Page 16 of Subchief Flander

“Ranni got it for me after I babysat because I had to use my leave. I don't know why he thinks that I would like this. It's very expensive, but it burns going down.”

“Maybe he was thinking of guests.”

“That's possible, but Kasey saw it, and she bought me a bottle of perfume instead. How do you like it?” Hel asked.

“I like it very much, but I like the whiskey, too.”

She took the wine he had poured for her, took a sip, and set the glass down. “What is this all about?”

"It's about us and a happily ever after. This is about where we should have always been, but you were too young," Flander admitted.

“You never said anything then. It seemed like I annoyed you more than anything. Even when I turned eighteen, you didn't say anything. It's been two months since then. Now, you're going to open up to me?” Hel asked.

“You're so young, and I'm afraid it's too soon. There are so many things you haven't done, and I'm not sure you will thank me for being in your life now without allowing you to really live it. When I was your age, that was when things began to happen. I had choices to make, and the whole world was before me. At that age, most people aren't sure what they truly want. I don't want to make those choices if you're not ready.”

“But you've decided to do it anyway?”

“It's so hard to stay away from you. I want you in my life because I don't know what to do without you there. You are my one and only. If I lose you, there's no reason to go on. Do you know what you want out of life?” Flander asked.

“You’ve caught me off guard. I don’t know what to say.”

Flander put his glass down and moved toward her quickly. He pushed her up against the wall and pressed his body up against her. His mouth dropped to hers. He kissed her deeply. His tongue entered her mouth when she gasped. He moaned, and she thought that he was going to do more, but he pushed away.

“You need to think about things. I will give you some time. Just remember that I care about you and hope we can be together," Flander moved away and left her quarters.

Should she have answered him? Hel worried he believed she didn't want him now because that wasn't true. She wanted him to work at winning her since he had never done that before. He pushed her away when she was younger and now wanted her to return when he snapped his fingers. She wanted romance and sweetness. Hel wanted him to work for it and prove he really wanted her, even though it was something that a Majuri warrior rarely did.

Hel planned to be strong and hold firm because she had gone through a lot, and he needed to make up for that, didn't he? This was a good start, but she needed more. There was a voice inside her head saying just give in. Tell him what he wants to know and show him how much you want him, but she hasn’t listened to it yet. She got ready for bed, and in the morning, she would see how she felt. If he genuinely wanted her, he would do what she needed.

The next morning, she was up and at it as she dressed and headed to breakfast, where the squad would be waiting for her. It was funny that she couldn't remember how many facilities they had on the planet. She was sure she had been to all of them more than once, but some stood out more than others. Today, they would be going to the base in the hopes that they would see results, but she couldn't help but wonder if anyone would be coming back to base with them tomorrow since none had come yesterday.

She was the last one other than Flander to arrive at breakfast. Hel sat down with her tray and began to eat. It wasn't long before Flander showed up. She began to eat faster so she would be done when he was. It worked, and she was done whenthe squad was ready. She would need her energy today; she was sure of it. They loaded the shuttle and headed to the base. There was a lot of activity when they arrived. She went to check on the two trainees that were working in the kitchen.

“I could use a few more of these. They were doing a great job," Cook said.

Hel was glad to hear it. Since they seemed to be doing fine, she headed down to the office to review the records of the others there. It looked like she would end up in construction with the rest of the team because there wasn't anything else to do in the office. She could apply herself to the building that was being snapped together. That was more her style than getting down in the concrete and the dirt. Did that mean she was too much of a girl?

No, because when they went out into the field, she was down in the dirt, and she looked like shit. Hel didn't mind that because she was doing what she was good at. She'd never done construction, so she didn't know if she could do it. Learning while she was working with her team was not something that she enjoyed doing. Flander had not given her an assignment, so she decided to go where they were snapping the parts of one of the new buildings together. They seemed happy to see her, and she jumped in and got to work.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded. It didn't take long until Hel was covered with sweat. She felt gritty from the dirt that was nearby. The new building was coming along great. It wouldn't be long before the floor would be done, even though they had just started. These buildings were alright, but they didn't hold up like the old-style buildings. The places they snapped together often gave way in ten or twenty years. These were more like emergency buildings used because they were needed. Frequently, work was done on them to get them to hold up longer.

The building where the rest of her squad was working was also moving along but slower. The work was much more complex and physical, but the building would hold up much longer. It wasn't long before they took a break for lunch. She headed to the cafeteria, where the food was available. That was where she ran into her squad because they were sitting at a table eating.

“Where are you hiding out at?” Timson asked.

“I've been at the snapping building. It's coming along well.”

“Snapping? Is that what you call it. You ought to be working with us.” Timson observed. The others were eating and not taking a break to talk.

“We should divide the various tasks to help move them forward. This building will have offices, but it will also have places for people working on this planet to live. That's just as important.”

The guys paused to look up at her, making her nervous. Everyone returned to their meals, and she began to eat. Hel wondered where Flander was but didn’t ask. She didn't want to show too much interest. She didn't want the other guys to suspect anything. Once she finished eating, she hurried back to the building they were putting together. The rest of the squad had already left before she had. Putting together the prefab building wasn't as complicated as she thought it might be. It would make things easier for now. She could see where the guys were working on the old-fashioned apartment house that was being built. The guys were working hard, and the job was going slow. The difference was that once the apartment building was complete, it would last a long time.

She concentrated on her work. Suddenly, a siren blared, telling her that the day was done. Hel finished what she was doing and left the site. They now had two stories complete on this building that had just been started a couple days ago. That would help a great deal, and it would make a difference. Her squad met at the shuttle but had to wait for Flander. He showed up a little while later. He was working on something that the rest of the squad wasn't.

They got back to the ship quickly, and they all scattered. They would meet up again for supper soon. Hel showered, dressed, and headed back to the cafeteria because she was starving. Most of the squad was already there when she arrived, but it usually didn't take men as long to take a quick shower. Flander was the last to come, which was beginning to be the way things were.

“What's up with you lately, Boss?” Jaird asked.

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