Partners - Book 1

by Melissa Good

  Jess’s face broke into a frank, happy grin. “Glad to hear that.”

  Dev grinned back. “Are you still angry at the weather?”

  “Nope. You?” Jess reached over and traced a line down Dev’s exposed belly. “Want to start learning now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t need a break?”

  “No.”

  Jess chuckled and pulled her closer. “Good answer.”

  THE SOFT CHIME woke Dev up at once, and she opened her eyes to find herself curled up next to Jess, the taller woman’s long arms draped over her, Jess still deep in slumber. After a moment of bemusement she relaxed, remembering what they’d done before going to sleep.

  Amazing. She tilted her head a little, looking over to study the tall figure next to her.

  Jess had a very interesting face. Asleep, she appeared relaxed and her usual skepticism was smoothed away but the strong lines were still evident, a somewhat squared jaw and high cheekbones, that outlined deep set eyes and spare, yet well shaped lips.

  She had a scar under one eye, faint and almost invisible, and another along her jawline. Dev only just restrained herself from reaching out to touch them, settling instead for wrapping a bit of Jess’s dark, straight hair round her finger and stroking it with the edge of her thumb.

  It was soft. So few things about Jess were. Dev thought about all she’d experienced in such a short time. She had a sense that her life had become so intense and compressed that each minute was packed full of stuff that she had to sort through and ingest and figure out what to do with.

  Now this sex thing, for example. Dev felt her face twitch into a grin.

  That was an awful lot of intensity to absorb in a short period and she thought perhaps they might take some time when they got back to the citadel and explore it further. Would Jess want to do that? Dev thought she might, since after some trial and error she reasoned she’d done pretty well with her sex lesson and Jess had seemed to enjoy it.

  It would take practice, she’d told Dev, but there had been a distinct smirk on her face when she’d said it, just before they dimmed the overhead light completely and fell asleep.

  Dev had absolutely enjoyed it. However, she figured they could do that in a spot that was more comfortable and less dangerous to Jess’s skull than the alcove.

  Their beds back in the citadel for example. They were nice and big and comfortable. But Dev would also keep a kind memory of this little padded alcove because this was where she’d gotten to learn about it for the first time. Right here, in her...in their carrier.

  There was something she really liked about that. Though lacking in comfort, it was quiet, and very private in a way she’d never known before. She thought about the fact that she and Jess were probably the only beings for a long way around them and realized this was as alone as she’d ever been in her life.

  Very alone. Very private. She looked up at Jess’s face. Very personal.

  A quick look at the dimly lit chrono told her they still had hours before the end of the storm, and she eased her hand out to shut off the chime before it sounded again.

  The motion woke Jess though, and she felt her body shift and take on tension, just as her eyes flickered open and she swept the small alcove in a brief, mild confusion before she focused on Dev. “Ah.” Her expression brightened.

  “Ah.” Dev amiably responded. “Alarm just went off.”

  Jess’s pale eyes lifted to the overhead, then she settled back down on the padding. “So I see. Interesting to dream about something and wake up to...” She paused. “Anyway. Sleep good?”

  “Excellent,” Dev said.

  Jess rested her chin against Dev’s head. “We can have some rations, get the bus warmed up, and see if we can get out of here. Get this show on the road,” she said. “Sound like a plan?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Good.”

  Dev ingested this. Jess didn’t seem to be inclined to immediately put her plan into action, and she found it quite pleasant to remain where she was, enjoying the comforting warmth of the casual embrace they were in. She had never felt anything like it before, this close contact to another being, and she decided she could easily get used to it.

  Another new thing to absorb. She studied Jess’s arm, her eyes tracing the dark patterning on her skin and thought about the mission they were on. Would Jess get a new mark for it?

  Could she get one? Would she be allowed to? Did she want to?

  Hm.

  Jess finally started moving, rolling over and stretching her body out, then easing forward and standing up to continue the process. Dev followed, adjusting the inside lighting before she set about collecting all the bits and pieces of clothing that were scattered about.

  “Messy process huh?” Jess said, in an amused tone. “Hope you had as good a time as I did.”

  Dev looked up and smiled. “I think so.”

  Jess squeezed herself into the sanitary unit, chuckling as she did. “Start some kack going, huh?”

  “Yes.” Dev had gotten her under layer on and was working the dispenser. She felt well rested, and she sidestepped over to her console while the dispenser was churning to key up the carrier’s status reports and start them running.

  The sensors powered up and started scanning, and the windows de-tinted and showed the dim interior of the ice cave they were parked in. The batteries had recharged, and Dev was very pleased to see that the repair work the carrier had undertaken had completed, so far as it was able.

  She still had some work to do on it, but she considered the results and decided the carrier would indeed lift when she asked it to, and she would be able to reasonably steer it.

  “Bus not immediately falling apart?” Jess came up behind her and peered down. Then she ducked her head and looked out the window. “I’m going to go out and make sure we’re clear.”

  Dev glanced at her. “Like that?” She frowned. “I should probably turn the outside heaters on then.”

  Jess looked down at her naked form, then she delivered an extremely droll look at Dev. “Wonder if we paid extra for that sense of humor.” She tweaked Dev’s nose. “No. I’m not going outside and freezing my nipples solid, no matter how entertaining that would be for you.”

  The dispenser finished and they got their hot drinks along with a ration pack and sat down to consume it in companionable silence. Jess had thrown her under suit on and she was sitting on the low bench with her long legs splayed out as she chewed the seaweed wrapped roll. “Last time I was in these parts I got to taste bear jerky. That’s something different.”

  Dev studied her. “Bear?”

  “Polar bear,” Jess said. “Only large land mammal left on the planet and it only survived because it lives off the ocean like we do.” She finished her fish roll and tucked the remains of her pack into the compactor. “Let me go make sure we didn’t heat up the skids and get us frozen to the deck.” She winked at Dev, and went to the slim compartment their over suits were hung in and got into hers.

  Dev took the last remains of her own meal over to her console and sat down in her chair, pondering what Jess could have meant about those skids. She set her drink in the holder and paused, remembering blinking sweat out of her eyes the last time she’d sat there.

  Then she felt her face warm as she figured it all out. She turned her chair and watched Jess put on her coat. “You don’t really think we could have melted the ice down there do you?”

  Jess looked up and grinned. Then she put her gloves on. “Be right back.” She picked up her big blaster and hit the door controls, ducking out and closing the hatch behind her so quickly only a small blast of frigid air made it’s way in.

  “Yeesh.” Dev rubbed her face, and returned her attention to her console. The scan had picked up a collection of intelligence and she put it on the display, settling into her seat and keying on all her systems. She finished her fish roll and dusted her fingers off, washing the roll down with a sip of her drink before she started
bringing everything up live.

  She keyed the diagnostic panel for the engines, looking up every few moments to watch Jess making her slow way around the cavern. She had her blaster cradled in her arms and she was turning in circles as she walked, watching everything around her intently.

  Her hood surrounded her face with insulation, but as Dev watched, she pushed the hood back and stood still, her head cocking to one side as though she was listening to something.

  Dev keyed in the sensors and turned up the gain, hearing a soft crackling and a gentle popping noise she couldn’t identify. She could almost hear Jess’s breathing, watching the vapor issue from her nose. She tuned the sensor a little higher as she watched Jess’s eyes slowly scan and rescan the area, her body still and tense.

  Operating on some instinct, Dev started bringing systems online. She ran the external diagnostics and then triggered the unlock for the umbilical that was tying them in to the cave’s systems. She heard it retract, the rattle and snap sounding very loud and making Jess turn to look at the carrier.

  Then she got up and went to the small closet, getting her flight suit out and getting into it. The fabric constricted around her, and she picked up her boots and went back to her seat to sit down and get into them.

  Not without another look out the window, though. For a moment she didn’t spot Jess, then she did, finding her over near the platform edge where the carrier was perched, carefully examining everything there. She still had her hood down, and as Dev watched she turned her head and their eyes met through the window.

  Oh, that was interesting. Dev felt a jolt of reaction deep inside her. At the same time, a smile appeared on Jess’s face, and she turned in a circle then continued her inspection.

  Dev got her boots fastened and went back to bringing the carrier into a flight ready state. She hooked up the control leads to the ports on her suit and got her comms set in place, studying the readouts and adjusting levels as everything came online. The carrier started making sounds all around her, leveling a little on the pad and thumping as she turned on the engine heaters.

  After a moment she initiated the pre-start. Once the engines reported online she shunted some power to Jess’s weapon systems. Their backup boards came up on her station as the hatch popped open and Jess entered. “Are we frozen?”

  Jess chuckled, as she shed her outer jacket. “No, but there’s something here I don’t like. Can’t put my finger on it and I want to get out of here so...” She looked around at the interior of the craft and Dev’s already suited figure. “So I guess you read my mind and we’re about ready, huh?”

  “You seemed unsettled,” Dev said. “I thought it would be a good idea to get things going.”

  Jess seated the blaster and went to her own console, shaking her head and chuckling under her breath. “Boy was I wrong.” She sighed. “I remember sitting on my ass back on base and saying something stupid like there’s no way you could train someone to be a tech in a week.”

  Dev reviewed her panels, a smile appearing as she absorbed the indirect compliment.

  “Not only can you, they give me one that reads minds, wants me to teach them sex, and has already picked up on my field signals without me having to say a word.” Jess reviewed her station, pulling her restraints around her and buckling them. “How did you know to bring up my guns?”

  Dev buckled her own harness, her smile growing a bit wider. “I thought it would be correct,” she said, modestly. “Things seem dangerous in this place, and they did teach us that when things are dangerous, it’s best to make sure the weapons are ready.”

  Jess chuckled audibly. “Well, there’s training, and then there’s aptitude. I have a feeling you got a big helping of both, my friend.” She cracked her knuckles. “Get us out of here, Dev. Something doesn’t smell right.”

  Dev wasn’t really sure what that meant, but she pulled her seat forward and locked it into flight mode and got her hands and feet on the engine controls. She peered around through the windows and checked the back scanner and then she ignited the landing jets and felt the carrier shift.

  Apparently they weren’t really frozen to the pad. Dev smiled a little, as they lifted and she touched the side jets, rotating the carrier in her typical circle to check position and her surroundings before she went further. She touched the carrier’s external lighting and the cavern interior came into raw relief as the powerful beams bounced off the inside walls.

  “Give me forward view please, Dev,” Jess said.

  Dev transferred the view back, then she tickled the engines and started them forward, heading for the opening to the cave. The inside of the cave seemed very empty, and she didn’t spot anything moving, but there was a certain relief in her gut when they cleared the cave entrance and moved into the crevasse that it was buried in.

  Outside, it was gray and still stormy. White snow was scattered all around them, but the winds had dropped and she had no trouble maneuvering. She cautiously lifted up out of the crease in the ice and emerged over it, again turning in a circle to survey the space before checking her coordinates and moving off.

  “Who taught you to do that?” Jess asked. “The circle thing? Was that programmed?”

  Dev thought about it. “No,” she said, after a moment. “I used to watch the mechs who serviced the outside of the station sometimes. They would always do that when they came out of the service bay and I thought it was a good idea, to see what was around you. They wanted to make sure they didn’t have any leads or umbilicals hung on them anywhere that could get ripped off.”

  Jess tilted her head a little. “How would...oh. Everything floats up there, right?”

  “Outside the grav field, yes,” Dev said. “Everything does.” She looked forward and prepared to bring the engines up to full speed, then paused. “Oh! Jess! What’s that!”

  Jess nearly ejected herself right into the ceiling as she hit the release and leaped up, bounding forward to collide with the back of Dev’s seat. “What?”

  “There.” Dev pointed. “That thing moving there.” She slowed the carrier and brought it around in a lazy circle, watching the thing below them race along.

  Jess stared in silence for a long moment, blinking. “Oh,” she finally said. “I think...yeah, that’s a bear.” She leaned forward. “I’ve never seen one alive before. But I’ve seen pictures. Bigger than I thought it would be.”

  The thing was big. It was white, and roundish, and it had a black point on it’s face and Dev watched it in utter fascination. It was moving fast, using all four of its limbs to run over the white and icy surface. It was completely strange but also, oddly beautiful. “Wow.”

  “That is pretty cool,” Jess admitted. “The ice people hunt them, but they don’t find them often.” She reluctantly tore her attention away from the bear. “Not sure I would want to be on foot near that thing. They have claws the size of my hand.” She held hers up. “And fangs like this.” She held her fingers up with her thumb and index ones extended.

  The bear disappeared behind some ice hillocks, and Dev returned the carrier to it’s course, thinking about the creature. What was it doing out on the ice? Was it a boy or a girl? Did bears have boy and girl or were they just bears?

  Jess went back to her seat and resumed her restraints, bringing her console up closer and starting a thorough check of the weapons systems. She was pretty sure she wasn’t going to need them until they got a lot closer to the border but it never paid to take a chance out here in the ice wild.

  So many things could kill you out here. The weather and the ice, and closer to the edge, the freezing sea spray that could coat the carrier with ice in minutes. Now, she supposed, she also had to add encountering a bear to the list. “That was cool.”

  “Excuse me?” Dev glanced in the mirror.

  “Seeing the bear,” Jess said. “Good catch.”

  Dev settled into her seat, watching the auto nav as she tested the repairs the carrier had made overnight, and finding herself very pleased
with both herself, and the way things had gone the past couple of days. Things were going really well, she thought, and now she also had finding a bear to her credit.

  Life was pretty amazing at the moment.

  With a smile, she studied her readouts, pausing briefly to glance up at the mirror to find Jess’s eyes watching her in it. She felt her throat go a little dry and an image of the pleasure they’d shared surfaced, making her want to experience that again. A soft chime distracted her though, and she went back to studying the control sets, picking up her drink and taking a long swallow of it.

  After all, it was time to work now. She snuck a glance at the mirror again, though, and saw Jess looking at her own systems, but with a smile on her face that didn’t look like it had anything to do with the blaster energy readouts.

  Yes, time for work.

  Chapter Nineteen

  TWO HOURS LATER they were coming up on the storm edge. Dev felt the winds increasing, and she snugged her restraints a little tighter, trimming the engine power to keep them on course.

  “Met’s getting ugly,” Jess said. “Let’s slow down. I don’t want to run into the back of that line of nasty.” She sent the met scan up with the storm line circled in light pen. “Stay clear of that.”

  “Okay,” Dev said. She cut power and took the carrier off autonav, taking the controls and turning the craft into a shallow curve to run parallel to the storm line.

  Ahead of her she could see the roiling clouds, and in one spot, one of the big cone spouts they’d run from. It looked big and dangerous, and she could see down at the bottom there was white ice and debris being thrown everywhere. The last time they’d run in behind the storm it had been full dark and she’d seen very little.

  This was different. She could see the power of the storm, and it made her think of the people in the boats that maybe were inside it. She remembered what it had been like when the storm had come up over them, and hoped the boat people would end up okay. “Jess?”

  “Hm?”