The expanse of the desert stretched out nearly as far as the eye could see — broken only by the jagged protrusions of rocky peaks. From the window of a UH-1Y chopper, the beige of the ground below began to meld together into one big, foreign blur. Zackary Pelletier, Corporal in the Canadian Army, stared out at the blur intently, but his mind was elsewhere. [i]I am a long ways from home[/i], he concluded matter-of-factly at the forefront of his thoughts, before snapping out of the absent reverie to examine the rest of his squad for the first time. Of all the soldiers, only Staff Sergeant Bishop was a relatively familiar face. Corporal Pelletier had met the squad leader a week back and, being the only other Canadian in Charlie Squad and having also served a tour in Iraq like Zack, the two had much to talk about. However, they were all still strangers to each other, and the sooner that was resolved the better. A soldier feels a whole lot safer when he knows that the guy watching your back actually gives a damn about them. 

Zack wasn't the type of guy you'd expect to ship off to Afghanistan — or to Iraq a couple years prior, for that matter. Off the field he had a devil-may-care attitude and sharp enough wit to make any commanding officer wish the Corporal had never left Quebec. He was an odd sort: a strange mix of native Quebecois custom and American influence. He was a legend on the violet, but insisted it be called a fiddle, and it wasn't uncommon to see him covering anything from classic folk right up to classic rock, right there on base. Furthermore, he positively oozed optimism. Two years of Iraq may have hardened his combat skills, but four years working toward a liberal arts degree and a lifetime of marching to his own drumbeat had left him unperturbed.

The chopper flew closer and closer to Camp Spear, their new home, and the team had just begun to prepare themselves. Zack watched as Jennison, the most junior soldier in Charlie Squad, began to ask Bishop about what they might be facing ahead. Beside him, Petty Officer Duke, the corpsman, and Corporal Westfield sat. He took time to study each one of their faces. [i]This is my family now,[/i] he noted, now very aware of the four soldiers around him. [i]Let's kick some ass.[i]