Reed's Armory -- A Malcolm Reed Fanfiction Archive ..

Title: Close Encounter

Author: Sue Christian

Author's e-mail: [email protected]

Fandom: Enterprise

Pairing: Reed/Other

Rating: NC-17

Category: Het

Summary: Trip arranges a really boring duty for Malcolm planetside. But his joke backfires when Malcolm finds someone with whom to pass the time who shares both his interests and his needs.

Comments: Written December 2002. My thanks to Jannie, both for posing the MEG challenge that led to this story and for beta reading it for me. The challenge was to write a Mary Jane story and give your favourite Enterprise character some sweet loving. I'm not sure that this really is a Mary Jane story since I certainly I'm definitely not the female depicted here <G>, but I'd be more than willing to take her place.

Beta reader(s): Jannie

Archived to Reed's Armory on 04/20/2003.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was pissed off. He knew it was stupid and he was trying to talk himself out of it, but when Commander Tucker walked into the mess hall happily chatting with Ensign Sato, he knew things were just going to get worse. He scooted his chair around slightly so his back was to the pair and focused his attention on the padd by his plate, the very picture of a man who didn't want to be disturbed. He held out little hope it would work.

'Hey, Malcolm, mind if we join you?'

He glanced up to see the Commander and Ensign standing politely, trays in hand, waiting for his reply. Commander Tucker had an irritatingly innocent grin plastered across his face. He knew the Lieutenant was pissed off and he knew why. Reed hadn't said anything of course, but his friend had worked it out anyway.

'Commander, Ensign,' he said. He knew he was scowling by the way Tucker's eyes danced but he couldn't very well rebuff them. 'Of course, please, sit down,' he said before turning his attention back to the padd.

They sat and Tucker exchanged an amused look with Sato. 'Busy, Malcolm,' he inquired.

'Yes.' He didn't look up.

'Busy sulkin' if you ask me,' Tucker said. 'I guess you and me'll just have to talk to each other, Hoshi.'

'I am not sulking,' Reed said stiffly. 'I'm checking the diagnostics on the plasma cannons.'

'Come on, Malcolm, the whole ship knows you're sulkin' because the Cap'n hasn't let you go down to Laetia,' Tucker persisted.

'I am not sulking,' Reed reiterated forcefully. A hastily muffled snort of laughter from a nearby table made him realise that he'd spoken somewhat louder than he intended. He lowered his voice and continued. 'The Laetians are friendly. The Captain has no need for a security officer. I quite understand that.' He's got no need for an engineer either, he thought rather bitterly, but that hasn't stopped him taking you every day.

'Oh, the Laetians are friendly all right,' the Commander said suggestively. 'Don' you agree, Hoshi?'

'I can't remember when I last met such friendly people,' Hoshi replied, playing along. 'Not since Risa certainly,' she added.

They were laying it on a bit thick. Laetia was a lovely place and its people were definitely friendly, but it wasn't a pleasure planet and didn't cater for visitors in the way Risa did. But they both knew that Enterprise's armoury officer was feeling hard done to because his was the only section that had no valid reason to be included in a landing party. For the last three days everyone had been coming back to the ship singing the praises of Laetia and the Laetians and Malcolm wasn't good at hiding how fed up he was at being confined to the ship. 'Tell you what, Malcolm. I'll have a word with the Cap'n and see if we can't come up with a reason for takin' you with us tomorrow,' Tucker offered.

'Please don't put yourself to any trouble, Commander. I have plenty of work on Enterprise to keep me fully occupied, thank you,' Reed said, scrolling through the pages on his padd. 'Yeah,' Tucker grinned. 'Urgent diagnostics to check.'

'Exactly.' Reed stood. Now if you'll both excuse me, I have to get back to the Armoury.' As the mess hall door slid closed behind him he could hear Tucker and Hoshi laughing together.

'Ah, Malcolm, there you are.' The Captain smiled as Reed entered the ready room. Commander Tucker was there along with Sub-commander T'Pol and three officers from the science departments. Today's landing party, Reed realised. Tucker gave him a happy smile and a discrete 'thumbs up' behind the Captain's back.

'I want you to come down with us today,' the Captain continued.

In spite of himself Malcolm felt his spirits lifting. 'You do, sir?' he said trying not to sound too eager.

'Yes. T'Pol, Trip and I have been invited to some sort of formal reception and the scientists are going to be busy all day in the field. You know we have to keep the shuttlepod planet-side when we visit, and Trip thought it might be an idea to have someone keep an eye on it since we're all going to be away so long. You can pilot.'

Malcolm glared at the Commander. Great. Instead of being stuck on Enterprise where he could at least lose himself in his work he was going to be stuck in the shuttlepod all day. Tucker just grinned back at him.

'Problem, Malcolm?' Captain Archer asked when Malcolm didn't acknowledge his orders.

'No, not at all, Captain,' Malcolm said heavily.

'Well you'd better go and check with Travis about the landing protocols. We'll be leaving at 0800 hours.'

'Yes, sir.' Malcolm gave Commander Tucker another furious glare and left the ready room.

'Trip?' Captain Archer asked, having caught the exchange of looks as Reed left. 'Something I should know about?'

'No, Cap'n. Just having a bit of fun at Malcolm's expense.'

'Hmm.' Archer smiled at his friend. He knew of his Armoury Officer's hankering to get down to Laetia and fully intended to see that he did before they had to leave, but he wasn't averse to a bit of gentle teasing of the rather starchy Englishman. 'Just see it doesn't get out of hand,' he said.

Reed dropped the padd he'd been perusing onto the shuttlepod's console, leaned back in his seat and stretched. He'd only been on the surface two hours and already he was bored. It would be at least another six hours before the others returned. He'd be stir crazy by then. He spent the next half-hour or so thinking up ways to get back at Commander Tucker for setting him up like this. It wasn't easy taking revenge on a senior officer, even one who was generally a good friend, but he managed to dream up one or two possibilities, which he filed away for future use. Still another five and a half hours to go.

The Captain had stressed that he should stay with the shuttlepod 'at all times'. In fact he stressed it so much that Reed wondered if perhaps he was in on the trick too. There really was no need for him to be here. The Captain couldn't possibly imagine that the Laetians - the very friendly Laetians he reminded himself - would break into, or steal, the shuttlepod. But orders were orders and Reed had no intention of disobeying. Still, he reasoned, staying with the shuttle didn't necessarily mean staying in the shuttle. He was allegedly here as a security officer so he'd act like one and patrol the perimeter, he decided.

Reed popped the hatch and climbed out, his first actual footfall on Laetia. He looked around. The Enterprise shuttlepod was one of about a dozen craft arranged around the capital city's spaceport, most of them Laetian. The nearest craft looked locked and empty. Not that that means anything, he told himself. The Enterprise's shuttlepod probably looked the same way until a few moments ago. About 150 metres away was a sleek military looking ship, silver in colour and a good deal larger than Enterprise's shuttle. Its hatch was open and a ramp extended to the ground, but there was no sign of anyone. The sunlight was bright and warm and a heat haze shimmered over the metallic surface of the alien ship. Reed closed and locked the hatch of his own vessel then set off on patrol. He allowed himself to get about 10 metres from the shuttle then set off on a slow patrol around it, stopping periodically to survey the area. When he reached the hatch again he noticed that there was someone sitting on the ramp of the silver ship. A woman, he thought. She appeared to be cleaning some sort of weapon. Reed had been about to re-enter the shuttle but changed his mind and turning round completed another circuit in the opposite direction. Back at the hatch, as he unlocked it he looked over at the alien ship. The woman waved casually to him. He raised his hand in reply and momentarily considered going over to say hello, but 150 metres away was not his idea of staying with the shuttlepod.

Back inside Reed paced up and down the shuttle's length a couple of times, rearranged a few things in the lockers and neatened his stack of padds. He checked the time again. He'd managed to make his patrol last all of 30 minutes. Only another five hours. He sighed and picking up a padd tried to concentrate on some of the reports he had only yesterday claimed were so important.

The Leatian sun had climbed almost to midday and heat was bouncing off the hard surface of the spaceport and in through the open hatch. It was overly warm in the shuttle and Reed was almost dozing over his reports when he was suddenly startled by a noise outside. He leapt to his feet with a muttered oath, automatically reached for his phase pistol, which of course he wasn't wearing.

The woman from the military ship held up her hands and backed off a step from the hatch. 'I'm sorry,' she said, 'I didn't mean to startle you.' Reed noticed that her voice, both in reality and through the universal translator, was deep and husky. She appeared to be dressed in the standard Laetian space service uniform of T-shirt and coverall, not unlike his own, but in a gunmetal grey that looked good against her yellow skin. Though it seemed to fit rather better on her than on any of the Laetians who'd been on Enterprise, Reed thought.

'No, no. It's I who should apologise,' he said. 'I was half asleep, I'm sorry. Very unprofessional. Please, what can I do for you?' he asked climbing out to stand beside her.

The woman laughed. 'Nothing really, other than provide a little company maybe. I just came over to say hello. You're one of the aliens aren't you, from Enterprise?'

'Er, yes. Yes I am. You know, I'm not used to thinking of myself as an alien. Silly isn't it?' he smiled. Then belatedly remembering his manners he added, 'I'm Lieutenant Reed.'

'Theydra,' the woman replied. 'Officer Theydra. I'm Munitions Second on the Vansect,' she waved towards the sleek ship. 'Most of the rest of the crew are on shore leave but there was work to be finished so I got left behind.'

'Munitions?' Reed queried, his interest piqued.

'Are you interested in weaponry? Would you like to come over to the Vansect for a look around? It's not a problem,' she added as she noticed his hesitation. 'Our people are exchanging information and it's not as if Vansect has any secrets.'

'That's very kind of you, and I'd love to say yes, but I'm under orders to stay with the shuttlepod. I'm supposed to be guarding it,' he ended lamely.

'From what?' Theydra asked with a laugh.

'God only knows. Actually it's just our Chief Engineer, Mr. Tucker's idea of a joke at my expense, but orders, you know,' he shrugged.

'So, are you a security officer then? I couldn't help notice the way you went for your weapon when I startled you. I think I'm glad you weren't wearing it.'

'Actually I'm Enterprise's Armoury Officer which makes me head of security. I really am sorry I can't come across and see your ship.'

'I have an idea,' Theydra said. 'If you can't come to Vansect, I can at least bring some of our weapons over to you. Would you like that?'

'Oh please, don't go to any trouble on my behalf,' Reed protested unconvincingly.

'Nonsense, no trouble at all. To tell you the truth, it'll be a pleasure to be able to talk to someone who shares my interest. I'll be back shortly.' With that she turned and jogged back to her ship.

Reed watched her go and found himself admiring the way that she moved. Laetians were tall by human standards and Theydra was a good fifteen centimetres taller than him. The way she loped easily over the space between their two ships suggested that her slender form was more muscular than it looked. Her red hair was tied up in a ponytail that bounced from side to side as she ran.

The Lieutenant watched Theydra until she disappeared into her ship then he climbed back into the shuttle. He put away the padds he'd been working on and glanced around the interior. The cushion on one of the benches was crumpled and he started to smooth it out then pulled himself up with a smile. Don't be so fussy, he admonished himself. This isn't a date. He checked the clock. Four hours before the Captain and the others were due back.

'Here, can you take this?' Theydra appeared at the hatch and handed Reed a bottle of green liquid. As he took it she went on, 'I thought maybe we could have a drink while we talked.' She climbed in and unceremoniously dumped a handgun and two larger weapons on the floor. Reed handed the bottle back to her.

'Have you any glasses?' she asked.

'I'm not sure,' he answered. 'That is, yes, I do have glasses, but I'm not sure I should be drinking. What is that?'

'It's a sort of fruit juice,' Theydra said. 'Very refreshing. I thought since it was so hot, you know?'

'Fruit juice, oh. Well that should be all right.' Reed produced two glasses from a locker and Theydra poured them both a drink. 'Cheers,' Reed said and sniffed tentatively at the oily green liquid.

'Cheers?' Theydra queried.

'It's a toast,' Reed explained. 'It means good health, that sort of thing.'

'Ah,' she said and raised her glass. 'To a pleasurable encounter.' She smiled at him and drank.

'Yes indeed,' Reed said. He took a sip of the drink. 'Bloody hell!' he coughed. Theydra looked at him puzzled.

'I thought you said this was fruit juice.' He looked at the glass in his hand and blinked and shook his head few times to clear it.

'It is. Distilled fruit juice. It's good in this heat to quench the thirst. Is it not to your taste?'

'No. It tastes lovely,' he replied, realising that it was true. The flavour was deliciously sweet, almost like pineapple juice, he reflected. 'It's got a bit of a kick, is all.'

'Oh, you'll get used to it,' she grinned. 'Let me show you these.' She curled up her long limbs, sat on the floor beside her weapons and started to strip down the handgun.

Reed put his glass down and joined her on the floor. He wasn't at all sure he should be drinking this Laetian 'fruit juice' but he was very interested in the guns and he didn't want to say anything to upset his guest.

'So, Lieutenant Reed,' Theydra said relaxing back against a bench, 'what shall we talk about now?'

They had spent a happy hour stripping down and examining each other's weapons. In spite of his good intentions Reed had finished his 'juice' and allowed his glass to be refilled more than once. Theydra was right. The drink was refreshing and after his initial shock he had got used to it.

'Malcolm,' he said. 'Lieutenant Reed is far too formal between friends. Please call me Malcolm.'

'Malcolm,' Theydra savoured the alien name. 'Yes, I like that,' she decided, 'and you must call me Velan.' She stood up suddenly. 'I'm sorry, Malcolm' she said, 'but it's very hot in here, don't you think. You don't mind if I take my top off do you?' Before he could respond she unbuttoned her coverall, slipped the sleeves off and tied them loosely round her waist. Her undershirt was sleeveless and closely fitted, Malcolm noted, figure hugging in fact. And what a nice figure it's hugging, he thought to himself appreciatively, letting his eyes wander over what he could see of her pale yellow skin, noticing the hard nipples pushing against the black fabric.

'It is rather warm, isn't it?' he agreed. 'Maybe we should close the hatch and rely on the environmental controls.' He got to his feet, pulled the hatch door closed and keyed the lock. Stepping over to the command console he adjusted the controls for a temperature of 20 Celsius. As he did so he glanced at the clock. Three hours left. Left for what? Even as he mentally posed the question, a vision of how he wanted to spend those three hours leapt, unbidden, into his mind. The 'juice', he wondered casually, or the unmistakable vibes he was getting from Velan? Whatever the cause, Malcolm decided, it was time to make his move.

He turned from the console. Velan had silently followed him across the shuttle's cabin and was standing barely 40 centimetres from him.

'Are you hot too, Malcolm?' she asked fingering the tab on his jump suit's zip.

He swallowed. 'It is rather warm, isn't it?' he repeated

Velan tugged gently on the zipper. 'A strange fastening,' she said. 'How does it work?'

Malcolm licked his lips. 'It pulls down. Like this,' he said. He closed his hand over her's and slowly started to slide the zipper down. Malcolm looked up into Velan's eyes. The shuttlepod's restricted headroom made her seem to loom over him. He wasn't accustomed to having to physically look up to women. It was a strange sensation, but strangely exciting too he realised. With his other hand he reached out to her ponytail and released the clip keeping it in place. Velan's hair fell round her shoulders like autumn leaves. Malcolm tangled his fingers in it and pulled her down for a kiss.

Her lips felt hot and dry on his. Then she parted them and Malcolm let his tongue slip between them, exploring. Gently Velan grazed her teeth over Malcolm's tongue then she slid her own tongue into his mouth. Like her lips it was drier than he expected, and rough, almost scaly. He drew a shuddering breath and made a soft unintelligible sound.

Velan's hand, and Malcolm's, on his zip had reached waist level. Velan stopped the decent and lifted both her hands to Malcolm's shoulders sliding them inside the jump-suit and pulling it down to release his arms. Malcolm let go of her while she did this, then re-tangled his fingers in her hair.

Velan tugged at the hem of Malcolm's shirt and slid her hands underneath it. Encountering his regulation blues she pulled her mouth from his and said. 'Goddess, Malcolm, how many layers have you got on?'

'That's the last,' he murmured, kissing her again. She pulled the undershirt free and her too dry hands started to explore his torso.

Malcolm was all too aware of his reaction to her touch. As his cock hardened and pushed against the fabric of his uniform he broke off the kiss. 'Can we...' he started.

'Yes,' she breathed, nipping his earlobe.

'Oh,' Malcolm gave a little gasp. 'No,' he stammered, 'I mean, different species, different - well, different anatomy. I mean, really, can we?'

'Isn't that part of the fun,' Velan murmured running her scaly tongue round his ear and bending to nuzzle his neck, 'finding out?'

She started to tug on his zip again then paused, becoming aware of his erection. Her hand rubbed over his uniform, feeling his size and hardness. 'Hmmm. I think the answer to your question is probably yes.' Abruptly she pushed Malcolm back against the console and dragged his shirt and undershirt off in one move. God, she is stronger than she looks, Malcolm thought. He looked up at Velan. Her eyes were clouded with desire as she lowered her mouth to his and captured it in a fierce kiss, her hands exploring his chest. Finding his nipples she tweaked and pulled at them forcefully enough to elicit an excited moan from him.

Malcolm wrapped his hands around her waist and tugged her undershirt away from her pants. Then he slid his hands under the garment and caressed her back. She was unnaturally warm to his touch, her vertebrae protruding much further than a human's would. Slowly he ran a thumbnail down the line of bones from neck to waist. Velan broke off their kiss and arched her back, exhaling with a quiet hiss. Taking advantage of the slightly increased distance between them Malcolm moved his hands round to her front and pushed up the undershirt to expose her breasts. He looked at them and paused.

The pale yellow of Velan's arms and throat deepened to rich orange over her breasts. Her nipples were larger than a human woman's, dark grey and scaly with a hard raised nub in the centre.

Velan wrapped the fingers of one hand in Malcolm's hair, with the other hand she cupped her left breast. 'Bite me, Malcolm,' she said gently pushing his head towards her waiting nipple.

'What?'

'Bite me.' Obediently he took the nipple in his mouth and toyed with it with his teeth. It felt dry and rough, almost wooden. Very alien. 'Harder, Malcolm,' she breathed. 'Bite harder. You won't hurt me,' she said when he didn't immediately respond. 'It's what I need. Please.' She moved the hand with which she had been offering him her breast and slid it down his back, inside his jump suit and gripped one cheek of his arse.

Encouraged by her urgings he bit hard on her nipple. Velan moaned. Releasing her hold on his hair she put that hand too inside his jump suit and gripped his other buttock pulling him hard against her. Now Malcolm moved his own hands to Velan's breasts massaging one while holding the one he was biting at the right angle for his mouth. His initial fear of hurting her had gone and he was enthusiastically biting and sucking at her leathery nipple listening to her ragged breathing above his head. Suddenly he was aware of a sweet taste in his mouth and liquid in his throat. Startled he stopped what he was doing and pulled his head back. A clear orange liquid was seeping from the nub at the centre of the nipple on which he had been working.

Velan looked down to see why he'd stopped. Malcolm looked up and met her gaze, the question in his eyes. 'It's the suckling response,' she explained. 'Does this not happen in humans?' He shook his head. 'In Laetians it's normal,' she assured him. 'So we can feed a child at need. And, of course, men suckle during sex as well. Laetian men expect it.' Lifting one of her hands she grasped his jaw, holding it immobile while she bent her head for another kiss. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth and she tasted her own milk. Releasing his mouth she asked, 'Didn't you enjoy the taste?'

Malcolm started to say no. He looked from her eyes to her breasts and back again, very conscious of his erection rubbing against her legs as she slowly gyrated her crotch against his body. He tried to calm his breathing sufficiently to speak. 'Actually, yes,' he heard himself say.

'Good,' Velan smiled. 'More,' and she pushed his head down again.

Malcolm returned to suckling her and she returned her hand to his arse. Slowly she moved both hands round to the front of his groin. Taking hold of the zip again she continued it's downward journey until she could push the jump suit down round his thighs. Then equally slowly she returned her hands to his arse and slid them inside his blues. She let her hands trail over Malcolm's buttocks, sometimes feather light, sometimes squeezing almost painfully hard. Her nails made small sharp random pinches, and her fingers strayed hot and dry between his cheeks, exploring. One finger discovered his anus and slid experimentally inside. Malcolm tensed his muscles around her finger and groaned. After a few moments she withdrew the finger and continued her investigations. Now the hands were on his belly, caressing his hip bones, combing through his pubic hair, cradling his balls.

'Oh, God.' Malcolm deserted Velan's breast and leaned back against the shuttle console, head thrown back, eyes shut, panting.

Velan pulled his shorts down over his hips releasing his hard and throbbing manhood then she slid down his body until she was kneeling before him. She put a finger in her mouth and wet it with her saliva then used it to stroke the tip of his cock. Malcolm gasped and blindly reached out with one hand for her hair again. She looked up at him assessing his condition. 'Can you do this more than once?' she asked.

'What?' Malcolm mumbled trying to focus his eyes on her face and to take in what she'd said.

'If I drink you now,' she said, 'can you be ready again? How long?'

Malcolm gazed at her as she wet another finger and ran it the length of his shaft. 'No, yes, probably. I don't know. Half an hour, maybe,' he babbled squirming under her touch.

She smiled up at him and as he watched slowly took the full length of his cock into her mouth. Malcolm tensed as he watched her, wary of her dry and scratch tongue, but her mouth was wet, with saliva he supposed. The occasional touch of dry scales was an exciting counterpoint. She slid his shaft in and out a few times then removing her mouth completely concentrated on playing him with her wet fingers and dry tongue, working from base to tip and back again and finally licking and gently massaging his scrotum. He tried to thrust but she laid one arm across his hips and used her superior strength to pin him to the console. Malcolm leaned back and gave himself up completely to her tender ministrations. Certainly it was by blind luck not judgement that he avoided activating anything vital, as he lay naked and writhing across the shuttle's control panel.

Malcolm knew he was close to coming. 'I need to move,' he gasped, pulling at the arm pinning him down. 'Please, Velan. Oh. Oh God. Suck me, Velan. Let me move,' he pleaded.

Velan moved her arm, positioning both hands under his buttocks and letting one finger again play at the entrance to his anus. Then she once again slid her wet and dry mouth round his penis as he thrust against her, and when he almost immediately came she eagerly sucked and swallowed his come, drinking it down as he thrust, milking him until he was dry.

It had only been Velan's hands on his arse that had kept him upright and as his shuddering climax drew to a close she released her grip and let Malcolm slide down until he was sitting on the floor alongside her. When he had regained some semblance of control, when his blood stopped pounding in his ears and he felt able to speak again, he turned to her with a lopsided grin.

'Thank you. That was truly amazing. Out of this world.' He felt dazed and lethargic and knew he had a stupid grin on his face, but he couldn't help it. A year in space and this was the first sex he'd had that didn't involve his own right hand, and boy did it feel good. More than good, it felt like the most amazing sex he'd ever had in his life.

They lay together on the floor for a while, Malcolm with his head on Velan's shoulder, half-asleep.

'Ouch!' Malcolm jumped as Velan pinched him. 'What was that for?'

'You were falling asleep,' she smiled. 'That's not allowed. My turn now.'

'How long?' he asked struggling to his knees. 'Just let me check the time.' Kneeling he could just see the clock. Fifty minutes since he'd locked the shuttle door and they'd started on this mad escapade. A little more than two hours before the others were due back. Plenty of time. He flopped back down besides her and tugged off his boots and the jump suit and pants which were still wrapped round his calves. Belatedly he noticed that Velan was still almost fully dressed. One of them had pulled her undershirt off at some stage, but she was still wearing her coverall with the sleeves tied round her waist.

'Sit up,' he ordered her, 'here with your back to the wall.' Velan smilingly did as he told her. Malcolm pushed her legs apart until there was just room for him to kneel between them. He lifted his hands to Velan's coverall and untied the sleeves, then moved to unfasten her from the waist down.

'Ah, buttons. So much more fun than zips. So much easier to, carefully and slowly, undo a little at a time,' he said, suiting his actions to the words, unfastening one button then another, looking up at her face as his fingers worked. He had a quizzing, calculating glint in his eye, his lips were parted and the tip of his tongue was caught between his front teeth. He undid another button and Velan shifted her hips slightly, anticipating his reaction. She wasn't disappointed.

'Oh no you don't.' He put his hands on her hips and leaned on them stopping her wriggling. It didn't matter to either of them that if she really wanted to move he would be unable to stop her. This was a game they were both willing to play by the same rules.

He removed his hands and Velan obediently lay still as he slowly unfastened the next button, then another, and finally the last one. He folded the material of her coverall back and contemplated the black fabric of her panties stretched across her stomach. He stroked a hand casually across her belly first one way then the other, then slipped a finger into the waistband of her panties and teased them down a little until he could see the beginnings of the same orange that flushed the skin across her breasts.

Velan drew in a deep breath and Malcolm removed his finger from her panties, watching her with an almost feral smile. He took hold of her coverall on either side of her hips. 'Lift,' he ordered. She obeyed and he pulled the coverall down past her hips. She lowered her hips to the floor again and let Malcolm pull the coverall down to her ankles. She expected him to take it all the way off but he left it bunched up round the top of her boots and she realised as he rearranged himself astride both her legs that he had effectively tied her feet together. She felt the thrill stirring in her groin and her milk started to flow again, a small orange bead hanging on each nipple. Malcolm noticed and very gently removed the fluid with his tongue, watching her face all the time.

He placed his hands either side of her torso and stroked down over her ribs to her waist. His hands kept on moving down, slipped inside her panties and round to her buttocks. Under the pressure of his long fingers she again lifted her hips from the floor and allowed her panties to be pulled down to her thighs.

Malcolm was expecting the orange flush that suffused the skin on her lower belly but the brilliant fire of her pubic hair was a surprise. He drew in a sharp breath as the glory was uncovered. A forest of orange, red, gold and auburn, longer than he'd expected, crimped and curling, and soft. His fingers threaded through the strands, twisting and caressing, gently tugging. 'God, that's beautiful,' he murmured.

'Thank you.' She smiled down at his expression of wonder and reached to stroke his cheek. Her hand moved to his ear, which she carefully outlined with one finger, before finally sliding into his hair. For a while her hand on his head echoed his movements; she stroked when he stroked, tugged when he tugged. Then she took a firmer hold and urged him to look up at her face. 'Kiss my sex, Malcolm,' she whispered. 'My milk flows for you. So do my love juices. Taste them, Malcolm, please.'

Malcolm moved off her legs and pulled her panties down to join her coverall at her ankles. 'Bend your knees,' he said. As she did so he parted her legs and pushed her knees to the floor. He crawled over so that he was again kneeling between her legs. It was a little awkward as he was in effect kneeling on her feet, which were still fastened together with her clothing, but he liked the illusion that he was somehow controlling, restraining her. 'Is that all right,' he asked, 'not too uncomfortable?'

In reply she leaned forward, placed her hands either side of his face and pulled him into a kiss. 'Taste me, Malcolm,' she sighed as she released him.

Obediently Malcolm returned his attention to her pubic area. As he bent his head to nuzzle that glorious hair he became aware of a sweet intoxicating smell. The smell of her sex, he realised. He inhaled deeply; aware of the effect the smell was having on him. His cock twitched, hardening again and he smiled to himself satisfied that he wouldn't disappoint Velan. He parted her hair and let his finger trail over her pubic mound to trace the line of her crack. Velan gave a little gasp and moved her hips slightly. Malcolm put his hands on her hipbones, resting his weight there, bent his head and ran his tongue lightly over the path his finger had traced. Velan made a soft grunting noise. Malcolm increased the pressure of his tongue, using it to force her labia apart and circling the hard nub which, judging from her reactions, was the Laetian equivalent of a clitoris.

He pulled back and adjusted his position so his weight was resting on one arm, freeing his other hand. Now he could see her sex more clearly. The whole area was a deep vibrant orange. The colour and the heavy sweet smell were a real turn-on. Malcolm wet one of his fingers in his mouth, unsure of the alien territory he was about to enter. He slipped the finger between those intensely coloured folds of flesh, probing, investigating and was pleasantly surprised to find that in this one respect at least Laetian physiology was remarkable similar to human. He slid the finger inside her hot wet pussy and felt Velan contract around it. Resting the heel of his hand on her pubic bone he started to move his finger in and out, allowing the movement of his hand to stimulate her clitoris. Velan started to grunt in sync with his rhythm. Without altering his slow steady pace Malcolm leaned forward and took one of her nipples in his mouth, biting and sucking hard, tasting her milk. 'Goddess, Malcolm,' Velan gasped, 'that feels good.' Malcolm paused in his suckling to look up at her face. 'Oh, don't stop,' she moaned. Then as he bent to the task again she grabbed his hair and pulled him up her body and into a wild, hard kiss, her tongue invading his mouth, tasting herself. She released his mouth. 'I need more than your finger inside me, Malcolm,' she panted. 'Are you ready? Fuck me, Malcolm, now, please.'

Malcolm was very definitely ready. He settled himself into position, leaning on one hand. Taking his cock in his other hand he gently guided it into Velan. She gasped and flinched slightly as he started to enter. Malcolm paused, waiting for her to relax.

'It's all right,' she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. 'Human males must be larger than Laetians.' She moved her hand to his chin, tilting his head and looking him in the eye, her face flushed gold with passion. 'Or perhaps it's just you.'

'Perhaps,' Malcolm grinned at her. He leaned into her letting his cock slowly bury itself in her alien heat. Then as Velan panted and writhed under him he began to pump in and out, slowly at first then increasing his pace as her movements became more urgent and demanding.

As she neared her climax Velan gripped his shoulders, her fingers biting into his flesh bruisingly. She flung her head back against the bulkhead, arching her whole body and shouting words with which the universal translator couldn't cope. Her incoherence and her tightness around him as she came pushed Malcolm over the edge and he surrendered himself to the overwhelming intensity of his own climax.

Malcolm collapsed onto Velan and they lay there for a while, her stroking his back, while their breathing returned to normal. He felt himself begin to slide out of her as he softened. Sighing he rolled off her and carefully helped her to straighten legs stiff from their awkward position and his weight. They sat on the floor side by side for a while; relaxed and happy, occasionally kissing and caressing until Malcolm began to worry about the time. He scrambled to his feet and checked the clock. One hour left. If they were on time. He looked around the interior of the shuttle. Clothing strewn everywhere, damp patches on the floor, a naked alien woman, and the heavy smell of sex. Suddenly an hour didn't seem like a very long time. And what if they were early?

Velan watched him, grinning as a slightly panicked expression settled on his face. 'How long?' she asked.

'An hour, possibly less.'

'Then we'd better tidy up.' She climbed to her feet pulling her pants and coverall up from her ankles. 'Is there somewhere I can clean up?' she asked.

Malcolm directed her to the shuttle's small washroom. As she passed him she leaned down, planted a kiss on his lips and pinched his bottom. 'You're very sexy when you're frightened,' she said.

'I'm not frightened,' he protested.

'No? And if I were to say I could see a land car approaching?' she teased, laughing when he paled and checked anxiously out of the window. 'I won't be long,' she promised.

While Velan washed, Malcolm gathered his clothes. When she had finished in the washroom he washed and dressed then cleaned the floor. Then he opened the hatch fully letting in fresh air and, he hoped, clearing the smell.

Finally satisfied that everything was as it should be he checked the clock again. 'Twenty minutes 'til they're due,' he said in answer to her questioning look.

'I'd better be getting back to Vansect then,' she said. She picked up her weapons, holstering the handgun and slinging the other two over her shoulder.

They both climbed out of the shuttle and stood in the gentle warmth of the Laetian afternoon. He was just about to kiss her goodbye when he noticed the land vehicle with the Captain and his fellow crewmembers approaching. 'Shit,' he muttered. Velan raised a questioning eyebrow. 'My people are here,' he said, nodding in their direction.

'Will you get into trouble?' she asked anxiously.

'Only if they find out what we've been doing,' he grinned.

She grinned back at him. 'Then we must see that they don't.'

The vehicle pulled up alongside the shuttle and the Captain, Commander Tucker, T'Pol and the three scientists got out.

'Lieutenant,' Captain Archer greeted him, one wary eye on the heavily armed Laetian woman, 'everything all right?'

'Fine, Captain,' Malcolm replied. 'This is Munitions Second Theydra from the Laetian ship Vansect.' He waved towards her ship as he performed the introductions. 'Velan, this is Captain Archer of the Enterprise.'

'Pleased to meet you, Captain,' Velan replied. T'Pol and the scientists had entered the pod and were busy stowing equipment but Commander Tucker had lingered alongside the Captain watching her and Malcolm, a smile twitching his lips. She looked enquiringly at Malcolm.

'And this is Commander Tucker. Enterprise's Chief Engineer,' he added significantly, pointing out to her that this was the person whose fault it was that he had had to spend the day in the shuttle.

'Ah,' Velan turned to the Commander with a brilliant smile. 'Then it is you I have to thank for the pleasure of Malcolm today.'

Malcolm bit his lip at her turn of phrase, but he was pretty sure he managed to keep a straight face.

'Been havin' fun, Malcolm?' Tucker asked.

Malcolm glanced at his friend, saw the mischievous glint in his eye and chose to address his reply to the Captain.

'Officer Theydra brought some of her weapons over for me to examine, sir. Since I wasn't allowed to leave the shuttlepod,' he added pointedly.

'Bin showin' you her weapons has she,' Tucker drawled. 'An' did ya show her yours?'

Malcolm kept his eyes on the Captain. 'We didn't think it would be a problem, sir, since Enterprise has already been exchanging technical information with the Laetians.'

'No, no problem, Malcolm,' Captain Archer smiled at the two munitions experts. 'Just so long as you had a good time.'

'Oh yes, sir. We had a good time. Wouldn't you agree, Velan?' He could see Tucker out of the corner of his eye and noted with quiet satisfaction that the Commander was picking up enough subtext to suspect, but not enough to be sure. Let him stew, Malcolm thought maliciously. With luck he'd be able to keep Trip guessing for days.

Velan smiled and nodded her agreement with Malcolm's assessment.

Captain Archer looked thoughtfully from the Laetian to his Armoury Officer and decided he didn't really want to know any more about their day. 'Nice to meet you, Officer Theydra,' he said. Then to Malcolm, 'When you're ready, Mr. Reed.' He climbed into the pod but Tucker stayed outside, watching the two of them.

Velan took the hint. 'So, time to say goodbye, Malcolm,' she said.

Malcolm reached out, offering to shake her hand. She dropped her armaments to the floor and caught hold of his proffered hand but instead of shaking it pulled him into a bear hug almost lifting him off his feet. Surprised he put his free hand around her waist to steady himself.

'Goddess hold you on your journey,' she said. Then lowering her head to his she murmured so only he could hear, 'I enjoyed you very much, thank you. You are my first alien.'

'And you mine,' Malcolm replied similarly sotto voce. 'I think you noticed how much I enjoyed you.'

Velan laughed and released him. 'Thank you, Commander,' she said to the increasingly curious Tucker. Then she picked up her weaponry and walked off to her ship without a backward glance.

Malcolm climbed into the shuttlepod without meeting Tucker's questioning eyes and settled himself into the pilot's seat. Commander Tucker secured the hatch and slipped into his own seat. As he did so his foot knocked against something that clinked against the bulkhead. Reaching down he pulled out Velan's bottle with the remains of the 'juice.'

'You and the Second bin havin' yourselves a party?' he asked.

Malcolm turned round to see what he was talking about and mentally cursed when he saw the bottle. As he turned back he caught the Captain's eye and saw the question.

'Fruit juice, sir,' he explained. 'Velan brought it over since it was so hot.'

'Strange catch,' Tucker persisted. 'How d'ya get it open?' 'I'll show you later,' Malcolm said glaring at the Commander. Tucker just grinned at him and put the bottle back on the floor out of Malcolm's reach. Damn, he thought. There was no way that Tucker was going to let him forget the bottle. Now he'd be forced to put the Commander out of his misery earlier than planned.

Lieutenant Reed entered the mess hall in search of dinner. He'd worked up quite an appetite on Laetia he realised, having missed lunch. He was in a happy mood and looking forward to the meal. Then he noticed Commander Tucker eating at a table by the window and his heart fell. Alongside the Commander's plate on the table were the Laetian bottle and two glasses. Tucker waved cheerily to him and bowing to the inevitable, Reed took his dinner over and joined him. 'Hey, Malcolm, I was wonderin' when you were goin' to show up.'

'Commander,' Malcolm responded, sitting down and tucking into his dinner.

'Don' you start that 'Commander' crap again while we're off duty,' Tucker warned. 'I don' know what's gotten in to you lately. You've been a right pain in the ass.'

'Oh, and you thought spending a full day stuck in a shuttlepod at the Laetian spaceport would improve my mood?' Malcolm snapped.

'You wanted to see Laetia an' I fixed it for you. It was a joke, OK. Anyway, seemed to me you managed to keep yourself amused all right. With your friend the Munitions Second.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' 'You tell me, Malcolm,' Tucker invited with a smile. 'What does it mean?'

Malcolm concentrated on his dinner while he reined in his temper. He'd had a great day and he wasn't going to let Trip spoil it. Anyway it had finally dawned on him that his friend was deliberately winding him up, probably in the hope of Malcolm letting slip something interesting about his day. Well if Trip want's to play games, Malcolm thought, let's see if I can't change the rules.

'Worked out how to open it yet?' he asked, tapping the Laetian bottle with his knife.

'Haven't tried. Figured you'd show me when you're good and ready,' Trip replied. 'Brought a couple a glasses though, in case you wanted to finish your 'fruit juice',' he added with heavy irony.

Malcolm reached for the bottle and flipping it open poured them both a drink. Picking his up he tipped it in Tucker's direction, 'Cheers.' He took a drink, nodded appreciatively and put his glass down to watch what happened next.

Tucker picked up his drink, sniffed cautiously at the green liquid and swirled it round in the glass. 'Fruit juice?'

'That's what Velan told me.'

Tucker downed a mouthful. The next moment he was coughing and spluttering sufficiently to attract the attention of everyone else in the room.

'Shit, Malcolm,' he gasped when at last he was able to speak. 'What the hell is that stuff?'

'Fruit juice,' Malcolm said innocently. 'Distilled fruit juice,' he added.

'Distilled? You mean this stuff's some sort of Laetian whisky?'

'Something of that sort, certainly,' Malcolm confirmed.

Trip picked up the bottle and tipped it, checking how much had gone from it. 'You and what's-her-name drank all of this?' Malcolm just looked at him. 'I'm glad I didn' know that before you piloted the shuttle back to Enterprise,' he said with feeling.

Malcolm laughed softly. 'Don't worry. I'd worked most of it off by then,' he said.

'Oh, yeah? And just how would that be?'

Malcolm smiled but offered no explanation. He finished his meal and tidied both their plates away. Returning to the table he downed the rest of his drink and picked up the bottle.

'Where you off to now,' Trip queried.

'The Armoury.'

Trip rolled his eyes. 'You're supposed to be off duty,' he complained as the two of them left the mess hall and headed for the turbolift.

'Just checking,' Malcolm replied.

As they reached the 'lift it opened and Captain Archer stepped out. 'Trip, Malcolm,' he greeted his officers.

'Sir,' Malcolm replied as he entered the 'lift, holding the door, waiting for Trip to follow him.

'Trip,' Captain Archer said. 'You wanted a word about the warp injectors? Got time now?'

'Sure, Cap'n. I'll catch up with you later,' he added to Malcolm as he and the Captain started to walk back towards the Mess Hall.

Trip slowed, letting Archer get several paces ahead, and turned to Malcolm casually as if something had just occurred to him. One last attempt to get him to admit something Malcolm realised.

'I wonder,' Trip said, too quietly for the Captain to hear, 'does that yellow colouring go all the way down.'

Malcolm grinned at him salaciously. 'No,' he replied as the 'lift doors started to close, 'the interesting bits are orange.'

Malcolm leaned back against the 'lift wall happily savouring his last view of his friend. It was one he didn't very often get to see: Commander Tucker speechless.

~the end~