[Alba Mons Military Base; 2 weeks later]
Nathan sat in the mess hall, eating his dinner. It had been two weeks since his promotion, and he had gotten used to his new duties as a lieutenant.
He was eating alone, as the rest of his squad were busy. They had completed their basic training and had started their duties as officers of the U.A.F.
Nathan currently had nothing to do, as he was still waiting to be assigned to a specific unit. He was getting bored and was looking forward to when he'd finally have something to do.
He finished his food and took his tray back to the kitchen
As he was leaving the mess hall, he saw a familiar face.
"Mikhail," he smiled, walking over.
"Hey, Nathan," Mikhail grinned.
"Where are the others?" Nathan asked, sitting down at his table.
"I think they're at the main office," Mikhail said.
"Why are you not there too?"
"They told me to go find you," Mikhail said. "We're finally getting assigned to our units."
"Finally," Nathan said.
"So, you coming?"
"Hell yeah," Nathan nodded, standing up.
They walked out of the mess hall, heading towards the main office.
"So, do you have any idea where we're going to be stationed?" Nathan asked.
"No clue," Mikhail shrugged.
"You think they're gonna split us up?"
"Probably," Mikhail nodded. "There is no single unit that needs five lieutenants."
"Yeah," Nathan nodded.
"I just hope we can still work together," Mikhail said.
"Me too," Nathan smiled.
They reached the main office and stepped inside.
"Lieutenants Rodriguez and Kovalev," the woman from before greeted them. It was the same woman who had guided them to their quarters on the day of their promotion.
"Yes," Nathan and Mikhail replied.
"Come with me," she said, standing up and walking past them.
"Right behind you," Nathan said.
They followed her through the halls of the base, eventually arriving at a large set of double doors.
"The rest of your squadron is already here," the woman said.
"Alright," Mikhail nodded.
She placed her palm on the pad, opening the door.
They walked inside, finding the rest of the group already seated around a large table. General Vane sat at the head of the table, his arms crossed. He seemed lost in thought.
"Ah, the last of our lieutenants has arrived," he said, looking up.
"Yes, sir," Nathan and Mikhail replied, saluting.
"Sit down," Vane said, gesturing to the empty seats.
Nathan and Mikhail obliged.
"So, here we are," Vane said.
"Yes, sir," Nathan and Mikhail replied.
"You have completed your training, and it's time to assign you to your posts," Vane continued.
"Yes sir," The squadron answered in unison.
"Lieutenant Jones, you will be assigned to the 89th airborne division," Vane said.
"Sir," Thomas replied
"Lieutenant Kovalev, Lieutenant Gutierrez, you will be assigned to the 104th Infantry Division. We feel your particular skillsets will be of most use there."
"Understood, sir," Mikhail said
"That leaves Lieutenant Rodriguez and Müller, who will be joining the 76th Ranger Regiment," Vane said.
Nathan raised his eyebrow. "The Ranger Regiment, Sir?"
"Yes," Vane nodded.
"With all due respect, I have never heard of that Regiment, sir," Alfredus remarked.
"The Rangers are a special unit," Vane explained. "They operate independently and act as scouts. You will be tasked with finding the enemy and reporting their locations."
"Sir," Nathan and Alfredus replied.
"Thought I must warn you that you will be spending weeks in the field, alone," Vane continued.
Nathan looked at Alfredus, who gave him a confident smile.
"Understood, sir," Alfredus said.
"Good," Vane said. "Your assignments have been sent to your personal devices. I expect you all to report to your posts tomorrow."
"Sir," The squadron replied.
"You're dismissed," Vane said, turning around.
"Thank you, sir," the squadron said.
They all stood up and left the room. They walked to their quarters together.
"Well, this is it," Alfredus said, stopping outside their door.
"Looks like we'll be parting ways, after all," Mikhail sighed.
"Cheer up, mate," Thomas said. "It's not the end of the world."
"Yeah, we'll still see each other from time to time," Nathan said.
'Though I'm not sure how I feel about this Ranger Regiment,' he thought.
'Oh goodie,' Nathan mentally rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, let's get some rest," Nathan said, placing his hand on the pad.
"Good idea," Mikhail nodded.
The door slid open, and the group went inside.
They spent the night chatting and playing cards, enjoying their last moments together.
"Well, this is it," Thomas said, as they all got ready for bed.
"Yeah," Mikhail sighed. "I swear I will kill anyone that dies in the field!."
They all started laughing.
"See ya, guys," Mikhail said, climbing into his bunk.
"Later," Thomas smiled, lying down.
"Yeah, see you around," Nathan smiled.
'I'm going to miss this,' he thought, climbing into his bunk.
******
Morning arrived faster than any of them had hoped. By the time Nathan woke up, Mikhail and Alexa were already gone. Thomas was trying on his new uniform, and Alfredus was about to leave.
"Already leaving?" Nathan asked, sitting up.
"Yeah, I have to report in an hour," Alfredus replied.
"Where will you be stationed?" Nathan Asked.
"Elysium Mons," Alfredus said. "I'm tasked with mapping any enemy outposts in the region."
"Well, stay safe," Nathan said.
"You too," Alfredus smiled. "See you in a month."
"Yeah," Nathan nodded.
Alfredus left the room, and Nathan was left alone with Thomas.
"How about you, Nathan?" Thomas asked. "Where are they sending you off to?"
Nathan took out his pad and opened his mailbox
"Hella Planitia" he replied. "I'll be deployed for 4 weeks."
"Damn, that's quite a while," Thomas whistled.
"Yeah you're lucky, you get to sleep in these comfortable quarters. I'll be camping out in inflatable habitats."
"It's a tough life, huh," Thomas laughed.
"You bet," Nathan chuckled.
"Well, I'm off too," Thomas said, picking up his backpack.
"Oh, so soon?"
"Yeah, I need to report to the air base," Thomas replied. "My training starts today."
"Well, good luck," Nathan smiled.
"Thanks," Thomas nodded.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the room.
'Guess it's just me now,' Nathan thought.
'Ready as I'll ever be,' he sighed, grabbing his backpack.
He slung it over his shoulders and walked out of the room. He headed for the hangar, where his transport was waiting.