The moons were bright, and the night was somewhat chilly. My cockpit was wide open. I leaned back in my seat, looking up at the stars while petting my buddy sitting on my lap. His old feathers were softer than ever.

  Poor guy.

  Probably the only chicken to ever ride inside a war machine. Would’ve been funny if I had a custom-built combat helmet for him.

  I glanced down at the tents below. Mine was set up, but I hadn’t gone near it yet. I didn’t want to lie down next to my true enemy. The worst thing I could do was start getting attached to this squad. Feelings would only complicate things when the orders came—leave… or worse.

  I waited long enough.

  I zipped down from my mech and headed east toward the nearest mountain. I climbed about halfway up and sat against a rock, pulling out my comms link.

  “This is Snake Hawk One. Do you read?”

  I tapped the transmitter twice.

  “The Owl is up. I repeat—the Owl is up.”

  Static crackled, then—

  “This is Grasshopper Two. We read you, Snake Hawk.”

  I exhaled.

  “The location you bombed in the eastern dunes,” I said quietly, “had two hostile forces operating in the same grid.”

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  Silence on the line.

  “The spider units that dropped in were the Slayer Dragons,” I continued. “Raider clan. Not conquerors.”

  I shifted slightly, eyes scanning the horizon.

  “They don’t take land. They don’t occupy. They drop in, strip minerals, kill anything in their way, and move on. Uranium, rare metals—whatever they can rip out fast.”

  “Copy,” Grasshopper Two replied. “Dragons confirmed as non-occupation force.”

  “The other units hit in that strike were the Red Devils,” I added. “They were there to stop the Dragons from taking the minerals first. Same old tactic—control the resource by denying everyone else.”

  “Understood,” she said. “Two hostile forces competing over the same ground.”

  “Exactly,” I replied. “No coordination. Just overlap.”

  A pause.

  “We’re looping you in on another update,” Grasshopper Two said. “A live bounty has been placed on you.”

  I frowned. “On me?”

  “Yes. Intentional. It strengthens your cover.”

  “Great,” I muttered. “Just what I needed.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s necessary.”

  I hesitated.

  “Off the record,” I said, lowering my voice. “Lieutenant Pam Shay. Is she alive?”

  The line went quiet.

  “Report any new intel when possible,” Grasshopper Two said. “Good luck out there, Snake Hawk.”

  The comms went dead.

  Damn it.

  I hoped Pam really was okay. I don’t think I could live with myself if she wasn’t.

  I climbed back down the mountain and jogged toward camp. Took about twenty minutes. The moons lit the desert enough that I didn’t bother sneaking—sand swallowed sound anyway.

  As I passed the tents, I glanced up at my mech.

  “Well,” I muttered, “guess I’ll try to get some sleep.”

  I grabbed the zip line—

  A blaster whined to life.

  “Where did you run off to?” Lexi said, holding it on me.

  She wasn’t wearing a shirt—just a bra. I won’t lie, she looked dangerous in more ways than one.

  “Bathroom,” I said. “Then recon.”

  “Mmm,” she replied, stepping closer. “Sure.”

  “If you’re thinking about betraying us—”

  She paused, then grabbed my jewels hard.

  I grunted.

  “I’ll blow them off.”

  I moved fast. Knocked the blaster from her hand, swept her legs, pinned her in the sand with the weapon aimed back at her.

  “If I was going to betray you losers,” I said quietly, “I’d have done it already.”

  She smiled, licking her top lip.

  “Sexy.”

  She slapped the blaster aside and leaned in, and the rest was classified.

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