Status Report

The ticking of the clock was the loudest sound I've ever heard in that plain white waiting room. Val sat across from me, fidgeting and looking about the room. I was trying not to show it, but I was just as nervous. Dorothy had to be rushed in to emergency with a breathing mask and a team of medics. No one told us about her condition yet and there wasn't anyway to observe, so we were forced to wait outside with our thoughts in overdrive.

Angelina was the first to leave the ward, stone faced on arrival. We got to our feet, but neither of us said a word.

"The good news is, she is alive." She started off, both of us dropping that iron weight of dread, only to pick up another set as her next sentence made us more tense.

"Bad news is she is unconscious and in a possible coma. Whatever was in that substance caused her to undergo multiple transfusions and around the clock supervision. They managed to stabilize her, but she is going to be spending a lot of time off duty to recover."

Not as bad as it sounded, but that worried look she tried to cover up still made me uneasy. Not everyday a new member gets injured on the first mission. Maybe that's why we never had a recruit in over a year. She shook it off and continued.

"General Padds is ignoring the matter of combat, seeing as you recovered a valuable relic. Apparently they call it an arc core, a highly powerful ore used in their dreadnoughts and power stations. We might be able to turn the tide once they figure out how to weaponize it."

Val cracked a smile. "At least we got a win for once."

Angelina wasn't in the mood to berate her, instead she just brushed past us and headed for the transport meant for us. We followed and loaded in, not before I looked back at the medical station. I caught a glimpse of a hint of purple attached to a series of machines and tubes. For a faint second I could see a face underneath the mask, a series of cuts covering her face. It made my chest hurt, knowing I was possibly the cause for this pain. Val grabbed my shoulder, a slight mist in her eye as I turned towards her.

"Come on, Liz is probably awake now and there may be another task for us." I nodded and strapped in, the station disappearing within a few seconds from the window.

When we arrived, Angelina went straight to her quarters. I went to the communications station to check the monitors while I heard Liz rustling about in her bunk when I passed her room. Val went in to speak with her while I checked the sky chatter.

"Enemy troop movement reported coming in from the south, ten clicks from station eight. Twelve bogies, no armor."

"Three armored convoys engaging Echo unit, requesting fire support and mortar suppression."

"Enemy dreadnought in critical condition, two platoons retreating from the front line. Delta unit and Hotel pressing the attack."

I marked down the locations and updated my map, slightly pleased with the new progress. Little by little we were pushing them back, but they were making us fight for every bloody inch as our numbers only rose by tens. The doors opened behind me, Liz appearing in combat gear as I turned about. She was itching for a fight, but her condition said otherwise as she leaned on a console.

"Liz, you can't fight like this. You can't even walk right. Go back to sleep and recover properly." She scowled as she stood up to argue, only to buckle over and grab a chair with both hands.

"I'm fine." She protested, waving me away from her. She looked pissed and with good reason. She valued her stealth expertise and for a unit to catch her by surprise only hurt her pride as a trooper. I was about to press the issue when Val and Angelina entered the room. Angelina relieved her, ignoring her argument. Val supported her back to her quarters, Liz mumbling the whole way. Angelina watched her go, sighing hard. I can almost feel the tension radiating from her as she felt helpless for her unit.

"Not every battle is won without blood." She said, mainly trying to convince herself as redirected her attention to the radar. I nod and turn back to the radio, only to receive a direct transmission from another station.

"Gamma tower to double Omega do you copy, over." I respond and wait for their message.

"My squad is engaging a unit four click from here, but I received word there is a high value target amongst them. They can't pursue under the heavy fire and we need your assistance to retrieve the target."

I hesitate, looking back at Angelina. It was a mission after another and morality wasn't the greatest at the moment. She shook off her doubt and stood tall. She took over the mic.

"Valkyrie will respond. Send the coordinates and we will move to intercept." She sat their jotting down the information before ripping off the piece and handing it to me. What she said surprised me more than the look of determination she gave me as she said it.

"I need you out there now. This fight is going to be bigger than before, and we need someone to supervise Val."

I stood there, stunned. After two years of sitting behind a console calling the shots, now I'm being sent into live combat while she controls the comms. I had been trained in active combat before being sent into the tech division. Except now, it seems more different now.

"Are you sure you want me out there? I mean, you're more qualified than me." She shook her head.

"If I'm out there, I'm not going to be seeing straight. If anything, there is a chance I'm going to lose my head and go crazy." This took me aback. Then I saw it from the side, that slight glimmer of heat shining in her eyes as she looked at the screen. I didn't press the issue, knowing full well how her rage had been used before. Especially after reading her permanent record when joining this unit. The previous combat officer that joined before me was still learning sing language.

I head out, hearing deep breaths behind me as I head for the armory. Val was in there talking to Liz who was still adamant about going to the field. They stop mid argument to look at me, puzzled. I breath deep before telling them the new orders.

"Starting today, I'm going to be fighting with you out in the field." They looked even more confused, sharing a look with each other before checking back with me.

"Why isn't Angelina running backup? No offense, but your specialty is at the helm." Val asked. I told her what Angelina told me as they nodded in understanding. Liz shouldered a sniper as Val loaded a mag into her rifle. Liz looked more stable, eyeing her scope as she held her sniper with great stability. Val cracked a smile as she tossed a rifle to me, which I almost fumbled as the weapon caught me in the chest with heavy force.

"Let's get started." Val says as she follows Liz out the room. I load into my old gear, strapping on some extra mags and few other gadgets I would need. Some of the gear brought back some memories, a few I would like to forget. I finish up and sling the rifle onto my back, dashing out the room and heading for the jeep.