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“Standby for security scan.”
A grid of blue light erupted from the tiny projector mounted at the top of the cockpit. It swept across the glittering control panel, slid down her baggy, secondhand Free Trader spacesuit, and glided across the chunky angles of the ship’s interior with a liquid grace. An unpleasant, high-pitched hum pierced through her thick polycarbonate visor, reverberating off the back of her head.
She prayed there wouldn’t be a problem. Wouldn’t be a discrepancy with their manifest and declared goods.
First of all, that noise was bound to give her a killer headache if it went on for much longer.
Second, she had stashed an obscenely illegal number of newly-pressed CPUs under a false floor in the cargo hold.
The composite coating of her gloves creaked as she tightened her hands on the steering yoke. The myriad status lights and warning pulses bored into the corner of her eye through the tiny dent in her visor. Ava had relentlessly teased her when she’d bought the nanostructured visor, called her “golf ball head” for days.
The high-pitched whine wiped her tiny smile away. It should have been long gone by now.
“Is there a problem?” she asked. The pressure on the back of her eyes grew. Stars, she’d shoot her way through customs if it meant that noise would stop.
The low tone of a high-priority transmission bounced around the inside of her helmet until a stuffy, stern voice broke through the noise.
“Scan picked up an anomaly in the cargo hold. Prepare for manual inspection.”
The back of her head hit the headrest. Shit. Not good. She curled her fingers around the gun tucked just under the pilot’s seat.
The whine stopped, and the airlock hissed. She closed her eyes and prepared to spin and shoot.
Heavy mag-boots clunked on the metal grate floor. Garbled, modulated speech erupted from the commset in her helmet.
“Stand and face the bulkhead.”
Her hand tensed, she muttered a prayer under her breath and-
“Hey hey hey, sorry about that, guys!”
Fucking Ava.
“I was just tinkering with the reactor output, and I think I might have redirected too much to the sensor array. Y’know how sensitive that shit can get, right?”
“Hands on your head,” the customs officer ordered. “And you, the same. Stand and face the-”
“Alright, alright,” she said, letting go of the gun and rising to her feet. The electromagnets in her boots hummed softly as she stepped forward. She raised her arms.
“Look, I’m serious about the sensor shit! Scan us again, this is on us!” Ava’s eyes darted to the pilot’s chair and back. Looked like she didn’t have a plan B either.
“Standby.” The customs officer raised a finger to the side of his matte black helmet. Only a government idiot would wear black in space. A veritable death sentence. Not to mention bad luck. And that rifle he carried would blow them all out into hard vacuum if he fired it anywhere on their ship. Stupid.
The horrible whine returned along with the blue grid. It dragged along every surface, the sections of the grid distorting around their bodies as it passed.
It was the longest minute of her life. Her heart raced, sweat briefly floated in her helmet before getting sucked up by the water recycler. She locked eyes with Ava, searching for any sign of fear.
As always, only that infuriatingly confident twinkle remained.
The projector blinked off, and the customs officer lowered his gun.
“Fine by me. You’re cleared. Standby for codes.” He stepped backwards into the airlock, and the doors slid shut.
Ava launched herself across the cabin, giggling near-maniacally on their private, encrypted channel. She caught a curved metal handle on the ceiling and flung herself into the copilot’s seat.
“Holy shit, El, you were actually gonna shoot that guy, weren’t you?” she laughed, buckling the harness across her chest.
“Shut the fuck up,” Elena mumbled, barely loud enough to trip the noise gate on her commset.
“Think you got a hot mic there,” Ava teased. She reached over and poked her in the shoulder, right on jagged, broken horn on her Liquid Helium patch.
“Hey, stop it! Tell me, what the hell did you do down there? There’s no way that scan should have passed the second time. We were fucked, and you know it.”
“Come on, let a girl have a secret or two!”
“On my ship? Fuck no. You knew the terms when you signed the contract. Don’t make me take a point or two off your precious op-rec.”
Ava held a hand to the smooth tempered glass of her visor and gasped.
“You keep telling me you’ll do that, but at this point, I think you’re bluffing.” She stuck her tongue out at her through her visor. The tiny freckles on her cheeks bent and warped as she smiled.
Stars, she was bluffing. She really wished she wasn’t, though. If not just to strike a blow against Ava’s massive ego.
The low, rattling tone returned to their helmets. “ Tijuana , you’re cleared for subduction. Route code is 451.” Static crackled on the reserved frequency, and a begrudging voice returned with the obligatory, “Safe diving.”
“You got it, boss,” Ava said, leaning in to type the route code into the flight computer. The fan on the side of the blocky monstrosity spun feebly as the machine chugged through a billion calculations a second.
“Stars be damned,” Elena whispered. “Are we actually pulling this off?”
Ava swung her helmet to the side so she could see the smug-ass look on her face. “You have doubts, El? With me on board? I thought you’d know better by now.”
“Keep this up and you’ll be the one draining the shit tank at the next station.”
“You’re no fun.”
The flight computer sputtered and chirped. The ancient holographic projector at the base of the fore viewport whirred to life, overlaying a warped green grid over the vast emptiness of space. Elena grabbed the steering yoke and slid the throttle open. The Tijuana inched forward, gaining speed bit by bit, until they were level with the colossal metal frame.
The massive oval of some crazy advanced alloy encircled what could only be described as a gaping wound in reality. There were no stars, there was no light. It was like looking into a black hole, but it wasn’t. Not really, at least. Elena never bothered to pay that much attention to the theory parts of flight school. All she knew was that frame kept this hole open, and that’s what mattered.
Warning bells chimed all around them, and the sterile white cabin lights dimmed to a soft orange glow. A robotic countdown sounded from the priority channel on their commsets, and Elena looked over for a rare glimpse of a rattled Ava.
She clutched the armrests in a vice grip, her eyes with wide and nearly feral, pupils blown wide open. She breathed so loudly Elena could hear it breaking through on their secure channel.
“It’s just another dive, Ava,” she teased.
“Fuck no. You know there’s a one in a billion chance this thing just eats us, right? A one in a billion chance this thing collapses and spaghettifies us and everyone else within an astronomical unit.”
“Don’t tell me you actually believe that. It’s a myth conspiracy theorists spread on message boards.”
“Nah. Fuck that. I’m not taking that chance.”
Numbers beeped in their helmets.
5.
“And yet, here we are.”
4.
“El. For once, just shut the hell up.”
3.
“What? Finally found a way under your skin, did I?”
2.
1.
“N-”
They shot forward, propelled by what amounted to a railgun mounted on the rift station behind them. The void grew larger and larger as they hurtled forward, its shimmery liquid surface like an oil spill across space. Pearlescent tones crept across the void like those old archaic lava lamps, globs of color fading in and out of view. It was almost hypnotizing, if it didn’t scare the shit out of her.
Sound roared in their helmets, and Elena hurried to switch off her commset as the tip of the Tijuana breached the surface of the void.
It was like they stopped moving, but there was no inertia. All sound ceased, all movement ceased. The chronometer on the control panel scrolled back and forth, the navigational instruments blinked and screeched in silent confusion. Elena didn’t dare move, didn’t dare speak. It felt like they glided through a tomb, a dead place better left alone. It felt like she was being watched, like she was entirely unwelcome to this pocket of nonexistence.
And then they were out. Light roared into her eyes, flaring past the polarized polymer of the fore viewport. Alarms blared, high pitched sounds piercing into her head. Ava burst into motion, switching the instruments off and on, recalibrating the chronometer, tapping at the flight computer.
Elena silenced the alarms, letting out a long sigh of relief as she sunk into her chair. Her pulse pounded in her neck. She would never get used to that.
Propelled by the momentum from the customs station railgun, the Tijuana shot through space like a mass driver projectile. The flight computer activated thrusters on the sides of the ship to nudge them on course.
“Woo!” Elena cheered, throwing her hands in the air. “We actually fucking did it!”
“I told you we would!” Ava said, giving her that infuriating smile again. This time, it was more cute than anything.
“Can’t believe they didn’t see ‘em.” She shook her head in disbelief. “How’d you do it?”
Ava sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you once we get to the rendezvous point.”
“You up for a hard burn so we have an extra few hours to celebrate?” Elena asked, flipping a couple switches on the control board to dismiss the grid overlay from their dive.
“Have you ever known me to turn down a ‘celebration’?”
“Not a single time. Maybe you’ll cook this time?”
Ava snorted, slapping her knee as she laughed. Elena just shook her head with a smile and opened the throttle wide open.
The acceleration thrust them against their seats, mercilessly pinning them against the threadbare cushioning. Elena’s stomach turned, but she held on. A little discomfort now for a great time later.
Miraculously, despite the force pressing down on her chest, Elena eventually drifted off to sleep.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Wake the fuck uuuuup.”
Elena groaned, swatting at her ear as if that would shut her commset off. Ava’s upside-down face greeted her the second she opened her eyes.
“Wha-”
“We’re at the rendezvous. Strapped to some rock, just like you said.”
She pawed at the clasp of her harness, apparently impotently enough that Ava took pity on her and unbuckled it for her. She floated out of the pilot’s chair, bonking her visor against Ava’s helmet in the process.
“2156 KA, yeah.”
“Sure, whatever you call it. Anyway, let’s get life support running so I can get out of this thing.” She rapped her knuckles against the composite shell of her helmet.
“That excited to get me out of my pants?” Elena asked, still trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes as she fiddled with the control panel.
“So what if I am?” She tapped on Elena’s helmet.
“Hang on. Fucking stars, Ava. I’m trying to work here.”
She flipped a switch, and the centrifuge at the heart of the Tijuana began to spin. A sharp crack under their feet signaled the beginning of the electrolysis process, and the background hum of the ship faded in as oxygen hissed into the cabin. The reactor spinning, the faint suction of the water recycler, the twinkling of status indicators and proximity alarms, it was music to her ears.
“Finally. I’ve been sitting here over an hour waiting for this.” Ava reached up and disengaged the seals around her neck, taking a deep breath as her helmet floated away before being yanked back down by its tether.
“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” Elena asked, removing her helmet and clipping it onto her suit. She pushed off from the pilot’s seat and floated over to the frame of hooks near the bulkhead. Her boots locked into the floor, and she mounted her arms on the adjacent hooks so she could pull her arms out of the thick sleeves and reach the internal zippers to free herself from her suit.
Ava locked herself into place on the hooks next to her and did the same. “Because you were just too cute! I could hear you snoring on the commset.”
“Shit.” She’d forgotten to mute before she fell asleep. More fuel for teasing. She pulled herself out of her suit, smacking a button to lower the decontamination shield. “Well, you wasted a full hour of our celebration time. You know that, right?”
Ava kicked out of her own suit, the momentum sending her into a gentle somersault as she stretched. A lifetime in gravity had graced her with a short, stocky, and solid build. Her skin was deep brown, tanned by years under sunlight. “At least I worked for my melanin” Ava would say. Elena hadn’t been able to think of a good response yet, but Ava was in for it once she did.
“The way you’re staring at me, I would say you’re more disappointed about it than I am.”
Elena kicked off the wall and drifted toward her. “And who says that’s a bad thing?”
They clashed in midair. Ava giggled as Elena buried her face in her neck. Their momentum carried them to the back of the cabin, crashing into the wall.
“How,” Elena kissed her behind the ear, “did you,” again on the cheek, “hide the chips?” and once more on the lips.
Ava giggled again, returning the kiss. “You really aren’t going to let me wriggle out of this one, aren’t you?”
Elena pushed her hands up under Ava’s thin tank-top. “Not a chance.” She found her nipples already hard.
“Ah… El…” She arched her back into Elena’s hands, sending them in a slow spin. “It’s… stealth composites…”
Elena stopped and reached out for a bar mounted on the wall. She yanked Ava over and pinned her against the wall.
“It’s… what ?” She pulled herself forward, pressing Ava into the cold metal wall.
“El… You aren’t usually this rough with me-”
“This isn’t a game, Ava. How the fuck did you get stealth composites and why the hell are they on my ship?”
Ava refused to meet her gaze. “I’ll explain later, El. Just fucking touch me…”
“Not until you explain.”
Ava sighed and tried to push her away. Elena didn’t budge.
“Fine. I have a contact on Ceres who got them for me.”
“Who?”
“An acquisitions specialist?” Ava looked hurt. “You can’t expect a girl to burn her sources!”
“Is it the same buyer as the chips?”
“Nope. These are for whatever we want. Can you get back to fucking my brains out now?”
Elena put a hand to her forehead and groaned. “You realize how dangerous it is, carrying that shit? If the feds catch us with stealth tech…”
“We’ll be executed. Look, I know. But imagine the money…”
Ava always had a knack for speaking her language. “Fine,” she grunted. “But if we get caught, I’m ratting you the fuck out.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Ava hooked a leg around Elena’s and shoved herself off the wall. They catapulted into the makeshift beds hanging from the ceiling. “Now get… all this off!”
Elena finally relented. They hit the ceiling just as Ava sent her tightly fitted shirt tumbling across the cabin. Drops of sweat floated away from her forehead, sucked away by the water recycler. Ava groaned and ran her hands all over Elena’s chest, over the visible ribs and up to her tiny breasts.
“Stars, you’re hot, El.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m serious.” She flipped them around so they drifted toward the floor. She traced the dark brown bands of scar tissue surrounding Elena’s wrists. With a sly grin, she brought her wrist up for a kiss.
“Come on, now,” Elena scolded, pulling her hand away. “You know better.” The less she was reminded of the time she spent welded into an exosuit, the better.
“Pleeaeaaaase. They’re so sexy and you know it.”
“They most certainly aren’t. Are you going to let me undress you or not?”
Ava pouted. “Go on, then. If you must.”
“You’re the one who wanted this!”
She was tired of the banter. Elena tore off Ava’s tank top, popping a stitch or two in the process. She would have time to be pissed about that later. Her wide boy shorts were next, sent spinning to bounce off the airlock bulkhead. And Ava was naked, all toned muscle and tanned skin.
“Never gets old, doesn’t it?” Ava teased.
“Just get over here.”
Elena caught Ava out of the air, bringing her thighs down around her head. Ava grabbed onto a railing mounted on the ceiling to stop their spin, letting out a ragged gasp as Elena dragged her tongue between her legs.
“Fuck, El.”
Elena hummed, sending a tremor up Ava’s spine. Her fingers dug into her thighs, the only thing keeping her from floating away. She tasted sweat, arousal, and anti-chafing powder. Intoxicating, all of them. Ava’s thighs were tight against her head, rhythmically flexing in time with the strokes of her tongue.
Ava canted her hips, moving Elena’s tongue up to her clit. She took the opportunity to increase her pace, circling the tiny bud with unwavering fervor. Ava begged her to stop, but she knew her better. If she stopped now, she would never hear the end of it.
Drops of liquid floated through the air, and Ava cried out. One hand left the bar to grab hold of Elena’s braids, her body quivering as she came.
Elena gasped for air as she pulled away, drops of desire floating from her chin and mouth. Ava’s grip weakened on the bar, and Elena dragged her loose nylon pants off as she drifted away.
“Stars. Hey, you’re not getting away with that easily!” Ava’s calves flexed as she pushed off the floor, catching Elena and shoving her against the padded bed near the ceiling. With practiced ease, she strapped Elena against the bed with the safety belt, pinning her arms to her sides. She used Elena’s body as leverage to drag herself up to her face, giving her a peck on the forehead.
“Got you,” she said, dragging a finger down the center of her lips. Elena moved to bite her, but she pulled away at the last second. She wanted to say she couldn’t believe Ava had caught her again, but really, she let her. Just like she did every time.
“What ever will you do to me now?” Elena asked, grinning wide.
“Let’s see. Since you refuse to let me kiss my favorite parts of your body, I guess I’ll have to settle for…” Ava’s hand drifted up between her legs, sliding along her perineum and up to grab her by the balls. “Here!”
Elena didn’t hold back. She moaned, squirming against the makeshift restraint. “Don’t play with me…” she grumbled.
“Oh come on, I know you like it just. Like. This.” Ava glided her fingers along her soft shaft to massage the tip. Elena’s cock twitched in response. She couldn’t refute, she was right, as always.
“You know, with my cut of the money we make off this stealth tech, you could finally get that surgery,” Ava said as she rubbed the tip of her dick. Tiny droplets floated away. “I know a guy on Vesta, total virtuoso with the scalpel. Did one of my exes.”
Elena groaned and thrust her hips forward. “You’d let me spend your money on that?” More drops coalesced in the air beside them.
“El, look at me.” Ava grabbed her under the chin and forced eye contact. “Your happiness is my cut. I know I’m a total bitch about jobs and money, but I really care about you. I know this is important to you.”
The brief moment of raw, unfiltered Ava caught Elena off guard. For a single moment, she’d lowered her walls and showed her the real Ava. A stream of tears drifted from one eye.
“Thank you, Ava. I can’t express it enough.”
“Don’t get all sentimental on me,” Ava said, pulling her body against hers. “There’s so much more I need to do to you.”
She kissed Elena on the lips and moved lower, pressing a long series of kisses down her sternum and to her waist. She stopped just above her cock. “How you feeling today?” She gave an experimental lick. “Yes? No?”
Elena nodded. “Yes… Stars, yes.”
Ava wasted no time taking her soft cock into her mouth. Elena groaned, she could feel every bump of Ava’s tongue stroking along the underside of her cock. The tip pressed against the roof of her mouth, the texture felt amazing against her sensitive head. She had to fight not to thrust her hips forward, had to try to let Ava take it at her own pace.
But stars, was it hard. She wanted more , and she knew Ava was teasing her.
“Avaaa…” she groaned, grabbed handfuls of her short black hair.
Ava hummed, sending pleasant vibrations through her tip. She pulled her dick out of her mouth and looked up at her from between her legs. Her eyes were huge, wide and innocent, despite her obvious experience. The way she licked her lips and cocked her head just drove Elena crazy. She was too cute. Too perfect.
“Why’d you stop?” Elena whined.
“And for my next trick…” Ava said with a smile. She dragged her tongue along the underside of Elena’s cock, maintaining eye contact as she reset and did it again. It was intense, a constant pressure followed by sparks of pleasure. Warmth pooled in her toes, she arched her back against the bed, straining against the safety belt.
She leaked in earnest now, tiny droplets floating away from them. Ava caught a few in her mouth as she licked, swallowing greedily. The warmth spread through her feet, through her legs, up to her stomach. She felt the pleasure building inside her, and she clutched Ava’s hands tightly.
“Close… Ava…”
She giggled. “Why don’t we save the water recycler some work then?” She engulfed Elena’s cock in her mouth, sucking gently as her tongue continued its motions. The warmth, texture, and stimulation pushed her higher and higher. Her fingers and toes tingled, stars danced before her eyes.
“Oh!” she moaned, tightening every muscle in her legs and ass, hips jerking as she came. Ava sealed her lips around the base of her cock, ensuring that nothing escaped her mouth.
She floated forever, feeling nothing but pleasant jolts running through her nerves. Ava swallowed and popped Elena’s cock out of her mouth. She climbed up Elena’s body, briefly undoing the safety harness to snuggle up next to her. The strap kept them in place, anchored to the bed so they wouldn’t float away. Ava’s body was so warm, her skin so soft.
“What a way to celebrate, huh?” Ava breathed, kissing her on the cheek.
“Yeah. Just gotta… move these chips. Then we’re free.”
“Let’s not think about that quite yet,” Ava said, caressing her jaw. “We still have a little time to ourselves.”
Elena rolled, wrapping Ava up in her arms and pulling her against her chest. “Mmm. You’re right.”
“And if I remember correctly, you offered to actually cook for once…”
“Oh, you most certainly do not remember correctly!” Elena said, shoving her away. “It’s your turn!”
“Maybe next time…”
