A Fishy Tale, part 1

Posted on Mon Dec 28th, 2009 @ 8:55am by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine

894 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: The Devils Snare
Location: Planetside
Timeline: Morning after crash

ON

Samantha York walked quietly into the shuttle. The sun was up, but it was still early.

As she made her way to her backpack, she noticed that Damon was awake. "Hi," she said, walking over to him. "How are you this morning?"

He sat up and smiled at her. "I guess the best way to describe it is that I am suffering from a mild hangover." He joked. He reached up and touched the bandages. "A bit tender, but nothing that can't be sorted. How did you sleep?"

"Quite well. Sleeping in a tent brought back fond memories," she said. "I'm glad you're doing better. I was worried about you." Not wanting to linger on that, she continued. "There's a river nearby. I'm going to track it down and take a bath before everyone is out and about."

"Oh?" He asked, concerned that she would be without supervision.

"It's not very far away. I should be able to get back in time to fix breakfast," she replied.

"Still," he said, voicing his mind. "I would rather have someone accompany you. It could be dangerous to go alone and I can't...WE cant afford to lose you." He slightly winced at his slipped admission.

He quickly looked down the length of the hopper trying to spot one of the female officers, as they seemed likely candidates given the situation. The searching also had the added benefit of distracting his eyes away from Samantha, who he hoped would have missed the slip of words.

Sam noticed. She felt the same way. She didn't want him to know how much his injury had shaken her. "Why don't you come with me?" she offered. "You can turn your back while I bathe, then you can take a turn. It'll give you a chance to wash off the dried blood." And it would be nice to spend a few minutes alone with Damon -- even if it was just walking to and from the river.

Damon nodded at the sensibility of it. Besides, he had to admit that the notion that he should clean himself up a bit was a good one. "Alright, I’ll leave Sergeant Riley in charge until we get back."

Although still feeling a bit weak, he stood up and walked to the front of the hopper without any outward look of distress. After a few words with the Sergeant he returned, carbine in hand and a pack of spare fatigues.

"Lead the way, I promise to try and keep up." He grinned

Sam grabbed some clean clothes and some scentless body wash from her backpack and followed him. "Don't worry, I won't lose you," she promised.

They walked towards the sound of the river, eventually locating it a little ways to the northwest of the camp. Sam found an eddy that looked promising. "If it's okay with you, I'll go first."

"Absolutely." He agreed as he gave their destination a cursory glance. "I'm just going to give this place a once over." He looked back to her. "I'll stay close though."

"Okay." She was glad he was going to be close, just in case. Sam waited for Damon to turn his back and then stripped and slipped into the water.

It was cold, but she'd expected that. She stood, chest-deep, until her body got used to the cold, then she opened the bio-friendly body wash and began to bathe.

When she was clean, she completely submerged herself in the water, enjoying the feel of the water moving past her. Suddenly, something brushed against her. Startled, she shot to the surface, coughing.

Damon heard the sudden splash of water and Samantha's coughing. Fearing she might be in trouble, he rushed to the edge of the brush and burst through with a loud crash of leaves and small branches. The sunlight reflecting of the water blinded him for a moment and he had to blink several times before his eyes adjusted to the sudden change. Near the center of the pool he caught the form of Samantha. Instantly he blushed and averted his gaze to the rocky beach under his boots.

"Uh..." He stammered for words, "I heard...Umm, you okay?"

Samantha, in turn, sunk a little lower in the water. In her need to get a breath she'd forgotten Damon was nearby. Blushing as much as he was she finally caught her breath. "Fish. A fish bit my... nevermind. Let's just say I was caught off guard. I hadn't considered..." that a fish would brush up against her, turn and bite.

"Fish, yeah, they can be... Good... I mean, we can fish for fish..." ~Fish for fish?~ Damon blushed again at his awkwardness and decided to just stop the train of thought. Turning his back to her, he plopped down on the rocky beach and unstrapped his carbine. "I think I’ll just sit here and soak up some sun instead of trampling through the bush."

Uh huh. He sounded like he didn't believe her. Well, it was his turn next. If she was lucky, he'd get bitten, too. But, knowing her luck, he wouldn't encounter a single fish and think she made the whole thing up. Except for the bite on her backside.

(To be continued...)

1st Lieutenant Damon Raine
Marine CO
USS Orion

Lieutenant Commander Samantha York
Chief Science Officer
USS Orion

 

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