Archive-name: JourEntr/j916-180.txt
Archive-author: Elf Matheiu Sternberg
Archive-title: Asking Denni


   It's been a long time since I posted anything from my "WIP" disk.
Mostly I haven't been satisfied with the quality of my work, but I've
also been plagued with "real life" stuff, like work and school.  But,
hey, I've had some ideas.

   The following idea has been with me for a long time.  I finally
decided to just get it out of my system, and I found the results...
interesting.  In any event, here's the first of two related-theme
stories.  This one is "David's Wedding."

                          *     *     *

     A Tale of Pendor 180 / 0916

     David turned over slowly in bed and looked down on the beautiful
fem who slept beside him.  He had woken up moments ago in a strange
bedroom and wondered how he had gotten here.  Then, his mind had
reoriented itself and he had remembered.

     It occurred to him suddenly, did Patricia know?  This was her room
as well as Dennielle's.  He wondered if she had come in here, found them
sleeping together, and backed out quietly.  Looking at his watch, he
realized that it was her turn to pull a stint on the bridge, and she was
probably still up there.  He eased himself out of bed; Denni began to
stir, but didn't wake.  He smiled, replaced the covers as he had found
them, and made his way out.  The corridors were dark, indicating a late
shift, but as he passed by the motion sensors lights came on quickly,
giving him a good view of the squarish, boxy halls inside the Asking.

     "Captain on the Bridge," he said jokingly as the door to the bridge
opened and allowed him on.  Pat turned from her chair, the one on the
right, and waved.  "You're up early."

     "Yeah," he sighed, grabbing a mug of coffee from the wall-mounted
dispensing station and then easing himself into the pilot's chair.
"Pat, how long have we known each other?"

     "Almost two years, David.  You picked me up as a junior engineer,
remember?"

     "Think you're qualified to be senior engineer soon?"  He smiled as
he said it, giving her a glance out of the corner of her eye.  Her
expression was understandably surprised and pleased.

     "Of course!" she said.  "Well, I mean, that is, if you think I am. 
I mean, if you have an opening for senior engineer and need one.  I'm
never going to go anywhere big without your qualifications, David, you
know that."

     He nodded, sipping coffee thoughtfully.  "I think there are three
possible futures.  You're not to not mention this to the rest of the
crew, understood?  Future one is that Dennielle leaves, and you move
into the senior engineering post for the Asking.  I think you're ready,
despite my misgivings a month ago when we first hired her.  Between you
and me we should be able to keep this old girl running."  He tapped the
arm of the pilot's chair with his fist.  He had first been tempted to
stroke the command console, but he remembered that Tasha never locked it
out for reasons that had finally become clear to David when the pirates
had attacked them three weeks ago.   "Future two is Denni stays for a
while as chief engineer and you go on being my second of engineering and
chief of accounting, two jobs you seem to be handling very well."  Pat
nodded.  "Future three is Dennielle stays, becomes chief of accounting
and second in command.  She's got all the qualifications, Pat, and... I
think I'm going to ask her to marry me."

     Pat's eyes looked as if they were about to get pushed out from
behind with surprise.  "David?"

     "No, listen.  I don't know what she'll say.  But I really do
believe in love at first sight, Pat.  I fell in love with the Asking
that fast," he said, emphasizing his opinion by snapping his fingers.
"And I think I've fallen for Denni the same way.  I want her, Pat, I
really do."  He sighed.  "I wish I understood it."

     "What about her?  What will she say?"

     "Like I said, I don't know.  All I know is that I plan on aksing
her and seeing what her reply is going to be."

     "It's a little early, David, to be making these kinds of decisions.

     "Oh, who cares, Pat?" he asked, annoyed.  "Remember that I'm the
sort of person who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it?"

     "While being nice about it," Pat added, smiling.  "David, you do
what you feel is necessary."

     David nodded, sipping his coffee.  Outside the window port, the
star of llerkin loomed large and inviting.

 
 
     Late into second shift, David found himself picking up his bedroom;
her realized what he was attempting to accomplish, debated the
hopelessness of the situation, and continued anyway.  About halfway
through folding his "clean" laundry, he realized that he didn't even
know where the vaccuum cleaner was onboard.  He toggled the intercom.
"Pat, Marder, do you know where the vaccuum is?"

     "Uh, outside?" Marder offered, his voice sounding tinny through the
little speaker.

     "Men," Patricia breathed.  "It's in the maintenence closet between
mine and Chico's cabins, David.  It might need a new filter bag."

     "Thanks, Pat."  He toggled the intercom off again and wandered down
the hallway, finding the space Pat had indicated and pulling the small
unit out of the closet.  A thousand years hadn't altered the face of
housecleaning all that much, and David soon found himself listening to
the soft hiss of air as he vacuumed the carpeting clean.

     His room dusted and organized, he soon fell to the even more
complicated task of preparing dinner for two.  Within ten minutes, he
was soon lost on the incredible complexities in the difference between
roasting and broiling, flipping back and forth between the glossary and
the recipie.  Finally he gave up.  "Pat, are you free?"

     "I can be, David.  There's not much to do down here."

     "Good.  Could you join me in my cabin?  I need help with something.

     "Can I ask what?"

     "It's... difficult to explain.  Just come up here."

     "What is it, David?" Patricia asked as she walked through the door.
She looked into the kitchen, saw him frantically flipping through a
screen, and said "Oh."

     "I need help.  What's the difference between roasting and broiling?

     She laughed.  "Okay, let me show you..."

 
 
     "I thought you had said your room was a mess."

     "It was," David replied, taking a sip of wine he really didn't feel
like drinking.  "At least, it was until a few hours ago."  David glanced
across the table at the femMephit he had invited in here.  They had had
one night in bed together, and already he was sure he wanted to have her
for the rest of his life.  These were not the feelings of a sane person,
but then David had never heard of anyone who referred to love as the
epitome of sanity.

     Denni nodded, sipping from her glass as well.  "So what's all this
about?"

     David leaned back in his chair, took another deep breath.  "Denni,
I'm a rat who's always known what he wants and how to get it.  And what
I always wanted was to be a commercial starship owner-operator."  He
chuckled slightly.  "Of course, when I was little I didn't know it was
called that.  I just wanted to be in space.  I'm not enjoying this wine.
I don't drink wine."

     Denni giggled.  "Me neither."

     "There's milk in the cooler."  Denni rose and retrieved the glass
pitcher of what appeared to be milk (although it was probably as
artifical as everything else onboard) and poured two glasses, one for
each of them.  "So."

     David drank for a second.  "Better.  So... Denni, I don't know how
to say this, really, but I think I need a change in my life.  I've been
doing this shipping thing for forty years now, I think I've got the
score figured out."  He paused.  "I want you."

     Denni stopped, her glass still to her muzzle.  She put it down,
said "What do you mean?"

     "Denni, I don't know what you know of Terran customs, but... would
you marry me?"

     "David?"

     "I mean it."

     "You hardly know me!"

     "So?  Don't you believe in love at first sight?"

     "Yes, but not for..."  She looked at him.  "You felt it, too, huh?"

     "What?"

     She shook her head.  "I don't know... When we were in your office
and I was giving you that rub, right before the fire, I felt something
pass between us, like a ghost or something.  I guess..."

     It was her turn to take that deep breath.  "David, I accept."

     "What?"

     "I accept."

     "Just like that?"

     "Just like that," she said, snapping her fingers.  David recognized
the gesture as exactly like the one he had given Patricia that morning,
and laughed gently.  "What?"

     "I said that about my ship the morning.  I knew I wanted the
Asking, just like that."  He snapped his fingers.

     She smiled.  "But yes, just like that.  You didn't think I would
accept, did you?"

     "Honestly?" David asked.  "No, I didn't."

     "So why did you ask?"

     "I don't know," he said.  "I told Partrica that I was going to, I
guess I had to go through with it once I'd announced it.  So why did you
accept?"

     "Because I'm selfish."  She grinned across the table at him.  "I
want the stars; now that I know that I want the stars, I need a way of
getting there.  You're the best way I can think of."

     "That's it?"

     She rose from her chair and walked around the table, kneeling down
on the floor beside his.  "No, that's not 'it.'  Because I do believe in
love at first sight.  And I think it happened to us.  But we don't have
marriage ceremonies on Pendor."

     "So?" David asked.  "We have them on Earth.  My parents would
probably insist on it."

     "But... "  She let her voice trail off.  "This is one of those 'for
life' things, isn't it?"

     David nodded.  "That's what marriage is supposed to be.  So few
people get married nowadays.  Contracts are for children and lovers are
just to be discarded when you get bored with them."

     "I won't ever get bored with you," Denni said.

     "I don't think I could ever get bored of you, either," David said. 
"I love you, Dennielle."

     "I love you, too, David."  She stood up slowly.  "Finished with
dinner?"

     "Yes, I think so."

     "Good," Denni giggled.  "Come with me, then."  David stood, and she
led him into his bedroom, closing the door behind them.  She pulled him
close, and David was again stunned by how tall she was, especially
compared to him.  "I figured that after such a big meal we should work
some of the excess calories off.  What do you think?"

     David looked up at her and smiled.  Without a word, he reached up
and slowly pulled down the zipper on her jumpsuit, letting her large,
fur-covered breasts tumble out into his hands.  She giggled.  "You like
those, don't you?"

     "I admit, I do," he said, kissing one right above the nipple.
"It's not what makes me love you, though."  His muzzle traced down the
curve, kissing the underside; at least there he didn't have to stand on
the tips of his toes.  He slowly pushed her backwards, until the bed
struck her in the knees and she fell to the bed with a "Whoops!"

     He pulled the zipper the rest of the way down, exposing the deep
black skunk's fur that covered her tummy.  She helped, and together they
pulled the top half of the jumpsuit down until it was lying on the bed
behind her.

     Dennielle smiled.  "Your turn."  She reached up and tugged at his
zipper, and in seconds she had his down about his ankles.  His cock,
already erect, popped up.  "I thought you didn't insist on salutes on
this ship," she giggled.

     He laughed and pushed her back to lie on the bed, crawling over her
body as he did so.  "I don't."  His muzzle pressed against hers, their
tongues touching and pressing.  David's heart pounded in his chest; he
felt so... so lucky!  So lucky to be here, to have her.  His cock
pressed against her belly, and he felt her hands reach down to encircle
it.  His kisses roamed wider, kissing her cheeks and the underside of
her muzzle as he left a trail down her body towards her full breasts.
"You're so beautiful-- Don't argue!" he said, cutting off the "I'm not
beautiful, I'm fat," line he had heard from her twice already.

     She giggled.  "Yes, SIR!"  David laughed as he slid off the bed,
grabbing the bottoms of her jumpsuit and tugging.  She pushed her hips
up off the bed and he slid her pants off, tossing them aside.  The sight
of her made him take a deep breath and then let it out with a strong,
satisfied sigh.  "You are beautiful."

     She reached up with one hand for his wrist.  He took her hand in
one of his and tumbled onto the bed with her.  They rolled over until
she was on top of him, and he felt her bend her knees and pull them
under herself until she was kneeling above him.  "I think you're the one
who's beautiful."  She reached back and positioned his erection,
settling down on top of his cock until her buttocks met his hips.

     He sighed and reached up to stroke her breasts.  "I don't
understand this."

     "I don't either," she said, slowly stroking up and down on his
erection.  He closed his eyes and felt her lips grabbing his cock,
holding him deep inside her body.  "But I know what I want.  You said
you know what you want, well I do too.  You want me.  I want you."

     David nodded, pushing his hips up with every stroke.  Their bodies
met in synch.  He wanted her to go faster, but she only moved slowly, to
her own beat, in her own time.  She never sped up, never slowed down.
He felt the walls of her cunt sliding past the head of his cock; his
body began trembling as his immanent climax never came any closer, never
seemed to come under control.  He had always felt that he had some
control even over his orgasm, but instead he was left only to look into
Denni's eyes as she stared down at him, her muzzle hanging open, her
tongue hanging out as she caressed his cock with her insides, gripping
his manhood.  She held his arms down at his sides as her body stroked
slowly, agonizingly slowly, over his erection.

     "Denni..."

     "I know," she smiled.  "I can see it in your face."  She sped up
just a little, and he felt his climax suddenly rise; his balls felt like
they were swelling, his cock became even harder, and suddenly he
exploded inside her, thrashing his legs and his head in bed, coming deep
inside her cunt.  "Oh, Denni!" he moaned.

     She smiled down at him.  "There, was that worth it?"

     "Oh, yes, that was worth it," he sighed.  "Very much so.  So, will
you marry me?"

     She giggled.  "Set course for Earth, hon, and I'll marry you
tomorrow."

     "First we have to go to Pendor.  I have to get Aaden's permiss...
Oh, crap.  I have to ask your father, don't I?  Aaden Satpulov.  That
means I have to get into Shardik Castle."

     "It can be done," she smiled.  "I'm family, remember?"

     "I remember," he said.  "Just took me a while."  He reached up and
toppled her over onto the bed again, snuggling her close.  "I'll talk to
Tasha tomorrow about plotting a course.  We're over a month from Pendor
right now, and another week to Terra."

     She nodded; he felt her muzzle move in the crook of his shoulder,
her breath blowing over his neckfur.  He stroked her head slowly with
his hand.  "I love you."

--
"Asking Denni"
The Journal Entries of Kennet R'yal Shardik, et. al., And Related Tales
are (c) 1989, 1990 Elf Matheiu Sternberg.  May be freely distributed by
cybernetic media; hardcopies are limited to single printings for
personal use.
--
elf@halcyon.com  (Elf Sternberg)
