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Location: Personnel
Cycle 51
We kissed again in the observatory, the stars our only source of light. She’s doing end-of-cycle readouts on the flight deck. I’ve invited her to my room. It doesn’t feel right that she should go back to her Maintenance pod this evening.
Nika finished writing the paragraph just as the doors slid open. She felt her heartbeat pick up, dropping the pen as she turned from her desk to the door. As she stood, she smoothed down her plain light blue dress.
Sabina walked into her quarters, looking around. Nika knew what she would see- to Sabina’s right, the desk. Aside from a small space for her journal, it was packed with tools and had a TV/Cassette player next to it- currently in a state of repair. In front of her, Sabina would see the door to a tiny washroom. To her left was Nika’s bunk, the protective shutter open. Five pillows- and one towel- covered most of the visible mattress.
It was not the first time Sabina had seen Nika’s room. That occasion had been after Nika was injured, when a meteoroid strike caused a damaged panel to fall on the mechanic. Sabina had treated Nika and returned her to Personnel. A few hours later, Nika had realised her strong feelings toward Sabina.
Now, after forty-four cycles, Sabina was back in her room- and reciprocated those feelings.
“How’s the ship?” Nika asked. She tried to keep her tone casual, but the knowledge of what she had implied to Sabina by an open invitation was making her nervous. Her heart was thudding in her chest, making her more alert of what she said and did.
“All systems nominal.” Sabina reported. From what Nika judged, the Replika was a little tense too. There was a pause. Nika scratched the back of her neck, trying to think of ways to relax the atmosphere.
“Shall we sit down?” She asked, gesturing to the bunk. Sabina nodded and walked over, her longer legs allowing her to reach the mattress and sit smoothly to wait for Nika. Her hair nearly brushed the overhead. Nika joined Sabina, sitting close enough to feel the brush of Sabina’s firm thigh against her own.
There was another pause.
“Well, I guess that there are some things we should talk about- our differences.” Nika ventured.
"My body is composed of biomechanical muscles and organs protected by a titanium skeleton, encased within a carbon fiber-reinforced polyethylene shell."
“I read the SBNR overview, I know that already.” Nika smiled. “But it wasn’t comprehensive, and didn’t mention…”
Nika gestured to her body from the neck down. She was wearing the same dress from the previous cycle, which left her arms and lower legs bare. Her blush grew. Sabina spoke plainly, mirroring Nika’s gesture to indicate her polymer-sheathed body, the purple sections differing from the majority-black material.
“I don’t have a reproductive system. Just a waste port with a retractable cowling.”
“Right. What about your template- any resurfaced memories?”
Sabina shook her head. “None sexually. Either Eusan technologists removed those or Fardin did not seek those experiences out.”
“But you want to?”
“Yes.”
Nika needed to satisfy her curiosity- and her concerns. “Can I ask why?”
“I want to experience new things. Kissing is nice, but there’s more that I’d like to try with you- and see how we both feel about what comes next.”
“Thank you, Sabina. I really, really don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’ll say if that happens. Now, how would you like to start?”
Nika’s eyes flicked down.
“You’ve noticed my form?” Sabina asked, a small smile on her lips.
Nika’s eyes darted down. Then back up. Down again.
“Your upper torso has a purple triangular section that goes over your bust.” Nika said, half-exasperated and red-faced, meeting Sabina’s amused gaze. “How could I not?”
“Would you like to touch me there?”
Nika’s blush deepened further, almost matching the shade of red that lined her uniform.
“Yes.” She admitted, feeling her ears prick with heat.
Sabina shifted her chest forward slightly, emphasising the area; her bust slanted at an angle from her pectorals until it curved back into her torso. There was no cleavage, just a singular surface.
“Go on.” Sabina encouraged.
Nika reached out- but rather than go straight to Sabina’s curve, she placed her right hand on the upper left side of Sabina’s chest. There was a rhythmic pulse under the firm shell. A warmth, too- biocomponents were analogous to human organs and required similar conditions to function.
“You have a heart.” Nika noted.
“You’re correct, I do.” Sabina confirmed, patiently. “Mine pumps oxidant from the left-hand side like yours does blood.”
“Well, I always thought Replikas did have a heartbeat- but some people back at my facility said that you didn’t. I can feel it, just about.” Nika slid her hand down, rotating her wrist to cup the underside of Sabina's breastplate. It did not yield to her touch. “How does that feel?” She asked, tensing her fingers slightly.
“I can sense the pressure of your hand, but it’s less than when you touched my face when we kissed in the observatory. It feels nice.”
“Hm. Just ‘nice’.” Nika frowned. “And if I do… this?” She ran her thumb over the smooth curve of the polymer, brushing over where a nipple would be on her own body.
Sabina shrugged. “It feels the same.”
“You don’t feel anything… building?” Nika asked, moving her thumb in small circles. “A feeling of pleasure? Of need?”
Sabina shook her head.
Nika retracted her fingers, biting her lower lip.
“Sabina… Are you sure you want to continue?”
Sabina cocked her head. “Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Because this indicates your body can’t feel pleasure like I can. You’re not bothered by the fact you can’t receive?”
Sabina shrugged. “I want you to feel good. I think I’ll enjoy making it happen.”
“Also,” She leaned over. “I said that I like it when we-.”
Her soft lips found Nika’s.
The resulting passion of their kiss left Nika dizzy. She felt the firmness of Sabina’s hand on her chest, finding her heart at the same time as Sabina broke the kiss. Nika felt a mix of skin and polymer on her face as the Replika’s cheek moved against hers.
“You have a heartbeat.” Sabina whispered in Nika’s ear, before pulling back a little.
“I do.” Nika breathed. “Can you feel how fast it is?”
“Yes.”
“It’s all because of you.”
“Is this all because of me too?” Sabina sounded pleased as her firm fingers moved and brushed a bump in the fabric of Nika’s dress, caressing the stiff nipple.
“Yes. ” Nika sighed, as Sabina’s free hand cupped her other breast. Sabina’s hands were strong but delicate, teasing the straps from Nika’s shoulders and drawing the front down over her chest. It was a very different sensation from when Nika touched herself, the skin-softness and familiarity of her own fingers now replaced with Sabina’s polymer-firm and interested ones. Sabina’s were just as flexible, however, and Nika found that new and exciting- a good kind of different.
“You can feel my skin?” Nika asked, recalling how Sabina detected her heartbeat.
“It’s also muted. The tactile sensors below my neck might be lesser." Sabina continued, her smile growing wider. "But my mouth- that's as sensitive as yours." And with that, she bent her head.
Nika shivered slightly as Sabina’s breath fell over her chest. Then the feeling of a warm, wet, mouth on her nipple made her gasp. It was deliberate and electrifying, made even all the more pleasurable by the way Sabina’s hands caressed her ribs, stroking skin. Sabina cupped a breast in one hand and thumbed the other in small circles.
“The way you react…” Sabina breathed, before returning her mouth to Nika’s other breast. “I like it.”
“Then don’t stop!” Nika gasped again as Sabina repeatedly pursed her lips, teasing at the bud. Her hands fisted in the towel, her hips shifting too at the stimulation. Sabina was making her feel incredible.
“How was that?” Sabina asked. Nika said what was on her mind.
“Good.” Sabina replied. “I’m still learning.”
It struck Nika that Sabina had based her actions on a mix of instinct and her own signals; she showed an interest in Sabina’s bust, Sabina experimented with hers. A surge of affection (and lust) rose within her, and she took Sabina’s face in her hands, raising her lover’s face from its bowed position into a kiss.
When she needed to breathe, Nika snatched a lungful and moved her mouth to press a kiss to the strip of polymer at the bridge of Sabina’s nose, then to where the skin of Sabina’s chin gave way to her jaw. She felt soft skin against her upper lip and firm polymer against her lower lip, sensing Sabina’s jaw tense. Nika moved her lips down, to the matte polymer on Sabina’s neck. The dark material felt clean and warm against her lips, having a smooth texture. The segmented sections flexed slightly as Sabina breathed, shifting the gently curving panels.
“It’s thinner on your neck.” Nika noted.
“If it was too thick I wouldn’t be able to turn my head.”
“I wonder…” Nika mused. “Could I touch you- lower down? To try?” She was so eager for more, but she also wanted to do something for Sabina.
“Yes. I don’t mind.”
With Sabina’s permission, Nika trailed her fingers down over the Replika’s bust, the panels of Sabina’s abdominals and lower, experimentally, over the cowling covering Sabina’s crotch. She felt the same low warmth and a smooth surface, nothing more.
“Anything?” She asked.
Sabina gave her a small, commiserating smile. Nika was so keen to reciprocate- but she had confirmed that was not possible. “Just as muted.” She saw Nika’s hesitance again and made her smile reassuring. “Remember, my mouth is sensitive."
"You do like kissing." Nika noted.
“Not just that.” Sabina qualified. “Also-”
Nika’s eyes widened as Sabina pushed off the bunk with her arms and twisted her hips, leaving Nika sitting alone on the towel as Sabina slid to her knees on the floor panels.
As it struck Nika that, being a Replika, Sabina was unable to get sore knees- and what that might entail for her immediate future- Sabina slid Nika's thighs over her shoulders, firmly embedding herself between Nika's legs. Sabina dismissed the medical data that her memory banks offered. That felt too impersonal. Sabina wanted this to be hers, even if it was a little clumsy and unsure.
"Let me know what you like?" Sabina asked.
"Of course." Nika's breathing was shallow. It reassured Sabina. They were both nervous, preparing for a new part of their night. She pushed Nika’s dress up and Nika shifted, helping move the lower half to bundle with the top half already around her waist, leaving Nika as good as naked. Ready for Sabina.
Exposed.
Nika suddenly felt very self-aware.
“Do you mind how I look?" She asked as Sabina moved her head towards Nika’s dark curls- and lower.
"Why do you ask?" Sabina queried, pausing.
"I just got a bit uncertain before and didn’t know how much I should..." Nika stopped. “Shaving supplies weren't exactly priority items-”
Sabina blinked, nonplussed. "It’s part of who you are."
Nika smiled weakly. “But the girls back at Scalene said…”
She stopped when she realised that Sabina maintained her unfazed expression, instead running a finger along the edge of Nika’s pubic hair, then caressing the trimmed curls with curiosity.
“I’m not them.” Sabina replied gently.
The sight of Sabina smiling up at her with golden eyes did amazing things to Nika's self-confidence. She stroked the hair of Sabina’s braided crown wordlessly, her affection and encouragement unspoken.
Sabina inhaled, taking in the unique scent of Nika. She had nothing to compare it to- so she began to learn about Nika’s responses to her touch.
Even though her tactile sensors were muted, Sabina’s sensory suite detailed the fact that there was fluid- arousal, Sabina corrected- evident the lower her fingers trailed- she could see it too, the effect she had on her lover. She acquainted herself with Nika’s vulva, the sensitive elements that made up Nika’s most intimate area. The reactions to her light touches at Nika’s clit and when she penetrated with first one, then later two fingers made Sabina grateful that Nika had put down a towel as she took time to draw out Nika’s pleasure and arousal, listening to murmured affirmations and strained curses.
Now with a greater understanding of how Nika’s body reacted, Sabina wanted to do more. Her fingers weren’t enough. She wanted to use her mouth on Nika. She looked up.
“Please?” She asked.
“Please.” Nika nodded, petting Sabina’s hair. She was desperately turned on, her chest rising and falling as she breathed.
Just as before, Sabina started slow but learned quickly, going from gentle exploration to confident questing. Nika’s panted praise bypassed her template and awoke something within Sabina.
Passion, yes, but perhaps something deeper.
That awakening spurred her on, and had Nika threading her hands through Sabina’s hair, fingers tensing and heels digging into Sabina’s back for what was to be her first climax of the night, a gasped “Sab!” exploding from Nika’s lungs.
零
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They both needed to use the washroom. Sabina went first as Nika basked bonelessly on the pillows. After she cleaned her hands and face, Sabina inspected her reflection in the mirror.
There were a lot of new sensations to process. The tickle of hair against her upper lip, the thick taste of Nika still lingering on her tongue, how different it had felt when she had moved her mouth over soft folds or swollen clit. The positive exclamations and exhortations that filled Sabina’s ears. The physical and emotional reaction of Nika’s orgasms- and knowing that she was the cause.
Nika had wondered how Sabina would have felt, unable to ‘receive’, yet Nika had allowed her to experience something deeply intimate on so many levels. Making her lover happy made Sabina happy in turn- which was all she had desired from Nika's invitation. Sabina felt a deep satisfaction within herself as she considered all she had achieved- in the previous cycles, the previous hours. And there was still so much more time ahead to share together.
Deciding to further examine her mental considerations later, Sabina blinked and returned her attention to her physical state- Nika had knocked her braid loose from its crown. For the first time since her activation, Sabina did not restore it, as she had done when taking care of it in previous mornings.
She decided that she liked having it down.
Sabina knew she was still early into exploring her new identity, becoming more than her template or directed role- and it was all thanks to Nika.
Had her Gestalt been someone different, they might have ordered Sabina to undergo recalibration when her template’s memories resurfaced, resetting her back to an echo of a person that blindly followed orders. From the classified document Nika showed her, Sabina had inferred it was a common occurrence amongst SBNR units on other Penrose programmes, if there was a recommendation for recalibration to be used.
She felt so lucky that Nika was assigned to her, and encouraged her. Treated her as the person she was becoming.
The awakened feeling had not left her. It abided.
零
[This space intentionally left blank]
When Nika padded barefoot across the cool metal grating and jumped into bed, she landed next to a sitting Sabina on a nest of pillows, strands of her just-washed hair still a little wet, a few beads of water running down her naked form. Nika glowed with happiness, a smile never leaving her lips. Sabina guessed that Nika had skipped a part or two of her routine to get back as fast as possible, in addition to dumping the dirty towel in a washbin.
“What would you like now?” Sabina asked.
Nika gave her a shy smile. “Cuddle?” She reached out and wrapped her arms around Sabina’s waist, pulling Sabina down. Sabina went with Nika’s direction, sinking into the memory foam mattress as she laid on her side- her long legs were just able to fit in the bunk. Sabina’s tactile senses felt Nika’s slender body against hers, and it was her turn to feel self-conscious.
“Does this feel alright?” She asked. “I know that I’m not as soft as a Gestalt-”
“Sabina, don’t doubt yourself. I quite like it. I’ve never had this opportunity, to share space with someone who cares for me.” Nika proved her point by shifting closer. “You feel…” a pensive look came over her face as she sought the appropriate words. “Solid. Reassuring. Safe.”
Nika nodded to herself, satisfied. “I have more than enough pillows for softness- and my pillows are nowhere near as nice as you, Sab.”
She kissed Sabina again to prove her point.
“Oh, Nika?” Sabina asked.
“Yes?”
“I like it when you call me ‘Sab’.”
A pause. Nika smiled.
“Sab?”
“Yes?”
“Can I brush your hair?”
“Please.”
Sabina sat up, and Nika slipped into the space behind her back, drawing her fingers lazily up her Replika’s spinal plates as she inspected the complex working of dark hair.
“You braid this yourself?” Nika asked. Her other hand ran over the braid, gently mapping the helical pattern.
“I find it helps me focus my mind before the start of the day cycle.” Sabina stated. Then, in a spur of the moment decision: “I could teach you how.”
“But my hair’s too- you mean I could do it for you?”
“I’d like that.”
“I would too.” Nika began to loosen the braid under Sabina’s direction, diligently removing the clips that maintained the shape and position of the braid, in addition to sliding the hairtie from the end of the braid’s ponytail. It resulted in Sabina's long black hair flowing down her bare back. Nika took her hairbrush from an inset drawer and began to pull it through her bedmate's hair.
It was a novel experience for Sabina- both since Fardin grew up in an orphanage and was so used to looking after herself, plus Sabina herself was activated as an ‘adult’ Replika- to have her hair brushed. Even if Nika was not naked, the experience would have felt deeply intimate. Nika worked the brush carefully, untangling snags and slowly drawing the fine bristles over Sabina’s scalp. It felt soothing, and Sabina was sorry when it finished. It filled her with a deep affection for Nika, and made her sure of the full depth of her feelings for the Gestalt. Her Gestalt.
“Sabina.” Nika began, the hint of a tremor in her voice. “Could you brush my hair?”
Sabina knew that Nika’s hair was unlikely to tangle much due to its length. Additionally, Nika had taken care of her own hair for a long time, having been orphaned too. Yet Sabina also knew from inferences and quiet conversations that Nika had suffered physical abuse at the hands of bullies back at her previous facility. The opportunity to provide a gentler touch was something she dearly wanted to share.
“Of course I can.” She replied.
She was enveloped in a hug from behind, feeling Nika nuzzle against her neck. “But I can only do so if you’re in front of me.” She added.
零
[This space intentionally left blank]
Sabina held the brush in her right, her left steady on Nika’s shoulder as she drew the brush through Nika’s hair. It was getting longer- reaching her shoulders now, still with a bright blue streak through one lock. It was a nice contrast to the black and red of her uniform, a little mark of rebellion.
“I love you.”
Sabina’s words gently broke the silence, entirely unplanned.
Nika’s shoulders started to shake.
Concerned and afraid of what she had just done, Sabina let go of Nika’s shoulder- but Nika instantly reached across herself with her right arm, placing her palm over the back of Sabina’s hand, reaffirming the point of contact.
Don’t move away, the gesture declared.
So Sabina wrapped her arms around Nika instead, resting her forehead against the top of Nika’s hair, breathing in the scent of shampoo as her Gestalt cried quietly.
After a minute, Nika shifted, clearing her throat.
“Say it again?” She asked, her voice trembling.
“I love you, Nika.”
She could feel Nika’s intake of breath beneath her arms. It juddered, but was stronger than before.
“I love you too, Sabina. Will you sleep with me here tonight?”
“Yes.”
Nika eased out of Sabina’s embrace, turning. Her eyes were red and tears streaked her face. She wiped them away.
“Thank you.” Nika’s two words carried the weight of a hundred more. But they were enough.
They shuffled the pillows about to once again lie flush against each other, retrieving a blanket to cover their bodies. Before long, the spotlights dimmed- the Penrose’s lighting going through its evening programme.
Sabina looked into Nika’s eyes. They were the blue of Vineta’s oceans. It was a calming sight, pleasant memories of relaxation and happiness from her template surfacing as she felt fatigue wrap itself around her, the memories mixing uncontestedly with her recent experience.
She had not slept outside of her Maintenance pod before. Yet she knew that sharing Nika’s bunk would be just as restful, if not more so.
The lights cut out, leaving the soft red of the emergency lights glowing by the door.
“Goodnight, Nika.”
“I love you, Sab.” Nika whispered.
There was no verbal response- but Nika felt Sabina take her by the hand and gently squeeze it.
Sabina was with her. And Sabina would be there in the morning.