by J Palliser
"Thank you, sir!" Sonya breathed in relief.
"I also want you at Tactical for the battle," he added.
"Sir?" Sonya was confused.
"It's your plan. You should be at Tactical for it."
"Aye, sir," she said shakily. "Dismissed, Lieutenant," he said. Sonya stumbled towards the door, wondering what she had just gotten herself into when Kurtz called to her.
"And Lieutenant, I hate losing just as much as you do," he smiled.
21
Twenty
Deck 6, Library, 0110 hours Sonya rubbed her eyes and took a sip from her lemon sharbat. She was pouring over specifications, technical descriptions, performance evaluations, anything she could find on the Saurian ship, on the Bismarck, or on the shuttlecraft. The prospect of being in command, even for a few minutes in an exercise, had terrified her, and she had spent the last eight hours trying to prepare in every way possible.
She was so focused, in fact, that she failed to notice the door open. A figure quietly entered, careful to step lightly so as not to be noticed. It came closer and closer, until, finally, it stood over her. A single hand reached out, avoiding detection until the last possible moment. Then, with blinding speed, the hand shot out and seized the lemon sharbat.
"What the... hey!" Sonya cried as Kara took a long drink from the glass.
"Relax, I'm not taking all of it," she reassured Sonya. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I doing some research," she answered, turning back to the console.
"Why?" Kara asked slowly.
"I want to be prepared for tomorrow."
"Don't you think you should rest?" "I can't. I'm too nervous. This is all I can think about," Sonya sighed, rubbing her eyes again and leaning back in the chair. Kara suddenly had an idea and reached for the sharbat again. She held it over Sonya and carefully poured a tiny amount onto her cheek. "Holy... what the fuck was that for?!" Sonya yelled as she jumped to her feet, the juice running down her neck. At first Kara didn't respond. Instead, she leaned in and licked the sour liquid from her neck, ending with a kiss on the cheek.
"I am giving you something else to think about," she whispered in Sonya's ear. "Now, sit back down, and let me take it from here." She gently pushed Sonya back into the chair before turning it so that she was behind her. Kara leaned over and ran her hands down Sonya's chest, drawing a deep, relaxed sigh. Sonya let her head hang back, exposing her smooth neck.
Kara dipped her finger into the sharbat and drew a cold, wet line down Sonya's neck. She quickly followed the trail with her tongue, still rubbing Sonya through the think jacket. Sonya tried to take it off, but Kara batted her hands away. "What did I say, love? Just relax," she scolded her.
"Okay, sorry," Sonya sighed, letting her arms fall limp on the chair. Kara slowly undid the buttons on the jacket and lifted it off, exposing the dark green undershirt which was quickly pulled off as well. All that was left was a bra between Kara and her lover's perfect breasts.
Kara spun Sonya in the chair and kneeled between her knees. She brought her lips to Sonya's firm stomach, kissing and licking as she reached around to remove the bra. Sonya gasped as Kara's tongue darted into her navel, and the bra finally fell free, releasing her firm mounds.
"Excellent," Kara sighed, sliding up Sonya's body, taking one of the breasts into her mouth while her hands fumbled with Sonya's belt.
"Going a little faster than usual, don't you think?"
"Would you prefer I stop?" Kara cooed, drawing back.
"Never mind," Sonya laughed. "That's what I thought," she smiled, pulling Sonya's belt from around her waist. "Now, stand up for a moment." Sonya complied, and Kara pulled her pants and panties down together, still on her knees. Sonya sat again, and the redhead pulled the last garments from her.
"Now for the good part," she smiled up at Sonya, reaching for the sharbat. Kara took a small sip of the liquid before touching the cold glass to Sonya's inner thigh. A loud, highpitched chirp sprang from Sonya's surprised mouth.
"Holy shit that's cold," she croaked, opening her eyes. Below her, Kara had one hand clasped over her mouth, shaking heavily. "What? What?!" Kara barely managed to put the cup down before exploding in laughter. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You..." was all she managed to squeak out before collapsing on the ground. After a few moments, her hysteria subsided, and she tried to catch her breath. "You... you squeaked!" she gasped.
"Like hell," Sonya blushed.
"You squeaked like a... like a wee schoolgirl!"
"That's not funny," she scowled.
"It was adorable!" Kara breathed, finally getting a hold of herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm back."
"I'm not sure I'm up for this anymore." "Oh, no! Sit your schoolgirl ass down, I'm not done with you yet!" Kara cried, pushing Sonya back down into the chair and grabbing the drink again. She stood up, raising the cup to her mouth, and took a mouthful of the icy, sweet and tangy liquid. But instead of swallowing all of it, she sat down sideways on Sonya's lap, the arm holding the cup around Sonya's neck. She leaned in and kissed Sonya, letting some of the drink pass into her mouth as their tongues intertwined.
The beautiful, sweet taste of the raven-haired woman's mouth mixed with the sour taste of the lemon in the drink, creating a gloriously delicious mixture. A small bit of the fluid escaped, running down Sonya's chin and neck. Kara broke the kiss, and lowered her head to lick back up the trail to Sonya's lips, covering her lips as she tried to breath, driving her tongue into her mouth passionately.
Finally, Sonya broke free of Kara, gasping for breath. "Oh, god, yes, that's just awesome," she smiled happily. "That's just the beginning," Kara whispered as she again slid back down Sonya's body. She poured a bit of the sharbat onto one of Sonya's nipples, making her squeal softly at the sensation as goose bumps spread across her body. Kara watched as the juice trailed down Sonya's chest, over her stomach, and towards her groin. She ducked her head down, catching it above Sonya's bald pussy.
She licked the fluid back up Sonya's body, ending with a flourish of her tongue on Sonya's nipple. Sonya cried softly, her eyes rolling back at the sensations washing over her. Kara repeated what she had just done on the other nipple, letting the juice get a little closer to Sonya's clit this time.
Kara continued this pattern, drawing closer and closer to Sonya's increasingly sensitive nub each time. Sonya was panting, unable to think or speak coherently. The scent of her arousal filled the air, and she could still taste the sharbat mixed with Kara's saliva on her tongue.
Sonya jumped and shrieked as Kara poured a few drops of the liquid directly onto her clit. "Ohh, that sound is absolutely lovely," Kara moaned as Sonya squeaked and gasped in pleasure. She sealed her lips around Sonya's clit and sucked, pushing her to orgasm.
"Oh, holy fuck, Kara, yes," she cried incoherently, powerful waves of pleasure rolling over her, shocking her senses. Kara held on, forcing her hips down. Sonya's twitching slowed, and when her breathing began to return, Kara drove two fingers into her, forcing her to come again.
Half an hour later, Kara helped a very exhausted Sonya into her bunk, and she was asleep immediately.
***
Deck 1, Bridge, 0630 hours The turbo-lift door opened, and Sonya stepped onto the Bridge of one of the Kriegsmarine's most advanced ships. To the average crewman or junior officer, the Bridge of a star-ship is a place of legend. It is where the important decisions are made, a place everyone knows about, but few ever see.
The layout of the Main Bridge was different from the Battle Bridge. Sonya stepped from the starboard turbo-lift, between the Science and Environmental stations on the wall of the circular room. On either side of the port turbo-lift were the Communications and Propulsion's stations. The Bridge was well lit, and Sonya counted a dozen people in the room.
"Lieutenant Mueller reporting, sir," she said, standing at attention. Captain Kurtz, who was standing over the Comm Officers shoulder, turned to face her.
"Excellent
. Take your post," he said as he sat in the captain's chair. "Aye, sir," she said as she walked to the Tactical Station and took a seat. She was at the back of the room, with the Main Systems Display mounted on the wall directly behind her, a large schematic of the ship which showed the status of major systems. In front of Sonya was the captain's chair, beyond which were two stations, set below the captain, Helm on the right and Operations on the left, directly in front of the massive, rectangular view-screen. An enlisted crewman sat at the Auxiliary Systems station on the wall to left of the view-screen, and Commander Lange manned the Master Systems station on the right.
With the exception of Helm and Ops, all of the stations had seats for two operators, though all of the stations except Communications were currently manned by one person. Sonya entered her security codes and the console lit up. Lieutenant Commander Faulkner took the seat next to her.
"Sir, what are you doing here?"
"I'll handle Internal Security. You concentrate on Tactical," he said.
"Thank you, sir," Sonya said gratefully.
"Sir, we are being hailed," said the Comm Officer.
"On screen." A Saurian officer appeared on the viewscreen.
"Captain, ssshall we begin?" "We shall," answered Kurtz. The Saurian nodded and the transmission closed, the screen returning to the forward view. "Red Alert! All hands to battle stations!" he cried. The siren sounded, the lights dimmed, and several turned red.
Sonya's console changed immediately. On the main display in the center of her half of the console, a general systems schematic was replaced with a tactical map, showing the two ships from top down, and a small window showed a view of the Saurian ship from the Bismarck's position. An auxiliary display activated, showing shield, hull, systems, and weapons status on the Bismarck. Flipping a switch, the display switched to show the same information for the Saurian ship. She clicked it back to theBismarck, and checked the Tactical Systems display on the other side of the central screen, in the console's center.
"Shields are up, phasers standing by, torpedoes armed. All systems ready, Captain." "Very well. Helm, take us into position," he said. Sonya felt the ship accelerate and turn, and on her screen she saw the Bismarck and the Saurian ship separate from each other, moving apart in opposite directions, the distance between them rapidly growing.
"Sir, the Saurian reports that they are ready to begin," reported the Comm officer.
"Okay, Helm, bring us about. Lieutenant Mueller, you have the Conn." "I have the Conn, aye," Sonya called back, not looking up from her console. The Bismarck came about, as did the Saurian ship, and they headed directly at each other. "Shuttle-bay 1, standby for launch. Shuttle Alpha, status?"
"Ready for launch, ma'am," came Kara's voice over the intercom. "Helm, begin the turn," Sonya ordered. The ship pitched up and banked, pulling up and away from the Saurian ship. "Open shuttle-bay doors."
"Aye, ma'am," responded the Auxiliary systems operator. On her display, a green light marked "Main Shuttle-bay Doors" blinked yellow for a few seconds, then turned red. "Doors are open."
"Deploy the shuttles." As the Bismarckbanked into its wide turn, shuttles deployed from the Main Shuttle-bay, forming a ring around the Saurian ship. As they passed beneath the enemy, the shuttles moved into position around the larger ship. The Bismarck passed below the Saurian, the last shuttles emerging.
"Shuttles away and in position," said Kara through the Comm. "Affirmative. Helm, stand by," Sonya ordered. The ship came back up, nearing the same elevation as the Saurian. "Helm, hard to port!" she yelled.
"Hard to port, aye!" The ship banked hard, and the impulse engines hummed loudly, trying to push the large craft ever so slightly faster. The Saurian ship filled the viewscreen, and the Bismarck hurdled towards its left flank.
"Make your pass underneath," Sonya yelled, and the bow dipped slightly. "All shuttles, commence fire." On the view-screen, a dozen bright orange beams converged on the Saurian ship, impacting the shields and encasing the vessel in an egg of bright green light. On her console, Sonya saw the port shield weaken, and pressed the fire button.
A spread of nearly a dozen torpedoes streaked towards to Saurian ship and as they struck, the phasers fired, hitting the weakened shield with the full fury of theBismarck. Green, red, and orange flashes filled the view-screen, painting the Bridge Crew's shadows on the wall for an instant. Sonya looked down at her display. "Fuck!" she screamed. "Port shield is holding at 6 percent!"
"Coming hard to starboard!" called the helmsman.
"Negative, steady as she goes, all ahead full!" Sonya called back.
The helmsman hesitated. "Captain?"
"You have your orders," Kurtz said calmly.
"Aye, sir. Steady as she goes, ahead full. The Saurian ship is coming about." "All hands, brace for emergency maneuvers!" Sonya yelled. She watched on her screen as the Saurian ship turned towards them, accelerating. It banked hard towards the Bismarck. Sonya watched as the ship tilted harder and harder, waiting for the perfect moment. "Helm, one third impulse, emergency turn, 90 degrees hard to port!" she screamed.
"One third impulse, emergency to port, 90 degrees, aye!" The massive ship lurched sharply, forcing Sonya to grip the console to avoid being thrown to the floor. The ship came out of the turn, and Sonya watched on her display as the Saurian struggled to match the turn, trying to decelerate. But the ship was too slow, and passed aft of theBismarck, port shield exposed. Sonya fired again, and several torpedoes flew from the aft launcher. For what seemed to Sonya like an eternity, the torpedoes, like glittering rubies in the night, sped silently through the void until striking the Saurian ship.
"Shield is buckling... the shield is down! Away all boarders!" she cried.
"Boarding party is away," reported Faulkner. For a few moments, no one moved, waiting for the news. "Captain, the Reptiliscongratulates us on a clever victory," reported the Comm officer. Cheers ran through the ship, and Sonya slumped back in her chair.
Slowly, joyous tears filled her eyes.
***
Assembly Hall, GCS Reptilis, 1600 hours The massive hall rang with sound. The more senior members of both crews had filled the room, and stood in ranks, one crew facing the other, both at attention. The Kriegsmarine Anthem played, echoing through the room. On one side of the hall, behind the crew of the Bismarck, was hung a giant banner with Kriegsmarine Seal emblazoned across it. On the opposite wall was hung an equally large banner for the Saurians.
The graceful, sweeping melody would have been very inspirational for Sonya, had she gotten more than 3 hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours. As it was, the song allowed her to remain awake, and she was able to avoid yawning. Following the anthems, there were brief speeches from each captain, and more formalities followed that. Through it all, Sonya remained at attention, wearing her dress uniform.
Finally, mercifully for Sonya, the ceremony finished, and the reception began in earnest. The two crews mingled, exchanging anecdotes, opinions, and other kinds of small talk as they ate. Sonya was mostly interested in the drinks, preferably something with generous amounts of caffeine and sugar. Unfortunately for her, she could not make it more than a meter or two at a time before someone wanted to speak with her, or congratulate her, or something of that nature.
I really hate this crap, she thought, trying to evade a particularly verbose dignitary. At the bar, she ordered her lemon sharbat, and greedily downed a large portion of the tangy drink. It was revitalizing, and she began to feel as though this event would not actually kill her. She felt a cold, powerful hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Ren standing behind her.
"Lieutenant, I wanted to congratulate you on your sssucsssesss. I understand you were in command for the lassst exersssissse," he hissed, possibly happily.
"That's right. I finally beat you," she smiled.
"You fought well, Sssonya. I congratulate you," he said graciously.
"Thank you, Ren," Sonya said, patting his shoulder.
"You are quite w
elcome. I am sssure you are exhausssted, ssso I will leave you be."
"It's been a pleasure, Ren," Sonya said as he started to walk away. "I will sssee you again, I think," he replied. Sonya turned, only to find the dignitary bearing down on her. At the last moment, though, someone grabbed her arm, pulling her through the crowd and out a small door at the back of the room.
When they were away from the crowd, Sonya recognized her abductor as Kara, and was immediately thankful. The room they were in was a massive arboretum. Tall, alien trees stretched more than 10 meters into the air, with numerous shrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, and other smaller plants forming a thick mass of green. Wide, tall pathways had been cut into the small jungle, and Sonya noticed a few Kriegsmarine personnel down one of the paths. "What is this place?" Sonya gasped, awestruck.
"This is the Reptilis's arboretum." Kara explained. "Saurians are carnivores, and they eat a lot. To keep a ship this size fed, they need their own forest to feed the food." "This is amazing," she muttered. Nothing like this existed on Kriegsmarine star-ships, or even on Kriegsmarine starbases. She walked silently down one of the paths, staring up at the artificially lit ceiling.
"Come on, this way," Kara smiled, taking her hand. They walked slowly down the path, hand-in-hand, enjoying the scenery. The jungle opened up into a large clearing, with a small pond and stream. Several varieties of fish were visible in the pond beneath the footbridge that took the walkway through the clearing.
"Wow," Sony said as she leaned over the rail on the bridge, watching a school of small fish dart about beneath the surface.
"You like it?" Kara whispered as she wrapped an arm around the taller woman and leaned against her.
"We have got to get one of these," she smiled. "I don't think it would fit. It's bigger than the Main Cargo Bay" Kara laughed. She unconsciously twirled a lock of Sonya's hair in her hand, and squeezed her tighter. She felt Sonya's long, sculpted arm wrap around behind her, and closed her eyes. "You did great today."