Transmission Lost by Stefan Mazzara Page A

with after a night of drinking had cared that he'd never seen a shot fired in anger. To them, the image and the fantasy had been enough.
    I probably could have put in a few more years , Jack thought as he lay there. Saved up a little more, qualified for a better pension. Then I wouldn't have had to take a job like the one that got me into this mess...Or at least I could have found better work. A commercial passenger pilot, maybe even a cruise ship captain. Hell, I could have just stayed in for the long haul and gone on to be a fleet officer. Wouldn't that have been something? It could have been Captain Squier, Commander Squier...Admiral Squier? Nah...maybe that's stretching it a little...
    Yawning, exhausted from the day, Jack sat back up. He retrieved his bedroll from where Aria had thrown it and brought it over to the fireside. Kicking his boots off, Jack unbuttoned his fatigue shirt, rolling it up to use as a pillow. He laid down next to the fire, making himself as comfortable as he could.
    Aria might be pretty abrasive...but I do have to respect that she did this kind of thing for a whole month straight...
     
    ******
     
    Perhaps two or three hours later, Jack drifted awake. He sat up, pleasantly surprised that there weren't any giant insects crawling across his face. Looking to the fire, he saw that it had nearly gone out, and the night was growing quite chilly. He got up from his bedroll and walked over to where Aria had stacked the firewood, and he retrieved several large sticks. Jack tossed them onto the fire, using another stick to poke them about until the fire started to build again.
    Jack leaned back, propping himself up on his arms, taking a few moments to enjoy the fire's warmth and the quiet of the night. There was no noise from the tent; Aria seemed to be sleeping just as deeply as she had the night before. Not having to deal with her constant threats and verbal abuse came as a relief.
    I had a feeling I might regret coming along with her, Jack said to himself. He laid back on the ground. But I guess I didn't have much choice, did I? It was either come with her or die.
    With an irritated snort, Jack closed his eyes to try to get back to dreamland. The crackling of the fire was soothing, and the cheeping of something that sounded rather like a cricket echoed somewhere in the trees. Even so, Jack found that sleep was coming difficult to him this night. A small rustling noise came from the tent, sounding as though Aria was shifting in her sleep.
    “...I need a piss.”
    Standing up, Jack walked a ways away from the fire, a short distance into the trees. It was dark there, but a little light from the fire still filtered through. Finding a suitable tree, Jack unzipped his pants and got down to business. An unbelievable sense of relief washed over him. It was amazing how one could forget to see to the baser necessities of life under extreme stress. When he finished, he zipped his pants back up and turned to walk back to the campsite.
    A soft noise nearby made him stop, and he turned towards it curiously. Emerging from a small clump of low plants was one of the little black creatures. The light from the fire illuminated its fur, which had a shimmering sheen to it in the darkness. The animal was gazing at Jack with just as much curiosity as he directed towards it. Slowly it started to approach him, moving cautiously with each step.
    “Uh...Hey, there, little guy,” Jack said uncertainly. He turned towards the animal, which made it halt. Jack froze, worried that if he moved too quickly he'd set off some sort of defensive behavior. As small as the animal was, Jack still didn't feel like getting into a fight with it. As soon as he stopped moving, however, the animal continued approaching him. It was wagging its short tail back and forth.
    Huh...seems kind of friendly... , Jack thought. He knelt down on the ground and boldly held a hand out. The creature paused for a second, then stretched its neck out, sniffing at