52
Lieutenant Austin Stone halted when he saw his reflection on wall in Tarton’s Junction. Polished silver buttons on his flawless Tizona Dress Blues glistened under the corridor’s light. He gazed at the shiny wings on his chest and thought about what it had taken to earn them, from the Gauntlet to the Battle of Atlantis.
He leaned back, letting out a long deep sigh.
Every old wound stretched as if they tore open. He closed his eyes, sights of the burning forest and laser bolts flashing in his mind. Since his return to Earth, nightmares had deprived him of sleep. They were always the same. He was under fire, helpless to save those he loved. Sometimes, it was his mother, Eileen, screaming in the woods as Phantoms killed her. Other times, he was alone in the Trident fighting incredible od
