by A. C. Ellas
Nick was issuing rapid streams of orders across the shipnet. Even with the crew trapped in the couches, there was plenty they could do through the interface of the shipnet and Nick was taking full advantage of that. Under his direction, the guns began to fire, striking back at the attacking ships, but it wasn’t enough.
Cai sent commands of his own to his adjuncts. Tri-ess broke away from the group meld and Cai distantly sensed him moving about the Chamber, setting up for battle conditions. Fresh Synde abruptly flowed through Cai, strengthening his connection to his ship-self, and secure in the knowledge that his physical needs would be seen to, he turned his attention to breaking out of the trap they were in.
Chapter Five: Hide and Seek
Cai quickly scanned the system, looking for planets, moons, asteroids, basically anything large enough to hide near. What drew his attention the most was the gas giant, easily ten times the size of Jupiter and ringed like Saturn, on the far side of the system. A planet like that was bound to have dozens of moons, and it was nowhere near their present location. If the Rels’ jumps were mechanical, they should consider what he was thinking of attempting impossible.
It was barely considered possible by Astrogators. It was highly experimental and had never been tried with a real ship. If he succeeded, the Guild would have apoplexy. If he didn’t succeed, it wouldn’t matter what the Guild thought—the Laughing Owl would be gone. As he twisted under the lash of the Rel guns, he pinged Nick on the command channel, marking the communication as official, and incidentally, recorded for the battle log.
“Captain, we have to run. We can’t win this fight.”
“How, Cai? They won’t let us disengage, there’s too many of them. Are you thinking of jumping?”
“Jumping is an option, but I had another idea. It’s called skipping. It’s experimental, but if it works, we can escape this trap and complete our mission.”
“How experimental?”
“There are risks,” Cai admitted. “It’s never been attempted in real space. Only in simulation, under ideal conditions, with an undamaged ship. But anywhere I can jump, they can follow.”
“Odds of success?”
It’s a fair question. Cai ran some calculations, honestly assessing his chances. “Four out of five, Captain.” He couldn’t help but adding, “Odds of survival without imminent action is one out of one hundred.”
“What are the odds on jumping away to safety?”
“One out of ten. As I said, anywhere I can go, they can also and in large numbers.”
“That makes it easy. Skip away.”
Cai announced ship wide, “All hands, prepare for emergency FTL transit.” He called up the jump protocols, slowed his perception of time to a crawl and entered the number storm while keeping a virtual eye on the indicators that would tell him when the medical teams were back in their couches, for of course they had ignored the lockdown to reach the distressed crewmen. He’d passively allowed their action by permitting the clamshells of their acceleration couches to open.
The moment the last medic was secured, Cai reached inward, focusing his power into an arrow then outward through the Laughing Owl’s heart, and he twisted the untwistable partway. He had enough momentum from the previous jump that breaching the subspace barrier was no issue, but with only partial engagement of the reactors and singularity, the Laughing Owl seemed to stall in the boundary, half in normal space, half in subspace, twisting like a contortionist trying to make like a pretzel. It hurt in ways Cai hadn’t realized he could hurt, but it was working.
They had entered the system at an odd angle courtesy of the black hole they’d faced. Now, Cai used that angular momentum to sling them around the system’s outer edges. He doggedly suppressed the sense of breaking bones and tearing flesh and used every bit of his talent and skill to aim the Laughing Owl at the gas giant. Abruptly, the pull of the system’s golden sun eased in favor of the sharper, far closer pull of the giant’s gravity well. He allowed the giant to pull him in, untwisting and withdrawing from the singularity as heavy gases scraped across his abraded skin and the immense pressure threatened to crush him.
Cai couldn’t risk using the ion engines. They’d perturb the planet to the point where even basic technology would notice that there was something down there. But what if I don’t ionize the gas? Cai opened his ram-scoops to the flow of thick atmosphere, compressed the gas and released it in a high-speed, steady stream. Slowly, he fought his way up and out of the stygian depths until less than a kilometer of gas covered him. He could sense—barely—the rest of the system from here. There did not appear to be any enemy vessels nearby.
Nick pinged him on the command band, and once Cai reopened the channel, Nick said, “Nice flying there. But where exactly are we?”
“Unless I’m totally off in my calculations, we’re well within the atmosphere of the largest gas giant in the system. It seemed the best place to hide.” He stabilized their strange orbit and allowed himself a moment to relax. The moment he stopped working, every single damage indicator flung themselves into the forefront of his consciousness.
* * * *
There was a special indicator for the Astrogator in the Chamber. When it switched from a steady, reassuring green to a flashing red, Nick cursed and triggered the spray that would dissolve the foam webbing. The crew would doubtless bitch about the cleanup for weeks to come, but they were alive thanks to that foam. Nick had kept close track of Cai’s actions; he was well aware that they’d pulled gees well outside the norms, first in escaping that black hole and again in Cai’s skipping maneuver.
As soon as the way was clear, the clamshells retracted and Nick peeled out of his couch, grimacing at the residual soreness of his muscles. He’d already issued the orders to get the repairs under way and the cleanup started. The surveillance team and science team were already deep into the sensor data, and Nick left them to it.
“Juan, the bridge is yours. I’m going to check on Cai.”
The XO glanced at the flashing red light. “The bridge is mine.” The worry on his face was echoed across the bridge. Any problem with the ship’s Gator was a crisis; without Cai, the Laughing Owl would quickly become their tomb.
Nick strode as swiftly as he could to Cai’s chambers. He pressed his palm to the door sensor and went right in as the door slid open. Cai was in his bedroom, on the bed, apparently sleeping. There was an IV in his arm, a bag of fluid dripping in and the extraction cylinder was on his belly. Nick sat down on the bed without disturbing anything and gently touched his lover.
Cai’s gorgeous blue eyes flew open and focused on him. “Nick.”
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“Pain analogues got to me. I’d been ignoring them for too long.” Cai looked sheepish at having to admit that.
Nick stroked his short, platinum hair in a reassuring manner. “I saw the damage reports. We’ll be in the repair yard for a while once we get home.”
“Home,” Cai mused. He paused then gave Nick a wry look. “That will present some difficulties under the circumstances.”
“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Nick replied.
Cai placed his hand in Nick’s. “You got here quickly.”
“I was worried about you,” Nick replied. “When that light started flashing red, my heart stopped for a moment.” The collection bag on Cai’s belly was full, so Nick removed the cylinder and set it aside.
“I love you, too, you know?” Cai sat up and gathered Nick’s other hand into his. “Thank you for caring. I appreciate you—everything you do for me, with me…to me.”
A hint of unease threaded through Nick. He allowed his sudden concern to show. “Cai? Is something wrong?”
“No, something’s right.” Cai pulled him down and kissed him passionately.
Nick rolled to bring Cai on top and massaged his back and shoulders with both hands while he reciprocated with a deep kiss of his own. Cai relaxed, sighing softly an
d accepting Nick’s familiar touch. Once the Gator was limp in his arms, Nick undressed them both.
Cai’s eyes twinkled as Nick pulled his pants off, and once Nick’s shirt was off, his fingers pinched and pulled at Nick’s nipples.
Nick wasn’t even slowed. He knew exactly what he craved, and once they were both naked, he stroked Cai to erection then pulled his knees to his chest, raising and opening himself for Cai. “Take me, my love.”
Cai looked Nick in the eye as he penetrated and slowly filled him. “Like this?”
Nick moaned in satisfaction and flexed his pelvis, clenching himself around Cai’s long pole. “Just like that,” he gasped. He pushed his knees further apart and grunted as Cai slid in a little deeper.
Withdrawal followed, the long slide out, leaving Nick empty and aching for more in its wake. Cai paused as the crest of his head tugged at Nick’s sphincter and waited, looking down at Nick with a small smile on his lips.
“C’mon, Cai, give it to me.” Nick tried to push himself onto the cock, but Cai moved with him. “Please, Cai. Fuck me hard and deep.”
“As you wish,” Cai replied and he thrust in strongly, entering Nick all the way to the base of his shaft in a single stroke. He set a bruisingly hard, deep rhythm, forcing Nick deeply against the mattress with every thrust.
It was everything Nick wanted and more. His own cock, mashed between their bellies, soaked them with pre-cum while Cai continued to plow him.
“Is this what you like?” Cai demanded.
“Oh, hell yeah,” Nick agreed, his back arching with the effort of grinding his ass against Cai’s pounding thrusts. They fell silent then, absorbed in the sharing of their mutual pleasure. With Cai’s telepathy as the vehicle, they moved as one, loved as one, orgasmed as one and fell through the haze of ecstasy together. They rested, tangled in each other’s bodies, minds and hearts, until recovered, Nick rolled Cai over and, once more, reciprocated Cai’s love in full.
* * * *
Refreshed, relaxed and even feeling rested despite, or perhaps because of the wild sex, Cai entered the Chamber again over Nick’s protests. He became his ship-self and winced at the aches and pains of his battered body then focused past that. He studied the data gathered over the course of the half day they’d been sailing in a thick band of orange ammonia-laced hydrogen. Cai knew better than anyone that their orbit was temporary. The longer he stayed here, the more the orbit would decay, slowly spiraling back down into the gloomy interior of the planet. He needed a better hiding place.
The data showed him nothing. At least, it didn’t show any indications of a nearby Rel. That didn’t mean there wasn’t one, just that he couldn’t see it. He selected a drone and worked on its programming for over an hour before he launched it. To sensors, it appeared to be a very unremarkable chunk of stone by the time he was done. The drone sailed out of the planet’s atmosphere and Cai got a long look at the rings. There were, indeed, many moons to choose from, but not all of them would suit his purposes. He didn’t want a large moon, for that might block his ability to scan the surrounding system. Too small and he ran the risk of detection by affecting its gravitational pull on the delicate matter of the rings.
He needed a goldilocks moon, and after hours of searching, he found the perfect candidate. It was large enough to be spherical rather than irregular, about the size of the dwarf planet Pluto, and it was nestled between the planet’s two main rings. With a destination in mind, now he checked to see if the coast was clear. No Rels were nearby, in fact, no Rels were within his sensor range. He wasn’t sure he trusted that, but it was the best information he had. Slowly, he lifted the Laughing Owl out of the planet’s atmosphere, climbing at a precise angle and speed to catch his goldilocks moon.
Halfway there, completely exposed, he saw a Rel. He was flying with emissions damped, of course, but still, no natural object moved the way he was moving, away from the planet. All he could do at this point was cross his fingers and hope that the Rel wasn’t paying attention to what was going on near the planet. He caught up to the moon, or allowed it to catch up to him, depending on one’s point of view. He slowed and carefully spun to nestle his belly to the cold, rocky surface. The computers analyzed the ground below him and mimicked it above so that to a causal telescopic probe, he’d appear to be part of the landscape.
Chapter Six: The Plan
The Laughing Owl was so close to the small moon, Nick thought he could reach out and touch it. Less than ten meters separation, he reminded himself. Seven point five meters to be precise, the closest Cai could nestle them to the pockmarked surface without risking impact. One thing the ship did not have was landing gear. The ships of the line were designed for space and jumping. That their shape and structure allowed for atmospheric transit was no more than fortuitous chance. But the Laughing Owl, a smaller ship, was a full klick from bow to stern—a thousand meters of metal and composite designed for the depths of the void.
It had taken Cai the better part of a day to pull the ship out of the gas giant’s dense atmosphere. With all emissions dampened, they’d crept, literally, at a mere meter per second, out of the atmosphere and into the rings, which were as extensive as Saturn’s, if not as pretty. Cai had picked a moon, carving a channel between the two main ring segments, and with some effort and a lot of nervous sweating on the part of the crew, he managed to park so close to it that not even the best sensors the corps had would have been able to tell him from the moon. So long as they remained silent, they were invisible.
Unlike the last time they’d played possum, Nick wasn’t bored. The system was crawling with Rels. It appeared that they had at least a colony on one of the planets and were in the process of constructing orbital defenses—a space station and what appeared to be a shipyard were partially completed. Ships jumped in and out of the system with frightening regularity, and a pair of Rel ships met each. The Rels had at least four ships at all the hardpoints Cai had found. Cai had even told Nick that two of the hardpoints he had placed based on the presence of the Rels alone, but if he had the chance to confirm them via direct observation, he would.
Nick smiled softly at the thought of Cai. The Gator was truly an exceptional one of his kind, and he didn’t think that just because he was biased. No other Gator he’d ever heard of had managed an in-system skip under ideal circumstances, much less under battle conditions. It was just his good fortunate that not only was his Gator damned good, he was gorgeous and wonderful and kind and Nick looked forward to their daily session more than anything else in his life.
You’re laying it on a bit thick, m’dear, Cai’s voice whispered in his mind.
If you’re caught up there, perhaps you could join me for a meal? Nick shot back.
Your place? Cai’s feeling of surprise was shared along with his query.
I thought a change of scenery might be nice. Besides, you’ve never seen my quarters in person.
Cai’s agreement cheered him further, and he signed off on a few last reports before standing up and saying, “Lieutenant, the bridge is yours.” He strode out with a jaunty step that almost faltered when he overheard some whispered comments.
“Cap’n’s off to let the Gator bugger ‘im again.”
“If it keeps Cai happy, who’re we to complain?”
Nick swallowed. It was bad enough to learn that their secret was anything but a secret at this point, but it was far worse to realize that the crew had their own ideas about what was going on and why. They think I’m trying to make Cai happy? He blinked as he realized that was true. He was trying to make Cai happy. But he hadn’t been forced into it. They think he’s demanding this of me? He craved contact with Cai like an addict craved their drug. As he walked to his quarters, he thought about ways of mitigating the potential disaster. If word gets out…He shook his head. They would face it together; he already knew that.
* * * *
Cai looked about Nick’s quarters. He hadn’t been in here, or even peeked, since th
e captain had assumed command. It was a privacy thing; Cai did not spy on his crew unless there was a pressing reason to do so. The knowledge that he could look in at need was enough to keep most of the men in line. Nick’s quarters were an interesting glimpse into the mind of his mate. The standard-issue couches and stuffed chairs had been hidden under fitted forest green and golden brown slip covers. The faux golden oak coffee table was polished, empty but for a grey coffee mug and an antique book.
He picked the book up and looked at it. The Iliad. He opened it and nodded approvingly to see the Greek on one page and the English translation on the other.
“Do you like it?” Nick asked, leaning against the doorjamb between his sitting room and bedroom.
“Yes, it’s a great book, in good condition, and finding one with both the Greek and English side by side is rare. Even to this day, most translators opt to lose the poetical base and render the story into prose. But it was never meant to be read like that, it was meant to be sung.”
“You can have it,” Nick said when Cai paused for breath.
“What? Don’t you want it?” Cai was astonished that Nick would give away a book this valuable.
“Watching you drool over it is more than I can bear,” Nick replied, a definite twinkle in his eye. “Consider it a belated Christmas present. Or an early birthday present. Or a just because I love you present.”
