8. Changing Minds and Drunken Hearts

4 March 2014: Charon

Armistice. It was the early morning of March 3rd when we received orders from General Kharkov that all combat operations were to cease later that day at 1500 hours. At the moment the general made that announcement, the half-dead men within my platoon suddenly erupted to life. My fellow comrades were quick to leave their posts and celebrate with our other troops. We were more than 4 billion kilometers from Mars on a frozen rock in the frigid outer reaches of Sol's influence, yet at that time we were the liveliest people in the system.

According to the general, members of the Adrestia had established communication with the ruling body of Faner's RE a few days ago, and were discussing a means to end hostilities. Both sides had grown weary of the proverbial meat-grinder that was occurring on Charon. Later this week, the Grand Admiral is to meet with Faner at the neutral S.P.O.R.K outpost on Phobos for proper negotiations.

We're going home. It's such a glorious sensation. I'm tired. Tired of this giant iceball. Tired of the faint light emanating from the star that is too far away for comfort... we've fought enough. Too many have fallen for too little reason. Thousands have died on this accursed rock, and Charon the ferryman has whisked away more than enough souls across the river Styx. May the many comrades that we lost here find their own peace, and may this be the last time we bleed for others while they take it for granted.

When I returned to HQ after inspecting the front lines for activity, I found the culmination of the jubilee and celebration of soldiers that three days earlier had already put one foot into the grave. In drunken reverie they had managed to steal the Recycler Shabayev from the Simmdc Soviet Scumbag Republic outpost not far from our position. How they managed to achieve something like this I'll never know. Someone drove the commandeered vehicle to the outskirts of our HQ and quickly abandoned the vehicle. What came after was the single greatest waste of ammo I had ever seen. Several bobcats from the Martian 7th Army were acquired and circled the Shabayev. They quickly dropped solar flare mines all around it. A couple used their jump thrusters to get on top of the Shabayev and drop the mines directly on the recycler. I watched in awe as the mines slowly burned the gargantuan vehicle. Imperium troops from all around celebrated like drunken fools. Those guys from the SSSR probably won't be happy when they find out about this.

I guess in a way such an act is symbolic of how opinions are changing within the Imperium...

Sergeant Eduard Khil - 8th Platoon of the Martian 2nd Army