Morning light was filtering in through the windows in the medbay. Kenny groaned, opening his eyes and squinting. On the other side of the medbay he spotted a familiar figure: a small woman in a crisp white dress, seated at a desk working on reports.

“Hey, Tanya!” he croaked: “What’s the story, Morning Glory?”

She glanced at him with a small smile and a look of apparent relief as she rose and approached his small room. “Good! You’re awake. Now maybe you can answer a few questions for us. And don’t worry, you can ask some yourself.”

“That’s good,” he replied: “Who does a guy have to kiss to get a little coffee here?”

Tanya didn’t answer, but changed directions slightly to walk to the wall next to his room. “How do you take it?” she asked: “Cream, sugar, black?”

“Cream is for pansies,” he replied. “Dark as night, plenty of sugar. Thanks.”

She appeared from behind the wall carrying two cups, her clipboard computer under one arm. One cup was obviously not his as it was loaded with cream, but the other looked and smelled like heaven in a pot. He reached for it with his right hand, suddenly realizing that though he could move it just fine, the arm was still quite sore. He gritted his teeth, took the hot cup from her hand and drank a cautious sip. It was very hot, but that’s just the way he liked it.

“Beautiful,” he breathed. “So, when do you want to collect on that kiss?”

“You can owe me,” Tanya replied cooly. “I just need you to recall for me everything you remember about that fall. I know it might be hazy, but any little detail could help.”

Kenny tried to shift in the bed, and quickly realized that that was a mistake. His right leg and hip both screamed at him in anguish, and he drew in a sharp breath.

“Try not to move too much. We had to have you off the painkillers for a bit so that this morning we could run a neuroscan to tell us more about the injury. Anesthetized nerves don’t carry any information for the test. We will get you back on the metacycline as soon as the test is finished.”

“Ooh, you’d better, Doc. That was a sharp reminder of the battle.”

Still groggy, he tried to pull together the best recounting he could of the last minute of the fight.

“I jumped to the top of the wall. Had to go back to protect the armored squad on the ground while they reboarded. The three of us unloaded on the Mad Cat: like that was going to do any good.”

As he paused, though, he realized that it had. The squad was safe back at base. They wouldn’t have been had he, Armando and Bill not distracted the Clan Mech.

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“I took fire: a lot of it. Blasted my right leg out from under me and I fell off the wall.”

“And how tall was this wall?” Tanya inquired.

Kenny estimated. “About six stories, I think.”

“You took a dive off a six story wall, in a Mech thirty feet tall, and crashed on your side? You’re lucky you weren’t pulverized, your organs smashed to jelly. No wonder your leg was in such bad shape: and your hip, too.

“We had to reset the broken pieces of your hip, then reassemble your leg, all while nanites kept you from bleeding out. Doctor Caulder was shocked at the amount of damage you took. Had you just fallen on the battlefield your safety features in your Mech would have kept you from hardly any harm, but that– yes, you’re lucky to be alive.

“Do us all a favor, will you? Avoid taking nosedives off of tall buildings?”

Kenny grinned. “You always have to take the fun out of everything, don’t you?”

* * * * * * * *

Allen’s office seemed crowded, not because of the three persons in the room but because of the near lifesize holodisplay playing in front of them. Gun camera footage from Kenny’s Mech was playing out, some of his commentary on the battle in the background.

Allen watched from behind his desk, one hand tapping a stylus on it. Katarina watched upright from a chair beside him, hands clasped in her lap as she keenly observed the display. Justin was off to one side, slouched back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

The display ran out, and the room became empty and quiet. Allen shifted in his chair, looking at the other two.

“Thoughts, comments?”

Katarina nodded. “For a leader in a hard position, he handled himself and his men very well. He gave warnings in good time, called retreat as soon as the battle became unwinnable, and sacrificed his own security for the sake of the ground troops.”

“Security, hell!” interjected Justin: “He nearly sacrificed his own life there! Have you seen the medical reports on his condition?”

“Indeed I have,” replied Allen: “which is why I am recommending him for the Avengers Star of Honor. He set an example I hope any of us would strive to live by.”

Katarina considered, then nodded. “Usually you only present the Star posthumously, but given the degree of his sacrifice I think it is appropriate.”

Allen looked to Justin, who sighed and nodded. “Yeah: it’s appropriate, all right. He damned near got himself killed, but for all the right reasons. He deserves it.”

Allen smiled. “Then it’s settled. We present him the award at a banquet in his honor as soon as he is healthy enough to attend.”

Justin chuckled. “The crew will love that. Some real food for once, not that packaged kibble.”

Allen nodded and stood up. “Yes, there is that, too. A reward to them for all their hard work, and a reminder that even in defeat we have much to celebrate.”

Katarina smiled as she too rose from her chair. “A touching gesture that the crew will remember for a very long time. It is all very perfect.”

Justin stretched in his chair, then noticed that the other two were standing and straightened himself out and got up. “I’ll keep an eye on Kenny’s progress and recovery, and let you know when I think he’s well enough to attend an event like this. Meantime, take care!”