MU21 Gravity of Love

by PhantomChajo

As love pulls us apart, it pulls us together as well Setting: MU verse

Gravity of Love
by Lady MoonHawke and PhantomChajo

The experience of survival
is the key
to the gravity of love.
Enigma - "Gravity of Love"

Commander Stargazer scanned the printout once more then looked up at the officer standing before his desk. Aurora seemed to have shrugged off whatever had been bothering her the past few days, though there was an occasional haunted looking her eyes. Certainly, it didn't seem to be affecting her work.

"You're sure about this?" he asked, glancing once more at her recommendation.

She nodded. "Yes, sir. It's the best option, given current circumstances."

He grunted and handed the sheet back to her. "See to it, then. You're the boss, at least until the patrol gets back."

"Thank you, sir." She saluted and turned to leave.

"Aurora, is everything all right?"

She turned back, and he could see the shift, from officer to daughter. "It's Oh, it's okay, I guess. Just, you know, hard sometimes."

"Honey, I've tried to stay out of people's personal lives. You know that. But if there are personal problems impacting the functioning of this station"

She could hear the caveat implicit in his tone. "No, Dad. It's my problem. I'll work it out. And in the meantime" She indicated the recommendation.

He waved toward the door. "Off you go, then. I'll talk to you later."

"Dinner, then? I'm off at 6."

"Are you sure you want to eat with a couple of dried up old men? Condor and I aren't any kind of company for a young girl."

"Oh, Dad. I'm hardly young. And I'd be honored to have dinner with a pair of distinguished gentlemen." She laughed softly.

"Now I know how you got promoted so quickly. You just charm the board's socks off every time."

She shrugged. "A little kindness greases a lot of wheels. I'll see you tonight."

Hawk Haven was quiet with most of the team on patrol. Limbo had been quiet for days, and Skyedansuer had taken advantage of the peace to start her field training, leaving MoonStriker in her place at Communications. "Anything new, Private?" Aurora asked as she exited the outer office area.

"A repeat of the same message," he replied, handing her the printout. "They're getting panicky, it sounds like. Really like someone right away. I could use the time away," he offered.

"Believe me, we all could appreciate that. But you don't seem to meet the requirements, Private. Sorry."

"Maybe next time? I'd be good, I promise."

Aurora laughed. "We'll see. Carry on, Private. I'm going down to the Shop."

The elevator was empty the entire trip down, and Aurora allowed herself to lean against the back wall and shut her eyes, resting for a moment. She'd been warned, many times before taking this post, that it was difficult, that it would chew her up and spit her out. She hadn't wanted to believe it then, but it was becoming more and more apparent how hard this job really was, and she wasn't even doing all of it anymore. She and Quicksilver had divided the work with a silent and brutal efficiency, not even bothering most of the time to argue over assignments. They simply co-existed in this space, communicating only in terse notes. And it was killing her.

Sixteen years of emotions don't just turn themselves off, she reminded herself. But the weeks were turning into months, and her bleeding heart didn't feel any closer to healed.

The elevator's descent slowed, and Aurora pushed herself upright with a sigh. She could afford to show no lapse, no weakness, nothing to suggest she was beginning to doubt herself and why she was there.

The hangar looked empty without the bulk of the Maraj to fill it, despite the presence of the sleek Sprinthawk and the Equalizer and Space Racer off to one side. The HummingBird was gone as well, she noted, and she wondered where Zan had gone. Free as a bird, Zan was, able to come and go at will, though she was usually with the Twins.

Aurora knocked on the door to the Shop, then opened it and stuck her head in. "Sergeant? You in here?"

She could hear Emily's voice, though she couldn't see her. "Over here. Come on in."

Much of Emily's bitterness toward her had evaporated in the face of Jon's recovery, and Aurora was determined to be a polite, if slightly distant officer. "Do you have a minute, Sergeant?"

Emily appeared in off-duty sweats, hair braided back out of her way, wiping greasy hands on an equally greasy rag. "Sure. What's up?"

Aurora hit a few keys on the terminal. "This just came in from the Vista Cielo Station."

Emily started at the screen a moment, still absently wiping her hands. "Damn. They're screwed up six ways from Sunday. Power settings, resource allocation, system allotments. It's a nightmare there, I bet."

"It is. They're begging for someone to come and 'fix the damned thing before we shoot it.' I hate to ask, but" She handed over the papers. "The Commander's already authorized it if you're willing."

"Yeah. I'll do it. Looks like a week's worth of work, at least. Less, if Will's along."

"I'm afraid we can only spare one of you. And, well, you're handy right now."

Emily nodded, still looking back and forth between the assistance request and the technical specifications on the screen. "Okay. ASAP, right? How am I getting there?"

"SprintHawk's yours for the duration."

"All right. Let them know I'm coming. I'll be on my way inoh, half an hour or so. Have to pack. You'll fix my shifts?"

"Of course. Safe trip, Sergeant."

"Lieutenant!"

Aurora winced, coffee cup close enough that the heavenly steam drifted into her face, and turned. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

Jon strode up to her, eyes blazing. "Where is Sergeant Heart?"

His attitude set her on edge, and she tilted her head a little to one side, looking past him. "Sitting at a table, watching you shout at me."

"Steelheart, Lieutenant. Sergeant Steelheart. Where is she?"

"TDY to Vista Cielo." She set her coffee down untouched and walked out of the mess.

He caught up with her in the back hall. "How dare you walk away from me when I speaking to you, Lieutenant?"

"ME?! How dare you, Lieutenant?! How dare you interrogate me in public like that? It you have a problem, you'd damn well better come to me privately about it."

"Where do you get off sending Emily to another station?"

"Where do I get off? They requested a superior systems expert, and Sergeant Steelheart happens to be that."

"So you just happened to assign her and not Will?"

"She was here, Lieutenant. And I don't know if you noticed, but Will's in there using toothpicks to keep his eyes open. He's has had nine shifts in the past eight days, including that double today. I'd have serious doubts about him finding Vista Cielo in that shape, much less being about to fix anything, Wake up, Lieutenant, and get your head out of the clouds. You're missing the big picture, and I'll only cover your ass up to a point." She turned and stormed off, leaving him to stare after her, a look of contemplation on his face.

Back in her quarters, Aurora stared at the message in her inbox. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was something she hadn't thought about in months.
To: StargazerLtA@HawkHaven.sh.mil
From: LandonGenS@Academy.sh.mil
Subject: Rain Check?

You mentioned a few months ago letting me offer you a rain check. I hope the offer is still good, and you haven't thought better of it now. I have tickets for the Mimian Opera this weekend on Bedlama, and I would be pleased to escort you. Perhaps we can have a late supper after?

If you are willing to attend, drop me a quick reply. Even if you can't come, I hope you'll write back. I'm hoping things have been going better for you.

With affection,
Steven
Aurora blinked a few times, waiting for the message to disappear altogether or morph into some routine matter. But it remained where, and what, it was; an invitation to go out. And Aurora admitted to herself, as she typed a quick reply, she needed the distraction very badly.

"Well, this is just great," Aurora muttered, staring into her closet. "The only thing I can decide to wear is my nylons."

"Not quite the impression you had in mind?" Krysten asked, flipping through a three-month old issue of "Twinky." "Gad, the ads in this thing are almost indecent. Why do you have it?"

"Gift from an old roommate, believe it or not. She thought I could use some pointers 'dressing for success.'"

Krysten flipped the mag around to reveal a scantily-clad model. "And what kind of success is she dressing for?" The model's outfit was skimpy enough to make a bride blush on her wedding night.

Aurora shrugged. "Charl's kind, I suppose. She left the military and made a bundle."

"Doing what?" Krys asked dubiously.

"UmmAdult films," Aurora admitted.

"Uh-huh. I thought so. And if you don't get a move on, the General's going to think that's your career ambition, too." She tossed the slick magazine on the bed and joined Aurora at the closet. "Well, I see your problem. What ever possessed you to bring so many formal gowns?"

"I did a lot of evening parties, cocktail receptions, that kind of thing at my last post. I didn't have time to send them all home. But yeah, that's the problem. Too much good stuff." She stared into the closet and sighed.

"Your problem here is that you can't see the forest for the trees," Krys said. She waded into the closet and came out with a claret-colored dress. It featured interwoven spaghetti straps in the back and a chiffon floor-length skirt. "I bet this one will look great."

Aurora shrugged. "It will do as well as anything, I suppose."

"You sounds like you're having second thoughts about this," Krys frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I just I don't want to be rushing things. I went tumbling head over heels into bed with Jonathan, and look where that got me. I'd rather not make the same mistake twice." She pulled her silk wrapper a little tighter around herself.

"You're going to the opera, then dinner. I didn't hear any offer to ravish you in the invitation, unless you're not telling me everything." She laid the dress out on the bed. "Put it on. I'm going to find some shoes." She disappeared back into the closet, and, out of arguments, Aurora shrugged out of her robe and set to work dressing.

By the time Krysten emerged from the closet with a pair of dark strappy sandals, Aurora had navigated her way around the jungle of straps at the back and was zipping it up at the side. "I knew it," the communication's tech exclaimed. "Perfect."

Studying herself in the mirror, Aurora smiled and was forced to agree. "It does look good," she admitted. "Hand me those shoes. I don't have much time."

"You'd be further along if you didn't spend 45 minutes complaining to your overflowing closet that you had nothing to wear." Krys watched as Aurora slid into the heels. "So are you going to share all the details when you get back?"

"I wasn't invited to a ravishing, remember? Just dinner and the opera." She smoothed back and few strands of hair and touched up her lipstick. Then she picked up a small clutch and draped a light wrap over her arms. "Well?"

Kryten nodded. "You'll knock him dead."

"Oh, I hope not. An investigation into how I killed a line officer with my dress would not be good for the Project or this station."

Krys snorted. "Funny." The intercom broke in overhead, announcing the arrival of General Landon's ship. "That's your cue."

Aurora swallowed and nodded. "Showtime."

The curtain came down, and Aurora stood, clapping enthusiastically during the curtain calls, cheering with the rest of the audience when the tragic hero and steadfast love were presented. Only when the proscenium was clear and the excitement died down did she stop, turning a little to retrieve her burgundy scarf.

"You enjoyed the performance that much?" General Landon asked as she turned back to him.

"Oh, yes. The libretto was just incredible. I really felt caught up in the whole story. And the aria, "I Give Up Love for Naught," was just amazing. Her voice was stunning."

"You must have been able to follow it much more closely that I could. I was getting the gist but not many of the details." He took her arm, leading her through the crowd to the aisle.

"Six months getting the hang of the language certainly helps." She let him lead her out to the corridor, moving toward the lobby balcony. "Thank you for inviting me. I'm having a wond--"

"Lieutenant Stargazer!"

She turned, seeing the wave of a familiar hand across the balcony, and paused.

"Well, Lieutenant, you must have things well in hand at the station if you can take a night off. And General Landon. Taking in the local sights, General?"

Aurora's smile froze in polite disinterest. "We've been enjoying a very quiet month where the mob is concerned, Governor. I thought I would take advantage of it."

"And you have to admit it's for a good cause," Steven put in. "The Belamian Widows and Orphans Fund should do very well thanks to the turn-out tonight." He turned to look at Aurora. "We should find a way to do something similar with the funds earmarked for improving people's lives on Fense."

"If you'll forgive me, General, I don't see that going over very well. Certainly everyone here knows that Fense is a hodge-podge of thieves, prostitutes and other rabble. I doubt you'd get anybody willing to come out in support of a fundraiser for them."

Aurora's eyes narrowed, and her grip on Steven's arm tightened. "You know, it's funny you should say that, Governor. We still have yet to explain how Lieutenant Quick came to be kidnapped from right here in the City, though he was recovered from an emergency care center on Fense. And we're still tracking back leads from Fense, though your local police have tightlipped about the information we're trying to acquire." She turned to Steven. "Maybe the funds should go to the local constabulary for the purchase of a computer system. It might keep them from 'misplacing' so many vital documents."

The Governor flushed green, eyes starting to swivel. "I Your"

Steven quickly stepped between them. "Well, it was good to see you again, Governor, and we'd love to chat, but I'm afraid if we stay any longer, we'll be late for our dinner reservations." He shook the flustered official's hand, and moved to steer Aurora toward the stairs. Faced with cooperating or creating a scene, she chose to comply.

A few deep breaths of cool night air helped her regain her composure. "I'm sorry about that," she said at last. "Xander and I have had a lot of go-arounds lately, between following up on Jon - on the Lieutenant's disappearance, and the veracity of their tourist brochures. I shouldn't have let him bait me like that, but his Holier-than-thou attitude really gets to me sometimes."

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow. He studied the street, taking in the choking crowd of ground cars. "Do you want to try and catch a cab to the restaurant? It's just across the park at the Omni, but I don't know if you'd want to walk it.'

"Why on Earth not? According to the Governor, there's 'virtually no crime in Bedlama City.'" Her impression of Governor Xander was dead-accurate, and he laughed.

"Okay. Come on."

They wove through the multitude of cars and crossed the street, entering the park, central to the city's architecture. The light from the street was diffused here, and the trees cast long shadows toward the central meadow.

"I worry about you sometimes," Steven confessed, leading Aurora through a thin grove of whyssyk trees. "You had such a hard time those first few weeks, and I wasn't able to do anything to help you."

She shrugged. "It's just as well, really. How much respect could I command if I had the Project leader coming in and telling everyone to play nice? I'm managing fine now, anyway."

"I forget sometimes you're not that freshman cadet waiting in Sick Bay for a girl with better friends than she deserved."

"Charl's a good friend. What she didn't deserve was to be summarily dismissed without a chance to defend herself."

"We didn't have a great deal of choice, I'm afraid. Captain Norton was convicted at court-martial, if it makes any difference."

"He blackmailed her while we were cadets. It should have been dealt with then, rather than five years later. He ruined people's careers."

"I have news for you. He ruined a lot more than their careers in some cases." Steven swiped a branch aside. "We presented documented evidence at the court martial that he sent teams out without proper training or equipment, intending for them to become casualties in messy front-line battles."

Aurora stared at him in disbelief. "Wild Hunt," she said after a moment, more a statement than a question.

"Yeah. That's why I was surprised to see Captain Vernadeua alive and reasonably well." He sighed. "I really didn't invite you out tonight to talk shop. I'm sure you get enough of that at the station."

"My fair share, at least," she agreed. They crossed from the trees into the meadow. "Much as I hate to admit it, Governor Xander is right. There are places on Earth I wouldn't troop around in the dead of night like this."

They skirted the edge of a pond as a fountain splashed quietly. "Is it worth allowing the government to exile their criminal population?" Steven asked.

"No. Not really. They're not addressing the underlying problem, and that's what gets to me."

"So you went into the military to do social work?"

"I sometimes think the job would be easier if we did more to help people than just arresting them and turning them over to the penal planet." She laughed softly. "We're doing it again, talking about the job."

He led her across the street and into the lavish hotel lobby and over to a bank of gleaming glass elevators. One set of door slid open smoothly with a soft chime. They walked in and the doors shut behind them, whisking them up and offering a beautiful view of the plant-filled atrium.

"There's a beautiful sky-lobby on the 30th floor," Steven said as they ascended. "And the view from the restaurant there is just incredible."

However, when they arrived, the only view was of a harried maitre d' in a soaked suit offering profuse apologies.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, madam. The restaurant's fire-suppression system went haywire, and I'm very sorry to say we will not be able to accommodate your reservation here tonight."

Steven brushed it aside. "Can you accommodate a room service order?" Assured that they could certainly do that, Steven nodded. "That's fine, then. We'll call down when we're ready." He led Aurora back to the elevator, and they resumed their upward journey.

"I'm sure that wasn't on the itinerary for tonight," Aurora commented.

"Nope, but never let it be said that I am not flexible or resourceful."

The elevator stopped gently at the 60th floor and the doors opened to a small foyer with a single door in the opposite wall.

"Can I ask a personal question?" Aurora asked as he fiddled with the plastic key card and magnetic lock.

"Sure."

"You have guest quarters at the station. Why take such a" he door swung open, revealing the dimly lit suite, and her eyes opened wide. "Wow."

"That's exactly why," Steven said, moving around her to drop the card on a small lamp table. "The VIP quarters are fine, but sometimes I'm just in a mood to treat myself very nicely. And when I'm here for personal reasons, it seems better to go on my own nickel rather than stay at the station."

He was turning up the lights, and Aurora noted the beautiful furnishings all designed to make the Omni a home away from home, especially if money was no object. Whole rooms of the Blue Falcon could be dropped into the sitting area of the suite with plenty of room to spare, and she had to smother a chuckle.

Apparently, she wasn't entirely successful. "What's so funny?" Steven asked, handing her a room service menu.

"I had an image of fitting a whole wing of the Blue Falcon flophouse just in this room. Just struck me as strange."

"We finally got that place closed," he said. "There was a brisk trade in prostitution and drugs between the bar and the no-tell motel."

"I know. We all knew. But it was nice sometimes to get away from it all. I did some pretty dumb stuff there."

"Anything you want to confess?"

"Not really." She handed him back the menu. "It all looks wonderful. You pick."

"You trust me then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We'll see. It depends on what you order."

600 feet up, there was a definite chill in the air, and Aurora pulled her light scarf tighter around her shoulders as she looked out across the city.

"This is the other reason," Steven said behind her.

She turned and accepted a snifter with fire-brandy swirling in the bottom. "Reason for what?" She hesitated over her drink a moment, then sipped it carefully. She'd forgotten exactly why she didn't drink very often. Seemed silly, really.

"The reason I like to stay here instead of the station. And it's much more private." His hand was under her chin, tilting it up very slightly, and then he was kissing her.

It was good at first, very good. And then she remembered why she didn't drink, why she didn't go out, didn't do this anymore. She stepped back, turning her head away. "I"

"Don't. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have done that." He studied her, blue eyes full of emotion. "I didn't mean to push you"

"It's not you," she insisted. "It's me. I do these dumb things, because it's what I really want to do right that moment, and they blow up in my face later. I'd just rather thisdidn't blow up."

"It won't. Stay here tonight. Stay with me."

It was tempting, so tempting, and so like her; impulsive, impetuous and unthinking.

"I shouldn't," she said softly. "I have shift in the morning"

"I'll take you back in time," he promised. "I just want to see you in the daylight, to know you're not something I've imagined. I just want to know you're real."

Jon hated to admit it as he prowled the mess hall in the early hours before morning, but deep down he knew the truth. He didn't sleep well anymore without Emily's comforting presence. Her work at Vista Cielo was moving forward faster than she had anticipated, but there were several more days separation in front of them.

He hadn't spoken to Aurora since her blow-up in the hall, and frankly, that was all for the good. He wasn't sure how they were going to continue to work together after his upcoming evaluation. For that matter, he wasn't sure 'together' was quite the work for how they worked. 'Around each other' might be a much more accurate assessment. It didn't matter, though. Once he was back to full duty status, she could go wherever and leave his team to him.

He picked up a mug from the tray next to the industrial-sized percolator and filled it not with coffee, but with hot water, dropping a teabag in to steep. He picked up the top doughnut from a pile on a tray, a plain cake-style, he noted, and made his way to a table to sit.

The soft pad of bare feet on the metal deck and looked up, expecting to see Zan appear in the door. She had an almost uncanny way of knowing who was up and prowling around at times. The hideous memories of being held captive, of learning every sound and bracing himself for attack at anything even slightly out of the ordinary gave him a new appreciation and understanding of her skill.

It wasn't Zan who appeared around the corner, however, but Aurora.

"Are you just getting in?" It was a ridiculous question, but the first thing out of his mouth nonetheless. She'd clearly just returned from Bedlama, hair down, sandals in one hand, still wearing the dress he'd only seen a glimpse of the evening before.

She helped herself to a cup of coffee and slumped into a chair at another table. "Yes."

What did one say to a former temporary fling on her return from what had clearly been a night with someone else? "Have a good time?"

The coffee had to be half gone in three gulps. "Very."

This was getting no where. "You have shift in half an hour."

"I know."

He stood up to leave. "Don't be late."

"I won't."

Weird, he thought, walking the corridors back to his quarters. Justvery weird.

The message light on his terminal was blinking when he entered his quarters, and he paused on his way back to bed to retrieve it.

"Hey, Jon." Emily's image filled the screen. She must have still been tinkering with the system at Vista Cielo, because her image was blurring in and out of focus.

"Things are going pretty well out here. The environmentals are almost back to normal. Nice to not broil half the day and freeze the other half. I'm finishing up the last bits over the next few days. Then I can set the automatic programs and make sure it all runs smoothly. Should be done by Wednesday, at the latest. That's the good news.

"The bad news is, I won't be back right away." She sighed. "There's a shipment of new computer equipment due Friday, and no one here qualified to install it. So I'm going to stay through next weekend as well, getting that put together, and I should be back next Monday or Tuesday." She sighed again, and offered him a rueful smile. "I'm sorry about this, but I'd hardly get back before having to turn around and come out here again. I miss you. I'll see you when I get back." She gave a little wave, and the screen went dark.

"Damn," Jon muttered. He was just getting the hang of things again, of being part of a relationship, and this had to come up. Frustrated and disappointed, he went back to bed.

Aurora looked over the report Steelheart had quickly put together. "Okay, Sergeant. I trust your judgment on this one. You're there seeing it first hand. You'll be done the beginning of next week?"

"Should be. I want to make sure the new systems pick up all the Monday morning update without a hiccup."

Aurora nodded, scribbling a note on her datapad. "Okay. I'll make sure to adjust the schedule for the coming week accordingly. Everything else all right there?"

"Yes. A little busy, but fine otherwise. How are things there?"

The question threw her for a second. Well, I went to the opera with a line officer, and we talked til dawn "Oh, you know. Same as always." She just couldn't talk about it yet. Certainly not with Steelheart. "So we'll see you in a week?"

"Give or take."

"All right, then. Good luck. Hawk Haven out." She closed the connection and sat back in her chair at Ops, thinking.

It was going to get out, there was no doubt of that. But what was going to get out and what had really happened were two different stories.

Steven had been kind, considerate, the perfect gentlemen. Dinner had been sent up, and after the kiss on the balcony, they'd sat in front of the fireplace, talking about everything, about nothing. It was probably the most conversation she'd ever had with a man she found this attractive, and it scared her to death. She'd always managed to screw it up before, to sabotage a relationship before it got going. And this was one relationship she really didn't want to screw up.

"So how was it?" Krysten asked from her station at comms.

"Nice," Aurora said, turning her chair away from the console. "We went to the opera, had dinner, talked a fair bit. The usual."

"So did you?"

"Did I what?"

Krys sighed in exasperation. "Did you sleep with him?"

The lift was whirring up, and chime ringing. Aurora offered a non-committal shrug and a grin, then turned back to her station.

"You did!" Krys exclaimed as the elevator door opened. "Oh, my God, I can't believe it!"

"Problem, Corporal?" Quicksilver asked, exiting the car.

"No sir. No problem."

"Good. Morning briefing, Lieutenant," he said, glancing at Aurora.

"Be right there, Lieutenant."

He nodded stiffly and headed for the corridor leading to the Commander's office.

"Eek," Krysten said once he was out of earshot.

"You can say that again," Aurora said, standing to follow him.

"Enter," the Commander called at her knock. "What have we got this morning?" he asked as she came in and sat.

"Report from Steelheart at Vista Cielo. She's staying another week to oversee the installation of their new computer system." Aurora leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs.

"The work would go faster if we sent Steelwill out, too. They could get the work done twice as fast," Quicksilver pointed out.

"But we can't spare him," Aurora disagreed. "We're shorthanded without Steelheart as it is."

"We'll be shorthanded longer if we don't. They can finish the work in half the time."

"The current system repair, yes, but they'd be twiddling their thumbs until this weekend when the new computers arrive. At the most, they'd save two days. It's not worth it," Aurora said with finality.

"All right," Stargazer said, cutting of Quicksilver's response. "Steelheart's out there for the duration. It would take a day just to ferry Steelwill out there, and play havoc with the patrol schedule, too. Anything else?"

Jonathan shot Aurora a poisonous glance, then turned back to the Commander. "I'm not sure Corporal Skyedansuer's fitting in. She had a rather peculiar outburst as I was entering Command."

"That's my fault, sir," Aurora put in. "I said something she found a little unlikely. I probably shouldn't have been discussing it during shift."

The Commander grunted. "Don't let it happen again. Socializing should not take place during duty hours."

"Yes sir," Aurora agreed. "And while we're on the subject, I'm taking two days leave this coming weekend."

Her father's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"

"I have two weeks coming still this year. And I'm only going to Bedlama" She took a deep breath, "with General Landon."

"Just can't get enough, can you?" Jon snapped.

"Jealous, Lieutenant? Too bad you'll never know," she snapped back.

"That's enough, both of you! Lieutenant Quicksilver, you're excused. I'll talk to you later. Aurora, we'll finish this conversation now, if you please."

She was sullenly silent until Quicksilver left the office. "Well," her father prodded. "What was that about?"

"You heard him. I don't have to tolerate that kind of an insinuation."

Stargazer sighed. "I don't like to get involved in this stuff. I don't like to hear about it, and I don't like to see it. But when it creates problems, I have to say something."

"I'm not involved with Quicksilver," Aurora stated flatly.

"Not now, you're not. But I know you wanted to be. And I can't help but notice you chose to send Steelheart rather than Steelwill off for an extended trip away from the station."

"How many times am I going to have to defend a perfectly reasonable decision?" Aurora sighed. "Steelwill was in the middle of his 9th straight shift. I wasn't about to send him anywhere without 24 hours off. And it couldn't wait." She frowned. "You were fine with this a few days ago."

"A few days ago, I didn't have one field officer casting aspersions on the other. That tends to leave me with some questions."

She shook her head. "I'm just trying to get along here. I'm doing what I think is best, but I'm like a fifth wheel here, sometimes, and I don't like it much."

"Don't kid yourself; you're doing a good job, a great job. I just don't want to see you shoot your career in the foot by getting a bad reputation for taking things personally. You have too much potential for that." Stargazer studied her for a moment. "So, what's this about the General?"

She shrugged. "He asked. And I figured, 'Why not?'"

"And how was the opera?"

"Very nice. I'm afraid I had words with Xander again."

"I know," the commander harrumphed. "I mentioned it. Relax," he said, seeing her lean forward to protest. "It was just an informal statement. But you have to learn to hold your tongue, Aurora. Xander decides how much support we get from the Bedlama Military Police. Ticking him off won't help us any."

Aurora flopped back in her chair. "I know. And I'll write him an apology."

"Right away. Have you scheduled the Lieutenant's evaluations?"

"Working on it. General Landon's rounding up the psych expert, and I've ordered the standard achievement testing battery. Should be in any time."

"And you'll inform Quicksilver when?"

"It's supposed to be impromptu. No studying, no prep. He won't get a chance in the field to know what's coming before hand. This evaluation is no different."

"He's probably aware that it's been more than 6 months since he was found," the Commander pointed out.

"Then he knows something's coming, right?" Aurora shrugged. "I'm just doing this the way I was told."

"What about the physical evaluation?"

"I'll do that," she said offhandedly.

"Do you really think you should?"

"I don't see any reason why not." She stood. "Permission to be excused?"

He sighed. "Granted," he said, waving her toward the door. "Honey, take care of yourself, okay?"

Aurora smiled. "Don't worry about me, Dad. I always land on my feet."

Commander Stargazer shook his head as she closed the door softly.

Aurora stopped in Command and leaned against Krysten's console. "Anything interesting happening?"

"No more so than usual. There's a freighter inbound for Bedlama that wants to know if they can get an escort. They're 'heard stories' about the Mob. Bunch of chicken-sh --"

"Thank you, Corporal. I think I get the picture." She studied the report on Krysten's screen. "Any sign of Mob activity?"

"Nothing in-Galaxy so far. There's a lot of traffic between Fense and the Casino."

"We can't do anything about that." She studied the screen another minute. "New shipping company. Well, let's send out the welcome wagon. Call MoonStriker up were to cover your station, then suit up. We'll get you some more in-field experience with something nice and quiet."

"You mean it?" Krysten was nearly quivering with excitement.

"You bet. Tell them we're on our way, and have the team assembled in the hangar in five minutes. Get a move on, Corporal. Don't want to be late while you're still the rookie."

She smiled on her way to the elevator as Krysten's excited voice rang out over the PA.

Krysten skidded into the hangar with 10 seconds left. "Sorrylate," she panted. "Hadthe untiform."

"You just made it," Aurora assured her, leading her over to the Maraj. "Give the corporal a boost up, would you, Will?"

"Sure thing, Lieutenant. Where do you want her?"

"Let her ride in Steelheart's place today. We'll work out something permanent later." Aurora nodded as Will offered her a leg up into the pod.

"You're riding shotgun again, Krys?" Jay asked from the HotSeat as he ran through the pre-flight check.

"Yeah, and I'm coming with, so you'd better make it a smooth ride. She urps in there, Cowboy, and I'll blame you," Aurora joked, boosting herself into the pod on the other side of the central body. "Everybody in?" she asked. When they all confirmed, she nodded to herself. "Take us out, Cowboy. Nice and easy."

The Maraj blasted out of the hangar, Krysten screaming with delight.

The sound of music drew Jon through the mostly empty halls of Hawk Haven. It killed him sometimes, being separated from the team for field duty. He knew the time was coming when he'd have to prove himself all over again, but he welcomed it. Anything to get back into action.

He followed the music into the rec room, where he found Zan perched on a stool, bent over a guitar and picking out Beethoven's 5th with the help of an amp that came complete with a background section. He dropped in a chair and allowed himself to enjoy her skill for a few moment. "And here I thought you only did rock," he commented once she reached the end.

Zan shrugged. "Beethoven, rock, blues; what ever hits my fancy." She shook her hand, flexing her fingers. "Do you play?"

"Nah. Never took anything up...except trouble."

"I think that's normal for this bunch around here."

"There's some squeaky-clean ones slipping in here and there."

Zan chuckled. "If they stick around long enough, trouble will rub off on them." She picked out a few cords from Little Drummer Boy.

"Isn't Christmas over? Or did I miss something?"

Zan shook her head, chuckling again. "I play whatever strikes my fancy, not what ever the season is."

"I think I'm out of season, whatever it is."

"You'll figure it out. Don't force it. Took me years to get back in the right track."

"I don't have years, Zan. I have to be ready to return to full status when they say 'go.' And I don't have much time left to get my shit together."

"You see, there's the difference. You've had an entire team to back you and help you. Friends and family, and one or two that would like to be more then just friends. I went at it alone. I'm still the lone wolf around here."

"Because you want to be, I think. And friends can only go so far. It's going to be me and the psychologist, one on one, and a good reverse turn punch won't help much."

"I don't know about that. I broke the Doc's jaw once he was finished with me."

"The psychologist won't be impressed if I try it."

"Head shrinks are never impressed with anything." She rolled eyes. "They just like to poke and pry, seeing if the wound still bleeds after it's scabbed over."

"He can go get his own, then. 'Physician, heal thyself.'"

Zan smiled. "That's the attitude. When someone yells jump, don't ask how high. TELL them how high you plan on jumping the first time. Set your own terms."

"Who died and made you the grand high poo-bah? I don't know if I can win. It's Aurora's boyfriend who has the final say, and she's still pissed at me."

She shook her head, setting the guitar to the side as she slipped off the stool. "She's the one that screwed up and let her fantasies become the be all and end all. As for General Enigma," she shrugged as she crossed the room to join him, "you can do your best but there will always be someone waiting to screw you over in one way or another. Life's unfair Jon. Never claimed it other wise."

"So how do I win?"

"You win be being 100% honest, no matter what. Then, whatever happens, you haven't lost anything."

He sighed. "This place has been my life for more than ten years."

"Then you need to be sure your priorities are straight."

"Well, Krys, there's your ship," Aurora announced as they slowed to meet up with the cargo transport. "Go ahead and hail them."

"ME?" Krysten squeaked.

"It's your find. Just let them know we're here and we'll escort them straight through to Bedlama."

"Okay," Krys said happily. "Shuttle Chandan, This is Corporal Skyedanseur of the SilverHawks. We'll be escorting you to Bedlama. Stay on your present course, and we'll keep an eye on things."

"Thank you, SilverHawks," the radio crackled in reply. "We've heard some pretty awful stories from other freighters."

"Just relax, and we'll get you to Bedlama safe and sound." Krys cut the radio off. "Was that okay?"

"A little more bravado than I'd go with," Aurora said, "but fine in this case. We don't want these folks getting sloppy, but we don't want to scare them either." She activated the Heads-Up Display on the inside of her canopy. "Eyes up and on your quadrants, people. We don't want to get caught napping. Bluegrass, settle us in under the freighter, nice and easy if you please. Let's not make it too easy if the mob does happen to be watching this shipment."

It proved to be a prophetic statement. The Maraj was barely settled under the cargo ship when the Kidd was whistling frantically and laser beams stitched the sky around them.

"Damn it!" Aurora cursed. "Krys, get on that ship and get them out of here ASAP. Bluegrass, once they're away, get between them and the Mob and cover their escape. Take any shots that look good, and call the station for backup. We'll try to keep them busy here. Launch!"

The pressurized air of the pod forced her out, and she used the turned-back handles to guide herself into the ultra-thin atmosphere of Limbo Galaxy, wheeling and opening fire on the Limbo Limo bearing down on their position. She dodged and weaved along with Will and the Kidd, trying to avoid Buzz-Saw's blades and blasts from the cannon-sized weapon wielded by Mumbo Jumbo. A blade flashed close enough that she wore she could smell the oil on it, and she ducked down for an instant to contact Bluegrass.

"Jay! What's the story on our back-up?"

"Working on it, boss-lady. Keep your pants on."

Another blade whizzed by, missing her waist by micrometers. "I'll keep that in mind!"

Klaxons blared through the station, drowning out the pounding of feet through Command and down the ramp into the Commander's office.

"What's going on, sir?" Quicksilver asked as he and Zan entered.

Stargazer pressed a switch on his desk. "Patch it through, Private."

Bluegrass's voice filled the room, cutting in mid-sentence. "started taking fire. The freighter's hauling butt to Bedlama, and I'm covering their backs, but it's a mite hairy out here."

"Hang in there, Colonel. We're on our way." Quick looked at Zan. "Think you're up to it?"

"Any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Meet you down there."

Jon was on his was out the door after her when the Commander spoke. "Not you, Lieutenant."

"But, sir"

"No, Lieutenant. You're not back on active duty yet."

"It's a formality, sir. You know it's just a matter of some tests--"

"It's no, Lieutenant. Figure out something else."

Quick sighed, deflated. "Yes, sir."

"Next time, son, with any luck."

"Yes sir. Next time." Jon left the office and went back out to Command. "Get a move on, Private. You're up."

He jumped to his feet and saluted. "Yes sir. You won't regret this, sir."

"I do already," he muttered as the rash young soldier ran for the elevator. Zan, who'd been hovering near-by, slipped something into his hand. "What's this?"

"How do you think I keep track of Will and half the others all the time?" He raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged. "Hey, I own the company that puts this stuff on the market. Have some fun. Gotta love testing new prototypes." He smiled gratefully and she smirked. "Remind me to let you in on the next fighter that comes in for testing. I'll take you for the ride of your life."

"See you later, then."

"Count on it.'

"Finally gonna see some action out here," MoonStriker chortled as they flew toward the ambush point. "Gonna make some noise, get some notice. Time for someone else to be the big hero."

Zan turned down the volume on her radio before snickering. "Do you believe that crap?" she asked Jon over their isolated frequency.

"It's Mark. I'd be willing to believe he's planning his own Hero's Day parade."

She rolled her eyes. "Next time exams come around, can someone remove his ego?"

"I'll make a note of it. What do you see out there?"

Zan turned on the long-range tactical, getting a feel for the battle. "The freighter's heading for Bedlama at pretty high speed, looks like Jay's covering their escape. Will, the Kidd and the Crazy Hawk are bugging Mumbo and Buzz-Saw."

"Are they going to bring them in?"

"Doesn't look like she's trying to." Zan buzzed the Limo, putting a number of hits into it's engine and cringing when a saw-blade scraped the underside of the HummingBird. "Oh, that does it. You're paying for that one, Cuisinart."

"What's going on out there?!"

"Buzz-Saw earned himself a little trip to the trash compactor if I have my way. My paint job is wrecked."

"You're lucky that's all he's gotten."

"Lucky?! Do you know how hard it is to touch-up the laser-refraction system? It's going to be in the bay for a week with all the layers that go on." She turned and dove, then brought the tiny plane up under the Limo's stabilizer wing, tilting it more than 90 degrees and tossing the occupants out into space. Quick as its namesake, the HummingBird accelerated past the falling criminals, catching them on the wings. Zan barrel-rolled a few times as they hung on for dear life, then pulled back up and dumped them, shaken, not stirred, back into the Limo's seats.

Aurora wasted no time making sure they were thoroughly restrained, then called Bluegrass and the Maraj back in.

"Hitch us up, Cowboy, and tow this wreck to the Penal Planet. Once we're underway, get on the line to Skyedansuer and have her hang onto those pilots once they hit Bedlama and get their statement. I want to know what they're carrying and why the Mob wants it. We'll pick her up there once these guys are dropped off. Steelwill and MoonStriker will ride with out 'guests' and make sure they don't try to wander around the cabin while the 'fasten seatbelt signs' are on, and Phantom can keep an eye on them from behind in case things get hairy again." She waited for the confirming nods and messages. "Okay. Let's get this show on the road."

"She could have done worse," Zan said to Jon over the link.

"I thought you said she wasn't going to bring them in?"

"Situation changed, and she's certainly taking advantage of it. Would you just leave two hoods sitting out here to wreck more trouble?"

"Of course not, but" Jon trailed off.

"Look, I don't care for a lot of what she does on her own time, but right here and now, she's doing it right, and I have to give her credit for it. I'm going to make sure they get these goombahs dropped off, then I'll be back. See you soon."

Back to the station, Jon drew the radio out of his ear and dropped it on the console. It had been a successful capture, even if it wasn't of Mon*star, and he'd missed all but the very basics. Zan had been right; he did need to re-examine his priorities. And right now, getting back to active duty was moved right to the top of the list.

Aurora signed the prisoner transfer and handed the pad back to Warden Lockup. "They're all yours, Warden. When do you anticipate scheduling the first hearing?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Sometime next week, I imagine. I'll let you know. You'll be available to make a statement?"

"You bet. I'll keep you informed, and get you the statements from the freighter crew as well. I'm curious myself as to why they thought they'd be targeted."

"All right then. I'll expect to hear from you soon."

"You bet. See you next week, Warden. Bye."

"Good-bye, Lieutenant." He gestured to the armed guards watching the prisoners, and they marched Buzz-Saw and Mumbo into the prison.

Aurora rejoined the team at the Maraj. "Okay, Colonel. We're out of here."

"Where to, ma'am?" he asked as she loaded up.

"Bedlama to pick up Skyedansuer. From there, we'll finish today's patrol. Still plenty of time to bust bad guys today."

The remainder of the week was blessedly quiet. Patrols were routine, paperwork wrapped itself up neatly, and the case against Buzz-Saw and Mumbo was coming together with no loose ends for the team to track down. So it was with real relief that Aurora caught Seymore's cab Saturday morning, headed for Bedlama.

Quicksilver knocked uneasily at the door to the penthouse suite. He certainly hadn't wanted this particular duty, but the commander had insisted, and the fact that the others were out on patrol had made the assignment clearly necessary.

The door opened, and he saw General Landon holding it, wearing a casual polo and slacks. "Lieutenant. Good to see you Can I help you?"

"A situation has developed. I'm afraid I need to speak to Lieutenant Stargazer."

The general nodded, ushering Quicksilver in. "Sure. Hang on just a second and I'll tell her you're--"

The suite's bedroom door opened, and Aurora came out, swathed in a heavy robe and wrapping a towel around her dripping hair. "Steven, did you order lunch already? I thought I heard--" She flipped the towel back and spotted Jon at once. "Lieutenant," she said, frozen in place.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Jon said stiffly. "There's been a development in the case you've been working on. The Commander's revoked your leave this weekend."

She frowned. "What's happened?"

Jon glanced at the general, then back to her. "We can discuss it on the way back to the station. But you should get dressed so we can--"

"We can discuss it now," Aurora insisted, folding her arms. "I'm not just trotting out of here on your say-so."

"It's not just me say-so," Jon insisted as General Landon reached for a phone. "I'm here with orders to bring you back to the station ASAP."

Aurora opened her mouth to retort when Steven offered the phone to her. "Aurora? Ask him yourself."

She took it with a nod. "Stargazer. Yes. They did what?!. All right, yes, right away. That will be fine. See you then." She hung the phone up and looked at Steven. "My case against Buzz-Saw and Mumbo has hit a major stumbling block."

"Oh?"

"They've broken out. I've got to go find out what's going on." She pulled the towel off her head, revealing dark hair slicked back with water. "I'll be ready to go in a minute, Lieutenant." She turned and walked back into the bedroom.

"Make yourself comfortable, Lieutenant," General Landon said, following her.

The door shut, and Jon snorted, leaning against a wall. "Not much chance of that."

Aurora tossed the towel on the bed and started pulling her clothes from the closet. "I'm really sorry about this."

Steven shrugged. "It happens. At least you got in that swim you wanted."

"You didn't come all this way to watch me swim laps for an hour. We didn't even get to lunch."

"Make it up to me Monday?"

She stopped packing at looked at him. "The evaluation?"

"Yes. You can tell him if you want. At this point, it won't make much difference." He watched as she finished her packing and picked up the clothes she'd left out. "So do I get to stay for the floor show?"

"Guess again." She slipped through the door into the attached bathroom. "The Commander said he'd try to give me next weekend to make it up."

"No good. I'll be a the station during the evaluation, but I'll have to be back on Earth end of the week, and I can't make it up again before the Officer's Ball."

"Damn. I forgot about the Ball." She tucked her tank top into her shorts, then zipped and buttoned them. "Well, I'll see you Monday morning, then," she said, returning to the bedroom.

"That you will." He tilted her chin up and gently kissed her. "Come to the Ball with me?"

"'With you' with you, or just 'fellow officer' with you?"

"Do me the honor, fair lady, of allowing me to be your escort for the evening."

She arched an eyebrow. "Can't say no to an invitation like that. Yes."

"Excellent. I'll pick you up." He leaned in to kiss her again when a knock sounded on the door, breaking the mood.

"How much trouble would I be in if I said I really, REALLY wanted to kill him right now?" Aurora murmured.

"The feeling, my dear, is entirely mutual." He sighed and settled for a quick peck on her forehead. "Be careful. I'll see you Monday morning."

She picked her bag up from the bed. "Yeah. Listen, I'm really sorry about the way this is turning out--"

There was another knock at the door, more insistent this time. "Lieutenant, we really have to go," Quicksilver called out.

She sighed. "On my way, Lieutenant." She looked at Steven and shrugged. "I'm not going to kill him, because I really don't want to be in the brig for our next date."

"Good thinking." He leaned down and kissed her. "Get going," he said finally.

She nodded and went to the door without another word. Yanking it open without warning, she stormed past a startled Jon. "Well, come on, Lieutenant," she said, opening the suite's main door. "You're the one in such an all-fired hurry to get going." She saw Steven reappear from the bedroom and suppressed a sigh, Bye, she mouthed, and he nodded. Then she turned and left.

"Sorry for disrupting your weekend, sir." Quicksilver nodded to the General, then followed Aurora out of the suite.

She sat aloof and silent in the cab, arms folded across her chest. He watched as she stared straight ahead, face frozen in a slight frown, one foot tapping regularly.

"What are you staring at?" she finally asked, voice filled with irritation.

"Aren't you dressed a littlecasually for going on duty?" he asked.

"What possible difference could what I happen to wear make to you?"

His own temper was beginning to flare. "It's bad enough that you're running to Bedlama every chance you get to have a tryst with a member of the general staff, but when you come back to the station looking like a refugee from a backyard bar-be-que, it becomes my business."

"What I do on my leave time has nothing to do with you, Lieutenant, you can be sure of that. As it happens, my uniforms are in the laundry, and would have been ready before I returned to the station Sunday. As it is, I will have to ask Steven to pick they up from the hotel dry-cleaners before he comes up Monday morning. Oh, and by the way, your re-evaluation will begin Monday morning. Good luck."

Her good wishes were clearly sarcastic, and he left the comment alone. The remainder of the journey was made in even colder silence, if possible.

The SprintHawk sat in the center of the hangar, filling a tiny portion of the space normally dedicated to the Maraj. Aurora could feel the heat off the engines as she crossed between the cab and the ship, and found Steelheart completing the post-flight shut-down.

"You're back early, Sergeant," she called over the dying whine of the motors.

"Looks like I could say the same for you. Thought you were off this weekend."

Aurora shrugged. "I was. How was Cielo?"

"Unpleasant for a while. Better now. New systems were all better than 95% when I left."

Aurora nodded. "That's fine." She cast a quick glance to Jon, who was dealing with Seymore and the fare. "Go ahead and take the rest of the weekend off. You've earned it, and we'll have enough bodies covering things."

Emily was caught off-guard. "Thanks, Lieutenant."

"No problem. SOMEONE should get to enjoy their weekend." She cast another look at Jon. "Come on, Lieutenant. We were in some kind of rush, remember?" She looked back at Emily. "See ya," she said, then headed for the elevator.

"Can I shoot her now?" Jon muttered as he passed Emily.

"I'm sure you really enjoyed that," Aurora said frostily, breaking the glacial silence in the elevator.

"What?" Jon exclaimed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on, Lieutenant. It's quid pro quo, right? I ruin your life, you ruin mine." He was silent, so she pressed on. "I sent Emily away on a TOTALLY aboveboard mission, so you decided to get back at me by coming down to Bedlama and yanking me off leave."

"Don't be ridiculous. As if I care what you do with your time. Screw the entire general staff for all I care. But don't ever imply that I used my authority to disrupt your plans."

"I didn't--" she started, then broke off suddenly. "Never mind. So why you? Why didn't the Commander send someone else, anyone else, to tell me. Or call, for the love of God. I left the number for the hotel."

"Maybe you should try checking your messages in between rounds."

"You know, you really make me sick sometimes."

"Just returning the favor."

"All right," Aurora said, bursting into her father's office, "what is so god-damned awful that it couldn't wait 36 hours?"

The Commander stared at her a moment. "I'm going to overlook the wardrobe, Lieutenant, seeing as you rushed back to attend to this. But you will not, repeat NOT, address me in that manner in this office. Do you get me?"

Cowed, she saluted. "Sir, yes sir. What is the situation, sir?"

"Your birds have flown the coop, Lieutenant. They were in their cells last night, 2200 hours, at lights out. Sometime between then and 0800, when the cells were opened for breakfast, they managed to escape. They were confirmed missing at post-meal count at 0830, and the warden had alerted us by 0900, when it was clear they left the Penal Planet."

"With all due respect, sir, what does this have to do with me?" Aurora asked.

"It's your case, Lieutenant," Quicksilver said. "You get to go out there and figure out what happened."

Ignoring Jonathan, she focused on her father. "Sir, surely this is an internal prison matter. I signed them over to the warden's custody. What happens after that is his problem."

"Tough. You will hie yourself out there and lend whatever assistance you can toward establishing the particulars of the escape. Report back to me when you know what happened. And I suggest before you get out there, you find something more appropriate to wear. Dismissed, Lieutenant Stargazer."

"Can I have a private word, sir?"

"When you get back. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir," she snapped, then saluted and left.

Once the door shut, Stargazer leaned back in his chair and gestured for Quick to sit. "Sorry I had to stick you with that duty, son."

"I've had more difficult assignments, sir."

"Yes, but probably not any more unpleasant. I'm sure she was spitting nails the entire trip back."

Jon nodded. "When she wasn't acting as though I didn't exist." He sighed. 'I don't know if this idea of yours is going to work. Ideally, having a second officer out here capable of leading the team would be great. But the level of hostility between Lieutenant Stargazer and myself isn't going down. It might be in everyone's best interests to send her on to another posting and arrange for someone else."

Stargazer shook his head. "They're used to her now. And I know she's abrasive and demanding. I was getting reprimands as often as commendations when I was her age. I want to keep her here, but if things don't smooth out, we'll look into making some changes after your re-evaluation. Any ideas on that?"

"Aurora let something slip, sir. She said that the process will begin Monday morning when General Landon arrives."

Stargazer nodded. "I figured it would be soon." He pushed some papers around on his desk and pulled up the weekend duty roster. "Zan's buzzing the Light-year Limit, and the Cowboy has everyone else on a wide-sweep looking for the fugitives. Once Zan gets back, hand over temporary command to her, and take the weekend off to catch up on any areas where you might be weak. I can't afford to lose you again. Especially now."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. This next week isn't going to be easy, son. Don't let them get to you."

"You'd better have a good reason for this, Old Man."

Stargazer looked up from his paperwork. "Have you been comparing notes with my daughter? I may take a lot of guff from her, but I've slapped her down for that today, and I'm not afraid to do it again."

"The one that acts like a love-starved school girl chasing after a crush? I'm getting ready to walk in the other direction when I see her coming." Zan dropped into a chair, letting her flight helmet fall gently to the floor. "Why are you torturing me?"

"Quicksilver's fitness evaluation is scheduled for Monday AM. I'm giving him time to brush away the last of the cobwebs."

Zan shrugged. "So call the school-girl back from vacation. She loves cracking the whip."

"She's following up on the prison break. And I want YOU in the driver's seat this time."

"Look, I know we all nod and wink about it, but I'm not really an officer assigned to this base. It's not my job to ride herd on your birdies."

Stargazer lifted an eyebrow. "Walks like an officer, talks like an officer"

"Takes shit from command like an officer." Zan sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll sit behind a desk, but don't expect much to happen."

"Just try to keep the place in one piece. That should do for now."

Stargazer looked up at the knock on his door. "It's like Grand Central Station around here," he muttered. Then he called out, "Enter."

Aurora came in, dressed much more appropriately this time, in the regulation warm-up suit. She was dirty, disheveled, and looked disappointed. "You said I could have a minute when I got back."

Her attitude was much more becoming, so he humored her. "So I did. What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to ask why you-"

He cut her off with a wave. "Just a moment. If this has anything to do with the leave time you have missed, you'll get it credited back to you. If this is about getting pulled off leave to deal with an emerging situation, tough luck. It happens. If this is about Lieutenant Quick being selected to break the news, I'm not interested in discussing it. Now, given those guidelines, what do you want to discuss with me?"

She sat silent, staring at him. "I guess I have nothing to say." She stood quietly, saluted and left.

"'Bout time she learned to shut up," he muttered once the door was closed.

Emily knew he wasn't sleeping. He was holding her a bit too tight, his breathing a touch too regular. She rolled towards him, and caught Jon in the act of screwing his eyes shut.

"It's no good," she said. "Even without the empathy, I know you're not asleep." He snuffled a little, and she laughed. "Give it up, Jon. Acting is never going to be one of your major skills."

He rolled away so he was lying on his back. "I'm sorry, Em. I've just got too much to think about. You might get more sleep back in your own room."

"No, I wouldn't," she said, rolling to rest her head on his shoulder, one arm across his chest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"You know what I'm thinking anyway. What's the point?"

"So YOU know what you're thinking. You're going a mile a minute in there, chasing your tail like a dog caught in a rut. Maybe if you take some of these thoughts out and look at them, they won't seem so bad."

He sighed, rubbing one hand up and down her spine in the dark. "What if I don't make it? There are plenty of opportunities for me to screw it up. And even if I get through everything perfectly, one wrong word from someone," He didn't say who, but she knew he was thinking about Aurora, "and it's back home with 'unfit' stamped on my file."

"Tell me this.. have you ever known that someone to be anything other then unscrupulously fair?"

He sighed again. "I just don't feel like I can trust people not to shaft me over this."

"It never has been, nor ever was, your fault it happened. Stop hitting yourself over the head for it."

"I know that. I'm just not sure I can get out from under this one."

Emily propped herself up on an elbow. "Do you think that either me or Zan would have risked our necks if we didn't think you were worth it? Do you still think the rest of the team whispers behind your back about it? Or even put in the amount of time it took to get you back up to par? Jon, we're your friends. Friends stick behind each other no matter what."

"I know who my friends are," he assured her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "And I know who they aren't. It's the ones that aren't that scare me."

"Then stand up to them and prove them wrong about you. Make them see that you are still the man they chose for the job." She paused a moment, the laughed. "Zan's commenting on how she would have done it just to prove, and I quote, 'Those idiotic goombas on earth that they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to good officers.' End quote."

"Does that include the stick she insists is up my ass?"

Emily laughed again. "I think she's grinning."

"Mmmm Tell her to go find her own things to grin at."

Aurora stood in the hangar, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for General Landon's ship to arrive. Finally it appeared at the end of the launch tunnel, and she managed to still herself as it came in and settled just to one side of the Maraj. The hatch opened, and she snapped to attention.

"Welcome aboard, General," she said as he came down the steep stairway.

"Good to see you again, Lieutenant. How is everything?"

"Fine, sir. As expected. We're ready to begin whenever you are."

"Excellent. Lieutenant, this is Dr. Thomas Von Straussen. He'll be conducting the mental fitness exam, as well as some informal interviews designed to determine the effect Lieutenant Quick's absence had on the team. I'm sure he'll want to get your impressions as well." Be careful, his look told her. This guy could be serious trouble.

Aurora nodded pleasantly and took the doctor's offered hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said pleasantly, a bland smile on her face. "I'll be sure to have the crew at your disposal."

"I'd like to begin with Captain Vernadeau, if possible," the doctor said as they moved toward the elevator. "Her rather unexpected return has several people asking rather pointed questions."

"I don't know if that's necessary," Steven said smoothly, guiding him into the lift. "The Captain's here more for her own, ahem, personal reasons. And there's really no telling if she's here at the moment or not. Sort of on her own, you understand." Behind the doctor's head, he shot Aurora a look, and she nodded quickly.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me, I need to make a few arrangements, so I'll be getting off here," she said, slipping out at the third floor. "I'll catch up with you in just a few minutes."

Once the doors had shut, Aurora raced down the corridor to the mess hall, skidding around the corner in her heels and nearly falling over the table where Jon, Emily, Will and Zan were having breakfast.

"Zan, you've got to get out of here," she got out breathlessly.

Zan lifted one eyebrow. "And why exactly is that?"

"The shrink is here." Aurora sucked in a huge breath. "He wants to see everyone, and you're on the top of his list. Steven wanted me to tell you to jam before we have to lie flat out to his face."

She was on her feet in an instant. "How long?"

"For sure today. We'll call tomorrow and give you more info. Will, can you pass the word? He wants to talk to everyone, and the sooner we get it over with, the sooner he'll leave." She straightened up and headed back for the door. "I have to catch up with the tour. I'll get you more info when I can." Then she was scurrying out the door.

"Will you be okay?" Will asked as Zan downed the last of her coffee.

"Oh, yeah. A lot better than if I was stuck in a room with the head-shrinker. Good luck, Jon."

Emily watched as Zan and her brother left. "Well, do you have a better idea of who your friends are now?" she asked.

Staring at the doorway where Aurora had disappeared, he didn't have an answer.

Aurora picked up her instruction sheet as proctor for the exam. "All right. According to this, you have 60 minutes to complete the next portion of the test. Mark the circle next to the best answer, don't spend too much time on any one question, blah blah blah." She looked at her watch, then put the paper down. "You may begin now."

With a rip, Jon opened the test booklet and started.

Aurora didn't look up at the knock on her office door. "Yes?" she called, laying another scoring sheet over the test form.

"You didn't show up for lunch," Steven said, poking his head in. "I thought I'd take the liberty." He brought in a pair of trays from the mess and found clear space on the desk for them.

Aurora closed the test booklet and set it aside. "Thank you. I'm sorry I missed you. I've been buried in these tests since 11:30."

"How's it going?"

She shrugged. "It's early. The scores are good enough, really, but this is all basic stuff; reading, math, social studies. The military-specific exams won't get going until this afternoon." She pulled forward the tray closest to her.

"Are you expecting problems?

"Just hypothesizing. A lot of the textbook courses from the Academy don't have a lot of bearing on line command in the field. I know if I could I'd answer a lot of the questions differently than what a book says in right."

"Well, you can keep that in mind when you mark the exam. If you feel like it's one of those gray areas, go ahead and make a note on the answer sheet, and mark it however you feel best."

"You're putting an awful lot of responsibility on me for this."

He shrugged. 'I think you can handle it. I trust you to do the right thing in this case. Did Zan get off okay?"

"Yes. Will is going to contact her tonight when we know more about the schedule."

"Jon's psych exam will be tomorrow, and I'm going to encourage Von Straussen to go over the results with me then. We should be rid of him by tomorrow night?"

"Oh, we will? I see."

"I'm in no rush to get rid of Lieutenant Quick if there's any hope of returning him to service."

"Is there something you want me to do about that?"

"No," he told her emphatically. "If there's anything to be done, I'll do it. You just keep doing what you're doing."

"In that case, I'd better get back to work."

"Hey, Zan, do you have a minute?"

Zan turned to find General Landon leaning against a doorframe behind her. "Is this the part I slipped out of here to avoid?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Von Strassen gave me his report and left, no problems. This is about Quicksilver."

"Maybe you should ask him anything you need to know."

"Unfortunately, I can't ask him what others think of him. I've talked to everyone else. You've managed to avoid me long enough to be last."

"Just lucky, I guess." She sighed. "Come down to my office. No sense doing this in a hallway."

Settled into her office, she put her feet up on the desk. "I bet Aurora gave you a real tall tale. I don't know that I'd believe anything she said about Jon."

"She characterized him as an excellent tactical officer with a weakness in person-to-person skills. Does that seem incorrect to you?"

"Huh?" Zan blinking at him a moment. "Wait a moment, What's the point here?"

"Lieutenant Stargazer pointed out his excellent record before the events during which Lieutenant Quick was missing. And she rightly declined to comment on his capabilities in the field."

"Oh." Getting up and pacing the office, pausing here or there to examine something or other. "Between you, me and the walls, I'm surprised she even gave him a fair chance."

"Why?"

"Ever since that little...." She paused a moment in thought, then shrugged. "Ever since that screw up on her part at the beginning, and then him turning around and telling her the hard truth of the matter she's had a problem with Jon." She held up a hand to forestall any words. "I'm not putting the blame in her lap alone. While he should have avoided it, she shouldn't have pushed as hard as she did to get him into bed."

"And you don't think she can separate their personal issues from their professional issues?"

"Oh, she can, He can. When neither are in the same room at the same time in which to snip at each other. "

"So do you think her characterization is incorrect? Is Lieutenant Quick not an excellent officer in most respects?"

"Oh, he's a damned good officer. Just gotta get past that stick up his ass for the most part."

"So he does have issues with personal interaction. Then what's the problem here, Captain?"

"You tell me."

"Maybe the problem isn't one officer or two, but the whole crew. Maybe the solution is to separate everyone and find out who the trouble is really with."

"Stir up the ant hill? Are you crazy? That would have the same effect that breaking up the Wild Hunt would have had all those years ago. Complete chaos and months, if not years, to settle back down again."

"Well, I can't have two officers at each other's throats. And at this point, there's no one qualified to take the place of either Lieutenant Quick or Lieutenant Stargazer. So as an experienced officer, Captain, what do you suggest?"

She smirked. "Chain them together and toss them into a situation where they have to work it out on their own."

Steven visibly winced. "I'm going to be unpopular for a while if I suggest something like that."

Zan put her feet up on the desk. "That's why you get the big bucks, I'm sure." She tiled her head. "Hell, stick them both on KP for a while. Never hurt me."

"KP's too easy to get away from. I think we need something a bit more isolated." He frowned in concentration. "Don't worry about it, Captain. I'm sure something appropriate will present itself. And you will be innocent of any duplicity."

"Forget innocent. I want to see this team really able to work together. I'll take my lumps to make it happen."

"Do you have something in mind?"

Zan stared into space a moment, considering. Then her lips twitched into a smile, but it had more about it of cunning than of joy. "I just might at that. Close the door, and let's really talk."

Aurora woke slowly, rubbing her eyes with one hand, trying to remember where she was. Funny, she thought. Don't normally forget A clinking noise interrupted her train of thought, and she traced the sound down her arm to her right wrist. There was a shackle around it, loose enough to turn easily, but not so loose that she could slip her hand free. At the other end of the foot-long chain was another cuff, locked around a wrist. That wrist, as normal, was attached to an arm. Lieutenant Quicksilver's arm.

She bolted upright, yanking her arm away and jerking his along with it. She shrieked, trying to drag herself further away, but only succeeded in pulling him closer. She shook her hand violently, trying to remove the cuff from her wrist, but it only smacked Jon's shackled hand into the dirt.

"God, Em, cut it out," he mumbled. "Have to be up in" His eyes opened, and he squinted in the bright sunshine. "What the?" He saw Aurora next to him, still trying to get out of the cuff, and scrambled back, pulling Aurora face-first into the dirt. Aurora scrambled up and threw her free hand around a near-by sapling, pulling back against Jon's heels, dug into the dirt.

Between them their arms stretched, shoulders straining and elbows popping.

Jon shook his head, coming to his senses. "Cool it, Lieutenant," he muttered, trying to take in the situation. Aurora continued to pull against, panic clear in her eyes. "Lieutenant," he barked, "calm down. That's an order!" Training held, and her grip on the tree went slack, but she still crouched across the intervening space, trembling, their arms stretched out between them.

"Shit!"

Zan swore in the dark, staring at the monitors. "She's going postal in there," she said, wheeling on the room's other occupant. "What the fuck is this shit? There's nothing in her psych profile that would indicate this."

The figure in the dark corner shrugged. "It's not in her profile."

"You'd better start talking, Enigma-boy. I do NOT like surprises."

He shrugged again. "She doesn't like being restrained."

"Whoop-de-fucking-do. Who does? What aren't you telling me?"

He moved forward, the light from the black and white monitors playing hell with his pale hair. "It's a personal issue. There are no records, no reports, nothing official anywhere. And this isn't about what either of them likes, right? It's about what they need. It's pure luck on her part she hasn't been captured by the Mob at some point. If she's going to stay, she has to face that possibility."

"You should have said something sooner," Zan insisted. "She capable of really hurting him, not that I think it's likely."

"Would you have gone ahead with the plan if I'd told you?"

"Not without know what the deal was," she replied promptly.

"Then it would have been a huge bust. I'm not inclined to betray a confidence like that."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Nobody died, though? I think I'm entitled to know that much."

"No. Nobody died. No one was seriously injured. I'll give you that one for free. The rest, you'll have to get from her, if you want it."

Zan turned back to the screen, watching the action play out.

"All right, Lieutenant, spit it out. What's bugging you, aside from the obvious?"

She flapped her shackled wrist, but gently, making the chain jingle. Her other hand was pressed over her eyes, ragged breathing slowly turning slow and even. "It's nothing," she said at last. Her hand dropped, but her eyes were on the dirt at her feet. "Where are we?"

"Damned if I know. Bedlama, maybe. Or Earth."

She looked up, squinting in the sun. "No. I don't think so. The sun is a natural star, not artificial. And the sky is the wrong color."

"Well, why are you asking me if you know so much already?" he snapped.

"I don't know a goddamned thing! I'm just telling you what I see."

"Well, maybe you're seeing more than your telling me. Maybe you know what the fuck this is all about and you're watching me squirm." He yanked on his end of the chain, trying to topple her into the dust, but she recovered her balance and yanked back.

"Don't pull on me!" she shouted.

"Don't pull on me either!"

Back and forth they went, tugging, yanking, each trying to trip the other up, til they were both on their asses in the dirt.

"Well, that was very productive," Aurora sneered.

"All right, all right. Let me think a minute." Jon looked around, studying the terrain. "I suppose the first thing we have to do is find our way to some kind of outpost, get a message out to-" He was cut off when something hit the dirt at their feet, hard, kicking up a plume of dust. "What the"

There was a ringing crack, and Aurora scrambled to her feet. "Gunfire. We have to find cover!" She clambered over a pile of low boulders, dragging Jon after her as bullets pinged into the rocks after them.

"What do you mean gunfire?" Jon asked, standing and trying to look over the rocks. "No one has used projectile weapons in battle for more than-"

Aurora yanked him down as another salvo hit the stones. A chip shattered off, leaving a thin line of blood across Jon's face. "You were saying? I grew up where there was gunfire every so often. Hunters, mostly. It sounded like a rifle."

"So who's shooting?"

"Hell if I know."

He grunted. "How do we get away?"

"We're probably going to have to wait until they come in closer and ambush them hand to hand."

"Against guns?!'

"If you have a better idea, I'm willing to listen."

He shook his head, sighing. "Just what did you plan to use for weapons?"

She scrabbled in the pile of stones, picking out one just slightly larger than she could comfortable palm. "Here. Hit him with a rock if you can't think of anything else."

Steven suppressed a snicker behind a cough. Zan merely rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on," he protested. "You have to give her credit for that one. She's trying to save his ass at least."

"She doesn't have to be such a bitch about it," Zan grumbled. She tapped a few commands, and the shooters suddenly appeared on the other side of the rocks from the concealed Silverhawks, then scrabbled over the rocks. It was a short battle, relying more on brute force than any kind of grace or skill. Steven winced when Aurora took an ugly blow to the jaw, but she gave as good as she got, bashing the ugly grunt in the teeth with the stock of his own gun.

It was more luck than skill that saw them through, though. Jon and Aurora spent most of their time tangled around each other and the shackles, shouting and yanking. Yet they managed to subdue both attackers, knocking them out.

"You see what I mean?" Zan said, once her creations were defeated. "They'd be a deadly team if they could work together."

Steven snorted. "If they don't kill each other first."

They were armed now, at least. The rifles were loaded with rubber pellet-type ammo, non-lethal in general, but the hunting knives were very useful, along with the ration packs. They were hiking across the landscape in petulant silence.

They'd argued the minute the shooters were subdued, about everything; what to do with their attackers, what equipment they should take, which way to go. Now they marched through endless fields and forests, saying nothing. And going his way.

Steven set a steaming cup of coffee on the cluttered desk in the darkened office. "How are they doing?" he asked, sipping from his own cup.

Zan typed a few commands into the computer then picked up the cup. "Pretty snippy for a while. Now they've gone for ignoring each other for the most part. Good news is they've worked out coping with the basic necessities."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Turn your back and pretend your arm's not attached to someone watering the bushes."

Steven laughed. "That has to be an improvement."

"Yeah. If it's ever necessary to piss on the Mob, we know who to call for the job."

"You were all for this, Captain. Having second thoughts?"

"No. Just hoping they're not going to maim each other in there."

"Just give me the damned stick, Lieutenant," Aurora was saying, holding out her unfettered hand. "Those apples aren't just going to fall off the tree because you ordered them to."

In the control room, Steven sighed. "We've still got a long way to go."

Aurora chewed one last bite thoughtfully, then threw the core into the leaf litter covering the orchard floor.

"That's littering, you know."

She rolled her head to the left against the trunk of the tree at her back. "Oh, get over it. It's a forest. Who's going to care where I toss the core? Besides, the seeds will grow into more trees."

"Maybe someone owns this land. Maybe they don't want uncontrolled growth out here."

"Then they can come out and hack it up. I wish they would." She sighed and pulled her knees up, trying to wrap her arms around her legs. He jerked his arms back, and she huffed a little, settling for one arm and resting her head on her knees. "We've been walking for hours. If there's anywhere to get, we'd have been there already. Let's face it, wherever we are, and however we got here, we're not leaving anything soon."

"Yes, we are."

"How? There's nothing here. No cities, no towns, no villages, settlements, houses. Nothing. We're stuck in the middle of the biggest nowhere I have ever seen!" She swallowed back a sob and took a deep breath. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get, you know, emotional. I know that's not your thing."

Jon swore softly, then squirmed a little closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and dragging her over to lean against him, She struggled against him at first.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, hush. It's getting dark, and we're going to be stuck out here tonight at least. We may as well conserve body heat."

"Yeah?"

"Well, if you cry, I promise not to look."

She chuckled and squirmed a bit, trying to get more comfortable, then stiffened. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"It's justforgot, for a second. My fault." She backed away some.

"Look, this isn't anything personal, okay?"

"I know." She started to snap, then shook her head a little. "I know." It was softer this time. A few minutes later, she was squirming around again.

"What's wrong with you?" Jon asked, a tinge of irritation in his voice.

"I. I have to use the little girls' bush," she said in a rush.

"You know, this is turning into some kind of car trip from hell." He looked down at the chain in annoyance, then stood, helping her up. "Well, pick one. May as well get it over with all at once."

"Oh, quit whining," she said, crashing through the foliage in the dark. "If it hadn't been me, it would have been you."

"Is this the part where I say keep it up and I'm turning this car around and we're going home?" His right arm was extended around the wide trunk of a tree as he manipulated his slacks with his left.

"Oh, would you, please?" A few moments later, there was a crackle from the other side of the tree, and he heard Aurora's voice again, but it was strained. "Jon"

"What!"

"There's something staring at me."

Jon snorted. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? Piss on it?"

"You don't understand. It's above me."

He looked up and saw a furry tail lashing against the trunk of the tree. Then it stilled, and he heard a scritch overhead. "Aurora, get up very slowly and come over here."

"But I'm-"

"I don't care if you're offering tribute to the rising moon. Get over here now." He felt the chain between then go slack, and hastily rearranged his sweats, crouching and searching the underbrush for some kind of weapon. His fingers brushed over rough bark, and he wrapped his hand around a heavy branch, hefting it from the bracken. He stepped carefully past Aurora, still crouched near the ground, and raised his shackled hand slowly toward the furred tail just overhead, grateful that for one, he didn't have to remind Aurora to allow him enough slack on the chain. Now was not the time for another round of tug-o-war.

Swiftly, he grabbed the tail and yanked, startling the big cat. It yowled and pulled back against him, desperate to escape. Jon let go, and, overbalanced, the cat fell to the forest floor, slightly stunned. It staggered to its feet, then crouched, tail lashing the air, wings folded tight to its sides. Its upraised rump wiggled from side to side as it shifted its weight, then went still, and with no warning, it jumped.

Jon picked his moment and let fly with the club, It caught the big cat in the head, slamming it hard into the trunk of the tree. The animal slid limply to the ground, as Aurora stood up.

"Is it dead?" she asked, nudging it with one sneakered toe.

"I don't know," Jon replied, casting the stick aside. It had splintered in the attack, leaving him holding a useless foot-long section of branch. "I don't think we should hang around and find out, either. Let's get moving. We'll need to find a new spot to camp at."

"It can probably follow us if it's still alive," she pointed out.

Jon grunted in acknowledgement as the retrieved their meager packs. "Maybe," he admitted as they set off again. "I'm going to hope it decides to look for an easier meal." At least she wasn't caterwauling about moving on despite the darkness and their obvious near-exhaustion. "And I'm picking the next comfort station location."

"By all means," she agreed whole-heartedly. Then she stumbled over a branch in the dark and cursed. "God! The Mojave Death March wasn't this bad."

"You went on the Death March?"

"Oh, yeah. Most of my class went. Biggest group in ten years, they said." She lifted her feet higher to clear the debris on the ground.

Jon felt the corner of his mouth quirk up in a half-smile, and blessed the darkness for covering it. "How did you do? Did you finish?"

"Of course. I came in first," she added a moment later. She said it quietly and without conceit, and he had a flash of the freshman who had shyly offered an exceptional test result for his perusal.

How could I have done better?

It's already marked 100, Cadet. What more do you want?

I was justhoping you'd give me you insights.

He had sighed. All right. Sit down and we'll look at it.

"What was your time?" he found himself asking.

"Minus two point two off the record."

He blinked in the darkness. "How did you save more than two hours on that hike?"

"Tortuga Pass was the alternate route on the outbound leg. I took it on the way back as well."

Jon let himself cogitate on that, trying to call up a half-remembered map of the desert areas surrounding the Academy grounds. "Wait. Both ways? The return route is always different than the outbound stretch."

"The recommended route back is different. But it's only recommended. No where in the rules does it say you have to take the established paths."

"It's cheating!"

"No. It's thinking outside the box."

You have to think outside the box, Cadet. You can't just take whatever they give you and nod. Look at all the options, and know why you've been given whatever recommendation they picked.

"You're using my own lecture against me," he accused.

"Just didn't want you to think I forgot. And I did cheat a little. Sort of."

"Sort of? How can you sort of cheat?" He could almost sense her flush when he asked, but tried hard to put it down to the strenuous nature of their hike.

"I... ummm I went to your dorm room andPatsaidyouweregone." Her words tumbled out on top of each other. "He told me you were selected for weekend desert training. It wasn't hard to put it together once the opportunity came up for my class. I was prepared to leave when they gave us half an hour to pack."

He had to laugh. "Well, that's not cheating much. I guess I'll let you off this time." He stopped at the trunk of a towering pine tree. "How does this one look?"

"Check the branches. I don't want any more surprise visitors."

"Looks like we're alone this time."

They maneuvered carefully around each other and settled against the trunk. "No offense, Lieutenant, but I wish I were just about anywhere else right now."

"None taken. Believe me, I sympathize. Come on," he said, holding up his arm. "Let's try not to freeze while we're out here." She snuggled close again, leaning against his shoulder. "So tell me more about your turn on the Desert Survival Weekend"

Steven set his coffee cup down, flexing cramped fingers. "That was too close, Zan," he said, watching as she worked some more on the simulation program. "There wasn't supposed to be any real danger."

"How was I supposed to know she was going to cop a squat under that particular tree? She should have looked up first. That cat was just supposed to provide some chilling atmosphere."

"You're losing control of this thing, Zan. It was supposed to be educational, not homicidal."

"I've locked it off for the night. If either of them gets dead tonight, it will be their own fault." She pushed away from the keyboard with a sigh. "I'm off to bed. Do you have the grand finale figured out yet?"

"Pretty much. Leave some of that active, and I'll input it tonight. Whenever you're ready to finish it, you can just run the disc."

Zan yawned and stretched. "Okay. Have fun. I'm out of here."

Once she was gone, he sat down at the keyboard and started typing, murmuring under his breath.

Aurora woke with the sun shining in her face, warm arms wrapped around her, and her backside snuggled closely into Jon's lap. A little too closely, she realized with a start, and she rolled away in a flash. Her sudden movement woke Jon, and he stared at her a moment in confusion, and she could see the thoughts flying across his face. His eyes slipped down, then back up, and she saw a faint stain of blush on his cheeks.

"Ah, sorryabout that."

She shook her head. "No, it'sfine. Nothing I haven't seen before." Now she was blushing. "This is very awkward."

"Very," he agreed.

With a few stiff movements, they were standing, stretching out sore muscles. "Come on," Jon said. "Let's pick a bathroom and get moving."

Morning basics accomplished as best as possible given the circumstances, they were off again, poking through their scavenged packs for a morning meal.

"Looks like some kind of MRE and apples for breakfast. At least there's plenty of water." Jon handed her the canteen while he picked through the bag.

"The same for lunch?" Aurora asked, handing the canteen back.

"Unless we stumble across something. A farmhouse or outpost or, you know, a city."

She sighed. "Yeah." She trudged along beside him in silence for a few minutes. "Jon?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Before we woke up in here like this," she said, shaking the chain. "I'm trying to figure out what happened, but nothing's making sense."

"Hmmm. Let me think a minute. I was talking to someone, Zan, I think. It was early, before first shift. We were having something to eat in the mess. What about you?"

She bit her lip for a minute. "Steven and I were reviewing your results over coffee in my office. He said there was only one evaluation left."

He was silent a moment, then looked over at her. "Well? Are you going to tell me how I did?"

"I honestly don't know what the verdict's gonna be. I can tell you that the written tests were all fine. Basic knowledge and Military Theory and Practice. And you know how well you did on the physical portion."

Jon's eyes narrowed. "Did you get your own coffee?"

"What?"

"Did you get your own coffee?" he repeated, louder.

"Yes, wait, no," she replied, confused. "Steven refilled it for me. Why?"

"Zan brought my tea." He waited a moment, and saw the light bulb go on.

"That bastard! I'm going to kill him. God damn it, Steven, this is not funny!" she shouted to the sky.

"He's not up there," Jon pointed out.

"You wanna make a bet? They would never, never drop us somewhere like this and not hang around monitoring things. I'm gonna rip out your spleen, you bastard!"

Zan snickered. "Someone's very angry with you."

Steven shrugged. "They would have put it together yesterday if they hadn't wasted so much time bickering."

"Doesn't mean you're not going to have to pay the piper on this one." Zan looked over to the open chest on her desk, filled with a number of fluid-filled vials and a void where a set of handcuffs would fit.

"I imagine we'll both be paying for this dance, Captain."

"If it works, it will have been worth the price."

"Okay," Aurora said, through hurling insults at the sky. "Where would they have put us for this party? Somewhere nearby, but we know it's not Bed-" She stopped suddenly and clapped a hand to her upper arm. "Ow!"

"What?" Jon asked. Then the distant crack of another gun send them both running for cover.

Safely behind another pile of boulders, Jon pried her hand away from her arm, then ripped open her blood-stained sleeve. "It's not bad," he assured her. Then he ripped some more at her ruined sleeve until it was free of the connective chain and wrapped it twice around her arm, knotting it into place "You'll be okay."

She was staring at the blood on her hand, trying to control her breathing. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He hitched up one of their rifles. "Come on. We've got work to do." He peered over the top of the rock, ducking back when it was peppered with more bullets. "Well, they're serious," he said, sliding back down next to her. "Using real bullets, too. I don't know how much use these rubber things are going to be."

"They're all we've got for long distance fighting, though. Did you see who it was doing the shooting?" Aurora asked.

"Not very well. There's only one, about 150 yards off, and we know he's armed with some serious firepower."

"What if we do nothing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she reasoned, "if this is some kind of test, and we're like rats in a maze, why don't we just stop running?"

There was a crack as another bullet struck the rock, and the report from the gun was much louder and closer this time.

"I don't know if we can afford to wait," Jon said, wincing a little. "Sounds like he's close enough to give these a try."

"They might not do any damage," Aurora pointed out as she loaded her weapon.

"No, but right now, they're all we've got."

Camouflaged for the most part behind the rock, they took careful aim and opened fire. Both rated as expert in laser rifles, it was no great difficulty to put the shots where they wanted them. But their non-lethal rounds were having little effect on their heavily muscled, heavily armed opponent. He continued to fire as he advanced, kicking up a spray of dust and rock chips that nearly blinded them.

"I think it's time we looked at higher-tech weapons," Aurora said, squinting against the dust.

"It won't do anything good for that wound in your arm," Jon pointed out.

"Neither will getting shot someplace more vital. We're not gaining anything popping him with these rubber bits."

Once armored, concealment became unnecessary. The bullets from their assailant's guns bounced off, leaving a welter of dents and likely bruises as well, but doing no lasting damage. Working together, they were able to fly low into their attacker and, chain stretched tight between them, clothesline him to the ground, larynx crushed by the force of their attack.

"That seemed a touch too easy," Jon said as they examined their attacker-turned-victim. "How's the arm?"

The improvised bandage still fluttered around her upper arm. "It will be fine once I have the doctor see it. You're right, though. That should have been a lot more" Her words trailed off as their attacker shimmered before their eye and faded away. "That can't be normal."

"It's perfectly normal," Jon replied, "for a holo-training simulation."

"You can't be serious."

"Think about it," he insisted. "We know we were drugged and chained together. This whole tramp across the countryside has been absurdly sheltered, the odd gunmen and flying cat excepted. And now we have proof that, at the very least, this latest encounter was contrived. What's to say the whole thing wasn't?"

"You can't be serious," she repeated.

"Watch." He scooped up a fist-sized rock and slung it into the distance. Instead of falling away into the dirt, it hit an invisible wall. The air distorted, and the rock fell straight to the ground. "Well?"

"Oh, I'm gonna kill him even more," she seethed. "Computer, open the fucking door before I rip out your wiring."

Zan was back behind the keyboard, frantically working to repair the damage, but the program was unraveling as fast as she could correct it. "This is all your fault," she snapped, giving up on the program as it self-deleted. "You screwed up the program somehow. They've got it all figured out."

"Not exactly," Steven replied. "I did it deliberately. Once they had enough pieces in place, I set it up to give them the final clue. Now all they have to do it get themselves out."

"I wasn't quite done with them," Zan protested.

"I think Lieutenant Stick-Up-His-Ass and Lieutenant Princess have had quite enough for now. I'm more than satisfied with the results. You did a good job, Captain. Now let it go."

"Unable to comply," the computer replied softly to Aurora furious request. "Standard internal adjustments off-line."

"Fuck you!"

"Null input. Please restate request."

"Shit!"

"That's not helping," Jon said. "We've got to figure out what's still working. Computer, control panel."

"Unable to comply. Standard internal adjustments off-line."

"Damn, Computer, what program is running currently?"

"Currently running ZIV0028 in lock-out mode."

"Zan can't enable lock-out mode to this degree," Aurora said thoughtfully. "Not to the point of turning off the internal commands. Computer, who enabled internal lockout?"

"General Landon enabled internal lock-out."

"Uh-huh. I thought so. All right, Fearless Leader, how do we get out of here?" she asked, with no trace of mockery in her tone.

"We use the programming against them. Computer, is override active?"

"Only dual-officer override is available at this time."

Aurora smirked. "Meaning it takes two of us to get out of here."

"Good thing it took the two of us to get into this mess. Nothing like an object lesson in cooperation."

"Water under the bridge, then?" Aurora asked.

"And bygones are bygones."

She nodded. "Good enough. Go ahead. Start the cycle."

He nodded and gulped. It had been a long time. "Computer, engage duel-officer override, authorization JDQ-184162."

"Please input second authorization code." It was working, it seemed.

"Computer, concur, duel-officer override. Authorization AAS-282624."

"Authorization accepted. Working."

"What if it doesn't work?" Aurora whispered.

"We'll knock the damned doors down. No offense, but you stink."

She laughed. "You're not the freshest flower in the bunch yourself."

On the walls around them, the images faded, along with the floors and ceiling, and to their right, the now-visible doors creaked open. Light flooded the darkened room, and the cuffs around their wrists snapped open, freeing them. Jon caught the restraint before it fell, taking his first good look at it. "I might have known," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing important. Listen, find me later if you're in the mood for a little revenge." He poked his head out the door and looked down the corridor. "Coast is clear. You should get moving."

Aurora slid out the door behind him and ran for the elevator.

"Hey, Aurora!"

She turned and looked back.

"Get that arm looked at. You don't want it getting infected."

She nodded and slipped into the lift.

Cleaned up and arm properly treated, Aurora stalked the halls of Hawk Haven, looking for Steven. She found him in the mess hall, and her snapping eyes and seething expression told him everything he needed to know. He quietly excused himself and joined her at the door, taking her uninjured arm and steering her toward the elevator. "Not a word," he cautioned her. "Not out here."

One floor down, he guided her to her office, steering her inside and closing the door. "I take it you have something to say."

She did, eloquently expressing her anger with a solid fist to his jaw.

He shook it off, rubbing the injured area. Even without armor out, she had a good hard punch. "I'll give you that one," he said quietly, "because I know you're angry, but it had damned well better be the last."

"How the hell could you do that to me?!"

"It was necessary, Lieutenant. You may think you hide all you're little internal thoughts under a layer of invulnerability, but I can see the whole show, played out on the big screen. Now, I am sorry you were hurt by Lieutenant Quicksilver, but damn it, Aurora, it was a damned stupid thing to do. And the avoidance theory just wasn't working, especially with Quicksilver returning to active service. My choices were to get you over this snit, fast, or ship you elsewhere. Now, what would have had me do?"

"You drugged me!"

"And if I had asked you pretty please to lock yourself to a man you hate until you figured out how to get along, you would have spat in my face."

"I still might!"

"Tell me how you really feel, why don't you? You're good at your job, Aurora, and the people out here need you, but I couldn't have you and Jon at each other's throats. So yes, Zan and I put this together, and used some despicable methods to pull it off. But I think the ends justify the means." He waited, but she was stonily silent. "How's your arm?"

"Fine," she replied shortly. "The doctor said it should be healed by next week. No disfiguring scar to mar your date for the party."

"I'm shocked you'd still consider going with me."

"I said I would," she said frostily. "I'm not about to go back on it now."

He nodded to himself. "I have to leave early tomorrow. I won't be able to get back before the party."

"So you said Saturday."

He sighed. "You're not going to give me an inch here, are you?"

"Why, should I? If you can't tell, I'm rather put out at the moment."

"Oh, believe me, I can tell." He opened the door, then slammed it closed. "No. We're not leaving it like this." He reached out, wrapping one hand around the back of her neck, pulling her close. "I'm not leaving without saying good-bye," he whispered harshly, and then he kissed her.

Zan looked up from her report at the sound of clinking chain in the doorway.

Jon leaned against the frame, chain of the shackles clutched in one fist, cuffs swinging gently. "I guess you're done with those," she said, setting her pen down.

"Very." He crossed the room in two long strides and spilled the restraint back onto her desk. "I understand why you felt the need to do that, and I can appreciate the sentiment behind it. Eventually, I'm sure it will be one of those things we sit and have a good laugh about. But right now, it's not very funny, and I do NOT want to talk to you about it. I'll see you Monday for a review."

"What?"

"You're TOC over the weekend. Aurora and I are on 48-hour in-house leave to 'reflect and come to terms' with the situation. Have a nice weekend." He turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The glass shuddered in the frame but didn't break.

"I must have missed 'Superior and Obnoxious Command Technique' during KP," Zan muttered to herself, picking up her pen again and resuming her report. "Lord knows those two must have taken double sessions."

The halls of Hawk Haven were dark and quiet this late in to the overnight shift, and Jon prowled them restlessly. The basement was perennially quiet, but he cruised it anyway, looking for troublesome noises and things out of order, but found everything in place. The hangar level was the same, and the floor of offices, all closed and dark, silent as a tomb.

On the third floor, he found signs of life. Light and soft music spilled out of the open rec room door. He stuck his head in and saw Aurora seated at the poker table, dealing out a hand of solitaire with deliberate precision, an open bottle and half-filled glass in front of her.

"Won many?" he asked, stepping into the room.

She looked up at him and blinked slowly. "No," she replied. "I think I'm too drunk to play very well."

"Alcohol's contraband out here, Lieutenant. You know that."

She nodded. "Yep. That's what I tell Zan every time she lets it out that she's got a batch cooking. I'm thinking that it's time for 'If you can't beat them, join them.'" She spoke slowly, carefully enunciating her words.

"So what are you drinking?" he asked, picking up her glass and sniffing it, detecting a strong fruity scent.

"Cherry brandy," she replied. "My mother sent it. Thinks I'm making fudge. Her idea." She looked down at the cards piled on the table. "I don't have any clue what the fuck I'm doing here."

"Mangling the hand, it looks like. Let it go for now. Maybe it will look better in the morning."

"'S not just this. Don't know why I'm even here here." She dropped the remainder of the deck onto her ruined game.

"You're in no shape to get existential, Aurora. Why aren't you sacked out? It's the middle of the night."

"Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd try to bore myself to sleep." She tried to stand, and swayed dangerously. Jon grasped her elbow to keep her from falling.

"Watch it. Maybe you should give it another try. You're about ready to fall over."

She nodded wearily, and he let her lean against the table while he cleaned up the detritus of her binge. Then he gripped her elbow again and maneuvered her out of the room toward the elevator.

Aurora leaned against the back of the car, eyes closed. "I hate hyper-accelerated metabolisms," she said and the alcohol quickly burned its way through her system. "Damned modifications. Once I stop drinking, the buzz is gone like a flash in the pan." She grimaced as the lift lurched to a stop.

"You gonna make it?" Jon asked.

"Sure. I'll take a couple of aspirin before I fall down for the night. Come in for a second?" she asked.

Jon studied her carefully, but there was nothing seductive or sensual in her voice or her off-handed gesture inviting him in.

He stood awkwardly in the main room of her quarters for a moment, eyes hopping from picture to picture on the shelves. It was like she had brought her whole life along to live in a two-room suite with her. She had disappeared into the bedroom without a word, then she reappeared, hand wrapped around something.

"The official word will come down Monday, but I thought you should know now. Saves stressing over the weekend." She held out her hand, Tallyhawk's gold control unit on her open palm. "It's yours," she said as he stared. "Take it."

He picked it up carefully, watching the light reflect off the shiny metal, feeling the familiar curve of the control panel under his fingers. "Thanks," he said finally.

"Will fitted it to my wrist and changed the code, but it's all temporary. I'm sure he'll undo it all for you gladly." She leaned against the side of a bookshelf, one hand on her temple.

"So I'm back in action?"

She nodded. "As of Monday AM. Hail the conquering hero and all that." She pushed away from the bookshelf. "Forgive me for being rude, but I'd really like you to leave now. There are some things a girl needs privacy for, and puking her guts out is one of them."

"You'll be okay?"

"Eventually. "Night," she said quickly, then disappeared back into the bedroom, closing the door soundly behind her.

"Thanks for coming up." Stargazer said as Quicksilver closed the office door. "Have a seat, Lieutenant." His keen eye picked out the golden gleam of Tallyhawk's control on his wrist. "You look good."

"Thank you, sir. I feel good." His weight was back, the light was in his eyes again, his nerves rock-steady. He felt ready to go 10 rounds with Mon*Star himself.

"Good, good." Stargazer handed across a tentative schedule. "Zan did this up yesterday. Sign off and you're good to go. I see someone broke the news to you a little early." He pointed to the conspicuous control unit. "Your buddy will be very glad to have you back."

"It will be good to work with him again, sir."

"Hmph. Speaking of working with people, are you and Lieutenant Moonhawke going to be able to get along? I'm not ready to tolerate anymore nonsense from either of you."

"We'll manage, sir. Any former difficulties should be smoothed out fairly easily."

"That's fine," Stargazer grunted. "Just so long as the two of you can work as a team. You're first assignment is going to be working out the logistics of the Officer's Ball this weekend. All officers are strongly encouraged to attend, and may invite enlisted personnel if they choose. Condor and I have already bowed out, so that makes it that much more important for our other officers to be present and make a good impression. You getting me here, Lieutenant?"

He nodded, but looked slightly concerned. "I'm just not looking forward to telling Zan she has to dress up and dance."

"Every job has hardships, Lieutenant. This one is yours to deal with."

Jon dropped into a chair across from Aurora, dropping the file on the table at the same time.

She paused, toast mid-way between the plate and her mouth. "Problem?"

"'Take away this cup from me.'"

"That's from Mark," she replied. "During the Crucifixion. What do you need?"

"The Gala Officer's Reception and Ball is this weekend," he lamented.

She nodded, swallowing a bite of toast. "So it is. What's wrong with it?"

"We have to go. The Commander and Condor sent regrets already, so the rest of us are roped in." He snagged a sip of her coffee, then pushed it away with a shudder. "I still don't like the taste of coffee."

"All the more for me. What's the problem with the Ball?"

"We are strongly encouraged to attend. All the officers. You, me, Bluegrass Zan."

"What, together? I have a date already, thanks."

"Not together. But I don't relish the task of telling Zan she's got to dress up for this thing. You know what a sycophant-magnet these things are." He sighed and nudged the file toward her. "I don't suppose you would"

"Oh, no. Sounds like this was dumped in your lap for a reason."

"I could order you to deal with it," he said hopefully.

Aurora flipped open the folder and scanned the details. "If I agree, you're going to owe me one."

"Yes. Anything."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She closed the folder and picked it up. "I'll let you know what I want later." She scooped up her tray and headed for the pass-through. "You've got other things to worry about, Lieutenant. You still need a date yourself."

Jon cursed again as the knot in his tie fell apart in his hands. Dress uniform was bad enough, the short white jacket making him feel like a waiter, but the bowtie was the last straw. He started the process again, only to feel it slip through his fingers when he was distracted by a knock at the door.

Sighing, he answered it, blinking at the sight of Aurora, face made up and hair piled on her head, wearing a bathrobe. In one hand, she clutched an overnight bag. "Moving in?" he asked.

She shook her head, making the bits of hair around her face flutter. "No. I need to cash in that favor now."

Her black-sandaled toes peeked out from the hem of her robe. "If it's fashion advice you want, you've left it waiting a bit too long."

She waved it aside. "Don't be ridiculous. I know what I'm wearing. I just need a couple of favors. 1-"

"It was one favor, if I remember right."

She sighed in exasperation. "Okay, it's a two-part favor, then. A, I want tomorrow off."

"Okay..."

"And B, when you get to the hotel, ask a bellhop to take this to General Landon's suite." She handed him the bag.

"What are you getting me into here?"

"You, absolutely nothing. Just drop it off before coming up to the Reception. I'll handle everything else."

He snorted. "You're incorrigible." He dropped the bag just inside the door, though. "Do you know how to tie one of these things?" he asked, gesturing to the tie.

"Nah, sorry. I wear the little clippy ones whenever I need one. See you at the party." She slipped back across the hall and into her own quarters.

"What was all that about?" Emily asked as Aurora's door slid shut.

Jon shook his head. "Nothing important. Just a favor." He took in the sight of her, loving the flame red beaded dress she had chosen. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. You look a little undone." She picked up the ends of his tie and quickly secured it into a knot. "There. All better."

"My savior." He slipped back in and picked up his overcoat and the bag. "Ready?" he asked.

Emily threw a black lace shawl over her bare arms. "Ready as I'll ever be. Will said to go ahead. Zan's still whining about getting dressed 'like meat in a butcher's window.' They'll meet us there."

Jon escorted her to the elevator. "Now you see why I didn't want to tell her she had to dress up tonight."

"Like Aurora did much better. She left the folder and a fancy dress catalogue under Zan's office door. And I can safely tell you, you are both a pair of 'bloody cowards.'"

Jon snickered. "I'm a living coward, though. And I plan to stay that way."

Zan growled at her reflection in the mirror. "I don't know why I ever agreed to this," she muttered, slipping the blue and white ribbon of the Star Cross of New Eden over her head. The gold medal settled just at the top of her cleavage. "Damned thing is a giant 'Look Here' sign. As if the neckline wasn't advertisement enough."

Will shrugged into his short jacket, buttoning the short chain across the front into place. "You look fine. Better than fine."

"You would say that." She stalked across the room, thigh-high slit flaring wide. "I'm more than likely going to fall out of this dress at one end or the other, you know." She scooped up the long-sleeved matching leather bolero. "And yes, I'm wearing the jacket. I'm not interested in being the talk of the evening with my back and arms like they are."

"I like your arms," Will said, snuggling up to her from behind and nibbling on her neck. And your back, and your front. Shall I go on?"

"We'd never get to the party."

"It's your party. If you really don't want to go"

For a moment, she considered it, but duty, the blasted kill-joy, won. "No. We're going. At least for a little while."

Aurora tightened the knot in the bow on her back and scooped up the black velvet cape lying across the foot of the bed. "Coming," she called, in response to the knock on the door. She smiled when she saw Krys in violet satin and organza. The gold embroidery on the bodice sparkled in the light. "You were right," Aurora said, slipping her cape on. "It's perfect with your coloring."

"And here you wanted me to wear black," Krysten said with a laugh.

"Hey, I like black. Can you blame me?"

"Can't help noticing you're not wearing black yourself," Krys pointed out.

Aurora pulled the cape closed. "Okay, I like burgundy too. But it was close. I have this one number, sheer from here to here," she said, indicating a curved line from knee to hip to just under her arm. "But it doesn't leave much to the imagination."

"And you want the General imagining things?" Krys asked slyly.

"Maybe For a little while. So are they waiting for us in the hangar?"

"Yep. Will and Zan went down already. Wait until you see her dress. It's black leather, and slit up towell, let's say there's a lot of leg going on."

Aurora smiled. "As long as she shows up, I've done my job." She linked her arm through Krysten's. "So let's go meet those men of ours."

"Did I tell you that you look wonderful?" Steven asked as she settled into the ship's small cabin.

"If I lie and say 'no,' will you tell me again?" She smoothed the fabric of her cape, smiling. If this was his reaction to the hair and make-up, the dress was going to produce a very satisfactory reaction indeed.

"As many times as you like," he said, guiding the ship out of the station and into space. "I saw Captain Vernadeua and Sergeant Heart as they left. That's quite a dress she's wearing."

"I have yet to see it," Aurora said, on her, she thought. "I doubt Will would appreciate your noticing. He's very protective of her."

"Well, that's all right. I have plenty of my own to look at."

She arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Could be, I suppose. Did you get leave?"

She nodded. "I pulled a string or two. I can take a little extra time. Won't turn into a pumpkin at midnight."

"I'm so glad to hear that."

He set the ship down with a gentle bump on the main platform and killed the engines. They left the ship, and a small Bedlamian girl held up a small white box. Aurora looked quizzically at Steven, and he smiled. 'Take it," he urged.

She took the box and opened it, revealing a dark red rose corsage carefully wired to a small silver comb. "Someone tattled about my wardrobe plans," she said with a small smile.

"A little bird told me," he replied, and she laughed. Carefully, Steven lifted the adornment from the box and slid it into place against the heavy knot of hair on the back of her head. "Perfect." He led her out of the space port and onto the street, where a horse-drawn carriage waited, complete with liveried driver.

"You set all of this up?" she asked as Steven handed her up into the open carriage.

"Of course. Only the best." He settled in next to her. "Walk on, driver. Regent Omni, please."

"Trying to get back on my good side?" she asked. The gentle breeze toyed with the loose tendrils of her hair.

"No," he replied. At her raised eyebrow, he explained. "I would have done every bit of this anyway. So no, it's not specifically to return to your good graces."

"That may be the sweetest thing yet you've said to me."

"I'm just getting started."

In the area just outside the ballroom, Aurora unfastened the cape and let Steven slide it off her shoulders, smiling when she heard his sharp gasp at seeing the back of her gown. The spaghetti thin straps came up over her shoulders and met the back of her dress, lacing through the material, and leaving an eight-inch gap from shoulder blades to waist, covered only by the crossed lacings. She shivered as he trailed one finger down her exposed spine.

"Beautiful."

She turned and smiled brightly. 'I'm glad you like it. Shall we go in?"

'Can't I just keep you here all night?"

"Not in the coatroom, General. But, we'll talk about location later."

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" he whispered against her ear.

"No. Not yet, anyway."

Zan leaned against Will as they swayed together to the slow song the band was playing. They'd sat out the last number near the buffet, where Zan had managed to hand out back-handed insults to an Admiral and two Colonels before Steven and Aurora had swooped in to laugh at her uproarious 'joke' and smooth any ruffled feathers. She'd then been advised to avoid insulting anyone of higher rank, and they'd floated away, lost in each other. Zan had wanted to vomit from the level of sappiness they were giving off, but really, the dress was too nice to treat that way.

"Everyone looks so happy," Will said softly.

"Hmmm?" Tucked into an out of the way corner of the dance floor, Zan wasn't entirely displeased with the evening herself.

"Look." He turned them a little so Zan could see more of the dance floor, and she saw what he meant. Krysten and Jay were near another corner, and despite the difference in their heights, she looked right at home in his arms. Jon and Emily were nearer the center, seeming to have a better idea of how not to step on each other than she and Will did, and she could see them whispering back and forth and laughing occasionally. And almost unconsciously, Steven and Aurora danced in the center of the floor, looking for al the world as if they were made for each other They turned a little, and Zan was perfectly positioned to watch as Aurora, head resting on Steven's shoulder, caught Jon's eye. She smiled and waved a little, and he smiled and nodded in return.

Zan chuckled.

"What?" Will asked.

"The bloody cowards have made some kind of peace." She smiled to herself for a moment, then snickered. "Oh, bloody hell."

"Now what?"

"Those two were bad enough when they were at each other's throats. I don't want to think what's going to happen to something they both set their sights on."

"You mean getting their revenge on you?"

She watched Aurora whisper something to Steven, and together they melted to the edge of the room and disappeared from view. "I don't think revenge is going to be an issue, but I pity whatever crosses them." She looked around, sensing a lull in the party atmosphere. "What say we sneak out of here? Things are winding down."

Will nibbled on one exposed ear. "You read my mind."

~FINE~