Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

7) Anthony

Anthony entered the galley and was greeted by Matt who was with the rest of the crew. They were all sitting around the table with a tray of ground meat in front of them. "Would you like some?" Matt asked while pointing to his tray of food.

"Yea," Anthony answered. "I could eat."

He took a seat at the edge of the table between Mila and Captain Boyd. Matt placed a tray of ground meat in front of him. Anthony grabbed a spork and put a spoonful of the meat into his mouth. The meat was juicy and rich with flavor. There was some pepper in it but there was a sweet, tangy flavor that balanced it out. "This is great," Anthony complimented. Adah gave a large smile. "Told you he'd like it," she boasted to the others.

Anthony coughed and began to pant as the heat of the food increased dramatically. "Slow build huh?" he managed to choke out.

"I think he could use some water," Mila suggested.

"I got him covered," Matt responded as he slid the cup across the table to Anthony. "I can't promise it'll make it better."

Anthony quickly drank from the cup only to find that Matt was correct. The water did not help with the heat. It only managed to spread it around his mouth more than it was originally. Anthony put the cup down and pushed the tray of meat away from him. He wiped a tear from his left eye and shook his head. "Yea," he began hoarsely. "Never again."

Captain Boyd and Mila laughed while Adah looked disappointed. "I can't blame you," Captain Boyd said. "It's an acquired taste. You'll get used to it over time."

Anthony cleared his throat then faced Captain Boyd. "How long have you all been together?" he asked.

Captain folded his arms as he leaned back in the chair. There was a puzzled look on his face as he tried to figure out the answer. "As a unit?" he began. "Three years give or take. Right?"

"Yea," Adah responded in agreeance. "Mila joined about three years ago. So that sounds about right."

"So how long have you each been in the UNSF?" Anthony inquired.

"Eleven years," Captain Boyd answered.

"Seven," Matt added.

"Nine," Adah announced.

"Four," Mila replied.

Anthony was a bit confused. He was immediately assigned to the Alpha Team of the United Nations Space Force upon joining. But for the others, it took time for them to be put there.

"Why do you look so confused?" Adah asked.

"I wasn't expecting to be put in the Alpha Team right away," Anthony confessed.

"So humble," Captain Boyd said with a smile. "Alpha Team is the best of the best. So if General Wells chose to place you here, he did so for a reason."

"What are you anyway?" Matt asked. "Your field of expertise?"

"Demolitions, but I was first mate on the Obama."

Captain Boyd scoffed. "Well that's not what you're known for, Python."

Anthony knew what Captain Boyd was referring to. What he was known for was how he got the callsign 'Python'. But he didn't want to talk about that story. All he wanted to do was leave that in the distant past and in the dark crevices of his memory.

"How'd you even get that name?" Adah asked.

Anthony shook his head. "I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"C'mon storytime," Matt began eagerly as he took a seat at the table. "I'll go first-"

"We all know how you got your name, Lovelace," Mila said indifferently.