Melia had stood in one spot for several minutes speaking with Megumi and assimilating the information that was flooding her mind. The information was extensive, and covered pretty much everything about the ship. Most of which she couldn’t share with her fellow Erali. The reason being the fact that she was now bound by the same directives as the ship’s AI. Also she found that while she was now considered captain that didn’t mean her word was law as far as the ship went. No the Soleans believed the ship’s AI and the captain to be two halves of the same whole. Which meant she was the ship’s equal, and partner.

“Are you just going to stand there or did that AI break you?” said Erisa who didn’t entirely trust the AI and wasn’t sure this was a good idea. Which is why she was planning on killing Melia the instant things went wrong. Melia looked over at her, and she noticed an almost hungry look in those eyes. A shudder went down her spine, which she did her best to suppress.

“This is absolutely incredible. This ship is a far greater treasure than we thought. These Soleans were an ascendancy, and not just any ascendancy they are the builders of the gateways. All forty seven known gates were built by them. However the gates we found only scratch the surface, they built more, millions more. In fact there is a working gate on this ship. Not only that, but they have harnessed an energy source that even the elder races thought can’t be controlled. This ship is powered by two Omega Energy reactors,” said Melia.

“Wait Omega? What is that!? I haven’t even heard of it?” asked Erisa.

“Omega is an extremely rare crystalline substance. It can be created from the more common Typheron ore. Omega is also highly unstable in its natural state, and has been known to shred hyperspace and create spatial tears when it explodes. Consequently making ftl travel in the area impossible. Which is why the Elder races forbid research on the substance. The Soleans though never signed any treaties forbidding research on this substance and the gateways are powered by it as well,” said Melia.

“Yes, I’m sure all of this is fascinating, but can you fix the ship?” asked Erisa putting aside her misgivings for the moment since she was more worried about the war.

“The ship wasn’t kidding when it said it could be fixed. Although with this level of damage it would be faster if we had access to a Solean shipyard. Anyway the ship has eight ARU cores responsible for system repair and hull regeneration. Restoring just one of the cores will allow the ship to regenerate. Five of these cores were destroyed in the battle, fortunately one of the disabled ones is still in fairly good shape. I can easily patch it and the ship will automatically start regenerating,” said Melia as she started to walk out of the room. Erisa followed her while keeping a hand on her pistol. Planning to use it at the first sign of trouble.

“So how long will it take these systems to fully repair the ship?” asked Erisa as she followed Melia down a corridor.

“Two years, but that is mostly because the ship used up its material reserves in its last battle. It will have to use an energy intensive subsystem called an EGM generator to produce the materials needed for the repairs. The ship could halve that repair time by using its primary reactors, but it won’t since its reserve of stabilized omega is a precious resource. Anyway this ship will have minimal systems restored in about three weeks,” replied Melia.

“So the ship will have minimal shields, weapons, and engines in just three weeks,” commented Erisa.

“No, the shields aren’t on the minimal systems list, neither is the cloak. It will have minimal weapons, armor, and engines restored,” answered Melia as they entered a lift. They hadn’t been able to get it to work earlier, but with a single press of a button it responded to Melia’s command. With a slight jolt it started moving downward at high speed with a gentle hum.

“Cloak!!!? Your joking! Not even the Elder races can cloak something this big,” said Erisa shocked by the casual mention of a cloaking device.

“I’m not, it seems the Soleans know more about cloaking devices than they do about shields. Their cloaking technology is far superior to any cloak we know of, in fact not only can this ship cloak, but it can fire its energy weapons, while cloaked without disrupting the cloak,” said Melia.

“Out of curiosity, how intact is the ship’s cloaking device?” asked Erisa.

“The device itself is undamaged, but it is on a deck that doesn’t have power,” said Melia after a moment of consulting the ship’s computer. Then she changed the subject, “You know the computer believes that the Soleans won the war that left it disabled and adrift.”

“Weren’t they losing that war? Beside if they won, where are they?” asked Erisa.

“That war wasn’t the first war the empire fought against a threat to all sentient life, the first was against someone called the Fallen. I’m not exactly sure how that war ended, the language used is downright archaic, but it seems to imply that the empire imprisoned the Fallen somehow, but at great cost. Afterwards the empire’s enemies attacked, forcing them to fall back to a place called Sanctuary. The computer thinks history repeated itself, and that the empire won, only to be attacked by her enemies afterwards,” said Melia.

“Why does the ship, think that the Soleans won the war?” asked Erisa as they left the lift. Melia choosing a path without hesitation, the neural interface telling her the best route to her destination.

“Because the Darkations are no longer here. It says that while they were losing the war, they had a plan to win it. The ship hasn’t told me what that plan was yet. The amount of data I have access to now is insane, it will take me years even with the computers help to read all of it,” said Melia. The next couple of minutes passed in silence before they entered the room that was their destination. In the center of the room was a large sphere shaped object, with conduits and tubes attached to it. Many of the conduits were damaged and the outer surface of the sphere was cracked. The left wall was cracked the bulkhead having been damaged by a hull penetrating hit

Without a word, Melia opened a locker on a nearby wall. She then pulled out a toolkit and went to work. Erisa stood in the door and watched as she began repair components as if she were an expert engineer. Who knew the technology in and out, and was familiar with the alien tools she was now using. Nearly three hours passed as she worked, before the sphere began to hum. Instantly the room began to change, as the cracks in walls disappearing at an impressive rate. All around the ship, the structure began to regenerate. Disabled systems began to repair as well, the ship focusing her resources on vital systems.

The first system to come back online was the ship’s Subspace Energy Wells a type of power generator that draws energy directly from the deepest layers of subspace. As soon as the system was online it was channeled into the ARU’s EGM subsystem to generate materials for the ship’s repairs. Shortly after the wells had been brought back online, the outer hull visibly began to regenerate.

While the ship was regenerating, Melia was not idle. Going from room to room fixing consoles and patching power conduits. Which began to regenerate at an accelerated rate, once patched. Occasionally a look of pleasure would appear on her face, as she relished the sensations she was experiencing through the link.

Like this three weeks passed. Erisa spent the entire time keeping an eye on Melia. She didn’t trust the computer, and wouldn’t be surprised if it convinced Melia to betray them. Erisa wouldn’t have allowed it, if they weren’t desperately in need of the power the ship could offer them. Right now she laying in her bed in her quarters aboard the ISS Constellation. Going over her past actions. Melia was in her own which were next door, and linked. The alien crew quarters were remarkably comfortable, if odd to her. Her room and Melia’s were technically part of the captain’s quarters, which wasn’t like her own people’s ship quarters designed for one person, but multiple. Fortunately they were of roughly similar size to the Soleans which helped in making these quarters comfortable. They had taken up residence last week when the ship repaired them. The captain’s quarters were the largest suite on what was formerly deck five, but with decks one through four gone it was currently deck one. She had chosen to take the room closest to the entrance and had guards posted outside the suite, so that Melia couldn’t leave without her knowing about it. She didn’t know why, the Soleans made their officer quarters into suites, but she was taking advantage of it in this case. Her drifting thoughts were interrupted when she heard a sound. Which surprised her since it was currently late at night, looking up she saw Melia enter the room.

Melia was slightly above average in height at a hundred and forty four centimeters. She had a well developed C cup breasts and a good figure. Her long blue hair complemented her light blue skin nicely and fell to her small butt. The cute points of her ears could be seen sticking out of her hair. Her heart shaped face was devoid of the light make up she normally wore. Her cute sapphire blue eyes had an odd glint to them, and Erisa wasn’t sure where to look given that she was entirely naked. That and she was approaching with a rather seductive gait, her boobs bouncing slightly with each step. She closed on the bed and sauntered up to her before kissing her. Erisa didn’t know what to think and her mind went blank for a second as she failed to compute what just happened. Then she pushed the naked girl off her and onto her back before saying, “What are you doing Melia!?”

“Please, I can’t take it anymore. Play with me,” said Melia before trying to kiss her again. One of her hands wandering under her nightclothes. Erisa gasped when she felt the hand rubbing lightly over the top of her labia through the thin cloth of her panties. Her confused mind had no idea what was happening or why. What it did recognize was that she was in danger. Looking at the girl under her as a predator. So she tried to pull, away.

She gasped again, this time in pain from Melia pinching her clit roughly through her panties. “Naughty girl, I told you to play with me,” said Melia. The complete one eighty in her attitude was a complete shock to her. Regardless she pushed Melia away, who then began to wrestle with her. She wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but the next thing she knew she was naked and restrained on the bed. One moment she had been fighting Melia, and the next she was watching Melia as she calmly pulled out a bag and tied her up. Her muscles refusing to respond. Melia was standing naked in front of the nightstand going through a bag full of alien tools. Erisa found herself very afraid of what was about to happen, but the only entity that might be able to help her was the ship. So she decided to ask the ship questions, since asking Melia wasn’t getting her anywhere. The ship answered quite quickly.

“Oh that? She used a mind power called Psyshock. A simple power that stuns a person. I’m surprised you aren’t familiar with it. It is one of the most common mind powers out there,” said Megumi her voice seemingly coming from midair and near her ear. The answer bringing new questions to mind. She was somewhat familiar with the ability, mentioned. She knew of several predators on different worlds famed for the ability, but until today she had never experienced it. More curiously was how Melia did it, because she was fairly sure the girl wasn’t a psionic.

“But Melia isn’t a psionic?” said Erisa confused.

“She is now. Anyway looks like she found the toy she wants, so have fun,” said Megumi turning the speaker off. Some of her attention however remained in the room, as she set about to watch, while simultaneously taking care of other tasks. Melia had indeed selected a tool from the bag. It was a long rod, with a few bumps on it and ending in a glowing crystal. Melia sauntered over to her and ran her fingers lightly over her flesh. Creating sensations that she ignored, while she tried to get the girl to stop. Instead of stopping, Melia brought the tool to her nipple and the moment it touched her nipple it was like a lightning bolt ran through her. Her nipples swelled up and hardened as powerful waves of pleasure rippled through her body. Her back arched, and her pussy squirted as she went through the best orgasm she had ever experienced. The world was just coming back into focus when she heard Melia whisper into her ear, and then she felt an equally devastating wave of pain. Emanating from her other nipple, it was like someone had set every nerve in her body on fire.

I knew about this darker tendency of hers was amplified, but I didn’t think she would indulge in those desires so soon. Does look like she is having fun, though. I’ll have to take some precautions to insure this doesn’t bite her in the ass later. Tagging her playmate will help. Deep in the bowels of the ship, a single neurolite probe activates and made its way via hidden drone passages to the captain's suite.