Chapter Eighty-Six - Plans Best Made

Sometimes a discussion ended before it had truly ended. This was one of those moments.

Aurora insisted that regardless of what they did, being near Uranus was the first thing they should do. That meant preparing the Sappho for an immediate launch. That was, of course, easier said than done.

They needed permission from the dock, Pixie needed a special coupler ordered in order to be able to link her fighter to the Sappho while in motion, and they needed some travelling supplies for what would be a several day long trip across a good portion of the solar system.

Uranus wasn't next door, exactly. It happened to have an orbit that made it relatively close at the moment, but relative wasn't much. Of course, for a ship as small as the Sappho, Ivil could give it a little... boost, to get it moving along a little faster than it ought to. A ship that weighted far less than it should would find its thrust efficiency raised quite a bit.

Pixie ran off to get what she needed to connect her ship to the Sappho, Aurora started to argue with the docking authority while placing several very rushed calls to political figures, notably the representative for Uranus that they'd spoken to and whose name Ivil couldn't be bothered to remember, and Twenty-Six wandered the ship, wiping some things clean, checking fluid levels in other places, and generally making sure the ship was in perfect condition. Pepper and Sonic didn't have as much to do, though Pepper bowed out and slipped away. She said that MINT would want her to inform them that the Empress was about to start a category five kerfuffle.

"Are things going according to how you expected them to?" Sonic asked.

Ivil shifted the captain's seat left and right, the toe of one shoe touching the ground. "I suppose, a little. I am quite pleased with the candidates we have, I'm less pleased with the overall situation." She continued to shift from side to side. "Sonic, have you ever dated?"

Sonic paused for a moment, then she continued to clean off and store her tea-making equipment with janky, stuttering motions. Her cores were healing, Ivil noted. "I have, in the past. Not for very long. I had to make a choice between my career and love, and what I had, I realized, was little more than infatuation."

"Hmm," Ivil said. "What do you do once you're done with the first part of dating? After you're certain that you're going to be with someone? What's the next step?"

"I believe that depends on the couple."

"Make some assumptions," Ivil suggested.

Sonic paused again, then nodded. "From the top, then. For Miss Sterlingworth, officially dating will mean presenting yourself with her in public places and being folded into her schemes. It will involve a lot publicity and politics, but I think you'll find that life away from the limelight with her will be far more domestic. Simple things."

"I see," Ivil said. She liked the sound of that.

"With Miss Twenty-Six... I believe there might be a real trap there."

"A trap?" Ivil asked.

"Yes. Twenty-Six is inexperienced and might end up overly dependent on you. I don't think you want a... emotional limpet. She has a backbone now, but she's also very influenceable and easy to bend."

Ivil frowned. She kind of saw what Sonic meant, but she didn't exactly enjoy the implication. "Can you explain further?" she asked.

"She has no expectations about love. If you want nothing more than a simple domestic life, then she'll give you that, but she will never flourish. Her talents have been honed by difficulty and strife and danger. By coddling her and giving her all she needs, she will never live up to her own talent."

"Ah," Ivil said. "So, I have to challenge her?"

"No, you don't have to do anything of the sort. She needs to want to challenge herself," Sonic said. "Aurora has no such difficulty. Give her everything you have and she'll strive for more. Her issue is being pulled back from her ambitions. Twenty-Six has no ambition because ambition comes after you're done working hard to live." Sonic tilted her head a little. "At least, that's what I believe. I don't have a perfect read of the situation or the women in question."

"And the others?" Ivil asked.

"Missy seems to be out of the running. She... was not long-term material in any case. Maybe if all your Eminence wanted was a one-night stand. Miss Pixie is interesting. She straddles the line between Twenty-Six and Aurora well. She has ambitions that you could only tangentially assist with. She has a name and a reputation already, so she wouldn't be entirely dependent on you."

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"And she's small and cute," Ivil pointed out. Two important facts.

"Yes, I suppose so," Sonic agreed. She glanced up towards the bridge's entrance as a figure came to stand there. Twenty-Six. The young woman was fidgeting with her hands as she looked across the room to Ivil.

"Hey," she said.

"Hello?" Ivil replied.

"Do you mind if we talk?" she asked. "Um, privately?"

Sonic stood. "I was finished packing in any case. I need to place this in my room, so I'll leave you two to it. Good evening."

Ivil nodded her goodbye to Sonic, then gestured to one of the seats nearby for Twenty-Six. "What did you want to talk to me about? Is something wrong with the Sappho? If you didn't spot it before now, it's hardly your fault."

"Huh? Oh, no I doubt there's anything wrong with this ship that I didn't notice," she said. "What's wrong is... me."

"Twenty-Six?" Ivil asked.

She shifted an arm up, grabbing her own elbow as if trying to make herself look smaller. "I know who you are," she said.

"Okay," Ivil replied.

"Okay?" Twenty-Six asked.

"I'm known for many things. Being subtle isn't one of them," Ivil admitted with a shrug. "That does help when I try to be subtle, because my foes don't expect it, but it does also mean that I can't fault you for putting two and two together."

"Oh, okay," Twenty-Six said. "Well, uh. I'm me, and you're you."

"Entirely accurate, yes."

"No, I mean. Eva... Ivil. I'm just a girl that can do basic maintenance and can read a manual. You're... you. I... I deserve to maybe become someone working at a nicer station one day, doing repairs on cargo ships. You're the Empress." Twenty-Six took a deep, deep breath. "I think I'm going to go back to the Held Together. The captain's about to head out in a day or two, once we have clearance. There's some cheap cargo we can grab here and resell around Ceres for a good margin. We might even take on a passenger or two. And the captain has friends around Saturn. I might jump off when we make it there again. I think I have the hours worked and the experience to pull off a job at one of the nicer docks. Maybe I'll find someone there? Maybe... one day, it'll--"

Ivil stood and walked over.

Twenty-Six stuttered herself to a stop as Ivil stood very, very close. She could feel the younger woman's warmth, her escaping breath tickled her lips, and Ivil could look down and lose herself in Twenty-Six's teary eyes. "I wouldn't stop you," Ivil said.

"Oh."

It was a sound that meant nothing and everything. "I don't put others in cages, gilded or otherwise, because I wouldn't accept being placed in one myself," she said. She didn't need to speak up. A whisper was more than enough for Twenty-Six to hear every syllable. "But.... I've decided that I like you quite a bit. I don't think I've ever dealt with heartbreak before, but it wouldn't end me."

Ivil reached up. She'd touched Twenty-Six before. The girl was grabby, liked holding hands. But she'd never run her hand over Twenty-Six's hip before, or traced her fingers up the girl's side. Her fingertips felt like they were brushing against the surface of the sun.

Her hand rose, breaking the touch for just a moment before her hand reached back and touched Twenty-Six's neck.

Twenty-Six's eyes were locked on hers.

She grabbed the younger woman's chin between forefinger and thumb. "Before you run away, could I maybe tempt you to not?"

"Tempt me?" Twenty-Six whispered. Her voice broke.

Ivil smiled. "Just a little," she murmured before she leaned in.

As far as kisses went, it wasn't magical. Lips meeting, Twenty-Six's quick, surprised gasp--though why was she surprised at this point?--stealing the air from Ivil's mouth. It was warm, smooth and delicate. It wasn't chaste, but it wasn't the desperate, passionate kiss of lovers.

This was a promise of more, a signature at the bottom of a declaration of war, the first roar of artillery that announced the start of something spectacular.

Ivil stepped back, and Twenty-Six almost stumbled forwards as she thumped back down onto her heels. "If you want to go, then I'll never stop you. But if you want to stay... I think I'd like that, and I'm sure I can find a way to make you enjoy it too."

Ivil smiled--sad, a little upset, but understanding all the same--as she walked around Twenty-Six and slipped out of the bridge.

***