This chapter is dedicated to cbmorefie for all her lovely reviews.

Bella received regular monthly status updates from the commander of the Jordanian deployment. The first had been detailed; how the squadron settled in and praise for her preparation. Every subsequent report was brief; everything was fine, the marines were acclimatised and working well beside the Jordanians.

The posting had existed since the 1980s, back when Lebanon was blowing up and the US started to get worried about their assets along the Mediterranean. A combination of American forces were stationed at a friendly base outside Amman, with access to their airfields so they could be deployed to anywhere in the region quickly if needed. Generally it was to provide expert support to ongoing American missions across the Levant and further east or, for the marines, to engage in an extreme but defined combat role. The posting kept the marines at a constant state of readiness, allowed them to experience foreign environments, and to develop their skills in action.

For the Jordanians who hosted them, they received training from one of the most elite military forces in the world. They participated in some of the marines training exercises and attended classes taught by the more experienced soldiers. It was a status symbol for the Jordanian army to be able to say they trained alongside American marines, and a political statement for the Jordanian government; we have powerful friends within our boarders, combat ready at all times.

For the men working and training side by side, it was useful to learn from each other, share their experiences, and develop trust.

A fully beneficial arrangement for everyone.

~A~

And then a casualty occurred. A green on blue. An ally killed an American. A Jordanian soldier killed a marine.

It sent shockwaves throughout the American military, intelligence community, government and media.

Major news outlets called into question the capabilities of the elite soldier who was killed. Questioned the American relationship with a murky ally in a dirty region. What would be the response to such an unprovoked and violent attack against the soldier, against the nation?

Bella was in the air three hours after the confirmed casualty report came in.

She was to help the military police investigation into the death of the marine. To help liaise the inevitably sensitive political and cultural exchange of information. Manage expectations on both sides. And talk to the soldiers involve and analyse what exactly had fucking happened.