Shadow and Tanamin:  First Meeting

     I walked down the long, metal corridor heading for the lounge.
Fluorescent lights traced up the walls and arched across the ceiling, giving
the corridor a bright, polished look.  Deep down, somewhere in the heart of
the ship, the massive engines thrummed, an all penetrating throb that
slipped into the back of your mind.  I've always found it very relaxing.

     As I neared the forward lounge, which doubled as galley, I began
passing through the 'residential' section, idlely reading names on door
plates as I passed.  A smile grew on my lips as I reached the junction of
hallways and read the name on the last door.  "Capt. T. Wingate" was all it
said, but I found it rather nice.  Most captains kept their quarters
separate from the crew's, and this being a military ship, I found it even
more intriguing, though not very surprising with what I had gathered from my
brief meeting with the captain when boarding..  I smiled to myself, the
captain had been on my mind quite a bit lately, he did cut a rather dashing
figure.

     The door slid up up into the ceiling at my approach and I stepped into
the lounge.  I looked around, but the lounge was empty.  One full wall was
taken up by a window looking out onto the warp distorted starlight.  Someone
had turned the lights down very low, and the soft light from the window gave
the lounge a strange, flickering atmosphere that I found rather nice. I
caught my reflection in the glass and adjusted collar of my cape, looking
over the black, vulpine form that stared back at me, never know who you
might run into.

     I walked to the back of the lounge where the food preparation system
was.  I looked the system over and found it rather straight forward, a small
panel with a keyboard and a pickup for voice input over a large sliding
door.

     As I looked over the machine, I realized I had no idea exactly what the
crew of this ship ate, aside from it probably being a vegetarian diet..  I
pondered a moment and said, "Ok, I'll have the special."  "please state your
request again", came the flat reply.  I sighed, that was not promising, the
computer behind that reply was definitely not sentient, and probably not
very sophisticated.  It was beginning to look like 20 questions time.

     I was standing and pondering the problem when a rich voice startled me
from behind, "From that twitch in the tail, I would say you're a person with
a problem.."  I laughed and turned around, finding Capt. Wingate standing in
the doorway.  He wore his duty uniform well, and his pearlescent horn caught
the light from behind me, seeming to glow.  His long tail emerged from the
back of pants cut to fit his digitigrade legs.

     "Good afternoon, Captain!  I was just getting ready to probe the depths
of your 'chef's mind for lunch.."

     "Please, call me Tanamin, I get enough of Captain from the crew.  I'm
afraid we were in a rush to leave when you came aboard, what with the
Medararians putting the rush on your delivery, they're paying a pretty hefty
price!"

     I sighed, "I hope I haven't put an inconvenience on you and your crew,
they knew my price for the job, and I've looked over all the data and done
some of my own scans, there is no immediate danger, but they want it done as
soon as possible.  I think I actually lucked out a bit, I've never taken
passage on a military starship before."

     Tanamin laughed, "Inconvenience?  We're getting some good bonuses out
of it all, and a weeks leave on Medarar!  I am curious as to what your job
is, and what the payment it, if you care to tell me, but first let's get us
something to eat.  Shall I order?"

     I smiled, "Please!  I have no idea of what you have to eat here.."

     Tanamin smiled and walked over to the food system and said, "Duraka, 2
please."

     The machine hummed quietly for a moment, then the door slid aside.  The
unicorn reached into the compartment and brought out two trays, they smelled
delicious.  He motioned towards one of the tables near the window and we sat
down.

     He smiled, "Tell me what you think, if you don't like it, we can find
something else."

     I smiled and looked over the meal, there were a couple of
unidentifiable vegetables and something that looked like a large hamburger.
I sniffed it, but fortunately there was no meat in it, it smelled delicious!
I picked it up and took an experimental bite.  The 'patty' tasted like a
spinach casserole, but spicier, cheese and other things mixed in with a
leafy vegetable that was delicious.  "Wonderful!", I said, taking another
bite.

     Tanamin smiled, "A popular meal with most races, and surprisingly one
that the food prep does well."  He started in on his own meal and for a
while we were quiet, eating and looking out into the field.

     I was experimenting with the other vegetables, which were all good,
when Tanamin looked up and smiled, "So, what exactly will you be doing for
the Medararians, or is it not my place to ask?"

     I smiled, "It's quite alright, they haven't asked for secrecy, and
would be rather hard to hide a job of this scale anyway.."  I took another
bite of a delicious reddish vegetable in a bluish sauce.  "Garsoath, the
Medarar sun, has been becoming unstable..  There isn't a danger of a nova,
but surface temperature is dropping.  I will meet with their government and
scientists, and depending on what they want.  Over a period of time, I will
either re-energize their sun, or shift the planet's orbit in closer, they
are already suffering some planetary cooling and climate changes."

     Tanamin looked a little stunned, "Move a planet, charge a sun??"

     I felt my face grow a little hot, my ears laying back a little in
embarrassment, "Please, don't make me out to be more than I am, I hate being
set apart..  I have a tool, maybe it is a rather powerful tool, but that
doesn't make me and different from anyone else, it just allows me to do
more.."

     Tanamin smiled, "I'm sorry, didn't mean it to sound like that..  What
are they paying you to do this?"

     I smiled, "Well, your looking at half of it, a starship passage to
Medarar, and passage off to the planet of my choosing."  I smiled a little
broader as the Captain's rather shocked expression, "That's it??"  I smiled,
"Well, you see, with my matrix, I can make just about anything I could want,
and there is a problem with having anything you could possible need or
want..  It's boring as hell.  So I try to find things new and different, and
things I enjoy..  There is nothing more different than people, and I very
much enjoy spaceflight, so here I am..  When you reach a certain point,
boredom is a very dangerous thing..  As to my prices, I enjoy the work that
I do, I enjoy helping people, and it doesn't cost me anything but energy and
time."

     Tanamin shook his head, "It still seems like such a cheap price to
me.."

     I just smiled.

     Tanamin cocked his head a little, looking at me, "I think I
understand..  I really have to go up and make some navigational checks.
Would you be interested in a late supper?"

     I smiled, wondering if I was reading that right..  "Of course, Captain,
I would enjoy that a lot!  I will let you get back to your duties."

     He smiled in return, "I very much enjoyed chatting, I look forward to
tonight."

     I stood as he did, and returned his bow, my eyes following him as he
walked out of the galley, still wondering exactly about his intentions..

     I was quite impressed with him, he had reacted like I hoped he would,
not with awe, or worse, with fear, but with curiosity.  I found him very
intriguing indeed, and that offer of a late dinner..

     I was sitting and looking out the window thinking about the captain
when a klaxon went off somewhere on the other side of the galley door.  A
voice sounded over the speaker system, "We have multiple warp fields
detected on a converging course, all crew to your combat stations."  The
captain's voice followed a moment later, "Shadow, I will leave this channel
open so you can hear what is going on.  Probably best that you stay there.
Ok, let's rig for battle."  A large metal panel slowly slid down over the
window, leaving the lounge dark, but I ignored it, listening to the voices
coming over the speaker.

     "Contacts are matching course and speed, warp field resonances coming
into sync, looks like they mean business. -- Looks like pirates, what kind
of specs can you determine? -- We've got..One heavy cruiser, two medium
range interceptors.. -- Damn, that's a lot of fire power..  We'd best take
out that cruiser first..  Aldor, got that? -- Got it, Captain, calibrating
now, but they aren't exactly in sync, cannon effectiveness will be down. --
Understood, do your best.  I want all other guns focused on the smaller
ships, let's get those missiles primed."  I let the chatter drift into the
background and focused, letting myself slip into my matrix, building power,
then let my perceptions slip through the hull of the ship and out into
vacuum.

     I could feel the warp field around me as I pushed myself towards the
vague pressure of the closest ship, one of the interceptors.  I felt a flash
of energy nearby and part of my mind noted the shudder through the Sahuuk as
the bolt struck the ship.

     "Captain, we've lost the port side launcher. -- This is Jannan, I'm on
it, give me 5 minutes. -- Ok, Jannan, hurry, we need those missiles!"

     I moved to the edge of the other ships warp field and recoiled a
little, the resonance was different from the Sahuuk and slightly painful.  I
adjusted and tried again, slipping into their field and tuning my energy to
the defense shield within..  The ship was before me, a design I didn't
recognize off hand.  I moved towards the hull and slipped in.  I was using
very low energy as a carrier, so I doubt they could detect my presence, and
probably couldn't do anything if they did.  I stuck to the circuitry running
through the walls, heading back to where I could feel their warp coils.  I
slipped into the engine room.  There were several reptilian creatures at
various duties there, but I ignored them.  I moved my perceptions to the
warp field generator, letting myself slip inside to where the powerful field
resonated from the coils.  Concentrating, I drew on the energy I had been
building and shaped it.  "Well, if this works the effect should be quite
interesting", I thought to myself.  Then, bracing myself, I threw the shaped
energy into the base of their warp field.  There was a bright flash of pain
and a reeling shift of perception.  I found myself back in the lounge.

   "Captain, we've lost one of the interceptors, but I'm not sure how.. --
What happened? -- There was a sudden flare and they were gone.  No
explosion, no debris.. --  Could they have dropped out of warp?"  "It was
mine, Captain", I said, a little unsteadily, "but I won't be able to do that
again for a while, the others are yours.."  I started building up power
again, slowly.

     A shudder ran through the ship.  I let my perceptions slip outside
again just in time to see the second shot from the Sahuuk's main cannon arc
towards the larger ship.  There was a small explosion near the big ship's
warp drive.

     I was seeing on several different levels, and could see their warp
field partially collapse, followed by a violent explosion as the ship
succumbed to the warp-shear stress as the edge of the field dropped over the
ship.  I couldn't tell how much of the ship survived, if any, as it dropped
from warp.

     "Got him, Captain! -- Good job, Aldor!  Now get on that last one, we're
not out of this yet.. -- Targeting, Captain."

     Still looking outside, I could see the smaller guns having little
effect penetrating the warp field distortions, only the main gun having
enough power to penetrate the subspace interference with any effectiveness.
I saw the object at the same time the bridge did.

     "Incoming missile, captain! -- Oh shit, all secondary cannons target
that missile! -- On it, Captain."

     Several intense beams of energy shot out towards the small object.
Just before it reached the edge of the warp field, one of the shots made
contact.  There was a violent flare of energy and the Sahuuk lurched,
knocking me out of my chair, my perceptions snapping back to my body as I
picked myself up off the floor.

     "Captain, Tskottie here, we've lost the port aft deflector shield.
Minimal damage, but will take a minute.. -- Jannan here, launcher is back
on-line, but barely, I can give you two launches for sure, after that.. --
Ok, Tskottie, do your best, good job, Jannan, fire both missiles as fast as
you can cycle!"

     I felt a shudder run through ship, followed by another which must have
been the missiles going off.  I was getting ready to look outside again when
there was a sudden lurch and the gravitics went wild, throwing me against
the wall, the room seeming to slope to the side.

     "Got him, Captain, one missile deflected, the other took them out.  --
Good work!  Ok, what have we got, Tscadie, what's the story..  Tscadie, come
in, engineering, respond..  Damage control to engineering, fast!  Can anyone
see what happened? -- Aldor here, Captain, looks like we took a hit near
that downed deflector, I can't see from the gunners bubble, can't tell the
damage, but if it had been a direct hit, I don't think we would still be
here.."

     I didn't have time to hear the rest, I felt the change in the hum of
the ship just before the alarms went off.  I pushed myself out of the ship,
letting my mind envelope it.  It was what I had felt, the warpfield was
fluctuating, collapsing.  I threw what reserve I had into it and began
drawing raw energy.

     "Damage control, come in!  Damn, I'm on my way down to engineering, see what
you can do about shutting those engines down..  --  Working on it, Captain,
good luck!"

     Everything I knew was agony.  I tried to keep focused on what I was
doing, grasping the concept like a life line.  I was drawing raw energy
through my mind and forming it, bracing and holding the field lest it drop
over the ship.  Normally, it would be a simple task, but to tap the vast
energies of dimensional space directly threatened to wash my mind away.

     I don't know how long I was trapped there, balanced on that wave of
pain, fighting to keep my mind, time had no meaning.  Finally I felt the
power feed to the warp engines die and I released my hold on the energy.  As
it slipped away, what was left of my consciouses went with it.

     Warmth.  That was the first thing I became aware of.  I lay for a
minute, enjoying the feeling, not really conscious of anything.  Slowly, I
became more aware.  I tried to open my eyes..  A mistake..  I groaned at the
painfully bright light.

     "Your awake!", came a voice, familiar.  "Let me turn down the lights..
Ok, try again, slowly.."

     Carefully, I opened my eyes again.  The light was still a little
painful, but bearable.  I found myself looking into the concerned equine
face of the Captain.  "You've had us all worried!  How do you feel?"

     "Groggy..  Give me a minute..  Throat's dry..", my voice sounded weak,
but I could feel my strength returning.  I tried to sit up, but the room
seemed to start tilting.  I laid back, "Not yet.."

     "Stay there, don't rush things..  Let me get something for you to
drink, then we'll try sitting up.."  I watched as he walked over to the
other side of the room, then closed my eyes again.  I opened them after a
minute to look up into Tanamin's smiling face.

     "Here, let me help you up..", he said, reaching down.  I felt his
strong arms around me as he helped me up, putting the pillows up behind me.
I was pretty stiff.  "How long have I been out?", I asked.

     "Almost three days..  Here, drink this, the doc said it will help bring
your strength back."  I took the slightly steaming mug he offered and
sniffed it.  It was a spicy, fruity smell.  I took an experimental taste of
the hot liquid and found it tangy and delicious, but I held back, drinking
it slowly.  "You saved the ship you know..  That field should have
collapsed..  The engine room was a mess, nothing left of the automatic
systems that should have shut down the power feeds to the engines..  I'm
sorry it took so long, it took time to climb through that mess to shut down
the power.."

     "How long did it take?  I know you all did your best."  I took another
sip from the mug, looking over it at him.  Gods, he cut a handsome figure!

     "It was about 10 minutes by the time we go the power feeds cut off.  We
couldn't figure out what was going on with the field until we found you
unconscious in the lounge.  The doc looked you over, but couldn't find
anything physically wrong with you..  What happened?  We were talking about
you effecting suns and orbits the other day.."

     I sighed, "I'm not omnipotent, not even close, I just have my matrix,
and I didn't build my reserve up after I dealt with that ship..  To back up
the warp field, I had to draw raw energy.  Neither my matrix, nor my body
are designed to do that, it took a heavy toll.  If I had built up energy,
processed and stored, it would have been simple.."  I took a long sip of the
drink and found that I had reached the bottom.  I handed it back to Tanamin
and lay back against the pillows, "Thanks, that was good!".

     Tanamin reached over and took my hand, squeezing it softly, "We owe you
a lot, what can we do to thank you?"

     I smiled, "I think you owe the person who managed to shut those engines
down a lot, as for me.."  I lifted the covers and looked down at my fur, I
was a mess!  "I could use a nice, long bath..  Is that possible on a
military ship?"  I gave his hand a soft squeeze in return.

     Tanamin laughed, "Normally, that would be a problem, but captains have
certain privileges, I have a bath in my shower, though I rarely use it,
water conservation and all."  He looked down a little, "Would you like some
help?"

     I blushed and smiled, "I think I would like some help very much!"

     I slowly sat up.  The dizzyness was still there, but not nearly as bad,
and the stiffness was slowly fading.  I pushed the bedclothes back and
slowly threw a leg off the bed.  Tanamin came over and I felt his warm,
strong arms helping me slowly to my feet.  I was a little unsteady, but he
kept his arms around me, "Ready?"

     I nodded and smiled.  Slowly, we made our way into the bathroom.  I was
a little taken back by the size of the tub, but then remembered that it was
made for unicorns, and had obviously been built with two in mind.

     "I'd like to take a quick shower first, and get my fur clean, then a
long soak", I said, leaning on Tanamin to keep my balance.  I was very much
enjoying being this close to him.

      Tanamin smiled, "Easily enough done."  He paused a moment, then
slipped out of his uniform.  He was beautiful.  Midnight black fur covered
his body, and his long mane and tail were well combed.  I caught a glance of
us both in the mirror for a moment and had to smile at the difference.  He
was about a foot taller than I, not counting his pearlescent horn, but he
was much bulkier, lean and powerful, a sharp contrast to my slimer, more
delicate vulpine form.

     He lifted me easily over the side of the tub and stepped in after me.
The water from the shower head mounted in the center of the ceiling overhead
was nice and warm and I sighed heavily as it began to soak through my fur.

     "Like that, hmmm?", Tanamin laughed, taking a bottle of shampoo from a
rack on the side of the bath.  He wrapped his arms around me from behind and
hugged me close, then, holding me up between his arms, he spread the soap
over his hand.  Setting down the bottle, he rubbed his hands together,
spreading the soap over them.  Reaching around from behind me, he began
massaging the soap into the fur of my upper chest and neck.

     I sighed softly, feeling his strong, gentle fingers slip through my
fur. He went over my shoulders and down my arms, then back to my chest,
slowly working his way downwards, spreading the soap through my fur.  I
could hear his soft, warm breath near my ear.

     As he reached my belly, I had to fight to keep from being ticklish as
his hands traced slow circles in my fur, but he seemed to know just how hard
to caress, not to hard and not to soft.  As he reached the area just above
my sheath and brushed the tip, he paused, not sure.  I smiled, bringing one
hand up to caress his muzzle softly as my other took hold of his hand and
placed it atop my sheath.

     He sighed deeply and began to run his soapy hand up and down my sheath,
reaching down between my haunches to caress my balls.  I pressed back harder
against him, feeling his own sheath stirring as the pink tip of my penis
slipped from it's sheath.  His hand came up and caressed my exposed flesh,
sending deep shudders through me from the sensations.  I could feel him
growing against my back.

     Tanamin kneeled down behind me and slowly soaped down the inside and
front of my haunches, then stood again, turning me around to face him.  I
was fully erect, but certainly didn't hold a candle to his size, which was
equine in proportion, about 14 inches and very thick.  Smiling, I took hold
of it and slowly ran my hand down it's length, making him shudder in
pleasure.  He smiled, "Not yet, first things first!"

     Tanamin stooped down a little and slipped his penis up between my soapy
thighs as he took the bottle of shampoo and slowly began to massage it into
the fur of my head, working down my neck to begin massaging it into my back.
I could feel his penis throb between my legs, under my balls, my own member
pressed against the warm, soft fur of his belly as he hugged me against him,
soaping my back.

     Slowly, he worked his way down my back and sides, gently massaging as
well as soaping.  As he reached my buttocks, he slipped his fingers up under
my tail and gently circled the opening there, making me shiver and whimper,
then slowly pushed his way inside, laughing at my loud, pleasurable groan at
feeling myself penetrated.  He slowly began moving his finger within me in
time to slow thrusts of his penis between my thighs.  I wrapped my arms
around him tightly, hugging close to him and closing my eyes in pleasure,
thrusting my own member slightly against his belly.

     Far to soon, Tanamin withdrew both finger and penis as he kneeled down
to soap my legs, holding me steady as he lifted each hind paw and caressed
it, soaping it down.  Then took a small shower head attached to a hose and
began rinsing me off, looking so damn sexy with that huge hard-on!  It was a
long process, my fur isn't all that long, but it is pretty thick.

     Finally, all the soap was gone.  Tanamin went back to the control panel
and soon the tub was slowly filling with water.  The tub itself was almost
large enough to be a small pool, and a good three feet deep.  Tanamin slowly
settled down into the warm/hot water and beckoned me down.  I slowly lay
down on top of him, nestled between his haunches.  I could feel that huge
hardness pressed against my belly, my own erection laying against his balls.

     "What do you think, little fox?", Tanamin asked, stroking just behind
my ears.

     "I think this is a wonderful way to wake up!", I said, hugging him
tight, enjoying the warm feel of the water and his body.  "You know, I
wasn't really sure if I was reading things right that day in the lounge.
I've always been so cut off from everyone else, I'm afraid of mis-
interpreting things..  Afraid of being rejected I suppose.."

     Tanamin wrapped his strong arms around me and hugged me close, stroking
my back.  "You needn't be afraid of me, Shadow."  His hands slid down the
small of my back and pulled my hips down against him.

     I smiled softly and moved my muzzle down to lick his throat softly,
feeling him shiver and sigh under me.  "I feel very comfortable with you,
Tanamin, very safe..  I guess it may sound strange coming from me, but I
don't feel that very often, not very often at all.

     We lay like that a long time, just enjoying each others touch and
warmth.  Tanamin told me that he had made arrangements for tonight, so we
shouldn't be disturbed unless something drastic came up.  I'm not sure how
long I lay there, holding him, but finally, I lifted my head and looked down
into his handsome equine eyes.  "Would you like to get out of here and go
lay down?"

     Tanamin looked back into my eyes and smiled, nodding, then pressed his
muzzle to mine.  I hugged him tightly and kissed back, surprised at the
passion that overtook me as his tongue touched my lips and my own answered
in turn, caressing.  Still kissing, he reached over and released the water
from the tub.  It drained quickly as Tanamin finally broke the kiss and
slowly got to his feet, helping me up.  "Stand back a minute!", I laughed,
and as he moved back, I dropped to all fours and shook the water hard from
my fur, then stood back up.

     Tanamin grinned and tossed me a towel, going to work on his own fur.
After a moment, he reached over and touched another control.  Several
strong, warm jets of air started from the ceiling and walls.  Finally, we
both stepped from the shower and back into the room.

     I was suddenly hit with a bout of shyness as we came back into the
room, uncertain, but Tanamin hugged me softly from behind and I felt a soft
resurgence of the passion I felt during that kiss, and something else?
Something more?  I pressed back against him softly, closing my eyes.  I knew
better than that, love wouldn't be fair to either of us..

     Tanamin steered me over to the bed, then gently lifted me up, laying me
atop it.  He slipped into the bed next to me and again wrapped his strong
arms around me.  I hugged him close in return, bringing my muzzle again to
his, letting my tongue lightly trace his lips until his slipped out to join
mine.

     Slowly, he broke the kiss and smiled at me, looking into my eyes, "Did
you want to do something with that, little fox?", he chuckled.  I realized
that I had been thrusting softly against him without realizing it.  I
blushed hotly and gave him an embarrassed smile.

     "I..  I would like to have you in me, Shadow..", he said, softly.  I
looked into his eyes and nodded softly, then smiled, "Only if you promise to
do the same in return."

     "Ummm, I don't know if that would work, I'm pretty big", he said
softly, looking embarrassed.  I smiled, "We can see what we can work out,
I've proven to be pretty flexible in other areas.."

     I brought my lips to his again, kissing him deeply, gently pushing him
over onto his back and sliding up on top of him, not breaking the kiss.  He
reached up to a shelf over his head and handed me a small tube, chuckling
softly into the kiss.

     I broke the kiss and smiled down at him, then slowly slid down his
body, pressing my furry belly against his hard member, enjoying the shiver
that ran through him.

     I kneeled down between his haunches and reached up to gently take hold
of his penis, smiling at the soft moan that slipped from his lips.  I looked
him over as I gently stroked up and down his length.  He was distinctly
equine in size and shape, being around 14" long, the head flaring widely.
He was very thick as well.  I might be able to take his thickness, I thought
to myself, but never his length!

     I lowered my head and gently began licking his length, enjoying the
soft sounds of pleasure from him as I spread some of the lubricant from the
tube over my own member, then onto my hand.  I reached down and found his
opening, slowly circling it with a finger.  He lifted his hips and groaned
softly as I slowly spread the lubricant under his tail, then gently slipped
my finger inside him.  I smiled at the loud groan, "Are you ready for me?",
I asked softly.  "Oh yes, please!", he almost whimpered.

     I lifted his legs up, hooking my arms behind his haunches to hold them
up and lay down between them, feeling that huge penis against my belly again
as I searched for his opening.  Finding it, I pressed forward slowly, gently
slipping into his warm body.

     He groaned softly, my own soft moan joining his as I pushed myself into
him all the way up to my knot, then slowly began to pump against him, moving
within him.  "Oh god, Shadow..", he whispered softly.

     I let go of his legs and lay down against him, hugging him tightly as I
began to thrust harder, losing myself in the feel of him.  He moved under
me, rocking his hips to each thrust I gave, moving his sex against my belly.

     I lifted my body up and brought a hand up to grasp his penis and slowly
began to stroke it's length in time to my thrusts within him, feeling his
body stiffen under me.  "Oh, Shadow...yes..", he whispered, thrusting his
hips under me.  He haunches squeezed against my hips.

     I made love to him softly, slowly, savoring the mingling of our bodies.
Each time I felt his body tensing, I would back off, letting him calm down,
wanting to make the feelings last.  As I looked down into his face, his
eyes, I felt myself losing my heart to him.  Somewhere in the back of my
mind I was telling myself that I shouldn't be letting this happen, not
again, but I ignored it.  I lost myself in his warm body, laying down
against him and holding him tight with one arm as I continued stroking his
huge member with my other paw softly, rubbing it against the soft fur of my
belly and lower chest.  He wrapped his strong arms around me and held me
close, whispering soft things to me that I wasn't listening to other than
the sound of his voice, soft and loving.

     I began to pick up my pace, feeling myself sliding in and out of
Tanamin's warm body with each thrust, picking up the pace of my stroking as
well.  I could feel him tensing in pleasure, feeling his pleasure rise as he
tightened around me.  Suddenly, he tensed hard, arching his back and pushing
his head back with a soft equine cry, thrusting up against me.  Thick, white
semen spilled between us, hot as it soaked through my fur.  I had never been
with a stallion before, and even though I had heard about it, the sheer
amount of his cum was amazing.  His thrusting up against me, through my
hand, and the warm wetness against my belly and chest were to much.  With a
cry of my own, I thrust forward, deep into the unicorn as I pulsed my own
seed down into him, rocking my hips as the sheer pleasure washed over me,
and the love, sweeter, stronger than the waves of pleasure.

     "Shadow?", Tanamin whispered, "Are you ok?"  I opened my eyes as my
throbbing within Tanamin slowed and looked down into his sweet, equine face.
I realized that I had been crying, the fur under my eyes already soaked with
tears.  I started to say something and found my throat tight.  I just
nodded, wrapping my arms around him and snuggling close, still enjoying the
wet, slippery feeling between us and his strong arms around me..  I could
feel his penis softening, slowly retracting into his sheath as mine did the
same within him.  Sometime not long after, I drifted off to sleep.

     When I awoke, I wasn't sure where I was for a moment, just that is was
warm, close, and very nice...  Slowly, the memory of the night before came
back to me, and I snuggled back against Tanamin who was hugging me from
behind, snoring very softly.  Reluctantly, I gently slipped out of his
embrace and went into the bathroom to relieve myself.  As I came out, I
could see that he was awake.

     He had turned on the small light built into the shelf behind the bed,
and I stopped to admire the image.  His black form was silhouetted, backlit
by the soft light of the lamp, his horn catching the slight light and
seeming to glow.  His eyes twinkled a little in his shadowy face as he
watched me.  "You are beautiful", I whispered softly.

     I caught the white flash of teeth as he smiled, "You're not bad
yourself, Shadow..  Come here."

     I slipped back into the bed and into his waiting arms.  I wrapped my
arms around him and hugged tight against him, pressing my body against his.
"Shadow, why were you crying?", he asked very softly.

     I sighed deeply and lay my head against him, silent for a moment.  He
brought his hand up gently stroke the fur behind my ears, something I've
always loved.  Finally, I whispered softly, "I think I am falling in love
with you.."  I looked up at him, not knowing what to expect. I was
frightened of my feelings, frightened at how he might react.

     He scratches behind my ears and looked down into my eyes, "And is that
such a bad thing?", he asked softly.

     I sighed and sat up, looking away from him.  "Tanamin, do you know how
old I am?"  I was trying to hold back the tears before they started flowing
again.

     He sat up behind me, laying his hands on my shoulders, I could hear the
worry in his voice and it almost broke my heart, "No..  What difference does
that make?"

     I closed my eyes, "Tanamin, I am two hundred and forty years old.  I
have been exactly the way you see me now for two hundred and seventeen
years, since I was linked with my matrix.   If nothing happens to me, I will
look exactly like I do now a thousand years from now.."

     He was silent for a long time.  I looked up at him and saw tears in his
eyes, "Oh shadow...  You must have lost so many you care about...  It
doesn't matter to me, I'm only concerned with here and now..."  He kisses
the tip of my nose softly.

     I tried to hold back the tears, but they flowed softly as I looked up
into his deep eyes, then I looked away, "It's not fair to either of us...
You will get older, and I will stay the same, and..I am bound by my
agreement not to make anyone else immortal.."

     He pulled me close and laid my head against his strong chest, "Shadow,
it's you inside that I care about..That I am falling in love with, and I
don't care about the body.  It attracted me to you at first, yes, but that
isn't what love is made of.  I know the situation is more complex than that,
but all lovers have only a certain time together and no-one knows that time
beforehand, all will have to part one day.."

     I tried to say something, but my throat wouldn't cooperate.  All my
emotions were in a turmoil.  But my love for him was overwhelming me,
pushing everything else aside.  I just held him tight and cried softly,
remembering the times before as I lost the people I loved.  He was right,
all loves come to an end, at least in life.

     He held me close, murmuring softly in my ear.  I looked up into his
eyes and pressed my muzzle to his, surrendering to the love and passion
burning within me.  We lay for a long time, my thoughts and feeling to
scrambled to make sense of, and I think he realized that.  He said nothing
more, just held me, running his hands softly through my fur.  Sometime not
long after, I slipped off to sleep again.

     I awoke alone.  I went into the bathroom, and when I returned, I found
the note he had left on the shelf beside the bed.  It simply said that
duties had called him away, and that he would meet me in the lounge for
lunch if I were up by then.

     I stepped into the shower, quickly shampooing my fur and rinsing it
out, then letting the blowers work me over for a few minutes.  Feeling
fresher, and more awake, I slipped into my clothes and walked out into the
hallway.  There was no-one about as I crossed the hall and into the lounge.

     As before, the lounge was deserted.  The window had been reopened and
looked out into the beauty of warp distorted space.  I went to the food
machine and got a glass of water, then went over to sit in front of the
window.  I was thinking of the recent events when I heard the sound of the
door opening.

     Turning, I smiled as Tanamin strode into the room.  He smiled in return
and came over to the table, sitting down across from me.   "How are you
feeling this afternoon, Shadow?", he asked, stretching over to kiss me
softly.

     I smiled and returned the kiss, "I'm feeling just fine!  What have you
been up to today?"

     His smile slipped just a little, "Well, we did our last course
correction, we should be at Medarar later this afternoon."

     I nodded sadly, "I had hoped it wouldn't be so soon."  I took a long
sip from the glass in front of me.  "Will you be able to wait for me?"

     He shook his head, "No..  We have orders to leave immediately.  I'm
sorry.."

     I reached across the table and he took my hand.  "I understand, it's
ok..  I know what the military is like..."  I squeezed his hand and looked
into his eyes.

     He squeezed my hand in return and smiled softly, "We will see each
other again from time to time, it's not forever.  I..I love you, Shadow."

     I smiled softly, trying to hold back tears, "I love you, too."

     We sat there for a while, holding hands, until a voice over the
intercom interupted our thoughts,  "Captain, we're approaching Garsoath.
Preparing to drop to sublight."  Tanamin sighed, "Ok, I'll be right there."
He sighed and got up, walking around the table.  I rose to meet him, not
letting go of his hand until he took me into his arms.  We held each other
close for a few minutes, not saying anything.

     "I must go now, Shadow.", he said softly.

     "I know, go on, love, do what you must, just as I must...", I said,
kissing him deeply there in front of that huge window, in front of the
stars.  "I can be reached over most of the communications networks, we won't
lose touch entirely.  I will miss you though."

     He hugged me tighter, "I will miss you too."  He kissed me deeply
again, then stepped back, sliding his hands down my arms to hold my hands.
I saw a tear gleaming in the corner of his eye as he let my hands drop and
walked out of the lounge.

     I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him after that, what with his
duties and all.  The Sahuuk slipped into Medarar orbit with no problems, and
I picked up my few belongings, making my way down to the shuttle deck.
Tanamin and his first mate were there waiting, and together we boarded the
shuttle.  The trip down was quiet, only the hum of the shuttle's systems
disturbing the silence.

     The shuttle touched down at the space dock of Medarar's capital city,
the docking ramp sliding out to connect with the shuttle's airlock.  As the
lock cycled, I turned to Tanamin and his first mate, "It's going to be a
mess on the other side of that door, so I should say my goodbyes here.
Thank you both for the passage aboard your ship and your wonderful
hospitality."  I shook the first mate's hand, then turned to Tanamin, "We
still have unfinished business, Captain, I will hold you to that promise you
made."  I took his hand and squeezed it warmly.

     He looked blank a moment, then a smile spread across his muzzle, "Ahh,
yes..  We will definitely have to see what we can do!"  He shook my hand
warmly, squeezing it tightly.

     The airlock beeped, then slowly slide up into the ceiling, letting a
loud burst of noise into the shuttle.  A large crowd filled the docking
ramp, milling about and talking.  I squeezed Tanamin's hand tightly, smiling
softly and looking into his eyes, "Take care, Captain, I hope we can meet
again soon."

     "I know we will, Shadow.  Fare well until then.", he said, smiling a
little sadly.

     I finally released his hand and slowly turned, walking into the mob of
people waiting for me.  I turned back to see Tanamin wave as the airlock
slid shut, then let myself be hustled down the ramp towards all the waiting
business planned for me.

Michael 'Fox' Johnson
August 31, 1992