All That Glitters Ch. 05

"So, we will brief you all in on what is happening here in the Piscium system. I'm not sure what you have heard or have been told, but please let Capt. Clark go through the brief before you say anything else and hold questions till the end.

"Please note for reference, this is the platform, as in mining platform. There is a station three minutes light or 54,000,000kms from here. That is how these two structures will be referred to in all comms. There is a reason for that, as you shall shortly see. Capt. Clark if you please," Fiona finished, sitting down.

Clark ran through his brief getting the expected responses in the expected places.

"Holy shit, ma'am," Dostier exclaimed after the brief.

"Yep, nice to know that Thenton still likes to surprise his subordinates," Fiona quipped.

"Surprise?" Dostier near shouted. "Surprise is for birthdays. Surprise is for unexpected homecomings. This is not a surprise. This is a galaxy shattering event, ma'am."

Fiona dismissed her senior staff and sat down to talk shop with Capt. Dostier and her staff.

"Please note that the NS Wimple, Capt. Bouyé Whatt commanding, is currently at the station in support of the Piscium Scientific Investigation Team, headed by Dr. Silvia Hitron. Your task does not involve the station. Your task is system security.

"In that regard, this platform has produced some very shocking surprises for anyone coming to harm us. We have several thousand semi-intelligent barricade mines, that you may be tasked to place, almost a thousand Limpet mines that, incidentally, managed to capture the NS Wimple without a shot being fired, and some remodelled Rockhounds that can fire kinetic shot at unwanted vessels or simply rip them apart with spiked pusher arms. We also have four twin-gun Mk-48 pulse cannon turrets, two fore and two aft. All this to say that the platform can protect itself to some degree.

"Considering what is in system, however, FAdm. Thenton wants there to be some addition support. That is were your ship comes in captain. You may not be the only ship that the admiral fires our way by way of system protection. The Wimple is dedicated to the science investigation. We do not want to use her unless we absolutely have to. So, a second protection vessel would be useful. We'll see what Thenton can arrange," she concluded.

Marsh and Clark then ran through several scenarios on how to defend the station, the platform and the system. Dostier and her team were impressed, especially when they discovered that the two giving the brief were principally responsible for the tactical plans. Her assessment of the commodore rose several notches.

"One of the things that we want to do is investigate the outer extremes of the system, particularly in the direction we anticipate the threat to arrive from. We need to determine if there is anything in system currently, someone watching us. That would place a possible attack in the more immediate future vice the expected timeframe that we are now working on," Fiona finished.

"We don't actually have to take the ship there," offered the Kindalla's Tac O. "We could send probes to check the outer areas. We do have several on ship and can order more on the monthly supply runs. That would leave the Kindalla available. The probes could report via direct line of site comms if they are not more than a few hours light from the platform. It would take several hours to get information form the edge of the system but, if these aliens still don't have FTL, we would have a considerable advantage over them once we know where they are," he finished.

"That does sound like a useful option," Fiona replied. "That would leave the Kindalla available, though if you stuck around the station, your crew would get bored. We wouldn't want that happening. So regular trips out and around, Nav Ex's whenever you are away from station to bring you back in an emergency, and whatever the Navy does to fight boredom." Fiona finished.

"Please work with Capt. Clark to develop more defence plans and, as a personal favour, I would appreciate your help on the Senior Commanders Course I am expected to finish within the year whenever you are on station. I'm sure that you are pushing your own staff on that issue, so your expertise would be a great help to me," she said with a smile.

"One last thing," Fiona stated, "Capt. Clark will be expected to brief senior personnel at Sector Forty-Two and at Liramor Prime on regular occasions. He could be away for two or more weeks at a time. While he is away, I would need a stand-in as Civilian Liaison. Members of your staff could benefit from such temporary duties, especially considering that this is normally a captain's position. The same offer has been made to Capt. Whatt on the Wimple. Your two staffs will share the duties. Any questions?" she asked.

Dostier was beginning to appreciate what she had fallen into. This was something that would shake up humankind and they would be at the epicenter of it all. It would help her career immensely. It would help her advance the careers of her subordinates. It would be far less taxing than anti-pirate patrols and, finally, they would be attached to a platform that could provide recreation for the crew almost as good as being on a planet. She could tick off more positives than negatives for this duty.

Then there was the very attractive Ms. Marsh and Capt. Clark. Her smile just kept growing.

Liramor Prime, Liramor Star System

Liea was heading back to Liramor Headquarters. Her partner, Raymond Clark, had been sending her regular reports on what was going on in the Piscium system. Even if her personal comp was one of the best, she didn't trust the planetary comms grid. For this kind of information, she would always take a direct feed from the Liramor Corporate Comms. And besides, whenever she was in the building, if Annette was there, she would drop down to chat with Liea.

They would discuss the events in the Piscium system from two different points of view. Annette as the administrator, and Liea as the worker. That would give each of them a perspective that they could not otherwise be expected to enjoy. Something that helped Annette immensely in working out possible scenarios for ongoing problems and gave Liea a sense of greater perspective at the executive level that she wouldn't have been otherwise privy to.

Besides, Liea thought, Annette was fun to be with and it was time to go on another shopping spree.

"Hello, Ms. Samson. How are you today?" Charlie at the comms reception desk asked politely in a smooth voice.

"Charlie, are you still trying to flirt with me?" she returned.

"Ms. Samson, you know I'm not allowed to date the executives!" He replied with mock severity, bringing a laugh from Liea. "Lock your comp here please, Ms. Samson," he asked politely.

Liea did as she was asked, then heard and felt the ping on her wrist as her bi-weekly messages were fed to her unit.

Just then Annette burst through the door.

"Liea!" Annette squealed, running into her arms. "There is some interesting news on your comp today. Come up to my office and we'll discuss it."

A few minutes later, Annette brought Liea, her EA, and her PSec into her office. Annette's own EA slipped in and pulled Lissette away with her as they had become fast friends and she was showing Lissette many of the secrets to being a good EA.

Analisa sat back in the corner and relaxed. This office was one of the few places she could do that. If anyone got in here, it would be an exceptional fire fight, but she would be the fierce Kurden Bear sow protecting her cubs, as she had done for her charges on more than one occasion.

Kurden bears were indigenous to Liramor Prime. They weren't really a bear at all but looked enough like Terran bears to earn the name. Smaller than Terran Black bears, they were nonetheless fierce when protecting their young. The females especially so. A Kurden sow would litter two or three cubs every two or three years. One might make it to adulthood. There were a lot of predators on Liramor Prime, and Kurden cubs were especially tasty to them. Thus, the need for overprotective parents, especially the sows.

"So," Annette started, "Piscium system has received another ship, the NS Kindalla. Fiona Marsh is doing very well, but the news you'll want to here is that Raymond is coming for his first Senior Level Brief to Liramor Holdings next week."

"Oh, you sneaky girl," Liea said laughing out loud. "You knew that would get me going! Should I order him up a room, or is Liramor Holdings footing the bill on that one?" She asked.

"We'll put him in a suite next to yours, unless you want to share?" Annette asked with a giggle.

"We have some time to make a decision on that, but for now, what I want to know most is what your plans are for this afternoon? I'm bored and want to go on another of those fabulous shopping sprees with you," Liea exclaimed.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that your next royalty check will be in the bank at the end of this week or very early next week. So far, your take on the claim is just shy of one hundred billion credits. We still have two months of processing to do on the rock. So, you will likely exceed the one hundred billion mark by the end. Then there is the remaining portion of your claim," Annette informed her.

"Unfortunately, my schedule this afternoon does not allow me free time, however, I think that I am due a night out clubbing. Care to join me?" She asked Liea.

They made their plans for the evening then Liea left, her staff in tow. They made it to the lift with Analisa looking somewhat shocked.

"Are you OK, Analisa?" Liea asked.

"One hundred billion credits!" Talbot gasped. "Maybe even more if what she says is true. Annette Liramor has roughly the same fortune as you, however, the majority of her fortune is tied up in Liramor Holdings stock, in some real estate on several planets, and artwork worth a sizable fortune. Her available liquid stock is probably less than a billion. If that much!

"You are going to have to invest your fortune carefully, but that isn't why I'm nervous. When word of this gets out, and it will get out, you will become the most sought-after celebrity on the planet, and the biggest target for criminals in human space!" She told her boss. "VSC is going to have to seriously rethink the amount of effort that they will have to expend on your behalf," she finished.

Liea didn't know what to say, but the lift door opened and Analisa shuffled her and Lissette out to their waiting transport.

Maliha Hospital, Green's World, Harn system, Twenty Light Years from Terra

Sean woke slowly from a fitful sleep. He hadn't seen Heyya in a week and had missed her. He knew she was working toward becoming a doctor and wondered if that was why he hadn't seen her.

The hospital staff were preparing his legs for the regeneration effort. They had been giving him extra food to increase his body mass that he would need during the regen process. The doctors had wanted him to increase his mass by thirty kilograms yet, after two months, he was still shy of twenty.

The morning nurse came in, took his vitals and entered them into the unit's comp, followed by a hardy breakfast. Dr. Holdar came in shortly after breakfast. She was not pleased.

"Good morning, Mr. Murphy. I see that you still haven't gained any appreciable weight since last week. This is not good. We need you to add on at least ten more kilos before we can attempt to start the regen. Otherwise, you will not be able to sustain your nutritional requirements during the procedures," she told him rather sternly.

"I'm sorry, Doc, but my body just doesn't want to cooperate by becoming fat. Nature has a way of balancing things out, and nature is definitely balancing me," he explained.

"That may be, Mr. Murphy, but I will not attempt the procedure unless you gain the extra mass. Your regenerating legs will pull mass from your body, if you don't have the extra mass available to pull, it will cannibalize your body to form your legs. That would not be a good thing especially during regen when you will need the extra calories for the healing process itself.

"I think we will start you on a new regime. We will increase the number of feedings per day but cut down on the overall number of calories per feeding. That may trick your body into gaining some mass. That also has the advantage of allowing us to increase or decrease the number of calories per feeding once the procedure starts and after the regen is complete, to allow for your return to your original weight.

"You have a good day, Mr. Murphy," she said and quickly left.

Shit. Sean thought. It'll be like force feeding the goose. Sean was not looking forward to the rest of the day.

A little later, he got a surprise as Heyya walked into his room.

"Good morning, Sean," she said with a sweet smile. "I would like to introduce Ayesha Seito to you. She will be assisting me with you, and she will continue with you after I am required to return to Liramor Prime," she said indicating the young woman at her side

Ayesha was an Asian woman barely 160cm tall, small, but she was definitely all woman. She had long dark hair tied in a braid that hung down her back to just above her lovely ass. The contrast between the tall Heyya and the tiny Ayesha was remarkable.

"Where have you been?" Sean asked. "I was worried when I didn't hear from you for so long."

Heyya gave him a tolerant smile. "Now Sean, is that any way to treat your personal nurse?" She teased.

"Unfortunately, I had been rather forcefully reminded that I needed to take time off. In fact, it was an order from the senior administrator. I didn't even have time to leave a note when she literally shoved me out the door.

"The good thing was, that Ayesha was in the same situation. So, the two of us took off together for a week's vacation. I got to see some of the planet. It's not Hollander's World, but it is nice. Ayesha is looking to earn her medical degree, so the two of us are helping each other study.

"Ayesha needed time on an emergency ward, that's why she is at Maliha. The kinds of injuries that cause loss of limbs are some of the most intense emergencies you can go through. She's just completed that phase, so I brought her in to help you.

"Today, you are going to get a treat. It has been some time since you have actually had a bath or shower, we giving you sponge baths since your injury.

"Dr. Holdar has told me that your scars are now totally healed so, we are going to give you a shower and get you nice and clean."

Heyya took a sign that indicated that a bath was in progress and placed it on the outside of the door and locked it from the inside. She then maneuvered Sean into an anti-grav chair and moved them into the room's bath.

Ayesha took a sling from the wall and hooked it up to a motor on the ceiling. The pair quickly shed Sean's clothing, leaving him naked on the sling, then activated the motor to lift him out of the chair and into a plastic seat in the bath. Heyya and Ayesha quickly shed their scrubs, Heyya being naked beneath her's while Ayesha was in a very tiny bikini.

"I cannot believe how casual you are about nudity, Heyya," a blushing Ayesha told her.

"When you grow up with casual nudity, it becomes second nature. If you want to get used to it, you will have to go naked in the suite," Heyya said with a smile. "Ayesha and I are roomies now," Heyya informed Sean.

"Oh, look! He's reacting again!" Heyya said with an exaggerated smile, pointing out Sean's hard cock to Ayesha.

Suddenly embarrassed, Sean attempted to hide himself with his hands, but Heyya slapped them. "Don't hide such a beautiful sight from us!" She told him with a breathtaking smile.

Sean almost didn't see the smile, his eyes looking somewhat lower. Heyya's beautiful body was on complete display for him. Her large, firm breasts were perfectly proportioned for her body. They were capped by areola wider than the first joint of this thumb and had long thick nipples.

Sean scanned down her body to her narrow waist and the wide hips. The small tuft of feathery brown hair between her thighs matched the hair on her head. The people of Hollander's World were easily identified by their soft feathery like hair. Overall, she was a very beautiful woman.

Heyya noticed Ayesha staring at Sean's very obvious erection. "Now, now, Ayesha, you can't go looking and not sharing," she admonished with a laugh.

Ayesha jumped suddenly at having been caught. She blushed looking somewhat curiously at Heyya.

"You can't be looking at him like that without letting him look at you," she said with a smile, pointing at Ayesha's bikini.

Ayesha looked at Sean, looking back at her, her embarrassment going to even higher levels. But what she saw in Sean's eyes was interest, curiosity, and desire. She had never seen that from a man before. Those that she had known looked at her as something less than a person. Just a woman. Just a nurse. Many of those men would like to see her naked, but there would be no curiosity, no interest in their eyes. Only a desire that bordered on, or truly was lust. She hated that look.

But the look that Sean was giving her was something completely different. There was a certain desire there, however, it did not border on the kind of lust she had seen in others. There was interest, and most certainly, curiosity. She suddenly realized that the man was not only genuinely curious about her body, but also curious about her.

When he realized that Ayesha had stopped moving, his eyes moved up to look into hers. There was amusement there, which was surprising to Ayesha. There was also compassion. That, more than anything, swayed her opinion.

With a light grin, she reached behind her back and pulled the string on her bikini, lifting it up and over her head and baring her breasts to them both. A little embarrassed at the two of them looking at her, she wanted at first to cover herself, but she fought down that urge.

Sean saw what he thought might be B-cup breasts that on the tiny Ayesha looked proportionately larger. She had dark areola surrounding small, but stiff nipples.

Ayesha dropped the top over a convenient hook, then slowly reached down to the drawstring at her hip. She quickly pulled it, then stopped, holding it out away from her body.

Both of them had been caught staring at her hips when she pulled the string. They looked up into the smile on her face.

"Caught you!" She giggled, then pulled free the tie. The pair watched as the bikini bottom sagged forward but did not expose more than her hip. She slowly, very slowly, pulled on the string on the opposite side. Everyone held their breaths until the knot popped and she dropped the string.

The small triangle of material sagged away from the front of her stomach, exposing the sparse black hair of her pubes. Ayesha pulled on one of the strings, and the flimsy bottom slipped from between her thighs. She was now as naked at the other two.

"Very nice!" Heyya said with a smile. Sean just growled, a low murmur under his breath. His cock, however, jumped strongly at the sight.

Heyya turned on the shower head and checked the temperature before rinsing Sean down. She and Ayesha lathered up their hands and started applying the sweet-smelling soap to Sean's body. They quickly had him covered in the slippery soap. Too slippery, as he started sliding down off the plastic seat.

Ayesha reached down to stop his slide resulting in her hands pressing on his thighs either side of his swollen cock. Sean groaned and Ayesha could feel his rampant erection pulsing against the back of her fingers.

Heyya came to their aid, pulling Sean up with her hands under his arms. This pressed her breasts into his back, making him groan all the more. The two women giggled but quickly got him situated on the seat. Heyya lifted first one of Sean's buttocks then the other as Ayesha slid a towel under him to stop him sliding, and the women went back to soaping him. Only this time, instead of using her hands, Heyya rubbed him with her body.