The Road to Hell

Chapter 25

José left a hole in David's chest. He'd left a hole in everyone's chest, even Armin, who'd only known him a short while. Everyone decided the only appropriate course of action was to fill that hole with plenty of alcohol. And so they sat for a few hours guzzling liquor and swapping old stories about the man they'd come to know as Spook.

"I remember when we first met, back in the Academy," David recollected. "He was a plebe and I was a turd. He showed up at my quarters and asked if he was in the right company," David said, referring to the nicknames the students had given to refer to their class year. First years were plebes, as in the lowest class of Roman citizens, uneducated and looked down upon. Third years were turds.

Tanner chuckled, "That's right, I was there hanging out. You glanced up from the video game we were playing and said, 'How do you want to serve humanity?' When he told us that he wanted to be in Intelligence, we laughed and I said, 'Well I don't think LBI accepts illiterate officers, plebe.' Then he looked at the door and he gets this look on his face like he just pissed his pants. There it was on the door in big bold letters: 'Commander, Sword Company'. I asked him his name, and he told us. Then David's like—

David took over. "'Ramius? What the hell kind of name is Ramius? Don't answer. It's a good name. Stands out in a long list.' I looked at the roster and found his name. 'Ah, Ramius,' I said. We've got you marked you down as "one to watch". You have exceptional test scores, José, but test scores aren't everything. You have to want this and want it more than anything else in the whole universe. Sword Company will be your family; the League, your life. Are you ready for that?' He answered me with one of the most sensible statements I've heard from a plebe. He said, 'Doesn't matter what I say, sir. It's what I'll do that'll define me. I'm just glad to have the chance, sir.'"

"And Spectre, the crazy hotshot that had managed to break as many rules as records at the Academy, told this skinny ass plebe, 'Hopefully the pleasure will be mine. Let's win Top Company this year, eh?'" Tanner said, finishing the story. "And we fucking did. Those were good times, eh David?"

"The best times, to be honest."

"You might've known him in the Academy, but you should have been there to see him as a co-ordinator," Fisher said. "There was this one time..." They all sat and listened, toasting José every so often.

When he was drinking, Farid usually took his time. Tonight he was knocking back shots faster than they could pour him. He soon started to become a nuisance to those sitting around them. David tried to quiet him down, but suddenly, Farid turned on him.

"You..." he accused. "You fucking idiot. This is all your fault anyway! Coschek was right! If you hadn't wasted so much time, we could have saved New Britannia, José, and the twins too..."

"Zips..." Armin began.

"No! Shut up!" Farid snapped. "Why'd you do it, David? Why'd you shoot José? It was Rosana that told you to do it wasn't it? You'll just do anything that little whore of yours tells you to won't you­—

"Lieutenant, that's enough!" Fisher barked. "The LC saved José from more torture!" But Farid kept going.

"No. I get it. This mission is David's big chance to prove he's every bit the hero his daddy was. Zeus is your Olympus, and if you have to sacrifice seventy percent of the Allied systems to kill one man you'd do it, no problem, right?"

David didn't say anything. Farid's words rung true. Sometimes the smart thing wasn't the right thing. And David could not shake the feeling that he'd done the wrong thing.

Farid's rant degenerated into frustrated curses hurled at David, but mostly at the worlds in general. David stood up and sauntered away. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Farid demanded.