“This sucks, I feel so helpless. I can’t even get good footing.” Hibiki moped.

“Stop that.” Meia growled as Hibiki’s flailing legs bounced repeatedly of her breasts.

“I can’t help it! This is so annoying! I want to stand on my own two feet!” Finding her mother’s locket Meia had torn a hole in the back of Hibiki’s shirt, removed the locket containing the picture of her fama and her, and placed Hibiki on the chain in its place. She’d wrapped the precious locket in cloth and placed it in a safe place in her living quarters. The only thing she had left over from her ohma was the band she usually wore on her head. It was more of a reminder than a keepsake.

“This is humiliating!” Hibiki continued to whine.

“It’s only temporary, stop struggling!” for some reason the tiny foot falls on the top of her breasts were causing her nipples to harden. It was a new sensation she wasn’t used to. Not unpleasant, just unnatural. She wondered why the male’s contact with her body would cause her to have such a reaction but quickly dismissed it as being unimportant.

“I can keep up with you. Just let me down and walk!” He really couldn’t but Hibiki could be thick headed and egotistical, he was constantly trying to prove he was not only self sufficient but better than everyone else (at least in a pilot seat). His shrinking had left him infuriated. It wasn’t the pills purpose that pissed him off. Meia had explained things to him back in her room. It was often rumored that the women of Mejare ate men and, if men were even a fraction as tasty as the female food he’d come in contact with since joining the Nirvana’s crew, he really couldn’t blame them. It was just the feeling of powerlessness; that he had to rely on the women instead of the other way around, that got to him.

“You can’t walk, you’ll fall behind and end up getting crushed by some ditz.” Meia told him insensitively. She was a realist who spoke plainly, she wasn’t cruel but she wasn’t one to sugar coat the truth. Hibiki sighed and let his flailing legs go limp, “…… This sucks.”

“Yes, yes it does.” Meia growled. That Barnette would do this to a team mate…… and someone far more useful on the battle field. It boiled her blood. She didn’t even particularly like the girl, all was licking Jura’s boots, following her around like a human lap dog. And she’d in the past broken formation just to prove her dread could be just as deadly on the battle field as Hibiki’s vanguard. It wasn’t, and she repeatedly put the whole squad in danger. Meia too had at first been uncooperative with Hibiki…. But after he’d saved her life on that desert planet…… She’d started to grudgingly accept his help and view him as a comrade. Over time he’d become her right hand man, maybe even a ‘partner’ on the battle field, and she’d grown quite fond of him. She’d let him stay in her quarters. She new Dita was very fond of him but the airhead would probably end up crushing him by accident. Unwittingly she reached down and started scratching Hibiki’s scruffy head.

“?!” Meia looked down when she realized what she was doing. Hibiki was staring at her visibly annoyed, “Er……… there, there.” She consoled lamely.

“Aw shut up, and quit petting me like I’m some kind of damn rabbit’s foot!” He stomped down on one of her bouncy tits with little effect.

Meia smiled, “Well at least you’re still ornery as ever. That’s good……. I guess.”

“I said shut up already!”

………………………………………………..

Parfet was transfixed to the monitor. On the screen she could see Rabat gyrate in place. Scrunched up in a ball he continued to roll around within her tummy as if looking for some nonexistent opening to roll through. There were some discolorations on the black and white screen. She assumed the darker splotches were places where his skin had been exposed to stomach acid for too long and were starting to get broken down. She watched the former trader rotate, marinating himself in her digestive juices. ‘What a considerate meal’ she thought.

“My, that is quite interesting. I suppose the rumors are true. And I had just assumed it to be Taraak propaganda.”

“D- Duelo!” Parfet snapped her head around so quickly her glasses flew off her face and skidded across the floor.

The tall handsome doctor bent down to pick them up, “So that’s what happened to our highly suspect trader. I assume the captain knows?”

Parfet nodded nervously.

“I was wondering why you were asking such strange questions earlier.” Duelo eyed her belly with a hint of amusement, “now I know.”

“This…. This isn’t me!” Parfet practically yelled, blushing. She didn’t know why but for some reason she was suddenly ashamed of what she’d done. The doctor specialized in saving lives. She, as a mechanic, did too (though they were mechanical in nature). It seemed wrong to take another’s life; even a scumbags like Rabat. What would Duelo think of her?

“I…. Well….. This was my first time. I…. Don’t…… I-”

“It’s all right.” Duelo silenced his stammering friend, “I’m not going to judge you. We were born in different worlds with different life styles, rules, and standards.

“But, now that I actually think about it, it just seems so wrong.” Parfet felt like she was on the verge of crying. She wanted to upchuck the slimy merchant but, looking back up at the monitor, she saw Rabat lying face down in a puddle. Only then did she realize she hadn’t felt any movement inside of her since the good doctor appeared.

“Here.” He handed Parfet her glasses, “If not you someone else I’m sure. I’m sure if this had been a Taraak vessel he wouldn’t have been eaten but he probably would have been publicly executed for his numerous frauds. His fate was inevitable even if you were the one to carry it out.”

Parfet set her glasses back on her face. The girl sighed and nodded feeling glum.

“Don’t be depressed.” Duelo broke out of his monotone, his voice suddenly compassionate, “Don’t be, I’m not going to look at you any differently.” Suddenly in a very uncharacteristic gesture Duelo wrapped his arms around her as best he could. A surprised and blushing Parfet returned the light hug.

…………………………………..

“Damn………. This really sucks.” Hibiki was sitting nude on a table ready to be inspected. He hoped it was Duelo and not the Paiway and her damn sock puppet frog.

Being naked around girl’s was just weird. He was sick of Dita always trying to look at his ‘antenna’. With guys it was okay, and Meia was close enough to being ‘one of the boys’. but Paiway seemed to enjoy teasing him and he didn’t want to think what his physical would be like if it was the little imp administering it. “Ribbit, he Hibiki, what’s that between your legs?! I’m going to have to do some experiments to find out!” Yeah, it was something he was hoping to avoid.

Things hadn’t gone well when they’d gone to see the captain. She was pissed about the turn of events but had called for a plate, knife, fork, and sauce. He liked the captain well enough but he didn’t want to be eaten by the old bag. Thankfully Meia and Gascogne talked her out of it. Magno decided to postpone judgment and sent Hibiki to get a physical (a small number of pill users suffered side effects in addition to shrinking). The jury was out but he was hoping he wouldn’t end up served to Magno drenched in duck sauce. Being a first generation Mejare (as far as he knew) she hadn’t evolved to the point where she could swallow a full sized man. He, however, was a much more fitting portion. He was rather confident though that Meia, Gascogne, Dita, Jura, Bart, and Duelo would all stick up for him. Maybe even Paiway but he sometimes had trouble knowing what the girl actually thought of him. He’d spent quite a bit of time with her while with Dita but he didn’t know if she really liked him or only tolerated him because of their mutual friend.

He was about to find out! Paiway and her Frog stepped into the room prepared to give Hibiki his hands on examination. He hoped that if the kid took things too far Meia would intervene. She was out in the corridor waiting to take him back to the bridge.