Starchaser Ch. 04: Farpoint Welcome

She moved up and nestled into my side, wiping the edge of her lips as I closed my uniform. We arrived moments later at the platform from where we left, and the shuttlecraft was in exactly the same spot it was before. I heard Noel think, 'I don't know what a decichron is' and I answered her immediately, 'about 57 Earth minutes.' She looked at me realizing we had just had a conversation without saying a single word with our mouths. Noel grasped my uniform and pulled me down for her to kiss me and I heard her think, 'I love you' and I replied, 'I love you' that made in that moment our world more perfect than ever before.

We were soon back at the same Great Hall and a Primary Staff member was waiting for us in the entryway. I saw Noel's memory image of us in the glass doors before the implant procedure which proved the Neural Communicator was connecting into her neural network exceptionally well and quickly. I nodded to the Staffer who turned so we could follow her. She led us into and through the cathedral-like nave to the transept where we went to the right and to the furthest end and into a huge reception hall. The Reception Party was ready to begin with most of the DSC Captains I had been with at the Academy and trained with at the Pleiades training ranges were in attendance.

I never let go of Noel's hand during the initial greetings. I noticed the males checking out Noel which made me feel proud of her, and which made her feel good that I could tell from her unguarded thoughts. I couldn't help knowing she noticed the female DSC Captains who were checking me out were also checking her out, and how she was surprised how good it was making her feel having never paid attention to interested females before. I decided to share the moment with her, 'They look hot don't they?' and I know she heard me when she looked at me looking at her and I added, 'I know where you were looking and I enjoyed looking there with you, but know my cock is for you Noel unless you choose to share me with them and that is your prerogative as my Mate.'

I looked back to the men and let her hand go to shake their hands and share a few hugs. I had confidence I would know the moment Noel felt unsure or uncomfortable with anything, and that enabled me to be more outgoing than before. Noel made it easier for me to be socially the kind of man I had always wanted to be, bold and audacious knowing my team was at hand to provide back up and comfort no matter what.

I let Starchaser monitor Noel's thoughts so I would not miss what was being said to me by those who were relating how experiences we had in tactical and strategic training had become useful in operational situations. My tactical intuition and courage to decisively press an advantage using sheer audacity had caught the Academy Training Fleet by surprise during my first exercise in the Pleiades. I had demonstrated I could move an effort to create a conclusion that was beyond what years of education was able to provide, and confounded the Training Cadre with my solution to their improbable odds. That quality was proven in the second exercise which vaulted me years ahead of my cohort and the previous two years of Captains in training with the same DSC Academy Advanced Study Fleet in the Pleiades. These were the same events the female Captains were relating to Noel at the reception and it was all that was being talked about.

We were next to the drink table when I picked up one of the potent drinks and considered it in all its aspects. It was then I started to hear Noel's thoughts clearly as if she was talking directly to me. I marveled at how quickly she was adapting to her neural communication link as I watched her pick up a glass of drink too. We both sipped the liquid and sampled food from serving trays with the free hand. Both food and drink was a welcome pleasure as neither was generated by a food processor and most of what we were eating was organic and fresh.

I thought to Noel how the others would likely imbibe too much, then use Phased Transportation to become completely sober again, and also perhaps become days and weeks younger, then possibly consume the same amount of potent liquids again until they would need to use Phased Transport again. I heard Noel think an original thought, 'if they were Phased Transported by their own DS Cruiser then wouldn't the potent liquids be extracted and stored on their own DS Cruiser?' I am astounded and think, 'you, Noel are probably the smartest person in this room at this moment to have that deduction knowing the least about what a DS Cruiser is about and correctly deducing how the Phased Transportation works, I am deeply impressed.' Because I was, and thankful to have had the intuitive good fortune to invite Noel to join my crew.

One of the female Captains, Sheila who was two years ahead of me at Academy, had been watching Noel. She moved close to Noel thinking only she would hear her words. I heard her words clearly as her voice was picked up by Noel's Neural Communicator, something I had worked out with Starchaser some years ago using an interpolation algorithm to enable Starchaser to record ambient sounds and conversations in my presence, including those wavelengths beyond my own capability to detect. She said to Noel, "You just had your Neural Communicator implanted, are you hearing his thoughts already?"

I thought to Noel to give her an advantage, 'Sheila doesn't hear my thoughts but she will know you will be able to as you are my crew, but usually it takes time to adapt to neural connectivity with the Communicator for conversations and images that we already share, you don't have to admit to anything.' I smiled with my lips pursed on the edge of my glass hiding my joy, barely letting a taste of potent liquid touch my lips as I heard Noel respond to Sheila with a coy, "maybe!" It was apparently something Sheila appreciated much more from Noel than anything I would have said.

The reception went on and we talked to just about everyone. I noticed Noel was closing her eyes as if testing something and also at times she was looking down and then up as if trying to look through her eyelids. I took the opportunity to check in with Starchaser and learned the next part of Noel's Development Plan currently being created by the Fleet Command Commander personally. He was arranging for her to get the next available Equinox Flyer, a standard model for training that would become Starchaser's +C and for a +D model of her own design if she wanted her own custom model that she would have to design quickly before Starchaser's next assignment away from Farpoint. The Commander tagged me directly with information he had just received; the Scanner was available in 2 decichrons for Noel's Print Buffer Pattern Scan. He tagged the electronic notice that made it my top priority and I understood why everything else was secondary.

I acknowledged the Fleet Command Commander's notice, also the Fleet general information bulletin, then commanded Starchaser to prepare to leave the DSC Fleet Headquarters harbor docking station and transit using the auto helm route to the DSC Academy harbor docking station as priority action. Starchaser acknowledged the command and displayed the procedures in progress while I monitored everything. Starchaser powered up, released her docking restraints and traveled closer to the Academy where we would be going once the reception was completed. Starchaser added an icon that showed Noel was crew linked in.

I felt myself being appreciated by Noel in ways I had never before experienced, it was stronger and more genuine than any love shown to me by anyone at the Academy or in the Fleet, and as strong as the love expressed to me by my parents. I had no doubt with Noel I was home wherever she was and together we had Starchaser as our home. I glanced in her direction and saw she was all eyes for me, facing me and completely my woman in that crowded reception hall. Not only was her Neural Communicator linked in but she was already accessing the Datastream, if she was not my equal in intuitive intelligence then I was greatly mistaken.

The moment was good to move ahead with tasks assigned by the Fleet Command Commander. To let everyone know they had done a great job receiving us at Farpoint, I took Noel's hand in mine and thought to her in a flash, 'it is time for us to go, we have appointments to keep and you are going to enjoy everything about them, but first - a dramatic exit.' We took two steps upward together as if we had done it before, the first step on the chairs next to the serving tables and the second step onto the tables that elevated us where everyone could see us. We stood tall and on display, we both knew we were enjoying being seen together wearing our first Starchaser uniform.

In my mind's eye I shared with Noel the iconic committed pair statues of Avalonian lore and I felt her pride knowing we were those statues to everyone looking. The ovation quickly built, as spirited as everything else had been and it was easy to see love in the eyes of my fellow Academy Alums and naturally I reflected love back to them. Words were needed and my words were those of a ship Captain, "We thank you for the best reception ever received by returning Avalonians on Farpoint or wherever these events happen." Appreciative applause ensued then subsided. "From here we go to Print Buffer Scanning then on to the Academy, and you are all welcome to join in our adventure to see for yourselves how Noel is truly Avalonian, and our Fleet is stronger with all of us as One Team."

I looked at Noel and chose to reveal my own chosen purpose while on Farpoint, what I was going to focus on while Noel worked at her individualized curriculum. Noel heard my idea before I began to speak, giving her an advantage of a knowing look no one else shared. "That was not platitude. While we are here, I will endeavor through the DSC Academy to share what everyone wants to know. With Noel's assistance," I paused and looked at Noel for dramatic effect, "we will share "The Starchaser Reaction Response."

An audible gasp swept the assembly. I had spoken the term coined to identify what I had done with Starshaser in tactical maneuvers that appeared impossible. I had used Starchaser as an extension of my mind using seamless command and control to produce ship response faster than I could move muscles. "You all know Starchaser was reassigned to Deployed Fleet Operations after a brief assignment to the Training Fleet, and the inquiry that followed." A soft sound of humorous response filled the silence. "If our efforts are successful, every DSC in the Fleet should be able to perform at that level, meaning, if you are willing to accept what is fundamentally obvious to me, and I can adequately convey understanding to you, your ship will also take command and control by your thoughts alone and preserve Sentient Captain Command."

It was silent enough to hear the ventilation system moving air in the distance. "If I could imagine it then so can you. The Datastream DSC Curriculum Cortex server will be where this project resides. All who want to Beta test this challenge, please leave a tag. And I might have already started." The response was near silence with searching eyes as it was apparent to everyone they were being confronted with new learning to be adopted, adapted and implemented, "Our goal is to make it understandable to first years at the DSC Academy, the Rangers in the Deployed Fleet, and everyone in between." The atmosphere was uncertain as the daunting challenge settled onto the room.

"My Spirit is with yours!" I finished to complete the moment with a proclamation of the traditional Gift Of Spirit spoken for every departure. We raised our hands in unison as a thanks from the Starchaser crew, then together stepped forward off the table to the floor, as steady and sure as if we always stepped that way. We strode into the pathway created by the crowd that parted like an opening curtain for us to pass through the middle of the assembly.

The last gesture rendered was the Avalonian Fleet salute, presented by the Fleet Command Commander himself followed immediately by the Primary Staff standing at the entrance of the Reception Hall before we were close enough to have made the salute first. We returned their salute in crisp unison completing the etiquette, unifying and celebrating the Spirit of the Avalonian Fleet. I thought to Noel for her to appreciate the honor bestowed by presenting the first salute, and for the Fleet Command Commander to have chosen to render the first salute, it was indeed a most remarkable thing.

[ Starchaser Chapter 4 ]