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If it were up to Scorch, he would never leave Dr. Hemlock’s side. After the disappointment that was Daro, he was glad to be reassigned to the Advanced Science Division. Training ungrateful natborns was not what he was created for. Most Imperials didn’t care though. But reading up on the ASD sparked enthusiasm in his brain. Professional, clandestine, cutthroat. It was a perfect match for him.
And then there was the doctor himself. Scorch found the man to be very easy on the eyes. Maybe a bit too easy, he admitted. Still, he didn’t let that ruin his professionalism. If anything, it motivated him to be as loyal and hard-working as possible. The doctor didn’t deserve anything less. Being his personal bodyguard gave him a sense of duty and fulfillment that he hadn’t felt since he lost the squad.
Sadly, things couldn’t always be this way. There was this important project the doctor was working on. Scorch didn’t know what it was: a good soldier didn’t ask questions. It required Hemlock and Nala Se to work in the Vault, deep within the mountain. Not Scorch, no commando was allowed in. Almost daily, he dutifully flanked Hemlock to the Vault access room. The giant door would open and bake the whole room in a red glow from rows and rows of lasers. Warm red light engulfed the doctor. It made him look even better, livening his pale skin, perhaps giving the illusion that he was blushing?
But then the doctor would enter, and Scorch would wait. Wait until the lasers obscured the view on the doctor’s back. Wait until the door closed again with a hiss. Wait until the doctor would return. There were other commandos in the room, but the atmosphere in the room would be cold and boring. Everything felt empty and somber without the doctor. This could sometimes last hours. But Scorch would never leave in the meantime, even if he was allowed to. He couldn't bare thinking about not being there when the doctor returned.
His mind often wondered what the doctor would do inside the Vault. Was he making some fascinating creature? Push the boundaries of science far beyond his understanding? Tanks and tubes and specimens were conjured up in his mind, with a pondering doctor standing over a lab table. Perhaps he would run his gloved hand through his hair when he couldn’t figure things out… Oh what Scorch wouldn’t give for the opportunity to accompany the doctor inside the Vault.
Daydreaming kept his mind occupied for the lonely hours waiting on Hemlock’s return. The helmet on his face safely kept his rushing thoughts a secret. Hemlock wouldn’t be able to see his face light up when he emerged from the Vault. Wouldn’t be able to hear his heart starting to beat faster. Wouldn’t notice his neck getting a bit warmer. No, to the doctor he would appear as just his loyal agent, proud to serve him and the Empire.
It was just another rotation on Tantiss when it finally happened and Scorch was passing through the laser gates in the Vault. But something didn’t sit right with him. It wasn’t at all like he had imagined. In his daydreams, he had imagined the doctor personally inviting him as his company to the Vault. Maybe he would have congratulated him on being a good soldier. Perhaps he would even give him hints that his feelings were reciprocated. Yet the doctor hadn’t invited just him. Hemlock had just promoted Dr. Karr to replace Nala Se, and he was her security detail. And so Scorch was walking behind Dr. Hemlock, the doctor instead talking to his own sister. Perhaps it didn’t mean anything between the two, like with Nala Se. But Dr. Scalder had been very vocal about the doctors’ involvements with eachother. Not that Dr. Scalder was very reliable either. She had shown some interest in him, so there was also the possibility that she was trying to sow doubt about Dr. Hemlock so he would perhaps consider her. Bah, things could be so complicated in this base.
All Scorch could do was keep up his head. If there was anything he could do to make the doctor happy, he would do it. And then perhaps there was a chance for them after all?