“Yeah, I got it. Toast the Lite-Brite,” CPO Sun acknowledged. “Wu, Patterson! Cover me. I’m going in.”

The cannon lit up and Sun fired off his last missile.

—

General Marelli sat underneath the wrecked Pelican. He could barely remember what happened. His crew was on a rescue mission, which he insisted on taking part in. They were shot down as they tried to escape.

“General Marelli!” came the voice of Sergeant Kuhn.

Marelli looked up at his good friend. Sergeant Kuhn was an exemplary NCO, although apparently not the best pilot.

“You could have dodged that,” Marelli chuckled weakly.

“Yeah, well. Are you okay, sir?” Kuhn asked.

Marelli wasn’t really sure. His chest was throbbing, his arm felt like it was broken and his back was burning, likely from a plasma bolt. On top of that a Brute Spike was stuck in his left ankle.

“I’ll be better once I have my gun,” Marelli said.

Kuhn passed Marelli his Battle Rifle. “The scope is messed up.”

Staff Sergeant Thomas ran around to where Marelli and Kuhn were preparing. “Hey, they got a couple of Banshees interested in our position. We’re gonna want to move soon.”

“Right,” Marelli nodded, standing up. He yanked the spike out of his ankle and collapsed instantly in pain. He pushed the other two off as they tried to help him. “I’ll be fine. I’m an ODST. Foot pain is part of the job description.”

The three men headed down the road towards a wrecked Warthog. They saw two soldiers lying under the heap, using it as cover. The first man was Corporal Jayaratna. He was the driver of the wrecked vehicle, and one of the guys they were trying to save.

The second was First Sergeant Morris. He seemed more calm than his friend, but Marelli could tell that he was also scared out his mind. That was good. A scared soldier is an attentive soldier.

“Are you boys okay?” Marelli asked.

“That’s a relative term, sir,” Morris chuckled nervously.

“Can you shoot, walk straight and not piss your pants?” Marelli asked, not wanting to waste any more time.

Morris nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. We’re hiking back to the outpost down the road. I just hope the other Pelican is there when we get there,” Marelli ordered.

—

“This will be an interesting day,” General Rodney said.

“Oh really,” Fleet Admiral Mac Lennan asked. “Why is that?”

General Rodney set his glass of vodka back on the table. “I can feel these things, you know.”

“I do know,” Mac Lennan nodded. “But what in particular triggered it this time?”

“Might have been the vodka,” Rodney joked. “But no. This will be a day to remember.”

“For the positive, I hope,” Mac Lennan sighed, taking a sip from his drink.