Beloved Enemy

In the dark of her bunk Lieutenant Meagan An Flena was startled awake. Among the hushed noises, deep breathing and snores of the hundred sleeping bodies in the Hemingway's pilot's quarters, there'd been a sound unusual enough to disturb her much needed slumber. Opening her eyes, Mea waited for it to repeat.

There it was again. From a nearby sleeping cubicle came a sharp male gasp. Mea tensed, hoping it wouldn't be something she'd need to deal with. As senior pilot she'd have to interfere if there was a problem.

The gasp repeated, then was followed by a woman's moan, the sound mingling with masculine heavy breathing. A bunk began to creak in a rhythmic fashion.

A woman's voice whispered, "Oh, yes."

A man answered her just as quietly, "Yeah."

Mea relaxed back onto her pillow and allowed herself a smile. Just a pair of pilots bunking, and, from the sound of things, the act was consensual. No reason for her to get involved.

Nothing to see here, folks, nothing to hear--pay no attention to the couple behind the curtains!

The creaking sound increased, and ruefully Mea stared at the flimsy walls around her. Thin fabric partitions were all that separated the lovers from her quarters. The sounds grew and the bed noises picked up. Must be new recruits she decided, or it was their first time. For a moment she tried to guess who it was.

Anders and Alvenes? No, neither of them bunked close enough for her to hear them.

Shelton and one of her many admirers? Not likely--her bunk was two partitions further down and Shelton had perfected the art of silent passion.

Mea couldn't help her rueful grin. Whoeverit was would know better after the ribbing they'd take the next wake period from the rest of the pilots. In Earthforce, with its cramped and communal accommodations, you quickly learned how to share a bunk without making noise--or you stopped bunking, whichever seemed the best solution.

That was one of the reasons she'd quit. To the chagrin of her would-be lovers, Mea couldn't help making noise. After being shushed in the middle of an orgasm one too many times, she'd pushed her last bunk partner onto the floor and told him to take off.

Not that there had been that many partners in the first place. Short and with a tendency for plumpness, Mea just didn't fit the mold of military femme fatale, and she'd lost interest in the few males who'd looked in her direction.

A muffled male cry and the noises stopped. For a moment there was only slightly harder than normal breathing, then a low feminine chuckle. Soft murmurs began, intimate ones. Mea couldn't make out words, but the tone was unmistakable. It had been good for both of them.

Mea couldn't help a small surge of envy. Of all bunking behavior it was the post-sex closeness she missed the most. Unfortunately only a few of her former sex partners had been into cuddling, preferring to say "thanks" and return to their own beds as soon as possible. Another reason for the six months it had been since her last time alone with a man.

Or was it nine months now? She thought about it for a moment. Could it have been a year? Perhaps. It wasn't like she was keeping track. Truth was she had better things to do with her bunk time than have sex.

Stretching out, she tried to go back to sleep. Earthforce motto number one--rest while you can, you never knew when it would get interrupted....

And just then blaring sirens and flashing lights eliminated any possibility of further slumber. With a groan Mea hit the deck, trying to ignore the harsh voice sounding though the speakers in the low ceiling overhead--"Battlestations, battlestations. Pilots to your ships!"

Mea grabbed her clothes from the locker. No need to change the non-regulation skivvies that she'd slept in. These were fresh, donned just before climbing into bed.

Earthforce motto number two--you never knew when you were going to need to dress fast. She quickly pulled on her dark grey uniform pants and lighter grey shirt, and pushed her feet into the nearly-black boots.

Grey, grey, and more grey. Mea stifled a sigh over Earthforce's imposed wardrobe. Growing up in a Traveler enclave, she'd only worn bright colors for the first fifteen years of her life, and she missed them. When she got out of the military, she swore she'd never wear grey again.