Heading back...

The walk back to the landing pod was less of a disciplined trek and more of a breathless, giddy retreat.

The heat of the afternoon sun hit them as soon as they cleared the grotto’s rocky arch, but the synthetic undersuits—zipped back up to their collars—did nothing to cool the intense, lingering rush humming beneath their skin. The residual chemical gel and the pollen in their veins felt like an endorphin spike, a lightheaded, intoxicating high that made every footstep feel weightless and slightly absurd.

Emma couldn't keep her eyes off Elise. The Captain was trying her best to maintain her stoic command stride, but her cheeks were painted a deep, betraying crimson, and her lips kept twitching into a breathless smile she was clearly struggling to control.

"Okay, Captain," Emma said, her voice raspy as she nudged her shoulder against Elise's. "Give it to me straight. What’s the official debrief on... that?"

Elise let out a sudden, startled laugh—a rich, uncharacteristic sound that briefly cracked the rigid hierarchy that had separated them for months. She caught herself quickly, clearing her throat, though a wide grin betrayed her effort.

"Official debrief?" Elise asked, shaking her head. "Emma, if I logged what just happened, Fleet Command would have me court-martialed for dereliction of duty before sunset."

"Oh, come on," Emma teased, a shameless grin spreading across her face. "You were just evaluating the biological threat!"

"I was in the water with you, completely under its spell," Elise replied, a rare, breathless chuckle slipping through her composure. "And when you unzipped your suit... God, Emma, it was like those vibrations passed right through the water and linked us together. When that thing made you cry out, I felt this violent jolt through my own body. I couldn't move. I couldn't even think."

The playful teasing softened, replaced by a sudden, quiet charge in the air. Their hands brushed in the tall, alien grass, and this time, neither of them pulled away. Their fingers interlaced naturally, holding tight as they walked.

Emma looked up at Elise through her eyelashes. "I felt it too. It was like... the creature wasn't just touching us separately. It was connecting us."

Elise slowed her pace, turning her head to look at Emma. Her dark eyes were bright, stripped of her usual stern military shield, displaying a rare, quiet vulnerability.

"It threw me off entirely," Elise admitted softly, her tone conspiratorial. "I'm used to keeping a tight handle on things, Emma. But standing in that steam with you, sharing that same wave of heat... I didn't want to think about protocol. I just wanted to be there with you."

A thrilling, sweet warmth bloomed in Emma’s chest, completely separate from the pollen. "I kind of liked seeing you lose your composure, Captain."

"Don't get used to it, colonist" Elise murmured, though her hand squeezed Emma's tightly, a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

As the metallic hull of the landing pod came into view through the tree line a few hundred meters ahead, the reality of Terry’s presence began to sink in. They stopped at the edge of the grass, both of them suddenly realising they were still flushed, giddy, and practically glowing.

Elise immediately straightened her posture, adjusting her collar and attempting to pull her usual stern, authoritative expression back into place. "All right. Serious faces. Look at me—is this convincing? Do I look like an officer who just spent three hours cataloging soil samples?"

Emma took one look at Elise’s flushed cheeks and slightly disheveled hair and let out a breathless snort. "You look like you just got your brain short-circuited in a hot spring."

"Emma," Elise warned softly, though a small smile broke through her composure as she tapped Emma’s arm. "Compose yourself. If your father sees you looking like that, he’s going to ask questions."

"I'm trying!" Emma wheezed quietly, wiping her face as she tried to calm her breathing. "My skin is still buzzing. What are we telling him?"

"We tell him the soil near the tree line showed elevated nitrogen levels," Elise said, taking a steadying breath and finally regaining her professional demeanour, though her eyes remained bright. "We give him a brief update, hand over a data drive, and head inside to 'process the readings.'"

Emma looked down at their joined hands one last time before Elise reluctantly let go to re-establish a professional distance for the final stretch across the open glade.

"We're going back tomorrow, aren't we?" Emma whispered.

Elise offered a small, subtle smile over her shoulder as she took the lead toward the pod's outer airlock. "It would be completely irresponsible of us not to conduct a follow-up, Emma."