Jennie clasped her hands together, trying to present a calm face to the world. This was her first mission. Her first battle. An assault against a Maverick stronghold.

As their transport came in for a landing, she started to shake as a wild excitement rose in her breast. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt in training. In training, she'd only felt resolute and focused. Now… she still felt focused, but she was so excited and so… angry. But why was she excited?

"Don't be afraid, Jennie." Dagger said softly, misinterpreting her shivering. "Remember what X said. Look to your friends and you'll all be fine." She was repeating the blue hunter verbatim. Jennie suddenly remembered a poem she had once read… Kipling, she thought it was.

Take open order, lie down and sit tight, and wait for your help like a soldier.

Wait, wait, wait like a soldier.

Soldier of the Queen.

Shuddering, she tried not to add the last verse. But she couldn't help thinking about it.

And when you're dying and left on Afghanistan's plain,

And the women come out to cut up what remains,

Roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,

And go to your God like a soldier.

Go, go, go like a soldier.

Soldier of the Queen.

"I'm not afraid, Dagger." Although that poem did interject a note of fear into her emotions, which only seemed to make the excitement stronger. "I'm angry and…" How could she explain the strange exaltation that was creeping over her?

The transport slammed to a halt, and with the ease of long practice, they all slammed off their harnesses. Then the doors opened, and there was no time left. The landscape revealed would have been beautiful… a field spotted with lovely poplar trees… if it hadn't been for the Maverick fortress, squatting in the middle of it like a repulsive toad.

Jennie dashed out of the transport in perfect order and began her run towards the base. Another transport landed nearby, and disgorged Zero's unit. They went screaming towards the base on hoverbikes, easily passing her. Jennie had to suppress a scream of rage at them. She wanted to be first!

But even in the midst of her wild emotions, she was still focused. She stayed clear and true, taking the zig zag pattern that offered the best hope for avoiding enemy heavy weapons. The boom and explosion of the 16'th's weapons hitting the enemy was glory to her ears, and craters bloomed in the walls of the Maverick's fortress. Then a crater exploded in front of her, and she leaped over the dust plume.

Excitement sharpened at the close call, she finally reached a massive hole that had been rent in the Maverick's fortress. Enemies reached her and fell before her, as she fired a charged up shot into the hole, then peppered them with brutal accuracy.

She was vaguely aware of Dagger following, and took out a Maverick about to aim at her. Then Axl was by her side, grinning and flashing her a quick thumbs up. Sebastian was behind them, a little slower but unstoppable as a tank.

More Mavericks attacked, little better than drones. As the wild excitement and rage filled her again, Jennie suddenly realized what had to be happening to her. Her family was Nordic, and there had always been a myth they were descended from the Norsemen of legend… Berserkers.

Then the exaltation took her to new heights, and nothing concerned her but the battle.

Elsewhere, but not very far away…

"All units, the bombs are in place! Pull out!" Came the order, and Axl broke off his attack to dash back out. Most of the Mavericks had been trashed anyway.

He'd lost track of the others. In the middle of the furball, it was easy to get separated from your friends. But he met Dagger and Sebastian on the way out. She was panting, and he was ignoring a gaping wound in his side, but both were still going concerns.

"Where's Jennie?" He yelled to them over the crack and rumble of heavy weapons, still pounding the life out of the fortress. Dagger gave him a wide-eyed look.

"We thought she was with you!" Forcing himself to stay calm, Axl keyed his communicator. She had probably gotten the order and already started back.

Unless her comm. was disabled. A treacherous thought informed him. It wasn't impossible. Zero had suffered that problem once…

"Jennie, are you there? Jennie?" He shot at another Maverick, still heading for the exit as he spoke into his communicator. "Jennie!"

Hsst… fsst… A… xl! Shut… pzzt! So her communicator was working, just not well.

"Jennie, you have to get out. They've planted the bombs to blow this place up, and they're going to detonate as soon as we're out." If she wasn't out by then, too bad. They hadn't waited for Zero last time either… but then, everyone had just assumed he was on someone else's transport. It had been a near thing.

Shut up! That came through crystal clear, and Axl blinked. Mav… fsst… gen… ral… fight… shu… pzat!

"A Maverick General? You're fighting a Maverick General?" No wonder she didn't want to hear about little things like explosives detonating any minute. She might not even have a minute. "Jennie, where are you? Answer me! Where?"

Ro… zzzt… Ro… pzt… Roof! Kzat! H… me? Roo… pzt!

"The roof?" Dagger heard him, and cursed in tearful rage. They were almost to the transports, as far from the roof as they could possibly be. Sebastian only looked at him sadly. Jennie might as well be dead, if she were that far away. Axl glanced around frantically, trying to think of something, anything that could reach her and get her away in time. She wouldn't even be able to make it to the door the way Zero had.

Then his eyes fell on the transport.

"The transport!" He turned to look at his friends. "We'll take it back to get her. Are you with me?" They both stared at him, shocked at first. Then Dagger grinned maniacally and Sebastian smiled seraphically.

It was totally against their orders and they could very well be court marshaled. And no one cared a bit.

"Right behind you, Axl! Let's highjack a transport!"