CHAPTER EIGHT
What the hells had he nearly done? Arek wanted to kick himself. Instead he strode back and forth across the cruiser cabin, forcing his steps into a measured tread, locking down his emotions and foolish temptation with each step.
He'd nearly initiated a flirtation with his team-mate. And no matter how lovely she was, no matter how her sweet musky scent teased his senses when she was near, making him want to follow it with his hands, his nose and mouth to her sweet, damp center—no. Hells, no.
He'd had sex only the night before with the blonde Octiron employee. His own hand and a tube of moisture-gel would have to suffice for the duration of the Race.
Sex with Mia Jag, no matter the interest in her lovely golden-brown eyes, and the way her delicate nostrils flared when he was near, as if she was drinking in his scent... it was just not going to happen. She was a liability, a civilian he was forced to bring along on what he must think of as a mission. A mission that was unlike any he'd ever been on, and an extremely public one.
He thought back to the moment in the privacy of the white, gleaming lav—the one place on the cruiser he was sure Octiron would not send spybots.
He'd pulled the pac of cava his father had given him from the inner pocket of his flight-suit, and unwrapped it. Inside was a neatly wrapped selection of the fruit chews. The tiny, concentrated chews expanded in the mouth, providing a tart, chewy and refreshing treat that lasted for several moments before dissolving.
This pac held two extra objects. One he recognized as an add-on for his com unit—that he'd expected to receive.
But the other... he carefully picked up the small holovid bot, and held the silvery unit in his open palm. "Commander A'Renoq, 1st Aurelian Unit," he said. "We fight for freedom."
A holovid sprang up from his palm. His father gazed at him, his stern face outlined by his small, stark office in Hamor Command Center. "Greetings, my son. If you are listening to this, I trust that you are on board your cruiser, your mission underway. And that your assigned teammate cannot hear or see this.'
'You are no doubt puzzled by my subterfuge in passing along this intelligence. However, it is crucial that no else be aware of the plan underway—except you, myself and our High Command. You've been sent to the Paragon Galaxy to take place in the Great Space Race not merely as a publicity stunt, as you believe. We have a higher purpose for this mission. Listen carefully.'
Now, his mind full, Arek paced, working through all the implications of what his father had told him. If the secret plan worked, Team Starry Night would have a huge advantage over the other teams left in the competition. If it failed... they'd merely be on more equal footing with the other teams. Being a warrior, he naturally wanted any and all possible advantages.
At least this mission was not life or death, but a game.
When the Tygress had finished eating, he turned to her. "We need to look over our gear, make sure it's all functioning properly. Deuce?"
"Greetings, Team Starry Night," the AI answered so loudly the Tygress flinched visibly, and Arek winced. "I am back online. How may I serve you?"
"You can turn down the volume, for one thing," Arek ordered.
"Certainly. IS THIS BETTER?"
"No!" Mia covered her ears, and Arek wanted to. "I said volume down, not up!"
"HMMM. SORRY, CAPTAIN. THIS IS THE BEST I CAN DO AT THIS TIME," the AI thundered.
Great God beyond, they'd be hearing-impaired if they had to listen to this ear-shattering volume. Where had Octiron found the tech for the AI's, a bargain bazaar on Malchizon?
Arek slammed open the hatch to his sleep cubby and rifled through his duffel. He found the packet of ear-plugs, put in a pair of the small devices, and brought the other out to hand to his team-mate. "Wear these," he told her, his own voice muffled in his ears. "They not only muffle sounds, they protect the ear-drums from shock-waves."
Not that they'd be in danger of those, as no one would be firing at the cruiser. But the hearing protection they needed, because God only knew how loud the AI's volume could go.
Mia tipped her head to insert the ear-plugs, her long, silky mass of hair sliding over her shoulder and upper arms. His fingers twitched to test the silkiness of those brunette locks, and to wind it around his hand and use the leverage to tug her toward him...
He blinked. "You'll need to tie your hair up securely before we suit up," he told her. "It's a dangerous liability."
"My hair is a liability?" She gave him a look that said he was rezzed.
He pulled open the gear cubby and pulled out the two pacs of light armor. He tossed hers on the floor at her feet. Instead of answering her, he spoke to the AI. "Deuce, report on geography and vegetation of planet Am-ghyr."
"CERTAINLY. AM-GHYR IS A TROPICAL PLANET, WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 26 TO 36 DEGREES CELSIUS. HUMIDITY IS HIGH, IN 80-90 PERCENTILE RANGE. THIS SMALL PLANET IS 70 PERCENT WATER, BOTH FRESH AND SALINE."
Arek looked to Mia. "There's your answer. We're going to be in a jungle, which means heavy vegetation. Your hair catches on a branch or sticky plant, you'll have to stop and get free." He didn't add that loose hair could also be grasped by any of the numerous creatures likely to be living in those jungles.
From the way her lovely eyes widened, she got the implication. "Right. I'll put my hair up."
She went into her sleep cubby, and emerged a few moments later with her hair pulled back into a tight bundle on the back of her neck. The severe style only emphasized the lovely shape of her head, and her slender throat. Quark it, the woman even had pretty ears, delicate and shell-like, one emphasized by the glittery GSR comlink.
Burying his admiration where it belonged, deep in the recesses of his mind, Arek turned his attention back to the light armor. It appeared to be made of cerametal-coated fabric plates, overlapping in light, yet strong layers. There was only one glaring problem—like their team flight-suits, the stuff was black, and would make them stand out like patches of night against vegetation.
Time to supplement with his own version of tactical wear.
He strode back into his sleep cubby, ripped off the flight-suit and donned the set of gaaulites he'd packed. Once he was suitably clad, feeling as if he'd slipped back into a familiar skin, he brought out the spare set for Mia.
He held out the small bundle to her, but she ignored it. She gaped at him, her gaze roving over him in open fascination. "What are you wearing?" she asked. "Is that what you wear as a warrior?"
"Yes. Gaaulites—camo programmed to shift according to terrain. Also regulates body heat in both hot and cold conditions. Here, I brought an extra set."
She took the bundle and stared at it. "You brought this for me?"
"No," he said impatiently, "I brought it for whoever my team-mate would be. Sized smaller than mine, and the fabric is quite flexible. Should fit you. Go and change, so we can get on with equipment testing."
The Tygress curled her lip at him. "Just when I begin to think you have traces of good manners, you correct me."
Arek watched her turn on her heel and saunter into her own cubby. The hatch shut behind her with a click, hiding her lush, round ass from view. Maybe luck would be on his side, and the gaaullies would be too large, baggy on her slender frame, unlike the tight GSR flight-suit.
But when she emerged, he sighed inwardly. Nope.
When he'd packed the extra set, he'd assumed his team-mate would be smaller in stature than he, because most races in their galaxy were, aside from Gorglons and Mauritanians. He'd also assumed his team-mate would be male.
She was definitely female in every way. The gaaulite top was loose on her, but the pants were very snug, cupping her hips and thighs in loving detail.
"These are very comfy," she said, stroking one slender hand down over her hip and smiling. "And the way the fabric shifts color and pattern is amazing."
Amazing was not the description he'd choose. Distracting, or guaranteed to make him lose his mind—both worked.
He jerked his gaze away from her lush, round ass. "Good. Don your body armor, so I can determine if it needs adjustment. Here's a gaaulite vest to go over it. Then I want to see how you handle a laser weapon."
Even with earplugs in, he heard her muttered, 'Yes sir, captain sir."
Hiding his urge to grin, he buckled his own set of armor in place and moved swiftly into a fighting stance, then flipped to another. Not great, but it would do.
He looked around to find Mia gaping at him, armor only half-fastened. "What?" he asked.
She closed her lush mouth, and shrugged. "Oh, nothing. Just glad to see this armor is, uh, flexible enough to allow free movement."
Right. Now he was fighting the urge to preen a little, flex his muscles. Because he was pretty sure that was admiration he'd seen in her golden gaze.
Quark, he'd known from the moment he saw her that she was going to disturb his equilibrium. And sometimes it sucked like a black hole to be right.
"Move it," he ordered. "You're wasting time."
* * *
Mia could not figure Arek A'Renoq, not at all. One moment he was teasing her, then icing her out. Later, he'd examined her from head to toe in the borrowed galottes, or whatever they were called, his gaze heated as if he was deciding where to lick her first. But an instant later he'd frozen up again, ordering her brusquely to get her armor on.
Goddess, and males claimed that females suffered mood swings!
She wondered if any legals had been included in their supplies. The man could use a few drinks or a cannabis chew to relax. And so could she, for that matter.
Shaking her head, she forced her attention off her Race partner and back to the nav controls. The bright nav line of their progress showed they were nearing their destination.
"Planet in sight," she told Arek. "Trajectory clear. At present speed, we will reach outer atmosphere in ten standard galactic minutes."
"Got it," he said. "Slowing to entry speed. Deuce, landing spot?"
"I've got it," Mia reported, as bright blue lines outlined a landing spot on the approaching planet. "Setting course now."
"Very well. Entering atmosphere—brace."
The cruiser shuddered subtly, and Mia's body trembled with it. The sensation continued as the cruiser sailed down toward the planet. Her tummy tightened.
Before them, the planet Am-ghyr filled the view screen, a hazy bulk under a blanket of clouds.
On the holo-readout, the planet was a green globe with large, connected bodies of paler green water. One mountain range nearly bisected the planet, with a deep canyon on the east side. Created by continental plates grinding together, and the resultant earthquakes splitting the lower plate, leaving the fissure, if the planet was like those in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Their landing spot was on the canyon side of the mountain range. Mia hoped fervently they would not be expected to anywhere near it. At 2 kilometers, the fissure was deep enough for any manner of beast or being to lurk in wait for unwary travelers... and kill them. And then what would happen to their bodies? Dinner, probably.
"Time and distance to assigned landing," Arek said.
Mia jerked her attention away from her gruesome imaginings. "Time thirty-three standard moments. Distance fifty meters."
They were after something so small it was called a 'mouse', she reminded herself. She should be worrying about how they were going to find a mouse in the jungle, not imagining predators.
In the end, they sailed down through the clouds and into the misty green landscape without incident. Mia scanned her chart and then peered out the windshield, beaming with relief when she saw their designated landing spot.
"Landing pad in sight!" She pointed at the glowing GSR logo that had been picked out in glolights on a flat, open area.
"Got it." Arek settled the cruiser on the landing pad so gently that Mia wasn't sure they were actually down until he began to power down the craft. She was suddenly very glad he was piloting the cruiser, and not her. Experience counted at times like these.
"Nice landing," she said, unfastening her safety harness.
"This was an easy one—no explosions, no one shooting at us. Deuce, task coordinates, please."
Mia hastily made sure her earplugs were still in position, wincing in anticipation of the AI's new booming voice.
"... hear me?" asked a tiny voice.
She looked to Arek, both of them frowning. "What?" he called. "Deuce, can you read me? Come in, please. We need the intel for this task."
"Okay then I'll TRY TO SPEAK LOUDER!" The AI's volume grew so fast that Mia, who had pulled out her earplugs, hadn't time to shove them back in again. She let out a meowl of discomfort, shielding her sensitive ears.
"Oops, sorry," Deuce said in a more normal tone. "Team Starry Night, your first challenge is this;
'Find the Mouse, 'fore the Mouse finds you.
Stop him or through your defenses he'll chew.
Bring him a bloom, take away his ball.
Bring down the skies or with him you'll fall.'
"Which means what?" Arek demanded, rising from his seat. "A quarking rhyme? As intel, that's useless."
Mia had to agree with him, for once. The piece might rhyme, but it was cryptic as an Indigon riddle. She peered out at the jungle. The cruiser's windshield was covered with a fine, misty rain. Beyond that loomed tall trees and green—a great deal of green.
"I'm guessing that's not how you're used to receiving the perameters of your missions," she joked feebly.
"That's for certain," Arek growled. "Anyway, the AI said this mission is in your honor. No methods for dealing with 'mice' up your sleeve?"
She sighed. "You wish. We don't even know what the 'mouse' really is. Maybe it's a—an automaton, a bot. Or an absolute horde of tiny, live creatures. Or..." she couldn't think of any more alternatives.
"Right. Let's have a look at our surroundings." Arek motioned to the holo-readout.
Mia brought the globe up much bigger, so they could both view the area around the cruiser.
"Deuce, repeat rhyme." This time, she recorded it on her com, and brought the words up on a small side holo-screen as well. Sometimes it helped her to see the words as well as hear them.
However, in this case it did no good. She was so tense she could feel her claws pricking to release from her fingertips, and her vision sharpening with the primal urge to hunt, or flee.
Arek opened a hatch behind her, and she turned to see him filling a pack with bottles of water and a couple of mealpacs. "Deuce, do we have an actual direction and distance?"
"Certainly," the AI said with a promptness that said he'd been waiting for the question. "To begin, Team Starry Night, you must proceed one half-meter from your ship, northeast twenty degrees."
Mia leaned forward eagerly to input the direction on the holoreadout. But as a green light blinked on the detail holomap, a chill ran down her spine. "Oh, merde," she said. "That's right on the edge of the canyon."