Love And War Bk. 02

Foreword:

Welcome to Book 2 of Love And War. This, like Book 1, is a romantic adventure set in the Star Trek universe and features characters from TNG and DS9, as well as original characters and ships. The story is not all about sex, but does have sex in it. Just fair warning. Enjoy! :)

I.D.

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Wings of Glory

Cobalt called the shots. "Bravo Flight, keep on the leader. Charlie, break off and help Stiletto with the battle raider. Alpha on me, let's scrap that war raider!"

The battle was dirty as mud. The Orions had opened with an attack on Enterprise herself, and Scorpion Squadron lost a full flight of 4 fighters defending her from the Orions' drones and suicide attacks. Nimitz took some serious damage when one of the Orions made it through and demolished the forward fighter bay.

Cobalt and Demoness pulled in behind the war raider with Gem and Ape behind them. "Full burst of phasers NOW!" He shouted to his flight, and all 4 Valkyries opened up. The war raider's port nacell exploded as they punched through the remainder of its shields. They pulled up and swung hard over for another pass. Gem caught a prox fused torpedo and went spinning off, finally ejecting from her ship before it blew.

"Gem's out and EV, Cobalt," called Ape over the comm.

"Is her transponder active?" Jason asked.

"Affirmative, Skull Lead." Ape replied.

"Good. Let's wrap this one up and get her home", he said. "Alpha, shoot to kill. Full spread photon missiles and phaser fire."

"Roger, lead. Two has your wing, baby," came Delaara's smokey voice. Jason grinned as his remaining ships opened up full on the war raider class cruiser, blasting it out of the stars.

"Lead, this is Bravo," came Rash's voice. "Orion battle marshal is down and out, sir! One battleship scrapped!" Jason could hear the grinning pride in his voice at his flight's work.

"That's my hubby!" came the voice of Rachael Thatcher, Captain of the USS Nimitz, over the comm.

"Outstanding work, you guys. Charlie, what's your status?" Jason asked.

"Charlie to lead, we have the battle raider venting atmo. Closing in to finish it off now," came Bounce's reply.

"Roger that, Bounce. We'll meander over that way to see if you need a ha.. nope. Nevermind. Great job, Charlie. Casualties, Skulls? Alpha has Gem in Extra Vehicular, so we need to grab her. Bravo? Charlie?"

"Bravo here, Lead. Razor took some damage, but he's good to go. The kid got 3 kills himself!" Rash was proud, and so was Jason. Alexander 'Razor' Rozhenko, son of Commander Worf, was the newest addition to the Skulls, and had proven himself in 4 battles so far.

"Great job, Razor! Alright, I'll tractor Gem's pod and we'll head home. Outstanding work, Striker Wing!" Jason grinned. He hailed Enterprise. "Skull Lead to Enterprise. You're all clear, Captain", said Jason into the comm.

"Acknowledged, Jason. Thank you for your assistance, and thank Scorpion Squadron for theirs as well. We've tractored their escape pods, and will have the survivors transported to Nimitz immediately." Jean-Luc Picard said over the comm. Jason smiled grimly.

"Will do, Captain. No need to thank us, though. All in a day's work." Jason knew it sounded arrogant, but that's what he was paid for. Starfleet Fighter Pilots were by their very nature arrogant, to take a small one-man fighter into harm's way against a cruiser or a battleship. Even as coordinated and skilled as Jason's Skulls were, the risks every time they engaged the enemy were insane, to say the least.

"Indeed, Jason," said Picard, chuckling. "That's what the two pilots we rescued said, in fact."

"Roger that, sir," said Jason. "We do the job, and hopefully go home in one piece. Thanks for pulling the Scorps out of the fire, sir."

"Anytime, son", said Jean-Luc. "Give my love to your wife."

"Your love received and appreciated, Jean-Luc. Skull Two is always at his side," said Delaara into the comm with a smile for her friend.

Captain Picard chuckled over the comm. "Alright, you two. Get back to Nimitz and give Rachael your debrief. Enterprise, out."

With all fighters having to dock in the aft flight deck, it was a tight fit, but they managed to pull it off with some creative parking. Jason and Delaara vaulted out of their cockpits and ran to Gem's pod to make sure she was ok. Two Medical personnel had her up and walking when they got there.

She pulled off her helmet and said "Sorry, sir. Got careless with my spacing," she said with a scowl on her pretty face.

"Don't worry about it, Jenny," said Delaara with a reassuring smile. "We're just glad you're ok."

"I agree. You got 2 kills out there, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Also, that's the only time you've been shot down, so don't be too hard on yourself. Prox fused torps pack a nasty punch, even with a near miss." Jason said, patting her on the shoulder.

Lieutenant Jennifer 'Gem' Sparks was a sweet redhead with a cute freckled face and a heart of gold. Every guy in the Squadron was her big brother, and they always looked out for her while on shore leave. She'd been with the Squadron since its inception, just like Jason, Bounce, Arrow, and Rash, and had proven herself time and time again over the course of the Romulan War and now the Ferengi-Orion War, as it was being called back on Earth.

She hung her head. "But I got SHOT DOWN, sir," she said again.

"Ok, Gem. Beers are on me. You need one. Just remember that I actually got shot down before you did," Jason said and put an arm around her shoulders after the Med team finished checking her out. With helmets in hand, the three started towards the turbolift with Rash and Razor showing up to offer support to Gem as well.

"Razor, take Gem here to 11Forward, and we'll be there as soon as we deliver the AAR to Rachael," Jason said. "Buy her a beer while you're waiting, and put it on my tab."

"Roger that, Cobalt," the young Klingon said.

Ryan, Jason, and Delaara went up to the Bridge and crossed it to cheers from the Nimitz bridge crew. They smiled at the praise and chimed the Ready Room. "Get in here, kids!" came Rachael's voice from inside. They grinned and entered.

Rachael came around her desk and kissed her husband before the door was even closed. Rash kissed her back lovingly. "Ok, boys and girl," she said. "Give me the bloody skinny, here."

"Here's our report, Captain," said Jason. "We lost a total of 5 fighters in the entire wing. 2 of those were KIA. 3 pilots went EV and were recovered unharmed, including Gem."

"Good job. With a fight that dirty, it's a wonder we didn't lose more. Great job to the entire wing," she said with a smile. "Now, could you two please leave while I molest my husband here?" She asked with a wink to Jason and Delaara, who grinned and turned to go.

"Give him hell, Captain! He thinks he's hot shit now that he took down an entire battleship singlehanded." Delaara winked at her as they left and made for the 11Forward bar via the turbolift.

*****

When they got to 11Forward after a quick sonic shower, they saw Alex and Gem talking at the bar. Alex had his arm around her waist and was smiling to her. The surprising thing was that she was smiling back as they talked in hushed tones to each other.

They just stood and watched for a moment. "Hmmmm, what have we here?" asked Jason. "There. She just bit her lower lip as she smiled. Yeah, she likes him," he grinned.

"I concur, and couldn't think of a nicer guy to give that girl some fun." Delaara grinned as they bellied up to the bar to the right of the Alex. They signalled for 2 beers.

"Hey, guys," said Alex, quickly removing his arm from around Jenny with a nervous look. She blushed as if they'd just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"As you were, Lieutenants. What you do in your off hours is none of our business," said Jason with a grin. "But if you hurt each other, be prepared to face the Wrath of Delaara. She doesn't take kindly to stuff like that."

Delaara laughed. "If you two like each other, just make sure that nobody gets hurt. That's all I ask. If one of you ends it, the other had better respect that. And do NOT let it interfere when you launch. Leave the relationship woes on the flight deck."

They just looked at her with their jaws open. "What? It's the way I ran Gladius Wing as their CO. That was the advice I gave on interpersonal relationships between pilots." She shrugged and smiled.

"It's good advice." Jason said. "If anything bad happens, feel free to request a transfer if it bothers you that much. The one thing we won't tolerate is taking bad feelings out on each other instead of the enemy."

Over the past three months since the war started, They had made great inroads against the Ferengi and their Orion mercs. The Ferengi were scarce in the actual battles, but the Orions had proven themselves to be just as savage and mercenary as Delaara had predicted.

"Besides, Jason turns 24 today, so we need to have a party!" Delaara grinned as the rest of Skull Squadron burst into the bar, singing a really bad rendition of 'Happy Birthday' and carrying a cake with 24 candles and shaped like a Valkyrie.

He grinned, as did everyone else, and the tension was lifted. "Shit, guys. You shouldn't have."

"Blame your wife, brother!" Rash shouted, Rachael on his arm and beaming with that just-been-fucked look on her face.

Delaara kissed him softly. "Happy Birthday, baby," she whispered, making him hard instantly.

As the party started, Alex and Jenny moved off a ways and started talking quietly to each other again. Jason looked on in approval. He knew that Alex had his father's Honor, and would never do anything to hurt Gem. He knew Gem wasn't a slut, since she didn't sleep around. She was like he used to be. She hadn't found the right person yet. The fact that she was even talking to Alex was a good sign.

"Did we really have to scare them so much, honey?" asked Delaara, who had been watching as well.

"Nah, but I wanted to test how much they really like each other. If they'd let us scare them off, there would be no hope at all for them." Jason winked.

Delaara grinned. "You are an utter bastard sometimes, Jason MacKenzie."

"Yes, yes I am, and you love me anyway. So I must be doing something right." He kissed her.

"You're the best fuck I've ever had," she said. "Other than that...."

"Hey!" He grinned, and she kissed him.

"I love you, Jason", she said tenderly, kissing him. "Happy Birthday."

"I love you too, Delaara, and thank you." He replied, kissing her back lovingly. It had been almost a year since they'd met, and he was as in love with her now as he'd been when they were rescued.

Delaara, on the other hand, was even more in love with him now than she was when they were rescued. She couldn't explain it, even to herself. Their wedding was all she had ever dreamed. Their honeymoon, though brief, had shown her sides of him that she didn't know he had. She knew that he was a good man, and that he had quite a few friends. She didn't know, however, how he would handle anyone trying to hurt her. He had handled Tommy Hest with Romulan precision and force, which had made her proud. He was loyal to his friends and family. And his friends were loyal to him. Most importantly, he was as devoted to her as she to him.

*****

Alex really liked Jenny, and she really liked him. He asked her to dance, and she accepted. Dancing close together, she was intrigued by him, and felt things she'd never felt for most men... except for Jason at one point, when she'd had a huge crush on him. She'd gotten over it quickly enough when it was apparent that he had no time for romance at all. Alex, on the other hand, was well muscled, cute for a Klingon, and had a nice smile. He also had that vulnerability that while subtle, attracted her like a moth to a flame.

For his part, Alex liked Jenny from the first moment they met. As a normal young man, he was smitten with her tough attitude and rapier wit, when she let it loose. She had an inner strength that even she didn't know she possessed, but was apparent to him.

The song ended and a slow song started. He went to lead her off the dance floor, but she pulled him back and pressed her petite body close to his as they started to dance slowly together.

"Alex, I don't do this a lot," she said. "Date, that is. I'm just not that interested in it, most of the time."

"I know that feeling," he said. "I had been looking for a Klingon woman, but most of them are too violent for my taste. However, I think I found a lady here who would put any Klingon woman to shame." He looked down and blushed.

Jenny smiled as he blushed, and recognized the compliment for what it was. She leaned up and kissed him lightly, then smiled at him. He smiled back and kissed her back softly.

"I prefer Starfleet to the Klingon Military, anyway," he smiled. "Not as many people trying to kill you at all hours."

Jenny laughed. "I couldn't join the Klingon Military. I wouldn't make it through boot camp!"

"I think you would, but I'm glad you're here instead," he smiled and kissed her lightly again.

Jenny found herself looking at the young Klingon warrior in a new light. He was tough, but didn't enjoy violence for its own sake. He was strong, yet could be gentle. He was a man, yet had a sensitive side.

Alex was falling fast for Jenny, now that they'd had a chance to talk. She was tough, yet not in a violent way. She was strong, but didn't let her strength make her into a bully. She was a woman, yet had an adventurous side that appealed to him.

*****

Jason and Delaara watched the young lovebirds for a few more minutes. "She really does like him", Jason said, nodding approvingly.

"And look at the way he blushes. He's in love with her," said Delaara as she laid her head on Jason's shoulder.

"They have a lot in common, you know. Similar temperaments and personalities, for starters," said Jason after a moment.

"Are we playing matchmaker, baby?" She smiled.

"I think it's more like matchwatcher," said Jason, nodding to her with a smile. "We're checking to see if anything's going to happen. They've already given each other tentative kisses, to test the waters. It looks like they might be going for an old-fashioned take-it-slow romance. At least to me, it does."

"They do have good chemistry," Delaara said with a grin. "And more than that, even. They're actually taking the time to get to know each other."

"Well, we took the time to get to know each other... after we fell in love." Jason winked to her.

"You mean after we worked off all the crashlanding stress with a hot hard fuck?" She grinned at him.

"That too, yeah." He shrugged.

"He has Honor," she said after a long pause. "I think that's what Jenny has been waiting on. A man that isn't just out for a piece of ass."

"Knowing how some fighter jockeys can be, I think you're right. She shot Rash down, back in fighter training," Jason chuckled.

Delaara laughed. "That doesn't surprise me."

"At least Rachael made an honest man out of him." Jason couldn't help but smile at the fact that two of his closest friends made each other so happy.

"Who's an honest man?" Ryan asked as he and Rachael came up beside them.

"You are, now that Rachael finally tamed your sorry ass," said Jason with a grin and hug for his friend.

"Happy Birthday, Jay," said Ryan. "Watching the two lovebirds out there?"

"Yeah. I think they're going to work out," said Delaara, nodding. "I just have a good feeling about them."

Rachael said "I think you're right. He's a good kid, and so is she."

As they watched, he tilted her chin up and kissed her long and tenderly.

"Whoa! Razor's got some moves!" Ryan said, nodding his approval of the young Klingon's approach.

Rachael smacked her husband upside the head. "He's got more than moves, buster. He's got Honor and class. Women go for that, you bloody wanker."

"Then what did I do right?" Ryan asked, wide eyed.

"You're a damn good shag, and I fell in love with you, idiot!" She kissed him soundly.

Jason laughed. "You two sound like Big Lou and Kralla!"

They all chuckled at that, remembering the big biker and his Klingon wife.

*****

Alex and Jenny kissed. It started off as a kiss of tentativeness, as the ones before, but this time he felt her lips part against his and her tongue touched his lips. He parted his lips as well and her tongue slipped into his mouth, dancing with his as their kiss deepened and her arms grew tighter around his neck.

Jenny felt as if she'd been waiting all her life for a nice guy like Alex. A man with Honor and strength who wanted more from her than just a one-night stand. She'd made that mistake before, and hadn't had another since that night back at the Academy. She had withdrawn from dating and romance for too long, she finally decided.

As they'd talked about first the loss of her ship, and how badly it hurt her pride, to other everyday things, and why they hadn't found the person they wanted to spend their lives with, they both realized that while their feelings for each other were still in the primary stage, those feelings were real enough to explore further.

He'd kissed her that time after she'd told him about her previous fling that she had wished was more than a fling. He'd said "The honorless fool didn't know a good woman when he saw one," and it had touched her heart. So when he'd kissed her in a tender, yet chaste way, she felt that she could trust him a bit more, and her lips had parted.

Alex had never been kissed like that before, and it lit him up inside. He knew that if anything was to happen between them, it would be at her pace. He had been in several failed relationships already, all of them because he'd set the pace too fast. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

As their kiss of deep exploration ended, he said "Jenny, as much as I would like to go further, I do not want to pressure you or make you feel as if you hav-" He was forced to shut up as her hungry mouth found his again.

As she broke the hungry kiss finally, her face was flushed and her breathing had grown heavy. "Alex, I don't want just a one-night stand with you. I want to actually try with you, to be with you. Is that what you want too?"

"I do not want you to wake up regretting it in the morning, Jenny. I want more than one night with you as well." Alex knew how to please a woman, and had never had complaints on that front. He explained to her that of the few women he'd been with, the Klingons had been disappointed in his Human side when he'd kissed them tenderly after they had finished. Most Klingon women weren't big on kissing and cuddling, it seemed.

She listened to what he said and how he explained his own admission of Humanity. "Alex, that's exactly what I want in a man. Those women didn't know a good man when they had him." She smiled and her dimples melted the remainder of his resistance as she lit his heart on fire.

*****

As the foursome watched the Klingon and Human pilots talking and kissing, they saw Jenny take his hand after the dance ended, and led him off the dance floor and out of the bar.

"That's my wingman. He'd better treat her right," said Rash with a warm smile on his face. When Razor had first told Rash about his growing feelings for Gem, due to spending a lot of time with Alpha after missions, he'd told him about her past and her reluctance to trust. Alex had said that the men in her past had given up a good thing, and Rash had agreed.

"Ryan, I had no idea the maturity that lurks beneath your childish surface." Rachel said, smiling at her husband warmly.

"That's because I have carefully crafted my facade to be impenetrable unless I allow it." He grinned. "Can't go around with people accurately estimating my intelligence now, can I?"