Aiden bit back his annoyance again; for some reason he'd been testy ever since the battle. “And what exactly is your point? Are you saying we should stay here when the Deeks obviously have us in their sights?”
“No, no,” the Ishivi replied with a casual wave of his hand. “Just something we'll have to account for.”
“Fine.” He turned to look at the others. “With the food and fuel from Callous we can make it to the Iglis galaxy without needing a rift hub. It'll take a while, but it's not like we have anything better to do than try to stay alive. Once we get there we can stop off somewhere and change our ship's profile, and double check our transponder on the way. Any questions or comments?”
Barix started to open his mouth, and Aiden kept going. “Great, then it's off to the exciting new nebulae of Iglis.” He turned to Ali. “Come on, I need our routine more than ever right now.”
His companion nodded and came to put her arm around him, and together they made their way off the bridge.
* * * * *
Lana had more reason than usual to want to cuddled up with Dax, as they settled down together on the couch in the small private lounge, adjacent to the larger full immersion lounge, where they'd been watching entertainment stories together.
She'd nearly died, felt the heat of a cauterizer beam pass by only inches away. And all the while the foremost thought in her mind had been that she'd never had a chance to let her friend know how she really felt about him. Never got to experience all the things she dreamed of doing with him.
The life they could have together.
So she clung to him, barely noticing the holographic story in front of them. She focused on his leg against hers, the solid muscles of his chest beneath her hand, his reassuringly firm shoulder beneath her head.
He'd been there for her in those terrifying moments after the combat android burst through the door, when somehow she'd found herself firing the shots to take it down even as it tried to kill Belix, and at the last second shifted its aim to her. He'd held her as she panicked about how close she'd come to death, how close her friend had come.
And in his arms, her panic had faded. In its place had come a sudden certainty, a fierce resolve.
“Dax,” she said in a soft voice. Something in her tone must've got his attention, because he shifted to look at her.
“Lana,” he replied solemnly, with a hint of a question in the word.
Lana slipped up onto his lap, wanting to be as close to him as possible. “You said you were scared I'd been hurt,” she continued, looking up into his piercing green eyes. Void, he was handsome. She felt her heart beating faster, some intuitive realization that something important was about to happen between them. Something she desperately wanted.
“I don't recall actually saying that,” he pointed out. He was stiff in his seat, as if he realized it too, and wasn't sure how to feel about it.
“You didn't need to.” Lana reached up and traced her fingers gently along his cheek. “It was the first time you've ever admitted to feeling anything.”
She couldn't be sure, but she thought he leaned slightly into her touch. “I've told you I feel as much as anyone,” he said, voice becoming as quiet as hers. Almost tender.
“In theory. But when you came for me, after the attack, you told me about something specific you were feeling.” Heart thundering, she traced her fingers across his lips. “About me.”
Dax breathed in sharply, closing his eyes. “Lana,” he said, and she saw his walls, his rigid control, maybe even his mental conditioning, rising up to try to block what was happening here. “You know what I am. I'm basically an organic automaton. I-I don't know if I can give you what you want. I'm probably going to disappoint you.”
In spite of herself she found herself laughing, although she quickly stopped when she sensed his wounded dignity. “Dax, I met you with absolutely zero preconceptions or expectations, because I literally didn't have any. Ever since then I've chosen to spend most of my time with you, and even developed feelings for you. In all that time you've stayed exactly who you are, so what makes you think I'm suddenly going to be surprised or disappointed by you?”
He still looked uncertain “I-”
Impatient with this discussion, Lana cupped his face with both her hands, looking intently into his eyes. “You're not an automaton, Dax. You might try to hide it behind a blank expression, but I can see that you have feelings for me. I think, I hope, they're the same feelings I have for you.”
He looked back at her, the intensity in his eyes stirring an exhilarating mix of emotions in her, and after a few seconds relaxed. “I think they are.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
Lana had never experienced anything that helped her describe the torrent of sensations and emotions that swept over her in that moment. Warm and welcoming, fierce and hot. She kissed him back with more enthusiasm than skill, melting against him as his strong arms lifted to wrap around her, holding her close.
After what could've been seconds or over a minute Dax drew back, still gazing into her eyes with that same burning intensity. Lana clutched him for support, gulping down air and feeling giddy. She didn't know if this was her first kiss, probably not considering she wasn't even technically a virgin.
But it was the first one she remembered, so she was going to take it. Especially since it had been incredible.
Running her hand along the solid muscles of his back, she looked up at his face and grinned impishly. “Bet they didn't encode anything into your
