Shia glanced at Brian and grinned as he tensed up. It was clear this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in front his mother. She was going to tease him about this later but she wasn't going to make the situation worse. “He has been responsive to this form though he also requested that I show him my true form. A task that is rather difficult given that I have no true shape as it might be understood.”

“Oh my! How inconsiderate of me I forgot that you're not well. You're not really a human. The way you talked and your appearance caught me off guard. I wish I knew more about you now I'm worried that I might offend.”

“There is no reason to worry about that. I studied the cultures of the local species quite extensively so I'm prepared to interact with them and yourself.”

“Thank you very much for that. I hope that my son has been being respectful of your culture.”

“We have encountered a few problems but for the most part he's doing fine. I must say that your son has been rather distant. My people are a naturally close species. To put things in your terms it feels a little cold whenever he pushes me away. I hope that he will continue to warm up to me.”

Now Brian was alarmed. He understood what Shia meant of course. She had been trying to convince him to connect with her on a level that he wasn't prepared for. From what she'd said about her sisters he could see it as being a trait of her species. It wasn't something that he wanted to talk about with his mother though. “Well we do come from different cultures and species.”

“I know but that just makes me want to be closer to you even more!” Before continuing Shia turned to face Brian and focused her voice so only he could hear her. “Your resistance of your own nature makes you even more desirable.”

At this point Rebecca gave a slight laugh. “I'm glad to hear and see that he's doing fine.”

***********************************************************************************

“Are you still speaking with her?”

Shia smiled down at Brian. Currently he was setting on her leg rather then in her hand. He had been at his scanners for a bit over an hour now and had only just now chose to speak up. “Yes. I assured her that I'm quite capable of multitasking. We've been discussing your infancy. Your mother has some useful insight. Things that weren't recorded in any medical records.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“Brian I don't want to embarrass you. I just want to know as much of your history as I can learn without actually looking back in time. They are things you simply don't remember that I still wish to know. Now are you feeling ready for a break?”

Brian didn't respond right away but took a moment to relax his thoughts to try to get a better feel of his own head. He could feel the fog slipping in but he could still think clearly. “Give me a little longer. Hey. Aren't you suppose to be monitoring my medical condition to see when the best time for a break is?”

“Asking primes you for the wrest period in a little while.”

“Do you ever ask any real questions?” As Brian spoke he was surprised by how foggy his head was beginning to feel. Was this a result of Shia's question or actually fatigue? Rather then try to fight it he just shook his head lightly and began to shut down the connection between his mind and Shia's.

“Naturally. It would be very inconsiderate of me if I simply assumed I knew what you were going to do and didn't ask. Take for example whenever you rejected my earlier offers. I didn't expect you to be able to resist your biological desires so effectively. You really delighted me then. It's even better whenever you surprise me expanding upon what I would like you to do. I really liked it whenever you begin to use my mind to work the numbers rather then relying on your own. For a while I believed that I would have to make this recommendation for you.”

As she had been speaking Brian noticed a change in Shia's voice. It sounded excited and even aroused. He had simply believed he was following the natural path but it seemed to be more then that to Shia. “Well. I can't say I thought much about it. It just felt natural.”

“That made it even more enjoyable. The feeling of your mind melding further into my own was just so exciting. The first time you did it I wanted to just hold you there to sustain the feeling but well. That wouldn't be appropriate.” As she spoke Shia reached down and gently ran her index finger against Brian's back. The fact that he leaned back against her finger rather then trying to pull away made her heart rate speed up even more. “You know Brian it has been a while. I've been stuck with this appearance for a long time. Would you mind if I began to change it just a little? I don't want you to get board of me you know.”

Brian couldn't help the sharp chuckle that escaped him. The notion that he might get board of Shia was almost enough to put him on the ground laughing. If that wouldn't have meant he'd been laying on Shia's thigh it might have. “Ah well. Alright. If my mom hears that I haven't been respecting your culture by asking you to stay in a single form she's going to chew me out.”

“Yay!” As she spoke Shia rapidly clapped her hands together a few times. “So what do you plan on doing after work today?”

“Well I was thinking I would spend some time hanging out with the crew and have some dinner. I'm not sure what I'm going to ask for from the kitchen yet. After that. I'm actually having a bit of a hard time thinking of that. Given that you cook for me and keep things cleaned up I tend to be a little short on things to do. Would you like to play some star forgers with me? Wow that feels awkward.”

“Sure! And how come?”

“Well back whenever I just knew you through the communicator I had no idea you could actually make a star. I'm guessing such games are a little duel to you.”

“No! It's fun seeing how you humans imagine certain things working. It's even more fun playing such imaginative worlds with you.”

“There is one thing I've been wondering. Well one of many things. Is there anything you do for fun that I could actually participate in? You've been coming down to my level so often that I feel like well. I mean what do you do for fun?”

“Lots of things. I do enjoy games other species develop. I just don't have any trouble playing a few hundred thousand at once or more. I enjoy your stories and your art. If you'd like to do something a little more grand we could develop a new garden world if you'd like.” Even as she was speaking Shia was working on adjusting the shape of her breasts. While she'd been putting on the play for Brian she'd been using variations in their bodies to judge Brian's response to her form. She had concluded that the breast shape of her main body wasn't as well suited to Brian's preference as they could be.

There was excitement and disbelief in Brian as he listened to Shia. “A garden world? Are you serious? You'd let me help you design a planet.”

“Sure! Now we're going to need to place it somewhere that hasn't really been explored yet. I know you'd prefer if we gave it to your fellow humans but I'm not ready to do your species that big of a favor especially considering what we're already working on. We could just make it though and I could let you know who finds it first if anyone does. We can design the animal and plant life. Would you like to leave behind some vague markings or buildings perhaps deeper underneath the planet's crust so that whoever discovers it knows the planet was artificially made?”

“Hey wait a minute! Have you done that before?”

A delighted giggle escaped Shia. “This one time the species who found the planet thought it was millions of years old at first. Then they started finding the buildings and talking about how maybe a species had lived there before but went extinct. Yet they couldn't find any evidence of intelligent life on the planet other then the buildings. So they started talking about how perhaps the planet was settled briefly by another species. A few decades later they detected some of the buildings I'd buried deep in the crust with still working generators. It was so funny listening to them debate!” It was impossible for Shia to keep from giggling.

While Brian was grinning himself it was more due to astonishment. Most species would have went to war over a garden world. Shia on the other hand built them and left them as gifts to whoever found them first. She apparently also used them to play her version of a practical joke. “I hope no one was harmed.”

“No! I did feel a little bad when I realized how much money they were spending on trying to find out who the original occupants of the world were. Now the world I left them was worth far more then what they spent on their investigation but I still felt a little mean. I wanted to write one professor an apology after he spent most of his life researching the buildings and trying to find some meaning in their design or the pretty drawings I left on the walls. That was a little mean of me.”

“Well did he make a decent living researching those drawings?”

“Yes he did.”

“Seems fine to me then.”

For a moment Shia said nothing but bit down on her lower lip. “I don't know. He earned a good living for his culture but he could have earned a good living doing something meaningful rather then looking for meaning in the pretty drawings and markings I left behind that just wasn't there. He wasn't the only one either. I did contact him though I didn't reveal who or what I was. Rather I proposed the notion that there was no meaning in the markings and noted the evidence they'd found so far. They ganged up on me so quickly! I was actually shocked by how certain they were that there was meaning to be found.”

“They made up their own meaning didn't they?” Brian noted a slight change in Shia's expression and had to grin. She looked annoyed.

“Yes! Normally I wouldn't have minded but some of the meanings they made up were just awful. Fortunately they didn't hold up under examination. I was tempted to change some things to support the more positive meanings they found.” Shia once again found herself relaxing and chuckling a bit. “It was really funny though when they would argue their findings and try to use the markings to support what they were saying. It just makes me feel a bit mean though.”

“Yet you would consider doing it again?”

“Well they as a species benefited one garden world so I didn't feel that mean! It was really funny most of the time as well.”

The idea of someone making a garden world into a practical joke was still astonishing to Brian. Then he remembered what Shia had compared creating such a world and the star it orbited to. She had effectively cast out a bowl of dog food and supposedly cheap dog food. “So you'd really let me help you design a garden world?”

“Sure!”

“I.” Brian gave a slight hum and shifted his head from side to side. “I don't believe I'm ready to prank an entire species. Is there anything else that's a little more humble that you like to do for fun that I could be involved in?”

“Yes there is. You could develop a story concept for me and I could produce it if you'd like. I could develop several versions and you could see what one you like most. Then we could note you as the writer and let people enjoy it.”

“By produce do you mean with simulated emotions and feelings?”

“Naturally. I like to develop entertainment for other species at times. I well no. I was thinking I'd let you speak with my sisters but I'm not ready for that yet.”

“Huh!”

“We don't always share companions very well. Especially with one of my sisters. She has over a thousand companions right now and yet she'd still try to take you away from me.” Shia gave a slight snort. “I swear the fact that one of us claimed a person as a companion just makes her want them even more. You could say she's the envious type.”

“I see. Now does that more then a thousand interact with one another?”

“Not at all! She likes to keep all their attention completely focused on her.”

Brian was about to comment when he snapped his mouth shut. He was comfortable around Shia but effectively they were talking about her sister. Should he risk saying something negative about her? He knew that she would be expecting him to respond but was it possible that he would offend her. “That seems a bit selfish on her part.”

“I know. She wants their only line of connection to be with her. I've tried explaining to her that the true beauty of a culture forms whenever there is a web of connections.” Before continuing Shia gave Brian a rather large smile.  “That was a very nice way of saying what was on your mind. I know that based on the information I've given you and our past conversations that your thoughts of her are more negative then you just said. Okay enough of that though and the issues of one of my siblings. We were trying to come up with something to do.”

“Yes we were and before that we were working. I believe that we should get back to that.”

“Ah!” Shia was a bit surprised by how much distress she actually felt. Working would mean Brian was networking with her mind again but she was enjoying their conversation. She had been hoping that he would forget about work. That he had remembered and chose to return to it was impressive. Brian had realized how important his work was to his species and wasn't going to allow it to be neglected. Many of Shia's companions hadn't considered the full implications of their position and the good it could do others. “You're a wonderful companion.”

“Thanks now.” Brian didn't get to finish as he felt the mental link once again open up. He could remember the data that he had been processing. The world that showed the most hope was over a day away from their current location however if he was willing to accept reaching it in three days they could check out five worlds. Two of them didn't seem worth examining up close. “Shia let's begin traveling but let's keep the speed down so that we can make a quick stop and change directions.”

“Yes.”

“Don't!” Brian held up his hands up defensively and looked up at Shia. “I mean. I believe that we should travel here while keeping our speed down so that we can get a better look at a few of the worlds along our way.”

Shia couldn't help but chuckle. Brian had caught her about to call him Captain whenever his advice had sounded a little too much like an order. “That does seem like a good idea.”

For a moment Brian said nothing. He saw no evidence that they had began traveling and soon realized Shia was waiting on him. Rather then speaking right away he found himself thinking on how to put his statement. “I believe that it would be best if we got underway now. If you've determined that we should wait a while before we begin our journey I'll follow your lead.”

“I have nothing against leaving now. I'm just waiting for your authorization.”

“Why would you wait for my authorization? I haven't been granted or accepted any authority over our movements.”

“Oh yes you did! As the exploration officer you're the one that has to determine if a path is safe enough to travel and if a location may be too dangerous. By your culture's standards the captain can only override this decision if the ship's medic determines you're mentally impaired or it's an emergency.” Shia couldn't help but chuckle whenever Brian gave her a rather surprised look. Rather then let him argue she quickly brought up the T.A.G.B in his mind.

Brian was stunned for a moment but didn't speak. He had to give himself a moment to think. “Okay you need my authorization but that doesn't mean you have to go there. There is something else you're sharing with me. I can see where that would be a problem.” It felt strange but suddenly Brian remembered that if they did encounter some threat it would be the exploration officers responsibility to prepare a report about the danger and why he believed it was safe to go there. This could be extremely important when encountering another species that turned out to be hostile. Except he should have already been preparing some basic reports even for those safe regions. “Sorry.”

“You're over thinking the safety report. So long as nothing bad happens a brief summary of the data and a paragraph is enough. I've read reports that totaled up to a few graphs and fifteen words. These were in well established safe areas of course or at the least areas where nothing bad happened. At times they can even be reduced to five words. We are in a dreadnaught.”

Brian couldn't help but chuckle after a moment of consideration. “I can see why that would be all the explanation you need! Okay there is my authorization to travel to the new destinations. Now it's just up to the captain to get us underway.”

Shia gave a slight snort. “I don't need the captain's permission to take on such a small journey whenever we're simply exploring. This ship happens to have a wide range of freedoms.”

“That's because she's the captain and the ship. I mean. Look at how much power she has.”

“Power does not make one the captain. The crew typically has far more power then the captain after all. They just trust the captain to guide that power. Just like I'm trusting your judgment in our exploration captain.” Shia allowed herself to giggle as she saw the amusement on Brian's face. Arguing over who was the captain had become something of a game for the two of them. Whenever one of them would say something that even sounded remotely like an order they'd be accused of being the captain.

“Perhaps but I have far too little power to be the captain. My authority is completely dependent on the good will of the ship. You on the other hand were the one that hired me. How often does the crew hire the captain?”

“Do you want to see all the listings?”

“Huh?”

“They're several ships that are currently owned by their crew in search of a capable captain. Just because you own a ship doesn't mean you're qualified to serve as a captain.” As she was speaking Shia softened the skin of her leg a bit. She had noticed that by making her leg more firm she could increase the time Brian spent unconsciously rubbing her skin. However, she had apparently made it too firm and the time he spent had decreased. She was currently working on re-balancing it. “You're doing a good job of multitasking Brian. I'm glad we can talk while you conduct a light scan.”

“Thanks but I'm still not the captain. Ah ha! A captain doesn't do the work of an exploration officer on a day to day basis. I do the work of an exploration officer on a day to day office. That means I'm not the captain.” Brian couldn't help but grin certain that he'd finally came up with an argument that Shia couldn't counter.

“On ships with a small crew some role overlap is unavoidable.”

***********************************************************************************

April 11th

Shia took a moment to steady herself as she looked upon Brian's sleeping form. He was wresting comfortably now after having to release some tension. This was pleasing as she knew that she was having an affect on him. What made it even better was the frequency he needed to take this release. She could tell that he was becoming more comfortable with her. His desire to interact with her sexually hadn't increased but his feelings of friendship had and this was diminishing his overall resistance.  This was what she had been hoping for. This wasn't why she found herself struggling against herself as she looked at him though.

Brian had told her that he didn't want her to modify his genetic structure or his body. However, there was more to his well being then just his body.  The human body had quite a variety of microorganisms living inside of it. She could modify those without touching his genetic structure and there was so much potential for boosting his overall wellness.  Even those that felt that a child was meant to be a combination of the parent's genetic material didn't tend to resist or at least they didn't resist as much when it came to modifying the bacteria. Depending on where the person was traveling such changes would even be required.

These changes weren't required for Brian's immediate survival though and Shia knew that he wouldn't approve of them. At least he wouldn't approve of them if he noticed. She could design them so the affects wouldn't be immediately noticeable. She just wanted to bolster his health after all. It wasn't as if he was going to become ill while he was with her anyway. As these thoughts ran through her head Shia couldn't help but focus  her attention on Brian. Her humanoid bodies lightly bit down on her lower lip. Detecting a signal from earth was a welcome relief. She was even glad whenever she noticed it was from Rebecca.

Would Rebecca approve of her modifying the bacteria inside of Brian's body? Surely she would want what was best for her son. The parents spent many years making medical decisions for their child so perhaps she could help make this one. “Good evening Rebecca. How are you doing?” Rather then project the image of Brian's mother Shia was handling everything mentally. She didn't need a projection to see the woman after all and could easily project an image of herself.

“Hello Shia. I was hoping to speak with Brian again. Is he already in bed?”

“Yes. A disturbance wouldn't be too difficult on him however. Would you like me to wake him?”

“No. Let him sleep. Actually well. This must seem so silly given how you can change your form so readily. I was thinking about undergoing a restoration treatment or two and I wanted to get Brian's thought on the matter.”

“He is your son. I'm certain that he would want you to restore your health.”

Rebecca grinned for a moment. “Well the thing is I'm not just thinking about restoring my health. This must seem so strange. I'm thinking about changing my appearance as well. I just worry that he wouldn't see me the same way if I did. Would I still look like his mother.” Rather then continue Rebecca took a moment to twitch.

Rebecca was looking for support. Rebecca didn't really know Shia but Shia had extensive information about her and Brian. As much as Shia wanted to ask her own question she couldn't resist offering some feed back. “They are some aspects of your being that Brian considers part of his mother. However, they are many small details that he has no such attachment to. This behavior tends in most humans. You can change these traits as much as you like so long as you leave the key ones intact there should be no disconnect.”

***********************************************************************************

It was strange looking at Shia. It wasn't that her body had changed a great deal but her attire had. Brian didn't know quite what to say when she entered his room. Before Shia had been wearing a short skirt and a simple blouse most of the time. This had changed whenever she spoke to his mother but had otherwise remained consistent. Now she was wearing some simple blue pants with a black strip running up the edge of either side. Her shirt was simple with colors to match her pants and an insignia on the pocket. The only thing that seemed a little strange is she wasn't wearing any shoes. He wasn't certain what to say as he began to climb out of bed. “Um Shia did I do something to offend you yesterday?”

“No. You're likely wondering about my change in attire. I chose to change my outfit after it becoming clear that it wasn't aiding in my attempts to stimulate you. That outfit was something born from your sexual fantasies but not the type of outfit you'd want to see someone you care for wearing regularly. It put you on guard and made you more resistant. So I modified my clothing into something that would make you more comfortable.” As she spoke Shia had her hairs coil around one another slowly forming into a tight braid. Brian seemed to favor a long braid with a double helix pattern.

For a moment Brian wasn't certain what to say. He did glance to Shia's feet after a moment. “Then what about the shoes?”

“Oh that's my doing. I understand that the shoes through the look off a bit but I prefer the more natural feeling of my feet against the floor. I could get the same feeling with shoes on of course but I like the more natural look and feel of having my feet exposed.” As she tensed her toes for a moment Shia detected a spike in Brian's activity. He approved of her actions. Clearly she had been trying too hard to be what he wanted. If she was going to truly interact with him she should be what he needs and part of that was honest.

“Good. That's good. Now I won't have to keep myself from.” Brian felt his mouth going dry as Shia gave him a smile and the front of her shirt opened up slightly. It wasn't the open display of cleavage he'd seen before but the affect seemed to be even more profound.

“It is amazing how over saturation of a stimulus can negatively affect you humans. Clearly it's an issue of finesse more then anything else. That's quite impressive and pleasing.” Shia hadn't resolved the best clothes to use just yet. Brian seemed to respond well to clothing that suggested authority but perhaps he would feel better with something that suggested refinement or comfort. There was little point in asking him such questions. He wouldn't be able to give an honest answer even if he tried. Perhaps she should try a fine dress soon and see how he responded.

“I. Hm. So did anything happen while I was asleep?”

“Lots of things! I'll try to limit them to things that will interest you. I detected some ships moving through space. Had you been awake you could have observed them as well and tried to determine what kind of ships they are. We passed them up a while ago and from their energy output they're not going anywhere near our destination. I spoke some to your mother. She contacted me and I explained that you were asleep and offered to wake you up. She said not to worry about it and noticed the change in my appearance. I detected a Zarog patrol hunting for pirates in the region.”

“Hold on a moment. Let's go back to my mother.” By now Brian had settled down and began to eat his breakfast. Shia didn't bother providing salt or any other condiments. The meals she prepared him were so well suited to his taste that to add more would take away from them. “You said she noticed the change in your appearance.”

“Yes! Don't worry we didn't talk about anything that would embarrass you. Your mother is beginning to consider restorative treatments for her body. Aging has began to take its toll on her and she wants to have it corrected. She wanted to know my thoughts on a new look for her as someone who is regularly changing my appearance. I explained that her current appearance is already heavily associated with who she is and any drastic changes are likely to cause discomfort amongst family members. It is unsettling to not be able to recognize your parent at a glance even now.”

Brian gave a slight sigh. “Good. I was worried she'd think I was repressing you even more. Aren't we out a little ways for Zarog pirate patrols? They don't have any official authority out here.”

“Yes and neither does anyone else so they're free to hunt pirates as they see fit. They believe it's best to hunt them down out here and kill them before they can be trouble in the future.” Shia gave a slight yelp of excitement as she felt Brian open up a mental connection with her. He was already working to access the data she's gathered during the night and see if there was anything interesting. “You know work hasn't officially began yet.”

“I know. I just want to be prepared for when we set down. Hey Shia I might not be fully awake but is there anything that you've really wanted to try with me. I'd prefer something I won't reject right away.” As Brian spoke he didn't know if this was a good idea. He could still remember the time spent watching the play from between Shia's breasts. He didn't know how he remained so calm but sense then it had been giving him trouble. He had needed to relieve himself several times during that night.

“You mean while you work. I've been enjoying our conversations and I'm not certain you're prepared to do much else or anything else.”

“Come on. What do you have in mind? I'm curious. You said you prefer using your larger body but what do you really want to use it for? How would we interact and play around? I can't help but feel I'd be little more then an adornment on your body.” Brian was actually a bit surprised he was asking about this. Surely Shia couldn't be happy if he was just setting on her shoulder the entire time though. She was grinning so she must have an idea.

“I believe a picture tore would be a lot of fun for both of us! Now this is just one of the games but what  I do is lay down and give you some images of certain parts of my body. You then have you travel to that location. If you pick the right spot you get a prize but if you're wrong I get a prize. The prizes have differed before but the standard is clothing. If you want to make it a little more intense there can be a time limit and I'll change my position at certain points.”

As Brian listened to Shia he admitted to himself that part of him really liked that idea. More then one part liked it in truth but some parts more then others. “You said one of the games. Let's here another.”

Now Shia flashed Brian a grin. “You want to see how creative I am with this. Well there is belly surfing.” As she spoke Shia placed her hands behind her head and began to work her abdominal muscles. Her stomach seemed to flow beneath her skin as she relaxed and contracted her muscles. She kept the movements to what a human might achieve though it would have required rather generous use of genetic tweaking and training. “This body may be a little small for that though. In general my goal is to trap you inside of my belly button while your goal is to reach my chest. I've tried this with a few companions.”

“I'm guessing they were rather similar to us humans in build?”

“Um no. The basic concept actually works across several body types. So long as I don't make the waves too high or too frequent we both have fun. I've just substituted different parts of my physical form for the belly button. The body I first used this technique for was actually rather different then this one.” Shia couldn't help but grin and lightly rub her lips for a moment. Brian's surprise was expected but it was still amusing.

“Do I want to know more?”

“It wouldn't help out relationship. The form I used back then would be very unpleasant to you. So let's just leave it at that. Okay your curiosity hasn't been satisfied yet I can tell that much. One fun game is you close your eyes and I try to guide you to a certain part of my body by changing your environment. I for example lift my leg or shift it to the side when I want you to change different direction. It's a very difficult game. If I don't shift enough you may not register that I want you to change directions. If I shift too much I might end up throwing you off my body. Then well depending on what form I'm in I might not be flexible enough to give the directions I want to give.”

Brian was about to say something whenever he noticed that the ears had vanished from the sides of Shia's head. They had instead appeared on the top of her head, they were covered in fur and far more pointed. The moment Brian realized she'd given herself a set of cat ears he couldn't help himself and burst into laughter. “So you're thinking about giving yourself an agility boost!”

“It sure can help!” Shia allowed herself to join in with Brian's laughter. She had technically made him late for work at this point but that wasn't her primary, secondary or even third priority. “Now another game is similar to the first but a bit reversed. You could say that I numb my body. I can't feel anything and I don't move. You then describe something in your own words and I try to guess where you are. This can be quite a bit of fun if we don't allow any lights so you have to rely on your sense of touch, smell and taste. Though that game seems a bit much for while you're working.”

“Oh yeah! I had almost forgot about work. So do you have any other games.”

“There is.”

“No!” Brian couldn't help but grin as he looked at Shia. “Okay you've actually got quite a few. I'm thinking that the second one would be more my speed though.”

For a moment Shia was silent as she debated within herself. She didn't know if she should discourage such behavior from Brian or encourage it. She would enjoy such games a great deal but he would think better of her if she helped him with his productivity. “I don't believe so Brian. I don't believe you're good enough at multitasking to be involved in such activity and do your job properly.” Brian seemed surprised though he didn't look upset.

“Yeah. Still you seem to believe that I'll be able to in time.”

“You will.  You're making wonderful progress but these games are a little too involved for the moment. Perhaps after work we could give some of them a try.”

“Maybe.”

Shia felt her face light up. She didn't worry about seeming too eager though she did keep herself from grabbing Brian with her larger body or hugging him with her smaller. “That leaves the issue of you still wanting to get in some physical activity while working. Perhaps you'd like to do some jogging, swimming or maybe even some climbing?”

“And what exactly would I be climbing?”

Shia's face formed into an open smile. “Well me naturally.”

“Are you serious?”

“No!” Shia couldn't help but giggle as Brian gave her a shocked look. “It's not that I don't want you climbing me. You're not ready to do something like swimming or running while your mind is networked with mine. Unless you want to make a game of it. I could see if I can keep you from tripping or running into a wall.”

“Hey! You said I was getting better at multitasking!”

“Yes I did and yes you have. You still have a ways to go though.”

***********************************************************************************

Shia slipped her hand into the water and moved it smoothly under Brian. It only took her a moment to lift him from the water at which point he gasped for air. “I told you.”

Shia's voice wasn't arrogant or insulting. It was light and playful as if daring Brian to come chase her. At least it would have been if she wasn't already holding him. Currently he found himself gasping for air and wondering what had happened. He had been working through some of the information Shia had gathered and then suddenly he'd been out of air and being lifted out of the water. “How. How long was I under?”

“You were under for about a minute. You didn't feel any distress because your mind was lost inside mine and the information flowing into you was overwhelming the warning signals your body was sending your mind.”

For a moment Brian didn't say anything. Other then needing to take in some air he didn't feel any distress. He would have doubted that he had been as far gone as Shia was saying if he didn't know what she could do. Likely the reason he was having such an easy time recovering was her doing. “Well that's embarrassing. It's.” Brian felt his body positively tingle as the water seemed to evaporate from his skin in an instant leaving him dry. A slight pressure could be felt on his body and when he looked down he found that clothing seemed to be growing around his body. “So I'm guessing no swimming while I'm working?”

“Not unless you're going to let me modify your lunges so that you can extract oxygen in a variety of environments. Oh! Or I could modify your body so that you have different means of obtaining chemical energy. That would be nice.”

“No. No swimming is good.” Brian was actually a little started whenever the expression on Shia's face changed.

“Brian do you have any idea how hard it is to care for someone like I care for you and leave them in such a delicate body? Every time you go to sleep I have to fight myself the entire night to resist changing you. I even caught myself thinking about changing the bacteria inside of your body. After all that bacteria isn't you. I know that's a work around what I said I would do but.” Shia went silent for a moment and puffed up her cheeks before giving a slight sigh. “Let me better your body some!”

Brian actually gave a slight jump when he heard the energy and power in Shia's voice. It seemed to be more then just words as if it was a force that was reaching down into his flesh and grasping his bones. It felt like they were threads trying to force him to stand and it took all his willpower to remain seated. “Was that an order?”

“No! I would never force a change upon you but please. Please! Let me change something. I know you've been raised to believe that you should be the combination of your parents genetic material with very little influence but. OH I know! Please let me clean up any genetic damage that was done to you as you aged. I promise I won't introduce any genetic information that wasn't already part of your being I'm just going to optimize it.”

“Uhuh. And how long before you want to change more?” As he spoke Brian brought himself to a standing position and crossed his arm trying to take on a more business like posture. The fact that Shia seemed to blush and her arm extended a bit away from her body as if she was retreating was actually a bit surprising and encouraging.

“Not very long. It'd be something though!” Once again Shia took in a deep breath to steady herself. “I always have this problem though. As soon as I begin thinking someone might make a nice companion I start feeling the impulse to tweak their body just a little. I just want to fix a few little issues or undo some damage or neglect. The more fond of someone I become the more I want to make alterations.”

Brian gave his head a slight nod. “Well you are a carrying person. So it's natural that you want to help someone that you like.”

“It's not liking the person that is the problem. It's when I come to care for them and realize that I would lose something if that person was to be ended.” Shia gave a sigh and took a moment to rub her forehead. “I haven't done anything to you I promise and I don't plan to without your permission! It's just kind of hard to resist and I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me make some improvements.”

Brian found himself uncertain as to what he should say. Could Shia really resist her urges? It wasn't as if he could do anything to stop her and there was no guarantee that she hadn't already made some changes. “So you were thinking of changing the bacteria inside of my body. The stuff that doesn't actually use my genetic information.”

“Yes.”

Brian puffed out his cheeks for a moment as he tried to form words. “If I let you change the bacteria you could change it back to what it was before right?”

“Yes!” Shia couldn't help the excitement in her voice. She didn't believe Brian was teasing her but she knew that he was uncertain. If he would just let her better his chances of survival a little it would do much to ease her mind. At least she wouldn't be feeling the impulse to modify his body as badly.

“Let's talk about the changes in a little bit. I need to get back to work.”

***********************************************************************************

Work didn't provide nearly as much of a break or time to think as Brian had thought it would. He had forgotten how quickly he could exhaust himself. It surprised him whenever Shia had remained quiet on the subject after letting him know it was time to shut down the connection. She had given him some juice to drink and some crackers but not brought up the subject. She was smiling and seemed content to just wait. “Okay Shia what do you plan on changing about the bacteria inside of my body?”

A delighted squeal escaped Shia as she glanced down at Brian. “Well the first thing I want to change is how safe it is to have them inside of your body. Even beneficial bacteria can be harmful if they get outside of their regular operations zones. I can make them far less likely to harm you if the opportunity should open up. This is naturally a must if I'm going to make them even more effective. After that I'd like to make them more responsive to your needs and better able to meet them. I'm not talking about granting them new abilities but rather making them better at what they do.”

Brian gave his head a slight nod. “Okay so far it's sounding good.”

“It will be! Finally I want to coordinate their efforts. If I can make the bacteria just a little more aware of one another I can improve their overall performance so much.”

“Hold! Hold on a moment. That last part. You want to make them aware of one another?”

“They wouldn't be aware! At least they wouldn't be aware like a human. As a whole they'd just have a little more intelligence then they do now.” Shia knew Brian was on alert at this point. She needed to help him relax. Unfortunately the level of responsiveness she wanted to build into the bacteria wouldn't be acceptable to him. She had to tone it down which meant bringing down their performance. “I promise they won't be anymore responsive then emergency medical nanomachines.”

“Whose EMN's are we talking about?”

Despite the situation Shia couldn't help but chuckle a bit. “Yours. That would be a mean deception if I wasn't talking about the EMN's developed by humans. They won't be as effective as I would like to make them but you already knew that.”

Brian was tempted to ask Shia if these new bacteria would alter his cells. She had said she wouldn't alter them but that didn't mean she couldn't work indirectly. Yet he wanted to trust her. “Okay so long as they aren't any tricks you can alter the bacteria in my body like we talked about. However, if the situation disagrees with me you change me back to how I was before. Deal?” Brian actually felt very dizzy and suddenly found himself slumping forward on Shia's leg. “Did you just.”

“Yep! I'm already at work and deal. Oh Brian.” Shia gave Brian the sweetest smile she could manage. “You're going to love what I do to you so much. You'll be wanting more in no time I'm certain.”

“I'm. I'm a little afraid of that really. So how are you doing this exactly and why do I feel sick?” As Brian looked at Shia's smile he didn't know if he was feeling more light headed due to the rapid changes she was making or due to that smile. He could actually feel the smile forming on his face despite the feeling of sickness.

“You feel a little ill because the sudden increase of the cell density in your body. You're actually a bit heavier then normal right now but don't worry. I moved a lot of my cells into your body and I'm breaking down the bacteria that was already there then putting them back together. I'm not using any material that aren't naturally part of the bacteria though the ratios are changing in some cases” Shia couldn't help but smile as she worked. She could have gotten the job done faster but that would mean putting Brian's body back together. It was a simple matter but she knew he wouldn't appreciate being taken apart.

Brian gave a nod and set up when the sickness began to fade. “Are you already done?”

“No. I just introduced some stimulants into your system to remove the discomfort. I won't be much longer though.” As Shia was working on the bacteria in Brian's body she found herself looking at his bones. Bones were for the most part acellular structures and while his own cells had done a fine job of building up his bones she could do better. The design wasn't truly optimized and could be much stronger especially if she adjusted the placement of some of the atoms. “Brian tonight would you mind if I rebuilt the extra cellular matrix of your bone?”

“What! Some on Shia I'm letting you modify the bacteria inside of me. Isn't that enough for now.”

“But your bones protect your brain. Come on Brian I could make your bones sixty percent stronger if you'd just let me put them back together for you. I won't even introduce any new materials I'll use what's already there.”

After a moment of silence Brian gave a slight chuckle. “I know what's going on. No. Adjusting the bacteria is going to have to be enough for now.”

“Ah!”

“Shia I appreciate what you're doing for me but I want to take this slowly. Sixty percent?”

“The placement of collagen and calcium salts in your bone could use some work yes. There are a few cracks that it would be best if they were closed up as well.”

“Are you still working on the bacteria inside of my body?”

“Seventy eight percent done but yes.” There was no doubt in Shia's mind that Brian was going to decline to have his bones remodeled. The thought was rather funny to her. In truth what he had permitted was a far more drastic change then some simple work to his bones. In his mind though the bones were a part of him even those parts that weren't alive. He didn't have the same attachment to the bacteria that lived within his body. Once he became used to the benefits of a few alterations she believed that it would be easy to convince him to accept more.

“Let's. Let's wait on the bone remodeling alright?” Brian took in a deep breath. Part of him wanted to ask Shia to change the bacteria back to the way it had been before. She wasn't even finished with her work and he was already thinking about asking her to change him back. The thought brought a chuckle but not a request. As he looked up at Shia though he couldn't help but notice that her skin seemed flushed. “This really excites you doesn't it!”

“Well. Yes! I love doing this type of work. Now what would be even more fun is if we networked our minds together while I reworked your body. Oh! I really hope that you will let me one day.”

***********************************************************************************

April 12th

Brian had been feeling strange since he had woken up. Currently he was unsure if it was due to the changes Shia had made or if it was just in his head. His entire body felt energized. His muscles appeared to have been stimulated and his heart rate was clearly elevated. He was actually surprised that there had been no knocking on his door. Normally Shia was ready to great him the instance that he woke up. This concerned him. “Okay Shia why haven't you wished me a good morning yet?”

“I was giving you some time to yourself so you could think on your current condition a bit. Your body is currently responding to the changes I made to the bacteria inside of you.  This is perfectly natural given the changes that I made to your system and homeostasis will be achieved soon. I considered maintaining it for you but I knew you'd realize eventually that with the changes I made to the bacteria you should have felt something.”

“Actually. That's true. So this is just my body responding to the new bacteria huh?”

“Yes it is. Thanks to the changes you let me make the bacteria is doing a better job helping you to break down and absorb nutrients but it isn't just that. The end product is more easily processed by your body. Now your body is dealing with a surplus that it normally doesn't have. That's not the only changes but you get the idea. Anyway! How about you stop worrying about that and come outside and I will take you to the bridge? We're here.”

“Oh! Our first real mining location?” Brian's condition quickly vanished from his mind upon realizing what Shia meant.  As he stood up though he glanced towards an exit he hadn't used before. “Actually I think I'll try the assist walkway you made for me. I hope you don't mind.”

“Not in the least! I'm carrying you one way or the other.”

Brian actually froze up for a moment and felt a rather large grin forming on his face. Suddenly he felt very silly. “That's true. I sometimes forget that I'm not just speaking to you over a communicator. You're the ship itself. Hey now! What about breakfast?”

Shia couldn't help but chuckle. “I thought you might want to decide on what you want to eat and when you want to eat once in a while. Now what would you like to eat?”

“I'm guessing it doesn't matter what I want to eat. You can make it immediately.”

“I can cook if you'd like. I enjoy the art of cooking as I told you earlier. Naturally I can simulate the art and burn a few spots here or add a little extra spice there. Trying to achieve acceptable accuracy while cooking using the standard tools can actually be a fun challenge. In this case I do plan on putting your food together for you.”

After a moment Brian gave a slight nod. “Hey Shia is your larger body currently waiting outside of my room?”

“Yes it is though I don't keep it there the entire night. Now if you're wondering if I break the body down and absorb it back into myself while you sleep the answer is no. There is nothing to gain by absorbing my humanoid bodies into my larger self at the moment. Plus as the processing center of the humanoid forms are different then this ship body I also find they think somewhat differently. I enjoy feeling the differences in emotions.”

“So which one is the most eager to reshape my body?”

“The humanoid ones. I designed their processing centers so they would have rather powerful maternal instincts. This drive to nurture makes it even more difficult to resist modifying your body or nurturing you.”

“That sounds about right. What about empathy though? Shouldn't the empathy such bodies feel make it easier to resist?”

“Well no. The instinct to nurture is quite a bit stronger then the empathy I feel for your feelings when using my humanoid bodies. It's actually my greater self that allows me to resist the urge to modify your body. I never tie up most of my thinking power in an untested form.”

***********************************************************************************

Brian could feel his heart positively pounding in his chest as he networked his mind with Shia's. He suddenly knew there were several thousands of kilograms of magizon alloy just beneath them. He also knew that the world was constantly being saturated by radiation from the near by star and effectively had no atmosphere to protect it from the radiation. The planet itself was seismically active and all together a horrible place to be. Yet the material was there and now he knew how much it was worth and how much it would cost for humans to begin extracting it. It was worth it. As Brian received the information he was rather surprised by how excited he was. It wasn't that they had found the material that he found surprising it was that they had found it so quickly. Exploring an uncharted region for mineral wealth was a gamble and it should have taken months to find anything of worth. He had only been with Shia for days.

Shia let Brian simply look at the numbers for a moment before giving a sharp whistle besides his ear and wrapping the arms of her smaller body around him. “Congratulations! You found your first big pay day and in less then a week!” As Shia spoke she was careful to keep certain memories from Brian. It was true that he had succeeded in finding some magizon but it hadn't been the amount he or she had been expecting. Shia had taken the time while he was sleeping to break down some of the planet and remake it into the desired minerals.

Brian quickly turned his attention up towards Shia's smiling face. His smile remained but he still felt strange. “Well with this kind of equipment and assistance it's only natural. This doesn't normally happen does it?”

“Brian you know how fast we were traveling.” While Shia wasn't going to reveal to Brian the planet wasn't suitable for mining until she changed it she wasn't going to say it was all his doing either. They had been traveling many times faster then any ship he could have hoped to make use of. The scanning area she had allowed him to use and the information was also many times superior to any other ship. She hadn't even mentioned that special consideration would have to be given to any ships coming to mine the material due to the high levels of radiation.

“You make a good point. Oh wow. How is this going to look on my report? I mean. They know when I left earth and they know that I was meeting up with a deep space species. Shia I thought you wanted to keep your full abilities hidden. Maybe we should not mention this discovery just yet but should wait a month or so that way it won't seem so strange. Even then you left with a novice exploration officer and you found this much magizon. How is that going to look?” Brian actually felt some relief whenever he heard Shia chuckle and the arm of her smaller body was placed across his shoulders. His attention turned to his side as he looked at the face of her smaller self.

Shia didn't speak from her larger body but from her smaller one. Brian still looked upon her larger self with distant eyes at times. She wanted him to feel close to her. “Well we won't be contacting them just yet we still have to gather our share of the materials to sell and decide who we're going to be selling the materials to. You never made your decision. As for my abilities. You're right I don't want to reveal my full abilities just yet and this won't do that. I don't mind if they know I'm far faster then any ship currently known. I have found that letting information slip is often the best way to tell someone.”

“Like when you're talking to me?”

“At times.”

“Come on Shia. Have you ever said anything that you didn't intend to say? Have I discovered something you didn't lead me towards?” Brian didn't pull back from Shia entirely but he did lean back a bit though he continued to smile.

“Yes I have on both accounts. I'm just not going to tell you when I made mistakes. Come on Brian. I've told you openly that my simulations of you have been wrong a few times. You respond a bit more heavily to your nurture then your nature then I expected. Look at all the modifications I've had to make to my body. Though that's partly because you keep giving me a moving target.”

“Huh?”

“If you'd like I'll explain what I mean to you later though I'm certain you'll understand if you just think about it for a while. We have some raw materials to harvest.”

“We? Am I suppose to help with excavations?”

“Not officially and you can deny the work if you'd like. You are however suppose to examine the environment of the planet and prepare a report about how we didn't harm native life forms. I would rather do that for you in this situation.” Shia couldn't help but chuckle whenever Brian suddenly looked up at her larger self with an accusing glance.

“You just want to write the report for this planet because it's going to be an easy one.”

“Easy! Do you believe you can prepare a fifty page report detailing how we didn't harm the natural life forms of an uncharted world that has no life on it?”

Brian's first instinct was to ask Shia what she was talking about. There was no page requirements for such reports. Had the planet included native life forms of any type the report could have easily exceeded fifty pages but a fifty page report for a planet with no native life didn't make sense. “You want to mess with the person who has to examine your report.”

Shia couldn't help but flash Brian a smile with both of her bodies. “Just a little bit.”

This was not what Brian had expected from kind nurturing Shia. The thought that she was going to go out of her way to write an overly complex report actually put him to chuckling. “You know that the virtual intelligence will most likely catch your report and simply give it the needed confirmation.”

“What! You think I can't write a report that will get past those simple programs?” As Shia spoke she bent so that the face of her larger body was closer to Brian. Unfortunately this motion was limited as Brian was setting upon her leg.

“Oh good point. You really want to do that though?”

“Yeah! It's just a little teasing after all. Would you like to read the report?”

“Let me guess you already finished it.”

“Yes I have.” Rather then let Brian read the report Shia simply used the mental connection they shared to share the knowledge with him. It would fade rapidly but she didn't need him to remember it in detail. “It's a pretty good one isn't it?”

“You're talking about the planet as if it was a living organism! You even included information about theoretical life forms that could have developed on this planet with some support.” Brian once again found himself chuckling as he imagined what it would be like for the person that actually had to read Shia's report. Some of the concepts and theories of life she was getting involved in were well above his knowledge. He wouldn't have even been able to appreciate Shia's report if she wasn't sharing so much knowledge with him.

“So do you think it's a good one?”

Do you mean do I believe it's a good prank or a good report?”

“A good report.”

“Of course not! It's way too long and complex. You should never make something more complex then it actually needs to be. This is like using thirty parts to make something you could use five for.” Brian actually found himself chuckling whenever he noticed the look of surprise on Shia's face. “That said it's a pretty good prank.” Brian was rather surprised whenever he felt Shia's smaller body wrap her arms around him from behind and a hug while he looked up to see her massive hands reaching down for him. There wasn't time enough for him to respond as he felt those massive hands slipping underneath him and lifting him into the air.

Shia didn't hesitate to lift Brian from her leg. As she was lifting him into the air she quickly opened up her shirt to expose the area just above her breasts. Fortunately she didn't have to use her hands for that task. While she could reach down for Brian rapidly without fear of injuring him she had to move more slowly as she lifted him. “You are just so adorable! I'm glad you accepted my.” Shia went silent for a moment as she pressed Brian into her chest. She could feel his response to being pressed against her skin as she held him there so that he could also take in the scent of her skin. “Offer to become my companion. You're just wonderful!”

Brian didn't even realize that Shia had opened up her shirt. He didn't remember it being closed before and didn't think of such things. The feeling of what little exposed skin he had pressing against hers was exciting and more then a little pleasing to the touch. When he breathed in he took in a sweet scent that seemed to radiate warmth throughout his being and encourage yet another breath. Without thinking what he was doing he had pressed his cheek firmly against Shia's skin and extended his arms as wide as he could in the best hug that he could manage. That he still felt Shia's smaller body hugging him from behind with her rather large chest pressed into his back wasn't lost on him either.

Having her smaller body hold onto Brian had been more about expressing her emotions then stimulating him. Shia had used her smaller self to anchor Brian so that she wouldn't tip him out of her hand. As she broke the hug and smiled down at him she continued to do so as her hand leveled off actually using the feet of her smaller body to anchor the both of them to her palm. As Shia looked down at Brian she noted his erection and quickly introduced some depressants to his system in order to remove it. If he noticed this change he would become uncomfortable. It would be best if he enjoyed the embrace but remained relaxed. She needed to keep the experience extremely positive to form the desired association. “Thank you for your honest thoughts and thanks for actually putting some thought into it.”

Brian could literally feel his grin as he smiled up at Shia. He was actually wondering if he had been drugged when she hugged him. He was experiencing quite a high. “Wow I believe that's the most positive response I've ever had for a negative statement.”

“It was an honest and fair statement! Naturally I'm still going to send the report. Anyway, how would you like to go down to the planet and observe the actually extraction? Then we can finally settle on what buyer we're going to sell the minerals to.”

The notion that they were going to be the one selling the minerals was actually quite a rush to Brian as well. Shia was talking as if they were partners in this deal. He knew any implication that he was of equal status to her just wasn't true but her words and behavior sure made him feel big. “That sounds good. How are we going to do this?” Brian didn't need to go to the surface of the planet to see Shia gather the materials. He didn't even need to see her gather the materials. He wanted to see her at work and believed that she wanted to show him as well.

“Let's get you suited up.” As she spoke Shia covered Brian's body with a light layer of her cells. This would have protected him while he was on the planet but she wanted to show off a bit. Rather then just leave her cells on him she began to rapidly build a new material literally constructing a silver and black space suit around Brian. Technologically speaking the suit was far inferior to her cells and would offer less protection despite its greater mass. It would provide more then enough protection while they were on the planet though especially with her staying near by and it looked more impressive. She confirmed this whenever she noted Brian's excitement.

Brian hadn't been able to feel or see Shia's cells covering his body. When the space suit began to grow all around him he was caught off guard and more then a little surprise. He had seen instant envelopment suits before. They were large and bulky so that they could quickly cover a variety of body types. They were meant to save lives but not to be worked in. The suit Shia was making for him was enveloping him even faster then the supposedly instant envelopment suit and had clearly been designed for someone of his height. The suit took on an organic form as if it had been painted on an actual living organism except for the helmet and the backpack which he only saw due to the display that flashed in front of his eyes showing him the status of the entire suit. “Woe!”

Shia gave a delighted giggle before standing up. She didn't need to hold back as the suit produced force waves to cancel out the affects the sudden acceleration had on Brian. “Do you like it?”

Brian didn't respond right away. Knowledge flowed into his mind and suddenly he knew what the suit was capable of doing. The entire ordeal was a bit of a rush. Yet it had no where near the power that connecting with Shia mind had. “Wow. Going a little overboard with the protection are you?”

“No! If I was doing that I'd just covered you with one or two layers of my cells. Now that would keep you safe. Especially if you'd let me place a few of them inside of your body.”

Did Shia mean that two layers of her cells would offer him more protection then a space suit that was several centimeters thick? The thought actually made Brian dizzy. “Are you serious? Two layers of your cells could out do this?”

“Naturally! If you'd like I can give you that instead. You wouldn't even know that they're there. Well except when you were standing in enough radiation to cook you instantly and didn't suffer any harm. That or making use of some of their abilities.”

“I well. No thanks.”

“I believed you would say that. You know you could think of it as a very close protective hug.”

“A full body hug.”

“What don't you want a full body hug?” Shia responded by wrapping her arms around Brian using her smaller body and once again hugging him. She made it a point to squeeze hard enough that he could feel the hug through his suit actually binding the protective armor as she did this though being careful not to harm Brian. She would simply repair it after the hug.

Immediately Brian knew how much force Shia was putting into that hug. The suit provided that information. He could feel it bend inward and knew that it wasn't meant to bend that much. Without thinking he turned his gaze down towards her chest and was even more surprised to find they hadn't been compressed against the armor. “Shia is this reading correct?”