Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  It worried her somewhat that the Tokyo had run into trouble severe enough to require backup. Traynor suspected Yuán’s ship had been attacked and sustained damage as it exited the space-time corridor beside the Iera relay – she could only hope that whatever damages had been inflicted on the ship hadn’t resulted in any major injuries or loss of life, whether on the cruiser or her accompanying frigates.

  * * *

  * ALLIANCE CRUISER SSV TOKYO · DOCKED, ARCTURUS SHIPYARD *

  * TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS POST-DEPLOYMENT *

  Lieutenant Yuán, along with a large number of crewmen from the SSV Tokyo, left the numerous shuttles being employed to transport the ship’s personnel to Arcturus Station for what was expected to be a two-week long liberty after enduring several damaging encounters with batarian slavers in and around the Iera relay and the colony world of Horizon.

  She had been looking forward to spending her time off with Sammy – at least during the evenings when the specialist would be off work. As the comm buoys in Iera – destroyed by the batarians at the beginning of their all-out assaults on the colonies on Horizon – were still being replaced and tested, each of Traynor’s daily messages to Xiùlán, having been held in a queue, had been delivered all at once within a few minutes of the Tokyo’s arrival at the Arcturus relay.

  Yuán had read them, one after the other, while lying in her bunk aboard the ship. Each one tore at her heart with lengthy apologies before lifting her spirits with declarations of renewed feelings of love and devotion. As the days had slowly drifted past, Sammy’s apologies grew less heart-rending; she had managed to learn that none of the crew on the cruiser had been seriously injured or killed, so accepted that Xiùlán would receive her messages when the ship cleared the relay to return to Arcturus.

  Once on the station, Xiùlán had gone to a public comms terminal in order to place a call to her Inamorata; she found it nearly impossible to keep her emotions in check when Traynor answered the call. “Sà mǐ! I have missed you terribly. Will it be alright… I mean, can I come over for a bit? I’m on leave while the ship is being repaired. I need…” Xiùlán’s voice quit working as the tears, held in check ever since that awful night so long ago, began streaming down her cheeks. Embarrassed with her seeming lack of control, she dipped her head to look down while she struggled to rein in her emotions.

  “Xiùlán? Of course you can come over. We need to have dinner together, just the two of us. I’ll make a call… find a shuttle to bring you over. You can stay with me while you’re off the ship.” As Yuán looked up again, Sammy smiled and added, “Without your love my life is not complete, Xiùlán.”

  “Nǐ de ài shǐ wǒ de shēnghuó wánzhěngle, sà mǐ!” [你的愛使我的生活完整了, 薩米 – Your love makes my life complete, Sami!] came the happy reply. “I can’t wait to hug and kiss you,” she finished in a shy voice.

  * * *

  * ARCTURUS SHIPYARD · AT LARGE *

  Xiùlán stepped out of the shuttle and looked around for a moment before spotting the only person in the galaxy that made her life complete. She trotted over to stand in front of Sammy; dropping her bags on the metal deck and grabbing the specialist around the waist in one fluid motion, she hoisted her up and swung her around in a circle before easing Sammy back to her feet in order to apply her mouth to a pair of eagerly waiting lips while reveling in the feel of a willing body molding itself to hers.

  Breaking the kiss to breathe, Traynor whispered huskily, “Come on, Luv. Let’s get back to my place so I can peel those clothes off of you.”

  * * *

  Samantha raised her head from the bare shoulder next to Xiùlán’s neck; moving her left arm into an angled position of support, she placed her hand on the side of her head as she used a pair of fingers on her right to idly trace invisible patterns on and around the intensely aroused nipples on Xiùlán’s breasts.

  “Hhhmmm… feels good, Sà mǐ. I don’t want you to stop.”

  “Don’t intend to stop, Luv. I still feel awful about the way I treated you the last time you were here… and I know you said I was forgiven, but I…”

  Xiùlán reached up to place a pair of fingers vertically across Traynor’s lips. “We’re good, Sà mǐ. You’ve mended my broken heart; I love you with every fiber of my being… always will, but… that being said, please… don’t ever treat me that way again, okay? I couldn’t bear to live through that misery a second time.”

  Sammy’s eyes became glassy as she looked into the sable brown eyes regarding her. “I promise you, I will never break your heart again, my love. I’d sooner die than have to witness that level of hurt in your eyes.” She leaned over slowly as the fingers across her lips slid slowly down her chin and throat to begin sketching patterns of their own on a pair of sweetly curved mounds; pausing with her mouth hovering above Xiùlán’s, Sammy slowly dipped her tongue between the seam of Xiùlán’s lips, following with her own lips as Xiùlán’s parted slightly in acceptance of a soft kiss. Sammy enveloped her Inamorata’s lower lip with both of hers and teasingly sucked on the luscious morsel for a moment before releasing it with a moist pop.

  Xiùlán smiled as Sam slid her face down to pause between a magnificent pair of honey-soft breasts. Lifting her head slightly, she recited in halting Mandarin the words tattooed between Xiùlán’s boobs. “My love for you will never end.” Placing a kiss on her breastbone, Sammy added, “It works both ways, darlin’.”

  Xiùlán whispered in response, “Actually, I had Master Jiang modify your original phrase before he applied the ink there.”

  Traynor placed several kisses across the Hànzì characters inked into Xiùlán’s light olive-colored skin before asking, “So, what does this actually say, Luv?”

  “It says ‘My love for you is as enduring as the sky and the earth’,” came the somber reply. “Literally… it means ‘I love you forever’… It was the way I felt when we visited my parents; it is the way I feel about you now, this minute… and every day… since the very first time I held you close. Do you remember that night, Sà mǐ?”

  Traynor spent several moments thinking back to their time together at the Alliance base on Earth’s moon. “Seems to me I was feeling depressed about my treatment by others – especially that miserable little bastard Joesiar – you held me tight, assured me I was special… that you didn’t want to associate with someone that felt they were worthless. I absolutely loved you for that, Xiùlán… You gave me a really precious gift that night.”

  Yuán’s smile widened as she thought back as well. “I also told you I wasn’t interested in a one-night stand, darling. I’m so glad we’ve been able to get past our… disagreement. I believe you will always have a bad attitude concerning Alliance brass…” Xiùlán could see the protest forming on Traynor’s luscious lips, so hurried on with, “… and that’s totally okay… really. Just… please, Sà mǐ? For me? Don’t let that attitude cost you your career… It would devastate me after all we’ve been through together.”

  Sammy’s tousled hair fell past her eyes as she continued to kiss her way down the center of Xiùlán’s chest and tummy; just shy of her ultimate goal, she raised and tilted her head to gaze at Xiùlán’s face while saying, “Looks like someone’s name might be partially hidden by all this curly hair.” To emphasize her point, she used the tip of a finger to lightly trace the three exquisitely delicate Hànzì characters tattooed across Xiùlán’s pubic mound – 薩 · 曼 · 莎 – it was the final word for the phrase on her chest, meant to tell anyone and everyone that Xiùlán’s love was only for Sà màn shā.

  Sammy lingered on the middle character, knowing that the very bottom of the 曼 was less than a millimeter from the tip of an enticing valley of pleasure; Xiùlán’s entire body stiffened and shuddered in anticipation of what Sammy would be doing with her talented fingers… and mouth. Bringing her left knee up and laying that leg down, she placed the sole of her foot against her right knee. Traynor, never one to ignore such an invitation, used two fingers to tu
g a damp sheath upwards so she could torture a stiffening pink bud with the tip of her tongue; Xiùlán squirmed in appreciative ecstasy, grabbing the edges of the mattress while thrusting her hips up and spreading her legs as wide as she could to accommodate a pair of fingers sliding into her moist, throbbing core.

  The combination of fingers and tongue quickly proved to be Xiùlán’s undoing; after such a long time without Sammy’s loving attention to her physical needs, she discovered she was nearly always only a hair’s breadth from a full-blown climax anytime Sammy had her nude body alongside her own. She stifled a squeal of pleasure as her entire world contracted to the hot flesh that responded to her lover’s fingers and tongue by soaking Sammy’s face and the sheet underneath her ass; Sammy rewarded Xiùlán by quickly bringing her head back up to apply a wet, hungry kiss to a willing mouth.

  Xiùlán was still out of breath when she stiffened and arched her back as she was once again blasted over the edge by Sammy’s fingers – two inside her wet center and a thumb massaging her needy little pearl. Ending the kiss so she could take a breath, she said, “Damn! I don’t think I’ve ever climaxed twice in such a short time.” After a few more deep breaths, she added, “Making love with you has got to be the best experience I’ve ever had, Sà mǐ.”

  “Making you crazy… feeling your body squirm around and shudder underneath me? Fun for me as well, Luv.” Sammy palmed Xiùlán’s sweet warmth, moving her hand in tiny circles to massage the flesh she was holding while using her curled fingers to stimulate moist, warm folds, causing her lover to bring her legs back together in order to clamp down and immobilize Sammy’s hand.

  Traynor giggled as she kissed a sensuous mouth once again. “I love you, Yuán Xiùlán.”

  * * *

  Chapter 40: Kindred Spirits

  Souls: When two souls fall in love, there is nothing else but the yearning to be close to the other. The presence that is felt through a hand held, a voice heard, or a smile seen. Souls do not have calendars or clocks, nor do they understand the notion of time or distance. They only know it feels right to be with one another. This is the reason why you miss someone so much when they are not there – even if they are only in the very next room. Your soul only feels their absence – it doesn’t realize the separation is temporary. – Lang Leav

  * * *

  Inamorata – A woman with whom one is in love or has intimate relations; a female lover (Italian)

  Nángùn – (南棍) literally, a ‘southern staff’, a polished, two-meter long white wax wooden staff

  NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement, signed by Yuán and Traynor at the termination of the O7 program

  SDU – Standard Duty Uniform

  VI – Virtual Intelligence

  XO – Executive Officer

  * * *

  * ARCTURUS SHIPYARD · SPECIALIST TRAYNOR’S RESIDENCE *

  Yuán Xiùlán slowly, ever so gradually, became aware – in the way one reluctantly awakens from a pleasurable dream – that she was lying on her back in bed, covered only by a thin sheet; of some surprise, although totally nude, the right side of her body felt unusually warm. Peering through slitted eyelids, she looked down and smiled; the source of the warmth was immediately apparent upon seeing the sleep tousled hair of her Inamorata. Sammy’s head was nestled into the hollow between her shoulder and neck, well-developed body pressed hard into Xiùlán’s side, right leg over and between her own, right arm bent at the elbow to lie across a muscular stomach, with the hand resting relaxed and open on Xiùlán’s left breast.

  Xiùlán turned her head to the left in order to check the time – 0615 – time for Traynor to wake up so she’d have enough time to get dressed and have breakfast before going to work at the shipyard. Xiùlán turned her head back towards the sleeping figure beside her and used the fingers of her left hand to gently comb through the tangled brown hair. Her heart momentarily clenched in her chest at the intense feeling of utter devotion she felt when she thought of this woman – her Xīnxīnxiāngyìn [心心相印 – (literally), soulmate] lying beside her. It was only when Samantha had cold-heartedly sent her away that Xiùlán realized how inextricably her soul was intertwined with Sà mǐ’s – she had been utterly broken inside, a memory that brought fresh tears to her eyes.

  The head on her shoulder moved slightly under Xiùlán’s fingers; soft lips pursed into a sensuous kiss on the hollow between collarbone and neck, followed by a sleepy, “Good morning, my love. How did you sleep?”

  Xiùlán furtively wiped her eyes as a pair of still drowsy honey-browns squinted up at her. “It was the first time I’ve truly slept since…” she paused as her emotions made unimpeded speech nearly impossible. Closing her eyes as a fresh supply of tears began seeping from the corners, she squeaked out, “… our disagreement.”

  Traynor was fully awake at this and quickly rolled to lie more on Xiùlán, cradling her head in both hands. “I am so sorry I hurt you… What do I need to do in order to make you forget?”

  With their noses nearly touching, Xiùlán breathed, “It is not possible to easily forget that level of hurt, Sà mǐ.” She hurriedly continued upon seeing the pained expression briefly wash over Traynor’s face, “Your apology has eased the pain, darling… I have forgiven you, and I will continue to love you with every fiber of my being. It’s just… the wound is still quite fresh, Sà mǐ. The passage of time will heal me, especially since I can hold you close, as we are now.” To emphasize her words, Xiùlán captured Sammy’s lips with her own, kissing her as if she was giving… and receiving… a life sustaining elixir, while sliding her hands down Traynor’s back until she could massage a firm butt.

  Breaking the kiss to gulp a quick breath of air, Sammy grinning wickedly as she said, “Dammit, Xiùlán. I have to go to work, and those hands are not helping me at all.” Pushing herself up, she carefully moved her legs past her lover’s and slid off the bed to stand and stretch, placing her body on full display for Xiùlán’s enjoyment. Before a loving hand could reach her, she took a step back, saying, “Unh-uh, babe. I’m horny enough, just standing here lookin’ at you. That hand touches me where you intended? I’m right back in that bed with you and I’ll be in trouble with my bosses for sure. I’m gonna shower; we can have breakfast before I leave for the yard… since you’re foot-loose and fancy free today, you’re probably gonna want to visit the station… do a bit of shopping, perhaps?”

  Xiùlán had frowned slightly at Sammy’s denial of her loving touch, but understood the feeling entirely; her own body’s desires, even after the intensity of repeated lovemaking the previous evening, hadn’t been completely satiated. “I guess I’ll just have to look forward to having my way with you this evening, Sà mǐ. Go take your shower while I see what I can scrounge us up for breakfast.”

  Xiùlán generally kept her feelings hidden, her expression neutral, but for an instant, Traynor witnessed an animalistic lust in her sable-brown eyes; smiling, she turned and leisurely made for the bathroom, knowing her lover would follow shortly in order to relieve her bladder, wash her face and hands, then go into the kitchen to make breakfast. Sammy felt a deep sense of peace, as if the rift with her lover had never occurred.

  Thinking about this while standing under the water spray, she realized just how profoundly Xiùlán had become connected to her, understanding clearly for the very first time just how deeply her misdirected anger had cut the woman that had grown to love her so completely. ‘Can never direct my anger at her again,’ came the thought. ‘Damn! What I did to her was so… wrong! I really cannot live without her love, and I bloody near threw that love away. Don’t know why she took me back…’ By the time she finished her bath and was toweling off her body, she was reliving the previous night in her mind, thinking of how physically welcoming Xiùlán had been.

  ‘You don’t deserve ‘er, Sam,’ came the thought. She continued to think about this as she got dressed and went to the kitchen. Xiùlán turned as Traynor entered; without a word, the specialist wrapped her arm
s around her Inamorata, hugging her tightly as she whispered in near perfect Mandarin, “Nǐ de ài shǐ wǒ de shēnghuó wánzhěngle!” [你的愛使我的生活完整了 – Your love makes my life complete!]

  Xiùlán was a bit taken aback by Traynor’s actions, saying, “Sà mǐ, I feel the same towards you. I thought we had this all worked out.”

  Traynor drew back enough to kiss willing lips before replying, “We did… we do. It’s just… I was thinking about how deeply I cut you with my words… my actions, and I realized how incredibly fortunate I am to have you back in my life.” Traynor tightened her hug slightly before releasing Xiùlán and casually asking, “So, what’s for breakfast?”

  * * *

  * ARCTURUS STATION AND SHIPYARD · AT LARGE *

  Xiùlán had accompanied Samantha to the worker’s entrance for the Arcturus Shipyards; it was only a short walk from there to the transit area for Alliance personnel, where she caught a shuttle heading for the area of the station reserved for visiting servicemen – it was here that Xiùlán hoped to find the ingredients needed to prepare a traditional London meal for her and Sammy.