Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 I don\u2019t talk about the last two years of The War much.\u00a0 To most people, they were good times.\u00a0 We\u2019d won the Battle of Hyades.\u00a0 We were driving our enemies before us.\u00a0 We were winning.\u00a0 All I could see ahead of me was the end of a way of life I had devoted two decades to.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know how to handle that.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know how I could go back.\u00a0 Those were real bad years for me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack lay back in his lounge chair, watching the waves lap against the beach in the early morning light.\u00a0 Or was it evening light?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really care either.\u00a0 There was no bonfire.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember the last time there had been one.\u00a0 There was no music or dancing or partying.\u00a0 There hadn\u2019t been in a long time.\u00a0 There was just the beach, the lake, mist in the air, and a dim light out of the eastern sky.\u00a0 So that made this morning.<\/p>\n
Jack pulled in a long breath, realizing that maybe he did<\/em> care.\u00a0 A little bit.\u00a0 He enjoyed the smell of a young, fresh day.\u00a0 It reminded him of early mornings in his youth.\u00a0 Before The War.\u00a0 He winced.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to be thinking about that here.\u00a0 Dreams were his chance to get away from real life.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to dwell on it.\u00a0 But sometimes it was hard not to.\u00a0 It was hardest when the alarms from outside clanged for his attention.<\/p>\n He ignored the alarms and continued watching the waves lap onto the beach.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, are you going to wake up or take a swim?\u201d a voice asked from his left and he turned to see black-haired Lila spread out over a lounge chair of her own.<\/p>\n Jack looked at her long and lean form for several seconds.\u00a0 In the past, he\u2019d found her beautiful.\u00a0 Now he barely noticed.\u00a0 Usually.\u00a0 Today he noticed again and a ghost of a smile colored his face.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t know.\u00a0 Haven\u2019t decided yet.\u201d\u00a0 In the past, he would have been flirting with that answer.\u00a0 He knew that.\u00a0 He remembered that.\u00a0 Today he was simply being truthful.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what<\/em> he wanted to do.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you should decide soon,\u201d Lila returned with a shake of her head.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s right,\u201d a voice from his right said.\u00a0 Jack turned his head to see red-haired Gabby on a lounge chair as well, looking out on the lake.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a nice view.\u00a0 But it\u2019s real silent now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I like<\/em> the silence,\u201d Jack noted to the second of the two people who had never left his dreams.\u00a0 They\u2019d worn different forms at first, but they\u2019d shared his dreams since the day Yosemite fell.\u00a0 They were the only ones who hadn\u2019t abandoned his dreams.\u00a0 Today, as often in the past, he wondered if they were simply parts of him trying to get his attention.\u00a0 His own internal consciences as it were.\u00a0 Other times he wondered if they were somebody else entering his dreams.\u00a0 But that was crazy talk.\u00a0 Sometimes it was just confusing.<\/p>\n Gabby shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 Maybe not.\u00a0 But this limbo isn\u2019t good for you.\u00a0 You need to wake up.\u201d\u00a0 She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cOr not.\u00a0 Your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack aimed a raised eyebrow at her.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 No arguments today for why I should buck up?\u201d<\/p>\n Gabby turned her head back to look at the ocean.\u00a0 \u201cNothing you haven\u2019t heard before.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips and turned back to Lila.\u00a0 \u201cAny words of wisdom from you<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Lila shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you wanted me to stay?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n Lila shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI do, but this isn\u2019t staying.\u00a0 It\u2019s just not moving.\u00a0 And that\u2019s not you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s the new<\/em> me,\u201d Jack said with a sigh.<\/p>\n Lila shook her head again.\u00a0 \u201cI hope not.\u00a0 That would be a disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s eyes flashed in anger for a moment.\u00a0 Then he pulled in a deep breath and let it back out, relaxing again.\u00a0 That brought him into focus and he looked out on the gentle, lapping waves of Rainy Lake.\u00a0 He remained like that for several seconds, just watching and composing his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cSo what do I do if we find the same thing again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdapt,\u201d Gabby answered.\u00a0 \u201cTake the chance to fulfill your end of the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips in thought.\u00a0 The deal.\u00a0 That was the rub.\u00a0 The agreement he and Betty had made almost twenty years ago.\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what if I\u2019m not the right person to fulfill it anymore?\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged, unable to find the right words.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He gave up again.\u00a0 He just didn\u2019t know what words could convey the mix of\u2026whatever it was he felt.\u00a0 Of wondering if, after twenty years, it was right to hold her to an agreement with someone who didn\u2019t even know who he was anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s her life too,\u201d Gabby supplied.\u00a0 \u201cHer choice.\u00a0 You should ask her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack snorted and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if I have to wake up to do that?\u201d\u00a0 He turned his head to observe her.<\/p>\n She smiled back at him.\u00a0 \u201cThen I guess you have to wake up to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack turned back to Lila.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what do you<\/em> think?\u201d<\/p>\n She sighed and shook her head with a rueful expression.\u00a0 She brought her hands up behind her head, smiled, and didn\u2019t say a word.\u00a0 She\u2019d obviously said her piece, and didn\u2019t mind losing this round.\u00a0 Of course, she was playing the long game.\u00a0 She was happy to wait.<\/p>\n Jack pulled in a long breath, took another long look at the gently lapping waves, and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I was getting a bit bored here,\u201d he finally said and rolled off his lounge chair.\u00a0 He nodded towards the two girls as he came to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cPresent company excepted of course.\u201d<\/p>\n They smiled back at him.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeya tonight then,\u201d he said with a smile and a shake of his head.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye, Jack,\u201d they chorused in response.<\/p>\n He stopped for a moment, wondering if he was crazy.\u00a0 Split personality, or someone else, giving advice only he could hear.\u00a0 And he listened.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know which possibility scared him more, but either one raised all kinds of crazy flags.\u00a0 Good thing he\u2019d never told anyone who tell on him.\u00a0 But he\u2019d never regretted listening to them yet.<\/p>\n He sucked in a long breath of fresh morning lake air and shut his eyes.<\/p>\n He opened his eyes onto a bright white room that brought tears to his eyes.\u00a0 A groan moved from his head to his toes and back again and he glanced over to a bulkhead covered in posters of pretty, young singers he\u2019d met over the years on USO tours.\u00a0 Taylor and Jennifer of course dominated the center of the display.<\/p>\n Jack smiled and felt his face twitch almost out of control.\u00a0 He\u2019d been asleep for a long time.\u00a0 He carefully flexed his arms and legs, feeling his joints crack from the motion.\u00a0 He yawned hard enough to bring tears to his eyes and to pop his jaw, and then worked from side to side to get it used to moving.\u00a0 He tossed his covers to the side and swung his legs out to plant bare feet on the comfortable, warm deck.\u00a0 Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and rubbed his jaw to get feeling everywhere that mattered before wiping the tears from his eyes.<\/p>\n Betty\u2019s yellow sundress flickered into existence a split second before the rest of her followed, and his eyes teared up again in protest against the bright color.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re awake!\u201d she said in a bright tone.<\/p>\n Jack rubbed his temple with one hand and tried to say that he was.\u00a0 All that came out was a horse cough.\u00a0 He sighed, raised a hand, and cleared his throat.\u00a0 Then he reached for the cup that was always there and downed the water in a long draw before slamming it back down with a gust of releasing air.\u00a0 He shook his head, blinking away more tears, sniffed once, and cleared his throat one more time.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d he finally croaked out, his mouth and throat feeling somewhat closer to alive.\u00a0 He must have been out for most of the two-day trip.\u00a0 He cleared his throat again.\u00a0 \u201cHow long before we arrive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d she answered with a wince.<\/p>\n The hatch to his quarters opened at that moment, saving her from a question she obviously didn\u2019t want to answer.\u00a0 Jasmine\u2019s avatar walked in wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a smile, holding a bundle of clothes in her arms.\u00a0 \u201cI see Sleeping Not-So-Beauty is finally awake,\u201d she said with a chuckle and dropped the bundle on his bunk before stepping away again.<\/p>\n \u201cHah,\u201d Jack answered, rubbed his forehead, and cleared his throat one more time.\u00a0 \u201cSeriously, how long?\u201d he asked and wiped grit out of the corner of each eye.<\/p>\n Jasmine chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWe actually arrived a few hours ago.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been prowling around the system ever since, scouting for anyone that might be hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack blinked and yawned again.\u00a0 \u201cHours?\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head to clear it.\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you try to wake me earlier?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmine and Betty shared a worried glance.\u00a0 \u201cWe did,\u201d Betty said in a matching tone.<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cSorry,\u201d he said and rubbed his scruffy jaw.\u00a0 He\u2019d been sleeping long and hard recently, and they didn\u2019t like it.\u00a0 They had a point.\u00a0 They were supposed to be partners.\u00a0 It was hard to be partners with someone who slept all the time.\u00a0 He looked at the uniform on the bunk next to him with a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose you want me wearing that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs opposed to what you\u2019re wearing now?\u201d Jasmine asked with a raised eyebrow.<\/p>\n Jack snorted.\u00a0 \u201cNot like there\u2019s anyone else to see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJack,\u201d Betty said in a serious tone, pulling his attention back to her.\u00a0 \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n He met her gaze for a moment before letting out his breath and nodding.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d he intoned as he came to his feet and unfolded the uniform.\u00a0 When he finished donning it, he looked in the mirror and gave a slow nod.\u00a0 He did<\/em> look better.\u00a0 He pulled in a long breath to steady his nerves and stepped out of his quarters.<\/p>\n The corridor ran down the center of the scout ship\u2019s command section to the bridge of the Queen of Harts<\/em>.\u00a0 He\u2019d flown off a different warship every few months for years, during the long Hyades Campaign.\u00a0 But after that campaign ended and the Shang began to run, The Fleet had been forced to split up to track down the scattered forces left.\u00a0 For the first year, it hadn\u2019t been too difficult.\u00a0 Lately though, they\u2019d gotten a lot harder to find.\u00a0 Now Jack sighed as he walked down the corridor, passing cybernetic crewmembers bending over exposed wall panels and hatches to perform maintenance work.\u00a0 He wondered if they would find the same thing they\u2019d found on the previous four scouting missions.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n The hatch in front of him opened and he walked onto the bridge with Jasmine and Betty in tow.\u00a0 He scanned the displays spread throughout the bridge that showed all twelve Nemesis drones in space.\u00a0 Four surrounded the scout ship and four fanned ahead in hyperspace to search for the enemy.\u00a0 Four more flew spread ahead of them in normalspace, maintaining a watch of their own.\u00a0 All of the scopes were empty of bad guys.\u00a0 Jack didn\u2019t like that.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the outer system\u2019s clear?\u201d he asked as he sat down in the captain\u2019s chair and began locking the five-point harness in place.<\/p>\n \u201cClear as glass,\u201d Jasmine answered.<\/p>\n Jack frowned as he considered the displays showing the system around them.\u00a0 It was supposed to be a major Shang base, but in hours of work his girls hadn\u2019t picked up so much as a peep out of it.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s check out the inner system then,\u201d he finally ordered in a doubtful tone.<\/p>\n He felt a vibration through the deck as the scout ship began to accelerate.\u00a0 \u201cOn the way,\u201d Betty said.<\/p>\n \u201cWorried that we\u2019ll find too many of them to fight?\u201d Jasmine asked with a cocky smile.<\/p>\n \u201cOr that we won\u2019t find any at all?\u201d Betty asked.<\/p>\n Jack shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I just\u2026this is the fifth we\u2019ve checked.\u00a0 What if they\u2019re gone here too?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty smiled in a reassuring manner.\u00a0 \u201cThen it\u2019ll be time to return to The Fleet and tell them what we found.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean what we didn\u2019t<\/em> find,\u201d Jack muttered with a scowl.<\/p>\n Betty cocked her head to the side and gave him a concerned look.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s troubling you?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack studied the displays for several seconds in silence, looking for any hint that this wasn\u2019t what it appeared to be.\u00a0 Then he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat this could be it.\u00a0 The end.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty turned her head the other way, studying him as closely as he was studying the displays.\u00a0 \u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe War,\u201d he answered without a pause.<\/p>\n Betty pursed her lips.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you want it to be over?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I do,\u201d Jack said without pausing to think.\u00a0 Then he winced as he realized he wasn\u2019t actually certain he did.\u00a0 Betty caught his self-correction and aimed a raised eyebrow at him.\u00a0 He paused to consider his next words more carefully.\u00a0 He owed that to both Betty and Jasmine.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2026I just don\u2019t know what to do if this is it.\u00a0 What comes next?\u201d he asked, looking back and forth between both of them.<\/p>\n Jasmine looked at him with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really think we chose you without having a plan for after this was over?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat and felt a blush hitting his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026guess\u2026not.\u00a0 I mean.\u00a0 Now that I think about it, it would<\/em> be kinda stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty smiled and held a hand out to him.\u00a0 \u201cIt won\u2019t be easy, Jack.\u00a0 It never is.\u00a0 Your kind have come home from war for millennia, always feeling like you lost something out there, wondering if you\u2019ll ever be whole again.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded, what she was saying making perfect sense.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m\u2026I\u2019m just not certain I can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty gave him a sad smile.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 You\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll wind up like so many other Veterans.\u00a0 No job.\u00a0 No money.\u00a0 No friends.\u00a0 No family.\u00a0 No home.\u00a0 You all lose so much in war, and then more when you come back.\u00a0 Nations call on you at need, and then set you aside in times of peace.\u00a0 It is\u2026horrible.\u201d\u00a0 She bent down to look him straight in the eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut know this, Jack.\u00a0 I am no nation.\u00a0 I chose you.\u00a0 I will not abandon you.\u00a0 I am, and always will be, your friend.\u201d<\/p>\n She meant every word.\u00a0 He could see it in her eyes.\u00a0 She truly was prepared to spend her life keeping him from going off the deep end.\u00a0 In that moment, he realized that Gabby was right.\u00a0 He had to say something.\u00a0 \u201cLook.\u00a0 I feel old\u2026and tired.\u00a0 Stretched.\u00a0 Like butter scraped over toast a few too many times.\u201d\u00a0 Jack stopped, the final thought freezing in his mind before his lips could put words to it.<\/p>\n Jasmine and Betty shared another understanding glance.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Jack, this is your lucky day,\u201d Jasmine said and patted him on the shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cBecause we just happen to specialize in revitalizing the old and tired.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shook his head, a hint of anger at her flippant answer flashing in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m serious,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n Jasmine met his glare with a calm look and an understanding smile.\u00a0 \u201cSo am I.\u00a0 We knew what we were signing up for when we chose all of you.\u00a0 And we\u2019ve spoken about it since.\u00a0 We all agree.\u00a0 We weren\u2019t just picking pilots.\u00a0 We picked family, and real family never gives up on each other.\u201d\u00a0 She stopped for a moment, swallowed, and her smile turned far more sincere than the wry sense of humor it usually displayed.\u00a0 \u201cJust like you didn\u2019t give up on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s sat slack jawed at Jasmine\u2019s statement, feeling like a bull had just run him over.\u00a0 He had no words to respond with, nothing at all came to mind.\u00a0 He just sat there in his captain\u2019s chair, feeling like a bump on a log.<\/p>\n \u201cTrust us,\u201d Betty said, her calm voice cutting through his worry as she held her hand out to him.\u00a0 \u201cYou are Family.\u00a0 Family is our life.\u00a0 Family is our choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sucked in another breath, recognizing Gabby\u2019s words from his dream.\u00a0 The words that had pushed him to wake up in the first place.\u00a0 They were good words.\u00a0 He pursed his lips though, about to protest that neither of them really understood.<\/p>\n Betty\u2019s eyes flashed in anger, stopping him short.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I don\u2019t care<\/em> if you think you\u2019re worth it or not.\u00a0 You will trust us<\/em> when we disagree.\u00a0 You get me?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack froze stiff for a moment, hardly able to breath.\u00a0 She\u2019d realized what he hadn\u2019t said, and he saw the sheer determination that she wouldn\u2019t let it stand in her every movement.\u00a0 She truly was serious.\u00a0 And once again, words deserted his suddenly dry lips.\u00a0 So he fell back on two words designed for situations exactly like this, ironed into him from a youth in rural Minnesota, and reinforced by the steel of the United States Marines.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 I don\u2019t talk about the last two years of The War much.\u00a0 To most people, they were good times.\u00a0 We\u2019d won the Battle of Hyades.\u00a0 We were driving our enemies before us.\u00a0 We were winning.\u00a0[…]↓ Read the rest of this 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