Pilot

Sammie paused at Emely’s words, her eyes flickering around and noticing the inquiring looks from the other assembled women. “We’re really doing this now, huh?” she said, before gazing at her hands. “Do you just want to talk about the weave, or…?” Once glance from Meli answered her question, and so the pilot continued “Both. Right. Ok. Well, let’s tackle the weave first. It was… intense. Intimate isn’t really the right word, it’s not like you physically touch or you can read the other’s thoughts - but you can feel something of what the other feels.”

Dustin nodded at that, unsure if he should interject or not but opting to do so anyway, breaking the pilot’s flow to add his commentary. “Emotions, surface vibes and such. At least, that’s what I got from it. You were nervous about the risk to the crew, and angry about what might have happened to the Yuran, and happy that you got to jump on an uncharted route - and on top of all that you were mostly freaking out about how many routes there were when I pulled you closer.”

His comment got a thin smile from the pilot, before she continued. “Yea, like Dustin said. For my part, I picked up worries about the Yuran, a hell of a lot of love for all of you, some level of being unsure about how I would handle the situation we were in, and a need to protect that made me just want to stay curled up in there for ever.” She paused, unsure if she’d overstepped, then barrelled on regardless. “Alright, so when we had a conversation like this before, we all agreed it best to wait, to spend time together and see if we were compatible or lived up to expectations and so on. I gotta say, from my side, more than done so.”

Pointing as she went, she gestured to the other women present. “Meli’a, you’ve been a star for organizing everything. And I did have loads of fun on our date with Dustin. Rye, I loved that you didn’t talk down to me when we were chatting about ship design - even if half of what you were saying went totally over my head. Bleu, you’re still wrong about your interpretation of Marx and don’t read nearly enough modern stuff, but it’s fun to debate theory with you regardless.”

The first two women smiled, while the Queri medic merely inclined her head as Sammie continued. “Trea’k, spending time helping you out when Meli’a asked you all to spend time with me was the first time I’ve ever enjoyed sorting files, purely because of how much effort you put into making people relax. Naera, I’m sorry my attempt at making something spicy didn’t work out; I’ve messaged my mum for the exact recipe and I’m looking forward to cooking with you again because even the failure was fun.”

The dark-skinned woman inhaled deeply, before switching back to Dustin and Emely. “Emely, you’re adorable and also far less hostile than you made out at first. Plus, you took the time to talk me through your garden work which means a lot. Didn’t get to spend much time around green stuff growing up on a cargo hauler. Finally, Dustin, you’re a lot. Like, seriously, even the fan boards didn’t quite prepare me for how much you care. I guess what I’m saying is… I want in - not just to the ship, but to all… this.” She waved her hand around at them before sinking back into her chair, eyes a little wide as she realized just how much she’d shared of her thoughts.

For a moment, only the pilot’s breathing could be heard, then Meli broke the silence. “My husband, our Dustin, will ultimately have the final say. However, he won’t make any decisions without hearing our thoughts - I think we all know him well enough to agree on that, correct?” A quick glance and multiple heads nodding showed that she was right, although Dustin was a little conflicted about the fact that he was apparently so predictable to his lovers. “Very well. In that case, do we wish to state our thoughts or just have a vote?”

Rye kicked her heels up onto the table, stretching at the same time. Several eyes followed the rise and fall of golden fur as well as the movement under the top of her dungarees as she did so, causing the bunny girl to grin. “Ya want to see more of me, we better wrap this up quickly ladies. But na, as far as I’m concerned Sammie’s good to go if Dustin fancies her joining in. She’s been sound since we met her, and put up with my rantings about fusion injectors better than some I could mention.”

Meli winced at that. “You didn’t subject the poor woman to the Gladestone-Crow versus Hemlet-Newing debate during what was supposed to be a getting to know you better talk, did you Rye? Honestly, if it were just the three of us I’d say we let her in right now purely on the basis of not having gone mad listening to that rant.” Rye looked about to speak, but the Velca woman held up a hand quickly. “No, we are not starting it again, I know all about the relative size of mountings and more about chamfered alignment clasps than I wish to at this point. We are here to discuss a different kind of mounting, love.”

Sammie half choked on her drink at that, and Dustin found that he was blushing despite himself. The conversation between the Velca and Rabyth seemed to spark the others into action meanwhile, as Trea’k and Bleu both began to speak at the same time. “I think… no, you first…” the pair wavered for a moment before at last Bleu nodded curtly and took the initiative. “I’m all for it. I know I’m still pretty new to being part of us, but Sammie’s advice certainly helped with that and I value her company. Trea’k, your thoughts?”

The insect woman rested her chin thoughtfully on one hand for a moment before speaking. “I see no reason not to let things progress. At least, as long as she is willing to agree to the same terms the rest of us did at the start; it only seems fair to ensure that things are stable before bringing additional offspring into the equation.”

The pilot actually choked on her drink properly this time, Bleu moving swiftly to pat her on the back. “That… god… thanks Bleu, no, that won’t be an issue. No desire for kids any time soon.” Sammie managed to splutter out between coughs. Trea’k inclined her head in acknowledgment, then turned back to Meli and added. “In that case, she has my approval.”

Dustin found himself tracking Sammie’s gaze as she recovered from her coughing fit and glanced at the remaining members of his harem. Naera just gave a half-shrug. “She’s nice, even if she did let the sauce stick to the bottom of the pan. If I’ve got a vote, I’m for it.” That just left two women; Meli simply raised her hand and nodded, at which all eyes fell on Emely. The Feliax woman took that moment to stretch, the position of their bodies pushing her chest firmly into Dustin’s as she yawned before gazing at her nails for a moment.

Glancing up at the expectant expressions on the other’s faces, the redhead’s face once more broke into that characteristic Feliax grin. “Oh, you want my verdict? You want me to say if I’m happy with her joining us. I don’t know…” Then she sighed and shook her head. “No, it’s no fun trying to act like I’m more contrary than I am. Honestly, my only concern was if she’d be good enough for sir, and she’s proved to me at least that she’s dedicated and caring enough for that. If sir wants her, she’s in.” With that said, Emely lifted herself gently from Dustin’s lap and slid into the next seat over before turning back to look at him expectantly. “Well, sir? You’ve got a woman asking to join our pride, and unanimous consent from the rest of the us. What do you want?”

Dustin glanced around the assembled women before his gaze fell on a very nervous looking pilot. Blinking, he realized that for all her brave talk about taking time and general upbeat attitude, Sammie was actually really worried about being rejected. Scattered bits of conversations he’d had with her over the past weeks came back to him - of her growing up with only her sister and parents for company on long cargo flights, of her last relationship’s collapse when she was left behind… Almost before he was aware of it he’d left his seat and walked around to her. Reaching down, he took her hand and gently pulled her upright; brushing her braids back from her face he found her eyes looking up at him questioningly. “Captain, do you… I mean, I…” she began - and then, in the best traditions of the relationships he’d built with his lovers so far, he silenced her with a kiss.