Flags of Our Fathers

The thing about Mars was that even if it wasn't for the people who called the red planet home, there were so many ways it could kill you.

For one thing, no air, or at least no air that any human could breathe without passing out within minutes. Also the little matter that the low pressure would kill any unlucky bastard without a pressure suit. Minus that, if you somehow had a suit that could keep you oxygenated forever, you'd still have to deal with the lack of any surface water, plus the lack of any food, period. And while you were keeping your head down looking for either of those things, you might want to take a peak at the sky above, at that distant sun beyond the dusty clouds, because that thing could kill you painfully and slowly given the planet's lack of a magnetosphere. And if you overcame all those obstacles, if you somehow created your little Garden of Eden with food, water, air, radiation shielding, and all the other basics of life, you'd have to find a way to stop your bones and muscles from degrading given the planet's low gravity. Might not kill you exactly, but it would make your Eden much less Edeny.

Dani knew all this. She'd known it growing up on Earth, she'd known it when she'd joined SATO, and she'd known it when the UNSA Cornwall had appeared in orbit above Mars to "deal with the uprising," as the captain had put it. Never mind that the uprising, otherwise known as the Secession Wars or War for Martian Independence, had gone on for years. That the Martians had ships too, and as far as she could tell, establishing a beachhead on the border of Tharsis might sound like a good idea, but it really wasn't trying anything new. Which was why she was lying outside a downed Corvid-class dropship on the red sands. Why she checked her HUD to confirm that her suit's integrity hadn't been compromised, that she had four hours and eleven minutes of oxygen left, and that she wasn't bleeding. Because the thing about Mars in this day and age was that despite all the ways that the planet could kill you, as if it had a mind of its own, the most likely way you were going to die was through a bomb, or a bullet, or all other manner of ways humans could take each others' lives. Christ, it was as if when God made the Heavens and the Earth, he'd made space so hostile, it was like he was trying to say "don't go here! It's terrible! Stay in the garden and for God's sake, stop cutting down the rainforest!" Why God would use a phrase like "for God's sake" Dani didn't know, but then again, she didn't know much. Like, why this operation had gone so bad, why she was the only marine on the Corvid who'd survived. Or how she was going to survive this. Or why, ten minutes after stumbling out of the ship and onto the sands, why she was just lying here.

I wanna go home.

It would be spring in Caracas, she reflected. Mother would be worrying about her. Her mother's mother would try to stop her daughter from worrying. She didn't know what her father or brother would be doing, since the former had been dead for five years, and her brother had been dead for five weeks. Mother had still held for hope, but as she'd explained half a dozen times, the UNSA Shenzhou had gone down over Venus. Even if Raphael hadn't been killed in the initial engagement, he'd have died before the ship even crashed on the Venusian surface.

And now I'm going to die on the surface of Mars. Great. She blew against the inside of her helmet, regretting it immediately as her breath formed on the glass. Fuck.

There was a clang. Either the ship had moved, or someone else had.

Fuck.

Likely the SDF looking for survivours.

Fuck!

She sprung to her feet and took cover behind an ammo crate that had tumbled out of the bay. It wasn't the best cover in the world, but it beat using one of the corpses as a shield. Looking down the scope of her rifle, she kept it pinned on where the sound had originated. Right now, the winds of Mars were silent, and by using her suit's audio-enhancers, she could pinpoint the sound as coming from the other side of the dropship.

One of our own, or… She tapped her head. Two Corvids had descended down to the drop site with the intention of setting up a firebase. Both of them had been shot down by surface-to-air missiles, destroying them, the rovers they'd carried, and most of the personnel. Heck, until a second ago, she thought she was the only one. She'd managed to dive onto the sands while her fellow marines fell, and didn't get back up.

In a best case scenario, it was a survivor from the other dropship. In a worst case one, it was SetDef. If the former, she figured she could die with company. If the latter, then she might as well put a bullet in her head now. Tightening her grip, sweat pooling on her forehead despite her suit's thermals being set to room temperature, she watched as the figure emerged from the other side of the dropship. Carrying a rifle, looking down it, pointing it at her and-

She let out a burst of 9mm SATO rounds. None of them hit her target, as they took cover behind the burning Corvid.

"Cease fire, cease fire!"

Dani grit her teeth. "Identity yourself."

"Christ woman, I'm wearing the same fatigues you are!"

"Oh. Right. Of course." She got to her knee. "Well, um…"

When the man spoke, it was over her radio. "Hear me better now?"

"Um…"

"I said, can you hear me better now?"

"Well, I…"

"God's sake, how old are you?"

Dani didn't answer. Which she supposed was all the leeway the man needed to emerge from behind cover and walk over to her. Going by the fatigues, she could tell that her was indeed with the SATOMC. Also, given the look behind his visor, he was absolutely pissed. For a moment, she was afraid that she was going to die. Not from Mars or the SDF, but the very angry jarhead coming towards her. She got to her feet, pointing her rifle at him…

"Put it away kid, you'll hurt yourself."

…and let him yank it away, now carrying a rifle in each arm. He turned around, looking at the burning Corvid and the bodies that were spread around it.

"Is it just you?" he asked.

Dani didn't answer. Because in turning around, she could see the flag that was on his shoulder.

"Kid?"

A flag that consisted of six white stripes, seven red stripes, and fifty-two stars.

"Listen kid, chances are we're both dead, so much as I can play the silent treatment game, we can…" He trailed off. Finally noticing the flag that was on Dani's shoulder. "Seriously?" he whispered.

Dani gulped. "Well," she whispered. "This is awkward."

The man didn't say anything. She couldn't blame him.

In of itself, the flag on his shoulder wasn't a problem. In of itself, the flag on hers wasn't either. But when her flag consisted of a black background with twelve golden stars, and it was in the presence of his, then, well…

"Should I talk now?" Dani asked.

He grunted and walked to the Corvid. And Dani couldn't blame him.

The USA and Federation had never got on after all.

"I'm seventeen you know."

The man ignored her.

"I know eighteen is the enlistment age, but after SetDef bombed Buenos Aires, I decided enough was enough."

The man ignored here.

"Like, if we're going to die here, I'm welcome to sharing my life story and…" The man looked up from the map and glared at her. "Okay. I'll shut up now."

"You do that," he grunted, before turning back to the map.

Ten minutes had passed since the whole flag thing, though now that she thought about it, she figured that it had never really ended. And if one went back in history to the early 21st century, the whole "thing" between the United States of America and the Federation of the Americas had begun there, and even then, only if you ignored the half century prior to that. Sad truth of the world was that even for all the power the United Nations held, even if the UNSA ensured that Earth could keep the lights on, countries were still a thing. Borders were still a thing. Outside a certain building in New York, there were over 200 flags flying. Which meant that the UNSA, and by extension, SATO, were comprised of various nationals, which meant that they had to show flags on their shoulders. Which meant that the man, whose body armour said "Reyes," was giving her the silent treatment.

Figures. I'm going to die here with Silver Tongued Pedro, Dani reflected, remembering one of the many cartoons she'd consumed in her childhood. She looked out over the sands, wondering why SetDef hadn't sent anyone to investigate. At this point in time, it was hard to say who was winning the war, but however one felt about Martians, they at least fought under one flag. In light of the last ten, no, eleven minutes, Dani figured that it might have been why they'd been able to hold out for so long. The UNSA had to accommodate over 200 different flags and ways of doing thing. SetDef only fought under one.

"Got an exfil?" Dani asked. She looked back at Reyes. He didn't look up from the map.

"Yeah, okay," she said. She squatted down opposite him, the crate the map was lying over forming a wedge between them. "Do you have a plan? Because if not, just say so now. Because I've got less than four hours of air left."

He frowned. "You'll lose oxygen even faster if you keep yammering on." Dani went to retort, but he beat her to it. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Here's our exfil." He tapped the map and Dani looked down at it, at a site east of their location.

"Romulus Base?"

"It's our last outpost in Tharsis. If we've got exfil, it's there."

"Hmm." Dani forced a smile. "Well, could be worse. I mean, we could have Remus Base instead."

Reyes stared at her.

"Remus," Dani said. "Guy who was murdered over a hill and crows?"

Reyes kept staring at her.

"Forget it." She traced her finger from Romulus to what she estimated was her current position. "That's twenty-four klicks though, which at least for me, would mean travelling over six klicks an hour." She bit her lip. "I mean, maybe I could, if I ran. But that would just use up oxygen faster. Not to mention-"

Reyes tapped her helmet. She looked up and saw him holding an oxygen canister.

"Oh," she said. She looked at the bodies. "Did you…"

"Dead don't need to breathe." He got to his feet and slung the rifle over his shoulder. "Move out in five. One rifle, plus clips, plus oxygen, plus essentials."

"Define essentials."

He picked up a canister off the ground and tossed it to her. "Suit sealant for one thing."

It wasn't that Dani could fault the idea, but she couldn't help but ask the golden question. "Right. And who put you in charge anyway?"

"The SDF, once they shot both our birds down and killed all but you and me. Also, I'm a corporal. The marks on your other shoulder mark you as a private.

"I-"

"Also you're seventeen. So as someone a decade older, I call the shots."

Dani frowned. Reyes was reminding her of Raphael. The age difference between them had been less pronounced, but it was an age difference that he'd used to his advantage, both physically and verbally.

"Plus, I'm not inclined to let Feddies lead."

Dani glared at him. "Whatever you say, gringo."

Reyes gave her a look, but behind the helmet, Dani couldn't tell if it was respect, contempt, or something else. But it was a look all the same. And as she began salvaging the corpses around her, she gave him another look. As he took a small piece of paper out of his pocket, gave it a quick glance, before putting it back in.

She didn't say anything then, and similarly remained silent when they activated waypoints on their HUD and began hiking across the desert sands.

Could really have used one of those rovers now.

Carrying ammo, oxygen, and "essentials" wasn't too bad, Dani reflected. On Earth, they might have been, but one of the benefits of lower gravity was that it made it easier to carry more stuff. On the other hand, Romulus Base, at their current speed, was a seven hour trip. Neither of them lacked for fitness, but Reyes insisted on saving oxygen (extra cannisters aside), and as it turned out, making one's way through sand and rock wasn't conducive to cross-country marathons. Hence, rovers. Also, over the course of the first four hours, Reyes had barely said anything to her. And as loathe as she was to admit it, the sound of Martian wind blowing across Martian sand got old pretty quickly.

"My name's Dani, by the way," she said.

Reyes kept walking.

"I mean, full name's Daniella, but I prefer Dani. My mum prefers to call me Daniella, but Dani's my name most of the time."

Reyes picked up his pace.

"So, like, surname's Rodriguez, but you probably guessed that with the whole armour name tag thing." She tapped her hardsuit and tried to match Reyes's pace. "You got a name? I mean, Reyes. Not too bad. But I mean, you have a first name, right?"

He actually paused and gave her a withering glare. So withering that Dani figured it would set back terraforming efforts in Tharsis back by a thousand years, pre-emptively killing anything that people tried to grow here. She stopped, clutching her rifle, and wishing that he wasn't a head taller than her.

"Right," she muttered. "No names then."

"Kid, chances are than Romulus Base isn't even there. If it isn't, we're dead. If it is, we get off Mars, and we don't have to see each other again." He turned around and began walking again.

"Get off Mars," Dani murmured. "Isn't there a third option? Like, staying put? Fighting the good fight?"

Reyes grunted. "Way the fight's going, do you see that happening?"

Dani didn't answer. She didn't want to.

"Can't we call them now?"

"No. SetDef could pick it up. Frankly it's a miracle they haven't ghosted us already."

"Right…" Dani kept walking across the sands. She looked away from the marine ahead of her and across the desert. "Whole damn planet's one of ghosts." She checked her suit's oxygen supplies. "Hold up. Need to exchange cannisters."

Reyes looked at her. He clearly wanted to keep pressing forward, but even he had to acknowledge reality. "Fine. May as well change myself."

Dani sat down against a rock, glad to give her feet some rest. The canister exchange was easy to do, in part because it had been drilled into her from boot camp, even before she'd learnt how to shoot. SATO operated in space. Space didn't have air. Space was "an absolute bitch" and wanted to kill you. She'd asked her drill sergeant why space was a bitch and not a bastard, and had been forced to do one-hundred sit-ups.

God. I'm over two-hundred million miles away from Earth and I'm still thinking of Sergeant Dominique. She cast her gaze out over the sands. It was quiet. It was desolate. It was a planet hostile to life. It was, she had to admit, beautiful. A beautiful planet that was being marred by mankind's propensity to bring conflict wherever he trod. She looked at Reyes, fiddling with his own oxygen canister.

"How do you think this ends?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Excuse me?"

She cast her arms round the sands. "How does this end? This war? Mars, Earth, SetDef, the lot of it? Like, we own the skies, but they own the soil. War's been going on for years, and we've barely got a foothold on Mars."

"I dunno Feddie, why don't we just bomb them from orbit? I mean, that's your style, right?"

Dani managed to keep herself seated, but not her mouth shut. "That's a low blow."

"Just saying how it is Feddie." He closed his oxygen canister. "I mean, the whole orbital bombardment thing worked great once, how 'bout you do it again?"

This time, she got to her feet. "Take that back."

"Take it back," he murmured. "Lots of stuff I'd bet you'd love to take back now."

"You first," she said.

"You know I grew up near San Diego? You can still see the craters left."

"Visit Chile if you want to see craters."

"Well, I would, but I'm not into visiting fascists."

"Says the imperialist."

He tapped his rifle. "I'm the imperialist who's saved your arse."

Dani scoffed. "You haven't saved anything. And in case you haven't noticed, Mars is fighting a war for independence." She gave him a shove. "Of course, you're only into that when it suits you."

"Yeah, sure. Says the girl who grew up with a picture of General Almagro at school."

"What? Okay, first of all, that's bullshit. Second of all, you want to talk about pictures? You've still got Andrew Fucking Jackson on your notes. In fact, who the hell even uses printed money anyway?"

"I dunno Feddie, orbital bombardment does that to an economy."

His voice was low this time. Much lower.

"Don't talk to me about economics, gringo. I know all about banana republics."

So was hers. And she stood there, as he leant in closer. As their helmets almost touched each other. As she saw a look of pure contempt behind the glass.

"Twenty-seven million," he whispered.

Dani blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Twenty-seven million," Reyes repeated. "That's how many people died on July tenth, 2015."

Dani took a breath. "Well then," she whispered. "Guess we learnt from the best. Y'know, the people who invented nukes and kinetic warheads in the first place."

Reyes looked ready to punch her. And though she hoped she was able to hide it, she was relieved when he turned away and grunted. "Come on Feddie. Romulus is waiting."

Dani took a breath. "I bet he is. Though his brother was…" She trailed off. "Wait."

"Not waiting Feddie. We need to get to-"

"Damn it Reyes, wait!"

He looked ready to not only punch her, but shoot her as well. Luckily, instead of doing that, he followed her finger, pointing northward. To the dust cloud that was approaching their location.

"Shit," he whispered. He crouched down beside Dani. Lights appeared on his helmet that Dani recognised as being a zoom function. "Rover. SDF."

"Think they've seen us?"

"If they haven't, they soon will."

Dani let out a curse in Spanish.

"Yeah, dunno what that means. But unless you've got a plan…"

"Oh so now you want my opinions," Dani murmured.

"Got a plan, I'll listen to your opinions all day long."

Which day though? Earth or Mars's? She bit her tongue, and as they both crouched down behind one of the boulders, before she looked at Reyes. "How's your firepower?"

"Rifle, two clips, plus two underslung grenades. You?"

"Clips, plus oxygen, plus sealant."

"That's it?"

"Hey, you said bring the essentials, not me." She looked back at the approaching rover. "Think that's enough to crack it?"

"Definitely not the bullets," Reyes said. "Grenades might work, but these rovers are fully sealed."

Dani bit her lip. "Okay then," she said. "So then we have to get them out of it."

"And how do we do that?" Reyes hissed.

Dani got to her feet. "Stay here. You'll know when to shoot."

"Pardon?"

Dani didn't say anything. She grabbed her rifle and began walking out with her hands up, holding the rifle high.

"Dani, what are you doing?" Reyes hissed over the radio.

"Getting them out of the car," she said.

"Dani, they might as well just shoot you. God's sake, just get back here."

"Going silent." She turned off the radio. She didn't want Reyes yammering on in her ear any more than she wanted the SetDef grunts to tap into their conversation. Question was, as the rover headed right towards her, were the troopers interested in conversation themselves? Or would they let bullets do the talking? By her estimate it was 50/50. English was the lingua franca of the UNSA as well as Mars. Problem was, bullets were as well.

Guess we'll find out. The rover came to a halt before her, and this close, free of the dust cloud, she could get a good look at it. It was large – bigger than any Hummer back on Earth, and stockily built. Through the plasteel that served as windows, she could see the driver and another trooper get out, guns at the ready. Neither of which were as threatening as the trooper who was standing on the back, pointing a machine gun at her. Without prompting, she put her rifle down in the sand.

Any time now Reyes. She fought the urge to look back. Maybe the rover had seen them ages ago, maybe not. But at the very least, all six enemy eyes were focused on her, which would give Reyes his opening to shoot.

Reyes?

Two of the troopers walked towards her. One a woman in midlife, the other a boy who looked as young as her. Given the look on his face, she could tell that he didn't want to be here. She knew the feeling.

"You come down in the ship?"

It was the woman who asked the question though, and Dani didn't sense any unease in her voice.

"Yes," she said. She glanced westward, to where the sun was heading down towards the horizon. "Not a pleasant landing."

The woman grunted. "This is Mars, Earthen. Things aren't pleasant here." She took a step towards her, and behind the woman's visor, Dani could see a look of absolute disgust. "Pitiful. You come with your hands up at the first sign of trouble."

Any time now Reyes.

"Kosolov, take her weapon." The boy bent down to pick it up, while the woman looked at Dani. "Normally I might take you prisoner, but we don't have room. And since we don't want any Earthen on Mars, this is where things get real simple."

Despite her suit's thermals, Dani felt like she'd been plunged into an ice bath.

"I'm sorry," said the woman. "Really."

Thing was, Dani could tell that she meant it. But it was cold comfort as the trooper's rifle was raised in her direction. As she saw the woman get ready to fire.

"Hey, come on," she said, backing her way, hands still up. "There's rules about this kind of thing."

The woman sighed. "Count of five, Earthen. If you've got a God, better pray to him now."

Dani didn't think God was going to help her.

"One. Two."

But if Reyes was, he was taking his sweet time.

"Three. Four."

Damn it Reyes, where the hell are you?

"Fi-"

She got her answer as a blast echoed from the rover. The trooper manning the gun screamed and fell down into the sand. Three pairs of eyes turned in his direction. Dani, putting two and two together, was the first to recover. She dived forward, tackling the woman to the ground.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kosolov look at her, before firing in another direction. He let out a cry as he fell onto the ground. She could see air escaping from his suit, and she knew what had caused it. She knew what would come out following the air. But be that as it may, she returned her gaze to her foe. Both of them wrestling over the same rifle. Behind the woman's visor, a look of hatred in one eye, and fear in the other. And behind Dani's, the same. One way or another, at least one more body would end up on the sands of Mars this day.

She headbutted the trooper, and in the moment of respite that gave her, she yanked the woman's rifle out of her hands and scrambled to her feet, pointing it downwards. The woman, realizing what had just happened, raised her hands in surrender.

"Please! I surrender, I-"

Dani pulled the trigger. The woman fell silent as 8mm rounds shattered her helmet and the flesh beneath it. She fell to the ground, dead, as air escaped from her suit, even while her lungs stopped working.

Oh God.

Dani stumbled back, clutching the rifle as a lifeline. She'd fired at the enemy before. She had no doubt that she'd taken lives before, each if those bullets were exchanged at range. But never had she taken a life at this range. Never had she seen someone's life leave their eyes after she'd played the role of executioner. Her heart pounding, her breath shallow, her hands trembling, she spun round to the source.

"God's sake Private, point it at the enemy."

And, hands still trembling, lowered it as Reyes came stumbling towards her. His right hand holding his rifle limply, his left pressing down on his shoulder. "Cut it a bit close, didn't you?" she whispered.

Reyes gave her a sympathetic look. "First kill?" he asked.

She took a breath, trying to keep the nausea down. She tried to speak, but instead just nodded.

Reyes gave her a nod in response and walked over to the boy on the ground. In the chaos, she'd forgotten about him. But looking at him now, at the blood, the air, how behind the mask she could see him struggling to breathe…

She wanted to throw up. Even knowing that it would splatter her helmet, or lead to her suffocation if she took it off, she wanted to throw up. But despite that desire, she came over. The boy before her was dying. Reyes might have fired the bullets, Mars fight have fired the first shot, Earth might have exploited Mars, but it was her plan. And in the end, he deserved to be looked in the eye before it closed forever.

"Dani."

She looked at Reyes. He had his rifle in hand, and had it pointed downward.

"You might want to turn around."

"I…" She nodded, and after giving the boy one last look, did so.

I'm a coward.

She didn't turn on her suit's audio mufflers. She might be a coward, but she could hear the shot.

I'm a murderer.

A single shot rang out across the Martian landscape. One shot that might as well have gone round the world. She flinched, and put her right hand into a fist. Partly out of shame. Partly to stop it from trembling. Turning back round, to one body on the sand, and another barely standing, it continued to tremble. Especially as she saw blood and air pouring out of Reyes's right shoulder.

"You're wounded," Dani whispered.

"Hmm?" Reyes glanced at his shoulder wound, as if only just noticing it. "Oh. Yeah. Shame about that."

The bullet had torn through the flag patch, the armour, and his muscle. Using her trembling hand to do something useful, Dani grabbed the canister of sealant from her belt. Not listening to Reyes's objections, she sprayed it over the wound.

"Damn it woman, that stings!"

In spite of everything, she smiled. "Least I'm not a kid then."

Reyes waited for her to finish, then inspected the seal, before giving her a look. "No. Guess you're not."

A silence lingered between the two of them. Dani picked up her rifle and stood still as Reyes inspected the two bodies near them, plus the third by the gun. She didn't hear a shot ring out again, so as horrible as death by fragmentation grenade was, she could take comfort that it had been instant in this case. Reyes walked back round again, giving her a glance before looking at the rover.

"Reckon we can take this to Romulus Base."

She gave a bitter laugh. "After murder? Yeah. That's fitting."

Reyes didn't say anything. He got into the rover, and after sparing one last look at the bodies, Dani got inside. The door closed with a hiss, and another pair of hisses filled the inside of the driver's cabin. She inhaled, savouring the taste of recycled air. Air little different from her suit's, but right now, air that was as close to Earth as was possible to get. She looked at Reyes, who was examining the controls.

"Can you drive this?"

"Seems intuitive enough." He pressed a button and the rover's electric motor sprung to life. He looked at her and gave a smirk. "And who says we don't have good luck?"

She didn't think anyone had claimed otherwise. But, she reflected, as she leant back on her seat, taking her helmet off and letting her hair fall down over her back, she figured they were due for some anyway.

She started to do up her seatbelt. Not an easy ask, as her hands were still trembling.

"Kid."

They remained trembling, even after she clicked it shut.

"Dani."

She looked at Reyes. He was looking at her like Mother did in one of her calmer moments.

"Listen…I know…look, I'm not a shrink, but if you want to talk about what happened…"

She said nothing. She just looked at the sealant over Reyes's shoulder. Thinking of the flag that had once been there. Of the blood she'd seen. She reached for her own and yanked it off, holding it in front of her. Twelve golden stars, out of trillions in the universe. One of which had its planets soaked in blood.

She let it drop on the ground beneath and looked at Reyes. "Come on," she said. "Let's go."

He didn't say anything. He just looked at the flag, then back at her.

She let out a whisper. "I don't think flags matter anymore."

Reyes didn't say anything. He just nodded, and began to drive eastward. Leaving the dust and blood behind them.

"Your son?"

Reyes looked at her as he continued to drive. "Pardon?"

She gestured at the picture he'd taken out of one of his suit's pockets – the one he'd attached to the rover's windshield. "Is that your son?" he asked.

The photo showed a boy of about three. Black haired, chubby faced, smiling as he sat on a wall by grass and a pool.

"Yeah," Reyes said. "That's him."

"Got a name?"

"Nick."

Dani got the sense that he didn't want to talk about it. But she'd opened a can of worms, and it appeared that Reyes was letting them come out.

"Haven't seen him in a year," he said. "War was meant to have been over within months, not years."

He'd taken his helmet off as well, and Dani could see the resemblance. She watched as he held the steering wheel with one hand, while the fingers of the other drummed his leg.

"Do you think it'll ever be over?" she asked.

Reyes didn't answer.

"Reyes?"

"The war between our countries lasted fifteen years before an armistice was signed. And in the time since that, neither of them has come to terms with it." He looked at Dani. "You think if the war with Mars ended today, all would be right in the universe?"

There was no malice in his voice, nor his eyes. She watched as he looked back at the picture of his son. As he tapped a finger against the frame.

"This war ends one of two ways," he said. "Martian independence or a Mars that belongs to Earth again. Either way, by the time he's my age, he'll be living in a galaxy where a whole generation is old enough to start the shit machine up once more." He sighed, and looked at Dani. "Only reason I'm here is to give my family a world that's at peace for as long as possible."

Dani nodded and looked away, resting her head against the window. Rock, sand, dust, and more sand looked back at her. She yawned, closing her eyes…and immediately opened them as the face of the woman she'd murdered looked back at her. Eyes filled with blood and horror, imparting both of those gifts upon her spirit. She formed her right hand into a fist and leant her chin against it, still staring out in the sand. Keeping the fist tight, because it was the only thing that stopped her hand from trembling.

"Dani."

She looked back at Reyes, who pointed forward.

"We're here," he said.

She sat up straight before leaning forward herself. There, down the sand dune they were cresting, was Romulus Base in all its glory…using the broadest possible definition of glory. And base.

"Bit of a shithole I'm afraid."

She wouldn't go that far, but even here, she could see that Romulus Base was little more than an outpost. Clusters of prefab buildings were scattered around with no rhyme or reason. Tank traps and barbed wire formed a perimeter, but not one that would hold back a determined enemy. The only standout was a shuttle that was parked in its centre, attached to a launch tower. One that would have to be raised vertically in order to achieve escape velocity. One that would have to do just that if there was any getting off this planet.

Reyes got on the radio. "This is Corporal Brian Reyes, calling Romulus Base. Be advised, we are approaching your position westward in a commandeered SetDef rover, moving at thirty klicks, over."

There was no answer on the radio. Dani looked at him. "Are they even listening?"

Reyes said nothing.

"Are they even there?"

Reyes said nothing.

"Or, they are there, but they're not listening, and they're…" Her heart began to pick up. "Oh God. They're gonna shoot us aren't they? Shit, we're approaching a UNSA base in a SetDef vehicle, and we're gonna-"

"Acknowledged Corporal Reyes, we have you on-screen. Drive in through the front gate, you'll be directed to Lieutenant Wyatt."

"Six-two Romulus. Out." Reyes looked at Dani and gave her a rare smile. "See? Nothing to worry about."

She looked away, grateful for the reassurance, if not able to believe it herself.

They were at Romulus Base. That didn't mean they were off Mars yet.

Driving through the base wasn't easy. The 'roads,' such as they were, barely had enough room for the rover. Plus, they had to deal with the base's ground staff. The rover came to a stop in the shadow of the shuttle, and the largest prefab structure there, by virtue of being two stories. With a sigh, Dani bound her hair back up and put her helmet back on. There was definitely a difference, she reflected, as she and Reyes exited the vehicle, seeing a trio of marines walk out from the building she supposed served as the command post. The one in the centre had a lieutenant's insignia on one shoulder, and an Australian flag on the other. His dark skin and black curly hair led Dani to guess that he was Indigenous. He gave them both a look, his lips in a strange contortion that was half frown, half smile.

"Lieutenant Wyatt?" Reyes asked.

"One and only. Well, here at least. Sure there's more Wyatts out there doing some shit, but for now…" He trailed off. He looked at Reyes's sealed shoulder, and at Dani's – the one that had once held her flag. "Huh. One guy's shot in the shoulder, and the girl's lost his flag after being shot down by SetDef. Guess that makes you brothers in arms, right?"

He laughed at his own joke. No-one else did. To his credit, he canned the laughter pretty quickly.

"You two on the Cornwall? Last I heard it dispatched a reconissance in force for a firebase a few klicks away.

"Yeah. Corporal Reyes, Private Rodriguez. Two dropships, both shot down by SetDef," Reyes said. He looked at Dani. "Saw each other through a scrap or two."

"Hmm."

Dani began to speak. "Truth be told, it was-"

"So, here's the deal Corporal," Wyatt said, ignoring Dani. "You've either come at the best time, or the worst, depending on how you roll. Good news is that we're pulling off Mars, and that includes Tharsis. Bad news is that we've only got the one shuttle to do it, and it's got to get all of us into orbit in one go."

"Why's that bad news?" Reyes asked.

Wyatt sighed. "Fuel. Gravity. Escape velocity. Unless you've got some secret sauce in your pockets, the two of you, well…" He trailed off. "You know how the laws of physics work."

Dani did, and felt a chill rise up in her belly. Mars had lower gravity than Earth, but it was still subject to the same laws that governed mankind's homeworld – you had to travel at a given speed to break atmosphere, and the heavier the object was, the more fuel was required. It had been a fact of life when mankind had first reached space, it had been a fact of life when Federation and American commandos disabled each other's weapons platforms during the war, and it was a fact that remained true now. Scientists claimed that gravity manipulation and even FTL travel were just around the corner (the magic "thirty years," as people called it), but for now, humanity was shackled to the limits of fuel and thrust. So under that premise…

"You've been stripping it down though, right?" Reyes asked.

"No, we've been having a barbeque," Wyatt snapped. "Of course we've stripped it down. But we've still got too many people, and we've got a launch window of ten minutes minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Dani asked.

Wyatt typed on his arm pad and a hologram sprung to life in front of them. It showed Mars, their location on it, and a ship in orbit.

"This is the Freeland," Wyatt said. "It's currently orbiting Mars, using a slingshot to stay ahead of SetDef. If we launch within the next thirty minutes, we can dock with it. If not, we get to watch as it uses that manoeuvre to head back to Earth." He deactivated the hologram. "So, yeah. We've got a shuttle meant for fifty people that has to transport sixty-four…sorry, sixty-six." Wyatt looked at Reyes, then Dani. "Not saying it's impossible, but…"

He trailed off. No-one said anything. Reyes looked at Dani, but she looked away and took a few steps away from the marines, slowly rubbing her hands together. Her thermals were working overtime, and it wasn't just because the Martian evening had fallen to minus 74 degrees.

People were going to have to stay behind. If the base had any wounded, they'd be given priority. After that, she couldn't be sure, but she knew the facts. She was a newcomer, and she was just a private. There was no way she was getting on that shuttle unless Isaac Newton descended from on high and rewrote the Natural Laws.

She looked up at the sky, able to catch sight of some stars beyond the dust clouds. Stars that weren't so different from Earth, she reflected. Squinting, she noticed that one of them was moving. Deimos, she wondered? Phobos maybe? She hadn't seen them in the sky up until now, but then again, she'd never really looked. Course if it was, then things could get pretty complicated, because both of the moons were bristling with anti-ship and air-to-surface weapons. But looking at it now, she realized that…

Oh my God.

She knew exactly what it was, and looked at the other marines. "Guys, get away!" She yelled. "Move! There's a-"

The command post detonated in a ball of flame, the shockwave sending Dani and the other marines flying.

…drone.

She blacked out the moment her body slammed against another prefab.

"Dani."

Her head was spinning. Her heart was pounding. Her ears were screaming.

"Dani!"

No, she realized. It wasn't her ears that were screaming. Her ears were hearing screams.

"Dani, come on."

She could feel her body, resting on the soft desert sand. Like a bed, ready to swallow her whole. To let sleep take her, so that her ears might be free of discordant sound, and her mind of the hatred that was endemic to the beast the universe called Man.

"Private Rodriguez, get up!"

Her eyes fluttered open. Squatting above her was Reyes. His suit's lights had activated, giving him an unearthly glow as he pulled her up. Without her permission, she noted, but hardly an issue right now.

"Reyes," she whispered. She took a step, stumbled, but regained her bearings. "The drone. It…"

She trailed off. The command post was in ruins, small fires burning as best they could in Mars's thin atmosphere. The shuttle's engines were warming up. Bodies lay on the sand. The able helped the injured into the shuttle's open hatch, as guided by Wyatt.

"Dani, we have to-"

Another explosion rocked the area. Dani glanced upward in shock, but couldn't see the drone. But now, her bearings regained, she could hear the occasional 'thump' of an explosive round, and the rat-tat-tat of gunfire. It took her a moment to realize that the drone strike was just the precursor to a ground assault, and less than a moment to realize that said ground assault had begun.

"Hey!"

The two of them looked at Wyatt as he ran over to them. Like Reyes, he had his suit and helmet lights on. Unlike Reyes, he looked pissed.

"You two. West perimeter, now."

"Lieutenant?" Reyes asked.

Another explosion rocked the base and Wyatt cursed. "Need it spelt out to you Corporal? SetDef's attacking. We're leaving. To give us time to leave, I need you to stop the fucking Martians." Yet another explosion occurred and Wyatt let out an even louder curse. "Need a map? Go! Go!"

It was Reyes who nodded, and it was Reyes who began jogging towards the western perimeter, along with a handful of other marines. Dani hesitated, and saw how while he had his rifle in one hand, his other was pressed to his stomach. Was he wounded? If so, where was the escaping air? Taking a breath, she cast one last glance at the shuttle before running off after Reyes. She couldn't deny she was tempted to just run on and hide. But people were dying. People were wounded. If she didn't give them a chance to escape with their lives, who would?

She kept her head down, grit her teeth, and began to run. More 'thumps,' more rat-tat-tats. She reached the base's perimeter and beheld the sight before her. Muzzle flares on a dune overlooking the base. SDF tanks in line formation.

Never thought I'd see one of those.

So much of the war had been composed of skirmishes on asteroids, moons, and between ships. Mars however, had the area, and the resources, to equip SetDef with heavy armour. In contrast, as the marines took cover, they had nothing. Or at least nothing that would harm the tanks.

She skidded down to cover at a tank trap besides Reyes. His face was extremely pale, and he was still clutching his stomach. "Why haven't they attacked?" she asked.

"Soften…" He winced. "Soften us up. Tanks…then infantry…"

One of the tanks fired again. Someone behind her screamed. She glanced round and saw a medic rush over to a man whose body was now divided into three pieces. She didn't know what hope he had, since the wounds would quickly start to freeze over due to the frigid temperatures. But-

"Taking a picture, Private? Shoot!"

A sergeant shoved a LMG into her hands as he made his way up the line. She stared at it blankly, before looking at Reyes. "I…I don't…"

"Shoot," he hissed.

Dani took a breath and mounted it on the tank trap. Gritting her teeth, she began to fire. Pressing the butt against her shoulder, it hurt like hell, but it added to the symphony of steel and lead that was coming from the base. Bullets accompanied with tracer rounds, criss-crossing the thin night air.

She didn't know how long she fired for. Seconds, minutes, an hour, it all blurred together. One flare, then another lit up the night sky and she could see the enemy approaching. Some of the tanks were remaining at the top of the dune, while others were heading downward, accompanied by mechanized infantry. The tanks fired. The SATO forces fired back. Every so often, a body on their side would be hit, their screams adding to the chaos that was filling her radio channel. Likewise, every so often, a trooper by one of the tanks would fall, their body lying upon the Martian sands.

She didn't know if she hit anything. It was war conducted at a distance. Cold, impersonal, where the murderer was far removed from the murdered. She fired, even as the woman's face filled her mind. She fired, remembering Buenos Aires. She fired, hating her enemy…and hating herself for adding to the carnage. She fired, even seeing that the marines were delaying the inevitable. They had the weapons to deal with the infantry, but not the tanks. She saw an RPG detonate against one of the tanks, not even scratching its armour. The tank stopped, turned its barrel a few degrees, and fired. Further along the line, there was a blast, screams, then static.

"Fall back."

She kept firing. Her shoulder was aching, her heart was bounding, her teeth was chattering, and her forehead was drenched with sweat. She kept firing at the enemy.

"All marines, fall back. Fall back!"

"Dani."

She kept firing. A body fell, and she knew that she'd taken another life. To her relief and shame, it felt normal now.

"Dani, we've got to move."

She looked at Reyes. He had a hand on her shoulder, and he looked even worse. His other hand was still pressed against his stomach.

"Reyes, you…" She realized what had happened. "Oh God. The explosion. Did it…"

"Think…my ribs are broken…" He took a breath. "But…move…"

It might not just be broken ribs, Dani reflected, it might be internal bleeding as well. But the tanks and troopers were getting closer. The line was disintegrating. Wyatt was yelling over the radio to fall back, but none of the SATO forces needed any encouragement. She rose to her feet.

"Okay, let's-"

And screamed as a round tore through her back. She collapsed onto the ground. Her HUD warned her about air loss. Her back warned her that she'd been shot, and yes, it fucking hurt. She tried to get up, but fell down, avoiding the gunfire coming her way. Reyes, still behind cover, stared at her in shock.

"Go," she said.

He still looked at her.

"Reyes, go. You can barely move, you can't help me!"

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed both her arms and began to pull her across the Martian sands.

Dani screamed. In pain. In frustration. In guilt. She yanked one arm loose and picked up a pistol from one of the corpses they passed by. Still screaming, she fired wildly towards the shadows breaching the perimeter. Shadows that fired into the night, like the Grim Reaper operating with a gun rather than a scythe. Death come to claim the living through the delegation of modern weaponry.

The pistol ran empty. She dropped it in the sand. Reyes's body dropped as well.

"Reyes."

There were more thumps. More rat-tat-tats. But both were slowing down. The tanks couldn't fire with impunity now that their forces had entered the base proper, and the SATO forces couldn't fire back, either aboard the shuttle, dead, or dying.

"Reyes."

Dani got to her knees. The pain in her back had changed – there was a numbness as her body was exposed to the low temperature and pressure of Mars. Reyes however, he was barely moving.

"Hey, come on," she said. She shook him. "Come on!"

Reyes coughed, flakes of blood splattering against his visor.

Oh God.

He coughed again. More blood came out.

"Reyes, you…" Dani grit her teeth. "Okay gringo, fine. Fine!"

She grit her teeth as she got to her feet. She continued to grit them as she began to drag his body across the sand. However, her back was killing her. Her oxygen was declining rapidly. And Reyes was much heavier than she was. So to her shame, she ended up falling back onto the sand.

I can't do this.

The pain was now filling all of her body. Every nerve felt like it was on fire. Her back felt like it was pressed against a wall of ice. She tried to get up, but could barely move.

"Hold! Friendlies!"

She was barely aware of the marines approaching them. The voice, she recognised as Wyatt's.

"Dani."

That voice, she recognised as Reyes's. His hand, she recognised as well, as he used it to press something into hers.

"Take it," he whispered. "Get it…to him…" He looked up at the marines. "Her. Get her…home…"

Dani coughed. "Reyes, what are you-" She broke off as she let out another scream. Wyatt was dragging her body across the ground. The other marine was firing. Reyes however…he law there. Unmoving.

"What are you doing?" she whispered as Wyatt dragged her along.

He didn't answer.

"What are you doing?!"

He muttered something, but she couldn't hear it. Wyatt had dragged her back to the shuttle, and its engines were roaring to life. It occurred to Dani that they were charging the engines before aligning it. Unconventional, and risky as hell, but probably the only way they were going to escape Romulus Base without the shuttle being destroyed.

"Wyatt, don't…" She took a breath. Her oxygen was nearly depleted. She'd lost all feeling to her back. When Wyatt and the other marine helped her to her feet, she was aware her body was in pain, but didn't feel it herself. They led her into the shuttle's bay and strapped her to a seat.

"Why…why did you…"

"Hang in there private, nearly there." Wyatt tightened the belt and went to head to the front before Dany grabbed his arm.

"Why…why didn't you…Reyes…him…me…not me…"

Wyatt gave her a pat. "Save your breath. Trust me, this is going to hurt."

She rose her arm as he ran towards the cockpit while the other marine strapped himself in. The arm flopped down as the shuttle began to align, rotating 90 degrees to a launch position.

Reyes…

She could hear the engines rumbling. She could hear moaning, and people praying. Beyond the hull, she could hear the sound of gunfire.

I'm sorry…

She could hear a countdown. "Five. Four. Three."

I'm so sorry.

"Two. One. Lift-off."

I'm-

The shuttle launched and she let out a yell as her body was pressed against the seat. As g-forces kicked in, threatening to tear her body apart. Her HUD told her that her suit's oxygen was depleted. For a moment, she recalled that the shuttle had oxygen of its own, and that it wouldn't matter if she could just get her helmet off.

I'm-

Then she passed out.

Waking up blinded by white light, Dani didn't believe for a second that she was in Heaven. Or, if she was, Heaven was apparently a stretcher bed in a ship's med-bay, with angels looking like hospital corpswomen.

"Take it easy Private, you've been out for six hours."

Dani looked around. Around her were rows upon rows of stretchers. Men and women just like her, overseen by similar Med Corps personnel. She looked back at the woman. "Where am-"

"UNSA Freeland, med bay," she said, her tone of voice making it clear that she'd answered the question more times today than she cared to.

Dani shifted in the stretcher and tried to get her hand to her back. The corpswoman grabbed it.

"Don't," she said. "The back's a mess. Nothing a skin graft can't fix, but picking at it is only going to make it worse." She wrote something on her clipboard. "Well, anyway. You're in reasonably good health. Take it easy, get some rest, and-"

"I want to see Lieutenant Wyatt."

The nurse looked up from her clipboard. "Excuse me?"

"I want to see Lieutenant Wyatt," Dani repeated.

"The lieutenant's currently being debriefed, and-"

"I want to see Wyatt."

"…and he's hardly going to take time for a private," the woman continued, giving Dani a withering look. "He-"

"Just tell him that Private Rodriguez wants to see him," Dani said. "What happens after that, well, that's up to him."

The woman sighed. "Fine. Whatever. No skin off my back, if you pardon the pun." She turned and headed for the next stretcher, before looking at Dani, pulling something out of her pocket. "By the way, we found this floating in the shuttle near you. Is it yours?"

Dani stared at it and fought the urge to weep.

"Private?"

Fought, and failed, as a tear escaped her eye.

"Private, is it yours?" the woman repeated.

She shook her head. "No."

"Oh. Fine. It-"

"It belonged to Corporal Brian Reyes. He gave it to me, but I don't think it was meant to be kept. I think…" She took a breath. "I think he just wanted someone to get it back to his family. To let them know that his son was on his mind in the end." Dani took a breath. "You can tell that to Lieutenant Wyatt when you see him."

The corpswomen nodded and headed off.

Taking the picture of Nick Reyes with her.

It took Lieutenant Wyatt over four hours to come see her. Which was better than Dani had expected, since she hadn't expected him to come at all. And having slipped in and out of consciousness over that time, the wait hadn't been too bad.

"Private Rodriguez," the lieutenant said.

But she was glad to see him all the same. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same things. Felt the same things. She saw the woman die in front of her. She saw Reyes. She felt more pain in her back, and a dagger through her heart. She felt like she was running out of air, and only by breaking out of the dream could she escape from the suffocation.

"Nurses tell me that you're refusing sedatives," Wyatt continued. He pulled up a seat beside her.

Dani leant back in the bed and grunted. "They can give me sedatives after this."

"And what's this, Private?"

Dani looked at him. "I-"

"Rhetorical question. I know what it is. You want to know why you're here, and Brian Reyes isn't." Wyatt pulled up a seat beside her and rested his hands in his lap. "Trust me kid, you're not the first soldier to ask that kind of question."

Kid. Soldier. The terms felt foreign to her now. As did Wyatt's voice, and his face. Here, outside his armour, he looked smaller. Older. And looked, and sounded, very, very tired. Dark circles were under his eyes, and she could see a slight tremble in his hands.

"Reyes was a corporal," Dani whispered. "He had a family."

Wyatt said nothing.

"And you saved him. Not me. Why?"

Wyatt said nothing.

"Why?" Dani begged. "Please, I…I have to know. Because…because I…"

Wyatt looked back at her. "Because…?"

"Because I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to sleep again. And maybe I won't anyway if I know the truth, but I…" She took a breath. There was a tightness in her chest. The dagger was worming its way through her body.

"Reyes was dead the moment the drone struck," Wyatt said. "He knew it, and I knew it. Even if the internal bleeding didn't do the job, the g-forces of escape velocity would shatter his chest after he broke his ribs." He sighed. "Credit where credit's due to the man. He spent his last few minutes as best a marine could."

Dani didn't say anything. She remained on the bed and folded her hands on her stomach, staring blankly at the ceiling. Reyes was dead – she'd come to terms with the what, if not the how or why. But looking back, seeing the pain on his face, his struggles to breathe, how he'd fought beside her…saved her…

He knew. He knew he was as good as dead, and yet he'd still fought. They'd both been sent flying by the same drone strike, only he'd lived with the consequences. So to speak. She looked at Wyatt and asked, "so what now?"

"Now?" The lieutenant got to his feet. "Now you take it easy, and I try to do that."

"No, I mean, what now? What about the war?"

Wyatt gave her a funny look. "No-one's told you, have they?" he murmured. Dani gave him a blank look, so he continued. "War's over. Or at least it's over if you take the ceasefire into effect."

"A ceasefire?" Dani asked.

"As of six and a half hours ago? Yep. We've got that. Scuttlebutt is that SetDef and UNSA representatives are going to be meeting at Pluto, because it's the only planet in the Sol system that's neutral territory."

Dani didn't bother pointing out that Pluto wasn't a planet. Instead, she let the enormity of the facts sink into her mind and body. A ceasefire. One struck hours after leaving Mars. One that, if it had been struck just a few hours prior, might have saved Brian Reyes's life. Might have saved dozens of lives.

"For what it's worth," Wyatt said, "I'll get the picture back to his family. Let him know that…well, let them know he had it on him." He took something out of his pocket. "Also, I think this is yours."

Dani took it in her hand. A black flag with golden stars. Once, she'd have been proud to wear it. But now…it wasn't hate, but it was apathy that caused her to put it under her pillow, out of sight, if not out of mind. Over 200 flags were on Earth. Flags had caused strife for millennia. Two flags had caused a system-wide war, and ceasefire or no, she doubted it would stop another breaking out.

"What are you going to do?" Dani asked Wyatt.

He snorted. "After Mars, they're talking about making me a captain."

"And?"

"And I told them to go eff themselves." He gave a snort. "Nah. I'm done with this. Once my tour's over, I'm going to red soil of another kind – good stuff, not irradiated Martian shit. Family, friends, mob, country, that sort of thing." He paused. "You?"

Dani didn't answer. Family, country, loyalty, duty…all of that seemed so distant now. So meaningless. The war was over, and she knew she should feel happy, but instead…

"Anyway, take it easy," Wyatt said. He began to walk away, but paused, and looked back at her. "Keep in mind. The nightmares don't go away."

Dani didn't say anything. As the lieutenant departed, she lay back down in the bed. Trying to ignore the aching in her back, and the thumping in her head. Casting one last look at the UNSA flag painted onto the med bay wall, before closing her eyes. Thinking of Mars. Marines. Men. Flags. And above all, home.

Eventually, sleep took her. As it would for all the nights to come.

This time at least, the nightmares didn't find her.

A/N

Holy shit that was longer than I thought it would be.

Anyway, fun fact - idea for this came from playing Infinite Warfare and noticing that (unless I missed something), of all the flags seen in the game, there's none from South America. Which made me ask, "wait, does that mean Ghosts and Infinite Warfare share continuity? Is the reason that there's no South American flag because the Federation still exists? To which the answer is "no, of course not, you're overthinking it and there's no evidence for any such thing," but still, gave me the idea to drabble this up. A drabble that extended over numerous days, granted, but, um, yeah.

Update (01/02/20): Corrected date of the ODIN strike.