He handed me the extra flamethrower as well as my exoskin and visor, which I didn’t put on. We met with the last patrol on the west side of the energy shield to relieve them. A path led around the shields, walked by all the patrols before. I stepped out of the shield though, moving closer and closer to the flora.

“Ethin,” Roys warned and the name made my stomach churn.

“We secured the area,” I grumbled.

The flora was beautiful when it wasn’t trying to destroy us. There were dozens upon dozens of different species, each petal unique. Some petals were waxy, others soft as fur, and I let my fingers drag over them because, in three months, I wouldn’t feel them ever again.

Each planetary tour would be different because each planet was different. Most likely, I would be sent to places like Roys’ had gone. Volcanic, frozen, dangerous, far too dangerous to send anyone of importance so The Company would send us. Doubtful any of them would have this kind of beauty, would make us want to spend a day under the suns, out of the habitat. These tours were rare and from that point on I would think of this one and know it’d be one in a million.

“Must you do that?” Roys grumbled, adjusting the flamethrower. He left the energy shield, traveling close enough beside me that our arms brushed. “This flora tried to kill many of us, remember.”

“Not these ones specifically. They’re harmless otherwise they would have been neutralized.” I waved my other hand toward the path inside the energy shield. “Go over there if you’re so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“You’re sweating.”

“It’s hot.”

“Yes, I would know.” I tugged on the collar of my shirt. That put a proud smile on his face. “You like to mark your territory, like a scraggly little tom cat.”

“You didn’t seem to mind in the moment.”

“I mind the next day when I’m the one in a shirt far too hot for this planet.” I lifted mine up to wipe the sweat from my brow. Roys stared. “See something you like?”

His eyes gave their answer, lingering on my stomach until I dropped the shirt. My hands reached toward the jungle again. One flora had flowers that were perfectly safe. I plucked a handful to pinch the petals between my fingers. Roys watched. I felt his attention as I brought the flower up to smell then pressed against my cheeks. Soft, tickling, smelling of lemon and something a little sweeter.

“You have a thing for plants or something?” he asked, intending to mock but I didn’t care.

“I’d argue anyone who says they don’t are lying. We’re meant to be in places like this,” I glanced up toward the suns and through the forest, grabbing more flowers when we passed. “Not cold, lifeless machines.”

He hummed. “Never took you for the hippie type.”

“I am nothing if not surprising.” And I proved that further by twisting the stalks together, earning a peculiar look from Roys.

“To say the least.”

“You like it.”

He knocked his head to the side, grunting in a manner that one couldn’t fully interpret. I chose to believe he agreed as we fell into a comfortable silence where I picked more flowers and weaved them to make a crown. When I presented that crown to Roys, he laughed and said, “Try it on. It’ll suit you.”

“No, this is for you, oh mighty captain.” I sat it on his head before he could react then took a picture with my commlink because he looked like an idiot standing there blinking with alien flowers on his head. “I will be sending this to the team.”

“Don’t,” he reached for my wrist too late. The message was sent. He sighed and let go while removing the crown to toss into my chest. I narrowly caught my masterpiece.

“Careful. I worked hard on that.” I sat the crown on my head since he didn’t appreciate it. My commlink and his blinked from the incoming messages. Laughter spread from within the energy shield from everyone checking.

Roys rolled his eyes that fell on me. “You look ridiculous.”

“Don’t be jealous. You had the opportunity to wear it and I will not be making another. This is one of a kind.” Although I didn’t stop touching the flora, running my hand over their petals and along their stalks.

Roys sighed, daring to sound content, then ruining that contentment by asking, “Did you talk to Lilea or Iylene?”

“Why would I?” I picked more petals one by one, leaving a trail of yellow behind us.

His voice had a softness to it, one he used on the others when he was feigning to care. “Because you should. Because you want to.”

Roys didn’t know a damn thing about me to presume anything of the sort. He showed up as our captain to boss us around like all the others. We were names on a spreadsheet, replaceable, and he would forget each of us the moment we were reassigned or dropped dead. Pretending to give a shit was insulting.

“Don’t try that,” I said.

“What?”

“Acting like you know me.” I dropped the ruined remnants of the last flower to crush under my boot. “Thinking that us fucking means your words have any merit.”

He frowned, his eyes taking on an even dark hue. “You have made it abundantly clear what you think of me and my opinions.”

I removed the crown to toss into the jungle. “Yet you’re still giving them, earther.”

Roys stopped. I left him behind, trailing the edge of the forest for another bloom. He didn’t give extreme reactions often. Each one he showed, I stockpiled. The fix and the earther, his two sore spots that got his blood boiling. They were the paths to take, the ledge he hung from.

Picking a bloom, I pivoted to face a glare unlike any other. There was pure rage on his expression. If we were alone, the incident in the cave would have repeated itself. He controlled the anger in the open where others could see. Kept his grip firm on the flamethrower, jaw set tight and fingers twitching for those candy’s in his pockets.

“That was a guess, but I see that I was right.” I approached, slowly, like a cat sneaking on prey, except this prey had razor sharp teeth, same as mine.

His voice was hardly audible. “How did you formulate that guess?”

I spun the flower that didn’t warrant his attention even a little. “Overheard you using earth speak the other night. Couldn’t hear who you were talking to, but it’s not a common tongue. The group and I were arguing about it.”

“You told others?”

“Yeah, we like to gossip.” I tried to put the blossom behind his ear. He caught my wrist, holding tight enough to bruise. The flower fell and he let go after shoving me back. 

I turned from him because, unlike me, he wasn’t a coward. If he wanted to hurt me, he would do it face to face, and I wanted to get the patrol over with. Might as well work and chat.

“Arana hinted that you might have been a fuck boy for wealthy off planet earthers. Iylene thought you’re just a good captain learning multiple languages. Personally, I said earther, born and raised, and I’m right, aren’t I?” I continued my path, hands in my pockets. The flamethrower hung from the strap on my shoulder to bounce against my thigh.

“And you didn’t bring it up until now because you were waiting for an opportunity to piss me off?” He traveled somewhere behind, closer, but not at my side.

“I like to store information for a sunny day.”

“You like to have an exit when things aren’t going your way, when you’re feeling cornered.”

My teeth scraped from side to side. Roys didn’t let me conceal myself for long. He always found every hiding place I deemed perfect.

“Fools who don’t watch their exits are often dead ones.” I sent a grin over my shoulder that he didn’t return.

“And you’re no fool. You’re too smart for your own good sometimes.”

“You keep saying that but I don’t think you really mean it. There’s no need for you to pretend out here, cap. No one else is listening.”

Roys snorted and adjusted his flamethrower, pointing it toward the flora as if he heard something. “You’re so bent on believing that I could not possibly have a single good thought about you.”

“Well, not a single one. I am good in bed and you should be thinking about that.” I spun around to walk backward in front of him. “But tell me, what is your story? Earthers aren’t often found out here, not in your position that’s for damn sure. Does it have anything to do with your using?”

That twitch in his eye spread to the other and he popped a candy into his mouth to crunch beneath his grinding jaw. He knocked his elbow toward the habitat. “Leave.”

“What if I want to stay? I thought I’d be rewarded for going on patrol.”

Roys had the look of a lecture coming on that he silenced with a sigh followed by a few simple words, “You’re a terrible person, Ethin Katlan.”

I gave a mock bow. “Been working at it my whole life.”

Because horrible people always made it to the top. The nice ones wound up dead.

As I passed into the energy shield, another soldier exited to meet Roys. I went into the habitat for some food, spotting Lilea and Ryker playing on the Viz. My feet stupidly carried me toward them before I went back outside to lay under the sun where I stayed until lights out. Roys’ office was locked that night, so I found a different sap to exhaust me enough in hopes to keep the nightmares at bay.