The Mata Haris

[Olivia Ryder]

Olivia and Jena arrived back at the house via transporter beam, laden down with bags and a hover sled with music gear. Lana was sitting on a new hover scooter carrying a couple of amps on the back.

"Mind if I ride around after I dump off the amps in the barn?" Lana asked with a huge smile on her face, which was freshly made up.

"Go for it... before your cousin Ethan gets here and puts you to work again. Just don't get those new pants too dirty." Olivia said with a chuckle as she directed the hover sled to follow Lana.

"Not a problem." Lana said as she got up and pulled them off, then just pulled her long shirt down more. "There! Bye!" she said and shot off like a rocket.

"That is so your kid." Jena teased.

"Yeah... some things never change. Never did enjoy pants that much, other than when I was bruised and cut up after a fight. Or I had to shave with an actual razor... " Liv said and flashed her friend a smirk. "You seem to like it when I'm in skirts more anyway."

"I hate being this covered up, I feel like some spotted lizard." Jena said with a grimace as she looked down at her clothes. "At least the foundation will keep the green at bay. I want to test it out before we perform on stage. If it melts off mid concert, we'd need to change the theme to 'horror show. I'm sure as hell not wearing long sleeves and pants when I'm behind the drum kit."

"Is that a hint?" Liv smiled and shook her head. "Alright... alright... I've lived with engineers long enough, I'll meet you upstairs. We'll have to rigorously test it of course."

"And at least three times." Jena teased.

"Don't push it babe... no idea when the Talons will get back or Lana and it hurt when you yanked out so fast when Lana knocked on the door. For that, I'm on top." Liv said and poked her arm playfully.

"Ohhh maybe we should roleplay... Mistress Olivia." Jena said with a grin and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"So that's why... alright alright... you know you've been pretty insatiable lately... sure you aren't in heat?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't quite mind it, but y'know... I have a daughter that is old enough to know things. And... I haven't been with anyone that I've spent quite this much intimate time with since Lana and Vin's father was with me." she sighed and crossed her arms. "You're growin' on me Tana."

"I really do enjoy being with you... and look... you and I have been friends a really really long time and you needed this more than you realized. I also know eventually you're going to want to be with a guy again. Or I'm going to meet someone, but like my track record has been so great. I'm in both of your's and Angel's will as a guardian for your kids. And... it's time I actually did something for me. Served long enough, the war's over so the whole reason I even accepted an officer rank is pretty much over. I want to play music, work out and kinda of have a family. Even if its just as 'Aunt Jena'."

"Bit more to it than that... isn't it?" Olivia said as they walked into the house and headed up the stairs to their bedroom.

"Yeah... should have known you'd figure it out. I need to get away from engine rooms for a while. I think that's why my color's been off and... why my fertile cycles have been wacky..." Jena closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "I never really wanted kids but I kind of wanted that option. Guess now I know it's not really going to happen. So... doesn't really matter. Any kids I help with aren't going to be mine."

"Lana and Vin love having you around, just... don't teach my girl how to pick up guys alright?" Liv teased. "With any luck she'll be celibate and I won't have to worry about that. Maybe be a Jase'dasis or something. She's strong in the iljuna... I'm... sensitive to it, never really got super into it but when I linked with Aimee... kind of made me realize there was something to it."

"You love her?"Jena raised an eyebrow. "Not jealous by the way. She's hot."

"Not in that way... but yeah I love her like as sister. Now you my friend... you're girlfriend." Liv said with a smile. "I don't do... weird stuff with my sister. It'd be like all those creepy guys asking me to kiss Angel when we performed together. Now when Kirby and I shared a stage... then it got steamy."

"I miss her too... it's funny though, she didn't quite set off the radar like you did." Jena mused as she unbuttoned her top.

"I didn't start setting off your's until I got over looking for a father for my children. And I'll admit, even if somehow my Ethan came back... it's been so long that I'm not ready to be monogamous. I wouldn't force him to get back with me, I'll jump him because... ooof... it was wonderful but I'm not Jack or Angel that 'need' their mates. Ethan and I got married because I actually got pregnant on the Mata Hari... miscarried. Didn't know we were pregnant at the time of the miscarriage but we realized we should make it official. So we did. He was a Marine, like Marcus, first one in last one out. Far more likely to die in battle than anything. And I was a far more dangerous spy at the time, didn't want to have a child depending on us, but then we knew the Mata Hari was being refit and we'd be reassigned so it made sense. Plus... he got promoted to Major and wouldn't have to be on the front lines. He was going to raise our children more. Plus he had all these things that he never had a chance to do with his own father so it came from that as well. I had no such regrets. And... I was far more like my mother than I cared to realize."

"You've changed a lot in the past few years, that's for certain. I'm thinking this whole change will be good for all of us. We both were always happier on stage, performing and just having fun. And that new body... it's built for that, it's not a weapon like the old one. All lean and mean and streamlined. Plus I think you've got a way more infectious smile now. You look happier." Jena said and locked the door behind her.

"I am happier. I have my daughter, my son, you. AImee. Got what I really need. And having a daughter in her teens... is kind of cool, since I am pretty sure Vin is going to be a handful. Ethan warned me that Furyan alpha males go from being very well behaved to risk taking and aggressive and downright nuts in their teen years, alpha women aren't so bad. Basically I'm a Furyan woman... so if I can handle me we'll be alright."

"Tiny yet mighty." Jena teased as she pulled off her slacks and gasped as she looked in the mirror. "Oh... geez..." she pointed to her bare legs. "I'm caucasian... I was at least spotted this afternoon. Yep... that settles it, I'm your drummer forever now. I'm not going back to an engine room."

"Good the Mata Hari's needs it's drummer." Olivia said with a smile.

"I like the name... so who else is in the band?" Jena said as she unclasped her bra and tossed it over a nearby chair.

"Aimee... I'd like to see if Lana can pick up something as quickly as my sister and I did. Possibly big Vin... he's got calluses on his fingers, so I can tell he plays. Can always supplement with an AI run hologram." Olivia said while pulling her white blouse off. "Anyone else you got in mind?"

"Works for me." Jena said with a slight purr as she slid into the bed and looked at Olivia. "So you going to keep the wild hair colors?"

"Maybe... although I think I'm going to go blonde most of the time, Jackson did something to my follicles, hair is blonde, everything else is dark brown." Olivia glanced down and shrugged her shoulders. "Take my word for it."

"Well... I think you'd look great as a redhead. But blondes do have more fun." Jena said as she kissed Olivia's shoulder. "Maybe I should just take another dose and stay caucasian, might be helpful if we play somewhere were there are Imperium in the audience. Otherwise I'm just a very muscular, scantily clad Terran lookin' girl and we don't make waves."

"Besides the fact that you and I are a couple and we're both bi... which means, everyone will want to sleep with us. Or as Kirby joked 'equal opportunity daters'." Olivia laughed and kissed Jena on the lips. "You're a fun girlfriend... so... role play?"

"Thought you'd never ask... Mistress Olivia." Jena teased.

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan and Trinity walked in the door. Ethan kicked his boots off, and hung his hat on the hall tree. His eyes were heavy and bloodshot. "Next time remind me not try to keep up with a Scot. I swear Dougal's blood must be pure whiskey. I haven't drank this much since boot camp graduation in our timeline. Where the hell is everybody?"

As if on cue Mrs. Ackers exploded out of the kitchen, a wide smile on her face. "Oh there you are dears! Oh my you two look worse for wear. Come! Sit! I have coffee on the pot, and we all know a good strong brew is the answer to what ails you."

Ethan started to protest, but he was too tired, and too hung over to protest. His stomach reminded him that it was being neglected too as the smell of frying bacon drifted out of the kitchen. With that it was decided. His bed would have to wait.

[Trinity Talon]

"Aww... you handled yourself very well dear..." Trinity said with a smile and curled up next to him. "One of the great things about being the boss... you can have someone else do your work the next day." she kissed his neck and smiled. "Boot Camp graduation... oh that was wild. Tame compared to this though... we didn't have the Vice President and the Speaker of the House hanging out with us." reaching into her pocket she pulled out a fresh tube of lipstick. "T'Kir gave me this... aphrodisiac lip stick. Part of her old S31 spy kit, nearing its expiration so she's been giving them as wedding presents. I could be incredibly mean and put it on tonight..."

[Ethan Talon]

"Like we really need anything like that. Nor, would I care if you did. You don't need a lipstick to make me want to ravish you right and proper," he teased with a grin then a grimace as the headache reminded him of his hangover.

[Trinity Talon]

"I'll wait until you've shaken the hangover..." Trinity kissed his lips and smiled. "Besides, saving it for our honeymoon... for at least the day or so after the wedding, neither of us are going to think about work." she head a thump and a laugh and glanced up at the ceiling. "Jena and Liv are home. Y'know... it's comforting that at least some things from our timeline carried over. Aunt Jena was pretty much a part of the family. Granted her partner changed a few times, but she was always family. I still use her measuring techniques when I'm putting something together." she put her head on Ethan's chest. "Do you think your mom will take me up on the offer to let her stay here? I know grandpa Nick will probably offer up some of the compound for her, but I kind of want to get to know her better. I always kept her at arm's length, because we both kinda knew that she wouldn't be around for long, just the circumstance but... we never got her back."

[Ethan Talon]

He shrugged, and they followed Mrs. Ackers into the kitchen. David was sitting in his usual spot. As ranch foreman David usually ate in big house with the family. He was family for all that. A cousin of sorts through Milo. The rest of the hands ate in the bunkhouse.

"Hey," Ethan greeted.

"Mornin'," David replied. "What were you doing? Staying up all night drinking?"

Ethan took his seat with a heavy sigh, "As a matter of fact I was. Remind me not to try to keep up with a Scot next time will you?"

David laughed, "I'll do that. Take it we got good news?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "Looks like we got a man to ramrod the 78th. He's already taking to calling them 'Dougal's Highlanders'."

Mrs. Ackers started scrapping scarmabeld eggs into everyone's plate. Coffee cups were filled, and bacon evenly distributed.

David pulled apart a steaming biscuit and poured some cloudy, but fresh honey from Trinity's hives, onto the center of one half. Closing it like a sandwich he bit into it with satisfaction. "Compliments to the chef Mrs. Ackers. You always make the best biscuits. Pass me the salsa would you Ethan?"

Mrs. Ackers beamed like a mother hen, "Why thank you dear. Tryn' to butter up an old lady. Well it works!" She smiled and winked at the younger man.

"I talked to the men on the Flying-W. Got four more to sign up for the 18th."

Ethan gingerly picked at his eggs. He didn't have much of an appetite, but the coffee, black as midnight, was welcomed. "How many is that now?"

"Eighty-four," David replied.

"That ought to be good enough. We'll use your men for scouting and reconnaissance. Four comapanies of twenty-one, in two Battalions. We can't pull every ranch hand off the land to fulfill Mattis' wet dream."

[Trinity Talon]

"Mattis will have to be happy with what we've been able to muster so far." Trinity said as she reached for a piece of bacon. "I've got some college kids interviewing here tomorrow, David. Ag-science majors so they should be used to the 'gory' side but we may need to ride herd on them too. One of the other Professors my Uncle Jack worked with contacted me last semester about needing more hands on training for his students." she yawned and stretched her neck. "I'm also interviewing an assistant for myself, I can do it all but I need someone to handle my in box and make calls for me and make sure our vendors are taken care of. We'll have aides for the Marine work, but if we're going to be divided between ranch and the regiment then we're going to need to delegate when we're in uniform. You need a right hand David?"

[Ethan Talon]

David shrugged, "I talked to Mike Conroy yesterday. You know him Ethan, runs ram rod on ol' Sam Majors' spread on the other side of the Phantom Canyon."

"No, I don't know Mike, but I do know Sam Majors', and he has him running things he must be one helluva hand. No shrewder cattleman than Sam. He had a dry summer last year and we sold him, what eight ton of hay last winter?" He asked looking at Trinity, but he didn't stop for an answer. "He going to be your second?"

David nodded. "Mike is one of the few marine officers on the rolls. A captain if I'm not mistaken. With the old Starfleet Marine Corps. Served with your mom on the Erebus."

Ethan nodded, "Your hover bikes will be in by the end of the week. I suggest you get your regiment together, so you can start training."

David nodded, "I was thinking. What happens when we run into someone who uses some sort of energy dampening?"

"You thinking of horses or bicyclis?"

"Horses. We are cowboys after all."

"Well, you all have your own horses. I don't see why not."

David smiled, "I thought you'd see it my way."

[Trinity Talon]

"You cowboys do realize that we have three whole garages full of motorcycles that run on shielded power systems. Everyone wants hover cycles, but kevlar jacketed tires, on armored frames with EMP resistant systems and won't need to be fed or cleaned up after." Trinity said with a wink. "But if you want horses, go for it. Whatever gets you to where we need to go."" she scooped up a forkful of eggs and gave David a raised eyebrow. "Oh, did you get your new uniform? Mom's shipping department was supposed to have sent them to everyone we already signed up. Make sure you got the right accessories, rank and division patches, boots... underwear. One of them sent bras to the guys and boxer briefs to the girls."

[Ethan Talon]

"She's right you know." Ethan shrugged, "I'd hate to see a good horse get killed too. Though you have a point. Remember Korban IX?" He asked Trinity, "And there was the Battle of Vulcan. It wasn't just an EMP. They took our toys away, and bombed the crap out of our position. Without communications a horse would come in real handy. Tell you what. We use the hover cycles, and motorcycles primarily. We can use the horses for ceremonial work, and in a pinch. Cargo bay Eight on an Erebus class would be a perfect stable. It was designed to be a hydroponics bay so there is already water hook ups. And speaking of uniforms. We aren't regular Marines. Why don't we let the unit commanders have their choice in duty and dress uniforms. I'm sure the Scots already have kilts picked out. The Indians can have their braids and breech clothes or whatever. There is something about establishing unit cohesion when the men and women already buy into the unit."