Chapter 9: Hunkering down

The thrill of landing on an undiscovered planet had soon worn off for Osmaer once he learned that they couldn't stay in the city for the night.

"All this time, they still haven't prepared lodging?" He complained, filling a sandbag they had gotten off the trucks. A temporary camp was to be maintained while preparations were made. While it was familiar to Osmaer, it was familiar in ways that didn't make him comfortable. He had fought in camps like these. Ramshackle. Underprepared. And this time? There were only five hundred or so. He knew he could count on the Armsmen, but what about the bureaucrats? The witch? The damned techpriests? He had spoken to Everith briefly before landing, and Elagabulus sounded horrific to be a bodyguard to.

Didn't mean Jeshuas was much better.

Osmaer had practically held him back once they had landed, as the idiot was far too eager in trying to "collect a sample" as he had called it. Once the order to set up a bivouac had come through, Jeshuas hadn't helped at all and just complained even more than Osmaer.

"All of my samples will be ruined! These useless backwater hicks, these primal savages will burn!"

Osmaer ignored him and continued setting up their little corner of sleeping area. It was a lot colder out here than he first imagined, now that the sun had gone down.

"Let's see," he muttered to himself. "Sandbags? Check. Grenade and ammunition box? Check. Rifle clean? Check. Emergency stub auto? Check. Alright, I think we're good to sleep. I pulled a spot close enough to the sentry that we're safe but not close enough that he'll pick me next."

Jesh sat in silence on his thin rollup mattress. He was fiddling with his hands.

"I'm cold."

"Yeah, it's pretty cold out here."

"Can we start a fire?"

Osmaer shook his head.

"You want a fire, you go to the fire pit. Otherwise we don't."

Jesh nodded and curled himself up in his robe, before shuffling into his sleeping bag. Osmaer sat down and began unlacing his boots.

"Y'know, you sleep with your boots on? Kills your feet." Osmaer said to Jesh, who nodded and mumbled in response. Osmaer kicked off his boots and dropped his head, thinking.

"Y'know... after everything, I don't wanna be here anymore. I wanna retire, you know? Live a new life. Start something good, do something good for a change. You know?"

Jesh coughed, then turned to face Osmaer.

"Osmaer. The EMC maintenance you soldiers undertook saved many lives. I think you normals would classify that as a good thing."

Osmaer laughed without humour, and spat. "Yeah, until it burned down."

"From what I know, that was the Free Unika Army that did that. Not you."

"You don't get it." Osmaer waved his hand dismissively and Jesh said nothing for a while.

"No. I don't." He finally said, before turning back around and falling asleep.

"Yeah, you cogboys wouldn't." He murmured, and laid down. After a second of thought, he unclipped his cape and put it on top of Jeshuas.

"I hope this is worth it."