“Knaprig saidthe same thing years ago.”
“Knaprig?”
“One of my kin,” he said with asigh, “Back in the War, me, Osk, Khan,Knaprig, and Gun would stand side by side against the Biomechs. Wewere an unstoppable juggernaut of Jötnar warriors, eager for combatand revenge against our old masters. Knaprig and Osk married andcommanded the Red Watch on Prometheus. Now they are the guardiansof that world.”
“I didn’t know Jötnar married.”
“A custom we learned fromyour people.” He said with a smile,“Knaprig sustained terrible damage in battle against the Biomechs,edge weapon injuries all over his body, but it was worse thanthat.”
He nodded towards Valentine’s arms.
“He lost both arms at the end ofthe war, as well as significant damage to his spine. We could haveused tech on Taxxu to rebuild them, buthe refused. So now he has mounts much like yours at the shoulder.Knaprig was the first of the heavily augmentedwarriors.”
“I never knew that. You were close?”
“Yes. In those days it was us, Spartan, and Teresa against thegalaxy. I would see those days return. Now Teresa is gone, andSpartan and Khan have vanished, perhaps never to comeback.”
“I fear you may seethose days again. There’s more to befought over than simply the Ski’ligs. I sense a struggle is comingto us, one for the soul of the Alliance.”
Olik lifted an eyebrow and thengrinned.
“I look forward to it.”
Valentine swung her artificiallegs over the side of the bed and let the feet settle on the floor.She could feel the coolness as it was registered by the skinsensors, and then sent as signals throughher central nervous system to her brain.
“I assume you’re not here to check onmy condition, Sir?”
“I’m checking on all of mylance leaders. But you’re not completely wrong.I do have other reasons. You are one of my most experiencedhalf-lance leaders, and I need you in action, and soon. The medicstell me you need more time to heal, and that you should be senthome.”
He licked his lower lip before sayingmore.
“If you need this, tell me. Ihave already sent back nearly a fifth ofour wounded to be treated on Sol. Many more are recovering from theeffect of the Ski’ligs on their minds. They have inflicted a traumafar worse than mere physical wounds.”
He nodded to himself as he recalledsome distance memory.
“I saw the same looks on the face of those who fought the Biomechconstructs. Even those that fought against my people.”
He then sighed.
“The first of my kind were notsynthetic like me, but reconstructed from the matter torn from thevery prisoners the Biomechs had taken…”
He stopped as he realised what he wassaying.
“Of course, your father. My apologies, Lance Corporal, thatwas…”
“It’s okay, Sir. That was a longtime ago. I’m just here for the fighting.You can count on me. These treatments are just to get me back on myfeet.”
He smiled, and then moved closer.
“And your dreams? What about theflashbacks?”
Valentine swallowed, and he couldsee the instant change in her demeanour.The cockiness and confidence slid away, revealing a vulnerabilityhe had seen before.
“They’re still there, Sir. But itwon’t stop me.”
“I know,” he said slowly,“We all have those moments. Returning to a placeof calm is not weakness, Lance Corporal Valentine. Even my peopleseek respite from war. Thousands of my kin now live on Hyperion, anoasis compared to the warzones they have seen. And they deserve it,every one of them.”
He did his best to smile before takinga step away.
“War is here, and ifyou’re up for another fight, there’s aplace for you. Think about it, though. If you need space, you’llhave it.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Captain Olik spotted movement near the door, nodded, and turned awayfrom her. Valentine looked off to the right where she could seerobotic Mules moving in a column through the interior of the base.She noticed Olik speaking with several others. Finally, theyseparated, and two Novas appeared at the open door to the medicalbay. They were fully equipped with combat limbs and attachments,though they carried only limited weaponry on them. Acting CorporalAlexis Kleinlercher was there, along with Private Hawkins, and theyboth looked surprisingly eager.
“Well?” Alexis asked.
“Well, what?”
“Your tests, Valentine.” Alexisshook her head.
“I…uh.”
“She fell asleep again,” saidHawkins with a chuckle, “It’s these comfybeds, right?”
“I’mdoing fine. Skin grafts are good, spinal repairs finished,and…well, the rest of me is back to normal.”
“Good,” said Alexis,“Let’s go. I need you back with theunit.”
Valentine finished pulling on herclothing, and then moved from the room. The medic that had treated her was waiting and held out adevice near her arm.
“I need your confirmation before I canrelease you.”
“Do it.” She lifted her arm closer. The device beeped, and the medicgave her a curt nod.
“Do not hesitate to come back ifthe symptoms return.”
She nodded and moved away with the others. They passed out into a widefoyer that led to open chambers in all directions, one of which wasmarked to the temporary barracks. She started to move there, butAlexis grabbed her arm.
“No. We’re done on Deimos. We’re needed elsewhere.”
“Oh?”
They continued through the underground warren, passing a series of heavilyguarded checkpoints before finally reaching a temporary barracksspace. The ceiling was high up and covered with exposedmetalwork.
“This isn’t us,” saidAlexis, “This is for3rd Platoon. We’re on the other side of the landing pad.There’s only so much space cut into this rock we canuse.”
“3rd Platoon. I never thoughtthey’d be reformed.”
“Agreed. I spoke with theLieutenant about it. He said we needed tolet go of the past and move forward. If we don’t, he said the Novaswould soon become a graveyard.”
“That doesn’t sound like him.”
“I know.” Alexis slowly shook herhead, “He’s changed a lot since thesiege. We all have.”
The ground was marked for loading, and there were drop-off bays wherevehicles could reverse up and unload stores through the doorsalmost a metre from the ground. One of the hexagonal doors wasopen, and bright light inside showed several people in armourmoving about. Another section extended out from one of the wallswith several angled windows fitted on two sides, like a kind ofcontrol tower to watch the loading area.
“As you can see, this place is backonline.”
She indicated towards the massive metal blast door on one wall.It was half open,
