The space cruiser Avalon was returning to Earth after concluding its mission in Operation Heaven's Fall. Two days away from the planet, the crew participated in a meeting in the ship's briefing room, where Major Gianluca Pellegrini was giving a report on the operation's events.
The battle at Beta colony, on Mars, had ended in a stalemate. Aiming to avoid severe losses, Aegis forces had retreated without pursuit from the U.S.C., which had suffered heavy casualties. Overall, part of Aegis's high command considered the operation a success, while another lamented the failure to capture the colony, which would have served as a base for space warfare expeditions.
The losses were acceptable; none of the Avalons were damaged, and only two cruisers were destroyed. When the Major concluded the meeting, he approached Henry Enfield and Gabriel Sirghi, who were seated in the front row of chairs.
"I would like to speak with you gentlemen alone."
The two R.A.F. pilots exchanged worried glances. Gabriel had severe dark circles under his eyes; he obviously hadn't been able to sleep during the return journey. When the room was empty, Pellegrini continued.
"Regarding the operation on Mars... Captain Marco Vazquez lost his life during the battle."
Henry's instinctive reaction was to look at Gabriel. The man's already pale appearance now seemed sickly, his gaze lost on the horizon, probably with memories of the man they had both learned to respect, and who, for Gabriel, was already family.
"My condolences, First Lieutenant Sirghi. You are dismissed from your duties for the remainder of the voyage."
After exchanging salutes, the Major left the two friends alone in the now empty, large briefing room. For a few more seconds, Gabriel remained catatonic, and then he finally managed to form words.
"...I need to talk to Theresa; she needs support."
"You need to talk to your sister first, First Lieutenant."
Gabriel looked away, and Henry placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you think you're in any condition to help someone? Talk to your sister, get your thoughts in order, and then talk to Theresa. You need help too, my friend."
<>
Back in his cabin, Gabriel awaited the return of his call to Samantha. The distance from Earth now allowed for real-time conversation, and he would speak with his sister for the first time in two months. It didn't take long before Samantha's worried face appeared on the communicator in the pilot's room.
"Gabriel..."
For some time, he just observed her, unsure of the right words to use. His greatest concern, however, was the one that won out.
"Did you manage to talk to Theresa?"
"No, I visited her mother, but I still haven't been able to contact her on the Moon... And you, Gabriel, how are you feeling?"
He again couldn't answer, but he was intelligent enough to understand it wasn't just his sister showing concern, but Doctor Samantha doing her job. As he honestly always did, he decided to open up; he knew how much it had helped him.
"Since the operation on the Moon, I've had doubts about what I'm doing... All these lives, all these futures I've stolen, for whose sake, Samantha? For what reason should I continue to fight?"
The doctor had to force herself not to look away from her brother's pained face. He had already requested a discharge from service, but his skills made Aegis and the R.A.F. deny such a request, and with the current state of the conflict, a new request would be denied again. And she knew Gabriel well enough to know that responsibility would make him carry on anyway.
"Biel, I can't tell you to leave the armed forces, because I know that's not what you believe you need to do. So I'll give you a single piece of advice: These lives you carry, fight so they have meaning, so they haven't just been another sacrifice in human history."
Meaning, something he lost with every operation, every battle. To put an end to this conflict, to protect the family he loved so much. How much of that would justify the crimes he committed? He knew, like every soldier with some conscience, that the difference between a hero and a war criminal was victory. He knew they would probably await him as a hero on Earth, and his stomach churned at the mere thought.
Samantha observed her brother's deep dark circles and continued.
"You're not sleeping well, are you? I'll prescribe some new medications to the Avalon's medical department, and I ask that you take them correctly. It will help, believe me."
Gabriel just nodded, not knowing the right words to say goodbye to Samantha.
"I'll try to talk to Theresa; I won't let her go through this alone."
"Please try. You can and should help each other. I'll see you soon, Biel."
When the call ended, Gabriel continued to stare at the now-off monitor. He looked at his hands, clean, yet he saw them stained with blood. The silence was filled with imaginary screams and pleas for help. He wondered how far he could go before succumbing along with his mind.
He closed his eyes, trying to dispel the doubts he felt, and tried for the first time to call Theresa, now that the distance allowed. He insisted a few times, without response, and then threw the communicator onto his bed, leaving the room heading for the Avalon's medical bay. He needed to sleep; he needed the medications his sister would prescribe. Since he left Arthur's cockpit, he hadn't slept a single second. Perhaps rest was the immediate remedy for the pains that wouldn't pass.
<>
Tsukuyomi. That was the name of the institute and base built at impressive speed on the Moon by Aegis forces in partnership mainly with the Hokkaido Institute of Technology in Japan. The structure, visible from kilometers away, was in the shape of a gigantic cross, divided into four wings. Despite the accelerated construction, only two sectors were already fully operational: R&D and military. The other two wings, including the spaceport, would take a few more months to be 100% operational. This meant that the corridors, even in the completed sectors, had the chaotic atmosphere expected of a large construction project underway.
Walking down one of the well-lit corridors of the R&D sector, Wilfried Dreyer read the reports from the last week of development, satisfied with the results his team was achieving—as impressive as the speed at which the base was being completed. He had handpicked the team members responsible for developing Aegis's new technologies, in addition to aerospace research. The doctor of astrophysics was already approaching his 45th year; his hair was still black, and his blue eyes still held the same analytical shrewdness of his youth.
The announcement a few days ago had taken his team by surprise: Merseyside was officially withdrawing from Project EX after years of joint work. It didn't take long for Lockheed and Chengdu Industries to offer to take their place, which would happen in the coming days, but this didn't change the fact that the British company's sudden departure from the project had planted a seed of doubt in the team.
Wilfried reached his destination, the door of one of the main research laboratories currently operating. His objective was to check on one of his employees. Theresa Vazquez had received the news of her father's passing two days ago, and since then, she had been working on the project assigned to her, and this had already been going on for 48 consecutive hours.
Dreyer knew grief well; the war had taken many of his friends and family, directly and indirectly. But he also knew that the way the brilliant young woman had chosen to deal with it was dangerous and destructive.
The door opening and Wilfried's arrival did not break Theresa's concentration. She was running new tests on the software and hardware she was developing for what she hoped would be the system used in Aegis's next generation of M.M.U.s. Her dream was to work on the machine her beloved Gabriel would pilot in the future, but with Merseyside's departure from the project, this seemed more distant. She wasn't shocked by her own coldness when she received the news; it was a job, after all. Losing her father didn't make her detach from it, despite her team's insistence that she take a few days off and visit her mother.
Theresa had to be strong. In her mind, she had a greater objective: to help end the U.S.C. and, consequently, the war. Now she better understood the feeling of revanchism that the terrestrial forces and a good part of the population felt. Her mother would understand, she repeated to herself; she was doing this for the good of everyone.
"Professor Vazquez."
She ignored her superior's call; she knew the man well enough to know he would continue, even without an answer.
"You should rest; you've been working for two uninterrupted days."
Theresa's terrible dark circles gave her no chance to deny her exhaustion.
"I'm finishing the readjustments on our system, Doctor Dreyer. I've already completed the adaptation for Lockheed's F-800s, and I'll soon begin work on adapting them for Chengdu's units."
"I have no doubt the work is magnificent, but I need you in the long run. I can't let you sacrifice yourself like this."
The silence between the two lasted a few seconds, and then, almost in a pleading tone, Theresa continued.
"I need to... Wilfried, as my friend and not my superior, I ask you to let me finish this part of the project. It's the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. When I finish it, I swear I'll sleep for days on end, probably without much choice... Just let me complete this task."
Wilfried observed Theresa, unable to hide his disappointment, but he respected his colleague's wish.
"Very well, but after this, you will visit Earth and rest. And that's not a suggestion, it's an order."
Theresa smiled faintly at the gentle doctor's attempt to sound authoritarian.
"Yes, sir."
She turned her attention back to her work. For the sake of her mother, Samantha, Julie, and Gabriel. For the memories of her beloved and sweet father, whose smile she could no longer see, and whose embrace she could no longer feel, she would help Aegis overcome and destroy its enemies, for the future, whatever the cost.