(who let these pesky civilians on the ship?)

---

Blue clapped Tavi on the shoulder to break his trance and showed him how to pull down the narrow jump seat and strap in. As soon as he was settled, his gaze went right back outside the cockpit.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Tavi breathed out.

“Lieutenant Eliassen or LT is fine,” she said firmly. When he looked as if he would protest, she added, “You’re one of mine. Fourth Squad flies on my bird, so we’ll be working together on missions.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Blue rolled her eyes and let it go. The kid would figure out how things worked in the real world soon enough.

Less than ten minutes later, the orbital naval shipyard came into sight. Tavi’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but it was a subtle tell, as if he’d long been trained in suppressing his reactions. There was certainly an impressive collection of ships currently in dock, and Blue gave him a moment to take it all in before she quietly pointed out the PNV Perseverance.

“She’s not the biggest or the prettiest, but she’ll get us where we need to go.” Blue pointed out the corvettes docked on either side of the Legion transport ship like a pair of fierce guard dogs, smaller but more heavily armed. “And they’ll make sure we make it in one piece.”

The Mule slowly spun around as the pilots lined them up for docking at one of the smaller slips. In the distance, Mars Primus slid into view. They were close enough to make out the green and reddish-brown landmasses, the deep blues of the oceans, and the thick gray swirls of cloud cover. The larger moon was currently behind the planet, but the smaller was visible. The rocky red surface of the moon was almost completely obscured by the multitude of habitats and orbital stations. Mars Primus was the most heavily populated of the Protectorate planets, and it showed. Some colonies were more suited to sustaining human life than others, and with the population rapidly growing thanks to decades of peace, the mission of the Survey Corps was even more critical.

Identifying a new colony world for the Protectorate was Blue’s dream. She glanced at Tavi, still utterly enraptured by the view, and grinned. Preferably a colony world where humans could live above ground.

In short order, the pilots had the Mule snugged up to their assigned docking slip. As soon as the pressure seals locked into place, Blue left the aircrew working their postflight checks and exited the ship. She thought she might have to chase Campbell down, but the man was waiting for her at the bottom of the ramp, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Blue carried an identical one stuffed with her personal items. The loadmaster and dockhands would transfer the rest of their gear over to the Perseverance, but it was always smart to keep personal effects close.

As she strode down the ramp, Tavi trailed after her, his own duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

“Hey, Blue.” Campbell arched a brow. “You seem to have gained a shadow.”

“He’s one of mine.”

“Yours?” Campbell pinned Tavi with an inquisitive stare as he halted exactly one pace behind and to her left. “I thought he was a legionnaire, not a Crow.”

Blue waved a dismissive hand. “By ‘mine,’ I didn’t mean aircrew. I meant he’s one of the legionnaires assigned to my dropship.”

She wrinkled her nose as the familiar metallic tang of recycled air stung her sinuses along with the faint burn of industrial cleaning chemicals, and glanced around the shipyard. Not much had changed since her last time passing through. The shipyard might be rundown, but it was serviceable and ruthlessly maintained, because there weren’t any funds flowing in to replace the aging facility. While the Navy could operate without certain aspects of the shipyard, troop transfers and supply loading were much easier, not to mention all the maintenance required to keep the ships in service.

Battered gray metal corridors stretched into the distance, the gradual curve barely noticeable. Shipyard personnel in various colored jumpsuits hustled in both directions in a steady stream of traffic, voices echoing off the walls and blending into incomprehensible background noise.

“Ma’am,” Tavi said and gestured to a trio of gray-jumpsuited personnel marching their way with a sense of purpose. They all stepped to the side of the ramp so the cargo haulers could begin the unloading process.

The haulers had barely made it inside the Mule when a chorus of shouts and irritated cries drifted out. One outraged voice rose above the rest, and the haulers hastily backed down the ramp. The older civilian gentleman stood at the top for a moment, haughty stare panning around the shipyard before he strode down the ramp. His civilian suit was perfectly pressed, and his shoulders were unencumbered by anything so mundane as a bag. He was closely followed by three young civilians, two men and a woman, each carrying a single small bag. Their bright and eager gazes darted everywhere as they scurried after Mister High and Mighty.

There was a brief pause, and then the last civilian staggered into sight. The young woman was weighed down with a backpack that seemed nearly as large as she was in addition to a smaller bag hanging off one shoulder. Her earlier annoyance was now tinged with grim determination, and she stomped after her companions with murder in her eyes. Blue silently applauded her spirit . . . though she would’ve been more impressed if the young woman had managed to avoid getting loaded down like a pack mule in the first place.

Eager to get all the juicy details on the civvies, and fairly certain Campbell wouldn’t talk freely in front of a private, Blue glanced at Tavi. “Do you know where to go?”

“No, ma’am, but I can figure it out. Thank you for your assistance.”

“Oh, for the love of . . . just follow us.” She rolled her eyes again, something that seemed to be developing into a habit around the young legionnaire. She firmly grabbed Campbell’s arm and tugged him into the flow of traffic. He allowed the manhandling with an amused grin, and she tilted her head toward the gaggle of civilians expectantly. “Well? What’s the deal?”

---

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Missed the previous snippets? No worries, I got you covered.

• Snippet 11
• Snippet 10
• Snippet 9
• Snippet 8
• Snippet 7
• Snippet 6
• Snippet 5
• Snippet 4
• Snippet 3
• Snippet 2
• Snippet 1