A Proposal (Chap. 8)

Pururu let out a quiet groan as her eyes fluttered open. Her neck audibly cracked as she shifted and her legs felt as if they contained thousands of tiny needles. She attempted to stretch her back out, but found her movement impeded by a weight on her side. She glanced over to see Garuru leaning against her, fast asleep. She considered waking him up, but he looked so peaceful, she just leaned back against the cot and let him sleep. It was an odd sight to say the least. Even in her earliest memories, Garuru was always guarded and stoic. She'd never once seen him look like this. It brought a smile to her face.

Eventually, he began to stir. He sat up with a quiet grunt, his back popping as he moved. Pururu rubbed her arm in relief. "Good morning," she said quietly.

Garuru's head turned toward her, his expression rapidly returning to its normal fixed state. "Good morning," he replied. "How did you sleep?"

"I've slept better," Pururu replied, stretching as much as she could. "You?"

"It was adequate," he said. "Though I don't believe it aided in the healing of my injuries."

Pururu winced. "I'm sorry," she said.

"No need to apologize."

Pururu resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she helped him onto the cot. "Your back is starting to heal," she said as she began changing his bandages. "And your leg doesn't look any worse, at least."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said.

"You won't be out of the chair before we return from Pentonia, but any progress is good," she agreed, smiling.

He nodded. "I will need to remain up front today," he told her. "We're nearing Garyl, and the report I received last night indicated that the meteor storm has gotten worse."

"Will we still be able to land?" Pururu asked.

"Yes," Garuru answered. "The base commander is expecting us and has already granted us priority. We will just have to proceed with extreme caution."

"Ok," she said. "You should be fine for today, but if something doesn't feel right, you need to let me know me right away."

"Understood," he said. "Am I cleared to go?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," he said, letting her help him into his chair. "And Ch- Pururu?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "Yes?"

He hesitated. "Be sure to get something to eat," he said finally, his formal tone returning.

"Yes, sir," she replied, matching his tone.

After he was gone, she looked around the bay and decided to eat only after she completed the unpleasant task of erasing the evidence of the previous night. This proved to be a wise choice as the scent that rose from the cleaning threatened to choke her. But she persevered, and soon, the medical bay was spotless once more. Pleased with her work, she washed her hands off before heading for the kitchen to find some breakfast.

The kitchen was completely empty by the time Pururu arrived. She guessed that everyone else had already eaten and left. She wasn't feeling especially hungry, so she located a box of cereal and poured herself a small bowl. As she ate, she ran through her mental checklist. She didn't have to vaccinate her platoon mates for a few more days and she had read all she could about Pentonia, but she hated to be idle.

She began to consider the best way to spend her time when she felt the ship jerk hard. Pururu barely managed to grab her bowl before it crashed to the floor. She got to her feet and deposited the dishes in the sink when the ship jerked the other way. She wobbled dangerously, but stayed standing. She started running to the cockpit.

When she arrived, she found her platoon hanging on tightly to whatever they could. Garuru jerked the ship to the right again as a large meteor flew past. Zoruru stood next to him, somehow managing to stay upright as his cyborg eye scanned the meteors. Taruru held a hand over his mouth, his face tinged green. Tororo let out a small yelp as he toppled from his seat. "Drive much?" he snapped.

"New Recruit, unless you wish for me to eviscerate you when we land, be quiet!" Garuru growled.

Tororo rolled his eyes, but stayed silent.

Taruru, meanwhile, made a slight choking noise that went unnoticed by everyone except Pururu. She was at his side in a flash. "Taruru?" she asked worriedly, her hand instinctively going to his forehead. "What's wrong?"

"Just feeling a bit purple in the pancreas," he said, giving her a thumbs up before falling over as the ship dove. "Don't worry about me."

"What…" Pururu started to ask. "Never mind."

The ship finally regained an even course a few minutes later and began its descent onto Garyl. Taruru's whole face had turned green by then, so Pururu grabbed him and forced him to move to the medical bay. "I swear I'm fine!" he protested as she pushed him through the doors.

"Private Taruru, that's enough," she said sternly. "You need medicine, and that's that."

He pouted in protest, but when she gave him the pills, he took them without complaint. After a moment, his face began to regain its blue hue. "Ok, maybe I did need these," he admitted. "Thank you, Pururu."

She gave him an exasperated smile. "You're welcome, but next time, don't argue with me."

Taruru gave her a genuine grin. "Yes, ma'am," he said, saluting. "How are you feeling, speaking of?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she said.

"Not hung over?" he asked. "That's surprising, considering you're not usually a drinker."

She shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to reveal her night with Garuru. "I'm just glad there were no ill effects" she replied. "Although I don't think I'll be drinking again anytime soon."

"Probably smart."

The two then felt a gentle bump. "Must have landed," Pururu said.

"That was fast," Taruru remarked.

Pururu shrugged. "Let's just go."

Taruru nodded and followed her out. They found the other three already waiting at the ramp. Without saying a word, they took their positions in the formation and filed out as the ramp lowered onto the hangar floor.

Another platoon headed by a dark teal Keronian stood outside expectantly. They all saluted respectfully. "Welcome to Garyl," the teal one said. "I'm First Lieutenant Kariri, the base commander."

The Garuru platoon returned the salute. "First Lieutenant Garuru," the purple Keronian replied. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Feel free to make yourselves at home," Kariri said before peering over her glasses at their ship. "Did you sustain any damage from the meteors?"

"I believe we managed to miss them all," Garuru replied. "But I'd like to make sure of that before we take off again."

The teal frog nodded behind her. Two Keronians - light purple and bright pink - stepped forward. "Chiriri and Jariri will take care of that," Kariri said. "Let me show you to your rooms so you can rest while they work."

"Thank you again, Lieutenant," Garuru said, nodding to his own platoon.

The five followed Kariri into a metallic hallway lined with doors. She pressed a series of buttons, opening five of them. "Here you are," she said. "It doesn't matter who is where. If you need anything, there's a communication panel in your rooms that will connect you to me."

Tororo raised his hand. "What do we have to do to get something to eat around here, pu pu?"

Kariri pointed back down the hall. "Dining room is that way," she said. "Lunch will be served in an hour. You're more than welcome to join us."

When no one had any further questions, Kariri nodded farewell and vanished. The platoon stuck their heads in one of the rooms. It was even smaller than the quarters on the ship, but it had a bed and was clean. Pururu quickly checked the others. "They're all the same," she announced. "So I guess it really doesn't matter."

Garuru turned to the rest of them. "For the next hour, you're all free to do as you wish," he said. "We'll meet up again for lunch."

The platoon nodded in agreement before Zoruru, Tororo, and Taruru each vanished into their new rooms. Pururu started to walk into another before she realized that Garuru was watching her. She glanced back over her shoulder at him. He looked away. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I had requested four rooms, per our arrangement," he replied. "But I suppose these rooms are truly intended for one occupant."

Pururu felt a small pang in her heart. "I guess so."

They stood there for a moment, unsure what to do next. Pururu opened her mouth to say something else.

"Pururu!"

They jumped back in surprise as a silver blur sped towards them. Pururu's face blanched as it skidded to a halt in front of her. "Hello...Bariri."

He smiled brightly at her. "I thought I heard your voice!" he said. "Only your voice sounds like the freshest of pomegranates."

Pururu cast a look of utter bewilderment at Garuru only to find his expression mirrored hers "Thanks, I think," she said weakly.

Bariri followed her gaze and noticed Garuru for the first time. "Lieutenant Garuru," he said, saluting. "How wonderful to see you."

Garuru nodded back. "And you, Officer Bariri," he said. "What brings you to Garyl?"

The silver Keronian's expression grew subdued. "I was flying past when the meteor storm started," he explained. "I was injured, and my ship took quite a lot of damage, so I had to stop here."

The purple frog's expression grew slightly softer. "I see," he said. "That is unfortunate."

Bariri shrugged. "It could be like the last tomato on the shelf," he said. "But instead, my misfortune has turned into the finest ketchup!"

He turned back to Pururu and took her hand. "My dearest Pururu," he said. "I'm so happy to see you again. Your presence is like the scent of the freshest peach."

All of the color left in Pururu's face drained away. She desperately pulled her hand back. "I need to go lie down," she said, turning towards her room.

"I believe I shall turn in for a bit as well," Garuru said. "Good day, Officer."

Bariri looked disappointed. "Oh, but -"

"Officer Bariri!" someone yelled.

The three turned to find a lime green frog marching towards them with her hands on her hips. "I turn my back for three minutes and you wander away," she scolded. "Your foot will never heal if you keep walking on it!"

Bariri gave her a dramatic look. "But I had to get up! I had to see!" he protested.

"You're not going to see anything but the medical bay for the next year unless you rest," the green frog retorted, pushing a wheelchair forward. "Now, sit down."

Bariri silently obeyed, though he fixed a longing gaze on Pururu. The green frog shook her head, then gave Pururu and Garuru a salute. "Chief Medic Yarere," she said, looking apologetic. "Sorry if he was bothering you."

"It was no trouble, Chief Medic," Garuru said.

"But thank you," Pururu added gratefully.

Yarere nodded cheerfully. "Have a good one!" she said before speeding off with her patient.

"I'll be back for you, my beautiful honeydew!"

As soon as the medic was gone, Pururu went into her room and sat on the bed. Garuru started to follow, then paused in the doorway. "May I join you for a moment?" he asked.

"Yes, you may," Pururu replied.

He shut the door behind him and sat next to her. They spent several minutes sitting in silence, digesting what had just happened. "Are you all right?" he finally asked.

Pururu started to say she was fine, but the words failed. "No," she admitted instead. "I'm not."

Garuru's hand gently rested on top of hers. Pururu looked over at him in surprise, but he didn't acknowledge it. "Forgive me for prying," he said. "But was Bariri not informed of our...engagement?"

"I guess not," Pururu replied.

Garuru shook his head. "I would not have expected such a major oversight from Headquarters," he said.

"Me neither," Pururu admitted. "I suppose we have to tell him though."

He finally looked at her. "Would you prefer that I deliver the news?"

She blinked in surprise. "That would be wonderful," she said. "Thank you."

"Of course," he said, standing. "Then I will make sure it's taken care of. You go ahead and rest now."

"Ok," she said, reluctantly letting go of his hand. "I'll see you at lunch."

"At lunch," he agreed. Then he was gone.