Transmission Lost (14 page)

After long moments of trying to gather strength, Jack got up from the ground and shakily walked to his fallen weapon. He picked it up and checked it. One bullet remained in the magazine and there was one in the chamber, hardly enough for protection on this planet. Jack sighed, sinking to a sitting position on the ground. He was just about ready to give up. He'd managed to kill all of the creatures that had been stalking him, and for what? So that he could die in a little more peace from starvation and dehydration. Well, if he was going to die regardless...He did have two bullets left...

The sound of crunching dead needles broke Jack out of his contemplation. He looked up, his heart kicking into overdrive. Whatever was making the noise, it was moving rapidly through the trees, with little regard for keeping its presence hidden. Swallowing, Jack looked down at his weapon. Though he was full of pain and despair, he didn't want to die. Gritting his teeth, he raised his weapon, waiting for the source of the noise to come through the trees. The sound was growing louder, coming nearer, and he thought it would be close in a few seconds.

When finally the source of the noise emerged from the trees, Jack's arms went weak and the gun slipped out of his fingers.

“Jack!” Aria shrieked, rushing up to him, falling to her knees and catching him before he collapsed. She wrapped her arms around him, clutching him to her. “You alive!”

“Aria...,” Jack gasped, his voice hoarse. He put his arms around her in turn, more than relieved to finally have a friendly presence near. The human just rested against her, not caring at all anymore for what his previous employment told him he should think of her. Right now she was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced in his life.

“You fall into river, and I...I not sure if you alive, I...,” Aria's voice faltered and she leaned back from Jack, keeping her arms on his shoulders. Her eyes widened in the moonlight as she saw the state he was in. “Your arm...and your shoulders. You hurt...” She shuffled the packs off of her shoulders, concern on her face as she reached inside one for the medical kit.

“No...,” Jack said, putting his hand on her arm. “Not here. Not around all these dead...things.” Wincing, his muscles straining as he moved, he got to his feet. “Let's...Let's get out of here. Find a spot to camp for the night. I can make it that far, at least.”

Aria, though she looked uncertain, nodded. “If...If you sure.” She stood as well, strapping the packs back on. “Come. Water nearby. Can smell it in the air. Follow.” But she kept a hand on Jack's arm as they started walking, leaving death behind them.

******

“Keep still.”

Jack winced, looking away as Aria stripped the makeshift bandage from his arm. His body was warmed by the fire as Aria tended to his wounds at their campsite. She'd located a nice spot near a slow-flowing stream, where she'd set up the tent and gotten a fire going. The stream was clear, sparkling in the moonlight shining down through the clearing in the trees. The ground around them was covered in a silky, feathery moss, quite pleasant to sit on. As Aria had worked, Jack had eaten his first meal in almost twenty-four hours and drank almost three liters of water. Now, they were both sitting by the fire, with the medical kit open next to them.

“Not as bad as seemed...,” Aria mumbled, setting the soiled bandage on top of his fatigue jacket. She took some water from a canteen and washed the crusted blood away from his injuries, then sprayed them with disinfectant before setting to work with the sealer. “You tougher than I think, yes?”

Jack chuckled. He felt much better than he had an hour ago. “If you say so. I just did what I had to do to survive.”

“Did better than that,” Aria insisted. She sealed the last of his wounds, leaving behind only faint lines along his skin that would fade over time. The Ailian turned away from him, packing the medical kit back up and closing it. She was quiet for a few moments. “I...I sorry, Jack.”

He looked at her, surprised. “For what?”

“My fault you fall. I go too fast, make you try to go fast with me. Stupid. Should not have done.” Replacing the kit back in her pack, she turned back to him. Her eyes were shining, and she was smiling slightly, her tail waving back and forth. “But...you survive. You do better than I do, I think. I...proud of you.”

Jack felt his cheeks warm. It was the highest praise he had ever heard from her. “Thank you.”

Aria turned away from him again, and he heard a quiet sniff. “So glad you survive...” Both of them were quiet, listening only to the sound of the crackling fire. When Aria spoke again, her voice sounded a little hoarse. “So. I eat now, yes? You go wash. Has been long day, tired day...” She managed a smile. “Not want to share tent with dirty human.”

A bath did sound pretty good to Jack. He was filthy from the long hours in the sun, as well as from the prolonged fighting with the pack of wild animals. “No arguments from me,” he agreed. “You promise not to watch me this time?”

“Yes,” Aria said, laughing quietly. “I turn my back to stream. You bathe in peace. But you make same promise for my turn, yes?”

Chuckling as well, Jack nodded. He started to rise from where he was sitting, but he paused. Hesitating just a moment, he hugged Aria. She gave a start, her tail twitching sharply in surprise, but then she hugged back. Their mutual relief at being together again was almost palpable. Then Jack let go of her, stood up, and walked down to the stream. Aria turned away and began to prepare her dinner.

******

Jack finished his quick wash long before Aria was finished with her meal. After he got himself reasonably dry, he redressed and walked back up to where she was eating. He bade her goodnight and then went into the tent, lying down to sleep.

His eyes closed, Jack breathed deeply and slowly, feeling totally relaxed. Yet sleep wouldn't come to him. His mind was abuzz with all kinds of thoughts, most of them about Aria. He still felt the remains of the shame that had gripped him earlier, the shame over not having had faith in her desire to find him. That she would have searched for him seemed obvious now. Somewhere along their journey, she had stopped thinking of him as a prisoner and had started to consider him a friend. Jack should have known better. He had saved her life, and whatever Aria was she had a sense of honor, and paid her debts.

Jack rolled onto his back, opening his eyes and looking at the roof of the tent. He crossed his arms behind his head, sighing. Aria. He still wasn't sure he'd figured her out completely. By all rights, she should have killed him long ago. She was a lieutenant of the Ailian Ascendancy, trained to do nothing else but kill her enemies. Yet she'd also had the presence of mind to recognize when sparing a life was appropriate, more than Jack had been taught to expect of an Ailian. Aria had very rationally concluded that she wouldn't be able to survive without his help, and had set aside her prejudices to enlist his assistance.

Perhaps that was why Jack had come to find it impossible to hate her. He realized that he hadn't ever exactly felt any ill will towards her. Some fear at first. Annoyance, certainly, and irritation at her imperious and stiff personality, but never hatred, even though she'd directed a fair amount of that at him to start with. Before long, she'd seemed to sense that he didn't dislike her, and had grown to trust him and even rely on him. When their initial unfamiliarity had faded, they'd even begun to like one another, especially having gone through the things they'd experienced together.

Which might be why...,
Jack started to think, but he stopped. He wasn't sure he was ready to admit to himself that he thought Aria was beautiful. He'd never met anyone like her, and he didn't just mean an Ailian. She was different from any of the women he'd ever bothered to associate with. Aria was strong, smart, and she had courage. Most of the women who'd paid any attention to him had been vapid and shallow, the kind of women who only hung out with fighter pilots because of the reputation they would get for having a “cool boyfriend”. Aria didn't care whether he was cool or not; she appreciated his attitude and, he thought, his companionship.

His train of thought was derailed by the soft sound of splashing; it sounded as though Aria was taking her own bath. The memory of when he'd seen her washing in the pool atop the mesa rose to the front of his mind, and then the memory of her kiss. Jack brought a hand to his face, touching his lips. He knew he wouldn't fall asleep tonight, not with those memories in his head.

Not until...

Jack sat up and crawled to the entrance of the tent, unzipping it and exiting. The night was warm, for a change, even with the light breeze blowing through the campsite. The sky above was still completely clear, and the planet's moonlight made the area glow softly. He stared at the stars for a few moments, breathing the clean, fresh air. Then he brought his gaze down, looking out to the stream.

Aria was there, kneeling in the water. Her orange fur appeared dusky brown in the low light, and the reflection of that light on the water's surface silhouetted her form. Jack made his way down the gradual, mossy slope, stopping about halfway between the edge of the stream and the campsite. There he sat, drawing his knees up in front of him and hugging his arms around his legs, just watching. Aria had her back to him, and she was dipping her cupped hands into the water, lifting them and letting it fall down over her body.

As Jack looked, she slowly turned around where she knelt. Her eyes were closed. Droplets of water dripped down her fur, and she wiped her hands down her front, slicking it off of herself in a shimmering sheet. Then her eyes opened, and they locked on Jack. He thought he saw her take in a sharp breath, and her arms started to come up in a reflex to cover herself. But she stopped.

“You break promise,” Aria said simply, her head tilting to one side. Her voice was quiet, and her light tone made the accusatory words less so. The tip of her tail lifted from the water and waved back and forth, stirring the surface behind her.

Jack nodded in response, not saying a word. He didn't trust his voice not to shake right now. His heart felt like it was going to hammer itself out of his chest. Aria stood up to her full height, and she started walking to the water's edge. Stepping out, she dropped down to all fours for a moment, shaking her fur out before rising up again. Jack was looking over her body, taking everything in. The swell of her breasts, the curve of her waist, the subtle, feminine sway of her hips and tail as she walked towards him.

She noticed his gaze moving up and down. “See something you like?” she asked, her voice scarcely more than a whisper. The same question she'd asked the first time.

“Yes,” Jack answered her, his eyes flicking up to her face. Her yellow, gold-speckled eyes were enchanting, almost hypnotic. He felt flushed, knew that his face was probably reddening even through his sunburn, and he felt just a bit scared. He didn't care. Aria stopped in front of him, standing with one hand on her hip, her tail swishing behind her. The vague hint of a smile was on her lips.

“Wet...,” Aria said. Jack blinked, not understanding. She held out a hand towards him, gesturing to the jacket he wore. “My fur. May I...?” Jack unbuttoned his jacket, shrugging it off of his shoulders and handing it up to her. Taking it, Aria sat on the mossy ground, drying herself with it. She rubbed the jacket down her front, over her back, stretched out her long legs in front of Jack...When she finished she set it aside, then smoothed her fur with her hands.

“Beautiful,” Jack breathed. He felt ridiculous saying it, but he wanted her to know. “You're beautiful.” Aria leaned forward, coming to her hands and knees. She shuffled towards him, bringing her face close. Gazing into his eyes, she touched her forehead to his. He felt her breath on his skin, gentle and warm.

“Ara le se ch'aa...,”
she whispered. Aria kissed him, her hands coming to his cheeks as she pulled his face close against hers. Jack's arms came around her back, his fingers sinking into her fur as he kissed her in return. He felt her tongue come from her mouth, rubbing along his lips, slipping inside to toy with his. The Ailian pressed forward, gently laying him on the feathery moss. She took her hands from his face, taking hold of his arms and moving them to her front. Jack cupped his hands around her breasts and squeezed softly. Aria exhaled slowly through her nose, a low, deep purr starting in her chest.

Jack almost couldn't believe what was happening. This was crazy, but it felt like exactly the right thing. She was so soft and warm, nothing like the strong, cold warrior she appeared at first glance. Her fur, still slightly damp, was nonetheless silky and sleek. The human moved his hands lower, down her belly, feeling the long, thin scar on her front. Her taut abdominal muscles twitched as he rubbed her stomach, and he could sense the vibrations from her purring.

With a soft gasp, Aria broke their kiss. She stayed on all fours over Jack, looking down at him. He saw the same predatory expression in her eyes that had been present the first time they'd met face to face, but the meaning was different this time as she licked her thin black lips. After a moment she rose to her knees, taking one of his hands in hers. Standing, she helped him up from the ground.

“Come.”

******

Aria led him into the tent, not bothering to zip it up behind them. Once inside, she settled down on the bedrolls, leaning back, propped up on her elbows. She stared at Jack, her expression of want even more intense than before. Jack knew the same look was on his face. He'd never felt a greater need before, never wanted a woman more than he did right now.