Leta and Chris

A snippet from the early history of Leta and Chris before their time in the Nin war. The couple balances the tightrope of interoffice relationships during the battles against the criminal empire.

In a time long into the future, or maybe quite near, Humanity has taken its place among the stars. Our technology is beyond compare, the most advanced of the five Apex species, with our crowning achievement “the Systems”. These molecular dis-assemblers and communication devices break down and recreate matter to whatever form is desired. Each Human and Human invention contains one of these true miracles; Our guns, buildings, spaceships and even musical instruments. Our minds are linked with these Systems allowing telepathy and instant access to the full repository of Human knowledge.

With this power our military was unrivaled. Yet with no major outside threats, Humanity focused on training elite units to surgically strike specific targets. This has proven worthwhile, for an empire of criminals had begun a covert campaign to undermine our forces. They act as an entire nation and are unknown to the civilian. Luckily, our special forces are perfectly suited to combat this threat with the secrecy necessary to keep the public blissfully ignorant.

 Our story begins with the two who will uncover the secrets of our military, join the criminals, and lead the charge against the true foe hidden within the shadows.

***

This nigh claustrophobic storage room was special, because everyone was aware of who used it most and why. Though the Systems could create what was within these boxes from thin air, changing individual atoms could become a lengthy endeavor. There are quite a few of them in anything, thus storage rooms are still useful.

“Yet within these walls a dance is performed, between two lovers as they sail among the stars. Minds so far flying above the rest yet as basely human as any.”

“Chris…” Leta grumbled at Chris’ sudden and latest philosophical, lewd, though somewhat beautiful phrase.

“Alright, alright.” Satisfied at her reaction, Chris relaxed upon his boxes draped with a small tarp.

Leta and Chris were soldiers, or at least Leta was.

“Hey!” Chris responded. Then sat back in shrugging acceptance.

Leta was a rising star. Her natural talent for field command and squad combat had set her on the path to become a general. Chris was unconventional. He often ignored tried and true methods, seemed insane but always had a plan that seemed to work out.

“And he’s stupidly lucky.” Leta was cleaning her gun on her crates.

“Oh, so you can interrupt and I can’t?” Chris responded.

“Mmhmm.”

Chris paused. “Alright.” He, again, shrugged and sat back. “I got to be in a room alone with you. That is pretty lucky.”

“Because who’d wanna be seen with you?” Leta smirked, proud of that.

An eyebrow was raised, but Chris took the joke in stride, playing the part to feign looking hurt. “Even if all is forgiven later, what has been done, seen or heard cannot be undone, unseen or unheard.”

            “Oh my gods, can you be any more melodramatic?” Leta scoffed keeping her smirk as she cleaned her standard issue rifle. Though rifles could clean themselves in this day and age, she found it soothing.

            Chris sighed, his cocksure smile crashing to a frown as he shot is gaze from her away. “You know, Princess” he looks back at her, “I thought it was deep.” With his trademark smirk having returned, he tries to cover his embarrassment with a cool mask though his eyebrows still furrowed.

            “Sure.” She gazed down to inspect her cleaning work. “I mean, it's true and it makes sense,” She paused.

            Chris sat with his ego stroked.

            “But you don't have to seem like a prat.” She finished.

            Chris sat with his ego crushed.

In vain he attempted a recovery of his confidence. With another sigh rose from his makeshift throne, only to walk out.

Leta watched, flabbergasted as Chris trudged past her. “Aw, c-come on! Chris!” She placed her rifle down and chased after him into the adjacent hallway.

            Chris, with a matching sullen expression and posture, didn't respond when Leta caught up with him.  He continued to tactfully flee from her.

            “Chris! Come on. It was… mostly a joke!” With no response she vented her annoyance in a silent breath as not to seem annoyed and exacerbate the issue. “I mean, you have to admit,” she braced herself for retaliation, “It did seem a little corny.”

            “Well, I'm sorry it wasn't up to your standards.” His scowl suck deeper as he continued forward. Those within the hallway were transfixed. Everyone knew of the Letis power couple, but they’ve never seen the joker Chris so genuinely upset.

            Leta was taken aback and scoffed. “Well, I'm sorry I didn't take what you said exactly how you thought I should. I just told you what I thought!”

            No response, thus, she continued her assault.

            “Such a princess. You always call me one but you're the one acting like the world has to move around him!” She didn't miss a beat, almost oblivious to Chris. Until he snapped back, spinning on his heel, he erupted.

            “Well maybe I'd like that, for once, you didn't laugh at something I liked to do!” To drive home his point and ensure their motion ceased, he planted his finger on her chest.

            Her reflex slapped it away. “Wha-! I didn't even laugh at you!” They were both oblivious to the morbidly enticing scene in which they both starred.

            “So what?? Same damned difference! I enjoy making up deep quotes like that, but I never say half of them because I always know that you're gonna somehow make fun of me! Twice I said one and you just make me seem like a jackass for it!” Chris had shoved his finger to her chest again and towered over her uncharacteristically short frame.

            Only then, unable to meet the eyes of the person she’s harmed, did she notice their audience. Embarrassment forced her to disguise her heating cheeks by tightening her lips. It had also forced a steel like expression, crowned by her angled eyebrows, to glared up ready to compensate for her now apparent failure. But, with no words to back up her bluff, she turned her head again.

            “What?” Chris now received the silent treatment. “Nothing to say?? For once?” Chris' arms flew open, clipping her arm unintentionally.

            “I didn't say you could f*****g touch me right now.” Slapping his arm in turn, she turned her back to him and stormed down the hallway back the way they came, ignoring the frightened looks of her colleagues and subordinates.

Restraining his anger, Chris, again threw his arms into the air. He stormed the opposite way.

***

Among the commonly forgotten silence of space, the military dropship cruised towards its destination. Hex sat at the helm, ensuring they stayed on course. From her chair modified for comfort, she rose to toy at the controls. Leta then entered the cockpit, affixing her gloves onto her hands.

“I, uh, heard about the-” Hex was cut off by Leta.

“Let’s just focus, please.”

Hex bowed her head before changing the subject. “We’re entering the planet’s gravitational field. We’ve got a few seconds until we enter the atmosphere.”

With a nod, Leta sat in the chair opposite Hex. She strapped herself in. “Message Chris to prepare for atmospheric entry.”

Chris took up more than his fair share of room as he sat alone in the ship’s rear. His legs were extended with one above the other, his arms cradled his head, lounging like he owned the place. Contrary to his relaxed pose, his face and attitude stayed solemn as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Chris, prepare for atmospheric entry.” Hex’s voice rung through his head, snapping him free of any angry or remorseful thoughts which may have buzzed within his mind. A quick jolt and he sat up.

“Yeah yeah.” A sigh as his personal system finished relaying the message. “Never gonna get used to that.” He buckles himself into the chair and, as he was trained to do, grabs hold of his buckle. “Wonder if they can hear my other thouugg…” Only to notice his rifle is not secured and sitting upon the floor just as casually as he was. “S**t.”

“Entry in 5.” Hex announced to them both over the link.

“Wait wait wait!” Chris begged aloud so no one heard it. He tried to bend down to grab the gun. He was secure.

“4.”

Chris tried to move it with his feet.

“3.”

He only kicked it away more.

“2.”

“... Gods, damn it.” Chris’ shoulders slumped.

“1.”

The turbulence from entering the atmosphere flung Chris back and forth within his seat while his freedom loving rifle was thrown about the cabin. It slammed off the walls and seats as Chris tried to keep himself steady and dodge his rifle, which, simply put, was semi controlled flails. Until it bounced off the ceiling and crashed into the crown of his head. His mouth pursed from the pain, only to have it superseded by the rifle flipping forward and striking right between his legs. Just then the turbulence stops and the straps on his seat release him. He fell to the floor, clutching his groin.

“Ffffffffff-”

Casually, Leta strolled in without so much as a glance towards him, humming to herself. To greet her, a table rose from the floor and, from the table, physical models formed atop it, making a 3d map of the terrain below them.

“Feel better?” Leta asked Chris as he hopped to his feet.

“The miracles of pain dampeners.” The Chris trademarked smirk had finally returned, and he touched his toes.

She ignored his joke and started her briefing. “This is our target.” A red dot indicated a small structure on the top of a mountain. “This is a scouting outpost for the criminals in this planetary system. Take this out, they lose eyes and ears in this system. It’s a simple drop, bomb, and run op. We’re going to have Hex drop us at the sides of the building and follow us in cloak for an easy exit.” The model showed their drop ship soaring to their drop point.

Chris was leaning against the table on his elbows, looking at Leta more than the map.  “Are you kidding? It’s a sheer cliff!” He places his hands on the side of the table and opens his mouth in confusion.

Leta remained undeterred. “We’ll launch repel lines to stay anchored to the walls. The ship is cloaked so as long as our lines anchor, we’ll be fine.”

“Or unless a guard looks directly down.” He shrugged, keeping his smirk.

“Or, you say something inappropriate, I hit you, you complain loudly and they suddenly look down, huh?” Her focused look turns to a mischievous grin.

“Alright alright, Ma’am.” Chris said with sarcasm slinging his rifle over his shoulder. The strap tightened to the perfect fit.

***

            Without error their drop ship slid through the air to the drop point under cover of darkness. Its cloak kept them from being spotted. Leta and Chris ascended from a circular pad to the roof of the ship and launched their repel lines into the wall. Nary a pebble was knocked loose as they now hung from the sheer cliff below the structure. The first guard of the night began his patrol along the outside wall and didn't look down. Surprise, surprise.

            Chris noticed, looked to Leta, and shrugged.

            Leta matched Chris’ smirk with her own as she places the first explosive charge.

            After it was armed they tugged on the lines suspending them. Their anchor hooks now sprung to life, revealing four extra legs that, with the pace of a brisk ant, led them along the cliff still hanging.

Leta set up the second charge as Chris kept watch. She sighed.

“I-”

But she was cut short as Chris snatched her by the waist and pulled her tight against the wall. The guard peeked down. But Leta, more preoccupied by Chris’ grip, gazed at his sudden and uncharacteristically serious expression. She regained her posture as Chris let go.

“Thank you… I apologize for making you feel embarrassed about something you enjoy.” She whispered, arming the second charge.

“Oh, it’s quite alright, madam. Just let me hold you like that again and we’ll be even.”

“...Kay, that moment’s over. Anyone above?”

“Nope.”

 “Then we’re done.” With a graceful swing she launched herself from the cliff wall. Chris followed suit, almost mimicking her. At this signal, the entire side of the dropship peeled open, its cloaked side now extending upwards to cover their escape. Leta landed perfectly. Almost as if she took her practice seriously or something.  Chris botched his landing, but with the utmost finesse he rolled and landed in a seductive pose, resting his head on his hand.

“Hey.” He said to her with an exaggerated wink, yet he continued, rising to his feet as the ship locked behind them.  “So, I guess the moral of the story is ignore your problems and they’ll go away?”

            “Or maybe it’s be an adult and apologize when you hurt your person’s feelings?”

            “Or maybe it’s realize how well you work together? Ah?” Chris’ grin now reached from ear to ear.

            “If it’s how well you work with me then fine.” They sat down and strapped into their seats for departure.

            “I’ll buy that. So, I’m your “person”, huh?”

            “Yo,” Leta leaned over, placing her lips upon Chris’ cheek. “Shut up, and strap in your gun.” She said trying to act as if she never kissed him, minus the smile she failed to stifle.

Author's Note

(Please let me know any and all comments, criticisms, or ideas large and small. In particular, I was told by my creative writing class I need more of a back story or such. What do you all think? Did I leave too much to the imagination?)