Chapter 1: Mushrooms are not tastier alone

Chapter 1.- Here Comes the Ranger

9:42 am.

Cafeteria of the Pandora

"So, what do we think about the ranger?"

The three girls at the table stopped chatting to look at Beckett Mariner, who leaned on the table towards them with a complicit look in her eyes. Her tone is sharp and provocative. Around them, the atmosphere is chilly, with several people taking advantage of their spare time to speak with their coworkers and enjoy some of the few delicacies that could be obtained in the cafeteria. The woman is dark-skinned and wears a red and black uniform with black pants.

"Do you refer to Miss Goodspeed? Because she looks exp-" one of her friends asks, an alien woman with clear green skin and blue hair shaved on one side of her head

"Do you refer to Miss Goodspeed? Because she looks exp-" one of her friends asks, an alien woman with clear green skin and blue hair shaved on one side of her head. The cute tone of her voice clearly contrasts with her voluptuous body, having D-cup breasts that battled against her tight uniform. But before she could conclude her question, she is interrupted by Mariner.

"The dude, Tendi, of course I'm referring to him

"The dude, Tendi, of course I'm referring to him." Beckett says, her black eyes rolling, and she leans towards the table, whispering to her companions, "I hear he's a rookie of some sort. "

"Not likely; this expedition is estimated to possess a considerable length and level of danger. "With a stone-cold tone in her voice, a pale woman with pointy ears says to her friends. Short black hair with a blue headband. She wears a uniform just like Tendi's, black and blue, with black pants. She's the slimmest in the group, possessing B-cup breasts and thin hips, given her skinny body. "And especially if it's an external contractor. The risk is high; if he's not suited for the task, it might cause trouble for the future of this mission."

"Come on, T'lyn, haven't you heard of the Rangers?" The last woman on the table, an auburn-haired girl with a ponytail

"Come on, T'lyn, haven't you heard of the Rangers?" The last woman on the table, an auburn-haired girl with a ponytail. She wears a more feminine uniform, black and red colors like Mariner's, with a skirt that covered her thick thighs and hips. She eats from a bowl of chicken salad. "They are the crème de la crème of mercenaries across the galaxy; with two aboard, even if one is a junior, it shouldn't be a problem"

"They are the crème de la crème of mercenaries across the galaxy; with two aboard, even if one is a junior, it shouldn't be a problem"

"If you think so, Summer Smith"

"Girl, just Summer, please." Summer says.

"Still, is weird. This mission..." Mariner says, as she sips from a glass of water. "This isn't just any mission. Is probably the mission of the century!"

"Come on, we aren't the only ones taking part of it"

"An estimate of fifteen other space-cruiser are departing at the same time as us to explore the new galaxy." T'lyn says, as she eats a bowl of vegetable soup, not the most efficient way to gain the needed nutrients, but Tendi recommended it to change her usual habit of only eating compact meals in between shifts. "And that is, only considering those with the legal requisites and authorization from the U.P.A. There are likely many other spaceships en route to our same destination without the clearance of the alliance."

"I don't blame them." Mariner says with a smile, leaning back in the blue chair. "We are talking about a new galaxy!"

It all goes back to two years ago.

Scientist of the U.P.A (United Planetary Alliance) using the latest technology available, were able to discover a new galaxy, hidden across a series of connected nebulas (known as 'the perpetual storm' by human scientists). The whole known universe was amazed by this discovery; it meant a new step for space exploration, which had stopped around fifty years ago! Countless possibilities were awakened. A new chapter of the history of the universe was set to be opened.

Of course, with all this buzz about the discovery, several exploratory missions were set to depart soon. But countless delays obstruct the departure of multiple spaceships eager to explore this new galaxy: new tech had to be developed to counteract the dangerous amounts of electricity that the nebulas blocking the galaxy possessed. At the same time, countless heated debates were held as multiple governments across the galaxy wanted an upper hand on this new terrain. Not to mention the several billionaire conglomerates that wanted a piece of the cake for themselves to.

There was an itch, an intense hunger fueled by ambition that could be sensed by everyone in the known universe. A new era of space exploration was on the horizon, and every single soul in the universe had at least some interest in it.

After months of debates and developments, the U.P.A. declared that they would be the first to dive into this new galaxy, using special technology that allows the safety of a ship as they travel through this peculiar Nebula. And fifteen official ships of the alliance would depart to explore this unexplored area of the cosmos. The expedition is responsible for the Voyagers Organization (V.O), an organization founded by the U.P.A. with the objective of bringing peace across the universe, tightening the relationship between alien races, and, of course, exploring the cosmos.

The ship destined for this exploration, in which the girls were hanging out, was the Pandora, a unique space-cruiser, a ship perfect for exploration. It guards more than 300 members of the Alliance, all of them from different races from across the universe, although the majority were humans. Their captain is Carol Freeman, who, aside from being an experienced officer in the organization, is Beckett Mariner's Mom.

"I tell you. I saw him when he arrived weeks ago. He seems weird." Beckett tells her.

"How so?" T'lyn asks, stopping to pay attention to her Black-skinned friend.

"I don't know how to explain it. But he's got this aura on him..." Beckett didn't know how to explain it well. But when he saw him the day he arrived at the Pandora, he felt... Weird, different. Behind those green eyes, the man was hiding something.

"Didn't know you were a Psychic." Summer says as she eats a pair of French fries dipped in mayo.

"I'm not."

"Hey, please tell me if I should eat my dessert. I don't want to darken my future." Everyone at the table laughs as Mariner just shrugs and rolls her eyes.

"Oh, shut up Smith." Beckett dismisses her as she moves her food with a fork.

"Hey, having a Ranger here does improve things. They have a good reputation across the galaxy, and all the ships on this expedition are going to have a pair of them. Maybe he's an ensign, but still better than having none." D'vana says with her usual cheerful attitude.

"Yeah, they are like the closest thing there is to a superhero or a space marine ." Summer drinks from her glass of coke.

"What's a space marine?" T'lyn asks her.

"Oh, some stuff that my dork sister likes." Summer says. "Still, I want to know, is he-"

But Mariner shushes them suddenly, making Summer stop.

"There he is." Beckett whispers and points with her chin at him, a man sitting a couple of rows away from them. He wears a white jacket, with grey lines on the borders and dark blue pants. His hair is white with green tips on the end of it. In front of him, there was a strangely shaped pyramid...

"Are those... mushrooms?" T'lyn asks.

"Yeah, Mariner is right. He seems weird." Summer nods at Mariner's statement, but a quick question rises from the black girl's lips.

"Should we go and eat with him?" Her friends all turn their heads back at her.

"Don't you say that he's weird?" T'lyn tilts her head to her left shoulder, intrigued.

"Yeah, but Summer is right. The Rangers are adventurous mercenaries. So he's probably going to get the most interesting jobs during this mission... And maybe if he gets to know a group of capable crewmates, he can make them go along with him during his missions." Mariner grabs Tendi by the shoulders. "Maybe he could get us to explore one of these new planets sooner with him!"

"Oh! That's right! But I don't want to just use him." D'Vana lowers her eyes towards her hands, insecure of the plan of her friend.

"We are not going to use him. We are just going to introduce ourselves to him; he seems kind of a loner." Mariner says, as they see how the ranger eats alone at the table. She grabs her tray. "Come on, girls, let's meet this guy."

John P.O.V.

The plate was full of mushrooms, forming a small brown pyramid. He took one and examined it. He had asked the kitchen to grill them before giving them; it probably wasn't a good idea to eat them all raw. John also had several different sauces all lined up beside him, of course, to give them more flavor.

"Do you really have to eat all of that?" The voice of the girl breaks his trance.

"Well, I need to improve my ingestion of vitamin D somehow."

"I tell you once again, you don't need to do it. Your normal diet is enough. Hell, maybe just eat a complement or something."

"I've heard you. But I still wanted to prove if there's a difference."

He takes a bite of the mushroom, munching it in one bite. John raises his eyes, landing them on his gorgeous companion. Green was, in a way to put it, the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. Her hair was straight and long, with a deep green color that reached her feet on the floor. She wears what seems to be a pristine light plate armor of blue and yellow tones. In the center of her chest, there was a radiant green gem.

" In other news. Tell me, Romeo, how did your doctor's appointment go?"

John then raised one of his eyebrows, confused.

"Weren't you watching? I could hear you when I was with her."

"Mmmh, yeah, but I got distracted, so... I didn't pay attention. I even went to sleep"

"Bullshit, you don't need to sleep." He points at her as she just bluffs and puts her arms behind her head.

"Well, I wasn't paying attention"

"Wha- Green!" John tilts towards her, lowering his voice. "You were the one to ask me to do it!"

"Yeah, I know, sweetie, but I got distracted. You know how this works, I'm with you always, but sometimes I drive off into our memories..."

"Unbelievable!" He takes another mushroom and bites it. His eyes don't leave her for a moment. They taste bland. He takes a bit of mayo and covers a handful of them with it and uses a fork to eat it.

"Didn't you enjoy it?"

"Of course I did. Fuck, those plump melons were so tasty..." He stared at the mushrooms; in a way, they reminded him of her nipples. In a way.

"Great... are you going to tell me more?"

John shrugs and looks around.

"Come on, can't we... Do it somewhere else?"

"What's the matter? We are just talking~"

"Still... It's already risky to be talking here in the middle of the restaurant; maybe you could wait so I go back to my room and-"

"Is that really your lunch?" A voice breaks his speech, as John turns around and sees a small group of women, all of them wearing different variations of the uniform of the V.O.

"Umm, yeah." he answers back.

"Why are you eating only mushrooms?" An auburn-haired girl asks him as she holds a tray of food.

"I have a condition... I need vitamin D." He was already regretting asking for that meal.

"Oh, so what do we have here?" Green stands and rounds the group of girls. "They seem cute"

"Isn't it better to eat a supplement of vitamins?" A Vulcan girl says to him, Green nods in approval as he could only feel more embarrassed about it.

"Or you could ask the docs for a shot of it." The Orion girl continues

"Well, yeah, but I prefer to eat them directly; I don't like to eat vitamins directly."

"So, you just prefer to eat mushrooms?" Ask the black girl. Y/N identifies her; she's Beckett Mariner, daughter of Captain Freeman. In fact, they were quite similar. Although he preferred older women, Beckett was as beautiful as her mother, and he easily sees her as a younger version of the captain. They probably even share the same measures, as she looks as stacked as the captain, possessing prominent C-cup breasts, covered by her red and black V.O uniform. She also has a firm, prominent ass and thighs.

"Is not the best way to digest vitamins... Unless you charge them with extra vitamins." The Vulcan girl says.

"In a way, yeah, I asked them at the kitchen to beam some UV light to them so I could get the necessary vitamins." John explains.

"Mmmh not very optimal, but clever." The Vulcan girl nods with approval.

"You are Mariner, right?" He asks her as he eats another couple of mushrooms, this time using a fork to pinch them.

"Yeah, glad you remember me, Mr..." Before she could say his last name, he intervened.

"You can call me John, don't worry about it." If he was going to work with these people for several years, at least he could establish a casual relationship with them.

"Okay, Ranger John."

"Is there something I can help you girls with?" John tries to put on the best tone he has. It is not that he was mad that they interrupted his talk with Green, but he was surprised by their sudden presence.

"Oh, we were just eating back there, and well, we were eager to know more about one of our rangers. So, we wanted to sit down with you, Ranger John" Mariner seemed to be the leader of this small group. She and the auburn-haired girl both wore a black and red V.O uniform, which designates them to labors of security, exploration, and other operations. The other two girls, the Vulcan and the Orion gals, wear blue and black uniforms, which deem them to be in science and medical work. They probably knew Priyanka or directly worked with her.

Priyanka...was she ever going to respond to his messages?

The Indian MILF had been avoiding him since their encounter in the storage room. A passionate session of lovemaking that they both needed. John had enjoyed it and even wanted to spend the night with her, but she directly avoided him. Priyanka hadn't responded to his several messages. He even tried to search for her, but he still wasn't familiar with the map of the ship, so he just got lost more times than he wanted to admit.

"Umm, John?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'll be a pleasure." He makes some space for them, as Green starts to see them closer, examining their factions. He shrugs and eats several more mushrooms. 'I spaced out; I hope that they didn't notice it.'

Beckett presents the group as they sit down. The Vulcan girl's name is T'lyn and the Orion gal is named D'vana Tendi. The other human girl is named Summer Smith. As soon as the presentations are over, a question arises from her.

"So, how is life as a ranger?" She directly asks him; she had taken a seat next to him, her elbows resting on the table.

"Oh well, it's probably not much different from your standard V.O's mission." And in a way, it was true. The only true difference is that Rangers weren't limited by bureaucracy and acted more like mercenaries to some degree, of course, with their own moral code.

"Come on! Rangers are the heroes of space, the top class, the best you can ask." Beckett argues. "

"To be fair, I'm just starting my career. I don't have as much experience as many of my peers." He didn't want to undermine his abilities, but John knew that showing modesty was the best way to avoid disturbances. "If you want a more interesting tale, Mrs. Goodspeed probably has better stories than me."

His superior still was a mystery to him. He hadn't talked much with her; the only order that Sheryll Goodspeed had given to him was to wait for instructions from her or the captain.

"Are you excited about our mission?"

"In fact, I am." This mission represented the perfect opportunity that both Green and John were waiting for. It promises adventure and countless moments of glory, and it distances itself from their previous life.

But this wasn't the time to think of that.

"What about you girls? Are you ready to meet with the unknown?" He returns the question, not wanting to say much about him for the moment.

"Hell yeah, just imagine how many dangers this new section holds for us?!" Mariner's clear determination

"I prefer if we had more...Pacific travel... Oh! Imagine how many species we could encounter, societies, and much else!" Tendi says, showcasing more intellectual enthusiasm. T'lyn nods in approval of her wishes; her cold demeanor makes her stand out from the rest. He hadn't met a Vulcan or an Orion before, so seeing both personalities at play grants him an interesting perspective of them.

"Well, whatever is the case, I'll do my best job to protect you and the crew." John says with his calm voice, his eyes turning to Sunset. "What about you, Sunset?"

"Me? Oh well, my mom is also on this expedition, so I decided to tag along so she wouldn't feel alone. Also, I served with these bozos at the academy, so it wasn't difficult to enter."

"Who are you calling Bozo, Smith?"

"The nepotism queen, of course." Sunset tried to suppress her laugh, as Mariner threw her a rolled-up napkin.

"I'm not a nepo baby!"

John resumes his breakfast as the girls chat between them for a brief moment. He tried to pay attention to them, but he couldn't avoid getting his view dragged back to Green. She had a look in her radiant green eyes that John knew quite well. Half-closed, with a distinct spark in them. A look of desire. John knew what she wanted without her even saying a word. But before he could eat another mushroom, his watch vibrated, breaking his focus. One quick glance at it tells him all he needs to know.

"Well, breakfast is over, Bridge calls me. It's been a pleasure, ladies."

"Oh, shoot, really?"

"Yeah, maybe a new mission of some sort. I appreciate your company, even if brief. Hope we can meet later." He stands up. "You can finish up the mushrooms if any of you girls want."

"Umm, okay, Hey, before you go-"

"Yes?"

"If there's a mission soon, and you need more companions... maybe could you take us into account?" Mariner says to the surprise of the rest of the girls.

"Mariner!" Tendi stands up with her, T'lyn conserves her silences, and Sunset just rolls her eyes and continues eating.

'There it is.' John didn't blame them. Most people would love to see a Ranger in action to see if the legends surrounding them are true. Of course, he would prefer to work alone; it's been a while since he had the opportunity to do so, but probably he would be paired with more people due to the nature of this mission.

"Do you consider yourself a good fighter?" He asks. A smirk forms on her lips.

"Well, I could defend myself from a couple of Klingons easily. At the same time. With no backup. With one of my legs broken"

And for the first time in the morning, John laughs. He caresses his own hair with a gesture of his hand and turns around.

"I'll think about it. See you later, ladies"

He walks outside the restaurant. He looks at his watch. He pushes the screen with his fingers, and it displays the map of the ship. It indicates to him to go to the meeting room V. Order by his superior. He follows the map; he wouldn't want to arrive late to receive his new orders.

"So, what do you think of them?" He asks as Green reappears at his side, floating.

"Oh, they are cute. Charming, and kind of hot." The green gem says, as she glances at her man, who bluffs.

"You say that about anyone"

"That's not true, my dear! For example, you aren't hot, you're handsome."

"Hey, I'm hot." He looks at a window on the right side of the hallway, the solitary reflection of his walking alone. "I'm hotter than three supernovas collapsing at the same time."

"Yeah, whatever you say." Green giggles. "Anyway, I want them."

John stops on his feet.

"Really? "

"My sweet John, you know me well. I can't just watch such cute gals and not want to see you fuck the shit out of them...loving them, breeding them"

"Honestly? I must congratulate you. I think you are very restrained this time. Normally, you would have told me to fuck every woman on the ship." He says as he slow claps as he walks.

"Hey, as if they weren't quite the group."

John cheeks blushed for a moment.

"I mean...yeah, they seem great"

"So? What's the issue? This is our first time on such a large ship... you know... since..."

"I know..." It was best that they didn't recall that previous life.

"Just think... Don't you think that having that cute Orion girl's lips around your cock is tempting?"

She suddenly grabs him and pushes him to the world. He gasps. He wasn't used to her interacting with him in plain sight. Her hand lowers towards his pants, getting it inside of them.

"Green, what are you doing? We are in the middle of a hallway!"

"Come on, just play along." She starts caressing his penis with her fingers. They felt so warm. Even if she isn't there, and she only lives as an strange ghost that only he could see, it feels real. "Imagine yourself fucking that Vulcan girl. Breaking that icy bitch expression... or fucking those melons from the white human. Think of them being your lovers, such as we were a long time ago. Think of them as members of a harem for us."

The mental image of him fucking with the girls appears in his mind. He feels his cock throbbing as he's caressed by the hands of his intangible lover.

"Remember, we are bound; my desires are yours too. Our love and feelings are the same. Our lust is one." Green says it with that tone that makes him aroused instantly. He clenches his fists. "You know that, right, my love?"

"I know, Green... But this is not the moment to fall into this lust of ours." As much as he would deny it if faced with that, is true. They are one, and if Green had an incredible desire to form a harem for him, it is not only logical for him to please that desire, but also to enjoy it. But in those circumstances where her lust could be unleashed, it is time for him to step in and focus. He grabs her hand. "We also have work to do."

Green pouts, inflating her cheeks and sticking her tongue out to him.

"Fine, you are the one in control after all. But this is our time to finally have a harem that respects you and loves you!"

"I know, I know."

Green smiles.

"Then, see you later; go and show that superior of yours your throbbing erection!" And with that, she disappears to the confines of his mind, leaving him alone. The young man looks down his pants.

"Oww... Let's just hope no one saw me." He says before going back to his march towards the meeting room, where her chief awaits"

Meeting Room V.

10:15 A.M.

"A couple of weeks ago, the U.P.A. assigned different scientists to serve as heads of the scientific departments of each V.O. ship. The one assigned to the Pandora was busy towards the formation of the base crew that the ship was going to have, so Captain Freeman decided to meet with her later in a nearby space station." A blonde woman wearing dark grey armor talks as she presents a hologram to the young ranger, who does his best to maintain eye contact, as her armor had a big neckline on her front, which only made her huge breasts more noticeable. "But after arriving, we contacted the administration so they could contact her. The problem was that no one responded."

The hologram displays a report

The hologram displays a report. Different from the green light of the other holograms, this one is red.

"After digging up a bit, we found a mayday signal, fired up by a ship registered to her name. We traced up and found out she had been kidnapped by a group of space pirates."

"Have we identified which group? Maybe their base?"

Sheryl nods and slides the hologram to show another image; this time, it displays the image of a small moon of a nearby planet. With a quick zoom, John sees an abandoned base.

"Fortunately, they are alone; they don't belong to any now group. So-"

"...In other words, a simple extraction mission"

The neckline in Sheryl's armor was so noticeable that John had to try his best to avoid looking at it. He wonders if other people have the same problem as him right now. At least with the girls before, their attire firmly covered any inch of skin of their body, but Sheryl's E-cup-size breasts called the attention of whoever faced the blonde woman.

"No job for a Ranger is simple." He says, crossing his arms. After Green's teasing in the hallway, he did his best to arrive at the meeting room, focusing all his mental energy to appease his sudden erection. "So, what's the catch here?"

"Well, first, you won't do this job alone"

His expression changes to one of puzzlement.

"Are you going to work with me?"

"Negative, you'll be working with some of the personnel of the Pandora." She sees that he's going to protest, but with one quick raise of a hand, she stops him. "Think about it as a... way to strengthen the relationship with our new crewmates."

"I think that there are better ways to get to know the crew."

"There are, but we are still external contractors. Even with our reputation, we still must build more trust with them. For the sake of the mission."

John sighs and lays back on his chair. He didn't have a problem working with more people, but he found it quite unnecessary in this mission. The young ranger probably will have to do more jobs alongside them in the future, so there's plenty of time to work on those relationships. Was there more to this mission?

"I get it, don't worry, I'll handle this"

"Great." She turns off the holographic images. "I'm sharing the info; check it in your room."

"Can I at least choose who is going to come with me?"

"No. You'll go in a small group with two other people." John lets a long groan out as he stands up. Sheryl frowns at his action. "You know, you whine a lot for a Ranger."

"It's just that, I could do this job alone!"

"If this was a solo job, maybe, but we are part of this crew now and under orders of Captain Freeman. So, you'll have to deal with it, kid." Sheryl walks towards the exit. "Anyway, you have one hour to gear up; we'll meet at gate 3 to depart. Sending you the info on your target and your companions."

He feels his watch vibrating; the young man stands up and stretches for a bit. Sheryl had shown herself to be a laid-back woman. If Green appeared during the meeting, she would probably be instantly attracted to the mature ranger. Not that John wasn't, of course; how not to be attracted to those huge melons? But he could just keep up with his own lust; he didn't need the boost that Green's presence brought to him. He quickly checks the info on the displaying hologram of his watch as he walks out of the meeting room, focusing on the objective.

"Reagan Ridley. Well, hopefully this won't last long." He closes the hologram and buffs. "Of course this won't be a problem. What problem can a simple gang of pirates bring to us?"