My name is Lion Biyela. I am descended from Zulu warriors and Maasai shepherds. As an Interstellar Marine Corps sergeant, I believe in service, integrity, and doing the right thing. I've spent the last year defending the human colonists on the planet Eos from alien invaders. At the same time, I've also fought to maintain my humanity. Yet cracks have formed in my conscience. I've become selfish and self-righteous. Maybe I've witnessed too much death and destruction. I admit that I feel omnipotent in my armored suit, with its protective energy shield, and its anti-grav disc, which allows me to fly above the aliens and spew death down upon them with my fusion-powered plasma rifle. Such power has made me contemptuous of both my enemies and of my allies. Which leads to my problem. Recently, I've become separated from my fellow Marines. Passing through enemy territory, I searched for friendly forces. But what I found was a reservist battalion; third-rate soldiers at best. They welcomed me in. However, when I asked for help returning to my own lines, they denied me. One of their patrols has become lost behind enemy lines. They need to help their own before they can help me. I am angry. I am more important than these wannabes. I want to get back to where I belong. They should help me first. But then their battalion commander asks me if I will join their search party. My tech is better than theirs and will be handy in a crisis. What can I do? Even as selfish as I am, I still believe in doing the right thing. So I accept. But things aren't all that good. The search party's leading sergeant hates me. He believes we Marines have stolen his Army's glory, and he is right!. The Eosian colonists now seek salvation through us, not from their own troops. The people have forgotten their soldiers' sacrifices. Meanwhile, we Marines bask in their adoration. Another problem is that the searchers have mixed fighting experience. Some have never fired a shot, while others have barely survived combat. Worst of all, I am here as an advisor, not a leader. How will I survive this patrol, with its poorly trained and equipped soldiers? How will I survive with a leader who hates me? How will I ever get back home?