♥ Defiant study ♥

While Dustin was taking care of Naera, a very different kind of care was being taken in the quarters elsewhere on the ship occupied by the rogue Fractal. Defia sat on her bed, biting a fingertip nervously - a habit that she’d acquired during the last round of successful hormone level increases, albeit one she normally kept strictly suppressed around those outside her development group.

Leaning forward, she toggled the holo-recorder on and took a moment to collect her thoughts while she worked through the standard information she’d included at the start of each of these recordings - the log id number, the purpose of her experiments and so on until she came to the reason for today’s test. “Statement. The previous adjustments were inefficient. While the levels of hormones included were acceptable, the balance was still unacceptable - while I am sure I matched the human average that unit Bleu provided me with, from analysis of the data with units Bleu, Trea’k and Emely we concurred that my drive to construct additional units was far higher than could be considered appropriate.”

Defia paused then, holding back a shudder as her digitally perfect memory supplied a recount of how large parts of her sub-processing had started requesting material to construct additional gestation chambers, as well as running simulations on the number of additional units… Correction, offspring to use the biological term, that could be constructed at once. Wrestling that particular drive back under control had necessitated a complete shutdown and purge of the hormone synthetic system, something she’d not had to do since working with the others on her project.

“Statement. Leaving aside the excessive construction requirements and impracticality of building my own cluster whilst on this vessel, there were two key issues with that arrangement. Given my stated goal is increased compatibility with my biological crew-mates, reproduction asexually and in vast quantity would further distance me from them. Units Meli and Trea’k are both engaged in reproduction with prime unit. Observation indicates that limited additional units, produced after significant integration with a partner is typical for the biologicals.” Defia paused, doing a final mental scan over her systems to ensure everything was functioning smoothly.

“Experimental statement. Today I will restore the same elevated level from the previous test, with the balance of specific hormones adjusted to those contained in attached text-log one-a. Emergency shutdown protocols remain in effect as per one-b, and in the event of successful sustain, unit Rye has provided me with a range of visual stimuli to observe during test process.” Defia shifted back onto the bed, dropping her arm down into a bowl she’d prepared that she could dump the hormonal analogues into should the test prove dangerous, and ran a last check. “Statement. Commencing hormone adjustment test in three, two, one…”

Nothing. Defia double-checked that the levels were correct, and they were - the artificial hormones were moving smoothly through her system, but she didn’t appear to have any erratic thoughts. None of her subsystems were reporting anything out of the ordinary… except for the ones monitoring her artificial genitalia. Those were registering a measured build-up of heat, but nothing beyond the normal fluctuations her modelling had predicted.

“Statement. Hormone levels appear balanced. Beginning observation of test material.” The rogue Fractal swung herself back upright and picked up a tablet. Almost instantly after opening the first image, systems flashed alerts as her monitoring picked up unexpected changes in her physiology. “Statement…” she sniffed. “Observation of biological Earth canine infant image designated ‘sad puppy’ triggers expected load-increases on optical cleansing unit, alongside a balance shift in hormone mix and…” she paused, checking her internal sensors “…enzyme reconstruction unit to engage in what I believe to be an approximation of the features of an upset stomach described by unit Emely as part of the ‘sadness’ response.”

Setting the tablet down, Defia monitored herself as her systems returned to normal. “Without hormonal purge, time to restoration of hormonal balance thirteen point two one one seconds. Statement. Within experimental parameters. Next progression, image of unit Rye designated ‘showing off’.” Defia picked the tablet back up, and almost immediately set it back down again, one hand fanning her face as she did so. “Statement. Picture was rated by the other participants in my assistance group as ‘mildly titillating’, is attached as one-d, features unit Rye facing away from the camera and flexing while wearing just her outer dungaree attire tied at the waist.”

Pausing to collect her thoughts, Defia continued. “Statement. This image is more than mildly titillating. I am detecting raised temperature levels across multiple systems, facial pigment system is adjusting to simulate blush and…” she paused, querying her internal sensors to double check “…sexual organs are responding at the upper end of acceptable parameters. In accordance with experimental protocol and unit Rye’s personal request I will now conclude the primary part of this test, marking it as a success, and move to the secondary experiment. See attached experimental procedure two-a, self-stimulation diagram and attached criteria.”

Shifting back onto the bed, Defia got comfortable; it was nice not having to have her hand in the emergency hormone eject-bowl, and she shimmied her hips around before gently spreading her legs. This was going to be interesting - she’d always been overwhelmed by nerve-responses each time she’d upped her sensitivity before, but with this new hormone balance all that happened when she removed the blocks was a pulse of need and a shifting of priorities from the experiment to the heat between her thighs.

Tentatively, the rogue Fractal ran her hands down her body. Her breasts had increased in sensitivity she noted with rapidly fading detachment, leaving one hand to explore those soft curves while the other continued it’s way lower. She hesitated with her fingers splayed on her stomach, the hand still on her breast gently squeezing her flesh and sending sparks of what she was classifying as ‘pleasure’ through her core process.

The last time she’d upped the sensitivity to her intimate region, it had been a disaster; scientifically speaking, she should get on with the experiment - but instead she hesitated before moving her hand to one side, sliding it down her inner thigh and to her surprise whimpering. It appeared her vocal processor was reacting directly to stimuli from her touch sensors… she moved her hand closer to the heat in between her thighs and let out a moan as her fingers hovered a moment before resting on the edges of her sex.

This was still within manageable levels, well within the experimental parameters; she delicately probed one finger between her folds and let out a gasp, dragging it gradually up until it brushed against her artificial clit.

Defia’s vision crackled with static. Had the recording been able to capture her eyes at the angle she was lying at, it would have noticed the edges dancing like waveforms as pleasure cascaded across her, hot and needy. And, importantly, not beyond her ability to handle. Hesitantly, but with growing delight, the void-black woman began to stroke her fingers more and more firmly, the synthetic flesh of her breast spilling around her other hand as she squeezed it.

Her memory-bank flickered into life as she pushed a finger deeper inside herself, the image of Rye’s back muscles flexing as the half-naked Rabyth woman worked on whatever she’d been doing when she’d taken that photo replacing the outside visual feed coming from Defia’s optics. Her overwhelmed processes flickered over the image contents - how had she not noticed the way the biological unit’s musculature flexed like that before? Or the way sweat clung to their fur and hair…

Defia’s own back tensed as she arched off the bed with a strangled cry, her voice sounding like the hiss of dying electronics as the room filled with the scent of ozone. Electricity arced from her pulsating cunt to ground itself in the bed-frame, sparks dancing between her fingers where her own lubrication formed a path for the lightning to flow.

For a moment, the Fractal hesitated, considering ending the experiment. Then a finger twitched, and she let out a sigh before starting her self-stimulation again, this time working another finger inside herself as the back of her thumb pressed against her clit. Her data-banks started throwing out random images - Emely’s fox-like grin, Bleu frowning, and then an image of Dustin’s face looking hopefully at her in the medbay as he answered her question, naming her, accepting her as part of his cluster…

With a shriek, Defia came again, the intensity of it tripping her experimental fail-safe. Hormone-analogue chemicals sprayed across her chest as the arm gripping her breast locked up and vented the substance, while her other fingers seized inside her as her muscle-control temporarily rebooted, electricity arcing from her sex like eldritch tendrils of light. Her core process locked up, shutting down all but the most important functions as the firestorm of emotion and pleasure ripped through her. Secondary systems across her body hit their limit and powered down to preserve their integrity, and for a moment she worried she’d lose the ability to maintain her form.

It took five minutes for her to fully reboot all the impacted systems, then a further five to clean and restore her bed to order before remembering that the recording for her experimental log was still going. Sitting rather hesitantly in front of the holo-recorder once more, she cleared her throat. “Statement. Unit Defia, experiment… success. I feel… Wait. During the experiment, I felt. Feelings in accordance with experimental parameters confirmed!” She gave a small fist-pumping gesture, which she believed was traditional.

“Addendum. Analysis of internal data complete. Feelings confirmed. Sexual response, confirmed. I need to discuss these results with Bleu and Trea’k, but I believe we have arrived at the correct hormonal balance. However…” She paused, looking at the electric burn-marks on her bed-frame where she’d lost control during her orgasms before continuing “…I will require significant time with unit Rye to discuss solutions to the current overload issues before intimacy with others can be conducted. I understand from unit Emely’s discussion that excessively enthusiastic orgasms can be attractive to a mate, but I doubt any mate would wish for a partner that has ones that also involve **** voltage discharge from my intimate area.” For a moment, the images of Rye and Dustin briefly flashed up from her memory, and she suppressed a blush. “Especially those units that I appear to have a clear attraction to.”