Out of the corner of her eye, Shaw noticed Violette walking towards them. Commander Shaw started to draw another diagram. “Exactly.” She cleared her throat. “My squad will be crossing through here.” With the pencil, she sketched out a narrow corridor on her map then sketched out a body of water. “Through this gorge. And as you can see, that will take us right to Triton Bay.”
Violette tapped Shaw’s shoulder. “Commander, sorry to interrupt.”
Shaw turned and gave her best surprised expression as if she hadn’t noticed Violette approaching. “Yes?”
“Some of the girls are beat. We’re going back to the barracks if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead. I’m beat too. I’ll be there shortly.” She gave Violette a pleasant smile. “Oh!” Shaw stood. “Take these with you.” She grabbed a couple more bottles of red wine and handed them to Violette. “Enjoy yourselves.”
“Thank you, commander!”
Violette returned to the squad, then after a moment in a huddle, they all shuffled out the door.
Shaw’s attention returned to the commander sitting beside her. Tall. Shaved head. Blonde goatee. Tattoos... She sighed. She really should get up and walk out the door. She was tired, after all. But her thoughts were also torn. She liked Commander Graves and with the severe shortage of men on the planet, being in the company of a man was something she didn’t get to experience often. If she stayed, she already knew where this night was headed. She was sure they both did, but she still couldn’t bring herself to leave. Maybe it was because this chance meeting was more like an opportunity she might never have again.
They both sat in silence, sipping their drinks. Each of their eyes never straying far from the others.
Eventually, Graves leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Want to come back to my quarters for a while?”
She wanted to answer, but for a long moment, she was unable to do nothing more than stare into his eyes.
“What?” She eventually said.
It was the most intelligent thing she could think to say.
He laughed. “Would it be too forward of me if I were to give you a compliment?”
“No,” Shaw muttered. “What kind of compliment?”
“I think you’re beautiful.” He sipped at his whiskey but didn’t take his eyes off hers.
“Who me?” She cleared her throat. Well, that was stupid. Who else would he have been talking to? She swallowed another mouthful of her margarita, and then quickly decided it was better to stare at her margarita glass than the commander. She couldn’t trust her eyes to not betray her thoughts.
As he chuckled, his large fingers found her face. Her heart skipped several beats as he drew the loose strands of hair away from her forehead and brushed it back behind her ear.
After a long moment playing in her mind’s land of sexual fantasy, she leaned in and whispered back, “Won’t your squad think it’s suspicious? Me going into your quarters?”
“No one will see a thing.” He gave her a shrug. “They pissed me off earlier. They’re all sleeping outside tonight.”
She studied the man who had completely stolen her attention, her courage, and her resolve. Commander Graves’s skin was covered with scars, and the short sleeves of his olive-colored fatigues revealed his massive arms were covered with tattoos. He was doing absolutely nothing, just staring at her, but she felt like if he kept doing it, she would soon liquefy in her chair, becoming a hot, steamy puddle on the floor. It was something she couldn’t explain to herself, but she liked it all the same.
After weighing all the options, she made a decision. And with her mind now made up, she felt all her courage return. She leaned over and whispered back to him. “I’ll leave now. Meet me behind the bar in ten minutes.”
He nodded. They exchanged smiles. Shaw stood, brushed the imaginary wrinkles out her uniform, straightened her ponytail, cleared her throat. Then she guzzled down the remainder of her margarita. Feeling like she’d now fully prepared herself, she left the bar.
Outside, she paused and scanned the area for people. None. Only dust-covered, pre-fabricated buildings in a sea of orange sand. Convinced no one was around, she trotted around to the back of the building. She found a fairly secluded location and sat down in the sand, leaning back against the wall. The night was cool and turning colder, but her core was burning with heat. For several minutes she studied the silhouettes of the darkened buildings as she listened to some distant cat mewing in the dusky shadows. Her thoughts were soon lost in the romantic, star-filled sky.
And all too soon her ten minutes of loneliness were gone. Commander Graves brought her back to reality as he knelt beside her and kissed her on the neck. Even though she wanted to kiss him back, she jumped to her feet and slipped her hand into his. She knew once she started, she’d never stop.
“So... where’s your rack?” She whispered.
The electricity between them built up, as they moved their fingers over each other.
With a sly smile, he pulled her with him as he led her toward his quarters. He led her the opposite direction of her barracks. He stopped at another entrance lit by an overhead light. Its door had a ranger logo identical to the one her squad used. She looked around for Graves’ squad, but they were nowhere to be found.
Undetected, they quietly slipped inside, down two sub-levels to another ranger barracks, and then into Graves’ personal quarters. Shaw shut the door, then grabbed the commander by his shirt and pulled him to her. She kissed Graves with such passion, with such fervor, and with all her wanton desire.
She whispered into his ear, “Commander Graves, I’ve just met you, but I’ve never wanted someone so much.”
“Drop the formality, Aleesa. I’m Lewis,” he breathed.
Shaw’s and Graves’ lips melded together, placing them in a heady world of unspoken desires that fueled their actions. Commander Graves peeled off his ranger-issued shirt and pawed at hers as he kissed her neck and pulled back the fabric which separated her skin from his.
He covered her bare skin with kisses as she moved them to the bed. Graves smiled as they flopped onto the mattress. Under a series of half broken lights, he pulled back the loose strands of her hair.
Graves’ affectionate lips brushed themselves once again on her neck, then her curves, then her hips, and then finally the sweet lips that lay in his wake. His large arms lay on her hips as each wanton desire she had was explored through his tongue and fingers. Each little lick caused her to shudder and gasp, ultimately panting for more. She knew she couldn’t make the sounds she really wanted, so as her desire encroached on the moment she was hoping for, she squeezed his hands tight.
He kissed her inner thighs and lifted his head. She flashed him a smile that gave away the pinnacle of pleasure she felt. He made a trail of kisses to her neck. He lay down beside her and whispered in her ear that he was hers.
Her fingers danced down his torso and hips. Then, without another thought, Commander Shaw slid her body down between his legs. She licked her lips and his breath caught, as if he was preparing himself for her. She slid her hands under his thighs, then allowed her lips to explore him. Her mouth gently grazed him with a sensuality that she hoped he’d never experienced before. She made sure to get her fingers just as busy as her mouth through swift movements smattered with a longing touch. Every time he whispered her name, it reverberated through her. It made her even more determined to relish the distinct rush of euphoria. This energy flow between them.
It was at this moment, he paused. Even though it was just a look he gave her, she understood the meaning. He wanted them to experience this moment of pleasure together. With a nod, she slid on top. Through a mutual lover’s gaze, they never looked anywhere else. She concentrated on the gentle sway of her body against his hips. One of his hands found the band that kept her ponytail up, then her hair fell from its ponytail and draped across his face and neck. With every moment of togetherness, she felt a deeper level of desire. A desire that manifested itself thr
ough her escalating gasps until he finally pulled her tight. Everything then came together in a careening shudder.
While still riding her wave of euphoria, he seemed reluctant to let go and she didn’t want him to. She never wanted to leave his side.
They knew their respective places in society. The rangers would never accept this behavior if they learned of it. There was no fraternizing, nor rendezvous. Every ranger knew it. And that meant this encounter would forever remain a secret. Only the two of them could ever know. And in order to keep the secret, Commander Shaw already knew that she’d need to leave in the morning. Despite her personal desires, it was too risky to stay.
She lifted her head and leaned her face to his, and her sincere enjoyment of the moment, she gave him one more passionate kiss. And then, with her frame draped across his broad body, and his arms around her waist, they fell asleep.
A few hours later, Commander Graves’ alarm brought Shaw back from the land of slumber. It was dawn. She looked up and noticed that Graves still hadn’t stirred. He was sleeping soundly. After turning off the alarm, Shaw lay in his arms thinking of the possible disciplinary actions if they were caught. It muddied her mind. To ease her troubles, she pecked a kiss on his cheek, then slid out of bed. She made her way into his small bathroom and showered. After returning, she tossed the towel on the bed, gathered all her clothes, and dressed in her olive-green fatigues.
She paused and eyed Commander Graves. He was now curled around a pillow. For his reputation of strength and resilience, he seemed so vulnerable. And wonderful. Her heart filled with sadness when she understood that she wouldn’t be able to share any more than this one night with him. At some point, he would go back to his usual duties in Chiron’s Grove and she’d never see him again. A thought that made her want to spend more time with him. But, just like last night, she came to the same conclusion. It was too risky to stay. She needed to make this easier on both of them. She needed to gather her girls and leave camp this morning. It was the only way to ensure this encounter remained a secret that only two people would ever know.
She sat down at his desk and grabbed a pencil and his notepad. And after a moment of thought, she began jotting down what her squad needed before they left camp.
MREs... Water... Refresh their medical kits...
“You’re already dressed? Is everything okay, Aleesa?”
Evidently, the scratch of the pencil on paper had disturbed Commander Graves.
After folding up her note, she slid it into a pocket. She walked over to him and sat down.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” He asked.
“I have to,” she muttered in a voice tinged with sadness and remorse. “I’ve been with the rangers for over two decades now. This is my life. What happens if someone finds out? We’ll both face disciplinary action if it does.”
Commander Graves reached over, slid his hands under her shirt and rested his arms around her waist. “Aleesa... At least let me shower and get dressed before you go.”
“Okay.” With a smile, Shaw grabbed her wet towel she handed it to him.
He gathered his clothes from the floor and stumbled into the bathroom.
Spotting a coffeemaker on his dresser, Shaw started a pot of coffee brewing. Coffee was another thing she hadn’t had in a while.
Commander Graves returned from his shower dressed in his ranger fatigues. Commander Shaw greeted him with a cup of coffee and another smile. Then the two commanders sat on the bed, side by side, sipping coffee in silence. Neither seemed eager to discuss what happened between them anymore.
Swirling her coffee, Shaw sighed. “Well, I’d love to spend all day with you, but my girls are probably eating breakfast now.”
“Mine, too.”
“I’d better get back. I just know I’m going to get a lot of questions. Maybe, I’ll tell them I ended up falling asleep in the bar last night.”
“I’m not explaining anything to my squad. I’ll make them sleep outside for another night if they are unwise enough to start my good morning with an interrogation.”
Commander Graves got up from the bed, made himself a note, and then strode back to her. “Let’s get you out of here before someone notices you’re not at the bar.”
She stood and sat her coffee mug on his desk. He wrapped his arms around her. Slipping his hands into her back pockets, he pulled her close. She didn’t mind. She didn’t want to leave any more than he wanted it. And she was sure that he also understood that as soon as she walked outside, he’d never see her again.
As distasteful as it was, she knew the sooner she left, the better. Duty called. And with that, she pulled back, grabbed his hands, and stared into his eyes one last time.
He eventually nodded at her. He then opened the door, allowing her to leave.
She stretched up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, then walked out the door with a smile.
As she made her way up the long flights of steps, she forced her mind to return to her responsibilities. She resigned herself to returning to her squad and becoming a ranger again. She had a job to do. Her girls counted on her to be a leader.
Outside, the tangerine sun had just crested above the sand dunes, giving them a purple hue. Not a person was to be seen as she made her way down the sandy lane, headed toward her own quarters.
Even though she was a ranger again, she knew things were different now. She had no regret, remorse, or sadness. She’d remember this wonderful moment with Commander Graves for the rest of her life.
And as she walked along, Commander Shaw slipped her hands into her back pockets, recalling the pleasing memory of Graves’ amorous hands on her backside. When she felt a note in her back pocket, she stopped. Shaw had always kept little notes in her pockets, but not in her back pockets. And this one was crisp and newly folded, unlike the soft and crumbled notes she kept in her other pockets.
Pulling out that one particular piece of paper, she unfolded it.
It was a series of numbers and signed by Graves.
He had given her a way to privately contact him.
Haunting Heathyr
By R. Patricia Wayne
EDITOR’S NOTE: On Mars, every colony has its share of urban legends, and Nysa Colony has more of them than any other. Perhaps it’s the constant fog, or the gloomy skies that blanket the colony, or the ghost stories the children tell each other. In any case, Nysa is the place where nightmares spread like plagues.
This is the story of Dr. Brandee Clarke and her attempt to help cure the nightmares of the thirteen-year-old Heathyr Watts.
Mars, Nysa Colony
Year: 2259
Dr. Brandee Clarke knew that the colony of Nysa had a bad reputation. Everyone knew that. She had lived there all her life, and she worked in the psychiatric ward at Nysa General Hospital for more than twenty years. She had seen everything this colony had to offer, and while strange things happened over the years, there just wasn’t any reason for the fear that everyone attributed to this place.
Once a prosperous and thriving commercial center, the colony had been slowly losing all its residents to the other six colonies. The reason? The cemetery located on the outskirts of Nysa was considered haunted and the likely source of the legends about ghosts and phantoms walking the streets.
The rumors began years ago, when open graves were discovered in the cemetery, and new ones would routinely appear from time to time. They were sinkholes, nothing more, but the public didn’t want to hear that explanation. In reality, the cemetery had been built on top of a massive underground cavern system, and the constant sinkholes made it appear like the dead were getting up and walking away. As far as Brandee was concerned, it was all nonsense. There wasn’t anything supernatural about the place. The colony’s founders just didn’t know the caverns were there when they selected the cemetery site.
And the weather didn’t help. On most days, a dense fog rolled in which blanketed Nysa, making visibility limited and further fueling the legends of gho
sts, phantoms, and other mythical creatures haunting the colony. When Nysa wasn’t covered in fog, it was covered in gloomy, low hanging clouds. And raining. A sunny day was a rare thing, indeed.
Although the governor and the media continually tried to assure the community there was nothing unusual about the colony, Nysa was still considered a hot spot for supernatural occurrences. And probably always would be. The people would believe what they wanted to believe, and the governor’s assurances hadn’t changed anyone’s mind. For all her career, Brandee has had to deal with patients with constant nightmares and unsubstantiated sightings of the dead walking through the neighborhoods at night. Hallucinations, Brandee would always note in their record. Medication was her standard treatment.
But not for her newest and youngest patient; Heathyr Watts.
Today, Brandee brought Heathyr to downtown Nysa for the first time. On this day, it was just after 7:00 a.m. and the dawn was breaking. Normally, Brandee would just be getting out of bed at this hour, but this was the date, time, a place that Heathyr insisted she was here. In her dream she’d been here before, but not in reality.
Although the skies were overcast, there were breaks in the clouds and rays of sunshine peeked through. It seemed like a good day for a change. The two sat down on the old wooden bench in front of the colonial courthouse that faced a busy Main Street. It was a place Heathyr said she’d never been, but assured Brandee, it was where she found herself every single time she closed her eyes.
Oddly enough, Heathyr seemed excited to take the trip downtown. Maybe it was simply that she thought someone was taking her seriously for once. Or maybe it was just to be out of the hospital for the first time in weeks. Maybe she hoped her ordeal would finally come to an end. Brandee really didn’t know. Whichever it was, the girl’s excitement was only temporary. The longer they sat together on the bench, the more worried she looked. After the first few minutes on the bench, her face lost all expression. Her hands trembled. A distant glazed look washed over her face as she stared directly across the street.
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