Adventures Of Tash And John Ch 04

Authors Note:

Firstly I want to apologize for not having this out sooner, I've had a lot of personal issues to deal with over the past couple of months. But fear not for those of you who are interested this series is not done yet. I wish I could promise more regular updates but as the last few months have shown me I can't rely on any of the free time I think I have.

There was also originally going to be more to this chapter but I have decided to split it up into two parts for reasons. I also am planning to go back and rewrite the old chapters to fix plot inconsistencies. I would also like to thank a Drunken Editor for helping me out with some of this chapter. Thank you for reading and please enjoy.

Humaboo Anon

*****

Tashaiea groaned. Something was poking at her. She turned herself over, grabbing a fistful of blankets as she did. There was a moments peace before the poking returned. She swatted at it, still not willing to open her eyes to see what it was. Her four fingered hand failed to connect with whatever it was and a moment later it returned.

"Go away." The young Kai'ani woman groaned.

The poking stopped and a low and somehow familiar voice followed it up. "Ah, so you are awake." A male voice said.

Tashaiea shifted around in the bed again, trying to once again find that perfect comfy spot she had been in before the poking so rudely interrupted her. Without opening her eyes she responded to the voice.

"No, I'm sleeping. Go away." She mumbled to the voice.

"Huh?" The voice once again responded.

"I said I'm still sleeping." Tashaiea said again, attempting to fight her body now trying to fully wake up.

The voice chuckled. "Tash, don't make me get my translator. Come on, it's time to get up."

"What are..." Tashaiea suddenly realized that the voice was speaking English and she... wasn't. Slowly she opened her eyes to see her male... her boyfriend, standing over the bed beside her. Tashaiea rubbed her eyes and sat up. "You should learn to speak Teheki." The sleepy woman said, in English this time.

John smiled at her. "You know, I've been trying. But my teacher appears to be in bed, hungover again."

Tashaiea sat up a little further in the bed.

"I'm not..." Almost as if right on queue a flash of nausea and head pain shot through her.

She could see John's smile widen. She knew he could see the look of discomfort on her face. Tashaiea waited a moment for the nausea to pass before continuing.

"Ok, maybe I am a little hungover." The Kai'ani confessed.

"That makes, what? Three times this trip so far?" John jabbed at her, barely containing a laugh. "You and Petran make quite a pair."

"We're not a pair." Tashaiea protested. "We're just friends."

That caused John to laugh.

"Whatever you say, dear." The Human said before handing her a bottle of water and a few small pills. "I went to the infirmary and got these for your hangover. Figured you'd need them this morning."

Tashaiea took the offered items and quickly downed the pills. Nearly the entire bottle of water was gone before she even realized she had drank it. She must have been really thirsty, she thought. She finished off the water and returned to look at John's amused and smiling face. He was just... gorgeous to her. All the proportions were just right. He was so alien, so... exotic. She knew that many among her people would look down on her for taking a male from outside the species. Because what female in her right mind would want to destroy her genetic line with something so obviously incompatible and alien? A question she would undoubtedly be getting from her own family. And one that she would probably struggle to answer.

She doubted they would understand. Maybe it was because they couldn't understand. Maybe there was something wrong with her head. A random genetic defect that made her attracted to a xeno instead of her own people. She had almost never heard of anyone, especially in her family, who had claimed someone from out of the Kai'ani. It mostly seemed to be something that other species did. Still not very often, but certainly more often than hers. Regardless she couldn't change how she felt. If it was a genetic defect, it suited her just fine. Everyone else just didn't know what they were missing.

"What?" John said, snapping Tashaiea out of her train of thoughts. She now realized she had been staring at him for a good minute. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked back at John.

"How did you know I was going to be hungover? Tashaiea asked, motioning at the now empty bottle.

"You don't remember?" John asked. Tash shook her head. John smiles and continued. "I had to carry you back to the room from Petran's last night. After dinner you two went to go spend some 'girl time'," John held up two finger on each of his hands quickly curled them down twice as he said the words. Tashaiea wasn't exactly sure what the hand gesture meant, so she just assumed he was mocking her. "And when you didn't come back to the room after a few hours I went to investigate and found you in Petran's room, drunk out of your mind, slumped in one of her chairs and giggling like you had just heard the funniest thing in the world. So I picked you up and carried you across the ship back to our room while you insisted on telling me how pretty I was and, this is what my translator said, that you wanted to 'swallow my meat pole'."

Tashaiea cringed at that last part. She vaguely remembered being carried and saying something like that. But she had thought it was just a dream. Apparently that wasn't all she said either. Tash shifted uncomfortably on the bed as she listened to John recount to her about how when they got back to the room she had tried to seduce him with a strip show, but had instead tripped on her pants while she was trying to get them off and fell face first on the floor. John had rushed over to make sure she was okay, but she had just fallen asleep right there on the floor, with her top naked and her pants around her ankles. So he had finished undressing her, put her to bed and went off to the infirmary to get some medicine for her for the morning. Tashaiea had to admit, it was most certainly the most embarrassing thing she had ever heard someone tell her about herself. She was almost glad she couldn't remember it. Well, most of it anyways.

"The Captain made an announcement not long ago that we would be arriving in the Seya system soon." John told her, changing the subject after taking a few moments to chuckle and smile like an idiot at his girlfriends reaction to her previous night's escapades. "So I thought we could wait here until we have to strap in for deceleration then head out and grab something to eat. Captain said one hour, so it shouldn't be too long now."

John had been correct about that. No sooner had Tashaiea finsihed getting dressed then the Captain came over the ship wide PA system announcing that they were about to commence deceleration. The couple strapped in and waited. A few minutes after a crewman came by to make sure everyone was secure, the ship began it's deceleration out of warp. Tash shut her eyes as hard as she could. Normal warp transitions made her a little woozy, and she certainly wasn't in her peak condition at the moment. A nauseous wave crashed over her. She tried as hard as she could to keep her composure and not vomit all over herself. After a short few agonizing seconds the nausea was gone and they were back in normal space.

The Captain once again came over the PA informing their passengers of their successful deceleration and to welcome them to the Seya system. They were also informed that from their current position it would take them about three hours to reach the starport terminal they were scheduled to dock at. Three hours, Tashaiea thought. Three hours and she would only be a short shuttle ride away from her hometown. Three hours until she had to face her mother and try to explain John to her. Tashaiea let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in.

"You alright?" She could hear John ask from beside her. He had just started unbuckling his harness from his crash chair.

"Fine, I'm fine." Tashaiea lied. "Just feeling little sick."

"Need me to go to the infirmary and get you something?" John asked once again.

"No, I think I just need food." Tash replied, unbuckling herself as well. "Soak up the alcohol with something."

"Alright, if you insist." John said, standing in front of her and offering his hand.

Tashaiea took it and her Human pulled her to her feet with that ease she had become so familiar with. The young Kai'ani woman had never really known she wanted strength in a male. It wasn't really what one looked for. Strength of character maybe, but not physical strength. She had always been stronger than all the boys, as was fairly custom. Because what self respecting woman would let themselves be seen as weaker than a male? Of course there was the biological factor. Kai'ani females had to birth young, so of course they would have to be larger and stronger to provide for them. But there was also the social aspect to it. Sure, people wouldn't normally come out and say it, but there was a stigma to being seen as weaker than a male, weaker than the ones who couldn't carry life within them.

That she had become attracted to that part of John was probably another sign that there was something wrong in her head. She knew it was different for his species. The males were the biologically stronger ones. Just a product of their evolution. And John was a special case as well. He wasn't just naturally strong but conditioned through years of military service and training. Even though he was technically crippled he could still outperform most others. The thought put a smile on her face. Yep, there was definitely something wrong with her.

The couple left their room and walked towards the dining room. The ship seemed to be more in a buzz of activity than it had been over the previous week. The corridors were full of passengers. Families, business types, tourists... All seeming to get prepared for their docking at the spaceport.Evidently John had decided to pack all their belongings the previous night in anticipation for the morning. He definitely was more organized than she was. Tashaiea knowing herself would have probably just left it all to the last possible minute and scrambled around as they were docking, shoving things in bags and not so much caring where they went. They entered the dining room and took a seat by a window. The light of Seya itself was now filtering into the room. It had been years since she had seen the Light Giver of Kai: The yellow dwarf star that had given life to her home planet and all of the Kai'ani species. The thought that she was just that much closer to home put a smile on her face.

"You want some Felpei this morning?" John asked her, interrupting her reverie of home.

"Uhh, not this morning." Tashaies replied. The thought of the sweetness of her favorite dessert put her stomach a little on edge. "Maybe just some bread or something."

"Wow, you not wanting Felpei?" John said, faking a gasp and smiling. "You must really still be drunk."

"Must be." Tash said back, chuckling.

"Alright, I'll be right back." John said before leaning over the table and giving her a light kiss.

Tash watched as John got up and headed over to the ships buffet styled food table. Tashaiea sunk back in her seat slightly. The medicine he had given her this morning was taking effect, she didn't feel nearly as hung over has she had previously. It was only a mild headache now.

"I see you made it back to your room last night. Or at least I assume you did." A familiar voice said from just behind and to the side of her.

The voice startled Tashaiea and she quickly turned to see Petran standing there with a glass full of something in her hand. The older woman held her palms out in a gesture of 'I come in peace'. When Tashaiea visibly relaxed Petran continued. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The older Kai'ani apologized.

"It's fine, I was just lost in thought." Tashaiea explained and gestured for Petran to sit down with her.

"Excited to be going home?" Petran asked, sitting down and taking a sip from her glass. "You wouldn't stop talking about it last night."

"I did?" Tash said, trying to remember what they had talked about, and failing. "I honestly don't remember."

Petran laughed. "That was probably my fault. I should have stopped you before you drank as much as you did."

"You're a bad influence on me." Tashaiea replied, stifling a laugh of her own.

"That sounds like a compliment to me." Petran said.

"What's a compliment?" Tash could hear John say, who had just arrived and was now standing beside the table with two plates in his hands. He set them down on the table and slid onto the seat next to Tashaiea, bumping her a little bit to get her to move over.

"That I can make your, what did you call it?" Petran began, throwing a look at Tashaiea before continuing. "His 'girlfriend'? Make her forget about how excited she was to be coming back home by drinking too much."

"Oh?" John said, diverting his attention from his plate and locking it onto Petran. "She told me some interesting things last night as well. Right before she fell on the floor with her pants off."

Petran erupted into laughter. Tashaiea dropped her head to the table, making a faint thudding sound as it connected. She then proceeded to cover her head with her hands and groan. That was it. She swore to herself she would never drink again after this trip. A few moments later Tashaiea felt a hand on top of her head. It had only four digits so it couldn't have been John.

"It's alright Tashaiea, I didn't make it to my bed either last night." Petran said in an attempt to comfort her, still chuckling slightly. "I apparently missed and spent the night on the floor."

Tashaiea let out another groan. She felt another hand move around her, John's this time, and pull her in towards him. She felt him kiss her on the top of her head and squeeze her tight.

"You women need to learn how to control yourselves." She could hear John say, with just a hint of laughter still in his voice.

Petran laughed again. "It's just a little harmless fun. We're not going to be flying the ship or anything."

"I bet your liver feels differently." John said with a smile.

"My what?" Petran said with a slight look of confusion on her face and fiddled with her smaller in ear translator earpiece. "That word didn't translate very well."

"Your liver?" John repeated again, "I'm assuming you have an internal organ that filters liquids?"

"Oh!" Petran exclaimed, suddenly understanding what John was asking. "Yes, we have three metabolic organs that help filter liquids." A curious look came over the older woman's face. "Do Humans only have one?"

"Yes, and if we drink too much it can be permanently damaged." John replied, attempting to explain. "Is that not the same for Kai'ani?"

"Ah, yes." Petran confirmed with a slight nod. "It doesn't happen very often but it does happen. The Kai'ani internal systems are very efficient at processing toxins before they can do any damage." Petran paused for a moment, seeming like she had a sudden thought occur. "John," She began again. "I noticed that you can drink an equal amount of alcohol as we have but not have the same effects. Why is that?"

John shrugged, a gesture that he realized after Petran may not understand.

"Well to be honest, and I don't mean any offense, but that wine you have is fairly weak compared to what I'm used to." He explained. "I also have more body mass than you two, so that probably affects the absorption as well."

"Interesting." Petran mused.

Tashaiea had only been half listening to the conversation going on around her. She had finally lifted her head off of the table and had begun nibbling on some of the bread John had brought her.

The young woman's appetite really didn't seem to be cooperating with her today. She wished she could blame it all on the hangover, but she knew that would be a lie. Her stomach was in knots. Tashaiea's mind kept insisting on running over the potential encounters she would inevitably be having with her family in only a few hours' time and none of them seemed to be in her favor. The best her mind seemed to be able to come up with was being unceremoniously being shunned from the family and being remembered as the Vakal who killed the K'Shon family line. The only Vakal who could conceive, and she insisted on taking a mate outside the species. Three hundred years of lineage destroyed because of her selfish and xenophilic lust.

"You're sure being quiet today." Tash heard John say before her brain processed it as being directed at her. "You sure you don't need me to get you something from the infirmary?"

"Hmm? Oh." Tash began, slowly coming out of her almost trance like state of thinking. "No, I'm alright. Just lost in thought I suppose."

John began slowly stroking her arm. It was a very soothing gesture that Tashaiea felt obviously meant to try and coax something out of her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" John asked her.

Tashaiea turned and gave the Human a curious look. He was always saying odd things like that.

"What?" Tash said, fairly confused. Her translator told her something about him wanting to pay her to tell her what she was thinking. Kind of an weird request, she thought.

"It's an expression." John explained, smiling to her. "It means tell me what you're thinking about."

"Oh, nothing really." Tashaiea attempted to say nonchalantly. "I think I'm just still a little tired or something."

John gave her a look that she knew meant he didn't believe her. But he didn't press the issue. He probably knew exactly along what lines she was thinking. More or less.

"I'd say to go lay down for a while but we should be docking soon. Don't want to miss our connecting shuttle." John said, giving her another kiss on the top of her head and switching the conversation once again away from her.

John was right. About thirty minutes later the Iba-So's captain came once again over the ships PA. Announcing that they were on final approach and would be docking with the Kai Interplanetary Terminal Spaceport in just a few minutes. Docking was slow enough that strapping into crash chairs wasn't necessary, so the Human-Kai'ani couple headed back to their home for the past week and grabbed their possessions. They met with Petran, who was traveling with much less that Tashaiea was expecting, near the ship's airlock. With a final and slightly jarring 'thump', the Iba-So mated with the terminals airlock and the door slowly slid open. As the trio walked through the threshold to the terminal they were met one last time with the five crew members they had met on the very first day of the trip.

Apparently it was a ship tradition for the captain to thank every guest personally after the voyage was complete. When their turn approached, Tash couldn't help but notice that the engineer, the one who had caught John and her floating in the cargo bay on that first night, blushed slightly and shied away from them. Nearly every time either Tash or John had encountered her during the trip she had either quickly turned and walked away or had hid her face. John had found it quite amusing, and Tashaiea had to agree. This time however she wasn't in an as amused mood, but that didn't stop John from giving the woman a big, friendly smile. The terminal was large, larger than Tash had remembered. She did remind herself that she had never actually been through this part of the spaceport before. It was a 'Domestic' terminal instead of the 'International' that she had traveled through previously.

The walls were colored a pleasing cool blue, dancing up towards the ceiling with swirls of greens and reds mixed in. The majority of the ceiling was actually a window that gave an almost breath taking view out into space. Lines of colorful flowers and plants were set in long planters that flanked nearly every walkway. It was an impressive display. Their shuttle departure gate was on the far side of the terminal, a decent distance walk from where they were currently standing. Petran's shuttle gate was much closer. The two women embraced and exchanged contact information. Tashaiea promised to give the older Kai'ani a call when they got settled in at her parent's place, assuming everything went well that is. Tash kept that last part to herself. The trio said their final goodbyes and parted ways for their departures.