Razors Edge: Sci Fi Progression

I'd like to say the next week became a careful dance of being present but invisible, but we were always doing much more than we should.

Officially, we were resting and recovering,

Unofficially, we were building real working connections. That meant mostly we were promoting, conducting interviews, building our ships up from the bare minimum of staffing.

The noodle bar for Alicees was aptly named the Broken Seal, it became our regular haunt. It was tucked away into a far corner of deck five, and it was just the kind of place where maintenance crews and logistics personnel gathered after shifts. No uniforms, no rank insignia, just people who kept the Krays running eating well prepared food and 'networking'.

It was only our third night sitting in the corner, when moving to get drinks, a man slid into the seat next to me at the bar. He was much older than most here, maybe sixty, and he had that rustic weathered look of someone who'd spent likely most of his life in space. His coveralls marked him as 'just' a dock supervisor, but his eyes were too sharp, too aware.

"Captain Tachim," he said.

"That's me," I paid for the drinks, and stacked them on a tray.

"The name's Jester." He said. "I move things."

The barkeep didn't bat an eye at him, obviously a regular, but his, 'move things' got my attention.

I slid the tray to the barkeep who understood and deftly lifted it to take to my friends.

"You have my attention," I said and eased myself back into the seat. "What kind of things?"

"Absolutely anything that might need it."

I took his cue, "So, we're talking… what…? Medical supplies to people that shouldn't have them." He nodded. "Intelligence reports that skip official channels. People who need to disappear." He sipped his drink.

"Word is you're heading back to Ring-14."

I kept my expression neutral. "And if we are?"

"Well, I've heard things on unofficial channels o'course."

"Understood."

"Ring-14, and Frosts, isn't officially connected to the Krays network."

"We're only just starting out. This is our first visit here."

"And you already making waves," he said.

"That kinda waves I don't want?"

"Exactly."

Lev was eyeing me from the table, <<I'm okay,>> I said.

I motioned to the barkeep when they returned, and held two fingers out.

"Getting there quietly, without attracting too much attention..." The man shrugged. "That takes someone who knows the routes."

"And…" I sighed. "You're offering?"

The barkeep put two beers before us. I checked the time, a little early for it, but I was suddenly thirsty.

"I'm offering to be a resource. Nothing more. "When you're ready to move, make sure you contact me."

"Why help us?"

Jester smiled, and though I had been wary, this made me feel 100% better. "We have a mutual friend, Senna Vos vouched for you. And because many many years ago, I was in a bind, and the good doctor did me a solid."

"You know Chen?"

He smiled again. "You think we're a long way out from Sol?"

I sipped the beer. "I guess we're really not, right?"

Jester shook his head. "Not at all, the reasons networks, work is because of those people we met along the way."

"I can drink to that," I said and indicated the table behind me. "Without them…"

"It would be a whole other story?"

I nodded. "Very much so."

Jester tilted his wrist to me, and I accepted his comms ID. "Thanks."

He then finished his drink and stood. "You've got another three, four days before the what you brough here starts to be distributed exponentially. Word is that a small undercover fleet brought it in, not Commander Barker and ONI. Use your time wisely, Captain."

He walked away, leaving a data chip on the bar. I slipped it off and into my pocket. I had no qualms that the information held on it would be highly valuable.

***

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

On the seventh day, I sat with my teams reviewing everything we'd learned.

"Two solid contacts," Lev said. "Senna in logistics and intelligence, and Jester for quiet transportation.

"The Krays isa very complicated system," Captain Crai observed. "Thousands of layers with numerous unofficial channels running parallel to the official ones."

"That's what makes it useful," I said. "And dangerous. But what we're here for is to build a solid foundation for us. Frosts."

"We're small enough that we'll slip in under anyone's radar,"" Mac said. "For now, that's smart."

"Under tha radar," I said, "But growing fast. Those two connections each have others, and then those have others. Frost's is spreading, Lia?"

"I can confirm." Lia appeared by my side. "The Darknet has a lot of traffic and we're the number one objective they're talking about. They want us on their side, and they're essentially all jockeying for position."

"How's Torres?" Lev asked, looking at Lia's holographic form.

It came out of the blue as a question, but I didn't chastise him for it. I knew and felt the same, though I hadn't asked her yet today.

"They are both stable," Lia said.

"But?"

"But well, we are all in unchartered territory."

"Then we leave tomorrow," I decided. "Balder and Boutack have everything they need. The Krays is ramping up production. Our part here is done."

"Ring-14?" Sorrel asked.

"Ring-14. Get Torres to Dr. Chen. See if he can give her a body—synthetic, clone, whatever works. After that..." I looked at my crew. "After that, we figure out what comes next."

<<Are we really ready to move again?>> I asked Lia privately.

<<Always,>> she replied. <<Together.>>

***

The Krays - Station Gardens - Lev

Lev got out of the shuttle car earlier than he had thought, but he was glad after planning this for the whole week, he was finally going to execute it.

He'd asked Sorrel to hop over to the gardens on Krays Station seven only this morning, but she's jumped at it. Seeing as Peyton was also out for the evening. Station 7 was one massive bio-dome with real trees, real grass, and a waterfall that fell thirty meters into a crystal pool. It was the kind of place people came for honeymoons, for proposals, for moments that needed to be perfect.

Lev just needed it for a first date, but this date meant everything

Approaching the reservation desk, he checked his civilian clothes for the umpteenth time. This felt strange, no uniform and no weapons. He specifically wanted that, to just be with her, without.

The clothes fit well enough, regular jeans, shirt, and boots. But it felt scratchy, and uncomfortable.

"I want to see you as Lev," Sorrel had said. "Not the Master-Chief. Not as our Security. Just the man I fell in love with."

So here he was. Just Lev.

"You look nervous," the hostess said as he gave his name in. "First time here?"

"First for a lot of things," Lev admitted.

"Ahh, a date. Beautiful spot for it. They'll love it."

Lev checked the time. "I hope so."

"Proposing?"

"No," he replied then… "She won't be expecting that will she?"

The hostess gestured at the restaurant. "Well it is what most couples come here for."

"Shit."

"I'm sure you'll be fine." She checked her display. "Your table is ready. The garden terrace, overlooking the waterfall, complete privacy, just like you asked for."

Lev nodded. "Thank you, I do appreciate it."

"I'll make sure no one disturbs you unless the station is literally on fire."

"Thank you," he repeated and followed them around.

Moments later he was looking at a stunning view into the gardens, their table sat on a terrace that jutted out into the open sky. "It's perfect," he said.

"Smell that?"

"I do," he said and breathed in deeply.

"Real flowers. Real grass. Real Earth-standard atmosphere."

It was perfect and suddenly he was terrified.

"Lev," a soft voice called.

He turned to see Sorrel standing at the terrace entrance, and his breath caught.

She wore a soft flowing blue and yellow dress, nothing at all like her medical uniform. Her hair curled around one shoulder in long waves.

"Close your mouth," the hostess said. "I'll escort her over."

Sorrel was smiling, the kind of smile he'd seen only a few times, and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

The hostess guided her over to him and he couldn't take his eyes off her every move. The dress hugged her curves in every way, leaving his imagination to go wild.

"You," He whispered, stepping to her, taking her hands in his. "You look—"

"Different?" She laughed. "I barely recognize myself. But you said somewhere nice. Somewhere I could dress up. So…" she twirled around for him. "I dressed up."

"You're beautiful."

She leaned back into him and they kissed. "You clean up well yourself. Civilian clothes look, well, they suit you."

Lev tugged her to the table and they sat, for a long moment they could do nothing but stare at each other across the table.

"I thought we'd be elsewhere," Sorrel said finally. "But I'm glad you asked, that we have this, here, now."

"I'm glad I asked. Though I admit I'm shaking."

"I can feel it," she said and lightly squeezed his hand.

"How are you so… calm?"

"I'm not," she said and placed his hand to her heart. "Feel that?"

He smiled, he could feel it, it was beating ever so fast. "What are we like?"

"Just two people on an actual date. Normal people."

"We're not normal though."

"No," she let his hand drop. "But for tonight, we can pretend we are."

He couldn't eve recall what he'd ordered to eat when it came out. But it was perfect.

"Tell me about growing up," she asked and he did. He talked about Alex in ways that he hadn't in years. Stories she sat through and nodded at in all the right places.

"When this is over," Sorrel said spooning the last of her desert in. "Really over. What do you want?"

Lev considered this carefully, because he didn't really know. "It would be cliché if I said I just wanted to be with you, no matter what we do, or where we are. I just want you by my side."

"Could you just settle down an do nothing?"

"No," he shook his head. "I've been a soldier my whole life. Security. Tactics. Combat. I don't know anything else."

"So you're an open book?"

He nodded. "I guess I am. What about you? If you could be anything."

"I'd like a clinic, a little village, really quiet. Somewhere I can help people without having to triage who lives and dies because there aren't enough medical supplies." She frowned. "And more importantly I'd like someone to come home to. Someone who understands what we've been through."

"I could do that. Be there for you to come home to. Maybe I could help at the clinic. Learn to be something other than a soldier."

"Is that what you want?"

"I want you," Lev said simply. "Everything else is negotiable."

"We're not negotiating, this is our future. Together."

"Together."

"Walk?" he asked and held his hand out for her.

She took it, and they walked down through the restaurant, then through the gardens, hand in hand, not talking. Just being with each other and being comfortable.

"No matter what happens," Sorrel said as they stood watching water cascade down beautiful coloured rock. "I'll never forget this."

"Me neither, let's do it as often as we can." Lev stopped, turning to face her. "Every port. Every station. Let's have one night for us."

"Deal," Sorrel laughed. "If we can get Peyton and Mac to let us go."

"We're his top people" Lev said. "I'm more than sure we can figure out a way to ditch them."

When she fell against him and they kissed Lev finally felt like the war was nothing but a distant memory. Like they had time. Like the future was something more than just survival.

"Move in with me," Lev blurted as they broke apart. "On the Faulkner. No more separate quarters. No more pretending."

"That's breaking about fifteen regulations."

"Peyton won't care. And I'm tired of sleeping alone when you're three doors down. Will you?"

"Yes," she said. "Absolutely yes."