Mark “Coop” Cooper

Location: Stewart-Benning Training Center, Earth, United Commonwealth of Colonies

Reporting in for the recruiter training course was a welcome breath of fresh air from all other military trainings Coop had been a part of. The class consisted of a hundred and twenty people. Twenty were officers, half were LTS and the other half were LCDRs. They would be taking over command of recruiting companies and battalions once the training was over. Another twenty were senior NCOs in the GYSGT and MSG arena. They were being partnered with the officers to form a command team that was schooled and trained together before ever getting to their duty station. As far as planning went, it wasn’t a half bad idea. The rest of the class was SSGs and below. Like in a normal infantry unit, they’d be doing all the grunt work. Only difference was this time Coop had no idea what that grunt work entailed. A quick look around the room showed only a handful of people without three chevrons on their CMUs, which meant in additional to unknown shit details, he was also low man on the totem pole.

Despite that, the introductory briefing was given by a laid back LCDR who would be their class instructor for the next two months. After the hour long spiel, they were broken up into the officer, SNCO, and everyone else components, organized into squads, leadership positions doled out, and then, miraculously, they were released for the day until tomorrow at 0600.

Since the military liked to do things alphabetically, Eve was still in his squad, and he looked at her in confusion. She just shrugged and gathered up her stuff. Reporting for duty wasn’t their only task today. What followed was much more painful for Coop than sitting through her graduation or reporting in. At 1800 exactly, Coop walked through the front door of Admiralty House, which was probably the most opulent restaurant/hotel/conference center he’d ever been in.

“I feel like a fuckin’ penguin,” Coop pulled at the collar of his too-tight black suit. The thing had cost him two months’ pay and made him feel way out of his element.

“I’m surprised you know what a penguin is,” Eve snapped back. She was nervous and it was causing her to lash out.

At least she was good to look at. She was wearing a silver dress that rippled in the fading light, and accentuated her enhanced physique. Coop caught many finely dressed men, and more than few women, eyeing Eve as they stood in the doorway. He also caught them looking at him, and despite being in a two-thousand dollar suit, they still looked at him like a bum. He imagined squeezing several fat men’s pompous, tiny heads until they popped to cheer himself up.

“I’ve got to powder my nose. I’ll be right back.”

“What…who powders…wait…” he called after her, but she was already gone.

Coop scanned the room and gulped. He did notice the sign that said the bathrooms were in the opposite direction Eve was heading. The only thing in her path was the bar.

he felt it was his duty to follow an NCOs lead.

He hadn’t even taken a step when he felt a presence behind him. “Hello, Corporal Cooper,” ADM’s voice was as cold as the void as she greeted him.

“Corporal,” CMDR Berg was right behind his mother in his grav-chair.

“Ma’am, Sir,” Coop nodded to them both and stepped aside so they could fully enter the room.

“I’ll check the reservation,” Derrick kept on moving, which Coop didn’t take as a good sign.

It was a motto he rarely lived by, but in these circumstances it was appropriate.

{So, you’re the man dating my daughter,} the ADM’s voice popped in his head and made him jump. {I looked you up…}

he gulped.

{…I do not find you to be a very ethical, competent, or desirable man, Corporal.} She didn’t pull any punches. {I know everything about you. Everything about your parents. Everything about your grandparents. I know about your abysmal academic and much more nefarious criminal record. I know about your performance in the military. I even know about the little smuggling ring you ran on New Lancashire, and the bar you were at that was frequented by domestic terrorists on New Savannah. Hell, I even know what type of porn you like to jerk off to. I…know…everything. Under any other circumstances I would own your ass for life.} Her voice sounded like it was god himself echoing down from the mountaintop. {However, I’ve also seen what you’ve done for my daughter. I know you care for her, and despite her better judgement, she cares for you. I say this with the utmost sincerity…if you ever hurt my daughter you will never see the man who kills you. They will never find your body. You will be just another casualty of some Rat gang conflict, and no one will ever be the wiser. Eve might mourn, but she’s strong and will move on while you’re in some icy hole getting slowly digested by single cell organisms over the next millennia.} The ADM stopped to take a mental breath while Coop made sure he hadn’t shit his pants. {I also saw the video from Harper’s Junction and I think you got a raw deal. That was a shitty situation and you chose to save Eve. That is the single thing I respect about you or your actions since having the unfortunate circumstance of running across my daughter.}

{Uh…thanks,} Coop had no idea how to respond to that, but he liked the positive turn things were taking.

{My daughter is meant for great things, Corporal. She made sergeant in no time. Soon, she’ll understand that there is only so much she can do as an NCO. If she wants to influence battles or the policy of her beloved Infantry, she needs to be an officer. She is already being looked at for her accomplishments. They will offer her a commission sooner rather than later. You need to figure out what that means for you. Not the two of you, but you. It’s time to get your shit in order if you want to stay in her life. You’ve got a lot of things to think about, Mark. We’ll talk more later.} The IOR connection ended as Eve and Derrick returned.

“Table is ready,” the CMDR announced.

Eve slipped her arm in Coop’s and guided him toward a booth at the back of the restaurant. It was a good thing he had her to lean on because his legs felt like jelly. It helped that the booth’s nano-laced fabric conformed to his body and made him sigh in relief.

He didn’t say anything through appetizers and neither did the ADM. Eve and her brother carried the conversation, which at one point turned into a full-blown argument. It seemed like mostly sibling stuff, but the sticking point was always the infantry.

“You lost an arm,” Derrick flailed his around as the waiters tried to retrieve the remains of the salad course.

“And you lost both your legs, dumbass,” she retorted. Coop thought she was about to lift up and plop one of her wonderful appendages on the table. That would have given the people around them a show.

“And so has he…twice if I remember correctly,” Derrick pointed a finger at Coop.

Coop didn’t like to be dragged into their argument, but he wasn’t nearly as frightened of the CMDR as the ADM. Probably because the other man didn’t have any legs at the moment.

“Both our jobs are dangerous. That’s why we get hazard pay,” Coop picked up his glass and took a big gulp of the best beer he’d ever tasted. The CMDR glared at him, while Eve placed a thankful hand on his thigh.

“One could argue one job is less dangerous than another,” the ADM stepped in. Coop thought it was on her son’s side, but he couldn’t be sure.

He took a deep breath and responded. “I’m sure you have the casualty figure from Harper’s Junction. I’d be interested to see if the fleet or infantry lost more people in that operation.”

The ADM’s eyes hardened, but then a playful smile pulled at one corner of her mouth. “The fleet lost more personnel, but that was primarily on the outdated ships. Those on our upgraded vessel handled much better. In fact, as a percentage of the total force, the infantry lost a higher percentage of their people than the fleet did.”

Coop tried to hide his emotions.

“Exactly my point,” there was triumph on the CMDR’s face.

“We all lost people,” Coop continued, “but that doesn’t make any of our jobs less important.” Eve was about to open her mouth, but he kept going. He felt like he was onto something here. “Everyone has a part to play. Slugging it out in space, dominating the orbitals, and acting as artillery is all fine for some, but that isn’t what the mission usually required. You’re always going to need boots on the ground, and people brave enough to wear them. Sometimes you have to get within knife-fighting distance of the enemy and shoot them in the fucking head.” The last sentence was the alcohol talking, but it didn’t make it any less true.

“Corporal!” Derrick looked like he was about to spring to his feet, except his lack of feet was making it hard for him to be properly indignant.

Eve gripped his hand tightly under the table. Apparently, he’d just stepped in it, but despite everyone else’s’ reactions, Coop was only focused on the ADM.

The ADM stared directly back at him, until a smile pulled her lips apart and she laughed. “Very true, Mark. Very true.” Coop couldn’t help but smile back at the point he scored, but a dangerous glint flickered in her eye. “Sometimes you need to get up close and personal to end a threat. That can’t always been done with missiles and energy cannons from thousands of kilometers away. The risks are undoubtedly greater, but they are necessary to remove certain obstacles.”

“What?” the CMDR seemed stung by the words, since to him it seemed the ADM was giving her blessing on Eve’s career choice.

“What?” Eve was equally as surprised at having her lifestyle approved of by a distant mother figure who Eve would never admit she wanted to be closer with.

Everyone saw the ADM’s words in their own way, and Coop saw it as another threat. Sonya Berg was fire and ice. She’d give credit where credit was due, but she’d eliminate the threat – Coop had no doubt using her own hands – if necessary. He could tell he was treading on thin ice. What he really needed was for the ADM to leave so he could formulate a plan. If he was going to be in Eve’s life for more than a few months, he needed to be worthy of her. Unfortunately, it wasn’t up to either of them who determined that worthiness.

As far as battlefields went, he was pretty sure he’d rather go up against a Windsor mech than ADM Berg.