Disclaimer: I do not own the universe of EVE (I wish), but the characters in this story are all mine.
A/N: Sorry everyone for taking so damn long to update... I have a lot of things going on in real life, and was writing so much for school that I couldn't find the energy to also write at night at home :) But that slowed down significantly, and I decided to put up a somewhat shorter chapter for now while I write the next one so at least everyone knows it's still alive and ongoing! Because it definitely is.
Expect a faster pace for the next few chapters as there will be a good amount more action now that I've introduced several of the important characters. Though, surely there will also be time for relaxation and happiness :)
Chapter 6 - Trapped in a tin can
For the second time in less than a day I woke up to the most wonderful sensation one could imagine, the solid weight resting on top of me moving ever so slightly with the stirrings of the life contained within. I simply laid there for many, many minutes enjoying the closeness, the warmth of it, of her. My arms were still wrapped around her form, molding her body to mine. Our curves fit together so perfectly, providing just enough softness to make our current position supremely comfortable even for the many long hours of the night. My hands were absently rubbing on her neck and shoulders, the touch feeling so very natural I did it without even really realizing. I felt a soft rumble coming from her chest and a slight shift in tension entering her body, and knew she must have woken up. "Hey... did you sleep well?" I whispered into the dark curls of her hair that were layered over my upper chest, tickling slightly against my throat and chin when she moved the tiniest bit. One of her warm cheeks was snuggled tight against the softness of my breasts, the slight movement of air when she breathed causing the material of my shirt to dance ever so slightly, teasing the sensitive skin underneath.
I felt her nod sleepily, happily, against my chest. The motion also shifted her hair enough that it did tickle, and I shivered rather intensely throughout my body at the sensation. My neck was entirely too sensitive to that... I sensed, rather than saw her grin. I could hear it in her voice, too, when she spoke. "I most certainly did. And you're that ticklish, huh? That's... good to know." I, of course, turned pink, and was glad she couldn't see my blush just then.
"How are you feeling? Is your body mostly healed now?"
She nodded, slightly shifting her face so I could see her eyes, warm and brown, while still staying attached to me in what seemed a very comfortable position. It is for me, anyway. "Yes, it usually only takes an overnight rest for me to replenish my reserves after an injury of that nature..." Her gazed softened more, and genuine appreciation was visible on her features. "Thank you for last night. I really needed the comfort, I think. And thank you so much for allowing me to sleep through the nightmares." Her expression grew clouded. "Most nights I can't sleep for very long because of everything I have seen, and done. This is the first in a very long series of nights that I only woke up a few times, and I have never felt so secure in my life, ever."
I smiled affectionately at her, touching my fingers to her cheeks in a soft caress. "You're most welcome. I am glad I could help you be more comfortable, it was by any means the very least I could do." I grinned at her. "And you better get used to sleeping soundly. I imagine if we're going to make it out of this... predicament alive with all our limbs and sanity intact, we need you to be well-rested. I'll certainly sacrifice my body as a pillow for that cause any day of the month." I couldn't stop a giggle. "Though, it's not much of a sacrifice, you're very comfortable to snuggle with." I felt my cheeks heat at the admission, but valiantly succeeded in ignoring it, holding her gaze with my eyes without even blinking. I did very much want her to know I was serious about that, even if it was a little embarrassing to admit it so openly. I definitely knew she wasn't used to people caring about her, and had a good sense that she would be very sensitive in all likelihood to any indication she was being a burden. She just seemed like the kind of person who hated being thought of that way, so I made sure to go out of my way to convince her she by no means was one. Not in my eyes and mind, anyway.
Amelie smiled shyly. "Thanks, Evie. That is most kind of you to say. And I did sleep better than I ever can remember having slept." She paused for a moment, thinking. "What do you think we should do? I believe later today we will reach the edge of the constellation and they'll do a full inspection of the ship before we're cleared for jumping. And that is an exceedingly easy time for them to locate me, if they have any contacts within customs. And I am positive they do."
I frowned. "Well... we should definitely talk to Max and Alecto and see if we can't come up with any great ideas. I suppose we may be able to commandeer an emergency shuttle if we really think we'll be trapped on board, and try to fly away undetected. Once we're off the ship we could probably make our way over to Vylade in due time, possibly more safely as they would have a hard time tracking us down once we're in open space."
Amelie pursed her lips. "That may work. It's not my first choice as they may be able to track the shuttle, but it would certainly beat getting picked off during customs inspection. If we can't find a good place to avoid that, we may have to resort to this. But I say we first collect Max, get something to eat as I doubt they'd attack us in broad daylight... Though we better be safe and return here to actually consume the food. But then once Alecto is done with work we can contact her and have a meeting of brains, so to speak, and see if we can't come up with some approach to get through this."
I smiled. "That sounds good. I am certainly starving." My stomach chose that exact moment to protest its emptiness loudly. I blushed at the sound. "And I imagine yours is even more empty considering you used so much energy yesterday?"
She nodded. "Yes, I need to eat a significant amount of food to restore my reserves or my body will cannibalize the least important tissues first. It is a defense mechanism during extreme stresses, but I'd rather not go through that if I do not absolutely have to." Amelie quirked one corner of her mouth upwards as if to stress the obviousness of that, which I found rather endearing to be perfectly honest.
I smiled at her in sympathy. That did sound most unpleasant. And given her body's extreme performance, I imagined it really did go through those processes much more quickly than a human could. If she burned a week worth of energy in an hour, you'd definitely be able to see the difference. I certainly didn't want that. I shifted my eyes to hers. "Shall we get up and find some breakfast, then?"
Amelie nodded, and we slowly, almost regretfully, disentangled our limbs from their comfortable entwinement. I grinned at her and rolled myself off the bed, bouncing on my feet a bit as I landed on the floor. I quickly picked out some clothes to wear for the day. Much more modest ones than last night's, if anyone was keeping score. Though, they're still quite flattering. I smiled at her, brightly, and headed into the attached bathroom to change and give her some privacy should she desire it.
Amelie apparently didn't; she walked in not thirty seconds later, dressing as she went. She finished slipping the shirt over her head, covering the last expanse of toned abdomen that drew my eyes for just a moment longer than absolutely necessary. Can't really blame myself, either. I instead smiled at her, the warmth once again easily reflected in the smile that came to her lips in response. She grabbed the hair brush and spent a few moments brushing out her hair, wrestling it into a semblance of order with little apparent difficulty. I, on the other hand, was still combing through my hair, even as short as it was.
I was having an especially difficult time with the hair near the back of my head and so focused on my efforts that I had lost sight of what Amelie was doing, when I felt the warmth of her hand closing over mine. "Here, let me." She spoke, softly. I let go of the brush, the feeling of my fingers tracing past hers leaving my skin rather electrified. With slow, expert strokes she brushed my hair until it was completely free of tangles, and utterly lacking the look of dishevelment it usually possessed. I turned my neck and smiled warmly at her, in thanks. Amelie just shook her head in return. "Don't worry about it, Evie, it really is the least I could do after all the help you've given me." I blushed a little in response to that, though I knew she was right. I have really gone out of my way to help her, haven't I?
I checked over myself in the mirror, and feeling satisfied with my appearance, I offered my hand to her. She took it, and again I was struck by the soft warmth of her fingers in my own. "Ready for some food, Amelie?" I smiled at her, brightly. "You must be utterly starving from expending that much energy." She nodded at that, and off we went.
It only took a few minutes for us to cross the distance to the breakfast room, as most passengers on the transport seemed to be sleeping off hangovers, or were otherwise entertaining themselves in their rooms. It was certainly not busy in the hallways, which suited us just fine. Arriving at one of the food booths, I leaned over towards Amelie and whispered. "I am terribly indecisive about these matters. Why don't you order something for us both?" I grinned. "Probably several servings if I have a proper sense of your appetite."
Amelie returned my grin in kind, and curved one of her elegant eyebrows. I felt the warmth of her breath on my neck as she replied in a soft voice. "It is truly insatiable. In more ways than one." I felt my cheeks redden a tiny bit, and mock-scowled at her wonderful laughter that followed my response. She shook her head in pure mirth, before taking the last few steps to the counter. She ordered what I could only think of as enough food to feed a hungry family: three plates of delectable omelets, a half-dozen sausages, several sweet rolls with butter and a giant container of strong coffee. Apparently even she likes the feeling of the stimulants, though it would make sense with her metabolism that she needs a great deal more to notice it.
The food attendant's eyes widened more and more as the list grew and only barely seemed able to refrain from asking what we were planning to do with so much food. I smiled sweetly at the man, enjoying his confusion. Amelie seemed to take pleasure in my enjoyment of the situation, and handed over a credit chip when the total was summed up. We had to wait several minutes for the food processor to conjure up all of our order, but finally it did. I was content to simply enjoy Amelie's presence, take in the faint smell that accompanied her, the fragrance that was so uniquely her.
When we finally did collect our food, we made our way back to my room. Balancing it all on our arms was quite the task and I felt like it taxed even Amelie's superior reflexes to keep from spilling anything. I was doubly thankful now that it was still so quiet in the hallways. I had to admit, there were some positives to awakening early. Even if I despised the practice on a normal day. This was anything but a normal day, though., so I was okay with the exception confirming my general rule.
Amelie entered my room after scanning the surroundings for any tampering, while I went to retrieve Max. He must have only barely awakened when I knocked on his door, judging from his ruffled appearance. I beamed at his grumpy expression. "Morning, sleepy. We're ready for our talk." I raised my eyebrow meaningfully at the last word, hoping I wouldn't have to elaborate further.
It took him a second, but he did get it. "Ah, yes. That one." He shook his head. "Ugh, I am so terribly tired, still. Give me three minutes and I will be at your room." I nodded at him, and left him to get dressed.
I entered my room to the sight of Amelie having turned the floor into a picnic. I had to laugh at the sight of her arranging all the bags just right. "Ah, you're one of those." I smiled at her. A hint of embarrassment showed on her face, although it was quite difficult to tell.
Amelie narrowed her eyes. "I am just making sure we can eat properly. I'm sure if you had been in charge there'd be food all over the floor by the end of this." I nodded, smiling. She certainly was right about that. "I'm ensuring efficiency. That's all."
I smiled happily at her. "I see. I do appreciate your organization. I freely admit I am not the most organized person in the federation." I walked over towards the bed to retrieve my holopad. "I'll call Alecto and see if she's ready to talk, and we can go over everything when Max gets here. And scheme to our heart's content."
I put the holopad up against the base of the bed, facing towards where I imagined the rest of us would be sitting, and sent through a connection request to Alecto's holopad. My call was answered moments later, and Alecto's face filled the screen. My breath caught in my throat once more, seeing how lovely she looked. Especially as she was, wearing a simple robe that I knew left very little to the imagination. I beamed at her. "Hello, my love. I trust you slept well?"
Alecto smiled warmly back at me as I leaned close to the screen, wanting to feel at least somewhat close to her, as much as the distance allowed anyway. "Evie! I see you've managed to survive the night. I did sleep well. At least, as well as can be expected given that the woman I love is fighting lethal commandos on what was supposed to be a vacation!"
I lowered my eyes a little. I did honestly feel bad having her worry, and be so helpless to support me at the very same time. "I'm sorry Alecto... I truly am. I did try to be as careful as I could."
Alecto shook her head. "It's no matter, my love. I understand you could do no less..." She sighed. "It's simply frustrating being so far away, not able to help much. How is Amelie doing? I hope she is better this morning? Though I could not imagine how her injuries could improve so much."
I smiled in response, touched once more by her understanding. I motioned with my hand to Amelie to come closer and join me. "Amelie is much better. Her body is truly remarkable." I blushed a little as Alecto raised her brow with a smirk at my choice of words. "Healing-wise, I mean. I have never seen anyone who could recover so quickly and seamlessly from such a terrible injury." I drew Amelie close to me, as she had rather hesitantly settled herself a few feet from me. Gesturing with my fingers to her face, I traced the path of where the injury had been the night before. "I mean, half her face was cut!"
Alecto looked at her rather intently. "Thank you, again, for protecting Evelynne. She can be a little reckless and chaotic at times." She paused for effect, adding. "I am truly glad you recovered, and that you're still able to see this through. No matter what will end up happening."
Amelie smiled finally. She seemed a bit hesitant, perhaps not fully trusting that Alecto could be so nonchalant about the whole matter. Especially considering the obvious attraction between us. "I am feeling well, thanks to Evie's help. Saving her in return really was the least I could do. I swear to you that I will keep her safe." She frowned a little. "I do not quite understand the reasons yet, but she is rather important to me, and I wish to ensure that she remains well."
Alecto nodded at that. They held each other's gaze for an indeterminate amount of time, seemingly communicating without words, or taking the other's measure, I could not quite tell. Eventually Alecto smiled one of her luminous smiles. "Agreed. We will sort this out later. In person." She turned her eyes to me. "That means staying alive until then, you reckless fool." Her voice filled with warmth.
A knock on the door saved me from having to respond to that, and I grinned at Alecto before bouncing off towards the door. An immaculately dressed Max smiled at me, though I saw his eyes wander past my face to what I knew was an astonishing view of Amelie's curves as she knelt forward towards the screen of my holopad. I could hardly blame the man, as I was certainly more enchanted by the woman than he could have been not truly knowing her as well as I did. "Enter, my friend." I welcomed him with a flourish. "We've provided sustenance for at least two individuals and one ravenous beast." I smiled and pointed my thumb at Amelie's posterior.
I leaned towards Max ever so slightly, adding softly. "Really, I think her energy requirements are as much as six humans'. It is very impressive."
He shook his head at me as he walked into the room. "Definitely impressive. As is your choice of companions, Evelynne. I swear, you're either possessed of some insane ability to attract the most beautiful beings that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, or you're damned lucky. Or both."
I just shook my head at him, not deigning that worthy of a response. He does have a point, but who am I to argue with my fortunes? "Sit down, big guy. You must be hungry, and we have a lot to discuss."
Amelie ceased her hushed conversation with Alecto as we sat down once more, and gave her one last smile that seemed quite warm and friendly from what I could gather. That they seemed to get along quite well made me rather happy, to be honest, having feared a potential argument at least somewhat before. "Help yourselves." Amelie said, and started loading up her plate with the equivalent of twice the calories I required in a day. Max' mouth fell open as he watched this, and I elbowed him in the side for being so incredibly rude. It snapped shut instantaneously, and he glared at me a little. I smiled all the more at that, and started adding some delectable food to my own plate.
We spent the next few minutes in silence as we consumed enough to take the edge of our hunger. I certainly was rather hungry, and from the looks of it Amelie was famished. She had cleaned off nearly her entire plate in the span of three minutes, and my eyes must have been the size of saucers watching that. She blushed a tiny bit, though again it was difficult to tell under her darker complexion. I smiled at her, wanting to make sure she knew I was not thinking less of her. "Excuse my staring, I am simply impressed by your metabolism. I truly mean no offense." Amelie nodded at that, and continued eating hungrily. She truly must have burned a prodigious amount of energy the night before to restore her injured form, and by unspoken agreement we let her eat another plate of food until the rate of her consumption slowed down just a bit.
"Okay, let's get our little meeting started. Amelie?" She met my eyes inquiringly. "Can you make sure the reception is clear, and is not being intercepted or anything of that nature?"
She nodded, taking the holopad for a few moments, fingers dancing over the device with a look of determination on her face and entering a series of commands into it. Finally, Amelie seemed satisfied. "As far as I know it's clear. And I doubt they could have avoided circumvented my detection." She placed the holopad back down. I smiled a little as I realized that she had been giving Alecto a direct line of sight down her blouse into the deep valley of her cleavage. I could tell, too, that Alecto had not been entirely unaffected by that, judging from her slightly dilated pupils. I certainly could sympathize with that, knowing how powerful a pull the seemingly endless curve of Amelie's breasts exerted. I doubt anyone else had noticed, but I knew her mannerisms well enough by now to identify that one in particular. and it did please me to know I was not alone in appreciating the perfection of her.
We spent the next fifteen minutes retelling last night's events before Amelie told the others an abridged version of her past. By the end of it Max was visibly upset, and Alecto had a quietly determined look in her eyes that I knew meant she was incredibly angry. She spoke first, and her voice was nearly a hiss. "How dare they. I-" She paused briefly as if trying to calm herself down enough to continue speaking. "I have never been filled with such intense shame at being a citizen of this Federation." Alecto's eyes glanced over at mine. "I already understood and agreed with Evie's desire to help you, and now I know she had no choice but to. They must pay for this, for what they've done. It is unconscionable that such a thing happened within our Federation. A Federation that is supposed to stand for freedom and equality for all!" She was nearly shouting now, and I ached to be able to wrap my arms around her.
Amelie responded first. "Thank you, Alecto.. It truly means a great deal to me that you take this, take my story so seriously. It's very touching that you'd care..." Her voice was a little wistful, and I realized that it really was strange for her to consider other individuals giving a fuck about her well-being.
Alecto managed a sincere smile at her words, breaking through her steeled expression like the sun would on an overcast day. "My apologies for losing my temper.. I have grown up believing in what our federation stands for. It is such an important part of who I am, what I identify with... To hear of these ideals being made a mockery, a perversion of, is hard for me to accept."
I added a further explanation, seeing Amelie's lack of full comprehension. "Alecto's people, the Intaki, they were one of the first and most vocal supporters of the Gallente Federation, have been from the very start of it in ancient times. And her family, they're very politically active so it is a great part of her heritage, her childhood and upbringing. To think of these things, I mean."
Amelie nodded in understanding. "I see. I'm sorry to have shattered at least part of the illusion, then. For it certainly is an illusion at least in some sense, the equality and freedom. If this happened to me, I certainly wasn't the only one. I know of some others at my station who were in similar positions, and it cannot have been the only such attempt they made. Who knows what has been hidden, hushed up, in the name of some of these wars?"
Max broke his silence. "I've always had the sense there was more going on than the government was telling us... I am certainly not a traditional supporter of our great state." I grinned at his understatement, especially suspecting his likely profession. "I fully support you, Amelie. Now that I am part of this, part of your life even in such a small way... I cannot ignore these cruel acts, not without losing all respect I have for myself."
I nodded at that. "Exactly, that's initially why I wanted to do something, myself. I do not think anyone could live with themselves ignoring this... Although obviously the people who worked on this project, who supported it, had a way to sleep at night."
Amelie shook her head, disgustedly. "They never considered us human beings. It's truly as simple as that. And once someone is convinced of that, convinced of the rightness of their cause, they can make themselves do anything..."
I nodded. That was my sense of it, too.
My concurrence was echoed by Alecto. "Indeed, I think we are all on the same page concerning this... So what do we do next? I imagine now that they know you're there, you must find a way off that flying tin can... If they lock down the ship when you reach the customs area you'll be found for sure." She looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I doubt hiding would work, not if they search every inch of it. And they would, if they want you badly enough, if they think it matters to avoid a scandal and protect public support of the war effort. I think you need to leave sooner than that..."
I looked inquiringly at Max, then Amelie. "I think Alecto is right, but how do we get off a transport in deep space?"
Amelie grinned. It was both predatory, and incredibly attractive and caused my insides to do a few backflips in response. "We steal one of the shuttles, of course. I'm sure Max here knows how to fly one in a pinch..." Max nodded. "And you're helping one of the most gifted pilots in the Federation." Her voice became a bit bitter at that. "I was programmed to be able to fly nearly any ship, of course. Not truly something I taught myself..."
"Could we get to the emergency shuttle bays undetected, you think?" I asked her, rather skeptical it could be so easy.
Amelie nodded. "We should be able to. Especially if we help things along." She looked at Max. "Do you have any experience with sabotage?"
Max grinned in response. "More than I would normally admit in such fair company. I can create a diversion no problem by causing some alarms to go off elsewhere on the ship, and creating a little bit of mayhem. But where?"
Amelie and Max were both lost in thought for a few minutes, before she spoke. "The CPU banks on the ship may be a good place. It would get their attention.. If we set off a malfunction in the cooling system it should shut down most of the processing units, and that would surely cause some chaos."
Max smiled at her. "I like the way you think." Sighing dramatically, he added. "As smart as she is deadly, where is the justice in this world?" We all chuckled at his antics, and he continued, all business now. "Shorting the energy supply to the CPU cooling would be a perfect distraction. I could do that. I'm not a fugitive as you are, and I could give you the time you need to make your way towards the shuttle."
Alecto spoke then. "Evie?" I looked at her, seeing the serious look in her eyes. "Be careful, okay? And stay with Amelie, make sure you escape with her. I fear they may have identified you last night; you can't stay here by yourself. If you get apprehended by some black-ops team on a transport I'll never see you again. They'd likely lock you away so deep not even the eternal void would know where to find you."
I nodded at her, tears gathering in the corners of both our eyes. It was Amelie who spoke, then. "I'll make sure she does, Alecto... Even if I have to knock her out and carry her on board, I'll make sure she gets off of this ship. Evie really has become quite important to me, even having just known her for such a short time, that I want to make sure she's alright."
Alecto nodded back at her. "Make sure she will be. Or I will hunt you down. I don't care if you're as strong as ten people; if you fail in protecting her..."
Amelie gazed at her solemnly. "I would let you. But that won't be necessary, I will truly keep her safe." She looked Alecto in the eyes for a few more moments. "You're meeting us, aren't you?"
I looked at Amelie, then Alecto in surprise. Alecto answered my glance. "Yes. Yes, I want to. I think that whatever I am doing here, on Bourynes, can wait. This is more important. To make sure this perversion of all our Federation stands for is dealt with. And soon, before it spreads more... If they become complacent, think they can get away with this without any repercussions, it WILL spread more, become more and more commonplace. We can discuss a meeting place later once you get off, while I make arrangements. I assume we'll have secure communications even then?"
Amelie nodded. "I'll make sure of it. We can meet you somewhere in space if you can find a private transport, and otherwise we can always find a location planet-side."
I looked at Alecto warmly. "Do be careful as well, my love. I can tell you're very angry, and I don't want you getting yourself hurt... Can you get a safe transport, you think?"
Alecto nodded. "I'll contact my father, and he'll be able to conjure up some assets to get me off the planet in the next day or so. It does pay to have political connections that are also family." She ended the statement with a rather cheeky grin, and I melted yet more inside. I loved this woman so. It really did take my breath away sometimes, just to think about it, or be reminded of the fact in such small ways. "I probably should start that now in case he's about to retire for the night. I have a hard time keeping track of daylight schedules in other constellations." I grinned at her joke. "I love you, Evie. Take good care of yourself." Alecto's eyes turned to Amelie. "And you... Take care of yourself and her for me, okay?"
Amelie nodded she would, and after sending me a kiss Alecto broke the connection on her end. We were all silent for a few moments, gathering our thoughts. My fingers had become entwined with Amelie's while I was distracted, and it did surprise me how easily that happened. How natural it felt to touch her, to be around her. She smiled at me warmly, rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand. "We'll see her soon. I promise." She canted her head slightly. "I never break my promises, so this will happen."
I grinned at her, and saw Max shaking his head at us from the corner of my eye. "You're just jealous, Max. Go find your own close friends. You certainly aren't lacking the charm for it."
Max smirked. "I am lacking the desire to, though. It's just too complicated. I like things... simple. Unattached."
I looked at Amelie. "See what I have to deal with after befriending this one? It's truly quite terrible. The man's a scourge on all women. At least one they gladly seem to embrace... That's my one consolation."
Amelie laughed liltingly, the sound making my heart flutter a little. "I'm sure. Well, I say we get started as we may only have a few hours at the very most before we reach the customs zone. I say we get off this ship long before if we can help it?"
Max nodded at her. "Yes, let me collect some supplies and make my way to the CPU banks. I have a general sense of where they are on a ship of this type. It should only take me an hour."
Amelie rose gracefully, the slight swaying of her breasts during the motion not at all evading my attention. Probably not Max's attention, either, but I honestly did not care about that.
She walked the few steps to her pack. She found what she wanted, and held out a small object to Max. "Here, this will aid you quite a bit. It's a small hacking tool I liberated from the station I was confined on... It will override nearly any lock or electronic safeguard you will encounter."
He took it, gratefully. "This will help a lot. I have something similar, but..." He studied the device. "not nearly this advanced." He rose as well. "Be ready to leave within the hour. I suggest you make your way over to a waiting area close to the shuttle bay within thirty minutes."
I nodded, and spontaneously gave him a hug. His powerful arms wrapped around me as he smiled warmly down at me. "Be safe, Evie. I will see you again soon. Hopefully in better, freer, circumstances." His eyes met Amelie. "And like Alecto said earlier, keep her safe, okay? This one is rather special. I'd hate to lose one of the most awesome friends I've met in a long time." He grinned, adding jokingly. "I would also be very much upset having to track you down. Would be such a waste considering your beauty." He winked and released me, disappearing from the room shortly after.
I turned and looked at Amelie, my fingers finding hers once more. "Sorry for that. I feel rather terrible having everyone threaten you like that, even if they're mostly joking."
She smiled at me. "That's okay, my dear Evelynne. I can understand the emotion, why they'd say that. They simply care, and want to express that before they leave and may never see you again. It is entirely normal, human, to do so..."
I nodded, realizing she probably was right. I squeezed her hand. "Do you need any special things ready? Or is all you need squirreled away inside that impressive mind of yours?"
She tapped her head with the hand I wasn't holding. "All in here. We can take your bag, though. I'm sure it has some personal effects?" I nodded. "That's settled. I can carry it as it will not even slow me down in the slightest. But repackage your most precious possessions in case we need to make a run for it at any time."
I accepted the logic of that, and spent the next few minutes compiling a smaller pack that had my most emotionally precious belongings. Mostly, things related to my family and anything Alecto had given me. I double-checked my first aid supplies, knowing we could certainly need those again. Finally, I was satisfied. "Shall we?" I asked, simply.
Amelie grabbed the large bag that required most of my strength to lift in one hand and raised it off the floor as if it was filled with feathers. My eyes were slightly wide once more, it never ceased amazing me just how strong the woman was. I slung my smaller pack over my shoulder and clasped my hand in hers, setting off towards the shuttle bays.
It only took us a few minutes to each the one Amelie had picked. It belonged to one of the smaller corporations that provided planetary transport services from this larger ship, and was virtually deserted. There were a great many containers placed all over the hangar, and we ducked behind one to wait for some sign that Max had succeeded in his attempt to give us a distraction.
A few people still wandered this area and to ensure they wouldn't look too closely I made a rather convincing show of being lustfully engaged. It certainly wasn't hard to make it seem like that, I loved snuggling up to her lush form, feeling the softness of her curves against my own, and burrowing my head in her neck and hair. It simply felt wonderful, like another home. Amelie's unnaturally strong arms gathered me yet closer and I melted against her body almost bonelessly. I probably made a vast array of rather embarrassingly contented noises; her chuckles were enough proof of that. She seemed to relish the contact, though, and I felt a bit of the tension drain from her muscles as we sat there for I don't know how long. That especially made me feel a great deal better, as I knew she probably had never been able to let her guard down around another person. It was such a wonderful thing to give someone, especially someone this... deserving.
Finally, our cue arrived in the form of instant darkness descending over the ship. Amelie chuckled in my ear. "This should make it simpler. Keep hold of my hand, I can see quite clearly in the dark."
I did just that, as I certainly couldn't see anything. We almost ran for a minute or two, reaching what I assumed was the other side of the shuttle bay. A few shouts of distress rang out in the darkness as Amelie moved my hand to her waist, giving her the freedom to use both hands. I was glad for the darkness as my face heated considerably feeling the softness of her skin against my fingers. I could only barely hear the tapping of her fingers on a keypad, the sound so faint I wasn't entirely sure I was imagining it.
Finally, a louder click and whirring sound announced the opening of the shuttle door, and after a moment Amelie lifted me off the ground by several feet as if I weighed nothing. My arms flailed around until they found the belly opening of the shuttle. These things normally came with mobile stairs, but obviously we did not have access to that without power. I climbed inside the ship, turning around and offering my arm to Amelie in return.
I made sure to brace myself and was glad I did when she herself up. She would have pulled me off the floor of the shuttle and out into the bay even using only a very fraction of her strength. As soon as she entered herself, she lifted off the ground and hit the control pad to close up the doors, leaving no sign of our entrance. When the doors closed, she activated the interior lights and I looked around.
She'd located a newer model shuttle, it seemed. It looked fairly cozy on the inside, even as cramped as it was. These ships were certainly not meant for combat, or very long-distance travel with significant cargo. They moved passengers from and to stations for the most part, and excelled at that. I knew their mass was so slight that they could turn and warp at almost the blink of an eye, that only the very fastest of interceptor frigates employed by the Federation Navy could hope to lock these ships down before they were gone. I'd seen quite a few ships as a student, but never one in a situation such as this. I moved towards where I knew the power core was located, almost drooling on the metal floor as I thought of the harnessed energy that was at our disposal even in a ship this tiny.
I turned to see Amelie sitting in the pilot's chair, watching me with a bemused expression on her face. The door normally separating the shuttle pilot from the passenger area was completely open. "Do you need a napkin, dear?" She asked, grinning.
I scowled at her, and rubbed at my chain in embarrassment to see that I had indeed drooled just a slight amount in unabashed excitement. "I can't help it if I find ships fascinating. These machines are one of the pinnacles of our technology, of what our minds can achieve. It's just amazing to me how much power we can harness just like this, how easily it moves us amongst the stars..." I trailed off, slightly embarrassed.
Amelie smiled warmly at me then. "I understand, Evie. Don't worry that I was making fun of you, I truly have no desire to do such a thing. I simply thought you were very endearing becoming so excited over a shuttle. Truly."
I nodded at her, smiling again. Moving towards her I took the seat next to her, one I imagined normally held the backup pilot. I held her hand once more while we waited. I enjoyed the physical connection, being able to feel the soft strength of her.
Eventually, after many minutes the lights seemed to flicker outside, indicating that they were starting to restore control to the system. Amelie was now carefully scrutinizing her flight computer, having tapped into the main ship's diagnostics a little while ago. "I'm waiting for the automatic sensors controlling the docking bay doors to come online before they fully restore control and can easily stop us from leaving." I squeezed her arm in encouragement and she smiled at me with just the corner of her mouth, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Any moment now..." She murmured as more and more little sections of the ship blinked green. Suddenly, in response to one in particular lighting up near the ship's aft, she sprang into action. It was a true pleasure to see Amelie so in control of what she was doing as her fingers unerringly found the right controls to set the ship into motion.
It lifted smoothly off the deck in response to her guiding hand and we quickly flew towards the giant airlock that separated this oxygenated bay from the voids of space. The sensors were indeed online, and the airlock started to open allowing us entrance. The moment we cleared the doors they started closing once more, creating an airtight lock. An impassive voice surrounded us as we waited, counting down from a minute.
My stomach was in twists as we essentially were sitting ducks right here. If anyone had tracked us, could track us, they could prevent us from leaving and we'd have no way to fight it. I felt my hand tremble a bit so tense was I. Amelie started soothingly rubbing her fingers over the palm of my hand in response, replacing the anxiety with an altogether different sort of nervous energy. One much more pleasant in nature, so I would have made the trade any day.
Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. I met Amelie's eyes and smiled at her as she returned both hands to the flight controls.
Six. A quick glance down at the screen confirmed a good number of sections were still down, especially near the central command hub.
Five. Unbidden and even somewhat unexpected to myself I leaned forward just then and placed a tender kiss on her cheek, holding it in place for just a second. A whisper left me lips in accompaniment. "I trust you, Amelie. Get us out of here?"
Four. Amelie turned her head fully, looking into my eyes with a piercing intensity as if she was staring deep into my soul. After a fraction of a second, though, she smiled and it lit up her face immeasurably.
Three. "Thank you, Evie. For everything. The trust you placed in me even though you had no reason to..."
Two. "I will get us out of here, and we'll see your beloved Alecto before you know it. Okay?"
One I nodded. "Okay."
Then the sight of the vast doors opening and utter blackness beyond took my breath away for a few moments. It was a majestic sight, and signified so much more than simply space. It was freedom from confinement, some measure of safety for my new friend, and a clear path to the woman I loved. I felt truly giddy with anticipation at the thought of getting to see her again so much sooner than I had hoped. Especially after having had only one day together where we truly knew about another's feelings.
I was so lost in happy thoughts that I only noticed the third Fuck escaping from Amelie's lips. A first glance at the screen showed me the reason; we hadn't been the only ones leaving. And judging from Amelie's expression, from the way her frown deepened as she glared at the display that listed relative distances... the other ships seemed to be on an interception course.
