Starline

by Imogene Nix

  Right about now, a coffee was the minimum she needed. She comb-dried her hair as she made her way to Elara’s office.

  Palming the door, she wandered into the suite. She made to enter Elara’s office when she realized Grayson and Elara were wrapped in a serious clinch. Mellissa blushed and backed out awkwardly. Elara giggled, and Grayson lifted his head with a growl before he saw who was there. He cleared his throat, muttered something about leaving them to it, and left to Elara’s rising laughter.

  Mellissa stammered an apology, but Elara quickly put her at ease. “Oh, don’t worry.” She laughed. “He just popped in to update me on some news, and...well, things just ran away from us.” She grinned, her eyes twinkling. “But you know all about that now, don’t you?” her new friend teased playfully.

  “Umm, he loves me?” Mellissa squeaked, looking both embarrassed and overcome. She looked at her friend.

  “Yes!” Elara almost punched the air exultantly as she danced around the room. “I knew it. And you love him too.” Elara wrapped her arms around Mellissa. “I’m so happy for you!”

  “Oh, I’m happy too, but what happens next?”

  Elara looked at her, a small smile on her lips. “He’s so like Grayson in some ways, yet different too. You need to talk to him, find out what you are both happy to give and take, and find a compromise that works for you. Just like Grayson and I did. You know, it’s not easy, or simple, but it’s very, very rewarding.” Elara smiled like the cat that got the cream.

  “I guess,” said Mellissa doubtfully, looking at her friend. She felt confident that Duvall had meant what he had said. He’d promised never to lie to her, and she believed that implicitly. It wasn’t in him to make such a declaration lightly.

  “I’m your friend, and if you ever need to talk, my door is open,” Elara said. It was the one thing Mellissa needed to hear.

  Then Elara changed the subject and they sat down to discuss their day, companionably chatting as they drank the coffeepot dry. Checking the time, Elara declared that they should meet at the mess hall in an hour.

  Mellissa stood to leave, heading to the door, but she quickly doubled back, giving Elara a quick, fierce hug. “Thanks for being my friend.”

  Just before she was out of the room, she heard Elara say, “You’ll do just right, hun. You’ll do.”

  Mellissa smiled and kept walking.

  * * * *

  As they hurtled through the slipstream, every member of the crew worked to prepare for the mission. Mellissa researched in the morning and worked with Chowd every afternoon, attempting to learn how the laser worked. Her aim improved, and Chowd nodded his encouragement, but when it came to the basic self-defense course he had created for her… Well, it never seemed to improve. She had yet to block a move or to throw him. Chowd shook his head, and she knew he shared the results with Duvall.

  Mellissa felt more confident of her relationship with Duvall. The frequent touches, the way he kissed her, included her on the bridge, and encouraged her to participate in the briefings told her that their relationship had a permanence she craved. There was even a steamy kiss on the stairs, where he backed her up, grabbing her mouth for a hot, soul-stealing kiss that left both of them breathless.

  She fretted endlessly about Jem though. How could she intervene to ensure her safety? The question ran around in her head ominously. The morning they were due to exit the slipstream just beyond Eris, she sat in her seat on the bridge.

  Duvall was curiously quiet. The bridge stood empty, as they had headed up before any command staff and those on duty had been dismissed. Mellissa sat in her chair, concerned and watching Duvall.

  “What’s wrong, Duvall?” She watched a ruddy blush steal over his face.

  He looked surprised, then sheepish. “Ahh…” he started, then grinned. “Well, there are a couple of things on my mind. The first,” he said, sobering, “is that when you’re back in your own time, you may not want to return with me.” He looked uncomfortable at this admission.

  Mellissa sat stunned. “Duvall, I love you. Let me tell you now, you’re not going anywhere without me, and I’m certainly not staying there without you.” It had never occurred to her that he could be uncertain of their relationship. “And what else?” she asked, encouraging him to continue.

  “The other...well, when this is done, I want to talk to you. About us.”

  Her heart stopped. “What? What do you mean?”

  His smile was strangely not reassuring, but he’d claimed to love her. Confusion once more raised its head, but she beat it back. I trust him.

  “Nothing bad,” he assured her. Grabbing her hand, he said, “We need to talk about how to make this more…” For a second he seemed lost for words. “…permanent.” He glanced at her.

  He said the last word gruffly, but joy filled her. Her heart rate settled down and she breathed deeply. Mellissa grabbed his face for a quick, hard kiss. They didn’t have time for anything more, as members of the crew made their way onto the bridge in preparation for exit. Some looked at them with rampant curiosity, but no one said a word.

  Strapping into her seat beside Duvall, she watched as he started running preparation checks. Elara entered and took her seat near Mellissa, and they waited for the exit chimes to sound. With a silent move, they exited the gate, waiting for Duvall’s command to exit back into real-time space once more.

  Mellissa felt that the magic of transfer through the port would never grow old for her. Duvall’s gaze settled on her like a palpable thing, and she smiled. They both had work to complete, but later… A whisper of excitement fizzed in her veins. She had to finalize her research and create a report for the briefing that would take place later.

  It was imperative they had all the information to plan dealing with Jem, tracking down Andurs, and find the infiltrator they were chasing. Her desk screen waited in the alcove and Mellissa hurried in its direction. Once settled in her seat, she tapped at the keyboard.

  * * * *

  Once more seated in Duvall’s office much later that evening for a dinner conference, Mellissa felt she finally had something to add. She made her report to the crew, who raised concern with the sparseness of the information she’d gleaned concerning Andurs.

  “Are there any further obituaries that mention him?”

  Mellissa shook her head at Duvall’s query. “No. I’ve tried everything I can, right down to speeding and parking fines. There’s just… There’s nothing to find. It’s like he barely exists.” She glanced at those assembled. “That brings me to my next thing. Maybe he doesn’t actually exists. I mean, we know his name is Andurs Feinstein, right? But how can we be sure? Maybe Andurs doesn’t exist and he’s someone else with an assumed identity.”

  “How would we track him then?” Chowd asked.

  All Mellissa could do was shrug.

  Around the table, everyone understood the impact of her words. Shoulders drooped, and more than one hand was dragged through hair.

  Glancing at Duvall, it was clear he was unhappy with her suggestion. His mouth was pinched white at the edges, and his eyes narrowed. “All right then. We’ll move on.”

  “Captain, I believe that we need to put in place some contingency plans,” Elara said. Mellissa looked at her friend, and as Duvall gave her permission, she continued. “We need to fit the three of you with dermal transmitters. That way, should we need to track your movements, we’ll be able to do so.”

  Mellissa could see Duvall thinking this over, and when he answered, “I believe that would be a wise decision,” she felt his hand move to her knee. He needed almost as much reassurance as she did, she realized.

  “We’ve also finalized the coordinates for the entry to your office, Mellissa.” He turned to look at her. “In fact, we’ve timed the mission to the minute. There’s a window of exactly twelve hours and thirty-six minutes to get in, complete the mission, and get out.” He looked around the table. “Chowd, Grayson, and I believe that within this timeframe we can carry out the missi
on undetected by the current military satellites and detection systems.”

  “Your shop layout was most detailed, Mellissa. It gives us an accurate view of your location at the time Duvall transmitted you to the ship, so I’ve worked with Raven. We will transmit you back to that same spot within a half-hour.” Chowd spoke slowly as if weighing every word.

  “Well, that’s great. But I have a small problem. Do you two intend to go in dressed as you are?” She waited and when they both nodded she closed her eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Okay, you’re going to stand out.” Mellissa sighed.

  From the arrested look on their faces, they hadn’t considered their wardrobe options. Duvall looked at her.

  “Duvall and Chowd, we need to find you an alternative to your uniforms. Elara, are my original clothes still around?” she asked.

  “Yes, they’re in the ST suite. I can arrange to return them to you later today.”

  “Good. Is there any way of replicating them, but bigger?”

  Chowd smiled. “I believe there is.”

  “Good. I also think we should grab my car and head straight to Jem’s flat. It’s not too far away, but if I phone first we may have a chance of getting her by herself. If you get her with Andurs....well, I doubt you’ll get much sense out of her.”

  “I’m not sure that would be advisable. What if Feinstein is there with her when you make contact? He could communicate your plans to Crick Sur Banden,” Chowd replied, quickly tapping information into his desk screen.

  “Oh God, that never occurred to me.” She sat back, horrified. With all eyes on her she closed her eyes, thinking about options. “The coffee shop. That would be a safe location and he’d have to see us or be there to… You know. Get the information to Crick Sur Banden.”

  “Even so, should we decide on that, we’ll require the location of her housing complex,” Chowd said, breaking through her self-recriminations.

  “I have the GPS…umm…global positioning satellite coordinates and I’ve mud-mapped out her house.”

  Chowd looked up, lost. “Mud-mapped?”

  “Oh right, a dirtsider term. It means I quickly drew one up on a piece of paper.” She looked over at him. Duvall grunted, obviously accepting what she had said.

  “Okay, so once we transmit, we are to all intents and purposes out of radio contact. The only communications acceptable are emergencies only, including withdrawal transmissions and the like. Grayson will equip us with tracking icons though, so anything we need transmitted—animate or inanimate—can auto-transmit using those. Anything else will likely put the mission in jeopardy,” Duvall stated.

  “I agree, Captain. But I would like, once more on record, to state that you should remain on the ship and I should take Mellissa dirtside with Chowd,” pointed out Grayson. A swift look at Elara made it clear he had discussed this with her and she did not agree with his assessment.

  “I accept that on the record, however, given the situation, I am overruling the same,” Duvall said mildly. “When we get down there, we’ll investigate the best option for making contact with Jemma. That decision will be based on the sit-rep.”

  “Sit-rep?” Mellissa blinked, hoping one of them would elaborate.

  “Situation report,” Elara clarified.

  “Oh.”

  The meeting continued, with the final details being tied up. The fitting of dermal tracking devices was set for the morning in the SurgiTech suite. Raven would replicate the clothing for Chowd and Duvall in engineering. Grayson gave an estimate of their arrival on the dark side of the moon, where the ship would hide out of sight of satellites. Plans now firmed, the meeting broke up.

  Finally alone, Mellissa walked into Duvall’s arms, and together they retreated to their cabin.

  Chapter 13

  Morning came too soon for both Mellissa and Duvall. Snuggled in his arms under the covers, her hands running over the body she loved and now knew almost as well as her own, his hand rubbing the downy curls that hid her secret recesses, they lay together. The touch was comforting and intimate, their bodies now in tune with each other. They both knew that soon reality would intrude. The only sound that broke through the silence was their breathing.

  “Mellissa…” Duvall rolled over to face her, framing one side of her face with his hand. “Promise you won’t take any chances.” His eyes seared her with intensity.

  This was a question that she could answer honestly. Just don’t let him ask me about Jem. “I promise,” she whispered.

  She knew he worried about her safety, but while the mission would be fraught with danger and possibly grief at once more leaving everything behind, it was clear her future lay here, with this man. She smiled lightly. He moved in toward her, placing a soft kiss on her lips, then resting his head against hers.

  “I love you,” she said.

  They continued to lie there for another few minutes, skin to skin, offering a reassurance to each other. A buzz heralded the time to rise and dress. He took great care helping her into the clothes he had first seen her in, jeans and t-shirt, complete with the pink fuzzy slippers she had worn. It seemed so long ago now. She helped him with his jeans and t-shirt while she laughed at the heavy fabric and watched him team them with his own hefty black boots.

  They had both agreed on an acceptable cover story that she had met Duvall, a security officer, and they, with his friend Chowd, were hoping to catch up for coffee and maybe a meal. The three agreed it was better to keep it as simple as possible. Quickly, they made their way along the corridor and onto the bridge with Chowd. He dressed similarly to Duvall, and she nodded encouragement in answer to the question of his raised eyebrow.

  She took one look at Chowd’s finely chiseled face, patrician nose, and slicked-back hair and grinned. Good thing she had Duvall, otherwise he might be in trouble, she thought with a snicker.

  Duvall settled into his command seat, and the crew took position while waiting for the Elector to come into orbit behind the moon, then he handed command over to Grayson.

  They swiftly moved to the transmission room. They were slightly behind their timetable, so Elara had elected to meet them there with the dermal trackers. Elara held the applicator, while on the side lay the insert tubes, each containing a single tracker. “Just give me your arm, then you’re good to go.”

  Mellissa held out her arm, and Elara place the applicator against the skin then depressed the button. Mellissa lifted her arm, examining it, but could see no wound, and nothing hurt; just a small amount of discomfort in the site of the tracker.

  “All systems are ready?” questioned Duvall, and Grayson nodded.

  Chowd quickly scanned them over with alert eyes and a single word. “Ready.”

  Elara swooped in for a last minute hug, Grayson checked the coordinates on a hand screen, then Mellissa grabbed Duvall’s hand.

  Duvall stated, “Three to transmit,” and the world blurred and turned black.

  * * * *

  When she opened her eyes, she held on to Duvall, and the three of them stood in her small, cramped living room. After so long away, it seemed almost alien to her. Duvall kept her in one place while Chowd checked to ensure the security of the area. Once he determined it was clear, Duvall let go of her.

  “Check to make sure everything is as it was,” he whispered to her.

  She glanced around at the utilitarian furniture, and wandering quietly, trailed by both Duvall and Chowd, she checked throughout the flat. She nodded, signaling that everything looked the same.

  Chowd indicated that they should retreat to the lounge then headed down the stairs as silently as possible in his heavy boots. The story she had seen showed that the break and enter had not been discovered until that evening when she was due to meet with Jem. That gave them roughly twelve hours to finalize everything and get out of there before the mission was compromised. Chowd stayed several steps ahead of both of them, and she noticed he seemed to glide in silence. Once down the stairs, he scanned the area and ushered them
toward the corner.

  She could see where the Ru’Edan infiltrators had tried for entry. The door swung on its hinges. “Shouldn’t we fix that so no one can see in?” Mellissa whispered only to be met with a headshake from Duvall indicating no. Not happy, she nonetheless acceded to this.

  He ushered her quickly into the office area where they had first met. She sucked in a deep breath once they pushed the door shut.

  She pulled out a tiny information transference device she’d received from the comm officer and started to check information and sample data, just in case they’d missed anything to do with Andurs. It scanned for a connection to the internet, using a hidden IP and containing a self-extracting hack-key. She looked up and nodded to Duvall. Yes, it worked.

  She tried government data, department of transport, and even births, deaths, and marriages. Nothing.

  “Chowd, I need you to check for signs of devices, including listeners.” Duvall’s voice cut through the silence as he scanned.

  She opened her mouth, and he raised a hand to cut her off. Chowd watched the small box in his hand. While nothing seemed materially different, they needed to ensure it was safe before setting it up as their field base.

  “Mellissa, I need you to check that nothing is out of the ordinary in here or has changed since we were last here.”

  Again she cast about quickly to check for any sign. Nothing was out of place and her computer had been humming when she’d entered. Her story of George and Eliza continued to fill the screen. She looked at it and frowned.

  The woman who’d sat down eons ago at this computer had a totally different outlook on life. One glance at her story highlighted it. Now she knew her words and dialogue were flat and lacking the knowledge of slipstream technology and the future. Her grasp of the concepts was so sparse she wanted to laugh. She reached over to turn it off when she noted something with the slightest tinge of gray spread on it. She motioned to Duvall, who in turn motioned for Chowd. He scanned the item on the button, his face grim.