Starlight, Starbright
by
Lady MoonHawke
I want to know what love is.
I want you to show me.
I want to feel what love is.
I know you can show me.
-Foreigner
Aurora had won the argument. Of that much she was sure. But everything else seemed up in the air; her relationship with Jonathan, her father's respect, hell, even her job felt balanced on the edge, and it was an edge she could not seem to see. She was beginning to wonder if winning had been worth it after all. Drifting through the stars on patrol, nothing seemed clear anymore.
A year ago, it had all seemed like crystal. Perfectly clear. Spend time getting to know her father, see if there were possibilities with Lieutenant Jonathan Greyer, known as "Quicksilver." It had seemed to Aurora that there was something between them. However, calling someone "an insignificant worm" was not conducive to developing a deeper relationship. A blip on the radar caught her attention, and she radioed back to base.
"SprintHawk to HawkHaven. Come in, HawkHaven. Over."
"HawkHaven here. Is that you, Firstlight? Over."
Aurora thanked her lucky stars. Krysten Barter, "Skyedansuer," was on duty, and not Quicksilver. Aurora had no desire to communicate with Quick right now. "I sure hope it's me. We'd be in a mess otherwise. I have a blip on my radar, heading 35ยบ starboard, pretty much on level, about 1000 clicks off. Can you scan it? Over."
"I've got it on radar, but it's too far for us to get a picture. Give it a flyby. Over."
A new voice came over the radio. "Aurora? Get back here. I'm not done talking to you yet." Shit! she thought. Jonathan. First he countermands my orders, now he presumes to order me around, as if my lieutenant's bars weren't as good as his. It's not like they're pink for girls and blue for boys. Screw him.
"Proceeding with visual identification of anomaly, " she said formally. "Will advise. Out." With that, she broke the radio connection, and when the communicator light began to blink furiously, she powered down the radio entirely. All right, Lieutenant. If you want my attention that badly, you're going to have to come get it. She changed course and blasted off toward the unidentified object.
As Aurora flew closer, she began to see what had registered on her radar. It began to appear as a bright star, but it was too close and on no chart for this galaxy. Then it began to take on a more rectangular shape, and continued to grow the closer she flew. About 10 meters off, she saw that it was a wooden frame, and the bright light was actually a sunny day on some pastoral scene. Grassy hills rippled and puffy white clouds floated across a blue sky. People ran through the scene, but Aurora couldn't get a good look at them. She banked the SprintHawk around the side to see what, if anything, was behind it. She could see the frame well enough, but there were only the stars beyond it, all right where they belonged. She banked around again, completing a circle, and saw that something had changed. The scene was still the same, but now someone was much closer to the edge of the frame. Aurora put the SprintHawk into hover and engaged the autopilot. She lowered her visor to protect her from deep space, and opened the hatch to get a better look. Whoever was on the other side was coming closer, and Aurora's best guess put the stranger as male, some six inches taller than her own 5'6", and wearing - armor. Aurora brushed a hand across her visor to clear the optics. No. He was still wearing armor, chain and plate, she thought. And he was still advancing. It seemed clear that he could see her when he waved an arm. She stood and waved back. He was almost to the edge when he lurched suddenly and fell forward. However, there was almost no ground left in front of him, and he tumbled into space.
"Oh, shit!" Aurora cursed, and dove out of the cockpit after him. She fired her heeljets to gain speed, and activated her wings to gain some control over her freefall. She saw him in the distance, closing faster and faster, and made a slight adjustment to her course. She didn't want to crash into him, just snag him. She reached out with her metal right hand, trusting its augmented strength more than her natural left.. She grasped him by the ankle, which happened to be closest. "Gotcha!" she said. Aurora rolled left and pulled up out of her dive, a move that required more agility but was safer than simply stopping or making a cold U-turn. She wrapped her left arm around the man's knees, then moved her right to grab him around the hips. He was still upside down, but Aurora felt it mattered more to get him into a pressurized environment than what view he had. She turned up the notch on her jets, desperate to get back to the SprintHawk. Open space in Limbo was slightly was slightly more kind to living tissue than back home, but it was no easier to breath warmer, near vacuum than cold total-vacuum. She felt her jets start to sputter, and cursed. In her rush to leave the station, she had skipped her personal pre-flight check. The SprintHawk was full of fuel; Bluegrass was too good a pilot to ignore maintenance on any vehicle, whether he used it or not, but personal maintenance was every officer's duty. And she had blatantly ignored hers. If worst came to worst, she could always radio back to and the Maraj would come get her, but by then it would be too late for the man slung over her shoulder, and Aurora had risked too much to lose him now. She threw the last of her fuel through her jets, and reached out with her left hand to grab the wing as it shot by. Inertia carried her body over and around until she was doing a one-armed handstand on the wing, and her power sputtered out. She brought her feet down to the magnetized plating, and thanked whomever had thought to add that feature. She stuffed her catch into the rear seat, jumped in herself, and pulled the canopy down.
Once the cockpit had re-pressurized, Aurora lifted her visor and examined her passenger. He has a weak pulse, but didn't seem to be breathing. Aurora stretched over the seat back to begin rescue breathing. She was able to reach him and force air into his lungs, but the position was awkward. It seemed more like kissing than traditional mouth-to-mouth. She felt him inhale on his own, and pulled back to check him again. His eyes fluttered open, and she knew he saw her. He lifted one gauntleted hand to brush her cheek, then passed out. Since everything else appeared okay, Aurora decided to head for home and leave any more medical expertise to Will. He wasn't a trained MD, but he knew how to interpret the AutoDoc.
"HawkHaven, this is SprintHawk. Priority One. Over." Priority One would get her out of arguing with Jonathan, she knew.
"HawkHaven. Go ahead, SprintHawk. Over." Krys was still at the radio. Thank Heaven.
"I am inbound with unidentified humanoid male, unconscious, suffering from mild to mid-level space exposure. Request med-alert standing by. Over."
"Copy, SprintHawk. Med-alert standing by. Out." Aurora punched in the coordinates, and fired the engines for home.
Aurora settled the SprintHawk on the landing pad and popped the hatch before the systems finished powering down. She saw Bluegrass waving his arms and mouthing words, trying to shout over the fading roar of the engines. She knew the lecture he was giving her well. Michael often compared her habit to jumping out of a moving vehicle. It was a slight exaggeration, but not too far from the truth. With power in the system, a jar on the controls could send the ship crashing about the hanger, wrecking machinery and endangering lives. Aurora usually respected Michael's opinion, but just now, her priorities were slightly different. Waiting three to five minutes for everything to shut down was not in her passenger's best interest. She threw a glance back at him. He was still unconscious. Aurora didn't want to waste anymore time getting him into sickbay. She looked down at the deck. SteelWill and SteelHart stood next to a gurney to transport the patient. Aurora turned and stood on the seat, grabbed her catch under the arms and pulled. Unfortunately, the station's artificial gravity made him quite a bit heavier than he had been in freefall. She straightened up and looked over the edge. "Will! Come give me a hand. He's put on some weight since I snagged him."
Will climbed up the side of the ship. "Trust you to hook a fish you couldn't land, Aurora. I suppose you want me to clean him for you too?" he asked jokingly.
"Oh, ha-ha. It was a lucky catch. Besides, he's big enough to keep. Now help me get him out of here. I want the A-doc to give him the all clear as soon as possible," she replied. "Now pull." They manhandled him up from the seat and out onto the wing. From there, Aurora jumped down to the deck and helped SteelHart position the gurney directly below Will and his burden. He began to lower the unconscious man to the waiting women below. They manhandled him onto the gurney and ran.
In the corner of the sprawling Shop set aside for a medical bay, Aurora watched nervously as Emily expertly applied electrodes and Will removed the antiquated armor. Between brushing the pale blonde hair from his forehead, she marveled with Will about the condition of the armor. Although it showed signs of recent use, the more protected parts showed a history of excellent care. Will took a tiny shaving from an inside seam.
"I want to run this through the analyzer," he said, "and see if it's authentic. If it's not, it's the best damn reproduction I've ever seen." He put the sliver on a slide and fed it into the machinery. "I've put in on a narrow band sweep, so we will get a complete rundown on the sample, but..." he trailed off.
"...It will take forever." She turned back to the stranger. "Will, I'm worried. He's still unconscious."
Emily looked up from her work. "He's got moderate deep-space shock. Anything less than a week under will be amazing." She reached out to touch Aurora's hand. "Don't worry. He'll be okay. You can stay and keep him company if you want. It may help." She finished attaching wires to the leads and plugged them into the AutoDoc. It went to work tracking heart rate, respiration and blood pressure, showing everything normal for an unconscious human male. Aurora sat beside him, holding his limp hand, subconsciously tracing the scars crisscrossing its back. She lost track of time sitting there.
Aurora was startled back to reality by her father's voice over the intercom. "Lieutenant Firstlight to my office on the double," it barked. She rose and gently put down the hand that she was holding. Then she turned and left.
Emily looked after her, then over at Will. "What was that all about?"
"Quicksilver is out for blood, and Aurora is his chosen sacrifice," he said cryptically.
"Sometimes, Will," Emily said, "you make no sense at all."
Aurora walked into the waiting area in front of her father's office and found Quicksilver lingering. She ignored him as she swept past into the office, and slammed the door in his face after she entered. She breezed up to her father's desk and dropped into the chair in front of it. "Yes, Dad?" she asked.
"Lieutenant! Is that how they taught you to address a superior officer at the Academy?" he thundered.
Uh-oh, Aurora thought. This is going to be bad. The Commander rarely unleashed his full temper, and Aurora had never been it's victim, but she knew now that it was coming straight for her, and there was no way to dodge or block it. She jumped to attention and saluted.
"Lieutenant Stargazer reporting as ordered, sir!" she shouted.
"Lieutenant, I have been informed that you disobeyed a direct order. Is this true?"
"Sir, I would like to present my side, sir."
"This is a 'yes' or 'no' question, Lieutenant. 'Sides' are not an issue."
"Sir, Lieutenant Greyer issued that order with personal intent. I was within my rights to ignore it." Aurora knew she had to bite back hard. "The Lieutenant wished to continue a discussion I had no interest in, sir. I chose to ignore him for that reason."
"Lieutenant Greyer, in!" the Commander called. Jonathan came through the door and stood at attention beside Aurora. Commander Stargazer addressed him. "Lieutenant, I am given to understand that there was a personal issue between you. Is that the case?"
"The Lieutenant and I were discussing a station matter, and I felt that she terminated our discussion rather abruptly and rudely. I merely wanted to complete it for the good of the station, sir."
"Very well. Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned to Aurora. "Lieutenant Stargazer, you are temporarily relieved of duty and confined to the station for a period of no less than three weeks. You will surrender your armor to Sergeant Hart. You are assigned KP for one week, as well, effective today. Do you understand?"
"Sir, yes sir!" she shouted in reply.
"Very good. Lieutenant Greyer, you are dismissed." The Commander and Aurora stood silently until Jonathan had left. Then he looked at his daughter. "Have a seat, honey," he said in a tired voice, walking back behind his desk.
"Sir?" she asked, a slight note of derision in her voice.
"Don't mess with me, young lady," he warned, slumping down into his chair. "Now sit."
Aurora fell gracefully into the chair. "All right, Dad. You obviously want me to stay for something other than coffee and doughnuts. What's really on your mind?" She ignored the service robot that appeared at her elbow with a plate of goodies and two steaming mugs. Sometimes she wanted to strangle the programmer who convinced the computer that every reference to food was a request.
"I want the real story on what's wrong between you and Jonathan. No embellishments, no 'sir,' just the truth."
"We had a fight over rank," she said simply.
"A little more embellishment than that, if you please."
"I traded assignments with Krysten. I wanted to get out and do some thinking, and she was scheduled to fly patrol. But I was running late at communications, and Jonathan caught her away from her duty post. He ordered her out on patrol, and I caught wind of it, and ordered her to stay. Then he and I got into it over who's ordered superseded who's, and I finally said forget it and did the patrol, and Krys took my shift at Ops. Everything would have been fine if Jonathan had just stayed out of it."
"Except that Quicksilver's job is to make the duty assignments, and you're supposed to see that they are carried out as assigned, not rearrange them to suit yourself." He sighed. "What's really eating you, Aurora? This has been brewing for a couple of days now."
"It's just a bad time of the year for me. I can't seem to get along with anyone during summer anymore. Sometimes I just feel...dead and buried, I guess"
"Because of Amy and Steven's deaths? I know it's hard to lose people, honey, but you can't go around like a cactus for the rest of your life. You have to let someone in sometime."
"I know, Daddy. And I'll try. Really, I will." Aurora got up, walked around the desk, and hugged her father. "Thanks." She turned and walked toward the door.
"Don't forget about that armor, Miss. And be grateful you're not confined to quarters."
Aurora turned back to face him. "You sound just like Mom, grounding me. I suppose I get a watchdog next?"
"No. I'm not expecting anyone to beat you up. But you can play watchdog to that fellow you brought in if you're desperate for something to do. Just check into the mess hall system once a day, and I'll consider the KP covered. No one eats at the same time anyway."
"Okay. I'll see you later, Dad. Thanks again." Aurora opened the office door and left.
She went back down to the medical bay, not yet satisfied enough with the stranger's condition to risk being away long enough for even a minimal decompression to remove the yellow-lacquered armor over her body. Aurora loved the ability to remove her armor, and often spent extra time in the chamber for tanning purposes to keep the golden tan she had acquired after years in the Montana sun. But now, she didn't want to spare even a minute for it. She stood beside his bed, watching his chest rise and fall. She reached out and brushed the hair from his forehead again. He must have moved while she was gone. She looked across the room at Will, who was tinkering with the black armor and perusing several sheets of paper. "Well, Will? How long does the computer think he will be out?"
"It still doesn't know, Aurora. Emily told you that before, and there haven't been any miraculous advances in medicine in the last 15 minutes. But he has been moving around a little, and that's a good sign. But more than that I just don't know yet. You'll just have to wait," he replied.
She turned back to the man she had rescued, studying him. His light blond hair flowed past his shoulders, and his skin was pale where clothing would have covered it, but golden-brown where the sun had touched it. She reached out to stroke his face, and felt her wrist held in a grip of steel. The stranger's eyes flew open, and Aurora gasped. She had not been imagining things. His eyes were the same sapphire blue that Steven's had been; a vibrant shade compared to Jonathan's, which had all the warmth and color of an iceberg. She saw recognition flash, and he reached out with his free hand to brush her cheek again, and smiled.
"I thought I had imagined you," he said, "but you're real. You're the angel with the dark hair who flew down to save me. I think I owe you my life." He released her wrist, and struggled a moment to get up. Then he lay back with a groan. "Oh, my head. What hit me?"
Aurora smiled. "You're suffering from a moderate case of deep-space exposure. You might feel a little under the weather for a while. If you're up to it, though, I ought to ask you a few nosy questions for the record. Who are you, and where are you from?"
"I am Lord Starlight of the Razorback Mountains. And you?"
"Aurora Stargazer of Montana and presently HawkHaven, which is where you are now."
"Whoa. I've heard of Montana, but the other one has me confused," he said.
"HawkHaven is the command post for the SilverHawks. We're a military unit attempting to apprehend a local crime boss and his mob. We're located in Limbo Galaxy, about 100 light-years from Earth," she explained.
"100 light-years? That's some rabbit hole to fall down. What year is this?" he asked.
"It's 2841 by Limbo date, the third of June, as it happens," she replied.
"Well, at least the day is the same, but I think I'm a long way, and a long time from home. My home is on Earth in the year AD 1252. I was in the middle of a battle, and some enemy sorcerer opened the portal. I was going to see about dealing with what came through or closing it when I saw you. Then I must have been hit in the back because I fell through it. And I guess you know the rest."
Will came over as he finished speaking. "Well, Aurora, your company seemed to do the trick." He offered his hand. "I'm Sergeant SteelWill, but everyone just calls me Will."
Starlight took his hand. "Starlight. Are you the doc?" he asked.
"Nope. Chief mechanic and engineer. I know how to read the stuff you're attached to, though, and right now, it says you need to spend some time in a decompression chamber to equalize your blood gasses."
"I'm afraid I didn't quite follow all of that," Starlight said.
Aurora explained it simply. "It will clear up your headache and any joint pain you might have. It's perfectly safe, and someone will be here the whole time."
"I will," Will cut in. "Your father let me in about your armor, Aurora. But I'll compromise with you. Since I have to sit on it anyway, I'll put on those three-inch heel units you wanted, and do the engraving on the wings, even though I still think it's awfully fancy for military use."
Aurora hugged him joyously. "You're the best, Will. I'll cycle real quick and get back."
"No, I want you to run a complete cycle this time. You're going to be running on your own steam for a while, and you need as complete a purge of the mechanics as possible, at least as far as the externals go. I'll check the internal stuff at some point before you suit up again. Now get going. I want to get Prince Charming in before his head falls off."
"I would surely appreciate that," Starlight said. "My head feels like a melon is trying to grow in there."
"Let's get you going then." Will helped his patient into a decompression chamber, and set it to run a full cycle. Aurora stayed long enough to make sure Starlight was comfortable, then left.
Aurora entered her room and called for the lights. Knowing she would want a shower after decompressing, she threw a kimono across one side-rail of her white and brass daybed. Neither item was standard military issue, but Command had recently started allowing the crew to select items to make their quarters more "homey." Although none of Aurora's furnishings reminded her of any place she considered "home," it was a great deal better than the original, institutional look. Aurora considered this in the back of her mind as she set the chamber for a full cycle, and added a command for a tan as well. She slid into the chamber, pulled it shut, and pressed the sound-system button for something relaxing while she waited. She let her mind drift with the music, and was annoyed when the 'com chimed. "Yes?" she said testily.
"It's Jon. Can I come in?" came the reply.
Aurora was in no mood to see him now or speak to him. "No," she said briefly. "I'm in the tube. Catch me later." When I'm not in the mood to rip your head off and stuff it down your neck, she thought. It made her smile. Steven had liked a slightly modified version of that threat, and it had always been a funny image in Aurora's mind. She sighed to herself. Every reminder of Steven was like a knife in her heart. She allowed herself to drift with the music again. The computer reminder to turn over barely registered, but she compliantly flopped over on her stomach. The machine had already removed her armor and piled neatly in storage, and Aurora gave a brief thought as to how she was going to transport more than 20 pieces of metal to the Shop. Maybe there was a box in her closet or under the bed it would fit into. She relegated it to the back of her mind as the music continued.
When the timer sounded, Aurora stepped out into the room, which felt slightly chilly thanks to the heat of the tanning element. She wasted no time in heading to the shower, grabbing her kimono from the bed on the way. She turned on the shower, gratified that the steam quickly filled the small bathroom, heating it nicely. She stepped in and began to wash, enjoying the feel of the hot water and the smell of the fancy bodywash she had ordered a case of when she transferred up here. She had no doubt that the cleaner provided by Command worked, but it smelled suspiciously like the industrial strength cleanser used on the floors, and that bothered her quite a bit. She began to work on her hair, applying hot oil, then shampoo. She was rinsing the suds out when the 'com beeped. Honestly, she thought, I can't get any peace, even in the bathroom. She slapped her hand against the specially coated button designed for wet areas. "Yes?" she said over the splash of the water.
"It's Krys. Can I come in?" she asked.
"Sure," Aurora replied. "I'm almost done here. Make yourself comfortable." She quickly finished her hair and stepped out. She threw on her robe and wrapped her hair in a towel. She opened the door, and steam billowed out with her, turning nearby surfaces damp. Krys had curled up in one of Aurora's swivel rockers, chin on her knees, looking pensive. Aurora crossed to her walk-in closet and left the door slightly ajar so she could hear and be heard. "What's with the long face? Did my dad chew you out real bad? I can fix it with him. Or did Jon give you the heavy act again?" she asked as she selected clothes and put them on.
"No, it's not that," Krysten replied. She sighed. "Rorie, you've been with a lot of guys, right?"
Aurora paused a moment. "I wouldn't call two a lot, but I know what's what. Why?"
"I just wanted to know, uhmmm, how you get a guy to, well..." she left it dangling.
"Make love to you?" Aurora completed. "It depends a lot on the guy," she said.
"What do you mean?" Krys asked.
"Well, if you just want to have sex, like you were scratching an itch, you pretty much just rub up against him and eventually he gets the idea. If it's someone you're already involved with, though, you know what turns him on, or you can just tell him you want to make love." Aurora came out of her dressing room in a pair of bike shorts and her "I Survived the Mojave Death March" T-shirt, given only to those who had succeeded in a desert-survival weekend at the Academy. It was one of her favorite shirts, and she wore it often. "Why?" she thought she knew, but didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly.
Krysten sighed again. "No special reason." She was silent a moment. "So suppose it is a special relationship, but I don't know what he likes, and I can't talk about it?"
"Then you're not ready. If you can't discuss sex with your partner, and all the possibilities, you shouldn't do it." Aurora knew she sounded ultra-conservative, but Krysten's sheltered upbringing made Aurora want to protect her from some of life's harsher realities.
"You sound like my mother. 'Not until you marry, Krysten. It's the best way.' It's such a crock. You didn't wait until your wedding night."
Now it was Aurora's turn to sigh. "No, I didn't With Harry, I used my body as a tool to keep his interest. Not that he was especially interested in what I was getting out of the experience, nor was it much. He would have been better served by a blow-up doll. It wouldn't have been bitter about it. But I'm getting away from the point. When I was with Steven, I gave him a piece of my heart, and he gave me a piece of his. But when he died, I lost both parts forever, and the memories I have, wonderful thought they may be, don't replace what I have lost. That's why it's so important to wait. If you do this thing, and one of you should be lost in our fight out here, the other will never recover." Aurora smiled wryly. "And one walking corpse out here is probably enough."
Krysten chuckled. "You're far from dead," she said. "Jonathan seems to think you are very warm and kicking. You seem to disrupt his very orderly way of looking at the world."
Aurora sighed again. "Jonathan and I are never going to get together. We're just going to end up further apart. My heart is lying a the bottom at a ravine in Montana waiting for me."
"You never know, Rorie. Someone may come along and sweep you right off your feet," Krysten suggested.
Aurora snorted. "Hmph! It would have to be some mighty impressive sweeping," she replied. "So what did my father say to you regarding our little switch?"
"I was following orders from the officer directly superior to me, so I'm free and clear. But I heard about your suspension. I'm real sorry. I never meant for this to happen when I asked to switch. Your dad said you took the whole blame for the thing; that changing shifts was your idea." Krysten watched as Aurora retrieved coffee from the food dispenser and sat across from her. "You didn't have to do that. I was ready to take my licks for my part of it."
Aurora paused in sucking down her coffee greedily. "Why, in heaven's name? I'd still be in exactly the same position I am, and you would be stuck here with me. There's no point in two of us getting punished for one crime. Besides, you get into enough trouble on your own." She finished her coffee quickly. "About your original question. It's pretty clear to me that you are wanting Michael pretty badly, and I really can understand that. I think you best bet is simply to go to him and say what you're feeling. But don't count on it going too far. Michael is from the old school that essentially says you don't sleep with a girl you intend to marry before the vows are exchanged. And it may turn out that there were women he slept with before he met you, but I'll lay money he didn't give any of them a ring and ask for their hand." She checked her watch. "I've got to get moving. I'd planned to be back in the Shop by now to check on Starlight. Do you want to come with me?"
"Not right now. I'm going to go change. I'll see you later," Krysten said, getting up to leave.
"Okay. Just remember, you have his ring on your hand. You're going to get what you want eventually, but if you really can't wait, go say how you feel. It might work." Krysten nodded and left, and Aurora started to search for a box to transport her armor. She managed to dig one out of her closet, then transferred all the pieces to the box and hauled the whole mess down to the Shop.
Will was still working with the armor, comparing the metal to various charts and sheets of printout from the computer. Aurora greeted him, dropped her burden on a table and headed straight to the decompression chamber. However, it was dark and empty. She looked back over at Will.
"Will, where did he go?" she asked.
Will didn't look up from the work he was so engrossed in. "Who?" he asked, a bit distractedly.
"Starlight. You know, 6' tall, blond and blue, most likely stark-naked, Where did he go?" she asked again, slightly peeved.
"Oh. He left. You should see this, Aurora. It seems to be the genuine article." Will was completely content to chase down the history of the armor.
"I'm sure it is. And it's owner is probably wandering around without a stitch on. Now where did he go?"
Will finally looked up from his work. "I didn't let him go naked. He's running around in a spare set of sweats, and I explained how the 'Squawk-box' works so he could find the mess hall and whatnot. Don't get so jumpy, you'll give yourself a heart attack. Where's your suit?" he asked.
She gestured vaguely at the box. "In there. I have to catch up with Starlight. I'm his guard dog for the duration, so I'd better run. 'Bye, Will," she said as she left.
Will mumbled something and returned to his beloved work at hand.
Aurora walked to the mess hall since it was the only place Will had mentioned, and almost stopped dead in her tracks. Instead of Starlight, she had found Jonathan, and her attempts to avoid him all counted for nothing now. She didn't allow her pace to alter as she walked casually to the dispenser wall and logged in at the terminal. She made selections from the vast collection of recipes for the next 24 hours, setting up three complete meal choices each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She locked in the selections and instructed the computer to inform her if she programmed the same item two days in a row. Theoretically, any of the more than 1000 menu items was available at any time, but the daily menu was by far a simpler way to go, since the computer held the pattern available in active memory for the set amount of time. When she finished with the menu, Aurora ordered a cup of coffee, then went to the table and sat down, although not across from Jonathan as usual, but at the far end.
Jonathan looked at her. "You can't keep running from me, you know. It's not that big a station."
Aurora made a show of looking down at her feet, then at him. "Since I appear to be sitting rather than running, I would judge your statement to be incorrect," she said evenly, between sips of coffee.
"There you go again with the snippy little statements. Why are you acting like this? It's not like you," he insisted.
"How do you know what I'm like?" she asked, plunking down the cup. "Or should I say 'What do you think I'm like?'"
He looked at her like she had lost her mind. "We've been working together for a year. You're an excellent officer when you want to be. You can quote more regs than any of us put together except your father, and he wrote the damn thing. You always think about consequences before you act. You're the most in-control, by-the-book person I've ever met. You're perfect. I love you!"
Aurora's eyes went wide. "Don't say that. People who love me either die or hurt me, and I'm not going to take that chance ever again. And none of those things are me. The real me races cars on a steep dirt track at midnight. The real me provoked a fight with an ass-hole on the hope that he'd dump me. The real me slept with a guy I'd known two weeks just being near him made me want him more than you can imagine."
Jonathan tried to pacify her. "Everyone does crazy thing when they're young, Aurora, but after we're married, I'm not going to hold-"
"We're not getting married," she interrupted.
He laughed it off. "I know, I should have asked you first, but it seemed pretty obvious to me. After all, the first officer, the commander's daughter. Your father approves, if that makes you feel better about it."
"It does not," she replied. "You'd better look for another girl, because I don't believe the time will ever come when I marry you." With that, she got up and stormed out of the mess hall.
Aurora marched down the gall toward her father's office, full of wrath and ready to tell him exactly where he could stuff his plans for her life. She started to feel her anger consume her and paused. If she tried to talk to her father now, all that would result would be a shouting match. I could just hit something! she thought. Then the idea struck her, and she turned on her heel and ran for the elevator. She rode it deep into the bowels of the rock that supported HawkHaven, where areas designed for recreation were housed. She passed up the holographic simulation suites in favor of the larger gym. It was more limited in its holographic capabilities, but had a familiar feel and smell that was almost comforting. She spent a few moments at the computer requesting computer-generated opponents and instructing it to lay down a mat similar to those used in gymnastics on the off chance that one of the practice 'grams knocked her on her butt. She set the program to run and entered the gym.
Six holograms later, Aurora was slightly winded, but still felt angry. She finished off the last opponent with a trip maneuver, followed by a reverse elbow strike to the back. The hologram fell to the mat, then sparkled into nothing. The sound of a single person clapping startled her, and she whirled around to see Starlight standing in the doorway. Then he came all the way in, and the doors whispered shut. Aurora stood still, breathing a bit heavily and watching him.
"I didn't mean to interrupt, but the talking wall said you were here. You're quite good. I've never seen an enemy vanish quite like that. Is it a spell?" he asked.
Aurora laughed. "No. The 'talking wall' made them for me, and as I defeat them, they vanish," she explained.
"Have you considered turning the wall off, if it spends time creating enemies for you to fight?"
She shook her head. "I asked it to. I wanted to hit someone, and they seemed to be a better target than the person I'm mad at."
"So you hit imaginary people?"
"Sometimes. But now it's not helping much."
"Do you ever fight real people?" he asked in a tantalizing voice.
"Depends," she answered, sidling up to him. "Do you fight girls?"
"If they hit first, I hit back," he said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Oh," Aurora said, looking down. She dragged her toe around a few times. "Well, in that case," she drawled, "you're 'it!'" she shouted, placing her hands on his hips and pushing. He went sprawling on his backside, and Aurora skipped back to the center of the room.
"I hope you meant that," Starlight said, regaining his footing with impressive speed. He peeled off his borrowed sweatshirt, and Aurora was pleased. She had seen his shoulders and chest already, and his abdomen was equally built; well muscled and sleek.
"Two can play at that game," she said, stripping off her own shirt to bare a golden mid-riff and black sports bra. Starlight paused a moment to appreciate the sight, then continued advancing.
They had been sparring for an hour, and Starlight was forced to admire Aurora's skill. She defended blows and kicks adequately, if not elegantly, but she never missed an opening for her own attack. And although he could grab her easily enough, she always managed to twist or turn somehow and break his grip. They paused for water only after he locked her into a hold she couldn't slither out of or break.
"Do you...want to know...the way out...of that last hold?" he asked between gulps.
"Sure," she said, chugging a half-liter of water. She tossed the empty bottle into the wall slot and walked back out to the center of the room. Starlight followed her and wrapped her back up again, his arms clamped around her arms and waist from behind, and bent forward.
Aurora's back was to him, and as he explained how she was to move, his hot breath brushed past her ear, and she shivered. She turned as he directed, and dropped her weight, expecting to land on her tail. Above her, Starlight fell forward, and Aurora lifted her hands to catch him before he landed on her. He let go of her and caught himself as she hit the mat. He dropped to one elbow and touched her face.
"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.
Aurora nodded, afraid to trust her voice. Her heart was pounding from the exercise and his proximity, but she wasn't nervous. Hell, she thought, if something happens, it happens. I'm not going to live at the bottom of a grave anymore.
"So," he said, tracing patterns on her face and neck, "I haven't thanked you for saving my life, yet, have I?"
She worked the fingers of one hand through his hair. "You don't have to thank me," she whispered huskily. "Just doing my job."
"Then what do we do now?" he asked. Gods, she was beautiful, and extremely desirable. He hoped he was reading her right. If she was scared off now, he was going to be hurting in more ways than one.
She pulled his head down until their lips were an inch apart. "Whatever we want," she said, and kissed him passionately. Maybe I'm ready to live again, she thought, then she stopped thinking altogether.
Jonathan pushed the intercom button again, but there was still no reply. He had given Aurora two hours to cool off, and the computer insisted that she was in the gym. But there was no answer to his chimes, and the door was locked. How on Earth were they going to sort this thing out if she insisted on hiding from him? He pressed the intercom a third time and received no response. Maybe she had been injured fighting those drones she liked to practice on. Fighting down panic, he called for a computer override on the lock. The door slid smoothly open, and Jonathan's panic turned to nausea. Instead of finding her wounded, Aurora was standing in the middle of the room, wrapped in her rescued warrior's embrace, kissing him with a great deal of enthusiasm. Their shirts were off, hair tousled, and the scent in the air unmistakable. While he had been waiting for her to return to her cool, reasonable self, Aurora had been here, getting hot and heavy with a complete stranger. He cleared his throat, and they jumped apart.
Aurora had turned off the intercom from the inside, and had therefore heard none of Jonathan's pages. She felt her elation turn to dismay as she saw the clear understanding of what had happened on his face. She knew he wanted her badly, and he was certain to regard this as a betrayal. Her heart fell as he turned on his heel and stormed off. It rose again, however, when Starlight wrapped an arm around her waist and asked, "Is he going to create a problem?"
"No," Aurora replied. "I'm going to talk to him and explain." She kissed him swiftly and ran after Jonathan. "Wait here," she called back into the gym. "I'll be right back."
Jonathan heard her running down the hall, and resolved to stay angry. None of her sweet words could change what he had seen.
"Jonathan, wait," Aurora called. "I have to expl-"
He cut her off. "Explain? What could you possibly want to explain? That it wasn't what it looked like? What else could it have been?" he asked, shouting.
"I won't lie to you, it was what it looked like."
"I see. So you rushed off after telling me you can't marry me to have a little romp in the gym? I didn't know your schedule was so full. Is Penal Planet 10 next on your calendar, or will you hit Bedlama now?" he asked sarcastically.
"That was uncalled for, and you know it. I was there, and he happened to come in. We talked for a while, and did some hand to hand practice, and it just got out of hand. I didn't mean for it to happen," she said frantically.
"No, of course not," he sneered. "You just fuck people without thinking about it, I'm sure."
"I'm trying to explain this, but if all you're going to do is humiliate me, I'll just leave."
"You've humiliated yourself far more than I ever could, Lieutenant," he said coldly, then turned and strode away.
Aurora turned and paced slowly back to the gym.
Her face told the story when she returned. "He didn't like your explanation," Starlight said without preamble.
"It's a little more complicated than that," Aurora replied wryly.
"Do you want to tell me about it? I feel somewhat involved," he said as he handed her back her shirt.
Aurora pulled it on. "Let's assign you some quarters, and I'll explain on the way." They left the gym and headed for the elevator. "When I arrived a year ago, I was recovering from losing someone very dear to me. Jonathan is a complete antithesis to him, and I thought he would be what I needed. Someone solid, rigid. Into rules and discipline. I thought it would be good for me, but..."
"But?" he asked as they stepped out onto the crew deck.
"But I was wrong. We're like oil and water. There is no way we could ever have a real relationship. And to top it all off, he figures we should get married, since he's the first officer, and I'm the commander's daughter."
"Ouch. I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were betrothed. I would never have-"
Aurora cut him off. "I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination. It's all in his head. And apparently my father is in on it somehow. So I have to straighten that out."
"But if your father wants this marriage, can you...Sorry. Wrong century. Arranged marriages are common at home. I'm not fond of the idea, though. At the wedding is a terrible time to meet one's life-partner. Will your father disinherit you then?"
"Not likely. I'm his only heir, as it were. Anyway, he'll probably be upset because he wants me to be happy, but once he understands that Jonathan and I are incompatible, he'll get over it." She shook of the gloomy thoughts. "So, these are our luxurious guest quarters," she said, opening a door on the men's barracks level. It had not been decorated with anyone's idea of comfortable furnishings, and still reflected the military's idea of "proper quarters," complete with a bed, one chair and a table, all standard institutional gray.
"Do they all look like this?" Starlight asked.
"All the guest quarters. Station personnel are allowed to make certain changes for their own comfort, but no one ever worried about the extra rooms. Maybe I can run a request by Command. Anyway, no one expects you to sit in here all day. My father wants me to show you the station, so you won't get lost or wander into some place you shouldn't be." She tapped on a keypad for a moment. "We're going to encode it for your voice. Go ahead and read the words on the screen," she said.
He looked at it. "Open, close, lights on, lights off. What does that do?" he asked as the words disappeared.
"The room is now programmed to respond only to you, unless there is an emergency. Then an officer's override will open the door."
"So who are the officers?" he asked.
"My father, myself, and Jonathan. Oh, dear. Hang on. I'll set it for two officers." She tapped for a moment. "There. Now it requires two officers to override your security lock. If Jonathan gets any strange ideas, he won't be able to bother you while you're asleep. So, what do you fancy now? Station tour, chat with Will? He's crazy about that armor. He'd be in heaven if you told him about it."
"Maybe later. I'd like to got to know you better, actually, and I'd love to get something to eat. Can we do that?"
"Easier done than said," Aurora replied, and led the way.
TBC....
by
Lady MoonHawke
I want to know what love is.
I want you to show me.
I want to feel what love is.
I know you can show me.
-Foreigner
Aurora had won the argument. Of that much she was sure. But everything else seemed up in the air; her relationship with Jonathan, her father's respect, hell, even her job felt balanced on the edge, and it was an edge she could not seem to see. She was beginning to wonder if winning had been worth it after all. Drifting through the stars on patrol, nothing seemed clear anymore.
A year ago, it had all seemed like crystal. Perfectly clear. Spend time getting to know her father, see if there were possibilities with Lieutenant Jonathan Greyer, known as "Quicksilver." It had seemed to Aurora that there was something between them. However, calling someone "an insignificant worm" was not conducive to developing a deeper relationship. A blip on the radar caught her attention, and she radioed back to base.
"SprintHawk to HawkHaven. Come in, HawkHaven. Over."
"HawkHaven here. Is that you, Firstlight? Over."
Aurora thanked her lucky stars. Krysten Barter, "Skyedansuer," was on duty, and not Quicksilver. Aurora had no desire to communicate with Quick right now. "I sure hope it's me. We'd be in a mess otherwise. I have a blip on my radar, heading 35ยบ starboard, pretty much on level, about 1000 clicks off. Can you scan it? Over."
"I've got it on radar, but it's too far for us to get a picture. Give it a flyby. Over."
A new voice came over the radio. "Aurora? Get back here. I'm not done talking to you yet." Shit! she thought. Jonathan. First he countermands my orders, now he presumes to order me around, as if my lieutenant's bars weren't as good as his. It's not like they're pink for girls and blue for boys. Screw him.
"Proceeding with visual identification of anomaly, " she said formally. "Will advise. Out." With that, she broke the radio connection, and when the communicator light began to blink furiously, she powered down the radio entirely. All right, Lieutenant. If you want my attention that badly, you're going to have to come get it. She changed course and blasted off toward the unidentified object.
As Aurora flew closer, she began to see what had registered on her radar. It began to appear as a bright star, but it was too close and on no chart for this galaxy. Then it began to take on a more rectangular shape, and continued to grow the closer she flew. About 10 meters off, she saw that it was a wooden frame, and the bright light was actually a sunny day on some pastoral scene. Grassy hills rippled and puffy white clouds floated across a blue sky. People ran through the scene, but Aurora couldn't get a good look at them. She banked the SprintHawk around the side to see what, if anything, was behind it. She could see the frame well enough, but there were only the stars beyond it, all right where they belonged. She banked around again, completing a circle, and saw that something had changed. The scene was still the same, but now someone was much closer to the edge of the frame. Aurora put the SprintHawk into hover and engaged the autopilot. She lowered her visor to protect her from deep space, and opened the hatch to get a better look. Whoever was on the other side was coming closer, and Aurora's best guess put the stranger as male, some six inches taller than her own 5'6", and wearing - armor. Aurora brushed a hand across her visor to clear the optics. No. He was still wearing armor, chain and plate, she thought. And he was still advancing. It seemed clear that he could see her when he waved an arm. She stood and waved back. He was almost to the edge when he lurched suddenly and fell forward. However, there was almost no ground left in front of him, and he tumbled into space.
"Oh, shit!" Aurora cursed, and dove out of the cockpit after him. She fired her heeljets to gain speed, and activated her wings to gain some control over her freefall. She saw him in the distance, closing faster and faster, and made a slight adjustment to her course. She didn't want to crash into him, just snag him. She reached out with her metal right hand, trusting its augmented strength more than her natural left.. She grasped him by the ankle, which happened to be closest. "Gotcha!" she said. Aurora rolled left and pulled up out of her dive, a move that required more agility but was safer than simply stopping or making a cold U-turn. She wrapped her left arm around the man's knees, then moved her right to grab him around the hips. He was still upside down, but Aurora felt it mattered more to get him into a pressurized environment than what view he had. She turned up the notch on her jets, desperate to get back to the SprintHawk. Open space in Limbo was slightly was slightly more kind to living tissue than back home, but it was no easier to breath warmer, near vacuum than cold total-vacuum. She felt her jets start to sputter, and cursed. In her rush to leave the station, she had skipped her personal pre-flight check. The SprintHawk was full of fuel; Bluegrass was too good a pilot to ignore maintenance on any vehicle, whether he used it or not, but personal maintenance was every officer's duty. And she had blatantly ignored hers. If worst came to worst, she could always radio back to and the Maraj would come get her, but by then it would be too late for the man slung over her shoulder, and Aurora had risked too much to lose him now. She threw the last of her fuel through her jets, and reached out with her left hand to grab the wing as it shot by. Inertia carried her body over and around until she was doing a one-armed handstand on the wing, and her power sputtered out. She brought her feet down to the magnetized plating, and thanked whomever had thought to add that feature. She stuffed her catch into the rear seat, jumped in herself, and pulled the canopy down.
Once the cockpit had re-pressurized, Aurora lifted her visor and examined her passenger. He has a weak pulse, but didn't seem to be breathing. Aurora stretched over the seat back to begin rescue breathing. She was able to reach him and force air into his lungs, but the position was awkward. It seemed more like kissing than traditional mouth-to-mouth. She felt him inhale on his own, and pulled back to check him again. His eyes fluttered open, and she knew he saw her. He lifted one gauntleted hand to brush her cheek, then passed out. Since everything else appeared okay, Aurora decided to head for home and leave any more medical expertise to Will. He wasn't a trained MD, but he knew how to interpret the AutoDoc.
"HawkHaven, this is SprintHawk. Priority One. Over." Priority One would get her out of arguing with Jonathan, she knew.
"HawkHaven. Go ahead, SprintHawk. Over." Krys was still at the radio. Thank Heaven.
"I am inbound with unidentified humanoid male, unconscious, suffering from mild to mid-level space exposure. Request med-alert standing by. Over."
"Copy, SprintHawk. Med-alert standing by. Out." Aurora punched in the coordinates, and fired the engines for home.
Aurora settled the SprintHawk on the landing pad and popped the hatch before the systems finished powering down. She saw Bluegrass waving his arms and mouthing words, trying to shout over the fading roar of the engines. She knew the lecture he was giving her well. Michael often compared her habit to jumping out of a moving vehicle. It was a slight exaggeration, but not too far from the truth. With power in the system, a jar on the controls could send the ship crashing about the hanger, wrecking machinery and endangering lives. Aurora usually respected Michael's opinion, but just now, her priorities were slightly different. Waiting three to five minutes for everything to shut down was not in her passenger's best interest. She threw a glance back at him. He was still unconscious. Aurora didn't want to waste anymore time getting him into sickbay. She looked down at the deck. SteelWill and SteelHart stood next to a gurney to transport the patient. Aurora turned and stood on the seat, grabbed her catch under the arms and pulled. Unfortunately, the station's artificial gravity made him quite a bit heavier than he had been in freefall. She straightened up and looked over the edge. "Will! Come give me a hand. He's put on some weight since I snagged him."
Will climbed up the side of the ship. "Trust you to hook a fish you couldn't land, Aurora. I suppose you want me to clean him for you too?" he asked jokingly.
"Oh, ha-ha. It was a lucky catch. Besides, he's big enough to keep. Now help me get him out of here. I want the A-doc to give him the all clear as soon as possible," she replied. "Now pull." They manhandled him up from the seat and out onto the wing. From there, Aurora jumped down to the deck and helped SteelHart position the gurney directly below Will and his burden. He began to lower the unconscious man to the waiting women below. They manhandled him onto the gurney and ran.
In the corner of the sprawling Shop set aside for a medical bay, Aurora watched nervously as Emily expertly applied electrodes and Will removed the antiquated armor. Between brushing the pale blonde hair from his forehead, she marveled with Will about the condition of the armor. Although it showed signs of recent use, the more protected parts showed a history of excellent care. Will took a tiny shaving from an inside seam.
"I want to run this through the analyzer," he said, "and see if it's authentic. If it's not, it's the best damn reproduction I've ever seen." He put the sliver on a slide and fed it into the machinery. "I've put in on a narrow band sweep, so we will get a complete rundown on the sample, but..." he trailed off.
"...It will take forever." She turned back to the stranger. "Will, I'm worried. He's still unconscious."
Emily looked up from her work. "He's got moderate deep-space shock. Anything less than a week under will be amazing." She reached out to touch Aurora's hand. "Don't worry. He'll be okay. You can stay and keep him company if you want. It may help." She finished attaching wires to the leads and plugged them into the AutoDoc. It went to work tracking heart rate, respiration and blood pressure, showing everything normal for an unconscious human male. Aurora sat beside him, holding his limp hand, subconsciously tracing the scars crisscrossing its back. She lost track of time sitting there.
Aurora was startled back to reality by her father's voice over the intercom. "Lieutenant Firstlight to my office on the double," it barked. She rose and gently put down the hand that she was holding. Then she turned and left.
Emily looked after her, then over at Will. "What was that all about?"
"Quicksilver is out for blood, and Aurora is his chosen sacrifice," he said cryptically.
"Sometimes, Will," Emily said, "you make no sense at all."
Aurora walked into the waiting area in front of her father's office and found Quicksilver lingering. She ignored him as she swept past into the office, and slammed the door in his face after she entered. She breezed up to her father's desk and dropped into the chair in front of it. "Yes, Dad?" she asked.
"Lieutenant! Is that how they taught you to address a superior officer at the Academy?" he thundered.
Uh-oh, Aurora thought. This is going to be bad. The Commander rarely unleashed his full temper, and Aurora had never been it's victim, but she knew now that it was coming straight for her, and there was no way to dodge or block it. She jumped to attention and saluted.
"Lieutenant Stargazer reporting as ordered, sir!" she shouted.
"Lieutenant, I have been informed that you disobeyed a direct order. Is this true?"
"Sir, I would like to present my side, sir."
"This is a 'yes' or 'no' question, Lieutenant. 'Sides' are not an issue."
"Sir, Lieutenant Greyer issued that order with personal intent. I was within my rights to ignore it." Aurora knew she had to bite back hard. "The Lieutenant wished to continue a discussion I had no interest in, sir. I chose to ignore him for that reason."
"Lieutenant Greyer, in!" the Commander called. Jonathan came through the door and stood at attention beside Aurora. Commander Stargazer addressed him. "Lieutenant, I am given to understand that there was a personal issue between you. Is that the case?"
"The Lieutenant and I were discussing a station matter, and I felt that she terminated our discussion rather abruptly and rudely. I merely wanted to complete it for the good of the station, sir."
"Very well. Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned to Aurora. "Lieutenant Stargazer, you are temporarily relieved of duty and confined to the station for a period of no less than three weeks. You will surrender your armor to Sergeant Hart. You are assigned KP for one week, as well, effective today. Do you understand?"
"Sir, yes sir!" she shouted in reply.
"Very good. Lieutenant Greyer, you are dismissed." The Commander and Aurora stood silently until Jonathan had left. Then he looked at his daughter. "Have a seat, honey," he said in a tired voice, walking back behind his desk.
"Sir?" she asked, a slight note of derision in her voice.
"Don't mess with me, young lady," he warned, slumping down into his chair. "Now sit."
Aurora fell gracefully into the chair. "All right, Dad. You obviously want me to stay for something other than coffee and doughnuts. What's really on your mind?" She ignored the service robot that appeared at her elbow with a plate of goodies and two steaming mugs. Sometimes she wanted to strangle the programmer who convinced the computer that every reference to food was a request.
"I want the real story on what's wrong between you and Jonathan. No embellishments, no 'sir,' just the truth."
"We had a fight over rank," she said simply.
"A little more embellishment than that, if you please."
"I traded assignments with Krysten. I wanted to get out and do some thinking, and she was scheduled to fly patrol. But I was running late at communications, and Jonathan caught her away from her duty post. He ordered her out on patrol, and I caught wind of it, and ordered her to stay. Then he and I got into it over who's ordered superseded who's, and I finally said forget it and did the patrol, and Krys took my shift at Ops. Everything would have been fine if Jonathan had just stayed out of it."
"Except that Quicksilver's job is to make the duty assignments, and you're supposed to see that they are carried out as assigned, not rearrange them to suit yourself." He sighed. "What's really eating you, Aurora? This has been brewing for a couple of days now."
"It's just a bad time of the year for me. I can't seem to get along with anyone during summer anymore. Sometimes I just feel...dead and buried, I guess"
"Because of Amy and Steven's deaths? I know it's hard to lose people, honey, but you can't go around like a cactus for the rest of your life. You have to let someone in sometime."
"I know, Daddy. And I'll try. Really, I will." Aurora got up, walked around the desk, and hugged her father. "Thanks." She turned and walked toward the door.
"Don't forget about that armor, Miss. And be grateful you're not confined to quarters."
Aurora turned back to face him. "You sound just like Mom, grounding me. I suppose I get a watchdog next?"
"No. I'm not expecting anyone to beat you up. But you can play watchdog to that fellow you brought in if you're desperate for something to do. Just check into the mess hall system once a day, and I'll consider the KP covered. No one eats at the same time anyway."
"Okay. I'll see you later, Dad. Thanks again." Aurora opened the office door and left.
She went back down to the medical bay, not yet satisfied enough with the stranger's condition to risk being away long enough for even a minimal decompression to remove the yellow-lacquered armor over her body. Aurora loved the ability to remove her armor, and often spent extra time in the chamber for tanning purposes to keep the golden tan she had acquired after years in the Montana sun. But now, she didn't want to spare even a minute for it. She stood beside his bed, watching his chest rise and fall. She reached out and brushed the hair from his forehead again. He must have moved while she was gone. She looked across the room at Will, who was tinkering with the black armor and perusing several sheets of paper. "Well, Will? How long does the computer think he will be out?"
"It still doesn't know, Aurora. Emily told you that before, and there haven't been any miraculous advances in medicine in the last 15 minutes. But he has been moving around a little, and that's a good sign. But more than that I just don't know yet. You'll just have to wait," he replied.
She turned back to the man she had rescued, studying him. His light blond hair flowed past his shoulders, and his skin was pale where clothing would have covered it, but golden-brown where the sun had touched it. She reached out to stroke his face, and felt her wrist held in a grip of steel. The stranger's eyes flew open, and Aurora gasped. She had not been imagining things. His eyes were the same sapphire blue that Steven's had been; a vibrant shade compared to Jonathan's, which had all the warmth and color of an iceberg. She saw recognition flash, and he reached out with his free hand to brush her cheek again, and smiled.
"I thought I had imagined you," he said, "but you're real. You're the angel with the dark hair who flew down to save me. I think I owe you my life." He released her wrist, and struggled a moment to get up. Then he lay back with a groan. "Oh, my head. What hit me?"
Aurora smiled. "You're suffering from a moderate case of deep-space exposure. You might feel a little under the weather for a while. If you're up to it, though, I ought to ask you a few nosy questions for the record. Who are you, and where are you from?"
"I am Lord Starlight of the Razorback Mountains. And you?"
"Aurora Stargazer of Montana and presently HawkHaven, which is where you are now."
"Whoa. I've heard of Montana, but the other one has me confused," he said.
"HawkHaven is the command post for the SilverHawks. We're a military unit attempting to apprehend a local crime boss and his mob. We're located in Limbo Galaxy, about 100 light-years from Earth," she explained.
"100 light-years? That's some rabbit hole to fall down. What year is this?" he asked.
"It's 2841 by Limbo date, the third of June, as it happens," she replied.
"Well, at least the day is the same, but I think I'm a long way, and a long time from home. My home is on Earth in the year AD 1252. I was in the middle of a battle, and some enemy sorcerer opened the portal. I was going to see about dealing with what came through or closing it when I saw you. Then I must have been hit in the back because I fell through it. And I guess you know the rest."
Will came over as he finished speaking. "Well, Aurora, your company seemed to do the trick." He offered his hand. "I'm Sergeant SteelWill, but everyone just calls me Will."
Starlight took his hand. "Starlight. Are you the doc?" he asked.
"Nope. Chief mechanic and engineer. I know how to read the stuff you're attached to, though, and right now, it says you need to spend some time in a decompression chamber to equalize your blood gasses."
"I'm afraid I didn't quite follow all of that," Starlight said.
Aurora explained it simply. "It will clear up your headache and any joint pain you might have. It's perfectly safe, and someone will be here the whole time."
"I will," Will cut in. "Your father let me in about your armor, Aurora. But I'll compromise with you. Since I have to sit on it anyway, I'll put on those three-inch heel units you wanted, and do the engraving on the wings, even though I still think it's awfully fancy for military use."
Aurora hugged him joyously. "You're the best, Will. I'll cycle real quick and get back."
"No, I want you to run a complete cycle this time. You're going to be running on your own steam for a while, and you need as complete a purge of the mechanics as possible, at least as far as the externals go. I'll check the internal stuff at some point before you suit up again. Now get going. I want to get Prince Charming in before his head falls off."
"I would surely appreciate that," Starlight said. "My head feels like a melon is trying to grow in there."
"Let's get you going then." Will helped his patient into a decompression chamber, and set it to run a full cycle. Aurora stayed long enough to make sure Starlight was comfortable, then left.
Aurora entered her room and called for the lights. Knowing she would want a shower after decompressing, she threw a kimono across one side-rail of her white and brass daybed. Neither item was standard military issue, but Command had recently started allowing the crew to select items to make their quarters more "homey." Although none of Aurora's furnishings reminded her of any place she considered "home," it was a great deal better than the original, institutional look. Aurora considered this in the back of her mind as she set the chamber for a full cycle, and added a command for a tan as well. She slid into the chamber, pulled it shut, and pressed the sound-system button for something relaxing while she waited. She let her mind drift with the music, and was annoyed when the 'com chimed. "Yes?" she said testily.
"It's Jon. Can I come in?" came the reply.
Aurora was in no mood to see him now or speak to him. "No," she said briefly. "I'm in the tube. Catch me later." When I'm not in the mood to rip your head off and stuff it down your neck, she thought. It made her smile. Steven had liked a slightly modified version of that threat, and it had always been a funny image in Aurora's mind. She sighed to herself. Every reminder of Steven was like a knife in her heart. She allowed herself to drift with the music again. The computer reminder to turn over barely registered, but she compliantly flopped over on her stomach. The machine had already removed her armor and piled neatly in storage, and Aurora gave a brief thought as to how she was going to transport more than 20 pieces of metal to the Shop. Maybe there was a box in her closet or under the bed it would fit into. She relegated it to the back of her mind as the music continued.
When the timer sounded, Aurora stepped out into the room, which felt slightly chilly thanks to the heat of the tanning element. She wasted no time in heading to the shower, grabbing her kimono from the bed on the way. She turned on the shower, gratified that the steam quickly filled the small bathroom, heating it nicely. She stepped in and began to wash, enjoying the feel of the hot water and the smell of the fancy bodywash she had ordered a case of when she transferred up here. She had no doubt that the cleaner provided by Command worked, but it smelled suspiciously like the industrial strength cleanser used on the floors, and that bothered her quite a bit. She began to work on her hair, applying hot oil, then shampoo. She was rinsing the suds out when the 'com beeped. Honestly, she thought, I can't get any peace, even in the bathroom. She slapped her hand against the specially coated button designed for wet areas. "Yes?" she said over the splash of the water.
"It's Krys. Can I come in?" she asked.
"Sure," Aurora replied. "I'm almost done here. Make yourself comfortable." She quickly finished her hair and stepped out. She threw on her robe and wrapped her hair in a towel. She opened the door, and steam billowed out with her, turning nearby surfaces damp. Krys had curled up in one of Aurora's swivel rockers, chin on her knees, looking pensive. Aurora crossed to her walk-in closet and left the door slightly ajar so she could hear and be heard. "What's with the long face? Did my dad chew you out real bad? I can fix it with him. Or did Jon give you the heavy act again?" she asked as she selected clothes and put them on.
"No, it's not that," Krysten replied. She sighed. "Rorie, you've been with a lot of guys, right?"
Aurora paused a moment. "I wouldn't call two a lot, but I know what's what. Why?"
"I just wanted to know, uhmmm, how you get a guy to, well..." she left it dangling.
"Make love to you?" Aurora completed. "It depends a lot on the guy," she said.
"What do you mean?" Krys asked.
"Well, if you just want to have sex, like you were scratching an itch, you pretty much just rub up against him and eventually he gets the idea. If it's someone you're already involved with, though, you know what turns him on, or you can just tell him you want to make love." Aurora came out of her dressing room in a pair of bike shorts and her "I Survived the Mojave Death March" T-shirt, given only to those who had succeeded in a desert-survival weekend at the Academy. It was one of her favorite shirts, and she wore it often. "Why?" she thought she knew, but didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly.
Krysten sighed again. "No special reason." She was silent a moment. "So suppose it is a special relationship, but I don't know what he likes, and I can't talk about it?"
"Then you're not ready. If you can't discuss sex with your partner, and all the possibilities, you shouldn't do it." Aurora knew she sounded ultra-conservative, but Krysten's sheltered upbringing made Aurora want to protect her from some of life's harsher realities.
"You sound like my mother. 'Not until you marry, Krysten. It's the best way.' It's such a crock. You didn't wait until your wedding night."
Now it was Aurora's turn to sigh. "No, I didn't With Harry, I used my body as a tool to keep his interest. Not that he was especially interested in what I was getting out of the experience, nor was it much. He would have been better served by a blow-up doll. It wouldn't have been bitter about it. But I'm getting away from the point. When I was with Steven, I gave him a piece of my heart, and he gave me a piece of his. But when he died, I lost both parts forever, and the memories I have, wonderful thought they may be, don't replace what I have lost. That's why it's so important to wait. If you do this thing, and one of you should be lost in our fight out here, the other will never recover." Aurora smiled wryly. "And one walking corpse out here is probably enough."
Krysten chuckled. "You're far from dead," she said. "Jonathan seems to think you are very warm and kicking. You seem to disrupt his very orderly way of looking at the world."
Aurora sighed again. "Jonathan and I are never going to get together. We're just going to end up further apart. My heart is lying a the bottom at a ravine in Montana waiting for me."
"You never know, Rorie. Someone may come along and sweep you right off your feet," Krysten suggested.
Aurora snorted. "Hmph! It would have to be some mighty impressive sweeping," she replied. "So what did my father say to you regarding our little switch?"
"I was following orders from the officer directly superior to me, so I'm free and clear. But I heard about your suspension. I'm real sorry. I never meant for this to happen when I asked to switch. Your dad said you took the whole blame for the thing; that changing shifts was your idea." Krysten watched as Aurora retrieved coffee from the food dispenser and sat across from her. "You didn't have to do that. I was ready to take my licks for my part of it."
Aurora paused in sucking down her coffee greedily. "Why, in heaven's name? I'd still be in exactly the same position I am, and you would be stuck here with me. There's no point in two of us getting punished for one crime. Besides, you get into enough trouble on your own." She finished her coffee quickly. "About your original question. It's pretty clear to me that you are wanting Michael pretty badly, and I really can understand that. I think you best bet is simply to go to him and say what you're feeling. But don't count on it going too far. Michael is from the old school that essentially says you don't sleep with a girl you intend to marry before the vows are exchanged. And it may turn out that there were women he slept with before he met you, but I'll lay money he didn't give any of them a ring and ask for their hand." She checked her watch. "I've got to get moving. I'd planned to be back in the Shop by now to check on Starlight. Do you want to come with me?"
"Not right now. I'm going to go change. I'll see you later," Krysten said, getting up to leave.
"Okay. Just remember, you have his ring on your hand. You're going to get what you want eventually, but if you really can't wait, go say how you feel. It might work." Krysten nodded and left, and Aurora started to search for a box to transport her armor. She managed to dig one out of her closet, then transferred all the pieces to the box and hauled the whole mess down to the Shop.
Will was still working with the armor, comparing the metal to various charts and sheets of printout from the computer. Aurora greeted him, dropped her burden on a table and headed straight to the decompression chamber. However, it was dark and empty. She looked back over at Will.
"Will, where did he go?" she asked.
Will didn't look up from the work he was so engrossed in. "Who?" he asked, a bit distractedly.
"Starlight. You know, 6' tall, blond and blue, most likely stark-naked, Where did he go?" she asked again, slightly peeved.
"Oh. He left. You should see this, Aurora. It seems to be the genuine article." Will was completely content to chase down the history of the armor.
"I'm sure it is. And it's owner is probably wandering around without a stitch on. Now where did he go?"
Will finally looked up from his work. "I didn't let him go naked. He's running around in a spare set of sweats, and I explained how the 'Squawk-box' works so he could find the mess hall and whatnot. Don't get so jumpy, you'll give yourself a heart attack. Where's your suit?" he asked.
She gestured vaguely at the box. "In there. I have to catch up with Starlight. I'm his guard dog for the duration, so I'd better run. 'Bye, Will," she said as she left.
Will mumbled something and returned to his beloved work at hand.
Aurora walked to the mess hall since it was the only place Will had mentioned, and almost stopped dead in her tracks. Instead of Starlight, she had found Jonathan, and her attempts to avoid him all counted for nothing now. She didn't allow her pace to alter as she walked casually to the dispenser wall and logged in at the terminal. She made selections from the vast collection of recipes for the next 24 hours, setting up three complete meal choices each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She locked in the selections and instructed the computer to inform her if she programmed the same item two days in a row. Theoretically, any of the more than 1000 menu items was available at any time, but the daily menu was by far a simpler way to go, since the computer held the pattern available in active memory for the set amount of time. When she finished with the menu, Aurora ordered a cup of coffee, then went to the table and sat down, although not across from Jonathan as usual, but at the far end.
Jonathan looked at her. "You can't keep running from me, you know. It's not that big a station."
Aurora made a show of looking down at her feet, then at him. "Since I appear to be sitting rather than running, I would judge your statement to be incorrect," she said evenly, between sips of coffee.
"There you go again with the snippy little statements. Why are you acting like this? It's not like you," he insisted.
"How do you know what I'm like?" she asked, plunking down the cup. "Or should I say 'What do you think I'm like?'"
He looked at her like she had lost her mind. "We've been working together for a year. You're an excellent officer when you want to be. You can quote more regs than any of us put together except your father, and he wrote the damn thing. You always think about consequences before you act. You're the most in-control, by-the-book person I've ever met. You're perfect. I love you!"
Aurora's eyes went wide. "Don't say that. People who love me either die or hurt me, and I'm not going to take that chance ever again. And none of those things are me. The real me races cars on a steep dirt track at midnight. The real me provoked a fight with an ass-hole on the hope that he'd dump me. The real me slept with a guy I'd known two weeks just being near him made me want him more than you can imagine."
Jonathan tried to pacify her. "Everyone does crazy thing when they're young, Aurora, but after we're married, I'm not going to hold-"
"We're not getting married," she interrupted.
He laughed it off. "I know, I should have asked you first, but it seemed pretty obvious to me. After all, the first officer, the commander's daughter. Your father approves, if that makes you feel better about it."
"It does not," she replied. "You'd better look for another girl, because I don't believe the time will ever come when I marry you." With that, she got up and stormed out of the mess hall.
Aurora marched down the gall toward her father's office, full of wrath and ready to tell him exactly where he could stuff his plans for her life. She started to feel her anger consume her and paused. If she tried to talk to her father now, all that would result would be a shouting match. I could just hit something! she thought. Then the idea struck her, and she turned on her heel and ran for the elevator. She rode it deep into the bowels of the rock that supported HawkHaven, where areas designed for recreation were housed. She passed up the holographic simulation suites in favor of the larger gym. It was more limited in its holographic capabilities, but had a familiar feel and smell that was almost comforting. She spent a few moments at the computer requesting computer-generated opponents and instructing it to lay down a mat similar to those used in gymnastics on the off chance that one of the practice 'grams knocked her on her butt. She set the program to run and entered the gym.
Six holograms later, Aurora was slightly winded, but still felt angry. She finished off the last opponent with a trip maneuver, followed by a reverse elbow strike to the back. The hologram fell to the mat, then sparkled into nothing. The sound of a single person clapping startled her, and she whirled around to see Starlight standing in the doorway. Then he came all the way in, and the doors whispered shut. Aurora stood still, breathing a bit heavily and watching him.
"I didn't mean to interrupt, but the talking wall said you were here. You're quite good. I've never seen an enemy vanish quite like that. Is it a spell?" he asked.
Aurora laughed. "No. The 'talking wall' made them for me, and as I defeat them, they vanish," she explained.
"Have you considered turning the wall off, if it spends time creating enemies for you to fight?"
She shook her head. "I asked it to. I wanted to hit someone, and they seemed to be a better target than the person I'm mad at."
"So you hit imaginary people?"
"Sometimes. But now it's not helping much."
"Do you ever fight real people?" he asked in a tantalizing voice.
"Depends," she answered, sidling up to him. "Do you fight girls?"
"If they hit first, I hit back," he said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Oh," Aurora said, looking down. She dragged her toe around a few times. "Well, in that case," she drawled, "you're 'it!'" she shouted, placing her hands on his hips and pushing. He went sprawling on his backside, and Aurora skipped back to the center of the room.
"I hope you meant that," Starlight said, regaining his footing with impressive speed. He peeled off his borrowed sweatshirt, and Aurora was pleased. She had seen his shoulders and chest already, and his abdomen was equally built; well muscled and sleek.
"Two can play at that game," she said, stripping off her own shirt to bare a golden mid-riff and black sports bra. Starlight paused a moment to appreciate the sight, then continued advancing.
They had been sparring for an hour, and Starlight was forced to admire Aurora's skill. She defended blows and kicks adequately, if not elegantly, but she never missed an opening for her own attack. And although he could grab her easily enough, she always managed to twist or turn somehow and break his grip. They paused for water only after he locked her into a hold she couldn't slither out of or break.
"Do you...want to know...the way out...of that last hold?" he asked between gulps.
"Sure," she said, chugging a half-liter of water. She tossed the empty bottle into the wall slot and walked back out to the center of the room. Starlight followed her and wrapped her back up again, his arms clamped around her arms and waist from behind, and bent forward.
Aurora's back was to him, and as he explained how she was to move, his hot breath brushed past her ear, and she shivered. She turned as he directed, and dropped her weight, expecting to land on her tail. Above her, Starlight fell forward, and Aurora lifted her hands to catch him before he landed on her. He let go of her and caught himself as she hit the mat. He dropped to one elbow and touched her face.
"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.
Aurora nodded, afraid to trust her voice. Her heart was pounding from the exercise and his proximity, but she wasn't nervous. Hell, she thought, if something happens, it happens. I'm not going to live at the bottom of a grave anymore.
"So," he said, tracing patterns on her face and neck, "I haven't thanked you for saving my life, yet, have I?"
She worked the fingers of one hand through his hair. "You don't have to thank me," she whispered huskily. "Just doing my job."
"Then what do we do now?" he asked. Gods, she was beautiful, and extremely desirable. He hoped he was reading her right. If she was scared off now, he was going to be hurting in more ways than one.
She pulled his head down until their lips were an inch apart. "Whatever we want," she said, and kissed him passionately. Maybe I'm ready to live again, she thought, then she stopped thinking altogether.
Jonathan pushed the intercom button again, but there was still no reply. He had given Aurora two hours to cool off, and the computer insisted that she was in the gym. But there was no answer to his chimes, and the door was locked. How on Earth were they going to sort this thing out if she insisted on hiding from him? He pressed the intercom a third time and received no response. Maybe she had been injured fighting those drones she liked to practice on. Fighting down panic, he called for a computer override on the lock. The door slid smoothly open, and Jonathan's panic turned to nausea. Instead of finding her wounded, Aurora was standing in the middle of the room, wrapped in her rescued warrior's embrace, kissing him with a great deal of enthusiasm. Their shirts were off, hair tousled, and the scent in the air unmistakable. While he had been waiting for her to return to her cool, reasonable self, Aurora had been here, getting hot and heavy with a complete stranger. He cleared his throat, and they jumped apart.
Aurora had turned off the intercom from the inside, and had therefore heard none of Jonathan's pages. She felt her elation turn to dismay as she saw the clear understanding of what had happened on his face. She knew he wanted her badly, and he was certain to regard this as a betrayal. Her heart fell as he turned on his heel and stormed off. It rose again, however, when Starlight wrapped an arm around her waist and asked, "Is he going to create a problem?"
"No," Aurora replied. "I'm going to talk to him and explain." She kissed him swiftly and ran after Jonathan. "Wait here," she called back into the gym. "I'll be right back."
Jonathan heard her running down the hall, and resolved to stay angry. None of her sweet words could change what he had seen.
"Jonathan, wait," Aurora called. "I have to expl-"
He cut her off. "Explain? What could you possibly want to explain? That it wasn't what it looked like? What else could it have been?" he asked, shouting.
"I won't lie to you, it was what it looked like."
"I see. So you rushed off after telling me you can't marry me to have a little romp in the gym? I didn't know your schedule was so full. Is Penal Planet 10 next on your calendar, or will you hit Bedlama now?" he asked sarcastically.
"That was uncalled for, and you know it. I was there, and he happened to come in. We talked for a while, and did some hand to hand practice, and it just got out of hand. I didn't mean for it to happen," she said frantically.
"No, of course not," he sneered. "You just fuck people without thinking about it, I'm sure."
"I'm trying to explain this, but if all you're going to do is humiliate me, I'll just leave."
"You've humiliated yourself far more than I ever could, Lieutenant," he said coldly, then turned and strode away.
Aurora turned and paced slowly back to the gym.
Her face told the story when she returned. "He didn't like your explanation," Starlight said without preamble.
"It's a little more complicated than that," Aurora replied wryly.
"Do you want to tell me about it? I feel somewhat involved," he said as he handed her back her shirt.
Aurora pulled it on. "Let's assign you some quarters, and I'll explain on the way." They left the gym and headed for the elevator. "When I arrived a year ago, I was recovering from losing someone very dear to me. Jonathan is a complete antithesis to him, and I thought he would be what I needed. Someone solid, rigid. Into rules and discipline. I thought it would be good for me, but..."
"But?" he asked as they stepped out onto the crew deck.
"But I was wrong. We're like oil and water. There is no way we could ever have a real relationship. And to top it all off, he figures we should get married, since he's the first officer, and I'm the commander's daughter."
"Ouch. I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were betrothed. I would never have-"
Aurora cut him off. "I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination. It's all in his head. And apparently my father is in on it somehow. So I have to straighten that out."
"But if your father wants this marriage, can you...Sorry. Wrong century. Arranged marriages are common at home. I'm not fond of the idea, though. At the wedding is a terrible time to meet one's life-partner. Will your father disinherit you then?"
"Not likely. I'm his only heir, as it were. Anyway, he'll probably be upset because he wants me to be happy, but once he understands that Jonathan and I are incompatible, he'll get over it." She shook of the gloomy thoughts. "So, these are our luxurious guest quarters," she said, opening a door on the men's barracks level. It had not been decorated with anyone's idea of comfortable furnishings, and still reflected the military's idea of "proper quarters," complete with a bed, one chair and a table, all standard institutional gray.
"Do they all look like this?" Starlight asked.
"All the guest quarters. Station personnel are allowed to make certain changes for their own comfort, but no one ever worried about the extra rooms. Maybe I can run a request by Command. Anyway, no one expects you to sit in here all day. My father wants me to show you the station, so you won't get lost or wander into some place you shouldn't be." She tapped on a keypad for a moment. "We're going to encode it for your voice. Go ahead and read the words on the screen," she said.
He looked at it. "Open, close, lights on, lights off. What does that do?" he asked as the words disappeared.
"The room is now programmed to respond only to you, unless there is an emergency. Then an officer's override will open the door."
"So who are the officers?" he asked.
"My father, myself, and Jonathan. Oh, dear. Hang on. I'll set it for two officers." She tapped for a moment. "There. Now it requires two officers to override your security lock. If Jonathan gets any strange ideas, he won't be able to bother you while you're asleep. So, what do you fancy now? Station tour, chat with Will? He's crazy about that armor. He'd be in heaven if you told him about it."
"Maybe later. I'd like to got to know you better, actually, and I'd love to get something to eat. Can we do that?"
"Easier done than said," Aurora replied, and led the way.
TBC....