Found my stars? Her words struck him hard. He had such a similar thought just days ago when she had loomed over and his lips had traced out the constellations across her chest. That he would never change his stars again as long as those ones stayed with him.
She had looked at him differently after he'd told her how much his freedom meant to him. Now she knew him to his core. He was more content now, respected and accomplished in his field. And now she was here, she had told him that she thought he was brilliant. It was like a loop slowly being closed off. Despite the situation his spirit soared.
As she hunched over her plate he turned to regard her. There was a faint smile on his thinly parted lips. His eyes blazed with adoration.
I love you so much.
He couldn't say anything. Not now. Whenever he tried to confess as much it always triggered her anxiety and right now was most certainly not the time to do that. She would lose her mental focus or likely sternly rebuff him and keep her mind on the situation at hand. But his eyes always revealed far too much of what he was thinking. That thought galvanised in his mind in a way it hadn't before.
“You're right. I think I am where I'm meant to be,” he replied with a slow nod. “Picking a path is a delicate business, even a gentle nudge can get you on the right heading.”
Her belief had been no small measure in putting him here. And he was happy here, he realised. For some reason he had never stopped to consider that. Even under the strict hierarchy of the military - which he occasionally chafed against - he was proud of what he did. He enjoyed it.
He decided he shouldn't use any overt gestures, but he placed an arm around her waist and drew himself close. He placed just one kiss on the side of her neck and then let go.
A small sigh escaped his lips. “Yeah, let's get warm and sleep. In the morning if anything is tightly knotted let me know, won't take a minute and could save more time down the line.”
Asmus laid back whilst she finished eating and arranged the bags into makeshift pillows and spread out the blanket. Intelligent fabric meant it stuck fast wherever it touched the tent floor, acting like a seal around them. When she was done he would draw her close again for shared warmth.
And because he wanted her close.
Amadgener strode nervously around the holotable. In the B Deck briefing room he held an emergency meeting with Vo and Tarn.
“Unfortunately the news went up the wrong channels, but I've managed to tap the source,” Vo explained. The terrain map showed the three missile sites that had been deployed to cover a massive region. “According to a civilian witness the missile came from this site and the vessel crashed somewhere in this region.”
One of the sites flared red a wide orange circle appeared. The size of the circle showed just how little they knew the situation.
“We think Vera and Janes have camped down in this area, based on what we got back from them on their… novel deployment process and an estimate of distance covered.”
The Captain leaned in, placing his hands on the table and taking his weight on broad arms. “They're not far away. What are the chances of them completing it alone?”
“Vera of capable. Seventy percent chance of them escaping, around fifty fifty of them getting out with the asset,” Vo replied. The Captain was nervous. People couldn't see where his wide eyes came to rest, but the sullustan was remarkable observant. Very little got past him.
“Assuming that idiot Janes doesn't get them caught.”
Vo canted his head to one side. If Janes was the idiot what did that make the captain who was frequently outwitted by the japes the Wing Commander concocted to keep himself amused?
“I think Janes will be fine,” he said, choosing to make a small stand on the issue. Vo knew the crew well and he knew people even better than his field agents. A review of Janes’ file had been interesting.
“Can we get another shuttle in?” Tarn piped up. His pink fingers were wrapped around a mug of caf.
Trying to avoid the tension, smooth things as usual Wek. Vo thought, on this occasion he allowed the question to take them off at a tangent.
The Captain shook his head. “Would need to send a fighter to break through that air defence. Not one of the civilian shuttles. Chance of…”
“They're locked tight, I've ordered papers but it could be three days before we can forge or steal something,” Vo said, preempting the captain's question.
“Tarn, get Odennus briefed and Chad updated on the situation. We'll have to trust the Force for the next few days.”
Or the capabilities of our asset, Vo thought. Amadgener was not a trusting man. He liked control of a situation that was at his fingertips. That was, in Vo’s opinion, why he hadn't been promoted above command of a frigate. He kept that opinion to himself.
