by Lilly Cain
“One of your own has betrayed you.”
“Yeah, and I’m beginning to get an idea of who.” He slammed a hand against the wall. “It’s that fucker, Davis. Has to be.” He glared at her. “We have to get out of here. We have to go after the other targets and find out if they’ve already been switched.”
“We can’t do it. The medtech shuttle doesn’t have a lot of power. It was only meant for short hops and we blew a lot getting here in a hurry. We’d be outgunned by just about any ship out there.” Sarina ignored John’s anger. What good would fighting do? “We will have to send a message—we can use Inarrii codes this time and contact the base on Jupiter’s moon. We can warn them and request an escort. They’d be here in about two hours.” She began to check her fighting harness and gear. Two hours was a pretty big window for a second attack. “We’d better grab some supplies and set up a defense for the wait, then send the message.”
“Sooner or later someone is going to come looking for that Gathan.” John’s voice resonated with tension. “They knew we were here so I’m betting on the sooner, rather than the later. We should get the hell out of here and go after the next target. They won’t be expecting that.”
“If we die, no one will know what the Raveners have planned. We need to pass the info on and prepare for an attack,” she countered. “Then we’ll go after them.”
He stared at her. She could see the conflict in his shoulders, and in the tight line of his jaw. “We.”
“Yes, we. You have your assignment, apparently, and I have mine. We do it together or not at all.”
“I don’t work with a partner. The one guy I thought was on my side has just proven himself to be not only a complete asshole but a traitor to the entire planet.”
“Well, suck it up. You have a partner now.” Sarina crossed her arms and fingered the arm holsters of her dash’tet.
Either the comment or the implied threat seemed to strike him as amusing. Sarina hid her sigh of relief as the atmosphere immediately relaxed between them. “Suck it up? Where’d you learn that? No, don’t tell me. Same place as you picked up ‘paper-pusher.’ I really hated that one, you know.”
“The linguistics tables for your language are extensive. How about geek? Nerd?” Sarina teased John as she finished checking her harness for damage from the last attack. She looked up to find John staring at her, his expression serious.
“I had a partner once. He died.”
He was telling her something important. A part of her wanted to reach out to him, touch him, but she realized that if she did, he might shut her out once again. “We have all had partners die. Knowing our bunkmates lives are in danger during a mission brings focus to our actions. We risk not only our own lives but those around us.”
“He got caught in crossfire. I tried to protect him, but there were snipers in the upper levels of the building we were in.” John paced the room.
“You did your duty.”
“But he still died. And while I tried to reach him, the target escaped. The mission was a bust.”
“That is regrettable, but might still have been the outcome whether you acted differently or not.” Now she did step closer. John was more like her than she’d imagined. He carried the weight of a warrior.
“If I concentrate on protecting my partner, I can’t do my job.”
She reached out and caught his arm, stopping his restless pacing. “You must trust your partner to care for himself as he cares for you. Trust me.”
He stared at her, swallowed hard as he thought about it. She waited. She could see the tension in his jaw muscles as he made the decision.
“Okay, partner.” He put a hand over hers where she gripped his arm. “What next?”
“There should be rations and water in the upper panel beside the door. I say we go back to the hydroponics lab and set up a barricade. With the oxygen-generating machinery there, combat will be restricted.”
“If it worked once, it could work again.”
* * *
“Tel sho ahoi. This is Soryen Sarina Tariim.” Sarina spoke into the communications module in the hydroponics lab, using a mixture of human and Inarrii languages she thought John could easily follow. He was her partner and deserved to hear her report.
“Inar tel sahiir, Soryen Tariim. What is your status?” The remote patch from the hydroponics log to the control room comm pad held.
Sarina sighed in relief. She was trained in every kind of warrior art, but not in data mechanics. She glanced around the room as she framed her answer. The green glow in the hydroponics lab did nothing to hide the drying blood on the floor. “We are alive. John Bennings and I have taken refuge in the Inarrii moon surveillance base. We were attacked by Terran Purity ships, aided by Gathan technology. We have obtained vital information regarding the attacks.”
There was some shuffling as the commtech indicated he was bringing a higher level of officer to the channel. She wasn’t surprised when Commander Jannii Finar spoke into the line. “Can you confirm the Gathan involvement?”
“More fully than I would like to. There was one in the party who followed us into the base.”
“I see. No hope that you didn’t kill the cold-skinned pirate, I suppose.”
A wave of relief swept through her at the humor in Finar’s tone. He wouldn’t be joking if they weren’t already mounting a rescue. “Actually, I wrapped him up in force-bindings just for you.” She sobered, remembering the way she’d compelled the prisoner to talk. “His body is mostly whole. But you might need an Examiner to put his mind back together.”
“We’ll do what we have to, just as I suspect you have done. An escort is already on its way. We sent one out after your last transmission, although we weren’t sure which sector to search.”
Sarina took a deep breath, feeling an ache in her chest, one she’d experienced dozens of times yet still seemed unexpected. “I regret to report that our initial escort is dead. Two sho’tet have flown their last.”
“Word has already passed to their clan. You may provide your final messages when you are back on board the Osprey. Your new escort is considerably more heavily armed.”
A scraping noise sounded from behind her. Sarina glanced back to see John dragging a bench to add to the barricade with one arm. His injured arm hung useless on the other side of his body. Anger flashed though her as she watched him, followed closely by a twinge of shame.
“I must also report that John Bennings is injured. Nonfatal. Please have a medtech available as soon as possible.”
“We will have one ready for your arrival.”
John joined her at the panel. She nodded to him and then continued her report. “There are apparently three other targets involved in the Terran/Ravener plot. I suggest you quarantine the rest of the human legal personnel. Search them for Gathan technology, specifically holographic equipment.”
“Understood.” There was a short period of silence. Sarina wished the patch could have allowed for video contact as well as audible. Then Commander Finar spoke again, apparently having checked an incoming data stream. “The medical team requests that you also be ready for inspection and transfer upon reaching the base, Tariim. I am sure the stress you have been enduring has been extreme and you will require immediate attention.”
“Actually, Sergeant Tariim has performed perfectly,” John interjected. “I don’t believe she is stressed in any way.”
Sarina glanced at him. He gave her a grin that could only be described as gloating. She shook her head—he didn’t understand the seriousness of her injury. The medtechs were only trying to help.
“We can discuss this at another time,” Sarina spoke before John could say anything to extend the conversation. “Tel sahiir denay.”
“Tel sahiir denay.”
Sarina closed the channel. She turned away from John,
took a few steps before she felt him following her. Her stomach churned. Sex, as commonplace as breathing or sharing a meal, suddenly felt like the last thing she wanted to discuss. The medtechs would be all over her when they reached the base. The thought of being examined and possibly tested for response again made her grit her teeth.
She had reached completion with John, but she had no real idea why. It could have been any number of things, and now the medtechs wouldn’t leave her alone until they knew why. It was their duty, and it was hers too, if she could help other Inarrii to avoid the fate she found herself in—basically cut off from her clan, written off their honor role as finished.
Something tasted bitter in her mouth. What if they couldn’t figure it out?
“What’s wrong?” John reached to her through a weak and stuttering m’ittar. The power of his mind was growing, enough that he could contact her now without touch.
“It doesn’t matter. Are we ready?” She tried to distance herself from him. Discussing her discomfort was the last thing she wanted with him.
“We’re ready. Nothing to do but wait.”
She noted the sardonic tone of his thoughts. “Your favorite thing to do and mine.”
He got closer to her, looked into her eyes. “Want to know my favorite thing to do while I wait?”
Her L’inar ridged under the tickling edge of her hair. “I think I know.”
“I don’t know…I’d be surprised if you know how to play poker.” He walked away, missing the surprise she knew must show on her face. His m’ittar faded as he moved toward his bag of belongings and she found she missed his warmth.
She had to smile when he produced a small packet of what she recognized as playing cards.
“There are rules to this game,” he commented aloud as he took a seat at a small workstation at the edge of the room, as far from the door and the traces of the earlier attack as possible. She joined him, bemused at his sudden change of attitude. He seemed almost happy while she was left to ponder his necessary lies and their unlikely future.
“I know a little. There are wagers for each round,” she offered as she pulled a bench from a nearby station and took a seat across from him.
“Oh yes, indeed there are.”
John’s voice held an odd note, and Sarina frowned. “What will we wager with?”
“How about we combine the game with a little truth or dare?”
“I’m not sure I understand, John. What is this all about? What does it have to do with the mission?” She watched him mix the cards between his hands, favoring his injured arm slightly. Eventually he dealt out several cards to each of them and placed the rest in a spot close to mid point between them.
“Nothing. It has nothing to do with the mission, Sarina.” His gray eyes met hers.
She sucked in a breath at the intensity she read there. He wanted her, and her L’inar rippled in response, but there was something more in his expression than desire. He confused her. Perhaps it was a cultural difference, but she found herself more bewildered by his behavior than before. He broke the connection first, looking down at the cards he now held in his hands.
“Ante up. One truth.”
“But I don’t know the rules.” Sarina picked up the cards, looked at the odd pictures on the faces, the differences between the cards. She recognized the numbers but that was all.
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll help you.”
Sarina licked her lips. The conversation was confusing, and she had no idea what he wanted from her. His offer to help—it could break her if she thought about it too long. What was he proposing? She’d never needed help before and what she needed now was more complicated than he could imagine. The surreal scene, playing cards as they waited to be attacked or saved, it was similar to a hundred missions with Inarrii bunkmates she’d experienced over the years—the forced intimacy brought on by life or death moments mingling with impossible hours of anticipation for the next battle.
* * *
“I’ll go first then. One truth for the ante—that’s the initial stake. Are you in?” John waited for her response. She needed him. She just didn’t want to admit it. He was certain of it now, after seeing her face when her commander told her she would have to face the medical team. He might be in physical pain but it was minor, only a flesh wound, while she had something injured deeper within. She was a soldier; she’d tough it out. But he felt a dull throb in his chest when he thought of her facing them alone. What she’d said earlier, about being thought of as permanently damaged and that she would eventually lose her mind, was shit. She was the toughest, strongest woman he’d ever had the pleasure to meet, let alone touch.
They were good together. Like partners ought to be.
“One truth,” she agreed. “What now?”
If he was playing the way he’d like to, he’d be betting for her clothes. His hand was already damn good and seeing her naked again would be delicious. But they only had an hour before they’d have company again, maybe even less if they were attacked. This might be the only chance he had to play for something more than sex. He laid a card face down on the table and drew another. “I’ll wager one dare. My hand is good. You can fold—give up now, or you can ask for more cards. You are trying to get as many of the same suit, hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades as you can or a run of them in numerical order. The higher the numbers or faces, the better, except an ace beats all.” He showed her his hand. Four jacks. She was finished.
“I’ll take two cards.”
John raised his eyebrows, keeping his tone light. “Okay. What do you bet?”
“Another truth. I think you owe me a few.”
John winced but dealt her the cards. “I’ll call. That means I want to see what you have, and the best hand wins. What have you got?”
She frowned and laid her cards on the table. “Only three of the nine cards.”
“I win then. You owe me a truth and a dare.”
She shifted in her seat and looked away. “Let’s play again first.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
She stood and walked away from the table. “This is ridiculous. Playing games when we could be attacked at any time.”
It was an excuse and he knew it, could feel it within her. He gathered the cards and put them back in their case, then stowed them away in his shipsuit side pocket. “I’ve seen the sho’tet playing Haisto. Soldiers are the same, everywhere. At times like this, distraction is everything.” He eyed the curve of her back; her shoulders were tense. “You won’t honor your bet?” He was playing dirty but this was important. She hadn’t had a chance of winning. He had no intention of losing.
She stalked back to him. Her lips turned down in an angry grimace. He could feel her emotions pushing against his mind. Frustration, sorrow. He slid slowly into the mind contact that had begun to feel more natural to him. M’ittar. Beneath her upset he found her fear, and a simple layer of desire. He stepped closer, leaned into her. She didn’t move—perhaps she was surprised as he pushed his desire through the link. He held tight to his urge to help her. She didn’t need to feel that from him, not yet.
He closed his eyes and touched his lips to hers. Immediately he felt a line of pleasure drawing across his neck and skin. Her pleasure, reflected against his mind. He tasted her, licked the lower edge of her bottom lip and sucked it slightly into his mouth. She opened for him, her lips parting so he could slip his tongue into her mouth to dance against hers. She made a small whimper and he knew she was with him.
“Tell me a truth. Why do you think you’ll lose your mind when we already know you can come, you can orgasm with me?” He recalled the experience of their mirrored reactions and slid his memory of their shared orgasm through their m’ittar.
She sagged against him, trembling with the power of it. He shuddered too; his cock was so hard he thought he co
uld come right there, sharing this thought with Sarina.
“I’m not sure about why it happened. It might not happen again. Maybe it was the electro gel.”
“I don’t think so.” Thoughts raced in circles through his mind and he fought to keep them separate from Sarina without losing the link. She was wrong, although what that meant for them, he wasn’t certain. He tried for a light tone. “You owe me a dare.”
“Males. Much as I would like to experiment with you, now is not the time for sex.”
“Then take me in your thoughts to somewhere else. I read that some Inarrii can do that.”
“Some can. It depends on the strength of your gift and the kind of link we would have. I am not sure…”
“Are you going to negate your wager? Keeping her off balance seemed to be working.
Sarina leaned her body into his, nestling into his arms. He held her. Nothing else seemed real. The space around them faded away until he could feel only her touch, the silk of her skin, the soft drag of her hair against his cheek.
“I can’t take you to a different place. But I can give you this.” Her mental voice had gentled, warmed as she spoke directly into his mind.
He opened his eyes. There was nothing now around them, only emptiness. He looked into her deep green eyes and realized he could feel her naked body pressed against his. No shipsuits, no weapons lay between them. Her ridges ran stiffly erect over the skin of her back and he stroked them so he could watch the desire darken her eyes.
Sarina knelt and lay back, never taking her hands from his skin, never breaking contact with him. He followed her down, although part of his mind shied away from wondering just what they might be laying on. “Is this real? Any of this?”
“Shh.”
She reached for his cock and he lost the question as she stroked him, explored his member. Under her hands, lines of pure pleasure radiated down the length of his shaft in curling designs. He glanced down for the pleasure of watching her touch him and was shocked to see thin ridges of skin rising along his cock.