Ravi lay on his back, humming tunelessly under his breath. The sound was swallowed by the louder hiss of the running shower, and he looked at the washroom door for the millionth time. Lio was in there. Lio, who had turned out to be twice as fucking amazing as he had hoped.

He burrowed among the scattered pillows and stretched, wrists jamming against the headboard and feet dangling off the bed. Goddess, it was good to wake up so content. Only a few hours of sleep once they'd finished each other off a second time, and he'd pay a price for it later, but Lio was worth it.

The thought flitted through his mind that he should just slide into the shower. Watch the water coursing over Lio's body, steam catching in his lashes, soaking his long hair—Ravi flipped a pillow over his face and groaned. That was an image he didn't need taunting him. The night prior had been negotiated and getting in a shower together the morning after wasn't part of it. Maybe next time. If there was a next time.

When the door finally opened, Ravi peeked from behind the pillow to watch Lio cascade back into the room with a cloud of warm, soap-fresh air. He had never been so disappointed to see a man wearing clothing. But Lio beamed at him, and disappointment vanished.

"Hi," Ravi said, into the pillow.

Lio collapsed gracefully onto the edge of the bed next to him. "Hello." A warm hand curved over Ravi's shoulder. "Feel okay?"

Discarding the pillow, he caught Lio's hand and kissed his knuckles before sitting up. "Yes. Better than okay. Give me a minute though." He launched himself toward the washroom and stopped in the doorway. "Don't leave yet."

Lio leaned back and twitched an eyebrow at him. "I won't run away. Promise."

Hopefully that would hold long enough for him to brush his teeth. Last night, after he'd cleaned up and tumbled back into the bed, Lio curled in the crook of his arm for only a moment before muttering something about going. He'd expected it, or at least he'd told himself to expect it, but he still tried to coax him to stay a little while longer. To his surprise, it had worked. The second time Lio sat up, sometime in the gray early hours, Ravi had just slung a hand out and pulled him back down into his arms. Even if it was several hours too short, it was the best night he'd had in years.

Mouth scrubbed and face washed, he rushed back to the bedroom and plowed headfirst onto the mattress, which made Lio laugh. "Speedy morning routine, I see."

Ravi stretched on his side, propped up on one elbow. With his free hand, he tilted Lio's chin toward him and kissed him. He meant for it to be light, and quick, and it was neither of those. Somehow he ended up on his back, trying not to beg, with his heart thumping in his chest and Lio's mouth undoing all logic in the universe. Again. Again, again, again.

Lio drew back and pecked his nose, and Ravi tried to catch his breath.

"You're sure you can't—"

"I have to get to an appointment," Lio said. But he sounded as if he regretted it, and his gaze swept down the rest of Ravi's body like a physical touch. It left him weak. There weren't many guys who could do that to him with just a glance.

Maybe it was stupid, considering how clear it was that this was meant to last a single night, but he'd kick himself if he didn't at least ask. "Listen, I know—" he pushed back up onto his elbow "—this was supposed to be a one time thing. But..." Lio eyed him, a sidelong look. His expression was more guarded than at any point since they'd met. Ravi finished in a rush. "Maybe it could be a two time thing. Or a whenever thing, and we don't have to count."

"Ravi," Lio said quietly. "I don't want to mislead you—"

"You're not. I'm saying I like you, and I liked...everything, and I'd do it—I mean, you—uh, shit. I'm fucking up trying to tell you I'd like to see you again. If you're interested." There was more risk involved than he wanted to admit, but he could deal with that later.

Lio tucked a strand of wavy hair behind one ear and studied his face. "I'm interested." Relief washed through him when that dimpled smile appeared again. "Yeah?"

Nodding, Lio drifted closer. Ravi couldn't help it. He kissed him, forehead resting against Lio's, because it felt so good. If it made him seem swept off his feet and addicted too quickly, that would be correct. He dropped his head to hide in the bend of Lio's neck and mumbled against his skin. "So what are you doing after your appointment?"

All he got was soft laughter and a brisk kiss to the corner of his lips. Long, elegant fingers cupped his cheek. "You must know you're making me ravenous with the way you look, and if we keep talking about this, I'm going to get us both into something we shouldn't do right now. I'll missive you the next time I get dispensation for leave and maybe...maybe it'll work out." He extended his wrist, adorned with a sleek, thin band of some advanced holowatch.

Ravi transferred his contact codes, and then his stomach twisted when Lio stood and adjusted his shirt. That goddess-blest mouth quirked in a smile. "I'll see you."

"Hope so," Ravi answered. He held Lio's gaze until the closing door cut it off, and he tipped back to the bed. What were the chances of running into a man like that in a bar? First impression of the Fennec region was that it was fucking phenomenal.

He hoisted himself out of a dent in the plush bed and dressed, popping back onto the edge to organize his notes on Opalina. The urge to return to a table in the bar tickled in the back of his head. Bad idea. There were tasks to accomplish, real work to be done, and he couldn't afford to be jolted out of focus every time the door opened, carrying the possibility that Lio might be back. They expected him at the outpost tomorrow, and he needed to be ready.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much more information to scroll through. He pulled out his handwritten notes and read through them aloud, recording a transcript for storage. It was absorbing enough that his attention finally settled to the task at hand. The mess that was Opalina Outpost. If this job was going to be as tricky as it seemed, he might as well get a head start.

According to the ziggurat's instructions, the crew wasn't expecting him until the following morning. But if he went up now, he'd see the lay of the land before they had a chance to stuff the dirty laundry to the back of the closets. He tabbed to the instructions Archcom Huseda's office had sent for locating the outpost and examined the terramap. No reason not to show up a bit early.

Midway through downloading the terramap, his holowatch flashed green. Missive from an unfamiliar code. He swiped too quickly, and the text shimmered above his arm. Just spotted an undercover alien wearing my outfit. Must now burn this shirt.

Ravi's laughter caught him by surprise and bounced off the walls of the room. He flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes, picturing Lio's sharp, delighted smile.

Didn't take him long to finish packing and leave the inn for the nearest hov rental. Even in the still-morning hours, the heat was intense, and he was sweat damp by the time he reached the hovs. The ziggurat in this region had less credit than Pridian's, and when he flashed Archcom Huseda's intelcoin to the man overseeing the rentals, he was brought to the cheapest, shittiest row of hovs on the lot. None of them were enclosed, and only two had any semblance of a roof for shade. Ravi picked the less dented of the two, and settled into the cracked bucket seat, inhaling a sun-scorched smell.

He stopped only to buy a pair of water cannisters, propping them in the tiny storage area behind the seat. He plugged the outpost destination coordinates into the nav system and selected the route that looked to be the closest match to the one plotted on the terramap. The town peeled away and was clouded by dust as he settled back into the jolting seat. Not the smoothest ride, but it wasn't meant to be too long. Opalina was a few hours up into the mountains from where the ziggurat and the town lay on the dry valley floor. The hov picked up speed, and a bit of a welcome breeze.

All around him, the desert sprawled, vast and ruddy. He'd booked a cheap seat on the train into the Fennec region, foregoing a view. Riding in an open-air hov slicing along the pale trace of a mag lane more than made up for what he'd missed.

It wasn't what he'd pictured. The powdery sand and ocean of dunes he'd expected were nowhere in sight. Sunlight snagged on shambles of russet rock, boulders crowded at the foot of lopsided arches, pink and yellow and white bands glowed in basking rock. Towering mesas loomed in the distance, stark interruptions in the low grooves of land. There were more plants than he thought could hack it in the desert. Scrubby, stubborn greens crouched in the dirt. It was harsh and beautiful, and the sight expanded in his chest. The whole world seemed to promise that everything was different now.

The hov vibrated like a chop rifle firing as it began its ascent up the flank of the mountains. The route had been a straight shot from town, but now he was on an inefficient, meandering track that snaked up increasingly steep rock, showering him in red dust. Ravi twisted around and nabbed one of the water cannisters to take a sip. It was tinny and lukewarm, but lukewarm was still decently cold in this place.

An unfortunate side of all this wild beauty was that there didn't seem to be very many people. Few settlements in the area meant few chances to earn commendations, unless he enrolled Opalina in one of the challenge competitions. With one hand he drummed the water cannister as he reached for his screen with the other. He scanned the terramap, but all that turned up was a massive mountain lake somewhere much farther ahead, and no settlements on its shores. Raffaret was the only thing around for leagues, which meant that competitions would have to be on the table. Going head to head with other crews in challenges wasn't ideal, but hopefully the crew at Opalina had untapped potential. Otherwise they might all be screwed.

The hov stopped, so sharply that Ravi pitched forward and water sloshed out of the open cannister. The seatbelt throttled him, but it did stop him from flying right out the open front and over the hov's nose. His own nose was an inch away from getting squashed by the nav board. Gingerly, Ravi righted himself and stared at the message pulsing across the coordinates screen. He swore softly. Undetectable mag lane.

The magnetic track that had carried him this far seemed to have vanished completely. Carefully, he eased the hov back down the way he'd come. It must have missed an offshoot turn or something. He set the system to ping for the correct track and squinted down at the nav screen. According to this piece of shit, he was already on the only available mag lane, and it ended about six feet ahead. The rest of the mag lane was dead.

He checked the terramap for distance to Opalina. A fair hike, but doable. Before he could talk himself out of it, he programmed the hov to return to its lot by nightfall and swatted aside his seatbelt. The bucket seat sucked at his back as he clambered out of it and stumbled on legs cramped from the ride. He slung the water cannisters over his shoulder, hoisted his bag from the back of the hov, and faced the mountains.

It was past midday, but this high up, the stifling heat of the rocky valley below eased a little. Ravi kept one eye on the trail ahead of him and the other on the endless blue sky. Too much of his research had warned of how fast the weather could change in the Fennec region. The trail where the mag lane should have been was bordered by spiky plants and jagged rocks, everything too close to allow a hov to pass. Maybe they'd never even finished laying the track up to the outpost. Pridian had warned him that Opalina was shitty, but not even having a full mag route to connect the outpost to the ziggurat bordered on insulting.

Twenty minutes slogged by, and Ravi slowed. Both water canisters banged empty on his back. He was sweating like a pig in a sauna, and his legs moved like they had weights welded to them. Had to be close now. He checked the terramap every few feet to ensure he hadn't drifted off course. The trail was steep enough that it was like climbing a terribly built staircase. It veered around a swell of rock, and Ravi paused. According to the terramap, he'd arrived.

Except that there was nothing around but more rocks and pebbles and low trees growing at precarious angles. He spun to get a better look. The trail continued, trundling somewhere further up the mountain. To his right, the curving rock face was interrupted by an outcropping that looked like it might supply a better vantage point. He scrambled through the dirt to scale it, and found himself standing on a ledge. Nothing but air on the side that faced the valley, nothing but bulging rock on the side that faced the mountains.

A sharp voice echoed. "You better not be the supply delivery!"

Ravi whipped toward the sound, but he couldn't quite tell where it came from. When a round shadow fell across the ledge, he tilted his gaze straight up, one hand shading his eyes from the sun, and spotted a narrow, long face with a very irritated expression.

"No supplies," he called back. "I'm looking for Opalina Outpost."

"Goddesses, how many times do I have to tell you people that we are not a hiker's hostel! Those pamphlets were a stupid, irresponsible prank by a stupid, irresponsible—"

He moved while the stranger ranted, climbing carefully down from the ledge and following the trail further up toward the voice. By the time he circled around to stand level with the irate man, the tirade petered out. Two concentric bands hung on the breast of the man's uniform, polished in spite of the dust. Subal rank. If this guy was from Opalina, he was Ravi's second in command.

"Don't worry, I'm not a hiker, either. I've been stationed here. Raviro Endessen. And I'm guessing you're my subal." He grinned and offered a swift salute.

The man's thin, graying eyebrows jumped. "You're the new Com."

"Yes."

"You weren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow morning." He sounded almost accusatory, and he still hadn't returned the appropriate salute.

Ravi dimmed his grin. "Yeah, but I figured I was just wasting time and credits in Raffaret. Sounds like there's work to be done here, and no reason to delay it."

The man snorted, and his lip curled. "Great. One of the ambitious ones. We're so happy to have you." He sounded like he wanted to punt Ravi off the mountain.

"Your name is?" Ravi straightened and fixed a sharp gaze on the subal's sun-leathered face.

"Jossen. And you're correct, I am your subal. For however long you're here." He stumped away without another word. Ravi trailed him around the jutting rock. Part of him wanted to bawl the fucker out for insubordination immediately, but his gut said that'd be the equivalent of kicking a boulder. A com and a subal needed to work as a team, and it seemed like Jossen would take some convincing first.

He hefted his bag a little more tightly against his back, preparing for more walking to wherever the outpost was. But Jossen stopped next to another curve in the rock, and he realized that the subal stood in front of a door, a palm-sized wheel anchored next to it. Common enough for outposts to have unobtrusive supply entrances or old-fashioned escape routes. He'd seen storerooms listed as a sublevel on the blueprints, and this must be the door to that level.

Leaning back, he peered up to see if he could glimpse the above-ground portions of the outpost, but all he saw was a craggy rock face. "The main entrance is further up?" he asked.

Jossen rested his hand on the wheel, letting it read his biometrics. "This is the main entrance." He jerked the wheel, and the door let out a metallic shriek. With a shower of rust or dirt or both, it slid into a pocket in the rock, leaving an opening just wide enough for them to slip through. "Welcome to Opalina Outpost, Com."