Nova (24 page)

“Touch and match.” Diana announced, chest heaving with
exhilaration and effort.

“Touch and match.” Avara repeated, her normally velvet–smooth
alto somewhat nasally in tone.

A bare second later, Adeline stepped back and lowered her
cutlass to her side and Avara turned, sword mimicking Diana’s in a salute. The
adversary was vanquished as a wide grin split across the Captain’s face. “
Superbly
played, A!”

Flushing with pleasure, Diana replied, “Thank you, Avara;
you as well. ‘Twas a near thing.”

“Ha! If only. After three years, I still call myself
fortunate if I can win two out of four bouts with you.” Serros complained,
shaking her head and shifting her sword–grip to a point down position.

“Well, if it helps, take comfort in the fact that you’re the
only person I know on–ship who can make such a claim.” Diana commented, knowing
her tone vibrated with an affectionate mixture of cheek and respect.

“It does. That’s the only way I can manage to sleep at
night.” Avara verbally riposted in a friendly fashion.

Negating the step between them with a single pace, Adeline retrieved
a clean medicinal swipe from the left–thigh pocket of her padded blue, every–day
fatigue pants. “Here; you’re a mess.” Diana noted as she cleaned the bruising
scrape that stretched across Avara’s nose–bridge and cheek.

“No more than usual.”

“
Ha–ha
.” Adeline responded, just a breath below eye–level
of Serros as she gently sterilized the cut. “Look at it this way: you
energetically wipe the floor with me six out of eight boxing matches, and as
for macti, I have yet to be the victor in a single sparring session.”

“Mm. Well, with Marcus, I’m lucky to win only two–thirds of our
bouts; guy’s a bloody–boxing machine. As for future sword–play,” Avara started
playfully, “if I’m ever challenged to a duel again, I shall simply have you
fight for me; Captain’s privilege.”

“
Please
. Like you would
ever
be able to just stand
back and watch.”

“First time for everything.”

“As they say, last time I checked, Hell has
not
frozen
over.”

“I try not to listen too closely to what ‘they say.’” Eyes
luminescent with good–natured humor, Avara caught the wipe Adeline was using
and swabbed the perspiration from her forehead.

“And how’s that working out for you?” Diana asked, keeping
up the banter, in part because unlike with most other people, she always
enjoyed such given–and–take with Serros, but also to turn her thoughts from
Avara’s rather distracting physical proximity.

“Fair to middlin.’ I can send a detailed report next week.”

“I shall be expecting it.” Diana returned. “Okay, how’s the
face?” She asked as the Captain tossed the swipe into a near–by recycler and
moved away to replace the dull sparring cutlass back on the wall–rack.

Turning slightly and issuing a vague gesture, Serros replied,
“Practically healed already.”

Looking at the now quite shallow scrape, Diana could indeed
see that the Captain’s claim was true. Even as she watched, Avara’s supple skin
began to knit, her Physical Potency and Vitality Arca Enhancement already fast
at work.

“Nice to have a PV, I’m sure.” Diana commented as she joined
Serros in replacing her practice blade on the ship’s wall rack. Dozens of
swords, staffs, and short blades graced the wall.
Excalibur’s
B–Gym was
a dedicated sparing space, after all. Indeed, two of the other three circle–outs
were currently being utilized. In addition to larger melee weapons, inset
retractable wall–drawers also contained countless styles of gloves and body
armor for practice bouts in the space. Whether the chosen activity was fencing,
knife–fighting, boxing, macti, jujitsu, kung–fu, aikido, or valhaka, the open
gymnasium was more than well–equipped.

“For certain.” Avara agreed easily, moving off the matt to
the adjacent stretching area so that two respectfully waiting crewmen could
take their sparring place. The Captain then began a series of exercises to both
work–out various muscle groups and to prevent later cramping or stiffness. Like
Adeline, the Captain also wore the tight and sleeveless undershirt all Ministry
navy personnel utilized under their uniforms. Joining her in her work out, Diana
surreptitiously watched as Serros moved with intrinsic fluidity and grace from position
to position. The Captain was already breathing easily and the perspiration that
had brushed her skin and raven–dark short hair during their bout was drying. Taught
muscles rippled and played in almost mesmerizing flex and release patterns.

With an icy grip of apprehension regarding
other
Arca
imbued abilities she knew only too well that Avara possessed, Diana shifted her
gaze and did her best to squash the particular path her wondering mind had
taken. “Would you like to eat breakfast after we finish?” She queried a moment
later.

With a regretful shake of her head, Avara answered “No, I
can’t. We’re due to arrive on Avex in three hours and I’ve some final prep to
sift through before we drop off our friend Risha. Ben prepared and left
something for me in my quarters after I left.”

“You can always count on Bennet; best Captain’s Steward in
the Fleet!” Diana remarked with a slight smile. The gymnasium’s circulating air
brushed against Adeline’s body as she shifted her position, the cooling system serving
as a welcome relief after sparring.

“You know it.”

“I have some review I should do before our meeting as well.”
Diana added as she placed herself in lotus position, neck and back straight,
elbows out.

With a light, forward–falling movement, Serros slipped into
a free–standing, upright hand–stand. She held the pose for a full sixty
seconds, then bent her form like an old fashioned bow and slowly began to pump her
entire body in a series of up–right push–ups. After her second, she asked, “You
feel ready?”

“Certainly.”

“Should be a cake–walk, given our evidence.” Avara commented
as she continued the rather traditional macti exercise. “Shouldn’t take more than
an… hour, and we don’t even have to be vetted in full–dress, just our every–days.’”
The Captain announced, pausing between her eighth and ninth full–body lifts.

“I personally, am looking forward to some time planetside.”
Diana declared, switching her own pose to a straight side–plank position.

“Me too. Wanna grab lunch after the transfer?”

“Would love to.” Adeline replied, happiness coursing through
her at the prospect of time with Avara alone and off–ship.

Marcus’s words from four months ago echoed in her mind as
the two continued running through the rest of their stretching regimes and
tension work–out in companionable silence. Despite several stuttered attempts,
Diana had as of yet not found the courage and opportunity in which she felt she
could broach her feelings. There was always the mission and a multitude of
daily responsibilities that seemed far more pressing. Despite her only too human
evasion of the topic, Adeline made no pretext at self–deceit.

She knew her other best friend was quite correct. It
was
time to step forward, and not only because of the tension her feelings for
Avara created for herself, but also because as Marcus had hinted, there was
indeed another that now threatened to become much more than a friend to Captain
Avara Serros. Lieutenant K’llan Z’arr.

Having known Avara for over three years, Diana was used to
the Captain’s naturally warm yet somehow authoritative manner, as well as
Avara’s ease in forming good friendships with just about anyone. It was a trait
she’d always quietly admired for being quite unlike Diana herself, who’d always
struggled to make good friends, though once she did it was for life.

No, this situation was quite different.

It was obvious to Adeline that Avara and the Vosaia were
growing incredibly close, and though she knew their relationship was not yet
romantically intimate, Diana also
knew
, in her gut, that the time where
that potential would be tested was approaching. She could see the truth of her
intuition in the specific tone of warmth Lieutenant Z’arr always utilized when
speaking with Serros, could almost tangibly feel it when observing the
particular enjoyment Avara seemed to experience when in the Vosaia’s presence.

No more concerns regarding the possibility of tension in
their work and home–life aboard ship; such were ridiculous excuses anyway. Several
other crewmembers were established couples on
Excalibur
, Dr. Jenna Argos
and Senior Systems Officer Tildon Jaxx being the most ready example, having
been married for several years and served together for even more.

As for potential fall–out if Diana did not receive the
response she wished for or if a romance did not work out, it would be better to
be with Avara, whom she’d loved for years now, even if for only a single day,
rather than never at all.

Of that truth, she was convinced.

Diana knew it was not too late, not yet. But if she
continued to dither, it most certainly would be. If nothing else, she owed both
herself and Avara the opportunity by being honest.

“You alright over there?”

Serros’s words fractured her personal reverie. Feeling a
strange intermixture reminiscent of childhood unease being caught sneaking
sweets, mingled with a vitalizing surge of comfortable resolve, Diana smiled at
the faintly concerned look in Avara’s eyes as she carefully shielded her feelings.

It was not quite time.

“Quite all right, thank you. My mind was just turning to
this afternoon’s business.” Adeline answered her now sitting friend.

“Mm. Not surprised; it’s almost that time.” Captain Serros
commented and stood up in one fluid maneuver. “Shall we go make ready?”

“Yes, I think so.” Adeline replied and, grabbing their gear,
the two strolled out of B–Gym, walked down the main level corridor past C–Gym,
the lockers, and the starship’s two Simulator Rooms to take the lift from Deck
6 up to the Officers’ Quarters on Deck 3. As she and the Captain parted ways
for their own cabins and the day ahead, despite anxiety and nerves, Diana found
herself smiling in expectation.

If nothing else, today would be an interesting day
.

* * * * *

Avex, Avara mused to herself, despite being one of the three
directly governed worlds within the Quorum Aligned Systems, was quite unlike both
the capital of Sigil and sister planet of Voss in several ways. Though an old
world that boasted millennia of habitation and the development of civilization,
it was much less starkly urbanized. Gravity defying, large reinforced glass and
durexium facades were almost entirely absent from the planet’s capital of
Castol.

Instead, one’s view was filled with huge, gold–stone
edifices abutting, nesting within, or even cresting massive mountains that were
the world’s most defining geographical feature. Acting as ever–present
sentinels, the planet’s stone–dominant architecture was primarily crafted from goldstone
mined directly from those same mountains.

In design, most of the buildings were constructed to include
magnificent domes, elegant colonnades with tall, fluted pillars, and multi–hued
stained glass windows featuring extensively wrought and flowing imagery. Also
rather remarkably for such an industrialized and populous planet, copses of sky–kissing
deciduous trees and acres of lush flower–beds and botanical gardens, as well as
well tended parks were the norm, rather than the exception.

The preservation of natural features was aided by the fact
that both sky and ground traffic, though certainly present, was legally
limited. The prime modus of transportation in Castol and indeed on the entire
planet, was marvelously engineered and slimly designed kobalt fueled trams. The
trains rocketed with vision defying speed along their pre–determined routes
from locale to locale.

“’Tis really is a lovely city, mm?”

“Yes, it really is.” Avara affirmed, turning to her companion
on this trip, Operations and Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Commander Diana
Adeline. The two were sitting next to each other aboard one of the city’s famed,
off–white and black trimmed super–trains. They were presently traveling at a
rate near 680 mph to make their appointment with one of the city’s top Quorum Representatives
at thirteen–hundred hours local time.

An efficient, if a tad zealous, locally assigned SPK
Security detail had met the crew of
QS
Excalibur
upon landing to
take the disgraced Iak Risha into custody. Right now some fifteen of them had
the criminal monitored in the next car up. The entire group would easily reach the
Civic Forum in another fifteen minutes or so, where they could then wash their
hands of the man that had, though at least to a satisfying end, consumed so
much of Nova’s energy the last two months.

Splitting her focus between the truly breathtaking sight and
her friend who sat closest to the viewport, Avara couldn’t help but to once
again sense that something was…
off
about Diana. The sentiment wasn’t an
entirely new one, for despite performing as always at a level of optimum
brilliance in regards to each of her duties, the
Excalibur’s
third in
command had seemed to be almost distracted in her off–work pursuits of late.

Much like this morning.

Contemplating the vague vibrations of subtly simmering
emotion she had picked up from her Squadmate recently, Serros couldn’t quite
figure out what the change was. Quietly studying her companion, Avara could
only determine that nothing seemed outwardly out of place about the Lieutenant
Commander.

Beautiful as always, Diana’s flaring, dark–brown, tightly
curled hair brushed the base of her neck and straight shoulders in an appealing,
wild–tumble. Her deep, earth–toned eyes tracked the speeding vista with an
almost serene shimmer of relaxed enjoyment. A’s rich brown skin, the color of
coffee graced by the barest hint of sweet–cream, practically glowed with vitality
and her basic dress uniform was the very image of spotless care and
presentation, with the four solid, small platinum pips that denoted her rank
glinting with polish on her upper right pectoral.