"Sergeant Rodriguez?" I asked.

"Yea, who else would I be," he chuckled, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"I'm just confused as to why you're here. I apologize."

"That's quite alright, John. I came here to inform you and the rest of the crew that I have some plans and need someone to take over. It's come to my attention that we could be in an excellent position to make real progress. So, Private Jackson will be promoted and lead the squad accordingly."

"Yes, sir. What progress?" I asked, knowing that he was a rebel.

"It's something big, Private Moore. It's going to tip the scales."

Rodriguez sounds just like General Vega, shit.

"It sounds intriguing, Sergeant Rodriguez. I'm excited." His dark eyes seemed to gleam with intensity as he spoke, his square jaw set in determination.

"Oh, hey, there you are, Private Jackson. Let's go to the lounge room. I have some exciting news for you," Rodriguez said as he guided Jackson down the hall.

Finally, in my room, I plopped onto the bed.

Is the Solaris Republic aware of General Vega’s plans? Or have they kept it secretive even amongst themselves? Either way, it's disheartening that Rodriguez, the only comforting authoritative figure I've met so far, is in cahoots with the rebels. Why would he risk weakening the war effort?

The walls seemed closer than usual, and the bed larger. It was evident the long day had taken its toll on my body and mind alike. Our first battle, the arcade, the briefing meeting, and then discovering the machine and the uses General Vega has in mind; how much more can I take? Finally, too weak to change into pajamas, I rolled over on the cover and closed my eyes.

"Hey, where'd you go, buddy?" a man that looked to be in his fifties asked me. His white hair, beard, and familiar, warm smile elicited a rush of emotions.

"I'm sorry. What do you mean?"

"It's just that I haven't seen you in a long time, son. Your mother and I have missed you."

"Dad?"

"Yea, buddy, it's me. I was beginning to think I'd never see you again."

"I know. I just woke up aboard this ship and am piloting Nanobots. I don't recall any of this, and I'm so sorry, but I don't remember you."

"It's ok. It must just take some time. So I'll leave you be, son. I love you."

Brrring brrrring brrrring

"Ahhh," I yelled, pushing myself straight up in the bunk.

Was that really my dad? Oh, shoot, I need to get ready—fifteen minutes until physical training.

With only a few minutes to spare, I changed into my exercise shirt, shorts, and sneakers, then ran out the door.

"Good morning, Private Moore. In a rush?" Jackson asked, laughing. His newly pinned sergeant stripes glittered on his uniform.

"I'm Sergeant now," he added, looking at his rank, confused about the promotion.

"I think you're going to do great. So happy to hear the news," I replied, but I didn't feel great about the promotion. Jackson has been obnoxious at moments, and I wouldn't imagine that pairs well with managing a team.

"It's going to be interesting. I'm not sure what to think."

That's reassuring. I'm glad to hear that Jackson is as confused as me. I'll have to take it day by day and monitor his behavior. He could be valuable in our investigation.

"Good morning, Maria and Luke," I said, seeing the two in front of me. Maria's dark brown hair tied in a ponytail and Luke's small but athletic frame made them easily recognizable, even from a distance.

"Oh, hey, John! Good morning," Maria replied, her brown eyes lighting up as she smiled. Luke gave me a firm handshake.

"Luke told me about your conversation with him yesterday," she said.

"She's cool with it too, and I'm feeling much better now," he said, his voice more relaxed and confident.

"Good! There's no reason to worry. Any idea what's ahead of us today since Jackson is Sergeant now?"

"No clue. I'm sure he'll tell us at physical training, though," answered Luke.

As we approached the GOPEL for our workout, I saw Rodriguez telling Sergeant Jackson something before walking off with General Vega. Their whispered conversation seemed urgent, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. It's clear now that Rodriguez is a rebel. Hopefully, he hasn't brought Jackson in on it.

Once in the GOPEL, Jackson had us meet in the middle. Surrounded by the lab, weights, treadmills, and various other performance-enhancing machines, Jackson explained the situation. The air was thick with tension as the rest of our team gathered around, their faces a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

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"Alright, as I'm sure you know, Sergeant Rodriguez has been reassigned. He sends his regards to all of you and wants me to tell you to stick together. I've been promoted to Sergeant and, therefore, will lead our squad effective immediately. Are there any questions?"

"What was he assigned to?" Foster asked, his brow raised with curiosity.

"The reason is classified."

"Of course," Foster rolled his eyes, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Is the schedule going to be the same?"

"I'm not sure. If the frequency of attacks continues at its current rate, we'll move to a more sim-heavy regiment. I was briefed this morning before our session, and Rodriguez said one of the ships was infiltrated.

The Xenobots seem to have mutated to penetrate our lower-level shields. Don't freak out, new guys, the Noah has a more advanced shielding system.

"If they've mutated to penetrate lower-level shielding, then who's to say they won't evolve to penetrate ships with the Noah's capabilities too?" Dr. Li hinted at a lapse of judgment, her voice filled with concern.

"It's possible, Dr. Li. My orders are to transition the squad after this news seamlessly. I need to find out what is going on. Rodriguez hinted at a major development that will bring us out of this war once and for all, so for now, we need patience."

"Jackson doesn't know," Maria whispered, leaning closer to my ear, her voice barely audible.

"I'm going to learn more for us. I received my briefing documents for my new promotion and now have more information resources. Rodriguez wants to speak to me about something important later this week."

Maria, Luke, and I exchanged glances, knowing Rodriguez's intentions for that call were to inform Jackson of the rebellion.

"I'm going to need to speak privately after our session here," Belsky said in his thick, we later realized, Russian accent.

He didn't speak often, and with our knowledge of what was going on, it made me think that Belsky was with Solaris. He must want to alert Jackson before Rodriguez sways him to his rebellious plan.

"That is fine, Belsky."

"I'd like to be involved with that discussion as well," Harrison replied, her voice firm and resolute.

"As would I," Dr. Li added, her expression determined.

"Just because Rodriguez has left doesn't mean we can change our behavior. I'm the Sergeant of our squad now. I plan to make decisions on behalf of the group only if ordered to do so by Solaris. Still, I ask for the same respect you gave Rodriguez," Jackson said, his voice steady and assertive, asserting his new authority.

"That's fine with me. But there's no denying that Rodriguez became quiet toward the end. Earlier on, we used to discuss more as a group," Belsky replied, his expression thoughtful.

"I agree. As I said, I'm open to discussion."

Once we wrapped up our workout, everyone felt a little bit more energetic, surprisingly. I guess we got all of the tension out through our physical exertion.

"I've always felt relief when I work out after being stressed," Jackson said, stretching his arms out while tilting his head and popping his neck a few times.

"Everyone stay here. I'm going to speak with Belsky shortly before your dismissal," Jackson said as he and Belsky walked into the lab to speak.

When they came out, Jackson smiled, his hands rubbing together like he had a great plan.

"Alright, soldiers. Belsky has decided that the information he wants to discuss pertains to the entire squad. I've agreed to this. We will meet in an hour in the briefing room. So shower up, change your uniform for a fresh one, and grab a snack (fridges should be stocked by now, I requested it last night)."

As we all walked out, I felt a new sense of unity within the squad. Beforehand I had felt an allegiance to Rodriguez, but Jackson has opened up the group by allowing us to speak and participate more. Now it feels like a team."

"Nice job, John. Two more reps than your last workout on deadlifts. That's pretty impressive. I always thought Jackson and I would carry the team in a physical combat scenario, but you have the frame to help us. So keep it up, buddy," Belsky said before walking down the opposite side of the corridor.

"Looks like you've got potential," Maria said with a wink and chuckle, playfully bumping her shoulder into my arm.

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied, laughing. "Everyone seems to be talking more now that Rodriguez is gone. I wonder if they knew." I said, lowering my voice.

"I know. That's all I was thinking," Luke replied, catching up to Maria and my pace. "It feels so much brighter with Rodriguez gone," he added.

"I agree. We still have a lot to figure out, but this meeting is a start. It seems like Jackson and Belsky are in on something, and I don't think it's Rodriguez's something," Maria said before opening the door to her room. "See you guys in a bit."

"I'm excited to see what we have in our fridges. Later, John," Luke said, grabbing the door handle to his room.

I was excited too. A minor thing felt so amazing. Once in my room, I opened the fridge and saw fresh fruit all labeled. On the top shelf were a banana, pineapple, and strawberries. There were prepacked meals that could be microwaved. One was steak and mashed potatoes. The other was salmon and rice.

On the second shelf was a new assortment of drinks. Various colored "Meant 2 Last" bottles read as performance enhancement drinks, and beside them were bottles of water labeled "Space Water."

I heated the steak and mashed potato package in the microwave, opened up a blueberry Meant 2 Last, sat at my desk, and pulled out the massive "Law of Nanobot Pilots" book.

The last time I was in the simulation, I couldn't focus on all the nanobots. Of course, it's impossible to focus on all of them, but there's got to be a way to improve my ability to control them other than just experience.

"Control" sounds like what I'm looking for.

"To ensure optimal control of the Nanobots, you must start the sim with a calm mind. Try to think through the Nanobots. As legendary Nano-pilot Moore said, "I always thought about it as a relationship. For the Nanobots to understand my intentions for them, I couldn't allow nerves or concerns to cloud my consciousness. Think through them, not with them."

I need to shower and change—twenty minutes until our meeting.

I stepped out of my room, dressed in a crisp, freshly-ironed uniform, and set out for the briefing room with eleven minutes to spare.

"Wait up, Private Moore," a friendly voice said from behind. Dr. Li's eyes were warm, and she had a sincere smile.

"Hey, Dr. Li, how's it going?"

"It's going well. We've made some headway recently with a project behind closed doors. We'll speak in more detail in the briefing room, but I want you to feel you can talk and offer any ideas. You've been reserved, we all have, but Jackson wants to make these meetings more like an open forum."

"Thank you. I'm still adjusting to this, but I feel a shift in energy with Jackson as Sergeant. Did Rodriguez have a different approach to leading or something?"

"He used to be different. He was everyone's favorite."

"What happened?"

"We have an idea," she said as we reached the briefing room door, its metallic surface reflecting our determined faces. "Remember what I said; feel free to contribute," she added, gesturing for me to enter as she held the door open.

"Dr. Li and Private Moore, welcome," Rodriguez said from the far end of the large, dimly lit green resin table. His voice was confident and welcoming. "Grab a seat with the rest of your squad," he added, pointing with open palms at the rest of our team, who were silent.