Cleaning Up (Part 1 of 2) [18+]

Posted on 17 May 2017 @ 7:15pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Medara t'Keras & Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin
Edited on on 17 May 2017 @ 7:16pm

4,864 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: IRW Ganelax - Crew Quarters
Timeline: MD -45, 0128 hrs

[ON]

"Commander!" Saalm called out towards the Romulan woman who'd just left the vessel's detention center. Commander Medara had departed the brig only a few seconds prior after the interrogation of Ensign St. James had ended. And Lirha, after digesting the information she'd gained from the junior officer, now had even more questions than she'd originally started with.

But that wasn't why she was now following the woman. The now-sticky remains of Chorag's blood had seeped through her uniform, and the pain in her shoulder was becoming unbearable. She needed access to crew quarters, if even for only an hour, in order to calm herself and let her body recover.

When Medara turned around after Saalm had spoken her name, she looked stoically at the Orion with features devoid of any expression.

"I need access to a sonic shower. And to privacy, for several hours," Lirha asked of the woman before turning back to motion to Ban and Franklin who were still inside the brig. "All of us do. We have been through much recently."

Medara regarded Saalm and her appearance -- her disheveled hair, sweat-and-blood-soaked uniform, and the grime on her green skin. It would be cruel to deny such a basic right to the Orion who'd done much more for Kreanus than she'd ever expected her to.

"Of course," the tall and slim Romulan answered with the slightest of nods. "Deck forty-seven, section twenty-three. There are several vacant quarters for you and your crew's use. I will inform them all of the availability."

Saalm let out a visible sigh of relief before thanking Medara. "Your hospitality is appreciated," she replied diplomatically, then turned on her heels back into the brig. When she saw Franklin, she gestured with her good hand for her to come closer. "I've spoken to Medara and arranged for crew quarters for the crew. We need to rest, and clean up."

Amaranai watched the exchange between Lirha and Medara but could not hear. When Lirha returned mentioning access to a room, Amaranai was happy. It only seemed fair, given the circumstances, that the Romulan be willing to offer them a place to rest. Amaranai nodded at the quiet statement.

"Thank you, admiral," she said, returning her proper rank to her and trying not to be giddy about following Lirha to quarters for the two of them.

She waited a moment for Lirha to lead the way.

Saalm gave Franklin a small smile, but only from the mouth. Her eyes burned with the pain of the broken bone in her back, and she felt terrible -- cold, dirty, pained, and full of private regrets that she'd eventually have to take to the grave. Lirha didn't waste any time in walking towards the turbolift and made sure to look over at Amaranai several times to make sure she was still with her. The young security chief was the only guiding light in her life at the moment.

Forty-seven decks down and several sections away from the bridge, the two of them walked with a purpose to their new temporary home. They might have only been granted an hour or two of time to use the facilities, but it was enough to make Lirha's heart beat quickly in her chest as they approached one of the doors to the crew chambers.

When they arrived at the quarters together, Amaranai wanted to make certain that no one was around to see them enter the room together. Thankfully, there was no one - not even the ship's crew - wandering at that moment. She entered the room with Lirha and as soon as the door closed, she pulled the woman into an embrace.

"I really thought one of us was going to die today," she whispered. "I'm glad we're alive. No matter what, at least we're alive."

Lirha let out a wheeze of pain when Amaranai hugged her but then quickly tried to conceal it. The embrace felt warm, yet she could only manage to reach up with one hand to return the affection. In order to compensate, she rested her head on Franklin's shoulder and let out a soft breath. "..Yes," she whispered, "I'm relieved you weren't injured." She suddenly raised her head to look the Amaranai in her eyes and glance over her body. "Were you?" she hesitantly asked.

Amaranai could feel Lirha's body tense with the hug and she let go after just a moment.

"Just minor injuries," Amaranai said. "I'm sure I'll need a full checkup at some point down the line."

Amaranai looked into the eyes of her lover.

"You, on the other hand," she started, then paused to kiss the green-skinned woman and the released her lips. "Were brave against a terrible foe. You saved us. All of us." Another pause. "You saved me."

A wave of relief washed over Lirha. She'd seen Amaranai being strangled by Chorag on DuJa'Q's bridge, and in the moment, had felt helpless to intervene. It was a terrible feeling that'd motivated her with the willpower to get back to her feet and fight -- to be strong enough to jump on the Klingon and stab him in the neck. But she didn't think she'd saved them...on the contrary, she'd failed. Somehow, some way, she hadn't paid enough attention to the joint Federation-Kreanan crew to observe the subtle hints that a mutiny was in the works. That was her failure as a commanding officer, and one of the many she'd been guilty over over the past month.

She let Amaranai kiss her but felt full of shame. It was hard to even look back up into her lover's eyes, but she forced herself to in order to present a fake smile to Franklin.

Slowly releasing her arms from around Lirha, Amaranai began to undress her commanding officer. Once her clothes were hitting the ground, Amaranai removed her own.

She took Lirha by the good hand and led her to the sonic shower where she turned it on. She waited a moment and then pulled Lirha inside. Instead of moving, however, Amaranai just held Lirha gently for several moments. No words. No movements. Just an embrace of love and happiness that they were not dead.

Teary wetness soon began to drip on Amaranai's shoulder. Within the embrace, Lirha's legs felt weak and her head was once again dripped onto the Human's collarbone. Silent tears streamed from the Orion's eyes which eventually turned into subdued sobs now that the full processing of recent events was allowed to take place. Caine was dead. Fraiser was dead -- their daughter left to be an orphan because of Lirha's own incompetence. And Derani was diagnosed with brain trauma after another of her own crew, St. James, had attacked her. And Wyatt was on a stretcher barely able to stand while her XO, Ban, had suffered from a severe knife wound.

"..I'm so sorry.." the Orion managed in between sobs. "...This is my fault....all of it.."

Amaranai stood there holding Lirha and let her cry. She said nothing, though, letting the woman take all the time she needed to deal with the emotions. When Lirha finally spoke, Amaranai put a hand on the back of her head and cooed slightly.

"You don't have to be," she said after a few moments. "You're a Starfleet admiral and you didn't get those pips by sitting on your beautiful ass." She paused. "You were out there in the galaxy, exploring, interacting, negotiating and surviving." She lifted Lirha's head to meet her gaze. "You did what you had to do. Yes, people were hurt or died and that will live with all of us. But you have nothing to feel sorry about."

The brunette leaned in and kissed the full lips on the Orion and then allowed her to put her head back on Amaranai's shoulder.

The junior lieutenant's words were sincere and comforting. And they should have made Saalm feel better, except that they didn't. The more she thought about the perils they'd been through over the past month-and-a-half, the more her emotions began to spiral down into the dark rabbit abyss. She closed her eyes tightly and focused on her breathing in an attempt to regain her composure. Slowly, as Chorag's blood was washed off her body and down the drain by the sonic vibrations, she was able to find a small semblance of peace. The scent of Amarani's sweat was comforting, and the feeling of her body so close to her was something she wanted to hold on to forever.

After a few long minutes, and with no more tears, Lirha looked up from Amaranai's shoulder and rested her green forehead against the Human's. "You shouldn't see me like this," she said with a weak grin. "It's unbecoming of a commanding officer." Had it been anyone other than Franklin, she would have kept her feelings to herself -- buried them and saved them for another time, when she had privacy. But being with Amaranai was that other time, and even though their encounters had been brief, she felt trust and comfort every time she saw her.

Amaranai stood there, their naked bodies clinging to each other, their thoughts being washed away with the dried blood and sweat. She listened as Lirha spoke up again and Amaranai smiled as the admiral did.

"I think those rules are so stupid," she said, bluntly. "You're a commanding officer. You have a lot of pressure on your shoulders. You should be allowed to feel whatever what you want."

She kissed her again, briefly, and turned off the sonic shower. She led Lirha out of the shower and to the bed. She lay Lirha down first and then lay down with her. There was nothing sexual needed at the moment. What the two of them needed was to hold each other and rest.

Saalm adjusted herself in bed to relieve some of the pressure on her injured shoulder while wrapping a green arm around Amaranai's chest. Her hand stroked her partner's breasts and shoulders with affection while she surveyed her beautiful face. "I never thought I would feel relieved to be aboard a Romulan warbird," she admitted with a light shake of her head. Now that she was digesting the entirety of the situation they now found themselves in, it seemed beyond absurd. "I spent three years of my career as an intelligence officer monitoring Romulan communications and fleet activity after the Hobus disaster...and never thought that two years later I would be collaborating with one of their splinter factions."

"I'm just glad to be on a starship," Amaranai countered. "I've been in space for so many years now that my equilibrium seems off when I'm not on a ship."

She chuckled and let her hand play with the Orion's hair.

"As long as you don't mention that during the formal inquiry, I think you'll be okay."

She reached her arms above her head to stretch. She wrapped her arms around Lirha again and sighed. Amaranai was happier than she had been in a long time.

The inquiry, Lirha thought with an internal sigh. It was something she'd managed to push to the very back of her mind while aboard DuJa'Q, but now that their arrival back in Federation space was only a few hours away, she began to think more and more about it. Most importantly, the possible consequences for not only her individual actions as a captain, but also those of the collective crew. "It will be...difficult to explain everything to Starfleet Command in a way they can understand."

Listening to the green-skinned woman in her arms, Amaranai nodded, knowing that the inquiry that was coming was going to be tough for the entire crew, but especially for Lirha. Amaranai smiled again.

"Starfleet Command has trouble understanding anything anymore," she said. "They've been sitting at desks on Earth for too long. They haven't been out here for a long time."

Amaranai understood the need for the inquiry but knowing what Lirha and the rest of the crew had been through while on Kreanus, made Amaranai feel that it was all justified.

"Let's not think about it right now," she said and pulled Lirha closer into an embrace and a kiss. "For now, we rest, we love and we eat." She paused and kissed her again. "But not in that specific order."

Lirha closed her eyes and happily returned Amaranai's affections. She pressed her lips gently against the junior lieutenant's while lapping her tongue's way gently into her mouth. She was a good kisser, and a not only a prime example of the Human female body, but also a sensual girl.

"I can eat you while loving you, and then we can rest afterwards?" she teased with a mischievous grin against Amaranai's lips. She kissed Amaranai's neck then tugged on the bottom of her earlobe with her teeth. "Does that sound fun?" she whispered seductively. Somehow, all the thoughts of the inquiry had vanished from Lirha's thoughts and were now replaced by her feelings for the woman she was cuddling with.

Amaranai could feel the smile in the kiss and smiled back at her comment. It was a pleasant thought and one that Amaranai had already considered once the shower was over.

"Of course it does," Amaranai said as she rolled on top of Lirha and began to kiss her. "But I'm the hungry one."

With that, Amaranai's lips started to kiss across Lirha's face, down her neck and across her chest and down her abdomen. Despite having dried off from the shower, Amaranai could notice the wetness from her lover.

A content whimper escaped Lirha's lips. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply while pushing her chest up and into Amaranai's kisses. It took a bit of delicate positioning, but she was finally able to adjust herself so that her injured shoulder blade was resting on one of the soft bed pillows beneath her back in order to avoid any pain. Her green fingers followed Amaranai's head and sunk themselves deep into the Human's dark hair where they started to stroke and massage her scalp. Instinctively, Lirha spread her legs for her lover and hooked one of her heels on the back of Franklin's shoulder for support.

The brunette noticed Lirha move slightly and she knew it was because she was in a lot of physical pain, but the physical pleasure they were about to share was hopefully going to alleviate some of that. She continued her motions and began to kiss the inner thighs of the green-skinned woman. Even though this was only the second time they had been together in bed, she already knew what Lirha liked and did her best to pleasure the woman.

In between involuntary twitches of her thighs muscles as they were sensually kissed, Saalm began to ponder more about Amaranai. It seemed strange, but whenever she saw her -- her gold collar and dark hair, accompanied by her slim and athletic frame -- all of her frustrations and turmoils seemed to melt away. She briefly thought about her two unborn children that'd been lost during the attack on her former starship, as well as the physical scars that had since been removed. Lirha never would have thought that less than two months later, she would have found someone who cared about her in a seemingly more deep manner than her former wife. Or anyone that could help erase the pain she privately felt. But somehow it had happened, and for that, the Orion felt lovestuck.

Lirha opened her eyes and lifted her head in order to look down into Amaranai's gorgeous irises. "You are so beautiful..." she whispered to her.

Amaranai was concentrating on the moment - not considering anything else at the moment - and then suddenly she was brought out of the pleasure, but for a good reason. Her eyes had wandered up the long body of her lover and caught the other's eyes and her words. She had been called beautiful in the past and even believed it sometimes, but for some reason, this time, when Lirha said it, she knew that it was true. She could feel the love behind the words and it took a moment for Amaranai to realize what to say or do. Instead of speaking, she smiled, nodded. After a moment, her mouth moved closer and her tongue entered Lirha, licking and nibbling the folds. After a few more silent moments, Amaranai sat up and looked to Lirha.

"You're very important to me," she said with a whisper. "I think you are beautiful and wonderful and powerful and sensual all at the same time."

Amaranai lay down next to Lirha and kissed her, letting their tongues dance.

With only one good arm, the Orion managed to wrap it around Franklin's shoulders and curl the two of them on their sides in order to flip positions so that Amaranai was now on her back. With loving passion, Lirha returned her partner's kisses with fullness. Her eyes closed once again, and she licked Franklin's tongue clean of her own flavor. As her body slowly pressed itself down tighter against Amaranai's, her breath quickened. She hadn't quite come to fulfillment when the junior lieutenant had licked her, and now needed a full release.

Lirha's green thighs spread out over the side of Amaranai's slim waist to allow the admiral to rub her soaking sex against the woman's hip. With sensual and determined gyrations, Saalm began to rub herself against her partner. Her lips broke off the kiss while her head dipped down to Amaranai's neck where she began to pant with passion and let out warm breaths against the woman's skin. Moans of pleasure began to echo throughout the room while Lirha's hips and lower abdomen rythmatically snaked against Franklin's body.

The tension and buildup was exquisite -- Lirha let out a final gasp before burying her head into Amaranai's shoulder and biting her creamy skin with her teeth. A muffled cry of ecstasy signaled the beginning of her climax, which rocked her to the core and caused her body to twitch and spasm.

The motion of Lirha riding Amaranai's hip was enough to get the security officer excited as well. She began to move her hip in rhythm with Lirha to give her extra pleasure. Amaranai's hands drifted across the woman's body as she moved and when Lirha's body gave indication that she was close, Amaranai thrust her hands around her waist to pull her as tight as possible against her own hip, letting the juices spill onto Amaranai as she felt Lirha's body explode and then suddenly relax.

At the same time, Amaranai felt a bite - not a nibble - in her shoulder. It caught her off guard but it didn't bother her. She knew it was Lirha's way of showing affection and, at least, right now, she liked it. She purred in pleasure at seeing Lirha's body relaxing. Her own body was now aching for its release and she climbed onto Lirha's leg and began a similar rocking motion against the green leg to entice her own orgasm.

Saalm's vision now took on a hazy view of the world. Her glazed, light green eyes stared at her lover and were accompanied by involuntary twitches in her abdomen that were the result of her lingering ecstasy. And now, with Franklin grinding her wet sex up and down her leg, Lirha briefly closed her eyes and allowed the bliss to overtake her.

Orion sexuality was often misunderstood by Alpha Quadrant species and even many in the Beta Quadrant. The common stereotype of their propensity for intimacy often labeled them as hedonistic, wildly savage, and undisciplined. But the truth was much more complex. Orion biology had developed in an uncommon way over millions of years which allowed their partners to join not only at the physical level, but also at the cerebral. Their naturally-occurring pheromones were simply an extension of the species' bonding practices but they also held a hidden secret that not many were aware of. The Art of Sex, as Humans often referred to it, gave Orions the ability to experience out-of-body euphoria in the most intense of moments. And one of such moments was now.

Lirha relaxed herself fully into the mattress of the bed and let her body submissively slide up and down against the sheets while Amaranai rode her with force. Her vision departed from her pupils and she was soon able to view the two of them from above in the bedroom, looking down at their naked bodies that were involved in a passionate dance of pleasure. Whether or not it was a clear vision or simply a chemical rapture released within her brain remained a mystery, but the result felt the same to the admiral.

She watched each sensual movement that Franklin made and took in every curve of her body; every sound she made, every scent she produced, was added to the mating experience and helped her join with her partner. She smiled a murmured softly in her own native tongue, then reached up with her good arm to lightly stroke Amaranai's lips with her olive fingertips.

As Amaranai moved faster against Lirha's body, she noticed the woman close her eyes momentarily. Amaranai she was just into the moment as well. And why not? She moaned when she found the perfect spot and began to rub herself faster against the woman's leg. Faster. Faster. Then she slowed down for a moment to catch her breath and then started to move again, this time using her own fingers at the same time. Amaranai's eyes were closed now - this close to orgasm - but she felt Lirha's fingers across her own lips. Faster. She screamed after another moment as the climax peaked and shot wave after wave of ecstasy through her body. Amaranai let out a deep breath that had been held during her climax and collapsed onto Lirha, panting.

It was almost a minute of panting and writhing before Amarnai opened her eyes fully to take in her lover's gaze.

"I don't want to leave this moment," she whispered. "Can we just stay here?"

Lirha slowly came out of her trance and blinked when her vision returned to its normal state. Instinctively, she reached down and cupped Franklin's firm bottom with her hand before stroking it with affection. "..Of course," she smiled. Neither of them were in much condition to go anywhere at the moment -- in fact, they were a wet and sticky mess. Lirha hadn't realized it during her astral moment, but she'd come a second time when the junior lieutenant had been riding her, and her body was pleasantly exhausted. Without saying another word, she closed her eyes again then leaned her head up to lovingly kiss her new mate.

Laying there in bliss with the sweat and juices of her lover covering her body, Amaranai was still panting. Her body was still trying to calm down as she felt Lirha's hand on her bottom. She smiled as the woman leaned against her and kissed her. Amaranai accepted the kiss gently and sighed. She closed her eyes and for the first time in some time, her body actually rested.

Giving a final kiss to Franklin's neck, Lirha wrapped her arm around her waist and closed her own eyes as well. The two of them needed time to cuddle and rest, for within the next few hours, they would soon be faced with more challenges. "Rest, my love," she contently whispered into her ear.

Amaranai smiled as she slipped into slumber. Her thoughts fading away, being replaced by the pleasure that she had just experienced. She wanted to keep this moment alive as long as possible but she was now exhausted and she wanted to rest. Food, clothes and other essentials would have to wait for the couple to sleep and move forward.


One hour and thirty-seven minutes later...

A slight vibration from within the Romulan warbird slowly roused the Orion from her sleep. It was a simple microvibration that'd occurred when the vessel had performed a course change, but coupled with her seemingly-dreamless nap, it was enough to cause her eyes to slowly flutter open and take in her surroundings. She felt warm and relaxed, and took notice of a warm, intimate body cuddled on top of her. Amaranai, she suddenly remembered as the flood of recent memories returned to her thoughts. She inhaled deeply then let out a long breath while stretching her arms out and yawning softly into Franklin's ear.

She had gone so long without proper sleep that when it finally came, her brain didn't know what to do. Instead of proper dreams of dragons and fantasy, the only image she saw was of she and Lirha, lying on a grassy hill somewhere far from Starfleet, seemingly having run away from it all. As she lay there, she felt a soft breeze on her ear and cheek. She smiled at the dream Lirha, lost in the happiness. But the dream Lirha wasn't doing anything - she had fallen asleep - leaving Amaranai to sit atop the hill with nothing to do. She felt the breeze again and her body suddenly realized it was the real world calling and her body shot upright very quickly.

It took a moment for Amaranai to comprehend not only her surroundings but the circumstances that had brought her to the situation. She turned and saw Lirha and smiled.

"Sorry," she said. "Old habit."

Swallowing a bit of lingering discomfort from her injury, Lirha managed to sit up and slide both of her green arms around Amaranai's waist. While she finished waking up and let the haze of their long nap wash away, she trailed her sharp fingernails up and down the security officer's back from her shoulder to her waist. Lirha kissed her softly on her lips before looking into her sleepy eyes. "Bad dream?" she cooed, then slowly sat up on her haunches and looked to the Romulan chronometer on the nightstand. Over an hour and a half had passed since they'd fallen asleep which didn't leave them much more time to clean up.

Amaranai felt Lirha's arms embrace her and her fears vanished. She remembered where she was and why she was there and most important, who was with her. She shook her head at the question and moved the conversation forward.

"I'm now officially starving," she said. "And not just for you," she said with a kiss to the woman. "But food, even if it is Romulan food."

"I'm sure we can find something to eat in their mess hall?" Saalm proposed. "I don't trust their replicators make anything more than serviceable food for us..." She reluctantly detached herself from Amaranai and swung her legs of the side of the bed before getting to her feet. A few aches and pains shot through her, but nothing she couldn't manage.

Lirha made her way to the replicator to procure clean garments, then handed Amaranai two loose-fitting articles of casual Romulan dress. She took the other pair and began to dress herself by pulling the tunic over her head then the pair of trousers up to her waist. "Have you ever eaten hlai?" she asked.

The brunette was a little disappointed when Lirha climbed out of bed, but the ache in her stomach was overpowering the ache in her loins for more from her lover. She smiled at the comment about the replicators and wondered just how "serviceable" they would be for humans.

When the clothes were tossed to the bed, Lirha pouted slightly as she looked at them. They were drab, colorless pieces of clothing that did nothing to accentuate any part of her body, which, Amaranai expected, was the whole point of Romulan clothing.

Amaranai stood up and started to dress when she heard the question. She thought for a moment to all of her time in Starfleet and then shook her head.

"Can't say that I have," she said. "Is there any equivalent to something I might have tried?"

"Chicken, perhaps?" Lirha grinned. "Or maybe turkey?" Earthlings had many flightless birds that they enjoyed eating, and for Romulans, it was their equivalent.

Her clothes put on, Amaranai moved closer to Lirha as she answered.

"If you say so," she said. "I'd at least like to say I've tried it."

She paused as she wrapped her arms around Lirha once more and kissed her long and passionately on her lips.

"What I'd give for more of this," she whispered. "But I really need to eat something."

"Let us eat then," the Orion said, agreeing with both sentiments. She took Amaranai's hand in her green one, then led them out of the room and into the long corridor.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

RADM Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer

Lt. jg. Amaranai Franklin
Assistant Chief Tactical / Security

CMDR Medara t'Keras
Commanding Officer
IRW Ganelax
[PNPC Saalm]

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