Author's note:
Hey everyone! Sorry the third installment is a month late. As I have said in the comments on Ch. 2, I had spontaneous travel pop up and some medical stuff within the fam. I hope you like the developments. As per usual, feel free to leave any and all feedback in the comments or direct message! Happy New Year's everyone!
*****
Kara thanked her lucky stars that Kyle had agreed to let Nico put him under while he recovered. After the tumultuous rousing, Kyle reacted just about as well as she could have hoped under the circumstances. She had to admit to herself that if she had been in his shoes, there would have been hell to pay and a body count to match.
The rest of the journey passed without another hitch. She had just finished the reading through the last of the damage reports as the Cerberus limped home through the stars. A slight chill ran down her spine when she thought about just how easily Kyle could have crushed the ship and everyone on board. When she had arrived at the med bay, she was prepared to ghost him to save her crew. Threats and bravado aside, there was a large part of her that doubted if she was up to the seemingly titanic task.
The moment the doors had opened, Kara's memory blurred into an incoherent mess that made a kaleidoscope seem organized. The most she had been able to pick out was the overwhelming hopelessness that emanated from the unconscious Kyle. When Kara had finally come around, her body was aching and burning like an animal in heat. She couldn't stop her hands from touching every inch of him, from his ragged mane of black hair to the husk-like emaciated excuse for a body. She had kissed him, forced herself against his lips as her tongue sought out the wonderfully mysterious taste that made her combust all the more.
The sensations of being obliterated at the core level and being brought back like blowing on smoldering coals to stoke a flame was maddening, she couldn't wrap her head around what those sensations even meant.
Kara rested her head on the cool surface of her desk, the memories bringing a flush of heat high on her cheeks. That man made her experience such a vast spectrum of emotions in such a short period that her head spun. She couldn't differentiate between any of them. Was she aroused or furious? Was she longing for him, or longing to be rid of him? Did she want to kiss him or kill him?
The com chime provided a much needed respite from her rampant thoughts. Her navigator, Scotts, updated her, "Cap'n, we've reached the nebulous cloud layer. Switchin' to minimum power and raising shields to maximum. We headin' home, or goin' to Command?"
Kara's orders were to return immediately to Dessorosa, but being holed up on the ship for a tad less than two months was killer. He could wait a few more days while she let out the dogs, "Home, Scotts. The air is staler then your mother's bread and the cabin fever is spreading like the plague."
There was a smattering of chuckles in the bridge before Scotts replied, "Be careful, she might invite you over for dinner one of these days, Cap'n."
"Only if you keep lying to her about who's keepin your bunk warm," Kara grinned.
"Poor woman couldn't take the truth," Scotts' said sadly.
"I hope you have a good adoption agency on call if she starts asking for grandkids, I don't got nine months to play the pregnant wife, especially without the fun to make 'em,"
"We could always give it a shot, now can't we?" Scotts' said wryly.
"I don't think Hunter will be too fond of me turning you back to the straight and narrow, I pay him too much as it is. He wouldn't stop bitching until I gave him another raise," Kara bemoaned.
"That's all our kids are worth to you?" he asked in mock outrage.
"Little Sally and her brother Herold wouldn't be able to see mommy and daddy too often, now would they dear? The divorce would get messy, as my ships worth more than your life, and why would I give you half of anything seeing how most of your stuff is mine anyway?" Kara pointed out, contractually she owned everyone on her ship from the moment they boarded to the moment they departed.
Another chime chirped before Hunter's voice joined the open relay, "Scotts, focus on not getting us killed in the static clouds please. Cap'n is right, she's stingy enough as it is, I'd hate to be forced to put a price on your life."
"How much would I be worth to you?" Scotts asked dangerously.
Hunter was quiet, and Kara laughed, "About half a credit if you fuck up my ship, Scotts!"
"Aye, Cap'n!" Scotts' barked in a faux-military fashion.
Kara closed out the call and settled back into her chair. She pondered the best course of action when it came to Kyle. Dessorosa couldn't claim custody of him because of their deal, but the Brass would be more than eager to fight her for the custody of the man. They wouldn't be above claiming galactic security and whisk him away to a black site.
She would have to play this game a bit more cautiously than she usually did because despite her private contractor status, she still operated within Coalition government laws and was one of its citizens. She would have to call her contact in the Brass and have him help her navigate the situation.
She tapped a ponderous rhythm on her desk before she buzzed Nico, "Doc, we should be back home in a few hours, have you started to wake up Kyle yet?"
"Yes, Cap'n. The process should take around half a day for him to fully regain his faculties." Nico's stern professionalism rang clear through the com interface.
"Can you keep him out for just a bit longer?" Kara asked slowly.
"It isn't a question on could I, but will I. We made a deal, Kara. We promised we would wake him up once we returned back to Elysium. What justification do we have?" Nico said indignantly. The one thing they didn't have in common was a sharp sense of ethics and duty.
"Before you trample me with that high horse of yours, I believe it is for his best interests. I think we should keep him asleep and transfer him to the base. I'm giving everyone shore leave for at least a month while I get this mess sorted out," Kara explained conciliatorily.