The Dream Team

We met up in the bar.

I find myself in a position where I can draft soldiers from armies the world over, but for now I just want soldiers I can trust, soldiers I know.  Hill, Ash and the Gents all went through basic training with me, and I know what to expect from them.  It was easy getting them transferred - a little creative reading of their service history was all it took.

We like the bar.  It's public, so you have to be careful. You mustn't say too much, for morale's sake, and you've got to keep things chatty – old war stories, stuff from home. It stops us from dwelling on the things we can't afford to. Plus, there's ale for us and fermented yak's milk for Hill, who fought with Tibetan guerillas during the Chinese occupation last year and likes the taste.

Rk. William Hill

He was Special Forces then, assigned to provide covert training and tactical support to the Tibetan resistance. He's got a mean eye with a gun and takes no prisoners, but at base he's a teacher, the man I'm counting on to whip XCOM's rookies into shape. Of course, he wasn't happy when I bumped him and the others down to rookie too, but the truth is we're all nuggets in this fight, and I want them to remember that. Here's hoping he can learn as well as teach.

Rk. Pip Ash

Pip Ash wasn't happy either, but then he wasn't keen to begin with.  Ash is one of your peace time soldiers.  "Gimme the fitness regime and the job security," he always said, "but war just ain't my thing."  Despite that, he's good under pressure, with a strong sense of justice and a protective streak that I hope will keep him fighting.  In the end, I won him over by pointing out that he had a better chance joining the professionals than he did duking it out alongside the suckers in the national forces.

If only that were true.

Rk. Charles Gent

The brothers Gent, Charles and Harvey, are a different breed, having mustered out early to pursue their own interests.  Charles' passion was always wolves, and he found work at a wolf sanctuary in Austria, where he practised his sharpshooting on illegal hunters.  

Rk. Harvey Gent

Harvey, on the other hand, was the hunter himself, disappearing into the Norwegian hinterlands on an esoteric search for trolls.  They each bring unique skills to the table, for which I'm grateful.

It's a good reunion.  They make a fine team, and I'm lucky to have them as my front line.

We all know they'll likely be the first to die.