A Trim Here

by ArouraLeona

**Canceled** After meeting and witnessing the death of another Invisible 9 trooper, Corporal Randel's self esteem takes a nosedive. As always, his only saving grace is the strength of Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin. But, no matter how noble, a woman is still human and capable of mistakes and failure. With the gold on his Alice idol flaking off, how will his life change?

1. 1: Kittens

A Trim Here

Chapter 1

Kittens

Two of his cats had died. He sat under the bridge and watched the rest of them eat; sadness overwhelmed him. They'd just been kittens, after all. Small things, helpless. Prey to a large tom who wanted what they had: protection and sustenance. It didn't matter that Randel would have happily fed him, too. The tom wanted what he wanted and decided to take it.

Well, decided as much as any feral cat ever decided anything.

But, Randel thought, a cat is a cat. They don't think like men. But men...

He had failed to save the kittens, and that failure was a harsh reminder of his failure two months before to keep the armory storehouse from catching on fire. The Lieutenant and sublieutenants Oreldo and Martis had made it to safety, but that woman... her scream, the last sound before the explosion, would become a staple in his nightmares. He had failed to save her, too.

Absently, he picked at the fraying bandage on his cheek. When he realized what he was doing, he forced his hand down. Nurse Rosetta wouldn't be happy with him if he took the bandage off early. And he didn't like to make her upset. She could be frightening.

Not as much as the Lieutenant, though. She was angry with him again. Injured. Too often and too much damage. Shouldn't have been so close to the blast zone.

But he had wanted to save that woman. She had been so broken. So mad. But he understood her; she was filled with a terror and a manic drive to act. 919 STT (Stereo Tactics Trooper) – Krysta. His sister, in as much as it mattered. In as much as it would ever matter. Her scream, that shriek that perforated both his eardrums, haunted him still.

The cries of the kittens caused him no physical pain, but they hurt just as much. If he wasn't so big, maybe he could have gotten to them faster. Stopped the tom. Saved those two little lives.

Sublieutenant Oreldo would tell him that they couldn't save everyone. And the Lieutenant was starting to give him pitying looks again, exactly as she had following 908 HTT – Hans' death. Another passing that haunted him. He was dedicated to war relief. He believed in what the Lieutenant said. But each body he left behind him only made him heavier. Made him slower. Hunched his shoulders and pulled at his heart.

Randel covered his canteen and stood, "Don't worry I'll be back with more food tonight. Be careful."