Rebecca sighed and buried her face into the sheets of her bed. A faint moan edged forth as she felt familiar hands kneading into her back. She was tense, impossibly so, though considering the circumstances of the day, that shouldn’t have been a totally shocking development.
“How are you feeling, hun?” Jasmine asked.
Rebecca cracked open an eye and looked up at her. “Stressed.”
“We could tell,” Leslie teased. “You two came in here looking like you’d just seen a ghost.”
Rebecca’s gaze went over to her and she offered a weak smile.
Leslie stood in her buff, stretching out the stiffness that had accumulated within her over the last hour or so. Her womanhood hung between her legs, limp from what they had just partook in.
Constantine was right about one thing.
When you crammed hundreds of young lesbians together into tight quarters a certain culture started to flourish amongst them. One of free love and casual commitments. After all, if a couple was supposed to man a Hoplite better, surely a polycule would provide the material of a highly functional squadron.
“What happened?” Jasmine asked.
Ashley sighed as she stood up. “Some drama planeside.”
She came up behind Leslie and wrapped her arms around her, pressing her naked body into her lover’s back. Her lips went for Leslie’s neck and she planted a hungry kiss upon it.
Leslie smiled at her, placing one of her hands over top of Ashley’s own.
“I don’t think we’re really allowed to talk about it, babe,” Rebecca said. “That stuff seemed pretty classified.”
“She never used the word ‘classified’ though,” Ashley offered.
Rebecca sighed. “Fair enough, not like we can get in any more trouble.”
Jasmine’s hands stopped kneading and she instead rolled off of Rebecca, falling to her side. Her bountiful hair spilled out in every direction and her smile managed to warm even the hopelessness that had started to nestle deep within Rebecca’s psyche.
“You two know that you can trust us with anything,” Jasmine quipped.
Ashley nodded. “Before we met up with the Bands, I got involved in a fight back on Thebes. Messed up a guy who was trying to screw us over for some survival goods. You know, price gouging, charging ten times the going rate for water and stuff.”
“So, an asshole?” Leslie asked.
Rebecca frowned.
The story was true but the way Ashley told it made her sound far more innocent than she really was. But she supposed it was an easy story to spin. After all, the others hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen the man’s blood covering Ashley’s knuckles. The crazed look of bloodlust in her eyes.
Though even merely thinking such things filled Rebecca with a deep guilt. Was she still really questioning her wife after all these months? That didn’t seem like the stuff that a healthy relationship was built out of.
“And well,” Ashley continued. “We had just gotten out of working in a field hospital when this happened. So, both of us were a little fried.”
“And the two of you lost your cool?” Jasmine asked.
Her gaze was on Rebecca, looking her in the eye. It was like she was trying to get access to her very soul as if that would help her better understand things.
Something about that look made Rebecca feel incredibly uneasy.
“So, I beat the shit out of him,” Ashley finished. “And finally, after all these months the cops are getting around to investigating it. Told Constantine that they want us shipped down to the planet for trial. Something about aggravated assault and theft.”
Leslie went silent for a moment and so did Jasmine. Rebecca immediately felt a tension settle within the room.
Did they feel fear for the women they loved? Or did they fear the women they loved?
She couldn’t honestly tell.
“Hera,” Leslie whispered. “So is she…”
Rebecca shook her head. “We were offered a choice. Either go down to Thebes and face trial or…” She sighed. “Or go on a mission that she’s been putting together.”
“Mission?” Jasmine asked.
“She wants us to scout the neighbouring system,” Rebecca replied, groaning. “Two Hoplites and a shuttle of saboteurs. Just to see what things are like on the other side.”
“Sounds like something pulled right out of a spy movie,” Jasmine teased.
She lifted an arm and draped it over Rebecca’s body, pulling her close. The motion was comforting and, in that moment, Rebecca really needed it.
“Sounds dangerous,” Leslie commented.
She drew away from Ashley and made her way over to their conjoined beds, sitting down upon the edge of them. With great care, she started to stroke Rebecca’s hair. The two-front assault of affection was desperately needed right now and was greatly appreciated.
“So, who are they sending you out there with?” Jasmine asked.
Ashley shrugged. “We have no idea. From the sound of it, Constantine was still looking for another crew to pilot the second Hoplite.”
Jasmine and Leslie looked at each other, seeming to connect on some subconscious level. They glanced at Rebecca and then Ashley before promptly nodding to one another.
“Is she taking volunteers?” Jasmine asked.
Ashley shrugged. “From the sound of it, she is.”
“Then how about we help you out,” Leslie offered. “Can’t have our favourite couple going off on their own after all.”
“You guys are still in training,” Rebecca commented.
Jasmine snorted. “And so are you two but that isn’t stopping Constantine from trying to feed you into the meat grinder.”
“We can’t do that to you guys,” Ashley said. “I’d hate myself if anything happened to you while we were out there.”
“And we’d hate ourselves if anything happened to you two because we didn’t go out there,” Jasmine replied.
Rebecca watched as Ashley’s face went through a few different emotions: disbelief, anger, confusion, and finally acceptance.
Ashley nodded to herself and sighed. “Only if you’re absolutely certain.”
Rebecca looked between them. “And no pressure.”
“Hey, we came here looking for action,” Leslie quipped.
“And if we could get away with actually taking the fight to the Anatolians,” Jasmine added. “Then I won’t complain.”
Constantine sat behind a sturdy wooden desk, typing away as the four members of the Bands entered.
This was Rebecca’s first time ever being in her office. It was actually surprisingly ornate for a military vessel. There were colourful walls and shelves littered with knick knacks and trinkets from better times. This was the furthest thing from spartan that Rebecca had ever seen aboard the Themiskyra and it felt deeply unnatural to see the Captain within it.
Hell, even the desk seemed strangely opulent for a spaceship as it was made from actual wood. It must’ve cost a fortune to get it up here in one piece.
“Glad you could join me,” Constantine said before looking up at them. “Though I am confused why you decided to bring guests.”
“We’d like to volunteer, ma’am,” Leslie said.
Constantine snorted. “The rumour mills really are leakier than the pipes around here.”
She continued to type away. The clatter of keys was the only sound that blunted the tension within the room.
Finally, she let out a small sigh and looked up at them.
“Sorry, I was sending a very strongly worded email to an assembly member down on Thebes,” Constantine explained. “He seemed to think that it’s appropriate to only partially supply our vessel in these trying times.”
She tented her fingers together and looked at both Jasmine and Leslie. “And how much classified information has been leaked to you.”
“That you want to see our…” Jasmine worked her jaw and searched for the right word before nodding. “That you wish to send our fellow Band members off to the neighbouring system.”
“Fellow Band members,” Constantine said, chuckling to herself. “A diplomatic way of discussing your specific relationship with the Agincourt-Reeds. But yes, I do wish to send them to our neighbouring system to get them out of my hair. I’m assuming they’ve already discussed their reasons for accepting this mission.”
“They have,” Leslie said.
“Surprised they were so forthcoming with that information,” Constantine grumbled. She then sighed. “But yes, I am looking for volunteers. Though I would remind you that you’re still in training for the next six months.”
“And so are the Agincourt-Reeds,” Jasmine replied. “If they are deemed fit for this mission then I see no reason that we should be denied.”
“How very noble of you,” Constantine joked. “Requesting that I bend the rules to save your polycule.” She leaned over the desk. “But I’d highly recommend that you retract your offer and allow me a chance to acquire a more seasoned crew.”
“Why acquire people when you have willing volunteers right here?” Leslie asked. “Surely that’s easier on you.”
Constantine blew a puff of air into her cheek and said nothing more as she returned to her email, opening one and scanning it.
“So be it,” she finally conceded. “But be aware that this mission is extremely risky.”
“A risk that we’re more than willing to take,” Jasmine added.
Constantine didn’t reply immediately as she typed away. A few seconds of silence turned into a full minute with nothing but the clattering of keys providing any acoustics. Eventually they faded away and tapered off as Constantine returned her gaze to them.
“Shall we commence with our briefing?” she asked.
All four members of the Bands nodded in unison.
“As I’ve already informed the Agincourt-Reeds,” Constantine began. “On the other side of the Thermopylae Warp Gate lies Victoria, another habitable planet that used to house a sizable settlement of humans before Earth and her Dominions got shattered during the invasion. It’s a little colder than Thebes but still had a population of close to half a million.”
Leslie and Jasmine remained silent, continuing to nod along politely. It was the only thing you could really do when a superior was briefing you.
“Obviously after shit hit the fan, we lost all contact with them,” Constantine explained. “But in recent years the colonial administration on Thebes has shown interest in sending missions out there to see if we can locate other humans outside of our solar system.”
“Makes sense,” Leslie said, flashing a smile. “The war would be a whole lot easier to fight if we knew others were still fighting it. Or at least, it might instill some hope in people.”
“Personally, I’m skeptical,” Constantine murmured. “If Earth was still out there, fighting the good fight, you think they’d try to get some sort of message through. But I’m also a woman who has a vested interest in keeping the government on Thebes happy.”
She typed something on her computer and the monitor behind her lit up. Like in the hanger, it showed off the planet of Victoria. It was a strange mixture of dark greens and whites that looked so foreign, yet majestic to Rebecca.
Another button press caused a series of dots to form upon it. Some of them were black and others were red. The black ones were rare and spread out while the red ones were far more numerous and concentrated together in a series of clusters upon the planet.
The map then focused in with a square upon a section of the planet that housed two black dots and three red dots.
“The black dots were human settlements at the time of the last census of population for the Dominions,” Constantine explained. “Red dots are what our spy satellites and drones believe are hostile installations upon the planet.”
“Any signs of life?” Ashley asked.
Constantine smirked. “Oh, there are plenty of signs of life. Unfortunately, without boots on the ground we can’t tell if those life forms are Human, Anatolian, or something else entirely. Sadly, there is only so much we can learn from several hundred kilometers above the surface.”
“So, is this mission just recon?” Rebecca asked.
Constantine nodded. “More or less, though, we are equipping the saboteur team with a whole lot of explosives and weaponry. So, if you spot any high value targets, don’t be afraid to earn yourselves some brownie points with me.” She looked directly at the Agincourt-Reeds. “After all, no one wants to see war heroes sent to the gallows.”
“What does a high value target even look like?” Jasmine asked, cocking a brow. “We haven’t really covered that in basic. At least, not yet.”
“That’s because our knowledge on the Anatolians is pretty spotty.” Constantine smirked and leaned a bit closer. “My personal rule of thumb would be to blow up anything that looks big and pricey. If you can take out a fuel station or dockyard than our lives would become, well… not better but not worse either.”
Jasmine looked towards Rebecca with an expression that said: ‘and what does a fuel station even look like?”
Rebecca’s only response was to shrug.
“And remember,” Constantine went on. “This moment is also about public relations. The people down on Thebes are pretty fucking furious about what happened to Athens and are looking for us to throw some mud into the enemy’s eyes.” She flashed a tight smile. “So, any dirt you can sling would be extremely appreciated.”
“Yes ma’am,” the four chanted in unison.
Ashley frowned. “How exactly are we getting through the warpgate without instantly getting slagged. I’m sure their side of the gate is just as heavily defended as ours.”
“That’s a very good question,” Constantine said. “The current strategy is to send out a diversion and then slip you through while they’re dealing with it.”
A couple keystrokes shifted the image on the monitor away from the planet and to that of a ship. It was about the same size as the Themiskyra but didn’t look as militarized, being far more elegant and rounded.
“When we were cut off from the rest of the Dominions,” Constantine said. “There were a few ships left behind in the drydocks around our planet. Except for the Themiskyra, the rest of them have been decommissioned and settled upon a nearby asteroid formation for storage. One of those vessels is the Olympus, a cruise ship.”
Leslie snorted. “What the hell is a cruise ship?”
“It’s uh…” Rebecca bit her lip. “I believe it’s a vessel that richer patrons used to fly on when they went between planets.”
“Sounds luxurious,” Ashley quipped.
“It was,” Constantine said, cutting in. “That’s why it’s now in drydock and we have no more planets to send it to. The point is, it’s the largest ship that we have in storage that still has a functional propulsion system. Our current plan is to stow your Hoplites, and the saboteur’s shuttle, onboard. Then we’ll send the whole thing through. Once you’re on the other side, the Anatolians will probably be too busy slagging the Olympus to even notice a few small ships slip free.”
“And our exit strategy?” Jasmine asked.
Constantine sighed. “Fly, and fly well. Your craft are designed to outmaneuver most of the weaponry on board those stations. Defense platforms are meant to ward off capital ships not fighters.”
“There’s really nothing you can give us?” Leslie asked.
Constantine shook her head. “When both sides of the gate were under our control, we used to have communication systems that could bridge sectors. But now that we don’t, we can’t hear a peep from you until you’ve made your way back into our system.”
Jasmine snorted but said nothing. Still the noise had gotten the attention of everyone else in the room as they looked towards her.
“Is there something you’d like to add to the conversation, pilot?” Constantine asked, tenting her fingers together.
Jasmine shook her head. “Just a shame that this is an all or nothing kind of mission. Like if we don’t make it back there’s nothing you gain from this.”
“That’s the hard truth,” Constantine replied. “This isn’t an easy objective by any stretch of the imagination. But the other hard truth is that we were caught with our pants down and hundreds of thousands of people died because of it. This is a long shot but we need to have some kind of intel about what we’re up against.”
“I understand that Captain,” Jasmine rebutted. “It's just a shitty situation to be in.”
“It is,” Constantine agreed. “And that’s why I sincerely thank you for volunteering to do this for us.”
She sighed and shook her head.
The conversation started to die, fading away as the four women studied their resolute leader.
Rebecca noticed the Captain’s age at this moment. It seemed like every strand of grey was on display, like every wrinkle was amplified. This was a woman who had given her all for the planet but it was also the face of a woman who knew she hadn’t done enough.
In a way, that broke Rebecca’s heart. Even if this woman was forcing her into a truly shitty situation.
Though she winced as she thought about that, glancing towards Ashley.
Ashley looked remarkably calm about all of this, not showing so much as a single ounce of emotion. It was strange, being unable to read one’s soulmate. Yet, Rebecca found it woefully hard to do so.
If anything, it wasn’t Constantine who was putting them in this situation. Or at least, it wasn’t her directly. This was a punishment for a crime.
“The least I can do is give you the best training and equipment I can think of,” Constantine said. “The mission is set to commence in two week’s time. As such, all classroom exercises will be cancelled for you and you’ll be given as much simulation time as you can possibly stand.”
She sighed and shook her head.
“I know I’m being a stone-cold bitch,” Constantine said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But we’re in a situation that requires me to be a stone-cold bitch.” She worked her jaw. “If those fuckers got one ship through, they can get another and another. How many would it take before any hope of resistance is extinguished? Three… four?”
She closed her eyes and massaged her temple.
“At least enjoy the rest of your day,” Constantine said. “I’ve cleared your schedules. Go back to your bunks and enjoy one another’s company.”
The four women nodded in unison and Constatine allowed herself a small smile.
“Glad some things about the Bands never change,” she said. “Warms my heart knowing that if you cram enough lesbians together, they’ll find a way to make things work.” She frowned and then motioned towards the door with her pen. “Anyways, you’re dismissed. I’ll be checking on you periodically to ensure things are progressing smoothly.”
With affairs concluded, she immediately returned to whatever document had been absorbing her attention, typing away at yet another email.
Rebecca moved towards the door with the others, stepping out of the Captain’s quarters as the automatic doors liberated them.
“So, a whole evening to ourselves,” Leslie teased. “Do you two want to spend it with us?”
Ashley smirked. “I’m game.”
Rebecca offered a smile as well. She nodded but didn’t really say anything.
Jasmine cocked a brow at the lack of response but didn’t comment. She really was too astute for her own good.
“Actually,” Ashley started. “How about you two go ahead, I need to talk to Rebecca about something.”
Jasmine looked like she was about to interject but Leslie placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Sure thing, hun,” Leslie said, winking at her. “We’ll see you tonight.”
The two of them drifted away, heading towards the cart berth nearest to the Captain’s quarters. This left Rebecca alone with her wife.
That shouldn’t have been an alarming situation to be in. It really shouldn’t have. But there was something about Ashley that just unnerved Rebecca nowadays.
“Is something the matter?” Rebecca asked.
Ashley leaned against the metal wall of the hallway. She was silent for a moment and looked at Rebecca as if sizing her up. Her jaw tensed and it was obvious that something was eating at her. Something deep, dark, and dire.
“Do I scare you?” Ashley asked.
Rebecca snorted. “Of course not.”
She hoped that she sounded believable.
Her wife did not seem convinced however. “Are you sure? Because you looked like you were about to shit brick during that briefing.”
“I mean we’re being sent on a suicide mission,” Rebecca said, letting out a tense note of laughter. “I think anyone would be a little worried about that.”
“And you spent a lot of time looking at me during that briefing,” Ashley added. “And honestly… things have been pretty weird between us these last few months. I can’t be the only one who noticed that, right?”
Rebecca swallowed the lump in her throat.
How could she even begin to explain the complex maelstrom of emotions that were swirling around within her grey matter?
Her wife had nearly killed a man. She had nearly killed a man in front of Rebecca. That wasn’t something that just went away.
Those emotions lingered and buried deep, pushing toxic roots into her heart.
“It has been a pretty stressful couple of months,” Rebecca said, biting her lip. “Like, I’m sorry babe, yeah things are a little weird between us. But that’s because things are pretty weird in general.”
“But like…” Ashley sighed. “It’s not something I’ve done, right?”
Yes.
Rebecca shook her head. “Of course not, babe. You’ve been the best wife that I could've asked for going through this.”
“Are you sure?” Ashley asked.
Rebecca nodded and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Ashley sighed. “Thank you, hun.” She groaned and placed a hand against her forehead. “Sorry, sorry, I really shouldn’t be doubting you. It’s just my brains been really fucked since Constantine dropped this on us.”
Well, Ashley wasn’t alone on that one.
Rebecca nodded. “Me too, but hey, at least we have each other, right?”
“At least we have each other,” Ashley agreed, allowing herself a thin smile. “Plus, we also have Leslie and Jasmine. They’re worth like five of us.”
“Glad someone is there to save our sorry asses,” Rebecca teased.
For a moment it almost felt like the bad thoughts were going away. It almost felt like things might return to some semblance of normal.
Almost… but not quite.
Just as the bad memories seemed ready to leave, the images of a broken body upon a bloody floor returned to her.
Rebecca visibly winced.
Though thankfully, Ashley had turned away, heading down the hall.
“I love you, babe,” she said.
Rebecca drew in a breath and forced a smile. “I love you too.”
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