“When the Left says people starving in the UHR, it is a lie. Look around, I don’t see anyone on Phoenix starving. These people are nothing but freeloaders, living off of our tax dollars for what? Working in a garden for a few hours? What about you fine people? Are you starving?” – From a right-wing political rally after the death of Vadim Agoston.

  “So, you continue to claim that a strange alien species—one that we’ve never encountered before—brushed off your attacks like they were nothing and killed one of your soldiers,” Bergman, a senator for the planet Galileo stated after Jack concluded his hour-long retelling of the battle that killed Ortiz.

  “Yes.”

  “And yet you claim to have killed the creature by,” he paused, looking down at his notes, “Forcing a ‘thread’ of Light into it, and pulling the ‘thread’ back out?”

  “That is an oversimplification, but yes. I can’t really explain why it worked, but it did.”

  “Officer Albert, care to weigh in?”

  A platform Jack hadn’t noticed before floated towards the center of the room, only stopping when it was even with the other. On it sat seven ornate chairs, stylized with the symbol of each corps overhead like the stories of King Arthur and the round table. In the center chair, the symbol of the Optic corps blazed violet and the platform's lone occupant stood.

  “At this time, we cannot give a fully formed explanation,” Albert said. “According to our observations, the creatures have some sort of evolutionary immunity to Light, but that does not answer as many questions as you’d think.”

  “Helpful as always,” Senator Bacon quipped.

  “For one so quick to demand silence, you do enjoy interrupting others, Senator Bacon.” Albert said, chastising the senator before turning back to Jack, “Private Monroe, I believe we’ve focused too much on the mishaps of the mission and not on what really matters. Please explain the feat of heroics that you and yours pulled off.”

  In response, the Private just stared in confusion at the Unranked Officer.

  “The rescue mission and subsequent escape,” he clarified.

  “Sir, after we secured the package and realized that getting a signal from orbit was nearly impossible, we knew we couldn’t leave a single member of the company behind. We stole a vehicle and charged toward the edge of the compound. Eventually, we came to a gate which Privates Walker and Neilson,” he said, motioning for the women to stand, “blew a hole the size of a small starship in by combining their power output. After meeting up with the others, we replicated the process we used in the lab and opened another gate.”

  Just before retaking his seat, he said one last thing on the subject, “I didn’t ask my men to give their lives for something as pointless as recognition. We risked our lives because leaving would have doomed our brothers in arms. We did it because someone had to.”

  “Well, I smell bullshit, and it is all over this story,” Bacon said, leaning back in his chair, “There’s no way a group of Privates can come to that realization AND choose to do something about it without pissing themselves.”

  “Senator,” Albert hissed sharply, “I’ve heard just about enough out of you. If, by some miracle, you have something constructive to say, then by all means, say it. But if you’re just going to sit there and take potshots at my soldiers, there will be consequences.”

  “Oh, be quiet, you toothless hound,” Senator Green said, coming to the defense of her party member. “You and yours are nothing but relics of the past. Why would I, or anyone in their right mind, listen to your antiquated interpretation of anything? It seems pretty clear these soldiers are either covering up treachery or they made a deal with the enemy in exchange for survival.”

  “Mary Greene,” Albert said, voice rising dangerously, “I suggest you withdraw your accusation. I can forgive loyalty to your party, but this is foolish. Do I need to remind you of what blind faith has brought you in the past?”

  “No, I was there when your lapdog killed the greatest leader we’ve ever had and threw his body into the street like trash. You can threaten me all you want, but the truth is out there!”

  “This is foolish,” another senator said, “Mary, if you want to be cut out of every important decision we make in this room, then continue speaking. Otherwise, shut up and let the grown-ups talk.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Captain, I believe we’ve gotten all the information we can glean from your soldiers today.” Senator Peters said, “I motion to release them for now, but I request the Captain and First Sergeant stay through deliberation. Any objections?”

  After a few moments of silence, she bade the members of Turaspeir a good day and reminded them of the possibility to be recalled, should the need be substantial enough. As the doors to the chamber closed behind them silently, they heard a senator call up the First Sergeant for testimony. Apparently, a detailed account of a mission was not enough. The politicians wanted more.

  “Well, that was a dumpster fire,” Dave said when they exited the building.

  “How so?” Jack asked. His desire to be away from the circus quickening his pace.

  “Are you kidding? You were the match,” Alec chastised. “What happened to ‘be respectful and only say what was necessary?’”

  “They happened. I would have been perfectly respectful if they would have shown any in kind, or are you ok with the fact that we risked our lives for a machine we can’t use?”

  “He has a point, Al,” Warren said. “It’s incompatible with our tech, and you know it. Practically speaking, all we did was steal the UHR’s biggest paperweight.”

  “What I hate are his claims that we’re less trustworthy because of our rank,” Thea added, “But, as pissed as it makes me, we shouldn’t be worrying about them until later. We have a limited time on the ground, and I plan to enjoy it.”

  ~~**~~

  “Come oonnnnn,” Dave moaned. They’d spent the last four hours in and out of various shops that specialized in just about everything. While the items definitely fell into the ‘cool’ category—like the upgraded shared-shielding module he’d already clipped to his uniform—it was still shopping. “Guys, I’ve wanted to see one of these games live since the first time I saw a recording.”

  “We know.” Candice said, “And you haven’t shut up about the sport since. There’s a whole lot of city to explore, and not a whole lot of time. Do you really want to spend that tiny window in an arena full of drunks?”

  While wandering the streets, Dave had seen a sign promoting exactly what he was looking for. As a huge fan of Light Ball, he didn’t really care which teams were playing; he was only interested in the fact that there was a game and the seats were cheap.

  “Well… yeah, who doesn’t,” he replied, a look of true confusion plastered on his face, “Especially since I plan on getting good and hammered tonight, might as well do it while watching the coolest sport I’ve ever seen.”

  “And why would I want to spend my night watching people pummel each other while also trying to make sure you don’t murder your liver?”

  “Because it’s fun,” Dave replied in an exasperated tone, “Worst-case scenario, what happens? We have a good time and get a hair closer as friends.”

  “Dave,” Cecile said flatly, “we’ve spent the last two years together. The first was on a giant, hot ball of hate where the only thing we could do was train and get to know each other. And last year, we spent every waking moment with one another. Hell, we even went shopping together when we could’ve easily gone our separate ways. I’m pretty certain we are about as close as we’re going to get.”

  “CC, we are like a family. Families do stuff together, even when it feels dumber than shit.”

  “I need some ‘me’ time once in a while, and you guys watching a game is the perfect excuse to get away,” she replied.

  “She won’t be alone… if that makes you feel better. The four of us are going to use this time planet-side and spend it in a real spa. The stuff on the ship barely counts as a hot water bath,” Thea clarified.

  “Three,” Nessa cut in. “You may not like the game, but I do. As much as you want the time to be girly, I want to spend it with my friends, getting drunk, and watching athletes beat the crap out of each other.”

  “Really?” Thea said, slightly taken aback. As much as she wanted to be surprised, she wasn’t. The hard-faced warrior was hardly the type to enjoy any kind of spa treatment, but she’d also never seemed the type to enjoy sports either.

  “I went with the boys back when we first joined up and I thought it was fun. So, I may as well continue the tradition,” she replied, pulling up her map interface and plotting a pathway to the arena. “You go without me. Enjoy yourselves, I know I will.”

  The three women simply shrugged in response and walked away, each privately thinking the same thing about their red-haired companion. Nessa was showing interest, and it was a good sign when compared to the extreme levels of apathy she normally showed.

  Dave took that as his queue and led the group along the pathway that Nessa’s AI planned. It wasn’t hard to find the stadium—being the largest building around made it hard to miss—but the map was a nice touch. While they walked, he followed his pre-game ritual of grabbing a drink from every bar they passed.

  “How do you do that?” Jack gawked.

  “What?” Dave asked around a mouthful of food.

  “That, eat mystery meat from a cart and drink like you’re on death row.”

  “If it walks and fits on the grill, I eat it. Usually with a beer or two.”

  “That answers… nothing,” Jack shook his head, imagining the large man cooking any number of strange meats.

  The arena was much different from the one they’d visited on the Alexander. It spanned almost six city blocks and was covered in a black dome with flecks of white. Clearly, the artist that designed this building had been trying to give the patrons the illusion of being in space.

  Instead of visiting a ticket counter, the owners had placed sensors inside the many entrances. When a person walked through, a notification gave the cost of the ticket, and automatically deducted the funds from their account. The transaction was so quick and seamless that if he hadn’t already experienced the feature earlier that day while shopping, he wouldn’t have noticed at all.

  “Where are we sitting?” Jack asked as they pushed through the crowd.

  “Very top, we can’t afford anything better on our salary,” Dave said cheerily, much too happy at the idea of being broke, “You guys go on ahead, I’m going to grab us some necessary items before it starts.”