Last Chapter Recap: Completely out of it, Natasha basks in the afterglow, her mind friend by sensations…
Kukukukuku… this might not be so bad after all… fighter jet sex, that's it.
NOW
Crew Deck
...….
Phew, finished! Finally!
That felt like hell… so much unnecessary crap. Not to mention, I could not help but wander with my mind towards my slutty slaves…
Heh heh. I wonder who I should turn into one now…
"What's with that grin, Ensign?" Heidi asked, narrowing her eyes. "Do you have something to report?"
"N-No! I just remembered something..." Adam said quickly, straightening up. "Nothing abnormal detected, ma'am."
"Is that so?" Heidi said, arching an eyebrow. "Then please keep better control over your face—it's gross. That grin, that is."
This goddamn Cerberus…!!!
No wait… why is she still on the deck? Captain is surely taking her sweet time with lt. Chand… fuck, I want to be there! I am the intelligence officer of this ship, goddamnit!
"Did something happen?" Brody asked, squinting at Adam. "Your face is really... expressive today."
Ah, the token guy has appeared. I almost forget he exists, in his corner, watching that star map of his all the time.
"Nah," Adam said, brushing it off with a casual smile. "I just thought... Captain really trusts Commander Heidi."
"Yeah... I hate to admit it," Brody said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But the Commander might understand the captain's wishes the best of us all..."
"Mhm... huh?" Adam muttered, snapping out of his thoughts, his eyes narrowing slightly as he processed Brody's words.
That was weirdly phased. Is this guy crushing on the captain or what?
"What's wrong?" Brody asked, his tone curious as he noticed Adam's shift in demeanour.
"Come to think of it..." Adam said, his gaze narrowing slightly. "You were with the captain the longest, right, Lt. Brody?"
"Yes, I was her senior at the academy," Brody said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Though, of course, she quickly overtook me. She's a talent born only once per generation."
"You were with her since the academy?" Adam asked, his tone surprised. "I didn't know that."
"Of course, not continuously," Brody said. "I wasn't there, for example, when the captain met the commander for the first time..."
"First time?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "I thought the commander was assigned to the Goliath along with everyone else."
"I see," Brody said, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "So, you don't know the story..."
"What story?" Adam asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Do you know how Captain got her nickname?" Brody asked, a hint of intrigue in his voice. "'The Hero of the Alliance?'"
"Of course I do," Adam said, a smirk forming on his face. "It's already a legend."
six years ago, alliance launched attack on planet hero, home of infamous baron Kais.
Now, I might be called a sexual predator, but baron was a deviant even by Neo-Terron standards. His planet was a pub of slave trade in the central systems.
When kidnappings and smuggling of slaves became political issue, alliance felt compelled to destroy this pub. However, as the planet was within Neo-Terron society space, it was an incredibly risky mission.
Instead of charging headlong, allied fleet feinted another maneuver, while Selana was infiltrated by a small army.
"Captain led one of the teams," Brody said with a mix of pride and awe in his voice. "And while the other groups were defeated... she not only managed to disable the planet's defences, but even freed countless slaves—sparking an uprising that changed everything."
"That's common knowledge," Adam said, though his voice held a hint of curiosity—like he sensed there was more to the story than what everyone knew.
"That's right," Brody said, his tone quiet but proud. "Even if propaganda didn't make it a big deal, word of mouth from the freed slaves was enough to make the captain a hero."
I was still with Neo-Terron at a time. Because of that battle it gave serious blow to the society, and indirectly led to a massive operation that ended with the battle of platinum. Yeah, even Neo-Terran knows the name of Selana well.
"But not many know," Brody continued, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "that this was also the day the Captain and Commander met for the first time."
"Huh?!" Adam blurted out, eyes widening in surprise. "They met there?"
"Commander Heidi was one of the unfortunate women baron Kris kidnapped from the Alliance…" Brody said, his tone turning grim. "I don't know the exact details—nor do I want to imagine them."
So, commander was once a prostitute slave…!!! No, if she was freed, then maybe it didn't come that for…
"What I know is," Brody continued, his voice quiet with respect, "from that day on, the Commander became the captain's most loyal follower."
I can only imagine. For unconditioned slave, feeling of liberation must've been exhilarating… and desire for revenge unquenchable.
That makes sense… to commander, captain might be less of a superior, and more of a saviour.
"After the operation, the captain sponsored the Commander for the academy..." Brody said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "And she's proven herself more than capable—so much so that she now outranks me. Heh."
As if. No one rises from mere ensign to commander in a few years without some serious backing.
"Well... if you do a good job," Brody said quietly, "you'll earn the captain's trust too."