Surefoot 06: Grey Matters

"Shall I have your share, then?" Sasha suggested.

"Only if you want me to disembowel you."

Sasha smiled. "I'll get some glasses."

*

Deck 1, Captain's Quarters:

They stood near the heater in his bedroom, removing their boots, Kami asking, "So, how did you snap yourself out of it?"

"I don't want to discuss it."

"Why not?"

He sighed. "You do understand that by having me discuss why I don't want to discuss it, I'm just discussing it anyway?"

"Ooh, such a silver tongue, wasted on trying to put me off." She drew closer. "Come on, talk."

He frowned, hating having to face it again. "I got in a lucky shot, Rrori went down, I was over him, wanting to make him beg for mercy, to have him confirm who was the First Male here... And then suddenly I had a flashback to my time in the Orion fighting pits... all those bodies I left behind on the arena floor. I remembered how quickly and easily I killed back then. How quickly and easily I could have done that again now-"

"No."

He looked up to see Kami draw up to him. "No. You weren't really going to hurt Rrori. You're not the same man who was driven by hunger and drugs and pain all those years ago. Because that man wouldn't have stopped himself. You're good, decent, stable, loving. Understand?"

He didn't want to respond. He didn't want to even think about it.

She smacked the side of his head. "Well?"

"Yes!"

She smiled. "Good. Now let's get to bed."

They continued to undress, Kami kicking aside her uniform and underwear. "Sasha was telling me that Giles and she were getting a suite when we get to Starbase 154, and make a weekend of it. Maybe we could do the same?"

"Sure - maybe they have a Seniors Discount?" He yelped as she smacked him again. "Mother's Cubs, stop that!"

Exasperation tightened her face. "That's it, I've had it with that crap!" She stood naked in front of him, her hands on her hips, her tail swishing behind her. "Look at me, Esek Hrelle."

"I am-"

"I mean really look at me." She glanced down at herself. "My breasts are beginning to sag. My fur is greying in places. My tail isn't as prehensile as it once was. My nose and ears don't pick up as much as they used to. Does any of that bother you?"

"What? No-"

"And will you care in years to come when the grey increases? When I'm aching more when I get up in the morning, and you can feel the wrinkles beneath my fur?"

"Of course not-"

Her tone became less challenging, more intimate, vulnerable, her voice dropping as she approached him, looking up into his eyes. "Will it bother you when my Seasons ebb, and finally fade away?"

"No," he answered softly.

Kami reached up and rested her hands on his chest. "There's a line from an old Terran poem that's stuck me ever since I heard it: 'Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be'. That's what I want for us. You will face your own signs of ageing: your greying, your wrinkles, the loss of acuity in your senses and reflexes..." She smiled. "And for the record, I will adore you throughout these Golden Years.

We will diet and we will exercise, and we will call on medical science as and when required. And it will all help. But it won't stave off the inevitable, not indefinitely." She smiled. "And I wouldn't want it to. I've lived, done so much, and I'm proud of myself. And you definitely should be proud of yourself too. "

She wrapped her arms around his neck now. "I for one do not intend spending the rest of my life counting my grey furs or wrinkles or wondering when my claws will fall out or my boobs will start dragging along the floor. I'm spending that time keeping you and everyone else onboard safe and sane, being there when my cub gets married and has cubs of his own, eating fried shuris sticks... and having so much sex." She smiled. "Maybe not all of that at once. How about you? What are you gonna do with the rest of your life?"

He seemed to consider the question, his own arms snaking around to embrace her, moving over her shoulder blades to stroke the fur on her back. "I'm spending that time commanding this ship, protecting this crew, watching over our cubs, teasing T'Varik, being proud of my daughter." He gazed into her eyes. "And helping you have so much sex."

She raised an eyebrow, grinning. "I look forward to that, someday..."

"Why someday?" He drew into her neck and purred against her skin.

She clutched onto him tighter, shivering. "Ohhh, Esek, that's- that's not fair-"

"You want me to stop?" he murmured teasingly, his hands moving down to cup her cheeks, his own arousal rising unignorable between them. "Just say."

"That's- That's not fair either- Don't ask me to stop this- You know we shouldn't do this- not while you're under my care-"

"Then sign me off," he whispered, one of his hands stroking the base of her tail. "You said yourself I'm not the same man I was years ago, and that's thanks to you. If I'm well enough to handle a starship and crew, I can handle sex with the woman I love. And our scents have already changed enough that other Caitians think we're bonded and unavailable to others anyway. Why not go all the way?"

"Esek..."

His hand moved around between them. Between her legs.

She surged against his touch. "Get your ass on that bed..."

*

Deck 2, Alpha Squad Quarters, 0115 Hours:

Sasha stood in the open doorway. "You're gonna be late for your shift, schmuck."

Giles was standing close to her, holding her hand and gazing into her eyes, his smile bright. "I'm technically conferring with a fellow Squad Leader. So, as long as you don't leave any love bites on me-"

"No promises." She drew him in for another kiss. Their lips met, ground together as their tongues entwined-

Then separated as Sasha was hit with a small cushion from within her quarters, followed by Neraxis' demanding, "Take it elsewhere, you dirty Bumpers, or come in and share some of that lip sugar with the rest of us!"

Giles did his best not to chuckle. And failed.

"When we get to Starbase 154," she said to him, "And you book that room, make sure it's equipped with force fields to keep these assholes out."

"We can hear you, Bumpers!"

They kissed again - until a second cushion struck Giles.

"Good night," Giles muttered, smiling as he pecked her on the cheek and departed.

Sasha stepped back and let the door slide shut, before joining the others in the main room, all still sitting in a circle on the floor drinking the wine from Rrori's clan's vineyard. Sasha plumped down again. "I hate all of you."

Kit was hiccuping from the wine, his hiccups strange-sounding, like a duck being hugged. "You do not really hate us, Friend Sasha, do you?"

Sasha finished the wine in her glass. "No, of course not."

Beside Kit, Eydiir stared into her own cup. "She is merely sexually frustrated."

Sasha stuck her middle finger up at her friend.

"That's a solution," Neraxis commented. "Though I prefer two fingers. And sometimes my thumb when I'm feeling adventurous."

"Of course, we could always partner up," Eydiir observed. "It would certainly help generate body heat better than the alcohol."

They looked at each other.

"Fortunately it's not that cold that we have to worry about doing that," Sasha declared.

"Says the woman getting some on a regular basis," Neraxis groused.

"Still," Eydiir continued, displaying an uncharacteristically-mischievous glint in her expression, courtesy of the wine, "A situation may arise in the future, perhaps on some Away Mission on a frozen planet, where we may need to partner up for sex." She looked around. "Anyone have any preferences?"

They were silent.

Then Jonas finally spoke up, loudly affirming, "I'll be Bumpers with any of you!"

That hung in the air for a moment, before they all burst out laughing.

Sasha recovered first to lean forward and gaze at him, asking, "How many of those has he had?"

"He hasn't even finished his first!" Neraxis guffawed. "Fricking Lightweight!"

When they settled down again, Sasha noted. "Another two days and a night without our entertainment systems, and that's gonna look like a viable option. I can't believe we can't keep ourselves occupied without it."

"Would anyone like to hear some music?" Rrori asked.

"You have a player?"

"Better." At their sounds of approval he retrieved from his bag a rod-shaped stringed instrument that produced a sound like an acoustic guitar. He was adjusting the controls at one end. "I, ah, know a few Caitian songs, of course, and human and Klingon classical pieces. I'm sorry, but I don't know any Capellan, Bolian or Qarari music, but I'll be happy to learn some if you have any favourites."

Sasha regarded him, smiling. "I'm sure we'll be quite happy with whatever you can play, Rrori. If you're any good, that is."

He looked up, momentarily aghast and ready to argue - but then shrugged. "I'm... not too bad."

Then he started playing.

He was brilliant, of course.

*

Deck 1, Captain's Quarters, 0330 Hours:

They lay together in the dark, their combined scents mingling under the covers. Hrelle nuzzled closer. "Are you okay?"

She made pleasing sounds in response, breathing in slowly and deeply. But then she murmured, "Oh, Esek... what happened between us just now?"

"Therapy."

"That's not funny."

"It's not meant to be."

"I mean it, Captain. I'm your Counselor, this is a serious breach of ethics. If anyone found out-"

He sighed, brushing up against her.

"What am I gonna do with you?" she asked.

For a moment, there was only the soft hum of the nearby heater.

Then he replied, "Marry me."

*

Deck 2, Alpha Squad Quarters, 0330 Hours:

They had listened to an impressive number of songs from Rrori, and of course he even proved to have a beautiful singing voice - and remained modest about it, gratefully accepting their words of appreciation.

They had retired after a while to their beds. Sasha watched from the corner of her eye as Rrori undressed, admiring his body... but not feeling the level of arousal she had felt before from him. Perhaps it had been his change of character following his fight with her Dad.

Or perhaps it was the knowledge that Kami had imparted to her about the Caitian's name, which changed how she saw him now.

She pulled the covers up, making shivering sounds that the others mocked and emulated from their own beds. "Shut up, you brats, or I'll leave you here and go sleep with Giles."

"As if you two Bumpers would be doing any sleeping," Neraxis chuckled. "Hey, New Kid, we have a rule in here: try not to make too much noise if you're thinking of Treating Yourself."

"Treating myself?" Rrori asked.

"Yeah: Polishing the Phaser, Tapping the Warp Core, Ménage à Moi-"

"Ahh, I understand. I will do my best, Neraxis. Good night, Alpha Squad. Thank you for welcoming me into your group."

The others made their own good nights.

Smiling to herself in the dark, Sasha added, "Good night... Meow Rrori."

The room went silent.

Then Neraxis exclaimed, "Wait... WHAT'S HIS NAME?"

THE ADVENTURES OF THE SUREFOOT WILL CONTINUE IN... THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE