Alex floated in a black and trackless void, unable to see anything, but not fearing his loss of sight. He found this to be odd, but paid the thought no mind, as he felt like he was in a place of comfort. He kept floating along, sensing that he was heading somewhere. Slowly, light filtered through to his vision and he could see something ahead. It looked like a portal, with white light spilling out of it and shapes lay within it.
Moments later, the light consumed him, and he was no longer floating in the black void, but in a blue sky dotted with white clouds. Beneath him, mountain-like spires jutted out of a white mist, that hung low and obscured the ground at their roots. Alex saw green vegetation growing on the spires and he thought he could make out the blue shimmer of water through the mist.
Tiny waterfalls spilled out of some spires, adding to the misty shroud, but they didn't hold Alex's interest for long. Looking in the distance, he saw a mountain range, some of them with white snow-capped peaks. The thing that caught his eye the most, was a glimmer of gold light that was reflected by the massive waterfall, pouring out of the mountains.
The amount of water that came down off the range reminded him of the holostills he'd seen of Niagara Falls. The massive torrent of water that spilled off the river and into the chasm below was breathtaking to watch, just like here. As he floated closer, he saw that the light was wasn't the sun reflecting off the water, but the reflection from a massive city that was built right in the middle of the river.
Not knowing what this place was, Alex drew near to it, feeling some familiarity to it. It was almost as though he had been here before but could never remember having been to a place like this. He floated closer to it, just enough to where he could make out figures standing on the balconies and walkways. It was then, that whispering voices sounded in his ear, causing him to slip away from this dream, waking him up.
Instantly, the dream began to fade, bringing him back to reality and his physical body. Sensations that he couldn't feel, returned to him and memories of the night previous, flooded back to his mind. Alex smiled at it all, remembering just how much sex he'd had and who he had it with. He groaned slightly as both pleasure and pain bloomed throughout his body, telling him what was good and what needed looking after.
The voices he'd heard while floating in the dream could now be heard more clearly. They were feminine voices, one of them frantic and vehement, while others were defensive and soothing. Alex couldn't move just yet, as he was just shaking the lethargy off his limbs, but he could hear the conversation between the women in question clear as day.
"... sure that you didn't overdo it on the dosage mama?!? He's still out like a light and hasn't stirred in a while!" Natalya accused.
"I told you there would be side effects of using it and this is one of them. The poor man, pushing himself to satisfy each one of us? He will need his rest after that, especially with these two barging in like they did," Korsa said, glancing over to Shazza and Luminia.
"Not our fault, as you invited us into the room," Shazza shot back.
"I'm with Shazza on this one. We walked in on you lot, true, but you could have told us to leave. Instead, you wished for us to join you," Lumi agreed, standing with her new friend.
"I'd have thought you two might have been embarrassed and walked away, finding us like that," Kasumi griped.
"There is no such... formalities... among my people. If you walk in on someone who is busy having sex, you either wait for them to finish or join in. Only children are shooed away, but they know what goes on when they're not around. We are not a... prudish people," Luminia stated, folding her arms beneath her breasts.
"My people... think along... similar lines. There is no need to be uptight about the matter," Shazza said. Seeing that this tangent was a lost cause, Natalya rounded back on Korsa.
"Are you absolutely sure you didn't crack his pelvis mama? You were a bit rough last night, so I need to be sure he's going to be ok," Natalya worried.
"Look, I've told you before young lady, nothing is broken in the man. I've done several checks on him and shy of bringing a portable scanner in here to check for sure, he will be OK," Korsa soothed her daughter. Nats would have continued, but Alex opened his mouth and interrupted her, startling the lot of them.
"I'm perfectly all right Nats, though your concern is appreciated," Alex groaned as he brought himself to a sitting position.
"I'm a bit sore, tired and dehydrated, but I'll be OK. Though, if I'm being honest, death by Snu-Snu wouldn't be such a bad way to go," he quipped. The women stood there, open-mouthed for a moment, before Nats and Korsa snorted, laughing as they did so. Lumi and Shazza were both looking at the other women with a sense of bewilderment, not knowing what was so funny.
"Death by Snu-Snu means 'death by sex'. It's an old Earth reference," Alex explained to them. Hearing this explanation brought realization to both women, who then pitched a fit of giggles.
"Well, you are right. It would be an ideal way to go," Shazza chuckled as the shared mirth died down.
"Indeed! I assume the others are elsewhere at this moment?" Alex asked, noting the absence of Taal'ani, Inari and Priya.
"They're busy cooking up breakfast and if you don't move your ass, sir, you're going to miss it," Nats informed him.
"All right. Let me shower and I'll be along in a minute," he told the women.
"Can you stand?" Korsa asked him, the doctor in her coming out.
"Just give me a moment," the big man said.
Slowly, he swung his legs over the edge of the massive bed, placing his feet on the chilly floor. He took a breath to center himself and stood, wobbling slightly as he did so. Alex took a couple of steps and saw that his gait was slightly unsteady but strong. He looked back at the assembled women and they stared back at him. It was then he noticed that he was still naked, as the stares from all four of them were... hungry.
"Ladies, if you please? Your Commodore needs to get dressed," he told them, trying to snap them out of the lust fueled daze they were in. Coming to, all four of the women blushed and started filing out, with both Nats and Kas firing him expectant looks. He even caught a glance from Shazza which seemed... hopeful? He shook his head as the door closed behind the women and he walked into his shower unit.
Alex turned on the hot water, letting the steam from the shower head bathe him in its heat, before he stepped under the needle spray. Letting the water cascade over him, he recalled the amazing encounter over in his head. It was absolute bliss and a total living fantasy, and he had the sore parts to prove it. What was most surprising was just how liberal both Kasumi and Natalya were.
Natalya, given that she had been raised in this century and away from the norms he'd grown up in, wasn't too surprising. Kasumi on the other hand, was a complete surprise! He didn't think the newly promoted Captain had that level of kink in her! Though, since they'd been together, she had shown him a whole new side of herself that left him in wonder! He wasn't aware that women of his era had that in them! Maybe they were just better at hiding it than the women of this one?
He was snapped out of the ruminations by something else that was on his mind that demanded his attention. That city he had dreamed of, in that place, he had been there before. The last time he had dreamed of it, was when he was on Earth, before they had launched the Perseus. He wasn't sure what it had meant, but he knew that it meant something. He went looking for an old friend of his, who was in tune with the spiritual world and how things worked in it.
Analisa was glad to see him and was more than happy to help him, as he had helped her out of a tough spot or two when they were growing up. She had done a reading for him and seemed troubled by its implications. She had told him what was coming, but for the life of him, Alex couldn't remember what she had said! He knew that it was important and that there was something related to the city in her reading, but the memory eluded him.
Sighing in frustration, Alex went about soaping up and getting ready for the day. There was a lot to be done and he could focus on memories of the past another time. Rinsing off the soap and shampoo, he killed the water and toweled himself dry. He stepped out into his quarters and went for his closet to fetch his uniform. Alex noted that all of his blue tunics had been removed and replaced with white ones.
He made a mental note to thank Jaesa for this as he got dressed. Stepping into his new uniform felt good, almost like he was a new man, stepping into a new life. The moment he thought about it, he realized this to be a truth and chuckled at it, as he styled his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror and pleased at his reflection, turned on his heel and left the room.
He didn't have very far to go as the Officer's Lounge, which also served as the Officer's Mess, was where everyone was likely gathered. He could smell several breakfast odors and his stomach growled in anticipation. Alex stepped through the doors, which opened to admit him, and he saw that a veritable buffet had been prepared.
"Commodore on deck!" Kasumi called out as she bolted upright and stood at attention. The rest of the crew followed her example and stood with her, each one of them still as a statue. Alex smiled at this and walked in, glad to see that military protocol was being observed amongst the crew. He walked to the head of the table and seated himself before he spoke to them.
"At ease and be seated," he replied, and the crew sat down. "You may all serve yourselves. After last night's... activities, I'm sure everyone here must be starving."
A round of giggling followed that comment, and the ladies started digging into the stacks of food in front of them. Alex helped himself to some maple sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, a large glass of orange juice and a large mug of coffee. It was times like this that he was glad the Perseus was so well stocked, as he couldn't imagine his mornings without coffee.
The room was full of nothing but the sound of eating as everyone got some food into themselves. Alex figured the women were likely just as hungry as he was, with how voracious they were being with the food. The feast in front of him had taken a lot of time to make, as there was enough for at least five times the current crew. He looked around the table until he'd located Inari and caught her attention.
"Thank you for the time and effort you spent making this feast for everyone, Commander," he thanked the woman.
"Not a problem, sir. It was the least I could do, and it feels good to be cooking again," she enthused while taking bites of a large cheese and mushroom omelette.
"Sir, if I may, what is the next step?" Kasumi asked.
"There is no need to stand on formality here Kas," Alex responded warmly. "But in response to your question, there is a lot that needs doing. Though the Perseus is back online and much of its functionality restored, we're not at one-hundred percent yet."
"I can attest to that sir," Natalya interjected. "Though I have done a lot in restoring the Perseus' systems, there is still more that needs doing. Shields, weapons, hull repairs, additional Sentries to replace the ones lost or broken, the list is endless."
