3.3 Broken Wings

Tess wished she hadn't woken up the second did. She was surrounded by pitch black, and there was so much pain she had trouble for a moment identifying where it was coming from. Blinking, she shook her head a few times, trying to remember where she was. *The satflyer...we were on a planetary…* She sat up at the memory, and the sudden motion caused a wave of further pain to wash through her, making her almost vomit. *Leg...the pain is definitely coming from the leg.* After the Drake attack Tess' broken leg had been healing at a rapid rate, but the mind-altering pain indicated that her two week healing process had been for naught.

Careful not to move the damaged limb as much as possible, Tess adjusted her seat, trying to make out her surroundings, hoping that her eyes would adjust to the darkness soon. She could hear faint muffled noises, but no matter how she strained all she could see was blackness around her. For a heartstopping moment she wondered if she had lost her other eye...but no, the pain pulsing in her leg told her she wasn't numb, and her head felt just fine. *Disoriented or not, I'd notice the pain from a missing eye.*

Even in the haze of pain and the disorienting darkness, Tess recognized Julia's voice when she started scream, even though it was muffled.

"Oh my god, Tess? Tess! Where are you!"

"I'm here, I'm okay!" she tried to respond, but her mouth was so dry her voice came out somewhere between a croak and a cough. Sounds of metal and plasticine shifting echoed through whatever chamber she was trapped in, and a shaft of weak light broke in.

"Tess? Please god Tess can you hear me?" Tess could hear the others calling her now, but Julia's voice was frantic.

"I'm fine, I'm okay. I think I rebroke my leg but I'm alright."

"Oh thank god Tess, hang on we're going to dig you out."

It took the efforts of Julia, Marcus, and Preston to carefully remove pieces of rubble and broken walling from where Tess had been trapped. She barely recognized the twisted pieces of wreckage as the radar station. Alex stood a little ways off, clear of the junk, scanning the trees around them with a pistol in her hand.

"Alright," Preston spoke as the three of them set her down with care, "we're all safe at least, that's something to be thankful for."

"Thankful?" Julia's panic seemed undiminished, but Tess tried not to take it personally, "thankful? We've been planetside for two hours, and we're *stuck* planetside! You were at the briefing Preston, Terrans attack the ground team within the first handful of hours, and the ground team doesn't have a fucking satellite crash to broadcast their location! We didn't survive the crash, we just postponed our deaths!"

Tess reached up to take Julia by the arm, but Julia shook her off, jostling her leg in the process. Wincing and gritting her teeth hard, Tess spoke.

"We're not dead yet Julia. The calmer we can stay, the greater the chance we'll have to survive."

"That's fucking stupid," Julia spat, "the Terrans won't spare us because we're calm."

*Don't let it get to you,* Tess took a few deep breaths in the face of Julia's attitude, *she's not angry at you, she's lashing out due to stress.* Shaking her head and keeping the hurt from her face, she turned to the others.

"She is right on one count though. The crash is going to attract them; we need to get as far away from her as possible, as fast as possible."

"Agreed," Preston nodded, "Marcus and I have been salvaging what we can get from the wreckage, but I think it's time to make tracks."

"Did you find a crutch?"

"We found pieces. If your leg is rebroken one of us is going to have to carry you."

"I don't want to slow us down," Tess looked around her, but there was nothing in sight that would support her weight. Reluctantly she let Marcus lift her onto his back, not complaining when her leg was banged in the process.

Alex led the way, silently, followed by Marcus carrying Tess. Julia and Preston brought up the rear, carrying two heavy packs of supplies. The ground was uneven and rough, and every ten steps or so Marcus would stumble, sending Tess' leg cracking into his back, but she didn't voice her pain. Thick trees surrounded them, cutting down their visibility, and Tess tried to gauge how far away they would be able to see an attack coming. They had been hovering almost directly over the ground team, but their scanners hadn't picked up any Terran activity before they had crashed. If hostile forces had started moving as soon as the satflyer's scanners went down, they had about an hour from the crash before they could expect company.

"How long was I out?" Tess murmured quietly.

"Took about a half-hour to find you," Marcus grunted, hoisting her to a more stable position on his back.

"Supplies?"

"All the sleeping bags, three pistols, food and water for a few days, emergency flares, a tent. Not much."

*Not enough,* Tess interpreted his grim tone, *not unless rescue is right on our heels.*

***

They traveled in silence for an hour before they had to take a break, ears straining to listen for sounds of pursuit the whole time. Even with Preston, Julia, and Marcus carrying burdens, they had been able to keep up a jogging pace, and Tess silently thanked Captain Appet's required physical training routine. It had kept them ahead of their pursuers.

*For now.*

"We'll take a three minute break, then get moving again," Preston panted as the squaddies removed their loads and caught their breath.

"We should take it in shifts to keep track of time," Tess commented lightly, as Preston checked the time on his subdermal clock, the numbers lighting just under the skin of his wrist, "since we won't be able to charge them until we get back."

"We're not fucking getting back," Julia snapped, and Tess winced. She knew they were all thinking it, but she had been trying to keep spirits up.

"Look, Julia I understand alright? I'm just as scared as you are, and even less mobile." Julia crossed her arms and leaned back against a tree, but she wasn't interrupting so Tess continued, "but we can't just give up. If we're done, we're done, but I'm not just going to lie down and die, I'm going to fight for as long as I can."

Julia didn't respond, but she did seem a little calmer. Tess counted it as a win.

"We should get moving," Alex had been pacing around the area they rested in, peering into the trees. It was the first sentence Tess had heard her speak since they had crashed, and the tension in her voice was almost palpable. *I guess we're all displaying fear in our own way...*

"Take my pack Marcus," Julia said brusquely, "I'll take over."

Grateful as she was to Marcus for carrying her as far as he did, Tess was more comfortable as the group started moving again. Julia held her closely pressed against her back, and being able to bury her face in Julia's golden hair was somehow comforting to Tess.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the other girl's ear. Even though they hadn't talked about what they were, and had only slept together a handful of times, Tess liked to think of Julia as her secret girlfriend, and she tried not to do anything that would upset her. Some of her squadmates found Julia prickly or bitchy, but Tess could see through the act she put on. Julia's defensiveness was to hide how fragile she could be at times. Tess tried to keep that in mind as she spoke, "I'm sorry Julia but I just don't want to see us giving up here. Not when there's still a chance."

"It's fine," Julia's response was terse and tight, clearly not 'fine', but Tess didn't argue.

There was no incident for the rest of the day, moving at a fast pace through seemingly endless forest. The silence was oppressive, but none of the rookies dared speak too much. *If we're really going to die, it would be horrible if these were our last moments.* Tess thought glumly, *Silent. Afraid.*

"We should probably make camp before we lose too much light," she finally broke the silence.

"I was thinking the same thing," Preston agreed quietly, glancing up at the dimming sky. Marcus slung the pack from his back and began rummaging inside for the tent and supplies, while Alex and Preston started a slow patrol around the clearing that would become their makeshift camp.

Julia set Tess down near the closest tree and began fiddling with the sealing clasp on her pants.

"What are you doing?" Tess winced as Julia's motions nudged her leg.

"We have to do something about this," Julia replied shortly, carefully pulling Tess' pants down and off. The cool air felt good against her swollen leg, even though Tess noticed Marcus glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She leaned back as Julia wrapped her leg with sealant bandages that would harden overnight, and tried to ignore that she was sitting on the forest floor only wearing panties.

"You know I love you, right?" Julia said quietly. Tess looked at the other girl in surprise, but she was focusing very hard and avoiding her gaze.

"I...I mean, I suspected..." Tess stammered,

"Well now you know," Julia kept working, efficiently and quickly, "and I know I act like a bitch, and I don't want us to die without telling you how I feel." Tess felt her face grow red, even though this was not how she pictured this conversation happening.

"Julia, we're not going to die," she began, but Julia leaned forward and silenced her with a kiss.

"I love you," she whispered, and Tess didn't argue any further.

The tent was small, but it held the five of them. Julia set up the sleeping bags, attaching hers and Tess' together with a defiant look as if daring anyone to make a comment. No one did.

"We'll keep watch in shifts," Preston was slowly starting to take command of the group, but Tess didn't mind, "I'll take first watch, then Julia, Alex, Tess, Marcus."

"Tess shouldn't be taking a watch," Julia protested.

"Sitting still with a gun? It's about the only thing I *am* good for," Tess replied.

"We might as well conserve our energy," Julia sighed, "If the Terrans attack when we're asleep we'd probably be better off just dying without the moments of fear beforehand." Despite Julia's vote of encouragement, the squaddies crawled into their sleeping bags while Preston stepped outside to keep watch, a pistol in each hand.

***

Tess woke up suddenly to Julia crawling into the bag, her skin cold against Tess'.

"Sorry," Julia whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

"Why are you so cold? It was so warm earlier," Tess wrapped both arms around Julia, shivering as she tried to warm her.

"That's what I thought, hence the decision to stand watch in my sleep gear," Julia whispered, "but it really drops in temperature during the night." She nestled her head under Tess' chin. The action warmed Tess in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature, and she haltingly began running her fingers through the other girl's blonde hair.

"Mmm that feels nice," Julia's breath on Tess' collarbone was making it very hard to fall back to sleep.

"I can hear your heartbeat," Julia murmured, "it's pounding."

"How long is Alex standing guard before it's my shift?" Tess asked

"Enough time," Julia said, a smile in her voice. When Tess looked down questioningly the other girl's lips met hers, cold and firm.

Tess melted into the kiss, all stresses and worries forgotten for a time. Julia's mouth opened too eagerly, and Tess smiled through the kiss. She lifted a leg over the other girl, meaning to climb on top of her, but the action sent a burst of pain through her leg, and she winced, drawing a sudden sharp breath.

"Don't," Julia gently pushed her back down on her back, "just let me." Cold hands ran through her hair as the kiss resumed, Julia leaning over her and pressing her body against her side. Tess closed her eyes and relaxed, and Julia's kisses moved down her neck and over the loose shirt she wore. It was pleasant, the feeling of cold hands roaming up and down, caressing a clothed shoulder, sliding across an arm, lightly scratching against her bare stomach. Even so, Tess couldn't help but think of how much more she wanted.

As if reading her mind, Julia lifted Tess' shirt, pulling it up to her shoulders in one motion, then stripping it off when Tess rose. The younger girl's hair, faintly shining gold in the dim light of the tent, brushed back and forth across Tess' naked breasts, and the light touches made her nipples grow hard.

"I don't want you to think that I…" Julia started, her face showing more emotion than Tess could remember seeing before, "...I don't want you to think I don't care about you. I love you. I love you more than...more than I thought I could love someone."

"I love you too Julia," Tess murmured, reaching up and running a finger down the side of Julia's face, brushing a lock of long hair behind an ear. *I'd die for you,* she thought, but the other woman had bent down, kissing gently between her breasts, then lower on her stomach. Her gold hair disappeared beneath the edge of the sleeping bag, lips pressing lower and lower on Tess's stomach.

Tess glanced around the tent as the kisses reached the edge of her panties. The others were all sleeping soundly, most even facing away from them. If they were quiet, it would be alright to relax and enjoy themselves. Just as she made the decision, Julia slid a finger through the leg of her underwear, tugging it aside as if she couldn't wait to get at what was underneath. Tess bit her lip to keep from gasping when she felt the tip of a tongue flick across her lips, quick and fleeting.  Her fingers clutched at the sleeping bag while she waited for the flicking to continue...but it didn't. She could feel her pulse pounding in her own ears, and much more distracting, she could feel Julia's warm breath against the exact place it should be going. Tess ached and bit her lip harder, squirming her hips, and was suddenly rewarded with another lick, long and slow, starting at her mound and moving downward, swirling around her clit, ending just around her entrance.

Again the pause, and Tess almost whimpered, lifting her hips off the ground. Julia moved away, keeping her teasing mouth the exact same distance from Tess' aching pussy. From beneath the fabric Tess could swear she heard a faint chuckle, and in spite of the torment she grinned.

"Bad girl, have you no mercy?" She whispered. She tensed as she felt Julia lean in again.

"No. Mercy. At. All," Julia responded in a soft whisper, flicking her tongue against Tess' clit with every word. For long minutes they continued, Julia teasing, Tess hating and loving every second of it. Tess laid in glorious agony while Julia alternated between lying perfectly still, then suddenly licking, sucking, and flicking her tongue places Tess wished it would stay. She could feel an orgasm building inside of her, but every time it felt as if she was going to spill over into ecstasy, Julia would stop, and Tess would breath a shuddering sigh of mixed disappointment and pleasure. Her legs were shaking, ever so slightly, and she bit down on the edge of the sleeping bag to keep her ragged breathing from becoming too loud.

Finally, Julia had mercy. This time the assault was unrelenting, her long tongue swirling in patterns up and down, across Tess' sensitive clit and then back again. Tess prepared herself for the sudden stop, but instead Julia slid her tongue inside of her sex, moving the tip up and down. After twenty minutes of teasing, the feeling of Julia's tongue moving just inside her sex made Tess cum so hard that her head swam, so hard that she saw stars. Her pussy was on fire, her entire body was shaking, and the pleasure kept going, Julia kept licking, and every second Tess felt the other girl's tongue was like another mile of lust unravelling inside of her. Tess didn't even realize that her back was arched until she collapsed back onto the bed. Her leg throbbed achingly, but in the afterglow of the teasing orgasm she hardly cared. Julia was gently kissing her thighs and her mound, and it was incredibly soothing.

Tess was startled when the kisses continued on, the sensation dipping lower to brush against her outer lips. She would've stiffened again, but the bed was suddenly so soft, and the kisses felt so amazing that it was easier to simply lay back and enjoy them. Julia was more gentle with her tongue this time, slow and steady where before she had been quick and intense. It wasn't teasing, it was like a relaxation gone nuclear. The pleasure wasn't just sexual, it was as if every movement tickled in her core. It was as if Julia had kept the first orgasm from ever ending, sustaining it into a long note. More mellow but just as intense, when the second orgasm gripped Tess simply let it wash over her. Her muscles burnt, but to lay still as she felt it roil within her was the hottest thing Tess had ever felt in her life.

"Bad girl," she panted in a whisper, "you are a bad, evil, naughty girlfriend."

She felt her forgotten panties moved back, covering her hypersensitive sex. Julia's head popped up from beneath the sleeping bag, a half-grin on her face.

"We're girlfriends now?" Julia asked, her tone casual enough that Tess knew the answer was important. She mentally cursed.

"If...if you don't like it we don't have to be," she breathed, "whatever this is, I like it, I don't want to change it. You can ignore what I just said, I talk all clingy after an orgasm like that."

"Oh really?" Julia's fingers pressed suddenly against Tess' panties, probing through the drenched fabric at an area that still rang with sensation. Despite herself Tess gasped as Julia continued, "what if I like you talking like that? Should I keep being mean?"

"Oh God I don't know where you learned how to do this but I'll say anything you want," Tess whispered in an incoherent babble. Julia's hand slid beneath the hemline, and Tess spread her legs apart to let the other girl have access.

"Say it again," Julia whispered so softly that Tess could barely hear her, at the same time slipping a finger inside.

"O-oh you're my girlfriend you're my girlfriend," Tess whimpered, as Julia made small circling motions inside of her. After two orgasms, it felt as if the blonde girl's finger were made of sex and lightning; every motion sent an almost painful shock of gratification through her body.

"I think like that," Julia's face was close, her mouth was close, her chin dripping with Tess' juices. When they kissed Tess tasted the sweetness of her own fluids and could hardly bear to stop. Another finger joined the first, gently probing and stroking, and Tess threw her head back silently. Julia kissed her in the hollow of her neck, and Tess moaned.

"Oh Julia, Julia I'm yours, I belong to you," she breathed, and Julia looked up with the same evil half-grin. Her breath was warm and smelled like sex as she leaned in close and whispered in Tess' ear;

"Cum for me again, my love."

Tess would've orgasmed again even without the third finger that Julia slid inside of her. Her body was no longer in her control, bucking and shaking as Julia's fingers pushed deep within her, grinding against her g-spot, penetrating deep, stretching her sex.

It took a few dizzying, disorienting moments before the trembling aftershocks of the orgasm finally faded way, and Tess looked around to find Julia grabbing Tess' sleep pants from where they were sitting by the bed.

"These are loose. They'll be a little cold, but you can slip them on over your cast," she whispered.

"But what about you?" Tess panted, "you think I'll let you give me three orgasms like that and not return the favor?" Julia grinned and held up an arm. On her wrist, glowing faintly under the skin, the clock showed three minutes till the hour.

"Almost your shift," Julia said smugly, wiping Tess' cum off of her chin, "you'll have to owe me one."

***

The shift was boring, but time passed faster than it might have with the memory of her orgasms to keep Tess occupied. Even as she scanned the forest where Terrans could emerge, she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Although she knew the planet's moon would reflect light from its star, she didn't know quite how pretty the reflected light would make everything look; soft and blue and beautiful. Even in this dangerous and frightening place, it was strange how such little things, orgasms and reflected light, could leave her feeling almost...happy. Content, anyways. They had been on the surface for long after the supposed timespan of danger, and they'd managed to avoid the Terrans so far. Maybe they'd continue to avoid them until a rescue party was set down. At the very least, they had survived longer than any planetary ground team had before. Tess' mind drifted from topic to topic as her gaze slid across the treeline. *I'll have to give her four orgasms, next time,* she thought, idly running her thumb over the butt of the pistol she held, *make her in MY debt. Maybe I could buy a toy, I wonder if she'd like that?*

It wasn't quite a twig snapping, or a blur of motion, but Tess was suddenly sure she wasn't alone. She rose to her feet with a wince, mind racing, resting her weight on one leg. The forest remained still, and she wondered for a moment if she had imagined it...there was no sound or sight that would indicate the forest was any different than it had been a few moments ago. *What has me so rattled...* Tess tried to nail it down, even as she held her pistol at the ready. It took a brief rustle of wind through the leaves of the trees for her to connect her intuition to her reasoning; the quiet but steady drone of animal life that had been constant all night was hushed. No insects, no rustling from forest creatures, no call of birds. Tess was already turning to sound the alarm when she saw the figure emerge from the trees in front of her, a little ways off. Before she could yell, the figure raised both hands and spoke first.

"I shall not harm you."

The voice was surprisingly young, and female. Her accent was so thick and strange that Tess couldn't process her words for a moment, simply staring dumbfounded, pistol pointed at the girl's chest.

"I don't want to harm you," the girl repeated, taking another step, carefully and slowly. Tess was breathing hard, adrenaline pumping through her, but she wasn't sure what action she should take. If this girl was acting alone, shouting an alarm could alert others who weren't so friendly...but what if she wasn't acting alone? The thoughts pounded through her head as the girl took another step.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" Tess hissed, and the girl tilted her head questioningly, but still stepped forward, into the moonlight. Her hair was a shock of bright green, and the robes she wore were dark enough in color that she could've blended into the background of the forest simply by raising her hood. The thought made Tess uncomfortable; she wanted to glance around to see if there were others, but kept her eyes locked on the girl, who was looking at her questioningly.

"You speak," the girl said falteringly, "but you have strange words."

"I said don't come any closer! Stay away!"

Understanding bloomed on the girl's face, and she immediately stopped edging forward.

"I mean no harm," she said, "I am FRE."

The word was strange and unknown to Tess, but it seemed to echo inside of her skull, shaking her brain and forcing itself into her mind. She was sure she had never heard the word 'fre' before, but it settled and forced itself into meaning with a feeling that was sudden and unpleasant. *fre, friendly. Helpful. Harmless. Won't cause me pain.* the words were barely hers, even though they appeared in her mind. Tess blinked and shook her head.

"What was that? What did you just do?"

The girl was smiling, smiling in a knowledgeable way that made Tess' scalp prickle.

"I am simply SPE" *spe, speaking. Communicating, both verbally and non-verbally. Passing on information.*

Tears sprang into Tess' eyes. Hearing the words was like having a swarm of hornets in her brain, as if her very mind were being forcefully impregnated with information.

"Stop that! Stop talking like that, whatever you're doing, it bothers me!" Tess was beginning to panic, her ears were ringing. There was something wrong, something horrifying and unnatural about this girl with the green hair. *I should wake the others up…*

"This is how speech works," the girl replied, her stillness almost as disconcerting as her language, "it's not my fault that it bothers you EX" *ex, exiles. Outcasts. Cowards. Forsaken.*

It was too much, the words ringing in her head as if some spiteful ghost was screaming the definitions into her mind. She lifted her pistol and squeezed the trigger, the shot ringing out into the night and breaking the silence. The girl seemed to blur and lifted her arm, and Tess' pistol burst into green flames, scorching her hand before she could think to drop it.

"TERRANS!" She shrieked, turning to the tent, but suddenly and impossibly the girl was there, shoving her to the ground. The noises of her squadmates waking up came from the tent, but even as she watched Tess could see it was useless. She was surrounded by Terrans, robes swirling, different shades of green and purple and blue hair brushing against the tent's door as they rushed inside. Tess pulled herself to hands and feet, but a rain of green sparks slammed her back into the ground. The girl with green hair was standing over her, watching the tent. As if she felt Tess looking up at her, she glanced down to meet her gaze.

"Till we reach town, none of you will be HA," the girl said reassuringly. *ha, harmed. Caused physical hurt. No torture, no pain.*

"What happens when we reach the town?" Tess shook her head savagely to clear the buzzing information from her head.

The girl said nothing.

***

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