Aliens: A Hunter's Wife | Ch. 01

"Sera." I greet a woman bathed in the light of the transmission table. "How's the drill looking?"

Sera Hernandez turns completely in her operating chair to look back at me, a big smile showing offer her sterling teeth and satisfaction. "Turns out the initial survey underestimated the mineral richness of this area by a landslide. The company is going to be stoked!"

"I assume LASSY will be headed back with some samples for the spooks down in brown bay?"

"If I can pick where to dig first, yeah. Would take a whole mountain of this dirt if I could--but we wouldn't need to be hauling all this mining equipment if it were that easy." Sera sighs. "I've been sitting here training for how many years and all for this moment. Now, my job is just ending and your job is just beginning."

"If only that were true! I've been managing the operations of every project on this ship since we launched. The next part will be busy, yes, but it will be over with quicker."

"You know what, that gives me an idea. You have been working your ass off. I think we both deserve to celebrate a little. You know, before the "real men" are woken up and suddenly the last four years of work start meaning diddly squat."

I sighed. "Well, miners are worried about one thing--"

"Yeah, hauling dirt and counting nuet plutonium atoms." She and I shared a knowing laugh. "But I'm serious Grace, we spend too much time in this damned cockpit. I think as soon as I get LASSY up with samples we should head down to the commons and have a few drinks. Blow off a little steam, maybe... have a party?"

She'd been nursing this idea for a while. I considered the offer for a moment, and Sera's expectant honey brown eyes twinkled with mischief. She was a beautiful woman. She was now only just 26 having started the mission at 22, fresh out of college and she'd done an exceptional job thus far. She was an enterprising mineral researcher who'd decided just out of school that space travel was for her, and that doing mineral prospecting was as good a use of her education as anything else.

Having Sera around was also amazing for crew morale. She had a plump ass, and when she let down her long dark hair which curled into soft waves almost down the entirety of her back she looked devastatingly beautiful. It was difficult not to notice. I'd seen the look some of the researchers gave her, particularly Dr. Torrez, and they were inappropriate, but Sera didn't seem to mind much.

Sera was right, though. This would be the last chance we'd have to let loose before we both got in the landing gear with the cryo pods and the equipment and readied the ground for mineral extraction.

A smile crept across my face and I nodded. She pumped her fist in victory and turned back to her work with a little more vigor. She rose one hand up with a finger pointed back at me before sternly making her second demand.

"I better see you there, boss. t -- 4 hours."

I playfully saluted her. "Aye Aye, Captain."

"Now that is the kind of respect I deserve!"

Another crackling of laugher was shared before I waved her off and headed down to brown bay to ensure the researchers were ready for their payload. They would need to get the density samples analyzed by tomorrow for the landing, but they would need to get the equipment calibrating now if they wanted to be ready. This talk went quickly, like it usually did.

Dr. Torrez was in charge and he understood the value of pre-calibrations, especially when the entire operation was on a tight time table. It was something that not every researcher cared about. He was in his mid-40s and had been in this business his whole professional life. He was a slightly pudgy man, but attractive in an unusual way. He had warm eyes and an incisive personality that made him a popular person on the ship, and he seemed to enjoy the attention.

On the other hand, Dr. Smith and Dr. Hennway, his co-heads were both lettered men with limited experience in the mining field. And they were also much more difficult to work with.

Hennway was a short blonde man with a strong Irish accent and piercing gray eyes, though he seemed to take the world much too seriously. He never drank. Smith on the other hand was so blasé I often wondered where in the cosmos his mind was half the time. And his personality was distant and icy. He was Asian with fair features and an elegant way about him that made him a strangely alluring scientist, even if he wasn't interested in speaking much. But his mind was perfect for writing thorough reports on mineral compositions, so I couldn't complain about his introversion.

And though I hardly worked with the rest of the research team, mostly comprised of interns, they were generally pleasant men and women. Most were thrilled that they were lucky enough to be stationed on an earth like planet. Deep space missions like this were a long time commitment, and they weren't always easy. At least they wouldn't be stuck in exo-suits, using rebreathers to process oxygen and living in bio-engineered domes for the next decade.

I headed to the elevator to hit the next stop on my checklist. It was also my duty to ensure the platoon of mercenaries that had been hired to escort our mission were well prepared for tomorrow's landing, just in case the worst happened. They'd been slipped out of cryo a month earlier, to ensure everyone was physically fit and ready for service after the freeze.

No lifeforms too large or aggressive had been spotted on initial and secondary scans, but that didn't mean much. Some animals were repulsed by the smell and sounds of the drones sent to scan the surface. Especially ones with drills like LASSY.

They would have been scared off (until they weren't) and the big ones could cause trouble. There was a lot of dense plant life surface side, so the idea large predators could still be hiding wasn't out of the question. Animals with camouflage the cameras weren't calibrated for could also be lurking around the landing site, which was why it was better to be safe than sorry and hire an escort team.

Guns were almost as valuable as mining equipment, especially in the first few years of a project. And that's why keeping up a good reputation with the mercenaries was as important as talking to the doctors. It was difficult to know all the challenges a new planet would present when no one had ever stepped foot on it before, and people were much more willing to put their lives on the line for someone they liked.

Though I wouldn't be out there forever. Just staying with the team long enough to manage the establishment of the central dig sites before I'd head back up to the ship, the Deep Space Vessel or DSV, which we currently sailed the stars on. Then crewmembers like Sera, myself, and the rest of the flight crew would head back to earth in cryo with the first haul of minerals loaded. Enough to cover the investment of sending us out here, and each of us ready to start a new project without aging a decade.

This would be my second mission with TOUGH Co. Mining, and if it continued to go as well as it had been I'd be happy to sign up for a third. At 33, this was the longest mission I'd ever taken, but for the best company I'd ever worked with. If I did decide to do another, hopefully my next trip wouldn't take me so far out in the trenches of deep space. Though I'd been doing this since I was younger than Sera, with rougher less reputable institutions and I was tired of this work, in a lot of ways. Though if I didn't sign up again, I wasn't sure what I would do...

I made my way an empty LED lit hall, currently set to earth sun-yellow. The mercenaries lived on Green Bay when they weren't training in Gray, or sleeping in the commons, and that was where I would find Commander Garrison of the 42nd Garrison. The men of his family had been men of war and battle for as long as they could recount, a point of pride for the man.

I'd worked with him several times before, incidentally, on smaller roles ferrying ships to asteroids, instead of outer system planets. I took an elevator up to green bay, the whirring of the ships electronics a relaxing hum and ran right into the Commander as I stepped out.

"Captain." His voice is deep, startlingly so, and has a slight purr. "I was just thinking about you."

I clear my throat, trying to hide how he'd just startled me. Captain was my title, but in a corporate sense. As emissary of our investor's interests, I was captain of this mission and not of the space ship itself. TOUGH had odd naming conventions for their leadership. I never really got used to it.

"Well, I came to check on your team's preparations for tomorrow's landing."

"Everything is under control. You shouldn't worry your pretty little head a bit." Above everything though, at least with me, the Commander was always a ruthless flirt. I sighed, he continued. "I was actually thinking we need to all let off a little steam, you know, before the business gets really up and started. It'll get my crew pumped for tomorrow. It's going to be a long next few weeks after all."

"Ms. Hernandez and I plan on having a few celebratory drinks in the commons in t -- 4." I checked my watch, "Well, t - 2.5 by now. You're all welcome to join us." I say it before I can think better of myself.

He smirks. Surname Garrison, first name Tod, is an attractive man. He looked like a mercenary should, well-muscled and fit.

His hair was already salt and peppered, though he'd only just past 40, and it suited him. He was in casual gear, a thick nylon belt kept his pants high, but this chest was somewhat exposed by the tight white tank top he had on. He rose his arm and leaned against the wall, tilting his head as his chocolatey brown eyes give me a once over.

"Did you know you're my favorite company woman?"

"Please Commander, attempt to remain professional. I know it's hard for you."

He doesn't seem at all bothered. "This is what? Our fifth trip together and you still won't let me express my endless appreciation for a fine woman such as yourself making life in these steel boxes tolerable." He put a hand on his chest. "I'm wounded, Ms. Holst, really."

"You should save some of the suaveness for one the researchers looking for a little adventure--you don't have much of it left in you." He laughed, putting his hand down. I quickly added, "We have a lot of work to get done, there's hardly time for big distractions or worries outside the job at hand. You're not new at this. We have to stick to the schedule or the company will be hot on our asses. These kinds of trips aren't small investments after all."

"Have you ever thought about taking some time off, though. For yourself? There is more to life than ferrying ships from the edge of the galaxy and back, if you didn't know."

I rolled my eyes, "And what would I do if I wasn't babying mining vessels all my life?"

"If babying is what you're into I could offer a few suggestions. You know, between us I bet we have plenty of savings. Enough to buy a little spot of property on Earth or a colony, start our own little platoon--if you know what I mean. We might never have to work again if we're careful."

My face was burning red from shock at his brazen suggestion, but I can't say a word. His laugh echoes in his chest and he reaches out, running one of his rough calloused fingers across my jawline, almost making me shutter. Down the hall a voice calls out for him to get back to drill training and he straightens himself, ready to head back.

"Just think about it." He smirks again, eyes running up and down the curves of my body, landing steadily on my eyes. I look away first. Satisfied with how much he's teased me (for now) he stalks off and shouts down the hall, "Better work a sweat and hit the showers quick boys and girls! Tonight, we're having a party!"

Excited hollers sound off in response, before the drill sergeant part of him takes over and the training resumes.

The rest of my evening is spent with busy work. Checking cryo pods, speaking with engineers to ensure all landing equipment is functional and that the launch will be smooth. I double and triple check logs to ensure all equipment has been properly handled and that hopefully nothing will be damaged on the way into atmosphere.

There's not much more that can be done by the time about 4 hours have passed, I make my way to the ship commons where a venerable party awaits me. The soldiers much have spread the news and invited half the ship to come by the commons for a few drinks. It's loud already and will only get more so throughout the night. I find Sera near the bar, raising a large bottle over her head for a big toast. She points to me and gives another of those wide, enchanting smiles.

"And to the women who runs it all, without whom our entire ship would be less than the sum of its parts, Captain Grace Holst! TOUGH better thank their lucky stars they managed to snag her. She's the only one who could pull this crazy bunch together into a team!"

"Cheers!" Commander Garrison's voice boomed over the crowd and the rest cheered, taking big swigs of their drinks.

I made my way to her, shaking my head but smiling. "You are too much."

"No!" She's already slurring a little from downing her last shot. "You work too much! Captain, you barely take a second to breathe, pacing this ship like an old treadmill. At this rate, you'll burn a hole in our baby!"

I take the bottle from her hand and take a swig myself and grimace. The hotness of pure Vodka slip down my throat and made my chest feel like it's on fire. "The D.S.V. Rosemary is a fine ship; she can stand more than a little pacing. It's my job to check on everyone Sera, and it'll probably be your job if you stick around this field long enough."

"Not if I end up below deck with Dr. Nathan Torrez." She heavily enunciated each syllable of his name. "You know, brown bay gets some amazing views."

"Ha--you mean Torrez gets some amazing views."

Sera just shrugs, saying coyly, "Maybe, but you better jump on that military man in the corner before I throw my hat into that game too!"

"Now you're really telling jokes." I take another swing and shutter.

The night passes by in a blur after that.

Too much alcohol, too much body heat in the tight commons. My head feels light. Too much staring into pretty brown eyes, running my hands up a strong body, dancing to music that throbs in my ears.

I feel his lips on my neck, by body grinding against his. It's nearly a kiss, a tangible wanting that speaks to a future that could be if I could let myself be free enough, before my hand is pulled by my co-pilot and I'm dancing breast to breast with Sera, the world blurring.

Maybe it's not so bad to let off a little steam...