To lead people, walk behind them. – Lao Tzu, 604 – 531 BC
Ài – [愛 – love] (whether spoken by Xiùlán or Samantha, the meaning is 'Luv')]
Arc – Alliance military slang for Arcturus Station
ȼ – Written shorthand for 'credit' – former 20th & 21st century shorthand for 'cent', as in 'dollars and cents'.
Inamorata – A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)
Kaffe – equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same
· · · · · · name, the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate. (Thessian/Source: CDN)
Ø7 – An allegedly discontinued vocational code in the Systems Alliance military.
· · · · The Ø designates covert operations; the 7 refers to the highest level of proficiency.
OMPF – Official Military Personnel File. Administrative record, containing information about the subject's service
· · · · · ·· history, such as: date/type of enlistment/appointment; duty stations and assignments; training, etc.
Qíngfū or Qíngrén – [情夫 – lover]
Qīzi – [妻子 – wife]
• SAMANTHA TRAYNOR'S APARTMENT, LONDON · EARTH, SOL SYSTEM •
⸰ 10 AUG 2212-CE ··· 24 years after Joesiar's Sentencing Hearing ⸰
I had stayed up late the previous evening, employing my skills as a forensic accountant; I was researching the financial records of Elysium Grand Union Corporation LLC, a real estate company founded in Milgrom, on Bekenstein, before the Reaper War. With a multitude of worlds laid waste by the Reapers, the founders of Grand Union Corp had decided to branch out, starting with a small presence in Illyria. In an attempt to set themselves apart from their parent company, the people running this new subsidiary had quickly added the planet's name ahead of the Elysium Grand Union moniker. A competing firm in Illyria, having grown increasingly suspicious of the instant success of these off-worlders, had hired me to investigate. After going to bed so late the previous evening, I was not even ready to face whomever was vid-calling me at the ungodly hour of 0605.
I ignored the repeating chime until it went silent. At 0608, the comms unit chirped twice, indicating a message had been left by the caller, contents of which had been tagged 'URGENT'. Thinking, That's just fuckin' great! I'm gonna have to deal with that goddamned call, or I'll never get back to sleep. The third time the unit chirped, I kicked the covers off and sat on the edge of my bed.
It was now 0612. With a heavy sigh, I heaved myself up, stumbled to the bathroom, relieved my bladder, splashed some water on my face and ran my fingers through my short hair. I yanked my sleep-shirt over my head, dropped it on my bed and pulled on a short silk robe before walking over to the comms console to look at the caller's ID; of some surprise, given the early hour, it was from my darling Qīzi. After all our time together, Xiùlán was intimately familiar with my personal habits, so fully expected I would at least be awake and having my first mug of coffee.
Feeling a bit less grumpy at being disturbed so bloody early in the morning, I decided to give her a show; sliding the robe down my back, I sat in front of the console and previewed my image on the monitor. Sitting back in my chair presented a full view of my bare, uncovered chest, something I knew Xiùlán would appreciate. Without any thought as to whether or not she was alone, I placed the return call and waited.
She must have been sitting at her console in anticipation of my call, as she answered nearly as soon as the connection was completed across the light-years between us. "Sà mi … I …" was all she said before her eyes went wide in surprise at my nudity.
I grinned cheekily, responding with, "The message was marked urgent, Xiùlán – figured I'd better call you right away."
She quickly looked behind herself as I greeted her; the 'VID-BLOCKED' lamp illuminated on my console as she returned her gaze to a screen she had hastily blanked. "Sà mi! Wo lēi gè qù!? [我勒個去?- What the hell!?] she hissed, shaking her head in apparent denial that her wife of eleven years would display such poor judgement, along with a previously undisclosed lack of modesty.
"What? Nothing you haven't seen many times before, and if you'll recall, my love, I once told you my body is your creation. If it pleases you, then it is my pleasure to display it for you. Restore the display while I stand up … Wo huì gěi ni yīgè zhěnggè bāoguo de shìtú." [我會給你一個整個包裹的視圖。– I'll give you a view of the entire package.]
"By my revered ancestors, Sà mi! What in hell has come over you?" Voice dropping to a harsh whisper, she fumed, "It hasn't been that long since we physically enjoyed each other's company. Ni zhēn dì nàme kěwàng fāshēng xìng guānxì ma?" [你真的那麼渴望發生性關係嗎? – Are you really that desperate to have sex?]
I giggled wickedly … this was actually fun! I even had a bit of an advantage now, since I could still see her reactions to my snarky comments. "Am I to understand there is someone else in your compartment?" I asked in a matching whisper. "Should I be jealous, my darling?"
She used the thumb and fingers of one hand to massage her temples, effectively covering her eyes as she replied, "Yes! And No, dammit! I have some really wonderful news to share with you, and you've made it virtually impossible for me to concentrate on that, or anything else right now."
I pulled my robe back up, settled it across my shoulders and arranged it so my nipples were concealed—barely—then said, "Okay, Linn. I've covered my assets – you can restore the video."
She dropped her hand and warily complied. Looking at the amount of skin I still had on display, she quipped, "That's almost worse, Sà mǐ, but what the hell … at least you're a bit more covered." Shaking her head at my boldness, she went on. "I need to know if you can meet me at New Arcturus Station in five days … on the 15th, Ài."
"On your birthday? I thought we'd be celebrating ashore, on the Citadel. Why are you traveling to Arcturus?"
"We'll still be celebrating my birthday, but there's something additional we'll be celebrating, Sà mi. Fleet Admiral Ines Lindholm will be there." She swallowed nervously, then added, "I'm to be promoted to Rear Admiral, Sà mi. Admiral Lindholm will be pinning the stars on my collar … at least, that was her plan, until this revealing vid-call."
Speechless, I sat there for several moments – long enough for her to quietly prompt me, "Sà mi?" With an effort, I refocused my attention on my wife's exotically beautiful face. "That's simply excellent, Xiùlán! I don't know what else to say. You've been a captain for, what … over twenty years? I was beginning to think that being married to me had brought you a massive amount of huài yùnqì! [壞運氣 – bad luck] Admiral, huh?" I shook my head. "Took them long enough to finally recognize the diamond in their midst." A text appeared on my omnitool, accompanied by a pleading expression on Xiùlán's face: » Admiral standing behind me! «
"Nà ni wèishéme yào děngdào xiànzài cái gàosù wo!?" [那你為什麼要等到現在才告訴我!? – Then why did you wait until now to tell me!?] I asked innocently. Moving on as if nothing had transpired between us, I said, "So, a party to celebrate your birthday and your promotion. Anyone else attending?"
She grinned as she replied, "As the Hong Kong will be docked there, most of my crew will probably attend. I've invited Spectre Shepard and Lady T'Soni, General Park, and Lieutenant Colonel Alenko, who will probably be accompanied by Miranda Lawson. Perhaps you can contact Griffen Buchanan for me." With a conspiratorial wink of an eye, unseen by Lindholm, she added, "He seems to have disappeared into a black hole, Sà mi … maybe you'll have better luck tracking him down than I did. I'd truly love to see him again after so many years."
"I'll see if some of my old contacts can locate him," I lied. "And I'll wrap up my investigation here – shouldn't take more than another day or two. Three questions: Is there adequate room for Irin to dock during my visit, and is there someplace on the station I can sleep, or will I have to bunk inside Irin? Finally, since the Alliance isn't in the habit of allowing their admirals to command warships, any idea what your next assignment will be?"
Answering my last question first, she replied, "Admiral Lindholm is assigning me here, to New Arcturus. I'll be taking charge of station operations, Sà mi, along with the Marine detachment. As for where you'll be sleeping – you'll be sleeping with me in my new quarters, whenever you're here on the station, silly girl." She glanced down for a moment, then returned her gaze to my image on her monitor, appearing to study my still mostly bare chest. "Plenty of room for Irin to dock – she'll be standing beside Asharru – at least, until Hong Kong departs for the Citadel." She glanced around to the side for a couple of moments, then faced my image on her monitor to chortle, "Admiral Lindholm asked me to relay that you have some impressively developed abs, sweetie."
Still leering at my bare chest, she sighed, "I'll let you get back to your morning, wo qīn'ài de luoti sà mi rén. [我親愛的裸體薩米人 – my dear, naked Sà mi] Send me a text when you depart Sol – I'll make sure Asharru leaves enough room for Iringù-Eßizkur to touch down. Ni de ài shi wo de shēnghuó wánzhěngle! [你的愛使我的生活完整了! – Your love completes my life!]
Her image faded to black as she cut the connection, leaving me to ponder the path our lives would be traveling in the near future.
• ALLIANCE DOCKS, NEW ARCTURUS STATION • ARCTURUS STREAM •
⸰ Friday, 14 August 2212-CE ⸰
The construction design of New Arcturus Station was completely unlike that of its namesake, which had been a five-kilometer diameter Stanford Torus-type structure. Rather, this replacement was patterned along the lines of Susskind Station in the Raheel-Leyya system, by utilizing individually constructed modular sections that could be quickly joined together.
In this manner, the Alliance would have exactly enough capacity for however many people were actually on the station at any given time, instead of having habitat sections that were either over-crowded or sitting empty. In appearance, it was as utilitarian and downright unappealing as any structure I had ever seen, but I couldn't argue with the success of its design. Whereas Susskind Station had originally been constructed as a small scientific outpost with living modules for twenty to twenty-four people—with new sections being added in a rather haphazard manner—New Arcturus had been purposely designed to have additional modules attached in a pre-determined pattern; this would ensure an orderly layout of passageways and compartments, no matter how large the station became in the future.
Additionally, a secure detention and prison module had been constructed; this assembly, rather than being physically joined to the station's main structure, free-floated adjacent to the new station. Micro-gravimetric attraction insured the prison blocks never approached closer than 35 meters, nor drifted further than 50 meters away from the main station. It was equipped with its own, independent power and HVAC systems, which could only be controlled by personnel in the main station's security center. Food and other supplies were transferred in on a weekly basis utilizing unmanned, VI directed drones, also monitored from within the security center. The entire structure was only physically accessible through one small hanger deck, isolated from the vacuum outside by a robust trio of kinetic barriers. It was about as secure as any detention facility could be – so much so, staff and guards referred to themselves as prisoners as well, even though each group was rotated out in a staggered pattern, preventing anyone—whether prisoner, guard or staff member—from becoming too familiar with one another.
All of this occupied my thoughts—including the fact that Jason Joesiar occupied a cell within that prison—as Iringù-Eßizkur managed the approach and touchdown phase of our trip. ›We have arrived, Friend-Samantha.‹ She mag-locked her feet to the metal platform as I stirred from the comfortable couch in her observation compartment. Placing my hand on the bulkhead between compartments, I stroked it a couple of times and answered, "Thank you, Irin," then grabbed my backpack and overnight bag and stepped into the null-gravity tube for the descent to the station.
As the Repositories—with Geth assistance—had constructed and assembled the station's modules, the docking platform on module zero-one had been specifically designed to accommodate as many as three destroyer-class constructs, such as Iringù-Eßizkur. Her null-gravity tube, rather than depositing me on the surface of the airless platform, was sealed to a flush-mounted docking ring surrounding a hatch composed of sections that irised open and closed.
I exited the internal, translucent extension tube between the overhead ceiling and deck surface in a warm, softly lit compartment below the docking platform. Of no great surprise, my Qīzi stepped up to embrace me as soon as I moved out of the device. "Nénggòu zàicì yongbào ni ràng wo hěn gāoxìng, Sà mi!" [能夠再次擁抱你讓我很高興,薩米!– It makes me so happy to hug you again, Sammy!] She stopped speaking in order to apply her lips to mine in a kiss I accepted and returned with just as much love … and more than a small amount of lustful desire. Upon breaking away to gulp a couple of lungfuls of air, she concluded with, "Wo yongyuan bù huì yànjuàn tā!" [我永遠不會厭倦它!– I will never get tired of it!]
Never content to simply let me go, she teasingly slid her hands from the middle of my back and around my torso past my upper arms, until she could momentarily palm the side contours of my breasts, before dropping her arms and turning slightly to face her commanding officer. "Sà mi, I want you to meet Fleet Admiral Ines Lindholm … Admiral, this is my wife, former Chief Petty Officer Samantha Traynor."
I took a step forward, right hand held out, saying, "Admiral … it's good to finally meet you. Please, call me Sammy, or Sam."
The woman's hand was cool, with a confidently firm grip. "Sammy. It's nice to finally meet you, as well." She pulled me a bit closer and lowered her voice as she grinned, "I understand you were assigned to the Normandy SR-2 during the war. You undoubtedly have some interesting tales to tell … perhaps you would be willing to share one or two during our dinner tonight, or after the ceremony tomorrow; maybe I can even persuade you to explain why you felt it necessary to resign from the Navy." She released my hand and stood back as she returned her attention to Xiùlán. "That is, if your wife will permit me to monopolize some of your time."
Xiùlán laughed, saying, "Sà mi doesn't need my permission to share old war stories, Admiral."
"Really?" she smirked. "The impression I got after witnessing your recent comms call is that anytime you're both in the same space together, there isn't much that can keep you apart."
I found I actually liked this admiral—she seemed to be a genuinely nice person—much like General RaeLee Park. Why are so many males that achieve high-ranking positions such fuckin' bungholes? came the thought. "I'll be happy to share some stories with you, Admiral. I've had an interesting life, mainly because …" I waved a hand in Xiùlán's direction, "… of this wonderful woman. You must be aware it was the Alliance that brought us together."
Taking my arm, she led me—with Xiùlán in trail—to the compartment's entrance into the station's habitat section. "Obviously, I've read her service record, Ms Traynor, but the facts concerning her history make for some rather boring reading. Hearing about things from a person that has actually lived them, or been, in your case, associated with them, will be much more satisfying."
I heard, "Oh, you have no idea," spoken quietly behind me. The admiral turned to spare a quick glance at my wife; returning her attention to me, she chuckled slightly. "Sounds like I'm in for an interesting couple of evenings, Sammy." Coming to a halt at an intersecting passageway, she said, "Here's where we part company, Ms Traynor." Saying, "Ms Yuán," she nodded as she released my arm and continued on down the passage, adding, "I'll see you both in a few hours."
• VIP GUEST QUARTERS, NEW ARCTURUS STATION · ARCTURUS STREAM •
⸰ Friday Evening, 14 August 2212-CE ⸰
In deference to Xiùlán, I was wearing conservative clothes for this dinner – a nice blouse, a dark blue, knee-length skirt with matching tights, and comfortable boots that completely covered my lower legs; the boot tops were adorned with my sheathed Húdié dāo. My Qīzi looked me over approvingly as I exited the bedroom. "Very nice, Sà mi. I was almost afraid you might wear something a bit more … provocative."
"Not for this dinner, my love." I hooked my arm in hers for the short walk to the VIP quarters. "Tonight is all about you. I'm just coming along as your arm candy. Well, that, and for the food."
A quiet chuckle preceded her rejoinder. "Arm candy? Ni shì wo de qīzi, Sà mi … [你是我的妻子,薩米 – You are my wife, Sà mǐ …] the absolute love of my life. There is no one else I would rather have at my side, for this, or any other function, official or otherwise. Just … try to not embarrass me too badly, please. Oh, and I would prefer that Admiral Lindholm not learn about your brief sojourn as the Shadow Broker."
I grinned. "Easy enough. Except, she's bound to ask me why I left the Navy." I sighed and continued, "I'll tell her the truth, I guess, except I'll leave out my involvement in bringing the Shadow Broker back to life."
"That would be appreciated, Ài."
Coming to a halt outside the entrance to the station's VIP guest suite, Xiùlán passed her omnitool through the haptic lock and waited; after a few moments, the interface cross-faded from red to green, then vanished as the hatch slid into its recess. Admiral Lindholm stood from her chair to greet us. "Captain Yuán. Samantha. Welcome. Dinner will be served in just a few minutes – in the meantime, would either of you care for something to drink? A glass of wine, perhaps?"
I grinned. "Whisky, splash of lime?"
Xiùlán flicked a glance at me before replying, "Vodka martini, if it's not too much trouble."
Lindholm nodded at me as she replied to Xiùlán. "No trouble at all." With a wave of her hand, she continued, "If you will follow me?" We fell in step behind her as she moved through a short passageway, at the end of which was a comfortably appointed lounge and dining area. "Have a seat while I see to our drinks," she said over her shoulder, then walked through a door on the far end of the large compartment.
We sat together on a small, fabric upholstered couch just slightly larger than a standard loveseat; a matching chair was placed at a ninety-degree angle to the couch, with a light colored wood table placed at the vertex of the two, so as to allow its surface to be shared by occupants seated in the chair or the couch. A matching end table was placed at the other end of the small couch. I had purposely allowed Xiùlán to sit closest to the adjoining chair, believing the admiral would be more interested in speaking with the woman on whose collar she would be pinning silver stars tomorrow.
The admiral returned, and, as she sat in the chair, announced with a faint smile, "Our refreshments will be right out."
True to her word, a steward carrying a silver tray appeared in short order; coming to a halt in front of us, he handed a liquid-filled glass to Xiùlán, a crystal tumbler containing three-fingers of what appeared to be a fine whiskey to me, then handed a tall, ice and liquid-filled glass to the admiral. A short bow, and he left us to enjoy our drinks. The admiral raised her glass towards Xiùlán, saying, "To your future success as an admiral, Captain Yuán."
My Qīzi blushed slightly as I touched her glass with mine and said, "Ni de chénggōng, wo de ài!" [你的成功,我的愛!– Your success, my love!]
The admiral looked at me, curiosity plain in her expression as she commented, "That right there is just one of the things I'd like to learn about you, Ms Traynor … your seemingly extensive use of the Chinese language in casual conversation with your wife. I'm sure you are both aware the translators, despite decades of tinkering, are unable to reliably decipher that language, and I'm given to believe it's a difficult language for any non-native to master … unless one is immersed in it from birth."
I sampled a bit of the whiskey from my glass, marveling at the smooth taste as I swallowed. Grasping Xiùlán's free hand, I looked into a pair of sable-brown eyes for a few long moments, before returning my attention to the waiting flag officer. Speaking past the sudden emotional lump in my throat, I explained, "I met this woman end of 2178, Ma'am; we've been together for over three decades, even when circumstances had us serving on opposite sides of the galaxy."
I took another sip from my glass as Xiùlán added, "Sà mi has played a major role in my success through the years, Admiral; as I tend to lapse into my native language rather frequently, it became abundantly clear early on that she would need to learn to understand Mandarin, as well as to speak it – if not fluently, at least well enough to get by when I get upset, or we visit my parents."
"Parents made it through the war?" At Xiùlán's nod of agreement, she said, "That's wonderful. Will they be attending the ceremony tomorrow?"
"Afraid not," came the reply, accompanied by a regretful shake of her head. "I offered to arrange and pay for their transit here and back, but my father is a traditional man … doesn't wish to leave Earth. He believes humans venturing into space is the reason the Reapers targeted Earth so heavily. Perhaps he's right." She looked down momentarily; refocusing her attention on Lindholm, she continued in a thoughtful manner. "We'll never know, although I suppose …" she looked to me as she finished her statement, "… we could ask Iringù-Eßizkur, or Harbinger."
Lindholm smiled. "There may be a bit of truth to your father's hypothesis, Xiùlán. Had we never developed space travel, perhaps Earth would have been bypassed." After cocking her head momentarily, apparently listening to someone addressing her through her ear-mounted comlink, she took another sip from her glass before continuing. "I've just been informed our dinner awaits us."
Rising from her chair, she moved towards the large, rectangular dining table as Xiùlán and I followed suit. Once seated—Lindholm at one end and my wife seated across from me next to the admiral—a pair of orderlies, one wheeling a serving cart, appeared and quickly set our meals and utensils before us, along with an assortment of condiments. A bottle of wine appeared, was quietly opened and a measure poured for each of us.
Lindholm held her glass up between us as she said, "A toast … to galactic peace." We each touched her glass with our own glasses as Xiùlán, eyes firmly focused past my shoulder, quietly offered, "Ràng women xīwàng women zài yě bùbì yu xiàng shōugē zhě yīyàng qiángdà de dírén zuòzhàn." [讓我們希望我們再也不必與像收割者一樣強大的敵人作戰.] Glancing between me and the admiral, she hastily added a translation. "Sorry. I tend to think of the war in my native tongue. I simply said 'Let's hope we never have to fight an enemy as powerful as the Reapers again'."
Lindholm chuckled. "It's amazing how easily you slip between Mandarin and Galactic, Xiùlán. I'm guessing that ability has aided you more than a few times during your career."
Xiùlán ducked her head slightly in apparent embarrassment at Lindholm's seeming praise. Returning her gaze to the admiral, she smiled, "I don't really think about it. It's not done on purpose, I can assure you."
I wanted to add my own tale – tales, actually – about my Qīzi lapsing into her native language, usually at the worst possible times, but chose to keep my thoughts to myself; rather, I sort of tuned both of them out as I enjoyed the excellent food and drink provided by the Alliance Navy. Damn, I thought. This is what I can look forward to whenever I stay here with Linn. It's gonna be really difficult to leave all this behind when I take on an outside job.
• YUÁN XIÙLÁN'S QUARTERS, NEW ARCTURUS STATION • ARCTURUS STREAM •
"I believe the good admiral was really impressed with your achievements, Sà mǐ." With a chuckle, she observed, "Thought she'd fall out of her chair laughing at our escapades in Nos Astra during our hunt for that asari figurine."
We were in our own quarters for the night, after a sumptuous dinner in Admiral Lindholm's guest quarters. After dinner drinks had accompanied our tales—told mostly by Xiùlán—of our time in the Ø7 program. The incident to which she was referring involved the salarian Eclipse member that had attempted to intimidate Xiùlán and myself, while we were involved in searching for a couple of specific shipping containers on the Nos Astra docks. I even recalled speaking in halting Mandarin to the overbearing bureaucrat before Xiùlán's final words had sent him scurrying off to find his boss.
"I must admit to being quite amused by his reactions myself, Ai. He was really amazed that his translator couldn't decipher what we were saying."
Xiùlán agreed with a snicker, adding, "You telling him luck had smiled on us both was the icing on the cake, my love." She moved to stand in front of me. "I love you, Samantha Traynor." She quickly hugged me, then began getting undressed. "Time for bed, darling. We need to be up early in the morning – after breakfast we'll no doubt be busy getting reacquainted with people we haven't seen in what seems like forever. The ceremony's scheduled for noon in the main assembly hall."
A thought had occurred to me as she was speaking; my distant stare at the bulkhead did not go unnoticed by my perceptive bride. "Sà mi? Zěnmeliao, wo de àirén?" [怎麼了,我的愛人 – What's wrong, my love?]
"Eh? … What's that?" I responded, still lost in thought.
"I asked you what's the matter. You flying around in the void out there?"
"Mmhm … no … not really," I frowned. "I just happened to think about the structure that's parked outside. You do realize our old buddy Joesiar is sitting right outside in the secure prison complex."
"Hadn't given it any thought 'til just now, and thanks for ruining my sleep." She sat in a chair and began pulling off her boots. "What's it been? … twenty, twenty-one years or so since he was handed a sentence of life in prison, rather than being put to death?"
After a couple moment's mental calculation, I replied, "Hell! Try twenty-four years! Twenty-four years since Lieutenant Colonel Elliot Chapman caved to the political pressure being applied by the bastard's uncle General Brad, and humanity's so-called councilor, Dominic Osaba. What do you think it cost the Alliance to house and feed that little fèn dài [糞袋 – manure bag] since then?"
"I'm sure I wouldn't know, Sà mi. I could probably find out for you …" Her words trailed off as I grinned and shook my head.
"Rhetorical question, darling. I imagine I can easily discover exactly what has been spent to keep that stinkin' little malefactor alive all these years; however many creds it turns out to be, it was certainly wasted on 'im." I paused, thinking about 19th-century capital punishment on Earth. "As they used to say, a terminal case of lead poisoning would have been far less expensive!"
Xiùlán smiled as she finished removing her uniform. After hanging pants and jacket in the closet, she pulled off her brassiere, dropped her panties, then walked to the bathroom. "By lead poisoning," she said in a slightly louder tone in order to be heard, "I'm assuming you're referring to being on the receiving end of a bullet or two from a firing squad?"
By this time, I had removed my own clothes before joining her in the bathroom; sitting on the toilet, I replied in a slightly bitter tone as I emptied my bladder. "Late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, he'd have been made to stand in front of a firing squad, Xiùlán. It was no less than what he deserved for his crimes, although the use of lead bullets was outlawed before you and I were ever born." She finished brushing her teeth, then returned to our bedroom while I completed my business; I continued speaking while washing my hands. "All this time, he's been a guest of the Alliance. Perhaps …"
A few moments later, I faintly heard, "Perhaps, what?" over the running water as I brushed my teeth.
Finishing up, I turned the lights down and moved to stand beside our bed. "Perhaps," I mused, "I should have sent a Broker wet squad to take care of 'im. It would have been quick, discrete, and we wouldn't need to be talking about 'im in the present tense, now would we?"
Her expression solemn, she quietly sighed, "Don't, Sà mi, please? … shènzhì bùshì kāiwánxiào, wo qīn'ài de." [甚至不是開玩笑,我親愛的 – not even kidding, my darling.] I grabbed her hand as it came up to caress my side and allowed her to pull me down so she could kiss me, and I, her. Continuing in a solemn tone, she breathed, "However much Jason Joesiar may have deserved to pay for his crimes by forfeiting his life, it was not your task to perform." Still holding my hand, she placed a lingering kiss on my knuckles before pulling me into bed to lay partially on top of her. Whispering now, she admitted, "Despite totally loathing the yànwù nüxìng de xiao húndàn, [厭惡女性的小混蛋 – misogynistic little jerk,] it would bother me immensely if you had cold-bloodedly cut him down, Ai, either personally or through the use of a Shadow Broker wet-squad. Did you not once tell me you were most definitely not a soulless butcher?"
With a chuckle, I replied, "I wasn't joking about the wet squad, my love. And it really vexes me when you use my own words against me … but yes, I did tell you that, in the university hospital in Serris, on Thessia. But that was …"
"No buts, Sà mi. I know you had the resources, once … and I'm grateful you chose to back away. And I also remember telling you later I would provide top-cover or backstop your actions if you killed him; now, I'm more than grateful I haven't needed to protect you in that manner."
I could feel her breath beside my ear, something she still did when she wanted to get a rise out of me. She was nestled up against me, knowing full well I had never been able to hide my lust for her when our bodies were skin-on-skin together. "You don't play fair, lóng nǚ! [龍女 - dragon girl] I cannot think coherently when …" at this point she nuzzled my neck and placed several tiny kisses in the hollow above my collar bones, causing my breath to catch in my throat before I could manage to continue; in a hoarse whisper, I moaned, "… when … you … do this … to me." By now, she was amusing herself by using her fingertips to gently stroke the pressure points in my lower back. "Gāisi de, Xiùlán!" [該死的!– Damn it, Xiùlán!] I gave up any pretense of holding back as I locked my mouth onto hers.
⸰ Saturday Morning, 15 August 2212-CE ⸰
My pleasant dream faded into the background, then evaporated completely as I roused myself from sleep. With an effort, I slid my eyelids open just enough to inspect—without moving my head—the area immediately in front of my face. Of no surprise, a pair of soft, sable-brown eyes returned my gaze past barely opened lids.
I grinned at my Qīzi and whispered, "Zaoshang hao, wo de ài." [早上好,我的愛 – Good morning, my love.]
The skin beside her eyelids crinkled in tandem with the grin I could not see. "I'm supposed to greet you with those words, Sà mi, and now? After all the years we've spent together, I must admit you sound almost like a native … at least, when you say those words to me." She tilted her head slightly, placed a quick kiss on my mouth, then rolled away and rose to a sitting position on the edge of our bed.
Before she could stand, I reached over and placed a hand on the crease where her thigh joined her hip. "I wasn't quite finished, lóng nühái." [龍女孩]
She looked back at me over her shoulder, glanced down briefly at the head of the dragon tattoo on her back, and chuckled, "Dragon girl, is it? It's been about five decades since I was a little girl."
"You're my girl, Xiùlán … you'll always be my girl. Ó, wushíwu suì shēngrì kuàilè, wo qīn'ài de qīzi! [哦,五十五歲生日快樂,我親愛的妻子!– Oh, (and) happy fifty-fifth birthday, my dear wife!]
With a bemused shake of her head, she stood, stretched, then strode into the bathroom. I listened as she emptied her bladder, then splashed a bit of water in her face. Returning to stand beside the bed, she held out a hand while saying, "Come on, Sà mi … let's do our exercises so we can shower and have our breakfast. It's going to be a busy day."
The activities during the nearly fourteen hours that followed passed me by in a blur, with the exception of Admiral Lindholm making the presentation and pinning the stars on Xiùlán's collar, followed by a wonderful mid-day meal in the officer's mess. I even managed to somehow avoid having to interact with Bill Cody, due in no small part to Miranda Lawson running interference as a personal favor—maybe even a birthday present?—for her former captain … and close friend.
I was almost on my way to our suite—and my bed—when a quiet voice said my name just before gently settling a rather large hand on my shoulder. Turning my head to face the source, I was not surprised to find myself gazing up into a pair of slanted, greenish-gray eyes. "Buchanan! I was wondering where you got off to, and if you were going to leave the station without saying farewell." I turned the rest of the way around and hugged him tightly. "It's great to see you again!"
"My apologies, Sammy," he grinned. "I'm attempting to maintain a low profile, what with all the Alliance brass in attendance." He sighed as he pulled me back in for another affectionate hug. "I simply had to be here for Xiùlán, even if she was ultimately the reason you left us behind on Ahn'Kahar Station."
"I didn't have to look too hard or too long to find legitimate employment after I left, and I do believe you've done alright for yourself since then." I returned the man's hug, then boldly kissed him on the mouth. "Stay in touch, Griff … and give my regards to Oriana and Chinami'Taelas. Tell 'em I really miss them, okay?"
"You got it, Sammy … and listen. If there's ever anything you need that you cannot obtain through legitimate channels, give me a call. I'll do whatever I can to help you, and Xiùlán."
"I cannot imagine ever having a need for your specialized services, but if I do …" I left the thought unfinished as we released each other. Stepping back, we each turned and went our separate ways.
