The empath trait plays a helpful role ingame with dialogue choices, too. I often choose them when presented.

Andromed not missing a beat was a game changer for Andreja, as we will soon see!

Eighteen – Sunset Over Eridani II

The Verity of Fate

“You are not a ‘weirdo’, Annie,” said Andreja. “Actually, there are times when you say strange things, but that is only because I am unfamiliar with most forms of slang, or the colloquialisms of the people living in the Settled Systems. That however does not mean you should demean yourself so.”

“Hey, I’m just telling it like it is. How many others do you are walking around with inhuman DNA and blasting energy out of their fingertips?”

Her attitude towards what happened had seemingly changed overnight and it began to worry Andreja. This apparent nonchalance came out of left field and it was a huge departure from the angst ridden version of Andromeda that she lived with for the better part of two weeks. Andreja wasn’t sure she cared for it.

“I feel as though you should be taking this more seriously,” she said.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Annie -”

“Let it go, Andreja. I need to deal with this my own way or I’m going to break down again.” She took a bite from her burger and then set it down with a sigh.

“I have ruined the mood, have I not? And we were having such a nice time talking. I am sorry, Andromeda.”

“No, it’s fine,” Andromeda muttered. “I know you’re just trying to help, and that means more to me than you probably realize.” Her thoughts strayed to the buggy scanner, and her warm bed. “I’m gonna go tuck in for the night. Turns out traversing an icy moon saps your energy pretty quickly. Let’s stay parked here for a while and we can get underway tomorrow, yeah?”

“Very well,” said Andreja. “I will be in the workshop if you need me. My weapon needs cleaned.”

Andromeda nodded and had a foot out of the door before she doubled back and grabbed the broached wine bottle still sitting on the table. She disregarded her friends rueful head shake but swore she saw a smile touching Andreja’s lips while she too left the table. The Verity wasn’t that big, which meant trying to hunch over a small table in her small quarters made for an awkward time attempting to repair a customized handscanner. The noise of Andreja servicing and testing her strange rifle across the ship didn’t help matters either.

She’d been at it for nearly an hour, scratching her head more than once while trying to trace out the problem with limited tools. Finally, she touched the lead of her multi-meter to a wire terminal nestled under the main circuit board and was rewarded with an intermittent beeping sound. There was a short in that wire. Andromeda flipped the meter dial to measure resistance, and the ohms displayed were indeed lower than the adjacent terminal. She danced a little jig in her chair, plucked out the culprit, and soldered a new connection in place. Moments later the scanner lay on her table, reassembled and ready for testing.

A flick of her finger over the power button and the device booted instantly with a bright and crisp readout on the screen. No more glitchy UI, and no more static crackling out of the speakers.

“Hah!” exclaimed Andromeda. “Mine now, you bastard.”

She set it down and rubbed at her eyes as the exhaustion kicked up a notch. Her bed called, but she had one last thing to do. Grabbing the etching pen out of her toolbox, she drew a picture of her own next to the odd creature Andreja had scratched in: the Plushie Starpal she slept with as a kid, and had left in the safe of her sleep crate. Its happy little smile set between four eyes on a diamond-shaped body with six tentacles wiggling out of its sides looked adorable next to whatever the horned beast Andreja had drawn was.

“Perfect.”

* * *

Tropical Forest, Eridani II, Eridani System

The planetary scan information populated the terminal screen and Andromeda scrolled through it with grin that grew more pronounced the more she read. No suits were needed on this world: a perfectly breathable atmosphere, pleasant weather, safe water, and a staggering diversity of life. She looked out the window of the cockpit at the tropical trees swaying in the breeze. They had landed near the coast of a vast ocean, right on the terminus between forest and sandy beach.

“Pinch me, Dre. It’s too good to be true. Has to be.”

“Dre? Since when is that a thing?”

“Dunno, just feels right. Especially since you refuse to call me ‘Dro’, like everyone else does.”

“I am not sure about that nickname, Annie. Although I do understand your reasoning. Let me think on it?”

Andromeda shrugged. “Still probably gonna call you that anyway.” She gestured towards the planet beyond. “Shall we?”

“Of course. Allow me to check the power levels on my scanner first. It will need to be fully charged, as I will be the only one scanning.”

At this teasing jab, Andromeda remembered her own repaired scanner and went to grab it from the table next to her bunk. She also decided to remove her sweater and undersuit in favor of a tank top and pants to help acclimate to the sub-tropical weathers of the biome they needed to scan first. Dressed and ready to go, she sat back down in the cockpit and powered up her own device with a sly glance at Andreja.

“Where did you get a functioning scanner?” asked Andreja.

Andromeda held it up so her companion could see the back of it. “It’s yours, Dre. I fixed it and put my own mark on it. I know you asked me to throw it away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This was a part of your past – a past which you just shared something important about – and now it’s a part of me. Like my own personal slice of Andreja, ya know?”

Andreja rolled her eyes with a grin. “You still continue to surprise me, Annie. It is hard for me to express how that makes me feel. I suppose I would say it is very… hmm...”

“Romantic?” Andromeda offered hopefully.

“How did that phrase you used when we first met go?” she smiled coyly. “Mum is the word?”

“Oh, shut up,” laughed Andromeda. She punched Andreja’s shoulder playfully and then stood back up. “C’mon, we’ve got a planet to explore. Beautiful one at that.”

Geared up and ready to go, they descended the landing bay ramp and breathed in the salty air of the sea. Then the wind briefly changed direction and bathed them in a heady floral fragrance from the wide range of plant life tucked in among the palms of the forest at their backs. The system’s namesake star burned brightly overhead indicating it to be nearly noon already.

“Let us head into the trees and being scanning,” said Andreja. “We can sight see later.”

“Can’t we go lay on the beach first?”

“We can do that later, Annie. I promise.”

“Ugh. Fine. Let’s go scan some [censored].” Andromeda pointed her scanner at the wood line and whistled. “Damn, that is a lot of diversity. Should we divide and conquer? I’ll take the fauna, you take the flora?”

“That is fine with me,” said Andreja. “Any particular reason you chose the critters?”

“Mhm. Apparently my empath skills let me connect with them. Back when I was in New Atlantis, I took a walk outside the city and one of the wild animals came right up to me and sat down like we were best friends. Whatever is roaming this planet probably won’t be hostile to me.”

“Fascinating!” exclaimed Andreja. “I admit, I am envious of you for that ability. I have always had an affinity for the innocent wildlife. They often times are so… cute.”

“Knew you were a big softy. Seriously though, let’s get a move on. My ass wants to be parked on that beach by sundown.”

They fanned out and made their way beneath the canopy of trees, cataloging as much data as possible with their portable scanning devices. Every flower, every shrub, every spore Andreja found was documented in detail for Constellation’s ever expanding database while Andromeda did just the same with Eridani II’s vast array of fauna.

Spiny grubs with rock hard chitin shells scurried underfoot like oversized trilobites. Gravity defying creatures akin to jellyfish floated up and down in the air despite not having any obvious method of flight. And large predatory leafstrider’s darted through the undergrowth, the strange plates adorning their skulls resembling the broad leaves of a deciduous tree. There seemed to be no shortage of plant or animal life, and the two of them walked many kilometers while they scanned, lost in the beauty of the tropical forest. And lost in sparkling conversation.

The sun began to set when Andromeda groaned in overly-dramatic dismay.

“Goddamn it! We’ll never make it back in time!”

“I assumed this would happen,” said Andreja. “This is not my first planetary survey. I have a tent and enough rations for the night in my backpack.”

“… How big is the tent?”

A pregnant pause; and then: “Big enough.”

“You’re being cagey, Dre.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “It is a tent for one. We will be very snug if we are to sleep comfortably.”

Andromeda looked away and pointed her scanner at a huge beetle to keep Andreja from witnessing the satisfied grin plastered over her face. The level of intimacy they would share overnight had her heartbeat all aflutter. She couldn’t have dreamed up a more ideal scenario, and she wondered if Andreja had planned it all along. No reason she couldn’t have told Andromeda to pack her own tent.

“I can just make out a large stone arch through the trees, about a half a kilometer northeast,” said Andreja. “We can make camp there, and if it is sturdy enough, we can scale the arch to enjoy the view. I owe you a sunset, and I intend to deliver it.”

That statement made Andromeda do a double-take, and she instinctively honed in on Andreja with her empathic powers. Her smile grew even wider at what she found: Andreja had butterflies of her own dancing about her stomach, though she was much more practiced at disguising her emotions than Andromeda could ever hope to be. It seemed like a very special night was on the horizon.

I [censored] knew she liked me.

“Come on, Annie,” said Andreja, breaking her train of thought. “We must hurry so that we have time to set everything up.”

“Right behind you!”

Andreja led the way forward occasionally drawing a razor sharp tanto from her belt to clear the odd tree branch or prickly vine tendril from their path. The sun continued to drop at worrying pace while the two of them plodded slowly along, stepping over fallen branches, stones, and the occasional giant bug. True to her word, the fauna typically left them alone after staring in their direction and sensing a kindred soul in Andromeda. Roughly half a kilometer later, just as Andreja predicted, they ceased marching beneath a worn stone arch that rose slightly above the treeline at its peak. One side of the natural formation looked wide enough for them to scale, and the apex had plenty of room for them to sit side-by-side on.

“Here we are,” said Andreja. “Please clear away the dead leaves and twigs so that we may build a fire, Annie. I will find a suitable spot for the tent.”

“Light a fire? Can’t we just use a heat lamp?”

“Camping ought to be done the same way our ancestors taught us. Once we are set up, I will hunt for our supper.”

“Um. What?” Andromeda stared hard at her. “Absolutely [censored] not, Dre. We have plenty of rations – there is no reason for you to harm one of these beasts. Set the tent up and I’ll warm us up something to eat after I build the fire. End of discussion.”

There was a curious expression on Andreja’s face at being shut down in such a bold manner that suggested it wasn’t an experience she often dealt with. If ever. Andromeda started to feel she may have been too contentious on the matter until she saw a flash of approval in Andreja’s eyes. And the subtle bite of her bottom lip.

“Very well, Ms. Renault. I will have the tent erected in short order.”

“Good,” winked Andromeda. “Glad we got that sorted.”

Andreja began unpacking the aforementioned tent while Andromeda stooped over and started picking up the forest loam strewn about the slightly sandy soil. There was a lot of it, and a few minutes into constructing quite the pile of debris at the edge of their campsite, she realized it would take her some time before enough had been cleared away to safely light a fire. Her nostrils flared in annoyance, and then she had a minor revelation. Shuffling around until her back faced Andreja, she raised her hand, focused on a less powerful expulsion of force, and blasted the ground free of the remaining unwanted fuel sources.

“Hah. That worked a treat.”

“Nobody likes a show off,” said Andreja.

“Work smart, not hard.”

Less than ten minutes later a fire crackled merrily amid a ring of stones, and a small tent that confused Andromeda stood just off to the side.

“Yeah, I don’t see how we both are fitting in that thing” she observed. “Unless it’s a magic tent that’s bigger on the inside.”

“It will be snug, but something tells me you will not mind.”

“Guilty as charged,” blushed Andromeda. “Are you hungry? We can, I dunno, skewer this synthameat on a twig or something.”

“We can eat later. The sun will soon be setting and we still have to climb atop the arch.”

She took the lead again and began to deftly scale the wind-blasted stone with a grace born of an expert climber. Andreja stopped only one or two times to seek out the next place to grab with her hands, or to find purchase with her foot. Andromeda watched open-mouthed from the ground knowing full well that if she even remotely attempted such a feat she would fall flat on her back. She thought of her boost pack hanging next to their spacesuits on the Verity and wished she’d have worn it anyway. And before she knew it; Andreja had reached the top and waved her on.

“No [censored] way can I do that, Dre! Where’d you learn to climb like that!?”

“We always had something to climb when I was a child,” shrugged Andreja. “Give me a moment,” she added. Unhooking a length of sturdy rope from her belt, she tied a loop around a large outcropping of the archway and let the rest fall to the ground. “Can you manage that?”

Andromeda grabbed the swinging rope and held it in her hand.

“Um. Hell if I know. Guess I have to try.”

And try she did: more successfully than she expected, too. It took Andromeda less than three minutes to shimmy up the rope, hand over hand, until she met Andreja’s who helped pull her up with a grunt.

“You are heavier than you look,” she panted.

“Gee, thanks,” said Andromeda. “Just what every girl wants to hear.”

“Er, sorry. I did not mean to imply that -”

“I’m just teasing you, Andreja.” She took a moment to gaze around in wonder. They stood just above the treeline with an unimpeded view in every direction. Even the massive engines of their ship were slightly discernible in the far distance. Taking a seat with her feet dangling over the edge, Andromeda patted the spot next to her. “Sit with me. Looks like the sun is about to set.”

Andreja gladly obliged, and joined her friend in basking under the vivid orange glow blazing through the clear blue skies of Eridani II. Lower and lower the sun descended towards the western horizon casting a brilliant and indescribable beauty over the swaying treetops of the tropical forest. They sat in relative silence, enjoying the view in each other’s company while nightfall encroached from behind. In the onset of gloom, Andromeda’s hand once again found Andreja’s, though for a wholly different reason.

“I am glad you are here with me, Annie.” Andreja’s head tiled to the side and her eyes twinkled.

Andromeda did not pass up the invitation. “There is nowhere else in the universe I’d rather be.”

She leaned in close with her heartbeat thumping so loudly in her chest she thought for sure Andreja would hear it through her shirt. Their lips met, and reality melted away for the time being.

Nineteen - Unraveled

Tropical Forest, Eridani II, Eridani System

Andromeda’s mind raced in the moment. She’d wanted this for so long but could never decipher the signals Andreja sent, vocally or otherwise. Her stalwart companion was every bit the mysterious enigma she seemed to embody as her persona, despite being a kind and compassionate person beneath it all. The fact that they’d finally gotten to this point kept her heart pounding against her ribs. And then Andromeda made the mistake of lifting a hand to caress Andreja’s face, lost her balance on the narrow stone apex, and nearly tumbled over the side. With quick reflexes born of harsh experience, Andreja pulled back and gripped Andromeda’s sides tightly to keep her sitting in place.

“Careful, Annie! You almost fell!”

“Woo [censored]!” laughed Andromeda. “That would’ve set me back a while, huh? Glad I have you to catch me, gorgeous.” She leaned back in for another kiss that didn’t last nearly as long as the first one due to her stomach grumbling. “Ugh, I’m starving. Grab something to eat with me?”

“Food?” Andreja offered a teasing pout. “There are far more enticing things to devour tonight than rations...”

The hand not pressed against Andromeda’s back to keep her steady began familiarizing itself with the areas of her body she’d been flaunting since the first time Andreja had visited her home on Nesoi. They were kissing again, hunger all but forgotten, and without uttering a single word they separated, slid down the rope in a lightning fast descent to the ground, dashed back to the campsite hand-in-hand, and dove inside the tent designed for one.

* * *

It was sometime later that evening when they emerged from the tent and sat alongside one another by a roaring fire that could be spotted for many kilometers in every direction. Eridani II lacked any satellites, be it a moon or large asteroid, which led to extremely dark nights on the surface. Andromeda twisted a skewer of synthameat veal over the flames while trying not to char the outside of it.

“You are getting it too close, Annie. It will not be cooked through.”

“It’s your fault,” mused Andromeda. “My hands are still shaking from what you did to me in there.”

“Consider us even for all the times you strutted about your home half-naked while I could only watch helplessly.”

“… Yeah, that was kind of a dick move on my part, huh? Got the point across that I was interested though, right?”

Andreja laughed sweetly and took the skewer from her hands. She raised it a little higher above the flames and slowly rotated it for even roasting. Andromeda took the opportunity to pour another capful of gin from the canteen she’d sneaked into her bag, and took a swig to celebrate the new steps taken tonight in their budding relationship.

“Want a nip?”

“No, thank you. I thought we could celebrate back on our ship, or when we are relaxing on the beach tomorrow. I have a 2250 vintage of Mal’siir that I have been saving for sometime. I cannot think of a more fulfilling occasion to share it on. Nor anyone else to share it with.”

Andromeda whistled. “Eighty years old? That must have cost a small fortune. Uh, what is Mal’siir anyway?”

“It is a spirit brewed from a plant native to Va’ruun’kai,” said Andreja. “I have found nothing like it in the Settled Systems. You will simply have to try it to understand the taste. I do no think words will do it justice.”

That was the first time Andreja had spoken of her home world. She kept a lot about her past close to the vest, and had Andromeda not been in a fugue state from their romp in the tent she might have thought it prudent not to inquire about the aforementioned planet, but between the gin and the multiple successive orgasms, her inhibition had somewhat flown the coop.

“Do you miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“Your home, Dre. I’ve never heard you mention it before.”

Andreja retreated into herself and Andromeda instantly regretted pursuing it. She chided herself mentally and was just about to apologize for even mentioning it when the awkward silence vanished with a stammered deflection.

“I… um… I-I do not wish to speak of it. Please, we must talk about something else. P-please.”

Resting a comforting hand on her leg, Andromeda kissed her again. “Hey. We never have to talk about anything you don’t want to. If you ever feel ready, I’ll be here.”

“Thank you, Annie. I am sorry for not being more forthcoming, but I cannot.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Andromeda. “Focus on my dinner before you burn it,” she added.

“Damn it!” Andreja pulled the sizzling meat away from the flames and prodded it with her fingers. “Oh, good. I did not overcook it. It should be a perfect medium rare.”

She passed the expertly roasted skewer of not-veal to Andromeda who blew on it a few times before taking a bite. Impeccably seasoned, the sizzling meat practically melted in her mouth and her eyes rolled back in delicious pleasure. The main course of their campfire dinner disappeared in short order until only the tin of Can-uck Bacon! remained alongside some stewed tomatoes.

“That was excellent, Dre. How’d you know it was done?”

“You have not cooked for yourself often, have you?” A shake from Andromeda’s headed allowed her to continue: “The firmness of meat changes at different temperatures. Even this soy-based slop prevalent in the Settled Systems manages to closely approximate the texture of real food.”

“What else can you cook?”

“Plenty, as you shall soon see.”

The fire blazed merrily under the moonless Eridani II sky while they finished eating a late supper. Warm air with just a hint of brine from the nearby ocean wafted through the palm trees causing them to dance in the shadows. Having drank more than a little gin, Andromeda vacated her makeshift stone seat and laid on her back, staring up at the star-filled sky. It was a sight she’d never seen anything like in her twenty-five years of life.

“Lay with me, Dre. It’s beautiful.”

Andreja laid down next to her in the sandy soil and wiggled in close. “Have you not seen the stars before?”

“Not like this. I grew up in Neon City �" it’s all bright lights and storm clouds. The sun barely even penetrates the skyscrapers on a clear day. Hence why my skin is so pale.”

“I would hate to live somewhere like that,” admitted Andreja. “Too much activity. Too much noise.”

“It was all I knew,” shrugged Andromeda with a yawn. “And I never imagined I could have more. Being poor in that place means you never leave. I’d have died there without the help of my friends.”

“Do you wish to return someday?”

“Never.”

Andromeda had nothing more to say on the matter, and so, she didn’t. They instead both stared up at the stars in peaceful contentment. Gentle snores eventually punctuated the silent wonder causing Andreja to rouse her companion and help her into the tent for a good night’s sleep.

* * *

Tropical Forest (Coast), Eridani II, Eridani System

On the following day they completed their scans of the lush tropical forest and looped back towards the Verity of Fate in a wide arc that brought the ship into view by late afternoon. They might have finished up sooner had Andromeda not taking a liking to the species of large beetles scuttling about chewing on fallen leaves and the powerfully tart fruits that fell from the umber-toned palm trees. At one point she found half a dozen of the creatures grouped in a small clearing, and she couldn’t help but sit among them in quiet observation with the silliest smile on her face.

She was still sitting there after nearly half an hour later when Andreja approached the break in the trees and watched in amusement. The skittish arthropods usually fled from her while picking through the forest so it pleased her to see them clustered abut Andromeda, letting the former Cyber Runner scan them in great detail. And pet them, apparently, for that’s what she was doing at that exact moment.

Not wanting to spook them, Andreja slid a text message from her slate to Andromeda’s indicating she would be back at the ship. The second she read the text, Andromeda looked up and waved her over.

“Come check it out, hon!”

Andreja didn’t want to spook them, but she tried to ease in anyway. The beetles scurried into the undergrowth the moment her feet hit the clearing.

“Ah well,” said Andromeda. “I thought maybe they’d stay docile with me sitting here.” She got to her feet and dusted off the seat of her pants. “So, back to the ship? You scanned all the noteworthy plants?”

“I did. We can relax for the rest of the day before moving onto the next biome.”

“Sounds great. Fair warning; don’t expect me to wear any clothing beach side. Not that that’s really a problem anymore. You’re also greatly encouraged to join me in my choice of wardrobe. Or lack thereof.”

“Imagine that,” said Andreja while rolling her eyes. “Do you realize, Annie, that not everyone possesses the confidence in oneself that you do. Some of us are little more, hm, self-conscious about how we appear to others.”

“Confidence,” laughed Andromeda dryly. “Now, there’s a novel idea.”

The idea of that notion started dredging something up she’d been working very hard to bury, and she hoped beyond hope that Andreja would not make her expound on it. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed in short order.

“You do not agree?”

“Are you kidding me? [censored] no, Dre! I still get scared when I hear gunshots, and I’m useless in the ensuing fights and usually just end up hurt or bleeding. Everywhere we go I’m paranoid that Bayu and his goons will catch up with me, or a bounty hunter will attack us. And don’t even get me start on whatever the [censored] happened to me in that temple on Tau Ceti III �" it has me so freaked out I can barely think straight most of the time. This version of me you see right now? The one making friends with bugs and exploring worlds? She’s barely holding it the [censored] together! If I didn’t have you I don’t know where I’d be right now. Floating face down in my pool maybe. Those few minutes when I thought you left with Sarah and Noel were up there with some of the worst in my life. Confidence? What a [censored] joke. I know I’m cute, and that I can come across as charming, but it’s all false bravado and the buck stops there, Andreja. So, congratulations �" you’ve fallen for a neurotic facsimile of a human being who wears confidence thinner than tacky veneer.”

She didn’t know exactly when the tears began to fall during her diatribe but they streaked through the dirt and grime coating her face from hiking through the humid tropical forest like rivulets in the earth. All Andromeda knew next was that getting it all out and letting the dam break free quickly turned from falling tears to racking sobs in the arms of a stunned Andreja who’d been caught completely off guard by the sudden breakdown. She never would have guessed an innocent question might lead to this, but thinking back… the signs were there. Andromeda even warned her how fragile her mental state was back on Vega II-a.

“Annie, I want you to listen to me,” breathed Andreja. She laced her fingers through Andromeda’s opalescent hair and tried her damnedest to be comforting. “I have met many people in my travels who claim to be brave �" to be confident �" and so few ever live up to their boasting. Confidence comes in many forms, and rarely does it equate strength, or bravery. Not all of us possess those traits, and neither does that make us weak. You are strong in ways that others cannot even comprehend; you must be, or your mind would have crumbled like chalk when you were pulled into the center of that object in the temple. But you came out the other side alone, with no help from myself, nor anyone else. And you came out stronger. It is true that we understand so little about what has happened, but that does not refute the truth. You are confident in your friends and how much we can help you. And you are confident in ways that you do not yet even recognize. That confidence earned you my trust, and it earned you my affection. It gives you even more strength. Together we can see what else it will earn you, and I will be by your side to help you every step of the way. When you stumble, I will catch you. And when you rise higher than any of us, I will do everything in my power to keep you aloft.”

Andromeda listened to her soothing voice with rapt attention, her eyes completely dry by the time Andreja finished speaking. She wiped away the remaining dampness on her cheeks and gathered her composure with deep breaths, but it was several long minutes before she worked up the courage to speak again. She felt safe in Andreja's arms, so that was where she stayed.

“Andreja, I…” She placed a hand on Andreja’s cheek. “I’m sorry. For falling apart like that. I’ve been trying to be strong, but… like you said…”

“I do not need you to be what you think you should be, Annie. I need you to be you. That is the person who has become closer to me than anyone I have ever met. Just be yourself �" be the Andromeda Renault who turned every head in Constellation. And be the woman who has won my devotion.”

* * *

The sun shone bright and hot upon the coastal waters of equatorial Eridani II, warming the waves gently lapping onto the sandy beach. Crustacean-like creatures scuttled sideways through the shifting sand and foaming surf in search of any food morsel unlucky enough to wash ashore. Further up on the beach, where the sand was hot and dry, two figures were sprawled out on a large canvas tarp Andromeda found in the Verity’s cargo hold. Surprisingly, they both wore bikini’s in clashing shades rather than exposing their fair skin to the UV rays of the star.

“Annie?” asked Andreja, breaking nearly an hour of relative silence.

“Hm?”

“How long must we do this for? I am beginning to appreciate the benefits of relaxation, or fun, but lying here inert while the hot sun kisses our bodies strikes me as especially imprudent when we have three more biomes to scan on this world, and another planet to survey elsewhere.”

Andromeda sighed dramatically. “Life on this planet isn’t going anywhere, Andreja. It can wait a few more hours. I always dreamed of seeing a beach like this one day.”

Andreja gave in for the time being and allowed herself to be content simply listening to the rhythm of the waves grow closer and closer with the rising tide. Truth be told, she felt glad to be resting after the trying morning they had, and she was also glad that Andromeda seemed to be at peace again. But Andreja liked to be on the move, striving for the next goal, and her patience began to wear thin after another hour baking on the beach.

She looked over at Andromeda basking in the sunlight. Andreja knew she wasn’t asleep, but her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell in even breaths. Nearly a full minute came and went before Andreja realized she was still staring at Andromeda’s chest. And for the first time she wished her lover had forgone clothing.

Then it dawned on Andreja that that was exactly how she could move things along. She sat up, and with a slight tug on the strap of her own bikini it fell away, revealing her breasts at the same time she politely cleared her throat.

Andromeda glanced over and bit her lip. “Okay… you win. We can do something else now.”