--Andre Miguel Santos Nguyen--

(Earlier before the last sortie)

Andre found a plate carrier rig laid out on the equipment table just next to his LTAC, just like the one he saw Sebastian putting on. “Hey, what gives?” he mumbled aloud to himself before a crewman near him turned to answer:

“They said put that on. Special orders.”

“You can’t pilot in this thing!” he scoffed, electing to take the rifle next to it alone before shouldering it and putting a hand on the loading ladder. “If it’s for a firefight later, I know how to shoot from cover.”

“It’s not for small arms fire but something else, they said!” the crewman insisted before getting back to operating his cargo loader. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you!”

Andre took another look at it, pondering the occasion. But… these cockpits are reinforced pretty well. What could he have meant?

He continued up the ladder anyway, taking his seat after tossing his bag and rifle under his seat. Just no way in hell I try to pilot this thing and not be able to breathe or move properly. THAT would be suicide.

“Nguyen checking in,” he spoke through his headset as his nerves began to set in while buckling in, and pulling down his helmet and setting it in place.

And as he finished his preparations for launch, his equipment table was then pulled out of the way, plate carrier still on top, never touched.

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Andre, situated side-by-side with Kerry’s LTAC, rolled to a stop, expecting the silence to provide him a chance to listen in for any type of vibration or sound to hint where the enemy might come from.

I hope Sebastian is on top of this. I don’t think we’ve ever had to depend on something as rudimentary as-

“-Turn around!” Sebastian unexpectedly belted out in English, knowing there would be no time for wait for the translation software, and slung his Ap50 through a full 180-degree spin, rifle up and aiming just between he and Kerry.

“Woah, shit!” he spat out in a scared shock.

A flurry of tungsten rounds shredded through the thick air without more than a muffled series of thuds from across the other side of the street; two black-painted LTACs hidden in the shadows of the alleys from which they peered through had just stepped into view, well-protected by the veil that the radar jamming provided.

And going with how the L-Trackers didn’t go off, it suggested that the units either had properly installed N-Converters to suppress their exhaust traces, or that everyone’s L-Trackers were not functioning under the same jamming veil. Either way, Andre now realized there must have been no other way of detecting their approach.

But as much as Andre wanted to pull his shield around more quickly, it didn’t happen as fast as he wanted it to, and an unfamiliar burst of metal-on-metal screeches then caused a hesitation in the quickness of his return-fire aim.

The tungsten rounds immediately burst into smaller fragments upon burrowing partway through the initial layer of armor, using the armor-piercing coating to slice through just enough to leave only part of the armor left for the next stage, which was the detonation of a central charge that would send out fragmented material directly into the cockpit interior.

Agh! Damn it!

Andre felt something hot and blindingly painful dig into his chest before he could even figure out what had just happened. And even before he realized what opened up a hole that let in sunlight from outside, Kerry and Sebastian had already knocked down the ambushing LTACs, allowing him to try and cough away the sudden tightness pinching down all across his chest, leaving him grabbing at it as if to pluck something out of him that had been lodged, only finding small entry holes and wounds instead.

[Status!] he heard Sebastian bark, heart racing, eyes now looking for his own vitals screen.

“Stable! Andre, you good!?” he then heard Kerry respond.

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Mother fucker! I don’t think I’m OK, but what the fuck choice do I have?!

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“Nrghh!” he groaned, reaching for his chest through the smoke and light that leaked in from outside through that tiny window. “Shit!” he finally got into words as he sputtered out several more suppressed coughs. “I think…” he began to speak more coherently as he gathered his strength with the time they bought. “Something tagged me but I think I’m fine for now,” he finished as he pulled his hand away, seeing his fingers tinged with blood.

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“Not according to your vitals update, Nguyen! Check out of there and head back ASAP!” he heard Al bark out over the radio.

Sebastian quickly added in: [Kerry! Cover Andre’s retreat! I will hold this area- I know the Cloak is near!]

“You can’t do that by yourself!” Kerry fussed as Andre thought to interject, but found it impossible with a persistent, deep, nagging cough getting in the way.

[Andre, hurry!] Sebastian yelled out, ignoring Kerry’s plea. [And keep breathing no matter what!]

Something doesn’t feel right, my… right side feels all fucked up on the inside, but I gotta…

“Naw, man, I’m walking this shit off and-” Andre fussed back between coughs he was getting better control over. “No way I risk us getting picked off! You know this is a trap and I am not running anymore!”

Sebastian hesitated before answering with audible concern: [Suit yourself. Everyone still and ready.]

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And after all that time passed as he tried to use the fresh outside air to relieve some of the irritation, nothing of the sorts would come, even after watching Sebastian deliver a fatal blow to the Cloak right before his eyes.

“Cloak axed,” he spoke before another coughing fit. “I repeat… Cloak axed.”

And that’s it, I’m done. I can’t even fucking stand straight anymore.

As his cough grew even heavier during his slow, limber descent down his deboarding ladder, he was unable to pay the attention needed to the constant chatter back and forth through his earpiece. Each step he took was life or death given the distance to the asphalt below, and the force from each cough and hack made it even more treacherous.

And although he wanted to hugely sigh out in relief upon his feet making solid contact with the ground below, all he could do was think about laying down right there on the spot. Numb, dizzy, and now feeling faint, the violent thud he felt over the next second felt no different from the torturous pain each cough brought, shaking his soul each time the same way the asphalt below did to his spine and head.

Fuck… can’t go out like this. Please, tell me someone is coming for me.

He couldn’t tell how many more seconds had passed before he felt the hot blast of landing thrusters that instilled a spark of hope in him, just enough to reawake him to the blinding pain he was in throughout his whole body, causing him to cry out.

He then felt someone’s presence, someone’s hands take a soft but firm hold of him. “Shit!” Kerry’s voice finally made it through to him as he continued clutching his chest.

“Kerry! Help me!” he continued crying out, unaware of the burning tears he began to shed.

“HQ!” She shouted once more over her radio as she started feeling around the area of his chest where he continued to grab. “I got Andre with me! Fuck! He’s taken shrapnel or something to the chest! Damn it- Andre, hold it together! Stay with me-Sam! Sam! Answer me, damn it!”

“Kerry, get…” he tried to call out to her as if she wasn’t already only inches from his face, sputtering words through his coughs. “You have to get…”

“Shh! Just lie still and keep breathing!” she fussed back before holding his hand to comfort him while continuing to look over his condition. “Sam! Why isn’t Andre wearing his armor!?” she then continued to cry out furiously over the radio. “Did you do this on purpose, Sam!? Answer me!”

Do what? What’s she talking about?!- Damn it, will she listen?!

“Kerry! Listen!” he spoke through clenched teeth, trying to hold off his coughs just for a second. “My lung, here!” he shouted with a clenching of her hand over his right side. “I think it’s gone!” But that last gung-ho attempt to speak took too much energy from him, feeling like he immediately floated away as his conscious faded rapidly.

“Andre! Stay with me!”

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Damn. I wish I had put that armor on after all. Shit, I’m sorry guys…

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A physician’s assistant hurriedly walked past Kerry, who at that time was conversing with Tricky, on the way toward the elevator that was about to close, just catching it in time. As she rode upward, she looked down at her bag that contained the surgery team’s lunch, checking to make sure for the third time everything was accounted for.

Upon exiting the elevator, she headed for the break room where she dropped off the bag and continued back out and through several hallways before reaching a waiting room. She checked her watch once more, confirming several messages she wanted to deliver before passing through that last door.

“Hi, you two must be waiting on Mr. Ngyuen’s status?” she asked, looking across the small room at Sebastian and Sam, seated in the corner half asleep from exhaustion and their own aches.

“Yes,” Sam now nervously answered, straightening up with her stomach still in a knot. “Any news?”

Sam and Sebastian both hoped the assistant’s tone meant good news for once.

“He held through. He’s stable- unconscious, still, but stable,” she spoke as she approached them while the two let out a simultaneous sigh of relief of immense proportions. “The thoracostomy went as well as it could, granted the grim circumstances. It’s a miracle he survived the shock he went into, much less the cardiac arrest that followed.”

Sam bit her lip and tightly closed her eyes, tearing up at the thought he somehow made it after all.

“Will he be able to recover to normal?” Sebastian asked as he held Sam closer.

“We’ll keep him for a few days to see how he recovers, so we can’t answer too much as it stands,” the assistant continued, taking a seat across from them. “But we have a great team working his case, so we’re confident we can get him the best results possible.” She then looked back over another message on her watch before continuing again: “We did speak with his family. His brother and uncle are on the way. Once he’s movable, we will transport him to Hargrove General.”

“He’s at least able to go back home,” Sam finally managed to speak through sniffling. “It just didn’t have to be this way. If only…”

“I got the debriefing on the situation. I doubt there was anything anyone could have done given the circumstances, but he’s a tough one, survived what most don’t,” she said with a smile, trying to keep the air positive. “You two should rest.” She then stood up to leave with a hand up: “If you need anything else, someone will be available here around the clock.”

“Thank you,” Sebastian replied with a smile that quickly faded once the door closed. “Thank God he is OK.” He then turned back to Sam, knowing how heavy this was on her heart. “You must stop feeling like it was your fault. We can never know every side to every situation.”

“I just wish it didn’t have to be this way,” she repeated through hotter tears, head buried in his shoulder. “I have so much to do better. So much to rethink in my life. I thought I lost another because of my selfish idiotic-”

“-Sam, stop, please.” He let out a sigh as he let her gather her own thoughts during a short pause. “At least he can’t be in anymore danger. I know the rules for Infinity. He will be sent home, and that is best for him now. He has a sick mother he’s been worried about, and now he can finally be near her.”

“I…” Sam started before realizing she had to stop, remembering Andre had tried to leave the other day on his own accord for that very reason before he was convinced otherwise. “I don’t know what to do next.”

“Me neither…”

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“Come,” he spoke gently as he nudged her. “We should go. We can’t do anything else for him right now. We should make room for his family- I don’t think they want to see us.”

“You’re probably right,” Sam finally conceded as she took the time to calm down, wiping her eyes, standing up slowly with Sebastian’s help. “Alright. Let’s go.”

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Andre looked out the window from his transit shuttle as it neared Casares Territory. It was his first time back in space in over a year. And as he stared out at the sea of space nations from his luxury recliner, still bound in a brace across his torso, he breathed out a mix of relief and uneasiness.

It’s been so long, hoped in a sense I could’ve squeezed out at least one more year.

He then reverted back to thoughts of his mother.

I hope what I collected plus my release check covers everything for the next few years.

He then thought once more back to his last recollections before passing out the other day, fuzzy as it was but just enough, shuddering at the thought he had a high chance of not seeing what he saw in the present. He had a lot to be thankful for.

No, it’ll have to be enough. I can’t go back… now way. I’m no good to her dead. I’ll move on. I’ll find something back home, I promise.