Voyages of the Solar Wind 1: A Fire in Heaven by Michael Erickston
Authors: Michael Erickston
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Once there, we lowered it and strapped it down.
By the time I got to our quarters, I thought I saw something out the corner of my eye. When I looked, it was gone, though.
"Rilar?" I said. I noticed she wasn't with me. "Ri?"
"Over here, Dex!" She called from the direction of the cockpit. She hadn't gone past me, had she?
I walked quickly to the cockpit, and there she was. "But you were walking with me." I turned to look behind me, then back to her. She was still dressed in her favorite, and now my favorite outfit of hers. Black synthmesh leggings with kneeboots. Red synthmesh halter top, and black synthmesh vest over it. She was still wearing her rail pistol on her right hip cross draw since she's a lefty.
"You just stopped, and looked like you were thinking, so I came up here to give you a minute." She shrugged, then jumped out of her Gunnery seat and slipped her arms around my neck. "I love you, sek'natha." She purred.
"I love you too, my lovemate." I replied and kissed her lovingly.
As we broke the kiss, she gave me the sitrep. "Checks are complete, and we're ready to go." She smiled and kissed me quickly before plopping back down in her seat.
"Thanks, baby. Ok, let's get this show on the road." I sat in my pilot seat and fired up our baby. "Engines: Check. Weapons?"
"Weapons: Check." She replied.
"Armor plating?"
"Armor: Check."
"Thanks, sweetheart. Slipdrive: Check. Life Support: Check. Ok, we're good." I lifted and pivoted Solar Wind one eighty degrees and accelerated to One Quarter. We cleared the docking bay and I set course for Rigel VII. It would be a five hour trip. "Slipdrive engaged." I grinned as we entered the slipstream.
I turned to Rilar, but she was gone. "Ri?" I asked. "Where'd you go, baby?"
This wasn't like her. Something was off. I stood and walked down to our quarters. I walked in and staggered back. My blood ran cold when I saw her.
"Hello, Dex. Miss me?" Jen said in her sultry tone.
"J..J...Jen! What?" I couldn't catch my breath. She was dead. She'd committed suicide the day before. This was impossible!
I couldn't move as she walked slowly to me and slid her arms around my neck. She leaned into my chest as she used to when we were together. She looked up at me and kissed me on the lips. I couldn't respond. I wouldn't allow myself to respond.
"Dex, make love to me, honey. Please..." She pulled me to the bunk... our bunk.. mine and Rilar's bunk.
I stopped, threw my head back and shouted "RILAR!"
I opened my eyes and Jen had disappeared. I looked around and drew my rail pistol. Where'd she go? Had she run off? What the fuck was going on here? "RILAR!" I shouted again. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
I heard running boots in the hall outside. She came skidding around the corner and looked at me. "What is it, baby?" She saw the gun in my hand. "Dex! What's wrong?"
"Jen was here, sweetheart. I saw her. She touched me. What the fuck?" I was still scanning all around me, looking for her.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, baby!" She pulled me to her and held me as I shook. I dropped my pistol and held her tightly to me.
"I think I'm going nuts, baby. I saw her. I heard her voice! She kissed me and I could taste her! It was Jen!" My voice was shaky. I didn't know what the hell was going on. I hated this feeling of fear. Pure terror.
"Shhh, baby. I'm here. Come on." She pulled me to the bed, and I sat down. She walked back and picked up my pistol, then put it back in my holster and snapped the widow strap closed.
"Thanks, baby." I still couldn't move, and I was shaking badly.
Ri sat beside me. I held onto her and closed my eyes. "It's ok, Dex. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Ri held me. She stroked my hair as I clung to her. I was shaking and crying my eyes out.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind, sweetheart." I confessed. I'd never lost control like this before. I felt like I'd lost myself. That everything I knew was gone. Only Rilar was real.
"It's ok, lover. We'll make it through this together,
By the time I got to our quarters, I thought I saw something out the corner of my eye. When I looked, it was gone, though.
"Rilar?" I said. I noticed she wasn't with me. "Ri?"
"Over here, Dex!" She called from the direction of the cockpit. She hadn't gone past me, had she?
I walked quickly to the cockpit, and there she was. "But you were walking with me." I turned to look behind me, then back to her. She was still dressed in her favorite, and now my favorite outfit of hers. Black synthmesh leggings with kneeboots. Red synthmesh halter top, and black synthmesh vest over it. She was still wearing her rail pistol on her right hip cross draw since she's a lefty.
"You just stopped, and looked like you were thinking, so I came up here to give you a minute." She shrugged, then jumped out of her Gunnery seat and slipped her arms around my neck. "I love you, sek'natha." She purred.
"I love you too, my lovemate." I replied and kissed her lovingly.
As we broke the kiss, she gave me the sitrep. "Checks are complete, and we're ready to go." She smiled and kissed me quickly before plopping back down in her seat.
"Thanks, baby. Ok, let's get this show on the road." I sat in my pilot seat and fired up our baby. "Engines: Check. Weapons?"
"Weapons: Check." She replied.
"Armor plating?"
"Armor: Check."
"Thanks, sweetheart. Slipdrive: Check. Life Support: Check. Ok, we're good." I lifted and pivoted Solar Wind one eighty degrees and accelerated to One Quarter. We cleared the docking bay and I set course for Rigel VII. It would be a five hour trip. "Slipdrive engaged." I grinned as we entered the slipstream.
I turned to Rilar, but she was gone. "Ri?" I asked. "Where'd you go, baby?"
This wasn't like her. Something was off. I stood and walked down to our quarters. I walked in and staggered back. My blood ran cold when I saw her.
"Hello, Dex. Miss me?" Jen said in her sultry tone.
"J..J...Jen! What?" I couldn't catch my breath. She was dead. She'd committed suicide the day before. This was impossible!
I couldn't move as she walked slowly to me and slid her arms around my neck. She leaned into my chest as she used to when we were together. She looked up at me and kissed me on the lips. I couldn't respond. I wouldn't allow myself to respond.
"Dex, make love to me, honey. Please..." She pulled me to the bunk... our bunk.. mine and Rilar's bunk.
I stopped, threw my head back and shouted "RILAR!"
I opened my eyes and Jen had disappeared. I looked around and drew my rail pistol. Where'd she go? Had she run off? What the fuck was going on here? "RILAR!" I shouted again. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
I heard running boots in the hall outside. She came skidding around the corner and looked at me. "What is it, baby?" She saw the gun in my hand. "Dex! What's wrong?"
"Jen was here, sweetheart. I saw her. She touched me. What the fuck?" I was still scanning all around me, looking for her.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, baby!" She pulled me to her and held me as I shook. I dropped my pistol and held her tightly to me.
"I think I'm going nuts, baby. I saw her. I heard her voice! She kissed me and I could taste her! It was Jen!" My voice was shaky. I didn't know what the hell was going on. I hated this feeling of fear. Pure terror.
"Shhh, baby. I'm here. Come on." She pulled me to the bed, and I sat down. She walked back and picked up my pistol, then put it back in my holster and snapped the widow strap closed.
"Thanks, baby." I still couldn't move, and I was shaking badly.
Ri sat beside me. I held onto her and closed my eyes. "It's ok, Dex. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Ri held me. She stroked my hair as I clung to her. I was shaking and crying my eyes out.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind, sweetheart." I confessed. I'd never lost control like this before. I felt like I'd lost myself. That everything I knew was gone. Only Rilar was real.
"It's ok, lover. We'll make it through this together,
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