by J. N. Chaney
“We made a pact,” Ten reminded him.
“But it isn’t our EOS.”
“You think we’re going to be that anal about it? You think we need a reason to get together?” Bundy asked.
“No, I guess not. And here are your drinks.”
It only took another twenty minutes for the rest to arrive. Orpheus, Fyr, and Yancey came alone, and Cricket and Udu, no surprise, came in together.
Bundy bought the next round, a pitcher of Boar Tail Stout, the pride of Hanson’s Landing, where his father had been born. God-awful stuff, but it was booze, and no one turned it down.
“Hey, Bundy. Does your AI tell jokes?” Rev asked.
Bundy sipped his Boar Tail, closing his eyes in appreciation. “Yeah, why?”
“Are they funny?”
“Shit, no. Once again—why?”
“Rev finally broke down and named his battle buddy,” Tomiko said.
“Ah, you are one of us now, brother.” He made a papal-like sweeping sign of the cross in front of Rev and said, “Go forth with your guardian angel and defeat the demons of hell.”
“Piss off.”
But maybe he needed to improve the coordination between Punch and himself. The next time he went into a fight—and there was no doubt in his military mind that the regiment was gearing up for another battle—he couldn’t count on blind luck to pull him through.
Cali Hu and Jonah Wisteria came in together and joined them for a drink before wandering off to a booth in the back. Strap with some of his DC classmates waved as they came in. A few others said hello, but the table was for their crew. Tonight was theirs.
Rev shouldn’t have been surprised that everyone had shown up, but he was. He’d been so wrapped up in his own situation that he’d forgotten that his friends, except for Bundy, Fyr, and Yancey, were in the same boat. And if he was going to be there, so were they.
What really was surprising, however, was that they all had survived in the first place. They’d been through two major battles, battles that had decimated the regiment, yet they’d all come through. What were the chances of that happening?
“I’m not asking you,” he subvocalized, cutting Punch off before he could answer.
Probably too drunk to calculate it, anyway.
But he knew they were lucky. Damned lucky. Their DC class had lost over half of their numbers, yet the nine of them were alive? Not unscathed, but alive and kicking.
Maybe Saint Chesty really was looking out for us.
Not all of them, he reminded himself. She may not have made the pact to meet tonight, but she was one of them, nonetheless.
He stood, a little unsteadily, and raised his Boar Tail.
“To Krissy. Respect to the fallen.”
“Respect,” the others shouted.
Rev started to say something else, how they missed them all, how he wished she was there, but the standard refrain was enough. Nothing he could say would top it.
He sat back down, feeling the effects of too much alcohol.
He half-listened in as Yancey got animated, arguing with Orpheus that The Last Hurrah was the best holovid of the last decade, something he brought up almost every time he was drunk. And Orpheus was egging him on. As usual.
These were good people, not just good Marines. People with whom he was closer to than his own family.
Is that right? Closer than my family?
He thought about it for a moment. Maybe it was true. He’d do anything for Neesy, and he was extremely close to his father. He loved his mother and Grover. But was that the same? Could it match the bonds forged in combat?
He gave Tomiko a long look, one that she caught.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Strange look for nothing.”
“Nah. Just thinking. I love you. All of you,” he said louder to the rest.
“Cut him off,” Udu said. “He’s going to get maudlin.”
“No, really. I love all of you. And I’m glad we’re here right now.”
“Really? You wouldn’t rather be going to the guildhall tonight?” Tomiko asked. “You’ve been bitching about our extension for two weeks now.”
“And you haven’t?”
She just shrugged.
“But no, I wouldn’t rather be at the guildhall. I’d rather be here with you.”
And that was true, he realized. He wasn’t really angry that he was extended. It was just that it was forced on him. He had no say in it, just as he’d had none when he was conscripted. He didn’t like to be helpless, not able to control his own destiny.
In a way, it was a relief. He’d liked being a Marine, he liked being part of something bigger than he was, something in service to all of humanity. But he’d been too chickenshit to re-enlist on his own. Maybe chickenshit wasn’t the right word. He’d just been too unwilling to change his plans—too passive.
But now, it had been taken out of his hands, and he really was OK with the result, if not how it came about. He was still a Marine, and there were certainly worse things to be.
Tomiko gave him a hug and said, “And we love you, too.”
“I think I’m going to cry,” Yancey said, wiping away fake tears.
“Eat me,” Rev said, throwing a coaster at him.
He settled back in his chair, at ease with life. Another battle was coming, and he might not see any of his friends again. But at this very moment, he was content.
“Well, Punch, it looks like we’re going to be together for a bit longer. Guess we’re just going to have to kick us some Centaur ass.”
Rev will return in CHILDREN OF ANGELS, coming April 2021. Preorder now on Amazon.
For updates on this series, be sure to join the Facebook Group, “J.N. Chaney’s Renegade Readers.”
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to our amazing beta readers!
Kelly O'Donnell
James Caplan
Micky Cocker
Christie Strahler
Neil Rubenking
Tracy Beattie
Sharon Mendez
Mike Belanger
Eliss Wiltshire
Matthew Lewis Titus
Bill and Konnie Kampfer
Geoffrey Morse
Joshua Hopkins
Mike Belanger
Elissa Wiltshire
Connect with J.N. Chaney
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Connect with Jonathan P. Brazee
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About the Authors
J. N. Chaney is a USA Today Bestselling author, has a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. He migrates often, but was last seen in Las Vegas, NV. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.
Chaney is best known for his Renegade Star series, the Variant Saga, the Messenger series, and Ruins of the Galaxy. For more on his releases, go to www.jnchaney.com.
Jonathan P. Brazee is a retired Marine colonel now living in Co
lorado Springs with his wife Kiwi and twin baby girls, Danika Dawn and Darika Marie. He was born in Oakland, CA, but has lived throughout the US and the world, and has traveled to over 100 countries.
He has more than 70 titles to his name in six different languages and is a two-time Nebula Award and one-time Dragon Award finalist as well as a USA Today Bestselling writer. Find out more by visiting his website at www.jonathanbrazee.com.