Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 09

Author's note: Here's chapter nine. I rushed this one a little, but since I'll be gone for a time I thought I would go ahead and post it. I'll try to get more up as soon as I can. However, it may be a week before I am able to do anymore with the story. It is possible that I will not be able to post again before the first week of August.

To everyone leaving comments or sending messages – Many thanks. To a particular "Old Fart" Marine – For your service and for your encouraging words: Thank you, Sir.

"Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said, stepping around the abatis with a deq'istle slung on her shoulder. The brightening grey sky to the east announced the coming dawn and the two younger jZav'Etch were awake. She and Liam were off watch. "I need a bath. Will you accompany me? We can speak of the route and the camps we will need to make while I get clean."

"So you're going to ask me to talk business while you splash around naked," he said flatly and sighed. "Don't even try to make it easy on a guy, do you?"

"I am merely trying to make the best use of our time," she said, sounding perfectly reasonable. "I can't help it if your mind is always preoccupied with sex, can I?"

"I'll give you another cup of coffee if you take Clotilda with you instead of me," he said, only half serious.

"A good offer," M'pel E'kmel replied with a smirk and that ever-ready twinkle in her eyes. "Very tempting. Unfortunately..."

"I'll make it two coffees and throw in one of my tuna salad meals," he pressed, trying to keep from smiling.

M'pel E'kmel debated in earnest for a couple of heartbeats. She could accept, benefitting at least as far as getting the coffee. She did not know what tuna salad was, but it sounded dreadful. If he had offered some sort of fish she might have actually accepted, but there was real business to take care of, even if she was planning to tease the hell out of him.

"I'm sorry, Sergeant," she said finally. "We really do need to discuss this and there is much work to do before either of us can get to sleep. If it makes you less uncomfortable you may turn your back while I bathe. I will also promise to remain up to my neck in the water until I am done."

"Didn't think you'd go for it," he grumbled good-naturedly and picked up the fero-plas rifle.

M'pel E'kmel had only minor difficulty climbing the hill. Her stretching routine had done much to remedy the aches and pains of her body and she felt very refreshed. The early morning air was so clean, lacking the humidity that would come with mid-morning, it made her wish she was up to taking a run.

"This is my first visit to the stream," she said by way of making conversation. "So difficult to wash properly with only the water from the jugs. Sitting there in the sunlight, letting the water splash down over my bosom and shoulders, it's so wasteful, don't you agree? And I am sure you and Clot'ilda will be glad to make fewer trips to collect water for us."

"Yeah, we've been running our legs off," he said and glanced at her. "Commander, I know you're going to tease me and make a lot of innocent innuendos. Is it still going to be fun for you?"

"You are such a water blanket," she snorted.

"I think you mean wet blanket," he chuckled.

"Oh?" she asked. "Are they not the same thing?"

"No," he chuckled again. "A water blanket is what we call a fire suppressing liquid shield built into an ammunition storage bay. A wet blank is slang for a person that takes the fun out of a joke or a good time."

"Not so very different when it comes down to it," she observed. Liam eyed her quizzically. "Face it, Sergeant, both make an interesting situation less spectacular."

He snorted and gave her a wry smirk. She smiled back and suddenly they were both laughing.

"So are you still going to tease me?" he asked as they crested the hill.

"Every chance I get," she purred and started down the slope towards the stream, her tail twitching.

Liam followed her, switching his passive sensors to active and inspecting the area around their bathing spot. He picked up a large number of small animals nearby, but nothing that worried him. Off some hundred meters to the west was a very large creature, hidden from view by the undergrowth.

"You might like to try entering the water from over here by this boulder," he suggested, leading the commander to the same stone on which Tem'Ma'tel had posed like a pinup model for him the previous day.

"Thank you, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said and accepted his hand when she stepped onto the boulder. "I am going to take my clothes off now. I thought you might like to know that before I begin."

Liam laughed with her as he turned his back. He switched his sensors back to passive and set them to give an audible alarm if they picked up anything larger than a house cat. He heard the commander enter the water a moment later and she hummed happily until she squeaked in surprised alarm. Instinctively he spun to see if she was alright, only to discover her standing on one foot, shivering theatrically. Her back was to him and as she had announced, she had taken her clothes off. Shapely curves and golden fur did not at all detract from the splendor of the primeval forest around them. Liam swallowed, ground his teeth and turned his back once more.

"The water is quite cold," she said louder than necessary. He could hear the smile in her voice. "Do not turn around yet. I'm not submerged."

"I won't, Commander," he replied woodenly. "I wouldn't turn around for all the tea in China."

"Wouldn't want you being embarrassed or uncomfortable, would we?" she asked innocently. He heard her settle into the chilly stream and then she said, "You may turn around now if you like, Sergeant. All submerged and hidden from view."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't think I could bear to see any exposed dainties so early in the morning."

"Quite sure," she replied and there was a ring of mirth in voice.

Liam turned around, half expecting her to be standing on top of the boulder, bent over with her tail in the air. She wasn't. M'pel E'kmel was in the stream with only her shoulders and head above water. The stream was so clear, though, he could see her breasts with only the slightest distortion. Liam averted his eyes, uncomfortable in spite of himself. In part he did it because he knew the commander wanted him to, though.

"So," she began and ran a wet hand over her head, plastering the fur between her ears down. "I found a number of places along our route that should serve our defensive needs well. Terrain contours should be in our favor. Clear lanes of fire and all the other details a soldier likes to have on his side. The first of these will require a four to five hour walk."

"Hours?" he asked.

"I felt it best to discuss this in units you understand," she said and scooped up water in both hands, leaning back her head and letting it pour down over her throat. The motion pushed her breasts together, accenting the depth of her cleavage to great advantage. Liam tore his eyes away before she looked at him again.

"That's a very good thing," he said, forcing his mind to focus on the discussion. "I've been doing some thinking on the logistics of the move."

"Logistics?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Go on."

"I left my pod with only the gear on my back," he said. "I took a spare weapon and ammunition, but that was pretty much it. The rest was what I normally carry during shipboard operations."

"I understand," she said and rubbed at the fur on the sides of her head the way a woman might do when using shampoo. The water rippled with the motion of her large, well-shaped bosom. Liam averted his eyes again.

"The life pod, Commander," he said, clearing his throat, "has two more stretchers, emergency rations, a water purifier and storage bladders, four medical kits, tools and a number of other things we could use. It even has four radios."

"Excellent," she said, suddenly more serious. "And it is only a short distance from here."

"Yeah," he said squinting. "Up the valley to the north west about two, maybe two and a half hours. More if we're packing everything."

"We could make it our first stop," she said. "Is the area around it defensible? Would it suit our needs?"

"Not really," he said, scratching his stubble covered chin. "I told you, the pod is wedged in a tree. The terrain around it is a lot like this only without a convenient hill or large hollow log."

"How long would it take to get everything out of the pod?" she asked, absently scrubbing her fur below the water.

"Half an hour to forty-five minutes," he shrugged. "Getting it out will be easy enough. I can send it all down on a line."

"Getting it rigged on the stretchers will take some time, though," she mused.

"Shouldn't need to put it on the stretchers," he told her. "It's all designed to be carried in packs. There are four of those in the pod, too. Clot'ilda might be a little small to carry one. I don't know that she would really need to, though."

"It sounds like a great deal of baggage to pack around on our backs," M'pel E'kmel said dubiously.

"It's all really compact stuff," Liam explained. "It isn't meant to be field equipment. It's just emergency stuff. Things that are useful to survive, but not intended for regular operations. Almost none of it requires even a small power cell. Even the lights are chemical. The tents are pretty old-fashioned. You just stretch them over a frame and crawl inside like at summer camp."

"I see," she said, rising and stepping out of the water. Her mind was so focused on the conversation and the description Liam was giving her that she was not aware of her nakedness until Liam spun around. "Oh. Sorry, Sergeant. That was completely unintentional. Not even fun for me, I'm afraid."

"I could turn back and gawk at you for a minute if you like," he grumbled.

"Give me a moment to get some of this water out of my fur," she said, her voice melodious with laughter. He heard her humming and the light patter of water drops hitting the boulder for a few minutes and then came the rustle of cloth.

"You may turn around now," she said. "Nothing dainty is exposed."

Not trusting her, Liam slowly turned. She had, it seemed, been telling the truth. M'pel E'kmel stood on the ledge of the boulder in her underclothes which were plastered to her body like she was in a wet T-shirt contest at a resort. Liam blinked. She would probably be the winner. He hadn't expected her nipples to protrude quite so far nor had he expected them to be as large as they were. He averted his eyes before she caught him looking.

"Go ahead and take your bath now, Sergeant," she said, folding her fatigues into a little stack. "I will turn my back and be the soul of discretion."

"No," Liam said with a shake of his head. "I can wait."

"Sergeant, don't be tedious. Take your bath. You are quite safe from me for the moment."

He eyed her until she flashed him an impatient look. Liam sighed. She was going to have her way and if he didn't take a bath now he knew she would find some way to put the screws to him later that would be even worse than this. And was it really so bad? She liked him and he liked her and his wife obviously didn't have a problem with it. Clot'ilda had actively encouraged this same sort of situation yesterday with him and Tem'Ma'tel.

"Fine," he said mildly. "Turn your back and I'll hop in and give you a show."

"Wet blank," she accused.

"Flirt," he shot back, deadpan.

Once the commander was facing away Liam removed his armor and clothes and slipped into the water. It was chilly, but it was also refreshing. He scrubbed at his skin, washing away the sweat and dirt of the previous day. He felt he needed a shave and soon he would need a haircut, too. Those were luxuries on a world like this. There would be no shaves, no haircuts and no hot showers until he was rescued.

That thought made him frown. When would he be rescued? And when he was rescued, what would happen to the women? He couldn't see them going to an internment camp until the end of the war. They were his friends. Hell, by the time a rescue ship showed up, they might all three be his wives. Putting them in an internment camp would be completely wrong. It wouldn't be at all fair. Not even to him. He couldn't let that happen.

"Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked, concern thick in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, but his tone was heavy and his expression downcast.

"Come now," she said, sounding like a school counselor. "Something is troubling you. Is it the relocation?"

He remained silent for a long moment, finally looking up at her with a bitter grimace, "If I get rescued, they'll take the three of you and put you in an internment camp until the end of the war. I'll get sent back into the line as soon as I'm rated as fit for duty. Chances are good that I'll never see the three of you again."

"Yes," she said seriously. "That is not a satisfactory outcome."

"I might be able to pull some strings to get you all placed on a colony world," he said not sounding hopeful of it. "You'd be free to live and work among other jZav'Etch."

"Mostly males, I expect," she said. "That would not be to my liking. I'm sure there would be demands made upon us that I would not surrender to."

"Demands?" he asked, not liking the sound of it.

"Not all of our males are honorable," she said. "Especially the largest of them. They tend to use force to make their arguments. And they aren't generally good... Well. You know what I mean."

"I guess..." he began and then was cut off by the alarm from his helmet speaker. The passive sensors had picked up something moving close by. Liam froze and looked to M'pel E'kmel. She looked down at him in the water. He was naked and without a weapon. Her deq'istle was in her hand in a flash and her eyes scanned the surrounding brush.

"Behind you," he said softly and edged closer to the bank, rising out of the water.

Slowly she turned around. There, not more than ten meters away, was a large, wicked looking animal with grey-green fur, long blade-like forelimbs and a sleek hunter's body. Sharp spike teeth showed in its open jaws and its multiple eyes glinted in the rising sun. M'pel E'kmel's stomach knotted with fear.

More creatures moved in the foliage behind the first. They slunk quietly through the underbrush, seeming to hardly move more than a leaf would in a light breeze and yet they advanced steadily. Their strange coats of fur blended near perfectly with the leaves and it was hard to see them even at so short a distance.

"Do not come out, Sergeant," she whispered. "Get to the far side of the stream. I will protect you."

"Fuck that, Commander," he replied harshly. "I am not leaving you alone."

"You are unarmed," she argued desperately. "You cannot possibly reach your weapons before they are upon us."

"I'm not leaving you alone," he said again and took another step forward. His eyes were locked on the advancing animals and in him burned a savagery as fierce as their own.

"Sergeant," she growled.

The animal snarled at her tone and took a quick couple of steps forward, its teeth clashing together. The thing's eyes flashed towards Liam in the water, its posture changed and its jaws parted emitting a high pitched hiss. Other creatures behind it replied in kind, their jaws clacking and several of them moved forward.

Time seemed to slow and a number of things happened all at once. The lead creature sprang forward, jaws wide, bladed forelimbs spread, ready to cut M'pel E'kmel in half. She raised her weapon and fired, tearing its head off. The animals behind it charged, undaunted by the death of their leader and Marine Sergeant Liam Carter surged onto the bank, roaring at the top of his lungs and hurled a fist-sized stone that smashed the teeth from one creature's mouth. M'pel E'kmel fired again, bringing another down and to her utter amazement, Liam charged them stark naked, swinging a club.

The beasts checked their attack. In confusion several backpedaled into their fellows behind, further confusing the group. They looked wildly about as if fearing a horde of naked Humans would pour from the forest and then Liam was upon them. He slammed his club into one's face and spun to swing at another. Chaos exploded in their midst. Animals sprang away from the naked man, desperate to escape his mad rush. Some snapped at their pack mates and others cowered before Liam's wrath, rolling on the ground and keening in fear. Other animals began squealing and coughing out warning barks. Before M'pel E'kmel could get off another shot the entire pack broke and bolted into the underbrush. Their cries of alarm fading as they ran, abandoning the hunt.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Sergeant Carter bellowed after them and threw his club at their retreating backs. "Motherfuckers got no stomach for a fight! No fucking balls! Pussies! My grandmother could kick your asses, you dickless wonders!"

M'pel E'kmel watched as the enraged marine bent, gathered another stone and hurled it at the distant cries.

"Next time I'll kill every fucking one of you!" Liam's voice echoed through the trees and the forest went deathly quiet. He turned around and stalked back to the bank of the stream where his armor lay, useless throughout the brief encounter. "Mo-ther-FUCK-ers." He snarled and snatched up his helmet, looking inside.

"Are you alright, Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked quietly.

"Goddamn sensors should have warned us they were coming," he growled and punched a finger at something in the helmet. "Power cell is fine. What the fuck?"

"I only ask because you're not quite yourself," she said, amusement coloring her tone.

He looked up at her with narrowed, dangerous eyes.

"It just seems that perhaps Clot'ilda was exaggerating after all," she said, working hard not to crack a smile. Her eyes danced and her ears flicked.

Suddenly Liam realized he was standing less than a meter away from her, completely naked and dripping wet. He looked down.

"The water was cold!" he snapped indignantly.

"Yes it was," she said, a laugh bubbling up from her throat.

"Commander," he coughed, his skin darkening several shades as embarrassment superseded his rage. "Human males..."

"Yes, Sergeant?" she said when he sputtered out. "You were saying something about Human males?"

"We..." He threw the helmet down and snatched his shorts from among the pile of clothes and armor.

"You...?" she prompted. Her smile was wide and filled with a near mad joy at his stammering, clumsy, boyish, utterly delightful and utterly endearing embarrassment.

"We experience... shrinkage," he finally grated out as he jammed his feet through the leg holes of his shorts. "When we get cold... down there... things just... sort of... draw up."

"So I see," she laughed, going weak in the knees.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" he snapped, frustrated. "It's natural! It happens!"

"I see that as well, Sergeant," she laughed louder and put her hand on his shoulder. And very suddenly they were face to face, looking into each other's eyes and closer than they had been since they'd met. Her laughter and his embarrassment vanished. M'pel E'kmel's tail twitched. Liam gulped.

"Sergeant," she said very softly.

"Commander," he said equally soft. Heat rolled from her body and her scent filled the air.

She swallowed and said, "That was the bravest and most insane thing I have ever witnessed."

Before he could reply Clotilda came crashing down the slope like a small, furry tornado. She had her weapon at the ready and was scanning the forest for signs of an enemy, but there were only the dead upon the ground. She paused long enough to look at them and then leapt into Liam's arms, anxiety-filled whines and chirps spilling from her as she hugged him. He held her tight for a long a moment, murmuring soothing words into her ear until she was calm. He set her down and looked at her with a gentle, very fond smile.