Alderson was a corpsman serving in the Martian Armed Forces from 2122-2128. His service came to an end after he survived a shuttle crash that left him paralysed. Alderson spent the remainder of his life writing books, public speaking, and detailing his experiences in the MAF including such in the Roking Rebellions and the Border War. He became an influential figure, and central contributor to Martian Nationalism that helped define an era. During the Raleigh Riots of 2160, Alderson, suffering from pneumonia, surprised many by addressing crowds and helping to calm them after violent clashes for a number of weeks. He grew to become anti-war, and while he supported the military, he was a large advocate in its use for defence only. He also pushed for campaigns to help workers, and the disadvantaged by challenging cultural norms especially those dealing with race.
Alderson died in 2165 from complications of pneumonia, just 5 years after the Raleigh Riots, leaving behind many influential works on Martian politics and society. The government provided Alderson a state funeral, the first non-government person to have received such an honour. His works, detailed in the book ''Martians'', shifted cultural views on many things in the MSR. The nation grew more tolerant, and the past decade has seen expansive growth for the MSR. Alderson's book also depicted his difficulty following the shuttle crash. In a chapter titled 'Carry me home' -- he outlined several conversations with death, wishing that he would join his friends who perished in that crash.
''Life is too often cruel, for us to be cruel ourselves. I think about that crash everyday, and the faces of the men I knew, who just the night before were all laughs and smiles. In many ways, I did die with them that day, and some day, I will join them finally. Until then, I just have to keep going. I've an order to never quit, and I intend to see that through. We used to joke that we were soldiers first, Martians second,'' Alderson said in an interview in 2163.
2175
''Ryu! It's time to get up,'' Hinata said, throwing a pillow at the sleeping log.
Ryu groaned and rolled over, ''Hinata? What are you doing here, how'd you get in?''
''You showed me where the key outside was remember?'' she answered, pulling the blanket from him. ''C'mon, it's already late, and you're making me late.''
Ryu sat up, and rubbed his eyes. He would much rather continue to sleep, but Hinata's persistence wasn't going to end unless he got out of bed. Begrudgingly, he did so, and kicked over some clothes on the ground until he found some jeans to slide on.
''That's disgusting,'' Hinata remarked, starting the coffee in Ryu's kitchen, which wasn't too far away. He lived in a small flat.
''If we're already late, then I've no time to do laundry,'' he said, continuing to get ready. Hinata shook her head in disapproval before taking a cup of coffee to him. ''Shit, that's hot,'' he said, shaking his hand for a moment.
''Really? I thought it'd be ice cold, c'mon, we need to hurry, we might be able to catch one of the other buses!''
Ryu sipped his coffee unenthusiastically as she hurried to the door and jerked it open. ''So dramatic,'' he mumbled.
''What?'' - ''Nothing, it's nothing. Let's go.''
Raleigh was a huge city, it had been the capital of the MSR for two hundred years now, and was home to more than twenty million people. Traffic along the main roads was always chaotic during the mornings, and Ryu always it a habit to walk closest to the road with Hinata further into the sidewalk. He sipped the last of his coffee, and ditched the cup in a bin when Hinata spotted a bus up ahead. People were boarding it, and immediately she started to take off, though Ryu already knew they were too far away.
''Hey! Wait!'' Hinata yelled, frantically waving her arms before the bus turned away. She stopped near the bus stop to catch her breath as Ryu came walking up. ''You could've ran after it, you're faster than me,'' she panted. Ryu gave her a shrug.
''I wouldn't have made it in time either, so it looks like we're walking,'' he said, much to the dismay of Hinata. She sighed. She didn't like being late, and she wished Ryu cared more. They were both having to pay out of pocket for the classes, and missing days was literally losing money. When she caught her breath, they began to start walking again.
''How'd you do on the exam?'' Hinata asked.
''Not good, pretty sure Professor Garr has it out for me,'' Ryu answered, drawing an eye from Hinata.
''Maybe because you sleep too much in class. It's a wonder she's put up with you this long,'' she said.
''Eitherway, it's not enough to screw me up for this semester so its fine.''
They both stopped at the sound of commotion as a door exploded from the hinges with a man. There were several police cars on the opposite side of the road, and a small group of people shouting and throwing things at the police. The man that had flown through the door tried to get up before getting tackled by several officers. ''Its our fucking right! You bastards are part of the problem!'' he was yelling as they tried to subdue him.
''What's that all about?'' Ryu asked as they continued to walk past the scene.
''Senate passed some controversial act, there's been protests across the city,'' Hinata said as she bumped into a someone. The two of them stopped and stared at a blonde haired police woman dressed in a black uniform, who had a rifle slung to her side. ''I'm really sorry,'' Hinata said giving a bow.
''What are you two doing here, this area is being cordoned off,'' the woman said, she had a very stern voice as she spoke.
''We missed our bus to the university, so we decided to walk, cordoned off?'' Ryu asked.
''And you've nothing to do with any of this?'' the officer said, gesturing to the commotion behind them, they both shook their heads. ''I need your IDs,'' she stated, holding out her hand. Hinata handed hers over, and the officer swiped it on her gauntlet which displayed some information in her eye. She handed the ID back, and then looked at Ryu who was still searching his pockets. ''Do you not have your ID on you?'' she asked.
''I think they're in my other pants,'' Ryu said quietly. It was law that citizens were to carry their ID with them at all times.
''Not off to a good start, open your eye and hold still,'' the officer said, reaching for a holster with a gun looking device. Ryu's hair stood up on end as she pulled it out and flinched back. ''You comply, and go along your way, or I take you down to the station, your choice. It's not going to hurt you,'' the officer reassured them. Ryu stood still as she pressed it against his eye, there was a sound from the device, and she was down and put the thing back in her holster. She quickly scanned through their records, and found nothing of note for concern.
''Alright, Ryu and Hinata, you may go, make sure you find a ride back. And Ryu, visit the Citizen Authority in case you've lost your ID, you're getting a warning for right now. I can't say how long this'll be cordoned off for, but you're going to have difficulty getting through the checkpoint without one,'' she said, pulling out a small notebook and writing something in it. She ripped the paper off and handed it to Ryu. ''This is a slip to let you through the checkpoint, just tell them Sergeant Reagan Tristram sent ya through. That way, they can radio me if they've an issue. But still, find. your. ID.''
''Yes, ma'am,'' he said taking the note from her. There was a more commotion behind them as a guy was seen wrestling officers off him.
''He's got a gun!'' one officer shouted, prompting the Sergeant to push both Hinata and Ryu to the ground. There were several shots, and some screams as the police Sergeant pulled the charging handle on her rifle and peered over a car. The man was taken down pretty quickly by the looks of it. ''Alright, you two, hurry up and get to that checkpoint,'' the Sergeant commanded, they both nodded and quickly shuffled down the sidewalk.
''21 to 5, status?'' Reagan said in her radio.
It crackled not long after with a male voice, ''5, 21 - One suspect down, Alpha, Code 2.''
''10-4,'' she responded, before muttering shit under her breath. She pulled the bolt, and dumped the round she had before getting a different magazine. The man her colleagues shot was a cyborg, she needed stronger ammunition. ''21 to 5, I'm 7 o'clock of your position, I've eyes on that door where the Code 2 came out of, have you gotten a sweep yet?''
''That's a negative, 21. We're dealing with the crowd, 15 and 7 need one more if you're available, how copy?''
''Copy that, 21 moving across the street,'' she said, as she slid from around the car and quickly made her way across.
She met up with the other two officers, which were also hiding behind a car. They all looked over as a large armoured truck with sirens came rolling down the road. More officers leapt off the vehicle amid rocks and glass bottles as they got into position to deal with the crowd. There was another burst of chatter, and then further gunfire as two people rushed the police line. ''All units, all units. Oscar 3. Code 1, Code 1.'' The codes were something they'd learnt by memory long by now. Oscar 3 meant an officer was down, and a Code 1 meant lethal force was authorised for non-compliance.
With that, the three of them breached the apartment building as more vehicles showed up to help the barricade on their right. The building was especially quiet as the three officers navigated its cold, dimly lit hallways. They'd cleared the first floor, and began to climb using the stairs. Floor after floor they made their way. When they reached the 7th, they were taken by surprise from a large man who started to swing a bat at them, hitting one of the officers over. The other tried to wrestle with him as Reagan looked down the hall at the start of a sound.
''Stop!'' she shouted, seeing a figure take off running. ''Stop or I will shoot! This is the police!'' she yelled again. ''I said stop!'' There was a gunshot, and Reagan peered over at the officer beside her. He'd taken the shot, dropping the person down the hall. Reagan hurried down the corridor to the figure which turned out to be a guy cradling his dog. He had blood pouring from his mouth as he struggled to breath.
''My dog... m-my dog,'' the man said shakily. Reagan knelt down beside him, sliding her weapon off as she carefully took the dog from him. It was just a puppy. ''I d-don't have the p-papers for it. I d-didn't want it t-taken, h-his name is r-rex... I, I-'' The man's eyes dulled and his head sank to the side. The puppy was terrified, and Reagan quietly petted it. She sat there for a moment, and carefully closed the man's eyes before getting up and grabbing her weapon. She marched back down the hall, where the other two officers had hit the bat-wielder with a tranq.
''What the fuck was that?'' she asked.
''We're Code 1, remember?'' the man said.
''I fucking had it, he was just running because he didn't have his dog registered,'' she growled. The man just shrugged. ''Fucking unbelievable. Fucking unbelievable,'' she said.
The door shut with a thud as Reagan wiped her forehead. She had the puppy in her other hand, which was now sporting a collar and chip. Her apartment was quiet, and very dark, she tried to avoid turning the lights on to keep the electric down. She gently sat the puppy down on her sofa, and went for the fridge to grab a beer. It had been one hell of a day. She popped the top, shedded her jacket and shirt and plopped down on the sofa. The puppy was sniffing around in the corner.
Reagan drank her beer and quietly watched it. She looked around on the table beside her, where she found some crackers and pulled the pack over. She crushed some up real fine, and carefully laid the pile on the cushion and watched as Rex quietly came over and began to eat. ''I'll make sure to get you some dog food tomorrow,'' she sighed and leaned back.
