***
Miran
An exhausting day and a half later
By the time the Ardent showed up, they’d successfully decanted all the children and had them in bunks, resting. Because the Assist was so badly damaged, the Ardent had to get creative. In the end they attached the Assist to the Ardent with struts, then assembled a tunnel between the two ships.
Thankfully they got a few men and menders over to help with the children while the rest of the Ardent crew worked hard to combine the ships.
There was still a lot of work, and they couldn’t relax, but it felt much better to have experts checking each child for issues. The first few days after decanting could be as dangerous for the children as the initial growing process. One missed step could be fatal.
When the hatch to the tunnel connecting the ships finally opened, allowing the Ardent’s crew to flood into the room, Miran was so exhausted all he could do was lean against a wall and watch. Nova was sitting on the floor next to him. She looked dazed, and he wasn’t sure she was even comprehending what she was seeing.
Warik, Nerin, and Lazil were barely standing. Nisha had fallen asleep in a chair next to one of the cots, holding the hand of a little girl.
After watching his fellow warriors get to work, reality finally seeped in. The scariest part was over. All the children had survived.
Nova mumbled something, then slumped over, dead asleep.
Crouching down, Miran slung her nearby bag on his shoulder, then scooped her up into his arms. She mumbled again and nuzzled her face against his chest.
“Is she sick or injured?” one of the menders asked as Miran stood up with Nova secure in his arms.
“Neither. She’s exhausted," Miran said. “Decanting is hard work and nerve wracking. There were only five of us.”
The mender gave him a brief smile, already distracted by one of the children. “Stay with her while she sleeps. Contact one of us if she doesn’t wake or her cognition seems impaired."
The mender was gone before Miran could even nod.
Holding Nova close, he left the grow room and made his way through the tunnel they’d erected between the two ships. There was talk about having to tow the Assist back because there weren’t any rooms that were the right size to house all the Decanted children within the tight environmental limits they required.
That was all someone else's problem. His entire focus was on Nova now.
He got some looks as he carried her through the Ardent, but no one tried to stop him. It didn’t take him long to walk to the room he used when he was stationed on the ship. It was cold and nothing like the space he’d specially decorated for a rescued Decanted woman on his team’s gunship.
He wished he’d spent some time making the room nicer, but hadn’t ever thought he’d be so lucky as to bring a woman here.
“I’m sorry that this is all I have to offer,” he whispered as he settled Nova on the bunk. He tugged off the oversized shoes she’d been wearing and then winced at the blisters. He debated about calling for a mender but decided against it. She needed sleep more than anything.
He tucked a blanket around her and turned to spread a spare mat on the floor so he could sleep next to her. She’d been so upset with him when they found her in the desert that he didn’t want to cross any boundaries.
He was finished and about to lay down when she waved a hand out in the air. “Miran?”
He grabbed it. “Right here.”
She clumsily pulled him toward her. “Snuggle,” she demanded.
“Are you sure?” he asked. He wasn’t sure she was awake. Her eyes hadn’t opened.
“Stay,” she said and half-opened her eyes while tugging harder. “Cold.”
He could set the room's environmental controls to higher and get her a thermal blanket, but instead he climbed into the bunk with her. It was a little narrow for the two of them, but she made it work by crawling on top of him and settling down like he was the bed.
She let out a contented sigh and then went lax. He was asleep only a few moments later.
Miran woke up to the feel of a hot, wet mouth on his cock. He froze, moving only his head to look down his body.
Nova’s eyes were closed, and her head was resting on his thigh. She was sucking on the tip of his dick as if it was a type of pacifier. How had she managed to get in this position while they slept? Hadn’t he gone to bed in pants? He’d been exhausted so he must’ve stripped without realizing it.
