The time of the debriefing came and unit 38, rather what was left of it, assembled in the conference room 204.  Commander Getz, a short balding man with a mustache, began the debriefing. His mustache was such that one could barely see the man’s mouth,  and seemed to cover some scaring along his face.  His demeanor and mannerisms suggested he had seen live combat, though whether it was during the Pan-Geo conflict or against the ghosts was not known by unit 38.  “I’m glad you all could make it.  Let’s begin the debriefing.  First, hand in your reports.” Each trooper began pulling out their reports and proceeded to pass them down the line until they reached the end of the seating.  The reports were then picked up by a young man who couldn’t have been much over 18.  He wore the standard BDU with the stripes of a private 3rd class.  He was about 167 cm in height and maybe 73 kg in weight.  He wore glasses covering his deep brown eyes and a hat covering his shaved but barely visible brown hair. As he was gathering the reports, Commander Getz looked at him and said, “Take the reports down to central processing, then report back here for the end of the debriefing.”  “Yessir!” The young man replied.

“As you know, the flame dancer is leagues above any ghost we have ever faced.  While some of you may be eager to go back into the field to face it again, you will not be going.  Your unit as well as others have been chosen to undergo special training.   As such, you will be given your orders in the next 24 hours.  Also, Commander Faraday will be arriving later this evening to attend the funeral for Commander Voss.  You are all expected to be part of the ceremony.  You should all be receiving communications about the event shortly.” Commander Getz continued on.  The information of the day’s events from headquarters was relayed, but it sounded the same as what the troopers had all reported.  “No one really seems to know anything.  It was as if the flame dancer we were chasing didn’t exist at all.  That can’t be! The damage to the transport; the death of the commander; those were all very real.  The smell of smoke on my battlesuit.  This thing is real, and it is still out there somewhere.” Sara thought to herself.   The debriefing ended and Sara quietly returned to her quarters.  

As Sara opened her door she said out loud, “Guess I had better clean up the battlesuit and press the dress uniform.  Actually, before that, I need a shower.”  Sara then noticed that the comm line message she had been expecting had already arrived.  “Computer, play message.” she said.  The computer replied, “Playing message.”  Sara began to get undressed while the computer began playing the message.  Sara did not recognize the voice in the message, but she was vaguely familiar with the name.  “Private 3rd class, Sara Snow.  You have been reassigned to a special training program under my supervision.  I am Dr. Kardinovsky.  You will rendezvous with the rest of the trainees at the training grounds in Iceland.  You are expected to arrive within the next 48 hours for check in.  You will receive further orders once you are checked in at the training grounds.” the message stated.  “Well that wasn’t very informative.” Sara said as she turned on the shower.  While in the shower, Sara began to replay the events of the day in her mind.   “What the hell are we missing?  People are dying and we totally missed something strong enough to melt a transport.” she thought as the frustration was beginning to build.  Sara leaned forward and frustratedly banged her head against the shower wall, “They said it was made of fire so there must be some way to track it.”  Sara looked down at the floor and watched the water go down the drain.  She couldn’t think of anything.  Her mind went completely blank.  Just then the computer voiced, “Incoming comm line message.”  Sara turned off the water and grabbed her towel, “Computer play message.”  The computer replied, “playing message. All personnel from unit 38 are to report to the main grounds at 1900 hours.  Come in full dress attire for funeral services and burial detail.  End message.”  “Oh great.  My first successful mission will be burying what is left of my commander.” Sara thought sarcastically.

 “Ugggggh!”  Sara muttered as she finished drying off and got dressed.  Unlike many of the other soldiers, Sara preferred her BDUs to regular attire.  As such she dressed in them even though she was in her room.  She began pulling out her dress uniform and ceremonial rifle, a bolt action M-1 Garand that used to be her father’s.  Looking at the clock Sara thought, “I still have plenty of time.”  Her stomach started growling.  “I might ought to try and eat something.”  Sara pulled out to the autopress and placed her formal uniform in it.  She then set it to run and started walking toward the door of her room.  “I can clean the rifle when I get back.” She thought.  Her stomach growled again.  “Yeah, yeah, I get it!” she said.  She began walking to the commissary to see what she could find that would make a light meal to settle her growling stomach.  As she walked down the various hallways she kept thinking about the flame dancer encounter. “Why is this ghost so different?  It went straight for the transports.  It was like it knew that was where to hit us.  I know ghosts can be just as intelligent as humans, but why attack the transport and not the troopers?  To cut us off from the transport?  Or to separate us from the commander?”

The U-37 Autopress is designed by the Bairon-Midley Department of Technology.  It is designed as a state of the art dry cleaning and pressing device for uniforms, suits, and BDUs.  Using a state of the art measuring program and smart designs, it accurately cleans and presses clothing in all the right areas.  It comes with a five year limited warranty and is perfect for both homes and small apartments.  

~Excerpt from a local net programming

No sooner than Sara entered the commissary she heard “Hey! Sara! Over here!”  It was Mason.  “Hey Mason!” Sara replied somewhat awkwardly.  “I heard that you are getting reassigned!” Mason said.  “Yes, though I am not entirely sure what my new assignment will be just yet.” Sara replied.  “I see.  I guess this means I won’t be working on your suit anymore then.” Mason replied.  Sara didn’t really know what to say to that comment.  She then tried to change the course of the conversation, “So what brings you here Mason?”  Sara already knew why he was at the commissary.  “I was hoping to get some sushi.  I heard they put out a new flavor today.” Mason said.  “Oh, what flavor is that?”  Sara inquired.  “They are making an avocado, asparagus, ginger roll that I wanted to try.”  Mason stated.  “You have some weird tastes there Mason, but sushi does sound good.”  Sara said.  The two walked over to the sushi counter and got in line.  “Next.” the lady behind the counter called out.  Mason stepped forward and ordered, “I will have the asparagus sushi roll with added black pepper and extra ginger.”  The lady behind the counter nodded in acknowledgement and began preparing his order.  

“So when do you leave?”  Mason asked.  Sara replied, “I have to be at the funeral for the commander tonight, then I guess I will book a transport for in the morning.   We have to be in Iceland by the end of the day, tomorrow.”  Mason, sounding kind of down, replied, “I see.  So you really are going away.  I will miss you.”  “I am sure I will be back again at some point.  Besides, it seems like they are taking all of us from the 38th; so maybe you will get a break from fixing all our suits.”  Sara said with a slight laugh.  Mason quickly replied, “Or maybe I will get reassigned with you guys so that you will have someone to work on your suits!”  The lady at the sushi counter, in a loud voice, said, “Order up!”  Mason quickly turned to face the lady and said, “Thank you Ma’am.”  “Next.” The lady behind the counter almost robotically stated.  Caught off guard, Sara briefly glanced over the menu then instinctively said, “I will have what he is having.”  The lady behind the counter nodded and started making another order.  Mason then asked “Sara, I thought you thought this was a weird combination?”  Sara, caught off guard once again, said, “Well, I figured I would give it a try since you talked it up so much.”  Mason smiled, “Well I am glad that you wanted to try it too.  You want me to clean up your suit before you depart?”  “No, I will do it tonight.  It will help me pass the time.” Sara said.   “Okay,” Mason said dejectedly.  Sara thought about it for a moment after seeing Mason’s rejected look, changed her mind, and said, “Okay Mason.  I will try bring it down on my way to the funeral.  You can give it a good cleaning and maintenance before I leave.”  Mason cheered up, “Thank you!   Please bring it by this evening.  I will give it the special treatment.”

  “It will be pretty late, if I can’t get it in before the event.  I have to attend the commander’s funeral tonight.”  Sara reminded Mason.  “Oh, no worries.  All the techs have to attend as well.  Want to sit together?” Mason asked.  “I can’t.  I am in the burial detail so I will be on stage with the others.”  Sara said with a sigh.  “Oh..” Mason said as his voice trailed off.  “It isn’t like I exactly wanted to be on burial detail.  I didn’t get a choice in the matter.  Apparently it was the only unit duty left at the time of my recruitment.” Sara said all flustered.  Mason nodded and replied, “that makes sense.  No one wants to be the one to help bury their comrades.”  “I guess.” Sara replied.  “This unit, they all seem so close.  I don’t even feel right being one of the ones burying the commander.  I barely even had a chance to get to know the guy.” Sara continued on.  At this point, the thoughts of the ghost had left her mind, and instead had been replaced with more immediate concerns. “Mason, it was nice getting to talk with you, but I really do have to go.  I have to get ready for the funeral tonight.” Sara said as she collected her sushi and headed towards the exit  “I understand.  Have a good evening!” Mason said, trying to cheer her on.  

Mason Fenue, Private 3rd Class, Maintenance Technician.  152cm in height and all of 56kg soaking wet.  He is a nice guy but man he is such a dweeb.  Not an ounce of muscle on him, and he is such a techie, in both actions and mannerisms.  I am pretty sure he has the hots for me.  I try really hard to not lead him on, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings either.  I mean, he is a nice guy and he works hard.  

~Excerpt from Private Sara Snow’s Journal Entry 28

Sara began the walk back to her room.  Her stomach growled even louder.  “Hush you!.  Other people will hear you.” She muttered  As she approached the door to her room she thought, “Why the hell did I order this!  It doesn’t even sound good.”  From inside her room she heard a faint beeping sound.  “It must be the autopress.”  she thought to herself.  She then heard another sound.  This sound was more of a tone, like that of a cell phone or a computer.  “Da du da da da du di da da da doooo” the tone went.  “OH SHIT! That was the alarm to leave for the ceremony.” she thought, coming to the hard realization that she had taken much longer in the commissary than she had planned.  She opened the door and began stripping.  During this flurry of clothing removal she managed to open the sushi container and awkwardly applied soy sauce from the packet to the whole container. She managed to unpackage the ginger and wasabi and threw them on top of the sushi.  At this point,  she was down to her underwear and her food was drowned in way more wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger than most people would be able to stomach.  “Shit! Shit! Shit! I CANNOT BE LATE FOR THIS!” she was shouting at herself in her mind.  Somehow in her flurry she flung open the autopress and pulled out the dress uniform inside. 

She then crammed a piece of sushi in her mouth.  “Oh my God!  Bad move!” she immediately thought.  The sushi was exactly like she expected.  It was asparagus, something she had never liked.  “Why is it so salty?” she thought, forgetting that she poured the entire packet of soy sauce on it.  A few seconds later the heat from the thai pepper sauce, which was not mentioned in the name, hit.  Sara could also feel her face turning red from the heat and the excessive amount of ginger and wasabi.  “Holy shit!! My mouth is on fire!”  she thought to herself.  As if the burning in her mouth wasn’t enough, she could feel her face starting to heat up from the wassabi.  Her face turned red, her eyes teared up, and her nose started to run; as she thought to herself, “This stuff tastes like absolute shit!”  Just then she glanced up only to see Kono looking in at her rather amused.  She just now realized that the door was still open and screamed, “KYAAA!”  She then instinctively threw the only thing she had nearby at Kono, her sushi.  Kono nimbly sidestepped the flying sushi container.  Sara shouted, “Computer! Close the door!”  The computer replied, closing the door.”  As the door closed, Kono remarked, “was just checking…”  The door closed completely.  “Thaa you were rea to hea to the cerem…” his voice muffled by the closed door.  Sara shouted, “I will be there just go on without me!”  “Okay!” he shouted back with a hint of obvious glee in his voice.  

“Why the hell did I order that stuff?  I knew it was going to be terrible!”  she thought.  Despite the fact that her mouth was still burning and her face felt like it was on fire, she managed to finish getting dressed.  Finally, after a few minutes her face had cooled and she was dressed and heading out the door.  Her mouth was still burning but it was letting up.  She ran towards where the ceremony was to be held, rifle in hand.  She rummaged through her pockets thinking, “Please tell me I didn’t forget the blanks.  Shirt pocket? No.  Jacket pocket? No!  Left pants pocket?  No!”  It was just then that she felt something move against her thigh on the right side.  She stuck her hand in the right pants pocket and she felt it.  With a sigh of relief she thought, “Thank God! I remembered to stick them in there!”  She stuck her hand in her pocket and felt the shell container of blanks just to confirm it was them.  She then suddenly remembered, “Oh crap!  The sushi container! I left it in the hallway.  Here comes a fine on the ole door.  At least the hall cleaner will get it… and issue me a ticket!  Nothing that can be done about it.”  She was at a full run at this point heading to the funeral.