Pvt. Slater J. Tross, No. 305

September 6th, 2030, 8:57 am

I tuck my navy polo below my belt, surveying the remainder of the bunk room as the other recruits funnel through the door. The bend of my knees brings me closer to my feet, allowing me to tighten the laces of my sneakers. In my hunkered state, echoed taps amplify in course of me, approaching from the other set of bunks across the aisle.

"Hey," the figure mutters from above. "Are you ready to go?"

I extend my legs and face the Sergeant of Class 30 eye to eye. The sun has risen on the marsh landscape, transforming into a stunning, pure meadow under a bright blue sky. Instead of letting his dust-brown hair collapse over his ears he has it pulled behind the lobes and pointing toward the ceiling. There is a swish in the style over his forehead, assuming it required ten minutes to perfect.

"Yeah, I'm good. Let's bounce."

A ripple pierces across his lips. "You say bounce? That's such a city thing."

"Oh, so now you're making fun of the way I talk?" I brush past Craig en route to the hallway encrusted with mold. He scuttles along behind me. "A lot of people say bounce. What do you guys say, anyway?"

"Uh, I don't know. "Go" comes to mind. You know, like a normal person."

I pause at the corner of the corridor, shaking my head at him. A brief, musty odor drafts upward to my nostrils, shriveling my face. "You're exhausting. In fact, I'll probably keep saying it out of spite. Just to annoy you."

He shrugs. "Go right ahead. Everyone else is going to agree with me that you've totally lost it."

"Come on, they already know that."

After several paces toward the mess hall, he skips up to my side. "Hey, so you know how I said I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go to the club with 29 tonight? Well, I thought about it last night and decided to go. You're going too, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think we had a choice. Lee said we had to go as some kind of initiation." I whip my arm around his back for my hand to fall over his far shoulder. "I'm glad to hear you're going with us. It should be fun getting plastered in the most sketchy and illegal way possible."

"Could I go with you? I don't have a ride yet."

"Yeah, of course. We have an extra spot in Hal's car, just for you."

His gaze guides to his feet, lowering the step frequency. "Oh, Hal's car?"

"Is that okay?" I match his dying stride. "It'll be me, you, Dalia, CJ, and Hal driving. Look, I know you and Hal don't really get along, but I won't let him tear at you. It's not fair, he shouldn't do that."

"Oh, Slater, you don't have to do that for me. If I'm going to be the Sergeant I have to learn to stand up for myself."

"Well, I'll hold him back for you either way."

Congestion marks the end of the hallway into the cafeteria. Chatter infests the air as Craig and I enter the vicinity. Eight teenagers dressed in the identical top and khaki pants stand in the way, twisting their heads in our direction. The buzz dies and I pull my arm off of Craig's back with haste. He peers at me with his lips downturned.

Shanelle Frey glues her shoulder to the wall on our left. "Slater, the Lieutenant and Captain are looking for you. They're waiting up ahead."

What did I do wrong? I had my disciplinary meeting yesterday and it went fine. I don't think Petry would have gone off and cried to the higher officers if he got called out by a seventeen-year-old. Besides, it wasn't even me that put him in his place; it was Craig. And I know that they sent Brian because it's more serious than before. Maybe they think he's the only one who can handle me, so they tell him to lay on the bad news.

When will the Imperial Guard finally leave me alone?

The crowd of Class 30 disperses from the entrance and scurry in the path to the lecture hall for the seminar. Craig remains a hands-length away as I step forward to the cafeteria. Standing firm before the tables is none other than Brian Manchester and the Lieutenant. I believe her name is Keira Hill if my memory serves me right. The bleeding sunlight from the windows shimmers against her gentle brown face. I remember her from the ceremony; I shook her hand before Brian threw himself in front of a knife.

"See, Lieutenant, I told you we would make it in time. You have to have a little more faith in me." The Captain adjusts his maroon tie just below his chin, grinning at his colleague. His dark hair is in sleek strands, jutting outward in many orientations.

Lieutenant Hill folds her arms over her chest with a twirl in her eyes around her head. "Yeah, but we almost missed them. You made me rush out of the training facility, saying we needed to talk to Slater, but you decided to take a five-minute break in your office to change clothes." She switches her attention to me, shooting an irritated smile. "Hi, Slater, sorry to bother you. And I'm sorry that you have to live with this blockhead."

"No worries, ma'am. What's the issue?" So, this wasn't something that the Imperial Guard imposed on the Captain to inform me of, as far as I know. This was all Manchester's idea, and he dragged the Lieutenant into it, too. I'm going to be late for the seminar if he wants to give me a lecture or some shit.

The Captain aims his darkening glare at Craig on my left. "Sergeant, if you wouldn't mind, this is a conversation we would like to have alone with Slater. You should head to class, tell the instructor that he will be late."

Craig nods at him before turning to me. "Yes, sir. I'll catch you later, man." He follows the trail from the previous kids down the hall. He waves at me prior to his disappearance behind the wall. I show him my palm in response.

"Isn't that the kid that treated you like shit last week?" The Captain takes a step closer to me to minimize noise carry. "I assume last night's meeting went well, then."

Lieutenant Hill glances up at him as he speaks. "Brian, that's Levi's kid."

"Figures."

"Hey, listen," I stammer. A flow of heat trickles from my neck down my arm. I keep my legs planted to restrict any pull from the imprint under my elbow. "I know he treated me like shit but I can forgive him for that. He's been through a lot. He doesn't have anyone to talk to around here, so I decided to stick by him. He's really nice once you become his friend. Lay off him, Brian."

The Captain's cheeks expand as he blows air through his lips. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know you two were friends now." He draws himself from me and takes a seat on the table. "Anyway, we need to talk about something vital to the rest of Oltima. Apparently, you know something that you haven't shared with me yet."

What something? I know nothing about anything. He is aware of the same things I am. The only person who would know more than him is Celestine. Why doesn't he ask her instead of bothering me? I was actually looking forward to this seminar.

I move my sight to the Lieutenant for a moment. She lifts her shoulders at me.

"Slater, don't look at her. She can't help you. Look at me. What did you tell James the other night?"

My nostrils flare as I turn back to the Captain. "Why don't you just ask him? He said he was going to tell the General about it or something like that. He has it under control."

Though he just got comfortable with his feet off the ground, Brian springs past the chairs toward me. "That's not what I asked. Slater, what did you tell him? What didn't you tell me?" He perches himself in breathing distance. His chest heaves in accordance with the pronunciation of his jaw.

Behind his frame, the Lieutenant takes a step to advance. "Brian, back up. He's not going to answer you if you're right in his face."

He swerves away from me and scrambles a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Slater. It's just," he collects himself from a sigh. "This situation is frustrating for all of us, especially me. You and I need to be on the same page when it comes to the Medo. You never told me about what happened at the ceremony. You told James, not me. Slater, we have to be more honest with each other. When you're holding on to something like that, you need to let me know. What you said to James was incredibly critical, and you waited a week to tell anyone about it? Much less someone you just met?

"Look, I'm not angry that you brought it up to James; he's my best friend. I'm glad that it came out sooner rather than later. But after all the opportunities I gave you, encouraging you to open up, you never did. I always tell you to speak your mind, and for a week, you held the truth from the ones who needed to hear it most. Slater, if I knew you were struggling, I would have helped you in a heartbeat, but you refused. You didn't even tell Celestine, which is surprising. You waited a whole week to say anything, and," he catches his breath. "I'm disappointed in you. I don't know what else to say other than that."

I hardly even had the courage to tell James about what happened at the ceremony. It took a whole week for me to understand that holding back the truth was only making it worse. After Danny MacTavish stormed out of the room in outrage, I realized that I could not restrain myself any longer. I was going to tell the next person who spoke to me about the Medo, no matter if it was Brian or James. It just happened to be the latter, no offense intended to the Captain.

Rodney Roarke was, and may still be, hot on my trail. He explained that I could consult the Imperial Guard to take on the Medo and the beasts, yet he was unclear of the length of the leash he will keep me on while I am under his control. I was trapped with the notion that if I spoke about what I saw in my night visions or what his voice urged me to do throughout the day, he would skin me alive.

My regard darts between the two high officers in front of me. "Do you think it was easy for me to tell him? My life is in danger. Right when I think that I made it out of hell, the Medo comes back and makes it worse all over again, just like they did to get me in this mess. They won't leave me alone!"

"We understand that you're concerned, Slater." The earnest stare of Lieutenant Hill beams straight through my flushed face. "Please just tell us what's going on, and we can help you. I promise that we aren't doing this to hurt you."

I inhale, breathing in an emanating fume from the nearby kitchen. My gaze finds the eagle high above my head with its wings spread wide. It invites me to tell it about my quest to defeat the Medo so that it may assist me. After all, two pairs of Imperial Guard ears are listening intently to what I must say.

General Beauregard, if you can hear me, send your power to us, your descendants. You know we will need it on our perilous quest. This is for the fate of the Empire, the one you fought so hard to mend and make whole. If it is in your might, save us.

Something flashes over the eyes of the eagle over us. I scrub my own to cleanse the sight of a hallucination.

"Rodney Roarke is the leader of the Medo. I met him one night before the ranking and he told me that everything that happened to me while I was a fugitive was his doing. But he wanted me to do more. And I kept refusing and refusing his screaming in my head until the ceremony when he got my attention. He attacked you, Brian. The man who nearly killed you last week was the leader of the Medo.

"I chased him down during all the commotion. He said that if I finally took his request he and the Medo would leave the Empire, and you would be okay. So, I accepted his deal. On our end, we have to kill seven beasts, creatures, I don't know. Roarke never gave me much info on that, but he said he would. We have to kill these things, and they leave. But the kick is, I can't die. If I die, the deal's off. And that is all I know, I swear. Nothing else."

My lungs sit calm as I watch the cogs of the officer's minds whirl. Brian cannot keep his eyes off of the floor nor his feet in one place. Lieutenant Hill has not budged her stance from facing me, though it is weakened by an exasperated groan. You and me both.

The Captain halts his shifting posture. "So, Oltima is under attack, and once again, you refused to tell anyone. How could you? Slater, don't you understand that the longer you withhold information the less time we have to defend ourselves? Why didn't you-"

"Brian, enough. You're not helping him." The Lieutenant whirls in front of the Captain and settles her hand onto his chest where his dog tags should be underneath his shirt. Her touch freezes him and grants her the freedom to face me. "Slater, we would appreciate it if, from now on, you tell us what you know. The sooner, the better, okay? Can you manage that?"

I scratch behind my head with a nod. "Yes, ma'am." She is certainly far more patient than Brian. I like her.

The Captain scans me as Keira removes her hand from his torso. Our eyes never meet, and I am not to blame. "So, why didn't you tell me? If you were scared, I get it, but the only way to get help was to tell me."

"We were both afraid."

He shuffles his feet, glancing at Keira. She glares at him with the heat of scorching suns, powerful enough for me to sense. "Afraid? What are you talking about; afraid of what?"

"Celeste told me about what happened during your first year in the Imperial Guard. I thought that if I told you about the Medo's deal, you would start having flashbacks or something." My voice cracks on the last word. Mist sprouts in the corner of my left eye. "So I kept it to myself so you wouldn't have to worry about it. I thought I could handle it on my own, but I clearly can't. I'm sorry."

I don't have the desire to cry in front of both of them. The thought of having to live through something like he did is gut-wrenching. I'm thinking about what my life will hold in the months to come; all that I will persevere as a young Imperial Guard. The turmoil will be inevitable. I blink, flushing away the perspective tear.

Brian imposes a delicate grin across his face. "Slater, listen to me. I appreciate the thought, but your problem is far more significant than my fears. If I must face the Medo in order to save you and the Empire, I will do it."

"I think it's safe to say that no matter the circumstances, we are all behind you, Slater," Keira affirms. "No one in the Imperial Guard can take the side of the Medo over you, trust me. Not even Major Talbot." She and Brian share a nod. "They have caused too much harm on Oltima for anyone to turn their backs on us. We are with you."

"Are you sure you know nothing else about these beasts? What they look like, when they're arriving, anything?"

Tell the Captain that that information will be disclosed at a later date. You will be informed of specifics as the arrival approaches. In other words, soon.

I give my head a swift rattle. "Not yet. When I do find out, I promise to let you know. Immediately this time."

A glitter of a smile eases over him. "Good to hear. Thank you." He sends a gentle knock of his knuckles into my shoulder. "Now, you have to head to class, so I'll let you go. Do you need a ride home? I can wait until this is over and drive you back."

Shit. I'm not sure if it's safe to tell him that we and Class 29 are going out tonight. Craig said last night that he was going to drive me home after class so I can get ready for the event. I perceive that our Sergeant would understand if I wanted to keep it inconspicuous. I could trust that Brian would keep a secret if Craig and I crashed at home after our time at the club. But in my experience, you can never be too secure. He's a high officer and may be obligated to betray us.

"Yeah, that would be great," I say, pacing toward the lecture hall corridor. No more details need to be included; just get moving. "Like you said, I gotta bounce. I'll talk to you later, Brian. It was nice seeing you, Lieutenant!" I take off down the hall, leaving the two officers in the cafeteria with only the eagle above as a witness to our words.

Smooth. Very smooth. I don't think the Captain is an idiot. He will find out eventually.

"Nah, he won't," I mutter, my feet stamping the ragged gray carpet. "I've lied to him before, Roarke, and I can do it again. I'm a good liar."

Hah! Don't I know it.