Ties That Bind

November 8, 2007

Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg

TTY31201.11.08

Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________

They sent me down to the Frontlines today. At least, that's what they call it. To me and the other poor saps who have to spend our days huddled against those sandbags, the only word we can use to describe that place is hell. For hours we're alone behind our one piece of cover, the one thing that keeps the Bane fire from tearing us to shreds, with nothing but the sound of gunfire and explosions roaring through the black, smoky air around us. It's a stalemate. We can't advance, they can't advance. As long as there's a soul there to ensure the other side can't pass.

Today, that soul was me. Yesterday, it was the guy I was replacing, who had taken a piece of grenade shrapnel in the leg. As I watched the medics carry him off, I couldn't help but wonder if he had any family or friends left to comfort him. It was reflex. I knew he was just as alone as me, or the guy in the next trench, or the guy on the next planet. Since Earth, the only thing that connects us is the fact that any day it'll be that guy who saves your life, so you better save his.

Maybe it was always like this. Maybe we were always trying to cling to someone else who we knew would do the same for us. They say this is a blank slate for us, but I think we still feel connected to each other. Because next time, when the next guy comes to replace me, I want to let him know I can't thank him enough.

SGT Dante Nathaniel
AFS Commando Class, Guardian Division