Operation Inferno (24 page)

Memorial service was held at dawn on the third day following Operation Inferno. Private Hicks was presented with honors. I left my resistor-bead cuff on his memorial plaque, which somehow felt like the right thing to do.

The remainder of the squadron has various injuries (see attached medical reports).

Spirits are subdued but positive and show signs of improvement.

Sergeant Felix Winter continues to adjust to his grounded status. It has been assumed that even though the Ch’zar are fighting each other, their influence over the adult human mind remains in effect. This has been confirmed by a minimal-contact recon mission to a nearby human town.

NOTE
: Col. Winter and I are planning a follow-up mission.

SUBJECT
: Insectoid Combat Exoskeleton (I.C.E.)

KIA
,
SALVAGED
: Lt. Blackwood’s wasp

KIA
,
MISSING
: Pt. Hicks’s praying mantis

ADDITIONAL
: Two bee scouts, KIA. (See Rebecca’s report for details.)

Dr. Irving has a breeding and genetic engineering program underway to provide new and replacement I.C.E.s ASAP.

PERSONAL
notes: The loss of Paul hits me hard, but not like it would have before I joined the Resistance or started commanding Sterling Squadron. I honor his sacrifice and grieve that he’s gone, even though we were never friends.

In many ways I am responsible. I was the one who reassigned him flight duty and gave the orders that resulted in his death. I accept all those things.

But Paul, more than any of us, knew the risks and wanted to fly and fight. He died for something. He died a hero, too.

Every pilot in the squadron knows they face a potential death on each mission. We accept that risk because we have to if we’re ever going to be free one day from the Ch’zar.

Felix is adapting to life permanently underground, but it’s hard for him. He’s helping Dr. Irving with the I.C.E. development program. I expect with the doctor’s scientific and military knowledge, and Felix’s firsthand combat experience with the Ch’zar, those two are going to cook up some wickedly spectacular bugs.

Felix has also asked Emma out on three dates so far, and they seem to be a
thing
. On that note, at least,
puberty seems to have some advantages (for which I’m happy to wait to find out).

And me? I continue to come up with new strategies.

When I told Madison that everything had changed, I was more right than I ever could have known. For the first time, we’ve gone on the offensive with the Ch’zar. The entire nature of what the Resisters are feels different. We’re not just carrying out secret raids to hinder the enemy. We’re not just hiding and surviving and hoping not to get found.

We’re fighting back.

For the first time, the Resisters are at war.

And I, for one, plan to win it.

E
RIC
N
YLUND
is a
New York Times
bestselling and World Fantasy Award–nominated author. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels and comic books and has helped make many blockbuster video games.

Eric has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. He graduated from the prestigious Clarion West Writers Workshop in 1994. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his family. You can learn more about Eric at
ericnylund.net
.

The following interview first appeared on the blog
Random Acts of Reading
. For the full entry, visit
randomactsofreading.wordpress.com
.

Q
: The Resisters series begins with action and never lets go! Do you think your work in the gaming industry helps with your action sequences? Did your degree in chemical physics help in the imagining of the giant bug fighting machines? (Love those!)

A
: I love those bugs, too. Thanks. I’ve always had an ear and eye for action, even in my first novels. Working
for the video-game industry has honed that to a razor’s edge—especially my work for the HALO series.

Having a few science degrees helped in imagining and designing the fighting insect machines.

What really influenced their creation, however, was when I was fifteen years old I was lucky enough to get an internship at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center. For an entire summer I was exposed to exotic experimental jet aircraft, the superstealthy SR-71, and the then-new space shuttle,
Enterprise
.

Q:
What made you want to write for kids, and how was the transition from writing books for adults?

A:
A long time ago, I wrote a video-game prequel novel called
HALO: The Fall of Reach
. Soon after, I got a few emails from kids who said they never like to read, but they liked HALO and they picked up and fell in love with my HALO books.

A “few emails” became dozens, hundreds, and then thousands—and I found myself pleasantly surprised at being a gateway for a new audience into the world of reading.

After reading the HALO novels, these fans would write back, asking what else they should read. I’d suggest
Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card and then the Robert Heinlein juvenile series, but found there was a shortage of good science fiction for kids. That’s why I started writing for middle-grade readers. I wanted kids to have more good science fiction. I wanted to get them hooked on reading.

Writing for middle-grade readers is certainly different from writing for adults. It’s economical: you have to tell a story with a minimum of heavy-handed techniques that you might use in adult fiction. Kids have an excellent ear for dragging, ponderous prose and they won’t put up with it. My favorite fiction for the last few years has been middle grade because it’s such an engaging experience.

Q:
The Resisters put me in mind of the Tripods Trilogy and other classic kids’ sci-fi. What were your favorite reads as a kid?

A:
A Wizard of Earthsea
, by Ursula K. Le Guin,
Ender’s Game
, by Orson Scott Card, and most important to me,
the “juveniles” by Robert Heinlein. These are dated, but so cool, and unfortunately getting harder to find. Some of my favorites are
Citizen of the Galaxy
,
Farmer in the Sky
,
Have Space Suit—Will Travel
,
Rocket Ship Galileo
,
The Rolling Stones
,
Space Cadet
,
Tunnel in the Sky
, and
Podkayne of Mars
.