Roko laid on one of the top bunks staring up at the ceiling. He was deep in thought. His spacesuit, helmet and gear were neatly piled to the side. For the first time, since they had departed the Rover Base, everything around him was calm.
They had lost six members of their crew, not including the android Cayo. And yet, even with such significant losses, no one seemed to be dwelling on the past. Everyone seemed to be looking ahead.
He had once remarked to Delly that soldiers existed to be killed, but his death-defying experiences on Sehnack had him re-evaluating that to a degree. When their situation got hairy, he wasn’t so willing to let go. Being a part of this team had provided him with a sense of purpose unlike any he had ever had before.
He would no longer go quietly into that good night. Not without a fight, at least. He owed it—not only to those who were still fighting alongside him, but especially to those who would never be able to see the benefits of their sacrifice.
Sarracino, Jonsdottir, Flintroy, Roubideaux and Sikosek were names he would never forget. As long as he was still breathing, he would do whatever was humanly possible to keep their memories alive. They deserved that much.
Roko slithered towards the edge of the bunk and jumped down. He dropped to the floor and immediately began doing push-ups. Normally, he would take out his excess aggression on the heavy bag, but there was no way that he was about to re-suit up, just to go back to the Yellow Rover.
He trained in sets of twenty, feeling the pump at the end of each one. He heard footsteps around him, but remained focus on the task at hand. About halfway through his next set, he noticed Delly watching him from one of the bottom bunks. He stopped midway and held his plank.
“Something wrong with your arms and legs, sergeant?”
“Nope, just admiring the view. All that running in the jungle got you looking fit, Komatsu.” She said.
Delly started laughing as she laid down on the bunk. He shook his head and resumed doing his push-ups. Even if she still had a ton of maturing left to do, it was really nice to have her around again. She was by-far his favorite person on the Yellow Rover.