Curses! - Ch.18b - The Captain's Pet (Part 2) (Patreon)

*** content warning: gets a bit lewd ***

The Captain's Pet by Tabby Gardner

Chapter 2 ~ Tabby's PoV

I sat up in the open capsule with my smooth shapely legs dangling out the side while my tail twitched back and forth behind me. 

The small cargo hold was dimly lit, the port-side cargo hatch was sealed and the ladderway up to the main deck was also closed off. From the faint hum of the ship's engines I could feel through the interior padding of the not-stasis-pod against the padding of my shapely new behind I knew the ship was in transit, probably in jump.

Before she stuffed me in there Cheryl said something about getting me to a hospital on Rolandan-2, so I figured that's where we were headed. I had no idea how long I'd been sealed in the pod though, or how much time had passed since that bastard Rawlings double-crossed us.

Looking around the small hold I could tell my best friend rounded up all the loot and anything else of value before we took off. All the strongboxes full of cash were carefully stacked against the starboard wall, while the crates with the goods were sort of haphazardly piled against the aft bulkhead. 

Cheryl even rounded up all the small arms and ammunition the other guys had on them, and probably anything else of value she could find on the wrecked grav-sleds. In fact I was almost surprised she didn't try and squeeze one of the sleds into the hold as well, there was always a chance I could patch it up and get it running again. Then we could sell it on, or maybe even keep it for ourselves.

One thing that worried me as I looked around the dark quiet hold was the numerous stains I started to pick out on the cargo, the gear, and the floor. I had enough experience working as a merc to know blood when I saw it, and I could tell this was at least eight or ten hours old. And while it was possible the stains on the deck belonged to me, the ones on the crates and strongboxes had to be Cheryl's.

I took one last look around, and finally spotted my own gear in a neat little pile on the floor next to one end of the pod I was still sitting in. My boots, my assault rifle and pistol, spare magazines, and a few other personal effects were there waiting for me. The only thing missing was any clothes I could wear.

After another second or two I finally let myself drop down from the edge of the capsule. My bare feet landed on the cool smooth deck, and I stepped over to my gear. I slipped one dainty little foot into a boot then immediately realized how pointless that was. My old boots were miles too big for me now. 

For the next couple seconds I just sort of stood there staring down at myself with wide eyes as it hit me all over again.

This wasn't some weird drug-induced dream, or some even weirder AI-induced fantasy. This was real life, I was alive and fully healed up, alone and naked in the cargo hold of the Indigo Star. And I was a real life catgirl. 

After another couple seconds I gave my head a shake then turned and headed for the ladderway. I had to find Cheryl, I had to let her know I was ok and make sure she was all right too. And somehow I had to convince her I was really me, her old buddy Tabby Gardner, and not some stow-away who snuck on board back on Ecclestone's World.

It took no time to scramble up the ladder, then I hit the control to open the hatch and let me through to the main deck. It swung up and clear, and a moment later I was standing in the narrow corridor that ran between the cockpit and the small mess area. All the hatches were closed and the lighting was dimmed up there too, like the ship was in night-mode. 

I tried the cockpit first, but the pilot and copilot seats were empty. One look out the windows confirmed my suspicion though, the ship was in transit on a level-zero jump. So I sealed up the flight deck and tried my luck aft.

Cheryl was positive the ship was ex military, but at some point it had been retrofitted to add some very basic comforts. It looked like they took out one bunk room and widened the cramped corridor out into a space that served as the galley, mess, and a crew lounge all in one. 

There was a padded bench seat built into the port-side wall that was wide enough to seat two people, or three if they were really friendly. A table could fold down from the aft wall, and an unpadded bench folded out opposite the permanent one. The forward wall held a few storage bins and an autochef, and someone even mounted a fold-down vid-screen on the ceiling so there was the possibility of some entertainment there. It was quiet and dark though, the table folded and stowed. 

That just left the engine room and the cabins. And the washroom, but I figured if she'd been in there she would have come back out by now.

Rawlings had the captain's cabin on the port side just aft of the cockpit, across from that on the starboard side was another crew cabin. And the bunk room we'd been using was just aft of that, on the starboard side of the ship across from the mess area.

I didn't bother to check engineering, that was more my thing than Cheryl's. Instead I headed for the door to the small cramped bunk room the my best friend and I had shared since we signed on with Rawlings. 

I thumbed the control and the door slid aside, and sure enough she was in there laying on the lower bunk. Either she was already awake, or she'd been in a light enough sleep to wake instantly. 

Either way she rolled over and levelled her big large-bore handgun right at my chest as she demanded, "Who the fuck are you, how'd you get on this ship?!"

Both my hands went up immediately, and I felt my tail drop straight down between my legs. My ears even drooped down to either side as I told her, "Cheryl you're not going to believe this but it's me, Gardner! I'm Tabby Gardner! That tube thingy wasn't a stasis pod at all, it was some kind of crazy advanced medical whats-it! It healed me up better than ever, and it gave me everything else I always wanted!"

Needless to say she didn't believe a word of it. 

Fortunately Cheryl wasn't a shoot-first-ask-later kind of person, and she was willing to give me a chance to explain. Partially because nobody but her and me knew my chosen name was Tabby. The two of us ended up sitting together on her bunk while I explained about Anya the crazy AI, except she really hated to be called crazy, and how she was some kind of super advanced medical gizmo that neither of us ever heard of before.

At the same time it was definitely a weird experience, like being next to her definitely made me feel smaller than before. Not that Cheryl was so tall, she was almost the same height as me. Old me that is. Now she was at least a dozen centimetres taller, and it was definitely a strange sensation looking up to meet her eyes. 

The difference seemed even more pronounced when we were seated, since my new body's legs were proportionally longer than the old me. So with Cheryl and I sitting next to each other it felt like she was even taller compared to my new self.

I also couldn't help worry for her too, like she'd obviously patched herself up with a first-aid kit but I could see the bandages and the blood stains on her clothes. 

When I tried to ask about her injuries she just brushed that aside though. Until she was convinced it was really me, she didn't want to talk about her own health situation.

So I recounted a bunch of private stories and early adventures from our youth, and basically told her a bunch of stuff that only she and I could know about, to try and convince her it was really me. And luckily it worked, more or less. 

She still didn't entirely believe all the details though, so we ended up going back down into the little cargo hold so she could see for herself that the 'stasis pod' was open and empty. There was no trace of her old buddy, only me. 

"Holy shit," she finally sighed as she stared at me. "So it's really you. This really happened. I don't believe it, but here you are. I figured we were going to spend three or four months on Rolandan-2 while they patched you up then did the big procedure you needed. Now here you are, barely half a day later and you're perfect!"

"Yeah," I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck. "It was kind of a surprise, you know? But I guess I can't complain."

Cheryl laughed, "I guess not!"

She became a lot more serious again as she continued, "I still can't quite believe it. But damn, I'm so glad you're ok, you know? I was scared I lost you buddy. I was scared we'd get to Rolandan and open that stasis tube and the docs would just tell me no. You were messed up that bad."

"I'm sorry Cheryl," I sighed. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. So um, now that you know I'm me and everything, I kind of have to ask. What the hell am I going to wear? None of my clothes will fit, my boots sure won't. And honestly I'm surprised you haven't said anything yet about the fact that I've been naked this whole time."

My best friend smirked as she admitted, "Well to be honest you're awfully easy on the eyes now, Gardner. I've been enjoying the view. I don't know what we'll do for shoes but I'm sure you can wear some of your old stuff, even if it's loose. Or maybe we can fix up a few things for you? We'll be in jump for another eight days, we've got plenty of time."

"Oh right," I nodded. "So that's my thing. How about you, how are you holding up? How bad were you hurt?"

She sighed and shrugged, "It's nothing, compared to what you went through. I picked up some shrapnel when that grav-sled came apart, still got some pieces of that thing lodged in my shoulder and my side. And that asshole Rawlings tried to finish me off with his sidearm, I caught a graze and a through-and-through. Luckily he's a crap shot. Anyways I put two through his chest and another two through his skull. Even that was too good for the double-crossing son of a bitch."

I nodded slowly, "True enough. So we got a fortune in stolen cash, a hold full of stolen goods, and oh yeah, we're flying a stolen ship. What are we gonna do when we get to Rolandan-2?"

Cheryl looked at me and grinned, "I say we celebrate! We were planning on a vacation anyways right? Or at least, I was going to take it easy while you were doing the med-tech stuff. Why don't we both take some time off and cut loose?"

That sounded like a heck of a good idea, but before I agreed there was something else I needed to bring up.

"Sounds like a plan Cheryl, but you still need to get patched up too right?" I pointed out. Then after a bit of hesitation I said, "You know that crazy AI can fix you up like she did for me? She even told me to mention it to you. She can fix you up better than new she said. The only thing is, I'm pretty sure she really is crazy. But don't mention that, and don't tell her I said it. I think it's a sore spot for her."

My friend got a thoughtful look on her face, and she sort of checked me out again, her eyes drifted up and down over my naked new catgirl body. 

"I dunno if I'm cut out for a tail like you," she responded. "Or the funky fuzzy ears. On the other hand, that stuff you said about enhanced strength and stamina sounds awfully appealing. Not to mention getting all these holes patched up in a few hours, instead of waiting days to see some docs at our next port of call."

We were both quiet for a half minute or so, till I finally asked "So what do you think? Are you going to try it?"

Cheryl looked me over again, then smiled. "Yeah you know what, I think I will. I figure you were in there around a half day, so if that's all it takes then I'd be a fool not to give it a shot. Might be a lot quicker for me anyways, since I'm nowhere near as busted up as you were."

She started to strip down right there in the cargo hold, so I turned my back to give her some privacy. 

That made her laugh, "You're not shy are you Tabby? Can't be, not after standing around buck naked in front of me all this time."

"I just wanted to give you some space," I mumbled as my cheeks heated up.

"We're both girls right?" she pointed out. "Anyways it's not like you ain't seen me naked before."

I slowly turned back again, in time to see her climb into the still-open pod. She wasn't entirely nude anyways, she still had her panties and bra on, as well as the half dozen bandages plastered over the various injuries.

"See you on the flip side," she smiled as she lay back. Then she added, "There's a green button on the panel at the end, just tap that to close the hatch."

I nodded as I moved to the end of the pod, "Good luck Cheryl. See you again soon."

The panel was a touch-screen thing, with three 'buttons' indicated. The first was greyed out, the second was green, the third was blue. I tapped the green one and the hatch rotated into position then sealed shut.

The little screen flickered and some gibberish came up, then after about ten seconds it changed to read "Processing, 8:14:59"

I watched the number count down a few seconds, long enough to know it was going to take eight hours before Cheryl came back out. Enough time to find myself some clothes, maybe get a bite to eat, and maybe even a few hours sleep.

After one last look at the sealed pod, I turned and headed back over to the ladderway.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I watched as the panel at the end of the pod counted down to zero. Then it blanked out for a few seconds, just long enough for me to start worrying, before the capsule unsealed and the hatch released. 

As it rotated back out of the way I quickly stepped around to the side, then stopped in my tracks and stared as I got my first look at my new old friend.

Where my new body was all smooth and soft and curvy, the first words that came to mind as I stared at Cheryl were tall, strong, and sexy. She looked like some kind of Amazonian warrior woman. Or an angel, the kind who carried a massive sword and ran headlong into battle. Her long golden hair framed her face like a halo, and when her eyelids fluttered open I was immediately captivated by her piercing electric-blue eyes. 

"Hello Tabby," she said with a smile as she pulled herself upright. "What have you been up to while I was getting my make-over?"

Her new voice was sultry and smooth, and fit perfectly with her strong sexy new body. She stretched her arms out while my attention settled next on the absolutely perfect mounds on her chest, before my eyes slipped down to take in the sculpted abs, narrow waist, and the sensuous muscular hips and thighs.

She slipped fully out of the capsule, her bare feet rested on the deck while she rose up to her full new height, and I quietly gulped as I stared. She had to be a hundred and eighty centimetres tall, and every millimetre was gorgeous perfection. Seeing the smooth lithe muscles rippling beneath her soft tender skin I had no doubt she could easily bench press both my old body and hers, in full combat gear. 

I ended up staring for a few seconds as I took in her perfect naked statuesque beauty, while my tail swished back and forth behind me. When I finally snapped myself out of it I stammered, "Hi Cheryl. I uh, slept a bit, ate a bit, and cleaned up a bit down here?"

Then I gestured to some clothing I had neatly folded up on a shipping carton nearby, "I uh, brought you something to wear, but I'm not sure it'll still fit anymore..."

Cheryl smiled, "Thanks Tabby. It's just you and me though for the next eight days, right? There's no real reason for either of us to wear anything, is there? Not until we reach Rolandan-2."

I glanced down at myself. I'd pulled on one of my old t-shirts, it was a little long and loose across the shoulders, but tight across my chest. And I was wearing a pair of my old boxers, which were loose at the waist and tight at the hips and behind, and generally didn't really fit at all. I hadn't bothered with anything else though, since nothing else I owned fit anymore.

"I guess not?" I replied as I slowly reached for the hem of my top.

My heart was racing a little as I pulled it up and off, then I set it off to the side. My boxers joined it a moment later. I felt kind of shy and embarrassed as I turned back towards her, but I couldn't deny there was a certain level of excitement too. I'd so far resisted the temptation to get more familiar with my new body, now it felt like maybe Cheryl wanted us both to do that sort of discovery together.

Then again that shyness and hesitation was still there, and I also had more questions for her. So for now I focused on what was on my mind and asked, "What did you think of the AI? Did she seem a little uh, out there to you?"

Cheryl frowned, "I don't think Anya is crazy, if that's what you're asking. I had plenty of time to talk with her, and she seemed pretty forthcoming about her situation. She didn't try to hide the fact that she's got some issues, that things haven't been great for her."

"On the other hand she saved your life Tabby," she reminded me, "And she patched me up too. We're both better than ever, genetically enhanced, stronger and faster and all that? Plus look at us! We both look absolutely amazing! I think we both owe Anya a debt of gratitude."

I found myself nodding slowly. I hadn't really thought about it like that exactly, not in those terms. She was right though. Anya did more for me in half a day than I could have achieved in six months at the best medical facilities in the sector, and with all the money we scored on that last job.

"So here's what we're going to do," Cheryl continued. "Anya told me that her Re/Gen pod has some sort of complex data interface, next to the power couplings? You're going to put that techie brain of yours to work and wire her directly into the ship's data bus."

Before I could ask why she explained, "There's probably a hundred times more computing power in that sleek black capsule of hers than a dozen scout ships like the Indigo Star. Anya can take over for the ship's computer, or augment its performance. She can monitor sensors, take care of routine functions, heck maybe she can even learn to fly the thing? With that asshole Rawlings out of the picture I'm the Indigo Star's new captain, you and Anya are my crew."

I frowned as I looked back at the capsule, "I don't know how long that'll take, but if I get started now..."

"Not right now," Cheryl shook her head. "You can start on that project tomorrow Tabby. Right now there's more important things the two of us need to work on together."

"Ok boss. What do we -" I began to ask as I turned back towards Cheryl, then startled slightly when I found her practically ontop of me.

When I moved to take a step back she wrapped one of her strong lithe arms around my back to keep me close, while she reached up with the other hand and ran some fingers through my hair. I opened my mouth to ask what she was doing just as she rubbed her fingers against the base of one of my ears, and just like that something inside me melted. 

My brain went blank for a second while a low rumbling sound rose up from the top of my chest. My eyes half closed and I found myself leaning into the pets, with my head against her shoulder and my tail wrapped around her leg. 

"There's a good kitty," she smiled. 

I felt my cheeks going bright red as I realized I was purring, then realized how I reacted to the pets. I grimaced in embarrassment as I mumbled, "Sorry Cheryl. I'm still not used to any of this stuff.."

"It's fine Tabby," she replied with a friendly laugh. She was still petting me as she added, "That was incredibly cute."

My cheeks got even brighter but I was still purring, and I found myself leaning even more against her side as I asked quietly "What was it you wanted us to work on now?"

Cheryl gave me a couple gentle headpats as she replied, "I was thinking maybe you and me could break in the captain's bed together. What do you think?"

My eyes widened and I may have gulped. Then I nodded, "Yeah ok. I like the sound of that."

"Good kitty," she half-whispered as her fingers rubbed the base of my ears again. At the same time her other arm slipped down my back until I felt her hand start kneading the base of my spine, just above my tail.

Once again something inside me melted and my brain blanked out for a moment. At the same time something else deep in my core got very warm and tingly. My tail stuck almost straight up behind me and my purring got louder, while my nipples were suddenly hard as diamonds and I felt a yearning deep between my legs.

"C'mon Tabby," she whispered into one of my tall fuzzy ears. "Let's go see our new cabin."