Not Just Now...

Dropship Xiao Ting

Conquista (outbound)

Duchy of Andurien

Free Worlds League

20 June, 3152

                    Sheena Li laid back in her bunk and tried to relax. She tried to let the stress of the past week go, but it was not easy to simply move past having failed in her mission and the humiliation of falling prisoner to the enemy. She had begun resigning herself to her fate in captivity when the mysterious Po Ding had swooped in to the rescue. There was much to unpack and much to process.

                    Not the least of which was how she was going to deal with her second in command, Alexander Tam. She knew she could not punish him directly, as he had technically followed orders, but she still felt betrayed by his abandonment of her to her fate. She knew he was ambitious, but she had not judged just how ambitious he was indeed. She would have to keep an eye on him going forward.

                    And then there was the matter of how she would have to spin her failure to complete her mission. Failure was not an option for a Death Commando. Although technically she had not failed, she had completed the raid and bloodied the enemy forces as she had been ordered to do, there was no escaping the fact that getting captured was failure. She would have to find a way to keep that out of her report. 

                    Unfortunately, that meant she could take no direct action against Tam, as he had knowledge of the situation and she would require his complicity if she as to salvage her career. In was an unenviable position to be in, but it was still better than being in a cell. She was a survivor, she would survive this.

                    Just then her reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in!"

                    She was surprised to see Nyxie, Po's bondswoman-turned-warrior step through the door. Her heart rate increased. This was yet another thing she had to deal with. She had maneuvered to get Nyxie on her team for purely selfish reasons, but over the course of the operation, nothing had really become of her attracting to this diminutive Clan born woman. She wasn't even sure why she was so attracted to her, but it was undeniable.

                    Still, they had a lot of work to do, and she hadn't let her feelings get in the way of the mission. The mission had to come first. And now the mission was over.

                    She sat up in her bunk allowing a minute smile to reach her face. "I am surprised to see you here."

                    Nyxie showed no change in expression that Sheena could read. "I can go if you wish?"

                    Sheena shook her head. "No, you are welcome here." She paused. "Just as your rescue of me was welcome. I never told you thank you for that."

                    She gestured for Nyxie to take a seat at the lone chair at the small desk in her cabin.

                    "So, what brings you here?"

                    Nyxie allowed herself to relax back into the chair. "I wanted to check in on you. You treated me most fairly, and I enjoyed our time working together. I wanted to see how you were doing."

                    Sheena sighed slightly. "I appreciate that. I am fine. I was not harmed very much in captivity, the Anduriens were soft. To tell you the truth, I expected much worse."

                    "A pleasant surprise then, quiaff?"

                    Sheena nodded. "One of many surprises, that is for sure, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. I was shocked by the appearance of Master Po and his warriors, but I will be forever grateful."

                    Nyxie smiled softly. "I have come to learn that Master Po is most wise, and to expect the unexpected from him. I was surprised to see him send me along with you on the mission, and at first I was unsure of why he did it." 

                    Sheena furrowed her brow. "And why exactly did he do that? I am not quite sure why he acquiesced to my request so easily."

                    Nyxie shrugged. "He knew you would need the help. And I do not mean that you needed me on the trip. I believe he sensed that you would need his help, and having me with you gave him an excuse to follow you on your mission, albeit without our knowledge. It put him in the position where he needed to be. For himself, for The House, for the Confederation."

                    It made sense. She had not seen it that way, but now that it was explained to her, it made perfect sense. It was the perfect cover for Po to come along. Had he tried to come along, Sheena would have bristled at it. Knowing that, he needed a reason to follow her, and having one of his warriors embedded in the Death Commando's force gave him the perfect excuse. 

                    "That makes a fair bit of sense. That crafty, crazy man."

                    Nyxie chuckled slightly. "He is indeed that." She paused for a moment. "That does not, however, explain why you wanted me along so badly."

                    Sheena blushed ever so slightly. "As I told you and Master Po, I needed someone along with knowledge of the situation. Your help was invaluable, and had I listed better, perhaps things might have been different planet side."

                    Nyxie shifted almost imperceptibly. Had Sheen not been so focused on her, she might not have noticed, but as it was she did. 

                    "May I ask you something, Sheena?"

                    "Of course." She was caught off-guard somewhat by her use of her first name, but she did not protest. 

                    "You wish to couple with me, quiaff? And yet you never made any such move on me. Was there something wrong?"

                        Sheena was stunned. Her heart was now racing a mile a minute. "You are quite forward, Nyxie, aren't you?"

                        Nyxie nodded. "Yes. It is the way with us born among the Clans that we are direct about such things. I sensed from an early time on that you were attracted to me and presumed that you would ask me to couple at some point. I was surprised when you did not. Did I give you some inappropriate signal?"

                    Sheena shook her head. "No, of course not. Things are just more complicated among my people. Much less....open and direct. There are many things that must be considered. There is a difference of cultures, a difference of rank, so many differences. I did not want to act inappropriately, especially with you being alone in a new place."

                    Nyxie smiled. "I understand and appreciate all of those things. Where I come from, it matters only that we are both warriors. That is all that is required to validate things. And I would point out that I am no longer alone amongst strangers, we are now on our ship. I would hate to see you leave with regrets. Especially now after all that we have no been through."

                    Sheena raised an eyebrow. "There is still time. How do you say....quiaff?"

                    Nyxie stood up want walked toward Sheena, sending her heart racing even faster.

                    "Aff. Very much Aff."

                    An hour or so later, Sheena found herself tangled amongst the sheets of her bunk with Nyxie curled up beside her. "I believe there is some wisdom in your Clan way of doing things after all."

                    Nyxie did not move other than to snuggle closer up to Sheena. "Inhibitions are foolish amongst warriors. Life is too short to deny simple pleasures."

                    Sheena let her fingers trace delicately over Nyxie's Enhanced Imaging neural tattoos. "Can I ask you something personal?"

                    Nyxie nodded. "Of course."

                    "You really do feel at home among House Po, don't you?"

                    "Yes. I did not at first, but I very much do feel at home with the House now. I did not think I would ever find a closeness like my pointmates again. And to be fair, being a member of the House is closeness in a different way. But I am feeling even somewhat less lost now than I did amongst my old Clan mates."

                    Sheena kissed her forehead. "What do you mean by 'lost'?"

                    Nyxie rolled up onto her elbows. "We connect to our machines in a very different way than you MechWarriors. We do not pilot the machine, we almost become the machine. And then when you are not merged with it, you can feel lonely and disconnected, even around your peers. Master Po has taught me ways to connect with myself and with others to mitigate that feeling of loss or loneliness. I did not grow up with a concept of family, but I am slowly building one and realizing it's overall positives on my life. Balance in all things, as Master Po would say."

                    Sheena chuckled. "Yes, I know, I read that crazy man's book when I was preparing for my mission. I know some of his ideas, and they have some merit. But to dedicate your life to such a way of living....it takes a great deal of courage."

                    Nyxie shook her head. "You do much the same. You have devoted yourself to duty to the Chancellor and the Celestial Throne."

                    "Not really. The State has given me everything. It is a small price to pay to serve the Chancellor loyally. "

                    Nyxie nodded. "And just as it is a small price to pay, so too it is a small price to pay to find connection where before there was emptiness. It allows me to live a better life, to be a better warrior, which is what I was born to do."

                    "I am glad you find it so."

                    "You sound as if you feel lost yourself? Like you are looking for something greater as I was."

                    Sheena chuckled. "Do not worry, I was not tempted by your recruiting pitch. I serve the Chancellor and that is my path. But I am coming to see that you and Master Po serve the Chancellor, only along a different path. I am just happy that our paths have crossed."

                    "As am I, Sheena. As am I."

                    The two laid in silence for several minutes. Sheena was beginning to think that Nyxie had fallen asleep, when suddenly she spoke up. "May I ask you a question, about a totally different natter?"

                    Sheena nodded. "Of course"

                    "Not to bring up bad thoughts, but you seemed distracted when I first arrived. Like you had a lot on your mind. Do you wish to discuss anything? Nothing makes a better conversation than after coupling conversations."

                    Sheena sighed. "Yes. I was pondering the fate of my career. I will have to account for my failure."

                    "You did not fail. The mission was a success, the Anduriens were bloodied and taught a lesson."

                    Sheena shook her head. "But I was captured and defeated. There is failure there."

                    Nyxie chuckled. "As was I. That does not mean I am a failure. May I make a suggestion?"

                    Sheena nodded on the affirmative. 

                    "I would discuss the matter with Master Po. He is most wise in the ways of these things. Perhaps he has a way of looking at it that can provide you with greater clarity."

                    "Yes, perhaps. It can't hurt. You're right."  

                    Nyxie looked at her devilishly. "But let us not ask him just now."

                    Sheena smiled. "No, not just now."