The Reaper Diaries: Supernova, Part 12
16 Feb 2016Michael Wolfe
“More blood?”“Yes. More. Either this guy’s a goddamn vampire, or he’s lost more than we thought. I’ve seen it before with a few of my guys. And schedule a neurochemical reset after the regen is administered. He’s developing an immunity to both painkillers and stims. His system is goddamn saturated with them.”
Voices. Voices are good, right? No decent afterlife would be set up to make someone listen to mundane medical chit chat for all eternity.
I could hear a man’s voice close bye.
“Doctor, look- his neural readings.”
With effort, I creaked open my eyes. A masked nurse and doctor were learning over me, a look of concern in their eyes. Not that the masks revealed much, but they looked to be a man and woman. The man was in regular medical scrubs, but the woman appeared to be wearing-
Tactical gear?
The woman glanced at something beside my head, her young eyes crinkling into a smile.
“And there he is." She turned to the man beside her. "Be a good little frog and get me some coffee, ok?”
I heard the annoyance in the man's voice, and steps leading away.
"Yes, ma'am."
Ok. Hospital room. Doctors. Bed. I tried my best to look down. Hospital gown and blankets.
The events prior to my waking up were hazy, but present. The dogfight, the gut wound, roughly setting down on board Lysenko HQ,
Nova’s face as I went out…
Jesus. What a day.
Ignoring the doctors, I looked around- and saw that I had more company than I expected. Nova was by my side, asleep in an armchair. Spread out on the couch was a tall, rough-looking man with black combat trousers and an old, standard-issue Federation navy T-shirt. Down his arms were tattoo sleeves, though the one on his left only went down half way. He looked like he’d spent a lifetime either lifting weights- or juicing like a desperate athlete.
I had no idea who the hell he was.
The woman walked to my side and shook Nova’s shoulder. ‘Hey, your boyfriend is awake. You want to finally give him that smooch?”
Nova stirred, looked around, and narrowed her eyes at the strange woman. “He ain’t my boyfriend. And I wasn’t trying to kiss him.”
The medic looked down at me, lowered her mask, and shrugged. “Your loss. I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating cookies.”
My partner rolled her eyes and stretched. “Easy to say about a man when you’re not locked in a ship with him.”
She nodded at my vitals on the monitors by my bed, and turned back to Nova, smirking. “Try being locked up with twelve sometime. There’s so much testosterone in my life, I’m surprised I still have tits.”
Both Nova and myself raised our eyebrows. My partner shook her head slowly at the woman. “You’re uh- you’re not like other Imperial medics I’ve met.”
The medic picked up the medical tablet and made a few notes. “You can’t be when you’re attached to spec-ops. Men like them are either predators or protectors- and which one they are to a woman like me depends. If you get scared and intimidated, you’re fuckmeat. If you become one of the boys and fit in, they’ll hop on a bloody live grenade for you. Guess which one I chose?”
Nova snorted and shook her head. “Sounds like a hell of a life.”
Smirking, the medic patted me on the leg with her tablet. “It is. But my squad will never have a better medic than me, and they know it. So they play nice.”
I raised my eyebrows, staring up at her from my bed. “You’re that good?”
“Sure I am. But I’m no better trained than any man.”
She looked at us- and to our surprise- playfully grabbed her own breasts through her uniform. “It’s the tits, you see. If a man is around a pair, he’s in a better mood, he heals faster, and he’s more likely to obey instructions. But medical school always leaves that part out.”
Who the hell is this lady?
She tuned to Nova and gestured towards me. “I’m out for a bit. Keep an eye on him. And mind the tits, eh? One or two good squeezes does wonders for a man, and-“ She glanced down at Nova’s tank top- “ you’ve got more than enough.”
With that, she walked out, still smirking. I looked at Nova, a quizzical look on my face. She looked down at her chest, back up at me- and rolled her eyes.
“Don’t even think about it.”
We heard a groan coming from the couch, as the mysterious man sat up and hunched over, putting his head between his hands and yawning. He looked up at Nova and myself.
“Don’t even think about what?”
Nova looked like she was about to answer, but I beat her to speaking. “Who the hell are you? I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
He grinned, a rough and lopsided look spreading over his face. “Oh, we’ve met already. I’m Judge, the corporate sellout, remember? Or did that tight-assed little medic go overboard on the amnesia drugs?”
Judge Kinsey. The Federation bounty hunter. In my goddamn med-bay room.
I shook my head, trying to sit up a little higher. Despite the drugs, the effort sent waves of pain where the flak had hit my belly.
“And- you’re here?”
He grunted out a short laugh. “Well, after you bugged out, I got a message from a certain mutual acquaintance promising a nice little bonus if you walked away from the mission alive. So here I am, making sure you don’t die.”
Wha-? But- how did-?
Judge grinned and continued: “Of course, me and my boys were busy with those Lysenko Eagles, so I radioed your partner here and told her that you were in trouble.”
I turned to him and shook my head. “Despite me asking you not to?”
Judge shrugged. “For what I was offered to make sure you pulled through? Damn right I did.”
Well, hell. “Thanks.”
Nova piped up, a trace of indignation in her voice. “You may have noticed a loud crash outside your ship right after you skidded to a halt.”
“It did seem to correspond with you showing up when you did.”
My partner stood up, pacing the med bay. “I did the best I could, but Judge here had already alerted one of the strike teams of your arrival. It was close, but their medic patched you up pretty good, and has been checking on you ever since.”
I glanced towards the door. “The one with the tit-based approach to field medicine?”
Nova chuckled. “The same. But she knows her stuff. You’re alive because of her.”
Looking slightly apologetic, she added: “But your ship isn’t going anywhere for awhile. It looks almost as bad as you do.”
I laid back down, trying to take in all the news. The busted-up Hand of Blue. The dirty-talking medic. The Federation bounty hunter waiting by my side for me to recover. And having the whole thing happen in the headquarters of the organization I was helping to take down.
This must be what insanity feels like.
“Ok, easy does it. Just take it easy.”
Both Nova and the medic were helping me to my feet, a few tubes still stuck in my body. Despite the meds, my gut still hurt like hell. I shook my head even as I winced.
A goddamn full-grown man needing two ladies to help him up. This ain’t no way to be.
“You’re sure about this?” The medic was glancing at me, a concerned look in her eye.
Unsteadily, I took a few steps. “Yeah. It’s something I’ve got to see through.”
Nova and the medic separated the last of the tubes connecting me to the medical equipment by the bed. She turned to Nova, a frustrated look in her eye. “I deal with this macho bullshit enough from my own guys. Can’t you convince him to just give it a day or two?”
My partner shook her head. “Nope. The Hand of Blue is his baby.”
Taking my arm around her neck to steady me, she added: “Besides, I’d be doing to the same thing, too. It's a pilot thing. You wouldn't understand.”
“Well, it’s coming along, right?”
Nova and I were standing on the observation deck of the repair bay, watching several automated arms cut, remove, and replace all the damaged components on the Hand of Blue. Modern automated repair is a wonder, but when you’re gut-shot, gut-ripped, and at a strange port, it can still never get done fast enough.
I looked down to my partner, arm still flung around her shoulders. “Yeah. But I’m still fixin' to get the hell out of here.”
My partner shifted her weight and leaned into me. “I hear you. But at least your rig is getting fixed up. The Bluebird, well-“ a scowl crossed Nova’s face- “she's going to have to go on missing me for a bit until I get enough credits.”
I nodded, understanding. “I’m real sorry about her, darlin’.”
Nova just nodded, tracing a finger along the edge of my wound. “Well, at least I didn’t come out of this whole deal with my guts rearranged, right?”
I chuckled, despite the pain of doing so. “Yeah. I’ll take a problem that can be solved by throwing money at it any day of the week.”
I felt a pat on my back, and my partner craned her head to look up at me. “Well, you saw her. Ready to head back?”
Looking down at her, I made a face. “Not really. Lots of extra company in that room. I’d rather be back in my ship. Or at a bar. Anywhere but there.”
Leading me away, I felt Nova shake her head. “Well, your medic wouldn’t like that, and I’m pretty sure that Federation bounty hunter would get grumpy.”
Exhaling in frustration, I let myself be led back to the medical wing. “Fine. Let’s not keep the peanut gallery waiting. I’m tired anyway.”
“So- how did you sleep?”
The medic was leaning over me, taking my vitals. She was just as crude as she had been the day before, but we were getting used to it.
“Good, I guess.”
“Any dreams?”
I considered. Come to think of it, I hadn’t dreamed that I was able to recall. “Nope. I closed my eyes last night, and here I am.”
She nodded. “Good. It means the stasis drugs are finally neutralized. No more crazy vivid memories for you.”
I looked over at Nova, who was still asleep on the couch. Kinsey had hit a bar, and still hadn’t come back.
Guess he figures if I run off, his job is done.
“So, when am I out of here?”
The medic looked down at me and frowned. “As long as you promise to let your partner fly, as early as tomorrow. The regen drugs help, but they aren’t the same as good-old-fashioned healing. I want you to stay off your feet as much as possible.”
Looking over at Nova, she added: “And no bodily exertions just in case she changes her mind about tit therapy. I would hate to see you back in here with your wounds re-opened because someone was in the mood to celebrate.”
I shook my head and glanced at my sleeping partner. Nova, interested in me? That’ll be the day. “I’ll try to keep my pants on, doc.”
She patted my head and smiled. “That’s a good little frog. If you want, you can take a little walk around the med bay. Don’t go farther than that.”
With that, she walked away and shut the door. Nova was still sleeping soundly, and I was awake and alone.
Well, I’m cleared for a little walk, so I might as well. I send a quick note to Nova on my communicator and slowly sat up, my stomach protesting in pain.
The repair bay ain’t too much further from the med bay, right?
I gingerly put on my boots, taking care to not wake my partner. Well, not far once you factor in turbolifts.
Almost done, baby. Almost done. Then you and I are getting the hell out of here.
The Hand of Blue was looking a hell of a lot better. Her internal components had been fixed or replaced, and her outer hull had been nano-lathed back to new. Right now, dock workers were fixing the canopy glass, replacing the panels and little scuffs to the interior mini-bridge that had happened when it had been blown out. She would be ready to go before the end of the day. Thank God.
“Is she yours?”
I hadn’t even noticed the young man beside me, so intently had I been watching the repairs. He was wearing grungy coveralls, with a shock of unruly red hair topping his freckled head. A beat-up Lysenko patch graced his right arm.
Now there’s a logo I never thought I’d be happy to see again, I thought. “Yeah. I flew in on her.” Looking back at my ship, I frowned.
“Crashed, really. She was pretty wrecked by the time I got here. I’m just looking forward to getting the hell out Dodge.”
The young man nodded. “Well, I’m glad someone’s got an escape plan. Ever since the purges up top, no one knows what Lysenko’s future is. Lots of us are running scared, booking the first shuttles off this station.”
He leaned in a little, a cautious look in his eye. “You, uh- you aren’t taking passengers, are you? I promise I wouldn’t get in the way. I can pay, too.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, kid. The extra seat’s spoken for.” Technically a lie, but I didn’t know what Nova wanted to do with the Cobra she was flying.
A disappointed look crossed the man’s face. “I see. Well, it ain’t likely that Lysenko’s going to need a deep space repair team for much longer, anyway. Between the bounty hunters and the confiscations, they don’t have many ships left to repair.”
As he was walking away, I let myself drift back into watching the Hand of Blue.
Wait- did he say “deep-space repair”? I whirled around as fast as my wound allowed.
“Hey, kid!”
He had been just walking out of the observation deck, and stuck his head through the door.
“Yeah?”
I hobbled my way up to him, grasping a couch for support. “You still want to get away from this circus?”
His young eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sure do.”
I gestured towards the docking bay. “Think you can convince your team to do a little unscheduled repair job tomorrow? There’s a busted-up Asp Explorer that needs some TLC- frame-drive, thrusters, and hull. There’s a shit-ton of credits in it for you if you do.”
A nervous look crossed the man’s face as he glanced down the corridor, checking to see if anyone was listening. “I, uh- I don’t know. I can't. We’re supposed to be on standby, and-“
I reached into my jacket pocket and help out some credit chips, freshly acquired from the security office after cashing in the bounties on the Lysenko targets. “I’ve got a hundred thousand here that says you can. Same for them, too- once the job’s done.”
The young man’s eyes bulged for a second. A hundred thousand credits was more than he made in an entire year. He shook his head, staring at the chips in my hand. Slowly, he looked up me and whistled as he accepted the single chip.
“Well mister- I don’t know who you are or what the hurry is- but I think that me and my team just became freelancers for a day.”
“I still think you ought to stay for at least a few more days!”
The Imperial medic was helping me into my leather jacket, a concerned look on her face. The Hand of Blue was all patched up, I was cleared to leave, and I needed to make the Lysenko repair team get to work before they got cold feet and refused my bribe.
“Appreciate the concern, ma’am, but we’ve got to be movin’ on.”
Behind me, I heard a sigh. “That’s how it is with you indy pilots. Never staying in one place for long.”
She looked over at Nova, and shook her head. “You pinky-swear that you’ll see to his bandages?”
My partner rolled her eyes and slipped on her own jacket. “Yeah. It’s damn near a habit at this point anyway.”
The medic stood back and looked at myself and Nova. We shook hands and started making our way towards the main corridor of the medical wing. From behind us, we heard the medic’s playful voice:
“Mind the tits!”
The Hand of Blue had been transferred to a proper docking bay. Waiting for us was Judge, the same Federation bounty hunter who had winged up with us and kept vigil during my recovery. He nodded at us as we approached the hangar doors.
“So, you two are out of here?”
I smiled crookedly. “Sure are. Guess that means you get your bonus, huh?”
The man extended an arm and shook his head. “First time I’ll be getting paid to make sure that someone lives- and an Imperial, no less.”
I smiled, shaking his hand. “I won’t squeal to Hudson if you don’t.”
Kinsey looked at us and half-smiled. “Good enough. Take care of him, miss. He might be a juicy bounty for me someday.”
Fat chance, pal. “Well, it would be good to finally fight a Fed worth my time. You take care, sellout.”
Judge hit the door controls, waving us through to the docking bay. “You too, slaver.”
In the mini-bridge of the Hand of Blue, Nova and I had changed into our flight suits. She was staring into my eyes and tenderly holding my hands. A looks of concern and affection had crossed her face.
“Are you sure about this, Matt? This is-“ She looked down and bit her lip, trying to find the words. Looking back up she smiled sweetly.
“This is really huge of you. You really mean it?”
I gestured towards the pilot’s seat below us. “Yeah. I mean it. Go ahead. You’re more than capable, and I trust you. I still feel like shit. Besides, you’re entitled to a little stick time since you sold off the Cobra.”
Nova squeezed my hands in appreciation, and kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks. I know what she means to you. I’ll be real gentle with her. So…” She looked out the canopy glass- “Back to Shajin?”
I grimaced, shaking my head. “Not quite. Gotta make a quick stop first, meet up with some new friends of mine. Ex-Lysenko, sympathetic to our situation.”
A look of suspicion and curiosity crossed Nova’s face. “What kind of friends? And what kind of stop?”
Trying my best roguish grin, I leaned forward and whispered my deal into Nova’s ear. She pulled away, her eyes wide. Then, slowly, she released my hand and grabbed the collar of my flight suit, pulling me to her for a deep, satisfying kiss.
Sweet baby Jesus.
She released me, looking a little shocked at herself. “That was, uh- that was for good luck. And for being sweet.”
I smiled in return. “I know, darling. We ain’t lovers or nothing. But you like it?”
Nova didn’t reply immediately, just pulling me in for one more kiss. “Get your ass strapped in. We’ve got a ship to fix.”
The prospect of seeing a repaired Bluebird compelled Nova to renege on her promise to fly gently. Not that she abused my baby, of course- but the greedy fuel scooping and way she shoved the throttle forward to engage the frame shift drive betrayed an urgency that I hadn’t previously seen. From above her in the system deck seat, I couldn’t help but smile.
Yeah, I thought. She’s come a long way from puking in her suit.
After mundane conversation and several frame-shift jumps, we were there. Nova disengaged the supercruise, we watched the ship rapidly decelerate, and-
There she was. The Bluebird, help in place by a cage of emergency scaffolding, a Lysenko Anaconda tethered nearby, with several space-suited people and repair drones hovering around her. Over the comms, I heard a sharp intake of breath.
“Well, what do you think?”
Nova flew over the whole scene in a slow pass, looking out the canopy window. “I- she’s looking a hell of a lot better. I don’t really know what to say.”
On the comm, the Anaconda was hailing.
“Well hello, commanders! Would one of you happen to be the owner of this fine ship?”
Trying to keep her voice businesslike, Nova replied. “That would be me. How’s she coming?”
I could hear the kid’s voice over the radio. “Just about done. We didn’t even try to fix the thrusters and drive, just swapped ‘em out for new ones. I hope you had A-rated before, because that’s in this ship now. “
“I- thank you!” From below me, I could see Nova gripping her helmet in amazement with both hands.
“No problem, ma’am. And thank your partner, too. He’s the one who got this whole thing going. We’re just about finished up here.”
The comm was silent for a few moments, and then he came back on. “And one more thing- who the hell rigged the thruster feeds directly into the reactor instead of through the failsafes? One careless supercruise’ll blow the whole assembly straight to hell.”
Nova twisted around and looked back up at me, a twinkle in her eye. “Must have been the previous owner. Only an idiot would try that, right?”
“So, you don’t mind staying?”
I shook my head and settled into the Bluebird’s bunk. “Nah. Twelve hours to wait for the nano-bonds to set up is a long damn time to just sit. Figured you might want some company. Besides, I’m due for some rest after that trip over.”
Nova was changing out of her flight suit and stepping into her shower. I saw her poke her head through the door. “After a little hop like that? It was only eight hours of scoop-and-scoot. I think you’re getting soft!”
With that, I heard the shower kick on and the last Nova’s clothes drop down the other side of the door. “Well, try making that trip in my condition sometime and see how you like it!”
Nova’s voice called out above the running water. “Whatever. Just keep making excuses!”
Smiling, I closed my eyes, letting the sound of the water sooth my nerves. As strange as it might have sounded to a non-pilot, it really did feel good to be back in a nasty little ship’s bunk. It felt like home.
I must have drifted off for a nap, because the next thing I felt was Nova’s hand on my shoulder, just out of the shower. Opening my eyes, I saw her sitting on the bunk, wearing her usual tank top and boxer shorts, wet blue hair hanging over her shoulders and back.
“Hey.”
I smiled. “Hey.”
“Tired?”
I stretched out. “I guess I am.”
She got up and opened up some cabinets, bringing out several bottle of liquor that I hadn’t seen before. Arranging them on the counter, she turned to me and smiled. “Well, that’s too bad. I was going to whip up a little treat for us.”
I sat up, wincing from the pain. I really was sleepy, but my curiosity was also piqued. The hell is she up to?
“Well, I reckon I ain’t that tired.”
She had pulled out some angular martini-looking glasses, and was mixing different liquors, adding a few ingredients I hadn’t seen before.
“Good. Because the end of a job like this calls for a drink.”
I grinned, shaking my head. “No arguments here, darlin’.”
After another minute of humming to herself and combining different ingredients, Nova turned, a glass of medium-blue liquid in both hands. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that it was actually glowing slightly.
“And what is this magnificent concoction you’ve crafted for us?”
Nova smiled and took a tiny sip. “It’s my signature drink- the Supernova. The one I told you about. I never travel without the ingredients.”
I smiled, accepting the glass. “Once a bartender, always a bartender, huh?”
“Yeah. Now drink up.” She took a sip of her own, and added: “Carefully.”
I raised the glass to my lips, and took a taste. Hmm… fiery, and fruity, and I can feel it all the way down…
Nova raised my eyebrows in expectation. “Good?”
Not quite blueberry, not quite guava. No distinct liquor taste….
But whatever was in it, I could feel it spread throughout my system. Like a supernova exploding.
“It’s damn good, darlin’. But it feels like it should come with a warning label.”
She giggled and took another sip of her own. “Heard that one before. And you only get one. I’m breaking the rules as it is. But-“ she took another sip- “I like to celebrate after a job.”
Smiling, I took another sip, feeling the drink course through my system before settling into my belly. Probably not a good idea in my condition- but we could both use a drink.
I raised my glass to her. “You and me both, darlin’- though my drinks are usually a little more straightforward.”
My partner looked down in her lap, still smiling, and then back up at me. “I never thanked you, you know.”
“For what?”
Nova looked around, gesturing. “Fixing up my ship. Having my back. Not being an asshole. Not bitching too much even though you’ve gotten the short end of the stick on this job.” She glanced down at my bandages, lightly shrugging. “So- thanks.”
I shifted a little in the bunk and smiled back. “You’re welcome darlin’. You didn't do so bad yourself. And you mix a pretty mean drink. That’s a partnership worth celebrating any day.”
A mischievous look crossed Nova’s face as she took another sip. “Speaking of celebrating-“
I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah?“
Nova didn’t answer- instead, she walked up, straddled me with both legs, leaned forward, and gave me a long, deep kiss, wet bunches of blue hair hanging down around me like a curtain. Taking my free hand in hers, I felt her guide my fingers under the fabric of her tank top until they were resting on-
Holy sweet Goddamn.
She broke the kiss and grinned, her natural and mechanical eyes looking playfully at me. I took half a deep breath and smiled, feeling her hand gently press mine against the swell of her breast. It was all I could do to form words.
“That medic was right, you know. I feel better already.”
Grinning, Nova sat back up and took another drink. Intertwining her fingers around mine, she playfully shook her head.
“I’m sure you do.” Leaning forward, she looked my battered, bloodied body up and down, raising an eyebrow. “But in your condition, I would finish you off in no time!”
I bet you would, darlin'. I bet you would.
Giggling, Nova raised her glass and took another sip, moving my hand off of her body and daring me to respond with her eyes. I adjusted myself under her and thought it over. The pain from the wounds and the dull fiery sensations of the Supernova were competing to see what I felt the most in my belly.
Goddammit, she’s right. A romp would damn near kill me. I looked up at her, left-over moisture causing the tank top to cling against her body.
Hell of a way to go, though.
As we finished our drinks, Nova got up and killed the lights in the pilot’s cabin. In the darkness, I felt her lay down at my side, careful to not put any pressure against my wounds. She rested her still-wet head over my shoulder and curled up against me.
“I really do appreciate everything you’ve done.”
I raised my arm to wrap around her, feeling her nuzzle herself against my chest. “It was my pleasure, darlin’.”
As we drifted off to sleep, I reflected on the chain of events that had led to this perfect moment- the interview, the salvaging, the ambush, the nights spent hiding out at the Bear Den, the Hutton run, the revelation of Lysenko’s dirty secret, the dogfight, the recovery- and now, here we were, spending one last night in the Bluebird together.
Guess it all worked out, didn’t it?
I looked down at Nova and softly kissed her forehead. There was just one more thing to say.
“'Finish me off', huh?”
I felt her face twist itself into a grin, and then the shaking feeling of her suppressing laughter. As much as I didn’t want to, I grinned at the thought, too. Soon after, I was laughing weakly despite the pain. So was she, losing all restraint, tears damn near running down her cheeks.
Space doesn’t carry sound- but within the Bluebird, laughter echoed through the bulkheads and into our memories forever.
