Ando

Chapter 9

Rosetta had integrated Sera in the preparation work seamlessly, putting her to work in a quiet corner, organizing the donated food as it was delivered. Sera had taken to the task gratefully. Shut away in the communal kitchen at the meeting house, she had a measure of peace and quiet from the bustle outside. It wouldn't be long now till the clones landed and the designated landing field was a chaos of activity. Watching all those people move about in a chaotic dance was enough to make her dizzy and her palms slick with sweat and it was a relief to retreat into the quiet of the hall.

Everyone was excited about having the clones back and the hall was alive with a buzz of energy while everyone worked. But, Sera knew all of these women well enough to detect hints of strain and fear when Karyn had called in those volunteers with some medical training. Auset had left to check on Sink, ensconced in an upper room of the hall, but had come back down for a tray of caf in a light cup Sink could handle and a few of El'la's spicy wraps.

Auset smiled at Sera, but it was a wan smile. "Sink said he'd leave the sweets for his brothers."

"I need to report to my station. Can you take these up for him?" Auset asked, her eyes pleading.

"Certainly, Auset." Sera quickly took the tray from Auset, so she couldn't think too much about it. Sink was easier than most clones to be around and he'd be busy keeping his eyes on the field as overview and communicating with the others.

Sink didn't even notice her or the food she deposited on a small table placed next to his mech chair for exactly that purpose. Sera had heard Auset talk enough to know that Sink ignoring the smell of fresh, hot food was an anomaly, but he seemed wholly engrossed in his task, which seemed to involve a pair of microbinoculars, one of the headsets Sabre had found and his own sharp eyes.

Sera had no issue with being ignored by the clone.

Aside from her constant nervousness - No, be honest and call it what it is: fear - around men, she would have felt terribly guilty for interrupting what was, judging by the expression on his face, an important task requiring deep concentration.

She left Sink to it, leaving as quietly as she'd come, with no evidence of her presence except for the steaming caf and spicy wraps.

When she returned to the kitchen, Rosetta was directing a small army of volunteers in chopping up root vegetables for the soup. Sera's eyes teared as she passed the station slicing up winter onions. As the vegetables were cut, they were quickly added into the huge cauldrons already on the stove. "Megs says they'll be bringing in a haul of crawl- and icefish shortly. We can add these to the soup and get some nutrients into these men. Can you make sure the flatbread is toasted? Karyn stressed how important it is to get the men to eat."

The kitchen grew noisier and more crowded as more women came in to help, turning Sera's quiet refuge into pandemonium with barely enough room to stand in. Added to that, the emotional turmoil brewing amidst bubbling cauldrons was making her feel like an intruder. They were all talking, wondering and gossiping.

"Did you hear they're being chased by an entire fleet of pirates?"

"I've heard they found a stash of untold riches on that planet and they are bringing them back to make Ando richer than all the banking clans-"

"All rumors," Rosetta sternly correct the chatter and set the women to work. "Remember, if a trooper has his helmet on, do not startle or interrupt him. They have their tasks and we have ours. They are soldiers first and foremost." She eyed all of the volunteers, except for Sera, who never had been prone to such foolishness and didn't need reminding. "They are not here for our entertainment, much as some of you might like to forget it."

Sera heard grumbling from some of the women.

"That's enough!" Rosetta said sternly, and the grumbling stopped. "If you want to complain, you can leave this kitchen and wait back home. We have a great deal of work between now and tomorrow, and I have no time for your foolishness."

Most of the women gave in gracefully, though some wondered - in hushed tones, so that Rosetta could not hear - who had elected the elderly woman to queen of Ando. Sera kept her back to the departing line of women, using the excuse of checking on the flatbread to avoid attracting anyone's attention. She had no one to fret about should the worst come to pass. She felt like an outsider in an all of this activity, but it was a familiar feeling.

"I can handle everything here, Rosetta," Sera said carefully to the older woman. "Don't you want to see the landing?"

Rosetta had originally taken in four of the paralyzed clones and through their close association with some of the other troopers, she had come to know many of the men in the Legion; including Captain Rex.

Rosetta smiled up at her from where she was moving sandwiches onto several large platters. "Nonsense, dear. I can't let you do all the kitchen work. Let the young girls cluster try to claw their way onto the landing field like a bunch of clutching nunas."

Sera ducked her head, letting her red curls hide her grimace. Though she knew Rosetta had meant it as a joke, the unintentional comparison - putting Sera into the category of 'old maiden' - was a bit painful. She was, after all, only twenty-six.

But you might as well be Mrs. Hannaford's age, the way you're acting, so stop pouting, she admonished herself and concentrated on brewing the Andoan caf into a muddy brew, the way the troopers liked it, as well as keeping an eye on the several pots simmering on the large stove.

She looked up to see Rosetta eyeing her speculatively. "I could handle the rest here by myself," the older woman suggested carefully.

Sera felt her spine creep at the thought of being in the middle of the mess of emotional females trying to get a peak at the landing. "I'd rather take my chances with Xyra's oppee," she mumbled.

Rosetta, having heard her, laughed as the door to the communal kitchen opened and Karyn came in, looking harassed, grim, determined, annoyed and anticipatory all in one.

"How are you two coping?" Karyn asked.

"We're good," Rosetta assured her. "How's the mob of pheromones?"

Karyn rolled her eyes. "Safely back where they should be for the moment. Hopefully they stay that way. The rest of the volunteers have been discussing whether we should welcome the men home with open arms or open fire. I'm inclined to that second option."

Sera clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling and Rosetta smiled. "Interesting choice," the older woman said.

Rosetta sniffed back a throaty laugh. "We'll let the men take care of making them happy."

She and Karyn laughed, while Sera stood off to the side, hugging herself a little for comfort. The chill that had take hold of her Rosetta's playful words threatened to turn her bones brittle. The thought of a man getting close enough to her to try and "make her happy"...

Sera asked, "How much longer until they land?"

"They're circling," the normally calm doctor sounded anxious herself. She pushed off the counter. "I'm headed to the clinic now. I had to make sure everything was ready here." Sera saw the indecision in Karyn's eyes; quite an unusual expression for the normally self-assured doctor. Most worrisome of all was a ghost of Karyn's haunted expression from several years ago flashing across her face.

"Karyn?" Sera asked, "I'll walk with you," she said, falling in step beside her friend, as they left the kitchen. She would need to head back again, but it would be good to get some fresh air. Before the war they'd hardly known each other, but in the years since they'd grown much closer. "What's wrong?"

"I don't even know if he's still alive," Karyn confessed in low tones. She sighed and looked off toward the field as they exited Fisherman's Hall, and both looked at the busy preparations of the landing field. Their feet sank into the half-frozen, half-marshy ground as they walked, headed toward Karyn's clinic. "And if he is, should I kill him for leaving me like that or drag him off to bed and keep him there?"

Sera thought about the question, but then wasn't sure if she had a good answer. "Do you think I'm the right person to ask? I don't exactly have the best track record on marriage in this town, Karyn."

Karyn studied her friend. She was one of only two people who knew the truth about Sera's failed marriage. "I know, it's just…." Karyn blew out a breath and Sera realized with a small measure of relief that her opinion wasn't required. Karyn needed a sympathetic soundboard who wouldn't go repeating everything to half the town. During the worst years of the war, the two women had been there for each other. Karyn had struggled with the loss of her husband and sons and Sera was dealing with a husband who spoke with his fists.

"Maybe I'm talking to myself," Karyn continued. "I want to kill Travis. I mean, he drugged me to run off to battle with Rex." Karyn clenched her fist. "Yet, I still want him back." She sighed. "As soon as he steps off that ship, I want to drag him up to the nearest room, yank him out of all that armor and-" Sera felt herself blush, and she was glad Karyn had stopped there. She didn't need the full graphic description, since all of Ando Town already knew about the doctor and the young Lieutenant.

"Uh… can't you do both?" Sera suggested.

As they turned up the driveway toward Karyn's house, the doctor nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that will work." The determined look in her eye and slight chill to her voice caused Sera to shiver. "Wait until he lands."

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