"Baxter, long time no see!"

Private Baxter Stockton, blond haired and blue eyed with more than a little puppy fat still in his youthful features. He had been a part of what was quickly being called the 'dragon debacle', but worse than that, he hadn't even arrived on the scene of destruction until after the beast had been put down. What was worse was that Captain Direson didn't even reprimand him. Not until much later. It didn't help that he was young, that his family had no military experience prior to Baxters enlistment, or that his family were actually not that important as share holders went with the Therus Company. All this combined to make Baxter very easy to pick on.

"Oh...hey Evans...whats happening?"

The barracks were never the safest place to be, even when Baxter slept. There was that horrible episode with the glass of warm water. He much prefered to be on duty, much prefered to have an assignment to keep himself occupied. That, to redeem himself to his captain, and Evans, were the reason he jumped at the special mission he had just returned from for Captain Direson. If haste hadn't been stressed as important to Baxter, he would've drawn it out instead of coming back to the petty torments that Evans and most of the other Therus unit now represented to him.

"Oh, nothing much Bastard...I mean Baxter, sorry, slip of the tongue. We were just wondering where you've been all this time. Looks like you might've fallen asleep in the toilet again. Phew...smells like it too!"

Baxter doesn't bother making a reply. He long ago realized his best defense against this kind of verbal battering was silence. Don't give them anything to work with. Just do what you came for and leave. Going over to his bunk, Baxter pulls his change of uniform out of his trunk. As he lifts the cloths from the dark recesses, he notices a creeping sensation moving over his fingers. He looks down to see the trunk filled with rats scurring to be let out. A burst of laughter rocks the barracks as Baxter leaps back in shock.

"Do you like them Bax? We thought they might remind you of home!"

Baxter narrows his blue eyes, and calmly shakes out his cloths, making sure they're in good order. He takes them and turns away, leaving the rats to scamper about the barracks and heads for the bath house. Evans trots behind him and slams his hand on Baxters shoulder, spinning him around. With a shit eating grin, Evans smiles and asks, "Hey, no hard feelings, right Bax?"

The blow is a clean one, delivered with as much calmness as if Baxter were flicking a peice of dirt from his lapel. Only the slight reddening of the chubby face showed the anger boiling beneath his skin. As soon as Evans falls in a spray of his own blood Baxter knows he'll regret laying him out like that. Evans had a lot of friends in the unit...more than it seemed before. He wouldn't get away with this for long...but for now he savored the throbbing pain in his knuckles.

----------------------------

"Sir, Direson hasn't accepted any visitors all afternoon. Even when his doors were open, he barely let anyone come in, even on legitimate business. Do you think we should be monitoring him more closely?"

"Don't be a fool, that old hack may have once have posed a threat to this operation, but without his precious factory lab or the backing of Therus, he's nothing more than an old soldier who's brain has gone to pot. That is clearly underlined by that dragon fiasco. If he had all his mental faculties, he would've let the dragon kill ALL the Wuith soldiers and then slain the dragon while it wwas weak from exhaustion. Then we'd have access to those caverns without having to expend resources. No, there's no need ot keep any more of an eye on the old fool than we are already."

"Yes sir, but it still bothers me that some of the men are so loyal to him. I know we've stacked the odds in our favor, but victory is by no means assured."

"You let me worry about that. By the way...where is Evans?"

"Infirmary sir...apprently that little yellow streak Baxter got a lucky punch in. But don't worry Colonel though, we'll have him sorted out in time for the operation."

"See that you do. Oh, and Lewis?"

"Yes Colonel?"

"Address me by that rank again before we have executed our mission and I'll personally put you in the Infirmary for the rest of your life."