Outpost 59 Ch. 03

Thanks to my editor J.Q.Hack.

This is dedicated to Winn. Just for your complete like of this story. Who knew someone would find it fun. SO thank you for reading.

MJ

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

I awoke with a start when the alarm I had set, rang briskly. Alerting me to the fact that I only would have a few moments to get ready and have something to eat before I needed to be at my post when the seven o'clock bell rang.

I dragged my tired body out of the soft bed and wearily got dressed in a dark blue body suit, similar to my green one. I pulled my hair into a strict chignon and applied a minimal amount of makeup. I wasn't in the mood to encourage Jamie at all. I was actually dreading having to report to him. Strapping on my belt and communicator, I rushed out the door to the dining hall. I grabbed a piece of toast and a cup of coffee before rushing again to the lift taking me to the fourth level. The door opened and I stepped out quickly. Bumping right into Jamie. I gave a muffled shriek as we collided, my chin hitting his shoulder and my coffee sloshing down the front of his pristine uniform.

I gasped and his arms went around me to stop my movement.

"Well good morning would have sufficed, sweet," he murmured in my ear, his breath tickling and making me shiver.

"I'm so sorry, sir," I muttered and tried to step back. His arms resisted my movement and he brushed my ear with his soft lips.

"No harm done, Claire, and you had best stop calling me sir," he warned, giving my neck a kiss. "Well, I had best go change, seeing as now I have this lovely brown stain. I will see you later. Helson is down in your office ready to show you the ropes and I think he has the last five months of accounting pulled for you." Jamie stepped back then moved around me to step into the lift, swatting my backside just before the doors closed.

I squeaked and whirled around to slap Jamie's face, but the doors had already shut, leaving me with the echo of his laugh. I stamped my foot and marched off to find Helson.

"Good morning Miss Jacobsin, how are you today?" Greeted Lieutenant Helson, looking up from the large pile of paperwork in front of a large communications screen.

"Good morning, Helson, I'm fine. Please don't tell me that pile is the list of accounting?"

"Afraid so, ma'am. We are quite busy here so there is always too much paperwork."

"I see. Well, show me how you communications system works and I will get started."

I spent the next hour learning how Outpost 59's system worked and figuring out the order of the files from accounting, surprised that they were in such good order. They were neatly compiled by date and the type of business that had been conducted. Soon I swiftly reviewed list after list of numbers, completely immersed in my work.

Jamie popped his head in at some point in the morning asking how it was going. I ignored him, but he didn't press the issue and I was relieved when he left without saying anything else.

I had a feeling I wasn't going to find the information that I needed to figure out who was dipping into the Outpost's treasury unless I went into the private files of the Colonel and other higher placed officers. But that wouldn't be easy. Most likely the personal files could only be accessed in the private quarters of anyone I suspected. Though the Outpost's system was secure, they had made it possible for someone to access their own files in their quarters. There was a mainframe, but passwords and security would be much harder to hack there. Quarters were a safer bet. More private. If I was able to hack into the programming files of the system, I might be able to route the information to a communicator in my room. But to have the chance to have the time to get into the system would not be accomplished with Helson and Jamie hovering and checking in on me every ten to twenty minutes. I would need a few hours of privacy, and I doubted I would get it while working.

So I bided my time and continued to search the files, hoping that it was just some clerical error, yet knowing it was not.

Around the noon hour, I called up Helson to bring me some files pertaining to a slight discrepancy with a certain week.

"I will send someone up with those files, ma'am," he replied over the speaker.

"Thank you, Helson." I clicked off the speaker, and went back to sifting through numbers when I heard a sound of someone arriving at the door. "Just set the files anywhere you like. I will find them." I said not looking up.

The paper was plopped on the desk and a rich voice spoke in turn. "Well, well, well. I never thought I would see you on this outpost, Claire."

I whirled around in my chair and stared agape at the gorgeous man that was leaning nonchalantly against the door jamb.

"Devon Witherton." I breathed the name out, my whole body tingling.

"And who else would it be?" Came the slightly mocking reply. I jumped up and flung my arms around Devon and clung tightly. "How you doing, babe?" he murmured

"I'm doing just fine," I whispered, breathing in the smell of just him.

Devon Witherton. My first lover. My first with a lot of things. The one man who had known more about me than anyone else. The first man I had ever fallen in love with. The first man to break my heart.

We had grown up together, going to the same school, our parents great friends, our lives a part of each other. During my senior year of highschool, Devon, one year older and an ensign in the Outland Army, came home on leave. It was then that we fell in love with each other. We had always been close, but when Devon had come home for Independence Day and the rest of the week, we spent every waking hour with each other. Two days before he had to leave, I gave him my innocence. After that, once I graduated, I decided I was interested in the Treasury Department and applied for their program in the city Devon was in. For two glorious years we were always together. Despite the fact that he was supposed to sleep on his base, most nights he was in my bed. I couldn't have been happier.

Then one day Devon had gotten the orders to appear at one of the outposts. Number 28, a base placed outside the Orion Nebula that was having a conflict with another base. Some dispute over space boundaries. At the time, it was a week long trip there. I was devastated and begged him not to go. He told me to not be silly as he needed to do his job. I became angry that he was putting his job before us, as I couldn't leave my job at the time. I told him not to come back if he left me.

I didn't see him for two years after that. Oh, he had come back to Earth only two months after leaving, but when he called to talk, I would have nothing to do with him. I held onto that grudge for two years, and it wasn't until my sister's wedding that we saw each other again. We patched our friendship, talked for hours, and came to the conclusion that we had made excellent lovers, but were too much alike to be living together.

And that was five years ago. Over the years Devon had been transferred all over the galaxy and local groups, and we didn't keep in contact much except for maybe a deep space holiday greeting. The last time I had seen him was about two years ago when he had been on Earth long enough to go home and visit his parents. I had been home at the same time.

"Glad to see me, are you?" Devon gave me one last squeeze and pulled back to look down at me with a smile on his lush lips.

"You have no idea. You look good, Dev." And he did, which was honestly nothing new. This guy could have been a god. He was tall, and lean, with this gorgeous blond hair that he now kept slightly long, the jagged edges brushing the collar of his uniform. His blue eyes were the color of the Mediterranean; a crystal blue that you could fall into. An angular face, aristocratic nose and jaw, eyebrows that were slashed across his brow; very English, which was what his ancestors were. He personified an English lord, and at times, he had the arrogance to go along with that. One of his faults had been that he thought that he was one of God's gift to women. But when one is a naive, young girl, this sexual creature had been such a wicked pleasure.

"Why thank you, Claire. You look delish as always, although," he brushed a stray curl off my brow, " you do seem a bit on the severe side. What is up with that?"

"Don't ask. I was attempting to avoid someone." When he opened his mouth to question further, I stopped him with a raised hand. "Not here. So how long have you been here? Last time we talked you were on the Pleiades base. And why in the world are you here?"

"I could ask you the same, except for the Pleiades part. But to answer you question, I have been here about six months, and the reason is due to the influx of trade with some of the other bases. More people are starting to come here so since I dealt well with the conflict during that thing on the Pleiades, Colonel McFadden, my commanding officer, requested I be transferred here. I guess the bigwigs in Washington were impressed as I have now been promoted to major." Dev pointed proudly to the bars printed on his uniform's right arm.

"Major?!" I shrieked while jumping forward to fling my arms around his neck again. "Congratulations. I bet your mom is thrilled."

"Oh, she was." Devon hugged me firmly again, and just as he was starting to let up, I heard a throat being cleared.

I looked over Dev's shoulder to see Jamie glaring at us, his face marred by the scowl, his hands clenched as if willing himself not to start swinging at anything.

"And what may I ask is going on here?" Jamie asked, his voice just above a growl.

I glared at Jamie, then proceeded to press a kiss to Devon's mouth before he could pull away.