As the moonlight shined down on all of them, Steve found himself thinking that Elisa had never been a fan of fantasy or science fiction, even in spite or their numerous attempts to make her see the light.
They had tried, he and Jaspinder. They had sat down with Elisa and enjoyed – well, he and Jaspinder certainly did – the best movies together, they had kind of guilt-tripped her into binge-watching the most acclaimed TV-series, and had even given her classics like Asimov and Tolkien as presents, as well as more recent ones. Every time, though, her response had been «Interesting, but not my thing». One would start to wonder what kind of sad childhood she had lived, before remembering she was German. Give her a good thriller, a comedy, a heart-warming – or heartbreaking – slice-of-life, or an enthralling detective story and she would come back the next day asking for more. The medium was not important: he had seen her devour books, movies, cartoons, comics, manga, and TV shows in equal measure, but she only cared about those genres.
Everything else was, in her words, «Meh».
This is why, as the forest around them resounded with a mesmerising stream of curses and imprecations – some colourful enough to make generations of sailors proud and battle-hardened soldiers blush – Steve was fairly certain Elisa’s appreciation for fantasy and science fiction had reached an all-time low.
Now that they were staring at it, he wondered if, in the previous days, she had had any inkling about the mess they were in. He had not, but given how all of the team seemed to be searching for new ways to swear, neither had the others.
Looks like this is going to be fun...
***
A few hours earlier.
The way back to their camp, if it could be called that, was uneventful. Steve and Chief Anderson tied a few thick branches to the boar’s legs with their climbing ropes, creating a rough, makeshift sled and slowly dragged their gutted prey towards the river; once there, they used the cold waters – shallower close to the bank – to help them carry the heavy animal back to the rest of the team, the branches helping to keep the body afloat. The current was not too strong, and with both of them pulling, they made good time.
«Charlie Two, this is One, do you copy? Over», Chief Bradley called on the team’s channel, slightly out of breath.
The reply was almost immediate. «Good copy, One. Had a hard hunt? Old age catching up? You sound tired, over».
«You’ll see it soon, smartass», the chief replied in-between huffs, «but I can tell you it’s big. We’re on our way back, ETA twenty mikes. Give me a sitrep, over».
«We’ve found a clearing with good cover not too far from the river. We’re making progress with the fires, but the wood is still too wet. We dug five Dakotas and used tree sap as fire-starter, but it’s still taking a lot to have them going. At least there’s enough trees to cover the better part of the smoke, over».
«Check. Keep at it. I need two for support. Riverbank south of your position in twenty, over».
«Roger. I’ll send Three and Four, over».
«Copy that. One, out».
Keeping pace with his leader, Steve was unusually quiet. He had tried his best not to think about it in the last days, but he could not help but ponder about their situation: unlikely animals, an uncanny forest, no enemies whatsoever, wrong geography, strange people, communications down, their own weird behaviour, almost like mood swings.
It’s all too much, all too strange to be a coincidence, but there’s no connection. The wet ground gave way and he stumbled, a curse escaping his mouth. Not one that I can find, at least for now, he thought after quickly regaining his footing. He secured the rope around his waist, a nod at the chief and they resumed dragging the beast – mutated boar or whatever. Bloody hell, this thing’s heavy! A groan escaped his mouth. What the fuck is causing all this? Enemy action? Bad intelligence? Betrayal? Have we been drugged? Is Miller playing his worst prank ever on us? He kicked a pebble into the river, frustration getting the better of him for a moment. God, I want a cold beer…
He held no answer to his questions, not yet anyway, but that did not mean he would stop looking. Once they left their current “wards” in a civilized place, they would contact HQ, understand what was going on, get to the root of the problem and eradicate it. He was certain the others were of the same mind.
Such musings kept Steve company until they arrived at the agreed rendezvous point, where Elisa and Tetsuo were already waiting for them, hidden behind the tree line. What he did not expect were the two green outlines crouching next to them. When Elisa moved - the noise of her boots on the gravel covered by the sound of flowing water - and quickly approached Steve and the master chief, she was followed by the other two, while the old man kept watch behind cover. Not a word was spoken as the five of them moved to the boar and, not without effort, heaved the beast out of the water; together, they proceeded to lift it up and carry it towards their remaining companion. Once they were back under the cover of the trees, they put the boar down onto the ground and searched for something to lean on, or simply sat down to catch their breath.
«So, care to explain what these two are doing here?» Chief Bradley asked their resident combat medic. No playfulness in his voice as he gestured towards the two nearby men, one sitting on the ground, breathing heavily, the other slowly rotating his left shoulder with a grimace on his face.
«They’re here to help, Brad. Relax» Elisa replied and stretched her arms upwards; then, she took her helmet off and brushed some sweat away with her hand. «When they saw us walk away they both approached and said… something. I don’t know what, but the rest of their friends looked at them kinda funny. Then, they got permission from Ed, or at least that’s what it looked like to me».
«Ma’am, his name is actually closer to “Eithvurdur”, if you remember», the old man intervened. He had never made a secret of the fact that he disliked when people butchered a language he spoke – and he knew quite a few – but he would have more success convincing a brick wall than the master chief and Elisa.
«I know, no biggie, “Ed” is just easier to say. So», she turned back to the master chief, «he spoke to them», and pointed at Tetsuo with her thumb. «Or, well, at least he tried. Meanwhile, Al took care of the gesturing part, and it came out quite good… actually, it looked like a mime sketch, but that’s what an Italian is for, right? Anyway, what is it that you told them?»
«Aye, ma’am. I said “ánni”, “mat”, “stór” and “kjöti”», the old man replied, voice as dry as a pool in the Gobi Desert.
Elisa stared at him «Thanks. In English? C’mon Tetsuo, don’t be grumpy».
«Yes, ma’am, I won’t be grumpy, ma’am», he replied in the grumpiest voice Steve had heard in a while. «It was: “river”, “food”, “big”, and “meat”. Or at least I think that’s what I said…»
A bird overhead chose that moment to loudly sing his love song, and soon a potential mate joined him in their back and forth, and so sudden were the sounds and so unused they had become to the presence of animals in the forest, that everyone stopped to listen to the enchanting duet for a few minutes.
«So», Elisa resumed the conversation, «in the end they followed us, Brad. They did not slow us down and seem used to moving around in the forest». She shrugged. «I mean, it’s not a problem. Al gave the green light and I wasn’t going to force them to stay with the others, so I let them come».
He nodded in reply. «I trust your judgement. Now on to the important stuff. Take a good look, guys: fresh unicorn meat!»
Elisa looked at him in askance, or at least it looked like that from her body language and what could be seen behind the visor. «Did you hit your head, Brad? Should I give you another check?» she asked, her tone a mix of sarcasm and uncertainty.
«Har-har. Take a good look, I said, then you can be a smartass».
«Oh? It has a horn. How peculiar», Tetsuo commented.
«That’s it, old man? “How peculiar”? No swearing? Not even a raised eyebrow?» Steve was quite baffled. «We’re at four weird animals out of four; that’s 100% rate, and I don’t like it».
«Nothing we can do about it, Cooper. I recorded it alive and dead so the big brains back home will have something to play with. Now we just need to clean, skin, and butcher it, then we’ll bring the meat to the camp».
«Why do it here, chief? We can easily carry it to the camp. Unless… do you plan to wash the meat?» Tetsuo’s voice incredulous.
«Hell no! It’s already soaked enough. Cooking it will take care of germs and whatever. No, I want to stay here so we can wash ourselves afterwards. I don’t know about you, but I stink. We should also refill our water packs and get some drinking water for the rest».
«On that note», Elisa intervened, «we’ve got to find a way to boil it, guys. I have two purification tablets left. It’ll be a miracle if no one gets sick by drinking from the stream in the next days».
«Yeah, I have one left myself, and we started with two packs each… but it’s running water and it seems safe to drink, don’t you think? We’re also moving upstream, so it should be ok, unless something went and fucking croaked up ahead. I mean, the risk of Salmonella and other nasty stuff should be low. And I guess our friends are already used to the bacteria in the water, since they’re locals».
«Too many “should” for my taste there, Brad, and I’m not really sure they’re locals; they don’t really scream “eastern European” you know».
«Fair point, but the water is bound to be safer to drink the closer we get to the source».
«Yeah, kind of, but I’m not just worried about germs and viruses, Brad. I was thinking about the residue from all the fighting: fuel spilling, chemicals, depleted uranium, you name it. It was just three years ago, water sources could still be contaminated; zur Hölle, the ground itself might be». She sat down on a rock, and started to massage her temples with one hand, eyes closed. «Cherry on top of the shit-cake? We don’t even know where we are, thanks to fucking shitty gear and shitty maps, so I have no idea if we’re going towards knows toxic grounds or not... So, better safe than sorry. We should be fine even without boiling the water, our bodies kill most harmful substances—»
«Science, fuck yeah!» Steve lowkey sang.
«—but our grey friends here don’t have our immune system and they’re also not in the best condition. Verdammt, Steve, I’m being serious here!» She almost snarled.
«Me too. Science is awesome».
«Oh, whatever». Elisa threw her arms in the air. «I have no idea when our luck will end and someone will get infected. Hell, maybe they’re already sick, given their skin tone, but I’m making wild guesses here. In any case, let’s boil the water if we can; it won’t do shit if it’s contaminated, but at least it’ll kill the pathogens in it».
«That’s very consoling. I’m glad Big Jim and Big Josh here don’t understand a word».
«If they understood us, Brad, first thing they’d do would be to ask you who Jim and Josh are».
«How the fuck does no one know about Big Jim?»
«It’s a toy from a hundred years ago; you’re the weird one who knows too much about it. Does Becky know you still play with dolls? Should I tell her?»
«You’re just envious, that’s why you try to diss on it». He crossed his arms. «Careful or you’ll become the “evil German woman” Al keeps calling you. Now that I think about it, how do you know about Big Jim?»
«My grandfather, you know, Kristopher, the one on my mother’s side, had a few of those at home. He got them from his own grandfather, and told me all about Big Jim when I was a kid. I remember that I loved listening to his stories, and I loved even more the puppet with bow and arrow and the one with golden trousers, but he never let me play with them, he just kept them in their package», she huffed. «I think they even had the original seal intact».
«Seriously?! A Gold Commander and Chief Tankua – no, it was probably Warpath – in their original package? Those’re collector’s items! Does he still have them? Do you think he’d be willing to sell?» Steve had never seen Chief Anderson so invested in something so mundane and not military-related, and it felt… strange.
Elisa was saved from the need of replying by their resident machine-gunner. «Sir. Ma’am. Sorry to intrude, but shouldn’t we proceed with the boar?» The old man managed to make them focus once again on the task at hand, although Steve was left unsatisfied to a degree: the discussion had started to become interesting.
«You’re right, Tetsuo», Chief Bradley quickly recovered his professionalism. «Let’s get a move on».
Having said that, they all turned their attention to their soon-to-be dinner. Steve explained to the others that they had opted to keep as much of the meat as possible before pulling the body with them, given how many mouths they needed to feed; they also kept the lungs, liver, kidney and heart. Then, Cooper took off his helmet and unsheathed his knife, followed by the master chief; they were ready to skin and butcher the boar, but something gave Steve pause: Elisa had flinched and taken a step back. That was already odd in itself, but the fact that she had flinched when Chief Bradley took out his knife worried Steve in a way he could not explain. It was something… deep and visceral.
He looked around and met Tetsuo’s eyes. Their silent communication confirmed that the other SIG had seen the same thing, and with a nod they agreed to talk about it later, perhaps with Chief Rossi as well. At least, that is how Steve interpreted the sign; non-verbal communication was tricky.
A moment later, the two who accompanied Tetsuo and Elisa approached, and Steve was brought out of his musings. They walked with a confident gait, but their expression and the beads of sweat running down their forehead betrayed their uncertainty.
«Vinsamlegast, leyfðu okkur að hjálpa þér», they asked. They spoke slowly and gestured first to themselves, then the knives, and finally the boar.
The four members of Charlie were equally stunned and confused. The majority of the group still kept mostly silent and never spoke to the team, so one could understand their surprise at such sudden proactivity. The astonishment was so conspicuous that even Chief Bradley’s proverbial poker face cracked. The silence stretched for a few seconds, causing visible worry in the two men. Seeing as no reply was given, they spoke again, almost a plea.
«Við erum veiðimenn. Treystu okkur! Leyfðu okkur að hjálpa þér, vinsamlegast».
«Hey, Tetsuo, any idea what they’re saying? I get it has something to do with the boar... Do you think they want to help?»
«I don’t know, sir. I could only understand “us” and “you”. I think the last word was something like “please”. Based on their gestures, I guess they, indeed, want to help with the boar».
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Steve sheathed his beloved knife and turned to the closest of the duo. «Well, no way I’m lending you Bernie, mate».
«Yeah, yeah, Cooper, we know you love your knife».
«I think “unhealthy obsession” would be more accurate, Brad. It could be pathological. Ever thought of going to a shrink, Cooper?»
«Nein, Zief Schwartzman! Aber danke für… your conzern, ya!» His reply was adorned by a far too rigid posture, a far too snappy salute, and heels clicking together. Elisa showed her appreciation with a gesture that surely meant “It’s nothing, my dear, I’m always here for you” in German.
Blatantly ignoring their banter, Chief Anderson moved closer to the two men, knife still in hand. «So, what’s your name, friends? I’m Bradley», he touched his chest. «Tetsuo», he put a hand on the old man’s shoulder. «Elisa», he pointed with his left. «Steve», he tapped his arm with the knife. Then, he moved even closer to the grey duo and, gesturing with his left he once again touched his chest and told them his own name; then, he wordlessly asked for theirs.
«Háttenni Gurdson», the older-looking one presented himself and brought a weathered fist to his chest. A deep scar on his forearm stood out against the greyish skin, but what was really striking were his rich green eyes.
«Eldur Rauðhærður», the other nodded and bowed, his red hair, slick with sweat, swaying with the movement.
The master chief looked at them, expression inscrutable, then closed his eyes for a brief moment and sighed. «… Can’t any of them just be called “Bob” or “James”? Here, man, use it well», he told the red-haired one as he handed him his knife, while Tetsuo gave his own to the other.
Elisa observed from a couple metres away, posture relaxed but safety off. They were tense when they took the offered knives, but whatever worry the duo had, it quickly transitioned to mild surprise at the blades in their hands, if their raised eyebrows were any indication at all. The moment quietly passed and they shifted all of their focus on the carcass. With practiced motions they skinned the animal, every movement filled with purpose; the older man paused only once to stare with renewed appreciation at the tool he was using. Then, they began to butcher the animal in earnest, first separating the head, then cutting the body in two along its spine; from then, they removed the organs, the leaf lard, the tenderloin, then separated the shoulders, loin, belly and ham, wasting not a gram of meat or fat. Steve gave an instinctive whistle when they cut the bones with the sawing side of Tetsuo’s knife, not as easy feat for sure. Elisa had them throw away the lungs and kidneys, and forbid them from extracting the brain, all for safety reasons; they did not understand her words, but her tone left no space for misunderstandings. In the end, from the head they only took the cheeks, the snout and the tongue. In around half an hour they had butchered the entire boar and divided it in the best way to be roasted, only discarding what their resident combat medic had told them to and the spine; less bones meant less weight to carry.
All in all, that night they would all go to sleep with a full belly.
The butchering done, the two focused on the removal of the horn and the tusks. They moved with skill and care, in no rush to finish, their hands so steady and precise that only their eyes and the sweat on their faces betrayed the effort and concentration that went into the motions. Once extracted, they gently put the horn and tusks aside and sat down to rest, a content smile on their face, and nodded to each other. A few minutes later they stood back up, gathered all the discarded parts of the boar and threw them into the river; sitting down with their feet submerged, they thoroughly cleaned the two knives of blood and grease and washed them as best as they could, using the cleanest part of what was left of their shirts to dry them before giving them back to the old man and the chief. As sunset was starting to approach, they fashioned the boar’s skin as an impromptu sack to carry the organs and as much of the meat as it could contain, while Elisa, Tetsuo, Steve and Bradley took what parts of the boar remained. Seeing that the horn and tusks had been left alone, Steve decided to pick them up, as they all made their way back to camp.
Chief Rossi was the first to greet them back, helmet hanging from the hip and face slick with sweat and smoke. «Shit, guys, you stink! Go back to the river and take a bath».
«As if you’re one to talk», Elisa replied. «And your face’s dirty».
«Nice to see you too, Al. Sorry for the smell, but I forgot to take my Chanel n°5 with me before going hunting, taking the entrails out of the body of a dead animal, and pulling the carcass back here», Chief Anderson quipped back.
«Yes, yes. I see you caught a big one», he gestured at the mountain of meat being carried. «That’s great, but you should still go back and wash yourselves. Also, were those guys helpful? They were quite insistent to come».
«Heh, see for yourself, chief», Steve replied and tossed the horn at the senior chief, who easily caught it and raised an eyebrow.
«What’s this? You hunted a goat?»
The master chief took off his helmet before replying. «No, jackass, we shot a unicorn»
«Wow, that sounds like something a movie villain would say. Did you drink its blood to gain eternal life, at least?»
«Of course, now I’ll have to fight other immortals in duels to the death».
«Boys, as interesting as it is to listen to you two talk», Elisa chimed in, «we should start cooking before it gets too late».
«You’re right. Let’s get to it». At Chief Bradley’s order, they started moving, each to their own task; after all, the meat would not cook by itself and the fires had to be nurtured.
«To answer your question, Al, Big Jim and Big Josh were of great help. They butchered it by themselves and took off the horn and tusks with practiced ease. They’re skilled with the knife and they weren’t surprised by the boar having a horn».
«A boar with a horn… If we hadn’t met the leopard with six legs I’d tell you to stuff it, but I guess mutated animals are not unusual around here». Chief Rossi paused, lost in thought, and scratched his beard absentmindedly. «That’s worrying, but a concern for the higher ups. The rest of the folks here helped dig the holes, collect wood and start the fires. They’re also making sure they keep burning; the wood is so fucking wet it took one hour before we had the bare minimum of fire».
«Wow, they all decided that today was help-your-rescuer day, eh?» Steve’s comment was on point, since up till then they had only received basic cooperation «Not that I’m complaining, mind you, it’s just strange. By the way, where’s Jas?»
«She’s keeping watch over there». The senior chief gave the horn back to Cooper.
«Good, I’m going to shove it in her face. Be right back».
As he walked towards Jaspinder’s location, Steve heard Senior Chief Rossi talk on the team’s channel, and stopped. «Charlie Five, this is Two, do you copy? Over».
«Good copy, Two, over».
«Charlie Six here says he’s coming over there to shove it in your face. Acknowledge, over».
«Roger that. Please remind Six that is sexual harassment and that I’m armed and dangerous, over».
«Wilco. Two, out». Chief Rossi snickered before ending the communication.
«This is Six», Steve called out on the same channel. «Know that I will file a complaint to HR for mobbing as soon as we’re back. Six, out».
«Keep the channel clear!» Chief Bradley barked, and the comms went silent once again.
***
«Jaspinder».
«Yes?» She threw another small log into the fire and lifted her head towards Elisa. The two SIG and the remaining four women – Tár was taking care of the young girl – were making sure the five Dakota fire holes kept burning.
«Brad and the rest of the boys are coming back from the river. It’s our turn to take the girls to have a bath».
«Roger. I hope the guys won’t let the fires die… I’m starting to feel quite hungry and I’d hate to wait more than necessary».
«Come on, grumpy, we’ll be back with dinner ready and served».
«Yeah, unless the smoke gives us away and enemies swarm our position while we’re butt naked in the river».
«Tetsuo is a worrywart, Jas. Relax, don’t get infected by his paranoia. Even Brad and Al told him that, between the canopy and the Dakotas, the risk of discovery is almost zero».
«Fuck, they jinxed it, I know it…»
«Yeah, maybe, we’ll keep the usual guard shifts at evening and at night, anyway. Good, they’re here. Come on, let’s go», Elisa ordered as she stood up. She then turned towards the other women and gestured for them to follow. «Let’s go, ladies! I know you don’t understand me, but it’s our turn to take a bath. Ánni, let’s go to the ánni».
Slowly, the six women followed, though “Lady Braids” gave both Elisa and Jaspinder the stink eye. Once at the river, they searched for an area with slower current and a modicum of privacy before taking a bath, and quickly settled for a small cove. Elisa and the others went in first, while Jaspinder stood guard, but not without complaint.
«Not my fault that you suck at rock-paper-scissors, Jas». Elisa smirked before plunging in, the river reflecting the waning light of the day. A satisfied sigh escaped her after reemerging. «The water is great, Jas, just the right temperature. If only we had some soap…»
«Given where we are, the time of the year, and your standards, I’m pretty sure the average person would die of thermal shock in this river».
«Ja, ja, always so exaggerated… It’s refreshing, and I really needed it. Of course, a warm bath would be wunderbar, but this is the next best thing right now. Also, they are fine», she inclined her head towards the other six women currently washing themselves as best as they could, scraping away grime and dirt.
«If you say so… They’re not exactly “the average person”, you know?»
«Okay, okay. We just need to make sure they dry themselves well afterwards».
«We have the fires for that... but I don’t know how much it will take them, especially the braid girls».
«I don’t want to know. I’m just glad I don’t have long hair».
«Yeah, me too», Jaspinder replied absentmindedly. A lull in the conversation followed, interrupted not a minute later. «Hey, Elisa».
«Yes?»
«Have you seen them? Look at Tár».
«Why? What do you mean?»
«They’re all, like, really fit, and Tár looks like a grey She-Hulk. Have you seen those muscles?»
«Of course. It’s kind of hard not to notice when she’s got arms as big as Brad’s».
«Right, but her body’s full of scars, and I mean full. Don’t turn around! Don’t make it so obvious, for the love of…»
Elisa smiled. «Ease up, Jas. You’re too tense. This isn’t like you».
«Yeah, maybe you’re right»,
«Of course I am».
«Careful, you’re approaching Chief Rossi’s level of arrogance».
Elisa widened her eyes and creased her eyebrows, in a passable imitation of annoyance and offense. «Oh, that’s a low blow. I’ll remember this».
«Yeah, yeah, bite me. You know, talking about those scars, I don’t think they were made by those dead fuckers; they don’t look recent. Actually, a few of them remind me of yours…»
«You’ll have to be more specific».
«The shrapnel ones».
«Oh».
«… Do you think she survived a grenade?»
«Good question, Jas, why don’t you go and ask?».
«Yeah, right, in what language? Sanskrit?»
«Ah, you’d manage. It’d be a great way to break the ice, you know? “Evening, Tár, how’s it going? Lovely weather, right? Also, can you tell me how you got those scars?”. I’d love to see her reaction».
«Yeah… I don’t, but I’m sure you’d love to see Wonder Woman on ’roids break me in half».
«As if she could beat you in hand-to-hand combat. You’re not exactly a small and frail maiden, you know».
«Whatever. That’s her own business so I won’t bother her. But I’m curious... What do you think? Was she a soldier? A civilian caught in “collateral damage”? Or maybe she had it rough as a kid?»
«Easy there. Too many questions». Elisa scrubbed her hair decisively, her pixie cut making it easier to clean. «I can’t say, but the way she doesn’t even try to cover the scars makes me think she’s not ashamed, which goes opposite to what abuse victims usually feel. I’m not a shrink, though, so I could be wrong. Also, when I gave her a check-up, I noticed her hands were strong and calloused, even more so than the others, like someone who regularly handles heavy stuff. So, maybe she got all those scars during her job...»
«Oh, come on! Where was she working, in the mines of Moria?»
«I don’t know. Are these mines in the region?»
Jaspinder looked at her and remembered who she was talking to. «Never mind, it doesn’t matter».
«It was just a random guess, anyway. Can’t say I’ve been to any mines in my life…» Elisa let herself float on her back, eyes looking up at the darkening skies.
A minute or so passed in silence, broken only by the river’s noise and the other women whispering among themselves.
«Say, Jas, what do you make of all this mess?» Elisa began to dry herself with her used clothes. Not like they had another choice.
«I don’t know. My first thought was sabotage: our maps are wrong, all our comms going down at the same time is impossible, same with the GPS… but then we couldn’t find the river we used to infiltrate the area, we met these people and the bastards in medieval armour… Do you think the guys at Edge are okay?»
«I don’t’ know, but the sooner we arrive to that damn town, the better. We already lost time with this detour».
«Well, we had to be sure no one would follow us».
«I know, I know. Come on, Jas, it’s your turn to bathe. I’ll keep watch».
As Elisa put on the lower half of her under-armour, Jaspinder couldn’t help but admire her buttocks.
«Like what you see?» Elisa's voice startled her.
«Well, yes», she admitted. «I keep thinking you have a very nice arse».
«Thank you», she smirked. «You need to work out harder if you want the same». It was one of those times where her smug tone irked Jaspinder.
«Yeah, yeah. Show-off». It’s not that simple, you know.
Ten minutes later, refreshed and somewhat clean – as much as bathing without soap could do – they were all back to camp, just in time for the first batch of meat to be ready. The aroma of roasted boar embraced her nostrils and caressed her taste buds, so much that Jaspinder could already feel the umami spreading in her mouth.
Simply put, she was hungry. After days of MRE, berries and nuts, some warm meat was quite welcome.
As they all sat down to eat, Jaspinder and the rest of the team let the others warm their bodies and dry themselves next to the fires. Vorsonur was still sick, despite being on the way to recovery, and they did not want someone else to get pneumonia.
«Steve! Hey, Steve».
«Hey Jas, what’s up?»
«Have a bite first, won’t you?»
«Why?»
«To check if it’s edible. If you get the runs, it won’t be a great loss for the team».
«Sure thing, you’re the expert», he replied without hesitation, and proceeded to cut a slice of meat for himself.
He chewed and chewed, taking his time and making lots of noise until Senior Chief Rossi moved next to him. After he swallowed, they stood there, waiting. He kept silent, a pensive expression on his face for almost a minute, until Jaspinder exhausted her patience.
«So?»
«Well, it’s a bit game-y, needs some salt and BBQ sauce, but it’s good».
«Great. Let’s dig in», Chief Anderson said, prompting the others to begin to cut and distribute pieces of the roasted boar to the famished men and women sitting way too upright close to the fires. They did not start to eat, however, until their elder, Eith, had taken the first bite.
As the master chief had said, the boar was big, easily over a hundred kilos, more than enough to feed twenty-two people and then some, even after taking the bones out of the equation. Yet, at a certain point Jaspinder was afraid it might not be enough. Every last one of them ate with gusto, especially Tár and her people, who attacked the meat with abandon; so hungry Jaspinder was, that she found even the liver to her taste, despite its bitter tang. None of the six SIGs, however, ate more than necessary, a habit ingrained by years of training; being in a food coma is not a smart idea when in an active combat zone, after all. She saw Tetsuo cut a few slices more, though, when he thought no one – especially Elisa – was looking.
«Wow. I needed that». Steve sported a content smile on his face and closed his eyes.
«Yeah, tell me about it», Elisa agreed.
«You know, this actually reminds me of a barbie my mates from the 2nd regiment and I had in Perth five or six years ago…»
«Cooper, not now. It’s not the time for another Australian anecdote». Chief Rossi did not wait before interrupting Steve, and for the first time in the last few days, Jaspinder agreed with him.
«You’ll tell us tomorrow, Steve. Let’s just enjoy the moment», she told him, and strangely enough, he agreed without protest; he seemed so satisfied that he did not even quip back.
Half an hour passed in tranquillity, filled with silence, quiet conversations, the crackling of fire and the rustle of leaves caressed by a gentle breeze. Then, Master Chief Anderson decided it was time for them to rest.
«Listen up, we’ll keep the rest of the meat for a very healthy breakfast. Now, Tetsuo and I will take first watch. Cooper, Khalid, you’re still on second. Al, Elisa, you take third. Rack out, people».
He did not have to say it twice. Jaspinder was dead tired and relaxed thanks to the bath and the dinner, so she sat down, rested her weapon and helmet on the ground and leaned on a tree. A couple of minutes later she was out, sleeping like a log.
What felt like a single moment later, the comms went live and Jaspinder woke up.
«Charlie Team, this is One. Rally on my position, priority alpha. Beat feet! One, out».
That order woke Jaspinder up and blew away whatever drowsiness she still had. The chief’s voice had sounded strange, laden with urgence and nervousness. The whole team rushed to his position, fully geared up, with night vision and active camouflage on. In two minutes they were there, ready for anything.
Or… she thought she was ready for anything. She had not expected to see Chief Anderson standing in the open, helmet in his hand, carbine attached to his back, looking at the sky.
Disengaging the cuttlefish, Chief Rossi addressed their commander. «Brad, what the hell are you doing? Why the priority alpha? What’s happening?»
«Look at the sky. Just… look up». His voice was incredulous, sad, almost on the verge of tears.
As they all turned off their active camouflage, Steve did not hesitate to speak, as always. «Seriously, chief? I love a starry sky like any good Aussie bloke but…» he, too, went silent.
«But? What happened?!» Elisa asked with a tinge of alarm, looking at Cooper, then up, then at Cooper again. «Steve?». He simply stood there looking up at the sky, unusually quiet. Once again, she looked up, following his stare; a moment later, a string of curses left her mouth.
Jaspinder was staring at the sky as well, and was too flabbergasted to pay any attention to what Elisa was shouting, but she was certain her friend’s voice quickly transitioned from confused, to scared, to angry. After all, those were the same emotions that raged inside of her in that moment, just in a different order.
«Holy shit…» Was all that she managed to say.
The two waxing crescent moons sitting in the firmament did not feel insulted by the team’s words, nor did they reciprocate. They kept their silent watch on the world below, unperturbed and uncaring.