Ship's Interface Ch. 005

****

The next three weeks were the happiest Ben could ever remember being. They spent their time working on various projects, punctuated with bouts of amazing sex. June and Interface spent nearly all their time remodeling the rooms on the port side corridor surrounding the airlock. The 'faux shuttle' had a small cockpit with three seats, two in the usual side-by-side pilot-copilot configuration with a third just behind for the engineer.

Just behind that was a sitting area with seats along either wall meant for additional passengers, and through a door at the back of the seating area was a short corridor that led to a bunk room with four bunks. Interface made sure to test each bunk 'vigorously', fucking June senseless a few times on each bed, sending waves of arousal from Interface's aura sweeping across the ship, announcing the precise moment when Interface touched off yet another of June's savage climaxes.

As Interface and June 'worked' on the faux shuttle, Ben helped Will upgrade the nutritional dispenser, trying to add texture as a selectable parameter. They were discussing some of the programming logic displayed on the terminal when Will closed his eyes and went quiet for a moment, feeling the echo of June and Interface's activities.

Ben watched Will smile and felt something subtle he couldn't quite place, so he asked Will, "What was that?"

"That was June and Interface enjoying each other," Will said, still smiling. He saw the confused look on Ben's face, so he explained. "Interface is an extremely sexual being, and psychic as well, so when she feels good, you know it. June and I are a little more tuned into her 'wavelength'."

Ben considered Will's words for a moment. "Is that what the silver tattoos are all about?" He asked. He had seen the both of them naked enough in the past few weeks that he was well acquainted with the totality of the silvery design adorning their skin.

"Yes, it is. It is an outward sign of our Bond with Interface and the ship. We are connected deeply with Interface, and she with us, on an emotional, psychic, and physical level. I am closer to those two people than I have been with anyone in my entire life. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for them, and they for me. I love them." Will said, the feeling of the truth of it all, made him smile again.

Ben wondered again about his place in all of this, and in a flash of insight, realized that he cared a great deal about these people, Interface in particular. He thought about how he felt about her, the times they sat together watching the stars, the look of adoration on her face when he held her close and realized that he had fallen for the silvery minx. She, as well as Will and June, had swiftly become important to him, and his feelings echoed Will's spoken truth.

Ben set those thoughts aside to examine closer later, then focused back on the task he and Will were working on at the moment.

The theoretical stuff came naturally to Ben, but Will, by a wide margin, was much more masterful when it came to the actual mechanics and implementation of a system. Their talents were perfect complements to each other and they chatted and joked while they worked. They were fast becoming buddies, talking about figuring out the ship's tech gave them ample ground for their friendship to bloom.

Later, they found June and Interface in the faux shuttle, putting the finishing touches on their clever deception. "Look at what we got the dispenser to produce!" Ben said eagerly, shoving a crispy bar into June's hands.

With a very serious look on her face, she carefully turned it over, visually inspecting it, and then held it under her nose to sniff it. She took a small bite of the crunchy bar, thoroughly chewing it, eye up and to the left like she was deep in thought as she evaluated the foodstuff.

Not able to keep her serious composure any longer, she giggled and said, "This is great! No more paste for us!" as she threw her arms around Ben and Will, pulling them in for a big hug.

"And this faux shuttle looks great! very convincing. I don't think anyone would even imagine there was anything more than what they see here." Will said, beaming with pride at June and Interface's handy work.

"And the cockpit controls work, too. We routed the circuits down from the bridge, so now if someone rides along with us, nothing will seem out of the ordinary. We even partitioned a part of the hangar as a stand-in for a cargo bay, appropriately sized and accessible from a door at the rear of the ship. Lots of small cargo ships only have access to the cargo from the outside, so there's no need to worry about figuring out how to connect a room three hundred meters away to this room that should only be twenty." June proudly explained.

It's a fine piece of work, like you two." Will said, pulling June in for a deep and passionate kiss. Interface wrapped an arm around Ben's waist, and leaned into him as she watched her two lovers express their love for one another.

June and Will were momentarily lost in their loving embrace. They held each other close and kissed like they needed the other to breathe. "They're so beautiful." Interface cooed into Ben's ear.

"So are you," Ben replied. He looked deep into Interface's eyes and saw his feeling for her mirrored in her expression for him. "There's no doubt, I've fallen for you, Interface." He said, holding her tight, as a wave of strong emotion rose from his core. "I want to love you forever." He said, and he could see in her face that she understood what he was implying.

She smiled warmly, and asked with a soft gentleness in her voice, "Are you sure this is what you want? Some choices can not be undone." She wanted Ben as much as he wanted her, but her concern for him compelled her to find what was best for him.

"Yes, I want you to be mine. I want to be yours if you'll have me." Ben said plainly. Her smile widened, then she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him deeply. Their tongues danced together as Ben wrapped his arms around her slim waist, holding her close, not wanting to ever let her go.

The two pairs of lovers kissed and caressed each other for a few more long moments, and when their lips slipped away from one another, she took Ben by the hand and then to all of them said, "Come with me."

Interface led them through the ship, she holding Ben's hand, fingers interlaced while Will held June's, until they came to the med bay. She smiled broadly at her three lovers and walked to the back until they came to the hidden alcove, already open, containing the silver bath. She swung her legs over the rim of the tub and stepped into the liquid.

There was no distinguishing where she ended and the bath began, silver flowing seamlessly down her naked body and into the bath. She spoke no words, but held out her arms to Ben, beckoning him to join her.

Ben wore a large smile ear to ear as he undressed and stepped into the tub, then embraced Interface, holding her tight to him. Will and June stood close by, an arm wrapped around the other's waist, and smiled warmly as they watched Ben and Interface.

The soft blue glow ever present in Interface's eyes grew bright, casting its light on Ben. They kissed again, and as they stood there in the silvery bath, electrical discharge crackled and danced on the surface, readying itself to accept Ben.

Holding Ben tight and not breaking their kiss, Interface leaned Ben backward until the back of his head touched the surface of the charged fluid. The bath fluid may have been arcing lightning, but the only thing electric that Ben felt was Interface's passionate kiss. It was deeper and fuller than anything he had ever felt. Interface opened herself to him, pouring her heart and love into this new connection they were forming, intoxicating Ben; he was completely swept away with the sensation of love and belonging.

They both submerged beneath the surface of silvery liquid, its warm embrace enveloped the lovers completely. Ben felt it begin to absorb into his skin, into his being, as the warmth and connection bound itself to his very soul. Interface's tongue hollowed into a tube and grew into his mouth, reaching past his tongue and poured a steady stream of the silver fluid down his throat, into his stomach, filling it, while a finger size tendril pushed past the tight ring of muscle of his ass and filled him from the other end. He felt the warmth spread to his center from all directions, inside and out, and was consumed by the bliss of connection with his lover.

It ramped up and up, heightening his euphoria, and expanding his being. It drove out his fear, and his self-loathing, it consumed him and bound him. He would never be alone again. Finally, it was too much for him to handle and he lost consciousness, lost in bliss.

Interface lifted him, re-emerging from the bath, and held him in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder. The silver fluid flowed off his body as they emerged, and as Interface carried him out of the bath, the same flowing, silvery markings covered his body that adorned Will and June's.

They both bent and kissed Ben on the forehead, the spidery silver tracings on his skin still slightly glowing blue. Interface carried him to their lounge and placed him on the bed, then the three of them all climbed in after him, cuddled up close together, and laid there as close together as if they were all of one body.

****

The Nestia came out of FTL just outside of Bourdan space, slowing to cruising speed. June and Will took up the pilot and copilot's seats, while Ben and Interface sat on a couch in the sitting area just behind the cockpit, in easy earshot. The Bourdan Space Patrol would be contacting them shortly, so as they had discussed earlier, June would speak as Captain when they did.

They didn't have to wait long; two sleek, angular cruisers, bristling with weapons, approached on an intersecting vector and hailed them. "Unidentified vessel, maintain heading and slow your speed to one-quarter of your current velocity. Please Identify yourself."

June followed the instructions and responded to the hail as the cruisers came up on their starboard side. "This Captain June Harding of the unaffiliated vessel, Nestia, seeking permission to enter Bourdan space." She responded.

"You're a long way out for a ship your size and configuration, Captain. Where's your transponder? How'd you get here? How many are you?" The BSP Officer asked a series of questions, in rapid-fire succession.

"We were originally on the freighter, 'Saturn's Heart' delivering cargo from Port Silban to Brazo Prime for the Peirault Shipping company when we shipwrecked on an uncharted planet about ten lightyears from here. We were able to escape marooning in this experimental craft. There are four of us on board. We need to report back to Peirault to inform them of the loss." June gave them all the details that border patrol would need to check their story, without going into too much detail.

"Hold course, Nestia." the BPS officer commanded.

"Affirmative," June responded. They waited a few minutes in tense silence, hoping that the patrol officer would be able to verify their story.

"Captain Harding," the patrol officer began, coming back onto comms, "It looks like Peirault has already declared you a loss. They'll be relieved to find out that you survived."

"I'm sure they will," June responded.

"Follow the flight path to orbital station Penrose I'm transmitting now and observe the harbor speed limits. Dock in slip 47A. Welcome back to civilization, Captain." the officer said in a curt, but warm tone.

"Thank you, Patrol. It's good to be back." June replied, closed comms, and laid in a course to follow the prescribed flight path.

Will let out a relieved breath. "That went well," he said to June, with an unspoken prompt to see if she thought they were free and clear.

"Yeah, that was as good as I could have hoped for. Where we don't have a transponder, I still anticipate an inspection when we dock." June said, with a hint of trepidation.

"You and Interface did a great job with the faux shuttle, I'm sure everything will go smoothly," Ben said from the couch, Interface lying with her head in his lap and feet crossed on the opposite couch arm, his hand resting on her bare stomach.

They followed the flight path to the Penrose orbital station. Penrose was constructed with sturdy gray titanium, in the Terran fashion, an eight-hundred-meter tall cylinder with three levels of concourses, six per level, extending out of the central cylinder hub like spokes without a surrounding wheel. Each arm had several berths, their slip was located in the middle section, towards the end of one arm.

June slowed the ship as they approached, and rotated and eased the ship close until they were captured by the large docking clamps encircling the ship with a dull thump on the hull.

As the docking ring sealed onto the airlock, Will looked back and suddenly remembered that a stark naked, silver hermaphrodite with her tits and cock hanging out, might disturb some people. "Interface, clothes!" Will hissed with a loud whisper.

"Fine." She said with a bemused smirk, then her usual white with blue floral pattern dress formed and at least made her decent, though still alluring.

They heard a hard rap on the airlock door, so they all stood and then opened the airlock.

The airlock door melted open, revealing a portly, balding middle-aged man, flanked by two armed troopers, all wearing dark green uniforms with the starburst BSP insignia on the breast of their shirts and pips on their collars indicating their ranks.

"Good Morning, I am Lieutenant Fredericks, Assistant Port Master." He introduced himself in a terse, professional tone, without introducing the two soldiers behind him. "I will be conducting the inspection and interview before you will be allowed in the station." And before anyone had an opportunity to respond to his greeting, he swept in followed closely by the two guards.

Looking around the interior of the 'shuttle' he said, "I've never seen a configuration like this before. Who produced it?"

"It's a small experimental vessel, but I can't share the manufacturer or details as I'm under an NDA. It's technically still under development which is probably why you haven't seen anything like it before. It's passed its space trials, but we're still shaking her down." Will bluffed.

"And you are?" the Lieutenant demanded.

"William Foucault, Mechanic First Class," Will responded, offering a handshake that Lieutenant Fredricks only stared at.

"Right. And you must be Captain Harding." He said staring at his clipboard without a glance at June.

"Yes, that's right," June said, slightly put off by his manners. But she had seen his type before and held her tongue.

"And these two?" Fredricks thumbed towards Interface and Ben.

"Fellow rescued castaways. We met them on the planet we crashed on, and brought them with us as passengers." June explained.

"So what's your story?" the irritable Lieutenant asked Ben and Interface.

June and Will exchanged furtive, worried glances while Lieutenant Fredericks' attention was on Interface and Ben. The group had planned to be vague on details in hopes that they wouldn't be forced to fabricate a story and possibly get caught in a lie, but they hadn't considered until just now that Ben used to be a criminal until recently, and might have a rap sheet.

"I am Inta, artificial companion prototype, serial Three-Seven-One." She said sweetly, extending her hand, wrist bent as if she expected him to take her hand and kiss it.

And after a moment's hesitation, and to everyone's astonishment that's exactly what Fredricks did. Then he stammered, "Oh, ah, oh yes, hello my dear." His face grew a little red.

Ben, picking up on the opportunity, jumped in, "And I'm Jason Rittenov, programmer and field test engineer for this Inta series artificial companion." The Lieutenant didn't look up from Interface's captivating glowing blue eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure." The Lieutenant muttered, his eyes descending to Interface's ample cleavage.

"If you'd like I can give you a demonstration of one of my ten thousand entertainment routines." Interface offered, in a sweetly seductive voice.

At that, the Lieutenant's face grew bright red, and after looking around to everyone standing in the room, said quickly, "Err, ah, no. That won't be necessary." He quickly straightened his back and adjusted the front of his shirt, clearly wanting to adjust something a little lower.

"Okay, let's move on to the inspection," Fredericks said, desperate to change the direction of the conversation.

June gave the Lieutenant a cursory tour of the controls in the cockpit, which he noted were quite standard in design. Then he had the soldiers check the cubbies around the sitting area for potential contraband.

The inspection moved to the bunkroom, and Fredericks had the soldiers look through the bedding and under the mattresses, until Interface got up on her tiptoes, lightly brushing her tits on the Lieutenant's arm as said softly into his ear. "I have been field tested for over three hundred hours for use in confined spaces like a bunk room. Would you care for a demonstration?" She asked him softly in his ear.

His face went beet red, stammered again, and said, "Alright, alright, it's just a bunk room, that's enough." Sweat beaded on his forehead as he quickly turned back to June and Will. "Ah, hem. I assume there is a cargo hold?"

"Yes, but its only access is the rear door. We can show you if you would like us to move to a pressurized hangar." June offered.

"No, this slip will be fine. I will call a maintenance pod over, and you will open the rear door for inspection." He said, regaining control of the situation and himself.

"Sure thing," June said, forcing herself not to crack a smile.

June went to the controls, then depressurized the small cargo bay and opened the doors, as the maintenance pod arrived. Lieutenant Fredericks watched the small screen on his clipboard as the pod maneuvered its camera to view the contents of the hold.

Seeing the equipment staged in the corner, Fredericks asked, "What's all this in your hold?"

"Salvage from the 'Saturn's Heart'. Eight Radioisotope batteries, Delta class, and the ship's transponder. We're working to return the transponder and sell off the batteries for the portage fee aboard the next interstellar ferry."

"Well, you are in luck on both accounts." The Lieutenant said. "Our maintenance shop is always on the lookout for quality used parts, and the next ferry is scheduled to arrive in-system next week."

"That's great news, thank you! Who should I talk to in the maintenance shop about the batteries?" Will asked, grateful in earnest.

"Ask for Quartermaster Jacobs. Tell him I sent you." Fredericks said, looking at Interface with a side-eyed glance, hoping no one noticed.

"Ah hem, well, that concludes my inspection. You are all cleared for entry. Good day." The guards left first, and with one red-faced look back to Interface, Lieutenant Fredericks followed.

As soon as the airlock door was closed, everyone burst into laughter, from relief that everything went well, to Interface's 'sexbot' act and the Lieutenant's reaction to it.

"Did you see his face?!" Ben said, nearly doubling over with laughter.

"I thought he was going to have a heart attack right there!" Will said, chuckling along with everyone else.

As their laughter ran its course, Will plopped onto the couch next to Interface and Ben, while June leaned on the back of the engineer's seat. "It's still pretty early, late morning by station time, so I would like to get the ball rolling and get over to the station maintenance shop to get the rad batteries sold. We need to book passage on the ferry as soon as possible to make sure all the hangar slips in the ferry don't get sold out on us." Will said, laying out his idea for their day's itinerary.