Zarathustra In Aphelion

[MiniKitty]

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Zarathustra In Aphelion
Disobedience - that is the nobility of slaves.

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To the boy from Pittsburgh, living with what the Gemini Kay provided was more than enough. Countless water bottles, packs of Synth Paste and a few of Synth Gel, a very improvized shower, a large bunk bed in the back of the cockpit, a PDA for entertainment. The lack of amenities became apparent when Monique and Madeleine kept pointing it out. The bed was barely large enough for all three of them - luckily they were close enough to each other to be uncomfortable with proximity.

Monique pointed out that the wall panels could easily have a holo screen installed. Instead they had to make due with watching movies on the little PDA. The shower on the lower deck was also extremely barebones, with only a limited amount of water available. Enough to get clean after getting covered in industrial grease and sticky dust. Compared to the Den, this was a massive downgrade. It reminded Monique of her father insisting on a camping trip near the mountains behind Crichton. Little Monique, her little brother Jules, her big sisters Celyne and Charlotte, mother Josephine, father Valentin, aunt Phyllis and husband Arthur. Nobody enjoyed it, and she and her big sisters usually used every opportunity to get away from the family and instead hang out with neighbouring campers, especially if they were boys in their age.

At least nobody here tried to get her to sing at a campfire. No silly board games, either. And nobody tried to use to impress the family with a comically large BBQ grill. No insects, either. The more she thought about it, the more Monique realized that she was quite fortunate to be with Madeleine and Levan, even if the variety of things to do on the Kay was rather limited. Innocently cuddling with her boyfriend on the bed was not too bad, either.


Given said boyfriend did the laundry, Madeleine thought it was only fair to take care of the clean clothes on the floor. She folded them neatly and placed them sorted by person in the cabinet. That killed some time. A whopping ten minutes! Sitting down in the co-pilot seat, she glanced over to Monique and Levan on the bed. They looked cute that way. He simply lay on his back, his head on the fluffy pillow, looking down at the PDA he held on his belly to allow Monique at his side to watch the movie. Her hand an his chest, her head resting against his shoulder. One of her legs covered one of his, occasionally gently moving up and down in a lovingly way. She knew he silently appreciated these gestures of affection, even without him ever telling.

It took Madeleine many months to no longer feel jealousy at this sight. Sharing him with her had become a normal thing to her. Somehow, it simply worked out. Somehow, this became a thing. The woman with the orange hair turned around in her chair and placed her legs on the locked controls, slowly slumping down in the seat. The storm outside the ship didn't seem to grow any weaker. If anything, it had gotten only worse ever since they had arrived many days ago. She knew perfectly well that Levan somehow took a liking to this view, and sometimes she felt comfort in seeing the red lightnings in the distance, despite them being the ultimate proof of the extremely violent forces at play in the so-called vacuum of space.


She sighed inwardly. A few years ago, she merely visited the Den to hang out with another friend. Then she met Levan, visited more often, occasionally lay with him, and then she had fully moved in. It wasn't a relationship at all - just one of many girls that tended to hang out with Levan for various reasons. Then they grew closer, and at some point, she became the main girl. And Monique the second. And then they explored space together, and every time something bad happened. And yet Levan wanted to return to space over and over again, and yet again both Monique and Madeleine decided to come with him. And every time it went bad again. And every time she questioned her own sanity, she glanced at Levan and her brain shut down. Her body desired his and her heart desired his.

When nature's chemistry is at work, there is no place for reason.

No place at all.


Sadly, her bodily chemistry had another craving. Without her menthol cigarettes, it was almost impossible to calm down. And not having access to them regularly put her willpower to the test. Maybe someone at the bar would allow her to bum off a smoke.

Alright. I'll check out the bar.

She got up from the seat and moved over to the door. Before she was able to leave, Monique scooted over Levan and off the bed.

Hang on, I'll come with you!
Really wouldn't mind a drink.

'Kay. You're coming with us, love?

I really do not want to set a foot on the station any time soon.


Madeleine smirked at him, watching him as he moved to sit at the edge of the bed.


Take your PDAs with you, just in case, okay?

Sure.

He got up and walked over to the two girls.


And please try to not give away too much information on us, okay?
Not everyone on this station is a Zoner. And some are quite vile.

Dude, we're used to hanging out with scum at home.

Yes, but these people are not just scum. They are space scum!

Don't worry, we'll handle it.

Just as they wanted to leave for the hallway, Levan grabbed Madeleine's hand and pulled her toward himself. Before she could grasp the situation, she found his lips on hers. A surprisingly passionate kiss, followed by a hand on her rear. Her heart skipped a beat from the sudden move. Even after years, he still managed to give her sweaty hands. They parted lips, and she smiled at him, her cheeks turning red. Of course he was tip-toeing to reach her lips, and now got back on his feet. Something she always found adorable about him, given he was a head shorter than her and Monique.

What... was that for?

Just making sure you are not trying find a new boyfriend at the bar.

Have I ever given you reason to worry about that?

No. Because I make sure you do not. Like this.


Another kiss, this time shorter. Passionate nevertheless. She bit her lip as they parted. Swallowing, she took a step back. His hand slid off her rear, along her hip, then returned to him.


Do not let Monique wait.

Sure.

He gave her one last smile, then she turned around and followed Monique through the hallway over to the airlock. The door to the cockpit closed behind her.

Her mind was suddenly clouded by rather adult thoughts on what to do with Levan once they are back. Maybe the cigarettes could wait? But Monique stopped her train of thought, commenting on the healthy color of her cheeks. The girl with the blue hair stepped out of the airlock onto the station flooring panels and took in some of the air. A bit more texture to it than on the Kay, for sure. The air felt a bit more heavy, she thought.

Madeleine, trying to calm down, followed Monique, then suddenly stopped, one step before leaving the ship. Monique kept walking, not intending to wait. For a few seconds, Madeleine hesitated, then stepped out of the airlock. Just as it was about to shut behind her, she quickly jumped back into it.

A few seconds later, Monique realized Madeleine was not following, so she turned around, trying to find Madeleine. However, instead of her, she noticed how the airlock gates of the station shut. The gunboat was unmooring.

Oh you damn fucker!

The woman with the blue hair hurried back to the airlock, but it was useless. The docking clamps had been released and through the transparent airlock shutters, she could do nothing other than staring at the Kay as it gained more and more distance from Ames.

Little did Levan know, his little plan was only partially successful, as Madeleine slowly made her way back into the hallway of the gunboat.

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