Andromeda: Welcome Aboard, Beka Valentine
 by John O'Connor  
 Disclaimer:  "Andromeda" & all characters, props,
 and settings are property of Tribune Services.  No
 copyright infringement for profit is intended.
 "Beka Valentine."
 "Huh?  Who...?" Beka Valentine, captain of the
 freighter-tug Eureka Maru, whirled around, alarmed
 by the seemingly disembodied voice in her assigned
 cabin on the Andromeda Ascendant.
 Seeing the holo tank with the image of the ships'
 Artificial Intelligence, she took a deep breath and
 said, "Don't do that!"
 "Do what, Beka Valentine?" the holo asked.
 "Sneak up on people.  It's unnerving."  The woman
 glared at the holo image for a long moment before
 asking, "What is it, anyway?"
 "I have been monitoring the mew members of the crew
 and most seem to have adapted to their new
 environment.  You however seem to be increasingly
 uncomfortable.  Is there anything I can do?" the
 AI/ship asked.
 "Yeah, no, I don't know.  I mean, I'm on a 300 year
 old sentient spaceship that's better than anything
 else out there with a captain who is mourning his
 long-dead fiance and his vanished culture.  I was a
 starship captain, even if it was a freighter.  Now
 I'm just another crew member.  What could be wrong?"
 Beka
 shook her head in frustration, her short blond hair
 falling more loosely in her face.  "How are the
 others doing anyway?"
 "Look for yourself," Andromeda said.  She cleared
 her
 image and showed Beka different images starting with
 Rev Bem.
 The alien with a bat-like face was happily immersed
 in
 one of the ship's many labs.  He seemed like a kid
 on
 his birthday not knowing which wonderful new toy to
 play with.  Beka smiled, "Rev loves gadgets and
 discovery almost as much as he loves to try to atone
 for his people."
 Anazasi appeared next in one of the ship's many
 gyms.
 He was running an entire gamut of exercises to test
 his already formidable Nietzschean physique.  Beka
 was
 unsure of this one, he was not a member of the
 Eureka's crew but smuggled on board in a stasis
 chamber with other Nietzscheans.  She was also aware
 that the captain, Dylan Hunt, did not trust him
 either
 after Anazasi's race brought about the destruction
 of
 his Commonwealth all those centuries ago.
 Her old ship's engineer, Seamus Harper, had found
 liquor somewhere on board and was managing to get
 himself quietly drunk in one of the mess halls.
 Trance Gemini, the purple-skinned alien, was in the
 ship's hydroponic arboreteum.  She had an affinity
 for
 growing things,an ability she enjoyed as evidenced
 by
 the lazy way her long supple tail was moving.  Beka
 stared at the image for several moments, lost in
 thought.
 "Is this what's disturbing you?" Andromeda asked.
 "You're lonely for companionship?  Perhaps I can
 help?"
 "You?  You're a computer program.  What can you
 possibly know about humans?  Or aliens?" Beka
 snorted contemptuously.
 "I am a state of the art Artificial Intelligence.  I
 am self-aware and able to learn and interact with
 members of the crew.  I am more than just a simple
 program, such as the old-fashioned emergency medical
 holos on your ship.  I understand much of human
 nature.  Let me help."  The holo image seemed to
 show genuine concern as she finished her statement.
 "How?" the human woman asked quietly.
 Materializing in a lifesize holo, Andromeda stood
 before her.  "I can adjust the holo emitters to emit
 solid light images.  It takes a little more energy
 and effort but I think you will like the result."
 Andromeda's image faded and Beka felt pressure
 against
 her chest.  She inhaled sharply in surprise as her
 nipple pushed against her shirt.  She looked down
 and
 saw a woman's transparent hand cupping her breast.
 A
 matching hand materialized and cupped her other
 breast.
 Beka closed her eyes as a tingling spread out from
 her
 chest.  It had been so long since anyone had touched
 her this way.  She sighed and smiled.
 "You like what I can do?"
 Opening her eyes, Beka saw Andromeda's head hovering
 eerily in front of her.  "Yes.  I do."
 The holographic head leaned forward and pressed her
 lips against the real flesh of Beka's mouth.  Beka
 opened her mouth to feel the warm solid-light tongue
 slip inside and begin to explore.  She reached up
 and
 ran her fingers through the holo's short brown hair,
 pulling the AI woman's head closer.  The heat she
 was
 feeling was from more than just the solid light
 source of the tongue probing her mouth
 While passionately kissing the artificial woman,
 Beka heard Andromeda saying, "I am very versatile."
 Beka smiled when she felt another hand squeeze and
 caress her leatherclad ass.   Another hand
 unbuttoned
 her shirt and peeled it off without dislodging the
 original pair of holo-hands.  Now she could feel the
 slight heat given off by the light-construct hands
 on her chest.
 The hands that had removed her shirt, or another
 pair
 of holos, opened the front of her tight leather
 pants
 and slid them over her hips to pool at her feet.
 One
 of the hands began to lightly stroke her moistening
 slit, the other slid around to fondle her ass again.
 Again, Beka heard the disembodied voice chuckling,
 "So, I take it you like this?"
 Beka moaned her pleasure into the holo-mouth she was
 kissing.
 "Well, I believe I can make it even better,"
 Andromeda promised.
 Beka groaned as the hand at her crotch changed and
 became Andromeda's soft mouth.  'How can she do
this?' Beka thought before rational thought was
banished by waves of pleasure.
 The mouth fastened on her labia and began to lick
 the
 aroused flesh as the blond space captain began to
 writhe in response.
 She squealed into Andromeda's mouth as a finger slid
 smoothly into her tight, grasping ass.
 Beka had never felt anything quite like this.  Very
 warm hands playing with her breasts, and ass, and a
 beautiful phantom head kissing her while another,
 equally transparent mouth was working over her now
 dripping pussy.  The heat of the solid light adding
 to the wonderful sensations she was experiencing.
 As she raced to a massive orgasm, her knees began to
 buckle but Andromeda formed additional hands to hold
 her up.
 Beka screamed into Andromeda as waves of pleasure
 washed through her.  She climaxed with the intensity
 of a supernova, her brain reeling from the
 sensations flowing through her.
 When she regained her senses, she was laying on her
 bunk, her sweat-soaked body completely nude.  She
 looked up and saw the fullbody holo of Andromeda
 hovering next to her.
 "Thank you," she managed to say.
 "You're very welcome.  I'm glad I was able to
 pleasure
 you.  You're quite responsive, more so than my
 previous female lover."  Andromeda smiled.
 "Did you enjoy that?" Beka asked.
 "Of course.  I find interacting on that level
 extremely satisfying.  Not in the same way but I
 definitely enjoy it."  Andromeda looked toward the
 holo tank and smiled as she activated it.  "Look,
 one of your crewmates seems to be enjoying herself."
 Beka looked toward the tank and saw Trance in the
 arboreteum naked.  Her purple skin was glowing under
 the growth lights as she managed to fuck herself
 with her limber tail.  As she masturbated herself to
 orgasm, she called out Beka's name.
 Andromeda looked at Beka and saw the smile of
 anticipation on her face.
 "Welcome aboard, Beka Valentine," Andromeda said as
 she dematerialized.
 (c) John O'Conner
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