Chapter 3
The Firefly made it back to Terra Station with no trouble and Ariana contacted Ryas and made arrangements to see him the next day. They spent most of the leave together and were able to spend some time with Terena and Gator too. Treanka had gone home to Soletia for a few weeks to visit her family before starting her assignment. Ariana was also able to arrange a short trip back to Oklahoma to visit with her family for a day.
On the last day of her leave, Ariana woke up still lying on her side with her arm draped over her love’s chest. She looked up at Ryas to see that he was still asleep. She let him sleep since as soon as he woke he would have to get ready and leave for his training mission.
She would have to leave as well to join Captain Camm on her mission as well. She wanted to wake him up and kiss him and finally tell him how much she loved him, but that could wait until they finished their missions. Both were expected to be uneventful and when they reunited they could transfer to a large ship and serve together.
Finally Ariana could not wait any longer and she kissed Ryas on his neck and he looked down at her and said “That is the best alarm I have ever awoken to.”
He pulled Ariana on top of his body and they shared a passionate kiss for several minutes. He reached down her short body and squeezed her small firm butt and said “I will miss you Ariana. I wish we had more time together.”
Ariana laid her head down on his shoulder and moved her hips slowly over his so he could feel her moisture and her passion. She spoke softly “We will talk about our future when we get back?”
Ryas turned and kissed her forehead and said “I promise we will. If you keep doing that with your hips I’ll never make it to the Casie on time.”
He sat up and she was on his lap and they kissed some more before he carried her to the shower. They let the hot water cover their bodies. Ryas washed Ariana’s body first paying special attention to her butt cheeks that he loved so much. When he was satisfied that she clean he handed her the soapy cloth.
Ariana reached up and slowly cleaned his broad shoulders and worked her way down his back. Then she moved around to his front and cleaned his lightly muscled chest and stomach. She then looked up and asked “Can I make you come one last time before we leave?”
Ryas did not say anything and instead lifted Ariana up and he slowly pushed his way inside her wet body. She wrapped her legs around him as he moved her back against the wall of the small shower stall. The hot water splashed over them as he continued his ever quickening movements. Ariana held him tight with her eyes tightly shut as she felt his loving motions. Finally he lost all control and he felt her contractions squeezing him as he came inside her.
Ryas slowly let Ariana down and they kissed once more. She said slyly “Hope you won’t be too late. Captain Camm is not expecting me for another hour.”
Ryas said “I will gladly accept the reprimand for the memories of our time together. I really will miss you. I will be waiting for you when you return.”
Ryas then dried off, got dressed and ran out the door. Ariana took her time and slowly got dressed and walked down to the docking area where the Firefly was moored. She walked through the airlock and went into the kitchen where Captain Camm was sitting drinking some coffee.
He said “Welcome back Pilot. How was your leave?”
Ariana said “Thank you Captain. It was very nice. I got to see my grandfather again and also spent some time with Ryas and our friends before he left for his training assignment. How was your leave? Did you get to play some golf at the new course you were telling me about?”
Camm smiled and showed the huge dimples that gave him his nickname and said “Indeed I did. It was great fun. I met with several of my old classmates too. I installed a simulation program for the Holocenter. I can show you all around and the different places my stray balls went.” Then he laughed heartily. Ariana laughed with him even though she barely knew anything about golf. The Captain’s laugh was so infectious that she could not help it.
Then he said “Fix yourself some coffee and breakfast and we will discuss our mission.”
Ariana returned with her coffee and cereal and Captain said “We will be escorting the colony transport USS Shreveport to a new planet. Our main duty will be to jump ahead of them each time and make sure that the area is clear for them to jump. Once the way is clear we will do our regular scans but it is unlikely that we would find anything since this route has been scanned many times in preparation for colonization. Do you have any questions?”
Ariana said “No sir. It seems like it will be a quiet mission.”
Camm said “I agree, but we will stay vigilant just in case. Finish your meal and meet me on the bridge and we will head out.”
As expected the trip out to the new colony planet was uneventful. During the regeneration cycle before their last FTL jump, Captain Camm came to visit Ariana in her room and said “Pilot, please join me in the kitchen, I have something to discuss.”
Ariana followed him to the kitchen and he said “Pilot, please sit down, I have some bad news.” They both sat at the table before Camm continued “I never know how to break these things, so I will just come out and say it. I have just received word in my dispatches that there has been an accident on the Casie. I know that is where your friend Ensign Ryas is stationed.”
Ariana was sitting quietly taking in the news until Camm said “There was an explosion in the engine compartment and all hands were lost.”
Ariana took a deep breath as tears started to stream down her face and finally came out with “What happened? He said it was a training exercise.”
Camm watched the tears for a moment and then broke the awkward silence by saying “Theoretically it is a secret, but fuck them. They were testing a new FTL drive that is supposed to reduce the regeneration time. Command does not yet have an explanation for the accident. That’s all I know right now.”
Ariana slowly asked “And they are sure he is dead?”
Camm said “Unfortunately, they are sure. All hands were lost.” Then he added “We have a little while before the next jump. Would you like to go for a walk with me on the Holocenter?”
Ariana looked over at her captain and said “Only if that’s an order.”
Camm cocked his head a bit and then said “Pilot, come with me to the Holocenter.”
They went back from the kitchen and each picked up a pair of remote sensors. As they entered Camm said “Start program Grand Canyon.”
The Holocenter was transformed into a desert with a deep chasm just to their left. Camm started talking and said “Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell you how to handle this situation. There probably is not anyone you know that would be worse at it. The one thing I do know is that no matter what you need to help you get through it, the Scouts can provide. I have been here longer than I care to admit, and I would not have it any other way. But, let’s just walk for a bit and enjoy the views.”
Ariana did not say anything for a long time and they just walked along the canyon until finally an alarm went off. Camm said “Let’s go to the bridge and see what that is. How are you feeling?”
Ariana said “Honestly, I’m awful, but better than I was. Thanks for not letting me go to my room and cry alone.”
Camm said “I am happy to walk with you any time, and if you need to talk I can listen and promise to give terrible advice.”
Ariana laughed a little and reached over to hug the big captain and said “I can’t believe you made me laugh.”
They got to the bridge and Camm said “Sorry about that. Let’s see what that alarm was about.”
They looked at the scans and saw that the alarm indicated a small rocky asteroid at the edge of the scans. Camm said “Pilot please note the location and trajectory of the asteroid and send it to the Shreveport.”
Ariana said “Yes sir.” After she completed the task she asked him “Can I lie down for a bit before the jump?”
Camm said “Yes. Please take some time. We will jump in about an hour. I will set the alarm to notify you.”
Ariana went back to her room and got her console out and saw that Captain Camm had forwarded several items about the accident on the Casie. Among the other messages she saw she had one from Treanka.
My dear friend Ariana,
I was so sad to hear about the accident on the Casie. I am not sure if you have the news yet but our friends Ryas, Terena and Gator have all died. I would have sent you a video message but I still can’t talk about it without crying. I know your mission is a long one, but I will look forward to spending time with you when you get back so we can talk about how wonderful our friends were.
Until then, with love
Treanka
Ariana’s face was wet with her own tears as she wrote her reply:
My dear friend Treanka,
It is so wonderful to see your words at this horrible time. My captain had told me about the disaster on the Casie. I did not know about Terena and Gator though. I am so sorry about the loss of your special friends. I am looking forward to seeing you when I return as well.
Until soon, with love
Ariana
Simon Wolfe Author 
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