Universe War (Mission Activated)

Playlist problems and personal history

"Alex can we see the playlist?" dozens of images flashed up on one of the many screens pictures of attractive humanoid females one after another. Slightly panicked Jasper stared at the images as if the women were about to attack him. One attractive woman who was standing right in front of him just might. Eliza advanced past him her jaw set. Jasper felt his face grow hot. How the hell had she known about this?

"Hey!" he protested. "Most of them are coworkers that's it!" It was true. Well mostly. Eliza turned arching a brow. "Really? Coworkers?"

He nodded.

"Well in that case where's my picture?" Jasper had no answer for that and so simply stared at her like a woodland creature in a beam of bright light.

"Yeah," she said, and it seemed to him that there was genuine emotion in her words, "that's what I thought." Jasper grasped her arm. "Eliza those girls mean nothing to me. Okay, I admit it, I took a few detours when I was younger, but so what?"

The sergeant pointed to one of the pictures. It was of a stunning young woman with dark skin and laughing eyes. "Your last 'detour' was one week ago."

Jasper was a superlative pilot. But even the best pilots didn't always bring their vessels in without taking damage. He knew when a ship was about to crash and likely burn. He was experiencing that realization at this moment and desperate to divert the course of his vessel of romance he turned up the charm full throttle.

"With you it's different. You know it. My heart is yours and nobody else's!"

Eliza was unmoved by his plea. "My heart will belong to the man who will have only my name on his playlist."

"That's what I'm saying! I'm that man!" Eliza smiled her face softening. The anger in her blue eyes was gone. But her words were no less devastating for being spoken gently. "Your illogic is adorable. You know you're quite the lady-killer," she admitted, and for a glorious second he thought the prize won. Her next words proved him wrong. "But how come you lose interest in a girl as soon as you win her heart?"

"Because I'm looking for the perfect woman."

She rolled her eyes. "Since I know who you really are you'd better just keep on looking!"

"That's not a crime!"

"Your crime is to be scared of commitment!"

Jasper laughed. "Me? Scared of commitment? With seven medals of honor?"

Eliza stopped. “Medals of honor aren’t for sticking with something day in and day out. They’re for moments of outstanding courage. Recklessness, maybe. Running in and saving the day and then getting out before you pay the price for that courage. You do running well, Eliza—into and out of things. That just might be all you know how to do. How old were you when your mom passed away? Six?”

A volley of unfamiliar emotions surged through Jasper. “Oh, please!” he said, his voice almost—almost—cold. “Spare me the pop psychology. This has nothing to do with my mom, okay?”

The day that he had received the news was permanently seared into his memory. He’d been Jasper Moon then, and his mother, Sarah, was a part of a diplomatic entourage visiting the Boulan-Bathor world. The giant, lumbering species was becoming increasingly hostile toward the idea of expanding Alpha Space Station, and Sarah had been aboard a diplomatic vessel when it had been bombed. Jasper’s world had been upended. He’d gone to live with his grandmother, while his father—He swallowed and licked his lips. “I was five, if you must know. Five years and three months, to be exact.”

There was no humor or playfulness in his response. Eliza’s face softened and she looked slightly guilty. She shifted her weight from one bare foot to the other.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sincerely. “I didn’t mean to dredge it all back up.”

Jasper gave her an awkward smile, and tucked those uncomfortable, unfamiliar emotions of vulnerability and old sorrow away deep inside, where they belonged.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I forgive you. In return for a kiss.”

Eliza smiled. He did, too. The flash of discomfort between them was gone, replaced by their congenially familiar, if fruitless, chase. She reached out a hand and touched his cheek gently, with affection, and a small electric thrill went through Jasper.

“We’re going to be late,” she reminded him, and turned to enter the Intruder’s bridge.

As with every other area of the vessel, the bridge was a study in blue lighting and black metal. Oval in shape, it was large enough to house a slightly sunken, two-person cockpit, a large table that provided a map of everything from a single street to the entire known galaxy, and two small, individual transports known as Sky Jets. The pair had spent countless hours here, working as a team, and it felt more like home than their quarters.

Jasper heaved a sigh and dutifully followed, feeling like a schoolboy who's just heard the bell announcing the end of recess. As he eased himself into his chair, he spoke to Alex, the ship's onboard computer.

"Hey, Alex," he said.

"Hello, Major, Sergeant," Alex replied, her voice warm and deep. "I trust you enjoyed your relaxation time?"

"We did, thanks," Eliza said.

"Yes," Jasper said, adding, "although it was a bit... frustrating."

"Was there something wrong with the environmental simulation?"

"It was fine," Jasper dodged, and changed the subject. "Have you entered the coordinates?"

"I did take that liberty, so you could both enjoy the beach a while longer."

"Aw, thanks," said Eliza.

"You are welcome, Sergeant," Alex replied politely. "We will be leaving exospace in thirty seconds."

The two agents buckled themselves into their harnesses. Jasper found his thoughts wandering from the beauty beside him, vivacious and most definitely human, to the luminous, languid, tragic beauty in his nightmare, who most definitely was not.

It had felt so real. The sense of peace, then the fear and horror. It didn't feel like an ordinary dream. Jasper made a decision. To Eliza, he offered, "You want to take us down?"

"Yes, sir," Eliza responded at once.

Jasper nodded to himself. "Alex," he asked the computer, "pull up my brain charts for the last ten minutes, please. I had a weird dream." Yeah... that doesn't begin to cover it.

"My pleasure."