Pretty short preamble to the next chapter.

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May 5th, 2295

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Sarah sat in the same position she'd been in for several hours, Anton was still out cold, and wouldn't wake till he was completely recovered.

She sat in her usual pose, one that kept pressure off of a hip injury she'd dealt with since 2102. It exposed her vulva to the world, but she wasn't bothered. Let them stare.

Right as she thought about how no one had been to check on her or Anton in a little while, the door slid open.

A familiar armored German greeted her, and stepped inside.

"Sarah." Eric said. "How are you doing?" He asked, stepping over to Anton's monitors and giving them a cursory glance.

"Fine" Sarah replied, not shifting. Ever since their deployment, she'd been in the mood of non-committal single syllable replies.

Eric removed his helmet, and sat down next to her.

"You're concerned for him, yes?" He asked, putting his helmet atop his right thigh.

She glanced at him, and noted his blonde mop needed a trim.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, I wish I could do more for him." She said, a pause between each word.

"He is in good hands, you just being here for him is more than enough." Eric replied.

"How long did you sit and watch me?" She asked.

"Not very, I made sure I wouldn't intrude on anything important." He replied.

"If I ask you to, or just say your name, or something like that, would you come to me?" She asked, again, slowly and deliberately weighing each word.

"I'm a ghost, not a giney" He smiled, making his eyes twinkle. "I'll do my best." He said, reaching out and rubbing her shoulder.

Sarah smiled, pursing her lips together. "I appreciate it." She said, staring at her socked feet as they sat on the cushion of the boring chair.

"Keep your chin up." He told her. "You're one of the strongest and most confident women I know." He said softly.

"Can I get a hug?" She asked.

"of course." He said, standing.

She stood as well, and pressed herself against him, hugging him tight. She held him for a long time, and he didn't stop her.

"Do you know where Kate is?" She asked him.

"She's on her way back, ona osprey, sleeping." He replied.

"What does she look like?" Sarah asked him.

"She's laying on a cot, wearing nothing but some boy underwear, and she's snoring, with her armor in a pile beside her." He told her, slowly, and doing his best to paint the picture for her.

"I'd like to ask you how you know that, but I'm don't think I'd like the answer you'd give me." She said.

He laughed. "No, you wouldn't."

She hugged him a little tighter, just for a second, and then let go.

"Can't say I've ever had a naked woman pressed up against my armor like that before."He said, looking at her with kind eyes. He kept a hand on her left shoulder as she stood in front of him.

"Don't make it weird." She told him, smirking and shaking her head.

"Someone's coming, I've got to go." He said.

"Who?" She asked as he stepped back.

"Someone you'll want to see." He said, motioning for her to sit back down.

She did, smiling fondly at him, feeling better.

She blinked, and he was gone.

Ghost, not a Giney