Pinga's First Day, part 1

"Rise and shine new girl", May said as she shook Pinga's shoulder. Pinga got up with a jolt and looked around, obviously confused.
"You're onboard the torch ship Seraglio after you helped our crew escape the asteroid mine. You've been sleeping for ten hours straight", May explained in a soft tone. Pinga nodded and stood up, wavering for a moment as she wasn't yet used to gravity.
"What's happening? Are we under attack?" She asked but May only laughed.
"Nothing like that, Aslög just wanted me to help you get settled and explain how things work around here. Now grab your hygiene kit and let's go freshen up!"

But instead of following the taller, rainbow haired woman, Pinga wrangled her hands.
"I, uh - don't have anything", she admitted.
May smiled. "Oh, right, my bad! Come on, we’ve got spares downstairs. But first... clothes!"
She rummaged through a box of shiny things, eventually tossing a tiny bundle at Pinga.
"Gym shorts. And..." She dug deeper. "Gym?" Pinga asked, puzzled.
"You have a gym on the ship?" May laughed:
"Of course we do! What, you thought we just lounge around and look pretty?" She threw Pinga a look.
"Well, to be honest we do that quite a bit", May chuckled to herself as she turned back to her search.
"I'm sorry petal but we don't have any sports bras small enough for you so just take this boob tube and wear it instead", May explained a she offered Pinga a neon pink band of lycra.
"Stars only know why we have it - I doubt even Aslög could fit her tits inside that", she continued, sashaying over to another cabinet in her shiny black boots.
"Here, this will do", May kept going, handing Pinga a light blue dress that was probably extremely snug on the other women but would hang like a coat on the skinny newcomer.

The duo made their way down to the hygiene deck, heels clicking on the stairs.
"Just hang your clothes here and change into the exercise stuff. Afterwards you'll take a shower and change into the new dress because you don't want to sweat up the whole ship, you hear me?" May instructed Pinga who nodded.
"Now, here we store hygiene kits. Brush your teeth and wash your face, then we'll go see Macha and get some food!" Pinga obeyed, self-conscious in the skin-tight shorts and tube top. Her malnourished frame felt exposed, but May—despite flaunting her curves in a miniskirt and bustier—made no cruel comments. Pinga was quietly grateful.

After, May guided her ward further down to Macha's domain.
"Good, you're here. Take one of these pills after every meal and come see me if you feel ill. Once you're stronger, I'll give you an injection to help fight bone density loss. And of course, you need to exercise a lot and eat well!" The ship's doctor-slash-chef ordered. While Pinga listened, May had prepared breakfast for both of them. As the smaller girl dug in, May began her presentation:
"So, the ship runs on a 24-hour clock and we usually run 4-hour shifts, meaning that you're on duty for 4 hours and off for 8, then back on duty for another 4 hours, and so on. But there are exceptions, like when we hit planetside or something like that. Also, we triplets are the only engineers here so our duty watch is always to monitor the reactor and the engine. The bridge bunnies always take their duty watch on the bridge, which leaves Macha and Metzli doing their duty shifts around the rest of the ship. You wouldn't happen to be a nuclear fusion engineer by any chance?"
Pinga, her mouth full of delicious pancakes, could only shake her head.
"Figures. Maybe next time the Captain could pick a stray from a university or something", May chuckled.
"Anyway, used dishes go in the washer here", May explained as she dropped hers inside an unremarkable looking box.
"Macha is busy enough doing the majority of the cooking so make sure you always leave the galley pristine, okay?" Pinga nodded eagerly. The galley looked completely different from the dirty environment she had been surviving in on the asteroid mine. There was only one food processor and several actual cooking devices. Everything was clean and shiny.
"Oh, if you want to do some cooking yourself, feel free! Just check with Macha on how everything works so not to burn the place down or anything", May assured Pinga as she led them to the stairs that ended abruptly:
"You know the airlock already. The ladder is here in case of an emergency where we would need to lock it down. If this hatch is closed", she pointed at the heavy looking round thing next to the opening on the floor, "do not open it under any circumstance because there's probably hard vacuum on the other side!" Pinga climbed down after May.
"Not much here. Obviously don't mess with the shell suits until Metzli trains you on them. But let's keep moving", the engineer said as she fixed the shoulder strap of her black bustier and squatted down for the next ladder. As she did so, her thong peeked from underneath her pleated miniskirt. Pinga swallowed.

As the girls descended the second ladder, the cheerful voice of Aslög greeted them.
"Welcome to the gym!" The Nordic woman was wearing green shorts and a sports bra, with cloth wraps around her hands as she pummelled a boxing bag.
"You can use all the equipment here as much as you want", May explained. "Be careful with the weapon lockers and the storage boxes for obvious reasons." May pointed these out, nestled against the hull of the ship.
"And I'm sure Metzli wouldn't mind help with the garden", she continued as she pointed at the vertical hydroponic 'farm' taking up quarter of the room.
"Just wipe them dry after using them", Aslög commented. Pinga sensed a theme.
"Basically, I should clean up after myself and not mess with things I don't know", she timidly put forth.
"She's a smart one", May acknowledged and Aslög nodded.
"Exactly that. We are a dozen people now, stuck in a relatively small place for extended periods of time. Meaning that everyone needs to mind the impact they have on everyone else", the silver haired woman explained.

May walked over to a closed hatch at the centre of the floor, tapping the steel circle with her black knee boot.

"That leads to a tube that connects the top and bottom parts of the ship. We have drones down there doing all the routine maintenance work on the reactor and the engine because the radiation levels are too high for humans to hang around. Between that place and this deck is external storage space where we put cargo containers when we haul stuff", May explained as Aslög continued punishing the sturdy blue boxing bag. Pinga nodded - the ship was more complex than she had assumed.
"So, I shouldn't go lower than this deck?" She asked. May nodded while Aslög delivered a bone crunching side kick at the poor bag.
"Unless one of the triplets tells you to do so, you should never even think about opening that hatch", the Nordic beauty ordered, wiping sweat off her brow.
"Now, take off your heels and let's see what you're made of", Aslög continued and pointed at the gloves hanging off the side wall. May rolled her eyes.
"I'll go see if the captain needs any pampering, she's your responsibility now", the engineer announced and climbed up the ladder without a care in the world that she flashed her pert butt to the other women in the process.

Twenty minutes later, Pinga wiped the sweat from her brow, heart still racing from the last round of punches. She was clumsy, but Aslög’s calm, relentless coaching had kept her going past what she thought were her limits.
"Not bad for a beginner," Aslög commented.
"But let's see how the rest of you holds up. Come on, over here." Pinga followed obediently to the squat rack, where Aslög loaded a modest weight onto the bar.
"Strength training now. Don't worry, I’m not going to break you, girl. I just need to see what kind of maintenance your body needs. Step under the bar." Pinga hesitated, but Aslög gave her an encouraging nod. She got into position, awkwardly gripping the bar as Aslög corrected her stance.
"Okay, squat down, slow and steady. And up. Good. Now give me ten." By the sixth rep, Pinga’s legs were shaking. By the tenth, she was gasping for breath, sweat dripping from her bald scalp.
"Okay, rack it," Aslög said, letting her catch her breath for only a moment before pointing to the running mat. "Endurance test next. Let's see how your cardio holds up." Pinga groaned but complied. Aslög tapped a few commands into the console and the belt began to move.
"Start walking. I'll increase the speed every two minutes." It didn’t take long before Pinga was huffing and puffing, legs aching, chest heaving.
"Not bad. For someone who's been living on gruel and fear, you're tougher than you look," Aslög said with a rare smile as she paced beside her. "But you've got a long way to go. Once Macha clears you, I'll help whip you into shape." Pinga, despite the exhaustion, found herself smiling back, a rare flicker of pride igniting inside her.
"You made it through your first real workout. Congrats, rookie," Aslög said, handing her a squeeze bottle of electrolyte drink.
"Y-yes, ma'am," Pinga breathed, unable to hide the flush of pride under her sheen of sweat.
"Don’t call me ma'am. I'm not your drill sergeant. Yet," Aslög smirked and gave her a playful swat on the rear with her hand. Right on cue, the cheerful, husky voice of the payload master drifted from the garden next door:
"Oye, baldie! My turn!"

Pinga turned to see Metzli striding toward them from the dense greenery, wearing nothing but a skimpy neon-green bikini, her skin glistening with sweat, blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. She looked completely at ease.
"You're done playing warrior? Good. Now it's time to learn how to make yourself useful in my domain," Metzli grinned. Aslög rolled her eyes but nodded.
"She's warmed up for you. Don't fry her brain."
"No promises," Metzli teased, taking Pinga by the wrist and tugging her into the lush hydroponic section. The air hit her like a warm, damp wave, heavy with the smell of earth, herbs, and growing things. It was so different from the cold, dry tunnels she had known.
"Welcome to the garden, chica. We grow our own food here, we recycle our air. These babies are our lifeline, so treat them with respect," Metzli explained as she sauntered past towers of green, her bronzed skin gleaming under the UV lights. "I'm in charge. That makes me the boss of you when you're down here." Pinga nodded, almost hypnotized by the vibrant life all around her—and maybe a little by the sight of Metzli casually stretching to reach a vine, her bikini barely containing her generous curves.
"Your job for tonight is simple. Dead leaves, check for pests, wipe the sensor lenses. You bruise a tomato, you don't get to eat them. Capiche?"
"Yes, Metzli," Pinga replied quickly, already starting to feel the rhythm of the place seep into her. They worked side by side for the next hour, Metzli humming a Spanish ballad as she delicately snipped and inspected. She moved like a dancer, swaying between plants, sweat dripping down her thighs.
"You know," Metzli said after a while, leaning in conspiratorially, "I think you might have potential, baldie. You didn’t pass out on Aslög, and you didn’t kill any plants. That's a good start." Pinga smiled shyly.
"Thanks... I think?" Before Metzli could tease her further, the intercom crackled to life with Nepthys' sultry, slightly bored voice.
"Pinga to the bridge please, Pinga to the bridge".
"Sounds like the bridge bunnies want you next*, Metzli chuckled.
"Don't forget us bottom deck dwellers while you're up there!" The Latina theatrically raised a hand over her forehead pretending desperation.
Pinga smiled, nodded and waved as she walked to the ladder. As she passed the captain's quarters, she heard May moaning out in obvious pleasure:
"Oh Captain!" To her own shock, the sound thrilled her rather than scared her. But her confidence vanished when she reached the bridge and Nepthys stared at her:
"Didn't May tell you anything? Don't drip your sweat on my bridge! Go take a shower and then come back, you silly bunny!"

Chastised, Pinga hurried down the stairs and did as ordered. She couldn't believe she had forgotten what May had told her earlier. Clean and fresh, she dressed in the breezy dress and cinched it around her tiny waist with the belt from her previous outfit, which she dumped into the washing machine. Though she felt self conscious regarding her lack of underwear, Pinga did not want to make Nepthys wait any longer so she hurried up the steps again.

"That's better, bunny. We like to keep our bridge glamorous and professional," Nepthys greeted her with a wink. And those words summed up the bridge perfectly—a cocktail of high-tech efficiency and ultra-feminine flair. Each station gleamed in pristine white, bristling with flat screens, touch pads, and joystick-style controllers. Yet the air was heavy with perfume, the chairs draped in colourful veils and studded with rhinestones, and cheerful pop beats bounced from hidden speakers. Nepthys herself was lounging at her station, casually testing nail colours while a program crunched number sets on one of her monitors. Today, her black hair was styled into two giant corkscrews on either side of her head, her sharp nose wrinkling critically as she judged the hues. Her golden mesh top barely contained her impressive cleavage, revealing a frilly black push-up bra beneath.

"Hmm... teal or turquoise?" she asked, flashing her hand at Pinga.
"Uh... teal?" the bald girl guessed, unsure if it was some kind of test.
"Teal it is!" Nepthys declared, whisking a chunky silver device over her nails in a single, practiced swipe. The color changed instantly.
"Sorry, you need special implants that replace your natural nails to do this," Nepthys explained, casually admiring the result. "Captain will happily buy you the upgrade once we're on a civilized planet. Until then, ask Macha for old-school nail polish—she's the only one still doing it the hard way."
"I can... just ask for implants? And stuff?" Pinga blinked, struggling to process this. Director Shima sure as hell never offered perks like that.
"Of course! Captain decides who gets what, but as long as you ask nice, he's generous. We've all had some work done." Nepthys grinned, clearly enjoying the girl's disbelief.

Then, with a sudden hop in her sky-high white heels, she sprang to her feet. Her gold miniskirt bounced, leaving no doubt her panties matched her bra.
"Anyway—tour time!" she declared. "This is the bridge, domain of us bridge bunnies. I'm the computer bunny, Bari's the pilot bunny, and Amaterasu's the navigation bunny. If you're ever on watch, you can sit at the comm station over there." She pointed at the only chair devoid of sparkles or ribbons.
"That's Aslög's spot when she's here. But don't ever call her 'talky-bunny' or anything like that. She'll **** you," Nepthys added with a smirk.
"When we're in cruise mode, the autopilot handles everything. Accelerate at one G until halfway, flip, and decelerate the rest. Keeps the ship's gravity steady. So, Bari only needs to be here for manoeuvres or docking. Same with Ama—she plots the course before we even leave port. Unless something wild happens, it's all hands-off."
As she spoke, Nepthys guided Pinga around the stations, pulling up different programs to show her what she meant.

"And this..." She gestured grandly to the plush central chair. "Captain's Chair. See those extra loops down there? That's for your ankles. Keeps you in place if you're giving the Captain a little... special attention in zero-G." She slapped the Velcro straps for emphasis.
Pinga blushed, swallowing hard. The thought scared her—but maybe it also intrigued her, just a little.
"Hah! That face!" Nepthys laughed, giving her a playful slap on the shoulder. "But it's true. Ama spent like an hour strapped there once. Freak with her mouth, that one." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Probably because otherwise only her tits would ever get any action. Silly cow." Pinga wisely pretended she hadn't heard.
"So yeah, don't touch anything till you're trained. That's about it. Questions?" Nepthys plopped back into her cushy seat, pulling a bag of candy from a locker and offering one to Pinga.
"I think I get it... but it's a lot to take in. Can I ask more later?"
"Of course, little bunny! Maybe we'll train you to be the fourth bridge bunny," Nepthys said dreamily. She leaned back, popping a candy into her mouth. "Now, unless you got somewhere to be, stay and keep me company. I wanna hear your story—and I bet you wanna hear some juicy gossip!"
Pinga smiled and perched herself on an empty chair. "I'd like that."

When Amaterasu arrived for her shift an hour later, she was greeted by the unlikely sight of the pale, bald girl and the tanned, long-haired one giggling like old friends.
"What's this now?"
"Ah, we'll tell you later! We're off to lunch!" Nepthys announced, dragging Pinga by the hand as they hurried off the bridge.