Working The Starways (Closed for Iscaa)

Jason simply watched her for a moment. Their meeting aside...she was cute enough, for certain. Smart, obviously. And intriguing, shouldn't forget that. He weighed his words, then noticed her playing with the pendant.

"One question to start. What's that pendant? You've had it out several times now." He wanted to see her reaction to this non sequitur. A lot could be told by how a person answered a question from left field.

<tag>

Sive looked down at the pendent in her hand smiled sadly, “ This little pendent is all I have left of
my old life. I like to keep it next to my heart, so I don't ever forget who I really am. With all my
aliases, the real me, could slip away forever.” She let the pendent drop back onto her cleavage.

Getting up Sive walked over to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee, turning to Jason,
“ Do you have some cream? I never was a big coffee fan, so I need a lot of cream to tone it down.
It's just one of a number of quirks I have.” Glancing at the counter again she spots the cream
container. “Oh, never mind I found it.” Pouring a generous amount she walked back to the table
and sat down again.

Sighing, “ You know I had to leave my old life so suddenly, I never even got the chance to say
good bye to my colleagues.” She frowned while stirring her coffee.

“ I lost my parents when I was just a child, and had no siblings, there was really only the three
of us. Both of them were research scientists, I guess I followed in their footsteps. My work
and colleagues were my family in a manner of speaking. Taking the pendent in her hand again,
“ This was a gift I found on my desk just before I had to disappear.” Sive took a sip of her
coffee, looked at Jason,“ You know that life seems like a very long time ago now.”

Shaking her head to bring her back to the present she asks, “ Do you have anymore questions?”

"Actually, I do. You found that pendant on your desk just before you had to disappear, eh? That in itself is suspicious, not to mention you've said a couple of times how whomever is chasing you has been able to stay on your trail." Jason stroked his chin, staring at the pendant which was framed by her small breasts.

"I think Donny should have a look at that thing. He's got a knack for finding hidden electronics. He might even be able to take anything that might be in there out without destroying it." Jason met her eyes. "As for the moment...if you feel safe enough, pick a room to call yours for the trip to Lacuna. If you decide to stay with us we'll figure out something more permanent. You can settle in and get some sleep. The passenger rooms all lock from the inside. Just so you know we do have an override we can run if needed, but you have my word that will only happen in an emergency.

"Get some rest, Zlanta will ping you at 0600 ship's time. It's 1800 ship's time now, so that will give you 12 hours to get used to the Tainted Angel and her crew."

<tag>

As Jason speaks about her pendent, Sive picked it up again and takes a closer look, moving her
long hair out of the way, puts her hands around her neck to undo the clasp. Her fingers fumble
with it, suddenly it falls into her cleavage. Looking up at the Captain, Sive reddens and retrieves
the pendent, “ Here give it to Donny to go over. I hope your right, and this is how they have
been tracking me all this time. I am sure they would have caught me ages ago, if it wasn't for my
ability to completely change my appearance.” Suddenly it occurs to Sive, “If I could stop running...
oh, I could have a chance of a real life. This is indeed something to think about.”

Yawning, “But in the meantime just point me in the direction of the sleeping quarters, after the
day I have had today, I'm sure I will sleep like the dead.” She gets up pushed her chair back, and
starts to head for the door, pausing Sive looks back at Jason winking,“ I doubt anyone will come
into my room while I sleep, I think they would be very very sorry.” She continues out the door,
then, pops her head back in for a moment,” By the way, if your wondering, I am a fully trained
doctor.”

Sive finds the rooms the Captain was talking about, putting her head in each til she finds the
one with her gear. Smiling to herself, she closes the door behind her and quickly prepares for bed.
All the while thinking, “The Captain, seems like a good man, no nonsense but good.”

Suddenly she frowns, “When he looks at me, my palms get all sweaty and my heart rate accelerates,
I better watch myself closely when around him. I don't think he misses much when it comes to
female reactions.”

Jason went down to engineering with the pendant. "I want you to go over this with a fine tooth comb, but don't tear it apart unless there's something inside you need to get at." Then Jason headed for the bridge. Time to get off this rock.

Once he settled into his station on the bridge he toggled the comm. "Flight Control, this is Tainted Angel ready for departure on escape vector 221 bearing 78 degrees vertical, over." Soon enough the Angel and her crew are space-bound. Once they were on their way for sure Jason checked his scanners for traffic nearby. The screens were clear. He nodded, went for a cup of coffee and came back to stand his watch. Four hours. Alone.

He thought about their newest crewmember. Her first instinct seemed to be to con the closest person around, which made him wary. Hearing her story made him wonder if that was learned rather than inborn. They needed her skills. Zlanta had shown him her scores and she knew her stuff. Given some of the deals they'd run and the people they had to do 'business' with, injuries occured. Having a doc would really help avoid official notice since they wouldn't have to go to the local med facilities with the more serious injuries.

More serious was how attractive he found her. He thought he'd caught something in her look as she said, "By the way, if you're wondering, I am a fully trained doctor." Did she find him attractive? That would be dangerous. She was a con, she'd shown that. If he made a move on her she could use that to lead him down the garden path. The other hand was...it'd been a while since he'd found someone attractive. Oh, there were girls pretty enough at any port. Most of them were working girls and he didn't care to share his bed that way. The very few single non-prostitute women he'd met were looking for someone to settle down with. On a planet.

Jason figured he wasn't the settling down type. He enjoyed moving from place to place, his home a shell he carried with him. So far he'd not found anyone willing to share that shell with him save his crew. Zlanta was married to Donny of all people, which Jason didn't understand at all. They were happy enough though.

Jason found himself thinking about the way Sive's hips moved in that leather outfit as she headed for her cabin. The leather left little enough to the imagination. He thought the feel of that under his hand would be very pleasurable indeed. He shifted, his pants suddenly uncomfortable. Time to get back to work and stop daydreaming.

<tag>

Dana

Dana knew her shift was coming up soon, she better get a move on then, grabbing her
costume she stuffed it into her bag and headed for the bar. Alayna hated to have to do this
gig, but jobs on this planet had been scarce, except for this kind of job. So she had done her
homework and come up with yet another alias. “ Dana, exotic dancer extraordinaire” This
always made her laugh.

She quickly entered her dressing room, slipped out of her leather outfit and changed into her
costume. Tonight it was her kitty outfit, skin tight, low cut with a tail that swished back and forth,
it was one of her more popular outfits, getting her plenty of tips at the end of her act, but it also
got her more then a few propositions. Hence the knife she had tucked into her boot.

Once she heard her name called, Dana headed for the stage, nodding her head for the music
to begin. The music was of the genres, that you heard everywhere, slow and sultry, she began
to move to the rhythm, smiling at the men as she lifted her leg onto a chair in the center of the
stage. Leaning down, her hand went to her ankle, and smoothly traveled up her leg, then she
shifted and danced seductively towards the edge of the stage always smiling.

All of a sudden one the the drunken men, reached up and grabbed her by the ankle, sliding his
big paw of a hand up her leg. Trying to be smooth, she tried to get away, but he wouldn't let
go, she cried out, “ Let me go!” Over and over again.

Sive woke up in a sweat, mumbling, “ Let me go!” Heart beating swiftly, she realized it had been
just another nightmare and that she was safe on Jason's ship. She lay back again, waiting to calm
down, glancing at the time, she sighed, “ Only 0500, there was no way she could go back to sleep
now, may as well get ready for the day.” She quickly showered , picked out a fresh outfit, black
as usual and put her hair up. Then sat down and waited for Zlanta's wake up call.

At 0600 the comm dinged, and Zlanta's voice came out. "Sive, time fer breakfast an' tha tour of tha ship. Capt'n's already in the cahmon room. You awake, chile?" At Sive's answer the comm clicked off. Once she was in the common room Jason served her breakfast. Reconstituted eggs, soya-toast, and something that might have been paste made from something that had looked at an orange once. After breakfast he took her around and introduced her to the Tainted Angel. Donny was in Engineering working on something under a hood and just waved a hand as they came through. Zlanta was on the bridge watching the scanners and tending comm. The other crew were heading for bed as they were getting off duty.

"We run two 12-hour shifts, split into 3 watches each. You'll wind up on the rotation for bridge watch, but for now we'll show you what we've got for medical supplies." He took her to a small closet that had a medical cabinet, a small chair, and a really old diagnostic scanner that had stopped being serviced 20 years ago. "Not much, I know, but hopefully more in your hands than in mine."

He leaned against the wall across the corridor, watching her. Not just her reaction to the little they had aboard, but watching her hair play across her forehead. Watching the way that black outfit slid and moved across her back. Her hips. Her thighs.

He shook his head and thought about their next move. Donny had said he thought there was something in the pendant but was worried about anti-tampering devices. Lacuna was pretty close to money, which meant easier reach of heavy-hitters. If he didn't have cargo... Well, he did have cargo, he had contracts to fulfill, and tomorrow would take care of itself soon enough. Now was time to get Sive able to fill crew duties that wouldn't call attention to the fact Angel now had a doctor.

<tag>

When Sive heard the comm ding, she jumped up, pressing the comm button, she replied,
“ I'll be right there Zlanta.” Having one last look in the tiny mirror, she saw something she
hadn't seen in months, a sparkle in her eye and enthusiasm for what lay ahead.

Walking into the common room, Sive was surprised that only Jason was there for breakfast.
“ Am I late or it's just eat and run?” Sitting down she started on her food, watching Jason ,
finally between bites she pointed out, “ You're not much for small talk are you?” Taking the
last bite, she wipes her mouth, pushes her chair back grins and says, “OK Captain lead
the way.”

Smiling at the crew as they walked by, Sive listened as Jason explained the various shifts
and duties. She wasn't familiar with the kind of routine he was going over, but if nothing else
she was adaptable. When they arrived at the medical cabinet, she felt more comfortable, being
her area of expertise. Pushing a strand of hair off her forehead, she commented, “ If you don't
mind, I would like to go over all the supplies, and make a list of items we may need to pick up
on the next stop we make. Looking over her shoulder, as she said this, Sive catches the way
Jason is looking her over. She quickly turns back towards the cabinet blushing.
Frowning to herself, (“ come on, quit acting like a silly school girl”)

Smoothing her vest, she turns around, “ Well Captain, where to next? I am ready and able
for my first duty shift.”

"Your first duty to put that list together. Put critical items first, and work your way down to 'This would be really nice to have'. Expendables should be on the critical list. Assume you're going to have to deal with bullet or knife trauma at least once in the next three stops. Once you've got that together come talk to me. We'll figure out what we can afford on Lacuna and what will have to wait."

His eyes twinkled a bit. "Nice to know I can still make a young lady blush." With that he headed back toward the bridge area, whistling. He checked on her progress twice over the next three hours, once just to see if she needed anything, once in response to her asking if an item was available on the outer worlds. He made sure to check her out each time, politely. Just enough looking at her curves for her to notice, then he'd be propriety itself and looking only at her face. Looking into her eyes. Listening to her. Not just to her voice, but hearing what she suggested and offering counter-ideas if something was likely to be too expensive.

As the fourth hour of the watch approached he came to her again. "Zlanta's going to teach you the basics of bridge watch. Pretty easy if you've been manning a one-person craft. I'm going to be with Donny in Engineering."

<tag>

Nodding her head, ”Right I'll get on that list right away.” Seeing a tablet on the shelf, Sive
reaches for it and starts tapping away it. As Jason headed back to the bridge, she turned and
watched him leave. Wondering briefly what his lips would taste like, mentally slapping herself
on the side of her head, ( Stop that! You know your on the run, don't want anyone to risk
their life for you, so keep your distance, it's the only way.) Looking down at the tablet again,
her thoughts continued in the same pattern. (If I just can find out how I am being tracked, and
neutralize it, then I could make some kind of plan, I could even live like a normal person for
a change.)

Sighing she got back to her list, pain blockers, a hand held Bio-function monitor, Hypo-spray,
Micro-suture, and a general Med kit. There were a few more larger items that she would have
loved to have, but that could probably wait. When Jason popped on by to see how she was
managing, she showed him her list, hoping he wouldn't veto too many of them. She got him
to agree to the basics the second time he came around.

Sive tried not to become fidgety when she felt his eyes on her, it wasn't easy, he had her
feeling things she had not felt, in who knows how long. She tried to keep herself calm as
they went over the items she needed.

As he walked away the second time, she called out, “ Don't forget I have some pretty
expensive needs, we will have to talk about later on.” Then realizing what she had just
said, she ducked back into the medical closet, blushing profusely.

As Sive was finishing up, the Captain dropped by letting her know that Zlanta was waiting
for her on the bridge. Knowing she had to stop being so silly, Sive looked Jason in the eye
putting her best, smile forward replied, “ I'll go there now, it shouldn't be any problem to get
the basics down.” Smiling again, she turned making her way to the bridge.

Jason had Donny run a feed of all the bridge computers down to Engineering. One, he wanted to see for himself how fast Sive picked this up. Two....well, no need to take unnecessary chances with someone this new, was there? Better to see what she did when she thought no one was watching. He told Zlanta to go ahead and show Sive all the stations. If she'd truly been flying that scout she'd know how to pilot the Angel already.

In the meantime, Donny was showing him something very disturbing. The pendant Sive had brought with her had a very sophisticated tracker inside it. It wouldn't make any noise at all away from a planetary comm net, but once it found such a net it would dump all info collected and start actively pinging its location. Donny had found one of the antenna by accident and then had gotten most of the rest of it out in funcitoning shape.

"I think we need to find somewhere mobile to ditch this, Donny. Just breaking it will let the other side know we're onto them that much sooner. Ditch it somewhere and we'll have a day or two extra to make a clean break. Lacuna's busy enough we should be able to get it into someone else's ship..." Jason broke off. Dumping that into another free-trader wasn't going to work. There was too small a community of them left, and whomever planted this in the first place would likely hit hard. On Lacuna, though...they might be able to ditch this onto a cargo pallet bound Inward. That would lend a nice poetic note....

He and Donny worked on what to do and how to do it. Jason kept sneaking glances at the info from the bridge. Looked like the young girl really did know her stuff. And that outfit left little to the (over-active) imagination. I wonder what her skin tastes like?

Once Sive entered to the bridge, Zlanta got right down to business, showing the various
stations to her new crewmate. Since most of the stations looked alot like her scout ship, only
much more grand, Sive had no trouble aborbing all the information from Zlanta. Smiling up
at her , “ I think I have the basics down now Zlanta, unless we come across some real bad
storms or pirates I won't have to bother anyone on my shifts.

Patting Sive on the shoulder, “ Ya sure knows yer stuff girlie” I tole the Captain Y'all would
be fittin in here just fine. Yes sir, ya all is goin to fit in here jus fine.” Zlanta's approvel meant
alot to Sive, she really was starting to feel at home on the bridge, all the tension of the last
8 months was slowly washing away.She sighed, looking up at her crewmate,“ I know I am
going to enjoy being a part of the crew of the “Angel, by the way how did the ship get the
name of “Tainted Angel” anyways?”

Zlanta laughed, “ Well chile, let's get us some coffee and I'll tel y'all about it.” They both
sauntered over to the food despensor and after getting their coffees, went and sat down at
one of the consoles. Sive kept an eye on things as she listened to the interesting story of
the “Angel.”

As Zlanta talked , Sive listened smiling at all the right places, but part of her mind kept
wondering. She kept thinking about Jason, and how he made her feel. All warm inside but
at the same time, scared too. Mentally shaking her head, she put her attention back onto
Zlanta. “Looks like ya was elsewhere for a minute chile.” Zlanta knowingly smirked. Sive
quickly countered that remark, “ No, not at all, I was wondering where you came by that
wild hairdo you have going for you .” Both women laughed at that

Jason left Engineering having tasked Donny with creating a Farraday cage for the bug. He went up to the bridge to let Sive know what they'd found. He heard the laughter and decided just to listen for a bit. Zlanta was a fair judge of character, not one to fall prey to easy patter easily. Here she was, laughing and joking with Sive like an old friend. He pondered that for a moment, then heard Zlanta start some concocted story about the Angel's name, clearly not wanting to tell the real story.

"Don't listen to Zlanta's b.s., Sive. She doesn't know what she's talking about." Jason stepped onto the bridge and took the last remaining seat there. Sive was seated in the pilot's spot, Zlanta at comm. Jason leaned back in the sensor station's chair. "When I got out of the Navy, this here ship was courier #ZLT-09426/AS-09. The Navy never bothered to name these ships. So...I retired, and the program at the time offered me this ship in lieu of my monthly pension payments. So, no cash coming in but I would own the ship free and clear.

"By then I was getting a bit leery of what Unification meant in practice. So I took the ship and headed Outward, away from the Core and the Unifiers. She wasn't in great shape when I got her, but she was my angel despite her condition. She was my angel, however tainted she might have been. We've done well by each other since, and she seems to know the humor meant by her name. She's no angel in a fight, either. We've got a couple of pop-up turrets in case of trouble. Nothing to alarm the Navy, but most pirate ships are used to unarmed targets. I've let her be boarded when we're hopelessly out-gunned, but a couple of times popping the turrets and cutting loose has earned us a bounty.

"So you're feeling at home?" Her expression clearly says she is. "I have bad news and good news. Bad news: Someone gave you that pendant knowing you might run. It's got a pretty neat little tracer in it. Donny got it out, but I'm not sure the pendant will be repairable. The good news is the tracer still works as far as we can tell. We might be able to slip it aboard a Unifier ship and let whomever has been chasing you mess with them for a change."

He sat up and looked her in the eye. "I like what you have to offer, Sive. You'd fit in well here. But that's up to you. I'd recommend not leaving the ship in Lacuna, but if we're successful ditching the trace you could leave any time after that."

<tag>

Sive turned her head when she heard Jason's voice, her heart beat a little faster as he sat down
in the vacant chair beside her. Watching his face as he told the story of the “ Tainted Angel”
made her warm inside, “ That's quite the story, it's good to know that the “ Angel” can
pretty much handle most situations. Now I see why your looking for a medical person. It
sounds like a pretty exciting lifestyle you have here.” Sive leans back, glancing at Zlanta
then at Jason, wondering if she is up to what could be some pretty hairy situations. ( What
have I been doing for the last 5 years,...but living in the middle of hairy situations?)

In answer to his question of feeling at home, Sive smiles and quirks her eyebrow at him
nodding her head. “ Actually I have been feeling at home on the Angel.” Zlanta adds,
“ That's good chile, wel I betta get goin now.” She gets up and exists the bridge, smiling to
herself. Sive looks at the retreating figure of Zlanta, “ See you later Zlanta”.

Jason tells Sive about her pendent, she sits up looking worried as he goes on. When he
is finished. She angrily replies, “ Who could have done this to me? When I think of all that
I have gone through in the last 5 years! ...oh gods...it makes my blood boil.” Lifting a hand
up Sive smooths a strand of hair off her forehead, taking a deep breath,” Don't worry about
repairing the pendent, I couldn't wear it now, knowing it's been used to track me all over the
place.”

When Jason continued, letting Sive know she would be welcome to join the crew, she knew
it was the best thing she had been offered in ages. Looking him in the eyes, “ I don't really have
to think about it, I would be happy to be a part of your crew, you all come across to me like a
family, and I know that is something I could get used to being a part of.”

Jason opened his mouth- and closed it again. He thought for a moment, then nodded. "You've got a place here. We can turn the stateroom you're in into crew quarters and do with three passengers max. Would you mind playing steward when we do have passengers aboard? It'd mean you would answer calls for assistance, help with entertainment programs, that sort of thing. Being the face of the ship to the riders, so to speak."

He watched her face, noting details. The way her hair fell across her shoulders. The quirk of her eyebrows when she focused on something. Her hands fluttering around her face when she was mad or confused. And of course he noticed the way her hips tilted when she walked or leaned against something. The way her small tight breasts moved ever so slightly even under the leather garment. His hands itched to find out if they were a handful or not...

Jason cleared his throat, face a bit warm. "We'll be landing on Lacuna in about 2 days. We'll try to ditch the trace without letting on we know about it. And then we'll decide where we're going. For now, learn all you can about the systems aboard Angel. We'll get you on sims for the turrets. Never know when you might need that."

<tag>

Sive listened to Jason as he explained her living arrangements and the extra duty of playing
steward. Grinning while lifting her eyebrow, “ Now that shouldn't be much of a problem,
depending on what kind what of passengers you take on.” Looking down at her outfit,
“ Do I need to wear anything special now that I am one of the crew? I am partial to these
kinds of outfits, but they are not a deal breaker,” running her hand down her thigh she chuckles.
Then suddenly realizing what it must sound like she hastily adds,“ Don't mind me I am only
teasing you, I will wear whatever you want me to.”

When Jason cleared his throat and started speaking again, Sive was fascinated, she just really
couldn't get enough of hearing his voice. (He seems a little uncomfortable, I wonder what
that's about, I hope it wasn't what I said about my outfits.) Getting back to business,“OK, I will
get onto the systems pronto, and as for the sims, I have always wanted to learn to shoot at
other ships, I think I might just be good at it, you never know.”

”Looks like I'll be plenty busy for the next two days. Getting up she starts to walk away, stops
and looks back at him, thinking to make a witty comment, but thinks better of it and just quietly
chuckles to herself as she leaves the bridge.

She'll wear whatever I want her to, echoes Jason's mind. The thought of her putting on a little-

And the way she looked back at him as she left suggested she had an idea how he was reacting. She didn't seem troubled or upset at their age difference, which was a positive. But he knew so little of who she was and what she wanted. Did she want to settle down and have a family? Travel and party and find someone new on each planet? Stay celibate?

Those questions followed him around the ship the next two days. Donny made a new housing for the tracer, one that looked a lot like a cargo manifest packet that would be attached to the outside of a shipping crate. They should be able to slap it on a crate going where they wanted it to go once they hit dirtside. His plan was to land, sell cargo, make a quick check for passengers and get off planet.

During their shifts Jason found himself talking with Sive more often, and seemed not to notice Donny and Zlanta's knowing smiles. Their conversations almost always seemed to have at least one double entendre, and often two or three. He often found himself wondering how whatever she was wearing that shift would feel to his touch, or how her skin would taste. He kept breaking the thoughts off short only to have them sneak back in quickly.

Today he was busy enough to ignore those thoughts. The landing on Lacuna went fairly well, and soon enough they were in their berth. Jason had Donny lock everything down while Zlanta called the client to announce the Angel was docked. Jason went out to scope out the area and soon enough found a ship taking supplies to Evantson, one of the core Unifier worlds. The crew was just starting to receive cargo, so Jason made a note to have Donny wander by and try to affix the fake manifest to one of their crates. Sive was under strict orders to stay inside the ship and out of sight of the cargo bay.

He wandered back to the ship in time to meet the buyer they were waiting on. The deal went easily enough. This was a completely legit transaction for a change. Soon enough he'd contacted the portmaster about passengers looking for off-world transport Outward. Oddly enough there were two, headed to differing planets but ones that were close enough to make a joint trip. He gave instructions to Zlanta about cargos and headed to the bridge to think.

<tag>

The last two days had Sive, on edge, wondering where this attraction she felt for Jason was
leading. Should she just let it happen? Or should they sit down and really find out what each
was thinking and they really wanted. If they did get involved, how would that impact their
working relationship? These and many more thoughts kept on swirling around in her head.

When they had to talk about business, the double meanings, seem to just pop up in the most
innocent of conversations. Sive reflected as she remembered seeing both Donny and Zlanta
with their knowing smiles. Did everyone on board know what was going on? She shook her
head as she went about her duties.

Once they landed on Lacuna, Sive had to cool her heels in the ship while everyone else were
able to plant their feet on soil. She knew that Donny was going to attach the altered tracking
devise onto some unsuspecting ship. Pacing back and forth, she hoped it went off without a
hitch. When she heard the sounds of someone coming on board, Sive assumed it would be
Jason heading for the bridge. As she walked in, “ Well?, how did it go?”

Jason couldn't help but smile as she swirled onto the bridge, already asking how things went. He took a second to compose himself. She was stuck aboard and that couldn't be easy, especially for someone so young. Once he was pretty sure the smile wouldn't show he swung the comm station's seat around.

"We sold the cargo easy enough. Portmaster says there are two passengers looking for Out-bound ships. Zlanta's bargaining for more cargo, which should tell us where we're going next. Donny and the others are off-ship getting supplies and parts. And hopefully dropping off that tracer." He looked at her, enjoying the way light played off the lines of her face, the curves of her body. He wondered if that leather top would allow her nipples to show if he caressed them-

He dragged his thoughs away from that idea, but not before his pants grew tighter. He sighed, and refocused on her face. "I- ah...I'm-" He faltered, blushing. "I hate to say this...but you might want to find another berth. Ah-" He reddened again. "Dammit, this was easy enough when I thought it through earlier." He took a deep breath and tried again.

"You're a talented young lady, Sive. You have a lot to offer a ship's crew, and if we can get you clear of the hounds you might want to think about finding another ship to serve on. We're a small-time outfit compared to many. Not much chance of getting rich with us. And- ah, I'm not sure you want to be aboard a ship where the captain's drooling over you every time he sees you."

Jason blushed again. "Don't get me wrong, Sive. I'm not some maniac out to take anything from you. But...I have been attracted to you for almost as long as you've been aboard. I'm nearly twice your age. I'm comfortable where I'm at and grouchy enough for a couple of guys. I know you've got a lot better prospects out there once you're free to look."

<tag>

As Sive listened to Jason's speech, she got angrier and angrier, putting her hands on her hips, she
waited for him to finish. By that time her eyes were flashing daggers at him, “ How can you say
this to me, after dangling the proverbial carrot at me? I don't care about getting rich, I just don't
want to be alone anymore. I think I have finally found a place where I could truly belong, if you
only give me a chance. I like everyone on this ship, it's like one big happy or not so happy family.
Something I have never had in my entire life.” By this time she was shouting at him, her face
was crimson and her body was shaking. ( He had probably never come across the temper of a
true redhead before, which is what she was underneath.)

“ Wait, did you say you ....like me? I mean, really like me? Sighing she calmed down a little bit,
walking up to him, “ Jason, I don't care about age differences, it's the chemistry that is important
don't you see?” She sat down beside him, looking into his eyes, “ There are things you couldn't
possibly know about me, actually no one knows about me.” Sighing, she looked away from him,
taking a big breath Sive looked back into his the eyes, “ I have to tell you something which will
probably just lead to more questions and you may even run in the opposite direction, once you
know everything."

"If we are to have any kind of chance you have to know everything, well as much as I know. So
here goes, To start with, I have been celibate for the last five years”

Jason waited out the furious outbreak. He'd half expected it, knowing she'd see this as a rejection no matter how he'd phrased it. Given the flaming hair, he'd actually been prepared for sharp objects being launched at him. His last serious relationship had ended that way. Still, he just had this thing for redheads. Smart ones were even better.

No, what caught him by surprise was the sudden sea-change when his last statements sank in. From furious hellcat to...confession? That had him concerned. Curious as a cat, though. What in world had kept her celibate all that time? He hadn't been burning up the sheets by any means but he'd had his pipes cleaned once or twice the last couple of years. So...he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Alright, you've piqued my curiousity now that you're done scorching my ears off. I'm glad to know I wasn't losing my touch. I thought I'd picked up some signals from you, but at my age...cute young things don't much bat their eyes at a man like me. Now you're confessing to me. That's concerning, if curious. <ahem> You've been celibate for a long time, that's what you start with? What could be so bad that you wouldn't even- Never mind. Tell me what you will as you will."

He went over and closed the hatch to the bridge, then turned off the intercom. Now the only interruption would be someone comming the ship from outside. He turned back to her, leaning against the hatch. "Feel free when you're ready."

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Oh gods, where to start, Sive looked up at Jason leaning against the hatch. Running her hand
through her hair, she got up and started to pace. Finally after long minutes, she replied,
“ I may as well start at the beginning, it goes back to my research, with “ The Changeling Effect”,
It involved , molecular nanotechnology and gene manipulation.” Looking at Jason, Sive sighed,
“What I was going for was the ability to change the outward physical appearance of an animal.”

“At first I used lab mice and got very good results, they would change in appearance, mostly in
their mating periods.” she continued to pace “ I needed to go to the next level, to see if this
abilitiy could be consciously initiated.” Sive stopped, looked at Jason again, wondering if he
would now find the rest of her story, too wild to believe. "I took a small amount of the gene
sample and injected it into myself.” Not looking at him, she quickly continued.

“ At first, I didn't feel any different, then as the weeks went by, I did feel an change, internally.
When I would concentrate, I could change the color of the skin on my hand, from there I
progressed to my entire body, then ,my hair color. After that I changed my facial features. In the
beginning, it took time, up to an hour, but as my body changed, it became easier and much faster.”
Sive was now afraid to look at Jason, thinking she would see horror, or fear or worse yet,
disgust on his face.

Continuing to pace she quickly went on,”Now I can change my whole appearance in a fraction
of a second.” I don't know for sure, but I think I am in the final stage of becoming a true
Changeling, if I was in a lab I could assess my condition. As it is I can only evaluate myself by
observations.”

Running her hand through her hair again, Sive glanced quickly at Jason, who hadn't moved
throughout the entire time. Swallowing, she looked away again, “ Now for the celibacy part,
I don't know if having ...you know sex, will transfer some of the nanites to my partner.” She
hesitated, “ And if it did, he might end up eventually a Changeling like myself.

Jason listened. The subject itself was interesting, Sive's reaction said something about it was really dangerous. The idea of sleeping with a different woman on occasion without cheating...that had some attraction. The last part was a concern...and oddly enough an attractor as well.

A wry smile flickered across his face. What was it about forbidden fruit? Offer something with no entanglements, free and clear and many people walked on without a thought. Show something, but put a sign up "Don't Touch" and people stopped. Lingered.

Touched.

Heavens knew he wanted to touch Sive. Do things to her he'd blush to talk about anywhere else. Comfort her when she was upset, cheer her when she was sad, share her joys and triumphs. Add in the idea of danger and she became nigh irresistable. Now he studied her. Watched her glance at him and away as if afraid to really look at his face. She probably was afraid. She'd just said the Angel was becoming home and he had the power to take that from her.

What she didn't know about him yet is that he wouldn't do that. Oh, he would in a heartbeat if she stole from one of the crew. Or murdered someone in cold blood. Something like that. But this? No, he'd shelter her. Provide room and board in exchange for fair work. And give her room to fly if she wanted, a place to snuggle in if she didn't.

"Hmmm, that's a bit to think about. Is there long-term risk, say like cancer, from this? What equipment do you need to to properly track what effect the genes are having inside you?

"How can I help?"

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When Jason asked about cancer risks, Sive's heart beat faster, she then looked at him. There
was no fear or disgust on his face, just curiosity. She had feared that there was a real
possibility that he would kick her off the “Angel” and never want to lay eyes on her again.

“ Of course, the risks, well in the last five years, I have never been ill or had any side affects
whatsoever. About six months ago I had a checkup and was found 100 % healthy the word
that the doctor used was remarkable.”

Thinking she continued, “The only equipment I have to track what the nanite/genes are doing to me
is back in my lab, I doubt I will be going back there, ever. You know I don't have any proof
but I really think that I have not aged since I injected myself.” I am still learning how to
control my body and the changes I can make it do now. I do know that strong emotions
can make me start to change, but so far I have been able to control it. There may be more to
learn as time goes by. As of now, I can only change into people with the same size and mass.

She walked over to the console and sat down, “ Does that reduce some of your fears? I am
after all the only one to my knowledge that has ever undergone this procedure.

Sive glanced at Jason and smiled slightly, “ You know the only regret I have about all this is
having to run all these years. Can you imagine what would happen if the wrong people were
to get their hands on this technology? I think I have to hide for the rest of my life.”

She sighed, looking into his eyes, “ Jason ...you know I have feelings for you, up until now I
have avoided any kind of relationship, I didn't think anyone would be able to understand what
has been happening to me. With you it's different, I don't know , I just feel like you wouldn't
sell me to the highest bidder, even though you did have a chance when we first met.”

She looked down on her lap and looked up at him again, “ What are you going to do with me?
Now that you know everything?”

Jason continued looking at her for a long moment. Thoughts whirled and clashed in his head. He finally smiled gently. "Well, we're not going to do anything to you, that's one thing. As for what i will do with you...I'm making you the ship's doctor. Officially we'll make you crewman 3rd class/steward's assistant. We'll get out of here as quickly as we can find a cargo that will pay our bills. Take on passengers if they're willing to go where our cargo is.

"As for hiding...nothing better than hiding in plain sight. Being on a ship gives you a reason to be moving around, and if needed you can change your appearance on a given planet, right? So that should help avoid anyone that might recognize you from before. So once we're clear of Lacuna you should be able to go planetside with the rest of the crew.

"That just leaves....whatever it is we have between us. Look at me, Sive." When she met his eyes he went on. "I don't know if this is anything more than physical attraction. Given how long it's been for you my body's probably been picking up the 'fuck me now' hormones your body must be pumping out. I do know that I would like-" he blushed. "<cough> I would like to spend some time with you. What would you like? Exactly. If I could wave a wand and not worry about consequences? I'd have you in my bed right now. I'd have you naked and sweaty a couple of minutes after that, and I'd be inside you right after that. Just so you know. Given that...what do you want? What are you willing to accept. What won't you accept?"

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