***

--- Fort Alnus ---

May 28th, 2025

Sergeant Harvey Frost is currently in the back of one of the Army FMTV A2 transports. He just finished Ranger School and was able to get assigned to Vanguard-7. Since the attack in Philadelphia, a lot of Americans been wanting to get payback. Since the Siege of Italica(1), Coalition forces, which include NATO and none NATO forces have been able to expand their presence in this new strange world.

Since the US first expeditionary force went through the Gate and completely destroyed the enemy force there(2), we have developed complete dominance over the region. And then again, US fought them many more times throughout the months. There have only been a limited amount of news coming out of the State Department and the Pentagon, they are being careful not to release any information that could hurt culturally. But what has been released show that our forces have been able to come on top of anything this world has to offer, so the public statement been telling us.

The mood in the country and many other countries within the western world have been a state of shock. We in the west have been so successful and sheltered from conflict zones and the cruelty of life. We have not seen anything like this for many centuries and then suddenly everything we have seen in Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, all the great Roman films like Gladiator over the decades and many other cultures just went from fantasy to reality.

There has been much debate over the Internet from different streaming channels, arguing what could possibly wonders and horrors this new world could have. All that is just the cultural topics, the fact that there are magic and other races that are throwing a massive curveball. No one has been able to find a scientific or religious reason for any of it to exist. It is not that another world made the first contact with us, it is that we know so little about this new world and people have a hard time accepting what they do not understand.

The only reason that there has not been global protests and riots, or even wars has been the fact that the military has been an overwhelming success in the war, bring in some sense of stability in the minds of people. The illusion that the government has things under control and there is some sense of normality.

The FMTV A2 that he is in, there are new soldiers and some civilian scientists. Since the NATO Expeditionary Force has secured the Gate on the other side and the risk of a second attack low, the governments have been wanting to learn more about this strange world. To see if there is any new knowledge that can be learned and more importantly, resources. Basic truth in life, they want to know if there is anything worthwhile in this world before getting more involved.

In front of him are two French scientists and four British scientists. There is some Japanese, Australians, of course, Americans and other countries scientists in some of the other vehicles. It has become clear that we are going to be staying in this world, let us hope we have learned from past mistakes.

A bright light appears as they get closer to the end of the Gate. It attracted everyone as they look towards the light. The reality would finally hit that they are going to another planet, something you only could imagine not long ago.

Truth is, all this reminds him of that media franchise called Stargate. The Military going through a Gate to another world, to explore new places, meet new people, better stand our place in the universe and more.

Once through the Gate, he can see everything. Thousands of Soldiers walking around, doing whatever they are doing that day. Aircraft of all kinds flying around and a huge number of buildings everywhere. They said that Fort Alnus has grown big in a short period of time, totally about twenty thousand allied forces.

That is not including the civilian town that has been recently built. All this is very impressive. The second thing he has noticed has been how clean the air is. He hears one of the civilian scientist's comments about the air and how much cleaner it is then on Earth. That is very strange to hear, ‘back on Earth.' It just hits home that they are really in another world.

Their transport stops at a station and he jumps off once ordered to. He then walks over to a check-in booth.

"Hello, here are my orders," he hands over a document with his current orders on it.

The soldier takes the document and reads over it. "Your being transferred to Vanguard-7?"

"Yes. I heard they been on the frontline of this world. I want to be where everything is at," he said back to him.

"Well, you're in luck, they just arrived yesterday. They are on the east side. Report by 1700. Good luck." The soldier in the booth said.

"Roger that… which way is east?" he asked him.

"You're a Ranger, figure it out. Next." The soldier said as he begins working with another person.

"Ok…," he said as he walks away. "Part-time prick."

As he begins walking away, he looks down at his document, reading the address. Then he walks into something, something strong and furry. "Hey! Watch… it…" He then looks up at this tall looking dire wolfman. "Holy shit."

Yup, when they call it an alien world, they meant it.

---

Rory is laying on her bunk, stretched out as far as she can.

"Oh yeah…," she said as she yawns and stretches. After that, she flops on the bed. "Mm…, I love their beds. They're so soft!"

"Yeah, they are nice. I wonder how they make them," Lelei said, pondering on the thought.

"Who cares. It is not like you can make a magical spell from them…," she said and then sits up, looking at her. "Can you?"

"I don't believe so. If I could, what could I use a mattress for?" Lelei replied.

"You could comfort your enemies to death," Selina said, thinking on the topic.

"You’re spending too much time with the Rangers," Lelei said. "Besides, magic needs to be used responsibly."

"You and your responsibility… loosen up Lelei." Rory points out.

That is when they all hear a knock on the door. Selina gets off the bed and walks over and then opens the door. "Hello?"

It is First Lieutenant Sarah Rose and Sergeant Alicia Moore standing there. What is strange is that both are not in military uniforms but in what the military calls civilian clothes. What they call sundresses. "Can we come in?" Sarah asked.

"Ahh… yes. Of course," Selina lets both in the room.

The house that her, Selina, and Lelei live in while at Alnus Hill It is one of the few nonmilitary buildings with electricity, a small thank you for all the help she and Lelei been. It is powered by this wired looking glass panel on top of the roof.

The two women walk in and look around.

"Nice place. Better than my barracks. I have to sleep with a bunch of men." Alicia said. "Very nice."

That is when she looks at everything and notice them smirking, holding back a chuckle. "... shut it!"

"It is ok. I can only imagine the problem." Sarah said back to her.

"… You're an officer, don't you get your own room!?" Alicia said back to her, shooting her a glare.

"Well… I am just a Lieutenant, so I have to share with this other woman from Vanguard-5." She said, rubbing that point hard at Alicia. "It sucks though…"

Alicia crosses her arms and looks away. "Officers… hate you all."

As the two bicker a little, Lelei raises her hand halfway. "Excuse me but why are you two here? And why are you not in your military clothes?"

Sarah looks at her and smiles. "Easy, I was wondering if you three wanted to walk around town with us? I heard the UN Culture Exchange Center is set up. There are a few other stores that been set up. With both worlds stuff in them."

"And I was ordered to come with her ‘Girl Day'," Alicia jumps in, quoting with her fingers.

"…It was your idea, Sergeant Moore!" Sarah said back to her, a little annoyed.

Alicia moves her hands sideways, showing that she does not care. "Since when do officers listen to grunts."

In the background, she hears Selina chuckle at their bantering.

"I think I will pass. I already have too many books to read. Getting more will only set me back," Lelei said.

"… kid, there is more to life than just books. Have some fun." Alicia said back at her. "You need more hobbies, maybe find something that makes you look good for the boys." Alicia winks at her after saying that.

Lelei blushes a little after hearing that. She has spent so long living alone with her master, learning the ways of natural magic she has not even thought about boys. The life of a nomad, always traveling, rarely staying in one place. She would be too embarrassed to respond to Alicia.

"Especially since Sharpe is the one paying for everything," Sarah said.

"Wait, he is?" Alicia looks back at her, surprised by that. "Wait… does he even know?"

"Hey, it is his fault. He shouldn't be so lazy and have me do all of his paperwork." Sarah said, smirking.

Alicia begins to think about that point Sarah brought up. "Why do you do that… that is not your problem."

"…shut it." Sarah said quietly.

"I want to go." Selina yells. "It has been so long since we been around town."

"You all can go. I am going to stay here and enjoy this bed. Besides, I only wear this style of clothing so what else is there." Her clothes look like an Earth gothic style of clothing, all black with red lining. "And besides, I have to go check on my MPs and see how they are doing."

And right then, both Sarah and Alicia grab her arms and drags her off the bed.

"Nope, you are coming Rory. I am ordering you to," Sarah said to her, surprised that it is this hard-getting teenage girl to go shopping.

She hates the idea of going out and shopping. She is an Apostle of Emory and she likes what she wears now. Plus, many Apostles like Giselle like to take money as ‘charity or donations’ to spoil themselves. She does not like to spoil herself as she travels around.

As she screams no, everyone leaves the building and heads to the Alnus Community.

Once they arrive, everyone will notice how developed the town has become. With some help with the Army Engineer Corps, many of the living quarters are above five stories tall, an achievement for this world. A full fledge market with a diverse selection of food and other goods. There even seems to be some shops opening and some form of industry like carpentering and blacksmithing.

Even the mood in the air feels positive. Seeing everyone around, mostly all happy and active. A spark that seems to be lost in big cities on Earth.

As they walk down the street, a horse that is pulling a wagon full of some kind of reddish looking watermelons passes them.

"Wow… this place has surely grown. You people know how to build a town," Alicia said, speaking out loud.

"Yes. We had to put a pause on the construction and figure out an address system. The community has grown so fast the military has not been able to keep up with the growth. There still no independent governing system to manage the town." Sarah commits to what Alicia just said.

"Isn't that what's the Alnus Military Police is for?" Rory asked as she has her hands behind her head. She is referencing to the Joint Alnus Community Military Police Program, a joint police program with NATO and other Allied forces mixed with the native population. Since the military love their long over-literal names, it has been nicked named the Alnus Military Police.

"I don't think they like that Rory," Lelei said to her question. "From what I read; they prefer to keep military out of civilian issues like that."

"Yup. The military is designed to fight wars, not nation-building or enforcing laws. Besides, that wouldn't be ethical." Sarah adds to what Lelei said. "When we first came here, we were not expecting to be supporting a town."

"… why do you people make it so complex…" she points out. "From what I have seen, you people create problems just so you can do more things. If you just give us the power, we could fix all the town's problems."

"Rory, I know you don't believe that. That is the excuse of every dictatorship in history," Said Sarah.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Well… it keeps it simple," She shoots back.

She doses like how Sarah responds. That is how the Empire became so tyrannical in the first place. It had the power and used it. At first it was for all the right reasons however that only lead to one of the most brutal governments sense the Elven times.

Selina looks up at Sarah, a little confused about something. "Lieutenant Rose, why do your people separate power so broadly? Why does it matter who polices the streets or govern?"

"Because kid, the government sucks at everything it does. Always over promising and under delivering." Alicia said, making she tosses out her opinion first.

"…Alicia…" Sarah shoots her a short glare, wanting her to be nicer. "But she is kind of right. Power can corrupt. The reason why we separate law enforcement, and the military is because both require two different skill sets. Also, history has shown that tyrants have used the military to oppress their people. That is what happens to our people during colonial times."

Selina thinks on that for a second, trying to understand why. The ideas are so different from how her country operated. In her country and everywhere else she has seen; both are one of the same. Used to enforce the will of the current ruler.

"It is complicated for a reason. It is to prevent one individual from accumulating too much power. Why do you ask?" Sarah asked her.

Selina thinks about her reply. "Well, I am just curious. It is so different from my country. So, your saying is that your military is meant to defend, and your police are used to maintain order?"

"Yup kiddo." Alicia said before Sarah could reply. She then shorts her a smirk, intently trying to get under her skin.

Selina thinks about the conversation as they walk over to the cultural center. There are four guards in front of the building, two of them are from Alnus, a cat, and a human. The other two are from Earth, both with the British flag on their arms.

The neko sees her and waves. "Hello Rory, are you here to check this place out?"

"Yes. I hope you all are doing your jobs." Rory glances at him.

He looks over to the other guards and then back at her. "So far yeah. But the damn kids, keep trying to sneak in."

"Kids?" Lelei asked, confused about the problem.

"Yes, kids. There so many kids around here, playing and getting into trouble," The neko said.

"Probably because there is nothing for them to do. No school for them to go to. They cannot just leave the town and play because it is dangerous out there. The General doesn't want our troops thinking they are the enemy by accident." Sarah points out, thinking.

Lelei then looks to Sarah. "Correct me, in your world it is standard for children to go to school?"

Sarah nods back at her, not understand why she is bringing that up. "As I said before we weren't that prepared to do a nation-building project. With a school, who will be the teacher, what subjects do we teach? Who history and what cultural customs do we promote and not. On top of that, Alnus will need to pay for it on its own one day. Where that money going to come from."

"It is always about the money… could just put in on Sharpe card." Alicia said and then walks into the building.

"Yup… always about the money. I am glad to see the more changes you see, the fewer chances that happen." she said, speaking out loud. "Just keep the kids from stealing anything. Don't want to annoy our other world friends."

"Rory, we have a saying like that. That is interesting," Sarah said to her.

Once everyone walks into the building, they begin looking around.

Many nations on Earth have been putting pressure on the United States to be more involved in this world, not wanting to be cut out of the knowledge and potential resources. That was one of the reasons why President Potts allowed NATO and other close allies to join in the beginning, to show that this is a multination effort even though everyone knows the U.S. will be doing most of the work. It is more of a photoshop than a massive joint effort.

While that helped relieve international pressure, the United Nations have been wanting a role in the new world. The President proposed to allow each nation to send cultural items to the new world, to represent their nations.

In the building, there are about fifty different displays, each nation having its own section. Of course, the nations close to the United States can have more items than others. There is food, clothes, art, literature, some with ancient armor and weapons and other cultural and historical items.

"Really… who picked this?" Alicia said, annoyed about something.

"What is it?" Lelei asked, walking over to see what Alicia is talking about. When she walks over to Alicia, she notices the sign said, French.

"This… out of five items, they included cheese… like really. What a stereotype. At least it is not a white flag." Alicia continues to say, speaking her mind.

"What is wrong with cheese and dose a white flag means something bad?" Lelei asked, looking confused.

"Ahh… don't worry about it. Inside joke. But the cheese, out of everything you can pick, its cheese." She finishes, taking a deep breath.

As they look around, they found some interesting things. There is food, drinks, books, songs, cloths, and many other items representing nations that were allowed into the program.

"Sarah, can you come here?" Lelei asked when she walks over to the Italian section.

Sarah walks over. "What is up?"

Both see a display of a Roman soldier and a makeshift Roman sword. There is a panel giving a short history of the Roman Empire.

Lelei continues to analyze the Italian display, thinking hard on an idea. "This looks very similar doesn't it?" she said, reading everything.

"Well yeah. We notice that during the first contact," Sarah said after looking at the display. "At first our scientists thought the Gate was a time travel device from two thousand years ago. They no longer think that."

She looks at Sarah confused to hear that. “What is time travel?”

“It is when you can go forward or back in time,” Sarah replied. “It is just an idea, we cannot change time.”

"Why don’t you think that?" Lelei asked her.

"We didn't have flying dragons and walking trolls two thousand years ago. That kind of was a big hint." Sarah replied to her question.

"Interesting, maybe there is a past relationship?" Lelei said, thinking out loud.

"Could be," Sarah replied. "It is one of the reasons why we are here. At heart we are explorers, and this is a golden ticket to explore a new world."

"What is this?" she asked, looking at the Japanese section. She seems impressed by the rich warrior culture she sees from this display.

Selina walks over and then Sarah. "Yes, they call that a katana. It is a specialize sword from their past. I don't know much about it, but it has become a popular sword in western culture."

"It looks pretty. I can tell it is an effective sword. If it was not for the fact, I love my Halberd, but I might use something like this," she said as she gazes at her.

That is when Alicia walks over and sees what they are looking at. Then she gives an evil smirk. "You totally should Rory."

Then Rory looks over to Alicia and gives her a big smirk. "You and I could kill thousands with these."

After saying that, both give each other a big smirk and a fist bump. "Always got your back." Alicia said to Rory.

"Lieutenant Sarah, is it ok if I acquire these?" Lelei is standing there with a few books, one about Greek, Egyptian and Norwegian mythology.

"…figures… books. At least she shops wisely," Alicia said and then walks away.

"Ahh, why do you want those books?" Sarah asked, curious about the picks.

"It is because she wants to learn more about your gods. The big difference between our worlds is that our gods interact with us and yours does not. She wants to find out why."

Sarah thinks about that for a second. That idea has never crossed her mind before and it does raise a ton of big questions. A topic that is the way too big for her to dive into right now. "I guess, I don't see why not. That is an interesting theory."

"Hey Lieutenant Rose!" Alicia calls out as she laughs. "Take a look, vodka. Like, come on."

The five of them would continue looking around, learning a little bit about each other cultures.

--- Alnus Community, Liberty Apex Bar ---

Towards the eve of the day, most of Vanguard-7 are at Apex Liberty Tavern or known as Apex, the local bar. The place has become an exceedingly popular place for soldiers. The place has become known for its dual menu of having both Earth and Falmart food and drinks.

The team is celebrating their recent victory against the Empire and currently Randy is drinking a large mug.

He is downing that beer until it is all gone. When he finally finishes, he slams the mug on the table. "Three! Yeah!"

"Damn Sergeant Major, how the hell can you drink all that?" Andrew asked him, impress on how much Randy Dodson can drink.

"Years of practice boys. Years of practice," he said, proud of himself.

"Twenty-five bucks you can't own another one," Scott said, daring him to do the fourth round.

"It is your money buddy," he said in a cocky tone.

That is when both Johnson and Sharpe walks in. "Oh, hey sirs, welcome to the living."

"Well, it seems you all started the fun without us," Johnson said, taking a seat.

"Well, we wanted to have fun before you two arrived," Scott said, taking a drink from his mug.

"How was the meeting?" he asked as he orders two new mugs.

"It's an official meeting. Boring and bland," Sharpe replied to him.

"Thank god I am not an officer. I never could handle being in those," He said as he gets excited when another mug of beer is brought over.

"Yup, we were talking about what happened in the Elies Forest. Looking for improvements to prevent a second ambush," Sharpe said.

That is when Jerry asked a question. "Sir, how is Larson? Is he going to make it?"

Everyone goes quiet, wanting to hear the answer. Truth is what happens to him hit everyone. The ambush of Vanguard-5 and what happen to their man showed something like that can happen to any of them. It is also now clear what they will do to any prisoner they capture.

Back in Iraq and Afghanistan he has seen soldiers be taken by terrorists and butchered. Terrorist blending into the population. He knows it is not a good way to go and he is happy they were able to get to Larson as soon as they did, however he knows Larson will be permanently disabled.

"He is going to make it," Johnson said, answering Jerry's question. "But he won't be able to use his hands for a while."

Johnson continues after that, wanting to hit the point home. "Not to sour the good mood but next time we are out there, always keep an eye out."

"Yes,” Sharpe said. “Even if a village seems friendly, it only takes one to have second thoughts. It does not matter if ninety-five percent of the people like us, that minority will not. We can't get too confident; we are more advance but all we need is one bad day and were dead."

He has grown to like Sharpe. He seems to know more then he lets on. He has no idea why Sharpe acts the way he does, like he has some secret. While not big on the public stage, he has yet to waver when a fight starts. He can tell Sharpe is a veteran of war.

"We will be having a meeting, talking about a new strategy for upcoming engagements." Sharpe added. "But in the meantime, enjoy tonight. We all did kick their asses." He finishes, taking a drink for the recently arrived mug.

"Yeah, that airstrike was epic. I never got to see an AC-130 strike before," Andrew states, excited about witnessing that moment for the first time in combat.

"Oh god yeah, seeing one of those things lay waste to the enemy, it is an amazing sight." Scott adds to the topic. "That has to be a record on how many died in one run."

"Sir, have you ever called in a gunship before?" Andrew asked. Everyone then looks at him, interested in the answer.

Since the War on Terror ended, most conventional forces and even the Rangers have only seen a limited amount of action. Besides the senior enlisted and officers, most have not seen combat. He would be surprised if Sharpe seen an airstrike like that outside of training.

"Why do you ask me?" Sharpe asked, seeing that everyone looking at him.

"Well, it is clear you have combat experience," Scott said, answering his question.

As Scott finishes his question, the rest of the team arrives. Sarah and Alicia walk up and takes a seat. The other three do the same.

"Hi boys, I see you didn't wait for us." Alicia said, ordering a few drinks.

"Hey, we waited." Scott said back to her.

"For what, five minutes?" Alicia said back to him.

Scott looks up a little, acknowledging what she just said is right.

"Anyway, check out what Rory got. A Japanese katana. It is decorative but cool." Sarah said, point to Rory to show it.

Rory grabs it and puts it at the center of the table. Everyone looks at it, admiring it.

"Hmm, interesting. This might be a good idea," he said, thinking about something.

"What is it, Serge?" Jerry asked him. "Hope it is not another idea of the month."

"…shut up. I mean maybe we should be carrying something like this," he restates his idea.

"Randy… we have guns." Alicia said to him. "We can kill them from long range."

"Wait, it might be a good idea. Never know what we face in this world. A backup weapon for close quarters might be a smart idea." Scott said, agreeing with his idea.

“If you want one, you will have to go get one yourself though." Charles said to him.

"Anyway, what were you guys talking about before we arrived? It looked serious." Sarah asked as she grabs her drink.

"The Major was about to tell us a story about some combat he has seen." Andrew said.

"Really? Like North Korea?" Alicia said, taking a glance at him.

Everyone then looks confused at what Alicia just said and then they all look at him.

Sharpe looks at Alicia, confused. "Why did you say North Korea?"

"Because you said it during the battle. Before the gunship arrived," Alicia said, reminding him. Then Selina leans forward, confirming what Alicia said.

"I did...?" Sharpe thinks for a moment. He has not spent a lot of time with the team before coming here.

Hearing what Alicia said and noticing that Sharpe did not deny it shocked him. Sharpe command with Vanguard-7 was supposed to be temporary but then the Gate happened. While they obey his orders as professionals, there has been a little tension between each other.

Now he is convinced there is more going on that the brass did not want people to know about. He has seen cover ups to many times sin his time in the Army.

"As I said before, classified. I can't confirm or deny any combat I might have been involved with." Sharpe said that he notices all that did was annoy everyone. Since he been assigned to this command, they have been trying to gather any information about him. It makes sense, anyone would want to know who their boss is.

"Fucking figures." Scott said. He stands up and waves over for another round of drinks. Before he moves on a new subject, he would be interrupted by Sharpe.

Sharpe takes a long drink from his mug, finishing it all. "First combat mission. I was only with the team for about three months. As you all know, peace with North Korea almost did not happen. Too much mistrust and conflict of interests."

The general public knows that four years ago a peace treaty between North and South Korea was signed(3). This effectively ended a sixty-plus war between the two nations. This in result brought warming relations with the United States and Japan. Today, while both countries still have tensions and differences between the two, both have been moving closer together.

This moment brought many changes to the world, this on paper brought North Korea into the American sphere of influence, even though it is still rocky. This peace has been the official start of the Sino-US Cold War. Right before all this happen, the Chinese saw a potential nuclear Korea on its border now threatening them besides the Americans, Japanese, and South Koreans.

Everyone stops and listens, mostly shock that he said something.

"It was a month before the peace process. The Chinese decide they were not going to risk the North switching sides. They wanted to try and replace him with a new puppet government. Our job was to stop them. It was a high-risk mission, low chance of success but we understood what this could mean."

Sharpe stops for a second, gathering his memories. "Forty of us went in and joined the South Koreans. In short, we had to rescue Kim from execution. The Chinese got to him before we did. They were close to the border, but we were able to stop them from crossing it. We got caught in a bloody firefight, lost our CO, XO, the Sergeant Major and the bulk of our leadership. We were surrounded and we only had one option. I told Garret and Nicholas to take Kim and run. The rest of us stayed behind and cover. Link up with the North Koreans SF’s that was sent to help us, ones who were still loyal."

He then pauses again, gathering his thoughts. They are no memories he enjoys remembering but the mission has shaped his command style for years. "We held just long enough for help arrived. They got Kim out of there on time. He was going to reject the peace terms but after that, well the rest is history. Only five of us came out alive though."

Everyone went quiet, not understanding how they should take that. It is clear that the story is highly classified, Sharpe wasn't kidding.

He knew there was something however he was not expecting that. He had no idea his commanding officer is special forces. While Ranges is considered Special Forces, they would not be called to do a mission like that.

"After that, they promoted me to an officer. They say I was officer material, taking command in a situation like that and was able to achieve mission success. Still, think that was BS but it did keep the team together. It was the most brutal fighting I have ever seen in my career…" Then he would stop himself, getting a little emotional.

"Wait… how could any of that happen? That is some high-level stuff… you… wait. You were in Delta?" Alicia said with that realization, connecting the dots.

Sharpe looks over to her and glares.

"Sir, were you in Delta?" he asked him directly. He looks right into his eye. When Sharpe does not respond, his eyes widen and leans back. "Holy shit, our boss was Delta."

"That explains a lot. But damn," Scott said, thinking outload.

Sharpe then stands up, putting his mug down. "Thanks for the memories boys. Enjoy the night." And then he nods his head and leaves.

After he leaves, everyone just looks at each other.

"Well, I guess why he is so reserved," Scott said out loud.

"Can we trust someone like that though? He's willing to sacrifice people for the mission." Randy said, taking a sip from his mug.

"I don't think that is a problem," Alicia said. She remembers the conversation she had with Rory the other day(4), before assaulting the Fort. She has had much time reflecting on that conversation and putting the dots together. "He is not going to let anything bad happen to us. I have seen everything I needed to see here." After saying that, she takes a long drink.

Alicia notices Rory smiles and nods her head, giving her approval of what she just said.

Hearing that surprises everyone. Alicia has been the most distrusting to the Major, it is surprising that she said anything supportive about him.

He holds up his mug in the air. "To Vanguard-7. We live together, we kick ass together."

The rest cheers their mug with his and all take a drink.