"Your going into a hot L.Z., so check your weapons" the pilot said with a stern face. "Right" Mike said under his breath. Mike checked his weapons and then handed it to the next person who checked it again, like they had been trained to do in Basic training. The Draft had gotten Mike on his Sixteenth birthdays of all days.

I hate guns he thought Why can't we just talk and not have to draft young MEN like me. Mike loved to think about himself as a man. If he would not have been drafted, he would have joined The Peace Union and protested against the war with Imperial. But now he is going to fight in it. He and nine other newbies were getting flown into Beta Camp to replace some wounded troopers. Mike hated to fly and right now he was holding in vomit so he would not look like a newbie. "Get Ready to jump" The pilot said with a small grin. "Go"

Mike dove out of the drop door in the back of the Guardian Helicopter. Head first into and gun up into pile of mud, then he suddenly realizes that he could hear a lot laughter. He picked up his muddy head to see the whole camp was laughing at him and the other nine newbies. The other nine had fallen for the same prank that he had and their faces were redder than a Mercurian sun. "Privates" Mike heard to the right of him over the laughter. Mike turned and saw a Captain walking over who was visibly trying to keep a strait face. Promptly Mike scrabbled to his feet which were ankle deep in mud. And gave the crispest salute that base had seen in a long time. "Sir" Mike said. The other nine were still trying to help each other up, in the mud, To the humor of the camp they were failing miserably. "I'm Captain Dow and welcome to Camp Beta . . . "