Decisions, Decisions

Disclaimer: All licensing rights belong to Tribune Entertainment and MBR Production. I do not own or profit from Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda; nor am I connected to it in any way --if I had been Steve Bacic would have gotten more storylines.

I started writing this due to Vee017's 'About Last Night' I was unsure of which Rhade was in the story (I love them both so kinda a moot point) but I was positive I wanted to try a version of "the night before" so I want to thank Vee for the inspiration and also b5delann for helping me by giving me a great website for my research. Thank you all for reading and encouragement. :)

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Chapter 3

Telemachus Rhade strode along the empty corridor towards Command Deck. His boots rang on the metal flooring and his leather pants whispered as he lengthened his stride. Though he grumbled to Dylan, he missed being on the Andromeda and he certainly missed seeing Beka everyday. He doubted he would ever get paid but just smelling Beka made it worthwhile. Thinking that, he inhaled, drawing in the crisp recycled air of the ship instead of the stifling heat and dust of Seefra. His body hummed with anticipation and wondered how long it would take before her presence would cause the inevitable hard on he would have to suffer through. 'No more depression' chastised Rhade to himself 'today will be a good day.' As he walked though the doorway he immediately searched for the blonde pilot. She was not at the slipstream console. Frowning, his gaze swept the Command Deck and quickly found her. She was facing away from him and leaning down to talk to someone in the service conduit. Probably Harper, he guessed. Rhade grinned to himself as he came to the following conclusion 'You know it's going to be a good work shift when you start it with a view of Beka's backside.' He took a moment to admire the firm curves incased in leather. He heard Dylan call out a greeting as he continued to watch the beautiful blonde. He saw her glance over her shoulder at him and noticed she stopped talking in mid sentence and stared. Rhade felt the heat of her gaze as she took in his appearance. They both knew he had dressed for her and by her reaction it was worth the effort. He had stopped by his old quarters to shower and dress from clothes he had left behind. He had found boots that were not all scuffed and caked with the dust and clay of Seefra and had teamed them with snug fitting leather pants that laced up the sides. Rhade's shirt was a sleeveless tank of black crocheted material that showed glimpse of his tanned muscled skin. He added a slight swagger to his walk as he approached his console.

Rhade observed Harper popping out of his hole like a hyper-active gopher to see what had captured Beka's attention. Whipping a rag from his tool belt the little mechanic pretended to wipe drool from Beka's chin. Rhade heard a giggle from Trance but Beka did not seem to find humor in the gesture. With a snarl the pilot took a healthy swing at the smaller man and Harper darted into the relative safety of the service tunnel. Not so easily thwarted Beka dove in after him. Rhade and Trance laughed as muffled thumps and scuffling noises echoed out to the Command Deck. Even Dylan looked like he was trying to contain his mirth and seemed to appreciate the light-hearted moment. High, girly squealing shrilled out and the listeners determined it was more likely to be originating from Harper and not Beka. Rhade poked his own head in to watch Harper get the stuffings beaten out of him; it would vastly improve his day. He was surprised and not pleased to observe the opposite had occurred. A giggling Beka was pinned down on her back and the wiry mechanic was straddling her hips as he tickled her. Rhade's growl reverberated throughout the enclosed space as he prepared to climb in. He was not sure what his following actions would be, he was only acting on instinct. The sight of the woman he desired for his mate having another man on top of her triggered a fiery rage within Rhade. As he began to clamber into the tunnel he felt a strong pull on his weapon's belt halting him. Harper glanced over his shoulder and, with a startled yelp, he scurried up the nearby ladder and escaped from harm's way. Denied his prey, the infuriated Nietzschean whirled on the man behind him. Dylan quickly released him and back stepped away.

"Rhade, two things I want to clarify now" Dylan said loudly as he rested a hand on the force lance at his waist, "I am still the Captain of this ship- and I have never slept with Beka."

"Hey' groused a tousled Beka "thanks for sharing --not!"

"Yeah, thanks" was Rhade's gruff reply "I've always wondered."

Beka wiggled out of the narrow conduit and placed herself between the two men.

"Now that we are done discussing my sex life and the lack of one ," huffed Beka "can we stop terrorizing crewmates and get to work?"

"But it’s so easy and I like talking about your sex life and how I can change that 'lack of' problem for you," grinned Rhade.

"It's not a problem --you are!" was Beka's sharp response.

Rhade's smile slipped to a scowl and he stepped forward. Trance tugged on his arm.

"Now is not the time " she softly advised.

Rhade knew this mission was about helping her get information concerning her sun and he felt slightly guilty. With a last 'we will continue this later' look at the woman who tempted him just by breathing he turned to his console.

Beka and Trance flew the Maru closer to get further readings on the artificial sun as Rhade and Doyle used Andromeda's sensors to gather more data for the gold-skinned woman. He was brooding at his station when he acknowledged their return to the hanger bay. Harper had been talking to them from the safety of engineering and Rhade had been distracted from his usual musing on Beka. The Nietzschean hated to admit to himself why the other man had always irritated him to such a degree. He envied the short, scrawny, whiney man. Or more precisely, he envied Harper's familiarity with Beka. The fact that they had a long standing close relationship was obvious to anyone who watched them together. And Rhade often watched them when they were together. The casual touches and hugs, the teasing and bantering, drove him crazy. Also adding to his insanity was the almost sure knowledge that at some time they had been intimate. It was the freedom and fearlessness Harper showed in his behavior around her that made Rhade jealous and was the source of his dark thoughts. A few moments later Trance retuned to the Command Deck. He was vaguely aware of her puttering around and speaking to the others. Some moments passed before she approached him and murmured "Now would be the right time."

"Huh?" was Rhade's brilliant reply.

"To talk to Beka about a certain subject."

Not pausing to question the mysterious young woman Rhade rapidly left and headed for the hanger bay. He knew Beka often hid on the Maru when they were both onboard the Andromeda to avoid him but with Trance's prompting ringing in his ears this tactic would not be successful today. With long strides he crossed the cavernous hanger bay to the crouching Maru. From across the length of the bay he glimpsed through the clear blast shield of the cockpit to see Beka sitting in the pilot's chair. The Maru might often be on the verge of instantaneous collapse but Beka kept that spotless. He drew closer and thought she might be sleeping .....no she definitely wasn't sleeping after all. As he came to a halt Rhade's body flared to painful awareness as he stared at the woman he desired. Beka's eyes were closed and a flush stained her cheekbones as a sultry expression suffused her pale face. Her teeth had captured her bottom lip and he easily observed with his enhanced sight that she was panting by her flaring nostrils and the rapid rise and fall of her breasts. Those beautiful breasts were being fondled by one of her hands buried under her snug knit top. He could see the movements beneath the thin material as she kneaded her flesh and plucked at her nipples. Rhade's own palms itched to cup and caress those firm curves and he clenched his hands into tight fists. His own hunger coiled and tighten deep within the core of his body and spread outwards to sensitize his skin and make his nerve endings hum in hopeful anticipation. He braced his legs as he continued to watch her, as if he was preparing for a great battle. He was, with his self-control. The option of leaving and giving Beka her privacy did not even cross his lust filled mind. He knew his stare was so intense he was surprised she didn't feel or sense it. But he was grateful and frustrated that it didn't. What he wouldn't give for her to open her eyes and see him and then decide to continue; watching him- watching her.

With a groan he knew Beka couldn't hear, he allowed his gaze to lower to observe the motion of her other hand. He could see the flex and shifting of the muscles in her forearm and the twisting of her wrist but her fingers were hidden from his avid view. Her tight leather pants that had taunted him earlier were unfastened but obscured Rhade's surveillance of this surprising situation he had stumbled upon. He ground his teeth and a growl echoed throughout the hanger bay as he had to resort to his own imagination.

Rhade visualized Beka's long pale fingers slipping deeply into the dark wetness of her cunt. Her curls would be damp from her own juices and he ached to smell the scent of her fully aroused passion. She would get wetter and wetter as her hand worked her tender flesh and he wondered if she was using two or three fingers to pump in and out of her slick folds. Every so often she would pause and he guessed she was using a fingertip to circle and manipulate her clitoris as he saw her shudder. He wondered what her reaction would be if, when he went down on her, he gently bit that sensitive button or would she prefer him to suck on it while she shuddered for him.. not for herself. His deep breathes matched the pounding of his blood roaring through his aroused body as it all began to pool in his groin. His stiff cock twitched and filled even more at his thoughts and pressed painfully against the front of his now too tight leather pants. He wanted to be inside her so badly that his need threatened to overwhelmed him. The degree and intensity of his desire and craving would have concerned him if he had not been pushed past the point of caring.

Telemachus had read of sweeping emotions in great literary works and seen them on the stage and viewscreens of popular dramas but had never experienced them for himself. That was why when many Nietzschean women of fine bloodlines had approached him he had turned them gently away. Only when the pressures of his career and the goal of the Admiralicy demanded him had he taken a wife. She had been a wonderful woman and a huge helpmate but their union had seemed to increase, not lessen, the longings inside him. So despite the urgings of others, including his wife, he had not taken any more wives. When he had heard of her death through his contact, while he was finding refuge on the Andromeda, it had saddened him greatly. But, it had not been grief for the loss of his wife Jillian or of Louisa that had trapped him in that drunken stupor Dylan had found him in, but guilt. Guilt that he had not missed them more and the terrible self knowledge that he had used them both. His wife to mold himself to tradition and Lousia for the illusion of finally finding that mythical great love to hide behind. And feeling guilty for longing for Beka who he believed he had lost without ever even having her. Realizing he had used the fact she was human to create distance between them because he was wary of the strength of their attraction. Knowing that both lovely ladies faded away when compared to the vibrancy of Beka Valentine. He watched her now as she chased after passion, her body tense with desire as she journeyed to her goal of completion. He wished he was there sharing it with her instead of just observing it.

Beka's back arched and her hips began to rise from the worn leather chair as they matched the rhythm of her busy hand. Her tawny hair with its one saucy dark braid thrashed against the headrest as she concentrated on her pleasure. She widened her thighs to provide more room for her questing fingers and he imaged if she had spread her legs to accommodate him instead. Telemachus would kneel on the metal floor and tug her pants to past her knees so he could bury his face in her musky warmth and devour her. He craved to taste her and lap up her salty sweet essence. Rhade wondered if her juices were flowing freely down her thighs as he felt precum leak and slowly start to soak his trousers. His cock throbbed and the skin felt stretched beyond its capability as his erection strained. He knew he could come just by watching her but he was afraid that if he was caught up in his own orgasm he would miss hers. And he was determined to savor every stolen moment that he could. Powerful shudders wracked his body and he tightened his muscles to fight against his own urges that were demanding more. Clenching his jaw he forced himself to focus on Beka instead. With her back bowed her belly gleamed pale in the dim lights of the hanger bay. Andromeda was not running with all her systems powered yet and for that he was grateful. Rhade guessed that with his rotten luck the ship's hologram could appear to question him so it was in his favor that she was not fully functional. He glimpsed a tiny trail of sweat traversing the flat plane of her stomach and disappearing behind her hand. He wanted to capture the escaping salty moisture with his tongue tip and follow it back up to its source between her breasts that were hidden from him. He would push the offending top up and out of his way and bare her breasts to his gaze and exploring hands. He longed to taste the soft skin stretched over her ribs to the under curves of her breasts and the peaks of her nipples. To discover if biting or sucking on them drove her crazy and to know he had the time and freedom to experiment with her wants and responses. Rhade wanted her reactions to be from things he did to her rather than Beka to herself. His gaze locked on her face as he sensed she was approaching her climax.

Beka's features tightened and her teeth released her lower lip so they could part as she began to pant. Her entire body arched even more and a long shiver raced its length as her mouth parted in a silent gasp. For a few moments she hung like this until her face suddenly slackened and her body relaxed and slumped into the comforting depths of her pilot's chair. Rhade's entire awareness was centered on her during this as she rode through her release. He watched her breathes start to slow as his own continued to labor and saw her hand slide down from under her top and rest on her calming belly. He saw her take a deep breath and her eyes flutter open. Telemachus knew it took her a few moments to focus on her surroundings and saw when she spied him. Or rather, caught him spying on her. He noticed her lips parting and moving, not for moans of pleasure, but to utter words not found in any galactic dictionary. Painfully one of his own hands unfurled and he unlocked his muscles to step forward. Reaching up Rhade rested his palm against the hull of the Maru and grimly considered how much force it would take to rip the flying rust bucket open and climb into the cockpit. A movement from inside caught his attention. He could no longer see all of Beka at this angle but he could tilt his head back awkwardly and still see her face as she peered down at him. Rhade's and Beka's gazes caught and held, time spinning out silently as they contemplated one another. Hers embarrassed and uncertain; his still hungry and questioning...

footnote :
yup, I’m going to make anyone who's reading wait for the next chapter...bad author, bad bad... but good too I hope....