WSIM24B Ch. 06

A month later (most of it spent travelling in stasis, so that I only aged three days), Colonel Renfro and I were meeting in a nondescript office on a nondescript planet named Attica. He'd been briefed by his superior, or superiors (I never knew). Now it was time to brief me.

- "First - I've assigned you a partner for this mission. I'll explain why later. She should be arriving... just about now."

Sure enough, there was a sharp knock on the door. Renfro looked satisfied; not because he'd predicted it accurately, but because his expectation had been met. The man demanded punctuality.

"Come in."

I don't know who was more surprised - her, or me. She knew me as Trainee Thorn (never having met Sergeant Mayne). I knew her as Erika.

- "Welcome, Sergeant Nika." said Renfro. "This is your new partner, Sergeant Pilgrim."

We both had new names, so that no one would ever connect me with the WAFOTA case. I was Pilgrim now. No doubt Erika had equally good reason for having a new designation.

It was the same woman, though: moderately tall, with long, straight brown hair, and an athletic body that I'd gotten to know quite well. The woman, I mean. Well, I suppose I'd gotten to know both the woman and her wonderful body.

"I believe you've met before." said the Colonel.

- "During our training, Sir." she said.

- "Of course." Renfro was faking it. He knew pretty much everything about me, up to and including what my godmother had worn at my baptism. I assumed that he knew just as much about her - or she wouldn't have been here. He had us both sit down.

"I trust that you won't have any difficulty working together?"

- "No, Sir." we answered, just about simultaneously.

- "Good. Then let's begin. Open the files in front of you. Item #1 is a photo of Captain Teck. He's an ISEC operative, handled by a colleague of mine - a colleague that has... well, let's just say that they've been acting in an unorthodox manner. Several of their agents, and several of their latest operations, have gone unrecorded, and unsupervised."

- "Is that unusual, Sir?" I asked. I had a hard time picturing Renfro himself being accountable, or putting up with supervision.

- "Yes. Operations can be pursued with discretion, but they are always subject to examination afterwards. The identity of the subject is none of your business, at this point, but their superior - their handler, if you wish, recently retired. That has created what I suspect is a lapse in direct supervision, leading to... irregularities."

Erika - or Nika, now - didn't react. She hadn't looked my way once since we'd sat down. I was doing the same. Mostly. Alright, I'd snuck one look.

"My colleague's latest operations have attracted my attention. It's the third time he's employed Captain Teck and a small team - travelling aboard the same Halygon class ship."

That was odd. I wondered if Renfro had picked up on it himself, or if some diligent analyst or bean-counter had spotted it first.

"In the past year and a half, Captain Teck and his squad have travelled three times: each voyage lasted between 45 and 48 days."

That was even odder. "One way?" I asked.

- "Return." he said. "I expected that question. Here is a list of inhabited planets that are within 24 days of Attica."

Both Nika and I leaned forward to look. It was a surprisingly short list. There were only three planets on it. Neither of us commented. Colonel Renfro liked to do most of the talking, and he did not encourage idle remarks.

"You may also be interested to know that there is no record of Captain Teck and his team landing on any of those planets."

Halygon ships are built for long-distance travel, and to carry passengers or cargo. They're transports, not warships. They have no stealth capabilities, so they're easily detected in space, and even more easily when they break atmosphere - on a civilized planet, at any rate.

- "Collusion, Sir?" said Erika. Or Nika, rather - I had to get used to calling her that.

- "I've almost entirely ruled that out." he said. "Inquiries are ongoing, but I have good reason to believe that Captain Teck and his team did not land. Here's why."

The Colonel passed us a simple schedule of 5 departures and arrivals, in groups of five. Five ships departed on the same day, and returned at the same time. The length of the voyages was always the same: 45 to 48 days.

The Halygon ships were not always the same, nor were the points of departure, even though they were all in this sector. What immediately caught my eye, though, were the names of the passengers who had chartered the vessels. Several names occurred more than once, or even twice. Three names were on the list four times, and one appeared five times. Most of the names were preceded by their ranks; more than three quarters were Generals or Admirals.

- "It's the same with these ships." said Colonel Renfro. "No record of landing - anywhere."

- "Are these Generals and Admirals on active duty, Sir?" asked Nika.

- "Very good, Sergeant. No - they are all on the retired list."

Yeah, she figured it out first, but I would've got there soon enough. So a bunch of retired senior officers, by pure coincidence, decide to take a short trip together on a Halygon ship. They travel for a month and a half, going... nowhere. It wasn't just odd. It was decidedly weird.

- "A plot, Sir?" But how was Captain Teck involved? His three trips all coincided - exactly - with the last three groups of five.             

"I am investigating all of the names on that list." said the Colonel. "But with limited resources, that will take time. It's also a delicate matter. Admiral Colenso, for instance, was a member of the Chiefs of Staff. So was General Diab."

Yeah, those people weren't going to like having junior ISEC operatives prying into their business. They weren't likely to grant interviews, either.

"That's why I've pulled a few strings to have you assigned to Captain Teck's team. 'For additional training' was how I phrased it."

Clever. Colonel Renfro's ISEC colleague couldn't very well refuse, unless he wanted to reveal what Teck was up to. And the Captain would have no choice but to accept us.

"For the moment, Sergeant Pilgrim, I've added two notes to your file, both citing you for ICI."

- "Sir?"

ICI was short for 'Inappropriate Collegial Interaction', which covered everything from sexual harassment to fucking your boss.

- "Relax, Sergeant. It's only a cover, for when my colleague scans your dossier. Of course I'll remove the citations after this operation. Sergeant Nika, your citation was for Assault. You were also directed to take Anger Management Training."

- "Thank you, Sir."

So I was the pervert, while Nika was the violent one. Nice.

Given our respective appearances, Renfro was presenting me as the muscle. I was big, and built. My UC and AC scores from training were highlighted. The only references to my first two missions specified that I had served as a bodyguard. Nika could have been anything from a spy to an assassin. Brains, skills, or muscle.

- "Work as a team." he said. "You've done it before, and will probably have to on this mission. If you're at all successful, there'll be more than enough credit to go around."

- "Yes, Sir." we both said.

Outside the Colonel's office, we walked down the hall together. I smiled at her.

- "How have you been?"

- "I'm fine, Pilgrim."

- "It's good to see you again."

- "Thank you."

- "Are you... in a relationship? Or are you single?"

She stopped, and turned to face me.

- "You don't waste any time, do you? Are you seriously suggesting that we just pick up where we left off?"

- "Well... " I didn't know what to say. "Hoping...?"

- "Look: this could be dangerous. We don't know what they're up to. So we're going to play this one carefully. We start by pretending that we just met. Understand?"

- "If that's how you want it."

- "That's how I want it."

I really liked Erika. Nika. Hopefully I could change her mind.

***

We had a day and a half devoted to medical tests and light workouts. Colonel Renfro had us fitted with fresh implants that would last for ten years (they acted as contraceptives and prevented most infectious diseases, including the sexually transmitted ones). Then our locator implants were re-tested.

Nika remained strictly professional. She wasn't unfriendly, but she kept her distance - literally.

- "You know," I said, "this Captain is going to see our files. Being crabby and short-tempered will work for you, but it may look odd if I'm not actively perving on anyone."

- "There are two women on Teck's team." she pointed out.

- "Who may be ugly. Or not interested in yours truly."

- "When has that ever happened?" she said.

- "Sarcasm? Isn't that the lowest form of humour? Seriously, though - if I'm hitting on you, it gives me an excuse to be closer to you. Physically, I mean. And if you were to... I don't know - encourage me, a little, it would provide a cover in case we need to share information privately. I mean, it'll look pretty suspicious if you pretend to dislike me, and then we're off whispering in the corner."

- "I don't dislike you, Pilgrim. I just don't think it's a good idea to jump into bed with you. I want us both to concentrate on the job."

- "Understood."

- "That being said... your idea may not be all that bad."

We were ferried to an ISEC-operated hotel near the Attica dockyard, so that we could report to Captain Teck. He had unusually long hair, for a male, and a mustache and beard. Neither style was common; it was strange, for an ISEC officer, to make himself so obvious and so memorable - though I suppose he could cut the hair and shave his face at short notice, and transform his appearance.

Teck glanced at our transfer notices. He'd known for days now that we were coming.

- "Get settled." he said. "Room 705. Come to room 601 at 1900 hours." That was all he said before handing Nika a room key.

- "One room, Sir?" she asked.

- "That's right. I didn't know that anyone was being added to my team. The budget doesn't stretch to cover two more rooms. See you at 1900." Then he turned his back and walked away.

- "He sounds happy to see us." I muttered, once he was out of earshot.

At 1855, we were waiting outside Room 601. We knocked at 1859.

There were four people in the room with Captain Teck. He told them our names, and then briefly introduced them to us. Will was a big guy, tall as me and a little bit heavier. Faraz was shorter, but built like a block of concrete. He had no neck.

Tasha was tall, black-haired, and built much like Nika, though her face suggested that she could have gone into modelling as a sideline. Anna was shorter, but curvier. She was blonde and blue-eyed, with a pouty expression on her face.

She had really nice breasts, and a pair of tattoos just beneath her panty line, on opposite sides of her mound: one was of a scorpion, and the other consisted of three stars. How did I know these things? Well, I'd feasted on those exceptional tits, and saw the tattoos when I was fucking her in a parking garage towards the end of my ISEC training. Back then, I'd been known as Thorn, while she went by the name Abby.

Holy shit.

Ho-lee shit.

All four of Teck's crew greeted us as if we were complete strangers that they'd never be seeing again, rather than as fellow ISEC agents who would be working together on a mission. Tasha only nodded; Faraz just grunted. Abby - or Anna - just looked at me without a flicker of emotion.

The Captain suggested that we head down to the gym in the basement. Nika and I had only had a light supper. I'd been expecting dinner; you know, sharing a meal, as a form of team-building. Instead, Teck wanted to see us spar.

Fair enough. He wanted to see what we were capable of. Of course, he could have welcomed us, even if he didn't really mean it. Straight to fighting? Alright.

Teck matched me up with Will. I wasn't going to show too much; you don't put everything in the shop window. But I quickly realized that Will wasn't exactly pulling his punches. He also tried a dirty leg sweep that could've wrecked my knee.

He wasn't testing me: he was trying to hurt me, or possibly even injure me. I couldn't go along on their mission if I was in the hospital, could I?

I hadn't done much of anything, to that point, certainly not on offence. Defensively, I had concentrated on protecting myself, and absorbed a few blows - much harder blows than necessary. Enough of that.

He feinted with his left, and then threw a straight right at my chin. I moved my head aside, and then caught his wrist with both hands. I bore him to the ground. He had no choice but to go with me, or risk having me break his arm.

I caught Will by surprise. I turned the wrist lock into a rather painful arm bar before he was able to counter. Then he was truly stuck. He had no choice but to tap out.

He didn't like it, though, and delayed longer than he should have. I don't know if he was trying to show off his toughness, or gambling that I wouldn't injure him. I showed him the error of his ways by kneeling on his scrotum from behind. He tapped out.

I'd fought a lot of guys in AFOTA, and even more in ISEC training. Most were pretty cool about it, in a 'winner buys the beer' kind of way. Will, quite plainly, hadn't had that kind of experience. I had not made a friend just now.

Teck then matched Abby (or Anna) with Nika. The blonde had a weight advantage, but Nika had an edge in reach - and I'd seen her fight before. She was no slouch.

Anna wasn't bad; Nika was just better. After getting punched in the face, and then kicked in the chest, the blonde looked to her Captain.

- "Time!" he called. "Okay. You can fight. That's good. Enough for tonight. Breakfast at 0700, followed by orientation."

That was our introduction to Team Teck.

The two males were also staying on the 7th floor. They rode the elevator with us in complete silence. Will was still angry; he studiously avoided eye contact. Faraz just stared straight ahead. Unfortunately, their baleful presence meant that I couldn't warn Nika about Abby / Anna.

On our floor, the two men walked behind us. They were in the room next door.

Nika pretended to fumble with her door key, while she used her fingers to communicate with me in combat cant. It's a series of hand signals and simple gestures that come in handy (sorry!) when silence is essential.

Keep silent, she warned. I agreed; the room we were in was likely bugged.

Nika then dropped her card. We both dropped into a crouch to pick it up.

- "Video, too." she whispered.

Once inside the room, she let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "Not the warmest of welcomes, was it?"

- "What did you expect? They probably weren't too happy to have us foisted on them at the last minute."

- "Wasn't our fault!" she said. "They seemed to take it personally, too. That guy was hitting you pretty hard. Should I check you for bruises?" As she spoke, Nika ran her hand over my ass.

If I'd been carrying anything, I probably would've dropped it. But I managed to cover my surprise. Did she want me to play along? "Probably showing off for the women." I said.

- "Just so long as you weren't."

- "I only have eyes for you." I said.

- "You're so cheesy." she said. "And sweaty. So am I. I'm going to take a shower." Then Nika smiled at me. "Want to join me?"

- "You read my mind."

I'd seen Nika naked - on several occasions - but it was definitely a thrill to watch her casually disrobe and reveal her lean, toned, and deceptively powerful body. She could see me ogling her in the big mirror.

- "What are you waiting for?" she asked. Then, without turning around, she took her turn watching me undress. She gave me a little smile. Encouragement?

The shower was big enough for three people. There was plenty of room for us to maneuver. Nika was clever: the sound of the shower spray would cover our conversation, as long as we stayed close, and the hot water would quickly steam everything up.

She ducked her head under the water, wetting her hair. I grabbed the shower gel, and took over the pleasant task of lathering up her hair. I knew that she would enjoy a scalp massage.

- "You okay with this?" I asked.

- "Your idea was a good one. It just took me a while to see it."

I took the ends of her long hair in both hands, and pulled them away from her shoulders as I rubbed the shampoo into them. Then I leaned over to kiss the side of her neck.

- "Anna was in ISEC training with us." I whispered.

Nika raised her arm, sliding her hand behind my neck. "I know. We had a second 'name everybody in your platoon' test. She was there. I remember her. Not sure if she recognized me."

- "I'm pretty sure that she remembers me." I said. I may or not have had a slight grin on my face when I said this. As I told you before, I can be a bit of an asshole.

- "Really?" Nika knew exactly what I was implying. She didn't bother whispering. "Honestly, Pilgrim."

She did like having her hair shampooed, and my fingers gently digging into her scalp. I was surprised, though, when I felt her back up a bit, so that her taut little ass came into contact with my semi-rigid member.

- "Are you sure?" I asked her, again.

- "Have to make it look good." she said. "But it won't be a hardship for me, either. I haven't forgotten our study sessions..."

In that case... I reached around and soaped up her breast.

- "Sorry. But I think that we have other problems. Faraz and Tasha must be the big guns."

- "Agreed." Like me, she suspected that Captain Teck had refrained from letting his two best fighters wipe the floor with us. It would have been too suspicious to have both Nika and me injured and hospitalized in the same sparring session.

We exchanged a few more observations, but I was increasingly distracted by my efforts to wash all of the best parts of her body. Nika wasn't entirely inactive, either; She turned around so that she could soap me up, too - though she did seem to concentrate on one particular appendage.

With her facing me, I could now reach around and lather up her delectable buns. After a little while of that, though, Nika took charge.

- "Turn around." she said.

She put me with my back to the shower spray, which meant that precious little water was reaching her. But that was what she wanted. Nika dropped to one knee, and took my erection - now perfectly clean and fully engorged - into one hand. She covered the head with her mouth.

I'd fucked in the shower before, and found it less exciting than it sounds, because you have to be so careful not to slip - or to let your partner slip. A fall in the shower is no joke.

But a blowjob in the shower? With the warm water hitting my back, and Nika's warm mouth and tongue on my cock? I groaned aloud at the fantastic sensations. Now, Nika was not one of those women who go down on a guy and absolutely worship his member - that was more Lori's game. I still remembered her oral skills. But my present partner followed the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. She gave her best effort because she hoped that I would do the same. In fact, if she remembered me at all, she knew that I would.

It was a wonderful, unexpected treat, and I came much sooner than I would have liked - although that was probably a mercy for her knee. I took hold of her shoulders, and warned her that I was close... and then unleashed several powerful spurts into her mouth.

She could have let me shoot on her body, and then simply rinsed it off, but Nika went the distance. That was why I helped her to her feet, and kissed her on the mouth.