Dialene

by John Van Stry

"I'll keep that in mind." I nodded, though I couldn't see how either of them could be that bad.

  My day was pretty much like the one before at that point. Only I spent sixteen hours running sims. I was surprised that the fight ops director let it run as long as he did and told him so afterwards.

  "Not much else to do while we're under drive Dialene, and you need to be up to speed here soon. Besides, I can sneak out for coffee when you're running those sim flights." He grinned.

  I grinned back and put my gear away, then headed off for a very late dinner before going back to my room.

  I was just starting in on my desert when I spotted a familiar tawny colored figure.

  "Gena!" I waved, "Over here!"

  I smiled and sat up waving to her.

  "Dialene?" she came over with her tray looking very confused, "What are you doing here?"

  "You won't believe it!" I smiled, "Sit down and I'll tell you all about it."

  "You better!" she smiled, "I can't believe it. So what happened?"

  "Well it turns out that Jack is a bodyguard for one of the execs in the company."

  "Is that the one onboard? I heard rumors we were packing some brass."

  I nodded, "Yeah, his boss."

  "So how's that explain you? They allow him a pet or something?" She asked.

  I grinned. To anyone else that would have been an insult, but considering what we had both just come out of it would still have been a major step up.

  "No, turns out his boss needed a new personal pilot, and Jack got me the job."

  "You're kidding!" She gasped, "But your background?"

  I shrugged, "He seems to feel that it's not a minus, that I'm less likely to have any attachments that can be used to bribe me. I think they're more worried about other execs then other companies." I took a sip of my drink, "Inside politics and all that."

  Gena nodded and grinned slyly, "And he gets to keep that cute little fox he was so hot about around too."

  I laughed. "Well, I'm not complaining! You know how I feel about him!" I confided, figuring that wasn't really that far from the truth, but as close as Sabre would probably want me to get.

  "So what did his boss think?"

  "They obviously agreed with him. I just know I'm gonna do my best. I don't want to make a liar out of Jack."

  Gena shivered, "I wouldn't want to do that either! That tiger may be a pussycat to you, but I've seen what a pissed off Siberian can do. They don't get mad, they just tear you into tiny little pieces."

  "Oh I don't think Jack has that kind of thing in him Gena, but even if he did, it doesn't matter. He's taken a chance on me and done me a big favor, I pay my debts."

  "And besides, he's hot!" Gena snickered.

  "And good in bed!" I giggled.

  "So where are you off to Gena?"

  "Hobson's Choice. I volunteered for an agricultural project over there."

  "I thought you were a deep space construction worker?"

  Gena nodded, "I am, but if I do the agriculture project they'll let me cross train into water treatment plants and hydroponics."

  "Why the career change?"

  "Well after being closed up on that rock for 3 years they agreed with my request to work outdoors for a while. Plus I think if I stay out of construction I won't backslide into my old habits." She grinned lopsidedly at me. "And the company counselors agreed with me on that one too."

  "Well, I hope it works out for you."

  "Yeah, I hope things work out for you as well Dialene."

  We chatted some more after that, just idle gossip about the old job and such. I asked how her love life was doing on board ship and she laughed.

  "There are quite a few cougars on board. Also quite a few foxes as well you know."

  I nodded, "Yeah, but I'm way too busy with re-training. And I do have Jack.

  "Yeah, but you should stop by a clan meeting or two, just to get in touch with your own again."

  "Clan meetings?" I looked at her, "What's that?"

  "They didn't have Clans where you came from? I thought all the companies did that."

  "They didn't invest much in us," I sighed, "Beyond work related stuff."

  "Huh. Well anyway, every group on board and at every facility has a Clan. They're mainly species based and have weekly meetings. The senior member keeps an eye on all the rest and they try to head off trouble before it starts. Doesn't always work, but it helps."

  "Didn't help you much did it?"

  "Well, I wasn't one for listening much. But I know you missed your own kind, so you should go."

  "Thanks, I'll check it out."

  "Well time for this cat to get to bed, I have training classes of my own to go to, plus I'm on the cleaning detail. No idle hands on this trip."

  "Yeah, I hear you. See you around."

  I finally walked back to my room and cleaned up for bed, it was pretty late by now and I had to be back at the sims in about 6 hours. When I went into my room I saw a note on my bed.

  'Please feel free to join us if you want'. I smiled and thought about that for a minute. Then I lightly tapped on their door.

  "Come in Foxy," I heard Sabre rumble softly. I smiled again and went in. That night my dreams were all good ones.

  5

  By the time we made port I had been checked out on every type of shuttle and aircraft the company had, as well as several they did not, but which were popular with executives. The simulators were so good, that I wasn't worried about the real thing. After all I was an experienced pilot, it had just been a while since I had last flown.

  My relationships with Sabre and Samantha had become a bit clearer by then, but not much. I slept with Samantha and Sabre at least half the time. The other half I still ended up there halfway thought the night due to bad dreams, or I was with Gena who admitted to being a tad lonely herself. I felt a bit guilty about intruding on them all the time. But Sabre told me not to worry about it, that I really wasn't.

  Anyway, being in bed with the two of them is a little strange. After a year at the Club I'm a pretty jaded individual and there's little I haven't done or tried. More than once. But with them there, at times I almost feel like a peeping tom. That they care for each other, deeply, is evident when they make love. It almost makes me jealous with the way I feel about Sabre, but then I never went into our relationship expecting more then a good friend and lover, and he's still that and more.

  As for Samantha, well at this point we're still working on how we feel about each other. Or maybe I'm the one still working on it. After that first night she's been treating me almost like a friend. And I only say almost because she doesn't talk about company business with me around. Though even that is slowly changing. I'm just a little more cautious I guess, because of who she is. Shallow I suppose, but just as Sabre's actions describe how powerful he is physically, hers describe how powerful she is in her own right. I'm a little bit afraid of her I suspect, unlike with Sabre who I'm not afraid of at all. Maybe because I understand Sabre better? I don't know.

  At night when we're together I'm a lot less timid, I guess I consider a bed my home territory. And I suspect the word timid isn't in Samantha's vocabulary. I do know that I'm almost as comfortable in her arms when I wake from a bad dream as in Sabre's. There is a power and a level of care there that I never encountered before. I don't think that we'll ever be lovers, I just can't see either one of us going that way, but I think we could become good friends.

  These were my thoughts that as we disembarked at the Saturn Processing Station. Sabre told me that Sam had rerouted the ship's delivery so she wouldn't have to spend too much time out of the loop.

  "Why didn't she just take her private yacht? Doesn't she have one?"

  "Because I told her to avoid such things until she gets another lead bodyguard as good as me or I'm back on the job. Someone powerful is after her, possibly someone on the board, and we still don't really know who."

  "What about that guy's uncle?"

  "No, I looked into it.
Was a false trail."

  "So where are we off to now?"

  "Shopping, and then a quick flight to earth and your new home."

  "Shopping? Again?" I quirked an eyebrow.

  Samantha looked back at me, obviously she had been listening to our conversation. I'd noticed she was often able to listen to several at once with no problem at all.

  "The stuff on that ship was okay, for on that ship, but I want you to show up in something better. Once we've gotten home I'll set you up with my tailor, but until then appearances have to be maintained. Especially as this is the first time anyone is going to see you and they're going to be looking pretty closely.

  "Now one of the reasons for changing here is that a lot of ships dock here everyday and it's easy to confuse just where you came from and who you are. Now this won't work on the other executives, but it will confuse the hell out of the press, who I'd rather not have know that I just 'busted' my bodyguard out of jail and brought along his 'prostitute' girlfriend."

  She grinned, "No insult intended of course."

  I shrugged, "None taken. I was one after all pretty much, even if they do call it 'sex therapist.'"

  "It's a rough job, but somebody has to do it." She sighed

  "Oh, not that rough," I chuckled looking at Sabre.

  "So let’s go shopping" Sabre said suddenly changing the topic and leading us off into the complex.

  We spent about an hour going over clothes, Samantha it seems knew exactly what she wanted me to show up in. Basically it was a modification of the standard company captain's uniform with some non-regulation accessories and a re-tailoring job that was rather flattering to my body, and definitely non-regulation.

  Next we headed down to one of the smaller docking bays. There was an abundance of small craft there. Quite a few of which where armed. All were armored.

  "Pick one," Sabre told me.

  "What?"

  "Pick one. I said we were flying back to earth from here, well you're the pilot, and one of those craft will be what we're taking."

  "Can I pick one of the armed ones?" I asked wistfully. After all that I'd heard I felt that might be best.

  "They're all armed actually. Just pick one that's not openly armed."

  I nodded. "Where are the spec sheets?"

  He led me over to a console and called them up for me. A few minutes later I had what I wanted and pointed it out.

  "Okay, how long will you take to get it ready?"

  "About an hour to go over it to be sure it's safe, another hour to pre-flight it."

  He nodded, "Sam and I will go have dinner then."

  "Sure, bring me back something, okay?"

  "You can count on it."

  He then went up to the office where Samantha was arranging for what we were taking and they headed off while I got to work on the ship.

  I used the card Samantha had given me to order some things to be sent over immediately while I went over every square inch. The ship itself checked out flawlessly, but I wanted to be sure before I trusted it with my tender furry butt. Not to mention Sabre's and Samantha's. The ship was basically a converted assault shuttle, which had a lot to do with why I picked it. It was fast, had a good range, a lot of armor and redundant systems, and the cargo bay had been reworked into a not that small, but comfortable room complete with a fold out bed and fresher for cleaning up.

  As the trip to earth from here was a long one, I wanted something comfortable. With three people it would still be roomy enough. With some fancier food and rations the trip would be nice enough. I had just finished up with cleaning up the 'stateroom' portion and stowing the extra supplies when our baggage showed up. I got them put away and was making a last minute re-inspection of the outside when Sabre and Samantha showed up.

  "We ready to go?" Samantha asked.

  "Yes Mamm," I smiled and saluted smartly. There were a few others on the docks. Workers mostly.

  "Good, lets go."

  I nodded and showed them both onboard sealing the hatch behind us. I felt good when after she looked around she turned to me smiling.

  "This is pretty nice Dialene. Especially the bed."

  "Well it is a twenty hour trip at full burn, and I figured you'd want to show up well rested."

  She smiled and grabbed Sabre's tail and started to drag him off towards the bed.

  "Very thoughtful. Well rested indeed. Carry on dear I believe you have things well in hand."

  "Yes Mamm!" I grinned and closed the door between the flight deck and the stateroom. I then checked the artificial gravity levels, a nice addition on a craft this small. I next got us towed over to the exit port, put on the sling, and checking with the flight deck activated my flight plan, bid the station adieu and felt that thrill that I always got flying free and clear.

  I spent the next several hours negotiating traffic, space may be vast, and the small spacecraft big space theory may hold true, but it only takes one mistake to ruin your whole day. So I wasn't about to put my trust in the autopilot and collision avoidance routines in an area as busy as this. I worked my way through the nice dinner that Sabre had left me before they had disappeared down below.

  Eventually I was satisfied that things were as they should be and I secured the controls and turned things over to the computers, sliding my seat back and relaxing. I surprised myself by falling asleep and not having any nightmares. I had been afraid that when I finally got back in the saddle, that they'd get worse. Instead they were no where to be found. I slept soundly until I heard the door open and Sabre joined me in the cockpit. A quick glance at the chronometer showed that we were 8 hours into our trip.

  "Sleep okay?" I asked grinning.

  "You always fly in the buff?" He asked eyeing my body.

  "Well I didn't want that nice new uniform to show up all rumpled, and I didn't want to disturb you by going in the back to get my flight suit." I looked over my shoulder. "Besides, you should talk."

  "Well you can come back and join us for dinner I guess. Samantha got into the stuff you bought and is cooking up something on that small stove back there."

  I turned the chair around and looked up at him. "She cooks?"

  He nodded. "Pretty good too. Come on."

  So we all sat around a small table, on the floor and had a dinner that tasted far better then it should have based on what the packets I had ordered said, even if I had ordered the best. It was interesting, the three of us, eating like that. How many people eat dinner in a bedroom that reeked of sex, with their boss, and their boyfriend, with everyone stark naked? The oddness of it all made me laugh and when I told them what I thought was so funny, they had to laugh as well.

  "I'm starting to feel Sabre was right about you Dialene," Samantha said. "He's always been telling me I should let him pick my business staff. It's nice having another person I can relax in front of."

  "Thanks Samantha, I'm honored."

  "You can just call me Sam hon, I don't mind and I don't think we'll get much more private then this."

  "Better yet, call her Muffy!" Sabre grinned.

  "Why you Furball!" Sam laughed and threw a pillow at him.

  "I think that's better then what he calls me." I chuckled.

  "What's wrong with Foxie?" Sabre asked still smiling.

  "Other then being one of the oldest stereotypical slang phrases for us foxes?" I asked hitting him with the pillow I had been sitting on. "I'm surprised you managed to come up with something as different as Muffy."

  "He didn't!" Samantha said picking up another pillow to beat him with, "He got it from some old movie we were both watching at some charity event years ago."

  "Now girls, quit ganging up on this poor old tiger," he rumbled ducking back and away from the table.

  "Charge!" I yelled and we both chased after him with our pillows attacking. I had some crazy idea we could take him in a pillow fight and I think Samantha had the same idea.

  Ten minutes later we were laughing hysterically as he tickled us, having pinned u
s under one large paw apiece. I thought it was unfair that he used his tail to tickle us so, who would have thought tigers were so versatile? After a while we all settled down and snuggled on the bed. Sabre put on a holo that we watched, and when that was done I used the receiver to tune in a local earthgov news broadcast that was piped out to the local spacelanes. I must have drifted off, because I awoke several hours later to Samantha working on her portable computer unit which she had plugged into the com unit now, probably going through her email and other business stuff. Sabre was laying across the foot of the bed sound asleep and apparently protecting Samantha's feet from the cold. I checked the time and decided to hit the fresher and go back up front, we had about six hours left and I should probably start driving again.

  The fresher was a good one, and while not as nice as a real shower, it still did a decent job on cleaning my fur and removing scents. After I finished I returned to the cockpit and started in on my checklists. I looked at the destination that Sabre had given me, it was one of the company's fields on the North American continent. I called up what information the computer had and planned my approach. The very typical and very boring part of the job. The flight space was starting to get a lot busier and more congested as we got closer to the Earth. As we got inside the orbit of the moon I was now having to talk to flight controllers and had to reduce my speed more then I would have liked. I buzzed them in the back and told them that we would probably be another hour now.

  Sabre came up and took the navigator's seat and started to look over the radar scans of the traffic in the area.

  "Anything wrong?" I asked.

  "I don't know. Just surprised that we're not getting priority clearance. Executives normally are given the top priority, it's one of the perks."

  I nodded, "Well, so far we haven't picked up any tagalongs. I've been watching for others taking this vector."

  He nodded, "Well keep an eye out. I'll be back up here in a few to help out."

  I looked over my shoulder at him.

  "What?" He asked.

  "You do know how to work that gear right?"

  "Of course I do."