Genesis or Exodus
Chapter 13
Lauren reluctantly opened her eyes as Genesis prodded at her insistently within her mind. Her quarters were dark, except for the dim light from the holo-crystal on the table on the opposite side of the large suite. The Matriarch's enhanced optical sight allowed her to make out Bo's features as she lay beside her, finally in a fitful sleep and curled in a tight ball, a frown etched on her brow as she undoubtedly dreamed of the horrifying events of her unearthed childhood. Lauren's heart broke at the pain she had caused the fierce warrior beside her.
I'm so sorry, Lauren thought as she brushed a loose strand of Bo's hair away from her face.
Genesis' growing impatience with the Matriarch's lack of focus prodded her mind again and a lot less gently. Lauren's brow furrowed with a frown of her own and was not at all pleased that she was being forced to wake up Bo, when she had only just managed to soothe the soldier into the restless sleep that she was currently experiencing.
Lauren reached out and placed her hand upon Bo's upper arm and rubbed it gently as she murmured softly for her to wake up.
The brunette's eyes fluttered open, "Lauren? What is it?" Genesis turned the lights on low and Bo sat up abruptly at the look on Lauren's face, "What's going on?"
"We have a situation in the COMMS room." The Matriarch was already shrugging into her jacket over the tank top she'd been sleeping in. She grabbed her Laser pistol from its holster and handed it to Bo, who had just followed the blonde's lead and put on her own jacket.
"And I need a weapon, because?" Bo asked as she enacted her hover disc and followed Lauren down the now familiar corridors. Lauren didn't answer for a moment until they turned a corner and they heard the muffled thud of gun fire against something solid, which Bo guessed to be Genesis. "Lauren!" Bo urgently said, her muscles tensing and her senses heightening with the sense of danger.
The Matriarch slowed a little until she was gliding side by side with the Commander, "Genesis intercepted someone trying to send an outgoing transmission to The Galactic Alliance. Genesis blocked the signal because she knew that despite the ID signature saying that the sender was you, well..."
"Genesis knew that I was asleep in your quarters and nowhere near the COMMS room," Bo finished for the blonde beside her.
"Yep, and by the sound of it, whoever is in the COMMS room is none too happy about Genesis locking them in there."
"Surely Genesis is able to tell who it is? Isn't she all knowing?"
Lauren smiled at Bo's comment, "Yes, and no. There are protocols in place to respect guests' privacy and when we are sleeping, Genesis will turn off some of her systems to conserve power and allow some of the generators running non-essential systems, to recharge. A ship the size of Genesis requires tremendous amounts of energy to run and in case you've forgotten, the galaxy is at war and resources can be difficult to come by, so we do what we can, to be frugal with our resources."
The sound was getting a lot louder, now that they were heading to the final corridor that led to their destination.
Lauren gracefully pulled up to a stop just outside the door and she let out an oof sound when Bo leapt off of her disc and collided with her, sending them both to connect with a thud onto the deck. The Commander shielded Lauren with her own body as several bolts of gunfire managed to penetrate the thick door to the COMMS room, hitting the adjacent wall of the corridor, right where Lauren would have been standing.
"Genesis?" Bo said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, Commander," came the ship's soft and unemotional response.
"Are you able to amplify my voice to be heard over the gunfire?"
"Affirmative."
"Do it!" Bo continued to shield Lauren, but lifted herself slightly to redistribute her bodyweight so that she didn't crush the blonde beneath her. She then spoke to whoever was on the other side of the slowly disintegrating door. "I ORDER YOU TO STOP FIRING THIS INSTANT AND TO DROP YOUR WEAPON!! IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY, I WILL PERSONALLY SHOOT YOU IN FIVE…" Bo moved a little more and motioned for Lauren to scramble backwards and out of the line of fire. "FOUR", the soldier crouched low and edged towards the growing hole in the door. "THREE", Bo held the pistol in a two-handed grip next to her ear and took a steadying breath. "TWO."
The firing stopped. "Bo?"
"Malikov?"
"Yes! Finally! Get this psychotic ship to let me the hell out of here!"
Bo stood quickly and pointed the pistol through the hole in the door and sighted it squarely at the centre of Mackenzie Malikov's chest. "Drop the weapon, soldier, and kick it away from you." Bo was thankful that Genesis was smart enough to have turned off the magnification of her voice, once the shooting had stopped.
"Are you serious, right now? What the fuck, Bo?!"
"I am your Commanding officer and you will follow my orders, soldier. NOW DROP THE GUN!" Bo had never been as pissed off at her best friend, as she was in that moment. They had had many clashes over the years, but Mac's attitude had been at an all time high on this assignment and Bo questioned whether she should sideline her second in command and quite possibly even transfer her to another unit entirely. The Commander watched her friend finally comply with her orders. "Genesis, the door, if you don't mind." The door shuddered and managed to open halfway before coming to a halt. Bo stepped through and stood in front of the defiant soldier in front of her. She saw the same challenge in Mackenzie's eyes that she had seen earlier that evening in the mess hall. Bo felt Lauren enter the room behind her. She lowered the weapon and handed it to the blonde. The gun was hers after all. She certainly didn't expect Lauren to raise the weapon and point it over Bo's shoulder. She saw the shake of The Matriarch's hands reflected in Mackenzie's widening, surprised eyes.
"Get on your knees Mac with your hands behind your head." The soldier in front of her hesitated. "DO IT NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Bo went and picked up the discarded weapon on the floor and then stood behind her soldier and faced The Matriarch, whose face was contorted with unmitigated rage, her brow beaded with perspiration.
"Lauren? You can lower the weapon now. You are staying put, right Malikov?"
The blonde's hands continued to shake, and she didn't lower her weapon. Bo wasn't even sure if Lauren had heard her.
When The Matriarch spoke, it was barely above a whisper, but wasn't any less effective in its malice. "Do you not recall what I said about Genesis being a living ship and about my connection to her? You hurt her, you hurt me and please tell me why I shouldn't blow a hole in you this very second?"
"Jesus," Bo heard Mackenzie say softly and The Commander didn't blame her young protégé from being scared. Lauren seemed to be glowing white hot with her rage. It. Was. Beautiful. But Bo couldn't have The Matriarch blowing away her second in command, so she stood in front of her squad mate and hoped that Lauren wouldn't shoot her instead. Thankfully, her instincts were correct, and Bo watched Lauren's face soften and her eyes refocus on her.
"Would you be opposed to incarceration instead, Matriarch? Please?"
After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds, Lauren lowered the weapon and nodded her head. "I'll, uh, escort you to the brig," the voice came out strained, but with less violent intent and Bo relaxed her shoulders and let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Lauren turned her face and eyes, both now devoid of emotion and exited the room, not even looking to see if Bo and her prisoner followed her.
_
Bo slammed her hand on the control pad next to the cell she had just pushed her best friend into, and engaged the force field, sealing her inside. Bo paced back and forth in front of it several times, with her hands clasped behind her back, before turning and facing the young woman that had disappointed her so much, in the last twenty four hours.
"So, would you like to tell me what you were doing in the COMMS room, in the middle of the night?"
"Night and day don't really factor into things when we aren't planet side, don't you think?" Mackenzie commented snarkily.
"You are really trying my patience, Malikov! Quit being a smart ass and answer the fucking question."
"I was doing what one normally does in a COMM's room, sending a communication. Well, trying to. That bitch…" Mackenzie pointed at The Matriarch who was leaning against the wall just off to the side of the cell she now resided in, examining her nails and looking bored. "…and her ship obviously don't want us having communication with the Alliance!"
"No one, other than me, needs to keep in contact with Alliance headquarters, but you already know that and that is why you used my ID number to gain access."
"So, why didn't Genesis connect me, then?"
"Because..." Bo started but the agitated woman in the cell cut her Commander off.
"Because, they only allow communication off this ship when you let them know that you have a briefing, otherwise we are basically prisoners about this ship. Ain't that right, oh mighty ice queen?!"
Mackenzie was up and standing toe to toe with Bo, with only the force field separating them. Lauren just scoffed at the young woman's remarks, not even caring enough to respond to the ludicrous accusations thrown her way. The Matriarch was focused on the Orai's progress, patching up Genesis.
"Genesis knew that I was sleeping and couldn't possibly be in the COMMS room and that is why you were blocked and detained. Now tell me, who you were contacting and why?"
"Well, you weren't sleeping in your room because I stopped by on my way to COMMS to talk to you. Does she have to be here? She is the enemy, Bo. Why can't you see that?"
Bo threw back her head and laughed, "Are you sick? Are you affected by some strange space spores that are causing you to go completely off the deep end? You almost killed The Matriarch tonight, when you went commando and shot the shit out of Genesis. You missed her head by this much." Bo held up her hand and showed an inch between her thumb and forefinger in front of Mackenzie's face. "So no, The Matriarch is staying right where she is, and you are going to tell me what I want to know. As for where I was sleeping, it is no concern of yours. I haven't got into Hale's face about you bunking with him most nights."
"Yeah, until 'Miss Sultry and Fabulous' turned up, maybe," Mackenzie muttered softly to herself.
If Bo didn't have enhanced hearing, she wouldn't have caught the imprisoned soldier's words, but she did and it all clicked into place, after remembering the argument about Evony in the mess hall and the obvious jealousy reflected in the raven-haired girl's eyes said volumes.
"You were going to inform Alliance command of the fugitive aboard this vessel, after I expressly ordered against it?! Because of jealousy?" Bo said incredulously.
"You didn't see them laughing and drinking together. She is a wanted fugitive and she should be the one locked up, not me," Mackenzie shot back in response.
The Matriarch let out a snort of laughter. Oh, she's good, Lauren thought. But I'm better. "A plausible excuse as far as excuses go, and I'm sure the Commander is well aware of your ability to think on your feet," The Matriarch said, as she pushed herself away from the wall she'd been leaning on and stalked over to stand beside Bo and gaze steadily at the woman behind the force field. "But you and I both know that your Hale/Evony seduction scenario is a convenient smokescreen to what is really behind your motivations, this evening."
Mackenzie's eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to look away from the blonde's gaze. The gaze that seemed to see right through her. "No, you did it to cause chaos and mistrust between Bo and I. You have been Bo's confidant for years and you are convinced that I am unduly influencing your Commander and not just because of the Evony situation. You hate how close we are becoming, that Bo may have found someone that could mean as much to her as you do." Lauren's face softened a little. "Now, I know that these feelings stem from some deep-seated abandonment issues and that because Bo was the one that saved you, took you in and gave your life stability, structure and a sense of family, that those issues are directly connected to her. I'm not the enemy, Mackenzie. I just care for your best friend and unless Bo tells me otherwise, I'm not going anywhere. I suggest that you trust in Bo to make informed decisions and that you stop questioning your Commanding officer and best friend's orders."
"I just don't trust your motivations and you have no idea what you're talking about," Mackenzie said softly.
"I know that you are acting like a child having a tantrum because you aren't getting all of the attention now. I see through you and if you ever purposely damage Genesis again, I will end you and I won't be swayed by your relationship with Bo again. I suggest that you think about that while you're in here." The Matriarch finished her statement by tapping on the force field with her finger.
"I've had enough of this. I'll leave you to deal with her, Commander," Lauren said, placing a hand on Bo's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze before walking towards the exit. "Oh, Bo?"
"Yeah?"
"Perhaps you should fill her in, if you can trust her, maybe it will give Mackenzie some perspective of who the true enemies are," and with that parting advice, The Matriarch left without waiting for a response.
Bo let out a calming breath. She had a feeling that Lauren was spot on in her observations about Mackenzie's motivations, but she decided to just let that be, for now. She had a feeling that Mackenzie would think about it enough on her own, without compounding the situation further. She could see that her friend had retreated inward with the hard truths Lauren had voiced. Despite all her bluster and attitude, Mackenzie was often insecure and prone to acting out when threatened. Regardless of whether the threat was real or perceived, the outcome was still the same.
"Listen here, Mac, I'm not going to say anything about what Lauren just said to you, but I will comment on the Hale situation. I have it on good authority that Evony's tastes don't run in the tall, dark and manly category, so if this truly was your motivation for turning Evony in, I ask you this… Did you stick around and see something concrete, or did you jump to conclusions and then go off your head, causing a major headache for me to smooth over? You have got to see how extreme your actions were? You are seriously lucky that Lauren didn't shoot you."
The young soldier had the presence of mind to look down at the floor in shame. "They looked friendly, laughing and drinking, there wasn't much more to it than that. How do you know what Evony likes?"
"Because she couldn't resist flaunting her past relationship with Lauren, that's how." Bo sighed. "We have a mission, soldier, and I can't be worrying about you and where your loyalties lie. I was dead serious that you almost killed The Matriarch tonight. This mistrust of her, needs to end, and the only way I know how to do that is to tell you something that will shock the very foundation of what we have fought for and believed, for a very long time. I am hoping that your friendship and loyalty for me will be stronger than any you have for The Alliance." Bo fixed her best friend and second in command with a resolute and serious face, needing Mackenzie to understand just how serious this next conversation was going to be.
Mackenzie blew out a deep breath, "I'm going to need to sit down, aren't I?"
"Probably. I'm trusting you Mack, because I want to believe that before anything else – loyalty, duty, honour – before all of that, I want to believe that our friendship comes first."
The young woman sat down and gave Bo her unwavering attention, all animosity and indignation gone for the moment, "Okay, Bo Bo. Tell me."
So, Bo sat on the floor and recounted what she had learned, not just in that conference room, but also about her recovered childhood memories, and she hoped that with this knowledge, Mackenzie may start to see Lauren as less of an enemy and more of an ally, and someone worthy of protecting.
_
Lauren had headed straight for the bridge because that was where Evony was. She was having a drink and laughing at something Hale had said, when she arrived. "Say good bye to Evony, Hale," the blonde said in a no-nonsense tone that they were both familiar with. Hale took the glass from the pirate queen and gave her a quick hug good bye and then Evony followed The Matriarch with an eyebrow raised in curiosity as to where the blonde was taking her. She wasn't happy when they ended up in the hangar and Evony realised that this was actually, goodbye.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't mean to cause any friction between you and GI Jane."
"Yes, you did," Lauren responded unable to stop the smile that graced her lips.
A mischievous grin broke out across Evony's face, "You're right, I did. It was just too easy. She is head over heels for you, you know? Be careful, Lauren."
"She isn't why we need to get you away from here. Bo isn't the problem. It's her second in command that almost had the cavalry after you tonight. Luckily, Genesis blocked the communique and she is now being questioned by Bo in the Brig for disobeying a direct order. But I can't guarantee your safety Evony, so pick one of these ships and we will load it up with enough supplies to get you out of this sector and to one of the safer outer planets, to lay low. I'll find you when I can. Please don't fight me on this."
"Fine! But you better be in touch, Lo. There is so much more that we need to do. We are losing this fight."
Lauren stepped forward and swept her ex-lover and dear friend into a tight hug. "Things may hit a turning point soon, Evony. Don't lose hope yet, okay?"
"Okay," Evony replied, fiercely hugging Lauren back and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Be careful."
"You too! Now, take your pick."
A short time later, the hangar bay doors opened and Evony manoeuvred her new ship away from Genesis and out into the dangers of the universe beyond.
_
Now Lauren was having a sonic shower and trying to wash away all the anxiety and frustration that was looming over her, like a black hole. Bo had saved her for the second time, and they hadn't even reached Old Earth yet. She seemed to be in more danger since allowing Bo and her team aboard Genesis, than the almost limitless time that she had been in existence. Lauren worried about The Galactic Alliance and what they really wanted with her and now she was worried for Bo as well. It was overwhelming. Lauren was lost in her own thoughts and didn't hear the door of her quarters open. The Matriarch nearly shot out of her skin and gave a startled yelp when she heard Bo's self-assured voice break through into the solitude of her thoughts.
"Mind if I join you?"
Lauren turned around and was caught off guard to find Bo standing just inside the entrance of her bathroom, completely naked. "I...um." Shit, I can't think. "I was just finishing up and don't you have a shower of your own?" The Matriarch said, her defence mechanisms kicking into high gear as she fought to control her emotions and to keep her eyes on Bo's face and not the exposed flesh below her neck. But her eyes betrayed her, and they followed the curves and contours of The Commander's strong shoulders, muscular arms and generous firm breasts with nipples begging to be nipped and sucked. Her gaze moved down further over the rippled plains of her stomach to the thatch of neatly trimmed dark hair at the apex of strong, toned things. Bo's eyes widening and her mouth opening was the first clue that Lauren had lost the battle to control her emotions. And she felt the change within her as it cascaded like a flame across her entire body. Lauren had been able to hide the change from Bo for all these months, because most of the time she was wearing her body suit, and it was easier to just focus on keeping certain body parts to appear normal. But now with Bo standing before her in all her splendour, and Lauren having no clothes to hide behind, well let's just say that Bo was getting much more than she bargained for.
It's too late now. There is no going back. I may as well just relinquish all of my control and allow myself to look at her and feel what this woman makes me feel. Lauren allowed her gaze to linger on Bo's body, her eyes full of a hunger that she hadn't felt in a millennium. The Matriarch held her breath as she lifted her eyes back to Bo's face and she waited, her body on fire with the hunger and need she was feeling.
Bo had been confident and quietly optimistic that with what had transpired between The Matriarch and her over the previous day, that this would be a turning point in their burgeoning relationship. Genesis had graciously allowed her access to Lauren's quarters and when she heard Lauren in the shower, her stomach did a little flip of anticipation as she silently stripped out of her clothing and stepped into the bathroom. She scared the blonde, who had obviously been lost in her own world of thoughts. She was breathless already, just taking in the long legs, firm buttocks and back, the blonde's shoulder blades protruding as she raised her hands to her hair.
She was unprepared for when Lauren turned to face her, eyes closed, fingers still running through her golden hair. Stunning, Bo thought to herself as she spoke and received Lauren's stunned face and shocked eyes. Bo smiled, liking the way Lauren's eyes hungrily swept over her nakedness like a caress, and then something changed. At first, it was like a shimmer of heat radiating from the Matriarch's body, and then there was a light blue glow that spread across Lauren's flesh, in patterns of swirls and peaks, like the thorns of a wild rose. The glowing blue patterns seemed to darken in colour and glow brighter in intensity as Bo saw in Lauren's eyes the moment she let go of her control and just allowed her metamorphosis to happen naturally. The only parts of Lauren's body that weren't covered in the glowing blue patterns, were her hands and face.
"You are exquisite," Bo breathed out, in a low, husky voice, filled with awe and desire. "I have never seen anything so beautiful, Lauren."
The blonde looked down at herself and then back up to find Bo so much closer and reaching out a hand to touch her. Bo's fingers lightly traced one of the swirling shapes on Lauren's chest above her left breast. Lauren placed her hand on top of it, stopping the downward progress that Bo was making. "Stop, please." Lauren almost sounded like she was in pain and Bo looked up at her with concern.
"Am I hurting you? What? How?" Bo was struggling to connect her thoughts. "What's happening? My thoughts are jumbled and hard to hold on to."
Lauren pulled Bo's hand away from her chest and took a step back finding the wall. She felt trapped and ashamed that she had lost total control. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let down my shielding completely. I just wanted to feel, with you. Even if it was just for a moment. You should look away now, Bo. Too much exposure all at once could rob you of who you are, and your free will could be stripped away. Please allow me to cover up now. I don't want to hurt you. Go! I will be out in a moment and we can talk about what you have just experienced."
"I don't want to go, but I will, because you've asked me to. First though... First can I have just one kiss? Please, Lauren. I yearn for you so much, even before you glowed." Bo smiled an endearing, dopey smile that broke through Lauren's resolve and she complied with Bo's request, meeting those waiting lips with her own. First, it was just a light brush, that soon became a firm meeting of lips and searching, hungry tongues. It was deep, hungry and all too dangerous for Bo, who moaned and grabbed Lauren around the waist, pulling them closer together. The Matriarch felt the fire, the exquisite burn of her essence reaching out from within her bodily vessel, eager to claim and possess the woman in her arms.
You must pull away Matriarch. Bo cannot tolerate too much exposure too soon. Stop. STOP!
Lauren broke the embrace abruptly and pushed Bo towards the door, even as she whimpered and reached out arms trying to take claim of the glowing heavenly body before her. "Out, Bo, before you lose yourself completely. Please, I would never forgive myself, if I hurt you." Lauren grabbed a towel and held it in front of herself, covering as much as possible. "Go," she said, using a slight push with her abilities and Bo finally lowered her arms and acquiesced to Lauren's urged request. Bo left the bathroom without another word...
Author's note: Hello and i hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I will try to find inspiration for the next installment soon, but it usually takes a while for things to fall into place just like so. A huge thank you to Rafi and Georgia for givingmy chapter a read and their constructive feedback. I'm hoping you, my dear readers, will also bless me with a review.
Until next time and thank you so much for sticking with me and this story.
Doccubus21
xoxo