System: Cariathme ND+205 48

Orbit: Cariathme 3, Bandarr's Gateway Station, Imperial outpost.

Date: 08-24-5798 GS

The Sunspear decelerated into the system and the constant stringing lights of distant stars resolved into dots of various colors in the black of space. Out beyond the transparent steel of the view port was a K class star with nearly fifty known bodies in orbit. Everything from asteroid belts in a fixed orbit of the sun, to planets that amounted to nothing more than ice clumps, planets like Earth's moon with no atmosphere, and planets which orbited in the Goldilocks zone. Fully capable of habitation. After a flyby of the systems Navigation beacon to update the information he had on planetary bodies, navigational hazards, any corporate or military reservations and the latest communications protocols, Dane veered off toward the largest of this systems space stations; Bandarr's Gateway.

There were laws and regulations that governed speed and movement in this system, like any civilized, inhabited area, so he made every effort to keep within those rules, moderating his speed, trajectory and allowing his nav-comp to constantly update other ships regarding his heading, and speed as he followed a transport lane of ships toward the orbit of the third planet in the Cariathme system. As he approached the station, he allowed the computer to adjust his speed, gradually reducing his forward momentum, and then reversing thrust to place him in a parking orbit at nearly 800 kilometers from the station. That distance still left Dane with an awe inspiring view of a long cylinder with two cylindrical rings rotating around it. The hull plating was broken by cubes and rectangles jutting out of it and conduits that emerged in places to follow the curve or the length only to vanish again elsewhere as the cylinder spun, likely to create artificial gravity, he thought.

Finally, a steady beeping broke him from his awestruck admiration of the facility and he turned to his com panel, centering his view on a pulsing alert at the top of a list of transmissions. He blinked, and the helmet acknowledged his selection and opened the com.

"..ease state your purpose and prepare to be scanned. This facility is under Imperial jurisdiction. Repeat, Unidentified vessel, You have entered Bandarr's Gateway traffic space. Please state your purpose and prepare to be scanned. This facility is under Imperial jurisdiction. Please respond." came a female sounding voice. She sounded a bit nervous to Dane, and he opened the com from his end.

"Bandarr's Gateway control, this is Sunspear, Dane Morlund commanding. I am prepared for your scan, shield dropping now." he replied, moving his right hand and powering down his shields as two smaller ships approached at a steady speed. They both looked quite well armed and armored and had no desire to get into any tangle with them.

"My purpose is trade and resupply, Bandarr control." He finished and waited for the ships to pass along the length of his ship. Compared to the two ships approaching him, the Sunspear looked sleek, angular and one hell of a lot more threatening. The over all shape of Sunspear, with its over-under spearhead shaped double hull, and oval shaped rear wing fairing that mounted his engine nacelles, The Sunspear looked a lot like what it was; A general purpose hunter ship. His weapon mounts were hidden though, and the ports were closed, locked and powered down, so he hoped that if they did detect his weapons, they would also note that he wasn't currently presenting as a threat to the station.

A new voice came through on the same frequency, one a lot less nervous and a good bit more authoritative.

"Sunspear, This is commander Turien of the Akharim Imperial security force. Prepare to be boarded for inspection."

He sighed, his transmit mic still open. "Port side airlock, Commander. I will meet you there in seven minutes." He set the automatic to keep stationary relative orbit, triggered the port side airlock beacon and powered his chair back, turning his seat and detached himself from the command chair then left the command deck, securing the door as he departed. One of the best things that he had learned about this ship was that if he didn't want anyone wandering around his ship, they wouldn't get far without having to cut their way through. Every door, hatch, terminal and all was genelocked to his specific genetic makeup and biosignature. He wasn't entirely certain how common that technology was, but it was reassuring to him anyway. Beyond the system locks, it would take any intruders quite a while to cut through the nanomolecular composites that made up the hull and bulkheads throughout the ship. The Sunspear was one tough girl.

As he trotted down the corridors toward the Port side airlock, he reviewed his fabricated story. He would claim that he was the son of a custom ship designer who had become a recluse, severing their ties to society and after they passed away, he was left on his own with the Sunspear as his legacy. His first venture out into the stars had been interrupted by an accidental collision with a worm hole that placed him in the first system that he had awoken in, and it had only been a matter of luck that he had discovered the shipwreck and extracted enough navigational information to bring him to Cariathme.

With one more review, he opened the viewport into the airlock, and checked the outer seal, noting that it was green for a solid seal, he unlocked the outer hatch and opened it. On the other side awaited three armed and armored figures. All three were smaller in stature, but no less bulky because of their armor, helmets and additional trappings. Two of the three were also carrying short rifles in their hands, though they weren't pointed at him, it was a clear statement that they were prepared for violence if necessary. Dane reached out and triggered the lock to open and stood with his feet set apart, and hands at his sides, relaxed but also ready in case things turned bad. Both doors slid open with a hiss of air pressure equalizing between their ships, and the three military officers stepped forward into the airlock.

"Commander, welcome aboard the Sunspear." Dane said as they stopped just short of the bulkhead frame,

"Is.. that a male?" the armored figure on his right asked, and the one standing in the center turned her head to give their subordinate a glare.

"Commander Morlund, I am Commander Turien of the Imperial Security forces in this system. You are obliged to comply with our search of your ship for contraband as you are also obliged to present any and all identification for yourself, your crew and registrations for your ship." she said, and it was very clearly a female as he could see her eyes through the visor covering her face. "Are you prepared to comply with these requirements?"

Dane swallowed a bit nervously and showed his empty hands.

"Ah, Commander, I would love to. However, I am the only crew on this ship, and as for identification or registration... I have none." he admitted honestly, and he watched as her eyebrow lifted behind her visor.

"Stars help me, I hope the honest approach works." he thought to himself.

Commander Turien stared at him for a long moment, then sighed out a silent curse.

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Aboard the Sunspear, in orbit around Bandarr's Gateway.

13:30 hours.

"So," Turien started as she set her helmet on the table in the nearest gally and took a seat. "Let me see if I am understanding you correctly." she said, running a gloved hand back through her pale blond hair and pushing it out of her green eyes as she looked at Dane. Her skin was an even creamed-coffee brown, smooth and unblemished. Her heart shaped face and full lips only added to her allure in Danes opinion. She was short, just like he liked his lovers to be, but there was an aloofness to her that had him keeping his impulse to flirt solidly in check. He could see a good measure of suspicion in her eyes. If, that is, the nearly human appearance also translated to facial expressions. Her ears flexed, distracting his gaze from her appearance and drawing it to the slightly rounded tips of her pointed ears as they tilted backward and then raised again, but he quickly brought his attention back to her face.

"You,.. a human male.." A point that seemed to surprise her almost as much as the rest of his story, "piloting an unknown and unregistered class of ship, without any form of identification, or license. Claim to have encountered an unknown wormhole on your first voyage, after your parents died and left you on your own on a remote outpost, which was inhabited solely by them and yourself." she stated. All together, it seemed highly improbable, but it was the best he could do considering that he had simply been dropped where he was with nothing but his wits and his gaming history to help him get by.

Turien lifted her hand and rubbed at her brow, and once again he thought that the equivalent mannerisms seemed to translate. She was frustrated, and a bit irritated. All Dane could do was shrug.

"Commander, I am very sorry if this presents.. difficulties for you, but all I have is the truth to give you." Dane said as he leaned his elbows on the table. "If it is all too much for you to deal with, then the best I can offer is to reverse course and leave Imperial space." he said, turning his hands palm up. "At least, now I know where Imperial space is, and that it will be.. Quite a journey to travel around it without becoming someone else's problem."

Commander Turien shook her head slowly as she thought about it and sighed. "No, Mister Morlund, that...won't be necessary. But there are some issues. Foremost is that we cannot have an unlicensed pilot, in an unregistered vessel, moving between stars and causing any possible hazards to Imperial citizens or military craft." she said tiredly.

"If you can point out a proper path of registration and licensing, Commander, I will be happy to follow those procedures." Dane countered, trying to sound accommodating. In truth, if he could register the Sunspear, and obtain an Imperial license, he would be well on his way toward his objectives of traveling the stars freely.. At least within the bounds of the Akharim Empire. Beyond that, he would likely have to repeat the process, but that was something he could deal with later.

Commander Turien looked at him for a moment, obviously thinking it through, while the thudding steps of armored feet approached the galley.

"Commander?" called one of her subordinates.

"Here, Baniel." she replied, looking over her shoulder as both of her subordinates entered the room.

"All clear, Ma'am. No illicit substances, or contraband weapons of any kind." Baniel stated. Dane had given the command to open all hatches, doors and panels inside of the ship in order to openly show that he had only a little cargo, and that none of that was anything more than base metals, minerals and compressed, powdered organics.

"Good," Turien stated. "Then I guess the Sunspear can dock, and Mr. Morlund can become the station admin's problem." she said as she straightened and stood up as she picked up her helmet.

"Thank you, Commander." he said, then gave the two other women a nod in their direction and he too stood up. He followed the three security officers back along the corridors toward the Port side airlock, Turien trailing behind her subordinates with her helmet tucked under her arm. She looked thoughtful and glanced back at Dane from time to time.

"I know someone in the Admin section, Mr. Morlund. I think that she will be interested in the data that you have on that missing ship, the Akano." she said casually. "If any of the crew of that ship have living relatives, they will want to lay claim to it, and the remains of their dead." she paused to think for a moment, and then lowered her voice.

"However.. If no one has any claim to that ship, you do have salvage rights." she said softly, then turned her head back to where she was heading as they neared the airlock, her voice rising again.

"I expect that you will attend to registering this ship and obtaining your pilots and captains licenses.. swiftly, Mr. Morlund." she said in a tone that was not a question.

"Yes, Commander." Dane said, understanding her very clearly. "Do you happen to know of anyone that I could talk to that could advise me on those processes?" He asked as they entered the airlock. She turned, lifting her helmet over her head, and looked into his eyes.

"I may know of someone. I will be in contact if she is available." she replied and then tilted her head back, flicking her bangs back away from her eyes and settled her helmet in place, obscuring her face. He nodded to her and gave her a wave as she turned around, presenting him with a lovely inverted heart shaped rear, and he delayed closing the door for a moment longer so that he could appreciate it. The commander noticed the delay, and looked back over her shoulder with a lifted eyebrow and Dane smiled and tapped the control, grunting as the door closed, cutting off the view.

In all honesty, he was no Xenobiologist and had no idea if Commander Turien was actually a female, but if she was.. then oh lord was he in for a tough time keeping his mind on important matters. He shook his head and turned back toward the command deck, picking up his feet and landing ungracefully in his command seat just as Turien's ship signaled release and clearance of his ship to enter Bandarr's Gateway traffic zone.

"Patrol Nifah 2-3-8 to station control. Sunspear is clean and clear for entry. Turning coms over to Control."

"Bandarr's Gateway Control, Nifah 2-3-8, understood. Sunspear, please stand by for queue, Increase speed to 1-5-0 meters relative... Please confirm beacon 7-3 and follow traffic flow."

"Sunspear, Understood station control. 1-5-0 meters relative.. I have dock beacon 7-3 confirmed." he confirmed as his hands and feet took the controls and turned the ship to join in the flow of inbound haulers, freighters and passenger ships.

Dane followed the commands, and located the large rectangular opening of the space port for the station mounted at the center of one end of the cylindrical station. His mind and attention fully on piloting the ship and acknowledging station commands while watching the other ships for any random movements. Now would be a terrible time to die because something went sideways.

Dane was met at the bottom of the Sunspear's boarding ramp by two women in station security uniforms. Black with white trim, padded at shoulders, elbows, knees and hips. They were close fitting, and did absolutely nothing to hide their curves. Although, the utility belts and the prominently displayed weapons did sufficiently distract him from ogling them in any way. His own nearly skin tight body armor seemed to match theirs except for the coloring. Where theirs was a severe black, his was a charcoal grey with iridescent red trim that seemed to shift spectrum in the changing light. And if it wasn't for the thickened areas where thin plating was covered, his own armor could have been mistaken to be another variant of emergency shipboard wear.

"Let's keep it professional Dane." he thought to himself, even though he did sneak a glance at one well shaped bottom from time to time as he was escorted to an admin building near the docking platform. The station was..in a word.. Immense. A long hollow cylinder with buildings and monorail transports running the inner circumference of the station along with ground vehicle lanes that separated industrial and residential blocks all down the visible length of the station. He had also noted several green park areas with winding walkways, ponds and trees of various kinds in the distance while he was guiding his ship slowly down onto the docking pad. The whole thing was enough to leave him awestruck as a townie in New York.. if the townie had just emerged from medieval Europe that is.

He must have been spinning his head left, right and upward, because one of the security guards commented on it.

"You look like you've never been off dirtside, human." she said with a laugh. Her partner shot her a glance, and then looked over her shoulder at Dane, and though she was doing her best to keep a stoic expression, he could see the humor reflected in her eyes.

He shrugged and sighed. "You caught me," he admitted. "After leaving my parents' outpost.. well, this is pretty much my first time.. anywhere." That admission must have caught them both by surprise because they both gawked at him like he had suddenly popped his head off and replaced it with something else.

"well.. Welcome to Bandarr's Gateway, then." said the first one to talk to me. The conversation didn't have the chance to continue, as they were just entering the admin building, and he was directed to take a seat while an administrator was contacted. So he waited.. and waited..

Finally, a young woman with brown skin similar to Commander Turien's showed up and called his name.

"Dane Morlund?" she said, looking at him. "Please follow me."

Once Dane was settled into a chair, and the official was likewise seated she slipped a pair of gloves onto her hands and flicked her fingers, prompting a holographic display to flicker into life between them.

"Commander Turien contacted me and let me know about your situation, Mr. Morlund." she stated, opening the conversation.

"However, I am afraid that I can only start the process. You.. have quite a bit of effort to put in regarding the required forms, licenses and registration of your ship. I can make that process easier, but.." she left off as she searched through several types of documents looking for something specific.

"I understand. Can you tell me what is going to happen with my ship?" he asked.

"Oh, I am afraid that it will have to be put into storage for the duration." she said, then caught the motion as Dane straightened in shock.

"Not impound, Mr. Morlund, simply stored. Commander Turien made it quite clear that you were not in direct violation of Imperial law, nor of system regulation. She also made a point of noting that you made your entire ship open to inspection, and that you have information regarding a previously lost mining vessel."

Dane relaxed and nodded. "I did, and yes, I do," he said.

"Good." she smiled and tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her pointed ear, and that relaxed him even more.

"Let's start with your name, species, gender.."

The list of questions was long, and answering them was longer. He left the station admin building after two hours of interview by the station administration, and three more being scanned, weighed, and tested, poked, prodded and sampled by medical personnel, and questioned again by an additional administrator to be sure that his answers were consistent. By that point, he was tired, hungry and felt that he was beginning to become irritable. It was also at that point that he wondered what he was going to do about funds, and a place to sleep and bathe while he was trapped in port until he could continue the necessary efforts to fulfill the bureaucratic necessities of being a citizen in a star empire. As he exited the office building, he glanced toward where he believed he had left his ship, only to see an empty space, and a low level panic started to chill his blood.

"Don't worry, Mr. Morlund." said a familiar voice behind him.

Dane turned around and found Commander Turien walking swiftly along a pathway toward him from beside the administration building.

"Your Sunspear is below decks in storage. If you need anything from it, I have access and can take you there." she said, and Dane noted that she was wearing a bit less than she had when they first met. She was not in station security uniform, but the collar had sunbursts on the tabs. He guessed that they signified her being a pilot officer, rather than a dockside security officer.

"That.. would be great. Thank you, Commander." he replied with honest relief. "I was just about to panic because I don't have any local currency, or even a place to stay that isn't the bed in my quarters."

Turien nodded as he confirmed her guess. "I thought as much. You told station control that you had come to trade." she reminded him. "What were you thinking of using to buy what you wanted?"

Dane took a breath and thought about that. "Honestly, if the information wasn't going to gain a reward, or the identity tag from the dead spacer, then I thought I could use some of the metals from aboard my ship.. barter with it, maybe." he said as he started walking beside her. He noted that out of armor, she was even shorter, the top of her head coming just above the level of his shoulder and he smiled a bit as he looked down at her, his eyes slipping over the close fitting uniform jacket and the pronounced curve of her breasts, then back to her green eyes as she swept her hair back from her face with a gray gloved hand.

"The Empire is many things, Mr. Morlund..however, swift is rarely one of them. I think it would be best if you retrieved a small case of metal samples to see what the market is offering for them." she suggested, then looked up into his eyes, and searched his face.

"Has anyone given you any trouble?" she asked, changing subject so quickly that Dane was left off balance for a second, then he blinked and shook his head.

"Aside from a number of comments about me being a male human being pointed out to me rather frequently, and one of the medics and the older administrator looking at me as though I had insulted their ancestors..?"

Turien brought her gloved hand up to cover the laugh. "You have to admit, Mr. Morlund. A male who pilots a ship outside of the Confederated Alliance is rather rare. I have heard that human males are even more restricted inside the Alliance." she said, and that statement was enough to slow Dane's steps for a bit.

"But.. why would that be?" he asked.

Turien turned her head, looking back over her shoulder at him with a thoughtful frown.

"Didn't your parents tell you anything?" she said, like it was something that every grade schooler should know, but he couldn't guess what, so all he could do was shrug helplessly. Turien turned around and looked at Dane with a disbelieving set to her eyes until she finally shook her head in exasperation.

"Let's have this conversation aboard your ship, Mr. Morlund. I think that your parents.. Your mother in particular did you no good service by not appraising you of the realities of your species. Nor of many of the customs of the various species in this quadrant of the galaxy." she said and turned back, walking a bit faster now as she shook her head.

They took a lift down several floors and exited in a cavernous chamber where several ships had been stored, most of them quite a bit smaller than the Sunspear which sat on a pad almost two football fields distance from the doors of the lift.

"It is widely known that the male to female ratio among humans is heavily out of balance, Mr. Morlund. After the second Ghiano-Human conflict, the chromosome that produces males was rarefied, even with the best of your geneticists, it has been difficult for your species to recover, much less maintain your regional dominance." Turien said, as she watched Dane for his reaction, and his expression confirmed her thoughts.

"Beyond your species...uh..population difficulties, there are some cultures who see males as.. mentally or socially unsuitable for space travel, and so, best left as..uhm." she stumbled to a stop as she searched her mind for an appropriate phrase.

"Bed decorations.." Dane stated flatly, and by the blush that lit up Turien's cheeks, he knew that he had guessed with absolute accuracy.

"Uhm.. yes. That."

Turien and Dane stopped at the bottom of the boarding ramp and watched while a group of technicians stood around the hatch of his ship arguing while one knelt and concentrated on attempting to open a red glowing panel.

"What's going on here!" erupted Turien in a command voice, prompting all five to straighten to their feet in alarm and turn to look at Turien. The technicians all looked at each other, none of them wanting to be the first to speak until the senior most was nudged from behind.

"Uh, Commander, The dock authority insisted that we.. er, We need to get the registration numbers.. uhm.." The young technician faltered and fell silent under the hard glare of the short blonde woman standing with her hands clasped at the small of her back, and Dane couldn't help but enjoy the view of her delicate hands even in the face of her exuding her silent disapproval at the women.

"So, you thought that breaking into this man's ship, violating his property rights and possibly causing damage.. was the correct course of action?" Turien's cold voice fell on the group, letting them know in sharp, precise tones what she thought of that.

"Ah.. Commander, that is.. we.. there aren't any markings on the hull, and the automated systems aren't responding to requests for data...ma'am." the lead tech finished lamely.

Turien glared at the women until all of them were nearly squirming in discomfort.

"I will be having a word with dock authority regarding this matter." She stated flatly. "You are dismissed."

"Yes, Ma'am!" the technicians replied quickly, and Dane stepped to one side with Turien as they all came marching down the boarding ramp and nearly double timed it across the docking bay floor toward the lift.

"I'm actually surprised." Turien said quietly as she waved toward the ramp, and Dane started walking up toward the hatch, looking for any damage to his access panel and finding none.

"Surprised? By the fact that they were attempting to break into my ship?" Dane asked as he laid his hand on the scan panel.

"No." Turien said. "By the fact that they didn't already have this door open by now. Those techs aren't amateurs."

Dane smirked at that as he realized that his ship was a bit further along technologically than these Imperials were used to. "Genelock." he said simply as the airlock hatch hissed open smoothly on its rails. Then he caught the questioning look Turien gave him.

"Genetics based security technology. If anyone with a genetic sequence other than mine attempts to access any hatches, or consoles without my authorization, the ship's computer will lock them out until I open it personally." Dane said as he led her to the cargo bay at the rear of the ship.

"Genetic security technology. That's.. rather advanced." Turien admitted.

"The Sunspear is an experimental ship, Commander. It was built by my parents and some of their friends who would drop in from time to time with supplies and materials, and spend months fabricating and assembling it from the frame all the way to the outer hull plates." Dane said, making up a story as to why the ship had absolutely no data on it or hull markings of any kind.

Turien shook her head and gave Dane an exasperated look.

"I can't believe that your parents simply left you on your own, and with a ship like this without any guidance at all."

Dane shrugged dismissively and keyed open the cargo bay hatch and stepped aside for her to enter before him. He followed her inside and walked over to the containers that held the metals and ores which were held in reserve for ship repairs and fabrication.

"I guess that they figured if they had raised me right, and if I had retained what they taught me, I would get by with minimal problems." he said, continuing with the on-the-fly story, keeping it simple and vague while he extracted several small bars of each metal type and setting them on a countertop. He quickly figured out that he would need a carrying case, so he left the commander briefly and went to a fabricator to have a quick and simple case printed for the task. It only took a couple of minutes, and he returned to stack the plates in the case. He was getting increasingly hungry by the minute and was looking forward to finding somewhere to eat, but he also figured that it would take some time to find someone willing to buy the metals.

"So," he said, as he closed the case, and turned to find Turien looking at him with a creased brow, but then he was interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling, and his own stomach responded in sympathy. The two of them looked at each other in embarrassment.

"How about dinner." Dane proposed.

Commander Turien had objected, saying that she was not enthusiastic about having to eat ship's paste as a meal when Dane guided her back to the galley where they had first sat and talked, but Dane smiled and shook his head, insisting that she simply put some trust in him.

He had her stand in front of the galley fabricator, and warned her that he was going to start a bio scan, then waited as the ship's internal sensors swept her from head to toes and back twice, followed by a tone signaling the completion of the scan.

"What just happened?" Turien asked, with a touch of nervousness in her voice.

"Ah, a simple bio scan to determine what vitamins and minerals your body needs for correct nutrition. All that is left is to choose what flavor you want them all to come in." Dane said blithely.

Turien blinked, giving him a confused and questioning look. Dane smiled and continued.

"All of the food made by this fabricator is actually compressed algae." he said, but held up a hand when Turien's face showed her disappointment.

"However, do you remember that I mentioned that the Sunspear is an experimental ship?" he asked, and when she nodded, he reached out and lit up the menu options for food and drink.

"Do you eat fish, by chance?" he asked. She looked at him, tilting her head to the right, and he found the action quite adorable, as her hair swayed out of her eyes, revealing those bright green orbs. He felt his heart and his loins lurch in with desire, and then he shook himself.

"Fish? Gods, if only." Turien said wistfully. "Only planet siders and admin chiefs can afford that kind of thing. Out here, it is algae in five flavors, and all of them taste terrible." she said, her voice heavy with disappointment. "I joined the security service hoping that I could have better food than what is generally available to the average service sector. I mean, I do manage some times, but.. It isn't often." she admitted.

Dane's eyes lit up and he smiled. "Then, my dear commander, I am going to present you with a treat. Do you mind if I order for you?" he asked, as she brought her eyes back to him. She stared into his pale gray eyes for a moment and then simply nodded.

"Good. Why don't you have a seat, and I will bring you a food experience that you won't find anywhere else."

Commander Turien narrowed her eyes for a brief moment but then decided to lend him a bit more trust, and simply walked over to a table, swinging out a chair and settling into it while watching Dane's back. Her eyes roamed over the broad planes from his shoulders down to his narrow waist and found her eyes settling on the sculpted muscles of his glutes, devouring the shape of them with her eyes and feeling a slight tremor in her gut that had nothing to do with being hungry after ten hours in the cockpit of her patrol cruiser.

"Goddess, have mercy. Has it been so long since I enjoyed the company of someone other than my own hands and a vibrator that I am eyeing a human now?" she thought to herself. But she had to admit that he was decidedly pleasant to look at. If Station command was going to saddle her with the responsibility of keeping watch on this male and his ship, at least she could enjoy the duty a little bit.

"Careful, Turien. That line of thought could lead to some hard to explain complications that you do not want on your career record." she warned herself, and then sighed in irritation when Mr. Morlund turned around, carrying a large tray and the flex of his duty suit revealed a panoply of hard, lean muscles, and the healthy bulge of his groin, and she grunted as her guts trembled again, and a shiver of pleasure ran through her and landed squarely in her groin as she watched him walk toward her.

"I hope that you will enjoy this. It's something that my parents said is from Old Earth." he said as he laid out several small plates with brightly colored rolls. White was a common color along with a deep green, and various textures of reds, oranges, browns and pinks. Dane explained to her that every roll was made with a steamed grain called rice, and either wrapped in a dried, pressed sea plant material. He named various types of sea fish, and a couple of freshwater fish, along with their eggs and some sauces. He also warned her to be careful with an appealingly bright green substance that he called wasabi, as the spice was notorious for catching people off guard. Then he proceeded to show her how to eat the 'sushi' using wooden sticks held in one hand. That was a dexterity test that she performed with ease, and was rewarded when previously unimagined flavors exploded into her mouth.

Dane sat chewing his own food, and watching her, then smiled in smug satisfaction as she had her first experience with sushi, and looked like she was having a sensory orgasm as her eyes closed and she moaned in exquisite pleasure while she chewed, reveling in the textures, flavors and combinations involved in the food.

"I recommend that you enjoy this meal slowly, Commander. It is tradition to appreciate the meal for each of its components." Dane said with a smirk. "Take sips of the tea in the meantime. Let every aspect of the food be enjoyed." he said and plucked another cut of a roll, dipping it in the brown 'soy sauce' and placing it in his mouth, chewing it slowly and relishing it.

Turien did as advised, deliberately taking her time as though the entire meal was a ritual. A bite of sushi, a sip of tea, a sip of the strange seaweed soup with the white cubes floating in it. Some of the foods presented did not look appealing, and smelled even less appealing, but the flavors.. Turien was overcome with the complexities and subtleties of the flavors involved.

Dane caught Turien looking over his shoulder at the fabricator more than once, and chuckled.

"I take it that no one has developed molecular replication and fabrication technology here." he said as he leaned back in the chair, taking a break from the meal as he watched Turien looking over the food still remaining on the table. She looked like she was trying to decide which she could still fit into her stomach and having to choose carefully.

"No. I've certainly never heard of anything like this. Ever!" she said as she used her chopsticks to pluck the last unagi roll from its plate and stuff it into her mouth, then closed her eyes in bliss as she chewed. It only took a few moments for her brain to catch up to the realization and she looked at Dane as she sipped her tea, contemplating him and the fabricator. Her eyes moving back and forth between them.

"You do realize that you could become very wealthy.. extremely wealthy if you sold this technology, don't you?" she asked him.

Dane nodded slowly as he thought about it.

"I could. Yes. But I could also make a large number of enemies at the same time." He reminded her. They both sat in silence as the consequences of revealing this technology became obvious.

"I am not ready for that kind of trouble just yet, Commander. So, I'm sorry, but you will have to settle for enjoying dinners like that here on my ship from time to time." Dane said, smiling at Turien, and she graced him with another blush. Then she cleared her throat and looked away.

"Thank you, for the meal." she said shyly. "I should probably take you to the trade district, and help you set up an account."

Dane eyed her and shook his head. "It's getting late, and if I am guessing right, you just came off of a long shift." she nodded, admitting the truth of his statement.

"How about this." he said, leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table. "You can leave me here, and return in the morning. Or whenever you are available, and you can escort me around to the places I need to go." he proposed. She thought about it and nodded.

"Station command has made you my responsibility, so I am free for the time being, until you have all of the documents and registrations you need to become an Imperial citizen." she admitted, and Dane nodded.

"Thank you for your efforts," he said. "I hope that you aren't overly inconvenienced by this."

Turien shook her head as she looked over the last few pieces of sushi left on the plates in front of them.

"No," she said, smiling. "I think I am being compensated well enough for my time, Mr. Morlund."

Dane laughed and nodded. "Then you are welcome to join me for meals as additional compensation, Commander. And if it pleases you, I would like it if you called me Dane." he offered.

Turien looked into his eyes and felt that tremor in her gut again.

"Nope. Absolutely not..no no no no. goddess damnit all!" she thought as she felt gravity shift, pulling her to him.

"Turien." she said softly. "Call me Turien.. ahm. When we aren't.." she couldn't get her thoughts lined up correctly, but she watched Dane nod in understanding.

"Of course, Commander Turien. Respect is key to any relationship." he said in that voice that sent tiny thrills through her. She took a breath and sat up straight.

"I should get back to my quarters, and report in." she said, making an excuse to get away from this man and clear her head.

"Certainly." Dane said and stood up, then walked around the table, offering her his hand to help her up. She had turned her seat and stared at his hand, then looked up at him. Those warm, gray eyes looked down at her and she took hold of his hand and pulled, feeling the solidity of him, his strength and it was all she could do to keep from sitting back down again.

Dane escorted the commander to the bottom of the boarding ramp, and bid her good night, then returned to the port side galley to clear up the plates and clean up as he reviewed the day. He realized that he had a lot of technology that was desirable, at the very least out at the edge of imperial space. Selling the tech could be advantageous in the short run, but he would have to take measures to protect both himself and the technology. Himself, from unhappy companies, and the technology from various kinds of abuse.. the tendency to weaponize any technology being one of them, and the legal wars over ownership of the technology that were likely being another. He had a lot to think about, and it was just more added to his plate that he wasn't appreciative of.

He resolved to focus on establishing himself, both with funds, and with identification and ownership of the Sunspear. After that, he could deal with the future needs.

As he showered, the image of Turien enjoying the meal, and her excitement in discovering new flavors kept running through his mind, and he smiled.

The next morning, or wake period, or shift..he wasn't sure, Dane met Commander Turien at the boarding ramp and asked if she had had breakfast. Her face brightened briefly, but she admitted that she had, so he simply carried his travel mug of coffee with him as they journeyed back to the Administration building several levels above.

The young admin that had first interviewed him met them in the lobby and guided them both into an office. When he and the commander were seated, she handed him a small packet containing several small stiff translucent cards with his image engraved on them, and basic information imprinted under the surface.

"I have just handed you several pieces of identification. The most important is your conditional citizenship ID. The next one is an account ID with the Cariathme branch of Galbank." she said, pointing out each card. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought that it would help save you time to open these accounts, and it would go quickly if an administration agent was the one to make the call." she said while blushing and tucking a strand of dark brown hair behind one pointed ear, and catching my eye.

"I.. I am honestly very grateful. Thank you Minera." Dane said, completely flabbergasted.

"She's always been three steps ahead of me whenever I come to her for help." Turien said approvingly, and Minera blushed even more. The two of them were a sharp contrast to each other. Where Turien had pale blonde hair, buzzed short to the scalp on both sides and the back to keep it from becoming a mess because of her helmet, Minera's long wavy dark brown hair was left loose to drape over her shoulders. Where Turien was a perky B-cup, slender, compact and fit as would be preferred for most combat pilots, Minera was a bit taller, with soft curves, more roundness to her hips and a good solid C-cup in breast size. And whereas Turien's face was more heart shaped, with angular high cheekbones and bright green eyes, Minera's face was softer, a little more rounded in the cheeks and her eyes were a deep golden color that had caught Dane by surprise having never seen anyone with that color of eyes.

He glanced back down at the cards in his hand, and then held the third card separate from the others.

"And this one?" He asked, looking at Minera. He didn't think that the red brown skinned woman could blush any more than she had before. He was very wrong. The blush went down to her exposed chest, just below her collar bones and she looked anywhere but at Turien.

"Minera?" Turien asked.. then she glanced at Dane and laughed. Softly saying "of course."

Dane glanced between the two and then down at the information on the card that listed Minera's name, contact number and address.

"Ah." he said simply and looked at Minera and smiled. "Thank you."

"I..I mean, I don't want to get in the..If you have.." Minera stumbled on her words while looking at Turien who looked away and refused to make any comment.

"Would it be alright to invite you both back to my ship for dinner some evening as a means of thanks?" Dane said, realizing the situation.. and the opportunity. Turien's head came around like a gunshot, while Minera just tilted her head, looking at Dane with a mix of hesitancy and confusion.

"Oh, will we have more of that suu she? We had last night?" Turien asked excitedly, and then shook herself and pulled the more reserved face on to cover herself. "I mean. It was very good."

"Suu she?" Minera asked.

"Sushi," Dane corrected. "And yes, if you really want to have that again. I just want you to know that there are a lot of other options."

Turien simply gave a nod. "I believe that you are going to be on station for a while until you can get your documents in order, Mr. Morlund. Plenty of chances for you to repay my wardship of you." Turien said, and Dane could tell that she was downplaying her excitement, so he played along and simply nodded.

"Certainly, Commander." he said to her and then looked at Minera, lifting an eyebrow. "I hope that it isn't against policy?.." he asked.

"Oh.. no. There isn't.. I would be happy to join the two of you for dinner.. But, on your ship?" she asked.

Turien smiled at her friend. "You are going to love it. Trust me."

At that moment, Minera's communication console lit up, and she had to excuse herself to return to her work while Turien and Dane exited the administration building to attend to the rest of their tasks for the day.

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The market district was loud, both in sight and in sound. Advertisements blared overhead, on the walls and on the sides of passing transports. All praising the goods or services of one business or another, or touting their product as the best in the Imperium in a multitude of languages befitting the morass of different species Dane could see in all directions. Shipyards trotted out images of their latest combat capable fighter ship, or transport vessel, Soft drink companies vied for the attention of their fans, and sports leagues promoted the latest addition to their line up for this season's games. All of that contending with the voices of market stall owners shouting to bring attention to their compressed, flattened and flavored algae steaks or fried algae bites. None of which appealed to Dane in the least, for the most part.

The mining and minerals section of the market brought a bit more quiet, which was a relief to Dane who was no longer used to the intense decibels of civilization.

"I can't wait to get back to the quiet of my ship." Dane shouted as they exited the mass of overbearing advertisements and hawkers.

Turien laughed and nodded. "I love the vibrancy of the market, but sometimes I need the silence of being out in space. It's peaceful out there.. Even if some smuggler is trying to blast the engines off of my ship." Turien shouted back.

The two of them laughed and finally sighed as they entered a minerals concern. The figure at the back of the narrow shop turned slowly, as the door chimed, a cloth draped figure behind the back counter turned, revealing a head resembling a praying mantis, but with an additional set of compact eyes between the larger set on either side of its triangular head.

"Ah, Commander Turien." came a mechanical voice from the translator box on its breast. "A pleasure to see you." the voice raised in octaves, as though asking a question with each statement. It sounded a bit odd to Dane's ear, but who was he to remark on it.

"Hello Tixle. It has been a while. Is everything going well?" Turien asked the insectoid Tixle.

"All has been well, commander. I hope that your visit does not precede difficulties." Tixle said, tilting his head forward as though eyeing Turien suspiciously.

"No, no difficulties, Tixle. A customer." she half turned and gestured at Dane who stepped forward, giving a brief bow of greeting. "This is Mr. Morlund, he is a conditional citizen of the Empire. I thought that you two could do a little business." Turien said, introducing Dane.

"Ah. Business is always good." Tixle replied, turning his/its attention to Dane. "What is it that I can assist you with, Mr. Morlund?"

"I have some metal samples that I would like to sell." Dane replied, setting the carry case on the counter. "These are simple refined metals, but I have a small supply that I can tap into if there is a need for more." he said, opening the case and turning it to present Tixle with the contents. Two bars of each type of metal that he had in his stores, as well as compressed mineral bars.

"Ah. Well then, let me examine these.." the insectoid said, bending low and slipping one bar after another from the case, and laying them on a scan pad. Dane and Turien waited while Tixle separated some to one side, and others were set back into the case. When it was finished examining the bars, there were three left on the counter, one gold bar, one of an orange shaded mineral and one deep iridescent black metal.

"I can say with surety that these have good market value." Tixle said as it straightened, splaying its claw-hands on the counter to either side of the bars.

"What is your offer for them?" Dane asked.

"For the gold, I will offer one hundred credits per bar of this weight. I usually offer more, but there was a shipment last week, and the market is almost glutted." Tixle said, and Dane appreciated the honesty.

"Done. What about the others?"

"For the Caradinum," Tixle said, tapping the orange tinted metal bar. "I can offer you four hundred and fifty per bar of this weight." Dane noticed the insectoid's head tilting back and forth as though doubtful.

"I have the feeling that you would prefer four hundred even." Dane said, looking at Tixle a bit from the side. To which Tixle turned both of his hands over palms upward.

"It would be preferred, yes. If you are so kind, then I may be able to lean more in your favor with the Barbinite. However, I will only be able to purchase a little of that." Tixle admitted as he tapped the black metal with a claw tip.

"What is your offer then?"

"I can offer one thousand per bar, for twenty bars only." Tixle replied.

Dane considered it, then nodded.

"Maybe I can skip selling the gold for now, and hold onto that for a better time." Dane said as he put the gold bar back into the case. "How about twenty bars of each, you can keep those two here as a deposit for future transactions."

Tixle, tilted his head sharply, and then gave a human nod. "I agree to the sum of twenty eight thousand, for twenty bars of each, Barbinite and Carandium, and the holding of these two against future transactions." Tixle brought both hand-claws up to its breast, claws splayed, and Dane emulated the gesture, taking it as a ritual of agreement.

Tixle turned his/its attention to Commander Turien and nodded.

"You have brought me a very mannered and congenial customer, commander. You have my gratitude."

Turien, for her part, gave Tixle a prolonged nod of her head. "I would trust very few else, Tixle."

They spent a few moments making arrangements for a courier to retrieve the metals from Dane's ship, and traded account information, then Turien and Dane left Tixle's shop, settling themselves for the battle through the shoulder to shoulder crowds of the market again.

Their next stop was in another administration section of the station. This one though, was much more obvious in its nature. Signs were everywhere indicating which buildings were for what purpose. A long, low building was labeled as simulator S-2, while another was labeled Lecture Halls S-3. The S-1 building sat opposite the Lecture halls, a broad park with meandering paths separating them. It was that building that Turien brought him, and he understood as soon as they entered. It was filled with cubicles and booths, while a receptionist sat at a high desk near the entrance.

"Welcome to the Imperial Flight Academy. Can,..Oh, Commander. Welcome back." said the dark skinned male behind the desk. His hair and skin were both a glossy midnight black, but his eyes were a solid blue sclera, or so Dane thought until he realized that the man behind the desk had compound eyes.

"Hello again ensign. I am here to sign this man up for pilot training and certification." Turien said, and the ensign nodded, leaning toward his holo console and tapping at the smooth surface of the desk with broad tipped fingers. He had six digits on each hand, as well as a spare thumb.

"That has to be handy for data entry," Dane thought.

"May I have your ID, please." the receptionist ensign said, and Dane handed it to him. The ensign passed the ID card over a reader, and handed the card back to Dane.

"Most of these classes can be taken remotely, if you have duties that prevent you from being on campus. However, the simulator training requires you to be in the S-2 building one hour ahead of time." the ensign said, then looked up at Dane, his hairless eyebrows lifting. "I assume that is acceptable?"

Dane nodded while the receptionist typed in more information for a minute, then looked at commander Turien.

"Commander, are you sponsoring this individual?"

Turien glanced at Dane for a moment then turned her head back and nodded.

"I am, but he is seeking a civilian license, not military.." she looked back at Dane doubtfully. "Unless you are thinking of engaging in mercenary work as well?"

Dane thought about that, and grimaced. "I should probably get that done now, and get it out of the way, though it isn't what I am really aiming for."

Turien sighed and nodded to the ensign. "Sign him up for those courses as well. It's probably best if he doesn't get into any tangles with the bounty hunters guild by accident."

"A wise precaution, Commander. There is an administrative fee and admissions fee. Five thousand in total." the ensign said and copied the information onto another form, then submitted it before looking at Dane. "Can you pay that now?"

"I am awaiting a money transfer later this evening. I can transfer that payment tomorrow morning, if that will do?"

"Deferred payment, twenty four hour limit." The ensign said, making a note on his terminal. It took a minute for the response to come in the form of a data pad from the desk beside the ensign.

"Here are your admission records, and your schedule. Please be on time, and sign in to any lecture transmissions or when on site, pass your ID card over the scanner at the door. Missed lectures can be reviewed as they are all recorded. However, missed simulator training will result in marks against your license. Please don't do that." the ensign said, tilting his head meaningfully. It seemed to Dane as though the young man was speaking from experience and gave a reassuring nod.

"Good, you have all that you need. If that will be all, Commander?"

"Yes, Ensign. Thank you." Turien said and took Dane by his elbow, turning him toward the door.

"You know, Commander," Dane said to her as they were walking back toward the docks on a side avenue designed specifically for pedestrians.

"You have been putting your neck out for me, and I am not entirely certain how I am going to pay you back for all of this." Dane said, a bit nervously.

Turien laughed, and looked up at Dane. "Keep feeding me Sushi, and I might just call it even." she said jokingly. "Beyond that, just don't mess up. My name is on a lot of this, and there are people reading every move we make."

Dane blinked, then thought about it as he looked around them, and sighed.

"Of course. I have been under surveillance from the moment I stepped off of my ship, haven't I?" he said as he realized what she meant.

Turien looked at Dane for a long moment, taking him in and noticing the expression on his face.

"You didn't honestly think that a single human male could simply appear at the far edge of Imperial space in a strange advanced ship and not go unnoticed, did you?" she said, though her tone was sympathetic.

Dane could only shrug. "I was hoping not to make waves before I could get my feet under me," he said. "I was also hoping I could make some good impressions, build some good relations and such before someone decided to set their hooks into me."

Turien stopped, and Dane took two more steps before he turned back. Turien stood on the path, looking down thoughtfully, then looked at Dane and sighed.

"Dane," Turien said, with compassion in her voice. "We don't often get to choose what 'hooks get set in us', as you say. But that doesn't always mean that those hooks have to be completely about using you, or taking anything from you. Understand?" she said, and there was a tone that caught Dane's attention, a note of pleading in her voice. So Dane nodded.

"Not every hook, as you say, has barbs." she kept going. "Some are designed to make us work hard to improve ourselves, set us up to take on more responsibility and put us in a position to set those same kinds of hooks into those we see have similar potential." She looked into Dane's eyes, and seemed to want to convey some meaning. Dane looked away, watching the light of the station as they started to darken into the station night cycle. People walked past them, or cycled past them on pedal powered tricycles for bicycles. An artificial breeze blew through the trees and for a moment, it amazed him how much detail the designers of the station put into making the whole thing feel like a living planet, floating free in orbit around a real living planet thousands of kilometers below.

"Okay, Turien." Dane said as he grasped where she was speaking from. "Okay. I guess I will just do the best I can, and hope that is enough."

Turien smiled and stepped up beside him, hooking her arm through his left, and the familiar touch left him breathless.. and warm at the same time.

"Good," she said "Because I would hate to lose my only connection to the best food I have had in a very long time." she stated, nodding matter-of-factly. Dane laughed incredulously.

"Really? That's your ulterior motive? My food?" Dane replied as they started walking again. He placed his hand on hers, keeping her close as they bantered.

"Weeelll.." she said, with a little wobble of her head, as though debating. "You haven't given me many more choices to pick from, so Sushi is about it so far."

Dane thoughtfully watched Turien as they walked and noticed the moment that she drew away. It was when several technicians and a deck officer passed by

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Elsewhere in the system;

The chime was a slow rising note in the half lit chamber, repeating until an exasperated sigh preceded the command to answer the incoming com request.

On the viewing panel, the face of a woman lined with age, hair silvered and thinned with time formed. It was a mirror to the one answering the call, except for the expression. Where the woman answering seemed slightly amused, the caller was thin lipped and narrow eyed.

"Well, sister. It has been a while since we've spoken. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

The caller's eyes narrowed slightly more, for a moment.

"It has been a while, sister. But fear not, your retirement from the council has not been revoked just yet."

"Oh? Well, that's fine, I suppose. The Marajin can enjoy her precedence, and I can manage my own affairs." aged lips quirked in amusement as she indulged herself in nettling her sister for old affronts.

"But that isn't why you called me, is it."

It took the caller a few seconds to compose herself, but eventually she replied. "No. It isn't."

Three breaths of silence between the two, with each staring daggers across the light years, but the caller broke first. As they both knew she would.

"I need your advice, sister." Her tone was reluctant, and a bit resentful.

"My advice." The answerer intoned slowly. Almost relishing the words. "Very well. How may I advise, my dear sister?"

The caller's lips pressed into a harder line briefly, but she refrained from cutting the contact and sighed out the problem.

"The separatists in the Coront system. They are causing problems... as you said they would."

The answerer nodded slowly. "As I said they would."

"The Marajin is handling the council, and telling them that the issues will be resolved soon, but the shipping magnates are not accepting her attempts to placate them."

"No. I don't suppose that they would. I did warn that Coronti have a long history of piracy. It is a very old custom of theirs and one that dates back to the age when they were seafarers." The answerer stated.

The caller nodded, sighing. "Yes, you warned her. You warned the magnates, you warned the Empress. But the routes around Coronti space would add fuel costs and.." The caller stopped speaking, because they had both debated and argued the same points repeatedly long before.

"So. The Marajin hasn't spoken to her Majesty, the council is not concerned enough yet, and you haven't gone behind their backs out of loyalty.." The answerer stated.

"It isn't loyalty, Karanah. Its.."

"Yes, Mardah. It is."

Both of them were silent for a long moment. They hardly ever used their given names unless tempers were heated. And that meant the conversation would quickly be over if they didn't change direction.

"I suppose you will simply have to wait then, Mardah. Unless you would like to break from the centrists and call on the mercenaries guild as I advised before I was retired from the council?"

Mardah looked pained, but shook her head. "I can't."

"Then I am sorry that you've wasted this time, sister." They were both silent for a while longer, but the call ended without another word between them.

"Fools." Karanah spat into the darkened chamber.