CAMP MACKALL, NORTH CAROLINA- JUNE 1943

Enduring the brutal, unrelenting nature of basic training had left Tess exhausted and wishing for death. But it had culminated in becoming a paratrooper, which somehow made the whole ordeal seem worthwhile.

The same couldn't be said for tactical training. It was every bit as grueling, and the end result (being sent off to war) wasn't nearly as satisfying.

Of course, Easy Company stuck together, more bonded than ever. They were still stuck with Captain Sobel, but the cocky, untouchable man from basic training had disappeared and been replaced with one just as cruel, but not nearly as competent.

During one particularly memorable training exercise, the company sat crouched in the woods. It had been several minutes, and they had not yet moved on from this position.

Tess turned to Charlotte next to her, "How much you wanna bet Sobel botched this one, too?"

Charlotte snorted, "I'd bet my entire supply of alcohol."

"Well, we all know how much that is," Liebgott whispered from behind them. Charlotte turned around with the intention of slapping him, which she might have if Tess hadn't yanked her back.

"We're in the wrong position!" Sobel called, mostly to himself.

Tess looked at Charlotte, who grinned wildly, "Guess I get to keep that alcohol."

Now the entire company had eyes on Sobel, who kept looking from the map to the area around him, as though he expected the terrain to magically shift. Finally, in an act of duty or pity, Dick Winters headed over to the captain.

"We're a textbook position for ambush, sir. I think we should sit tight, let the enemy team come into our killing zone." Dick spoke in a calm and collected manner, but Tess could sense just how aggravated he was. It practically rolled off of him in waves.

Sobel shook his head frantically, "They're right out there somewhere. Let's just get them!"

"Sir, we have perfect cover here," Dick argued.

Sobel simply ignored him, "Lieutenant, deploy your troops."

Defeated, Dick turned to the platoon, "2nd Platoon, move out!"

There was some grumbling amongst the soldiers, but they knew better than to disobey a direct order. The company climbed out of the foxhole and did not walk more than ten steps before some foliage rustled and several soldiers in camouflage stepped out from their hiding place, weapons pointed at Easy Company.

The leader of the exercise emerged from the trees as well and approached Captain Sobel, "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your company. Your outfit?"

In that moment, not only had 95% of Easy Company been "killed", but Tess had a feeling they would have committed murder as well.

Sobel cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed, "Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506."

The other captain scribbled that down on his clipboard, "Leave three men on the ground and report back to the assembly area," he instructed.

Later, Dick confided to Tess in the company headquarters.

"He's not fit to be leader of the company. Not only is his tactical thinking completely screwed in the field, but he doesn't listen to any of the officers or NCOs either," Dick said, coming as close to complaining as Tess had ever seen.

"Is there any way for you to issue a complaint? It's not like you don't have proof of his inadequacy as leader," Tess offered.

Dick shook his head, "No, there's really nothing I can do about it. Just hope someone higher up comes to same conclusion we have, I guess."

"Are you two in the middle of something?" Nixon asked, as he sauntered in through the door.

"Not at all, Nix," Dick ran a hand through his hair.

"So what are we talking about? Alcohol? Pornography? All of the above?"

"Sobel's inability to lead the company," Tess supplied.

"Ah, that," Nixon sighed, "What are you going to do?" he asked Dick.

"Nothing, just keep training the men," Dick said, sounding resigned.

"Am I interrupting?" Nixon, Dick, and Tess turned to see a short, curly-haired man standing in the doorway.

"No, no. Lieutenant Harry Welsh, meet Lieutenant Lewis Nixon and Corporal Tess Cruz," Dick gestured to both Nixon and Tess as he introduced them. Lieutenant Welsh shook each of their hands.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Tess said.

Welsh raised an eyebrow, "Corporal, you say?"

"Yes sir, I've just been promoted, actually," Tess replied, fully aware that he was questioning her presence.

"Corporal Cruz is here visiting Lieutenant Winters on… personal time, if you catch my meaning," Nixon told Welsh with a small smirk, "And as for him," Nixon pointed towards Dick, "well, you'll learn him pretty quickly. No flaws, no vices, no sense of humor."

"Just like your chums up at Battalion staff?" Dick shot back before turning to Welsh, "What's up?"

"I'm hearing a lot of rumblings," Welsh began.

"Sobel?" Nixon laughed, "We were just talking about that."

"So, he gets a little jumpy in the field?" Welsh asked.

"He gets jumpy and then you get killed," Nixon grumbled.

"That's nice…"

"Listen," Dick cut in, "if we discuss it, I think it should be just amongst ourselves."

"Oh, absolutely," Welsh agreed.

"2nd Platoon ready?" Everyone jumped when Sobel suddenly appeared in the door.

"Ready, sir," Dick replied hastily.

"Then get them in formation. We're moving out." Sobel shot a look towards Tess, "And in the future, Lieutenant Winters, try not to let privates into company headquarters without my permission."

"Yes, sir," Dick agreed.

"It's corporal," Tess muttered under her breath as Sobel left.

Then she bid farewell to the officers and heading back to the women's barracks to gather her stuff.

"Back so soon?" Charlotte asked, without looking up from the card game she was playing with Ethel, "Finished making love to a certain handsome lieutenant?"

"We're moving out. Soon, anyway."

Now Charlotte looked up, "Shit, really?"

Tess snorted, "Yeah, you think I'd lie about something like that? Patsy will be along any minute to tell us to get in formation."

And sure enough, Patsy appeared about a minute later, "Get a move on it, ladies. Outside, in formation in two minutes, let's go."

"Any idea where we're headed, Lieutenant?" Ethel asked.

Patsy shook her head, "None, sorry. All I know is that we're getting on a train."

Ethel shrugged, "Well, it was worth asking."

"We're gonna go where we're ordered and that's all you need to know, Private Bostick," Patsy snapped.

Ethel held up her hands in surrender, "No need to go all formalities on me, Patsy. It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

BROOKLYN NAVAL SHIPYARD, NEW YORK- SEPTEMBER 1943

"So, Europe it is," Charlotte sighed, as she led Tess, Ethel, and Jill through the crowded underbelly of the troop ship.

"Supposedly," Tess answered, "We could be going to North Africa."

"Well, shoot, I hope not," Ethel said, sounding horrified, "If I'm going to get shot up by some Kraut bastard, I want it to be in someplace exciting. Who gives a shit about North Africa?"

Charlotte tossed her duffel bag onto an empty bunk, ignoring Ethel, "Alrighty. Here we go. I'm claiming the lowest bunk so if I get seasick and throw up, it won't land on any of you. Isn't that considerate of me?"

"We're all very impressed with your chivalry," Jill replied in a droll tone.

Charlotte mock saluted her, "Well thank you kindly, Sergeant Heinrich. I live to serve." Then she clapped her hands together and turned to face the other three girls, "Now, ladies, let's go find ourselves some gentlemen."

With some reluctance, Tess and Jill followed Charlotte and Ethel out of the women's quarters. After several failed attempts, the group managed to locate the men's quarters and find their way to where the men of Easy Company had set up camp.

"Well if it isn't the ladies, crawling over to us for comfort," Bill Guarnere sneered as the girls made themselves at home.

Tess frowned, "It sure is crowded in here. Compared to the women's quarters, that is."

Liebgott smirked, "I'm sure a few of us could join you over there, if it gets lonely." Charlotte slapped him.

A few minutes later, cigarettes had been passed out, and the discussion turned to the company's inevitable deployment.

"Hey, guys, I'm glad I'm going to Europe," Joe Toye put in, brandishing his pocket knife as he spoke, "Hitler gets one of these across the windpipe, Roosevelt changes Thanksgiving to Joe Toye Day and pays me $10,000 a year for the rest of my fucking life."

"Tess over here seems to think that we might not even be going to Europe," Charlotte countered.

"We could be going to North Africa," Tess agreed.

"My brother's in North Africa; he says it's hot," Guarnere said.

"Really?" Malarkey asked, his voice dripping sarcasm, "It's hot in Africa?"

"Shut up," Guarnere snapped, "Point is, it don't matter where we go. Once you get into combat, the only person you can trust is yourself and the fellow next to you."

Toye shrugged, "Hey, long as he's a paratrooper."

"Or she," Jill whispered to Tess.

"Oh yeah? What if that paratrooper turns out to be Sobel?" Luz pointed out.

Pat Christianson, a relatively quiet man, spoke up, "If I'm next to Sobel in combat, I'm moving on down the line. Hook up with some other officer, like Heyliger or Winters."

"I like Winters," Guarnere admitted, "He's a good man. But when the bullets start flying, I don't know if I want a Quaker doing my fighting for me."

Tess practically choked on her cigarette.

"How do you know he's a Quaker?" Muck asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Guarnere shrugged, "He ain't Catholic."

Charlotte leaned forward to look at Tess, "So is he a Quaker?"

Tess giggled, "No!"

Meanwhile, the conversation had moved back to Sobel, thanks to Malarkey pointing out that the captain, was in fact, not Catholic either.

"That prick's a son of Abraham," Guarnere scoffed.

"He's what?" Liebgott spoke up and everyone except Guarnere froze.

"He's a Jew," Guarnere said, oblivious to who he was talking to.

"Fuck," Liebgott hopped down from his bunk to stand in front of Guarnere, "I'm a Jew."

"Congratulations," Guarnere sneered, "Get your nose out of my face."

"Here we go," Tess muttered as the fighting broke out, "I'm gonna get some fresh air," she told her friends, who were watching the fight with varied expressions. Jill, with disgust. Ethel looked entertained. Charlotte, however, looked like she might want to join in.

Tess shook her head and pushed her way through the small crowd that had gathered until she was on the outside deck. She stood near the railing, and closed her eyes, letting the combination of wind and mist hit her face as the boat chugged along through the water. Just as soon as the peace set in, she was snapped from her reverie by a jeering voice.

"Hey, little girl, why don't you come sit over here?"

"Yeah, I've got some things I can show you!"

Tess's eyes snapped open and she let out a low growl of frustration. She was beginning consider heading back below deck when she spotted Dick at the other end of the deck. The leering soldiers followed her gaze, and upon spotting the officer, immediately shut up, despite Dick being too far away to even hear their comments. Tess stifled a laugh, and headed over to stand next to him. He smiled when he saw her.

"Funny seeing you here," she said.

"Just getting some fresh air," he told her.

"Yeah, me too," Tess agreed, "Some hooligans started fighting down there. You know how it goes."

"Who?" Dick asked.

"Guarnere and Liebgott."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"No, I guess not."

They stood in silence for a moment until Tess remembered Guarnere's comments about Dick and she laughed.

"What?" he asked her.

"Nothing, it's just..." she stopped laughing and faced Dick, "Did you know Guarnere thinks you're a Quaker?"

The corner of Dick's mouth quirked upward slightly, "He does?"

"Yeah," Tess replied, greatly amused, "Didn't bother to correct him though. Figured I'd let you have the honors."

"Thanks…" he said, sounding distracted. Then: "You know, we might never come back after this." And suddenly, they weren't laughing about Bill Guarnere anymore.

"I know," Tess told him, "I've known that since I signed up. Haven't you?"

"I have," Dick admitted, then sighed, "I tried to get out of it, you know. War, that is."

Tess was startled, "What?"

"I volunteered for the army, a few months before we joined the war. I wanted to do one year of service so that I could avoid the draft, should we ever get involved in the war. Went through basic training and everything," Dick shook his head, "But then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and we joined the war, and no one was allowed to be discharged from the army. I was stuck."

"You probably would have been drafted anyway."

"That's what I told myself. I decided it was better this way. I went to Officer Candidate School, and then joined the airborne. And now I'm here."

"What are you going to do when you get back?" Tess asked softly.

"I haven't even let myself think that far ahead yet," Dick took a deep breath, as though he was preparing himself to do something, and then he reached over and grabbed Tess's hand. Neither of them said anything, just stood there in silence, staring out into the black ocean.

A little while later, Tess returned to her cot in the women's quarters to find her three friends already sound asleep on theirs. Charlotte was sporting a fresh bruise on her cheek. Tess smiled ruefully as she climbed into bed. Her breathing fell into rhythm with the rocking of the boat, and soon she was asleep and dreaming.