Chapter 1 - Mission and Memories,

Frontier Condfederation Ship Meridian Diviner 
Docked at Terra Nova Prima Shipyards for refit and campaign inspection.
7 Days after the events of PMX-332-5MS: Disclosed Event Designation: 'Tendril Tension'
Commander's Briefing Room, adjacent Primary Control Center.
0921 hrs Station/Capital Time.
---

"...and see us through the storm of Harm's way." Commander Julian D. Feora stood with hat in hand at the head of the briefing table, leading the prayer. "Though we ride into the void, we fear no darkness." He concluded the prayer.

"We fear no darkness." The dozen others at the table returned the old spacer benediction. The Commander lifted his head and motioned for everyone to be seated.

"I think we should start the meeting with a welcome back to our lost lad, and newest Thraxi Captain. Max Sable, how's the new boat?" The Commander asked, and eleven heads turned to the last seat at the table, where Flight Captain Max 'Raven Star' Sable, was seated. 

"Better than the egg I scrambled, sir." There were a few chuckles and across from him, Thraxi Flight Captain Iona 'Tremors' Treyley shook her head, despite her smirk. "Though I have a bit of a concern, sir."

"I can guess," Feora nodded. "It's a matter of crewing it."

"Aye, Sir. Pardon but, what gives? I was walking through the ship earlier and I'm seeing plenty of new faces, from the station, but I'm sure a few old ones are gone."

"Charging right into the thick of it, already 'Raven Star'?" A burly man with a brilliant mustache and trimmed beard chuckled from beside Julian. 

"I seem to have a nose for trouble, Colonel Reeds." Max shrugged and the Executive Officer of Meridian Diviner chuckled, but his smile faded. 

"That's the second matter we've called everyone together to discuss." Colonel Frederick Reeds used the 'we' of command, referring to himself and the Commander. "Following the 'Tendril Tension' incident, the Department of Personnel did a heavy, warrant backed, dive into every member of the crew, and any passengers and marines we had aboard." He made eye contact with a tall, Aug-6 Valkyrie Marine Colonel. "Gratefully our embarked contingent was clean, the units that rotated out had served their time aboard our hull and are moving on to other fronts. But a 'few' yellow flags were raised on some recent rotations onto the ship, and a few old posts."

"So Personnel rotated them all out for those reasons. With the exception of Zolus Captain Joseph Jaria. He's on paternity leave,"

"That's a relief," A gunship captain beside Max sighed. "I'd hate to find out my best sparring partner was a spy or something."

"Never fear, Captain O'Rielly." Commander Feoras smiled, "Once we're back from this; you'll be losing credits again and doing it in spades. You've got two college trusts to fund with your losses now."

"Twins?" The Valkyire Colonel perks up, and her ears twitch slightly, the slight trace of something besides human still lingering in her. "Bless 'im." She said with a smile after a nod. 

"The bad news," The Commander took up the conversation, "Is that over twenty members of our crew were flagged with irregularities that demand probationary reassignment and for security reasons nearly eighty more directly working with them were considered mission risks and rotated off."

"A hundred people out of a thousand isn't just a few, sir." Colonel Annabelle 'ThrIce' Ulrick, Flight Operations Leader, spoke up. The Commander nodded, and didn't rebuke her correction.

"In addition, several score more of our enlisted were already scheduled for rotation into base postings. The same is true of some of our junior officers, those who didn't petition to stick around." He shot a smile at both Max and Iona. "That said a near third of our crew is going to be new to the ship and we'll have a work up run before we're scheduled to take on further orders."

"Pardon me, sir." A man with short cut hair wearing the uniform of a senior enlisted NCO raised his hand. Despite his enlisted rank, he was sitting only two seats down from the Commander. 

"Holy hell, Chief," The Commander chuckled, "This must be big if you're raising your hand instead of just calling me out on it." 

"Max's practically family, but he's still new to the table." The Senior Chief Petty Officer, Tobias Mendoza used 'family' not the way you'd talk about your blood-kin, but those you've sweated beside, bled beside, gotten down in the filth with. After a few voluntary PT shifts down in the belly of Meri', he knew the Chief well enough to call him if he ever needed someone to pass for his 'distant uncle'. "Have these new bloods been vetted, sir?" 

His question got some nods and quiet mutters from those at the table. Commander Julian Feoras let them wonder before he broke a smile. 

"They're Resolute Fleet rotations, so I'd say so." That got the table talking.

"The Resolute's rotations?" Max spoke up first and gave the senior officers a chance to produce more 'practical' questions, "From those who evac'd the ship, or from her escorts and logistics?"

"All of the above. A number of the engineers will be supplementing our own core of techs, and members from her command and navigation team will be joining us here at this table. Furthermore, two squads of Valkyire Marines and a further four squads of non-augmented marines and a heavy armor support unit will also be joining us.

"We're getting mechs?" Valkyrie Colonel Eliza 'Spike strip' Zeitlund perked up.

"Enough that every Valkyrie Squad with a qualified pilot is going to have at least two Chest Rider scale frames to their chalk." The XO expounded. "The Thraxi are being rekitted to handle that payload, rather than tanks or APCs." He looked down to the Thraxi pilots at the end of the table.

"We're looking for the Resolute." Communications and Electronics Warfare Officer Major Amanda Cole summed up from where she sat, opposite the Chief. "We've got the Admiral's sister and the Black Plague's Son on board. All this can't be a coincidence." All eyes were on the Commander, except for the Chief, who was trying to read the XO.

"Well spotted, Howler." Julian quipped the Major's call sign. "We aren't the only ship out there looking, and we're far from the first. But we'll be looking in areas were a lighter touch, and not a full battleship capital group, are better suited. That said, much of the crew that evacuated from Resolute has been assigned to ships with this mission in mind. Our mission is to find any lead on the Resolute Sword," he paused, "Then to get that information to a fleet that can 'effect results'." 

The table shuddered as Sable brought his fist down on the table. The dark of his eyes was a pit and the silver irises shone. His jaw was set and his gaze locked with the Commander, who did not flinch or waver under his gaze. Sable blinked and let out a breath and released his fist.

"My apologies." Was all he said before he sat back in his chair. Feora's eyes lingered on Max, and the spot on the table where he'd dimpled the coating material. 

"None needed, Flight Captain." There was warmth in Feora's voice, but the tone in the way he spoke Max's rank told him the young officer had toed the line. "I had much the same reaction when Admirals Hanes and Desmond fed me that shovel load of shit the Parliamentary War Council called its orders." The Commander was glad he'd chosen to have this conversation before coffee and tea had been served, otherwise there would have been a mess of spit takes. 

"The Resolute Sword is one of the Frontier Confederation Fleet's Finest vessels, but simply put it is a Confederation Vessel, and it is in need. We are the Fleet and we WILL assist in whatever capacity we are capable of rendering. Should we lack the capacity; we will improvise." He looked to Colonel Zeitlund then to Max, both beaming. "Better come up with some different ideas, Raven Star, Your Thraxi is a lot more expensive than that egg you cracked."

---
1012 hrs.

"So it's your 'nose' that gets you into trouble?" Flight Captain Treyley elbows her former Co-pilot and Academy Junior as they exit the security checkpoint outside the PCC. It was a holdover from when the hull was strictly an exploration vessel and scans were regular and everywhere, to prevent any outbreaks. Now it was to make sure nobody had a weapon or explosive hidden on them when they entered a vital area of the ship.

"What can I say, it leads me wherever I go?" Sable shrugged as he tapped his nose, Treyley shook her head at the poor attempt at humor.

"That's not the talk down in the Nest." Colonel Zeitlund stood near a metal hatch, meant to secure the ship during fires or decompression, with her arms crossed. Both the Flight Officers saluted, and the Colonel returned it and gave them the nod for at ease. "Though I suppose were on the wrong deck for that sort of talk."

"1700 was only eighteen hours ago." Max shrugged. Zeitlund shrugged and gave Sable a gentle tap on the shoulder. "I didn't get a chance to say it when we were picking you up, security was on full paranoia mode, but thanks for looking after my Valkyries."

"It was my launch, they were my crew." The pained tone Sable had when he used the past tense wasn't lost on the Colonel. 

"All the same, Thank you." The Colonel nodded her head, "You might have noticed 'ThrIce' leave the meeting in a bit of a hurry, probably going down to the Nest to make sure all the Gunships are cleaned and in order for when the big bad Sword Fleet Crews show up."

"Ah crap," Max swore, "I still have 'wrapping paper' on most of my Thraxi," Treyley looked similarly pale. Max knew why. While they never broke regs on how they kept Ferrous Flood, it was a bit like their own 'secret base' in a lot of ways. They'd made it their home, as much as a multi billion credit gunship could be. Which was quite alot. "We should get down there and do our part, right, Captain?"

"We're the same rank now, Max. But, yes. Thanks for the heads up Colonel!" She gave the Valkyrie another salute, as did Sable before passing her into the hatch and heading for a lift that would take them down from the armored command block of the ship down to the 'Nest' which was attached beneath the vessel. It was home to gunships, fighters, shuttles, dropships, as well as ground vehicles, tanks, mechs, and the marines who rode them into battle. If you were on alert, or in the next shift, your bunk and bar were down in the nest.

--

"You didn't tell him?" Commander Feora asked Colonel Zeitland as she returned to the PCC and casually glanced at one of a hundred screens detailing everything happening on the ship, at that moment.

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise." She smiled as she keyed a few commands, and a live feed of the Gunship bays appeared on the screen. A few more keystrokes and she was looking at a fresh of the line Thraxi gunship that had already been fitted to carry mechs and, in particular, support Valkyrie operations.  

---

"How much are you worried?" Max asked Iona and she rolled her eyes. The lights on the lift indicating them passing swiftly down the decks.

"You remember how things were." She replies and Max pales, yeah, it wasn't 'bad' but it wasn't exactly good on first impressions for the finest fleet's officers and marines. The lift stopped, and they exited, passed through a security checkpoint, walked through a safety hatch and down a flight of stairs.

"You didn't throw out my shit, did you?" Max laughs. 

"I was going to box it all and bring it to your Mom, then get drunk with her while we waxed nostalgia." She blushed a little as they reached another checkpoint in front of a separate set of lifts.

"She'd have waxed more than your 'nostalgia'." Max laughs as he showed his ID and entered the lift before Iona, her blush darkened as she noticed a pair of low petty-grades with uniforms matching the shipyards, whisper as they watched Max wait in the elevator. "Coming, Termors?

She nodded as she entered the lift with Max, a marine in duty armor with a sidearm, and an engineer reading off a data pad.

"Still, good of you to bring her my stuff yourself." Max whispered, more to indicate it was a private conversation, given the improbability of 'whispering' in a sealed lift compartment.

"Yeah, well, you were my crew." She elbowed him and Max turned his arm so his fist would bump hers.

"That's adorable." The marine behind them drawled and Max shot a look over his shoulder at her, she came to attention, but the smile was still there. "Sir. Sable, Sir." The engineer looked up, realized who he was looking at and came to attention. Sable nodded them both at ease. How his previously isolated fame aboard the ship had spread,  and now he had fans aplenty aboard.

The lift doors open and all four of its occupants disembarked, passed through yet another checkpoint, and went on their ways. Sable smiled as he looked through sheets of transparent 'metal' that looked out onto the flight deck. Beneath the otherwise conventional looking cruiser, a flight pod similar to those on the sides of battleship carriers was attached, and soon below that, a further attachment, a capital ship grade sensor package, was already in the slip and being prepared for attachment. 

But Max's mind was on the floor and the cavernous space that held the half dozen gunships, the scores of space superiority fighters, and the shuttles and combat support craft of Meridian Diviner. He saw the Ferrous Flood the Thraxi gunship he previously copiloted and Treyley's command. It was vaguely saucer shaped, but it had a definite head and a defiant look to it. 

Next to it was one of the high speed 'hot shot' Zolus gunships. It looked like a spearhead and had turrets and guns to shred enemy gunships and fighters, plus a missile package that, if shot from the right angle, could prang a capital ship. It was one of three Zolus in the nest, and was Captain O'Reilly's responsibility: Mean Streak. 

Across from a two lane stretch of deck reserved for embarking and disembarking vessels was another Zolus, of a potentially more lethal loadout: Diviner's Spear. It was the gunship of 'ThrIce', the FOL. In addition to some slightly different firepower, it boosted a communication suite that connected it to everything in the air around Meridian, If shit went south, it would be the command ship of whatever flotilla was left of Meridian and her crew. He couldn't see the Colonel on the deck, and it was probable she was inside her ship, bringing it up to condition before she harried anyone else about their own craft.

Facing Diviner's Spear, a stocky, almost brick like, slab of spaceship waited It's broad front and rounded edges gave it a solid look, and across it's back, defensive weapon mounts were being checked and cleaned, while the two main cannons of the capital ship hunter Thunderstruck, a Casio class belonging to Major Issac 'Chop Shop' Brennan. The ship had two 'accelerator' cannons that could punch a hole through capital armor. It was the only Casio on Meridian but it was still a hell of a sight. 

He knew his Thraxi must be hidden from sight beneath them, as well as the Zolus Low Drag, Captain Jaria's gunship. He had wondered why Lieutenant Griftwood, the copilot of the Gunship, wasn't there at the table. He got his answer when the lift down to the flight deck opened up. Rather than a sleek, spear-like gunship, and a familiar one at that, a Thraxi gunship, one with scars of recent battles sat next to Thunderstruck.

The Flight Captain's exchanged confused looks and hailed a crew member driving a small, flat vehicle from one end of the four hundred meter long flight deck to the other. It was a massive space and it could only be pressurized and filled with air at a station, if they lost the air in here, they'd lose it till they found a planet with the right mix to scoop up the old fashioned way.

As they rode up past the new arrival, the driver slowed and leaned back. "They just loaded up, not even an hour ago." He indicated where the crews were still working through the checklists to secure the Thraxi. "Came in fully loaded and crewed, but they're doing all the numbers so it'll be a minute before they start unloaded and all. I think they're also waiting for the Commander, 'permission to come aboard' and all."

Sable saw the name branded into the nose of the hull, Red Riser. He almost choked. He had half hoped it might have been Stormfront, the Thraxi his Ma rode into battle. But if that was anywhere it was with Resolute, all the same, he stepped off the slow moving carrier cart and came to attention and saluted the gunship, and by extension its crew.

He flinched when someone flashed the 'lowbeam' signal lights on the gunship, they did it again, and Sable released his salute, and saw Treyley was holding one beside him. The Carrier driver was likewise posed and Sable looked to see the bustle of the flight deck had paused in response to his salute of the Red Riser, movement was fast in returning, but it had happened.

"Just how much do I stick out?" He asked as he reboarded the people mover, Treyley soon joined him.

"Ha!" The driver laughed, "Your name's already famous, people finally have a another face to put with it."

"All those years of dodging the press, down the shit." He sighed, he let the carrier do its job and closed his eyes to listen to the thrum and hubub of the ship around him. It was good to be back. 

"Hey, bright eyes." Treyley slapped him in the chest with the back of her hand. He coughed and frowned as he opened his eyes to glare at her. He didn't turn his head half way before he saw it.

It was shiny and new, a damn fine piece of military hardware designed to enter atmospheres with kinetic trajectory then pull up in time, its somewhat flatted face looked like a knight's armored face plate, and only a thin strip provided a hint at the cockpit. Beside the 'head' it had two heavy looking, armored, mounts for heavy weapons, and countermeasures. The ships's almost saucer wings spread out and he could see the auto cannons that lined its back in two rows of three. The underside had similar strip, but also two cylinder modules that would house whatever gear was loaded for the landing. modules could lower and rotate, allowing the equipment to be offloaded and then retract. They could also be deployed from there as mobile outposts. They could further be dropped, in motion, and roll to a stop before whatever deadly payload exploded from within and started wrecking shop.

That last maneuver was called a 'Valkyrie drop'

But all of that, all the shiny and new military hardware and the thought of his first, assigned, command was secondary. It didn't even register after he saw what was sitting on the cargo boxes underneath the Gunship.

It was six marines, every one of them taller than him and looking like they could lift any one of the many ton crates they were sitting on. Staff Sergeant Diana Nolan ordered her chalk to salute and they all rose, formed ranks, and stood at attention.

Sable walked up to Staff Sergeant Valkyrie and couldn't wipe the damn smile off his face.

"Staff Sergeant Diana Nolan and 1st Squad of the as of yet unnamed Thraxi class Gunship assigned to Merdian Diviner." She smiled even in her salute. "Reporting for the foreseeable future, Captain Maximilian Sable." Sable couldn't find the words, so he returned the salute as sharply as he received it, held it, then released. The rest of the chalk released their salutes, and then many hugs and happy words were exchanged.

----

Four days after the events of 'Tendril Tension'.

Max sighed as the warm light hit his face. It cut through the shadows of his bedroom and landed right between his eyes. He turned, his sheets sticking only slightly to his sweat slick skin. Turning only succeeded giving the light a flank somewhere in the corners of his eyes. He grumbled, then sighed as he felt something warm wrap around his waist. He opened his eyes a smidge, and gold met his silver gaze. 

Diana's eyes were open, not wide, but enough that her growing smile gave her an almost catlike look to her gaze. It wasn't predatory, she'd caught her bird. As Max woke up through the lingering bliss of the night before, she leaned forward and kissed his lip. As she did, the warm arms around his waist pulled close, and Alexandra kissed the base of his neck, as her throbbing cock began to pulse against his inner thigh.

Her augmentation, as well as the proceedings of her final commissioning, had all been fast tracked and approved at the first shipyards they'd reached. Less than forty-eight hours ago, she'd been a provisional Valkyrie. Now Wolfwood had her 'lance' and was a Valkyrie in full. She still was running on something of a 'high' from returning home, the impromptu commissioning ceremony, and her augmentation. It was all a bit much, so Max had invited her to join him at his home on the base.

Alexandra still had to report home to the rest of her Noble house, and soon. The news about Resolute Sword's missing in action status had been made public and right now military security offered more privacy than the relative transparency the Nobility operated under. Letting her blow off some steam before walking under the microscope of the press was a tactical decision, and a healthy one, according to Doc.

"Ready again?" Max asked and Diana waggled her eyebrows lewdly. 

"Been ready since last round," Alexandra mumbled as she pressed her nose against the back of Max's head and breathed deep of his scent. "But feeling you rest against me, so relaxed, so at ease." She kissed the space behind his ear and he shivered, "It felt good," She kissed the base of his spine again, and he quivered. "Very good." The hand on his hip eased down to his knee. "So very good." She kissed him again as she lifted his leg, and he could tell that Diana was reaching forward to help guide her in. "So very," she slid in, "Very good." In one thrust, she hilted and Max moaned load and unabashed.

---

In the next room, Nora cracked open an eye as she lounged in pleasure. Her arms were stretched above her head, fingertips grazed the head board as a cock throbbed and pulsed in both her ass and her cunt. Felicity and Beverly kissed at her lips and her bare skin and rocked back and forth with their powerful bodies. 

"Sounds like Sable finally woke up." She chuckled. "Want to get back to it?" She smiled. Felicity looked the mix blood woman in the eyes before looking past her at Beverly, the slightly purple woman looking a bit blue and and out of breath.

"Maybe we should enjoy this pace?" She suggested, as Beverly thrust deeper into Nora's ass, while Felicity dragged her cock out and with it drew out a long loud moan from Nora.

Then, the thudding from the wall opposite the one shared by Max's room started to thud. "Or not."

--

"HARDER." The word was a command and Moira followed it, her thighs thick as her corded muscles tensed and relaxed in concerted effort. Sweat ran down her back, caught the crack of her ass and dripped off her balls with the wet of her woman hood as she filled Gian's moist, matronly muff with steady, heavy, back arching thrusts. 

Her hands were on Gian's waist, while Hona supported the Thildin woman with both her hands holding her legs open wide and apart, and her cock, filling the woman's ass and providing further pleasure as it pressed against Moira's cock as she thrust in deep and hard. Gian had explained to the Valkyries that she didn't believe in the slightest that her Love was dead, and that the two had an shared relationship in terms of lovers. 

That being said, Gian expected the two of them to fuck her Love at least as hard as they were fucking her, once Amanda Sable returned. Faced with that prospect, only Moira and Hona had been brave enough to take on Max's mother in a bedroom blitz.

They'd been at it all night, but the last few hours they'd toned it down to a slower, harder, fuck. Relying on the heavy pulsing throbs of Moira's massive manhood, the twisting turns of Hona's hula dancing dong, and the sucking, gripping, writhing pleasure pressure of Gian's heavenly holes. 

But now that everyone was back at it, meaning Max had woken up, there was no reason to be quiet.

"What's say we take a break in an hour for breakfast?" Gian suggested as she leaned back and pulled Hona into a kiss, her two long tongues stretching out to orally arouse and stimulate the veteran Valkyrie. Hona moaned in assent, and Moira nodded as she felt the heavy quicksilver throb of an orgasm shoot from her prostate into her brain. Her cock throbbed as heavy loads of military grade super spunk flooded Gian's motherly passage and into her sucking womb.

Gian groaned happily and with a roll of her hips, she sent Hona off, with a hiccup the Double Doctor came and came and felt herself being milked by the experienced 'Alien' mother.

-

Max stumbled out of the shower, naked and drying off. Nora was in the kitchen already still a bit of sweat and spunk, dried and wet of both, on her. He walked up beside her and with a gentle push of his hips, pushed her aside.

"Hey," Nora giggled as Max took up the work of making breakfast.

"Get cleaned up, we've got guests."  He motioned to Diana and Alexandra, both a little nervous about their nakedness around someone else's living room and kitchen.

"That's why I'm making breakfast." Nora pointed at the spread.

"Instead of helping the guests who made that mess," He nods at the cum still clinging to her breasts, "Enjoy a nice, invigorating, morning shower?" The sound of the main bathroom door could be heard, and a few distant mumbles from Felicity and Beverly. 

"Oh, Duh, Nora." The woman knocks the heel of her hand against her forehead and scampers off to the bathroom. There's a brief squeak as Nora assuredly just goosed either Fel or Bev's ass, and Max goes to cooking breakfast in earnest. He sees what Nora's started, and knows how to finish the job.

"So," Diana's voice comes from over his shoulder, he looks up at the wide mirror set over the range of the kitchen and sees Diana sitting at the table, her clitcock flaccid and tucked away. Alexandra is sitting beside her, a half-mast chubby poking above the meat of her further enhanced thighs. "Not big on clothes, your mom."

Max shrugs. "Body issues aren't really a thing with Thildin, something in the social lobe." He pointed at his head, and indirectly, his brain. "Besides, Thildin pick warm worlds. Naked can be practical."

"Best excuse I've head for it." Alexandra's eyes are on his ass, and her hands on on her thighs.

"If you're gonna fap, Lieutenant," Max smiled, "Use the grey napkins, blue dispenser." He gestured, vaguely at the table the two Valkyrie sat at and he saw Alex pull a moistened rectangle from the container. She let out a whistle as she rolled the material between her fingers and thumb. She bit her lip and flicked her gaze sideways at where Max was standing, cooking, reaching and leaning and stretching so that his ass was flexing with almost every motion.

Her hand wrapped the wet napkin around her shaft and she immediately felt the cool lubricant soothe and ease the long strokes as she quickly masturbated to the sight of Max's freshly showered and shiny fanny. Even with Diana watching her, she doesn't skip a beat. She steadies her breathing, let's her eyes drink in every detail. She sees all the tense and slightly red marks where she or Diana held onto him during the early morning fuck. Nothing painful or serious, but those red marks remind her cock of warmth that went with them.

When she cums she kicks a heel against the floor and it rings out, but doesn't dent or break. She has the napkin wrapped over the head of her cock as she pumps more and more cum out, but the napkin seems to drink it all up. 

"Trash can's to your right." Max shakes a hip in that direction and with a toss, Alexandra lands the wadded ball of napkin and wad in without a second glance. "And breakfast is ready!" He calls out, there's moans from both the bathroom and his mother's room. He shrugs and after dishing out three plates carries them over to the table and starts to dig in.

"Shouldn't we wait? Your mother-"

"I finished the meal, I set the rules for the meal." He bit into a thick piece of bacon and smiles as it melts in his mouth. "Fuck don't you miss 'real' food?" It was a dumb question, even with how good preservation technology had gotten, preserved meals never tasted as good as some home cooking. Modern ships had pantries large enough to store plenty of fresh food for everyone aboard for months, or even years, but it didn't take away from the fact that fresh was just better!

They two Valkyries saw just what they were eating, sausage patties topped with cilantro pesto and a zucchini laden frittata. Alexandra didn't hesitate and dug right in, Diana gave Max a knowing look and took her time to enjoy the protein laden food. Max took a drink of juice as the bathroom door opened and the trio within emerged cleaner, and Nora was positively glowing, while the Valkyries looked like they were feeling the wear. 

"Eat up, champs, you picked a marathon fight with Nora." He nodded at the nurse, who stuck her tongue out at him in playful jest as she dished out food to the Valkyries she'd taken to bed. The door to his mother's room opened and Moira carried Gian in her powerful arms as they made their way to the bath. "Having fun with my friends, Mom?" Max asked, an eye closed to cut off just enough of his peripheral vision. 

"I think you should bring Iona and your flight crew round next time you get a chance, make a real party of it."

"Damnit, they're normals, Mother."

"You make it sound like I'd break them,"

"I dunno Ma'a-um, Gian." Moira started but Gian gave a gentle squeeze and she'd changed her tone from respectful to familiar. "You're one hell of a woman, I don't see most 'regular' folk feeling up to filling your need." Gian sighed and looked to her son, who had his hand up.

"Nope, you expound, I'm eating." Max went back to his food and waved her off.

"I should shower first," She looked at her body. Hona rolled her shoulders as she made for the bathroom.

"Yeah, probably." Max agreed, and like that avoided a long boring conversation about how Thildin orgasms work.

----
Meridian Diviner Flight Deck (Present)

"You guys!" He was caught up in a number of hugs as he laughed and felt the tears pinch at his eyes. "You said you were getting reassigned!"

"Well, yeah." Diana shrugged. "Normally we'd be in the usual Valkyrie rotation so we don't get too comfy with one front, and so we've got a picture of what's going on in the Fleet. But there's the upcoming search and rescue mission and our connection to not one but two of the top officers being sought out makes us prime candidates for the front of the search party." She leaned close to Max's face, "And. That's. Why." She kissed him just behind his ear, and looked over at where Iona was blushing deep. "We're here to help get everyone home safe." She smiled a friendly grin at Iona and winked.

Iona, for her part, felt silly. It wasn't like she thought Max was monogamous or even 'hers', but seeing him so comfy around the Valkyries made her worried, no... it was something else. She realized her toes were curled inside her flight boots and there was a familiar tension between her hips. Her tactical mind clicked and realized she was aroused at the thought of Max's ease. Here he was, surrounded by women who had cocks bigger than his and could punch holes in solid metal and he would happily jump naked into a pile of them and not be worried at all.

That kind of crazy confidence was what got Iona into the Thraxi track; well not that flavor of sexual courage, but the balls deep into danger sort of bravery, yes. She paused to consider, and maybe it wasn't that different. 

"Iona, let me introduce you to... my Valkyries." He laughed and after a few minutes, names were exchanged, formalities were observed then set aside, and a warm friendship began to form.

"You'll have to introduce them to the rest of the crew, later. We DO need to clean up our Thraxi," Iona thumbed over to across the deck to where Sable could see several crew working on Ferrous Flood, some of them waving in their direction. "Hell, you haven't even named yours yet."

"Oh, Yes I have." He smiled, "The Commander approved of it before the meeting." He held a hand up and gestured at the beast above them. "This is the Frontier Confederation, Thraxi Class Gunship of the Meridian Diviner, and its name," he held the moment for a beat.


"Its name is Dragon Slayer"

