Archive of Our Own

03.5 dec – MORNING

The two naked firewarriors lay intertwined on the bed. The male Shas’La’Fo’en lay behind his partner, the female Shas'La’D’shi. Fo’en had his right arm around her shoulder and his face buried in her neck. At exactly 03.5 dec the lights came on, as they did every morning in the cadre's sleeping bays. D’shi removed her partner’s arm and sat up in bed, 'It's time Fo’en. Did you sleep well?'

'I always sleep better when I sleep next to you,' he replied, still lying in bed. Fo’en then placed his hand on her hip, but she did not remove it. So he ran the palm of his hand up the side of her taut muscular back and then down the other side to the opposite hip. D’shi looked over her shoulder and ran her fingers through the loose strands of his long brown hair.

'Remember to remove your bed slippers Fo’en,' she said now tossing her own slippers one by one into their square footwear receptacle. Laughing softly, she said, 'You’re always forgetting to do that!'

To Fo’en her laughter sounded like a joyful bubbling stream, and he never tired of it.

He now sat up on the opposite side of the bed, and removed each of his own bed slippers, tossing them into their own square footwear receptacle. Standing up, he pulled on his physical training jumper, however, D’shi was already dressed.

The first order of business was squaring away their shared bay, and then it was off to meditation and physical training. Meditation was held in the interior training hall next to the billet area. With the entire cadre standing parade, the command was given, and the whole cadre took to the floor, sitting in the traditional manner. This morning’s meditation was from the Yie’rla’rettan and would be led by the cadre Shas’nel. Directly in front of them, there appeared a wall-length hologram of a sunrise over a desert landscape. The holographic sunrise occurred in real-time as they recited this morning's sutra.

After meditation, it was time for physical training. First came stretching and then callisthenics, to be followed by a regime of individual running exercises. Fo’en helped his partner D’shi stretch, holding her leg up as she held on to his shoulders. Fo’en held her leg with both hands, and the tightness of her muscles and the smoothness of her blue skin pleased him. He enjoyed most of all looking at her face, accentuated by her soft golden-brown queue falling to one side; while her straight nasal slit made a perfect compliment to her amber-gold eyes.

Fo’en looked into those golden eyes, but they did not look back at him.

After exercise came personal cares, dressing, and then to the dining facility for the morning meal. While dressing, Fo’en helped D’shi with her environmental fio'or regs, helping her pull them up over her thighs and then over her wide blue shoulders. Fo’en imagined her blue body beneath the suit as he ran his hands over the seals and junctions. Once he inspected her uniform, he said, 'All is in order.'

D’shi turned around to check the fit of his environmental fio'tak regs. She ran her hands over the seals and junctions of the regs in the same manner as he had just done. Standing up, she ran her hands around his face to ensure the suit's seal. Her gloved hands lingered around his face before she finally gave her assessment, 'Yes, all is in order.'

'And mine?' she asked, pointing at her face seal.

He ran his hands around her face to check the seal, but she didn't look at him when he said, 'Yes, all is in order.'

'We're ready then,' she said, turning her back to him. D’shi would not look at him again for the rest of the rotaa.

Now the of them two joined the rest of their squad in the dining facility. Each of them took their preferred food and drink from a previously selected menu of nutritious offerings. D’shi had her usual kootai egg over nim’ko’nai with a cup of hot white tisan; while Fo’en had his usual, a small cutlet of textured bean protein with ge'ta bread and a cup of hot red tisan. D’shi and Fo’en joined together in the “First Bread” ritual and then began eating their morning meal.

Fo’en looked up and noticed another firewarrior from their squad, Shas'La’Vu’an coming away from the serving line with her tray. Vu’an had a darker, more robust skin tone, like that of the night sky just after the sun has set. Her face was a perfect oval shape so beloved by traditional fio artists. Her glossy hair was the colour of midnight and fell in a long queue down the left side of her face; but her nasal slit was an exotic y-shape, much like that of the famous Shas'O'Shas'erra. Her eyes, however, were of a deep amethyst colour. This morning, Vu’an moved gracefully by their table, when she stopped just opposite Fo’en.

'May I join you?' she asked without hesitation.

Stunned, Fo’en could only shake his head, “yes”.

Vu’an sat down and began her “First Bread” ritual, before beginning to eat her breakfast of sliced vegetables and a kootai egg roll with a cup of hot blue tisan. Fo’en was too distracted by her to continue eating and so he watched Vu’an as she ate her meal. She paused and lifting her head from her plate, looked at him.

'I hoped you would be sitting here,' she said, looking at him.

'Xhmm… ' he murmured, but his heart made a louder sound.

Vu’an scrutinized him closely, and he felt his face grow warm. But then she picked up a slice of her vegetable kootai roll with her quick sticks, and gently placed it on his plate.

Fo’en stared down at the slice of vegetable roll, taking a little while to recover his composure. Then, swallowing hard, he cut off a small piece of his bean protein cutlet, and then placed it delicately on her plate with his quick sticks.

'Do you like protein cutlet?' he asked, glancing up at her.

'Yes,' she replied, looking at him. Vu’an glanced over at D’shi, who sat to the left of Fo’en; but she was too busy eating her meal, and listening to the gossip of another female firewarriors. So, Vu’an returned her gaze to Fo’en.

He in turn looked at her.

She looked back at him.

And the two of them would look at each other for the rest of the meal.

05.0 dec – LATER THAT MORNING

The training schedule had the cadre in the p’gri’saal or training dome; for a high-intensity battlefield simulation. The exercise called for a simulated insertion via TY-7 troop transports from a large AX-83 drop ship, against a Be’gel-held planet. The mission was to secure a landing zone for a second, larger force. On the holographic “planet” the terrain was tork’ans and tork’ans of white-gold sand dunes, broken up by large formations of black rock; which were then interspersed with patches of grey-green ground plants. Upon landing, the cadre deployed in an open perimeter, each squad taking cover behind a rock formation. The TY-7s were then pulled back to provide covering fire or extraction, as the need required.

The last words of the cadre Shas'nan had been, 'As always with the Be'gel, expect the unexpected.'

Fo’en was the anchorman of his squad's far left flank. On his right was D’shi and further down the right side was Vu’an next to their squad leader Shas'Ui'Ty're. The gap between their squad and the next was a mere four tor’leks wide but was covered by the transport's two detached gun drones. Behind them, in a second defensive perimeter along with the TY-7 transports, was the XV-88 missile team, two TX-77 missile tanks, and the cadre's XV-104. And somewhere in the sky above them waited the cadre commander with the remaining XV-08 crisis battlesuit teams.

Fo’en scanned the white-gold sand dunes with its horizon of pale pink sky. The black rocks behind which they were deployed seemed to pop up everywhere. Fo’en thought that all the rocks must have been just one interconnected mass. As if the landscape was made up of a massive block of black rock, hidden just beneath the sand. He looked up, making sure to scan the sky above for any unusual objects. Then he took the time to scan behind their position. He could see, at a distance of fourteen or fifteen tor’leks, a solitary XV-88 along with its two missile-shield drones. The battlersuit’s sensor array, or “head”, scanning the horizon from left to right.

++Nervous?++ asked Shas'la D’shi across his intercom link.

++No, watchful,++ he replied via his comlink, shifting his weight away from her.

Fo’en looked left and noticed that one gun drone was more than a tor’lek off the ground, keeping its pulse carbines aimed at the horizon. The other was only a few tor’lis off the ground and seemed to be slowly scanning the ground closer in. He watched as the drone slowly rotated to face the rear and then moved forward half-a-tor’lek, only to then stop. Fo’en took the cue and turned to look behind him again.

++Do you see something Shas'la Fo’en?++ asked the squad leader Shas'Ui'Ty're.

++Just following the drone's lead Shas’ui,++ he answered.

Less than ten tor’leks behind them was a line of low grey-green shrubs, some barely rising above the level of the sand. Occasionally there was a taller plant stem, that rose above the rest of the shrubbery. It dawned on Fo’en that these taller stalks rose up at too regular of an interval. The second drone suddenly shot up into the air, at the same time Fo’en thought he saw a pair of eyes staring back at him from a stalk of grey-green shrub.

The detonation of the photon grenades roused the hidden Be'gel out of the sand.

'WAAAGH!' screamed the Be'gel as they heaved their green bodies out of the sand and rushed the squad. A large Nob headed directly for Fo’en.

++Enemy to the rear! Enemy to the rear! Enemy infantry within the perimeter!++ shouted Fo’en, commencing rapid fire.

The main engagement went on and off for the better part of two decs. The Be’gel hidden in the sand were only a diversion, as the bulk of the green aliens were hidden in the sand far out beyond the perimeter. They had everything hidden: Boyz, Buggies, Bikes, Trukks, War trakks, and of course more Boyz. The only thing that saved the cadre was that the Be'gel came at them so haphazardly. The cadre was therefore able to recover slightly before each new attack. Still, it took the insertion of the Shas'el and her crisis suit teams to prevent a total rout.

The Be’gel Tank-Bustas team however had still managed to reach the XV-104, and detonate its Nova reactor. The explosion and concussion were incredible, and the carnage visited on the cadre was horrific. Much, much too real thought Fo’en for any training simulation. In the chaos of the engagement a Be'gel Earth caste engineer, or Big Mek, and his team of Spanna Boyz, got so close enough to take out both of the TX-77 missile tanks. But they were gunned down as they tried to strip the wrecks of everything that was useful, and not so useful. The cadre also lost two of its three XV-88s to Burna Boyz, who then took out an entire squad of firewarriors in a single tsunami of flame. Again, much too real for Fo’en.

At present, the remnants of the cadre sat waiting to be evacuated, as another cadre had arrived to take their place. The location was just inside the perimeter and adjacent to one of the destroyed missile tanks. Half of Fo’en's squad were casualties: four killed and two wounded. Those killed included Shas’Ui’Ty’re and Shas’La’D’shi and the wounded included both Shas’La’Vu’an and himself. Fo’en had his left arm in a sling, after sustaining a 'broken shoulder blade' when a Nob sliced his arm shield in half. Vu’an however was not so lucky, and she suffered an 'injured right leg' due to being shot at close range with a Grot six-shoota. To add insult to injury, the same small Be'gel who had wielded the primitive firearm, also injured the same leg by biting it.

Presently, Fo’en and Vu’an found themselves guarding their 'dead' comrades, who had all been replaced by holographic bodies. The actual deceased squad members having been sent to H'kek'an, or the Land of the Dead, i.e. the training dome briefing room. In all likelihood, they were just sitting around and having refreshments, as they waited for the exercise to be over. Meanwhile, Fo’en and Vu’an had to sit patiently with their pretend wounds surrounded by various holographic tanks and missile parts.

++Any word Shas'La'Vu’an?++ asked Fo’en keeping his eye on a dangling seeker missile that was swaying much too close to his head.

++No word Shas'La'Fo’en,++ she replied. Then, removing her helmet, she motioned for Fo’en to do the same. 'I've set my comlink to "receive only",' she said, speaking out loud.

Fo’en removed his helmet, saying, 'I also have set my comlink to “receive only”.'

Vu’an put her helmet in her lap and looked at him, saying, ‘I wrote you a poem Fo’en.'

‘A poem? For me?’

‘Yes.’

With her amethyst eyes looking into his own steel-grey eyes, she recited in her melodious voice:

The huntress sought
the sapphire crane,
who stands alone,
among the dark,
brown heather.

Fo’en turned away, his cheeks flushing a deep blue.

'Have I offended you Fo’en? Please, if I am too forward, you must tell me!'

'No, your poem touches me deeply,' he said, still avoiding her gaze. Then, turning to look her in the eyes, he said, 'It’s just that I never knew you felt that way towards me.'

‘I have felt that way towards you for a long time Fo’en.'

The signal that the exercise was over, came across their comlink antennas, and the holographic simulations immediately disappeared. The remaining members of the cadre then got up and moved towards the exits.

7.3 dec – EVENING

After the after-action review was complete, the cadre returned to the barracks to store weapons and equipment. Vu’an stood in line immediately behind D’shi, and as she handed in her weapon, helmet, and power pack, Vu’an asked her, 'Please La’D’shi, would you walk with me a little while?'

'Yes, sister I will.'

The two firewarriors made their way down the hall towards the dining facility. Vu’an turned towards her sister firewarrior and asked, 'You share a sleeping bay with La’Fo’en do you not?'

'Yes, but you knew that already. Why do you ask?' D’shi’s amber eyes flashed with a golden light, and she leaned in close to whisper, 'Did you want to know if he is taken?'

'T’ah, I did,' replied Vu’an, who then said in a more serious tone. 'But the two of you also share a bed as well?'

'Well, yes, but that's because Shas’La Fo’en sleeps better when he's next to… well, next to someone. However, it is Shas’La’R’nan from third squad who meets my needs, rather than Shas’La’Fo’en,' replied D’shi looking down with a slight curl to her upper lip and a blue blush on her cheeks.

Vu’an saw her little smile and blushing, and so paused before speaking again.

'As for Fo’en then, is there no female firewarrior who attends to his needs?' asked Vu’an looking sideways at D’shi.

'None that I know of?' replied D’shi now without her smile, but still blushing.

'Then may I ask, would you be averse to his being reassigned to my sleeping bay?' inquired Vu’an using the informal inflexion.

'T’eh?' replied D’shi opened mouthed.

'You say he does not meet your needs, and therefore you do not meet his needs, correct? So, would his reassignment then be acceptable to you?' asked Vu’an switching to the formal inflexion and looking D’shi in the eye.

'Yes, if he meets… all of your needs,' answered D’shi her amber eyes darting from side to side. 'All is done in the service to the Tau'Va after all and... '

D’shi stopped for a moment to touch her right hand to her forehead, her face was now completely flushed, blazing forth with a deep indigo colour. 'T’oh, why not? Certainly then… well alright… whatever you want Vu’an… I do… do not… object.'

'Nuni sister D’shi,' said Vu’an stopping to bow formally.

'Nunco sister Vu’an,' answered D’shi bowing awkwardly in return.

D’shi looked up from her bow only to catch a glimpse of Vu’an, as she moved quickly down the hall towards the dining facility.

The spacious dining facility glittered in the opulence of the fio’sorral artwork, as the firewarriors of the cadre waited patiently for their turn to be served. The dinner queue was long and ran straight back down the hallway, and Fo’en was almost to the serving line when he heard a voice behind him.

'La’Fo’en! La’Fo’en! Wait, I must speak to you?' shouted Vu’an walking up to him briskly.

'Yes, La'Vu’an?'

'Please come with me, I need to talk to you.'

'T’ah, alright,' he answered, stepping out of the line and following her.

'Do you like kweegee kabobs? I’ll pay for dinner at Kos'tas' Kabobs?' asked Vu’an on the fly, her amethyst-coloured eyes flashing with excitement.

Fo’en was unsure of what he should do next, but he relaxed when Vu’an touched his arm. The warmth of her hand melted away his anxiety. And he answered with, ‘Of course, I like kabobs.'

At Kos'tas they stood at the outdoor counter eating their kweegee and vegetable kabobs. Vu’an, ever the disciplined firewarrior, held her news until they were finished eating. Fo’en, the ever-disciplined firewarrior refrained from asking her about it until they were finished eating. Vu’an put down her empty kabob stick and turning to him said, 'Fo’en, I spoke to Shas'La'D’shi and asked her about reassigning you...'

'Honee’mu! Honee’mu! said a diminutive but energetic Earth caste woman as she dropped a large platter of fried red tubers in front of Vu’an and Fo’en. 'I brought you and your friend some fried tubers, sprinkled with our special Kos'tas seasoning salt, so you enjoy them alright?!'

'Nuni Yiyi, nuni!' said Vu’an.

'And don't worry about paying for it Honee’mu, it's on the house!

‘Fio’Vre El’ee is everybody’s Yiyi when you come to Kos’tas.’ Then with a laugh, she added, ‘And she and her husband Vre’Kos’tas might as well be my grandparents, the way they’re so good to me!'

Vu’an laughed as she dug into the red tuber slices; which Fo’en found infectious, and in spite of the fact that they were out in public, Fo’en joined in with laughter of his own. Eventually, he forced himself to stop laughing long enough to ask, ‘You wanted to tell me something, Vu’an?’

Vu’an stopped laughing and put down her fried red tubers and said, 'I asked Shas'La D’shi if she would object to you being reassigned to my sleeping bay. She agreed that if you met my needs, and that if I met yours, then she would not object.'

Fo’en looked down at the counter and toyed with his non-alcoholic beverage, 'I see.'

'Am I rushing you? I'm moving too fast, aren’t I?'

'No, no… I’m fine with moving in with you.'

'So D’shi doesn’t meet your needs, does she? Yet you have no...'

'Yes. No one.'

Vu’an swirled a slice of red tuber in her cup of blue sauce, unsure of what to say next. Then, looking up into his grey eyes, she asked, 'So you have no one because… you want D’shi to meet your needs?'
‘Hiya-te! No, it’s because I wanted to meet her needs.'

Fo’en turned away and dropped his head. He clenched his fists, trying to control his feelings; but against his will, his eyes began to water up anyway.

Vu’an pulled him close, and letting him cry, laid his head on her shoulder.

‘My given name is Kinjuu’val,’ she whispered.

‘Mine is Su’kirsa,’ he replied through the tears.

When he was able to speak again, he lifted his head and took her face in his hands, saying, 'Kinjuu’val? Why the “Amethyst Maiden” is an appropriate name for one whose eyes are of such a deep pink colour.'

'My mother named me Kinjuu’val,' replied Vu’an looking away as her cheeks darkened. Then putting her hands on his, she asked, “Grey Fox”, is that to match the colour of your grey eyes?'

'Yes, but it was also my Great-granduncle’s given name.'

Vu’an now brought her body as close to his as propriety allowed for a couple in public. She placed the fingertips of one hand on Fo’en's hip and looked at him with her large pink eyes. Fo’en looked down at the hand on his hip and put his hand on top of hers. Suddenly overcome with emotion, he swayed back and forth on his hooves. Vu’an then touched foreheads with him, and they stood like that for a few raik’ors. Vu’an eventually pulled back to look once more into his grey eyes and say, 'I will meet your needs, Su’kirsa, and I know you will meet mine.'

'T'ah, don’t the two of them look good together?' said El’ee to her husband Kos’tas.

'O’pa!' shouted Kos’tas from behind the kabob grill.

Vu’an and Fo’en together both blushed.

11.6 dec - LATE EVENING

D’shi finished her meal before she realized that Fo’en hadn't been there at all. When she asked her squad mates about him, she was told that he had gone out to eat with Shas'La'Vu’an. This made her mildly irritated, but why? She was happy that her brother firewarrior was finally taken by a female. And a female from their cadre no less! But then still D’shi wasn't happy? Why was that? After all, Vu’an was their squadmate, and didn't she ask D’shi's permission to have Fo’en reassigned to her sleeping bay? This troubled D’shi somewhat, but putting her confused feelings aside, she went out and found Shas'La'R'nan.

The two of them joined up with another young couple to enjoy several rounds of tabletop air ve’lu. After losing twice and winning thrice, the couples then went to the Orbital's observation deck for some “private time”, before they retired for the evening. Private time on the observation deck was a rare opportunity for a couple to have some intimacy in a public space. If kissing were a Tau custom, then one might say D’shi and R’nan were going to spend their time “snogging”. Nothing so dramatic though, as they spent most of their time in another custom analogous to what the Gue’vesa might call “cuddling”. After a while, R’nan said that he wanted to get to bed as it had been a very long rotaa. So, they decided to postpone having their needs met for another evening. D’shi was fine with this, as she was quite tired too, and so they parted company for the night.

Making her way back to the billet area, D’shi saw her squad leader Shas’Ui’Ty’re with three other squad leaders from their cadre. She stopped D’shi just before she was about to turn down the hall towards her sleeping bay.

‘Shas’La’D’shi, may I have a moment of your time, please?’

‘Yes, Shas’ui,’ answered D’shi bowing to her squad leader.

‘I’ve been approached by Shas’La’Vu’an with a request to change Shas’La’Fo’en’s sleeping assignment. Are you aware of this? And if you are aware, do you agree with his reassignment?’ asked the squad leader using a formal inflexion; but at the same time speaking in a soft friendly tone.

‘Yes, Shas’ui I am aware of the request. And I have given… my consent,’ she replied in both an informal inflexion and a friendly tone.

‘Xhmm, do I detect some hesitancy La’D’shi?’

‘No. I am happy that La Fo’en has finally been taken by a female. He’s been too long without someone, don’t you think Shas’ui?’ she replied open-eyed, but with a little blush on her cheeks.

The squad leader Ty’re studied her firewarrior before speaking again.

‘Yes, he has too long been without someone.’

The squad leader now stepped closer to D’shi, and speaking both in a formal inflexion and serious tone said, ‘Why didn’t you take La’Fo’en for yourself? He is… quite fond of you?’

‘T’oh, and I of him… but after all, it would be selfish for me to have two males. Especially when…’ D’shi stopped in mid-sentence.

‘Especially when… what? Again there is hesitancy, Shas’la.’

‘Nothing Shas’ui,’ said D’shi changing her speech to both a formal inflexion and a serious tone.

‘Understand La’D’shi that once the decision has been made it will be final. No chance for reversal.’

‘I understand.’

‘Xhmm is that so? Then I am giving my authorization for the move. Unless you do have an objection?’

‘No objection Shas’ui.’

‘Know you this La’D’shi, that from here on out there will be no aloofness when you are in the presence of either Shas’La’Vu’an or Shas’La’Fo’en. No uncomfortable silences when either one of them speaks to you. And there will be no sudden and unexplainable requests for a transfer to another squad. Do you understand?’

‘Yes Shas’ui,’ answered D’shi setting her jaw.

D’shi walked so forcefully down the hall that her hooves slammed the deck with a loud, khup-khup-khup sound. Arriving at her sleeping bay, she stopped in front of the door, and in much too loud a voice said, 'ENTER!'

When the door slid open, D’shi was shocked to find that the bay’s sleeping arrangements had already been changed. The beds were split up and moved back to their original positions, just as they had been prior to Fo’en’s assignment to the bay. His bed was now back on the juntas side of the bay, and hers was now back on the toroq side. D’shi stood in the centre of the room, too confused to even think. Finally, she contacted the housekeeping drone, who informed her that, 'The bed arrangements have been changed at the request of Shas’La’Fo’en.'

And that was that.

It took longer than usual for D’shi to get ready for bed, as she spent considerable time going around in circles. It was as if the beds being moved, had somehow made her forget where everything was. Eventually, she sorted it all out; but before going to sleep, she went over and stood next to Fo’en’s bed. Pulling back the coverlet, she stared down at the impression his body had left on the mattress. It was not a deep impression, but there was just enough of one, for her to trace it with her fingers. She sat down on the bed and picked up his headrest cushion. D’shi held the cushion up to her face and inhaled deeply, trying to catch a whiff of Fo’en's scent. At this point, she decided that she would stay up and wait for him to return.

But the evening dragged on, and she finally went to bed.

Once in bed, however, D’shi found she couldn’t sleep, although she was still very tired. Her mind was troubled enough to prevent her from drifting off to sleep. But why? D’shi thought maybe it was because Fo’en had yet to return but that made no sense? He of course might be spending the whole night with Vu’an, just as she often did with R'nan. So what was the matter? But still, she couldn't fall asleep. D’shi tried reciting a meditation from the D'havre: “Drift with the current. Be not concerned with that which you cannot control.”

But it didn’t work.

Sometime after the middle dec, the Night Equine finally came and took her off to the nether world of sleep.

Fo’en came in very late, but as the following rotaa was a recuperation day, he didn't have to be up early. He entered the sleeping bay and sat down quietly on his bed. Fo’en called out softly to the bay's A.I. unit, 'Bed illumination juntas side.' The infrared light came on, giving him plenty of light to get undressed and put away his duty regs.

Fo’en looked at the head of the bed and saw that his headrest cushion was missing. Getting up, he went over to D’shi's bed. There he found her fast asleep with her arms around his headrest cushion. Gently lifting her arm, he slid the cushion out of her grasp, and then went back to his bed. He got under the coverlet; but before he could give the command, 'End illumination,' D’shi was sitting up in her bed.

'Y-y-you're… back late Fo’en? Why did you move the beds?' asked D’shi sounding like she had a cold.

'Tomorrow I move into Vu’an’s sleeping bay. The beds have to be reset to their original configuration per cadre protocols. If you want, you can change them back after I’m gone,' he answered wearily.

'Su’kirsa, but you could have done that anytime tomorrow. Why do it tonight? I mean… Well, I thought that you always slept better with… someone next to you?' asked D’shi using his given name.

'Ya’tan, I’ve always slept better when I sleep next to you,' he replied using her given name. Fo’en then turned around and faced the bulkhead, saying, 'End illumination!' The infrared light above his bed went out; but before he lay back on the bed, D’shi was across the room and under the coverlets with him. Fo’en called out, 'Bed illumination juntas side!' He turned and stared at her with his face like a mask, 'I did not give you permission to get in bed with me La’D’shi?'

'Sorry Su’kirsa, but don’t you need…. Me… to sleep next to you?' she said quietly.

He did not answer her question but just continued to stare.

'I'll get out if you wish La’Fo’en?' said D’shi avoiding his gaze.

'No, you can stay. You’re, used to sleeping next to me after all,' and with that, he turned around to face the bulkhead again. 'End illumination!' he said again.

They lay together in the darkness, D’shi’s snuggled up tight against his body. For a short time, it was quiet in the sleeping bay, but then Fo’en could feel D’shi running her fingers gently over his body.
'Before the light went out, I saw some marks on your neck and shoulders. Some looked quite deep. And now I can feel they’re the indentations of teethplates. Did she… I mean… did Vu’an do this to you?' she whispered in his ear.

Fo’en sighed heavily and without emotion said, 'She is passionate.'

'She is passionate.'

'Yes.'

'Good night Su’kirsa.'

'Good night Yan’tan.'

And once again there was quiet in the sleeping bay.