***

--- Fort Alnus, Vanguard-7 Barracks ---

September 22nd, 2025

"Damnit, I want to get back out there." Private First-Class Alicia Moore said as she picks up her hand of cards.

"Knock it off Alicia, you are starting to get annoying." Private Second-Class Scott Marvin said as he lights up a cigar.

She glares at him after hearing that. Since the team arrived back at Alnus, things have been quiet. Besides the basic base personal and security, most of the forces are off in Elies or help our Elbe and Italica allies. "What do you mean starting? It is just, I don't want to miss out on the invasion."

Corporal Andrew Steele walks pass them shirtless, just finishing a workout.

"Hey Corporal, want to join us?" Scott asked, noticing him.

Andrew looks to them. "Sorry guys but I have plans today."

"You are such a wimp Andrew." She responds, just picking on him.

"Yeah, if you join then we can play strip poker," Scott said with a chuckle.

"Keep trying buddy. You are never going to see the goods." She responds, knowing he is just joking.

"Your just afraid that you will lose. Again." Scott shots back, playing a pair of tens, beating her hand.

"Fuck you… We agreed not to bring that night up again." She drops her poker hand on the table.

"Na guys, I am sitting this round out. I am heading out to hunt this boar-like creature." Andrew said as he heads to his bunk.

"I didn't know you hunt. You don't seem like the type." Scott said as he plays bets.

"My dad taught me before he passed away. It has been a while since I been hunting, but Apex needed some help getting food for a Thanksgiving special they are doing." Steele responds.

"I didn't know your dad passed away. I am sorry about that. She responds, looking over to him.

"All good, happened ten years ago. Cancer." Steele responds as he gets his gear on. "And besides, gives me a chance to use my sniper rifle.

"I can't believe it. You read manga, watch anime and you hunt? That is not a combination you see every day." Scott comments.

"Alright, but where is everyone else? Specialist Jerry William loves poker. He loves to lose money at it." She said with a chuckle.

"Hey, are we still playing?" Scott asked, getting annoyed how distracted she is.

"Sorry, here we go." She responds, picking up her new hand.

"The Sergeant Major, he is at the communication center again, talking with his kids," Scott said.

"That is nice of him. I know he has been missing his family." She said as he folds her hand.

She has learned that Randy kept work and family sperate, they all could see he was missing them. It is easy to forget that they are the first Humans from earth to visit an alien world, excluding the moon. She wonders if this is how ancient armies of Earth felt. Being gone years, sometimes decades away from their homes, unable to see or talk with your families.

"What about everyone else?" She asked.

"I think Harvey trying to sway that batgirl(1). You should have seen him out in the forest, love at first sight. And I think Jimmy is taking a class at the hospital. Something about new medicines and techniques from this world." Scott said.

"That is interesting. First, Captain Bailey from Vanguard-5 with Delilah from the bar. Then the Major with every chick in the galaxy. He is no better than Captain Kirk." She said.

"Hey, I didn't know you know Star Trek. At least there are no green women." Andrew yells, overhearing the conversation.

"Hey, my dad was a Trekie. Good stuff before CBS screwed it up." She responds. “That is why I went with the Orville. Well my dad did, I had to watch. Now I wish I paid more attention.”

"What do you think of that?" Scott asked.

She looks to him confused. "Think about what?"

"You know, the Major. I heard it is official, he is going to adopt Selina. And the rumor is that Elf is joining the team. You have a point; it is clear he has a soft spot. I am surprised the brass allows it". Scott asked her, in a more serious voice now. It seems he is interested in her point of view.

She knows what he means. In the beginning, no one in Vanguard-7 liked the Major. She was the most hostile. To her surprise, she found that he liked her crack wise attitude, seem to feed his humor, which pissed her off sometimes. However, that slowly changed once they arrived in this world. Her original opinion on him turns out to be wrong, battle after battle.

"Well, I have to say things have gotten better. The three girls have made him more Human. You remember how he was like before." She said as she plays her hand. "And besides, Rory and Lelei have pulled their weight more than once."

Scott takes out his cigar and chuckles. "That is an understatement. You and Rory go crazy in combat(2)."

She thinks back in Italica, where Rory and her fight off the bandits at the Gate. She never felt so alive, going all out. Then again during the first time, they were in Elies, ambushing the Imperialist convoy. Then in Elies a second time, clearing out trenches.

"Yeah… that was great." She comments, smirking on those memories. "We definitely have a connection in the heat of battle. The warrior spirits."

She then looks to Scott as he shuffles the deck. "So big man. So, what are your plans here? It seems the Major is slowly settling down here and Sir Steele there has a crush with an enemy Rose. What are your plans here?"

"Wait what… hey!" Andrew said, realizing what she just said. "What are you talking about?"

She looks over. "You can't hide it. I have the pictures to prove it."

"She is the right boy. That what her name, brown hair girl." Scott comments as he plays a card.

"Yup. She is cute though." She adds, thinking on it.

She remembers back in Italica the first time. The Major got wounded trying to protect the old treaty. When the team was hanging out in that room, that girl came in to apologized for the action. Which was a bad choice on her part because somehow, she ended up joining the party.

They had a small interstellar cultural exchange, teaching her how to play poker. In a scare twist of fate, she was able to beat Andrew in the game.

"Come on, knock it off. Personal feelings aside, we are at war with them remember. Keep your priorities straight." Andrew said, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah sir. I notice you didn't deny it though. What do you think about the Major forgiving the Princess of the Roses Knights?" She said.

When Major Sharpe accepted Princess Pina offer and allowed sponsored the Rose-Order of Knights onto base(3), there have been mix reactions from the base personal. She does not like the idea. She always gave Sharpe crap for being an officer and Pina is a princess, so she has no trust for her. And after how she screwed her commanding officer, regaining her trust will not be easy.

Still, the idea that the Rose Knights went out and saved more of their people. She cannot find a way around that, that was respectable.

"I don't care," Steele responds. "I am here to do my duty and that's it. I try not to take things personally."

"Really?" Scott said, surprised by that response.

"There soldiers, doing what their country wants. No different than us. I bet if we sat down and have a beer, we could be friends. And besides, it doesn't matter what I think. We follow orders, not decide policy. I do not envy the Major job at all, but those kinds of decisions are his and the other brass problems." Steele responds.

"I like that Andrew. Pass the buck." She responds, chuckling.

Alicia liked what her teammate said however she does not fully agree with it. He is right that the Major has taken on a great burden, but we are a team. It is our responsibility to back him jump when we can.

"What do you think Scott?" She asked, turning to him.

"I think it was a bad idea, but I understand why. It is all politics. But, if I see them make a bad movie, I will gun them down. A lot of people in Alnus were victims of the Empire. Not going to allow them to ruin a good thing." Scott explains in a cold voice.

"To answer your question Alicia, I don't have plans. Once the war is over, I want to head home. I have never been into this interstellar space solider." Scott said.

This long into the war she never really considered herself these interstellar soldiers. She has heard other soldiers say similar things like that but to her, this is just another day on the job. The only different thing is that they are fighting monsters and aliens, not commies or cartels.

"You're not going to find a fine woman here like everyone else?" She said more teasing than anything else.

"I don't know. Isn't that somewhat weird? Since your big on the topic, what are your plans?" Scott said as he picks up his beer.

She thinks about the question. Growing up she never really was the standard girly girl. Her sister has more of a daughter than her. All she wants to do is win and be on top, to prove that she has what it takes. She did not like the idea of waiting on the sidelines while others go out in the world and do things. That is why she has such a high standard for meeting a man. He beat her to prove that he is worthy.

Before she answers the question, she glances down at her chips and notices something strange.

"Scott… why am I missing five chips… You bastard."

***

--- Alnus Gun Range ---

September 22nd, 2025

Sharpe is on one knee, arms out around Selina. He is helping her prefect her firing pose. They are at the military base indoor firing range.

"Hold your arms out like this." He said as he helps holds her arms out, helping her aim her Glock 43(4).

"I think I got it," Selina said, looking at the target.

"Ok. I am letting go now. Fire when ready." He said.

He let us go and then sits up, watching. He positions himself so he can intervene if he must. While they have gone shooting a few times now, she is still new to it.

Selina stands there looking down the Glock 43 iron sights. After taking a slow breath, she pulls the trigger of her pistol.

He watches as she hits the paper target. A few misses but she got a few hits. Out of the seven that was fire, two of them hit the black part. The standard magazine holds six bullets with one in the chamber.

"I think it is empty," Selina said, seeing that nothing happens after pilling the trigger.

"Ok, now what do you do?" He asked, testing her.

She lowers her Glock 43 as she thinks.

"Selina…" He said, getting a little worried.

She looks up from him confused. Her eyes then widen, realizing that she did not put the pistol on safety.

She then points the pistol back downrange. "First, I put it on safety. Then I take out the clip… ahh, there's another thing before putting it on the table."

"Remember, make sure there isn't one in the chamber." He said, sitting down on the room chair.

"Oh yeah." She then puts the pistol on safety, ejects the weapon mag and puts it down on the small table. She then pulls back the top part, clocking the weapon. "The pistol is empty sir."

"Good" He replied in a happy tone. "Now set it on the table and we will see how you did."

She nods and then places her Glock 43 on the table, right next to the magazine.

He stands up and then presses the button on the wall, which brings the target to them. As they both with, he looks down at her. He can see that something is bothering her.

When they are together, she is usually all excited and trying to impress him. Right now, she seems to be a little distant or upset about something.

"Is everything ok?" He asked her.

She looks up at him and then looks down at the shooting range. "Everything is fine."

Because of the war, he knows he has not spent as much time with her. The only reason he is here right now is that he got wounded in battle. He has been trying to spend as much time he could, but it seems something is bothering her. He wonders maybe he is not up for the job to take care of her.

When the target arrives, he takes it off the hook and holds it up. "Not bad. You have two good hits right here and here. With some practice, you could be as good as me."

She looks up at it and smiles. "Can we go again?"

"Yeah, we have another hour before I need to head out." He responds.

"Ok. Can I reload the pistol?" She asked.

He looks over to her and nods, allowing her to reload. He watches her as she begins to reload her pistol.

Seeing how quiet she is, he finds it unnerving. He puts a new target on the hook and presses the button to send the target back out.

He takes a slightly frustrated breath and watches the target go back. It does not go that far, wanting her to get good at close range. He figures that will be the only situation she will need to use it.

"Selina, I am sorry I haven't been around. I know life has been hard on you, what you been through. I am trying to give you what you deserve." He said.

She looks up at him, slightly confused. "I am sorry? I know. Your fighting the enemy. I am not upset about that, I understand."

He looks down at her, seeing that he misread the situation. He did catch that she is upset with him. "Then why are you upset with me if it's not that?"

She looks away but then looks back up to him. Her face now has a mix of confusion and frustration. "Why did you let them in?"

He looks at her now realizing why she is mad at him. He let the Rose Knights inside the military base and Alnus. The military gave them limited permission to travel around Alnus. The fact that he is being nice to the Empire must be bothering her. He looks away to collect his thoughts and then looks back down at her.

"I see now. It is overly complicated." He said. He decides to sit down on the chair, so he is more eye level with her. "I had no choice."

She looks directly at him. "What does that mean? Your stronger and better and on the good side. They are the enemy and should be wiped out. And didn't they hurt you?"

He understands why she is acting like this. He is not happy that they are here himself. The Empire helped ruin her life and caused much hardship. One of his fears is when she gets older, she will become revengeful.

"I am going, to be honest with you Selina, I am not happy that they are here. It took a lot of strength not to knock Princess Pina down. She tried to use me for her own personal gain with her people. When we last talked before this, that conversation was not one that I like to relive." He explains.

"So why did you let them in? I don't understand." She asked him, wanting a direct answer.

"Did you hear that they found more of our people?" He asked her.

Selina nods her head yes. "Still, they are the enemy. They are the reason why those people were taken. They are the reason why so many people have suffered. There are why I was rap…ed….(5)"

When he hears that he stands up and sits down on the other side of the small shooting room. He then tells her to sit down next to him, wrapping his arm around her.

"I always knew Selina; it is ok. I understand where you are coming from and I see why this is hard for you. I know you are just worried, and I promise nothing bad will happen to you. You are safe here with me and in Alnus. But there is something important I need to explain." He said to her.

She puts the gun on the table and then looks up to him, wondering what he is about to say.

"Selina, in life you have to make choices. A lot of those choices are you reacting to what people do. Imagine it like this, there is a fork in the road. You can take the left or right. One way is good, being understanding, respectable and so one. The other way is getting angry, frustrated, and… I don't know how else to describe it."

"I get it. But…"

"But…" He interrupts her. "When Pina and her knights first came here, we had a massive disagreement."

"No, I think you destroyed her," Selina said with a smile, thinking on that. "That is what Lelei said."

He cannot help himself up a smirk. He rubs her head, messing up her hair a bit. "Damn right. Anyway. She screwed up big time and it seemed like she did not want to own up to it. You will run into people who would prefer to avoid their mistakes."

"That is the Empire. That is normal for them." She said, showing how much, she hates the Empire.

"Point is, when we parted ways, I threaten to kill her next time we ran into each other. As you said, she is one of the leaders of the Empire." He said.

"Then why didn't you?" She asked.

He looks down at her and sees that she is taking interest in what he is saying. He is happy about that, was afraid that she would just stick to her feelings and will not change.

"I will tell you. I did not think I would ever see her again. Or at least not in this manner. I figured she would just go back home and go back to her normal way of life(6)." He said and then thinks on his next statement. He holds up a figure, making sure she pays attention to what he is going to say. "But she didn't. What did she do instead?"

After saying that he shuts up and just stares at her. He wants her to answer the question that she can fully understand what happened. He learned a long time ago in his self-help books that it is important to have people interact in important conversations, not just talk down and lecture.

Selina sits there and thinks. It took her a moment to realize that she was supposed to answer the question. "Well… as you said. She and her knights went out and saved your people. But… well. They're still the enemy."

"You are correct on both points." He answers, seeing her surprise reaction to his response.

"I am?" She asked, confused.

"Yes. Let me explain. None of them had to do that. I didn't ask, no one did. She decided to do that on her own. Even brought back that thing who murdered some of our people. Now, tell me what this means." He said.

Selina sits there and thinks about that. "Well, I… I don't know."

"That is fine. As I said this is complicated. I am honestly still figuring this situation out myself." He answers. After saying that he feels her cuddling up to his side. He just hugs her more with his arm wrapped around her.

"You see, she did wrong not just me but all of us. It told us that she was not a reliable person that we can work with. However, when she and her knights came back with our people, it showed that she can be. Ask I said about the fork in the road, I had a choice. I could accept my feelings and denied her apology, or I could accept it." He explains.

"But she already screwed you over. She is the Empire; she might do something like that again. Why risk it, you could have just taken your people and not have them come inside." She asked him.

"I could have yes but here is why. Some of their people were wounded and needed our help. Many looked tired and so on." He then stops himself to collect his thoughts. He realizes how hard it is to explain his thoughts and not sees why he likes Lelei so much.

"You hear me talk about the character a lot right. It takes a long time to build up someone's character, but it is easy to ruin it. Once that happens most people just say screw it and accept that outcome because that is the easy path." He explains, trying to be very careful so she can understand his point. "However, it is rare when someone goes out to fix their mistake."

"On top of that, let us just say I just took our people back and push them aside. That doesn't mean others will agree with that I did. Everyone around me would think less of me because I allowed my emotions to dictate my actions. Last time I was in the right for what happened but now, I rejected her apology after everything they did. People will see me as the bad guy. Would you agree with that?"

She looks up at him, her hand slowly moves to her Polaris neckless and plays with it a bit. "Yes. I agree with that. Most people won't do what is right." She said, with more of an upset tone. But from what he is saying but remembering what happened to her. "And that is why people follow you. As a leader, you need to think about others and not just how you feel."

He nods in agreement and continues. "So, when she came back, she told us. She told me that she accepted responsibility. You see, when someone screws up big time but goes out of their way to correct the mistake, you have to reward that."

He then looks at her and sees that she is slightly puzzled. He can see that she is working out what he just said. "But before you said she is the enemy and I was right about that."

"Yes. In war, even though you might be fighting someone, you can still show respect to them. War is not just about fighting and killing. The manner of how soldiers fight is also important. You see Selina, you can show your opponent respect when they earned it." He explains.

"I… I think so," Selina said, paying close attention.

"Good. Pina, her knights, and the Empire are my enemies right now. But Pina went out of her way to repair the broken trust we had. That shows who she really is deep down inside. It shows that deep down inside that she is at least willing to try to find peace." He said.

"Now, as I was saying before I had a choice. I could accept it or not. If I didn't accept her offer, regardless of how I felt about her, what do you think would happen? After everything her and her knights been through. After all the losses and struggles they went through." He said and then asked her.

Again, there is a short silence between the two as Selina thinks about her response. "As you said, most people wouldn't try and redeem themselves. If… you said no then why would she do it again…?" After saying that she looks at him seeing if she answers the question right.

"Correct." He said and noticed a smile on her face. "You see Selina, you have to reward people when they do something good otherwise, they won't try again next time. If I rejected her apology, then all I did was tell her that there is nothing she can do to regain that trust." He explains.

"Now, let's say sometime in the future that I need her help for something or let's say you were taken." He sees that she gets a little unsettled hearing him say that. "Don't worry, I will kill anyone if they try but just for the example. But what if I needed her help, why would she help me if I didn't return the favor."

"Everything you do in life has consequences, Selina. If you don't reward people when they try to good, then they won't try to do good things later on. We have to earn each other's respect and trust," he said, trying to explain things to her. “The last thing you want to do is force someone down a bad path.”

"Is that why you two had a fallout before?" She asked him after hearing all that.

"Correct. I think we rushed to fast, and we didn't properly take the time to understand each other. Now, we can sit down and figure each other out. Only then we can figure out how to live together in this world." He responds.

"Ok, do you trust them now?" She asked him.

"Trust. No. But I do respect her and her knight’s intentions though. This is a good start, and we will see where it goes. But trust will have to take some time to build back up. As I said, you can respect your opponent." He answers.

"I still don't like them. But I understand why you did what you did now. I just hope it is worth it." She said, thinking about the conversation. "But how do you know things will work out?"

"When we first meant, did you know thinks would work out?" He answers her.

"Well… no. At first, I thought you were going to hurt me but then you all were nice. I had faith that your people would do… right…" As she said that, she understands the point he was making. "I guess you mean sometimes you have to take a leap of fate?"

"Correct." He answers and then stands up. "Our time is up. If you have more questions you can ask me anytime Selina. Never feel like you must hide something from me. And… for the meantime, just stay away from them until things settle down."

She stands up and puts away her Glock 43. She then takes his hand and heads out.