Starlight, Starbright
Starlight, Starbright
by
Lady MoonHawke
I want to know what love is.
I want you to show me.
I want to feel what love is.
I know you can show me.
-Foreigner
Aurora had won the argument. Of that much she was sure. But everything else seemed up in the air; her relationship with Jonathan, her father’s respect, hell, even her job felt balanced on the edge, and it was an edge she could not seem to see. She was beginning to wonder if winning had been worth it after all. Drifting through the stars on patrol, nothing seemed clear anymore.
A year ago, it had all seemed like crystal. Perfectly clear. Spend time getting to know her father, see if there were possibilities with Lieutenant Jonathan Greyer, known as “Quicksilver.” It had seemed to Aurora that there was something between them. However, calling someone “an insignificant worm” was not conducive to developing a deeper relationship. A blip on the radar caught her attention, and she radioed back to base.
“SprintHawk to HawkHaven. Come in, HawkHaven. Over.”
“HawkHaven here. Is that you, Firstlight? Over.”
Aurora thanked her lucky stars. Krysten Barter, “Skyedansuer,” was on duty, and not Quicksilver. Aurora had no desire to communicate with Quick right now. “I sure hope it’s me. We’d be in a mess otherwise. I have a blip on my radar, heading 35º starboard, pretty much on level, about 1000 clicks off. Can you scan it? Over.”
“I’ve got it on radar, but it’s too far for us to get a picture. Give it a flyby. Over.”
A new voice came over the radio. “Aurora? Get back here. I’m not done talking to you yet.”
_Shit!_ she thought. _Jonathan. First he countermands my orders, now he presumes to order me around, as if my lieutenant’s bars weren’t as good as his. It’s not like they’re pink for girls and blue for boys. Screw him._
“Proceeding with visual identification of anomaly, “ she said formally. “Will advise. Out.” With that, she broke the radio connection, and when the communicator light began to blink furiously, she powered down the radio entirely. _All right, Lieutenant. If you want my attention that badly, you’re going to have to come get it._ She changed course and blasted off toward the unidentified object.
As Aurora flew closer, she began to see what had registered on her radar. It began to appear as a bright star, but it was too close and on no chart for this galaxy. Then it began to take on a more rectangular shape, and continued to grow the closer she flew. About 10 meters off, she saw that it was a wooden frame, and the bright light was actually a sunny day on some pastoral scene. Grassy hills rippled and puffy white clouds floated across a blue sky. People ran through the scene, but Aurora couldn’t get a good look at them. She banked the SprintHawk around the side to see what, if anything, was behind it. She could see the frame well enough, but there were only the stars beyond it, all right where they belonged. She banked around again, completing a circle, and saw that something had changed. The scene was still the same, but now someone was much closer to the edge of the frame. Aurora put the SprintHawk into hover and engaged the autopilot. She lowered her visor to protect her from deep space, and opened the hatch to get a better look. Whoever was on the other side was coming closer, and Aurora’s best guess put the stranger as male, some six inches taller than her own 5’6”, and wearing - armor. Aurora brushed a hand across her visor to clear the optics. No. He was still wearing armor, chain and plate, she thought. And he was still advancing. It seemed clear that he could see her when he waved an arm. She stood and waved back. He was almost to the edge when he lurched suddenly and fell forward. However, there was almost no ground left in front of him, and he tumbled into space.
“Oh, shit!” Aurora cursed, and dove out of the cockpit after him. She fired her heeljets to gain speed, and activated her wings to gain some control over her freefall. She saw him in the distance, closing faster and faster, and made a slight adjustment to her course. She didn’t want to crash into him, just snag him. She reached out with her metal right hand, trusting its augmented strength more than her natural left.. She grasped him by the ankle, which happened to be closest. “Gotcha!” she said. Aurora rolled left and pulled up out of her dive, a move that required more agility but was safer than simply stopping or making a cold U-turn. She wrapped her left arm around the man’s knees, then moved her right to grab him around the hips. He was still upside down, but Aurora felt it mattered more to get him into a pressurized environment than what view he had. She turned up the notch on her jets, desperate to get back to the SprintHawk. Open space in Limbo was slightly was slightly more kind to living tissue than back home, but it was no easier to breath warmer, near vacuum than cold total-vacuum. She felt her jets start to sputter, and cursed. In her rush to leave the station, she had skipped her personal pre-flight check. The SprintHawk was full of fuel; Bluegrass was too good a pilot to ignore maintenance on any vehicle, whether he used it or not, but personal maintenance was every officer’s duty. And she had blatantly ignored hers. If worst came to worst, she could always radio back to and the Maraj would come get her, but by then it would be too late for the man slung over her shoulder, and Aurora had risked too much to lose him now. She threw the last of her fuel through her jets, and reached out with her left hand to grab the wing as it shot by. Inertia carried her body over and around until she was doing a one-armed handstand on the wing, and her power sputtered out. She brought her feet down to the magnetized plating, and thanked whomever had thought to add that feature. She stuffed her catch into the rear seat, jumped in herself, and pulled the canopy down.
Once the cockpit had re-pressurized, Aurora lifted her visor and examined her passenger. He has a weak pulse, but didn’t seem to be breathing. Aurora stretched over the seat back to begin rescue breathing. She was able to reach him and force air into his lungs, but the position was awkward. It seemed more like kissing than traditional mouth-to-mouth. She felt him inhale on his own, and pulled back to check him again. His eyes fluttered open, and she knew he saw her. He lifted one gauntleted hand to brush her cheek, then passed out. Since everything else appeared okay, Aurora decided to head for home and leave any more medical expertise to Will. He wasn’t a trained MD, but he knew how to interpret the AutoDoc.
“HawkHaven, this is SprintHawk. Priority One. Over.” Priority One would get her out of arguing with Jonathan, she knew.
“HawkHaven. Go ahead, SprintHawk. Over.” Krys was still at the radio. Thank Heaven.
“I am inbound with unidentified humanoid male, unconscious, suffering from mild to mid-level space exposure. Request med-alert standing by. Over.”
“Copy, SprintHawk. Med-alert standing by. Out.” Aurora punched in the coordinates, and fired the engines for home.
Aurora settled the SprintHawk on the landing pad and popped the hatch before the systems finished powering down. She saw Bluegrass waving his arms and mouthing words, trying to shout over the fading roar of the engines. She knew the lecture he was giving her well. Michael often compared her habit to jumping out of a moving vehicle. It was a slight exaggeration, but not too far from the truth. With power in the system, a jar on the controls could send the ship crashing about the hanger, wrecking machinery and endangering lives. Aurora usually respected Michael’s opinion, but just now, her priorities were slightly different. Waiting three to five minutes for everything to shut down was not in her passenger’s best interest. She threw a glance back at him. He was still unconscious. Aurora didn’t want to waste anymore time getting him into sickbay. She looked down at the deck. SteelWill and SteelHart stood next to a gurney to transport the patient. Aurora turned and stood on the seat, grabbed her catch under the arms and pulled. Unfortunately, the station’s artificial gravity made him quite a bit heavier than he had been in freefall. She straightened up and looked over the edge. “Will! Come give me a hand. He’s put on some weight since I snagged him.”
Will climbed up the side of the ship. “Trust you to hook a fish you couldn’t land, Aurora. I suppose you want me to clean him for you too?” he asked jokingly.
“Oh, ha-ha. It was a lucky catch. Besides, he’s big enough to keep. Now help me get him out of here. I want the A-doc to give him the all clear as soon as possible,” she replied. “Now pull.” They manhandled him up from the seat and out onto the wing. From there, Aurora jumped down to the deck and helped SteelHart position the gurney directly below Will and his burden. He began to lower the unconscious man to the waiting women below. They manhandled him onto the gurney and ran.
In the corner of the sprawling Shop set aside for a medical bay, Aurora watched nervously as Emily expertly applied electrodes and Will removed the antiquated armor. Between brushing the pale blonde hair from his forehead, she marveled with Will about the condition of the armor. Although it showed signs of recent use, the more protected parts showed a history of excellent care. Will took a tiny shaving from an inside seam.
“I want to run this through the analyzer,” he said, “and see if it’s authentic. If it’s not, it’s the best damn reproduction I’ve ever seen.” He put the sliver on a slide and fed it into the machinery. “I’ve put in on a narrow band sweep, so we will get a complete rundown on the sample, but...” he trailed off.
“...It will take forever.” She turned back to the stranger. “Will, I’m worried. He’s still unconscious.”
Emily looked up from her work. “He’s got moderate deep-space shock. Anything less than a week under will be amazing.” She reached out to touch Aurora’s hand. “Don’t worry. He’ll be okay. You can stay and keep him company if you want. It may help.” She finished attaching wires to the leads and plugged them into the AutoDoc. It went to work tracking heart rate, respiration and blood pressure, showing everything normal for an unconscious human male. Aurora sat beside him, holding his limp hand, subconsciously tracing the scars crisscrossing its back. She lost track of time sitting there.
Aurora was startled back to reality by her father’s voice over the intercom. “Lieutenant Firstlight to my office on the double,” it barked. She rose and gently put down the hand that she was holding. Then she turned and left.
Emily looked after her, then over at Will. “What was that all about?”
“Quicksilver is out for blood, and Aurora is his chosen sacrifice,” he said cryptically.
“Sometimes, Will,” Emily said, “you make no sense at all.”
Aurora walked into the waiting area in front of her father’s office and found Quicksilver lingering. She ignored him as she swept past into the office, and slammed the door in his face after she entered. She breezed up to her father’s desk and dropped into the chair in front of it. “Yes, Dad?” she asked.
“Lieutenant! Is that how they taught you to address a superior officer at the Academy?” he thundered.
_Uh-oh,_ Aurora thought. _This is going to be bad._ The Commander rarely unleashed his full temper, and Aurora had never been it’s victim, but she knew now that it was coming straight for her, and there was no way to dodge or block it. She jumped to attention and saluted.
“Lieutenant Stargazer reporting as ordered, sir!” she shouted.
“Lieutenant, I have been informed that you disobeyed a direct order. Is this true?”
“Sir, I would like to present my side, sir.”
“This is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, Lieutenant. ‘Sides’ are not an issue.”
“Sir, Lieutenant Greyer issued that order with personal intent. I was within my rights to ignore it.” Aurora knew she had to bite back hard. “The Lieutenant wished to continue a discussion I had no interest in, sir. I chose to ignore him for that reason.”
“Lieutenant Greyer, in!” the Commander called. Jonathan came through the door and stood at attention beside Aurora. Commander Stargazer addressed him. “Lieutenant, I am given to understand that there was a personal issue between you. Is that the case?”
“The Lieutenant and I were discussing a station matter, and I felt that she terminated our discussion rather abruptly and rudely. I mearly wanted to complete it for the good of the station, sir.”
“Very well. Thank you, Lieutenant.” He turned to Aurora. “Lieutenant Stargazer, you are temporarily relieved of duty and confined to the station for a period of no less than three weeks. You will surrender your armor to Sergeant Hart. You are assigned KP for one week, as well, effective today. Do you understand?”
“Sir, yes sir!” she shouted in reply.
“Very good. Lieutenant Greyer, you are dismissed.” The Commander and Aurora stood silently until Jonathan had left. Then he looked at his daughter. “Have a seat, honey,” he said in a tired voice, walking back behind his desk.
“Sir?” she asked, a slight note of derision in her voice.
“Don’t mess with me, young lady,” he warned, slumping down into his chair. “Now sit.”
Aurora fell gracefully into the chair. “All right, Dad. You obviously want me to stay for something other than coffee and doughnuts. What’s really on your mind?” She ignored the service robot that appeared at her elbow with a plate of goodies and two steaming mugs. Sometimes she wanted to strangle the programmer who convinced the computer that every reference to food was a request.
“I want the real story on what’s wrong between you and Jonathan. No embellishments, no ‘sir,’ just the truth.”
“We had a fight over rank,” she said simply.
“A little more embellishment than that, if you please.”
“I traded assignments with Krysten. I wanted to get out and do some thinking, and she was scheduled to fly patrol. But I was running late at communications, and Jonathan caught her away from her duty post. He ordered her out on patrol, and I caught wind of it, and ordered her to stay. Then he and I got into it over who’s ordered superseded who’s, and I finally said forget it and did the patrol, and Krys took my shift at Ops. Everything would have been fine if Jonathan had just stayed out of it.”
“Except that Quicksilver’s job is to make the duty assignments, and you’re supposed to see that they are carried out as assigned, not rearrange them to suit yourself.” He sighed. “What’s really eating you, Aurora? This has been brewing for a couple of days now.”
“It’s just a bad time of the year for me. I can’t seem to get along with anyone during summer anymore. Sometimes I just feel...dead and buried, I guess”
“Because of Amy and Steven’s deaths? I know it’s hard to lose people, honey, but you can’t go around like a cactus for the rest of your life. You have to let someone in sometime.”
“I know, Daddy. And I’ll try. Really, I will.” Aurora got up, walked around the desk, and hugged her father. “Thanks.” She turned and walked toward the door.
“Don’t forget about that armor, Miss. And be grateful you’re not confined to quarters.”
Aurora turned back to face him. “You sound Just like Mom, grounding me. I suppose I get a watchdog next?”
“No. I’m not expecting anyone to beat you up. But you can play watchdog to that fellow you brought in if you’re desperate for something to do. Just check into the mess hall system once a day, and I’ll consider the KP covered. No one eats at the same time anyway.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later, Dad. Thanks again.” Aurora opened the office door and left.
She went back down to the medical bay, not yet satisfied enough with the stranger’s condition to risk being away long enough for even a minimal decompression to remove the yellow-lacquered armor over her body. Aurora loved the ability to remove her armor, and often spent extra time in the chamber for tanning purposes to keep the golden tan she had acquired after years in the Montana sun. But now, she didn’t want to spare even a minute for it. She stood beside his bed, watching his chest rise and fall. She reached out and brushed the hair from his forehead again. He must have moved while she was gone. She looked across the room at Will, who was tinkering with the black armor and perusing several sheets of paper. “Well, Will? How long does the computer think he will be out?”
“It still doesn’t know, Aurora. Emily told you that before, and there haven’t been any miraculous advances in medicine in the last 15 minutes. But he has been moving around a little, and that’s a good sign. But more than that I just don’t know yet. You’ll just have to wait,” he replied.
She turned back to the man she had rescued, studying him. His light blond hair flowed past his shoulders, and his skin was pale where clothing would have covered it, but golden-brown where the sun had touched it. She reached out to stroke his face, and felt her wrist held in a grip of steel. The stranger’s eyes flew open, and Aurora gasped. She had not been imagining things. His eyes were the same sapphire blue that Steven’s had been; a vibrant shade compared to Jonathan’s, which had all the warmth and color of an iceberg. She saw recognition flash, and he reached out with his free hand to brush her cheek again, and smiled.
“I thought I had imagined you,” he said, “but you’re real. You’re the angel with the dark hair who flew down to save me. I think I owe you my life.” He released her wrist, and struggled a moment to get up. Then he lay back with a groan. “Oh, my head. What hit me?”
Aurora smiled. “You’re suffering from a moderate case of deep-space exposure. You might feel a little under the weather for a while. If you’re up to it, though, I ought to ask you a few nosy questions for the record. Who are you, and where are you from?”
“I am Lord Starlight of the Razorback Mountains. And you?”
“Aurora Stargazer of Montana and presently HawkHaven, which is where you are now.”
“Whoa. I’ve heard of Montana, but the other one has me confused,” he said.
“HawkHaven is the command post for the SilverHawks. We’re a military unit attempting to apprehend a local crime boss and his mob. We’re located in Limbo Galaxy, about 100 light-years from Earth,” she explained.
“100 light-years? That’s some rabbit hole to fall down. What year is this?” he asked.
“It’s 2841, the third of June, as it happens,” she replied.
“Well, at least the day is the same, but I think I’m a long way, and a long time from home. My home is on Earth in the year AD 1252. I was in the middle of a battle, and some enemy sorcerer opened the portal. I was going to see about dealing with what came through or closing it when I saw you. Then I must have been hit in the back because I fell through it. And I guess you know the rest.”
Will came over as he finished speaking. “Well, Aurora, your company seemed to do the trick.” He offered his hand. “I’m Sergeant SteelWill, but everyone just calls me Will.”
Starlight took his hand. “Starlight. Are you the doc?” he asked.
“Nope. Chief mechanic and engineer. I know how to read the stuff you’re attached to, though, and right now, it says you need to spend some time in a decompression chamber to equalize your blood gasses.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t quite follow all of that,” Starlight said.
Aurora explained it simply. “It will clear up your headache and any joint pain you might have. It’s perfectly safe, and someone will be here the whole time.”
“I will,” Will cut in. “Your father let me in about your armor, Aurora. But I’ll compromise with you. Since I have to sit on it anyway, I’ll put on those three-inch heel units you wanted, and do the engraving on the wings, even though I still think it’s awfully fancy for military use.”
Aurora hugged him joyously. “You’re the best, Will. I’ll cycle real quick and get back.”
“No, I want you to run a complete cycle this time. You’re going to be running on your own steam for a while, and you need as complete a purge of the mechanics as possible, at least as far as the externals go. I’ll check the internal stuff at some point before you suit up again. Now get going. I want to get Prince Charming in before his head falls off.”
“I would surely appreciate that,” Starlight said. “My head feels like a melon is trying to grow in there.”
“Let’s get you going then.” Will helped his patient into a decompression chamber, and set it to run a full cycle. Aurora stayed long enough to make sure Starlight was comfortable, then left.
Aurora entered her room and called for the lights. Knowing she would want a shower after decompressing, she threw a kimono across one side-rail of her white and brass daybed. Neither item was standard military issue, but Command had recently started allowing the crew to select items to make their quarters more “homey.” Although none of Aurora’s furnishings reminded her of any place she considered “home,” it was a great deal better than the original, institutional look. Aurora considered this in the back of her mind as she set the chamber for a full cycle, and added a command for a tan as well. She slid into the chamber, pulled it shut, and pressed the sound-system button for something relaxing while she waited. She let her mind drift with the music, and was annoyed when the ‘com chimed. “Yes?” she said testily.
“It’s Jon. Can I come in?” came the reply.
Aurora was in no mood to see him now or speak to him. “No,” she said briefly. “I’m in the tube. Catch me later.” _When I’m not in the mood to rip your head off and stuff it down your neck,_ she thought. It made her smile. Steven had liked a slightly modified version of that threat, and it had always been a funny image in Aurora’s mind. She sighed to herself. Every reminder of Steven was like a knife in her heart. She allowed herself to drift with the music again. The computer reminder to turn over barely registered, but she compliantly flopped over on her stomach. The machine had already removed her armor and piled neatly in storage, and Aurora gave a brief thought as to how she was going to transport more than 20 pieces of metal to the Shop. Maybe there was a box in her closet or under the bed it would fit into. She relegated it to the back of her mind as the music continued.
When the timer sounded, Aurora stepped out into the room, which felt slightly chilly thanks to the heat of the tanning element. She wasted no time in heading to the shower, grabbing her kimono from the bed on the way. She turned on the shower, gratified that the steam quickly filled the small bathroom, heating it nicely. She stepped in and began to wash, enjoying the feel of the hot water and the smell of the fancy bodywash she had ordered a case of when she transferred up here. She had no doubt that the cleaner provided by Command worked, but it smelled suspiciously like the industrial strength cleanser used on the floors, and that bothered her quite a bit. She began to work on her hair, applying hot oil, then shampoo. She was rinsing the suds out when the ‘com beeped. _Honestly,_ she thought, _I can’t get any peace, even in the bathroom._ She slapped her hand against the specially coated button designed for wet areas. “Yes?” she said over the splash of the water.
“It’s Krys. Can I come in?” she asked.
“Sure,” Aurora replied. “I’m almost done here. Make yourself comfortable.” She quickly finished her hair and stepped out. She threw on her robe and wrapped her hair in a towel. She opened the door, and steam billowed out with her, turning nearby surfaces damp. Krys had curled up in one of Aurora’s swivel rockers, chin on her knees, looking pensive. Aurora crossed to her walk-in closet and left the door slightly ajar so she could hear and be heard. “What’s with the long face? Did my dad chew you out real bad? I can fix it with him. Or did Jon give you the heavy act again?” she asked as she selected clothes and put them on.
“No, it’s not that,” Krysten replied. She sighed. “Rorie, you’ve been with a lot of guys, right?”
Aurora paused a moment. “I wouldn’t call two a lot, but I know what’s what. Why?”
“I just wanted to know, uhmmm, how you get a guy to, well...” she left it dangling.
“Make love to you?” Aurora completed. “It depends a lot on the guy,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Krys asked.
“Well, if you just want to have sex, like you were scratching an itch, you pretty much just rub up against him and eventually he gets the idea. If it’s someone you’re already involved with, though, you know what turns him on, or you can just tell him you want to make love.” Aurora came out of her dressing room in a pair of bike shorts and her “I Survived the Mojave Death March” T-shirt, given only to those who had succeeded in a desert-survival weekend at the Academy. It was one of her favorite shirts, and she wore it often. “Why?” she thought she knew, but didn’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly.
Krysten sighed again. “No special reason.” She was silent a moment. “So suppose it is a special relationship, but I don’t know what he likes, and I can’t talk about it?”
“Then you’re not ready. If you can’t discuss sex with your partner, and all the possibilities, you shouldn’t do it.” Aurora knew she sounded ultra-conservative, but Krysten’s sheltered upbringing made Aurora want to protect her from some of life’s harsher realities.
“You sound like my mother. ‘Not until you marry, Krysten. It’s the best way.’ It’s such a crock. You didn’t wait until your wedding night.”
Now it was Aurora’s turn to sigh. “No, I didn’t With Harry, I used my body as a tool to keep his interest. Not that he was especially interested in what I was getting out of the experience, nor was it much. He would have been better served by a blow-up doll. It wouldn’t have been bitter about it. But I’m getting away from the point. When I was with Steven, I gave him a piece of my heart, and he gave me a piece of his. But when he died, I lost both parts forever, and the memories I have, wonderful thought they may be, don’t replace what I have lost. That’s why it’s so important to wait. If you do this thing, and one of you should be lost in our fight out here, the other will never recover.” Aurora smiled wryly. “And one walking corpse out here is probably enough.”
Krysten chuckled. “You’re far from dead,” she said. “Jonathan seems to think you are very warm and kicking. You seem to disrupt his very orderly way of looking at the word.”
Aurora sighed again. “Jonathan and I are never going to get together. We’re just going to end up further apart. My heart is lying a the bottom at a ravine in Montana waiting for me.”
“You never know, Rorie. Someone may come along and sweep you right off your feet,” Krysten suggested.
Aurora snorted. “Hmph! It would have to be some mighty impressive sweeping,” she replied. “So what did my father say to you regarding our little switch?”
“I was following orders from the officer directly superior to me, so I’m free and clear. But I heard about your suspension. I’m real sorry. I never meant for this to happen when I asked to switch. Your dad said you took the whole blame for the thing; that changing shifts was your idea.” Krysten watched as Aurora retrieved coffee from the food dispenser and sat across from her. “You didn’t have to do that. I was ready to take my licks for my part of it.”
Aurora paused in sucking down her coffee greedily. “Why, in heaven’s name? I’d still be in exactly the same position I am, and you would be stuck here with me. There’s no point in two of us getting punished for one crime. Besides, you get into enough trouble on your own.” She finished her coffee quickly. “About your original question. It’s pretty clear to me that you are wanting Michael pretty badly, and I really can understand that. I think you best bet is simply to go to him and say what you’re feeling. But don’t count on it going too far. Michael is from the old school that essentially says you don't sleep with a girl you intend to marry before the vows are exchanged. And it may turn out that there were women he slept with before he met you, but I’ll lay money he didn’t give any of them a ring and ask for their hand.” She checked her watch. “I’ve got to get moving. I’d planned to be back in the Shop by now to check on Starlight. Do you want to come with me?”
“Not right now. I’m going to go change. I’ll see you later,” Krysten said, getting up to leave.
“Okay. Just remember, you have his ring on your hand. You’re going to get what you want eventually, but if you really can’t wait, go say how you feel. It might work.” Krysten nodded and left, and Aurora started to search for a box to transport her armor. She managed to dig one out of her closet. She transferred all the pieces to the box and hauled the whole mess down to the Shop.
Will was still working with the armor, comparing the metal to various charts and sheets of printout from the computer. Aurora greeted him, dropped her burden on a table and headed straight to the decompression chamber. However, it was dark and empty. She looked back over at Will.
“Will, where did he go?” she asked.
Will didn’t look up from the work he was so engrossed in. “Who?” he asked, a bit distractedly.
“Starlight. You know, 6’ tall, blond and blue, most likely stark-naked, Where did he go?” she asked again, slightly peeved.
“Oh. He left. You should see this, Aurora. It seems to be the genuine article.” Will was completely content to chase down the history of the armor.
“I’m sure it is. And it’s owner is probably wandering around without a stitch on. Now where did he go?”
Will finally looked up from his work. “I didn’t let him go naked. He’s running around in a spare set of sweats, and I explained how the ‘Squawk-box’ works so he could find the mess hall and whatnot. Don’t get so jumpy, you’ll give yourself a heart attack. Where’s your suit?” he asked.
She gestured vaguely at the box. “In there. I have to catch up with Starlight. I’m his guard dog for the duration, so I’d better run. ‘Bye, Will,” she said as she left.
Will mumbled something and returned to his beloved work at hand.
Aurora walked to the mess hall since it was the only place Will had mentioned, and almost stopped dead in her tracks. Instead of Starlight, she had found Jonathan, and her attempts to avoid him all counted for nothing now. She didn’t allow her pace to alter as she walked casually to the dispenser wall and logged in at the terminal. She made selections from the vast collection of recipes for the next 24 hours, setting up three complete meal choices each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She locked in the selections and instructed the computer to inform her if she programmed the same item two days in a row. Theoretically, any of the more than 1000 menu items was available at any time, but the daily menu was by far a simpler way to go, since the computer held the pattern available in active memory for the set amount of time. When she finished with the menu, Aurora ordered a cup of coffee, then went to the table and sat down, although not across from Jonathan as usual, but at the far end.
Jonathan looked at her. “You can’t keep running from me, you know. It’s not that big a station.”
Aurora made a show of looking down at her feet, then at him. “Since I appear to bee sitting rather than running, I would judge your statement to be incorrect,” she said evenly, between sips of coffee.
“There you go again with the snippy little statements. Why are you acting like this? It’s not like you,” he insisted.
How do you know what I’m like?” she asked, plunking down the cup. “Or should I say ‘What do you think I’m like?’”
He looked at her like she had lost her mind. “We’ve been working together for a year. You’re an excellent officer when you want to be. You can quote more regs than any of us put together except your father, and he wrote the damn thing. You always think about consequences before you act. You’re the most in-control, by-the-book person I’ve ever met. You’re perfect. I love you!”
Aurora’s eyes went wide. “Don’t say that. People who love me either die or hurt me, and I’m not going to take that chance ever again. And none of those things are me. The real me races cars on a steep dirt track at midnight. The real me provoked a fight with an ass-hole on the hope that he’d dump me. The real me slept with a guy I’d known two weeks just being near him made me want him more than you can imagine.”
Jonathan tried to pacify her. “Everyone does crazy thing when they’re young, Aurora, but after we’re married, I’m not going to hold-”
“We’re not getting married,” she interrupted.
He laughed it off. “I know, I should have asked you first, but it seemed pretty obvious to me. After all, the first officer, the commander’s daughter. Your father approves, if that makes you feel better about it.”
“It does not,” she replied. “You’d better look for another girl, because I don’t believe the time will ever come when I marry you.” With that, she got up and stormed out of the mess hall.
Aurora marched down the gall toward her father’s office, full of wrath and ready to tell him exactly where he could stuff his plans for her life. She started to feel her anger consume her and paused. If she tried to talk to her father now, all that would result would be a shouting match. _I could just hit something!_ she thought. Then the idea struck her, and she turned on her heel and ran for the elevator. She rode it deep into the bowels of the rock that supported HawkHaven, where areas designed for recreation were housed. She passed up the holographic simulation suites in favor of the larger gym. It was more limited in its holographic capabilities, but had a familiar feel and smell that was almost comforting. She spent a few moments at the computer requesting computer-generated opponents and instructing it to lay down a mat similar to those used in gymnastics on the off chance that one of the practice ‘grams knocked her on her butt. She set the program to run and entered the gym.
Six holograms later, Aurora was slightly winded, but still felt angry. She finished off the last opponent with a trip maneuver, followed by a reverse elbow strike to the back. The hologram fell to the mat, then sparkled into nothing. The sound of a single person clapping startled her, and she whirled around to see Starlight standing in the doorway. Then he came all the way in, and the doors whispered shut. Aurora stood still, breathing a bit heavily and watching him.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but the talking wall said you were here. You’re quite good. I’ve never seen an enemy vanish quite like that. Is it a spell?” he asked.
Aurora laughed. “No. The ‘talking wall’ made them for me, and as I defeat them, they vanish,” she explained.
“Have you considered turning the wall off, if it spends time creating enemies for you to fight?”
She shook her head. “I asked it to. I wanted to hit someone, and they seemed to be a better target than the person I’m mad at.”
“So you hit imaginary people?”
“Sometimes. But now it’s not helping much.”
“Do you ever fight real people?” he asked in a tantalizing voice.
“Depends,” she answered, sidling up to him. “Do you fight girls?”
“If they hit first, I hit back,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Oh,” Aurora said, looking down. She dragged her toe around a few times. “Well, in that case,” she drawled, “you’re ‘it!”” she shouted, placing her hands on his hips and pushing. He went sprawling on his backside, and Aurora skipped back to the center of the room.
“I hope you meant that,” Starlight said, regaining his footing with impressive speed. He peeled off his borrowed sweatshirt, and Aurora was pleased. She had seen his shoulders and chest already, and his abdomen was equally built; well muscled and sleek.
“Two can play at that game,” she said, stripping off her own shirt to bare a golden mid-riff and black sports bra. Starlight paused a moment to appreciate the sight, then continued advancing.
They had been sparring for an hour, and Starlight was forced to admire Aurora’s skill. She defended blows and kicks adequately, if not elegantly, but she never missed an opening for her own attack. And although he could grab her easily enough, she always managed to twist or turn somehow and break his grip. They paused for water only after he locked her into a hold she couldn’t slither out of or break.
“Do you...want to know...the way out...of that last hold?” he asked between gulps.
“Sure,” she said, chugging a half-liter of water. She tossed the empty bottle into the wall slot and walked back out to the center of the room. Starlight followed her and wrapped her back up again, his arms clamped around her arms and waist from behind, and bent forward.
Aurora’s back was to him, and as he explained how she was to move, his hot breath brushed past her ear, and she shivered. She turned as he directed, and dropped her weight, expecting to land on her tail. Above her, Starlight fell forward, and Aurora lifted her hands to catch him before he landed on her. He let go of her and caught himself as she hit the mat. He dropped to one elbow and touched her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.
Aurora nodded, afraid to trust her voice. Her heart was pounding from the exercise and his proximity, but she wasn’t nervous. _Hell,_ she thought, _if something happens, it happens. I’m not going to live at the bottom of a grave anymore._
“So,” he said, tracing patterns on her face and neck, “I haven’t thanked you for saving my life, yet, have I?”
She worked the fingers of one hand through his hair. “You don’t have to thank me,” she whispered huskily. “Just doing my job.”
“Then what do we do now?” he asked. Gods, she was beautiful, and extremely desirable. He hoped he was reading her right. If she was scared off now, he was going to be hurting in more ways than one.
She pulled his head down until their lips were an inch apart. “Whatever we want,” she said, and kissed him passionately. _Maybe I’m ready to live again,_ she thought, then she stopped thinking altogether.
Jonathan pushed the intercom button again, but there was still no reply. He had given Aurora two hours to cool off, and the computer insisted that she was in the gym. But there was no answer to his chimes, and the door was locked. How on Earth were they going to sort this thing out if she insisted on hiding from him? He pressed the intercom a third time and received no response. Maybe she had been injured fighting those drones she liked to practice on. Fighting down panic, he called for a computer override on the lock. The door slid smoothly open, and Jonathan’s panic turned to nausea. Instead of finding her wounded, Aurora was standing in the middle of the room, wrapped in her rescued warrior’s embrace, kissing him with a great deal of enthusiasm. Their shirts were off, hair tousled, and the scent in the air unmistakable. While he had been waiting for her to return to her cool, reasonable self, Aurora had been here, getting hot and heavy with a complete stranger. He cleared his throat, and they jumped apart.
Aurora had turned off the intercom from the inside, and had therefore heard none of Jonathan’s pages. She felt her elation turn to dismay as she saw the clear understanding of what had happened on his face. She knew he wanted her badly, and he was certain to regard this as a betrayal. Her heart fell as he turned on his heel and stormed off. It rose again, however, when Starlight wrapped an arm around her waist and asked, “Is he going to create a problem?”
“No,” Aurora replied. “I’m going to talk to him and explain.” She kissed him swiftly and ran after Jonathan. “Wait here,” she called back into the gym. “I’ll be right back.”
Jonathan heard her running down the hall, and resolved to stay angry. None of her sweet words could change what he had seen.
“Jonathan, wait,” Aurora called. “I have to expl-”
He cut her off. “Explain? What could you possibly want to explain? That it wasn’t what it looked like? What else could it have been?” he asked, shouting.
“I won’t lie to you, it was what it looked like.”
“I see. So you rushed off after telling me you can’t marry me to have a little romp in the gym? I didn’t know your schedule was so full. Is Penal Planet 10 next on your calendar, or will you hit Bedlama now?” he asked sarcastically.
“That was uncalled for, and you know it. I was there, and he happened to come in. We talked for a while, and did some hand to hand practice, and it just got out of hand. I didn’t mean for it to happen,” she said frantically.
“No, of course not,” he sneered. “You just fuck people without thinking about it, I’m sure.”
“I’m trying to explain this, but if all you’re going to do is humiliate me, I’ll just leave.”
“You’ve humiliated yourself far more than I ever could, Lieutenant,” he said coldly, then turned and strode away.
Aurora turned and paced slowly back to the gym.
Her face told the story when she returned. “He didn’t like your explanation,” Starlight said without preamble.
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Aurora replied wryly.
“Do you want to tell me about it? I feel somewhat involved,” he said as he handed her back her shirt.
Aurora pulled it on. “Let’s assign you some quarters, and I’ll explain on the way.” They left the gym and headed for the elevator. “When I arrived a year ago, I was recovering from losing someone very dear to me. Jonathan is a complete antithesis to him, and I thought he would be what I needed. Someone solid, rigid. Into rules and discipline. I thought it would be good for me, but...”
“But?” he asked as they stepped out onto the crew deck.
“But I was wrong. We’re like oil and water. There is no way we could ever have a real relationship. And to top it all off, he figures we should get married, since he’s the first officer, and I’m the commander’s daughter.”
“Ouch. I’m really sorry. I didn’t know you were betrothed. I would never have-”
Aurora cut him off. “I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination. It’s all in his head. And apparently my father is in on it somehow. So I have to straighten that out.”
“But if your father wants this marriage, can you...Sorry. Wrong century. Arranged marriages are common at home. I’m not fond of the idea, though. At the wedding is a terrible time to meet one’s life-partner. Will your father disinherit you then?”
“Not likely. I’m his only heir, as it were. Anyway, he’ll probably be upset because he wants me to be happy, but once he understands that Jonathan and I are incompatible, he’ll get over it.” She shook of the gloomy thoughts. “So, these are our luxurious guest quarters,” she said, opening a door on the men’s barracks level. It had not been decorated with anyone’s idea of comfortable furnishings, and still reflected the military’s idea of “proper quarters,” complete with a bed, one chair and a table, all standard institutional gray.
“Do they all look like this?” Starlight asked.
“All the guest quarters. Station personnel are allowed to make certain changes for their own comfort, but no one ever worried about the extra rooms. Maybe I can run a request by Command. Anyway, no one expects you to sit in here all day. My father wants me to show you the station, so you won’t get lost or wander into some place you shouldn’t be.” She tapped on a keypad for a moment. “We’re going to encode it for your voice. Go ahead and read the words on the screen,” she said.
He looked at it. “Open, close, lights on, lights off. What does that do?” he asked as the words disappeared.
“The room is now programmed to respond only to you, unless there is an emergency. Then an officer’s override will open the door.”
“So who are the officers?” he asked.
“My father, myself, and Jonathan. Oh, dear. Hang on. I’ll set it for two officers.” She tapped for a moment. “There. Now it requires two officers to override your security lock. If Jonathan gets any strange ideas, he won’t be able to bother you while you’re asleep. So, what do you fancy now? Station tour, chat with Will? He’s crazy about that armor. He’d be in heaven if you told him about it.”
“Maybe later. I’d like to got to know you better, actually, and I’d love to get something to eat. Can we do that?”
“Easier done than said,” Aurora replied, and led the way.
They were approaching the mess hall when the intercom clicked on. “Lieutenant Firstlight to my office on the double,” said her father’s voice again. Aurora cringed internally. Her last chewing-out had been bad enough, and then she’d had some kind of defense. This had the potential to be a hundred times worse, and she wasn’t about to haul anyone else in on the carpet with her. She stuck her head into Ops for a moment. No Jonathan. Thank heavens, although she had a good idea where he was. She gestured to Krysten, who was seated at one of the consoles. “Are you really busy?” she asked Krysten came over.
“Not really. Didn’t your father just call you?” she asked in reply.
“Yes, but I’m in the middle of something. Can you look after him while I go take my licks?” She pulled Starlight forward.
Krysten looked him up and down appreciatively. “I’ll be glad to,” she answered with a grin.
Aurora eyed at her speculatively. “Uh-huh. Starlight, meet Skyedansuer; Skyedansuer, Starlight. He wants to eat, so take him to the mess. I’ll catch up when I’m done.” She turned to Starlight. “She is engaged,” she told him.
He smiled and nodded. “I got you.” He paused a moment. “Are you sure I shouldn’t come with you?” he asked.
“No. I’ll introduce you to the commander later. I need to deal with his strange perception of reality first. Save me something for lunch,” she said, heading toward the door marked “Private.”
“So,” Krysten said, hooking her arm through Starlight’s. “Aurora has told me absolutely nothing about you. Why don’t you correct that oversight?”
“Certainly, Lady Skyedansuer,” he replied as they walked toward the mess hall.
Aurora entered her father’s office and walked past Jonathan, resolutely ignoring him. She stopped in front of her father’s desk and addressed him. “You asked to see me, Sir?”
Jonathan snorted behind her. “The lieutenant has forgotten how to salute, I see.”
Aurora continued to ignore him, but the commander saw her eyes close for a moment, and her jaw tensed. Stargazer’s heart went out to her. If Quicksilver’s half-hysterical claims were true, then Aurora had lost her heart to this character. He only hoped the fellow was worthy of it. Aurora didn’t play half-way games with love, she was either head over heels or an ice queen. Stargazer shook his head and sighed. He had a feeling that Aurora was a handful at any age.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Greyer. I think that’s all I need from you now.” Aurora leaned across the desk to whisper in her father’s ear. His eyes widened a bit and he nodded. “Why don’t you review the list of upgrades from Command and see if any of it is useful to us?” Quicksilver nodded, saluted and left. Stargazer waved his daughter into a chair. “All right, why am I keeping Jonathan busy?” he asked her.
“Because Starlight is in the mess hall with Krysten, and I’m not sure how Jonathan will react. He wasn’t too civil with me,” she sniffed.
“I’m not too surprised, if half of what he says is true,” her father replied sharply.
“I suppose that depends on what he said. Do you plan to share, or do I have to guess?” she asked archly.
“I imagine you could guess, but I think I’ll tell you. He claims he caught you inflagrante delicto with your hitch-hiker. Is he correct?”
“Not really. Jonathan didn’t catch me inflagrante anything. I was kissing him when Jonathan came in. Nothing more.” _He missed the real show,_ she thought.
“So you didn’t have sex with him?” her father asked pointedly.
_Damn. He just had to ask me right out. Oh, well. I’ll find some way to make him understand._ “I did,” she answered softly, dropping her gaze to the floor.
_Well,_ he thought, _she looks ashamed. She’s also an excellent actress. I can’t let myself forget that._ “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
Aurora’s head snapped up and her eyes blazed. “No!. I’m not in the habit of sharing my sexual exploits with large numbers of people,” she snapped.
_That seemed genuine enough. She can fake the words and gesture well, but the eyes always give her away._ “Okay, honey. I’m not anxious to turn this into a disciplinary action. Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?”
Aurora broke. “Oh, Daddy, I have no idea. At the time, I just couldn’t think of a reason not to. I wanted to feel...I don’t know, alive, I guess. I never know if I’m real or living in a nightmare some days, and I thought,...hell, I didn’t think, that’s my problem, and now, I don’t know what to do about it.” She sighed.
“And what about Jonathan? He was thinking that you two were destined for married military life,” Stargazer put in.
“Jonathan and I are two different to ever be compatible in any way. Maybe we can be friends later, but lovers is out of the question, with or without marriage. I just can’t see it. And why did he say that you approved of the match?”
Stargazer shook his head. “I told him if he could convince you, I would be all for it. I am for any match where you are happy, whether it be Jonathan or the ‘Kidd, if your heart was set on it.”
“Well, ‘Kidd is like a little brother to me, so don’t you go getting invitations all printed up.”
“All right. I think we’ve hashed this over about enough. Be smart, be responsible,” Aurora nodded, and her father continued, “and above all, be yourself, and I’ll have no objections. And please, be a little more discreet when necessary. As of this moment, Jonathan has no business in your personal life. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Daddy. Thanks for not busting me to Private.” She came around the end of the desk and hugged him. He shuffled through some papers and handed her an envelope, covered with postmarks.
“New letter from your mother. She wanted me to tell you something.”
“What?” Aurora asked.
“Eat,” he said succinctly.
Aurora laughed as she left the office, clutching her mother’s missive.
She found Krysten and Starlight in the mess hall at one of the smaller tables that had arrived six months ago. She requested a salad from the computer and joined them. Starlight was captivating Krys with stories, but he rose when Aurora approached. He took her hand and kissed it gallantly.
“How did it go with your father?” he asked, sitting after she did.
“Pretty well, I think. I’m not in any more trouble than I was earlier. He pretty much looked the other way,” she said.
“What did you do now?” asked Krysten. “I’m supposed to be the trouble maker, remember? Twice in a day has to be a record for you.”
Aurora glanced at Starlight briefly, then swallowed. “I got on Jonathan’s bad side again, or still, depending on how you look at it, and he blew it out of proportion.”
“So what would be in proportion?” Krysten persisted.
Aurora gritted her teeth. She really didn’t want to have her indiscretions bandied about the station, although she doubted there as a way to stop it. “He suffered a large dose of reality, that’s all. I made it fairly plain that his ideas about marriage should not ever include me. He took it rather badly, and my father wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing.”
“And do you?” Krysten asked pointedly. Her empathic abilities were picking up more than Aurora was saying, but she couldn’t catch any details. She focused on Starlight, and caught a brief glimpse of a kiss, but then a wall seemed to drop, and she couldn’t read anything from him, including his presence. If she closed her eyes and reached out, she wouldn’t even know he was there.
Starlight looked at Krysten and frowned. “Don’t do that. We were getting on so well, and I’d hate to ruin it because you got nosy.”
Aurora stared at Krysten. “Are you try to read minds again? I though I asked you not to, and I’ll share what details I’m willing to have circulated. Have we altered the bargain?”
“No,” Krys said dejectedly. “I just wanted a better idea what to ask to get the details you were willing to share.” She looked at Starlight. “How did you know?” she asked.
“Simple. Takes one to know one.” He stared at her a moment, eyes narrowed. “You’re the only telepath here, aren’t you?”
“How can you tell?” she breathed, mystified.
“You have absolutely no personal shielding whatsoever.” He looked at her a moment longer. “You’re the youngest of four children, you grew up in the desert, your oldest brother died in an accident. I’m sorry, you still feel a lot of grief over that. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Are you two half-sisters? I get this feeling like you share a father.”
Krysten was stunned. “Aurora’s father has been like my father since I came up here. I’ve come to rely on his guidance.” She shook her head, trying to get her emotions back into her own mind. “Can you teach me how to keep my own stuff in?” she asked.
“Starlight isn’t here for any set amount of time. He may go back before you find out what you want to know,” Aurora put in.
“Actually, it’s important that she have some control, and I can give her a couple of exercises. All she’ll have to do is practice them to perfect some control,” he replied. “You’re a sitting duck to any other telepath. One with enough skill could scramble your memories enough that you wouldn’t even know who you are.” He looked at Aurora. “It’s well worth the time it will take, and you might find it interesting as well.”
Aurora looked down at her plate, and discovered she had polished off her salad without even realizing it. “Well, I’m game,” she said. She looked at Krysten. “How about you?” she asked.
Krysten nodded seriously. “I’m not at all interested in scrambled memories, thank you very much. Let’s do this right away.”
They retired to a lounge room, and Aurora put through a quick message for her father. “I’m going to be working on a project with Krysten for a while. Don’t worry about us if we’re not reachable.” She turned back from the terminal. “I’m ready when you are,” she said.
Starlight sat down in a comfy chair. “Okay, girls, sit down, close your eyes, and let go of everything but listening to my voice....”
They settled into soft chairs and allowed themselves to be lulled by his smooth tones.
Aurora heard her name and was instantly awake, Krysten next to her, and looking just as disjointed. They were still in the lounge sitting across from Starlight, who had propped his feet up comfortably and his arms crossed on his chest.
“So, Lady Skyedansuer, I’m going to say a word, and I want you to just react without thinking. Okay?”
Krysten nodded, looking a bit perplexed. “I’ll try,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “Here we go. Wall.”
Instantly, all expression dropped off Krysten’s face. Starlight leaned forward, feet on the floor, and stared at her intently. “That’s good. You can let it go for now,” he said, nodding.
“Ummm, I don’t know how,” she said.
“Sure you do. Just picture it fading away,” he suggested.
Aurora looked from one to the other. “I have absolutely no idea what is going on here,” she said a bit troubled.
Starlight leaned back in the chair again. “Of course not. You aren’t a telepath, so it’s not necessary for you to be able to shield your abilities from others. No mind-mage will think you’re a good target. Lady Skyedansuer, however, was in real danger. Now, with a little practice, you can erect a field to protect yourself,” he said, looking at Skye. “You can use the wall with varying intensities. I’d recommend keeping up some kind of screen at all times, just so you know when someone wants to go peeking. Try it now, and see if you can tell what I’m doing.”
Krysten composed herself, trying to reach the enclosed feeling she’d had a few minutes earlier. She wrapped herself in it, and waited. Presently, she felt a brush against the barrier, and reached out on instinct to push it away.
“Good,” Starlight said. “I wasn’t expecting you to pick that trick up so quickly. You’ll get tired for a while, trying to hold it all the time. Work your way up to really long stints, and eventually, you’ll be able to do it in your sleep, literally.”
Krysten smiled. “This is really great. I don’t know how to thank-” she glanced at the clock over his head. “Oh, shit. I’m supposed to be back on duty. Aurora, can you...?”
“Go. I’ll fix it with my dad if there’s trouble. Don’t worry. I’ll see you later.” Krysten ran from the room. Aurora looked over at Starlight. I didn’t have the heart to correct her language,” she said with a smile. “So, what did you do to me while I was out?” she asked lightly.
“Oh, just went tripping around your mind,” he replied just as lightly. Aurora frowned a little. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Everything I saw was stuff you were willingly sharing. I don’t dig around any deeper without permission unless there is a very good reason.”
“What’s a good reason?” she challenged.
“If we capture a spy, I’ll see if he’s found out anything really damaging. If not, we’ll just dump him somewhere in the forest and let him go. I’d rather not kill people if it’s not necessary,” he replied.
Aurora looked chagrined. “I’m sorry. I have no right to judge. I’m just...”
“...really particular about who you share with?” he concluded. He came around the end of the table and sat down on it, taking her hands. “Hey, I understand. Something happened between us, and you’re not sure how to act, right?”
“Kind of. I mean, I’m not sorry I did it, but I don’t want you to think that you owe me anything because of what happened. When you’re ready to leave, we’ll just say good-bye, and that will be that,” she said, avoiding his eyes.
Starlight stood, pulling her up with him. “What if I don’t want it to be over?” he growled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.
“I don’t think-,” Aurora started to say, trying to turn away.
He shifted one hand to the back of her neck to hold her. “Good,” he whispered, “don’t.” Then he kissed her, and Aurora’s senses reeled.
She was saved by going too far again by the chiming of the communicator. She managed to break free and walked over to the panel set in the wall. “Yeah?” she asked without preamble.
“Are you okay?” came her father’s voice. “You sound a bit upset.”
“I’m fine, Dad. What’s on your mind?” she said quickly.
“Are you and Skyedansuer finished with your project? Quicksilver was barking about her being late for her shift again.”
“We did finish up a bit late. Can you excuse her? She was on her way up last time I saw her,” Aurora added.
“Well,” her father said gruffly, “I’ll do it this time, but next time, you girls keep your eye on the clock., do you hear me?”
“Yes, Daddy. We were trying to get some control on her latent abilities, if it’s important.”
“Well, I’ll see about sticking it in somewhere. You remember what I said earlier, okay, Honey?”
“I sure will, Dad. Aurora out.” She turned the com unit off, and leaned her head against the cool, gray wall for a moment. Starlight walked up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders, offering comfort and support. Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, accepting the gesture and trying to block out everything else.
“I didn’t mean to create more trouble,” Starlight said softly. “I should leave. Then things will be back to normal for you.”
Aurora turned away from the wall to face him. “No! You can’t!” She saw his expression darken slightly and rushed to explain. “I mean, you’re not forced to stay here or anything. I just don’t want you to go. I think maybe I...” She let her voice drift off.
“Maybe you love me?” he finished. She nodded, eyes lowered, afraid he would laugh at her. She felt the gentlest of pressures under her chin, and her head tilted up almost of its own accord, and she was captivated by those deep-blue eyes, eyes she was certain could see through all her pretenses and affectations. “I know exactly how you’re feeling now, because I feel that way, too. Maybe there is something between us, something more than a one-shot deal that seems to upset everyone around you. But, Aurora,” he said as her eyes started to light up, “there is a little matter of several centuries between us. My life is in the 12th century, and yours is here, now. Would it be fair to try to patch something together across a rift like that?”
Aurora pressed her cheek into his shoulder. “Is it fair not to try because it seems difficult? I haven’t felt this way for two years, and I don’t want to throw it away. I haven’t felt anything for so long that now I’m afraid to lose it.” She started to ramble, telling him about Steven and Amyrya, how losing her had thrown her into depression, and how his death had driven her to the brink of insanity. She had thrown herself into the most intensive training program at the Academy to have a reason to get up in the morning, how she had graduated at the top of her class and set out to find her father, and had found a life in the process. “But I’m not the same person who came up here a year ago. Everything that was comforting is confining now, and I feel suffocated half the time. That’s how I came to find you. I wanted out for a while, and changed shifts with Skyedansuer, and managed to get into a fight with Quicksilver in the process. There are days I want out of here so badly I can taste it.”
“Do you really?” he asked, caressing her straight, black hair.
“There are days when I wish I could just go anywhere, anytime, and live a different life, be a different person, but still myself. I guess that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” she said, looking up at him with tears at the corners of her eyes.
“If you really want to be somewhere else, I think we can kill two bird with one stone,” he said, cupping her cheek with one hand, and brushing the tear away with his thumb.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her face brightening again.
“I mean coming back to the 12th century with me. You want to see someplace new, and we deserve a chance to see if this could work.” He yawned hugely as he spoke. “Maybe we should talk more about this in the morning, okay?”
Aurora nodded, too stunned to speak.
She awoke sometime late in what passed for night in the station, Starlight’s words still echoing in her mind. She had almost made up her mind to pass on his offer when there was a light tap at the door, light enough that she wouldn’t have heard it asleep. She pressed a button on the bedside console. “Just a minute,” she said groggily. She forced herself out of bed and dragged a robe over her nightgown. She tied it loosely and staggered to the door. Aurora opened it and blinked blearily as Jonathan came in, the door shutting automatically behind him. He stumbled over to a chair and sank into it, staring at her intently. She stood near the door, letting the wall prop her up, and stared back.
“I’m ready to accept your apology,” he said, his words slurring slightly, though she didn’t really notice.
“Didn’t know I had done anything to you to apologize for,” she replied, yawning mightily. She stretched her arms out, unaware that her robe pulled open slightly in the process. Aurora wrapped her arms around her waist, unintentionally highlighting the soft, round mounds.
Jonathan felt his desire flame, and he rose from the chair and moved closer to her. “I meant about earlier today in the gym. I’m ready to forgive you for what happened between you and that guy.” He moved closer, placing his hands flat against the wall at her shoulder level. “All you have to do is ask,’ he said, his breath in her face.
Now Aurora could clearly smell the bourbon on his breath, and she turned from him. “Give it up, Lieutenant. You’re drunk, and I’m not interested.” She tried to shift away from him , but he reached out and grabbed her arms, bruising them with his strength. He pulled her close and covered her mouth with his, his lips moving obscenely. He backed her against the wall, hips grinding against hers, and she could feel his rising shaft pressing against her. He yanked on her robe, pulling it down around her arms and exposing more of her torso. He backed up a step to better examine his treasure, and Aurora took the opportunity to strike. She raised her right knee swiftly, catching him right in the groin, smashing the delicate organs there. Jonathan fell back another step, bending over and cradling his throbbing privates and trying not to scream. Aurora shifted her weight to her left foot, and whipped out with her right, catching him across the jaw, and he fell like a stone. Aurora dropped back into a ready stance, waiting for him to move again. But he lay still on the floor, breathing evenly. _I must have knocked him out,_ she thought. She went closer and nudged him with a toe, but he didn’t stir. Aurora grasped him under the arms, and dragged him out the door, and left him propped against the hallway wall. _I hope he has the sense to get back to his own room and keep this incident to himself. At any rate, I don’t know that I’ll be here to worry about it._ She looked at his sprawled form with pity. “I guess you made my mind up for me, Lieutenant,” she said softly, then went back into her room.
Aurora awoke in the morning to more knocking, this time of a decidedly more aggressive nature. She slid out of bed and into her robe again, this time taking more care to conceal herself. She needn’t have bothered. When the door opened, Krysten burst in without waiting for an invitation. She slapped the door panel distractedly on her way past and threw herself into one of Aurora’s chairs. Aurora studied her from near the door. “Come right in,” she finally said. “Make yourself at home. Can I get you anything?”
“A good explanation for hypocrisy would be nice,” Krysten replied, pouting a little.
Aurora sighed. She knew Krysten would find out what had happened. Aurora just wanted to be the one to tell her, away from an audience, where she could make it an example of what not to do. Well, like that saying went, two out of three ain’t bad. “I guess you heard,” she said, dropping into the other chair. “Was it Jonathan who told you?” she asked.
“Yes. He said he came into the gym and you were rolling around with Starlight, screaming his name.”
“Well, like any rumor, it’s about ninety percent fiction,” Aurora said, trying to put some spin on the explanation.
“Which means it’s ten percent true?” asked Krysten. “Which ten percent?”
“Jonathan saw me kissing Starlight in the gym, so that much is true,“ Aurora replied, picking at her fingernails and not meeting Krysten’s eyes. Then she looked up. “But I did have sex with him, and this goes back to what you wanted to know yesterday. Now I’m really confused, and it’s due to not being in a committed relationship and having a sexual relationship.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t understand a bit of what you’re talking about.” Krysten said doubtfully.
“Starlight offered to take me back with him, and I’m going to go,” Aurora replied quietly.
“But why? I thought you came here to get to know your father. How can you just leave?” Krysten wailed.
“Jonathan came to my room last night, drunk, and made a half-hearted attempt to rape me.”
“How did you stop him?” Krysten asked in awe.
“I convinced the part of him doing the thinking that he really didn’t want to mess with me, then followed it up with a swift kick to the jaw. He was out cold in the hallway last time I looked. I guess he did have the good sense to get back to his quarters and keep his mouth shut, at least about his slight indiscretions,” Aurora explained simply.
“Are you going to turn him in?” Krysten asked.
“No. I don’t think he was serious about it, and when I’m gone, he won’t have anyone to be so angry with all the time. We were never right for each other. I can’t live with all these rules and regulations much longer, to tell the truth.”
“But what about us, Rorie? You’re my best friend. What am I going to do without you here?”
“The same thing you did before I got here. Besides, you’ll be married soon and have a whole new life with Michael. It might not work out, anyway, and I’ll find myself right back here. But I have to know if this could work. It might be my last chance to be happy, and I have to know. I hope you understand,” Aurora said, smiling hopefully.
“Of course I do,” Krysten replied, her sentimental heart touched to the core. “But will there be a way to get in touch with you if something happens?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe Starlight can come up with something. I’ll have to bring it up after I tell him.”
“You haven’t told him yet?”
“Nope. I’m going to let him meet my father first. He might change his mind and withdraw the offer after that.”
“Not a chance,” Krysten said with a laugh. “You’re father wants you to be happy. All you have to do is convince him that you are.”
“I might be. That’s all I can say.”
They found Starlight in the mess hall, going over Will’s printout with him at a table, commenting between bites of breakfast. The girls stopped at the dispenser for food, them went over to join them. Starlight rose as they approached, and Will jumped up as he realized what was happening. Aurora greeted them both equally warmly and sat down, sipping her protein drink and listening as they resumed their discussion.
“So it is authentic?” Will was asking.
“Absolutely,” Starlight replied. “I’m in it and getting bashed two days out of three, for the most part.”
“That’s quite a bit,” Aurora said quietly, her dark eyes brooding.
“It’s been a busy year. I’ve been trying to extend my property lately, but I’m pretty well satisfied with it now, so I won’t be using it quite so much.” He looked at her intently, trying to gauge her reaction. He knew her remark was more than a casual comment, and hoped that his response had reassured her. He wanted her in his life permanently in the worse way, and couldn’t remember feeling anything quite so intense before.
Aurora smiled at him vaguely, then downed the remainder of her shake. “So, “ she said, noting his empty plate, “are you ready to meet my father?”
Starlight took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” He picked up his plate from the table. “What should I do with this?” he asked.
Aurora gestured for him to follow. “We throw everything in here,” she said. She opened a door and chucked her glass in. “Go ahead,” she said, motioning. He hesitantly tossed his plate in and distinctly heard it shatter as it hit bottom. “What happens to it now?” he asked.
Aurora laughed. “You don’t really want to know,” she answered.
Outside her father’s office, Aurora paused to examine Starlight carefully. He had gotten a jumpsuit similar to everyone’s usual uniform, and looked almost like he belonged, lacking only alloy touches on one hand and his head. Now Aurora looked equally out of place, stripped of her external modifications.
“Do you remember what we talked about last night?” he asked as she worked at straightening his lapels. She nodded, not looking him in the eye. He felt his heart sink, but pressed on anyway. “So have you made a decision?”
She nodded again. “But I’m not going to tell you now. I don’t want it to affect your talk with my father. I’m going to talk to him after you’re done, then I’ll tell you, okay?”
He grimaced, but nodded. “It’s your decision, so we’ll play it your way. Do I look all right, or do you want to fidget with me some more?”
She sighed and smiled a little. “Am I that obvious? I just want this to go well,” she said, _for both our sakes._ She knocked on the door.
“Yes?” came her father’s gruff voice.
“I brought Starlight to meet you,” she said, not opening the door yet.
“Send him in, honey, and don’t wander off. I imagine I’ll want a report after I’m done.”
Aurora opened the door. “That’s your cue,” she said. Starlight walked through, and Aurora shut the door, then settled into a nearby chair to wait.
Starlight walked farther into the dusty office, and stopped in front of the desk. Behind it sat a man in a white shirt with suspenders and a loosened tie, his head half-covered with gold alloy. Starlight offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir,” he said, hoping to make a good impression.
Stargazer rose and shook the proffered hand briefly. “Same here,” he said gruffly, returning to his seat. He signaled for Starlight to sit, and he did. “So I understand you’ve been getting on well with my daughter.”
“I want you to know, sir, that I didn’t plan for that to happen. I have the utmost respect-”
Stargazer cut him off with a wave. “Aurora and I discussed it, and I consider the matter closed. What I’m interested in now is knowing about you, and your plans for the immediate future. Are you married, for instance?”
“No, sir. Couldn’t find a girl who kept my interest long enough to learn more that her name, for the most part. I’m what you would consider a feudal lord. I have a pretty extensive landholding, complete with a large castle and a thriving town. Most of the people there are content, I’d say. I have a lenient ruling policy, for the most part. As long as everyone gets along and doesn’t create problems, I try to stay out of town affairs. As for my plans. As soon as SteelWill gives me the green light, I’ll go back home and straighten things out. I was in the middle of a battle when I left, and I need to know the results.”
“What were you fighting over?” Stargazer asked intently.
“A patch of pretty nice real estate. I don’t care too much one way or another about it in particular, but it sets a bad precedent to let others chip away at your holdings. Too much can leave you with nothing to stand on.” He took a deep breath and continued. “I fell like I should tell you, sir, the I asked Aurora to come with me, but she hasn’t given me an answer yet. I hope you won’t be too angry.”
Stargazer smiled indulgently. He was beginning to like this diffident yet powerful man. “Aurora has always gone her own way. Assuming she doesn’t walk face-first into a raging fire, I won’t try to stop her. I’ll warn you, though. She’s a free spirit, and can’t be held by anything but love.” He turned solemn. “If you love her, and can bring her to love you, I won’t object to her decision.”
“I do love her, quite madly, I assure you, but I have to be sure you understand that she will be living several centuries in the past, if she decides to come, and it will be difficult to reach her. I think I can teach Lady Skyedansuer to communicate with me, and thereby, keep in touch with Aurora, but it’s about the best I can offer. I hope it will be enough.”
“If it is enough for her, it will have to be enough for me. I think that’s about all I need to know, and for what it’s worth, I’d like to see my daughter happy, and you seem to be her best chance.”
“Thank you, Sir. I’ll certainly try.” He stood up, shook Stargazer’s hand again, and left.
Aurora didn’t say anything to Starlight as they passed in the doorway, and
avoided his eyes, trying to keep her decision to herself for at least a few more minutes. She shut the door softly and approached her father’s desk. She sank quietly into the chair and waited. Stargazer faced away from her, staring out the window, hands clasped behind his back.
“So, what are you going to do?” he asked gruffly without preamble.
Aurora wasn’t surprised that he knew. She had been pretty sure that Starlight would be straightforward about his offer, maybe in hopes of enlisting her father to convince her. It was a sweet gesture to her, but pointless, half because she had decided already, and half because she knew her father would never try to influence her decision. “I’m going to go,” she answered simply.
“I thought you were happy here,” her father replied, not turning around.
“I thought I was, too. It took a new perspective to show me how I really felt.”
Stargazer was silent for a moment, folding his arms across his chest. The stars drifted by as the station orbited Bedlama, familiar patterns from Earth bent out of shape, or missing altogether. “Is it me, Aurora? Have I done something to make you want to leave? I’ve been trying to be a better dad than the one who left. Where have I failed?”
Aurora rushed over to him and hugged him from behind, resting her cheek on his back, feeling the living metal underneath. “It’s not you, Daddy. It’s me. Since Steven’s death, all I could think about was hurting you for how you hurt me when I was a baby. Now I don’t have that hate anymore, and I feel myself asking what’s over the horizon, or past the farthest star. I have room for something other than hate, thanks to you, and I have to see if this is what fills that space. I don’t want to hurt you, but Daddy, I have to know. If it doesn’t, I’ll come back, maybe a little sadder, but for sure a lot wiser. Please say it’s all right. I need you to be okay with this.”
“What about your duties?” he asked, starting to soften.
“I have a friend in Procurement at the Academy. She can make sure you still get the good stuff, and Krysten can do the paperwork. I’m supposed to be training her, anyway, so she’ll just be getting on-the-job training. Everything will be covered.”
Stargazer considered for a long moment. His long estrangement from his daughter made it hard to deny her anything, and in truth, she was an adult and capable of making her own decisions. She wanted his blessing very badly, but she would go with or without it. He turned to face her. “All right, child. Go. If you ever need or want to return, you’ll always be welcome here.”
She hugged him fiercely, her pent up breath coming out in a long sigh. “Thank you, Daddy. I’ll always remember that.” She pecked him quickly on the cheek, then rushed out the door.
Stargazer waited for the door to close before he let the tears fall from his eyes.
Aurora put on a neutral expression as she left entered the small hallway between the office and Ops. Starlight was pacing back and forth, his long stride eating up the room in two steps. He looked up as she came in, his expression enormously hopeful. She stopped in front of him and smiled. “What should I bring?” she asked.
He looked puzzled for a nanosecond, then beamed. He scooped her up and spun around in circle, crowing with joy. “I knew you’d come! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You won’t be sorry for a minute, I promise you!”
Aurora squirmed a bit, trying to catch the breath the had whooshed out of her when he grabbed her. “Okay, okay. We’ll celebrate your clairvoyance later. First, I want to make something clear.” Starlight set her down and looked at her as she spoke. “I’m willing to try this, but I’m not intending on moving straight into your bed. I really need to get to know you more before I do something like that. If that’s not in your plan, then we should call this whole thing off right now. I need to know that there can be more than sex in our relationship.”
“I can live with that,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. “I want to get to know you , too, and I’ll wait until you’re ready for anything else. When do you want to go?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? I’m not the one in charge of transportation, after all.”
“Will wants to run his machine over me again, and I think there is a way to teach Lady Skyedansuer a way to communicate with me. It will take a little longer to teach you to be able to hear her, but from what I picked up from you yesterday, you may have a little of the same talent, and we’ll have a while to work on it. At any rate, any time today or tomorrow, or as long as you want to wait. I’m in no huge rush if you need some time. Daylight hours are better, though. We don’t want to walk into anything in the dark. Once the sun goes down, everything gets dark pretty quick. No electric lights, after all.”
“No, I didn’t suppose so.” She thought over the matter for a moment. “Today will be all right. Krysten already knows I’m going, and my father, and they’re the one’s who will take it the hardest. I do need to make some arrangements with some people on Earth to make sure my job gets done while I’m gone. So, what should I bring with me?” she asked again.
“Anything you want, I guess. We’ll get you to the dressmaker right away to get some things that will make you fit in,” he said, eyeing her yellow sweats, “but anything that you like, you should bring along. I want you to be comfortable in my home.”
Aurora smiled and kissed him swiftly. “We should get at it, then. I’ll go throw a few things together, do a little work, and I’ll meet you in the Shop this afternoon, okay?”
“Well, I can wait for you there, but we’re going to need more space for the trick I have to pull to get us out of here. Where will we have a lot of space?”
“The hangar comes to mind. It’s big and pretty open. You should have enough space.”
“Okay. Works for me.’ This time he kissed her. “Get going. I’ll see you later.” He gave her a nudge toward the door.
After finishing her arrangements on Earth, Aurora threw a few things into a bag, then went out to find Jonathan. He was alone on duty in Ops when she came in, working at his console, a large bruise covering the left side of his face. “That must have hurt,” she commented softly, sitting in the chair next to him. He ignored her and continued his work. “Of, course,” she continued, “I was perfectly justified in giving it too you, so I don’t feel so bad about it.” She sighed. “I’m leaving with Starlight, due in large part to your disgusting behavior last night. I just thought I ought to be the one to tell you.” She waited a moment for him to respond, then stood up to leave. Just before she reached the door, he spoke.
“I hope you get what you deserve,” he said coldly.
“I’m sure we both will,” she replied sweetly.
Aurora met up with Starlight in the Shop, and found him buckling on the last bits of his armors. Aurora whistled and he looked up. “That’s some pretty nice stuff,” she said, running her nails over the black-enameled metal. She looked over at Will, who was holding the helmet. “You wanted to give me a once over before I left, right?”
Will set the helmet down. “I do. I’m glad you’re still reading your e-mail even though you’re leaving us. Hop up on the table, and we’ll get this done.”
Aurora gathered her dress around her and lay down on the table. The glow of the auto-doc linked up to her cybernetic implants, and watched as the readouts came up on the display. “So, am I going to make it or not?”
Will examined the readouts critically, then orders something from the computer. He pulled out a bottle, and handed it to her. “You can get up now. Everything is fine. Take one of those everyday to keep your electrolytes in balance, and you’ll need to check back with me in after about 6 months or so. Other than that, have a great time.”
She sat up and hugged him. “Thanks, Will. I’ll be seeing you, don’t worry.” She slid off the table and looked at Starlight. “Ready when you are,” she said.
He picked up the helm and tucked it under one arm, then collected her bag from the floor. He offered his other arm to her. “If you’re ready, we should go.” She tucked her and into his elbow and walked out of the Shop. They took the elevator down to the hangar, and when they stepped out, Aurora was shocked. Somehow, the team had thrown together a “Bon Voyage, Aurora” party, complete with streamers, banners, and a cake. Aurora smiled as she read the inscription. “Bon Voyage, Lieutenant. Have a blast in the past!” She shook her head. “You guys are too much sometimes. Let’s have some cake and cry a little bit. Then we really have to go.” She ate a slice, chatting with the others, while Starlight stood off to one side, watching her fondly. Bluegrass sidled over to him as things were winding down.
“Are you sure this is a good thing you’re doin’ for her?” he asked. “Aurora is my fiancée’s best friend, and I feel like I oughta look out for her, even though she is an adult and all.”
“What can I say, Colonel? She’s like a fire in my blood, and I’ve only known her a day. How could I go without her?”
“And if it doesn’t work out? What will become of her then?” Bluegrass pressed.
“Aurora will always be free to do as she pleases, at least as far as I’m concerned. If she’s not happy in my time, maybe I can find a way to be happy in hers.” He watched her across the room, hugging first SteelHart, then Krysten. Then she came over to them.
“What are you two men talking about here?” she asked.
“You,” Starlight answered. “The colonel was worried about you, and I’ve been trying to reassure him.”
Aurora smiled. “Michael, I’ll be fine, really. You worry about Krysten. She’s more than enough trouble for anyone.” She hugged him strongly. “I’ll miss you. Be careful out here.” Then she turned to Starlight. “I’m ready to go.” As he began the portal spell, she hugged her father again. “Thank you, Daddy, for everything. I love you, and I’ll see you again soon. Will wants me back for a check-up.” She saw tears piling up in his eye, and wiped them away. “Please don’t cry. I’m not sad, and I don’t want you to be.”
“Good-bye, Princess,” he said gruffly. “I love you, too.”
Starlight came and took her arm. “It’s time,” he said softly.
“Good-bye, everyone,” she said waving, then stepped through the shimmering light to a new life.
*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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