Fear and Loathing on DuJa'Q (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 09 Mar 2017 @ 6:37pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Ensign Miraj Derani

2,918 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 14 - Statecraft
Location: IKS DuJa'Q - Deck 8, Command Hull
Timeline: MD 02, 2100

[ON]

By the time nine pm rolled around Miraj was feeling horrible. She hated not being able to fly, and floating around the ship with nothing to do was even worse. Her head was pounding now, and she really regretted not taking up Allyndra's offer of drugs. She was in a foul mood to boot. Another twenty four hours of this, she'd be ready to rip a Klingon's head off, and then she'd really be in trouble. She was hungry too, but not reading Klingon made ordering anything in the galley pretty much a game of Russian roulette. Literally, since some Klingon cooking was poisonous to humans, and she was human enough to worry about it.

So tired, miserable and hungry she gave up on the day, and headed back to the cabin next to the admiral's she had been given. Waiting for the turbo lift to descend, she rested her head against its cool metal wall, feeling the reassuring, if not soothing (Klingon ships didn't do soothing. They growled, like the angry warriors they were), thrum of the metal. "Yes, I know." She told the ship in response to a comment she could feel it making. "I'm pathetic."

The doors opened on Deck 8, revealing the Admiral. Miraj swivelled her head up from where it was resting to look at the ceiling of the lift. "I hate you," she told the ship.

The first words Lirha heard made her attention snap into the turbolift to its sole occupant. Said occupant also happened to be the only pink-haired woman aboard the vessel who she had seen in the not-so-distant past. "I hope that was not directed at me...?" Saalm said with an intrigued look.

"No, ma'am," Miraj said, straightening up. "I was talking to Dujak," she stopped and tried the name again, "DuJa'Q"

"I see. And why do you hate her?" Lirha asked, wondering curiously what would prompt one of her officers to speak to the starship as if it were a living person.

"Because she's a tricksy bitch who enjoys my suffering," Miraj said, making an effort to keep the tired irritability out of her voice. She needed Lirha in a good mood, not extending her punishment.

"I would think no one should enjoy your suffering," Lirha said softly. She looked at Miraj more closely while trying to study her eyes and features for any sign of her feelings. "Is something wrong?"

Is something wrong? Of course there's something wrong. You banned me from flying!! She wanted to scream and shout at the woman, but it was more important to keep her sweet. "I've got a cracking headache, and I don't do well when I'm not flying." She hoped Lirha would get the hint.

Lirha was aware of Derani's duty restriction having been the one who ordered it. She started to wonder how the counselling and medical check-ins had gone, but also wanted to move to a different location instead of loitering in the turbolift. "I'm sorry you don't feel well," she replied. "Come with me to my quarters and perhaps Snuffles can cheer you up. And you can also tell me about your evaluations."

Miraj was a little wary of returning to the Orion's lair, but she reminded herself that she needed to get back onto the woman's good side. "Yes, Ma'am."

A short turbolift ride later and a brief walk down the corridors, the pair of them were now in front of the Orion's chambers. Lirha tapped the keypad several times to input her entrance code after which the door swished open. She stepped inside and motioned for Derani to enter as well.

Miraj went in, remembering the large chamber from the night before, much more spacious than most captains got. She found herself smoothing the hem of her tunic down as far towards her knees as she could and made herself stop. She made herself think of the cryo-volcanoes again, and a kaleidoscope sky full of the frozen beauty of nitrogen ice.

Unseen by both of them, Snuffles the Young Targ came barrelling down the upper staircase at the sound of his master's entrance. With his tusks and mohawk on full display, he bounded for Lirha but at the last second spotted the newcomer. He leapt up towards Miraj, achieving a flight level close to that of her chin before crashing into her with jubilance.

The targ must have outweighed her by twenty pounds, and she went down under it with a cry of surprise, her breath being knocked out of her when she hit the ground. "Off me!" she shrieked. "Get off, you-" she fumbled for an epithet that would suit. "Naughty piggy!" She finished, trying without success to push him off.

Snuffles, unable to interpret Federation Standard, became quite happy once he'd subdued his master's new acquaintance on her back. He trotted his hooves around her and began to press his wet nose against her cheek, licking her neck and ears to take in her scent.

"I think he likes you," Lirha chuckled softly. "He has never shown that type of affection for anyone else since he's been a pup."

The pig like creature’s tongue was rough, and Miraj's throat and ears were very sensitive. And very ticklish. She couldn't help but collapse in giggles. "Stop!" she squealed again, trying to dislodge the young boar, "No! No more! Please! Off!" She begged it in between gales of laughing. "Stop, stop, stop! Ma'am? Help!"

Lirha was content to watch for a few moments while the two of them bonded. Snuffles had a way with women that often melted hearts, and it seemed he enjoyed Derani's cries. Finally, Lirha stepped close and began to scratch the targ between his ears. "Enough, Snuffles. You have worn her out," she cooed to him. The general's words had the desired effect and her pet slowly stepped off of the other woman before giving Lirha's hand a series of affectionate licks.

"Targs are a woman's best friend," the Orion remarked. She continued to rub the back of his fur and smooth it down, then pointed to the nearby couch. "Please sit, Miraj. May I call you that?"

Miraj went to the couch, tucking the bottom of the tunic she wore in around her knees from nervousness. "Yes, Ma'am. If you like." She was flushed red and out of breath from the targ's attention, and she took a moment to try and get her panting breathing under control.

"I didn't think I would see you again so soon," the Orion remarked. She'd headed to the small replicator area to procure two glasses of water. "How were your evaluations?" she asked, looking over shoulder towards the living room. "Have you been getting more rest?"

"They say I'm fine. They signed me off as fit straight away. I just have a bit of a headache that won't shift." Miraj could feel it pulsing away behind her flared eye arches. She hoped Lirha would get the subtle hint about letting her back on duty immediately, and didn't make her beg for it.

Procuring the glasses of water, the Orion walked back to the couch and handed one of them to Derani before taking a seat next to her. "That is excellent news," she said in regards to the medical and mental exam results. "Headaches are often a symptom of stress, however. Or perhaps dehydration." The glass of water would hopefully help with the latter.

"Thank you," Miraj took the glass, and drained half of it, "I hope it’s not stress. It won't go away any time soon if it is." Hint hint hint!

"It can," Lirha remarked, taking a long swig of her own glass. "Stress has many physical implications, not just mental. It is a physical reaction in the body, afterall, and one that is not easily remedied. But fortunately...there are many ways to relieve it. If you are willing, that is." The general's own hints were now on full display and seemed to continue from the conversation the previous evening.

Checkmate. It looked like Miraj wasn't going to get what she wanted without a compromising. "Normally I go flying." Hint. Hint hint hint. HINT!! "We're kind of already flying." she left it hanging, to show willing.

"Yes, we are, aren't we?" Lirha mused. She played her sharp nails over the replicated glass in her hand while letting a moment of silence pass. "Have you reconsidered my offer?" she finally asked. "It given not only to help you but also because...I find you very enticing." She smiled warmly at Derani.

Miraj watched the pointed nails, and blushed a little bit more. She needed to fly more than she needed anything else. But even so, she found Lirha's interest puzzling. She was clueless and weird, she knew it, and it didn't bother her per se, but she didn't see how she could possibly appeal to anyone. "Thank you. I think you're very lovely too."

Lirha's eyes brightened a bit at the compliment. For some reason, Miraj seemed more open and relaxed than she had in their previous encounter. "You do? ...In truth?" she asked.

Miraj nodded. It was absolutely true. Lirah was one of those beauties that would have people writing poetry, or carving her on ships’ figureheads, or chipping her out of marble in years gone by. "You look like something out of a holonovel." She realised that probably came out wrong. "I mean, any time they need a sophisticated sexy woman hopelessly out of the lead character’s league." Now she said it, it didn't sound much better.

"Oh..." Lirha wasn't quite sure how to take that portrayal of her at first, but then realized it was most likely a form of flattery. She gave Derani another smile and batted her lashes at the young woman. "That's very nice of you to say..." She looked at the space in between them on the couch and wanted to close the gap, but previous revelations of Miraj's love interest gave her a moment's pause. "May I move closer to you?" she asked, wondering and hoping she wouldn't scare her away as she'd done last time. Her eyes turned to Derani's which gave the Boslic hybrid an accompanying desire that was more than she'd expressed in words.

Miraj only nodded mutely, not wanting her voice to give away the fact that she still had a lot of doubts and nerves about the whole plan, and shifted towards Lirha a little bit too. Lirha was very beautiful, and Miraj found it intimidating. She was going to freak out and make a fool of herself again, she was sure, and that would make the whole situation worse. She had no idea what she was doing.

Scooting over on the hard couch, the general approached until her knee touched that of Derani's. She raised her glass for a small toast while small flutters of anticipation began to brew in her stomach. "To new friendships and encounters," she said in a soft voice.

Miraj touched the rim of her glass to the admiral's "New friendships," she agreed, her voice wobbling just a touch.

From observing Derani's body language, voice, and facial expressions, Lirha could tell the young woman felt apprehensive. At least, that was the way her intuition interpreted it. There were often other species and sub-species she'd encountered that took a more measured and reserved stance toward interpersonal relations. "Am I the first Orion you've spent much time around?" she curiously asked.

"The only Orion I've spent much time around." Miraj admitted. "There was the apprentice priest guy on Kreanus, and a couple on that planet Luke I visited when we were all on Celes III. That's about it."

"You are the first Boslic I have been around, as well," replied Saalm. She'd subtly turned herself so she was facing Miraj with her elbow propped up on the back of the seat rest in order to rest her cheek on her palm. With her free hand, she reached out to her and began to trace her finger over the fine ridges atop Derani's eyes, then down the side of her cheek and to her jaw. "Have you had many lovers?" she wondered out loud.

Lirha's touch was gentle, not pleasant. But Miraj found her heart starting to beat fast. It was a very intimate gesture. She shook her head. "I've not had any."

Saalm raised her eyebrows in surprise while her own feelings of desire hastened their pace within her chest after hearing the revelation. "A pity for someone as young and beautiful as you..." She set her glass down on the floor and looked over Miraj's slim and feminine frame. "Would you like to be kissed?" she offered in a sultry voice.

And here they were. Miraj remembered her conversation with Amaranai earlier that night, and she found herself torn. After talking with the security officer, she was more than a little curious about what the differences would be. And she was flattered by the interest. But Luke...

But she also needed to fly, so, so badly. Even another 24 hours without a helm was going to be torture enough. Would a kiss really do that much harm? Especially to keep the admiral in a good mood? It was just a kiss, nothing more was going to happen. And the admiral was very attractive and Orions did have a reputation... After a moment she made her mind up, and nodded, her bunches swinging a little bit. "Yes. Please."

She gave Derani a look of approval before scooting closer and leaning in. "Come closer and close your eyes," Lirha instructed while reaching out to cusp the Boslic hybrid's cheek in her warm hand. She took a light breath while a growing twinge manifested in her abdomen, then leaned in and softly pressed her lips against Miraj's. Her eyes closed and she let her tongue reach out to delicately trace the line of the other woman's lower lip.

Miraj suddenly found it hard to breathe. It knocked the bare handful of fumbling uncertain amateurs she'd kissed at the Academy into a long orbit. And it was certainly different from the ones she'd shared briefly with Luke. It radiated experience and sensuality. It was soft where Luke had been strong; it was sure where Luke had been hopeful; and knowing where Luke had been playful. She felt kind of rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do or say next. It was something else.

Lirha slowly deepened the kiss, widening her mouth and tilting her head to an increased angle. Her tongue slipped inside Derani's mouth where it began to gently probe and search for the other wet body. She teased the ensign with slow and gentle proddings against her tongue while circling the wet member with her own and sucking softly on it.

Miraj let the older woman do as she wanted, finding the sensations too incredible to even think of reciprocating. Something was stirring inside her, right at the bottom of her spine, a heat that was growing there, spreading out with a slow pressure. Lirha tasted of, of...Miraj couldn't put a finger on the taste, like smoky, over roasted chocolate, but wasn't. Her mind, never quiet, suddenly offered a gem of panic and she pulled back a fraction. She'd just had a fairly thick raktajino. Did she now taste of Klingon? Or morning breath? Or worse?

"Relax," Lirha whispered. She briefly separated their lips and let out a soft breath through her nostrils which grazed against the side of Miraj's nose. The Orion returned to her attentions, though this time she began to kiss the side of the woman's mouth and cheek. A pair of green hands travelled behind her which quickly found the fastening to the Klingon vest the ensign wore. They were unclipped in prompt fashion, after which Lirha reached up to push the fabric from her shoulders and expose the skin beneath.

Miraj had just breathed out when Lirha deftly unfastened her dress and she felt the fabric slipping across her skin, and she tensed a little. This was moving a lot faster than she'd thought. The admiral wasn't wasting any time. She needed to slow the woman down without out right rejecting her. She leaned forward, and kissed Lirha, using the movement to make sure she pinned her dress to her sides with her arms so it couldn't slip any further. The kiss was pretty terrible, too tentative, and cautious, and she had no idea what to do with her tongue.

The subtle hint had been given and promptly received. The ensign's return kiss was soft yet unskilled, but the feeling of her body now closer to the Orion sent a wave of warmth through Lirha. A small smile spread across Saalm's gold lips while she exchanged a series of light kisses with Derani. "Slower, and more tongue. Against mine," she giggled. While the Boslic hybrid wasn't entirely nude, Lirha's hands could still feel the skin of her bare back. Pushing her fingers up into the base of her hair while her other hand stroked in between her shoulder blades, Lirha let her sharp nails graze gently across Miraj's soft flesh while she began to kiss her much more deeply and passionately.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

GEN Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
IKS DuJa'Q

Ensign Miraj Derani
Chief Flight Control Officer
IKS DuJa'Q

RSS Feed