Dev regarded them with mild amusement until they recovered their composure. “Sorry about that.” She apologized. “I don’t really understand some of the things you say sometimes. I have a few I need to look up in the reference library later on.”
“What he meant was.” Jess cleared her throat and wiped a tear from her eye. “He expects you to keep me out of trouble.”
Dev pondered that, taking a sip of her beer. “Isn’t our job to get into trouble?”
Stephen started chuckling again. “You really do have a sense of humor.” He complimented her. “But I think Jess would have said, your job is to cause trouble.” He rubbed his eyes. “Ah well, it’s been a day.” He let his hands rest on his knees. “Recap tomorrow, Jess?”
“See you in ops.” Jess agreed, giving him a nod as he got up and headed for the door to the hall. After the door closed behind him, she looked back at Dev. “You can just ask if you don’t understand what the hell I’m saying, y’know.”
Dev smiled as she finished up her meal. “I will next time.” She said. “Sometimes I can guess what it is by the conversation around it, but all the stuff about horses and asses and things confuses me. “
Jess chuckled again. “You’re so damn funny.”
“Is it? I mean.. am I?” Dev put her utensils down. “I wasn’t trying to be that time.” She paused, and looked up as the server came back again, putting down a final set of plates. They contained a square of dark brown substance, which she studied as the man removed the other plates. “Thank you.”
“Ahhh. “ Jess pulled over her own plate. “Now that’s a rare treat. I didn’t think they were doing these until the induction ceremony.”
“They were testing them, ma’am.” The server replied quietly. “We were instructed to give them to all the patrons here tonight.” He turned and disappeared again.
“Hey, wait.” Jess called after him. “Bring us over some kack, then. These don’t go with beer.” She broke off a corner of the substance and popped it into her mouth. “Mm.”
Dev tentatively did the same, mouthing the substance as her eyes opened wide. “Oh.” She blinked. “Wow. What is that?”
“It’s called a brownie.” Jess was busy with her own. “I guess because it’s brown.” She regarded the item. “One of the very few things from the old times they can still make, though I think they make it now with rice flour from the paddy caverns and gulls eggs.” She looked up. “Like it?”
“Yes.” Dev answered immediately. “It’s really nice.”
Jess looked up, then looked around carefully. ‘Want to see if we can steal whatever’s left back there?”’
Dev looked up from her plate. “I thought I was supposed to keep you out of trouble?”
Jess just grinned at her.
Part 6
Dev curled up on her side, pulling the light cover over her and settling her head onto the cool pillow. The lights were already dim in her quarters and she exhaled, as a moderate quiet descended over the room and she took a breath of air that still held a hint of plastic from the unpacking of all her stuff.
She could hear various soft noises, of course, doors opening, and the far off sound of the air circulators and machinery. Noises like that had been a part of her existence since she could remember, though, so she found them soothing more than disturbing and after a minute, they faded back and she was able to ignore them.
Closer at hand, though, now she could hear faint sounds next door, beyond the inner panel that separated her room from Jess’s. Motion, as though the agent was pacing. The sound of the dispenser opening and closing. ;
Voices. Dev listened, and thought she caught Jason’s low, male tones, then a definite echo that was Jess’s laugh.
She liked that sound. Jess didn’t laugh often, but when she did it made her face relax and brighten and her eyes sparkle and Dev was glad to see that because she knew she’d caused it herself a few times and Jess seemed to appreciate the humor when she had.
Very good. Dev stretched and exhaled, finding herself very happy.
It felt good to lie there quietly, after the very long, very active day. Her body was tired but there was so much to think about she didn’t really want to just go to sleep right away.
Jess had shown here where the flight log was in the computer, so she could look over it and she decided she would tomorrow to see what she’d done, and what improvements she could make. Then there was the carrier to go inspect, and Jess said she’d take her to the systems workshop and show her where she could build the modules they would use.
And Jess was working on a new mission for them, so maybe she’d find out about that tomorrow too, and there was the gym to explore, and…
Phew. Dev smiled into the darkness. So busy, but that was good.
She was wearing her new sleeping clothes, finding them really comfortable and light, and her whole body now cozy and warm in the big bed. She could feel sleep slowly coming over her despite her best intentions and though there was more to think about she let her eyes close.
She was just drifting off when the door buzzer chimed, a soft light coming on next to the inner portal as her eyes popped wide open again.
Quickly, she got out of bed and went over to it, putting her palm against the scan plate and blinking a little as it slid open and the brighter light of Jess’s quarters flooded in. “Oh, hello.”
“Whoops.” Jess was holding something in her hand, her body outlined against the light. “My bad. Didn’t know you were sacked out. “
“Only just.” Dev said. “Is there something wrong? Do we need to do something?”
“No.” Jess leaned against the doorway. “I won a flask off Jason on a bet on our rescue. Thought I would share a glass with you since we both were part of it.”
“Oh!” Dev smiled, and took a step back. “That would be very nice.”
Jess took that as an invitation and crossed over to the worktable, taking a seat in one of the chairs and setting what she was carrying on the table. She had two small cups in her other hand and she put them down as well, the items softly scraping and clunking against the hard surface.
Dev sat down in the other chair, and waited, watching her. Jess was wearing the same short outfit she was, and the low lights outlined her tall form with an interesting mix of points and shadows. The red mark, from the burning had gained a black bumpy outline and Dev wondered if there would be one for the thing they’d done that day.
Then she figured she could just ask, and she did.
“Hhm.” Jess was pouring a measure of the liquid in the big bottle into the cups. “Not usually for a rescue, no.” She said. “That gets a different reward.” She indicated the thick jacket hanging outside the gray cabinet. “That, or my promotion, that kind of thing. Missions are planned. They’re.” She pondered. “Attacks, not defenses.”
“I see.” Dev took the cup when it was handed to her. “What is this?”
‘This comes from topside.” Jess said. “Matter of fact, it comes from the other side’s topside. It’s honey mead.” She held it up to the light, displaying a rich, golden color. “From their Ag station. They’ve still got bees there. We lost all ours.”
Dev sniffed it. “How interesting.” She said. “We learned about bees in the crèche, but I’ve never seen them. They just used artificial pollination in the gardens there.”
“Hold that out.” Jess said, and then, when she had, touched her own cup to the one in the bio alt’s hand. “To this experiment, however far it goes.” Then she brought the cup to her lips and sipped the contents. “Welcome, Dev.”
‘Thank you.” Dev copied her, finding the liquid thick and rich, and sweet, burning very gently as it went down her throat into her belly. It almost made her shiver. “Wow.”
Jess cupped her hands around her glass and smiled. “What do you think of it?”