Jack shook his head. "I just want to get back to my battalion, sir."
"Battalion major? I think a Marine with your talents could be better deployed elsewhere, Mr. Forge. You go and rest, and as soon as you're ready to return to duty, I want you to report directly to me on the Scepter." The admiral looked at Jack with a stern yet haggard face. "And that is an order, Jack."
Jack saluted the admiral and came to attention. Just as he turned to leave, he saw Riya Henson jump off the medical bunk and run over to him. She wrapped her arms around him, still clad in the Devex exo-armor, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you, Jack. You saved me more than once. If there's anything I can do, you can call me anytime."
Jack looked over to Sarah Reyes, one of his oldest friends, and gave her a slightly embarrassed smile. He had once thought that he and Sarah would one day be more than friends. She avoided Jack’s smile and turned away.
"Now, you get back to your quarters and let me catch up with my daughter and let Agent Reyes finish her work," the admiral said, maneuvering Jack toward the exit.
Jack left the maintenance workshop and headed back to his old quarters through the cold corridors of the Scorpio. He returned the salute of a pair of Marines in PT gear who jogged along the corridor. Just watching the Marines made Jack feel how tired he was. He would love to go for a run about now, to blow away the thoughts of recent events, but there was only one thing Jack could do now.
Jack was going to sleep.
Thank You For Reading
The enemy of your enemy is your friend, right. How’s that usually work out in the end? Well, Jack and humanity have survived, so far, but things are going to get worse before they get better, I think.
The next story is called Betrayal and you can order it on Amazon.
Order Betrayal here:
https://fairfieldpublishing.com/betrayal
And if you would like to know about the events that led to Jack and Sam being stranded in space, check out the Jack Forge, Fleet Marine series where Jack goes from unwilling Marine to savior of humanity.
Get Recruit, Book 1 in the series:
amazon.com/dp/B07695FRGG
Or get the whole Jack Forge, Fleet Marine series:
amazon.com/dp/B07MNQSKCN
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Alliance (Jack Forge, Lost Marine Book 5) Page 12
