“What the fuck?”

  “Yeah, sure, laugh it up. I can’t help but feel like it’s your fault, somehow.”

  “You’re serious?” I asked, amazed. “A frigging tail?” Then I did laugh—I couldn’t help it.

  He glared at me. “That’s right, you fucker.”

  “No shit, Sergeant? A tail? That’s a new one…”

  “I knew you would laugh. You lucked out, just growing one oversized ape-arm.”

  I frowned at him. My eyes strayed toward his hindquarters—I couldn’t help looking. Was that a bulge back there? I thought it might be.

  “What are you going to do about it?” I asked him.

  “I’m thinking of having Dr. Sharaf cut it off.”

  I winced. “I’m thinking that would have to be painful… I mean… isn’t a tail, like, the end of an animal’s spine?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. With my luck, it’ll just grow back anyways. This alien virus is total bullshit.”

  I nodded solemnly, understanding his anger and fear. The possibility that my own mutations could have caused harm to a fellow soldier was a shocker.

  What about Ana? Was she going to grow an extra eyeball or something? I’d been in much closer contact with her than I’d ever been with Sergeant Cox.

  As we continued our training exercises, a message came through our comms, interrupting our activities and concerns. It was from Commander Kaine, the man in charge of all Borag’s security teams. “Sergeant Cox, Corporal Starn, all Red Company personnel are hereby ordered to return to Mars City immediately. No time to waste.”

  Sergeant Cox furrowed his brow. “Understood, Commander. We’re on our way.” Then he turned to me with frustration in his eyes. “Guess we’re cutting this short, Starn.”

  “Looks that way,” I replied, wondering what it was all about.

  Cox squinted at me. “You didn’t go and report me, did you?”

  “Huh?”

  “My condition!” he said, pointing at his ass.

  “Ha… ah… no. I didn’t talk to anyone.”

  Sergeant Cox nodded, and he walked off, casting distrustful glances back at me.

  We quickly rounded up the recruits and loaded them into the two carryalls.

  “Listen up!” I shouted, addressing my squad. “We’re heading back to Mars City. Hang on tight, because we’re not slowing down for morons. If you fall off, you’re roadkill!”

  As we raced across the Martian terrain, the carryalls kicked up a storm of dust. I pushed my vehicle to the limit, trying to keep up with Cox. The recruits gripped the sides of the carryalls, their knuckles turning white.

  Suddenly, Cox’s carryalls hit a bump and tipped over, sending recruits tumbling into the red dirt. Cox climbed out and started kicking recruits, urging them to flip the vehicle back over.

  “What the hell was that?” Cox barked at them. “You need to hang on tighter!”

  I stopped my vehicle and unlimbered my bigger arm to help them. We soon had the carryall back on its fat, bouncy tires, and we shouted until the recruits, bruised and covered in dust, scrambled back onto the carryall.

  “Remember, hang on!” I warned them, revving the engine.

  With that, we sped off toward the colony dome, leaving a plume of dust in our wake.

  The Mars Colony Dome stood proudly amid an early terraformed valley. The valley itself was the testbed for terraforming. Humanity’s ambition was to make Mars more hospitable for life, and the project had started right here.

  Lush, colorful lichen sprawled over the rusty-red Martian soil in the area where we deployed. That was kind of cool, and the troops made an effort not to stomp all over the delicate stuff. Visually, it broke up the monotony of the barren landscape, but its real importance was to deliver a better future for the youth of today. The lichen was an essential part of the terraforming process. The nasty stuff wasn’t beautiful—but it worked tirelessly to convert the thin Martian atmosphere into something more Earth-like by slowly increasing the oxygen content.

  Besides the lichen, there were towering structures scattered throughout the valley. These were vapor-emitting installations that resembled metallic smokestacks. They released water vapor and other greenhouse gases from the soil into the Martian atmosphere. Eventually, they would create a habitable climate by raising the planet’s temperature and atmospheric pressure.

  Down low at the foot of the volcano was Mars City. We could see it from here as a distant silvery soap bubble. The colony dome itself was really a massive transparent structure made of advanced materials. The dome allowed sunlight to filter in while protecting the inhabitants from the harsh Martian environment. Under the protective shell, a thriving human settlement had taken root. The building inside had been constructed almost entirely of reddish rock. Using locally sourced materials reduced the need for expensive imports from Earth.

  Inside the dome, the temperature and atmosphere were carefully regulated, providing a comfortable living environment for the colonists. Green spaces and parks dotted the settlement, offering a touch of nature and a respite from the crowded urban areas. The dome also provided a fantastic view of Mars, which was pretty comfortable compared to living out here on the raw Martian landscape.

  Eventually, Mars would become a lush, green landscape reminiscent of Earth. The effort was generational, and it had already been underway for nearly a century now. I had to admit, the colonists here were a tough breed for the most part. They were like the frontiersmen of ancient times.

  After hours of rolling over the desert, we reached Mars City and climbed off the carryalls. I noticed Commander Kaine was waiting for us at the airlocks. His arms were crossed, and a scowl dominated his face. He looked over the men with disdain. Half of them were limping. The rest were slow and dispirited. Perhaps we’d pushed them too hard the day before, but we hadn’t known we’d be recalled to the city so soon.

  “What in the name of shit is this, Cox?” he barked, his eyes narrowing. “This is the best Red Company has to offer?”

  “This pack of losers represents our prize specimens.”

  Kaine glowered at the men as he walked among their ranks. He punched at fat guts when he saw them.

  My face twisted up in disappointment. Kaine wasn’t any happier with this crop of losers than we were.

  “We’re still working on them, sir,” Sergeant Cox was saying. “They’re new recruits, and they’ve got more spunk than brains. We’ll push them hard. They’ll improve.”

  Kaine snorted and began pacing down the line, scrutinizing each tired and worn recruit. “You call this improvement? They look like they’ve been through a meat grinder. Get it together, Cox. Or you’ll find yourself out of a job.”

  “Uh… yessir,” Cox responded.

  Kaine turned to me next, and he jabbed a finger at my breastplate. “You—the one-armed bandit. You follow me. We have a meeting to attend—right the hell now.”

  I glanced at Sergeant Cox, who shrugged and motioned for me to go. I followed Kaine into the airlocks, which hissed as we cycled through. Kaine didn’t say a word to me. He didn’t even look at me. I got the feeling he didn’t want to offend his eyes with my ugly mug.

  A few minutes later, we walked out into the bustling narrow streets of Mars City. I couldn’t help but worry about the purpose of this meeting I was about to attend. What was it about? Was I about to be dismissed? Or worse, face some other form of disciplinary action? My mind raced through every possible scenario, each one worse than the last.

  I was a C-class contract now, not a lowly rock-rat—but that didn’t mean all that much. I had some rights—but I was no citizen.

  As we approached an open-air café near the space elevator, I spotted Captain Hansen sitting at a corner table. Most restaurants under the dome didn’t bother with a roof—or sometimes even walls. The entire colony was under the dome, after all.

  She was nursing a drink with her legs crossed and her fingers tapping on the table. Kaine signaled me to walk into the bar, and I followed him. My face was a fake mask of stone. Inside, I was kind of concerned. When you met with Borag’s captain by surprise, no one with my low rank could feel entirely at ease.

  Captain Hansen looked up as we entered, her expression serious, but welcoming. That was a relief. It didn’t look like I’d walked into public reaming.

  “Have a seat, Corporal Starn,” she said, gesturing to the empty chair across from her. I sat down, trying to keep my nerves in check.

  Commander Kaine took the seat next to her, his expression still sour. Captain Hansen eyed him for a moment before turning her attention back to me.

  “Starn, we’ve been discussing the current state of Red Company,” she said. “It seems we’ve got a problem. We’ve got an influx of green recruits, but precious few new officers and noncoms to help guide them.”

  Kaine snorted, clearly unimpressed. “With the sorry state they’re in now, Sergeant Cox is clearly failing in his duties.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but I snapped it shut again. It wasn’t my place to argue with officers.

  Captain Hansen shot Kaine a sharp look before continuing. “However, there is some good news in all of this. Commander Kaine, would you care to do the honors?”

  Kaine hesitated. His reluctance to speak was obvious. “Fine,” he grumbled, turning to me. “Despite my personal reservations, Starn, it seems you’re getting a promotion. You’ll be a sergeant, tasked with leading a new squad made up of the greenest recruits we have.”

  I blinked in surprise. A promotion? I’d expected discipline or dismissal, not this.

  “Thank you, sir,” I stammered out. “I won’t let you down.”

  “You’re way too green for this, mind you,” Kaine said. “What has it been? Something like three years since you signed on?”

  He obviously wasn’t counting my years as a rock-rat, but I decided it was best to leave those ignoble days forgotten. “Something like that, sir.”

  “Right. Rising to sergeant that fast is ridiculous—but we’ve got no one else. The best noncoms are already locked tight in their contracts, and no one wants to sign onto a ship that’s known for taking year-long voyages.”

  “Promotions tend to come faster when there is a burning need,” Captain Hansen said. “Let’s not forget that Napoleon became a lieutenant at sixteen and reached the rank of general by the ripe old age of twenty-four.”

  Kaine snorted, unimpressed by the history lesson. “In that case, Starn here is a slacker!”

  “Well, in any case,” Captain Hansen said, turning back to me. She offered me a small congratulatory smile. “We’re counting on you, Starn. With your aptitude and dedication, we believe you can hammer these raw recruits into shape.”

  Kaine grumbled under his breath, clearly unhappy with the decision. But he said nothing more.

  Determined to prove I could do the job, I nodded firmly. “I’ll do my best, Captain. You can count on me.”

  Captain Hansen turned serious as she leaned in, speaking in a hushed tone. “There’s another reason I needed you back in the city, Starn. Controller Malkin has requested a meeting with me, and I would appreciate your presence.”

  I nodded, understanding the implications. Public assassinations of unpopular captains were not unheard of on Mars. I’d often played the part of her bodyguard in the past when facing corporate stooges like Malkin.

  “I’ll watch your back, Captain,” I assured her.

  At the mention of Controller Malkin, Kaine scowled and pushed back his chair. “I’ll leave you two to deal with that corporate rodent,” he said. “I want no part of that shit-storm—am I done here, Captain?”

  “Dismissed,” she said quietly.

  With that, he left the lounge in disgust.

  Captain Hansen gazed after him for a moment. His behavior had been dismissive and rude—but I knew Hansen had to put up with his ass. She’d tried to fire him, but the corporate types had overruled the move. I was kind of surprised to hear he didn’t care for Malkin. After all, the controller had saved his butt last year when he opted not to prosecute him for killing Commander Nichols. Maybe he didn’t know about that…

  The captain squinted after Kaine for a moment. I got the impression she didn’t like or trust Kaine any more than I did.

  “Let’s head to Interplanetary,” she said. “I don’t want to keep Controller Malkin waiting.”

  We walked together through the bustling streets of the domed city. I was feeling twitchy. Encounters with corporate types like Malkin always left a bitter taste in my mouth.

  “Captain, do you have any idea what this meeting might be about?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

  She shook her head. Her expression was guarded. “Not entirely, but it’s probably related to the current state of Borag. Our recent missions haven’t been… overly profitable. The company’s been scrutinizing our activities more closely than ever.”

  I frowned, feeling a surge of protectiveness for Captain Hansen. “Whatever, I’ll get you to the door, Captain.”

  We walked through the Martian colony city streets, and I stayed alert. The city was a cacophony of noise, a bustling hive of activity. There were people from all walks of life going about their business. The streets were lined with shops, eateries, and residences, each built with its own unique architectural style. Most were utilitarian metal structures, but some were built with cut blocks of Martian sandstone. Now and then, there were elaborate designs carved into these walls or dangling strings of multicolored lights. I wouldn’t call the colony festive, but it definitely had charm in the Old Town zone.

  In the midst of this chaotic atmosphere, a panhandler approached us. His clothes were tattered, and he looked as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks. He reached out a dirty hand, begging for spare credits.

  My instincts kicked in, and I stepped between him and Captain Hansen. I was more than ready to flatten the beggar if necessary.

  Captain Hansen placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, urging me to stand down.

  “Relax, Starn,” she said. She reached into her pocket and fished out a few credit coins. She handed these to the grateful panhandler. “Here, take this. Get yourself something to eat.”

  I watched the man as he thanked her profusely and shuffled away. I watched him until he vanished around a corner, then I scanned the streets. No one else looked frisky, but I’d been jumped before on streets like this one. My muscles were tense, ready for some new flavor of bullshit to materialize.

  Captain Hansen noticed my hackles were up, and she raised an eyebrow. “Starn, you’re overly paranoid. Not everyone here is a threat.”

  “I know it, Captain—but I can’t help but think of that one time…”

  “When that gang jumped us?”

  “Yes.”

  She nodded. “That’s why you’re here, I guess. Come on.”

  We began to walk again, and I looked over my shoulder for the panhandler. He was gone. I frowned at how quickly he’d disappeared. There was a throng of new faces in the street, and I didn’t like any of them.

  A few minutes later, we reached the corporate headquarters of Interplanetary Excavations Inc. The building towered before us, unique in its architecture.

  My gaze was drawn upward toward the distant top of the imposing twelve-story triangular building. The structure’s sharp angles and sleek design were an architectural oddity, blending modern aesthetics with practical functionality. Each side of the equilateral triangle was made of reflective glass. All three sides shimmered with various shades of red and orange—that was about the only color you got when you reflected the raw Martian landscape.

  The building’s tiered design gave it an almost pyramidal appearance, its edges appearing to converge as they ascended toward the apex. Embedded smart-lights lined the edges of the building, casting a soft glow on the surrounding streets.

  Captain Hansen was next to me, staring up at the imposing structure. She lurched into motion, heading for the entrance. “Let’s do this.”

  We stepped inside. I steeled myself for a confrontation. Whatever Controller Malkin had in store, I didn’t care—not much, anyway. My job was to stand around and look tough. It was an easy job made even simpler by the strange, threatening bulge of my left arm.

  Captain Hansen and I approached the sleek reception desk. The receptionist was a cute young woman with short-cropped hair. She looked up from her terminal and greeted us with a sugar-free smile.

  “Good afternoon, Captain Hansen,” she said, ignoring me completely. “How can I assist you today?”

  “We’re here to see Controller Malkin,” Captain Hansen replied evenly.

  The receptionist nodded and gestured for us to place our hands on a scanner. As we did so, she frowned. Her eyes darted to a readout on her screen.

  “Hold here a moment, please,” she said. Then she pressed a button on her desk and disappeared through an office door.

  Hansen and I exchanged worried glances. “You want me to get you out of here, ma’am?” I asked.

  She hesitated, as if thinking it over, then shook her head. About thirty seconds after that, it was too late. A group of guards rushed down the hallway toward us.

  Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I prepared for a confrontation. I stepped into their path.

  The first of the two unsmiling guards reached for me, but my oversized left arm flexed. Up and over—I flattened him, sending him sprawling on the floor. Then I grabbed hold of the second guy.

  Captain Hansen put a hand on my bulging shoulder. “Stand down, Starn!”

  I hesitated, but ultimately complied. I released the guard and raised my hands in the air.

  “What’s the problem, gentlemen?” Captain Hansen asked, her voice cool.

  The receptionist had reappeared. Her face was paler than it had been before, and she pointed at her screen. “It seems there’s an unauthorized device on one of you. It appears to be a spy device, Captain.”

  Captain Hansen’s expression hardened, and I could see her mind racing. “The beggar from earlier,” she muttered. “He must have planted it on me.”

  The guards exchanged glances before one of them spoke up. “We’ve had reports of Teklution company spies operating in the area. It’s possible the beggar was one of them.”