. . . If only life had been as easy as she had planned . . .
She had just finished basic training, and was even at the top of her class. There were only three others that had bested her, but Jane didn't care at the moment; she had made her brother proud. At least, she thought she had. John had called her on the long bus ride back from basic, spending what little of his free time on shore leave to congratulate Jane on the job well done.
And John was not easily impressed. Hearing those words from his voice had made pride swell up inside of Jane's chest.
"You did good, kiddo. You would have made Dad proud." John said, his voice losing some of his seriousness either from the static of the phone or from the pride he felt for Jane. She hoped that it was the latter. "He would have wanted to see you there, at the top of your class."
"Thanks John." Jane muttered, feeling a smile creeping at the edges of her mouth.
She settled back into the somewhat lumpy seat of the Greyhound bus. Jane tilted her head, hiding the forming smile from the other passengers as she looked out of the fogged up window. She brought up a hand and wiped away the condensation, only to see that the storm had followed her home to Vancouver. The harsh rain was pelting down on the asphalt like small hammers, and the metallic roof of the bus sounded like a symphony that only encompassed timpani drummers. Still, Jane could see the outline of Vancouver's skyline in the far distance. Home.
"How far are you from the house?" John asked.
"Pretty close, about another forty minutes, at most." Jane answered with a small sigh. John was back down to business, as always. Jane straightened up in her chair and looked down at her watch. It was almost 5:30. "I've got four days until I have to show up at my assigned post. I don't know how I'm going to spend it home."
"Want my advice, kiddo? Go down to the shooting range with Anderson. Last time I checked with him, he had some shore leave before taking his next assignment. Go see if that old man's aim is as good as he brags it is." John said, cracking one of his rare jokes.
Jane just snorted at her brother's words. Anderson would only brag if he had the skills to back up his words. That was his rule about everything.
"I'm not falling for that one, John. We both know that Anderson's got more experience that both of us together." Jane said through a surprising smile. "But I'll still take the opportunity for some target practice. Don't want to get rusty during my vacation."
"Now that's what I like to hear, kiddo." There was a pause, and Jane could hear some rowdy shouting from John's end that blunted his voice. Jane knew instantly that it was John's friends and fellow squad mates. She heard him laugh a genuine laugh, one that she rarely heard herself, and then his attention was brought back to her. "Listen, I've got to go now Jane. Talk to you again when I'm off duty."
"Got it, big bro." Jane said, but John had ended the phone call before she could finish her sentence.
With a large sigh, Jane powered off her phone as she removed her uniform's hat. She undid the tight hair bun that she had always been forced to wear back in basic and let her dark red hair fall onto her shoulders in a cascading effect. Jane closed her eyes and reclined once again as she let her hands run through her soft hair, letting her scalp finally breathe after months and months of having it tied up too tightly. Jane let out a small, contented sigh through her nose as the edges of her lips pinched up into an almost smile.
Who cares if John was giving Jane his usual cold and distant attitude? This was what she wanted, right now. And she be damned if she didn't enjoy this feeling for the rest of the cramped ride back to Vancouver.
Jane felt fully relaxed as the time passed. Half an hour later, Jane Shepard felt the bus finally pull over to its designated stop. The rest of the passengers started to fidget around as they found their belongings and umbrellas. Jane let out a small groan as she stood up, stretching her arms and back with a yawn. Jane grabbed the small duffle bag that held all of her belongings from above and swung it onto her back.
The driver opened the bus door, and that's when Jane heard the full power of the torrential downpour. Jane stepped into the aisle behind what looked like a group of college students, home for spring break. Jane smiled to them as they glanced at her and the Alliance uniform she was wearing. As she slowly crept closer to the door, Jane could hear their careless, somewhat playful screams as the students tried to find their rides or their vehicles through the onslaught of icy rain.
As soon as Jane stepped out of the bus, she could feel the rain hit her back. Each droplet felt like a small smack against the dampening fabric of her uniform. It was at this point that Jane wished that she had an umbrella at hand. The ginger started shivering as the icy cold March shower started to sink into her skin. She had to find her ride fast, or else she'd find herself grumpy for the rest of the night.
Just as Jane Shepard found herself running around the parking lot adjacent to the bus stop, she heard a car horn that she was familiar with. Jane blinked the ice cold water out of her eyes to see the Anderson's blue Ford barely twenty feet from her. She could see someone wave their hand towards her, and Jane returned the gesture. Jane ran over to the car and opened up the passenger side door. She was greeted with the friendly face of her foster mother, Mrs. Kahlee Anderson.
"Get in quickly, Jane!" Mrs. Anderson said in a hurried voice, sounding slightly concerned about the rain. "You're going to catch a cold if you stay out there any longer!"
"Yes ma'am." Jane said as she quick sat down in the seat, holding the small duffle bag in her lap.
"Now don't go ma'am-ing me Jane. It's been a long time since I was a Marine. Now get your seatbelt on so we can head home." Mrs. Anderson said as she took the Ford out of parked position.
Jane nodded and quickly found the buckle for the seatbelt. As Mrs. Anderson pulled out onto the road, Jane threw the duffle bag into the back, only to spot the Anderson's little kid in the back seat. Little Danny was sitting right behind his mother, and as playing some form of hand held gaming device. However, as soon as he saw the duffle bag in the corner of the eye, he looked up and caught Jane's eyes. The small kid wailed out a cry of happiness.
"Janie! You're back!" The young kid cried out. Jane let out a small laugh as she smiled, flashing her teeth. She reached out to the young boy and ruffled his short brown curls, effectively messing up his tidy hair. He grabbed her hand and held it tight, almost afraid to let go. "I missed you, big Sis."
"I missed you too, Danny. Did I miss anything since the past four months?" Jane asked as she twisted her body around towards the little boy, and sat carefully into a comfortable position. She bent forward and rested her elbow against the armrest, holding her head in her free hand.
"You missed Christmas! Mom and Dad got me a new bike for spring! Can you teach me to ride it when you're home?" Danny asked, visibly excited.
"If the weather is nice, why not?" Jane asked matter-of-factly, which rewarded her with another cry of excitement from the six year old boy.
"Only if you finish your homework tonight, Daniel." Mrs. Anderson said, glancing up into the rearview mirror to look at her son. Her voice grew into the motherly tone that Jane knew for years. "You got a C on your last math quiz. I promised not to tell your dad about it if you promise to do well on your next one."
That earned the two women a groan from the young boy. Jane couldn't help but laugh as she settled back into the appropriate position in her seat. The rest of the ride home was full of small talk about both Jane's time at basic and life at home, but it ended up being mostly how things had been happening at home. Jane was delighted to hear that her foster father had been promoted to Captain during her four month absence. Jane had seen this coming since a long time ago, and was finally happy to hear that Anderson finally got was he deserved.
When they finally pulled into the driveway, the harsh rain had finally started to dwindle into a light drizzle. Jane was still slightly damp through her wet Alliance uniform, and the first thing she decided to do once she unpacked her belongings was take a hot bath, a commodity that Jane sorely missed. Jane helped Kahlee Anderson unpack the car, as the Mrs. had gone grocery shopping before she had picked her up. Jane swung the duffle bag back over her shoulder and gripped the few plastic bags in the trunk.
Danny helped Jane back into the house as Jane reached the front door. The three were greeted with the barking of the Anderson's family dog. The pit-bull barked and wagged his tail violently as his talons scrapped against the wooden floor. The dog let out an excited whine when he spotted all three humans, specifically the redheaded one, and almost jumped on Jane despite the fact that her arms had been full. Of course, the dog was oblivious of that small fact.
"Whoa, Duke! Steady." Mrs. Anderson said as she grabbed the pit-bull's collar and held him back for Jane. "You'll get to see Jane when her arms are free."
As if the dog understood his mistress, Duke let out a small whine as he unwillingly sat down on his rump. Jane went into the kitchen and placed the bags down on the counter. As soon as she stepped out of the small kitchen, Mrs. Anderson let go of the dog's collar. Duke literally jumped over to Jane, almost knocking her down, and greeted the woman with a series of licks and kisses as his body wiggled with excitement. Jane returned the sentiment with a thorough series of strokes over his short white fur and a single belly rub.
"Nice to know that someone missed me." Jane said as she sat down beside the family dog. Duke leaned into her side once she settled in and Jane set a pace to her petting. She patted Duke on his side as she continued. "Looks like you're getting fat. Does anyone take you for walks when I'm not home?"
"Not as many as the little devil should have." Mrs. Anderson said as she passed the two on her way to the kitchen. "He's too strong for Danny to take by himself. And David and I don't have enough time to run him tired anymore since his promotion."
"Has John been home since I left? He would have wanted a running partner during his shore leave." Jane asked, her eyebrows furrowing together as she made a confused expression. The dog beside her had calmed enough for her series of strokes to slow down to a steady crawl. Duke even rested his head atop of Jane's lap. "I thought he had this last Christmas off?"
"I won't tell say anything until David gets back from his meeting. I wouldn't be able to describe it as well as he would anyway." Kahlee said as she started to take the groceries out of the bags. "Until then, why don't you help me start dinner? I bought some steak for your first night back."
Jane could almost feel herself salivating at the mention of fresh meat. She stood up and brushed the short dog hair off of her uniform. Jane joined her foster mother in the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Expertly, Jane started to cut up the vegetables beside Kahlee, who was tending to the steak before placing it on the indoor grill. The minutes passed in comfortable silence, and the ginger could feel herself relaxing. Jane heard the meat cooking before she could smell it, and she took in a deep inhale before exhaling with a smile.
"They don't have this in basic." Jane stated as she finished cutting up the vegetables and placed them in a steamer.
"If I recall my basic training all those years ago, they didn't have a lot at all." Kahlee said through a chuckle, nodding her head in agreement.
Jane cleaned up her station and placed the chopping board she had been using into the sink. She then headed to her and her brother's shared room in the back of the house. As Jane opened up the door, she was met with the last ray of light that shone through the window facing the west. Her bed was still neatly made from the last time she had been here in November. Jane closed the door behind her and threw her duffle bag on top of the bed's covers haphazardly.
Jane sat down on the bed and felt the familiar material against the palms of her hands. She gripped the fabric, the softness setting off memories of her late childhood. Jane leaned backwards against the headrest as she remembered stormy days playing with dolls and Legos. She remembered running in the back yard with John, who would always outrun her no matter how fast her legs would carry her. It all hit Jane, and she smiled as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
It felt good to be home, even if it was only for four days before heading to her assignment. Her thoughts wandered towards her older brother, and she felt a mix of disappointment and anger. John hadn't even asked where she had been assigned to. The anger dispelled as soon as it had appeared; he probably forgot to ask her. That's all. He'd probably call tomorrow and remember then.
Probably.
With her mind still on her brother, Jane stripped out of her uniform and placed it in the laundry basket. She was still cold from the rain earlier, and now she remembered how much she wanted to just take a long, hot shower. Dinner would be soon, so Jane would have to settle for a short, hot shower for now.
Grabbing a towel and a clean set of clothes civilian clothes, Jane headed to the bathroom. There, she started the shower and climbed into the tub. Minutes passed as Jane soaped and shampooed her body. Jane turned off the water just in time to hear Comman— Captain Anderson arrive back home. Jane smiled softly as she heard the hum of the man's car stop as he took the keys out of the ignition. Jane quickly dried off and put her clean clothes on.
Just as Jane was stepping out of the somewhat fogged up bathroom, Captain Anderson had entered the house, signaled by Duke's thunderous barking. Captain Anderson calmed the dog down with the serious tone of voice that Jane was so familiar with. The man looked up to see Jane at the other end of the house, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Anderson's mouth twitched into a small smile before placing down his briefcase and walked over to Jane.
Jane saluted her foster father out of habit, having done so long before joining the Alliance, to which Anderson returned the gesture. Anderson then took Jane into a small, short hug before looking down at the smiling girl in approval. Jane patted his back, and Anderson followed suit.
"Damn, Jane it's been too long." Anderson said with a small nod of his head. He stepped back to look at Jane more thoroughly. "How was basic?"
"Just like you said it was, Captain." Jane said, putting extra emphasis on the man's new title. "Never thought to write me a letter to tell me how that happened, huh?" Jane continued as she bent downwards slightly to pet Duke's head, which was now leaning against her leg as if the dog was demanding her attention.
"Just happened recently. Sixteen days to be exact." Captain Anderson said as he turned towards the dining room. As he started walking, Jane fell into his step. "At that point we knew that it was better to wait until you came back home before your first assignment. Care to tell us where you're stationed?"
The two walked into the dining room to find that Mrs. Anderson and Danny were already seated in their usual spots. The food was resting at the table, waiting for the last few members of the family to settle down before they all dug in. Captain Anderson took the spot at the head of the table while Jane took the open chair that was to his left. As soon as Jane sat down, the four began to pick apart their steak.
"I, uh, I was assigned to a base over in the Mediterranean for the next fifteen months. You know the base in Italy? That's where I'll be. From there, I don't know where." Jane said, finally remembering that Anderson had asked her a question. She paused as she took a bite out of her steak and chewed it slowly, savoring every second of it. It tasted like heaven. "Hopefully I can continue training there and get picked for Recon training."
"Still want to be a sniper, I see." Kahlee said as she leaned towards Danny with a napkin in hand. Danny didn't moved as his mother wiped a piece of food off of his cheek. However, the boy did make a face as his mother turned to look at Jane. "I tried to enter the program. It wasn't easy."
"It still isn't easy." Captain Anderson said. He made eye contact with Jane and held it. "Hell, I think it's even more difficult than it was two decades ago. But if anyone can do it, it's you Jane."
"Thanks, Anderson. And I intend to get into that program, no matter what it takes to do it." Shepard said with a curt nod of her head, showing how determined she was. Her attention then turned to Anderson. She gave him a raise of a single eyebrow, showing her confusion. "Still care to tell me how you became a Captain?"
Anderson let out a heavy, annoyed sigh. "If you're asking me whether I earned it, then I'll have to be honest with you Jane. I didn't earn it, which is what makes me angry with it. I was promoted because of damned politicians."
Anderson paused as he took an angry bite out of his stake. He set his fork down and then propped his elbows onto the table, folding his hands together as he did so.
"They wanted someone with battle experience to be stationed at the base here in Vancouver to help keep certain people in office and other from being voted in their place." Anderson said, his voice growing frustrated. "Instead of being in the front of the action where I belong, out in the final frontier, I'm stuck behind a desk as a pencil pusher."
"Speaking of the final frontier, how are we doing on the Moon?" Kahlee asked her husband, genuinely curious.
"The military base up there is almost complete. Communications are up and the commanding officer there is assuring Command that everything is running effectively. By summer, we can have troops stationed like any other base here on Earth." Anderson said.
"We're really that far into the program?" Jane asked rhetorically. She placed her fork down on her plate, having lost her appetite at her foster father's words, and gripped the side of the wooden table as she thought.
"We are, Jane. The Alliance is putting a lot of resources into this project. And we have more than enough support from both the UNAS and our allies." Anderson answered his foster daughter, giving her a look that said he knew exactly what she was thinking, even if she didn't know it yet herself. "There's more to this project than that, but all I can say for the moment is that the Alliance wants to push further when we finish the moon base. And now we have our sights on Mars."
Not only the Moon, but Mars as well? Wow, Jane couldn't keep her head straight. Was it getting hot in the room, or was it just her?
It seemed like just last month that that the United North American States had publicly launched their program for the Moon base. But Jane knew that it had actually been about a year. She remembered it with perfect clarity. "Project Luna" it had been dubbed by the media, and the shared dream of space exploration had finally been achieved. Many people were ecstatic that the human race could finally explore the void of space, their thoughts going back to movies from the old 20th and 21st centuries.
Jane knew that when she first heard about the project, her mind instantly went to the old show Star Trek. Who could blame her; it all felt surreal.
Jane had always been a firm supporter of space exploration. She had always supported people whenever they wanted another civilian or military satellite station orbiting the Earth. But she had never thought that space exploration like this would happen this early in her lifetime. Perhaps decades from now, when she was older and technology was much more advance than the present. When her body would have been too weak to be at the front of it all.
There were whole worlds up there that no one has ever stepped foot on. And sometime within her lifetime, she could have the opportunity to do just that. Leave a simple footprint on a barren planet. Something that would be so mundane here on Earth, but up there it would be life changing. Part of her still couldn't wrap her head around it.
And then the young woman's thoughts turned to her imminent future. If Jane could set her mind to it, she could be able to be stationed there on Luna Base, or even on Mars if the Alliance's plans followed through. There was now a tugging in Jane's chest that she never felt before, and the closest thing she could relate it to would be the feeling of being in love.
It felt right to her.
Suddenly, all thoughts of joining the sniper division here on Earth disappeared. Staying on planet seemed a whole lot duller compared to the wonder and mystery of space. A smile crept onto her face as she felt the rightness to the word "space". Jane knew that that was where she belonged, and where she was supposed to head towards.
As this realization dawned on her, Kahlee and Captain Anderson watched their foster daughter with steady, careful eyes. Anderson somehow knew that as soon as he mentioned the Alliance's progress in space, it would have changed her. Hell, it had changed John exactly the same way.
"I've seen that look before, Jane." Captain Anderson muttered before taking a sip from his glass of water. He sat his glass down and then pointed at Jane in a non-threatening manner, yet still gaining the young woman's attention. "That's the look you had back when you were thirteen and wanted to go to that concert with your friends. And when we adopted Duke two years ago. That's your determined look, when you won't settle for anything less than what you want."
"A girl can hope." Jane admitted as she sank back into her chair.
"I'm not reprimanding you, Jane. But I will tell you that it's going to be very hard to get into the space program. You'll need to be at the top of your game, and make a name for yourself." Captain Anderson said, nodding his head as he told Jane what she needed to do. Jane looked at him, confused for a second, and then realizing that he was giving her advice. "That's what your brother is down right now at this very moment."
"Wait, John knows about the future space program?" Jane said, her attention snapping from her dreams of space to her usually distant and stern brother.
"He was one of the first to know. John knew even before I did."
"Remember when you asked why John hadn't been home for this Christmas?" Kahlee supplemented. Jane looked at the woman and nodded her head, waiting for a further explanation. "Well, your brother had been noticed by a newly formed board in the Alliance. They recruited him for a special program that was created specifically for space exploration."
"It's called the Interplanetary Combative Training program. They only recruit the best of the best, and somehow he proved it to higher officials that he's it. If John makes it to a certain level through the program, he'll be able to lead a squad on his own space ship. That is, if our progress keeps at a steady, consistent pace." Anderson said, explaining further.
"And that's why he's barely returning my calls, or coming home?" Jane asked, remembering her phone call from earlier.
"Exactly."
At that, Jane shook her head. This was a lot of information that they were throwing at her. Space travel, her brother's part in it, Anderson's part of it. None of it seemed real to her at all. Jane continued to shake her head as she pushed her half eaten meal away from her. She was getting a headache and needed to sit down.
"I need to sit down."
"Feel free to go to bed. It's almost eight, and you're body will still be used to waking up at 5:30 tomorrow. Enjoy the extra sleep while you still can Jane." Kahlee said as she picked up Jane's plate and put it on the floor, where Duke scrambled to eat the rest of the woman's meat and fat. He slobbered Jane in the process. "But leave your door open for Duke; he misses sleeping with you."
"Like I would forget Duke." Jane said as she got up from her chair and bent over to give Duke a hug around his neck. Duke gave the ginger a wet kiss from the wet contact and then continued eating. Jane grimaced and wiped the saliva off of her cheek, almost groaning when she saw the food particles contained within the film of wetness. "Eew. One thing I do not miss about you, old boy, is your slobber."
That remark gained Jane an outburst from Danny, who was laughing at his older sister. Jane winked at him and then retired to her room for the night. Just like Kahlee said, Duke joined Jane almost an hour later, climbing up on top of her bed and setting next to her legs. He let out a large sigh seconds later, telling Jane that the dog was already falling asleep.
Oh, how she missed this.