Chapter 10

"We can't leave them Captain, please, we can't leave them behind!"

Jane didn't trust herself to respond to Missy's pleading. She continued her task, working calculations to determine the planet's rotation since they'd landed. Jackson sat next to her, doing similar calculations to determine the vectors of the orbitals around the planet. The work was going slowly since the rest of the ground team was refusing to help.

"You know that Missy is right Captain," Aimee backed up her friend, "if the positions were reversed, the others would come for us."

"They probably would," Jane's voice was hoarse, but it didn't waver, "because I'm not there to stop them. I'm with you, and later you'll realize that keeping you from rushing off is saving your life."

"Captain," Missy's voice was steady too, Jane noted with a touch of surprise, "I will knowingly risk my life if there's even the slightest chance of-"

"There isn't the slightest chance," Jane cut her off, flicking the switch to prepare the pod. The open walls around them slowly closed, switching from an open command center to an airtight spaceworthy craft. "The chance of rescue is zero, Missy. I know you don't want to hear that, and believe me, I know how much it hurts, but they're gone. They're done."

"Their beacons still show up on scanners. They're not dead."

Jane kept her back turned to the girl, adjusting the takeoff angles according to her and Jackson's calculations. It was hard to think straight, the faces of her rookies floating through her mind, but she knew she was making the right choice. She also knew, vaguely, that she should be supportive for the rookies who were still with her, but she was still too dull with shock to even begin to support someone else. Her voice came out too flat, too blunt.

"They are dead. They may've survived the crash, but the Terrans will get to them before we can."

"Maybe not. You said the Terrans would find us in a few hours, and they haven't attacked us yet. Maybe the Terrans just aren't coming."

"Rookie Dorson," Jane tried to throw her authority behind her voice, but it just came out tired and worn, "your squadmates have been killed in action. We will miss them, and we will mourn them, but if we do not get this pod off the ground as soon as humanly possible we will join them in death."

Some of Jane's former students had been killed in planetary runs before, of course. Enough of the Academy's Lieutenant-levels were lost that it would be a miracle if she hadn't. In theory this should've been no different, but Jane couldn't convince herself of that. Hearing about a KIA former student was different than being on the mission with them. These rookies were under her direct command, and even though there was no way the satflyer's loss of power could be her fault, she felt personally responsible for their deaths. She had been steeling herself since they had broken through the fog, knowing that according to the odds she would either lose some rookies or die herself. Even prepared, it hurt on a level so deep that she found it hard to breath. The loss was somehow so much greater with this squad ... not just Marcus, but Julia, Tess, Preston and Alex. All gone. All because she had been so confident in boasting about their abilities.

"Fire it up," she said quietly to Jackson, "I'll get us in the air." She turned to the flight panel, but was stopped short by the barrel of a pistol.

"I'm sorry, Captain Appet," Missy stood a few feet away, her aim steady, "I can't leave them behind." Jane stared wearily at the pistol aimed at her chest. At least she's not aiming for the head, she thought, dispassionately, not risking a miss if I suddenly dodge one way or the other. Good form, at least. The other three rookies were watching the situation, silent and still. Jane noted that they weren't helping her, but she hardly cared. Missy was still talking.

"Jackson, power the engines down and open the panels-"

Jane moved in a smooth motion, closing the distance between them with a single step, left hand swinging up to grab Missy's gun hand, right hand stabbing forward to jab two fingers into the vulnerable tendons in the girl's wrist. Missy didn't cry out, although she did pale at what Jane knew was excruciating pain. Typically Jane would follow up with a vicious elbow to the elbow to snap the bone, or into the throat if she wanted her target incapacitated. This time she refrained, and the pistol was already clattering to the floor. Why bother? Missy would already be unable to move the fingers of her right hand for awhile. Who could even say if the girl was wrong for trying to force her to rescue the rest of the squad?

She moved on to the flight panel without a word, leaving Missy to hold her temporarily ruined wrist as the pod shuddered to life. Through the hum of the engines starting up Jane could hear her break down into tears.

"She was under duress," Aimee was standing with an arm around Missy, Li hovering nearby, "please, don't hold this against her..."

"Missy wanted to help her squadmates," Jane said, without emotion, "I can't let her throw our lives away, but I can't fault her for loyalty."

"I l-l-love him!" Missy's face had been buried in Aimee's shoulder as she cried, but she whirled to scream the words at Jane, "I love him more than anything, more than being alive! If I could trade my life for his I would do it in a heartbeat! You can't understand that kind of love! Not loyalty, love!"

Jane let the girl scream, her face blank. When Missy turned back in a fresh burst of tears, she turned to the window, looking past the surface that fell away.

"I swear I don't usually do this kind of thing on a first date," Rookie Jane Cripshaw panted, leaning back to break the deep kiss.

"I didn't think you did," her date said respectfully, but there was a glint of a grin in his eye.

"Patrick! I mean it!" Jane smacked him on the shoulder, a motion made more bearable by the fact that she was sitting on his lap, straddling him.

"Ooh, your boobs jiggle when you're violent, do it again," Patrick teased, leaning forward and planting a kiss between her naked breasts before she could hit him again.

"I just want to make it clear that you're lucky, that's all," Jane leaned back, letting him tease her skin and raise goosebumps along the back of her neck.

"Mmm," Patrick agreed in a muffled voice, nuzzling first one, then the other, as his hands slid along the waistband of her pants. He was taking his time, and Jane was grateful for the fact. She liked the sensations so far, but she wanted to enjoy this little adventure. When he pulled back looked up at her, his expression was so intense that she shivered again.

"So if this isn't your normal first date, what is making you behave so delightfully out-of-character then?" He asked, his tone incredibly casual as his fingers followed the curve of her back down beneath her pants.

"It's the uniform, probably, I'm a sucker for a guy in uniform" Jane grinned, lifting ever so slightly to allow his hand to cup her ass. Patrick squeezed and made a low appreciative noise in the back of his throat.

She rose from his lap, smiling at the disappointed look on his face, and took a step back.

"I guess it just seemed ... like it's the right time, you know?" She gave his question more serious consideration as she shimmied out of her pants. They got caught around her ankles awkwardly, and blushing Jane stumblingly extracted herself from them as Patrick watched. She kept on talking to try to save face,

"I mean my entire life is going to be dedicated to the Academy starting tomorrow, that's the kind of thing that makes a girl think hard about what she's done with her life so far."

"Makes sense," Patrick replied thoughtfully, removing his shirt with one smooth motion, his pants with another. Jane was shocked, first by the rippling muscle that had been hiding beneath the loose clothes, then at the realization of just how easily he had slipped out of them.

"You're ... really practiced at that," she stammered.

"Like you said, girls like the uniform," Patrick's grin was charming and mischievous at the same time, "it's not my first time."

"Um..." Jane took a faltering step forward, then stood in front of him, naked and awkward and uncertain. "It's ... it is mine, sort of." Patrick's eyebrows shot up, and he looked her up and down again, as if he was both appreciating her nude body and also trying to discern something about her.

"Really?"

"Well, that's why I'm doing this. I don't want to go to the Academy a virgin, and you're hot and a pilot, which I really like, and we probably won't be interacting at the Academy much, so there's no risk of drama ... sorry, I sound really manipulative right now..." Jane bit her lip to stop her own babbling.

Patrick reached forward suddenly and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back onto his lap where she straddled him again.

"You've put a lot of thought into this," he teased, pulling her forward even further so that her forehead rested against his.

"I probably sound pretty crazy," Jane murmured. She could feel his penis, surprisingly warm, against her thigh, and the feeling made her heart beat quicker. "You don't have to worry about it being super special or anything, I just want to know what it feels like, before my whole life is swept into chaos."

"Understandable," Patrick's voice was quiet, "and I like that you're trusting me with your first time. Believe me, doing this with you is special."

Jane blushed harder at his words than at the fact that she sat naked on top of him. Her hands slid across his broad chest, and she tried for a moment to forget about the warmth that was building between her legs.

"You don't have to say things like that," she whispered, "I told you, it's fine. I'm awkward and it's my first time so I'm probably going to suck at it, you don't have to pretend."

Patrick's hand was around her waist, the other sliding up and down across her stomach.

"I assure you," he replied, "there is nothing pretend about this."

His lips pressed against hers, and Jane relaxed and leaned into the kiss. His hands were so strong, and everywhere they touched seemed to light a brief fire of sensation. He barely touched her where she ached for him, instead grazing in unexpected places and somehow turning them into erogenous zones. His fingers brushed along her shoulders and made them buzz, his touch on her stomach sent tingles into her, and when he brushed his fingertips along her cheekbone and down her neck it made her toes curl. His tongue flicked over hers, and everything was too much, too mean, too intense. Jane didn't want to cum yet, but he was turning her entire body into a sex organ, and she couldn't stand it any longer. She shifted her position on Patrick's naked lap, moving so that his member pressed between her legs. He seemed surprised that she wanted him so soon, but he grinned, shifting his hips a little so that his head pressed against her opening.

Jane braced herself, but the shock of penetration didn't come. Instead he began kissing

her again, and the onslaught of sensation from his hands continued. It took her a while to realize that he was letting her proceed in her own time, giving her pleasure but letting her decide when she wanted to go ahead. Jane continued kissing, but let her kisses travel down from Patrick's lips to the side of his neck. She was wet, her pussy throbbed and with each heartbeat she was more and more aware of his hardness pressing against it. As she flicked her tongue over his neck, he made a small feral sound of approval, and the sound was enough to make up her mind. Holding tight to his shoulders, Jane slammed her hips down, impaling herself on Patrick's cock.

She let out a cry of surprise and pain. In hurt much more than she had expected it to, but it also felt so good that she wasn't quite sure how to process the feeling. Although he had grunted when she pushed down on him, Patrick held absolutely still, watching her with a small smile on his lips. Slowly the pain began to fade, but the feelings of fullness and pleasure hadn't dissipated. Jane experimentally moved her hips a little, and was rewarded with a flush of ecstasy, a rush of pure sexual pleasure. There was no hesitance after that, she began moving her hips in earnest, moving his length around inside of her body and loving every sensation. His arms were wrapped around her, making her feel safe and warm as she rode him. The sensations pulsing through her wet sex were unique and powerful, building an orgasm up faster than she would've thought possible.

It was like nothing she had felt before. He was stretching her further than her fingers, stretching her so perfectly and filling her so deep. He was warmer than a toy, with his arms around her and his chest pressed against her breasts. He was hotter than a fantasy, with his fingers continuing to stroke and caress in ways that wouldn't even occur to her to fantasize about. She rocked her hips back and forth, gasping as he hit places she hadn't discovered on her own.

Even without experience Jane could tell when he came. She was surprised at how minutely she could feel the twitches and spasms of his cock, at how sudden and hot it was when he released inside of her. She kept on riding, chasing her own orgasm as she slid up and down him, pain forgotten. Her sensitive pussy felt the second when he started to grow soft inside of her, and she whimpered. No, not yet, I'm so close... Patrick leaned back with a confident grin, reached down, and gently flicked her swollen clit. Jane threw her head back and sighed as she came, the unique feeling of a cock inside of her making the experience that much better. Even with him growing soft she felt full and satisfied, sitting on top of him shaking and coming, his arm around her waist. When she finally slid back, letting his spent member slide out of her slit, she wore a grin that matched his.

"So, about us not interacting at the Academy..." Patrick said.

"Well ... maybe we could interact a little bit..." Jane sighed, leaning her head against his strong chest.

Captain Jane kept her eyes closed, even as she awoke. She made sure to listen the deep breaths, punctuated by occasional shuddering, that indicated Missy was asleep before she opened them. Li and Aimee were also asleep, Aimee's head in Li's lap, holding hands in their sleep. At the window, Jackson stood alert and attentive, looking down at the planet's surface.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked quietly.

"Marking out positional data." Jackson didn't seem startled, and his eyes never left the window as he answered, "in case the Terrans clear the satflyer away by the time we return, so we'll know where they went down."

"Jackson I already told you all, we're not-"

"Captain, with all due respect." Jackson interrupted her, turning eyes towards her that were intense, unblinking. Jane was startled at that look. Has he always been that intense?

"I understand why you gave the order that you did," Jackson continued, "You are bound by rules, as are we all. As an Academy trainee I understand that there are correct and incorrect ways of getting what you want. Missy's way was incorrect. When we reach the Academy I plan on forwarding an HCJ report, requesting an official rescue operation under the provisions. All HCJ reports go straight to the General, and since he reccomended our squad for this mission, he's the most likely to approve a rescue."

Jane blinked. "That's very ... practical of you, Jackson," she said, unsure of how to respond to her Rookie's cool-headedness.

"Thank you, Captain."

"But there's no way the General will approve a rescue mission. And even if he did, there's no way our air team will survive long enough to be rescued."

"Either way, insubordination won't help them, and identifying how to reach them will," Jackson replied calmly, "if the official routes won't work, I'll just have to come up with another course of action."

Jane found that vaguely ominous, moreso when it was delivered in Jackson's quiet, deadpan voice.

"What exactly is it that your augments do, Jackson?" Jane asked. The only other person she knew who had a CPU in his head was Arthur, and Jackson acted very different. He wasn't charming or magnetic, he was simply ... solid. Solid and quiet, always unrattled, like a stone.

"Didn't your files fill you in Captain?" Jackson didn't seem offended or worried.

"They just said that you had them, and a little bit about why," Jane admitted.

"Then I would prefer to leave it at that ma'am," Jackson turned back to the window.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I got us into all of this, truly. I'm sorry I lost them."

"I don't blame you, Captain. None of us do, or at least they won't once they've calmed down. We know you care about us."

"Some would say I care about you too much," Jane half-smiled, then frowned. Not that it matters anymore ... now that Marcus... She suddenly didn't want to talk about this subject anymore, not when the thought of Marcus felt like an emotional punch in the gut.

"People care too much about trivial things," Jackson seemed thoughtful, "it's not as if we're all children. Only busybodies think sleeping with your rookies is inappropriate."

"I suppose," Jane said briefly.

"Sleeping with your rookies is completely inappropriate!" Jane Cripshaw squeaked in dismay. She squeaked quietly, even though the room they were in was completely deserted, as if the walls themselves would spread rumors.