A1 Area, Base 3, two veterans covered in dust were leaning against the wall inside the base, with one pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up, taking a delightful puff.
The other almost turned red-eyed watching him.
"Okay, I'll give you one, just this one," the man said, unable to bear being gawked at any longer, throwing a cigarette over.
The comrade next to him received it with a grateful smile, and both looked up, their gaze passing through the superbly transparent energy filter shield to the pale green sky.
"We've been here for five days now, right? The area has expanded to fifty square kilometers already, and who knows how long this mission will have us stationed out here? Killing bugs every day is making me nauseous."
"Who cares? We're expeditionary forces; our job is to lick blood off the gun muzzle."