Jennifer blew on her hands to warm them in the raw winter air, and stood as close as she could to a rock outcropping to shield herself from the wind.
"You know, after living in the Arctic Circle for more than six months now, you'd think you'd have a better tolerance for the cold," Jon teased her quietly, running one last scan of the area to be sure they were safe.
She glared at him. "Apparently, I just don't have as high a latent body temperature as you guys do," she retorted. It had been the running joke ever since she'd returned and found out that their new home was about as far north as you could get. She always had a sweater on over her flight suit, and Kelly had sent her some warmer layers to put under them for Christmas.
Jon finished the scan and came up beside her, leaning down for a quick kiss since he'd just made sure they were safe. "Mark's on his way. Then we'll get you back to the ship and warmed up."
"I'll hold you to that," she teased him.
"Ok, you two – break it up." Mark's voice carried over the bitter wind that blew over the area he'd chosen as this week's rendezvous point. "You've got company now."
"Mark!"
"Hey, Pip! It's good to see you," he smiled, setting down the pack he was carrying and catching her up in a bear hug. "I missed you the last few times." They'd had to leave their letter bundles for each other to find a few times lately due to emergency runs, and one large-scale attack that couldn't be scheduled around their regular letter drops. And last time Jon had come alone. Mark didn't want to admit it, but he'd been terrified at first that something had happened to her.
"Well, the jump ship wasn't going to fix itself," she said apologetically. "And since Scout was in the medbay, someone had to get it done or else we were stuck with the skybikes as our only means of transportation."
"Working you to the bone, I see," he said, holding her at arm's length and looking her over.
Jennifer rolled her eyes at him. "Please. I don't have Lottie's cooking out here, remember? Though we had quite the Christmas dinner, thanks to you guys and the supplies you brought us."
"Lottie considers feeding you guys her own personal way to help the resistance," Mark chuckled. "And it must be your lucky day, because I come bearing gifts again," he said as he motioned to his pack, which she noticed was much larger than usual.
"What is all that for?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, I heard a rumor that it's someone's birthday tomorrow…" He laughed again as she rounded on Jon. "No, don't glare at him. We knew you at this time last year, remember? Although you were still kinda out of it…"
"You guys didn't have to do that," she insisted.
"Yes, we did," he said simply. He looked down at her knowingly. "Celebrating things like holidays and birthdays remind us of the value of being human, according to a conversation I understand one former member of the Dread Youth had with another a few months back."
She just shook her head and grinned at him. "Nothing like having your own words used against you," she muttered.
"Welcome to the club," Jon snickered. She'd done the same thing to him more than once. He settled back and watched as the two of them went through their routine of catching up on the news of all the people they cared about back in Eden. These little updates, along with the letters that Mark continued to ferry back and forth between them every few weeks, were Jennifer's lifelines to the people that she had chosen to leave behind, but still missed. She read each letter over and over, and spent much of her free time writing back to them. Sam continued to send her pictures from time to time, and she had already noted sadly how much Hannah, Max, and the Schultz girls were changing just since she'd left. Jon often thought back to the goodbye dinner they'd had at Vi's, where everyone had enjoyed themselves but there had been an undercurrent of sadness that she would be leaving. She might not realize how much of an impact she'd made there – to the point where she'd be surprised that they would remember her birthday – but he did. He and Mark had spoken of it several times. If nothing else, those particular people would probably not have grown so close to each other if not for having Jennifer as a common denominator. She had left a second family back in Eden.
But no one could doubt that she was happy to be back. There was always a smile on her face, and she threw herself into her duties with even more than her usual gusto. She'd given them all a much-needed breath of fresh air. The guys had hugged her non-stop for the first few days after they'd returned. He couldn't blame them. He knew what it felt like to miss her. And every time she referred to the base as "home," it warmed his heart. Eden was Eden – a place she missed, and a place she wanted to return to someday. But here, where he was, was home to her.
"How did Sarah's article for the school newspaper go over?" Jon's attention drifted back to their conversation as it was wrapping up.
"Best-selling issue ever. Of course, that could have something to do with Mary purchasing copies for everyone in our little group."
"Oh, good! Maybe now she's found another outlet for her curiosity."
"Not to mention the fact that writing is just another form of talking for her," Mark commented dryly. "Katherine is learning how to play the piano, believe it or not. I'm sure you'll hear about it in your letters."
"Music would be a good fit for her," Jennifer said, nodding.
"Tim says she's actually starting to consider one girl in particular a friend, though he doesn't expect them to be having sleepovers anytime soon. Speaking of friends, my wife misses you something fierce, Pip. She keeps telling me she's going to stow away on the transport one of these days just to see you for a few minutes."
"Tell her I miss her, too. But we're making good progress," she said, eyes twinkling.
"Since I'm even hearing about your exploits back in Eden, you certainly are," he agreed. "Knocked out all Dread's communication on the eastern seaboard, huh? Pretty impressive."
"It wasn't just us. But it was still a step in the right direction. The sensor technology you sent us a month ago played a big part in that."
"Always glad to help. And anything to get you back where it's safe a little faster," he added. "In fact…Rebecca Chambers asked me to pass this along to you, Captain." He handed Jon a thin package. "I think some of the folks back home have decided that maybe we can end this war a little faster if we just collaborate a little more. Since I have a direct line to you, so to speak," he winked, "she wondered if I could get the ball rolling."
"That's wonderful," Jon said, taken aback. "Tell her yes! I'll have a better answer for her next week after we look through this, but yes!"
"I'll do that. Look, guys, I hate to do this, but I've gotta get back. There's a pretty powerful storm moving across one of the areas we have to cross, and I'd rather navigate it in the daylight." He winked at Jennifer before hugging her again hard. "Be careful, Pip," he said softly. "You, too, Jon," he said, clasping the captain's hand. "And no peeking at those presents until tomorrow, you hear me? Can I trust you to keep her in line, Captain?"
"I'll make sure she behaves," Jon chuckled, watching Jennifer sputter a bit at the thought of being minded.
"Then I'll see you next time. Coordinates and dates are in the letters, as always." He waved one last time before setting off at a jog, heading back to meet his "cargo" of refugees heading to Eden to start a new life.
"Come on, you," Jon said once they'd watched him round the bend and head out of their sight. He laid a hand on her back to start her - he had noticed that she was shivering. "Let's get you into the ship where it's warmer."
Once they were on their way to the Passages to unload the supplies that were packed into the hold, Jon opened the package from Chambers. Inside was a data reader. When he turned it on, to his surprise, he found a letter. Jon chuckled. "I think we started something," he said, rising from his chair and coming to sit in the copilot's seat next to Jennifer. He held up the reader so that she could get a glimpse.
"I guess we did," she said, shaking her head. "Who would have thought? Well, feel like reading it?"
Jon nodded, and began to read out loud.
Captain,
From what I understand, this is the "traditional" way of contacting your team. I thought it seemed fitting. I hope this letter finds you, the Corporal, and the rest of your team well. I've asked Mark Davis to bring this to you in the hopes that we can begin to work together in a way that benefit the Resistance.
Ever since Corporal Chase's case came to light, some of my colleagues and I have been discussing ways that we could help the Resistance as you continue to fight against Dread. We have resources here in Eden that I know would make a difference for you. Many of us feel that we have an obligation to do this, and that we've been avoiding it for far too long.
We would like to arrange a meeting with you and John, the courier you've met with in the past, to discuss an exchange of information. We would like to present you with the schematics for a few things we've developed that could be helpful to you, starting with the regenerator that helped heal Jennifer. In return, John would talk with you about what you need most. If we don't have it, we have scientists and engineers that would be willing to work on it, and perhaps exchange ideas with your people or people you trust. These exchanges would need to be done via written communication, as we can't risk a transmission. However, my colleagues and I feel it's a real step forward towards helping to end this war instead of simply hiding from it.
It has come to our attention, through John, that some technology from Eden has already made its way out to you. Please don't get me wrong – the only thing that upsets me about this is that the people involved felt the need to keep this a secret. There are still people in Eden who will fight us about this, but those of us who feel strongly enough about helping aren't willing to back down. We have enough support that we can make this happen. Please let John know, if you agree to meet with him, how you've been able to use what you've gotten so far, and what could be done to make them better. The only way we'll be able to improve upon what has come from Eden so far is if we get feedback from you.
Please let Mark know at your next meeting if this plan meets your approval. If it does, he will give you the details you need to meet with John. I look forward to hearing from you. Please let Jennifer know that I think of her often, and I hope she has been able to readjust to life outside Eden. Something tells me, from seeing you two at the Davis' wedding, that it wasn't too hard.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Chambers
As Jon finished the letter, he glanced up to see a disbelieving smile on Jennifer's face. "What do you think?"
"I think it's amazing, and it's a complete turn-around to the mentality that was there when that mess first started," she said simply. "But I think that this is a very good day for the Resistance, Jon. What they've got there – what they can help us accomplish…maybe the end of this war isn't as far off as we've thought."
Jon thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "If this actually happens, it could really help us gain the upper hand. We've been doing well lately, but we're still a long way from winning. Just knowing that someone out here has the capability to heal injuries as serious as yours were would be a real morale booster." He watched her for a moment as she made slight adjustments to the controls. He knew she did that without even being aware of it, and could tell by the look on her face that her mind was somewhere else.
"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked quietly, laying a hand on her arm.
She glanced at him, and gave him a quick smile. "Just thinking, I guess."
"About?"
She took a breath, then began. "I know it's been a long year. Christmas was hard for us because of what almost happened last year. I'm sure that's why Lottie and the others sent us such a big care package - to make sure we remembered to celebrate. It was hard to remember what happened that day, and for so many months afterward, and still feel like celebrating. But if this really happens, and we're able to use some of the technology they've developed there in Eden? And they might even be able to take some of the problems we're working on and try to find a solution for them?" She looked at him briefly again before focusing on the view in front of her. "It was worth it," she said simply. "It was worth all of it."
It was Jon's turn to ponder. "I don't know about that…you weren't there. I never want to relive those two days when I thought you were gone again. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone." He shook his head, almost as though he was trying to rid himself of the memories of that time. "And what about what you went through when they found out about your past?"
"I know it wasn't sunshine and rainbows, as Hawk would say," she smiled. "But we had no idea, when John appeared that day, that so much good would come from it. I got to meet Kelly and the others, I was able to help the girls, and now we're going to gain tools that will help us fight. If Blastarr hadn't found the base, if I hadn't been injured as badly as I was…none of that would have happened."
"Ok, I'll admit that there were a few benefits," he conceded. "But you're never going to get me to admit that sending you away for six months was a good thing," he told her with a smile.
"I guess I'll have to leave it at that for now," she conceded. Then, deciding they needed a change in subject, she stole a glance at him. "We'll be at the Passages soon. You have just enough time to write her back if you start now. Unless," she teased, "you're out of practice."