CONTENTS
1. Chapter1 1
[Herculesdropship.TheCosmicOceansystem.] . [Localsystemtime:2300.]
One last time, I checked over the Wolf Pack’s gear. Everythingwassecure;theyeachhadthenecessaryamountofammunition,andtheirheartrateswerenormal.Good.Therewas noroomforerroronthisop.
We’veundergoneplentyofsimilarmissionsinthepast.No matter how many times we do it though, the danger never subsides.
Today,we’resettotakeoutafreighterfullofpirates.
The operation is ballsy, to say the least. In twenty-four hours,they’removingoutofTrident’sVergeandintoRepublicterritorywiththegoalofspreadingthehitnewdrug,Echro Calles.
Trident's Verge has only sold and manufactured it so far. ByspreadingtheirreachintotheRepublic,it’sclearwhatthe objectiveis.Thatmanypotentialnewcustomersweresureto earnthemmillionsofcredits.
To make matters worse, the head honcho of this pirate groupwouldbeinthefreighteraswell.Thatmeantthesethugs were sure to be armed to the teeth. Not only that, but intel pointedtoahundredbogiesinsidethefreighter.
“Alright, let’s go over the plan of action again,” I started. That earned some groans from Loudmouth and Fixer, but onelookfromM.A.D.madethemgosilent.Withoutrealizing it, I smiled. Even without seeing her eyes, they knew she was staring daggers at them. “We’re taking the Hercules another tenkilometers,thenwe’reusingM11jetpacksforthesecond halfofthejourney.
“Whenwereachthefreighter,we’regoingtoenterthrough amaintenancehatchontheunderbelly,plantthebomb,and thengetout.Stealthisourgo-toonthisone,alright?Evenifwe cantakethesesonsofbitchesbyourselves,Commandwants usinandoutquickly.Questions?”
“I got one,” Loudmouth raised his hand halfway. “If this HerculeswasmodiUedforstealth,whycan’twetakeitallthe waytothefreighter?”
“Toorisky.Thisfreighter’sbeenmodiUedtoincludedefensive weapons. If anyone happens to spot us through a viewport,we’reasgoodasdead,”Isaid.
Atthis,ourtechexpert,Oracle,sighed.“Ifeellikewe’rejust aslikelytogetspottedwiththosedamnjetpacks.”
Taking a look at the bulky pieces of equipment hanging aboveourheads,Iunderstoodhissentiment.TheM11swere old, and notoriously hard to control. We underwent days of trainingwiththeminpreparation,though.Ifanyonecoulddo this,wecould.
“Iknowwhatyoumean,butordersareorders,”Isaid.
Thistime,itwasFlybywhochimedin.“Icouldhavegotten usthereundetected4”
Givenhispilotingskills,Ihadnoreasontodoubthim.Over the years we’ve worked together, all of us have learned that amongallofFlyby’stalents,hisworkinacockpitwashisbest.
“Maybeoncewe’veworkedupagoodtrackrecordagainfor followingorders,wecanbendtherulesandyoucangetusin close,”M.A.D.said,thoughhercommentwashalfdirectedat Loudmouth.
The commando merely shrugged. “What do you want me tosay?Isawtheopportunityandtookit.”
Thatearnedafewchucklesfromus,myselfincluded.The opportunityinquestionwastwomissionsago,whenwewere
orderedtoassassinateahigh-rankingterroristintheBadlands. Ourtargetwassupposedtomeetupwiththeleaderofanother sect in their organization; an agreement to share resources. Intelstateditwouldbealow-keymeeting.Therealitywasfar di5erent.
Wespottedatleastthreehundredterrorists,includingstolen Minotauranti-infantryvehicles.Ifwehadtakenhimoutwhen Commandwantedusto,hewould’vebeensurroundedbyhis alliesandwerelookingatasmallarmyofterroristswhowould begunningitforus.So,Loudmouthcompromised.Therewas abriefperiodwhereourtargetwouldbebyhimself,andthat waswhenhetooktheshot.
Eventhoughwegotthemissiondone,wewerechewedout fornotfollowingorderstotheT.Apartfrombeinggivenless thanstellaropsthough,weweren’tproperlyreprimandedfor it.Allinall,wegoto5lucky.
“Alright, cut the chatter. Get your M11’s on, we’ll be disembarkinginUveminutes,”Isaid.
Withoutanymorecomplaints,everyonegottoworkondoingastheyweretold.WhileIgotmyjetpackon,Itookamomenttolookoverandwatchtheothersdothesame.Despite arockystartonmyend,theWolfPackhasbecomeawelloiled machine.Itwasn’teasytogetthere,butdamnifI’mnotproud ofthem.
AllofusgottheM11’sonbythetimewereachedtheten kilometermark,inwhichFlybyjoinedusinthetroopbayand gothisjetpackonaswell.OnceIconUrmedeveryonehadtheir gravbootsactivated,Ipunchedthebuttontoopenthesliding door.BeyondthesafetyoftheHerculeswastheblackvoidof space.
One by one, the Wolves deactivated their gravboots and usedtheirM11’s.OracleandFixerwereslowatUrst,whereas Loudmouth used his with full conUdence. Once Flyby was out,itwasmyturn.Despiteallofourtraining,Ifoundmyself beingashesitantastheformertwowere.Thekeywasproperly utilizing the adjustment thrusters. Once I got a feel of how sensitive they were, I was able to use my jet pack with more conUdence.
With that, we made our way to where the freighter was supposedtobe.Wecouldn’tseeitwithourowneyesofcourse, sowewererelyingentirelyontheintelCommandprovidedus. Anyonecouldtellyouthatwasneveragoodthing,butitwas ouronlyoption.
Alongtheway,Icouldn’thelpbuttakeinthesighttoour left.Whereasbeforewecouldonlyseetheoverwhelmingdarkness,nowwehadaclearvisualofthenebulathissystemwas known for. Made of varying shades of blue was the famous
cosmicocean.Fromwherewewere,itwaslikeacelestialpainting,madebyanancientartist.
Nobodysaidanything,andnobodyhadto.Timeslikethese, theuniversespokeforitself.
The journey to the freighter was tedious, but it was made betterknowingweweren’tonatimelimit.Theshipwouldn’t beleavingthesystemuntilthepiratesreceivedtheirlastsupply offuel,whichwouldn’tbeuntilfourteenhoursfromnow.
Times like these made me glad pirates were paranoid. If they weren’t stocking up on fuel in order to prevent refuel stops, they either would’ve already been gone, or we’d only havehoursuntiltheyleft.Thisway,wehadplentyoftimeto carryouttheirdemise.
When we reached the freighter, I mentally credited their weaponplacement.AtUrstglance,theshipdidn’tlookmodiUedatall.…poncloserinspectionthough,thereweresubtle cuts in the hull that allowed for the point defense cannons todeploy.Ihadtostopmyselffromgrindingmyteethatthe thoughtofhowmanyinnocentpeoplewerecaughto5guard bythesebastards.
After our gravboots were reactivated and we were safely secured to the hull, M.A.D. took point while Flyby watched oursix.Innotimeatall,wereachedourentrypointandFixer gottowork.
For the umpteenth time, I went over the variables in my head.Eachofuswerepackingstandardloadouts,thatbeing the Punisher assault ri9e and Sentinel handgun combo. If it camedowntoaUreUght,longrangeweaponswouldn’tdous anygood,soweprioritizedmidtoshortrangeweaponry.With the right user and distance, a Punisher could be deceivingly precise.
Weallcamewithpairsoffraggrenades,destabilizers,EMPs, and smoke grenades. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we all had signature Star Bourn equipment. Lock busters, C-Scramblers, and electro-nets. With them, we could get through hatches easier, stay undetected for longer, and lay trapsthatwouldturninternalorgansintocharcoal.
WhilewemaynothavetheammunitionforaUreUght,we hadthetoolsandskillstogetinandoutinasu!cientlyswift manner.
When Fixer got the maintenance hatch open, the Wolves linedupandenteredonebyone,thelastoneinbeingme.Our point of entry served the primary purpose of conUrming the drugs’presence,butitwasalsochosenbecauseofitsproximity toengineering,whichwaswherethebombwouldbeplanted.
AsmuchasIwould’vepreferredtoenterthroughthehatch connected to the thrusters, it was too dangerous. While it wasn’timpossibletodo,theheatedpropulsionunitsmadeit
lessthanideal.Noreasontoputanyofusatriskwhenbetter optionswereavailable.
Whenthegravitykickedin,wewereready,andourdescent into the freighter remained silent. Our entry into the ship properwaspainstakinglyslow,andeveryonehadtheirUngers on the trigger, ready to retaliate if we were spotted. Alas, we wereintheclear.
Fromthere,wemanagedtomovethroughtheshipquickly. TheC-Scramblerswouldonlyprotectusforsolong.Someone wasboundtonoticetheglitchesinthecamerathattheycaused andbecomesuspicious.Assuch,timewasoftheessence.
One thing they trained us for on Osiris IV was how to movequicklyandquietlydespiteourheavygear.Ittooksome practice, but once you achieve that perfect harmony, you’re akintoareaperinthenightcollectingsouls.Really,that’swhat wewere;theStarBournheretocollectthelivesofthesepirates that9ewtooclosetothesun.
Lessthanaminutein,weachievedtheUrstobjectiveinthis opandconUrmedthedrugswerepresent.OvertheBackDoor, ourprivatecommline,Loudmouthwhistled.
“Damn,I’veneverseensomanydrugsinoneplace,”hesaid. NeitherhadI.Therehadtobeenoughformillionsofpeople inthecargobay.
“Let’s go. The sooner we plant the bomb and leave, the better,”Isaid.
Withthat,doubledaroundandmadewayforengineering. The shadows were our allies along the way, and we clung to themdearly.Whilebattlewasinevitable,Iwantedtoprevent thatforaslongaspossible.Thatsaid,theoddscould’vebeen worse.
These pirates, while possessing impressive weaponry, weren’tequippedwitharmor.GiventheywerefromTrident’s Verge, all of them belonged to the species that made up the CoalitionofIndependentRaces.Mostoftheoneswe’dseen weregandorans,butthereweresomeaveriansamongthem.
Evenwithoutarmor,Ughtinggandoranswouldn’tbeeasy. Basedonthecodicesoutthereaboutthem,they’reamongthe deadliest races in the galaxy. Not in the way, anthrum, rah’ salaruuns, or zauhlons are; no, they didn’t possess superhumanstrengthorincredibleendurance.Whatmadegandorans fearsomefoeswastheirabilitytothinkonthespot.
Itwastheirsharpmindsandquickreactiontimesthatwon themwarsoverthecourseofgalactichistory,andwhatmade themsuchavaluablememberoftheCIR.Whenthetimecame to engage the pirates in combat, we would need to dig deep andutilizeeverybitofbattlesmartstheyinstilledinusduring training.
Asiftheuniversewantedtotestthatresolve,onthenextleft wetook,threegandoranpiratesemergedfromthebulkhead, looking to ambush Loudmouth. Two were wielding curved machetes, while the other had an oversized shotgun of gandoran origin. M.A.D. and I were quick to gun the Urst two down,thoughthelastonegotashoto5onLoudmouth.His shieldswithstood,andheUredaburstofleadintothealien’s abdomen.
BeforeFixercouldUnishhimo5,thedownedgandoranlet outabellowingcry.Whiletherewassomepainlacedinthere, that wasn’t the reason for the shout. Tightening my grip on myPunisher,Icursedundermybreath.
“Doubletimeit,Wolves.Gettoengineering”
Fromnearby,moreofthesametypeofcriesechoedout,and itlikelyspreadacrossthewholefreighter.Thatgandoranknew itwasasgoodasdeadandalertedthewholedamnshipofour presence.
Thankfullyforus,attheendofthiscorridorwasthehatch thatledtotheengineeringdeck.Theentranceopeneduponto a catwalk that had a staircase at either end, which led down tothebruntofthemachinerypoweringthisship.Despitethe indigo-tintedlighting,IcouldmakeoutUvekrinlookingupat us,clearlystartledbyourappearance.
Thekrinwereamongthestrangestaliensinthegalaxy.Their intelligence relied on staying in large numbers of their own kind. A single krin by themselves had the mental capacity of a child, for example, whereas a group of 170 could operate advancedmachinery.
Another oddity was their appearance. Their torsos were akintoshells,andtheirlimbsweretentacles.Liketheirbodies, eachofthemhadelongatedheads,butwhatwasuniqueabout themweretheireyes.Theyweren’teyeballslikemostraceshad. Instead,theytooweretentaclesthatextendedoutfromtheir jawline.Whilecreepy,itmadeitverydi!culttosneakupon them.
WiththerebeingonlyUvehere,theirintelligenceandreactionspeedwouldn’tbeofanyconcerntous.Theylikelyhad enough mental capacity to operate engineering and nothing else.AsmuchasIwantedtofeelbadforgunningthemdown, theyweren’tinnocent.Everyoneonthisfreighterchosetobe here, and the consequence of that choice was in the form of theWolfPack.
Oncethekrinweredead,M.A.D.andFlybygottoworkon setting up the bomb, while Loudmouth, Fixer, Oracle and I prepared for the inevitable. Electro-nets were placed and the entry hatch was sealed. Less than a minute later, the pirates werealreadyworkingonundoingoure5ortatthehatch.
“Loudmouth, Fixer, get your destabilizers ready,” I said. “Oracle,Iwantyouinthisship’ssystemsandhelpingusout.”
“I’ll do what I can from here, but I can’t promise it’ll be much,”saidOracle.
“Anythingisbetterthannothing.”
“Alright, the bomb is put together. Preparing safety measuresnow,”M.A.D.said.
Those safety measures would ensure that these pirates couldn’tdisarmormovethebombinanyway.AsmuchasI would’vepreferredtohaveallmyWolvesinthisUght,M.A.D. was doing important work. We couldn’t a5ord to skimp on suchanimportantprecaution.
Flyby in the meantime was moving whatever equipment wasn’tbolteddownnearustoactasmakeshiftcover.Without missingabeat,Igottoworkonhelpinghim.Secondslater,the piratesbrokethroughourseal,anddestabilizersweretossed.
Before the sensory-shattering grenades went o5, an onslaughtofgunUrecameracingintoengineering.Itwasfarfrom accurate;infact,noneofusgothitatall.Morethananything else,itwasareminderofjusthowmanypiratesweweredealing with.Inclosequarterslikethese,itdidn’tbodewellforus.
The destabilizers went o5, deafening and blinding at least someofourenemies.…tilizingthatadvantagewhilewehadit, FlybyandItossedonefrageach.FixerandLoudmouthwere
onthestairwells,Punishersaimedattheopenhatchandready torainhellUredownontangosbeyondit.
Asthefragsmadetheirwayintothecorridor,someofthe gandorans pushed their way through. These were clearly affected by the destabilizers, as they Ured blindly at the hip, hopingtohitoneofus.
FixerandLoudmouthwerefaster.
Asecondlater,andthefragswento5.Screamsechoedout, andmoregandoranssoughttopushtheirwayintoengineering.AlmostassoonasweopenedUreonthisincomingwave of pirates, a faint creak from above us caught my attention. Looking up, I saw another gandoran in the overhead vent, aiminghisownassaultri9eatus.Withoutthinking,Itookaim andshotthealienbetweentheeyes.
“Oracle, tell me you’ve found something,” I said. Meanwhile,LoudmouthandFixerhoppedoverthestairwellrailing, movingtojoinFlybyandme.
“Ifoundsomething,”Oraclesaido5handedly,beforeelaboratingfurther,“I’mcompletelyshuttingthethrustersdown. Once the safety measures are set, we’ll be able to escape throughthere.”
NotexactlythehelpIwaslookingfor,buthell,I’lltakeit. Speakingof…
“M.A.D. ”
“Almostdone,”sheinterjected,thepressureofthesituation evidentinhervoice.
ThegandoransracingdownthestairwellsranintoourUrst setsofelectro-nets,fryingtodeaththankstoourtoolsofdestruction.Thosebehindthemfellovertheirallies’corpses,and weUlledthemwithlead.
WhileweexchangedUrewiththegandoransoutsideofthe hatch, the unexpected happened. From our left and right, gunUrewhizzedpastus.Withoutthinking,Itossedafrago5 totheright,whileLoudmouthredirectedhisaimtotheleft. Theexplosionofmygrenadeandhisbulletscreatedahellish chorus,thoughanotherawfulnoisewasaddedtothat.Ahumanshout.
MyeyesdartedtotheWolves’vitals,andmyheartskippeda beat.Lookingdown,IconUrmedtheworst.Oraclewashurt. AccordingtomyH…D,hewashitunderhisleftarm.
Cursing,Igotmymed-foamready.Itwasn’tgoingtoheal him, but it could at least keep him alive long enough to get propermedicalattention.Inthemeantime,Loudmouth,FlybyandFixerdidwhattheycouldtoprovidecoveringUre.
“Hey, come on buddy, hang in there,” I said, keeping my voiceaslevelasIcouldmuster.“ ou’regonnabeokay.”
Withashakinghand,OracletookouthisSentinelandUred, taking down a gandoran that was too close for comfort. He
tried to speak, but all that came out was a terrible gurgle. Looking at his vitals again, my stomach twisted. That bullet puncturedhislung.
“Done”M.A.D.shouted.
Fixer,FlybyandLoudmouthdidn’twaitfortheorder.The latter two made their way to the thruster hatch, while Fixer helpedmemoveOracle.M.A.D.meanwhile,tossedbothher destabilizers.Toaddtothat,Ithrewoneofmysmokegrenades aswell.
Near the hatch, Oracle pushed us o5 him. At Urst, I took thattomeanhewasgoingtowalkonhisownbysomemiracle. Therealitywasgrimmer.Heforcedhimselftoremainonhis feetandleanedagainstthebulkhead.HisSentinelwasinone hand,whilehistwofragswereintheother.
“ ou’rejoking,”Fixersaid.“Nofrackin’waywe’releaving youhere”
GunUrebroughtusbacktotheUreUghtathand.Through the smoke, the gandorans were still trying desperately to kill us. M.A.D. and I returned Ure while Flyby and Loudmouth gotthethrusterhatchopen.
“Idon’tthinkwehaveachoice,”M.A.D.muttered.
“Whatdoyoumean? Oracle’soneofus”Fixerargued.
“Enough” I said, tossing my last smoke grenade for good measure.“Weneedtoleavenow.”
Taking one last look at Oracle, with his knees shaking, he Uredblindlyintothesmoke.Hetrieddesperatelytosaysomething, but words weren’t coming out. Even so, his intention wasclearenough.
GrabbingFixer’sarm,Igaveitalighttug.“Comeon.”
WithoneUnalcurse,Fixersprintedtothehatch,asdidM. A.D.andI.FlybyandLoudmouthwerelayingdowncovering Ure for us, and we closed the hatch behind us. Once it was sealed, we got to work on the next hatch that would take us intospace.
Thesilencewasdeafening. Iwantedtoshouttotheheavens.Tokilleverysingleoneof thosepirates.Iwantedtodosomethingthatwouldmakethem pay.Theonlyoptionwehad,though,wastorun.Ourpriority wastomakeitbacktoourinitialentrypoint,getthoseM11s backon,andhightailitbacktotheHercules.
They set the bomb to remote detonation. On my signal, all M.A.D. had to do was press a button, and the resulting explosionwouldtriggerachainofeventsthatwoulddestroy theentirefreighter.Wecouldn’twaittoolong,otherwisethey mighttrytoevacuatewiththedrugs.
When the Unal hatch was open, we wasted no time. With ourgravbootsdisengaged,weleaptoutandmaneuveredacross
the hull with our magnehooks. In our haste, it was a risky move,butourchoiceswerelimited.
Truetotheirnature,thegandoransmusthaveexpectedwe’d dosomethinglikethis,becausetherewereatleastadozenof themgearedupinspacesuitstetheredtothehull.Theseguns, whichencompassedtheirrightforearms,Uredo5plasmaorbs. Withzerogravityofspaceinourfavor,weavoidedtheenemy Ureinwaysthatwereotherwiseimpossible.
Loudmouth killed two of them after he leapt over their heads.“Piratebastards.”
Flyby moved in close, nearly hugging the hull the entire time. With his machete, he cut o5 one gandoran’s leg, while merelyslicingasecondone,puncturingitssuit.Hesaidnothing,buthismovementswereharsherthantheynormallywere.
FixerandM.A.D.killedanotherthreewithacombination oftheirPunishers,andoneUnalfrag.Theresultingexplosion damaged the hull, but it didn’t matter. This ship would be spacedustsoonenough.
The last two were mine. In one hand was my Punisher, which I Ured at the hip. With the spacesuits these gandoran pirateshad,eachbullet,nomatterwhereitlanded,wasfatal. Asaresult,mysprayofgunUrehitoneofthemintheshoulder andtorehissuitopen.Whenitcametothelastonethough, 1—
Ifeltvindictive.MyheartpoundedatthethoughtofOracle, andIcouldn’thelpbutsneer.
Movinginclose,Iwrestledthepirate’sgunawayfromhim andseveredhimfromhistether.WithallthestrengthIcould muster,mynextmovewastoshoveupward.Icouldn'thearhis screams,buthisfaceshowedpanic.Outthereinthevastness ofspace,noonewouldeverUndhim.
ThatwasforOracle.
With the brief skirmish out of the way, we made it to our M11jetpacksandgotthehelloutofthere.Whenwewereat asafedistance,IgaveM.A.D.theorder,andthebombblew. Allthosedrugsweregone,asweretherestofthosepirates.As aresult,though,anypossibleremainswecouldhavebrought backtoOracle’sfamilywerealsodestroyed.
ThejourneytotheHerculesfeltlikeaneternity.Itwasonly whenwereenteredthedropshipthatthefullweightofourloss kickedin.
AssoonastheM11swereo5,Flybymadeabeelinetothe cockpit,whileFixerandM.A.D.ploppeddownintwoofthe seats in the troop bay. I saw that they were as far apart as theycouldbe.Loudmouthwaspacingbackandforth,whileI simplystoodo5totheside.
For as cramped as the Hercules could be, it felt awfully empty.
Throughout it all, no one said a word. Not even Loudmouth,whonormallycouldn’tkeepthatmouthofhisshut. My heart continued to pound against my chest, threatening tobreakout.Myeyessqueezedshut,andmyhandsballedinto Usts.
Flyby announced we were on our way to the rendezvous point,buthiswordssoundedmu ed.AllIcouldthinkabout wasOracle.Thestupidjokeshe’dmake,howFixerandLoudmouthwouldteasehimforhistechnicalprowess4
Damnit.
Iwishwecouldhavedonemoreforhim.Therewasabetter waytohonorhimandhismemory.Attheendoftheday,there wasonlyonethingwecoulddo.
When we reached the rendezvous point and awaited our pickup,IdugthroughoneoftheHercules’overheadlockers. For as long as the Star Bourn have been around for, there’s beenoneparticulartraditionthat’sbeenupheldnomatterthe circumstance.
Finally,IfoundwhatIwaslookingfor abottleofwhiskey, andalooseribbon.Loudmouthstoppedpacing,andM.A.D. andFixer’seyeswereonme.Withalevelofdelicacythatfelt foreigntome,Iwrappedtheribbonaroundthewhiskey,tying itintoabowafterward.
A team of Star Bourn brought these with them on every missionwheneverpossible.Ourversionofamemorial.
ItwasonlywhenImademywaytooneofthetwotroopbay doorsthatInoticedFlybywaswatchingaswell.Seeingasweall stillhadourarmoron,Iwasn’tconcernedwithopeningone ofthe doors.Whenitslidopen,Iwasonceagainmetwiththe overwhelming void of space. Somewhere out there were bits andpiecesofOracle.
Therewasplentytosayabouthim,butnoneofusmustered the strength to speak. As their team leader though, I didn’t havetheluxuryofremainingsilent.
“ oudidn’tdiefornothing,buddy. ouhelpedusgetout of there.” The words felt foreign. With my eyes glued to the whiskey,Icontinued.“Saveaspotforusontheotherside,will ya?”
Flicking my wrist, I tossed the bottle out into space. For a few moments, I watched it as it went on its never-ending journey. The hand that was holding it curled into a Ust, and Iclosedthetroopbaydoor.
Thewaitforourpickupwasbrutal.Overandover,Iplayed overtheeventsofthisop,thinkingonwhatwecould’vedone di5erently. No, whatI could’ve done. As their leader, what happenedwasmyresponsibility.
No matter how much I told myself that losing someone undermycommandwasaninevitability,itdidn’tmakeithurt anyless.FortheUrsttime,Iunderstoodwhysometeamleaders weredistantfromtheircommandos.Itwastheirwayofcoping withthelossoflife.
Forasplitsecond,Iconsidereddoingthesame.Ifitmeant nothavingtofeelthisemptinessagain,maybeitwasn’tsuch abadidea.Attheendofthedaythough,noamountofconvincingmyselfcouldmakemedothat.Forbetterorworse,the WolfPackwasmyfamily.
Instead,Imadeasilentvow.Whateverhappened,Ihadto staystrongformyteam.Ifmyresolvebrokenow,orifIpushed themaway,Iwouldn’tbeabletoguaranteetheirsafetyonthe Ueld.SoI’lldoanyandeverythinginmypowertomakesure thatdoesn’thappen.
AllofusknewwhatthecostofbeingaStarBourncouldbe. Weknewtheoddsofourbeingkilledinactionwerehigh.Be thatasitmay,mydutyastheirteamleaderwastoensurethey madeitbackhomealive.
On my life, what happened to Oracle wouldn’t happen again.Evenifitcostmemylife,Iwouldn’tletanyofmyWolves su5er that same fate. I’m not sure I could live with myself otherwise.
