Respite - Part 5

Private Marcus Landrey's leg had stopped hurting after a few minutes. Marching across the barren land back to the rendezvous point, the sergeant's adrenalin was still pumping.

Lieutenant Harrow was surprisingly attentive. And surprisingly quiet. And surprisingly quiet. He walked a few steps in front but he would look back from time to time and asked if he was alright. Landrey would just gave him the thumbs up and continue walking. The sound of dry earth crunching under his boots helped him stay focused and the rhythm of his footfalls allowed him to measure his pace. He was slowing down. He was also coughing on and off.

Their march back felt warmer. It felt like they had been walking for hours, but that wasn't true. Landrey could see the barge in the distance he just needed to close the distance. He slapped his helmet and forced his mind to stop wandering. This was common during a long trek, the mind would usually stray, just to break the monotony. Landrey coughed again. This was a short and easy trek and so he shouldn't be losing focus like this. As a trooper he had marched over deserts, forests and much rougher terrain than this, carrying a fifty-pound pack without so much as a labored pant. They couldn't be more than a kilometer or two away now, yet Landrey felt his legs wobbly and he was breathing hard inside his helmet. Whenever he attempted a deeper breath he would end up coughing.

But like a good soldier Landrey didn't say anything. These mere minor discomforts and no trooper worth his salt would whine about a little heat and some throat irritation. He marched on, listening to the crunch under his boot and focused on the barge that was now clearly visible. Then, in a split second he felt himself going down. His knees hit the sandy ground but he didn't even register the impact. He also didn't feel the desert floor when he landed. He could hear the thud this body made and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was sprawled on the ground.

Instinctively Landrey tried to push himself up, but the second he took a breath he started coughing, violently. He felt a chill rushing through his body and then he started to convulse. His eyes were wide in panic and his mouth agape as he struggled for air. Landrey felt Harrow grab his arm and then his hand, but that gave him no comfort. He could hear Harrow's voice in his helmet calling for help through the comm, but he couldn't comprehend it. He felt his body go numb, he felt his body shutting down. He yearned for relief, but none came immediately.

…

“I'm sorry for...you know, earlier,” Carter Colfax said without turning to Ensign Hank Bardeaux.

The two of them faced the holoscreen watching the recce drones position themselves around the planet below. The silence and the awkwardness was palpable.

“No prob.”

“It's not that I don't want to, it's just...”

“No need to explain sir, it's perfectly fine.”

“I don't want you to think that I -”

“Drones four to five are in position, coordinates locked,” the young ensign cut in.

Colfax sucked on his lips wondering if he should continue to explain himself.

“Drones six to eight are entering the planet's orbit, in position in six point five minutes.”

“Estimated time for all the drones to transmit?” Colfax asked looking at the digital representation on the holoscreen.

“Thirty minutes sir.”

What's with all the sirs? Colfax wondered. Was Bardeaux being passively aggressive or was he just really attentive to his work? He couldn't tell. Colfax felt like an idiot. He wanted Bardeaux, he was an extremely good lover and he had a butt no man would say no to. Yet, Colfax couldn't understand why he reacted the way he did before, that was not normal for him. The moment he felt Bardeaux's erection pressed up against his thigh, all he wanted to do was to bend the young ensign over and fuck him senseless. But when they kissed, something just seemed, off, not right somehow. He thought of Nick, how Nick would kiss and how soft Nick's lips were and how his breath felt on his face. However even now, looking at the young ensign with his back turned to him, he wanted to just reach over and fondle Hank Bardeaux, to stoke his unblemished cock that dangled so seductively between his muscular thighs. Colfax had never felt so conflicted.

“I'll come back,” Colfax wanted to clear his head. He turned but before he reached the doors Private Nick Nelson walked in. Nick flashed him a smile, the same big smile Colfax had seen for days now.

“Oh, so the party's here,” came Bardeaux.

Colfax ignored the remark and took Nelson aside.

“What are you doing here Nick?”

Nelson kept his smile but his brows furrowed and he shifted his gaze from Colfax to Bardeaux.

“What's with the hushed...” Nelson didn't finish. He raised an eyebrow and his smile vanished. “I do have permission to be here,” he finally replied mimicking his lowered voice. “The first officer said I could observe the recce drones.” Nelson looked behind Colfax as he spoke and saw Bardeaux stealing glances. “I'm sorry, am I interrupting something here?” Nelson didn't wait for an answer, he pushed past Colfax and walked to Bardeaux.

“So these are the surveillance drones being positioned around the planet?”

“Yeah.”

“And they will pick up everything from terrain to temperature?”

“Yup.”

Colfax certainly felt the temperature in the room jump a few degrees. He just couldn't understand why he felt so... caught.


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