Mattie Date, Part 3: Sally Ride

Mattie

Sarge still looks a little bewildered about this place. To be somewhat fair to her, Harper would never expect where they actually are. Is it time to spoil the surprise?

“So, Sarge, we need to hop to the admin aerostat for our next couple of stops. Ready for a quick trip?”

Looking even more confused, Harper follows Mattie to the nearest taxi airlock. Mattie hops into the “driver’s seat” and Harper starts to put two and two together as the taxi doors seal. “We’re in a space colony, somewhere?”

The airlock is having the breathable air pumped out and, once the chamber gets as near to a vacuum as is safe, the door opens. The taxi shuttle shoots out from the chamber and Mattie feels the slam of the Venetian winds on the controls. She pulls hard on the stick to get the shuttle aligned to the chamber on the opposite airlock. The acid rain splatters against the windshields. And both of them are laughing.

“Welcome, my dear sweet Sarge, to U.S. Space **** Base Sally Ride. In this world, there is apparently a bunch of extra military branches? Anyways, it’s a super-orbiting space base in the upper atmosphere of Venus. I wanted to be an astronaut ever since I was a little girl. Dad’s influence. In our reality, I got distracted by the Reaper’s mission. Here? I’m the chief astrophysicist on base.”

Harper has a little lilt to her voice as she asks, “And what about me?”

“Super happy housewife.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You majored in general studies, ‘cause you were at UST to shoot archery. Totally unemployable after retiring from the Olympics team. So, I’m your sugar mama here.”

Harper snorts, clearly amused by all of this. She takes in the cloud cover, the cross-winds that Mattie is fighting. “I don’t even bring in endorsement money?”

“You did, until we moved to Venus, but, hey, you’re happy here despite that.” Mattie punches in the code to open the airlock on the other aerostat. Landing is a little tricky, but Mattie manages it. The airlock seals and the air within is vented back into the atmosphere. Once the “breathable air” light starts to glow, Mattie opens the taxi shuttle’s door. The air smells a little sour. Residual acid aerosol?

Harper starts coughing, her lungs suddenly failing her. Mattie quickly gets one of the emergency air tanks and presses the breathing apparatus into Harper’s mouth. Harper breath is ragged, but still going. The soldier gets the sea elf out of the airlock and into the more stabilized air of the aerostat proper as soon as she can. She’s still not breathing right. Fuck. Pulling out her baby, Mattie generates a Lesser Restoration bullet and fires.

Mattie: 8 SP left

Harper takes in a deep, gasping breath. “Sorry. Lungs felt like they were on fire.”

“Let’s go get you a dip in a pool or something, then take it easy for a bit. We’ll make sure you’re prepped with a respirator for the trip back.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

What a trooper.

Skye

Skye has had a productive day at the forge. She has cast frames for both of Emi’s art pieces and has assembled them. She’ll need to get a couple of panes of glass to protect the art later, but, for now, they can go up on the dorm room wall. Then, she made a half inch thick sheet of mithril for Emi’s next gift. Granted, Skye needed to buy some more mithril ingots to make all of that happen, but it was worth it. She has enough left over to cast wedding rings for the rest of her harem-sisters, but that is a project for later.

Skye: -100 BP

After a slowly typed text to the group chat asking if anyone knows how to do origami, Josie replies with a thing called a Streem video(?) showing her how to make origami animals. She watched the video until she saw the origami cat. So cute!

Now, she’s slowly folding the mithril sheet to make said origami cat, using forging tools to make the folds nice and crisp. Everything would be perfect, if it only she did not have to take care of a certain pet. Glitterdust groans, “Mistress Skye, THIS ONE will settle for an orgasm from you instead of THIS ONE’S MtF Goddess! THIS ONE is so horny! Please! THIS ONE needs relief!”

“Quiet, you bratty pet! Harper doesn’t want you to treat her like that and I am not a substitute for her.” Skye claps a hand to her mouth. That was so mean! Stupid rope transformation. It’s fun in the bedroom, but when it persists past it...

Glitterdust pouts, fuming, “Well, THIS ONE did not say that Mistress Skye is a substitute for THIS ONE’S MtF Goddess! THIS ONE said that THIS ONE will settle for a Mistress Skye administered orgasm. There is a difference.”

Skye grits her teeth and tries to focus on her next fold. If she opens her mouth, she’ll surely say something else mean. Like the last half dozen times she talked to Glitterdust today. Helpfully, Lady Aelene arrives to provide better conversation.

“Lady Skye, is Glitterdust bothering you too much? I can help with the babysitting duties for a while.”

“It’s fine, Lady Aelene. I promised. Though, I would appreciate some company. Look, I’m making a cute kitty for Emi!”

Lady Aelene admires Skye’s work. Skye continues to fold the mithril sheet and, soon enough, has a completed origami cat for Emi’s next fan-mail. Dusting off her hands, the drow starts to clean up the forge mess. Lady Aelene helps corral the rope-influenced dragon-girl, and the three head for the kitchens. It’s almost time to plan for dinner.

“You know, Lady Skye, I have a question. I was explaining to the good human Chloe why is would be rude to use my child name as an abbreviation and the thought occurred to me. Why have you not selected an adult name yet?”

Huh? I never even considered it. Growing up human, the idea of changing my name feels weird. Then again, my lady love changed hers. And the system seems to have adapted by translating her new name into Elvish as her adult name. The Queen also demanded a name change. I should talk to my loves about it.

“Honestly, Lady Aelene, I have not thought to do so. Maybe you can help me think though it while we work on dinner? We still have a family to feed.”

Harper

The closest Mattie could find to a saltwater pool is a few bags of saline. Water rations on base are such that a pool of any sort is an extravagance. Still, Harper takes the bags and runs the saline through her gills, then breathes in a bag down her somewhat vestigial lungs. The sensation of sloshing a bunch of water in her lungs feels odd, especially to the fading human sensibilities. Pushing the water out, she spits it into a toilet. Better.

She exits the coffee shop bathroom and sits beside Mattie at the booth. “Thanks, Cap’n. Needed that.”

“Welcome Sarge. Sorry for not thinking about you being extra sensitive to stuff like that. Did you?”

Harper describes her date yesterday. Mattie finds it a little too hilarious for Harper’s taste. At the end, she at least has the decency to note, “Hey, it’s nice to know your limits, at least. Would eating me out right now help? And good on Nerves for having some fun. And good on Mrs. Skye for standing up against your Mom?”

“Yeah. Did you want a coffee or something while we’re here?”

Mattie stands up, “I’m good, Sarge. Wanna go see my office? It’s really cool!”

Harper stands and offers her arm. Mattie greedily grabs onto it and starts to lead Harper out of the coffee shop. The astral elf looks so excited by all of this. Harper looks up into the hazy green of the domed sky. I mean, it is cool to be in space, especially something unexpected like living on Venus. It’s nice to see Mattie happy about something other than shooting and snatch. Harper leans into the arm hug and plants a kiss on Mattie’s temple. Let’s go see her office.

Ariel

I’m done being polite. Fuck those former humans. Fuck that cat. My frenzy will see how right I am once I deal with this fucking problem.

Ariel followed the staff tubes to the Backstage and is shimmying her way to Beckie’s side project stage. She’ll get **** for the frenzy, for the losses they had to endure. The side project is partially flooded, so, when Ariel slips into it, she can swim reasonably well.

“Well, well, well, stinky fish,” Beckie, still in the body of her baby girl Alecto, taunts, “Come over to play? Beckie eat fish, somehow, once Beckie find how to get brain goo out of fish!”

“FUCK YOU, BITCH!!!!!”

In her rage, Ariel was only able to summon a singular water elemental to assist her before she blasts Beckie with a stream of water. Beckie jostles from the **** and the water elemental can’t seem to grab Beckie. The constricting pseudopod just slides right through her.

“Boop!” the monster intones and 6 mermaids swarm. This bitch would use my kin against me! Ariel takes a grazing spear blow from one of them as she dodges another. The missed spearhead goes into little Callista. The others are ordered to attack each other. Two spear points go into Antheia, who is barely breathing afterwards.

My poor babies! Rawr! The cone of frozen depths rip into the ooze. The monstrous ooze stands. Drosos and Klara are frozen solid in black ice. My poor babies. My... poor... babies... The water elemental is still ineffective, but it does tank a couple of hits from Beckie. The sudden psuedopod slams into Ariel, too fast for her to dodge. My... poor... my... poor... Why can’t I remember why I’m here? Why am I here? What is...

Mattie

Harper seems content and Mattie is enthusiastic about this. Her office here is so cool! They stand at the entrance. Harper lets out an eliding whistle. The computer arrays scanning for debris (mostly chunks of falling satellites) in every direction are all firing. The display showing all nearby objects of interest is filling an entire wall with it’s glow. Oooh, there are a number of fun looking targets.

“So, my alternate me job here is to supervise two main tasks. One, plot out flight paths for incoming and outgoing ships. There is an orbital base for ships from Earth to aim for. We are simply moving too fast for a ship on Earth to find directly. That math gets real squirrely sometimes, let me tell you. The other is to monitor and predict debris that could be dangerous to the base. The defense department then takes out those designated targets when they get into range. So, how are you feeling about shooting some debris? I was promised a completely safe experience, as far as base strikes were concerned, but we got some near misses there that we could shoot out. Wanna play with the big guns?”

They both put on big, stupid grins. Mattie sits at the big computer and designates a good 10 targets that should be in position by the time they get down to the defense room. She can’t beat me in every little contest I propose.

The two walk down to the big guns room, hand in hand. Mattie gives instructions on how the manual aiming system works (because letting the computers shoot the debris out of the sky is just no fun). Sarge talks it back. Soon enough, they sit down and start to take their shots. BOOM! Hell yeah! Who cares if I only winged it! That was so cool!

BOOM! The next shot shreds the chunk of debris to little bits. Mattie looks at the targets remaining and sees 8. Guess Sarge took one out. BOOM! Another partial hit. Targets remaining is now 7. Damn, can’t fall behind. BOOM! BOOM! Mattie’s next two shots obliterates her targets. Targets remaining is now 4. Still tied? Damn.

BOOM! Another great shot from Mattie. Another destroyed target. Then, she watches a shot from Sarge streak through her view screen, picking 2 targets off at the same time. Targets remaining down to 1. Have to pick this last one off or I fucking lose again. Grr. She lines up the shot. It hits true.

Harper leads the contest count 2-0-1

“Good game, Cap’n. Good game.” Harper, smiling, walks over to Mattie’s station and offers a handshake. Mattie pulls Harper in for a hug instead.

“Jerk. You gonna let me win anything today?”

“Would you be really happy if you won because I didn’t try?”

Mattie pouts instead of answering. They both know the answer is ‘No.’ Still, Harper’s hug feels good. Mattie’s pout slowly morphs to a smile. And those guns were cool. Glad I got to do something like that.

Harper doesn’t tease her further. She changes the subject instead, “So, are we about ready to check out that restaurant? I’m getting kind of peckish.”

Mattie’s stomach suddenly gurgles. They both laugh, then Mattie breaks the hug. She loops an arm around Harper’s and leads her out of the admin building. Time for dinner.

Ariel

When Ariel comes to, she finds herself at the edge of a small lagoon. She has a massive migraine and is achy all over. She stretches out her body and growls. The fucking cat is here!

The cat, silver eyes shining, walks over to Ariel, just out of reach. She teleports on top of Ariel’s head and boops her on the nose. “Bad fish, Ms. Ariel. What were you thinking?”

“FUCK YOU, YOU BITCH! That monster killed by daughters and my nieces and you’ve done NOTHING! I kept working for the show, EXPECTING you to do SOMETHING about it. And them those BRATS think I am ANYTHING like her? FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU ALL!”

“Would you like to know what I have been doing about the situation? What I plan to do? Would that provide you some solace?”

Ariel tries to resist the Calm Emotions spell, but succumbs to the crushing **** of the producer above her. Her rage artificially dissipates, for now. “Fine.”

“Well, I have seeded the tools Ms. O’Connor would need to slay Ms. Petersen to her and her future wives; I’ve been doing so since before I demoted Ms. Petersen, by the way. I cut Ms. Petersen off of all magical enhancement from my end as soon as she decided to eat your kin. I have noted all who have died from Ms. Petersen’s gluttonous rampage, which I stopped well short of her desire to consume via a transformation she earned in the second vote. Ms. O’Connor doesn’t even know I influenced her choice. I have stood up to the previous producer of this season, who is backing Ms. Petersen’s little side project. I saved you from your own stupidity just now. So, I have done much, despite the limitations this role has placed on me. Do you understand?”

“Wait, you plan on allowing Harper kill a Host? Are you nuts?”

“Oh, I already did. Mr. Nogitsune was empowering Ms. Rodriguez for her particular plot. And Ms. O’Connor certainly gave your frenzy’s children proper vengeance. She will do so again. And, like last time, when the timing is right, I will restore those who died. Including the two you just killed in your thoughtless act of ****.”

Even with the Calm Emotions effect on her, that last line stung. Ariel is thoroughly cowered now. Now even able to bring her eyes up to look at the cat, she asks, “And what are you going to do to me?”

“Keep you here until all has been completed. You will find plenty of fish to eat, soft sand to sleep on at the bottom of the lagoon, a video game console set-up if you want to trust a zappy thing to serve as additional entertainment. I got you a copy of Ecco the Dolphin and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Once everything is done, you can choose to go back to the set and work for your sister or you can choose to leave.”

“So, I’m a prisoner here?” Ariel sighs.

“No more a prisoner than Ms. O’Connor, Ms. Ariel. No more a prisoner than her.”