It had been years since she’d thought of that day on GB-1. Juno didn’t know why it resonated with her that morning, but for some reason, while she stared out the thick window of the ship, her mind wandered in the old memory. Stains of the choices she made that day still stuck with her. They always would.
Juno was older now, in her early thirties. She looked it. The tensile youth of her younger self was gone. Sharp cheeks with fresh nubile skin softened with the sag of maturation. The furrowed brow, and critical eye both had eased down. Her gaze was less passionate, but far more wise. The childlike face of the young marine had transformed. She was not the same cherry eyed girl who’d joined up with the Marines as soon as she was old enough.
Now, Juno was a woman, hardened, intelligent, experienced. Deeply auburn hair, so dark it was black in certain lights, tied now in a bun. A sharp chin, and pursed lips with a small scar on the left side, where’d she’d gotten knocked in the face by two fighting marines. Those amber eyes of hers so deep, they were almost red. She was scowling, but beautiful; safe, but frightening. An amazon. A Valkyrie.
The moon, the earth’s moon, turned agonizingly slow outside the port window of the ship. Its scathed surface, spattered with impact marks and craters, reminded her of back then, she guessed. It did look similar, except without the fire and smoke and a half ruined city.
No, this moon was serene and quiet. Safe. It was home. As the dark side rotated into view, so did the long spider web of light stretching across the moon’s face. Orange, and white and blue twinkled on the surface below. Mirade. The only city on the moon.
It looked massive from the ship, stretching out maybe hundreds of miles. In reality, it was barely the size of a small Earth city. The moon was just tiny in comparison. Everything looked bigger there compared to the Earth.
The black of space smothered any stars around the moon. The way it was now, it was like she was staring at a painting of it. This peaceful moment was far off from the day she’d known then, and the many she’d known since.
The room was quiet. The hum of the lights was soothing. Juno was on the capital ship, Canada, awaiting a summons. They were in orbit around Earth’s moon, an orbit Juno hadn’t been in for a long, long time… since she joined the marines back on Earth.
Command had called her back for a ceremony, and another award. This time, it was for acts of valor while under fire. Usually they’d make the procession over a comm call, or video relay, but now she had been invited to a commemoration in person. A short ceremony was being thrown in her honor.
Juno didn’t act for awards. However, she did appreciate being recognized for her efforts. It made her proud and it, hopefully, inspired other marines. That’s what it was all about anyways.
And it looked good for a promotion. She was Gunnery Sergeant for a weapons platoon, the highest anyone in her family had been. Her eyes were ever upward though, to any position where she could make more impactful choices. The next in line was First Sergeant. That was a big promotion. And she was close to it.
As her time in the marines progressed, Juno saw less and less personal combat. Her roles changed from fire team leading, to tactical advisement. The more she was promoted, the farther she was from the frontline, though recently it was only just so. The war had gotten so bad, she hadn’t really noticed much of a change for a while.
That time would be over, though. If she got first sergeant, she’d be behind the line for good. No more running into gunfights. She would be too important… and too far away. A part of her regretted that.
The position had great honor and pride in it, and though she wasn’t itching to have it, she’d be proud when she earned the rank.
The honors today already made her proud to be a marine. She was tactically proficient, enough to be valued by her command. But… for some reason, it all felt wrong for her. Commendations always came with a struggle, like she didn’t deserve it, even after all the fighting she’d done.
Juno knew she’d still take the award and be happy about it, but it wasn’t that easy. For awards like this, there were always bodies left behind…
And fear rose in her when the title of First Sergeant ran through her mind. Fighting was all she’d ever known. Could she give it up? Could she let the drive to fight go?
It didn’t matter. The war was over. She’d have to find a place to fit in just like everybody else.
Despite all this, she knew she earned the recognition at least. Fifteen years she’d spent in the service. That she could be proud of if nothing else.
The moon had continued orbiting while she was deep in thought. From one side, the earth crescented. Juno’s breath stuck in her throat when she saw it. It was more beautiful than she’d remembered. Home. She thought.
Footsteps echoed through the hall behind her. From the doorway entered Captain Hernandez in full dress uniform. He was a strong man, broad with pitch black hair marked with gray strands.
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Juno turned and saluted, relaxed, “Captain.”
“At ease, Juno. It’s good to see you.” His footsteps bounced off the walls as he walked over.
There was an air around Hernandez Juno felt. He was a tough man, a good man. He’d earned his rank. He knew it, she knew it, and everyone who met him knew it.
And Hernandez had known Juno for years. She was a rarity even among marines. Did he respect her? He was in awe, though he’d never let her know that.
He stepped up beside the Gunnery Sergeant and they both turned back towards the window. The moon had uncovered more of the Earth in that time.
“It’s beautiful,” Hernandez started, “Everything we are, everything we’ve achieved, it started right here. It’s hard to believe.” Juno let those words soak in, staring at the blue marble. It was such an elegant shape, a perfect blue ball. “It’s been seven years since I saw it last. Every time it surprises me how blue it is.”
“It’s been too long.” Juno nodded in agreement.
“Some people never see it. Extrasolar travel being the way it is, it’s painful to think there are people who never set foot on it. Some who’ve never seen it. Soon, we as a species may forget we ever came from here.”
“I hope not. Like you said, it’s everything we are. You can’t forget where you come from.”
“I agree completely. I imagine it'll be longer still until I can visit her again. How long have you been away?” Juno took a moment to add the numbers. She realized she’d never done it before.
“Fifteen years.”
“Fifteen years? You must’ve been a baby the last time you saw it.” She chuckled.
“Nearly. I was seventeen. I lied so I could enlist in the marines, then left and never looked back. I was born here.”
“No kidding.” Captain Hernandez had known Juno a long time, but never knew that. “You’ve never come back to visit? Never been back between rotations?”
“I guess not. I’m always too busy. Other things on my mind.” Hernandez scoffed at that.
“For you, I don’t doubt that one bit. Speaking of which. C’mon. Let’s go add another medal to your overwhelming collection.” They turned to leave, behind them Earth finally coming into full view. They were right. It was magnificent.
“The assault on Gb-1, the moon where she lost half her squad and most of her company, was a disaster. When the line fell, the battle turned into a retreat, and the retreat into a massacre. Sgt. Juno was the only one to escape the moon with any part of her platoon. In most senses of the word, she and her squad were lone survivors amidst complete and total annihilation,” A graveled voice explained.
“I heard about GB-1. Brutal.” Captain Marlon was a young forty, but his prowess as a military leader was unmatched. A pink scar ran up his face from his chin to his right brow.
“She was on the moon when the satellite hit. Saw half the fleet destroyed in the explosion. Her entire company was wiped out in the fighting afterwards. Most soldiers wouldn’t keep fighting after a sight like that, yet, despite the odds she made it off with half her squad.” The gruff voice of SGT. Major Alloy matched his gruff look. The years had been rough on him.
“Took her old staff sergeant’s position after that. Been climbing ever since.” Captain Miller was a hard woman, nearly fifty. She should have been higher in rank, but refused to chase promotions. She liked a smaller command over her troops. She’d commanded Juno, too, for years, and knew her very well. Miller was proud of her protoge’s rise over the past decade.
A new voice spoke, one with authority and prestige in his speech, “Now, she’s being promoted to First Sergeant?”
“If not soon, it’s inevitable.” Sgt. Major Alloy clarified.
“Well, you three know her best. What do you think?” They all looked at him. He was a clean man, with a nice uniform. The record on his badge was littered with ranks and commendations. Xiang Lin. An assistant to the commandant of the Marine Corps. As officers and marines went, there was only one position higher than his.
“I think her record is clean, shows she’s thorough, and most importantly for a marine, she gets the job done,” Captain Marlon affirmed. Sgt. Major Alloy nodded in agreement.
“I was the one who took her call back on BG-1. I was also there when she was refused reinforcements. All of our forces tucked tail and ran. I thought she’d never make it off that rock. Yet, here she is. Did even more in the Shiza campaign. In my opinion, sir, she’s unkillable.”
“I see,” Lin spoke. They were centered around a wide table. It was a special aeronautics officer’s table, since they were aboard the Canada presently. Lin flipped through some papers on a clipboard. “High praise from two Captains and a Sergeant Major. But, I don’t see much good word from her officers, besides you two. As a matter of fact, I see the exact opposite. Failure to follow command structure. Hesitance to follow orders. I see she follows a pattern of making her own decisions.”
“It was war. When everyone else is dead, you take up command when you can,” Alloy defended her.
“Yes. It’s a shame she wasn’t an officer. She could be a lieutenant colonel by now. I know she can throw orders, but can she follow them?”
“Are we discussing her disciplinary record? Because if so, she’s got nothing you can hold against her. If not, then I have to ask if you’re questioning her loyalty,” Captain Miller broke in. She didn’t like the way Lin was talking about her. Miller added, “She’s been through more shit than any of us here personally. If you’re asking if she can follow orders, sure, as long as they don’t get her and her soldiers killed. If you’re asking me if she’ll follow your orders like a lap dog waiting for a treat, then don’t bother. She won’t bite.” There was an uncomfortable silence in the room after that. The way Miller was talking, she’d never make it out of the meeting room alive.
Still, Miller stood up and leaned over the desk towards Lin. She pointed an angry finger and poked at Lin’s clipboard, “But let me tell you this: a soldier like her would be a waste behind a desk.” Lin sat back, impressed. The passion Miller had for this Gunnery Sergeant. The passion all of three of these people had for this ‘Juno’ was astounding.
Lin then smiled. “Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”