Re: Opening Salvos

**Seth** Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:19 pm

Lisa was a very good cuddler, even without the benefit of a mattress or pillow - for all her joke about Xi's pillows, she stayed curled up against Xiantha, not waking her with a kick or any of the other unintended rudeness she'd occasionally dealt with from Patrick or Ant.

Still, she was well aware she'd slept a bit too long on hard floor when she felt Ant shaking her slightly. He stroked her hair, wanting her to wake as gently as possible. His soft kiss suggested there was no cause for alarm, no Reaver on their tail.

"Hey," he said softly. "We're doing alright. Message from your folks, and we've got an escort back to Greenleaf. Didn't know if you wanted to keep sleeping or not."

Lisa clearly seemed to intend to, making a small noise of unconscious protest as her warm source of body heat moved away.

**JanetJulian** Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:30 am

Xi was perfectly happy to cuddle and she slept quite soundly until Ant woke her. She blinked up at him, bleary eyed, a hint of a smile on her lips at his kiss. "Hey," she echoed, taking in his information.

"I'll get up," she decided. Her back was stiff enough and once she thought of it, her bladder was ready for emptying. She slipped quietly away from Lisa and stood, stretching in a way that couldn't help but be arresting in her cowgirl halter top, and then ran her fingers through her hair and headed for the bathroom.

She reemerged a few minutes later after an application of toothpaste, feeling a bit more human, and moved to take her seat. "So where's this message?"

**Seth** Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:08 am

"Hey," he said.

Ant nodded and gave her a hand, then reached and tucked the sleeping bag modestly back around Lisa. She sprawled in a most unladlylike fashion. She managed to distract both Patrick and Ant - and even the more gentlemanly Ant seemed to think the curve-showing halter was a sexy change, and the sight of her flat belly gave the large man a stirring in his own leathers.

Ant already had it fired up when she returned. "Hit play." Both men were curious about the message - they could have guessed at her code and opened it, but neither wanted to view her message before her. IT had arrived several hours beforehand; they'd spent the time while Xi and Lisa were sleeping on cleaning up the bridge, chattering with the gunships, and checking up remotely on the women stuck in the galley.

"Hi Xi," Amara said with a smile. "I'm glad to hear everyone is well. Can't wait to hear your news and see your sister," her eyes softened there. "As you can see your Dad is feeling better." She patted his arm and looked over at him, ceding the moment to him.

He smiled while she relayed her message. "Hey, big sister," he smiled to the camera. "I am feeling better. Your mom pulled strings to get me on bedrest in my home," he chuckled. "Things are going a bit crazy, here, but it'll be good to have you back." He squeezed Amara's hand, looking over to her to see if there was anything else.

"Hurry back, baby girl." He chuckled. "And I'll keep calling you that, even with your little sis."

Amara smiled, rising and moving towards the camera as she spoke. "Give River our love as well. And godspeed."

**JanetJulian** Fri Apr 13, 2012 10:59 am

Xi settled in the chair, wishing there was something to eat. She was starving. She smiled at Ant's instruction and leaned forward to hit the button, inadvertently flashing both brothers before she leaned back again and watched the recording.

Her expression softened the moment she saw her dad in the chair, though her mother talking out of River's mouth was hard to get over. She was glad her mother had kept it relatively simple, chuckling softly at her dad's words. She reached out to gently touch the screen when it focused on his face for a moment and then she leaned back, nodding when Amara mentioned River and wished them good speed.

She blew out a breath at the end and rubbed her eyes a moment before looking up. "Glad everyone is doing well," she said to no-one in particular. "So you two come up with any interesting news or gossip while we were sleeping?"

**Seth** Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:10 am

Both brothers were in definite agreement about her new wardrobe.

The brothers watched with her - watching Xiantha more so than the screen, at the softening of her eyes and the small chuckles.

"Greenleaf's orchestrating major relief efforts to the core," said Patrick. "And trying to find gunships large enough to blow asteroids apart and cut a swath through. I already mentioned Nike, but Devon is talking about capital ships. Those mounting some serious firepower. It's... there's not going to be any way for the Rim to get a navy through in time," he allowed. "But they've hired the best pilots they can find to get warnings through, send messages."

Ant nodded. "There's no contact with the Core, at this point. Credits are being turned down, too, what with the finance stuff being routed through the Cortex. Guess that's causing some chaos."

**JanetJulian** Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:54 pm

Xi nodded. "Nike isn't big enough for real asteroid clearing duty. Though if we could get back to Brittania - bring enough people to crew some of those really big ships she had there." She pursed her lips. It would be a long run, but it would be a lot faster than building them.

She nodded as well about the messages. "Let's hope they can make a difference," she said. "Clearly they are implementing Qun Shi's plan - cut off the Rim and bring down the Core. He meant for his experiments to survive while Arturus' failed." She frowned, hating to reduce millions of people to something so calculated.

"We should start working to build our own network." She looked over at the sleeping Lisa. "We'll have to figure out how to survive on our own. For good or bad, the Core's got troubles enough."

She blew out a breath and looked to the brothers. "Did you get in touch with Tiao or anyone on Nike? How are repairs going?" Her fingers had started tapping the board and they didn't need any coaching to know her real question - how long before they could be flying again.

**Seth** Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:25 pm

Patrick frowned. "How many people are we going to trust to crew them? They might figure out where Brittania is," he pointed out Patrick. "Not saying it's a bad idea, just... raising concerns."

Ant sighed, shaking his head at the notion that planets with populations in the millions and billions could ever be thought of as experiments. But he knew as well as Patrick did that they were cut off.

Patrick cocked his head. "And... an entire crew of those capital ships is going to be at least a hundred. It'll take some time to put together a crew, even a skeleton crew. That'll probably take longer than fixing Nike, all told."

Ant frowned. "Well, we got a good start on a crew down in the galley right now."

Patrick shrugged. "The Rim's never had problems surviving on it's own. You cut out advanced tech and medicine, people'll still survive - but you burn the Rim, you cut off from critical basic necessities like food, the Core's the one that'll be in trouble."

Ant blew out a breath. "Tiao and Teala both got diverted by Olympus. In response to all this mess, and the Reavers. It'll be two weeks, still."

**JanetJulian** Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:05 pm

Xi sighed. "If it got to that, we'd have to not be worried about that any more." Of course that meant Arturus wasn't a threat, and she wasn't sure she saw that happening any time soon.

She nodded at the need for crew and the Rim's ability to survive. "True 'nough," she commented, double checking their speed and location and making sure the engines were still running smooth and their fuel estimates still held, adjusting the speed to make sure they wouldn't run out before they arrived if necessary.

"Two week?" She sighed. "Part of me is itching to head right back out there, run to the Core as fast as we can and be part of what's going to happen there. The rest thinks that hiding out here might not be a bad idea. Especially since it doesn't seem there's much of a choice unless I can steal someone else's ship, and considering we're not returning with the last one we borrowed, I doubt that's going to happen."

She blew out a breath and shook her head, bending back over her work.

**Seth** Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:20 am

Patrick nodded. "Still, the Arks are a salvager's wet dream. Their location, confirmation of their existence alone would send treasure hunters off into the black in all directions."

Patrick slipped over to the seat beside hers, sliding a hand across the bare part of her back while she corrected the autopilot's speed and heading. "Oh - " he protested, giving a wince. "The gunships - our escort - they're flying on autopilot, off of ours." A manual course correct meant notifying the other ships, and Patrick thumbed the comm, whatever tenderness he'd intended to start held off by the need to communicate with the other. Xiantha's perfectionist tendencies at the helm made him smile, though, even as he notified the bridge officers of the gunships to correct their courses to avoid flattening against the Sundiver.

Ant shook his head. "Not eager to pass through that field again," he frowned. "Not even in Nike. I think the best thing we can do to get real relief to the Core is to figure out a way to get a cap -"

He paused, blinking, thoughtful. "There weren't any capital ships in the Reaver fleet passing through," he pointed out. "Probably.... too complex, or something, for the job. But Sylvia said the fleet was at Miranda. That's where the Alliance's capital ships would be."

Patrick gave her hand a teasing smack as she was about to make another correction. They'd apparently been refueled by the gunship, and her course corrections were making improvements in speed and fuel efficiency that were measured in the fractions of percentages over the autopilot.

"Do I have to tie your hands up?" He laughed. "Two days, you haven't taken your hand off that keyboard." He pulled her by the hand out of her chair and into his lap. "Your fiancees want your attention for a few minutes," he said, a little softer.

**JanetJulian** Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:59 pm

She nodded. "Just thinking out loud. And dreaming, maybe. Needs more thought, just - not sure it needs to be a big secret anymore, that's all."

She looked up when he winced, mouth opening and then closing again with a harumph. "That's the kind of thing you need to let me know," she told him, giving him the information to pass on to the other ships and then leaning back in her chair.

"Hmm ... are you sure? That fleet was awful big. I don't know that we got a good look at the ships in the center. Because it doesn't make much sense. You want a big ship if you're going to be tossing asteroids around." She frowned. "Maybe you're right. Or maybe they're still sitting at Miranda for some reason. Who knew all what orders Qun Shi gave them."

She blinked at his smack, frowning and reaching to smack him back when he caught her wrist and pulled her out of her seat. "Just checking," she complained, "these things are so inefficient ..."

She quieted when he said her fiances wanted her attention, looking between the pair of them and then smiling. "You really want attention I think that has to wait until we get back. I don't think Lisa's that deep a sleeper." She poked Patrick and then walked into his arms, wrapped hers about his neck and kissed him.

"You sure you still want to do this?" She asked, feeling a bit shell shocked. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now they were almost home and all she could think about was what her Dad was going to say.

**Seth** Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:22 pm

"Maybe. Doubt that computer would appreciate a whole bunch of scavengers showing up. And she might not be happy we haven't gotten any of her materials to her yet. Think she was expecting a couple cargo ships of supplies by now."

He laughed. "I was updating you on the big stuff. Didn't think you'd be changing our flight path ten seconds after you woke up." He winked at her, amused.

He frowned. "It would be unmistakable if one of the carriers was in the fleet," he said. "And you don't need that big a ship, right? I mean, the gravity field on an asteroid field is pretty small. Once you break the field, it's like a hauling a really big, deadly feather. I don't know - maybe all those ships are waiting, or maybe the Reavers took them out, too. I don't know. But it's the only Alliance fleet on this side of the field I know of."

Patrick laughed as she complained. "You have a compulsion," he teased. "Don't make me radio updates to the gunships every three minutes."

Ant gave a small chuckle. "He's right. You recheck every calculation every five minutes or so." His eyes twinkled, even though there was an apology in his tone.

Patrick gave her bottom a light squeeze. "Doesn't have to be that kind of attention," he said. "And I'll bet she's sleeping pretty deep." He stroked her bare back.

He tilted his head at the question. "Marry you?" He blinked, disbelieving. "Never been more sure of anything." He glanced over to Ant, who nodded in agreement. "Never been more sure," echoed Ant, leaning to give her a warm, loving kiss.

**JanetJulian** Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:32 pm

She snorted. "Computer knows what it takes to get it. But you're right. Those ships probably won't work without all those supplies. Or at least a good part of them."

She chuckled. "How long you known me?" She asked, poking him again. "You need mass," she said. "It's not about weight, but without the mass that featherweight rock is going to start hauling you around. Still, it doesn't take that big of a rock to really mess with a planet if it's got the right velocity. Just enough not to burn up in the atmosphere."

She smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I do," she admitted. "But I won't. I'll let the stupid computer fly us. No complaints to me if we overshoot or run out of fuel or any of the sixteen hundred other things that can go wrong in the black if you don't keep rechecking."

She stuck her tongue out at him, knowing even as she did how he was likely to react. Though his response to her question made her feel all gooey inside. She smiled at him and glanced back at Ant, leaning into both their kisses, feeling safe and trapped between them.

**Seth** Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:41 pm

"Planet's a pretty big target. Once you got it moving, you'd just need enough thrust to nudge it now and then. But they'll definitely be more vulnerable on the approach," he agreed. "As long as the Alliance Navy doesn't turn tail and hide, they could do serious damage to the Reaver fleet. Save planets, moons." He sounded hopeful - more blindly hopeful than he really wanted to admit. He didn't think it a matter of cowardice - he was convinced there were plenty of brave commanders who'd risk life and limb to stop the Reavers from mass destruction. His concern was the planners - the admirals and bureaucrats who might worry about strategy for too long, and lose the opportunity to save millions of lives.

Patrick laughed, and as she complained he leaned up to interrupt her with a kiss, stroking her hair. "Alright," he allowed, a note of apology in his voice. "Just got jealous of the screen." He stroked the side of her belly, liking the bare skin of the halter, running fingertips over her well-shaped abs.

"Hmm.." he said, glancing over at Lisa. "How deep a sleeper you think she is?"

**JanetJulian** Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:47 pm

Xi nodded. "Problem is, once it's caught in the gravity well you gotta seriously break it into pieces or it really doesn't matter if you run it over the Reaver ship, it's still going to get sucked in and strike the planet. Their best bet will be hitting them enroute. There's still a fair bit of space between the belt and any of the really populated places."

She chuckled as he backed down a bit. "That's okay. You're lots more fun than the screen." She lifted a hand to cup his face as he stroked her, leaning up and kissing him again.

"Hmm ... no idea," she said honestly. "So you'd best be real quiet." She grinned wickedly and then kissed him again.

**Seth** Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:59 pm

He nodded. "I wonder if they're planning on going planet to planet, or splitting up their forces - if they haul asteroids towards every moon, every planet, the Alliance'll be leery about splitting forces."

He chuckled as she promised he was more fun. "I doubt that sometimes," he teased. "I think if it was a choice between me and flying, It'd be an easy choice." His eyes twinkled, not begrudging something that was a part of her nature. "But I do like that I can distract you from it."

He raised an eyebrow, then gave a small laugh. "Aye-aye, ma'am," he grinned, reaching under the halter and getting a bountiful handful. Ant watched them both, amused, certain when she'd had her fun with Patrick she'd spend most of the rest of the trip letting him distract her. He was happy to bide his time.

**JanetJulian** Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:02 pm

"Dunno," she said, giving up even speculating.

She grinned when he suggested she'd choose flying, not even arguing. "Good thing I don't have to choose, hmm?"

The grin turned to a soft laugh when he spilled her out of her makeshift top. She moaned happily and then looked back over her shoulder, not intending Ant to go without in the moment, reaching to pull him in close and kiss him again as well, one hand moving down his front to the erection she felt certain he'd have.

Her other hand moved down Patrick's front and began to free him from his leathers all the same.

**Seth** Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:09 pm

He chuckled. "Definitely a good thing," he agreed.

Patrick had his fun with her top when she looked over to Ant, tugging the knot free. It seemed the first outfit he'd taken the time not to destroy - or perhaps he respected it was the last top she had access to. Both of the men had hard, hungry erections, and she felt them twitch in unison as her hands moved to unbutton them both. Patrick slipped the halter open, running his hands over her ample bare bosom, giving a groan at the touch and feel of it.

Then she had both of them free, two hungry lengths awaiting her while both men shot a quick glance towards Lisa, wondering just how impossible Xiantha was going to make it to be quiet.

**JanetJulian** Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:09 pm

She made a warm sound as Patrick teased her, managing to free both of them simultaneously, showing excellent dexterity with both hands. She moved her hips between them, rubbing one, then the other and kissing each in turn.

She noticed the glance towards sleeping Lisa and smiled faintly. "There's always the bathroom," she said softly, intending on having both of them, whatever it took.

**Seth** Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:14 pm

Patrick glanced over towards the bathroom - it had barely accommodated Xiantha and him, and when Ant had entered with Xiantha it had been a veritable squeeze. The prospect of the three of them using it was remote. He gave a shudder as she rubbed at him.

"Think we're just going to have to keep it down," he smiled, doubting very much they were going to be able to. He slid his hands over her bare breasts, then let his fingers slide down to her leathers, beginning to unbutton them. Ant groaned with the strokes as well, glancing between the chairs and finding nothing quite to his liking. Instead he simply waited until Patrick had squirmed her out of her leathers, then caught her wrist and drew her to him. He lifted her up like a fetherweight, kissing her and giving her every chance to wrap her legs around him.

Patrick gave a glance to Lisa. The two of them taking Xiantha at once didn't stand a shot in hell of being quiet.

**JanetJulian** Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:26 pm

Xi shrugged. "I'll try if you do," she promised, wiggling to help Patrick pull her pants, down, a bit surprised when Ant pulled her away from him and kissed her. She clung to him, kissing him hot and hungry, wrapping her legs around him, reaching down and aligning him so she slid right onto him.

She groaned softly, arching against him, intent to make sure he fully enjoyed himself this time around.

**Seth** Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:40 pm

Patrick rose up behind her, sinking into her as well while she slid down onto Ant. It was their first time together as fiancees, Ant noted internally, but he brushed that off, thinking of better ways they could set the mood once they weren't trapped inside a bridge without food or anything like mood lighting.

All his thoughts were washed away once they began their rhythm - and all thoughts of quiet. Ant's low bellows, Patricks' ecstatic groans, and Xiantha's own noises made the bridge louder than a Greenleaf resort night, and while Lisa courteously tried to pretend she was still sleeping, she finally rolled her eyes, got up, and went to her computer console. If they were putting on a show, she was going to get an eyeful. Xiantha could sense her mind at work - making reservations and preparations, getting everything in order for a romantic wek once they'd hit Greenleaf.

The brothers got - as usual - a little more carried away then they meant to. After she'd had her way with the both of them, Ant carried her off to the bathroom, taking a shorter but intense session. Patrick was pressing into the doorway, the moment Ant was stepping out, obstensibly to return her leathers. He too, had every intention of distracting her - and after another round, finally stepped away and laughed. "Your pants, my lady," he grinned, giving a small, naked bow himself. "I... am still looking for your shirt."

**JanetJulian** Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:48 pm

Xi groaned and laughed and happily lost herself with her fiances, a bit embarrassed when Lisa got up, but too lost in the moment to do anything but groan. She was happy, but tired when Ant dragged her off, by the time Patrick had replaced him, she wasn't sure she could stand up on her own.

"Umm .. thanks," she said, chuckling at his naked bow. "Now go stop flashing my maid of honor before she gets more ideas than she already has, and find me my top." She waved him off, washed her face and took a short sponge bath while she waited, managing to get herself in at least the bottoms before one of them returned with her top.

She then dragged herself out onto the bridge and collapsed into the Captain's chair. She was humming with energy, but her muscles were loose and rubbery. She glanced over at Lisa and blushed.

"Uh. Hi."

**Seth** Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:07 pm

He laughed at her instructions. "Aww," he protested. "Topless Captain time?" He pleaded in jest, but slid on his leathers and stepped out, topless himself. It was Ant who returned it - giving her a small, chaste kiss and offering her a hand out to the Captain's chair.

"Hi," laughed Lisa. She felt the awkwardness, glancing between the three of them, and gave a small giggle, and a shake of her at the three of them. She'd finished her preparations for their resort time, and leaned back as she became the new center of attention.

She'd enjoyed the little show - and their couplings had grown increasingly public, lately, so she doubted there was much shyness on Xiantha's part. Neither were Ant and Patrick appealling to her in any kind of long term way - cute, and sexy, and probably a fu nroll in the hay, but her friendship with Xiantha completely tapered off any attraction she might have had for them. Xiantha herself was too close a friend. She'd had a brief thing with Teala as a shipwife, enough for her to learn she'd really rather go without then talk herself into something with another woman again. It wasn't her thing. She reflected on all of that - she'd enjoyed the viscerality of their show, the answer in her head to the unspoken question of what their private bedroom sessions were like.

"So, how about that... local sports team?" chuckled Lisa, perfectly happy to pretend nothing had ever happened.

**JanetJulian** Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:35 pm

Xi snorted and sent Patrick on his way, rewarding Ant's return with a sweet kiss as she slipped back into her top and went out to her chair.

She glanced over at Lisa, following the line of her thoughts, smiling a bit as she got towards the end, chuckling at the words that followed.

"How about them," she returned, kicking her chair fondly, glad that it wouldn't be awkward. "Though honestly all I can think about is eating. I'm starving. Right now I think I'd kill for a ration bar." She sighed. "So how long til we get home?"

She could have figured it out herself of course, but it gave Lisa something to do.

**Seth** Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:34 pm

Lisa shrugged. "I have no idea," she chuckled. "Oh, thanks, now I am too. Mmm... chicken maybe, or tilapia." She laughed. "Something I can sink my teeth into." She imagined food, in rather lavish detail, and turned towards the console with a chuckle

"Huh.... three hours?" She leaned back in her chair. She sighed and stretched. "Anyone checked on the girls down in the galley in a while? Let 'em know we're close?"

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