Interlude - Introduction, "War Made Us" by General Angilo, Earth Forces

I was first asked to write a history of the Earth/Mars conflict by Professor Joseph Elder of the University of Texas at Austin, over a beer and some overcooked calamari during a chance meeting in a restaurant in Dallas. Not the most prestigious of requests, or the most prestigious of beginnings – but, then, I’m not the most prestigious of individuals, no matter what the news broadcasts say.
Right then, my first answer was point-blank refusal.

I’m not the type to spend a book extolling the merits and flaws of my combat strategy, debating the twists and turns of the political and social climate between the planets, or fondly reminiscing of the ‘good old days’.

No soldier ever truly escapes the wars they’ve fought, and I’m no exception. The memories may be getting old, but the wounds – scarred and closed – stay as deep as ever.

I haven’t spoken to Dr. Elder since then. I’m not sure if he’s still around to read a book like this one. I’m certainly sure it’s not what he expected.
So, I suppose here’s where I put a warning to all potential readers: this is not a history book. It’s not a factual account of the events leading up to the war; there is no summary of key battles. I have never diagrammed space- or ground-battle tactics. In fact, this isn’t about the first war at all.

It amazes me what sort of life celebrities, or public figures, can lead – without the media ever truly understanding past the façade.

According to the press releases from the Department of Space and Defense, I’m the perfect general. My military record is spotless, my men love me, and I’m a cool-headed, tactically brilliant leader. They also happen to mention that I single-handedly won the Battle of Toridia, the “final defeat” for the Martian ground forces. The truth is far from the picture.

Honestly, as anyone who lived and breathed then knows, the world was in the grips of an incredible depression. Never before had a war been fought that drained so many resources from mother Earth. Machine shops in South Africa, Russia, Japan and Brazil worked 24/7 to even create enough raw material for the fleet of space ships that the ragtag Martian Navy shredded, one by one. Food was scarce, because who had the time for growing crops when rebels on the Moon might drop more of their rock “bombs” any second?

Earth won the war, at the Battle of Toridia. And if they’d gone for another few weeks, another few months, maybe another year, they would have won it with some other battle.

As it was, the Prime Minister of the Seventh United Nations needed a hero.

He picked me.

It wasn’t too hard. I had to strut my medals at public appearances; I had to smile at the cameras and pretend to be proud of my victory for the people of Earth. And I was proud, of course I was proud, I stopped the bloodshed, blocked the tide of hatred, changed history forever.

I did it wrong, though.

I will never forget the massacre committed in my name at that battle. To win a war, I lost something crucial, something it took me a hell of a long time to get back. Something I only regained because of one man.

If you’re a citizen of Earth, Venus, Mars, the Moon, the Stations, whatever, and you’ve heard my name, undoubtedly you’ve also heard the name of Derek Rayne. He was as infamous as I was famous (reverse those two, for the Martians in the audience. If any of them bother to read what someone like me would have to say).

Maybe you’ve even heard my name and Derek Rayne’s connected.

And maybe, maybe you’ve even heard that he was under my custody during the period of forced surrender, between the first and second Martian conflicts. If so, you’d be in the minority.

Well, I set out to introduce this book, and I suppose this, in the end, is what I have to say: This is not my story. This is Derek Rayne’s story, and I believe I’m the only one in this solar system qualified enough to tell it. It’s grueling, and it’s tough, and it’s not for the weak of mind or heart. But it’s a story I believe must be told, and Colonel Rayne has given his consent, tentative as it is, from within military custody where he currently resides.

Without further ado, on to the story.