Far Past The Ring: A Star Wars/The Expanse Crossover

Station 47: Part 5

(Content Warning: M/F Sex) 

The next morning, Tech got up before the rest of his crew, dressed, and grabbed his backpack. He looked over to see Hunter still asleep on his bunk. Tech thought briefly of waking him, but decided against it.

The pine forests made the morning cool still, the damp air coming off of a nearby ridge, flushing his fair cheeks. It did not take him long to make it to the top of the ridge, where a small clearing of trees allowed him to view the forest below. He immediately knew who to send a message to.

"Dr. Drummer? Come up here," said Tech, over on the radio comms, "Sjael? You can see a better view of the forests, and some more of the vegetation in the valley. This will be an excellent place to study the pH balance in the soil."

"It's good to hear you," Sjael said, her voice somewhat reserved, "I thought you would be too mad to join me again on my sampling."

"Mad? Why?"

"From what I said last night?"

Tech frowned. "You said a lot of things last night. Which one do you mean?"

"What I said about clones and the army that you served with. I had no idea, I should have been more sensitive than that. I'm sorry."

"You already apologized last night, so there is no need to repeat yourself. Now, come up here, you will appreciate the potential for data gathering here."

Within minutes of his call to her, Sjael arrived, carrying a large backpack, which she immediately took off and began unloading. Tech noticed, with a small smile, that she not only carried multiple meters, but also a small computer.

Before she started setting up the pH meters in the clearing, she placed the computer on the side.

"Do you mind if I look at it?" asked Tech. Sjael nodded, too busy looking at her meters to pay him close mind. Tech picked the computer up, and turned it on. Immediately, files began appearing, detailing the locations, chemistry of the soils, temperature, and moisture of the locations Sjael had mapped out. It's organized, but the data could be better managed into different files, thought Tech with a nod, not a problem for me to fix.

Tech suddenly heard a click. Turning around, he saw that Sjael had her comms device out, and had taken a picture of the site...with him in it.

"I do not think that would be a great picture of your research if I am standing in it," he said. Sjael looked down at the device, and gently shrugged.

"You can be cropped out, and besides, you're too handsome not to have in my pictures. Not with that skin and that bone structure."

"I personally would not put it in my report, regardless of how I look," Tech quipped back.

"Good thing you're not the one conducting the research, then," Sjael said, her tone filled with sass. Once she had finished planting the pH meters, she walked up behind him.

"Tech? May I put my head on you?"

"I do not see any reason not to," he replied softly. Sjael placed her chin on his shoulder, and took another picture, this time, of the ridge behind them. Tech kept looking at the meter, and the different numbers regarding the data that Sjael had already been gathering before they met.

But he loved the feeling of her right behind him, and her soft skin against his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Sjael took a few pictures of herself on his shoulder as well.

"Tech?"

"Yes?" He closed her computer and turned to her.

"Please kiss me."