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#but this smacks of an AI scanning the emails
littlewatty · 7 years
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// as I said, 1 follower = 1 drabble. I’ve gotten 5 new followers since that last post, and this is the first drabble to go along with it! It’s also serving as a pick-me-up for the lovely @vorchagirl. Have fun ;) 
15. A Hope We Don’t Get Caught Kiss AO3 link
The Tempest was sitting in a quiet orbit around Kadara. According to the Pathfinder, it was quieter there. Scientifically speaking sound couldn’t travel in the vacuum of space so it wasn’t wrong, but there was also the fact that they got fewer requests when they were in orbit than when they are docked. It gave her time to take a nap in the Nomad without interruption - but no one was supposed to know she was in there. They all did at this point, but no one mentioned it, instead just let her sleep.
Quiet though space may be, not everything runs smoothly. Some of the scheduled scans were coming back with odd readings, something they’d seen before. But their weight readings had been normal before leaving the port. These numbers wouldn’t come from a worker’s exosuit being welded into the hull like the last time they had extra weight. “SAM, could you do a full scan of the Tempest’s systems, please? Check for any anomalies and establish the accuracy of this weight.”
No response.
“SAM?”
“Of course, Doctor Anwar. A moment, please.” The shipboard AI went quiet for a moment before his voice returned to the bridge. “All systems are functioning normally. Please disregard the mass discrepancy.”
Odd. But Suvi couldn’t well argue when Kallo reiterated the point, “I concur. Everything is running normally from over here.”
“Could you pass the report on to the Pathfinder? Just to be safe.”
“Of course.”
The file never reached the destination of the Pathfinder’s console. There was no new blip on her omnitool indicating the message, or buzz of SAM’s voice in her head telling her she had unread messages. Just the sweet silence and peace of the Nomad’s back seat; Kitt’s favorite place. It offered a sleep so deep that she missed the dinner bell.
When Kitt finally did wake up, her bones popped as she stretched her way back out, noting that there was noone to be seen. Vetra wasn’t at her station checking the Nomad’s system, Cora wasn’t checking their stock, Liam wasn’t lounging on his crates. Even Gil didn’t seem to be hovering just outside of Engineering.
“Where is everyone?” she asked over her omnitool comm.
“Dinner, sleepyhead. We’ll save you a bite, but you better hurry. Vetra’s hogging it all.”
“Hey! No Blast-O’s for you, Harper!”
Kitt laughed, hearing the banter in the background. Just like a little family. She started to head the direction of the galley when she heard something shift among their crate of supplies. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she didn’t have a gun to defend herself with. Kallo would scold her later but biotics were the only thing she had if someone or something was on board. Her hand and eyes glowed blue with anticipation.
A few steps towards the crates where she thought she heard the noise and Kitt stopped herself. What was she doing? This was stupid. Of course there was no one on the ship. SAM and Suvi were constantly monitoring the systems, and neither of them had said anything to her. Sure, she’d been sleeping for a few hours, but even then SAM would have badgered her about unread emails or something. Huffing at her own tense nerves, she turned and headed back towards the galley.
The press of a cold barrel against the back of her neck made her freeze. Bad situation. Bad, bad, bad. Kitt swallowed hard, running her options through her head and coming up empty. Whoever this was probably didn’t want her dead, or she would be already, but they might not need her alive or they wouldn’t be threatening her with a gun. Any sudden movements and they might well pull the trigger. SAM was her only hope - but he was stubbornly quiet.
“SA--” The pistol, she assumed it was, pressed harder into the back of her neck. So that didn’t work. And the AI still hadn’t responded. If he’d notified the crew, she’d have seen them by now. “Alright, alright. Not talking to the AI or the crew. So why don’t you just tell me what you want?”
The person’s breath tickled the back of her neck as they leaned in, sending chills down her spine. “You.”
“Reyes?!” Kitt spun on her toes, nearly smacking the smuggler when she saw that sleazy, confident smirk on his face. In his hand wasn’t a gun, but a military grade nutrition bar he’d likely stolen from one of her own crates.
“Were you expecting someone else?”
One quick shove to put him back against the crates was enough to shut him up. Her body quickly followed, pinning him there as her lips quickly found his, the force of the kiss pushing his head back into the boxes. A little too hard. “Ow, watch it, Ryder,” he laughed, reaching back to rub his head as she backed off.
“Shit, sorry!”
Reyes didn’t seem to mind the rough play, the smirk still playing on his lips as his hands held her close, keeping her from stepping too far off. “Eager, aren’t we?”
“Oh, shut up.” She swatted his arm, but let him pull her in tight, relishing the warmth he offered. “What are you even doing here?”
“Is it so hard to think that perhaps I wanted to see you?”
“And you managed to get on the Tempest without anyone seeing you?”
That made him laugh. “I am no novice. People are just as easy to move as cargo. Especially when that person is myself.”
“So you smuggled your way onto my ship?” He didn’t say no. Kitt groaned and rolled her eyes. “You’re horrible, you know that?” How he got there didn’t matter. What did matter was the fact that somehow he’d gotten himself onboard and everyone else was busy.
Reyes seemed to be of the same mindset, his expression softening as he traced her jaw with a finger, leaning in to capture her lips in a gentler kiss than before. The smell of Tartarus lingered on his clothes; the smoke, the sweat, the whiskey, all things she had grown to desire. It pulled her deeper into his embrace, letting it fill her head with memories and images of the bar, their quiet place, their safe haven. He took the breath straight from her lungs, fighting with her tongue for control, letting the aftertaste of his liquor of choice mingle between them.
The hissing of a door grabbed both of their attentions, but it was Reyes who acted faster, yanking the both of them back behind the crates into the shadows. Somehow this felt oddly familiar. Kitt was pressed firmly against his chest as they both glanced around the corner to watch Vetra enter the cargo hold. There was no indication that she knew either of them were there. All she did was mutter to herself as she entered her room, then exited with a box of Blast-O’s.
Almost getting caught by her own crew added a little extra thrill to their encounter. She yanked on his collar, grabbing a fist full of his hair as she pressed against him for another kiss, bumping the crates slightly. The muffled noise made Vetra pause on the far side of the cargobay, searching the room before she exited again. Kitt nibbled on his lower lip when they heard the door hiss open and closed again. They were alone.
“No one else knows you’re here, do they?” she purred, straightening his jacket playfully.
“Well…”
“SAM doesn’t count.”
“Then no. No one else knows, thanks to our mutual friend.” Of course he meant SAM. Somehow the AI had developed a soft spot for the smuggler, and always seemed eager to help the two of them see each other again. This wouldn’t be the last time. Kitt wouldn’t be one to waste this opportunity.
“SAM, do me a favor and lock the door to the galley for about ten minutes.”
“Of course, Pathfinder. What shall I tell the others if they wish to leave?”
Kitt threw her tank top over her head with a grin. “Just say Pathfinder’s orders. I’ve got business to take care of.”
That business, of course, was one Reyes Vidal.
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