I never thought this is how it would end. Not like this. Drifting. Freezing. With my only form of company being a grim reflection of my own face. The constant pinging of an emergency beacon is the only sound I can hear. My name is J.T. Marsh, and as far as I know, this is the last day of my life.     I never saw this coming. They say you rarely do. Though I've always wondered how exactly 'they' know. Did someone die and come back to tell, or are these just words used to comfort those that the dead leave behind. A mystery for another time. I laugh despite the situation I find myself in. The thought of another time is what gets to me, there will never be one. My thoughts begin to drift, much like my e-frame is presently doing, and I think about what has happened to me over the past few days. I remember going to see Admiral Winfield. He had taken to a rancher's life in Wyoming. It was beautiful day. The sky was clear and the sun was bright, perfect for flying. As I located his ranch, I brought my e-frame in for a landing. I couldn't resist a flyby on the horses' watering hole. They reared up and and shouted - in their own way - a protest of the maneuver. I noted the Admiral's new outfit as he got down from the fence he was sitting on. The cowboy boots and hat seemed to suit him. My canopy opened as he approached.     "You're scaring the horses." he said with a hint of a chuckle. "I scare myself sometimes, Admiral." I replied. He extended his hand to me. "The ranch hands call me Wyn." he said as I shook it. Although he clearly wanted me to drop the formality, I found it difficult to refer to the Admiral as anything but 'Admiral'. And so I made it a point not to call him by name for the remainder of the conversation. We went back over to the fence to talk. "I just wanted to tell you in person. I've decided...to leave the Exofleet. I was never really a military man. I just like to fly." I looked out over the countryside and into the sky. Seeing the serenity that permeated it all, it was easy to deduce why the Admiral had chosen to come here. "You're the best soldier I've ever commanded." commented the Admiral. I handled the praise modestly by saying, "I was lucky, some weren't." The look on the Admiral's face told me that he understood and respected my decision. I walked over to my frame with the intent of getting ready to leave as he spoke to me. "I know better than to ask you to change your mind. But I will ask you to put off leaving for a while." I stopped in my tracks and faced him as he finished. "Simbacca is sending ships to dismantle the pirate base on Chaos. The clans don't trust each other. They want an exofleet officer to be in charge of dividing what they hold in common. They want you, J.T."     The next thing I knew, I was in my frame and getting ready to land on a ship bound for Chaos. With my retirement put on hold, I focused on the fact that this would be my last mission. I had no idea how accurate I really was. When I landed, I was greeted by Hallas. A young pirate I had taught to fly e-frames. He was up and around which I found to be a pleasant surprise considering he was unconscious and paralyzed the last time I had seen him. After a quick conversation with him, I ran into Colleen O'Rielly, the new commander of jumptroop Charlie Five. Upon seeing her, I was reminded of some advice Maggie Weston gave me about what to do with myself now that the war was over. "Maybe you should join the Jumptroops." she had said. Looking at O'Rielly, that hardly seemed like a bad idea. We spent some time talking together while looking out a viewport. I had been thinking a lot about her lately. Leaving the Exofleet would provide me with some free time, which I was sure I would enjoy spending with her. She told me that she was planning on staying in exofleet. And how as a little girl she always wanted to go into space and see other worlds. I found it inspiring when she told me that she still wanted to, even after all that had happened with the war. She also said that she wished there was some way to get to the stars. When she said that, I realized that what each of us wanted was not the same thing. She was headed in one direction and I in another. We shared some tender moments in passing, but in the end we would have to continue our separate journeys. "I guess some things are always out of reach." I said. I turned and left, leaving Colleen to look out the viewport alone. For the rest of the trip, neither Colleen or myself mentioned what we discussed that day.     When we arrived on Chaos, things were more or less uneventful. Thinking back on it, I should have took that opportunity to tell Colleen how I felt about her. It wouldn't have taken long, just a few minutes. But I thought with time I might have that opportunity again, and that maybe circumstances would have changed by then. Instead, I merely watched as Colleen scolded a trooper under her command for being lax in his duties. "Pellegrino! Get your butt off it and your back into it!" It was then that I received word from Hallas. There was a unidentified object approaching Chaos, he sounded worried about it. Then his transmission was cut off. I ran to my e-frame, with Colleen calling after me, "Where are you going?" I jacked in and launched. Clearing the surface of the planet, I spotted what Hallas was talking about. It was some kind of orange-red comet. I brought my e-frame around and went after it. I pushed my frame to its maximum speed. Then someone - I think it was Galba - told me it was accelerating. I didn't know what it was, and neither did anyone else. But I did know it was heading for Chaos and I had friends there. I brought my weapons on-line. Diverting power to them would cause me to loose power to the engines, so I would have to fire as soon as I had a lock. The moment I heard that distinctive high pitched tone, a beam of energy shot out of the comet and struck my frame. My systems went haywire as I somersaulted backward. A number of systems began to fail and few sparks were generated in the cockpit. I cut power to all non-essential systems and rerouted it to the maneuvering thrusters. I righted myself just in time to see the comet orbiting Chaos at such speed that the planet appeared to have a ring that rivaled Saturn's. Some type of electricity emitted from it and the comet tightened its orbit. As it did, the planet shrunk. Until it finally just disappeared, taking my friends with it. The comet remained and headed for me. It stopped just short of me and almost playfully regarded me. "What did you do with it...an entire planet?" I yelled. My comm system was down, so there was no chance it could understand me. But I couldn't think of what else to do. The comet rocketed off towards an approaching ship. One unlike any I had ever seen before. It was blue with organic looking fins. What looked like pink tentacles hung out of the ship's front. They looked to be almost as long as the ship itself. The entire ship glowed pink and appeared to be a mixture of both organic and synthetic components. I watched helplessly as it passed me - flanked by two others of the same design - and headed for the inner solar system.     It was when they faded from my sight that I realized I was in very real trouble. My frame was damaged and the nearest place to set it down had just been stolen by some kind of alien craft. Even at peak efficiency, my frame would be hard pressed to make it back to Saturn or Jupiter. But I had no choice. I shut down my comm system, which didn't work anyway, and my weapons systems. This would provide me with as much thrust as I could get. To make the power I had left last longer, I used quick bursts of thrust from my engines to maneuver. As opposed to the constant thrust that combat usually demands, the bursting would use considerably less power. The lack of resistance to a body in motion through space would do the rest.     After several hours of solo flight, the moment I feared came. A cold mechanical voice announced, "Warning. Insufficient power to run remaining systems." This meant that I could keep bursting my way to the inner solar system without my life support system, in which case I would die. Or, I could shut down the engines - leaving life support active - and hope I drift straight into an inhabited area of space. I figured some hope was better than none and shut down the engines. I pulled my arms inside the central cockpit and hugged myself. With the life support set to minimum, I would have plenty of air to breath for several hours. But the on board heaters were shut down so I could maintain power to the air pumps. That meant it was going to get very cold, very soon. With nothing else to do, I triggered the emergency beacon, which ran off its own power source.     That brings me to the here and now. I am still drifting and still freezing. I look at my myself in the canopy. I look pale. I know I'm starting show signs of exposure. I can hardly feel my feet anymore. The canopy is starting to frost over. I wipe away some of the frost. In the distance I can see Jupiter, so close and yet so far away. Colleen. If only I told you how I felt. Not doing that is my one regret. I'm getting tired and try as I might, I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open. The canopy is completely frosted over. The beacon is still pinging. My eyes pop open when the computer speaks. "Air supply exhausted. Power failure. Repeat, powerrrr failurrrrrrr...." The voice wound down and stopped. I manually disconnect my cyberjack and bang on a panel to get at a release handle. With it ready to pull, I sit in silence. Waiting for the air to get too thin to breath. In the meantime, I try to keep my breathing low and steady. In a half hour, I can't breath anymore. With no other option, I pull the manual release handle and a vac helmet lowers over my head. As it seals, I feel breathable air being pumped across my face. I know it won't last that long and when it runs out, I'm done for.     And so I sit. Waiting. For what, I cannot say. Mostly because it would use precious air to do so. I almost laugh at the thought. But for reasons already reviewed, I don't. With the canopy frosted over, it acts as an even better mirror. The reflection I see looks incomplete...alone. My thoughts once again return to Colleen. Its funny, when she was around me, I never thought of her this much. But now that I may never see her again, I can't get her out of my head. Ironic that it would take something like this to make me realize that I love her. I do love her. I never really realized it before, but I do. And that is why I will survive this. I'll do it for Colleen and for the chance that we might be together. I clench my fists in silent resolution, determined to make my vow a reality. CLANK!     Something rocked my frame! I frantically brush aside the frost to get a look. Its an exofighter - I'm saved! Looking around, I can see a whole squad flying cover for the fighter. In the distance, I can barely make out a craft. I'm not sure which kind, but its definitely terran. I lean back in my frame and for the first time since Chaos, I start to relax.       Aliens have invaded. J.T. is safe for the moment. But what about the rest of Able Squad? What about Colleen and the rest of the people on Chaos? What happens next? To find out, read The Eltorian Incursion and all questions will be answered! -J.P.