No Dominion
No Dominion
By
Lady MoonHawke
Though lovers be lost, love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion
-Dylan Thomas
"Aurora, that general you were expecting is docking his ship now. Do you want me to send him directly in when he gets up here?"
Commander Aurora "Moonhawke" Stargazer looked up at the intercom from the report she was writing. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, considering, then answered. "No, Skye, I don't. I'm going to let him stew out there for about five minutes, then I'll see him. Put your receiver on text display so he won't hear me. I won't leave you out there with him long. I just need to psych myself up."
"Whatever you want. Switching to text now," came the reply from her assistant, Corporal Krysten "Skyedansuer" Merino.
Aurora returned her attention to the report, but she couldn't seem to focus on it. None of her superior officers had made a visit to the station in the year following her father's death and this sudden interest bothered her. She wasn't certain she was ready to give up her father's office after having known him such a painfully short time. In the middle of her musings, the intercom chimed. Aurora took a deep breath, let it out, and answered.
"Yes. Corporal?" she said in her most business-like tone, on the off chance that the general could hear her.
"Commander, the general is here," came the reply. "Shall I send him in?"
"Please inform the general that I will be prepared to see him in just a few minutes, and I will signal you at that time." Aurora cleaned the paperwork from her desk, then looked at the photos sitting on top. Two of the most important men in her life, and both were dead. Her college boyfriend, gone for the past eight years but never forgotten, and her father, dead almost a year, the pain still new and raw at times. "Well, guys, wish me luck." With that, she reached over to activate the intercom. "Please ask the general to come in." She stood up behind her desk and waited for the worse to happen.
When the general came in, Aurora had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Instead of a stiff-necked administrator, Starlight had walked through her door. As he shut the door, she came out from behind her desk and launched herself into his arms. For a brief moment, pressed against his chest, and wrapped in his embrace, she could almost forget everything that had happened since they had last been together. She felt him pull away from her all too quickly and started to protest, only to have her words stopped by a passionate kiss. She tightened her arms around his neck, and felt his grip on her ribs tighten until she almost couldn't breathe. When her back popped, she yelped more in surprise than pain. Her eyes flew open, and she started to giggle.
"Sorry," Starlight murmured against her lips, then pulled his head back the inch or two Aurora's locked arms would permit. "If you'd let go, I could put you down." Aurora looked down and realized she was several inches off the floor. She relaxed her grip enough to slide to the floor, and leaned against him for a moment. Then she pulled back and looked up into his face.
"So what are you doing here, Dearest? Why the masquerade as a general? There's going to be some real confusion when he shows up. Not to mention the trouble I'll be in if I'm not available to see him."
"I am the general," he said. "I'm due to inspect the station and interview the crew. We've been keeping an eye on their stress levels since your father's death, and now someone needs to sign off on the whole thing."
"Starlight, please don't tease me. There is no way you could just happen to be the general assigned to review my station."
"I don't just happen to be here, so in a sense, you're right. I knew more or less where and when you would be, so I just put myself in a position to find you. But I am a commissioned officer in the United Nations Space Patrol, SilverHawks Division. So I am your superior officer, and I am going to inspect your station and interview your crew. Then you're due to be transferred back to Earth."
"Earth!? My father started this program 25 years ago. He gave up everything for it, and now it's being taken out of my hands? How can you do this to me!?" Aurora was enraged.
"It wasn't my decision," Starlight replied. "The general staff wants an experienced field officer in charge here, not an administrator. If it helps any, I voted for you to stay in charge."
"Not bloody much, since you couldn't seem to convince anyone else. I've been out of the Academy for eight years, and it's not enough experience? I've personally led troops into battle, for crying out loud."
"Considering the fact that you took a five year sabbatical, they're counting your two-year minimum space service as up, and giving you a desk Earth-side." He paused for a moment. "Sweetheart, I know what this position means to you, but I'm only one voice on a ten-person council. All I could do was present my opinion that you know what you're doing. I couldn't bring up five years of military experience that occurred before their ever-so-great-great-grandfather's were a twinkle in someone's eye."
"But what would I do on Earth? My whole life is here now. I never expected to go back to Earth so soon, and left all my accounts tied up for another ten years. I'm not even sure where I'd go since my mother closed the house and took what she called a slow boat to China after Daddy's service. She said she needed some time to think. What am I going to do?" She closed her eyes and leaned against him, glad at least to be able to share some of her concerns with someone who wasn't looking to her for guidance and leadership. To give up her cares for a few minutes and put her trust in a man she loved beyond all reason was so restful. She leaned against him, lulled by the familiar rhythm of him heart.
When a knock came at the door, Aurora was tempted to give leave to enter without moving. She knew, however, that it could too easily be Lieutenant Jonathan "Quicksilver" Greyer, and when his mercurial temper came up against Starlight's active volcano of self-defense, the result would be someone in pieces. So instead of "Enter" she called out, “Who is it?"
"It's Krys. I have some new messages."
Aurora pulled back from Starlight's embrace. "This will just take a second," she said. Then she walked to the door and opened it. "So what do we have today?" she asked.
"Well, there's this pile for you," Krys replied, handing Aurora ten or so pages, "but just a couple for General Landon here," she finished, walking over to him.
Aurora felt the papers slid from her nerveless grip. "What?" she croaked in a hoarse whisper.
"You mean you didn't notice?" she asked. Krysten grabbed the photo off Aurora's desk. "Just look. Look with your heart, not your eyes."
As Aurora looked, she felt the pieces fall in to place. Somehow, her lost beloved Steven was standing before her, and he was the immortal warrior she had trusted her fragile, half-healed heart to. The one whose love had made her whole. Aurora felt the walls start to close in on her, and she turned and fled.
General Steven "Starlight" Landon grabbed Krys's arm and spun her around. "I thought I asked you, as a personal favor to an old friend, to keep this business to yourself. Does friendship mean that little to you, or is it simply true that women have no word of honor?" he barked.
"Don't you go snapping at me, Mister!" she snapped back. "I value your friendship almost as much as I value hers. She cries for you at night. Both Steven and Starlight. Then she berates herself for abandoning her baby. How is Adryanna, by the way?" she asked as a diversionary tactic.
It worked. "Oh, fine. She singing with a-" Steven stopped. He recognized the primrose path when he was on it. "Don't change the subject. How did you know? Aurora should have figured it out before you did," he said, puzzled.
"I just paid attention, that's all."
"You're more perceptive than you let on, aren't you?"
"Of course. People always say more interesting things when they don't consider the person their talking with to be a Mensa Candidate. But it is really good to see you again." She glanced at the clock. "You'd better get going after her. You have about a minute before she gets over being thrilled to see you and decides she never wants to see you again for as long as she lives, or as long as you live, and that could be a while."
Steven looked wistfully out the door. "I'm not sure what to say to her. It's been so long..."
"Go," she insisted, pushing him toward the door. "You'll figure it out. You two belong together. Everything else is just incidental."
"Krys, you're like the psychoanalyst I never wanted," he said. "Thanks." He strode to the door. "Wait. Just one thing."
"What?" she whined, exasperated.
"Where?"
Skye closed her eyes for a moment. "Hanger," she said.
"Gut feeling?" he asked.
She shook her head. "She likes to look at the stars."
Steven turned and ran. "I owe you one," came drifting back.
"No charge," she whispered and bent to pick up the papers Aurora had dropped, and the ones Steven had lost in his rush out the door.
Aurora stared out at the stars and wondered about her life, and knew that once again it would be turned upside-down. She could see it coming, and hadn't the heart or nerve to stop it. Nor did she want to.
She heard the door whoosh open, and knew the confrontation was coming. Aurora tried to gather a sense of peace and calm about her to push the maelstrom of emotions she was feeling away. She heard his footsteps echo on the metal deck plating and fought the urge to run to him like a scared child. She knew his timing though, and if she could trip it up and take control of this argument, she knew she would have the advantage. An advantage that she felt she deserved for the first time in eight years. She felt his arms slip around her in a familiar embrace, and steeled herself against giving in, at least for the time being.
Steven savored the embrace, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair, feeling the well-known rhythm of her breathing. He wanted so badly to bundle her into his ship and take her home, but he knew that the business came first, in her mind as well as his.
"I'm so sorry, Angel. I never meant for it to be this way," he whispered in her ear, squeezing her gently. But instead relaxing into his embrace, she stiffened. "Aurora?"
"You never meant for what to be this way, Steven?" Coming back from the dead? Driving me insane by revealing that all the men I loved are the same person?" Aurora pulled her ace in the hole. She knew this would hurt, but she did it anyway. "You lied to me!"
Steven stepped back, stunned. She was right. He had drilled into her that a lie of omission and a lie of misinformation were identical in his opinion and the worst crime a person could commit without being arrested. And he had held back from telling her everything in college, partly because he knew she wouldn't understand, and partly because he feared the changes that could result if she knew. Not to mention the whole dying thing. That was probably what upset her most.
"I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't see any other way."
Aurora's mind raced, imagining scenarios if he had told her, if she had known he was alive, and knew what she would have lost. The years with Starlight, the memories of her daughter laughing, walking, telling her so seriously about the horses in the stable eating hay, even Adryanna herself would be gone. She saw it now. The ends justified the means. They always did. The sudden knowledge filled the empty places in her heart, left every time she lost a great love. She turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just so we both know you're not infallible, M'Lord," she said, and kissed him.
Steven surrendered to her kiss and the forgiveness she offered with it.
Later, Aurora rested her head on his chest, listening to the familiar beat of his heart. She felt as if she finally had it all; Steven, who was dedicated to protecting her, and Starlight, who expected her to fight her own battles and gave her the tools to do so. At long last she could do as she pleased and knew he would back up her decision.
"So," his voice rumbled in her ear, "what do we do now?"
"You once said that no door or wall should come between us," she whispered, caressing his back.
Steven recognized the reference. He plucked her hands away and held them wide. "I also said I would not dishonor your parent's home, and I think this qualifies."
Aurora made a frustrated sound. "My father is no longer in residence, to put it gently, and I am no longer a college girl with her life ahead of her. I want to be with you," she said, freeing one hand and stroking his face.
Steven turned from her touch. "I know. I want you too, but the morale and respect of you crew will be out the window if they so much as suspect we're lovers. I can't let that happen to you." He stepped back and released her other arm. "Aurora, I've wanted you for 8 years, but I had to wait for this moment, where the future is unknown to me. I had to wait for the circle to come around again, and it has. Everything we do now is new." He reached into his pocket, and Aurora had a half-terrible half-wonderful feeling that she knew what was about to happen next. She wasn't disappointed. Steven dropped to one knee and took her left hand.
"Aurora, I've loved you for centuries, and I was desolate without you. Please say you'll stay with me. Marry me, Aurora. Be my wife forever."
Aurora felt herself caught up in a riptide of emotions; love, anger, fear, desire, but through it all she felt things outside herself; Steven's love, his belief that it could work, and above it all, his hope, shining like a gem in his eyes. She loved that hope most of all and responded to it.
"Yes," she said simply. "I've always been willing to marry you. I've just been waiting for you to ask."
Steven pulled her down to sit on his knee and kissed her. "You are never going to regret this," he promised. "This is yours," he said, handing her the box, "forever."
Aurora opened it, expecting a ring, but what she saw took her breath away. Inside an oval of 14 diamonds was a single huge sapphire the exact shade of Steven's eyes. Steven lifted it from the box and slid it onto her finger where it fit perfectly. As Aurora stared at it, she felt her worries lift from her mind. The issues still remained, but the weariness from them faded. She looked at Steven and was about to ask him about it when he said, "I know. It's like a bond, a connection between us. You will be able to filter more of what you send as time goes on, and no, you are not suddenly telepathic. I am the only one you can read, and the only one who can hear you, although if Krysten were to work at it, she could develop her gift to work like that."
"Why are you talking about my best friend when we just got engaged?" Aurora asked with a smile.
"You're absolutely right. I am sorry. I will proceed to dedicate my every waking moment to your happiness," Steven said with mock seriousness. Then it became real. "Now, really, we need to talk about your crew. A number of them are due for transfers home, and there's the small matter of finding a new commanding officer." He paused, then rushed on. "Since you are the most familiar with the duties, you have the final vote on the selection."
"Well," she scoffed, "they might as well ask the cow how it wants the roast cooked. I can't believe this. I'm being kicked out and they want me to pick my successor. I suppose I have a wide selection of about three?"
"More like 30," he replied.
"30?! My God, what did they do, advertise in the LA Times?"
“It’s not easy to find people willing to come 100 million light-years for an unaccompanied tour on a permanent basis.”
“Permanent basis? That’s a huge mistake. No one with even a hope of having a family is going to want this post. And unaccompanied? I’m stunned that anyone would want it. What idiot came up with that idea?”
“It was in your father’s original plan for this station. Aurora, you know how dangerous this situation is. Would you seriously want to bring non-combatants into it?”
“Not on the station itself, but planetside on Bedlama is probably safe enough.”
Steven sighed. “Aurora, Mon-starr and his gang were able to get to Bedlama. Do you really want to give another criminal the opportunity to start taking hostages from the civilian population, hostages that are going to impair the judgment of a commanding officer? Be reasonable. Pick a name out of a hat if you have to. They’re all pretty equally qualified, so no one is going to second guess your decision.”
“My last official duty, I suppose? All right,” she said, getting up off his knee, “let’s see this list of qualified antisocials who want to live in the boondocks of outer space.” They walked back up to her office recalling old adventures both from their days together in college and their sojourn in the twelfth century.
“Where do you want to go over the files?” he asked as the approached Krysten’s desk.
Aurora was thinking furiously. There was only one person she would trust her father’s beloved program to, and she was almost certain his name was not in the list of applicants. “How about in the mess hall? I’m about ready for lunch, so we can go over them as we eat.”
“Works for me. I just need to get my papers back, and-”
Aurora cut him off. “I need about 15 minutes to finish up some routine stuff, then I’ll join you there. I’ll be able to work faster if I’m not constantly looking at you, think about things that have no place in an office,” she said with an impish smile.
“Don’t tease me, Commander. I can fix you really well, and keep you up here until your replacement is here and trained,” he warned mockingly.
“Of course not, General. Just give me a little while to finish the house-keeping, and then I’ll let you take me to lunch.”
“Fair enough. I’ll see you there," he said. He kissed her quickly, then left.
As soon as Steven was out of sight around the corner, Aurora gestured for Krysten to come in. As she came in the door, Aurora held out her left hand, very aware of the giant sapphire. Krysten saw in and gasped.
"My God! Is the a rock or did you dip your hand in dye?" she asked in amazement.
"It's real. All right. But before we get carried away, I need to see Jonathan. Send an order to come up here, text to his station only. I want this as private as possible. Send him right in when he gets here, and in the meantime, get all the info from UESC on what they want in a station commander."
"What exactly are we doing?" Krysten asked.
Aurora was already working at her computer, pulling up Quicksilver's extensive service record. "An end-run around the bureaucrats. If they want me to pick a replacement, I'm going to stack the deck. Jonathan's always dreamed of being in command, and I'm going to make it happen. It's a fair enough trade since he's not getting me."
Krysten considered for a moment. "I like it, but why is he going to be in command? I thought your father left the position to you."
“He did. However, the General’s Council thinks a more experienced leader will be an asset to the team, most of whom are also being replaced, it would seem.”
“Replaced?” Krysten managed to squeak. “As in we’re going back to Earth? For good?” she asked.
“Unless you re-enlist and go through the mod again. I’m going to pass on it, though. I plan to be very busy being married, and for a while, early morning staff meetings are NOT going to be on my agenda.”
“Now who’s obsessed with sex?” Krysten said jokingly.
“Yeah. Someone who doesn’t have a husband to chase around her quarters all weekend,” Aurora quipped back. “Now seriously, UESC has an ad for a new commander listed in the newspapers, and it’s probably at their netsite as well. I want to see it, so we can fill out Jonathan’s application appropriately and fix him up a good resume. You got it?”
“I’m on it, boss-lady,” she said, and went out to her desk.
There was a discreet knock at her door within five minutes. “In,” she called, and requested a print of the file she was working on.
“Reporting as ordered,” said Quicksilver, as he entered. “Skye said you asked for these,” he added, handing her a manila folder.
“Have a seat,” she said, and flipped open the folder to read its contents:
*Wanted*
Capable men and women, age 30-50
Masters degree in Space Technology, Aerial Tactical Command,
or Personnel Mobility required
4-6 years minimum leadership experience in a military capacity (Space-
centered preferred)
Must be willing to relocate permanently--Unaccompanied tour.
Excellent salary and benefits/retirement/pension plan available.
If you are ready for a challenging career in the exciting field of Space
Defense, please submit resume and career history to:
United Earth Star Command
SilverHawk Academy
Mojave, California, USA
http://uescom/silverhawk.net
She handed it to Jonathan. “Does this seem interesting to you?” she asked.
He scanned it quickly. “It sounds like your job. Are they setting up another team somewhere?”
“In a way. A number of personnel are due for rotation home, including a commanding officer. I’m willing to give you a recommendation for the position. I’m sure it would carry a lot of weight, along with your outstanding service record, both here and with the Federal Interplanetary Forces. Are you interested?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to leave you. I still haven’t convinced you to marry me.” He smiled confidently.
“Well, the truth is, I’m the commander in question, and you’re the only officer I trust with my father’s legacy. And I can’t marry you. I was wrong to encourage you, and I hope you can forgive me,” Aurora said quickly.
“But why? I thought we were doing so well, putting the past behind us,” he said, confused.
Aurora thought quickly. “I just can’t put my ghosts in the past, and you deserve someone who can love you only, not someone with her heart half in a grave.” She almost laughed at this. She had never felt more alive than at this moment. She prayed that he would accept this “broken-hearted” garbage.
“You know I don’t ever want to hurt you. If you really feel this way...”
He’d bought it. “I do. But I hope we can be friends,” she said brightly.
“Of course we are. And I’d be honored to have your recommendation. What do I need to do to apply?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Aurora stated. “I’ll handle everything. Now, I have to go. I’m expected by the general. He’s going to be inspecting after lunch, so please make sure everything is ready.” As Jonathan saluted and left, Aurora congratulated herself. Not only had she gotten Jonathan more or less out of her life, he would be so busy preparing for the inspection that he would work through his lunch break. Perfect.
Aurora walked down to the mess hall and found Steven removing meals from the wall slot. He looked up as she came in.
“Have a seat, honey. I’ll have this ready in just a minute.” He turned to the beverage dispenser. “Two coffees,” he told it.
“Please indicate type of coffee; black, French roast, cappuccino, iced, latté, or regular,” it replied with Krysten’s voice.
Steven looked at it for a moment, as if waiting for it to say something else. “Black,” he said finally. Immediately it chimed and delivered a tray with two steaming mugs. He picked it up and brought it over to the table, then went back for the food. Once he had settled in, he looked at Aurora. “Well?” he asked.
She looked back with feigned innocence. “What?”
“Why does your food dispenser sound like Starbuck’s Coffee House?” he asked.
“Well, you see, Will was looking for something to try a new program on, and we had just gotten a huge increase to the mess hall subroutine, so I told him to go ahead. It makes for nice variety.” She explained breezily.
“The memory upgrade was to increase the variety of meal choices, not to become a coffee shop.”
“It is an increase in choices. I have over 1500 food items in the other mess section. You can have a completely different menu every day for a year. We wanted different things to drink.” She sighed. “Things here are not the way they seem on Earth. Ideas that look good on paper don’t always work out here. Whoever takes command is going to have to realize that. Sometimes we change things to suit ourselves, and by far, it’s an improvement.”
Steven laughed. “Okay, Commander. Truce. I’ll allow that you know your troops’ needs better than a group of old men on Earth. But you should tell us these thing, so we can let the other units know.”
“That’s just the problem. What does work here might not work somewhere else. There should be guidelines rather than strict ‘do it this way or else’ orders,” Aurora said vehemently.
“It is a military installation, Commander. There are reasons for these things, in case you have forgotten.”
Aurora sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you about this. I’ll just save it all for my debrief after I get back. But you know that things are different in the field than they are imagined somewhere behind enemy lines.”
“Okay, okay,” Steven said, putting up his hands. “I’ll give you that one, too. You are entirely too good at this, Commander Sweetheart, only love of my life. Now eat your food before I call your mother.”
“Only you would think to dig that up,” she said, and took a large bite of the salad he had ordered for her. It was a luscious mix of greens, some sliced cold-cuts, and a dressing she hadn’t even known was in the computer. “This is wonderful,” she said around another bite. “What’s the dressing?” she asked.
He pulled a disk from his pocket. “That stuff you always ate at home. I kept a copy of the recipe and had it transferred to something the computer could read before I came. I thought you’d enjoy it.”
“It is great. Makes me homesick. So, who are my qualified recluses? Axe-murderers, devil-worshippers, what?”
He laid a pile of folders on the table. “These are the first five,” he said, “though they are in no particular order, and have all distinguishing characteristics removed, in case you know any of them. All you have to work with are education, service locations, letters of reference, and various citations. There will probably be more arriving this afternoon, unless you want the application deadline closed.”
“No,” she said quickly. “If someone applies today, they should have an equal chance as someone who applied a week ago. I’ll take new files until, say, day after tomorrow. It’s the end of the week. I can go over the last on the weekend, and have a decision Monday morning. Will that work with your schedule?” she asked.
“I think so. I can do the inspection today, interviews tomorrow and the next day, and write up my report while you’re reading the last of the files. Then I’ll take your decision back, and as soon as the lucky winner can be released from duty, I’ll be back for you. You should be home before the end of summer at the worst. Is that okay?”
“Other than I’d like to leave now?” she asked facetiously. “It will do, I think. My only question is where exactly are we going to live? I, uhm, sold the Colorado property. I couldn’t stand to be there without you. It was just so empty and cold.”
“I know. I paid an exorbitant sum of money to get it from that land-shark of an estate agent you left in charge. But you have a nice sum of money to do something with, so it was worth it.” He smiled angelically.
“You bought it?! I might as well have just kept it. I suppose you are the quiet gentleman renting the beach house too?”
“Sure. Who else do you want living in your house, some stranger? Honey, I’d have given you the money anyway, so it doesn’t make that much of a difference to me either way. Even the realtor makes out like a bandit. He gets a fat commission for doing nothing. In any case, it’s only money. I can always make more, and I like giving you things.”
“I wish you wouldn’t die doing it,” Aurora griped.
“Okay. No more dying. Just giving things. Does that suit your sweet little heart?”
“It’ll do for now, I suppose,” she laughed. “So what do I get next?”
“An extremely large wedding, with anything you want, followed by a long vacation anywhere in the world. I would prefer to stay on Earth for business purposes, but if you really want to go off-planet, it can be arranged.”
“I’ve had enough off-planet to last quite a while. Somewhere on Earth will do very nicely. We should think of something nice to do for Krysten and Michael, too. I interrupted their marriage to haul them back up here, and I promised to make it up to them in the future. If they’re getting transferred back to Earth, then maybe we can come up with something.”
“What do they like?” Steven asked thoughtfully.
“What all married couples like,” Aurora replied. “Privacy and plenty of time to enjoy it.”
“So what about some place nice and romantic on Earth for a while? What about Europe? You like it.”
“I also speak enough languages to get by. Krysten’s French is high school at best. Hawaii might be a better choice,” she suggested. “Krys grew up in the desert, so sand with water might by a big change. Can you set it up?”
“You know I can. When do they want it?”
“They don’t even know, so let’s leave it up to them.” She paused a moment. “We’re doing it again,” she said thoughtfully.
“What?” he asked.
“We’re talking about other people rather than ourselves. We just set up a romantic get-away for our friends, and I’m sitting here dying to behave in conduct unbecoming an officer. Are we really planning to work this weekend?”
“Well, it sounded like it to me, and I have no intention of letting you behave unbecomingly on this station.”
“So? This isn’t the only place in the galaxy, and Bedlama is a real paradise since my father got Mon*star locked up. Let’s have a 'business' weekend on the planet, then Monday, I’ll probably be able to think straight again. I can’t imagine it will throw things off too badly,” she said, reaching out and stroking his hand.
Steven groaned inwardly. It was difficult enough sitting here, hearing her voice again. Her touch was almost too much. “Okay,” he said through gritted teeth. “We’ll go, but until then, we stay apart. I’m going to get on this inspection. You start working on the files, and I’ll see you for dinner. Have Krysten and Michael join us if they can. The more people around...”
“...the less the temptation. I know.”
He dropped a kiss on top of her head on his way out.
Aurora spent the afternoon in her office, ostensibly reading files, but the notes she took related more to wedding gowns and invitation designs. Hastily sketched gowns covered the desk, and the wastebasket was over-flowing with crumpled discards. She didn’t look up when the door opened, assuming the Krys was bringing in more messages from HQ or something similar. “What do you think of champagne?” she asked, observing her latest work critically.
“Tickles my nose,” replied Jonathan from the doorway, “but anything you like, I’ll like.”
Aurora looked up quickly, then slid one of the candidate folders over her work, and got up from the desk to meet him in the center of the room. “I thought you were going to work with the general on the inspection,” she said, trying to turn him back toward the door. “You really shouldn’t be up here while I’m reviewing these candidate folders. I don’t want hints of favoritism creeping into the discussion about my decision.”
“But isn’t that what it is?” he asked. “I’m your favorite candidate, so you’re going to select me.”
“It won’t do your career any good to be known as the program designer’s daughter’s favorite. You have to come off as the most qualified, which of course, you are,” she added quickly, seeing his eyes darken. “Now where did you leave the general? I don’t want to have to go looking for him and get embarrassed all to hell.”
“Relax. He took Bluegrass, the SprintHawk and the Maraj and started on a check-up run. They won’t be back for at least two hours. I came to tell you I was wrong,” he said taking her hand.
_Oh, Lord. Now what?_ she thought. “Really?” she asked in what she hoped was a boring tone; one that would encourage him to leave quickly.
“Yes,” he said earnestly. “I agreed when you said you wanted to just be friends, but I can’t just be your friend, Aurora. I love you too much. I want you to stay here.”
“Jonathan, I’m being transfered. It’s not up to me if I stay or not. I’m returning to Earth when your promotion comes through,” she said.
“I don’t mean stay as my commanding officer. I mean stay as my wife.” Aurora’s jaw dropped, and he knelt. “Please, Aurora, say you will marry me.”
Aurora’s head spun. Two proposals in one day from such diametrically opposed individuals seemed like a farce. “Jonathan, I can’t. What I told you before is true. I can’t let go of my past enough to give you a clean heart. You deserve better then someone who will love a ghost all her life.”
“But I love you,” he said. “I love you more than any ten other men ever could. I could love you enough for both of us.”
She looked away and closed her eyes, searching for the right words. “It’s not enough,” she said. “Your love could stretch from here to Earth and back, and it would never make up for the fact that I don’t love you. If I loved you like that even a little, it would be something, but I don’t. There is no romance in my heart for you.”
He stood up and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her. “You have to feel something for me,” he insisted. “You did before. I just have to show you.” He trapped the back of her head with one hand and kissed her with bruising strength.
Aurora was stunned, to say the least. Jonathan’s assault on her senses was overpowering, and she was keyed up to respond by Steven’s proximity. She tried to reach out along their fledgling connecting, but couldn’t get to him. Then it hit her. She had slipped of the ring earlier when it got in her way, and now, she had a feeling she would regret it. Of their own accord, her lips parted and permitted his tongue to slip in and slide around her mouth. His hands roamed feverishly over her body, searing her skin through the thin silk of her uniform blouse. He curled his fingers into the fabric, pulling it up and out of her waistband, then he had to pause. Her soft hands had stolen around his neck, fingers twining in his hair, and he stopped advancing long enough to gather some small shreds of his composure together. Then he let his unaltered hand drift again toward her warming flesh. He stroked her smooth skin higher and higher, then fumbled with the clasp of her bra. He managed to release it and moved his hand to the side, determined to at least hold one luscious breast in his hand. He took the chance to release his hold, counting on her to maintain their embrace. His flesh-and-blood hand grazed her nipple, and his cool alloy one brushed her waist.
The cool touch on her heated flesh broke the spell for Aurora. Her eyes flew open, and she took in her surroundings and actions, finding herself involuntarily pressing herself against Jonathan as he held her intimately. She turned her head from his kiss and pushed him back, his fingers brushing against her crawling skin as she stepped back out of range. “Get out,” she said softly, head bowed and eyes closed.
He moved closer, trying to touch her furiously blushing cheek. _Poor thing,_ he thought. _She didn’t know she cared so much._ “Aurora...” he began.
Her head snapped up, eyes open and blazing with hate. “Get out!” she reiterated fiercely but no louder. “The very sight of you makes me sick. Just...just...go away. I’m ashamed enough of myself never to mention this again, but get out of my sight this instant.” She stood firm until he had shut the door behind him, then sank to her knees by the couch. She pillowed her head in her arms as wept broken-heartedly.
Krysten saw Jonathan race from the office as she returned to her desk, and her empathic abilities began to stir up the familiar tingling in the back of her neck. She opened the inner door and saw Aurora weeping on the sofa cushions. Krysten quickly activated the “Do Not Disturb” light from her desk, then entered the office.
The room was filled with the residue of multiple emotions; sexual tension, anger, shame and confusion. Krysten sorted through them, trying to create for herself some idea of what had happened. Aurora’s clothing was more or less in order. If Jonathan had attempted something, he had obviously not gotten very far. However, he probably would not have walked out under his own power after trying something like that. Krysten was very aware that Aurora could and would use physical force if it was necessary. She saw Aurora pound the edge of the sofa strongly, and felt a dull ache in her own hand. She rubbed it absently. _Time to get back in my own head,_ she thought, pulling up the mental barriers that kept her abilities from running amok. She sat on the sofa next to Aurora and put a hand on her shaking head. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
The comforting touch broke Aurora’s barriers, and she babbled incoherently, but Krys was able to piece together the tale from the images than swirled through Aurora’s mind along with a word here and there. Apparently what bothered Aurora wasn’t what Jonathan had done, but that it had taken her so long to resist him. A war had raged inside her between shocked mind and craving body, and body had won the first battle. “I would have let him,” Aurora said, climbing up to the couch. “I wanted Steven so badly that I would have let Jonathan screw me just for the physical relief. And I would still want Steven, and he would never forgive me.” She dropped her head into her hands and started to sniffle.
“You’re over-excited,” Krysten said, and Aurora snorted. “Yes, I know that’s fairly obvious. Go shower and take the afternoon off. I’ll beep you when Mike and Steven get back, and you’ll be able to smile and greet him without those puffy red eyes.”
Aurora sighed. “Thanks, Krys. You’re right. I’ll just go set myself to rights and try to forget this afternoon happened.” She got up. “I’ll see you guys for dinner,” she said, then left.
It was a subdued Aurora who sat down to dinner with her friends and fiancé, and she left early, claiming a pounding headache from the day’s excitement. It certainly was true that her head hurt, although nothing about Steven could ever give her pain. She went quickly back to her quarters and stripped off her uniform, then slid into a tantalizing negligée she had brought up from Earth and a matching robe. _I’ll leave with Steven,_ she thought. _I can’t be without him any longer._ She sat down at her computer terminal for a moment. “Computer?” she said activating it.
“Working,’ it replied in Krys’s voice.
“Current locations of all personnel?” she said. She still couldn’t afford to be caught walking into the general’s quarters like this, transfer or no transfer.
“Colonel and Corporal Merino currently in mess hall. General Landon currently in mess hall. Sergeants W. Hart and E. Hart currently in Shop. Lieutenant Greyer currently in Ops. Private Kidd not on station. Do you require anything else?”
“No,” Aurora answered. “Disengage.” She stood and tightened her belt, then stepped into a pair of high-heeled mules. She paused in the bathroom long enough to down a pain-killer with water, then setting the lock, she left her quarters.
Steven returned to his temporary quarters, pretty well satisfied with how things had gone at dinner. He considered briefly checking on Aurora, but if she was asleep, she wouldn’t appreciate being awakened. He opened the door and called for the lights, but they didn’t respond. “Damn tech,” he muttered, then slapped the panel on the wall next to the door. It chirped quietly, but the lights remained off. He moved farther into the room, and the door shut automatically, cutting off the ambient light from the hall and throwing him into darkness. Before his eyes could adapt, there was a scratching from somewhere near the bed, and he turned by instinct toward it. There was a sudden flare of light, and when his eyes adjusted, he saw Aurora, wearing a robe, lighting candles on the nightstands.
Aurora cast a quick glance at Steven, and was pleased with what she saw. He was standing stock-still in the middle of the room, looking at her. She shook the match out with a languid motion and dropped it in a saucer beside the candles. “I couldn’t wait for the weekend,” she said, answering the question she knew he intended to ask as soon as he could get his rebellious body under control. She strolled closer to him, working free the knot in her sash at the same time. She stopped in front of him and peeled back the robe, revealing the shiny silky fabric covering her body. She let it fall to the floor, and slid her hands up his body, feeling the muscles tighten under her fingers. “Do you really want to wait?” she breathed, the four-inch heels putting her almost on eye-level with him.
Steven was in agony, mind and body engaged in a war that would leave some part of him seriously wounded. His fingers itched to hold Aurora, to pull her close and kiss her red lips, while his mind screamed that to love her now was to take away everything she had built for herself since her father’s death. He took a step back, trying desperately to crush the desire to taste her ivory skin. “I can’t,” he said finally. “It’s killing me, but I can’t. If we make love here, I can’t let you stay. You’ll have to come back to Earth with me right away. You won’t have time to make the decision about your successor. You won’t have any control over it.” He retreated toward a chair and rid himself of jacket and tie, moving behind it to put something his desire and its object.
She came closer, pulling pins from her hair, letting it fall in a river down her back. “I’ve already decided,” she said, tossing her hair. “I’ll transmit my choice to Headquarters in the morning, and leave the minute you say, but I won’t be separated from you any longer. Computer, run program,” she instructed, and a soaring voice poured out of the speakers.
“Love,...love,...devotion,...devotion,...feelings,...feelings,...emotion,...emotion...”
Aurora advanced on Steven as Enigma pulsed from the sound system, and trapped him against the wall. Her deep brown eyes locked with his sapphire-blue ones, and she set her hands against the wall on either side of his shoulders, effectively pinning him. She leaned in until less than an inch separated them. “Well?” she whispered.
Steven was wrapped in the warm cloud of Aurora’s presence; the sweet perfume she wore, the feel of her warm breath on his face, the way her skin reflected the golden light of the candles. His mind put forth one last effort to resist, and found itself overwhelmed by memories of their past together; how she moved with him, her sweet voice breaking with passion, how she resembled an angelic child in sleep. His will broke and he pulled her to him, slanting his mouth across hers, hands tangling in her long black hair.
They kissed until neither could breathe, then Steven pulled her gently away. Before she had time to collect enough breath to protest, he ripped his shirt open, unmindful of the button flying as they were ripped loose. He tossed the shirt aside. “For better or worse,” he said, scooping Aurora into his arms.
“For richer or poorer,” she replied, pushing the mules off with her toes.
“In sickness and in heath,” he continued, striding for the bed. He laid her down and stared at her intently.
Aurora held her arms out in welcome, and he quickly stripped and lay down with her. “We will not be parted by death,” she finished.
The door chime awoke Aurora sometime after six in the morning, and she almost called out for the person to enter. She was saved by Steven, who stirred in his sleep and threw an arm across her, reminding her the she was in his quarters and underdressed to receive visitors. “Computer,” she said softly, “Who is at the door?”
“Corporal Merino,” it replied.
“Thank whomever for small miracles,” she muttered to herself. Then in a louder voice, she said, “Just a minute.” She slid quickly out of the bed and scrambled into the robe she’d discarded the night before. She tied it on the way to the door, then quickly keyed the door open, pulled Krys inside, and keyed it shut, hoping that no one would pick that exact minute to be walking past. “Have a seat,” she said to Krys, gesturing to the small sitting area.
Krysten took in the mixed clothing strewn around the room and the relaxed look on Aurora’s face as she tucked the covers higher over the sleeping general and smiled to herself. Aurora’s seeming distress yesterday had obviously been thoroughly cured by a romantic evening. She averted her eyes as Aurora leaned down to kiss Steven, not wanting to seem nosy, and busied herself with acquiring a cup of coffee until Aurora joined her. “No need to ask if you had a good night,” she remarked as Aurora came over and helped herself to coffee as well.
“Nope,” Aurora replied, sitting down at the terminal.
“What are you working on?” Krys asked, peering around the edge of the desk trying to get a look at the screen.
“My final report as commanding officer, including my recommendation for Jonathan as the next commander,” she replied, typing quickly.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to do that until Monday. You were going to take the weekend down-planet, then have everything in place to promote Jonathan. What happened?”
Aurora snorted. “Jonathan happened. I couldn’t hold out anymore after his little visit, so I came here after dinner and tormented poor Steven until he gave me terms I could live with, and the result is I’m leaving tomorrow. The council will vote on my recommendation today, and since Steven isn’t there, he can’t bring up Jonathan’s history, or yours, I’m glad to say. Then once I’m back on Earth, I’ll be debriefed, and I can start really planning my wedding.” A dreamy smile crossed her face. “Mrs. Steven Landon. I like the sound of that,” she said.
“So do I,” commented a voice from the bed. Krys and Aurora turned as one to see Steven propped against the headboard, one arm draped over a raised knee.
“Hang on a sec,” Aurora said, jumping up from the terminal. She disappeared into the bathroom, and returned with robe. She tossed it to Steven, the went to the replicator and retrieved coffee for him.
Krysten averted her eyes as Steven got up, but she could sense a restrained power in his muscular frame, bulkier than Michael’s wiry build, but equally well controlled. She smiled to herself as Aurora fussed over his coffee. _Just like Donna Reed,_ she thought. It surprised her slightly that Aurora, who was usually so tough and in control, could be reduced to behaving like a ‘50’s housewife. Love certainly did strange things to people you thought you knew.
“Thanks, Sweetheart,” Steven said, taking the coffee and pecking her on the cheek. Then he looked over at Krysten. “Well, good morning, Mrs. Merino. I assume it’s Mrs. Merino since we’re not on duty yet?”
“No need to be quite so formal, Milord,” she replied, smiling.
“Good,” he said. “Why are you in my room at half past six in the morning, Krys?” he asked.
Aurora smacked herself on the forehead. “I completely forgot to ask,” she said. “How did you find me here?”
“The computer was very willing to tell me exactly where you were, so I tied up as much of the internal systems as I could with diagnostics and came down to tell you. Jonathan still figures he can convince you to marry him and stay up here,” Krysten explained. Then she saw Steven’s face darken and hurried on. “He’s busy running an inventory check that I ran up over Aurora’s signature, but he needs to be kept away from her until she leaves.”
Aurora sighed. “I guess he’ll be assigned to the next border patrol,” she said.
Krysten shook her head. “Michael’s already gone out. It was his shift.”
Steven grinned wickedly. “I think I can keep the Lieutenant occupied very nicely. Send him to the hanger in half an hour, and I’ll tie him up for the day, and by the time he gets back, he won’t be entertaining any ideas about marriage for quite some time.” He kissed Aurora on the forehead. “Get dressed and get to work. I’ll see you tonight,” He disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door.
Aurora stared at the closed door, a contemplative look on her face. It was a look Krysten thought she recognized, and she took Aurora by the elbow, trying to lead her from the room. “Come on,” Krys said. “There’ll be time enough for that later.”
“But...but...” Aurora stammered, clearly not willing to give up on her idea just yet.
“Later,” Krysten insisted, physically dragging Aurora across the room and out the door.
“But...”Aurora still insisted after the door shut.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s very nice,” Krysten said, dragging Aurora after her, “and you will have plenty of time to enjoy it after you get planet-side, but for now, you’ll just have to let it go.”
Aurora found her way into her uniform and into her office by 7, just in time to give Steven clearance for a flight to Bedlama with Jonathan. As soon as they were away, she left the office, grabbing Krys on the way through, and went to Ops.
“I need a channel to the Maraj, ‘Hart,” she said, putting on a headset-mike.
Emily went to work. “Do you want one to the SprintHawk as well?” she asked.
“Oh, Lord, no. This is need to know, and Jonathan doesn’t.” She looked around. “Get Will in here. I don’t want to have to repeat myself.” She looked around, trying to commit this room to memory. Her father had worked for years to make this place a reality, and she had put a piece of her life into it as well, abandoning her daughter to keep it functioning. _I hope you’ll forgive me, Little One,_ she thought. _I hope I can make it up to you._
“We’re ready, Commander,” broke in Emily’s voice. Aurora looked up from her musing to see Will standing in the doorway, bits of solder clinging to the front of his favorite jersey. She nodded to him, then spoke into her mike. “Are you on with us, Colonel?”
“Sure thing, Commander? What’s on your mind?” he replied.
Aurora looked around at ehr friends, people she’d known and trusted for almost a decade. “Okay. Effective tomorrow, I will be returning to Earth, permanently.” She paused as sounds of confusion and consternation filled the room, and held up a hand to silence them. “There is good reason for this. Command is rotating home almost all the personnel here; I am merely the first. Will, Emily, you two will be next, as soon as your replacements arrive, and Mike and Krys will follow shortly afterward.”
“When do they bench the Lieutenant?” Will asked.
“They don’t,” Aurora replied. “He will take comand directly from me.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Bluegrass asked.
“There are three things Jonathan wants in this life; my rank, my job, and me. Two out of three is what he’s getting. The other thing you need to know, and this part cannot get to Jon, is that I’m marring General Landon as soon as we get the time and all of you are home.” She looked around, her eyes tearing up. “You all are my best friends in the universe, and I wouldn’t be here without you.” She was unable to continue speaking, caught between overwhelming emotions and Will’s fervant bear-hug squeezing the air from her lungs.
Krysten leaned back against the doorframe, a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes. Emotions were filling the room, and she let her mental shields drop enough to take it all in. There was happiness; for Aurora, for themselves, and for Jonathan. Taking command had been his dream for years, it was true, and a neck-and-neck runner with having Aurora. There was sadness as well. They had spent a lot of time here, all of them, living in each other’s laps, almost. Everyone knew everyone else’s business and involved themselves in each other’s lives. Krysten brought her shields back up and shook her head slightly to clear the cobwebs. Soaking up emotions could be a real lift, but too many of the darker kind put her into a funk it took days and pounds of chocolate to overcome.
Steven perched on a boulder, watching the soon-to-be commander hustle up the incline, the full pack on his back shifting as he moved. He handed the Lieutenant a bottle of water when he arrived, puffing from the encumbered hike.
“The commander says you’re quite an officer,” Steven offered when Quicksilver looked able to speak.
“I’m grateful that she would say something so complementary,” he replied, slightly wary. The general’s good opinion was something he found that he wanted to keep, especially if he was as close to Aurora as it seemed. “Have you known the commander long?” he asked.
“I met her before she attended the Academy,” Steven answered briefly. Truth be damned. He wouldn’t give away Aurora’s secrets, or his own to this piece of rubbish.
“I heard from some friends back at the Academy that she broke my Survival Weekend score, along with a couple of others. It takes quite a... an officer to accomplish that,” Jonathan commented, trying to conceal his personal interest.
Steven fought to restrain a smile. He knew Aurora planned to promote Jonathan, and in all honesty, with trouble and temptation, in the forms of Aurora and Krysten, out of harm’s reach, it was really a good idea. He had knowledge, experience, and a desire for the job that surpassed any other candidate’s. “Sure does,” he said in reply to Quicksilver’s statement. “Intelligent, decisive, a certain amount of fearlessness. They’re all required. And the ability to make the hard choices, no matter the cost. That’s why the ‘No civilian family” rule has been introduced. Can’t have a commander wringing their hands over family when it’s time to put the balls to the wall. There’s no place for sentimentality in a station commander.” Steven was starting to wish he was recording this. Aurora would laugh herself to tears at some of this trite claptrap.
“I’d heard about the ‘no family’ decision. Is it going to be applied to serving couples, like the Merinos, for instance?” Jonathan asked.
“Well,” Steven temporized, “I couldn’t say yes or no for all cases, but I do know that they are being transfered before the end of the year. I would guess it won’t be encouraged.”
“So what about candidates for the position that are already married? What happens with them?” Jonathan asked.
“Weeded out before being sent for final approval.” Steven rose to his feet. “Ready to finish?” he asked.
“Just about,” Jonathan replied, pushing up from the boulder. “Just one last thing. What happens if a commander decides to marry after he takes charge?”
“Immediate transfer to a planet-side station. Can’t have someone away from their family, and a front line is no place for children.” Steven resumed the jog, tripping lightly up the hill.
Jonathan sighed internally and followed. He would give up almost anything for Aurora, but not the program. Almost ten years of his life had gone into getting this promotion, and he couldn’t throw it away for one woman, no matter how much he wanted her.
Aurora watched from her window as Bedlama slipped into shadows, away from the light of the artificial sun. It seemed unreal that this was her last chance to see it. When the planet was finally obscured, pinpoints of light began to show up. From this far away, they were tiny, although she knew they were whole districts planetside that never stopped. They glowed now, sending their light out into space.
She turned from the window and regarded the boxes piled in a corner. It was a small pile; only a year’s worth of momentos. She’d pack up her quarters next, mostly clothes and a few trinkets. None of the furnature would have to go. She would leave it stored for whomever wanted it.
She paused at the door on the way out, to take one last look around. It seemedso empty. No momentos, no photos, nothing to indicate that her father had spent more than 20 years here, or her own year occupying this office. “Just go,” she whipered to herself. “Just shut the door and go.” She looked around one last time. “Lights off,” she ordered, then, when it was completely dark, she closed the door and walked away.
*THE END*
SilverHawks, Narnia characters, Labyrinth characters, Beauty and the Beast characters and Gargoyles characters are the properties of their respective owners, and are used without permission. These stories are not for sale, and no money is being made from them. Original stories are the property of Lady Moonhawke, as are any original characters. Krysten Barter (AKA Krysten Merino / Skyedansuer) is the property of Lady Razorsharp, and is used with permission.
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