil?"

"Hold me..."

James dimmed the interior lights and joined Lilly in the back, who was sitting on the deck instead of in the jump seat. They had just enough room to stretch out in the darkened pod, snuggled together under an emergency blanket.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Lil?" James asked after a few minutes, stroking the fur on her head and neck.

"You still think I'm sexy?"

"Of course I do, Lil, you're still the hot little skunk babe that I've been chasing around the galaxy ever since we figured out that we could have more fun with each other than with our toys."

Lilly grinned, and then remembered something.

"I dunno, you found a novel use for your pacifier...," she said with a sly grin.

"Heh, well, it tasted better after it was in your cunny," James chuckled.

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he promptly sucked it into his mouth, kissing her deeply.

"Mmm...ya know, momma always wondered why we shared the same pacifier," Lilly smirked.

"Yeah, whatever happened to yours?" James asked, recalling how they looked and looked for it, eventually giving it up for lost.

"I...stuck it in my butt," she replied sheepishly.

"No wonder nobody could find it--that's the one place they wouldn't have guessed to look," James laughed.

"Yeah, well, it felt good...but you felt better," she said, running her hand down to his crotch.

"Want it?"

"Eat me first..."

James slowly unzipped Lilly's uniform, helping her out of it. The sight of her bright red thong reminded him of when they were getting dressed on their trip over to the station, giving him an instant hard-on. He leaned back for a moment to admire her as she lay there waiting for him.

"Lil..."

"Yeah, Jamie?"

"Gods, you're gorgeous!"

"Will you still think that when I'm an old woman?"

"Lil...even if we're both old and in grav-chairs, I'll still chase that tail of yours around the house so that I could at least munch your furry muff!"

"Really?"

"Bet on it, cuz," he sent, just to make sure that she knew it. "I don't know if I'll still be able to get it up seventy years from now, but I oughtta still be able to give ya a good lickin'."

"Ooo! Lick it, Jamie, drink me up!"

Slowly shucking her thong off, James obliged his cousin Lilly eagerly, knowing just what it takes to get her to cum hard enough to gush...and not a drop escaped.

Late that night, after the others were asleep, or should have been, James, Lilly, and Tanya were piled on James' bunk in his cabin. The captain's cabin is larger than the officer's staterooms, with an office, sleeping quarters, head, and quick access to the bridge from the office. There is an additional door that leads from the sleeping quarters to a small anteroom, and then into the main passageway. The captain's bed is consequently larger than the standard sized bunk, or "rack", as they've been referred to since the days of the wet navy, but still not the size of a normal bed.

"Geez, Tan, that was fun," Lilly commented after catching her breath.

"Yeah...I needed that," she agreed with a happy sigh. "Hey, babe, any more of that vino left?"

"Think so...bottle's around here somewhere," James replied, looking around for it.

"Woo...um...wait, I think..., Lilly said, reaching behind her. "Here it is."

"Lilly...you didn't...?" James inquired with an "I hope you didn't" expression on his face.

"No, silly, it wasn't there...!" Lilly replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Just checking," James smirked, taking the bottle from her.

"I bet if it was empty, she would," Tanya chuckled.

"Nah, Jamie's better than some ol' bottle any day," Lilly countered.

"You got that right, Lil!" Tanya agreed.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, ladies. There's just no substituting for the real thing," James laughed.

"I'll second that!" Lilly agreed cheerfully.

Earlier, when the crew arrived back at the ship, Miss Eriksson asked, "Should I put him in his rack, or bring him up to Sickbay?"

"Let's take him to Sickbay, it'll be easier for me to monitor him from there, ma'am," Chief Sorrel recommended.

"No problem, 'Doc'. C'mon, young tom, time for you to curl up on a nice, comfy bio-bed in Sickbay," Shauna said as she hoisted Petty Officer Canberra up and over her shoulder again. Chief Sorrel pointed to one of the empty beds once they arrived in Sickbay, and while Miss Eriksson carefully laid the yeoman down on the bio-bed, she filled a micro-spray injector with a detox drug and adjusted the dosage based on his weight, age, species, and metabolism rate. There was a brief hiss as the medicine was administered. Chief Sorrel glanced over the display, checking Petty Officer Canberra's vitals, and satisfied, she stowed the injector back in its drawer. She got a blanket from a storage compartment, and set it on the foot of the bed.

"Would you help me get his uniform off, please?"

"Sure thing, 'Doc'," Shauna replied.

Together they worked to remove his uniform, and once it was off and set aside, Chief Sorrel covered Felix with the blanket.

"Nighty-night, sailor," Shauna said quietly, giving Felix a gentle pat with her large hand. "'Night, Chief, see you at breakfast in the morning."

"Good night, ma'am."

Mindy sat down at her desk to do a little work before hitting the rack. Her quarters were connected to Sickbay through her office. If any patient in Sickbay should need immediate attention, she could be there in a moment's notice. When she finished her work, Mindy went to check on her charge.

"Cats...you just can't stay away from that juice, can you? Too bad those who created our kind centuries ago didn't think to find a way to make you cats not susceptible to catnip. *Sigh* If only this would be the least of my worries...ah, well, hopefully we won't get burned down on some rock out in the boonies."

A short while later, Mindy yawned deeply and said aloud to her own self, "I guess I'd better get my tail to bed."

She dimmed the lights in Sickbay and, making one more check on Felix, she turned out the light in her office and stepped into her quarters. Just as she started to peel out of her uniform, Mindy heard the door to Sickbay open.

"Chief Sorrel?"

"Back here, Moira."

The A.I.'s avatar stepped up to the doorway into the chief's quarters.

"I'm sorry to bother you at this late hour. I just learned that one of my crew is...indisposed?"

"He just had a little too much to drink tonight, he'll be alright in the morning," Mindy said.

Moira could see the chief through a gap in the curtain across the doorway. Chief Sorrel had her back to the door, and just finished removing her uniform. She didn't see Moira's avatar watching her. Mindy, standing in her dark skivvies, picked up a tank top that was on her rack. Moira saw the burn scar that cut diagonally across the chief's back, from left shoulder across and downward to her ribcage on the right. It looked a few years old, and Moira noticed the chief experienced a twinge of discomfort as she pulled the top down over her head.

"That must have been excruciating," Moira commented softly.

"Huh?" Chief Sorrel said in surprise.

"Your scar," Moira replied.

"Oh...yeah, that. A plasma bolt got a little too close for comfort."

"What from?"

"A R'Hinsi cannon."

"You were fortunate it did not strike you," Moira stated.

"Yeah. Quite a few weren't so lucky though. At least a hotshot pilot driving a PCG was somehow able to silence that cannon, put a Special Warfare team on the ground, and evac the wounded and dead back up to the Calgary. If it wasn't for him...we wouldn't have made it."

"Were you able to find out who the pilot was that saved you?" Moira asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah," Mindy paused for a moment, "Lieutenant James Daugherty."

Moira slightly arched an eyebrow, making a note to research the incident. She inquired no further about the matter with Chief Sorrel, having analyzed the stress in her voice pattern, indicating it was a topic that best be pursued via other means.

"If it is alright with you, I would like to sit with Felix tonight. I will be quiet."

Mindy looked at Moira's android avatar, quickly studying her face, seeing what appeared to her as a child-like expression of expectancy.

"As you wish, Moira. He'll probably sleep soundly tonight."

"Thank you, Chief. I will wake you if there should be an unforeseen change in his condition."

Mindy nodded her head once, and then turned off the overhead light; the blue night-sight preserving lights were the only other lights on, besides the instrument panel over Canberra's bio-bed, and other indicator lights. Moira placed a stool over next to the bio-bed, adjusted its height, and sat down. Mindy peeked through the curtain out of curiosity, in time to see Moira place her hand over Canberra's. She smiled when Moira said with a quiet, almost mother-like tone,

"Hush now my child, and take your rest,

I wrap you close in my wings, shielding you from the storm,

Tomorrow I will carry you into the vault of the sky

Where we shall fly unhindered, in joy and wonder,

Among the stars we call home."