Unexplored Territory - Part I

Posted on Sun Apr 23, 2017 @ 5:43pm by Lieutenant Colonel S'er'in'e & Major Kasia S'er'in'e

Mission: Avatar
Location: Various
Timeline: AOTDF Backpost

Major Petrova had told him she would meet him at his quarters to save him getting lost about the ship seeking her out. It was a considerate consideration in light of his recent arrival on the ship and the sheer size of it would warrant some time before he became familiar with its design and layout.

He made use of the shower, something he was thankful for and had missed during his captivity but there were times that it felt out of place as he used the soaps and liquids special to his fur. He made sure his claws were sharp and polished, teeth clean and presentable, whiskers trimmed and orderly. He was meeting with a female after all, culture demanded proper attention to presentation was made.

He donned a two piece attire that allowed for a pleasant appearance yet afforded him freedom of movement and breathing ability to save himself from overheating.

Kasia looked at herself in the mirror one last time to check on her outward appearance. She was dressed in a little black dress and a pair of strappy black heels, that despite her life as a Marine, she was rather comfortable in. Her blonde was worn down her back and curled at the ends, and to complete the look, she wore a pair of gold diamond studs in her ears to match the gold bracelet on her right wrist. After turning to the side to smooth a hand down the material, she finally stepped away... satisfied with the way she looked.

It was time for her to meet with S'er'in'e so she could give him a tour of the ship, then join him for dinner... maybe catch him up to speed on the Marines he'd be taking over for. She grabbed her combadge and pinned it onto her uniform, then made her way out. Kasia hoped like hell she wouldn't be summoned via the device, but as life in space dictated many times before... it didn't wait for permission to throw crap their way.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and moved out of her quarters after asking the computer for a location. The Caitian man really wasn't too far from her own, and had her estimating her arrival within five minutes or so. Before she even knew it, she was standing in front of his door. The Marine woman didn't even really remember the journey to get there, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she was there, and extending a hand to press the sensor for the chime. How else would he know she was there?

S'er'in'e approached the door hearing the chime announce a guest. He stood before the closed doors and with a tap of the console to the side it opened. As with most people he looked down and saw the Major. "Major." He didn't pronounce her name as he had trouble with it, not wanting to cause offence by getting it wrong. He bowed slightly as custom dictated. "I hope I have not forced you to put of anything you already had planned with this outing?"

"Please... call me Kasia (Kah-sha)," she said, pronouncing it for him. "As for forcing me to put anything off, no, you haven't. My evening was clear."

"Would you like to come in?" He offered. "A beverage before we eat or do you wish to head out immediately." He stepped aside revealing paintings, tapestries, hangings and several cylinders on a table near the view port.

Kasia offered him a smile. "I don't mind coming in for a drink," she said, stepping inside and looking around. "Your quarters are impressive. You've definitely been quite busy. I've been on board since the beginning, and mine don't look anything quite like this."

"To Caitians a home is a place of sanctuary, where one can be themselves without fear of judgement. A welcome reprieve considering what I am causes me to be judged often, I am used to it however being within familiar surroundings does yield a much needed change at the end of ones day." S'er'in'e replied. "Is there anything in particular you would like to drink?" He asked playing Host.

"Well... it's wrong for anyone to judge you, and I'm sorry you've had to endure that," she said, offering him a smile. Kasia didn't have it in her to be the judgemental sort. "I do know how you feel, though. I've been on the receiving end of others judgement for a great deal of my life. Being female, I'd never make it as a Marine... being female... I'd never be good enough. That was the story of my life. All I did was proved my naysayers that I could... that I was... The fact I'm a woman has little to do with what I'm capable of doing in life." And with that out of the way, she gave him an apologetic smile for rambling. "I'm not choosy. Whatever you're having will be just fine."

S'er'in'e prepared a drink, thankfully the replicated version was available in the system. He poured the two parts into a glass, it was slightly thick almost like a syrup which for Caitians would make it easier to drink.

Once it reached the tongue the liquid would fizzle as if evaporating, leaving a sweet yet fruit flavoured liquid behind. "Being female to Caitians is an honour, the rights and privileges afforded females are many and bountiful. Males serve and as you saw in my office we go to great lengths to correct a wrong. He handed her the drink. "For the tail earlier." Demonstrating even something as minor and trivial to some as that, warranted something. "Sip, but don't swallow straight away."

Kasia accepted the drink with a smile, her hand brushing his as she did so. "Thank you. I believe in equality, though, I definitely will never knock the customs of another," she said, watching him demonstrate before trying it for herself. When she was confident enough, she took a sip and let it sit in her mouth for a moment. Though, when it began to fizzle, she had to swallow quickly to keep from losing it when she let out a giggle. "This... it's absolutely delicious. The fizzling feeling caught me a bit off guard. It tickled a bit, too." She gestured to his couch. "May I sit?"

"Please. I'm afraid it might be somewhat larger than most, for obvious reasons." The sofa was indeed large and sturdy to support his weight but it came with a secret that appearances didn't reveal. It was incredibly comfortable and soft. "I hope that what you saw me do has not cemented a permanent negative image of me with you."

"If it did, I can assure you that I wouldn't be here," she said, reaching out to touch his arm in a reassuring manner before settling down on the much larger piece of furniture. It was incredibly comfortable, and she suddenly felt as though she could curl up and fall asleep if she gave herself the chance to. "I've seen some pretty gruesome things over the span of my career. I've even been involved in some. I was once caught in an explosion that should have killed me. That was just over a year ago. I remember seeing the lower half of myself before losing consciousness. It gave me nightmares for months afterward."

S'er'in'e was somewhat relieved that his actions didn't stand against him, even if it was pure rage that he acted on. "Do you still wish to eat here or out?" Perhaps indicating that he assumed she meant go out to collect the ingredients and bring them back home to prepare and cook for her. Perhaps also revealing that he put her before himself by implying he'd cook.

"You... want to cook for me?" Kasia asked, unable to keep the shock out of her voice. No one had ever wanted to do anything like that for her before, but he had just told her that women were held in high regard among Caitian men. "I thought we were going for a tour of the ship, but I definitely remember agreeing to dinner."

"Then I leave the choice to you." S'er'in'e replied once again demonstrating the female superiority over males. "Please, forgive my presumption surrounding dinner."

"There was no presumption on your part, Colonel," she assured him. "I would be honored to have you cook for me. Do you have what's needed here already, or do we need to make a trip to deck ten?"

"I will need a few things, I have only had a brief time to gather some minor things." S'er'in'e replied then sipped his own drink. "I hope that is acceptable to you?"

"Of course," she said, smiling at him. "Did you already have something in mind?"

"I have." S'er'in'e answered. "Fish with sliver sliced meat with sauce variety to accompany, I can add something else for you if you wish but if you would like something else, a personal favourite, I can make that instead." S'er'in'e wanted to give her the option of food, for himself that was easy, fish and lots of it with sliver steak. "I understand that Caitian tastes are not for everyone given the flavours involved."

"I must be honest... I have not eaten much fish in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I'm not wiling to try it," Kasia said.

"Would you like me to prepare something else as well for you, in case you dislike mine?" S'er'in'e asked trying to cover all the options for her comfort.

"Steak will be good as a backup if you're okay with that," she commented. He was just so sweet, and she couldn't help but take note that he was rather attractive. The fact he was Caitian didn't bother her, either.

"As you wish." A slight bow of the head and he grabbed a small PADD with the list of things he needed. "I am ready should you be. Do not worry about your drink, it will evaporate with time but I can make another or something else should you wish it."

Kasia set her drink down and rose to her feet. "Shall we go, then?" She asked, gesturing toward the door.

"Indeed." He came to stop next to the door to permit her to leave first. "Im afraid that I am still unfamiliar with many social areas of the ship, I'm afraid you will have to guide me." Feeling somewhat ashamed at having to ask a female for something.

"It would be my pleasure to show you around a bit while we make our way down to deck ten," she said, making her way out the door and pausing to wait for him. "While we make our way down to the promenade, why don't you tell me a little about yourself. Some of the things you like to do in your free time and the like."

S'er'in'e followed beside but at a respectful distance as culture demanded. "I like holodeck programs from the Homeworld. I enjoy literature and cooking as you discovered. I like to paint when the time allows but I dare say my most occupying pass time is horticulture." S'er'in'e explained as he followed. A perk of being his size and appearance is that most of the crew stepped aside, some even stopping in mild surprise at seeing him.

Kasia reached over and gentle wrapped her hand around his arm. Given his size, he clearly took up a lot of space, and she didn't mind if he walked closer to her, which prompted her to pull him a bit closer to her. "All quite interesting things to keep ones interest when there's time for it. What sort of programs from your Homweworld?" She asked as she made her way down the corridor with him.

At first S'er'in'e was slightly surprised at the touch afforded him by Kasia, his stride shortened to accommodate a more comfortable pace for her now that his stride fell in step to hers. He relaxed however, honoured that a female would grace him with her touch, his tail eagerly sweeping left and right behind him as they walked. "Scenic programs of the province I grew up, I miss the Homeworld but other programs are hunting ones. There is little opportunity to use what I am, keep my abilities honed, so the Holodeck helps me."

"That's understandable, and a very good use of the holodecks. I can imagine it not being easy for you being so far away from home," she said, looking thoughtful. "Maybe, if you're interested, you can teach me some of your ways and customs. I'll admit, after we rescued you and the others, I found myself looking through the computer to learn a little about Caitians. It wasn't much given the time I had, but what I did see was quite interesting."

"I would be honoured." S'er'in'e replied. Any assistance a male could lend a female was an honour, even if most wouldn't see it so but to Caitians it very much was so. Kasia had told him she wanted to learn more of his ways and customs. "What would you like to learn?" If he knew that then he could fill in the blanks but her hold on him remained and that was a source of pride for him, especially knowing what he appeared to be and the image it generated.

"Your ways... your customs," she replied, coming to a stop at the turbolift one they reached it. "Anything you feel would be okay for me to learn. "I've seen Caitians before, but I have to admit that you're the first I've ever had the privilege of working with, or spending and kind of time with in general. It's quite the great experience, to be honest."

While they waited S'er'in'e began to explain. "As you will have read, as it is the corner stone of our ways, that females are the dominant gender of our kind. They hold the positions of authority, they own property such as a residence, they invite the male to live with them. They choose when to honour the male with offspring, even if she should marry him though our ways are vastly different from your own I would imaging."

He paused for the briefest of moments before he continued. "You will have noticed the bowing, a cultural requirement, you may not be Caitian but you are female and all females are afforded the same respect regardless of species. You will notice I stand to your left, the Mate would stand to your right and slightly behind. Due to females playing such a role in our lives any help we lend them is an honour to us, any request we obey regardless of the risks. Caitian males are fiercely protective of the Mate, he will kill to defend her or die in the attempt willingly."

"Earlier I presented you a gift. When a male does something considered inappropriate, to use a Human term, amends must be made to restore honour. You saw what I did, I had to make amends for that. However our most basic and unbreakable law, a male can do no harm to a female unless very strict conditions are met. The punishment can be death or exile." S'er'in'e continued while they waited, a large ship indeed to still be waiting. "Our relationships are different to your own. Humans court each other, engage in sexual relations. Caitians have a something called a bonding period, intimacies come after the declaration of acceptance but the key point is this." S'er'in'e took a pause because this one tibet of information was most important. "Humans I have observed can start a relationship with another and later break that union. For us Caitians that union is for life. When we bond we chemically bond to that person mentally. If the Mate were to leave or die, we follow a most 2 weeks later."

"I... had no idea. So, I suppose Caitian males are very choosy when it comes to taking a Mate, then? I suppose that was quite the stupid question to ask, but I can't learn properly if I don't ask, right?" Kasia queried, looking up to him as the door to the turbolift opened. She slipped inside and moved aside to give him room to join her. "How does the bonding period work?"

"Males do not choose, the females do. The male will always accept regardless of how well or badly he may be treated by the female. At most the male can declare his interest but it is the female that 'claims' as we call it." S'er'in'e replied and the doors to the Turbolift opened at last to an empty lift. "If accepted by a female the male requires time to bond to her scent which depending on the frequency of meeting each other could take several weeks, its that scent we chemically bond to mentally. Our brains alter us to need that scent, we become to depend on it. However, exposure to another female's scent makes a bonded male uncomfortable, long term exposure causes severe chemical imbalance which if left untreated, is fatal to us."

Kasia frowned. That didn't sound pleasant at all. "I can't imagine staying in any sort of relationship where I was treated badly. My instincts would tell me to get out as fast as I could," she said, unable to keep from glancing back at his tail. "Have you ever declared your interest in anyone before?"

"No. I have found most females of a species more often stick to their own kind. I also can not change what I am or what I look like thus it works against me." S'er'in'e replied. "I understand it, l came to terms with it long ago." He noticed her glancing. "Does something trouble you, did I touch you?"

She blinked when she'd gotten caught staring and quickly shook her head. "No, no... nothing troubles me, and you didn't touch me. Even if you did, it wouldn't be viewed as offensive by me," Kasia said, looking toward the door in front of them. "I... for a brief moment, I wished to touch your tail, but that would have been an invasion of your personal space, and I don't wish to be one of those types. I read that your tail helps keep Caitians balanced, and I wouldn't want to be the reason you could be injured."

S'er'in'e brought his tail forward between them. "If you wish." A female expressed a wish, simple in nature and he was standing still. "Here." His tail was long, it moved gracefully even while he wasn't walking. "I am not walking. There us no risk."

"Are you sure?" She asked as she looked up at him. "I don't want to force you. I don't mind waiting."

"I am sure." He replied with a smile still holding a large length of his tail to her though he did wonder what she meant by waiting.

Kasia couldn't resist any longer. She brought one of her hands to hold his tail from the bottom, the ran her other over the top of it. She couldn't believe it was even softer than she imagined it would be. "Your markings... they're gorgeous," she stated, running her fingernail over one of the black stripes.

"Thank you." He softly spoke as she felt and touched his tail. It was very pleasant, more so then he expected. "I am able to carry small objects of a few pounds in weight with it."

"You are quite welcome," she said with a smile as she gently took his tail and lowered it back to the ground herself, being very careful not to hurt him as she crouched down. Once that was done, Kasia stood upright again and looked up at S'er'in'e. "I'm sure you get that a lot, though, don't you? That you're gorgeous." Her tone was genuine as was her expression.

"Not as often as you would believe, when people see me many display surprise, fear or change direction to avoid me. It is common, we are taught such before we leave the Homeworld that what we appear to be can be a factor when interacting with other species. Though I thank you for your kind words." S'er'in'e answered.

"As kind as they may be, they're also true. I was raised to never judge a book by its cover. It's what's on the inside that truly counts," the Russian woman said with a smile. "The same can be said in space. We encounter so many different species out here that we can't afford to be so judgemental of others."

"When you rescued me, you saw my collar, as stained as it was." He pulled down the collar of his jacket to show her. Remembering it took a considerable amount of time to clean. "Should I ever find a Mate I will take it off for her, she will scent me as I will her. Caitians will notice the scent but it's also the act thats important." He restored the collar of his uniform that hid the collar from view having showed her. "The female would lick my neck, placing her scent on the most private area on the Caitian body, however I must then do the same." But there was a catch. "At fearing as it may be, I place the neck of the female between my teeth, lick her neck but as you can no doubt understand after seeing what I did, the thought of being between my jaws can be perplexing."

Kasia let that bit of information roll around in her mind. He was opening up to her, and that was something she was thankful for. "At what point does that take place?" She asked as the turbolift deposited them on deck ten. "I rather find your customs to be fascinating. The more I hear, the more I want to know."

"At the point I am claimed. Best done somewhere private considering the act. The collar becomes her property." He stepped out following her, off to her left. "At that point the Mate gets a headband, typical of my Caste, intricate and beautiful in design and appearance but denotes she has taken a Mate from the Caste. When offworld it is replicated, replaced with a real one when visiting the Homeworld." He paused for a moment. "I should also inform you that around the age of 60 years our hearts fail, a weak heart can not sustain a being as large as I. It's a slow process but we return to the Homeworld to have it replaced with an implant. The real heart sealed and suspended, given to the Mate." Some may view it as romantic to literally have the heart of a loved one, some...not so.

"So... you're saying that your heart will give out in the future? What happens if the implant can't be put in in enough time?" Kasia asked, feeling a slight sense of panic. She didn't know why she felt how she did, but it confused her a bit. "How long do Caitians live typically?"

"Heart failure takes time, all Caitians know the signs and it can take weeks for the organ to fail." S'er'in'e reassured her. "I will live for approximately 100-120 of your years barring injury or ill health. I am however only 43 of your years so I am still.....somewhat young." He mused.

Kasia couldn't seem to help herself. She took his face in her hands and guided him down a bit so she could press a kiss to his cheek. "You are still quite young," she said softly. "Shall we get what you still need and go back to your place for dinner?"

The advantage of a thick fur coat is the ability to hide what some might call a blush. It was also hid first kiss in many, many years. The last given in the exact same manner when parting from a friend when she got her promotion and new assignment. "Yes, lets." It was obvious, at least to other Caitians by the pert ears, relaxed whiskers and a smoother flowing tail that he was happy and....if Kasia was close enough, ever so slightly hear a gentle rolling purr.

She thought she heard something, bit didn't know what it was exactly. "If anything I do is considered to be offensive, I want you to tell me so. It doesn't matter if I'm female or not. You and I are considered to be equal," she said.

"As you wish." He smiled, that sound stopping when she spoke, resumed when he finished. He told her the ingredients of what he needed as she would no doubt know where was best to go to collect them and return home.

"We can go to The Black Hole to get what we need. Piper will be more than willing to help us out," Kasia said with a smile. She was absolutely enjoying her time with him outside an official capacity, and the fact that he was purring... she just figured that out... meant he was, too. "We need to go this way."

S'er'in'e followed and to no surprise it was a busy location. Shops were busy with customers and the lay out was pleasant enough with chairs and tables for eating, plants, various wears and the like.

"You mentioned horticulture as a hobby. We have a flower shop on board," she said with a smile. "I've never been inside, though, nor have I ever had anyone send me any. It's okay, though. I'm not a materialistic women."

To Be Continued