Code Enforcement: Wetware

Sometimes we just have to go with our gut, right? I've always held that as a guiding star, so to speak; I guess I take after Dad that way. I mean, I'll admit, it's bitten me in the ass a few times. Obviously Jax turned out to be a slimy wad of protein. And the whole Gaian thing was a big mistake. In hindsight, it could have cost me my family. Good intentions, routes to hell, etcetera. But mom is tough as tungsten, and she's already told me to get over it in our pings. And I've got a badass Indy Private Investigator in my bed, so I guess it worked out in the end.

The Chimera is on course for Io, still another day and a half out. I've got the route plotted and nav console locked in, and a cup of real coffee for my partner. Speaking of, after some time to bathe and rest up, Melody is actually looking presentable. The bruises have somewhat faded, and her elbow and shoulder aren't as tender now. Honestly, seeing her lounging in just a tank top and panties, I feel grateful to have her back on board. And not just because she cuts a nice figure.

We're still unpacking everything that happened. It's been busy for both of us, and I'll admit, we've been a little burnt out emotionally. And while I think she's enjoying the dark roast, she seems less enthusiastic about the alcohol. She's not listening to my gut about her latest offer, for a local business of all things. I mean, come on! I'm the one who knows the Jovian. Starless skies, you make one or two bad calls, I swear.

Melody lounges on the pad, wrapped in the covers, sipping and frowning, giving me that exasperated look. "I was joking, Sparrow. I'm not going to accept," she says, swallowing and savoring with a delighted hum.

I roll my eyes, flopping down next to her. "Really, it's not a bad deal. The credits are nice-"

"That's not the issue. I can't sell out," she mutters, eyeing me. Her eyes keep drifting to my shorts, or perhaps the smart-ink tat winding a serpentine path up my calf.

"It's just an endorsement," I add, smirking as she tears her eyes from my thighs back to my face.

Melody blushes, pushing some dark hair out of her face and behind her ear. "It's an endorsement deal for a product I haven't gotten to try yet."

I cock my head. "Didn't Dyer give you a bottle?"

Her eyes light up at that. "Hah, that's the good stuff. It's like twelve-thousand credits a bottle. That's a special occasion drink," she adds with a smirk.

My eyes widen. "Starless skies, you must have really impressed him. But I'm sure they'll throw in a few mid-shelf samples if you ask."

She scoffs, chewing her cheek, thinking as she leans back and lets her eyes wander along my exposed skin. "And the endorsement is for 'Dame.' That was just an incognito handle; they aren't even crediting me by name."

"Well, it's the handle you used while taking down the League, right?" I offer, watching her tear her eyes back again as I grin. "It's how everyone on Ganymede heard of you, after all."

She blinks, considering that as she sips from her mug. "But nobody outside the moon does. It's not going to help me get many referrals on Io."

"Well, you'd be supporting a local business," I point out, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, I like their tagline."

"Burns hotter than Europa?" Melody scoffs, shaking her head. "It doesn't even make sense. Europa is frigid! I should know, I walked it."

"Indoors, technically," I tease, sticking my tongue out. "And it's an oblique tongue-in-cheek reference-"

"To the fusion detonation, I get it." She sighs. "Still, it's in bad taste for a Jovian rum distillery, pun intended. Besides," she says softly. "I kinda don't want to draw more attention to it."

I gulp, putting my own mug down. "Because it could make someone wonder about the squids?"

"Because of Brent," she says, exhaling slowly. "Remembering the days partnering with Alex had me thinking about him."

She goes quiet, and my belly tightens. It's a sensitive subject for her. After all, I'm the one who shot him. He was dead on his feet in every way that mattered, and I did it to save her life. Still, nothing makes it hurt less. "I'm sorry," I whisper, looking down.

"It's not that. Just... after all this time... I don't know." She shakes her head. Starless skies, right now, she looks so vulnerable. "Brent helped me a lot, and not just with Communion. He trusted me, he had my back."

"He was your partner," I say, sliding next to her and wrapping an arm over her shoulder.

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She sighs. "Yeah. He gave me the benefit of the doubt when he didn't have to."

"It must be hard. Losing him, and losing Alex? Two partners in a short time."

"Yeah. But it's not the same with Alex," she adds, leaning against me, breathing a little more slowly. "Even as different as he is... and as different as I am... it was like slipping on an old dress and finding it still fits."

I raise an eyebrow. "I have literally never seen you wear a dress. Not that I would mind," I add with a wink.

She gives a chuckle, then falls still. "He's different. He's not the same Alex I was in love with... but he's still Alex. Still my partner." I sigh. "I knew in my gut the kind of play he was making. And he knew he could trust me to go in... after he evaluated me in his quarters."

I open my mouth but pause as her words sink in. "Not sure you told me about that part. Evaluated...?"

"Oh, after he arrested me? Yes, he frog marched me to his bedroom." She gives me a smirk of her own. "Slipped those cuffs on nice and tight. He probed my motivations. Plumbed my depths. Poked and prodded to see where my loyalties lie," she adds, a finger trailing up my calf and knee.

I snort. "Well. I'm glad loyalty was on your mind, when your ex-fiancé took you to his bedroom and plumbed you 'til he was satisfied," I retort, sticking out my tongue again as her finger reaches my thigh.

The tension breaks, and we laugh together. The silence falls for just a moment before she sighs. "I miss him. As a friend and partner. Not in a romantic sense-"

"I get it," I say, nodding.

"I might ping him. Maybe once in a while, every few weeks or something," she says, squirming in the pad. "It might be good to hear his voice. Talk things out, like old times."

I wrap my arm around her tighter. "You don't need my permission. But I think it would be good for you. And maybe him too."

"Yeah. Talking things out with Brent helped a lot," she says, shuddering as she takes a breath.

I swallow, trying to ignore the tear rolling down my cheek. "The Sergeant was good people, even for a cop."

"Yeah. I've been really lucky to have some good people in my life," she says, closing her eyes.

I nuzzle against her. "Hey, does that mean you'll do the endorsement?"

"Hah, I think you just like the idea of dating a minor celebrity," she adds, resting her head against my shoulder quietly, nuzzling back.

I bite my lip for a moment. "I'm sorry I didn't answer your pings, by the way. I wanted to, but Cartwright was worried I'd give something away to the League synth, if he was spying on comms," I say, just feeling her warmth.

"I know you would have," she murmurs, shaking her head. "Lucy? The explosion? Can I ask what happened?"

I nod, leaning my head back. "From what she said, she was in the park, tending her herbs. The explosion would have killed her if she was home, instead of next door."

A shiver runs through Melody. "How bad was it?"

I lick my lips. "Bad, but not as bad as it could have been. The two people working in the recycler? They died. Mom's bay was open, so the pressure wave didn't kill her," I say, feeling the anxiety just remembering. "But she had a concussion, and shrapnel took her in her back. Internal bleeding, punctured lung, plus a dislocated shoulder from impacting the wall."

There's a moment of silence. "Is she going to be alright?"

I squeeze her. "Thankfully. She's recovering. It was a close call, lots of blood loss, but she's stable. She's even awake; we were pinging. They've kept her in medical for now, but you know Mom, she doesn't like being helpless. And I'm sure she doesn't want to pay the extra medical bills."

Melody puts an arm around me, pulling me into a hug. "Knowing her, she'll probably be out on the docks waiting for us when we get there."

"Oh please," I scoff, hugging her back, burying my face in her neck. "She'll be tracking down whoever killed the plants in her park and adding their broken bodies to the fungi-food."

"Hmm, well, I guess I won't ask where the next batch of mushrooms comes from," she adds, chuckling. "But seriously, I'm glad she's going to be alright. I felt terrible that I couldn't do anything to help."

I give her a smile. "Starless skies, Melody. You took down the League to avenge her."

The look on her face is priceless, like it didn't even occur to her. Eyes wide, mouth dropping open. "Uh, I wouldn't exactly say that was my motivation..."

"Are you kidding?" I add, smirking. "Imagine what that adds to the local legend."

She blinks a few times. "Uh, that I'm a loose-cannon out for vengeance?"

I roll my eyes at that. "That if someone tries to get to you through the people you love, you'll end them? Heck yeah."

"It would make for a good holo, but I'm not sure it's the image I want to go for as a PI," she says, scratching the back of her neck and blushing. "I don't want people to think I enjoy life-or-death situations."

"Sure Melody. You just keep finding yourself in them," I say, arching an eyebrow.

Her mouth works for a moment. "Well, I guess sometimes I just..."

"Go with your gut?" I finish, grinning.

Melody chuckles, holding up her hands in defeat. "Alright, I concede," she says with an embarrassed smile, before changing the subject. "For the record? How was the flight with Cartwright?"

It's my turn to blink. "Decent, actually. It helped that he was distracted; both with planning the operation with Lieutenant Wells and caring for the xeno." He spent half the time in D-space or on pings, and the other half talking to a tank. "He was very concerned about Shimmer; he kept fiddling with the temperature and pH balance."

Melody furrows her brow. "Shimmer?"

"The squid," I explain. "He kinda treated her like a pet. Doted on her, really. It was cute."

The disbelief on her face is cuter. "Ashton Cartwright? Code Captain, greying hair, in his fifties, tight-ass prick?" When I nod, she just puffs her cheeks, blowing the air through her lips. "Huh, who would have thought he'd have a soft spot for seafood," she says, running fingers through her hair. "But seriously, Shimmer?"

It's my turn to sigh, throwing my hands up and shrugging. "Eh, what can I say? I think he's not very good with names," I say, elbowing her. "But hey, successful gig, new endorsement deal, reunited with an old friend..." I say, biting my lip. Melody meets my eye. "I'd call it a special occasion. Let's open that bottle," I suggest, heart beating a faster rhythm.

Her face turns a little pink, but she smiles. "Yeah? The pilot is gonna drink at the helm?"

"We've got over a day until docking, and the autonav is locked in," I say, licking my lips. "And after all, if you enjoy the rum, there's no shame endorsing the brand."