Sappho's Commando

NINE (ISELEN POV)

"Lieutenant colonel Álvarez, I need your autograph for the logistic guys." Sergeant Sierra Tyler smiles, giving me her Tablet and shooing away two seagulls that were getting closer to her boots.

"The logistic guys have a good collection of my signatures already," I answer while checking that the equipment they sent us matches with her list: wetsuits, diving masks, fins, snorkels, regulators, vests, tanks, weights... Everything looks right.

"They're hopeful that you'll become famous one day and your autographs will be valued at millions." I can't help laughing out loud while giving her Tablet back.

"I wish. They'll have to wait for a long time before that happens, if it ever happens. Are you coming with us?" I ask pointing with my thumb at the small boat that's waiting in the harbour behind me and the marine shakes her head, her smile grows wider.

"No, I'll go back to the base. I have some friends stationed in Rota and I'll go out to have some beers and burgers and catch up with them. I'll come to collect the equipment in the evening, when you finish this training session."

"You're lucky," Dakota high-fives Sierra before lowering her tone of voice so colonel Larsen can't hear her, fortunately, our boss is busy giving instructions to the boat captain. "I'd rather have some beers in a terrace bar, enjoying the sunlight, than getting my ass wet in the Mediterranean Sea."

"Call me if you finish early. We can go out together and get some Spanish tapas for dinner," the sergeant answers and I nod, showing her my thumb up. I bend down to grab the heavy tanks and take them to the boat helped by Hanna and Dakota. "Try to bring back the equipment in pristine condition, please, it's very expensive. It's true that the NATO big shots don't care about spending money to give you the bets toys for missions and training sessions, but they'll be pretty upset if you break them."

"Promised!" Tara shouts from the boat deck, smiling and waving her hand goodbye enthusiastically. Sierra stares at her suspiciously, raising an eyebrow for a second, before heaving a sigh, rolling her eyes, and turning around to leave. We all work together to move the equipment to the boat, it's dawning and we still have a two-hour sailing ahead to reach our destination so we better hurry up if we want to come back early this evening.

"I thought you were angry because you know who was forcing you to go diving and you hated it," I whisper tilting my head to point at colonel Larsen discreetly and the pilot nods, taking my tanks and placing them next to hers carefully.

"That was before I found out that she was coming too. I thought she'd stay at the headquarters, barking orders through a videocall, as usual. I hope we finish soon and come back in time to go dinner with the sergeant. I like the idea..." Tara mumbles pensively while we feel the engine vibrating under our feet. "It's a great opportunity for me and the colonel to interact in a non-military environment, you know, far away from our jobs. She must see me as a girl with whom she can have a romantic date without wearing a uniform. Cecilia Larsen needs to learn how to relax around me."

"Relax..." I repeat the word while looking at her in disbelief. Nora tries to hide her grin while Hanna taps on her temple with her index, mouthing that the pilot is mad as a hatter. "If you say so..."

It was Tara the person who told me that the girls have a bet about what day Ruby and I will finally give up and jump in a bed together. Later, I found out that Dakota is their bookie and the woman who keeps the money to give it to the winner. I asked her if they had another bet about the lieutenant and the boss and the marine burst into laughing, shaking her head. The truth is that none of us expects to see Tara succeeding, the colonel is a tough nut to crack and we aren't even sure if she's gay. But the pilot is stubborn, persistent and is full of French charm. Maybe she'll surprise us after all.