Project Prometheus Ch 05 1

Taking a deep breath in, Alexander woke, blinking slowly as he woke up. '

Did last night really happen?'

He wondered as he propped himself up in his large, king sized bed. There was a source of warmth right next to him and he looked down, to see Natalya lying there. She was still sleeping, as her eyes were closed, but she had a content smile on her face as she continued to dream.

Moving as quietly and slowly as he could, the big man scooted out of bed and headed to his bathroom, to do his morning business. Having finished in less than a minute, he padded over to the shower and turned it on. The hot water threw up a steam cloud as it contacted the cold air. After testing the water, Alex turned about to get some towels. He found Nats standing there, in the doorway, looking as beautiful as she could.

A slow smile wound its way onto his face as he took in her naked body, drinking in every detail. Her dusky brown skin shone in the light, as she sauntered over to him, her pendulous breasts swaying as she walked to him. Stopping right in front of him, Natalya stood on her tiptoes, her face trying to reach his. Alex was already ahead of her, enfolding her into his arms as he lifted her, so they could face each other, eye to eye.

Bodies pressed together, they both felt the wave of arousal hit them as their lips met in a torrid and enflamed kiss. As their tongues struck back and forth, Alex walked backwards into the shower spray, drenching the both of them. Ending the kiss softly, Nats dropped her legs back down and backed away from her lover. She then smiled that self-assured, content smile of a woman who had been well and truly satisfied.

Seeing the look on her face was enough to have Alex growl softly as the hot and steamy session of sex they'd had last night was beyond amazing in his eyes. Letting his chocolate skinned goddess go, he planted a tender kiss on her forehead, as he stroked her face. Placing her right hand on his chest, over his heart, Nats felt for his heartbeat, closing her eyes, listening.

Her smile widening as she caressed his solid pecs, the young woman took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and gazed up into the young Captain's face. He leaned down and kissed her again, setting her passion aflame, like he did hours ago. Nats' body convulsed, every inch of her clenching in delight, until a slight twinge in her nethers put her off for a moment. Moaning into the kiss, she pressed him back, against the metal wall of his shower unit, then reluctantly peeled herself away from him.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, especially with you saluting me the way you are," Nats joked as she gripped his semi-hard cock, "I'm going to need at least a few hours of recovery time before we can have some more nookie."

"Oooohh! I think we may both need that rest, considering how crazy it got last night," Alex responded as her hand clenched his dick that gave a sense of both pleasure and pain. Letting his tool go, she pressed against her man, doing her level best to bury herself into his body. For the first time, in a long time, Natalya was able to sleep through the night without being bothered by any recurring nightmares or insomnia.

She had actually slept, like she used when she was a little girl! She hadn't had a sense of peace like that since.... Banishing the dark thought that flitted on the edge of her consciousness, Nats brought herself back to the present moment. Enjoying the hot water pouring over her skin, she soaked her hair as she looked around for some shampoo.

Alex noted her search and pressed his hand to a recessed panel. A small wall section next to it slid open and revealed basic shampoo, conditioner and soap, along with several variants of each. Smirking up at him, Nats reached for the one that was alcohol free, to prevent her hair from breaking. As she was about to open it, Alex snatched it from her hand. She was just about to rebuke him for doing that, until he opened it, squeezed a good dollop into his hands and crooked his finger.

Surprise flitted across her face as Natalya saw him rub it between his palms lightly. Doing as he had showed, she stepped close to him, her head just below his chin. Alex raked his hands through her hair, working the shampoo into it, massaging her scalp as his fingers played along her tresses.

Sighing in delight, Nats let Alexander play with her hair as he washed it, loving the feel of his fingers as they danced about her head. Several minutes later, he stopped and though Natalya didn't want it to end; she knew that they couldn't spend all day in the shower as much as she wanted to. The large Croatian captain reached into the open alcove, pulling a couple bars of soap out.

Handing one to Nats, he then stepped out of the needle spray of water, as he soaped himself up. The lather of suds didn't stay on him long as the steam caused by the hot water slowly sluiced it off of his chiseled physique. Alex made to step into the water to rinse himself off, but Natalya stopped him. Confused, the big man was about to open his mouth, before she pointed her finger down and turned it in a circular motion.

Opening his mouth in a silent 'Ah!' of realization, the captain of the Perseus turned about, facing his back to the chief engineer. Taking her own soap, she soaped her lover's back, making sure that a single inch didn't go unwashed. Satisfied with her work, Nats clasped Alex's shoulder, turning him around. As he faced her, the massive bear of a man made the same motion to her that she did to him.

Turning on the spot, Nats presented her back to Alex, so he could return the favor. His hands played along her skin, as he soaped her down, lathering up her back with the soapy suds. He paid special attention to her ass, as he both soaped and fondled it, pinching, grasping and kneading it.

"Stop that!" Natalya giggled as she playfully slapped his hand that slid across her slick behind.

"Nats, your ass alone is a masterpiece. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't worship it, along with the rest of you?" the massive Captain asked as he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Smooth one, charming," Nats said as she draped her arms around his shoulders and drew Alex into another long kiss. They both enjoyed it as they stood under the falling hot spray. Breaking apart gently, the both of them finished washing up before toweling off and heading out into the room. The two of them searched about for their clothes, until Natalya squeaked, remembering.

"What is it Nats?"

"We left our clothes.... in the Officer's Lounge!" the young woman responded, her face a mask of mortification.

"Oh, shit!" Alex replied, his equally surprised and shocked. Throwing a glance over to his clock, a small smile flitted across his mouth.

"If we get dressed and head on over now, we should be able to get there before either Kasumi or Taal'ani!" the big man said quickly, as he darted over to his closet and pulled out one of his uniforms. He also yanked out a set of casual clothes, a simple white tee and black drawstring pants, tossing them to Nats.

Quickly donning the clean clothes, they were rushing along the corridors moments later, hoping to get to the lounge in time. As they skidded to a halt before the doors, the young lovers craned their heads, checking if anyone had been since last night. Seeing and hearing nothing, they entered through the doors, finding that the scene inside was just as they had left it. Scrambling, both Alex and Nats snatched their discarded clothing, bundling it in their arms.

"Think we could make it back without rousing either of them?" Natalya asked.

"Likely not, but lucky for us, there is a solution," Alexander said as he led the young woman to the kitchen. As they went through the doors, Alex continued walking until he came to what looked like a small cupboard, built into the bulkhead. Opening the door revealed what appeared to be a small chute, far too small for anyone to fit into.

"A laundry chute?" the chocolate-skinned woman questioned.

"Of course! For a crew as large as ours, with meals being prepped here in the galley, there's bound to be a right mess from time to time," the Slavic man explained. "The clothes get dropped a couple hundred decks to the laundry service to be cleaned. The laundry service is run by a Virtual Intelligence that scans the clothes for DNA, for identification purposes. It cleans the garments, then sends them back up via the maglev delivery system that's been built into the Perseus framework. We tried to automate as much of the basic duties as we could."

Shaking her head, Nats was again amazed at the amount of thought that went into constructing such a ship. As Alex dropped his clothes down the chute, Nats walked up right after him and similarly dropped her clothes in. Exiting the galley, the both of them were all smiles, having just avoided being embarrassed in such a way. They then embraced, holding each other as they kissed again, their passion still burning hot. Breaking the kiss, Nats then wrapped her arms around Alex's midsection, hugging her man close, as though she was trying to melt into him.

"I should probably head back and get some proper clothes on though, and some underwear, while I'm at it," Natalya smirked as she stood there.

"I'd say that's a good plan. I should probably clean up in here, in case Taal'ani comes in and smells the stench of sex we left behind," Captain Tomisic replied, with his arms around her.

"Too late!"

Heads whipping towards the entrance, both humans noticed the Fel'caan woman, leaning casually against the doorframe. The look on her face was one of the cat that just got the canary, smiling evilly at the new lovers.

"How much of that did you hear?" Natalya asked her crew mate, her face aflame in embarrassment.

"Enough to know that what you two were up to. Also, enough to wish I could have seen the show, judging by how cuddly and cutesy you two are being right now," Talon giggled.

Looking at each other, then back at Taal'ani, both Alex and Nats gave the resident hacker a little something to think about. Drawing Natalya into another kiss, Alex put everything he had into the kiss, pouring every bit of himself that he could into it. The young engineer returned the kiss with equal fervor, using her tongue creatively inside his mouth, which drew a feral growl out of the man.

As the kiss ended, both Alexander and Natalya stepped away from each other, as she sauntered over to walk past Talon, who was staring goggle eyed at the both of them. Her tongue was hanging out past her jaw, with no sound coming out and she was drooling.

"Close your mouth Specialist, before you start a puddle on the floor," Captain Tomisic said in a satisfactory tone. Blinking and shaking herself out of her stupor, Taal'ani went to catch her friend, just as she heard the captain say, "Breakfast in fifteen minutes, ladies!"

As the Fel'caan woman caught her friend, she couldn't help but notice the smiley, glowy look that was plastered all over Nats' face. Envious, though happy for her friend, she slung her arm around the young human's shoulders and pressed her for details.

"So, was he any good? I'm guessing by that look, he was!"

"Girlie, you don't know the half of it! You couldn't handle the half of it!" Natalya replied to the playful ribbing.

"So, come on! Spill! Details, details!" the cat-girl enthused.

As they arrived at Natalya's new quarters, she filled in her friend about what had happened last night, as she got dressed. The more Nats went on about the encounter, the more flushed and aroused Taal'ani became. At several points, she had fanned herself and had to loosen her light jacket when she was told just how big Captain Tomisic was.

"He's.... he's that..... large??" Talon asked, eyes wide with arousal.

"Mmmmm-hmmmmm! The best part, is that he's not just a pounder. He REALLY knows how to use it!" the chief engineer recalled. "Dipping and shifting until he's hit a point that makes you squeal! Normally, I like to keep such a man to myself, but a man this fine, I may just have to let you have yourself a taste."

"Really?!?"

"No, not really, I'm just going to be a cruel bitch," Natalya tried to say seriously, but wound up giggling out the side of her mouth.

"You are horrible! But seriously, you'd let me?" Taal'ani wondered, her attraction to the big man, evident in her voice.

"Well, I am claiming that man for myself, but that doesn't mean that I have to be a greedy bitch about it," Natalya said as she finished pulling on her coveralls. "Come on. If I heard right, the Captain should be finishing up with breakfast soon."

As promised, the moment they returned to the lounge, Alex walked out of the galley wearing an apron, having doffed his jacket and belt, which lay on a nearby chair. In his hands was a tray that was loaded with waffles, sausages, maple syrup, orange juice, a pot of fresh coffee, glasses, mugs and a small stack of plates and cutlery. About a minute or two later, Kasumi walked into the room, in a similar getup from the day before, looking a slight bit bedraggled.

"Coffee, Commander?" the captain asked, noting Kas' state.

"Please, sir!" she said warmly. "After almost six hundred years in cryo sleep, it's going to take some adjusting to get used to sleeping for real again."

"I echo those sentiments, though we all have our adjustment periods," Alex said while shooting a fiery glance at Nats. Burying her face in her OJ, Natalya doled out enough food for herself and Talon and they dug right in. Kasumi similarly loaded her plate, famished, despite her late-night snack.

"So, Kasumi, I'll be joining you in the brig once I've done the check in with the Darkstrider," Alex said as he paused between bites of sausage and waffle. "Taal'ani, Nats, what will you two be up to today?"

"Well sir, I'll be heading to the shipwright section of the Perseus, to make sure that everything is prepped accordingly to manufacture the dropship. I will need Talon's help to make sure that there are no hiccups with the computer systems," Natalya replied warmly, smiling at her Captain.

"Talon?"

"A nickname I earned on the galaxy wide web. I'll tell you about it once the ship is in a better state," the Fel'caan woman promised. "Once I'm done ensuring the systems in the shipwright and foundry sectors are functioning as they should, I'll go over any sluggish or offline systems points within the Perseus' digital network. Hoping that there are no more surprises in there."

"As do I.... Talon," Alex replied with a smirk.

"Oh, and one other thing I feel I should mention," Jaesa's voice interjected over the intercom. "The Xuul'khani prisoner, Shazza, seems like she has been without food or water since she came out of cryo stasis."

Surprised, Alex turned his attention to Commander McKenzie, and almost laughed out loud. With the amount of food stuffed into her face, the soldier looked like a red-headed chipmunk, cheeks bulging out obscenely. The other two women did their best to stifle the giggles that welled in their throats, but instead of hearty laughs, they came out sounding like pig snorts.

Face scrunched up in confusion as to what everyone found so funny, it dawned on Kas a split second later. Rolling her eyes, she swallowed the food in her mouth with an audible gulp before she responded to the look that Captain Tomisic had given her.

"What is it, sir?"

Quickly regaining his composure, he asked, "Why was no food brought to the prisoner?"

"I erred on the side of caution sir, and waited for either Jaesa or our new doctor to give me a proper analysis as to whether the food we eat is toxic to her or not," Kasumi replied almost forcefully, clearly in a mood.

Picking up on the subtle shift of her tone, Alex decided to question her about it later. "A sensible approach to said situation." Calling out to Jaesa, he asked, "Jaesa, can you provide us with an answer to that query?"

"Yes sir. I have completed my passive scans of 'Shazza's' physiology and have determined that she in particular, as a Xuul'khani, is a carbon-based life form and would be able to consume human food with no difficulty," the chipper AI responded.

"Very good Jaesa. Commander, load up a proper breakfast plate, enough for at least two helpings," Alex gestured to the remaining food in front of them. "She's likely hungry and thirsty, so some food would likely go a long way to making her co-operative."

"Sir, I understand that we must feed the prisoner, but why what we eat?" Kasumi questioned as she stood, hesitating to carry out her orders.

"Simple, Commander. Respect for our enemies is paramount, especially any prisoners. We treat them with dignity, because without this outward show of respect, we are nothing more, than mere animals," the young captain intoned.

Nodding, the Security chief of the Perseus carried out her orders and fetched herself a tray, to load food and drink onto it for their guest. The rest of the crew began a quick cleanup, again, both women fussing that the captain shouldn't do anything to clean up. Grumbling, Alex stomped off towards the bridge while both Taal'ani and Natalya giggled at him. Even Kasumi managed a small smile as she finished topping up the tray before covering it and leaving.

As they all left the Officer's Lounge, Jaesa's voice picked up on the comms again, "Don't forget ladies, the Perseus' monorail system is online once more, so don't be afraid to make use of it."

"Thanks Jaesa, we'll do just that," Nats replied happily. Both her and Talon pulled their ship tablets out of their pockets before seeing that Kasumi was walking off. Looking at each other, they both silently agreed to follow the curvy commander, as she likely knew where everything on the ship was.

It was clear to the both of them that Kas was in no mood to talk, so they kept a respectful distance behind her. Soon, they arrived at a door which Commander McKenzie opened with a touch of her hand. Past the door, was a large room, that looked like a small train station. Various pod shaped cars lined the area, each one connected to a different rail track.

Soft, bluish white lights lit up the area, giving it an ethereal, otherworldly glow. Many of the pill-shaped cars, sized to hold at least twenty occupants, came online. The doors on each one of them opening with a soft hiss, the seats looked soft and inviting, designed for both practicality and comfort.

"It doesn't matter which car you pick, as they all go everywhere," Kasumi said, giving both Talon and Nats a small fright with the sound of her voice. Chuckling at them, she continued, "There are stations like this in every major area of the ship, each equipped with its own complement of rail cars. Jaesa maintains the subroutines that keep the system functioning as it should. Wherever you want to go, just speak it out loud and the car will take you there."

"Well, that's good to know," Taal'ani replied. "Thanks."

"No problem."

With that, Kasumi walked over to one the open cars and got in. She sat down and said in a clear voice, "Brig." Moments later, the doors to the car closed and locked, before it moved, taking the Commander though one of the many tunnels that dotted the far wall.

Grinning like idiots, both women jumped into the closest car and shouted out in unison, "Shipwright!" Like with the red-headed soldier, the doors closed, and the car moved, with a quick, lurching motion. The movement saw both women on their asses as they traversed the rail system.

"You think she could have warned us about that," Talon groused as she stood, rubbing the pain from her plushy ass.

"I honestly think she enjoys tripping us up like this, if what she did in the elevator before we met the Captain, is any sign," Natalya responded as she picked herself up and sat down on one of the many seats built into the car's frame.