Battle Group Epsilon

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

April 9 2184, 09:23 Hours (Standard Solar Time)
Aboard USNI Carrier "Waterloo" En Route to Earth

Chang had no sense of time. He would wake up only for a few minutes and then fall back asleep. The few moments that he was awake were like those spent on a Sunday morning in bed. Caught in that strange limbo between dream and consciousness. It was a drug induced haze from whatever pain meds they had put him on. He didn't want the drugs, he could take the pain. He just wanted to be awake, to think clearly. Whenever the nurses would check on him though, they didn't want to hear it. They just shushed him back to sleep.
When he was finally awake and the fog had lifted, three days had passed. He wouldn't have known unless they told him. He just had to take their word for it. Shortly after, the pain started. His arm was fractured and had been put into a cast. He also had a pair of bruised ribs and multiple other injuries.
The Captain had stopped by. He was his first visitor. He told him that he was recommending him for a medal. The Captain told him to get better soon. Chang wouldn't be flying until his arm was healed up. He didn't have a Marauder anyway. The Captain said not to worry about it; they'd get him a new one as soon as they got back.
He went back to sleep and woke up the next day. He got up and walked around his bed. It was the first time he had walked in days. He felt much better until the Captain came back with a dress uniform in hand. He reminded Chang about what had happened to Paul when he told him that the service was to be held that day. Chang took the uniform and got dressed. The Captain offered to find a wheelchair but Chang didn't want anything to do with it. He would walk, or at the very least, limp.
Because of all the pilots, Marines, and crewmen that had died, the ship's loading bay had been cleared out and was being used around the clock for funeral detail. He followed the Captain into the hangar bay. There was a small attendance, only a dozen. Chang was angry when he saw that only five of their eight man fighter squad were there. Paul was six but where were the others? What could they possibly have to do that was more important than this? Then he understood. The five of them were the only ones left in the squad. Chang stood in line between Moore and the Captain. Greenbaum and Oscar stood beside them.
Paul was Roman Catholic and the service began with the ship's priest saying a few words. After that the Captain walked up to the coffin and stood silent for a moment. The casket was closed but Chang knew it would be empty. Inside there may have been some of his personal items; pictures, maybe his tooth brush. Captain Seymour began to speak. "Paul Kowalski was only in our squad for a short time but he was a good pilot. He was young and inexperienced, lacking in confidence but the potential for a great Marauder pilot."
Chang stood as rigid as a two by four. His entire body ached but he didn't dare slouch as the Captain spoke. It was a generic speech. It could have been used half a dozen times for all he knew, but he believed every word of it. Paul had been a good pilot.
The Captain finished by saying, "Another fine soldier that now joins the ranks of those that passed before their time. He will be missed but never forgotten." The Captain hung his head and said a silent prayer. Chang joined him. The Captain walked back and fell in line with the rest of them.
The Commander, who was in charge of the service then said, "Is there anyone else who wishes to say a word?"
Chang walked forward. He put his hand down and ran his fingers across the flag of the United Solar Naval Initiative that draped the casket. He put his back to the deceased and faced the living. "Paul Kowalski wanted to be a hero. He became a fighter pilot because he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to feel like he was helping people. More important than a good pilot though, he was a good person." Chang looked at the faces of his fellow pilots. He swallowed but found it difficult. "Paul was... my friend." Chang felt like more should have been said. He thought but the words just weren't there. He walked away and joined the others.
The Commander walked up to the casket now. "And so," he said. "We commit the bodies of our fallen brothers to space." That was their cue. Chang and the rest walked up and as a group, they wheeled the casket to the bay door. There was an opening in the wall that they slid it into. The metal container was sucked in and a hatch slid shut behind it. The group formed into attention and saluted as the casket was shot out into the unforgiving vacuum of space. They remained saluting long after it passed from view.
Finally the Commander said, "Dismissed."
The group broke up and set out their separate ways. Chang noticed that Moore and Greenbaum had stayed behind. They were looking at him. Moore gave Greenbaum a light shove and he walked toward Chang. "Chang," he said. "I uh... I was wrong about you."
Chang couldn't believe his ears and had to smile. "Thanks," was all he said.
"I'm serious Chang," he said with a stern face. "You saved my life. Even after all the stuff I put you through."
Chang shook his head. "It was nothing." He brushed past Greenbaum and walked back to sick bay.

He spent several more days recuperating. He went through a variety of treatments and many sessions of physical therapy. Chang was patient with most aspects of life, but not in himself. When he could not do something correctly after a few tries, he quickly grew frustrated and angry at himself. He just wanted to be healthy again and able to fly.
The doctor saw that he was getting upset and sent him out for a day. Chang got an all day pass to the ship's biozone. All self-sustaining ships had one. Some people would pay a month's salary to spend a day or two there but he got in for free.
It was beautiful. It took up more than an acre of space but was essential. It was split in half between a lake reservoir and a farm. In between was a small area of grass and sand. The reservoir contained most of the ship's supply of water. It also had a healthy supply of fish to supplement the crew's diet.
Chang sat down on a bench and shielded his eyes with his good hand and watched a pair of men fishing by the edge of the water. The lighting inside was powerful, mimicking the sun. The vegetation consisted of a variety of plants. There were apple trees, berry bushes, and tomato plants. They made food for the crew, oxygen to breath, and lowered carbon dioxide levels. The soil was mostly recycled waste. Worms broke it down and made fertilizer to keep the plants healthy. Excess worms were fed to keep the fish fat. It was incredibly efficient.
Chang enjoyed the change of scenery. He took off his shoes and walked barefoot through the warm grass. He closed his eyes and began doing Tai Chi.

Ten days after they had left Mars, Chang was done with the physical therapy. They told him that he was a quick healer; the cast would come off in another three weeks. Things back with the squad were different. He had lost one friend but made many more. During lunch he would sit with Greenbaum, Moore, Oscar, and other pilots that they introduced him to. They invited him to games of cards and pool. When they told jokes, they told them to Chang as well. He was no longer an outsider far from home. He was one of them. All it had taken was the death of his friend.