spent some time trying to catch Julian’s eye from afar. Julian had been polite, but standoffish, making no moves that might have been interpreted as an invitation by the woman.
Reya had eventually picked up on this, and in a low voice, engaged her boss. “Look at that girl over there,” she’d said half-lightly, a leer in her eye that liquor helped to foster. “I bet you’d have a great time in the dark with her.”
Julian had looked at his lieutenant with a knowing smile on his face.
He had noticed her!
She’d thought. Equally lightly, he’d commented, “Assuming she’d want to have sex with me?”
“Sure.”
Without a change in expression, Julian stated, “She wouldn’t.” And just like that, had turned back to his drink, and a moment later, engaged another gentleman in conversation on his opposite side.
Even now, Julian was already across the room and deep in conversation with a staffer at one of the weather stations… no doubt checking up on the prospects for
El Capitan
… just like at the dinner, ducking the subject. Reya spared him a last uncomprehending glance, before turning her attention back to Kris Fawkes and Aaron Hardy, who seemed to have hit it off together. She hadn’t seen whether Fawkes had noted Julian’s reaction, but Reya would have bet a week’s salary that she had. And she now seemed fully focused on Aaron.
Unlike Julian, Aaron pursued women, albeit a bit clumsily... he was certainly better with numbers than he was with people. But as far as Reya knew, he didn’t have much luck with women. His looks were a bit plain, his demeanor lacked polish, his physique was just on the soft side, and he was wishy-washy as hell when approaching a prospective conquest.
Comedy relief
. And incidentally, not very funny. He was just—as another woman might have put it—
not quite
what they were looking for.
So seeing Aaron in earnest conversation with Fawkes told Reya a lot more about the woman’s
modus opperandi
than about the man’s ability to charm the opposite sex. She obviously knew how to push Aaron’s buttons. Specifically, the big red one over his heart with the bright LED letters that read:
“Please take me home.”
And at that same moment, almost as if the two women were somehow on the same mental frequency, Fawkes shot another glance at Reya. Their eyes locked, and in that instant they both knew they understood each other perfectly. And the look Fawkes gave Reya suggested that whatever she was doing, was going exactly according to plan.
Reya smiled back. She knew that they had nothing to hide from the U. S.... the facts were the facts. There was nothing Aaron might give away or compromise, and nothing he might endanger... save, maybe, himself. So, at worst (Reya had heard her father say this once, years ago, and the phrase still tickled her) Kris Fawkes had managed to hook onto a caboose with no engine attached.
Well
, she mused, still smiling openly at Fawkes,
at least one of these guys’ll get a chance to jump that…
6: Tensions
“I say again,
El Capitan
, slow to one quarter!” Hunter Reilly barked into his com. “Cut your mains to allow inspection!”
The
El Capitan
seemed to hover on its end in space, as it rose into orbit to rendezvous with Verdant. A thin ribbon, not much more than a thread, seemed to trail behind it, looking like an impossibly-stretched rubber band poised to snap the freighter back out of orbit. Hunter and Goldie in Wasps three and four were in position below and behind it, one on port, one on starboard, on a parallel course.
“And I say again,”
came the voice over Hunter’s com,
“not until we’ve established stable orbit. Our on-boards have evaluated the leak, and it poses no threat to our ignition system.”
“That is
not your call
, Captain, and you
know
it,” Hunter stated. “Regulations state that all flight-damaged ships must be visually inspected by satellite security before docking.”
“We know that!”
the voice
Reya had eventually picked up on this, and in a low voice, engaged her boss. “Look at that girl over there,” she’d said half-lightly, a leer in her eye that liquor helped to foster. “I bet you’d have a great time in the dark with her.”
Julian had looked at his lieutenant with a knowing smile on his face.
He had noticed her!
She’d thought. Equally lightly, he’d commented, “Assuming she’d want to have sex with me?”
“Sure.”
Without a change in expression, Julian stated, “She wouldn’t.” And just like that, had turned back to his drink, and a moment later, engaged another gentleman in conversation on his opposite side.
Even now, Julian was already across the room and deep in conversation with a staffer at one of the weather stations… no doubt checking up on the prospects for
El Capitan
… just like at the dinner, ducking the subject. Reya spared him a last uncomprehending glance, before turning her attention back to Kris Fawkes and Aaron Hardy, who seemed to have hit it off together. She hadn’t seen whether Fawkes had noted Julian’s reaction, but Reya would have bet a week’s salary that she had. And she now seemed fully focused on Aaron.
Unlike Julian, Aaron pursued women, albeit a bit clumsily... he was certainly better with numbers than he was with people. But as far as Reya knew, he didn’t have much luck with women. His looks were a bit plain, his demeanor lacked polish, his physique was just on the soft side, and he was wishy-washy as hell when approaching a prospective conquest.
Comedy relief
. And incidentally, not very funny. He was just—as another woman might have put it—
not quite
what they were looking for.
So seeing Aaron in earnest conversation with Fawkes told Reya a lot more about the woman’s
modus opperandi
than about the man’s ability to charm the opposite sex. She obviously knew how to push Aaron’s buttons. Specifically, the big red one over his heart with the bright LED letters that read:
“Please take me home.”
And at that same moment, almost as if the two women were somehow on the same mental frequency, Fawkes shot another glance at Reya. Their eyes locked, and in that instant they both knew they understood each other perfectly. And the look Fawkes gave Reya suggested that whatever she was doing, was going exactly according to plan.
Reya smiled back. She knew that they had nothing to hide from the U. S.... the facts were the facts. There was nothing Aaron might give away or compromise, and nothing he might endanger... save, maybe, himself. So, at worst (Reya had heard her father say this once, years ago, and the phrase still tickled her) Kris Fawkes had managed to hook onto a caboose with no engine attached.
Well
, she mused, still smiling openly at Fawkes,
at least one of these guys’ll get a chance to jump that…
6: Tensions
“I say again,
El Capitan
, slow to one quarter!” Hunter Reilly barked into his com. “Cut your mains to allow inspection!”
The
El Capitan
seemed to hover on its end in space, as it rose into orbit to rendezvous with Verdant. A thin ribbon, not much more than a thread, seemed to trail behind it, looking like an impossibly-stretched rubber band poised to snap the freighter back out of orbit. Hunter and Goldie in Wasps three and four were in position below and behind it, one on port, one on starboard, on a parallel course.
“And I say again,”
came the voice over Hunter’s com,
“not until we’ve established stable orbit. Our on-boards have evaluated the leak, and it poses no threat to our ignition system.”
“That is
not your call
, Captain, and you
know
it,” Hunter stated. “Regulations state that all flight-damaged ships must be visually inspected by satellite security before docking.”
“We know that!”
the voice
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