Starchaser Ch. 04: Farpoint Welcome

"There are," she looked to one side and then to the other, "what are those? Two more probes?" I nodded and knew in an instant that my new partner and my First Mate had a natural talent for three dimensional display analysis, and I suspected she had a similar left-right symmetry balance as her Captain to discriminate against such disparity.

"Yes Noel, we deployed that one there before moving from that point to where we deployed this one where we are now. We are going to keep an eye on what is going on, where we were there, and where we are here." I said pointing to the illuminated markers on the tactical readout. "The report I heard from a Starfighter Pilot has me thinking that a good tactical action would be to use the first xenoprobe as a distraction or deception plan for an attack, as he had said happened to them in Gamma Quadrant 7. It was done before so it is worth checking it out to guard against history repeating itself."

Noel responded, "They are lined up with the planetary orbits. What if they come into orbital locations that are different from the planets?" I looked at Noel as she was demonstrating three dimensional thinking, something unusual for someone who's experience was entirely planet based. I chose my next command for Starchaser to be made vocally for Noel to know what I was doing. She deserved it with her contribution to this tactical action.

"Starchaser, using these two last locations, fly a connecting path using these points as major vertices with concurrent nodes. Deploy probes every 10 degrees of arc, best speed for probe deployment and expedite between deployments." I squeezed her hand to show her how I valued her input as an exceptional idea even if it was as fruitful as my first two points. Starchaser immediately began a series of rapid movements to drop the probes at the designated points on the heliosheath. Anticipating our relief might arrive at any moment, I voice commanded, "Starchaser, enter the situation and actions in the ship log and send to Datastream." Starchaser's female voice responded, "Ship log sent." There was a short pause before Starchaser added, "Incoming message, audio to bridge."

The next thing I heard was Fleet channel, "Starchaser, this is Jet-Sprite, at your service, inbound with expected arrival in 10 of your Earth minutes, Captain Jane D, standing by." I looked at Noel ignoring the rapidly changing snow streaks stopping frequently as Starchaser dutifully went about her mission of deploying probes all around the heliosheath on the path at 120 degrees from where the disabled assisted probe was located.

I looked at Noel, "I knew Jane D at Academy, she was three years ahead of me." Then I looked over at the small command pad communication display in front of us, "Starchaser, enable response." I heard the confirmation bleep. "Jet-Sprite, this is Starchaser, good to have you coming in on our relief Captain Jane D, sending you our current status update." With that transmission I knew she would see how Starchaser was not just sitting idly by but actively maneuvering around the periphery of the heliosheath placing 34 more probes in a picket-line formation, and the Query Ticket Pilot response message would fill in the rest of the reason why we were performing the task.

A strong female voice filled the bridge with her sound, "Captain Barrett Cross, I was monitoring your Datastream since getting orders, an interesting idea treating the probe as a possible invasion tactic, just like you to be thinking of possibilities! Also welcome to the Fleet Noel, you must be some kind of a woman if you were chosen by this Captain as crew! I'm still wanting to know how you did it Barrett, nobody in my year or the ones that followed understood a single thing you said to the inquiry into how you could get your ship to respond to stem inputs, crap it gave me a headache just trying to imagine it." All I could do was smile and remember the way I felt like everyone wanted to slap me around a bit. At the time I was glad I had Starchaser around me to guarantee nobody could do anything of the kind.

I tapped the mute button on the chair command pad to talk to Noel privately, "Jane D was a talker then, but she has always been top rate and she is a good selection to take our Sentinel post." I tapped the unmute button but Noel beat me to saying the next thing.

"You betcha Jane D, and thank you for the welcome, you are the first person in Fleet I have talked to besides my Captain and I really appreciate it, but I have no idea what else you said." I left the mic active as a peel of laughter came from Jet-Sprite.

"Hahaha Noel dear, you have no idea how what you just said is going to be so much the norm for you girl! He is known for thinking about nine lightyears ahead of everyone else." Jane D was helping to ensure Noel felt like she belonged as part of the Avalonian Combine. It was mandated in the Formation Chronicles for all Avalonian Combine people to support new Spirits to the Combine, to ensure they feel important to the community and the civilization. "Your Captain would be the only Captain I would serve under if I wasn't able to graduate as Captain myself. You are in the right place Noel and don't tell Barrett but I envy you." I knew what she was doing but it still caused me to burn with pride. "Okay real business then Barrett, and yes I know you heard me say it, I have everything I need and you are relieved of your post Starchaser, I have the Sentinel now, best speed to Farpoint, Jet-Sprite, over."

I looked at Noel and gave her hand a squeeze as Jane D changed over from her informal tone back to the trained formal tone, knowing this was the moment we had been waiting for, the moment Noel leaves her native Sol System for deep space. "Thank you Jet-Sprite, and Jane D, best hunting for your own First Mate. Starchaser, out." The conversation could have lasted for some time longer but the official handoff was done. My job was now to get Noel and Starchaser to Farpoint at best speed per Fleet protocol. On the tactical display, Starchaser had just placed the last probe as an image and label CCDSC Jet-Sprite entered the far side of the spherical hologram. The holographic map spun around as Starchaser reoriented to accelerate for the next command, anticipated from stem link experience.

"Starchaser, destination Farpoint Station, DSC Fleet Headquarters and Academy approach with option for Combine Nexus harborside, best speed." I said it for Noel's benefit, the holographic navigation display shrank the size of the Sol System as Starchaser accelerated at maximum. The snow streaks in headlights effect lasted a little longer than it takes to blink the eyes and outside the Lexan Matrix windows became a dark red glow. The holographic tactical display had shrunk to display both dorsal and lower eastern arms of the Milky Way Galaxy above and below the center where a blue point of light was passing over little loops towards a blue-white larger point of light.

I explained to Noel what she was intently looking at, "The little dot with the loops is Starchaser, this is our approximate location between the upper and lower arms of the galaxy and that larger blue-white dot is Farpoint Station. Each of the loops is a parsec and we are looping parsecs about one every second. We will keep using Earth Time as our standard aboard Starchaser because you know what that is and I have become accustomed to it over the past 47 years of being Sentinel on station.

"Yes..." I rolled my eyes to look at her amused face, "I know I don't look like I am 47 plus how old I would have to be before I got on station. When we get to Farpoint, one of the things you will experience is called Print Pattern Buffering, it is a process where your body is scanned to atomic level and a file is created so you can be Phased Transported, like that transporter thing in Star Trek except all that sound and going fuzzy stuff was just effects for the Earthers to get an idea something was happening. The times when something pops in and out like a switch flipped on and off, that is what Phased Transport looks like and, here is the cool part, each time you are Phased Transported, you return to the age you were when your print file was made. So technically, you are now as old as you will ever be as a member of the Cutlass Class Deep Space Cruiser Fleet. If you don't transport for a while you will look older but the moment you Phase Transport anywhere you go back to the age you are now."

I decided it was time for rest, "Starchaser, you have the helm, crew is leaving the bridge." I slid off my chair and took Noel's hand, she slid off her chair and was still looking somewhat tired. I led her through the tactical planning area behind the bridge and went to the up-down tubes.

"How long is it going to take until we get to Farpoint Station?" She asked, going straight to the important point. If it was possible to love her more, I did with each new proof that she was no simple Earth girl. Noel was without a doubt an Avalonian Human who was indeed waiting to be rescued from a planet to be returned to her natural home, on Starchaser and everywhere she would go in the universe.

"About 20 hours, would you like a nap? Our tour has our next stop at our quarters down two levels at the aft end of the lowest bridge deck. It is still a few decks above the upper main deck of the ship." I saw her nod yes and we went down the up-down tube in the only direction we could go from the top bridge deck to the lowest bridge deck. This time she had no problem following me, like all things I noticed with Noel, as it was her first time going down the up-down tube, she looked as if she had been doing it all her life.

We passed through an Arch and the atmosphere changed around us. Inside, we went through an ornate sitting room filled with plenty of comfortable looking places to sit together and other nefarious things. The bedroom was similar to the one we slept in only a few hours ago. We moved into the glowing bed area, came together to hold each other with our bodies cuddled in the stasis field. No gravity this time and the field kept us in the middle of the climate controlled space. I easily slipped inside her as we embraced in our lovers embrace, her moans were in my ears as I swelled inside her. "Yes my Captain, you know exactly how to take care of your crew." I had no idea if it was she or I who fell asleep first.

-v-

I didn't know how long I had been asleep but I felt wetness on my boob and I looked down to find I was actually drooling. I last remembered doing that wearing clothes, and here I was nude. It felt nice but I would have preferred for it to not have happened during my first time on the bridge. I looked over at Barrett and could see he was communicating with his Neural Communicator, apparently paying attention to Starchaser. It was peaceful for me but he was really busy it seemed.

I was surprised to find I was still drooling and sucked up my saliva then looked around to see if there was anything to wipe myself with. I squinted at the holographic display and noticed it had changed, the planets were in the same orientation to each other but the whole thing was turned. I looked up at Barrett and I saw him looking down at me, "It's different," I said. I saw a look of surprise on his face as if I was doing something unusual by noticing a difference on the tactical display. It made me think I must have been out for a while. He said, "Going on a hunch my dear, something someone said and I felt I needed to take a look."

I looked at the holographic display and noted where we were which was still highlighted as it had been but it was now smaller and a third of the way around the Solar System orbit from where it had been before. Then I noticed the new things were like the first one but without the color for the xeno-whatever it was he was saying. I gotta get more sleep. "There are," I say looking from one side to the other, still not sure what I was seeing so I asked, "what are those? Two more probes?" Barrett nodded and now he was looking really happy. I wasn't sure why because all I did was look at the hologram thingy and say what I saw, I hoped he wasn't putting me on.

His response was only delayed a moment, then he said, "Yes Noel, we deployed that one there before moving from that point to where we deployed this one where we are now. We are going to keep an eye on what is going on, where we were there, and where we are here." He pointed out both locations. "The report I heard from a Starfighter Pilot has me thinking that a good tactical action would be to use the first xenoprobe as a distraction or deception plan for an attack, as he had said happened to them in Gamma Quadrant 7. It was done before so it is worth checking it out to guard against history repeating itself."

What he said made sense and I could see the report on the small display screen in front of us where we could both see it. It was some Starfighter Pilot guy's statement in text only. I looked at the display again and something seemed too simple about it. I decided to point out what occurred to me, "They are lined up with the planetary orbits. What if they come into orbital locations that are different from the planets?" I saw a Star Trek movie where they were fighting in a nebula against Khan, and Kirk said that Kahn was demonstrating two dimensional thinking and I was not going to be as dumb as Kahn was.

The coolest thing was listening to Barrett in command, so manly and sure of himself, I really did land myself the hottest guy on Earth to go with to the stars, figuratively and literally. I could still feel his cum inside me as I shifted in my First Mate chair. I guessed he was doing this for me since he could just think commands to Starchaser and I loved him all the more for doing it. He said, "Starchaser, using these two last locations, fly a connecting path using these points as major vertices with concurrent nodes. Deploy probes every 10 degrees of arc, best speed for probe deployment and expedite between deployments." I felt him squeeze my hand and I really appreciated it was his way to let me know I did good. The only indication anything was happening was the way the stars out the windows kept streaking them stopping and the holographic display would turn with new probes appearing like a daisy chain.

Then he said, "Starchaser, enter the situation and actions in the ship log and send Datastream." I then heard Starchaser's voice for the first time as SHE responded to him, "Ship log sent." I was not at all surprised that she had a female voice. The poor man had been out here all alone for years so a female voice made total sense. I know most mariners call their ships she, so I guess it would have been funny if I had heard a male voice respond, I mused to myself and smiled.

The next thing that happened shook me that this was real and not just some fantasy. Starchaser announced, "Incoming message, audio to bridge." Another female voice with a different accent, and one I had never heard before but very strong and sexy sounding, said clearly, "Starchaser, this is Jet-Sprite, at your service, inbound with expected arrival in 10 of your Earth minutes, Captain Jane D, standing by." I looked at Barrett and he looked amazing, poised and in total control.

He looked into my eyes and said, "I knew Jane D at Academy, she was three years ahead of me." I knew this meant something but I just logged it away in my memory as I was sure I would know more about it later. He spoke words again, no doubt for my benefit, but then again maybe it was how communication was supposed to be done between vessels, by spoken voice. He looked at the display, "Starchaser," I heard a bleep, "enable response." I heard another bleep, "Jet-Sprite this is Starchaser, good to have you coming in on our relief Captain Jane D, sending you our current status update." I smiled looking up at him thinking he might be showing off a little for my benefit, I was impressed but it did sound somewhat over the top.

Jane D answered him in just as savvy tones as Barrett had spoken, so maybe it was not over the top after all. "Captain Barrett Cross, I have been monitoring your Datastream since getting orders, an interesting idea treating the probe as a possible invasion tactic, just like you to be thinking of possibilities! Also welcome to the Fleet Noel, you must be some kind of a woman if you were chosen by this Captain as crew! I'm still wanting to know how you did it Barrett, nobody in my year or the ones that followed understood a single thing you said to the inquiry into how you could get your ship to respond to stem inputs, crap it gave me a headache just trying to imagine it."

I felt stunned. This person, who I didn't know, somehow knew me by name and was talking to me like she knew me. I couldn't stop a smile from taking over my face and also felt my smile extend over the rest of me too. Then she was talking to Barrett about something from Academy time that sounded like a good razzing, but not, like he did something and nobody knew what he did but they all wanted to know how he did it. He looked for the mute button on the chair iPad thing and tapped it with his finger then said to me, "Jane D was a talker then, but she is top rate and a good selection to take our Sentinel post." Again I am blown away, he was talking about her like she was top of class or something, and yet she knew my name.

Barrett tapped the unmute button and I beat him to saying something, still smiling my face off, "You betcha Jane D and thank you for the welcome, you are the first person in Fleet I have talked to besides my Captain and I really appreciate it, but I have no idea what else you said." Barrett moved his finger away from the mute button and left the mic active as a peel of laughter came from Jet-Sprite.

Jane D was apparently smiling with her response too, "Hahaha Noel dear, you have no idea how what you just said is going to be so much the norm for you girl! He is known for thinking about nine lightyears ahead of everyone else." I couldn't believe this Captain who had her own DS Cruiser just like we have is talking to me like I'm her newest bestie. Then she blew my mind with a compliment she gave Barrett and I was more than impressed, "Your Captain would be the only Captain I would serve under if I wasn't able to graduate as Captain myself, you are in the right place Noel and don't tell Barrett but I envy you." I laughed knowing she said it so he could hear it and the look on his face was priceless. "Okay real business then Barrett, and yes I know you heard me say it," she got a second burst of laughter from me now that she had said the obvious, "I have everything I need and you are relieved of your post Starchaser, I have the Sentinel now, best speed to Farpoint, Jet-Sprite, over."

I looked at Barrett and felt him squeeze my hand as Jane D switched from the fun to the serious. I knew this was an important moment, the moment I would be leaving my home place in the universe for our trip to Farpoint Station somewhere in deep space. Barrett would always be my Captain and he sounded every bit the in-charge Captain he was as he finished the conversation, "Thank you Jet-Sprite! And Jane D, best hunting for your own First Mate. Starchaser, out." I knew I was looking at him again with loving eyes but how in fuck could I not want to jump this man. I had proof that not only did he Captain his own ship, but another Captain in her own ship just said he was an important man not just in the Fleet but also in the place where they all learned to be Captains. That was where we were going next and suddenly I was excited for the trip to get there.

Barrett disconnected the call with a tap on the command pad then continued voice commanding for my benefit. I loved him doing it as it continued to make me feel an important part of what was happening. "Starchaser, destination Farpoint Station, DSC Fleet Headquarters and Academy approach with option for Combine Nexus Harborside, best speed." I watched the holographic navigation display in front of us rotate, saw Jet-Sprite appear on the far side away from us, and then it looked like we were accelerating out the windows. The stars all did that snow streaks in headlights thing like they did in Star Wars when they went to hyperspace and it went dark out the windows. The holographic tactical display changed, shrinking us to a dot and the display showed parts of the Milky Way Galaxy that were above and below where our blue point of light was passing over little loops towards a blue-white larger point of light off to one side. A very cool display like I had never seen before!