The Fifth Reich: Beyond The Stars

by J Palliser

  Sonya was taken aback briefly. "Thank you, sir." "I understand that Commander Lange and Dr. Rollins have made similar recommendations for Ensigns Dejah and Olan. You should celebrate. After you get some rest, of course. Dismissed."

  "Aye, sir," Sonya said, turning to leave.

  "Oh, and Ensign."

  "Yes sir?"

  "Academy graduates are like fine wines. Some years are better than others."

  "I don't understand, sir."

  "I think 2293 will prove to be a very good year."

  ***

  Deck 7, Crew Quarters, 2340 hours Sonya sat back on her hands, looking at the Drac slumped against the door. Blood flowed from his side, pooling on the floor. His eyes were open, a look of shock on his face. Everything else was dark. There was just her and the Drac. Sonya looked down at her hands, covered in blood. She stared at them, growing uneasy.

  Her anxiety built higher and higher. At last, it exploded into panic. Sonya frantically wide her hands on the floor, trying to clean her hands of blood. But no matter how hard she pressed, how long she wiped, her hands didn't become clean. Rather, the blood drained into the floor, staining it crimson.

  From a small streak, the stain built. It crawled along the floor, covering everything in its path. It climbed the walls and covered her body armor. Sonya tried to scream in horror, but her voice was gone. She couldn't breathe. Terror gripped her, and she felt a pain in her side. She looked down, and saw blood begin to flow from a deep wound in her side.

  Her vision faded, and her awareness shrank. The Drac was enveloped by darkness, then the walls and the floor, until Sonya was enveloped by it. She was cold, alone, and terrified. She started to fall.

  And then there was a voice. She could not understand what it said, but Sonya was comforted nonetheless. "Who's there?" she whispered. The voice whispered again, but Sonya still couldn't understand it. "Who's there?" she said again, louder than before. Again, the voice spoke. It was clearer, but not clear enough. "WHO'S THERE!?" Sonya screamed.

  The darkness was replaced by a blinding light, and Sonya closed her eyes instinctively. "You in there, Harry?" said the voice, crystal clear.

  "Don't call me Harry," Sonya said automatically. She opened her eyes. Casana, in her full uniform, was kneeling in front of her, but Sonya couldn't see what she was kneeling on. They were alone, surrounded by a bright, featureless white.

  "Okay," Casana said softly. Sonya opened her mouth to speak, but she had nothing to say. Casana placed her hands on Sonya's shoulders, and Sonya was overcome by a passionate desire. She lunged forward, pressing her lips to Casana's. She felt the lips part, and Sonya pushed her tongue into Casana's mouth hungrily, wrapping her arms around her. She felt Casana drape her arms around her shoulders, and Sonya pulled Casana in tighter.

  The kiss broke, and they rested their foreheads against each other, looking into each other's eyes. Casana's light grey eyes shined intensely, almost unnaturally. "Cass..." Sonya whispered as she gently pushed Casana onto... nothing. There was nothing supporting her, she was just on her back, surrounded by endless light. Straddling her knees, Sonya bent down and kissed Casana's neck, pushing the Arcadian's arms from her shoulders. Taking them by the wrist, Sonya held Casana's hands wide above her head as she nibbled on the soft, spotted flesh of her neck. Their fingers intertwined, and Casana moaned softly into Sonya's ear.

  Sonya sat up, freeing Casana's hands, and looked down at the woman beneath her. Casana was now completely naked. The trail of spots ran over the front of Casana's shoulders and onto her sides. It ran down her sides, just wide enough to have a few spots on the outside edges of her breasts. The trail continued down, past her hips and along her thighs before being covered by Sonya's legs.

  Sonya ran her fingers softly over the spots, starting at the legs and moving up until she buried her hands in the blonde locks of Casana's hair. She felt the body beneath her shiver, igniting Sonya's desire. She pounced on Casana, taking one of the firm, modest breasts into her mouth, drawing a gasp from Casana's lips. Sonya drew as much of the flesh into her mouth as she could, flicking her tongue over the small nipple. Casana pressed her hands to the back of Sonya's head, arching her back and crying out in pleasure.

  Sonya pinched the other nipple with one hand, letting her other hand trail down Casana's side to her ass, taking one of the soft globes in her hand and squeezing. She took the sensitive nub between her teeth, lashing at it with her tongue. She moved her right knee between Casana's legs, pushing them apart as her left hand came back up her side.

  Sonya released the nipple and lifted her head, staring into Casana's eyes. "Cass..." she whispered again, stroking her cheek with her left hand. Her right slid down Casana's stomach, tickling as it went. Casana giggled, pushing Sonya's hand lower. The dark-haired woman pressed her palm into her lover's mound, still staring into those bright gray gems. Casana stared back, her eyes filling with lust.

  Pressing down with her palm, Sonya massaged the soft lips of Casana's damp, nearly hairless pussy. As she pulled and rubbed on Casana's large outer lips, Sonya began to move her palm in a small circle. She could feel tension building in Casana's muscles. Her left hand moved down Casana's face, drawing a disappointed sigh from her, and softly slid down her neck and shoulder before squeezing her breast. Casana's own hand came up, covering Sonya's, lacing their fingers together and guiding the hand over her chest. Through it all, they stared at each other.

  Casana's juices dripped down onto the white nothingness, and a thick, musty scent filled the air, fanning the flames of Sonya's passions. She leaned forward, her nose a hair's breadth from Casana's, and plunged two fingers into the depths of her pussy. Casana gasped and arched her hips up into Sonya's hands as their lips brushed against each other. They stared into each other's eyes still, even as Casana approached the peak of her passions.

  The Arcadian's breathing was fast and shallow, her eyes glassy, and her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Sonya curled her fingers, gently rubbing them against Casana's walls, slowly pumping her fingers in and out, and rubbing her thumb over the clit. She sat up to give her more leverage, increasing her pace, her eyes locked to Casana's.

  "I love you, Cass," she said. Casana's breathing continued to quicken, her pulse racing, her free hand pinching one nipple while Sonya's rolled the other. Sonya felt Casana's body twitching, and felt her essence flowing past her fingers. She quickened her pace, pumping in and out as quickly as she could. At last, Casana's eyes broke from her own, rolling back as the eyelids slammed shut and her breathing stopped, mouth hanging open silently as the pleasure of her release washed over her.

  Sonya was jolted back to reality. She looked around in confusion, not realizing she was in her bunk. "Hey," came a sweet voice beside her. Sonya looked over to see Casana's head poking over the side of the top bunk upside down, her short ponytail hanging beneath her head.

  "That dream sounded fun!" she smiled. Sonya's heart sank.

  13

  Twelve

  Breaking Point...

  2294, Outpost K12, Drac Border, 1700 hours Sonya sat quietly at a table next to the window in the restaurant, gazing out the window. Hanging in space a few dozen kilometers away from her was theBismarck. They were at Reich outpost 24 for a retro-fit, one of a number planned for the new Predator-class in the next few years. Sonya had just officially received her promotion to Lieutenant, Junior Grade, more than 6 months after the Drac attack on the Bismarck. Despite her new rank and letter of commendation, Sonya was troubled. She picked at her salad, having eaten almost none of it.

  Sonya looked up and stared at the Bismarck. The dream she had after the attack had become a regular occurrence. Every week or so, Sonya would make love to Casana in her sleep, and every time she would wake up to find Casana involved with someone else. It was becoming a real problem for Sonya.

  "You seem troubled, Lieutenant." Sonya was so startled that she nearly fell out of her chair. "I apologize. I did not mean to startle you." Sonya looked over to se
e Dejah sitting next to her at the table.

  "Goddammit, Dejah! Whistle or something!"

  "I do not whistle," Dejah said, raising an eye.

  "How long have you been sitting there?" Sonya asked.

  "53 seconds, ma'am."

  "Don't call me 'ma'am', Dejah."

  "Regulations state that-"

  "I don't care. Call me Sonya. You're my friend," Sonya said. "Very well, Sonya," Dejah said. They had become closer in the last few months. Sonya had been desperate to put distance between Casana and herself, and Dejah had provided a very calming alternative.

  Sonya looked back out the window at the Bismarck. "Do we have orders yet?" she asked, trying to make conversation. She had asked the same question every day for the last month, all of which was spent at this station while the Bismarck underwent her retro-fit. The answer was always the same: no.

  "Yes," Dejah said. Sonya stared at her for a moment.

  "...And?"

  "'And' what?" asked Dejah in confusion.

  "Are you going to tell me what they are?"

  "You did not ask." "I'm asking now," Sonya said, shaking her head. Dejah's tendency to take things literally still caused the occasional problem.

  "We have been ordered to the Outer Rim on an exploration assignment beyond the Ta'lon Star Cluster." "Really?" This excited Sonya. Her parent's stories of exploring the unknown depths of space captivated her as a child. She was very disappointed when she heard that their original orders were to patrol the Drac Neutral Zone, one of the most thoroughly scanned, mapped, and monitored areas in the galaxy.

  Dejah simply nodded, showing absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever.

  "When do we leave?" Sonya asked excitedly. "We should be ready in another week to ten days, depending on the results of the next set of diagnostics."

  "More diagnostics?" "Indeed. I am concerned that the Predator may be a faulty design. It has been found to have several times as many design flaws as most new classes. There was some discussion of abandoning the entire design, until the Tirpitz was announced. Still, I doubt the space-frame will have a long service life."

  "I kinda like it," Sonya said.

  "Oh? Why is that?" Dejah asked curiously.

  "I don't know. She just feels good."

  "That is not a sound reason," Dejah pointed out. "Yeah, I know that," Sonya said. "Still, it's a beautiful design. Fast and agile, but armed to the teeth. Tough, too. The shields can take a hell of a beating."

  "The impulse engines are aligned inefficiently, the EPS conduits are poorly organized, and the frame is unnecessarily heavy, hurting efficiency."

  "Typical engineer complaints," Sonya teased. Dejah raised an eye, but did not respond. They sat silently for a few minutes, and Dejah noticed a pained expression gradually creep over Sonya. "Is something bothering you, Sonya?"

  "Hmm?" Sonya said, looking up from her drink. "Oh, it's nothing."

  "Does it concern Ensign Olan?" "What? No, I... No. Why would you think that?" Sonya asked nervously. She had not shared her feelings for Casana with Dejah.

  "I have noticed that you rarely make direct eye contact with her, and when you are in proximity, your heart rate increases, as does you breathing. Additionally, you perspire heavily in her presence."

  "Well, it's nothing," Sonya said, trying to end the conversation quickly. She was unsuccessful.

  "These observations force me to conclude that you are sexually attracted to Ensign Olan."

  "Do they now?" Sonya said, somewhat annoyed.

  "Yes. Is my evaluation correct?" Dejah said. Sonya stared at her for a moment. "Yes," she sighed in defeat. "God, yes." "Is this the source of your discomfort? I was under the impression that love was considered a very pleasant emotion."

  "Only if it's mutual. If not, it's fucking miserable."

  "And Ensign Olan has not reciprocated your affection?" "No. She's pretty much with Becker," Sonya said miserably, slumping in her chair. "Hell, I don't think she even knows how I feel."

  "It is not ideal to expect someone to react to something they are unaware of," Dejah said.

  "Huh?" Sonya sat up.

  "If Ensign Olan is unaware of your attraction, it is not logical to expect her to reciprocate your feeling."

  "What are you trying to say?" Sonya said, somewhat accusatory.

  "I am simply stating that your expectations and behavior up to now have been inadequate," Dejah innocently.

  "So what do you suggest?" Sonya said, crossing her arms. "Ideally, you have two alternatives. First, you may inform Ensign Olan of your feelings, allowing her the opportunity to either reciprocate your affection, or decline." "Which would be bad."

  "Yes, but the alternative is to abandon your attraction to Ensign Olan, and attempt to find a suitable mate elsewhere. This alternative has the same final result as rejection," Dejah explained.

  "That is actually very good advice," Sonya said.

  "It is merely a logical evaluation of your situation. I did not suggest which alternative you should choose."

  ***

  KMS Bismarck II, Deck 5, 1705 hours Casana poked her head out of the storage closet, looking both ways down the corridor. Seeing no one, she ducked back inside.

  "All clear," she said, stretching her arms behind her back. Becker raised his head to look at her. He was sitting against the bulkhead, still exhausted. While Casana was fully clothed, he was still only in his undergarments.

  "Yeah, okay. Just, uh, just give me a minute," he breathed. His face was still flushed, and he was covered in sweat.

  "Are you okay?" Casana asked, with genuine concern. "Sir, I am Kriegsmarine Security Officer. I am in peak physical condition. I can assure you, I'm fine." He paused to take a deep breath. "I just need to wait until I can feel my legs."

  "Okay," she said with mock disappointment. Casana plopped herself down next to Becker, resting her head on his shoulder. "Should I go easier on you?"

  "Oh, no," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You're doing just fine." "Good, because I wasn't going to," she giggled, snuggling up against his side. Becker lifted a thick, muscular arm over Casana's shoulder, pulling her closer. "So, why are you so tired, then?"

  "Oh, it's nothing. Sonya has been pushing us pretty hard recently, that's all."

  "She's intense, isn't she?" Casana smiled.

  "Yeah," he sighed.

  "What?" Casana asked, looking up at him.

  "Hmm?" he groaned groggily.

  "What's wrong?"

  "It's nothing." "No, it's something. You definitely have something to say," Casana probed.

  "Well, sometimes, I don't know, sometimes it seems like Sonya is pushing me harder than the others," he admitted.

  "Is she being mean to you?" Casana asked playfully.

  "I don't know. I think maybe she's... maybe she's upset."

  "Upset? About what?" Casana said, sitting up.

  "Us."

  "Us? She thinks you aren't good for me? I know she's protective of me," Casana pointed out.

  "No, not exactly."

  "Then what?" she asked, staring into his soft blue eyes. "Why is she upset about us?" "I just don't think she wants us to be together," he said. Becker desperately did not want to be in the middle of a feud between his girlfriend and his superior officer. "Look, I'm probably just imagining things. Don't worry about it."

  Casana grumbled, resting her head on his shoulder again. "I'm gonna have to punish her." "I think that's the point," Becker muttered under his breath. He immediately realized that he had not been nearly soft enough. Casana looked back up at him, a confused look in her eyes.

  "What does that mean?" she asked. "Cassie, I love you. I love you a lot. I don't want to do anything to screw this up. Just forget I said anything. Please?" Casana's eyes caught fire.

  "No! No, I will not forget that you said anything! My boyfriend and my best friend aren't getting along, so I don't think I will be forgetting anything," she yelled at him.

  "Okay," he said meekly. Becker was
several inches taller than Casana, and outweighed her significantly, but he had grown up in British Columbia, and he knew that wolverines were small, too. Casana definitely stuck him as wolverinelike. "Sonya wishes weren't together because... well... because she wants to be with... you." Casana cocked her head to one side, raising her eyebrows.

  "Huh?" she said, with an expression not unlike someone who had just stuck a piece of metal into a power conduit. "Sonya wants to be with you," he admitted nervously. In his head, Becker saw Casana rear back on her hind legs and bear her claws and teeth.

  "Now THAT is crazy," Casana responded. "No. No, it isn't. Ask anybody who knows the two of you, and they'll tell you the same thing," he stated, with a very serious expression on his face.

  "Then why didn't they tell me? Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "Because, it's not something for me or anyone else to get involved in. This is between the two of you, nobody else. Not even me."

  "I am going to have to talk to her," she said after a brief silence.

  ***

  KMS Bismarck II, Main Transporter Room, Deck 6, 2100 hours The bright blue haze faded from Sonya's vision, replaced by the inside of Bismarck's main transporter room. Lieutenant David was at the controls, but Sonya ignored him. She stepped off the pad and trudged towards the door.

  "Good lord, what the hell happened to you?" he said.

  "It's nothing."

  "Like hell, you look like crap."

  "Thanks, Daniel!" she said with both venom and sarcasm, stopping in the door. "Yeah, that came out wrong," Daniel said. "So, is this about a certain energetic Arcadian exobiologist we both know?"

  "Not you, too," Sonya sighed, walking back inside the room so the door would close.

  "Oh? Who got to you before me?" he asked.

  "Dejah ambushed me on the station," she admitted. "Really?" Daniel giggled. "Dejah?" Sonya simply nodded. "You know you're in bad shape when you start getting romantic advice from a Centuri."