The Silence of Alium [On Hiatus]

Chapter 15 - Assessments (Part 2)

"Ma'am?"

Helen turned towards Park. He sat with his back against a tent support with a creased paperback at his feet, likely freshly discarded. Those books had always seemed an odd expenditure of his weight allowance, but she had never questioned Park about them. The private kept to himself for the most part, and Helen respected his privacy. If he was breaking his silence, then he had a reason.

"Yes, Private?"

"Sergeant Robles is waking," Park said, opening up his med kit even before he had finished speaking.

"Thank you," Helen said.

Robles had been in and out of consciousness all night. Although Park had managed to medicate him to sleep initially, the medic had needed to carefully ration all medical supplies. Their squad had never been intended for an extended field mission as the capsules were supposed to have landed a mere kilometer from LaCroix Station with a minimal trek to the outpost, where theoretically supplies could be found in greater abundance. Moreover, no previous records indicated this level of coordinated predatory behavior within the native pseudoflora nor fauna, hence why they had been unprepared for the pinwheel assault.

Of course the coalition had known that the colony had gone silent, and so precautions had been taken, but weight allowances being what they were, equipment had been divided among the four squads and the Cerberus crew had not received the bulk of that medical shipment. In fact, the primary doctor had been on Hecate, Park's expertise as a field medic having only been tested on a handful of deployments and intended merely as support for Hecate's Doctor Jain. Thank the Coalition for built-in redundancies or Robles would already be dead.

Still, with his anesthetic in short supply, the Sergeant's first initial dose had worn off within the first four hours of the night. Since then he had woken at least three times, each time seeming slightly more clear-headed but always needing clarification again on the squad's status, his memory not quite holding. Three times now, Helen had brought him up to speed. Like it or not, she was likely about to do the same once more.

Before heading to Park, Helen made her way to Private Varma who laid with his head on his pack in one corner of the hab. She nudged him with her boot, gently stirring him from his sleep. Varma shifted for a moment, his eyes blinking into focus, then snapped to attention with a soft, "Yes, Ma'am."

"I need you on watch. Keep me updated every half hour of any changes."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Without question, Varma hoisted up his thunder cannon and eased his way past the sleeping squad and to his post at the entrance. Helen watched him as he stepped over his colleagues, so careful not to disturb their rest. It had been a long night already, eight hours in with roughly five hours to go before sunrise, and these were near the shortest nights of the year, just after the summer solstice. Alium rotated on an approximately 29 hour cycle, which took its toll if you weren't prepared for it. Fortunately, there was no day/night cycle in space. Not a natural one. As such, their transport ship had been able to set its own cycle. Helen and the rest of the crew had spent nearly six-months in transit adjusting to the extended day - or shortened day for Karzai and Park who had both shipped in from Talis - a fireball of a planet with a nearly thirty-two hour spin.

As Varma settled into his post, Helen at last approached Sergeant Robles. Park stood over his patient now, pressing the nozzle of a water bladder to his lips. Robles sipped greedily from the hose, showing more strength than he had before, which Helen took for a much needed sign of a change in fortune. Walcot lay on a roll of bedding at the foot of the cot, and Helen made sure to tread softly so as not to wake her. She wished to speak with Robles without the Private's worried intrusions.

"You look better, Sergeant," she said, as she kneeled by his bed.

Robles sputtered, tonguing the nozzle aside so that he could speak. "And you look exhausted." His voice came out hoarse, but without the fatigue that had filled it earlier.

"Long night, but I'm fine."

"Always are."

"I suspect you want to know what happened?"

"Nope," he said, wincing as if in pain. "Not unless you have something new to report."

"Well, welcome back, Sergeant," Helen said. "Nice to see you returning to us."

"You mind removing these straps?"

Private Park shook his head. "He's refusing further pain control as well, ma'am. Asking for antinauseants and treatment for dizziness only. Minimum doses at that."

They both knew removing the straps wasn't the best idea, yet technically if Robles was fit, he was the senior officer. Still, Helen had no intention of stepping down, not until Robles was field ready. As for the medications, they were only treating the symptoms, not preventing further injury.

"His call on the meds, Private. Prep 'em per his request."

Park nodded and resumed his work as Helen turned her attention to Robles.

"Thank you."

"No need for that, Sergeant. It wasn't my decision. It was yours. The straps, however, that's my call."

"Fair enough." Robles squeezed his eyes shut and bit at his lips, his face blanching.

"Pain?"

"Some," he replied through gritted teeth. "It's the nausea more than anything."

"Uh-huh," Helen replied not quite believing him, but willing to play along. Bad off as he was, she knew Robles could still be invaluable to the squad, especially with his communications expertise. Still, she needed to know if he was up for the work. After a brief pause, she decided to allow him a chance to prove himself, or at least prove if he was mentally up for the challenge. "I need to know what you remember."