Chapter 5

Edited by Steve

At that time, he proceeded toward the right side of the bridge. The door opened automatically, and he entered, looked around, and saw four groups of chairs and tables, each of which was in a half-circle. There is a bar, a food machine, and a small kitchen in a joining room. Next to the kitchen door was a dining table for twelve people. “This is quite a setup. and it will do fine.” Tim replied.

“Is there anything that the bots can get you to eat?”

“No, I’ll make it myself, but thanks for asking,” Tim said. “When the girls get up, have them meet me here.”

As Tim entered the kitchen, he saw a bot and said, “Hello.”

“Good morning, sir. My name is Millie; I will be your cook.”

“Well, Millie, I’d love to have you cook, but I’m going to fix it this morning.” Tim laughed as he walked to the food machine and asked for eggs and toast with Java. He brought the food and drink back to the table, sat down, and started to eat.

Sarha appeared inside the lounge’s doorway and said, “Tim, the ladies are on their way here. I also told them about your medical event last night.”

“How did they react to that information? And did you find anything about the status of their ship?”

“Their first reaction was to call their father. But this morning, they seem to be OK. Their ship is still under examination, and I’ll have the information you want shortly.”

A few minutes later, the sisters entered the lounge.

Tim looked up as the door opened automatically, saw the two sisters, and said, “Good morning.” I hope you slept well.” He had to take a second look at these two. The way they were dressed, they were both stunning.

He had just finished eating, put the plate and fork to his side, and stood to greet the two of them.

“We did sleep well,” Tammy and Tabitha said together, then laughed.

“Well, you both look beautiful this morning. Those spacesuits didn’t do you justice.” Tim’s cock started to get hard. He thought, ‘Seeing these two dressed in such a way fills me with desire and makes my cock hard. Just wonder what they look like naked?’

“Is it OK for us to be in the room with you? “We know that you had a medical reaction to our fur,” asked Tabitha as the two stood just inside the lounge door.

“The treatment I was given cured me, and now I’m no longer reacting to your fur. You’re welcome to come in, sit down, and eat. Why don’t I make you some breakfast?” Tim thought, ‘I wonder if those micro-nano-bots are making me think these thoughts?’

“This morning, while cleaning your spacesuits, I got a DNA sample from both of you. I needed it for the information in my system. It has updated the food dispenser with the food you’ll like and need,” Sarha said.

“Oh, good. We wondered if it was safe to eat your food and if it would supply the proper nutrients. Tim, it’s so nice of you to ask, but we’ll get our own, thank you.” They walked over to the dispenser and asked for some fish cubes. In a few minutes, some bland-colored and strongly scented cubes came out. Most were grayish red with a lump of shredded meat in them.

Tim walked over to get a fresh cup of Java, returned to his seat, sat at the table, and waved his hand toward the chairs. “Please have a seat, ladies.”

Both felines sit to Tim’s left.

Tim asked, “Sarha, did the bots look at their ship?”

“Yes, they did,” replied Sarha. “The main thing will be the engines, but everything else can be repaired in a few days. The engines will take a lot of work, and it will take a long time for the replicators to get the job done. Once the pieces are complete, it will only take a few days to build and install both engines.”

“Thank you, Sarha.” Tim looked at both sisters. “That means you ladies could be with us for about a month,” Tim said.

“We could be your ship’s guests if it’s, OK?” Tabitha spoke as she had just finished her meal.

“We would like that!” Tammy cheerfully said, finishing her meal. She started to get up and gather their dishes.

“Yes, we could figure out arrangements,” Tim said.

“We’ll do our best to help you in any way we can,” Tammy replied, her heart leaping for joy,

Tim thought, “I sure hope so,” and smiled at the two females.

“Please, let Millie do that part,” Tim said. “Sarha, could you have Millie come in and remove the dishes?” Now looking toward, the two females, Tim asked, “Would you ladies like something to drink?”

“If you have tea or Java, which would be fine?” Tammy said.

Millie moved into the lounge with a Java tray, placed a cup in front of each person, put a teapot and a container full of Java in the middle of the table, removed the dishes, and headed back to the kitchen.

“Sarha, could you have the bots start on the repairs, please?” Tim asked. “Now that we have the business part done, how about telling us how you two became targets of the pirates?”

Tabitha answered his question with their story. “We ran away from home. My parents wanted me to mate with someone I didn’t like, and he said he would take my little sister if I didn’t. “So, we took our father’s ship and left.”

“Were the other two ships part of your father’s fleet?” Asked Tim.

“Yes, they followed us; we did not mean for them to die,” Tammy said sadly.

“They were doing their duty by turning their ships into pirates; they knew it would give you the time you needed to be safe,” Tim said.

“The pirates followed us for two days but waited until yesterday to attack,” said Tammy.

“They probably were checking your vessel’s name to find out if it was a decoy,” Tim said.

“Shall we call your parents and tell them you are, OK?” Asked Tim.

“No,” they both replied simultaneously, with shocked looks; both had their arms in the air, shaking them; they did not want to make that call.

“Why not?” Asked Tim.

“Dad will send out the whole fleet to ensure we get back home,” said Tabitha.

“Why would he send the whole fleet? Why not just a ship for you?” Asked Tim.

“Our family is of royal blood,” said Tabitha.

“So, that is why you had two escort ships. The pirates discovered that you had run away; they figured an easy ransom.”

“I didn’t think about it; I’m sorry,” Tabitha said. She sat there, now with a sorrowful face. It wasn’t just the expression; she meant it with her eyes.

“So, if we don’t talk to them, we might be in trouble for kidnapping part of the royal family. We must let your family know you are all right and what happens to the two escorted vessels. “They will not place a price on our heads,” Tim said.

“We are from a system called Kota-Barinae. The name of our homeworld is Katteena. It is an amazing world with twelve planets in the system. We are the fifth and largest planet in our solar system. More than one hundred planets are under the King’s control in over 50 systems. There are three space stations in the region for trade and repairs. “We trade with over twenty varied species,” Tabitha said.