Nolan paused. “During our last conflict, the CDF went into combat with the battle cry of ‘Fight the good fight, no matter the odds.’ Let that be our battle cry now. No matter the odds! May God bless you, and may God continue to bless the Terran Coalition.”
Silence followed in the mess hall for a few seconds. Then someone with a voice that Justin didn’t recognize cried, “Fight the good fight, no matter the odds!”
“No matter the odds!” Justin and dozens more screamed. As he did, he realized that he was part of something greater than himself. He was simultaneously shaken to the core and prouder than he’d ever felt in his life.
Clapping rang out for what seemed like several minutes until it finally died down and allowed those seated at Justin’s table to resume their conversation.
“I’m ready to go cap some Leaguers,” Mateus said between bites. “Just point to their nearest carrier.”
“Going to single-handedly eradicate the League of Sol?” Feldstein asked with a smirk.
“I’ll leave a few for you. Just so you can feel good about yourselves.”
They all laughed.
Adeoye took a sip of his drink. “Let us see who has more victories in a month, Ms. Mateus. I suspect it will be me.”
“Oh, really?” Mateus deadpanned.
“He’s a quiet one,” Justin said. “You always have to be careful of the quiet ones.”
Feldstein took her last bite of potatoes. “And on that note, I’m going to the shul.”
“What’s a shul?” Mateus asked.
“Church for Jews,” Feldstein replied hastily.
“What’s that? Like two, three times in twenty-four hours?” Justin grinned. “Might need to get a cot set up for you.”
“Oh, lookee here, a regular funny man,” Feldstein said as she stood. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need to pray after spending a day trying to kill people while they’re trying to kill me.”
“All I need is a stiff drink and a deck of cards so I can clean you all out.” Mateus took a swig from her glass. “Who’s with me?”
Adeoye leaned forward and grinned. “Count me in.”
“I’m heading for my cabin,” Justin announced. “Rack time, and if I’m lucky, talking to my family awaits.” He stood.
“Take care, Lieutenant. That was some great flying today,” Feldstein said. “See you around, guys.”
As Justin walked away, he heard Mateus and Adeoye ribbing each other about who was going to win the card game, and the banter brought a smile to his face. One thing was certain—they’d gelled as a team. Where the sands of fortune would take him, he didn’t know. But at least the president seemed to know what needed to be done, and Justin was ready to get on with it.
By 2000 hours Coalition Mean Time, Justin had returned to his cabin. While much of the crew headed down to the surface to take shore leave while the Zvika Greengold underwent repairs, he wasn’t interested. Above all, Justin wanted to see and talk to his wife. Lieutenant Singh had announced over the PA system as he walked down the corridor that the communications blackout was over.
The moment Justin crossed the threshold into his small cabin, he grabbed his tablet and engaged the vidlink application. A few moments later, Michelle’s face, framed by a dark room that he recognized as their bedroom, came into focus.
“Baby, oh my God, you’re okay!” The words flooded out of her mouth. “I was so worried.”
Justin sat on the couch, cradling the tablet like it was the most sacred object in the universe. “I’m sorry. I tried to call, but there’s been a system-wide communication blackout.”
Tears poured down her cheeks as she pushed her long brown hair out of the way. “Are you safe?”
“Yeah. The news is reporting it, right? No enemy ships left in Canaan system,” Justin replied in a monotone. “I was so scared I wouldn’t see you again.”
“Did you fight?”
He bit his lip. “I flew four combat missions in twenty-four hours.” The enormity of what he’d been through, as he uttered the words, finally caught up with him. “We all did.”
“When are you coming home?” Michelle asked through her tears. “Maggie is worried sick, but I’ve been telling her we couldn’t talk right now, and everything was okay, but she needs to hear it from you.” She shook. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, hon.” Justin touched the screen. “My unit’s been called to active duty.”
“Then you’re not coming home,” she replied quietly.
“No. There’s some talk about shore leave in a few months, if it goes well. But all indications are this war is just beginning.”
Michelle sucked in a breath and tried to dry her tears. “I understand, baby. Do you think we can talk while you’re out there?”
“No force in this universe will prevent me from vidlinking my wife and daughter,” Justin said. He forced a smile to his lips. “Are you okay?”
“No.” She started to cry again. “Three families got notifications today,” she said between sobs. “On our block. I stayed by the door, on my knees, begging God not to let it be you.”
Tears formed in Justin’s eyes, and he let out a breath. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. He answered my prayers, because you’re still here.” She pursed her lips. “Maggie’s asleep… it’s two a.m. here, but next time?”
“Yes. I’ll plan a little better.” Michelle had long ago accepted that any faith he had wasn’t shown outwardly. Even if I know she wishes that were different. “We’ll get through this. I promise.”
“Promise me you’ll come home, Justin.”
“I promise you that with every fiber of my being, I will do everything in my power to come home.” He glanced down. “But as I’ve learned
