“Keep it up and I’ll program the simulator to give out nothing but healthy, enriched super paste.”
Viktor gagged, nearly choking on his food. He swallowed hard. “You wouldn’t.”
Raisa crossed her arms over her chest.
Viktor reached for Jackson’s plate and stole two of the green cubes. He popped them into his mouth and mumbled, “Mmm, so good.” The expression on his face said he thought they were anything but.
“That’s better.” Raisa nodded in approval.
“I’m going to get out of here before you try to feed me anything else,” Viktor said. He carried his folded food out of the dining hall.
“Hey,” Raisa called after him, leaning into the corridor. “How’s your brother?”
“He woke up for a few minutes earlier mumbling nonsense. The medical booth says he’s getting better.” Viktor did not look heartened by the information.
“That’s a good sign,” Raisa said.
“I suppose.” Viktor walked down the corridor toward the medical booth, where he’d spent most of his time since the fueling dock.
When Raisa turned back to Jackson, he was almost finished with his food, as if he’d shoveled it quickly into his mouth. “Want to help me test the molecular gastro-spectrometer?”
“How?”
“I’ll put something from the simulator into it and see if it can correctly break it down to its molecular levels.” Raisa knew her job sounded boring to those who were not scientifically enthusiastic. She didn’t expect him to stick around for a demonstration. Most of the time people tried to make excuses and ran away from her when she started working.
“Yes,” he answered, to her surprise. “I would like to see how you do what you do.”
“Really?” She couldn’t stop the word from passing over her lips.
“Of course.” Jackson nodded. He stood, moving to look at the unit as if waiting for her to start. “You thought it important enough to risk your life stealing it back from the Dokka. I’ve been curious to see what this molecular gastro-spectrometer does.”
Raisa smiled. “I promise, it’s fascinating.” She reached for the food simulator and disconnected the power supply so she could insert it into her machine. The molecular gastro-spectrometer instantly began to vibrate. It sounded louder than normal, but the indicator lights turned on. “Now hand me your plate. Let’s see if we can break down what you just ate for dinner.”
22
Jackson watched Raisa sleep on the bed next to him. He leaned up on an elbow to better see her. They’d moved to his quarters, a small room with a bed, decontaminator, and not much else. He’d never thought about a woman living in his room before. As a man alone in space, the area served him well. He didn’t need much—a place to sleep, bathe, and do his morning exercise. However, he couldn’t help but think she’d be more comfortable in fancier accommodations.
He wanted to give her everything.
He had little to give.
All he had was the way he felt.
All he had was hers.
Jackson stayed quiet, wanting to memorize the way she sighed and moved in her sleep. If he had no choice but to rejoin the military, he wouldn’t expect her to wait for him. What else could the Federation want? He had done nothing that warranted them coming after him.
Jackson had always suspected that men like him did not get to be in love. Since a young age, he was trained for fighting. Relationships failed when a partner didn’t know where a soldier was, or if they were even alive. Years could pass before contact was reestablished.
The length of her naked body pressed into him. If he had his wish, it would be to lie like this forever. He wanted to marry her, to shout his commitment to the universes. None of that would be fair to her. In the scheme of a lifetime, they had not known each other long.
Jackson felt his heart breaking for all that he couldn’t offer her.
Raisa’s eyes fluttered open as she suppressed a yawn. An instant smile formed on her lips when she looked up at him. She touched his cheek. “You have that expression again.”
“What expression?”
“The blank one. The less emotion you show, the more you have going on in that head of yours.” She brushed the strands of his hair away from his face. “It took me a while, but I’m starting to read your moods. Soon you will have no secrets from me.”
There was a teasing in her expression, but a thread of concern in her voice.
“I’ll keep no secrets from you.” Jackson had no idea what compelled him to make such a promise.
“Are you scared of being conscripted?” Her finger moved along the edge of his bottom lip.
Jackson shook his head in denial. “I’m not frightened by the job. It’s something I know how to do.”
“Are you thinking about Blue?”
“We made the only decision we could make, given the information we had. It would have been wrong to kill her without knowing. I do regret life was lost, but it could not have been predicted. I regret that I was not there to protect you when she attacked.”
“Do you love me?” She rubbed her finger against his bottom lip.
He lightly snapped his teeth at her finger, not biting too hard. “That is no secret.”
She hummed softly and rolled onto her back to stretch her arms over her head. She had no shyness when it came to her nudity, not that she had reason to be shy. He found her perfect. When she finished, she turned to look at him, staying on her back. “Tell me what you were thinking about.”
“You.” Jackson dropped his arm so that his head rested beside her. He pulled her naked waist toward his body so he could hold her close. “I don’t want to leave you.”
She frowned. “Then don’t.”
“I may not have a choice.”
At that, she pushed up from the bed and he regretfully let her go. Her naked back faced him. “You have a choice, Jackson. You don’t have to face anyone. They can’t force you back if you don’t want to go.”
“I won’t risk the lives of my crew. I won’t risk you.” Jackson stayed on the bed. She gestured her hand across the metal drawer in the wall, opening it to grab a clean shirt. Since it was one of his, it hung loose on her body. “You’re angry with me.”
When she turned to face him, she didn’t look mad. “No. I’m trying to think of what I should say to you.”
“You don’t have to choose careful words with me. Say what you are thinking.” Jackson sat up. The covers hid his hips and legs from view.
“On one hand, I respect your need to protect the people you care about. On the other, I don’t want you to meet with the general. There has to be another way to find out why they want you.” She ran her hands through her hair, pulling it off her neck and holding the locks on top of her head. “That Federation handheld I repaired. Maybe we can link it to the main system somehow. Alexis can find out how and I can build the machine to make it happen. That way you don’t—”
“It needs to be directly ported to a base unit and then biometrics for the user are scanned,” Jackson interrupted. “It’s designed that way for security reasons to prevent the very thing you’re talking about.”
He’d talked to Lochlann about it. Rick already steered the ship toward a port near a military base. Arrangements had been made to keep Raisa safe if anything happened to him. He trusted Lochlann would keep his word in that regard.
When she didn’t answer, he stood and pulled her against him. “Even if I am not here, you have a place on this ship for as long as you want it.”
“Don’t talk like that.” She struggled against him, but the effort was weak, and he knew she wasn’t really trying to get away.
“Power is restored to this ship for now, but it’s only a matter of time before something else goes wrong. We can’t afford to be looking over our shoulders all the time. I have to take care of this. Best case scenario is I simply tell them I am not interested in their mission proposal and leave.” Jackson cupped her face and forced her to lo
ok at him. “Raisa, tell me you understand.”
Her lips pressed tightly together.
“I need to hear you understand,” he insisted. “I can’t go out there today and do what I must if I’m worried about you.”
“I under—wait, today?” This time she pushed him harder and he released her. “You’re meeting General Ogden today? When were you going to share this little bit of news, Mr. I Have No Secrets?”
“Today?” He wanted to make her laugh. Too late, he realized his humor fell flat against her rising irritation.
“I’m coming with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. She was adorable standing defiantly with his shirt flowing around her body. “Don’t try to talk me out of it.”
“I’m not going to try to talk you out of it. I’m going to forbid it.” He mimicked her stance. Though, something told him that his nakedness wasn’t intimidating her.
She tossed back her head and laughed. Raisa opened another drawer and pulled out a pair of pants she’d borrowed from Violette. She slipped them on, hopping as she pulled the tighter material up her legs. Then, grabbing her boots, she carried them toward the door. She lifted her hand to leave, only to pause and turn back to face him.
“You know, Jackson, I was buried alive on a lawless black-market planet, faced the Dokka, found the secret lab, fixed this ship, fought Blue, saved your ass from the Federation soldiers, and not to mention the fact I’ve been on my own visiting alien worlds for damn near all my adult life. I’m not some delicate ray of sunlight that needs protection from the shadows. So, I’m going to let that I-forbid-you comment pass this one time, because I know you’re doing it out of a place of caring, but rest assured it will be this one time. The next time you decide to go all Neanderthal on me, I’m not going to be so nice about it. I’m disembarking with you, and that’s final.”
With that, she left him staring after her.
Jackson started to follow her but then realized he was stepping naked into the corridor and turned back around to get dressed.
As much as he admired her spirit and knew her capable, her little speech irritated him. He was going to keep her safe whether she liked it or not. General Ogden was a paranoid sort, and for good reason. With the ops he’d been in charge of over the years, there were a lot of people who wanted him dead. The man was not to be taken lightly, and he wouldn’t want a civilian on his base.
23
Jackson didn’t want to leave while Raisa was upset with him, but there was little he could do about that now. The port near Ogden’s base, Fortress Hold Sixty, wasn’t welcoming. It sold overpriced fuel out of a rusty pump, offered cooked meals that looked as if they’d been pulled out of the sewage system, and was run by a Gelertan proprietor who didn’t give the impression that he was interested in much beyond the handheld viewing screen adhered to the wall. The man’s appearance seemed humanoid until he moved. His skin looked like a sack around gelatinous insides that rippled slightly. This caused his facial features to droop. His clothes were dirty, stained down the front with the same color as the food.
This was no place for a lady.
Jackson glanced around. A faded biohazard notice was posted on the wall. The print was unreadable.
This was no place for any humanoid.
“What can you get for this recipe?” Rick asked Raisa, pointing at a bucket of the sludgy food.
Raisa wrinkled her nose and whispered, “Arrested for cruelty and attempted murder.”
Rick chuckled. Jackson frowned at them both. This wasn’t an outing. He was waiting to make contact with someone who would take him to the base.
“Honestly, it’s not worth many space credits,” she continued, her voice low. “There has to be a population that wants to eat it, and I don’t think Mr. Stinky over there counts as a population.”
“You should get back on the ship,” Jackson said, giving a meaningful look to Rick. Why he thought Rick would understand and listen to his silent plea was beyond him. The pilot simply grinned wider and placed his arm over Raisa’s shoulders, as he redirected her toward the window overlooking the fuel dock where they were parked.
The dock looked like a thousand others Jackson had seen in his travels, only more rundown. He’d been there before, years ago. Rust and age had taken its toll on the metal structure he was now in, and the neglect spread over the cracked lot outside. Tiny gray rodents could be seen nesting in corners of debris. The planet was one of many previously uninhabited locations that the Federation had laid claim to. The low pressure levels made the air feel thin, not enough to hamper breathing on the surface, but enough to be noticeable. The rocky landscape had few plants, and all of those were low to the ground. The planet designation was simply, Federation Hold Sixty.
Fortress Hold Sixty located on Federation Hold Sixty.
The Federation Military wasn’t known for its creativity when it came to such things. Where they excelled was secrecy.
Jackson went to Raisa and unceremoniously lifted Rick’s arm off her shoulders and replaced it with his own. She leaned into him but kept looking out of the window.
“How will he know you’re here?” she asked. “I haven’t seen anyone approaching.”
“I have to do this alone.” Jackson couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You can’t come on the base with me. It will go better if I’m alone. If you are there, they’ll see how I feel about you. Until I know what is happening, I won’t let them use you as leverage.”
“Don’t go,” she whispered. “I’m scared you won’t come back.”
“We have to be practical now. If I don’t return, I don’t want you to wait.” The words hurt to say. The idea of her with anyone else caused a physical reaction inside his chest.
“Fine. I won’t stay in here. I’ll go back on the ship.”
“No, I mean I don’t want you to wait for me if I don’t come back. It’s not fair of me—ouf!” Jackson let out a surprised breath as she hit him in the gut.
“Don’t ever say anything like that to me again,” she warned. “I love you. That’s not going away. So if you don’t want me waiting around, get your ass back to me.” She arched a brow expectantly. “Tell me you understand.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Good. Now tell me you love me and get this over with. The sooner we are off this dock, the better.” Raisa clasped his arm tight and lifted up to kiss him.
Jackson wanted to do as she commanded. He wanted it more than anything. When their lips parted, he said, “I love you.”
She nodded. He saw tears in her eyes, even as she tried to act strong.
Jackson took a deep breath and walked toward the proprietor. The man glanced away from his viewing screen for all of two seconds before turning his attention back to the screen. A tiny image of two gelatinous woman wiggled in a way that could only be described as disturbing, yet the proprietor seemed to find it worth staring at.
“You’re a pretty princess,” Jackson stated.
Raisa made a small noise as if her voice was caught between a gasp and a laugh. She hit his arm. “Jackson, be serious.”
The proprietor reached over and pushed a button before pointing up. He didn’t look away from the screen.
Jackson glanced up to where a security orb lowered from the ceiling. He held up his hand in greeting, knowing the device sent his image to the base computer. He held still, letting it record his face. It would be all the introduction he needed. It blinked with green lights.
“What is that?” Raisa whispered.
“It’s how the general knows I’m here.” Jackson lowered his hand.
“Ah, because no one would ever call that man pretty,” Raisa concluded, understanding the code.
“They’ll send a transport soon.” Jackson glanced to where Rick poked the tray of food with a stick-like object. “Rick, you need to get her back on the ship before my ride gets here.”
Rick must have recognized the seriousness of his tone because for once, the man didn’t have a smartass r
etort. “On it.”
“I love you,” Raisa said, as if she needed him to know. “I’ll see you soon.”
Jackson tried to smile.
Rick looped his arm into Raisa’s. “Come on, baby cakes. Jackson knows what he’s doing. Besides, if he doesn’t come back, that just gives us an excuse to go after him. It’ll be more fun than floating around space.”
She looked back several times as Rick led her toward the spacecraft. All Jackson could manage was a nod.
24
Raisa watched the viewing screen in the cockpit as a transport came for Jackson. The cylindrical air carriage had two propellers on the top. The blades were contained with circular ring that turned them in whatever direction was needed to steer the transport. No one stepped out after it landed. She touched the screen, as if feeling the flat texture of his image could somehow connect her to him.
“He’ll be fine,” Rick said behind her.
She dropped her hand. “Then why am I so worried?”
“Do you really need me to answer that?” He sat down in his pilot’s seat and kicked his feet up onto the console. “Jackson was practically raised by the Federation.”
“What do you mean?” Raisa didn’t take her eyes off the transport as it took Jackson away.
“The military training program coordinator found him in an orphanage. They put him into their program, pumped him full of vitamins and food paste, schooled him, trained him. I only know bits and pieces of the story, but if anyone could be called a super soldier, it’s him.”
When the transport went out of view, she turned to study Rick, half expecting him to be teasing.
“He didn’t tell you?” Rick asked.
“We didn’t discuss his childhood,” she admitted. “He doesn’t seem to like talking about the past, so I didn’t pry. I knew he was trained. I didn’t know it was for so long.”
His Earth Maiden AE Page 15
