Genesis or Exodus
Chapter four.
"You've been avoiding her," Hale said as he took a sip of his drink. He was lounging on the sofa in Lauren's quarters and knew that he was poking the beast with his comment, but he had been enjoying getting to know the commander since the visitors had come aboard. And Lauren had spent a fair share of time with all the other soldiers from Bo's team. It was just the commander that she seemed to be going out of her way to avoid.
As expected Lauren glared at him and he just smiled in return. "I have not been avoiding her!"
"You were never able to lie very well, Lauren. What is it? You have barely spoken to Bo since the night of their arrival. She is quite agreeable and charming. She has asked about you a number of times and you have engaged yourself with all of the others to a certain degree."
Lauren frowned at her friend because she had enough trouble not thinking about Bo as it was, despite trying to be wherever Bo wasn't. "I have talked to her during the communal mealtimes that you organised," Lauren responded grumpily.
"And even then you act like it's a chore. You can't seem to get out of there fast enough with some excuse or another and she is always so charming and engaging with you."
That's the problem, Lauren thought to herself and she couldn't keep eye contact with her friend and looked into the dark amber liquid in her glass before drinking it in one swallow hoping the aged spirit would soothe her nerves. She felt transparent whenever she was in the Commanders presence as if Bo could see the fight she was having with herself. The woman was engaging, charming and sexy as all hell! She often found herself entranced by the sheer beauty of the woman. Quite often Lauren had sat at her desk in the lab watching as Bo sparred with her squad in the gym wearing black short shorts and a black singlet, her muscles rippling and her skin shiny with perspiration as she moved with grace, speed and power, taking down all obstacles in her way. It was incredible to watch and she found herself hot and bothered afterwards, which made her feel ashamed for secretly watching the woman without her knowing.
But as the time went on Lauren felt that Bo knew that her attraction towards her was growing and the Commander had started to try to engage her in conversation and what could only be construed as light flirtation and it had annoyed The Matriarch that Bo was able to see through her so easily. Even now the thoughts about Bo brought her body alive with need and longing and it just made her angrier. "She rubs me the wrong way and is just so cocky and thinks she is so fucking special and sexy. She walks around my ship as if she owns it! And she has been spending a lot of time in the archive viewing room. You gave her an awful lot of information to view, Hale. Classified information!"
Hale wasn't perturbed by the switch in direction. His friend was fighting her attraction to the beautiful and strong brunette for all she was worth, but he felt that this time Lauren may not be able to shake it. That she may have finally met her match in Bo Dennis, who seemed determined to destroy Lauren's hardened shell and worm her way into his friend's heart. Bo had confessed to him that she was inexplicably drawn to Lauren, despite her prickly exterior. "She is a highly decorated alliance soldier and has a high level of Alliance clearance."
"Alliance clearance not MINE!" Lauren knew she was being ridiculous. She knew what Bo was looking for and she hoped that she found it, but she wasn't fond of feeling so out of control. She liked things just so and the arrival of Bo and her team had knocked everything askew. Lauren sighed and poured herself another drink. She motioned the bottle in Hale's direction and he nodded and allowed her to fill his glass as well.
"Do you want me to revoke her access to the archives?" Hale knew Lauren was just lashing out because the new additions to her ship were forcing her to disrupt her routine and actually interact with people other than him and the Orai that never questioned their mother, their queen. Lauren was unsettled and she had never felt comfortable in social situations. It took her a long time to warm up to people and when you could essentially live forever, even through death (if she wasn't away from Genesis for too long), well, she didn't feel it wise to get too attached to every person that crossed her path.
Lauren shook her head, "It doesn't matter. Let her look through the data crystals. I'm not sure that Genesis has what she needs, but I won't stop her from searching. Besides, it makes it easier to avoid her," she finished with a smile.
"I knew you were avoiding her!" Hale said triumphantly. "You are attracted to her, aren't you?"
Lauren shook her head and looked at her friend with such defeat in her eyes that he wanted to get out of his seat and rush to her side and hold her, but he knew she wouldn't want him to. "It doesn't matter, Hale. I can't allow myself to get attached and that goes double for Bo because she is a favourite of the Galactic Alliance Council for fucks sake.
Lauren's use of the old fashioned profanity made him laugh because he remembered the fascination Mackenzie had shown when Lauren had raved about how ridiculous it was that over the years, some of the best swear words had been morphed into inferior forms of themselves. In fact the young soldier had adapted her speech and now said 'fuck' instead of 'frak' because she agreed that it rolled off her tongue so much smoother. Lauren was wondering what had made him laugh after such a serious moment and the look she gave him must have informed him that she would like to be let into the joke. "Is Mac still asking you if there are other profanities that used to sound better eons ago?"
Lauren smiled fondly, "Yes, she seems determined to learn every single profanity that she can and in as many different dialects that I can teach her." A big grin lit up Lauren's entire face and Hale wished that his friend would smile like that more often and not just at him. "You like her, don't you?"
Hale shrugged, "She's a little firecracker mixed with a dose of crazy, what's not to like. We get along fine and it has been a while since we have been in port. I'm thinking about asking her to dinner when we get to Antrax to refill our supplies."
Lauren nodded, "I think that's a great idea, Hale. I know you are lonely. Would you like to stay a little longer on Antrax to unwind and get the kinks out before we move onto the next mission? I for one am heading straight to the Pleasure Den to see Madam Josephine to get my mind and body royally fucked so that I can stop getting so easily distracted by a certain Commander and refocus on the next exploration and recovery mission."
"Or you could take a page out of my book and ask Bo out to dinner."
"Hale, don't push this, I mean it. Do you want the extra few days leave in Antrax or not?!"
Hale raised his hands in the air, knowing that he had pushed too hard too soon. Lauren had admitted that she was attracted to Bo and that she was a distraction from her work. That spoke volumes of how much the Commander had managed to get under Lauren's skin so he would let it go and monitor the situation closely and if the opportunity arose to help Bo win his friend's heart he would take advantage of it. "I'm sorry. That's the end of it for now, I promise, because I really want those extra days of R&R."
Lauren seemed satisfied by his promise and they started to talk about the supplies they needed to restock in Antrax before continuing their journey back to Old Earth.
But Lauren found her mind wandering back to Bo and if she would actually accept an invitation to dinner with her and if Lauren herself, actually wanted to do that or just bed the woman. If I fucked her would she be out of my system? Probably, she answered herself. It's just been too long without physical pleasure and the feel of a woman beneath my hands and that will be taken care of soon enough thanks to Madam Josephine. Lauren satisfied with her reasoning concentrated back on Hale and the business at hand...
Bo rubbed her irritated and itchy eyes before ejecting the data crystal and casting it aside. The commander went to pull out the next one when the door chimed, indicating that someone was requesting entry to the secure viewing room. Bo swivelled in her seat to look at the monitor beside the door and saw Vex standing on the other side looking right up at the camera his lip thrust out in a pouting motion. Bo smiled and took pity on her eccentric, but brilliant, technical officer. Bo input the code to open the door and allowed her subordinate inside before closing the door again.
"Something I can do for you, Technical Officer Roberts?"
Vex saluted his superior officer, realising all too late why Mac had sent him to try to get The Commander out of this poky little room instead of going herself. "Sorry to interrupt, Commander. I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed, but..."
"Then why did you?!" Bo saw her squad member flinch and looked as if he wanted to bolt. Bo knew she had been irritable over the last few cycles and took pity on Vex, who had probably lost a bet to be the one standing in front of her right now. "At ease, Vex." Bo took a sip of the glass of water and screwed her face up at how warm it was. Vex took the glass from Bo and had the replicater produce a fresh glass of iced water for Bo and handed it to her with a smile. The commander drank the water in several large gulps relishing the way it cascaded down and soothing her parched throat. "Is there something you need?"
"We were hoping you would join us on the recreation deck for a drink, Commander. You've been in here for just over fourteen hours and we thought you may need a break." Vex said it bravely as if was expecting her to chew his head off and she felt bad for her behaviour toward her comrades.
"I haven't been the best person to be around lately, have I?" Vex hesitated, opening his mouth and then closing it again. "You have permission to speak freely, Vex."
"Honestly, we have barely seen you besides sparring and chow time. It's just not like you to be this reclusive... It's weird."
Bo laughed and it felt good. It also made Vex smile which was a nice added bonus. "I'm surprised you aren't off with your new best friend."
"What?," Vex asked in puzzlement.
"The Matriarch and you have been quite chummy lately, I hear."
Vex shrugged, "We have been working on some new equipment that she thought might help when we get into the field on Old Earth. She says that there is no knowing what has managed to survive from the devastation of the final blight which killed everyone who wasn't able to be re-homed on the other planets and space ports. Plus there is the possibility that there may be species that have mutated or even entirely new creatures that may be living in the wasteland of the origin humanoid planet. It's really quite interesting and exciting to be on a mission that isn't about extinguishing life, but seeking it out."
"Wow! You really have been hanging out with the keeper of all the universe's secrets, haven't you?"
"She is a fascinating woman. A little prickly and awkward if questions turn towards the personal, but if it's about her work she just lights up and is eager to share her experiences and knowledge."
"Maybe to you," Bo muttered under her breath as she cleaned up the room a little.
"What was that, Commander?"
"Nothing. Nothing. I am glad you have found someone who you can talk to about something other than weapons, explosives and tactics." Now if only she would perhaps give me a little attention, Bo thought to herself morosely. She had stayed holed up in this room, not just for the information she may gain, but also so she wouldn't go completely insane trying to break through the icy exterior that Lauren had erected after the encounter in her room that first night.
Vex hadn't noticed the slight change in Bo's mood as he continued to chatter about Lauren. "You should really stop by the workshop on the lower deck. Some of the stuff that she has down there is unreal!"
Bo suddenly wanted her peace and quiet again, but she knew she couldn't just hide in this room forever. "Vex, go on back up to the bar and get me a shit load of drinks lined up. I'll get myself cleaned up a little and be right there to drink you all under the table."
"You're on, Commander!," Vex responded happily and exited the room with an excited skip in his step.
Bo headed to her room, pausing for a moment outside Lauren's quarters before shaking her head and moving on. She had tried for days to get some sort of repartee going between herself and Lauren, but the stubborn woman had completely shut her down. Hale had implored her not to give up, but after a while it got so frustrating that she had chosen to retreat to the viewing room instead. And that was where she stayed unless she was working out and sparring with her squad, in her room or going through the torture of the communal meal times. Bo splashed some water on her face and looked at herself in the reflective surface above the sink. There had been moments when she had felt that Lauren wanted to thaw out her icy attitude towards her and that had made her continue to try to win a comment or a smile from the blonde across the table at meal times.
"I wasn't mistaken. There is something there." Bo shook her head. And now I'm talking to myself. It really is time for a drink! She dried her face and fixed her hair into a loose ponytail before exiting the adjoining washroom and heading to the closet. If nothing else she wants you for your body, her inner voice said as she shrugged into her favourite jacket and headed out of her room and jumped onto the hover disc with ease. Bo had felt Lauren's eyes on her at times during their meals and she had met that gaze head on without flinching. The Matriarch was beautiful and often had an ethereal glow about her. Bo wondered if anyone else saw how she shined. Probably not. You're just horny and that will be rectified in a couple of days when we dock in Antrax. Bo smiled at the thought of getting off this ship and stretching her legs. Genesis may be huge, but Lauren seemed to fill it up with her presence and it consumed Bo like nothing ever had. You'll see. After taking care of your needs on Antrax, you'll be Lauren who? Bo tried to trust that voice in her head, but she had a feeling that shaking off Lauren wouldn't be that easy...