Man to Man

Sirius heaved a sigh beneath his helmet. How was he suppose to see where he was going when 95% of his vision was blocked by plastic? In the end it didn't matter. As long as he didn't stand out then he had nothing to worry about. He would be sticking with the patrol for a while longer until they reached their destination. The he would be called away on a "emergency mission" and move independently from there. Thankfully the convoy was moving at a steady pace and they weren't taking any route that was too dangerous. He was finally brought from his thoughts as another soldier voice his opinion on setting up camp for the night.

"Need that cover." Sirius was inclined to agree. It they were stopping by forest, they should at least use the natural barriers given to them. Who knew what the hell lurked around after nightfall. He had heard rumors about what had happened to the eighty-first unit when they had slept in the open. Hopefully, this convoy would make it through with all their limbs intact...

"I agree, God knows why we stopped in the middle of a clearing when there is a forest not even one hundred feet away." Sirius called out to the soldier.

"Smartest thing I heard all day." Sirius laughed.

It would be funnier if it weren't so true. The commander of the unit had droned on and on about the mission details. Generally he was saying lots of nothing, everything the soldiers needed was on the file they had gotten an hour ago. Why the pompous ass needed to spend another twenty three minutes explaining it was beyond him. At least the man before him has some semblance of tactical knowledge. It wouldn't hurt to know him, or at least know of him.

"The name's Sirius." He quickly introduced. He was never given a code name as his true name should never be well known. Thus there was no danger in giving his true identity. "Nice to meet you..." here he trailed off hoping for the other soldier to finish.

"A transfer, command is quite fond of moving me around. My job, aside from fighting, is to access the capabilities and structural soundest of each unit, and provide instruction when necessary." Sirius replied with a small wave.

It technically wasn't a lie. Sirius would inform command of dysfunctional units if it affected his mission, but he didn't have to include such a thing in any of the reports he wrote. This unit would deliver him on schedule, so it probably wouldn't be taken note of.

"Basically I am the inspector that gives each unit the pass or fail. Everything in this unit is looking good though. The soldiers listen to orders and the convoy is moving smoothly. Not everything is perfect, but nothing in this world is." Sirius said with a shrug. "We should probably move towards the trees though, cover and all that."

"So you're the chef that cooked yesterday's meal? I must say you really outdid yourself. I still can't believe you made the rations tolerable, much less edible." Sirius complimented.

The most of the army rations didn't have a pleasant taste. The worst by far was the ration bar, which had no taste, but had the texture of soggy cardboard. Sirius, like any soldier, was used to this by now and got by just fine. Thus he had been taken aback when he has been served a meal that not only tasted well, but had the texture that didn't get clogged in your throat.

"Need any help? I can't really cook, but I can gather ingredients if you want," He offered. It really didn't matter if they got a good meal or not. Talking with soldiers and making himself seem normal was the most effective way of blending into the background. A wise man once said, the best way to avoid the public eye was to be right at the center of the crowd.

Memorizing the instructions Sirius wandered off into the woods. He knew of starfoil and located the herb here and there. It was not as plentiful back at his childhood home, where it grew in bucket fulls. His mother had used it when they face tough times or needed to save on money. Unfortunately, Sirius had never learned the proper cooking method, and the first time he had tried to use it in his own dish it has made the dish taste like sawdust... To be fair though it had been an improvement.

He wandered camp making small conversations here and there. No need to talk with only one man after all. After a proper amount of time had passed he returned with the herb.

"Is this what you were asking for?" Sirius asked unsure. No need to sound confident, it didn't help blend in. It was better to act like on of those city boys. Uncertain of the wilderness and completely lost when it came to plants.

Sirius gave a low whistle. It was impressive for what he had been through. After crashing into an anti-aircraft platform, from who knows how high, into enemy territory; somehow this man made it out alive to tell the tale. Either he was favored by the gods or his tactics were flawless. From the story, it seemed to be more the former than the latter.

"Sounds like quite the story for when you get back home." Sirius remarked. "Being on grading duty myself I have mostly come across battle when we are ambushed. Let me tell you, that is when a soldier comes alive. I have seem teams go from trash to order in a blink of an eye." He snapped to emphasis his point. "Battle wakes something up inside of some of these guys. I don't know if it is for the better or for the worse, but it happens."

The conversation moved on from there. From Arven's wife to what was waiting for when the men got home. Sirius made up some half baked tale of this or that. He had done this too many times, this conversation too many times. His family or some girl that he had met. The story was always different, but the truth never changed. What waited for him? Nothing did, nothing awaited his return. All that Sirius could do was search for what was taken from him. He would find his parents and abandon this hell hole called war. It occurred to Sirius that Ordo said he hoped he didn't survive. Perhaps he too had nothing left, nothing waiting for him. So as the other men talked loudly about which female officer was the best (childish), Sirius asked Ordo the question.

"Isn't there something waiting for you at home? A wife or lover? Perhaps family and friends? Won't they miss you?"

"I see." Here, Sirius would usually say that he wished them luck in whatever endeavor they had ahead of them. However this time was different. This man had cut all ties and fully intended to die. Wishing him luck would be the same thing as condemning him to die. Perhaps he wanted it that way, but it was still taboo to wish dead on another person. Especially for someone who was as kind-hearted as Ordo. Thus Sirius took careful thought of his words.

"I suppose that wishing you luck isn't the appropriate thing to say. I guess I will just have to say that I respect the path you have chosen. However don't forget to slow down every once in a while to enjoy the scenery. You only have one life, enjoy it while you can." With that Sirius got up and left. He was tired and had more to prepare for the trip tomorrow.It was nice talking to Ordo, perhaps he could do it again some time.