Wars need bodies, living flesh and bone bodies. The myth of a purely automated war proved to be a pipe dream. Both sides went on massive recruiting drives to fill the ranks, offering luxury accomodations and short tours of duty. both sides lied to their soldiers. Most of the combatants were housed in faceless, warehouse like condos, which they had to share with others. A tour of duty was 2 years, in real time, but due to the way travel at the speed of light tends to stretch time, soldiers found that their tours went on for decades rather than years. They would come out of Vorp after a few hours, but many years had passed on their homeworlds. Once their tours had finally completed, the soldiers returned home to no one... no one was left alive that could remember them, wives and husbands and even children... long gone to dust. Alone, the only life they knew was service to the empire... another 2 year tour of duty, anothe 10 decades of being forgotten. Warehoused for rest, never welcomed back into society, because society didn't recognize them. Home was a Gulag, family was the person in the bunk next to you, the future consisted of fire and pain. It was all they knew. The Lounge Wars, Chapter 7 Warrior Poets back in the Lounge! Shaken and stirred! comments welcome, please enjoy!