Melinoe Ch. 21-25

Joon and Paula shared a smile.

"I am glad you like it; you'll need to stay on smoothie detail for a few days." Joon grinned at Paula's reaction.

The older woman bit her lip, a smile played at the corners of her mouth, "I hope the Captain doesn't mind."

"I'm pretty sure Max will be okay with it." Joon's grin was suggestive.

Joon studied Paula, her jawline, her hair.

Paula glanced at her, Joon bit her lip and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." Paula swallowed.

Joon smiled, "Yes, I am flirting with my new bride. I was hoping she might be interested in doing more than data work with me..."

Paula blinked in surprise, "What would you like me to do?"

Joon smiled softly, "Well... You were able to please your Captain, I was wondering if you'd like to please your Ambassador next?"

Paula turned to face Joon, the petite woman pulled up the hem of her skirt, revealing that she was without panties and hairless.

The Lieutenant stared openly at Joon's thin legs and the tiny peach cleft between them. Paula eased out of her chair onto her knees, she leaned forward onto her hands placing her face close enough to smell Joon's sweet scent.

Joon slid down in her chair, lifting her legs above herself holding them with her hands.

Paula's focus kept going from Joon's grass-green eyes to the apricot lips now on display. Joon moaned as Paula kissed her sex, then again, then deeply. The Lieutenant worked her mouth and tongue trying to get all the sweet citrusy taste.

Joon watched the dazzling mis-matched eyes gazing at her half-lidded, feeling those lips and tongue exploring her pussy, savoring her flavor. Paula wasn't sure she was proficient enough, but she thought she should try.

She brought up the two fingers of her right hand, just as Vika had done, and she put them in her own mouth. Paula never took her eyes off of Joon, she pulled out her now slick fingers and gently pushed them into her Ambassador.

Joon's little vagina gripped Paula's fingers, letting the woman penetrate her only a little at a time.

"Uh huh..." Joon gasped, "Yea... just like that."

Joon's Attaché gently worked her Ambassador, developing a slow steady rhythm. She carefully finger-fucked her petite wife for a good long while, slowly increasing the tempo. Paula leaned back down and sucked gently at Joon exposed clitoris, watching her expressions.

"Nnng," Joon moaned, her eyes screwed shut, "Okay, okay, stop, stop, stop!"

Paula stopped: she was blinking in confusion; she sat on her knees and pulled the two fingers out of her Lady-wife. "What's wrong, did I hurt you?" Paula's concern was written all over her face.

Joon smiled, and slowly eased herself back into a sitting posture.

"Not at all my Lovely... you are wearing a nice clean and dry uniform, and I was about to change that." Joon grinned.

Paula's jaw dropped, "Oh... Oh my!"

They both giggled.

"I intend to have you finish me off later...in the shower." Joon beamed a smile.

Paula nodded, licking her lips, "I look forward to it, M'lady."

They both giggled again as they sat back in their chairs...

Joon and Paula returned to their respective screens still reading and imprinting the datawork that comes with running one Consulate and setting up a second.

"So... Commando all the time?" Paula softly inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Joon beamed a smile but did not turn away from her screen. "Uh huh."

"Nice." Paula responded.

Every once in a while, they would give each other naughty looks then giggle in tandem.

0o0

The Deirdre slipped out of hyper-warp in a very small system a dozen lightyears from the last one Agatha had chosen which was closer still to the one before. This rapid hyper-warp route was the transteller equivalent of zig-zagging and back tracking. There wasn't much to recommend the system but a few small rocks, which is exactly why Agatha came here.

So, the Deirdre cozied up to one of those frozen rocks and got herself comfortable for a while.

Max blinked, "We're ready?"

Agatha nodded, she was standing in front of Max, "Yes, Captain... We are ready."

Max nodded, "What's the Zulu?"

"It is seventeen thirty-eight Terran Mean Time, Captain." Agatha replied smartly.

Max looked at her service comwatch, adjusted the display and contemplated a few things.

Uncle Goat a.k.a. Command Sergeant Major Irasmus Boggs was currently the NCOIC of Naval Intelligence. Her old Sar-Major was positively ancient, with seven 'Time in Service' chevrons.

Max had absolutely no idea what kind of responsibilities came with that job, but she knew Goat would fulfill them. On top of all of that, he was the architect of and handler for Operation: Melinoe. Supposedly only he and Admiral Garbert-Smythe knew about the operation...

But a lot had happened in the past week or so. Instead of keeping a low profile, Max's wife, Ira's grandniece... A highly respected musician and holo-celebrity, Jooniper Smith, found herself a new Job.

There was a suspicion in the back of Max's mind that the Admiral in charge of the Department of Foreign Relations didn't know exactly what they were getting themselves into with 'The Exquisite Lady'. Max glanced at her comwatch again.

"Agatha?" Max inquired.

Agatha got up from Navigation and came to attention in front of Max, "Yes, Captain."

"Go ahead and bring up the hyper-link, and please ready the intel take for upload" Max smiled at Agatha.

"Hyper-link deployed, establishing connection, upload standing by." Agatha confirmed.

"We are ready to transmit our upload to TFNI data control at your command, Captain."

Max took a deep breath; she tapped out the server route and passcodes for Dark Corners. She logged in...

Ms_Muffit has entered dark corners.

BG_Gruff: Anders...

Max turned Ms_Muffit to see Bogg's Avatar.

Ms_Muffit: Boggs.

BG_Gruff: Status?

Ms_Muffit: Free and Clear.

BG_Gruff: I assume you know about our GSD Consulate.

Ms_Muffit: Affirm. Smith is filing report this upload.

BG_Gruff: We need to discuss crew... Viktoria Yavikovich: no file found.

BG_Gruff: Yavikovich family vanished 20 years ago, interstellar crime syndicate ties.

BG_Gruff: New File: Yavikovich,Viktoria-TFNI-FieldAgent-DeepCov.

Ms_Muffit:Yavikovich Edit Yavikova (clerical error) please be sure she gets TFed Citizen Status.

BG_Gruff: Taking care of your people is my job Anders, Yavikova* already has TFed Citizen Status.

Max felt a calm wash over her, she glanced at Agatha. "Thank you."

Agatha curtsied with a smile.

BG_Gruff: Bahjat,Samira-UCPD-Pension-DisAb-Rem. SkipTrace-LicNum.B7685UC99

BG_Gruff: In case you were not aware Bahjat is a cyborg, educated, Law Enf. connected.

Ms_Muffit: Was aware, valued member of team.

Ms_Muffit: FO sent Smith attaché, Paula Gonzalez. [attachment] is crew.

BG_Gruff: Damn it. I can get her file from FO.

Ms_Muffit: Ready for take?

BG_Gruff:...How much?

Ms_Muffit: 20hrs

BG_Gruff: WTF

BG_Gruff: Okay... Hit me.

Max nodded to Agatha, "Transmit."

Agatha tapped twice...

"Nineteen hours, fifty-nine minutes, Fifty-two seconds 'til completion, Captain."

Ms_Muffit: Sending... anything else.

BG_Gruff: FO received second Diplomatic Recommendation for Smith.

BG_Gruff: G-S and FO are discussing Smith. FO wants to set up facetime with Smith.

Ms_Muffit: Okay.

BG_Gruff: FO knows Smith is an Agent... G-S is working on it.

Ms_Muffit: Okay.

BG_Gruff: Breakfast.

Ms_Muffit: Copy.

BG_Gruff has left dark corners.

Ms_Muffit has left dark corners.

Max exhaled.

"Joon is gonna hate this." Max sighed.

0o0

Joon blinked.

"What the hell does that mean?" Joon asked with a volatile expression.

The family was gathered in the Mess, Agatha was serving a scrumptious dinner. Roasted Giant Prawn With Broccoli Served with Citrus Vinaigrette, Pasta Salad With Spinach, Chickpeas, and Tahini, and Bacon Tomato and Swiss Frittatas.

Max held Joon's hands gently calming her, "It's alright, we'll discuss it after dinner."

Joon pursed her lips but did not argue. The three established couples all sat together; Agatha had three Hands buffer them.

The happy sounds during the meal was like music to Agatha's ears. Everyone enjoyed the meal, and after thirty minutes they were quite satisfied. Agatha cleared the table, replacing the ruins of dinner with lemon tea cakes, and cups of tea or coffee according to preference.

Vika accepted tea and sipped sparingly from it.

Joon focused on Max, "Now can I ask?"

Max nodded.

"What the hell does that mean?" Joon asked, with a slightly less volatile expression.

Max smirked, "I am not exactly sure, my love, I can only guess."

Joon raised an eyebrow.

Max nodded, "I postulate that the Admiral who runs The Department of Foreign Affairs suspects Admiral Garbert-Smythe is not being entirely honest with them.

Joon's lips thinned, "So I have to prove to this..."

Joon paused and looked at Agatha.

"Admiral Eleanor Maybridge." Agatha reported clearly.

"Prove to Maybridge that I am a Diplomat?" Joon finished her question with a huff.

Max arched an eyebrow, "I think that if anyone can show her that... It's The Exquisite Lady Jooniper."

Paula raised a hand.

Joon smirked and nodded.

"Admiral Maybridge has led the 'Foreign Office' for almost twenty years." Paula started.

"She has the reputation of being patient, fair and very capable."

Joon thought about that and sipped her tea.

Agatha glanced at Max, *Max, would it be okay if I increased my numbers?*

Max shifted her eyes to her, *Of course it's okay, how many are you planning?*

*Plus five.* Agatha smiled.

Max nodded, *Go right ahead, sweetheart.*

*Thank you, Honey.*

Joon inhaled, "Alright... We can guess Hamilton most likely pulled a few strings to get me appointed. And if what Max suspects is true, this Maybridge probably doesn't like him very much."

Paula smiled, "I think you'll be just fine, M'lady."

Joon blinked, then smiled, "Thank you... But tell me why you think so?"

Paula inhaled, "I have seen plenty of Diplomats and a fair number of those officers were hacks. You, on the other hand, have presence, integrity, and a great deal of charm."

Joon's cheeks colored slightly.

"Thank you... Again." Joon smiled.

Paula looked down, she stared at nothing, her eyes seemed to glaze over. Agatha's three Hands raised an eyebrow shifting focus to Paula. Everyone noticed the abrupt change in Paula's mood.

Joon glanced at Agatha, *What's wrong?*

*She is feeling intense guilt over something.*

"Paula?" Joon called her name.

The Lieutenant looked up, there was a sheen of unshed tears across her mismatched eyes. "Sorry, just ruminating."

Joon held Paula's attention, "You can tell us anything."

Silent nods around the table affirmed that position.

"I...I was thinking how someone as moral as you deserves to be anything she wishes."

Joon gave Paula an endearing look, "You're a moral person too, you deserve to be here."

Paula glanced around the table, then looked at Vika.

"I...Was destined to be here." She shifted her focus back to Joon, glancing at Max.

"But I am not a moral person." Paula said, a single tear slid down her cheek.

Vika held her hand.

Astrid watched Paula's face, biting her lip.

Samira frowned slightly.

"Tell us why you think that." Joon gently enjoined.

Paula swallowed hard, "Because I murdered my commanding officer."

0o0

Agatha sat with Teffa who was laid out on the couch in the common room.

They had three holo-screens up trying to follow the events taking place in Staverka...pretty much all over the planet.

The entire home fleet, near a hundred capital ships, were in orbit above the region of Hybinus. Zalix the Eighth, Majestic Potentate of the Grand Slarmian Dynasty, decreed Staverka sealed. For the first time in its two hundred thirty-year history, the Slarmian Bazaar was closed. Almost two thousand Bazaar Parking Authority Frigates blockaded their own planet.

No ship was allowed in... or especially, out. Teffa laid her head on Agatha's shoulder, tears rolled down her snout.

Agatha comforted her. Evidently, the Staverka Police Inspector Yzix's report did not fall on deaf ears. To his surprise, Polkovnik Emuzi did much more than initiate a restricted exigent ministerial assembly.

She went Straight to Zalix and in less than an hour the planet was locked down with the full weight of the Dynasty brought to bear.

Agatha and Teffa watched on live holo-vid as every Lord of Hybinul was arrested...with one notable exception. The staunchly conservative but definitively loyal to the Dynasty, Lord Arbox.

Forty-five lords, one hundred and ninety-seven elected members of Parliament. A third of the lords and a quarter of the commons...were taken into custody.

There were quiet speculations in the media, but no one said anything with certainty. Staverka Police Commissioner Umix did make a brief statement saying, "There was a planetary investigation and there would be no public announcements on it."

Three hours after the initial planetary lockdown, the Bazaar was reopened.

0o0

The table was silent. Tears were streaming down Paula's face, but her expression did not change. Max and Joon shared a glance.

"Please, Paula," Joon pleaded softly, "Tell us what happened."

Paula nodded, she swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and began. "Before Commander Tavistock took command of Megara Station after Commander Xiao was promoted to Captain. Megara station briefly had another commander."

"His name was Weiss."

"I expected a few weeks of adjustment to his command style, but he didn't change a thing. The station continued under all of Xiao's protocols, and Weiss just followed that momentum. I noticed the new Commander spent very little time in the TFN offices."

"He apparently had chosen a pair of young female TFN staffers to spend his time with."

"How an officer spends their off-duty time is no one's business and the two young ladies were already friends before Weiss took command; they were Second Lieutenants Lori Nance and Tabitha Chen."

"They now seemed to live in the Commander's quarters but after three weeks only rarely was one or the other seen without Weiss. Weiss himself felt off to me, his face was too perfect, he always said the right thing. His eyes were cold, like those of a shark, no expression he made would change them. Well, after five weeks Nance was admitted to Medical, she was covered in bruising."

"Most of her injuries were in various stages of healing, she had gotten some of them weeks earlier. She was admitted for a skull fracture, Chen had walked her down to medical. They both said she had slipped and fell, clumsy... Both were terrified."

"There is a kind of person who makes an effort to own something beautiful... Just so they can break it. Weiss was that kind of person. I had trained both Nance and Chen in their positions. They were both solid officers, competent and dependable."

"Now they were cowed and beaten, little more than playthings to Weiss. The next day I was sitting at one of the rail tables of a food shop, having a cup: it was a good place to people watch, I went there often after shift. Two levels down I saw Commander Weiss coming out of the trading depot, he was walking quickly."

"So, I pulled every ounce of fortune from him..."

"In three seconds, his boot stuck on something at the edge of a ramp. He catapulted flailing wildly down the ramp several meters into the edge of a solid rubbish bin. His face was crushed in a very unlucky angle, he died almost instantly...or so they say."

"I watched him flop around for almost thirty seconds, still pulling fortune away from him the entire time." Paula finished, no longer crying, her mismatched eyes showed her fury from long ago.

"You defended Nance and Chen." Joon said quietly.

Paual shook her head, "I could have reported him, like the dozens of people who had. He was connected, he was untouchable. The Admiralty sent him to Megara to keep him out of the Core. Commander Richard Weiss was a Legacy Officer, from a TFN Family. He was a sadistic psychopath who was allowed to use and abuse TFN personnel. I murdered that piece of shit... and I'm not sorry I did. Someone had to."

The table was silent.

Then Max leveled her light-brown eyes at Paula.

"You think that wasn't moral?"

Paula blinked.

Max smiled, "It wasn't legal...I think it was definitely moral."

The table nodded in agreement.

"Good luck proving that was murder in court." Samira smiled at Paula.

Astrid nodded at Samira.

"But I murdered him?" Paula stated again.

Joon smiled, "I think you went beyond your authority, but like you said...Someone had to."

Agatha raised her hand.

Everyone looked at her.

"Because we are connected to the TFed right now, I was able to find and review the case files of the 'accident' that brought the demise of one Commander Weiss. You are correct Paula... His history with abusing TFN personnel was extensive, and it seems very little effort went into investigating what was so obviously an accident."

"The entire sequence was recorded on security Holo-vid. There was even a frame of you, watching from a balcony table, several floors above. No one even bothered to interview you, as you were more than fifty meters above."

Max nodded to Agatha

Joon smirked, "I don't think you're going to find anyone on this ship who has a problem with your actions."

Max cleared her throat.

Everyone turned to their Captain.

"If it had not been explained to you before, Paula, I will do so now. In the course of my five years in the now defunct IntOps Division of the TFN, I had killed more than a hundred people. I didn't know them, some of them were just doing their jobs. But I am willing to bet quite a lot of them were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I doubt most of them were as deserving of death as Weiss, but I wasn't making a moral judgement."

"I was following orders... and I am so glad I am not doing that job anymore."

Everyone nodded.

Max glanced around the table, "Anyone else want to make a confession?"

There were giggles.

Then Agatha raised her hand again.

Joon blinked. "Ag's?"

"I looked into the dreams of one of my prisoners on Staverka. I learned all of his secrets with Blackdawn."

Max and Joon shared a glance.

"Then I gave him a nightmare using my image and voice."

Everyone's faces were contemplative. Agatha felt her family, they didn't taste upset. Max brought a knuckle to her lips, her mind whirring.

"This... Dreamwalking, you can do it to anyone?" Max inquired.

Agatha nodded, "If they dream, or are really close to dreaming."

She glanced at Samira, who smiled. Max and Joon shared a meaningful look.

Vika said softly, "Longer and sharper the claws become."

0o0

Five overstuffed Hands of Agatha were now sprawled out in the shower. The entire family stripped down and cuddled to witness the magical display. Thick fluffy towels of which there were dozens were used for soft cushions.

For three hours the seven women were together, while the opalescent splendor shone.

Soft conversations, gentle affection, and lots of snogging. After the first twenty minutes Paula had lost her modesty while kissing Vika. She realized this was a waking dream party... Love and affection was everywhere.

At some point she discovered she was craving vanilla: Max was happy to oblige her.

This time there was no timidity, and it sparked the next level of intimacy for the family. Paula found there was plenty of interest in her; she was also being serviced.

Max filled her mouth five times, and each time Paula drank it down with abandon.

Paula found that the cock in her mouth was still hard, so she offered another orifice for her Captain-wife to fill.