Three Strikes [✓]

Reprieve

Chapter Forty-Two: Reprieve

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Gardos Air Base, Erusea.
September 20th, 2019.
0530hrs.

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Morning came quicker than expected, though when Naomi had first opened her eyes it was still dark. Some time in the middle of the night she could recall numbly making her way to her quarters, but anything else was a blur beyond a night of vivid nightmares. Part of her had been happy to be roused from her sleep, but with fatigue and grief weighing her down she ended up spending the first hour or so of her morning tossing and turning in an uncomfortable bed, desperate to be in any state but her current one.

Eventually the responsible adult and soldier in her head reminded her that, like it or not, she could not stay there all day. Her muscles were stiff and sore, making every movement feel ten times more challenging than it should be. She made it to a sitting position at the edge of her bed, where she paused to collect herself. If she was going to get up, then she had to face the day like any other day. Breaking down from pain or anything else wouldn't do anyone any good. Even so, it was something that was easier said than done.

It took at least a minute to clear her mind and rise to her feet, going about a normal morning routine as best as she could. Her belongings had been brought in by her father, if she was recalling correctly, not that she had any desire to go through and unpack what little she had to make the space her own. It just seemed like a pointless process that would make her morning even more of a challenge to get through, so all she did was pull out a fresh uniform and leave it at that.

Naomi wasn't sure if it was just the overall situation, but everything seemed quiet both outside and in the barracks. The atmosphere was tense as everyone was trying to go about their regular duties. Everything felt off, which did nothing to improve anyone's mood, not that she could blame them. No one was celebrating last night's victory, which Naomi thought was for the better. The operation may have succeeded, but what about their losses? Not to mention the situation with the satellites. Oseans and Eruseans alike were suffering from the previous night, no point in acting like they weren't.

After cleaning up and changing she set out, not really sure where she was going and why but knowing if she stayed in her room and wallowed in misery she'd be a piss poor squadron leader. The halls were quiet, even at this hour when she was certain most soldiers were already waking up. She didn't run into any familiar faces along the way, and worse she hadn't figured out her way around beyond the basic layout of the base, so even if she wanted to seek out her comrades she couldn't. Instinct told her to head for the HQ or find her way to whatever building the mess hall was in, but in spite of the fact she hadn't eaten in over 24 hours at this point she had no appetite at all. The thought of trying to keep any food down right now was not an appealing one, but she settled instead on just finding her way to HQ and figuring things out from there.

For just a moment she caught herself thinking she should go find Wiseman, her thoughts drifting away and briefly blocking out the memories that had played on repeat almost all night. Then she felt an overwhelming ache in her chest as she had to remind herself that he was gone. Wiseman was dead, that was reality now, and yet it almost didn't feel real. She could no longer wonder if he had any news for them. She couldn't go to him for advice. They'd only worked together a few months, but he was her commander and her friend and because of her failure he was dead. Mr. X had haunted her since Chopinburg and once again he took someone from her. And she let him.

Whether that was self-pity or self-hatred, Naomi couldn't be sure. One thing she could be sure of, though, was that it was not an unfamiliar feeling and she hated it more every time it reared its ugly head. She tried not to dwell on it for too long, knowing she had to face the others and that would be difficult enough on its own without her feeling sorry for herself.