Greetings readers,

For those of you who have managed to read Ch 1, and 2, yet still haven't grasped things yet, This is a slow burn story. Yes, there is finally sex in this chapter, and the sexy fun will continue even more in later chapters but I had to build the world and the people that would support the sex, the kink and the rest.

Please do add any helpful critique.

S.

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System: Cariathme ND+205 48

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

Command Level, Residential Section 01.

Date: 09-23-5798 GS

"Are you certain about these results, Darima?" The older Aracien woman said while examining the data presented in the holographic display.

"I am, Your Excellency. The tests were conducted several times, confirming compatibility across several sample variants." The young, conservatively dressed specialist shook her head in baffled amazement. "Whomever this sample is from is rather extraordinary, Your Excellency. I have never seen anything even remotely similar, and you are very familiar with my credentials."

"And the projected intermix?"

"Practically faultless. There were no deleterious effects or mutagenic side effects on the resulting models. None." the younger woman stated, still with a tone of amazement.

The older woman nodded slightly, her eyes still roaming over the presented data and accompanying image of a compound hex-lattice chromosomal bundle that should have been impossible considering its source.

"And the original sample?" she asked.

"Edited. I presumed that such a discovery might be of significant importance and took measures to make it seem like just an average variant of its kind." Darima replied with confidence.

"Lock this data down, Darima. Full encryption security.." Pale blue irises turned to meet with her subordinates eyes. "I obviously don't need to tell you that any slip of this information will end poorly for my brightest daughter."

Darima shook her head.

"Of course not, Mother. I deduced as much, and made efforts to secure the records. However, I had to recruit Linnit in order to attach an obscurement program to the guild's database." Darima paused to be sure that she hadn't overstepped, or compromised the intent, then finished.

"She assures me that it will be undetectable even by Imperial Security Inf-Ops."

The older Aracien leaned back and nodded, combing a stray strand of her hair back behind a pointed ear. The rest of her white hair was bound in a neat bun that gave the older woman a rather severe look. It usually matched her general attitude and composure. But this one piece of information had drastically changed her plans, and to her amusement, her hair had suddenly reflected how disheveled she felt in light of its implications. It also made having to work around Imperial edicts and guild laws in order to get rid of a possible problem, no longer necessary. She closed her eyes and let her intuition follow the possibilities until she realized that she had kept her 'daughter' waiting. Silent, still and expressionless, Darima was one of the four young Aracien women that she had brought into her family through various means and given them both resources and responsibilities equal to the potential that she had seen in them.

Darima was the quintessential hunter, though she did so from a scientist's perspective. The young Aracien woman could stand in a crowded hall full of nobles and practically disappear, listening, gathering information and deducing from tone, expression, inflection and who each individual met with what plans they had, and who was receptive to furthering those plans. Had she been in Imperial Security, she would have had every chance of being among the Empress' own info-sec operatives. Likewise with her sister Linnit, but from a completely different skill set.

"You've done well, Darima. You may return to your duties."

"Yes, Mother. Rest well." The younger woman replied and stepped out of the study as silently as she had entered.

The hour was late, but the older Aracien woman made no move to leave, nor to tend to the ever present list of 'important' messages that remained to be addressed in her communications queue. Instead, she closed her eyes and contemplated this mysterious individual who contained such potential as to change the course of her plans so dramatically. Once she had examined the probable challenges, and thought out how to deal with them, she opened her eyes and began sending messages.

"Perhaps not for myself. But for Cariathme, and for the Empire.." She muttered to herself as she typed out and sent her inquiries and commands. She also voiced a message into an encrypted message crystal, then packed it and left it on the desk of her assistant. She would know where it needed to go, and how to handle it. The night was long past, and early morning firmly established by the time she retired.

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Dane managed to wrangle an agreement with the dock and station management for permission to return to his ship at night, or remain there when he wasn't required to be in classes, or being escorted by Commander Turien. More honestly, Dane had been manipulated and maneuvered into agreeing to those conditions because his presence on his own had the potential to cause an incident. Turien had calmly and gently told him that she agreed with the assessment, though she had her suspicions that those opinions were not originating from the highest levels. So, Dane created a secure connection through a firewall program and a virtual operating system and used that to communicate with the academy and receive documents meant for him to study.

Most of it was legalese and how to navigate contract law around transhipping and contract delivery within the empire. Then there was a sizable portion about piloting, right of way, Imperial regulations involving private vessels and owner's rights and obligations in several circumstances, then there was the course on weapons control, legal weapons and contraband weapons, legal free-fire restrictions and finally combat zones..It was a lot of work, and Dane laughed only a few times about his favorite game not covering any of this..for obvious reasons.

Dane's first appointment for simulator time went off comparably well. Though the arrangement was unfamiliar, and the simulated ship handled like a brick, he managed to pilot it, perform the operations and react to events that were programmed to give the pilot likely challenges in medium traffic areas surrounding a transport hub.

Ten days into Dane's routine, Turien sent a message saying she was being sent out to greet Nifah system's ruling noble and had sent a replacement, naming the woman and letting Dane know that she had his schedule.

The Lieutenant turned out to be a blank-faced woman of the same sub-race of Aracien species as Turien, but only answered when Dane addressed her by rank. She even turned down private dinners aboard his ship. Dane guessed that Turien was keeping the secret of his food production to herself, but it certainly cut off any opportunities for conversation other than with his classmates.

His classmates were a mix of Araciens, (what Dane called elves) Thelit's, The same black skinned, black haired people with compound eyes as the ensign who had registered him into his classes, and a small variety of other sentient. Most were bipedal mammilians of humanoid variety including three women who looked almost human except for long furred tails, dextrous furred ears, and pronounced fangs and claw-tipped digits. One of his study partners was a short, stocky Dorchani woman with red-gold hair that seemed untamable even with several restraints like hairbands, clips and cloth wraps. But she had a wild sense of humor and no sense of propriety, which Dane found amusing and a great means of defense against some of the more sour sorts who took a personal dislike to the presence of a male in a piloting course.

"Nothing like some good old sexism to make a person feel right at home." he thought, and presently dismissed that group of women from his mind along with their issues. Today's simulator time had been preceded by three video meets delving into four dimensional navigation, power and fuel consumption and calculating hyperjumps with only a partially or non functional navigation computer. The key, he had found, had been in organization and best use of the ship's telescopes and radiometric sensors to discover any gravity wells that could be either used or avoided to make the jump within the capacity of the ship.

Perim'ok, the ensign from the admin department had met him and they had struck up a kind of friendship. Dane had shamelessly leaned into this to get hints like the fact that the designs, specs and parameters of the most typically used ships in the simulator had files in the school library. Dane could access that library for nearly anything including those specs, and a whole host of other subjects on the courses he was taking.

The data transfer was expensive, but Dane figured that having full copies would more than balance the cost. Of course, he didn't mention that he had his own simulator program on the Sunspear, and that the specs, designs and load capacities were immediately copied in, and used to get used to the full range of ships that bipedal pilots in the Empire were certified to use. That just meant he had enough to do between classes that he didn't notice anything big happening on the station for the next week when Turien returned.

When he did notice, it was more about the change in her than in his surroundings.

"Commander," he said as they walked side by side toward the S-2 building. "You seem preoccupied. Is something wrong?"

Turien shook her head dismissively.

"It's nothing to be concerned about, Cadet Morlund." She said, while Dane watched her out of the corner of his eye. Turien was walking at his side as she always did, but there was something slightly.. off about her posture. She was also a little more quiet than she had been before her meeting with the Baroness of the Nifah system.

"I hear you are doing rather well in all of your classes." she said, changing the direction of the conversation back onto himself.

He turned his head, shifting his messenger bag on his shoulder and looking at her a little more full on.

"Spying on my academic progress, Commander?" he replied in a joking tone. Turien smiled back, a little more of the familiar light sparking in her eyes.

"I do have my name associated with you, Cadet. I have some right to know what your instructors think of your progress. And so far, you seem to be contending with the top of the class, no matter their background and experience." she finished, her eyes narrowing a little in mock suspicion. So, Dane told her that anyone who had a full simulator program on their personal ship, and access to the school library would likely be doing as well as himself, if not better because they might possibly have less classes and a longer allowed time to finish them.

Turien laughed and shook her head. "No, Dane. Contract Law, Four-D navigation, basic engineering, transshipping regulations, first level customs law and piloting simulations all at the same time, and still being ranked within the top ten students in each class isn't what just anyone could have done. I think my name is safe in your hands. I am just letting you know that you do not have to destroy yourself to do this."

Dane replied with a shrug. It wasn't like he hadn't done crams for college in his time, and the only difference here was that he had an amazing assortment of technological advantages to work with. Was he tired? Sure. But a state of exhaustion was a fundamental truth for any college student. As a pilot cadet, this was little more than a rerun of his past life's experiences, but with a better idea of how to go about doing it.

He had noticed something about Turien though, it was subtle, but it was there. Her tone wasn't matching up with her words. Her posture was stiff and her gestures more restrained. There was something on her mind and it was making her uneasy around him. So Dane turned his head, watching her as they walked and decided to push things a bit to see if he could break past what she was showing him.

"So it has nothing at all to do with your more personal interest in my well being?" he asked, keeping his expression mostly bland except for the slight quirk at the right corner of his lips.

Turien stumbled to a halt five meters from the doors to the S-2 building, her mouth gaping like a fish out of water as she stared at him, her cheeks darkening under her brown skin.

"I.. You.. of course i'm.." she stammered as her brain tried to correct course while her thoughts kept firing at odd angles sending her into a spin. Then she noticed the constant quirking of his lips and flushed even darker. "Are you teasing me?!?" She hissed loudly, as a group of students passed between them and the doors, heading into the building.

"Decorum, Commander." Dane reminded her, adding fuel to the fire, and stepped close, getting into her personal space and leaning down so that their faces were even. He couldn't help smiling as he looked into her eyes. Those bright green eyes narrowed as she caught up with his behavior.

"You are teasing me." she accused. To Dane she sounded incredulous, but there was a note of appreciation and affection in her voice when she said it. So he took another risk and leaned closer. Their faces were only inches apart and he could see her breaths coming a little faster, hitching slightly at his proximity, her blush only darkening and making her even more appealing.

"Why, Commander.. Has no one ever teased you before?" he taunted, staying in her space even with more students passing by and noticing them. Then he leaned in, crossing the last inches between them and pressed his lips to hers. Turien's eyes flew wide open, staring into his grey eyes in surprise, but she didn't back away or give any ground. He found he liked the softness of her lips, they felt just as soft and full as they looked. Then he straightened and took one step back with a smile.

"I guess I will find out why, later.. After class?" He said, then turned and walked casually through the double doors, only glancing back long enough to confirm that she still stood where he had left her.

"Fried her circuits. That should give her something else to think about, I hope." he thought to himself, then turned his mind toward that day's tasks.

The simulator time for that day was nearly a hash. Multiple pilots coordinating their movements to bring in their materials in an orderly fashion on a station with only three landing pads, and having to keep one open at all times, and contending with simulated traffic interruptions throughout. It was no surprise to Dane that nerves were fried and tensions among the pilot cadets were high. Dane though had enough gaming experience to make note of a couple of important details and made suggestions to his fellow cadets.

Those who didn't seem to have any personal grievances against him listened, and the flow of their goods began to go faster. Those few who had made clear their thoughts on male pilots just continued to argue over precedence and struggled with shifting their park orbits and the boredom that came with down-time.

Those who made their drops without incident launched their ships back into sub-light toward their next pick-up, and their scenarios darkened, letting them assemble in the simulator debrief room. Which was where, when the last of the students came in and gathered in clumps, the loudest and most vocal of Dane's detractors voiced the idea that one of the instructors had tipped Dane off to something.

The comment was poorly timed as that was the moment that the lead sim instructor had silently entered the debrief room and come to a frozen halt, her dark skinned Thelit face turned on the tall Goskhan woman and her cronies. Instructor Harnan, with her compound blue eyes, smacked her thigh with her notepad sharply enough to draw everyone's attention. Her face never changed expression and her eyes never left the Ghoskan, pinning the young woman like a moth in a collection case while she stepped calmly to her podium.

"Cadet Lahnik." Harnan drawled. "Are you making an official accusation of misconduct?" she asked in a challenging tone.

Lahnik's four independent ears seemed to struggle to unify for one single reaction; one lay back in embarrassment, another turned hard toward the lead instructor, a third couldn't decide what its focus should be and the fourth seemed to droop in dismay. The long faced woman that Dane thought resembled a cross between a lama and human, hesitated, then turned and glared at Dane.

"The human male," Lahnik made sure to emphasize that damning factor. "Must have gotten information from someone. How else would his team have completed the drop so early when my team's drops were interrupted by simulated cross traffic and security scans?"

There it was. The long awaited accusation of favoritism and excuses for ineptitude.

Harnan wasn't buying it, of course. Because that was as much an accusation against her instructors as it was himself. His Dorchani friend lurched forward, opening her mouth to challenge the accusation on his behalf, but Dane caught her shoulder and just shook his head with a confident smile.

Lead Instructor Harnan stood there silently watching the Ghoskan fidget and twitch until all four ears finally found some unity, then she turned toward Dane and lifted her chin. It was a pure Thelitic gesture that Dane had learned the meaning of. A high society body language that said 'and what says the offended party?' It was a gesture from deep in Thelitic history when death duels were fought publicly for even the most minor slights to their perceived honor. Dane had also learned the appropriate counter gesture and snorted, his attention wandering in feigned boredom. 'Below my notice, let the rabble embarrass themselves.'

If the Ghoskan had bothered to learn anything of Thelit, she would have been livid. As it was, she was merely confused by Harnan's smirking cough of amusement.

"Cadet Morlund. Please state, for the edification of your classmates, the details that you noticed that lead you to reorganize your team's deliveries."

Dane stepped forward and spoke clearly.

"Dock one and dock three were operating at different speeds. The lift on dock one only showed up a third as much as dock three's lift." There were plenty of doubtful frowns at that, even a couple from his own team, but he simply pushed on.

"Combined with the number of security skiffs patrolling that docks queue, I made a guess that the higher priority, high value customs cargo was being channeled through dock one. I reviewed our cargo manifests, and split our team accordingly. Only one of our ships had anything of high value, the rest were manufacturing grade minerals and food surplus shipments." He then stepped back and Harnan glanced at her instruction team. They all nodded in response to her silent question and she turned back to Lahnik for her rebuttal.

"He couldn't have known that! How could some.. Male have known that the station was running customs checks only through one docking pad!?"

"I timed it." Dane responded. "I also had a look at Melito's cargo manifest via scan when she was rerouted from dock three to dock one when she was fourth from approach."

Lahnik scowled, Harnan gave the Thelit version of raised eyebrows when she blinked rapidly and nodded. Then Harnan looked back to her instructors.

"Misconduct?" she asked them. All of them shook their heads and Harnan nodded. "Charge dismissed. Take your seats and we will review."

Lahnik stood rigid as the rest of the students, including most of her cronies, drifted toward their seats. Finally the Ghoskan deflated and chose to drop her accusation, but certainly not without casting more than one long angry look at Dane.

The rest of the class and lecture passed without incident, and the day was done. "Only two more sessions until the final test. Thank fuck!" Dane thought to himself as he left the S-2 building surrounded by his fellow cadets. Turien waited for him in her usual place, a divide in the plascrete walkway under a lamp post. Her uniform jacket was crisp, with sharp creases and her body suit fit snugly where he could see it, from her waist down to her boots. Dane had fantasized often about peeling her out of her form fitting flight suit and seeing if she tasted as good out of it as she looked wearing it. His urge to indulge in drinking her in through his eyes came to a halt though when he noticed that her expression had reverted to the same bland façade that she had been using as cover earlier that day.

"Commander." Dane greeted her, watching her expression and her posture closely. He came to a stop a meter in front of her and she nodded in reply, then turned and started to walk toward the docks, but he didn't follow her. Turien finally realized it after four steps, and turned to look back at him. At this time of the cycle, very few people were still on the campus. Only a few students leaving the S-2 building and one or two staff heading home after finishing up whatever work needed to be done.

"Is something wrong, Cadet Morlund?" Turien asked, glancing around them seeking anything out of the ordinary. Pure military instinct.

"You tell me, Turien." Dane said, refusing to move. Something had her unsettled, and he wanted to know what it was, and he was going to bring it out of her there and then. Turien back tracked to stand before him, looking up into his pale grey eyes, her cupid's bow lips turned down into a frown.

"You've been acting distant, quiet. Ever since you came back from your assignment to meet with the Baroness." He accused, and noticed the guilty shift in her posture and the way her eyes slid away from him, and it confirmed his observations without her even speaking.

"You don't joke with me, you don't comment on the people around us like you usually do, I have to say or do.." he huffed with restrained frustration. "I had to kiss you without your permission to get you to show me something other than that stone-faced officers mask you've been wearing." he finished. Whatever it was that Turien was holding back on, Dane concluded, he was involved somehow.

Turien sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, then straightened her posture and looked into his eyes, fully in officer mode again.

"Cadet.." She started to say something, then shook her head and changed her mind. "Dane.. Please let this drop for now." She stepped close when she saw his face close up in frustration and she placed a hand on his chest when he opened his mouth to demand she explain. He stopped when she shook her head, her short blond hair covering her eyes briefly, and for a moment her expression softened a little.

"There are some things happening, but they aren't fully resolved yet. Please, let me tell you when I am sure which way the spin is going to go." she said, using an abbreviated belt miner expression for 'asteroidal spin', which was similar to 'which way the winds blow' on earth.

Dane took a breath and decided to be patient. He had made his concern clear, and she had asked him to wait for things to clear up, so he would do that.

"Fine." He reluctantly agreed, "I will let it go for now, but if I am involved, and I think I am, I am going to bring this up again and I expect an answer." She still hadn't addressed one thing though, so as they both turned to follow the walkway toward the docks and his ship, he lifted his head. A little bit of playfulness returning.

"So, the kiss was so unremarkable that you won't even say anything about it?" He was gratified to see her blush just a little before she back-handed his arm lightly. But she didn't say anything for a while as they crossed the park and the flat mag-way with the few delivery cars and passenger vehicles taking workers home or to the start of their shift. When she did speak, he wasn't sure that he heard her right.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I.. I liked it." she said clearly this time, though she refused to look at him after she said it. She slipped her hands behind her back, gripping her fingers, and shook her head to bring the short fan of blond hair over her cheek to hide her eyes from his gaze, but the flush of her cheeks told him everything he needed to know, and his steps lightened along with the smile on his face. The rest of their walk to the docks happened in silence, but this time it was a much more pleasant silence. Both of them glancing at the other, catching eyes and smiles. To a degree, Dane was more than a little surprised at himself. This wasn't his first dive into relations with a woman, but he couldn't shake the giddiness and the rush of endorphins that combined to make him feel like he was experiencing his first high school crush all over again. He laughed at himself quietly and decided to just enjoy the high.

Turien declined to come aboard for dinner, though she obviously desired anything other than to be returning to her barracks and eating the military rations they made available, she said that she needed to be on station for an early patrol shift that would keep her occupied for the day.

Dane and Turien parted, and Dane put thoughts of their conversation aside for the time being. He had two more simulation runs to deal with, and several tests that he needed to be sure he passed.

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Turien pressed the button that Dane had shown her again, then let her hand fall to her side, glancing over her shoulder at Minera.

"Maybe he is just studying?" Minera volunteered, not quite wringing her hands together as she stood nervously behind Turien. This had been the first time that the two of them had an evening off together since Dane's arrival, and she had been nearly adamant in her request to have the dinner that Dane had offered. But if Dane was so deep in his studies, or even sleeping, then it would be another moon cycle before they could all three meet together. Another two minutes passed and Turien looked at Minera with an apology on her lips when the ramp door slid open and Dane appeared haloed in the locks light. He was wearing a thin, knee length robe that clung to his shoulders and was belted around his hips. His hair was wet, hanging around his face and down his neck in dark waves. And now her breath caught in her throat as she stared at his eyes, They always had this way of making her feel like they were looking into her, through her and they reminded her so much of the same color and shape of a Var-cat's eyes. She had seen images of the Cariathmean high mountain predator several times, and every time she couldn't look away without an echo of them watching her for minutes after. And now there was this Human man with those same haunting eyes, and a body that made her belly clench in desire.

"Sorry," Dane said, combing his hair away from his face and giving a boyish grin. "I was taking some down time, letting my brain rest after today's sim run."

"Uh.." Turien's brain struggled for a moment to form the words until she shook her head and coughed. "It..it's fine. Minera and I were just hoping that your offer.. for dinner?.."

Dane looked at her in puzzlement for a moment and then his face brightened.

"Oh," he looked past Turien to Minera, standing behind and to one side of her, and nodded. "Yes, absolutely! Please, come aboard." He said, stepping to one side and gesturing for them to enter his ship.

Minera's head was constantly on the swivel, taking in the interior of the Sunspear. He had to admit, maybe he had gotten so used to the interior that he took the smooth lines and gentle curves a bit for granted. Dane acknowledged that it looked mostly like a luxury yacht more than the cargo ship he was treating it as. It was all white paneling, brass trim and smooth glass terminals and displays, with only the very rare exposed vent or power cables covered by flexible conduit. In comparison, most of the ships he had studied in class had very practical and industrial interiors. Paneling and trim were saved for guest quarters and luxury liners. Everywhere else in the transport craft or in-system carriers had exposed access panels, cables that were merely secured to the passageways in bundles and any other measure that would make repairs easier and quicker under emergency circumstances. He could appreciate that, but he was more than pleased by the difference with the Sunspear.

"Is this really your ship?" Minera asked, taking in the sights as he guided them into the depths and up one level to the crew deck.

"Yes." Dane said proudly, glancing over his shoulder. He hadn't really spent much time appreciating everything the Sunspear was compared to the larger scamp-freighters and heavy haulers that he had been running simulations on. But it was on par with the largest of them, and according to Turien, the interior was on par with the most expensive private Imperial craft among the elites.

"Two hundred and five meters long, One hundred forty-eight meters abeam from the port main engine to the starboard main, and eighty seven meters from keel to dorsal observation dome." he recited.

"She has four independent, swivel-mounted primary engines, two primaries on the forewings and two more on the rear, inset and slide-mounted for maneuverability and overall thrust. She can carry a maximum cargo of one hundred and twenty tons, and still has facilities for a crew of eight including a small gym, resistance pool, fore and aft galley's and officers quarters."

He looked back to find Minera shaking her head and Turien.. Staring at his ass... until she noticed he was watching. She quickly looked away and the blush on her cheeks brought a smile to his lips.

"Turien keeps growling about her Kaska, Heavy patrol fighter only having enough room to sit half of her butt into the head when she has to reli.." Minera started to say, when Turien's embarrassed yelp interrupted her.

"Min! You can't say that to Him!" she said indignantly, smacking Minera on her arm and blushing even harder, then lowering her voice. "It..it's.."

Dane laughed and shook his head.

"It's alright. I've been getting quite an education on how dock workers and freight runners talk to each other in class. I am starting to think that some of them are just competing to see what it will take to embarrass me." It hadn't reached that mark yet, but it had inspired several interesting, and pleasant imaginings for him in the last two weeks. Without Minera divulging any more embarrassing facets of a Security Pilot's life, Dane led them up into the crew deck and to the galley nearest the officers quarters which also happened to have an entertainment area.

"So," Dane said as he leaned against a center island surrounded by bar-stools that were bolted to the deck. "What kind of dinner were you wanting?" he said with a smile, bringing their attention back to the reason for their visit.

Dane spent the rest of the evening treating the two of them to a number of dishes in small proportions so that they could enjoy all of it. Turien of course demanded that they start with sushi, but Dane wanted to expand her horizons a bit more. Sunspear's catalog of gastronomic patterns was rather extensive, after all. So they got a tour of Asian cooking from Japan through China, Mongolia and back down into Nepal and India then branched into Syrian and Ethiopian foods, and worked their way North a few bites at a time. By the time they had begun introducing Italian cuisine, he could see that their ability to continue was waning, so he finished by placing small cups of espresso and tiny bowls of iced cream beside them.

The two of them were well and truly stuffed when he finally removed the last dishes, and they had contented expressions on their faces.

"Oh, Gods and stars, I have never eaten so much in my life!" Minera gasped.

Turien nodded sympathetically. "The first time Dane fed me sushi, I couldn't get enough of it. But that was before I knew what lasagna was. I think I have a new favorite."

Dane just laughed and enjoyed the post prandial slump as he sipped the last of his espresso.

"I haven't even finished the European selection, much less the American continental cuisine." he stated.

"You mean there's more?" Minera said with a look of trepidation.

Dane laughed and waved a hand, to ease her fears.

"Not tonight. If we kept going the three of us would burst." he said smiling. "Maybe next time." Both Minera and Turien groaned and nodded.

"I do think, however.." he continued as he started to lever himself up out of the chair. "That I need to change clothing into something more publicly acceptable and then disturb you two into joining me for a walk to help with digestion."

Neither of his guests looked terribly pleased with the thought, but agreed that it would be the better idea, Minera because she had to be back at the admin offices in the morning, and Turien because visiting Dane too often and being too well fed was beginning to push her into another uniform size. At which point her C.O. would refer her to the fitness instructor and several weeks of remedial torture would result. So, they joined him in touring the nearest park to his docking bay, enjoying the meandering trails and the sight of bioluminescent insects as they visited the small ponds and waterways in the coolness of the station's evening dark.

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System: Cariathme ND+205 48

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

Civilian Commons, Education Section 17.

Date: 12-02-5798 GS, 08:45 hours.

Dane sat with the other students spread out in small groups or alone. Each contending with their nerves in their own way. The park sat central to the three large training facility buildings, and was spotted in small groves of wide branched decorative trees, green grasses, curated streams and ponds and small flower gardens. It reminded Dane of Central Park on a much smaller scale, but it was also much more obvious that it was not a natural landscape by any means. Tilting his head back and looking up through the branches and leaves of the tree he was leaning against, he could see other parks and artistically formed waterways spotted here and there along the inner cylinder of the station. They broke up the residential and business districts and gave families and workers a place to retreat and recharge, and to remind them that they were biological beings that had evolved on planets.

Dane, though he knew how curated the park was, appreciated the effort and the effect. His nerves were just as wracked as those of his fellows, though they chose to express it with a spontaneous game of Kacha-ball. From first glance, it vaguely resembled American Football, but the moment the ball left the ground at the center of the formation, it looked a lot more like some Aztec death match, without the bloodshed. It didn't seem to matter how the ball was moved from one end of the marked off field to the other, and tackling was only part of it. Scuffles, throws, kicks all seemed to be involved and more than a couple of players had retired from incidental impacts. Dane was completely lost, and shook his head when he had been invited.

A few students had turned to quieter forms of shaking the tension of waiting for the test results, some of them in the oldest College tradition of praying fervently, much to his amusement. Not that he could blame them. Four written tests, three panel inquisitions and two simulator sessions where the difficulty kept flip-flopping in difficulty and intricacy, and Dane's frazzled state of mind could only be called well earned. Each student had been warned not to be late when the page for their cohort came, so they had elected to stay close by, and sober until they could leave the facility in victory.. Or in some cases in resigned commitment to either try again or consign themselves to lower paying jobs.

Two hours later, Turien met him in their usual spot; he almost danced up behind her as she leaned against the lamp post.

"Hey there Commander. Guess who got his wings?" he said cheerfully, just before stepping up next to her. But the cheer died on his face when she turned her head to look at him and sighed.

"Come with me, Pilot Morlund. You have a meeting." Turien pushed herself off of the lamp post and started marching along the path, but this time it led away from the docks, and toward a long grey passenger vehicle that seemed to be waiting for them specifically.

"Shit."

The Aracien Imperial equivalent of a limousine took them out of the civilian sector via a sublevel tunnel system. It was obviously meant for transporting high level administration officials and VIPs, so Dane was more than a little confused about why Commander Turien and himself were being transported through it. Any and all questions were met with silence until he managed to annoy Turien into sighing.

"Someone important wants to meet with you, Pilot Commander Morlund. I can't tell you why. So please find the dignity and patience to remain silent until you are told." A moment later, she winced at her own words. She obviously hadn't meant to lose her calm, and he could see that it was bothering her just as much, if not more than him, because her knee was shaking with restrained nerves while she looked out through the semi-transparent cabin wall. Dane sighed. He knew that she was right, he would be told at the convenience of whomever it was that had the influence to summon him in this fashion. Anything he did would simply make life more difficult for himself and others along the way. He just needed to bide his time and wait for the shoe to drop, so he matched Turien's silence with his own for the duration of the trip.

The limousine emerged from the sub-level tunnel into station daylight, and Dane immediately took in their surroundings. This section of the station seemed to be entirely sealed off from the rest, because looking in either direction axially, his view was met with solid white, armored bulkheads.

"Fuck, what the hell have I gotten into, and what did I do to land myself here?" Dane thought as the vehicle came to a stop behind a tall dark grey building. The edifice would have been intimidating but for the bright brassy filigree and artistic sconces that graced the curved structure, and the abundance of windows set into the walls above the first level.

Turien exited the vehicle, waiting for Dane to step out and then moved with silent purpose toward a guarded door tucked into an alcove. Two heavy mechanized battle suits stood on either side, and up until one of them moved, Dane had wondered if they were occupied. Both Turien and Dane were scanned, imaged and passed through several doors until they emerged in a hallway that looked like it was set in an embassy.. And that was when his mind and feet came to a screeching halt. Turien stopped as well, her expression expectant.

"Are we where I think we are?" he asked, gesturing around them at the plush carpet, framed images of notables he did not know, classically painted landscapes and pieces of art on pedestals.

"Please, don't cause a scene here, Dane. I need you to behave." She said, and there was a pleading look in her eye that caused Dane to nod, and firm up his own posture, fastening up the front of his jacket and checking himself over as he stepped forward, following her to the end of the hall.

The door opened into a small room with a high ceiling and two stuffed chairs that faced one another across a knee-high table. Turien showed him in, stopping at one side of a chair and pulled him by his arm until he stood between her and the chair. They waited there for several minutes, and she didn't have to tell him to keep his thoughts and questions to himself for the time being. The approach of booted feet announced the arrival of someone important before the door opened and a guard entered, weapon in hand as she took in the room and the two occupants in one sweep, then she stepped to one side and held the door while an older Aracien woman entered at a more sedate pace. Dane watched her with curiosity and more than a little caution. Much like the majority of Aracien people, she had that deep Spanish brown skin, and almost European features of delicate lines, high arching brow and high cheek bones leading down to a gently pointed chin. He could tell that in her youth, she had a heartshaped face, and time had only had a little effect on her features, adding lines at the corners of her eyes, turning her hair white with age, but only managing to take away some of the glossy shine. She wore her hair in a bun, high on her head leaving one strand to frame the right side her face. She was a bit meatier in the hips and breasts than Turien was, and if this woman was the standard, he absolutely looked forward to seeing the changes in the Commander. Standing, the top of her head was at a level with Dane's shoulder, which seemed to be the average for Aracien women. All in all, Dane had to admit, the woman was still damn attractive.

Dane stifled a smile when he realized that the woman had been looking him over just as much as he had been checking her out. He certainly hadn't stopped working out while he had been studying, and part of his requirements for piloting his ship was staying in shape to the best of his ability. He remained tone, and well proportioned to his height and build, so it was gratifying to him to be appreciated by a woman with her experience.

"So," She said as she moved to stand opposite Dane, placing her left hand on the back of her chair. "This is our wayward human." She took another moment, giving him one more sweep of her eyes and nodding.

"Sit." She said simply, and Dane heard the tone that said it wasn't a request, so he sat and leaned back into the comfortable seat.

The woman looked at Turien who stood at military attention, meeting her eye and then nodded.

"The rest of you may step outside. Pilot Commander Morlund and I have things to discuss." She said and flicked the data pad in a minute dismissive gesture. The guards moved immediately, opening the door and one passing through while the other waited for Turien. Dane caught the brief hesitation before Turien moved to obey and also noted the twitch in the woman's cheek as she noted the same hesitancy. When they were gone, Dane watched her round the back of the chair, walking slowly.

"I have heard quite a bit about you, Commander Morlund. I have also done some discrete inquiries regarding your parents and their private outpost." She paused, turning her head to watch his reaction. "Would you like to know what I discovered, Commander?"

Dane could guess already, so he gestured for her to continue.

"Nothing. There is no Dane Morlund, and the outpost that you described could match any of a thousand separatist colonies, failed, absorbed or vanished." Her expression didn't change even by a fraction. So whatever she was saying, she wasn't terribly surprised, nor did it matter to her all that much.

"I am sure that the Alliance has more important things to concern themselves over than a few reclusive engineers." Dane said casually. To which the woman raised an eyebrow at his tone.

"Quite." She finished her slow circle of the chair and settled herself into it, placing the data pad on her thigh and spreading her right hand over it protectively.

'The one who speaks first, has more to confess.' he had been told by a friend who was well experienced in business dealings. This was a power move, and Dane had been shifted and moved enough. It was time to be patient.

"Are you aware of who I am, Commander Morlund?" She finally asked.

Dane pointedly looked around at their rich surroundings, and then back to her.

"Someone with influence, money and status." he said simply, keeping his face bland as though the answer didn't really have much effect on him. He was acting, of course, but it was a convincing act because her eyebrow twitched in surprise and she almost smiled.

"Does the name Karanah Volant have any meaning to you?" She asked with a cool edge to her voice.

Dane thought for a moment, then tilted his head asking calmly,

"Are you claiming to be the Baroness Volant of Cariathme?"

"I am." she affirmed.

"Then, please forgive my ignorance of customs and protocols, Your Excellancy." Dane said, bowing his head slightly in her direction while also resisting the urge to come further on guard. Nobility had a reputation, and it didn't seem to matter what time period or species, treading softly while still asserting one's own standing was simply good practice.

"Forgiven, Commander." she said casually waving off any responsibility on his part.

"To what do I owe being summoned to your presence?" He asked, getting around to the meat of the conversation.

"Are you a member of the Mercenaries guild yet, Commander?" She asked.

"My documents are pending the finalization of my captaincy license." Dane replied simply. Everything hung on that, particularly his ability to start taking work and his freedom to move around within the Empire.

She smiled and nodded, tapping one finger on her data pad.

"I have a job for you, Commander Morlund. Pending the completion of that job, I may have other assignments." She said, and he could almost feel the hook under the bait. "This particular assignment is morally grey, and could bring some undesirable attention if you should fail."

Dane gave that a moment's thought, and nodded his understanding.

"Can I assume that the pay will be commensurate with the risk and the completion if successful?"

"Certainly." She responded without a missed beat.

"I have conditions." He stated, leaning back into the thick padding of the chair and resting his head on the back.

The Baroness arched one fine eyebrow slowly, a small quirk at the corner of her lips betraying her amusement.

"I offer you your first assignment and you have conditions?"

Dane nodded, letting her think it over. He may be just starting as a mercenary, and contract operator, but he was still Dane Morlund, son of Charles and Victoria Morlund and he had lived long enough to understand where his lines were drawn. Even if he could not find employment in Cariathme, he still had a legal right to travel now that he was a citizen of the Akharim Empire.

The Baroness studied him for a long silent moment and then gave a gracious nod.

"What are these conditions? I may have to adjust what assignments I make available to you depending.."

Dane held up his right hand, folding fingers as he went.

"I do not aid pirates, but I will hunt them particularly if they have a reputation for harming civilian bystanders. If innocents or non-combatants are likely to be harmed, I will choose some other means of accomplishing the task. Although I understand the Imperial law regarding indentured servants, I will only transport those whom I have received verbal consent and confirmation that it is voluntary. If I find that my contractor has deliberately misinformed me and compromised these conditions, The deposit is forfeit along with half of the completion fee and I will put them on the guild blacklist."

Karanah Volant stared hard at Dane when he finished and set his hand on the arm rest of the chair, her bright blue eyes as sharp as her features.

"So." she said with a smirk. "A mercenary with moral fortitude." Dane grasped that she was speaking more to herself than to him, so he remained silent.

"I need someone who can run a blockade, pick up a passenger and return with them." The Baroness began, laying out the details of the assignment. "I have an agent in position with the blockade, but using her ability to disrupt the blockade could expose her to discovery.,"

"Then don't." Dane said flatly.

Karanah lifted her eyes and met his, letting a breath of irritation out.

"Don't, what, Commander?"

"Don't risk her. All I need is a contact name, a location, a time and the most recent scan of the system available."

The Baroness considered him for a moment, her eyes sharp again.

"That is quite the boast, Commander. But if you are so very confident that you can evade a full blockade, then the system beacon will have the most up to date scan data available."

Dane shrugged. He knew that any conventional ship's deceleration wake would be picked up across the system within hours of its arrival. Disabling their ship ID transceiver would only serve to alert the blockade to tighten formations and intensify their search for anything trying to pass through their screening patrols. As he considered the Baroness, he also knew that she had taken an interest in his ship, but had gotten nothing that any casual observer wouldn't have. The composition of the Sunspear's hull simply absorbed most intrusive scans unless he wanted to be transparent in his dealings, and even then he could selectively obscure or hide select components. Not that the average scan technician would understand what those components were. Much like the molecular manipulators on the crew deck and engineering decks, some things were beyond their technological ability to grasp. This he knew from the classes and from going over many of the standard ships and repurposed military transports in the database.

Dane was confident, because he was already forming a plan. It would be a headache to set up, but if successful, it would mean comparatively easy money.

"Let's talk about the fee.." he said, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees, hands clasped before him.

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System: Cariathme ND+205 48

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

Docking Bay, Dock 73 B.

Date: 12-02-5798 GS, 18:45 hours.

"So, Mother has you on the hook now?" Turien said as they walked away from the departing ground car. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't surprised that Karanah had taken such an interest in Dane. He had dropped into the Baroness' granted system, her personal domain, practically out of nowhere. A human in a ship unlike anything anyone had ever seen, with technology that was unimaginable to anyone but the most delusional of dreamers and just happens to be rather pleasant on the eyes.

Dane.. As hard as she had tried, she just couldn't make her mind refer to him by his family name. As a child and an orphan, most of the people she had known didn't have one. Just a job and a color code that narrowed down where they lived and what their social strata were. It was usually enough if someone needed to be found on Bandarr's Gateway, and most times even Cariathme itself. Only a few places like Idmoss city were large enough and prosperous enough that families could break out of the caste they were born into.

Dane.. The man who walked beside her, tall and broad of shoulder, bright of eye. His warm smile and calm voice had wormed its way into her and claimed a part of her before she even realized it. And now her adopted mother had marked her own claim on the man. That thought brought a fiery response from some previously unknown part of her mind and set her aback.

"What the hell?! Am I jealous of the Baroness? And what if I am? It isn't like I could even begin to challenge her if she wants him. She damn well owns me in pretty much every way I can measure. Not that I have any claim on him myself. Would he even want any claim on me?.. Why am I even considering that? I am an officer, a pilot. I already have my dream, and it isn't like I could have him stay.. But wouldn't it be nice to..."

Turien's circling thoughts were interrupted when Dane spoke and she felt a soothing calm take the place of her self-inflicted lashing.

"Oh, maybe not on the hook, but I think she knows I am eyeing the bait." He said, tilting his head left then right vaguely.

"That is starting to sound like you are seriously considering taking the assignment." Turien said, and even she could hear how hopeful she sounded.

Dane just nodded as they entered the lift and keyed it to take them to his bay. "I think that I will."

As they rode the lift down to where the Sunspear rested, Dane watched Turien from the corner of his eye. There was no denying the attraction between them, and complications between species and cultures be damned, He was going to do something about it. Exactly what.. He wasn't sure yet, but he had an idea.

"I'm pretty sure I will be able to complete the assignment. It actually seems pretty straight forward. Go to a place, pick someone up and return." He shrugged.

"Is it really going to be that simple, or are you just trying to make it sound that way?" Turien challenged. She knew her adopted mother well enough that she could guess it was not anything remotely so mundane.

Dane grinned, looking at her and winking.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her.

She considered him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Yes, Dane. I trust you."

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"Alright, Mr. Morlund.. What are we doing here? And why are you not turning on the lights?" Turien asked in the stillness of the chamber as Dane moved around by feel, setting things in place, and preparing everything by touch and the dim lights of the control panels.

"You said you trusted me, commander." he shot back from the far side of the room.

"I did say that.. But I am reconsidering that position." Turien said with a bit of trepidation in her voice.

"If I said that this may be one of the better experiences that The Sunspear has to offer, and all you need to do is do what I ask you to do..will you stretch that trust, just a little further?" Dane said as the sound of synthetic leather crumpling on the floor could be heard from where Turien stood. Her heartbeat picked up a beat or two as her brain registered what that might mean.

"Uhm..Mr. Morlund.. Maybe we should talk this trust thing over." she said, and then she turned her head as a new sound came to her ears from the absolute black of the room.

"Turien," Danes' voice called to her, echoing off of the walls.

"y..Yes?" she asked in a small voice that was completely unlike her usual commanding, self assured voice.

"I want you to remove your clothes, and come here," he said simply.

"Wh..what!?" she nearly shouted in shock.

"Please, Turien." he said, and there was a ripple of reactions that flowed through her when she heard his voice, that tone sent an indescribable wave through her and she blinked, having to force herself to think. "Trust in me, and do as I ask. Please." he said again in that same tone. His voice pulled on her and she started shedding her jacket and vac-suit.

"Ah..alright, but you had better not be up to something weird, Mr. Morlund." she snorted, because even to herself she didn't sound anything like she usually did. When she slipped out of the last of her clothes, she stepped toward the last place she had heard his voice.

"Slowly, Turien.. Down here." Dane said, and she followed the sound of his voice as she started feeling steam warming her skin, and dampness cooling in spots as she moved slowly toward him.

"Here," he said. "Hold your hand out." she did, and then felt his large hand grasp hers firmly.

"Ok, sit down, and let your feet dangle over the edge."

She did as he asked, slowly sliding her feet forward until she felt the cool surface of the floor drop away, and then she felt water lapping at her feet. It was warm, a little warmer than her own body temperature, but not uncomfortably so, and she let her feet sink deeper until her legs were dangling and swaying back and forth.

"What is this?" she asked, still very much confused.

"Only the start, Turien. Are you ready?" he asked, and then she felt his hands settle on her hips.

"Wha.. wait!" she yelped as he lifted her up, and then brought her down as her feet kicked and flailed around looking for a surface to stand on.

"Relax, Turien. I have you. Relax." he said in that lovely deep calming tone and she felt her body relax, though she still gripped onto him like a vargat kit to its mother. She was grateful for the dark that hid her blush at the indignity of it, then she gasped as she began sinking and reached out, grabbing at his arms, and her other hand finding his hair and gripping onto that in her rising panic.

"Shhh.." he calmed her, though she was almost outraged to hear the laughter under that calm.

"Dane! What are you doing!" she demanded.

"Helping you to relax, Commander Turien." he said, making a pointed inflection of her rank. "Now stop grabbing at me like a kitten, stop kicking and relax. Breathe normally, and just let yourself float." he said as he slid one hand up and guided her to tilt backwards. She felt the warm water slide up along her naked body, enveloping her and bringing her to a near weightless state. She got control of her breathing, calming it and forcing it to become more regular.

"Good," he said as he released her hip and took hold of her right hand, letting go with his other hand as she settled into a horizontal position, her body undulating with the motion of the water around her.

"I am going to be right here the whole time, Turien, I am not going to touch anywhere else, I am just going to hold your hand." he said, gripping her hand firmly to emphasize each point. "Trust me?"

"Yes." she said while she continued to breathe.

"Good." he replied, and it sounded like he turned his head. "Here we go."

"Wha..." then the room slowly lit up, and soft music welled up around the room, and under the water. The images of stars spread all around them and Turien felt like her stomach dropped out from under her. She was Floating! Naked! In Space!..

She looked all around them and saw the starlight reflected in the water of the pool they floated in, and even below the surface, on the bottom of the pool below them, there were more stars drifting slowly by. To her left near her feet, a nebula blossomed as stars lit the giant gas clouds from behind, metallic dust clouds turning them orange, and purple as they mixed with helium, hydrogen and argon with bright K and T class stars blazing through it all from behind. To her right a pulsar caught her attention in the distance and then faded from her mind as a new vista grabbed her eyes. And the only constant thing that she felt was the grip of Dane's hand holding hers and the warm water lapping at her skin. She turned her head and looked at him, seeing only his profile outlined in stars, and the starlight reflected in his eye.. And a peaceful smile on his lips.

She felt his hand grip hers, she silently replayed his voice saying the word "relax" in her mind, so she lay back again and let the music flow over her awareness. There were no words, just beats and soft melodies that drifted in and out of prominence, only to fade out entirely and be replaced by new themes. But always, there were the stars.. and his hand holding hers. It was perfect, she realized. It was everything that she loved. It was this very reason that she had wanted to be a pilot from the time she was a girl, staring up at the distant clear panels that hung over the orphanage that had taken her in as a child. It was the pure essence of that freedom, light, and color that she had always dreamed of, and she was so very, very relaxed in that place and in that moment.

"This.. is amazing." she whispered before realizing that she had vocalized her thoughts.

"I'm glad you approve, commander." Dane replied. "I thought you would like it."

A comet blazed past them in slow motion, glittering ice particles leaving sparks of light in its wake as she watched its tail fade into the dark, leaving behind only stars, warmth and the feel of his hand holding hers firmly. They floated in the ambient light of synthetic starlight for a while, each in their own thoughts until Turien broke the silence.

"Dane.."

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask.. something personal?" She said, sounding a bit hesitant.

Dane remained silent for a bit, but replied casually enough.

"Sure, Turien." He said, using her name instead of her rank.

She was obviously organizing her thoughts for this, because she was quiet for a time.

"Back home..Did..Did you have anyone special to you?"

Dane turned his head her way, but she was still looking out into the holographic stars and galaxies moving across the ceiling, and very pointedly not looking at him.

"I take it you mean besides my parents, and my aunts and uncles.." he stated rather than asked.

"Mmhmm."

"Crap.." He thought to himself. "Ok, let's make something up, but nothing too deep."

"I can't say that she was special, or.. Rather she was, but she didn't allow it to become anything." He said, being vague as he pulled together pieces of his real life lovers and something that might make sense for his persona.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't she?" she asked, turning her head toward him.

He gave a shrug, causing ripples to form in the water that lapped over her shoulder and caressed her cheek.

"She was a younger associate of one of my uncles. A mechanical engineer and fabrication specialist. She was the youngest in the colony other than myself, still older than me by a few years." Dane tilted his head, watching the representation of a rogue planet passing through a star system at accelerated speed.

"She was only there for three years, but it was long enough that.." Dane sighed, actually remembering one woman in particular. She had been in the Airforce, on assignment at the Language institute, and she had only wanted someone who she could enjoy herself with for a while.

"She became something of a teacher for me. But she would never let me get attached. She knew that she would be leaving, and didn't want a puppy trying to follow her around, causing issues or making some absurd claims on her." He finished with a smile, remembering the last weekend that Jenine had spent with him, the frantic love making, the sweat in the summer and the whole apartment simply reeking of sex. She had definitely been his best sex instructor. Wild, adventurous, and willing to let him try absolutely anything with her so long as there weren't any marks that she would have to explain to her CO.

"She.. certainly sounds special." Turien said, and Dane turned his head to look at her again, seeing that she was looking at him in the starlit dark.

"I guess she was, in a way. She was my first." Jenine hadn't been, but it was a more credible lie than explaining what teenage sex in a pick-up truck meant, or what a drive in movie was.

"Oh.. That makes sense then." she said, still looking at him.

"Do you?" He asked, turning the question around on her. To which she turned away from him.

"I have had lovers.. but I think being an Imperial Pilot Officer is a lot like her situation, though without the travel." she said, he watched her eyes flitting from star to star and felt her shift a little in the water, drifting closer to him. "I can't exactly get married, but don't ask me why. The thing is, I know I want a child, but I can't just have a fling with one of my fellow officers. Men in the military are far too rare here for it to be anonymous enough to keep the distance. Likewise with any of the other people I might encounter, men or women. And.." she shook her head, and Dane thought he felt some frustration coming from her.

"What about someone passing through?" Dane said without thinking, and then caught himself when Turien turned her head and smiled.

"Are you offering, Dane?" She said, and though her eyes were laughing, she also looked like she was actually considering it.

"No ties, no complications and no claims?" he countered.

Turien looked at him, her eyes flicking from one grey eye to the other, then down to his lips.

Dane was watching her for her reaction, her hand gripping his pulled them closer together and he slowly swung his legs down to bring him into a vertical position as she matched him. Her green eyes were mere sparks of reflective light on her dark face and before either of them realized it, they were only inches apart. They could feel the water warming between them, and just like her, he was completely unclothed.

He watched Turien while a series of thoughts crossed her mind and then she looked up at him and he felt her free hand find his hip, slipping around him and pulling them together.

"Kiss me again, Dane Morlund." Turien whispered, and he smiled again as he felt his heart beat race. He tilted his head and caught her lips with his, brushing them back and forth lightly and sighing in pleasure at the softness of them, his left hand moved through the water and pressed firmly between her shoulder blades, keeping them from drifting apart. He felt her breasts press against his chest and pillow out, her nipples hardening against his skin as she took a shuddering breath and the hand on his hip gripped then slid back to his ass and pulled their hips together. His cock thickened and rose up, slipping between her smooth thighs made slick by the water and bumped up against the cleft of her thighs as the kiss deepened.

Dane opened his mouth and darted his tongue out to taste her lips and she matched him, move for move, taste for taste until their tongues were dancing in counterpoint and reversal. Turien let his right hand go, bringing her left hand up to the back of his head and combing her fingers into his hair, gripping gently at first and then with more confidence as her hunger began to spike. His right hand free, he slid it down along her side, brushing his thumb over the curve of her breast where her firm, full flesh met his, and then down over her waist and hip and around to spread his fingers out over her ass cheek, gripping it and pulling her firmly against his hardening shaft.

The moan that she let slip past her lips sent tiny electric thrills through him, from his ears to his groin and back again and he enthusiastically responded with his own low rumbling hum of pleasure. He shifted his hips back and forth running his length along her slit and groaned as she closed her thighs over it, providing some added friction as he felt her slick juices mix with the water in the floating pool. Slowly, he began kick-stepping through the water as they kissed, sucking on each others tongues and lips, him bringing both of his hands down to her ass, gripping her ass cheeks firmly and spreading them as he lifted her thighs up around his waist. Turien brought her slender hands up to grip the hair on his head and the back of his neck, pulling him eagerly, hungrily into her kiss.

When Dane's toes caught traction on the floor of the pool, he walked them up the incline until he could seat her on the rounded edge just at waist height and breathlessly broke the kiss, looking into her eye for a moment as he brought his right hand up, caressing her cheek and the line of her slender jaw. Then he leaned in again, his right hand slipping to the back of her head and gripping her short hair, pulling her head back and kissing his way across her cheek to her back sloped, pointed ear and ran his tongue along the edge. Grinning at the shuddering moan she let loose and the slight buck of her hips pressing her slick mound against his lower belly, he felt Turien's right hand move from his neck and slip between them, blindly searching until she found his cock and wrapped her fingers around its girth as a tremor ran through her.

Turien gripped his cock in her right hand, gently squeezing it and moaning at the firmness of him in her grip. Her left hand clung to his hair as he kissed his way down her neck, nipping, sucking and licking her skin until he reached her right breast where he blew a long breath over her wet skin, the water chilling and her nipple hardened in reaction. Not that she thought her nipples could harden much more than they already were, the feel of this man, his size and strength, and the feel of his hands and arms were a heady combination. She was nearly drunk just on those alone and then she had sought out his cock, her hand moving on instinct, wanting to feel with her hand what she had barely believed she had felt between her thighs and rubbing back and forth over her increasingly needy sex.

She started to open her mouth to ask him if all human men were built like him, only to let loose a gasp that turned into a moan as he sucked her nipple between his lips and pressed his teeth to the stiffened nub. All of her thoughts, what few she had managed to gather, flitted away on butterfly-like Dalzete wings as he sucked more of her B-cup breast into his mouth, pulling on it and then slowly letting it slip from his mouth. His right hand kept a firm grip in her hair, pulling her head back to expose her neck to him while his left hand gripped her ass, squeezing it possessively. The position and his treatment of her body were stimulating flickering thoughts of being taken by him, used and rutted like the worst of the contraband smut that she had managed to smuggle into her dorm room and read when she was young.

Her belly muscles fluttered as he moved his head, his lips brushing her still damp skin as he crossed the expanse between her breasts. She whimpered, tugging on his hair to hurry him along but he seemed determined to go at his own pace. She suddenly remembered his thick phallus in her hand and began stroking it slowly, reaching to the base and wrapping her thumb and index finger around it but they didn't even meet as she gently pulled her hand up along its length, subconsciously steering it toward the heat that steadily burned between her thighs as they clenched around his waist. Another tremor ran through her as he gave her left nipple the same treatment, only biting harder this time, dragging a whimper from her throat and both hands clenching at him, urging him to give her more, treat her rougher. Somewhere between her gasped breaths, her whimpers and moans turned into uncontrolled speech.

"Yes." and "please!" and "mooorrreee!" spilled from her without conscious intent, even as he pulled his hips away, leaving her hand grasping at empty air, his lips left her and she heard someone utter a pathetic "Nooooo." not realizing it was coming from her.

Dane listened to her as he licked and sucked and nipped at her skin, her nipples and ran his tongue along the delicious underside of her breast, feeling the firm flesh of her C-cup breasts on his tongue. Every word she said told him what she was feeling, and where she was at, and he had enough experience with women to know she was right where he wanted her. Then he drew away, leaving her clutching and spinning from the loss of his presence. He moved his hands, taking her wrists in his grip and pushing them behind her to deny her ability to touch him. Dane lifted his eyes to look at Turien, her expression was dazed and filled with desire as he pinned her wrists together at the small of her back and held them in one hand, guiding them further back until they met the cool floor behind her, then he kept eye contact with her as he kissed his way down to her sex and pushed her thighs apart with his right hand to allow him access.

When Dane was positioned close to his goal, he took a deep breath and rumbled a low satisfied moan reveling in the aroused scent of her, then he bent forward, ignoring her squeak of protest as he opened his mouth and ran his tongue up one side of her sex and then the other as she shivered and her hips bucked toward his mouth.Reaching under her left leg he traded hands and pushed her hands further back, leaning her back and exposing more of her slit to him as he continued to tease and taste her skin. He grinned as her hips twitched and turned toward his mouth, her unconscious movements trying to bring his tongue into contact with where her need was growing insistent.

"Please, Dane!.. Please!" she finally begged.

Dane gripped her wrists in his left hand again, having moved both of her thighs to his shoulders as he enjoyed his feast and torment of her senses. He brought his right hand up, covering her left breast and pressing her nipple between his knuckles and tightened his grip just as he thrust his tongue into her opening.

Turien let out a wordless cry, the sound of her voice echoing and refracting off of the water and back to her ears as she twitched, bucking her hips into Dane's face, almost fucking his mouth while he pinned her in place, imprisoning her and tormenting her until she could feel every nerve in her body vibrating at the edge, and then he had opened her needy dripping cunt up with his tongue, and blown her mind away. Her eyes opened and she saw stars upon stars through the haze of her cresting release. She was floating on a sea of stars while her body bucked and seized, her hands gripping at the cool surface of the pool room floor, imprisoned in his grip and unable to anchor herself to him with anything but her thighs and her sex which only drove her even further into her release. The helplessness and the fantastic flood of chemicals as she felt her cunt grip at his tongue, wanting more, needing that slick organ to fill her and caress even more of the needy places further within.

"Ooh, Oh... YEESSSssss" she cried out, through the flood of bliss until it became too sharp, too much and she started writhing as the pleasure became torment. But he wouldn't let her go, even as her arms buckled and she collapsed back onto them, twisting and flailing her legs he merely wrapped his right arm around her thigh and held her still until he had sucked and licked and swallowed her cum from her and had his fill.

When he was done, Turien lay collapsed and boneless on the deck of the pool room, shivering and twitching as her body sent orgasm echoes through her again and again in slowly receding waves. He stood, releasing her wrists and gently caressing her thigh as he wiped his face to get some of her creme from his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it was just that he hadn't eaten a woman out in so long, or if it had something to do with Aracien women's bio-chemistry, but in Dane's opinion, this woman tasted better than any he had ever been with. Musky, creamy, slightly sweet, and the combination of her orgasm and her voice had brought him almost to the edge himself. But, this was his first experience in this, his new home, so he wanted to enjoy every little bit of it that he could.

The darkness of the room was incomplete, the light from the projected stars and galaxies gently illuminated Turien as she lay slumped on the floor before him, her legs hanging in the pool and occasionally brushing against his hips. Dane moved and gently gathered her up, wrapping her legs around his hips again and slipping his hands under her back to lift her off of her arms. She instinctively brought them up to wrap around his neck as she tucked her head to his chest. Pulling her close brought his pelvis into contact with her still twitching pussy and she moaned, lifting her head and looking at him.

"Please, Dane.." she begged, and it was like a drug to Dane.

Dane rolled his hips back, sliding the thick sensitive vein of his shaft up and down over her clit, then reached down and guided the broad head of his cock to her entrance. He leaned down, kissing her deeply and slowly pushed his cock inside of her. She whimpered and clung to him as he stretched her open slowly using her own juices to ease the way, backing out a little and then driving in further, then again and again while she groaned and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. Dane felt her inner muscles gripping him tightly, and thought it was bliss incarnate while Turien broke the kiss, gasping and buried her face into the crook of his neck, whimpering 'yes, yes yes yes' repeatedly as he sawed in and out of her slick depths. When he finally bottomed out inside of her, his pelvis pressed against her clit sending a shudder through her that he felt with his whole body, Dane paused to let her breathe and acclimate to being filled and ran one hand up and down along her spine, caressing her and distracting her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, wondering if he had somehow hurt her even though he had taken as much time as he could stand.

"Fuck!" she swore into his neck. "I've never been this full." She laughed a little and kissed his collarbone, her right hand combing into his hair and scratching lightly at his scalp.

"I think I'm ready." She said as her hips rocked a little, and he felt his shaft moving inside of her. Her inner muscles had relaxed, though the fit was still plenty tight around his girth, and the head of his cock was ever so gently kissing her cervix. He nodded, kissing her ear and began moving, drawing his hips back, eliciting a long moan until only the head of his cock rested at her entrance. He glanced down and in the dim light he could see her pussy stretched around the head of his cock, her juices glistening and the scent of her wafted up to his nose. His cock hardened a little more at how absolutely erotic it was.

"Fuck, that's hot!" Turien said, and he looked up to find her also watching the place where he penetrated her.

"Keep watching." he said, then pushed his hips forward, opening her up again, feeling her tight cunt gripping at his shaft as he carved his shape into her depths accompanied by her grunts and moans as he began slowly fucking her, increasing his pace a little over time. She hung on him, her hands slackened and gripping occasionally while her head hung down, eyes transfixed on where they met as her orgasm began rising again.

"Dane.. Dane.. oh, fuck!" she moaned out as he felt her inner muscles tremble again, and she tilted her head back as he began drilling his length into her harder and deeper, forcing her flesh to take him, mold to him, become fitted perfectly for him. His hips smacked into hers with increasingly wet impacts, each time he drove into her, she yelped and stiffened, then relaxed until his next impact drove her higher and he growled as he fucked her, a low rumbling vocalization of his demand and his efforts.

Suddenly her breath caught in her throat and her heels danced on the small of his back, pulling at him desperately as she crested the edge of her second release and spilled over, her juices rushing out around his shaft as he buried himself inside of her relentlessly. But Dane was only starting to get close, so he drove himself harder, fucking his length into her and then lifting her up, slipping his hand under her and sliding one finger along the cleft of her ass cheeks. Her juices were smeared liberally over her cleft and inner thighs at this point, so he wet his finger and found the pucker of her rear, caressing it while his cock slid in and out of her.

Turien shook hard with every brutal impact as Dane used her for his own pleasure, her insides gripped at him, pulled at him with an unquenchable hunger to have him as deep as he could go, to fill her and give her that whole and complete feeling again and again. She trembled as Dane's exploring fingers caressed her, stimulating her and pulling her even higher in her cloud of pleasure, then drove her even further into her release, and just when she thought she had been pushed as far as she could go, he slid his finger into her rear, stimulating nerves she had never even explored with Minera in the years they had known each other. The feel of his cock and his finger opening her up, stretching her to an almost painful limit while stroking in and out of her culminated into one sensory obliterating climax and she yelped and held onto Dane, opening her mouth and biting his shoulder, clenching her thighs and pressing her heels against his strong legs trying to hold on to him, to anything as she felt the world around her fall away.

Dane felt her reach her limit and was grateful when he felt his sack tighten up against his cock, his breathing matching hers in ragged gasps, his skin slick against hers with sweat and his senses flooded with her scent, her voice and the feel of her clinging to him bodily and from within. He took one more breath, driving his cock into her and stayed there as his cock pulsed hard, expanding inside of her and flooding her insides with his cum, pushing his seed into her depths as they both held onto one another. They moaned and gasped as they rode out the storm of pleasure and effort, the only other sound was the slap-slap-slap of the water against the sides of the pool, while ghostly comets crossed the ceiling, reflected and broken into a thousand mirrored sparks on the surface of the pool, dancing and merging only to split again while the lovers rested.

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System: Cariathme ND+205 48

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

Docking Bay, Dock 73 B.

Date: 12-02-5798 GS, 22:15 hours.

Dane watched Turien while he fed her little pieces of juicy pineapple, and salty pretzel as she recovered from their second bout of sex. This time they had moved to his quarters. Rather, he had carried her there as she had been a little embarrassed to discover that her legs weren't reliable for some reason. He had rinsed off with her, and laid her on his bed while toweling her off and basically spoiling her to some after care.

Turien was enjoying every little bit of it, and watching him while propped up on pillows.

"I'm not sure if I want to simply stow away on the Sunspear, or settle for being the only woman allowed to interact with you when you are on this station." She said, and there was a slight hint in her tone that she was actually considering it.

"Beside the fact that it would be bad for your career, Commander, I think you would hate not being the one in command of the ship." Dane replied while feeding her another piece of fruit. Turien considered that and a hundred other things, including the miracle of real fruit on a space craft and knew that the scales were leaning heavily toward doing exactly as she had joked about even if she wasn't the one in command.

And then her sensibilities kicked back in and she sighed.

"You are probably right. Besides, my mother would chase us both down to the rim and beyond and Minera right behind her."

Turien glanced up at Dane's quiet stillness, he had that concerned look on his face again, and she knew that he was thinking about what she had told him between the pool and his quarters. She sighed and shook her head.

"I promise, Dane. She isn't going to be upset that we had sex." she paused, considering and then laughed. "She might be a little upset that she wasn't the first between her and I, but she will be alright. Though.. When you get back, if..you like her, don't you?" she asked, a little uncertainly.

"Min?" he asked, breaking from his dour contemplations. "Yes. Absolutely. She is just as sexy as you are." He said flatly, and she sighed in relief. The fact that he liked Minera, her oldest friend and lover was a very good sign that she could continue to see him.. And.. her mind went slightly hazy in a very pleasant way as she contemplated the many other things she would love to explore with this damn sexy human.

Suddenly, Dane was in front of her, holding out her wrist-com, and she couldn't figure out why until he spoke.

"You might want to call your C.O. and let her know you are taking the overnight security watch on your subject." he smiled. Turien settled herself into the plush bed a bit more as she keyed in the link.