another little story -- winter's solstice on chorus

[swordandshield]

Vanessa Kimball had been trying to explain to Felix for the past hour that they were not going to worry about an attack from the Capital tonight. Felix didn't get it. He was annoyed and frustrated, and he kept telling Kimball to get rid of the odd lights put out on the observation decks because they made good targets of anyone up there.

"Vanessa, you're killing me here. I don't understand--"

"I know. I've tried to explain it to you and you're still insisting."

"Because it's suicide! You're asking the Feds to just shoot at your men because they will be perfect targets!"

"Felix, no one will be up on the observation decks tonight."

"What? Why!?" He stuttered out the questions, thinking Kimball had finally lost her goddamn mind. "In case you've forgotten, Kimball, this is a war. You can't just take the night off because of some... some...holiday!"

"Felix, my men are tired and miserable with the cold wind driving in the winter season. They don't just deserve a break, they need it. This is the best and probably only time that I can do this safely. I guarantee the Feds will honor this times-old tradition. And if they don't..."

She left the sentence to hang in the air, the idea unspoken. Felix took the opportunity to finish it for her despite her foul look for it.

"...then you'll have a bunch more dead soldiers on your hands than if you had just listened to me. Vanessa, you hired me for a reason. That reason is to help you win this war. I can't do that if you don't take my suggestions seriously. And this," Felix waved his hands around for emphasis, "is a bad idea. I cannot stress it enough."

"I hear what you're saying but--"

"Do you? Because I think you're ignoring the part where I mentioned early on that Intel points to an attack within the next few days. My guess is tonight. It is now a really good opportunity for the Feds to make their move now that you've given them the idea that your guard is very, very dropped."

"Felix, I hear you. But that's what the peace lights are for--"

"Unless you're finally surrendering, there's no peace in wartime."

"Would you please stop interrupting me!"

Silence. Felix stared expectantly at Kimball. She took a large breath and let it out slowly.

"Thank you. What I'm trying to say is that I'm willing to take the risk. It's one night. It's the Winter Solstice. The people of Chorus used to all celebrate it before the war began. They'll remember. They'll want this as much as we do. And the tradition will hold."

Felix did his best not to roll his eyes but it was a hard gesture not to make in this moment. He was beyond frustrated. He knew the attack was coming tonight. He'd been told it would come tonight by his partner. They had planned on this night from the start of this little push they were creating from the Feds. There was a rhyme and a reason and now Kimball was disrupting that plan and Felix was very annoyed with her right now. He almost wanted to strangle her.

Instead, he sighed exaggeratedly to show her how frustrated he was while at the same time appearing to cave to her demands. He needed to get out of here. Arguing with her wasn't getting anywhere and he would need to tell Locus how stupid the rebel commander was being. They needed this war to play out a certain way; massacring everyone on one side wasn't exactly how they needed it to go.

"Fine, fine. We'll play this your way. But don't come crying to me when you lose not only this base but more than half the soldiers stationed here because you thought a winter holiday would be a good idea in the middle of a fucking war."

Felix turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

He turned back around to look at Kimball as he gestured widely. "To, I don't know, keep an eye out or something. I will not be caught with my pants down."

"See, now that's the first good suggestion I've heard out of you all night."

Felix was so flabbergasted by her words that he was left with none to counter. He stormed off while still trying to comprehend her ill timed humor. Maybe if he wasn't so irritated at her he might find it refreshing and amusing. It was usually hard to get her to relax enough to tell a joke. But he didn't appreciate it right now and he damn well didn't like that it was at his expense.

A few minutes later Felix was outside on one of the ramparts around the base and he was only marginally less annoyed with the situation as he had been back inside. He had turned off the merrily glowing lights from this area. No one was around to protest his decision. Which was well because Felix was out here alone in the dark to ensure his next conversation wasn't heard. The encrypted line being used to contact his partner was the second half of that equation.

"Yeah, Kimball says it's some sort of seasonal thing. I don't know, man."

"Doyle has been saying something similar. He already noted the lights on the rebel base and has ordered his men to stand down. They believe in this truce for the night." Even Locus sounded a little frustrated over the fact that Doyle had countermanded his orders for the army over a stupid seasonal observance. And yet Felix couldn't help but wonder if he heard a little something else in Locus's voice as well.

"Seriously? For fuck's sake..."

Felix sighed and rubbed his hand over his faceplate, forgetting for half a second that his helmet was in the way of pinching the bridge of his nose and converting the movement into something else.

"If you were to remove the lights... I believe an attack could be possible."

Felix considered the suggestion for a moment. In the distance he could see the lights set out for the winter solstice holiday and he glared at them in annoyance. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. They were already behind schedule and it would take Felix at least an hour to move through the base to turn off the rest of the lights without being noticed. It was vital that he not be found out if he were to do this. The New Republic had to continue to trust him. Going through all the trouble of not being spotted sounded like a right damn hassle.

He made an overly loud groaning sound. "Nah, forget it. It's too risky. I can't afford to get caught. Let's just... let them have their dumb night of celebration. We can push back the battle until the next night."

Much to Felix's consternation, Locus almost sounded relieved. "Very well. One night delay. No more."

"Yeah, I got it. I'll make certain they're prepared tomorrow so we can get enough of them killed on both sides to make this work as planned. Goddamn, I can't believe they're actually doing this."

"Good. Locus out."

Felix rolled his eyes at the curt dismissal and stood for a moment longer staring at the peaceful lights mocking him on the rebel base's ramparts. He was there long enough to notice that some minutes later a new set of lights appeared further off in the distance, towards where he knew the enemy camp had been laid out, where the Feds must have lit up their own lights in a sign of mutual truce.

He scoffed and walked away.

That evening the rebels celebrated. It wasn't a huge thing but there was extra food placed out for the troops, enough drink to make them merry, and plenty of socializing and games to keep the cheer going. It was a nice little night of joy and fun. Exactly what the rebels needed to lift their spirits during this trying time and weary season.

Felix kept out of the way at the start of the revelries but he had no intention of actually keeping watch on the observation decks when he knew there wouldn't be an attack. Eventually he made his way towards the center-point of the celebrations and sulkily took up space along a wall of his choice to observe. That didn't last very long as Kimball easily spotted him and, again to his annoyance, made another joke at his expense for not keeping watch. However, she didn't seem upset that he wasn't keeping an eye out for the enemy and somehow he found himself doing a lot less sulking and a lot more chatting. The alcohol, though awful, helped to loosen his spirits.

"It's not really like that actually. It's just a small little thing for most people. Though there are always those that would celebrate on a larger scale," Kimball said with a little bit of disapproval. She clearly enjoyed the more intimate and smaller scale celebrating than anything overly fancy. Felix listened to her try to explain the holiday to him one more time in some amusement. "Most of the usual traditions evolved around the family setting and became habit more than anything. It was never a big holiday or anything even before the war... we just celebrate the life of another year gone by and look forward to the years to come."

She sounded a little wistful as she finished up. Felix felt immediately uncomfortable and covered it up with a small laugh.

"So, you're sure it's not just another old tradition carried over from Earth? Kinda sounds similar if you ask me."

"No, it's not, not really. At least not that I know of. Maybe it started off as remembrance of one of those old traditions but the people of Chorus shaped it to their own wants and needs. It's just...a little way to get by the end of the year. To ignore the cold for at least a day. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Right. And a way to put a war on hold, apparently."

Kimball smiled wryly at the statement. "I told you so."

Felix stuck his tongue out at Kimball and was rewarded with a genuine laugh from the female commander. He was surprised but he didn't let it show too much, instead letting the happy sound wash over him and cause him to join her in the laughter. Maybe this little celebration wasn't so bad a thing. Felix had always liked a good party anyway. It had been too long since he'd gotten to go hang out at a bar or celebrate some dumb thing in the name of stupid fun. He let his guard down, just a little, and enjoyed the night with the enthusiastic rebels. What could it hurt? It's not like he would get attached after one night. He never did.

Meanwhile, Locus found himself in a similar situation back at the Federal army's base camp. He was not dragged out of hiding in a corner so much as set himself in one to watch the Federal Army soldiers celebrate in whatever manner they could manage on such short notice. It felt like it had been a long time since he had seen such joy and camaraderie from a group of soldiers. Vaguely, he thought he remembered this being more common in the past but even then he thought he hardly participated. Celebrating seemed pointless when there were still more enemies out there besides the half a dozen dead ones you had only barely managed to survive.

He couldn't seem to recall the last time he and Felix had celebrated a job well done in any capacity. Not together anyway.

He chased the reminiscing thoughts away with a sip of the warm drink someone had brought him out of duty rather than consideration he suspected. He was surprised to find it was spiked but not upset with the situation. It was quite good actually. He enjoyed it as he leaned back and watched the men cajole and attempt ridiculous party games as if they weren't in an army camp only a few klicks away from the enemy army.

At some point in time Locus noticed that attention had shifted to him. He couldn't quite hear what they were saying from afar but he could imagine that one of them was attempting to make a dumb bet with any of the others willing to take the challenge. Apparently he was still intimidating even while sitting in a corner sedately, helmet removed so that he could sip at the still slightly steaming beverage in his hands, because none of the men took up the challenge. That was until Donald Doyle happened to walk by and hear what his men were discussing. He looked gingerly over at Locus in his corner.

Locus raised a brow at the general. He knew the man to be weak of will and incompetent as a leader. The only thing Doyle was somewhat good at was compassion and Locus thought of that as a sentimental weakness. And he also thought that at the end of the day, Doyle would never live up to that compassion anyway. He was a coward; cowards always finished last or never at all. And they certainly never put anyone else in front of their own comfort.

Which was why Locus was surprised to see Doyle head his way after a rather long hesitation. He leaned even further back in his chair as the general approached, giving off an aura of undisturbed calm despite the interruption of his time by the approaching man. It also allowed him to look up at the general from his seated position without any discomfort or belittling on his own part, in fact giving him the relaxed demeanor that indicated he was still the one in charge here. As always.

Doyle seemed to noticed this deliberate act as he closed the space between them and finally stopped a few awkward feet away from Locus. There was a long hesitation again as the general tried to find his voice. Then, clearing his throat awkwardly, Doyle spoke.

"Ahem. Yes, well then. As you can see, the men are quite enjoying themselves. This was a good idea." He said as if he were congratulating Locus for coming up with it when they both very well knew that Locus had opposed it right to the end of the discussion. "I do note though... that you are... lingering a bit? Not that there is anything wrong with your participation in this observance. Quite the contrary, we're quite honored you would join us. Heh heh."

Locus noticed the distinctive pattern of Doyle beginning to circle around his own words like a dog chasing its tail. Foolish. This man was an idiot. The kind of idiot one wished to throttle more than shelter. Locus took the opportunity to insert himself into the conversation if just so he could prevent more bumbling from the general.

"Does my presence disturb you, General Doyle?"

"No, no! No, of course not. Heavens no... it's just that, well, the men... they've noticed that you've been watching them and I do believe it has, um, put a slight damper on their spirits. They feel as though they are disappointing their most esteemed mercenary. You do have a way of leading them into battle that is quite awe-inspiring. And, shall we say, a little bit intimidating?"

"So the men are intimidated by my presence here, not honored."

"Oh, no that's not what I meant at all." Locus raised a brow in confrontation. "Well. A little. Just a little. As I said, they're afraid of disappointing you. Perhaps... ah, yes, of course! Perhaps if you were to join them more casually in the celebrations they would see how much you approve of such observations as well? Show them that you're another normal person just like them?"

Locus's other eyebrow rose to join the other. The two men stood--well, one stood shuffling awkwardly while the other sat comfortably--there for a short moment together just staring at each other in such a manner. They both knew Doyle's last sentence was anything but the truth. And yet...

"Very well."

Doyle looked visibly surprised. "Yes? Oh, yes! Very good! This way then. I should like to accompany you for a bit."

It sounded a little bit like a question seeking permission so Locus acknowledged it with a nod before he got up and followed Doyle over to the group of soldiers Locus had been observing. They all shuffled awkwardly on their feet and fell quiet as the two high ranking men joined them. When it dragged on into an uncomfortable silence even for him, Locus knew then that he would...have to...make an effort. He repressed a sigh.

"Tell me more about this observance. It has something to do with the solstice here on Chorus, correct?"

"Yeah. It was today."

"Night's when it's funner to celebrate though."

"Yeah!"

Locus's eyes darted from speaker to speaker as the men began to open up and explain the holiday to him. When one seemed to grow too uncomfortable with his steady gaze upon them another picked up where their buddy left off and Locus's attention shifted with the conversation. He was lucky though as they seemed to warm up to the topic the longer they spoke about it, beginning to smile fondly as they recalled past celebrations and explained some of them to the mercenary.

"My wife used to bake a dozen different kinds of sweets and sour breads and then put them in unlabeled containers so no one would know which was which. It was a surprise every time you picked one out."

He laughed and a couple of them joined in. Even Locus smiled faintly without realizing it. The soldiers must have though because it encouraged them to continue telling stories.

"Haha, yeah we had similar traditions at home, too. Though I prefer the one with drinks rather than sweets."

Another round of laughter and the troops began to relax, ignoring Locus almost as if he weren't even there. Except that every once in a while one of them would ask him a question. He mostly dodged the ones about his personal life and lessened the blow by asking them more about the solstice observance. They liked the attention and merrily told him all about their various family traditions, the evolution of the holiday over time, and reciting dumb stories from solstice gatherings to birthday celebrations and more as the night went on.

Locus noticed that eventually Doyle left the crowd, smiling with satisfaction that his idea ended up having some merit. Locus observed him move from group to group as the night worn on and realized belatedly that the general was showing each of them a good amount of attention and camaraderie before moving on. A general that showed his troops how much he cared for each and every one of them. How...fortunate.

The mercenary eventually stepped away from the celebrations, excusing himself politely now that the men had grown accustomed to his presence and assuring them that they deserved the break. He failed to remind them that they would need to be ready to resume their duties tomorrow. It could wait, he supposed. He then found his way out of the base camp without notice from the Federal Army of Chorus and made his way to a smaller encampment. The camp that the space pirates had set up to keep an eye on their two wayward armies below their high advantage point.

Locus dismissed most of them and told them to take a break for the night, to find something...pleasant to do while the armies of Chorus got themselves wasted on cheap alcohol and foolish party games. The pirates only marginally hesitated, surprised by Locus's good cheer but they would not pass up an opportunity when they saw one being handed to them. The camp emptied.

Locus stood alone in observance of the area below as a lone, stoic guard.

He was surprised when he heard a voice from behind but his muscles relaxed almost as quickly as they tensed when he realized he knew why it had been so easy for the other person to sneak up on him. He recognized that annoying, lazy drawl like it was his own voice in his ears.

"Felix."

"Hey," the smaller mercenary repeated from his position in the dark.

Locus turned to find Felix standing there as if he had been holding that position for a while before he spoke up. Locus frowned. "What are you...?"

"It's starting to get a little quiet down there. Thought I'd take off for a bit while everyone sleeps off the celebrations." Locus furrowed his brows at Felix but the quick-talker continued before Locus could object.

"Don't worry, no one saw me leave and no one will see me return. If they do, I'll just say I went to patrol to make sure the truce was kept and no one decided to sneak attack the base. They'll believe it with how hard I protested the celebrations in the first place." He did something like a whole body shrug as he took a step toward Locus. "Besides, it's been a while..."

It had been a while since they'd seen each other in person, and not on the battlefield facing each other as enemies on opposing sides of the war. Locus grunted in acceptance despite his disagreeing thoughts on the idea. It wasn't a good idea. But it was one he couldn't help but agree to. Hadn't he just been wondering when the last time it was they had celebrated anything together? This may not have been that sort of meeting but at least they were together, talking amiably, not arguing over the mission. It was something.

Besides, he knew Felix would just complain if he tried to send him back.

"I didn't come empty handed," Felix added, holding up a bottle of alcohol in offering. He grinned and Locus wondered where Felix had left his helmet for the night. Then again, he had set his aside even after coming here to rest in solitude for the night. So he couldn't comment about his partner doing the same.

Locus sighed. "Fine. But this will not delay the attack by another day, Felix."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep to the schedule. I got it."

Despite the irritation in his voice for the reminder, Felix was already closing the distance between them. He was already smiling again as he tipped into Locus and claimed his partner's lips for a quick smooch. Locus found himself unable to complain about the sudden closeness and the unexpected tenderness.

"Admit it, you're happy to see me."

"...give me the bottle, Felix."

Felix laughed and handed the bottle to Locus, who proceeded to take a large swig of its contents. He made a face as he lowered the bottle and questioned Felix's taste without saying a word.

"What? It's the best I can do with what I've got. You're the one holed up in the capital. All I've got are a bunch of rebels stuck in the forest and remote areas with shit for bases. Come on, cut me some slack."

Locus shrugged and took another drink.

Felix smiled again in satisfaction. He reached out his hand for the bottle when Locus finished with it, and took a gulp of the bitter alcohol as well. It burned down his throat and not quite in a good way but it was alcohol and he was sharing it with his partner. It couldn't get too much better than that. At least while on this planet anyway.

Locus discovered Felix's good mood interpreted into spacial crowding and light jokes as his partner began to recite a few of the more ridiculous traditions he had heard from the rebel soldiers. Locus noted a few were the same as he had heard back in the Fed base but others were also very different. The dichotomy was interesting to notice but he refused to think further into the implications. Instead, he focused on the sound of Felix's voice and how for once it did not irritate him. In fact, it was actually rather pleasant.

Felix rested a hand on Locus's shoulder as he talked. He was a little tipsy and he knew it but seeing as how Locus didn't seem to mind Felix also decided he didn't care. The warmth spreading through him was nice. Even better, the warmth from Locus's body was even nicer as he sidled closer to his partner. The armor should have kept him from freezing to death out in the frigid winter air or feeling anything else for that matter but he could swear he still felt the gentle heat radiating off Locus's large frame and comforting him nonetheless. If that was just the alcohol speaking in his brain then he didn't care, he was going to enjoy it.

The smaller mercenary nudged Locus subtly until the bulky frame moved to Felix's manipulations. Felix grinned openly, not realizing he was giving himself away, as he maneuvered Locus into a seated position near the edge of the base's little ledge. Locus didn't complain as he felt Felix's weight settle into him from the side. The green and gray mercenary stared down into the valley below where he could see the solstice lights of both camps laid out. Felix pointed upwards and Locus's attention shifted to the starry night sky. He blinked once as a pattern began to emerge in his sight. He looked down again.

"Jensen said that the lights are meant to mimic the seasonal stars," Locus heard Felix whisper to him from the vicinity of his shoulder. He grunted softly in acknowledgement, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Locus felt the bottle tap against his fingers and he took it from Felix without a word spoken between them. He looked back up at the stars. He could feel Felix's breath against his cheek where it reached with each exhale, just barely managing to escape far enough to go beyond the underskin of his armor and hit his face. It kept him company as he listened to Felix drift off into sleepy silence.

It wasn't often he got to snuggle up to Locus like this these days so Felix took full advantage of the peaceful night. His head lay comfortably rested on Locus's shoulder and he began to feel himself drift off into a fitless slumber. Only Locus's presence could ever keep the nightmares at bay. Just before he fell asleep to the perfect rhythm of Locus's breathing, Felix smiled to himself as he felt Locus's arm wrap around him.

And for once they shared a similar thought: the one-night truce was definitely worth the delay in their plans.