It never seems to amaze Senior Petty Officer Augustus Magnusson just how draining it was to be a medic. He couldn't fathom how the corpsman did it. Only a couple of hours into this day and he was already read to sleep for a couple of days. He hadn't kept a count of how many men, women and children he had stitched up but he knew it was way too many, even for his tastes. 

After a little break where in he laid down and blocked everything out and for that moment. For that moment, it was almost peaceful, almost enjoyable. He really needed to do this more often. After his break he went back to stitching. What he found on his next bed was somewhat shocking to say the least. He never expected to see a face from his past in a place like the United Emirates of Orb.

One of his old buddies from his OMNI days. This old buddy of his brought back a flood of memories, from the days of bloody field work, from the days where he was just a mediocrely paid wetwork agent. It bothered him to say it but he really missed those days. As sad it was, they were happier times. He still had a girlfriend back then, one that would become a wife. A Wife that could have done a lot of good in his life, that could have changed him for the better. 

This friends name James Harper, Jim for short. Jim and Ace served on many of the same Task Forces. They had lived and bleed together. They also killed together, a lot. Jim was splayed out on a cot, two bullet holes in his arm and a giant gash on his head. "Jimmy, my old friend how are you?" Augustus said with a jaunty smile. Jim let out a laugh between the groans of pain that were constant. "Oh Mags, I'm just on a vacation. Spending time with the kids and wife. You know living the dream." Augustus smiled for the first time in a long time. 

"What are you doing in ORB? Won't OMNI be pissed that your slumming with the likes of us?" Augustus said sarcastically, his eyes focused and locked on to the task at hand. "I defected a few weeks ago. My family first them me. I traded some intell on a couple ops we ran after you left." Jim's face was contorted in pain from the wounds, stacking on to it was the fact that he had someone digging a needle and thread into his hand. "Stupid time to leave if you ask me." Augustus retorted. "I'm about done with your head. Did you dig those rounds out or are they still there?"

"Still there, after I got shot once or twice I ran home to be with my wife and kids. Maggie sends her love, she wants to have you over for dinner sometime." Jim tried to smile, he knew the rumors about Augustus but never asked. Losing a wife would be hard on any of them but for some reason it was rougher on Augustus than it should have been. "She was always a sweet one. If not a bit stupid." Augustus responded very quickly. 

"We've heard a lot of rumors about you being unstable and drunk all the time." James Harper said with a softness in his voice that was really heard in men of their profession. "Just Mack running loose in my head. I'll be alright one day." Augustus said as he tied the last stitch closed. Jim sat up and pulled his shirt to his mouth. "You're so full of shit Augustus. Brother we are here for you if you need us. Now cut the shit and dig the G-d damn bullets out before they shoot you in the head for having a knife." Jim Harper only got one response as he shoved his shirt in his mouth and braced himself for someone to start digging around his arms. "Aye Captain." Augustus said somewhat solemnly, it wasn't hard to see just how right Jim Harper was.