"BOOM!" The Musket roared in Yuri's hands. It gave a little more kick than she initially expected, and both herself and Marcus were surprised that she was able to keep the gun in her hands at all.

"Yeah…" She said with a weary smile, as her breath was taken away. Scattered with the small cloud of smoke that puffed from the barrel, "That's got some kick to it."

"You haven't seen the least of what we've managed to get our hands-on," Marcus said with a smile. He walked downrange over to the strawman dummy Yuri used as a practice target. It sat just on the cusp of earshot range, in the rear garden of the City Hall. Just on the shores of the icy river tributary that fed into the Albya. Marcus inspected it, and with a prod, found the hole with which Yuri's bullet had traveled straight through, "You're a natural!" He called out to her, as he made his way back through the snow. The Blizzard was calming down a little, but nobody knew for sure how long. Weather across the Southern Continent was unpredictable, to say the least. But this snowstorm had come at an especially odd moment, on the tails of the Frost season. Around now, the continent would be expecting much warmer weather and a huge amount of rain. But instead, temperatures dipped in a sudden cold snap that took everyone on the Continent by surprise.

"You did good. We'll head back inside for now, how's about we share a cup of hot tea, eh?" Marcus asked with a jovial pat on Yuri's shoulder.

"Sounds wonderful," Yuri replied, she thought of Marcus now as a friend. Not a close friend, but a friend nonetheless. There was something about the way they talked to each other, the way they laughed together, and the way they just seemed so in tune. It made him feel close. Familiar. But Yuri still couldn't put a finger on where. Sometimes she'd look in the man's eyes and see that he felt the same way about her. But both held their tongue on the subject. Yuri knew for a fact that she'd never met this man before, and yet, she felt like she knew everything about him.

It had only been about six hours now that they were together. The morning was fading into evening, but it barely made a difference in the darkness the snowstorm brought with it. The duo had spent most of the day either training with the rest of the Reformists militant-wing, or up in the City Hall's main spire keeping an eye on the wall with the other commanders. Audible gasps came when they saw the battle up close through a telescope. They saw the magical spells, the rain of Ithacan guns and artillery, the pure devastation. And even worse, the rumors that the Ithacans were in possession of advanced technology were true. They spotted multiple flying machines that shredded unguarded Iscariot infantry. But the biggest shock came when the wall finally collapsed, leaving a huge hole in the center of the structure. It clouded a big chunk of the city in dust and fire. Not before the Iscariots retaliated with their most powerful spell yet, a death field that vaporized anything in its path.

Yuri shuddered to think that the Reformation would be at the frontlines of the combat. If the Ithacans breached the walls, then that'd mean that she was not safe here. Nobody here was, "We'll check up on the wall too, see what the lieutenant is saying," Marcus told her with a step towards the doors.

Yuri agreed, following him back inside of the warm building. The chaos inside of the main triage building had died down now. Surprisingly. Everyone thought that as soon as the wall came down, far more injuries would make their way over. But either transportation was slow, or the casualties were being taken care of elsewhere. The Reformation's soldiers had gotten good work done spreading the word of the invasion well before the wall fell, and many more were waiting in place for the right moment to strike at the mines and plantations where the slaves and peasants toiled away this very moment. Marcus promised Yuri that he'd ask Cathy for her to get her hands dirty in Reformists' work, but Yuri knew that Cathy was far too protective of her to allow that to happen. She might've even had issues with Yuri carrying that massive rifle around and calling herself a soldier. But Marcus saw something in Yuri that told him she needed to be here. She needed to fight. Yuri could tell that's what Marcus thought. And she for the first time felt like she agreed. She wanted to fight the Imperials. She wanted to take revenge on the ones who oppressed her people. It was something unlocked in her blood.

"Tell me, you've ever been in a battlefield?" Yuri asked him as they climbed up the spiral steps towards the main tower.

"Aye. I've had I'm sorry to say," He responded with a tone of morose, "Back during the war."

"Against the Falklands?"

"To us, it was against the Iscariots," He reminded her. Yuri nodded as she remembered that he was Falkish. A slave like she used to be. But the question remained of what happened back then, and how did he get here? Was it possible that he too fought in an uprising and won his freedom that way?

"What did you see?"

Marcus fell silent for a while, clearly thinking about what to say, " Well… a lot of things."

"Did you see people die?"

"Oh certainly. A lot of people died. Back in Axester. Well, they call it Astchester now."

"Astchester is an Iscariot city."

"It wasn't always. Twenty years ago it was a Falkish Colony. But then the war happened."

"I see…"

"Yeah, I've seen enough killing then to last me ten lifetimes. And I lost everything that I had. They took the bunch of us prisoner and hauled us off to work in the mountains. Froze my ass off and was beat there for three years until I decided I couldn't handle it anymore, and I escaped. Made myself a free man."

"And that's how you ended up here?"

Marcus looked back at her, "You sure have a lot of questions."

"Forgive me for my pestering. It's just that your story is so similar to mine."

"Yeah, we've all got similar stories. We all do."

They approached the door leading into the observation deck, and with a push-open, it revealed none other than Cathy alone inside, "You're back early!" Marcus said with a startle.

"We ran into trouble while we were surveying the site of the explosion."

"Trouble?"

"Yes. Ithacans."

Marcus and Yuri both shuffled a bit uncomfortably at that, "I found a small detachment of Ithacan units with our friends the Kiote."

"Warrior Elves?" Yuri asked.

"Right. I've talked to them and fought alongside them against Imperial forces. For now… we can consider ourselves friendly."

"No, no, no! We can't ally the Ithacans! They're baby-killers!" Marcus argued, "They've bombed our home and now you want to ally them?"

"What else are we going to do, Marcus?" Cathy demanded, "We have common enemies, they fight Imperials and they are good at it."

"So then what? Are we just going to surrender ourselves to those monsters?"

"We aren't surrendering anything! Only an idiot would want to fight them and the Iscariots at the same time!"

"This is madness-"

"It isn't mad, it's calculated. I have the power to make this decision, all I ask is that you tell your captains to recognize that. Okay?"

Marcus sighed, "You'd better hope that you know what you're doing."

"I do. This is the only way. They've created an incredibly unique situation, and I will capitalize on it to the best of my ability. Just let me do my job."

Marcus turned to Yuri, giving her a rather grim look before he looked again into Cathy's eyes, "Fine. You're the boss. I'll inform my commanders."

Cathy slowly nodded, waiting for him to leave before she addressed Yuri, "And as for you young lady," Yuri felt herself deflate upon being addressed in that manner. Her mind racked through everything that could be wrong, landing on one thing and one thing only. The gun slung around her shoulder, "What are you doing with that?"

"Marcus said that I was a fighter-"

"How many times have I told you? You aren't fighting anybody! You'll stay here! Where it's safe!"

"We aren't safe here! The battle is already being drawn out into the streets of Minerva as we speak, sooner or later, somebody will have to stay and defend the City Hall!"

"And that somebody isn't you!"

"I've been preparing for this fight my whole life!" Yuri yelled out. Cathy looked surprised. Truth be told, Yuri was too. She never raised her voice at Cathy, at least not like that. Calming herself down, she engaged again, "I've spent my entire life running away from fights. This is the time when I can finally show you and everyone else what I am capable of. I'm not a child anymore, so let me fight, please."

Cathy eyed her up and down, the hare deep in thought about something. There were parts of her that Yuri swore she'd never understand, "Come over here," was all she said with a gesture from a paw. Yuri took a few steps closer, right up in front of her. Cathy looked up to her head, eyeing the blue headband specifically. She reached up, untying it. Yuri's black hair was pressed under it, and Cathy corrected that by pulling it back and tying the band under the hair, letting her hair go to flow freely over it, "There. Now you look half-decent."

"So is that a yes?" Yuri asked her.

"It isn't a no," Cathy replied, "If the fighting ever comes around here, which I'm actively trying to avoid, you'll have your shot at the enemy."

Yuri's eyes widened, cheeks pulled to reveal a bright smile. The greatest words she'd heard all day were, "Thank you!"

"Before you go, watch this for a minute," Cathy said, pointing out of the window of the tower to the city of Minerva. Yuri walked closer towards the window trying to see what Cathy was pointing at. It was evening, the city was dark, darker still under the cover of the winter storm. The fires of the fallen wall were still burning across the Albya River, and bright flashes of light from there signaled the advance of the Ithacan army as the invasion continued. But that wasn't what Cathy was talking about. She peered closer…

Bright Green flares shot up into the skies. No. Not flares. Fireworks. They exploded into the air with a loud "BANG!", one after another. It wasn't celebratory fireworks. Not to be enjoyed. They were a signal, a message of some form, "What is that?"

"It's the revolution…"

Suddenly, the shouts of thousands of people filled the air. Citizens in the streets with torches, rifles, and anger. Blue headbands on them all. They burst into stores, set fire to certain buildings, and made their way through the streets and alleyways of the city. Headed towards the suburbs, farmland, and the Eastern Mines that the city held.

"I should be with them…" Yuri whispered.

"I already told you. You'll get your chance. You see all the destruction they're causing?" Cathy asked her.

Yuri noticed the buildings set on fire, doors broken open, and windows destroyed. Some Iscariots resisted and were pulled out from their homes, gathered together, and beaten, "I do."

"That's what happens when a nation fails to take care of its people. This city will be burned down, Marcus and the local Reformists here want independence, but we all know that this city won't survive the month's end."

She watched the chaos ensue on the streets. The local citizen-guard were dispatched from their headquarters, riding upon horses with swords drawn towards the rioting mob. They could only stand back however and watch as the riot grew more intense. They blocked off the bridges across the Albya, almost knowing exactly what their goals were. To liberate the slaves and peasants across the city. They formed shield walls, and the red glow of ekron penetrated the darkness. But most were armored soldiers on foot with long pikes to keep the crowd away. But the crowd had guns. First snowballs were thrown at the guard. Snowballs turned into stones. And stones, into bullets.

Yuri gasped when she saw the bangs of rifles. Like a sudden surge, the Reformation overwhelmed the Guard. The soldiers made a run for it, horses broke the shield wall, and the crowd pushed forward. Smoke filled the streets from the bangs of rifles. The people held their fists up in defiance. The people were Human, Elf, Reptillian, and even Demi-Human. All of them were fed up with the crown and the Empire. The Revolution had begun.

"This is what a Revolution looks like. And it'll only get worse I'm afraid."

Yuri knew the point Cathy was trying to drive home. But seeing all the violence and chaos taking the city over didn't make Cathy fearful. If anything, it kickstarted her heart. Knowing that there was a cause worth fighting for, knowing that thousands of others were fighting, and knowing how far they were willing to go--she relished in the chaos, seeing herself in the midst of it.

"Nothing worth fighting for has ever been gained without a little blood," Yuri said.

Cathy nodded with a rather surprised face, "That… is true," She began, "But the point I'm trying to make is that I don't want you out there. Leave that to the people I have specifically for that purpose."

Yuri said nothing in response. It must've given the impression that she wasn't fully convinced because Cathy explained further, "I have people out in the field for this fight. Your fight will come later."

"If it comes later!" Yuri told her, "I want to fight them with the gloves off! The Imperials have taken everything from me!"

Cathy grabbed her shoulder, pulling Yuri to face her, "You'll get your chance, but there is a time and a place for everything! Let Marcus and the rest of the soldiers fight this fight, your fight will come sometime. I don't know when, I don't know how, but when it comes, you'll be there!"

"Thank you…" Yuri whispered. Cathy looked up into her blue eyes.

"I promise that your time will come. For now, we wait for everything to fall into place. Alright?"

"Alright."

"Good. I'll see you downstairs," Cathy told her as she pulled off.

Yuri turned to the city that was now on fire. Once again mesmerized by the chaos. The city was on fire. And she wanted to be in the middle of it all…

Nobody said a word. Not even when they landed. Not even when they had all gotten off. Nobody said a single word about the mission they had run or anything. They all just watched as Brian was lifted out of the transport and taken to triage. Hezekiah should've been with him, but his wound had already been healed.

An hour into recovery and Brian was declared fit enough to go back out into the fight. But from what Hezekiah saw, he didn't see that at all. Brian looked like he'd seen hell. His blonde hair was messy all over, blue eyes giving everybody the look of a crazy man. He responded fine enough to everyone, but he was awfully quiet. Constantly hunched forward brushing himself. Something was tormenting Brian from inside, and Hezekiah knew exactly what it was.

Hezekiah stood outside, looking up at the now angry sky. Snow fell around him, though not as heavily as it did before and the temperature was a bit warmer. He pulled up his balaclava over his nose. His helmet did a good enough job at protecting his head and ears. It was cold outside but for now, he felt ok. Just tired. Angry. Pissed off. Mostly at Jefferson. Definitely a bit at himself. He should've called it off when Temetet said something was wrong. Or even when Brian said out loud that he heard something…

Poor kid. Brian looked pretty rough out there. His tears, body shaking and all. All of Unity took it pretty badly, but Brian was by far the worst of the bunch. Hezekiah couldn't help but shake the feeling that Brian's innocence had been taken away by his own hands. No matter how much he tried to assure himself that it wasn't his fault, the guilt took over. And it was stronger than his will. Back in Afghanistan, Hezekiah had to make some difficult choices, how else had he gotten the rank of Staff Sergeant? But this was by far the worst thing he had ever seen or done.

"Hey, Sergeant Brooks?" He heard the familiar voice of Flint walk up to him.

"What's up?"

"Thought you'd want to eat," Flint handed Hezekiah an MRE. He just took it and held it in his gloved hands.

"Thanks but… I'm not hungry."

"Some wine?" Flint held the bottle up to him.

Hezekiah took a good look at his buddy, "Now what the hell do you want from me?"

"You look depressed."

"True."

"I'm just trying to lighten your spirits."

"You know that wine is out of regulation."

"Man, fuck the regulation. If an officer asks, just say it's grape juice or some shit."

Classic Flint.

"Gimme that!" Hezekiah took the bottle and raised it to his lips. Perfect, "Talk to me," he said in better spirits.

"You know. What happened out there wasn't your fault man," Flint said, "Brian doesn't blame you. None of us do."

Hezekiah sighed as he nodded, at least there was that, "Thanks but… I still feel like I had a hand to play in it all, you know?"

"Yeah, I hear you. That shit is fucked up, I tell ya. But there was nothing we could do. It's not our fault."

"But I just feel like there were moments that I could've stopped it all and I just… I didn't. You know what I mean?"

"If that's true, then that's something you gotta sort out. I got my own problems."

Hezekiah looked over at him, "Like what?"

Flint took the bottle and drank from it before continuing, "Like what I'm doing with my life. I don't have jack shit back home. I was planning on staying here y'know. I don't have money, a job, no friends or family. I don't have any skills worth a damn except shooting and saying 'yes sir, no sir' ."

"I see."

"I'm practically a ghost back in the states. I wanted to stay here and start all over again, but if we have to keep doing shit like this, I don't know how much I'd want to sacrifice to do so. Know what I mean?"

"I get you," Hezekiah knew exactly what Flint was talking about. Were they people with emotions, feelings, and their own personal goals and agency? Or were they machines, doing the bidding of superiors like Jefferson without question. To his officers, they were the latter. To his squadmates, now close friends, the former.

"I wanted the chance to start over, right from scratch. But I don't want to sell my soul to get that chance. I'm not sure if it's worth it," Flint finished.

To that, Hezekiah had no answer. He had to ask himself the same questions. What was he doing here and why? But one thing that separated Flint from Hezekiah, was the Mirrorface. Flint didn't know about that, or at least Hezekiah didn't know if he did. Maybe, Flint, had his own Mirrorface telling him what to do, maybe they all did. But Hezekiah could neither confirm that it was true or false.

Where was that damn thing anyway? He hadn't seen it in a while. He didn't know if it was supposed to be like his guardian angel, it seemed to not like having to intervene to keep Hezekiah alive. Mirrorface directly told him to try and stay alive, meaning that his survival was not guaranteed under whatever guidance that the creature offered. Who did he truly serve then? The Marine Corps or that creature? So far, Mirrorface had only taken a backseat approach, warning Hezekiah of coming danger, and hinting vaguely at some grand plan that it had for him.

He couldn't believe what he was even thinking about. Of all things, some supernatural entity was out there giving Hezekiah orders on what to do. Or at least he thought so. But that's the world he was transported in. The one he was delivered to. He felt around in his pocket, remembering the notes he had taken with Lafayette during the Elves' deliverance of vital info. He thought it fit to give it to Newman, she'd know what to make of it. Maybe. Maybe she was just as clueless as he was. And if that was the case, he massively sympathized with her. Not even considering how hard it must've been to be forced to order soldiers to do something so wrong… so unjustifiable. And to take some of the blame for it. Hezekiah knew that Unity was pissed at her.

He sighed, "I'm gonna go talk to Newman."

"Give her a piece of your mind?"

"No. She didn't do anything wrong," Hezekiah said.

"Really?"

"She didn't have a choice. Jefferson was the guy who created and went through with the plan. If Newman got in the way, I don't even know what Jefferson would've done to her. She just hoped we hadn't realized, but when she knew we had, she called us back home with our status in mission failure."

"Makes sense… I think. So Newman ain't a bad guy?"

"I don't think so at least. Besides, I have to sort something out with her. Keep the MRE for me will ya?" Hezekiah tossed the pack back to Flint, who took it and stowed it away.

"Yes sir, and remember, no matter what I'm right behind you. As long as you're with me," Flint said.

Hezekiah smiled. He needed that, "Thank you, Corporal."

"What's the issue here?"

Hezekiah walked into the command tent, expecting to find Newman but instead finding the person he dreaded most of all. Jefferson.

Hezekiah had to resist every urge to yell at the man who could very well have him killed out here. Or worse… sent to the MPs. Hezekiah shivered at the thought, he saw a pissed-off MP before back when he was in Afghanistan, they were in the process of wrecking the shit of some disobedient private. He promised that it'd never be him.

"We were sent off to run a mission that had civilians in the AO."

"And your issue?"

"My issue is that we are sure that we've killed innocent people! And on top of that, we were never informed by anyone about the situation!" Hezekiah looked dead into Jefferson's face, the Major put on a rather disinterested look as he walked around the room, "You knew about the civilians in the area and never told us! I have a soldier on the verge of a mental breakdown because he can't live with that shit on him! We need answers!"

"You did what you had to do. Unfortunately, you failed your mission. As far as I'm concerned, I have five delinquent Marines who refuse to perform the job that they've been trained for," Jefferson told him, now looking straight into Hezekiah's eyes. Hezekiah wanted to scream, punch the guy even. But he would be killed if he had. No doubt about it.

"How…how could you say that, sir? With all due respect, this is absolutely ridiculous. My men didn't sign up to kill civilians-"

"You don't understand the type of war we are fighting out here. Do you?" Jefferson, taking a few assertive steps towards the Staff Sergeant, "Brooks, we aren't fighting against humans and a predictable threat. We are fighting against an alien force that purposely kept an entire civilian population sheltered inside of a city, to slow us down. If you want to point the blame finger, point it at the Iscariots and their guys."

Hezekiah was silent, Jefferson wasn't lying. Though it didn't mean what he did was right. The Iscariots knew that the Marines were coming, and they purposely kept the Minervans ignorant of that. Jefferson's reasoning of why could be up to debate. Maybe the Iscariots wanted to prevent panic? But then why would they sacrifice potentially millions of people to ignorance? Jefferson's reasoning had to be correct, they purposely kept the civilians sheltered to slow down the Marine's advance, knowing that the wall would only last a certain amount of time.

If that were the case, the Iscariots were even more brutal than Jefferson. But it still doesn't justify the deception, "Speaking of which, Misfit had been almost completely wiped out by Iscariot forces while running their mission parallel to yours. They are six men strong, Two of them are dead, two are critically injured, and the remaining two are the last ones still in combative strength. If you want to see the kind of harm that those Iscariots are capable of, why don't you go and ask Misfit? Or better yet, ask the human slaves that they keep in servitude for life!"

Jefferson took a few steps closer to Hezekiah, "You might think I'm bad, but the Iscariots are a whole other beast that you do not want to mess with. My tactics may not be clean. But they are effective. And if the Iscariots want a war, I am more than prepared to unleash our weapons upon them."

"This isn't some personal vendetta between you and the Imperials. I don't care if those Iscariots nuked their own population just to fight us, we have standards! We're pissed off that you lied to us about the situation, we should've been given the choice-"

"It wasn't a lie! It was an omission of fact! If your men refuse to do an operation such as this, they clearly weren't fit to become Marines in the first place!" Jefferson said, now frustrated, "I expected better from the squad that managed to survive out in the wilderness, relieve our fortress, and secure 181! That'll be all I hear about this, now get the hell out of my face before I get the MPs involved!"

Outside again. Hezekiah wondered if this was it. Would they be sent back home now? Would they be kept here? To do what? Would Jefferson send them to run another mission? Hezekiah was getting sick of it all. Honestly. Sick to the core. But he knew that this wasn't the end. It couldn’t be.

He heard footsteps crunch in the snow behind him, "Staff Sergeant Brooks," Newman's voice.

"Captain Newman, ma'am!" He saluted her.

"I heard you wanted to speak to me."

"Yes I-"

"Before you start, I have to tell you that what happened out there, I wish could've warned you beforehand."

Hezekiah nodded, "Thank you," it was some sign at least that she had no other choice in the matter. That this wasn't her fault, at least not exclusively, "It's just that, I feel a bit… uh…"

"Betrayed?"

"That's it."

Newman seemed to understand, "I know that's true. I know that you're pissed off at Jefferson at the moment. I am too. But the fact of the matter is, we still have a job to do."

"So then when is this all going to be over?" Hezekiah asked her.

"That, I don't know."

"We have to have something! Are we rotating back home in a month? In a year? What?"

"Explicit orders from higher up the chain said that everybody would go home when the job was finished. I don't know when that will be, Staff Sergeant. I wish that I knew. But I do not."

Hezekiah's heart sank. What the hell was he supposed to do now? It was like high command was non-existent around here. The Marines all resided in Jefferson's world and there was nothing that they could do to stop him. Plus they couldn't leave. Not until whatever work he had cut out for them was finished.

Who knew when that'd be? "I have soldiers with families! You know?" Hezekiah shouted from out of nowhere. Now he was getting desperate, "Just… Just a timeframe. A month a-a Year, anything! Please." He begged.

Newman's face looked grim. He already knew the answer, "Your soldiers have families? Tell me about them." She asked him.

Hezekiah found it a bit strange that she'd go down this line of questioning but reasoned that she was hinting at something that he couldn't make out yet, "Well. Sergeant Quinn Vulcano, he's got a wife. And she's gonna have a baby. He's gonna miss that because he's out here! He nearly died twice out there! I don't know how much longer he's gonna take it, you know." Hezekiah said to her. She wanted to hear more.

"Corporal Brian, he has his own family. And they expect big things from him like the guy has a legacy he's gotta live up to. I don't know too much about Lafayette, but I know for certain that he's got his own things going on. It just seems… cruel, to separate them from that. And Flint, he wanted to use this as an opportunity to restart his life but, everything we've done so far has just been wrong. You know?"

"And what about you?" She asked.

Hezekiah leaned against the wall of a tent. He hadn't told anyone much of his family, much like Lafayette had been silent about the topic as well. But in both of their circumstances, the topic had never been brought up, "My Family is weird," He said. Sort of as a cop-out. Sort of as the truth.

"How so?" She dug further, "Don't we all have weird families? Weird stories?" She cracked a smile.

"Yeah. Well how's this for weird," He started, "My dad was a Marine too. Had me with my Mom. He died in Fallujah, got blown up by a tripwire grenade. My mom went crazy and secluded us from the rest of the family. Only other family member I knew growing up, was my dad's brother. He was a vet too, and he was crazy."

"What made you sign up for this."

"I-I don't know. I was in High School, working out what I was gonna do for the future. I had my mind set on Programming since I'm a whiz with computers. But I had no money and no clue where to start. Recruiters came by and said they'd pay for college, and I signed up. Left for the Marines on my Senior Graduation."

"I have a lot of soldiers just like you," Newman said, "I would know."

"You got roped into this too?"

"Sort of. I was always the smallest kid around. Picked on by everybody. Both my father and mother thought I wouldn't make it. When I grew up, I was stuck going from retail work to retail work endlessly. Figuring that this wasn't the life, I decided to join the Marine Corps."

"You regret it?"

"No," She shook her head, "Not at all. Well, up until now at least. I've done a lot of good for myself. I'm even getting engaged," she tapped her ring finger revealing a slim piece of golden metal on it. She looked off into the distance, probably dreaming about her life back at home.

"Who's the lucky man?"

"Woman, actually."

"Oh," It was remarkable to see how human one of his superiors seemed to be with him. He'd never had a talk like this with anyone above his pay grade since… actually this was the first time now that he thought of it.

"I was supposed to be getting married around now."

"When specifically."

"Last Week."

"Oh."

She turned back to look at him, "The point I'm trying to make here, is that everybody here is sacrificing a lot. We're leaving an entire world behind, and nobody knows when we'll come back. If we'll come back at all," Newman breathed in as she put a hand on his shoulder, "I know your soldiers, even yourself, are scared. You have to believe me when I say that I am too. And so are all the rest of your superiors. I visited Captain Bannon's home in New Jersey over the summer, and believe me when I say the guy has a wife and five kids all living in a townhouse just like any other."

"Damn. I haven't seen Captain Bannon around in a while."

"That's because he's dead."

Hezekiah pushed off of the tent wall, "What?"

"Captain Bannon died. In fact, a large portion of Echo and Alpha Companies were killed during the initial invasion. A lot happened while you were running your mission. New body counts put the count past one-hundred soldiers dead."

"Holy shit," Hezekiah whispered.

"It was a hell of a battle. We are fighting in a world that we do not understand. These coming days, weeks, months… they're going to test everything that we've got. It's like fighting a war on Mars. Against Martians. Just know, that our work isn't done until command says it's done. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Unity will get a day to patch themselves up, you're gonna get another job tomorrow. Tell Unity to get some R&R for today. They've earned it."