A Taste Of Despair (The Humal Sequence) (20 page)

Watching the scramble for booze, Rames sighed. “Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” He waded in to secure his share.

A lot of alcohol was consumed that night, but the proceedings remained good-humored. There were no violent or miserable drunks. But there were plenty of drunks. People propositioned the women, or at least Charlton and Johnson. The former disappeared once or twice, though Hamilton was at a loss to say with whom. Johnson politely declined all such approaches, until she tired of it and attached herself firmly to Hamilton’s lap, plonking herself down like a cat that had had enough of being teased by children and had taken refuge where they couldn’t reach.

Klane and Lewis, it seemed, drew little such attention.

Klane laughed uproariously when Private Alvin leant in to whisper something in her ear then gave him a good natured push that sent him sprawling on his backside. Despite this seeming disinterest, Hamilton noted that, later in the evening, both she and Carl had disappeared together.

Lewis actually punched Tech Officer Williams, the sole engineer that had decided to go with them, and knocked him flat. But again, she was smiling tolerantly as she then helped him to his feet.

Enough alcohol and all taboos are forgotten
. Hamilton mused.

By the time he and Johnson had gotten tired of the party, there were several people who had crashed out on the beds in the makeshift camp area, regardless of whose bed it actually was. Hamilton dragged some covers off a currently unoccupied bed and, pulling Johnson along behind him, wandered off deep amongst the crates in the vast cargo hold. There were a couple of good natured hoots and cat calls behind him which he ignored. Eventually he found the crate he was looking for.

Someone had got there before him and removed one of the ultralight self-inflating mattresses, but there were plenty left. He grabbed one, then he and Johnson wandered deeper into the maze to find a quiet place to spend the night.

Their brief attempt at love-making was abandoned amidst snorts of laughter and giggles as they were both too drunk to have any idea what they were doing.

In the end, sleep claimed them before they could sober up enough to regret the amounts they had drunk. That would come the next day.

*****

In the morning another attempt at sex failed as their respective hangovers pounded mercilessly at their skulls. They lay quietly for a while, hoping the hammering in their heads would subside enough to allow them to enjoy each other’s company properly, but they never did. Finally, thirst and a desire to find some sort of chemical to take away the pain drove them to dress and wander back towards the main area.

As they made their way back they heard low voices from the area with the tank and, on a whim, decided to investigate.

Carl and Klane were enjoying the delights of the tank. The water was steaming hot, by the look of it, but Hamilton knew it couldn’t have remained warm from the previous day. Somehow, the pair had found a way to heat the water again.

He and Johnson were about to sneak away and leave the pair to their fun when Klane’s voice called out to him.

“Hamilton! Don’t even think about trying to sneak off! Get your ass over here!”

Hamilton and Johnson exchanged glances, shrugged and walked out from behind the crate they’d been hiding by.

Carl sat in one corner of the tank with Klane propped up against him. Both appeared to be naked.

“You know,” Hamilton stated. “The last thing I need when I’m as hung over as this is to see you cavorting naked in a pool!”

Klane grinned. “Best cure for a hangover. Hot bath and good company.”

Hamilton shook his head. “Just when I thought you were done shocking me…” He smiled.

She grinned. “I’m not done yet. Why don’t the pair of you join us?”

Hamilton made a choking sound and turned to move away. The woman was incorrigible.

“We have fresh, cool water and pharmaceuticals….” Klane added.

Hamilton stopped and looked back at the pair.

“Of course,” Klane continued. “The price for such delights is that you join us!”

Hamilton glanced at Johnson. She shrugged. He sighed and pulled off his shirt.

“I’m in too much pain to argue with you.” He told Klane.

“You never win anyway.” She laughed.

“Not when I feel like this.” He finished removing his clothing all apart from his underwear.

“Oh no you don’t!” Klane waggled a finger at him. “Skinny-dipping or nothing! We’re both naked!”

For a moment he looked at her. “Thanks for that image.” He muttered. Then he shook his head and pulled his pants off. He didn’t bother trying to hide his genitals, but he climbed into the tank swiftly.

Johnson hesitated at the underwear stage as well, looking helplessly at Hamilton.

Klane chuckled. “Don’t be embarrassed Johnson. Carl was one of the few men not hitting on you last night.”

“I had other plans!” Carl rumbled. The pair dissolved into fits of laughter.

Johnson slipped out of her under-things and hopped in rapidly.

“The water?” Hamilton prompted after a few seconds.

Klane reached over the side of the tank near her and pulled up a thermal bottle and threw it across the tank to him. Hamilton opened it and took a long draught before passing it to Johnson. The water was cold, as she had said. In the tank, however, it was extremely warm and very relaxing. His head pounded at him still, but it was difficult to pay it much attention whilst the heat was soaking into his body.

“You mentioned drugs, as well.” He pointed out.

A small bottle came sailing his way. Hamilton glanced at the label, took two and passed it to Johnson.

For a time no one said anything, being content to just relax in the warmth.

“How did you heat the water up again?” Johnson asked after a time.

Klane shrugged. “That plasma cutter you brought back from your heroic rescue of Lewis. Turns out that it makes quite a good water heater.”

Hamilton shook his head. Klane was almost as crazy as Lewis.

There was another length of silence.

“So. What happens now?” Carl asked.

“Jump to the world we’re going to leave the others on, drop them off. Make plans for our two missions, carry them out. After that, we’ll see.” Hamilton mumbled, half asleep.

“It’s a shame we had to lose some of the Marines.” Klane muttered.

“We still have four left, plus you and me.” Hamilton replied.

Johnson and Carl exchanged a glance. It was as if the pair had forgotten anyone else was in the tank.

“That’s a lot of mission for six trained infantry.” Klane noted.

Hamilton made a negative grunt. “Not so bad. We’ve faced worse odds.”

Both of them had closed their eyes.

“Hey, don’t go to sleep on me!” Johnson prodded Hamilton in the ribs. He sat up with a start.

“I wasn’t. Just drifting, that’s all.”

There was a loud snoring from the other end of the tank. Propped up against Carl, Klane had fallen asleep.

Hamilton looked at the big Enjun. “Don’t ever tell her she snores.” He advised. “She’ll make your life hell if you do.”

Carl frowned. “You two, you were close, once?”

Hamilton was aware of Johnson suddenly paying a lot more attention to the conversation, which had taken a turn he hadn’t expected.

“Once.” He admitted. “A long time ago. Simpler times.”

Carl nodded. “What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Hamilton thought about his answer for a moment. The whole story was not something he cared to share. It wasn’t a pleasant tale and was as much hers to tell as it was his.

And it was all so long ago
. He thought.

“Let’s just say I made a choice. A choice that she didn’t agree with. As a result, things went bad between us. After that we couldn’t stand each other.” He told the big man.

Carl frowned. “But you two get along now. You must have made your peace with each other?”

Hamilton nodded. “We buried the hatchet, as it were. But it took a long time. By then we were….very different people than we had been. Maybe it’s because we were so different that we were able to put….it…behind us.”

It looked like Carl wanted to ask more questions, but he simply nodded and lay back in the water, thinking.

Johnson looked like she had questions of her own.

Hamilton leaned close and nuzzled at her ear. “Another time, okay?” He murmured.

She smiled and nodded, leaning back against him.

Jones found them like that about thirty minutes later. After the fun of the night before, nobody was eager to make a quick start. Jones climbed the steps and sat at the top.

“You folks naked in there?” He looked aghast.

Hamilton nodded. “Join us, if you like.”

Jones snorted and shook his head, then winced as his own hangover made him pay for the head-shake. “Not a chance!” He scowled, hand going to his head.

Johnson threw him the pill bottle and thermal water bottle.

“If you’re not here to join us…” Hamilton wondered.

Jones hooked a finger at the still snoring Klane. “I heard a noise. I thought it might be a hull breach!”

Hamilton chuckled. “Don’t ever say that to her! If you value your life…”

Jones grinned. “I ain’t stupid. What are you all doing in there anyway? Not still partying?”

“It’s a good cure for a hangover.” Johnson told him. “And you get to learn all sorts of interesting things about the people you share the tank with! Oww!”

Hamilton had pinched her under the water.

Jones looked between the two, then looked at Carl, who merely shrugged. “Anyway,” Jones said. “Rames last comment before he left the party last night was that he wanted to get under way first thing. Well, it’s first thing now, by my watch.”

Hamilton groaned. “Okay, Go back and tell the others we’ll be there presently.”

Jones nodded, looking grateful to be leaving.

Carl glanced at Hamilton, who showed no signs of stirring after Jones had left.

Hamilton caught the glance and waved dismissively after the departed Jones. “They’ll cope.”

He lay back and let the warmth fill him.

*****

The others did indeed cope. Although Rames and Jones did both visit the tank to talk at Hamilton. It was talking at him, since he was paying scant attention to Rames seeming urgency. The captain seemed to think that they needed to get out and get moving. In the end, though, it was Rames that got moving when Klane, irritated at being woken, decided to stand up in the tank.

Although undoubtedly female, the sight of her naked torso with its musculature, scars and prosthetics was too much for the good captain, who suddenly found he ‘needed to attend to business’ and beat a hasty retreat.