Spies Like Us
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2021 Melanie Brown

Captain Wainright, now a fifteen year old girl, has her hands full officially assigned to watch a boy.
This is a sequel to Spy Game. It will help if you read that first. -- Ed

 

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We waited about three hours before finally getting on what appeared to be a converted military jump ship to ferry us up to the transport ship currently in orbit around the Alliance home world. It’s a temporary commercial lane orbit used for transferring passengers either on or off a transport. The space above the home world is very busy as one might expect. There were several of these “jump” ships running to board passengers onto the commercial transport, but they only held twenty passengers. So it takes a while.

As a converted jump ship, the vessel had no passenger windows, but they did provide service where you could use your personal communication device to view one of the several external cameras. I watched our approach to the transport ship. From what I could tell, it was a converted Pallada class cruiser originally with a crew of five hundred. The weapons systems have all been de-commissioned. I think this commercial vessel could carry three hundred passengers with one hundred crew. The vessel was a lot bigger than I thought it was!

Of course, a lot of the vessel’s size was due to its massive jump coil. In its original configuration, the vessel probably could reach our destination in two or maybe three jumps taking about a day. But our schedule had us arriving in about three weeks. Because it’s hauling civilians, the vessel has to make very small jumps. Plus we’ll be hitting tourist spots like the double-spiral nebula. And I think we pick up a few more passengers at King’s Heart. But hey, the vessel has a huge shopping mall, two swimming pools, a zero G sports arena and other activities.

Mom squeezed my hand. “It won’t be long now, Kathy. We’re about to dock.” She gently touched my hair and smiled. “We all get to start over.”

I smiled and nodded to her. I smiled because Mom doesn’t know the half of it. Not that long ago, I was not only a captain in command of my own vessel in the Alliance Deep Space Defense Force but a man as well. As far as she knows, I’m a fifteen year old female orphan that she and her husband just adopted. My new family was being relocated to one of the newer settled worlds, BFET-3 of the interior so their criminal records could get expunged and I tag along to protect me from the CoDom Empire. My cover story was that my dad was in the ASDF and was killed in hostile action. My mom died in an industrial accident so I was put up for adoption. The ASDF has about fifty cover stories they recycle and mix and match.

The concept that I’m a hybrid person still bothers me. Not only do I have to learn how to be a teen girl and participate in stupid fads like my shock of green hair and blue lipstick. But also the creepy fact that my body is from a now dead teen farm girl from a frontier world, with the brain of a now dead male CoDom marine inside it. And then all that overlaid with me. I know it’s my imagination, but my brain itches.

Even though I’m no longer a service member in the Alliance Space Defense Force, the Alliance navy still keeps me on a leash of sorts. At my new physical age of fifteen, I can’t join the Alliance Navy, or any branch of military. Once we’re on our new world and I’m established in a local school, I can join the Alliance Junior Cadets, which isn’t even a para-military group. But it does set things up to join as an officer when I can join. The jury is still out on if I want to ever go back. I don’t miss the “sanders” at all.

The Alliance even has a task for me during the three week voyage to my new home. Apparently there’s a boy around my age who is returning to his home, which happens to be on the same world I’m headed for. He’s the son of some corporate big wig returning for a three month break from the school he was sent to on the Alliance home world.

They just want me to keep an eye on him as he’s traveling alone. He should otherwise be safe as he’s traveling under Alliance protection on a vessel under Alliance registry with Alliance marines as security. All passengers and crew have been screened as they would anyway. My commanding officer, Lt. Barnes, if you can call her that, appended an amusing note to her instructions. I am ordered – ordered mind you – to just keep an eye on him, not date him as he currently has no romantic attachments. I laughed when I read that. No worries there.

Although… I have to say I’ve been concerned at the mental changes I’ve been going through since becoming a girl. I’ve become more emotional as evidenced by my outburst in the formal hearing pertaining to a CoDom spy who had hijacked my body and was learning all our deep, dark secrets of our data warehousing. I cried when they killed him. Not for the CoDom slime but because his death triggered the deletion of my profile. Not just emotions, but to my chagrin, I’m noticing boys. I guess it’s natural since I am now a girl. I just didn’t expect to like boys so soon.

Anyway, the boy’s name is Chasen (seriously) and unless he stays in his room, there will be plenty of opportunities to keep an eye on him. The commercial vessel we’re on, the Nosferatu has a whole deck devoted to shopping, arcades, movie theaters, dancing and other social activities. I suspect most of us younger people will spend the bulk of our trip on that deck. Lt. Barnes sent me a picture of Chasen to my device so I can identify him. Since I’m a girl now, I’m not letting it bother me – much – to notice how cute he is.

The pilot fired the thrusters to slow down our approach to the Nosferatu and to align the airlocks. A grinding sound and a thunk through the bulkhead told us that our former jump ship had finally connected to the larger vessel.

The pilot said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please gather any small personal items you brought on board such as bags, cases or small children. Have a safe and enjoyable rest of your voyage and thank you for flying with Cosmos Space Liners.” The tag line for the commercial fleet was “Traveling by Star Stuff.”

Mom took my hand and we followed Dad through the airlock portal. My brother Fred, followed behind us. We had to duck down passing through the airlock. The whistle of air inside the lock bothered me a bit so we walked quickly. The airlock on the side of the larger vessel was just as cramped. Finally, it all opened up to a larger area with tables set up so we could get processed and formally admitted to the vessel.

Dad got us checked in and following the map he was given, called back to us, “Okay. Come along guys. We go down this corridor to the lifts and then down three decks to our room.”

The hallway was fairly crowded with everyone going single file to the lifts. I’m sure the lifts were retro-fitted after the vessel went into commercial service. All Navy vessels I’ve been in with multiple decks just had zero-G tubes that were shielded from the inertial dampening system. To me, especially as a kid, the zero-G tubes would be a lot more fun to use, but the liner service has to deal with un-trained civilians who would probably lose their lunch inside the tube.

Dad chuckled when he stopped and pointed. “Here we are. Home sweet home for the next few weeks. Reminds me of when I worked on a Beryllium ore transport.”

Our room seemed more like an indention in the corridor wall than a proper room. To be fair, it was a bit more spacious after you slide the hatch open. Inside were four racks with a partition between each set of two racks. Dad and Fred got one side, Mom and I got the other. Above and below each rack were bins we could use. The head was down the corridor where each toilet had privacy curtains. And two showers. I was impressed. This was the Holiday Inn compared to most Navy vessels.

Since all of our clothes and other belongings were stowed in a zero-G hold with no atmosphere, each room was equipped with a clothes dispenser, must like a typical Navy uniform dispenser found on most military vessels. For a small charge, you could get a set of new, clean clothes every day. You have to toss them down the disposal as they can’t be laundered.

Fred squealed, “I got dibs on the top bed!” He scrambled up the ladder and promptly whacked his head on the low hanging conduits and pipes. “What the hell?”

Dad chuckled, “No argument from me.” He sat down on the lower rack.

Mom looked at the racks on our side of the small room. She asked as she looked at me, “Honey, do you mind taking the upper bed?” She pushed down on the rack to check its firmness.

I looked up at it. I’ve slept in racks like it before. But that was usually after working so hard that I’d fall asleep immediately, even on the floor. I almost wished we had a sander. Almost.

Dad patted his rack a few times and said, “Why don’t you kids go check out the activity deck? Your mother and I will join you in a few minutes.”

Fred didn’t even wait for me. He turned and ran down the corridor. Well, as crowded as the corridor was he couldn’t exactly run. I just shrugged and started down the corridor to the lifts.

The activity deck was four decks up. I was curious about the one deck that required a keycard to select. It was probably something to do with operations, but I liked to think it was a combat deck that was still functional.

When I stepped out onto the activity deck, I looked, but couldn’t see Fred anywhere. If I had to guess, he probably headed straight for the 3-D arcade. Which actually sounded like fun. I walked in that direction. As I got closer, I couldn’t help but notice a crowd building around a virtual reality game.

More than half the group watching was made up of girls. They were watching four boys in VR suits battling giant monsters. There was a wrap-around screen behind them showing the players and the environment they were in. I walked up with the girls and craned my neck to try to get a better look.

A girl with purple hair and neon earrings who was watching intently, turned briefly to look at me as I stood next to her. She grinned and said, “Nice hair. I love that green.”

I smiled at her. “Thanks. Yours too. Very purply.” She smiled and returned looking at the game. I looked around. I was the only girl with green hair. There were a lot of blue and red and one that was gold. The girl next to me was the only one with purple.

Along the top of the screen showing the action, were the pictures of the boys faces. I immediately recognized one. Out loud I said, “Chasen!”

The purple girl turned to me with a surprised look. “You know him?”

I need to be more careful. I said, “I know of him. Is he your boyfriend or something?” Unless my intel was wrong, I knew she wasn’t.

Purple hair laughed without humor. “I wish!”

I nodded. “He’s a cutie for sure.”

Purple hair grinned. “And smart! I heard the Alliance High Command has already recruited him for their science section and he’s not even graduated yet.”

Still watching the action, I commented, “You seem to know a lot about him.”

Looking a bit embarrassed, she looked over at me. “Yeah. I admit I have a crush on him.”

I applauded along with everyone else watching as another monster was vanquished. To purple hair, I said, “I just recently learned about him. His father has something to do with the defense industry? My name is Kathy, by the way.” We managed work ourselves closer to the gaming stage where the four boys were standing.

Purple hair grinned at me. “There was a program I saw a few weeks ago about teens to watch. I really don’t care that his parents are wealthy. Chasen is smart and he’s going to make his own mark.”

I grimaced as one of the other players bit the dust. I red X was placed over his picture on the screen, I turned to Purple Hair. “It helps that he’s incredibly cute.”

Purple hair laughed. “That too! My name is Lynn. Nice to meet you, Kathy.”

I smiled at Lynn. “Nice to meet you too, Lynn. Maybe we can hang out together. I’ll go nuts if I have to be with my brother the whole time. Are you here with family?”

Keeping her eyes on the screen, Lynn shook her head. “Nah. For reasons I can’t go into, I’m being sent to live with some of my family on BFET-3. I’m not really looking forward to it.”

I frowned slightly. “Sorry to hear that. Hopefully things will work out.”

Lynn looked at me with sad eyes. “Hopefully.” She suddenly perked up looking at the big screen. “Oh look! They killed the last monster!”

Applause erupted from the audience as the last monster gasped his last breath. The background screen changed to the game operator’s logo and the four boys playing took off their VR suits… mostly just plastic looking shirts they pulled over their normal clothes. Chasen and another boy were laughing and high-fiving each other. They appeared to be friends. The crowd started to disperse.

The one boy slapped Chasen on the back and shouted, “Great game, dude! Next time it’s gonna be one-on-one so I can kick your ass!”

Chasen punched the other in the shoulder and laughed, “In your dreams, Moki!”

As they came down the ramp, Moki looked directly at me. And then he smiled. He tapped Chasen on the arm and started walking towards Lynn and me.

Lynn suddenly lowered her head and squealed in a whisper, “Oh no! They’re coming towards us. We need to leave!”

I held her arm. “Lynn! This could be your chance to meet Chasen! Wow. He’s even more gorgeous in person.” His friend Moki was just as cute.

Sounding nervous, Lynn said, “No. Let’s go.”

“Too late,” I smiled as the two boys walked up to us.

Moki pointed at my head. “I love your hair. I’ve never a green like that before!”

I found myself smiling stupidly at Moki. I was suddenly gooey inside. I said, “Thanks. That was some great playing.”

Chasen was grinning broadly at Lynn. “Your hair is great too, if you don’t me being so forward. Purple is my all time favorite color.”

Lynn smiled shyly away. “Thank you.” Something told me that she already knew that.

Grinning, Moki put his hand on Chasen’s shoulder. “Hey. My name is Moki. Actually, it’s Montclair but I hate that name.” He then pointed at Chasen. “And this pathetic pile of monster bait is Chasen.” Looking deep into my eyes, he asked, “Can I ask your name?”

I hesitated a moment. For a second I completely forgot what my name was. I finally composed myself and said, “I’m Kathy. My friend here is Lynn.”

Smiling, Moki said, “Nice to meet you girls. Hey, now that we’re all good friends, what do you say about going to get a Gargle Blaster? My treat.” We all laughed. All drinks and food are complimentary aboard the ship. The drink he suggested is a very tasty concoction of your favorite soft drink blended with ice cream.

Lynn looked at her feet. She said, “I don’t know, guys… “ Her voice trailed away.

Chasen smiled earnestly at her. “Please, miss? We’re all stuck on this tub for the next three weeks. It’ll be a lot nicer trip with friends.”

I grinned at Moki. “I’m game. Come on, Lynn.”

Lynn looked up and smiled shyly. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Moki surprised me by taking my hand and started to lead me towards the concession stand. My emotions were all over the place. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a boy holding my hand. This was definitely a new experience for me. I also wasn’t sure how I felt about a boy thinking I needed to be led somewhere. I decided to just enjoy the attention.

Moki ordered for himself and me, while Chasen ordered for both him and Lynn. We then found an empty table for four and sat down.

Chasen pointed at Lynn and then me. He asked, “So. Are you two together?”

Lynn smiled shyly and shook her head. I said, “No. We met while watching you two play that game.”

Moki asked as he looked at me, “Both of you headed to BFET-3?”

Lynn quietly said, “Yes.”

I laughed. “Yeah. Not like there’s a whole lot on the way there.”

Moki chuckled. “That’s true. Chas and I are both attending the advanced academy on Home world.”

I wrinkled my brow. “Isn’t that a university? You guys aren’t much older than I am.”

Chasen gave an embarrassed smile. “Not to brag, but both of us graduated school early.”

I glanced over at Lynn. She was looking intently at Chasen, taking in every word he said.

I looked at Moki and asked, “Do you live on BFET-3 too?”

Shaking his head, Moki said, “Oh no. Chas let me tag along with him for the break. Both my parents are currently deployed in deep space. I have no idea what they’re doing. It’s all ‘hush-hush’.”

I nodded. “I heard that’s a rough assignment.” I thought, why are you saying that out loud? Those missions are highly classified. “Must be terribly lonely.”

Moki shrugged. “I could be. But they spend most of the time in the sander.”

“What’s a sander?” I asked, knowing full well what one is.

Moki said, “Well, it’s like…” He glanced over at Chasen and suddenly looked sheepish. “I probably shouldn’t be talking about this shit, should I ?”

Frowning, Chasen said, “Nope. You shouldn’t.”

I spent the rest of the day with Moki; having lunch and playing a different 3-D game. He was quite the talking machine. Though not taking the same curriculum, he and Chasen met a couple of years ago at the academy and became close friends. Both expect to be sucked up into the Alliance Navy with Chasen working on advanced weaponry and Moki developing advanced ship designs.

Considering how Chasen is already on the verge of several breakthroughs as just a student, I’m shocked there’s not more security around him. But he’s surrounded by security for the vessel and everyone got cleared for travel from the ASDF, so he should be fairly secure. I just hope they’re not just depending on me. He’s not just brilliant, but he seems like a pretty decent kid as well. Same for his friend Moki. Have I mentioned just how cute Moki is?

“Where have you been all day?” asked Mom when I returned to our cabin. “Fred came back all bored a few hours ago.”

I smiled as I said, “Oh, I met a boy.”

Dad looked up from the device he was reading. “A boy?”

I laughed. “Yes. A boy. They’re on this ship too, you know.”

Mom looked over at Dad. “I guess I need to give her the talk.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mom. We’re just hanging out. It’s no big deal.”

Fred shook his head. “Mom. I saw the boy she was with. You should give her the talk.”

I scowled at Fred. “Mind you own business.”

Fred laughed.

*          *          *

After lying in my rack for what seemed forever, everyone finally seemed to have fallen asleep. Still in just my nightie, I swung my legs out of bed and stepped on the ladder. Every creak of the metal ladder seemed to resound loudly as I descended. Fortunately, it was short drop. I really wished my nightie had pockets so I wouldn’t have to carry my communication device.

I chuckled to myself when the door to our room slid almost silently open. I’d be willing to bet the track on that door never opened that quietly when this vessel was in service to the Navy.

I looked up and down the hallway to make sure it was void of people. I scurried down to the observation pod for our deck. It was the designated sleep cycle for our deck. If I had to guess, I’m sure the activity deck and several others were bristling with people. The ship never fully sleeps.

The pod was dark and empty, which was perfect for what I needed. We were apparently between jumps as a brilliant star field was visible through the large windows of the pod. I activated the sub-ether comm link on my device and pushed the buttons to link up with Lt. Barnes. I turned on scramble so no one on the vessel could listen in. The CoDom can’t even detect sub-ether transmissions. I had no idea what time it was at her location. I had been instructed not to worry about that.

As Lt. Barnes opened the connection, I heard a yawn. Sounding not quite awake, she said, “Ensign. Status.” She says that just to torque me. Not only was I stripped of my command, but I’m not even a real ensign as I’m too young to even be in the ASDF. I’m only an ensign in the Junior Cadet program.

Staring into the void through the observation window, I said, “Haze gray and underway.” To be honest, I never knew when the vessel finally left orbit and started towards its first jump vector. The inertial dampening kept everything smooth. If we had been in combat mode, we would have all felt it and alarms would have sounded.

Lt. Barnes said, “Good. Glad you got underway safely. There was some concern that the CoDom would try to intercept because of the VIP.”

I frowned at the device. “Thanks for letting me know.”

I heard Lt. Barnes chuckle. “We didn’t want to you worry your pretty little head, ensign. Have you managed to visually verify the VIP?”

Grinning, I replied, “Yes. I had lunch with him.”

Sounding annoyed, Lt. Barnes exclaimed, “You what?! You were specifically instructed not to engage him romantically. I knew we’d have trouble as soon as your hormones started kicking in.”

Laughing, I said, “Cool your jets, lieutenant. I’m not dating the VIP.”

Lt. Barnes sighed. “That’s a relief.”

I said, “I’m dating his best friend.” Okay, it’s a stretch. We spent practically the whole day together, but I’m not really sure if that constitutes dating. But I wanted to give the lieutenant a tweak.

There was a long pause for a moment. Then Lt. Barnes said, “I’m not sure if that’s any better. Okay, stay sharp. Don’t get underfoot, but keep a close watch on him. I’ll want a sitrep tomorrow. Maybe a little earlier next time.”

I chuckled. “Aye, lieutenant.” I disconnected. I stared out the window for a few minutes before returning to my rack.

*          *          *

To tell you the truth, I really didn’t expect anyone but me to show up. But all four of us met as planned at the arcade. I was the last to show. Lynn was already fawning over Chasen. Moki surprised me by leaning over and giving me a kiss on the cheek. Not only was him doing that a surprise, it was a shock because I’d never been kissed by a guy before. It just on the cheek, but still.

Chasen sighed. “Finally! You’re here. We might have to wait for a bit, but I’d like all four of us to play a sim together.”

Looking worried, Lynn said, “I don’t know. That’s kinda scary.”

Chasen put his arm around Lynn’s shoulders. I thought she was going to melt on the spot. Smiling he said, “Oh, we won’t pick the same sim Moki and I played yesterday. But don’t worry. We’ll be there with you.”

Grinning, I said, “Sounds like a blast.”

Moki put his arm around my shoulders. “I knew you’d go for it. You have that air about you of an Alliance Marine.”

Chasen laughed, “At least she doesn’t have the odor of an Alliance marine!” We all laughed. Should I be offended? I mentally shrugged. Nobody appreciates the military until they need it.

I like Moki and I enjoy his company. But I have to say it amused me to watch Lynn. She’s totally star-struck being next to Chasen. She wasn’t kidding when she said she had a crush on him.

We only had to wait half an hour to get in. Chasen and Moki suited up quickly. Lynn and I needed some help by the staff. I was expecting the sim to be fun. I just didn’t like the idea that everything was displayed on a big screen. Instead of giant monsters, Chasen picked a sim where we explored an ancient castle populated skeletons and other undead monsters. More than once I embarrassed myself by screaming. I had to admit though; it was a lot of fun.

As we exited the sim, Moki put his arm around my shoulders again. He said, “You did alright. You know. For a girl.”

Chasen laughed. “Are you going to let him get away with that?”

Laughing, I said, “No” as I disengaged Moki’s arm and punched him in the shoulder.

We spent the day eating and goofing off, going to the zero-G room and even went to one of the swimming pools. Neither Lynn nor myself was brave enough to wear a two-piece bathing suit. It was strange enough as it was being a girl and all. And despite being geeks, Chasen and Moki were surprisingly and can I say delightfully buff?

By the end of the day, we were all very tired. The crowning jewel of the day was Mom chasing Dad and Fred out of our room so she could give the “the talk” about boys.

*          *          *

The next two days went much like the day before. Things were starting to get dull. We’d done just about everything you could do as a passenger. We even got a tour of the engine room, seeing the jump coil and everything. That’s mostly forbidden to non-ASDF personnel. But because of his VIP status, Chasen asked to see it and was granted permission. We got to tag along, which I’m pretty sure stretched the conditions of the company’s contract with the ASDF.

We were all sitting at a table near the concession stand trying to figure out something to do. Moki had had an odd expression the whole time after we met up. Finally, he slapped the palm of his hand on the table.

“Guys. I got an idea for something to do, but it kinda breaks the rules.” He looked over at me and grinned.

Chasen leaned forward. “Whatcha got in mind, Moki?”

Moki shrugged. “Okay. It might not be earth shattering, but it is forbidden and there is a hint of danger.”

Chasen stood up. “Lead the way.”

Pointing with his head, Moki said, “It’s this way. Walk over towards the bulkhead like we’re going to the observation pod.” We followed him into a narrow companionway. He stopped about midway to the observation pod. There was a small hatch set into the wall.

Moki caught the edges of the match with his fingers and tugged. The hatch opened. “The locking mechanism is actually broken. It just takes a little pressure.”

Lynn looked into the open hatchway. “It’s dark in there. You want us to go in there?”

Moki nodded. “Sure. It’s not dark once you go through. There’re all kinds of cool stuff down there. Don’t forget this used to be a Navy war vessel.”

“Moki, I don’t think it’s safe to go in there,” I said trying to be the fifteen year old adult in the room. “No telling what’s down there.”

“Are you guys chicken?” asked Moki. “Come on. Nobody will know we’re there. It’ll be our secret base.”

Chasen took Lynn’s hand. “Come on, babe. Let’s check it out.”

Lynn shook her head. “I don’t know…”

Chasen kept pulling. “Watch your head.”

Moki pointed at the hole. “Ladies first.”

I looked through the hatchway. “We could get into some serious trouble here if we’re caught.”

Moki chuckled. “We won’t be. Besides. What can they do? Toss us out into space?”

I grunted. “If they charged us with endangering all the lives on this vessel, then yes, they could.”

Moki said, “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Go on through.”

I frowned as I ducked and passed through the hatchway. It annoyed me that I was doing something I knew I shouldn’t just because a boy wanted me to. I don’t even really like boys. Much.

After we got inside the darkened passage and my eyes adjusted, it appeared we were in some kind of engineering section of the ship that was no longer in use. Small yellow lights lined the walls close to the floor. Pipes, hoses and boxes with unknown functions lined the hall. There were multiple halls branching out. And with the exception of the constant hum of the ship, there was no sound. It was kind of eerie.

I watched Chasen and Lynn disappear around a turn, Lynn holding his hand.

I followed Moki down to another hallway that opened up into a large room. “What do you think?” he asked as he found a piece of equipment to sit on. “This place is huge. I don’t think anyone else knows about it.”

I looked about and said, “Yeah. I’m sure this whole section covers the width of the vessel.” I also noticed some discarded cups and candy wrappers and lying discarded behind some machine were a pair of panties. “I don’t think this place is all that secret.”

From a distance I could vaguely hear Lynn giggling. And then she sounded a bit muffled. Moki had found a bench and patted the space next to him. “Sit down. I don’t think you and I have had a private moment to talk since we’ve met.”

I chuckled as I sat next to him. “That’s true. You and Chas seem to be welded together.”

Moki looked at his clasped hands. “Yeah. Don’t bring out the small violins, but Chas and I, despite our great looks, big brains and limitless humility and charm, don’t really have a lot of friends, so we stick close to each other. We’ve known each other since middle school.”

“Friends are important,” I nodded. “Until we all met, I really didn’t have any friends. I’m adopted, so I’m not even really friends with my own family yet. And then add that we’re relocating.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” started Moki. “But the government is relocating a lot of families to BFET-3 and even EMPSB-5. They’re not backwater planets; just not a lot of people on them yet.”

I shrugged. “I’m a good little soldier. I go where I’m sent.”

Moki looked at me curiously. “You’re not old enough to be in any of the services.”

I smiled weakly. “My dad was in the ASDF and was killed in hostile action on the frontier. So for a while, I was a Navy brat.” I really hated lying like that, but what choice do I have?

Moki reached up and stroked my hair. “Once you get settled on your new world, I’m sure things will get better. As beautiful as you are, you’ll be beating the guys off with a stick. I’m serious.”

I can’t believe he just said I was beautiful. During all my existence, nobody has ever once said I was beautiful. I shook my head.

“Well, I don’t know about being beautiful,” I said quietly, looking at my feet. “I don’t think boys will be interested.”

We just sat there in the semi-darkness for an extended moment, neither of us speaking. Moki then placed two fingers under my chin and gently turned my face towards his. “Kathy, you are most definitely a beautiful girl.” He bent his face down and parted his lips. I closed my eyes and suddenly, his lips softly caressed mine.

I turned to face him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He leaned into his kiss and I felt a tingle shoot down my spine. We kissed a little harder. His tongue slipped past my lips and I sucked on it as we kissed. I moaned softly. This was incredible! At this moment, I officially like boys.

We wrapped our arms around each other’s necks and kissed deeply and passionately. Kissing was never this good before, not like I had much experience in that. I should have stopped him, but I let Moki fondle my breasts. Desire was overtaking my senses.

And then I froze.

Breathing hard, Moki looked at me curiously. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Shhh!” I hissed. “Do you hear that?”

There were definite footsteps echoing through the corridors. Muffled from distance were the voices of two men. I could tell from the sound they were approaching.

Moki whispered, “Crap! They’re coming this way. Quick, hide over there.”

Just as we ducked behind some equipment, a light was shone into the area we were in.

One voice said, “What are we looking for? I didn’t hear the call.”

A second voice said, “Kids. It seems every trip, kids – teenagers – find their way down in one of the abandoned areas.”

First voice asked, “Do you know how many?”

Second voice, “Report was of two boys and two girls.”

First voice asked, “Why would teenagers want to come down to this dark, creepy place?”

Second voice grunted a laugh. “Joe, weren’t you ever young?”

As the voices trailed away, Moki whispered, “Let’s try to circle back that way.” He pointed behind us.

We hurried through the narrow corridors being careful not to knock anything over. We came to an open area with a large control panel set into the wall and a large cylinder.

Moki stopped and glanced around in the darkness. “Now this is weird. What could this be?” He removed his device from his pocket and used its light. He gasped when his light hit the cylinder.

I knew exactly what it was, but didn’t say anything.

Excited, Moki said, “Look at this! It’s a dehydration system. I didn’t think vessels this size had them!”

Sure enough, it was a sander. Actually, most naval vessels have them for emergencies, but rarely use them. Just not enough capacity for a large crew. I touched the chamber door. Playing dumb, I asked, “What is it used for?”

Moki checked out the equipment closely. “It’s a way to, get this, digitize people. Stores them in the computer to reduce resource use. Don’t ask me how it works.”

Knowing the answer was ‘no’, I asked, “You mean they’d digitize the whole crew in this thing?”

Moki shook his head. “Not enough capacity. I think ten is the max.” He pointed his light at the console. “I wonder if anyone is stored in the computer?” He laughed. “Probably not. Anyway, let’s get out of here!”

He took my hand and we headed off into the darkened corridors.

*          *          *

Moki and I were sitting at our usual table when we saw Chasen and Lynn walking towards us. Lynn was grinning ear-to-ear and practically hanging on Chasen who had his arm around her waist.

Waving, Chasen said, “Greetings and felicitations fellow conspirators.”

As the two took a seat with us, Moki grinned, “I take it you guys were caught? You’ve been gone a while.”

Chasen nodded and let out a loud sigh. “Oh yeah. We were hauled off to the security office where they read the riot act to us and then…and then! We got a lecture by none other than the ship’s captain himself. I had no idea our lives hung by such a thin thread.”

I chuckled. “You can’t be too careful.”

Lynn frowned. “I think the lecture was far worse than anything we could have done.”

Moki laughed. “I can believe it.”

Chasen looked up at something behind us. He pointed at the electronic sign above the concession stand. “Hey. Did any of you know about that?”

We all turned to look at what it said. It was informing everyone we were two nights away from the big dance to be held on the deck above us. It was semi-formal which I guessed meant I would have to wear a dress if Moki took me to it.

Moki exclaimed, “All right! What do you say, Kathy? Want to catch some of my hot moves?”

I laughed. “Sounds great. Do I just watch you or do I get to dance?”

Moki shrugged. “I might let you dance too.”

Chasen tapped Lynn’s arm. “What do you think, Lynn? Would you like to go dancing?”

Lynn suddenly stopped smiling. She shook her head and said meekly. “I don’t know how to dance.”

Chasen laughed. “That’s okay. Neither do I.”

Trying to sound helpful, I said, “Come on, Lynn. None of us are dancers. It’s just something fun to do.”

Lynn looked shyly up and smiled weakly. “Okay. I’ll go.”

*          *          *

The next day was pretty quiet. The guys just wanted to play some 3-D games. Lynn thought they were too scary so she just watched along with the audience. Mom wanted me to do some things with her anyway. I felt bad since I basically was ignoring my new family.

It was still half an hour before I needed to call Lt. Barnes for my daily update and I was already in the observation pod. I was shocked when my device signaled. It was an emergency signal. I hit the answer button.

An upset sounding Lt. Barnes spoke as soon as the connection opened. “Ensign! How close are you to the lifts?”

Not sure of the emergency, I said, “Just across from them in the observation pod.”

Sounding excited, Lt. Barnes said, “Take the lift down one level and use the hatch to enter that deck.”

“That hatch is locked…” I started to say.

“It isn’t now!” She almost shouted. “Hurry down there. We’re picking up a CoDom communication on that deck not far from your position. If you hurry, you might catch them!” CoDom communications are heavily encrypted, but they don’t have sub-ether, so we can detect when they use it.

“On my way!” I clicked off the connection and ran to the lifts. It was quiet hours so the lift appeared right away. I took it down a level and just as the lieutenant said, the hatch was unlocked. As quietly and quickly as I could, I opened the hatch. I heard a muffled voice not far away from me. I rushed to it. I had no idea what I was going to do. I had no weapon on me. I saw a tool lying on a table and I picked it up as I passed.

Just before I rounded the last corner, I heard a voice say, “Aye sir. Understood.” and then I heard a girl crying. A girl?

There was a girl sitting with her legs pulled up, and her arms crossed over her knees and she was crying into her arms.

“Lynn?”

She started with a gasp and looked up horrified at seeing me. “K… Kathy! What are you doing here?”

Frowning, I said, “I might ask you the same question!” I pointed at the device in her hand. “What is that?”

She hid the device behind her back. “What’s what?”

Scowling, I shouted, “Cut the crap, Lynn! We just detected a CoDom signal and you’re holding a CoDom communicator! Are you a CoDom spy?”

Lynn nodded and began crying again. “And an assassin. Or would be. I can’t do it now.”

I should have called for a security team to come to arrest or just kill her. If the situation was reversed, a CoDom agent would show no mercy. But this was somehow different. Lynn and I were friends… girlfriends!

I tried to fight back tears in my own emotional distress. “So it was all a lie?” Like I’m one to talk.

Again Lynn nodded. “Yes. It was just a story to get in close to my target. I’m not even a real girl.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Not a real girl?”

Lynn wiped a tear away and said, “Since apparently you’re an Alliance agent, I’m sure you’ve heard rumors about the CoDom Empire putting their own men’s brains into other bodies? I was a marine in the CoDom military. The girl? Who knows. I was sent to kill Chasen before he could finish his new weapons system design.”

I was horrified. I had befriended this monster and helped him get close to Chasen! I would have helped with his murder! I was furious and raised the tool I was holding to bash in the skull of this CoDom dog. But then it dawned on me that I’m technically one of these monsters myself. In a way, we’re both victims of an evil technology.

Lynn watched me raise the tool. “I should tell you this since I consider us to be friends. If you strike me down, you will die too. Immediately.”

Still holding the tool raised, I asked, “What are you talking about? You’re in no position to make threats.”

Lynn looked to the floor. “That call you detected. It was from my superior. The final phase of my mission has been activated. Only they don’t know I have no intention of following through with it. I’m dead either way.”

I stepped closer, still brandishing the heavy tool. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Lynn suddenly looked very grim. “There’s a bomb inside me. They just activated it. It’s a proximity bomb. I just have to get close to my target and it detonates automatically. If you kill me, the bomb detonates. If you destroy my communication device, the bomb detonates. When my superior learns that I failed to get close to Chasen, he will detonate the bomb hoping to kill anyone. No matter what, it still means I’m dead.”

I shouted, “Bullshit! No way could you get on board with a bomb, even if it’s hidden inside you!”

Lynn started crying again. “It’s biological. It’s undetectable until it’s activated. You need to put me in a room where I can’t hurt anyone. I’m not going to try to complete my mission. I just can’t! Even if you hadn’t caught me, I wouldn’t do it! I would die before harming Chas!”

She paused a moment before looking at me with utter anguish. She began crying with deeper sobs. “I hate the people who did this to me! I hate the people who imposed this suicide mission on me. I believed in it at first. But as I learned more about Chas so I could figure out how to get close to him… like dying my hair purple… the more I learned about him and apparently as I became more female in my thinking, my feelings toward him changed. It went from merely thinking how cute he was to having deep feelings towards him. I can’t kill him Kathy. I’m in love with him! I love him…. Her voice trailed off into blubbering sobs.

“And they kill you if you don’t?” I asked.

She nodded. “I had hoped they had decided not to. I wanted to stay with Chasen as long as I could. But now I can’t. Now that you know I’m a spy, I would ask for asylum, but what’s the point?”

I stepped closer to Lynn and dropped the tool. Since she had violated my trust once, I had no real reason to believe she was being sincere or even telling the truth about having such a bomb inside her, but I felt compelled to try to help her survive.

“The ship’s surgeon is still an ASDF doctor,” I said. “I’ve heard he’s very skilled. He might be able to remove the bomb.”

Lynn shook her head. “They designed that trap well. Any attempt to remove it will set it off. They told me all this in case I got cold feet and had second thoughts about the mission. A lot of CoDom spies defect to the Alliance once they experience how good life is here compared to the CoDom Empire.”

“I can call my lieutenant to see what we can do. But I can tell you she’s going to want assurance that you are sincere about defecting,” I said earnestly. “She can check with a lot of experts to see if they can help.”

Sniffling, Lynn said. “I am sincere. I can’t harm Chasen. I doubt she can help. If I haven’t taken out the target by nine tonight ship time, they detonate the bomb anyway. What would you want from me as assurance?”

I shrugged. “Any intel you can give us that can be verified. And not some piddly shit. Real, solid actionable intel.”

Lynn nodded. “I can give you this. My superior is in the dispatch office in Alliance HQ. He knows all your movements and reports them back to the Empire. At least a half dozen operatives with him are like me. Brains swapped in the bodies of actual Alliance personnel. There are others in the data center as well. And there’s an agent on this vessel as an observer.”

Holy shit! No wonder we’re not winning the war. They know everything we do. A mole has been suspected, but nothing like this.

“That’s certainly actionable intel,” I said. “If we take this guy out, does that stop the nine o’clock explosion?”

Lynn shook her head. “No. Nothing can stop it. Please. You’re just wasting time. Toss me out the airlock or something. I don’t want to harm anyone and I’m dead no matter what. I’m tired of this war. I don’t want to kill anymore. And I don’t want to hurt Chas.”

“Let me make a call. You won’t try to run?” I asked as I started to move away from her.

“Where am I going to go?” she asked with a shrug.

I stepped away and pulled my device out and called Lt. Barnes. When the connection was established, she said, “Report, Ensign. What’s the situation?”

I then told her about Lynn and her plot to assassinate Chasen and how she wants to defect and about the bomb.

When I had finished, Lt. Barnes said, “This is difficult. We always want to honor defection requests, but I don’t know about this bomb business. Everyone on your deck should still be asleep there. Isolate the girl where you are. Don’t let her get away. I’ll get back with you in an hour, hopefully with some ideas on the best way to proceed. Oh, and good work, ensign. That’s good information about the CoDom spies.” She disconnected.

I walked back to where I had left Lynn. She was sitting quietly and looking miserable. She looked up as I approached.

“She’s going to see what she can do,” I told Lynn. “And she’s going to check out the information you gave us. She’ll call me back in an hour. So we wait.”

Lynn nodded. She was silent for several minutes. Looking at the floor, she said, “You know Kathy. I’m envious of you. No, really. I just recently became a girl. And even more recently came to fully accept being a girl. But you. You got to grow up as a girl. You’ve been one your whole life. I’m very envious of that.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m the same as she is. Well, kind of. Like her, inside my head is a male, CoDom brain. Well, the Alliance wouldn’t like me blabbing that to a CoDom spy anyway.

I said, “Growing up as a girl isn’t all rainbows and lollipops.”

Lynn smiled slightly. “I know. But all those experiences that I never had. I’m sure Moki wasn’t the first boy you’ve ever kissed. But Chasen was my first kiss and probably the only boy I’ll be with. I was in heaven. And knowing that I would soon be dead, I let him take my virginity.”

Holy shit! I said to Lynn, “Holy shit, girl! Maybe you should take being a girl a bit slower.” I couldn’t tell her that Moki was my first kiss as well.

Lynn frowned. “I can’t go slower. I’ll be dead by tonight. And Chasen will be safe. From me at least.”

I frowned at Lynn. “Don’t write yourself off so soon. Let’s see if we can come up with a solution.”

Very seriously, Lynn said, “I’m staring down eternity right now. Unless you find a way to get rid of this bomb, I won’t live past today. I have a lot to answer for. Kathy, if when you get older, you decide to join the Alliance military, my hope is that you are not called upon to kill. That is a stain on your soul that you can never wash off.”

We just sat and stared into space for a long time. Lynn had even managed to stop crying. Finally, my device signaled an incoming call. I walked a short distance from Lynn before I answered.

“Any good news, Lt. Barnes?” I asked when I picked up the call.

Lt. Barnes answered, “Well, yes and no. We think we’ve managed to identify a few of the infiltrators. It’s not a completely reliable test, but we can do a scan from a distance and those with brain transplants register slightly different from normal. We’re not going to move on any lest they detonate that bomb early. And as far as removing that bomb? It looks really bad for her. It appears that we have encountered that kind of bio-bomb a few times. Twice there was an attempt to extract the bomb. We lost both defectors and both surgical teams in the process. We don’t try to remove the bombs anymore. We’re going to have to isolate her and let the bomb go off. I’m sorry Kathy.”

I hung my head. “Thank you, Lt. Barnes.” I disconnected.

As I walked back towards Lynn, she said, “You don’t have to say it. I can tell by your expression there’s no way to save me.”

I started to tear up. “I’m really sorry, Lynn. I really am. Your info is helping us identify some of those that infiltrated our HQ. I don’t know how we can repay you for that.”

Lynn sighed. “I didn’t think there would be any redemption for me. I’ve killed too many. It was foolish to think I could start my life over.”

I had a sudden idea. “Hey. We have a few cryo-tubes. Maybe we can put you on ice until we can figure something out?”

“Don’t bother,” said Lynn gloomily. “It’s been tried. The bomb doesn’t sleep.”

I slapped my palms together and exclaimed, “I can’t believe this. We have all this technology and there’s nothing we can do. If only…” I paused a moment while an idea came into my head. “If only… Lynn! I have an idea. Follow me!”

Lynn got up and started running with me through the darkened passageways. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going. Just a general idea. We ran past an open area and I suddenly stopped.

“I think we just went past it.” I retraced our steps a few feet and there it was. “The sander!” I shouted. We walked up to it. I touched the chamber’s glass surface to make sure it was real.

Lynn looked confused. “What is this?”

I grinned. “This is the CoDom’s most sought out Alliance technology. It’s the dehydration system. We call it a sander.”

Lynn studied the sander in the darkness. “Ah yes. There is much interest in this device in the Empire. But what good does it do me?”

Grinning, I said, “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. When you are digitized, the sander identifies anomalies. It can either remove them itself or at least alert us that something is there and may require manually editing of you profile. While you’re inside the sander, you’re just a computer file. The bomb can’t go off.”

Lynn was now smiling. “That’s wonderful! Let’s do it. But I have to ask, how does a fifteen year old girl know all this?”

I just gave Lynn a wry smile. “I have secrets too. Let’s get you into this. First we have to start it up.” I started pressing buttons on the console, but nothing happened. The console seemed to have no power.

I took out my device and called Lt. Barnes.

When she answered, she said, “Do we have nothing new, ensign? What’s up?”

I quickly filled in Lt. Barnes with my idea to use the sander to digitize Lynn, isolate the bomb in her system, remove it and then restore Lynn. But the problem was a lack of power at the console.

Lt. Barnes said, “Let me contact the vessel. I’m sure they have all power for that deck shut down.” She was silent for several minutes.

Suddenly, the panel lights lit up, the room lights came on and I heard the sander starting to power up.

Lt. Barnes came back on. “Do you have power?”

“That we do, lieutenant!” I exclaimed. “Thank you. I’ll let you know when you can start arresting people.” We disconnected.

Lynn asked, “Okay, how do I get in?”

I thought for a moment. “The sander will take about five minutes to power up completely after being shut down. That gives us time to get you a change of clothes before we dehydrate you.”

She looked at me curiously. “Why?”

I laughed. “You’ll find out.”

We went back up the lift and down the hall to my room. Everyone was still asleep. We quickly got a package of new clothes out of the dispenser for Lynn and hurried back to the sander.

When we got back, everything seemed to be ready to go. I pressed the button to open the chamber door.

“Now, just step into this cylinder, and I’ll close it and start the sanding process. You’ll see a blindingly bright light and you’ll feel sick for a moment. Nobody likes the process, but it is a bit intimidating for the first time user. Okay. Get in.”

Lynn hesitated before stepping into the chamber. “I’m scared, Kathy. What if I don’t come back? What if this is a trick to kill the CoDom spy?”

I said, “Lynn. We’re girlfriends. And you’ve asked for asylum and given us valuable information. I can’t say exactly when you’ll be reconstituted. It all depends on how hard it is to get that damn bomb out of you. You trust me, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. Let’s do it.” She stepped gingerly into the chamber. I pressed the button to close the chamber door. In a flash and stench of ozone, she was gone.

*          *          *

“Okay, lieutenant. I have her profile loaded into the anomaly scanner,” I said into my device. “Are you sure I’m doing this right?”

Lt. Barnes said calmly, “I think you’re fine, ensign. The computer can manage it. If she had had a previous loaded profile without the bomb, it would do it automatically.”

The sander’s manual checking system gave me an address in the file of a potential anomaly. I dialed up that location and gasped at what I saw.

“Holy shit Lt. Barnes,” I exclaimed. “No wonder these suckers are hard to surgically remove. It’s embedded in her internal organs.”

As if she says such things every day, Lt. Barnes said, “Set the discriminator filter to remove anything non-human. Just make sure it doesn’t leave a hole in an artery or something important.”

After entering in my filter, which as Lt. Barnes said, would happen automatically with a previous profile, and hit the Enter key. A second later, the anomaly or in Lynn’s case, the bomb disappeared from her profile.

“It’s gone!” I shouted. “Life check shows no tissue damage.”

Lt. Barnes sounded relieved. “Save the profile. You’re now ready to reconstitute her.”

I noticed another small anomaly and thought to myself “that’s odd.” But the sander didn’t flag it as dangerous so I ignored it.

I hit the save button and watched the sander replace her profile. A little extra bit of silica gel was dispensed into the canister. I hesitated a moment before starting the reconstitution process. I sure hope the computer was right and the bomb was gone. Even with the computer and Lt. Barnes’ help, it had taken over three hours to complete the operation manually.

I took a deep breath and pressed the reconstitute button. There was a brilliant flash in the chamber and a naked Lynn appeared inside. She looked confused. As the chamber door slid open she blinked in the light and asked, “Is there a problem? Nothing happened.”

I smiled. “There’s no perception of time passing while you’re inside the sander. Actually three hours or more have passed. You could have been in there for years and not noticed.”

She shook her head. “I feel nauseous. And I’m naked.”

I laughed. “That’s why we brought extra clothes. I walked up to Lynn and hugged her. “It’s gone, Lynn. The bomb is gone!”

With a grin, Lynn let loose with a loud yelp. “I’m free! Oh, thank you Kathy!” She suddenly looked grim. “We have to test it. If my communicator is destroyed, the bomb will be set off. Let me get in a safe location and then you smash the communicator.”

“What if the bomb isn’t completely gone. I’m confident it is, but still…” my voice trailed off.

“We have to know for sure. Otherwise I’m dead anyway.” She handed me her communicator.

She pointed at a small storage room. “I’ll get in there. Smash that thing. If I’m not blown to bits, you know the bomb is gone.”

I held the communicator. “I hate this idea.”

Lynn nodded. “Me too. But we have to be sure.”

After she closed the solid door to the store room, I counted to ten and then brought the same heavy tool down on the communicator that I had threatened Lynn with earlier that morning. The device shattered in a hundred pieces. I didn’t hear an explosion.

I opened the store room door and looked inside. “Are you still alive?”

Lynn laughed. “Yes. Yes I am. I’m finally free.”

I called Lt. Barnes. “Lieutenant, Lynn is back and bomb free.”

Lt. Barnes said, “Great news, ensign. Give her CoDom communicator to the captain of Nosferatu’s captain so we can hand it over to intelligence later.”

I looked at the smashed pieces on the floor. “I… I uh, kind of destroyed it.”

Lynn said, “Sorry. My bad.”

Lt. Barnes sighed. “We could have got some intel from that. Anyway, we’re starting our raid on the infiltrators now. I’ll contact you later.” She disconnected.

I turned to Lynn with a grin. “We’ve got dresses to buy, girl.”

Lynn’s smile was a mile wide. “The dance!”

I shut down the sander and then we ran giggling like teen girls out of the area.

*          *          *

We spent the early part of the afternoon pouring over the ship’s clothes catalog looking for that perfect dress for the dance. I’ve never seen Lynn so excited as she looked over dress after dress. We both selected what were basically short prom dresses. I picked a deep blue and Lynn picked a very girly pink. We had them delivered to my room’s dispenser.

And then we started looking for shoes. I have to say I was overwhelmed by the seemingly endless variety of shoes to select from. The first pair of shoes Lynn picked, while very feminine looking had heels way too high. After I told her that she wouldn’t be able to walk in them, much less dance. She finally selected a high heel sandal that I still thought was a bit too much for an amateur in heels, but after practicing, it looked like she was born with them. But then I selected pumps with the same size heel.

We then spent the remainder of the afternoon in the salon getting our hair, make-up and nails done. I wished I had done this earlier in my life as a girl. I really enjoyed getting fussed over and especially having someone else do my make-up.

After the salon, we went back to my room to get dressed. Mom helped us get into our dresses. She was happy to be doing mother/daughter stuff. The guys were going to pick us up at my room. I call it my room, but it’s where my new family is staying.

Lynn was getting really nervous as we waiting for Chasen and Moki to show up.

I smiled at her. “Just relax. You’re gorgeous. He’s going to just love you.”

Suddenly looking worried, she asked, “Are you sure it’s gone?”

I grinned. “I’m as sure as anything.”

Lynn touched her hair. “Should I have kept this purple?”

“It’s his favorite color, remember?” I said with a laugh. “It’s what attracted him to you in the first place.” Looking at Lynn all made up and beautiful, and wearing a pretty, feminine dress, I found it hard to believe that not long ago, she was a male, CoDom marine, a hardened, ruthless killer sent to assassinate the man she now loves. It was crazy.

Lynn froze. There was a knock on the door. “They’re here!”

I slid the door open and there stood Chasen and Moki. Both held a small bouquet of flowers.

“Come on in, guys!” I said to them. “It’s a bit crowded in here.”

Chasen just stood in the door way for a moment, staring at Lynn, a strange expression on his face.

Chasen said with awe in his voice, “Lynn. You look incredible! You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!” Lynn’s cheeks turned bright red.

Looking shyly at the floor, Lynn said, “Thank you! And you’re very handsome tonight!”

Chasen grinned. “Thanks. And don’t forget Moki. He actually took a shower.”

Moki laughed and raised a hand. “Guilty!”

I smiled. “You’re very handsome Moki.”

Moki’s expression changed to a serious one. “And you are gorgeous. Stunning.”

I felt myself blush. This was a defining moment for me. Here I was standing in a beautiful dress with perfect make-up and a boy just called me gorgeous. That took a few heartbeats to process. I wouldn’t go back to being James Wainright if they made me fleet admiral.

“Thank you!” I smiled at Moki. “I took a shower too.”

Moki laughed. “Then we’re a set! We might as well get married now.” I laughed nervously. He was joking, right?

Moki gave me his arm to hold on to and Chasen did the same for Lynn as we walked down the hallway to the lifts.

Lynn hugged Chasen closely and I winced slightly. But there was no explosion. Thank God. I know we tested it, but I was still nervous. Lt. Barnes had told me after we had gotten out of the salon that over a dozen CoDom operatives in Alliance personnel’s bodies had been arrested or killed. It was the biggest security breach in the history of the ASDF. Everyone was now going to be required to have a brain scan.

I was surprised when we finally got to the dance. There were a lot of people already here. It was fun to see everyone dressed up as most of the time everyone is casual in the extreme. Well, not to the point of being naked.

There was an actual live band playing actual real instruments. Real musicians are a rare sight except on major worlds. They were playing a slow, romantic song when we walked in.

Chasen took Lynn’s hand and kissed her fingers. “May I have this dance, miss?”

Lynn’s smile was so wide I thought she’d explode… okay, bad metaphor. She said, “Yes, of course kind sir.”

Chasen held her close as they danced. Lynn was practically glowing. She was with her man.

Moki extended his hand towards me. “Wanna dance?”

I took his hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

As he held my hand and placed his other hand on my waist and we started to dance, I looked deep into Moki’s eyes. I have to admit I never dreamt I’d be dancing with cute boy and wearing a dress. Not long ago I was in command of a deep space probe on the edges of the Alliance frontier. I wondered what other unexpected things were in store for me? So far it’s been really crazy.

We all danced for several songs. I think everyone and not just me was starting to get tired. Chasen called over to Moki and me. “Hey, you guys feel like a Gargle Blaster?”

Moki nodded. “You bet. This round’s on Kathy.”

I laughed. Moki said that almost every time we headed towards the snack bar. I asked, “How long are you going to keep making that lame joke?”

Moki grinned at me. “Until you stop laughing at it.”

I saw a sudden movement in the corner of my eye. At the same time, I saw Lynn spin around and shout “No!” Terror was in her eyes. Just as she leaped into the air, I heard the hum of a microwave pistol and she crumpled to the floor.

Wild eyed, I turned to see someone dressed as staff getting a pistol knocked from his hand and someone else tackled him.

Chasen cried out, “Lynn! Lynn!”

There was a blistering wound on her chest and shoulder and a burn mark on her dress and she was crying out in pain. I tried to rush to her, but Moki held me back. Yells were going out for security and for medical help.

I looked over at the guy who shot Lynn and he had a determined expression. He shouted, “Stupid girl!”

As I yelled out, “Get away from him! He’s got a bomb!” the man detonated with a dull explosion throwing blood, bones and flesh for several feet around him. With the distraction, I managed to break Moki’s grasp of my arm and rushed to Lynn’s side. Her breathing was shallow and labored.

Chasen was crying. He held her hand as he bent down to kiss her. He said, “I love you, Lynn.”

Lynn smiled in spite of her obvious pain. She looked over at me and still smiled. To me she said, “I’m happy.” Her smile then faded as her body went limp.

Chasen held her in his arms as he shouted, “No! You can’t die!”

A paramedic rushed to Lynn’s side and took a quick look. He shook his head. To no one in particular, he said, “Microwave wounds are nasty. Nobody could survive a wound like this.” Microwave weapons boil your insides.

Shaking, Moki looked at Chasen who was still holding Lynn in his arms. “Did you see that? She jumped between the shooter and you, Chasen. She saved your life, man.”

Crying harder than I ever have, I said, “She’s a hero.” The Alliance High Command assured me later that it would never be publically known Lynn was a CoDom spy and assassin. I never got to tell her about the small anomaly I found. I will take it to my grave the knowledge she was pregnant. Knowing that, would destroy Chasen.

Moki took my hand and pulled me away from the grizzly scene.

*          *          *

The three of us, Chasen, Moki and me, were standing on the passenger loading platform for the mag-lev to the city of Small Valley. Chasen’s parents live there and it’s where the guys are taking their break from the university. If you can call it a break. His parents’ house has a tech lab in their spacious back yard.

Moki held both my hands and was looking into my eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to come stay with us? Chasen’s parents said they have an extra room and would love to have you stay.”

I looked over at the car where my parents and brother sat waiting for me to say good-bye. Due to the planet’s mostly pleasant weather, the passenger loading platform was outside. “I should probably spend some time with the people who adopted me. I practically ignored them on the whole trip.”

Moki frowned. “Does it matter? The government pays them to take care of you. You sure do get a lot of attention from the Alliance High Command for a squirt ensign in the Junior Cadets.”

I laughed. “Hey. I got a promotion! I’m now a lieutenant. But seriously, I should stay for now. I might come visit for a weekend.”

Moki grinned. “I hope you do.”

I pointed at Chasen who was moping around on the platform some distance from us. “What about him? Is he going to be okay?”

Moki nodded. “Just give him some time. That was a hard hit for him. He’s never been in love before.”

I wrinkled my brow. “Bullshit. He’s a regular girl magnet.”

Moki shrugged. “Oh, he dates lots of girls. He’s just never been emotionally attached to one before. He and Lynn really clicked. He plans to give the CoDom Empire hell.”

I sighed after looking over at Chasen again. “I hope he recovers soon. I know the Alliance is counting on his weapons development.”

Moki frowned. “There you go again. I think you’re more involved with the ASDF than you let on.”

I just grinned at him. “I’m your mystery woman.”

Moki chuckled. “Mystery or not… just don’t forget you’re my woman.”

I grinned at him as I looked up to him. He bent his head down and gave me a long, romantic kiss. I tingled down to my toes.

I sighed deeply. “And don’t you forget I’m your woman!”

Moki grinned. “Never.”

Over the speakers came, “Final boarding call.”

Moki kissed me again. “I guess they’re about to leave without us. Call, okay?”

I waved as the mag-lev glided silently from the station.

As I watched the mag-lev fade into the distance, I wondered if I’d still be in love with Moki when he finally graduates. The ASDF advised me to not distract him or Chasen from their studies. Their work was that important to the Alliance. But it wasn’t an order…

And I’m not sure if I really want to sign up again for the Alliance Space Defense Force, this time as a woman. Lt. Barnes said they need experienced pilots. Just not fifteen year old ones.

Lynn was inducted posthumously into the Alliance Hall of Heroes. True to their word, there was no mention of her being a CoDom spy. The Hall of Heroes is for civilians who sacrificed for the cause.

I fought back a tear at Lynn’s memory. Forget her past. She was a sweet girl.

I could no longer see the mag-lev. I turned and walked towards my parents’ car.

*          *          *

The End