Chapter 20

"Operation 'Hide Like a Bitch' can now begin."

Villa hit the final few buttons to shut down all engines, feeling the Liberty settle onto the rocky ground before the artificial gravity compensated. He checked a few systems, then looked over at the command chair. Kine was looking back with an expression of ... disdain.

"So, you think we're hiding like a bitch? Really?"

"Oh," said Villa, quickly, "I'm all in favor of hiding. Anytime, and anywhere. I'm just also in favor of being honest about it, that's all." The boy looked around, trying to get some support. The last thing he wanted was confrontation. That would go against his whole "hide, don't make waves" philosophy. This in turn was based on having had his ass kicked over and over again. He learned. Oh, yes, he had learned...

Kine shook his head and looked down at his sister.

"Which Bitch do you think we're being like, Amanda? We can name the mission after them."

Amanda glanced over at the navigation station, grinning.

"Operation Villa it is, then."

Villa nodded. He could live with that.

The ship now lay next to a crater wall on a small asteroid sized moon orbiting Hikaru. It was free of either settlements or mining operations, yet not that far from the moon Rhea which they now knew to be a safe harbor. Hell, it was within shuttle range, which, Kine thought, might come in handy over the next month or two.

Kine left the bridge, heading down the second level passageway towards the dining hall. Two months ... they could be stuck in one spot, bored and consuming supplies, for two months. Now, really, in a space ship there's not much difference between moving and not moving for those inside it. If you could keep busy. The hard part would be, beyond that, trying to gather enough information to make their next move. If a move was to be made. He still held out hope this delay would let Lessa calm down a bit, but then he was an optimistic man.

Realistic, but an optimist.

Mel fell in next to him, seemingly out of nowhere. Kine glanced over at the bald teen. She had appointed herself, without so much as a by your leave, his right hand woman. She kept at his side when he might need support, did any tasks he needed done (often without a word being said), dealt with petty problems before they grew to need his attention ... almost, in a way, promoting him to full leader just by doing all the things a good second in command should do, and doing it in his name.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Kine still didn't want to be leader, naturally. The responsibility wasn't something he had any interest in, and if anyone asked him, Kine would point to Lessa as the new commander after her rousing speech. But ... she wasn't leading much at the moment. The only one trying to actually get things done was Kine ... so, did that make him in charge? And if so, could he quietly steer things in a better direction?

And why was Mel doing this?

He liked her, yes. After both had lost their partners, hooking up to ease their joint sorrows had seemed ... natural. And good. Damned good. When Mel shed her clothing ... damn! Kine had never had a lover like her before, and unless she was a hell of an actress he thought she sort of felt the same way. At the very least, she responded to him, in and out of the bedroom, as if she was his to command.

So long as that command wasn't, "leave".

"Where's Lessa?" He asked, as the two came to the mess hall door. Mel shrugged.

"In her cabin, I think." She looked at him. "Are w-you going to move into the captain's cabin?" Kine caught her slip there, and sighed. He'd given Mel the same talk he had given Irene, but ... times were changing. Maybe Amanda could survive sleeping in her own cabin, maybe paired up with Sirenia or Wendi. He spent enough nights in Mel's cabin as it was, there's no reason they had to keep doing things this way.

"Given that there's a passage from Lessa and Shelly's room into that cabin, she'd have to move before I'd feel comfortable in there. So, it's no go. Besides," he grinned, hitting the button to open the door, "I'm not the captain."

"If you say so," muttered Mel under her breath. Kine ignored her as they entered.

"She's so cute!"

Kine and Mel walked into a scene of female bonding as they'd never seen it before. Almost every girl on the ship seemed to be there, all fussing over Hanna and Jenny's new baby. The happy couple had set up at one of the larger round tables, the infant Irene lying on a blanket in the middle for maximum access for the throng of potential mothers. Hanna was beaming, happily answering questions (and making up answers for things she was completely ignorant of), while Jenny sat with a possessive arm around her waist. Mel gave Kine an amused look.

"Shall we join them?"

Kine laughed.

"I'd be afraid to go anywhere near that group. You can go. I'll get our dinner." Mel patted his shoulder sympathetically while giving his cheek a quick kiss, then wandered over to check out the newcomer more closely.

Kine ambled over to the back of the room and the serving line. Sirenia and Mari were behind the counter, aprons on, gazing enviously over at the concentration of female hormones. Sirenia was the first to notice Kine, elbowing Mari to get her attention. The younger girl looked up at the tall blond and blushed.

"Hi Kine! Hungry? We have lots of good stuff today!" Sirenia laughed at Mari's eagerness, but Kine tactfully ignore it. Every girl went through a crush stage with him. Hell, many went through at least one a week. The numbers of males and females might be more or less even, but that didn't mean the number of "suitable" members of each gender matched, or that there was enough of every type to satisfy.

Kine, he was every girl's type.

The teen gave the selection before him serious consideration. This soon after leaving Catty there was still fresh food to be had, and it would be wise to help himself to as much as possible before it was replaced with canned and frozen goods. He raised an eyebrow at Mari.

"Which ones did you make?"

"I peeled and sliced the vegetables!" The preteen pointed at the appropriate steaming pans. "I also took the chicken out of the oven!"

"Well then," said Kine, grabbing two large plates and putting them on a tray on the counter, "I think I'll have four pieces of chicken and some potatoes and green beans, and for Mel's plate give her corn, beans, and ... some of that pork." The food was quickly dished out, his portions much larger than those of his female companion. Grinning thanks and winking at Mari, he walked down the line to get some drinks, then settled in at a table far from the action.

"No change," Mel said, plopping down across from Kine and grabbing a fork, "kid looks the same as she did the other day."

"Well I hope to hell they've changed her since then, or the smell would start to kill us."

Mel chuckled as she started in on her meal. The two ate quietly. She liked these moments, when the two of them could just ... be together. No important decisions to be made, no actions to be taken, no hot sweaty sex to distract ... even no conversation. Just Kine and her, enjoying the silence of each other's company. It was so ... domestic. Only having it be a meal she had prepared for him herself could make it more complete, but such a thing would be taking matters too far. Might scare him away. Mel had observed Kine and Irene back then, seen what he wanted and didn't want so far as relationships went. You had to casually work your way in, past his defenses, so you were into his life and into his heart before he even noticed. She thought she was a good way there now. Let him be the one to make the next major move, all the while thinking it was his idea.