Operation Pacifica: Night in the Desert
by Lieutenant Geier, TRES Corps

 Several hours had passed since the spongin assault on the convoy of
  TARAVs, and night now reigned over the desert as the caravan sped onwards.
  Darkness robbed Ensign Geier of his usual activity on long drives of looking
  out the window, so now he merely cleaned his weapons, an activity that can
  get old very, very fast.  After about 20 minutes of shining his Lochaber axe
  until it could shine no brighter, he threw his hands up in disgust,
  muttering curses.  He was met with a few stares from his fellow troops in
  the TARAV, but by now they were used to his eccentricity.

 Geier sighed and slumped into his seat.  The headlights of the
  TARAV reflected off a road sign reading "San Francisco - 220 miles" He hit
  his Indiglo watch to reveal a time of 2:00am.  He did the quick calculation
  in his head.  [We should get there about 6 in the morning] he thought.
  [We've been going so slow the others could have been to Pacifica and back by
  now], he silently groused.  [I could get out and walk and beat this convoy],
  he wisecracked.  [Dangit, all I want is some sleep.  These guys seem to be
  all dropping off fairly quickly,] he griped.  [Shouldn't have had those
  Jolts before I left.]  He consigned himself to a sleepless night of watching
  his thumbs twiddle to the tune of the snores of his comrades.

 He had seen something that was out of the ordinary in the twilight,
  however.  A few miles after the encounter with the spongin, he watched as a
  young woman got out of a TARAV and got on the roof.  [What the hell?] he
  thought.  He watched on as the woman begin to simmer.  At first glance, it
  looked like a mirage, but before Tim's amazed eyes, the woman turned into a
  dragon.  At that point, he thought, [Ah, that must be Trooper Aphrodite and
  her in-body companion Zaph.]  They had all been briefed on each other's
  particular characteristics, and he was the only troop in that TARAV to not
  mutter a curse at the spectacle that was put on.  He watched as Aphrodite
  and Zaph flew off into the blue sky, growing smaller and smaller.  Finally,
  he looked away as he could see them no more.  [Good luck, and Godspeed] he
  thought as he resumed his study of the terrain.

 "You really don't talk too much, do you?"

 "Wha...huh?  Thought you were asleep."

 "I can't fall asleep either."   A trooper had moved to sit across
  from Tim, interrupting his flashback.

 "I don't talk that much because I let these," he pointed at his
  weapons, "do the talking" he replied.

 The trooper grinned at his remark.

 "What kind of axe is that?" he asked, pointing at Geier's Lochaber.

 "That's a Lochaber axe, it's a Scottish weapon named for the
  Scottish town Lochaber."

 "It's a damn ugly weapon."

 "I'm not that pretty, so I work well with it." Tim sardonically
  quipped.

 "I see...by the way, where do you live?"

 "Michigan," Tim said in a flat tone of voice.

 "Where in Michigan?"

 "Southwest corner," he said in the same tone.

 "Uhhuh...ok...well, I'm starting to nod off here, so I'll return
  you to whatever you were doing when I interrupted you," the anonymous
  trooper said as he returned to his bunk.

 "Have a good night."

 "You too, sir."

 2:05.  [It's gonna be a long night,] he thought glumly.  He shook
  his head sadly and put his elbow on his knee, and his hand on his chin.

 The caravan moved on through the evening.

--ST