An automated car drove Kayla and Thandi, along with their bags, for several hours into the southern highlands of Tyr. While she acted confident, Kayla spent most of the trip on edge. She had gotten so used to the idea that nobody thought she was worth talking to, it was difficult to imagine anything else.

Boot camp and Ranger school had been easier to handle, because everyone was starting out from zero, and in any case had a lot more to worry about. Now she would be a loser again, amongst women she genuinely respected, who were far more experienced, and capable than she was. In Madam Georgia’s the difference had been cultural. Now, she really did belong on the bottom of the totem pole. What if her new squad mates hated her too? What if her unit commanders rejected her personality?

Thandi, on the other hand, seemed excited, full of speculation about their new home. But she had spent her life making friends, not enemies.

The vehicle dropped them outside the main office of the Mountain Ranger Battalion’s Camp Serrowood. Flanked by a range of intimidating peaks, the headquarters consisted of tall, stylish buildings with open glass lobbies that looked out at the dramatic landscape. In front of the main entrance stood a gleaming bronze statue. A group of Rangers were depicted in motion as they mounted a large boulder, lifting and pulling each other up, with grim determination carved into their faces. Kayla shivered with excitement, wondering how long it would be until she could climb the stony giants that rose above their heads.

Once they had finished gawping at the environment, she and Thandi picked up their luggage and walked inside. A bored-looking Ranger behind the front desk took their identification cards without comment, and began typing at her computer.

Kayla turned to look at the far wall of the lobby. It was covered from top to bottom in framed portraits of smiling, uniformed women. After a year in the organization, she had no doubts what a mounted photograph meant—someone killed in action. She nudged Thandi, who turned, raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

“Bonne,” the Ranger at the desk said. “Okay, mademoiselles, you’re both assigned to second platoon, Bravo Company. I’ll run you over. I’m Lance-Corporal Eliane Michel. Do either of you speak French?”

They shook their heads, and Eliane rolled her eyes. “Bien sur, I must continue to endure life without being able to speak la plus belle langue du monde. Barbarians, all of you.”

She led them through the main building until they exited on the other side. A wide, luscious garden was flanked by several large apartments and offices.

The Bravo company building was quiet, the hallways empty. Over the main entrance hung a blue and gold banner depicting a snake with immense fangs, frozen in mid-strike. The title read ‘Mountain Bravo – The Venomous Vipers. Strike Swiftly!’

“The whole battalion’s out on an exercise,” explained Eliane as she pushed open the front door. “Not me though. I have to stay and watch the front desk.” She turned to Kayla with a severe look. “Somebody could try to steal it.”

They toured the bottom floor of the building, which included a briefing room complete with large wall-mounted televisions, and a holographic projector. Further in they passed a well-equipped gym, a bar, and small cinema. Once they got up to their platoon’s floor, they were shown their squad’s apartment, which consisted of private rooms, a shared kitchen and a lounge. Kayla felt her stomach churn as she came closer to the moment of truth.

“It’s almost too nice,” Thandi said as she and Kayla dropped their bags off to one side.

“Yeah, it’s not that bad,” Eliane acknowledged as she flopped down into a sofa.

“You don’t like it?” Kayla asked.

She started to sit, hesitated, then forced herself into a chair as she fought off the sense of guilt. Thandi flashed her a questioning look as she relaxed on the sofa, but Kayla couldn’t explain. She felt like an intruder.

Eliane shrugged. “Tyr is a post-scarcity world, so in theory this building could be a five-star hotel, but, of course, they don’t want to spoil us. Most career girls build their own house out in the country, but base housing is mandatory for your first few years. Ha—until they trust you, anyway.”

“They must have a lot of money,” Kayla observed.

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Eliane just shrugged again, lifting her arms, and holding her hands upwards, as though the whole gesture conveyed both humility and indifference in the face of all the worlds’ problems.

Kayla shifted the subject. “What do you do for fun around here?”

“Head into the city, or if we get a free weekend, we can go off-world. There’s an hourly shuttle that can get to a few planets. Caldera is a popular spot—outside of Rackeye, I mean.”

Kayla surged with pride, but tried not to show it. “Tyr seems like a nice place to explore too.”

“Tyr is great for forests, beaches, lakes, and mountains. But everything within one hundred miles of the city is used for training or exercises. There are roads that can take you out into the wild, and there’s a satellite positioning system you can access. Get yourselves cars, and you’ll have a great time.”

“How do we get a car?”

“The app’s on your tablets. Just order anything you want from the catalogue. Takes a few days for a drone to deliver. There’s a parking garage behind the Admin block. Be warned; if you abuse the system you will be sanctioned, and your stuff confiscated.”

Thandi shook her head in disbelief. “That’s crazy how can they just have free stuff to send out?”

Eliane lifted her hands in another helpless gesture. “What do you want me to say? I am but a humble Caporal.”

“What about apartments in the city?” Kayla asked. “We know a—” Kayla paused. She still didn’t know what the name of the unit was. “We stayed in Urtiga’s apartment in the city.”

“Yeah, she’s a long-timer. If you want an apartment, you go on a waiting list—only takes a few years. The organization doesn’t expand very much, so they don’t build a lot of new ones, and frankly it’s a status thing. How do you know Urtiga?”

“She saved me from…uh… a Jotnar weapon when I was young,” Kayla said. “That’s how I got an invite to come here.”

Eliane nodded approvingly. “You’re very lucky she took a liking to you. But those girls are so awesome. I’d love to do that one day—be an operator in a Special Mission Unit.”

“How long have you been in?” Thandi asked.

“Four years, so now I’m starting to think about a specialty. Special Mission Units have a tough selection process, so perhaps I won’t make it. Qui sait? But I don’t feel like doing a desk job. Probably I’ll just stay in the Rangers.”

“When does everyone get back?” Kayla asked, feeling a little impatient.

“Later tonight,” Eliane said. She stood up and yawned. “You girls get settled in. You can find me at the main desk if you need anything. I have to stay there—if a Chieftain called and no-one answered…” She shuddered.

“Thanks for showing us around,” Thandi said.

Eliane smiled. “No problem. If you want to make my day more interesting, feel free to start a fire or something, okay?”

“Uh… okay.”

Kayla and Thandi packed away their things into their rooms and waited nervously in the apartment. At nineteen hundred hours, a cacophony of noise announced the battalion’s return. They watched from the window as a column of trucks pulled up outside, disembarking so many muddy Rangers that they filled the parade ground.

The sound of feet stomping their way up to the apartments filled the room, followed by joking and laughing, and Kayla’s hands got clammy. How would she make a good impression on her new squad-mates? They were, after all, combat veterans, while she and Thandi were nobodies. She dug herself into a couch and waited.

The door to the hallway flew open with a crash, as seven filthy women, clothes caked in dried mud, and stinking of several days’ worth of sweat stamped back into their apartment, completely ignoring the newcomers.

“Beers or showers?” one Ranger called.

“Do you even have to ask?” came the reply. Once they had dropped their packs they gathered in the kitchen, popped open drinks, and talked about the events of their last week of field exercises. One of them looked over at Thandi and Kayla, who were trying desperately to look as relaxed as possible.

“These are the new cleaning girls, right Kes? They look pretty scared.” The others laughed.

Kes smiled. “Do our two newest Valkyrie’s want a beer?” she asked.

Kayla did her best to be brave. “Sure,” she said with what she hoped was a genuine-looking smile.

“Wrong,” Kes snapped. “Only the PJs can call themselves Valkyries—don’t ever forget that. We are Rangers, and in Bravo company, Vipers. You two are a pair of completely ignorant losers, and from this moment on you are in charge of this squad’s alcohol supply. So, if you want something to drink, go out and get it.”

Another Ranger walked over and shook their hands. “I’m Lance Corporal Aisha Naaji—call me Ash. Try not to freak out. We’re going to mess with you a bit, but we only bite if you screw up. Which Camp?”

“Er… sorry?” Kayla asked, and cringed at her awkwardness.

“Which Boot Camp did you go through?” Ash said again.

“Camp White,” Thandi said, with more confidence.

“Oh, horse girls. Lyna went through White too.”

“Instructor Susaki still there?” Lyna asked.

Kayla nodded. “Yeah,” she managed.

Lyna shook her head. “She was such a bitch.”

“So, we just got back from a week in the field,” Ash continued, “and we want hot food, cold beers—of which we are running short—and showers. The showers part I think we can handle for ourselves, unless you girls are feeling lonely. But how about you take care of the rest, since you’ve been sitting around doing nothing all day?”

“Sure, okay,” Kayla said, eager to be useful.

“Awesome. Use that tablet on the counter-top to order stuff—it’s got our favorite menus saved. Don’t worry, right now we aren’t that fussy. Do you know how to cook?”

Kayla shook her head.

“Figures—just order takeout. A drone will bring it within twenty minutes or so. Got it?”

Kayla nodded again.

“You really don’t want to screw this up,” Ash said, setting down her empty beer, “because I become a real bitch when I’m hungry.”

The Rangers disappeared, and Kayla raced to the tablet.

“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life,” sighed Thandi.