As you look over at Terra, Terra catches your eye and beckons you. She then turns and walks out of the front door. You cast one look back at Grisham and Sarah before following her out to the front of the cabin where there’s a small porch with a railing. Terra rests one hand on the railing and looks out at the wooded camp.

For a second you’re struck all over again by just how beautiful she is. She has a military elegance, a feminine warmth which draws you every time you’re alone. You’re glad she’s taken you out here to talk to you, it’s felt like way too long since the two of you had a meaningful conversation.

“How are you, Cadet?” Her question is oddly casual when you consider what’s going on back in the cabin.

“Me, ma’am? I’m, fine, I guess.”

“You and Grisham. You have an intimate relationship now?”

She’s getting right to the point.

“I don’t know,” you reply honestly. “I mean… I don’t know. I guess, yeah?”

It’s hard to work out what Grisham’s intentions are toward you, but there’s no doubt intimacy has taken place.

“You don’t sound very sure about that,” she says, turning toward you.

You look into her beautiful face, her eyes so magnetic and blue you are lost in them. In the mid-distance you can hear the slaps of Grisham’s palm landing on Sarah’s butt.

“I’m not.”

“This unit cannot be disrupted by interpersonal tensions,” she says. “There’s a lot at stake here. I don’t think this is the time or place to explore intimate relationships. I’m telling you this now, and I will be telling Grisham the same.”

For a second, you’re sort of shocked at what you’re hearing. “So you’re… banning me from getting laid?”

“If you want to think of it that way,” Terra nods. “I suppose I am.”

“Uh huh. Well. Okay.”

She waits for a minute, then speaks again. “You don’t seem upset, Cadet. I thought there would be more push back from you.”

“You did?”

Her eyes narrow slightly with suspicion. “I hope you’re not planning on simply ignoring my orders.”

“I’m not planning anything,” you say with a slight shrug. “I mean, when I signed up to this unit, I agreed to your terms.”

Terra reaches out and puts the back of her hand against your forehead.

“What are you doing?” You pull away slightly and squint up at her.

“You don’t seem to be running a temperature,” she says with a frown. “Are you alright, Cadet?”

“I’m fine,” you say with a shrug.

You’re not fine, of course. You’re annoyed. Angry, even. But not necessarily for the reasons Terra might think. When Terra asked you out here, you wondered, for a second, if maybe she was going to actually pay attention to you like she used to do. But it’s all about telling you not to fuck Grisham. Terra seems further away than ever, even though she’s standing right next to you.

“Is there anything else, ma’am?”

“No, Cadet, that’s all.”

“I guess I’ll get back to the show then,” you say with a little smirk.

“Cadet…”

“Yes ma’am?”

“Thank you,” she say, her gaze grateful. “For joining this unit not once, but twice.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am,” you say. You’re being polite, but sort of stiff, mostly because you don’t know what do with Terra now. There’s so much you never knew about her, and there’s probably more you don’t know still. The easiest thing is just to follow her orders and hope that at some point things start to feel right again.

“Let Grisham know I’d like to speak with her, please,” she says as you walk back into the cabin, hoping that maybe Sarah’s done something to take your mind off the unfair order you’ve just been given.

When you get back into the cabin, Sarah isn’t there. You guess she’s standing in the corner of the room you’ll both be sharing.

“Terra wants to talk to you,” you say to Grisham before slumping down onto the couch. Grisham nods and heads out to see Terra, rubbing her hands together. You can see her right palm is pretty red from whacking Sarah’s butt. It’s a satisfying sight.

The rest of the day passes without incident. Sarah is quiet for most of it, taking in the strange new world of consequences she’s found. You’re not really in the best of moods anymore, so you keep to yourself and stay relatively quiet as everybody settles in.

The four of you eat dinner together in the cabin, but Sarah’s not talking, you’re not talking and that leaves an overly casual conversation between Grisham and Terra to carry things.

You’re glad when Terra announces that it’s time to get some sleep. The evening has been… awkward.

You and Sarah head for your room.

“Don’t say a word about what happened today, Cadet,” Sarah warns as you get ready for bed.

You say nothing at all. You’re glad that fresh clothing has been provided, leaving you with a white t shirt and boxers. After grabbing a quick shower, you climb into bed, still without having said a single word to Sarah. She might have had the most embarrassing day of her life, but you’ve got your own problems.

She turns the light out and the room is cast in darkness. You close your eyes, waiting for sleep to come, but it doesn’t. You’re awake. Very, very awake.

Minutes pass into an hour at least, and Sarah appears to be sleeping like a baby. You can’t sleep for anything. Eventually, you give up, get up, and go out to the balcony. To your surprise, there’s a little warm light dancing in the dark. It’s attached to Grisham’s hand. She’s sitting on the bench out front and inhaling vapor from a slim stick. The light of the moon is falling on her handsome face and you feel a little frisson of excitement as she glances toward you and gives a sexy little nod.

“Hey, Cadet,” she says. She’s still in her uniform, you note. Maybe she’s not as keen to share a room with Terra as Terra is with her. Or maybe she just barely needs to sleep.

“Oh, uh. Hey. I didn’t know you smoked.”

“I was going to quit, then I realized it’s been about five hundred years since these things were actually bad for you,” she smiles. “You should probably go on back to bed and get some sleep.”

“I can’t,” you shrug, leaning against the railing.

Grisham takes a slow drag, reaches out and grabs the edge of your shirt. She pulls you closer and closer until you tip down and sit with your back to her, straddling one of her thighs.

“We’re not supposed to be…”

“We’re just sitting here,” she says, wrapping an arm around your waist. It feels good to be held, even in this casual way. Grisham’s warm, strong body makes you feel safe and protected, and the casual way she takes control of you makes you tingle. You can smell the light scent of the vapor hanging in the night air. It’s quite pleasant, tangy in its own way with a hint of richness.

“So Terra talked to you.”

“Yep.” Grisham takes another slow inhale.

“What did you, uhm, tell her?”

“I figure it’s not the worst thing to slow down. We can still spend time together, Cadet. It doesn’t have to be sexual, does it?”

“I guess not,” you squirm. “I just…” You trail off. You have needs. Real needs. Needs you’re apparently not allowed to fulfill.

“I guess it doesn’t feel fair to you,” Grisham says. “And it’s probably not fair either. Terra’s still got an interest in you, Cadet. That’s pretty obvious. My question is, are you interested in her?”