The Girl in the Tank: Galactic Consortium, Season 1

Episode Seven: The End of Quarantine ch.8

"It's small," Bakala said. "And a mess. Sorry."

Both true. Dan looked around the efficiency. "It will be fine," he said. Inwardly he thought it looked a bit too much like the accommodations back on the Corelean.

"Truthfully, I've never brought a man here," Bakala said. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"It'll be fine," he repeated.

"It's only for tonight," Bakala said.

Dan gave him a blank look. "It is?"

Bakala blushed bright red. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but my mouth went and blew it."

"What?"

"I booked us a room for the next couple of days. At the best spa on the ship. You'll love it, I promise. Got us a courtesan and everything. The best."

"A courtesan? Like a prostitute?"

"No, a courtesan."

"I'm not following, what is the difference?"

"Everything," Bakala answered.

"Do we...with the courtesan?"

"No," Bakala seemed taken aback. "It's not like that."

"I guess this is another cultural hurdle," Dan said slowly. "What does she do?"

"Everything," Bakala insisted again. "We go to the spa. She will meet us there. She will prepare everything, so we can have the most romantic time. Meals at the finest restaurants, massages with the best masseuse, whatever entertainments we wish, you will see."

"Okay," Dan decided. "I will see. I trust you."

"Now, what shall we have for supper tonight," Bakala asked. He casually threw Dan's duffel bag on a couch beside a pile of clothes. "I'm not sure what I have."

"I'll have you, then," Dan joked, pushing him against the wall. "You can be my supper." He leaned in and began to nibble playfully on Bakala's chest and neck.

"Oh that's, that's," Bakala broke off writhing under him. "But seriously, what are we going to..."

Dan's stomach growled. Lunch had been a salad. A big salad, but still only a salad. He groaned in frustration. "Fine, you win," he said. "But after a quickie. We will figure out after."

"Damn straight."

######

Fox woke with one arm pinned under Nara. He could think of no place he'd rather be trapped. Her toned naked body against his filled him with a heat, a lust he'd been trying for weeks to contain. They'd spent the entire afternoon, evening and night in love making, stopping only long enough to order food delivered to her apartment. When it arrived, they had taken it to her bed and fed each other.

He watched her sleep, wondering how he had gotten so lucky. He was on the edge of deciding to wake her for another session of love making when the system interrupted them. "Message for Nara Suuin."

Nara stirred and rubbed her eyes. "Message from whom?" she asked.

"Commander Lakora Tawlin, via hyper-relay," the system responded.

Nara bolted from the bed. Ignoring her own nakedness she threw herself on the floor in the middle of the room, bowing as a hologram sprung to life. "Nara Suuin, at your service, commander."

Lakora Tawlin was a tall, slender person with ropey muscles running down their arms. They were dark skinned, like Nara. Gray hair ran in corn rows across their head, the signature braid down the side of her face.

"Nara, it is good to see you are recovered," Lakora began. She glanced once in Fox's direction. He shrank back into the sheets, as though they'd been caught out. But Lakora merely gave the briefest of smirks.

"Thank you, commander. I am whole and ready to serve at need."

"Good, I have news. Sarasvat has spoken to our order. We are coming."

"Here, commander?"

"Yes. Our battalion has been tasked with establishing a Kurgara base in Nyarugusu."

Fox rolled the unfamiliar name around on his tongue. It didn't sound like any place on earth to him.

"We will help maintain peace and order in Congo, Sudan, and elsewhere in Africa."

Africa, that made sense.

"Since you are in the system, you will be our point. Travel to this place. Meet with Harish Kalim, who is in charge of this African Administration. Make the way for us to come."

"I will do as you command," Nara replied.

"Good, I am pleased." Again she gave the tiniest of smirks. "I will not keep you, you seem to have personal business to attend to."

Nara smiled. "Yes, Commander. Thank you. I look forward to your coming."

With that Lakora was gone. Nara stood. She grabbed a shirt from the floor and pulled it on. "Display, cut off," she commanded and swept a finger along her waist. "On." When the display came on it only showed her from the waist up.

There's a trick to remember. Fox admired Nara's ass as she inspected several displays and then spoke briefly to almost as many people, booking flights and setting up appointments. He felt disappointment settle on him. She had an assignment already, one she seemed intent on starting at once. So much for leave together.

As if sensing his emotion, Nara half turned. "There is, how you say it? Bad news and good news."

"Good news and bad news," he corrected.

"No, this time bad news comes first." She finished what she was doing and shut down the display. She stripped the shirt off in one fluid motion and came back to the bed. "The bad news is that I have a new assignment already."

"I gathered."

"But the good news," she continued. "Is that this means I will be on this planet for some time. Our home base will be here now." She stroked his face and smiled. "So we have time to explore what this is."

"You'll be in Africa. That's along way from where I live, I'm sorry to say."

She shook her head no. She touched his metallic arm. "You'll be on the station for sometime, I think. Only a few hours by orbital hopper. Not so far."

He smiled, joy flooding him at the thought that she wanted to explore whatever was going on between them, that she would take the time to visit him. "All right, you win. It's a good thing. I will be glad to see you whenever I can. How soon must you go?"

"That is little bit of good news, too. The next flight out of here isn't for a few hours yet. Time enough for a shower." She took his hand and led him towards the shower.