"Hey." "Give me a D-16-A." "Saratoga control, this is ISSCV- 4656 inbound." "Requesting landing coordinates." "Track number 4656 is bearing 180." "Twenty- five seconds from landing- on final approach." "It's late." "Capra,  this is Saratoga." "I am holding a green deck for recovery on Loading Bay 4." "Pony onboard." "Loading Bay 4." "Loading Bay 4.|" " Mail call!" "" "We thought we were alone." "We believed the universe was ours." "Until one night in 2063,  on an Earth colony 16 light- years away...  they struck." "And now we are at war." "My name is Lieutenant Colonel T. C. McQueen." "I'm an InVitro, a race of artificially gestated humans." "I command a Marine Corps squadron- the 58th." "They call us the Wild Cards." "We fight when called- in space, on land and at sea." "To lose this war means more than defeat." "To surrender is to never go home." "All of us must rise to the call above and beyond." "West, Nathan." "Let's go. !" "My parents." "Ten, 11, 12." " Wang, Paul." " Right here." "What's the big hooh-hah?" "It's only mail." "You'll find out soon enough." "Mail call's the only thing we have to look forward to." "Come on." "Here you go." "What are you waitin' here for, Hawkes- letter from Ma and Pa sayin' how proud they are?" "Mail call's no place for Tanks." "In 15 years, all I ever got were divorce papers...  and a letter of congratulations for being a finalist... in the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes." "Hawkes, Cooper." "Come on." "Let's go." "Hawkes, Cooper." "Here!" "McQueen, T. C. Sir!" "  " "Sod from Wrigley Field!" "Grenadin of beef in a béarnaise sauce." "I'd say left center, near the vines." "My fiancée owns a restaurant." "He always wafts the pages over a plate before mailing them." "Ed's mom will come and stay with us when she's born." "That's right." "It's a she." "I have to carry on that Vansen double "X" chromosome." "I've decided I" " We've decided to name her..." " Anything but Marian." " Marian." " Oh!" " It was inspired by you." " Inspired?" "You ripped me off." "We're naming her after Mom." "You're doing what you need to for her memory...  and, uh, I'll do what I can." "You little-|" "You know that's what I wanted to name my baby since I was 12." "I never even owned a TV." "Let alone be the star of a show?" "Look at this." "~~" " ~~" " If you are here to gripe, take it on out." "The high high- ups want it." "Ever since an InVitro assassinated Secretary General Chartwell... there has been considerable unrest back home." "A documentary featuring InVitros in the war... broadcast over the Armed Forces Network to a billion viewers...  will do its part to help settle things down." "I do my part by everyday actions." "I don't need a camera to give them validity." "I know you are a private man, Ty." "But you know as well as I do... that wars are not just won or lost on the battlefield." "Morale at home is as important as a hundred Saratogas." "A project such as this one is the most powerful way... to let the folks back home see those... everyday actions." "Just think of it as going into battle, and you'll be fine." "I'd rather face an entire Chig division than one digital camera." "~~" "West!" "What's your problem?" "Sorry, sir." "My-My parents weren't notified about my brother's death." " Is there anything you can do?" " You're asking me to write them?" "No." "Um" " I mean" "I don't know." "I'm sorry." "Nathan." "The Corps usually notifies next of kin with a personal visit home." "I'm sure they've been notified." "I can't be sure." "I mean, it's not in the letter." "They have no idea they've lost a son." "Parents of marines have lost their sons for 300 years, Nathan." "The Corps has experience letting them know." "But if there's anything I can do to help you,  I wanna know." "You all right?" "Mission briefing in 10 mikes." "In preparation for the massive offensive, Operation Roundhammer... the directive of this mission is to disrupt the Chigs' supply line." "The planet Memnon is rich in merconzium 5... an ore the Chigs mine for use in their weapons system." "What they mine, they store- along with other supplies and matériel- in deep underground bunkers." "Because of the depth, it's considered questionable... that a bombing mission would have maximum results." "However, there exists a fortuitous window of opportunity...  to deploy a small ground force." "Now, I've been gettin'an earful ofbitchin'and moaning'...  about pilots being deployed as ground pounders." "Hear this, C. F. B." "This is not the air force." "This is the Corps... air-ground combat element... of the 51 st MEU- every marine a rifleman." "Therefore,  you will fight on command- where needed, how needed." " Do I make myself clear?" " Yes, sir!" "You'll buddy up and strategically place explosives... into the ventilation shafts leading into these underground bunkers." "They will be detonated once you're airlifted out." "This is a quickie, people- surgical and precise." "Wheels up at 0750." "So, G. I. Geequed gonna be on TV." "Lieutenant Hollywood, you pair up with Hill." "Take the northern point." "Wang, 'Phousse, you take the central point." "West and I will take the southern point." "Lieutenant Vansen, I'd feel more comfortable with a partner other than Hawkes." " What's your bitch, Hill?" " Yeah, Hill." "If you're with Hawkes... you can pop off Chigs no problem when they come up for his autograph." "You're with Hawkes." "Deal with it." "We'regonnabe positioned half a klick apart." "Keep in radio contact." "I can't believe, out of a quarter of a million marines..." "I get buddied up with a nipple-neck." "If we weren't in Chig territory..." "I'd be stuffing you down this hole." "Now shut your mouth and look alive." "God!" "|" "Wow." "Damn." "I just..." "stepped in I don't know what." "Hooh!" "That stinks." "Don't wipe it off." "Regulations say any contact with an unknown foreign substance...  must be checked by the biotechies aboard ship." "Right." "I hope I don't have to sit in quarantine again." "" " Incoming!" "'Phousse." "Vanessa." "Vanessa?" "Oh, no." "I" " I can't see." " I can't see." " How many?" " How many?" "How many what?" " Okay." "Hold on." "Hold on." "I'll get you out of here as soon as possible." " Queen of Diamonds, this is Joker." "" "Queen of Diamonds, this is Joker." " All right." "Radio's down." "" "All right, easy." "Easy, Vanessa." "I'm right here." "I'm right here." "One second." "Okay." "Hold tight." "Okay." "Okay.|" "They sound close." "Okay." "I wasn't finished." " I wanted to make it last." " All right." "Wang, read it for me." " When we get back." " We might not get back!" "I need to hear him now." " Wang, please." " Okay, okay." "Page eight." "Page eight." "Uh, "I finally hired a dessert chef." ""You'll never guess who- Marilyn, your old college roommate." " Marilyn?" " "We had a booth at the Taste of Rochester, and- and her banana pudding cream pie was a big hit. "" "Uh" " And he says business is up." " No, Paul." "I need to hear his words." "Damphousse, this is not the time or the place to be getting in" " Read it to me!" "" ""Aft-After Marilyn started working for me, we became good friends." ""We have so much in common, just like you and me." ""I never have to explain myself as I do now." ""There's no easy way to express what I have to say, Vanessa." ""So many things have changed." "It's been a year..." ""and no end to the war appears to be in sight." "I can no longer wait. "" "I'm" " I'm so sorry, Vanessa." "Vansen and West are half a klick from here...  and we need to get you some medical attention." "If you go along and it gets hairy, I'm scared." " You can't see, 'Phousse." "You'll be" " Go!" "Go!" " Get off!" "No!" " It's just me!" "It's Paul!" "Your letter's scattered everywhere." "Come on." "Let's get outta here." "We gotta get to the extraction site." "They're comin' to pick us up." "ISSCV- 3873 landing." "Starboard Pad 5." "Roger." " Corpsman!" " Keep moving, people." "Hittin' the ledge." "Okay, one more step." "  Please, people." " Okay." "On the ground, 'Phousse." "  Lieutenant Wang?" " Yeah." " Your boots, sir." " I'm gonna take her to sick bay first, but then I'll" " Hey." " 'Phousse, I'll be right there." " Lieutenant Hawkes." "Move in close." "You'vejust come back from a combat mission." "Act tired." "Act exhausted." " I am tired." "I am exhausted." " Then act that way." "So, when am I getting these back?" "When we're done." "All right, cut!" "Lieutenant Hawkes." "Where do you normally go after this?" "We usually hit the showers." "Moving on." "Shower room." " What?" " Don't worry." "We'll black out the naughty bits, hon." "Hear this loud and clear, hon." "Any camera makes its way into the shower... the only thing that's gonna be blacked out is your head." "After that, we usually kick back in the rec room." "Moving on." "Rec room." "Mm-hmm." "How is she?" "Fragments of her night goggles were in her corneas." "Doc says he thinks he got 'em all, but...  he'll know more tomorrow." "She'll be all right." "It's 2064." "Doctors can cure just about anything... but they still can't put together a broken heart." "We've decided to name her..." "Marian." "... Marian." "... Marian." "... Marian." "... Marian." "Uh, this, uh, is the rec room... where we Wild Cards relax." "Hey, Preston." "So you definitely feel just like any other member of the squad?" " Uh, heck, yeah." " No prejudice?" "Racism?" "Nope." "Uh, just, uh, one big happy family here." "Interesting you should say that." "Because you have no other family." "How do you feel when your fellow squad members receive mail and you don't?" "Do you feel any less loyal to the Earth's forces...  knowing that you have nobody at home to fight for?" "No." "No, no." "Not really." "All right." "Introduce us to one of your family." "Okay." "First Lieutenant Paul Wang." "Hey." "Um, we went through the accelerated flight program together." "Tell us what you're doing now, Lieutenant." "I-I'm filling out a requisition form... in triplicate, for a new pair of boots." "They took mine, and they gave me a pair two sizes too small." "Uh" " Oh, this is by buddy Nathan." "Right over- Right here." "This is, uh, First Lieutenant Nathan West." "We have flown many a dangerous sortie together- fightin' Chigs side-by-side, me and this guy." "They sent a notification letter- The wrong Neil West." "It's N-E-I-L, not..." "N-E-A-L." "How about reading news from home?" "Uh, news." "Uh, home." "That-That" "Who cares about some dumb Tank?" "Close in." "What did he say?" "Uh, before the war, he worked in a bank." "News." "Hey." "Philadelphia" " That means the City of Brotherly Love." "Colonel!" "Cut." "Colonel." "Come on over." "We should get the two of you together." "InVitros to the core, then and now." "I'm only doing this because I'm under orders." "Fine, fine, fine." "We'll just have some fun with it then, huh?" "We'll start with the usual info- your name, age, where you're from." "Gene Pool 18-C, Batch Kappa-9757." "Anchorage Facility, wasn't it?" "Right." "Well, we'll get all that in a voice-over." "Colonel McQueen, why don't we start with you telling us...  any positive experiences you've had in the military." "Well, I'm a lifer." "That should tell you it's positive enough." "Lifer?" "Yeah." "No, that's good stuff." "Um, Lieutenant Hawkes says he feels like the 58th is his family." "Is that how you felt when you first joined the Corps?" "Why don't you begin with your experiences in the A. I. War?" "In, uh... '47, during the A. I. Rebellion... natural- born losses were greater than anticipated...  so InVitros were sent in to fight the silicates." "I was shipped to Port Riskin...  the largest ammunition depot in the United States." "All of the munitions handlers were InVitros." "We were worked around the clock- 24 hours a day in three shifts- stacking live explosives in bunkers." "Natural- borns never went in those bunkers." "One night, faulty wiring caused sparks inside." "I tried to go back in, but the sergeant locked the door." "Said it was too dangerous." " Let us out. !" " Please. !" "Please. !" " Open the door. !" "Open the door. !" " Let us out. !" "Twenty-seven InVitros..." "died at Port Riskin." "The official statement on the incident was, uh... faulty wiring and a jammed bunker door." "The natural-born sergeant was never disciplined for his actions." "I was brought up on charges for striking my squad leader." "It started out as a court- martial trial...  which for InVitros back then, if convicted, meant death by lethal injection." "But the Old Man must have had a spark of conscience." "'Cause I only ended up with 120 days in solitary." "They say InVitros" "Tanks- are disloyal... lazy... and, uh, unable to dream." "The soldiers who were lost in that bunker... gave their lives loyally for this country." "As for dreaming..." "I hear the cries of those soldiers" "I see their faces- screaming for help... begging for their lives... every night in my sleep." "But, uh..." "I wouldn't call it dreams." "Cut." "Did you get all that?" "Cooper, why don't we move on to the V. R. game?" "I understand you're quite a whiz at this thing, Lieutenant." "Who cares if a few Tanks got torched?" "Hawkes!" "I feel so stupid!" "You got in some pretty good licks there." "Nobody ever paid any attention to me like that." "I thought this TV stuff was gonna change all that." "I thought I'd be somebody." "Cooper, you- You are somebody... for what you do every day." "We're all set, Cooper." "Okay,Vanessa." "Youreyes will be sensitive to the light...  so open them slowly." "Good." "That's good." "It'll take a while for them to adjust, okay?" " Okay." " All right." "Well, looks to me like we got all the glass." " But it's all blurry." " And, yes, it will be for a while." "Okay?" "Now, put these drops in once every six hours... and stay away from bright lights for a few days." "And put on these B. C. G. 's." " B. C. G. 's?" " Mm- hmm." "Birth control glasses." "They're so ugly, no one will hit on you when you wear them." " Great." " That's all they sell at the P. X." "" " I gotcha." "Shegotalittleupset, you know, but- but- but it was a minor bump,  you know?" "So, uh, the next thing that happened...  was she asked me if I wanted her phone number." "And I said, uh" "Well, I said, "Guys don't- Guys don't do that anymore. "" "You know,  I know that was wrong...  and it also wasn't a very good excuse to use...  especially with a real sensitive girl who'd been hospitalized as many times- " " I'm number 154?" "I can't wait that long." "My call's a personal emergency." "Personal?" "Really?" " Anyone else got a personal emergency?" " Yeah." "My sister's baby is due any day." "The disk she sent me is three months late." "She could've had the kid by now." "My advice" " Send a teddy bear and a fruit basket, then get at the end of the line." "By the time you get to use the phone, the kid'll have pimples and be wearing dumb clothes." "How much for your spot, Ensign..." "Boasberg?" " Ain't cheap." " Name it." " Anything?" " Anything." "Strawberries." "A bowl of strawberries in heavy cream." " Rich, thick, heavy cream." " You want fruit?" "I don't know what kind of groceries the Wild Cards chow down on... but they serve us navy personnel freeze-dried, preserved, dehydrated... powdered mystery meat with the shelf life of a light-year." "So, yeah, I want fruit." "Strawberries?" "He might as well be asking for diamonds." "Look at this!" "Even clowns have better-fitting shoes." "Talk to Mank." "He can get you anything." "Mank?" "That guy is a greasy weasel." "Yeah, but he came through with Chicago deep-dish pizza when I was craving'." "Really?" "No." "This is a legitimate family emergency." "My parents were marines." "I grew up on bases." "The only way to do this is to go through the proper military channels." "As you've discovered, the death notice was sent... to the family of the wrong Neil West." "The other family has been notified of this regrettable error." "Now, the Corps will send this letter to your family." ""... regret to inform you"" ""Sorry for your loss. "" ""Keep up hope. "" "Sir, this is a form letter." "It's what should have been sent in the first place." "Sir, my brother's not just some... number in a book... or a statistic for the nightly news." "He fought, defended and died for the cause he believed in." "I am sorry for your loss, Lieutenant." "I truly am." "Your brother was a good marine." "But this is proper Corps procedure." "Proper Corps procedure isn't good enough for my brother, sir." "Military channels suck." "Regs state that a pictaphone can only be used in an emergency of a military nature." "In other words, tough luck." " Vansen." " Sir." "I got something for you here from Corps command." "Yes!" "I knew military channels would get me to the head of the line." "What the hell is this?" "This says I'm promoted to captain." " Are you kidding me?" " Way to go, Vansen." "Congratulations, Vansen." "I don't wanna be promoted to captain." "I wanna use the phone." "Congratulations, Vansen." "You'll make a fine captain." " Thanks, Mank." " Too bad though." "Not even being a captain can get you to use the phone in this century." "Mank." "You disgusting piece of black market spooge." "What do I gotta do?" "I made it happen." "Now I don't know." "I'm next in line." " Nicole. "Nicole" is pretty." "" " Amy." "Amy is a nice name." "  Your call is being forwarded" "Hey." "How about "Rachel"?" "Hello." "Shane!" "I-I can't believe it." " Ann's in labor." "It's happening." " Ed." " Hang on." " Ed, what the hell's goin' on?" " Ann, look, it's Shane." " Oh!" "Oh, Shane." " I can't believe it." "What timing." " Yeah, what." "Ann, I need you to push as hard as you can." "  Cleansing breaths." "" "Okay, rest." "Shane, I was so worried when you didn't respond." "Are you okay?" "|" " Uh, yeah." "Well, today I was promoted- " " Now a big push." "Push down toward me." "" " Okay." "One more big push." " -  " "  " "Dear Ann, by the time you receive this... the baby will probably be walking." "I hesitate to call her Marian because I'm surprised you're using that name... since you've always known I was gonna use Marian when I had a child." "You're married, with a new baby... and I'm wading in mud fighting seven-foot bugs on other planets." "Did I make the right decision?" "I mean, shouldn't I be starting a family of my own?" "Last month, the 58th went on a recon mission that was supposed to be routine." "As I was parachuting down..." "I could see the rest of the squad backed up against a mountain." "I had to make a decision in three seconds- the time it takes to drop a final 100 feet." "I leveled my gun and fired down at the advancing enemy." "I lost count of how many I killed." "For my actions, I was awarded the Bronze Star." "During the ceremony,  all I could think of was Mom." "When I was eight, my soccer team lost the championship...  because I let my man get by me." "And all the ice cream in San Diego couldn't make me stop crying." "Then Mom came into my room and gave me a medal." "She said it was for trying extra hard and playing my best." "Shejust tied a red ribbon around a piece of chocolate wrapped in gold tinfoil...  but it was better than the Bronze Star I was receiving." " To me, that's what family is." "" "And I don't wanna miss that." "As I watched your baby being born..." "I realized that my decision tojoin the Corps was the right one- and that yours to name the baby Marian was also." "This is where I belong." "However, things are... different." "Before, I was fighting to avenge the death of Marian Vansen." "But now I'm fighting to defend the life... of Marian Vansen Bowman." "Give her a kiss for me." "Love, Captain Shane Vansen." "I thought he wanted them." "I think he ate one." "No." "I just counted 'em." "All there." "Boasberg, you gonna eat 'em or just stare 'em into your gut?" "I finally got the nerve to propose to my girlfriend... and I coughed up my place in line for a bunch of strawberries." "Strawberries or marriage?" "Marriage or strawberries?" "I chose strawberries." "Now I feel guilty 'cause I took the strawberries over her." "If I was you..." "I'd be relieved I went with the strawberries." "Commander on deck. !" "At ease." "I am not here as your commodore,  but as a comrade- in- arms- bereft of family, friends and most of the comforts of home." "I am missing one bowl of fresh strawberries... in thick, heavy cream." "Gentlemen, if you know the whereabouts of the stolen fruit...  you may place it outside my cabin door within an hour." "No questions asked." "Lf, after one hour... the strawberries are not returned..." "I will resume being your commodore." "A shipboard search will be conducted." "The guilty parties will be found... bound, quartered and cast overboard." "Carry on." "Good move, swabbie." "With one swallow, you just saved your butt twice." "Lieutenant Wang." " Your boots." " Thank God." " They look great." "What was on 'em anyhow?" " Chig dung." "Sir, you stepped in an enemy latrine." "Oh, man!" "And they still stink." "You know, they are softer." "~~~~" "Attention to orders." ""To all who shall see these presents, greeting." ""Know ye, that reposing special trust and confidence..." ""in the fidelity and abilities of Shane Vansen..." ""I do appoint her a captain in the United States Marine Corps... to rank as such from the 16th of April, 2064. "" "Ready, hut!" "Congratulations, Vansen." "You deserve it." "Promise you'll do the same for me someday?" "Ready, hut!" "First Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes is an InVitro... that's just another one of the guys." "Hawkes's commanding officer is fellow InVitro..." "Colonel T. C. McQueen,  Gene Pool "13" " C, '"" "Batch Kappa- 9757, Anchorage Facility." "Yes, sir!" "Colonel McQueen and Lieutenant Hawkes...  have come to have a father- son relationship...  a closeness that is extended to the rest of the 58th." "It's a bond that the Marine Corps has encouraged...  as they send these brave men and women into battle." "Because while prejudice may exist elsewhere...  it never has in the Marine Corps...  where InVitros have always been treated equally and fairly." "The fact that their commanding officer- " " Time to pay up, Captain." "... soldier's larger goal to loyally defend the Earth...  and all its people...  no matter their race,  creed, color or origin ofbirth." "Soft, fluffy paper." "Dear Mom and Dad, I'll never forget the first time I saw my brother." "Mom said she had a dream she was gonna have a daughter  that I was gonna have a new baby sister." "" "But that day, you told me the stork fooled us." "You even formally introduced us." "Nathan, this is your brother, Neil." "Twenty years later,  I can remember thinking..." ""His hands are so small. '"" "I can return to that moment in the time it takes to close my eyes." "And in that instant, no time has passed." "Not a minute of my life or Neil's has gone by." "On April 9, at 1800,  on the Planet Mors...  your son-my brother- was killed in action." "Neil was courageously defending his position and died valiantly." "But now, I can never throw him another football...  or share an insidejoke." "Today, I'd easily give my own life just to be able to argue with him." "" " And yet...  it doesn't mean I'm unable to let him know how much he meant to me... how much I love him." "Because to tell you,  Mom and Dad, is to tell Neil." "I can't express how much I miss him...  how much I miss you both and John." "Keep him safe." "And if one day you should receive a yellow envelope from the marines...  don't bother to open it." "Reread this letter and know how much your sons loved one another and you...  and that we are once again together." "With all my love, your son..." "Lieutenant Nathan West." "Watch your hands." "Watch your hands."