Veera slowly lost track of time as she focused on Winters’ breathing. She was vaguely aware of a steady loss of ambient light, but it was of little consequence to her. There was nowhere she’d rather be, nowhere more important. The two…or was it three…of them remained silent and the moments simply drifted by. Veera closed her eyes and allowed the barest of smiles to grace her lips as she felt the human’s breathing steady out. He had long since run out of tears, so Veera remained to provide comfort as he re-discovered his center and to remind him that he was not alone. After a time she began to feel pins and needles along her calves, but paid it no mind. Her top half was quite comfortable, draped across cool armor and warm skin. When Winters finally stirred beneath her she withdrew her arms, but remained at his side. She smiled as he looked at her.
“Veera…” His voice was dry and strained. His eyes retained a slightly bloodshot look, but they were at least dry. “You didn’t have to.”
“Shhh. Yes I did.” She insisted, bringing a finger to his lips as he made to protest. “Before you get all noble on me, remember what I told you. It’s improper for males to touch females, not the other way around. I couldn’t let you go through this alone. And for the record I enjoyed that little ear scratching incident this morning, so don’t you dare apologize. ” Her tone was gentle, but firm. Too tired to fight, he simply nodded. She had felt soft and warm. He already missed it.
“Thank you then.” He looked around the room but said nothing more. He still seemed lost, adrift as he acknowledged the memories of that harrowing day in detail for the first time.
“Shall we have another bite to eat?” Veera suggested, rising to her feet and stretching. She winced as the blood rushed back through her legs. Looking up, she saw a dark sky without light through the vent in her roof. Winters nodded to her. “Would you tend to the fire then, please?” She requested, thinking assigning him a task might help. With another nod, he began arranging a few pieces of wood around the pit and the dying embers. The remains of the stew were soon hot. After Veera distributed the spoons, the two ate their meal in silence. While she was certainly happy to see Winters come out of his torpor and engage in the necessary actions to keep his body alive, she wasn’t sure what to do next. Surely there were no more secrets to pry for, at least none immediately relevant to their situation. And she certainly didn’t want to press that issue further. She knew everything, thanks to Io, and she knew that Winters knew. Looking over at him, she felt a peace settle within her. When he’s ready, I know he’ll talk to me. As if reading her thoughts, Winters caught her eye and after a moment gave her a brief nod. When they concluded their meal, Winters stood.
“Would you like to stay here tonight?” Veera asked. Knowing what that offer sounded like, she elaborated. “I’m fine on the floor for a night. I know you don’t have a bed in that pod.” He simply looked at her for a long moment, something shining behind his eyes, before shaking his head.
“No, but thank you Veera. You’ve already done enough tonight.” Winters told her as he gathered his helmet. She walked past the fire to stand before him.
“You’re leaving then?” She asked softly, placing a hand on his chest. With a pained grin, he brought his own up to cover it, nestling it in place against his heart.
“I am. I know it may not seem like it now, but I will get better Veera. That’s in part thanks to you. I need some time alone tonight, and maybe tomorrow as well. This was…even harder than I thought it might be. I miss them all very much.”
“I’ll bring you some food tomorrow.” She offered. “No sense in you coming all the way back here.” She wanted to say something about his comrades, something to provide him a last measure of comfort before he left, but felt uneasy speaking of the dead.
“That would be great, thanks.” He released Veera and stepped back, pausing as he raised the leather flap covering her door. “Could you do me a favor Veera?”
“Of course, what is it?”
“If you see Thantis, can you tell him that I appreciate his guidance and that he was right?” Veera nodded in fierce affirmation, elated that Winters might be finding a place in her world.
“I will. I’ll seek him out first thing tomorrow.” She promised.
“Thank you Veera. And truly, after tonight, you don’t owe me a thing. Selah, my friend.”
“Selah…my friend.” Veera bid him farewell with a tearful whisper, feeling the weight in her chest grow hotter as a rush of emotion flowed through her veins. To hear those words from his mouth after everything that had just happened meant something she couldn’t quite put into words. My friend…
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“I owe you thanks as well Io.” Winters told the VI as they entered the forest. The sound of rain pattering against his helmet faded as they gained cover. “Io?”
‘I’m here sir.’ A small voice called to him and the image of Io’s ‘face’ appeared on his HUD. She wasn’t looking him in the eye. ‘Is this…is this what sorrow feels like?’ She asked him.
“It might be. What do you feel?”
‘Emptiness and a…tightness almost? It’s worst when I think about you there, at the end, when the Captain spoke. My subroutines were at war with one another. I hurt you.’ Io cried.
“It wasn’t you that hurt me Io.” Winters tried to reassure her, feeling hollow himself. “The truth is that one day this had to happen. One day, I would have to acknowledge that Jess died aboard the Lancer and that recording was our last conversation, the last time I would see her.” He took in a shuddering breath and looked up at the black canopy of leaves and starless sky. “I wasn’t ready for that.”
‘Then why thank me sir?’
“Because sometimes you need to do things you aren’t ready for. Sometimes you find yourself in a hole that you just can’t find a way out of. Without you I’d still be down there at the bottom. Right now I feel like I’ve begun to climb. I’m very lucky to have you as a partner.” He glanced over at Io as her projection vanished.
‘I don’t want you to see me cry sir, but I am happy that I was able to help you. Tonight has been difficult on all of us I think, even your scrawny girl.’
“Even Veera?”
‘Of course sir. We know that Veera has also suffered the loss of family, in her case a biological one. I am sure tonight brought back some of those memories for her, though I cannot be certain. Beyond that…I do think she’s formed an attachment to you. I am sure it is nice for Veera to meet someone who looks at her and sees only her, as opposed to her mother’s stripes or her poverty. To see someone you care about grieve cannot be an easy task. I believe it was beneficial that we addressed the memory of the Captain in her presence.’ Io left out the plea she’d made to the young Cauthan.
“Wait…you just called her Veera.” Winters remarked with disbelief.
‘You see sir? Tonight has been trying on all of us.’ Io sighed
“It has. Thank you for sticking with me.”
‘I would not rather be anywhere else sir.’
By the time Winters returned to his pod, both he and Io were more than ready to embrace the respite of sleep. Their quest to survive would beckon anew in the morning.
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“Ah, my child, please enter. Be welcome in the presence of Kel.” Thantis greeted Veera the next morning, surprised to see her at such an hour. She was no stranger, given her visitations to her father’s shrine, but dropping by at dawn was unusual.
“Thank you Thantis.” She gave the elderly Cauthan a slight bow. He had always been kind to her, doing what he could to ease the passing of her parents. In the time since, she would often stop by for tea or light conversation, primarily in the winter months when the days were short and there was nothing to do but remain warm and hope her food didn’t run out. “How are you?” She asked.
“I must admit it is a bit more difficult getting out of bed these days, but my joints have served me well for a very long time. I do not mind. Tea helps. What brings you here so early young one? Have you need of my assistance?” He asked kindly.
“No Thantis, today I’m here as a messenger.” She smiled at him
“Oh, that is most interesting. A messenger on whose behalf?”
“The human, Winters.” She remembered Russell’s conversation with Antoth, how he’d said only his friends could use his first name. She was unsure where Thantis stood in that regard, and so she stuck with his surname. “He wanted to thank you. He said your guidance was of help to him, and that you were correct.” A genuine smile lit the old one’s face as he understood Veera’s meaning. He nodded to her.
“I am happy to hear it. Thank you for delivering this message. He is a polite young man I must say, indulged me in the most interesting conversation the other day. Did you know that certain humans used to preserve their dead in tombs made of stone?!” He asked animatedly. Veera could not help but giggle at his enthusiasm at such a macabre topic.
“I did not Thantis. Perhaps some other time you can tell me of it. But now I must be going, the fields won’t water themselves you know.”
“I suppose you’ll not be wanting to stay for tea. Very well dear, off you go then. Thank you for the message and say hello to Winters for me.” He bid her farewell.
“I shall. And uh…Thantis…” Veera paused at the entryway.
“Yes child?”
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“What guidance did you give to Winters exactly?” She knew such matters were private, but her curiosity would not be denied. Thantis didn’t seem to mind though as a twinkle graced his eye.
“I merely told him the truth.” He replied cryptically.
“And what might that be?”
“That you would listen.” Thantis said with importance. “I am glad that he found someone to confide in. The burden of loss is always heavy, but never moreso than when one is alone. He did not share his tale with me and I will not ask. Just know that either of you can come to see me should the weight become too much. To take the first step is often the hardest. It is good you were there with him.” He smiled warmly at her. “Now go child, I am sure we will speak again soon.”
Veera nodded in departure and began the long walk to her field, wondering how Thantis had become so good at reading situations like this one. She felt that increasingly familiar warmth radiating from her chest, from the place that she had stored Russell’s secret. He chose me, chose to share the story with me and me alone. Veera hugged herself tightly in happiness and resolved to be patient, to temper her innate curiosity. She knew that Winters would have to process things at his own pace, and that the task of survival would likely get in the way. The harvest would be soon, a couple weeks from now if she measured by Winters’ convention. That would be her mission now. With a smile, she thought of all they could do with a full harvest of dato supplemented by meat or fish. Her stomach rumbled, not from hunger, but anticipation. She brought her fingers to her lips and let out a delighted peal of laughter. It had been ages since she’d faced a long day of work with such purpose. She fingered the smooth metal of Winters’…no…her canteen as it rested at the bottom of her satchel. We do make a pretty good team…
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Without the rapping of soft fur on metal, Winters awoke instead to Io’s alarm. With a grunt, he kicked the door of the pod away much harder than necessary.
‘Quite the performance sir.’ Io supplied. ‘How are you feeling?’
“Like hell, but at least now it’s something along the lines of anger, instead of whatever last night was.” He trailed off as he remembered the salt of tears and the comfort of fur around the back of his neck. “Honestly Io, I’m an emotional wreck right now.”
‘I understand sir. Shall we begin with the next project?’ She asked.
“No, not yet. We have a few more pieces to go and I wouldn’t want to disturb Veera. And before you say something snarky about the ‘scrawny girl’, no, I’m not ready to face her yet either.”
‘Then what shall we do sir?’
“Don’t worry, I’ve no intention of idling around. We need to design some clothing.” A vast array of models and fabrics began playing across his HUD, with material needs, warmth rating, flexibility and other statistics listed beneath. Io appeared with a satisfied grin as she curled a finger around her dangling lock of hair.
‘Next task please.’
“You didn’t let me finish Io.” The VI gave him a look of displeasure.
‘What else did you have in mind sir?’
“You. Even if I leave my armor behind you’re far too valuable. I need to make something that will allow you to come along with me.” Her expression immediately brightened before she winked out of view.
‘Analyzing possible solutions sir. Why don’t you freshen yourself up and we will reconvene afterward?’ Io asked, hoping to encourage her partner to maintain his routines.
“Right. Be back in a minute.”
When Winters returned he grabbed his helmet and sat atop the pod. He’d not been there in a couple days and missed the small but noticeable change in perspective. Turning himself to the west so as not to be distracted by a certain fuzzy someone going about her business in the distance, he ran through a couple of the designs Io had come up with.
‘They all revolve around the auxiliary computing hardware you had installed in your suit sir. That decision turned out to be exceptionally provident.’ Io began. Winters let himself think back to how Jess had supported his ‘unorthodox’ loadout before he proved it successful in the simulators. He shook his head and refocused on the HUD. ‘Any pants will need to be capable of supporting the hardware currently in your armor as well as an external power source. It will be possible to connect the two like so.’ Io highlighted thin wiring moving from one leg of his hypothetical lower garment up to the waistline and down again. ‘The battery that will give us the most equivalent weight distribution is capable of supplying three Maran days of power. We will be able to use wiring already available to us. Should you prefer a slimmer design I believe we can recycle the metal of the main thrusters, though that process would consume two day’s worth of solar draw at peak efficiency.’
“Why didn’t we think of this when we were talking about repairing the long distance communications array?” Winters could have slapped himself.
‘Different metal sir, though I would certainly keep those around. If we need to forge weapons or armor it would be of great use to us.’
“No arguments there Io. What’s our reserve power status?”
‘Topped off sir. Spending time in the abode of the scrawny one has proven advantageous from a conservation perspective.’
“Well alright then. I guess we can live a little, right? We’ll go with the streamlined wiring. I like the idea of cargo pants.” Winters remembered his mother throwing away his favorite pair of baggy pants when he was fifteen. Oh mom if you could see me now. A genuine smile took form on his face as he looked up at the star of the system, accented by a few fluffy clouds. “Can’t go wrong with more pockets right?”
‘In a place like this, I would think not sir. Though you get no points for fashion.’
“That, I can live with. Io, can you make sure the waist can hold a holster for both a pistol and knife as well as my canteen?” He pointed with his eyes at where he envisioned the gear might rest on his belt line. Io seamlessly added in a reinforcement of weave and stitching. “What’s the material here Io?”
‘Rayon sir. The compound consists entirely of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, though older refining processes required various other chemical reagents such as carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide.’
“What is it refined from?”
‘Cellulose sir, plant fibers.’
“Booyah.”
‘To think you’d be so excited about clothing…’ Io replied with just a hint of sass. ‘Though I suppose the microweave structure is quite inventive.’
“Elaborate?”
‘Designed correctly, clothing made of this material can generate heat in the process of wicking moisture from the body.’
“Double booyah.”
‘You’re incorrigible sir, but I am glad that you’re feeling a bit better.’
“No reason not to be excited if the situation calls for it, even if I could barely sleep last night.” He made to rub his eyes before he remembered he had his helmet on. Rectifying the situation, he asked Io to continue with her ideas.
‘For your upper body I believe it would be useful to employ a multi-layered approach. This way we can achieve an outer layer of Kevlar over a base layer of rayon, like so.’ A new set of images crowded his field of view, showing a skin tight rayon garment with a few basic sensors as well as the necessary connections for his helmet’s detachable visor.
“I was wondering if I’d ever get a chance to use this thing. Was never really in a situation before when I needed the HUD but could remove my helmet. Well, first time for everything right? I like what I’m seeing. What about the outer layer?” A second prototype hovered before him, a snug fitting vest with pockets for just about everything. Winters noticed a sheath for a secondary knife, a place to store extra pistol or rifle magazines, watertight pockets for food, a clip for his shield and even a built in quiver that would rest diagonally across his back. “Damn Io, that’s looking mighty fine. I appreciate the work. We can do this with what we have?”
‘Yes sir. The Kevlar will require some nitrogen in addition to the usual, but even if we cannot reclaim any from the grasses surrounding the pod there is plenty in the atmosphere. Additionally, the power draw for these items will be smaller than refining the metal of the main thrusters. If we do not wish to dip below five days of reserves, the entire process will take two days assuming weather like this holds. I would recommend two pairs each of the pants and the under layer, as well as one vest. Anything else while I’m queueing up these items?’ She asked professionally. Winters blew out a long breath. Io cottoned on immediately. ‘Something for your scrawny girl, perhaps?’
“I don’t know that I should…”
‘Her dress is falling apart sir. We can spare the power. You already gifted her your canteen, so there’s plenty of precedent. Besides, it would cause quite the stir in the village, I’m sure.’ Io seemed to get a kick out of the idea.
“I don’t really know where to begin; something capable of carrying a four inch blade in its sheath as well as a canteen at least?”
‘Looks like it was a good thing I took all her measurements then.’ Io said with satisfaction. ‘How does this look sir?’ She showed him a simple dress with sleeves, made of a coarser fiber, more like wool, that had multiple loops at the waist for the necessary accessories. Winters nodded at her. ‘I believe this would be appropriate.’ She brought up a color palette and highlighted black and a dusky gold to match Veera’s coat. The collar, cuffs, and hem were off white. Winters was content to let Io have her fun until she began drawing in gold on the black background.
“Io what are you…” His eyes went large as the pattern clicked. On the left side of the dress a perfect replica of the triangular fractals on his armor came to life. On the right shoulder was a HEL Omega branch insignia. “Are you serious Io?! Is that even allowed?”
‘We are a team Russell.’ Io insisted, applying a white and blue coloration to his shirts and vest. The pants were a dark grey. ‘You should always remember who you are and why you’re here.’ She told him, applying the Omega patch to his gear. ‘If she is to be with us, I think it’s only proper.’
“That…will definitely cause a scene.” Winters smirked, wondering how the less agreeable villagers would take to the idea of the town ‘mutt’ walking around with well-made clothes bearing an insignia of the human military. The thought excited him; not quite like jumping out of a ship did, but close enough. It tapped into that common desire that all HEL Jumpers possessed, the desire to cause at least a modicum of havoc wherever they went. “I like it Io, please queue it all up. Feel free to extend the manufacturing time to minimize power draw. One last item to address I’m thinking.”
‘What would that be sir?’
“Winter gear, a coat at a minimum.” A large block of text displayed on the screen. Winters squinted to read it all. “Operation put that snarky bitch Ratha in her place…” He stared at Io off to his right, she stared right back, a look of complete and utter seriousness on her face.
‘What?’
“I appreciate the sentiment. What does it entail though?”
‘Beating her at her own game. While I would never suggest an ursae hunt, I have identified a suitable target that would not only allow for the construction of warm outer clothing but would also convey a certain amount of status.’
“Well you had my curiosity Io, now you have my attention.”
‘Excellent sir.’ She flipped her head slightly, accentuating her digitally perfect features. ‘If you recall, Ratha mentioned another predatory species, the hyrven.’
“I do, but how do you know what they are?” Winters asked, picking his brain for any possible mention of the animal. He came up blank.
‘You never ordered me to stop compilation of the Cauthan translation program. As such I have been actively recording and processing all ambient conversation in public that is within range. While I do not know what exactly the animal looks like, I do know that they are pack hunters that likely share territory with the ursae, especially in the north and west. Their fur is regarded as something of a luxury, as you can see here.’ Io showed him a few images, one of Antoth, one of Ratha, and one of Vash. All of them bore at least some ornamentation consisting of a snowy grey fur.
“You know, now that I think about it, you’re right. I’ve only seen that fur in a few places. Most of them are wearing the brown stuff, or leather.”
‘Indeed sir, I believe the brown fur is from the chesko.’
“Bad fur.”
‘Ratha did say as much.’
“I’m inclined to believe her on that point. Very well, so you’re saying we should hunt down a few hyrven and make a cloak or two? I like it.”
‘Exactly sir. Oh I can’t wait to see Ratha’s face when we show up dragging a few of those beasts by the tail, to say nothing of your scrawny girl walking around with such a cloak.’ Her projection now sported a feral grin that Winters was sure would even give his commanding officers pause. He mirrored it.
“I really like where you’re going with this Io. Once we’re set with irrigation and the other clothing we’ll revisit this plan.”
‘Absolutely sir. Ah, is it lunch time already?’ She noted idly. Winters looked over his shoulder to see Veera approaching the pod. She was walking without hurry, but looked up at him with a worried expression. The night before came crashing back and slammed into the front of his skull. He brought a hand to his head and breathed in heavily.
“I guess I can’t hide forever, can I?”
‘No sir.’