There was shockingly little fallout from the crew in regards to my announcement. In fact, they were remarkably silent.
No complaints by either men or female members of the crew had been filed. It was as if everyone knew desperate circumstances also required desperate actions.
Still, it was hard to accept how calm everyone was taking it. I felt the tentative nudge of someone's presence nearby and glancing to the side, I saw that it was Petty Officer Sally standing there with a cup of coffee.
Her face was flushed hotly red. It always was, as something about me always seemed to fluster her, but this time was a little different. She knew.
"Thank you." I said thickly as I took the coffee from her.
She nodded and then in a whisper said, "Thank you for... for saying yes."
Staring at her seriously, I said, "You know it won't be just us right?"
She nodded quickly.
Speaking my mind, I said, "You don't mind sharing a relationship with me that will include others than yourself."
She looked down and then surprisingly back up to meet my eyes with a direct gaze which she usually had a hard time doing and said, "I'm choosing not to look at it that way. I.... I've wanted to be with you. I guess that's no secret, but well, it's a big deal for me. That I won't be the only one with you doesn't really matter. In fact, I can actually be glad for them even as I am for myself."
I shook my head softly and said, "I am just a man Sally."
"No, you're a great man. There is a difference." That said, she turned and went back to her duties.
Soon I would be inside of her. Knowing all of her.
As I watched Sally from my position on the bridge the reality of the need I had to bury myself deeply into not just Sally, but also the girl from the underground base, Alora was her name, was something not easily done away with.
Very soon I was going to have both of them and the closer I came to that reality the more excited I became. Looking about I saw the coming reality to be seen in the deep thought that I saw upon a lot of men's faces.
In the last two days we had picked up over 800 women and within the next couple hours we would liberate the last batch due to be sold at a large slave auction that was about to begin in a couple hours' time. The enormity of soon having over 2000 women on board in addition to the crew was in many ways overwhelming and yet my eyes kept returning to Sally and somehow I felt peace when I should have felt none.
*********
The operation at the slave auction had been a complete success. All the women needed were accounted for, even as there was an auction set to begin the had no one left to sell as we had literally beamed the girls up and out of the holding pens.
We hadn't had to buy these girls. The others we had and it was truly sickening to see what paltry sums their families and parted with them for.
In some ways the Doctor was entirely right. What we were doing was a complete act of mercy for some of these girls.
Now with a full allotment we were back on course and running silently beneath the radar nets of nations desperately searching everywhere for us. Everything was going according to plan.
I opened the door of my cabin and stepped within. I smelled her instantly.
My gaze traced over the outlines of a woman that I find entirely desirable, my gaze focused in on her face framed by curly ringlets of hair that would never be tamed even as they would always struggle to be free. She'd stood up upon my entrance and now nervously, she brushed at her wild hair.
Speaking softly she said, "I've been assigned to you as per your order."
I nodded. I heard a movement in the hall behind me and turned quickly.
It was Sally and she had her pack with her. Her face was beet red as she shyly slid by me and into the room.
She saw Alora and to my surprise, she didn't hesitate, but walked right up to Alora. Alora had started to cry and setting her bag down Sally folded her arms around the other woman and hugged her to her firmly.
Slowly Alora's arms came around Sally to hug her with equal firmness. The emotions of the moment were hard to define, but in some ways I felt incredibly blessed and incredibly awful at the same time.
I didn't like knowing that I was the source of tears. Turning away, I forced myself not to walk through the open doorway, but to instead close and then lock the door.
I turned back to the two women at a complete loss as to where to begin. There was a very real truth in the moment that I wanted both women and yet maybe I wanted Alora a little bit more.
