Gemini Ecliptic : : Chapter 1
The necessities of war set mankind back not only in terms of lives lost and resources consumed, but in colonization efforts. Nine small colonies were abandoned within five years of the first recorded battle with the silicates. The seven primary systems of the Republic once again represented the entirety of humanity. No one stopped to question the tactical wisdom of consolidating the entire population into handful of targets. Once again, we proved that fear and security would override sense. Not until much later did a voice challenge and rebuke us all. Come to think of it, a pair of voices.
- From “Diaspora” by Adjutant Justicar Conservator Pyter Kordera, AT 3189
Jensen stirred, discomfited by something intruding on his consciousness. In moments, Jared’s eyelids fluttered, and he stared back with his sleepy, hazel eyes. They could feel a wash of emotions emanating from the other end of the house. Anger, from Jeff, an odd mix of humor and concern from Misha, a startling blast of deep worry from Jager, and then a cold fury from Samantha that reset all of the emotions from the others. Every emotion carried the “thumbprint” of the person feeling it. At this point, the imprints of their superiors were more distinct to the young men than physical appearance.
Intuitively, they knew all of these feelings concerned them. Since the Battle of the Academy this pattern held true, and neither of them had grown comfortable with it. From the moment they stepped off the platform into the town that had become their sanctuary, things had been off.
Ouray in its full winter glory at sunset was breathtaking. That’s the first thought that entered their minds when the port materialized around them. The snow-covered mountains took on all of the hues of the sun and clouds, glowing in reds, golds and purples. They’d never seen anything like it, not even on their previous visit.
Their attention was immediately drawn from the incredible view to one still, small woman. Loretta Divine’s hand touched her lips, her eyes almost liquid. The worry radiating off her in waves brought both young men up short. They took a few, halting steps toward her, and she descended on them like an avalanche, wrestling them both into a tight hug. She released them, holding each of their faces in her hands in turn. Her gaze broke loose from Jared’s face, focusing on something right behind them.
The cold, raw rage that shot from her startled them both, especially when they realized the target of her wrath. The two young men parted, allowing their leader to approach his old friend. Before either of them could react, she slapped Jeffrey Dean Morgan with such force the sound echoed through the massive embarkation chamber. The Justicar’s expression only showed a slight shock at the attack, but mostly, his eyes held a sad acceptance.
Without uttering a word, Loretta turned and walked purposefully toward the exit. Jensen and Jared called after her, but she refused to stop. They poured a level of command they never knew they possessed into calling her name again. The modulation and pitch of their voices precisely aligned to force obeisance.
She turned and looked at them, with a mixture of surprise and anger.
“No,” Jensen began. “You don’t get to place all of the blame for this on the Justicar.”
Her eyes widened at the imperiousness of his tone. “You will not discount the choices Jared and I made because you want to blame him,” he continued. “We made the choice, and yes, he is our superior. He could have commanded us otherwise, but he realizes something you aren’t seeing, ‘Retta.”
“To have made any other choice,” Jared said firmly, “Would have destroyed us. Do you think we could live with the knowledge that all of our friends, our classmates, the future of our race perished because we did nothing? Do you really think that is something we could live with? Could you live with it?”
As their words sank in, the play of emotions across her face required no empath to decode. After a few moments, Jensen approached her, his words softer, kinder and more entreating.
“You know what that would have done to us. And I don’t want you to think for a moment that anything that happened in that past few months has been easy for Jeff. Look at him. I mean really look. He paid a high price for all that’s happened. He still is. We all are. But, ‘Retta, the alternative would have been so much worse.”
She put her hand on his chest, her gaze turned downward, as though she could feel his heartbeat through his utilities. The steady, strong rhythm somehow cemented for her that he was alright, alive, and standing in front of her. She slowly looked up, over Jensen’s broad shoulder, took in the face of her friend of so many years. Just as Jensen had said, the toll Jeffrey had paid was there for anyone to see. He looked older than his years. Tired in a way she could not remember him being ever before. Above all, the sad look of resignation, the complete acceptance that he had lost an old friend and ally, shook Loretta to her core. This was not the man she had known. He had been indirectly responsible for the two greatest victories in this long, damned war, but he just looked defeated.
Her hand still rested on Jensen’s chest, and as her eyes met his, they were once again filled with the warmth these men had come to count on from this amazing woman. She lightly kissed the young man’s cheek, a silent “thank you,” before walking toward the man upon whose shoulders the fate of worlds rested. Tired, resigned eyes watched her approach, and she lifted a hand to gently soothe the redness on his cheek, where she had struck him. Her breath caught when this man she had known most of her life, turned his face ever so slightly into her open palm. She had never seen him display that level of vulnerability before. She let the caress linger for a few seconds more, composed herself, and turned to exit the building.
The three men stayed planted, until she turned around, her hands on her hips. “Are you three gonna stand there all day? Putting you lot back together is gonna take all the time I’ve got, so you better move your butts.”
With that, she once again headed toward the door. Jensen, Jared and Jeff followed.
The next day, they woke to the morning sun shining clear and bright through the window in their bedroom. They managed to get up and get ready, though frequently interrupted for an exchange of lazy, sweet kisses. When they were both dressed and through with their morning ablutions, they quietly opened the door to their room and stopped when they heard voices coming from the living area.
“They weren’t injured or wounded. The med scans were completely clear. From what we could tell, they became extremely exhausted after over-exertion of their abilities. Their bodies just shut down until they could recharge.”
“This is supposed to make me feel better?” Loretta asks.
“I’m just telling you what we know. We had every indication that if they were actually wounded their healing gift would take over and restore them.”
“Unless they were too drained and the lack of energy puts them in coma. What then, Jeff? What will you do if they over extend themselves and get injured?”
“Loretta, I don’t have all the answers,” Morgan said in a very tired sounding voice. “They will remain at the Academy, where a group of the finest people I have ever known will make certain they are okay. They will never go on a mission without my express consent, and if I have anything to say about it, they won’t go without me. I get that you are protective of them. We all are. If any of us had our way they would never see action, but this is war, and you have to accept the fact that if we hold them back when they could save thousands of lives again, we would saddle them with regret and probably resentment. They are young men, Loretta, capable, talented, brilliant young men, and you need to give them and me some damn credit. Okay?”
“Jeffrey,” she answered softly. “I know how difficult this is on you. I can see it with my own eyes. But I need you to see what this is doing to you and by extension them. None of you asked for this, but you got it, and those two young men are a precious gift. But if you sacrifice your health and well-being, you aren’t going to do anyone any good. They need you now more than ever, and you look like you are about to collapse. You let us shoulder some of that. You let us help them and you in any way that we can. That was not a request.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now that that’s all settled,” she said, then pitched her voice much louder, “you boys can come on in now, and stop lurking in darkened hallways.”
They slunk in; bracing themselves for the tongue lashing that was no doubt coming.
“Now wipe those hangdog expressions off your faces and for goodness sake, stand up straight.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. We are all going to the diner for breakfast, and I’ve convinced Jeffrey to stay on a couple of days, haven’t I?”
The older man looked a combination of stunned, ready to argue and poleaxed. Realizing the battle was lost, he replied “One more day. I will leave in the morning.”
This was clearly not open for discussion.
Loretta shot him a look that clearly said “We’ll see about that.” They headed out into the cold morning air making their way to breakfast. The restaurant was already busy; a mix of tourists and locals, but their table was vacant and set. They were no sooner seated than massive mugs of steaming rich coffee arrived, followed by platters and large bowls overflowing with dishes sweet and savory. Jared and Jensen couldn’t remember when they’d seen so much food, and all of it tasted amazing.
They were trying to be polite and not forget their table manners, but after Loretta laughed at them both and instructed them not to stand on ceremony and tuck in, they did and in earnest. They finally had to signal the waiters to stop bringing fresh batches of everything as soon as the serving dishes were empty. They sat back and stared at what little was left on the table, and felt so full they wondered if they would pop.
Loretta was beaming at them, quite pleased at the quantity of food her charges put away. Even Morgan ate a more than healthy portion. Their mugs of coffee got topped off moments before a complete contingent of the locals arrived to begin their interrogation. Jared and Jensen had sensed the attention and curiosity of many of their fellow diners. So far, none had approached them. The group descending on them had no such qualms.
Ella Holloway was about to speak, when Loretta interrupted.
“I assume you are all here to greet our guests?” she said in a sweet tone that somehow managed to convey that confrontation was no longer on the menu. “They just finished eating, but I suppose they have a few minutes to chat before I send them back off for a nap. Poor things are just exhausted.”
Ella’s jaw snapped closed as her eyes scanned over the three men at the table. Whatever she saw appeared to compel her to just follow Loretta’s lead. The two cadets had no doubt they would be the topic of a very serious discussion when they headed back to the cabin. For now, the group was content to drink coffee and get all the details of the happenings of the past few months.
The conversation was overall light and comfortable, by force of will of their hostess. Whatever mojo Loretta worked on Ella apparently extended to everyone else. No rebukes or pointed questions. Their hostess had taken her task of “putting some meat on those bones” very much to heart. They had only been sitting for an hour after they had finished eating when a basket of sweet rolls ended up on their table. Jensen and Jared refused them once, and the glare Loretta hit with them had them immediately reaching for one of the pastries.
By the time they got away, it was approaching noon, but fortunately, Loretta never mentioned lunch. The three men would probably turn green at the mention of more food. The four walked slowly through the town. It was the maximum pace the overstuffed men could handle.
“You know, Loretta,” Morgan said. “We are quite capable of getting to the cabin on our own.”
“I’m sure you are, but whether or not you would, let alone go straight to bed, is the problem.”
“Does this mean you are going to force feed us as soon as we wake up?” Jared asked all dimples and irresistible innocence.
“And if I do, what are you gonna do about, stretch?”
“Probably eat,” he smiled back at her. Jensen knew that smile and how mere mortals were powerless before it.
Loretta was apparently only half mortal, as she hurumphed and nodded, the young upstart clearly put back in his place. They shed their coats as they entered the warm cabin.
“I’ll see you all at Ella’s in a few hours, and if you show up late, I’ll let them all have at you.” With that she was out the door.
“Where in the worlds did you find her?” Jensen asked quietly.
Morgan chuckled “You don’t find Loretta Divine. She finds you.”
Now, almost two weeks after their arrival, some things had settled, but others remained strained and difficult. They lay in bed, just looking at each other. Soaking up the tranquility they could create when they got the opportunity to shut out the rest of the worlds. In short order, both of their families would arrive. The mix of emotions that accompanied that thought gave them pause.
Neither of them could wait to see their loved ones, but at the same time, their arrival would bring a flurry of questions and tension the two adepts were not looking forward to. Their families hadn’t had the time or even the exposure to the two of them as they had become, the changes the past few months had wrought on Jensen and Jared, and the very different young men they now were. How does anyone go about explaining to parents that their son is now inextricably intertwined with another man and separation simply wasn’t an option?
Neither of them had been exposed to their families for an extended period of time since the term began, what felt like years ago. Could they effectively shield themselves, block out the avalanche of emotion that would surely come? Given all they had faced together in so short a time, they couldn’t help but smile at each other. They could stare down an alien warship, but the forces of nature that were their mothers made them both tremble.
In the meantime, they needed to head downstairs, determine what the issues were with their comrades, and get ready for the onslaught. Lying there, in warm, soft bedding, the exquisite feeling of skin on skin, they exchanged lazy kisses, growing in intensity moment by moment, and decided the rest could wait a while longer.
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