Chapter 22
The Planet had an indescribable comfort.
Being within the flora, deadly or not, felt more like home than any home had.
A bug as long as my hand and as thin as my finger landed on a petal.
Four wings shaped like curved blades protruded from its back.
When two tentacles from within the flora snapped at it, those wings unfurled into a glorious bloom.
A type of pollen burst forth, confusing the flora enough to retract.
“Smart little guy, aren’t you,” I whispered, and the bug released a long tongue into the flora to drink the nectar and then flew off.
Must have been nice to disguise oneself and escape.
Lying back, I admired the sky through the break in the canopy.
My eyes weighed heavily from an exhaustion that seeped into my mind rather than my bones.
I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I woke up on my aching side.
As much as I loved being outside, I wouldn’t recommend sleeping in the dirt.
I stretched, then stiffened at a rustling noise.
That must have been what woke me because there was more and more, getting closer.
I stood and went for the blaster in my holster, the one weapon I had that wouldn’t do any damn good against flora.
My fault for wandering off without a flamethrower, the same as Lilea had, and I yelled at her for it. She’d get a laugh out of this.
There was a noise, definitely a voice, too low to make out.
“Bastard!” The flora parted and Maddy appeared, in a borrowed militia exoskin and a fit of rage that, upon seeing me, became a smile. I preferred the rage. “There you are,” she said, sickly sweet, and went for the kill shot.
I dropped, clutching the part of a man’s anatomy that should never know the full force of a kick from a prosthetic leg that could amplify itself to double speed.
“I think you busted one of my balls,” I whimpered. The pain surged, piercing, sending me straight to my side because my knees couldn’t hold me.
“I hope I did,” she said with the same foot that assaulted me planted on my side. “You took off your commlink.”
“How… did you know that?”
And why did she care?
“Captain Malik had to tell Elado that he was taking the militia team in search of an idiot crew member who left the compound without permission, a flamethrower, his exoskin, and his fucking commlink, the one thing that could tell us where he went, you worthless piece of shit!”
Taking a deep breath and willing the pain to subside, which never worked, I said, “I needed to clear my head.”
“Alone on an alien planet surrounded by flora that want you as their next meal? You’re dumber than you were when you were a teenager, and that is somehow impressive.”
“I do recall that you made me in charge of all our finances because you could hardly count past ten.”
She leaned down to yank me onto my knees, where her grip tightened around my collar. “Did you dare to think just because you put on some muscle that I could not kill you right here and now? You’ve seen me gut a man. Did it look like fun?”
“Not for him.” I choked when she squeezed the collar tighter, then smirked. “Maddy, I fear I must tell you that choking is a kink of mine, so this is a little awkward for me.”
“I am going to kill you and feed you to the flora, you sick bastard.”
Roys stumbled out of the same flora, breathless and with his expression stern. He spotted us, concern etched over his features that shouldn’t be there. I was a hassle, and he should have shown it. Then he was annoyed, and my heart settled.
“You found him. Good.” Roys sent out a message, paling when Maddy brought out a laser blade.
“No, we found his carcass. Turn away. You don’t want to see this,” she said.
Any pain I felt dulled in the face of her threat. I grabbed her hand still clinging to my shirt. “We can talk about this rationally.”
“Fuck that and die already.” She brought up her arm, and I shrieked.
Roys stepped between us, forcing Maddy to release me. I scrambled behind him, kneeling, and I wasn’t even taking the opportunity to admire his ass. I clung to his belt and peeked around at the murderous asshole pointing that blade at me.
“Let’s calm down. We found him. He’s clearly fine,” said Roys, hands outstretched in defense.
“I was fine until this psycho tried to kill me!” I interrupted.
“Keep talking and I will show you psycho,” she snarled, and I swear a piece of foam flew out of her mouth.
“See? She’s rabid. Put her down and be done with it.”
Their commlinks blared. Roys checked while Maddy tried circling to get an opening. I used my hold on his belt to maneuver him around, keeping him as a meaty shield to her rage.
“Everyone is heading back. Unless you want to explain to Elado why the man we previously found alive is returning to the habitat dead, then I suggest you put that blade away.” Roys grunted when I moved him again to maintain my favorable position.
Maddy groaned, glared, and finally relented, though not before pointing the blade at me alongside a warning. “Take that commlink off again and I will castrate you.”
With that, she went into the forest. I had no idea what transpired or why my chest felt so warm. She tried to murder me, and I was grateful. Confused beyond belief, but grateful.
Roys watched her silhouette disappear among the brush. “I see the family resemblance.”
“Bullshit, she’s psychotic. She threatened to castrate me,” I grumbled while never looking away from the flora. She may jump out at any moment to stab me.
“It’s an understandable desire. Admittedly, I’m feeling the urge to break a bone or two of yours.”
The anger about him was different, not the kind he showed after I told him off or disobeyed an order. This had an exhaustion to it, something that made his eyes dark in the worst ways. He sighed, and the sound had such physical weight that I nearly mirrored him.
I hopped to my feet and put distance between us. I hugged my torso as if that would shield me from him. “Why do you care? Why does she care? She said…” The words were too poisonous for my tongue. “She doesn’t care. She’s pissed because you made her come out searching for me.”
“I didn’t make her do anything. You weren’t taking orders, as usual, so I went out to find your commlink.
” He pulled the device from his pocket to slam against my chest. “I had to organize a search party. The head researcher needed to know, so Elado told Madlyn that her idiot brother had wandered off and there she was storming out right after you. You’re lucky she found you. ”
He shut his eyes when I whispered, “That is my name.”
That glorious eye twitch returned with a vengeance. He had much more to say based on those pinched lips. His hand remained on my chest, over my heart beating far too fast. The commlink prevented him from feeling it, and for that I was grateful.
“She came out looking for you first. She’s pissed, so am I, because what you did was stupid and it will not happen again, understood?” He growled with no venom when that’s all that should be there.
Disdain. Disappointment. Irritation. There couldn’t be more than that from him or her. I didn’t believe him, couldn’t. After what she said, it made little sense. None of it. Her coming. Him seeming to care. I came to clear my head, but it got much worse.
“Don’t piss me off again, and it won’t,” I grumbled instead, taking the commlink and retreating.
“Ethin.”
“I prefer when you discipline me with your sexy voice.”
“You’re insufferable. Can you be serious? We were worried.”
“Don’t give me that. Don’t pretend.”
“I’m not—”
“Stop lying!” My voice cracked from the intensity of my shout. “You could easily find another private to bend over your desk, so there is no need for you to pretend to give a shit about me.”
Roys took firm hold of my arm, painful in his intensity. His eyes were black holes, bringing me in, in, in. He was breaking me apart long before he spoke, “I was worried about you, and none of your attempts to aggravate me will change that.”
“Worried because it’s your duty to be, protocol and all that,” I repeated the truth he shared the other night. Protocol to check on us, to keep us alive, to offer support and to care, because he was the captain. It wasn’t real. I was a duty, an obligation.
“You aren’t wrong.” His admission struck me cold, as did his absence. His hands fell away, listless at his sides. “It’s my job to watch out for my team. I want to ensure everyone’s safety, including yours, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Why not?”
He canted his head.
“I’ve been a dick since day one. Wouldn’t my absence make your life infinitely better?” I somehow feared and craved the answer.
He hesitated, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
“You’re… an enigma. Some days, I want to throttle you, and on others, when you’re weaving flower crowns and capable of holding a civilized conversation, you’re actually enjoyable to be around.
In the field,” his eyes fell to my lips then back up, “when it felt like we could lay there for hours talking about nothing at all, I liked that, so no, Ethin, I don’t think my life would be better without you in it. ”
Turning his back to me, he stalked toward the forest. “Don’t do this again.”
Liar, liar, liar, my thoughts repeated, searing the word into my brain like a brand. I pressed a palm to my temple, wishing the ache would subside.
“Ethin,” Roys warned, and my name should have put me on edge, but it made my toes curl.
“Fuck,” I grumbled while following him and tugged the commlink on. The device buzzed with numerous incoming messages.
Ryker: It is too hot for this shit. If you do this again, I’m leaving you out there to die.
Arana: If you’re ever eaten by one of the flora, can I have your Kelser Goes to Ohsaira Volumes 1-10 special editions? I won’t sell them. I promise.