A/N: This is hopefully the completed Chapter 2. I tried to tone down the language as suggested, but found that in some places it was unavoidable.

Chapter 2: Friends and Enemies

Ethan's feet paced quickly under him as he continued his morning jog. Late or not, it was mandatory to his routine. Running through the steel hallways and glass-domed lobbies was like coffee to a caffeine addict. Without it, he might fall asleep on the job or get a little grumpy with the wrong soldier. And thankfully, unlike the caffeine addict's coffee, his 'jog' wasn't generated from sewage.

He quickly took a corner as he tried to steady his breathing, his agitated thinking making the task difficult. He angrily grimaced every time a passing officer would stare, the bastard wondering why he wasn't in the proper sector. But in all actuality, he was smiling, deep inside knowing that the focus was on him, and that his defiance for orders wasn't going unnoticed. Enough complaints and I'll have that captain position in no time.

The thought was quickly forgotten as he realized he was about to enter Loading Dock B. For a long time he'd tried his best to avoid the area, not wanting to see what he was missing, not wanting to see where the real soldiers spent their time. But for the past few months, four to be exact, he came here everyday. "Just to make sure they aren't completely lost without me." He used to tell himself, but now he knew better, knew it was a lie. You just wanna see her.

Ethan waited patiently in a short line of mechanics as the plexiglass door to the loading bay swiftly opened, its quick movement giving off a pressurized metallic sound as its flat surface separated into three parts, all of them disappearing into the surrounding wall in less than a second. He casually fell into place behind the few oil-stained workers in front of him as they slowly began to enter the enormous room.

He stared with respect as he entered, marveling at the genius of the human species, of all that had been accomplished in the past three decades. The loading dock was a wonder to modern science, half enclosed in a crystalline dome, and the other half open to the infinite universe that surrounded the station. It was all in the pressurizing units, keeping half of the room completely stable with a breathable atmosphere while the other half aided in any ship's leave of the station, sucking out the transport with ease. Landing a ship was a little tricky, but nothing Federation-trained pilots couldn't handle.

The dock was overcrowded for the time of day, no doubt because of the big campaign. The entire 1st and 2nd Class fleets, sectors A through C, were heading groundside the following morning, serving as guard and defender to Edumea's political world. Ethan didn't like it, politics and military didn't mix well. He'd defend his world as best he could, but he couldn't care less about a sorry ambassador. It'd been three years since the last campaign, but every election seemed to harbor more and more idiots into Edumea's Senate, idiot's that the Federation's pilots were risking their lives to defend. It wasn't worth the time, or the bloodshed.

Speaking of those pilots, several watched him closely as he continued forward. He ignored them, not wishing to grant them pride over his embarrassing situation and grey jumpsuit. What he'd give to be wearing the standard officer black, to stand with the many pilots around him as they swapped war stories and polished down their birds. Those birds, the beautiful OXP5's, were stationed periodically throughout the loading bay. The ship's short wingspan and fore-mounted gun allowed for superior handling and accuracy, and with the rumors of a separate turret being mounted on the top of future models, Ethan couldn't wait to try one out. The last real ship he'd handled on his own was only a class 4 model, but he'd fallen in love the moment he'd wrapped his hands around the controls.

A familiar movement quickly interrupted his thoughts and jealousy driven stare, and he was forced to look away. He tried to seem inconspicious as he stared at the figure who had just entered the room, tried not to draw her deep blue eyes to his gawking gaze and his sudden act of trying to straighten his defiant hair. From what he knew, she was a mere secretary on the Federation spaceport, only working in the loading precinct for the past four months, but that was more than enough. She'd caught his eye the first day he'd seen her, her lithe figure and long, curly blonde hair a welcomed brightness within the cold and grey refines of the station. He watched her with curiosity as she continued to walk toward the center of the immense room, her navy blue jumpsuit giving off her rank of civilian. Her position was all he knew about her, but he wanted to know more, he had to know more. Nothing that Ethan Wyeth wanted would be kept from him. Except a ship and a pilot position you moron.

He blew with disappointment as she walked toward one of the occupied side docks, marking off a checklist of some kind as she casually conversed with the ship's pilot. A sting of jealousy hit him as he watched her smile. He should be the one she was talking to, the one making her smile with his clever demeanor, not some over-confident idiot who was just taking up space. Maybe with that position you'll get the girl too, whenever that'll be. Maybe he had a reason to stick around after all-

"Last I checked only certified pilots were allowed in the loading bays." A sudden voice sounded behind him. Ethan smiled as the voice sank in; he'd know it anywhere.

He quickly turned and met the man behind him's glance with a smirk. "And last I checked you were an asshole."

The man gave him a slightly fretted look before bursting into laughter, his body stepping forward as he grabbed Ethan had slapped him on the back. Kenneth McGregor had been one of the privates in Ethan's first sector and had since become his best friend, not to mention he'd excelled to one of the top captains on Tarsus. The dark-haired and semi-masculine captain was slightly shorter than Ethan, but what he lacked in height he made up for in piloting skills. Kenneth was the only other officer in the station who Ethan would actually admit could outfly him. And his generic military look of a buzz-cut hairdo and deep-set eyes added to his intimidating demeanor. He needed it. Kenneth may have looked tough, but that was all a lie. Give him a ship and he'd gun you down, but not without a good enough reason. "What's goin' on Ethan?" the man continued with a smile. "I wasn't expecting to see you in here anytime soon."

"I guess not 'flyboy,'" Ethan mocked, slightly defensive, "what with Cryton in charge."

Kenneth picked up on his tone. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant with the campaign going on and all, 'Restricted Personnel Only' you know."

"Yeah I know." Ethan sarcastically returned. "The entire fleet ships out when our ambassador's call, but when the war-torn refugees of our pitiful world need help, we're no where to be found."

Kenneth stared at him with a surprised glance, "Refugees? I didn't know you were into all that humanitarian stuff."

"I'm not really." Ethan shrugged his comment off. "My brother talks about it all the time, him and his 'caring heroics.' But still, the refugees are better than those brainless ambassadors."

"I don't know," Kenneth disagreed, "this Lamwell women seems to know what she's doing."

"Yeah, they all seem that way, but actually..."

Kenneth stared at Ethan as his words suddenly trailed off, his eyes wavering across the room as a blond figure passed by them and continued walking to the end of the docks. Kenneth smiled, catching on. "Secretary, huh?"

"What?" Ethan quickly snapped back to the conversation, surprised by Kenneth's words. He searched for an excuse. "Oh, I've never seen her before, that's all."

Kenneth smiled again as he pretended to agree, Ethan's cheeks slightly flushing. The great Ethan Wyeth was embarrassed, and Kenneth thought it was funny as hell. "So," he continued, wavering from one embarrassing topic to another, "how's basic training?"

That got Ethan's attention and he quickly smirked with annoyance. "I was right." He spoke firmly as he shook his head. "You are an asshole."

Kenneth returned his smirk with laughter. "Yeah, but I'm an asshole with a ship, and that means I'm-

"Wyeth!" a different and more aggravating voice suddenly interrupted the conversation. Ethan turned with annoyance to see the same shaven head and overly large ears that he'd come to hate since his first day on Tarsus. Daven Ganton had found him.

The cocky captain scowled as he looked Ethan over, trashing him with a stare and a sarcastic grin. "I didn't know privates were allowed in the loading docks."

Ethan gave a fake smile at his predictable comment. "What do you want Daven?" He refused to address the man as an officer. He might have been a year older than Ethan, but he was nowhere near the pilot.

The cruel smile disappeared from Daven's face, replaced by complete sternness and urgency. "Cryton's office. Now!"

"Ah," Ethan mocked him, "still the General's bitch, I see."

Daven's fists tightened at the insult, his masculine chest rising high as he deeply breathed, his height growing even further over Ethan as he straightened his back in a failed attempt to seem threatening. Ethan smiled at the gesture, but quickly wiped it away as Daven slowly approached him. The two rivals stared at each other in silence as mental words were exchanged, their inset eyes telling them of their hatred toward one another.

A quick grin appeared upon Daven's face and then he moved, his open palm slamming forcefully into Ethan's chest, a yellow piece of paper beneath it. Ethan staggered back but kept his balance. He felt the urge to throw the overly confident captain to the ground then and their, and deliver him the beating he had so long deserved. But before those events could occur, Daven had taken his hand away, leaving only the paper behind, and was then walking away, disappearing through the plexiglass doors as defiantly as he had entered. Ethan stared with hatred filled eyes as he watched the door, deeply hoping that Daven would return, feeling embarrassed by his failure to return his rival's slight but brisk attack. He quickly stripped the yellow paper from his chest and angrily read the words printed on the front, a summons to Cryton's office 'issued to Ethan Wyeth, Private 3rd Class of Sector 52.' The issue time of 'immediately' was written in bold letters. He cursed the General, but still not as much as he cursed that bastard Daven Ganton.

Kenneth could sense the uneasiness and embarrassment in Ethan's eyes. He tried to make him feel less threatened. "Don't worry about Daven, he's just jealous of your piloting skills."

"I'm not worried about him!" Ethan defended his scarred pride. "I'm just waiting for him to give me a good enough reason to kick his ass."

"You need to be careful around him, Ethan." Kenneth continued, more serious. "He might be a jerk, but he's dangerous too." A sudden sadness entered his voice. "You remember what happened to Brady. I still think Daven shut the comms down on purpose."

Ethan blew with annoyance at hearing the same story once again. "Kenneth, the Beltway's defenses killed Brady, not Daven."

"I didn't say he killed him, but he didn't try to help him either."

Brady had been the top pilot within the Federation before his fleet was surprise attacked on a rendevous mission through the asteroid belt. A call for help had been sent out over the Federation's channels, but the signal had mysteriously been shut down before it was received. Daven had been the comms analyst at the time, and he had never fully explained why Brady's transmission had failed.

Kenneth's eyes stared off as he spoke; Brady had been his brother. "And don't you think it's kinda strange that Daven got promoted to head captain right after Brady went KIA?"

"No, I think Daven is a major kiss-ass and got the job by doing what he does best."

Kenneth trailed off as if speaking to himself. "He's not half as good as Brady was."

"He's not half as good as you Kenneth. Hell, he's not half as good as Ekken, and that guy's scared to even fly." Ethan tried to ease the man once again.

Kenneth smiled before seeming to snap back to his usually cheerful self. "How is Ekken, by the way?"

Ethan was glad to be off the topic. "He's good, chickenshit, but good. His wife just had the baby."

"Oh really? Was it a boy like they thought it would be?"

"Nope, little girl."

"A girl?" Kenneth seemed amused. "How's he liking that?"

"He doesn't know what to think." Ethan shared in his humor. "Said he's shippin' out in three days, going to see them. He doesn't even know what their gonna call it yet."

The two soldiers suddenly directed their eyes to a nearby wall-mounted intercom as a blaring female voice rang out. "All Federation Sector's A through C please report to the main briefing room." The message repeated itself two more times before finally switching off. The pilots settled around the docks instantly began to gather their things and head for one of the room's many exit doors.

Kenneth sighed as he turned back to Ethan. "Sector A, that's me. Them and their briefings. Everything has to be perfect." He spoke with sarcasm. "As if we don't know how to hold the ambassadors' hands and tell them when to duck from oncoming sniper fire."

"Of course you know all that." the sarcasm was returned as Ethan agreed. He casually strode away from Kenneth as the dock became more and more deserted. "I'll see ya man, don't work too hard. And you look out for that sniper fire too."

"Aw, you know us pilots, just temporary shields."

"That's the way it's always been." Ethan waved as he continued to back away, but stalled his exit as Kenneth called back to him.

"Hey, the Fed's are giving us some time off tonight before the big 'future changing' campaign tomorrow. I was thinkin' of maybe stopping by the civilian center before I ship out. I mean, we haven't had a good drink in a long time."

"Yeah man, sounds good." Ethan agreed as he urgently tried to leave, ready to get his visit with Cryton over with, knowing that there was no avoiding it this time. He eagerly passed through the main plexiglass door, ready to either be banished from the fleet, or doomed to serve another year rotting in the deepest barracks of the Tarsus military base.

"And bring Ekken with you!" Kenneth cried out to Ethan as he disappeared from view, but the overdue private was already gone.

A/N: Ok, I know that some of you are thinking that the involvement of the girl is kind of weird, but trust me, just because I am a girl doesn't mean that this is going to turn into some sappy love story. Don't worry, it's going to be far from it. I'll try to get the next chapter up within the next two weeks. Hope for some more reviews too.