The webs we weave

Having spent the entire morning with Meli, that afternoon Dustin went in search of Trea’k; she’d indicated the previous evening that she had an opening in her schedule despite the shuffle that the discovery of Naera’s depression had caused. Walking down through the ship towards the counselling suite, Dustin debated how best to pamper the chitin-clad insect woman.

He had slightly longer than he’d expected to figure that out however, as on arrival he found the doors to be shut. A quick inquiry with Sola indicated that Trea’k was in her quarters - not where he’d expected her to be at this time of the day, and so he broke into a gentle jog. If anything was wrong physically, Sola and Bleu would no doubt have alerted him, but after his visit a few days prior to Naera he was naturally concerned about anything out of the ordinary from his pregnant partner.

Taking a moment to catch his breath when he arrived at the Vex’ess woman’s door, Dustin thumbed the intercom. Before he could say anything, the door slid open, Trea’k calling out to him to come in from over her shoulder. Stepping inside, Dustin noted that the floor was covered in traces of silk - far finer than the cocoon they’d made love in previously. Given those strands extended to the door, and the way that Trea’k had positioned her limbs neatly on nodes comprising several bundles of the delicate thread, he guessed she’d known it was him by the vibrations of his arrival or something.

Turning to greet her mate as he approached, Trea’k enveloped him in a hug before gesturing to her workbench. “I’m trying to decide on how best to find and train an assistant,” she said softly as Dustin took in the scattered tablets and scribbled notes. “I had considered asking Bleu to help me, however she is somewhat… gruff at times, which is less than optimal when supporting the crew mentally. We could always recruit someone from Earth when we arrive, but it would be nice to start training someone who already knows everyone.”

Dustin frowned. “Are you feeling overworked? What’s your reasoning for wanting an assistant, because if you’re struggling with the workload I can…” Trea’k shook her head quickly, a smile flickering over her face for a moment before she gestured down her body. “I am not struggling at all, my mate. And I truly enjoy my work. But, I am unsure of how I will react as time goes on given I am bearing the first Human-Vex’ess hybrid. Bleu and I have only guesses at best as to how she will impact my mental state and physical capabilities as the pregnancy progresses. To that end I would like someone prepared in advance who can take some of the slack if I need to withdraw from my duties for a time.”

That made perfect sense to Dustin. Not for the first time, he had to acknowledge that Trea’k remained one of the most pragmatic of his loves, although something in her words had stuck in his brain. It took him a moment to process, then he stared at her. “She? You called our child she?”

Trea’k gave a gentle laugh, reaching out to drag his hand to her abdomen. “Yes, my mate. Vex’ess, remember? As Envoy, my first duty is to recognize the genetic potential in the species I was evolved to bond with; an Envoy’s first child is always the same gender as their Vex’ess parent for that reason.”

Resting his hand on his lover’s smooth torso, Dustin marvelled at her words. “I came here to see if you needed anything… and then you tell me that. I should have asked sooner I guess.” He said at last, before grinning. “I presume you’re still holding to the policy of not naming her until we know what she’s like, right?” Trea’k inclined her head in reply, before gesturing back to the tablets.

“Would you care to assist me in my task?” She asked, sighing as she added “I would appreciate an alternative perspective. And possibly an alternative location to think it through, I seem to be having little to no luck here in my nest.” Pausing, the Vex’ess woman tapped her fingers against the chitin on her front-most hip for a moment before concluding “we could sit on the observation deck while we debate my options? It is usually quiet there, especially when you cannot see out due to weave transit.”

Dustin nodded in reply, reaching out and stacking up the tablets that Trea’k was still staring at. “Shall I bring all of these, or do you just want to talk it over?” he asked, before waiting as the insect woman sorted through the pile for a moment before shaking her head and answering him. “We will just talk it over, and if I need any of this information we can pull it up when we are there,” she decided, slotting the tablets back into a neat grooved mount on the wall before turning with a smile. “Shall we go?”

When the pair arrived at the observation deck, it more populated than normal. Dustin had gotten quite used to the room being abandoned most of the time, and doubly so during weave-jumps where the heavy shutters blocked off any view out. The room did have large vidscreens in it - but certainly no larger than those in the galley, or the bridge, and so was usually not a busy part of the ship.

The presence of not just one but several other people therefore struck him by surprise. A group he recognized as being a mix of pilots and ground crew were seated on the floor, boards between them as they appeared to be having an impromptu chess tournament. Alongside and between the players, Defia and Aricia drifted; the former periodically tilting her head to adjust her view before making light pencil marks on a stack of thin canvases, while the latter was busily taking photos with her tablet.

When the women saw Dustin and Trea’k arrive, they broke off their artistic endeavours and walked over. “Statement. We are observing a strategic heuristic experiment by some of the crew. I am making notes for an attempt at an imperfect reproduction. Unit designate Aricia is taking images for her collection.” The rogue Fractal’s voice was lighter than usual; another sign of her attempts at seeming more human-like, Dustin guessed.

Aricia meanwhile seemed somewhat flustered at Dustin’s presence alongside Trea’k, and he made a mental note to check in with the flighty butterfly woman sooner rather than later. Once he’d reassured the pair that he had no objections to their artistic endeavours, the duo returned to their study of the crew leaving him alone to lead Trea’k to one of the quieter corners of the room.

Settling herself on a bench - the seats not being ideally suited to the proportions of her multi-limbed anatomy - Trea’k looked over at the other women and smiled to herself. “Something of a success story of mine there, in both their cases I believe my mate. Aricia is doing very well, and Defia is handling the changes she is putting herself through with far more clarity than I had expected.”

Dustin nodded, before retrieving a tablet from the automat along with some drinks. “I was supposed to be pampering you today,” he sighed, settling down next to her and running one hand along her lower back as far towards her hind-legs as he felt was appropriate given the public setting. “And here we are about to talk work.”

Trea’k gave a contented sigh, leaning towards him as far as she dared given her seating. “That is pampering for me, Dustin. Vex’ess are inherently communal. Just because I am somewhat different from the rest of my kind - Veil’k or Yril’k, for example - does not mean I am any less dedicated to my mate and my home. Working efficiently for the collective good is a core part of how my species views life.” She paused long enough to tug him sideways so that his head rested against one of her oversized breasts just enough to make him blush, before letting out a contented sigh. “So, let us discuss.”

The pair talked softly for some time after that; if Trea’k believed that working to ensure she could relax was being pampered, Dustin was more than happy to help out. If nothing else, the idea of her getting an assistant to take some of the strain appealed immensely to him. She would after all be having his daughter in less than a year, and he’d already been planning on ordering her to take at least a few months off above and beyond whatever rest Bleu might insist on for medical reasons.

Their discussion eventually resolved to two possible options. Trea’k groaned as she stretched each limb in turn, the motion causing both her rear to wiggle in a surprisingly insect-like and yet arousing way, and her mammoth chest to draw Dustin’s eye. Noticing his expression, she gave him a demure smile before shaking her head. “If I were to claim you now the other ladies would be quite cross, my mate. Please save your ardour for all of us tonight. Now, I believe we have agreed that my options are simply the two I outlined earlier - either identify someone within the crew or recruit at Earth. I prefer to recruit from those on board, which then begs the question of who.”

Dustin blinked, trying not to think about what his lover had just implied about that evening’s sleeping (or lack of) arrangements, and coughed. “If you’re recruiting from those on board, there’s also two options really - you could review all the crew’s files and pick a shortlist, or you could put out a request for volunteers. I’ll support you either way, and you’d already know who the best options are if you pick the former of those choices.”

Trea’k picked up the tablet again, humming to herself for a moment. Then her eyes flickered up, the insect woman seemingly deep in thought as her gaze tracked Aricia’s ongoing photographic efforts. “I think I’ll review the files again if you don’t mind going over the crew records with me one more time my mate? Then I’ll ask those we think might make good candidates if they’d like to do some basic training; that way we’ll have a number of people who can assist at a beginner’s level - like Bleu’s first basic first aid course. And then I can ask for volunteers from that group to take their studies further.” Dustin nodded, and the two hunched over their tablets once more, while around them the room echoed with the clack of game pieces and the clicking of Aricia’s camera.