Disclaimers: None. If you're still reading my stuff at this point, you pretty well know what you're getting into. If you don't have an open mind or if you find something you think needs disclaiming, you are still more than welcome to let me know. It won ’t change anything, but it may make you feel better. Ugliness will earn you a smack to the back of your head.
Thanks: To Phil and Mac for reading through this for me to pick up Pink & Fluffy ’s dropped letters and missed quotation marks. Honestly, I couldn ’t ask for anyone better to beta read for me. Their diligence is greatly valued as Pink and Fluffy tend to leave a trail of missing pieces and their contribution to making this a better read is much appreciated. All errors belong strictly to me.
Author ’s Notes: Oh. My. God. I never thought, when I first started this story in May of 2013, that it would go on for over five years. However despite everything - Aphrodite hijacking the story; two and a half years of not really writing; moving clear across the country and readjusting to… everything - this sucker is finally done. It’s not the story I expected - or planned - to write. But it is what it is. Thanks to those of you who stuck around and made it to the end… especially Phil and Mac. Hope to see you all again on the flip side.
Bonus points if you know where the title of this story came from.
The Storyteller ’s Cardinal Rule is in effect.
Prologue
“It ’s a lot more real out here now, isn ’t it?” Arianna asked quietly as they cast a final glance at the planet receding behind the slow moving carrier. The rest of the Alpha team had immediately dispersed to their ship as soon as Ian had docked the shuttle in the huge carrier bay. Only Eli and Arianna had remained behind to say goodbye to Ian, Nathaniel and Joseph. The boys knew not to take too long, though Joseph did take a minute longer with Eli while Ian and Nathaniel passed on some brotherly advice to Arianna, giving her a chip with a significant look and an admonishment to view it privately at her discretion. It only took a moment, then each young man had gotten a hug and a final goodbye before standing at attention and snapping off a crisp salute. Eli had nodded her acknowledgement of their respect and they had smiled and whirled around to exit the shuttle bay without a backwards glance. She and Arianna had paused for a minute to look out the viewport before they crossed the deck to enter their ship.
“It is. When we were here before....” Eli shrugged. “I never saw this,” motioning to the window. “Never took the time to look. I was too busy with preparations and....” She smiled shyly. “ ... other things,” grinning when Arianna blushed. “I ’m glad I got to share this with you now.” She wrapped an arm around Arianna ’s middle and sighed in contentment when Arianna snuggled even closer into her.
“Me too. It ’s amazing,” Arianna agreed with a smile before her expression became melancholy and her hold on Eli tightened. Eli frowned and looked down.
“Angel?”
Arianna shook her head. “I was just wishing things had been different. Not for us,” she hastened before Eli could interrupt. “I wouldn ’t trade this for anything in the galaxy... known or otherwise. But I do wish things had been different where Malcolm and my papa are concerned. I ’m pretty sure that ’s going to cause Mama nothing but heartache.”
“I think Mary and her team will be able to handle the fallout. Besides, MaTb won ’t let her stand alone, and I ’m confident she will rally the others to stand behind her as well.”
“Why? She doesn ’t even know Mama.”
“No, but she does know the truth of what has happened on this project since day one... well, most of it anyway,” Eli added with a hint of a blush. “She still doesn ’t know the whole truth of what happened between us and never will, but she has no need as that really has no bearing on the mission. Project details? I shared a number of things with her as I could and the rest I kept in a diary that I gave to her after we ate yesterday when we spoke alone.”
“You think she ’ll read it before tomorrow?”
Eli nodded. “She already has. Remember that she left us alone with OeTU for a little while?” waiting for Arianna to acknowledge the event. “She skimmed through it then... enough to get a clear idea of what we knew anyway.”
“Amado, she wasn ’t gone very long.”
Eli smiled. “She didn ’t need to be. Who do you think I got my reading and comprehension skills from? MaTb is considered one of our greatest minds. She soaks in information like a sponge. I ’m convinced MaTb spoke to the others while Ms... Mama was downstairs with the Alpha team.”
Arianna sighed. “I ’m going to miss them. I never knew what having a family could be like and now....”
“Now you still have a family. Part of it is with you,” gesturing toward their ship, “and part of it we had to leave behind for now,” pointing out the viewport. “It ’s all part of growing up. But we ’ll keep working on our communications array and Joey will be doing the same, and with a little luck they won ’t be gone from us for too long.”
“I ’ll keep my fingers crossed for sooner rather than later then,” Arianna said as she yawned. Eli hugged her gently.
“Tired, Angel?”
“Very much.” She turned in Eli ’s arms and wrapped her arms around the slim green neck. “Do you mean to tell me you ’re not?”
Eli chuckled. “I am and yet I ’m not. Right now I ’m running on adrenaline, I think. Between our wedding and seeing our families for the last time and sneaking out and actually finally leaving and beginning this mission, I ’m buzzing along pretty well at the moment.”
“Is that why you sent everyone but Jake to bed?”
Eli nodded. “Yes. We ’re going to have to work in shifts for a while and if everyone can be well-rested and alert, so much the better. I ’ll be fine for a little while. I thought we could stay up together, but perhaps....”
Arianna glowered at her. “Don ’t even think of finishing that sentence. I can stay up with you for a little while at least. If it becomes too much, I ’ll go to bed. But hopefully it will be peaceful to begin with – at least while we get our space legs under us.”
“I ’m pretty sure Ma...ma is going to cause enough havoc in her meeting with the Council to keep attention off of us for a while. With a little luck it will be too late to find any trace of us by the time they get a chance to look.”
“And I think I have something that will make us even more difficult to find.” Arianna dropped her arms from around Eli ’s neck and clasped her hand instead. “Come, Amado – it is time for us to begin our adventure.” With brilliant smiles, they turned their backs to the viewport and their past and boldly walked toward their ship and the future.
Chapter I
There was still a bit of activity onboard the Outreach when Eli and Arianna stepped onto the ship. Excitement was running high and everyone was trying to get their stuff into their rooms and settled down into some semblance of order. The carrier still had a ways to go before it reached the outer edge of the solar system so Eli knew she had a little while to try and get things calmed down. She stood for a moment at the end of the residential hallway, holding tightly to Arianna ’s hand and smiling at the enthusiasm so apparent on the faces of each of her teammates despite their obvious exhaustion. Esther and Jacob caught sight of them first and a cheer went up that grew exponentially louder as each member of the Alpha Team discovered the reason. Eli blushed and ducked her head to hide the smile that crept onto her face. Arianna lifted her chin until their eyes met and Eli ’s smile expanded into a grin that was echoed in Arianna ’s expression. She allowed herself to bask in it for a moment, then turned her attention to her loudly cheering friends. She held up a hand for silence, and after another long moment, they all quieted and gave her their attention.
“I know, I know!” she exclaimed with a smile. “If it wasn ’t for the fact I ’d probably humiliate myself, I ’d be doing a happy dance around the ship myself,” Eli confessed amid much good-natured laughter. She laughed herself and shook her head. “That being said, I really do need everyone but Jake to make an effort to get some sleep now. We ’re going to need everyone work at peak proficiency for a rather long extended period of time and to do that....” She shrugged her shoulders.
Eden bit her lip – she really wanted to stay up and see them leave the shuttle bay for parts unknown, but she knew as Eli ’s second that she more than the rest had to step up and be responsible. It was going to take all of them working together to make this mission successful and they needed to start out right. It only took a bare second for those thought to race through her brain before Eden nodded. “You ’re right, Boss. It ’s up to us now. Do you have a working schedule ready?” Eli cocked an eyebrow in Eden ’s direction, and the entire room snickered. Eden rolled her eyes. “What am I saying?? Of course you do. Hand it over,” extending her hand and snapping her fingers for Eli ’s Pad.
The moment she had it in her grasp, Eden was surrounded by her teammates and she immediately enlarged it enough so everyone could read it. She nodded her head as a finger traced down the list before she allowed her eyes to meet Eli ’s.
“Fair enough?” Eli asked.
“Very much so,” Deborah answered before Eden could speak. “I like the fact that you adapted Mary ’s scheduling system. If we ’re going to be working constantly for the next few months while we search for a new home, I ’d prefer this schedule. I like the twelve-hour shift rotations. Good job, Eli!”
“Thanks, Deb. If the twelve hour shifts don ’t work out, we ’ll go back to the eights like Ms Wellesly ran, but I ’d like to try this one first. I ’d like to have time to actually relax before I sleep as opposed to....”
“Boss, we get it,” Eden cut in with a smirk. “And we agree. The schedule looks good. We ’ve got plenty of overlap with someone coming on every six hours - shouldn ’t be a problem for any of us. But that means it ’s bedtime for most of us, boys and girls.”
“But we wanted....”
Eli held up a hand as protests ran around the room, immediately realizing her selfishness. “I ’m sure everyone would like to witness the real beginning of our journey together. To that end, despite my request that everyone get to bed as soon as possible, I think once you ’re done putting your things away, everyone should gather on the bridge to watch our departure from the Storm Surge and this solar system. I only ask that you retire to your rooms as quickly as possible once we ’ve made the jump to translight speed.”
The cheers this time made Eli blush a deep green they had never seen before, and that just made the cheers grow louder. She and Arianna escaped the residential level a moment later and the Alpha Team resumed their activities, hastening to join their comrades on the bridge.
************
Jacob beat them to the bridge – only because he headed directly there and they had made several stops along the way. Still, it was just them when Jake took the pilot ’s seat and Eli assumed the conn. Arianna took the chair beside Jake to monitor the engine room and the three sat in silence for several minutes before Jacob spoke up.
“So, Boss – where are we going?”
“Well, since I don ’t suppose ‘out there, thataway ’ is actually a viable heading or destination choice....”
“It could be if we wanted to make the ship our home on a more permanent basis, but....”
“Exactly. I don ’t think anyone wants to remain space borne longer than is necessary. We ’ve already spent too much time waiting to do this.”
“Why don ’t we go to the asteroid?” Eli ’s eyebrow went up at Jacob ’s question and he felt the need to continue. “No, I ’m serious. I ’m sure Mary ’s gonna tell those pompous windba... <ahem> the Committee Members and Councilmen that we ’re off the grid and headed to ‘destination unknown ’ . So wouldn ’t that make the asteroid the best place for us to actually go? Especially since it ’s already been charted for us and we know what to expect?”
Arianna opened her mouth to retort, but Eli shook her head gently and Arianna ’s jaw snapped shut. Jacob kept his attention on Eli. Eli wiped a hand down her face and took a deep breath before meeting Jacob ’s eyes kindly. “Jake, did you read any of the information you gave to me to give to Mary?”
He shrugged. “A little – enough to know there was some pretty shitty stuff coming from some pretty high up folks. Oh... and the part about the mercenaries.”
“But you didn ’t read it?”
“Nah; I mostly skimmed it to make sure I ’d gotten what we needed, then I passed it off to you. Why? What does this have to do with going to the asteroid?” Eli and Jake were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn ’t see the others enter the bridge, but Arianna did. She put a finger to her lips and Eden nodded, motioning to each person as they crossed the bulkhead.
Eli sighed, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose briefly before allowing her gaze to return to Jacob ’s. “I read it. I read it all before I gave it to Mary. Even if she hadn ’t suggested we go elsewhere, we still wouldn ’t be going to the asteroid,” holding up a hand to stop his question when his lips parted. “As she so rightly pointed out, putting people on or at the asteroid to ambush us would be their best last resort if they were unable to derail or destroy the project before then. Why would we think they wouldn ’t make that last attempt?”
Jacob cocked his head at her. “You think they did?”
“I ’m certain enough that I won ’t risk us running into them there, and you know how I feel about standing up and fighting my battles. It ’s not like we ’ve got the weapons to deal with an army of mercenaries or a fleet of pirates. This is still primarily a science vessel. And I will not risk the lives of the team on a maybe.”
Jacob held up his hands in surrender. “All right, Boss; all right. I guess I should have read those reports a little closer. I just....”
“We ’re all a little scared, and that ’s okay. This is new and exciting and terrifying and any other number of crazy, humanoid emotions. But we ’re going to find a new place to call home and then we ’re going to succeed beyond our wildest dreams!”
Jake snickered. “I dunno... my dreams can be pretty wild,” waggling his eyebrows. Laughter rang out across the bridge and the rest joined in Eli ’s mirth. She looked around, surprised she was just noticing them for the first time.
“He ’s right, you know,” Eden chimed in. “I ’ve been witness to more than a few of his nocturnal imaginings. We don ’t even want to go to that side of wild, Boss.”
Eli shook her head and wiped her eyes. “Oh my gods... I needed that,” feeling the tension that had been part of her for so long easing in the face of her comrades ’ joviality. “That being said, I do have a few ideas about our heading and destination, but this is something I think we need to decide as a group.”
“Can I ask a question first?” Naomi queried, tentatively raising her hand.
“Sure, Mimi,” Eli gestured with a smile. “The floor is yours.”
“I don ’t want to sound like a worried willy or anything but can we actually manage to hide from these people if they decide to come after us? Common sense says they will, right? Whether we go to the asteroid or not, the people who want this program to die will send someone after us.”
“What ’s your point?” Deborah asked with a touch of impatience in her tone.
Naomi sighed. “Whether they leave the asteroid and come searching or they ’re sent from this or another planet, the odds are we ’re still going to have people looking for us. How do we hide from them? How do we become undetectable to the scans of the satellites and defense systems of the inhabited planets we ’ll pass by before we reach uncharted space? Even if we had a reasonably efficient cloaking system, we still leave a signature trail.”
“Actually, I have a solution to that,” Paul spoke up unexpectedly, “thanks to Arianna.”
“It worked then?” Arianna asked with excitement in her voice.
“Um hmm,” Paul hummed with a smile. “Like a charm.”
“Would either of you care to enlighten the rest of us?” Eli asked so sweetly both Arianna and Paul cringed. They knew that sound meant nothing good.
“Um... yeah, yeah, “ Paul stuttered nervously when Arianna motioned for him to continue. “The other day when we got shipped up here from the mountain, some of us got to talking. I mean it was pretty clear that we were probably going to need to go low profile with the whole mission and Arianna suggested we might want to decoy our trajectory.”
“Because the fuission trail is very distinctive,” Arianna said, garnering agreeing nods around the room.
“Right,” Paul cut back in. “So she sat down and drew up some plans, and I put them together. They ’re decoy devices that will leave a signature just like this ship ’s but the best part is that they will split and split again before they start to go dingy.”
“Dingy? Like the boat?”
“What?” Paul asked with a frown. “No,” shaking his head. “Before they stop tracking like they should and start making random patterns.”
“And how long does the ‘dingy ’ part last?”
Paul cleared his throat and rubber the back of his neck self-consciously. “Yeah, um... I dunno. It ’s not like we have a lifespan on fuission energy.”
“Fair enough,” Eli nodded, running her chin with her hand. “How big and how many?”
Paul held his hands about a meter apart. “Fifteen... about this big. We each put our name on one. Arianna took care of yours, Eden ’s and Kai ’s.”
“And when they split?”
“Fifteen and fifteen again.”
“So I need to tell Joey to tell the Admiral that there will be forty-five decoy drones running around loose out here and to keep an eye out for them.”
“Yeah... that would probably be a good idea.”
“All right,” Eli replied, clapping her hands together softly. She turned back to Naomi. “Satisfied?”
“About the trail, yes. But what about the other?”
“I ’ve been putting the finishing touches on that,” Eden responded before Eli could speak. “Actually, Isaac and I have, given my medical limitations at the moment,” with a slight glare in Eli ’s direction. Eli just shrugged. “It ’s something I ’ve been working on for a while, thinking it might come in handy even when we were headed to the asteroid. After all, not everything out here is Alliance friendly, and this program and its mission has been pretty well publicized all over the galaxy at least.”
“Does it work?”
“Our preliminary tests have been successful,” Eden replied cautiously. “But we haven ’t had a chance to utilize it in a real world scenario.”
“So we ’re flying by the scruff of our necks then?” Esther asked. Jacob snickered and shook his head but kept his mouth shut.
“Pretty much,” Eden conceded. “However, it ’s also at the very top of our priority list.”
Eli waited a long moment, but when nothing else was said, she cleared her throat. “So we have some good working plans. Now where are we going?”
“Out there,” Jake responded drolly with a wave toward the view screen. “Thataway.” Eli didn ’t do more than cock an eyebrow before Arianna reached across and lightly smacked the back of his head. “OW!” he whined, clutching his skull like she ’d done some damage. “What was that for?”
Arianna smirked. “Really, Jake.”
He snorted and offered a rakish grin. “I know – I deserved it.” He turned his attention back to Eli. “But we really do need a heading I can plot a course on. We don ’t want to end up in the middle of a star or a black hole or something equally deadly.”
“Right, well... Joey did some research for us using the vast information he had connections to while aboard the carrier. There are several really good possibilities, a few passable possibilities, and some I ’m not completely sure what he was thinking to have included them.”
“And of course none of them are in the same direction as another, are they?” Eden snarked.
“Not really,” Eli agreed. “There are some that might be considered fairly close to one another, all things being relative. But more than a general direction? No, not really.”
“So what are our choices?”
“There are a few asteroids, well away from the belt we were originally headed to; an ice planet; a couple of desert planets; a water planet; and a green planet that has a completely toxic atmosphere. After those we move to a couple of gas giants and from there we go to the ‘are you kidding me? ’ options. The asteroids of course are devoid of all life and breathable atmosphere, but we are prepared for those possibilities – that was our original goal. The ice and desert planets have a breathable atmosphere, but the conditions are extreme. The water planet has no visible land on the surface... only beneath the water several hundred fathoms down. The green planet? That was pretty self-explanatory, I think.”
“Um... Eli?” Danny said hesitantly, waiting for her to acknowledge him. She met his eyes and nodded and he continued. “If the gas giants are considered passable, because um... no, really – what falls into the ‘what was he thinking ’ category?”
Eli smirked. “There was a lava planet; an acid planet; one that is consistently hit with meteorites and another that has electrical strikes every two point three milliseconds.”
Danny ’s lavender skin paled to an almost pink color and he swallowed hard. “I think I ’m sorry I asked.”
“Do you know why he included those?” Titus asked.
“Yes. He said he wanted us to have the option of making this the settlement we wanted to – so he gave us choices across the spectrum from the relatively easy and workable to the ‘are you crazy? ’ kind.”
“I ’d say he succeeded,” Eden commented wryly, causing laughter to ripple around the room again. “Which do you like, Boss?”
“Honestly, I would love to go to an asteroid... even it ’s not the original one we were scheduled for.”
“But...?” Eden prompted, sensing Eli ’s hesitation.
Eli sighed. “But I think that makes it easier for someone to find us. Because the logical choice would be to go somewhere similar to our prototype. It ’s what we ’re prepared to deal with and what we understand and expect.”
“Right, so...?”
“I would prefer the ice planet myself, but I would never do that to my mate or the rest of you that don ’t tolerate cold as well as I do. And I think the toxic planet is a bad idea. We have no idea what it could do to us or the ship. So that leaves the desert planets and the water planet. And of those, I prefer the water. However,” she said as she met each pair of eyes in the room, “I want you to vote for what you want – each of you. This is going to be our home. We all get a voice.”
“Hey, Boss?” Jacob called out, looking up from the information he ’d been studying as it flowed across his screen. Eli arched a brow at him and waited. “What about a moon around one of those planets?”
Eli tilted her head. “Like what?”
“The gas giants – while they could be what Joey intended us to settle on, there are actually several moons that would be similar to the conditions we would have experienced on the asteroid.”
“Really?” Eli drawled, eyebrows arching in surprise. “How did I miss that?” leaning over Jacob ’s shoulder to see for herself to what he was referring.
“Oh I don ’t know. You don ’t think you might have been slightly preoccupied with that whole parent vetting/wedding/marriage and mating thing you had going on?” Jake asked with a chuckle.
Eli snorted and shook her head. “I guess it ’s possible I was a little bit distracted.” Then she clapped his shoulder soundly, squeezing lightly. “Good catch, Jake. So I guess we have another option,” blushing a little and clearing her throat as she turned and met the knowing looks of her team. “But we need to decide quickly. We ’re not that far from the drop point.”
“Does it change your choice?” Deborah asked plainly.
“Yes,” Eli stated bluntly. “If we can do something similar to what we originally expected, I ’m all for that option. That being said, I still want to put it to a vote. Everyone has input on this choice.”
“I ’m kinda of inclined to follow your lead on this one, Boss,” Deborah admitted to everyone else ’s surprise. “What?” she demanded. “Even with the distractions, Eli is probably better acquainted with our options than we are. And I have to admit to being partial to working with the conditions we already trained for... especially since I ’m not particularly fond of ice, sand or drowning.”
“Girlfriend ’s got a point,” Esther agreed. “I ’m all for one of the moons,” seeing heads bobbing in agreement all around her. “So a vote?” she asked, looking at Eli.
“A vote,” Eli agreed. “All those in favor of trying one of those moons?” nodding as hands went up around the bridge “All right. Jake, I think you ’ve got your heading.”
“Um... Boss?”
Eli smirked and leaned over his shoulder. “This one, Jake.”
“You got all that from one glance?”
“Things tend to stick after one glance.”
“Lucky dog,” Jake muttered, earning him a smack from Eli and laughter from the rest of the team.
Chapter II
“OW!!” he whined grabbing the back of his head and glaring in Eli ’s general direction. “Whaddya do that for? I ’m gonna end up with brain damage if you and Eden don ’t stop doing that!” He was suddenly not particularly happy that they ’d all learned to identify animal species in standard.
“Seriously. You couldn ’t have chosen something a little more... I don ’t know – ferocious maybe? Or majestic?” Luke asked. “I mean....”
“Yeah, like a sleek mountain cat,” Eden contributed. “Or you know, something with a mane. What was that one...?” snapping her fingers in memory. “Oh yeah, a lion.”
“Or a dinosaur,” Isaac said guilelessly.
“Or even a wolf,” Abigail offered quickly before Eli could turn to smack Isaac as well.
“How about a dragon?” Arianna asked with a perfectly straight face, though Eli could see her brown eyes twinkling in mirth.
“You guys are missing the point,” Jacob sighed. “Calling someone a ‘lucky dog ’ isn ’t an insult. It ’s a metaphor. It just means she ’s really fortunate to have that skill.” He paused and tilted his head to study Eli for a long moment. “Though I have to say, I can kind of see you as a lion – what with the hair doing that mane thing and all. The other stuff... not so much.”
“You don ’t think so?” Eli asked with a smirk.
“Not really. Don ’t get me wrong – I suppose you could be whatever you wanted to be, but the lion thing really kind of suits you.”
“Well maybe one day when things are slow, we can sit down and compare what animals we see ourselves as compared to what others see. I bet it could be... very enlightening.”
“Or a little scary,” Jacob admitted, then he shrugged. “But whatever. You know me - I ’m always game,” he added with a rakish grin before turning back to his console to begin plotting and inputting their route to the moon Eli had indicated.
Eli turned back to her teammates, but before she could address them, Arianna spoke up. “Eli, Joey is hailing us from the carrier.”
“Can you put him on the screen?”
Arianna gave her a look, then Joseph ’s, and surprisingly, Ian ’s faces appeared in front of them all. They looked startled to see the entire team staring back at them, then Ian met Eli ’s eyes squarely, eyes widening at the hand signs she made as Joseph turned and spoke to someone behind him. “Admiral, I have the Outreach on screen.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” the admiral said as she stepped forward to fill the screen. “Captain, we ’ve reached the release point. Do you have any final words before you depart?”
Eli blinked slowly and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Admiral, for your hospitality and your escort. I hope your efforts on our behalf don ’t land you in any sort of trouble.”
“It won ’t,” she stated firmly. “Though it would be worth it if it did. Good luck, ladies and gentlemen, and Godspeed on your journey.”
“Thank you, Admiral. We ’ll be seeing you. Outreach, over and out.” They couldn ’t really hear the sounds of the bay doors opening, but they could feel the vibrations coming up through the soles of their boots. Each member of the Alpha Team held their breath as the doors widened until the space was fully extended, leaving plenty of room for the Outreach to depart the ship. Eli looked around at the excited, expectant faces of her team... her family. She met Arianna ’s eyes for a long moment and when the dark head nodded, Eli turned to Jacob. “You have our course and heading, Jake?”
“Aye, Cap ’n,” he acknowledge without letting his eyes leave the view screen.
She smiled at the address but didn ’t correct him. “Very well, my friend. Take us out slowly – one half impulse.”
“One half impulse, aye,” he replied and she wondered when they had suddenly mastered and adopted Navy lingo as their standard vocabulary.
“Can we see a view of the Storm Surge?” Her request was no sooner made than they were looking at the ship as they were being birthed from her.
“Wow,” Kai whispered reverently. “I knew it was a big ship, but I never really realized just how enormous it truly is until now... seeing it like this.” As they watched, the carrier flashed its lights three times, then slowly started to ease back toward the solar system they had just left. The Alpha Team watched the graceful flow for a minute, then Eli cleared her throat.
“View screen forward please, Jake. Let ’s go home. All ahead full.”
“All ahead full, aye.”
Eli looked between Arianna and Paul. “Can we drop the decoys at translight or do we need to remain on impulse?”
“I would suggest we drop them just before we enter translight speed.”
“Paul ’s right. They won ’t be able to distinguish the translight trails. The impulse stream is markedly different.”
“Very well. How soon until we make the jump to translight?”
“We can go at any time, but I would recommend about seventeen standard minutes, Cap ’n.”
“Why is that?” Abigail asked before Eli could. Jake looked to Eli who just nodded.
“Because in another seventeen standard minutes, our movement forward combined with the carrier ’s movement backward will put us out of range for them to track us visually... just in case. There will be too much planetary interference for them to determine which of the tracks to follow if someone on that ship happens to be in the pay of one of the less scrupulous Committee Members or Councilmen.”
Hannah smiled. “You ’re pretty smart for someone who claims to have brain damage.”
Jake smirked. “Sometimes I do all right, I guess.”
Eli nodded. “Sounds good.” She turned back to Arianna and Paul. “Do you need to be here for the drones to be launched?”
“No,” Paul admitted. “But I ’d like a last look at the solar system. Can we?”
Eli nodded at Jake and he flipped the view once more the show the retreating carrier and the small planet it was slowly approaching. Without a word, Eden stepped up and placed a hand on Eli ’s shoulder briefly before exiting the bridge. The others watched her go and waited for her to return. But when she didn ’t after a couple minutes, they all took the clue she had handed them and one by one made their way off the bridge and back to the residential deck.
Finally only Arianna, Eli and Jake were left alone on the bridge once more. Eli looked at Jake. “How long?”
“Two minutes, Cap ’n.”
She smiled. “You really like that, don ’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. It kind of suits you... even more than the lion thing does.”
All right, Jake,” Eli chuckled. “Whatever you say.” She turned to Arianna. “Are you ready?”
“Give the word, Captain.”
Eli watched the countdown monitor Jake had set for them. “On my mark then, please. Both of you.” Two dark heads nodded their agreement, equally dark eyes flashing between the monitor and the hands on their consoles. As the clock hit zero across the board, Eli commanded, “Now!”
Arianna was a split second faster than Jake, and the drone decoy launched just as the ship jumped to translight speed. The decoys split into their first configuration of fifteen and immediately separated for parts unknown. Then all that was left of any of them was a fuission trace.
There was a sense of relief on the bridge at their success, but otherwise they were quiet. And for a while they watched as the stars streaked past in a blur before Jake closed the view screen.
“Jake?”
“Sorry, Cap ’n. That will put me to sleep if I keep watching; either that or it ’ll make me throw up,” laughing when Arianna crinkled her nose. “Yeah, that ’s about my feeling. I figured closing the view screen was the best option. All the sensors are on line, so....”
“Do you think you ’ll be all right here alone for a few minutes?” Eli asked when she noticed Arianna trying to suppress her third yawn in as many minutes.
“Sure,” he shrugged. “Why?”
“I think I need to tuck my mate into bed for some sleep and I thought I ’d pick up some energy infusers for us on my way back.”
“Sounds good, Cap ’n,” he agreed even as Arianna protested.
“Elllllliiiiiiii….”
Eli extended a hand down to Arianna who looked at it with a frown and then a pout before accepting the offer and standing. She put her arms around Eli ’s neck and tucked her head into the crook, absorbing her natural scent and the warmth she provided. Eli let her hands ghost to Arianna ’s hips, holding lightly to keep her steady. Jacob kept his attention steadfastly on the console in front of him.
“Angel?” whispered in the nearest ear.
“I was supposed to stay with you.”
“And you did, Beloved. You stayed to see us to translight speed; you set the decoys for us, remember? But now it is time for you to get some rest. I will join you as soon as I can.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely guarantee, Angel. I will always be with you when I can. Now come – let ’s go to our quarters so I can settle you into bed to get some sleep. I don ’t want Jake to have to be up here alone for too long.”
“I can....”
“Az, let the Boss put you to bed. It ’ll make us all happier and maybe I can get an energy shot some time in the near future.”
Arianna smiled into Eli ’s neck and then loosened her grip. Eli relaxed her hold and Arianna turned and brushed a light kiss over Jacob ’s cheek, causing a nice blush to run up the side of his neck and into his face. “Thank you, Jacob.”
His smile was gentle though his words were gruff. “Go on and get out of here. Some of us have work to do and some of you have sleep to get.” He waited until Arianna took one of Eli ’s hands and started to lead them off the bridge together. “Night, Az.”
“Goodnight Jake,” she beamed as they disappeared from view. Jacob turned his attention back to his monitoring.
************
I thought you were going to tell Joey about the drones,” Arianna mumbled through a yawn as she and Eli made their way through the silent corridors. Apparently their compatriots had taken Eli ’s request to heart and settled down fairly quickly. Eli spared a glance at Arianna ’s sleepy face while she guided them to their quarters. Arianna was leaning against her with her eyes closed, trusting Eli to lead them safely to their room.
“I did,” Eli returned softly. “Well actually, I told Ian.”
Arianna frowned and opened her eyes. “Amado, I was with you the entire time we were in contact with the carrier. You never said a word.”
“No, but I did give Ian the message.”
Arianna straightened and met Eli ’s green eyes with a glare. “Elizabeth....” only stopping when Eli placed a solitary finger over her lips. She huffed but settled back into her spot and they continued walking down the passageway until they reached the room they had decided to share. Soon they would remove the wall that separated them and combine their quarters into a single, large living space, but for now they were content to simply utilize the one.
Eli passed her hand over the lock and in a moment the door slid aside to allow them entrance. They bypassed the lowly lit common room area and instead walked straight into the bedroom. Arianna patted Eli ’s side, then slid into the bathing room to take care of her evening ablutions while Eli pulled down the bedding and turned on the heating element built into the bed. It was the sole reason they were utilizing Arianna ’s quarters. She had designed and created the bed when she and Eli were separated, knowing she would need the added warmth sleeping alone. Now it would come in handy on the occasions when they were forced to sleep independently due to their responsibilities. Arianna stepped from the bathroom, freshly scrubbed and brushed to find Eli putting away the possessions they had brought with them from Mary ’s. She leaned against the doorjamb and just watched the smooth movements with a contented smile. It only took a moment before Eli straightened and turned to find Arianna regarding her sleepily. She dropped what was in her hands and opened her arms. Arianna didn ’t hesitate, but moved with alacrity into Eli ’s embrace.
“You were watching me.”
“I was,” Arianna agreed. “I missed that so much when you were gone and I vowed that I would never miss an opportunity to do so.”
“To miss me?” Eli joked as she brushed a kiss over Arianna ’s temple. She just chuckled when she felt the expected slap across her belly, followed by a soothing rub.
“You know what I meant,” Arianna griped.
“I do, but I couldn ’t let that opportunity to tease a little pass me by, could I?” She pulled back enough to look Arianna up and down. “Are you going to be warm enough?” noting the scantiness of Arianna ’s outfit.
Arianna nodded. “You turned on the bed – I ’ll be fine,” she assured even as she shivered.
“Come,” Eli invited, stepping back and capturing Arianna ’s hands in hers. “Let me tuck you into bed so you can get warm. I need to get back to Jake anyway.” She sighed and bit her lip in frustration. “Infernal way to celebrate our marriage night.”
“Oh, Amado. We ’ll be celebrating for the rest of our lives. The fact that there is a marriage to celebrate is reason enough. Until then, I have my dreams,” finishing with a yawn.
Eli grinned as she pulled the covers up around Arianna ’s neck. “Close your eyes, Beloved. The sooner you sleep, the quicker you can dream.”
“Wait! What about Joey? And Ian?” Arianna asked blearily as she settled into the warmth that was suddenly encompassing her.
Eli frowned. “What about them?” having forgotten the subject of their earlier discussion. “OH!” she exclaimed when she met glaring brown eyes. “You mean about the message,” waiting for Arianna to nod. “When Ian was assigned as part of the guard that escorted me home, he took it upon himself to learn the basics of the silent language of my people. Everyone learns it – it is how warriors communicate in the field. The men use it on the hunt as well.”
“Will you teach me?”
“I would like that, Angel... very much.”
“Good. So what did you tell him? And how did we all miss it?”
“You may have noticed I have a tendency to use my hands constantly – when I talk; when I ’m working on a problem; when I pace – my hands are almost always in motion. I do it so often that no one even thinks twice about it anymore. Remember how Eden used to grab my hands to keep them still?”
“Yes. She hasn ’t done that in a long time.”
“She ’s so used to it now that she doesn ’t even notice it anymore. It doesn ’t bother her.”
“So what did you tell him?”
“I told him about the drones and about the gas giant ’s moon.”
Brown eyes widened suddenly as the implication of Eli ’s words sink in. “So they ’ll know where we are?”
“No,” said with a gentle smile and a small shake of Eli ’s head. “But they ’ll have a better idea of where to start looking when they can. And Joey will have a better idea of what kind of signal strength he ’ll need to find us.”
“You ’re kind of brilliant,” Arianna offered with a lazy smile, eyes shutting despite her best efforts.
Eli grinned. “Only kind of? I guess I can live with that.” She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over Arianna ’s brow, content that she had finally succumbed to the exhaustion that had been clamoring for her attention for the last little while. “I love you.”
“L ’ve u,” Arianna mumbled on a sigh as her breathing deepened. Eli studied her for a minute longer, then tenderly loosened herself from Arianna ’s grip. She placed another small kiss on full, pouting lips, then rose and left the bedroom without a backwards glance, dimming the illumination as she left. To have looked back would have risked the temptation to remain despite her responsibilities elsewhere, and as much as Arianna the newly married mate would appreciate the gesture, everything else about Arianna would be disappointed if Eli made that choice. Eli slipped into their tiny kitchenette area and took several energy infusion shots from the refrigeration unit. Then with a final glance around the silent, darkened room, she exited their residence and headed back to the bridge.