After Earth - Chapter 7 - New Roles

"Talia?"  Coral asked her softly, looked at her own cot, then at Talia's.  As soon as her squad leader laid down, she smiled shyly, and decided to throw caution to the wind.  She slid in beside her.

"Coral."  she said in a low tone.  Coral smiled, snuggled in close, and felt her arm come around her shoulder.  It was a little unexpected, but Coral started to purr at the intimate contact.  She still had elements in her personality she was not aware of, but Talia noticed everything.  Her hand stroked up and down her arm, which made Coral meld herself to her side.

"Oh for pete's sake!"  Talia frowned and turned towards the source of the outburst.

"Is there a problem, Cadet Wilson?"  Her eyes were focused, and clear, unlike the fog that had begun to settle upon her senses when Coral began to touch her.

"She's murmuring and purring like a kitten, and I'm getting jealous of all the attention that you're getting!  That's what!"  Coral giggled.

"Keep your ears to yourself, Wilson, or I'll tickle your feet when you're sleeping tonight."  Coral said saucily.  Talia chuckled.

"And Wilson, if you don't turn away, you may find yourself on waste extraction duty for several months.  This is common among the tribes of our history, whether Germanic or North American, when they lived communally.  If we get our own quarters, this will be a moot point, but until then..."  Her eyes narrowed.  He held up his hands in front of himself and waved them back and forth.

"I get it!  I get it!  Ears closed, eyes closed, or you'll close them!"  Coral smiled, snuggled in as close as she could get, and pulled Talia's blanket up over her head.  She disappeared just beneath the edge of the blanket, and caused Talia's eyelids to lower a bit as she felt her lips kiss her in several places.

Coral felt Talia's fingers slide through her hair as she lifted her shirt and tasted her flesh.  She smiled, and purred as her hand lightly petted her.  She took this as encouragement, but held herself back.  If they were in their own room, she would prove to her how much she cared.





"Come on, Talia, we're almost late for breakfast!"  Talia held her hand firmly as she tried to walk on ahead, so she looked back with a question in her eyes.

"We're not on shift yet, Coral.  We can take our time, right?"  She slowed down, and didn't regret it.  As soon as the other cadets were far enough ahead of them, she was pushed against a wall, and kissed softly.  She didn't expect it, and her firm grip belied the tenderness in her kiss.  Coral could barely walk after she lifted her lips.

"I think you were saying that its time to go?"  Coral looked at her a bit bewildered, then frowned.

"You're teasing me?"  She was kissed again, this time a bit more passionately.

"No."  She said after she lifted her lips, but only barely.  "Testing.  And tasting."  She kissed her again, then sighed regretfully.  "But you're right.  Its time for food."  Coral walked beside her, and couldn't prevent her eyes from drinking her in.  She blushed at her next words.

"Soon, baby.  Real soon."  A pet name.  Now Coral wanted to cry, and not from being sad.  She was so happy she had found this young woman, and wondered just how far their relationship could go.

"So happy you two could get here."  Lieutenant Ayers said with a smirk, and a quick look at the entwined fingers.  "The commander would not start until the necessary people were present."  Coral blushed, but Talia shrugged.

"Its not yet time to start work.  I didn't expect a staff meeting."  She nodded, and waved to the commander.  He stood up from his table.

"As you are all aware, the XO has been removed from his position and is currently waiting to be shipped back to the planet.  Pilot, sorry, Ensign Coral, we'll need your skills for that."  She nodded, although she was a little bit surprised at the promotion she had just received.  Talia gripped her hand firmly, but only to keep her by her side.  The events of the day before were still fresh, and the fact that someone dared to steal from Coral angered her greatly.  Even if she had dealt with the person, her hold on the ship was not yet firm enough to remove all threats to her squad.  "That leaves a vacancy in the senior staff, and after a bit of sound advice, I've decided to ask Lieutenant Ayers to step up to Lieutenant Commander, and take on the role of XO.  Ayers, will you accept?"  Her mouth fell open.

"Me, sir?"  Talia smirked a bit.

"Yes, and I've conferred with the sergeant as to your suitability, and he agreed.  You know when to step back and let others do the job they were supposed to do, and when to step in, and push.  With the recent setbacks we've had, I'll need someone who can push the appropriate people when the engineering department needs something done.  We are six months behind schedule, and without your help, that will increase."  She nodded.

"I accept, sir."  He smiled.

"Good.  Murphy!"  He stood up, an arm in a cast was very evident.

"Sir?"

"As a result of yesterday's actions, you've been demoted.  You are now an ensign.  And be glad that you're not reduced to a non com."  He swallowed the lump in his throat, and nodded.  "You'll report to the new Lieutenant, who reports to the Lieutenant Commander."

"Yes, sir."

"Lieutenant Commander?"

"Yes, sir?"  Ayers cocked her head a bit.  He noticed that little trait seemed to be trend right now.  Strange, and he wondered where he first saw it.

"Ayers, you're new subordinate is Lieutenant Talia Gitatytar."  He stared hard at Murphy.  "I assume you won't give her any trouble, Murphy?"  He shook his head vigorously.

"No trouble, sir!"  Ayers smiled.

So, I have you to thank for my new position, do I, Talia?  And already promoted to Lieutenant, with skills that are necessary to almost all our work aboard this ship.  Who are you really, lieutenant?

She watched Talia's squadmates congratulate her, and the possessive way the pilot held her hand.  She was a force to be reckoned with, had deadly aim in how she carved through those in her way, and those she deemed a threat.

"I hope I don't become a casualty on your way to the top, Talia." she said in a low tone.  It wasn't meant for anyone's ears other then her own.  So far, she had Talia's stamp of approval, and hoped that she would never find herself in the crosshairs.




"Wilson!"  Wilson stood up from the scrap pile he started to examine and swallowed a lump in his throat.  Talia sounded deadly serious.

"Y-yes, Lieutenant?"  She stood in front of him.

"You are to be Coral's backup on the flight to the surface."

"Aye, sir."  He started to stoop again, but was pinned with a hard stare.

"If anyone approaches the cockpit, or attempts to speak to the pilot, you are to give them one warning only.  That includes any passengers, or officers who accompany you on the flight.  No one is allowed in that cockpit other then you, or Coral.  If they attempt to enter after that warning, use deadly force.  On the sergeant, or Murphy.  Understood?"  He nodded, then frowned.

"Deadly force, sir?"

"I am your commanding officer, Wilson, and after the first flight, it became apparent to me that another eater may try the same thing.  Coral's safety is your priority, not your passengers.  Her skills make her more valuable then any cargo."  He looked closely at her.

"You're not kidding, are you?"  She shook her head.  "Alright.  Deadly force.  I'll warn only once, then pull my blade and sink it into their chest, or throat."  She handed him a baton.

"This is a cattle prod.  It won't kill, but it may give you the opportunity to take an eater down should they become feral and attack.  Even Murphy would feel it, and give you the opportunity to put him down."  He nodded.

"Deadly force."  then he closed his eyes.  "Things really went to shit, didn't they?"

"They did, Ensign Wilson, but we'll make ourselves a better future then our parents left us.  Its up to us to do it, because they wouldn't, even when they had the chance."  She started to turn to leave, but there was a question in his eyes.  "Spit it out, Wilson."

"Do you expect trouble?"  It was a straightforward question, and she respected that.

"My mentor had the ability to 'feel' disaster looming.  He passed that instinct on to me.  There is something out there.  An event maybe, or just a person.  Either way, Coral is your priority.  Got it?"  He nodded.

"No one will get to her, Lieutenant.  No one."  He looked around after Talia left, and spotted Coral near a pile of metal to be sorted.  She looked carefree, and completely oblivious to any danger.

She is part of Talia's squad.  No, my squad!  No one will mess with my squad!  My family!