A Viper's Nest

Stepping into the bathroom adjacent to the pilot's quarters, John looked around and noted that the room was a large rectangle. He guessed that the walls were twelve feet high with a domed ceiling that rose a further two feet. The light for the bathroom was supplied by a series of recessed lights positioned at regular intervals along the four walls. To John's left and partitioned off by a nine-foot wall were the toilets. Each one had a door to give the user some privacy. The side of the wall facing them had a ten-foot-long mirror, and the wash basins were installed below it at waist height for a viper.

The showers took up the rest of the available space. Installed at set intervals along each of the walls and separated by what appeared to be eight-foot-high glass dividers, the showerheads had a similar design to the one John had used on the station. A small shelf positioned just above waist height for a Viper held the soap dispenser. As he made his way toward one of them, John noted that the floor was tiled with half a metre wide non-slip tiles. In the centre of the shower area was a large metal plate with hundreds of tiny holes. The water left over from when the two pilots had a shower was still draining away as John reached his chosen spot.

A pump hidden beneath the floor activated a few seconds after he pressed the round activation button. Warm water splashed against his head, and John felt the sweat wash away as he rubbed the soap all over his body. Resting his head against the wall, John sighed as the heat from the shower relaxed his muscles. He was surprised by how tiring the training pod had been.

"Mind if we join you?" a voice said from behind. John turned around and saw that three Vipers had entered the bathroom.

"It is a communal bathroom," John pointed out while the pilot standing a few feet away was looking him up and down.

"True," she said with a smile.

As they headed towards different cubicles, John noted that they all had similar scale colours of dark and pastel green. They also shared the same yellow bioluminescence. The pilot closest to John smiled at him.

"If only Nuki hadn't won," she said, "you might have had all three of us in the same nest," the Viper then winked at John.

"Don't tease him," said a different Viper, "considering how big the Flight Lieutenant is, I'd say John will have his hands full," she then covered her breasts in soap.

"Are you three sisters?" John asked while trying not to stare too much.

"That we are," said the third Viper. The pilot was currently washing the softer, inner part of her hood.

"I suggest you hurry up. You don't want to keep Nuki waiting," said the first Viper, and John nodded.

*****

Flight Lieutenant Nuki adjusted where she lay so that she was facing the doors to the bathroom. Once comfortable, Nuki picked up each pillow in her nest and carefully fluffed them. Finally, she got her large blanket and placed it over half of the nest. Before she could watch the bathroom doors again, a cry of pleasure from a nearby nest distracted her. The Flight Lieutenant looked in their direction and watched as one of the pilots pressed her blunt nose against the base of the other Viper's tail before pushing her tongue inside their butt. She held tightly to their hips as the pilot masterfully used her tongue.

Nuki's attention was drawn away from the spectacle as the doors to the bathroom opened with a gentle hiss. Standing naked in the doorway, with the bathroom light behind him, was John. The Flight Lieutenant noticed that some of the nearby nests had gone quiet. Their occupants stopped their nightly activities to watch as John entered the room. Nuki watched as he looked around the room, presumably trying to find her nest. When John had made eye contact with her for the fifth time, the Flight Lieutenant rolled her eyes and waved at him.

"John, I'm over here," she called out.

"Ah, sorry," he replied.

*****

With an embarrassed scratch of his head, John walked over to the Flight Lieutenant's nest. Every few steps, he had to dodge out of the way as a nearby Viper would attempt to either grab one of his feet with a clawed hand or use their tail to trip him over. Stopping in front of Nuki's nest, John looked down and saw that only the top of her head was visible. A pair of glowing red eyes looked up at him, and when he made eye contact, a shudder of primal fear went through John's body.

"I won't bite," the Flight Lieutenant said as she raised her head and smiled. John returned the smile and stepped into the nest.

When both feet were firmly inside the nest, Nuki sprang into action. With a yelp of surprise, John's legs were pulled toward the centre of the nest by the Flight Lieutenant's tail. Nuki wrapped her long tail around his torso and pulled him further into the nest. Blinking his eyes open, all that John could see was black. A glowing pair of red eyes appeared just in front of John's face, and before he could say anything, Nuki kissed him passionately.

*****

The Flight Lieutenant pushed her tongue inside John's mouth, his cry of surprise giving her little resistance. She held him in a possessive hug as her twelve-inch tongue touched every corner of his mouth. Finally, when the tip brushed the back of John's throat and his gag reflex kicked in, Nuki pulled her tongue out.

"Sorry," the Flight Lieutenant said while wiping off the saliva that joined their mouths.

"It's nothing," John replied and then smiled at Nuki when he looked up at her, "you'd think I'd get used to it by now," he said.

"I can't believe how warm you are," the Flight Lieutenant said. Then, adjusting her grip on his body, she rolled onto her back and positioned John to lie on top of her with his head between her large breasts. Nuki giggled when he pushed his face against her chest and breathed in.

"You smell so good," John said.

"I forgot that you liked the smell of Viper musk," Nuki replied.

"So," John said after a few minutes of lying on top, "what now?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" the Flight Lieutenant replied.

"I thought we were going to.." John started to say, and Nuki laughed.

"Fuck?" she asked, and he nodded, "that was just for show. Granted, I'd love to have sex with you, but it has been too long since I've had a male in my nest," Nuki's grip on John's body tightened as her tail wrapped around his legs again. "Tonight, I just want to enjoy having you in here with me. Plus, you're so warm," Nuki said.

"I also enjoy snuggling in bed," John admitted.

*****

Admiral Sshuizshallius gasped as her steward pressed his blunt nose against her groin and pushed his tongue inside. Matriarch Ossih, who was sitting next to the Admiral, giggled. Her steward was doing the same as Sshuizshallius.

"Seems like you needed this," Ossih said.

"Managing the fleet keeps me busy," the Admiral said. She moaned as the tip of her steward's tongue brushed her sweet spot.

The two Vipers were sitting inside the private viewing room, situated to the rear of the Ruination of Minerva's bridge. After reviewing reports from the Pride of the Matriarchy and ordering the patrol, Matriarch Ossih invited Sshuizshallius into the room.

"I shouldn't be in here," the Admiral said, "I'm on duty," she gasped again.

"Your officers know where you are," the Matriarch replied, "now, where were we?" she asked.

"You were discussing the Terran Captain Ema rescued," Sshuizshallius replied.

"Oh yes," Ossih said, trying not to sound too excited about the subject matter, "what do you think of him?" she inquired.

"I don't have an opinion," the Admiral replied, "I have read the reports from the Captain and Matriarch Theka," she said.

"And?" Ossih asked while looking at the Admiral with a smile. Before she could answer, Sshuizshallius's body tensed, and she orgasmed. Her steward coughed as his mouth filled with a sweet-tasting liquid. Matriarch Ossih tried her best not to laugh.

"That was quick," she said, "you REALLY have been busy with work, haven't you?" she inquired. Sshuizshallius didn't reply as she had fallen asleep. "Hmm, I guess I'll just have to wait?" Ossih said to no one in particular. Shortly afterwards, her steward stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, "who said you could stop?" she asked.

*****

Nine Hours Later:-

John woke the following day to the sound of a snoring Viper. A subtle red glow emanated from the Flight Lieutenant's mouth as she snored. When his eyes adjusted to the nest's gloom, John noticed that a section of the blanket had folded over. As he attempted to free himself from Nuki's arms, one of her eyes opened.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"I need to pee," John replied.

"Pee?" Nuki said, tightening her grip on him.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back," John assured the Flight Lieutenant while trying not to struggle, "I'm just going to use the toilet," he said.

"Hurry back," Nuki ordered, "your body heat has kept me so warm," she said and then let go of John.

He pulled himself out of the nest and rolled onto his back. Sitting up, John looked around and saw that most pilots were still asleep. However, he noticed near the bathroom doors that a Viper was seated on the rim of her nest, busy taping away at her pad. She looked up at him as he slowly walked in her direction.

"Morning," John said as he approached the bathroom.

"Tell Nuki that we've got another training session today," the Viper replied, "the Wing Commander wants us in the Briefing Room in an hour," she said.

"I'll let her know when I get back to the nest," John replied.

"Just make sure you buff her scales properly," the pilot said.

*****

Captain Thazha yawned as she stretched. It had been several hours since their small group of ships had left the orbit of Border Station Five, and they were now following the patrol route set by The Pride of the Matriarchy. A few of the bridge crew watched her as she stretched her arms and legs. The end of her tail tapped against the floor as Thazha yawned again. Then, glancing up at her crew, they quickly resumed their work. Lieutenant Tektla walked over to the Captain's command chair and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Time for bed," she said, "I'll send someone to wake you if the sensors pick anything up," Tektla smiled at her Captain when she finished speaking. Thazha thought about arguing but decided not to. Tiredness was just as deadly as the enemy.

"You have the bridge, Lieutenant," Captain Thazha said as she stood up.

"That was the fifth yawn," Comms Officer Oatshul pointed out, shortly after the bridges' doors had closed, "I was expecting the Captain to start snoring," she said.

"The Captain doesn't snore," Tektla pointed out.

"Only you would know," said Tactical Officer Altsiah.

"Do you have something to say?" asked the Lieutenant, turning to face the officer.

"Not today," Altsiah replied.

Tektla ignored her as she walked to the command chair and sat down. Then, removing the pad from her thigh, the Lieutenant accessed the mission briefing and reread it.

*****

Nuki stirred inside her nest as John stepped in. She rolled onto her side and shifted where she lay so that he had plenty of room. Once he was lying down, the Flight Lieutenant reached out with her right arm and pulled him close.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked as his back rested against her chest.

"No idea," John replied, "she was sitting on the side of her nest," he said, "told me that we've got an hour before the Wing Commander needs us in the Briefing Room," John rolled over to face Nuki as he spoke. Her tail had wrapped itself around both of his legs by now.

"If only we could stay here longer," the Flight Lieutenant said, the faint glow of her eyes and mouth reflecting off of John's eyes, "do well today, and I'll give you a reward," Nuki said with a smile. She then pushed his head into her ample cleavage and laughed as he struggled.

*****

The Ericius torpedoes approached the Arroganza System's star. As they neared, their crude computers fired manoeuvring thrusters, each torpedo adjusting its heading to prevent burning up. Of the original fifty, only thirty remained. A leak in one torpedo's fuel tanks destroyed itself and four others. Several rogue asteroids had blocked the path of ten torpedoes, and of the remaining thirty-five, five torpedoes had simply disappeared.

Sitting upon a throne of Viper bones, the Ericius Warmaster frowned and glanced at the shadow to her right. She hadn't been in command of the flagship when the Matriarchy fleet had appeared and destroyed most of her ships. The Officer in charge was hanging by her feet just to the Warmaster's right. As punishment for allowing the surprise attack, they had been skinned alive. The bridge's lights reflected off the slowly drying pool of blood.

"Replay the scout's last transmission," the Warmaster said, her deep gravelly voice filling the bridge.

"At once, Warmaster," replied the female in charge of the communications array.

"We should be...." a voice echoed inside the bridge, static cutting the transmission out, "system's star...." more static, "passive scans indicate...." a loud screeching sound forced the bridge crew to cover their ears, "thirty torpedoes. We're unsure where the....are," a final section of static and the transmission stopped.

"Thirty torpedoes?!" the Warmaster growled as she stood up. The quills on the back of her head rustled as she spoke. "Have we lost thirty, or are thirty left?" she asked.

"Unknown, Warmaster," came the reply, "we've tried to clear up the transmission," she pointed out.

"Let me see," the Ericius Warmaster said as she stepped down from the dais.

Stepping onto the cold steel of the deck, her three-toed feet splayed out to accommodate the Warmaster's weight. The claws of each foot rapped against the hull as she walked. With each heavy footfall, her thick thighs and large breasts wobbled. The lights above created contrasting shadows against her caramel skin and wheat-coloured fur. A male nearby watched as the Warmaster walked past, and his eyes lingered on the metal armour she wore, barely covering her ample bust.

"Stare for too long, and you'll lose an eye," she threatened, the male casting his gaze aside.

Stopping next to the Ericius manning the communications array, the Warmaster's quills rattled as she ran a three-fingered hand across them. Starting just above her forehead, each quill was, on average, twelve to twenty-four inches long, ending in a sharp point. Resting on her pointed ears and acting like a hair band was a steel crown.

"Show me the transmission," she asked, the female in front of the Warmaster bowing her head.

*****

John followed the pilots as they made their way toward the nearest canteen. With the Flight Lieutenant walking beside him, none of the other Vipers would dare go near him. However, John noticed a few of them looking in his direction. Nuki must have seen their looks as she pulled him closer to her and placed her left hand on his shoulder. The other pilots got the hint and looked away.

"Do you have a favourite colour?" she asked John.

"What?" he replied, confused by the question.

"Paste, John," Nuki said, "find a table when we get to the canteen, and I'll get your food," she squeezed his shoulder.

"Oh. I usually ask for a random selection of colours," John replied.

"Really?" Nuki said. She seemed surprised.

"Yup. In the end, the paste tastes the same to me," he said.

"Fair enough, I'll do just that," the Flight Lieutenant replied.

A few minutes later, the pilots arrived at the nearest canteen. Unfortunately, a few other Vipers were waiting in a queue already, and as John went to find a table, Nuki headed for the end of the line. Looking around the room, John spotted an empty table near one of the corners and made his way over. Sitting down, he looked around and watched as the pilots slowly made their way along the queue, collecting their multicoloured paste and then choosing where to sit. There were a few glances in his direction, but with the Flight Lieutenant still sticking close to John, they kept their distance. Finally, Nuki approached his table, placed John's tray in front of him, and sat opposite.

"You've got each of the primary colours, plus black and white," she said.

"I see you only have a large bowl of red," John replied, looking at Nuki's tray.

"Yup, it goes with my bioluminescence," she pointed out.

"I once asked Doctor Mizta if my body would react to the glowing paste, and she said no. No bioluminescence in my body," John said.

"What did you expect? Glow in the dark piss?" the Flight Lieutenant asked.

"Yes," John replied honestly with a shrug of his shoulders. Nuki laughed.

"All Vipers know how the paste interacts with our bodies," she pointed out, "even with the treatments you received from her, your piss wouldn't glow," Nuki said with another laugh. "It just doesn't work that way," she pointed out.

"Do you know what the next training session will be about?" John asked, changing the subject. Nuki shook her head.

"No, the Wing Commander changes the mission parameters each time. She likes to keep us on our claws," she said.

"Or toes," John replied.

*****

Twenty minutes later, the pilots exited the canteen, John making sure to stick to Nuki's side. As they walked, the conversation between the Vipers was lively. John tried to listen to what they were saying, but with so many voices, he found it challenging. When the pilots arrived at a t-junction, the Flight Lieutenant looked down at John and noted that he was using the map on his pad.

"Have you figured out how to not get lost?" she inquired.

"No, not yet," John replied with a laugh, "I think I'm stuck using the map," he said and smiled at Nuki when he looked up and made eye contact with her.

"If it means you're always on time and never get lost, then there's nothing wrong with using the map," she said.

"True," John replied.

*****

Arriving at the Briefing Room, John saw that Wing Commander Zsosu was already waiting for them. She was leaning on the edge of a table at the end of the square room. The Briefing Room was large enough to have a desk and chair for each pilot, with enough space for the one designed especially for John. As he walked over to it, John noticed that Zsosu was watching him.

"Hurry up," the Wing Commander called out, and the Viper pilots hurried to their seats. "Before today's training exercise, I thought it best to go over the various ship profiles that each of you may encounter," she said. John was surprised to hear a few groans.

With a hiss of steam, the ceiling above Zsosu split apart and retracted, allowing a projector hidden above to descend. Attached to a mechanical arm was a small box which flared to life, and a bright green hologram appeared just in front of the Wing Commander.

"Today's exercise will consist of a battle against the smaller ships in the Lupine fleet," she said. "This is a Lupine fighter," the Wing Commander said as she pointed to the hologram.

Rotating in front of her was a wireframe representation. Hovering next to it was scrolling text, and as Zsosu continued to speak, John read it. They had a similar length to that of the Mamba fighters The Matriarchy uses. However, they could not manoeuvre well in a planet's atmosphere due to a lack of wings.

"As you can see, behind the pointed nose of the fighter is the cockpit," Zsosu continued, "and unlike our ships, the Lupine use a transparent alloy so that their pilots can see where they are flying," she then gestured to a bubble behind the cockpit. "Unlike our Mambas, which only require a single pilot, Lupine Fighters have a crew of two. While one Lupine pilots the craft and uses its main guns, the second Lupine controls this turret," the Wing Commander then used her pad.