3
“How does it feel?” Rev asked Ten.
“Doesn’t hurt none. It’s just the damned itching that’s driving me batty. And they can’t give me anything ’cause it would interfere with the process.”
As if that reminded her, she started scratching at the edge of the regen chamber that stopped just short of her rib cage. Ten had lost both legs and part of her pelvis during the tanks’ first clash with the Centaurs on New Hope. Rev had been amazed—and happy, of course—that she’d survived, and now he was curious as to the process. Not just because he couldn’t imagine that she was regrowing a good portion of her lower abdomen and legs, but because regen could be in his future. Not for a while, but someday.
With just an arm, his wouldn’t be as drastic. He could wear a regen tube like a cast. Ten was . . . well, her entire lower body was stuck inside that cylinder, and she’d be inside the thing for two years at a minimum.
He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a bare whisper. “If I can ask, how do you, uh . . .”
“How do I take a crap?” Ten said with a laugh. “That’s what everyone wants to know. But enough about me and my medical woes. This is your hail and farewell, Rev. Drink up, man!”
Rev dutifully took a gulp of his beer, noting that she didn’t answer the question. But he’d probably overstepped his bounds, so he didn’t press the issue. Not really his business.
Hussein grabbed a pitcher and refilled his glass. “Where the hell’s Miko?” he asked. “She’s gonna miss the send-off.”
Rev shrugged his shoulders. He was hoping Tomiko would come, but there’d been a distinctive cooling-off between them over the last three months, and that hurt. Tomiko was his best friend. But he hadn’t handled telling her about his orders to the Home Guard well at all, and then, he’d compounded it by . . .
He looked across the table where Malaika was sitting, talking to Orpheus. He’d seen a lot of Malaika over the last three months. A lot. As if feeling his attention, she looked up and caught his eyes. A knowing smile came over her face, and she pursed her lips slightly as if kissing him, before turning back to whatever Orpheus was saying.
Rev managed not to grimace. Not that the time spent with Malaika hadn’t been good. It had been downright great on so many levels. And the night before, his last one on New Hope, had been . . .
Well, he didn’t need to get lost in those images now. In three hours, he’d be boarding the shuttle for his ride to the home system. And if he was honest with himself, he was glad to be leaving. He and Malaika had promised that night, three months ago, that there was no commitment, that there was nothing serious. But since then, Malaika seemed to be forgetting that promise. She’d be getting out of the Marines in another month, and she’d been talking about renting an apartment where Rev could stay when he came back to visit, even asking his advice on furniture and other domestic questions.
Rev had proven himself to be pretty dense when it came to understanding relationships, but it sure seemed like she thought there was something serious going on between them.
Maybe I’ve been thinking that, too.
But even if she was getting out, Rev wasn’t. And if having a relationship while in uniform was hard enough, Rev was going to be half-way across the spiral arm. No, better just make a clean break now for the duration, at least.
He was going to miss everyone, though. He looked around the table. His posse: Bundy—soon to be Second Lieutenant Bundy—Ten, Orpheus, Fyr, the newlyweds Cricket and Udu, and Yancey. All they were missing was Tomiko. Ten, Yancey, and Rev were all a little worse for wear, but maybe St. Chesty had really been looking down on them because they’d all made it through the war in one piece—well, with Ten and him, a little less than one full piece.
Yancey ordered another round of Hausner. The pitcher rose over the bar, then started its journey along the rails hung from the ceiling. It arrived above the table and gently descended.
“Your buddy there sure likes to make the orders and watch them come,” Hussein said.
“Simple pleasures for simple minds,” Ten said with a laugh.
“Hey, not criticizing. It is pretty cool. And everyone seems to like this place,” Hussein said, gesturing at the crowded bar.
He had a point. Leteeka’s had never been the most popular bar, which is why Rev and the posse liked it. Probably in part because of the upgrades, but more likely because not all of the bars in the city had been rebuilt and reopened yet, the place was packed, even on a Wednesday night.
“Well, you and the teams can help keep it going while I’m gone,” Rev said, lifting his glass.
“Deal,” Hussein said, clinking his glass with Rev’s.
If the posse managed to survive the war, Rev’s Raider platoon hadn’t. So many had been lost. Staff Sergeant Montez, Nix, Tanu, Badem, Yazzie, Lieutenant Harisa, McAnt, Gizzy. Joining Rev’s hail and farewell were Hussein, Strap, Porter, Radić, and Doc Paul from Third Team, and Pierson and some newbie whose name Rev had already forgotten from Second Team. Captain Omestori, Top Thapa, and Master Guns Tuala had stopped by earlier to buy the table a round of drinks, give Rev a First Raider Platoon plaque, and wish him luck, but they’d long since left for wherever the SNCOs and officers liked to hang out.
And, of course, Malaika. All to send Rev off. And suddenly, it felt real. These were his friends, his comrades in arms. He was leaving them, and for what? He could have turned down the orders, even if it was the commandant himself who’d decided he should go. He could have refused and waited until he was discharged, then joined his dad with the BOCT, working through his apprenticeship.
Yeah, right, he thought, tapping his social arm on the table. And Pashu? It’s not like they’re going to let me waltz out of here with that kind of weapon.
Right now, his IBHU was crated up and at the spaceport, ready to accompany him to the home system. Whatever he was going to face over the next three years, he was going to be well-armed for it.
Well-armed. Ha! I should tell Punch that.
But he refrained. As was usual now, his battle buddy was quiet, not intruding unless asked a direct question. Things were a little different with him since the invasion. No more jokes, for one. It was as if Rev had dialed back down his Personality Quotient. And now, with him already “neutered” as per the Council’s orders, Rev didn’t know if they’d ever get back to the easy relationship they’d had.
Rev didn’t think it was just the neutering, though. Punch had already seemed more reticent, and the only time Rev had questioned him about it, Punch had assured him that nothing had changed and that he was operating at full capacity. And in tactical exercises, that was correct. But he didn’t seem like “him.” He seemed like a normal AI, programmed to run a household or a manufacturing line.
Add the adjustments to limit his capabilities, and Rev didn’t know what to make of Punch. He’d long ago decided that Punch was more than his helpful battle buddy, and that he probably kept track of Rev and reported that up the chain of command, so directly confronting him was out. He could ask someone else, but he also didn’t want to highlight a potential problem. If Punch was malfunctioning, he knew his orders to Titan would be canc’d.
All told, Rev was a little sad. That was a far cry from the recruit who hadn’t even wanted a battle buddy in the first place.
Bundy stood up and clanged a spoon against his glass before stepping around to stand behind Rev. “OK, folks, listen up. I guess everyone’s here who’s going to be coming.”
Rev’s musing about Punch was snapped, and he stole a glance at the door. No Tomiko.
Punch and Miko. I’m feeling a little abandoned.
“And time’s getting short. Our guest of honor here,” he said, clapping a hand on Rev’s shoulder, “has to be at the spaceport in an hour and a half. Why, you ask? Why would he be leaving our dear home, abandoning his bestest and fantasticalest friends?
“Well, the answer, as you all know, is that Reverent Pelletier, the one-armed wonder who single-handedly—see what I did there? Single handedly?”
There were groans, and several thrown wadded-up napkins bounced off his chest. “Our Rev, who took on the entire Centaur army and sent them packing, has outgrown us. He has a higher calling, in the service of all humankind as a member of the Home Guard.”
He turned off the overly dramatic carnival barker. “Seriously, though, I really wasn’t exaggerating that much when I said he single-handedly defeated the Centaurs. I don’t need to tell you what Rev’s done. In my most humble opinion, there isn’t anyone in the Union Marines, and probably throughout humanity, who contributed more to our victory. And so, while the Union Marine Corps isn’t going to be as capable while you’re gone, all humanity will be stronger.”
“Ooh-rah!” Strap and Radić shouted in unison.
Rev felt his face turning red, and suddenly, he was afraid he was going to have to speak, but Hussein stood up and rescued him with another set of praises. But Hussein being Hussein, he added an only slightly exaggerated story of when Rev, with his famously “delicate” stomach, had thrown up on the battalion sergeant major during null-G training, much to the enjoyment of the rest.
One by one, each of the Marines and Doc Paul stood up and related a small story about Rev, then wished him well.
Malaika was last, and all she said was “You make sure you come home to momma” before she gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
And then, with no one else coming to the rescue, it was time for him to speak. He drained his glass first and stood.
“You guys have pretty much said it all already. Not much I can add.” At that moment, Grover walked into the bar and looked around. Rev waved and motioned for him to join them. “For all of you who don’t know him, this is my brother, Grover. And him being here means my family is out there waiting to take me to the spaceport. So, before I go, I’ll just say I’m going to miss all of you, and I wish you were all coming, too. Every time I’ve been in combat, the thing that kept me going was knowing that I had my fellow Marines around me, covering my six.”
There were several loud ooh-rahs at that.
“That’s about it, I guess. And I’ll see you all in three years, sooner if I can get some leave. Right back here at Leteeka’s, I hope.”
As Rev finished speaking, two bottles of champagne and a tray of clean glasses came zipping over to the table, compliments of the bar. Yancey took over, popping the cork and filling the glasses.
As soon as everyone had one, Bundy stood and said, “To Rev. Kick ass, take names, and by the Mother, show them what Union Marines are made of!”
His farewell party shouted another loud “ooh-rah,” belatedly joined by most of the people in the bar when they heard it. Rev downed his drink, then, with Grover urging him along, started to leave. But it wasn’t that easy. Everyone wanted a hug or a backslap, and Rev went down the line.
Malaika held back until last, and as she came in for a hug, she asked, “You sure you don’t want me to come send you off?”
“Nah. This is a family thing, you know?”
She gave a disappointed frown, then said, “OK, I understand. Well, no I don’t. But that’s OK. Let me know just before you take off. And I’ll get to the USO as often as I can to call you.”
She gave him another kiss, this one on the lips as she hugged him tight.
“Rev, we’ve got to go,” Grover reminded him.
Rev carefully extricated himself from her embrace, gave one last wave to the group, then turned and followed Grover out to the van his dad had rented. He jumped into the back where both Neesy and Kat were gesturing that he should sit between them. Grover joined his parents on the back-facing front seat.
The two girls possessively took an arm each and hugged them tight.
“Do you still need to go to the VGW?” his dad asked.
“No, I stopped by earlier and told Mr. Oliva and Maude goodbye.”
And drank with half of the other VGW members.
The Veterans of Galactic Wars, Post 747944’s meeting house/bar was still heavily damaged, with plastisheeting serving as one wall, but the surviving regulars had already returned to the roost, like the legendary swallows of San Juan Capistrano. Rev had drunk far more than he’d expected to with them, and before he realized it, he’d been signed up as the newest member of the post—three hundred credits for a lifetime membership already taken out of his account.
He’d always assumed that he’d join someday, just not at the moment. But all those old vets could be pretty persuasive when they wanted to be. Once they had their sights locked on him, there was no escape.
“OK, then. Let’s get going,” his dad said.
He told the cab to take them to the airport, then took out a bottle of Griesivoir, the local spirit traditionally drunk for luck. Rev held back a groan. He was already feeling more than a little tipsy, but there wasn’t a way for him to turn it down. At least it wasn’t the rotgut he’d had at the VGW and only a little more potent than the beer at Leteeka’s.
His dad poured a glass for everyone, even a finger for the two girls.
“How do you say it in the Corps? Fair winds and following seas?”
Rev nodded.
“OK, then. To Rev. We’re so proud of you. The Home Guard. Who would have thought you’d come to this, back, what, seven years ago? When you had that traffic ticket? Well, you’ve exceeded expectations by far, and your mother and I—”
“And me, too,” Neesy and Kat yelled out in unison.
“The whole family,” his dad corrected. “We’re all proud of you. Very much. So, if we can all lift our glasses. To Rev. Fair winds and following seas.”
Everyone lifted their glasses. Kat downed hers and held back her grimace while Neesy sniffed hers suspiciously, then took a tentative sip. Her face screwed up in disgust.
“This is nasty!”
“I like it,” Kat said, her voice breaking into a cough.
“You do not, Kat. You’re just saying that.”
“Girls!” their mother said. “Let’s quit fighting. This is the last time you’ll see Rev for a long time.”
“Sorry,” they both said as one.
“You have my seabags? All three?” Rev asked.
“All three,” Grover said. “I put them in the back.
Rev’s dad lifted up the bottle of Griesivoir, eyebrows raised in a question. Rev shook his head. There were no rules about boarding a shuttle while drunk, and civilian shuttles were far easier on passengers than Navy ones, but the less strain he put on his delicate stomach, the better.
“Well, I’ll sure have another.” He filled his and his wife’s glasses.
“Are you going to see lions this time?” Kat asked.
She’d been heartily disappointed when he told her he’d never seen any when he was on Earth. She’d somehow gotten the idea stuck in her head that lions and other animals roamed the entire breadth of the Mother. Rev had to explain that he’d been to South America, not Africa.
“I told you, I’m going to the home system, not Earth herself. I’ll be on Titan or Enceladus. I’ll probably never set foot on Earth again.”
“But if you do, will you see a lion?” she persisted.
“If I do, and if I go to Africa, yes, I promise, I’ll find a lion and send you a holo,” he said, giving up.
“Any word yet on what you’ll be doing?” his father asked.
“No. That’s up to the Congress of Humanity command. Right now, I’m still under the control of the Marines. The moment I enter the home system, I am attached, is how we say it. Totally under the Home Guard.”
“But you said you’re still getting your Marine pay, right?” Grover asked. “And Home Guard pay at the same time?”
“Yes, both,” Rev said.
It was one of the perks of being assigned to the Home Guard.
“Sweet. Making the big credits.”
“Make sure you save that extra money, Rev,” his mother said. “Housing prices are sky-high now. Too many people still living in temporary shelters. You’re going to need a pretty big deposit if you want a home after you get back.”
Rev just nodded. It was easier that way. She had it in her head that he’d be getting out of the Marines upon his return in three years, and he’d want to buy a place near the family’s and settle down. Rev taking Malaika home a few times only added fuel to the fire.
The talk faded into generalities until the van pulled in front of the terminal ten minutes later. They piled out, and Rev threw his three seabags onto a cargo cart. He got his retina scanned, and the cart took off to deliver his bags to the shuttle.
“Well, I guess this is it,” Rev said.
And then it was time for farewells again. Grover slapped him hard on the back, telling him to make New Hope proud. Kat had tears in her eyes, but she whispered, “You take a holo with a lion, OK?”
Rev laughed. “If I see one, I will.”
Neesy was solemn, holding out a hand, but as Rev started to take it, she changed that into a hug. His mother’s hug was longer, and she kept telling him to take care of himself and to call back once he got there.
Then it was time for his father, the man who’d come into his mother’s and his life and created a family, raising Rev as if they were blood. They shook, arms clasped, hand to forearm.
“I’m so proud of the man you’ve become,” he said before pulling Rev into a hug. They held it for ten seconds before they broke, and Rev could see tears glistening in the older man’s eyes.
He wasn’t doing much better. He had to choke back his own tears as he looked at his family. “I’ll try and come back on leave. No promises, but if it’s possible, I will.”
And then it was time to go. He waved as he started into the terminal. He turned at the gate, waving one last time, then faced the scanner. Cleared, he stepped inside.
Swansea’s civilian spaceport only had four gates. Rev had never been inside the terminal before, so he stopped just past the main entrance to orient himself. Gate Three was off to the right.
“I guess this is really it, Punch,” he subvocalized. “Next stop, the home system.”
<The next stop will be Torrington Station, where we will transfer to the Nightingale Rexar for the trip to Titan Prime.>
Rev rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t being literal there.”
<Understood.>
That’s all. “Understood.”
Rev didn’t know if this reticence was more of the same or if it was part of the neutering process. He knew Punch’s ability to record had been limited but hadn’t been told exactly what was done to his battle buddy from a security standpoint. Rev was going to be out of the Union, and allies against the Centaurs or not, not everyone was a friend. Punch had a lot of knowledge that other nations might find useful. Whatever had been done to him could be adding to his battle buddy’s seemingly reserved personality. As bad as Punch’s sense of humor could be at times, Rev missed that version of him.
With a sigh, Rev headed to the security station leading to his gate when a voice called out, “Rev! Wait up!”
He turned, and to his surprise, Tomiko, in uniform, was hurrying up to him.
“Miko. What are you doing here?”
She frowned as she came to a stop in front of him. “I came to say goodbye.”
“But . . .” he started, looking back at the main checkpoint where people were scanned to confirm they were passengers and could enter. “I mean, this is passengers only.”
Her frown shifted into a wry smile. “Marines are held in pretty high regard right now, and I sort of, you know, exaggerated our relationship to get inside.”
“You mean, like you said we were . . .”
“Engaged. Yeah, I know. But don’t worry. I’m not being some crazy stalker.”
“Miko—”
“Just joking. It’s only that . . . Look, I haven’t been a good friend these last three months.”
“It’s OK. I understand.”
She held up a hand, palm out, and shut him down.
“It’s true. Back at Leteeka’s, when you dropped that bomb about going to the Home Guard, I took that as an affront.”
“I should have told you first.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. I mean, you could have, but you didn’t have to. Whether you were going to be discharged or not, whether you were going to the Home Guard or not, those were your decisions, not mine nor anyone else’s.”
Which rather reflected his own thinking that night. But he didn’t say that.
“It was just, you know, with Udu and Cricket getting hitched, with Ten all messed up, and then with all of us convicts getting discharged, well, the posse was going to split up. I know we don’t mean for that to happen, but sure as shit, it will. And the posse, and the teams, too, they were my family. So, I thought that maybe you and me, we could still hang on . . .”
She trailed off.
“I understand, Miko.”
She gave a wry laugh and said, “Yeah, you probably do. Doesn’t make it right. So, I wanted to come and tell you that I was wrong, and I apologize. You’re gonna be a fucking amazing Home Guard trooper, and I wish you all the best.”
“Why didn’t you come to my hail and farewell? You could have told me that there, and I’d have loved for you to be with us.”
“I’m not sure. Ten and Yancey, they’ve been pretty pissed at me for how I reacted. Bundy lectured me, too. I didn’t want to face them.”
Rev raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t realized the others had noticed anything. He shouldn’t have been surprised, though, now that he thought of it. They were all too close not to see that something was up.
“Well, I’m glad you came here,” Rev said. “Could I get a hug, do you think?”
She smiled—a real Tomiko smile, this time—and stepped into him. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed with his right arm. She responded. She may be small, but her augmented arms were just as strong as his organic arm, and she gave as good as she got.
The loudspeaker announced that his shuttle would commence boarding in fifteen minutes, and Rev slowly broke the embrace.
“That’s uh . . .”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Tomiko said, stepping back.
But he didn’t want to say goodbye quite yet.
“So, what are you going to be doing? I could ask my dad about getting you into the BOCT, if you want,” he said, the first thing that came to his mind.
“Oh, yeah. I guess you didn’t know, ’cause I haven’t told you. I put in for a retention.”
“What? A retention? As in staying in the Corps?”
She suddenly looked shy, toed the ground, and said, “Yeah. Why not? I mean, it’s not like I’ve got a lot to go back to as a leech. Yancey put in his papers, too.”
Rev knew about Yancey, but Tomiko asking to stay in was a surprise. Almost all of the convicts, those conscripted due to criminal behavior, were slated to be released. Being conscripted was too close to being drafted for most people, and with the war over, they wanted to put the fact that people had been involuntarily forced into the Navy and Marines behind them.
But quite a few of the surviving convicts had found a home in the Corps, and large numbers had put in papers to be retained. With the Corps being downsized, Rev didn’t know how many of those requests were going to be granted.
“Well, I have to think you’d be a good candidate. You’re a Raider. Think of all the augments.”
She winced, and Rev knew that once again, he’d put his foot in his mouth. Along with the convict issue, as the degree of augmentation done to Marines in various occupational specialties was becoming known, there was significant pushback to that. Too many years of government propaganda against the Genesians and Deimers had an effect, and the idea that discharged Marines with significant augments would be walking among them was something that too many didn’t want to entertain.
“I think they’ll take you, is all I meant.”
“We’ll see.”
Another announcement blared over the loudspeakers, telling passengers to move to their gate.
“Well, I should be going. It’s been great to see you again, and I’m glad you came.”
“I’m glad, too,” she said, a huge smile taking over her face. “It’s a real load off my mind. You . . . you take care of yourself. Don’t let any of those Mad Dogs or Frisians give you shit. None of the regular Marines, either. You’re Staff Sergeant Reverent Pelletier, damn it, and none of them can hold a candle to you.”
They came together for one more hug before Rev had to leave. But as he walked up to the final security gate, he was feeling much, much better than he’d been only a few minutes before.
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