"And now?" Eve asked, mimicking Larry but stressing the cranky tone. JS laughed: "Quiet, Eve. He's a bit a pain in the a*s, but we're suffering for a good cause. He's going to set up us as Galactic Heroes, ergo the EA cannot off us directly or handing us over to the Rogues." "Phew," Eve sniffed. "He's always posing, I wonder if at the toilet ...!" she laughed in turn "How horrible!" JS shook his head: "What are you thinking of, rather go to ask him if he wants to broadcast embedded with the attack team or from the ship. I'm getting through our plans with Vasquez." "Him embedded! This is witty!" Vasquez exclaimed coming in. "That bloke's nothing just a lot of talk and some pixels, but someone forgot to check 'genitals'! Well, what's the plan, sir?" Eve found Larry in the common quarter of the bridge, up to his neck in a philosophical conversation with Lee. "JS says that the best way to off the contract is to dispatch the middleman. That you are under our protection will come loud and clear to the hirer who can hardly find a new liquidator. Do you like to go with the assault team?" "Huh, no, I'd like it a lot, but I've no training," Larry smiled pimpishly. "What are you going to do?" asked Lee, since Vasquez kept him ignorant about actions. "Clean the stables: blow up the refineries and leave." Eve said. "I'll take care of the wounded and prisoners." Lee mumbled. "We don't take prisoners." Eve remarked. "But we cannot kill all those civilians!" Lee exclaimed shocked. "They will be entitled to a trial, at least!" "We too are civilians!" backfired Eve. "Let the Nyhllos put them on trial! They're hunted to extract erotic essences from male musk glands." "You say we are civilians. New Martian Army: that I read on my contract." Lee retorted. "Actually she's right." JS had entered the room silently. Puzzled, Lee and Larry looked at him. "Only states with internationally recognized governments have the Military, the others can boast titles and uniforms, but are in fact civilians." "But we are at war, right?" Lee asked. "I'd say we are forced to war. I'd say we strive to fight decently, but the fact remains. We have neither state nor country but this ship, and no recognition. We are as much civilians as these narco-pirates, apart from trafficking in drugs or the slave trade." "The Rogues are hunting us like pirates, actually!" Eve stated. "And runaway slaves." Vasquez added with a nod to JS: "Mission is set for 0300, sir." JS nodded. "What is EA's position?" Larry asked. Since there was time until H-Hour, JS decided to accept the debate: "For the Earth we are boat people, refugees, actually bad-sh*t, since we defend ourselves. Humanitarian organizations dubbed us a threat since we don't entrust our destiny to them. GUN, well, no GUN's bureaucrat will sweat his a*s to decide our status. He leaves it to history." A leaden silence dropped. Everyone looked puzzled. JS sighed and said: "Civilized wars are fought by civilians, don't you know? Seldom postmodern wars are fought by the military. In those cases, the war lasts a month or two. The winner withdraws its army with fanfares and the asymmetric war takes over again. Call them guerrillas, insurgents, partisans, spies, contractors, spec-op units, we are people of the same ilk. 'Civilian' fighters operate among civilians like fish in a pond. Sorting out a civilian fighter from a peaceful one, that's hard, very hard. But I, we try to do our best, to be decent, even if fighting à  la façon du pays would be easier, sometimes." "Be ready anyway, Doctor." Vasquez said. The mission kicked off at 0300, the Centurions dropped them onto the roof of the installation while the Fireghosts shelled the extractors. "If anything goes wrong, shoot your way clear of danger and get the hell out of there. Good luck." JS's orders. At dawn, the refineries were razed. --- Thanks