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Leaders and lovers

Chapter 2

The showers were a large hexagonal room split into half by a partition for the various genders. The walls were featureless titanium, with showerheads and controls sticking out of the walls every few feet. The ground was made of the same grate that made up the floor of the cryo room. The gaps in between the struts were rather large, and it was easy to lose belongings through it, which would flow back into the water recycling unit at the base, and probably get stuck in a filter or something. Michael made a mental note to take care of his belongings in this room. He still felt uncomfortable trailing along behind his commander and the rest of his buddies. Everyone seemed to have mostly recovered from their four months of inactivity but he still felt soft. Four months didn't feel like four months. It felt as long as a twelve hour nap would feel, plus a good beating with a stick and getting rolled over by a steamroller. Oh, and, no dreams.

He was still wearing the latex suit meant for cryosleep. Almost everyone else had stripped down to nothing and were enjoying themselves under the hot streams of water spouting from the showerheads. Only him, and a few of the other rookies still stood looking around nervously like fools.

Ah, fuck this.

Michael tried to get out of the bodysuit but it clung fast to him. It wasn't the right size, but he had insisted on putting it on, seeing as the call to enter the cryo pods had been rather hurried, and he wasn't prepared to be the last one in looking for a suit that fit. He tried to free his arms from the sleeve, but it refused to come off, instead sticking to his skin. He flailed about, ignoring the odd stares from the rest of the rookies, just trying to get the damn thing off without spraining his back. The rubber stretched around, still insistent on not coming off.

This wasn't how I imagined my first time out of cryo, for chrissakes.

"Relax, Mikey. Don't move about so much. Just relax, and slowly let it come off. It's like untangling Christmas light wires."

Michael spun around, looking for the source of the voice, his arms still stuck in their awkward position. The woman standing behind him had a pale, almost ethereal quality to her fur, with silver blond neck length hair, tangled from the moisture. She was young, the same age as Michael. In fact, both had served in the same platoon when in training back on Veridian-6. She always had his back, even in the most difficult or unusual circumstances.

Such as now.

"Vaney! Help?" He displayed his arms to her, still tangled in the suit. "Damn thing doesn't want to come off. I think it's in love or something."

Vaney sniggered. "Wow, ego much Mikey? You're going to think Commander Anita's going to dance for you next." Grasping on to the collar of the suit, which was now somewhat down to his waist from his futile attempts, she patted a hand on his shoulder, instructing him to relax.

"She stone-cold, Van. She'd sooner dance for the Separatists."

Vaney slowly peeled the suit down, pulling it off his skin. It prickled as it made contact with the warm, moist air after the arid dryness of the pod. Michael shuddered.

Vaney took it as a sign of her skill. "What, you like my touch?"

"No, the air." Michael tried to gesture with his hands, a nigh impossible act considering his current situation.

"That's okay. I've always wanted to undress you."

Michael flushed a deep red. "Really?"

"You wish!" Vaney swatted him gently on the back of the head.

By now, most of the rookies had managed to get the suits off, either on their own or with the help of another, more experienced individual. They were now heading into the showers, leaving only Michael, Vaney and a few others.

Michael jumped up and down. "Come on, hurry up..."

The suit was stuck at his thighs, and not in the mood to move any further, no matter how much Vaney pulled.

"I'm trying, damn it! Calm down. Are you so desperate to go in there and see naked ass?"

"Maybe you should cut it off or something."

"NO! This suit's made of some special polymer or some shit. Really expensive and deary. Requisition will crucify the both of us."

"Try harder then."

Vaney huffed in indignation as she pulled and yanked. "In case you haven't noticed, my suit is still on."

"At least yours is the right size. Come on, pull harder! Don't want to get left behind."

With a final, momentous yank, Vaney pulled the suit down to his feet. Michael hurriedly stepped out of it, and took it from Vaney's hands. She had a sly, staring look on her face as she examined him from head to toe.

Michael tried to cover himself. "Stop staring! You've seen me naked before in training. I'm no different now than I was then. Look somewhere else."

Vaney sneakily crooked a finger at him. "Don't suppose you want to return the favor and help me get out of my suit?"

Michael spluttered. "No!" then he looked away, embarrassed. "Well, maybe if it's okay with you..."

Vaney slapped him on the shoulder. "Denied! Get out of here! Shoo! Go get your shower and admire some ass while you're at it, since you're so desperate to, you might as well get your fair share right?"

Michael shrugged sheepishly. "Hey, only trying to repay a good deed here, Van."

Vaney had a barely concealed grin on her face as she watched Michael hurriedly trot towards the showers, then set about trying to remove her own suit. A passing soldier whistled softly.

"Damn, Mikey's one lucky sonofabitch. How come I never get girls undressing me?"

"Cause you're too damn ugly, Raul. Newsflash! Glad I told you that right?"

Raul sniffed. "Why don't the two of you get a room already?"

Vaney smiled. "I would if it wasn't against regulations, and if Mikey wasn't such a prude. But I intend to change that."

"Hoooly shiiit! I could bloody make myself a mint selling tickets to that show."

Michael could barely make out anyone through all the steam, only man shaped silhouettes milling about. He tried not to stare at their muscular forms, sleek under the water that was pouring on them. His member poked out slightly from his sheath, peeking around and admiring the view. He could see wolfish men rubbing themselves up with soap, trying to get the worst of the smell of the pod off. He stared at their lithe, almost sinuous forms, of these men as they twirled beneath the showers, most of whom were hardened soldiers whose only job was to take life from those who did not deserve it. They were trained, fit, and probably knew about a hundred ways to kill someone.

And he was a young soldier, so very far from home.

Almost seems like the storyline to a bad porn flick.

Michael slapped his head in exasperation. "Really? Here? You want to think about such things here?"

"Sure you didn't leave your sanity in that pod too Mikey?"

Michael's head snapped up, taking in the muscular, scarred form of his commanding officer, standing before him. Raymond hadn't lost any of his smooth confidence standing naked in the shower in front of a rookie at least half a decade younger than him. Raymond smiled, his fur damp from his recent sojourn in the shower and from the steam. A towel was wrapped around his waist, concealing his equipment from Michael's view.

Damn. I was hoping he wouldn't shower so fast. At least I could have gotten a good vie..."

Michael slapped his head again, harder this time. Stars fluttered in his vision, and he felt as though the effort had taken every last bit of energy from his body. Tottering, he reached out a hand for something to grab onto to support himself.

He need not have bothered. Raymond's hand shot out, grabbing on to Michael's elbow and steadying him, making sure he did not fall. Michael noticed that Raymond looked concerned.

"Dude, you really really need to shower fast. You've got to eat something or you're gonna faint. Believe me, I know. That happened to me too, a long time ago."

Raymond really was worried for his subordinate, from the way his fingers and claws were digging into the flesh of Michael's arm. Unfortunately, that contact had also caused him to have a full blown erection, his pink member sticking out of his sheath for the entire world to see.

Shit shit! Can't let him see that or I'm going to get screwed! And not in a good way.

Michael was afraid that Raymond would be shocked, or maybe even disgusted from seeing his arousal at the contact. He wasn't sure if the lieutenant was into the same sex like he was, even from the months together training. He had been their CO back in boot camp, and Michael got to see him often, but he had been unable to tell, which was disconcerting given that he usually could at first glance. It seemed that Raymond had taken a bit of a shine to him, though, more so than the other recruits, but that wasn't confirmation of anything.

He's looking down! Gotta do something!

Michael realized that his member was now so fully erect that it was jabbing into Raymond's thigh, that being the source of the lieutenant's curiosity. Lunging forward, he quickly covered his treacherous member with his other hand, forcing it down and hoping it would soon soften. Raymond noticed Michael's hand at his crotch, and looked up confusedly at him.

"What, um, are you doing that for?" The lieutenant seemed uncharacteristically flustered.

Michael looked away slowly. "I have to use the bathroom."

"Fine. Just don't do it here. Kinda embarrassing if anyone sees you." Raymond looked away and swallowed. Michael could see his Adam's apple moving up and down. Releasing Michael's arm, he scratched the back of his neck before moving away as if he was in a hurry. Michael noticed he hoisted the towel around his waist higher.

Damn. Real smooth Mikey. I bet he knows now.

Stepping under the shower, he turned the control, causing it to light up a light green. Adjusting the holographic knob for the temperature, he pushed himself into the stream of hot, almost burning water. His member had retreated back into it's sheath now, and Michael put a hand on the wall, supporting himself as he allowed the water to flow down his back, savoring the loosening of muscles cramped by four months of inactivity. Looking at the mirror welded on the wall in front of him, he examined his face closely.

His face, like the rest of his species, resembled that of a wolf, with pointed ears and a long muzzle, the angle of the ears depending on which colony you were from. People from the colonies closest to Earth had pointed ears, while those from the Outer colonies had ears closer to their heads, and those from the Farbound Colonies had their ears flat against their heads. His fur itself was a soft brown, resembling light chocolate, with soft, darker patterns swirling about his body. He was lean, but not thin, with just the right amount of muscle in the right places to look reasonably fit. His eyes were a light blue, like the sky, which had caused him to be quite a sensation back home, where brown, black or green eyes were usually the norm. It had made him the target of many dating requests from girls, a few of which he accepted and none of which had succeeded. Both sexes were fine for him, but he just seemed to prefer the males, somehow.

"Hey man, nice job with the LT just now." A voice beside him teasingly muttered.

Michael frowned. "Shut up Raul. I don't want to talk about it. He's probably weirded out by me now."

Raul jabbed a finger back at the door the lieutenant had exited. "You really had a boner in front of him?"

"What do you think?" Michael hissed. He wasn't in the mood to take any of Raul's shit now.

The other wolf held up his hands. "Damn, man, I didn't think the LT was that sexy. I thought you were straight dude."

"Well, hey, Newsflash! I'm not. And it only took you nine months to figure it out."

"Funny, Vaney just said the same thing to me."

Michael froze. "Come again?"

"No man, she wasn't talking about your gay stuff. I don't think she even knows. It's just, what is it with you two and the word 'Newsflash'?

Michael felt himself relax considerably. "Nothing. It's just, you're so out of touch with reality you probably need one every now and then."

Raul turned off the shower and stood, drying himself with the towel. "Well, just to get it out of the way, no, I'm completely straight. A guy can't make me come, so don't bother chasing after me, yeah? Let's keep it," he snapped his fingers and pointed it at Michael like twin guns, "professional."

Michael hissed with frustration. "Why, in all the history of wolfkind and the universe, would I come after you? You're so damn ugly, seriously!"

Raul looked at him with awe as Michael turned off the shower. "Well that's just spooky. I swear you and Vaney are communicating telepathically or something."

"What, because she said it too? It's not because our minds are linked or whatever, it's because it's true."

Raul placed a hand over his heart and made as though he had been shot. "Ouch...that really hurt. Not sure I'll ever recover from that one."

"Do you want to get out of here? Almost everyone's gone." The shower room was indeed almost empty, with only a few other soldiers washing the last remnants of soap from their bodies. Most of the noise and activity seemed to be in the locker room next door. Michael could hear the clang of locker doors opening and shutting, and the sound of cheerful banter.

Raul folded his arms. "Nope. You first."

Michael rolled his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

Raul grinned mischievously. "I said, you first. I don't want you ogling my ass on the way out."

Michael suddenly swept beside Raul, grinning as he suddenly looked uncomfortable. He then placed a hand on Raul's ass, causing him to jump.

"What the...That's gay man!"

Michael put on the most feminine, lustful and kinky voice he could muster. "Hey handsome...Wanna have a little fun since you don't want to leave yet? I know how to give pleasure the likes of which you've never seen." Michael gave his butt cheek a good squeeze.

Raul leapt for the door faster than Michael thought he ever could.

The locker room was a pandemonium of activity, with people bustling to and fro, trying to put on their uniforms and look as neat as possible. Michael could see Vaney and a few others, brushing themselves off and attempting to smoothen out the crinkles in their uniforms. Raul hurried into the room and made for his locker, which was on the opposite of Michael's, as fast as possible, keeping his head low to avoid looking at him. Reading the names printed on the locker doors, Michael searched for his own. His mind was still fuzzy over it's exact location, but after some searching and peering over people's shoulders, he finally came across his own.

Z. Michael.

Zantse. Michael. God, it's been so long since anyone's said my last name. I haven't seen any of my family beyond my bros in over...what? A year? Basic training's a real bitch.

He tapped his fingers on the locker, trying to recall the exact combination for the keypad socketed in the front. He racked his brains hard, trying to recall, it being on the edge of his memory, and all he had to do was reach out and grasp it.

7112356

7/November/2356

My birthday.

Dammit. Homesick already. And my tour of duty's barely begun...

He punched in the numbers into the keypad, silently hoping that his memory hadn't failed him. It didn't. The screen lit up green and the words 'Welcome, Michael' scrolled across it, and the door opened with a soft hiss. Reaching in, he threw the door open, searching the interior for the ironed uniform he barely recalled putting in four months ago. The uniform seemed to be untouched, with the nametag and the collar exactly how he had left it. Smiling at something that seemed to be going right for once, he lifted it up and turned it over, checking it. Commander Anita was a stickler for these sorts of small details, and if you didn't notice it you'd be doing a lot of cleaning shifts indeed. As he retracted his arm from the locker, his arm brushed against something stuck to the inside of the door.

It turned out to be two photos stuck there by him what seemed to be an eternity ago. Most people didn't use such archaic types of physical photos now, preferring instead to store it in their datapads or holographic unit gloves, but Michael had always been one for the classics, and such photos just seemed more real somehow, as though you were connected with whatever was inside it. Picking up the first photo, he saw it was one of all his family members. He was conspicuously absent, probably because he was the one taking it. He smiled at the thought of returning back to them one day, and the stories he would tell!

Picking up the second, he stared at it for a moment, his chest slowly tightening. He felt his heart sink.

The picture showed him and another wolf, a shocking white color, standing side by side, facing the camera and holding hands. The background was a serene lake at evening, a reminder of his hometown in South Africa, back on Earth. He remembered playing and swimming in that very lake years ago, before he had signed up to fight the war.

Then there was the other man.

I'm sorry, Chris. Before you left for the Separatist colonies to fight the war against them you told me never to join the army. You told me you could never risk losing me. You fought well and bravely, and you were the soldier all of us needed you to be...and then...

You died.

Michael felt tears welling up in his eyes. His hands gripped the photograph tightly, almost wadding it up and crushing it, but he didn't notice.

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know I promised, but when you died, something in me died too. I had to join up after your funeral. I needed to. I needed to exact my revenge for what they did to you.

Please...forgive me.

"Mikey...are you okay?" Michael felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder. It was Raymond.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. As always..." Michael swallowed and brushed the tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes with his hand.

"Who is he?" Raymond pointed at the photograph.

"Chris. We...were in love. Years ago."

Raymond's tone softened. "What happened?"

Michael swallowed, choking back a sob. "He...was killed. Fighting."

Raymond gasped. "I'm sorry for your loss. What happened?"

"He was fighting on Meridian-2 against the Separatists. His unit got cut off from the rest and they fought on until only he was left alive. They captured him, but they didn't even bother to ask what he knew. They just...executed him. On the spot. They didn't even bury him or his comrades. I saw....I saw it all, from the recording on his helmet camera when his body was brought back. They didn't even let him have a chance to die fighting. Not like the rest of his friends."

Raymond looked shocked. "Bloody Separatists. Dear God in heaven."

Michael didn't respond. He simply looked at the crumpled photo, before slowly sticking it back onto the locker door.

"Why all the concern? You didn't know him."

"I wish I did. He seems like a fine man." Raymond gestured at the photo, now back on the locker door.

Michael put on his uniform slowly. His heart was constricted with sadness and helpless fury at Chris' killers. This was why he had joined up. To make the bastards pay for what they had done, what they had taken from him.

Raymond adjusted Michael's uniform as he shut the locker door, locking it again with a click. He brushed off some dust and smoothed several creases, before looking straight at Michael.

"For what it's worth, He seemed like a good person. I'm sorry, I really am."

Michael looked back up into his commander's green eyes.

"Are you?"