Memories of Klikklik
Prisoner and Ransom, Story 3. The captive and her past.
Jen continued to take up her rest on the EDC vessel on its way back to Senta. Once she was back on the EDC’s capital world, she was sure that she’d get the proper rest and recovery she needed. Yet at the moment, she was unable to sleep. She could only sit upright on the bed, staring at the monitors in the dim light of the her room.
Major Sobieski entered quietly, yet Jen was alert. He was holding a thermos of tea.
Jen smiled. “Paul.”
Sobieski approached with a smile of his own. After pouring his tea on an empty cup, he offered it to Jen. “Figured you’re still awake,” he said, pulling up a chair.
Jen accepted the tea, and drank it gratefully. “I’ve had enough sleep to last me ten lifetimes.”
Sobieski stared at her, his face sympathetic. “You’ll get through this, Jen. I know you will.”
“You sound so sure,” responded Jen, her voice trembling. “But how can you be so confident? I don’t even feel like myself anymore.”
“I’ve seen you come back from worse,” Sobieski said.
“Worse?” Jen tilted her head. “I assume you mean Klikklik?”
“You assume correctly,” Sobieski said, nodding. “I’m sure you still remember that jungle, and that savage lizardman tribe. We lost a lot of good people to them, and you were damn near one of them.”
Jen looked away. “Yes, I remember being chained to that altar, just moments away from having my heart ripped out on that pyramid.”
Sobieski remained silent.
“I should’ve stayed hidden,” Jen continued. “But instead I got into a fight with that lizardman priest who knocked me out with ease.” She rubbed her head, the pain was long gone but she still felt it. “What was I thinking? I’m an infiltrator, not a combat specialist.”
“You’re a heroine, Jen!” said Sobieski, his tone firm. “You saw someone being sacrificed, and you intervened to save him. Those guys were crazy, sacrificing anyone they could get their hands on. Fellow lizardmen, humans, anyone - they didn’t discriminate.
“You saved them, Jen. Not just the one you unshackled, but everyone else on that conveyor belt of human sacrifice. You did the right thing.”
Jen was stunned, she could only look at her superior. “Paul…”
Sobieski continued, “This world… the Electrosphere is not a kind place. It needs people like you - people who do the right thing, even if it’s dangerous.”
Jen smiled. “Funny, that could easily describe you too, Major.”
Sobieski raised an eye. “Oh?”
“You know what else is funny?” Jen said. “The fact that you left out the part where you swooped in to save me, guns blazing as you mowed down any reptile unfortunate enough to be anywhere near me.”
“Right,” Sobieski said, chuckling. “I was just doing my job.”
“And got promoted to Major for it,” Jen teased. Yet her smile soon turned to a frown. “But ever since that promotion… you’ve changed. It’s like we’ve drifted apart.”
Sobieski took a deep breath, his face betrayed discomfort. “Jen…”
Jen cut him off, smiling mischievously, “And you definitely left out the part where we kissed after you pulled me off that altar.”
Sobieski’s face was now red as a tomato. “I didn’t think that bit of detail is particularly relevant at the moment.”
Jen laughed softly, the first time she did so in a long time. “It’s relevant to me.”
Sobieski cleared his throat, his attempt to bring a semblance of professionalism back into the room. “What I’m trying to say is this… you’re no stranger to danger. Just as it was on Klikklik, the same it is now.”
Jen narrowed her eyes. “You know, Major. Now that I think about it, you always seem to come to my rescue.”
“You’re worth it,” Sobieski said with resolve.
Jen’s eyes glistened. “Right,” she said, smirking. “And you were the one who made sure the EDC ransomed me, weren’t you?”
“Get some rest, Lieutenant,” responded Sobieski. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Jen, frustrated that her Major had dodged her question, could only pout. Seeing his cue to leave, Sobieski stood up and made his way for the door. But just before he could leave, he faced back and spoke:
“Jen… don’t ever doubt your worth. Not to me, not to anyone. Goodnight.”
With a click, the door closed leaving Jen alone once more. A small, hopeful smile formed on her lips. “You really know how to make your case, Major. Goodnight to you too, Paul.”
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