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Martian Solar Longitude (MLs): 169.7, 10.626 Martian years post-succession
Against the blackness of space, Saturn shines brilliantly. Even from its proximity, the whiskey-coloured rings seem solid and uniform, dwarfing the barely visible natural satellites. Yet, if one were to look hard enough, they would see them—several grey specks scattered around Saturn’s visage.One of them was Dione, an icy world scarred with craters and ridges. With two thirds its mass consisting of water ice, the moon itself was of little interest. It had not attracted the attention of the Settlement Defense Front; they had higher priorities in the Saturn cluster, such as Titan, the most noteworthy moon in all the solar system. It held much more value than Dione, and as a result, they left the latter to its own devices.Though Dione still held no substantial value, its circumstances had changed drastically. Several sols back, a squad of SDF soldiers had been assigned scouting drills in the Saturn cluster. Their mission’s objective was to find evidence of life underneath the icy exteriors of Saturn’s moons, but they were met with more than they bargained for. When they made contact with Dione, they discovered a system of man-made tunnels dug through the wall of an escarpment. Standard protocol called for them to report back to the mothership before advancing, but in a lapse of judgement, they approached the base blindly. Upon their arrival, a team of SATO soldiers surrounded their position and ambushed them. Severely outnumbered and under-equipped, the SDF men fought against the odds, but their fate was inevitable. And yet, their endeavor was not in vain; amid the chaos, they had managed to send details of the incident back to Mars.News of the failed scouting and death of eight men at the hand of SATO spread quickly. The common folk of Mars, Cydonia especially, were spun into a flurry of outrage over the version of events broadcasted by the Front. In response, the High Council demanded another mission to Dione: a quick and simple extraction of all useful data as well as extermination of all UNSA personnel of the base. They would send more men and more guns than previously, and there would not be a sliver of doubt that the Front was a force to be reckoned with.Salen thinks that much at least. He cares not that the mission was put together on short notice or that it was a blatant display of military prowess and dominance. To him, it is an honor to serve the Martian agenda, so he has no qualms with how it's executed. Even on this ship bound for Dione, Salen feels at peace with himself.The observation deck is quiet compared to the rest of the ship, though he can still hear the hum of the engines below. Large panoramic windows cover one wall and provide an almost unobstructed view of the planet Saturn. Salen sits at the head of a long table, the only piece of furniture in the room, and has turned his chair around to watch their slow approach to Dione. He is alone, but it doesn't feel that way under the stars.Far behind him, a click and a whirr signal the opening of the door to the deck. It slides closed a moment later. The sound of footfalls echo against the floor, and Salen doesn't have to turn around to know who it is: a woman with Stygian tresses, round chestnut colored eyes, and lips that never failed to send his heart into a stutter.Bellona approaches his place at the table and stands to the left of him, leaning back against the cool metal. Her arms cross. “You've been avoiding me,” she states, after a moment of silence. There's no anger in her voice, but disappointment seeps through her words.Salen refuses to meet her gaze, even as her fingers come to rest on his cheek. She continues.“This is our last mission together.” Her voice drops to a whisper.He sighs. “Don’t remind me.”Women never served on the front lines for long. As part of the Front's population growth program, laws restricted female military enlistment to a maximum of five years.“Didn’t think I’d have to,” Bellona says, a small smile tugging at her lips. She hops back onto the table and casually throws one leg over the other. It was a change to see Salen, as direct as he is, attempting to circumvent the subject of her discharge. The unusual circumstance leaves a weight on her heart. Her hand comes to rest on his shoulder. “You know I'll miss you, Salen.”He turns and shifts his gaze to her. “You say that like I won’t see you again.”“Once I go back to Mars, I'll be betrothed to some man I hardly know and spend the rest of my life caring for our nine children. That doesn't leave much time for visiting with old friends.” Exasperation laces her tone; there was never any appeal to her in a housewife lifestyle. As such, she had chosen enlistment, if only to delay her inevitable future.Salen stands slowly. His eyes meet hers as he rests one hand on her waist and the other cups her cheek. His voice comes in a low whisper. “But what if it was me? It's not too late: I can still ask for your hand.”“It doesn’t matter if it’s you—I still don’t want it.”Salen tenses, and she realizes her mistake instantly. His expression is unreadable as he hesitantly withdraws his touch.“Salen, that’s not what I meant, and you know it.” She grabs his retreating hand and brings it to her heart. “I love you, and you mean the galaxy to me, but that doesn’t mean I want to marry you.”Though she loves him truly, marriage on Mars was rarely ever built on affection. They were partnerships between families of similar social status, for the sole purpose of raising the next generation of Martian soldiers. Whatever few loving marriages that existed often ended sourly, by either the distance or the hand of mistresses. Bellona couldn’t fathom the thought of growing out of love with Salen. She’d rather end things on a good note, than let marriage sabotage and poison their love“If there was a way to make things work, I would do it in a heartbeat, but trust me when I say that this is for the best. You know it won’t go well for us when we have to spend so much time apart. But you shouldn’t worry about me; I’ll be fine. And I’m sure the woman you end up with will—”“For the love of Mars, shut up,” he muttered, claiming her mouth with his.She was taken aback by the urgentness of the kiss, but quickly melted into his touch. Her arms wrap around his neck, and her legs rest on either side of his hips, holding him close as their lips move together.By now, his lips were peppering kisses over her cheeks and down her neck as if there was no other way to win her favor. She gasps and runs a shaky hand through his hair in response. Salen growls as his grip on her hips tightens, and he backs her further up onto the table. Her legs wrap around his waist on instinct, but her hands push against his shoulders in protest.“Salen… Salen, there's no time for this; we have to get down to the hangar. We can talk more about it later, okay? Thies is expecting us in ten minutes, and you know he hates waiting.”He pulls back enough to see her face. Flustered and breathless, she is still the most beautiful woman he has ever met. The thought that today could be the last time he saw her was almost too much to take. Salen made a mental note to send her father the proposal letter he’d drafted.Salen takes a step back, giving her room to hop off the table. She smiles apologetically at him before turning and leaving. When the door clicks closed behind her, he sighs and runs a hand through his disheveled hair.A long day lay in wait for him.-----The squad meets in the hangar aboard the SDS Romulus. Its high ceilings are unsettling, and the clatter of their gear reverberates off the steel walls. Salen lingers near the back of the crowd, having been one of the last to arrive.A voice from the head of the group calls everyone to attention. It belongs to Caleb Thies, the designated squad leader. He stands against one of the Warden dropships, his steely countenance more apparent than usual. Even from his distance, Salen can see the edge in Thies’s gaze. He is not in a good mood.“We will be departing for Dione shortly. Let this be your only warning that I will not tolerate any sort of insubordinate behavior on this mission. Already, eight men have been lost due to incompetence, and there will not be a repeat occurrence. Am I understood?”“Yes sir!” They say, in unison.Thies doesn’t seem convinced in the slightest, but he continues, “We will divide into pairs. Gatica, you’re with me.”As he lists off each set of partners, Salen’s eyes find Bellona from across the hangar. She can feel his intense gaze on her back, and it sends a shiver down her spine. She steals a glance back at him when the two of them are pronounced as partners, and though his expression is stern, she finds a glint of mischief in his eyes. She shakes her head, but a smile creeps onto her lips.Before Salen can respond, the doors to the Warden slide open. They climb up into the dropship as Thies yells something about flight protocol. The chorus of his voice over the sound of boots on metal is as foreboding as ever. From the time Thies had become their squad leader, Salen felt apprehensive when leaving on missions. His reputation for having extreme views and cruel disciplinary conduct was no understatement. Several rookies had faced his wrath in the early days of the team, and their fates all ended grimly.As the dropship lifts out of the hangar, they are deafened by the roar of its engines. The team stands abreast with their backs to the wall, strapped securely to their harnesses. Salen keeps an eye on Bellona, watching her expression for hints of nervousness as the Warden shutters and shakes. Subtly, his hand reaches for hers and grips it tightly. She takes a deep breath and squeezes back.-----Soon, the dropship is streaming through the wispy atmosphere above Dione. Though the flight had been rough, they are given the green light from the pilot to disembark. The locks on the harnesses release, and they are free to walk about the cabin. Salen chooses to keep close to Bellona’s side.“We’ll be gliding the rest of the way to the objective. I'll be right behind you.” He claps a reassuring hand over her shoulder. It was too risky to attempt a landing, for they could lose their element of surprise. The safest option was to jump out, freefall to the surface, then continue on foot into the canyon.Bellona forces a stiff nod. As much as she hated skydiving, she would wear a strong facade, at least for Salen’s sake. There was no point in having him stress over her because she had last mission jitters.Sliding on her visor, she goes through the motions of checking her gear. Salen mirrors her actions, and they perform one last inspection of their oxygen tanks. When everyone clears, Thies steps up to the door.As soon as the door is unlatched and pulled open, they begin stepping out of the ship. Salen moves toward the entrance, tugging Bellona after him. With the bulk of the door out of the way, they can clearly see the shimmering ridges and valleys below them. The sight of the ground so far away makes her stomach churn, and she puts a hand up against the door frame to steady herself. She almost can’t bring herself to jump—stepping one foot out, only to pull it back to the safety of solid ground. It takes a little bit of encouragement from Salen—namely, him pushing her—to get her in the air. As promised, he follows soon after.The first phase of their descent is exhilarating. For a moment, they feel weightless and disoriented, as if submerged in the ocean. Then gravity takes hold, and they drown. Their hearts jump into their throats, and their stomachs become twisted knots as they accelerate to terminal velocity. Too terrified to scream, the only sound is the insistent beeping of their positioning system. Boosters in their suits activate to propulse them toward the horizon, slightly slowing their descent. The addition of another force stabilizes their flight, and they become accustomed to the falling sensation.With their altitude under control, Salen can finally think about something other than the lunch threatening to crawl up his throat. He observes his trajectory, speed, and distance from the target, but he can't help but behold the land below them.Dione is an icy wasteland that extends in all directions. Any geological formation that adorned the land could hardly be seen amidst the uniform tone of the landscape. The color of the sky mimics the livid ice, providing an almost unseen divide along the horizon. Saturn sits partially below the line, its massive body and rings still laying claim to much of the sky. Salen takes in the view placidly as he draws closer to the surface. The team preps for landing, and he does the maneuver to slow his descent before touching down on the ice.As a group, they quickly traverse the barren landscape, boots crunching in the permafrost. Thies and Gatica lead, with the rest of them huddled behind in a loose diamond formation. Minimal cover is provided by the landscape, and a disquieting feeling of being exposed manifests in the men. To compensate, they fall under high alert, their guns whipping from side to side, watching for unseen figures in the mist.They reach a break in the ice that halts their advance. Its jagged length extends far to the east and west of them and offers a sheer drop into the ravine. Yet, the team is not too shy to wander close to the edge, their leader standing perilously close to the verge of the canyon.“This is it. Once we get down there, we will officially be in enemy territory. This is also the extraction point.” Thies gestures to the gorge behind him. “Be back here by my call, or you will be left.” The men nod in acknowledgement and shift their attention to the canyon.Although the other cliffside is not far, the distance between is still wide enough for a dropship to descend into. Compared to its width, the canyon is much deeper than expected. Scaling down the wall is enough of a risk on its own; the added depth only makes it a near impossibility for a team of their size.“How do we expect to make it down? There's no way for us to climb.” Another one of them, Andrew Hawryluk, chimes in to express his concerns.Looking over the edge, Salen gets a glimpse of the canyon’s true depth. It plummets into inky darkness, with juttings of ice lining the way down. They consist of deep, clear turquoise and are dusted with white snow. Narrowing his eyes, he spies a level outcrop several meters below. It is larger than the others, and a tell-tale metallic grey can be seen under the layer of frost.“There,” he says, pointing into the abyss. “That will lead us into the base.”Thies follows his gaze sceptically. Of his sixteen men, he trusts Salen least of all. Call it jealousy or antagonism, but from the moment they met, Thies resented him with a passion. He wanted nothing to do with the spoiled prodigy son of Admiral James Kotch, for he saw both Salen and his father as disgraces to the Martian cause. They were too soft; real Martian men weren't half as sentimental nor were they as likely to strive for mere peace. Widespread hardship on the rusty planet was thought to weather its people into stern soldiers and even sterner men, but Admiral Kotch wasn't Marsborn, nor did he hail from any of the Martian colonies. He had Earthen parents and lived in an Earthen settlement and had been surrounded constantly by Earthen influences. It was anyone's guess why he chose to move to Mars, nonetheless to join their struggle for independence. Some say he betrayed his own blood for a high position amongst the SDF, and others consider him a strategic mastermind that secured Mars's liberation. Either way, Admiral Kotch had been a strong advocate for the signing of the Charon Accords, which were meant to foster peace between the two planets. He saw it as an opportunity to end the long, bloody revolution, and he took it.Thies disagreed strongly with the decision; he felt that for an effective end to the war, the Front needed to forcefully eradicate the grasp of Earth on the solar system. Nevertheless, the sustainable and defense-oriented views of their admiral restricted the execution of Thies's beliefs. Even as a squad leader, he does not have the authority to do much more than lead his team the way he had been commanded to. Despite that, his truculent form of extremism could still be seen in his harsh demeanor towards his men and outspoken criticism of the admiral. The direct result is a silent but clear animosity between Thies and Salen, which rears its head on each mission, heightening their distrust of one another.Yet upon reaching the same conclusion about the metal platform, Thies nods in approval. However, he is reluctant to let the focus rest on Salen’s discovery for long; instead, he turns to his men to give some final words of encouragement. “Remember why we’re here: We fight for our home and for our freedom. In that, there is no room for mercy to those that threaten our way of life. They shall be crushed underfoot of the might of the Settlement Defense Front. Mars aeternum.”“Mars aeternum!” They echo back, fists pumped in the air. The de facto motto of the Front was a common cry used to rally the wills of soldiers. Despite its lackluster meaning, it always did the trick.
“Now then,” He says, turning back to face the chasm, “let’s hurry and kill these bastards already.”