Adventures of Captain Coxwell Ch. 04

Seeing Stars

Ashway Ren was beginning to re-think her career choices. From her position on the bridge of the battleship Daisy, she could see thousands upon thousands of warships floating in aggressive formations through space. On the monitors she was assigned to watch, hundreds of smaller ships and fighter craft filled in the gaps between the larger capital vessels. Behind her, the Daisy's captain seemed outright giddy at the situation.

"How many total contacts?" Captain Coxwell asked in a voice brimming with confidence.

"T-two million." Ashway responded in the polar opposite.

"Any response from the negotiation team?" Richard asked. Their purpose here was to lend weight to the negotiating power of the martially weak race that had hired them.

"I'm tracking their ship now... they're making evasive maneuvers! They're under fire Dick!" Daisy said. The shortening of her captain's name indicated she had just entered combat mode. "They just took a hit. They're gone. No pods."

Ashway turned to look at Richard and saw something dark filter through his unflinching confidence. As a veteran space fighter, Richard had consistently shown extreme distaste for those who failed to follow the universally accepted rules of warfare. As Ashway began to wonder how captain Coxwell was going to react to this egregious breach of parley protocol a transmission was broadcast from the enemy fleet.

"Attention, mewling cowards!" The bloated alien with a thinning, patchy, coat of hair blurted to any ship within range of the transmission.

"Daisy, trace this idiot. I want to know which ship he's on." Dick said.

"I thought you might. Already have him isolated." Daisy and Dick always seemed to sync up where martial matters were concerned.

"Your pathetic attempt to forestall slavery and death at our worthy hands was an amusing entertainment. Abandon all thoughts of resistance and accept your fate as livestock for our larders. Those of you in the pitiful defense fleet before us shall have the honor of surrendering your vessels to swell our ranks. Failure to comply will be met with obliteration! Compliance shall earn you a spot in the menu for our victory feast, a worthy end for such inferior beings." Ashway felt butterflies in her stomach at the open threat, Richard and Daisy looked bored. "Our fleet is the work of generations! All shall crumble before it's grandeur. The holy writ makes clear that we shall subjugate and devour all before us! Submit now and embrace your..."

"Fire the humbler." Dick said casually. The grotesque alien on the screen stopped mid sentence as a panicked look of confusion crossed its face. Immediately afterwards, the ugly face contorted in easily recognizable torment. The pompous speech disintegrated into an awful chorus of pained moans interspersed with screeches of agony. An amused smile played out on Dick's face as the microwave cannons built for crowd control gave the aliens a sensation of boiling alive. "Hijack his signal, please. I have my own speech to give."

"The mic's yours, Dick." Daisy said with a polite curtsy.

"Attention, wastes of perfectly good evolution!" Dick said confidently to the enemy fleet. "Your grand fleet will be good target practice for me. If you don't want to waste the work of generations, leave now and I may be inclined to only shoot half of you for sport. Otherwise, well, consider this a preview of coming attractions..." Richard reached out and turned up the power on the microwave cannons. With a simple pop, the alien crew disappeared from the transmission as their ship was melted like an ice cube in a crucible. Richard flipped the switch on the mic and secured himself to the command seat.

"Battle stations! Threat level 2!" Dick said, all business now.

"Threat level 2, aye. Power, weapons, shields and sensors now in combat profile." Daisy said as the lights dimmed to red. Ashway balked.

"Level two out of what?" Ashway asked as Daisy automatically secured her body to the chair.

"Ten." Daisy responded casually from her small holographic podium at Ashway's station.

"Oh good..." Ashway sighed with audible relief. On her screen several thousand hostile dots swarmed towards her current location in space. A thought she could have done without popped into her brain. "Wait! Which end is the dangerous end? One or Ten?"

The captain and AI paid her no heed as they went to work. Dick, picked targets, assigned weapon systems and gave directives for maneuvering the ship. Daisy efficiently changed his decisions into actions. Rolling the ship to keep the shielding from becoming overtaxed and plotting targeting solutions for Dick as he continuously pushed buttons that spelled the end for his enemies. Ashway kept Dick and Daisy appraised of the enemy and friendly movement around them. For the first time, Ashway realized what a harsh and unforgiving environment the galaxy was. These aliens fought with no intent to give quarter, they were committed to eating every species they found. Meanwhile, Richard and Daisy were busy annihilating something that had taken centuries to complete as easily as a maid directed cleaning robots to sanitize a room. Those performing an act of heroic charity (Dick had accepted the job at a loss) were slaughtering thousands. While those attempting to commit evil were worthy of pity as they impotently charged the most dangerous creation humanity had ever achieved.

The only reason the battle lasted as long as it did, was because Richard made a point to preserve the other mercenaries in the defense fleet. He could have charged ahead and demolished the enemy single-handedly, but there would have been casualties aplenty if the Daisy moved away from the other vulnerable ships that had stayed to defend their helpless employers. In the end the outcome was obvious, the remains of the hostile fleet began to flee. The Daisy kept firing at any ship that dared stay in the combat zone, thinning the fleet to a tenth of its original size before the last ship disappeared in a plasma fueled pop.

"All hostile contacts... destroyed or gone." Ashway said as if the words coming from her throat were a scientific impossibility.

"Well done everybody." Dick said as he stood and stretched. "Can you two handle the cleanup? I need to take a piss."

"Make it quick. The client wants to thank you in person. Their shuttle's on the way." Daisy appraised the captain as he left for the restroom.

"I can't believe we made it through that without a scratch!" Ashway said, sagging into her seat as if a lifetime's worth of stress was seeping out along with the breath.

"No we took a beating. I should be able to make up for all the lost nano-armor with our share of the scrap, so it's no big deal." Daisy said as her hologram looked over a diagnostic of the ship's armor. Daisy quickly closed the window before the alien girl got a look at all the damage. As she had said there was not going to be any problem replacing the nano-plating. There hadn't been a danger anyway. She hadn't even touched the reserves she had set out for the battle. Richard's battle strategy had started causing the enemy gunners to panic and miss almost immediately. Daisy once again considered herself lucky to have a captain who didn't entirely rely on her raw power.

As the nano-salvage drones returned with the last of their share of the wreckage, Daisy started up one of her subroutines again. Her experiment with the sensual simulator (she hated the name but it accurately described her latest creation) had given her an idea that may help their mission. She would need some time alone with the alien girl to make headway on the project though. The problem was, how did she ask the alien girl to allow Daisy to analyze her masturbation? She needed to know the exact conditions required for the alien girl to become fertile. It would take some doing, but maybe Daisy could rig an apparatus and project enough holographic distractions to allow both of her crew members to bust a nut and save humanity. As she thought this over her captain went running past the bridge with an excited smile on his face.

"DaisyI'llbeinmyroomdon'tbugmeunlesstheshipisabouttoexplode!" He said rapidly as he hefted a strange looking object and pushed a small wheeled box along. Ashway and Daisy traded a curious look with each other. While Daisy could technically just view what was going on, her captain had just asked for some privacy. Considering how poorly he tended to react when it was illustrated that he had no such thing, Daisy thought it poor form to rub it in his face. He had said nothing about Ashway bugging him, though. Daisy gestured with her eyes and the alien girl took the hint. Daisy followed the Ashway with her cameras, using the flimsy excuse that she was observing her actions to spy on Dick. AIs were not above petty justifications, apparently.

Ashway tiptoed after her human crush until she heard some strange sounds. Like some kind of noisemaker was attempting a melody. Hesitantly peering around the corner into the still open door, Ashway (and by complete, total, unavoidable accident Daisy) saw Dick plucking at the strings stretched across a thin semi-triangular piece of material with a long neck. The captain was periodically twisting the knobs at the top and then plucking a string to test the results of his fiddling.

"Man what I would give for a tuner right now..." He mumbled as the pitch of the string he plucked changed with his adjustments. After a few adjustments he seemed satisfied and began to strum all the strings at once. The sound was definitely melodic now, both Ashway and Daisy were overtly peeking around the corner as Dick hooked the object into the box and rigged a power supply and the appropriate amperage for the device. Calling up the historical archives he made a selection and tweaked the playback. His selection complete, he spread his legs into a wide stance and began tapping his foot in rhythm as Daisy and Ashway saw the playback begin.

"What's he doing?" Ashway whispered to Daisy.

"I'm not sure, he's calling up some ancient music, but for some reason he's not letting all the channels play." Daisy's speakers whispered back.

"He looks really excited though." Ashway leaned forward as Dick seemed to tense for something.

At some cue only he could see, Dick began to strum the instrument and some muffled sounds began to play. Another instrument from the recording joined in and it was clear that Dick was playing the part he had disabled. As both Ashway and Daisy leaned forward in interest Dick began to speak in a language Ashway couldn't understand. Daisy seemed to notice and displayed a holographic translation for the alien.

"Can't explain all the feelings that you're making me feel! My heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel!" As he sang Dick began to move his hips in some sinuous motions that made Ashway and Daisy's eyebrows raise in approval.

"Touching yoooouuuuu!" Dick crooned as Ashway's imagination began to simulate the lyrics.

"Touching meeeeee!" Came Dick's high note as Daisy began to run an actual simulation of the lyrics.

"Touching yoooouuu, God you're touching meeeee!" The motion of the captains hips began to enthrall the two women as a transmission came through on Daisy's comms.

"A billion apologies, earther! We did not mean to offend you with our gift of an ancient antique of your culture! You left before we could apologize properly..." The Client began desperately.

"Not to worry," Daisy's subroutine cut the dignitary off. "The captain was merely in a hurry to enjoy his gift." Daisy began broadcasting her view of Dick as he began to sing with more enthusiasm.

"I believe in a thing called love. Just listen to the rhythm of my heart! There's a chance we can make it now, we'll be rockin till the sun goes down. I believe in a thing called looooove! WHOOOOOoooohooo! Huh!" After his grunt, Dick began to wring fierce sounds from the instrument in his hands. The sight of him manipulating the device and his hypnotic body motions began to affect Daisy's arousal parameters. Daisy wondered if it was a flaw in her simulation until she saw Ashway's hand in between her legs as the alien bent over her fast inflating erection.

Dick continued to sing and play, working up a good sweat as he repeated the chorus again. A second solo on his instrument had Daisy's simulation good and wet while Ashway was openly masturbating. Dick stripped off his shirt in a fluid motion during the vocal solo before laying into the instrument for a third solo. Daisy suddenly realized, this was the exact scenario she had been hoping for! Dick was half naked and driving her wild... No! Ashway was masturbating where her sensors could get the data she was looking for! Daisy assigned a subroutine to monitor the alien and then joined her in masturbating.

As Dick finished the song the two women were on edge and desperate for a release. Daisy was about to cancel the simulation before she noticed Ashway was still stroking herself to the sight of Dick tapping his foot in a rhythm before he began to pluck at the guitar. Another squealing peal of delightful noise came out in seductive tones

"I feel so unsure, as I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor..." Dick crooned in a voice even Daisy had never heard him use before. It was pining, yet still rugged. It was the voice of a man in love, yet denied satisfaction. Dick poured his heart into the song as his sweat soaked muscles rippled beneath his skin. The gyrating motion of his hips and the heartrending tone of his voice continued to excite the uninvited spectators. Daisy had slipped her simulated fingers into her slit and was pressing down on her clitoris as she stirred her insides roughly. Ashway was stroking her shaft hard as her other hand dug inside her vagina. She leaned against the wall and grinded her nipples against the surface while the captain continued rocking out, completely unaware of the erotic display.

Eyes closed as he seemed to fondle the music out of the guitar, Dick began to move about in his performance. His motions became more and more exaggerated as he approached the end of the song. Falling to his knees, he made love to the instrument as he pined the final chorus towards the ceiling.

"So i'm never gonna dance again... the way I danced with you..." He sang as the music was teased out of the strings. Daisy climaxed, the new buffers she had built struggled against the power surge. The broadcast was cut off, several non-essential systems deactivated, and the lights flickered, but the ship stayed operational. At the flicker of the lights, Dick looked around in confusion before he spied Ashway arching her back as she ejaculated.

Right.

Into.

His.

Face.

***

Elsewhere in the galaxy, a group of war torn ships were landing on a factory world. The blubber covered aliens with patchy fur marched out of them in a state of stupor. All their beliefs had been rent asunder just as generations of faithful effort were now drifting as gravity dictated in some backwater of space. The bloated creatures shuffled off the ships, gathering without purpose in one of their great larder cathedrals. None of them were seeking answers, the holy writ was obviously a lie. They were not the greatest species to have ever existed. They would not sample the tastes of lesser creatures at their leisure. They may not even be able to defend themselves with their fleet in such a ragged state.

In the cathedral, as the masses gathered, the high chef of their faith watched as his flock congregated. He had no answers to give them. He, most of all, felt betrayed by the torn shreds of paper from the ancient writ he had ripped apart himself. On his screen reports still rolled in from the disaster. Only a tenth left... what hubris they had possessed.

A squealing sound broke his silent reverie as he looked to the screen. It was the creature that had broken them. In his hands was some device that produced sounds so appealing they seemed to have taste to them. A rudimentary translation into space-faring common was displayed along with the rhythmic sound. A quiver of excitement ran through the sludge of the high chef's veins. This! This was it! The answer his people needed right now. Waddling from his high stove the chef stood at the service pulpit where he had handed out the cooked mass and benedictions for most of his life, now he would deliver something more hopeful to his people!

"Brethren! The writ was a lie!" The high chef bellowed to the stunned crowd below him. Bleary eyes turned upwards as a thousand faces spoke the words "no duh." Unfazed the high chef continued. "As we sought power, we were destroyed by it! The answer to achieving power is to seek truth!" The faces below began to show interest. There was hope buried in these people yet. The high chef pressed a button, and the image of Captain Richard Coxwell playing his guitar and proclaiming belief in love was displayed to the multitude. "Brethren, we must seek this thing called love!"

CAPTAIN COXWELL WILL RETURN!