Partners - Book 1

by Melissa Good

  It would take a lot of hard work to get the carrier ready in time, but she was confident they could do it.

  That made her think about Clint. She wondered about the box of shells. It was hard to decide if that was a good thing he’d done or not a good thing, though she thought maybe he thought it was good. He seemed like a nice person, and she didn’t think he was trying to get something from her, but Jess seemed to think maybe he was.

  She wasn’t sure what the something was. Jess had gotten all flustered again when she’d asked, there at the end after they’d found themselves talking about it again so she’d just dropped the subject.

  She thought it was really cute when Jess got like that. There was something really sweet and nice about it, since usually Jess was so strong and self possessed. It would be excellent if she knew why simple straightforward questions seemed to evoke that, but she supposed eventually she’d figure it out.

  Dev curled her arms around her pillow and exhaled in contentment. It had been such a good day. She was trying to decide which had been the best part of it. Jess saying they were partners, or that kissing thing.

  She was so proud about the partner thing. She’d looked the word up when she’d finally left Jess’s quarters and found the description to be very good. It said Jess wanted to continue working with her. Maybe it meant Jess was starting to trust her in a way she hadn’t expected since she didn’t think she’d done much to earn that trust yet.

  So that was excellent.

  But, now, that kissing thing.

  That was pretty interesting too. Dev had, of course, had her basic biology class and she knew all about that. They’d studied the science of reproduction in her advanced level classes, though it wasn’t anything any of them would ever expect to know in person since they did things to them to make them not have babies. So there was no point in the rest of it, according to the lessons.

  She remembered talking after class, and everyone wondering what the big deal was and why the natural born were so fixated about it.

  What she hadn’t known was what it would be like, and how interesting it made her body feel. She hadn’t felt like that during the class, nor after, but if she closed her eyes and thought about it now, about that touch on her lips, she felt that feeling again, and she really liked it.

  She had wanted to ask Jess if they could try that again, but it had gotten late, and she could see Jess was tired. So she saved that for another day, and she figured maybe they could talk about it on the flight.

  Jess had said there would be a market in the stronghold they’d visit. Dev closed her eyes and smiled. That would be interesting and she was looking forward to it.

  Maybe she’d be able to find Jess a present.

  IT TURNED OUT, the next morning, that Dev ended up handling the Clint issue herself. After a very early breakfast she’d gone to the carrier bay, and got to work right off helping get her vehicle ready. She was inside the carrier, lying on the floor with her head inside a console when she heard steps on the ladder and peeked out to see Clint enter.

  He came right over and sat down on the floor next to her, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. “Hi.”

  “Hello.” Dev shifted so her head was in view. “Good morning.”

  “Listen, I have something to explain to you,” Clint said. “I did something but I didn’t really think it through, so I wanted to apologize.”

  Ah. Interesting. “Do you mean the box?” Dev asked.

  Clint nodded, blushing a little. “I just thought it would be something you’d like. I didn’t think about how new you were, or that... I mean maybe it wasn’t something you were used to.”

  “Because I’m a bio alt?”‘

  “Uh...something like that.”

  “I’m not used to it. I had no idea what that was. Jess had to explain it to me.” She watched his face tense into a grimace at her partner’s name.

  Her partner’s name. That threw Dev right off her intent and she had to wrestle her attention back with a surprising amount of effort. “I thought the shells were really interesting. I would like to know more about them, but you don’t have to send me things to prompt me to talk to you.”

  Clint blushed a deeper shade of red.

  “I’m not really comfortable with all that yet,” Dev said in a serious tone. “I got a lot of programming about tech and this.” She pointed at the console. “But not very much about how to deal with natural born people.”

  “Ah.” Clint cleared his throat. “Well, sure. That makes a lot of sense. Was Jess pissed off?”

  Pissed off. Pissed off. “Was she angry? No, I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “She didn’t sound angry. She said she would talk to you about it.”

  Clint went a little pale now. “Okay, well, I guess I should get back to work. Anyway...ah, thanks for understanding. Maybe we can just talk sometimes.”

  “Clint?” Dev edged a little further out. “May I ask you a question?”

  “Uh. Sure.”

  “Why are you so afraid of Jess?”

  Clint stared at her for a long, long moment. “Yeah I guess they didn’t tell you that much about things, huh?” He said. “Just don’t get on her bad side. That’s all I’ll say.” He got up and dusted his coveralls off. “Maybe you should get your...uh...whatever those people are to fill you in a little. “

  “You mean a proctor?” Dev asked. “I don’t think I can do that but maybe I can ask someone else about it.”

  Clint froze, then whirled, as a figure entered the carrier. “Hey! Who the hell are you coming in here?” He put himself between the figure and Dev.

  “Doctor Dan!” Dev crawled out from her position and sat up. “It’s okay, Clint. This is Doctor Dan. He brought me here from the crèche.”

  “Sorry.” Clint edged around the newly installed gunner’s couch and got to the door. “Talk to you later, Dev.” He scrambled down the steps, leaving them quickly behind.

  Dev started to get up, but then sat back down when Doctor Dan waved her back, coming over to sit down on the deck next to her. “Good morning, Dev. Did you like the party last night?”

  “It was okay,” Dev said. “It was a little strange for me. But it was all right.”

  “It’s a lot to get used to,” Kurok said. He was dressed in a plain, dark jumpsuit, with no markings or insignia at all. It contrasted with his pale hair and he seemed comfortable in it. “There were a lot of things going on last night. I wanted to know if you needed me to explain anything to you.”

  “I think it was okay,” Dev said. “But I would like you to explain to me about kissing.”

  Kurok blinked, his eyes going a little wider. “About what?” He asked, in a very startled tone.

  “Kissing.” Dev repeated. “I know what we got in school, but I think they left out some details.”

  Kurok laughed gently, lifting one hand to cover his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dev,” he said. “I never anticipated having to discuss this particular subject with one of you.” He looked at her. “In fact, a very dear friend of mine would be laughing so hard we couldn’t hear ourselves think if he’d been here for it.”

  “I”m sorry,” Dev said. “Was it incorrect to ask?”

  “No.” Kurok leaned against the console, extending his legs across the carrier deck. “It’s never wrong to ask questions, Dev. Even if it’s uncomfortable for someone to answer them.” He folded his hands together. “Are you asking me this because you want to try it, or because you have?”

  “I have,” Dev said. “I mean, I did. One time.”

  “And you want to do it again.” This wasn’t quite a question, and Doctor Dan was giving her one of his sweet, gentle smiles.

  “Yes.” Dev smiled back at him. “I really liked it.”

  Kurok sighed. “Where do I start,” he muttered to himself. “I think we need to talk more than once about this, Dev, and I know you have a mission you’re going on this afternoon. So let me ask you this first, was it the gentlemen who just
left that you kissed?”

  “No. It was Jess.”

  Kurok studied her for a long moment in utter silence. “I see,” he finally said. “Did she ask you to do this, Dev?”

  Dev shook her head. “No, I asked her. I wondered what it would be like, and said that, and she said okay and kissed me. I liked it.” She wasn’t really sure how Doctor Dan felt about it all, he was acting a little funny, and now, something else must have happened because he was trying hard not to laugh. “Was it incorrect?”

  Kurok rubbed his face. “No,” he said. “It’s not incorrect. Well, not in that sense, Dev. There are rules...oh, well, not really rules more customs,” he said. “That natural born people here know they are not supposed to make biological alternatives do things like that when they don’t want to.”

  “I wanted to.”

  “Yes, I understand.” Kurok’s eyes were now gravely twinkling. “You asked her to do that.”

  “Yes.”

  He was quiet for a little bit. “It’s not unknown, in this service, for people who are working very closely together to want to do things like that,” he said. “The most important thing is, that it be something that both people want to do, and not feel like they have to do. You understand me, Dev?”

  Dev nodded. “I do. I remember what happened with TeeJay in the crèche.”

  Kurok’s lips compressed, and he nodded. “That’s what I mean. I don’t want you to get into a situation where something bad happens and you’re unhappy.”

  “Okay,” Dev said. “It was only a kiss.”

  “Yes.” Kurok smiled at her again. “But the way it works, Dev, is that you start by kissing, and then that feels good, so you want to do other things.”

  “What other things?”

  “Things like touching, and giving pleasure,” he said. “It feels so good you don’t want to stop, and it can be very attention consuming and emotional.”

  “Oh,” Dev said. “That’s very interesting.” She paused thoughtfully. “Does Jess know about all of this? She seemed to know about kissing.”

  “I’m sure she does. But I think you should wait to talk to her about it until after your mission. I know you’ll both be very busy.” He glanced up as loud noises started outside the carrier. “And I think there’s some work needing to be done here.”

  “Yes,” Dev said. “We have to get the hull sealed. Thank you for explaining that, Doctor Dan.” She hesitated. “It’s a correct thing, isn’t it?”

  Kurok looked at that young, innocent face, now smudged a little with silicone grease, and smiled. “To be honest, Dev, if you were in one of the regular bio alt positions, or in the crèche, it would be incorrect,” he said, straightforwardly. “Mostly to protect you.”

  She nodded.

  “But you’re not. You’re in a role that makes you the equal of all the natural born humans around you. I think you know that.”

  She nodded again.

  “So, along with the responsibility of performing that role with excellence, you also have to take on the burden of relating to them as though you were one of them,” he said. “That’s a difficult thing, because they don’t all see it that way.”

  “No.”

  “But Jesslyn Drake does,” he said. “So no, Dev, it’s not incorrect for you in this case. But please be careful. I would hate to see you become unhappy because of all of this.”

  Dev wasn’t sure how kissing could make her unhappy, but she accepted Doctor Dan’s words at face value. “I will be careful,” she said. “Especially on the mission. Kissing seems to make Jess very distracted. I wouldn’t want to do that and end up with less than excellent results.”

  Kurok started laughing again. “Oh, Dev.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “Ah, to be young and facing life for the first time again.”

  Dev chuckled herself, a little, more because he was than because she understood the joke. “This is such an excellent position. I’m so glad you picked me for it, Doctor Dan.”

  Kurok let his chuckles wind down, and then he patted her leg. “Go and do well. We can talk more about this when you get back. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Dev watched him stand up. “Thanks again, Doctor Dan.”

  He winked at her and then went to the carrier door, giving it an affectionate slap before he disappeared down the stairs leaving Dev alone inside.

  Whew. That was a lot to think about. Dev squirmed back under the console and picked up her adjustment tool. In the meantime, there was a lot of work to do, and she decided to set aside the thoughts and get down to it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  JESS ASSEMBLED HER mission information package and sat down at her workspace to go over it. Met had finally cleared them, and she spread out the maps, laying out the routes she wanted to take and reviewing the contacts.

  A small folder was set to one side that had their false credentials in it. Jess paused a moment and opened it, sorting through the scan cards and traveling passports with her and Dev’s holos in them.

  She studied Dev’s. They’d assigned her a fake name of Devlin Marks, using the standard theory that one’s own first name should be used whenever possible since it reduced the amount of gotchas in any situation. Her own this time was Jessie Arnula.

  Not really one she favored, but what the hell. Jess set the creds aside and poured over the latest intelligence, checking her chrono then reaching over to tap the comms. “Hey Dev?”

  After a second and a short crackling noise, Dev answered. “Hello!”

  “How’s it going?”

  “Very well,” Dev said. “The interior systems are complete. They’re putting the outer skin on presently.”

  “Great.” Jess smiled. “Good job.”

  Dev’s smile could clearly be heard over the comm. “Thank you,” she said. “I will be asking for the comp synch soon. And run engine tests.”

  “Great,” Jess repeated. “Keep me looped.”

  “Okay,” Dev said, and signed off.

  Jess chuckled and shook her head, going back to studying her metrics. It was a relatively straightforward plan. They’d pull in to Cape Quebec and pick up supplies, then stop at Interforce’s North Station and get the latest met as well as any last minute intel.

  Then a hop to the outlands. Dev would need to park the bus in an ice cave, and they would have to hike in to the fishing village. ”Supply?” Jess pressed a comm button. “Drake,” she said, when it answered. “Leaving plus four I need two arctic kits in my bus.”

  “Got it,” a voice responded, and clicked off.

  Jess whistled under her breath, then paused, wondering why she was so damned happy. Hadn’t she been the one who’d been finding any excuse not to leave just two days ago? Now she felt nothing but anticipation and confidence, and she was human and self knowing enough to stop and wonder why.

  Maybe the induction the previous night had helped. Even the grudging acceptance of her new position was bracing, and she’d gone from feeling like something of a failure to being in a place where she was ready to envision success again.

  It felt good. She felt good today. She picked up the communications folder and studied the inside of it, seeing the brief acknowledgement from North Station, and the latest overhead sat map of the ice flows.

  It would be a cold mission. Jess made a note to get them both some warm undergarments in Cape Quebec, more than the light synth ones they issued here.

  A light knock at her door made her look up. “Come.”

  The door opened, and Alex Bain entered. Jess was caught by surprise, and she half stood as he sauntered over and sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk. “Sir.”

  “Sit, Drake.” He waved at her. “This is an informal meeting.”

  Jess sat. To have Bain call you in, that they’d come to understand was normal. Even to have him call you to ops command? Normal, though now a bit creepy. To get a visit in your quarters? Way outside. “What can I do for you?”

  Bain studied her intently. “I have some
information I wanted to pass along to you before you depart,” he said. “Where is your charming new colleague?”

  “Fixing the bus,” Jess said. “At this point it wouldn’t surprise me if she could knit one from scratch.”

  A smile crossed Bain’s long, craggy face. “You have developed a...hm, strong appreciation for this bio alt.”

  Jess hesitated, then she nodded. “She’s good.”

  Bain nodded back. “We have just received confirmation that we still have a leak inside,” he said. “That’s the main reason I’m here, in your bedroom, telling you and not in the operations center.”

  “Damn.”

  “Hm.” Bain nodded again. “That’s what was behind the attack on Dr. Kurok. Word had gotten to the other side of his success with your new pilot.”

  “Partner,” Jess corrected him quietly.

  “Indeed?” Bain’s eyes twinkled. “That would dismay our friends all the more, I believe. But it surprises me, hmm? You were so adamantly against it.”

  Jess looked at her hands, folded together on the table. “It surprises me too. I never got to say it, but thanks.” She looked up at him. “Glad I bumped into you on the top of that rampway.”

  A completely different smile appeared on his face. “It was my great pleasure.”

  They were both silent for a few moments. “We have to find this person,” Bain finally said. “I’ve had security go over every single record a half dozen times. They have found, nothing.”

  “We have to trap them,” Jess said. “You won’t find anything, and the fact that what they sent over was broadly known information should tell you something. Our last run, when no one really knew what the plan was, didn’t get leaked.”

  Bain nodded thoughtfully. “That ah, had occurred to me.”

  “So,” Jess said. “There are two major bits of information I let slide for this mission. One, that I was stopping at Quebec, and two, that I would report in at North before I went on. The rest of the gig, the only person I told that to was Dev.”