Solar Repose

I lowered myself onto the second cedar step of the veranda and rested my bolter flat across my armored greaves. The weathered grain held the radiant warmth of early sun. Rather than commencing another patrol sweep, I initiated a deliberate fifteen-minute cycle of static repose. Thermal energy permeated my pauldrons, steadily loosening the mechanical tension across my knee joints. A dry birch leaf drifted down, landing three inches from my left boot at an irregular angle; I observed its presence, yet refrained from correcting its orientation. For the duration of the interval, I remained motionless, absorbing the heat while the sector carried on.