It was always when he was asleep that he smelled it. That light smell of mid summer dextri-wheat on the wind. Of course, it never was real wheat, it was just his damaged brain, filling in blanks with painful memories as he slept. When he awoke, the fleeting sensation of homesickness would linger behind like a real illness.

Groaning softly as the midday sun shone through his curtains and struck him in the face like a mallet, Jack rolled over onto his side and took a deep breath in through his nose. The teasing thought of home caused by the dextri-wheat was slowly fading to be replaced by another pair of smells; alcohol, and something beautiful that smelled ever so faintly of flowers. With his brain clunking into gear and scrambling to fill in the blanks caused by consciousness, Jack weakly cracked open a bloodshot eye as he mumbled out the first thing that came to mind when he saw the pale, sculpted back of a slim woman sharing his bed.

“-lissa?”

He asked softly, not believing his eyes for a moment. She'd come back, and- wait, no. That was wrong. Jack screwed his eyes shut as the abused lump of grey matter between his ears thumped awkwardly out of first gear. Elissa wasn't coming back. Elissa was dead. Had been, for, what? Eight, ten months now? Maybe more? A year? He slowly groaned as his mental gear shift ground away and awkwardly plunked an answer into his lap. He had gotten completely sloshed the night before, and he'd gone and slept with his equally drunk subordinate.

“Crap…”

The night before was a slurry of sensations and snippets of memory. A cry of lust here, a tearful face there. He screwed his eyes closed tighter and willed himself to just die there in bed. Flitter had needed to say something important, something that had hurt, but at the same time was… bittersweet? Why had she been crying? Jack mentally cursed himself as he slowly pushed up off the bed and sat up. With the cobwebs of his mind clearing away to allow his hangover full access, Jack tried to focus, but found himself unable. He knew he was naked, sitting in the silken sheets, and knew he felt spent. Looking back over at Ada's unconscious form, Jack thumped himself softly in the face with his hand, before slowly dragging it down his features.

“i need to stop drinking… the hell is wrong with me?”

The headache was beginning to cut into him like a serrated blade, and the thought of just falling back over and dying became a topic to be toyed with fondly. However fondly he viewed the idea, he was more inclined to punish himself. Living proved to be ample enough torture for the time being. Reaching out to put a hand on Ada's trim waist, Jack hesitated for a mere second, before grunting and giving her a light shake.

“Ada.” He shook her again, earning a meek, pained groan from the naked Special Air Servicewoman. “Wake up.” If he was gonna suffer, she was gonna suffer with him.

Groaning quietly, Ada weakly swatted his hand off her side and rolled onto her belly, showing off a pair of angry pink hand shaped welts on both of her ass cheeks. An unintelligible plead to 'fook off' was offered, and only served to annoy him.

No, again, that wasn't right. He wasn't annoyed with her. He was pissed off with himself. He’d known better, and he’d still done it. Blinking away more of the grungy sleep that clung to his eyes, Jack took a brief moment to admire the view afforded of her backside. He couldn't entirely blame himself, Ada was definitely a looker. Of course, she could likely kill him. Just like Elissa. Annoyance at himself rose again, shooing away the lecherous thoughts as they began to grow. They both needed to wake up and deal with the mess they'd made. Giving her shapely rear a good smack and squeeze across the welt left the night prior, Jack was rewarded with a loud squeak of a yelp. The hangover seemed to catch up with Ada, causing her to curl in on herself as she covered her eyes and let out a long groan.

“ughgod… Jack, kill me, luv…”

Grunting at the shared pain, Jack began to slowly push himself from the bed, only for Ada to grab hold of his arm and pull him down. Unable and unwilling to keep himself sitting up, Jack simply flopped back into the ruffled sheets and stared up at the ceiling. He could feel the weight of sleep rolling back toward him as Ada pulled herself up onto his chest and buried her face between his scarred pectorals. Despite the hammering headache and his sore body, Jack almost felt content enough to simply wrap his arms around the woman and welcome the novelty of romantic closeness into his life again.

That fun little idea was swift to be booted out of his head as his bladder remembered itself and made its needs known. Lurching up, Jack did his best to gently roll Ada over onto her back before shambling off to the bathroom.

Having relieved himself, Jack leaned heavily on the small sink as he splashed copious amounts of water onto his face. He'd been quick to discover welts across his back, earned from raking nails, and a dancing set of light hickeys across his neck and jaw. Splashing more water onto his face, Jack slowly lowered himself onto his toilet and cradled his face in his hands. Begging the headache to leave him be, Jack found himself becoming slowly aware that he could still taste her. Running his tongue across his teeth, Jack forced himself up, and back into his room to hunt for his clothes.

During his slow shambling search, Ada finally found the willpower to sit up in the bed and watch him as he meandered about. Seeming to not mind her own stark nudity, Ada soon got up and began traipsing across the room. Snagging one of his cigarettes, Ada wandered to his balcony and opened the door. Once his pants were found, Jack joined her on the small balcony as she rested her elbows on the railing, seemingly completely uncaring about her nudity seeing daylight. Offering the naked woman his lighter, Jack turned and leaned against the railing as he allowed himself to begin a proper wake up.

“So, about last night…” He started as he lit his own cigarette.

“What about it?” Ada glanced over her shoulder at him. He couldn't quite catch the look on her face, but he knew she was trying to read him. “You regret it?”

“No-” He answered swiftly as he took a drag. “Just figuring shit.” He was lying, but only slightly. Did he regret last night? Maybe. It was too early to think about that though. For now, he could get away with it.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, Ada afforded him a pained, tired smile. “I don't. So stop sweatin’, luv.” She lightly pecked his jawline, before smiling again. “B’sides, I had fun.”

“We're gonna have to keep this quiet.” He muttered to himself, but loud enough for her to easily hear. “It's uh… unprofessional.”

Rolling her eyes as she trailed her fingers down his arm, Ada simply shrugged as she strolled back into his room. “If’n you want, Jack. Don't think your brass is gonna bust your nuts. I'm stealing your clothes.” She added as she began rifling through his drawers in search for something to wear until she could retrieve her own.

Sighing to himself as he finished his smoke, Jack shrugged and snubbed the butt on the railing. He could think about it later. Right now, he could only consider two things. The pretty body now wearing one of his shirts currently searching for her panties. And the taste of her lingering in his mouth. Once Ada was dressed, she set off toward the door, only to be stopped when Jack gently grabbed her by the arm. Looking slightly off put, Ada glanced over toward him. “Whatcha want-” The woman inhaled sharply in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her in for a strong, passionate kiss. The woman appeared intoxicated once they separated. Licking her lips, Ada shot him a sultry grin, before giving him a parting squeeze below the belt before heading for her own room. Carrying her crumpled dress and shoes with her as she went barefoot, the servicewoman glanced over her shoulder at him at the corner of the hall. A quick glance around confirmed that nobody was present, and before Jack could turn to enter his room, she spun on her toes and lifted the hem of her stolen shirt, flashing him her beautifully sculpted chest. With a cocky grin she blew a kiss at him, before traipsing off and leaving him to his own flustered devices. Giving up on himself, Jack found a semi-clean shirt and set off to find food.

The grand dining hall was empty, as it usually was when he woke up hungover. Thankfully, some of the kitchen staff entered, and as they already knew his hangover rituals, set off to get him some food. Resting his cheek against his propped up hand, Jack heard the doors opening behind him, but didn't bother to look. The sound of shoed hooves greeted his ears, and after a moment, Princess Luna stood next to him, wearing a severe expression.

“Jack. May I speak with you?” Her voice was terse and clipped, owing to a temper she couldn't control as well as her older sister.

Lifting his free hand for a meaningless gesture, Jack continued to wait for his food. “Not goin’ anywhere. You may as well say your piece.”

Sitting down next to Jack, Luna's sharp expression softened for a moment. “Jack, you have a very serious problem with drinking.”

“Oh, oh my god, I had no idea.” He couldn't keep the sarcasm from dripping out of his words, and it earned him a snappy glare.

“Jack, you alone drank over a thousand bits worth of wine last night, and proceeded to get an ambassador utterly drunk in the process. You nearly made a fool of yourself before every big name in the capital.” The concern was leaking into Luna's words, which she failed to hide with her indignant annoyance toward him.

“I also continued to drink when we left.” He added, helping nobody.

Letting out a sigh, Luna shook her head and looked toward the inbound food. “For your information, Chancellor Selkin has recovered from your misadventure, but could not keep quiet about it during our accords draft this morning. You made quite the impression on him.”

“Cool.” He mumbled quietly as the staff left the plate of leftovers before him. Tucking into the food like a man starved, it took a few minutes before Luna had a chance to interject.

“Did Flitter speak with you last night about anything?” She was testing the waters, which put him slightly on edge.

“Something… I can barely remember.” He worked his knuckle into his temple, as if the mild pain could unlock the memory. Surprisingly enough, it did. “She said she was getting deployed- Aww fuck!” He cursed loudly as he pressed his hand into his face. “Is she still here?”

The look of mild concern crossed the princess' features as she crossed her hooves on the table. “Did she not say anything else to you? She left this morning for Twin Peaks.”

“No, she didn't say anything to me!” Standing quickly, Jack grit his teeth as the blood rushed from his head and his headache quadrupled. Setting off at a brisk march, he began making his way toward her room. Maybe she hadn't left yet. Maybe he wouldn't be too late. Reaching her door, Jack knocked rapidly, and was greeted with silence. Opening the door, Jack strode into the room and looked around near frantically. It was empty, like he'd been afraid it would be. On the dresser was his PDA. Cursing quietly, Jack pocketed the device and sat down on the edge of her bed. She hadn't even said goodbye. Or maybe she had tried, and had found him passed out drunk with a naked woman in his bed. Indignant anger flooded his system, and it was all directed inwards.

Through the anger he wondered where she was. Could he contact her? Probably not. He sighed sadly and ran a hand through his shortly cropped hair. He had duties to attend to, and instructors to train. Still, he couldn't focus on that, he could only turn his thoughts toward his friend.

“I hope you stay safe, Flitter… where ever you are.”

Staring out the window as the desert rolled passed her, Flitter did her best to think of anything but Canterlot and the people within it. With the train gently swaying under her, she at least had something to focus on. The train ride to the hamlet below Twin Peaks was a three day journey by train, and a minimum of two by air. Once in the village, she'd be greeted by an army officer. From there…

Flitter's features fell again as her mind wandered off track. She should have left Jack a note, or a video, or something. Anything would have been better than leaving wordlessly. She'd been too scared to even knock on his door that morning, being too afraid of exactly what she'd see. How could anybody expect her to lead soldiers when she couldn't say three stupid simple words?

Her thoughts became a maelstrom of regret and anger as she stared out at the passing desert. The look on Jack's face when she'd told him about her posting had nearly broken her heart, but he had still been happy for her, proud of her. Her own mother couldn't even bring herself to care, let alone feel pride, and there was Jack, hugging the crap out of her because he was proud of her. Flitter's features fell further, and she felt her emotions welling up in an attempt to break free. Pressing her hooves into her face, Flitter tried to think of anything but Jack.

He'll never love you, why don't you give the rest of us a chance?

Field's harsh words slipped free from the tangled knot of thought in her head, and brought an immediate scowl to her features. The stallion had been drunk and frustrated, but she couldn't forgive him that easily. Laying down on the bench seat, Flitter rested her chin on her forehooves and willed herself to rest. She had a long journey ahead of her, and the more rested she was, the better.

The train's shrill whistle awoke Flitter for the third time as it pulled into Twin Peak Station. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Flitter cast a glance out the window at the small military village the train had stopped in. Twin Peak Village was where the primary barracks for the REA was housed, as well as the administration buildings. It had started as a border base, but the influx of soldier's families and travellers through the pass had created a boomtown that housed nearly three thousand souls. Further up the mountain was Twin Peaks Primary, the leading outpost in Equestria. It saw more action than anybody in all of Equestria would believe. Bandits were still a blight on the area, as it was too far from any major griffon population center for their government to truly care, and Equestria could never launch any full scale operations to oust the bandits from their caves. The outpost was the first line of defence, as very few were willing to attempt to try and fly or climb over the utterly treacherous peaks.

Gathering her two bags, Flitter fixed her officers cap and straightened her starched uniform, before trotting off the train and into her new life for the next eighteen months. Waiting for her was another officer, and a bright eyed private who took her bags. The officer greeted her flatly, and didn't offer a name. Without any pomp, the pair led Flitter through the town, and into the base camp. The small fort was surrounded by thick stone walls, and was barred by a heavy iron portcullis. The private informed her that she could find her bags in her room, while the officer's clipped tone ordered her to follow along into the keep.

Following along quietly, Flitter scanned around, making sure to memorise every twist and turn of the old keep. They passed by the barracks, where close to one hundred of the ranger corps rested between shifts up in the outpost. They skipped it for the time being, but Flitter knew she'd see the inside soon enough. The officer opened a recently refurbished door and motioned for her to enter, before letting the door go and trotting off after she'd entered. The room turned out to be a small office, one where Colonel Glow was seated and leafing through his stack of paperwork. Snapping to attention and saluting, Flitter announced herself.

Looking up at the mare, Colonel Glow smiled lightly. “Ah. Good morning, Lieutenant!” He shifted in his seat and fluttered his burgundy wings. “I hope the train ride was pleasant?”

“I slept most of the way, sir.” Flitter returned the smile she was given by the officer as he stood from his seat.

“Great. Did Captain Whirlwind have your bags taken?” At her nod, he nodded back and began trotting to the door. “Excellent. Don't mind Whirlwind, she's always had a stick up her rear.” Straightening his uniform, Colonel Glow gestured toward the door as he smiled. “Follow me, I'll give you the grand tour.”

Following the Colonel out into the fort, Flitter was given a far more thorough tour of the base than she'd gotten from Whirlwind. Colonel Glow seemed pleased that she was there, and Flitter found herself slowly becoming wary of his possible motives. Finishing the tour before the officers quarters, Glow looked toward her and smiled lightly. “Get comfortable, Lieutenant. You're going to be here for awhile.” He looked as if he were about to leave. “Oh, and feel free to requisition extra blankets if you need them, the fort gets downright chilly some nights. Now, get some rest or grab some chow, I'm sure you're exhausted from your trip.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Flitter glanced down the hall for a moment. “When do I start?”

The stallion chuckled lightly as if she'd told a joke. “Yeah, you're Thunder's filly. You start tomorrow at seven sharp, come see me in my office and I'll have you briefed fully. I'll be placing you with Sergeant Minerva, and you'll be heading up top with her tomorrow, so get a good rest. Carry on, Lieutenant.” He shot her a salute, and swiftly had it returned before he trotted off, likely back to his office.

Having now been left alone in the fort, Flitter was allowed a moment to think. Immediately, her thoughts began to roll back toward Canterlot, and she was forced to shake her head to jar the memories away. She had to keep herself busy, otherwise she'd fall into the pitfall that was her own head. Making a quick stop at her new room to unpack, Flitter soon made her way down to the barracks to find the so-called Sergeant Minerva.

The barracks was a madhouse. Flitter almost felt petrified as she entered into the flurry of moving bodies and yelling voices. The company was getting ready for their shift change, and that always meant chaos apparently. Catcalls and heckling flew across the room as the soldiers packed their bags and cleaned their bunks. Taking a moment to compose herself, Flitter began trotting down the line in search for her sergeant.

“OFFICER ON DECK!”

As the company crashed to attention and the din died immediately, Flitter found herself standing rigid from the booming voice. A half second later she realized that the order had been over her, and managed to smile a little at herself. “As you were.” The soldiers seemed to fall back into quietly packing, before slowly edging back into their rambunctious act. A rough looking orange pegasus mare approached Flitter at a quick trot, before coming to a short stop and tossing up a salute.

“You need something, ma'am?”

Saluting the mare in return, Flitter nodded. “I'm looking for Sergeant Minerva.”

The orange pegasus slowly blinked, as if unimpressed. “Speaking to her.”

“Oh!” Flitter smiled toward the Sergeant. “The Colonel has attached me to your unit for the shift, and I wanted to meet you before we went in the field.”

For a scant moment, a brief grimace flicked across the Sergeant's features before she locked it down under a stern stony visage. “Course’.” Gesturing to the company around them, she began moving to what Flitter had to assume was her office. “This is Diamond Company, we're replacing Bravo tomorrow. You ever been up to Twin Peak pass before ma'am?” When Flitter shook her head, Minerva frowned again. “Requisition extra everything, it's colder than Tartarus up there, even mid-summer. Get a face mask too.” Flitter quickly nodded, taking mental notes. “Get a weapon and armour too. I know that's not normal for you officer types, but it's better if some bandit can't just pick you off while you're off taking a leak.” Minerva shifted for a moment, looking over Flitter with a mildly concerned eye. “You do know how to fight, right?”

Smiling to her sergeant, Flitter nodded lightly. “Better than you'd think. I had a good trainer.”

“I'll believe it when I see it.” The Sergeant pushed into her 'office;’ if the tiny section of barracks that was walled off with blankets was worth the title of office, Flitter would never truly know. Sitting down on her bed and gesturing toward the lone chair, Minerva let her dull lilac coloured mane down and seemed to relax, if only slightly. “Drink?” She offered the tiny flask to Flitter.

“No, no thank you.” Flitter shook her head. “I've never liked alcohol much.”

Shrugging as she took a swig, Minerva’s wings shuddered as she put the small flask away. “Alright. Lieutenant-”

“Please, just call me Flitter when we're not in a professional setting.” Flitter smiled lightly, and only earned a grunt of approval in return.

“Fine, Flitter. Word to the wise. We mares are rare up here, in fact ninety percent of the grunts under you are stallions. That means you've got to meet their standards of physicality and see things how they see it.” Minerva looked toward her blanket walls for a moment before continuing. “There's also a few bad apples in the company. So make sure if you're going anywhere, you bring someone you trust with you.”

Quirking a brow with light disbelief, Flitter frowned at the news. “So you're saying one of the men might try and rape me?”

Coughing at the brutal forwardness, Minerva nodded. “Yeah, uh… yeah. Hasn't happened in a few years, but there's still the chance. It'll also help in case you go outside the wire and get picked up by a bandit pack. If that happens, well… okay, try to not get captured. Once you're over that border, there's sweet fuck all we can do. So unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a bandit rutting post, keep your head on a swivel and never go anywhere alone.”

Grimacing at the thought, Flitter nodded. “Definitely not going to happen. Anything else I should know?”

“We've got about twenty raw recruits; I don't know how acquainted you are with watching things die, and I sincerely doubt you've killed anybody, but I know that they're all green as grass. That kind of shit is gonna mess up some of them. You need to watch out for it, from them as well as yourself.”

“I think I'll be alright in that respect, Minerva.” Flitter leaned back on the chair while the Sergeant looked over at her with curiosity. What Minerva didn't know was that when Flitter had seen her first death on video, it had haunted her dreams for weeks, if not months. That is, it had until she'd butchered Lacey Maltenics. None the less, Minerva seemed skeptical, but kept it to herself.

“Well ma'am, I suppose we'll find out eventually. It was nice talking to you, and I appreciate you coming here for a meet and greet.”

Standing and adjusting her uniform, Flitter smiled brightly to the rough mare. “I'll see you tomorrow, Minerva.” Turning on her hooves, Flitter left the Sergeant alone and carried on toward her own room. As she trotted through the barracks. She made sure to appear as professional, yet as friendly as possible. Most of the enlisted soldiers ignored her, while a few readily returned the smile and nod. Out of the corner of her eye, Flitter made note of one sour stallion who glared daggers at her as she walked passed. The trot to her room was a thankfully short one, as she still had to see to her things.

Unpacking everything that she wouldn't be bringing up the mountain with her, Flitter's eyes fell on the plainly wrapped gift Luna had given her when she'd left. Carefully unwrapping the box, Flitter opened it to find a truly fitting gift. The equestrian pattern pistol was a mirror of what the special forces soldiers in the field would be using. It used a magically charged .40cal round, had canted sights, and was mouth operated. The grip was custom tailored to fit her specifically, and the slide was blued. As a final touch, Luna’s crest was stamped upon the slide. The weapon came with four magazines loaded with ten rounds a piece, and a custom underwing holster that worked in tandem with the ka-bar sheath.

Going over the weapon, Flitter recalled every lesson Jack had given her over firearms, and the demonstrations that she had seen. She was glad that he'd at least shown her how to operate this kind of weapon. After clicking the safety on, Flitter set the pistol down on her night stand and began undressing for the night. Curling up in the small bed, Flitter willed herself to fall into the lovely land of unconsciousness.

It would take her three hours to rid herself of the guilty thoughts she had, and her sleep would be a rough one.

Author's Notes:

Alright, this chapter turned out to be nice and easy for me. i doubt that'll last.

Anyways, The next few chapters might feel a tad bit rushed, if only because I'm going to try and fast track through all the training stuff. I won't skip big stuff, but you don't need to be forced to read 30k words about how loud Jack can yell at ponies.