On The Road

Posted on Sun Jul 28th, 2024 @ 7:35am by Lieutenant Marikit "Kit" Urso & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov

Mission: S1 Episode 8: Resolutions
Location: Aeroshuttle
Timeline: Date 2371-12-26 at 0900
6802 words - 13.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

It had been a day since they encountered the Vidian Convoy on Long-Range Sensors and Andrei had gotten his lecture from Annalise. He hadn’t left any better than he’d arrived and it seemed that his working relationship with the woman was coming close to a tipping point. He was sure his little get-away mission with Kit would be seen as a relief for both of them. Lyra, at least, wouldn’t scream in the woman’s face.

He stepped onto the Aeroshuttle with a go-bag over his shoulder. Since there was quite a lot of travel to be done, he came dressed in a silk-like purple button-up and gray dress pants, saving himself the trouble of being in uniform for hours. He placed his bag on the floor in the quarters and then made his way into the cockpit. Sitting at the helm, he logged into the system and started the pre-flight check. He was eager to get going.

Kit entered the shuttle soon after, tossing her back into the sleeping area without a care in the world and coming up to the cockpit. She herself was dressed in an old t-shirt with some rock band logo emblazoned on it and an old pair of faded, comfortable looking jeans.

“Honey, I’m home.” She announced as she entered, her eyes finding the back of Andrei’s head. “Sorry, had to say goodbye to our girlfriend.”

Andrei chuckled at that and shook his head. He wondered if Kit knew that Lyra was the one not down for any arrangement close to that. He tapped several keys at his console before he responded.

“Well, while you were out there flirting, I was in here slaving over a hot console. Why do I have to do all the work around here?”

“You’re doing just fine where you are, sweetcheeks. Flirting is my job.” She said and moved up next to him, looking down at the console. “Alright good enough, let’s get going. I hate long shuttle rides.”

“This is a really very comfortable shuttle. I think you’ll be okay.” He said, looking over his shoulder at her. “The engineer wants to cut corners on the pre-flight check? That isn’t comforting in the slightest.”

“What can I say, I’m confident in the crew.” She shrugged and moved to sit down in one of the chairs. “But if you need to do your checks, you go right ahead. I’ll just sit here and look pretty.”

Andrei continued the diagnosis, figuring it was better to be sure everything worked than not. Kit was amusing, but he already found himself missing Lyra. For a moment, he wondered if it would have been better had the three of them gone, but then he pushed the thought aside, silently deciding to take Lyra out when they could.

“All finished.” He said after a few minutes.

“Look at you following all those protocols. I’m so proud.” She sniffed and wiped a nonexistent tear from her eye, then immediately turned to the console. With a few quick movements of her hands, she looked over at him. “We’re cleared for launch.”

“Fuck you.” he said with a grin, moving to the next task. “Detach the docking clamps. I’m depressurizing the bay in three…two…one…”

“Hope I didn’t leave the oven on.” She grinned as the docking clamps slid out of place and released the aeroshuttle from its cradle. “Here’s to a productive trip for both of us.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something to cram into that egg head.” he said as he used thrusters to bring the Aeroshuttle a safe distance from Vengeance. Once they were free and clear, he turned to Kit. “Want to see what I’ve been working on?”

“Wow. Egg head? My head is perfectly shaped thank you.” Kit snorted at him then grinned to show she hadn’t taken offense obviously. “Did you learn to balance a hat on your dick?”

“I did that when I was twelve.” he said, smiling cockily and stood up. “A top hat at that. That wasn’t the project I was talking about.”

Unseen by her, Andrei accessed the patch over his bionic eye and tapped into the shuttle’s systems. With a simple command, the shuttle rocketed forward away from Vengeance.

“I’ve got a new addition to my arsenal. Direct interfacing that even allows me to access outside cameras. The really significant question is: can I pilot this shuttle with my mind while balancing a top hat on my dick?”

“Huh, fancy.” Kit moved over closer to him, her face right up next to his and her brown eyes considering his patch. Every semblance of personal space was ignored. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her tricorder and held it up by his temple.

“I’m going to assume you’re not stupid and know the risks of such a thing.”

“Sure, I could lose my boner and then the trick is ruined.” Andrei said with a smile as he turned the shuttle sharply, bracing himself first in an attempt to jostle Kit. “Why do you think I even told you? These controls are sluggish, and I want to make sure this device doesn’t blow up. And you know all about having things explode all over your face, so you’re the perfect little helper.”

Kit swayed but maintained her feet. “Ah you’re not my first bucking bronco.” She laughed and shook her head, tapping the tricorder a few times. “Are you feeling any physical symptoms when you use it?”

“No, not so far. No migraines or anything like that.” he answered, the smile slowly falling from his handsome face. “I would have expected it to be a bit more difficult, but I’m also used to using the patch daily to network with computers and it's not like its making use of a real eye.”

“No but it’s still making use of your brain.” She said and poked the side of his head rudely. “How long of a stretch have you used it specifically in this scenario before?”

“A few dozen hours in simulations.” He said, nudging her in the side with his elbow. “But, as for actual flight tests in the actual Aeroshuttle…this is the very first time.”

“Mm, yeah simulations are alright but they don’t really cut it when it comes to figuring out how something like this might really affect you.” Kit considered a moment. “How long have you had the eye and the patch in general?”

“Since the Kazon on Lovarr gouged my real eye out of my skull half a year ago.” He said, and pitched the shuttle up dramatically.

Kit grabbed the back of his chair to steady herself but otherwise didn’t move from where she stood. “Right. Okay then. You use the interface every day in some capacity?”

“Almost always when I’m on duty.” He responded in a focused tone. “There’s an asteroid out there. I can see it on sensors. Bringing weapons online.”

“Careful trying to do too much at once, Andrei. Ease yourself into it.” Kit cautioned and moved to sit back down while the tricorder still ran its scans next to her.

The shuttle streamed toward the asteroid at full impulse power, and Andrei focused on training the phasers on the target. The weapons fired, impacting the asteroid and blowing it to bits, but it was clear it wouldn’t be safe to fly through the debris. He attempted to change course, but a strange clinching sound from computer indicated a belayed ordered. A bit more panicked then, he tried to maneuver. Finally, the helm responded and the shuttle jumped to the side at the last possible second.

He looked at Kit silently.

“Mmmmkay.” Kit hummed, seemingly at ease but her elevated heart rate said otherwise. “Can you fly like a normal person for a while and let me see your patch?”

Andrei nodded and gave one additional piloting command, setting a course to the moon where the conference was scheduled and bringing them to warp with a flash. He then reached up and decoupled the patch from his bionic eye. Sitting behind the helm, he placed it on the recessed part of her console.

Kit picked it up in her hands and immediately began to play with it, holding it about an inch from her face. “So what do you do with this on a daily basis? I know you gave a general answer but I’d like more specifics.”

“I look at women without their clothes on, I take note of bra sizes, and I read ship readiness reports.” He answered, running his hand along the sleek metal beside the consoles. “It networks with the computer, so I can use it for anything you might use a console for.”

“Are you much of a tit man?” Kit asked without missing a beat. “Your woman’s got a beautiful rack but there’s bigger ones out there.”

“Size isn’t the only factor.” He said, not really answering the question. “I really am not too picky as long as a woman’s fit and beautiful.” He said, and then paused. “Oh, and is smart or whatever”

Immediately, she laughed at that and shook her head. “Well I don’t fucking believe that for a second.” She put the patch back down on the console and then got up, retreating to one of the other stations where she pulled out a small toolkit. “So how long is it going to take us to get there?”

“It’s an 11 hour journey at cruising speed.” He said, leaning back in the chair by slouching. “And what do you mean you don’t believe me?”

“I don’t believe a woman has to be smart or any sort of whatever except reasonably attractive for you to bend her over and show her your nacelle.” She gestured to him slightly but was busy taking tools out of the kit. “Now, the one you keep if you decide to stop humping like a rabbit I could see being one of two options.”

“And those are?” He said, amused and seemingly not offended in the slightest.

“Boring, dull, but utterly devoted and kissing your feet to where you could do no wrong, or someone with fire who will probably make you want to kill her more than once in your relationship, but will keep you engaged and interested for forever.” Kit shrugged and glanced at him then picked up a tool and the patch and began to poke at it.

“Actually, I prefer my women fiery and incredibly devoted. I’m writing a book. It’s called ‘Why I deserve more’.” He said, smiling.

“Good fucking luck with that, babe. That’s a unicorn.” Kit grinned and shook her head and looked down at the patch. “Whoops.”

“Spoken like a true cynic. You should be ashamed.” He said, popping his fist down on the console. “I’m not interested in anyone who isn’t loyal. There is nothing less sexy than disloyalty.”

“Does that go both ways?” Kit asked and looked at him again, clearly amused by the notion of it all when it came to Andrei.

“Obviously.” He said with a wave of his hand. “You’re still wearing clothes, aren’t you? I have been a very very good boy.”

“Mm… guess so. Guess you must trust her then too to have left her back on the ship with Orion.” The patch in her hand gave a slight beep of a sound and she flipped it over, continuing her work. “He told me what happened months back, you know.”

“What do you mean he told you? Is he an idiot?” Andrei asked, looking at her amused. “If I had suffered a thorough humiliation like that, I would take it to the grave with me. What did he tell you exactly?”

“That your lady was jacking you off under the table while you were eating dinner, you scurried off to the bathroom and she chased you down and then you two rolled around all hot and sweaty on his bed.” Kit grinned and shook her head. “Naughty people.”

“I think you’re jealous.” He said with a grin. “Now, after hearing his pathetic story, why would you imagine I have anything to worry about leaving them together?”

“Not so much worried about the cheating thing more of the whole ‘vengeful man’ thing.” Kit pointed out and shrugged slightly.

“If he were to touch her, I’d cut his little dick off and shove it in his mouth so hard, it would break all of his teeth. And I think, deep down in that pea-sized brain of his, he knows that.”

“Not much you can do when you’re away for a conference though.” She pointed out and waved her tool at him slightly. “I’m sure he won’t be stupid enough to try. She’s probably eat him.”

The last time Andrei put his total trust in Lyra to defend herself, it hadn’t really worked out for her. He didn’t hold it against her, but rather blamed himself. He couldn’t imagine a world where Orion was a man to worry about, be his method of attack, romantic or violent, but he didn’t like being away from her, and Kit’s comments accentuated that.

“I couldn't be less concerned.” He said with a shake of his head. “His bed was a mess, by the way. I wonder how he decided to get it clean.”

“I think he just got a new one from storage, honestly.” Kit shrugged but was looking at Andrei out of the corner of her eyes, trying to discern if what he had said was actually true or not. She couldn’t deny she was interested in the dynamics of their relationship - it could make her a lot of money in the end.

“Incredibly funny.” Andrei said, and stood, going back to the replicator. “You want something to drink?”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you are having is fine.” She replied, obviously very distracted in her tinkering with his patch. She’d actually been a bit surprised he had handed it over to her without fuss. It would have been very easy for her to modify it to do rather terrible things to him.

Andrei ordered two black teas and returned to the work console where she was sitting. He placed her mug there and then hovered a bit, watching her work.

“What exactly are you doing?”

“Reworking some of the links in here to process sequenced commands faster. You’re still going to need to be careful how much you do under your own power though, Andrei.”

“Why is that? Can’t we just make it faster still?” He asked, sipping the piping hot tea, unphased by the heat.

“We can make the device faster, but we can’t make you faster I’m afraid unless you want to start replacing bits of your brain with machinery which will probably in turn change who you are completely, so take that as you will.” Kit shrugged. “Personally I recommend against that.”

“I see what you mean.” Andrei said with a quick nod of his head, sipping his tea again. “As long as I can give a command once every half second without that thing rejecting the order, I should be okay. I’ll make sure I learn the exact limit of what I can handle. That’s what I do.”

“Well that is the plan.” She nodded. “Anyone go over the normal risks with you of linking your brain up with the computer by the way? Or did you just decide to do that all on your own?”

“It was discussed and debated. Our former Assistant Chief Engineer helped me develop the patch, but let’s say she wasn’t a huge fan of the idea, but I was told the risks, and I weighed them.”

“As long as you are aware and actually listened, that’s what matters.” She replied and made a few more adjustments. “Okay, we’ll give this a try. Just remember - you probably aren’t going to really be able to do more than two things at once.”

“That’s fine.” He said, grinning and taking the patch. He placed it over his bionic eye and polarized it. Then, logging into the system, he brought the Aeroshuttle out of warp. “It’s definitely much faster, you damn miracle worker you.”

“Now just keep in mind with the changes you might need to adjust over the next few days. It is going to make more demands on you, so I’d sincerely caution against overuse and the moment you start to feel dizzy or a headache coming on or anything like that, stop and take it off for a while.” Kit spoke as she put the tools back into their box.

“If I bring you back to the ship and you’ve fried your brain I don’t think Lyra will be all too happy with me.”

“Blah blah blah.” He said, waving his hand dismissively. Then he eyed her and smiled. “I’m fucking with you. I’ll be so careful. Don’t you fret about me.”

“Honestly I wouldn’t even care but the problem is she would blame me and then probably kill me and honestly I like me and I like being alive so I’d like to avoid that.” At first she seemed serious about that, then looked at him and gave a grin and a wink to show she was just teasing.

“Now why don’t you get us back to going zip zip to the conference, hm?”

At first, Andrew thought she was serious, but when she smiled, he finally realized that it was a joke. All kidding aside, he thrived on loyalty, and anyone feeling ambivalent toward him, his success, or his well-being turned him completely off.

“She would not be happy, no.” He said simply, and jumped them back into warp again.

Kit finally picked up her tea and took a sip, sighing out over the brim immediately. “So do you like to play cards or anything?”

“I enjoy a good game of cards every now and then.” He said, removing the patch and sliding it into his pockets. “I brought liquor too, so that should keep things interesting.”

“Look at you making plans.” Kit chuckled. “Well then, sounds like we’ll have a good time of it. Better be interesting though, I’m missing out on a trading post and those usually have all kinds of neat and fun things.”

“Well, if not, there’s always the hat trick.” He said, walking over to the helm and checking some of their travel stats. “But I say we take it back to the academy and play a game of truth or dare.”

“Now there’s a thought.” Kit laughed and kicked her feet up on the console after turning it off. “Sure, I’m game.”

“Alright, you first. Truth or dare?” He asked, leaning against the transporter and sipping his tea again.

“Let’s go with truth.” She replied after considering a moment.

“Hmm..what’s your biggest insecurity?” Andrei asked with a grin.

“My tits. I don’t have them.” She said and immediately grabbed at her very small chest without shame. “It is very sad, but I suppose at least they don’t get in the way when I’m working.”

“No, that can’t be.” He said leaning in and looking with squinted eyes. “I’m sure I see some there. Hard to tell with all that fabric in the way, isn’t it?”

He looked at her jokingly, his face moving from strained effort to a smile.

“It’s honestly attractive on you, Kit. Really goes with your ‘one of the boys’ vibe. Big tits on you would make you less, I think.” He said, and it seemed honest. He finished his cup of still-hot tea, not seeming to feel any burn effects.

“Oh I wouldn’t want big knockers, that would just be stupid, but if I could fill my own hands that would be fun.” Kit grinned at him and then threw her hands up dramatically. “What can ya do? Truth or dare?”

“A minor, though somewhat tacky, surgery at this point.” He said with a smile. “But that’s cheating.”

He placed his mug in the replicator and didn’t bother to watch as it dematerialized.

“Truth first.”

“What’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?” She asked, still sipping her tea and not seeming in a rush at all.

He thought about that question for a few silent seconds before he answered, furrowing his brow.

“I had this dream where I walked in on Princess Gigi in the shower once. Let’s just say she turned into her older brother before I was properly inserted.” He frowned then. “It always pisses me off when that happens.”

He looked at her a bit colder then, his gaze heating up.

“Don’t tell anyone about that. Lyra and Giana were close and I don’t need that in her head. Besides, it was weeks ago. Old news.”

“Does that uh… happen often?” She asked and tilted her head while blinking at him. That was a strange dream and she was sure some shrink somewhere would have a field day analyzing it and claiming he had some latent attraction to men.

“Fucking symbols of power in my dreams? Yes. Stabbing powerful men who try to stop me in the dick? Also yes.” He said, seeming satisfied with his own answer even if she wasn’t. “Truth or dare?”

“Uh huh.” Kit just looked at him with her intelligent brown eyes that were brighter than Lyra’s, but lacked the intensity Andrei was greeted with when he looked at his woman. “Truth.”

“Okay, sure.” He said, thinking. “What was your biggest heartbreak?”

“First and last boyfriend when I was nineteen. Caught him in bed fucking my best friend when I came home early from work to surprise him on our anniversary, so that was a triple whammy as they say.” She waved her hand slightly and gave a sigh, obviously it still bothered her to a point.

“What an asshole.” Andrei said, watching her closely, soaking in every sign of how the betrayal made her feel. He had been a dog, but never a cheating one, and he didn’t find the idea attractive at all. “Anyone I would know?”

“Oh no, I can’t imagine you would. Wasn’t in the fleet and was a peasant like I am. He was a lot older though and that probably should have said something about the whole situation in hindsight.” Kit shrugged and gave a smile, though there was a sadness lingering in the corners. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” he said, smiling. He figured the opportunity might raise her spirits, after all.

“Let me paint your nails and you keep it on the whole time for the conference.” She challenged him with a smirk. It was a tame dare to be sure, but given the story she had just told, it was reasonable to assume Kit was treading lightly. Andrei was an immensely attractive man and while he had too much drama surrounding him for anything other than a fling, she couldn’t deny this game probably would have taken a very different turn had he not been in a relationship. She was very curious, and she hadn’t really been joking about hearing him and Lyra going at it now and then - it only fed that curiosity for the experience.

Having known that particular pain though, she would never inflict it on another woman - maybe one that had done her wrong… maybe… but Lyra hadn’t done anything to her and frankly Kit had no trust in Andrei’s ability to actually resist someone he was interested in really coming on to him especially in this situation where they were very alone and his woman was very, very much not present. Men seemed to default to “out of sight, out of mind”.

“You’re joking.” he said, sounding quite certain as the smile faded from his face. His first instinct was to refuse it out of hand, but then he realized the stakes were much lower among non-Terrans who would have no idea the connotations. “On a dare, that’s it? No money involved?”

“Well if you bitch out you’ll have to do something instead or I get to tell everyone you bitched out of truth or dare.” Kit said and leaned in closer, propping her chin up in her hand as she rested her arm on the console.

“Fine, you witch. But black, like the color of your heart, and my hair.” he said, shaking his head. “You didn’t actually bring nail polish, did you?”

“Fuck that, you don’t get to pick the color.” Kit said and stood. “No one gets to dictate the terms of the dare, they can just say they aren’t doing it.” She stepped closer to him, crossing her arms and looking down at him with challenging eyes.

“So are you chickening out?”

“I am going to get you back for this.” He said, his tone serious to the point of being frightening, but his face grinning. “Fine, fine.”

“Probably, but it will be worth it.” Kit laughed as she walked over to the replicator. “And of course I didn’t bring any with me, do I seem like the manicure type?”

She tapped a few commands into the console and something shimmered into existence, but she grabbed it up in her hand to hide it before Andrei could see.

“It’s hot pink, fuck you.” he said, glaring at her. “And no, you don’t seem like the manicure type. I’m perfectly expecting you to do as well as a five year old girl.”

He pointed to the door, seeming absolutely surly about the dare and barely of any real good humor. “There’s a table in the multi-purpose room.”

He departed first before her, heading through the door, the small corridor, and yet another door before he entered the quarters. The room was designed with inlaid bunkbeds, but would only hold two on this particular voyage. He reached into his bag and produced a bottle of pale pink liquor before walking out of the back door and into the aft room. The relatively large space was a cargo hold of sorts, but currently had a conference table sitting in the middle of the floor. Outside the windows the stars streaked away from them, reminding the Russian man of the view from After 11. He wondered what Lyra would think of him walking around with nail polish on and then quickly pushed the thought from his mind. She was never going to find out.

He set the tall bottle on the table and then went to the replicator, ordering two glasses with ice.

“Excuse you it is bubblegum pink. Get it right.” She said and showed him the bright pink nail polish with a huge, mischievous grin. “Matches the drink. What the hell is that anyways?” She gestured to the bottle and plopped down into one of the chairs where the bottle was.

“It’s a moonshine Jackie found in the mountains on Sikaris. Kicks like a mule, so it’s perfect for this.” he said, putting the glasses down on the table and sitting down. “It’s supposed to be served with ice, she says. I’m pretty sure she marked up the price when I offered to buy it from her, but that’s Jackie.”

“Aw poor you, having to pay extra for a nice thing.” Kit reached for the bottle and opened it immediately, giving it a sniff and immediately shaking her head. “Woah.”

“I’m going to get you shitfaced before I dare you to jump out of the airlock.” he said, grinning as he presented the fingers on one hand and slid his glass to her with the other.

“You’re so rude.” She said as she poured the alcohol for both of them and closed the bottle once more. “Well now I imagine we’d be down to a game of truth or truth while I work on making you pretty.”

She picked up the nail polish and shook it rapidly before twisting it open and pulling the brush top out of the bottle.

“That’s alright. It gives me time to think of the perfect punishment for you. I’d suggest a spanking, but you’d like that, you freak.” he said, chuckling and picking up his glass. He took a sip, and just a sip. It was strong and sweet. “You’re the adventurous type, I know..what’s the riskiest place you and Stagg have had sex?”

Truth be told, Andrei’s attraction for Kit was no small thing. She had the down-to-earth habits he found incredibly sexy in a short-term fling. He was a man’s man under it all, and he appreciated man’s women. He was alarmed that Lyra had so much more of a problem with Revana than Kit, but Revana’s appeal to a man like him was more predictable. Still, despite what people suspected, he was very much a one woman man, and he could tell Kit understood the natural boundaries of their fun. For that reason, he considered her a safe female friend, though he’d keep the label to himself. Jealousy in relationships was impossible to prevent.

“I fucked him under the warp core once. It wasn’t fantastic because the space is so fucking small, but it was fun just for what it was.” Kit chuckled and grabbed Andrei’s hand with her left while the right wielded the brush with which she began to spread the obnoxiously pink lacquer.

“What about you and Lyra?”

Andrei didn’t answer right away. The main reason for that is because he and Lyra had made sport of making love in the most fantastical situations they could considering where they had been. He wasn’t sure which to pick, but the other reason is many of them had to be kept a secret because they involved them doing so near someone’s dead body in one environment or another.

“Oh, so many options. Which to choose?” He said, trying not to watch her defile his hand with that ghastly pink liquid. “There was Orion’s bed, which you know about. That was pretty wild. But I think the best one had to be in the rain on Banea. It was pouring down, and we were wrapped up in each other on our balcony for the entire planet to see.”

“The planet with the bird people, right?” Kit briefly glanced up and then went back to her work. To her credit, she didn’t look like she was purposefully messing it up - yet. “Sounds hot.”

“It was. But it always is.” he said with a smile, wishing he could mention their first time in Ivers quarters directly next to his newly dead corpse. Kit wouldn’t understand, he imagined. She was far too normal for that. “When was the last time you peed yourself?”

“When I was sixteen. I got really drunk at a party, went to the bathroom and thought I took off my pants but I hadn’t.” She replied easily, not seemingly particularly ashamed of it. “This is definitely your color.”

She paused to take a sip of the drink and reload the brush. “Gonna need two coats though.”

“How did you manage to get out of the party without letting everyone know what happened?” he asked, chuckling at the presented memory with more mirth than she had shown.

“Ran out and jumped in the pool of course.” She chuckled. “Clothes and everything, couple others joined in so it was all in good fun.”

Briefly, she looked up at him again. “What’s the first thing you would do if you woke up as a woman instead of a man one day?”

“That’s obvious, I can’t even believe you have to ask!” He said, slamming his hand on the table hard enough to rattle the glasses. He pretended to be angry, all in fun. “I’d go shopping.”

He smiled and shrugged. “But, right before that, I’d probably play with myself.”

“Okay, different spin on it - what if you and your girlfriend swapped bodies?” Kit asked with a grin while continuing her project on his fingertips.

“That is too obvious to need answers. I’m not ashamed.” He answered, but then he paused and thought about it for a moment. “But hold on..”

“Well?” Kit prompted more or less immediately as if the concept of patience was completely foreign to her. She finished on Andrei’s first hand and reached for the second.

“I’d probably just keep to myself.” He answered, extending the other hand while shaking his head.

“Well what the hell kind of fun is that, hm?” She challenged and then ran the nail polish brush up his finger before landing on his nail.

“I’m not interested in sleeping with myself or any man.” He said with a smile. “I’ve got a good one. What’s your secret fantasy?”

“But you’d be in her body so - you know what nevermind you weirdo.” Kit laughed and paused to drink more of the potent drink. “See, I’d love to be a guy just once. I’ve always wanted to know what that all would feel like from your point of view.”

“That explains your question…and your nacelle comments at the gym.” He said with a smile, looking down at his nails and wondering when she would be done. “Maybe you should invent a machine for brain swapping.”

“Now there’s an idea.” She chuckled, finishing on the second hand and then taking the first again. “Worst date you’ve ever had?”

“That’s easy. I once took a girl out to a restaurant at the academy, trying to get in her pants, obviously.”he started with a smile. “Well, apparently she hadn’t been feeling very well, and halfway through the date, she blew the chocolate milkshake she was drinking all over my face. She offered to help me clean it up, but I politely declined.”

He looked at her and smiled then, devious.

“I dare you to speak exclusively in rhymes for the entire duration of this trip, then moan after everything you say.”

“I don’t believe I asked for a dare.” Kit smirked and finished the last of his nails with the second coat. “There. Now don’t you look pretty, I’m sure all the girls will flash you their titties.”

She screwed the cap onto the bottle, let out a little moan, and winked at him before going over to the replicator.

He smiled at the rhyme she made, but when she moaned, his eyes went wide for a second.

“I can’t decide if that dare is a good idea or not yet.” He said. Then he looked at his fingers and grimaced. “Nor this one.”

Kit grinned at him again, her amusement apparently fueled by his discomfort surrounding his nails. “Aw, don’t worry, you look nice. I think I’m going to have some pizza; want a slice?” She asked, giving another short, almost playful moan as she walked over to the replicator.

It helped that Kit was such a good sport, he laughed along with her and nodded.

“Normally I don’t like to do that to my body, but I’ll make an exception for the occasion. Just make sure it’s worth it.”

Kit scoffed. “You worry too much, you live at the gym.” She tapped the replicator which spat out two plates almost immediately and brought them back to the table. Both had two slices instead of one of fully loaded pizza.

“And you fuck your girlfriend nightly with vigor and vim.” She moaned again, clearly trying to imitate Lyra but not coming close.

“Not every night.” He corrected with a smile, taking the plate from her and reaching for the slice. “Sometimes I think you might be in your room with your ear to the wall, putting the handle of your hyperspanner to good use.”

Kit looked up, wondering if she had struck some sort of nerve with his correction and decided to leave it alone.

“I can do wicked things with spanner in hand; as an added bonus, it has way more stamina than a man.” She moaned again, then promptly filled her mouth with pizza.

“You’re too good at that. I think you may have missed your calling. The gods had in mind that you be a poet..” He said, taking a bite and not bothering to finish chewing before he went on. He knew it would count for nothing with Kit. “I know the feeling.”

“Do you?” Kit’s brows lifted slightly in surprise. “I have a hard time picturing you as a poet too.” She moaned into her slice of pizza again.

The moans were starting to get to him, and he was starting to wonder if he could put up with them for the next few days. He pushed it out of his mind the best he could and shook his head.

“Not poet.” He said, his mouth full of pizza. “Porn star.”

Kit laughed at that though sputtered and coughed. She reached for her drink and took a sip to clear her throat. The burn wasn’t really comfortable, but she hadn’t brought anything else over. “Alright alright, I give up. You win. This rhyming thing is going to break my brain. Porn star, hm? I thought you already kind of fancied yourself one.”

“Hell no. If you give in, then why should I walk around with nail polish on my fingers?” He asked, leaning back and pausing in his bites. “And no, I don’t record. It’s a poor investment in one’s future.”

“Because if you don’t that means you’re a loser too and you couldn’t stand that.” Kit challenged with a grin. “Is it a poor investment? Most porn stars seem like they are filthy rich if they are good at it. Well, they would be if they didn’t blow it all on drugs, alcohol, and bitches “

“No, it absolutely does not. By refusing to rhyme and moan, you are breaching contract. If you don’t continue to rhyme and moan immediately, you forfeit and I will declare myself winner of this game of truth or dare WITH full bragging rights.” He said, crossing his strong arms over his chest. “And a bottle of nail polish remover.”

“Still a loser if you don’t follow through on your dare.” She wagged another piece of pizza at him. “Besides, I totally already got pictures of you with the nail polish on. Gonna send them to the girlfriend.”

“That could be hazardous to your welbeing. She might not actually find it funny.” He said, raising an eyebrow. “You lose. Admit it.”

“I already said that I give up and you win like five minutes ago you were just too busy fantasizing about being a porn star.” She pointed out and took another bite of pizza.

“She would find it hilarious.”

“I love to win.” Andrei said, smirking, and then standing up to move to the replicator to order the nail polish remover.

“Well it’s fortunate you won’t be doing that damn moaning anymore. It was becoming unbelievably sexy. I was considering making you sleep back here on this table tonight.”

“Nah, I don’t sleep in the dog house because a man made a silly decision.” Kit winked at him and moved to put her plate and the now empty drink into the replicator. “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go take a nap.”

She didn’t really give him a chance to protest as she began to wander toward the hall that would take her to the sleeping quarters.

Andrei watched her go without complaint. It had been a fun evening, but it was understandable if she was getting tired. He wandered back to the table with the nail polish remover and sat down. All fun aside, he was grateful she gave him an escape.

END