Of Love and Treason
#5 of The Odds Against
Alright, this is the next chapter of the Odds Against, but it is a little different than the previous ones. This is the first chapter of the series that was written completely in the last few weeks, so hopefully it will be better written than the last ones have been. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
As always, comments are appreciated and I look forward to reading them.
Continued from A Conspiracy Uncovered...
10-2-3015
*Chronological anomaly detected, time index unknown*
Fourth moon of the planet Arc
Noid system, Contested space
I sat outside our cave on a stone, staring up at the stars. It was frigid out here, a little below freezing in fact, but I didn't mind the cold that pricked my bare skin. I was dressed in my underwear only, but I did not want to clothe myself with anything more than that. I wanted to be cold, for it was refreshing after the constant warmth of the cave, and forced my mind to focus, stripping back the extraneous thoughts. My mind was currently racing, seeking the answer to the question that had been troubling me ever since we saw that captured file. The file had detailed the activities of the Conclave, a secretive organization that appeared to be conspiring to play both sides off each other since the war began. They had contacts within every branch of both sides of the military, and it had disgusted me to learn that I had once been part of one of their projects. True, an unknowing participant, but a participant none the less. Katy and I had discussed it often in the last few days while we searched through the captured files and we still had not figured out what we were going to do. I knew we both wanted to put a stop to it, but the trouble was just how we were going to go about doing that. We were just two pilots, and granted, we were both aces, but two pilots from opposite sides, marooned without fighters on a remote moon had exactly zero chance of stopping a galaxy-wide conspiracy. Our inability to act was frustrating, and that more than anything else had been weighing on my mind, inhibiting my thoughts.
This is not to say the last two days hadn't been enjoyable. Far from it in fact. The day after we had uncovered the conspiracy, we had taken some of the intact conclave monitoring devices as well as some equipment we had salvaged from the wrecks of our fighters and rigged them to broadcast their readings to the makeshift computer Katy had spliced together in the cave. After setting up a wide network of systems, we no longer had any need to have someone on watch at night, as the computer would tell us when anything larger than a mouse came near to our camping place. Instead of spending the nights on watch, we spent them cuddled up close on our bed rolls, sleeping in each other's arms. We had been living with only the minimum of clothing and it had been a wonderful thing to able to admire my lover's curvaceous body without having to use my imagination. Though our frustrations had kept us from being in the mood for sex again, I hadn't really cared. Even with the frustrating problem we faced, the last few days had been the best I had had for many years. It was if I had lost a part of myself somewhere along the slow march of war torn years, and in Katy, I had found it again. When I lay with her against me at night, felt her heart beating beside me, it felt like everything was going to be alright. I took a long, slow, icy breath of air, feeling it prick the inside of my lungs with tiny needles of cold, and returned my thoughts to the problem at hand.
Having exhausted all possible paths in dealing with the Conclave, I had turned my attentions to another problem, one that I had been wrestling with in the back of my mind since Katy and I had become friends. It was a problem that we had avoided talking about, for it was too painful a subject to even think about. Even now, when I thought about it from a purely logical perspective, the thoughts I fought with threatened to send me into a depression spiral. I forged ahead anyway, forcing myself to think about the inevitable moment when we would part. Aside from being aces, a rare and valuable commodity in the fighter corps, we were also both high ranking officers. Eventually, our comrades would come looking for us; sooner rather than later if my wingman had made it back to the Endeavor after I had been shot down. And when they did, we would be inevitably parted. If one side or the other retrieved us, one of us would be taken prisoner and we would be separated that way. And, if we somehow were retrieved by our respective sides, the best outcome I could think of, we would still be parted. I let out the breath I had taken in a long sigh, expelling a cloud of steam from my mouth, and rested my chin in my hands. A field of stubble covered my chin and I stroked it absently with my fingers, feeling the unfamiliar bristles slide along my skin. Normally, I would have shaved every morning out of habit, but Katy had said that she liked it. Apparently, it tickled when I kissed her.
I sighed once again and sat still, brooding and breathing the frigid air. Once again not finding answers, I abandoned the problem I had been thinking about and turned my mind to another. I was another one that had been in my mind for a while. I was straining my brain, searching my memory for something I had read in the captured files. I felt sure that I had missed something important in one of the files, skipping over it while I searched for some other piece of information. But with so many files to choose from, it was impossible to tell for sure what it might have been. And then, a moment later, I felt the presence of my mate as she left the cave, walking up to where I was sitting from behind me. I did not turn when she came to up to me, for my thoughts were too dark, but she didn't seem to mind. Katy sat down at my side on the stone without a word, and I at last turned my head, admiring her in the starlight, for her fur seemed to almost glow in the pale light. She had chosen not to clothe herself in her flight suit before coming out either, but, then again, the cold would not affect her as it was affecting me, for she had a thick coat of red fur that was always warm, stray hairs of which I was constantly finding clinging to me. We held our silence for a few more moments, then at last she spoke.
"What are you doing out here Devin?" She asked, returning my gaze.
"Watching the stars," I replied, looking back upward. "And thinking."
"About anything in particular?" She inquired, putting an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer. I relented, sliding over so I sat against her warm side and put an arm around her waist.
"The conclave, the war, what we are going to do," I answered, reluctant to breach the real subject of my thoughts with her, "You know, the usual."
"Of course." She said, looking up with me. I had a feeling that she knew what I was really thinking about, but she made no comment on it. That was one of the many things I liked about her. She could sense when I wanted to keep my thoughts to myself and she respected that wish. "Reach any conclusions this time?"
"Not really." I replied, my eyes tracing the path of a shooting star through the atmosphere of the moon. I idly wondered whether the brilliant streak was a meteor or a piece of debris from the battle that could still be seen being fought far out in the darkness, tiny twinkling dots that flared and vanished as they were destroyed. It was impossible to know for sure. I waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the blue and green planet in the distance. "I just wish I knew what was happening out there."
"Me too." She confirmed. We sat together for a few minutes in silence, then she spoke once more. "Have you given any thought to the fact that when we get retrieved, we will eventually end up facing each other again?"
"I have." I began and she looked back over at me. I took a breath of air and, for a moment, it felt like the last breath before a dive. I knew what I was about to say was very dangerous, but all the same, it needed to be said. "I have given it a lot of thought actually. And I have come to a decision. I swear to you here and now my love, that no matter what happens in the future, I will never again take up arms against the Merxian Alliance, or its people." She looked shocked at my vow, for she knew that I meant it. Even if it meant my death, I would not fight her kind again. "Your people are not my enemy, and you never were. So I will not fight you any longer." Katy looked as if she was about to reply, but I was not finished yet. I still had something to say, and it was the most dangerous thing of all. "More than that, I think that the only possible course of action that is left to us is to fight the Conclave. Together." For a moment, Katy was speechless, her voice frozen by the audacity of what I had just said. But when she spoke at last, her reply not at all what I had expected.
"You realize that what you are proposing we do is treason, don't you?" She asked.
"Is it?" I asked, staring upward contemplatively. "I am not so sure. Treason, after all, is a citizen acting against the nation. We wouldn't be acting against our nations, but for them."
"Maybe." She replied, nodding slightly in acceptance of my answer. "But we might end up fighting our own people to take the Conclave down. Are you really willing to risk that?"
"If it would mean punishing the people responsible for this pointless war, then yes, I am." I said and she smiled, embracing me. "Even if it meant taking on the whole Terran Military by myself, I would still do this. Because it is right."
"That is what I thought you would say." She said then drew in slow breath before responding. "And I agree with you, I think that is the only thing we can do." I hugged her in return, pulling her close, and giving her a kiss. Then we sat for a while in silence, just enjoying each other's closeness while the stars twinkled prettily overhead. Then, after a few more minutes, Katy spoke once more. "Though, there is a problem with that idea; how are we going to stay in touch so we can work together?" I shook my head, for although the thought had occurred to me, I had no answer at that moment. After a few more moments, Katy released me and stood up, taking my hand to pull me up with her. "It's too cold out here to think about it anyway. Why don't you come in?"
"You're right." I replied, climbing to my feet and stretching. "Lets go back in."
The two of us walked back to the cave entrance, arm in arm. When we reached the cave, I courteously held the hide door open for her and she stepped inside. Once I had followed her in, I found that she had switched off the computer's screen, leaving the cave dark save for the dim orange light of the coals. It was a setting very reminiscent of our first night as lovers and I smiled at the memory. I turned to tie the door closed once more and, the moment I finished with the knot, I found a pair of furry hands stroking their way up my bare chest, their touch electrifying. I sucked in a quick surprised breath and started to turn around, but her arms tensed gently, holding me in place while she stepped a little closer to me, pressing against my back and leaning her head against my neck. While she rubbed her hands along my chest a few times, giving me goose bumps, she kissed the side of my neck lightly, eliciting another shiver from my body. Her fur tickling my skin all over and her warm breath on my neck were more than enough to make my body excited, though my mind was still not in the mood. Her fingers began to trace a path back down my body, her claws trailing along each of my ribs, their touch arousing my body even more. My body seemed to be blithely disobeying the orders of my brain, becoming aroused despite my brooding thoughts. I opened my mouth to protest, to say that I wasn't in the mood, all evidence to the contrary. But Katy spoke before I could make a sound, her words snaking into my ear from behind as a quiet whisper.
"Let it go for a few hours." She whispered, kissing my ear lobe. "Since we became mates, we have not made love even once. Let's take a break from all this worry and serious thought." My love turned me around slowly and I found myself looking at an extremely seductive woman, grinning slyly at me, her eyes flashing with mischief. In an instant, all my brooding thoughts and the problems that confronted us were locked away, hidden in my mind. Once again, were my body led, my mind would follow.
As I stared at her, I felt my heart melt in my chest, and I put my arms around her, pulling her a little closer to me "I love you Katy."
"And I you, Devin." She whispered, kissing me softly on the lips. We embraced each other tightly, our fingers trailing up each other's backs. She shivered suddenly as my fingernails trailed along her ribs and I smiled, kissing her again, my tongue slipping between her teeth, brushing along the roof of her mouth. She reciprocated the gesture, her nails and fur rubbing up and down my back softly while we kissed again and again. Kissing gently, we undressed each other so we stood naked beside the door. This time, while we stood naked together, our bodies becoming more and more aroused by the moment, I took the opportunity to explore her body. The last time we had had sex, my brain had been way too addled by her pheromone scent to care, but now that I was in a more rational state of mind, I was curious.
I stroked my hand down her spine, and ran it along her tail, curling my hand around it and letting its fluffy fur run through my fist. Katy shivered when I did this, tensing up a little when my hand touched the base of her tail. I smiled to myself at this response and began to massage the base of her tail with my fingers, gently and slowly so she tell me to stop if it hurt her.
"That feels really good." She whispered, raising her tail slightly so I could massage all around it. After a minute or so, I stopped, giving her rump a gentle squeeze with my hands before trailing my hands back up her back. My massage seemed to have made her altogether more sensitive, because she gave a very intense shiver when my fingers passed along her spine. While we kissed some more, I ran my fingers through her hair, a motion I knew she enjoyed from our time together. We ceased kissing for a moment and she smiled at me, resting her head against my neck, gently trailing her hands along my back. While we held each other, I ran my fingers along one of her ears, surprised at how velvety it felt. She nuzzled my neck when I did this and I took that as a sign that she liked it. I stroked her ears gently with both hands and then caught her ear between two of my fingers and my thumb and gently rubbed it. I smiled to myself when she moaned quietly, for I now had a few new ideas of how to please her.
I shivered a moment later when her warm tongue trailed its way up my neck and under my chin. It was an exhilarating sensation, one that I had always enjoyed, though I couldn't remember my having said that or made that known at any point. Regardless, by mutual silent agreement, we stopped teasing each other and simply stood in each other's arms, holding each other warmly. And, because we knew that we loved each other so much, that simple action was both comforting and more arousing than anything that we had ever felt. We stood like that for a few more moments, enjoying the closeness of each other, then Katy stepped gently back, pulling me towards where the bedrolls were spread. But this time, when we got to them, she didn't lay down on her back, as she had done last time.
Instead, she knelt down on all fours, her rear towards me, her tail flicking back and forth in a hypnotic rhythm like a metronome. She looked back at me over one shoulder, a seductive look on her face and I grinned. Coming forward, I got down behind her, stroking my fingers up the backs of her legs, tickling her gently. She shivered and arched her back slightly, making me smile. I continued on up, stroking her on her rear and leaning forward so I could continue onto her back. My fingers glided along her smooth fur in one long slow stroke, trailing all the way to her shoulders. She shivered, and lifted her tail out of the way, revealing her moist slit. Grinning broadly, I began to massage the base of her tail, all the while stroking her inner thighs with a very light touch, just enough to be arousing, and I went higher with each stroke, but stopped just short of touching her nethers. I kept stroking her legs gently, neatly avoiding her. After about a minute more of this, she spread her legs wider, moving her hips around, almost chasing my fingers, trying to make them touch her vagina. When I failed to do what she wanted, she glared back over her shoulder, giving me a look that said quite plainly that if I didn't get on with it, I would be in trouble. I grinned at her and relented, at last playing my fingertips over her slit, making her moan and buck her hips backward.
Grinning, I began to stroke and tease her privates, making her shiver with desire. Finally, after a few moments on the outer surface, I pressed my fingers between her labia, making her gasp once more, lowering her head. I stroked the smooth flesh between clit and hole gently with my fingertips, making her shiver and moan with each stroke. A few moments later, I scooted forward slightly, my member moving into position without my guidance. The tip of my cock rested against her wet opening and she moaned in desire, but I didn't press forward just yet. Instead, I took my shaft in hand and slowly rubbed it up and down her slit, making her moan louder with every pass. Judging from the sheer amount of heat coming from her, I knew that she wanted it really, really bad, but I also knew that she was enjoying my teasing. But finally, after a few more moments, she pressed backwards with her hips, a signal for me to continue and I smiled.
At last relenting to her wishes, I pressed forward with my hips gently, my cock's head sliding into her vagina with ease. She gasped excitedly when I penetrated and thrust backward eagerly, making me hilt myself in her in an instant. I slowly withdrew from her, enjoying the luxurious textures of her alien crevice. When just my head was inside her, I pushed inside once more, beginning to build up a comfortable rhythm. It was neither the powerhouse thrusting of the first time we had loved, nor the slow and gentle pace of the second, but somewhere between the two. With every thrust into her, she gasped quietly, and then I was surprised to find her tail curling itself around my hips, the sensation of it tickling me somehow more intense then it had been before. I continued to thrust, marveling once more at how different she was than the human lovers I had had.
And, then I realized how different it must have been for her. From what I remembered from merxian reproductive anatomy, the equipment of male canids was shaped very differently from a human's. However, such thoughts were put out of my mind a moment later, when she began to do something that she never had before. Without warning, as I thrust once more into her, I felt the muscles in the walls of her crevice tense suddenly, then relax, sending ripples of intense pleasure through me. It was like she was massaging my dick even while we made love. That sensation was so new, so unexpected and wonderful that I almost came on the spot. It took a sharp effort on my part to back off of the climax.
And, as I paused in my thrusting to concentrate on controlling myself, Katy suddenly pressed backward with her hips, making me hilt myself inside her once more, nearly driving me over the edge. But there she stopped, the massaging motion lightening. I was so very, very close to cumming, but she seemed to know that, and purposely stopped. Her muscles continued to rhythmically tense and relax, but at a much slower pace, just enough to keep me riding the ragged edge of my peak, but not enough to send me tumbling over. And then, I sensed triumph emanate from her and I realized what she was doing. Ever since this little interlude had begun, I had been in charge, teasing her to my heart's content, but now she was returning the favor, punishing me for teasing her so much. However, judging from how much she was panting, she was close to her own peak and I grinned, determined not to lose this contest of wills. I started to pull out once more, in order to thrust hard into her, to drive her over the edge, but suddenly the muscles in her tail tensed up and I found myself unable to pull back, trapped by the furry appendage wrapped about my wrist.
'Well, two can play at this game.' I thought, taking one hand from her hips and reaching down between our legs, my fingers seeking her clit. She gasped when I touched it, a shudder running through her. I began to rub at it with my fingertips, gently teasing it, at first rubbing up and down, then in little circles, first one way, then the other. Each motion made her shudder a little, her panting growing even faster as she approached her peak. But she still had the wherewithal to control herself, a fact evidenced by the massaging sensation picking up again, driving me almost to the brink in a matter of seconds. I immediately slowed down my rubbing, trying to keep this incredibly frustrating, and yet terribly exciting game continue. Her massaging slowed once more, but not before my cock was throbbing, perilously close to release, and yet unable to do so. I groaned in pleasure and frustration. I had to acknowledge that she was better than me at this, though I had an idea, a practiced skill that might allow me to match her.
Keeping up my gentle teasing of her clit with my fingers, I reached out with my mind, touching hers gently, seeking the smallest crack to exploit. Normally when I used this skill, I just bulled my way right through the mind's barriers, but that was painful and therefore to be avoided in this case. And then, I found it, like a window into her subconscious. I very gently slipped into her mind, undetected for the moment, and prepared to use the same technique I had used to interrogate the Conclave operative, though with an entirely different purpose in mind. This time, I let loose trickles of pleasurable sensations into her mind, not enough to drive her over the edge, but enough to push her close to it. She gasped when she felt it and she spoke after a moment, her voice a labored whisper filled with passion and desire.
"That's cheating." She whispered, but she made no attempt to push me out of her mind. Instead, she began to pulse her massages, coupling them with gentle little thrusts of her hips, driving me so close again and again, but never allowing me to go. I groaned again, one hand clenching reflexively on a clump of her fur at her hips as the throbbing in my privates reached a fevered pitch, but I gave her a little more of the psychic pleasure in response, expanding the rivulets slightly. She sucked in a surprised breath and I grinned through gritted teeth, pushing her right to the brink. I was burning for release as well, but I was conflicted, because though I wanted it so bad, this felt so very good that I didn't know which I wanted more. And, from what I glimpsed in her mind, she felt the same. We kept up this incredibly erotic torture for another few seconds before she spoke again, this time in an urgent, pleading whisper. "I'm so close!"
"So am I," I replied, my voice having nearly the same inflections hers did. And then, we came to the same decision at the very same moment. Her tail muscles relaxed and I withdrew from her mind, pulling my member out until just my head was inside her once more, the sensation of her textured vagina sliding over my flesh nearly jolting me into cumming all by itself.. I could feel myself teetering on the edge and then, with a yell of exaltation that matched Katy's, I slammed my hips forward, burying myself deep inside her, my dick spraying pulses of seed into my lover even as a jet of warm sticky fluid pressed back on my member, coating my crotch in fluid. We both pressed hard against one another while we climaxed, every muscle tense. Then, as my cock finally finished pulsing, emptying the last of my load into her, everything finally relaxed. And then, we both began to tremble, our bodies drained by the aftermath of such an intense climax. I pulled out of her slowly, releasing her as she slowly sank onto her stomach on the bedrolls. It was all I could do not to collapse on top of her, but I managed to lay down off to the side, one arm finding its way to her back. After a moment, she turned her head to look at me, chuckling slightly.
"Whew," She sighed, her voice tired and her eyes closing drowsily. "That was amazing... Originally, I had wanted to do it more than once tonight, but I don't think I have the energy..."
"Me neither." I confirmed, scooting over closer to her. She smiled dreamily, her eyes closing and my own followed suit a moment later. I had just enough strength left to pull her to me, tucking he body against me, her back to my chest. My mind slipped into sleep before a single thought could cross my mind...
***
10-3-3015
*Chronological anomaly detected, time index unknown*
Fourth moon of the planet Arc
Noid system, Contested space
I woke up slowly, drawing in a breath filled with the warm scent of my love. Her back was still pressed against my chest and I spent a few moments running my fingers through her silky fur, shifting slightly so that our limbs intertwined, my eyes remaining closed. I took another breath, remembering how I had half awoken in the night, shivering for the fire had gone out. I had drawn up the blankets over us and tucked myself closer against my warm lover. I remembered how she had smiled in her sleep when I drawn her close. It had gotten warm very quickly and I had fallen asleep again. And then, suddenly, as I lay there breathing, my eyes snapped open as it came to me what I had missed in the files. 'Of course,' I thought, sitting up and letting the blanket fall off me. 'It's so simple. Why didn't I think about it before?'
Without waiting for my mind to answer that thought, I rose carefully from where we were lying, taking care not to wake Katy. Moving quickly in silence over to where my pack sat against the wall, I began to search through the many outer pockets of my kit, hoping that what I searched for hadn't been damaged. And there, at the bottom of one pocket, was the tiny crystalline chip I had taken from my fighter's communications system when I had recovered from the crash. I smiled broadly, for it was still intact.
This tiny chip was the answer to our problems. And, as it sat inert in my palm, blissfully unaware of its own importance, a plan formed in my mind. It was so far fetched, so absurd, that at first I was stunned that I had thought of it at all. But, I also knew that because it was audacious, so blatantly foolish, that it was the one plan that might have a chance of working. The Conclave would never see it coming. I was so focused on my plan that I jumped when Katy's fur covered hand touched my back, caressing the skin of my shoulder blades.
"What are you doing over there?" She inquired, sitting back when I turned towards her, a satisfied grin on my face.
"I know how we can deal with the Conclave." I stated excitedly and she looked surprised.
"Well?" She said, "Lets hear it."
"Do you know what this is?" I asked, holding the chip out to her. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand, examining it from various angles.
"It's a programming chip," She finally said, "But it's smaller than any other I have ever seen."
"What you are looking at is one half of the smallest, most secure, hypercom system in the galaxy." I explained, sitting back down on the end of my bed roll. "Its called a hyperlink chip and it is designed to interface with any communications system used by either side. The way it was explained to me, it takes the message that it is supposed to transmit and passes it through a rotating fractal encryption program that is unique to each pair of chips, then it breaks the message into several small packets and sends it on its way. Any other hypercom system, even other hyperlink chips, that intercepts the packets will recognize them as fragmented information and automatically discard them before they even reach the memory core of the system. Only the other hyperlink chip in the set can put them back together and decode the message."
"That's amazing." She replied, looking at the chip with wonder, obviously impressed. "I didn't know anyone was anywhere close to producing something like this. But how did you get a hold of it? I wouldn't think that they are a standard piece of equipment for a pilot."
"They aren't." I replied, smiling. "A friend of mine in Intelligence developed them for the use of their operatives. He sent me a prototype set a few weeks before the battle began, so I could test them under battlefield conditions. The other one of these is in my quarters aboard the Endeavor. They should be entering primary production now actually."
"Well, this would certainly help us in communicating," she began, but her brow was furrowed with thought. "But if anyone detects us sending a message into enemy space, we would be caught and probably executed."
"Yeah, but that's the beauty of this system." I replied and she looked puzzled. "Do you remember the Trans-com project before the war?"
"I think so." She said, thinking back. Then she nodded. "Wasn't it an attempt to create a galaxy-wide communications network? I thought they abandoned the project when the war began."
"They did." I confirmed. "But after the war started, no one thought to dismantle the systems they had put into place. Most of the link pathways are still intact, but not in use by either side. These chips piggyback the message on any outgoing transmission and then use the old Trans-com network to get the message to special receivers that can only be accessed by its twin." Katy was silent for a while, her eyes unfocused, but flicking back and forth slightly while she thought, then she nodded.
"Alright, lets hear your plan." She said, closing her hand about the chip. I nodded and dug the memory crystal containing the captured files from within my pack and then connected it to the computer. While it accessed the files, I started speaking again.
"If you remember, both of our sides use imbedded cybernetic chips to confirm security clearances." I said, typing a command into the prompt on the screen.
"Yes, we both have one." She said, absently scratching the back of her right hand where the chip rested beneath her skin. "Why do you ask?" At that moment, as if on cue, the computer cheeped, bringing up the file I had requested. We both leaned closer to the screen while I kept speaking.
"As you know, those chips transmit on a specific EM frequency." I said and she nodded, still confused. Then, I clapped my hands once and tapped the screen, overjoyed. "That's it, I knew I missed it. Every Conclave operative has a similar chip implanted in their skin, but they use different frequencies than the clearance chips. The frequencies are similar enough not to raise flags on an EM scanner, and that is why we haven't noticed it before."
"So, if we can identify the operatives, we can start taking them down." She said, my excitement starting to leech into her. "And eventually, we can clear the entire military of them." But then her look fell, "But what about the civilians in the Conclave?"
"I had a thought about that the other day." I replied. "The files on these memory crystals include a lot of communications between conclave members. If we can track them back to their sources and reference them against communications records..."
"Then we could identify the Conclave members in the civilian community." She exclaimed. She fell silent, thinking it through. "We would have to be very careful." She said and I nodded in agreement. "And eventually, we would need help from other soldiers. But..." She finally smiled. "This could actually work."
"Now, we just need to be retrieved so we can get to it." I commented and she shook her head, reaching over and placing the chip in her backpack. While she did this, I disconnected the crystal from the computer and returned it to its place in my own backpack. Our whole plan depended on us being retrieved by our own sides, a slim chance while the battle raged. The odds were very much against us, but at least we had a chance to fight back against the real enemy now. A grin came to my lips a second later as I looked at my lover. "Well, as long as we are waiting we might as well use our time productively."
"I agree," Katy said, reaching out and drawing me towards her, "And I have just the thing in mind to get us started." As she lay down on the sleeping roll again, her eyes filled with mischief, my grin widened. Our comrades could take their time, I honestly didn't mind...
***
10-7-3015
*Chronological anomaly detected, time index unknown*
Fourth moon of the planet Arc
Noid system, Contested space
The computerized beeping of an alarm startled me awake out of what had been a pleasant dream. I had dreamed that I had been back at Silvermoon, and the yearly war games had just finished, which I had always enjoyed, so I was sleeping in my bed for the first time in weeks. But the odd thing about the dream was that I had dreamed Katy was there with me, sleeping beside me. So shocked was I to wake from the dream that I briefly thought that I really was back at the academy. I reached out with my only free arm, flailing about behind me in the direction of the sound, trying to find the offending alarm clock and make it cease its racket. When my searching hand encountered only cool stone, I raised my head and opened my eyes. Katy and I were lying spooned up once more, our limbs intertwined, all but one arm of course, naked as we had been for the last few days, and I finally remembered where I was.
"What is it dearest?" Katy asked sleepily, turning over slightly in my arms, her fingers laced through mine.
"I don't know, let me check." I said and she released my other arm so I could move. Grumbling quietly, I turned over and forced my sleep-blurred eyes to focus on the computer screen. It took me a few seconds of staring at the screen to grasp what it was I was looking at, but when I did, I sat up quickly, suddenly wide awake. The display was currently linked to the sensor assembly from my fighter, and it displayed a variety of dots getting closer and closer to the center of the screen, which was actually our cave. They were displayed in both red and blue, indicating both friendly and enemy IFF codes, and from the sensor profiles, they were obviously drop ships, escorted by a few fighters. The sensor system used a relay from several sensor modules set up around our campsite at various distances, and this reading indicated the drop ships were only just entering the atmosphere. I leapt to my feet, rousing my mate with a shout.
"Katy, get up!" I cried, and she rose, looking about the cave in alarm. "They are finally coming to find us. We have to get going." It took her a second to understand my meaning, but the moment she did, she was in motion, slipping into her clothing quickly. I did the same, dressing in my underwear and flight suit in record time. I had just finished doing up my boots, when the com unit on my armor cheeped for attention. I grabbed my helmet and set it on my head, activating the comlink.
"Samurai One, Samurai One, this is Endeavor Rescue and Retrieval Dropship Three. Come in Samurai One." The voice on the com said.
"This is Samurai One, go ahead." I replied.
"Colonel, we are incoming on fast drop for pickup. Rendezvous at Nav point Alpha, ETA ten minutes." The voice stated and I waited for the nav marker to appear on my visor before I spoke again.
"Acknowledged Endeavor Three, Samurai One out." I replied, then removed my helmet once more. I turned to Katy and she had a sad smile on her face. Her helmet was in hand too and it appeared that she had just gotten a similar message. No words were needed by either of us, as we knew what the other wanted to say. This month that we had spent together on this moon had been paradise. It had been like the war never happened, like all that existed in the galaxy was peace. Even though we knew that it was necessary, neither of us had wanted this to end. Instead of speaking, for that would have been too painful, we started to don our armor, putting off the point where we would need to say goodbye. But then, just when I finished putting on my torso armor, I reached under my flight suit on impulse and pulled my necklace from beneath it. The shape of the carved stone charm was familiar enough to make me smile. I lifted it slowly from around my neck and laid it aside for a moment, settling the armor on my torso and then clipped my web gear back on over it. After ensuring that my side arm was snug in its holster and my sword in its sheath, I turned to find my love dressed in her armor as well, her helmet in hand. She noticed my gaze and turned back to me with a questioning look on her face. I took her gloved hand in mine and lowered the necklace into it.
"Here." I said, closing her fingers around the carved wolf. "Take this my love, so you will always remember me."
"I can't take this." Katy said, after discovering what I had placed in her hand.
"Yes you can." I replied. According to the traditions of the inhabitants of Arc, giving one's Archen necklace to another was a gesture of love that meant almost as much as an engagement ring. "I love you Katy, and I want you to have it. Of all the people in the galaxy, you have more right to it than anyone else. Take it."
"Then take this." She replied, reaching under her armor and removing her own necklace. She looped it about my neck carefully and I nodded in acceptance, tucking it beneath my armor. Once my own necklace was hidden beneath her flightsuit, we hurried to pack the last of our equipment. It took only about five minutes to completely dismantle our camp and to destroy the makeshift computer, preventing anyone from ever finding out what we had used it for, leaving plenty of time before I had to be at the rendezvous point. Once we were done packing, we slipped our packs onto our shoulders and left the cave together. The dropships were still far enough away for us to be out of their sensor range and I pulled Katy to me, embracing her despite the armor that separated us. We kissed one last time and I whispered once more.
"Good bye my love." I said, a tear suddenly escaping from my eye. "Stay in touch."
"I love you too." She replied. "You be careful Devin."
"You too." I replied and we separated. "If you run into trouble, let me know. I will come in with guns blazing."
"You got it." She said, chuckling at the absurdity of the notion. "See you."
I nodded and we donned our helmets, running in opposite directions. I watched her go, wishing that we didn't have to part, but knowing all the same that we had too. We had a greater purpose now, a purpose that would keep us apart for an unguessable length of time. I pushed myself, running harder towards the rendezvous point, sprinting all out, trying to drive the thoughts from my head. As soon as I stepped into the clearing, I could see the dropship descending rapidly down towards the moon's surface. It did not even settle to the ground, instead hovering about a foot above it, waiting for me. I ran to the opening drop door and leapt aboard before it was even deployed fully, the dropship lifting off the moment I cleared the threshold. A marine crew chief stood in the hold and he waved me to a seat against the wall. I nodded, settling into the seat just as the dropship shot skyward, leaving the atmosphere as fast as it had entered it.
"Welcome aboard sir." The crew chief said, speaking over the com system. "We finally got released for search and rescue on the moon a few hours ago and it has taken us that long to find your fighter."
"I look forward to getting back to the Endeavor." I said, then added silently in my head, 'I have work to do.'
"I can understand that sir." He said, holding on tight to the netting that was suspended from the drop room's roof as the drop ship went through a rapid bank, then spiraled upside down, causing my stomach to lurch in protest. "Sorry about the hard maneuvers sir, the Merxians are out in force around here."
I nodded in reply, sitting back in the drop harness and wondering how Katy was faring, suddenly glad for the polarized faceplate of my helmet, for it hid the sudden torrent of tears that came from my eyes, tears of having to leave the woman that ruled my heart ...
***
"Admiral," the Endeavor's communications officer called and Admiral Tack looked up from his command chair. "Rescue three reports that they have recovered Colonel Cramer alive and well."
"Very well." He said, the wrinkles around his eyes easing slightly as he returned his gaze to the display in front of his chair. He had been carrying around a secret fear that laid a great weight on his shoulders since the Colonel had been shot down. Despite their differences in ages and rank, the aged admiral had to admit that he liked the young pilot. He was one of those rare few who truly cared for their comrades and would do anything for them. He was relieved to hear that the colonel had survived the crash and the month on the hostile moon. He had enough ghosts on his conscience, friends who had had been consumed by war in the past. He didn't want another one to join their number. "As soon as the last drop ships are on board, recall the fighters and signal the group to prepare to jump."
"Aye sir." The lieutenant at the com station replied and relayed the message. None of the tired officers looked up as the Admiral left the bridge...