Devil Red I

Posted on Sun Sep 4th, 2022 @ 6:37pm by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov

Mission: In-Between (S1:E3-S1:E4)
Location: Anorra
Timeline: Mission Day 15 at 1530
3443 words - 6.9 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

After taking some hours to rest after her procedure, Lyra had thrown herself into becoming accustomed to her new body. While the doctors had been correct in that there wasn't a great amount of difference between what had been Madeline and what now was Lyra, it was enough for someone so physically aware of their own body to notice the disparities. With most of the crew choosing to take any leave down on the planet, the holodeck had been quite wide open. She had started simply with running, then sparring, then weapons, repeating and repeating until she had found her confidence again. Then came something she hadn't done in years - she sat at a piano to play. Eventually, she tackled the biggest difference: her voice. Her own voice sounded foreign to her; Madeline's voice had been silvery, soothing, and delicate, but Lyra's voice was smoky, modulated, lower, and lilting. There was a power and richness to it that Madeline's had lacked, but was so fitting for Lyra herself.

After several hours of conversing with holograms in all manner of languages she had learned, she was comfortable with it and had even come to enjoy it. There was power in a person's voice as long as one knew how to use it.

Ivan had finally freed her from her proverbial chains to take her leave down to the planet and after getting a very long, much needed rest, she finally beamed down to Anorra to do a bit of exploring on her own. Nothing had been rushed, she got herself a nice room overlooking the large lake of the oasis and then changed into more appropriate attire. She spent a few moments adjusting the various straps of the blood red bikini she wore, settling them on her body and laying them flat. Though certain assets had been enhanced by the procedure, the stretchy material still accommodated her easily without her having to replicate something new. She finished it with a rather sheer white sarong wrap that was decorated with a slightly more opaque white chevron pattern. She tied it above her left leg, not trying to hide herself all that much given it sat high above her right knee anyways and revealed almost her entire left thigh, but it was appropriate. She grabbed her towel, a book, and slid on a pair of stylish sunglasses before heading out.

Andrei Petrov had discovered two days into their stay at Anorra that going back and forth between Vengeance and the planet was unnecessary as the only duties he had to perform involved helping his father with administrative paperwork which he could do from his own suite. As a result, he had started to live like a permanent resident of the planet, even taking to cooking in the kitchen of his suite with varying success. When he was done with his paperwork he uploaded it to the Vengeance computer or made one of the yeomen come down and get it themselves. Then he would run along the beach, and read, and fight, and swim.

At this particular moment, he had set aside all other projects to open a mid 23rd century treatise on the politics of the Empire under the Sato Dynasty. He was shirtless and was wearing a pair of red beach shorts. He wore dark sunglasses over his eyes which complimented the color of his hair and sat in an elongated beach chair which was flanked on either side by two other empty ones.

Lyra walked through the sand at a leisurely pace, her hips swaying and drawing some attention from those reclining and relaxing on the beach. It was hot, but not oppressive. The sun felt good on her skin and she gave a soft sigh. Among the people here, Andrei stuck out. That Russian skin wasn't exactly sun kissed. A smirk tugged at her lips, still a comfortable expression for her, thankfully. Luck was on her side with the empty chairs, it seemed. She continued to walk with a purposeful attention seeking gait and stopped right in front of Andrei. She looked around, sighed, and then moved to the chair on his left so that her body cast a shadow over the book he was reading.

"Excuse me, is this chair taken? You weren't waiting on anyone, were you?" Her voice was pleasant, warm. She gave him a smile as her eyes hid behind her glasses. Her fingers ran through and flipped her shade lighter hair over her shoulder in a flirty gesture.

Andrei had been engrossed in the book already, so he hadn’t noticed the approach of the woman in particular, nor had he been expecting any company at all. When she stopped in the light from the book, his first reaction was one of annoyance, but when he heard the foreign voice, smoky, like a singer in a speakeasy, his irritation was replaced with curiosity. When he looked up, that same curiosity tripled. She was human, but he was confident he’d never seen her before. Behind his own glasses, he studied her curves.

“It’s wide open, love. He said with an inquiring expression. He wasn’t being flirtatious yet; he was scoping out the scenario. “Have we met?”

“Mmm no, I don’t think so.” Lyra replied and turned away from him. She bent slightly to spread her towel out on the chair, showing off the curve of her bottom though it was still somewhat obscured by her wrap. The woman was quite lovely; tall, very fit with noticeable definition to her muscles. Lyra couldn’t exactly hide her toned physique new body or not, but she was betting on there being enough other differences to distract. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for a Terran woman to look as such. She sat down with grace and then bent to remove her sandals. She slid them under the chair and swung her long legs up onto it.

“I haven’t really gotten out much, but some friends of mine encouraged me to come down here while I had the chance.” She placed her book on the small table next to the chair and held onto the bottle she had bought on the way out. It was some sort of sunscreen they had been selling just outside the hotel. She opened it and put some in her hand, starting at her feet and slowly, purposefully working up.

Andreu watched with passive interest as she applied sunscreen. He had done so earlier, but obviously his mind wasn’t in her skincare routine. His scare seemed disinterested, though he clearly wasn’t looking away. She was beautiful, but she reminded him of Lyra, which actually, strangely enough, just made him think of Lyra.

“Such is the Imperial Starfleet life, especially when we are stuck 70,000 light years from home.”he said, looking up at her face again. “What department are you from? I’m sure I would remember a face like yours.”

“Engineering.” She replied with ease, her hands slowly working up her body. Once she finished, she looked at him and smiled. “I don’t suppose you’d mind getting my back for me, would you?” She asked and held the bottle out toward him.

“Oh, the oldest trick in the book.” He said with a smile. Being a handsome playboy, extremely cocky, and the son of a man who was both the Captain and a major Lord of the Empire yielded a lot of attention from curious women who wanted to know what the big deal was. He was ambivalent at first but looked at her again and decided it would be fun to give into this desire just a bit. “As a rule, never give up an opportunity to touch a beautiful woman.”

“I don’t believe I’ve heard that one.” She turned her back to him then and pulled her long hair back over her shoulder to expose her back. The smirk still played on her lips, he was rather predictable when it came to women after all. Truthfully though, she was deeply curious to see if his touch felt different on her body.


“I can be very inventive when I have a mind to be.” He responded with a grin.

Andrei grabbed the bottle of lotion and squirted some into his hands. He understood that this wasn’t about tanning and he suspected this woman wanted to get next to him for any one of a thousand reasons he could think of. Generally, he found, women who pursued him made the riskiest of pawns. He preferred to initiate. He pressed his hands to her warm bronzed back and applied the lotion first to her shoulders. Then he worked his way down, bothering to massage her just a little as he went for the simple courtesy of the matter. When he came to her bikini top, he lifted it without hesitation and applied the lotion there as well. Many men would have tried to go around it; not Andrei. He moved then to the small of her back, using both hands to apply the lotion evenly.

“My you have such strong hands.” She all but cooed out, though what once sounded sweet and demure now simply sounded inviting. She’d have to be aware of that going forward. Her body was firm under his hands, lingering in familiarity with the tone and definition of her muscles, but just different enough. “I’m sure you could get into all sorts of trouble with them.”

“I am the master of trouble, love.” He said, chuckling at her flirtatious comment, not having released her yet. He let his hands find her waist for a brief moment under the guise of applying suntan lotion there. Of course, she would know there was more. Then he released her and laid back again. “Now, what’s your game? I know a trickster when I see one, believe me. What are you after?”

“Me?” She asked innocently, placing her hand on her chest just above her attractive cleavage. “I’m just after a nice tan and a little fun in the sun.” She shifted to lie back on her chair and sighed, doing so in a way that brought attention to her chest. “You’re the self proclaimed master of trouble, no?”

“I am,” he said with unquestioning confidence, “But you’re not here for trouble. You’re here for ‘fun in the sun’, isn’t that right?”

His eyes drifted to her chest under his sunglasses. He had certainly never seen those before. Of that he was certain.

“Well, who says a little trouble can’t be fun?” She shrugged then and picked up her book. “Though I certainly wouldn’t want to be accused of seeking out trouble.” She pulled her long legs up, bending her knees so she could open and balance the book against her well defined thighs.

“Very often, it is.” He said. He watched her with increasing interest. She was more than a nice body and a pretty face. She was smart and impressive. He found himself less bored talking with her than he had anticipated.” Depending on what kind of fun and trouble you’re trying to get into, I might be able to help you.”

“Is that so?” She asked and flipped a page as if she were only giving him half her attention. “Well, Master of Trouble, what might you have to offer that would tempt me away from my fun in the sun?” Lyra didn’t even look over at him and with the heat of the sun, it would have been extremely hard for Andrei to get any sort of read on her.

“Oh, so now you want me to sell you in my legendary trouble?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Here I am sitting here and enjoying the beautiful water; the breathtaking scenery, while filling my mind with very useful knowledge, and up you walk suntan lotion and that look in your eye to sit next to me. I think not, love. You already know what I can do for you. That’s why your here.”

He smiled at her. Everything said had been Frank but light-hearted. Now he signaled that he was about to read her with a turn of his head. “Or maybe you’ve decided you like whatever you're reading better.”

Lyra had to work to keep the amusement off of her face. She turned her head to him, frowning slightly as if she were mildly put off by him. “I was simply asking what kind of trouble was your pleasure. No need to be so…” The slightest of smirks tugged at her lips.

“Rude.”

“You might think I’m rude. That’s your right.” He responded, leaning back a bit. “But I think you like that a bit. Unless the kind of trouble you’re looking for is the very polite and considerate kind.”

She fought off a grin as the first toss of a hint went sailing over his head. Truthfully she wasn’t surprised; this was just Andrei and right now, she was just another random woman. “Well how am I supposed to make a decision without knowing, hm? You’ve been down here longer than I have, from what I hear. You know what kind of trouble is on offer more than I do.” She paused and tilted her head. “Unless you don’t like leading a pretty lady around.”

“You are a tiger.” He said to her, smiling brightly. “And you’re on the hunt for me. There’s swimming, there’s walking, and a thousand other weird alien games to try. But the most interesting thing for me doesn’t happen outside.”

He paused then and shook his head, a big smile on his face. Then he leaned in to her.

“You know, you remind me of someone.” He said, reaching for the book and taking it from her hand without waiting for her permission. As he looked at the title, he asked a question. “And you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name but I don’t know yours.”

Before he could really get a read on the title, she grabbed the spine of the book, her fingers on the covers, and she snapped it closed. He would have caught that it wasn’t in English, but likely in one of the Romance languages. She held it closed against his fingers. “And what is it that is so interesting to you that it doesn’t happen outside, Andrei?” She asked with a note of challenge in her voice though she was quite ready for a ridiculous answer.

“Things that happen in hotel rooms, love. But I’m afraid they’re quite rude.” He said, looking at her with the book still in his hand. “Is this the part where we wrestle for this?”

Smirking, Lyra loosened her grip on the book just enough to get it to open again and then pulled it from Andrei’s hand. “What kinds of things, hm?” She asked and put the book behind her.

"You know, you're far more innocent than I thought." he said, grinning and leaning back again. He watched her; analyzed her movements. He also started to pay attention to her body temperature at this point. "Now, love, why don't you give me a name?"

"Amor." She replied and mirrored his motion, leaning back and watching him from behind her glasses. "Is it that I am innocent, or you are too shy to say such things in public?" He might have had a better chance of reading her had he tried earlier, but the heat of the sun beating down on her skin and warming her was still quite successfully making most any nuance in her body for now. She was keeping herself controlled, enjoying this mild amusement that his rakish side had presented her with.

"Well, I wouldn't want to shock your feminine sensibilities." he said, realizing that she was playing a game. And well. Too well. "Reason and personal experience lead me to think something rather strange of you, Amor." he responded with a lift of his brow. "If that is your real name."

He knew that it wasn't, but he offered that bit anyway.

"I reason that, if I woman of your attractiveness and social skill existed on Vengeance that I, the central hub of horndog security officers with current erections, would most certainly have met you and bedded you, let alone heard of you. And personal experience dictates that there are never more than three truly clever women on a ship at the same time. And I know all three already."

He leaned close to her then, looking her in her glasses, and then placed a hand on her thigh.

"I propose a game that is both fun and dangerous. Would you like to hear what it is, Amor?"

"Hmm... I do like fun and danger but," She placed her hand on top of his. Truly they had remained about the same though her fingers were a bit longer and slightly more tapered at the ends. "You did just say I wasn't clever. Is that any way to engage a potential playmate, Andrei?"

“Potential? Why, we are playing already.” He said with a confident tilt of his head. “And to answer your first question, Yes. Insulting people is central to my charm. It drives the women crazy; wet panty guarantee, every time.”

He moved both of their hands up her thigh just a small amount.

“Come on then, Amor. I know you like a little bit of challenge every now and then. A little tease; a little fight; a little pain; a little, as the Italians say: Alla pecorina. Just admit it.”

Lyra grinned and leaned into him. Her lips played just under his ear so her breath played across his skin. Though muted by the scent of sunscreen, he could pick up on that slightly spicy and mildly sweet scent that was quite familiar to him. "No, cara. Preferirei cavalcare quel tuo bel cazzo io stesso." She all but purred to him, her voice low and sultry. The words flowed like water from her new tongue and mouth, it felt so natural.

He closed his eyes as she spoke into his ear, knowing exactly who she was for sure. It was so strange to experience this coming from a different face; a different person, physically. After she said what she said, he opened his eyes again and looked at her. Reaching over, he put his arm around her.

“Let’s go up to my room, Lyra, you sneak.” He said with a smile. “But…you know, just because I want to see what your new set of eyes look like.”

"Oh yes, just my eyes. I'm sure." Lyra kissed the soft skin underneath his ear, the gesture hidden by his black mane of hair and kept brief. When she pulled back she was smirking, a familiar expression but still holding the mystery of "new".

"You know, I put this on just for you." She said and stood between his legs, placing her body very close to his to show off the rather provocative bikini. "Do you like it?" Even her skin color had changed, a smooth, more inviting sunkissed shade. Truthfully, everything felt new to her and really it was new to her, according to the doctor. She could think of no one else that she would rather experience certain things with than Andrei.

"Oh, I think it's a fantastic choice." he said, his eyes fixed on her, scanning her underneath his glasses. Internally, he lamented his mechanical right eye, for her skin was so beautiful and he wished he could have an exclusively natural view. He had his patch interface, of course, but it was far too awkward to pop it on right now. "I'll be honest, I'm almost as excited to see you in it than I am to take it off."

She laughed softly at that, the smokiness in her voice coming more pronounced in the sound. “Well then, come along, darling. It sounds like you are going to be quite busy investigating.” She stepped back so he could stand and picked up her towel, book, and sunscreen. When Andrei was ready, she walked with him quietly, though now that she had let her control wane, he could see Lovely Lyra was getting excited - and not just sexually. When they arrived at his room and he opened the door, she walked in without hesitation and looked around.

TBC