“Another round over here!” Dave yelled, a sentiment that was reinforced by a chorus of Privates wanting the same.

On the average night, the ship’s bar was crowded but not uncomfortably so. Tonight however, was the last night of a two year journey for the Privates of Seventh Brigade. As a result, they had collectively decided to end this portion of their career with as many bad decisions as possible in the hopes that Commanders didn’t have long memories.

As always, Dave was spending the night on the stage singing country songs that pulled on the heartstrings of anyone listening. He didn’t bother standing, saying over an over that he didn’t need to stand to make good music. Instead, he was in the habit of bringing a stool with him and simply enjoying his evening in the best way possible.

“You know,” Warren said to the other members of Turaspier squad when Dave took a break from his performance, “I always could tell that you were nearly one hundred percent country boy, but I never pegged you for a singer.”

“You have a lot of time for it when you are working a field all day.” Alec replied, “He and I used to sit in the barn with a couple of cold beers just enjoying life before…”

He didn’t need to explain again, both he and Dave had long ago shared their stories of loss. Apparently both men’s families were rebels in one way or another, and unfortunately the government decided that they were enough of a threat to make a permanent example of them. With their families gone, and the government requiring more and more of the family land, they both decided to sell everything and start over.

“Well,” Warren said after a brief time before continuing with more sarcasm than usual, “before we get sucked into that particular black hole, who is ready to be a real soldier?”

“I am.” Nessa replied leaning back, “It almost feels like this training bit has lasted a lifetime.”

“I would hardly call two years a lifetime.” Jack said, “Honestly though, it is a bit scary to consider ourselves out on the field on a live mission. I mean sure, we go on patrols with the older guys, but this is the first time it will be real.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but I’m gonna call bullshit. For the past two years we have been learning what to do in damn near every conceivable situation. Not just that, but we have been shadowing these older guys the whole time.” Warren answered, “I mean, those shadow missions were not in the nicest of areas. More often than not, they were live missions that we had to help with. We know our places on the field.”

As much as everyone wanted to deny what was being said, they all realized that it was truth. In reality, they had followed the more experienced soldiers into battle, but it didn’t mean that they hadn’t seen combat. If anything, the only member of the squad that should feel trepidation was Jack since their next mission would be the first that he would be at the helm of their decisions.

“I wonder where we are going first?” Thea asked as she took note of the throng of people surrounding Dave, “Frankly, as long as the place has music, I don’t think we would mind all that much.”

“I highly doubt that music will be in any mission description we are ever handed.” Diago said after taking a long pull on his drink, “Although, I wouldn’t be upset over a planet-side duty station where we could drink profusely.”

“You say that now, but I promise that you would go well past bored within a week.” Heather said with a laugh. “It will be nice to be able to use our squad name for real instead of being called ‘Wolf Pack training squad’”

“True, but the better question is how many times they will stumble over Turaspeir before they can say it halfway right?” Nessa asked.

“However long it takes for us to cement our place as Seventh Bridage’s most effective team.” Dave said taking a break from his singing for a moment, “Speaking of places; Jack, how did Albert handle you wanting to be a close range Optic?”

“How do you think?” Jack replied, “The man hates the idea that any of us want to be in the action. He treats Summers like a maverick that would have been drummed out of the AHF during training, if he had the choice.”

“That bad?”

“No, but you can tell that is what he would like to say if he wasn’t so wrapped up in decorum. He basically told me that the proper place for a communications guy is as far back as possible, preferably never leaving my cabin on the ship.” Jack said, “What he really said was that I was graduating tomorrow and that my mistakes were my own to make.”

“If you’re good at being in the field, why the hell would he try to push you out?” Alec asked incredulously.

“Because we are so rare.” Jack replied, “And unfortunately it is the only part of his argument that I agree with. Out of every thousand recruits, only about ten end up with Optic Light Manifestation.”

“You can fight however you damn well please, we will have your back the whole way.” Diago said.

“I… I don’t know.” Nessa said, “Truth be told, Albert does have a point. Jack, maybe you should consider hanging in the back of the attack patterns more often. If it protects you, it’s worth it, isn’t it? I mean, without you we have no communication.”

“Who’s side are you on?” Dave said when he saw Jack’s crestfallen face.

“The one that keeps my friend alive.”

“That’s what he’s got us for. My whole reason for being on the squad is to stop bad shit from happening to you.” Dave said pounding on his chest. “And I must say, I am going to do it flawlessly.”

“Long as you have that ego, you can stop any bullet in a ten mile radius buddy.” Alec retorted.

“Putting Dave’s ego aside,” Thea started, “If we can’t keep each other alive with the skills we have, then keeping one of our more versital tools in the background will only hender us more.”

“Look; I agree that he is a skilled fighter and that his corps give him abilities that put him on military par with us. I just want him to remember that at the end of the day, our ability to communicate is what saves lives, not our ability to kill.”

“She has a good point.” Jack said after a few minutes of nobody offering a rebuttal. He found it almost sadly funny that he was willing to argue the point with the founder of his corps, but when the same worry was offered by a friend, he took it much more seriously.

Standing, Dave announced that his break was over and returned to the stage with a fresh beer in hand. While nobody remembered him ever talking about the gig being a paying job, they just assumed that Dave simply enjoyed it too much to be away for a long time.

Finishing his own drink, Jack stood and made his way out of the bar. He didn’t feel like some of the others. To him, this night marked the beginning of the real world. No matter how much he said otherwise, he was terrified.

Albert and Nessa had a point, keeping the Optic off of the main battlefield would never be a bad move since it meant that the soldier supporting his group would never fall. However, choosing to stay behind also meant living with the potential that a friend may die and he would never stop wondering if he could’ve stopped it. The reality was that life was not garunteed past tomorrow, and that fact was a thousand times more accurate for soldiers.

The lift doors opened and Jack stepped out onto the dark gray floor of the observation deck. Unlike the first ship he had flown on, this one was kept in perpetual darkness. The only light from faint floor strips that showed various paths back to the lifts. Above him, thick glass that opened up into the vacuum of space stretched out across the entire floor.

Just as it had the first, and every time since, the sight of celestial bodies took his breath away. Unlike any experience he could get planetside, the complete lack of light pollution made this view all the more impressive. Unfortunately, the constilations were only the same until the next jump, a fact that made star tracking all but useless.

“ I find that they are still beautiful, no matter where we are.” Thea whispered, as if afraid to break the silence of the observatory. “Especially the Nebula’s”

“They are, but they are nothing compared to you.” Jack said quietly, wrapping his arms around her. They had been dating regulary over the past year, spending every free moment together in one of the ships many recreation areas, but none of them compared to this place and what they could see here.

“Be nice.” She said, wriggling away from him, “It’s dark, but not that dark.”

“Could you imagine sleeping under these stars?”

“No, I couldn’t. The floor is steel and the room is cold. Even if I wore my uniform, I would freeze my ass off.” She answered sarcastically.

“All the more reason for us to get closer.” He said, laughing. Stepping back and taking her hand.

“Yes, because we can totally warm up a deck that is about the size of half the ship.”

“You don’t know.”

“No… I really do. And I also know that there is no chance in hell that I am getting naked on this cold metal.” She answered.

Jack smirked, returning his eyes to the stars but keeping his mind on her. He dated a few people back on Earth, but in the end his endless sarcasm tended to make women shy away. Fortunately, that was most definitely not the case when it came to Thea, if anything she was far worse then he in that department.

“I don’t know what to do.” He said, “I hear what Ness and Albert are saying, but I just cant imagine living a life where one of you got hurt because I chose to stay behind. Even if someone were to tell me that it wasn’t my fault, I think I would still feel like it was.”

“I think every officer feels that way, you are just a hair ahead of the game. But either way, we all have to make our own way in this life. Think about it, every Corps has different paths that a soldier can take.” She said, “Hell, the Phantom Corps alone has three. Do you remember how much of a pain it was for me to decide my area of focus? Three months to choose between a field medic or an assassin.”

“Wasn’t that more of a morality question?”

“Isnt yours?”

The comment made him think; was it a really a question of morality, or bravery?

If he listened to Albert, his decision was nothing less than bullheaded selfishness that would inevitably end in his own death. The truth was that Jack understood why he could be labeled as selfish, especially when he considered the fact that it was truly his own preferances that pushed him toward the front of the field anyway. But, listening to his heart told him that staying behind while others fought and died – using intelligence that he provided – was just as selfish. How could he call himself a soldier if he allowed his squad to be put in danger without him standing beside them?

“I would say mine is more bravery than morality.” Jack eventually answered. “Your questions are based in how willing you are to kill another creature, mine are based on how willing I am to potentially die for our friends.”

“You are thinking too highly of yourself again.” She said, slapping him on the arm, “stop acting like the moment you step on that field you will be the target. Even if the enemy knows the detailed significance of our Light colors, they would have to make it through all of us, and kill you. Even then, if they don’t absolutely decimate us to a man, someone will be able to collect our mental imprents and make us Steel Cast.”

“I would hate living as one of those things.” Jack said. Any mention of the mechanical humans made him unfomfortable, imagining becoming one just made it worse.”

“Why”

“No sensation of the outside world.” Jack answered.

“Ha, you think they cant feel anything?” She asked incredulously, “You honestly believe that the people who designed all of Hargrave’s bodies didn’t include a sensory array? Jack, the only difference is who you visit when you get injured.”

“Really?”

“Yes really. Did you think that Hargrave has lived a thousand years without any physical sensation?”

“Uhh…. Kinda?”

“You’re and idiot.” She said playfully, “A Steel Cast can even get laid… and feel every second of it.”

“Huh…” Jack said, imagining going to the store to buy ‘upgrades’ to his body. “That could get… interesting.”

“Albert knows this, but just generally dislikes the Steel Cast because they weird him out. I think it’s called the uncanny valley, or something like that.” She added.

“Huh…” Jack said again, “I wonder why?”

“Well, if you would spend less time training and more time around the rumor mill you would find out that he was opposed to building the first Steel Cast in the first place, and had purpousfully never built anything that closely resembles a human.” The subtle jab at Jack’s unwaivering focus proving that he didn’t spend nearly as much time relaxing as he should.

“Well, I think I’m collected enough to go make some more bad decisions. Do you want to rejoin the rest of our squad?”

“Is a ducks ass water tight?” She said, laughing and walking back toward the lift.