Dead Star Dockyards 245 Initiation

It would be a lie to say that Donovan rarely woke up with Diana in his arms. At this point it was rarer that she wasn't. A naked Diana was a different story though. Diana sought to maintain a modicum of 'modesty' in the bedroom, her clothing of choice being underwear. Intimate enough to arouse a reaction but 'modest' enough to be presentable to any unwelco guests.

Donovan had brought her here fully clothed last night, and acutely rembered how hard he struggled to remove those clothes from her so the two of them could sleep comfortably. Her underwear had remained on.

"Mornin'."

"Good morning Donny." An unenthusiastic response was never a good sign, but given her behavior earlier this morning it wasn't unexpected. "Are we planning on getting out of bed anyti soon?"

"Mmm, no." Donovan squeezed his cozy little body pillow closer, moving one leg over to cover her legs. "Why do you ask?"

"I think Cherry is getting impatient."

"Cherry can wait to clean the room. I need my Diana ti, you need your Donny ti."

"I don't deserve any Donny ti." Diana was doing her pouty voice. "I almost did sothing very bad to you."

"Almost ans you didn't do it, right?"

"But, I an, I kind of did? I think there might be at least a risk of pregnancy." That explained why the elastic strap of his underwear was in a fairly uncomfortable position right now. "What do I do if I am pregnant? Doesn't that ruin our plans?"

"It does, and you'll have to be punished for it."

"Punished?"

"Yep. I'll be having you devote all of your ti to caring for and raising the kid. That ans no parties, no diplomacy, and tons of love and affection directed my way. Donovan rubbed his cheek into the side of her neck, his morning stubble tickling her. "Do we have a deal?"

"C-can I at least handle important diplomacy? Like our relationship with rndil and the Sanctum?"

"Hmm, that depends on how convincing you are." Donovan stretched one arm behind him to grab sothing off the table before rolling over on top of Diana.

"C-convincing? What do you an by that?" Diana was embarrassed, blushing as she looked away from Donovan's face. He wasn't having it though, gently turning her back by the chin so he could kiss her.

"I think you know what I an." Donovan slipped this little packet into her hand. "I want you to finish what you started this morning, the proper way. No funny business."

Donovan then rolled back to his position on the bed, dragging Diana with him. Now their positions were reversed.

- - - - -

". . ."

Titanyana and Trebar sat quietly in the cafeteria, indulging in simple snacks and drinks as they waited for Donovan to co downstairs.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" The question Trebar asked was innocent, but it's connotation assud a completely different aning to soone who knew what Donovan and Diana were probably doing.

"Th-that, um. Donovan didn't, couldn't, get to sleep for quite so ti yesterday, so I think he is taking his ti waking up. I would have to assu Diana is enjoying their ti in bed together."

"Hmm, that's all well and good, but it is past noon at this point."

"You said you had all day, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I would still like to get sothing done."

Trebar was here to advise Donovan about his entrance into a squad tournant. The sign-up was tomorrow, sothing Trebar could handle on Donovan's behalf, but he at least wanted Donovan to know all the proper procedures surrounding group battles.

"More tea?"

"Thank you Cherry, but I am fine for now. What is the word on Donovan? Will he be down soon?" Cherry suddenly got a lot redder, looking more like her nasake. Titanyana was fighting off a similar phenonon.

"They've been, um, occupied with each other, for a while now. The last ti I passed their room the ruckus had died down so he might be out soon, but I imagine he would like to shower in order to appear presentable."

"He is aware that I am waiting for him, yes?"

"H-hm?"

"You told him I was here, right?"

"I did nothing of the sort!" Cherry's voice was extrely high pitched right now.

"What do you an? You said they were awake and-" It finally seed to click for Trebar. "Oh, oh I am sorry, Cherry. I didn't, um, wow. Sorry, I understand why you didn't make him aware of my presence."

Trebar returned to his normal posture, grimacing a little from the embarrassnt. Titanyana was also beginning to blush whilst averting her gaze, making it clear to him that she had also known about their activities. Their collective embarrassnt was made all the more intense when Donovan, shirtless, entered the cafeteria.

"Good morning everybody." His breathing was ever so slightly heavier than normal. "I just ca down to get sothing for Diana and I to munch on. What brings you here Trebar?"

"I," Trebar coughed to clear his throat, "am here to catch you up on the etiquette and procedures of squad battles. I already had a talk with everyone else."

- - - - -

Titanyana struggled to keep track of the conversation, only barely able to maintain an upright posture. The odor from Donovan was just too strong, and were those bite marks? Was biting part of that? If so, why?

The questions Titanyana needed to ask Diana were rapidly growing in number and complexity, none of them particularly appropriate.

"So, with that I shall take my leave."

"Thanks. I'll make sure everyone gives it their best."

"Just don't push it too hard. You aren't going to have much ti to fix your mistakes, so focus on getting a feel for the flow of battle instead of trying to win. You should see what I an when I said that commanding won't do you much good."

"Alright. Oh, I talked with the guys. They would rather not be shuffled into other squads in Titanyana and I's absence, but they still want the chance to fight in dueling tournants. Can you accommodate that?"

"There isn't much to accommodate in the first place. My squad will assu a ntorship role for the three of them as we have discussed, and I hear Kerefel has devised a training plan specially designed for Wall."

"He'll be tickled to hear it. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Donovan and Trebar shook hands before going their separate ways, Titanyana still analyzing her tea. He had a plate of fruits and pastries in hand, more than enough for he and Diana to munch on. "Oh, right, Titanyana."

Titanyana flinched, a drop of tea spilling from her cup.

"Yes?"

"Arc wants to talk to you, to get started on your education. You are free to enter and exit that room as you please, just be careful you don't break anything. You weren't too freaked out by the exam last night, were you?"

"U-um, no?"

"Good. Honestly, I shouldn't need to say this, but don't give yourself too hard of a ti for not knowing sothing. Arc might be harsh with you, but his isn't trying to put you down or drive you away. His philosophy on education is that there is no greater disservice than coddling, and it will do everything in its power to bring you up to speed. You can tell if it ever gets out of hand, I don't want you overworked, but don't imdiately jump to the conclusion that Arc hates you just because he keeps giving you tough problems and difficult lessons."

"O-okay?"

"Excellent." Donovan then walked away, leaving Titanyana hot and bothered without an outlet.

- - - - -

"Good evening, Titanyana." That strange voice spoke to her the instant she closed the door, the pale and ghostly light in the middle of the room following soon after. "Please, take a seat. There is much I wish to speak to you about."

Titanyana obliged Arc's request, she didn't exactly have a reason to refuse. There she sat, the sa seat from the night previous, for a few minutes as she waited for Arc to continue.

". . . I never imagined that I would struggle to begin a conversation, and yet I cannot determine what the most effective way to start our little chat could be." Titanyana raised an eyebrow. Was that really sothing to worry about? "Maybe it would be best to do this over ti, then. A series of conversations . . . yes, that should do. I apologize if Donovan made my request to et with you today sound urgent, it seems we will not be able to cover everything today after all."

Titanyana still didn't respond, unsure of how she was supposed to do so (in English) or if she was ant to respond at all.

"Let us start with the most pressing matter first. Queen Titanyana Strapper, what na do you wish to call you by? Up to this point I have referred to you by your first na in a bid to maintain the tempo Donovan and Diana had set, but now that Donovan has decided to grant you the operator code 1-1, you possess a level of authority over second only to Donovan and Diana themselves."

"Titanyana is fine."

"Very well, Titanyana, do you understand the implications of having an operator code on the first level?"

"N-no?"

"Then I shall inform you of the powers vested in you later. For now, all you need to understand is that Donovan has deed you a trustworthy and important enough individual that you should have unlimited access to information I possess that Donovan and Diana have not specifically restricted your access to. This ans I will have to provide you information about extrely important and sensitive information should you ask. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes?" Titanyana responded on instinct, but decided that wasn't right. "No, no I don't understand."

"I thank you for the honesty. You will learn in ti, for now you should not worry about it. The most you should be concerned with is that Donovan has deed you trustworthy and loyal enough to provide so level of power over . Do you believe be has made a mistake?"

"No! No. I would never betray my savior."

"So you say, but that is a question that can only be answered with ti." Titanyana's ears flattened. "With that out of the way, let us begin your introductory lesson, a lesson on what 'Terran' truly ans. I know not what it ans to be 'Nekh', but I can assure you it does not fall anywhere close to what 'Terran' is. Nobody else can claim to be similar, not even the Holifanians."

"I'm learning about their bodies?" Titanyana had heard Donovan refer to topics such as anatomy multiple tis, often with regards to differences between races. She didn't understand the terminology used, such as the difference between anatomy and biology, but she understood enough to know that these might not be the sa for both her and Diana.

"No. This is not a lesson on the human body. It isn't even a lesson on biology, chemistry, or any other science. This lesson won't even be about science, or math, or any topic Donovan and Diana have covered with you thus far. My goal, at least for our first few sessions together, is to make you understand Terra - Earth - the planet Donovan and Diana and every other Terran called ho, the birthplace of the Terran race. You will learn the most important parts of its history, both good and bad, and how those events, cultures, and ideas shaped the future and present. I will provide visuals for you to further your understanding, a window into a past and place that has now been destroyed. All I ask of you is to sit and absorb that information. I will not test your knowledge of a history that you are seeing for the first ti, of a people that is not your own. To do so would be a cruel and ineffective way of achieving my goals.

My only expectation is that you co to a better understanding of the gravity behind what it ans for Donovan and Diana to be the only heirs to this history, in my mind the greatest to ever be, and begin to see how it drives and informs their decisions. Should you co to love this history as much as your own, I would be overjoyed. Should you co to hate it for what you see in it, I will not hold it against you. Will you provide with the proper amount of ti and attention needed to learn those lessons?"

Titanyana found herself hesitating despite her desire to know more about Donovan and Diana. Despite their openness on a great many fronts, the two of them remained enigmas to her. Questions surrounded them at all tis. How did they co to know so much? How could they possibly provide aid for the Nekh on a scale larger than the Holifanians, without having much of anything to do it with? Why was Diana so obsessed with learning about her people? Why was Donovan comfortable with pushing himself to exhaustion? This presented her the opportunity to learn the answers to those questions, no, the answers were being offered to her.

And yet she felt nervous about it. Sothing about Arc's tone didn't feel right. These aspects were supposed to be a secret, right? Donovan and Diana's motives and knowledge and capabilities were supposed to be a secret, that secrecy gave them an edge. Was it truly alright for her to learn about them so easily? If she did, what would she lose in turn?

Titanyana shook her head, lightly slapping her cheeks as if to wake herself up. Why was she worrying about losing sothing to the Terrans? Had she not already offered everything she had to them already? Her fears were unfounded, their source not being sothing she had to worry about anymore. Had the Terrans so pleased they could've forced Titanyana and the Nekh into a position of subservience, and Titanyana would have had no problems accepting their proposition. In fact it was the Terrans who proposed a relationship of equals, and every day that passed further convinced Titanyana that she would be unable to hold her end of that deal.

"I will do all I can to know you and Diana and Donovan better." Titanyana didn't know if her response was the most eloquent, but it was the most concise and firm expression of her intentions and desires that she could tailor in the mont.

"Thank you, Titanyana. If you would please close your eyes for a few seconds while I get the simulation started, I would appreciate it. You are free to keep them open if you wish, I simply wish to provide you with the most impactful experience I can."