"You want us to what now?!" Perez yelled in disbelief, as he watched Naina and Valera in front of him, both grinning from ear to ear. Both of them nodded eagerly and started pointing at the two datapads they brought with them.
"There is a 11.78 percent change that the Infinity's hull will collapse, if we re-enter the sub-space bubble in our current state," Quera said.
"No, not in our current state. Quera, calculate the possibility with our shields being perfectly polarized with the spbub, uh, sub-space bubble," Naina said.
Valera and Perez glanced at each other and chuckled.
"With a perfectly polarized shield, there's a 0.043 percent chance of a hull collapse, and a 99.64 percent chance of reduced damage to the ship during re-entry," Quera said. "I must, however, point out, that we don't actually have a perfectly balanced shield, Captain Melcey."
"Not yet," Valera said with her grin reaching her ears. "We're just working on it."
"What are you girls up to now?" Perez asked.
"Papá," Valera said happily. "I think Naina and I came up with a solution that might be better than either of us ever imagined."
"I'm not going to even pretend to understand what you're saying, but I've come to trust Captain Melcey. And you, I have always trusted. We'll do what you two say," Perez said, nodding.
"You and Quera, get us within throwing distance of the bubble, but not into it. Just, as close as you can. We'll get to work and then we'll see if we're just two crazy women who need to get their heads checked, or if we just came up with the craziest theory in the world since some suggested that the Terrans were the first intelligent species in the galaxy," Naina said and giggled.
"I'm intrigued, but I'm afraid to ask," Perez said, and shook his head. "I'll get the ship where you want. Good luck with your project. Quera, if you will, start the engines, please?"
"Affirmative, Captain Perez," Quera said. "See, Captain Melcey, it is possible to ask nicely."
"It is," Naina said flatly. "I just choose not to."
Perez erupted into laughter while Valera couldn't help but giggle. Perez walked away, muttering something about Naina and Quera being two peas in the same pod.
"Captain Melcey," Quera said.
"Yes?" Naina asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I've come to enjoy my new capabilities and the features of this ship. I would like to keep existing in my current form. Please be careful," Quera said.
Naina grinned. "Sure, I'm as careful as always," she said, grinned, took Valera's hand, and lead her towards engineering.
With nobody in the small room anymore, it looked smaller and darker. The women's receding voices grew quieter by the step.
"You are never careful, Naina," Quera's quiet voice broke the silence. "You run head first into everything, and you never stop to think. You run like you have nothing to lose."
For a few minutes, there were no other sounds, except the now-familiar low hum as Quera started the Infinity's engines.
"You have something to lose, now, Naina," Quera's voice echoed in the empty room. "Don't lose her. You can't take it if you lose her. Your heart is more fragile than you admit."
Down in Engineering, Valera was sitting on top of a big storage crate, watching Naina take apart the Polarizers' control console. Her troubled expression was accompanied by nervous finger tapping on the crate.
Naina was humming happily as she unscrewed things and occasionally looked into the console, raising her eyebrow and tilting her head. And then continuing to remove more panels.
Valera dropped her gaze, and her lips turned slightly downwards. "Sorry," she mumbled softly.
"What was that?" Naina said, as she got up, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, my head was inside that thing. I can hear anything there."
Valera shook her head. "Nah, it was nothing. Just ..." she said and left it hanging in the air.
"Valera ..." Naina said and walked to her. Setting down her screwdriver, she intertwined her fingers with hers, locking eyes with her lavender gaze. "Tell me. I know something's bothering you. You're my Paired now. I can feel it."
Valera took a deep breath, looked down, and then raised her gaze to meet Naina's luminous green eyes. She lifted one eyebrow and tilted her head. "You know what? I can feel you. Did that ritual of yours actually work? I thought it was just old elven myths, and you said it was something that was only possible a long time ago?"
She raised her hands and gently brushed the paler elf's cheek with her finger. She smiled and looked deep into those emerald lakes. She felt her heart beat faster, and her cheeks getting warmer. Placing her hand on Naina's cheek, she reacher forwards and touched her nose with her own.
Her expression softened, as she could feel the elf's happiness and excitement. For some reason, she could feel that Naina was happy and content. And that there was nothing she should be sorry about.
She chuckled softly as she brushed her pale cheek again. "It was really nothing. I thought that I was sorry I couldn't help you with what you were doing, but I can see now it doesn't bother you," Valera whispered softly.
Naina smiled widely. She brushed her finger over her teal-colored nose and then pressed it gently. "You silly goose," she whispered softly. "I love doing what I do, Valera. You're much better at theories than I am. I feel the same when your brain is working inside that pretty head of yours. But I know you like it, so I try to just let you do you."
She placed her pale hand on top of her teal one. Happiness and joy, mixed up with a tad of embarrassment and a healthy addition of lust, filled her mind. Witnessing the emotions and feelings, her eyes expanded in surprise. She blinked slowly at her and smiled widely.
"You know what? I think the ritual did work. I can feel you." She whispered. Her cheeks grew hotter, and the tips of her ears felt hot. She looked deeply into those lavender eyes and felt her own body start to react. Warmth spread across her body, starting from her core.
"But I need to get the job done now," she whispered into her ear as he leaned forwards to almost touch her skin with her lips. She grabbed her screwdriver and straightened. "If I don't, I'll never get it done, because I just want to taste you on my lips again." She went back to the controller and resumed disassembling it, her ears glowing red, just like Valera's hair.
Valera couldn't help but blush at Naina's words, feeling a surge of desire rush through her. She knew they had work to do, but the connection between them was undeniable. As Naina continued to dismantle the control console, Valera couldn't resist stealing glances at her.
Unable to resist any longer, Valera set aside her hesitations and stood up from the storage crate. She walked over to Naina, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Naina turned, a curious yet expectant look in her eyes.
Valera took a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "Naina, I can't focus on this right now. I need you," she confessed, her voice filled with longing. "I want to feel your lips on mine, feel your body against mine."
Naina's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of surprise and desire. Without a word, she dropped the screwdriver, stood up, and pulled Valera into a passionate embrace. Their lips met in a fervent kiss, igniting a fire within them both. The world around them faded away as they lost themselves in each other's touch, their bodies intertwining with a desperate hunger.
Eventually, their need for air forced them to break their embrace, their lips lingering just inches apart. They stared into each other's eyes, their breaths heavy, and their bodies still humming with desire. The elf was the first one to turn her gaze to the side.
"We should probably finish our work," Naina said, her voice husky with longing. "But later, when we have more time, I want to give you what you desire."
Valera nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I can't wait," she replied, her voice filled with anticipation.
Author's Note: As you can probably guess from here, the next chapter will again be rather steamy. Very steam, to be exact. So, if you want, you can just skip it. No story will happen there.
Though, I'm hoping that at this point, you, the reader, have already grown to expect these things to happen in this story, and that isn't a surprise to you ;)
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