"How much longer till we land?" Ajax asked one of the members of the squad.

    "We should be arriving at Puldora in about fifteen minutes," he replied.

    Sylvie wondered what made this trip seem shorter. Was it that they rode on a public transportation and there was much to explore, or was it the fact she was dreading her first mission? Probably both. A sharp pinch from the back of her head caused her to yelp and she adjusted the helmet she wore for disguise and pulled up her gloves. She had been in deep thought about everything, and what if they fail and the Earth is destroyed. It won't happen, they have not failed yet, so they cannot fail now.

    "Hey," Ajax sat down next to her, "are you okay?" He too wore a mask and gloves to conceal his identity of a human being.

    Sylvie shrugged, "As okay as I can be."

    "You've just been very quiet," Ajax elbowed her playfully, "and that usually means you've got something on your mind."

    Sylvie felt a sudden urge to lean her head against him, but she overcame it, remembering the helmet. "It is just a lot to take in."

    Ajax nodded, "I understand."

    "How are Adelar and Haloami? I saw you call them before we left."

    "They're fine, living happily on that scumbucket."

    "Do they know about you fighting in war?"

    "I told them, and they were actually proud of me."

    Sylvie sighed and stared out the window she sat by, "That must mean a lot that your parents are proud of you."

    Ajax nodded.

    The pain of missing her own family came back when the planet Puldora came into view. It looked so much like her beautiful homeland. The grief of being away from home seemed strangely weaker, and her eyes did not even water.

    "Human girls are so strange," Ajax stated randomly.

    "What do you mean by that?" Sylvie asked.

    "One minute you're happy, the the next minute you're sad. I don't understand."

    Sylvie smirked, "Us girls are complex creatures, it takes a little more than studying about us to understand everything about us."

    "Then how do I learn more?"

    Sylvie thought about this, then replied, "Get to know one as a friend."

    There was an uncomfortable silence between them.

    "We are coming up on planet Puldora," the pilot's voice announced through the speakers.

    Ajax stood, "Alright boys, hide any evidence of us being a part of the Forces and be ready to be inspected," he commanded.

    "Wouldn't they take away our guns?" one of the alien men asked.

    "Our guns are lower powered weapons and we all have a license to carry one so it's not like we're out of control, illegal immigrants that are going to blast everything we see," Ajax told him.

    "You have a license?" Sylvie asked skeptically.

    "I do," Ajax pulled out a hardcover license for carrying weapons. "Adelar and Haloami forced me to get it and I'm glad they did."

    "That's funny because I'm more responsible one and I don't have one," Sylvie told him.

    "Just give me your blaster till we clear the docks," Ajax sighed, clearly annoyed.

    The giant ship slowly came to a halt; massive sliding doors opened, revealing guards that stood outside. They asked for identifications and licenses, and luckily, Sylvie was able to blend in with the crowd and avoided security. She somehow managed to wander away from the group near the landing bay before she felt a strong hand grab hers. Whirling around, she swung a fist and stopped it, mid-swing, when she realized it was Ajax.

    "We're headed this way Sylv."

    "Don't just grab me from behind like that; you scared the bloody hell out of me," she snapped and wrenched her hand from his grasp. "What are your plans on retaking this place anyway?"

    Ajax pulled out a small hologram screen, "We're going to find the rulers of this place, then they can show us the secret way into the castle that only they can access," he pointed at the castle.

    "Then what?"

    "We'll take them from the inside out. With their leader dead, who will keep this place hostage?"

    "Ajax, how do you even know that there is a secret entrance?" Sylvie grabbed his arm as he started walking off.

    "What's a castle without one?" he shrugged.

    "And if there is no secret entrance?" Sylvie continued, removing her hand from his arm.

    "We'll figure it out, I'm making this up as I go anyway," Ajax shrugged again. "Oh, and don't ever leave anywhere without this," he handed her back her blaster.

    Sylvie gave him a skeptical look as he turned his back and followed him from a good distance. She was shaking with nervousness and excitement. She gazed up at the blue skies, took in a deep breath of fresh air, and smiled. It was nice to see something familiar to her homeland. Instead of her homesickness getting worse, she actually felt better. She bumped into something solid and fixed her eyes in front of her. Ajax had come to a sudden halt.

    "Next time tell me when you are going to stop," Sylvie grumbled.

    "This place is swarming with umaroi guards," Ajax mumbled to her.

    Sylvie scanned her surroundings and saw the alien guards that looked just like humans patrolling everywhere, from the ground to the rooftops.

    "Boys, I think it would be best if we split up in pairs," Ajax told them. "Keep your coms ready and meet up at the subway, but we can't sit together. We're headed into the countryside of this planet. There's eight of us total, that should split us up into four groups. Don't mention anything about the mission ahead, and only speak in a different language. Act like normal people, and don't use your weapons unless you are desperate."

    "What languages do you know, commander?" one of the men asked.

    "I know English and Whatta," Ajax replied. Then he said something in the other language and they set off, all in different directions.