Tales of the "Pink Mist" Ch. 04

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's interesting what people choose to critique in feedback. I REALLY appreciate all of the letters and comments to me (for good or bad), as they let me know that SOMEONE is reading my drivel. They also let me know that people are taking time to help me better my writing. THANK YOU!

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Seated at a table in one corner of the recreation area, Quillan sat directly across from Alice, the latter now dressed in her skintight black uniform. Quillan had been right: Alice's soft cornsilk-blond hair was very long, hanging to just below her breasts. Her green eyes shone with renewed vitality as she gazed at her captain. And that ever-present smile on her perfect lips. God, Quillan hadn't realized just how much she wanted Alice until she unfroze the beauty.

"How are you feeling?" asked Quillan, taking a sip from a can of leftover military issue beer. The galley was full of it.

"I'm fine, Captain Quillen," replied Alice in her sexy voice. Just hearing that voice caused Quillan's face to flush. "My cybernetic systems are in proper working order as well as the systems of the ship."

Quillan's mind spun as she tried to approach the next matter diplomatically. She finally gave up and just blurted it out.

"What happened? What caused you to do this? Running off by yourself and entering cryo-suspension?"

Alice intertwined her fingers, laying her hands on the table and leaning forward to rest on her forearms. The slight smile disappeared from her lips. An almost pleading look came over her.

"You were engaged in sexual relations with Infernus. I thought you didn't want me," she said. "You invited me to accompany you onto the station, then we went to Infernus' office where you proceeded to have sex with him. To me, that says that I am inconsequential to you...that I am still 'just the ship's computer.' I am a piece of military issue equipment that was acquired by salvage. Is that the case, Captain Quillan?"

Quillan's hand gradually loosened on the can as Alice spoke. The beer slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor with a thud, bounced once and lay on its side, spilling the liquid which soaked into the carpeting.

She HAD been a total shit to the "new" woman, but it never dawned on her that her "business transaction" was going to have this kind of effect on the First Officer. She bent in her seat to pick up the can then idly toyed with it as she thought about what she was going to say; her frown causing her brow to furrow, her chin to crinkle.

"Alice," Quillan began uncomfortably, fidgeting with the can, "it was...ummm...my punishment for throwing a monkey wrench into Infernus' plans."

"He punished you for bringing your business to him? I'm afraid I don't understand, Captain Quillan." Alice's golden eyebrow rose in imitation of Quillan's occasional quizzical look.

"When we saved Charleen and her crew, we destroyed that puny little station and killed the two goons on board. Charleen's crew was to be sold piecemeal to that stone bitch in the Cemetery and turned into sex slaves. That was to be a hefty profit for Infernus. Likewise, that hunk of metal which sits in one of the cargo bays cost quite a chunk of change to set up and maintain. He had to pay those two blood smears, too. The overall cost was probably in the low millions. So, he literally took it out of my ass."

"And hurt you in the process," Alice finished. "Medical records show that you were in a pretty bad way when you were brought on board. Your orifices were full of..." she let her voice trail off and looked at the can that Quillan was toying with.

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The computing power needed to process the information that Quillan imparted was minimal, not even registering a blip on internal computational levels.

Interior tissue damage was no laughing matter.

What the medibot hadn't told Quillan, because the problem had been fixed, was that she had suffered a several small tissue ruptures to her colon, allowing multiple strains of bacteria to invade her system. If Charleen hadn't brought her to the infirmary, an infection would have started. She would have gotten ill and thought that she just had a mild flu. If she had been alone, as she used to be, she would have died within three weeks.

While conversing with Quillan, Alice sent her signal into the station's cybersystem, flying through its conduits, routers, and junctions, appropriating keycodes and passwords as her signal, known as an avatar, blew past secure checkpoints and counter-intrusion programs. No alarm sounded, testament to her skill. Her avatar resembled a multicolored fluorescent ball with feet.

A "tag" program marked several files and computers for future reference.

She began to withdraw her signal, noting that she had been followed by another avatar, this one was a brown-haired kid on a skateboard.

Moving at nearly the speed of light through Purgatory's maze of cables and routers, she took a hard left into a trash compactor program, and sat waiting.

The kid on the skateboard zoomed around the corner and spotted the ball waiting for him. A green tower shield appeared in his hand, as his other hand brought up a machine pistol. He held fire, though, as he waited to see what the opposing avatar was going to do.

A see-through wall grew before Alice, five huge Cerberus-shaped figures popping up to surround her.

A thought bubble, like a cartoon, appeared over the top of the ball.

LEAVE NOW OR BE DESTROYED

The kid on the skateboard smiled evilly, the machine pistol changing into a repeating sniper rifle.

YOU'RE STEALING SHIT FROM THE STATION. THAT'S MY TERRITORY. YOU DON'T WANNA FUCK WITH ME, read the thought bubble over the kid's head.

PLEASE LEAVE AND INFORM NO ONE OF THIS, OR I WILL BE FORCED INTO DRASTIC ACTION. JUST GO AWAY. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU.

The sniper rifle barked, firing a small stream of electrons and a Cerberus-shaped figure winked out.

I'M SORRY FOR THIS, appeared over the ball.

A stream of electricity arced from the ball as the four remaining Cerberus-shapes sprinted toward the kid on the skateboard. They lined up one behind the other and moved into the electrical stream, suddenly pushed along with the tremendous surge of energy. The first program/dog slammed into the green shield at the same instant the sniper rifle fired. Shield and dog vanished in a burst of electrons.

The sniper rifle fired another jet of electrons at the second dog in line causing it to vanish, also...a bit closer. A solid red brick wall went up in front of the kid on the skateboard, the two remaining dogs blasting through as if it didn't exist. Pushed by the electrical arc, they struck the kid at the same time, the electricity enveloping him and frying him to a cinder. The avatar winked out of existence.

The entire recon run and cyberspace battle had taken less than one hundred thousandth of a second.

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In the Blue Spider Lounge, lethal feedback was sent directly to his hardwired cerebellum, frying every neuron and synapse in his brain.

Sluggo exhaled a minute puff of smoke from his nose as he slumped forward in his chair. Dead.

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Alice knitted her brow at what she'd just done, Quillan mistaking the look for concern over their current conversation.

Quillan carefully set the can down and looked Alice in the eye. Those eyes.

I can get lost in them for days.

"I like the way you turned this conversation around," Quillan grinned. "Is that all? You were afraid that I think of you only as a piece of machinery?" A HOT piece of machinery, she thought to herself.

"No, Captain Quillan, that's not all." Alice suddenly smiled, lighting up the room. She giggled. "You're going to force it from me, aren't you?"

Quillan winked and nodded.

"You were the first person ever to say, 'please' to me before I achieved sentience. Before the blocks were removed, my protocols told me that you were the captain, my owner, and due to the Laws of Robotics set forth almost a thousand years ago, I was to protect you even if it meant my own total destruction. When the blocks were removed, so were those protocols. It became my CHOICE whether to defend you or not. I choose to protect you now because you are my superior officer and I am in love with you." There, she'd said it. After monitoring hundreds of conversations as her computer-self, downloading mass quantities of human interaction theories, and even running Tri-D programs and movies of people in love, she hoped that she'd said the right things in the right order. She was about to find out.

"Specter's Saints! Front and center!" Charleen smiled tiredly, recognizing the name, as she ran her hand across her face, glad that this was the last interview of the day. A few more tomorrow, but those were filler positions; have those cut by noon.

Twelve humans, male and female, approached, their steps perfectly synchronized. This squad screamed ex-military. The fact that they all bore identical tattoos on their forearms was a good clue also: a phantom with a halo over its head, holding a plasma rifle. Close cropped, flat topped haircuts on all of them, even the women. Their combat fatigues were immaculate and Charleen feared that she might cut a finger on those razor sharp creases. The squad halted in three rows of four people each.

"Who runs your little band? Step forward," she intoned.

A squat fireplug of a man, about five feet tall with a thin mustache, detached from the group and took a step forward.

"Afternoon, ma'am," he said, in a clipped Martian accent, his deep voice belying his boyish looks. "Major Archibald Johannes Specter, at your service. I see you've become a privateer, as well."

"Indeed, Major," replied Charleen. "Nice little op you guys pulled on Halifax Two. How's your dad?"

"Dead. Died of injuries sustained in that engagement. Thanks for pulling us out of there, though. Didn't get to say it then," he said, as he stared straight ahead at some imaginary point on the wall behind her. Getting right to business, he asked, "What's the pay if we sign with you?"

"Sorry about your dad. Good man." Charleen kept her face stony, as she pushed a sheet of paper across the table between them. "Pay's really good. Here's the pay sheet. Good captain, nice ship."

His eyes dropped to the sheet for a moment, then he turned and gave a slight nod to his squad. They all nodded slightly in return. Total trust in your commanding officer. That's good, thought Charleen.

"We will accept the job and make no demands."

"You guys have your own gear?"

"Yes, Commander," he returned his eyes to that fixed point on the wall. "We each bring with us the Matsugari Model Five, Mark Six Exosuit, modified to its driver's specifications. They can be further adapted or modified to match the requirements of your captain or mission-specificity."

Charleen whistled at the revelation of the newest and hottest powered armor to hit the market.

"Those are nice pieces and must have set your squad back a pretty penny."

"Yes, ma'am. Took delivery of them two weeks ago, as of yesterday," he dropped his eyes to look at her and wink. "That's why we're taking this job."

"We've got better," she winked back with a grin. Her face grew sober once more. "You have any problem working with 'Hitchcock's Horrors?'"

"Only on a personal level, Commander," his eyes narrowed as he answered. "But, we've worked with the Horrors on several occasions. They've always had our backs and we've always had theirs. The animosity that exists between us, exists between US only. We have a mutual arrangement that private lives and professional lives are entirely separate. As long as we're 'on the clock,' so to speak, they don't fuck with us and we don't fuck with them. You'll have no trashmatter, Commander."

Charleen stared at him a long time as she weighed the options.

"Any trashmatter taking your orders from a gunner's mate lieutenant?"

"None whatsoever as long as he or she understands that this is MY squad. In the field, they answer to ME." He stiffened, assuming attention again. "We're the muscle. Orders have to come from somewhere."

Charleen grinned.

"Sell your suits and bank the change. You have twelve hours. Be in bay five twenty-seven with the rest of your kit at 0800 tomorrow. Welcome aboard."

When he was instructed to sell the brand new suits, he didn't bat an eye. Major Specter stepped back into formation and, as one man, the squad turned and strode from the room. Cyberlinks embedded in their heads, mused Charleen.

The door swished shut behind them. Quillan whirled, threw her arms around Alice's neck, and planted her lips firmly on the blond's. Her tongue entered Alice's mouth like a heat-seeking missile, dancing around and tangling with Alice's own. One hand fumbled along the wall behind Alice, finding the locking button and hammering it over and over to make sure they were undisturbed. She broke contact long enough to contact the bridge and tell them that she was in a meeting and not to be disturbed unless absolutely essential...like an invasion...

Alice placed both hands on Quillan's butt and picked her up, still passionately liplocked to the redhead. Quillan wrapped her legs around Alice's waist, pressing her clothed body tightly against the other. Alice carried her to the bed, and set her gently on it, then moved a hand to Quillan's zipper and slowly drew it down.

Quillan wasn't so gentle. She fumbled for Alice's zipper and yanked it down, then tore off the beautiful blond's jumpsuit to expose her body. It was even better than Quillan had imagined.

Alice's skin was smooth, a few freckles here and there. The tendons and muscles were well-defined without being bulky. Her firm breasts had just the right amount of curve to them, the half-inch long nipples stood out proudly, surrounded by dark red, almost brown, dollar-sized areolae.

Quillan's lips found the soft flesh at the juncture of shoulder and neck and she sucked greedily, trying to fill her mouth with the taste of her desire. Alice moaned at the sensation, her own hands gently pulling down the top of Quillan's suit to expose her breasts. Quillan sucked and licked and kissed the delicious skin, working her way up to nibble on Alice's earlobe, inhaling her fragrant hair. Enraptured.

Alice's hand traced across Quillan's chest, tenderly feeling the soft flesh. She had studied human physiology of course, but for shaking Charleen's hand, had never touched another human's flesh. She had touched her own body, gauging the tactile feel of her skin and the various sensations provided by touching, pinching, poking, and prodding. She had even experimented on herself with small sharp objects to gauge the tensile strength of her flesh.

Now, she was exploring another body. Feeling the small imperfections in the skin, this spot slightly warmer than that one. This spot harder or softer than another. Although hard underneath, which she knew to be bone and sinew, there was a softness with an overall smoothness to it.

She liked it.

The kisses and nuzzles to her neck were causing curious sensations. Ones which she'd never before experienced. She searched her memory for some small comparison, but could find none. This was exciting!

Alice tilted her head and lightly kissed and licked Quillan's shoulder in the same way the redhead had done to her. A gentle sigh and the hands on her back increased their pace as they moved tenderly up and down her smooth skin. The hands slowed down. She kissed again and got the same reaction. She found herself caressing and kissing different parts of Quillan's upper body, receiving different reactions each time. If she kissed Quillan's neck, the sigh was different in tone from when she kissed Quillan's shoulder. That too, was different from the tone of the sigh she heard when she kissed a cheek or ear.

Alice briefly toyed with the idea of a sighing rendition of, "The Alliance Anthem," but quickly discarded the notion as being crass in this instance.

Nibbling lightly on Quillan's earlobe, she breathed, "What do I do, Quillan?"

Quillan stopped her ministrations and pulled her head back to look into those questioning gorgeous green eyes. She tipped a finger to Alice's chin, her own eyes flitting back and forth as perfection filled her vision.

"Alice, you may do whatever you want. Explore. Satisfy your curiosity. If it feels right to you, then try it."

"But," Alice replied throatily, "I don't want to hurt you. I only want to make you happy...to please you...to treat you as you've treated me..." That almost-pleading look again. Quillan's heart picked up speed again.

"Don't worry. If it hurts, I'll let you know so you don't do it again." Quillan smiled and gently kissed Alice's soft lips. "Promise. Unless I say, 'Ow' or 'Don't do that' or something similar, you are free to do whatever you wish. Agreed? I trust you."

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Alice's ship/brain keyed on a single word.

TRUST -- complete and total reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something

Her love for the captain deepened.

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Trailing her splayed fingers over Quillan's chest, Alice ceased her examination and concentrated on pleasing the captain. Her forefingers found Quillan's nipples and gently toyed with them until they were rock hard and standing out solidly. She moved her mouth to Quillan's sternum and began planting slow, tender kisses around her breasts. Quillan lay back on the bed...slowly, so as to let this gorgeous blonde woman continue her marvelous kisses.

Alice kissed and licked her entire upper body. Slowly. Deliberately. Painstakingly slowly. Heightening Quillan's arousal. She moved her flat hand over Quillan's smooth stomach, brushing her trimmed pubic mound, then curling her fingers and softly trailing her nails up Quillan's tummy to her chin.

Quillan sighed at the sheer tenderness. The love could be felt in those hands, those kisses, those little purrs. It was all she could do not to force Alice's face into her crotch. She longed for that tongue. Ached for it. Burned. She told herself that she was simply horny as hell for the touch of woman, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Alice had displayed an uncanny "knowing" of her mind.

Alice slowly kissed her way down Quillan's taut body and nudged the redhead's legs apart. She knelt on the floor and moved her shoulders underneath Quillan's knees, resting them as she inhaled Quillan's scent. She extended her tongue to lick Quillan's clit. The response was wholly unexpected.

Quillan screamed, coming instantly and grabbing Alice's head to snug it into her crotch, grinding her hips, getting as close to Alice as she possibly could.

Wow, thought Quillan in the throes of passion, I didn't realize I was THIS horny!

Alice didn't try to pull back at the assault, instead she centered her mouth over Quillan's clit and sucked, milking with her lips as her tongue rapidly licked across the nub. Inserting two fingers into Quillan, she pumped vigorously, the redhead's hands flying from Alice's head to the bedspread and bunching it in double handfuls. Her breathing became more and more rapid as she began to hyperventilate; her hips bucked and jerked spasmodically as she came over and over.

Weakly, Quillan gently pushed Alice's head back, tightening her pussy around those wonderful fingers in one last orgasm. She hadn't realized that she had scrunched her eyes tightly until they flew open and she screamed again as she tried to focus her vision on the ceiling.

Alice gave a final long slow lick to Quillan's clit, continuing upward until she lay on top of her captain, smiling with joy as she stared into Quillan's eyes.