Last Exile Fan Fiction ❯ Developing Bonds ❯ Four Days In The Desert ( Chapter 1 )

Developing Bonds

 

By: A-Z Mk II

 

Disclaimer: Not mine - just borrowing for a bit.

 

Rated: NC17/X

 

Chapter 1: Four Days in the Desert

-

It's strange, reflected the young man, leaning back in the van ship seat and watching a bird soar overhead, how life can put in places and circumstances that you never anticipated being in. Take my current situation, for example… he tilted his head forward and surveyed that situation. There was certainly a lot to be taken in.

Before him, the red bodywork of the van ship stretched out until its nose met the sand dune that had stopped their nearly-uncontrolled descent. In the middle of battle with three Urbonis-class cruisers, he and the pilot of this ship had taken an engine-full of musket-fire and gone down. Fortunately, the ship was a military model with twin engines for just this reason. Even so, we went down like a meteor. reflected they young man, moving his arms and chest to make sure that nothing was seriously hurt. Yeah, we went down, all right; but not before the Silvana sank. Lavie…! Al…! Shaking his head, he pulled himself up out of the navigator's seat and rolled his body over the lip of the compartment farthest back on the fuselage.

Hitting the sand, he fell on his ass, grunting softly as his bruised body protested the situation. “Tatiana? You ok?” he called to the pilot of the ship. He could see her slumped forward in her seat. “Must have hit her head when we went in.” muttered the young man. Getting to his feet, he looked at the large, round holes in the engine housing just forward of the booms. “Guess I better take a look.” he mumbled, beginning to unlatch the access panels for the starboard engine. “Wish Lavie were here; she's a lot better at this than I am.” he said aloud, feeling his heart squeeze at her name.

Claus wasn't a mechanic by trade; nor was he a navigator, in spite of being in the rear seat this time around. No, Claus Valca was a pilot. Self-taught, he was a far better pilot than many men twice his age. Ordinarily, he would have been in the front cockpit, flying the plane, while his own navigator tended to business behind him. “Lavie.” he said tightly. Forcing himself to focus on the engine, he began to trace the damaged systems visually.

Since they were children, he and Lavie had been together, first because their fathers had teamed up to fly van ships, then, later, because each other was all that was left after a disastrous mission to try and change the course of the Anatory-Disith war. Lavie, the same fifteen years old as himself, was the chief mechanic of their personal van ship - the sole legacy of their fathers - as well as being his navigator, alarm clock, right-hand girl, partner and family. No finer mechanic, navigator or friend exists than her. thought Clause, realizing that the starboard engine was done for; unless, of course, there was a full repair bay and spare motor assembly on the other side of the dune. “And Lavie, Godwin, Gale, Kostabi and Ethan.” he qualified.

With repairs of such caliber as necessary to make the starboard engine work beyond him, he moved over to the port engine. Not seeing any holes in the engine covers was encouraging, but as he opened the compartment, he saw the signs that the Claudia had either sprung a leak from their wreck, or had been damaged by musket balls penetrating the armored curtain between the two engine pods. Sighing, he began to look for signs of which it was. His mind drifted back to the Silvana, the battleship that he and Lavie had lived on since the Starfish had destroyed their home in an attempt to capture Alvis.

Since coming on board the rogue battleship under the command of Alex Row, the dynamics of his and Lavie's relationship had begun to mutate. Noting too serious, really, but certain things had begun to drive small wedges between them. Like that first battle with the Guild, and her redding out from G's. he recalled. “Not that Tatiana helped any with her comments.” admitted Claus, easing back to check on the other party, seeing no changes to the pilot.

Since that fight, Lavie had eased back from him, choosing to take up the trade of mechanic while he flew combat missions with the Silvana's van ship squadron. It was later, after the Horizon Cave Eight that she actually told him that she didn't want to fly with him again until they were ready to fly the Grand Stream together. Combat was not in her blood; which was odd, given her fiery temper. So, she had taken over maintenance on his military van ship, supporting him from behind, and working on their wrecked private van ship in her spare time.

Clause found the source of the leak. “Could be worse, I guess.” he mused, fingering the sheered bolt on the Claudia compression chamber housing. “I think there is one of these in the emergency tool kit.” he recalled, moving back out from under the busted ship. Climbing up into the navigator's compartment, he started to extract the emergency tool kit from its stowage compartment. As he did, he found his patched flight coveralls that Lavie had giving him just before he and Tatiana had headed out on their mission. Looking forward, he noticed the Claudia level indicator had shattered, spraying Claudia-tainted water all over Tatiana's military flight suit.

Since the Claudia would contaminate and deteriorate the suit, he set his well-worn coveralls on the divider so Tatiana could change out of the contaminated clothes when she came to. We're probably going to have to try and pool whatever Claudia we can find to get one engine to run. he realized, hopping down to the sand with the tool kit in hand. Moving back over to the port engine, he spread the rolled-up tool kit out and surveyed it.

There was no replacement bolt. Groaning, Claus dropped to his knees in the sand, wondering what to do now. “What would Lavie do?” he asked himself. After thinking for a minute, he smiled. “Lavie'd pull a bolt from the destroyed starboard unit to repair the port unit!” he realized. Grinning, he grabbed the right tools and scampered over to the riddled engine and set to work.

It took him longer to get the bolt out than he thought, and when he finally did hold the bolt and nut in his hands, the sun was beating down on him and the still immobile Tatiana. Wiping his brow, he considered their situation. “We need some cover or we'll dehydrate.” he thought aloud. Looking at the damaged van ship, he realized that he could rig up a basic shelter with the available components. Carefully setting the bolt and nut in the open tool kit, he began to set up some shade for the two of them.

It was the work of about a half hour to pull the engine cover rods off the starboard engine, remove the heavy canvas lining to the mechanical and electrical compartments, and rig up a somewhat wobbly awning that covered the cockpit and the starboard winglet. “Not home, but at least it's shade.” he muttered, gratefully ducking under the winglet and finding the heat from the sun to be abated by the shade.

Above him, he heard some faint sounds of movement. Tatiana is awake. he realized. Minutes passed in silence. Then, he heard some more sounds. Unsure what it was for a moment, when he did realize what he was hearing, he rolled out from under the winglet and made his way to one of the discarded engine covers. Picking up the thin piece of metal, he selected the hammer and began to slowly, steadily, pound on the thin sheet of metal.

-

Tatiana Wisla slowly opened her eyes and focused on her gloved hands. For several moments, she wasn't sure what had happened. But then, her memory can rushing back to her. Alister! The Silvana! They're gone! she though, gasping at the memories of the ship slipping into the thicker lower atmosphere. “No.” she whispered, hugging herself tightly.

Even with her ship down an engine and plummeting toward the ground concealed by the dense clouds that hid the base of the Dragon Fangs, she couldn't pull her eyes off the sinking ship she had called home since her graduation from the Anatory military academy the year before. Tatiana clenched her fists. “Alister.” she sobbed softly.

Her navigator and best friend since their first year in the military academy, Alister Agrew was to Tatiana what Lavie Head was to Claus Valca. Best friend, trusted navigator, and sorely missed. The unsinkable Silvana, finally sunk by the flagship of the nation we fought for! thought the seventeen-year old girl bitterly. And what did I do? Freeze up! I was completely useless. she castigated herself. Blinking back tears, she focused on her booted feet. Hmm. Looks like Claudia water all over them. How did…?...! “No.” she breathed before screaming in fear, anger and frustration.

As a trained combat pilot of a van ship, she knew what it meant to be covered in Claudia water. It meant that the ship she was piloting was broken. It meant that she had failed her mission. It meant that her flight suit was now useless to her. It means that I'll die here, with Claus, because I was stupid. she thought bitterly.

A loud, obnoxious clanging sound impinged on her awareness, cutting through the tears and screams. Though muffled by her face mask and headgear, she could clearly hear the hammer striking the metal over and over. Slowly, steadily, the pounding cadence broke her out of her despair. Eventually, she heard the clanging stop. Daring to look back and down, she saw Claus extend the engine cover, dented from repeated hammer blows, and drop it to the sand. Holding the hammer from the emergency tool kit, he deliberately turned and disappeared under the tail of the ship. From the port side, she heard the sounds of him beginning to work on the motor.

Reaching to the back of her head, she unbuckled the face mask and let it fall to the side, then pulled the cowl over her head. Dropping both pieces to the winglet to her left, she noticed a folded piece of clothing sitting on top of the divider between the cockpit and the navigator's seat. Of course. That ratty old flight suit of his. realized the young woman. Looking back down, she could see the fabric of her flight suit already beginning to discolor from the Claudia contamination. I can't wear my flight suit any more, and it's all I have, so I guess I better get changed. reasoned the girl.

Standing in her cockpit, she carefully unzipped her military flight suit, making sure not to touch the semi-dried patches of Claudia. Wiggling the close-fitting suit off, she peeled it down to her waist. As usual, she hadn't bothered with a top of any sort when she got ready for the mission, since all the tops she had were military issue and tended to rub her ribs raw if worn under her flight suit.

Reaching back, she pulled the folded garment to her and shook it out, visually measuring the coverall-like civilian flight suit. It should fit pretty good, she realized. Claus is almost exactly the same height and size as me. Looking closer, she realized something. This suit is for someone much bigger and taller than Claus. No wonder it looked so baggy on him. I wonder who this was supposed to be for? Pushing such meaningless thoughts aside, she unzipped the civilian suit before working her military one off her hips and stepping onto the winglet to avoid Claudia contamination of her only remaining clothes.

Tatiana had on a pair of her thin exercise shorts, but was otherwise naked as she stepped into the coveralls. It didn't occur to her to look around to see if Claus was watching. What difference did it make if he was watching her? She was already a failure, and besides, military academy had accustomed her to lack of privacy. If he wants to watch, he's welcome to. thought the girl morosely. Not that he would have any interest in a girl who locks up during a crash. she told herself.

Zipping the zipper on the loose-fitting coveralls, she ran a hand through her short platinum blonde hair. Seeing the basic shelter over the cockpit and the heavy shade under the winglet, she hopped off the winglet and sat down in the shade under the winglet. From down there, she could see Claus from the waist down as he labored over the port engine. Rather than help him, she reflected on the crash.

She was all too aware that Claus - and not her - had saved their lives. While she was frozen in shock over the sinking of their ship, Claus had fought to get their ship down as safely as possible with what few controls he had access to. That should have been my job. Tatiana knew. Instead, I couldn't even move. She picked up a handful of sand, and let it fall through her fingers. I wish I had died in the wreck. she thought blackly.

A tapping sound came from the port engine oscillator boom. Claus was tapping it with the hammer, listening to the tone. Steadily, he worked his way to the tip of the boom. Quietly, he put the hammer back in the case. Moving around to see Tatiana sitting in the shade of the winglet, he approached her and dropped to sit next to her. “Starboard engine is destroyed.” he said softly. “Port engine is out of Claudia water.” he added.

Both of them knew that this meant that unless they could find a way to replenish the Claudia water or were rescued/captured by the Urbonis or one of her sister ships, they were stuck in this barren place with no food, and little water. Both of them had seen the Silvana go down. Neither held any realistic hope of rescue. They were trapped there with nothing but each other.

-

Sunset was nice. The two of them had sat in silence for the better part of the afternoon, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Tatiana seemed nearly catatonic, hardly looking up when Claus would venture back over to the port engine to evaluate an idea's feasibility. So far, nothing he had thought of could be implemented, but he refused to give up. Now, with the sunlight fading fast, he was pretty much done for the day. As he set the re-packed emergency tool kit back in the navigator's compartment, he heard his stomach grumble. “I wonder what they're having for supper?” he asked himself.

True, he and Lavie had not been what would normally be called `well fed', being as they put every scrap of money they earned back into their van ship, but they hadn't been starving either. Neither had fancy tastes, thankfully, but since they had landed aboard the Silvana, they had been eating better than they had since they lost their parents. Lately, Alvis had been learning how to cook from the ship cook.

A snort of derision caught his attention. Turning to look at Tatiana, he saw her looking at him with a sneer on her lips. “How stupid!” she hissed. “They're gone, Claus!” she yelled at him. “We saw them die!” she screamed. Claus dropped back down to the sand.

“No, Tatiana,” he disagreed reasonably. “We saw the Silvana go down, but that doesn't mean that they are dead.” he pointed out. “Maybe the captain had a plan. Maybe they managed to get out from under all that falling rock. Maybe…” he tried to reason with her.

“They're dead, Claus.” said Tatiana, her shoulders beginning to tremble. “Alister, the Vice Captain…all dead.” she muttered hollowly. Claus knelt in front of her, unsure of what to do, but knowing that he had to do something.

“You don't know that, Tatiana.” he said. “I know that if Lavie were dead, I would feel it. But she's not, because I can still feel her in my heart.” he awkwardly explained. “I'm sure it's the same way with you.” he offered. Tatiana stared at him silently, still fighting her silent sobs.

“I wish I had died in the crash.” she said coldly before dropping her face into her hands, which were on top of her knees.

“I don't.” said Claus before he even thought about it. “I want to be alive, because Lavie would be sad if I left her alone. And I'm glad you're alive, too, Tatiana, because I wouldn't know how to tell Alister that you were dead.” he tried. No response was forthcoming from the platinum-blonde haired girl.

Sighing quietly, he moved over beside her and sat down next to her, watching the last of the sunlight slip behind the low hills. I've never been good at dealing with things like this. he reflected. With Lavie, I know her moods and her mind as well as I know my own, but with Tatiana…well, I have spent my entire life with Lavie, so I guess it makes sense. he thought, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. I can't imagine life without her. he realized. She and I have been together so long that she's almost a part of me, and yet, lately, it's as if she is changing somehow.

Instantly, he could hear her voice in his head: Me?! You're the one changing, sleepy head! A silent laugh came from inside him as he thought about what the quasi-Lavie had said. Leaning back against the wheel cowling, he reflected on the situation. You know, I think she might be right. he admitted. I chose to stay on the Silvana and fly combat mission while she didn't want to. Yeah, I wanted to stay to protect Alvis, but is that justification for turning away from Lavie? Or, is it just an excuse? he worried.

It was a surprise to him to realize that he was shivering. Coming out from his introspection, he realized that he could see his breath when he exhaled. “Why is it cold?” he muttered, “This is a desert, after all.” Not hearing any response, he turned to ask Tatiana directly. “Hey, Tatiana, do you…?” The spot beside him was empty. “Tatiana?” he called out, climbing out from under the winglet. Looking around, he didn't see any sign of her.

Where could she have gone?! And why would she go? he wondered, looking for her in the van ship. Dropping back down to the sand, he realized that it would be easy to find her. “Sand. Footprints.” he nodded to himself. Indeed, a set of footprints led up and over the low dune that the van ship had lodged itself in. “Tatiana!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. In the ambient light, he was able to follow her tracks easily enough. Cresting the low dune, he saw that the tracks lead out into the tract-less wastes.

Groaning, he began to swiftly walk after her, wondering how much of a head start she had on him. It sort of worried him that he had been so deep in thought about Lavie that he hadn't even noticed her departure. She did say that she wished she had died in the crash… recalled the young man uneasily. Could she be trying to kill herself? His stride lengthened marginally. “Least I won't lose her; or get lost.” he said aloud, following her footsteps.

It was almost a half hour later when he caught sight of her. Panting, he pushed himself into a shambling jog. He would have yelled her name, but couldn't spare the air. Running up behind the trudging pilot, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. To his shock, she was crying. “Tatiana!” he panted.

“Leave me alone, Claus.” she said, sniffling. “I'm better off dead.”

“No, you're not!” he insisted, shaking her slightly.

“Yes, I am!” she threw back at him vehemently. “I failed my mission! I froze up in a critical situation! My ship is gone and my van ship is destroyed! I'm an embarrassment to the Anatory military and to the Wisla family!” she insisted. “I couldn't even die bravely.” she whimpered, collapsing against Claus. Having chased her over countless dunes, Claus didn't have the strength or the wind right then to catch her, and they both fell to the sand, Tatiana on top of Claus.

“It's not that bad, Tatiana.” he managed, holding her inadvertently. “I need you.” he went on. In his arms, the girl stilled. “It will take both of us to fix the ship, and Alister needs her pilot.”

“What good could I be to you? I'm not a mechanic, like Lavie.” mumbled Tatiana. Under his back, he could feel the cool sand through the military flight suit he wore. He also realized that Tatiana would get colder faster than him because her suit was less fitting and worn down with use and age.

“Well, you could keep me warm.” he joked. If I can get her spirits up, maybe she will pull out of this depression. Claus decided. Depression was something that he and Lavie had learned about first hand; losing your family could really get a person down. Both of them had fought that battle, and thanks to each other, they had won. Looks like Tatiana needs me to help her like Lavie and I helped each other.

“You…want me to keep you warm?” asked the girl softly. Claus wondered at her strange tone.

“Well, yeah, among other things.” he said. For several minutes, the two were silent. Then, Tatiana spoke.

“Ok. I will.” she whispered. At least I can be of some use. she thought darkly. Sucking in a breath, she steeled herself. It's not like it matters, after all. she decided. I'm useless to everyone but him. She moved her arms around his chest and lifted her head to look at his face. “Are you cold right now?” she asked softly.

“A little.” he replied. Before she could answer, he continued. “But, I think we should get back to the van ship first; just in case someone is looking for us. Besides, there is shelter there.” he added.

Tatiana slowly got up, holding her hand out to help Claus up. “Ok.” she said. I'm kind of glad we're going back to the van ship before…well, whatever he wants. thought the girl. At least I'll be in familiar surroundings. She held on to his hand as they retraced their steps through the desert. Neither spoke the whole way back.

As they walked, Claus was wondering about his situation. Over the last couple of years, he had started to notice Lavie in new ways, and the older pilots were always talking about girls, but the situation kind of worried him, since he just couldn't imagine seeing Lavie that way. She's beautiful, but it's almost like we're brother and sister. he thought to himself.

Ever since the first time that they had met, the two had been on a footing of being family. Lavie's mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to Lavie, so it had been her and her dad on their own for the first year. Then, Claus's family had moved in near them, and the two fathers had struck up a near-instant friendship. Claus's mother had immediately moved into the role of Lavie's kind of step-mother, which put her and Claus together.

As time passed, and the fathers made a name and reputation flying van ship missions, the families moved to the middle-class lands and into a shared house on the modest land that they had. Claus and Lavie shared a room, while the other two bedrooms were for Lavie's dad and Claus's parents. As the years passed, the two had become very comfortable with each other, the two families merging into a hybrid family.

Then, their fathers had gone on the ten star mission to deliver a peace proposal to the Disith - and died in the attempt. The double loss had driven a stake through the heart of their family, and though his mother tried her best to hold it together, her health rapidly declined, and within six months, she was gone, leaving the two of them - at barely eight years old - with an empty house and a van ship in the barn.

The first year was the hardest, really. Fighting the loss of their parents, they had to contend with issues like food, utilities, laundry and necessities. Neither of them really knew that much about operating a house, though they had each been helping Claus's mother for years. Such issues as money management, earning income and taxes were completely lost on them. Fortunately, Claus's father had made some arrangements before that last mission, just in case the worst happened.

The two started out in their room, but by the end of the first year, they had moved into the master bedroom, with its bigger bed, because they had developed some trouble sleeping if they weren't side by side. Halfway into the second year, they could have been mistaken for a married couple, as they had adapted to their changed circumstances and were throwing all their energy into learning to master the van ship that their fathers had left. They had shared a bed until about three years ago when they moved into Norkia due to their house and lands being taken for taxes.

Claus couldn't be entirely sure, but he thought that Lavie might be feeling the same strange tension that he had been feeling lately when they would go to bed. When he would feel Lavie next to him, his dick would get hard, and he would find himself touching Lavie for no real reason. Sometimes, he would awaken to find her hand on his dick, but had always sort of assumed that it was accidental. But, when they had been forced to move, she had quietly suggested that they make their house with adjoining bedrooms. When he had asked, she had insisted that it was because he snored.

Another source of that odd tension was the fact that as they grew, their clothes had to grow with them, but the lack of free funds limited what they could do about it. So, Lavie's wardrobe had gone from dresses to shorts and a small, thin top. Each year, as the top got a little shorter and thinner, and the shorts a bit smaller and tighter, he had felt that strange tension more and more. If he had to guess, he would go on the assumption that Lavie was feeing the same sense of unease, but then, Lavie was not as quiet as he was.

That he liked looking at Lavie was obvious. He considered her the most beautiful girl around even after her drastic change in hair styles shortly after his mother had passed away. No, the problem was not that he felt attracted to her; it was that he didn't know what to do about that attraction. For once, it had seemed as if Lavie was as lost for a response as he was. Both of them were so busy with flying that they really didn't pay any attention to the other kids their age, and their dating obsession.

Now, stuck in a desert with a busted van ship, with Lavie on a sunken battleship somewhere, he was feeling that odd sense of tension again. The reason was the girl who was with him right then: Tatiana Wisla. What does this feeling mean? wondered the young man. On that thought, the pair crested the rise, and the red van ship lay before them.

Tatiana waited for Claus to take the lead. After a moment of stillness, he started down the soft curve of the dune, absently tugging on her hand as he did so. Tatiana docilely followed his lead, feeling her heart rate increase, as did her breathing. Moving over to the winglet, Claus flopped down on the sand on his back. Seeing Tatiana standing there, Claus patted the sand next to him. “I know it's not much, but it's not too bad.” he assured her.

“Uh, sure.” agreed Tatiana, remembering something. “Just let me grab something first.” said the older girl, climbing up to the navigator's seat and fumbling around for a moment before pulling a tightly-rolled item out from under the seat. Seeing Claus's look, she explained. “Emergency blanket.” she said, flipping her wrist so the roll unfurled into a thin but large blanket. “The one under the pilot's seat is contaminated with Claudia.” she explained.

“Oh. Ok.” said Claus as Tatiana held the blanket out to him.

“It should be big enough for both of us.” she said quietly. Claus took the blanket and spread it out beside him on the cool, dry sand.

“Here. Lay down, and I'll fold it over us.” he said. Tatiana gingerly did as he asked, settling on her back as Claus moved over so he was beside her before flipping the other end of the blanket over them. It didn't quite cover them both; at least when they were side by side. Tatiana silently reached up and took the heavy zipper tab in hand, pulling it down to the bottom of the track, which was just above her pubic bone. I can't keep him warm in this thing. she thought, pulling her arms out of the sleeves of the coveralls and wiggling herself up higher.

“Tatiana?” wondered Claus, feeling her move. Turning toward her, he sucked in a breath, seeing her pale, flawless skin where the blanket didn't cover her. “What are you…?!” he asked breathlessly, feeling his dick harden.

“Don't worry, Claus.” said the girl quietly. “I will keep you warm.” she said in a near whisper. Moving onto her side, she quickly opened up his military uniform, exposing his bare chest. Closing her eyes, she worked her arms around his chest, pressing her modest breasts against his bare chest as she rolled back over, pulling him on top of her. Still and silent, she waited for him to begin.

“Oh, I see.” said Clause, hugging her to him. “Like this, the blanket will cover us both!” Tatiana opened her eyes at that comment. Against her body, she could feel his warmth, and against her belly, she could feel a hard object. “We should be warm like this, even if the temperature drops real low.” he noted, finding it comfortable to hold her like this. Kind of like Lavie and I used to hold each other. he mused. Stifling a yawn, he wiggled to get as comfortable as possible, settling his face against Tatiana's throat. “I'm beat, Tatiana.” he said, feeling his eyes begin to close in sleep. “I'll see you in the morning.”

On top of her, she felt him relax as he quickly fell asleep. Tatiana's eyes were open wide in surprise; though she also felt some disappointment that he had chosen to simply sleep. I guess today has been rough on both of us, so maybe he just wants to make sure that he is well rested so he can enjoy it. she decided. And truthfully, I am tired… her eyes closed on that thought.

-

“Wake up, sleepyhead!” Claus's eyes opened. “Lavie?” he mumbled. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked around. Sand? Oh, yeah! The battle, the crash… he looked down. “Tatiana?!” he breathed. The first light of dawn had already broken, and the air - still very chill - was beginning to warm. Beneath him, Tatiana was still sleeping, her body exposed to his gaze from the waistband of her thin, small shorts upward. Claus realized something else: he could smell her scent - and he liked it.

Swallowing roughly, he slowly reached out and touched her breast. Soft, resilient, and beautifully shaped, the rose pink nipples reminded him of Lavie's, though there were a different shade of pink and of a different size on Tatiana. Curiously, they were hard and stood up, almost inviting him to touch them. Carefully, he ran his fingertip over the hard tips. Tatiana moaned softly, opening her eyes.

“Sorry, Tatiana!” blurted Claus, leaping up and back. He had forgotten that the two of them had slept under the winglet, and the back of his head smacked into the metal skin of the van ship, knocking him back forward, landing face first against Tatiana's belly, his nose pressed to her belly button. She smells really good! realized a small part of his mind, while the rest of his mind was stunned by the unexpected encounter with the winglet.

“Claus! Are you ok?!” demanded Tatiana, jerking her body upright, though she at least had the presence of mind to duck her head, avoiding a similar fate as Claus. Shifting her legs, she tucked her calves under herself as she cradled Claus's head with her hands. With the loose, over-size flight coveralls already unzipped, this move left them haphazardly bunched at her knees, acting as a pillow for Claus.

“Ugh!” groaned Claus, carefully pulling his head back from the silky skin of Tatiana's belly. Looking up at her, he saw the concern on her face. Grinning sheepishly, he eased back. “I'm fine, Tatiana.” he assured her. “I just feel a little stupid right now.” he added. Tatiana let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

“That's good.” she said. Looking at Claus, she saw him blushing and looking away from her. “What's wrong, Claus?” she asked him, puzzled.

“It's just…well, you're…exposed.” he managed, sneaking a peek at her. Looking down Tatiana felt her own cheeks color slightly. Stopping herself as she instinctively tried to cover her breasts, she forced her arms back down to her sides.

“It's fine, Claus.” she said softly. “You don't need to look away.” she murmured. Claus didn't realize that he was staring until his hands were back on her tits. Tatiana's hands clenched into fists briefly before she forced them to relax. The sandy-haired pilot's exploration of Tatiana's body was interrupted by a painful throb from his own groin. Clenching his teeth, Claus moved back and stood awkwardly, covering his tented shorts with a hand as he turned. “I…have to pee!” he blurted, scrambling around the van ship. But not before Tatiana had caught a glimpse of his member peeking out from his shorts.

“Not bad.” she murmured before she realized that she had even been thinking that kind of thing. Eyes wide, she, too, scrambled out from under the winglet, losing the coveralls in the process. Turning to get them, she paused, looking at them. I would have to take them off to pee anyway, and the sand isn't too bad. Might as well take care of that first, then. she decided, moving to the other side of the sand dune.

Working her thin, tight shorts down to mid-thigh, she relieved the pressure on her bladder. Predictably, her mind turned to Claus. He's a nice guy, she reflected. Any one else would have been all over me, but not him. She felt a smile on her lips as she finished up and pulled her shorts back up. I'm…glad that it's Claus. she decided, heading back around the dune to see where Claus was.

At seventeen, Tatiana had some experience with dating, but not much. During her time at the academy, she had been focused on being an exemplary student, and dating had not been a part of that. Yes, she had kissed some boys, and even done some light petting, but nothing more. She found herself wishing that she had of gone a bit father, given her current circumstances. I think that I have proven that I'm pretty useless as a soldier, so I need to be of what use I can be to Claus, since he's all that's left now that the Silvana is gone. she thought glumly.

Claus was having some trouble of his own at the other end of the dune. He had learned long ago that sometimes, when he saw Lavie, his dick would get hard, and that made it uncomfortable to work, not to mention that if it stayed like that long enough, his balls began to hurt. That's been happening more and more, lately. realized the young man. Sometimes, I have dreams about Lavie, and wake up with some sticky stuff in my shorts. Lavie never says anything about it, but I wonder if she's noticed it? wondered the young man, finally relieving his bladder.

Finished with his piss, he found that his dick was not relaxing much, staying nearly fully erect. If he had of thought about it for a minute, he would have realized that it was the memory of Tatiana and the feel of her breasts that was causing that, but he didn't really see what good thinking about the possible causes would do. Working on his problem, he didn't hear Tatiana approach him.

“Claus?” came her voice. Jerking in surprise, he twisted his head around to see her standing a few feet behind him, wearing the coverall flight suit, though it was still unzipped, giving him glimpses of her black shorts. “Everything ok?” she wondered.

“Uh, fine!” he managed. “Just a little…problem with the zipper.” he finished weakly. Tatiana moved closer to him.

“Let me see.” she said. “Maybe I can help.” she offered.

“That's ok, Tatiana, I think I can…!” he was interrupted by her turning him to face her and kneeling in front of him. The girl's deep grey eyes took in the situation.

“It doesn't seem to be the zipper.” she said, almost giggling. Strangely, she was enjoying herself. “I think it's your erection.” she noted. Claus whimpered.

“Tatiana!” he nearly begged. The other teen looked up at him briefly.

“I'll take care of this, Claus.” she said, tugging his shorts down to completely free his hard length. Wrapping one of her hands around his dick, she began to slowly stroke it. For once in her life, she was glad that the maintenance crew was as vulgar and boastful as they were.

Moaning softly, Claus closed his eyes as she stroked his dick. “Tatiana.” he breathed, reaching out and touching her hair. Her hand never stopped.

“Yes, Claus?” she asked him softly.

“That feels good.” he breathed. It did feel good, but there was something missing. “But, well, it's a little…” he trailed off. Tatiana realized nearly immediately what he was trying to say. Well, they guys always talk about this, so they must like it. she thought, eyeing the tip of his dick.

“I understand.” said Tatiana in response to his earlier sort-of suggestion. Shifting a little, she leaned forward, parting her lips as she did, to engulf the tip of his dick in her mouth. He's a lot bigger than a sucker! she realized, feeling the pulsing tip with her tongue. Any bigger and I probably couldn't get it in my mouth!

Claus's hands had instinctively moved to the sides of her head when she leaned forward, and were now holding her firmly - but gently - in place. “Oh, god!” he panted. The hot, wet feeling of her mouth stirred reactions within in, and slowly, he began to make shallow thrusts into her mouth. Tatiana settled one hand on his hip, keeping the other on his shaft, letting him set the pace.

Ordinarily, Tatiana would never consider such a thing. Her pride had made it difficult to even entertain the notion of doing something like this, let alone giving the man control. Even the few times that she allowed a boyfriend to touch her intimately, she had never let him have control of the encounter. Of course, that was back when I was still worth something to the war effort. she reminded herself.

Claus was lost in a sea of sensation as he felt Tatiana's wet lock on his tip. He had never imagined that something could feel that good. Instinctively, he began to thrust harder into her mouth, driving himself deeper each thrust. The deeper he got, the better it felt. He was fortunate that Tatiana had realized that rolling her lips back to cover her teeth was the right thing to do, or Claus might not have found the experience of his first blowjob to be enjoyable.

A soft, smothered grunt came from the girl as she felt the tip of his dick reach her gag point. How much deeper does he intent to go?! she worried. Gradually, she began to push back on his hips with her free hand, trying to keep him from gagging her. Of more interest to her was the fact that she could feel a warm sensation spreading from her own groin as Claus picked up the pace.

Claus knew that he would come soon. While not a normally uptight young man, he had been finding it more and more necessary to relieve his tension in the last couple of years. He had no idea if Lavie knew about it, or did it herself, but he had been relieving his tension about twice a week now for the last year; usually after he had inadvertently seen Lavie changing or bathing or cooling herself off after getting sweaty working on their van ship. The memories of Lavie were all it took for him to lose control. “Ugh!” he grunted, blowing his load in Tatiana's mouth.

“Urk!” gurgled the older girl, caught off guard by the sudden eruption of thick fluid. Half-way between rapid breaths, she swallowed the first spurt to suck in some air, but choked on the second and third, before managing to swallow the fourth and the remains of the other two. Snatching her head back, she caught his fifth and final spurt across her nose, lips and chin before dropping her head down and coughing as she tried not to gag on the cum tickling her air way.

Coming out of his orgasmic haze, Claus found Tatiana coughing before him. “Tatiana! Are you ok?!” he gasped, kneeling to touch her shoulder. “Tatiana?” he worried. The woman raised her head to look at him. Claus saw his semen dripping from her face and lips, and his dick twitched at the sight.

“I…I'm ok, Claus.” she assured him with a weak smile. “I…COUGH!...just wasn't…cough…expecting that.” she croaked, finally getting the upper hand on her coughing fit. Breathing hard, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand, finding it covered with a mixture of his cum and her drool. Claus was still looking at her with a worried expression on his face.

“Are you sure you're ok, Tatiana?” he asked her, touching her cheek. She managed a stronger smile.

“I'm sure, Claus.” she said. Reaching forward, she touched his semi-erect dick. “At least now, we can get your clothes back on.” she said as a kind of humor attempt. With surprisingly gentle skill, she tucked his dick back into his shorts and zipped the flight suit up to mid-chest. Her own borrowed flight suit was left unzipped to her navel. “We should start thinking about shelter,” said the woman, standing carefully, “it's already a lot hotter than it was.” she noted.

Claus realized that she was right. The chill was gone, and the air was already getting close to uncomfortably warm. Man, from cold to hot in just minutes! he marveled. “Yeah, we better get under some shelter.” he agreed. “Do you have any water in the ship?” he asked her. Tatiana shook her head.

“No. I usually carry a canteen, but Alister keeps it with her, so I didn't think to bring it myself. You?” she wondered. Claus smiled at her.

“Lavie handed me our canteen just before we launched.” he said. Lavie would never forget food or water. he thought fondly. Thoughts of his mahogany-haired girl brought back to mind both how much he missed her, and his and Tatiana's situation. I wonder if it would be possible to salvage any of the Claudia that contaminated the cockpit? It should turn back to a solid once the water dries off, so if we can collect whatever we can, we might be able to make enough Claudia fluid to get the van ship back in the air - if only enough to go look for the Silvana. mused the young man.

Tatiana was not thinking along those lines at all. To her, the Silvana was gone, and all that remained was her and Claus. And since she had completely failed, her only use was to support Claus. It's not bad, really, to support him. she thought. He's nice. And he hasn't ripped into me about my uselessness at all. Maybe, if I don't mess up again, he'll bring me with him if he can find a way to get the ship up and running again. she hoped. She suspected that had the situation been reversed, she would have chewed him out about the failure, and left him to die. Thankfully, she realized, he isn't like me.

Returning to the van ship, Claus climbed up to look into the cockpit. Seeing Tatiana's ruined flight suit covered in slowly-forming blue patches, as well as the shrinking puddles of blue-tainted water in the corners of the floor planking, he felt some hope. “Well, that's good news, anyway.” he thought aloud. Do we have enough water to make the fluid if we can salvage the Claudia? he wondered, moving back to fumble in the navigator's seat for the soft canteen of water that he and Lavie had shared since the first day of their lives as van ship pilots.

Pulling it out, he smiled, seeing it full of the clean water that the Silvana produced through its steam cannon system. “Lavie, I could kiss you.” he murmured. Taking the canteen with him, he dropped back to the sand and turned to see Tatiana looking at him. “Good old Lavie.” he smiled at her happily, sloshing the canteen.

“That's a big canteen.” said Tatiana, reaching for it. “I'm thirsty.” she noted. Clause pulled it back.

“We can't waste it.” he said. “Just a couple of small sips are all we can spare.” he cautioned her.

“But, there's so much of it!” protested the older teen. Claus shook his head.

“We will need this water to make Claudia fluid so we can get the ship back up and running.” he said. “Two small sips only, Tatiana.” he repeated, handing her the canteen. Slowly, Tatiana opened the cap and took two small sips of the tepid water. Handing it back to Claus, she saw him cap it and set it under the wing.

“Aren't you going to have any?” she asked him. He shook his head.

“Not until I have to.” he said. “We will need the water.” he repeated, unrolling the tool kit. “Help me set up the awning, Tatiana.” he said, picking up the poles and moving over to the other side of the van ship. Tatiana did as she was told, taking the two patched-together poles for her side and moving over to the winglet.

“So,” she made conversation as she and the young man pitched the make-shirt shade, “do you and Lavie each carry a canteen that size?” she wondered.

“No. We couldn't afford either the canteens, or the water to put in them, so we just share that one.” came Claus's voice from the other side. “Lavie'd always get it topped off when we would hit the re-fueling station on long trips, just in case.” he reminisced. “When our house in Norkia was destroyed by the Guild Starfish, she grabbed her stash of food and that canteen.” he recalled, his tone darkening.

“I see.” replied Tatiana, not having any clue what to say to that.

“What about you?” asked Claus.

“What do you mean, `what about me'?” replied the older teen.

“Do you and Alis share a canteen?” he wondered. Tatiana almost snorted in derision, but it died in her throat.

“No. We each have our own, though Alis keeps mine with hers in the navigator's seat.” said the older girl. “It's secure over here.” she added, wedging the last pole in the sand and against the winglet root. “What next?” she asked him.

“Can you give me a hand with the engines?” he asked. Tatiana felt another pang of uselessness.

“Sorry.” she said softly. “I don't know a thing about mechanics.”

“You don't?” wondered a surprised Claus.

“No. I was trained as a pilot, not as a mechanic. Other than checking the controls, I know nothing about maintaining or repairing a van ship.” she confirmed.

“I guess that Alis does that, then, like Lavie does for our ship.” mused Claus. Tatiana shook her head, though he couldn't see it.

“No. She's a navigator - the top of her class, actually.” she replied, pride in her voice. “She and I were valedictorians of the military academy.” At least Alister is still best in her field. she thought darkly. Although, if the analogy holds true, does that mean that Lavie is a better navigator than Alister? she contemplated. After all, I think it was proven yesterday that Claus is a better pilot than me.

“So, you two were top graduates?” wondered Claus. “Makes sense.” he mused, a metallic clanging coming from under the engine compartment. “I mean, you're both so good at your jobs!” he complimented her. For an instant, Tatiana felt nothing but rage that he would say that to her, taunting her for her failure. But, the instant swiftly passed, as she was reminded that she had no room to be angry with him, seeing as he could prove that she deserved the dig to her pride by simply pointing to the crashed van ship. Tatiana was silent.

“It might have been nice to learn how to fly in a school.” continued Claus. Tatiana frowned.

“What do you mean, Claus?” she asked, moving under the winglet and laying down on the warm sand. “Didn't you say that your fathers taught you and Lavie how to fly van ships?” she wondered. She hadn't paid all that much attention to his story, truthfully.

“No. I said our dads teamed up to fly van ships together, and that they had started to teach us how to fly and navigate, but they died when we were five, and by the time that we were six, we were all alone.” said the young man softly. “Lavie and I made a promise to each other.” he continued. “In order to keep that promise, we learned to fly by ourselves.” he said. Tatiana's eyes were wide open in shock.

“You…you taught yourselves how to fly and navigate?!” she exclaimed. She could feel his shrug.

“Well, yeah, it wasn't like anyone else was there to teach us, right?” he replied indifferently. It's not like there's anything special about teaching yourself to fly a van ship. he thought. On the other side of the van ship, Tatiana was shaking her head in disbelief.

“Unbelievable.” she breathed. “How you managed that without killing or maiming yourselves is beyond me.” she admitted. Even at the academy, there had been some crashes that had seriously injured students, and two weeks before graduation, one of the freshmen had died in a crash when the van ship he was piloting had suffered a snapped control wire on a maneuvering course. That two kids taught themselves to fly and navigate is unheard of!

“We didn't actually manage to get away unscathed, but we weren't seriously injured.” demurred Claus. “Lavie has some scars on her side and back, and I have some on my right leg and arms from our experiments.” he offered.

“Even so, it's nothing short of a miracle that you two survived.” Tatiana replied. Here I was so proud of being the top student in the military academy, and Claus and Lavie taught themselves to fly and navigate. The feeling of worthlessness returned double strength. It's like all that I thought were such great accomplishments are pretty much nothing compared to what those two have done. she thought bitterly. Her dark thoughts were interrupted by Claus's soft laugh.

“In a way, all those crashes were probably good for us, since it taught us how to repair our ship as well.” related Claus. “Though, in all truth, Lavie is far better at mechanical stuff than me.”

“At least you can work on a van ship.” responded Tatiana. Unlike me. Time passed. “Do…you think you can fix it?” she asked.

“Maybe.” he replied. “I would feel better if Lavie were here, though. This is more complex than what I normally do.” he admitted candidly. Tatiana's lips twitched into a grimace. Of course you wish your girlfriend was here! Because she could do something useful! thought the pilot.

“Anything at all I can do?” she asked dully.

“Not right now.” replied Claus. “Once the spilled Claudia finishes drying, we need to see if we can somehow salvage it. If you can think of some way to collect it, that would help.” he suggested.

“I'll try.” she replied. The day passed slowly for the girl, and swiftly for Claus as he drained the starboard engine of what little Claudia fluid it had left, transferring it to the reservoir on the port engine. Patching the lines for the Claudia and working the oscillation chamber and boom ran him out of daylight, but he felt that by the next morning, he could see if the engine would turn over.

Dropping to the sand next to Tatiana, he sighed in relief. “That was a lot harder than I thought.” he admitted. “I wonder how Lavie can do that and still find time to watch over Al.” he mused. I used to think that flying combat mission was hard, but I'll take that over repairing a busted van ship any day! Lavie is more amazing than I thought! Beside him, Tatiana turned her head to look at him.

“So, you think that the port engine might be able to turn over?” she asked him. Claus nodded.

“Yes. But I don't know if we have enough Claudia fluid to get to lift.” he cautioned her. “Tomorrow morning, we need to see if the engine will start or not. After that, we can make our next move.” he decided. With the sun gone, the temperature was plummeting like a van ship without motors.

“Thirsty?” asked Tatiana, shaking the canteen. Claus considered it, then took a single swallow. Setting the water aside, he lay back. Looking at Tatiana, he asked her something he had meant to ask her before.

“You're nobility, aren't you?” he asked her directly. Tatiana gave him a surprised look.

“I'm from a noble family, yes, but how did you know?” she wondered. Claus shrugged.

“Well, you don't value water, and you have that noble bearing to you that most nobles have. So, why are you serving in the military as a pilot? Why not as a captain?” he asked her.

“My family is what you would call `abandoned nobles'.” answered the teen. “When the richer, more powerful, and more connected noble families moved to higher lands, we were left behind. Yes, we're noble, but we're scratching to hold on to our small estate, and without good Guild relations, we are unable to move into new markets, while the old ones have dried up and failed.” she admitted.

“I'm sorry to hear that.” replied Claus. He knew something about hardship, after all. “So, how did you get into the Academy?” he wondered.

A soft laugh came from the woman beside him. “Would you believe that I was so good that I got a scholarship?” she replied. “I was always being told how good I was.” she went on. “I guess that all that praise got to me, and I stopped taking my training seriously.” A pause, and then, “Or, maybe, it's just that abandoned nobles will always be abandoned.” she muttered.

“I don't that that's right.” said Claus softly. Tatiana heard the tone of his voice, and moved to head off any sympathetic speech he might be about to make.

“So, what about you and Lavie?” she asked crisply. “Who are you two from?” she pressed.

“My dad was a minor noble, without a title or holdings, but noble nonetheless. He came down to Norkia to pursue his dream of piloting van ships. My dad and Lavie's met up, and before they knew it, they had teamed up to pilot van ships together.” began Claus. Most of this he had heard from listening to others talk, but some he had learned from his father and Lavie's father.

“Lavie's family was common, and her mother had died giving birth to her, but within a month of them meeting up, they were living next door to us, and within a year, we were sharing the house where our dads flew from. We weren't rich, but we weren't hurting for anything either.” he said, smiling softy as he remembered those days.

“Then, one day, our dads said they had something to show us. They had a mission cylinder with twelve stars on it. They told us that they were going to fly the Grand Stream and deliver a message to the Disith. It was the last time that we saw them.” he finished. Tatiana jerked upright and turned to lean over him, her hands on either side of his shoulders.

“Your fathers were Hamilca Valca and George Head?!” she demanded. Claus blinked.

“You've heard of them?” he asked, surprised.

“Heard of…?! Claus, every van ship pilot has heard their names!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea…” she murmured, shocked. No wonder they're so good! It must run in their blood! “No idea at all.” she repeated. Slowly, she eased back from over him.

“It's a beast, you know.” she said softly. “The wind tears at your ship, the frame creaks and groans. You hold the stick as tight as you can, but you can barely control the ship. The Grand Stream destroys all who try to cross it. Even the Silvana takes heavy damage when crossing. Your instruments are useless, and the deeper you go, the rougher it gets. After only a few minutes, you being to lose pieces of the ship's skin, and…” she broke off, realizing that it was now Claus who was leaning over her, his face almost touching her own. His eyes were bright.

“You've flown in the Grand Stream?!” he asked excitedly.

“Yes.” she said softly. Claus smiled at her.

“Before now, all Lavie and I have been able to learn about it has been second-hand.” he explained. “Can you tell me everything you experienced in there?” he asked her. Tatiana nodded.

“Sure.” she said. “But first, it's getting cold, so we should get comfortable for the night.” she suggested, turning and pulling the blanket over, spreading it out on the sand under the winglet.

“Oh! I had an idea about that.” said Claus, scampering out and clambering up onto the winglet. Tatiana blinked at his behavior, but soon guessed what he was up to as the pole holding the cover over their heads dropped to the sand, followed by the sound of the cloth being pulled over the engine compartment. A moment later, the material draped itself over the front and back of the winglet, forming a kind of tent.

“This should help us keep warm.” said Claus, dropping back to the sand and moving into the sparse shelter from under the belly of the van ship. Tatiana nodded.

“Yes, but it leaves an opening.” she said, pointing to the gap where the wing joined the fuselage. “Let's try this.” she suggested, grabbing the cloth that lay on the ground and the prop rod. Hooking on end on the rod, she wedged it diagonally across the open end, almost closing the area under the winglet off. Once she was sure that it was steady, she turned to smile at Claus, who had been fumbling around in the now-dark area under the wing. “Better?” she asked him, almost playfully.

“A lot better.” he replied. Momentarily, she heard a scratch, then a hiss, and light flooded the make-shift tent. Claus had one of the stub candles from the emergency kit situated in the sand near the landing gear cowling. Once the small light source was going, he pushed the spent match into the sand bank.

Tatiana's smile could now be seen by the young man. Taking the blanket, she turned it so they would be lying in line with the winglet. Thankfully, they were both short enough that they would be able to comfortably sleep beneath the covered winglet. Claus helped her get it settled. When it was settled, Tatiana twisted around so she was sitting at the corner of the blanket. Reaching up, she pulled the zipper on her flight suit down and wiggled out of it before folding it into the corner, filling in the small gap between the sand and the cover.

Turning back to look at Claus, she felt a smile touch her lips as she saw him gaping at her near-naked form. Except for the thin, short shorts she had on, she was naked. “Sleeping in that was uncomfortable, and besides, this way, we can keep more warmth in, and I can keep you warmer.” she reasoned. “Come on, get out of your flight suit and let's get to bed.” she said, lying down on the blanket.

“Ah, I think I'll just…” began Claus, but Tatiana interrupted him.

“If you leave yours on, the buckles will scratch me up, and you won't get the maximum warmth from my body heat.” she suggested. Seeing him more or less frozen up, she rose to her knees in the limited space and reached over to him, taking the tab to his zipper in hand and unzipping it. Before Claus knew what was happening, his flight suit was being folded into a pillow for the two. Feeling the cool air, he quickly lay down beside Tatiana and flipped the blanket over them.

Being made from good wool, it was surprisingly warm; though it might have been the warmth of Tatiana that he felt. Either way, when she hugged herself to him, his dick was already hard again. Feeling her soft breasts press against his chest did nothing to calm him down - nor did it help when she shifted so that his legs slipped between her own. When his hard member touched her pussy, she felt a deep, powerful tingle shoot all through her body.

I…I want to be with him! she discovered, shocked at her change in perception. We're both noble - if low-level nobles - and he's the son of Hamil Valca, too! It's not like he's beneath me. That thought spurred another. If anything, I'm beneath him. It was the first time that she had felt this way about someone. Her boyfriends were more for social appearances than for actual love or desire. But now, stranded in a desert, having failed my mission, with the son of a van ship legend, I want to be with him. She was sure that somewhere, fate was laughing at her.

Claus was finding himself getting sleepy from the long day. Tatiana feels so good! he though hazily. How long has it been since I held Lavie like this? At least a year! He hugged Tatiana closer, feeling her fast heartbeat against his chest. He could also feel her hard nipples. Would Lavie feel better than Tatiana if I held her like I'm holding Tatiana? he wondered. Tatiana certainly smells good. he admitted, slowly beginning to settle into sleep.

When Tatiana heard his breathing settle down, she knew that she had waited too long to make her move. Knowing that he had put in a full day, while she sat around doing practically nothing, she sighed and got comfortable, beginning to fall asleep herself. As she gradually drifted off to sleep, she found herself stroking his bare back. Remembering what he had said, she slowly traced his legs, finding the scars by touch. Rough life you led, Claus. she thought silently.

On the way back up, she paused with her hand on his shorts. In spite of her earlier look at it, she found herself wanting to caress it again. Wondering if it would awaken Claus, she eased her hand between them and worked his shorts open to free his dick. As she did so, she kept rubbing against her sensitive mound. When his dick finally lay hot and hard against her lower belly, she didn't hesitate to wiggle her own thin, sheer shorts down. Carefully easing her legs wider, she gently tucked his hard length between her legs, shivering and breathing fast as she felt his pulse throbbing through his erection.

“Ah!” she whispered, biting her lip. Gradually, she began to rock her hips, rubbing his shaft with her increasingly-wet nether lips. This feels so good! she thought happily, her clit peeking out from under the protective hood to rub against his hard length. Rocking faster, she could feel her arousal beginning to soak her thighs. Almost there! she thought, teetering on the edge. Grinding herself to him, she swirled her hips, generating enough friction to send her over the edge. “Ugh!” she stifled her groan of release. Panting, she held him close to her as she drifted off to sleep.

-

Claus woke to a warm, soft mass on his chest. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he found a platinum-blonde head nestled against his shoulder. Slowly, he came awake as he remembered the night before. Tatiana is laying there naked! he thought, feeling his semi-hard morning wood turn to steel. He also became aware of something else. When did my shorts get pushed down? And what feels so good? he wondered, carefully easing the blanket back.

He couldn't see his morning wood; her pale, flawless skin blocked his view, her hips on top of his. Logically, he surmised that his shaft was nestled against her sex. He knew that girls had different parts than boys from bathing with Lavie when they were younger. Naturally, they had compared parts from time to time before beginning to bathe separately - something that Lavie had gradually insisted on.

Shifting a little in the chill, still air, he wondered if Tatiana's looked anything like Lavie's. With a soft sound, the girl rolled onto her back, still asleep. The was both good and bad: good, because he could now see her in all her naked glory, and bad because his dick was no longer tucked snuggly into her soft, warm nest. Taking a slightly unsteady breath, he lifted the blanket a little higher and surveyed her in the strengthening light that crept through the gap in their cover.

Her skin is so beautiful, he thought reverently, almost like it is a work of art! His gaze slid to her breasts, small but shapely, topped with rich, coral red nipples, just beginning to stiffen in the cool air. I think that Lavie's might be a little larger, though not much - if at all! he mused. Lavie's thin white mid-riff notch-top shirt made it easy for him to compare the two, since Lavie's chest was just barely covered by that garment. It occurred to him that Alister's and miss Sophia's were larger, but right then, nothing was more fascinating that Tatiana's firm, rounded-cone breasts.

Moving down her naked form, he saw her trim, sleek midriff, almost physically nodding to himself as he once more compared the older girl with Lavie. Tatiana works out; I know that because I have seen her. But Lavie doesn't work out at all, and eats like a horse, but is still just as trim as Tatiana. Maybe maintaining my combat van ship is harder work than working out. he wondered. Past her bellybutton, he saw a darker shadow on her lower belly.

Shifting slightly, he edged the material covering the winglet open a little more, letting more light in - along with more cold air. In the increased light, he saw a small, neatly-trimmed patch of hair just above the girl's sex. It was darker wheat-gold blonde than the platinum hair on her head. Moving over her, he studied the small nest before lowering his eyes to her groin.

Looking at Tatiana's sex, he realized that her sex didn't look like Lavie's, except for the basic lines. Tatiana's lower lips were puffier than Lavie's, and her sex also seemed overall more pronounced that his partner's; though there was nothing wrong with either girl's sex in his eyes. The weak rays of the rising sun caught on something that gleamed in the light.

Reaching down, Claus touched her bare sex tentatively, finding it to be soft, warm and wet. Tatiana made a strange sound her sleep and twitched. Why is she wet? wondered Claus. Lifting his fingers to his nose, he carefully sniffed them. It was a rich, pungent smell, but Claus found that he liked the smell. His dick certainly did, twitching at the scent. Rubbing the wetness between his fingertips, he found it to be slick and slightly thick, forming a short rope between his fingers when he parted them.

Claus's exploration was cut short by Tatiana's slurred voice. “Claus?” she wondered, her rich grey eyes opening. Claus swiftly dropped the blanket back over her. Tatiana rubbed her eyes, shivering a little. Seeing the strengthening light, she yawned. “Why am I cold?” she wondered.

“Uh, sorry,” replied Claus, blushing, “I must have shifted away from you in the night.” he offered. “Lavie says that I am a restless sleeper.” he added. Tatiana took a breath and pulled herself tight to him once more, feeling his hard length press into her belly.

“Oh. Do you and Lavie sleep together often?” she asked, more awake. Why did I ask that? Even if he sleeps with Lavie all the time, it doesn't matter - I am valuable to him, and he wants me near him, so it's ok. she thought, ignoring the glaring inconsistencies in that reasoning. After all, she certainly wasn't jealous of Lavie. Not at all jealous, she assured herself.

“We slept in the same bed until we moved from our house into the one in the alley in Norkia.” he said. “When we moved, Lavie suggested that we each get a room, instead of sharing a bed.” he added, sounding a bit sad and puzzled. Tatiana subtly tightened her hug.

“Why did she do that, do you think?” wondered Tatiana.

“Probably because I'm a restless sleeper, like she says, though I can't recall losing any sleep over it.” he smiled at his subtle humor. To his surprise, Tatiana shared a soft laugh with him.

“No, I imagine not.” she agreed. Her loss, then! she silently gloated. She found that sleeping with Claus suited her just fine. “Do you like her?” wondered Tatiana.

“Of course I like Lavie.” replied Claus immediately. “We've been together all our lives, after all.” he mused, his mind clearly elsewhere. She and I have been through a lot together.

“I mean, is she more than a navigator and friend to you?” pressed Tatiana. Claus frowned.

“She's…Lavie.” he managed, uncertain what Tatiana wanted to know.

“So, you don't see her as a girl, then.” breathed Tatiana, feeling a thrill of excitement race through her. Maybe, there is a chance. she hoped.

“I've…seen her before.” whispered Claus, misinterpreting the statement. Tatiana blinked, swiftly determining the manner he had taken her comment in.

“And?” wondered Tatiana, her heart rate kicking up. Claus frowned softly.

“And what, Tatiana?” he wondered.

“Do you…like how she looks?” asked Tatiana delicately.

“Her…I mean, she looks different…down there.” managed the shy young man. A frown crossed Tatiana's face, unseen by the young man, since Tatiana had her face tucked to his neck.

“Claus?” she asked slowly, “Did anyone ever tell you and Lavie about sex?” she asked curiously. Against her skin, she could feel the heat from his body double. Blushing? I guess that is answer enough. she thought, a wicked smile on her face.

“N…no.” he whispered. “It never came up before…well, and then, Lavie and I were on our own, so…” he trailed off. It was true that none of the adults had ever discussed it with him, and he doubted that his mother had said anything to Lavie about it, given their age at the time she was alive. Still, they had figured out some things, like kissing, from watching the interaction of first, their parents, and later, their friends; when they could spare the time and attention from their flying, of course. That wasn't that often, truth be told.

Tatiana, meanwhile, was digesting this latest nugget of information. She had had a good education, and as a freshman in the military academy, she had taken the health class with everyone else, though the class was divided, with boys having one class, and girls another. And so, she had a far more comprehensive understanding of sex than Claus or Lavie. “Do you want me to teach you?” asked Tatiana softly, daring to look up into his eyes.

“T…teach me?” squeaked Claus. This conversation was getting out of hand - fast! “Um, I…think we better get working on the ship!” he evaded answering her question desperately. Tatiana couldn't help but notice that he wasn't making any effort to pull away from her. He's oddly innocent, given his age. she thought, smiling slightly. He's also right; it's already getting warm in here, and we need all the daylight we can get. she found herself thinking unenthusiastically. We might be here a while longer, and even if we get flying again, and the Silvana is still afloat, it could be days before we are recovered. So, I don't suppose that there is any particular rush.

“If that's what you want.” she agreed, rubbing against him unnecessarily as she began to part from him. Silently, the two grabbed their suits, and Claus tugged the cover off the winglet, facilitating their exit from their `bed'. Stepping into her borrowed clothes after she adjusted her thin, short shorts, Tatiana peeked at Claus, seeing him quickly wiggling into his military flight suit.

Leaving the large front zipper to the flight suit at her navel, she stepped out from under the winglet and straightened. Looking over at Claus, she saw he was already at work re-stringing the cover so he could work in the shade. Grabbing a pair of the make-shift poles, she moved over and started on the other side. “Claus,” she said softly as they finished the short job, “if you want, my room is always open.” she said quietly.

“If I want what, Tatiana?” wondered the young man. Tatiana's medium grey eyes met his.

“If you want anything, Claus.” she replied. “My cabin will always be open.” And my bed, if you want! she added silently, feeling her lips twitch. Claus gave her a smile in return.

“Thanks, Tatiana.” he said. “It's good to know that I can come to you with any problems I might run into.” he accepted her offer. Tatiana had to duck her head back behind the fuselage separating them to keep him from seeing the blush on her cheeks - and the wicked leer on her lips as she thought of other meanings of him `coming' to her.

“I…it's nothing, Claus.” she replied. It didn't occur to her that she had - for the first time since they went down - spoken of the Silvana in terms of it still being afloat. As the morning fled, she sat on the winglet closest to Claus, doing anything that she could to help him. Shortly past noon, he was ready to see if the port engine could be turned over.

Tatiana found herself sitting in the navigator's seat, with orders to keep her eyes on the engine and try to get it up to air-idle speed. Claus took the manual crank shaft and worked it into the recessed emergency crank slot. “Ready?” he called to Tatiana.

“Ready!” she called back, her hand settling on the port throttle control. Please let this work. she silently prayed. Claus got a solid grip on the hand crank and bent his back into it, feeling the engine initially hang, then begin to spin. In the navigator's seat, Tatiana pressed the manual ignition switch. For a moment, it looked like nothing would happen, then there was click and the engine began to cough and sputter.

“Yes!” hissed Tatiana, grabbing a Claudia resonance gauge out of her pocket and holding it out to Claus, over the high lip of the fuselage. Jumping off the long nose of the engine compartment, Claus grabbed the small vial of Claudia fluid with the Guild-made resonance gauge, shaking it as he dropped to his knees next to the raggedly-running port engine.

“Come on, work!” he breathed, holding the small device next to the resonance chamber. Slowly, the ball rose from where it had settled to the bottom of the gauge. Claus watched the ball ease past tic after tic mark on the glass. “Sixteen hundred. Eighteen hundred. Twenty two hundred. Twenty five hundred. Twenty five fifty.” counted the young man. The ball stopped rising. “Tatiana, try giving it a bit more throttle!” he yelled. Twenty five eighty…come on, van ship! You can do it! he silently urged the red van ship. “Almost! A little more!” he yelled to Tatiana.

“She's choking out!” yelled back the older girl.

“Try easing it back, then forward again!” suggested Claus. Sometimes, an engine got hung up on a sudden power increase, and jogging the throttle would un-stick them. Tatiana did as directed, easing the throttle back slightly, hearing the engine begin to drop down, then slowly easing the throttle back open. Below and behind her, kneeling in the sand, Claus watched the ball sink, then begin to climb again.

“Just a little more…!” he gritted. But, just shy of twenty six hundred cycles per minute, the ball began to drop. As it did, it gained speed. “Tatiana! Full throttle!” yelled the young man.

“Already there!” shouted back the girl as the engine shut down. “Damn!” she muttered, slouching back in the seat.

“Well.” said Claus, planting his ass in the sand and leaning back against the side the fuselage. “At least we know the engine works.” he said slowly. But it doesn't have enough Claudia fluid to sustain itself, and it certainly doesn't have enough to get any lift. So, how do I fix that? he wondered.

Tatiana dropped to land beside him. Holding out their large canteen, she silently suggested that he take a sip. Claus decided that he would be better off it he did, so he took a single mouthful before handing to Tatiana. Following his lead, she took a mouthful as well, before closing the canteen off. “What next?” wondered the pilot.

“We try to salvage the Claudia from the cockpit.” he replied tonelessly. Tatiana blinked.

“How?” she asked simply. Claus sighed.

“As best as we can. We can use the water in the canteen to re-hydrate the crystals, but we need to get as much up as we can. Any suggestions?” he wondered. Tatiana slowly stood. Moving over to the cockpit, she pulled herself up enough to survey the dried crystal deposits.

“We…could get most of it out of the corners with a screwdriver. For the stuff dried on the suit, I guess we could shake it out over our cover, then pour it into a small pile. As for the rest…” she pursed her lips. “I guess that we will have to find some flat, thin piece of metal to act as a spatula.” she concluded.

Behind her, she heard some metallic clangs. Turning to look, she saw Claus evaluating the various pieces of cast-off metal from his initial work on the engines. She smiled as she saw him intently scrutinizing each and every part. The collection of the Claudia consumed the rest of the afternoon.

As the sun touched the horizon, the two had managed to scrape out and collect all the Claudia they could get. The cockpit was almost as clean as when the van ship was first built. The two of them looked at the carefully-tied pouch that held all the salvaged Claudia. “We need to purify it before we put it in the van ship.” said Tatiana. “How do we do that?” she wondered.

“We use the cycle-filter unit from the starboard engine.” replied Claus. “If we use the signal gun with a percussion round, it will spin the unit up, and when it winds down, all of the contaminates should be collected in the bottom. We pour the Claudia fluid into the ship through a patch of the cloth.” he explained. “Lavie and I kind of had to bootleg our own Claudia for the first couple of years.” he added sheepishly.

“Well, I certainly can't complain,” shrugged Tatiana, “seeing as how that knowledge is saving us now.” Claus shared a smile with her. Reaching under the ship, he dragged the starboard engine's filter box over. Seeing that, Tatiana swiftly retrieved the signal pistol and a percussion round.

Settling the box securely in the sand, Claus reached for the canteen. Pausing, he glanced at Tatiana. “Here,” he said, offering her the canteen, “take one more swallow before we make it all Claudia fluid.” he directed. Tatiana blinked.

“But, what about you?” she asked him.

“I'm used to limited water.” he assured her. Slowly, Tatiana took the canteen and took one final swallow of water. Handing it back to Claus, she lunged over and sealed her lips to his, sharing her water with him. Long after the water was swallowed, the kiss remained. Eventually, Tatiana released him and sat back.

“We're in this together, after all.” she explained her actions to the stunned young man. Besides, I wanted to kiss you. she added, if only to herself.

“O…okay.” replied Claus, lost. Shaking himself, he turned to put the Claudia into the filter, followed by the rest of their water. Sealing the unit, he turned to see Tatiana offering him the signal gun.

“Percussion round loaded.” said the girl, smiling slightly. Taking the gun, Claus inserted the barrel into the power input and triggered the charge, the coils of the unit spinning up, dissolving the Claudia into the water and filtering it as it did so. Setting the pistol aside, Clause and Tatiana spent a few minutes watching the unit spin.

“Think we'll get enough to sustain the engine?” wondered Tatiana. Claus pursed his lips.

“I've been thinking about that. We won't have enough to fly back up to the Dragon's Fangs, no matter how it turns out. But, if we shorten the boom to maximize the Claudia fluid into a shorter cycle, we should be able to get about ten feet of lift, and some good speed; if we red-line the engine, that is.” he explained. Tatiana's eyes widened.

“That's right! The longer the boom, the greater altitude and climb rate, while the wider the spread, the greater the speed! We don't have enough to climb out of here, so there is no point in pushing fluid through the extra boom length! Claus, you're a genius!” she exclaimed, tackling him in a hug.

“Well, I just try to think about what Lavie would do, that's all.” he explained modestly, laying flat on his back under Tatiana's slight weight. Tatiana's eyes had a strange look in them in the fading light. Other than the sound of the filter unit spinning, there was no sound.

“Claus, how long do you think it will take the unit to spin down?” asked Tatiana softly. The young man half-shrugged.

“A couple of hours, probably.” he suggested. “I was going to let it sit for a while, as well.” he added, feeling the heat from Tatiana's body beginning to bleed through his military flight suit. “Why?” he asked her.

“Let's call it a day, ok?” she suggested, half-tossing her head toward the winglet. Silently, the two slowly separated and rigged their cover over the winglet, forming their `bed'. Once it was rigged, Tatiana grabbed another of the small, slow-burning emergency candles and crawled in after Claus, who had managed to light what was left of their first one. Situating the second next to the first so they could light it off the last of the first's wick, she smoothed out the wool blanket and wiggled out of her borrowed clothes, glancing at Claus to see him slowly removing his own military flight suit.

As she waited, she lay down on the blanket, feeling the temperature drop on her bare skin. Tatiana had decided that the most expedient way to deal with the situation was to simply press forward and see how Claus reacted. It's not like he doesn't find me attractive, and I've already given him a blow-job, so I don't think that he will be too uninterested. she thought, feeling her heart rate kick up at the thought. Unconsciously, she licked her lips as he moved down beside her, pulling the other half of the blanket over them both. Tatiana immediately drew herself up against him.

After a few moments of letting him get comfortable, Tatiana set in motion her plan for the evening, leaning her head up to kiss Claus, catching the young man off guard. In her arms, she felt him freeze for the first few moments of the kiss before slowly relaxing. When she let his lips separate from her own, her nipples were hard as rocks. “Tatiana?” breathed Claus.

Tatiana pressed a fingertip against his lips. “Shh.” she responded softly. “Just relax and enjoy yourself, ok?” she instructed. Claus obviously didn't know what to expect, but she could feel him relax slightly in her arm. Well, most of him is more relaxed! she thought happily, feeling his dick begin to harden against her thin, sheer shorts. Even through her shorts and his shorts, she loved how it felt against her pubic bone.

As Tatiana went back to kissing him, Claus slowly began to run his hands along her sides and back as she did the same. This feels…wow! he thought, stunned by how good it felt. Her skin is so soft! And she's so warm against my chest! I wonder if Lavie feels like this? he wondered, his instincts beginning to do his thinking for him. His hand slid over her thin shorts to rub over her toned butt.

A soft, aroused groan came from her lips as she felt his somewhat rough hands on her ass. Ooh, that feels nice! she thought languidly, not realizing that she had begun to grind herself against his hard member. Wiggling around, she managed to worm a hand between then, intently working on getting his shorts out of the way.

Intent on her work, she was surprised when she felt his tongue slip between her lips. She had heard about this kind of kissing before, of course, but had never really seen the appeal of it. I can certainly see the attraction now! she though dizzily, opened her mouth to let his tongue meet her tongue. The two oral muscles writhed around each other, exploring and caressing as they went. Tatiana managed to get her hand into Claus's shorts, wrapping her hand around his dick.

It was Claus's turn to gasp, feeling her hand on his dick for the second time. Slowly, she pumped it with short, firm strokes. Claus grabbed a cheek in each hand and pulled her hips to his own, jerking his hips against her, driving the exposed tip of his dick against the silken skin of her belly. “Tatiana!” he begged.

Panting, the girl released his shaft, grabbing his short and feverishly pushing them down and off, Claus barely able to lift his hips to help her, so caught up in his hormones that all he could think about was the feel of her in his arms and against his dick. When his shorts were disposed of, his hard shaft lay entirely against her, though her shorts were an unwelcome annoyance. “Here.” panted Tatiana, grabbing her thin shorts and tugging them off, kicking them more or less off, leaving her naked.

“Ah!” gasped Claus, feeling a sensation unlike he had ever felt before spreading out from his dick as he rubbed it against the girl's skin. He could feel the small patch of neatly tended hair, and below it, a hot, slick wetness. Is that her…place?! he wondered, not immediately recalling the word he had heard it called before. That thought caused a problem, though, as he felt his balls tighten. “Tatiana, I'm cumming!” he grunted, feeling his sticky fluid splash over her belly.

A deep shiver ran through the girl as she felt him coat her in his cum. “So warm.” she breathed reverently as Claus's body went still. Her groin tingled, the familiar sensation telling her that she was close to an orgasm herself. Beside her, Claus was panting.

“Um, I'm sorry about…that.” he apologized to her. Tatiana sent him a warm smile.

“It's fine, Claus.” she assured him, easing back so she could see her belly. It was covered with a surprisingly large amount of whitish cum. Tatiana collected some on her finger and delicately tasted it with her tongue. Still salty, but pretty good, she decided, collecting more with her fingers and licking them clean. Once she had collected all that was on her stomach, she glanced over at Claus, noting that he had some on his belly as well. Moving down, she used her lips and tongue to clean it up. As she finished, she saw that his dick was almost hard again.

Taking his dick in her mouth, she inexpertly - but eagerly - began to give her second blowjob. Feeling his hand land on her hair, and hearing his inarticulate sounds of pleasure, she smiled around her mouthful of cock. I think he likes me! she thought, fighting a strange urge to giggle wickedly. Her groin throbbed hotly, and when she slipped a hand down to investigate her readiness, she found herself well-lubricated and almost twitching in desperate desire.

Gently, but firmly, pulling her lips off his dick - much to Claus's disappointment, Tatiana straightened back up and situated herself on her back before pulling Claus on top of her. After a few moments of adjustment, her legs were spread wide, Claus was between them, and his hard dick was prodding her open sex. Reaching down, she grabbed his dick and centered it. “Push forward.” she instructed him, her voice rough with desire and her words hampered by her panting.

Doing as she asked and as his hormones demanded, he pushed forward, his wide, spongy tip stabbing into her, causing her to hiss. “Gentle!” she begged. Claus couldn't spare the mental power or wind or attention to answer, instead concentrating as hard as he could on doing as she asked. Trembling with effort, he gently pushed forward, feeling his hard length spread her as he sank into her. Oh god! She's so tight, and it feels so good! he thought, desperately fighting the need to hammer into her with all his might. But if I did that, she might get hurt, and I don't want to hurt her! he reminded himself.

Tatiana literally couldn't speak as she felt him push deeper and deeper into her virginal passage. It never crossed her mind to worry about her virginity, since her exercise and training had dealt with her hymen long ago, but this was a whole different deal. God! It's so good! she thought deliriously. I can feel all of him! And I can feel myself stretching as he goes deeper! Yes! Take me Claus! Make me yours! she silently screamed as an orgasm rolled through her. Shaking like a seizure patient, she rode the orgasm out.

Claus didn't realize that he had finally reached her deepest point until he felt his progress halted by a firm barrier at his tip, and by their pubic bones meeting at the bottom of each stroke. “Tatiana?” he grunted, the need to fuck her hard gaining ground on his promise to be gentle. Not getting an answer, he could feel his control slipping as he began to pump into her, gaining speed with each thrust. Before he knew it, he was slamming into her frantically, his hormones in complete control. It was either seconds or years later - he couldn't be sure himself which it was - when he felt his balls tighten for the second time, and with a final thrust that pushed Tatiana along the blanket from the force, he flooded her passage with his cum.

Beneath him, Tatiana had just begun to come down from her first non-self-induced orgasm when she felt him reach her cervix, and a moment later, he began to thrust into her in a building rhythm, each successive thrust more passionate than the one before. This caused another orgasm to roll through her before the first had run its course, and the friction along her clit and the feeling of him deep inside her caused another one to chase the second through her body. When Claus filled her with his cum, she didn't notice, since a third orgasm swept through her, her vision going dim as Claus slowly dropped onto her chest.

Catching his breath after his second orgasm, Claus could feel his eyes droop. Man, cumming twice like that really takes it out of you. he thought, fighting a yawn. Absently straightening the blanket over them, he collapsed onto Tatiana's chest, already half-asleep. Tatiana herself was asleep, warm and glowing in the after effects of sex. After a moment of getting comfortable, Claus joined her in sleep. “Lavie.” was the last word he spoke that night.

-

Morning found the two of them snuggled together, arms wrapped around each other. Tatiana was the first to wake, and she found herself holding Claus, a smile on her lips, as she thought about last night. At the back of her mind, she felt that there was something important that should have been dealt with, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall what - and honestly, she didn't care. Claus is my lover! she thought to herself, feeling a shiver in her spine as she thought it.

At that thought, the image of a bobbed-cut mahogany-haired girl came to her. That's right. What about Lavie? she remembered guiltily. The short girl had been with Claus for his whole life, and from what she had learned from talking to the sandy-haired pilot, it was very likely that the two of them had feelings for each other. “Even if they don't know it.” she muttered aloud, caressing Claus's cheek as she said it.

Claus slept on. Softly giggling, she reflected that Lavie's nickname for him - Sleepyhead - was apt. Unable to resist, she leaned closer to him and kissed him softly. As her lips met his, she felt another electric thrill run down her spine. Pulling back, she unconsciously touched her lips with her free hand. Well, I think it is safe to say that I want him. But does he want me? And if he does, what about Lavie? she wondered, back where she started.

Sighing softly, she snuggled back into him and dozed off, her mind turning over and over on the issue of the other girl in Claus's life. When she woke again, she could feel the heat building, and light was coming in through the small gaps in their cover. Gotta pee, too, she realized. Claus was still asleep, though there were some signs of his waking. I guess, all we can do is see what happens. Maybe Lavie doesn't care for him in that way, or maybe he doesn't like her more than me. she decided, easing away from him.

Feeling his warmth source leaving, Claus instinctively tried to hold on to it, his eyes slowly opening as he did so. Blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes, he found himself holding Tatiana to himself, his face in her modest cleavage. Startled, he started to pull back from her. “Sorry, Tatiana.” he offered, only to feel her arms close around him, pulling him firmly back to her breasts.

“It's fine, Claus.” she assured him warmly. “You are welcome to me whenever you want me.” she offered slyly. This feels good. she thought. Slowly, Claus's arms wrapped around her chest, just under her breasts. A tingle ran through her as she felt him gently hug her. “Mmm.” she hummed in contentment.

Claus was recalling last night with great clarity. Tatiana and I…we had sex! he marveled. He was ecstatic about that, but he also wondered what it would mean in the long run. What about Lavie? he wondered to himself. I don't want to get her upset. And I can't help but wonder if being with her would be as good it was with Tatiana. I…don't know what to do about it. he realized.

The more he thought about it, though, he realized something. That odd, strange stress between him and Tatiana was gone. Now, there was none of that kind of stress. Could it be that having sex with Lavie might get rid of the stress between us as it did with the stress between me and Tatiana? he wondered. I just don't know, and I don't want to lose Lavie, so maybe I shouldn't do anything different. he mused.

His musing was cut short by Tatiana's voice. “Um, I hate to break this up, but I need to use the bathroom.” she said, her tone slightly embarrassed. Claus blinked, realizing that he really had to pee as well. Pulling back from her, he blushed slightly, glancing away from her naked form, only to have his eyes come back to her.

“Me, too.” he agreed. Grabbing the cover, he tugged it off the winglet, the rising sun hitting them as he did so. “It's already this late? We better get started on that bypass.” he noted, feeling the need to change the topic. Tatiana snagged her shorts, but made no move to put them on as she crawled out from under the winglet. Claus grabbed his shorts and his flight suit, tugging his shorts on before moving out with the suit in his arms.

Separating, the two moved off to tend to business. When she was finished with her piss break, Tatiana stepped into her shorts. She had found that she had cum leaking from her pussy, and had wiped up as much as she could. Now, with her under shorts on, she could feel the remaining mixed fluid in her sensitive passage. Smiling a little, she moved back to get her borrowed suit on. As she pulled the zipper up to her bellybutton, she saw Claus moving toward her, his military flight suit zipped up.

“Ready, Tatiana?” he asked her, reaching for the tools. She smiled at him.

“Ready.” she confirmed.

-

Of course, her being `ready' meant mostly staying out of Claus's way as he did the by-pass, shortening the boom on the port engine. He also lightened the ship by dropping the destroyed starboard engine to the sand, and removing all excess covers and gear. As he told her, every ounce they lightened the ship meant another inch they could climb, and they would need every inch they could get.

Finally, just past noon, the repairs were complete. Tatiana turned the engine over, and the port unit began to build. Claus held the Claudia meter next to the chamber and watched as Tatiana slowly edged the throttle up. For a heart-stopping second, it looked like the engine would stall out at twenty six hundred revolutions, but after a dip, it managed to climb upward into the usable power band.

To his surprise, when he yelled to Tatiana to get into the cockpit, she stated in the Navigator's seat. Her smile was the warmest he had ever seen on her face. Not one to argue the point, he swung himself into the pilot's seat and began to shake the plane free from the sand dune. Minutes later, they had the plane free. Experimenting, they found that their patch job could generate a maximum of about twelve feet of lift.

Picking a rough heading, they set off, looking for something useable. Looking at the charts, Tatiana recalled that there was an emergency depot the Silvana used not too far away. It should have parts, Claudia fluid, water and tools. When Claus heard her say that they could make repairs and then find the Silvana, he smiled.

Well, she's back to her normal self. he thought, relieved. I think that things are looking up, finally! he thought.

 

End, Chapter 1

 

Author's notes:

 

I've decided to do this in a `snapshot' style. So expect some skipped sections as far linking elements go. If you assume that they follow more or less as they did in the anime, you won't be far wrong.