Chapter 36 - Inventory Checkup

The air in the Percival's hangar was thick with the smell of fuel and ozone, a cramped mess of metal and tightly packed gear. Crates were stacked high, lashed down with netting, leaving barely enough room to move. The Peregrine, our home away from home, loomed large in the center, its shadow stretching across the crowded space, it’s massive wheels chained down to the floor.

Locked together in the co-pilot seat, we finally caught our breath. Emily leaned against me, her head tucked under my chin, the rapid beat of her heart a frantic echo of my own. Passion still thrummed beneath our skin, mixed with the sharp tang of fear – the risk we’d just taken hung heavy in the air.

"Come on," I said, squeezing her gently. "Duty calls. Mission prep, remember?" I gestured to the damp seat.

Emily laughed softly, a blush rising on her cheeks, and quickly stood up. "I, uh, need a minute," she muttered, smoothing out her clothes, her face still warm. Before I could say anything, she ducked out and ran to the bathroom off the side of the hangar.

In a few moments, she came back, adjusting her bodysuit, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles, and avoiding my eyes for a moment.

---

She turned towards the cargo bay, a playful smirk still dancing on her lips. I watched her go, the lingering warmth of her kiss still buzzing on my skin. We moved further into the Percival's hangar, navigating the tight corridors between stacks of equipment. The science gear and sample cases Danny and Ryan had loaded earlier were secured, but the armory section was our next stop. Every square inch of the hangar felt utilized, crammed with vital supplies for Proxima b.

“Alright,” I said, pulling up the inventory manifest on the wall-mounted console. My voice was a little drier than usual, and I mentally cursed myself for not being able to control my reactions better. But fuck, it was hard to think straight with Emily standing so close. “Let’s make sure everyone’s gear is in place. Last thing we need is someone walking onto a new planet with a faulty suit or missing weapon.”

Emily nodded, already opening the first locker. “Agreed. Zoe would never let us live it down if her suit ripped mid-mission.” She paused, a slight blush rising on her cheeks, and I knew she was thinking about the mess we'd made.

I wanted to reach out, to touch her, to pull her close and continue what we'd started, but I forced myself to stay put. Focus, Luca. You're a damn Captain, not a teenager. I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the way my own suit felt a little damp and uncomfortable. "Maybe we should, uh, check the environmental controls in here," I mumbled, gesturing vaguely at the air. "Seems a little... warm." Smooth, Luca, real smooth.

I smirked at the thought, running my hand along the reinforced crates containing our tactical gear. Then, I saw my chance. She was lifting Ryan's medium armor out of the locker, her back to me, her movements slightly strained with the effort. I leaned in, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, tasting the saltiness of her skin. "Need some help with that?" I murmured, my voice a low rumble in her ear.

"Luca," she giggled. She didn't pull away, though. Instead, she leaned back into my embrace, her head tilting to give me better access. I kissed her again and felt her pulse racing beneath my lips, and it sent a jolt of excitement through me. My hands moved on their own accord, tracing the lines of her body, feeling the way her muscles tensed beneath my touch.

She turned in my arms then, her hands wrapped around my neck. "Two can play this game, Captain," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Then, she was kissing me, her lips hungry, demanding, and I was lost.

"We should... probably... finish the inventory," I managed to say, my voice a little breathless, between kisses.

"Probably," she agreed, but she made no move to stop me. Instead, she leaned into my touch, her body pressed against mine, as I deepened the kiss.

---

We worked, well, as well as we could with me constantly finding excuses to touch her, to kiss her, to pull her close. I don’t know what had come over me, she was so intoxicating.

I found myself looking for reasons to get closer to her, brushing against her as I reached for a tool, letting my hand linger on her back a little too long when I handed her a scanner. The armor suits: lightweight enough for exploration but durable enough for combat, were stored alongside an array of weapons: energy rifles, pistols, and even Danny’s Energy Warhammer. Each piece of equipment was critical for both safety and adaptability on the uncharted surface below.

“Here’s mine,” Emily said, pulling her own Tethys Vanguard Medium armor from its locker. The dark metallic plates caught the light as she ran her hands over them, inspecting the seals and structural integrity. She knew it inside and out, had spent enough time in it to trust it with her life. But that didn’t stop me from watching, from admiring just how damn good that set was—how good it looked on her, how good it would perform when shit inevitably hit the fan.

The Tethys Vanguard was a beast of a suit. Level sixty, top-tier for medium armor. Took us forever to complete—helmet, chestplate, leg guards, boots, arm guards—all scavenged from different level sixty portals around Saturn’s moon, Tethys, each one a fight to get our hands on. And once it was all together? Beautiful. Dark metallic panels locking seamlessly, lightweight enough for speed but tough enough to handle kinetic and energy rounds.

Its HUD was sharp as hell, running enhanced targeting systems that bumped up accuracy by highlighting enemies. The Integration system? Best part. Once activated, it transformed into a complete armored suit, maximizing protection without slowing you down. And then there was Precision Strike—thirty seconds of sheer carnage, every shot hitting like a goddamn freight train. A solid balance of defense and offense, exactly what we needed for whatever the hell Proxima Centauri b was about to throw at us.

“You better not scuff it up if you need me watching your back,” she teased, her grin infectious. But there was a slight tremor in her voice, a hint of breathlessness that mirrored my own. We were both struggling to act normal, to pretend like we hadn't just turned the Percival's cockpit into our own private playground. She turned to face me, and I could see the desire in her eyes, mirroring my own. I wanted nothing more than to pull her close, to kiss her again, to pick up where we'd left off. But we were in the middle of the dropship, with the whole crew just a few corridors away.

---

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my amusement. "Wouldn't dream of it," I said, stepping closer, my hand finding hers. I gave it a gentle squeeze, a silent promise of what was to come. “Noted, Em. And here’s mine,” I said, pulling out my own scout suit. Its dark blue padding looked as flexible and ready as the day I found it.

The Dione Vanguard Scout Suit was perfection. The closest thing to wearing nothing at all while still being wrapped in tech that made me a goddamn ghost. The fabric, if you could even call it that, was smooth under my fingers—sleek, form-fitting, and impossibly lightweight. I ran my hand along the segmented panels, each one designed to flow and shift seamlessly with my movement. The passive camouflage alone made me practically invisible if I stayed still, but the real prize? Active Camouflage. Thirty seconds of bending light, turning me into a mirage, a ripple in the air. Perfect for slipping past enemies, setting up ambushes, or just fucking around with the when I felt like giving them a heart attack.

But the best part about the scout suit? Zoe had one too, and damn, she looked like a total babe in it. A foxy infiltrator. The way the material hugged her frame, the way she moved like she was made for it—yeah, it was unfair how good she looked. Half the time I couldn’t tell if I was watching her execute a flawless infiltration or if I was just completely distracted by the view.

Emily’s eyes flicked to mine, her expression somewhere between amusement and something else, something that made my pulse spike. “You and that suit,” she murmured, shaking her head. “It’s like you’re in love with it.”

I grinned, pressing the chest piece to my face in mock offense. "You wound me. But yeah, maybe a little. You can’t blame me—look at this thing. Level sixty, best stealth armor we’ve ever pulled from a portal. It’s got my back more than half the people we know."

She snorted. "I better not hear you whispering sweet nothings to it when you think no one’s listening."

I gave her a cocky smirk. "No promises."

"Danny’s is good to go too," Emily added, giving his heavy armor one last check. The bulky suit was a fortress, built to take hits that would pulverize anything less reinforced. Every piece was accounted for—helmet, gauntlets, reinforced chest plate, leg guards, gloves. A walking battering ram with enough defensive layering to tank through just about anything. "If anyone's walking through hell and coming out the other side, it’s him in that thing."

I gave it a thorough inspection. "Looks like we’re all set."

“Almost.” Emily crouched near the base of the lockers, opening up a crate of neatly labeled C-Type power cells. I watched as she bent over, the fabric of her suit stretching taut over her curves, and I had to clench my fists to keep from reaching out and touching her again. I forced myself to focus as she checked the inventory against the manifest, raising an eyebrow.

C-Type Power Cells were the bread and butter of everything the System dropped. Compatible with weapons, armored suits, drones—hell, even some of the vehicles if you had the right adapters, though we used F-Type cells for those. The System had a way of keeping things uniform, ensuring that every piece of loot that dropped from a portal ran on these things. Kill something big? Chances were, it would drop a power cell or some other goodie.

We’d hauled a couple of crates of them from Sol, just in case Proxima b threw something unexpected our way. So far? No active portals, no signs of System interference, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. If things went sideways, we weren’t about to get caught with empty reserves.

Emily smirked as she set a few aside. “Don’t forget these. Danny might think we overpacked, but better safe than sorry.”

I nodded. “Agreed. If Proxima b throws anything unexpected our way, we’ll be glad we brought everything down with us.” We exchanged a look, a silent acknowledgment of the double meaning in my words. We both knew that "unexpected" could mean a lot of things, and not all of them had to do with the mission. I couldn't help but grin, the image of her sprawled on the co-pilot seat flashing through my mind. She raised an eyebrow, as if reading my thoughts, and her lips curved into a teasing smile.

As we finished our checks, I leaned back against the wall, watching Emily stow the last piece of gear. I felt a surge of protectiveness, mixed with a healthy dose of possessiveness.

“Good work,” I said simply, offering her a genuine smile. “The Percival is ready.” But is it? I wondered. And are we?

Emily wiped her hands on her bodysuit and grinned back. "Just remember, Captain," she said, her voice low and teasing, stepping closer, her hip bumping against mine. "You owe me one." She leaned in, her lips brushing against my ear, and whispered, "And I plan to collect." Before I could react, she pulled away, leaving me breathless and wanting more.

I chuckled, a low rumble in my chest that I was pretty sure she could feel. "Looking forward to it," I said, my hand finding hers, giving it a squeeze. I couldn't resist, I pulled her closer and kissed her, a quick, hard kiss that left us both breathless.

The gear check wasn't just armor and weapons. We had the medical pod packed into the Peregrine, in case anything went south. Science equipment was all accounted for, neatly stored alongside atmospheric sampling kits. The Peregrine, our armored all-terrain vehicle, sat waiting in the hangar bay, engines primed and ready. Everything was there. No surprises, no missing pieces. Just us and whatever the hell Proxima b was hiding.