It wasn’t exactly warm inside the small reflective shelter, but neither was it the same bone chilling cold that had cut straight through her tight bodysuit and sapped the warmth from her bones when she had been standing outside in the grove.
Drelloc tried to make herself comfortable, her people had never really been designed to sleep or live on land fully, but she was able to if needed. At first she folded her legs and sat, her tired muscles whining in relief as she took her weight off of them. She shifted a few times and then shuffled farther from the small entrance as the man pushed his head inside. She couldn't see his face anymore as the inside of the small tent-like structure was far too dark, but she could see his silhouette against the starry backdrop.
He was tall, very tall in comparison to her much more diminutive one-hundred-and-sixty-five centimeters. She had noticed it immediately, but only now had she found a tiny part of herself wondering what he thought of her. She pushed the thoughts down as he squeezed inside and closed the flaps.
Her breathing quickened ever so slightly, she couldn't see him anymore but she could hear him. The small tendrils that allowed her to hear with a great deal of sensitivity picking up on his every movement. The scuff of his boots, the clatter of gear on his military uniform, the sound of his breath as he moved around her in the dark.
Suddenly something touched her leg and she gurgled in surprise.
“Oh shit, my bad. I didn't hurt you did I?” Donner asked her, the concern in his voice much more obvious now that she wasn’t being confused by his strange alien facial features.
Drelloc cleared her throat and made a small gesture that he surely couldn’t see in such darkness. “No, I am fine. I was just, was a bit startled. It is too dark to see in here after all.”
A moment of silence. “You really can’t see anything?”
That was a bit of a surprise. Could he see her in the darkness? She felt once more strangely exposed, she wanted to cover herself and hide. Was he looking at her? He could be staring at her and she wouldn't be able to tell. She shivered again at the strange ideas that swirled unbidden in the far reaches of her mind as she swayed slightly side to side.
As if to answer all of her questions the man spoke up again, “Woah, you are still shivering. Here, one moment.”
She put up her hands to stop whatever it was he was doing. She heard the rustling of cloth and the clink of metal. What was he doing?
After another moment she heard something heavy drop on the ground and the man let out a small sigh. “Ahh, it feels good to take off all that armour. Been carrying it all night, now I know what you must have felt like carrying the duffel all the way here. Here, take this. It will keep you warm, I don’t really need it. It isn't quite as cold for me as it must be for you.”
Something brushed her legs and arms and the sides of her head. It was coarse and folded, the thing coming down around her like a weighted blanket. She wanted to resist for a bare moment but the immediate feeling of security and warmth it afforded her assuaged her of that notion.
She groaned lightly as the deep chill that had permeated her body began to slowly subside. “Oohhh.” She hunched a little, embarrassed in spite of herself.
The man seemed to chuckle, the smile in his tone as obvious as if she had been looking in his eyes. “Yeah, I figured you might need a little extra insulation. It's my flack jacket in case you were wondering..” he trailed off suddenly and she sat in silence.
The jacket smelled odd, not bad or good. But strange, alien. The scent of the man that had spent the last day saving her life over and over again. She pulled the garment closer around her, his strange alien scent filling the receptors under the cap of her head. It was a strangely comforting scent, smoke and gunpowder mixed with a deeper and more intriguing scent. Like that of a forest in the summer or wet rocks by the sea. She couldn't explain it more clearly than that, she simply lacked the words.
She wondered what it would be like to press close to the man, his scent and warmth against her bare skin.. She jolted. Where had that come from? See looked inwards and mentally glared at her other selves, at least one of which giggled girlishly at her before sinking deeper into her mind.
She tensed and then closed her eyes, pulling the man’s flack jacket tighter around herself as her body seemed to relax for the first time since just before she had left on this stupid mission. She felt strangely safe, even though she was in more danger than she had ever been before in her life. But she knew that Donner would protect her, and for some reason instead of feeling embarrassed the feeling warmed her. She sighed quietly and let sleep take her, her dreams filled with strange alien scents and emotions she didn't fully understand.
**********
Donner entered into the small tent and stopped, only his head and shoulders poking through the thin reflective fabric of the conservotarp. She hadn't been lying when she had expressed her concern, there was barely room for one person to fit comfortably. Much less two.
She seemed to look his way blindly, her alien features only just visible in the dim starlight. For a moment he could imagine that her silhouette was that of a human. Two shoulders and a large head atop a slender body. But then she raised a third arm and the illusion was shattered.
He pushed all the way inside the small shelter and tried to find a comfortable position. He accidently smacked her with his elbow and she made a small noise of surprise.
He drew back sharply. “Oh shit, my bad. I didn't hurt you did I?”
She shifted uncomfortably, her body only just visible in the near pitch blackness. “No, I am fine. I was just, was a bit startled. It is too dark to see in here after all.”
Donner cocked his head. It was dark, but it wasn't as if there was no light at all. It was a clear night outside and the small amount of starlight that seeped through the gaps in the makeshift tent were enough to get his bearings. “You really can’t see anything?” He was a bit surprised by that, he knew that her people had evolved as amphibious creatures, but he had assumed her vision would be at least comparable to his own. As he looked at her she shivered again and he started, “Woah, you are still shivering. Here, one moment.”
Donner reached for the clasp on his body armour. He had been planning on taking it off anyways before he tried to sleep. He had slept in his full combat regalia before and it had been an uncomfortable experience. He undid the clasps and then ripped off several of the velcro strips before lifting the heavy assembly over his head.
He placed it on the ground next to the door along with his rifle and sighed. “Ahh, it feels good to take off all that armour. Been carrying it all night, now I know what you must have felt like carrying the duffel all the way here.” He rolled his shoulders as he tried to loosen to his tense muscles.
He unzipped the catch on his flack jacket next. “Here, take this. It will keep you warm, I don’t really need it. It isn't quite as cold for me as it must be for you.” Underneath he was wearing his military uniform, the camouflage long sleeve shirt perfectly comfortable and more than enough to keep him comfortably warm in the shelter.
He lifted the garment over her head, once more taking a moment to realise how small she was. She seemed to hunch as he placed his flack jacket over her shoulders, several of her arms reaching out and pulling it closer.
He smiled as her shivering stopped almost immediately. “Yeah, I figured you might need a little extra insulation. It's my flack jacket in case you were wondering..” he stopped. She wouldn't have been wondering, it was stupid of him to assume she was. Again he felt subtly drawn to her, as if she were slightly magnetic.
He shook his head as she pulled the jacket tighter. She must have been exhausted, if what she had said was true, or what her other.. self? He blinked. The concept of multiple distinct consciousnesses in one body, what kind of madness would have led to that evolutionary path?
He found himself leaning towards her slightly, it was then that he noticed she was warm. She was radiating heat like a camp stove set on the lowest setting. It was actually making the small tarp shelter quite warm. At least he wouldn't be freezing tonight he thought to himself.
He shuffled a little, trying to get more comfortable in his somewhat fetal position. His intrusive thoughts sparked as he lay there near the alien. She was so warm, and the space was limited. How comfortable would it have been to simply cuddle up to her side on the soft mossy earth.
Now he really had to stop and take a look at himself. That wasn’t going to happen, she would probably shoot him if he so much as suggested it. He was surprised she had made as little fuss about him putting his jacket on her as she did. She must truly have been exhausted.
He laid back and closed his eyes. The subtle sounds of the razah’vool woman breathing calming his mind. Just knowing there was another person nearby helped him to relax, the fear and worry that had been sitting just below the surface threatened to break him as he drifted off into a fitful nightmare haunted sleep in which he watched his squadmates die over and over again in new and ever inventive ways.
**********
Donner awoke feeling like ranxshit.
He groaned and stretched involuntarily, one of his arms brushing something that stirred at his touch.
“Grrrg.. mmzzK?” Drelloc gurgled as she awoke.
Donner rubbed his eyes and glanced over at her. She looked nearly as pitiful as he felt, her eyes were creased and there were small bags under her smaller secondary eyes as she shrugged off the jacket he had given her the night before.
She stood slowly, her movements a little jerky and pained to his eyes. “Is it morning already?” She grumbled to him.
He sat up and shrugged his shoulders a few times in a futile attempt to loosen up. “Yes it is, and I was thinking we could make a quick breakfast before we headed out. You able to.. can you eat meat?”
She made a small sound, almost like an exasperated sigh. “Of course I can eat meat. You don’t know much about razah’vool do you?” She made a point of stretching out all four arms at once, pushing the reflective tarp outwards with a rustling sound.
He shrugged. “No, I don’t. We admittedly don't see many of your people in the field. And I am from a mining colony out in the outer belt of the Illom system so as you can imagine I didn’t get to see many razah’vool there either. Though now that I think about it there was this tinkerer that lived on the edge of the colony..” She cut him off with a coughing noise.
“It matters little. Anything that you may need to know we can figure out as we continue. We should get moving as you said.” She hunched over as her legs straightened and moved a step towards him before stopping. “Well? Are you going to move or shall I step over you?”
He chuckled. “No need to hurry, I’ll move.”
Donner rolled towards the makeshift door flap and then crouched out and into the morning sunlight. He stood and took a step to the side of the shelter before letting out a bone stretching yawn.
The flap rustled again and the shorter alien stepped out alongside him. She didn't need to look up at him, her strange arrangement of eyes making her quite aware of her entire surroundings at all times. It was kind of off putting he had to admit, not knowing exactly where she was looking.
He shook his head slightly and then glanced down at her more pointedly. “Alright, do you want to cook or take the tent down?”
She shifted from foot to foot again. Her lipless mouth twitched as she went rigid for a moment and she blurted out, “Tent. I will take down the tent.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He raised an eyebrow at her slightly odd behaviour but didn't comment. “Alright, just be careful with it. It may be rugged, but a single tear in the material and the entire thing pretty much becomes a paperweight.” Not strictly true, but he got the distinct impression that she didn't know any better and he was curious if he was right about her inexperience.
She made for the lines and he turned his attention to the survival pack. Unzipping the duffel revealed the contents he was expecting, and two he was not. Among the regular items were a box of Nutrimart branded breakfast bars. The kind that Frezz seemed so obsessed with, and a 3011 pistol. The gun he understood, it looked like the service pistol from the glovebox of the Valor. But the breakfast bars were a bit more of a mystery, maybe she had grabbed them and placed them in there.
Either way, the sight of the colorfully branded box brought a small upwelling of the emotional trauma he had been trying to avoid like a plague. He coughed to cover the small sob that escaped his lips and sniffed loudly as he rummaged for the dried ration packs and a small fireless induction warmer.
He stood, his drinking pack in hand. There was running water somewhere in the clearing, he had heard it the night before. He glanced towards the slightly struggling alien before heading towards the opposite side of the small grassy area. He felt the ground getting softer as he neared what looked like a small patch of reeds. The sound of burbling water growing audible to his ears as he reached it.
Donner pushed a hand into the reeds and jumped back in minor alarm as a deevian swamp glider burst out of the weeds before shooting past him to alight upon one of the nearby trees. The small fuzzy critter chittered angrily at him for having disturbed it and he chuckled.
Drelloc called out to him, her alien voice a little alarmed sounding, or was he imagining it? “What was that, are you okay?”
He waved a hand. “Yeah it’s just a swamp glider. I think it’s unhappy with me.” He chuckled again and turned back to the source of the water. It had not escaped his mind that the alien woman had asked about his well being, likely just making sure her guide was unhurt. ‘Yea, that's all.’ He muttered internally, not as sure as he would have liked to be.
He quickly located the source of the water and filled the water bag from the tiny spring. The water looked clear and potable but he was not going to be taking chances, especially not if the swamp glider had decided to make the small glade its home. The little pests were known for being carriers of many different contagions and while his universal inoculations were up to date, it was better to be safe than sorry.
He took one of the purification tablets from the medical pouch in the duffel and popped it into the container. The small white pellet dissolved almost instantly in a fizz of bubbles as it activated in the presence of water. If there were contaminants in the water it would turn a light shade of purple and slowly settle out where it could be safely locked behind a secondary seal that he could drain independently.
He waited but the water remained as crystal clear as the air on a cold winter's morning. He smiled and took a sip from the bag. The water was cold and instantly refreshing, a touch of mineral taste only enhanced the effect.
He heard a small shuffle behind him and turned to see the alien standing behind him, almost as if she was expecting him to give her something. He frowned slightly. “Breakfast will be ready in a minute, did you get the tarp packed?”
She made an arm gesture that he was beginning to associate with confirmation. Her version of a head nod he assumed. She spoke, that strange way her body remained perfectly still almost giving the impression of a ventriloquist or puppet master. “The water is safe?”
He nodded. “Feel free to go and fill up your drinking pack. If you have one?” She shook her head and he sighed. She really wasn’t a field agent.
Rummaging around in the pack he found a spare back bladder that she should be able to use. He handed it to her, “Fill it up and then strap it on. You can drink from the extendable hose anytime you get thirsty, though I recommend drinking as much as you can while we are near a source of uncontaminated fresh water.” She made the confirming gesture again and moved off.
She was a strange creature to be sure, but a part of him was finding her presence less than abrasive. Even a little comforting. He frowned to himself again as thoughts of last night entered his mind again unbidden. He dispelled them with a head shake and opened two of the MRE pouches. Pouring water into them and setting them in the small electrical heater soon had the glade filling with the delicious scent of mystery meat and carb flake casserole. The packages labeled them as beef stroganoff, but he wasn’t so sure about that.
No beef stroganoff he had ever eaten had had the consistency these did. But it was hot food, nothing quite improved morale like a hot meal and so he sat back on a nearby rock with his steaming pouch and a tin fork.
He watched as Drelloc returned, the water pouch nor securely strapped to her torso. He was a little curious how she was going to react to the MRE, had she ever had the pleasure of consuming the Union Military’s finest?
She reached the small improvised kitchen and squatted across from him. Her primary eyes narrowed as she picked up the pouch and then sighed. “Ah beef stroganoff my beloved. I really didn’t miss these things.”
He chuckled at her comment as he shoveled a hot pile of the gruel into his maw. He choked for a second as it scalded his tongue and once more he heard that strange choking gurgle from her. He realised with an internal scowl that she was laughing at his misfortune.
“Shit, that’s hot!” He exclaimed as he sucked in a mouthful of cold clear water from his drinking pack. Once more she chuckled and he was compelled to laugh as well.
She poked her fork into her own pouch and inspected the gruel for a moment before forgoing the fork entirely and simply reaching up and pouring a small measure of the food into her lipless mouth. She jerked and shuddered for a moment before letting out an audible swallow.
“Hot?” He said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
She made another arm gesture, this one similar to a nod but slightly different. A head shake maybe? His suspicion was confirmed as she spoke a moment later. “Not really, it’s a little lukewarm actually. No, I was grimacing at the taste. As I said, I did not miss these.” He just shrugged. They didn’t really bother him terribly. Yeah they were not the peak of culinary experience, but they were relatively tasty and easy to make.
They finished their meal in silence and he began to pack up the remnants of the camp soon after. As he zipped up the duffel he reached out for his gear and began replacing it, his neck prickled as he felt eyes on his back. He turned and saw Drelloc seemingly turned away from him, though it was very difficult to tell sometimes when she had radial symmetry.
As he looked he noticed that the eye facing him seemed to be locked on his face. The red orb of it seemed to contract as it noticed him staring. Drelloc jerked and then turned to face him with her opposite side.
“What is it?” She seemed a little preoccupied.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just thought I saw something. We need to get going.” He shifted his gear as it settled a little uncomfortably, why did nothing ever seem to go on the same way it came off?
He grumbled to himself as he finished tidying himself up. He reached out and slung his rifle across his side so that it ended up facing down towards the dirt several meters in front of him. That would do, if they did get ambushed again at least he would have a chance to shoot the bastards before they tore him a new asshole.
He took a step towards the duffel at the same time she did, their hands reaching for the pack at the same time. He reached it slightly after her, his hand landing on hers as he froze. For a moment neither of them moved, either through surprise or some other emotion he wasn't able to judge. What he did notice though was the texture of her skin. Not rough as he would have expected, instead her hand was warm. Much warmer than his, her grey skin strangely velvety feeling as if its surface were covered in thousands of tiny hairs. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation and he quickly moved his hand to the side as she withdrew sharply.
He didn’t comment on the contact, instead he just hefted the moderately heavy pack and slung it over his other shoulder. “Let me carry it. I am bigger than you and as you stated last night I seem to have better stamina.”
She seemed to mull it over, alien thoughts roiling behind her alien eyes. What she was thinking he couldn't discern, but he felt a sort of tension in the air between them. As if some unspoken line had been crossed.
He cleared his throat a little awkwardly. “Uh, are you ready to go now? We need to move before the cloud cover burns off. I notice you don’t have a hat and the days can get pretty dangerous if you don't have sun protection. Minasdee’s ozone layer is pretty thin ya know.”
She straightened and then made her gesture for a nod before motioning for him to lead the way. She remained silent though and he shuddered internally. He had done something wrong, was it the touch? Him not letting her carry the bag? There were any number of things he might have inadvertently done to offend the alien, half of them might even have been in his control.
He put it out of his mind. What was important was the mission, getting her to safety. He needed to focus on that, not what he thought of her alien feelings. He squared his shoulders and spoke in a more severe tone. His training kicked in as his instincts screamed at him to find the nearest defensible location.
“Alright special agent. Follow me and stick close, this is a dangerous area, and not just because of the rebels. Watch your step.” He led them past the small spring and out of the narrow passage he had cut into the glade. As he reached the opening he stopped, it seemed clear but that was no reason to take chances.
It seemed clear to him. What he would have given for a pair of tactical threat detecting binoculars at that moment. But alas, if there had been any in the Valor they would have certainly been destroyed when it melted down. He nodded to Drelloc behind him and slunk out into the open, making sure to stick close to the grove for cover.
He moved across the open terrain at the bottom of the ravine like a rat in a drainage pipe. Scrambling from cover to cover. After nearly a half hour of this he called for a halt and leaned on a large rock in the shade of a small scraggly tree. Drelloc panted beside him, the woman clearly suffering much more than he, even with the added weight of the survival pack and his armour.
He frowned slightly and then asked her, “Are you alright?”
She snapped back crisply, “Yes I am fine, trooper.. I just need.. a moment to catch my.. breath, that’s all.” She panted out. He wasn’t sure why she had suddenly changed to being hostile towards him. He must have done something to offend her.
‘Nah, screw her.’ He thought to himself angrily. He wasn’t going to walk on eggshells simply because she has gotten her equivalent of jimmies twisted.
He took a drink from his water pouch, the once cool water had now become quite warm but the trickle of mineralised water still tasted as sweet as cherry soda on his parched tongue. He wasn’t sure where they would next come across a source of clear water and so he had filled his two backup canteens as well.
They should have plenty of water to make it through the hottest part of the day, but he was still concerned about the razah’vool woman. Her people’s heightened body temperatures might have been an advantage on the cool eyespot planet where they had evolved, but in the scorching heat of Minasdee it was not nearly so beneficial.
He glanced at her again, his resolve softening for a moment until she noticed him and stiffened. She wanted to play tough? Then he would get tough.
He stood and shouldered the pack. “Alright, we have wasted enough time here. Let's get moving, we need to try and find a way out of this canyon. I think we might be able to scale the cliffs ahead, if I remember the satellite imagery from the mission briefing this canyon runs near the beachhead. If we can get out there then it should be a simple straight shot right to friendly lines.”
He paused only for a moment and then started off once more. The sun prickled his exposed skin as he left the protective shade, his sunblock trying desperately to counteract the effects of Jip, the system’s energetic young star.
He heard the sound of Drelloc stumbling behind him. She was a bit ungainly, even for her own species. It was pretty obvious to him now that she wasn’t a field operative, instead he was beginning to suspect she was just a coddled desk jockey who had been sent on this shit assignment. His entire platoon had died for a glorified secretary.
He led them along the edge of the canyon, sticking to the shadows as much for secrecy as for the mild relife it gave from the potent sun’s wrath. They were nearing the end of the canyon’s deepest point. Up ahead the walls should lower and become scalable.
He growled to himself as he nearly stumbled over a desiccated root. “What was so important that they had to send you in person anyways?”
There was no response. He paused, without turning he cocked his head. He didn’t hear the telltale sounds of her stumbling along either, in fact he didn’t hear anything. He whirled, she wasn’t behind him.
“Shit! Of for Luck’s sake!” He cursed loudly as he spotted a dark grey shape on the ground by a rock outcropping some twenty meters away.
He rushed over and found her collapsed upon the ground. He reached out, her skin was scalding, beyond what he would have considered feverish for a human. He thought quickly and unslung the duffel from his back.
Rummaging around in it he found a multipurpose cloth that could be used for anything from tying off wounds to creating a splint. He had another use for it though. Soaking the cloth with water from his canteen he draped it over her head, her closed eyes seeming to stir fitfully under her wrinkled grey eyelids.
“Damn it.. I am sorry Drelloc, I should have been paying more attention.” He cursed himself silently once more.
He looked around frantically, trying to quell the panic that he felt in his gut. There, at the top of the ravine at least half a kilometer away he spotted another copse of small trees. It might indicate another natural spring. Donner slung the duffel over his back and then stooped, placing his hands under her unconscious form he hoisted her up in his arms.
Immediately he felt a little surprised as he grunted. She was heavy, far heavier than he would have guessed. She must have weighed nearly eighty kilograms, her multitude of limp arms and legs flopping about in an ungainly way.
He felt for her flared waist and carefully draped her limp body over his shoulder. He held her legs tight to his chest as he strained to carry her. He let out a breath and took a step. That wasn’t so bad, with her on his shoulder his back was bearing the brunt of the weight.
He took another step, and then another and another. Step by agonising step he moved towards his distant target, his eyes fixed on the object of his obsession. The thin woody stalks of the distant trees filled his awareness as he struggled up the steep hillside.
Donner started to chant in his head, ‘Just a few more steps. Just a few more steps.’
His vision narrowed as he strained, it was so far. He had to make it though. He didn’t have any other choice. Once more he cursed himself for letting his stubborn pride get in the way of his mission. He took another step. He would not fail her now, he couldn't.