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He didn’t.
I keep the thought to myself, slamming back my shot with the other girls when Tia counts to three. It burns down my throat, a sensation that I’m mostly indifferent to. I know some of the girls like to have a drink to relax before the customers arrive for the night, but I prefer to keep my wits about me.
Soon, the bar is packed with Coalition soldiers unwinding after yet another day spent hard at work ruining our lives. A part of me knows they’re just doing their job, but I still resent it and them. Not that I’d rather have Alliance soldiers here, for that matter.
I hate the whole damned war. The view does not improve, no matter which side of it I look at.
“Can you get me three green Baktu ales?” Malina shouts over the music. Her cheeks are strained from trying to plaster a smile on her face for as long as she has.
“Who is it?” I ask, pulling the bottles out of the refrigeration system and handing them to her one at a time.
“The tall Kreetu,” she whispers loudly. I follow her gaze, studying him, then shake my head.
“He looks a few transistors short of a circuit board,” I scoff, noticing his dim expression. It’s possible he’s just had too much to drink, but that’s not really any better, is it? As the youngest of us, I worry Malina will be taken advantage of.
“That’s fine.” She shrugs a slim shoulder. “I just need him to take me as his mate long enough to get somewhere else. He doesn’t have to be a trophy. Besides, I think I can make something of him. He’s cute in a harmless kind of way, you know?”
“He’s a soldier. None of them are harmless,” I remind her.
“Yeah, but at least if he’s dumb, I know I can keep the upper hand,” she points out. I open my mouth to argue, then realize she isn’t necessarily wrong.
Well, Ataxia bless you, Malina. You might be the smartest of us all, you little minx.
She heads off to work her target, while I stay behind the security of the bar and continue to mix drinks. I have no interest in finding a soldier-daddy. I’m here to do my job and earn a few tips so I can buy some groceries and take care of my mother. That’s it.
It’s not like I’m ever going to be able to leave Armstrong, anyway. My mother could never survive a trip, even to somewhere close by. And I’m not going anywhere without her or Isa.
But even if I had somewhere to go, it wouldn’t be on the arm of one of these lunkheads. I’m all for letting the girls dream if it gives them hope, but I know how this story ends.
Generally, it’s with the girl knocked up and crying that he swore he loved her. Meanwhile, her big, heroic soldier is suddenly nowhere to be found.
No, thank you. I have enough people to take care of.
2
DREX
The sun is just rising in the north, but the day is already muggy. I don’t particularly mind. It reminds me of the weather back home in Kalei, and my scales are good for maintaining my core temperature. But I know it’s not comfortable for the hairy Odex soldiers I work alongside, and I’m already preparing myself for them to be grumpier than usual.
“Anton!” Freck calls out. “You done with inventory yet?”
I pause, glancing over the checklist on the data pad in my hand. “Yep,” I answer when I verify that everything in the boxes of medical supplies has been counted and filled in.
“Kyltic wants us to take all this shit down to the tent on the other side of the bridge. The one we set up yesterday.”
I nod. “In what?”
Freck tosses me a key fob. “The tan grav-truck. Right there.” He points. “You bring it over, and we’ll start loading the back.”
Even Freck, normally a light-hearted jokester, is more task-oriented than I’m used to today. Normally, he’d probably suggest we take a little joyride in the truck while no one’s looking. No one believes in the union break quite as strongly as Freck does. He’s a good guy, and a good soldier, but he has no problem taking fifteen minutes to relax.
Hell, I’ve caught the guy taking a nap in the crows' nest before. He wasn’t on duty at the time, but still.
Me, I’m the one always trying to get to the next mission without distractions. Though I don’t judge any of the other guys. I’m pretty sure, as a paid mercenary hired by the Odex forces to bolster their military, I make more than any of them do, so it’s probably fitting to put a little extra effort in. Besides, for me, it’s just a matter of work ethic.
The truck engine turns over and springs to life as soon as I get in range, thanks to the chip embedded in the key fob. Pressing the unlock button, I lift myself up on the running board and climb into the driver’s seat. When the light comes on telling me that the anti-gravity field is ready, I slide the shifter into position and the truck begins to lift about two feet off the ground.
“They must be expecting casualties soon if they’re stocking the med tents. I wonder how close the Alliance forces have gotten?” I muse to the empty truck cab as I back the vehicle, trailer first, to where Freck is now waiting with Linus.
