Iggy & The Boys

Posted on Wed Apr 8th, 2015 @ 7:41pm by Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi & Ignatius Reilly

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: USS Hammond

* * * Charu - USS Hammond * * *

Eli stowed his empty equipment bag in the bottom of the closet and closed the door.

“Well, that’s the last of it. Everything’s back where it belongs and soon we will be too. Thank the fates.” He turned and plopped on the bunk, grinning up at Chance.

Chance was about to reply with a blatant innuendo, but Iggy chimed in: I do not know what these fates are, but I agree. I miss my burrow.

"And anyone else?" Chance asked.

Whom else would I miss? Oh, Oralia. Of course. Yes, I miss her, too. Although, the past few days have been exciting, so I forgot.

“You can say that again Iggs.” Eli smiled as the large arachnid slowly pulled herself up to the top of the bed. “How’re Riley, Nick, and Leto doing? Losing the crazy?”

Losing the crazy? The arachnid paused, puzzling out the meaning behind Eli's words. She was tired and had been having moments of what she could only think of as "normal arachnid intelligence". This time, she was able to work out what he meant. Yes, they are. I want a phaser. Had I had one, I could have stunned them both when they turned on each other.

"A phaser, for you?" Chance laughed. "It'd be almost as big as you!"

“I don’t know, maybe Reva could make one your size. It would be tiny enough that stun is about all it could do. As for the three musketeers, I should go see them once we are underway. Maybe I can help clear the cobwebs. No offense Iggy but you look exhausted.”

Eli's comment made Chance look at Iggy more closely. "You're not going to molt again are you?"

No, I fit my skeleton just fine. if anything, she was a touch too small for it. I want a hissing cockroach. And I miss my companion.

“Only a couple of days and we’ll be home. I’m sure Oz is anxious to see you and I’ll be glad to be off this ship and back home. I think I could sleep for a week. What about you?” Eli crossed his feet and regarded Chance.

"Yeah," Chance agreed then asked, "Companion, Iggy? Do you mean Oz or Jackson?"

The spider hummed and shuddered as she settled into what had become 'her spot' during this trip. Companion? Did I...? Oh, I did. Sure, I meant Oz. She bounced up and down on her front legs in what passed as a nod.

Chance looked at Eli and shrugged.

Eli nodded. “We’ll all get settled back in just fine once we hit the station. It’s been a long trip. I think we have a few days leave once we’re back and I’m looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll have some time to draw. Or maybe I’ll just do...nothing.” He gave a happy sigh. “Then, I’ll have reports to write for this trip. Always reports.”

"You'll be doing more than reports," Chance finally got his opportunity to slip in an innuendo. He grinned and leaned over Eli to kiss him.

“A guy can hope, right?” His hand lingered on Chance’s face and he smiled, brushing Chance’s lips once more. “And no classes either, at least till next week.” We need to talk about Iggy. Eli slipped the thought into Chance’s mind but his expression didn’t change.

Unsurprised and thinking Eli was really saying that they needed some privacy from the talkative, inquisitive spider, Chance pulled at Eli's shirt and told the spider, "We're going into the other room, Iggs. Just us, k?"

That is an indirect way of telling me you are going to have sex, she responded, fluffing the bedding surrounding her. I will be here, possibly listening, possibly not.

"Uh... Gee, thanks," Chance muttered and went into the other room.

Eli followed Chance into the other room and closed the door behind them. Once it closed, he pulled Chance close, his lips to Chance’s ear. “I am a little concerned.”

"'bout Iggs?"

Eli nodded. “Her ‘companion’ isn’t Oz….if you get my drift?”

Chance, being momentarily obtuse (really, he was more concerned about getting Eli's pants off), didn't. "Jackson, then. So?"

“Not him either.” He laughed softly as his shirt went the way of his pants - to the bedroom floor. “Let’s say that Iggy’s interest parallel your own right now.”

That chilled Chance's ardor. "Parallel mine? Sex? With whom? Or what, I mean?"

Eli hooked his finger in the neck of Chance’s shirt. “Well when two spiders love each other…..” He tried but failed to keep a straight face. He gave in to the laughter for a moment, then sobered. “Seriously Chance, there is a ‘someone’. Back on 900. I mean, a something. A male. What should we do?”

"Fumigate the Station?" Chance stepped back from his lover. "Can you imagine? If Iggy is ...ah... 'cattin' around' on the Station... It's not like she's on birth control!"

“Hundreds.” Eli sat down heavily on the bed. “Thousands.” He shivered. “We have to tell Oz. She’s going to have a cow, as you would say.”

"She'll flip," Chance agreed. "But... Do ya'think they'd be like Iggy or a normal spider? And maybe it - he - isn't compatible with Iggs. So maybe telling Oz would be overkill?"

“I don’t know how they’d turn out. That’s anyone’s guess. Can you imagine if they were like Iggy??” Eli shook his head. “Better for Oz to be forewarned. If she isn’t and something happens, Admiral Wegener would not be happy.”

Sitting next to Eli on the bed, Chance rubbed his face with his palms. "Maybe we could tell Jackson and then he can tell Oz."

“So we can be far away? Chicken.” Eli laughed and nudged Chance’s shoulder. "But you may have a point. That way Iggy won’t be mad at us. There’s a lot to be said for that.”

" Remember the last time? She papered our cabin with webbing. That was awful, especially the first faceful."

“And the time she appeared on the wall during….? I thought you were going to have to call medical to treat me for a heart attack.” Eli shook his head. “Jackson.”

"Jackson it is," Chance agreed. That settled, he returned to the business of disrobing Eli.

“Computer, force field the door,” were Eli’s last words.

***************
Ignatius J. Reilly
Companion-Seeker

Chance Conradi
Not Telling Oz

Eli Ziyad
Glad To Be Going Home