FSE

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Jean had just woke up and hurried to get on her uniform. She had to adjust her breasts at first, but then it was comfortable enough. She was a decorated soldier who happened to be well endowed. Jean didn't care for it, but her assets did help get her a promotion to leader of a scavenger unit. Amazing what a little cleavage can do.

She stepped out into her unit's barracks and woke up her people, "Come on, we have a transfer."

It was an all female unit, so privacy wasn't a big deal. There were four others in the unit, each of which got comfortable and would die to keep their job. After all, scavenging was the safest job available. Lisa, the shortest, was the first to talk, "What's a war hero doing joining our unit anyway?" She had prescription goggles since glasses were a hazard.

"Yeah, didn't he wipe out a battalion or two of those things by himself?" Yuli was sure that was a rumor, but he did kill many in all of his campaigns. That much was certain.

Jean sighed, "I'm a war hero too..." She shook her head, "Well, he's apparently not psychologically sound enough to rejoin the battlefields. Can't blame him either."

Cassie, the daughter of a general, stretched her arms, "Why not? Didn't he admit it himself?"

Greta nodded, "Yeah, but can you put yourself in his shoes?" Cassie went quiet, then stood up to get dressed, "Also, start wearing some clothes to bed. These are Co-ed barracks, he'll be sleeping here."

"Just hurry up, we have to go pick him up from holding in a few minutes." Jean loved her crew to death, but just the same, she'd like to strangle each and every one of them. Their training got them far, and they could get dressed and ready faster than anyone back on Earth. Soon, they lined up, "Alright, let's move. We got a mission later today as well."

The stainless steel halls were cold and uninviting, yet they provided a sense of security and safety. Cameras were set up every ten feet, set to go on with even the slightest motion. Because of the technology gathered from the "dead planets," the war effort advanced quickly. From bolt-action rifles to pure plasma weapons in a year was a leap.

Through the barracks, through the mess hall, through the open areas, and finally to holding where new troops were dropped off. These days not many came to this planet, the battles had died down significantly. Jean was fine with that, it meant that scavengers had more work and less danger. She looked ahead into the hangar and saw the single jet, with a man in the middle of 10 armed men.

"Lieutenant, he's in your custody now."

"Custody?"

The man in front nodded, "He's on suicide watch, don't let it happen." The man in the middle walked forward and behind Jean's crew. He was clearly well versed in war, and his gaze sent a shiver down Jean's spine, "No possessions either, good luck."

The entire unit turned to greet him, but he was too quick, "Let's hurry, I need something to do."

Cassie played with the tip of her ear, "I know something you can do." Then she winked.

Jean slapped her in the back of the head, "Alright, no introductions then. Follow us Garrett, our exoskeletons are in the eastern block." He was in the standard soldier uniform, a two-piece jumpsuit-type outfit. Soldiers in battle wore armor over it. It's simple design kept people from being distracted while allowing temperature control fabric to be woven in without ruining any protective gear.

Lisa and Greta opened the sliding doors, "Alright, yours is the fresh one there." Lisa pointed at an unused one. On Earth, before the wars that is, exoskeletons were simple and just helped people complete lifting and moving tasks. With recent advancements in technology, they are fully sealed off with negative weight metals, reinforced and armored, and able to be used in fast combat just as easily as slow construction. The legs were maybe 5 feet long, the arms 8 feet when fully extended, and the body was shaped like a giant egg with a window to see. Each of the women had some paint on theirs to customize them a bit. Garrett knew the drill and just followed the others onto a transport ship.

Jean looked around from inside her exoskeleton, "Alright, everyone check vitals for these things. Don't need to carry back anyone today, right Yuli?"

"I told you, the refueling guys messed up, not me."

Once again, the huge leaps in technology allowed the ship to travel near light-speed without applying any forces to the passengers. They all jumped off into the wasteland, "I'm reading some radiation signs up ahead, non-harmful levels. Could be something interesting."

Jean nodded, "Okay, split up, follow the map on screen and search your locations well." They all moved quickly. Even without known threats, a comfy bed was better than a wide open wasteland.

Garrett looked around carefully. Not into the distance, but at the ground. He only took ten steps before he stopped, "Jean, everyone back to the ship now."

Jean sighed, "Listen, just relax, it's safe-"

"D.O.I.D."

D.O.I.D. The acronym for "do it or die." It was a command only allowed by high ranking officers, and despite not being too hard to figure out, it confused any English-speaking enemies just long enough. Jean didn't give the order, so none of them were under obligation to follow, but still, "Fine, this better be good. Everyone, head on back." Groans could be heard all over. Jean was sure that Garrett was panicking, but he had more battle experience than her entire unit combined. He definitely saw something he didn't like. As she headed back, a picture from Garrett flashed onto her screen.

It was a triangle with a broken stick lying on top. Not really suspicious, "Hey, Jean, does this mean we get the day off?"

"Cassie, just get to the ship." They were all on the transport ship, and the pilot was a bit lost for a few moments, then he took off. They were back at base in no time, and just as soon as Jean got out, "Why Garrett? Why the picture?"

"I'd call a sweeper team down. That symbol, it's how they communicate with each other. I saw it before an ambush. That one was fresh."

Jean was nervous, but kept her cool, "Fresh. How do you know? Well, doesn't matter, the general needs to have a talk-" Speak of the devil himself. The general was a violent man, motivated only by greed and power.

"Garrett, I had a feeling we would have a talk soon. Just didn't think you'd give out orders associated with your superiors."

"Jonathan. You need a sweeper team out there now, heavily armored." The general was at least 20 years older than Garrett, but they talked like equals, "They're waiting for stragglers, you know that as well as I do."

Jonathan scratched his chin and stood silently. Suddenly, "We have had reports on other planets about more ambushers than usual. Lieutenant, send whatever proof he had to my secretary. I'll get the word around and send a team." He turned and his ridiculous cape swirled with the motion.

The scavenger unit was awestruck, "Well then, how did you know it was an ambush?"

"I saw it before." He walked towards the barracks.

"Hey..." Yuli said quietly, "Do you think..."

Lisa nodded, "No doubt about it."

Jean signaled them to do whatever until they were called, "His past is his own, leave it be."

They all knew, most in the army did. Even the higher-ups knew. Garrett was one of the best, but his team was wiped out in an instant, with him as the only survivor. Unfortunately, part of officer training was to witness both video and still images of their enemy's attacks and methods. Garrett's unit was used to show how savage they could be. To this day, Jean still has nightmares about what she saw.

The suicide watch warning flashed through her head, "I should check on him." His destination was easy enough to determine. Jean walked to the barracks and sat next to him on his bunk, decorated with welcome signs and a bottle of moonshine (contraband was very popular), "So, how do you feel?"

"Like I need a bullet in my head. Why?"

Jean popped open the bottle and took a sip before handing it to him, "You're in my unit. I respect you, and we're all family here. All of us keep an eye out for each other, you aren't an exception. If you feel bad, just let us know." He took a gulp and handed the bottle back. She rattled it, "Thirsty I see." Garrett didn't flinch from the burn, so Jean took the rest for herself.

"Tell me, how did you get to your position?"

Jean looked away, "Well, being a good soldier only gets you so far. For an all-male promotions board, well... borrow a tight little uniform and unzip my top a bit. Didn't take much, but I was tired of fighting. Worth it I say, despite the new love letters I get now. How about you?" It wasn't really a question, he was a legend.

"Kill enough of them, embarrass your superiors enough, and they have to promote you. Otherwise they face retribution." In the earlier days, many of the superior officers ran at the first sigh of danger. Garrett didn't. He stayed behind, rallied the troops, and fought on. It's because of his leadership that they won a planet back from the monsters. Low on supplies after the initial storming of the surface, he was able to use strategy to win, not quantity. Many other soldiers also received promotions under his leadership.

Even now, he was still a higher rank than Jean, but his current position put him at grunt level. The ruling on the incident with his unit was that it was impossible to avoid, and a miracle that anyone survived. Garrett had gone into a sort of hiding and refused to join any more battles, blaming himself for their deaths. Jean was privy to the detailed reports, not just the images. The large squad of soldiers sent in to do the dirty work left an area unchecked, but declared it as such. Garrett's team was sent to clean up any monsters left behind. His unit of 15 had no chance against the ambush of over 100. The soldiers who failed to report their incompetence were denied a month of pay and put on permanent cleaning duty. They are still not even allowed to hold so much as a butter knife.

Jean fell back onto the bed, her breasts jiggling when she hit the surface. She did this on purpose to try and distract him, but that wasn't going to work, "Well, glad to have you aboard. Want a peak at the girls?" She was teasing, but that too failed to work.

"So, when's the next mission?"

Jean sat up, "Whenever they tell us. A week, a day, a few hours, a few minutes. Since we were investigating that area, probably not until the sweeper team clears it. Get drunk if you want, Cassie usually has the good stuff under her bunk. Lisa has some books, Greta has art, and Yuli... well she just sleeps."

"I'll just wait. I'm good at that."

"Fine, but at least eat lunch. Can't have you starve to death. Today is green slop day. They add extra spices so you don't wonder what it is. Still has an aftertaste..." Jean sat up, "Welp, see you in a bit, I'll have paperwork to do after I grab a bite."

"I'll follow. Nothing else to do I guess." The two went to the mess hall and took a seat. One of the servers brought over two plates of food. The green slop, a piece of bread, water, and a cookie.

As usual, all eyes fell on Jean. Most of the people at this station were men, and she stood out, even in full uniform. A few comments could be heard about what some would do to her, "Just another day eh?"

"None of them would survive an hour out there."

His comment threw her off, "What?"

"They're all lazy, too comfortable. People like them get others killed. They wouldn't survive on their own for an hour."

"I can't really disagree. I mean, they're mostly scientists and surveyors, but you have a point. Half of them couldn't hit a target from 10 feet away, which is why they were sent here. A low risk location with discoveries to be made."

Garrett ate his food, using his training as a soldier to avoid even a little taste, "I'd rather camp in the middle of a monster den than have any of them at my back. At least I can trust the monsters."

"What was that newblood?" One of the larger men stood up and stood next to Garrett, "Stand up and say that brat!" He wasn't more than a year older than Garrett, and when Garrett stood up, he took a few steps back.

"I said, I trust the monsters more than any of you. I trust that they would kill me, not fuck and and get me killed." He stomped his foot and the man stumbled, "Sit down before I teach you a lesson in combat." The man sat on the floor, "I'm done eating, this punk made me lose my appetite."

.......................................

"General, I have a report for you."

Jonathan sat at his desk while going over Garrett's images. It was indicative of their enemies, but sending a sweeper team without any visual confirmation was risky and expensive, "What?" He wasn't paying attention to his secretary.

"Sir, the sweepers have been sent out."

"What?! I gave no such order!"

The woman backed away as Jonathan stood up and roared out at her, "S-sir... it wasn't your order-"

"I know that!" he walked over to her and snatched the folder from her hand, "Incompetent brat." She was close to tears, understandable seeing as how Jonathan towered over her.

He scanned over the documents for a few seconds, "I don't care for how you treat your subordinates." In the doorway to his office stood a new woman. A scarf around the lower half of her face, a tight fitting shirt, and long leather pants ending in spiked boots. A Sister of the Children of Iron, "And yes, that was my order. Understand?"

Jonathan took a step back himself. This petite, skinny woman was more frightening than an army to him. A Sister could override any order and give their own at any time. Not only that, but they were often trained in combat with a specialty in torture. She slowly put on a Sister's traditional hat, nothing more than a cap that fit between their ears, "What... what brings you here?" He panicked while trying to remain calm.

She walked past him on the other side of his desk and took a seat, "You know exactly what brings me here. However, your hesitation in these crucial matters is something that I need to report." Jonathan carefully eyed the additional spikes on the bottom of her pitch black boot. She used her hand to remove her cross from under her shirt. An iron sword with a gun across the middle, the sign of the Children of Iron, "Well, do you know? Or do I need to talk to someone with a brain. You there, secretary, do you know?"

The scared woman shook her head, "N-no ma'am, I just file..."

"Ah, you're fresh meat. Then tell me, do you know who I am?"

This time, she nodded. Both were ignoring Jonathan, "A Sister, the motto is..." She took a breath, giving her time to think, "We are our strength, we are our hope, we are our future. Always forward, never backward, victory is the only outcome."

The Sister smiled, "Well done." The sister removed a long bag from her back, previously unnoticed by the other occupants of the room, "I'm here looking for someone that wasn't treated properly."

Jonathan cleared his throat, "Now wait one damn second-" She unzipped the bag to reveal an ash white bolt action rifle renovated to fire plasma, "You know just as well as I do..."

His voice drifted off when the Sister made eye contact, "It is because pathetic leaders such as yourself do not know how to handle trauma. You only file paperwork and bark orders."

"I... I just..."

A wicked smile crossed her face, "I'm looking for the Great White Hunter."