Things have drastically changed for Po Abbato. Having survived the Nibiran attack on Cycler 3, the Marine Corps training cylinder, they were now aboard the *S.S. Gear Issue*. They were also told that they were now Marines and were expected to act like Marines and boots. Abbato also found out that the *S.S. Gear Issue* was headed to a deep crater on the Moon. From there they would eventually be assiged to find out if there were active insurgents operating on the Moon that were threatening Earth. Rumor had it that Janus sympathers were on the Moon and they needed to be rooted out.
Things were different here on the Moon. Once the *S.S. Gear Issue* was allowed to dock to the central Moon dome, the Marines found significantly more space and things to do than they had while in training. There were shopping malls, bars and more bars catering to these young Marines and other Marines who had already been stationed her. PFC Po had been assigned a Fire Team Leader but one of his charges was Pvt. Paisley. He’s the same guy that had given Po lots of trouble while they had been in basic training. Paisley thought he was smarter than Po or anyone else for that matter, and should have been appointed the Team Leader. He definitly had a chip on his shoulder and Po wasn’t exactly sure how to handle it.
One evening the Marines had been allow to freely explore this Moon dome and had went to a bar for some drinks and maybe entertainment. They were strictly told not to get drunk and even had sensors on them that would warn them when they were approaching their limit. Most of the Marines in Po’s platoon were somewhat disappointed in that they hadn’t been sent directly to Nibra to fight. That’s where all the action was taking place so that’s where they wanted to be. Still, they were told that they would definitely see some action if the Janus sympathizers were operating on the Moon as Marine Corps Intelligent thought they were. While in the bar, Pvt. Navarro mentioned that he thought he heard a couple of guys near them speaking Nibiran.
So, Po took the initative to take his Fire Team with him to see if they could follow these guys once they left the bar. Little did Po realize that this would be their first action of their short careers. It turns out that they had found quite a nest of Janus sympathizers who had planned on doing something very dreadful towards Earth. Po and his fellow Marines definitely got some action with a few of them even getting wounded in the fire fights. So, now with the fight on Cycler 3 and this lates combat action, Po and his fellow Marines thought they should also be ready to go to Nibra and engage in the war there. They soon got their wish.
Meanwhile, Po was having problems of his own. His sister was writing him that she had gone to visit his father in simjail and she believed that he had reformed. He was up for parole soon and his caretakers thought they might let him out this time under heavy observation. Po hated his father. He had done nothing for his Mother, younger brothers and sisters, nor did he help Po or his older brother. He was an alcoholic and a gambler that put his family deep in debt. He was abusive to every one he was around and Po was very glad when he went to simjail. Of course that left Po trying his best to earn enough money to support his family. His sister was sick and needed meds constantly, but wouldn’t buy them if she thought she wanted something for herself or his oldest brother. Po didn’t know what was going to happen to his family if his father returned. He definitely wasn’t going to ever return home if his father was around.
Additionally, Po was being visited from an alien Emplor called Zanth. He didn’t know how or why this alien appeared to him and was really confused when no one else around him could see or hear Zanth. It also didn’t help that this Zanth characters was something of a smart-ass that told Po what to do in certain situations. Unfortunately for Po, Zanth’s instructions were spot on and had save Po’s life on several occasions. Po was afraid to tell anyone that he was seeing this invisible Emplor because that might get him an immediate discharge.
So, the orders came and Po’s Marine Battalion was going to Nibra. In fact, every Marine in the Corps was heading towards Nibra. This was going to be the final showdown between To’sheth Rin and the Corps. And it was going to take place on a moon called Eremus. While in Po’s mind he figured this Janus rebel had bitten off more than he could chew with the entire might of the Marine Corps coming down on him on this one moon, he also thought that there was something else going on that maybe Marine Corps Intell hadn’t pickedup on. Well, he was soon to find out. He and his fellow Marines were in for the fight of their lives.
This story continues to be very interesting. The only thing I would knock the author about is why in the world would he name his main character, “Po”. That’s about the worst name I could have come up with to be a Marine. I think his name would have been turned into such an idiotic nickname that he would have dreaded hearing it every day. I know this story is continuing since this latest battel isn’t quite over. So, we’ll be reading more in book 3, “Lance”, up for pre-order now and available 15 Oct 2024. We have quite a wait for this next book!