Snippet #2707261

Alexei was glad to be off of the battlefield. Although patching up the wounded could be harrowing for its own reasons, it was a little more up his alley. Unfortunately, for him, just as he had finished stitching and bandaging a man's shoulder, his superior officer approached him.
"Madsen," she said, not bothering with a greeting, simply wanting. His attention.
"What is it, Ma'am?" Alexei turned to face her, standing and saluting. He wondered to himself if Valoel had somehow found the time to talk to her about him.
"Albright was supposed to go with Ruhiel's company on a mission today, but he's come down with something nasty. Guy's puking his guts out." She paused for a moment, making deliberate eye contact with him. Alexei had a feeling that he knew what she was going to say. "We need a replacement for him."
Alexei closed his eyes for a moment. Of course. They knew he wouldn't argue, even if he could. "When do they leave?"
The officer checked her watch. "A few hours," the she said. She handed Alexei a small packet of papers, which a cursory examination revealed to be the briefing for the mission. "Every one else has been briefed already."
Alexei read quickly while the officer waited beside him, not quite looking at anything in particular. So, they were going to find Errant Rook. Alexei remembered him from the war. He remembered the face, some mannerisms. Alexei wondered how much Rook had changed since he had last seen him. Well, it seemed that this mission would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Oh well. As long as he could keep the majority of his charges alive, then he would feel alright. When he had finished, he handed the packet back to the officer. "Thank you," he said
"Get some rest," was all she said before exchanging salutes and leaving Alexei standing in the infirmary. He took a breath, then went to take care of himself.

After the order, Alexei forced himself to eat and drink. He then took a few more energy pills, fetched his staff and pistols, and restocked the supplies in his med kit and belt. It took only a few minutes, so he decided that a cigarette was in order on the way to the training grounds. Now, Alexei wasn't a heavy smoker, but on the rare occasion, they did make him feel better. He was feeling fine when he thought he felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. Before he could begin to wonder what it might have been, the alarms blared and flashed. Alexei swore quietly, glancing down at his cigarette. He couldn't just throw it out, it'd start a fire. He took another drag on it, then made a beeline for Valoel when he saw her. Alexei saluted her and Zeke hastily. "I will be replacing Albright," he explained as they hurried toward the city.