PoT: To Boldly Go... (Part 2)
Episode Two: Deep Exploration
by omi
Voiceover by Captain Ukemura: This is the RKD LOVE BOAT. Our mission is to seek out new civilisations and spread tru boi love and tennis ... To boldly go, where no gender has gone before!
"Lt. Commander Niou personal log, stardate 12672.578.4700. I have completed the modifications necessary to install the full Pleasure Nights One Gazillion and Two.TM simulation pack for the RKD LOVEBOAT, and am in full expectation of further commendations from the Captain after he completes his testing of the new holodeck choices. I must admit, however, to feeling something my creators would term, 'curiosity', over the preoccupation humans have with this emotion called love. It is... most... interesting. Further experimentation may be in order..."
Lt. Commander Niou wandered out of the Captain's quarters with a slightly bemused -- or as bemused as an android can get -- look on his face. Humans are really quite fascinating, thought the android, his internal processors humming madly. Putting their propensity for touching each other quite aside, Niou was also extrememly interested in the numerous non-verbal manner they interacted.
Take, for instance, the interaction between their esteemed captain and commander that just took place. Commander Sanada had only made an innocuous remark on his rather obvious lack of skills and inability to captain his own ship, when Niou's sensitive hearing picked up Captain Ukemura's slightly accelerated heart rate.
Captain and commander then called each other by designation, and Niou observed even more interesting physical reactions from the tall commander. Such as the sudden pooling of heat and blood to Commander Sanada's groin area that his infra-red visual receptors had picked up, and the sudden deepening of his voice. By precisely 0.472 octaves, if Niou's audio receptors were not mistaken.
And finally, there was that strange moment when both captain and commander spoke in unison, without any pre-arranged signal that Niou can detect.
Curious. Most curious.
Running the physical reactions exhibited by both Captain and Commander against his huge database of human reactions, his processors came back within 0.00287 seconds with the answer. Symptoms exhibited by his two superior officers were indicative of human arousal.
While his creators had put much thought and effort into the work of art that was Niou himself, some utterly human emotions and behavious still escaped him. Like love. Or its kissing cousin, lust. His inhuman brain simply could not compute the back and forth of the sexual dance that humans indulge in. (Deviltry and trickery, on the other hand, was picked up and absorbed effortlessly by the young Niou at a very early stage of existence.)
Lt Commander Niou ran the same search string against his immense database collections and came back with 9745,346,846,448,138 returns. 92% were trashy romance novels, 6% were dissertations and monographs on the human condition of arousal, 1.8% were love poems and the remaining 0.2% were miscellaneous articles. His silver eyes blanked for a moment, as his prodigious computer brain scanned and read every piece of work. He blinked again a scant moment later.
Really, this was all too confusing. Humans were confusing. Perhaps it would be more effective to consult a expert on bodily matters for this instead, mused Lt. Commander Niou thoughtfully. And there was only one person to consult when it came to bodily matters on the RKD LOVEBOAT. The android made a smooth fluid about-face and headed to the sick-bay.
It was time to consult the doctor.
***
Dr. Yagyuu, Chief Medical Officer of the RKD LOVEBOAT, leaned over his latest hapless victim. "Ah..." he hummed, wielding his laser knife as a golfer wields his club. Thwack! And a leg dropped off, cleanly severed.
The door hummed and opened, and Lt. Commander Niou strolled in.
"Ah, Doctor, am I disturbing anything?"
"Lt. Commander Niou," the Doctor greeted calmly, adjusting his glasses with one hand as the other held the laser knife steady. "Not at all," he nodded to the victim lying on his operating table. "I was just practicing my amputation skills."
Lt. Commander Niou walked over and picked up the severed leg. Turning it over in his hands, he raised a single arched brow at the good doctor. "A solid-state plasticine dummy?"
Doctor Yagyuu raised his laser knife up to eye level and sighted the leg past the red glowing lance. "A good doctor gets in his practice whenever and however he can," pronounced Dr. Yagyuu serenely. "Also, the supply of volunteers on this ship is rather scarce. Apart from than the casualties of Cadet Kirihara, of course. But I can hardly be expected to ask our dear Cadet to take time out from his busy schedule just to create more work for me."
"Ah..." Lt. Commander Niou nodded sagely.
"But come, Lt. Commander," Doctor Yagyuu leveled a Look at the android. "You're actually the last person I'd expect to walk through my door. Is anything the matter? Processors acting up? You may be better off consulting Lt. Commander Yanagi of Engineering."
Lt. Commander Niou hopped onto the examining table, ignoring the ravaged, headless, armless and now legless, plasticine dummy. "Actually, I do have a question..."
"Oh?" Doctor Yagyuu arched a single eyebrow, an identical expression to what Lt. Commander Niou had leveled on him just moments ago. "Something you can't find an answer for in the medical databases?"
"Actually, yes," admitted Lt. Commander Niou candidly.
Doctor Yagyuu waited.
"It is something that I had the opportunity to observe between our Captain and Commander Sanada."
"Aaah. You want to know why Commander Sanada had his hand up Captain Ukemura's butt?"
"No. But it is a good question. And now that I think of it, one that I might hazard a guess for..." Lt. Commander Niou cocked his head at Doctor Yagyuu, silver eyes gleaming.
"Could it be... because he wanted to get to the inside?"
"A very succinct and accurate answer, Lt. Commander Niou. I applaude your perspicacity."
"Thank you, Doctor Yagyuu," Lt. Commander Niou inclined his head gracefully in acceptance of the praise.
"You're welcome," replied the good doctor. Then a small, almost miniscular frown marred the smooth perfection of his brow. "But if that was not your original question, then what is the matter?"
"Ah yes, my question," recalled to his original purpose, the Lt. Commander straightened imperceptibly. "I would like to find out what it is like to be in a perpetual state of lust, much like how Commander Sanada is around our beloved esteemed Captain," He asked, in all seriousness.
Doctor Yagyuu blinked, the only outward sign of his surprise.
"I wasn't aware you were capable of bodily sensations, Lt. Commander."
"Oh, my creators were very careful to ensure that this body is capable of experiencing the full spectrum of human sensation. In fact, my electrical nervous system perfectly mimics that of a human's. However, until recently, after I met our Captain and Commander, I had never really wondered about this thing called lust."
Doctor Yagyuu laid a hand on the Lt. Commander's thigh. Stroking it professionally, he asked, "So, you have the full set of nerve receptors, with the micro-electronical simulation of human pain and pleasure centres? Identical to that of a human's?"
"Indeed, I do."
"How interesting," murmured the good doctor, his hand moving rather higher up along the Lt. Commander's thigh. "I must admit, I've wondered a little about the way your body works. Professional curiosity, you understand. And you say you want to explore the state of lust?" Doctor Yagyuu's hand stopped its wanderings, as he looked at the still android.
"It would be an interesting experiment, wouldn't it?" said Niou softly, his silver eyes glowing.
Doctor Yagyuu moved closer. "It may take a while," he said, his breath ghosting along Niou's cheek.
"Executives officers tend to have 48% more free time on this ship, I've noticed," replied Lt. Commander Niou absently, his attention absorbed by the heat emanating from the doctor, whom he noticed, was suddenly standing very, very close to him.
Doctor Yagyuu shifted, and murmured into his ear, his words stirring the soft wavy grey strands of the Lt. Commander's hair. "The exploration would have to be very... thorough."
Lt. Commander Niou made an effort to reply with a modicum of his previous equilibrium. "It wouldn't be called deep exploration if it wasn't, now would it?" His breathing was, perhaps, just a little faster than before.
"I like to take turns being on top," said the doctor, leaning in to steal a kiss from the still cool mouth of the android.
"Ah..."
And no more words were necessary.
***
A few hours passed, and the door to the sick-bay hummed as the Captain stepped in happily, an unusual hitch in his usual smooth gait.
"Ah! Lt. Commander Niou! There you are," beamed the glowing captain. "I want to congratulate you on your magnificient work on the holodeck sims. Very impressive! Commander Sanada was completely blown away!"
Lt. Commander Niou stood to attention. "Thank you, Captain," he responded politely.
Captain Ukemura smiled radiantly. "In fact, I am so impressed, I've decided that the full holodeck sims should be made available to all crew members, around the clock! You will help with the arrangements for making sure that no crew goes without, wouldn't you? I'd like it to be done as soon as possible!"
"Of course, sir. Now, sir?" The android enquired politely.
"Yes," the Captain clasped his hands behind his back. Then, a small look of inquiry crossed his beautiful face. "Unless of course, Doctor Yagyuu requires your services urgently?" he asked, directing his question at the quiet doctor.
Doctor Yagyuu stirred. "Ah, no, captain. It's quite all right. Lt. Commander Niou and I are simply in the middle of conducting a rather delicate and slow experiment. It will keep, until the Lt. Commander finishes his duties."
"Oh, good. Come along then, Mr Niou," said Captain Ukemura, clapping his hands together briskly. "After all, Time and Pleasure waits for no man." He made for the door without looking back.
Lt. Commander Niou followed him, stopping briefly only at the sick-bay exit to give the good doctor a swift, ironic bow, before vanishing behind the closing door.
The ends of Doctor Yagyuu's mouth quirked upwards, and he mouthed softly, "Later," to the empty room. His glasses slipped down slightly at the movement, and for an instant, unguarded by the polished glass lens, his eyes gleamed silver.
***