A PLUNGE INTO DEEP WATER

 

A Somewhat Dark Star Blazers fanfic (Rating: Heavy R): THIS TALE IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!!!

 

PART FIVE: HOMEWARD BOUND… (Act Two: Farewell to Gamilon)

 

By Frederick P. “Freddo” Kopetz

 

References to Star Blazers and Space Battleship Yamato are intended as homages and no infringement is intended. Star Blazers and Space Battleship Yamato are © 2011 by Voyager Entertainment and Engagio Productions.

 

Thanks to “Yuki Wildstar,” Gail Kopetz, and Ami Meitsu for ideas contributed to this chapter.

 

A BIG Shout-out to ANONYMOUS READER for artwork and ideas contributed.

 

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I. NOVA IN DISGRACE

The Imperial Palace: Prison Level

Planet Gamilon

Saturday, May 6, 2209

0042 Hours: Earth Space-Time

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

“You are to be searched! Strip completely naked! And make it snappy!” yelled a Gamilon guard as Nova Wildstar, now in handcuffs and leg irons, marched sadly into a processing room underground in the prison levels below Desslok’s Palace on Gamilon.

 

After her experiences in the SS Headquarters on Earth a few months ago, Nova was almost resigned as she stood in the cold, green-grey room in the prison level and silently took off all of her clothes, with some help from Derek; the undressing continued until Nova was naked, and shivering in the cold, bleak prison level.

 

Nova watched with some distaste as the Gamilon Polizei had to carry Baroness Dijal around like a doll and practically had to tear her clothes from her body, from her high-heeled sandals up.

 

Baroness Krista Dijal struggled and cursed a few times and had to be shocked twice with a baton, screaming as she was thrown to the floor by the baton’s force hitting her naked flank, and then, her naked bottom as she was peeled out of her thong underpants by the guards.

 

Nova, on the other hand, stood as calmly as possible in spite of her fear, holding hands with Derek (whom they had at least allowed to go with her through the humiliations of arrest and booking as criminals on Gamilon), as she shivered in her naked skin. It was very cold down there, probably on purpose.

 

“Why do you have to keep it so cold in here?” Nova said. “I can see that you have to expose us to perform a strip search….but after we are searched, do we get prison uniforms?”

 

“You get to wear your bare skin tonight,” snapped a guard. “Be fortunate we do not take that from you with a fine laser; that has been arranged with some very uncooperative criminals.”

 

“You skin people?” snapped Derek. “That’s inhuman! We never treat prisoners of war like that!”

 

“Nova and Krista are not prisoners of war. They are mere common criminals who have offended Leader Desslok with their fighting, rowdiness, insults to the Empire, and vandalism. Before his justice, their ranks and positions mean nothing before their arraignment before a Procurator. They have no titles, no wealth, no privileges, and they are nothing before him and his ministers,” snapped General Varen.

 

“Nova has a right to stand trial for her crimes in an Earth Defense Military Court,” said Derek. “As her Commanding Officer, I hereby demand under treaty that you return her to my custody,” said Derek as he squeezed her hand and sent to her, Nova, I will do my best to get you back to the ship tonight.

 

Shivering and weak from lack of food and insulin, she nodded and sent back, Right…..

 

“Are you communicating mentally with him?” snapped Varen.

 

Nova looked at the bulkhead and refused to answer.

 

“Speak up, you pregnant cow!” snapped Dijal.

 

Nova only looked at her, clenching her fingers and toes, and using all of her strength of character to keep from psionicially lashing out at Dijal. Nor would she attempt to teleport away.

 

Derek then sent to her, Nova, can you leave the area? Just go back to the ship? I’ll deal with Desslok.

 

I will not do that, Derek. Even if it means disgrace and pain, I will face up to what I’ve done…and clear my name and walk out of here with my clothes on and my head held high!

 

Krista screamed as two gloved female matrons searched her rectum and womanhood for contraband.

 

Nova stood at ease, holding Derek’s hand as she relaxed and submitted to the same humiliating procedure, done a little more gently in her case since they knew she was pregnant.

 

Then, as one of the women looked at Nova’s breasts, she asked her, “Are you giving milk already?”

 

“Yes,” Nova said. “I still give some milk to our twins, Alexander and Ariel. That’s why my breasts are engorged…”

 

“Do they hurt?”

 

Nova nodded.

 

“I will find a breast pump. This sometimes happens with mothers separated from their children. Your husband can assist you before you go into the lockup…”

 

Nova nodded. The matron asked her, “Are you embarrassed by this?”

 

Nova shook her head while blushing a bit. “Sort of, although on Earth, with our climate messed up, I’ve been nursing naked a lot. The kids love in so much, that, weather and propriety permitting, I prefer to be naked when I nurse…just like I prefer to swim nude when possible.”

 

Derek began to gently assist Nova with the breast pump…being familiar with how to use one the times her milk had to be bottled…her nudity during the procedure did not bother either of them, since when she used the pump, it was usually in the mornings when she was straight out of bed and was usually nude anyhow.

 

…when IQ-9 came up behind her and put his cold hands on Nova’s bare hips and bottom.

 

“IQ-9!” Nova cried.

 

“How did you get in here?” yelled Derek. “This is private!”

 

“And what are you doing?” Nova cried. “Goddamn you, IQ, get your hands OFF me! You’ve caused enough trouble for one night! Now, most of Earth knows what my underpants look like!”

 

Krista looked at the sight of the lovesick robot feeling up the naked young mother, and she almost fell off her chair laughing.

 

“Go, Mister Droid, go! Feel up Grandma!” she screamed as she laughed.

 

Nova struggled free from IQ-9….

 

…and then, she glared at him and raised her hand.

 

Nova then reached out with her mind and blew him into his separate sections.

 

“What’s this, Queen Nova?” he said to her from his severed head-dome as his body lay there twitching from random electrical impulses. “Off with your head, literally?”

 

“DAMN STRAIGHT!” she said as she turned him off, and then, in rage, she caused a ball of flame to blow up around him, singing the robot’s paint and making the Gamilons scream as she turned on them with a look of rage in her eyes.

 

“NOVA!” cried Derek. “Don’t turn that on the Gamilons!”

 

“I’m awfully…tempted!” she yelled.

 

Astrena then appeared in the room. “Nova!” she snapped. “Please don’t do it!”

 

“Why not!?” she snapped.

 

“Do you think I want to court-martial you for murder, Nova?” said Derek. “As tempted as I am to swing at one of these bastards…”

 

“Tell me why I should not shoot this naked piece of filth where she stands!” roared Varen as he drew his weapon on Nova as some of the Gamilon soldiers ran to put out the small fire she had started in some papers.

 

“Don’t!” said Astrena. “Even though I know you could now easily disarm, him…this is not the place,” she said. “I am appealing to Desslok on your behalf, dear,” said Astrena as she laid her hand on Nova’s shoulder. “I am asking that you be released to your husband…he will consider it. For now, go quietly, please. And let me put this on her. She will be no threat with this on her body…as was done to my former…daughter.”

 

Nova’s eyes widened in terror as she saw that Astrena had a psionic damping collar. She shivered and cried as both Astrena and Derek gently put it on her neck and locked it.

 

 “Take her to Cell Block Thirteen,” said Varen. “Don’t be particularly gentle…”

 

Two huge guards stood behind Nova.

 

Weeping, and feeling betrayed, she let Derek hug her and kiss her. “I’ll get you back to the ship,” Derek said.

“You wish,” said Varen as Derek gritted his teeth. “The last one like her, we starved for three months. Take her away!”

 

Nova was then forced through a metal gate, and taken away naked to prison.

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

In the cellblock, Nova Wildstar was tripped to the deck a few times by her guards.

 

Once, when she tried to protest that she was pregnant and could lose her children if abused, the guards stopped that…after slapping her across the face.

 

Nova was again bleeding from her mouth and nose when she was shoved into a room.

 

They had put heavy manacles on her wrists and upper thighs that were not chained.

 

Nova was mystified at the purpose of the heavy cuffs until she was forced to kneel nude on the cold deck and a switch was turned.

 

Tendrils of energy whipped from the wall and bound her to one spot.

 

When Nova struggled, she was held by the field, which lightly shocked her bare, sweaty skin.

 

Nova just shivered. She would have given anything for her uniform, a coat, a warm blanket…a warm bath…her babies, or Derek’s warm arms…

 

“This room was just finished. It would have held Aliscea had we kept her longer until her day of execution,” snapped one of the guards. “It was built in case Desslok ever had to imprison an Iscandarian, up to and including Queen Starsha herself. Enjoy your new home, Earthling bitch. And pray that Desslok is merciful to you!”

 

Nova just spat on the guard, who slapped her in the face again as he left her alone and turned off all the lights except for a dim maintenance light.

 

Nova only cried when she heard the heavy hatch hissing shut.

 

She was naked, cold, and alone in the dark.

 

She tried to send a plea to Derek, but the collar made her mental senses weak and muddy.

 

So, she bowed her head and had a good cry.

 

Count your blessings, she thought. They did not rape you, they only batted you around a little, my body’s intact, even though I am naked, and Derek and Astrena are going to plead Desslok to let me go back to the Argo on humanitarian grounds. I’ve been in worse prisons than this before; Beemira, Carufax and the dungeon there, the SS Jail…I hope they treat that damned Baroness worse than me.

 

They were treating Krista worse than Nova, as it turned out.

 

Krista had to be chained up and thrown into a cell a level above in the drunk tank.

 

Dijal was beaten for a bit as General Varen stood smiling, watching the abuse upon the young Baroness.

 

The phone near the cellblock rang in an office as a guard said, “Sir! Call from the Imperial Palace!”

 

“I’ll take it,” said Varen.

 

With a vicious smile, he took the call.

 

His smile faded when he saw that it was Leader Desslok.

 

“Sir,” said Varen.

 

“Varen,” said Desslok. “I understand that you have some girls in your custody tonight? I enjoin you not to be too rough on them. You know I hate it when women are beaten, no matter what they’ve done. And there’s something here on my desk about a diplomatic protest from the Earthlings?”

 

“Probably a tactic to get one of the prisoners loose. One of the prisoners, Lord, is a Terran girl. A stupid, crazy harridan of a girl, commoner, who decided to respond to some heckling by throwing things at a Baroness.”

 

“Just riff-raff, sire,” said Talan as he stood next to Desslok. “These foolish events.”

 

“One has to give the people something of an outlet, Talan,” said Desslok.

 

“The concert, sir, how much did you see of it?” asked Varen.

 

“I didn’t get to watch the entire concert beyond a bit of a song dedicated to me by a dear Terran friend of mine, very sweet girl, actually, and a powerful ally, because there was another alert about Black Nebulan ships nosing about our space and I had to leave early.  I hope this was nothing you could not handle, Polizeichef General. Concerts tend to bring out all sorts of inebriated riff-raff, unfortunately. Don’t beat her, but starve her a bit and see to it she gets the bare amount of water she needs to live until I get to her case in a few days. Then she will be deported back to Earth in rags after having endured a few days barefoot in the cold in one of our work camps in the high mountains.”

 

“Very good, sir. They don’t like cold. I’ll turn up the air conditioning to the point where she gets an upper respiratory infection,” laughed Varen. “She claims to be diabetic and pregnant!”

 

“Probably a lie,” said Desslok as he sipped at some wine. “Test her blood sugar irregardless in a few hours, but do not be nice about it. Draw just a little more blood than necessary…with a heavy-gauge needle,” purred Desslok.

 

The doors whizzed open, and an enraged-looking Derek Wildstar stepped in, accompanied by Mark Venture, Stephen Sandor, and Karl Forrester.

 

“Interesting. Here comes trouble,” purred Desslok. “My friend seems to have taken an interest in the prisoner. Make her suffer a little. Desslok out.”

 

Desslok sat behind his desk and said, “It’s a bit late, Wildstar. What can I do for you?”

 

“Let Nova out of prison into my custody, and right now!” demanded Derek as he banged his fist on Desslok’s desk.

 

“Wildstar, go sit down. Now. Isn’t Nova on your ship or up in her apartments with Alex and Ariel?” purred Desslok. “She didn’t do anything against our laws I can think of. Unless she double-parked her air-scooter? Then, there would be severe consequences, mostly monetary, which I am sure she could easily pay.”

 

“I heard you on the phone giving orders to have Nova tortured, you blue bastard!” yelled Derek.

 

“Don’t take that tone with me,” said Desslok. “We are allies, you and I. Or we are supposed to be.”

 

“Then why did you refuse the Captain’s requests to have Nova surrendered back into his custody?” snapped Stephen Sandor.

 

A functionary then came in, saluted, and gave Desslok a report.

 

Desslok pored over the report, and then said, “I’m afraid the High Queen of Pellias is in a spot of trouble,” Desslok said. “Really, Wildstar. You must be ashamed. Was Nova drinking? She shouldn’t, you know. She is with child.”

 

“I was there, Desslok. One of your Baronesses started it!” snapped Derek.

 

Desslok then noticed Karl Forrester. “Hello there, my friend. Your part in this sad little play? This ridiculous, Ruritanian bit of comic opera? And when does the pie-throwing begin, pray tell?”

 

“Desslok, my Government is issuing a protest against the behavior of your police and guards in my daughter’s case!”

 

“Has it come through channels yet?” said Desslok.

 

“We were hoping an oral protest would suffice,” said Derek through gritted teeth.

 

“It does. Just enough to see Nova will be held for the minimum of seventy-two of your hours to make certain she is sober and to allow her blood tests to come back. When she undertakes a bond to pay either two hundred thousand credits or work her debt to Gamilon off through thirty days of hard labor after her pregnancy is over with, I will let her go. I’ll even be magnanimous and give her passage to meet you on New Pellias as a passenger on one of my ships, no charge, in steerage.”

 

“We will pay her fine now,” said Karl, who had access to the resources to do so, although he would have to sell some stock to do it.

 

“Fine…but she still remains for seventy-two hours for processing. I’m sorry she won’t get to join her ship, Commodore Wildstar, but such are the wages of crime,” said Desslok with a tight smile. “Forrester, transmit the bond money through your embassy and I will rip up this proposed sentencing memo from General Varens.”

 

“What is he proposing?” snapped Derek.

 

Desslok read the paper and said, “Death...by crucifixion in public.”

 

“WHAT?” roared Derek.

 

Then, he glared at Desslok.

 

Desslok glared back.

 

___________________________________________________

 

 

Nova shivered in the cold, in pain, in disgrace.

 

At some point, a gentle Gamilon matron had taken pity upon her, and had come down and released her from the energy manacles and had given her some food. She was unable to give Nova any covering, but at least Nova could shiver a little more freely now that she was no longer in fetters.

 

Her blood sugar had also been tested (more gently than Varen wished) by the matron, who had then given Nova a sugary drink to bring her sugars up.

 

Nova was then given a small meal, told to rest, and then left alone in the dark.

 

She gleamed a little, since the matron had turned the strength down a little on her damper so Nova could at least use the Matrix to warm her cold nude body a little.

 

Nova made a little warmth circulate about her freezing nude skin, and she ate alone, weeping a bit at the hardness of her lot.

 

They didn’t give her that much, bread, some tough meat, a few odd vegetables she could not identify, a cup of a bitter soup, and a large paper cup of thin milk. Not quite enough, Nova thought. And my breasts are hurting again. If they keep me down here much longer, I may just express my own breasts and drink my own milk from that cup out of desperation. 

 

 “Isn’t there anyone who will help me?” she whimpered. It felt as if she had been down there for hours. Indeed, it had now been four hours; it was about 4AM, Terran time, on Saturday, as Derek and Desslok held a staring match two hundred floors above her, arguing her fate in the same Palace complex.

 

A small light appeared, and a tall form stepped out of the light.

 

Nova shut her eyes. “I don’t want to see you. Go the hell away!”

 

“I am here to offer you liberation, and you bark at me like that?” said Ekogaru as he smiled at Nova.

 

“I don’t want what you’d give me to be free,” Nova snapped. “I’d rather be crucified and never see Derek again than serve you.”

 

“My dear, that can easily be arranged,” said the Dark Lord. “Wildstar and Desslok are arguing over what to do with you right now…”

 

“Oh? That’s nice,” Nova sighed, uninterested. “Maybe Derek will yell loud enough and get Desslok to let me go. Silly old Derek.” Nova sniffled. “Wouldn’t it be funny if the Gamilon-Terran war starts up again because of me?”

 

“So, you’d…”

 

“I’d rather die than deal with you, Ekogaru,” said Nova. “Get out of here and leave me to my fate.”

 

“You noble little idiot,” he said in wonder. “Derek was right. You are a bonehead!”

 

Ekogaru the Great just shrugged, twirled his finger next to his temple as if to say “You are crazy” and he left.

 

I’ll have to gather more power and come back here and take her by force in a few hours, Ekogaru thought in wonder as he reappeared back on the Black Nebulan flagship. He drank some of his own wine, and wondered what sort of foe he was dealing with.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

“I grow tired of this,” sighed Desslok as he stared down Wildstar. It was now about 5 am, Earth time. “Nova remains down there until sixty-eight more of your hours elapse. Correction. Make it forty-eight. I will release her to your custody, to be returned on a Pellian vessel, at 5AM on your day of Monday. That is a concession, and I never concede for anyone, except for you and she, my friends.”

“You have a funny way of treating your friends, Desslok,” snapped Derek.

 

“Your wife had a funny way of making my law enforcement establishment look bad, along with my idiot of a Baroness. What are you proposing to do to Nova when you have her back in your custody, Wildstar?” Desslok asked.

 

“A slap on the wrist to make sure she does not act in a disorderly fashion like that again,” said Derek. “A Captain’s Mast, and three days’ confinement to quarters. Minor compared to what you are thinking of….”

 

“Why don’t I have her held upstairs in her own apartments in the Palace, and you get to kiss her good night before you ship out this morning?” said Desslok with a slightly twisted grin. “And, since you say that you are holding Nova under confinement for three more days, what think you of the idea of my sending Baroness Dijal to your ship to slave away for three days at Nova’s Bridge post?”

 

“Does she know how to run a radar system?” asked Derek.

 

“She was once a ship Captain and fought against you as part of Lysis’ Fleet at the Galactic Whirlpool when you were heading to Iscandar for the first time, and she was later part of my Fleet that fought you near Earth when Earth had surrendered to the Comet Empire, so, yes, Dijal could easily learn to run one of your radar systems,” said Desslok. “Ever since then, Krista has become a member of the idle upper class and hates to work. Therefore, reactivating her commission would be sweet revenge.”

 

“Sounds like we have a trade,” said Derek, who grinned a little.

 

The doors whizzed open and Astrena came in, stamping hard, as she was followed by some of her retainers and by Miarahl.

 

“What did I do?” said Desslok mildly.

 

Astrena glared at Desslok, and she slapped him across the face with a glove.

 

“What?” said Desslok.

 

“She looks mad,” said Mark Venture with a grin.

 

“I am angry,” said Astrena. “Read this, Desslok. No, Derek, don’t go looking at it!” she said as she slapped Derek in the face hard enough to make his ear ring. Then, she slapped Desslok again for good measure, this time with her hand.

 

“She’s mad, Desslok,” said Derek.

 

“I can see that, friend Derek,” said Desslok mildly. “Who’s in the doghouse, Astrena, as the Earthlings say?”

 

“Both of you!” said Astrena. “A good thing I didn’t bring her birth mother up here, or else Teri would be knocking your foolish heads together, both of you!”

 

“Diplomatic, human rights protest?” said Desslok as he read the report. “They’ve been hitting her? And she’s diabetic and they have not been giving her insulin? And Ekogaru tried to get at her?”

 

“I’ve been trying to tell you that, Desslok.” Derek said. “But, I didn’t know about Ekogaru…”

 

“Now I believe your story about her being abused. Many people will pay for that,” said Desslok with an angry look on his face. “Astrena, my deepest regrets to thee. You are still my Empress. I offer my apologies and my condolences,” he said as he kissed her hand. “Take some of my own personal guard, and a Doctor, and bring Nova up here before Ekogaru tries to tempt her again, as you reported from looking in your crystal. Make sure she is treated and given some insulin as soon as possible. Wildstar, go with her. She is released to your custody as you have asked.”

 

“I will,” hissed Astrena.

 

“Thank you, Desslok,” said Derek as he shook hands with him and then ran off to follow Astrena.

 

As he ran, Derek used a communicator set to call the Argo and to have Knox and another guard posted before the doorway to the Captain’s Quarters, where Nova would be held under EDF arrest aboard ship until her trial.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

AN HOUR LATER….

 

Finally, freed from her prison cell by Astrena and Derek and taken up to Desslok’s Palace, Nova was gently told, “Just kneel there, child,” by Miarahl, who stroked her under her chin as Astrena gently took off her psionic binding collar an hour later in Desslok’s office.

 

Nova felt exhausted, and weak in Astrena’s arms, after Astrena took off her own short black dress, revealing that she, like Nova and Miarahl, was also naked.

 

To Nova’s surprise, Astrena began to bathe Nova from a basin, acting like a simple bath-servant herself as the warm water ran over her naked skin from head to toe as the Pellian Ruling Queen acted like a humble servant.

 

“Did you bring Alexander from the ship, Teri?” said Astrena as she gently stroked one of Nova’s breasts.

 

“Yes, I did,” said Teri Forrester, who brought a rather disoriented Alex and Ariel with her from the ship when Derek had called.

 

“What are you doing to me now?” said a shaky, tired Nova. “Derek, why are you not doing more to help? I want to slap Desslok across the face for this!”

 

“Derek, give her some drink…she’s dehydrated,” said Astrena.

 

Derek fed Nova some juice, not forcing her as she, at first, turned her mouth away from his hand like a tired, petulant child.

 

“Please take this,” Derek said. “You’re free now. When you get back your strength, you can teleport us back to the Argo.”

 

Nova looked at Derek. “You could have done more!”

 

“I did. I stayed up all night to negotiate your release,” he said gently, trying to hold his temper.

 

 “Astrena, why are you not…not dressing me?” said Nova.

 

“You’re weak, and your breasts are engorged. We are about to do something to restore your naked body to a state of simple dignity…after all, you were born like this, and when you give birth to the little ones inside you, we know you will be as naked as this…like humanity before the Fall….”

 

“That is?” sighed Nova, who was cold.

 

“Mommy…Hungwy,” said little Alex.

 

“Oh, come here, my darling….I’d go naked before Parliament to feed you, if I had to, little one….oh, yes,” sobbed Nova as she let Astrena hold up one of her aching breasts as Derek coaxed Alex to run up, climb into Nova’s lap, and nurse.

 

At that, even one of the hardened Gamilon guards smiled as Derek and the others watched Nova sitting there, gentle, unpretentious, naked, and tender with her son as she cuddled him and fed him. Ariel soon followed him into her mother’s lap to nurse.

 

Derek tried to kiss her, but Nova gently rebuffed his kiss with a pat on his cheek as she shut her eyes and refused to answer his psionic hail to her.

 

“Nova…I…” said Derek.

 

She looked hard at her husband, and slapped him across the face.

 

“That’s how those guards hit me, Derek! You deserve that! The next one I’ll slap is Desslok!”

 

“Lady…you…” said Varen.

 

“YOU deserve to have your face torn off! YOU ROTTEN TORTURING BASTARD FROM HELL!!” roared Nova as Alex began to cry.

 

Desslok looked on with concern. “Nova, did General Varen allow you to be struck when you were in custody?”

 

Nova nodded. “Yes…”

 

“Did he do it?” whispered Desslok.

 

Nova nodded.

 

“She’s lying!” said General Varen. “She…”

 

“We will deal with this matter later, Varen. Leave my presence, for now,” said Desslok. “I will need you as a witness, later, but, for now, go…”

 

“Sire?” said Varen.

 

“GO,” hissed Desslok. “And I discharge you as chief of my Central Police. Effective now. Your reassignment will be discussed later! GO!” ordered Desslok.

 

“This is all your fault!” he roared at Nova as Alex looked at his cross face and began to scream.

 

“You’re upsetting him,” said Astrena as she hugged him. “Desslok get that rotten General out of here!”

 

“LEAVE!” snapped Desslok to Varen. “Before I lose my temper and shoot you.”

 

Varen saw Nova holding a crying Alex, and he turned and left.

 

“I’m sorry, dearest…” said Nova as she held her weeping son. “Mommy is so sorry…there…there…have some milk…there…..”

 

“You can teleport back to the ship now,” said Miarahl.

 

Nova nodded, hugging Alex and Ariel. For a moment, Derek thought he would be left behind until Nova called him. They held hands and the group vanished from Gamilon and reappeared on the Argo in the Captain’s Quarters.

 

Back on the ship, Nova fed Alex and Ariel in silence, refusing to talk to anyone as her mother and Wendy looked her over.

 

Ignored, Derek stood off to the side.

 

He felt useless.

 

_________________________________

 

A while after Wendy had taken Alex and Ariel off to the nursery, while the Argo was still underway in the Sanzar System, Nova sat cross-legged on the bunk, still just as naked as she had been when she had teleported herself, Derek and the toddlers right into the Captain’s Quarters from out of Desslok’s Palace, still keeping to herself and keeping an odd passivity that Derek found somewhat alarming.

 

“Nova?” he said, trying to talk to her with his voice, not with his thoughts, where, in her anger, she had shut him out. “You know I had to agree to have your case prosecuted somewhere in order to get Desslok to let you out. He was perfectly willing to let you remain there in jail for a week or so…”

 

“For what reason?” Nova snapped. “To be that rotten General Varen’s plaything?”

 

“Until he saw fit to put you on trial himself, Nova!” Derek said, with some heat in his voice. “Now, come on! Between us, doesn’t it count for anything to you that I was up all fragging night after that debacle of a concert to negotiate your release? Me, your father, Astrena…”

 

Nova shut her eyes and refused to look at him. “NOVA!” barked Derek.

 

“If you put your hands on me right now, I might slap you again,” Nova said in a flat voice. “Not that I will…I might…”

 

A few uncomfortable moments of silence followed. Derek just looked at Nova, and Nova looked hatefully and angrily at Derek.

 

Then, Nova shut her eyes and sat in silence for a while. Derek saw her lips moving. She nodded, gritting her teeth.

 

Then, Nova looked at Derek and said, “I’m sorry, Derek. The Matrix finally let me know something. Something even you did not know.”

 

“What?” said Derek as he shook his head.

 

“Desslok was pulling a show for the sake of his generals,” Nova said. “He never meant to hold me for more than a few hours. The same goes for Baroness Dijal.”

 

“Well, I didn’t know that!” Derek said. “When did you come to this realization?”

 

“Just now, Derek, after I had that damper taken off and after having meditated, of course. The Matrix also advised me to stop being angry with you. I could confront Desslok. In my new rank, I have every right to, and he knows that, thanks to Astrena. He could have ordered my execution, you know, and I could be dead now…” Nova then made the Seal of the High Queen of Pellias float to her hand. “Just as I could have ordered his own death, for abuse to me as High Queen, with this seal!”

 

“You have that kind of authority, now?” Derek said, sounding hurt.

 

“I do,” Nova sighed. “But I hope I never have to use it, because if I used it against Gamilon, it would just cause a war. I don’t want that on my conscience. I’d be as bad as Ekogaru if I did that!”

 

“You know I still have to agree to put you on trial, and you are still under EDF arrest,” said Derek.

 

Nova nodded. “I know. I will accept whatever punishment you dish out, Skipper. I was being very immature down there, letting myself be pulled down to the level of that Baroness, and I’m sorry I caused us any embarrassment, sir.”

 

“Okay, then, your trial…is scheduled for 1000 Hours,” said Derek as he stroked her hand…and she did not resist. In fact, she smiled a little. “I do hope you will get dressed before then in a proper uniform…I don’t want to have you stand Captain’s Mast naked.”

 

“I intend to put on my uniform,” said Nova. Then, she came up to Derek and said, “But, between us, sir, would you mind fraternizing with a prisoner before I do so? We have an hour and a half.”

 

Derek smiled back. “On a personal level, I do not mind. But do not think that this will get you an easier sentence. It’s going to be a Captain’s Mast. Nice and quick. You know there will be nothing left on your permanent EDF record after six months from the offense. Unless you want a full court-martial?”

 

Nova shook her head. “I don’t want a court-martial.”

 

“Then you’re okay with a Mast?”

 

Nova nodded, and then she kissed Derek. She then clung to him and said, “Before I wash up and put on a uniform, would you…make love to me? We need to heal this rift between us, dear…”

 

“I do not mind at all,” Derek said as he turned up the reflective coating on the window-dome in the Captain’s Quarters of the Argo.

 

Then, he said, “I’ll be right back.”

 

He kissed Nova and stepped outside, facing down Knox and the other guard he had posted outside the door right before he had arrived back from the Palace to the ship. “Sergeant, you and Corporal Keebler can take a break from guarding the Captain’s Quarters and the prisoner. She has agreed not to try to go anywhere until 0955; an hour and a half from now.”

 

“We heard some yelling,” said Knox. “Lovers’ quarrel?” he said with a wink.

 

“None of your business. And I don’t contemplate you having to take the prisoner to the Brig, either. I have a different punishment in mind for the prisoner. Just go away for a bit.”

 

Both men nodded, saluted, and left.

 

Derek then came back into the cabin with Nova and locked the hatch with a wink.

 

 “Don’t get dressed…yet,” said Derek as he quickly disrobed himself. Then, with a wink at Nova, he crawled up onto the bunk with her.

 

They began to kiss.

 

The kissing soon became more passionate as, with the stars visible outside, Derek kissed Nova’s neck while she kissed and even bit his.

 

One love-bite left a visible and rather sexy hickey on Derek’s neck that not even his uniform top would hide as he lay on the bed kissing her beneath the stars.

 

Soon, Derek began to kiss his way down her shoulders, and to her breasts, playing with and kissing each one, sucking at her nipples until a little milk came up, which he lapped at.

 

Then, as Nova began to moan slightly, Derek kissed his way down her stomach, her navel, and then, as she parted her legs willingly, to the beautiful, dewy center of her body, where his tongue began to lap.

 

“Oh, GOD!” Nova cried as Derek found her most pleasurable area and began to lap at her and tease her with his tongue as a tear of passion ran down her cheek while her toes curled.  “God…yes…please…yes…hai….hai….yes…open me up….yes….”

 

Derek did so.

 

Nova began to writhe with pleasure and sheer joy. She had not been with him for a while, so she was truly enjoying this reaffirmation of their love.

 

Many pleasurable minutes followed.

 

They guessed later on that Nova had at least one climax before Derek even took her.

 

Nova herself was not quite able to remember, since the pleasure and the joy were just that intense. Of course, now, she didn’t mind going naked. In fact, she loved it!

 

Soon, Nova was pulling at Derek’s hair and begging…”Take me…”

 

“In my own due time, Nova…” he said as he kissed her feet.

 

She laughed and said, “Why are you making this last so long?”

 

“So you never will forget how much I love you…even after I put you on trial…”

 

“Yes…of course,” Nova said.

 

Finally, Derek sat on the bed.

 

He took her on his lap like a doll.

 

While talking to her gently and blowing in her ear and kissing her, Derek eased Nova onto his thighs.

 

His manhood was waiting.

 

He was more than ready. Nova took him in hand for a while and pleasured him as he pleasured her with his hands.

 

Then, she shut her eyes and gasped, “NOW!”

 

Derek obeyed this order, and he pulled Nova up onto him, and took her in his lap.

 

Then, he stood up and held her in his arms, holding him against her as they went at it.

 

She began to moan again, kissing him and playing with his nipples as she and he made love.

 

Derek bounced her breasts around with one hand and then began to suck on one while he held her under a thigh and thrusted her body up and down on him.

 

Nova got onto her bare heels and helped him.

 

Soon, they were going at it.

 

The lovemaking was good, although it was a little tense.

 

But it served its purpose….

 

Which was just enough for the Wildstars to know that they were still in love with each other…

 

…even though, right now, their relationship was still somewhat decidedly strained.

 

When they were done, they hugged and cuddled.

 

But it was not as long as usual.

 

They both knew some things had to be done, and that quite a bit of air just had to be cleared.

 

After cuddling, they dressed, almost in silence.

 

A silence that was not usual for them…

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

II. THE ROARS OF THE RAHLKEN

Deep Space: The Edge of the Sanzar System

Saturday, May 6, 2209

0910 Hours: Earth Space-Time

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

“You let it happen when you lost your temper, Nova!” snapped Derek once they came together onto the First Bridge. Derek was back in uniform, and so was Nova as she clunked along in her clog sandals.

 

Nova was not happy. In fact, she was again arguing with Derek as they came onto the Bridge as their argument, like a badly-extinguished forest fire, had flared again.

 

This surprised the others a little, since they had seldom heard the Wildstars arguing on duty before.

 

“Excuse me, Derek? Krista started it when she began laughing at me after IQ-9 got rammy and showed off my underwear! Then, she laughed at it! I was never so humiliated in my life! Since we had media coverage, everyone on Earth doubtlessly knows what my underwear looks like by now!” Nova snapped.

 

 “Nova, it can’t be that bad,” said Derek, trying to calm down his angry, pregnant wife.

 

“It can’t be that bad?” cried Nova. “I was so embarrassed! And then they threw things at me! And then I ended up in that jail on Gamilon!”

 

“You were in jail, Nova?” said Eager. “It sounds funny!”

 

“IT WAS NOT FUNNY, YOU CHOWDERHEAD!” yelled Nova as she clenched her fingers and toes in rage, so angry that she wanted to slap Eager for a moment. “Dash, don’t you dare even start! Don’t look at me like that; I’m warning you! You too, Skipper!”

 

“She’s in some trouble,” said Derek. “I refuse to elaborate further until proper shipboard procedures take place.”

 

“HAH! You’d better refuse to friggin’ elaborate, Skipper!” Nova yelled.

 

“Hey,” said Derek. “I didn’t say anything…we just came down here so you can check out your radar before a replacement takes over, and…”

 

“Let me see if anyone broke it yet,” Nova said as she held back a sniff.

 

She clunked over to her post and sat down.

 

“Well, Commander?” said Derek.

 

“It’s okay,” said Nova.

 

“I am about to talk to you now, Nova. As the Captain and Commander of this ship. Not as your husband. Are we clear?” Derek snapped.

 

“We’re clear,” Nova said.

 

Derek then pounded his fist on her board, making her jump. “I don’t care how damn upset you are, Commander…personal matters do not come onto the Bridge if it can be avoided! This is a work space! You were a Captain when you had the Danube, Commander Wildstar! What the hell would you have done if one of your crewmembers acted like this on your bridge? HUH?”

 

“Probably made them do pushups,” Nova sighed.

 

“Which I will not do due to your current physical condition since you are pregnant with swollen ankles and non-regulation footwear,” Derek snapped. “But, bear in mind, when you stand Mast later on for screwing up diplomatic relations with Gamilon and acting like an unruly Goddamn teenager last night rather than a mature young woman and an officer under my command, I will take this outburst into account! ARE WE CLEAR, COMMANDER! SCREW UP, AND YOU ARE IN THE FUCKING DOGHOUSE WITH EVERYONE ELSE ON MY SHIT LIST!!”

 

“Yessir,” Nova said as she choked back tears.

 

“I can’t HEAR you!” snapped Derek.

 

“YESSIR!” barked Nova as she came to attention in her seat.

“Good. Carry on and check out your board,” Derek snapped. “Be prepared to give me an operational report in fifteen minutes!”

 

“Aye, aye, sir,” Nova said, shaking a little as she bit her lip, and honestly scared as to what punishment Derek would have in line for her.

 

Nova worked for the next few minutes in sullen silence, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself for getting out of control. Why am I like this? Nova thought. Because I am pregnant —again— with twins. That’s why, obviously. I am a pile of hormonal glop right now…I can’t do anything right...can’t….

 

Tears began to run down Nova’s cheeks as she worked. Finally, she hit a button and said, “Captain, I am now printing out an operational report of the Cosmo Radar’s current status. You can pick it up at the printer.”

 

“Very good, Commander,” said Derek. “Now…”

 

Suddenly, Nova heard the unit beeping. She angrily wiped her eyes and snapped, “Three unidentified vessels have just entered our space not far from the Gamilstadt. Range, forty megameters, speed, eighteen space knots and accelerating!” Nova said.

 

“Damnit,” said Derek as he threw down the report and took his post at Combat with a thud in his chair. “Plot and location?”

 

“RPX-112, off the port stern, and…I’m reading missiles! Two coming at us, two coming at Desslok’s flagship!”

 

The Argo was hit a moment later.

 

“We’ve taken damage at the port side catapult,” snapped Stephen Sandor from his post.

 

“Do you have identification, Nova?” said Derek.

 

“Black Nebulans!” she said as Derek brought the klaxons up. “Two battleships, ten cruisers, ten destroyers!”

 

“Now hear this!” said Derek into his mike. “The fleet’s under heavy attack. Black Tigers, squadrons one and two, take off! Target, the head Black Nebulan flagship! Homer, let Desslok know what we’re up to!”

 

“Yessir!” he said. A moment later, he said, “I have Desslok on the main screen and…”

 

“Ekogaru’s on one of those ships!” cried Nova. “I feel him like a bolt of ice in my heart!”

 

“Thank you, Nova,” said Derek as Desslok came up on the screen. Derek asked Desslok “We are still allies, yes?”

 

“Why would you be travelling with my Fleet and under my protection if you were not?” said Desslok.

 

“Ekogaru is after us!” said Nova. “The Matrix…”

 

“Thank you, Nova,” said Desslok.

 

“You and I still need to talk,” Nova snapped. “About my time in your jail?”

 

“We will discuss that later,” said Desslok. “For now, my apologies for my part in this…”

 

“And I offer mine for my own actions,” said Nova.

 

Desslok shut his eyes and smiled. “My extended network is picking up ten more vessels. The Argo is getting four destroyer escorts. Good hunting, my friends. I hope we can drink to a victory on New Pellias,” said Desslok as he cut off.

 

“Friends again,” muttered Derek.

 

“Are we?” said Sandor. “He’s kind to us…when it suits him.”

 

“I don’t trust that blue bastard as far as I can throw him,” said Dash.

 

“He is our ally, and that is what matters for the moment,” said Derek. Nova stood up and Derek rolled up his eyes. “Nova, if you can manage it, could you exchange your sandals for boots? We are in combat, and if the bridge gets hit, you will need to be in space gear….”

 

“Yessir,” said Nova as she got up and pulled off one of her clogs.

 

Derek smiled a little as Nova began to struggle into her boots. “These things are tight….”

 

“I know,” said Derek.

 

“Don’t get into a war pregnant and diabetic,” she muttered as she pulled on a boot.

 

“Nova, you know I can’t get pregnant,” said Eager.

 

“Oh, I know that, last time I did your physical, Eager,” Nova snapped.

 

“How big is it?” said Homer.

 

“Bigger that yours,” Nova said quickly as the bridge crew went “Ooooooooo, Homer is shot down good!”

 

“I’m not talking about yours, Dash!” Nova said as she zipped up her boots and ran to her post. “Great! Six more of them! We’re surrounded from three sides now. They’re at APX-12, RGL-240, and TKX-22. Range, ten megameters, twenty megameters, and twelve megameters.”

 

“And four inches for Eager’s thing,” said Homer.

 

“You keep that up, I’ll slap you,” sang Nova.

 

“Quit it, people!” said Derek. “Dash, open the main guns! Our target will be the enemy flagship, after Hardy attacks it!”

 

“Wakefield says he’s going after the second ship,” said Homer. “Hey, Skipper, are your balls all right? From that time with Fluffy the cat?”

 

“We’ll comment on that later!” snapped Derek.

 

“Oh, they work,” commented Nova.

 

“How would you know that?” shot back Homer.

 

“Never mind,” Nova said primly as she blushed. “Oh. There are four destroyers coming at us! Distance, five megameters, at RX-212!”

 

“Good work, Nova. I’m going to hate putting you on report for fighting in a while,” said Derek. “Correction, Dash…go ahead and target the enemy destroyers coming at us!”

 

“Nothing on the line yet from the Gamilons,” said Homer as he crossed his eyes and looked at his watch. “Where’s the latest call from Desslok? He’s late!”

 

“Shut up, Homer!” snapped Venture from his station as he worked his helm yoke. “You are such an idiot!”

 

“And you always leave greasy fingerprints all over my board whenever you do intership calls to impress Holly!” yelled Homer. “Just like when you did the same thing trying to impress Trelaina!”

 

“I’m going to miss this Bridge and my present wonderful company when I am either confined to quarters, in the Brig, or peeling potatoes or polishing brass for probably the next three days,” said Nova. “And the range to those destroyers is now four megameters! Speed is fifteen space knots!”

 

“Main guns on target,” said Dash from Artillery. “Ready to counterattack the enemy destroyers!”

 

 “FIRE!” snapped Derek.

The Argo’s guns went off a moment later in a massive broadside.

 

Three of the Black Nebulan destroyers were blown apart.

 

One of them did a maneuver, turning hard to starboard, evading fire from a Gamilon destroyer near the Argo that was helping to shield her.

 

The Gamilon destroyer changed course and fired at two enemy cruisers approaching her.

 

 

One of them was blown to bits, but another one blew apart a Gamilon ship near the destroyer.

 

In his Cosmo Tiger, Deke Wakefield gritted his teeth as he roared up with his wingmen before the enemy flagship in a battle area that was also filled with Gamilon fighters and dive bombers that had taken off from one of Desslok’s carriers that he had warped in with SMITE, along with some Pellian fighters that were themselves warp-capable. Deke was impressed at how the sleek black flying wing-like Pellian ships warped in on their own, under their own power. A concentrated attack from about ten of them had actually brought down a Black Nebulan warship.

 

What Deke did not know was that, of the ten Pellian pilots, three of them were actually Ralkhen pilots from the fabled Pellian Border Legion.

 

As the battle went on, thanks to their place in the Ralkhen gestalt and their contact with Mother Miarahl, the Ralkhen pilots (who wore thin but effective spacesuits over their fur) were eerily quick and responsive in their attacks, leaving the Black Nebulans and even the Gamilons in shock as they blew apart a Black Nebulan cruiser a moment later.

 

Legend had spoken of the power of the Ralkhen as part of Pellias’ forces, especially when united as a unit behind the power of an effective Ruling Queen and filled with their devotion and psychically guided by the power of the Matrix burning in the breast of the High Queen, to whom the Ralkhen traditionally owed a special allegiance.

 

At her post, in battle, Nova was vaguely aware of the Ralkhen in combat thanks to the Matrix. She smiled, and sent her thoughts to them, and felt the embrace of their gestalt for a loving moment before they charged back into combat, psychically roaring out their defiance as they swooped in on the flagship where Ekogaru was.

 

Nova, you rotten bitch, Ekogaru said to himself as he felt the anger of the Ralkhen as they began to roar towards his ship’s bridge, strafing the Black Nebulan ship’s radar tower as they homed in on the bridge. You’re sending the kitty cats after me! In his dark mind, their psi-roars sounded like the snarls of demented wildcats. For his age and powers, the Dark Lord had never liked that sound. The Ralkhen were among his most feared and hated foes. In his dark history, three times, he had sent his forces in to destroy Ralkhandar, and three times, the Ralkhen, led twice by Miarahl, and once by Miarahl and the legendary Pellian High Queen Tamika III, had fought off his forces and had defended Ralkhandar and the Race from destruction at his hands.

 

“Turn the ship about!” Ekogaru roared at the Black Nebulan Admiral in command. “We’re getting out of here!”

 

“What?” demanded the Black Nebulan officer.

 

“Full speed…we are leaving! They are about to strafe our bridge!” screamed Ekogaru, who held his head as he heard the roars of the Ralkhen again in his cursed mind.

 

That was just as Deke Wakefield was keeping track of the running battleship.

 

“Now, you son-of-a-bitch…you are going to get it, but good!” he hissed.

 

He lined up his missiles and fired.

 

The missiles streaked right at the enemy vessel’s main guns. The missile hit a moment later, silencing one turret as it was hit point-blank. Deke’s wingmen then attacked again, with the same result.

 

“We’ve got that bastard smoking!” reported Deke as his flight lined up again to attack the fleeing Black Nebulan space battleship’s main launch bay.

 

“Squadron two, retuhn to the ship,” said Hardy in Wakefield’s ears.

 

“Damnit, I was just getting started, Jeff!” said Wakefield.

 

“Negative; I heah Desslok is about to pull something,” said Hardy. “Wildstah wants us back in the ship and now!”

 

“Damnit, just when this was getting good,” hissed Deke. “You heard the man, return to the ship!” he snapped.

 

Deke’s Tigers broke off the attack and roared off.

 

Ekogaru’s flagship warped away a moment later.

 

The lead Ralkhen pilot, a multi-colored young but deadly cat known as Commander Shandar, pulled off his helmet in flight, and reported psionicially to Queen Astrena. “Your Majesty, he has gotten away from us. We were within seconds of exerting the High Queen’s will and taking him out!”

 

“He is not as easy to destroy as you think, Commander,” said Astrena sadly from her own flagship, the Cavena. She had reconciled with Desslok, but she had decided to go into battle with Aisha from her own flagship for the first time in over twelve years. “I foresee this battle will be a difficult one, even though He knows that Pellias is rebuilding its forces and influence at last. Indeed, this is the first time He has felt the Royal fist in years. And He ran from our wrath.”

 

“Seek permission to find out where that flagship warped to so that we can continue to carry on the fight! Also seek permission, Majesty, to prepare another fighter to bring the High Queen Nova with us! If we wound him, She can surely break him! And I can pull in more forces from around Ralkhandar, in one of our remaining anchorages near her in the small Galactic system of Kasshadria, not that far from the Black Fox Nebulan where those machine-monsters lurk!”

 

“She is nowhere near ready yet,” sighed Astrena. “She must yet bear her young and then pass through the Fire before she bears the full Matrix. Yet, Shandar, I do prophecy that if you remain true, you will be able to assist Her at the end someday, as I see it, maybe twenty to twenty-five Terran years from now when she and Invidia have come into their full inheritance, and the Princess and the Queen roar their defiance together into the face of the Dark Lord on the day his Sphere is finally shattered and he begins to truly die at last in the victory we have sought ever since Queen Pellas died and nearly broke his Sphere eons ago. That is barely any time for us to prepare, but we must wait! Are we clear?”

 

“Aye, Majesty,” said Shandar as tears ran down his face.

 

TEN MINUTES LATER….

 

Desslok’s flagship Gamilstadt continued to lead his fleet in battle as it was escorted by several destroyers.

 

The destroyers shielded the flagship and shot at several Black Nebulan planes as the battle continued.

 

Then, it intensified as more enemy ships appeared.

 

“Talan, have they broken off the attack yet?” asked Desslok.

 

“Sir, I just got word from Wildstar that their planes have returned, along with our own. Astrena reports the Pellian planes have also returned,” said Talan.

 

“Good,” said Desslok. “Get ready to fire the Desslok cannon,” he said as the firing control came up.

 

“Energy input to Desslok Cannon, increasing!” said one of Desslok’s engineers over the speakers.

 

“Open all safety locks,” said another voice as the energy began to build up in the Gamilstadt’s engine.

 

Desslok smiled as he cocked the firing grip of his Desslok Cannon.

 

“Farewell, enemy fleet,” he said with a confident smile. “This shall be the last time you darken my system for a while.”

 

“Ten seconds to firing!” said Talan.

 

“Final safety lock removed!” said another engineer.

 

“Ten…nine…eight…seven…ix…five…four…three…two…one…FIRE!” said Desslok.

 

He squeezed the firing trigger for his Cannon and fired.

 

The Desslok gun went off, its energy surge blasting into what remained of the Black Nebulan Fleet.

 

In a few moments, it was gone.

 

“Sire, nothing is left,” said Talan.

 

“Excellent work,” said Desslok. “Talan, prepare for our next space warp, and signal Astrena and Wildstar to follow us. Our first stop will be at Abraxas. From there, on to New Pellias.”

 

“Yessir,” said Talan.

 

On the Argo, similar preparations were afoot.

 

“Wave motion engine at 120 percent!” said Orion from his post.

 

“Ten seconds to space warp!” said Venture over the PA. “Make all preparations!”

 

In the children’s’ room in Sickbay, little Star Wakefield was undressed and cuddled up with Sasha under a blanket on a warp couch, taking milk from her equally naked mother’s breast.

Little Aaron was were cuddled up with Wendy, who, like her son, was also in the nude (except for her gold hair band), and Nova lay nearby on another warp couch, her gold uniform off, but her nurse’s uniform and sandals at the ready as she held and comforted Alex and Ariel as she kissed Ariel, pulled off her underpants, and let her cuddle skin-to-skin in her lap against her naked mother under the blanket, letting her take some milk as the space warp began.

 

Soon, the Argo roared off into subspace as the light of Sanzar flashed around it and then just distorted into a streak like thousands of other streaks of starlight as the ship and the entire Fleet raced away from Gamilon and Iscandar, leaving the Great Magellenic Cloud far behind.

 

The ship reappeared with a slam near a cold planet; Abraxas, along with the rest of the Fleet.

 

The Argo took off alone for a bit, lowering closer to the planet on her keel thrusters, stopping on her anti-grav field maybe just four hundred meters from the upper peaks of a desolate mountain range on a part of Abraxas where it was night.

 

“Knox!” said Wildstar over the PA. “You and your crew are ready to undertake the exploration of Abraxas we spoke of?”

 

“We are, sir,” said Knox.

 

“Don’t get too close to that lake Nova and I visited. I have the idea that somehow, it’s…forbidden, and that you might actually need Nova down there to survive that place.”

 

“Whyzzat?” said Knox.

 

“Remember that lecture she gave about her…abilities? There are things down there that I think only she can control. And, because she’s gonna be…aboard ship… for the next few days, don’t go near that place. Limit yourself to the area north of the lake.”

 

“Gotcha,” said Staff Sergeant Victor Knox. “All right, you damn gyrenes, ya wanna live forever?”

 

“FUCK NO!” they yelled.

 

“Let’s see what we can find on that dump of a planet…” said Knox.

 

Soon, their landing craft took off. Destination: Abraxas.

 

Knox thought this exploration would be a piece of cake.

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

III. DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

Deep Space: The Vicinity of Planet Abraxas

Saturday, May 6, 2209

1130 Hours: Earth Space-Time

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Commodore Derek Wildstar, Captain Mark Venture, Leader Desslok of Gamilon, General Talan, and General Varen stood about in a briefing room on the Argo waiting for a prisoner to be brought into the room by two Space Marines and a Ralkhen guard.

 

“What could be keeping her?” said Desslok.

 

Derek found himself having to explain the actions of his prisoner. “She’s a nurse, and Doctor Sane wanted her to examine some of our wounded.”

 

“This had better not take long,” hissed Varen. “I have things to do.”

 

“Patience, General,” said Talan.

 

“You are here only to further justice, discommended General Varen,” said Desslok. “Keep your silence, you scum.”

 

“Yessir,” said Varen as he bowed his head.

 

“Maybe she’s brushing her hair, Derek,” sniffed Venture.

 

“Very funny, Venture,” snapped Derek.

 

“Delaying tactics won’t do any…” began Talan.

 

The doors whizzed open a moment later. Sergeant Knox, one of his Corporals, and Commander Shandar escorted Commander Nova Wildstar into the room.

 

Derek gulped a little when he saw Nova being brought in handcuffed by Knox on one side, who had his hand on her arm, and by Shandar on the other side, also with a hand on her arm, but towering over her at a bit over seven feet tall. Shandar wore nothing but a weapons belt about his waist, while Knox wore his greens.

 

Nova wore her white nurses’ tunic and a pair of sandals that clicked on the deck as she was brought up before a large screen that had a pink test pattern on it.

 

“Knox. Take her cuffs off,” said Captain Venture. “I don’t believe the Commander is a flight risk.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Nova said formally.

 

After her cuffs came off, she stood there in a loose at-ease position of sorts as she said, “Captain, this is the first time I’ve ever stood Mast. But I waive counsel, sir,” Nova said.

 

“Good, this’ll make it easier,” sighed Derek. “Are you prepared to speak in your own defense?”

 

“Yessir,” said Nova.

 

Derek noticed she was shaking a little, and that her toes were curling in her sandals.

 

“Do you have any witnesses? Desslok, Talan, and General Varen are here as witnesses for the prosecution.”

 

“I have no witnesses to call, sir,” said Nova calmly.

 

Derek’s eyebrows went up at that. “Commander, all of the band Infinity is ready to plead for you if you want them summoned.”

 

“I do not need them summoned, sir,” Nova said.

 

Talan and Desslok looked at each other with slightly raised eyebrows.

 

Derek then rang a small ship’s bell and said, “Captain’s Mast, Article Fifteen Proceedings begun this day, 6 May, 2209. Commander Nova Wildstar, you are charged with fighting, disorderly conduct, behavior unbecoming an officer, and vandalism on a foreign world. How do you plead?”

 

“Guilty as charged, sir,” said Nova quietly. “I waive the right to a trial and ask that you sentence me now, sir. And…just get this over with,” Nova said with a brief sob. “I made my bed. I need to sleep in it.”

 

“Is this plea a reasoned plea?” said Derek.

 

Nova nodded.

 

Derek said, “Let the record indicate that Commander Wildstar pleads guilty as charged. Commander Nova Wildstar, for your offenses, I award you three days’ worth of confinement to quarters. Quarters is defined by this definition as our shipboard cabin, the head, and the lobby surrounding the head on Deck Fifteen. You will be held on your own recognizance; I trust you enough not to require a guard. You will be relieved of all duties for the period of your confinement, and our children will be with you in the cabin, and you are not required to wear a uniform during your confinement; you may wear comfortable civilian clothing. These proceedings are ended. I will escort you to confinement. This will not remain part of your permanent record at this level after 180 days or six months. You know the regs. Do you wish to appeal my sentence?”

 

“No, sir,” said Nova.

 

Derek rang the bell. “I’ll see you men later. Nova, let’s go up to the cabin and get you some breakfast. You get room service the next three days.”

 

“Yessir,” Nova said tiredly as Derek gently led her away past Desslok’s, Talan’s, Venture’s, and Varen’s curious eyes.

 

The proceedings had lasted all of ten minutes.

 

Soon, they headed off towards the Captain’s Cabin.

 

____________________________________________________________

 

On Planet R’Khell’eva, Aliscea had been turned loose by Ekogaru.

 

With her imposing ebony breath mask on, and encased in the bizarre exo-suit that Ekogaru had clothed her in, Aliscea walked alone through the Wastes of Makah on R’Khell’eva. This particularly forbidding part of the R’Khell desert was said to be inhabited only by animals, lost criminals and rebels, the desperate, the mad, and the demons of the night.

 

It was near sunset, but it was as hot and unforgiving as an oven under R’Khelle’va’s twin suns; one being white, and the other being red. In her armor, Aliscea was sweating, and she needed to scratch herself. She wanted, desperately, to be naked and to soothe the wounds on her body and at her stumps where Ekogaru had installed her cyborg parts; the parts could not be removed, but Aliscea could at least scratch around her stumps if she had nothing on.

 

The heat was so severe that Aliscea knew that the only thing keeping her alive for much longer than a few minutes was the air conditioning built into her suit.

 

Aliscea was in pain.

 

But, suddenly, she felt a presence.

 

She looked up inside her mask and said, quietly, “No…NO…….not him….anyone but him! How did HE find me here?”

 

The figure coming towards Aliscea was very tall, also clothed in black, but he had no breath mask or armor, and the heat did not appear to bother him.

 

The man gave off a severe aura of flaming, righteous anger.

 

He was a bit over seven feet tall, clad in black, and he bore, casually, a purple energy saber or light saber of his own making.

 

He was named Grimslade Hallock, and he was somewhere around five hundred years old; or it was believed he was that old.

 

The severe, bearded man had been a Protector of High Rank in the former Pellian Commonwealth, and he had once been Aliscea’s sensei in both the arts of combat and the psi-arts. He was a very powerful R’jkharraz, so powerful, in fact, that even Ekogaru himself had not hindered his arrival here in the heart of his realm.

 

The reason was simple.

 

Ekogaru loathed Hallock, and yet…he feared him.

 

The one time Ekogaru and Grimslade had met, Ekogaru had defeated him, but Grimslade had come very close to himself besting his ancient opponent and foe.

 

Grimslade had instructed at least eight Matrix-Bearers and six High Queens before the day he met Aliscea.

 

He looked at Aliscea, while holding his violet blade, and he said, “I spent…it was…? Thirty-five years instructing you, child? And you do what? You let our Foe turn you into some…loathsome thing!”

 

“You underestimate me, Hallock. When I left you to, I assume, eventually take on Ekogaru and become High Queen and bear the Matrix and slaughter him, I was but the learner! Now, Grimslade,” she said through her breath mask. “I am the Master!”

 

“The Master of what? Watching bad Terran movies?” hissed Grimslade. “You don’t know what powers you are playing with, dressed like that. Take off that stupid garment and let me remove your cyborg arms and legs. I can grow back the ones of flesh that the Almighty gave you! Then I can clothe your nakedness in my cloak and take you home to New Pellias so you can be succored and healed. You can help me train my next student….the silly, yet pretty innocent thing I have felt from afar through the gestalt of life.”

 

“The torturer? The supplanter?” hissed Aliscea. “I would not go near Nova Wildstar again if you paid me a million sesterces!”

 

“This woman, our supposed High Queen, must be a true Amazon if you fear her so,” said Hallock.

 

“She’s no Amazon…and I …I…don’t fear her. She’s a fucking ditz! A fucking whore, too!”

 

Grimslade walked up to Aliscea and slapped her across the breath mask. “You should have your mouth washed out with naptha soap for using that language! Especially to your former sensei!”

 

“You are the last of the Jedi heritage, huh?” hissed Aliscea. “I am beginning to think it existed only in Terran science-fantasy movies!”

 

“I am dying, you know,” said Grimslade. “And the fire of the Jedi was once a real thing, even though that Order was called by many different names…the R’jkharraz of Rikasha and R’Khell’eva are just shadows of the majesty and glory that the Order once held, and we were responsible to the Pellian High Queen in those ancient days, just as the Border Legion, the Ralkhen, and other mystic orders and races served Her against Him! Now, I need to pass some of the Fire to the High Queen who has emerged from the shadows, and what do I find? I find standing in my way, a diseased Whore who has decided to bow down to the black fire of the Sith! You could have been the High Queen, you know, but you rejected it in your accursed pride! Now, pay the price, whore!”

 

Grimslade struck out at once with his light saber, allowing Aliscea no time to react.

 

She reacted, her breath rasping in her armor, as she wheeled back and got her pink Sith blade up in just enough time to parry.

 

Grimslade lashed out again at high speed, thrusting and parrying Aliscea’s enraged attack. The energy blades met, clashed, and then met again as the warriors in black went at each other.

 

Aliscea reached out with her formidable psi-power and tried to trip Grimslade.

 

He leaped up, catching the edge of the field of disruption with his boots.

 

He crashed down on the ground and swung again and again.

Aliscea attempted to use her power to strangle him, but he caught that wave and began to strangle her inside her mask.

 

While she coughed and gasped, he swung at her, and caught the side of her helmet.

 

Aliscea fell to the ground, held up her saber, and begged Grimslade for mercy.

 

“I tire of this, but I will finish what I came here for, bitch!” snapped Hallock. “Take off your mask, traitor, and be thankful I did not hit you in the lungs and leave you needing that stupid get-up for the rest of your life! And GET UP!”

 

“Lord, you condemn me to more torture from Ekogaru. What is it you want?”

 

“That,” hissed Grimslade as he shut off Aliscea’s saber and used her power to make it fly to his hand. Then, he brutally kicked her to the ground.

 

He kicked her again and again as she groveled and moaned. The kicking continued until several of her ribs were broken and she lay there with blood running from her mouth.

 

Then, Grimslade held up her deactivated blade. “I came for this, Aliscea. By tradition, the High Queen always uses a blade taken as a trophy in battle from someone like you, a dirty Sith! You know the prophecy; the High Queen will some day strike Ekogaru down with one of his own weapons! I feel the time is short, and that, someday, soon, although I may not live to see it, Ekogaru will be struck down forever with this very blade. I go now to see the High Queen. I will send Nova your love and kind fellowship as a Sister when I give her this!”

 

Grimslade then kicked Aliscea again, making the helmet roll on the ground.

 

As she wept, he walked away, his derisive laughter coming like knives to Aliscea as she hissed curses at him under her breath.

 

And she wondered how she was going to pay everyone back for this….

 

…and how she would report her failure to HIM….  

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Nova and Derek arrived back at the Captain’s Cabin a few minutes later.

 

Once they were in the Captain’s Cabin, Nova carefully knelt on the deck, took off all of her clothes and then pulled on a pair of loose, comfortable shorts, and a loose top over her naked skin. She went barefoot as she sat on the bunk and opened a Medical book and began to read it.

 

“Nova?” said Derek.

 

“Remember, I have my Medical School finals for the semester later this month; I understand they will be transmitted to the ship and that Doctor Sane will proctor me as I take the tests. I might as well use this time to study, right? Where are the kids?”

 

“With Homer and Wendy right now,” said Derek. “I’ll have them bring them to you later on. What do you need for breakfast? I'll have a yeoman bring it up.”

 

Nova shivered and said, “Bacon, pancakes, home fries, some tofu soup, and tea. Is that too much to ask?”

 

Derek smiled at her. “That’s fine, dear. I’m sorry I had to sentence you…I…”

 

“I know, Derek. You were doing your job. You told me before that you and Desslok are putting that little slut Krista at my radar for three days?”

 

“We are, Nova. We think the punishment fits the crime. I’m going to Desslok’s flagship to witness her trial, soon…”

 

“Good. Just make sure she does not break anything as she…takes my post?” Nova said. She then pointed a hand, caused a drawer to open, and floated her reading glasses to her hand. “I need them for this chart on blood-gas level thresholds. I think I remember the numbers from nursing school, but I just want to be sure.”

 

Nova put on her glasses and then Derek came up to her. “Yes?” she said.

 

“I want to give you a goodbye kiss until later when I come back from Desslok’s ship,” Derek said. “I am going to miss you.”

 

“I’m going to miss you, too, silly,” said Nova as she stood on her tiptoes and let Derek gather her up into his arms.

 

They shared a sweet, searching kiss and then Derek broke the kiss and whispered. “I’ll see you later. Will I be with you in your thoughts?”

 

Nova smiled and nodded. “Yes, dear. Call to me…anytime, and I will answer you in my spirit. I am no longer mad at you, and I love you…”

 

“I love you, too, Doctor Wildstar,” said Derek.

 

“I’m not a Doctor, yet, Derek,” said Nova softly.

 

“If I know you, and we get to live our lives without being killed, just three more years, Nova…” said Derek.

 

“Thank you,” said Nova. “I’m glad you have faith in me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because right now, I do not have much faith in myself. I’m a screw-up,” said Nova mournfully.

 

“You are not a screw-up, Nova,” said Derek. “We all make mistakes. And we are supposed to learn from them. I have stood at least two Masts myself, you know. Remember when Captain Avatar made me scrub the hangar deck?”

 

“I remember that. I felt so bad for you, then. I wanted to get on my hands and knees and help you…but I was nowhere near as self-assured then as I am now.”

 

“We’ve all grown up, Nova,” said Derek as they kissed again.

 

Then, he got up, blew a kiss at her, and he left.

 

________________________________________________________________

 

Somehow wishing that Nova was with him in the cockpit, Wildstar flew his Superstar to Desslok’s flagship Gamilstadt a few minutes later.

 

Derek made a quick landing aboard the Gamilon cruiser, and he was escorted to the bridge.

 

There, he found Krista Dijal…literally….

 

She was in the center of a ring of Gamilons, handcuffed, in a regular Imperial uniform combination of green tunic, black cape lined in red, black trousers, boots, and dark green headdress.

 

Desslok interrogated her, and snapped, “Do you know why I have had your Naval Commission reactivated, Baroness?”

 

“No, sir,” said Dijal as she looked at Wildstar and snarled slightly.

 

“It’s so that I could put you on military trial, Captain Dijal,” Desslok said with a smile. “You are accused of endangering our alliance with Terra by the following behaviors; insulting a Terran citizen playing a concert by my invitation on Gamilon, throwing scarce Plahnik fruit at said person, showing me that you engage in profiteering and purchasing goods on the Black Market, causing said person to throw a keyboard at my public square, chipping the pavement in my city, and by fighting with said person. How do you plead, Captain, to these many offenses, which had many witnesses? Commodore Wildstar is herein included!”

 

“I plead guilty, sire,” said Dijal, expecting that she would soon be shot.

 

“And, I hereby assign you a sentence. Three days’ worth of fatigue duty…aboard the Argo, as a member of her crew, among the Terrans, serving in place of Commander Nova Wildstar at her post as Radar Officer, as she is unable to serve since she is confined to quarters thanks to a military trial which took place earlier today on their vessel. As Commodore Wildstar has lost her services for those days, I deem it fitting that you shall serve in her place as an Exchange Officer,” said Desslok with a smile.

 

“Sire, please shoot me instead…I…I…I…hate the Terrans, especially because of what they did to Gamilon nearly a decade ago…” pleaded Dijal.

 

“There is no appeal from my sentence!” snapped Desslok. “Guards, take her, strip her of her Imperial uniform, and dress her in an Exchange Officer’s uniform instead and bring her back here as soon as possible so that Wildstar can take her to the Argo. I ordered four made up, Star Force Living Group colors, with boots. Take her away!”

 

Krista cursed and screamed as she was dragged off by four burly armored Gamilons.

 

Desslok then turned to General Varen. “General, you understand I fired you as Chief of Police?”

 

“Yessir,” said Varen.

 

Desslok smiled and drew his weapon. “I now place you under military arrest, General Varen. You are charged with rebellion, abuse of a Terran prisoner against my orders, and the use of torture against my orders. This comes because I understand that you tortured and slapped Nova Wildstar when she was in our custody earlier. Commodore Wildstar, I give orders for General Varen to be stripped of all of his garments, placed in energy binders, and beaten as your spouse was. He will then be brought forth from prison three days later, as he had recommended to be done to Commander Wildstar. There, he will face trial before me…with Commander Nova Wildstar present in dress uniform. She will need to be present, since she, as Pellian High Queen, will be the woman who shall determine your sentence, as I agreed upon with Astrena earlier. Take him away!”

 

Varen was also screaming as he was hauled off to prison on the Gamilstadt. Derek shivered a little when he thought about what the Gamilons would do to him.

 

Desslok bowed to Wildstar and said, “My friend, does this serve to heal the breach between us?”

 

“It does, Desslok. And I thank you,” said Derek.

 

Desslok bowed his head. “I am pleased that you are easy to deal with. Would it be that my great breach with Astrena were this easy to heal. She and I are speaking again, but…well…she is not sharing our quarters aboard my flagship as she always has, nor has she consented to share…relations with me…since Nova was arrested. She asked me how I could have treated my adopted stepdaughter in such a fashion. And I am filled with guilt that I did not stop Varen in time. He did this to others beforehand. Yet, when it was made clear to me that a Terran was under arrest, they did not make it clear that the woman was your wife. How could I have treated one of my dearest friends…no…how could I have treated an adopted relative in this way? What I did was deplorable.”

 

“I could almost say the same, Desslok,” said Derek. “When did she say she would fully reconcile with you again?”

 

“When I am reconciled with Nova. What do you think?”

 

Derek smiled. “I’ll admit something to you, Desslok. She’s a tough cookie and a cool customer at times…but I’ll talk to her. It took her a while to warm to me, and she’s not that angry at you, even though she is still somewhat angry. Give her some time. I think she may be in a better frame of mind when she is given the right to deal with Varen at his trial.”

 

“I am hoping so,” said Desslok.

 

A moment later, Krista emerged from the bowels of the ship, clad in a yellow and black uniform with Gamilon markings similar to the uniform her sister Bernis wore on the Argo.

 

She smiled as she was pushed to the deck, even though she hated the uniform.

She looked at Derek and said, “Am I suitably clad, Commodore?”

 

“You are,” said Derek.

 

“You are now at Wildstar’s disposal,” said Desslok. “As part of your sentence, you will obey him as you would obey me. He is ordered to report back to me if you cause any additional trouble or fail to discharge your duties well. Are we clear?”

 

“Yessir,” said Derek and Krista together.

 

Desslok then said, “Go, Wildstar. Take her aboard the Argo and put her to work.”

 

“Of course,” said Derek. “Captain, you will follow me, and come with me aboard the Argo. You will be signed into the crew roster, and then, I will give you a tour of the ship and describe your duties. Salute me like this…”

 

Derek showed Krista the hand-to-heart salute used on the Argo.

 

She glared at him and returned it.

 

Then, Derek said, “Follow me. Your next stop will be the Argo.”

 

“Yessir,” she said, not wanting to talk to the Terran any more than necessary.

 

She followed him off the bridge of the Gamilstadt.

 

____________________________________________________

 

 

Upon arrival on the Argo, Derek walked Krista around the ship on a tour, which she underwent with few questions and little enthusiasm.

 

While Derek did this task, he thought, This is something else Nova can do better than I can, what with her charm. She makes something like this interesting.

 

Then, Derek stopped by the Living Group office, where instead of Nova, one of her Lieutenants, a dark-haired woman named Sheri Brinker, sat in the office.

 

“Good afternoon, sir,” said Brinker as she adjusted her glasses. “I take it that this is Commander Wildstar’s…temporary replacement?”

 

“It is, Lieutenant.”

 

“Good afternoon, Miss…?” said Sheri, as she extended a hand to shake Krista’s.

 

“Captain Krista Dijal, of the Gamilon Imperial forces,” snapped Krista. “Why this stop here, sir?”

 

“I have to check you into the ship’s roster, issue you an ID Card, start a canteen account for you, and issue you a billet and some living supplies, including a weapon and space gear,” said Brinker. “I’ve done some reshuffling, so I’ve taken away the cabinmate of the other Gamilon girl assigned to this ship and I’m reassigning you as her cabinmate.”

 

“And she is?” snapped Krista.

 

“Your sister, Bernis Dijal, of the Combat Group, rotating Gunnery officer. Congratulations. You get to room with your very own sister,” said Brinker.

 

“I’m so thrilled,” sighed Krista. “We don’t get along well. I’m the elder; she is a mere….mere Duchess…”

 

“You should get along well, and she should help you fit in,” said Brinker. She jumped as the chime on an incoming e-mail came in.

 

“Who’s the mail from?” said Derek.

 

“Missus Congeniality,” said Sheri pleasantly. Krista was utterly mystified until Sheri said, “It’s not a looove note to you, Skipper. Looks like Her Ladyship wants to see Krista in your cabin later, Derek…”

 

“Oh, yes, to check up on her,” said Derek.

 

“If this is Nova, I don’t want to see her, and I wonder what she is doing sending e-mails if confined to quarters in irons!” snapped Dijal.

 

“I didn’t limit her ability to send personal e-mails to her friends, and of course she’d want to see how you’re doing,” said Derek. “She worries about everyone. Anyway, before you post to the Bridge, you have to see me up there in an hour after Sheri puts you through the paperwork and through Supply, so this visit to Nova and I is not a request, but an order,” snapped Derek. “Brinker, get her up in my office in an hour.”

 

“Aye, aye, sir,” said Sheri as Derek snapped a salute at them and left. “Salute back!” whispered Sheri. “He is the Captain!”

 

Krista put her hand to her heart and returned the salute. Long-haired idiot, she thought. How did they ever beat us with this dopey kid in command?

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Derek came up to his own cabin, a while later, and tapped at the hatch.

 

He heard giggles, and he saw Alex and Ariel, in only their shorts, sitting on a mat with their mother as Nova herself sat doing some yoga moves in her shorts and a fresh top, stretching and moving to some East Indian ragas on the sound system while she worked at putting her own foot in her ear.

 

 “Boy, and I thought I was gonna find you bored,” said Derek with a smile.

 

“Toddlers who need stimulation and play make it hard to be bored,” said Nova. “Even if I know that about now, I’d be at work in my office on three daily reports.”

 

“Sheri’s got those,” said Derek. “Consider it a vacation. How’s my Princess?” Derek said as he looked at Ariel.

 

“Googleplexie funny!” said Ariel.

 

“And is Alex watching his sister?” said Derek as he rubbed his son’s chin.

 

“I made her watch me go poopy before,” giggled Alex.

 

“His poopy is weird colors,” said Ariel. “Yukky!”

 

“Mommy says Auntie Krista is poopy,” giggled Alex.

 

“I did not,” said Nova.

 

“Mommy said I can call her Auntie Poopy!” said Alex.

 

“Call her that and you will get your tushie swatted,” snapped Nova. “Calling our guest Auntie Poopy is very impolite, Alexander!”

“Alex has Poopy on the brain,” giggled Ariel as she wiggled her bare toes and shook her little head so her pigtails went all over the place. “Poopy poopy, poopy, poopy poopy, POOPY!”

 

“Ariel’s a Poopyhead; I’m the Captain!” yelled Alex as he grabbed his father’s cap from a shelf.

 

Derek got into a giggling chase with his son to try to get his cover back as the energy-filled toddler ran around.

 

Derek finally got his cap back, wherein he put it on, and caught Alex, lifted him up, and began to tickle his bare tummy in his lap as he giggled like crazy. Somehow, in the process, the toddler got his own shorts down and then off, and Derek found himself with a naked Alex in his lap. Derek smiled; at twenty months, Alex was still heavily into the “I have to undress myself whenever possible” stage that his sister was growing out of. Derek also noticed that Ariel was taking her mother’s breast a bit less frequently than he was.

 

“We’ll have to get those back on you, sport, and maybe get a shirt on you and your sister,” said Derek. “We think your tushie is cute, but we somehow don’t think Auntie Krista would have the same opinion…”

 

“You get bath-time later,” said Nova. “So, then you get to be bare all you want then,” she said as she found her son’s shorts and coaxed him back into them, followed by a sailor top.

 

Ariel made faces at Alex as he got dressed, followed by Ariel, as she cried and whimpered while her mother put her pink and white sailor top on.

 

Soon, Nova got the kids working on a puzzle while she poured herself some tea and sat at the small table to talk with Derek.

 

“The Living Group should be in good shape, Derek,” Nova said. “I had my people do an inventory of everything….and we’re in great shape for supplies.”

 

“Wonderful,” said Derek. “I sent Knox and his platoon down to survey Abraxas before. I sent them to the ruined city.”

 

“I hope they’ll be all right,” said Nova.

 

“They should be fine,” responded Derek.

 

“I hope,” Nova said.

 

_______________________________________________

 

 

Sergeant Victor Knox and his squad were walking around on Abraxas, looking at the weird sunrise and the strange landscape of craggy mountains that looked like broken teeth.

 

Weird, mournful-sounding birds of prey flew about in the bleak, nasty-looking sunrise.

 

“Sarge, this place gives me da creeps,” said a member of Knox’s squad, a pink-haired Marine everyone called ‘Seabags’.

 

“I don’t feel much better about this joint, but its asshole Wildstar’s orders we check it out,” said Knox. “Fuckin’ space jockey!!. Let ‘im come down here himself, da lousy officer…”

 

“Hey, Sarge, anythin’ here that can eat us?” said Private Brown, a big Marine with brown hair who was a member of Knox’s squad.

 

“There might be if ya don’t fuckin’ shaddap,” grinned Knox.

 

“Gotta burr up yer ass, Sarge?” said Brown.

 

“Where’s da beer, Sarge?” said Specialist Okajima, a short Japanese-American Marine with purple hair.

 

“Ain’t no beer here unless we bring it,” said Knox. “We’ll do that next time, guys.”

 

“Where’s da women?” said Jones, another member of the Communications squad that Knox commanded.

 

“Ain’t no women here, either,” said Knox. “Ya see any signs that say, “Whorehouse, ten klicks?””

 

“Gotta be a whorehouse here someplace,” said Jones.

 

“Where da mofo whorehouse, Sarge?” said Lyman, a large African-American Marine. “I wan’ some pussy sooo bad, bro!”

 

“Ain’t no pussy here, so shaddap!” said Knox.

 

The Squad of twelve men heard a weird voice on the wind. “Ooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh…..”

 

“What the hell was that, Sarge?” said Seabags.

 

“Don’t know, but if we find out, I want him dead first. Lock and load, assholes!” said Knox as he unslung his weapon and cocked it. “GO! Fan out!”

 

Knox and his men looked at the thing approaching.

 

It was moaning, and it looked like a walking corpse about three months dead!

 

“SHOOT HIM!” yelled Knox.

 

The thing continued to moan as Knox and the squad took cover behind rocks and shot at the zombie-thing.

 

Their laser bolts just went right through the weird thing.

 

It moaned all the louder as lightning struck in the hills, and it staggered up.

 

“Oh, MOM, help me!” yelled Seabags.

 

“I wanna go home!” yelled Brown. “Knox, that fucker’s gonna eat me!”

 

“So much for surveyin’ that city!!!” yelled Knox. “Men, take cover!”

 

The Thing moaned again. “IIIIIII AMMMMM….LOOOOOOSTTT! THIS ISSSSSS HELLLL!!!!”

 

“Shaddap!” yelled Knox as he heard Brown pissing himself as the Thing came closer. “You’re already dead!”

 

“You will be dead, TOOOOO!!” yelled the Thing. “Where is the Lady???? She can send me to the end so I will be lost and go into the end I crave. I am damned! But maybe you can joooooiiin me…..!”

 

“I’m runnin!” said Okajima. “I ain’t enough of a pay grade to face dead shit!”

 

“Stay here!” yelled Knox. “What do you want?” demanded the Marine.

 

“YOOOOU!!!” yelled the Thing.

 

Suddenly, the Thing stopped as it beheld a woman who came from between two rocks. “LAAAADDDYYY!!!!” he said.

 

“Hey, it’s a woman,” said Okajma.

 

“Aaaaaaa…..” moaned the Thing. “The Lady! The Lady!” Then, it looked up at the sky, and moaned, screamed, and vanished.

 

“I’m not whoever you’re talking about,” said the woman in her orange jumpsuit and white boots as she came forward. “My name is Serena Skollar; first-year Medical student just finished with her exams, and….archaeologist! Sent here on a summer trip by Harvard, who hired me a ship! Would you Marines get this damn thing so I can work?”

 

“You’re not concerned this thing is gonna….eat ya?” said Knox.

 

“I know it’s harmless,” said Skollar. “However, I am a bit more worried about some of the other creatures I’ve glimpsed on this planet in the past two days who aren’t members of the Walking Dead.”

 

“Such as?” said Knox.

 

“Them,” said Serena as she pointed at some figures in the distance on a ridge.

 

Knox used his binoculars and turned them on the figures. “Take cover,” he snapped in a whisper as he dragged Serena down behind a rock, grabbing her jumpsuit near her butt.

 

“What the hell?” she snapped, giving him a feisty slap in the face.

 

“BOLARS!” he hissed. “And if ya don’t get under cover, lady, you’ll be fuckin’ dead if they spot us!”

 

A moment later, the Bolar patrol did spot them, blowing up Serena’s small ship and killing her pilot with a grenade attack.

 

And the fighting began as the Space Marines took cover behind rocks with a hand motion from Knox.

 

The Bolars shot first, and Knox’s Marines returned fire.

 

They used their AK-01’s and some had longer-range Cosmo BAR’s (Browning Automatic Laser Rifles) and some rocket-propelled grenades to fight off the Bolars.

 

The firefight was short, vicious, and left only two Bolars standing. One took off and ran, while the other was bound and captured by Okajima and Seabags. 

 

Knox grinned as his men captured the Bolars.

 

He comforted Serena as best as he could.

 

She slapped him again.

 

He laughed. “Ya know, Serena, I think this is gonna be the start of a beautiful friendship. Especially since the last girl I took an eye to is married, with three kids, and two more buns in da oven! Tryin’ ta make time with her might be dangerous to my health!”

 

“And why would courting me not be any more dangerous?”

 

“Because this dame is married to the Skipper o’ my ship. You ain’t married to anyone, right?”

 

“Used to be,” said Serena. “I’m divorced now. The man was not like the fabled Commodore Wildstar. Mine was a jerk.”

 

Knox smiled at that. Serena smiled back a little.

 

_____________________________________________________

 

In the meantime, on the Argo, Derek ushered Krista Dijal into his cabin a few minutes later after knocking.

Krista followed Derek into the cabin to find what looked like (to her) two beastly little Terran children in sailor tops, matching pink and navy blue shorts, and bare feet jumping up and down like Gamilon Plahnik beans with worms in them on each side of a slender young barefoot woman in a t-shirt and shorts working some controls at a video screen near the front of the Captain’s Quarters.

The beastly game she was playing, Dijal observed, made a stupid sound that sounded like “whocka-whocka-whocka-whocka-whocka” as some strange ball-like creature wearing ladies’ pumps, big rouged lips, and a hair ribbon ran around some track or maze eating pills and being chased by bizarre multicolored things that looked like ghosts. When Nova manipulated the thing to eat a large pill, the ghost-things turned blue and ran from the creature.

“Ms. Pac-Man!” squealed Ariel. “Mommy! Make Ms. Pac-Man eats ghosties! Whocka-whocka!”

“Whocka!” yelled Alex. He turned around, looked with his big eyes right at Krista Dijal, and he screamed. “Mommy! It’s Violet Bo-regard!”

“Mommy! LOOKIE!” screamed Ariel. “She looks like a blueberry!”

“Willy Wonka mad at you!” screamed Alex. “The Ooompa-Loompas hadda squeeze you out!”

Nova turned around, smiling, as Krista looked at her as if she was insane. “Willy Wonka? Ooompa-Loompas?”

“From Loompa Land,” Nova said with great seriousness. “They help Willy Wonka make his candy. Terran cultural touchstone. Like Ms. Pac-Man. How are you?”

“Bored,” said Krista. “You must be half-insane to enjoy being up here with little brats.”

“My little ones,” Nova said. “Even though I enjoy children. Their simplicity and clarity of mind can be very Zen at times.”

“Mommy, why is her hair blue?” demanded Ariel.

“Because it is,” said Nova. “Don’t judge her for it, Ariel. I’m sorry you didn’t like our final song at the concert, Captain Dijal,” Nova said with a bow in her seat.

“Yes. And we are both being punished because of a stupid song,” said Krista.

“Actually, we are being punished because we both overreacted,” said Nova. “You were in the wrong, and so was I. Would you like to be friends?” Nova said softly.

“I’ll…consider it,” said Krista, keeping her mouth shut as she saw Derek staring hard at her, and saw his evident affection for Nova in the way he looked at her. He likes this silly blonde schoolteacher thing? Krista thought.

 

Nova and Krista exchanged a few more random pleasantries, and then, she followed Wildstar to the First Bridge.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Derek and Krista got to the bridge a few minutes later.

 

Commodore Wildstar sat at his post, and he adjusted his cap as he ordered, “Captain Dijal, take over at the Cosmo Radar. I assume that you have read the technical manual?”

 

“I have, sir,” she said as she took over the post from Holly Venture, who gave her a black look as she stood up, saluted and said, “Your station, Captain.”

 

“Give me a plot of the area before us at APX-212,” snapped Derek.

 

“Yessir,” said Captain Dijal. “Scanning…at long-range gain….spotting four objects…not under power…plotting irregularities….they appear to be space trash…”

 

“Zoom in on them and give me a visual,” snapped Derek.

 

Krista began to sweat as she worked the touchpad at the station, zoomed in on the items in one of the hemispheres, and then said, “Video panel, on!”

 

Her sister Bernis looked at her with disapproval from the Artillery station as four large asteroids came up on the screen.

 

“They look like asteroids,” said Derek.

 

“Yeah, agreed,” said Dash from his post at Combat at the forward part of the Bridge. “Can you plot them, Captain Dijal?”

 

 “I thought I just did that,” she snapped. “SIR,” she added quickly as she was watched by a sea of hostile faces, that of her own sister included.

 

“Listen!” said Dash. “The point is to figure out where those things are gonna be in the next half hour because we are gonna be navigating around them for an exercise.”

 

“And how do you know that?” said Dijal.

 

“Dash is going to be the Officer of the Deck in the next few minutes,” said Derek. “That means he takes command and you listen to him! Dash, take command from your station!”

 

“Yessir,” he said.

“Sandor, we need to talk for a bit. Mrs. Venture, take his post,” Derek said.

 

“Yessir,” said Stephen Sandor and Holly Venture as they exchanged places.

 

Sergeant Knox arrived on the bridge a moment later.

 

“Hey, Wildstar, we fought some spooks down there!”

 

“Spooks?” said Derek. “I thought the report said that you fought Bolars?”

 

“There were weird-ass things down there. And we rescued a dame!”

 

“Who?” asked Sandor.

 

“Serena Skollar; divorced, she says she some kind of…” said Knox.

 

Sandor raised his hand and said, “Wildstar, that’s Doctor Skollar’s daughter. He works with Doctor Simon Probe at the Federal University. We may need to discuss some of the implications of this.”

 

“Dash, you have the conn,” said Wildstar. “Guys, let’s go up to my cabin. Hopefully, we won’t be disturbing Her Nibs…”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Knox, Derek, and Sandor smiled as they came into the Captain’s Quarters and saw a lovely scene.

 

Little Alex and Ariel were in bed, just as bare as the day they were born, cuddled asleep in a little ball next to a sleeping Nova, who was bare-shouldered under a brown coverlet and sheet.

 

She must have a very short nightie on, Knox thought, licking his lips a little, but then castigating himself in his head for thinking lewd thoughts about a married, sleeping mother of two…Damn, that’s three…they adopted the cadet rugrat Jonathan, he thought.

 

“Is she asleep, sir?” said Victor Knox.

 

“Yes…maybe we shouldn’t have come up here; I thought she’d still be doing her yoga with them,” said Derek, blushing at the sight of most of his little family, asleep. He couldn’t condemn Nova for it; she was confined to quarters by his own orders.

 

“Let’s get this out of the way, fast,” said Stephen Sandor. “Knox, when you were patrolling on Abraxas, what did you and your squad see?

 

“Bolars…and creepy stuff…”

 

“What sort of ‘creepy stuff’, Knox?” said a sleepy voice from the bed.

 

Knox and Derek looked. Nova was awake, propping her chin on a hand, running a hand through her sleep-tangled hair.

 

She moved under the coverlet and kicked out her feet, and it became obvious to all of them what she had on; nothing at all.

 

Derek blushed a bit when he saw that Nova was holding this conversation in the nude.

 

Nova looked down at herself and said, “Sorry Victor. You caught me in my usual sleepwear.”

 

“Do ya want me ta leave, ma’am?” he stammered.

 

“No, not as long as you don’t try to feed me some date rape drink in front of my husband and children, Knox,” Nova said with a smile. “I’m learning enough, by the way, that I could just neutralize it with my power, and then give the idiot who tried to give me the drink a rather nasty shock. Go on. What sort of creepy stuff did you see on Abraxas? This could be important, Victor.”

 

“When we was down there…uh…we saw these things walkin’ around…..they looked like spooks. SPOOKS, ma’am! That was before we met the Bolars, and before we met the Bolars.”

 

“Possibly some loose spirits wandering about. Lost souls,” Nova said sadly. “They’re just Phantasms. They mean you no harm, Knox. Unlike the Bolars.”

 

“None?’ said Knox.

 

“None at all,” said Nova in an almost motherly voice to the young Marine.

 

“We also found a Serena Skollar on the surface.”

 

“Her?” said Nova. “I know her from Second Section at the Medical School. She also thinks she is some kind of archaeologist. She’s gotten herself into scrapes like this here and there ever since she left her husband.”

 

“I think she likes me, ma’am,” said Knox. “She slapped me three times.”

 

“Sure you’re not having hallucinations?” teased Nova. “There are drugs for that sort of thing, Knox.”

 

Alex and Ariel soon woke up. They were whimpering.

 

Nova sat up, not caring about her nudity, and she said, “What do you two want?”

 

“Mommy!” said Alex.

 

“Milkie!” squealed Ariel.

 

“Awwwww,” said Knox with a smile as Derek and Sandor also smiled.

 

Nova knelt on the bunk, and said, “Come up into my lap, little ones…”

 

Little Alex and Ariel climbed into their mother’s lap.

 

Derek kissed the toddlers’ little backs as Nova hugged them while they latched on to her bare breasts.

 

Nova cuddled her little ones, naked, skin-to-skin, as she hugged them while they began to suckle their milk from her breasts.

 

Nova gently stroked Alex and Ariel’s little backs as they nursed. They were a picture of contentment, with the gentle young mother stroking them as they nursed, wiggling their little toes and their little baby bottoms as they fed, and Nova said, “We’re going in the shower and going bathy-time after we’re all done. Okay?”

 

Alex and Ariel nodded their heads as Derek and Knox came up and tousled their hair.

 

“I’d…I’d better go now,” said Knox, trying to keep from licking his lips at Nova’s calm casual nakedness as she fed her little ones.

 

“Report to us if you see anything truly threatening down there, Sergeant,” said Derek.

 

“Uh…yeah…of course…” said Knox.

 

“Say bye-bye to Uncle Knox,” said Nova as she nudged Ariel into looking at the Marine while demurely covering her bare breast.

 

“Bye-bye, Uncle Knox!” said Ariel, who looked as cute as a button as she waved to the Sergeant.

 

Derek then gently but firmly saw the Marine out.

 

Stephen Sandor looked at Derek and said, “That went better than I thought…”

 

“He’s not all bad,” said Nova. “Just misinformed, immature, and in need of a good woman to take care of him…that’s all.”

 

“To take care of him?” said Derek.

 

Nova nodded. “That’s right. He lost his mother at a young age. Him and the late Marion, his elder cousin. Both of them grew up a little misguided. You can’t entirely blame them for that.”

 

“How do you know that, Nova?” said Derek.

 

“The Matrix teaches me many things,” Nova said quietly.

 

“Should we let her be?” said Sandor.

 

“Yeah….I have some other things to check on,” said Derek.

 

Nova turned to her son and daughter and said, “Kiss Daddy bye-bye. We’ll see him later…”

 

Derek accepted kisses from Alex, Ariel, and Nova before he reluctantly left his wife and children behind.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

IV. APPROACHING YET ANOTHER PORT OF CALL

Deep Space: Two Thousand Lightyears away From New Pellias

Monday, May 8, 2209

0900 Hours: Earth Space-Time

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Two days later, the Argo careened through another space warp with the rest of the Fleet, and slammed back into realspace a moment later.

 

“Warp completed!” snapped Eager from Navigation. As Assistant Pilot, he was acting as Venture’s relief this morning so that Mark could get some sleep.

 

From his station, Commodore Wildstar said, “Captain Dijal, give me an immediate scan of the area!”

 

“Yessir,” she said glumly. I hate this job, she thought angrily to herself. I hate this crew. I hate this ship. I hate you all!

 

She made her scan, and said, “Nothing spotted. No exceptional objects. Clear as predicted. This is the Gulf of Artanshia. Of course there is nothing there,” she said. “This is a void space!”

 

“Don’t you think you need to scan infrared?” said Derek.

 

“Not necessary,” snapped Dijal.

 

Holly Venture, at the Tactical Radar station, looked hard at Krista and thought, You sure you know what you’re doing?

 

Krista met her look with hard, mirthless eyes, and she snapped back, “I am more competent at this than you are, red-haired Terran! I am scanning on visible-and-radio-and tachyon frequencies, and things here are as clear as cool water! Nothing to report, Captain Wildstar, sir!” snapped Krista.

 

“I’m confirming your scan at close range, Captain,” said Holly.

 

“What?” hissed Krista.

 

“Standard procedure,” snapped Sandor from his post. “Captain, I’m picking up something maybe an hour old.”

 

“What is it?” asked Derek.

 

“Ionized radiation. By the emissions, Bolar Federation ships were in this area less than an hour ago. We’d better be on the alert, Wildstar,” said Sandor.

 

“Why was this not detected when the radar scan was run?” asked Derek.

 

Dijal sighed and said, “Sir, I picked up nothing visually or by first-stage means. I did not feel that infra-scans, radiation counts, or a Time Radar sweep had to be done. Besides, your Time Radar is horrible. It does not work, it…”

 

“You missed half your job,” said Derek.

 

“The two women and one man who are usually at this post do what you failed to do, in the first ninety seconds, as standard operating procedure.”

 

“YOUR standard operating procedures stink!” snapped Krista. “They are duplicative of time, effort, and…”

 

“Missiles approaching from port!” snapped Holly.

 

“Evasive to starboard, hard, fifty degrees!” said Eager from the helm. “We’re evadin’ the missiles!”

 

“Firing counterattack missiles from the smokestack silo!” said Dash.

 

“Get them!” said Derek. Dash fired, and two counterattack missiles roared out of the Argo’s smokestack, hitting the enemy torpedoes. “Captain, we need to be on alert!” snapped Dash after the missiles went off outside, making the Argo vibrate hard.

 

“All hands, combat stations!” snapped Derek. “Captain Dijal! Where’s that enemy fleet?”

 

“Scanning again, two Bolar destroyers detected at long range, two hundred megameters!” Dijal said.

 

“Hartnell-Wildstar!” Derek snapped at Communications. Jonathan happened to be there, spelling Homer, who was with Wendy and his sons.

 

“Yessir?” said Jonathan.

 

“Call down to Deck Five, Living Block; we need Lieutenant Wakefield up here!”

 

“Yessir,” said Jonathan.

 

“Sir,” said Dash. “They used torpedoes on us. We can use them right back.”

 

“Enemy fleet slowly approaching; they know we’re here,” said Captain Dijal. “Range, one hundred sixty megameters, and accelerating…”

 

 “Ready four bow torpedoes since they are not yet in the range of our guns,” said Wildstar.

 

“Rosstowski, ready me two torpedoes,” said Dash.

 

“Yessir,” said Paul. “On target!”

 

“FIRE!” snapped Derek.

 

The missiles went off…one…two…three…four…and streaked towards their targets.

 

“We may need the Black Tigers,” said Wildstar. “Dash, who’s on alert-five?”

 

“It’s Wakefield and Brewski, sir, Squadrons Two and Three. Hardy is off-duty with his son.”

 

“Order Wakefield out there,” said Derek.

 

“Detecting more missiles from another corridor!” said Holly from her post.

 

“Cadet Hartnell-Wildstar, where’s Mrs. Wakefield?” snapped Derek.

 

“Reaching her now, sir…”

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The phone rang in Sasha’s cabin. She was half asleep.

 

She looked at her crib and said out loud, “Star, where are you? I…Oh. You’re with Nova, Alex and Ariel up in the Skipper’s cabin! Okay! Who is this calling?”

 

Sasha picked up. “Cabin 523A, sir!”

 

“Ma’am, the Captain wants you up here, ASAP. He needs your assistance!”

 

“Tell him I’ll be there,” said Sasha as she got up, pulled on her jumpsuit over her panty-clad form, and sat on the deck to pull on her sandals.

 

“My ankles are so swollen,” she muttered. She shut her eyes and contacted her husband. “Deekee! Where are you running to?” she sent.

 

“We’re in battle!” Deke snapped. “Bolars! I’m goin’ out!”

 

“Looks like I’m needed in the penthouse suite,” sighed Sasha. “Well, love you. A spacer’s work is never done!”

 

“Amen, Princess,” said Deke.

 

Sasha smiled and finished dressing, kicking on her sandals. She wriggled her toes, stood, and ran off to the First Bridge.

 

She clunked her way to the First Bridge three minutes later, came to attention before the Captain’s chair, saluted, and said, “Lieutenant Wakefield reporting, sir!”

 

“Captain Dijal, you’re relieved!” snapped Derek. “Sasha, take her post, and tell me where the hell that fleet is!”

 

“Yessir,” said Sasha.

 

“I’m being relieved by a nearly barefoot pregnant woman?” snapped Krista.

 

“Listen, you, I’m a Princess on Iscandar and I know how to run that board!” snapped Sasha. “Princesses outrank incompetent, stupid Baronesses any day! And you have half those switches on the wrong settings!” yelled Sasha. “Get up!”

 

Krista stood, giving Sasha and the Captain a black look. “Where am I to go?” snapped Krista.

 

“Go and assist Commander Wildstar up in the Captain’s Quarters!” snapped Derek. “Bring her and my son and daughter four meals; full for her, and toddler-sized for my kids and Star Wakefield! Do it now!”

 

“Yessir,” hissed Dijal as she ran off.

 

“A real Prima Donna, huh?” said Sasha as she reset switches and dials at the radar.

 

“Agreed,” said Derek. “Dash, where’s the enemy?”

“We got the first destroyer, but the other evaded us; two others are off port…”

 

“Heading and direction, WSQ-195, distance, twenty megameters,” said Sasha from her post.

 

“This is Dekesticks!” said Wakefield from his Tiger. “We’ll be in range in two minutes!”

 

 “Good show,” said Derek. “Dash, try to use the smokestack missiles again; see what you can do!”

 

“Yessir,” he said. “Rosstowski, fire a third wave!”

 

“Firing third wave of missiles!’ said Paul.

 

He did this as Sasha spotted five other Bolar ships.

 

Those Bolars, however, were being engaged by the Gamilons.

 

A few Gamilon bombers took off from one of Desslok’s carriers, transported in via SMITE.

 

The bombers appeared over the Bolar flotilla and attacked the enemy cruiser flagship, three destroyers, and a frigate at once. With the aid of a few Pellian planes warped in by the Ralkhen, they soon made short work of the enemy, helped a little by some missiles from two of Deke’s planes.

 

The missiles went off out of the Argo’s smokestack. They were a full spread of eight.

They were right on target. The nuclear-tipped missiles hit the enemy ships and blew them apart.

 

However, a final torpedo let off by one of the dying Bolar ships still slammed home into the Argo’s stern just as Brew launched his plane from the starboard catapult, followed by his first wingman.

 

The torpedo hit the Argo’s stern and caused minor damage.

 

Soon, Sasha said, “Captain, no more enemy vessels in the area!”

 

“Captain, the Gamilons and Pellians report that the area is clear. We won with minimal damage,” said Jonathan from his post.

 

“Dash, call in the Third Squadron; keep Second out there on patrol for a while. Stand down to Yellow Alert; nice work, everyone,” said Derek.

 

Sasha wiped her forehead of sweat and smiled.

 

The battle was over.

 

For now….

 

___________________________________________________________

 

THIRTY MINUTES LATER….

 

Up in the Captain’s Quarters, Nova Wildstar was well into her last day of shipboard confinement.

 

She had been moving books around and cleaning up while Ariel, Alex, and Star slept after an early-morning bath and breastfeed in the cabin. Nova was comfortably dressed in only a spaghetti-strap top and short shorts, and her hair was back in a ponytail as she sat studying one of her Medical books, comparing entries at a computer desk from her notes with an actual human skull she had brought along as a training aid.

 

During the battle, she had closed the barriers on the windows, to keep the cabin safe from shrapnel or any alarming lights from blasts that might scare the kids. She knew the sounds all too well, of course, but she was almost cool and collected in regards to the creaks and explosions as she sat reading.

 

Then, as the battle was ending, Ariel had gotten up. She was hungry, and she needed to go potty.

 

Nova got her there, but not fast enough, as she weed in her training pants.

 

Ariel came back from the potty unselfconsciously running along naked from the waist down, something Nova was not terribly alarmed about as she called the galley for brunch.

 

Nova opened the blast shields, looked out, and held up Ariel as her little toes gripped a computer console. “There was a battle out there, but we beat the bad men off again,” Nova said. “We should be all right, dearest.”

 

“Can we dance, Mommy?” said Ariel as she jumped down and ran around giggling.

 

“Sure, let’s dance like Cosmo Tigers,” said Nova. She put out her arms like wings and stood up on her bare toes. “Wheee! Let’s spin around!”

 

“Whhhheeeeeee!” screamed Ariel as she ran around her mother with her arms out, imitating a plane. Alex, who had on only his training pants, got up, clambered out of the small playpen Nova had set up for him and the others near the port side Mainframe terminal, and he followed Ariel and his mother around, making explosions and whoosing noises.

 

Star woke up, completely naked, and she squealed, “Can I be a pulse laser?”

 

“Sure,” said Nova, surprised at the part-Iscandarian child’s intelligence. Star put up her arms and went “rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat!” at the top of her little lungs.

 

Then, a knock came at the hatch. “Stay there!” Nova ordered.

 

Nova answered the hatch, and saw a cart there, with an angry-looking Krista Dijal pushing it. “Commander Wildstar, your food. Also the food for the…children. Why is that one wearing no damn clothes?” she said as she pointed at Star.

 

“Most toddlers go through a phase of dressing and undressing themselves,” said Nova. “Right now, they really like the undressing part, and they’re not going anywhere.”

 

“Looks barbaric,” she sniffed.

 

“Can I sing the ‘Pants Hit the Floor’ song, Mommy?” said Alex.

 

“Our present company may not appreciate it,” said Nova.

 

Dijal pulled down the table and set the trays on it while Nova unfolded the chairs. Then, Krista noticed the skull, books and notes, and noticed that Nova put the skull in her lap with a set of notes as she glanced at her notes, and then, while lifting the cover from her tray with one hand (and helping the children do the same with theirs) Nova tapped on the skull with a pencil and recited, feeling the bony structures, “Temporal bone, Coronal Suture, Supraorbital foramen…is it more pronounced in Gamilons?” said Nova as she motioned Krista over and began feeling the startled woman’s brow.

 

“What in the name of the Seven Hells are you doing?” snapped Krista.

 

“I’m a nurse-practitioner training to be a doctor,” said Nova. “And I may be treating you in battle someday, although I hope not! You seem to have a very thick skull, literally!”

 

“OW! STOP PRESSING MY HEAD, YOU BARBARIAN!” screamed Krista.

 

Nova began eating her pancakes as she stopped Star before she could stuff a sausage into Ariel’s ear (just to see if it would fit!) The phone rang, and Krista nearly jumped as Nova just put up her hand and the receiver floated to it without her even getting up. It was effortless for Nova to move something this light now with her mind. She was wondering if she could get away with using her TK ability as a third hand in surgery when she answered, “Captain’s Quarters, sir.”

 

“Nova,” said Derek. “Is Baroness Dijal up there?”

 

“Yes, she is. She just finished delivering breakfast,” Nova said.

 

“Tell her I want her to report to McClendon in the Galley when she gets back with those trays. There’s some copper to be scrubbed,” Derek said.

 

“On the bottom of those huge pots?” said Nova.

 

“The ones I had you scrubbing once with Sasha when you two messed something up last year,” said Derek.

 

“With pleasure, sir,” Nova said in a sweet voice.

Nova smiled as she hung up the phone and said to Krista, “The Captain would like you to see McClendon when you get back with that cart. He’s the big cook with the glasses. When you see him, tell him the Captain says that you are to scrub and polish some copper. He’ll take care of it from there.”

 

“We use robots for these jobs on Gamilon ships,” sniffed Krista.

 

“Do you want to see the Captain or Desslok?” said Nova.

 

Dijal glared hatred at Nova, and she mockingly saluted and left.

 

As the hatch slammed, Nova mumbled, “And don’t let the hatch hit you in the ass on the way out! BLEEAAAGGGHHH!” Nova said as she pulled down a lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the hatch while the kids giggled their heads off.

_________________________________________________________________________

 

V. ON THE DOORSTEP OF NEW PELLIAS

Deep Space: Fifty Lightyears away From Mecanner III/New Pellias

Tuesday, May 9, 2209

1145 Hours: Earth Space-Time

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Katrina Savela had finally gotten up the nerve to go into the Argo’s swimming pool with Foxy that morning.

 

She hadn’t even known this space battleship had a pool until Teri Forrester, of all people, had pointed it out to her one day.

 

Now, Katrina was in a slight panic, because, somehow, the one-piece swimsuit she had packed in her luggage had gone missing.

 

All she had was a blue two-piece bikini she had intended only for Foxy’s eyes. She put it on in front of Foxy, feeling very exposed in the tiny tie-on suit that she wore with a sun hat, some jewelry, and sandals.

 

“I feel almost naked in zis, Foxy,” said Katrina. “Do I haf to wear it?”

 

She gave him a sad eyes look, and said, “Well, you have two choices, really,” he said as he stood there in his swim briefs and thong sandals.

 

“And they are?”

 

“Wear the bikini, or swim naked, like we sometimes do at home,” said Foxy with a wink.

 

“Foxy, you are mad! I heard they punish you for swimming naked on this ship….”

 

“Not since this morning,” grinned Foxy. “Some of those Ralkhen pilots came aboard the ship…”

 

“The kitty cats?” gasped Katrina.

 

“Who, because of their social mores and religion, usually wear nothing but their fur, as you know,” said Foxy. “Wildstar had a pow-wow with Astrena, Desslok, and his officers, and he realized that to let them take a dip in the pool, he couldn’t say ‘People with furry fur get to swim naked while others don’t!’ The Ralkhen would see that as an insult, so, around the pool area, the sunroom, that messhall near the pool on the upper decks, and even on the outer deck once we land…all of those areas are ‘wear whatever you want off-duty to swim or sunbathe, even nothing…’ So, the pool and the sunroom are being carefully policed to keep those Marines and cadets and gunners from going berserk and feeling up women, but you’d be quite overdressed in a one-piece suit right now. Okay? You’ll fit right in in that little bikini, Katrina.”

 

“I’ll try it, but I leave if anyone laughs at me or whistles at me or stares at any part of me barely covered by this tiny bit of cloth…I leave!” said Katrina in a huff.

 

“Okay, get up there and meet me, Katrina. See you in a bit…” Foxy kissed her and ran off.

 

“Foxy maniac!” hissed Katrina as she stood there feeling very exposed in her bikini. “Well, pick up bag, and squirt you with super gun when I get there,” she said.

 

Katrina arrived a few minutes later in the pool, nodding as some men bouncing around a volleyball smiled at her. Not far away, there was a Ralkhen girl that Katrina recognized as a pilot. She had on only her cinnamon-colored fur. She swam near Brew, who was in only his own chocolate-colored skin, taking a skinny dip.

 

“Where are you, Foxy?” cried Katrina.

 

She found him, a moment later, yelling and running down the edge of the pool as he chased young David Forrester down the edge of the pool. He was laughing, and running around in only a little white fundoshi. Foxy, of course, had on his blue suit.

 

Katrina heard some splashing, and she looked across the pool to the area around a banner in blue that read, “SHIPBOARD SWIMMING INTRAMURALS, 2203 RECORD HOLDERS. MEN’S 400 METERS: TETSU KITANO, LIEUTENANT, RUNNER UP, HOMER GLITCHMAN, SENIOR LIEUTENANT. WOMEN’S 400 METERS: NOVA WILDSTAR, LT. COMMANDER, RUNNER UP, DIANE HENSON, LIEUTENANT”

 

A moment later, Nova herself bobbed up from the water as Katrina sucked on a Pocky snack.

 

Katrina rolled up her eyes when she saw that Nova was swimming in the nude like some of the others.

 

“Don’t you ever put on clothes anymore?” she yelled.

 

“When I can go in the water like this, I just like to go in the water like this.”

 

“Don’t you ever feel self-conscious?” asked Katrina.

 

“I do, because sometimes I think…well…my breasts are a little small,’ Nova said as she leaned back in the water, baring her naked breasts above the water’s surface.  Oh, by the way, as you can see, I’m no longer confined to quarters. My sentence was served,” Nova yelled out. “Do you have a Super Soaker?”

 

“Yes, but…”

 

Then, a big blue Gamilon male jumped in the water and grabbed the Ralkhen girl’s butt, making her scream.

 

From the lifeguard’s post, Diane Sandor, who, as Katrina could see, was a nicely muscular woman under her small orange bikini, blew a whistle and yelled, “I don’t care who the fuck you are, you do that again, and you’re outta here and on report to Desslok! For Chrissakes, there’s little kids present! Now apologize!”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, bowing.

 

“Do that again, and I’ll gut you with all my claws, racist scum!” snapped the Ralkhen girl. She swam up to Nova and said, “My sister’s coming aboard ship in a while.”

 

“What’s her name?” Nova said. “Actually, let’s start with yours.”

 

“Lady, I am known as Lula. My sister is named Fela, and she is pregnant and bonded to a friend of yours named Hegen. Fela and Hegen have left their jobs in the hierarchy of the Rigelandian Union Government, and they have both been commissioned as Border Legion special warriors and agents in the Pellian Royal Armed Forces. I wish to remind you that they are coming to Earth with you, as you agreed thirteen days ago. They have been assigned by Astrena to serve and aid you and your family in any way, shape or form possible, as they wish to.”

 

“That’s great!” said Nova, who wondered vaguely how they’d fit all their things in their guesthouse on their property when they came straight home to Earth. The Matrix whispered a thought to Nova’s mind, and she thought, Well, we shall merely cross that bridge when we come to it. 

 

A moment later, Nova got up, and got out of the water.

 

“NICE butt!” yelled Brew.

 

“You and your fixation on tushes,” went Nova, who grabbed Brew, flipped him around, and yelled, “NICE butt, Ladies!”

 

Brew’s dark skin flushed.

 

“NICE BUTT, NOVA! YOURS, THAT IS!” yelled a Space Marine, who was swimming in only a fundoshi.

“Excuse me, Katrina,” said Nova.

 

Nova raised a hand, and Katrina’s Super Soaker flew up out of her bag into Nova’s hands.

 

Nova then squirted the Space Marine in the butt, and then floated the weapon to Katrina.

 

Laughing, Katrina squirted the Marine, and then she squirted Nova.

 

Nova squealed with laughter, and then, she grabbed a water pistol from Brew and squirted Katrina.

 

Foxy joined in the fight with a Super Soaker of his own, causing both Nova and Katrina to scream and push him into the pool, where the Ralkhen pilots got him, and splashed water on his head for a while.

 

With Foxy occupied, Nova sat on a spare starting block, and sat on a towel while she put on her sandals.

 

Then, in nothing else, she pushed back her wet hair, and said to Katrina, “Katrina, before I put on this towel and go in the locker room and throw on a bikini top and shorts to check out the sunroom, are my breasts, in your learned opinion, too….?”

 

“No, Nova. They are not too small,” said Katrina with a smile. “You’d actually look very pretty if ze Derek took picture of you in happy pose! I am too wet, though.”

 

“Go swimming…that’ll solve your problem,” said Nova as she covered up her nudity with her towel a moment later.

 

Nova then giggled as Foxy grabbed her and pulled her into the water with the help of David and Aurora Forrester. The little boy in his little white fundoshi, and little girl in only bikini bottoms gave each other a high five as their big sister came up behind them in her towel and hugged them.

 

“Good job, you two,” said Nova. She winked at Katrina and said, “See you later!”

 

“I’ll get you for this, dear…if it is last thing ever I do,” said Katrina as she shook her fist at Nova.

 

“Let’s see you try,” grinned Nova. “Oh. Are you any good at knife-throwing?” Nova mused.

 

Katrina almost went white at that. “How…did…you…?”

 

“Just a hunch,” said Nova with a smile. “You seem the type to enjoying throwing knives. Takes dexterity…” Nova then slipped down her towel and slipped up her shoulder. “Princess Invidia was good with throwing knives, too. She got me in the shoulder right here with a poisoned one, once. Almost took me to death’s door when I was pregnant with Alex and Ariel….”

 

Then, the room slipped away from Nova, and she had a vision of herself running in full uniform and boots with a flak jacket on, at night, in some cold square that looked like someplace in Russia. Troops that looked like ancient Soviets were firing old-style slug weapons at her, some Space Marines and some Ralkhen troops.

 

Nova had a bloody vision of herself in pain, agonizing pain, hit in the arm with a slug that broke an arm bone above her wrist to the point where the end of the bone actually broke through her skin and gold uniform, with blood everywhere. Yet, she gritted her teeth, used her good hand, and made a bright light appear and healed her arm. Then, enraged, she swiveled, and shot down her tormentor with an AK-01 Carbine laser weapon.

 

“What is with you?” whispered Katrina. “You look like you…saw a ghost?”

 

“I did…from the past? Or the future?” said Nova enigmatically. She closed up her towel and ran off.

 

Katrina looked frightened.

 

“What’s wrong?” whispered Foxy.

 

Katrina whispered, “I think she is…close to finding out…secret….please…no….”

 

“Trelaina said she’d protect you,” whispered Foxy.

 

“Will she?” sobbed back Katrina. ”Will she?”

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

VI. NEW PELLIAS

The Mecanner System

Tuesday, May 9, 2209

1500 Hours: Earth Space-Time

__________________________________________________________________________

 

 

A plane landed on the Argo, shortly before her final space warp with the rest of the Fleet. It was now about fifteen hundred hours; mid-afternoon, Earth time…but it was actually morning in the local time.

 

Then, after the Fleet warped, Derek and the First Bridge crew saw Pellias looming in their windows.

 

“We’re at New Pellias,” said Commodore Wildstar.

 

Krista Dijal looked at Commodore Wildstar and said, “My punishment is over with. I can return to my own Fleet. I will take my leave…”

 

“Yes, your sentence is finished…but…you have new orders from Desslok,” said Derek.

 

“What are they?” she groaned.

 

“You’re going to stay with us until we leave New Pellias,” said Commodore Wildstar with a smile.

 

“What?” groaned Dijal. “No…please…NO!”

 

“These are Desslok’s orders,” said Commodore Wildstar.

 

“Why me?” groaned Krista.

 

The Argo landed in the ocean near the Capital of the Rigelandian Union a while later.

 

Her landing was peaceful and calm. The ship would spend her entire stay cruising about in the sea like the ocean-going warship she once had been.

 

At a briefing a while later at seventeen hundred, shipboard time, Commodore Wildstar said, “I would like to have Commander Nova Wildstar introduce two of our guests. These people are some of our new allies, and they are representative of their race, the Ralkhen.”

 

Eager said, “When are ya introducin’ them, Nova?”

 

“Soon,” she said as she stood there beside Derek in her dress white Headquarters uniform, worn with a dressy pair of sandals and a new coat red polish on her toenails for the warm weather they had already picked up in Rigelandia on Meccaner III, which was becoming New Pellias. “With the Captain’s permission, I’d like to go over our revised schedule. We will be here on New Pellias for five days, until late Saturday, the fifteenth. After a joint exercise with the Pellian and Gamilon Fleets, we will depart on Sunday, May the sixteenth,” Nova said.

 

“Long stay,” said Dash.

 

“Ya know of any places on this planet where we can pick up women, Nova?” said Knox with a leer and a wink.

 

“There are such…places…” Nova said. “Derek and I went ashore for a short while with Hegen and Fela…and they gave us…recommendations for…uh….places you can go to in order to pick up…women. I talked with the proprietor of such a place…myself. The lady had on only her negligee at 0600 local time. Seems…she had to work for the troops and sailors of a Rigelandian aircraft carrier that came in last night. I performed seven quick physicals myself an hour ago with Fela’s aid. The women…are quite…tidy,” Nova said with a deep blush.

 

“What’d they have on for their physicals?” leered Knox.

 

 “What I wear to my own…my birthday suit; standard operating procedure and regs,” Nova said, not wanting to add that in one particularly hot and fetid bedroom, she had found herself working in just her slip due to the horrid humidity, heat and her own sweat, complete with her having had to take a shower after she had finished with examining the girl in that room. “Would you get off this line of reasoning now, Sergeant?  I’m not particularly comfortable talking about what I saw in some whorehouse where the poor women there will soon have to put up with you guys!”

 

“This reminds me of something out of Catch-22,” said Dash with a grin.

 

“For you, it would,” said Mark Venture with a grin.

 

Nova looked at her sheet and said, “Before I introduce Fela and Hegen, there are a few briefing notes and shore leave pointers from the Captain I wish to discuss, complete with…There was once a Man from Nantucket, whose thing was so….”  

 

Nova stopped and blushed fiercely. “IQ-9! Did you write my briefing notes?” Nova snapped as the crew tittered.

 

“I did, Nova,” said IQ. “Why?”

 

“Okay, leaving out the other five filthy adolescent limericks you typed in here, including the final one about myself, you diseased hunk of scrap metal, forgetting that this is NOT COMEDY NIGHT, I would like to introduce Hegen and Fela from New Pellias. Hegen is a Ralkhen skilled in combat, driving, and infiltration, while his wife Fela, who is expecting, is a med-tech. Ladies and gentlemen, please give these two Ralkhen a warm welcome to the Star Force for the remainder of this cruise,” Nova said.

 

The crew applauded as Derek and Nova laid their hands on the Ralkhens’ furry shoulders.

 

“I’m going to give them a tour of the ship now,” said Derek. “Venture, you take command.”

 

“Yessir,” said Mark. “Nova, let’s see the rest of your briefing notes, please…”

 

“Sure,” she said. “Rip out page twelve…IQ-9 was sketching me. I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” Nova whispered.

 

Venture looked at page thirteen, cleared his throat, and said, “All right, everyone, now hear this…this is our agenda for our stay here on New Pellias…”

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

A little later on, a bit after Derek brought his guests to Messhall Number Three, which was near both the Argo’s sunroom and the ship’s swimming pool.

 

“Look at this,” said Queen Astrena as she passed a girl in swimwear in a corridor, who was followed by her naked boyfriend before they parted with a kiss to head for their locker rooms to again dress. “Captain, I could have worn my ceremonial gown to the ship!”

 

“You’re back aboard the Gamilstadt now?” asked Derek.

 

Astrena blushed and said, “Why, yes, Commodore. Desslok and I worked out our differences last night, and Aisha and I came back over from my flagship to his. We had quite a reunion. Aisha is with her brother and father right now on the Gamilstadt. I anticipate meeting them in King Roland’s palace later tonight after we declare the Commonwealth whole again.”

 

General Troughton said, “Do you usually have the sea air blowing through your ship like this?” asked General Troughton as he boarded the Argo.

 

“No, only when we are on a fine planet with nice weather such as New Pellias,” said Derek.

 

“The breeze feels good,” said Fela, who purred at Hegen as he hugged her.

 

At that, they entered the Messhall, got some food, and sat down to eat.

 

A few minutes later, other crew members began to show up.

 

 

Not long after putting on the new satiny dress that had emerged from the Dynamic-Do all, Nova ran down to the messhall to meet Derek.

 

Nova had not been able to get made up the flexible soft boots she would have needed to have her outfit look the way it had in her vision on Abraxas when she had met Anne Boleyn, and she had tried on every spare boot, sandal, and pump she had with her, and had determined that literally none of her shoes looked right with the dress.

 

So, Nova simply buttoned the dress on over herself and went barefoot in it.

 

She received a lot of smiles from male crew members, therefore, as she flounced down from the upper parts of the ship in her new dress.

 

It was nearly nineteen hundred hours; almost dinnertime aboard the Argo, shipboard time, but it was not yet even noon in the nearby capital city.

 

Nova made the doors whiz open in the main messhall, and Derek looked up, startled, from the lunch that he was sharing with Mark Venture, their friend General Troughton, Queen Astrena, young Hegen the Ralkhen, who had another Ralkhen beside him, his cute, adorable, kittenish pregnant mate, who had a pretty tortoiseshell pattern in her fur, which was, of course, her only covering.

 

“Hello, there, Hegen,” Nova said, smiling as Derek kissed her, and she kissed him back on the lips Then, she kissed Mark on the cheek, shook hands with General Troughton, and hugged and kissed Hegen. Then, she kissed Fela and said, “You’re his mate; the one with child?”

 

“I am,” she said softly.

 

She then stood, bowed to Nova, and kissed her hand.

 

Nova hugged her and kissed her back.

 

Fela whispered in her ear, shocked, “Your…your Majesty!”

 

“You can just call me Nova,” said Nova in her quiet way. “We worked together before, remember? I’m not all that much more special or gifted than you are. I feel your place in your gestalt, and even our bodies are not all that much dissimilar, even though I have less fur than you. Nova then smiled and put her bare foot against Fela’s foot. “You’re about my height, and you’d about be my shoe size, if you wore shoes,” Nova laughed.

 

“That is a pretty dress,” said Fela.

 

“It’s patterned after a design in Earth’s past,” Nova said as she got a tray. “Derek, Mark, what’s the lunch special today?”

 

“Beefaroni with sauce,” snorted Derek. “It’s just another way of using up the mystery meat.”

 

“Good, I’ll take a double helping,” Nova said. “I’m pregnant, too. Close to two months along; twins,” she said.

 

“Oh…that’s how come we can’t see it yet,” said Fela.

“She keeps secrets well,” said Astrena softly.

 

Nova walked up, followed by IQ-9.

 

“Hi, IQ,” said Nova, who began to blush as she realized what he might be doing. “Uh…what are you up to?”

 

“Very nice dress, Nova…but I’d like to see some other things?”

 

“And those are?”

 

“YOUR LEGS!” he screeched as he zipped past…

 

…and grabbed at Nova’s skirt!

 

The little robot grabbed, pulled, and lifted Nova’s dress.

 

As he grabbed at her dress, and it came open up to her neck, popping buttons everywhere, Nova screeched and turned beet-red.

 

The reason was simple.

 

Beneath her dress, for coolness, and ease in toddler care if needed, she had on nothing but panties…panties that IQ-9 had grabbed at as he had run past and grabbed at her…panties that were now ripped as they slid down Nova’s legs a moment later. And, now, everyone in the messhall could see that, as all of Nova from her breasts to her womanhood to her legs, all the way down to her toes, suddenly became exposed.

 

Nova yelped, and then she looked around.

 

Some of them looked at her, clapping and laughing.

 

Nova put up her hands, and said (even though she was ashamed and angry at IQ for exposing her), “Excuse me! We’re near the pool and sunroom, and under uniform regulation X-Ray anyway, so I don’t know if we should be laughing! This is really…very adolescent! IQ-9, this is just as stupid as the limericks you put in my briefing notes before! We have two Ralkhen aboard, namely, Hegen, and Fela…our guests. They are not wearing any clothes like many of those next to us in the pool! By custom, all they have for covering in peacetime is their fur. We can’t mock them, or their nudity, so….with my dress torn and not really covering any of me now, what can I do for now, except just take it off?”

 

She did that, simply and elegantly removing her now-useless dress, and pulling the ornamental bib off over her head as she neatly folded up the dress and stepped out of her ruined panties (that, nonetheless, she was going to make IQ-9 pay her for). Then, Nova just stood there, looking very dignified and very calm in the nude.

 

Nova remembered that near the end of her collegiate career, before being called up for the EDF, she and her whole team had swam in two swim meets almost like this, naked except for a bathing cap with the school colors, because their swimsuits had finally become too frayed and worn and torn to look decent when swimming, and with the Gamilon War at its height, no one could get replacement swimwear, so their team went without rather than cancelling the season. Their competition had been reduced to the same state. Derek had seen a picture or two of Nova competing unclad on the swim team in her old college yearbook.

 

She saw Hegen and Fela smiling.

 

Nova then changed position a little, handed IQ-9 her discarded clothing, and she then did a cute little pirouette on the balls of her feet and her toes. She

calmly stood there with her hands up, saying, “Well, I am now out of the pink number I created….and down to what I came into the world in….must say…it’s comfortable,” she said with a little laugh. “And, what they call wash and wear…”

 

The crew laughed and applauded at Nova’s calm and witty smile in the nude as she then took a bow and turned to Derek, giving him a peck on the cheek and a little hug that looked…adorable.

 

“Nova, uh…are you going to run around the whole ship like that? Not just the area around the pool?” Derek said as he stood there with his young wife in his arms.

 

“I’m not going that far. After I eat, I’ll show Fela and Hegen the pool…although I will soon be outside two decks above with the deck-washing detail,” she said. “I believe this is acceptable wear for being out on the deck with a hose in the heat?”

 

Derek nodded. Some of the Living Group crew and cadets were working unshirted, some in their underwear, some in swimwear, and some were naked. Indeed, a moment later, a naked female Sergeant Nova knew came in laughing next to a man in a fundoshi as the wet crewmembers went up to the counter and got drinks, near a man from Combat Group who was in only as swimsuit who had just dropped in from the ship’s pool. A moment later, a bare-breasted young woman from Living Group who had on only a towel showed up from the nearby sunroom with Lieutenant Sheri Brinker from Living Group, who was naked. 

 

“Nova?” said IQ-9.

 

“Please don’t poke me. Help me pick up my buttons. You will be sewing them back onto my dress later; that is your punishment,” Nova said frostily as she and IQ picked up some of the buttons.

 

Nova then also sent to Derek, I would normally be livid at the Tinwit now. But, if I make a really big show out of not being clothed, wouldn’t it embarrass our Ralkhen friends? After all, they have nothing on, so I’m trying to be nonchalant about this, like I was at one of those college swim meets I told you about. This also gives them a chance to see what we look like.

 

Good thought, Derek said as Hegen said, “Nova, now that you are, by fate, shall we say, on the same level as myself and Fela, we can see your pregnancy…”

 

“Yes,” Nova said. “Fela, you can rub my stomach when I sit down,” she said as she folded her dress and sat down on the lining at her seat. While sitting next to Fela on one of the long Upper Messhall benches, flanked by Hegen, with Derek and Astrena sitting nearby, Nova’s nudity looked almost normal.

 

Nova encouraged Fela to touch her lower abdomen above her pubic mound and said, “That’s the only section where there is a bulge now? See? Right now, you only see it when I’m nude below the waist. But, in a few weeks, my stomach will begin to swell like yours.”

 

“I can see the fullness at your breasts and the darker nipples,” said Fela. “Not that much unlike other humans I’ve seen in your condition, even though you are very slender. Your hips must be narrow…”

 

“Well, I’ve already given birth to two,” Nova said.

 

“Naturally?” asked Hegen.

 

Nova blushed again, and then she thought, What is there for me to hide right now? I’m sitting here eating my Beefaroni in the nude! She then said, “Yes. Naturally.”

 

“Right in a shuttle craft,” Derek said. “This was one very brave lady; she gritted her teeth and pushed on through her labor pains sans medication…”

 

“Considering you knew no psychic discipline then, that was a very brave act, as I have read in your book,” said Astrena in awe. “Most Pellians know at least enough to damp their labor pains somewhat when they deliver.”

 

Nova nodded, looking down at herself as she thought, I wonder where I’m going to lie giving birth this time around when it is time for Anya and Steve to be born? This time, I will want Anya and Steve in the room with me as much as possible, and I have no plans to wear very much while I take care of them….In fact, this would turn out to be true; it would still be very warm around the holidays when Nova gave birth, and for her hospital stay, her only garment would be one of three light yukatas.

 

“So where are you going after we eat?” Derek asked.

 

“I’m going out to supervise the deck-washing detail,” Nova said. “After I take a dip in the pool and put on some sunscreen, of course…”

 

A moment later, Vic Knox and four of his buddies from the Communications Squad of Headquarters Platoon, namely, a Private named Brown, another one known as “Seabags”, someone named Schachter, and a guy named Okajima popped in, cursing, laughing, punching each other in the arm, and yelling about “Them cat people!”

 

Hegen overheard the crack, and his ears went back and he hissed. “Idiots.”

 

“They don’t mean anything,” said Fela.

 

“No, they don’t,” Nova said.

 

Artwork Below: “Messhall” © 2012 by Anonymous Reader—All Rights Reserved

 

 

Derek looked at her and said, “Nova, after what happened the other day when Knox got into our cabin, maybe you’d better pop out of here with Fela while I get the kids to the pool.”

 

“Yeah, Nova, you know Knox is an idiot,” said Venture. “He’d have his hands all over you…”

 

“He wants to have his greasy hands all over me when I’m dressed, so what’s the big deal?” Nova said calmly. “Besides, after when he popped into our cabin, he already knows what I look like from head to toe…”

 

“But you’re not nursing any kids, now, Nova,” said Derek. “That won’t protect…”

 

Knox and his men turned their heads and they stared at Hegen, Fela, at Astrena in her light gown, and at Derek, Venture, and Nova in her bare skin next to Fela.

 

Nova saw them, smiled at them, and their mouths dropped open when they saw she was naked.

 

“Hi….IQ-9 got a little bit frisky,” said Nova. “Would you like my fries, Knox? I’m not that hungry now.”

 

Brown said, “Ma’am…I see your….your shirt’s off…got any shoes on?”

 

“No,” said Nova as she stuck her legs up under the table, pointing her toes at the group.

 

“Any pants, ma’am?” said ‘Seabags’.

 

“No,” said Nova as Derek helped her stand up…and it became apparent that she definitely had no pants on. He covered her nether parts with his hand while he said, “Nova, we have places to go, right?”

 

“Yes, we do,” said Nova. “See you guys later,” she said.

 

Okajima pounded the table and whistled as they took off, until Venture yelled, “Shut up, you idiot!”

 

“You talkin’ to my men like that?” growled Gunnery Sergeant Victor Knox.

 

“Yes, I am,” said Venture.

 

“Why?” said Knox as Fela and Hegen made an exit with Astrena.

 

“Because Nova is not to be casually leered at, you damn Marine,” said Venture. “You wanna make something of it?”

 

“You know, fucker, I just might,” hissed Knox.

 

“All right…let’s go the gym,” snapped Venture.

 

Knox shoved him.

 

“Screw you, Captain Venture! You’ve been on my ass ever since I piped aboard your tub!” hissed Knox. “Why the hell don’t we go for it right here?”

 

Knox shoved Venture into a chair.

 

Venture hit the chair and he came up swinging, connecting with a shot right to Knox’s nose.

 

Soon, “Seabags” swung at Hardy, who came in looking for a Pepsi.

 

Hardy swung back, grunting as Okajima kicked him in the knee.

 

“What the hell’s goin’ on?” yelled Paul Rosstowski as he ran into the upper messhall, followed by Deke Wakefield.

 

Rosstowski was answered by a punch in the mouth from Brown.

 

Okajima yelled, and five more Marines ran in.

 

“Rosstowski, get some guys from Combat!” roared Venture as two of the women in swimsuits ran from the messhall, screaming,

 

A random Marine caught one of them, ripped her bikini top off, and waved it at the crowd as the yelling, cursing brawl was on.

 

So far, the score was: Star Force, 2, and Marines 1.

 

And the brawl…turned into a riot!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER….

 

Unaware (as of yet) in the brawl in the Upper Messhall, Derek gathered up little Alex and Ariel and he undressed both toddlers down to their bare skin in the Captain’s Quarters, where Derek also stripped, putting on only a fundoshi and a pair of thong sandals himself.

 

Commodore Wildstar gave an announcement; then he reprogrammed the ship’s clocks (for now) to local time, pushing the main clock readout back to twelve hundred and two hours, but leaving Tokyo Megalopolis Standard Earth-time of Nineteen Forty-Six up on the readouts in smaller numbers below the local time.  

 

“Daddy, are we gonnas swim with Mommy soon?” asked Alex as Derek tickled his naked son.

 

“Uh-huh,” said Derek as he picked up Ariel. “I see Mommy tied up your hair before.”

 

“Googplexie tied,” giggled Ariel. “Count my toesies, Daddy!”

 

Derek smiled at his daughter. During this whole cruise, she had either worn only sandals or went barefoot, so this was rather easy to do. He ticked his little daughter’s feet as he held her, and then began to count, “One…two…three…four….five…six…” at each of her toes, kissing her as Alex ran around him in circles, with his little bare feet slapping against the deck as he ran. Alex, like his sister, had gotten much more confident in walking, and the soles of his feet had gotten a little thicker, to the point that he could run down a cold deck barefoot without whining about it; like his sister, he also whined during the few times when socks were put on him, so Nova had put away his socks and closed dress shoes; like his sister, he now only wore his sandals or went barefoot himself.

 

When they arrived down at the pool deck, they saw their naked, pretty mother getting out of the water and they both jumped for joy at the sight of her.   

 

Nova clambered up a ladder and knelt on the green pool deck nearby, glad for the slightly filtered sunlight because the indirect skylight system that had been installed some time ago in this deck was picking up Pellias’ sun. In space, it picked up starlight that made the pool space useable at all watches with very little artificial lighting. The sun was so bright at this hour that the pool inside the Argo almost felt as if it was outside!

 

“What do you use this pool for?” asked Fela as she came in with Hegen.

 

“Training, physical fitness, and recreation,” said Derek as he watched Alex, getting him to calm down with a tap on his shoulder. Derek then kicked off his thongs and took off his fundoshi and he ran around, caught an edge of the pool with his toes, and he dived in with a splash, now naked himself.

 

He didn’t know it yet, but the way things would turn out, he and Nova would spend most of what would prove to be an eventful day running around in the nude.

 

“Can they swim?” Fela asked as she held and kissed Ariel.

 

Ariel was delighted with her, screaming, “BIG KITTY!” at the top of her little lungs.

 

“They can swim, all right,” said Nova. “I wouldn’t trust them to do a triathlon, which is a Terran sports event that includes a long run, a long swim, and a long bicycle ride yet, but they can paddle along in shallow water and are learning to transition from a dog paddle to a full crawl. Just like this,” Nova said as she jumped into the water, followed by Alex.

 

When she got out a few minutes later with two dripping, bare toddlers who showed they could swim, everyone applauded. Nova kissed Derek and took the kids off somewhere for a bit.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

A FEW MINUTES LATER….

 

Derek slipped into the shower after their swim, lathering up with some soap, and relaxing as he thought, A day off with Nova and the kids is probably what I need about now. She says I’m working too hard, and I’m beginning to agree with her. I’m going space-happy, maybe? I can’t wait to get this damn cruise over with, dock this ship, and have a summer off with Nova and the kids while her stomach gets bigger and bigger and she can eat her pickles and ice cream at home….

 

As he showered up and thought of Nova, he began to get….hard down there.

 

I hope one of the guys does not show up in here and make fun of this…I’m thinking of my wife…so, what’s wrong with that, getting a Willie when you think of your….sexy pregnant wife running around naked on a beach on a near hundred degree day on an alien planet?

 

The door to the shower room opened. Before Derek could say a thing, the lithe naked figure that popped into the shower with him smiled, put a finger to her lips, and knelt before Derek.

 

“Nova…I…you can’t be in here…”

 

“Shhh…Fela’s got the kids for now….and I decided I wanted to sneak around a little…”

 

“With what? With who?” said Derek.

 

“Shhhh,” whispered Nova as she put a practiced hand on his member as she knelt on her toes. “I detected your thoughts. You’re going to need me to wash this, aren’t you?”

 

“Nova…if we’re caught in here…”

 

“Shhh….we’re safe for a few minutes if you don’t talk,” Nova whispered back. “Enough time for me to do…this…”

 

Nova kissed his manhood, and then, she sweetly but brazenly took him into her mouth, and began to make him feel wonderful while she put a hand between her legs and began to play with herself while Derek pleasured the nipples of her unclad breasts.

 

Soon, Derek was shaking on the wet shower room floor, and shivering, and, before long, he was at the point of climax.

 

His climax came right in Nova’s mouth.

 

She smiled a little and lapped up the product as she trembled. Finally, she sat on the edge of a small tub in the pool shower room, gasping as Derek used his tongue between her long, extended legs to make her feel wonderful.

 

With her breasts in his hands being played with, some milk spurted blamelessly out as he drew Nova closer to orgasm.

 

Nova came about five minutes later, thrashing on the floor.

 

She and Derek laughed and made sure they got very clean before they left the shower room behind….

 

________________________________________________________

 

A while later, after a second shower in their cabin (which Nova reached with Derek and the kids by teleporting there), and spending some time cuddling little Alex and giving him her breasts, Nova put on some sunscreen, took off her nail polish, and teleported out onto the main deck as the Argo sat bobbing at anchor in the sea near Rigelandia’s capital, which was, of course, known as Beltane.

 

On the main deck, Diane Sandor laughed as she worked at scrubbing down an anti-spacecraft gun that she was straddling in the heat in only her bikini bottoms. “So, Nova, you decided to strip down like the rest of us!”

 

“Actually, blame IQ-9,” Nova said with a laugh as she worked with a hose and a scrub brush, strangely comfortable in her nakedness in the humid, sticky sun. “I had a nice dress on in the cafeteria, and he tried his skirt-lifting bit but ended up ripping it off me, instead, along with my underpants!”

 

Diane squealed with laughter. “How embarrassed were you?”

 

“Oh, I was embarrassed; until I noticed that Hegen and Fela were on board. Since they don’t have on anything but their fur, I didn’t make a big thing of suddenly being naked,” Nova said. “Derek and I are supposed to take the kids to the beach today, anyway, so, I think I know what my play wear will be, for the rest of the day…”

 

At that, Nova stopped working, and she shaded her eyes and pointed at a girl on the beach while keeping her feet cool with the hose by spraying water on it. “Do you see that hat that girl has on, with the long veil? And those red flip-flops? I have a matching set like that in pink that the King gave me. I’m expected to model that outfit in public at some point, and the beach is a good place for it.”

 

Diane laughed while she scrubbed and said, “Lucky you! I have work back in Engineering later, and I have to get dressed…”

 

A moment later, Derek came up, holding both Alex and Ariel by the hand. All three of them were still naked from their swim..

 

“Mommy!” squealed the naked little girl as she ran to her mother’s arms while Nova hugged her and dragged her hose. “Hi, Derek! I’m going over to the port side deck to work on that gun. Where’s Alex?”

 

“Getting a bath,” Derek said. “Fela’s washing him and they’re playing in the shower. She’ll bring him out in a moment.”

 

“Where’s my hat and the other things?” Nova asked.

 

“I already put them in a Jet Recon Boat,” Derek said. “We’ll take it right over to the main beach.” Derek then looked at the crew and said, “I know it’s hot out here, people, so this is okay for the holystoning and deck-scrubbing detail. However, back aboard ship, when you are back on duty, you’re expected to be in uniform….just a reminder!”

 

“Right, sir,” said the Combat Group Sergeant in command of the cadet detail scrubbing down the deck; he had his shirt off and was barefoot with his pants legs rolled up. “Junior Cadets, when we get back inside, shower up and then stand ready for an inspection in an hour! Fun time’s almost over!”

 

Some of the teenaged JSCC cadets groaned, until Nova said, “You heard the sergeant! He gave an order! I’ll have to be clean and shipshape after my liberty call later on, too. If you kids want liberty on the beach later, we get back to routine after this deck scrub!”

 

“You heard her!” Derek snapped.

 

“Yessir!” snapped the cadets.

 

Then, Diane giggled as she saw Ariel standing there saluting her parents.

 

“You don’t have to salute, little one,” she said.

 

“Wanna googleplexie be a cadet,” said Ariel. “Wanna march around and help Mommy fix up wounded people.”

 

“You’re too little to march,” Nova said as she hugged her daughter while Derek mussed up her hair. “And too cute…”

 

“What do you want, Ariel?” said Derek.

 

“Beachy toys, to see my baby brother and sister, Santa to come this Christmas with lots of toys, Fluffy to be NICE to Daddy, and…Mommy Boobies!” Ariel squealed as she ran into her mother’s lap.

 

While some of the cadets that went past smiled, Ariel crawled up and latched on and began to nurse at Nova’s breast as she worked with the hose.

 

Derek smiled at Nova as Hegen and Fela came up with little Alex running along with them. Alex, like Ariel, had been stripped down for his beach trip, and he stopped to get a drink of water from a hose held by a bemused cadet.

 

Then, he ran around his father, and squealed, “Daddy, when are we going? Daddy, when are we going? DADDY, WHEN ARE WE GOING?”

 

“As soon as Mommy is done with your sister,” said Derek.

 

Indeed, Nova was burping Ariel (whose feed was fairly short this time) and getting up to follow Derek a moment later. She looked at Diane and said, “You’re in charge of this detail until Lieutenant Sanchez gets out here. I told her to report to you and then to take command and wrap things up by fourteen hundred hours local time so that the deck can dry off for the ceremony later tonight at seventeen hundred local time. I got the worst of the barnacles and junk off this lower part of this gun house…make sure it looks good,” Nova said.

 

“Aye, ma’am,” said Diane.

 

At that, Nova took both toddlers by the hands, and off she went with them, following Derek, Hegen and Fela back into the ship.

 

Once inside, Nova teleported them back to the Captain’s Quarters.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

A WHILE LATER….

 

Nova and Derek had been in their shower for a while in their cabin, with Alex and Ariel running in and out, in and out…

 

Nova was also pleased to see that Hegen and Fela liked the shower. They quickly washed the chlorine from the swimming pool out of their fur, and then, Hegen said, “I’m going to be taking Fela to our cabin for a while. Alex and Ariel were wondering how we dry our fur, if that is okay…”

 

“…and we’d like to show them the dryer we use,” said Fela.

 

Fela then smiled at Nova and sent, through the Ralkhen gestalt, Besides, we sense that you want to be alone right now…better if the children are not there….and I sense you will have some extraordinary experiences today….

 

Nova smiled and nodded back.

 

After she kissed Alex and Ariel goodbye, she whispered to Derek, “Did you sense that we…didn’t really get finished before, down there in the shower room?”

 

 “I….well,” said Derek.

 

“I can read your thoughts…just be quiet,” Nova whispered as she stood on her toes, kissed Derek, and made sure the one-way glass was activated in the Captain’s Quarters.

 

As Nova kissed Derek, she said, “Let’s be honest. We haven’t really had much time to do this in several days. When we did, it was part of an argument. We’re alone…we’re completely naked, and…I want to jump in the rack with you for a bit…”

 

“In the worst way,” said Derek as he kissed Nova.

 

“Yes,” said Derek as he kissed her back, following the kiss on her lips with kisses that led down to Nova’s collarbone, and then right to her nipples.

 

Nova laughed as Derek teased her breasts while they pulled down their bunk.

 

Then, they went up on the bunk, and Nova fell back against Derek, letting Derek pleasure her between her legs with his fingers, his tongue (after he knelt on the bed before her) and then, he got back onto the bed and pulled her onto him, inserting his hardened member into her just as Nova spread herself open for him.

 

Then, the sex began in earnest, as they went and went and went at each other as their dance started and then continued. Soon, they were really thrusting at each other as the lovemaking went on and on and on.  

 

“GOD!” Derek cried as he stopped sucking at her breasts. “YOU are making me melt!”

 

“Likewise, Skipper,” Nova gasped.

Derek held her up as she pushed up and down and up and down on the balls of her feet.

 

More hot melting moments of pleasure followed as Derek pulled out and changed position and sucked on Nova’s breast and reached his hand around and pleasured her between her legs while their dance went on. He soon took her again on the bed.

 

Finally Derek began to gasp, and so did Nova.

 

For both of them, the sensual pleasure was making them just melt.

 

And it was so intense that they were not talking about much, but making love like maniacs.

 

“Are we almost there?” Nova gasped.

 

“Hell, yeah,” said Derek.

 

“When you start to….you know…pull out of me!” said Nova.

 

“Why?” gasped Derek.

 

“I want you to…explode all over me!” Nova gasped. “Sometimes, oh…God…I like it….!”

 

Derek went at her for a minute longer. Then, as he felt his climax coming, he pulled partially out, and let his member tease her from the outside. Finally, he exploded in a gushing climax, against Nova’s womanhood, outside of it, all over the place, just as she had asked.

 

It was a big mess, but it felt wonderful to Derek, and Nova liked the feeling of losing control and having her lover’s hot gift all over her nude body.

 

Nova shut her eyes and climaxed at the same time, shaking against him as her orgasm hit and her toes curled.

 

It was a big, big, happy mess of pleasure.

 

Nova then lay in his lap, sighing as Derek suckled her breast, as she lay there wet with her juices and his mingled together.

 

Then, they just both began to laugh. And, they kept on laughing as they kissed, got some baby wipes, and began to clean each other up before running back into the shower together.

 

When they got out of the shower, they heard Alex and Ariel, laughing as Hegen and Fela came up the steps…with dry fur.

 

Soon, Nova gathered some things…and she teleported them again into a waiting Jet Recon boat that took off from the forward maintenance bay near Mechanical in the keel of the ship.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

A FEW MINUTES LATER….

 

Derek was running the Jet Recon Boat as it cruised through the ocean, heading towards the North Beach. He sat on a towel, still wearing nothing but his skin and a pair of flip-flops as he ran the boat in the sun.

 

Beside him, Nova sat adjusting her large hat; the big hat provided a good amount of shade under its brim, and the light pink veil did its job in protecting her naked skin, while the light matching thongs she wore protected the soles of her bare feet. Nova was getting a little bit of motion sickness on this ride, probably due to her pregnancy. Derek had, of course, made sure she had tested her blood sugars and taken some insulin before leaving the ship. She had her kit and an insulin injectable pen with her in a small cold pack inside a bag she kept near her person. The bag also held a bikini in case Nova had to travel anywhere where she had to be clothed later, such as a restaurant. Derek had a similar bag with a pair of shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops for himself, and light clothes for the toddlers, as well as sunscreen and other such oddments for the beach.

 

Alex and Ariel had been forced into life jackets for this ride, and Mother Miarahl was keeping them in their seat and entertained as she told them stories of what had happened when the Ralkhen had first come to Mecanner III long ago.

 

In the back of the boat sat Hegen and Fela, who cuddled as Fela told Hegen, “It’s almost my time, you know…”

 

Artwork Below: “The New Hat” © 2012 by Anonymous Reader—All Rights Reserved

 

“I know that, dear. I can feel the life inside you. Where do you think you’ll deliver?”

“Probably on the ship, on the way to Terra,” said Fela.

 

“I hope that does not cause a problem,” said Hegen softly as he held his mate.

 

“Miarahl is coming to Terra with us; between her, Nova, and the odd little doctor who looked at me before, we should be fine,” said Fela. “Why did that odd little human drink on duty?”

 

“That’s always been his way,” Nova said as she kicked off her sandals and gripped the dashboard of the speedboat with her toes. “I’m not feeling good…”

 

“We’ll be ashore soon,” said Derek as he rubbed her back behind her veil.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

A little white later, Nova, with her sandals back on, was walking slowly down the beach, carrying a large carryall bag while she carried little Ariel, who was waving as she suckled her mother’s conveniently nude breast.

 

Derek walked along beside her with a smile as Alex jumped up and down between him and his mother, screeching, “Sandy sand! They got sandy sand here! And it’s hot! And no clothes! Like Iscandar! WHEEEE!”

 

Not far away, little Maetel, who had just joined the expedition for the day, ran along, with nothing on her but her flip-flops and a black hat with veil that the sea breeze was threatening to take.

 

Maetel was jumping up, trying to catch her hat, a cute figure of motion as Mother Miarahl approached.

 

“KITTY!” screamed Alex and Ariel together.

 

Miarahl bowed and smiled at them, and Nova, Hegen and Fela returned the bow. Derek caught on and motioned for the other humans present to bow.

 

Maetel bowed, with her hat falling off. “Darn this thing!” she squealed.

 

“That’s all right, dear,” said Miarahl as she bowed to Maetel and helped her put it back on. “In your future, a black hat shall be one of your hallmarks.”

 

“She’s right,” said Nova as she got a mental image of a grown Maetel, in Russian hat, black dress, and boots, approaching through a cloud of steam with a solemn nod on her face.

 

Nova then got an eerie image of a much older, but still beautiful, Maetel solemnly placing a white orchid on a white gravestone somewhere. The gravestone was at the foot of a broken, ancient column, and there was a vast honor guard all around, of what looked like hundreds, no…thousands of people…

 

….the vision faded before Nova could make out any of the writing on the gravestone, which was in several languages…but she thought she could make out the Japanese, which read in part: 古代雪 医者.

 

Nova thought, It went by so fast…I was able to read “Doctor” near the end of the name, but I could not read any of the rest of it. And where is that column, and what is that place? Someone very important must have been laid to rest there…

 

Nova did not know it, but she had just been given an unusual prophetic insight…

 

…of what would be her own burial service and the grave where her mortal remains would finally lie someday, becoming one with the soil of some world, wrapped in only a thin shroud…

 

…and her shroud would…literally… in the future, be the very hat and veil that shielded her naked body from the sun now.

 

Luckily, Nova did not know that.

 

She just liked her new hat.

 

__________________________________________

 

 

Some time passed.

 

Derek and Nova had some fun, swimming in the ocean, building a messy attempt at a sand castle with the kids (Jonathan, their best “architect”, was off in the city that day in his best uniform on a chaperoned teenage date with his Felicia, who they had seen a little while ago; he looked handsome in his uniform, and she looked cute barefoot in a light sundress. Katrina, in her Pellian uniform, had chosen to chaperone them, so Derek and Nova knew she would not let them get into any funny stuff…at least not on this date. (The kids actually had secret plans to sneak off the ship in the middle of the night and run off in the bushes someplace…and see where things took them…)

 

But, that was beside the point.

 

After a lot of play, and some time at Nova’s breasts, Alex and Ariel grew sleepy.

 

Soon, Miarahl, Fela, Hegen, and Astrena (who had on only a chapeau in dark blue with dark red sandals that wound up her legs like the sort that Aliscea used to wear) came up to the young parents and Fela said, “The King has a nursery waiting for them in your rooms at his Palace in Beltane. May we take them there, please?”

 

“It would be a good idea,” Nova said. “They need a bath and a nap, which we can’t exactly give them here.” Nova hugged Maetel when she saw that she was yawning, and said, “Would Promecium mind if Maetel stays with us tonight?”

 

“Not at all,” said Hegen. “The King’s household will have suitable summer raiment for all of the children. They’ll be nicely clothed before you meet them before dinner…”

 

“Good,” said Nova as she stroked Maetel’s hair.

 

“I like this,” said Maetel as she yawned. “Mother sometimes has on interesting gowns that leave her almost naked when it gets warmer now and then on Larmetal. Can I have one like that? Or like Nova’s pretty Council dress?”

 

“Those are for given places and times,” said Miarahl. “Except on our world where almost everyone goes like this all the time in the jungle…”

 

“I wanna visit your jungle and take off my clothes,” said Maetel in a sleepy voice.

 

“Maybe someday, we all shall,” said Nova as Maetel went softly to sleep in her lap.

 

Hegen tenderly picked her up in his strong arms as Fela carried Alex, and Astrena carried Ariel, giving her a breast as the toddler softly awoke and asked, “Where Mommy?”

 

“Your Mommy and Daddy have something to do…but we shall see them later,” said Astrena.

 

“Okay…”

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

About half an hour passed while Derek and Nova cuddled in each other’s arms and watched the surf.

 

Derek smiled at Nova as she lay naked on a towel in her chapeau.

 

Nova had figured out that the veil on the chapeau could be adjusted if one wanted sun on part of your body but not all of it. So, after some adjustments, Nova had kicked off her thongs, put them in her bag, and she lay there with a leg up, gently stroking a stiff thigh muscle, and looking to Derek as if she had come out of an artistic French impressionist’s painting of the 19^th century in her pretty hat, and nothing else.

 

“How do you feel, Nova?”

 

“Peaceful. So peaceful. This feels so good. Would you mind if I give most of my swimwear away?” Nova said. “I think this is all I need on a beach; this hat, flip-flops for the hotter sand and shells, and my skin. I caught what you were thinking before; a lot of my ancestors sunned in the South of France just like this….”

 

“Yes, they did,” said Derek.

 

Nova then smiled at her husband. “Were you wondering why my hand is on my thigh?

 

“Why?” whispered Derek as he lay down right beside her.

 

Nova winked at him and whispered in his ear, “Because, a minute ago…it was between my thighs for a bit. And, I was doing what you sometimes do to me when I’m feeding the babies, and you have your hand over that part of me when I breastfeed naked…”

 

Derek smiled. “You naughty little slut,” he whispered.

 

“I’m your naughty little slut,” Nova whispered back as Derek kissed her, looked around…

 

…and seeing that no one was looking, he tenderly put his hands on Nova’s womanhood and gave her a little of what she wanted.

 

“Put your leg up,” Nova whispered.

 

Derek did so, and, a moment later, a smiling Nova had her hand gently around his cock.

 

Nova shivered, kissing Derek as they lay there in their happiness for a moment….

 

…but, then she jumped a little as she heard a soft “Mrrrow?” in her left ear.

 

“Mi…Miarahl?” said Nova with a deep blush. Derek was also blushing.

 

They had been caught, dead to rights, at last, in some semi-public lovemaking outdoors.

 

Miarahl smiled at them and said, “No, I am not turning you two in, and no, I am not mad. In fact, that was…cute! But you two will need your energy, especially that sort, later on, after I send you, by Queen Astrena’s request, on what we call a Sha’aratz in Rahlkhand. The Pellians call it a Fiarshmon, and many of your ancient Native American tribal peoples, with customs in some ways not that much unlike us Ralkhen…I wonder if they met us in the past….they called it a “Vision Quest.”

 

“What do we do? Do I go alone?” said Derek.

 

“No, you will go together,” said Astrena as she showed up. “There are some rules. You can go on horseback or on foot. If you choose to ride, I have arranged for you two to rent horses; just present yourselves at a stable, not far from here. You two can take any horses you wish. You will ride bareback, and you take nothing with you, and you will go completely naked,” said Astrena as Miarahl tenderly took away Nova’s hat. Astrena checked Nova’s body from head to toes and did the same thing with Derek; because they had been swimming, they had already taken off their jewelry, which included their wedding bands.”

 

“And we are expected to?” said Nova.

 

“See a vision as the new High Queen and report it to me and the Pellian people,” said Astrena quietly. “I need some help, since the Vilani Socialist Union Ambassador wants to see us, soon, and judging by his foul demeanor, he sounded very hostile. Those accursed Socialists! There are times when the visions make little sense, but there are times when they are very specific. Because we thought Aliscea would succeed to your office, we sent her on a quest like yours before Pellias was transported by Ekogaru and then destroyed. She came back with a vision I later found to be mostly concocted, since she did little on her quest but swimming, sunbathing, and lying in the grass…playing with herself and thinking of the Shalinskaa she was then seeing in her dreams. Not that what she was doing was altogether vain, but using her body that way was supposed to lead her to a meditative state to see a vision; which never happened. Maybe, had I not been filled with fear as to what Ekogaru would do if we lost the Battle of Tanaav, which we did, I would have taken the Matrix from Aliscea then and gone on my own Quest to seek a new High Queen, and maybe I would have contacted you earlier than I did…but when you were occupied with the Comet and when my current bondmate was still nearly demented with thoughts of humiliating and killing you all as revenge for Gamilon. I don’t know how things would have gone for you then; you had already made one long chase to find Telezart and Trelaina and only learned little there, and a longer quest to the Blackeye Galaxy to keep Nova’s sanity would have been even more frightening than anything…it is better it happened this way, perhaps,” said Astrena.

 

“It is Destiny,” Nova said quietly. “What must I do to prepare for this? Very convenient that you happened to catch me running around a beach naked on a hot day for this. And what, pray tell, do I do if the police arrest Derek and I for indecent exposure?” she said as she sipped at some of the local coffee, purchased in a small plastic cup at a stand.

 

“And I used to be the witty smart-ass,” said Derek.

 

“You will not be arrested,” said Astrena. “We will be sending you and Derek up into the hills where the ruins of the ancient summer palace were. The only people that patrol there are rangers, and since it is by a lake, nude swimming is just fine with them. It’s isolated…there are animals, but you two can deal with that even without any weapons or garments thanks to the Fire inside you.”

 

“So what do we do?” asked Commodore Wildstar.

 

“This,” said Astrena. “Miarahl, did you bring the pipe and the Ibu’zam?”

 

“I did,” said Miarahl. From a pouch that she had on her person, she pulled out a small, but elaborate pipe, painted with a cats’ head design and something that looked like tobacco. She filled up the pipe, lit it, and inhaled deeply. “This is a good cut of leaf…yes….very sweet and fresh, Nova.”

 

“I don’t smoke, Astrena,” Nova said flatly. “Not tobacco, not cannibas, although I will take that herb as an infusion in cookies or a cake…”

 

“Ibu’zam is a mildly hallucinogenic planet from our homeworld of Ralkhandar,” said Miarahl. “Ralkhandar. Conquered twice, was to be destroyed once to stop the Dark Lord; we accepted that possibility, but Queen Pellas turned him away from our home with a  display of her terrible power and saved our race. Ibu’zam’s name means “From the Hand of the Lady”, and it has the ability, with a delayed effect, to allow you to deeply see the Unseen. It will not harm you, or the babies inside you, if you consent to smoke it for your Sha’aratz,” said Miarahl.

 

“I’ll try it, but don’t be surprised if I cough and throw up on your paws, dear Mother,” said Nova as she took the pipe. She lay on her stomach on her towel, curled her toes up tightly, sighed, and took a drag on the pipe…this being maybe only the fourth time she had smoked in her life. Once, it had been tobacco (which she had taken in her teens and hated), the other times, it had been cannabis (smoked in college, where she later made a decision to imbibe it only in brownies…) …

 

…and the sweet smoke went down nicely. Nova exhaled, looked relaxed but determined, and said, “I only need one puff, Derek. I’m fine. So are Stephen and Anya inside me; the stuff in this will not get across the placenta. Derek, have some, please?”

 

“Sure!” laughed Derek, not believing that Nova was handing him a smoke of something that seemed to be in a Native American peace pipe.

 

Derek smoked some of the alien Ibu’zam, and he felt good and warm down to his toes. He handed the pipe to Astrena, who then also smoked, and then, she handed it last to Miarahl, who took the final puff and threw the embers into the sand, where she kicked sand over them to cover them up.

 

“You must be back in four hours,” said Astrena.

 

“It will probably be less,” said Nova with a determined look in her eyes. “I know where I am going already. Derek, come in. We have to move quickly. And you’ll be riding with me bareback….”

 

“Sure,” said Derek, not all that enthusiastic about this….

_______________________________________________________________________

 

VII. THE TAMING OF TARLIXA

The Mecanner System

Tuesday, May 9, 2209

2200 Hours: Earth Space-Time (1300 Hours Local Time)

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Astrena was negotiating with Desslok and King Roland while Derek and Nova walked off to find the stable they were supposed to go to.

They felt strange walking naked up a sandy path to the stables, until they reached a gate, and an elderly man said, “Are you Commodore Derek Wildstar and Nova Wildstar from Terra?”

 

“We are,” said Derek as he held hands with Nova.

 

“Ah! We were told to await you. My name is Harkis. I was told you two need mounts for a trip into the country?

 

“We do,” Nova said, bowing, and trying to look as formal as possible in spite of the fact that she was standing there, barefoot, and not wearing a stitch of anything on this warm, breezy afternoon.

 

“They’re waiting,” said Harkis. “Commodore Wildstar, I was told you are a fair rider, so I have a calm, steadfast stallion named Vila. He’s calm, good with riders riding bareback, who aren’t particularly…expert, and he’s an obedient colt. Lady Nova, I have a very gentle grey mare for you, given that I understand you are expecting, ma’am. She is named Iblis, and….”

 

Nova looked at the gentle mare brought out for her, and then, she looked at a spirited brown filly jumping about and running in a paddock not far from the stables. “Iblis is very sweet,” said Nova as stroked the mare’s nose while standing on her tiptoes (and remembering to step carefully in her bare feet to avoid any “horse apples”). “However…I like that cute little thing jumping around the paddock. What’s her name? She’s adorable!”

“Nova, she looks half-wild,” said Derek as he grabbed Vila’s mane and mounted him with the help of a rock nearby.

 

“She is half-wild,” said Harkis. “That horse is quite insane…and…”

 

Nova ran to the fence at her paddock and waved. “Tarlixa! Come here!”

 

“Don’t let her near you!” said Harkis as he bodily grabbed Nova (heedless of the fact that she was in the nude) and pulled her back in the grass. “She’ll bite you!”

 

The horse noticed Nova, and whinnied.

 

She flew to the fence, snorted, and stopped, staring right at Nova.

 

Nova climbed up on the lower rail of the fence, and, to everyone’s amazement, she stroked the filly’s nose, and let the animal sniff her.

 

The young horse was soon nuzzling Nova’s navel as the young mother giggled a little. Nova collapsed into giggles as Tarlixa licked her bare stomach, nuzzled it, and then smelled her breasts and licked one of Nova’s nipples, causing Nova to climb higher on the fence and to giggle more.

 

“She likes you?” said Harkis. “She usually hates humans…”

 

Nova climbed higher, hugging the filly, kissing her on the nose, and laughing again as the friendly creature smelled her feet and toes.

 

Then, Tarlixa neighed loudly and threw her head.

 

“What does that thing want of you now, Nova?” said Derek.

 

“Derek, this is not a thing! She’s a living being! I can read her thought! She wants me to ride her!”

 

“Nova, you are not getting on that damn…”

 

Nova blew Derek a kiss, got up on the top rail of the rail fence, and, heedless of any danger, she mounted Tarlixa, the first human ever to do so.

 

Nova held on as the filly neighed and pawed the turf. “Do I need to arrange to have Queen Astrena pay the fee for this steed?”

 

A shocked Harkis said, “Lady Nova, I will contact the King and your Queen and tell them you can have this steed!”

 

“Good, because I have places to go!” Nova said as she galloped off and, God love her, jumped a fence bareback on Tarlixa’s back as Derek followed. “I’ll be back later with Tarlixa!”

 

“I hope,” said Harkis as they left.  

 

____________________________________________

 

FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER….

 

As they rode their horses together up the hills, Derek looked at Nova as they were about to ford a stream.

 

He admired his young wife as she sat bareback near her mount’s neck, riding along carefully.

 

Back at home, Nova possessed a riding outfit or two (one from Colorado, one from Britain, and a Native American-styled one that essentially consisted of only a breechclout, necklaces, and buckskin sandals), but as he watched her ride, Derek was convinced that Nova looked best riding a horse bareback and completely in the nude, one with the animal in her simple yet very elegant nakedness.

 

“Are you comfortable like that, Nova?”

 

She nodded and smiled as the horse began to ford the stream. She paused to kick up some water against the horse with one of her feet, giggling a little as she did so.

 

Her young filly, Tarlixa, snorted with appreciation as her mistress kicked the water against her, and then rubbed her mane.

 

Derek was still amazed at how Nova had just tamed the wild young colt in a few minutes by just talking to her.

 

“I thought you were dead back there at that paddock by the beach, but, you just went over that fence, called her, and…”

 

“Yes, I think she was waiting for me, Derek…”

 

“Waiting for you?”

 

“She only had a few days left to live,” Nova said. “She went berserk and threw and then trampled a stable boy who tried to “break” her with a heavy saddle, a painful training bridle, sharp spurs…riding her barefoot, I can actually feel the scars from those things in her flanks under her coat with my toes…and…a whip. Derek, Tarlixa is very high-spirited, intelligent; so she can’t be ‘broken’. The Matrix is also telling me she is a rare thing. She is an animal who has lived before…”

 

“When?” said Derek.

 

Nova shut her eyes and sat on Tarlixa, relaxed. “Over three thousand years ago. There was a day when the soul in this horse was known as Halas…a word meaning “White” or “Argent” in Pellian. Derek, the soul of this horse once was incarnated…as the mount of Queen Pellas herself. She was waiting for me,” Nova said as her voice choked up. “That’s why she took to me. She knows I’m the…Heir…of the Queen Pellas. And she was the horse that Pellas rode into battle against HIM on a distant world. And…this was the horse that stood over her body after the Dark Lord struck her down and ran for his foul life. She gave her life to make sure Queen Pellas’ body was found on the battlefield. Now, she has returned…to finish the task she started…destroying him…”

 

Derek rode up beside Nova and kissed her. She kissed back, laughing as they forded a stream and she kicked the water up with one of her bare feet to cool herself and Tarlixa.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

They rode on a bit longer, the heat making the young lovers drowsy as they rode past the ruins of the summer palace they had visited the first time they had been here thirteen days (and half a world) ago.

 

Finally, they entered a forest. The horses went up a path, and then emerged into a meadow full of grass and flowers.

 

“Derek…let’s stop here. That creek runs down from that hill, so they can go and drink, and there’s grass for them to eat.” Nova kissed Tarlixa and slid off her back carefully to the springy turf of the meadow and began to go up a hill.

 

Derek was helped off of Vila by Nova, and they let the horses run free.

 

Nova walked along holding hands with her husband, beautiful as she kissed him and said, “We’re almost there, Derek. Correction. We are there.”

 

“Where?”

 

“See those two stone thrones? They are called the Seats of Hearing, Derek,” she said as they walked up to a flat hilltop that looked down at the site of the ancient Palace and the city of Beltane and the Bay. Derek could see the Argo at anchor in the sea far below, not far from a Rigelandian aircraft carrier and a green Gamilon spacecraft carrier. The view was gorgeous.

 

Nova said, “Derek, in ancient times, the Pellian High Queens and their servants and ministers, along with the Ruling Queens, came here, according to the Matrix, to observe the realm, both with physical eyes, and with spiritual eyes. They would receive insights here…visions. Messages from the past. And from the future. And that is what we came for. If we can…relax…”

 

Nova crawled up beside Derek and kissed him. “I know a way to relax. It’s warm…”

 

“And we have nothing on or between us,” said Derek as he played footsie with his wife in the grass.

 

Nova laughed and hugged him hard. “That’s the part I like…”

 

Nova kissed Derek, and Derek kissed back and held her close.

 

Their bond kicked in fiercely.

 

They were really making up from the tension and arguments of the past few days…tension and arguments forgotten like summer rainstorms.

 

They fell into the grass, laughing, as they began to touch, kiss, nuzzle, and tease each other without an ounce of restraint.

 

Derek licked Nova’s nose, and she laughed, and Nova bounced around a certain part of her husband’s anatomy…and he laughed!

 

Then, their laughter turned to sighs as Nova took Derek into her mouth, loved him with her tongue, and then she lay in the grass and let him reciprocate on her bare privy parts, as unashamed and naked as Eve with Adam on the first morning after God breathed life into them.

 

Finally, as they lay cuddling, playing with each other as they had been on the beach before Miarahl had interrupted them, Derek said, “Nova, shall we go by the thrones…to?”

 

“Yes, make love to me there.”

 

They walked a little.

 

Near the throne, he pulled Nova up from the grass.

 

“Where you want to be…when I go inside you, Nova?”

 

“In your arms,” she gasped. “Pick me…up…”

 

So, Derek picked Nova up as the birds sang in the meadow, some with strange, beautiful songs they had never heard before.

 

Derek’s hands went under her buttocks as a little lop-eared rabbit came up to see what the two naked humans were up to.

 

Nova threw her hands around her husband’s neck, and held on, moving a hand to her neck as she whispered, “Yes…do me…YESSSSS…take me….,”  all while Derek teased her with his member.

 

He slid into her and took her successfully in his arms.

 

Nova’s eyes were soon wet with tears of happiness as her toes spread and curled while Derek, with his strength, thrusted her up and down on his shaft.

 

Nova gently fed a bit of her Matrix energy into him to help him with the physical demands of their ecstasy as Nova felt a nice, hot, searching warmth in her breasts.

 

She laughed as she felt a spray of milk coming from her right nipple. 

 

Derek laughed, too. Nova, when very emotional, sometimes had a habit of ejecting milk. There had been a few times, in public, where Alex and Ariel’s cries or their grabbing for her had resulted in Nova having a wet shirt or blouse on…and this was one of the reasons why Nova had finally decided that when the kids were hungry and it was warm enough, she wanted her top (as well as all of the rest of her clothing, if possible, because she enjoyed nursing the kids in the nude) off her body as soon as possible.  

 

Although Nova had once been embarrassed at an outside bistro near the beach, where, after shedding a bikini top, her naked boobs just continued spurting-in the open-(to some very amused smiles from other people receiving lunch) until Nova got the kids in her lap to enjoy lunch in only a straw hat and fundoshi.

 

Of course, there was no shame about it now. Nova had no clothes on to stain, and after her expected Vision Quest was over and done with, there was that nice lake to go swimming in before they rode back to the beach to reunite with their children.

 

The intercourse…the act of love…continued for many minutes of sheer, melting pleasure.

 

Somewhere in the process, Derek had a climax, followed by Nova.

 

Then, even though he was spent, Nova shut her eyes and whispered, “Do some more to me, Derek. I had dinner. Now I want…dessert…”

 

So, Derek raised Nova up onto the twin thrones, laying her naked, sweaty body on the cool stone…

 

…then, he began to give her dessert.

 

Nova helped spread her legs, digging her toes into the turf while Derek kissed his way up her leg, from her toes up, in a sweet rite of gentle, loving torment.

 

When Derek reached Nova’s waiting center, Nova gasped and cried like a little animal. “derek…there’s a presence here…strong…beautiful….”

 

“Should I stop?”

 

“No,” whispered Nova fiercely. “Please don’t stop...I…YES! YOU GOT IT! OHHHHHHHHH, GOD!”

 

Artwork Below: “Ecstasy!” © 2012 by Anonymous Reader—All Rights Reserved

 

 

Nova gasped and cried as Derek found, and gently pleasured with his tongue, the tiny pearl that lay inside her as he slid two fingers inside her and repeatedly slid in and out and in and out of her.

 

Nova gasped, writhed, and both of her nipples then blamelessly squirted milk, which Derek thought looked adorable in her nakedness.

 

Her juices came in a gusher as a lengthy, beautiful orgasm hit her, and then resounded into Derek’s soul with such violence that even though his member was semi-limp, he gasped and cried as he suddenly climaxed like an excited teenager into the grass, and then all over his bride’s stomach.

 

Then, they lay there and held each other and cried happy tears as a sense of togetherness and love came, and a sense came that they were one with the Cosmos itself.

 

They looked up, then, like started fawns.

 

It appeared to have suddenly gotten dark.

 

A million stars came out in the sky, and starlight shone off the meadow, and shone off a small pond they had not seen before.

 

The supernatural light awed them as the water roiled and rushed…

 

..and then, a vision of light rushed out of the water and walked towards the stunned, naked couple.

 

The spirit-woman was about Nova’s height, but she seemed far taller.

 

She seemed to be clad in regal robes, until they looked more closely and saw that…like them, she was completely naked, from head to toes.

 

Her only ornaments were her long, flowing, dark golden hair, and a burning fire at her brow.

 

Nova held Derek, and looked at awe and fear at the apparition.

 

She smiled at them, and said in a sweet, kind, almost shy voice, that, nonetheless, seemed to ring with an ancient power and authority, “You two dear ones need not fear me. Indeed, you could say you came to see me…”

 

“And…who…who are you?” said Derek, ashamed of his nakedness, which he covered with his hands. Nova did the same with her crotch.

 

 “My dear ones,” said the gleaming Lady. “I am ashamed to admit you saw my mortal remains already, far more naked than the state of mere natural undress in which I stand. Nova, my skeleton, my very bones, happened to be used as a foul weapon by our Mutual Enemy to try to kill you. I beg your pardon, nay, I plead it, and in the great Day when all things are set right again, after we arise together from our graves on the same world, you and I shall meet and embrace skin to skin at last as the Almighty puts flesh back onto our bones, breath back into our lungs, and raises and quickens our flesh from the dust of corruption. He who shall Stand above All on the Last Day has promised me this in person, and, behold, He will keep that promise! For He once was Dead, and He has arisen Himself, and lo, He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and He is Alive Forevermore and I come from the Light of His Presence to tell you, Derek and Nova, that you are greatly loved, and that I, amongst many others, have watched you for a long time. I am Pellas; the First Founding High Queen of the Pellian Confederacy. Derek Wildstar, you are the paladin, the fighter for which we have long waited. And you, Nova…you are my descendant through many ages, and you are the one who will inherit that which I was given.”

 

Queen Pellas smiled at them. “And you need not sit frightened and ashamed. I had a lover, a husband, after Ekogaru abandoned me. Long ago, after we made those chairs with our own labor, hammer, chisel, stonework, masons’ work, and the powers of the Matrix I then held, we celebrated by making love on a hot day after we finished the work. We were as naked as you, and our joy is still engraved in those seats. Yours is now entered there, as well. We declared the Pellian Commonwealth here. You and Astrena will proclaim it again today. That is my charge to you, Nova Dawn Yukiko Wildstar, descendant of the Crystal Throne, and the most worthy Bearer of the Matrix in many centuries. Derek, I tell you the truth; you and she will be parted for a time by Death when Nova, someday, must protect you from a lethal attack by the Dark Lord. She will give her blood defending you and a dear friend who was not always a friend. Yet, she shall live again, and so will you, and I prophecy that if you walk the path of the edge of the knife, Nova, you and Derek and your friend who was not always a friend shall stand and destroy him, along with the strong arms of a child of yours not yet even born. Her hour draws near first, as yours does, too.”

 

Pellas kissed Nova and said, “My time is shot. I give you this.”

 

“What is it?” Nova asked as Pellas reached into her hair and took a circlet from it, along with the star at her brow.

 

“The Spiritual Crown of the High Queen of the Pellians. I will make it visible now and again, but it is invisible. There will come a day, Nova, when Astrena gives you the physical crown. But I crown you this day with the spiritual, imperishable, invisible crown, and command you to bear my authority and wisdom, with the help of your Derek here and with the help of she who is called Katrina Savela, one of ours. Go now, in peace with my crown, and my blessing. Restore my Realm!”

 

Nova knelt with Derek as Pellas crowned her.

 

At that moment, they heard every bell in Beltane going off.

 

It was an awe-inspiring sound and sight as Derek kissed Nova, and took her towards the horses.

 

The light reappeared in the sky, and Pellas bowed to them and faded away like a ghost of the night.

 

Nova looked and Derek. Derek kissed her and said, “We’d better go back.”

 

“Yes,” said Nova. “We…have things to do….”

 

________________________________________________

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED.