Project Gaia : The arrival of humanity

Chapter 23 : Deployment

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it."

- Jean de La Fontaine

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Gaia, "New Pangaea" Ground-Zero. July 1st 2038. 0800 Hours.

Sergeant Edward Snowden awoke with a groan, the soft rays of the sun cutting through the tent and casting long shadows across the room. His back ached slightly, a dull, persistent reminder of the fierce battle at the Indian cement factory days before. His eyes flickered open, meeting the familiar but empty rows of beds around him. The quiet was oppressive. Half of his team-Private Karl Sulzberger, Sergeant Denijs Veenstra, and Private Gregor Staebler-were still recovering from their wounds in the military hospital. The empty space beside him felt like an unbearable void, the kind that gnawed at him during the night when sleep failed to claim him.

Rubbing his eyes and wincing from the tightness in his lower back, Snowden slowly sat up. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, then swung his legs over the side of the bed. His boots, polished but slightly scuffed from the last engagement, lay neatly next to the cot. They were always prepared, ready for the next mission, even when they didn't know what it was.

His muscles stiffened as he stood up, testing his back again, and after a few moments of stretching, he began his morning routine. His military training was deeply ingrained, a well-oiled machine that guided his actions with precision. He made his bed, tucking in the corners with military perfection before moving to the small table in the corner where his personal effects were kept. There was no room for the comforts of home here-just essentials. His gear, his weapon, and a few small mementos, including a faded picture of his younger sister. The quiet of the morning was interrupted only by the soft rustling of his movements and the faint hum of distant generators outside the FOB.

As Snowden performed his stretches, the battle that had taken place only days ago seemed to replay in his mind. The cacophony of gunfire, the screams of soldiers, the frantic orders shouted into the comms. His breath caught as he recalled the explosion near the cement factory, the smoke rising like a tombstone marking their progress. A few of his men had come back with more than just physical injuries-some were haunted by what they'd witnessed, others by what they'd done. Snowden himself carried the weight of those memories, but like all soldiers, he buried them deep.

"Hey, Ed, you up?" The voice startled him, and he turned to find Corporal Jimmy Barnes standing in the doorway, his face uncharacteristically serious but warm with concern.

"I'm up," Snowden replied, forcing a grin. "Morning."

Barnes stepped into the room, leaning against the doorframe. "How's the back?"

"Still there," Snowden said with a shrug, though he was clearly in some discomfort. "Ain't going to be the last time either."

Barnes chuckled, but there was something else behind his eyes-a quiet understanding that only those who'd fought beside each other knew. He straightened, tapping his pocket. "You hear the news?"

Snowden shook his head. "What news?"

"They're finally coming clean," Barnes said, his tone lowering to something almost reverent. "The UN high command's made the public announcement. The aliens are real. The Equines... everything. We can finally talk to our families. Get access to Wi-Fi again."

"Damn," Snowden muttered. "It's about time."

The announcement was something they'd all known was coming. The secrecy surrounding the first contact with the equine aliens-who were living on Gaia-had been suffocating. Everyone who'd been directly involved with the initial encounters had been quarantined for fear of foreign diseases, and, of course, for the sake of secrecy. Now, with the information finally being released to the public, life would begin to shift back toward some semblance of normalcy. Families would be contacted, the reality of their existence on another world would be known, and maybe, just maybe, they could breathe a little easier.