“Just what exactly am I supposed to do with you?”

Rúna stood at attention before the colonel, with Kai, First Sergeant Berger, and Captain Inaba beside her. Holme sat at a makeshift desk beneath the same pavilion where they’d signed the treaty; fitting, given why they were there.

The corporal kept her eyes focused on an imaginary spot half a meter above his head. Being no stranger to rhetorical questions, she said nothing in reply.

“You understand we don’t go around drawing down on people we’re negotiating with just because they’re irritating, don’t you?” he continued, his stern expression speaking volumes.

“Yes, sir,” she answered.

“Glad to see we’re on the same page,” he grumbled. “Mind telling me why you did it, corporal?”

She’d really hoped to avoid this; she would have preferred to just take her lumps and move on, but it looked like it wasn’t going to be that easy. So instead Rúna dropped her gaze, looking him in the eye. “Sir, with all due respect, the Decurion was right. That Zaitai was deliberately trying to sabotage the negotiations, and I’ve fought too long, too hard, and watched too many of my own pay the price to let him get away with it. If I hadn’t drawn on him, we’d have no agreement.”

“So, the ends justify the means, is that it?” the colonel said coldly. “I sincerely hope that’s not what you’re saying.”

“Not normally, sir,” she agreed, “but with the stakes as high as they are? They most definitely did.”

Colonel Holme jumped to his feet. “You do not get to make that call, corporal,” he growled. “Do you have any idea how close you came to skewing the entire deal completely? They could have just as easily turned around and walked away, and where would we have been then?” he demanded.

Rúna worked her jaw. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

“Granted,” he nodded. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

She took a deep breath. “If you didn’t want me to step in, you should have left me back on the line, sir. But from the moment we set foot on this rock you’ve been pulling me and Kai out for every high-stakes mission, every security detail, and anything involving negotiations with the aliens, all because of our mission to Earth. I’m glad to do what I can, sir, but if you thought you can just trot me out like some prize pony as needed and then shuffle me off when it’s not convenient, think again.”

Kai winced as she unloaded on the colonel, but she wasn’t finished yet. “Threatening to blow that asshole’s head off is the only reason you have a treaty, sir. It motivated the others to put pressure on him as well, instead of letting him drag his feet until we had a Troika fleet over our heads. You want to use us as your hammer? Fine. But I’m not just some trigger-pulling slab of meat. I have a brain, and I’m damn well going to use it. Sir,” she said as an afterthought.

Everyone stood in stunned silence until Top Berger started snickering. “Something funny, First Sergeant?” he snarled.

She chuckled, shaking her head. “‘How are you gonna keep them in the foxhole once they’ve seen Mother Terra?’” she deliberately misquoted. “Besides, kid’s right,” she grinned. “If you didn’t want her input, you shouldn’t have kept asking for it.”

“We have a chain of command, First Sergeant,” he growled, “and I expect it to be maintained. Without it, this entire unit falls apart.”

“Begging the colonel’s pardon, but that horseshit,” she fired back. “Oh, not about the chain of command, you’re right about that, but then she wasn’t trying to stage a mutiny. You brought her and Sergeant Kai in for their knowledge and expertise, and that’s exactly what she was exhibiting when she pointed her weapon at that SOB. It was a risk, sure, no argument, but if I’d been in her boots? I’d have done the same damn thing.”

Holme had looked as if he were ready to blow a gasket, but something in the First Sergeant’s speech made him reconsider. He glanced over at Inaba, who shrugged. “Sorry, sir, but I have to agree with Top on this one,” she apologized.

“Et tu, Brute?” he sighed.

“We’re in uncharted space here, sir,” she pointed out, “and we need all the help we can get. Don’t forget, she and Kai are the ones that brought in the Oivu; in fact, they were the only ones who could. I agree she should have handled the situation better, but considering it all worked out, I think we have to put this one in the ‘Win’ column and move on.”

The colonel pinched his nose, before sinking back into his chair. “You understand I can’t just let this slide?” he asked them. “There has to be consequences for her actions.”

“Absolutely, sir,” Inaba agreed. “No one is arguing otherwise. Top and I are merely pointing out there are… extenuating circumstances involved, ones that should temper any potential discipline that may be meted out.”

He was silent for almost a minute as he digested that. Finally, he looked back up at Rúna. “Corporal Aukes, in view of your actions on the day in question, I’m placing a Letter of Reprimand in your file. In addition, I am also fining you a month’s pay, to be withdrawn over the next four months. And finally… I’m busting you down to Lance Corporal.”

The words struck harder than any bullet. She stood like a statue, staring straight ahead, refusing to break down or let him see her cry, but losing the team hurt more than she thought was possible.

The colonel let her stew for a moment before letting the other shoe drop. “However, I will suspend that bust, pending a review in six months. Keep your nose clean, and you’ll keep the stripe.” Rúna almost sagged in relief, but he wasn’t finished.

“But understand this, if you ever go off half-cocked again, I will break you. Am I making myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!” she snapped.

“Good. Now get out of my sight.” Rúna saluted, then spun on her heel and marched back out, with Kai beside her and Top Berger trailing along behind. She stumbled, catching her breath, as the gravity of what had happened settled in on her.

“All right, you heard what the brass had to say. Now it’s my turn,” Berger growled. “That played out exactly like it was supposed to, corporal. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the fix was in.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“What?” Kai said in shock. “No one said anything about this to me.”

“Of course not,” she snorted. “Your poker face sucks.”

Rúna folded her arms, staring at the older woman. “Okay, what the hell is going on, Top?”

“It’s simple,” she explained, “the captain was right when she pointed out what you two have brought to the table since that mission to Earth, like the Oivu. But here’s the thing; a military unit functions only if everyone believes they’re being treated equally. Break that rule, and suddenly all bets are off.”

“... but they need us, don’t they?” Rúna said as realization dawned on her. “That’s why they keep pulling us in for all that high-level stuff.”

“Something like that,” the first sergeant agreed. “You two keep producing results, and in the end that’s all that really matters. But they can’t be seen playing favorites. Bad for morale.”

“So they drag her in and read her the riot act,” Kai drawled, as the light dawned on him. “It was a damn show trial.”

“Yes, and no,” she shrugged. “Yes, because what happened was agreed on by everyone involved before you ever stepped into that pavilion. No, because you did screw up, corporal. You know it, I know it, everyone there knew it. You don’t go around threatening to kill potential allies, period.” She paused, considering that for a moment. “Unless ordered to,” she amended.

“But you said she made the right call, that you’d have done the same!” Kai shouted.

“Yep, and I stand by it,” she nodded. “Doesn’t matter. Sometimes you gotta take one for the team.”

“That is such total bullshit,” Rúna snarled. “Tell me how the fuck any of this is fair!”

“It isn’t,” Berger shrugged. “This is ‘Bigger Picture’ stuff, corporal. Your career don’t mean shit, this contract don’t mean shit, our lives don’t mean shit.” She glared at them both. “In case you two geniuses haven’t figured it out yet, we’re fighting for the future of humanity here. Nothing is more important than that. So if we order you to take a fucking hill, you take that fucking hill. Taking the hit for this, even though it needed to be done, is no different.” She put her hands on her hips, staring them both down. “Are we clear?”

Rúna tore off her helmet and threw it to the ground, her fists clenched in rage as she stormed off… only to slowly come to a halt a few meters away. She stood there, her back towards the others, until she turned to face them.

“This isn’t right, Top,” she said plaintively, “you putting all this on me. On us,” she revised, nodding towards Kai. “It could have been anybody that went to Earth. Us going there was an accident.” She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around it all. “I’m not freaking Caesar, or a goddamn ninja. I’m just me.”

“We’re Terrans, kid,” Berger sighed. “Like I said… fair ain’t got nothing to do with it.”

And with that, she turned and walked away.

Kai bent down and retrieved her helmet, ferrying it over and handing it off to her. “You okay?” he asked.

“No,” she confided. “Are any of us?”

“Probably not,” he reluctantly agreed. “What can I do?”

She thought about it for a moment. “Think you can score us a ride?” she asked.

“Maybe?” He shrugged, unsure. “Where do you want to go?”

Rúna got a distant look in her eyes as she gazed westward.

“... not far.”

----------------------------------------

The Aid Station was a far cry from the last time they’d visited here, back when they’d guarded prisoners prior to the Exchange. Hopping off the alien transport they’d commandeered, they took a moment to get their bearings. They recognized the main structure easy enough, but as for the rest…

A host of tents and prefabs had appeared since their last visit, sprouting out of the ground like mushrooms, but it was the smell that hit them first. It was a sanitation nightmare, with too many wounded in too small a space, and not enough medical staff to go around. Orderlies scurried by with bins full of soiled linen and kettles of gruel, desperately trying to keep pace with the demand. Judging by the trails of smoke, the laundry was being washed in tubs over open flames beside the cook fires.

Other, darker tendrils in the sky marked where bodily waste was being mixed with fuel and burned, adding to the stench. The staff looked exhausted, pushed to the breaking point, with cries of pain and agony coming from every direction they turned. The sight of freshly dug graves in the hastily expanded burial ground was especially gut-wrenching. As they watched, hospital auxiliaries lowered yet another wrapped corpse into a freshly dug hole, as they began covering the remains with dirt.

“Jesus. I had no idea.” Kai whispered, staring at the tableau in horror. “It’s… medieval.”

“Yeah, it’s bad,” Doc agreed somberly. “We weren’t ready for this.”

“None of us were,” Rúna swallowed, before waving the rest of the squad forward. “Come on, let’s find Yendrick.”

The squad wound its way through the maze as they began searching the tents. Doc finally snagged one of the other medics, who after consulting his tablet, pointed them towards one of the satellite prefabs. The corporal wrinkled her nose as she stepped inside, looking around the handful of cots until she spotted their companion. He appeared to be dozing, but as they drew near Yendrick opened an eye, before managing a weary smile.

“Hey guys,” he said hoarsely, before he started coughing. Doc was instantly at his side, helping to prop him up, while Becca pulled out her canteen and handed it to him. He drank deeply, nodding his thanks. “It’s good to see you all.”

Rúna stared at his missing leg, before wrenching her gaze away to meet his eyes. “Hey,” she said quietly, “how are you doing? We would have been here sooner, but...” Her voice trailed off, struggling to find the words.

“It’s okay,” he said, taking her hand. “Marina here was telling me what you guys went through after I got hit,” he explained, gesturing to the cot beside him… only to freeze when he realized it was empty. His face crumbled. “Oh… right,” he said softly, “never mind.”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, until Kai finally knelt down beside him, opposite of Rúna. “Can we get you anything?”

“How about a new leg?” he snapped, as the sergeant winced. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “I’m still trying to adjust, is all.”

“Don’t apologize,” he answered. “I figure you’ve earned the right.”

Tawfiq and Rivka traded glances, while Becca seemed to fight back tears. Doc pulled out his stethoscope and started examining him, while Arthur stood in the back, saying nothing.

“Prosthetics these days are pretty amazing,” Becca ventured, wiping at her eyes. “Look at the Commandant; she’s got a replacement leg and an arm.”

“I suppose,” Yendrick shrugged.

“I know you’re dealing with a lot, but… you saved our asses, back there,” Rúna told him. “I put you in for the Longinus Cross.”

The others looked up in surprise at the medal’s mention, but quickly nodded their approval. “You deserve it,” Tawfiq told him.

“Great… I’ll be sure to wear it when I’m begging for spare credits,” he said bitterly.

The rest of the squad looked away in embarrassment, but Rúna glared at him instead. “Okay, that’s enough,” she growled. “You’re pissed off and feeling sorry for yourself. I get it, better than you realize,” she said, before glancing over at Kai. “But it’s time to at ease that shit, right the hell now. You want to roll over and die? Fine. I’ll hand you my sidearm and give you some privacy,” echoing the sergeant’s words to her just a few days earlier.

“Screw you, corporal,” he snarled... earning him a smile in return.

“That’s better,” she grinned. “Glad to see there’s still some fight in you after all.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “You are such a bitch.”

“And proud of it,” she chuckled before sobering. “Look, just focus on getting better for now. Later on we can start figuring out your next move once we get off this rock.”

“You mean if,” he retorted, “if we get off this rock.”

“... maybe,” she allowed. “I’m not gonna lie, we’re not out of the woods yet. But we’re still trying, so promise me you’ll do the same.”

Yendrick looked away. “... whatever.”

She reached out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “Promise me,” she demanded.

Suddenly he was struggling to meet her gaze. Finally, he mumbled, “... I promise.”

“Good,” she said softly, rising to her feet. “We’ll visit when we can. Until then… stay frosty.” Yendrick glared at her as they filed back out.

Once they were safely outside, Rivka lit into her. “He’s lying there missing his damn leg, and you’re treating him like shit!” she said furiously. “Why the hell would you do that?”

Rúna halted and faced her. “Cause I’d rather have him pissed off at me, than pissed off at himself,” she answered. “He’ll get over being mad at me, but if he stays mad at himself long enough…”

Rivka made a small “o” with her mouth, as she realized what Rúna was hinting at. She started to say something, but the corporal had already turned away, making a beeline for the transport.