Plans of Action

Posted on Tue Oct 21st, 2025 @ 6:23am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov

Mission: S1 Episode 9: Annihilation Protocol
Location: XO's Quarters
Timeline: Date 2372-02-14 at 1930
7600 words - 15.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Finally, the decision had been made to deal with the Vidiian nuisance once and for all. Truthfully, Andrei and Lyra couldn’t have asked for better timing from the useless little creatures as it seemed his time on the planet had temporarily taken away their captain’s teeth. He’d found them again. For now. That was a concern for later; now was a time of celebration and planning. On their way to retrieve their wayward people on Gamma Erendine, Andrei and Lyra had discussed bringing Carnaval festivities to the crew. Since being transported into the Delta Quadrant, celebrations of Terran holidays had fallen by the wayside. Now reunited and stronger than ever, it was time to embrace what made them Terran.

Lyra had been delighted by the prospect when Andrei had brought it up to her, but now she was elated. Carnaval and conquering, she could think of no better combination. She was standing in the middle of what had effectively become their shared quarters with a holographic map of Vidiia Prime projected in front of her. The emitters Andrei had installed during his confinement after he had beat Stagg had more uses than just training, she had found. She was waiting for Andrei to finish up a late meeting so had decided to busy herself with research into the planet and surrounding system. There would be much to do.

She was still dressed in most of her uniform, but she had removed the jacket and undershirt to leave her in the simple black tank top and pants. Her expression was focused, and her curled hand rested against her lips and chin while she mulled on a thought.

It wasn’t long before the doors parted and Andrei entered with Jackie at his side. Both of them were fully uniformed of course, and Jackie paused near the door rather than taking in the whole space.

“Hello, Commander.” She said easily, her Australian accent distinctive on the ship. “I was just trying to read your boyfriend in on the finer details of my data filing system. Somehow he doesn’t seem to be focused on the subject.”

“Get the hell away from me, you devil woman.” Andrei said with a handsome grin. “It’s like a cruel joke.”

Lyra looked up as the door opened and her arms immediately came down, wholly distracted by Andrei’s entrance. She moved to meet him, walking through the holographic display without hesitation; her hand found his broad chest and her lips found his in a quick greeting kiss. “Welcome home, Darling.”

She had no qualms displaying her affection for Andrei in their quarters - especially not in front of Jackie. The woman listened to the two of them having sex in Andrei’s office more or less once a week; it wasn’t a secret. Her dark eyes moved toward the door, and her smile became more of a smirk.

“Let me see what I can do for you, Jackie.”

Andrei embraced her with the same energy and eagerness she’d shown him, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace. When he recognized she head preparing to take his place in handling the administrative matter, he released her.

Jackie smiled as the taller woman approached.

“Much obliged, Commander. Some men don’t have the patience for the details.” She said, logging into her PADD.

Lyra reached out and with two fingers plucked the PADD out of Jackie’s hand and used her body to back the shorter woman out of the door’s threshold and the room. “We’ll get this back to you at some point. Bye.”

With that, she closed the door between herself and the blonde, put the PADD down on the entryway table, then immediately turned and walked back to Andrei. Her arms slid around his waist, and she kissed his jaw gently once more. “Just us now.”

“As it should be.” Andrei said, kissing her, his hands finding the small of her back. He nodded to the closed door then. “Thank you for that, by the way.”

“I’m happy to help you look at that later if you want, but for now…” She kissed him again, her hands sliding down to grope his behind in a playful way, but immediately released him and gestured to the holographic display. “I found another use for your toy in here. I thought it might be helpful in our planning.”

“You more often use my toy for play than planning, but alright.” Andrei said with a grin as he shifted behind her, pressing himself against her and putting his large arms around her waist. He looked at the holographic display. “Vidiia Prime, I presume? A dreary looking thing.”

He leaned in behind her, his lips grazing her ear. “You and I will make it a smoldering thing.” He said, then kissed her jaw tenderly beneath her ear. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

He planted another kiss on her neck.

Lyra made a small sound of contentment as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed himself to her body. Andrei was one of the few men with the physicality to make her feel small and feminine - something that she enjoyed considering when compared to the vast majority of Terran women in general, Lyra stood as an Amazon among them all in height and strength. With Andrei’s detailed record keeping, Lyra knew she was quite unlike anyone else he had previously gravitated toward. At times, she wondered if he might have preferred her to be different, and at other times she wondered how he would react when she would naturally become different should their lives continue on the natural path they seemed to be taking.

Her arms moved over his and she smiled at his kisses, allowing them to distract her but a moment. “I want us to take our time razing this world. Of course we will need to geld it by crushing its military first.”

“And for that, we’ll need a trap..a distraction.” He said, kissing her collarbone then. “Something that would draw out the entire Fleet and allow us to destroy them in one devastating action.”

“We’re very good at distractions.” She all but purred. Lifting one hand, she waved it at the display while the other remained resting on top of his. The hologram zoomed out, revealing the entire system. “I think we should go after one of these smaller worlds first - one that has a resource vital to their survival so they will have no choice but to meet us there.”

“But what, in all of their little territory, could be so important and exclusive as to prompt a reaction like that?” He asked aloud, though he was truly speaking to himself. His lips traveled from her collarbone to her arm.

“I thought that might be something we could look for together.” Lyra smiled, allowing him to move her arm as he wanted to kiss along her perfect caramel skin. “There must be an answer.”

“I’m sure there is, Love. And we’ll find it.” He said, his voice full of certainty in a way that came as naturally to him as breathing. “We could go over and put a few of the slaves to the question. I have no doubt they’ll tell us whatever we want to know.”

“Mm… are you inviting me on a date, Darling?” She teased, shifting her hand back to find his cheek. “You do know what I like…”

“I wonder what Vidiian tastes like.” Andrei said, moving to stand up straighter as the idea occurred to him. Of course it would be wholly unnecessary to make a long time slave suffer…but one of the new ones..

As Andrei straightened, it was Lyra’s turn to move and face him. Her hands came up, and she slowly began to peel the layers of his uniform off while she spoke. “Would you like to find out?”

“I mean…why not. It wouldn’t be the first time.” He answered, his hands finding her waist again. “But I’d like to wait to try it until we’re standing on Vidiia Prime.”

“We can have a feast to see what’s best.” She replied then paused and considered a moment, suddenly making a face. “I do hope they taste better than their food.”

She pushed his jacket off and her lips found his neck, delivering soft kisses and gentle nips to his pale skin. She certainly enjoyed the way he tasted.

Andrei sighed, his hands moving down to her large bottom.

“Anything would taste better than their food.” He said. He squeezed her possessively, his mind drifting for a moment to the pathetic jealousy Orion had put on display. His shake was Andrei’s amusement now. “You’re getting distracted from the job yourself, I see.”

“Am I?” She asked, pulling his belt from his waist with a dramatic crack before she let it drop. It actually was quite impressive the deftness she displayed when getting his clothes off. “Tell me what you see on the map.”

“I see a few well-developed worlds in the inner systems. Signs of serious technological investment…science outposts and stations galore.” He said as she unbuckled his pants and they fell down between his strong legs. His boxers were red and he had already started to show signs of his interest. “Outer worlds are less impressive..”

Lyra’s eyes caught the red fabric with interest, but she left his boxers in place. His shirt soon followed, leaving him standing there in only his boxers while she remained just as she had been when he entered. “They are, though on occasion there are one or two that have value and might lend to our plans more than an inner world; we shouldn’t discount them fully.”

She parted from him then and went to the replicator where she ordered a mule for him and a caipirinha for herself. Once they shimmered into existence, she walked back over to him with her hips swaying with that naturally sultry swing she seemed to always walk with.

“For you, Darling.”

Andrei watched her walk away, willing her uniform pants gone as she went, but as she ordered, he turned his eyes back to the holographic display. As she returned, he accepted the glass.

“Thank you, Love.” He said. “I’m wondering about their major imports. They have a significant trading relationship with several worlds and I doubt their trade network is highly diversified. Perhaps it all comes in through one or two systems.”

“I’d say that’s likely.” She said as she used her free hand with her cold fingers to run them up his warm spine. “But where, is the question.”

Andrei moved his hand through the display, increasing the size of the system nearest Sikarian space.

“These people were powerhouses of commerce. I would imagine it’s somewhere near them.” He said, bringing his drink to his lips.

Lyra gave a hum of acknowledgment while her fingers still idly moved up and down Andrei’s back, affectionate but not seeking more. “I see three likely planets near that system. I think you’re right.”

“If I am, then a well-placed occupation could draw a serious response from the Vidiians. And we’d be ready.” He said, enjoying her contact. He took another sip, then turned to her. “It shouldn’t be hard to find out which world is the greatest and most valuable.”

“No, it shouldn’t take any time at all.” She slid her arm around his hip when he turned to face her and looked up into his eyes. “And what will we do when we get there?”

“We secure their surrender and play a game of cat and mouse.” He answered. “Then, once the fleet is destroyed, we shock and horrify them, making slaves of those we don’t slaughter.”

“Some of them might flock to us, submit themselves willingly to slavery in return for survival.” She pressed her still clothed body against his mostly bare body slightly. “Do you have any ideas of what you’d like to do to them, Darling?”

“How about..a forest of horrors?” He asked with a grin. “I think that will play well when the rest of the Quadrant finds it.”

Lyra’s dark eyes glinted with interest and her lips found his shoulder again. “Tell me more.”

Neither of them could deny that exchanging ideas on unspeakable acts was merely foreplay to them. They enjoyed it, and what was more they enjoyed it with each other.

“Well, we could use their bodies to tell the story of our arrival in the Delta Quadrant, positioning the corpses to tell the story.” He said with a smile, lowering his voice. “We can preserve them at an advanced stage of decay so not even time can erase the memory.”

“Ohh I do like that. We could dress them in costumes and everything.” She mused and leaned up to kiss him, seeming genuinely delighted by the idea.

“Imagine the faces of their leaders when we take them on a guided tour, and then show them their place in the macabre.” Andrei said, kissing her back.

“You paint a lovely picture, my Darling.” Lyra purred and nuzzled into his chest. “Is there anything that you might enjoy doing personally? Besides sampling if they are tender.”

“Personally? Not particularly. I’d not mind leaving it to others. Though I wouldn't mind another hunt.” He answered, and then kissed her.

“I’d enjoy that too.” She replied after returning his kiss and brought her arm from around him so she could touch his chest. She demurred then, looking almost shy in a way. “I have something I’d like to do.”

“And what would that be?” He asked with an interested smile, happy, it seemed, to hear what she had to say, though he hadn’t bothered to ask himself.

It hadn’t gone unnoticed that once again he took no interest in her desires himself, but she had long given up that he ever would. “Are you familiar with Elizabeth Bathory?”

“I’m afraid I’m not.” Andrei answered, still listening with his undivided attention on her. “Who is she?”

“She was a Hungarian noblewoman born in the 1500s, belonged to an extremely influential family and was extremely well educated for a woman at that time. She married a Hungarian nobleman who was active in the military and ran his estate while he was away. She is also rumored to be one of the most prolific female serial killers in history.” She kissed the center of Andrei’s chest and then continued.

“There’s quite a lot of debate on if that actually happened or if she was accused simply so her lands could be taken from her after her husband’s death, but regardless of guilt or innocence, she became a bit of a figure of dark legends and folklore with the common monicker of the ‘Blood Countess’ given to her.” Lyra wasn’t necessarily surprised Andrei hadn’t heard of her given he had never heard of Dracula either.

“Now that sounds somewhat familiar.” He commented, looking in her eyes. “What are you suggesting?”

“Well, one of the most sensationalized and popular legends of her is she would bathe in the blood of virgins to maintain her youth and beauty.” Lyra smirked. “I don’t really need that at twenty-six… but I can’t say I’m not curious…”

“Bloodborne pathogens aside, it’s at least something to check off your bucket list.” He said with a lift of his eyebrows, clearly not bothered. “I’m sure we could gather a few Vidiian maidens and make that a reality for you.”

“Yes well, I’d apply a bit of medical technology beforehand to make sure none of those particular nasty issues cropped up.” She kissed his neck again, but this time let her head remain on his shoulder. “In the end though, I’m simply looking forward to conquering them by your side, Darling.”

“Just the next species in a line of very many.” Andrei said, kissing her softly and then pulling back. “But this one will be as sweet as honey.”

“Yes, it will be.” Lyra agreed. “I know we still have a lot to discuss, but are you hungry for dinner yet?”

Lyra returned his kiss, her lips lingering against his, and then she pulled back with a grin on her face. “Well then, I’ll tell you what - I need your help with something first. Go sit down on the couch for me.”

Andrei looked curious and hesitant at the same time. He went, nevertheless, to the couch where he sat down without another word.

She was pleased he had complied without protest and disappeared off into the bedroom. After a few moments, she appeared again only wearing a robe, but stopped in the door frame. “Since we are hosting Carnaval on the ship and I will be queen to your king, I thought you might like to help me pick out what to wear.”

She pulled open the tie of the robe and let it fall from her body into the crooks of her elbows, revealing a very scant crystal covered gold bikini that barely covered her assets.

“What do you think of this one?”

As she exited the room, Andrei’s eyes traced the beautiful musculature of her gorgeous body to the large breasts barely contained in the crystal covered bra. He followed them down again to her powerful legs and the backside he knew was so magnificent though he couldn’t see it. His boxer swelled and leaped with almost comic immediacy. There was no doubt how much he adored every part of her.

“I think that’s an excellent outfit for a proper queen.” He said from his seat on the couch.

“Mm good. Would you like to see the other options?” She asked, her dark eyes falling on him. Obviously, she couldn’t miss his arousal; she was hungry too.

“I’d love to. Show me. Now.” He said grinning. He still exercised patience, staying right where he was, the tent in his boxers the only sign of his lack of patience.

“Of course, my King.” Lyra chuckled and disappeared again for a moment, then came into view wearing the robe again. This time she turned her back to Andrei and made a bit more of a show of opening the robe, rolling one shoulder down and then the other, then letting the fabric slowly slip down her body. This time, she revealed the back of the bikini to him. This one appeared to be red, the back of the thong was mercifully fabric, but the portion on her hips was once again covered in shining crystals and gold. She turned slowly to reveal the front to him. This time, the bra cups were shaped like lilies.

“Your Majesty.” He growled, his teeth moving to bite his lower lip. “You look every bit the goddess you are. But I fear I’ll need to see this one more intimately. The details are dazzling.”

Lyra held up a finger to him. “One more.”

Without giving him a chance to protest, she moved back into the bedroom to change quickly. When she appeared this time, she started to undo the tie of her robe but paused and looked at him across the room. “Perhaps the King would like to have the honor this time?”

“He would. “ Andrei said, standing and approaching her slowly. He grasped the clasps of the robe and pulled them slowly.

He pulled the robe away to reveal another bright red bikini, but this one was the most ornate and scant of them all with the bra portion being two simple roses held on by thin gold and crystal chains and the bottoms a single rose placed strategically between her legs. Unlike the others, this one had many chains that dropped from the bikini down to her abdomen and from the thong onto her hips, giving the illusion she was covered in ornate chain jewelry. Her eyes remained on Andrei’s face, taking in her handsome lover and the shifting of his expression.

“This one is my personal favorite.” He started, his hands moving slowly over the exposed skin of her breasts. “You should wear the first one for the public though.”

He followed the contour of her breasts to her stomach and the rest. Moving her and admiring her with a possessive, obsessive energy.

“And this one?” She asked, not moving her hands to meet his and instead allowing him to simply touch her body in the way he pleased without interference from her.

“This one can be for me.” He said with a smile as he started to challenge the rose covering her nipple. He leaned in and kiss her neck hungrily.

“As you wish, Darling.” Lyra purred and finally lifted her arms to wrap around his strong body. She tilted her head away, offering more of her long, delicate neck to him for his delight. “I can’t wait to hear them screaming…”

“They’ll scream for both of us soon.” He said, pulling off the rose from her breast and sitting it down on a nearby side table. His fingers found the stiffening mound and moved there slowly.

Lyra grinned, coaxing his head up just enough so that she could kiss him passionately once more while her fingers ran through his raven hair. She did love his hair and found herself hoping he didn’t lose it for quite a long time. “I wonder how long we will be there… we could take as much or as little time as we wanted, really.”

“I hope as long as it takes to make sure the work is done properly.” He said with a smirk, knowing what that would be. He reached down and picked her up by her legs, walking her back into the bedroom they shared. Depositing her gently on the bed, he climbed over her and started working on the other portions of the very little clothing she was wearing.

He took his time removing the pieces of clothing she had just put on, being careful not to break or ruffle anything in his eagerness. Once she was naked before him, he put all talk of Vidiian taste aside and tasted her instead.

They spent the next hour entwined together, first eager and playful, then possessive and passionate. Their near constant practice of the activity had seen them learn exactly what to do to make the other lose themselves quite intensely, and they delighted in doing those very things - sometimes several times.

Eventually they ended up in the shower together, and once they were done, they moved back out into the bedroom to dress.

“Do you want me to come to family dinner on Sunday with you?”

“Hmm?” He asked, looking over to her as he pulled open his underwear drawer and searched for a pair that suited him.

“Sunday dinner. Your mother wanted to start doing that again, I was wondering if you wanted me to come with you for this one or just let you have time with them since it is the first one back.” Lyra offered, bending to slide her own underwear up over her long legs.

He watched her as she bent, not fretting over the question for a second, it seemed.

“Of course you can come.” He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I suspect Mother will make so much food, we’ll nearly explode. You should be there.”

Lyra chuckled softly and looked over her shoulder. Seeing he was still musing over his own selection, she wandered up behind him and slid her arms around his hips. She gathered his manhood in her hands and used them to cup and cover him. “Perhaps we should just wander around like this.”

“With a dare and enough vodka, anything is possible, Love.” He said, looking down at her hands covering him. “Who knows. Perhaps no one would even notice.”

“They might very well not.” She smirked and released him gently instead of just unceremoniously dropping him. Her hands slid up his body slowly, and her lips found the back of his shoulder. She did love to touch.

“Do you know what you’d like for dinner?”

“Something meaty.” He said with a smile. He selected a pair of underwear and pulled them on quickly. Then he searched the drawer quickly for a gray beater. Pulling that on, his muscular physique and some of the scars he’d allowed to remain were visible. “You’re skilled in that department, so I figured you’d know precisely what should be on the menu.”

Lyra reached into his still open drawer and pulled out one of his folded up t-shirts which she promptly shook out and pulled over her naked torso. “Do you want me to look at whatever Jackie was hounding you with earlier too?”

“No, love. That’s alright. I was just done enough for the moment and didn’t want to hear the most boring report of the day as I was strolling across the corridor.” He answered, his eyes following the movements of her body. “I’ll have Immy summarize it in a few seconds and go from there. It’s less struggle for everyone.”

“Alright, Darling.” She pulled her long hair from the back of the shirt and then leaned in to give Andrei a quick kiss. It was not the first time she had heard Immy’s name pass Andrei’s lips - in fact it was becoming more frequent by her measure. For now, she would leave it, but she certainly hoped he wasn’t becoming too reliant on the slave-turned-computer. She moved back out into the living area and over toward the replicator.

“I was thinking perhaps we might want to put on a parade for Carnaval? Perhaps program something with the holodeck?”

“A parade would be fun. The holodeck might be a better locale than the right corridors of the ship.” Andrei said, walking out after her and making his way over to the couches. He sat down in a comfortable lounge chair and turned it to look at her.

She busied herself at the replicator, then suddenly her head lifted and she turned her head to look at him with a dark gleam in her eye. “Or maybe we could do it on whatever little backwater planet we find to lure the Vidiians to.”

“One of the worlds we were looking at is mostly water. I bet we could clear out the few streets they have well enough though.” He responded, watching her with the intense interest of a man looking at a woman he adored.

“That might be fun.” She smiled, quite taken with the idea. “I wonder if they have beaches as nice as Annora there.”

“It would be hard for any world to have beaches that nice.” He said, thinking back to the memory of being with her then. It had been soon after they had started dating.

“I do miss the sunshine.” Lyra mused, bittersweet, and began pulling plates from the replicator to put them down on the table. “At this rate I may end up as pale as you are.”

“That’s impossible, and we both know it.” He said, standing and coming to the table. “You’re blood won’t allow it, Love. Besides, you can always tan on the holodeck if you want.”

“I could, but it just isn’t quite the same.” Lyra lamented with playfully dramatic flair. “Going to blend into the snow with you soon. I need a beach.”

She finished putting the plates down on the table. Carne asada with chimichurri, pickled radish, beans, and rice. It was a simple, hearty meal that he had enjoyed before. She put down a plate with extra lime and then took her seat.

“Oh, very dramatic.” Andrei said with a grin as he picked up his fork. “Are you telling me you can tell the difference enough to go completely pale rather than pretending?”

“Yes, I’m very sensitive to that kind of thing, you know.” Lyra replied, now pouting, but obviously still being playful and not serious at all.

“Computer, simulate a sun in the corner of the room.” Andrei commanded, and locked up as the holo emitters activated and a bright light started to shine from the corner nearest the bedroom. “Now all you need to do is strip to prevent tan lines.”

Lyra laughed and shielded her eyes from the bright light. “See, that’s not quite right. If you want to be a true Brazilian tanner, you need to have at least one sun tattoo. Hearts and stars were very popular.”

“Or your lover’s name?” He asked with a smirk, closing his natural eye right at the brightness and leaving the cybernetic one to continue its work undisturbed. He used a fork and knife to separate the meat on his plate and bring it to his mouth.

Laughing, Lyra shook her head. “Computer, turn off the sun.”

The ball of light vanished and she was able to raise her eyes to Andrei again. “They’d have to be a very good lover and you’d need someone very good with tape to make it look nice.” Her smile faded just slightly, but she continued. “I had a star on my shoulder once. My mother was absolutely furious.”

“I can’t imagine why she would be.” He said honestly, looking confused and amused all at once. “It seems innocent enough to me.”

“She was angry that I would mark my beautiful skin in such a way. Of course it was an easy fix for her and I spent hours for nothing, but I liked it while I had it.” Lyra shrugged slightly.

“Ridiculous. You have beautiful skin, but I can’t think of anything less consequential for a young girl to do for fun.” Andrei commented quite candidly as he cut into his food again. “Maybe it’s a mother thing.”

“I couldn’t say, not being one myself. I never did it again of course - maybe that’s why I still have beautiful skin.” Lyra shrugged then, and took another bite of her own food.

“You have beautiful skin because you’re beautiful. You were born better than others; it’s obvious.” Andrei said, correcting her gently. “And your beautiful skin needs a sun tattoo of your lover’s name.”

“Well, my lover will need to give me a real sun for that to happen.” Lyra smiled at him, her foot finding the back of his calf and caressing him there gently. She didn’t realize the potential double meaning that could have been taken from it until several seconds later, but she doubted Andrei would notice and if he did, he wouldn’t think anything of it.

Andrei smirked, realizing the implication but making no move to acknowledge or mention it. Instead he took another bite of the tender meat. It was good, but such cuisine had become normal and expected for the two of them.

“You weren’t very close to your mother?” Andrei asked, though it sounded more like an observation. “Whenever you mention her, it sounds like she was trying to stop you from doing something innocent and pleasant.”

Lyra’s brows lifted just slightly at the personal question. “I’d say it was how most relationships between noble mothers and daughters are. She wanted me to be perfect and took great pains in making sure that I would be.”

“I find that process makes many noble girls..brittle, judgemental, and terribly dull.” He said with a nod, seeming not to like those traits very much. “I watched as my mother tried it with Mika.”

“Tried?” Lyra prompted curiously.

“Mother always wanted Mika sharper..more aggressive. Sure she’s obedient, but too sweet for her desires.” Andrei said, and looked up at her. “You know what I mean. She wanted a real Terran.”

“Do you think your mother loves Mika despite that?” Lyra asked in a way that clearly communicated she didn’t take that as a certainty.

“Well, what is love?” He asked, taking another bite immediately. “Of course there’s affection, which she has for her in droves.”

Lifting her shoulders, Lyra looked down at her plate. “That’s good.”

Love was something entirely too complex to put into words, but she supposed Yana loved Mika enough to be affectionate and protective - that was likely what mattered the most.

“I think it’ll grow the closer she gets to a fruitful marriage. But that’s the way of things.” Andrei added, looking down at his plate as well. “We all have to play by the rules in one way or another. Even and especially the strongest among us.”

Lyra’s dark eyes came up and she looked at Andrei for a long moment. The expression there wasn’t discernible, but there was some vague sensation that she had just made some sort of decision. She looked back down to her food, and pushed it around on her plate a bit. “She’ll make a delightful wife and mother, I’m sure.”

“Well she would. A natural.” Andrei nodded in agreement. “But she’s a doctor in the Delta Quadrant, so who knows when or if she’ll settle on that goal. Though I hear she and Cedrik have gone quite close on Gamma Eridine…might have to have another talk with that man..”

“You might, though they were under the constant eye of your mother and father, so I doubt they got into too much trouble.” Lyra reminded him lightly. Finding herself not hungry anymore, she returned her half eaten plate to the replicator and watched it disappear from existence.

Andrei frowned as he saw her take her plate over, wondering at why she had stopped eating.

“Are you…alright?” He asked awkwardly. Lyra, in fact, was always alright. It felt like a ridiculous question.

There was a flicker of a beat where she seemed to hesitate and internally, she considered being open to him, but then every experience to that point made her think better of it and she returned to the table with him. “Of course, Darling. I just felt I had enough.”

Andrei watched her silently for several seconds, an active appraising expression on his face. There was something about the way she had relayed the information that indicated to him that it wasn’t quite true. He held her gaze suspiciously.

“You’ve eaten just a few bites.” He said in protest.

“I ate half, and I had a big lunch.” That, at least, wasn’t a half truth, but the exercise of the day and their evening had made her hungry. She leaned on the table closer to him, smirking. “Besides, you won’t love me if I get fat.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Andrei said, sharing the smirk and looking up at her. “I’d love you enough to work out with you. But I don’t want you going hungry.”

“And that’s how you know it is true love.” Lyra chuckled and moved behind him as he sat there, wrapping her arms around him and bending to kiss his neck a few times. “If I get hungry later, I promise I’ll eat.”

“That’s good.” He said to her, turning his head toward her and catching his lips to hers. It was gentle and caring. “Though not too late. It would be terrible for your stomach and your sleep.”

“I only have one late night snack I indulge in, Darling, and that is a nice Russian kolbasa.” She grinned and kissed him again, playfully biting his lower lip.

“I have no objections to you partaking of that, Love.” Andrei said, smiling.His knife found the meat on his plate again. He wasn’t totally out at ease about what he had detected, but he had decided simply to let it go.

“I thought not.” She kissed his neck again and then stood up straight behind him. Her hands found his broad shoulders and she began to massage him with her strong hands. “How do we catch the fleet of vermin in a trap big enough to destroy them…”

“We bait it with cheese. And when they come for a meal, crush their necks.” He answered, following the metaphor rather than the underlying literal question. “What trap is big enough to dispatch them with one..quick..snap?”

“Mm… I’ve looked over the tactical data available to us. They have a rather large fleet - it won’t be easy.” She continued to rub his shoulders, then suddenly she leaned into him. Her hands slid down his arms, and she took his fork and knife out of his hands.

“It might be easier to take their tools away first… and then we can have our way.” She purred the words into his ear, and then when the last one left her lips she turned her head to bite his neck.

As her teeth approached his neck, Andrei’s hand moved up swiftly and cranked her jaw, preventing the bite from happening. There was a bit of pressure at first, but he eased up on it soon and pulled back so he was looking into her eyes.

“Weapons out of hands..shields down.”

Lyra drew in a sharp breath when he grabbed her jaw and remained still when he squeezed it. Once he released her, she pulled back and moved to sit down in her chair, rubbing her chin and cheek slightly. “Yes, exactly.”

She put his silverware back down on the table and picked up her drink instead while she pulled one leg up into her seat.

That had certainly been offense of some kind, Andrei knew. He watched her, considering apologizing, but he figured she would just deny it anyway. Still, he felt compelled to try anyway.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He said, his tone not exactly soft, but focused and contrite.

“I know. It’s alright.” She reached out, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze and to her credit she didn’t seem mad, but the unexpected pain from his hand had naturally caused her body to flood with adrenaline in a fight response.

It always was, he noticed. He frowned and squeezed her hand.

“Would you like to hurt me back?” He asked.” It could be fun.”

She took a calming breath and shifted again, this time sliding into his lap and wrapping her arms around him. “I told you a long time ago that I would never enjoy your pain, Darling, not unless it was inflicted in a way you liked.”

Lifting his hand, she kissed his palm and wrist gently. He’d never made the same promise, of course.

Andrei watched her, smiling and listening. He looked into her sparkling eyes and wondered, not for the first time, what secrets she held locked there.

“What do you have in mind that could lock down their systems, Love?”

She took the arm she had in his hand and wrapped it around her body while she leaned her back against his chest and let her head fall back on his shoulder. Her jaw was still throbbing slightly, but she didn’t show her discomfort - if it still hurt in the morning she would go and get it taken care of.

“We need a precisely timed power surge that would knock out all of their ships at once. Cloaked probes might be an option. We could set them out in a formation where their charges could link together and deliver the blow simultaneously.”

“It could work, but we’d have to know exactly where the fleet would be. In space, that’s quite the challenge.” Andrei said, thinking on her idea. “Is there a way to ensure they can’t position themselves anywhere else except where we want them?”

“That would require a bit more looking, but I’m sure there is a way.” She kissed his cheek and moved from his lap back to the middle of the room where the holographic display was still hanging from the air while he was left with the rest of his dinner. She looked around, then finally finding the correct world she pulled it in to expand and have a better look. The world was called Seejal, and as Andrei had said it was mostly water. She began looking at the surrounding space, Andrei seemingly completely forgotten at the table.

Andrei took the opportunity to finish his meal, leaving her to think in peace. He proceeded at a reasonable pace, and when he was done, he stood and slid the plate into the replicator. He refreshed his mule and the drink she’d ordered for herself, and walked over to her. Extending her drink, he looked her over.

“What do you see?”

“There’s an asteroid field here near the planet, though I’m not sure it would suit our needs.” She took her drink from him and gave a small sip. “We may be better off drawing them close to the planet and simply moving the probes where we would need to while the inevitable talk occurs.”

“That may be. Gladius and Vengeance have cloaks, so we could make use of those.” Andrei said.

“What do you see, Darling?” Lyra asked and shifted out of the way. It wasn’t like Andrei couldn’t see over her, but it was more the principle of giving him the space to analyze on his own.

“I see a moon, well placed by an asteroid field.” He said, stepping us as she moved aside. His finger went to his chiseled chin as he continued to think. “I’ve got a wild idea.”

“Tell me.” She prompted him gently, her voice indicating her interest.

“When I was in the Academy, I used to spend time reading the unclassified military patents that were submitted to the Department of Defence. One of them comes to mind right now.” Andrei said. “The inventor proposed a tractor-beam emitter device that’s calibrated to attach and pull anything made of a certain material. If we had such a device, we could place it on that moon, calibrate it to the hull composition the Vidiians use, and then drag the ships to the surface.”

“Even if we couldn’t get them all the way there, it would certainly help to bunch them up so the probes could do their work.” Lyra mused while looking at the moon.

“Sure. It could be the trap to our cheese.” Andrei commented, putting his hand into the display and moving it slightly. “I’ll need to run some simulations. Building the device could be entertaining.”

Lyra’s gaze shifted to him just briefly as he so easily cut her out of the process, but she said nothing of course. “I’m sure Kit would enjoy that.”

“I’m sure she would, if you aren’t interested?” Andrei asked, though he didn’t look over at her. He remained focused on the map. “Some support from Kit or Nairobi would be helpful, but it’s really a tactical matter.”

“Of course I’m interested, Darling, but I didn’t want to presume being included.” Shrugging, Lyra slid her hand up his back. “You know I enjoy making things with you.”

“You’re always included.” He said matter-of-factor, leaning in and zooming closer to the map. “We should find out if this is the right world or not first. We could just be wasting our time.”

“Then let’s figure that out.” She nodded and moved over toward his desk where she took a seat and brought up the display with her credentials. He used the desk more often, but it wasn’t abnormal for her to utilize it especially given Andrei had his patch.

He continued to study the world from the display as she went to the desk. He wondered if she would call for a Vidiian slave to answer their questions.

Lyra was quiet as she crossed her legs in the chair and began to manually pull up the information she was looking for on the planet while she sipped her drink. “This could be it.”

She paused then and considered how to phrase her next thought carefully. “Did you have a particular slave in mind we could probe for information?”

“Hmm?” He asked over his shoulder. “Oh, no. Though, I suppose maybe the Operations Leader from Rynall would be the most useful. We could summon him with relevant star charts.”

From where he stood, he could see she looked mildly disappointed by the change of plans from tormenting a slave, but didn’t feel strongly enough to remind him of the fun they could have. “Good idea,”

Andrei was obvious to her dissatisfaction and tended not to overthink such matters, since he trusted her to tell him what she wanted if she really cared. Had he been a bit more attentive. He might have caught her tone, but it wasn’t certain whether any amount of coaxing would have gotten him answers anyway.

“Well, shall we get to work then?”

“Of course, Darling.”

END