• The Name He Couldn’t Say

    Part I — The Room Where He Arrived Too Late Lieutenant Aaron Hale entered the hospital room in dress whites and medals, looking more terrified than he had ever looked under fire. The door struck the rubber stopper behind him. A nurse turned, startled. Somewhere down the hall, a monitor chirped in steady little notes…

  • The White Strip

    Part I — The Case By the time Sergeant Mara Vale reached the sniper mat, half the platoon had already decided she was going to miss. They stood in a loose half-circle under the hard desert sun, rifles slung, sleeves rolled, faces shaded by helmets and suspicion. The wind scraped sand across the range in…

  • The Safety Pin

    Part I — The Order Sergeant Mara Voss had the launcher on her shoulder, the relay station in her sights, and a direct order in her ear. “Fire.” The desert held its breath. Wind dragged grit across her cheek. Somewhere beyond the ridge, something heavy thudded into the earth and rolled its echo through the…

  • The Mark in the Mud

    Part I — The Bell She Would Not Touch Mara Voss was face-down in the mud when Sergeant Major Dane Rourke told her to quit. Rain hammered the training field so hard the ground had turned to brown water. It ran under her collar, into her sleeves, between her clenched teeth. Her cheek was pressed…

  • The Rifle Remembered

    Part I — Dead Man’s Rifle Sergeant Mara Vale was already sitting in the dirt when Colonel Harlan Crewe laid the broken rifle in front of her and said, “If you want to belong in my unit, start by putting a dead man’s rifle back together.” No one laughed at first. That was the part…

  • Three Oranges

    Part I — The Question on the Table Mara Venn had peeled two oranges before Colonel Rusk put his hand on the back of her chair and asked, loud enough for the whole mess hall to hear, “How many did you leave behind?” The room went so quiet that someone’s fork struck a tray and…