The Senior Officer's Cabin.
Of course!
Leon's comment made Johnny Rico snap out of his melancholy.
Now that he thought about it, the slightly messy state of Carmen Ibanez's cabin, her casual attire, and other small details made everything click. Even if Leon hadn't spelled it out, Rico realized Carmen had cheated on him before ending their relationship—likely with a senior officer from the fleet.
With this revelation, Rico's sadness and depression vanished, replaced by a surge of anger.
Meanwhile, Dizzy Flores, sitting nearby, narrowed her eyes in frustration. She had always been irritated by Carmen, and now her feelings had intensified.
Still, Dizzy kept to herself, feigning disinterest in the ongoing conversation.
"Damn! What a bitch!"
Ace Levy, a bit slower to connect the dots, finally caught on to Carmen's betrayal. He threw an arm around Rico's shoulder and exclaimed, "Buddy! It's a good thing the sergeant spotted that snake in the grass. Otherwise, you'd have gone into this expedition half-asleep, maybe even gotten yourself killed, wondering what you did wrong to deserve getting dumped!"
"Ace… if you shut up, no one's going to mistake you for a mute."
Rico's frustration turned into a bitter laugh at Ace's misguided attempt to comfort him.
Standing up, Rico turned to Leon and said, "Sergeant, thanks for the wake-up call. Without it, I might have walked straight into this expedition in a daze and gotten myself killed."
"Wake-up call? What wake-up call?" Leon chuckled, slinging an arm around Rico's shoulder as they headed for the barracks door.
"All I did was point out the facts. If my squad leader lets his love life cloud his focus, it's not just him—it's the whole squad that ends up in danger.
"As your sergeant, it's my job to set you straight."
Leon lowered his voice as they reached the door and added, "Expeditions have their pros and cons. Your ex-girlfriend decided to use her body to take shortcuts for her career.
"But if you ask me, it's not just ambition—it's a character flaw. She couldn't control herself, showed no loyalty, and thought you had no future in the Mobile Infantry. So, here's what you need to do: get your act together and shove it in her face."
"Shove it in her face? Uh… isn't that a bit much?" Rico hesitated.
Leon rolled his eyes. "I mean, prove you're not inferior to those officers she's cozying up to. I'm not telling you to literally slap her face."
As they reached the barracks' automatic door, Leon let go of Rico's shoulder and turned back to the group, raising his voice.
"To celebrate our squad leader Johnny Rico's glorious return to bachelorhood, drinks are on me!"
"Woohoo!!"
"For Rico!"
"Single and proud!"
The mood in the room shifted instantly. The soldiers, who had been subdued moments ago, erupted into cheers and followed Leon and Rico out of the barracks, heading for the recreation and dining area in the ship's lower deck.
Aboard the Rodger Young.
The Rodger Young was well-equipped with dining, recreational, and training facilities, all centralized in a comprehensive zone.
The Federation, whether in peacetime or wartime, ensured its military was well-supplied with food and drink. While alcohol wasn't free, it wasn't banned at the moment either, as the fleet hadn't entered combat readiness.
Hearing that Leon was footing the bill, the platoon's enthusiasm soared.
Other newly minted sergeants were either overly strict, flaunting their authority, or stiff and uninspiring.
Leon, however, had led his squads to victory in multiple training simulations and often treated his men during downtime. In just two months, his troops had grown to see him as their anchor and leader.
As they walked through the ship's corridors, Leon and Maggie, both covert Imperial operatives, couldn't help but notice the lack of tension among the Federation troops.
Although the fleet was mere minutes away from warp travel, new recruits were still chatting and joking, even betting on how many days it would take to finish the fight.
The Federation's complacency was evident. Decades without large-scale wars had eroded their respect for combat, and this arrogance had trickled down from the upper echelons of leadership to the rank and file.
If this attitude persisted, the Federation forces would face a devastating reality when confronting the Imperial Blood Angels.
The best-case scenario? Their fleet would be obliterated in a single barrage of Imperial firepower.
The worst-case scenario? The Blood Angels would board their ships, turning the encounter into a nightmarish bloodbath that would make the Arachnids seem merciful.
After all, the Blood Angels were masters of swift assaults and deep strikes. Once they deemed someone heretical or traitorous, they showed no mercy in their purges.
However, the Empire wasn't here to massacre but to unify.
The Federation's vast human population—hundreds of billions—and its resource-rich galaxy, comparable to the Halo universe, made it a valuable asset.
The Empire aimed to dismantle the Federation from within rather than obliterate it. The Blood Angels would likely moderate their approach, engaging in measured strikes and boarding operations.
Leon suspected that the conflict in the frontier would attract the Arachnids, providing opportunities for the Blood Angels to exploit.
As they approached the dining area, a voice called out, interrupting their rowdy procession.
"Johnny… Rico?"
?
Leon and the others turned to see Carmen Ibanez in her lieutenant's uniform, standing with a group of fleet officers. Her expression showed genuine surprise at seeing Rico.
Carmen, a pilot assigned to the Rodger Young, clearly hadn't expected this encounter.
"Carmen?"
Rico froze momentarily, his earlier anger forgotten as he seemed tempted to engage with her.
But Leon's earlier advice stuck with him, and Rico quickly composed himself, adopting a cold demeanor.
"It's just a coincidence, Lieutenant Ibanez," he replied curtly before turning away with Leon and Ace to continue toward the dining area.
Carmen stood there, stunned.
In high school, Rico had always supported her unconditionally, no matter her decisions.
Now he was cold and indifferent?
She couldn't understand. So what if she broke up with him? So what if she had a one-night stand with her superior, Xander Barrow? Rico didn't even know about that. Why was he treating her like this?
Wasn't staying friends the mature thing to do?
And if Rico made a name for himself in the Mobile Infantry, wouldn't that be a useful connection for her?
In the dining area, Leon generously paid for the drinks, allowing the squad to enjoy themselves.
Dizzy sat next to Rico, who still seemed slightly down.
"Why didn't you talk to Carmen more?" Dizzy asked.
"There's nothing to talk about," Rico replied, downing his whiskey in one gulp.
"I joined the military for her, but now I'm doing it for myself. Fighting, earning merits—that's what matters now."
"Haha! Well said!" Ace appeared out of nowhere, raising a bottle of whiskey.
"To Johnny finally getting his head on straight! And to the sergeant for his generosity! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The recruits lifted their glasses and bottles, drinking heartily.
Leon and Maggie joined in, though internally, they both noted the Federation's excessive laxity.
Attention all personnel: This is the captain speaking.
The mess hall's PA system crackled to life with the captain's voice:
"The Rodger Young will enter warp travel alongside the fleet in ten seconds, heading for the New Hope Colony in the frontier. Estimated arrival is eighteen hours, including a wormhole jump to the system's outskirts. Prepare accordingly. Over."
As the announcement ended, everyone's eyes turned to the observation windows.
At the ten-second mark, the familiar sight of Earth and the fleet blurred into streaks of light as the ship entered warp.
Twenty-four hours later—New Hope System.
The Federation's fleet, having completed warp and wormhole travel, now cruised casually toward New Hope's desert-like planet.
Their formation was a simple triangle, with no protective detachments guarding the flanks.
As Leon and Maggie had predicted, the Federation commanders were confident they could crush the Empire's forces in a single decisive strike.
Reaching low orbit, the fleet prepared to deploy its Mobile Infantry to the surface.
The Rodger Young launched waves of DR-4 Viking dropships, accompanied by F-76 Lightning fighters for escort.
But just as the formation began descending into New Hope's atmosphere, the Imperial Blood Angels fleet emerged behind the Federation forces.
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