The Luck E-1 ( The Wedding Anniversary)

June 26th, 2413 AD.

Adrik James Connelly, sat up quickly, and bumped his head on the bulkhead above his bed. He reached out quickly on the bed when he realized Katia wasn't beside him, then his mind cleared as he heard her moving around. He realized that he was back on the cargo vessel and stretched his leg out rubbing his shoulder. Then rubbed his head lightly as he saw the shift of Katia's tail off to the side. Then his nostrils were hit with the strong smell of something she was brewing in a strange looking pot. He sniffed deeply and said out loud. " What is that? It smells awful? How did I not realize who you were? I always knew you had a tail. I love that tail. I knew that was why you hissed at me." He gestured with his forefinger lightly in the air. Then, he rubbed his shoulder some more and said," Hey Katia, this bullet wound really hurts." She turned around to him with the ladle in her hand over a pot in which she was simmering something. She stirred it every now and then and said," Rik, as a Riooan, I can blend in with any surrounding. I can illusion my appearance. You were always touching my real skin, I just shifted in ways you never really touched my tail. " 

Rik looked at her and raised his eye brow slightly and spoke," Your fur is like silk. I missed you. Do you have anything for the pain?" She turned around and said," Yes, I am making you some Bunti tea. The only thing is, my physiology is different than yours. You are a hybrid Human, Kraxon. I am using half the dose I would give myself. I do not know what your side effects will be. It's never been tested on any other species besides Riooan, but it does take away pain." Rik nodded and said, why don't you give me half the dose of what you made, just to be sure." She smiled and scooped it out into a metal camping cup and handed it to her husband and said," It will taste awful my dear. You should not think about it. Do you want me to hold your nose for you?" He sheepishly looked at her and said," Please?" Katia giggled slightly and slid between his legs and kneeled there reaching over to pinch his nose and said," Adrik, You are such a silly ass sometimes." Rik reached around and drank down the tea as quick as he could so he wouldn't have to taste it. When he was done Katia removed her fingers from his nose and he grasped her around the waist pulling her closer to him. Her tail flicked around over her shoulder as she fell forward into his embrace. He kissed her deeply and leaned back saying," I'm feeling much better." 

 Katia giggled and kissed him saying," Admiral, you can just lounge around today. You are resting from being shot. Jack is fine on the bridge, Zander is working with Smokey and Denise getting our dinner together. I was informed to tell you to prepare ourselves for poker, bones and some kind of alcohol Smitty has cooked up from the still he fashioned in the cargo hull of pod three." Rik snorted as he laughed and said," Fat chance getting me to stay off the bridge. I have been aboard the Goliath for three months in their brig because I wouldn't reveal where the Valkyrie's keys and codes are, right after we got back together. Things were really going good too. Then, I get drug in to be questioned about the Fleet being missing. I gotta go talk to Jack about some things. Dinner plans sound wonderful. Come on let's get dressed and head to the bridge."

 Katia patted his shoulder softly and kissed him when her soul stone shone brightly on her shoulder, triggering the moonstone in his ring to glow. He chuckled and said," That is still so weird. That is going to take some getting used to." She purred in his ear as she got up and slipped her uniform on and turned to him. 

Rik's head was inside his shirt as he was putting it on and winced as he had to move the wounded shoulder, then said, "Wow, Katia, I like this Bunti tea stuff. Why didn't you use this before? Did you ever use it when we were together before? I mean, I just know so little of your culture. You know more of my culture to be sure. I really look forward to learning. I heard your grandminx is going to be there? When did you bring her aboard ? Why did you bring someone so elderly off world?" He fired off the questions in quick succession making Katia note the dosage was still a bit to high and to adjust it back by another half dose for him.

She sighed and said," Adrik, You are prophecy fulfilled from ancient times foretold. Our people have known of this but never did I think that the off worlder would be my husband. I never put it together until she screamed ," Prophecy!" at the feast. Khulani is working as High Priestess so Grandminx could come with us. She is quite wise and she likes you very much, Humanee. " She added with just a touch of cheekiness. She popped up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek, then turned and walked out the domicile's door. She turned right and walked around the bulkhead when she stopped and awaited for him to reach her side before continuing around the bend to the lift. He stopped and allowed her to step into the lift, and followed right behind her. just as he went into the space, Denise was trying to catch him. Her father reached out and stopped the door. She made it to the lift out of breath, and looked at Katia and said," Mom, the candles are made, and Smitty has the booze casked in pretty crystal he got from the Bunnids in the Dirty South." Rik frowned and said," You had better not get on Eugene's bad side. All the cute isn't so cute in the end. Trust me." Denise smiled and said fluidly," No, there was a fair trade and I unveiled the new weapons system I am developing for him. All the punch none of the recoil."  

The lift stopped and they all exited left and went around the side of the corridor that led to an open doorway with a small hall. The small hallway opened up into a broad room with a holographic star chart array in the center of the room. The Star Array sat upon a three foot tall pedestal . The main navigations officer at Navigational helm was Zander manning the post. They greeted the large gorilla with a high fist bump and moved past him into the interior of the bridge. Along the wall, there had been some new Riooan upgrades to the computer system that ran communications. He looked intently and raised and eyebrow but knew it had to be done, so passed by and inspected a bit further. The front computer panel had also been switched to holographic array and new seats had been added to the bridge. 

The Admiral pulled his uniform jacket down and winced from the slight pain, but the Bunti tea really made him awake and moving around. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he had ingested the original dose Katia had prepared for him.

He sat down in the new chair and and stood right back up again. He put his hand up in the air and sat down again." I like the," He stuttered slightly. " I like the chair, but something is off." He said as he stood back up again, then sat down rubbing the new leather of his Admiral's chair. " This feels so smooth and smells so nice. I like it Katia. Wait! No! No! No! No! No! No! Where is it?" He said as he turned around and looked at everyone and said," Where is it?" Holding his hands up in frustration. He grabbed his head and ran his fingers through his hair and tried to remain calm. Then, He popped," WHERE IS MY HUM!" Jack looked at him and said," What?" The Admiral turned and said," MY HUM!" 

Katia smiled and said," Oh that sound? The annathoracic movment spool of the FTL drive was 3.629 microts off where it should be and was excruciating to our ears, so we adjusted the frequency and and it shifts much smoother now. You don't like it?"

 Her husband was beside himself and said, " Jack, Random Riooan person who is standing there, and Katia in my ready room now." Jack and Shebanti the young Riooan that the Admiral had indicated, moved into the ready room with Rik and Katia. As soon as the door shut he said," Who gave you the right to fix my hum?" Katia noted the tea made him slightly aggressive and noted the Kraxon half of her husband was becoming more primal. " Rik, it hurts our ears." She said softly. He was angry and yelled," Woman! I need that hum! Everything that I am is because that specific frequency helps control my more primal Kraxon urges and anger. "Why do you think I had the hang out room when we had that flat in Gentian circle, in the culdesac on the martian base, Fenbrook Station? She looked at him and nodded her understanding.

About that time, old Rahnyah was walking towards the galley to find Katia and heard them talking loudly and she stood near the door and opened it slightly and said " Prophecy!" The texts says, The harmonious frequency of the off worlder would be atrocious to our ears." Rik said," Baruch Hashem!"

Rik and Jack began to talk about a few things quietly and then he said," Then you take away my hum, that you know I need to be calm. Who The Feck do you think I am? James Bond?" Jack snorted softly and said," Nice reference. Though you do look a bit like him but with metal petrusions. No, you don't have to be James Bond Sir. We'll figure it out."

 She looked at her husband, seeing how distraught he was over the frequency and said," Well, I noticed the hum was a frequency in some of the music you listened to on Mars. So, I thought I would make you a meditation room. I wasn't going to show you until later on today . Anyway, I remembered that you used to have a closet that you went into and chanted some stuff and rang some gong like things. You never really told me much about it." 

He looked at her and said," Lead the way." She smoothed her uniform down and moved past him and slightly touched his cheek with the soft tip of her tail and went through the door onto the bridge and everyone in the room followed her out into the corridor.

She turned left and stopped at the fourth doorway to the right and opened it. She held the door open for them to go in. There in front of him, was his family's ancient grapevine that had been draped beautifully over some lovely hooks. He noticed she had Smokey fix the hydroponics system to mimic Earth's sun and it dripped water into the root ball that still held soil from Earth. The platform was one foot off the floor and had a three inch mat covering it with two large cushions and a small stone garden to the right in the corner that sat next to an two hundred gallon coy pond. There was a small stone bridge across the pond with huge coy swimming around in it. Then there is was. His Hum!" He closed his eyes and felt the holy light of God within him and took a few centering breaths.

Turning around, he looked and said," Are those my scrolls?" Katia smiled and said," Yes." He put his head in his hand and shook it lightly saying," Did you touch them?" She nodded and said," With just my claws, my fur didn't touch them." She said as she pinched her index and thumb claws close together. He smiled and said," Thank you very much dear. No touching the scrolls, I love it. From now on, please don't change anything without my consent. Now get out of my room."

 Three hours later.

Katia and Rik sat at the head of the table with glasses of something Jack called Romulan ale made from Kraxion Potato Vodka ( Kraxion Potatoes were gray and smokie from all the volcanic soil on the New Kraxia) and crushed Vitri berries from one of the moons of the plants Talex 14, it made a beautiful blue color and delicious aroma. They ate some broccoli alfredo with something akin to chicken speckled throughout and a beautiful large marble cake with chocolate icing that Jack made. Smokey sparked up some vison flower and puffed on it at his table and passed it around. It made it around to Katia and Rik and they too, took a few puffs and handed it to Jack who grabbed it and said,' Alright, alright, this'll do without some Wild Turkey Man."

Everyone separated out into several games of bones. There was a ancient rule that one had to smack talk when playing the game. Jack stood up and slammed his bones on the table and said Dirty Thirty Mutha Effas!" Rik threw his head back laughing and Denise stepped forward and handed her parents a present and they both took it and ripped open the paper. Laying there in a soft white cloth was a silver filigree photo frame. There in the frame was a picture of Katia and Rik on their wedding day. She had these exotic deep maroon blossoms from the African Sausage Tree flowers adorning her long hair that trailed down her veil. Rik wore a white suit and you could clearly see the Kraxion metal ridges along his hair line and two on the bottom of his chin that look like metal piecing studs. She slipped into his lap and leaned back against his chest and said, " Rik, I love you so much. I missed you so much when I was gone. I had to take Bunti tea everyday." He looked at her and said," You had to take this stuff everyday because you were in pain while we were separated?" She nodded slowly and he pulled her close to him and put his face in her hair and breathed in deeply as he sighed contentedly.

She nuzzled close and responded," Our physiology chemically links us to our mate. As long as we are in close proximity to one another, we will not be in pain. But now that you have a soul stone too, you may be legitimately chemically bonded with me now. Which has never happened in the history of the planet Rioo. That is probably why it took me so long to get pregnant with Denise. Rik you have two physiologies and I only have one. BUt the only way to work through it is the Bunti tea." Then he said," Wow, I only took a quarter of your dose. " Then hit his com badge and said," Zander, Que" All Along the Watchtower " and blast it through the hull of the ship. Follow that by the complete database of the Doors and throw in some Led Zeppelin too. As the dulcet tunes of Jimmy Hendrix reverberated through the hull of the ship. Adrik put down the picture frame on the table , stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the middle of the galley and started dancing.