Genesis or Exodus
Chapter 9
Upon arriving at the infirmary, Lauren was quick to dismiss Bo. "Why don't you go freshen up and get out of your workout
attire and into your soldier getup?" she suggested as she settled on the gurney and allowed Vex to start assessing her
injuries. "We aren't sure who is in that pod, so perhaps it would be best to be armed, don't you agree?"
Bo was reluctant to leave The Matriarch. The Commander felt like Lauren hadn't been upfront with the extent of her injuries. Knowing that Vex would be honest with her, she asked him if he needed her assistance and how long treatment would take.
"Shouldn't be more than an hour at most, Boss," he explained as he started the process of setting Lauren's broken arm. "Oh, by the way, High Command tried to get a hold of you for a status report. I put them off and said you'd get back to them."
Bo nodded and stepped aboard her hover disc. "Well, I guess you don't need me then."
As Bo turned to leave, Lauren spoke, "Thank you for your efforts today Commander Dennis. My consciousness would be getting uploaded into a new body at this very moment, if you hadn't saved me."
Bo turned and smiled at her. "That almost sounded genuine, Matriarch," chuckled Bo, in response.
Lauren shook her head. "You are always such a smart ass and yes, it was genuine. Thank you. It wouldn't have been a problem if I'd died, but I often lose some of my short-term memories in the process and it would have been a pain having to get to know you all again."
Bo fixed her dark, expressive eyes onto Lauren, her countenance serious. "Perhaps I could have done a few things differently, if given the chance to do them over."
Lauren's gaze blazed back at Bo's, communicating nothing and everything at the same time. "It would be easier if we just start doing things differently from now on, believe me. There are certain events and discoveries that I wouldn't change for the entire universe, so I am grateful that you saved my life."
Bo shuffled uncomfortably on her hover disc, not entirely sure how to respond to Lauren's statement. "It was my duty and my pleasure, to aid you to the best of my ability and I am glad that you didn't sustain any life-threatening injuries in the process. I'll, um, take my leave now. I have a call to return and clothes to change. Not necessarily in that order."
Lauren hissed in pain when Vex poked her ribs, "Watch it, buddy. Use the handheld scanner over there."
"Sorry, darling," winced Vex, "I'm used to getting 'hands on' in the field. I can't carry all this fancy equipment with me as I'm ducking and weaving, trying to avoid bullets and grenades on the battlefields."
Lauren and Bo shared one more look, filled with infinite questions, and complicated, undeclared uncertain feelings. "Radio me when you are ready to meet the new guest," Bo said, switching to soldier mode because it was easier than being just a civilian that was falling head over heels for the most infuriating woman she'd ever met. She didn't wait for a response and ignored the look Vex gave her and headed towards the safety of her quarters.
The silence in the infirmary was absolute, except for the slight hum of the machine Vex used to fix Lauren's injuries. The blonde was still focused on the door that had just closed behind his Commander. He was pretty sure that The Matriarch wasn't actually present in the room and was instead lost in her thoughts. What those thoughts were, was a mystery to him and the conversation he had witnessed, was intriguing to say the least. Bo wasn't known for being soft spoken and compassionate. She wasn't completely without a heart or anything, it's just that the job required her to be unwavering in her duty to serve the Alliance. It required her to be tough and relentless in getting the most out of her soldiers. She was fair and gave praise when her team performed efficiently in their duties, but she rarely got personal to people outside of her team. Mackenzie was the Commander's best friend and knew the woman best, but he and Bruce had seen the softer, more caring side of Bo on occasion, as well.
But Vex had noticed a distinct change in his Commanding Officer when it came to her interactions with The Matriarch.
Bo had a reputation with the ladies and put both Bruce and himself to shame with how much tail she got. Like Vex, Bo had also dated men on occasion. If you could call 'one-night stands' dating, that is. The Bo he knew, loved them and left them, without looking back and when he had first seen the woman they had been sent to guard, well, Vex had expected Bo to garner interest for the blonde. And she had! That much was obvious, but what had surprised Vex was that his Commander hadn't charmed and bedded The Matriarch within the first week aboard Genesis. This was out of character and he was curious as to whether the reason was because Bo had tried and failed to charm the pants off of Lauren, or whether she had finally met her match. A woman that could challenge her both physically and mentally and wasn't just a means to an end. Vex was unable to stay silent and he just had to ask, "Soooo…" he started conversationally, bringing The Matriarch out of her thoughts and back to reality, "What, pray tell, is going on between you and my Commanding Officer?"
"Nothing," was Lauren's quick, sharp response.
"Come now, darling..." Vex said and clucked his tongue at the blonde, "I'm not blind or stupid, so please don't treat me as such. If you want me to mind my business, just tell me so. "
"Mind your business," Lauren responded with a smirk and a wink. She liked Vex very much and knew he was incredibly bright, being an engineer, pilot and field medic. She had been learning and observing Bo's crew of soldiers since the day they had arrived, gathering as much information that she could glean from the tight-knit squad.
Vex huffed and made a pouting face to Lauren, "Come on... please give me at least a few crumbs to ponder over." He put the scanner down and picked up the handheld fusing tool. "Stay still. Ribs can be tricky," he said, as he started to fix the first of two broken ribs. "Is the pain relief holding up?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Lauren shifted into a more comfortable position on the gurney. "Carry on, Vex."
"So, no crumbs for Vexie then," he said emphatically with another huff, pretending to be deeply offended that the woman he was treating, wouldn't confide in him.
"There isn't much to tell," Lauren responded with a chuckle.
"I doubt that very much," Vex scoffed in return. "The Commander is different around you and it's obvious that there is an attraction there."
"So, what! Attraction isn't everything," Lauren said, her attention focusing on Vex, "What do you mean she's different around me? How is she different?"
"She's, I don't know... softer, but not in the weak kind of way," Vex shook his head as he finished work on the first rib and started on the second. "More open. More approachable. Don't get me wrong, Lauren, Bo is sociable and charming as hell. Everyone loves her if they get the chance to know her."
"But," Lauren prompted, trying desperately not to sound too eager in getting more knowledge of the kind of person Bo was.
"But she only ever shows people a small part of herself. She allows others to guide conversations and deflects the course of them, if they get too personal. Most of the time, people talk about her achievements and feats of bravery in the service of The Alliance, not about the fact that her favourite flowers are Cerulean Lilies and she loves collecting data crystals of old movies."
"Well, she hadn't told me either of those things, Vex," Lauren said with a laugh, filing the information away for the future. "So, I fail to see why you say she is different around me."
"I'm saying it because I know that if you had asked her what her favourite things are, or even something about her past, which is a mystery to almost everyone, she would probably tell you. Is it true she allowed you to research her nanomites as they fixed up her injuries she sustained this morning in her sparing session with Mackenzie?"
"Yes, she did," Lauren said softly as Vex patted her side to indicate that he had finished patching her up.
"That's a first. Very few people know that she is an Alliance nano child, let alone allowing you access to the technology and studying how they react with living tissue. You noticed that Bo's genetic makeup is unique, yes?" Vex was no longer being playful. He was now being serious and he was protecting his Commanding officer... he was protecting his family.
Lauren could see the love and respect in his eyes and she answered him with the seriousness that this conversation deserved. "I did notice how special she is, Vex. I didn't realize how special till today and I have no intention of exploiting the knowledge that I learned today."
"She frustrates me and she blurts out every thought, without thinking. She is arrogant and cocky and challenges me at every turn." Lauren shook her head and chuckled as she slid off the gurney. "But as much as she drives me crazy and the fact that she is The Alliance's golden girl," Lauren sighed and looked at Vex, "I like her. A lot."
Vex nodded with a smile plastered on his face. "Stretch a little to make sure the binding holds," he suggested. "She likes you too. Try to give her a chance to prove to you that she isn't just an Alliance stooge. She is loyal, but she isn't blind, Lauren. Bo knows that the Alliance isn't perfect, even if she won't say it out loud. Please keep that in mind when she challenges you again, because you and I both know that she WILL."
Lauren flexed and stretch her body gently and nodded. "Feels good, Vex. Thank you. I will try to give Bo the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard because of everything I have seen and heard about the Galactic Alliance and their tactics. You understand?"
"I do, Matriarch. You should probably see who is in that pod now. Here, you might need this." Vex handed Lauren a medical kit.
"Thanks, and Vex?" Lauren said as she headed for the exit.
"Yeah?" Vex looked up from cleaning up the mess he'd made while patching up The Matriarch.
"Call me Lauren, when we aren't in a formal setting." The blonde smiled at the brilliant man with the craziest, out of control hair she'd ever seen. "See you later, Vex."
"Of course. Good luck with your new guest, Lauren."
The blonde nodded and then accessed her hover disc, activated it and stepped aboard. "Genesis, please inform Commander Dennis that I am on the way to the hanger, to meet my new guest."
"As you wish, Matriarch."
Bo wiped a hand across the mirror and stared at herself, her body flushed from the heat of the water.
Bo noticed the bruises and scrapes she'd sustained when saving Lauren. She just closed her eyes, Bo pondered, waiting to die. How many bodies had the Matriarch gone through? she wondered as she dried herself the old-fashioned way. Bo didn't like the drying cubicles, because it made her hair curly and tangled. The rest of the body length mirror was clear now and Bo smiled when she visibly saw her worst abrasion heal before her eyes. She wrapped her hair with a fresh, dry towel, coloured green like the pristine Emeralds found on Enosh and exited the bathroom.
"Aargh! Put some clothes on, would ya! I don't need to see all your bits!"
Bo didn't even break stride as she pulled fresh clothes out of her bureau. "Nothing you haven't seen before, Sneak Thief."
Mackenzie laughed and took a seat on the sofa and grabbed a magazine to peruse while her best friend got dressed. "True and I thought I told you to stop calling me that."
Bo stepped into her underwear and wriggled into her tight sports bra. "I would, if you stopped entering my room without knocking first," Bo retorted scornfully. "You wouldn't have gotten an eyeful either. Your fault, not mine," she added, her voice softening.
Mackenzie tossed the magazine aside and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I'll survive." There was a pause and Bo continued to dress in silence, waiting for her friend to get to the point of her unexpected visit. "Speaking of surviving... uh, I'm sorry I almost killed you this morning."
The Commander zipped up her body armour and snapped on her sidearm, before looking up to meet regretful and apologetic eyes.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Kenz."
"I almost killed you," the young soldier said, exasperated.
Bo brushed her damp hair and tied it up in a no nonsense, high ponytail and then joined her friend on the couch. "If it had been anyone else, you probably would have."
"Well, that's comforting," Mackenzie grumbled.
"It is," Bo responded and patted Mackenzie's hand. "It is comforting to know, that faced with a hard target coming at you, that fighting hand to hand will not be an issue. The move was executed with precision and confidence and it would have put your opponent down for good."
"You won't always be able to take your enemies by surprise and your small stature puts you at a disadvantage, when your enemy knows that you're coming at them. I'm proud of you, Mackenzie and you shouldn't feel bad for your actions. Remember when I broke your arm?" Bo asked.
"Yeah, in two places!"
"Well, now we are even," Bo exclaimed with a wink and a shoulder bump. "I'm all better. Good as new."
Mackenzie smiled, "It's a relief knowing that you aren't pissed at me. I can't say the same for Lauren. She looked like she wanted to kill me!"
"Lauren will be fine. I promise."
"I hope so," she replied. "Because she scares me a little."
Bo laughed, "She scares me a little too. Lauren is fierce and there is some serious anger and resentment for The Alliance thrown in there too. But I'm sure she won't hold a grudge, Mac."
The Commander stood up, "I'm afraid we are going to have to bring this visit to an end. I need to call the council back. I missed their call while saving Lauren's life and you know they hate to be kept waiting."
Mackenzie blew out her breath and nodded in agreement, "That, I do know. I'll leave you to it. What are we doing about the pod person?"
Bo laughed, "I'll join Lauren when she's finished being patched up, to meet the new arrival." They headed out of Bo's quarters and walked side by side down the stark silver corridor. The thin coloured lines along the floor, being the only guide to help them get around Genesis. It was taking some getting used to, but the team was learning and adapting as they always did.
"This is my stop. Good luck with your briefing and the pod opening ceremony, Boss," Mackenzie said when she arrived at the junction in the colour coded corridor, that split off into four different directions.
"Get everyone together in the mess at nineteen hundred, would you? I'd like to have dinner and discuss the protocols we need to put in place, when we touch down on Old Earth. We have no idea what to expect."
"Okie dokie. Will do, Boss. Anything else you need?"
"Nope, that's all for now. Dismissed, soldier," Bo responded, already settling back into her Alliance mode.
Mackenzie saluted Bo, before pulling out her hover disc, to finish her journey to the soldiers' quarters.
"Commander Dennis, The Matriarch is requesting your presence in the hanger. Do you comply?" Genesis' voice seemed to come from everywhere and it gave Bo the chills.
Just how alive is this ship? Bo thought to herself.
"Do you comply?" Genesis asked again.
"Yes, yes. I'm on my way now. I need to stop by my quarters for my rifle. Is the person still contained?"
"Yes, the life sign is stable and now conscious," was Genesis' answer.
"I better get a wriggle on then," murmured Bo, more to herself than the talking ship, as she jumped on her disc and made haste back down the seemingly endless corridor.
Bo managed to navigate her way to the hangar, taking only one wrong turn and finding Lauren standing patiently in front of the containment field surrounding the battered and scarred pod. Bo let out a low whistle of amazement, "I'm surprised the person inside this thing is still alive. It looks ready to fall apart."
The Matriarch turned at the sound of Bo's voice and winced a little in the process, placing a hand against her ribs.
"You okay?" Bo asked with unmitigated concern, her facial expression soft and worried. "Can I help?"
Lauren waved Bo off, "I'm fine. I twisted a little too fast. Could you just be at the ready with your rifle, in case the stowaway isn't friendly?"
Bo jumped off of her hover disc and flicked it with the back of her booted heel, sending it up as it shrank and caught it in her hand with finesse, before dropping it into her jacket pocket.
The move took seconds and Lauren couldn't help but return the smile that was now plastered on the Commander's face. "That was impressive, Slick. You ready now, or are there more tricks in this act?" the blonde teased playfully.
Bo spun her Rifle around by the strap, spinning it in the air as if it were a baton, did a standing forward flip landing beside Lauren and caught the gun and pointed it at the pod. "Ready," Bo said with a wink.
Lauren shook her head, "What am I going to do with you?"
The question was meant to be purely rhetorical, but Bo responded anyway, "I can think of a few things you could do."
Lauren gave the Commander a look that she couldn't quite read, but it wasn't unpleasant, more like she was contemplating something. The Matriarch ordered Genesis to lower the containment shield, that was complied with, within an instant.
"Hello? Can you hear me? I've been calling out for ages..." The voice sounded annoyed and frustrated, but not malicious. Bo felt Lauren tense up beside her regardless. "Look! If you are just sick fuckers who plan on torturing me, or selling me as a sex slave, you may as well just leave me in this tin can, 'cause I'd rather starve to death than deal with a bunch of profiteering, sadistic scum buckets."
"Lauren?" No response. Bo stepped forward and twisted the lever on the torn-up pod.
Out of all the places in this cosmos, Lauren thought to herself. She was frozen. That voice, that attitude! She hadn't heard that voice in over a decade, but it was unmistakable. Lauren almost laughed hysterically when the handle snapped off in Bo's hand. Lauren found her voice just as she watched Bo land a well placed kick into the battered and warped panel beside the hatch. "Maybe we need to get some tools. I can get the Orai to get her out. Stand down, Bo. There won't be any need for military intervention."
"All good, Matriarch. I got this," responded Bo as she used her strength to pull the panel away, exposing the locking mechanism for the hatch. And with a well contained blast of her rifle, the latch released and the door to the pod fell to the floor with a clatter, completely separated from the escape vessel. Lauren stepped forward, "Now we know how she survived," she said to Bo. "The pod was equipped with safety foam that encases the occupant if the exterior of the pod is compromised. You should have no problems punching through it."
"Fuck a duck! Lauren? Is that you?"
Bo looked at Lauren, an eyebrow raised in question. She pointed at the pod, "You know who's in there?"
"Yes, unfortunately," muttered the Matriarch, just as Bo sent her fist through the foam. Two more solid hits and she was able to pull a huge chunk away, revealing a very dirty, bloody and dishevelled woman, leaning against the opposite wall of the pod.
"Who is she?" Bo asked Lauren, who just stood there unresponsive, her face blank and unreadable. "Who are you?" Bo asked the new passenger.
"I'll do the honours of introducing myself then, shall I, darling?" she said to Lauren. "Gosh, how long has it been? You look good, Lauren. "
Bo's hands clenched tighter on her rifle. She did not like the way this woman was looking at Lauren. AT ALL. "When you are done flirting, I'd love to get your name," Bo's voice was hard and on edge, and it made both women pay attention to the brunette with a gun.
"Bo, this is..." Lauren wasn't fast enough to give out the false name she'd just made up, because her old acquaintance had no idea that she was about to introduce herself to an Alliance Commander.
"Captain Evony Fleurette Marquise, at your service."
Author's Note: Hello! Thank you so so much for the response you gave me for my last update. It was so nice to know that you are still here and invested in this little story of mine. And I never get tired of reading every single review that comes my way. So thanks and feel free to keep them coming! lol ;)
Thank you to GG for editing my iPhone written chapters. That autocorrect can be a real bitch!
And finally and most importantly a most heartfelt thank you to Rafi for just being her awesome supportive, sweet and understanding self.
Now I hope you all did a fist pump of excitement when you read the final line and learned for certain who was in that pod that Genesis stopped to pick up. ;)
Look forward to hearing from you all. Take care every single one of you.
Doccubus21 xoxo