“Ladies and gentlemen, Galileo has fallen. The defense grid is down and local AHF personnel are on their back foot. If you are unaware, Galileo is where the UHR produces most of its Serum. Without it, we are defenseless. The question on the mind of reporters here is simple: Who are these invaders? Are they the ones responsible for Earth?” – From ZNN Breaking News, June 7, 3265.

  “How does it feel to make it all the way to sergeant in just two years?” Captain Griffin asked after they’d left the Senate chamber.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure yet. If I had to put it to words, I would say that I’m not ready for the rank yet, but there is nothing I can do to change that now,” Jack replied, looking down at the insignia on his chest.

  “That is probably the most self-observant answer anyone’s ever given me. It usually takes a few months of screwing up before a soldier recognizes he needs help.”

  “Thank you, Ma’am. The truth is, I don’t feel like either of these rewards should be mine. Sure, I led the squad, but if it wasn’t for my team, we would’ve all died on that planet.”

  “Instead, you and yours rallied against unknown forces and fought, even knowing you were turning your back on a perfectly acceptable escape. You took command and saved not one, but four squads,” First Sergeant Summers interjected. “That is why you’re wearing Hargrave’s Bronze Nova.”

  “I think the most important part is that we recognized the others for the part they played.” Jack said, looking around and realizing he was the only remaining member of his team, “Making everyone specialists was a massive part of that, especially since they played a much bigger role than I did.”

  “I’m glad you see it like that. Unfortunately, more than a few try to claim the accomplishments of the team as accomplishments of the self,” Summers replied. “Between us, we know a squad needs to be led by someone with heart. That’s what you did, and that’s why the Captain and I are proud to have you in our company… It’s why I’m proud to see that nova on your chest. Officer Hargrave wasn’t lying when he said how rarely he awards those medals.”

  “If I remember right, he averages one a year. The other Unranked’s tend to be more liberal with awards than their stoic counterpart,” Griffin said, “catch up with your squad. We leave at 06:00, you have just over twelve hours left dirt side. Remember to give yourselves enough time to get up the elevator and back to the ship.”

  Nodding, Jack saluted the captain and jogged to catch up with his friends. Leaving that early meant spending another night in the hotel wouldn’t be smart, but it also didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy themselves. If they didn’t take the opportunity they had, he knew it would be a long time before they had another one.

  “Nice to have you back, Sergeant,” Cecile mocked when he found them milling about a tourist shop across from the Capitol complex.

  “We have to be on the ship by 05:00, so we have most of the evening and a night left,” he said, intentionally giving an earlier time so there would be no reason to be late, “Personally, I want to walk around and enjoy real land as long as possible, but if you guys want to do your own thing, feel free.”

  “I’ll walk,” Thea said, sliding up to Jack and slipping her arm in his. “That way we can find somewhere nice to eat, NOT a bar, and you can feed me and tell me I’m pretty.”

  “So, I’m nothing more than compliments and dinner?” he asked playfully.

  “And don’t you forget it,” she shot back with a laugh.

  “As much fun as it is watching you two flirt for hours on end, I’m going to find something to do. I might even take a cab to the beach and stare at the ocean. You in, Dave?” Alec said, pulling up his interface and calling a cab after the big man nodded in agreement.

  “Meet at the elevator platform at 04:30.” Jack reminded, mentally asking Bob to track the two men.

  “Yeah, yeah, you go have fun and we will do the same,” Alec waved as he, Dave, and Thomas got in the taxi as it pulled up.

  “And you guys?” Jack asked, looking at the girls.

  “We’ll be there. You take care of Thea tonight, and don’t be late to your own meeting,” Nessa said.

  “Looks like we have a full night to ourselves,” he said after the others were gone.

  “Doesn’t happen often,” Thea replied.

  “Want to go eat and fall asleep under the sapphire tree?”

  “You’ve read my mind, Sergeant.”

  ~~**~~

  The next morning found them standing in the square, waiting for the platform. Overall, the group enjoyed their vacation from military life more than they could describe, and it showed. They’d maximized their experience on Phoenix, and the only thing anyone wished for was more time.

  “Hey,” Nessa whispered, leaning into Jack’s ear, “Is that who I think it is?”

  Walking away from the elevator was a visage Jack would have preferred to leave in the past. If the breaker hadn’t seen his face, it would’ve been nearly impossible to recognize him. But that smug, self-serving, bigoted face was easy to remember.

  Everything else was different. His uniform hid much, but it did not hide the thin line of metal embedded along the backs of his hands and fingers. Even if Jack could’ve that missed detail, it was impossible to ignore the Nano-Graft webbing that ran from his neck, and below his collar.

  Hoping whatever happened on Algol made him a better person, Jack called out.

  Fast as a snake, Chet whipped his head in their direction. Jack realized in horror that the AHF had replaced his eyes with Li-Tech prosthetics. He wasn’t sure if it had been necessary, or in the name of being a better soldier, but he was willing to bet it wasn’t the former.

  “Oh look, it’s the bleeding hearts club,” he said with a sneer.

  “How have you been? When did you get off Algol?” Jack asked, ignoring the barb, and trying to start a conversation.

  “I left that hellhole two months after you decided my future. They told me that since I wouldn’t obey, they would find a battalion that fit my particular set of skills. What they forgot to mention was that it has the highest mortality rate of any in the AHF,” he said, voice dripping hate with every word.

  “Looks like you survived,” Dave said, looping his thumbs into his belt loops and resting his hand on the hilt of the broadsword he’d purchased the night before.

  “Survived? Survived!” He screamed, holding out his arm and yanking the sleeve up as far as he could. It was no longer human. The metallic grafts buried whatever was left of the original so deeply that it was impossible to tell what used to be there. “They claimed my anger meant I couldn’t follow orders. So, instead of training me, or even killing me, they kept replacing parts until they could override my free will. ANY possessor can walk up and take over my body. I have nothing left. I am nothing more than a fucking drone.”

  Had this confrontation been in the middle of the day, it would’ve caused a massive scene. Luckily, it was early enough that very few civilians were around to witness. The last thing they needed was to be late to the hub-ship because of an old grudge.

  “We made a hard choice, and I’m sorry it happened that way. You know what you did, you know how you acted. Do you really think Roberts would’ve let us send you away if he thought any other answer would suffice?”

  “I don’t give a fuck about how hard your choice was, Monroe. They tore apart me just so they could watch Light bonding to human cells. I’m not the first, I’m not even in the first million.” He spat, pulling down the side of his collar to show a number tattooed on his neck, “I wish I could hurt you, all of you self-righteous assholes. The only reason I didn’t throttle you on sight is because my leash is so short that if I tried to attack, I’d be in a puddle of my own piss. You took everything from me. It’s only right that I should be able to return the favor.”

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Growling, the soldier pulled down his sleeve and backed up a few steps, face twitching in rage as he considered his options. Eventually, he decided that full control of his body was more important than trying to murder Jack and turned away.

  Jack simply stood there, watching dumbfounded and stricken by guilt as the man stalked off. Was he really the start of all this, or was it Chet’s fault for not adapting?

  “Jack, we have to go,” Thea said, pulling on his arm slightly and pointing toward the waiting elevator, “We can talk about him on the Washington.”

  Like snapping out of a bad dream, Jack nodded and allowed himself to be pulled onto the platform. The group just stood in silence, staring at the place where Private Chet Davis had briefly returned to their lives.

  “It’s not your fault, and it’s not ours either,” Warren said, breaking the silence.

  Dave raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “Sure, we voted to have him removed from the company, but before you regret that decision, don’t forget why. Better yet, remember what his lackey did to Nessa during our final exercise.”

  “He has a point,” Alec replied grudgingly, recalling the near fatal beating Nessa had received. “If he would’ve stayed, someone would have died. He was just too… angry.”

  “Still can’t believe I hog-tied him,” Dave grinned. “I mean… he charged me like a bull, so I treated him like a steer. If he wouldn’a had murder in those eyes, he might could’a fought back.”

  “He almost looks like a bond villain now,” Warren said, “Except that he has no money or power.”

  “Coming from a group of enlisted, we don’t exactly have a lot of room to talk,” Cecile quipped, “Look at Alec; he’s only one good grease bath away from being part of the engine.”

  “Who said I’m not? Let’s face it, any mechanic worth his salt has greased an engine or two with blood. Don’t even mention the amount we accidentally eat. I’m basically engine oil at this point.” Alec replied.

  “You’re disgusting,” Nessa said wearily. “I thought I’d heard all of your strange boasts already, but this is new.”

  “It gets worse. Ask him what he used instead of lube one night,” Dave said, adding fuel to the fire.

  “Dude! There was nothing else left in the garage, and that was confidential,” he yelled, giving away the secret to everyone in earshot.

  The comfortable banter helped pass the time as they waited, giving them one last moment of freedom before returning to the military world. Sadly, that time had to end eventually. Before long, the squad found themselves back on the elevator to the ring city of Orasinel.

  ~~**~~

  “Damn Monroe,” Sergeant Crocker said as the squad walked up the ramp with only five minutes to spare, “First shore leave and you wanna be late getting back? Shame, shame, shame.”

  “Thanks for waiting Crock, we got a bit held up, but we’re here now.”

  “No problem Private. No, wait… what is that?” The shuttle pilot said, pausing when he saw the stripes on Jack’s uniform, “You know you can’t be wearing rank you didn’t earn, right? You think you can just throw on some tiger stripes and get laid? Pretty big trouble for one night on the town.”

  “Um… I’m right here,” Thea said impatiently, “And he didn’t put them on to get laid.”

  “So why the fake rank?”

  “Because it’s not fake. They promoted me right after the hearing,” Jack answered, sense of urgency gone now that he and his squad were back on military ground.

  “Well, I’ll be… Just head up to the… what the fuck are you doing with a Nova?” He asked, surprised for the second time in as many minutes.

  “That was the other half of the promotion,” Jack replied with a grin.

  “Well, go sit down and wait for us to get back to the Washington. You nine need to get up to company headquarters as soon as you arrive. They sent the call out just before you showed up.”

  “Thanks again Crock. I guess it’s time to get back to real life.”

  Turning to the window, Jack watched as a planet he’d quickly come to love shrank away. He would come back and when he did, he and Thea would take those walks through the mountains. They would explore this world and make it their home.

  ~~**~~

  “Now that we are all here, we can begin the briefing.” Captain Griffin said to the assembled company once the remaining stragglers found their place. The disapproving glare she shot one of the platoon leaders displaying her annoyance at being forced to wait.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, Cap,” a lieutenant interrupted, “We haven’t even had time to wash the city smell out of our clothes, and we’re being deployed again?”

  In his time with Charlie Company, Jack learned that many formalities observed in other units were staunchly ignored here. Most Non-commissioned officers—now including himself—and nearly every officer just didn’t care about Decorum.

  When soldiers from other companies had to interact with his, they were significantly more formal than anything the Optic had seen since basic training. Though he didn't know it for a fact, he suspected Summers had initially developed his relaxed demeanor in a company similar to this one.

  “Yes Amor, we are being sent out again. I would think with nearly twenty years in this unit, you’d learn that shore leave does nothing but tempt fate into deploying us faster.”

  “Ain’t that the truth. But Cap, couldn’t you at least give us time to take a dump before calling a meeting? What’s the problem this time, new colony being eaten?”

  “Old colony, but yes,” she replied, accessing the center terminal and sharing the mission details on the holographic projector. “Unfortunately, it isn’t just a simple target elimination like last year. If it was, I would forgo the meeting and tell you to gear up.”

  “Shouldn’t the local battalion be holding the line? Isn’t that the entire reason the planet-rats exist?” another soldier called, “New colonies I get, especially considering how long it takes to build the defense grid, but why in the hell would we need to fight at an old one?”

  “Because the Raak’Shee bombarded the grid from orbit and dropped on Galileo’s military bases. Considering the number of soldiers stationed there, we estimate nearly half survived and are hunkering down for a long-term occupation.”

  The room was speechless. Galileo was one of the UHR’s oldest and most protected settlements. Not only was it a massive hub for human life, but it was also the only planet with enough materials to create the Serum in large supplies. If the enemy had control of it, then not only would mankind lose the ability to create soldiers, but it was just a matter of time before Light empowered Raak’Shee were fighting them at every turn.

  “Well… fuck.” Amor said, summing up the feeling in the room pretty accurately, “And they want us—a single company—to take the planet back?”

  “Not exactly. The rest of the 416th will join us, but each company has its own target objective. Ours is to take back Bravo factory. If we cannot, artillery will have orders to obliterate it so the power source does not fall into enemy hands.”

  “Well, at least you don’t ask for much,” Amor quipped, trying in vain to lighten the mood.

  “I’m glad you feel that way. The good news is that since this is a human settlement, we won’t need to drop you. We should be able to gate right down to the surface with no interference. Unfortunately, you will once again be divided by squad, since the factory is so large. And because the AHF loves you so much, you’ll be without aerial support for at least two hours. The equipment they’re bringing is too large for a troop gate.”

  The scene on the hologram changed to depict an overhead view of the complex with several areas highlighted.

  “First and second platoons, your assault squads are to handle the outer perimeter. Intel suggests it has a higher-than-normal concentration of enemy combatants, but I’m sure you can handle it. I will not say easily, considering the enemy, but I will say it is doable.”

  “Entry points?” Amor asked, all joviality gone from his voice. This was information he and his men needed to survive. He would not risk missing it for a joke.

  “Here and here,” she replied, pointing to two of the zones.

  “I don’t know about First, but I would feel more confident in our abilities if we can be dropped in this area instead,” pulling a laser pointer from his jacket and identifying the exact location he wanted the squad to be dropped, “It’s about a kilo farther, but it will allow my long-range fighters to cross this ridge and provide cover fire. If you put us any closer, my snipers won’t be able to get where they need to be.”

  “What about you Singh?” Griffin asked, turning to First Platoon’s Lieutenant, “Any issues with your drop point?”

  “No, ma’am,” she replied tersely. “Our quartermaster will load them with heavy gear. That will give us three Wyverns and three Juggernauts. The other four will just have to play second string.”

  “Understood. Third Platoon, your objective is to locate and disarm the building’s security measures. There are three security posts located here, here, and here,” she explained, moving on to the next squad and highlighting both their objective and drop zone. “Your drop is non-negotiable. Out of all potential areas, this one is not only the most direct but also provides the most cover with the lowest chance of discovery. Pack light and move fast.”

  “Roger that, ma’am,” the slight form of Lieutenant Valentine said, falling silent as she so often did during these briefings. No matter the mission, she never fought back or argued with the details. Her platoon had an excellent reputation for infiltration and she’d learned a long time ago that if a plan needed to be changed, it would change on the ground.

  “Finally, Fourth Platoon. Your objective is to break into the building and locate the Serum vault. If the building is too well guarded, you are to locate the master control room and initiate a meltdown sequence in each of the four production machines. Search and destroy is the name of your game. Any creature in that building that is not human must die, preferably with extreme prejudice.”

  “And if we clear the building and secure the vault?” Hawkins asked.

  “Then you have accomplished the primary mission. So long as the other platoons do their part and wipe out the invading force on the outside, we can keep the factory and refrain from destroying one of our few sources of Serum. Either way, I want your squad to locate and secure at least one case of Serum in case things don’t go according to plan.” She explained, gesturing to the hologram and changing the image to a list of names.

  “Unfortunately, the brass has decided that you will also have a secondary objective. The Raak’Shee have taken several people into the mountain. Locate these prisoners and assist them in whatever way possible. If that means slapping a locator beacon on their forehead and allowing us to Gate them up, fine. Frankly, I would prefer that, but I’m not the one in the field,” she finished with a sullen expression.

  “Understood. Where is our drop zone?”

  “Here,” she said, changing the hologram back and pointing to a peak far from the front entrance to the factory, “Any closer, and you risk being seen on entry. There is an emergency door at the top of the peak that any Possessor or Dragoon should be able to open without triggering an alarm.”

  “Got it.”

  “This will not be a simple mission, but it needs to be done. I’m sorry it has to be us, but I know you can pull it off. Come home in one piece. Dismissed.”