Page 33 of Human Reclaimed
Her eyes flashed with that defiance I was coming to both admire and find maddening. “Not happening. I’m helping lead this training session.”
“Talia—”
“I’m not made of glass, Rune.” She planted her feet, crossing her arms. “I won’t get hurt again. I’ll be more careful.”
Frustration bubbled up inside me. “I can’t risk that. Yesterday was?—”
“A fluke. I let my guard down.” Her expression softened slightly. “How about I stand back further from the live fire? A compromise.”
I wanted to argue further, wanted to wrap her in my arms and carry her somewhere safe. But the determined set of her jaw told me I’d lose this battle.
“Fine,” I relented, running my fingers through my hair. “But you stay behind the safety line. No exceptions.”
She smiled triumphantly. “Deal.”
As we walked toward the waiting brigade, I resisted the urge to keep her beside me, and to safeguard her from even the possibility of harm. This fierce need to protect her was unfamiliar territory—yet another new emotion she’d unlocked within me.
After two hours of intense training, I dismissed the brigade with a satisfied nod as the last combat drill concluded. My gaze automatically sought Talia, who stood exactly where she’d promised—behind the safety line, datapad in hand, her blonde hair glowing in the late afternoon sunlight. True to her word, she hadn’t ventured closer to the live-fire zone, though I’d caught her leaning forward several times, her body betraying her eagerness to join the action.
“Your modifications to the assault pattern worked perfectly,” I said as I approached her. “The brigade’s response time improved by seventeen percent.”
Talia smiled, her fingers flying across her datapad. “They’re adapting faster than I expected. The way they incorporated those flanking maneuvers was impressive.”
I felt a rush of pride—both in my brigade and in her. “Let’s review the full data in my office.”
We walked back through the settlement as the twin suns began their descent, casting long shadows across the stone pathways. Colonists moved purposefully between buildings, some nodding as we passed. The air hung heavy with humidity, carrying the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers that edged the walkways. I found myself walking closer to Talia than necessary, drawn to her presence like a gravitational pull I couldn’t resist.
In my office at the security center, holographic displays illuminated the room with a soft blue glow. The curved metal walls reflected the light, creating an intimate atmosphere as night fell outside. Talia immediately set to work, transferring data from her pad to my main console.
“I spotted three weaknesses during the drill,” she said, pulling up tactical overlays. “Your outer-ring patrols are still vulnerable when they transition between sectors four and six.”
I leaned in, studying the patterns she highlighted. Her shoulder brushed against mine, sending a pleasant jolt through my body. “Show me what you’d recommend.”
Talia’s hands moved with graceful precision as she sketched a new patrol pattern. “If we stagger the timing here and here.” She traced a complex interlocking formation. “We create overlapping fields of coverage without adding personnel.”
“Elegant,” I murmured, genuinely impressed. The solution was both simple and brilliant—exactly the kind of strategic thinking that made her invaluable. “And for the attack tactics?”
Her eyes lit up. She pulled up another display, this one showing our offensive formations. “I’ve designed a new playbook for striking tactics. Look here.”
Hours slipped by as we refined her strategies, our heads bent closely together over the displays. The sounds of the colony faded into evening quiet, replaced by the distant chorus of jungle creatures. Through the reinforced windows, I could see the settlement’s lights twinkling against the darkness, our small city gleaming defiantly in the wilderness.
“This position here,” I pointed to a gap in her formation, “leaves the flank exposed.”
Talia grinned, activating another overlay. “That’s deliberate. It’s bait. When they move to exploit it, this secondary team moves in from behind.”
I stared at the simulation playing out, marveling at the precision of her trap. “You’re truly remarkable,” I said softly, the words escaping before I could filter them.
In the blue glow of the displays, her face took on an ethereal quality. Her eyes met mine, holding for a beat longer than necessary.
“I think we’ve earned a break,” she said, stretching her arms overhead. “We’ve been at this for hours.”
My chronometer confirmed it was well past midnight. “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.” I watched her roll her shoulders to ease the tension, fighting the urge to offer a massage. “Your strategies are… beautiful. There’s no other word for it.”
“Beautiful isn’t typically how tactics are described.” She laughed, but her cheeks flushed with pleasure.
“They are when you design them.” The words came out rougher than I intended, charged with an emotion I was still learning to identify.
She stood up, her laughter still lingering in the air, and reached over to nudge me playfully on the shoulder. Her hand lingered for a moment, her fingers brushing against my arm, and that was all it took. Something in me snapped—a surge of need I couldn’t suppress. I was on my feet in an instant, my body moving before my brain could catch up. I pinned her gently but firmly against the edge of my desk, my hands caging her in as I leaned down to capture her lips with mine.
