A Whole New World

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Call me Dune Man because I be bringing that spice.

Longer chapter that would make a nun cry. Sorry for delay, I might post soon. We'll see.

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Laurel felt strong hands holding her open as she came to, and found her face only a couple inches away from the Prince, close enough to feel his hot breath on her skin. His arms tightened around her and pulled her up. Laurel regained her balance easily enough, but was disappointed nonetheless when his hands pulled away.

A relieved smile spread across his face and he laughed, "So, I guess that settles it," his hands settled on her collar bones and he pressed both sides of the collar, causing it to pop off her neck and into his palm. Even just him brushing his fingers across her neck was enough to send her stomach into a tailspin, and wobble on her feet. He noticed it, "The effect of the band should start fading soon. Sorry about that, I didn't realise it was set so high."

"No, it's fine," she said sheepishly, looking away and to the floor, "So does that mean I'll have superpowers?" she looked up to him, "What do you have?"

"Control of lasers," he shrugged, as easily as rattling off a grocery list, "it's not that useful of an ability, but hopefully I'll be able to get a second before long."

"Not that useful?" Laurel asked, he must have been joking, "How is that not useful? You could kill anyone, cut through anything..."

"The need to kill someone doesn't arise very often," he shrugged, "neither does cutting."

"You didn't need to deal with Mistress Everemore, you could have just ended her."

"No," he shook his head, "She may be evil, but if for a jury to decide and convict her on, I am no executioner."

"You're too up-tight. Live a little, some people deserve it."

He rolled his eyes, "Something seems a little off, your papers," he held them up, "say you're nineteen, and you look like it, but you should have gotten your abilities by now."

"I'm sure I'm nineteen, even if we're outer rim, we still keep records. Is there a possibility that I won't get any?" Part of her kind-of wanted that to happen, it was easier, a continuation of the status quo.

"No, you'll get them, just the more time that passes, the bigger the initial outburst, so we'll just need to be careful about that. We don't want you destroying the ship" He started walking out of the room and waited for her at the door, closing and locking it once she had left.

Laurel turned to him, "What now?"

He shrugged, "I'm going to give you a decision, two options, I'll give you until the end of the day, but past then, I need to get going."

"I, not we?" Laurel asked, she took a step closer, she was beginning to like this boy and now he was saying he was leaving?

"Maybe. That's what I'm getting at. I already mentioned that I wasn't planning on stopping, and that's because I need to meet with the Kodiak ambassador to Zatar, a good friend. Our friendship was the only reason why I could delay our meeting to get you, but I can't return to Earth until after that matter is done. So, knowing that, and knowing you're going to have to spend a couple weeks, at the very least, with me, that's option one--"

"I'm fine with it," Laurel said, shrugging and trying to seem casual. She was glad he didn't have some super-hearing so something, otherwise it would be beyond obvious that her heart was beating at a million miles an hour.

"You haven't heard the second option?"

"You're not leaving me here, that's for sure. On Earth you may not have to worry about corrupt men or shadowy alleys, but here we do."

"Alright," he clapped his hands together, "then that's settled," he turned to walk away before immediately turning to look back at her, a tinge of blush crossing his face, "It just occurred to me, that I never actually heard your first name, Mrs. Marquis?"

****

The day passed languidly, with Alexander spending most of the time behind the navigation console, setting a course which would allow them to bypass most of the major areas of unknown space. He calculated that they would end up meeting with the ambassador, Katie Faust, within three days of interstellar travel. Throughout the process Laurel had sat behind him, entertaining herself with the computer off to the side. He wondered if she had ever had access to the interstellar web, but didn't ask. He got the same feeling from her, sometimes she would lean forward, like she wanted to ask something, but after a second, sometimes opening her mouth, and sometimes not, she would lean back and get back to whatever she was doing. Alexander figured it was because she didn't want to interrupt him. He was thankful, navigating was a hard task even for him, and he figured he could ask her what was on her mind later.

The ship lights automatically dimmed and Alex finished the last navigation nodes before standing up and stretching. Laurel was right behind him, a slight look of worry on her face, "Did we lose power? Are we under attack?"

Alex laughed and shook his head, "No, just the ship reminding me what time it is," he swiped across a metal panel of the ship which suddenly came alive, showing the time as half-past ten. "You're welcome to stay up longer, but I'll need to get up early tomorrow to get permission to leave the atmosphere."

"I never thought being a captain would be so time-intensive," Laurel asked, looking back to the computer she had been sitting down at, "Don't you have computers to do that for you?"

"This mission is off the books. Computers leave a trail, so I'm stuck doing all the maths myself."

"Why? You're just visiting an ambassador, right?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, "We'll see what I make of the situation before making any rash decisions."

"Situation?"

"The Ambassador indicated that she was being threatened by the Zatari, but so far nothing has happened. Nothing likely will, the Zatari like to blather. Still, better to be cautious." Alex moved out of the cockpit and along the same hallway before coming to rest in the doorway of the bedroom. He was looking at the bed. How could he have forgotten, the ship only had one bed. It wasn't even a large bed, just a standard military issue bed. He sighed and figured that the captain's seat was comfortable enough for a couple nights.

"Is that where you're sleeping, or me?" Laurel asked, leaning around him so she could see past the narrow doorway and into the room.

"You. I need to grab a couple blankets, and then I'll make my way down to the cockpit."

"It has a fold-down bed?"

He grimaced, "No, but I'll make do."

"Come on, it's not that sm..." she petered out as she turned back to the bed and realised that there was no way she could argue that position.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen," he walked over to a small built-in cabinet and pulled out several blankets before walking back to the door, "I'm going to take a shower first, see you in the morning."

****

Alexander finished putting on shirt as he opened the cockpit door, usually he slept shirtless, but in the slim chance that Laurel was up before him, didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He opened the door and slipped inside without turning on the light, making his way around the small space by feel until he felt his blankets where he left them on the armchair of his seat. Something about them felt minutely different, but he figured they had probably just slipped.

Alex sat down in the chair, only to realise that something was off about it. It was up higher, and the form of the seat was different, more angular and bonier.

He had already started to get up, but a sleepy voice caused him to jump up,

"What?"

Alexander turned around and saw Laurel in the chair, she had been very obviously sleeping, and with the interruption, her face made an awful grimace and she slowly blinked awake.

Alex let out a deep sigh, for a second he thought it had been someone else, perhaps a stowaway, but his relief just faded into amused confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Well..." she yawned deeply and Alex found it impressive that she was able to find such good sleep in the short time he had been in the shower, "...I figured that it's your bed, you should sleep in it."

"I honestly don't mind. Besides, you just got out of an awful situation, I think you deserve a night of good sleep."

"I think that's what I was getting," she said, yawning once more to further her point. As she yawned, she raised her arms up and the blanket slipped down from chest, revealing that she was just wearing a bra. Alex quickly looked up, but the image had been seared into his mind. She must have noticed his rapid change in expression, and looked down, blushing deeply and pulling back up the blanket.

"Sorry," Alex said awkwardly, scratching his neck, "I still think you should get the bed."

"Why?"

Alex shrugged, it was his ship, he made the rules, he didn't say that, but part of him wanted to. "It's just proper, I'm not going to bed unless you're in the bed. Going to sleep I mean."

"Well, neither am I."

"You don't need to, I honestly would rather sleep here, then I can get up and immediately start working."

"And I really don't mind you sleeping in the same bed as me, it's not like we'll be naked or anything."

Alex leaned back against the controls, likely not the wisest thing, but nothing drastic happened, so he didn't move, "Look, I understand that for the past several years of your life you were essentially made to become a sex-slave, but you're not that anymore, you don't need to do anything you don't want to. I'll--"

"I want to," she said quickly, looking up into his eyes with a deep connection which only echoed the sentiment.

"Oh."

Immediately after a crestfallen look crossed her face, and Laurel leaned back in the chair, distancing herself. She broke eye contact and focused the spectrum analyser. "I'm sorry."

Alex winced and leaned forward, gently cupping her hand in his own, "That wasn't meant to be a bad 'oh,' more just that I was surprised, I wouldn't mind either."

"Really?" She looked back to him, smile almost reaching her ears.

"Yes. But I you're confident that this is actually something you want," he squeezed her hand slightly, "and not something you feel obligated to do," judging from the smile, Alex didn't really think he needed to ask, but he wouldn't let himself be one of those men who presumes things that are just wrong.

She squeezed his hand in return, "Of course, who wouldn't want to sleep with a prince?"

"Very funny," he pulled her up and out of the chair.

The blankets slid down once more but Laurel shrugged and hugged them at her side, "I don't think that really matters anymore," although a blush still persisted on her face.

"Probably not," he nodded.

He carried her back to the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. Laurel smiled up at him, "Maybe I should do that more often, it isn't half bad getting carried off to bed."

Alex rolled his eyes, "I might just let you fall asleep in the chair next time."

"That's no fun. Aren't you supposed to be some noble prince, willing to lay down his life for the needy?"

"The needy, not the sleepy."

"So punny," she said, but couldn't keep a smile from crossing ehr face. Alex couldn't help himself smile when he saw her doing so. He climbed into the bed and the other side. Even with half his left buttcheek handing off the bed mattress, their hips were touching. It certainly wasn't going to be a very comfortable week. Laurel shifted slightly and positioned her shoulder above his. Alex welcomed the change and snuggled a little closer to her.

"Goodnight," she muttered, voice already drifting into sleep.

"Sleep tight."

Alex woke up without an alarm and moved to get up to look at the clock. The only problem was that his right arm was stuck. In his post sleep stupor and the darkness of the room he forgot for a moment what had happened. It quickly came rushing back to him when his right hand rubbed against Laurel's bra. He froze and flicked his hand away, waiting to see if she woke up.

"Fucking idiot," he whispered, and slowly drawing his arm out from under Laurel's lithe form and he sat up. The clock at the other end of the room flashed the time as 5:42. Perfect time to check the calculations and get started waymaking.

He got off the mattress, for the first time thanking its hardness and walked to the cockpit. The blue sun was beginning to rise, it seemed larger than the sun on Earth and for a moment he just sat back and enjoyed the view. This was why he was here, why he longed for the stars, to see sights he could have never imagined, to explore new possibilities, and protect those unable to protect themselves. Although hopefully that would change soon with Laurel.

****

Laurel woke up and stretched her arms behind her head, raking her knuckles against carbon fibre panelling. The bed was woefully empty. She was certain that his arms were around her. Or maybe that was just a dream, a fantasy. She groaned and rolled over in bed, nearly tumbling off the other side. Her nipples protested the movement, and their sudden aching reminded her that she had forgotten to change out the wrappings yesterday. She quickly got out the bandages and walked over to the bathroom. She could see Alex sitting in his captain's chair, watching some charts holographically displayed.

She flicked on the lights and looked into the mirror, laughing when she saw how crazy her hair was. She was about to curse her luck, the academy hadn't given them any toiletries, but when she looked to the vanity she saw a wide variety of skin and hair care products. All were marketed towards men, with scents such as "blue steel" or "warlock," whatever that was, but none of them smelled awful, and they would definitely work in a pinch. Laurel locked the door and removed her bra and the bandages, taking a tentative look at her breasts. They looked much less red compared to yesterday, and Laurel let out a sigh of relief. The barbels were just big enough to appear like little bulbs on either side of her nipples, and looking in the mirror she admitted that she really liked how they looked. Her boobs were already pert and although she thought they were a little too small, barely handfuls, the little piece of metal attached really highlighted them.

Laurel took out the bandages, but before they were entombed again, she decided to do some exploration. She twerked her right nippled, expecting the bar to cause some pain or discomfort but it was strangely normal. Of course there was some soreness, but every time she moved the bar it sent tingles into her nipples. It felt amazing like every touch was multiplied. Her nipples turned hard and she moved up her other hand to get herself off. She thought it might be possible by only rubbing her nipples, but she didn't want to try, and soon dropped her hand down to her panties and rubbed her clit through the thin fabric. Dampness spread though the clothing and her breath hitched, coming in ragged gasps.

She dropped her panties and slid a finger inside her, keeping her thumb on her clit, making small circles and her brain started to shut off, feelings of euphoria spreading across it and she forgot to move her other hand. She could feel the climax approaching. She always found it similar to having to pee, but without any of the dread, only anticipation of release. She closed her eyes and with one final stroke into her pussy she came. Her snatch clenched down on her finger and clit twitched under her thumb. She held her legs locked, trapping her hand as long as possible, savouring the trembling as it ran from her cunt to her toes.

She sighed and leaned against the sink, withdrawing her hand from her snatch. She licked off her juices, savouring the taste. Laurel laughed to herself and washed off her hands. "Time for a shower, I think."

When Laurel finished drying her hair and had gotten her pants back on, she started wrapping the bandages back up. She wondered if it was really necessary, she had heard that Kodiaks were supposed to heal super fast, maybe her wounds were already healed. A quick brush against her boobs that caused soreness to erupt proved her wrong. "Maybe for a couple more days."

She finished wrapping up herself and tried to tie a knot, but realised that it was nearly impossible to do so. She either had to do it blind, or try to look backwards in the mirror and try to move her hands the opposite way. She might have been able to do it if she set aside the time, but she had a better idea. Holding both the ends with one hand, she opened the door and looked into the hallway, seeing Alex still at his chair. "Alex! Can you help me with something?"

He turned to look at her and his eyes went wide? "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just need my prince in shining armour to help me with some bandages."

He got up, "Bandages? Did you hurt yourself?"

"You don't know? They told me it was complimentary."

"What was?"

"They pierced my nipples," she motioned to the bandages across her chest. She had left some underboob exposed, and Laurel felt a thrill when she saw Alex's eyes flick down before coming back up to look her in the eyes.

"They pierced your nipples? I didn't tell them to do that. Are you al--"

"I'm fine. Honestly I kinda like it," she smiled mischievously, "They're useful."

His anger dissipated and he shrugged, "I guess it worked out then. What was your problem?"

"Oh, I just need you to tie the bandages together," she blushed.

"Tie? You want me to tie bandages together?"

She nodded and turned around. Laurel thought he heard him gasp. "That is definitely not medically sound."

"You're insulting my medical skills?"

"They need to be. You could kill someone if you wrapped them up like that. You shouldn't ever need to tie bandages."

"I think I'm going to need some help then."

"Obviously."

She raised her eyebrows and started unwrapping the bandages, fully facing him. She felt the heat in her cheeks rise and her heartbeat started to race.

"Woah!" Alex said, putting his hands on her shoulder and turning her around. "Pay attention to what you're unwrapping."

She shuddered, loving the feeling of his strong hands on her shoulders, holding her in place. Such a position of dominance, she felt the strength when he turned her around. What else could those muscles do? Sadly he took his hands off her too soon.

"Come on," She started to turn around again, but Alex grabbed her shoulders and did not let go, making her face towards the bathroom door. Laurel loved the feeling. "Aren't you going to have to see my tits in order to wrap them up."

"I could wrap an injury in my sleep, I'm sure that you facing away from me won't be any different."

She rolled her eyes, "Alex, I don't care if you see my boobs. I'm a sex slave for fucks sake."

"Not anymore. Now you can do whatever you want."

"Well, now I want you to look at my boobs."

"What?"

She blushed and stammered for words, "For scientific purposes. I don't want the piercings to get infected."

"You could have worded that a lot better."

"Boo hoo. Don't you have stuff to get doing," she let the rest of the wrappings fall off her body. She held out the bangaging for Alex, "Here."

He took it and tentatively released her shoulders, Laurel didn't try to turn around, it was satisfying enough just to know that he could see her bare back and a little bit of side-boob.

Alex planted a hand on her back, and started slowly winding the bandages around her. It was bliss. He wound the strip much tighter than she had, and from his measured hand it was clear that he had extensive training in first aid. Every time his hands passed over her boobs, barely brushing she felt her heart rate spike and breath catch. One time she actually moaned, but Nikolas must not have heard it.