Meadows of Heaven (1/23)
Chapter 1
Jensen slid out of bed before the artificial lights came up, careful not to disturb Jeff who continued to snore into his pillow. He felt his way across the room with his bare feet, not wanting to make any noise over the gentle hum of the Mercury's artificial air recyclers. If he had had more time he'd have gone back to his own assigned quarters to make this call. Really, his entire pre-mission schedule had been ruined by Commander Morgan's insistence that he stay the night.
As he slid into the chair before the communications unit Jensen looked back towards the bed, able to see Jeff now in the ambient lighting from the screen. The older man looked relaxed in his sleep, not showing any of the restless energy he wore while awake. But Jensen knew better, he felt it when his ass hit the seat of the chair, still bruised from their training session the other night.
He ran his fingers over the touch pad, calling up a keyboard and requesting a connection off-ship, all the way back to Earth. Jensen waited while the permissions went through, tapping his fingers rapidly against the desk. The comm beeped and he winced, looking over at Jeff who rolled over and began to snuggle with Jensen's pillow. "Waiting for pickup" scrolled across the screen and he frowned.
Before he could get worried Jared's face appeared on screen, his eyes heavy-lidded and red-rimmed. "Jen?"
"Hey, did I wake you?" He hadn't calculated the time on Earth, but Jensen knew Jared would rather hear from him no matter the time.
"Between shifts." Jared rubbed his forehead. "Taking a nap in one of the storage closets."
Ah. "You're at the hospital then." Jensen couldn't have been more proud when Jared had decided to go to medical school. It made a kind of sense, after spending so much time himself in hospitals, Jared wanted to be on the other side for a change, helping those who were sick and lost, like he had been. It made Jensen's sacrifices all the more worthwhile.
"Yeah. Seems like I'm always here." He cleared his throat and the image shifted, Jensen guessed he was sitting up. It was so hard to tell with the fuzzy picture. "You're going on another mission then?"
Jensen sighed, flicking his gaze over to Jeff and then back. "Yeah, we're leaving today. Don't know how long I'll be out of contact for."
"Must be pretty far." Jared tapped his comm screen. "Based on the crappy 2D reception."
"I can't . . ."
"I know, I know, top secret Sex Corps stuff." Jared grinned at him. For the seven years Jensen had been in the field he'd had to lie to his little brother about his location, again and again. They'd made this pact, to always talk before Jensen left for his next assignment, in case he didn't come back. "Who's the dude who answered the comm before when I called?"
"Commander Morgan, he's in charge of the mission." Well, Jensen thought, that was partially true. Morgan may be in command of the whole reclamation project, finding the lost colonies cut off from the United Planets over three hundred years ago, but they had brought Jensen in for his expertise, and he'd been the one to guide Morgan, to train him for the mission to come.
"He's Space Corps," Jared pointed out the obvious. He was right, though; Jensen rarely worked with any other branch of the military, unless they had to transport him somewhere.
"They needed a consultant," he explained. It was true, actually. Morgan and his men had stumbled onto a planet whose inhabitants had structured their society entirely around dominant/submissive sexual roles. Of course, typical Space Corps grunts, they had fucked it up, unable to tell a submissive from a slave. After insulting one of the subs on planet 328, the queen had seized two members of the expedition, promising to release them only if Commander Morgan could prove himself a true master. Luckily Captain Devine had known enough to call in for a Sex Corps specialist.
"This isn't the mission you were telling me about though. The long term one." The screen flickered and Jared's picture faded to monochrome. Jensen had been on leave for a month, happy to spend the time with his brother before being shipped out on a mission expected to take a least a year, deep in the heart of the Confederation, the faction the UP had been at war with for as long as Jensen could remember.
"Postponed until after this one." Jensen didn't want to think about that one just yet. He'd just gotten into the mind set for this; he didn't need the thought of the other to distract him.
"And that's it right? You're done?" Jared asked.
It would mark the end of his second five-year tour, after the next mission. So unless he signed up again, Jensen was done with his obligations to the Corps. He nodded.
"That's when we'll schedule the wedding then."
Jensen laughed. "She said yes? What, did you ask her between shifts?"
"Asshole," Jared shot back. "And maybe I did. You coming home for good would be the best wedding present."
"Jared," he started, not quite sure what to say. Jensen could never predict how the next missions would go, if he would even be coming back alive. The lights started to come up, dim, slowly, imitating natural dawn. "I have to go. I'll call when I'm back on the ship."
Jared nodded. "Right. Be safe, bro."
"I try," Jensen said, before cutting the connection. He sat back, aware of eyes on him.
"Got your call out of the way then," Jeff said, his voice deep with sleep.
Jensen nodded, before standing and walking over to the regulation box he had set down near his duffel bag last night. "We have a full day ahead of us, and that's before we even land on 328. Do you mind if I shower here?" He asked while gathering up a black jumpsuit, so unlike his normal red uniform.
If they were an actual couple and not forced together for the sake of this mission, Jensen wouldn't have asked. He wouldn't have needed to. But in a few hours he'd be completely immersed in a submissive persona, pretending to belong to Jeff so Jeff could style himself a true master for the queen of 328. Asking permission would need to become second nature.
"Go ahead." Jeff tilted his head towards the facilities. "I'll start up the coffee. Like you said, we got a long day ahead of us."
***
Jeff hadn't woken up exactly how he'd planned when he asked Jensen to stay the night. They'd been fucking for the past four days, as Jensen rushed Jeff through his own training program in an attempt to polish Jeff into a competent looking dominant. But he wanted to wake up next to Jensen, slide his arm around his slim waist, rub his cock against those hard, muscled buttocks, his lips nibbling over the love bites he had left around Jensen's neck just the other night.
That night he'd had Jensen on his knees, wearing a black leather collar and completely at his mercy. Jeff, to his surprise, had liked it, liked how the dark collar looked against that pale, fragile skin, how Jensen had obeyed with nothing more than a 'yes, sir.' Yeah, that might have hit a kink Jeff hadn't known he had.
It hadn't been like that with Katie. He had never felt the need to make her submit. And although their lovemaking had always been passionate, sometimes rough, handcuffs and ropes had never made an appearance. Jeff pushed himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats before padding over to the kitchenette to start the coffee. He wondered if he'd ever wake up and not think about his dead wife. You'd think another naked body in his bed would have killed all such thoughts.
She'd only been gone for eighteen months. Not enough time for Jeff to forget, not even running around in the ass end of the galaxy, trying to hunt down the remnant of the colonies cut off from the UP three hundred years ago. And Jensen may be the naked body in his bed, but Jeff didn't have a relationship with the soldier, other than the one forced by this mission. He might have picked him up in a bar somewhere, if Jeff had had that choice. This, though, this was something else.
Jensen came out of the shower just as the coffee finished dripping into the standard issue pot. His damp hair curled slightly, and his face looked pink and freshly scrubbed. The black duty uniform suited him, the lack of color only made his green eyes stand out all the more. Jeff frowned, wondering about those eyes and what trouble they might cause once down on the planet.
"I figure I'll go check that the supplies are all packed on the shuttle," Jensen said, taking the mug Jeff pouring for him. "That way you don't have to worry about rushing your meeting with the captain."
Jeff nodded. He had grown accustomed to letting Jensen take care of the details for this mission. They worked well as a team, and thank the stars for that, the lives of two men depended on it. "Good idea. I'll see you in the shuttle bay for takeoff then."
Jensen winked and threw him a sloppy salute. Jeff couldn't resist swatting him on the ass before the younger man left. Well, he thought with a grin, that was one way to maintain discipline.
***
The Mercury was unlike any starship Jensen had traveled on, built larger and for long-term exploration instead of war. He had spent most of his career on ships with dark hallways, bunks crammed into small spaces with rows of soldiers berthed on walls in order to make room for weapons technology. Of course, he never served on such ships, often he was just there for the ride, shuffled from one assignment to another. Jensen definitely approved of the brighter atmosphere of the Mercury. In a perfect universe, all ships would be like this one.
He stepped out of the lift for the shuttle bay, nearly colliding with one of the supply carts being driven along the deck. Soldiers streamed everywhere, carrying crates, double checking specs, all getting the shuttle ready for the return to 328. Jensen ducked through the confusion, intent on checking what actually had been loaded onto the shuttle.
"What, did Morgan let you off your leash?"
Jensen closed his eyes at the grating voice; he shouldn't have been surprised. He'd known Lieutenant Justin Hartley had been assigned to the reclamation project, even if Jensen had convinced Morgan to keep Hartley off the roster for the return journey. The two of them had history, and Hartley had made no secret of his dislike for Jensen.
"Don't you have some stock boy duties to attend to?" Jensen shot back, never one to back down when challenged. That tendency had led to more than one black eye, although not always his own. He turned to face Hartley, who stood with his arms crossed beside one of the supply carts, leaning against the smooth plastic.
Hartley snorted at Jensen's words. "I know damn well you made sure I wasn't setting foot on planet."
"Whatever you tell yourself, Lieutenant," Jensen said, wanting to go on his way, but not willing to turn his back on a rival.
"Thanks for that, by the way." Hartley smirked. "Sure as hell ain't risking my ass down there. But I wouldn't have to worry about that anyway, you giving yours away for free."
Jensen winced, unable to help himself. He opened his mouth to respond in kind, but never got the chance before Corporal Maggie Gyllenhaal pushed a crate between them.
"Lieutenant," she said, nodding at both of them. "I brought some of my tools, I hope there's room in the hold?"
"I'll take care of that, Corporal," Hartley said, grabbing her crate and adding it to his cart.
She waited until he'd gone out of hearing range before saying softly, "Is it always like that, for you?"
Jensen scratched at the back of his head, not wanting to frighten her. Gyllenhaal's brother had been tapped for the Sex Corps, and she'd asked Jensen for some advice to help the kid make his choice. He'd be doing her a disservice to lie. "Hartley and I have history," he said finally, not really answering her.
Maggie tilted her head, giving him a shrewd look. "I wouldn't be surprised," she said, ignoring his answer. "There are plenty of assholes in the Corps."
He laughed. "I knew you were smart, Corporal."
***
Jeff entered the captain's ready room; pack slung over one shoulder and tablet in one hand. Everything seemed ready to go, and he was prepared to tell the captain so. She stared out through the observation screen, which mimicked an ordinary window, showing a view of space and the planet they orbited. Jeff hoped he never got too used to the sight of the stars, or the way a planet looked, like a giant marble hovering in the middle of nothing.
"Captain Devine?" he asked, hesitant to interrupt her.
Loretta Devine turned around and gave him a small smile. This past week hadn't been easy on her either. Jeff might have been busy learning what he needed to fool the inhabitants of 328, but she had to sit and wait, knowing two good people had been left behind as hostages. "At ease, Commander."
He set down his pack and nodded. "We're all ready to go. Ackles is overseeing the shuttle, and my people are all on time."
"I didn't expect any less, Morgan." She approached the dark faux wood table. "I received orders from the admiral."
Why did those words fill him with dread? "Oh." He waited for her to continue.
"Rescuing Major Tappen and Dr. Johnson is your secondary objective, Commander. The senators want a deal brokered, a UP base on 328 and access to the alien technology."
Jeff wished he could say he was surprised. From the moment they stepped into the strange city with its automated trams and intelligent force fields, Jeff knew his superiors would want to get their hands on this tech. However, the technology hadn't been their priority at the time, his team too disturbed by the half-nude people in collars and on their knees. Dr. Johnson in particular had been especially vocal in his opposition to slavery.
After all, he said, wasn't that what they were fighting against, in the never-ending war against the Confederation? The Confeds relied on slave labor, and the UP would have none of that. It wasn't the only bone of contention between both factions, but Jeff had long given up caring about the minutia of the war. Those bastards had killed Katie and they could all burn for all he cared.
And maybe the tech on 328 could help with that, final victory over the Confederation. No, Jeff couldn't say he was surprised at all. "Am I given carte blanche to negotiate?" he asked.
"Nearly," Devine said, her shoulders sagging. "Run everything past me before you agree to any terms, however. That should keep you out of too much trouble."
"Understood," he said. He hefted his pack and waited for dismissal.
"Commander," Devine started. "Be careful down there. Watch out for Ackles. Ferris would have my hide if anything happened to him."
He threw her a smile, remembering his conversation with General Ferris and her bitten off order to take care of Jensen. "I'd offer her mine if I did let anything happen to the kid."
Devine let out a little laugh. "You say that now, Commander. Check in when you land. Dismissed."
"Sir!"
***
Jensen hadn't sat next to him in the shuttle and Jeff felt annoyed about that for about two seconds before he realized Jensen would be glued to his side every moment once they landed on 328 and probably needed the space. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten annoyed at all, but for Jensen sitting next to Corporal Maggie Gyllenhaal. She hadn't originally been part of his team, Jensen had asked for her to join the mission after befriending the young soldier. Her brother had enlisted and was asked to join the Sex Corps, and Jensen was probably the first Scut she had ever met.
Jeff eyed the rest of his team, wondering if the same was true for most of them. Scuts - Sex Corps sluts - were often the target of jokes around the Space Corps barracks. They served on their backs, or so the collective wisdom went. He wondered if he would need to give his 'respect Jensen as a fellow soldier' speech again, but Jeff knew his team, he'd only had to say something once for it to stick.
He looked them over now, the ones who'd been with him the first round on 328, Chikezie, Whitfield, and Brown who was piloting the shuttle. Jeff knew he could count on them. The civilians were the unknown here, officially part of the project, but under Dr. Lauren Cohen's command, not his. Of the twenty crew, he mentally picked out those he'd bring back to the city. Jensen, of course, Chikezie who was a medic, Dr. Barrese one of the diplomats Cohen had sent, Whitfield for some muscle and maybe Sampson to give the young Lieutenant some experience. He'd leave Brown in charge of the base camp.
"Twenty minutes to landing," Brown said. "Same location as the first time."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander." Jeff turned and buckled himself into his seat, standard procedure just in case the dampners failed upon impact. The landing, however, was smooth. Brown fired the thrusters at just the right moment and they settled on the ground with hardly an impact.
"Listen up people," Jeff said, before they could unbuckle and disembark. "Ackles, Chikezie, Barrese, Whitfield and Sampson, you're all with me. Brown take command of base camp. Set up the standard environmental sensors and probes. I will check in once we arrive at the city, and an hour after that. Remember, we have to play this carefully. We've got two good men in a hostage situation. No hot heads, all right?"
A chorus of "yessirs" answered him and Jeff nodded at them. "Step to it, then."
Brown opened the door and the crew began to disembark. Jensen came up to Jeff and said softly. "I'm going to get into role now. There's no telling how far their cameras can probe."
They had been able to see his base camp from the city last time, and Jeff didn't know if they could penetrate the shuttle's hull. "Right. You remember your signals."
Jensen flashed him a grin and held up his hands, going quickly through the motions they had agreed on beforehand, the only way Jensen would be able to communicate with Jeff if he had to be tied up and gagged. "Good boy," Jeff said.
"Speaking of that." Jensen reached into one of the many pockets on his uniform and pulled out a thin black strip, the collar they had played with before. Here, on 328, this meant so much more than mere play.
"Let me." Jeff took it from Jensen and placed his around his neck, doing the clasp carefully. Setting that line of black around Jensen's pale throat did something to him, and Jeff wanted to lean down and suck another line of hickies all down Jensen's neck. He refrained; here the collar would be enough to claim his ownership.
"Thank you, sir," Jensen said, his voice different, more submissive. So, Jeff thought, it begins.
He gathered his crew of five just outside the shuttle and they started hiking the two clicks to the city gate, through the forest of lush green plants and sandy soil. Jeff hadn't looked at the environmental reports, there hadn't been time for that, but he wondered at the tall trees, wondering of any of these had been brought from Earth those three hundred years ago.
They came through the forest into the clearing around the city and he heard Jensen gasp beside him as the tall golden spires suddenly came into view. Jeff grinned at him, pleased at the reaction. The vids they'd brought back hadn't done justice to the beauty of this place, nor how spectacularly it glistened in the sun, more like a mirage than anything real. It seemed to stretch on for forever, as far as the eye could see, tall towers and curved bridges. Jeff knew that the city sat overlooking the ocean, but it was so large they couldn't tell that from this approach.
"It's beautiful," Jensen whispered.
"Wait until you see the inside," Chikezie told him with a grin.
"Come on, let's get this over with." Jeff stalked up to the golden gate that kept them from entering. This time, however, the gate did not move at their approach, but stayed stubbornly shut. Jeff frowned at it, wondering how he could communicate with those inside. He had been invited to return, after all, once he could prove his mastery.
Beside him, Jensen reached out and touched the gate, pulling his hand back almost immediately once he made contact. "It's warm," he said, then trailed his fingers over the metal again, entranced by the feel.
As he spoke, the metal in front of them began to swirl and shift, forming into a screen. A man's face appeared. "Who approaches?" he demanded. Jeff didn't recognize this guard from the group that had welcomed them the first time around.
"I am Commander Jeff Morgan," he said. "Your queen invited me to return when I could prove myself." He jerked a fist towards Jensen. "I've brought my boy, if that's enough proof for you."
The guard didn't say anything and the screen blanked out for a good five minutes. Jeff raised his eyebrows at Jensen, not sure what that meant. And then the guard returned. "I have orders to only let you and your sub through. No one else."
Jeff had only a split second to make the decision. "Fine," he said, "but I need to make sure my people get back safely."
The guard nodded and the screen blanked again before swirling back into just another part of the gate.
"Commander," Whitfield protested. "You can't go in there alone."
"I won't be alone," Jeff said lightly, although he knew what Whitfield meant. "Head back to camp, and comm me when you get there." He looked over at Jensen. "You all right with this?"
Jensen nodded, but didn't speak. He did, however, give Jeff the hand signal that he was fine, so that had to be something.
"Commander," Chikezie began. Jeff turned his gaze on her, wondering what protest he would get next. Instead, she just said, "Bring Major Tappen and Dr. Johnson back safely."
"That's the plan, Lieutenant," he said. "Now get marching!" As they fell back into the woods, he pulled out his comm and contacted the Mercury to update Captain Devine. She wasn't happy, called him a damn fool, but told him to go ahead.
"Remember your mission directives, Commander." Her voice over the comm sounded tinny and far away. He wondered what the hell on this planet interfered with their communication like that. Signals from the ship should be coming in loud and clear.
Although the captain's reminder to him was damn clear. Everyone else thought he was here to rescue his men, but only Jeff knew the true purpose of his mission here. His stomach twisted at that thought, wishing he could have at least shared the secret with Jensen, who'd guessed part of it, actually, before they had ever stepped foot on 328. "Yes, sir," he told the Captain and signed off.
"Sir," Jensen said, catching his attention.
The gate began to peel open, sliding apart and rippling like the scales of a fish, the golden material really a myriad of sparkling colors. It opened far enough for a man to fit through, instead of the full welcome they had received during their first mission. Stars, Jeff thought, he must have fucked that up more than he'd imagined. "Let's go, follow me," he told Jensen.
And then they entered the city.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Epilogue