The new chapter is out. I'm sure you all know the drill. Read. Review. Thank You.

Rodger Aston/ Terran Mobile Infantry/ 01900 hours standard time

Landing was always the worst part of making a drop. Even after the chutes were deployed and the bottom thrusters started going off to slow the capsule down, you could still feel the G-forces as they rocked you about within the small capsule. And that's before you actually hit the ground.

Even with all these initiatives to ensure that you didn't slam into the planet with enough force to create a crater the size of London, there was still a large amount of noticeable force when you made impact. There was no danger of course, since not only is the inside of the capsule too small for you to crash around in, but your armour would absorb most of the impact. That didn't stop it from being incredibly nerve-wracking though.

And that's what it was like for me when I my capsule hit ground. There was a huge bang as the capsule implanted itself in the earth. And without even a second for me to ready myself the capsule door opened and I bolted out, doing a diving roll into the middle of a clearing before readying my weapons and surveying the surrounding area. It was standard MI combat protocol of course; as soon as your capsule hit planet-side you were effectively helpless against the horde of hostiles you would be dropped in the middle of. Therefore, MI Cap-drills consisted largely of practising how to get out of your capsule as fast as possible before the enemy realized that a fully armed MI was about to rip them a new one.

After determining the area, a beautiful, green coniferous-like forest, to be safe I checked my HUD, looking for the position of Septin and the others. I determined Septin's position as being a couple kliks due north, and headed out to regroup, as was standard protocol.

I couldn't jump there, at least not without crashing into a tree, so I had to content myself with running there as fast as I could. The vibrant colours of the forest passed me by like blurs as the enhanced strength provided by the armour allowed me to sprint at unbelievable distances without even breaking a sweat. This was quite easily my favourite part about powered armour; the sense that you had surpassed your physical limits. It was Terran ingenuity at its finest.

After a few minutes, I stopped for a second to catch my bearings and check on Septin's position. No sooner had I done that when a strange rustling sound caught my ear; I turned to face where it had originated from, less scared than I was curious (there were very few things capable of spooking an MI when he was loaded up to his neck in heavy weaponry like I was).

The rustling continued, coming from within a section of deep foliage to dense to see through. Finally, after a few more seconds of that annoying rustling, three figures came out.

I'm honestly not sure what they were; the things had vomit-green coloured skin and faces that looked like a cross between a man and a hog, a really ugly hog. They were slightly larger than an average human, and wore what looked like a really primitive armour made out of scraps while wielding rusty Iron weapons. They had really ticked off looks on their faces, but their expressions reminded me of the neighbour's dog, Willie, who wasn't exactly right in the head.

The lead one stared me down eye-to-eye (or eye-to-visor in this case) before he let out a roar, or at least I think it was a roar; although to be honest it sounded like the thing was burping, squealing, and trying to cough up a loogie at the same time. It was like evolution had gone out of its way to make these animals as repulsive as was physically possible.

The leader charged at me, brandishing his mace as he swung it towards me.

An action followed by me easily deflecting his blow with my forearm before I backhanded the pig-man thing across the face as hard as I could.

I'm not exactly sure where the head flew, but when I looked at the leader, his neck was a bleeding stump. The body ungracefully slumped to the ground, while the two others kind of just gawked at me with those dumb expressions of theirs. I expected them both to do the smart thing and walk away from a fight they couldn't win, but surprisingly the one on the right raised his weapon and made that same weird roaring sound before the both of them charged me.

It was at this moment that these creatures reminded me of another one of Willie's traits.

He had a bad habit of picking fights he couldn't win.

A good several minutes had passed before I arrived at the rendezvous point, carrying a dead pig-man-thing over my shoulder. Everyone else was already gathered, and were sending some odd looks at either me or the body I was carrying; probably both.

"Private, I'd chew you out for taking to long to rendezvous and wasting precious time" Septin said, "but I'm currently more curious about that... thing you've got over your shoulder".

"Just some local wildlife i ran into, sir. Thought that the Doc' would want a sample to study".

I dropped the body into the middle of the clearing, giving everybody a chance to look at it. It was hard to tell what everybody thought of the pig-man-thing, on account of the visors obstructing their eyes, but Benson seemed to be getting into Xenobiologist mode. Poking, prodding and scanning over the creature like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen; it probably was now that I thought about it.

"Well Private", Septin bellowed. "Looks like you found your long-lost brother; the resemblance between you two is uncanny".

"Yes sir" I answered grudgingly, unwilling to talk back to a superior officer. Though for the record he had no idea what he was talking about. I was a real looker.

"Prepare to move out; Doc, you can study that thing once we set up a proper base camp. For now, Private Aston will carry the corpse".

I frowned at that; cleaning your armour was a nasty chore when you were just taking care of simple dirt,rust, and grime, and I didn't want that thing to start rotting all over me. Nevertheless, I picked up the body and threw it over my shoulder again; ready to start moving.

"Where will we start major?" Carlin asked.

"We'll head east, towards those small mountains." Septin replied. "After setting up shop, we'll spend a couple weeks here before moving south. This is really just a general survey to figure out if this area is fit for the Federation to set up a colony on, so we probably won't have to leave the continent". He turned towards Harry and I and then bellowed in that unbelievably loud voice of his.

"ALRIGHT YOU APES, LET'S MOVE OUT!"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

And just like that, we headed off to explore unknown lands.

Queen Henrietta de Tristainia/ Tristainian Royal family/ Early evening

I could not describe the relief I felt as I signed the last invitation and stamped the royal seal of Tristain on it. I had been sitting at my desk for hours personally writing out each and every letter of invitation to the royal families and nobility of Halkeginia, inviting each and every one of them to attend the Reverencia. It was exhausting work, and couldn't help but curse my younger self for choosing such a sophisticated and difficult to repeatedly write signature.

It was important work that had to completed quickly though; the Reverencia was a festivity, held every twenty-five years, in which all the Royal families, High Nobility, and the Pope would gather at the royal palace of Tristain and celebrate the founding of the country I call home. The attendance of foreign rulers and aristocracy was, symbolically, a gesture of good will, though it was also an excellent opportunity, since it was one of the few times that the people who ran their respective kingdoms could meet face to face and hold discussions.

Agnes had been standing beside me almost the entire session, leaving only a few times to fetch the me my lunch and tea. She still had that same stone cold face she always had, but i could tell that she was glad that i was finished with my work and we could both retire for the night. There was a slow creaking, and i looked up to see Cardinal Mazarin, my trusted adviser, enter the room with an armful of documents. For some reason, these documents gave off an ill and foreboding feeling.

"Ah your majesty", he said in a cheerful tone. "You've finished the invitations, excellent; if you don't mind, I have several forms here regarding the Reverencia that we require you to look over. It shouldn't take too long, maybe just an extra hour or two".

I was right about those documents after all. If it wasn't so unbecoming, I'd probably throw my arms towards the sky and cry out in despair.

As the Cardinal laid the papers on my desk, his eyes seemed to catch something he disapproved of, if the deepening frown was an indicator. I followed his gaze and saw exactly what it was that had soured the man's mood.

Bidashal of Nephthys

I hereby invite you to the Reverencia

In celebration of the founding of this Kingdom of Tristain.

The festivity shall be held in the Royal Palace on the Day of Water two weeks from now.

We would be honoured if you would attend.

Henrietta de Tristainia

I had also sent similar letters to his niece and her fiance, as all three of them were currently serving as ambassadors from the Elven country. Well, Bidashal was an ambassador at least. His niece came here with him to study human society, while her fiance apparently came to make sure she didn't do anything reckless. It was part of my efforts to better relations between the races of humans and elves, but there were many, both within and without the country, who were suspicious of the Elves despite the fact our races joined forces in the Draco War ( the name people were starting to call the fight against the Ancient Dragon and its brainwashed dragonic army). It frustrated me to no end that these people would continue to hold onto their hate even after being given no reason to do so.

"Don't even start Cardinal" I declared in an annoyed voice as he looked like he was about to voice his opinion on what he no doubt thought was a silly dream born out of childish naivete.

"You're majesty, I have great admiration for what you are trying to accomplish with this. But I can't help but think you're moving far too fast in achieving your goals"

"Is that so?" I said in the most uncaring way possible.

"Opening trade relations and diplomatic ties with the Elves is one thing, but now you're all but pushing the two sides together in an attempt to make them get along. 6000 years of hate and fear can't simply be washed away in the space of less than thirteen months."

"What's wrong with trying though?"

"Nothing your majesty". He was saying that, but he was talking to me like I was an excited child that had accomplished something that seemed titanic to the child, but was actually quite silly and mundane. "It's just the way you're going about it that is ineffective".

I let out a disgruntled noise and prayed that the Cardinal was finished and would leave now. Alas, that was not the case. For he had found another thing that he disagreed with.

"And what's more, you've also invited Emperor Frederick of Germania".This was starting to become exasperating; even more so than before.

"Those pagan barbarians have never been invited to the Revernecia for a reason your majesty" he ranted. "To do so would-"

"I don't care about these 'time honoured tradition' Cardinal!" I asserted quite forcefully. Even Agnes was quite taken aback by my new-found force of will.

"This silent snub of Germania must end now. If we are to spread peace throughout the continent, then we must welcome our neighbour's as friends, not exclude them as if we're the superior nation".

"Your majesty-"

"Now, more then ever, we must open our arms and talk peace with Germainia; especially since Emperor Frederick has begun reforming and expanding Germania's military. Those large scale movements and exercises near Pratzen are just more evidence that the sour memory of the One Year War still lingers on".

The One Year War; never would you find a more controversial topic in all the Germanian-Halkeginian relations. That conflict had begun when Albrecht II, grandfather of the current Emperor Frederick, had declared war and invaded Tristain over a small border dispute; an event which the entirety of the Brimiric nations could only describe as a wanton act of Imperialism. Germania's generals had thought that their better equipped, better trained, and larger army would simply roll over Tristain's defences.

It might've done so also, if it hadn't been for the fact that this was the war where Tristain's own Karin the Heavy Wind made her debut. Add that in with the military genius of my father, newly crowned King Philip I, along with the skills of other such men as General Gramont, Osman the Earthen Calamity, and Colbert the Flame Snake, and Tristain was not only able to fight back against the Germanian menace, but keep fighting concentrated at the border and surrounding areas for a whole year.

Things eventually came to a head when the Pope had finally decided to intervene. He ordered both sides to sign an armistice and offered to help broker a peace. The Emperor was forced to accept this proposal by his war-weary Nobles, lest they call the Electorate College and have his family replaced as the Imperial line; my father accepted it as soon as he'd heard about the peace.

The war ended with Germania being forced to pay heavy reperations to Tristain, as well as having to give up the fertile farmland of the Pratzen valley, which were then given to her kingdom. Tristainians viewed the war as a patriotic symbol; a great triumph over the barbarian empire that was Germania.

Germanian's on the other hand, saw it as the ultimate humiliation. For not only were they vindicated as barbarians by the Brimiric nations, a view which continued to hinder Germania's efforts to establish itself as a respectable great power, but they would also forever remember it as the war in which their great Empire, considered at the time to be the most powerful military force on Halkeginia, had been defeated by the kingdom considered to be the weakest of them all.

And now with Frederick, the memories of that horrible conflict seemed to cast an even larger shadow than before over both countries. A shadow that threatened to envelop them completely.

"i can't think of a better opportunity to reconcile than the Reverencia". I told the Cardinal as I stared at him defiantly. "We shall offer them the Olive Branch; if they snap in two, so be it. However, i will not allow a war to break out without even trying to do something about it".

I paused for a few moments, daring the Cardinal to continue. With a sigh, he dismissed himself; leaving me with triumphant smirk on my face. A smirk that disappeared once I remembered the forms that he had left on my desk. Cursing my fate, i set to work, dipping my quill into the inkwell and beginning by signing my name on a paper regarding money needed for the Reverencia celebration.

"You know Agnes, you can leave if you want". I told my bodyguard and friend.

"I really shouldn't your majesty; it's my duty to ensure your safety" she replied.

"None of that" I told her; " I'm doing paperwork in the heart of the palace, I'm not in any danger. Now, as your Queen, I order you to dismiss yourself for the night". Agnes seened to be struggling to find a way around my order; but she had nothing, and was forced to concede defeat this time around. As she walked towards the doors to my office she turned towards me.

"Please your majesty, don't overdo it". I let out an annoyed grunt with a scowl on my face as she opened the door and left.

I knew what she meant by overdoing it; a few weeks ago, Agnes had confronted me about this very issue. She had said that ever since Louise and Saito's wedding, I had thrown myself into the role of diplomat, working across the entire continent trying to create peace. It was true, I had my hand in the managing of issues across the continent, from the current situation with Germania, to even the instability in Albion.

I was not too proud to say her accusation was false. I wasn't fooling myself about why I was single-handedly trying to bring peace to Halkeginia. I was only trying to forget the emptiness that came about from witnessing Saito and Louise's union.

I was happy for the two of them, how could I not be? But there was the inevitable sadness that came with knowing that for the second time, I had lost the man I loved. I knew he cared for me, but that caring would never go beyond a close friendship.

No matter how much i wished otherwise.

And with that saddening thought, I returned to my paperwork. This time though, the frustration was replaced with deep sorrow. As tears began trickling down my face and making a distinctive pitter-patter as they hit the paper below me, i felt more alone then I ever did before.

Roger Aston/ Terran Mobile Infantry/ 20000 hours standard time

We had already setting up a base camp after arriving in no time-flat; a skill they had wasted no time in drilling into our head at Basic. Our living quarters were simple tents; well, not simple really considering one tent was actually a fairly large research lab containing sophisticated equipment for the survey. It always amazed me how much crap they could fit into those supply capsules.

Benson had wasted no time in getting out of his armour (it was too much of a hindrance in that tent) and starting to dissect the specimen i brought with me as soon as Septin permitted it. Septin was presently in our primary sleeping tent and was logging our current progress into Journal for debriefing, while Carlin was also in the lab, studying some sediment samples he had extracted; although to me it just looked like a handful of dirt.

That left Harry and i as the only two people still in our armour. Septin had told us, and i quote:

"You two keep watch outside. Lance Corporal, make sure that the Private here doesn't accidentally shove his own head up his anus".

So here we were. We both had removed our helmets and were consuming MRE rations, which were our only source of food for the duration of our stay. It amazed me that we could create Cherenkov drives capable of relativity-free FTL travel, yet our, military rations still tasted like garbage. Human ingenuity marches on it seems.

"Hey" Harry said in between bites; "did you hear anything about the war before we left?" I finished chewing my protein bar before answering.

"I heard that the Bugs managed to hit our research stations on Pluto. Other than that, we still seem to be in a stalemate" I said as i gulped down the last of the foul tasting bar.

"Probably trying to destroy those brain bugs we captured on Planet P. Luckily those things were still in transit when it happened; I heard the entire place was slagged by the time response forces managed to drive them off".

Harry grimaced at my mention of Planet P, not that i could blame him; that experience had been hell on both of us. I still sometimes had dreams about that day; tearing Bugs apart with our armoured hands after running out of ammo, all while watching the beacons of our platoon disappear one by one as the insects relentlessly attacked. Although it was gruesome, one of the other two surviving members of the platoon that Harry and i fought in still said it wasn't as bad as Operation Bug-house on Klendethau had been.

"I wonder if everything we did in that battle will be worth it later" Harry lamented in a heavy tone. "Is that Brain Bug going to be any use to us? Or will it all prove meaningless in the end?".

"C'mon, lighten up. They'll never accept into Officer school if you have that kind of attitude".

"Well it's a good thing i don't plan to be an officer then" he replied.

"I thought that was your goal back in Basic?"

"It was; but on Planet P, when the Lieutenant was calmly giving out orders as we were being swarmed by Bugs, I realized the immense responsibility an officer has to shoulder. To be placed in command and accept the duty of ensuring that each of your men makes it back in one piece; I wouldn't be able to handle such a burden. And I especially wouldn't be able to cope if I failed and they all died despite my best efforts. No, I'm better off where I am currently".

"Join the club. Me, I don't have the head for a command. I'm good with the position I'm in now" He smirked.

"You mean with your head up your anus?" we both laughed.

"Hey man, that's just the Major's opinion; and you know how you've got to take that".

"Let me guess" a certain deep, baritone voice sounded from behind us. "With a grain of salt?"

i froze like a deer caught in front of the headlights before i slowly turned and saw Septin standing behind us in baggy trousers, dark combat boots, and a black undershirt. His scarred face leered at me as he stood there with his muscular arms crossed in front of him.

"You know Private, you're rather loose when it comes to conduct regarding your superiors. Don't think that just because you're in that armour that i can't toss you over my shoulder and across the horizon without even breaking a sweat".

"Sir, I would never dream of thinking so, Sir!" I exclaimed as I stood at full attention.

"And you, Lance Corporal" Septin pointed to Harry, "Don't think I didn't see you joining him in the fun. If we were back at base, I would have made you both run laps, since you seem to enjoy each others company so much".

The rant would have probably continued for hours. However, it was interrupted by a soft loud rustling coming from within the foliage.

Our MI training kicked in, and the three of us were instantly silenced and on guard. We drew our sidearms (It was actually quite comical looking at Septin hold his weapon; because since it was meant to be used while in powered armor, the gun looked incredibly over sized compared to what a normal human usually carried) and then Harry and I crouched low, letting the unarmored Septin use us as cover.

The rustling continued for ten seconds, before finally something stepped out. I have to say that it was quite anticlimactic. Why?

We had been expecting a predator of some sort, or maybe one of those man-pig-things. Instead, out from the trees came a young, four-legged creature that looked so similar to Earth deer that the resemblance was uncanny. Benson and Carlin both came out of the lab, most likely curious about why Septin had stopped yelling so unnaturally sudden, as we both calmed our nerves. It turned out that we'd gotten worked up for nothing.

This was immediately followed by an odd flapping sound that ended abruptly as a huge crashing sound came from behind us. We all turned to look at the source of the disturbance.

Septin's stories about Haven were starting to come to mind as I looked on at a large, lizard like monster with bony protrusion-like scales all over its body, a pair of leathery wings on its back, and glowing red eyes that gazed at us with a hungry glare as it stood on what used to be the lab tent.

Before we could react quickly enough, it opened its teeth filled maw, and a red glow emitting from the back of the monster's throat morphed into a crimson bright flame that threatened to consume us all.

I'd like to thank one of my reviewers for giving me the dragon idea. Also, in case you didn't know, the man-pig-thing is an orc.

Anyway though, what do you think about how i portrayed the interaction between Septin and Roger? In the novel, you can sense there's a kinship between the rank-and-file troopers and their commanding officers; yet Heinlein manages to strike a delicate balance between that and the discipline that exists between the two groups as well. I'm not nearly as good as Heinlein, and I'm hoping that I didn't portray Septin as excessively harsh.

Also, I know that the Bugs attack Pluto in the novel before the attack on Planet . However, by the time I noticed this, I had already gotten far past that point, and now I'm too tired to care.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to turn in. It is 12:00 PM, and I am tired.