Chapter III
“Ahhhh,” Jacob sighed as he licked the last of the infused chocolate energy shot from his lips. “Man, I ’m glad Luke ’s planet contributed those things. Sure beats... well, almost every other energy infuser I ’ve ever had, really.”
Eli chuckled. “It really does,” she agreed. “I don ’t know what you had on your planet, but ours was like drinking lightning.”
Jacob ’s eyebrows flew into his hairline and he shook his head. “Ours were like old-fashioned rocket fuel.”
“Oh... gross.”
“Yeah, but it got the job done. I hope those plants they gave us to make our own chocolate shots do all right. We never got to see them produce in the desert.”
“Sometimes I wonder if the Committee rushed that part of the testing. So many of the things we were working on never reached fruition simply due to a lack of time.”
“C ’mon, Eli... you know they did – they had a schedule to keep come hell or high water, though in fairness I think that timetable was the responsibility of people above the Committee ’s purview. On the other hand, I would have gone stir crazy if we ’d been stuck there long enough for some of that stuff to work... mostly because we ’d have all been dead of old age before it had a chance of working.” Eli snorted, then immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment as her skin tone deepened. Jacob laughed but pulled her hand from her face. “Don ’t. It ’s so good to hear that from you again. Makes me think this will all turn out all right.”
“You doubt our chances for success?”
“Let ’s just say I feel a lot better about our odds now that you and Az are married... and you know, mated.” His eyes got wide. “Wait - why are you here anyway?? Isn ’t this your honeymoon?” shaking his head when Eli tilted hers in contemplation as she scrunched up her eyebrows in thought. “Sorry,” he said as he started over. “Eli, this is your wedding night. Shouldn ’t you be with your bride?”
Eli ’s smile was gentle, but filled with such happiness that Jacob could literally feel it flowing from her. She squeezed the hand still clasping hers. “On any other night and in any other place, yes – for several days if the truth be told because it ’s tradition and no mated couple in their right mind says no to time alone together when they can take it... no matter how long they ’ve been mated.”
“Right... so? Why are you here with me instead of there with her?”
“Because this?” motioning around with her free hand. “This by necessity has to come first.”
“But you only ever get one wedding night.”
“Oh, Jake – the wedding is for everyone else to celebrate and recognize our taking of a mate. But Arianna and I were mated months ago in the desert and that? That was our time.”
His green eyes rounded as the truth dawned on him. “That was why you suddenly took time off together – why you called Eden and told her you and Az would be indisposed for a few days.”
“Um hmm.”
Jake snorted. “Man, she was so mad at you for that.”
Eli frowned. “For mating with Arianna?”
Jacob laughed. “Oh, hell no. We all kind of expected that. No. She was mad at you for putting her in charge like that with no warning. She was ready to kill you.” He pinched his lip thoughtfully. “She likes being your number two – she can take names and kick ass without being bogged down in the details. She ’s not fond of details outside of her engineering stuff.”
“I know,” Eli agreed with a smile. “Unlike you and me, most people aren ’t very detail oriented. It ’s one reason you two are so well suited to one another – you complement each other ’s strengths and balance each other ’s weaknesses.”
“And we like each other,” Jacob added with a rakish grin.
“That ’s always a bonus,” Eli confirmed wryly. It was quiet for a little while. Jacob kept a watchful eye on his console and their progress while Eli monitored the comm traffic and the fuission reactor. Neither of them expected anything out of the ordinary, but that only made their vigilance even more necessary. No one wanted to be caught unawares... especially this early into their journey. After a little silence, Eli turned back to Jacob, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Can I ask you something?”
Jacob ’s eyes rounded, but he shook his head gamely. “Sure, Boss. Not like I have to answer, right?” giving her a nervous grin.
Blonde eyebrows hiked up green skin but Eli nodded. “Right. I just wondered where the ‘Captain ’ thing came from earlier, but now you ’re back to ‘Boss ’ , so....”
“Oh, right....” rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “When the Admiral called you ‘Captain ’ , it just sort of made sense to me. While you are and always will be the ‘Boss ’ in regards to the project itself, while we ’re on this ship we ’re under your command. That makes you the Captain – just like the Admiral said. I figured you deserved the respect of the title. Otherwise, you ’re the Boss... or you know, Eli when you have more than two minutes to rub together as someone without responsibilities.”
Eli thought about it a moment. “Makes sense,” she said with a firm nod. “And I kind of like it. Thank you,” she added, frowning when she saw the tension in his shoulders relax. She let her mind wander through their conversation, trying to discern what could have possibly wound him up so tightly. Then her green eyes widened. “You thought I was going to say something to you about your relationship with Eden?”
He shrugged. “The possibility did cross my mind,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Are you both happy?” He nodded. “Jake, if you ever want to talk and need someone to listen, my door is always open to you. But what happens between you and Eden is your business and should stay that way as much as possible. It ’s not my place to say anything unless it ’s affecting the work we ’re doing or creating disharmony in the ranks. Otherwise it ’s not my business, okay?”
“Yeah – sorry. I know you know how that feels... having everybody know your business.”
“Yes,” Eli replied with pursed lips. “Not a happy circumstance and a very uncomfortable place to be.”
“I can only imagine,” Jacob said softly. He cleared his throat. “It ’s just... I think everyone expects more from us – especially after you and Az....” He stopped talking when her hand went up.
“Arianna and I are very different people from you and Eden. No one expects anyone to be like us.” She cracked a smile. “No one wants anyone to be like us. We create enough drama on our own for the entire team,” laughing when Jacob howled. “That being said – you and Eden need to do what is best for you and Eden. If you ’re happy with the way things are now, leave them alone. You ’ll know when the time comes for things to change.”
Jake cleared his throat. “You ’re pretty good at this whole counseling thing.”
“I ’m a healer. Not all things that hurt are physical.”
“Personal experience?”
“Yes, and one of the hardest things I had to learn in my training.”
“What was the hardest?” When Eli looked at him in confusion, he continued. “You said it was one of the hardest things you ever had to learn,” watching Eli nod. “So what was the hardest?”
Eli bit her bottom lip to stave off the tears she felt gather in her eyes and she looked away from the sympathy she could see in Jacob ’s. She took a minute to steady her breathing and will the tears back, then she said softly, “Understanding that not everyone could be saved. Knowing it in your mind and recognizing it in the center your very being are two completely different things.” She sighed. “As a healer, it ’s exceptionally easy to develop a deity complex – thinking there is nothing you can ’t fix; no disease you cannot cure or injury you cannot heal... until that ’s brought home to you in a very real and personal way. It can make you question everything about yourself and your skills. The best – they learn to fight to the end and then let go. The others?” She shook her head and shrugged.
“Why keep doing it then?” Jake held up his hands when he realized what he sounded like. “Wait – I know you ’re the best. Eden is living proof of that. But why keep doing it if it makes you unhappy?”
Eli smiled. “Because it doesn ’t most of the time. Almost always I get to fight and win. And I like that – fighting and winning,” she added with a smile. Jake chuckled and nodded his agreement. “Quitting would mean giving up and losing. I ’d rather stay in and fight.”
He nodded. “Can I ask you something?” She arched her eyebrow at him and smirked. He scowled at her. “You know what I mean.” When she smiled and nodded he went on, “How is Eden... really? I know you can ’t give me specifics, but... Eli, she ’s worried. She thinks she should be back to peak health, yet you ’ve still got her on medical restrictions.”
“Because I haven ’t had time to give her a checkup to determine if she ’s ready to be returned to full health status. What has she said to you?”
“It ’s not what she ’s said. I mean... she ’s grumbled about the limits you ’ve place on her. She wouldn ’t be Eden if she didn ’t,” his smirk matching Eli ’s for a brief minute before his countenance altered into a more serious expression. “But it ’s half-hearted at best. There ’s no real force behind it... like she ’s only protesting because it ’s expected of her – because she is still following the mandates you gave her. All of them... even abstaining from caffeine, and you know how attached she is to that coffee she brought with her from her home.”
Eli pinched her bottom lip, but otherwise there was no outward reaction to the alarm she felt at Jacob ’s words. “She hasn ’t said anything to me even when I ’ve asked. And in all the shuffling in the last few days, I haven ’t kept track like I should have. I guess I expected her to come to me if it seemed like there was a problem, and that ’s on me. I ’ll talk to her.”
“There ’s no responsibility for this on you. It ’s not like you ’ve been standing around doing nothing these last few days. Hell, we ’ve none of us had time to do little more than breathe since it happened. I just thought she might have said something to you.”
“Not a word. But I ’ll talk to her and see what I can find out. Don ’t worry – she ’ll never know you said a word. The truth is she ’s past due for a checkup. And as the team doctor and her primary healer, it ’s my job to see she gets one. That is my responsibility.”
“Better you than me,” Jake muttered.
Eli chuckled. “Does Eden scare you?”
He gave her a look. “Do I look stupid to you?? Of course she does! She ’s got the power to back up her attitude!” He smiled self-consciously. “I still love her though.”
“I know you do. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
“I ’m glad you ’re looking out for us, Boss,” he said before turning back to his console and lapsing into silence again. They were alone for a little while longer before Hannah stumbled in for her first shift, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Jacob and Eli regarded her sympathetically before Eli extended one of the chocolate infusers. Hannah ’s dark eyes lit up, but she didn ’t speak for several moments as the elixir seeped into her veins. She closed her eyes and shivered, then turned and smiled at Eli.
“Thanks, Boss!”
Eli smiled. “You sure you ’re awake enough...?”
Hannah nodded. “I ’m not going to pretend I won ’t be happy to see my bed again in twelve hours, but I ’m good. We were prepared to need to sleep short at the beginning... even if the beginning wasn ’t at all what we expected it to be. Besides, with people coming on every three hours until we get into the regular six hour rotation, it should be lively enough to keep us awake, right?”
“And if that doesn ’t work, we ’ve got chocolate shots!” Jake snarked. Eli just rolled her eyes at him.
“Do you want to go get some rest, Jake?” she asked.
He cocked a brow at her. “What ’s the schedule say?”
“You and I aren ’t actually supposed to be working yet?”
“Exactly. And it ’s still technically your wedding night, Cap ’n. Go be with your bride. Hannah and I got this. And Kai and Deb will be here shortly. I ’ll go then... promise.”
“Are you sure?” Eli wanted to go be with Arianna – boy, did she want to – but she ’d meant what she said about the welfare of the ship and crew needing to come first for the time being. Jake just gave her a look; Hannah covered her mouth with her hand to keep the laughter from escaping and assumed a seat at the communications console.
“Will you get out of here before I call Eden to remove you?”
“You wouldn ’t!!” Jake just gave Eli a look and she shook her head while giggling softly. “You really would, wouldn ’t you?” peeking at him through her lashes and watching him cross his arms over his chest and smirk. She rose from her seat and stood beside him, gripping his shoulder briefly in affection. “Thank you, Jake. If you need me for anything....”
“ ... we ’ll try to figure it out for ourselves before we call you. Now will you get out of here, please?” Hannah snickered and he grinned. Eli just rolled her eyes again and exited the bridge. Hannah met Jake ’s eyes when they were sure Eli really was gone.
“That was pretty slick,” she complimented him. Jake started to grin again, but his effort was interrupted by a massive yawn. He reached over and snagged one of the energy shots Eli had left tucked into the pockets of her chair. He closed his eyes and downed it quickly. When he felt the tingle of the shot reach his toes, he opened his eyes and shivered.
“Yeah, it was, and I am really glad for these infusers. But I ’m sure happy we won ’t be working like this for very long. I ’m kind of fond of sleep.”
Hannah yawned. “Me too.”
************
Arianna shivered and frowned in her sleep, unconsciously believing that the bed ’s heating unit must not be working correctly. Instead of being surrounded by warmth, she only felt it at her back and she pushed into it, hoping to burrow into it a little more. Only when the warmth tightened its hold around her did brown eyes pop open in surprise. She turned her head to find Eli sleeping behind her. With delicate maneuvering, Arianna shifted in Eli ’s embrace until her head was tucked beneath Eli ’s chin and her ear was over her heart. With a careful tangling of their legs, she let her eyes close, falling back into the warmth and comfort of Eli ’s presence with ease.
When she woke the second time, Arianna left her eyes closed, smiling as she absorbed the scent and warmth that completely surrounded her. Eli hummed contentedly and Arianna opened her eyes to discover Eli still soundly asleep. She took a few moments to study her mate, easily noting the exhaustion that continued to plague Eli despite their reconciliation – lines of fatigue and dark shadows that had taken root in her countenance the moment Arianna had been taken from her. Tears formed in her eyes and Arianna determined to change that as quickly as possible.
“You ’re watching me again,” Eli mumbled sleepily though her eyes remained closed.
“Umm, yes – I woke up to find the most beautiful woman in my bed. I thought it best to keep an eye on her lest she disappear,” wiping at her eyes before the tears that had escaped her eyes could slide down onto Eli ’s chest. But Eli could hear the tears in her voice and opened green eyes to meet watery brown. Her forehead wrinkled in concern.
“Tears, Angel?”
“Mostly happy ones, Amado.”
“Mostly?”
Arianna nodded as she reached up to cup Eli ’s face. “I can still see what I did to you, and that makes my heart hurt.”
“No. What happened to us – our separation - happened to both of us, and I don ’t blame you for that... not anymore. If anyone bears responsibility here, it ’s....”
“ ... my father,” Arianna cut in decisively. “If I ’m not to blame then neither are you, and I won ’t let you carry around that responsibility... especially when it ’s not yours to bear. You have more than enough to deal with as the commander of this mission without adding to it unnecessarily.”
“Looking out for me?”
“Always,” Arianna assured her. “It is my privilege to do so. And I intend to take care of you for a very long time.”
“That sounds like a lifetime commitment, Angel.”
Arianna smiled and waved the ring Eli had placed on her finger between them. “No, Amado. This is a forever kind of thing.”
“My favorite kind,” Eli confessed. “And we ’re getting better, aren ’t we? I know I am; I can feel things sliding back into place – returning to what they were and getting stronger.”
Arianna studied Eli ’s eyes, searching for the truth. “I suppose we are... just at a much slower pace than I would like. Is it wrong that I want you to be restored back to complete health immediately?”
“I am... I give you my word as the team healer,” Eli swore at Arianna ’s skeptical expression. Realization dawned on her when Arianna traced the dark circles and lines of exhaustion still prevalent on her face and she smiled. “I look tired because I am tired. We ’ve been going pretty hard for a while now, and I wasn ’t sleeping well for a long time. I ’m going to continue to appear tired for some time to come, Angel... at least until I get back onto a regular schedule. But that ’s just physical and it ’s already gotten better. But here?” putting Arianna ’s hand over her heart. “Here, we ’re better than ever.”
Arianna smiled. “You certainly know how to sweet talk a girl.”
“There only one girl I need to worry about sweet talking, and I ’m lucky enough to be mated to her.”
“And married to as well, if I remember correctly,” Arianna reminded her with a sly smile.
“Um hmm. It ’s the reason Jacob took the longer shift and sent me back here earlier. He thought we deserved the chance to celebrate our marriage.”
“In that case, we shouldn ’t disappoint him. But I ’d like to freshen up first. It will give the bed time to cool down a little before we heat it back up again.”
Eli laughed and kissed Arianna hard but chastely before rolling from the bed, glad she had already turned the heating unit off before slipping into bed beside Arianna. Then she headed to the en suite, stopping only when she got to the doorway to look back at Arianna over her shoulder with an evil grin and a twinkle in her eye. “Well... are you coming?”
Arianna slid from the bed and ran past Eli into the bathroom, pulling her into the room and closing the door behind them with a loud giggle.
Chapter IV
“Hey, Boss – you got a minute?” Eden asked from the doorway of the infirmary where Eli was currently ensconced. In all the excitement, this had been her first opportunity to put away the myriad of supplies that had been delivered from the mountain as well as the carrier. Now at the sound of Eden ’s voice, she raised her head and nodded, indicating that she would meet Eden at the door. Eli groaned as she rose, bones popping into alignment loud enough that Eden winced in sympathy. “You all right?” she asked as Eli began to wind her way through the maze of boxes and equipment waiting to be sorted and stored. Eli nodded, then grimaced when her neck popped into place.
“Ow. Yes. I ’ve simply been sitting in one place too long. Too many little pieces to put away,” making a face and getting laughter from Eden. “You ’re just the woman I wanted to see actually.”
Eden leered. “Really?? What will Az say??” grinning evilly and waggling her eyebrows.
“That she ’s going to have to kick your ass for thinking what you ’re thinking about a married and mated woman,” said with a smirk while flushing a bright green. Eden looked gobsmacked... almost affronted by the response. Eli laughed and after a long moment Eden chuckled as well. “What can I do for you, Eden?” asked when their giddiness finally slowed. Eli motioned Eden toward the office area beyond the glass partition.
“Can we stay in here a minute?” Eden asked, gesturing to the infirmary.
Eli blinked but nodded gamely. “Of course. In fact....” She took Eden ’s hand and walked them over to the closest biobed, glad no supplies had been stacked on them. “Hop up.”
“Eli?” brow furrowed even as she did as she was bade.
“Eden, I wasn ’t kidding about wanting to see you. I just didn ’t realize it had finally gotten late enough for our shifts to overlap. You ’re overdue for a checkup.”
“Seriously? When exactly were we supposed to fit this in before now?” Eden asked.
Eli bowed her head in concession. “Would you like me to activate the privacy screen? At Eden ’s nod, she keyed the field, blocking both sound and visuals from projecting beyond the two of them. ”How do you feel?” probing the still healing area with a frown. Eden grimaced slightly. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not like it did, but yeah. It ’s still sore and really tender to the touch. And I ’ve been doing everything you told me to do! Shouldn ’t it be healed by now?” with a whine.
Eli scowled and bit her lip as she nodded. “Lay down,” she instructed. “I ’ll be as gentle as I can.” Eden shed her shirt without being prompted then flinched when Eli ’s fingers met the skin on her chest. Eli glanced at her, alarmed at the intensity of the reaction. “Eden?”
Eden smiled and shook her head. “Your hands are cold. I didn ’t notice it when you touched me through the shirt so I wasn ’t expecting it.”
Eli chuckled. “Oh... sorry. Are you ready this time?” Eden released a slow breath and nodded. “All right. I need for you to talk to me – tell me how it feels.”
“It ’s achy. The skin hurts where you ’re touching and... OW!!! Damnation, Eli!!! That hurt!!” just refraining from pushing Eli away and sucking in a pained breath.
“I ’m sorry, Eden. I want to call Luke in. I think we need to run a complete diagnostic on you.”
Eden ’s face twisted unhappily. “You ’ve going to take blood away from me, aren ’t you?”
“Only a little bit. I need to make sure the synthetic stuff is blending into your own like it ’s supposed to.”
“You think it could be that simple? That I ’m having some sort of reaction to the synthetic blood?”
“Could it? Yes.”
“But you really don ’t think so.”
Eli took a deep breath before she met Eden ’s eyes. “I ’m afraid I might have missed a piece of shrapnel. It ’s the only thing I can think of at this point for you to still be having this level of pain.”
Dead silence as Eli ’s words sank into Eden ’s ears and her eyes widened in reaction. “Oh.”
Eli snorted with disgust and dropped her eyes back to the still pink skin on Eden ’s chest. “Exactly... oh. And we need to move on this quickly to prevent even more damage from happening. So I ’ll just call Luke and....” A hand on her arm stopped her speech and she brought her eyes up to meet Eden ’s sincere black ones as Eden struggled to sit up. Eli put an arm around her shoulders and eased Eden into a sitting position.
“Not your fault, Eli.”
“The facts say otherwise, Eden. If I had caught it then...”
“If I hadn ’t stood up and made a target of myself in my enthusiasm to defend us; if it hadn ’t been a shredder; if we hadn ’t had to move down a couple flights of stairs and through a long hallway to get to the infirmary for medical treatment; if I hadn ’t been shot in one of my hearts; if we hadn ’t been stranded at the mountain because of a transport failure; if we hadn ’t been on the run to begin with because of those Keiki manuahis on the Committee – so many ifs. It doesn ’t matter – it happened and now we deal with it. I don ’t blame you, so you don ’t get to blame you either.”
Eli shook her head but offered Eden a small smile. “You are something else, you know that?”
“Of course. My makuahine always told me that.” Eden scrunched up her brows thoughtfully. “Of course, she never really defined what I was either.”
Eli couldn ’t stop the snort nor could she blame Eden for the loud laughter that followed... until she clutched at her naked chest gasping. Eli tightened her grip around Eden ’s shoulders and gently lowered her back to the biobed. “Slow, shallow breaths.”
“Um hmm,” Eden agreed as she focused on her breathing. After a minute, she nodded at Eli. “Go call Luke. I ’d like to get this done so I can get dressed again. It ’s cold in here,” said with a shiver almost accusingly. “If I didn ’t know better, I ’d say you did it on purpose.”
“I did, but not for the reason you ’re thinking,” lifting her hand to her mouth. “Luke this is Eli. Over.”
“This is Luke. Go ahead, Eli. Over.”
“Luke could I see you in the infirmary, please? Over.”
“Of course. I ’ll be right there. Out.”
Eli turned back to Eden. “Despite my natural affinity for the cold, the infirmary is kept that way for medical reasons.”
“So no one will have a medical reason to be in the infirmary?” Eden joked as Eli helped her sit up again to undress. She stripped and slid beneath the warming blanket Eli had placed on the bed, relaxing immediately as the chill was coaxed from her bones.
“That of course is a bonus, but it ’s not the real reason. The cold helps keep it sterile and germ-free as well as slowing the metabolism.” She reached over and lightened the privacy screen and adjusted the volume to allow sound to pass through so Luke would know where they were when he arrived.
“I know,” Eden agreed sleepily. “But I ’ve got to tell you I am a big fan of these warm blankets at the moment.”
Eli chuckled. “I ’ll bet. I promise we ’ll only expose a little of you at a time – just the part that we ’re working on. Would you prefer to be awake for this or should I give you something to help you relax and go to sleep for a little while?”
“I ’d be just as happy to sleep through this if you don ’t mind.”
“Not at all. Let me get you something and we ’ll get started as soon as Luke arrives.”
“Luke ’s here,” he announced, clapping his hands together as he stepped into the infirmary. Then he saw the opaque privacy screen and scowled. “Why am I here? Is everything all right?”
Eli placed a calming hand on Eden ’s shoulder before she could protest. “Wash up, Luke,” Eli commanded, removing a small sample of blood as she injected the anesthesia into Eden ’s veins. “We need to do a full workup and scope on Eden. I need to see if I missed some shrapnel when I had her open on the table.”
Luke didn ’t ask any questions, but moved with alacrity to sterilize himself for the process. Eli waited for Eden to relax and then she joined him. In mere minutes, they got down to work.
************
It was quite some time later when they finally finished, stepping back from the equipment and assuring Eden was still resting comfortably before they moved to the office area. Luke dropped into one of the seats in front of the desk, nodding his agreement when Eli offered him a shot of clear liquor. Only when he ’d swallowed, gasping with his eyes watering at the harsh sting did he realize she ’d given him ‘the good stuff ’ as opposed to ‘the normal stuff ’ . Her eyes widened in reaction.
“I ’m so sorry,” passing him a bottle of water that he guzzled until it was half empty. “I thought you knew when I held up the bottle.”
Luke coughed lightly and cleared his throat. “It ’s all right. I should have asked. Wow!! Do you drink that regularly??”
Eli snorted. “No – only under extreme duress.”
“And that ’s what this is?” he asked, motioning around them.
Eli nodded slowly. “I think it might be. I didn ’t see anything in the scans – nothing! There ’s nothing out of place; nothing that doesn ’t belong. Her new heart looks good... everything was in order....”
“And that ’s a bad thing?”
“It means something else is wrong. There has to be a reason for her to still be in as much pain as she is. I just have to....” She stopped talking when Luke shook his head rather vehemently.
“No, Eli. We have to find it. And we will – we ’ll run every test in the book and make up our own, but we ’ll figure out what ’s wrong and make it right. And we ’ll do it together. You don ’t have to do this by yourself. Let me help.”
Eli ’s shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes in relief. “Thank you, Luke. That means.... Just keep reminding me, okay? Because I ’m going to forget. We ’ve been individuals for so long….”
“ ... that it ’s easy to forget that we ’re a team now?” Luke offered with a smile. “I know. I think we ’re all going to have that problem until we are running on our normal schedule and kind of get settled into a groove with everyone else. And that ’s okay – we ’ll just keep working at it together until we get it right. So,” clapping his hands together as he changed the subject, “what can I do to help right now?”
Eli pinched her lips together as she regarded him thoughtfully. “Would you mind reviewing the scans? I know the computer is analyzing the data, but I ’d feel better with a second set of eyes looking at them. Maybe I missed something.”
“But you don ’t think so.”
“No, but I ’m at a loss to know what else it could be.”
Luke frowned. “Did you happen to pull a blood sample before you inoculated her with anesthesia?”
Eli nodded. “I did... on the off chance that she might be having a reaction to the synthetic blood.”
“Do her symptoms fit that profile?”
“Not really, but I need to investigate every possibility.”
“May I make a suggestion then?”
“By all means.”
“It may not be the synthetic blood, but it may be something in her bloodstream – a pathogen of some kind. Is it at all possible that the missile that caused such damage could have also carried venom into her body?”
Eli ’s eyes rounded in comprehension as she recognized the likelihood of Luke ’s words being truth. “Yes! I didn ’t even think to look for that in the mountain and we ’ve been so busy.... Gods, I am a complete imbecile!” She rose and snatched up the sample of Eden ’s blood she had drawn earlier, putting a portion of it into the analyzer and preparing the rest for further testing. Luke followed as a matter of course, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the far counter to be present and still out of her rather frantic way. Eli continued to rant to herself, though her voice carried well enough for Luke to hear her one-sided conversation. “How did I overlook the possibility...?
“Did your tribe practice decimation as a means to achieve victory?” Luke cut in. Eli looked at him in confusion. He rolled his eyes but repeated himself. “Was poisoning the enemy standard protocol for your warriors?”
“No! Absolutely not! It ’s considered dishonorable in the extreme to achieve victory using such underhanded methods. MaTb would have disowned the lot of us for trying something so malicious. The point was to defeat... not destroy.”
“That ’s probably why it didn ’t occur to you as a possibility then, Eli. And the fact of the matter is that Eden hasn ’t presented with any classic symptoms, nor have we realistically had the time to sit down and analyze... much of anything really.”
“So how come you thought of it?” Eli asked with narrowed eyes. “Your people punish fighting by death – how did it occur to you that Eden ’s blood might have been contaminated by something on the projectile that tore up her heart?”
“My people don ’t fight, but we have served on the front lines of battle before – as doctors and medics and death angels. We have seen what humankind will sink to when pushed to desperation - when determined to win at any cost. An entire section of medical school was devoted to the number ways the humanoid body can be destroyed by another being... from within as well as without. So we ’ve learned to think outside the box and consider all the options when looking for a solution because most people will do whatever it takes to win.”
Eli appeared as though she wanted to say something, but at that moment the computer chimed for her attention. Luke crossed the room to stand beside her, eyes widening as he read over her shoulder. She turned and looked at him, then said, “Computer, resubmit testing material and analyze again.”
“You really think it ’s going to give you a different result? You designed this program yourself.”
“I know, and I know I ’m not perfect... as evidenced by my overlooking this possibility to begin with.” She shook her head and sighed. “I ’ll get started on finding an antidote for it.”
“I ’ll look at those scans again... just in case we missed something. Let me know when you get to the ‘needing help ’ stage.”
“Needing help for what?” Arianna ’s voice broke in as she entered the office. She glanced between the two pensive faces before her gaze settled on Eli. “What ’s going on?”
Luke touched Eli lightly on the shoulder as he moved back toward the desk. “I ’ll just get started on those scans.” Eli nodded but didn ’t move her eyes from Arianna ’s. When Luke was comfortably seated and engrossed in his work, Eli jerked her head and Arianna moved with rapidity until they were standing side by side.
In low, quick words, Eli laid out the situation as clearly as she could. When the computer dinged again, she moved aside to allow Arianna the chance to read the results for herself. Then without a word, Arianna patted Eli ’s lowered back in comfort before she turned to Luke.
“Perhaps you ’d let me finish looking at those scans for you, Luke. That leaves you free to assist Eli in finding a solution to this problem.”
He studied her a moment and brown eyes held hazel without blinking. He nodded and motioned her around the desk. “This is where I stopped.”
“Thanks, Luke,” she said softly as she assumed her seat. He squeezed her shoulder and walked over to the lab area where Eli was already bent back over her work. He pushed up his sleeves and took up his spot beside her and in moments they were immersed in their hunt. The whisper of fabric as they shifted around was the only noise for some time. It was only when Eli ’s comm unit squawked for their attention that they noticed how much time had passed.
“Boss, this is Jake. Over.”
Eli blinked, startled at the interruption. She lifted her hand to her lips and squeaked when she started to reply; she had to clear her throat before any real sound emerged. “This is Eli, Jake. Over.”
“Boss, have you seen Eden? She told me she was going to find you earlier, but that was hours ago. Over.”
“Jake, where are you assigned at the moment? Over.”
“I ’m on the bridge. Over.”
Eli pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn ’t want to give Jake this kind of news like this, but they needed him on the bridge. Though he was not their only pilot – they had all trained at the position – he was their actual, and consequently, most skilled pilot. She took a deep breath to answer him, only to be stopped when she felt Arianna ’s warm hand between her shoulder blades.
“I ’m done here. I ’ll go,” she mouthed.
“Thank you,” Eli returned, kissing her gently and watching her go.
“Boss?”
“Arianna is coming to relieve you briefly. Come see me in the infirmary when she arrives. Out.”
“What are you going to tell him?” Luke asked softly. “It ’s not like he ’s entitled to any information about her... especially before we talk to her.” Just at that moment, Jacob came storming into the infirmary. Eli beckoned him into the office and Luke stretched before walking to the door.
“I ’m going to go grab some food. So you want me to bring something back for you?”
“Please, Luke. Thank you.”
He smiled. “Looks like our schedule is already shot full of holes, doesn ’t it?” He disappeared out of the infirmary before Eli could answer. Instead she turned and motioned Jacob to a seat as she contemplated what to tell him.
Chapter V
“So Eden came to see you. Is she all right?” Eli raised her eyebrow and Jacob shook his head. “You know what I mean.”
Eli nodded. “I do. But there ’s not a lot I can tell you at the moment.” She held up her hand before he could protest. “She deserves to know first, and to decide who she shares what with. But honestly, I don ’t have anything to tell you at the moment. Luke and I have a couple theories, but we ’re still working on possibilities.”
“That ’s what he meant when he said the schedule was already shot to hell.” Eli ’s brow furrowed because she remembered him saying something different, but the intent was the same so she nodded. Jacob jerked his head. “So what can we do?”
Eli shook her head. “Not much currently. The point of the schedule at this point is to get people into the habit so when we need to work like crazy people, we ’ll already be conditioned to it. Most of the work we ’re doing are things we need to take care of to get settled in,” gesturing to the boxes and crates still stockpiled around the infirmary.
Jacob nodded. “Well, if you need some help....”
“I ’ll ask. But you know what a taskmaster I am.”
Jacob snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah – we ’ll deal. Pretty sure this room is important enough to all of us to get it done and done right. So is she gonna stay in here until you find whatever it is?”
“Only if she wants to, and when was the last time that happened?” garnering a smirk to match hers. “She ’s just sleeping off the anesthesia.” Jacob frowned. “She wanted to relax while we were working. It made the process easier for all of us.”
“But she ’s okay?”
“She ’s no worse off than when we boarded the ship and we ’re working on making her better.”
Jacob held Eli ’s gaze for a moment, then nodded his acceptance of her words as he rose from his seat. “Thanks, Boss. I ’d better get back to the bridge. Az isn ’t supposed to be on duty right now, though in fairness, neither are you.”
“Life of a healer,” Eli said with a shrug. “Go on. I ’ll be here until Eden wakes up and we get her back to her quarters.”
Jacob gave Eli a half salute, then turned and left the infirmary. Only a moment later Luke ’s head appeared around the corner with a tray in hand. Eli blew out a sigh of relief and motioned him into the office.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he set the tray in front of her. She pounced on it almost the instant he moved away, having not eaten for hours by that point. “Slow down and chew, Boss. It ’s not going anywhere.”
Eli chewed quickly, nodding her head as she swallowed. “I know. But I ’m starving.”
Luke chuckled. “I see that. Chew anyway. You ’ll be a lot happier.”
Eli took a deep breath and forced herself to chew a little slower, washing the food down with several large gulps of milk. “I need you to do something for me.”
He blinked at her apparent change of subject, but answered gamely. “Sure – name it.”
“Do you have those medical school texts? The ones that taught you to think outside the box?”
“Um... yeah, yes. I kept all my study curriculum on my Pad so I could access it if I had questions. It ’s not like I can just contact my mentor or instructors, so I figured I ’d better keep it with me.”
“Good. I ’d like to borrow it for a few days if you don ’t mind.” At his questioning look, Eli plunged ahead. “Despite what my MaTb believes about honor, our first duty out here is to survive. We ’d prefer to succeed and flourish, but we still need to survive to do that.” Luke nodded. “That means to see the big picture, I have to be able to know how to survive on other peoples ’ terms. I need to put my strict code of honor aside for now and start thinking of all the possibilities and their ramifications when I make my decisions. Our lives may depends on my ability to ‘play dirty ’ and think on my feet.”
“Are you sure about this, Boss? Doesn ’t that change a core fundamental for you?”
Eli took a big bite of food and chewed thoughtfully without losing Luke ’s eyes as she composed her answer. When she had swallowed and taken another drink, she carefully set her glass down and took a deep breath. “How did you feel when you had to learn how to fight? Despite the way Ms Wellesly presented the idea to the Elders on your planet that allowed them to save face, everyone knew the true intent behind the mandatory ‘physical fitness ’ we were required to attend. Even used as a strictly defensive weapon, you are still going against a fundamental mandate of your culture.”
Luke nodded his head slowly. “Yes, but it was required for participation and is a defensive only deterrent.”
“That doesn ’t change the fact that it goes completely against your moral code. Waging war from desperation goes against everything I was taught, but that doesn ’t make it less necessary to our situation now. I am not giving up my honor; I am simply adjusting my thinking to allow me to consider another perspective when I look at the bigger picture.”
“I don ’t envy you your position, Eli. I never wanted to be the leader of our merry little band, but I think having your responsibility would send me out an airlock.”
Eli smirked and started eating again at a much slower pace. “Me too,” she said. “Does this mean you ’ll let me borrow those texts?”
“Whatever I can do to make things easier, Boss.” He looked around the room. “So what do you want me to get started on?”
Before Eli could reply, two things happened simultaneously – Eden moaned softly and Arianna stuck her head in the infirmary. Eli stood and gestured Arianna toward the office. “If Eden is awake and ready to be moved, I think we should get her back to her room and catch a nap ourselves. We ’ll do better if we come at this with fresh eyes after a little rest.”
“Tired, Amado?” Arianna asked as she met Eli at the door. A glance at the darkening circles beneath green eyes made her frown.
“A little,” Eli confessed. “First I need to check on Eden though.” Arianna nodded and stepped aside to allow Eli to pass her. She disappeared through the privacy screen and the murmuring of their voices could be heard though no words could be understood. There was a rustling of fabric, then Eli called out, “Luke?” Luke straightened from where he had been leaning on the doorjamb opposite Arianna and hastened to the enclosed biobed. In just another moment, Eli and Luke emerged with Eden sandwiched between them. She was walking – they were merely guiding her steps with hands on her elbows, but the going was slow. Eden didn ’t even see Arianna and Eli jerked her head so Arianna knew to follow them. Once they got Eden settled in her own bed, Arianna and Eli bid Luke goodnight and headed for their own quarters. It was way past time for a little sleep.
************
The chirp of the comm alarm caused a frown to furrow Eli ’s brow, but she slapped her comm unit and brought it to her lips as she slipped from the warmth of Arianna ’s embrace. She shifted her pillow into place and touched the switch for the heating unit, then stepped from the near pitch darkness of their bedroom into the dimly lit living space. “This is Eli,” she said in a whisper through a yawn. “Over.”
“Boss?”
Eli forced her eyes open. “Danny? What ’s the problem? I just got to bed a couple hours ago. Over.”
“Oh. Well, that explains why you ’re not in the med lab. Can you come to the astronomy lab? I ’ve got something I think you need to see.” He heard her sigh through another yawn. “It won ’t take long and I don ’t think you want to miss this. Over.”
Eli pushed a hand through her hair and blinked rapidly in an effort to wake up. “Yes, of course, Danny. Give me a few minutes and I ’ll be right there. Over.”
“Thanks, Boss. Danny out.”
Eli grabbed a pair of loose weave pants and a tank top and slipped them on with a groan. It had been several days since Eden ’s visit to the infirmary and she and Luke had been working practically non-stop trying to develop an antidote for the pathogen they had discovered in Eden ’s bloodstream. Their biggest issue was the fact that it had merged into the synthetic blood and settled into her bloodstream as a part of her natural blood. And while it wasn ’t in fact killing her, it was keeping Eden from returning to full health. And they had no guarantee it wouldn ’t continue to evolve until it became debilitating and incapacitated Eden to a point past recovery.
Everyone else had tried to pick up the slack in other areas knowing Luke and particularly Eli were busy in the medical lab working on something that couldn ’t wait. Most didn ’t know how long their days really were though – eighteen to twenty hours at a stretch instead of twelve. So Danny was surprised to have woken Eli from a sound sleep instead of finding her in the lab.
Eli rubbed at her eyes, trying to get the gritty feeling out of them long enough to leave a note for Arianna in case she woke up before Eli returned. A shuffling from the direction of the bedroom caused Eli to look up, then break out into a grin. A disheveled Arianna leaned against the doorjamb wrapped in her favorite blanket and frowning in Eli ’s direction.
“Arianna, Beloved? Why are you out of bed?”
“You left – I got cold.”
“I guess the bed takes a minute to warm up, hmm?” asked fondly. “Go back to bed, my mate. I won ’t be very long.”
“Where are you going?”
“The astronomy lab. Danny has something he needs me to see.”
Arianna huffed. “That sucks. This is the first time we ’ve been able to sleep together since our wedding night.”
Eli stepped closer to Arianna until she was standing in her personal space. She ran her hand gently through messy hair before trailing the backs of her fingers along Arianna ’s cheek, smiling tenderly when brown eyes fluttered closed at her touch.. “I know, Angel, and I am sorry. But I don ’t think Danny would have asked if it wasn ’t important.”
“I know,” Arianna grumbled as she turned her face into Eli ’s touch. “I ’m having a selfish moment.” She sighed. “Go. So you can get back and get some more sleep before you go back to the lab. How is that going by the way?”
El shook her head. “Slowly. I think we ’ll get it eventually, but….” Her words trailed off. “Go back to bed. I ’ll return as soon as I can.” She leaned down and kissed Arianna, then turned her around and eased her back toward their bed with a pat on the behind.
“Butt pervert,” Arianna teased sleepily with a hint of laughter in her voice.
Eli snorted and shook her head. An arched eyebrow caused her to smirk. “Your butt pervert,” then yawned. “I need to....”
“Go,” Arianna commanded and slid back into the darkness of their bedroom. Eli yawned again and headed out the door and off the residential deck toward the forward science labs. In just a couple minutes, she was standing in front of Danny, covering another yawn. He looked her up and down, her exhaustion apparent in everything about her.
“Oh Boss... I ’m so sorry. If I ’d known....”
Eli shrugged. “If it ’s important, you still would have called, Danny. It ’s part of my responsibility to know everything that ’s going on.”
“I know, but I might have tried waiting a little while longer.”
“Could you have?”
“Waited?” He shrugged at her nod. “Maybe, but I figured you should know as soon as possible so you ’d have plenty of time to decide what.... Well, let me show you what I found and then you can decide.” He ran his hands over his monitoring table and threw the image to the large view screen that took up one wall of the lab. The blurry streaks of translight travel morphed into a much stiller picture, and Eli crossed over to stand in front of the image. It appeared to be a pink and white gaseous cloud with a dense cluster of stars. She studied it silently for a few minutes, then cocked her head around in Danny ’s direction.
“What exactly am I looking at, Danny?”
“This is the Nusnaigewron Nebula.”
Eli blinked. They had all heard of the phenomenon – it was part of Alliance territory. However it was considered off-limits to everything but dedicated science vessels – ships constructed specifically for nebula study. It had caused too many ships and crews to be destroyed due to the strength of its storms and magnetic influences. She turned back to the view screen. “All right. Why was it important for me to see this now?”
Danny didn ’t even blink at the question. While he knew the scientist in Eli was thrilled by the sight, the question was legitimate. If his point had been simply to show her the nebula, he wouldn ’t have demanded her presence immediately; he would have waited until they were closer. He drew a deep breath. “Two reasons – one is because it seems to have shifted a few degrees from where it is plotted on all the charts.” His words caused Eli ’s head to whip around in his direction and he nodded to acknowledge the question in her eyes. He tapped on his monitor again and sent the map plots to overlay the picture she was currently looking at.
“How is this possible?”
“I don ’t know, Boss. I just know that it is.”
Eli pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a breath. “Wonderful. Send this information to Jake, please. He ’s going to need to recalculate our trajectory around it. We ’re not equipped to deal with the ramifications of entering its sphere of influence.” Danny nodded and did her bidding immediately. Eli sighed. “You said there were two things?”
“Yes,” Danny replied as he straightened. “I can ’t be a hundred percent certain of course, since we can ’t really do more than topical scans of the region inside the nebula, but....” He paused and Eli arched an eyebrow at him but waited without further prompting. It only took a moment for him to continue speaking. “It appears that there may be a civilization housed within the nebula.”
“Excuse me?” Eli waved her hands and shook her head and Danny clamped his jaw shut. “Why haven ’t we heard about this before? There have been a number of vessels that have studied the nebula since it was discovered.”
“True, but the first ships were lost as was any data they collected. Remember that only a very few ships have actually studied the phenomenon since the regulations were put into place, and none of them were as advanced as the Outreach.”
Eli chuckled a little. “Even now, nothing else is as advanced as we are. It ’s the reason it ’s going to take them months to reach the same place that will take us a few weeks.”
“Yes, I have to admit to being thrilled with the whole translight travel mode we have thanks to Arianna, Paul and Eden. You think the Alliance will adapt it to the fleet?”
“I ’m sure they will. It will just take a while to get everyone converted to the new system – years, knowing how bureaucracy works.”
“I have to admit I like our structure better.”
Eli nodded. “It ’s a lot easier with only fifteen people,” she said wryly as she yawned. “All right,” rubbing her eyes. “Alert the others to a team meeting in six hours.”
“Mandatory?”
Eli smiled tiredly. “Only if they want to be kept in the loop.” She stretched, causing them both to flinch when her spine popped. “Ow. Anything else?”
“That ’s it, Boss.”
“All right. Very good work, Danny,” her words causing his purple tone to darken considerably in delight. “You were right to call me. However, I ’m going to go back to bed for a little while. Let me know if something else of importance pops up. Otherwise, I ’ll see you in a few hours and we ’ll brief the rest of the team.”
“Goodnight, Boss. Rest well.”
“Thank you, Danny. See you shortly,” Eli offered as she raised a hand in farewell and left the astronomy lab. Danny watched her go until she disappeared around the corner. He sent out the notice for the team meeting like Eli had asked. Then he returned his attention to his scans, wanting to have as much information as possible when the time came to share with his teammates.
Chapter VI
“So what ’s up, Boss?” Titus asked as Eli and Arianna stepped into the conference room together. The rest were already seated and Jacob was monitoring their flight path remotely. Eli held up a hand and seated Arianna in the empty seat next to the one that was Eli normally occupied. Eli remained standing and motioned for Danny to join her.
“I thought it was time for a team meeting. We ’re all a little more settled in for the most part and there ’s been some things going on that everyone needs to be aware of.”
“Such as?” from Isaac.
“I know most of you are aware that Luke and I haven ’t been adhering to the schedule I made, and you ’ve been pretty good about not pushing for answers.”
“We figured it was important and that you ’d let us know as soon as we needed to know,” Abigail offered with a shrug.
Eli smiled. “Thanks, Gay. You ’re right – it is important.” She glanced at Eden who gave a slight nod. Eli nodded in return and cleared her throat. “I ’m certain you ’ve noticed that Eden is still under medical restriction, and I ’d like to thank Isaac and Paul especially for picking up the slack in engineering so she can follow the constraints I placed on her. The truth is that I missed something when she was originally assaulted in the mountain, and Luke and I are working to find a resolution.”
“What happened, Boss?” This from Jacob.
She sighed. “The mercenaries were more dishonorable than I gave them credit for. Not only did they use shredder projectiles to inflict the most physical damage they could, but they coated each shell with some sort of poison we ’ve never seen before. The toxin merged with the synthetic blood we transfused into Eden ’s system so it ’s part of her bloodstream. Luke and I are working on separating it out and destroying the venom without crippling Eden in the process.”
“Okay, yeah – that ’s pretty important, Girlfriend. You think you can do it?”
Eli nodded. “With enough time, we ’ll find a solution. It ’s just going to take a while.”
“That ’s why you ’re so exhausted,” Danny commented. “You ’re working overtime on this.”
“Yes. Eden deserves a solution as quickly as we can find one – for her sake as well as ours. We need her and she needs to be healthy.”
“Just don ’t run yourself into the ground over this, Boss,” Eden instructed. “We need you too.”
“So does this mean the infirmary is still a mess of unpacked medical supplies?” Jacob cut in before Eli could retort.
Eli waited a long beat before she looked away from Eden and turned her attention back to Jacob. “Yes. The only things we ’ve removed thus far have been those we need in conjunction with our research. It ’ll get done eventually.”
“Yep, it will,” Jacob agreed blithely. Then he turned and looked at the remainder of his teammates, smiling at their immediate affirmations to his silent query. “Unpacking party in the infirmary for all available bodies after the meeting.”
“Jake,” Eli warned.
“Boss, we need the med bay to be set up and ready to go. We don ’t want to run into trouble out here and then have to go digging through boxes because things aren ’t where they belong.”
“Is anyone else here a little terrified that Jake is making total sense?” Hannah asked into the tense quiet that followed his pronouncement. Everyone else snorted – Jacob just glared at her... for all of three second before he started laughing. “Anyway, I agree with him. Eli can certainly direct us, but if we all pitch in the infirmary should be completely set up before the day is gone.”
“Agreed,” Kai said. “All in favor?” Heads all around nodded their concurrence. “So we ’ll be down to help as soon as we ’re done here, Boss.”
Eli grinned wickedly, though they could all see the relief and exhaustion in her eyes. “Just remember you volunteered,” chuckling when groans rose from around the table.
“So was that all?” Naomi asked when things settled down again.
“No,” Eli replied. “Surely you didn ’t think it would be that easy.”
“A girl can always hope,” Deborah muttered.
Eli smiled. “She can... as long as she ’s not surprised when hope is dashed. No, Danny called me to the astronomy lab earlier.”
“Does this have to do with what he sent me earlier?” Jacob asked.
“Um hmm,” Eli acknowledged “But why don ’t we let Danny explain what he found so the rest are in the loop?” Jacob motioned for them to go ahead and Eli stepped to one side so Danny could be front and center. Eli moved to stand beside Arianna, resting a hand on her shoulder and smiling brightly when Arianna covered it as a matter of course and began tracing her fingers lightly up and down light green skin. Danny spoke uninterrupted for several minutes as he explained the situation to the remainder of the Alpha Team. When he was finished, he turned and looked at Eli who stepped forward to stand beside him as she studied her teammates. “Any questions?”
“Um... yeah,” Deborah snarked. “I mean I appreciate being kept in the loop and everything – I did ask for that consideration after all, but how does this affect us... really? Aside from Jake needing to rework our heading so we miss the nebula safely, what difference does this make for us? If we drop out of translight speed, our fuission trail will reflect that, won ’t it? I for one am unwilling to lose the advantage of the diversion Arianna and Paul created especially when we ’re still this far inside Alliance territory.”
Eli nodded and looked around. “Anyone else?”
Mordecai raised his hand slightly and cleared his throat to speak when Eli gestured at him. “Yeah, um... aside from Deb ’s question, I was wondering if they ’ve detected us?” Eli turned to Danny.
“Um, as far as we can tell from this distance, they are unaware of our presence. But we can ’t be sure of anything until we get a little closer. We ’re not even sure if the indications of civilization are those of a living or dead society at this point.”
“So to answer your questions, Deb,” Eli said as she returned her attention to those seated around the table, “it concerns everyone because we are working blind at the moment; we know nothing about what ’s inside the nebula. If there is a living culture hidden within the nebula, and if they have technology comparable to ours, they ’ll be able to track the fuission trail whether we break translight speed or not. We ’re working with a lot of unknowns – I wanted everyone to be aware on the chance we have to defend ourselves.”
“What about Eden ’s cloaking project?”
“I asked Eden to engage the device as soon as Danny made his discovery, but again, without a clear idea of what is in that nebula, we cannot be certain if we ’re actually hidden from their scrutiny.”
“We can monitor from several science and engineering stations,” Danny stated.
“And with that many eyes watching, we should know the instant anyone from within reacts to our presence negatively.” Eli turned to Arianna. “Is there any chance of you and Paul creating more of those diversionary torpedoes?”
Arianna cut her gaze across to Paul who shrugged and nodded. “Yes, we already have the parts ready to build more but we need to make assembling them a priority. It will take several days unless we get Isaac ’s help building them; then we could probably have them ready in....” She looked at Paul who wiggled his fingers at her. “Two days.”
Eli nodded. “Very well. You and Paul and Isaac make that your main concern. Aside from stocking the medical lab, most of the work we ’re doing is busy work – things that need doing but are not critical to our well-being and can stand to be delayed for the duration.”
“So does this mean we ’re not going to send in a probe or something to find out about this civilization?” Naomi asked.
“We can ’t,” Eli replied before anyone else could respond. “We cannot risk showing them we ’re out here if they aren ’t already cognizant of that fact. The Alliance must be aware of their presence and yet none of us has any knowledge or information about this place. Doesn ’t that seem more than a little odd to anyone else here? Added to the fact that the nebula seems to be shifting in space of its own accord contrary to any normal pattern we ’ve ever seen, and it behooves us to be cautious about this.”
“Eli ’s right,” Eden commented. “Even though we were never supposed to be here, the fact is the Nusnaigewron Nebula was part of the curriculum in each of our educational endeavors. And yet none of us knew anything about a civilization of any kind hidden within it – past or present. And we certainly didn ’t hear anything about the nebula shifting in space like it has. I ’d like to suggest that Jake reroute us in such a way that would allow us to drop those just at the far edge of the nebula.”
“Um... yeah, no. We can ’t. Too close to the nebula and they will... well, the best we can hope for is for them to just short out and hang around dead and useless,” Paul commented as he nervously combed his hands through his hair. “Between the electrical storms and the magnetic fields....” He shook his head. “We don ’t have the time to figure out a way around them.”
Eden shook her head. “You misunderstood. Or maybe I just wasn ’t clear. By the far edge of the nebula I meant somewhere equidistant to where we were when Danny discovered this situation... just on the other side of the nebula from where we are now because we have to go by it to get to that gas giant. If they ’re as advanced as we are, we should just be at the edge of their periphery when the decoys are launched so even if they can see us through the cloaking, they still won ’t be able to decipher which trail is ours.”
“She ’s right,” Jacob commented. “I ’ll work out a new route and start altering our course. It won ’t take long, and then I ’ll join you guys in setting up the infirmary.”
“You just want to blow up all those weird, old-fashioned hand covers Dr. Morris sent along,” Eli said wryly, but her eyes were sparkling with mirth.
“Uh... duh?? What else are going to use them for? We have anti-contamination fields and germ filters and all the latest, most advanced medical technology. When are you going to need something so primitive?”
Eli arched an eyebrow, but Abigail was the one to speak. “Don ’t mock, Jake. You never know when the unexpected can come in handy.”
“Yeah, dude – don ’t bugaboo us. I don ’t want for Eli to ever have to find out when she might need that sort of precaution,” Titus chastised.
Jake ducked and covered the back of his head, peering around cautiously to make sure no one had a hand raised in his direction. “All righty then – if we ’re all done here, Boss, I need to get to work on those calculations. I ’ll send them to you for approval before I implement them,” he added, sliding out of his seat and heading out of the room while keeping his back to the wall and his hand over the back of his head. Eli struggled to maintain a straight face as she nodded his dismissal. Only when he was out of the room did she crack a smile, causing the rest to snicker quietly. Then from out of nowhere, they heard a thump followed by, “Ow, dammit!” They rose as a singular body and shot out of the room to find Jacob clutching his forehead. Eli stepped forward.
“Forget about the bulkhead?” she asked kindly when she removed his hand from the swiftly forming bruising knot. She winced when he flinched against her tender touch. “Come,” she commanded. “Walk with me to the infirmary and I ’ll give you something for that. It will make working on those calculations a lot easier of you only see one set of numbers at a time.”
He started to nod and then stopped abruptly when pain seared behind his eyeballs. “I really am going to have brain damage at this point,” he complained good-naturedly.
“Good thing I can heal that, hmm?” Eli proclaimed with a smile. Then he accepted her proffered hand and the two moved out toward the medical bay.
“So... meeting over?” Isaac asked.
“Yeah,” Eden confirmed. “Meeting over. You, Az and Paul get to engineering and start putting those decoys together. Who ’s got the conn right now?” nodding when Mordecai and Naomi raised their hands. “Go,” she ordered. The rest of you currently on duty - head to the infirmary. The sooner we get that place sorted out, the better for all of us. If you ’re scheduled off right now, go get your rest. All right – I think that ’s it. Let ’s move, people.” And without any hesitation, they did.
************
“How ’s that?” Eli asked as she removed the syringe from his neck. Jacob turned his head to the right and left, then nodded at her.
“Better,” he admitted. “Can you do something about the welt?”
Eli arched an eyebrow at him. “I ’m working on it right now,” pressing her hand against his forehead. After a moment she pulled it away and nodded in satisfaction. “Better?”
Jacob lifted his hands to his head and rubbed across it. “Yeah... much. Thanks, Boss.”
“Anytime, Jake. But try not to make it too often, all right? You really don ’t want to give yourself brain damage. Who knows what might happen if I have to go in and repair something like that?”
Jacob snorted. “My luck I ’d start howling at the moon... figuratively speaking.”
Eli chuckled. “Yes... well, as entertaining as that possibility is for me to visualize, I ’d prefer to keep you just the way you are, all right?”
“Do my best, Boss.” The members of the Alpha Team that were going to work on putting the infirmary supplies away started crossing the threshold and Jacob slipped from the bed he was seated on. “Let me go work up the new calculations and I ’ll be back to help out down here.” He turned and looked at his compatriots and mock glared at them. “Save some of those hand things for me,” he instructed harshly though there was no way to hide the twinkle in his eyes. Then he disappeared out the door.
Eden just shook her head as she watched him go, then turned back to Eli. “So what first, Boss?” Luke as a matter of course went directly to the lab area and resumed the tests he and Eli had been working on. Eli nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Eden.
“Let me show you where things are and where they go, and you should be able to take it from there. Everything is marked; it ’s just a question of having the time to put it away.”
“We ’ll handle it, Boss. And if we have questions, we all know how to speak up. So you can go do the things you need to do,” Eden said shooing her hands in Luke ’s direction. “We ’ll be fine.”
Eli nodded. “You know where to find me.”
“We do. And we won ’t let Jake destroy your hand coverings from Dr. Morris.”
“Thank you, Eden. And all of you.”
“It ’s for us as much as you, Boss,” Deborah said bluntly. “Now go so we can get this done. You have better things to do. Buh-bye. See ya,” waving and giving Eli a gentle shove toward the lab. Eli just chuckled and shook her head, then went to the lab where she was immediately engrossed in her work.
Hours passed and people came and went while Luke and Eli remained sequestered in the lab. Eventually Arianna showed up and dragged Eli away despite her protests, directing Luke to shut things down for a little while. He didn ’t even bother to argue. Eli might be the Boss as far as the Alpha Team was concerned but she naturally deferred to Arianna on things that didn ’t involve the entire team... especially when she knew Arianna was right about her needing a break. She still protested – it was almost expected. But after a moment, Eli relented and nodded at Luke, and soon they were shutting the lab down for a little while.
************
How are things going?” Arianna asked as she gently worked her hands into the knots prevalent along Eli ’s spine. “Sorry,” she murmured when she hit a particularly sore spot.
“No, Angel – that ’s wonderful. I hadn ’t realized I ’d become so tense,” a little airily as Arianna hit yet another tender place. She waited another minute to catch her breath before tilting her head back slightly so she could meet brown eyes. “As for how the work in the lab is going – we ’re making progress, but it ’s in very tiny increments. Most of it seems to be in eliminating possibilities as opposed to finding a true solution.”
“Still it is progress. Even tiny steps move one forward.”
“I suppose,” Eli agreed grudgingly. “But I wouldn ’t be at all disappointed to actually make some progress.”
“Is there a reason you feel so pressured to find a solution immediately? Beyond Eden ’s health I mean; I understand that as a driving force. But by your own admission, she ’s holding her own for now – not getting any better, but not getting any worse either.”
“But we have no guarantee how long she can maintain that stability and I ’d rather not find out.”
“And...?”
“It shows?” Eli queried after a moment.
“To me,” Arianna confessed. “I doubt anyone else would know though.”
Eli shook her head. “I can ’t explain it. Maybe it ’s because of all the rushing around we did at the end of things and how we left. I just feel like I ’m running out of time to....” She shook her head to clear her thoughts, then without warning, she turned her body beneath Arianna ’s without dislodging her. “Well, hello there, Beautiful,” she greeted with a husky tone and a rakish expression. “Imagine meeting you here,” locking her hands on Arianna ’s hips and pressing their naked bodies together before sliding her hands up to tug the body above her into her own until they were touching along their lengths and breathing one another ’s air. They lay perfectly still for several long minutes simply relishing the intimate contact they had missed. Then Arianna dipped her head enough to brush their lips together.
“I have missed you, Amado.”
“And I you, Beloved. Can we be done with talking for now?”
For answer, Arianna claimed Eli ’s lips and then there were no more words beyond that of lovers ’ conversation.
Chapter VII
“Why are you not sleeping, Amado?” Arianna asked into the darkness sometime later. “Did I not wear you out sufficiently?” scraping her nails up and down Eli ’s torso and delighting in the shivers that followed in her wake. Eli tightened her embrace and yawned.
“My body is quite pleasantly exhausted, Angel. My mind however….”
“You need an ‘off ’ switch.”
“Perhaps. And why are you still awake? You ’ve been working as hard as I have.”
“Not really,” Arianna countered. “While building the torpedoes is important, it mostly constitutes busy work for us. There ’s nothing to work out – it ’s simply following the design we ’ve already created.”
“How ’s it going?”
“Good, actually. We already had all the parts manufactured – Paul planned for this possibility. And Isaac is learning to be part of the group; Paul is an excellent mentor for him in that regard.” Arianna felt Eli nod, but she didn ’t speak. “What are you thinking?”
Eli smiled and Arianna could hear it in her voice. “Right at this moment? I ’m thinking how incredibly lucky I am to be here with you.”
“Sweet talker.”
Eli shrugged. “Not if it ’s truth.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you sleep, Amado? I worry about you.”
“MaTb will be thrilled to know I chose a mate much like her in that regard,” brushing a kiss over the top of Arianna ’s head though she allowed her lips to remain in place for a minute. Arianna stayed still and waited. Finally, “Will you sing to me?”
“Of course! What would you like to hear?”
“Do you remember the song you used to hum in the desert compound? The one you always sang under your breath when you thought you were working alone?” Eli felt Arianna ’s expression change before she sat up and turned to look at Eli in the darkness. Eli shifted enough to pass her hand over the manual activation for the bedside light, and they both blinked at the introduction of the dim light. “Arianna?”
“You heard that?”
Eli smiled and cupped Arianna ’s face gently. “Every time. I learned to listen for it. It meant you were happy and that always made my heart smile. It ’s been so long since I ’ve heard it....”
“And it would make you happy to hear it now?”
“So much. But only sing it if you ’re happy as well.”
Arianna smiled, blinking back her tears before they could spill down her cheeks. “Turn off the light, Amado, and I ’ll sing you to sleep and into good dreams.” Then the only sound that could be heard in the darkness was the sound of a lullaby long since lost to time.
************
Hey, Girlfriend!” Esther greeted Eden as she stepped onto the bridge. “How ya doing?”
Eden smiled tightly. She knew they were all asking out of concern and caring, but they were already starting to drive her crazy. “I ’m all right, Es. Thanks for asking though.”
Esther grinned as she took a seat at the communications console. “We ’re driving you bat crap nuts, aren ’t we?”
Eden turned and studied her a long moment, gaging her sincerity before she replied. She nodded and shrugged. “A little, yeah. It ’s not that I don ’t appreciate the concern....”
“ ... but you ’d rather we didn ’t mind your business for you.”
“Something like that, yeah.”
Esther examined her slowly before she met black eyes fill with a hint of anger and a lot of frustration. “I ’ll tell ya what – you promise... absolutely swear... to tell us if anything changes that means we can do something to help make things better for you, and I promise to get everyone to lay off asking about you every time we see you. See,” she continued before Eden could respond, “I know something about tough guys like you - for all your bluff and bluster, you don ’t wanna blow people off about something like this because you understand that it ’s important to let people show they care.”
Eden looked down at the hands clasped in her lap. “You know this, huh?”
“Yeah, I do. My آب ... my papa was just like you.”
Eden stared at Esther before nodding her head in satisfaction. “Okay,” she agreed. “I promise.” She chuckled and Esther cocked an eyebrow at her in question. Eden shook her head and waved her off. “I ’m not laughing at you, Es. I just expected Gay to be the one to approach me. You know... with the empath thing and all.”
“I asked her to let me – because she can sense so much. I thought you might be a little more receptive if it was one of us who could relate because we ’ve been there in some fashion instead of someone who can feel what you ’re feeling. Not that I think Gay would invade your privacy like that, but that ’s what it would feel like to you coming from her.”
Eden narrowed her eyes. “You ’re pretty smart there, Es.”
“I told you, Girlfriend – I know tough guys like you. But your secret is safe with me. I ’ll let the rest know about the other though.”
Eden nodded. “I appreciate it.”
Esther shrugged. “Anything to make this a happy home, right?”
Eden snorted. “Right.”
************
“Luke?”
“Mmph?” Luke turned over and buried his head further beneath the pillow.
“Luke?” This time there was a gentle shaking on his shoulder and Luke sighed before he rolled over onto his back and pushed the pillow off of his head. He scrubbed a hand over his face and into his hair before blinking his eye open and forcing himself to try and focus on the concerned expression on the pale lavender face leaning close to his.
“Danny? What ’s wrong?” asked through a yawn.
“I was going to ask you that. You were growling in your sleep.”
Luke nodded and sat up as Danny backed up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes and trying to force a sense of wakefulness. He stretched languidly, then grinned when Danny handed him an energy infuser. He tossed it back and sighed in satisfaction, waiting for the elixir to course through his veins. When he opened his eyes again, he smiled. “Much better.” He looked at Danny. “So um... is everything all right? I mean you couldn ’t have known I was growling in my sleep before you came in here. How did you get in here anyway?”
Danny arched an eyebrow and took a seat beside him, close but not touching. “You gave me the code to yours like I gave you the code to mine,” he reminded Luke. “Maybe that infuser hasn ’t had enough time to work completely if you don ’t remember that.”
Luke rubbed his hands over his face again. “Maybe. I certainly don ’t feel like I ’m running on both legs yet.” He shook his head again. “So what can I do for you?”
“Well, I was just going to leave these reports for you,” holding up the Pad he was carrying. “But I kind of forgot about that when I heard you grumbling and growling. I thought you were in distress.”
“I think I was working.”
“On Eden ’s...?”
“Yes. It ’s so frustrating. Eli and I are both eliminating a number of possibilities, but we don ’t seem to be making positive progress to repair the damage. We have to be missing something. I ’m just at a loss to figure out what.”
“It ’s making you crazy?”
“Like you wouldn ’t believe. And it ’s carrying over into my nocturnal journeys. I am having the strangest dreams.”
“Maybe you should pay attention to your dreams. They might be trying to tell you something. In fact, maybe you should go back to sleep. It ’s still early.”
“Perhaps, but after that infuser, I ’m not going to be resting anytime soon. Let me have those reports. Maybe letting my mind focus on something else for a while will give me a clearer mind when I go back to the lab.”
Danny passed over his Pad. “You can just return this to me when you ’re done. I ’m going to go rest for a little while,” standing and stretching. “I do like the twelve hour rotations but some days my brain and my body are just mush by the end of a shift.”
Luke laughed. “Go get some sleep,” waving Danny from the room. Then he pulled up the Pad Danny had left him and started reading.
************
“Eden? Do you have a minute?”
“Sure, Gay. What ’s up?” Eden took a good look at Abigail ’s expression and reached out without actually touching her. “Are you all right?”
Abigail accepted the proffered hand, squeezing lightly to show Eden her appreciation of the gesture. “I ’m not sure,” she confessed. “I feel.... Something is off.”
“Can you be more specific?”
Abigail shook her head. “I don ’t know. But something is not like it was. I don ’t know if it ’s someone here on the ship or.... I think it has something to do with the nebula. I didn ’t start feeling unsettled until we came within range of it.”
“What are you sensing?”
Abigail shook her head. “I don ’t know. It ’s just... uncomfortable.”
Eden sighed. “I hate to ask, but....”
Abigail placed a hand on Eden ’s arm. “It ’s all right, Eden. I ’m planning to monitor things. I just wanted someone else to be aware, and I figured you would share with Eli if you thought it was important for her to know.”
“Yep. I ’ll take care of it. You just keep me in the loop.”
“Thank you, Eden,” Abigail offered with another squeeze before she walked away. Eden watched her go and checked her chronometer. She hated to disturb Eli during her time with Arianna, but they couldn ’t overlook anything out of the ordinary out here on their own... especially when an empath with barriers as strong as Abigail ’s was sensing things.
************
“Boss, this is Luke. Over.”
There was the sound of a throat clearing, then Eli ’s sleepy voice came over the comm unit. “Go ahead, Luke. Over.”
“I ’m sorry to cut into your rest, Boss, but something has come up that needs your attention. Over.”
Luke heard Eli sigh, then Eli spoke. “Come see me in fifteen standard. Out.”
He set the Pad aside and went into the en suite. He had just enough time to clean up before he met with Eli.
************