What is a Slave without a Master? Ch. 15

There was no sunlight deep within the Starport to show when morning came, and no predestined alarm to tell when it was time to prepare for her shift. But still, after eight years of slavery Eta's internal clock knew how to move her from floating effortlessly within her dreams to awake and alert in an instant. She opened her eyes, giving them a moment to adjust to the gloom. The only light was a tiny glow given off by the lightswitch so it could be found in the dark, but it was enough Eta could make out the shape of Alex's lockers against the wall, and the doorframe out into the hall. A smile crept across her face as she slowly twisted her head, trying to see behind herself.

"Uuughmmmmm," Alex groaned, the movement causing the sleeping woman to squeeze her arms tighter around Eta for a moment. Eta froze, waiting a long moment before very carefully returning to her position and snuggling up as close to Alex as she could without disturbing her Mistress. Her mind drifted into a state of bliss at being surrounded by the warmth of the embrace, and she contemplated just how high a price she'd be happy to pay if every morning could begin like this.

Her thoughts wondered, and she began to day-dream. The main focus of her thoughts was unabashedly Alex: both the idea of being bound helplessly at her feet but also stargazing from beside her in the cockpit: not that the two were mutually exclusive. She wasn't sure how long she had spent enjoying the embrace, but eventually another low sound from Alex pulled her back to the present.

"Mmmmmmuuuuuughh," the Commander groaned, again pulling her companion tight up against her chest as she stretched out her muscles. She buried her face deep in the hair on the back of Eta's head as she made a low series of indistinct grumbles.

"Good morning, Alex," Eta whispered pleasantly, giggling at the feeling of her Mistress' nose rubbing against her.

"Morning.... You... too," was Alex's disjointed reply as the woman shook the sleep from her brain.

"Did you sleep well?" Eta asked happily, before her voice turned more hesitant. "Or.... should I be silent so you can rest more?"

"No... is good. Hate wake... up..... nothing... do... with... you," Alex managed, stringing most of the correct words together. But it was still a few more minutes before she was fully awake.

"Ah... yeah... I slept well," she murmured, very late for the question but answering it anyway.

"You still make an excellent teddy bear to hold while sleeping. Thank you."

"Do you normally sleep with a teddy bear?" Eta giggled.

"Haven't since I was a little kid. But you're better than any of the ones I had back then. None of them had tits. How'd you sleep?" Alex asked as she playfully reached up, cupping one of Eta's breasts in her palm before kissing the back of the woman's neck and pushing herself up into a sitting position. Eta let out a short intake of breath as a flash of red passed across her face, but a smile quickly followed as she rolled onto her back and looked at her Mistress.

"Very well, thank you Alex."

"Did you... have any more nightmares?" Alex asked apprehensively. But Eta shook her head.

"Dreams yes, but I am pleased to report they were very pleasant."

"Should I ask what they were about?" Alex chuckled. Eta blushed again but simply raised a hand and pointed at her Mistress. Alex laughed before grabbing the hand and pulling her companion off the bed.

The two began to dress themselves in pleasant silence. Out of the corner of her eye Alex caught the bruise forming on the side of Eta's neck and felt smugly proud of herself. She was less thrilled to notice the other less sexy bruises would be hanging around for a while longer. But a moment later as Eta was beginning the knot of her necktie a hand reached up to stop her.

"What part of your suit is recognizable as a slave uniform?" Alex asked curiously, now dressed in shore clothes: denim pants hugging her legs, and her leather jacket over a buttoned shirt.

"Um," began Eta in surprise. "The necktie is very Imperial, yes. And the fact the suit has shirt collars to accommodate it is distinctive. And the emblems," she added, gesturing at her shoulders.

"But other than that?"

"Other than that I believe it's a standard appearing white jumpsuit. Admittedly more form fitting than your flight suits, but I don't think that alone is of note. Why do you ask?" asked Eta, unsure where Alex was going. Alex just gazed at her for a long moment before reaching up and slipping off Eta's tie. With a calculating eye she tugged down the zipper at the woman's throat to reveal a palm's worth of collarbone. She gave a smirk as she crossed over to her lockers and dug around for a moment.

"You may be taller than me, but you're not any wider in the shoulder. Try this on," she said, holding out an older leather jacket, light grey as opposed to her own brown. Her companion did as instructed, and as Alex had observed the jacket fit well enough, other than the sleaves being a little short. It was strange, Eta didn't remember the last time she had felt the weight of a garment like this resting on her shoulders that hadn't been a space suit. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Alex stepped up in front of her, holding a pair of safety goggles from Eta's own toolbelt. The Commander draped them around her companions neck, positioning them so the strap and lenes obscuring her suit collar. Next Alex wrapped a belt around Eta waist. Eta blushed when she recognized it as one her Mistress had bound her with the night before. Alex secured the buckle, letting the belt sit lightly on Eta's hips.

Eta looked down at herself as Alex spoke, "There! And the colours don't even clash horribly. So what do you think? Would it pass as a normal outfit?"

"I believe so," Eta determined, nodding slowly. "I... presume you would prefer I not look like a slave?"

"Well... I can't exactly take you out in public looking like you should be carrying my luggage," Alex answered with a shrug. Eta's eyes widened.

"Take me out...." she said in surprise before her voice trailed off.

"Yeah! I want to buy you some clothes that aren't slave uniforms. But I'd need to take you to a store for that. And it's tradition to make one's date breakfast the morning after. But my cooking consists of plugging things into my food printer so we can do better out in the Starport," Alex chuckled before catching Eta's nervous look.

"You don't love the idea," she observed simply, but her companion quickly wiped her expression.

"No, no," she answered as she bowed her head. "I am happy to be taken wherever my Mistress would like."

"Eta," Alex said sternly. "What was the first rule of sex I told you last night?"

A flash of confusion crossed across Eta's face as she cast her mind back.

"If I'm not wanting to do something, I have to tell you," she repeated, realizing what Alex was getting at.

"Good girl," Alex chuckled, and Eta turned a bright shade of red as she dropped her gaze.

"So..." the Commander prodded. Eta closed her eyes and took a long breath before speaking.

"I admit I am nervous about venturing into public pretending to not be a slave. And I feel guilty you intend to spend more money on me. But... I know you wouldn't propose this if you felt it would put me at risk."

"Well unless you never want to eat and are content only switching between your two uniforms then you're just going to have to deal with me spending money on you. But why do you feel nervous?" asked Alex gently, no judgement in her voice. Eta hesitated for a moment.

"You said yourself that traveling with someone who's visibly an Imperial Slave would draw attention. What if I am still recognized? I don't want to cause you trouble. But.... I trust you," she stated, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Eta you don't have to go anywhere if it makes you uneasy. I can guess your size and buy you some clothes. And I can just bring back food like I did last night."

"No... I trust you," Eta repeated, her voice growing more certain as she extended a hand. "I am happy to be led."

Alex studied her companion for a long moment before gently taking hold of the woman and heading towards the boarding ladder.

The maze of hallways snaking below the hangers were abustle with activity. Maintenance workers and people wearing flight suits milled about or moved between the waiting ships. Fuel, armaments, and seeming every other commodity flowed like blood through the beating heart of the Starport around them as the pair made their way towards the kilometers long elevator that would take them down to the more commercial areas.

But even for how busy the hangers were, they paled in comparison to what awaited them as the doors parted. As they stepped out of the elevator Eta couldn't help but let out a small gasp at the scale of the crowds moving around them. They were in a wide plaza that stretched out both directions far enough Eta could clearly see the floor following the curve of the Starport's ring. One side was punctuated with large windows looking out into space, and the one side was lined with all manner of businesses, and people milling between them all. Eta felt Alex take her hand and gently tug her along as they made their way through the crowds. The Commander leaned over as they walked.

"You look like you've never been on a Starport before," she whispered with an amused expression. "What, they never give you shore leave?"

"No shore leave for sla... for people like me. And I have been on Starports before, but the only time we were in public areas...." she paused, not wanting to say anything to specific.

"We were not permitted to wonder," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What do you think?" asked Alex, glancing at her with a quizzical smile.

"It's wonderful!" breathed Eta. "Overwhelming, but it's so alive!"

Alex chuckled before giving her companion's hand a squeeze.

"If you get overwhelmed enough you want to go back to the ship, just tell me, I'll take you back."

"Thank you, Alex," Eta replied gratefully.

"Now. Last night, were you serious I could dress you however I wanted?"

"Completely," Eta quickly answered.

"I'm happy to wear whatever you..." but her voice trailed off. Even whispering she was worried about this line of conversation in public, but the Starport around them buzzed with activity. The crowds seemed to either be occupied with their own conversations, or simply being on their way. No one was paying attention to the two women, and Eta understood why Alex had only been concerned with hiding the big obvious parts of her uniform. The Commander leaned over, putting her lips right to Eta's ear as they walked.

"Okay here's the deal," she whispered. "It'll be like sex. I'll pick. But you have to tell me what you absolutely do not want."

Eta blushed but there was a grateful smile on her lips. She nodded slowly.

"Please nothing loose fitting. I like being able to move and work safely in zero gravity. And may I ask you to avoid white? And it must be something you find attractive."

"Oh that last one goes without saying," Alex smirked, shooting a wink at Eta before they continued. She let her eyes wonder over many storefronts before she tugged at Eta's hand and pulled the woman into one.

"Well we'll need to get you at least a couple of flight suits," she observed as she took one off the rack. She held it up to Eta's neck, looking up and down the woman to check the size before leading her companion over to a change room and gestured her inside.

"Try it on and tell me what you think," she instructed, Eta quickly doing as she was told. Alex leaned up against the wall to wait, but it wasn't long before her companion reappeared, dressed from head to toe in a rich blue flight suit as she nervously smoothed the material over her hips.

"Do... you like it?" she asked. Alex looked her up and down before making a spinning gesture with her finger, which Eta quickly obeyed.

"I think it makes your ass look fabulous. The colour looks good on you. And I like how you left the zipper down a little like I do," she smirked. Eta blushed and lifted her hands to her throat.

"I'm sorry, I'll close it," she said quickly.

"I leave it open because I don't like the feeling of things tight across the base of my neck. But do you want me to tell you how to leave it?" Alex asked with a grin. Eta paused before nodding quickly and lowering her hands. She clasped them behind her back as she spoke.

"You are my Mistress, and may dress me as you please," she whispered, a smile dancing on her lips.

"Then leave it exactly that that," Alex instructed with a pervy expression. She reached up a hand and tapped a finger against Eta's visible collarbone.

"It looks sexy and I think it's comfortable. But are you willing to tell me what you think of it?" she asked pointedly.

"I... like it," Eta finally said, nodding. "Thank you, Alex."

"Perfect. Okay put your other clothes back on," she instructed.

"Or..." she added suddenly as Eta turned to obey. Her companion paused, looking back expectantly.

"Were you still worried about being recognized in your... uniform?" Alex asked. Her companion hesitated for a long moment but eventually gave an uncomfortable nod.

"Then leave that on," Alex said simply as she turned away to find a few more of the same size: Eta grabbing her old clothes and bundling them up in her arms before hurrying to follow.

"Hey we match, you're still wearing my jacket," Alex giggled a moment later as her companion caught up, seeing the garment over Eta's new flight suit. Eta froze as she began to blush.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly as she reached up to her shoulders.

"I'm just teasing you," Alex reassured her. "Leave it on. I know I'm biased, but I like the style," she said pointing to her own. Eta paused, before slowly lowering her hands as she gave a self conscious nod. Alex grinned, stretching up to give the woman a quick kiss across the lips before taking her hand and leading her towards the tills.

It was another hour before Alex was satisfied, having picked out a modest wardrobe and basic personal effects for her new companion. Every time she transferred over credits for a purchase Eta gave her a reproachful look, and every time Alex quickly stuck her tongue out at the woman in response.

Their meandering exploration eventually found them seated inside a little café right back by the elevators. Alex had not let Eta see the prices as she knew they'd be high thanks to the huge windows offering a breathtaking view of space, but she was trying to take to heart what her companion had said about appreciating the galaxy. Piled around Eta's feet were all their bags of shopping, as she had insisted that Alex should not have to carry any of them. Laid out between them were plates of warm bread, and synthetic meats in various shapes. Alex was also working her way through a large half-circle of what the menu had claimed was genuine egg full of vegetables and synthetic cheeses. Eta was trying to determine how to eat her plate sized disks of soft baked dough without the liquid sugar and synthetic fruit falling off.

"What did you... and your coworkers eat at your old job?" Alex asked curiously. The gentle conversation of the other tables around her acting as a constant reminder to keep her words vague.

"Nothing this nice," replied Eta happily despite her struggles. "It was largely protein pastes, vitamin capsules, that sort of thing. Whatever could be stored dry and last a long time."

"Lame," chuckled Alex. "That sounds way worse than what I get out of my food printer, and it's not like those cartridges expire."

Eta shrugged. "When feeding thousands of sla... of us, practicality was more important than flavour. Even water was stored dry," she added nervously, trying to quickly move on from her near slip up.

"How the fuck does that work?" Alex asked in amusement, before glancing around to see if there were any kids at nearby tables she should be trying not to swear near.

"Dehydrated water powder. It turned into a liquid when heated," Eta answered with a pained shrug.

"So.... ice?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow

"I don't know the chemistry of it, but it didn't melt if just left alone," Eta admitted. Alex just laughed, shaking her head as she picked up her mug.

"Well I promise I'll feed you better that that," she chuckled. Eta dropped her gaze with an embarrassed but grateful smile as Alex continued.

"It's not like I can go starving my new..." but her voice trailed off thoughtfully. She took a long sip of her drink as she studied the woman across from her, the strong smell of caffeine filling her nose. With the babble of the café around them, she made a mental note to revisit this topic once they were more alone.

But her companion didn't seem to mind the lull in the conversation, and the two continued eating their food in contented silence for a few moments. The bustle and conversations around them creating a lovely background hum. But eventually their quiet was broken when Eta had a question of her own.

"When you typically travel, how often do you eat on a Starport as opposed to the Peregrine?"

But when she looked up, she realized Alex had her eyes turned all the way to the side and seemed to be listening intently to something in the distance. She quickly turned back, catching Eta's gaze and made a quick motion with her hand for her companion to be quiet.

Eta froze, unsure what was happening. Alex reached inside her jacket a pulled out a pen. She grabbed a napkin and scrawled a quick note before passing it across the table. Eta snatched it and tried to be subtle as she read the compressed handwriting.

"Guys a few tables over are talking about interdicting someone the other day. Don't say Peregrine."

Eta's breath caught in her throat as she followed Alex's gaze. Sure enough there was a table of people wearing flight suits sitting by the café's entrance. They seemed in the midst of an argument, and Eta could barely pick up their conversation.

"Well maybe you just suck," one of the women sneered.

"I'm fucking telling you. The interdiction worked. I saw it hit a hundred. But then they just weren't there after we dropped," one of the men insisted, and Alex noting that he seemed unconcerned with swearing.

"He's being serious," a second woman confirmed. "I was in the cockpit with him. We caught the bastards but then they just vanished."

Eta's heart leapt into her throat. She caught Alex's eye and made a small writing motion. Alex slid over the pen.

"How can they openly talk about interdictions? Are they talking about us?"

She slid the napkin and pen back, and a minute later both returned.

"Interdicting to bounty hunt is legal. I promise I have no bounty. But they can talk without it necesarily being shady. And yeah sounds like us."

"What do we do?" Eta wrote back, squeezing her words into the only space left on the napkin. Alex grabbed a fresh napkin and began to write.

"This is rediculously unlucky. Like what the fuck? But they won't be expecting to run into us either. I'm going to go pay and grab some boxes for the rest of the food. Stay here while I'm gone. Then we just calmly walk out. It's okay. I promise," came the reply, accompanied by a little drawing of a heart. Alex was staring at her intently when Eta looked up. The woman swallowed nervously before hastily writing something back.

"But they're right by the door?"

Alex wrote something then rose to her feet. She squeezed Eta's shoulder reassuringly before walking towards the counter. Eta glanced at the napkin Alex had left behind. The woman had just circled the end of her last note several times.

"It's okay. I promise."

Eta's heart pounded inside her chest, her mind still trying to fully grasp the situation. She had never experienced anything like this, but surely nothing bad could happen inside a crowded café? And surely if Alex said it was alright then it must be? Her Mistress had never let anything happen to her thus far.

She laid a hand on her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. A few minutes later she heard the creak of Alex sitting back down across from her. Eta opened her eyes to see Alex had dropped a folded thick paper box on the table before her.

"Pack up anything you want to take with you," the Commander said calmly as she started filling her box with the remainder of her breakfast. Eta silently followed suit, doing her best to take reassurance from her Mistress' calm tone.

But as Eta reached out to take one of the remaining pieces of bread, Alex's hand landed on hers. She quickly released it in confusion, before realizing that Alex was simply trying to give her hand a gentle squeeze. She met her gaze, and Eta forced a quick smile. Alex smiled back, before grabbing the last meat cylinder. She gave a wink as she bit it in half and rose to her feet. Eta hastily squirreled away her bread as she followed, grabbing their shopping as they began to make their way towards the exit. Eta did her best not to look at the table of pilots, but she couldn't stop herself from listening.

"I don't care what you swear you saw, that's just not a thing that can happen."

"I'm telling you man. It did happen."

"You're full of shit. Anyway..... that one looks like a spacer, let's get her opinion because you're not listening to mine."

Eta's heart once again leapt as one of the men leaned back in his chair, directly into her and Alex's path.

"Morning ladies. Can I bug you for your opinion on something?" he asked, looking up at them from his seat. The question seemed to be directed at Eta herself, and it dawned on her that she was wearing a flight suit while Alex was not.

"Got to make everything into a flirt, don't you?" mused one of the women, rolling her eyes. Eta had no idea how to respond, she was frozen in place as a tiny gasp escaped her lips. But Alex answered, casually drawing the attention onto herself instead.

"This sounds heated," she chuckled, voice perfectly calm and unconcerned. "What's up?"

"Don't let him rope you into this," one of the other women said, waving Alex and Eta towards the door. "He's wasting your time."

"No no, I'm curious now," said Alex, making herself sound like it too.

"And it's not a waste of time. I need Ralph to know he's seeing things or some shit. And he's not believing it from us," said the man who had leaned in front of them. He pointed to another man across the table.

"Tell our new friends your bullshit story."

The man who was apparently Ralph glared at the first one before looking up at Alex and Eta as he collected quickly himself.

"So I caught this ship two days ago. Little Cobra, cute bird name," he began. "Pilot carrying some shit he shouldn't have been."

"And so I start the interdiction. Slippery bastard gives me a hell of a fight. Almost gets away a few times. But right at the end, like eighty-five percent or something he gives up. Just flies straight. And I'm like, fuck yeah make this easy on yourself and I watch the upload finish. I see that the upload is done. I've got him, the scan says I've got him, my COVAS says I've got him. I watch him dropping out of Supercruise so I drop out after him, and the fucker... is just not there. Do a whole scan, nothing. By the time my FSD is charged and I'm back in Supercruise and I do another scan, nothing in range. Just disappeared faster than Sam after a bad date," he added, jerking his thumb towards the man next to him.

"I'm telling you, you fucked up the interdiction. You just dropped too soon and he got away," Sam replied in a bored tone despite Ralph's comment. "And your cheap FSD charges so slowly he was long gone by the time you were back up to speed."

"But he didn't," one of the women leapt in. "I've seen interdictions dozens of times. I know how it goes. Yesterday went correctly right up until poof! Nothing."

"This is going nowhere," the first man groaned before looking up at Alex and Eta.

"Please tell my friend he's full of shit. You ever hear of something like this?"

"What if he closed his heat vents right as he dropped?" Alex offered. "Would have disappeared off your scans. You could have missed him."

"I have good scanners! I would have seen something!" Ralph protested.

"I dooon't knoooow," Alex purred. "My Diamondback can disappear real good when I need her to. Like a ghost," she lied with a giggle as she placed a flat hand covering the bottom half of her face. Eta recognized the name, and her mind immediately tried to recall the ship model's specifications before she clawed herself back to the present.

"I know that's not what happened!" Ralph complained. Alex laughed.

"But to answer your question," she said reaching out and clapping a hand on the first man's shoulder. "No I've never heard of anything like that. Sorry Ralph but I think you might have a bit of space-madness there."

"Thank you!" the first man said in exasperation as Ralph looked up darkly.

"Fuck you guys, I still want him for a rematch," he muttered.

"The galaxy's a big place friend. He's probably long gone," Alex lied, shaking her head with a knowing smile across her lips.

"Galaxy's big, yeah," Ralph conceded. "But Tantalaigh flight control says he docked here last night, and they've got no record of him leaving yet. So if you run into a Cobra pilot named Alex Turner you tell the fucker I want a word!"

Alex Turner chuckled, managing to keep her expression perfectly normal.

"How about this: just for you Ralph, if I see him I'll tell him," the Commander offered with another laugh, before bidding the pilots farewell as the pair left the café and headed straight for the nearby elevators. As the doors sealed behind them Eta took her first breath in what felt like hours.

"I'm so sorry I froze. If you hadn't jumped in-" she stammered.

"Eta!" Alex cut her off. "It is okay! I promise! We got through it. I order you to stop blaming yourself," she added.

"But how did he know your name, and the name of your ship?" Eta whimpered nervously as she leaned back against the wall, trying to reign in her breathing.

"When you target a ship, you're able to read info from its registration. He'll have seen my name because the Peregrine is registered to me. I saw his name and the name of his ship before the interdiction too, I just didn't bother to commit them to memory. Never thought they'd come up again," Alex added shaking her head in disbelief.

"I still can't fucking believe that happened. The galaxy is huge. Like yeah... this is by far the closest Starport to where we got interdicted, but that was two days ago, and to be in the same café... same time... I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket because what the fuck was that?" she exclaimed, shoulders sinking. Eta could only nod nervously.

"Do you think... he was actually looking for you?" Eta asked fearfully. Alex let out a dry laugh.

"He was interested enough to check with flight control. But if he really had his heart set on that rematch he'd be waiting in the hangers, not trying to convince his friends he wasn't crazy over breakfast. Plus... he's missing... a few big bits of info on me," she added with an amused expression. Eta managed a tentative nod and she took several deep breaths.

"It's fortunate Alex can be both a woman's and a man's name," she noted quietly after a moment. Alex chuckled.

"No kidding."

"And he was very... crass about it, but he did recognize your skills as a pilot," Eta offered, wanting to say something positive. Alex laughed softly.

"That's true. He did call me a slippery bastard. And I take that as a compliment."

"But anyway..." she continued after the moment, wanting to change the subject.

"... a question from earlier... I'm your Mistress, but what are you to me? We've both agreed you're not my slave, so what are you?" she asked. Eta paused for a moment, not having an immediate answer.

"Like in your letter you said companion and friend," Alex continued curiously. "I'd be happy to call you either. But what we've got going on feels more complicated than that."

Eta nodded slowly in agreement before something caused her cheeks to flush a deep red, and she looked like she was desperately trying to shoo an idea from her mind.

"What are you thinking?" pressed Alex, gently elbowing the woman in the side as an amused smile spread across her face.

"Nothing. Nothing," Eta replied quickly. "Just a silly suggestion that is not worth repeating," she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself just as much as convince Alex.

"Well now I definitely want to hear it!" exclaimed Alex with a laugh.

"No, no. Please. It's not a good fit either," Eta insisted while still blushing. Alex leaned in further, playfully backing Eta into the corner of the elevator.

"You know, I can just order you to tell me," she teased quietly, eyes flashing. Eta let out a soft whimper before dropping her shoulders in defeat.

"You... did call me your... date earlier, so I was just thinking about..... lover," she said, her voice sounding embarrassed by her own words.

"Lover? That sounds awfully romantic," Alex said in surprise, but when Eta meet her eyes briefly the woman was wearing an expression that could only be described as hopeful.

"You... did kiss me in the store earlier," a nervous Eta pointed out. "With nothing sexual connected to it. And you made me your teddy bear. And you just bought me such wonderful clothes and food. And you've spent so much time and effort comforting and taking care of me."

"Uhhhh, yeah I guess I did," Alex replied, her turn to blush as she leaned back slightly.

"Okay," she admitted. "Despite me trying to make sure we were totally on the same page last night I guess... I pushed us into the realm of romance without really talking about it before hand. Do you... want this to be romantic?"

Eta wore an embarrassed expression as she dropped her gaze. She pulled her arms behind herself, her bags of shopping bumping into her legs as she did.

"I... hold you in very high regard. You matter to me a great deal. I would... like... to matter to you as well...." she managed quietly.

"That's a suspiciously vague answer," Alex chuckled, and Eta just blushed harder.

"Would it help if I told you that I'd be down with this being romantic?" Alex asked after another moment. Eta snapped fully upright, her eyes wide with hopeful surprise.

"Because otherwise you're just my... crew with benefits," the Commander added with a chuckle. Eta nodded frantically, but a flicker of doubt still clouded her features.

"I know that is... a large thing to agree to, and you've only known me a few days. I know being a slave has probably left me with very... odd impressions of how relationships work. But to normal people like you.... I'm sure this must be very fast and you've already given me so much. I... don't want to ask for more," she managed, voice shaking as she looked down.

Alex leaned in with a gentle smile across her face before kissing Eta again.

"Are you trying to convince me otherwise?" Alex chuckled once they finally parted, forcing Eta to lean against the wall to keep herself stable.

"And you do matter to me. Also what the hell gave you the impression I was normal?" Alex continued with an amused expression.

"I love my life. But let's be honest. I own my own ship, fly wherever I want, never know where my next paycheque is coming from, and never stay in one place long. I am far from normal. Although..." she added quickly. "... having other pilots annoyed at me enough to ask flight control where I am: that's unusual even for me."

"But there's not many people who would be happy to tag alone for that kind of life. So romance hasn't really been a thing for me. But you... are happy to tag along."

"More than just happy. Very excited to," Eta added with a feverish nod as she pushed herself back upright, prompting another quick kiss from Alex before she continued.

"But if you're already very excited to tag along, and if you're offering the trifecta of your wild technical skills, kinky sex, and lovely romance. Well sign me the fuck up!" she finished happily. Eta shivered with excitement, unable to contain the smile across her face.

"I would be honoured to offer you that!" she said, her voice quivering. "But... am I still asking you to progress too fast?" she added nervously, unable to shake off the last lingering doubts.

"Eta, life's too short to worry about that kind of bullshit. You're here, I like you, let's run with it. And you like direct answers, so here's one. I accept your offer," she said simply: Eta once again melting in her arms.

"So I guess Mistress and hot submissive lover it is!" Alex added gleefully. Eta managed a shaky nod as she slowly began to sink to her knees, but Alex caught her under the arms on the way down.

"Get back here. I can't make out with you when you're on the ground."

It took several more minutes for their elevator to reach the hangers, and when the doors finally opened they revealed Eta hastily zipping closed the front of her fight suit as a pink flush slowly faded from her cheeks. Alex held a smug smile upon her lips as she strode out, her lover hurrying along behind. And it wasn't long until the pair were entering Alex's hanger, the familiar shape of the Peregrine looming overhead.

"Stick your new clothes in whatever space you can find in my bedroom lockers. And there should be some more space in the kitchen if you need it," Alex directed as she walked briskly towards the cockpit.

"Yes Ma'am!" called out Eta as she ducked into the bedroom.

By the time Eta caught up, Alex had already requested a departure slot and was in the midst of the preflight checklist with Verity. Below Eta's feet she felt the ship's power plant jump to life: the Peregrine was waking up and beginning to spread her wings.

Eta walked up beside her Mistress, quietly kneeling as Alex ran through the last few items. At last Alex placed her hand on the throttle as she glanced down at Eta, a smile on her lips. She curled a finger towards herself, beckoning her lover closer. She leaned down and two shared a quick kiss as the Peregrine jerked into motion. The landing pad bringing them slowly towards the surface.

"Sexy as always, but go strap yourself in," she said when they finally parted lips, handing over the box containing her breakfast for Eta to hold. As the woman moved over to her seat, Alex couldn't help but watch her new lover's ass until it disappeared from her view.

"Ready?" she asked, as their landing pad came to a rest, the great hub of the hanger bay open above them.

"You're the Commander," Eta said happily. "I'm ready to follow you anywhere."

"Good answer," Alex chuckled as the thrusters underneath them ignited, lifting the Peregrine up into the flow of traffic towards the mail slot. And soon enough the little ship was passing through the shields and out into the black. Alex pulled them out of the line of vessels and sent them sweeping away gracefully as Eta felt herself pressed back into her seat. Tantalaigh Orbital slipped away behind them for the final time.

Alex reached over to her navigation panel and entered the name of the station Verity had identified: Telismann's Exchange. She let her eyes drift along the route Verity plotted out, jumping from star to star across the void. She had spent the last few days Supercruising around the same solar system, but it was high time to jump further.

She swung the nose of the Peregrine around to target the first star on the route before reaching down and hitting a sequence of switches. Eta felt something deep withing the ship's belly activate. A tremor passing through the metal all around her.

"Frame Shift Drive charging," announced Verity calmly.

"Ten"

"Nine"

"I've... never seen Hyperspace from a cockpit," Eta admitted embarrassedly, but there was also excitement in her voice.

"What seriously?"

"Stargazing was not considered a priority for slaves."

"Well... then you're in for a treat, because this is pretty cool," chuckled Alex.

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

"Engage"

The very space in front of the ship began to shimmer, which grew in force until the stars themselves seeming to vibrate in the sky as the Peregrine leapt towards them. Something cloudy began to form in front of the ship, before all at once that cloud swept over them: forming a tunnel that stretched out across the heavens with their target star at the very end. It whistled by on all sides with the force of a hurricane. but the ship cut right through the gale, leaving only a tiny vibration that could be felt through the floor.

The cloud around them contained swirling colours. Streaks of blue spilling out of the distant star. Wafts of faint green and orange periodically flashed by, with small dazzling lights streaking by all around them. And the noise! It sounded like a hurricane too. With the occasional high whistle as if from gusts of wind. Except the noise felt so far away. So safely removed from themselves. Like a rainstorm being heard through a window, ready to carry Eta off to sleep.

"It's beautiful..." she whispered, mesmerized.

"Yeah, yeah it is," agreed Alex peacefully before beckoning Eta towards herself. "Now get over here, lover."

Eta happily reached for her harness, unstrapping herself before obediently pushing off towards her Mistress. She held the remains of their breakfast carefully in her hands as she landed softly next to Alex's chair. Her magnetic boots engaging as she lowered herself into her familiar position. However her new flight suit lacked the knee magnets she was used to, and so as her knees touched the floor they simply bounced off, causing Eta to jump in surprise. Alex reached over, grabbing her lover by the shoulders to steady her as she let out a soft laugh.

"I guess you're not equipped for that anymore. But that's okay, I meant up here," she clarified as she kicked her feet up onto her scanner display. She leaned her seat back a little bit, and shifted herself sideways so she could maneuver Eta down beside her. It was a tight squeeze to fit both women between the big armrests full of controls, but neither minded. Eta wriggled herself lower so she could rest her head against Alex's shoulder. She slipped an arm underneath her Mistress' back and tossed one of her legs across hers. Alex also shifted into a position where she could get an arm behind Eta, and the two women floated together for a moment, bodies intertwined.

"How long will this jump take?" Eta asked quietly.

"Just over a day, I think. Verity can give us the exact number," Alex said with a shrug. "We've got some time."

"I will never turn down time with you," Eta said happily. Alex laughed.

"Good answer again," she chuckled.

"What... do you typically do during long jumps?" Eta asked after a moment.

"Read.... Stargaze... sleep," Alex listed with a shrug, remembering back to the boredom she had felt so many times before on these journeys.

"But you open up a world of possibilities," she chuckled, giving her new lover a quick squeeze. A flash of colour darted across Eta's face, but she nodded happily.

"But right now..." Alex continued. "I want to finish my breakfast. And I want you... to tell me what you see out there. Because you said something as we were arriving at Tantalaigh. Something you were absolutely right about. You asked how I could be bored of space when it was so spectacular, and I didn't have a good answer for you. So I want you to help me be more appreciative of it again," she concluded as she popped open her box of breakfast leftovers, plucking out a piece of bread as Eta softly began to describe every whisp and burst of colour that surrounded them.