Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 The Cowboys were the first of our kind.\u00a0 The first Americans to fly off Peloran warships.\u00a0 The first to use hyper-capable fighters.\u00a0 The first to do a lot of things.\u00a0 People remember that.\u00a0 They don\u2019t remember what we were before we became Cowboys.\u00a0 Just that we were Cowboys.\u00a0 That we still are.\u00a0 That we always will be.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the real kicker.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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Jack pulled in a long breath, feeling the cold air burn down into his lungs, and watched the ruins of new Washington\u2019s capital begin to freeze.\u00a0 He peered into the darkness created by the dust-shrouded sky and shivered again, hunching his shoulders inside his leather flight jacket against what was actually becoming cold, even to his northern Minnesota bones.\u00a0 Betty flickered next to him, cold weather gear replacing her service uniform when she came back into focus.\u00a0 She glared at him with one eye and he got the hint.\u00a0 It was getting colder by the minute, and the sound of boots crunching on rocks testified of Charles\u2019 decision to find some warmth.<\/p>\n
Jack turned to Tom, shivering next to him, with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cSo what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s fraking cold,\u201d Tom answered through chattering teeth.<\/p>\n
Jack sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI meant about what Charles<\/em> had to say.\u00a0 Do you really think the government would be party to anything like this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u00a0 That.\u201d\u00a0 Tom exhaled a long breath that crystallized in front of his face.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded slowly, considering the simple answer in every way he could.\u00a0 It just didn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 He\u2019d never experienced anything to make him think the government would<\/em> do anything like that.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d he finally asked.<\/p>\n Tom sighed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I\u2019ve seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack stepped away from the older man and raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom gave him a sad smile.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know what life in America was like in 2150?\u00a0 Or 2170?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom pulled in a deep breath and looked towards the ruined capital.\u00a0 \u201cI do.\u00a0 I lived it.\u00a0 It was a hopeful time, everybody looking to the stars as the way to end all of our problems.\u00a0 And then I left to explore the farthest reaches of space.\u00a0 It took us twelve years<\/em> to make it to The Wall.\u00a0 And then we spent over twenty<\/em> years studying it, before we finally found a way through to Tau Aurigae.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned in confusion, not recognizing the name.<\/p>\n Tom smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat was the old astronomical name for Independence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh,\u201d Jack whispered in understanding and shook his head in annoyance.\u00a0 \u201cStupid science names.\u00a0 I swear they make them complicated so nobody but them can remember.\u00a0 It\u2019s like that new colony from a couple years back.\u00a0 Jen\u2019s World?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean Omicron Ursae Majoris.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee?\u201d Jack returned with a chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, who but a freak of nature could ever remember<\/em> a name like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom smiled and spread his arms out wide, placing himself as an example.<\/p>\n Jack snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou piloted a rocket<\/em> ship through The<\/em> Wall<\/em> without a cyber <\/em>before you were Ageless<\/em>,\u201d he said, ticking off each point with a raised finger.\u00a0 \u201cYou Sir are a freak of nature<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom snorted back.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you<\/em> should learn to respect your elders.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack waved the jibe away.\u00a0 \u201cBut you really should look at names.\u00a0 Independence.\u00a0 Paradisia.\u00a0 Pacifica.\u00a0 Jen\u2019s World.\u00a0 These are all names that make me want to go see what they\u2019re like.\u00a0 Omnicon Ursa Majority not so much,\u201d he finished, purposefully mispronouncing the words for effect.<\/p>\n Tom gave him a curious look.\u00a0 \u201cHow does Jen\u2019s World<\/em> make you want to go see it?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack answered the question with a mischievous smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all in the name.\u00a0 Jen.\u201d\u00a0 He twirled a finger in the cold air.\u00a0 \u201cShe must be some fine lady<\/em> to get a whole world<\/em> named after her.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to meet her.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDo you ever think of anything<\/em> other than girls?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shrugged, wondering what else would be worth thinking about.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 And get all mopy, secretive, and suspicious like him<\/em>?\u201d he asked with a wave towards where Charles had disappeared into the shuttle.<\/p>\n Tom looked towards the shuttle.\u00a0 \u201cHave you ever had a position of responsibility?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack made a production out of shuddering in horror.\u00a0 \u201cI have been held<\/em> responsible for a lot of things, but I do try to avoid being<\/em> responsible as much as possible,\u201d he finished with a wink.<\/p>\n Tom rolled his eyes and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it.\u00a0 I hear it was named after the founder\u2019s five year old daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack blinked as all of the pictures in his mind of some sweet young thing devolved into a little girl.\u00a0 \u201cEww.\u00a0 Please tell me you\u2019re joking.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom laughed.<\/p>\n Jack scowled at him, not certain if he should take the man seriously or not.\u00a0 \u201cYou.\u00a0 Not funny,\u201d he said, wagging a finger back and forth.\u00a0 \u201cSo where<\/em> did this topic come from?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom smiled and turned to look at the ruins again.\u00a0 \u201cI was telling you of the trip to Independence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh right,\u201d Jack noted and followed Tom\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cOn the geriatric rocket ship.\u00a0 Gotcha.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 That.\u201d\u00a0 Tom sighed and rubbed his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cWe left Earth in 2170, arrived at Independence in 2205.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack cocked his head to the side and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe year the Peloran made Contact.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHalleluiah!\u201d Tom shouted.\u00a0 \u201cYou actually learned<\/em> something in school!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled and decided to play along with the man.\u00a0 \u201cWell, after taking history five times it was bound<\/em> to seep in through osmosis if nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Tom asked in an amazed tone.\u00a0 \u201cFive<\/em> times?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack let his smile grow and let Tom have it with both barrels.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you see\u2026there was a girl<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cWho failed four times?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat.\u00a0 He really didn\u2019t need to give Tom that ammunition after all.\u00a0 \u201cGirls<\/em>,\u201d he finally clarified.<\/p>\n Tom groaned.\u00a0 \u201cWhy do I even ask?\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t answer that.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cLook, the Peloran wanted to talk to us, so we stayed.\u00a0 Most of us did.\u00a0 They offered transport to Earth to anyone who wanted it, but most of us stayed.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t end up getting back to Earth for another twenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack whistled, trying to imagine what twenty years away from home would be like.\u00a0 Especially after thirty years already out.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026a long time.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n A crooked smile took over Tom\u2019s face, making Jack instantly suspicious.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I wanted to see my daughter grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou dog,\u201d Jack said with a chuckle that turned into mist before him and a shake of his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI never said diplomacy was the only<\/em> reason I stayed,\u201d Tom answered with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cEven on a Peloran courier I would have been gone for months and I just didn\u2019t want to miss that much of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded in understanding.\u00a0 \u201cGood call.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt was.\u00a0 But it made things interesting.\u00a0 By the time I finally did get back to Earth it was\u2026over fifty years after I left.\u00a0 I saw first hand the revolution that gravtech brought to us.\u201d\u00a0 Tom pursed his lips and blew out a lungful of air that froze in mid air.\u00a0 \u201cIt was amazing the difference between what we were before and what we were when I returned.\u00a0 How much we\u2019d grown, how much we\u2019d gained.\u00a0 How much we\u2019d lost<\/em> getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head and looked up into the dark clouds above them.\u00a0 \u201cThey couldn\u2019t see it.\u00a0 They\u2019d lived through it changing.\u00a0 But me, I could see the little caf\u00e9 on the corner that used to make the best ice cream coffee that was now a gravboard dealership.\u00a0 Little things like that, all over.\u00a0 Progress had taken over in so many places.\u00a0 And the people acted different too.\u00a0 The adults were afraid of the fighting going on in the Outer Colonies, and in awe of the Peloran.\u00a0 And the children spent all day hovering around with their friends instead of playing video games.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack snorted in amusement.\u00a0 \u201cBe careful,\u201d he joked.\u00a0 \u201cFrom a diehard beach bum, that last bit sounds fun,\u201d he noted with a wink.<\/p>\n Tom shrugged with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t all bad.\u00a0 The kids really did love the new techs and they were the ones that integrated them into their lives.\u00a0 But the adults were scared, despite everything the government tried to do to pacify them.\u00a0 I could see it the first time they realized what Juliet was, rather than who<\/em> she was.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glanced at Juliet and she gave him a sad smile.\u00a0 He understood that.\u00a0 His little corner of the Earth had never been overly fond of cybers either.\u00a0 They were strange Peloran introductions, which automatically made them subject to approval before being allowed to intrude on the border town.\u00a0 But he\u2019d learned a lot in the last few months.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Juliet answered with a graceful nod.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom gave her a light touch, and Jack recognized the fondness of lifelong friends.\u00a0 Then he pulled in a breath and coughed, his lungs protesting against the falling temperatures.\u00a0 \u201cWhew,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s getting seriously cold out here.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shrugged and made a production of rolling his shoulders around inside his flight jacket.\u00a0 \u201cA bit nippy,\u201d he answered with a smile.<\/p>\n Tom rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cLook, I really need to get inside, so if you\u2019re done playing crazy Minnesotan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded, keeping his eyes on the ruins of the capital.\u00a0 \u201cGo in if you want.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to leave them alone yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom shivered but held his position for several seconds before nodding.\u00a0 \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI asked what you thought of Charles\u2019 ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes you did,\u201d Tom said with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I left, America looked to the stars in wonder.\u00a0 When I returned, they watched bread and circuses and reality holos that tried to keep them dumb.\u00a0 The corporations and unions bought legislatures to pass ten thousand page bills that nobody read and only served to shovel money into the hands of the already rich.\u00a0 I lost my faith in our government and returned to Independence to help make something better.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack scratched his chin, considering the words.\u00a0 Something about that didn\u2019t sound right.\u00a0 \u201cSo you lost your faith, but immediately decided to do something about it?\u201d\u00a0 He aimed a long look at Tom.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure that\u2019s a lack of faith?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom shook his head and chewed his lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cFine.\u00a0 A lack of trust then?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sampled the words against his thoughts and nodded.\u00a0 Trust sounded more right.\u00a0 \u201cWorks for me.\u00a0 Did you do what you set out to do?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cOh yes.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing how hard it is for successive generations to \u2018reinterpret\u2019 what their Founders meant, when those same Founders are there to explain that their writings mean exactly<\/em> what they say.\u00a0 And that we still mean<\/em> it.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack echoed Tom\u2019s chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cThat had to stick in their craw.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it did,\u201d Tom said with a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cStill does.\u00a0 But we will never forget again.\u201d\u00a0 He looked out at the ruined capital.\u00a0 \u201cAnd things they are a changing.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded in agreement, but caught the note of uncertainty in Tom\u2019s feelings.\u00a0 \u201cObviously.\u00a0 Though I gather you mean something different?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom shrugged, showing confusion.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 I think.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled in a long breath and gave a pensive shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cCould be good.\u201d\u00a0 He nodded towards the ruins.\u00a0 \u201cCould be bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack followed the gaze with a sad sigh, wondering again how many had not survived this bit of change.\u00a0 \u201cA bit of both, probably.\u00a0 With more of the bad than we\u2019d like.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom sighed in regretful agreement.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that the way it always is?\u00a0 Our worlds will be irrevocably changed before we have a chance to return.\u00a0 We may not even recognize them.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pulled in a long breath, remembering the writings of hundreds of years of Marines coming home from war.\u00a0 They all talked of the change back home when they returned.\u00a0 It was always like that.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome to the life of a Marine,\u201d he whispered, trusting in Tom\u2019s hearing to pick it up over a fresh gust of freezing wind.\u00a0 Tom\u2019s reaction surprised him.<\/p>\n Tom just shook his head and snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou know the funny part?\u00a0 I\u2019m not actually a Marine<\/em>.\u00a0 Hell, I\u2019m not even military<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2026I saw your service record.\u00a0 It goes back\u2026decades.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI was President of Independence.\u00a0 That made me the Commander in Chief of the military.\u00a0 If you\u2019d look closely, you\u2019d see it was a Presidential Commission.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack blinked, reconsidering what he remembered from reading the service record.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2026you had a Distinguished Service Medal.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom gave him a pained look.\u00a0 \u201cThey just wanted me to look good after the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at Tom.\u00a0 Now he knew<\/em> the man was understating his actions.\u00a0 \u201cThey gave you a Commendation Medal for engaging the enemy against impossible odds.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom winced and glanced at Juliet.\u00a0 She shook her head, letting him know he was on his own.\u00a0 \u201cThey were first generation Blackhawks.\u00a0 There were only five of them, and I had Juliet.\u00a0 It really wasn\u2019t a fair fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThey gave you the Space Force Cross for sinking the enemy battleship\u2026with a Blackhawk<\/em>.\u00a0 And saving several hundred civilians while doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom scratched his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that might be a bit overstated.\u00a0 They were the ones that fired the cruise missile.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled at Juliet.\u00a0 \u201cWe just found it a more deserving target.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThe report says you flew between the missile and a passenger liner, screaming at it with everything from radar to blinking lights, then led it on a merry chase through defensive fire, into point blank range of the battleship, before cutting all transmissions and trying to get out of the blast radius.\u00a0 And earned the Purple Heart when you failed<\/em> to.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom rolled his eyes at that one.\u00a0 \u201cWe got a bit cooked but it wasn\u2019t anything serious.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shook his head and looked at Juliet.\u00a0 \u201cNo offense, but they don\u2019t give Purple Hearts for fighters that got a bit toasty.\u201d<\/p>\n Juliet smiled back.\u00a0 \u201cA near strike cracked the canopy and he breathed vacuum for three minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTraitor,\u201d Tom whispered but Juliet just smiled back, looking insufferably pleased with herself.\u00a0 \u201cJuliet did most of the work,\u201d Tom began to explain with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI was just along for the ride.\u00a0 It was nothing like what your Mischief did.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack chuckled and his mind went back over his new wingwoman.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Mischief.\u201d\u00a0 She\u2019d shot down six Shang fighters at Fort Wichita in an old Hellcat, after fifty years flying in the Space Force.\u00a0 Of course her partner helped here a bit.<\/p>\n Tom chuckled again.\u00a0 \u201cDid she ever tell you why<\/em> she volunteered to join the Cowboys<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded.\u00a0 She\u2019d been real clear on why she wanted to join in the interview after all.\u00a0 \u201cShe wants to fly Avengers<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Tom said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cShe didn\u2019t leave Space Force.\u00a0 Not in her heart at least.\u00a0 She joined the Cowboys <\/em>so she could fly Avengers<\/em>.\u00a0 This is no longer just<\/em> a Marine fighter squadron.\u00a0 It is the first fully operational squadron to fly Avengers.\u00a0 And it is the only American squadron flying off Peloran warships.\u00a0 More will want to join us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess we\u2019re just that good, huh?\u201d Jack said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n Tom smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI guess we are.\u00a0 Jack, can I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack spread his arms out wide.\u00a0 \u201cShoot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think the Peloran are better than us?\u00a0 That we\u2019re inferior to them?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips, took a step back, and gave Tom a very long look.\u00a0 \u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d he finally said in a very firm tone.<\/p>\n Tom smiled.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 You know many people think the Peloran are our superiors?\u00a0 People we should follow<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never have subscribed to that one,\u201d Jack returned with a shake of his head.<\/p>\n \u201cMe neither.\u201d\u00a0 Tom chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cEven when I saw that kilometer long warship hovering over our heads in the sky, I never felt inferior.\u00a0 I saw it and my first thought was\u2026\u2019damn\u2026I wanna fly that.\u2019\u00a0 And that\u2019s what we need to show everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips, thinking that Tom meant something other than what it sounded like.\u00a0 \u201cThat we want to fly Peloran warships?\u201d he asked anyways, wondering how Tom would respond.<\/p>\n Tom raised an eyebrow at Jack.\u00a0 \u201cThat we\u2019re Cowboys<\/em>,\u201d he said in an exasperated tone.\u00a0 \u201cWe stand next to the Peloran as equals<\/em>.\u201d He looked towards the ruins again, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cIf we win this War, if we survive to the end, no one will remember that you were a Marine, that she was Space Force, or that I was the first pilot through The Wall.\u00a0 They\u2019ll remember that we were Cowboys<\/em>.\u00a0 We should make that mean<\/em> something.\u201d\u00a0 Tom shivered.\u00a0 \u201cBut now, I really<\/em> need to get back under cover.\u00a0 It\u2019s getting damn<\/em> cold out here.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded and watched Tom walk away for a while before turning back to the ruins of New Washington\u2019s capital.\u00a0 He considered what Tom had to say for a long time, Betty standing next to him as always.\u00a0 She really was<\/em> a good partner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 The Cowboys were the first of our kind.\u00a0 The first Americans to fly off Peloran warships.\u00a0 The first to use hyper-capable fighters.\u00a0 The first to do a lot of things.\u00a0 People remember that.\u00a0 They don\u2019t[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2304-forge-of-war-1stdraft","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-jack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1170"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1859,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions\/1859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}